Sakaratte
woke to see Zelda standing beside her bed. The Queen was wrapping herself in
bandages. A mask, a few daggers, and a pair of blue boots lay scattered around
her.
“Zelda?!?”
Sakaratte exclaimed clumsily, her words mumbled and borderline incoherent.
“Ah,
Sakaratte. I see the sleeping aid has worn off.”
“But-but-but,
that’s Sheik’s outfit!!!!” She attempted to yell, but it came out mumbled and
sounded more like the incoherent mumblings of a drunk.
Zelda
looked at her, a hint of pity touching the corners of her eyes. “Poor
thing."
Confused,
Sakaratte sat up and stared around the near empty room. She drew her eyes back
onto Zelda, or Sheik . . . or was it Zelda? What the hell is going on
now!!!! I'm so confused!!!!!! She thought as she gazed at her godmother.
"Umm
. . . what's going on?" She asked in mock curiosity. Her inner being
screamed a "What the hell is going on," but she managed to retain it.
"Well,
Hyrule is under attack and . . . "
"I
gathered that much, but why are you putting on Sheiks clothing?"
Zelda
stared blankly back at her. "Are you really that dense?" she bluntly
replied. "I'm surprised that you haven't figured it out yet . . . ."
Nothing . . . "I'm Sheik!"
Sakaratte's
eyes went wide. She managed to keep her jaw from dropping. "Are you
shitting me???" she asked.
Zelda
raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me!?"
"I
said 'Are you shitting me?'"
"That's
what I thought" she said as she continued to dress herself in bandages.
"You will not say that again. And yes, I am Sheik. I've been doing this
ever since Ganondorf was in power. I helped Link out when he was trying to find
all of the medallions and defeat Ganon. "
"Hold on. I know this
may seem completely irrelevant, but why did you invite us to the palace for
mid-day meal this morning?"
"I
didn't." Zelda responded bluntly. "I have no idea what you're talking
about either."
"You
mean that you didn't invite us?"
"No,
where would you have come up with such an idea?"
"Well,
Saria told me that you did!!"
"Well,
Saria was wrong then. I never invited you to anything today." Zelda
slid the mask over her face and tucked in her hair. "I have to go . . .
important business to take cafe of."
"Wait!!!"
Sakaratte jumped out of the bed and ran toward the door and slid out into the
hallway. Zelda was nowhere in sight.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheik
raced down the path, his feet left no indentations on the ground behind him.
Link and Impa stood at the gate.
"What
took you so long?" Link asked her as she skidded to a stop.
"Well,
I was foolish, and Sakaratte saw me changing."
"What?!"
Impa exclaimed. "You did what?!"
"Calm
down Impa . . . please?" Link said under Impa’s cold stare.
"Stop
it. It's irrelevant now, we need to get to work."
"Fine,"
Impa said. "I'll deal with you later."
Impa
started off through the gate and out into the Hylian countryside. Zelda and
Link cast quick glances at each other and vaulted after her.
The
three of them came to a halt at the bank of Zora's River. Informants had told
them that the main invasion had occurred at Zora's Domain. No Hylian forces had
been sent in yet, but the army was preparing for battle.
Impa
had scoured the hills for Aikoka, but no sign of him was found. The three had
regrouped at the shore and prepared themselves for infiltration of the base. A
few Zora's had managed to escape and bring details of the set-up of the rogue's
new home.
Sheik,
Link, and Impa swam across the river. Sheik and Impa managed to get across
quickly, but Link was having a tad bit of difficulty. He finally managed to get
to the other bank (by that time, Impa and Sheik had dried themselves). They set
off through the only entrance into Zora's River.
The
sound of rushing water overpowered the sound of their footsteps as the wandered
through Zora's River. The place was in ruins, bridges that had been built to
make accessing the Domain easier had been torn down, ladders destroyed, and the
water seemed to be contaminated with human waste and blood. Footprints scattered the once
smooth grass and gravel; there had been a lot of people going through
the area a few hours before. A few weapons were scattered on the bed of the
river, left by rogues who had run through the path. Zora corpses were strewn
throughout the path, many of them were missing limbs and were still bleeding.
None of them seemed to be alive still.
They
waded through the shallow waters where the bridge used to be. Link used his
longshot to reach the platform that was the entrance to Zora's Domain. They
jumped across the gap and through the roaring waterfall. (A boulder near the
top had slowed the falling water: obviously placed there by the rogues.)
The
cavern was dark, most of the torch stands lay on the ground, their flames
extinguished. The rogues had caused major devastation on the former home of the
Zora's. Link gazed down into the water. Zora bodies were floating in the once
clear water.
The
unusual group of three walked slowly on through the cave. No rogues were found.
Anywhere. They finally arrived in the throne room. The Zora King lay on the
ground. A sword penetrating out through is chest. The water had washed the
blood away, down toward the path, and eventually to the castle. Impa hurried to
the King. She put a hand on his throat, feeling for a pulse. She waited . . .
nothing.
"Is
he . . . .?" Sheik asked, her voice weak.
Impa
nodded, her face somber. Link jerked his thumb toward the path out, toward the
home of the great whale, Jabu. They trotted lightly in the very shallow water,
making sure not to make a sound. The reached the platform the Jabu usually
faces. The whale was gone, he had probably swum off to some unknown location,
and he will probably never be seen again. In his place, was the body of a Zora:
mutilated. Impa used her magic to role the remains of the body over. Ruto's
cold eyes stared back at them.
Sheik
looked away, guarding her face from the face of her old friend. Link stared in
astonishment at the girl he had once been engaged too. They looked up toward
the Ice Cavern. A flickering light of fire was emitting from the cavern.
The
platforms of ice had been destroyed. The remnants of the mini-icebergs floated
in the below freezing water. There was no way to cross without a boat or raft
of some sort. They were stranded.