[ZGen] Valley of the Flood (T)

Valley of the Flood
Chapter one: A boy among Zoras

*Whoosh! Clang!* The blue suited boy slashed his sword past me, then back and into my shield. I thrust my sword back at him, and he blocked. We dueled like this, dancing around the dead tree and collapsing doorways, our blades and shields a flurry of sliver, black and blue. At some point during the heated battle, I delivered a powerful enough blow to his sword to knock in straight into the tree, all the way up to the hilt. He reached behind his back, and unsheathed a larger, two handed blade, and lunged at me again. It became a struggle to defend against his attacks, and soon he knocked aside my sword and shield. Before I could defend, he spun around and struck me in the chest. I fell backwards, and through the water I only just was walking on. Just before I lost my vision, I watched him look down at me and smirk, just before he grabbed his sword from the tree.

I pulled myself up from my bed sweat running down my face and back. “*Sigh*, Why do I keep having that dream...” I swung out of bed, grabbed my guitar from against the wall, and walked over to my small window.

I looked out at the aquatic landscape it looked out on, and played a few notes. This always managed to calm me down. I had dreamt about this guy a few other times, but I had only told anyone about the recurring dream, and even then, I only told Ralek, a Zora who had been my friend for as long as I could remember.

“Have that dream again?” He said, right on que. He stood in my doorway, also dripping. He had been swimming early in the morning, like always.

“Yeah. You’re up earlier than usual today.” I said, only now noticing.

“Oh! Yeah, I saw some weird passage while using a new route yesterday, so I decided to check it out today. You gotta see it, it’s amazing what I found!”

“C’m on, just tell me!”

“No, It’s gotta be a surprise!”

“All right, I’m coming.” I got myself ready, pulled on my custom Zora armor, and followed him to a lake the basin. It was just like the dozens of others like it up here, northeast Hyrule, small geysers that had several branching rivers that led to the central lake, or ‘Zora’s Domain’ as outsiders called it.

This one was just closest to our rooms, and coincidentally, was the least used. He jumped in, and swam the opposite way, through a small opening near the rooms.

“How did I miss that?” I said, following. We traveled underground for several feet, then we reached a small chamber, with a single lit torch burning in the center. I assumed Ralek lit it on his first trip.

“You ready?” He asked, pointing to another tunnel, leading down like a water slide.

“Yeah.” He jumped down, and I followed. We slipped and slid down at least a mile, then were spit out a wall and landed in a small, clear body of water, full of rubble. We surfaced, and I looked around.

There were several natural chunks of land laying about, most of the big ones blocking off the water from going further down the valley. The way we came in was the only source of water here, but it gave quite a lot into the small area.

It was open to the skies, but looked like it hadn’t been accessed in a while. The rocks were dusty where the water didn’t hit, and the rubble just lay around; no-one had bothered to move it. I looked to the right, and saw collapsed cave where a waterfall might have been.

Suddenly, my mind exploded into a flurry of images, and I saw the area in the past. It was a maze of land, shooting up out of the ground and wrapping around the area. A waterfall roared down where the cave was. The hole I came in from was much bigger, but no water flowed out.

A young boy with blond hair and a green tunic walked up to the platform before the waterfall, pulled out a blue potato- shaped object, and played a catchy, eleven note tune. As if on command, the waterfall parted, and he jumped through and disappeared from view.

“Dude! DUDE!” I opened my eyes. Apparently I had passed out, because Ralek was shaking me awake.

“I’m up, I’m up.” I pulled myself up against a rock pillar, and stared at the collapsed passage. Could that have been, him? The guy from my dream?

“You okay?” Ralek asked, leaning next to me.

“Yeah. Had a dream, or vision or whatever.”

“Was ‘he’ in it?”

“Man, nothing escapes you, does it?”

“Ha ha, guess not.” We stood there, leaning against the pillar of rubble, until my stomach started growling.

“Man, I’m getting hungry.” I said

“Me too. Let’s go.” Ralek said, crawling back up the tunnel. I followed, and soon, we found our way back to the basin. We then swam down one of the main lake access rivers, and wound up in the central lake.

We swam casually up the large river to the left of the room, and stood up in the shallow waters of the gathering hall. This was like our dining hall, and six long, thin stones had been placed years ago as tables. Our diet consisted of mainly fish, fruit and some mushrooms. Occasionally, we got spices, but it was rare.

We swung by the counter that stood before the kitchen, where our best chefs turned these simple ingredients into delicious dishes. I picked up an apple, as did Ralek. We sat down and ate, then traveled up to the throne room. This was an unofficial gathering room, where the king gave us daily announcements and news.

He was the only one who ever left the river these days, and it was only to meet with the king of Hyrule and the chief of the Gorons. Everyone conversed about these things here, and Ralek and I liked to hang out near the entrance to keep up with important stuff, but also stay in the shadows to keep up the image that we don’t care.

