Lukas' home is dark. He sits at his desk, reading.
A lamp burns next to him. He yawns, running a hand through his short, straight blonde hair and casting an annoyed glance at the sunlight behind the curtain. His eyes are red. Not from lack of sleep. His irises have always been a striking red.
He hears a knock at his door.
Sighing, and placing a bookmark, he gets up and walks to the door.
Opening it, he jumps a little. Ganondorf stands there, three guards by the wall across the alley. Lukas rubs his nose, looking to the guards who stand at attention."May I?"
Ganondorf asks gently.
Lukas looks up at him, maybe a foot taller.
Lukas nods, "Of course, sir."
He steps aside. Looking out and seeing none of the guards intend to come, Lukas closes the door slowly.
He turns, seeing Ganondorf walk to and sit at an armchair near Lukas' small bed, lifting a leg and crossing his hands."I assume your new position has been rewarding?"
Lukas hesitates, but walks over to his desk, sitting back down.
Ganondorf watches him.
Lukas stares at the floor in front of the man, seemingly having forgotten Ganondorf had even spoken.
Lukas scratches his cheek under his eye.
His bandaged left hand returns to his knee.
Ganondorf looks at it, then to Lukas, who simply stares."I assume you have met Rauru."
Ganondorf says.
Lukas just continues staring, tapping his right foot.
Ganondorf, facing the wall across from him, watches Lukas out of the corner of his eye. Ganondorf sighs."Water?"
Ganondorf asks, turning to Lukas.
At this, Lukas does snap to looking at Ganondorf, standing quickly, although too quickly, as he feels faint, leaning against the chair. "Yes, one moment…"
He says, standing, dizzy.
Ganondorf stands. "I can help myself."
The man walks past Lukas, grabbing a glass and stepping over to a large keg – the one the city provides for drinking water. He fills his cup, then pauses, turning his head to Lukas, who still seems to not be fully stable. Ganondorf grabs a glass from the desk near Lukas, fills it as well, and returns it, turning and walking back to the chair.
As Ganondorf sits, Lukas grabs the cup and drinks nearly all of it, then sits, rubbing his forehead.
Ganondorf clears his throat after drinking as well. He looks around, finding books and trinkets on every surface, leaning to place the glass on the floor next to him."Do you need some time off?"
Ganondorf asks, looking at Lukas.
His face seems to hold concern. "I…"
Lukas trails off."No, sir."
Ganondorf leans back.
He rests his chin in his hand, his other hand on the armrest.
The two simply sit in silence.
For a long time.
Lukas gets up, filling his glass again and sitting down.
He looks at Ganondorf. "Rauru believes I am here, not to advise the King, but to kill and replace him."
Ganondorf says, motionless. "Not only that, he thinks I will kill Zelda, who is merely a girl."
Ganondorf is quiet for a while."Why would I do that? It would be obvious to everyone I had done it, and I would be promptly killed."
Lukas looks down and to the side."To add to it, why would I kill an innocent young girl as well?"
After a while, Lukas shakes his head slowly."I don't know."
Ganondorf turns to Lukas, his eyes tired.
Lukas looks at the door.
He looks down for a while.
He looks breifly to Ganondorf, then at the door again.
Then at his glass of water.
He oddly begins to feel…
as though a fog were clearing."I don't know, sir, why anyone in your position would do that."
He says slowly.
Ganondorf, still looking at him, rubs his nose with his thumb breifly and sits up. He reaches down, looking at the floor, grabbing his glass of water and drinking.
Lukas drinks as well.
Ganondorf looks at Lukas.
Lukas looks back. Ganondorf stands, setting the glass by the keg, then walking to the door."It was good to speak with you, Lukas."
He says, opening the door.
Lukas just watches him leave.
He drinks the rest of his water, taking a deep breath and setting the glass on the desk. He stands, no longer dizzy. Although he is still tired, he feels…
He walks over to his bed, taking his shirt off and laying down, falling asleep easily.
Impa wakes to the sound of Nabooru's bell ringing.
She looks down to Nabooru, who is curled up to her left, facing her but sleeping. Impa looks at her for a while. The bell rings again.
Impa sighs, Nabooru shifts slightly and turns over.
Impa sits up and lightly tosses the bedsheet over Nabooru, getting up and going to the door, wearing a nightgown Nabooru had given her.
She struggles a bit to open it. She can see Zarah's shadow against the tent – the outline of the girl's sharp ponytail. Impa begins to open the door but hesitates.
Zarah calls from outside "Is Impa in there?"
Impa pauses and sighs, opening the door a crack and peeking out."Hi!"
Zarah says rather loudly. Impa puts a finger to her lips and lets out a "Shh."
Zarah leans forward, her eyebrows raised. Impa rolls her eyes. "What?"
she says. Zarah cups a hand to her mouth, whispering "You have another visitor. How popular! Should I tell her to leave?"