A profound amount of nothing interesting, just like always as of late. I had a hunch that something WAS going on, something we weren’t supposed to know about, but I didn’t dare try to bug our king about it. It just wasn’t worth his temper.

After I was sure there was nothing interesting, I went through the cave to the left in the chamber, then turned right at the fork that presented itself.
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So? What do you guys think? Trust me, it gets actionier.

i like it. so far, for chapter 1 it's pretty short, but i like how you made the zora's the main characters. drop me a message when chapter 2 gets out. btw, if you get time, pls leave a comment on my story: LoZ WW from our world to theirs! thanks! (pls leave me a message when chp 2 gets out, in all seriousness)

Thanks! The main character isn't actually a zora, but that'll become clear in the next few chapters.

Here. No comment.
Chapter 2: missionaries

I entered into blinding daylight, into the holy grounds of the Zora’s fountain. This was our main religion, although we did believe in the three goddesses like the rest of Hrylue. Ever since the deity of our race, lord Jabu- Jabu, rose to the heavens after the great freeze 100 or so years ago, we prayed to him once a week to protect us from another disaster like that.

I paid my due respects, then left. Even though I wasn’t truly a Zora, they required anyone living here to do so. I casually made my way back through throne room, to the basin, and to my room.

About an hour later, a Zora messenger came up to my door. “What’s up?” I said, approaching him.

“The king requests your presence. Yours and Ralek’s.” He said.

Dear god... I thought. What did Ralek do this time? It was sarcastic, of course. Ralek and I never got in any real trouble. That the king wanted us for something was troubling, however.

“All right, We’ll be up in fifteen or so minutes.” I said.

“Very well. I’ll inform him at once.” He said, and jumped back into a pool swimming toward the throne room. I walked to Ralek’s room, which was a few doors down.

“Hey, the king want’s us for something.” I said, inviting myself in. He was in the corner, practicing with his fin-blades on a dummy.

“What for?” He asked

“How should I know? Some messenger just came up to my room.”

“All right, better not keep him waiting.”

We once again traveled down to the central lake, then stopped in the corridor before the throne. We were a few minutes early, and the king was talking with someone.

“Wait.” I said in a whisper. “Let’s see what they’re talking about.”

“Sounds good.” We pressed up against the wall, and crept forward as much as we could, while remaining in the shadows.

“But sir,” A zora said, most likely his confidant. “Wouldn’t it be less risky to wait for-”

“I’ve taken risk enough waiting this long!” The king shouted. “We’ll be doomed if we wait any longer!”

“But the legend says that the hero will-”

“A LEGEND will not save my kingdom! We’ve waited enough, and must take fate into our own hands!”

“I suppose you’re right...”

“... As you know, the forces in all the temples are growing, and the Hylian knights have already fought back some troops from the one in Kakariko. If we let them grow, they will attack. And unite. And should that happen... He might return.”

The king’s confidant could not stifle a gasp. “Then we must do something! Anything!” He said, now panicking.

“My motivation exactly.”

“Then you have my support, my lord.”

I motioned for Ralek to back up, and I followed. When we were a good 10 feet away, we walked in, casual and right-on-time. “You requested us, my lord?” I said.

“Yes. I have an extremely important mission to ask of you.” He said, grim. “Firstly, markus, I want you to go to the zora shop, and tell the owner I sent you to get a sword. He will give you a fine blade, made specially for non-Zoras.”

Why would he want me to have a sword...? I thought.

“Next, I need you both to take the portal deep in the central lake, and use it to go to lake Hylia. There, you must dive to the depths, to the water temple. A massive dark force is rising there, with the power of our greatest treasure to fuel them. Kill them all, then bring the sapphire back to me.”

I was shocked, but still I said: “As you wish, my lord.”

“Then you are dismissed.” We left through the entranceway, both stunned.

kewl. so this is after Link comes, or before? i get it, it makes alot of sense, but this one was a little confusing.

After link. Probably about 80-90 years after OoT. Not sure exactly.

again, no comments. but I guarantee, you will be confused.

Chapter 3: To the temple

When Ralek finally regained his voice, he whispered: “Can you believe this?”

“It’s not easy.” I responded.

“But why did it have to be US?”

“Must be something to do with the fact I’m Hylian.”

“Okay, but why did he send ME too?”

“Because he knows I’d drag you along regardless.”

“Ahh... Oh thanks!” He said sarcastically, punching me in the arm. We had reached the shop, and walked in. The owner was shelving a new Zora tunic.

“Hey. The king sent us.” I said, walking up to the counter.

“Oh, hey Mark. Hang on.” He said, going into his storeroom. Everyone here knew my name, me being the only Hylian living here. He came back out, and handed me a sword.

It was rather short, curved, and pale blue. It looked like it was designed to fight just like Zora fin-blades. There were small, round rubies on either side of the pommel. “Like it?” He asked.

“Yeah.” I said, swinging it around, weighing it up. “Yeah, it’s great!” I spun it once with a twirl of my hand.

“Good.” He handed me a sheath for it, I swung them both over my shoulder, and we left. We jumped into the central lake, and swam to the very bottom. Ralek moved forward and moved a rock away from a small tunnel.

We swam through the tunnel for a good five minutes, then surfaced in a vast lake. We swam to an island with a large, dead tree, and sat, surveying the landscape.

There was another small island, and a bridge connecting the two and the mainland. There was a small building with a water wheel there, and another, larger building built into the wall to the right, connected to the mainland by another bridge.

Again, unfamiliar images flowed through my mind, and again the green clothed figure was there. I watched him, as a child, come through the same passage as we had, dive to grab something, and leave.

I saw him as an adult, diving down to the bottom of the drained lake, and come back up as it filled back up. He conversed with a ninja-like person right by the tree I sat at, and the images ended. I hadn’t passed out this time.

“You ready?” Ralek asked, standing up.

“Yep. Let’s dive.” We jumped into the water, swimming to a depression next to the island. There was a doorway wedged into the wall here. We swam through, and entered into a dry chamber. It was huge, with a square tower leading from the very top to three stories down.

“What now?” I asked. “I don’t think we can jump over to the tower...”

“All right.” Ralek said. “There’s a doorway and a tunnel on the bottom floor.” He pointed to them both. “You head through the tunnel, I’ll go the other way, and we’ll meet back here when we find something.”

“Sounds good.” I said. We jumped down , and split up. I walked down the damp cavern, until I heard a slight noise from ahead. I whipped out my sword, and crept into a room with a massive waterfall coming down from several yards up.

There were several platforms moving down the falls, and an ancient switch sitting next to the door. I pulled it, with great effort, and the platforms began to rise. I climbed aboard the nearest one, and rode it all the way up the falls and walked through a door.

I was now in a room full of fallen dog-head statues bridging platforms above a bed of water. I clambered up to the path to the right of the door, and saw another door with two dog head statues on either side. My heart rate inexplicably went up, an I cautiously opened the door, gripping my sword so hard my knuckles hurt.

When I saw the place I had entered, I was confused. I had exited a door surrounded only by a ruined wall. Across from it, another just like it stood, barred off. A dead tree stood solitary on an island in between the two.

My blood ran cold. It’s here... Just as the realization hit me, a dark figure rose out of the water in front of me. He looked like a shadowy reflection of myself. He lolled his head, cracking his neck, and he gave off a huge flash of light.
When I regained my vision, I nearly screamed. He had taken the form of the green tuniced boy, but retained his red eyes and demented grin. He unsheathed his sword, and I lunged at him.
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*Whoosh! Clang!* The green tuniced boy slashed his sword past me, then back into my blocking sword. I thrust my sword at him, and he blocked. We dueled like this, dancing around the dead tree and collapsing doorways, our blades and his sheild a flurry of silver and blue.

Finally, I struck at his sheild hand, causing him to drop it. Not waiting for him to grab it, I knocked his sword out of his left hand. I grabbed the front of his tunic, near his neck, and jerked his head inches from my own.

“ Who wins now? ” I whispered viciously, and drove my sword through his chest. He stood motionless for two or three agonizing seconds, then evaporated into dark flecks, which sank into the water. his weapons did the same.

“That’ll show you, fates.” I said, as the bars on the doors rose, and I walked through the second one.

The idea seems cool. I see how you got the idea from that fake Zelda artwork on google. That picture was done with cool editing, but the background was from a early 2000 book that won several awards. Anyways, it's kind of different how the Zora's are the main characters.

yeah, I took into play all the fake info. and as I said, the narrator is in fact a Hylian, hence the zora armor he uses.

Chapter 4: Shadows of the past

I checked the room to the north of the battlefield, and once seeing it contained nothing but dust and a broken chest, I backtracked to the entrance room. After 15 minutes of waiting, Ralek showed up, clutching some sort of device with a spike on the end.

“You find anything?” He asked.

“Nah. Just fought some shadow thing. You?”

“Just this!” He held up the item in his hand. “It’s some kind of grappling hook. Watch!” He looked around the room, aimed at a dog-head statue on the top floor of a one side, and in an instant, shot up to it.

"Woah. What's up there?"

"A busted door. Huh. Looks recent. Come up here!" He threw the grappling hook down, and after failing twice, I managed to grapple up. The door was wrecked, with a two foot, perfectly round hole cutting right through. Everything else was untouched.

"What could've done this?" I asked, picking up a loose shard of wood.

"Guess that's what we're here to figure out. Let's go." He pushed aside some of the rubble, and we continued through.
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We were now in a room with a slope sitting between us and a huge door. There were three spiky shapes patrolling the slope. We grappled up, and climbed through a similar hole in this door.

We now stood on a platform circling a pit, with four pillars in the center. A gooey blue mass was piled up in the corner opposite us. It had a small red sphere in its center, and pulsed gently with strands of dark energy.