Impa sighs. She puts up her hand toward Zarah and looks over to Nabooru, who is still fast asleep."I'll be right out. It's Malon again?"
Zarah shakes her head."Tell her I'll be just a second."
Impa says and closes the door, getting dressed in her clothes from the day before, hearing Zarah walk to the pavilion.
Impa emerges from the tent, again struggling a bit to open and close it. She turns to the pavilion. Anju is sitting there.
Impa walks over quickly.
Anju smiles, standing up, the two hug."Glad you're around."
Anju says, letting go and sitting down."Where else would I be?"
Impa asks while stretching, still groggy."Oh, let me get us some tea and water."
Impa says, Anju nods.
Impa walks to the kitchen tent.
She grabs a pair of pitchers.
As she turns to fill one with water, Dreza walks in."Good morning Impa."
"Good morning Dreza, how are you?"
Impa responds a bit stiffly."Good. And you?"
Dreza asks. Impa turns from filling the pitcher looking at Dreza who raises her eyebrows expectantly."Good."
Impa says. Dreza smiles lightly and walks out.
Impa grabs a tray from the stack on the water barrels, setting it down and placing two cups on it face up, another two face down, then the pitchers – one with water, one with tea, and heads back to the pavilion. Anju waves to her as she approaches, setting the tray down and a cup in front of both of them, pouring herself water."You seem to know the camp well, and the Gerudo already."
Anju says, pouring herself water as well. Impa sets her cup down and breathes deeply."It's really been pretty good."
Anju smiles. "I'm glad."
Impa nods, "Are things alright at Lon Lon? How are you?"
"I'm well. Everyone is still very on edge, but things are getting a bit back to normal. Malon has set the carpenters to build permanent houses. Maybe a dozen are already built."
"That's impressive."
Impa says.
Anju nods "Well, what else is there to do? Just about everyone has been pitching in help. Goron as well."
"The moblin as well?"
Impa asks.
Anju shakes her head. "They are not allowed, although Malon and some others complained. Most people are still uncomfortable having them around, though."
"Did Malon send you?"
"No, I came on my own. If anyone has an issue with it, they can gossip all they want."
"They tend to, no matter what."
"The elders are tired of dramatics."
"I'm sure."
Across the river and into the feild a ways, some younger Gerudo are playing some kind of football, occasionally yelling or laughing.
Impa breathes deeply, she can smell Anju's familiar juniper perfume. "Oh, Anju. The Gerudo girl that welcomed you. I don't know if she told you, her name is Zarah. I went with her to Lake Hylia. We gathered juniper and lavender, I figured I could teach her to make soaps."
Anju raises an eyebrow."She did mention that."
"That girl has a strange energy, doesn't she."
"I suppose."
Impa says.
The two sit and watch the Gerudo girls playing across the river for a while. It is a bit of a windy day, but exactly the wind that is welcomed on hot days like this.
Anju looks to Impa."I heard you have an interest in one of the ladies."
Impa laughs a bit awkwardly. "Did Zarah say that?"
Anju nods.
Impa looks back toward the camp as if looking for Zarah."I suppose. I don't know how far it will go. You know."
Anju nods. They sit quietly for a while, sipping water. Impa pours herself tea after finishing her water.
Impa begins to offers Anju one of the extra cups for tea but pauses, "We don't have any black teas right now. Sorry about that."
Anju waves her hand, "That's fine, I'll have some anyway."
Impa looks off again at the Gerudo in the feild. Most of them laid down mats and are stretching or sitting in huddles. Zarah isn't with any of them."I think I prefer green tea nowadays."
The two are quiet for a while."Has Malon said anything about the Zora?"
Anju shakes her head.
Impa doesn't ask about Ganondorf.
Impa notices Anju looking to the boarded gate to Kakariko.
They sit silently, both looking at the gate.
After a while, Impa stands up.
Anju stands, and the two walk north to the gate.
Behind some cracks, boulders litter the ruined stairs. They stand there for a long moment, side by side, facing the gate, staring at the ground. Anju has closed her eyes.
Squatting down and finding a rock that looks strange, Impa picks it up, standing and looks at it for a while. A piece of brick from one of the houses. Maybe their old house.
Impa takes a step back, dropping the rock
By Anju's side again, the two stare at the gate, the wind blowing loudly. Impa folds her hands and looks down at them, then closes her eyes.
They stand for a long time.
Impa opens her eyes. The wind blows through her sweaty hair. She looks to Anju, whos eyes are still closed. They slowly open, but she doesn't turn to Impa immediately."Do you remember?"
Anju asks.
She turns to Impa and looks in her eyes.
Impa nods.
Anju looks down, the wind blowing her long skirt.
They stand quietly.
Back in the pavilion, the two sit as Dreza approaches with a tray, two plates of food. "Thank you."
Impa bows a bit, Anju as well.
Dreza waves her hand dismissively and turns to return to the kitchen.
Hungry, the two eat
Three young Gerudo sit at a table diagonal to them.
Impa didn't catch any of what they had been saying, but one loudly says "I'll tell Nabooru if you don't, Asheti!"
Without turning or pausing, Impa listens.
The three girls laugh, and one, presumably Asheti, says "She probably already knows."
One of them groans and the other giggles.
Asheti goes on - "It'll happen to you too, you know!"
One of them says smugly "Not me."
Impa listens, eating quietly with Anju. One of them teases Asheti a bit - "Nehru will miss you so!"
the girl makes kissing noises, the other laughing."She will!"
Asheti says defensively.
Impa smiles."What about you two, will you miss me?! Some best friends!"
At this the other two quiet down, one of them says a bit softly "Of course, Asheti. It is just a month though, you'll be fine."
Impa furrows her brow a bit. She looks at Anju, who seems to have just heard the last bit. The other girl chimes in "Well when I start to bleed, I hope neither of you miss me!"
At first Impa's eyes widen with concern but then she realizes what they are talking about and laughs quietly.
Anju says "I don't miss it."
"I bet not."
Impa says. Anju does look a bit more serious - "Don't be too jealous. You're still young."
Impa looks at her, but she continues eating. Impa looks down at her food, but pours herself some water and drinks. The portions weren't large, but she feels full.
As Anju finishes eating, the girls across the pavilion leave.
Anju sips some water.
Impa looks across the feild,
toward the black tower in the distance.
In the harsh sun, behind the home Impa shares with Anju, the two stand facing eachother. On one side of Anju, Zelda stands, wearing slacks and an oversized shirt which awkwardly drapes over her body like an empty rice bag – on the other, Rauru stands, his gold robe flowing in the cutting wind. To Impa's left, a guard stands with arms folded.
The five of them, lead by Rauru, walk to the graveyard, forming a line with Impa tailing behind. Before the gate, Rauru stops. He turns to Impa and Anju, who now stand side by side.
Rauru looks to them both, his eyes cold, almost angry."You have served your purpose for now!"
He says gruffly.
Impa and Anju bow quickly, turning away as if they have witnessed something they shouldn't.
Rauru's voice clashes like thunder,"In seven years, you will be called upon again.
In that time, you will be watched carefully. You are to do absolutely nothing to interfere with the events that unfold! No matter how terrible. No matter how much your conscience may attempt to compell you away from the right path!"
Anju and Impa bow, facing away."If you do, you will surely perish."
Rauru warns."We will surely perish, shall the prophecy be preserved."
Impa and Anju say in unison, facing the village."Be gone!"
Rauru yells. Neither Impa nor Anju flinch, simply marching back to the village mechanically. Rauru turns, quickly walking through the gate, Zelda and the guard following.
Zelda and the guard follow Rauru to the tombstone at the top row of the graveyard, stopping and stiffening as Rauru whips around. Rauru glares at them, then to the distance where Impa and Anju disappear around the corner of the graveyard entrance.
Rauru glares again at the two. Zelda's hair is tucked into a tight bun, she stares ahead coldly. The guard's shortish blonde hair blows freely in the wind, his red eyes also staring straight ahead. Rauru lifts his hand straight up, the deep red, scarred triforce on his hand facing the two of them.
The two close their eyes slowly.
Opening their eyes, a rotten smell nearly gags them, their eyes nearly tearing up. Rauru stands before them, dropping his arm slowly. Tears stream down Rauru's face, his eyes bloodshot. They are in a hallway of blue Sheikah stone – behind Rauru, the hall descends. Rauru turns, so violently that it is strange he does not fall over."COME!"
Rauru screams the word, his voice cracking, as if he is trying to call out over a deafening noise, although the hall is silent – his voice does not even echo.
Rauru walks briskly down, Zelda and the guard following.
They quickly descend, reaching an open chamber with pits of glowing green exuding thick yellow mist. Zelda and the guard's eyes have turned bloodshot as well, they swallow their gagging and allow tears to flow freely, quickly and carefully following as Rauru begins to walk faster past the rows of green pits.
At the end of the chamber, Rauru leads them through another long hallway - the two no longer fitting side by side, Zelda walks ahead of the guard. The hallway leads into pure black, and Rauru eventually can not be seen, but the two can hear his footsteps and continue following ahead.
It becomes so dark that the guard can no longer see Zelda, although he can hear her and Rauru's footsteps. Eventually, the sound of footsteps begins to dampen. Every few yards it grows fainter, the burning in the guard's eyes weakens, but as it does so does the sound of his own footsteps.
He begins to hear a melody.
Three notes repeat, each replacing eight footsteps,
until he can hear nothing but the melody.
He continues walking ahead, breathing slowly,
the feeling of his feet hitting the floor begins to numb,
just as the sound of his footsteps has disappeared,
still, his legs move, keeping time with the melody.