"That must be it." I whispered, unsheathing my sword. It shifted, and stood, roughly humanoid in shape. Ralek readied his fin-blades, and it stumbled towards us.

We charged at it, slashing and stabbing, but no matter how much we hit it, it would continue in it's zombie like attack: stumbling and flailing its arms to hit us.

"This isn't working!" I yelled, as I cut part of its arm off, and it seeped back into the body through the legs.

"...I've got an idea. Keep doing what you're doing!" He backed away from the fight, and climbed up the ledge. I kept fruitlessly chopping at it, until Ralek yelled : "Duck!"

I did, and the chain from the grappling hook drove into the blob and yanked the red core out of it. Ralek slashed at it, and it fell apart. The blob stumbled back, then melted and seeped into the ground. The tatters of the core floated together, and glowed a bright blue.

It shone and expanded, then the light died out, and left a Zora girl of about our age in its place. I recognized her and bowed, but Ralek just continued to stand and stare.

"Hey. What's a pretty girl like you doing here?" He said. She laughed.

"Heh. Trying to do what you just did." Ralek looked confused, then realized just who he was talking to. He hurriedly bowed. "Oh, knock that off." Ruto said, motioning for us to stand.

"So, you were trying to kill that thing too?"

"Yeah, Zelda had the same idea your king did. She personally asked us sages to quell these uprisings in all the temples, but it looks like the others weren't successful either. Your king chose well, it seems."

"Thanks. So, what now?" I asked.

"Nothing different. I'll go ahead back to castle town and tell Zelda what happened. You do the same with your king. We'll figure everything out then. Oh, here." She tossed me the zora sapphire; three round blue stones connected by gold.

"Right. Thanks." I said. We made our way out of the temple, and Ruto shot into the sky in a burst of blue light.

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I know it's a bit short, but I think it's got enough content.

Sorry for the incredibly long wait, I had a combonation of writers block and 'I'm Lazy' syndrome. Don't worry, I didn't forget ya.

chapter 5: farewells


We walked back up the slope and presented the king with the sapphire. “So, your mission was successful, then.”

“Yes, and princess Zelda seems to have tried the same thing, as we ended up rescuing the sage, princess Ruto.”

“I see. Well, I’m glad you did.” The current king was not related to Ruto in any form, but he was her father’s first pick for new king on his deathbed. They were good friends while he was alive, and probably felt some debt to repay by protecting Ruto in any way he could. I had seen pictures of the old king, and realized just how much more our king was like the rest of the Zoras.

After some hesitation, the he spoke: “Markus, do you know how you came to be here?” I did, for the most part. I had been discovered as a baby right where I just returned from, on the doorstep of the water temple. A Zora scouting party had found me, presented me to the king, and left me in the collective care of the Zora kingdom.

“Yes, sir.” I said.

“Then you surely know you cannot remain here forever.”

I thought about what he said, then realized what he meant. “You want to send me to castle town?”

“Exactly. You have proven yourself more competent than any Hylian knight. You might even be able to rival the hero, in time.... heh. You’ve done all you can here, and now you must help elsewhere. Something huge, and dark, is fast approaching, and I’d hate for someone as skilled as you to waste time and life by staying here.”

“Yes, my lord. Thank you.” I accepted the praise, but I did not know who he meant by ‘the hero’.

“I realize it may be hard to leave some things here. I won’t force you to leave until tomorrow morning. Say all your goodbyes by then. And, Ralek,” He said, turning slightly to the right to face him, “You may go with him if you wish. But this time, it’s up to you.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Ralek said with a bow.

“I will keep you here no longer. Go, do what you need, and ready yourself for the approaching journey. You are dismissed.” We left his chamber, and swam back to the basin.
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“So, are you coming along, too?” I asked Ralek as he helped me pack some essentials into a backpack. It was about four o’ clock at this point.

“Hmm...” He said hesitantly. “I dunno... I’m not sure I would be much help out of water... plus, I’m not so sure a zora in castle town, after so many years of not leaving, would go over well with the townsfolk.”

“True. I’m sure I could find some use for you though.”

“That’s what I’m scared of!” We laughed, then finished packing without any other comments. I looked over what I’d be carrying.

A sleep roll: the trek down was a day and a half to walk, and the train didn’t run by the domain, because who would use it? My sword and guitar: I need money to buy supplies, and I could play for a decent amount of rupees. A small rod and tackle box: I’d be traveling along the northern river, and could use it for food and water. Lastly, my wallet, stuffed with roughly 30 rupees.

“Hey...” I said, picking up my guitar case. “How ‘bout one last show? Before at least I leave?”

“Yeah... Yeah, sounds good!” Ralek said. He ran to his room, and returned with his harp. Zoras didn’t usually play music, but when one did, it was usually a harp they played. I had blown all my savings when a Hylian guitar was put up in shop, and it paid for itself in no-time. Ralek had learned the harp a year earlier, so we decided to form a band, and the entire domain would always crowd around us whenever we played.

We crept down to the central lake, trying to be inconspicuous, but a few Zoras noticed nonetheless, and began tailing us excitedly. We mounted a large rock that jutted out of the bottom of the lake; it had fallen from the ceiling years ago.

We unsheathed our instruments and I slammed my hand down onto the strings, producing a long, echoing note. All was silent for a moment, then Zoras began flooding in almost as easily as the water they swam upon. We exchanged a satisfied smirk, and began playing.
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Hours later, we returned to my room, arms thoroughly tired, and wits slightly dulled from some drinks we had after the concert. I put my guitar in the corner, and flopped down sideways on my bed. Ralek sat next to me, massaging his wrist. We sat silently, no doubt both buried in thought.

What’s he thinking...? I thought. Is he thinking about the trip? I considered asking him, but decided it would be better not to broach the subject again. He stood up abruptly.

“Well, I guess I’d better head back to my room. We’ll all need to get up early tomorrow. ‘Night.” He left my room, leaving me to ponder what he said. We ALL? It occurred to me that I was far to tired to figure anything out, and righted myself in bed and quickly fell asleep.
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That's right, I worked a rocker into Zelda. So, what d'you think?

Story is sounding great so far, keep it up

Okay, I know it's been nearly three months since my last update, but now that the holidays are done with, I might try to update weekly. Let's hope I can.

Chapter 6: Departure

I awoke early in the morning, slung my belongings over my back, and ate a light breakfast I spared from dinner last night. I quietly exited my room, and down from the basin. everyone must still be asleep, because all was silent, except the sound of the water.

But when I reached the central lake, probably every Zora in the entire kingdom was gathered. It didn’t take long for them to notice me, and when they did, they erupted into cheers. I noticed Ralek, leaning against the wall, eyes closed, and walked towards him.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” He had slipped away sometime last night, he could have done it easily. He opened his eyes and smiled.

“Who else? Besides, I wanted to make sure they have plenty to remember us by.”

“Us... Does that mean you’re coming too?”

“You bet!” We shook hands.

“Good. It’d be awfully dull without you.” We walked among the crowds,
met with plenty “Good luck’s,” and “We’ll miss you’s.” I was surprised when I saw the king standing at the edge of the crowd.

I walked up to him, and he presented me with the Zora sapphire. “Zelda might need it,” he said, “That was really the only reason I wanted you to get it.”

After nearly half an hour of goodbyes, we were ready to go. Ralek produced a sleep roll out of seemingly nowhere, and we jump into the large cavern, and underground river, the only way out of the river.

We swam along this river for fifteen minutes, then climbed up the ledge to the left that just then cropped out of the wall. We walked along the ledge, which grew to about five feet at it’s largest point, until we emerged from the cavern.

What I saw on the other side nearly brought tears to my eyes. I saw rolling green fields and lush trees everywhere I looked, and the river branched off to the north towards the northern settlements, and south to Lake Hylia. In the distance I saw the shadowy figure of Hyrule castle and its surrounding city, and to the right, there was death mountain, whose silhouette almost seemed to glow red. In the distance, I could faintly hear the roar of a train engine.

“Woah....” Ralek said from behind me. It seemed like the only thing he was able to say, which was more than I could say for myself. Finally, I forced my gaze away from the landscape and said: “C’mon, let’s get moving.” We crossed a bridge just outside the entrance, and set off in the direction of Hyrule castle town.
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We traveled on until nightfall without anything notable happening. I tuned my guitar and practiced a new song I’d been working on, then we both turned in for sleep. We reached castle town at about noon. I saw people- Hylians, everywhere. A few children ran past, but I figured the rest must be in school.

I also noted with surprise that I saw some huge, rocky creatures that must have been gorons mingling around. As we walked, Ralek spoke up.

“Hey, don’t hit me for saying this, but, did you ever fell, like, out of place back home?”

I turned to face him, glaring, and said: “You’re lucky you told me not to hit you.”

“Whatever. I’m just now understanding that....” We made our way to the center of town, where the gate to Hyrule castle stood, guarded by two royal knights.

“I’m guessing we’re not getting in there anytime soon...” I said, trying to figure out how I would go about getting to see Zelda. The answer came to me an instant later. “We could play music for a while. She’s sure to hear it in the castle, and if we’re lucky, she might stick around to congratulate us. Then we can talk with her.”

“Hmm... Couldn’t hurt, I guess.” Ralek said. We stood, backs to the large fountain in the center of the square, and took out our instruments. I immediately launched into one of the first songs we had written. For about thirty seconds it’s just my guitar. Then the verse repeats, and Ralek added his harp. As this verse comes to a close, I cleared my throat, and began to sing:
Come, ride with me,
Through the veins- of history,
I’ll show- you a guard,
Falls asleep, on the job,
And how can we win,
When fools- can be kings,
Don’t waste your time,
Or time will, waste, you!
We launched back into the opening, then the music droped, then stops dead as it leads up to the chorus:
No-one’s gonna take me alive,
The time has come to make things right,
You and I must fight, for our rights,
You and I must fight, to, survive.
This repeated, the music from both instruments rising to a climax. I launched into a crazy but well-practiced guitar solo, halfway through which the chorus repeats. This time, though, the enormous crowd which had gathered sung along with it. The solo carried on fifteen seconds longer, then I finish the song.