After some time in the darkness, he can no longer tell if his eyes are open or closed. His blinks make no difference. He closes his eyes for a long time, continuing forward – or what seems like forward. The melody suddenly stops, and he opens his eyes to the sound of a bell.
Rauru stands in front of him, facing away. Zelda to his side.
The guard breathes deeply, looking down to the planks of a boat's deck. He can feel the boat rising and falling, the bell at the bow tolling, almost in time to the memory of the rhythm of the three note sequences' beginning and end.
He stares at the floor.
Rauru turns, and he looks up.
Zelda still faces away, now wearing her dress, her hair down, she is still. Rauru approaches him, smiling.
The guard simply looks into Rauru's eyes as the man's massive hand grasps his face, and Rauru, grinning widely, quietly speaks:"You have chosen to make the ultimate sacrifice for our Kingdom."
The guard feels tears welling up."Your body,"
Rauru says, looking down and slowly up back to his eyes, "Will serve us well."
The guard nods, a tear escaping his left eye."Not merely the sacrifice of your body. You have renounced your soul, to be destroyed to protect the Princess!"
The guard nods again. He would cry more, although the tears that came from the rancid fumes of the chambers took most of them.
Rauru leans closer, tightening his grip and nearly choking the guard, who retains a blank expression."You realize,"
Rauru almost whispers. "that in this act, you are freer than any man who has ever lived."
Rauru's eyes widen, and tears pour from them as he smiles madly."Isn't that true, Lukas?!"
Lukas repeats,"I am freer than any man who has ever lived."
****
****
"Talon, I'm headin' out now,"
"Alright then, take care then Mal."
Malon casts him a look he can't really place and heads out, closing the door behind her as he returns to his room.
Malon walks her horse through the ranch to the west wall. The head carpenter casts a scowl, but turns to bark at a worker. The west wall is now nearly done, with tall stone and iron. An arch opens from which Kokiri Forest, Zora's River and the Gerudo camp can be seen.
Malon stops under the archway and stretches.
Seeing the man who ran one of the shops in Kakariko, she calls out to him. "Have you put in that order for coffee and lemons?"
He waves to her, just yelling back "Yeeeup" while cracking open a crate next to a few Deku in front of a new shop.
Malon yawns and stretches again. She sips a strong tea from a flask, turning to head out. Whipping the reigns and bearing southeast.
…
Malon climbs up the fallen tree, to the incline before the bridge. Across the bridge, she easily paces the gap into the entrance as if she has made the trip many times.
Adjusting her top, letting her black sunhat fall back, she makes her way down the stairs. Turning right, ignoring the Zora shopkeep talking to a young Zora to the left, she approaches a door - a skeleton of some aquatic creature hanging on it.
Some music comes from inside - Makaru's band. Malon knocks and waits, now drinking some water from her canteen.
The music stops and after a short while, Makaru opens the door. Seeing Malon, to some groans from two male and a female Zora inside, he gestures. She sits down at a small booth just to the left inside, as the three Zora leave, one of them slapping Makaru's ass laughing. Makaru feigns a punch toward him before closing the door.
Turning around, he bows to Malon before sitting next to her.
"So, how have things been?"
She asks, leaning toward him."Oh, pretty good really. We've gotten a lot of new-"
He shivers as Malon leans against him and puts a hand on his thigh. "Go on, dear."
She says, looking at him with a smile. "Well, we have almost finished two new songs. I think they really pull together everything we've been trying to do."
Makaru says, his voice raising a bit as Malon strokes his thigh"That's very cute, sweetie."
Turning to him, she kneels upright, looking down at him. "I'm here to discuss business, though as you should expect."
Her hand on his chin, Makaru smiles and shivers, looking up at her. "Of course, ma'am."
crossing his legs. Malon looks down at his thighs then back at him, smiling. He leans in closer but she presses against his chest, pushing him back. "Now now, you mustn't let your feelings get the best of you."
Makaru gulps and nods "Yes ma'am."
Malon again returns a hand to his thighs and he bristles, breathing deeply. "Sweet Zora boy, you know that I just want us to be open with eachother."
she says, spreading his thighs. "It will be easier for both of us if we don't hide anything."
Makaru inhales deeply, bracing himself with his hands on the seat of the booth. "Yes, ma'am. Of course."
Malon strokes up and down his thighs before kneeling upright again, reaching into her bag. "For today's negotiations,"
she says, about to pull something from the bag, but, seeing Makaru look, she says "Look at me, darling. Don't be rude."
Makaru nods and looks up at her, smiling breifly, biting his lip.
Malon leans forward. "That's right, sweet boy. Just look into my eyes. You trust me, don't you?"
Makaru nods, his mouth now hanging open a bit. They hold for a while, Malon taking something from her bag and leaning in even further."For today's discussions... restraint is of the utmost importance,"
Malon says, as Makaru feels something soft brush against the top of his hand before Malon reaches behind him, tying a scarf around the wrist furthest from her."Don't you agree?"