The crowd lets out a huge cheer, and I turned to Ralek. “Just like back home, huh?”

“Yeah, it is! Let’s make sure they know just how awesome we are there!” We played five more songs, the crowd growing bigger by the minute. I saw that the knights who had been standing watch at the door had abandoned their post, and were among the audience.

I glanced back at the gate, and see a woman of around my age (eighteen), who, with her elegant clothes, could only be Princess Zelda herself. When we finished with our seventh and final song, she approached us, the crowd filing out of her way. She fixed her gaze on my left had for a split second, her eyes betraying the surprise she tried to supress.

“My, my.” She said, turning her gaze to the both of us. “It’s not every day we get live music, let alone from someone as skilled as yourselves. And a Zora!” She gestured toward Ralek. “You’re probably the first Zora most people here have ever seen! Could I trouble you to join me for lunch in the castle?”

At the mention of food, I realized just how hungry I am, having skipped lunch tto reach castle town quicker. “Of course, your highness.” I said with a slight bow. Ralek and I quickly stored our instruments, and followed her into the gate. The knights followed and closed the huge wooden doors behind us, staying outside.

Immediately after they closed, Zelda sighed and abandoned her royal attitude completely. She looked up at us, looking quite tired. “Boy, are you two a sight for sore eyes. This means your king must have found a solution.”

“My lady?” I asked, considerably confused.

“Markus, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but all of Hyrule itself is on the brink of oblivion.”

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Did anyone recognize the song they sang? If not,Here it is.

This one's a bit short, but oh well.

Chapter 7: The mission unfolds

“What d’you mean? And how do you know my name?” I asked.

“I’ll explain over lunch.” Zelda responded. “And I know your name because there’s only one Hylian in the Zoras Domain. Your name comes up during the meetings. I saw you with a Zora, and just made the connection.” Ralek and I, content with that answer, followed her through the main arching doorway and into a large dining hall.

The lunch was a simple one; fruit and bread mostly, some of which were completely foreign to me. When we finished, Zelda spoke again. “So, Have you heard about the strange goings-on in the temples?”

Now that she mentioned it, I did remember the king Zora saying something along those lines, when he thought we weren’t listening. “Yeah... Didn’t you have to fight back some uprising in Kakariko?” I asked.

“Exactly. The shadow temple is vastly unknown, even among the other temples. The forces there were easily able to escape capture. When they emerged, I sent my elite division there to stop them. Two townspeople were killed, and the entire village is in rubble. The remaining Kakariko people have been given shelter here...”

“Hang on...” I said, “The king said that Hylian knights held back the uprising there, not elite's.”

“That’s exactly what I told everyone. Many people wouldn’t approve of my actions regarding those elite's; My own father’s knowledge of them is scarce to none. Anyway, when the shadow temples uprising gets around, every settlement in Hyrule is in trouble. Shadow’s forces have been drastically weakened,”

“And Ralek and I killed everything alive in the water temple.”

“Excellent. However, that still leaves the Kokiri and Gorons in considerable danger. The temple of time, as always, is secure. But it’s the sand temple that’s got me worried. The Queen of the Gerudo has said nothing of any threats from their side. Sure, it may be difficult to get there, but they usually don’t have trouble.”

“Queen?” Ralek asked “When have the Gerudo ever had anything but a king?”

“The legend goes that one gerudo male be born every hundred years, and he shall be king. One-hundred years is the average Gerudo life span, so literally, a male should have been born soon after the Hero of Times victory. When none were born, they simply elected a queen and continued unchanged. I think this means that the Gerudo are plotting against us, with the beasts in their temple, and that......... That Ganondorf’s return may be upon us.”

“What?! How?!” Ralek said, nearly falling out of his seat. I nearly did the same; The legends of Link and Ganondorf were quite well known, even to the secluded Zora kingdom. “Wasn’t he killed before?”

“He was sealed into the sacred realm after the battle. He’s most likely found a way to control his legions from there, and is trying to regain control of the Triforce of power, which rests within the castle. With it’s strength, return to this world would be an easy task. Of course, I can’t commission the Royal Knights to any of the necessary tasks, because this is based on mostly speculation and guessing. That’s where you, and my elite’s, come in. I’ll need you to go to the Kokiri and Gorons, and retrieve their respective sacred gems. I trust you have the Zora sapphire?”

I took it out. “Good. We’ll need all three, to get into the temple of time, and retrieve the Master Sword. With it, we’ll be able to stop the Gerudo, with any luck. Now, I suppose you’ll want to meet the others on the job?” I nodded. “Then please, follow me.”

She led us out of the dining hall, through some hallways, then down a spiral staircase. A single door stood at the bottom; she opened it, and I saw a large room with five people inhabiting it. Two tall figures, one with blonde hair and a broadsword, the other with black hair tied in a ponytail, and a black metal gauntlet, were dueling. Another one, tall, with bandanas covering his forehead and mouth, a slim longsword in his hand, was dueling a much younger warrior, weilding a slightly shorter sword. A woman with silver hair was standing off to the side, watching both battles with interest. Each one had blood red eyes.

“Sheikiah.” Zelda spoke up from beside me. “I tracked down three of them, and was lucky enough to have Impa fall in love with that one,” She pointed to the one weilding a broadsword, “AND have a son.” She motioned to the young one, “So I was able to boost their numbers from one, to five. They alone are my elite division.”

I was introduced to each one in turn. The woman, obviously, was Impa. Her lover was Karn, and their son was Kasuto. The black haired one was named Byrne, and the one with the bandanas was Sheik.

“So, what do I need to do?” I asked once introductions were over.

“I think you should go to the goron village next, atop Death Mountain. The Gorons seem to have it worst. Fortunately, the train runs right up to them, and the tracks weren’t destroyed with Kakariko.”

“Death Mountain... How inviting.” I said.

“Hrm... I think I’ll sit this one out. I’d fry like the fish I am up there.” Ralek said

“Alright, I guess I’m going this one alone...”

“You might want to go to the shop here; you’ll need supplies.” Zelda said

“Alright.” She led us out the way we came, and I left Ralek with her while I located the store. I finally found it, and bought a bow and arrow set. I then found the train station, bought a ticket, and soon was off.
__________________________
Oh yeah. Plot twists, big time. Whad'ya think?

I like what your doing here, So is he seeing visions of link going to the places he is going now?

Also, I like the idea of his zora friend coming with him. Although the zora said he wasnt coming to the fire temple, it would have been cool to have him come to the Goron city and see the reaction to gorons.

Yeah, you'll see more and more of these visions as it goes on. And sorry for the slow updates; I write the chapters as I go.

This is well written, and I can tell you put hard work into it, nicely done. I think this deserves to be placed in the Fanfiction Showcase. Congrads! :3

Congrats!
I'll be watching for an update!

Originally Posted by electricut

Yeah, you'll see more and more of these visions as it goes on. And sorry for the slow updates; I write the chapters as I go.

Great hob on the fic, although mine is better, lol.

Also, same here with writing chapters as I go. Actually, I think of them as I am typing them and can take from 1-2 hours.

Wow... I'm so happy, I could rip out your throat through your skull Here's some stuff for ya.

Chapter 8: Waves of Flame

I watched as the forests zooming past the windows quickly shifted into a large, redish-brown rock face. The train then turned a corner, and I saw just how bad the destruction in Kakariko was.

Most of the village was simply gone. Some scattered ashes still littered the ground, and a few lucky walls, burnt to a crisp, still stood. What must have been a stone windmill (I couldn't quite tell, for the blades were burnt off), still stood, but half of it was in rubble on the ground.

Out of nowhere, another barrage of foggy images present themselves to me. I saw the town as it once must have been, with bright houses, lush trees, people and livestock everywhere, and, indeed, a large stone windmill where the rubble was. I saw minor fires start up on a few houses, and the very same ninja and green-suited swordsman, standing near a well. A large shadow rushed out of the well, brushed the ninja aside as though he were nothing more than a pesky fly, and flew off through a gate at the back of town.

The images faded, and I was back inside the train. Wait... I thought, the gears of my mind putting some crucial details together. That ninja... He looked just like sheik! But how long ago did these things happen? Did they even happen...? My thoughts were interrupted by the train whistle, signaling that we had arrived.

I stepped off of the small train with a few gorons, and a few others stepped on to take their place. The entrance to the Goron city was just ahead, and I saw two Gorons guarding the door, armed with shiny-new but poorly handled metal spears, and blue sacks on their belts. They hastily blocked the door as I approached.

“Human? Whad’you want?” One said, sounding a bit confused.

“My name is Markus.” I said. “I’ve come on princess Zelda’s behalf, to speak with your chief.” They glanced at each other, unsure of what to do.

“All right... We’ll have to escort you though.”

“I understand. Lead the way.” Zelda had said that the Gorons had it bad. Seems it’s even worse than I thought. The left guard walked through the cave entrance, and I followed casually. While he led me through the city, I glanced around, mapping the whole thing out for future reference. The city seemed to be built in an enormous crater, the smallest portion at the bottom being the center of the setup. Two doors sat on that floor, and caves led in and out of the levels. I noticed the green clad boy floating around, but the vision was wispy this time, and I was able to keep walking.

When we got to the ground floor, the Goron guard stepped up to one of the closed doors, whistled a simple, eleven note tune that for some reason, struck a faint cord in my memory, though I couldn’t remember ever hearing it. The door somehow slid open, and he motioned for me to stay while he walked into the room. I didn’t have to wait long, for he came back out after a minute and told me to enter.