She asks, smiling, the two still staring into eachothers' eyes.
Makaru nods as she pulls the furthest wrist behind his back to meet the other, where she ties them together, then pushes on his chest. Makaru slides down in the seat a ways as Malon pulls back, looking him up and down.
In the canopies, deep beyond the Kokiri woods anyone has dared to wander, Fado and Fiona sit, legs dangling over a bridge between two of the towering trees."You're sure you didn't just eat something bad?"
Fiona asks, looking at Fado concerned.
Fado's eyes shift away. She shakes her head."Does it hurt? It just stopped on its own?"
Fado shrugs. "It doesn't hurt really. Its been fine."
"We have to tell the Deku Tree..."
Fiona says, sighing, putting her hand on Fado's. Their fairies dance and chase eachother up ahead."Maybe one of the other fairies knows."
Fado says thoughtfully."Ohhh. I bet one of them has to!"
Fiona says."I was nervous to tell Tair, she gets so worried about every little thing."
Fiona nods. "Well, I'll ask around with everyone I see."
"Well,"
Fado stops her, putting up her hands, "You know, maybe not everyone. Just... People who won't gossip about it?"
She looks at Fiona, who gazes off into the woods, fireflies and fairies flitting through the gentle, light mist of the canopy."Of course."
Fiona says, looking back at Fado, then down at their hands, squeezing Fado's. "I hope it doesn't happen to me too…"
She quickly looks back up, adding "I mean, not that I-"
,
Fado laughs. "I know, I know. I don't think its contagious."
"Well, even if it was,"
Fiona says quietly.
She trails off.
Fado hugs her.
Impa sits in the pavilion at a table with Dreza."Oh"
, Impa says. "I mentioned Lake Hylia to Zarah, she said she had permission to go with me and visit it. Do you think it would be alright?"
Impa asks.
Dreza smiles. "She doesn't need to ask permission, she probably just wanted to make you feel comfortable."
Dreza goes on "She would already be doing her Rite of Travel, but we don't have enough horses for all the girls. She's very good at fighting, she definitely can handle herself."
Impa is surprised. "She's so young."
Dreza laughs. "She isn't a kid. She acts like one sometimes, but, she's very good, probably the best fighter we have, really."
"Huh."
Impa says. "I guess she always seemed kind of clumsy to me."
Dreza shrugs. "In some ways, she can be... careless."
After sitting for a while, Impa asks, "Do you think Koume and Kotake will come for the camp?"
Dreza, in a rare moment, makes eye contact with Impa breifly."No. They are likely still oblivious."
Impa looks a bit skeptically. "They must know, though, so many of you left."
Dreza shrugs. "They are senile, a Gerudo named Yorai makes most of the decisions. Besides… they have purged people before."
Impa stares at Dreza, who looks off across the field."If I were any Gerudo of high status, I simply wouldn't bring it up to Koume and Kotake. That would be seen as a failure and I would be punished."
Dreza says."Wouldn't they come after Nabooru, though?"
Dreza is quiet for a long time. She eventually turns to Impa, trying to find words. Dreza shakes her head, running her hand through her hair and sighs. "She was assumed dead years ago, Impa."
Dreza finally says, looking down at the ground, to the side.
Impa looks down as well.
After a while, she looks up, confused."Koume and Kotake must know, though."
Dreza shakes her head, looking away uncomfortably."Aren't they the ones who put her in the armor?"
"Hey, Impa!"
Zarah calls out, approaching Impa and Dreza in the pavilion. "Finally you're up! I thought we wouldn't get to go!"
Impa looks at Dreza, who again shakes her head, stretching and standing.
Impa sighs, scratching her temple and looking at Zarah."Well, we probably don't have too much time, but we can go."
Zarah carries over her shoulder an oversized, rather shapeless canvas bag that seems packed and heavy."Are you bringing all that?"
Impa asks."Well, yeah. Come on!"
Zarah says, turning to walk down the camp toward the stables. Impa looks at Dreza, who smiles. "Have fun."
Zarah calls out, "Lets go!"
Impa walks quickly and catches up.
Impa drinks from her flask, realizing it is almost empty and she didn't pack an extra. She pets her horse and quickly turns to head back to her tent, passing Zarah. "Be right back."
Impa gets to her tent, grabbing her spare flask. She seals the door and heads down a few tents along the fence. Entering the kitchen ramada, she approaches the water barrels and starts to fill her flask.
Topping off the first flask and corking it, she notices the seam of the sleeve's purple and gold fabric is fraying and separating. She stares at the triforce pattern embroidered into the gold strips of fabric that border the purple body of the fabric panels.
She stares at it for a while before eventually and tearing the sleeve off, setting it on the counter and grabbing the other flask.
She fills it, then heads back to the stable where Zarah stands outside with Impa's horse. Impa joins her and helps her up.
The two cross the south bridge and head toward Lake Hylia.
Impa and Zarah pass through the gate into the clearing, the lake's surface not quite visible. Zarah, excitedly says "Look!"
Impa looks as a few tektites bounce aimlessly some distance North."Lets leave them alone."
She says, veering away."I love them! They're so cute! One of these days I'm going to learn how to ride them."
As they pass over a small incline before the slow slope down to the lake's shore, Impa sees the lake's water has receded a couple yards."Who lives there?"
Zarah points to the building in front of the old bridge. Impa remembers the scientist that worked for the royal family, unsure if he still lives there. "Not sure."
Approaching the scarecrow, Impa stops and hops down. She puts her hand out to Zarah, who jumps down on her own, running over to the scarecrow. "Ooh,"
she says, investigating it, "We need to make these for outside the camp."
A ways down the lake, Impa sees the fisherman looking out from his door and waves to him. He doesn't respond really, just turns and heads back inside.
Impa unties and hoists down the bags. "Alright, the sun is already almost setting so we better get what we came here for."
Zarah walks back over, taking a small empty bag from the larger one. "Yeah, yeah. You make this seem like a chore, you know?"
Impa pauses and chokes up a little as Zarah wanders toward the shore. "Well, the water doesn't look as pretty as I thought it would anyway. It stinks."
Impa watches Zarah pick up a rock, tossing it into the mud left behind by the receding water. It lands with a plop and slowly sinks into the mud. "Yuck..."
Impa takes a deep breath and walks behind Zarah, the two heading toward a patch of Lavender growing past a small white fence."Does someone take care of these plants?"
Zarah asks. Impa never thought about it, who keeps up the small terrace. The scientist and fisherman didn't seem much like gardening type."Someone must, I suppose."
She says, watching the lavender blow in the gentle wind.
Zarah talks as she gathers some boughs. "Well, I wouldn't swim in it but, its so much cooler down here."
Impa is staring off toward the island in the middle of the lake. The bridges leading to it have fallen into disrepair.
Zarah turns around, about to ask about the island but pauses, instead asking a bit quietly, "Are you okay?"
Impa doesn't respond. She looks down into the lake.
The water is still and blue, but has just a bit of a green hue to it. At the edge of the lake, leading up to the muddy shore, green algae blooms."I'm alright... Did you find the sage?"
She asks, watching the water just barely lapping the mud."No - I think that's it up the ridge there."
Impa hears Zarah start walking up behind her.
Impa looks to the other end of the lake. Further parts of the shore have shoots of some plants growing from the water."Hey, are you gonna help out?"
Zarah yells back.
Impa stares for a while more, but says "I'm coming,"
walking up to meet Zarah towards the top of the hill where the forest starts.
Impa and Zarah bag boughs of sage. Impa, leaning over the girl, points to the forest. "Those trees are Juniper. Have you seen them before?"
Zarah shakes her head. "Whats so special about them?"
"Oh!"
she says, approaching the treeline. "This bark is so weird... And theres gunk coming out of it."
she looks up at the branches, pulling at one. "What are these weird balls? Eggs?"
Impa comes closer and takes out a serrated blade from her belt, reaching up to saw one of the branches, which is soft, only taking a few strokes to free."They're berries."
She says."Theyre hard as rocks though."
"Well, they're still berries."
Impa says, looking to Zarah."I'll cut down some branches, can you go get another bag?"
Zarah nods and heads back toward Impa's horse and the scarecrow, then trudges back up with an empty canvas bag.
Zarah holds the bag open and Impa puts some branches in it. "These have to dry for a couple weeks, maybe a month."
Impa says, Zarah responds: "What!? It better be really good, that's forever!"
Impa pauses. "It's not forever."
She says.
Zarah closes the bag and ties it, turning to go back down the slope. Impa stands there quietly looking at the lavender blowing in the breeze. She breathes deeply, watching Zarah.
The girl drops the bag by the scarecrow and walks toward the muddy shore. Impa watches her pick up another rock, throwing it into the water this time, the algae barely moves and instantly closes around the hole, muffling the sound to a dull thud - barely a splash. She pokes at the algae with a stick. Gerudo like her probably haven't seen a lake like this, Impa thinks. The river, sure, but not still water. Anyway, it didn't use to look like this.
Impa just stands for a while. Eventually, she walks down to the scarecrow.
Zarah had started to try to walk into the mud but quickly thought better of it. The girl looks back at Impa."You wanna go home, huh?"
Impa just quietly nods.
Expecting protest, Zarah instead quietly walks back to her and her horse. "I'm sorry I said the water was ugly."
Zarah says.
Impa is quiet, just looking down."We should head back soon anyway. My curfew."
Zarah adds.
Impa sighs, then smiles lightly. "You're right, yeah."