I did, and I was pleased to see both the ruby, and the Goron who must’ve been the chief. “So, I’m told that you’re here in Zelda’s place?” He said in a voice cracking slightly with age.

“Yes, Chief, ah...”

“Link. Chief Link.”

I raised my eyebrow in question. “Link? Wasn’t that-”

“The Hero of time’s name? Yes, I get that a lot. My father new him quite well, and named me in his honor. So,” He dropped his voice level slightly, “The only human Zelda would send here is the one that she’s certain can save us?”

“Yes. And I was sent to her after taking care of the water temple back home.”

“So, you’re that water-Hylian.” He rolled his eyes. “Never know what’ll come out of the Zoras Domain, if anything... So, what have they decided on doing?”

“We’ll need to gather the sacred gems at the temple of time.” I said.

“So that’s her master plan... Not bad at all. Very well, take the gem, we can hold off those temple dwellers, no problem!” He turned toward a stone pedestal to his right, the gave a start. The stone, which had been there only moments before, was gone. ”There!” He pointed frantically toward the entrance, and I saw one of the strangest sights yet.

He looked to be human, but was made entirely of fire and rock. The ruby spun effortlessly on his point of a hand. I drew my sword and charged the thing. He almost seemed to grin wildly at me as he flew out the doorway, still facing me, and began weaving through the city.

He led me through the winding tunnels, back to the top floor, and out of the city altogether. I gripped my sword tighter, and noticed that the tiny red gem buried in the pommel was a bit loose. I experimentally swung it at the being,pressing the jewel down, and a blast of water shot out, nearly hitting him. He paused, then turned around and flew up the mountain.

I kept up pursuit, blasting jets of water at him whenever I could. He flew through a tunnel at the top, and I dove in after him. I instantly regretted it, as a wave of heat hit me. I saw the fiery form cutting through the door of a stone building on a nearby ledge. I worked my way down there, and jumped through the hole he made. It was slightly cooler inside, but not much.

I shot up the stairs, and turned right, where I just managed to see my foe enter. He was cutting through a huge door on the other side of a pool of lava. A stone platform sat in the center, and I jumped across just as the he jumped through. I followed, and he turned. He held up the ruby, and it vanished. Then, he reached behind him, and pulled a sword out. It was made of fire, but then the fire vanished, leaving a blood-red scimitar in its place.

I charged at him again, but instead of running, he parried my sword with his own. He quickly retaliated, but I parried his blade just as easily. We kept on like this, neither gaining a single blow to the other, until he jumped back, readying himself for a more complex move. I saw my chance, and swung, water hitting him across the face. It sizzled and steamed, and he dropped the sword to clutch at his burning- or, rather, no longer burning- face. I slashed again, this one hitting him across his arms and ribs.

Still pressing on the jewel, I ran up and drove the sword through where his heart should be. He screamed, water flowing to every part of his body, then simply disintegrated. I took the ruby, which lay unharmed in his ashes. Just as I did, however, the ground began to shake violently, and a huge shape blasted out of the ground. “Oh, come on!” I shouted.

The shape was a gigantic serpent-like dragon, now circling above. I stared at my sword, knowing how little good it would do against something like that. It flew at me, and I desperately tried to block, and although it turned sharply upwards afterwards, my sword was snapped in two, the other half landing on the edge of the platform.

I stared at the other half in bewilderment, then sheathed what was left, and took out my bow. I shot several arrows at it, although the ones that hit seemed to do just as little good. It was getting ready to come back around to finish me, but just then, a second dragon- this one more bulky, with wings, arms, and legs- crashed through the roof, grabbed the first dragon, and smashed him against the wall.

They dueled in the air, leaving me on the ground, only able to think things along the lines of I’ve gone completely insane, and WHAT did I eat last night? Finally, the first dragon plummeted into the lava surrounding the platform, and the second landed on the opposite side, looking me in the eyes.

“Markus. A pleasure to finally meet you.” He said. I was at a loss for words. He spoke. He knew my name. “You probably have a lot of questions, so I’ll just run down what I know.

“My name is Valoo. That other dragon, my brother,” He nearly spat out the word, “Is Volvagia. What you’re doing- gathering the stones- is absolutely what needs to be done. But make haste, for we need to stop this madness, and if you don’t, the goddesses have a plan of their own. Now, about your weapons... Go to biggoron, off the side of this mountain. He is perhaps the greatest smith alive- he can make you a mighty blade, and fix your old one, easily. Now, I’ve got to see what the goddesses want done about him.” He motioned toward Volvagia, grabed him with his teeth, and prepared to leave.

“Wait,” I said, “do you know Jabu-Jabu, by any chance?”

“Ha, ha... He prefers to be called jabun now. Not quite sure why.” And with that, he left, leaving me with my thoughts. Again, I found myself thinking, What did I eat last night?