She says picking up the bags and slinging them over her horse, Zarah gets the other bags ready.
After packing, Zarah climbs up on her own. Impa stares at the girl who smiles and says "Let's go, then!"
Impa shakes her head. She climbs on and pats her horse, who is already turning to head out."Oh - who is that?"
Zarah says, pointing to the lab building.
Impa looks.
There isn't anyone there. Although, there is a horse behind the building - she can tell, with a saddle and gear. No owner around. The scientists never had one. Impa stares for a while. "I guess we can take a look."
she says, and they set out toward it.
Approaching, Impa feels strange. They slow down near the building, and Impa glances at it up close now.
The windows are broken, and she notices the door is ajar. She feels uneasy, but as they slow to a halt by the building, Zarah jumps off."She's so pretty!"
Zarah whispers excitedly, watching the horse. Impa glances at the girl but is distracted by the building's disrepair.
Impa gets down too, watching Zarah inch slowly along the building. "Here, girl. Where's your owner?"
she calls to the horse softly.
Impa is transfixed by the building, deciding to investigate. "Zarah, do you see anyone?"
Impa asks."No, not out here. Is anyone home in there?"
Zarah asks, although she is now past the building and seemingly didn't notice the broken windows and state of the place."I'm not sure, I'm going to check. You sure nobody is out here?"
Impa asks again, Zarah says "Nope."
"I'm gonna check the building, call for me if you see anyone okay?"
"OK. I will. I think the horse might be abandoned. She looks sad."
Impa moves around the corner and heads to the door, which is cracked open. She slowly pushes it open further, then stops. She knocks on it, but doesn't expect a response. None comes. She steps inside, looking around. The building is just a single room. Empty shelves line the walls, an empty table and chair sit in front of a recessed part of the floor toward the back. Impa slowly walks to the back of the room, turning her head and seeing nothing, no one.
As she approaches, she sees that the recessed part of the floor is a deep hole. Reaching the edge of the cavity and looking down, it is too dark to see the bottom. She nudges a shard of glass from the floor into it. It falls some way down, then shatters at the bottom."Hey, Impa!"
she hears Zarah call from outside, "Come look!"
Impa stares down the hole in the floor for a bit more, then turns and leaves the building. "Is everything okay?"
but, seeing Zarah petting the horse, feeding her an apple, she walks over. "Her owner's gone. She's been alone for a while."
"Huh."
Impa stares at the horse, as if expecting her to say something. She seems calm and stoic, if not appreciative of Zarah's company. Impa steps over and hesitates before lifting the back of the saddle.
Under it, she reads - Property of Ingo.
Impa looks at Zarah, then back at the saddle."You think you can ride her?"
Zarah looks back, wide eyed. "Yeah, definitely! She's really nice! Are we going to bring her with?!"
Impa smiles at her, "You've ridden before, right?"
Zarah nods."Alright, well. I think we can bring her with us."
Impa says.
Zarah pets the horse, "What do you think, girl?"
she seemed to watch Impa and Zarah talk. The horse exhales and almost seems to bow.
Zarah gives the girl a few more strokes on her neck, then walks around and climbs up, with no protest. Impa watches, holding her arms out, but the girl mounts expertly and the girl remains calm."Wouldn't expect a horse belonging to Ingo to be so friendly and well trained."
Impa says. "Alright. I guess lets go before it gets late."
Zarah nods as Impa returns to her own horse, mounting and joining the two who have already started making their way to the field.
They pass through the outer gate, clouds stretching across the field beginning to turn from yellow to purple.
Sitting at a desk in a cramped hut on the west end of Lon Lon, Anju leans over several books, writing on some paper. Guay call angrily in the evening sky, beyond flapping curtains of a small window facing west behind her. Her desk and chair are old and regal, out of place in the quickly-constructed, single-room shelter. She hears a knock at the door, echoing the faint hammering of construction to the east.
Sighing and getting up, she cracks the door open. Malon is standing there, initially looking very dire but quickly changing to a brighter demeanor. "Hello, Anju! Are you busy?"
Anju pauses skeptically - every other time she has spoken to Malon she had to remind the girl of her name. "Honestly, I am very busy, but-"
Anju says, Malon's eyes darken but she maintains a smile. Anju sighs lightly. "I have some time, what is it?"
"Perfect!"
Malon almost yells. "I wanted to invite you for dinner!"
the girl beams, Anju feels almost panicked but tries to remain polite. She simply says "Oh."
- This young girl before Anju, in all likelihood, either had someone, or had herself killed Ingo just over a week ago…
Anju wracks her brain for excuses, but Malon, again, loudly and somewhat commandingly says "Well, come on then, Talon and I would love you to join, we just finished cooking!"
Anju stares at the girl, who smiles at her. Malon's blue eyes seem to glow. "You don't think I plan to do to you what I did to Ingo, do you?"
Anju freezes, stunned.
Malon grins, "Ingo was a terrible, wicked man. You, Anju, are a smart woman. I'd love to get to know you more."
Malon bows and looks up at Anju, who looks terrified, but eventually breathes deeply and says "Let me freshen up, I'll be out to join you in just a moment."
Malon bows even more deeply then stands back up, running her hands through her hair coyly. "I'll wait here then."
she says. Anju nods and closes the door.
Anju simply stands for a while, breathing deeply with her eyes closed, trying to stop her mind from racing. After a few moments, she hears Malon speak to someone outside - "Well hello there, sir. I was here to invite your wife to dinner, would you like to join?"
.
Anju's hears her husband grumble something and shortly after, the door opens. Anju turns to him, but he simply shuts the door and makes his way through the narrow space between the bed, stacked chests and dresser and flops down on the bed. With an audible crack of his back, lifting his arms, closing his hands behind his head without saying anything, he closes his eyes without a word.
Anju simply walks to the door, taking one long, deep breath in, holding it, exhaling. She leaves the shed and, now silent, Malon leads a bit ahead and the two walk to the farmhouse past a dozen or so more huts, some larger, some with villagers sitting outside or wandering in or out of them.
Malon and Anju stop at the gate between the farmhouse and barn. Malon brandishes a ring of keys, unlocking the gate and pushing it open, gesturing to Anju, "After you, Anju."
Malon says with a smile. Anju does a small bow and walks toward the farmhouse door. As Malon closes and locks the gate, Anju steals a glance down the path to the feild, seeing that another gate with very tall iron and wood doors has been built, a tall fence also made of wood reinforced by metal enclosing the tree line and wrapping through them around the ranch out of sight.
Turning back, Malon is looking down the path as well. "We just finished having it built."
Malon says, turning and walking to the door. Anju looks back to the gate between the house and barn. Malon sees her looking and says, "We will be building another gate at the east end, so people can come and go freely."
Malon opens the door, beckoning to Anju, "Let's eat, I'm starving."
Malon smiles. Anju walks over and heads in, Malon follows, closing the door behind them.
To the left in the large open room of the farmhouse, two men sit at a large table in front of a kitchenette. Anju looks at Malon, who says, "You know Talon. This is his-"
Malon pauses, just barely, "friend. Have you met Anju, Baron?"
the man looks over - he is similar in build to Talon, although cleanly shaved and a fuller head of hair - aside from that, the two could almost be brothers. "I have seen her around, good evening."
he says, although doesn't make eye contact.
Talon and Anju exhange a look and wave to eachother with a smile. "Glad to have you, Anju."
Talon says warmly. Malon says, heading to the kitchennette, "You can sit anywhere, I have to grab the dishes."
Anju pulls up a chair closest to and diagonal from Talon, across from Baron, who is trimming his fingernails. "We haven't talked in a while, Talon. You've been working like theres a deadline looming."
Talon smiles his usual bashful smile, saying "Well, there kind of is."
Malon, getting plates from the cupboard dryly says without looking over, "Not kind of."
to which Talon smile fades a bit, although not entirely. "There is, there is."
he says. Anju nods, not prying. She has calmed down seeing Talon in good spirits.
Anju looks to him, saying "I'm sure you know how thankful everyone is, but I should thank you personally-"
hearing Malon clear her throat rather loudly, she adds "You and Malon have been too kind."
Talon just smiles. Malon says from the kitchen "Just kind enough, I think."
Talon chuckles a bit, he says "I didn't ever expect anything like this, but it seems to be working alright."
Anju nods. She can tell Talon likely has drank a bit, although he isn't drunk.
Malon brings two rather massive plates to the table, setting one in front of Talon and Baron each. The steak, beans and vegetables steam and Anju's feels her stomach growl. Baron's plate has no steak, instead rice. Malon returns to the kitchen, calling back "Tea or water, each of you?"
Baron, observing his fingernails, says "Water."
Talon doesn't say anything but gestures to Anju, who asks "Hot or cold tea?"
looking to Malon, who is serving another plate and replies "Cold."
Anju says "Tea then, thank you so much."
to which Malon shrugs.
After a short time, Malon comes to the table with three tall glasses, giving water to Baron and Talon, handing the tea to Talon who sets it by Anju. Malon turns back, grabbing two plates from the kitchen, setting one by Anju and taking the last to the end of the table rather far across from Talon. Baron and Talon had started eating. Malon does as well, and so Anju begins too.
The four of them eat without any words, except Baron asking Anju to pass the salt. The food is delicious, and they eat while, in the loft above, cuckoos occasionally hop and coo. After finishing, Anju compliments Malon "You are an amazing cook."
Malon, having stood up and already placed her plate in the sink, ignores the compliment but grabs Talon's empty plate as he stands up. "Anju, Baron, are you finished?"
Baron gets up, his plate empty, saying shortly "Yes."
and walking around the table. Anju offers her plate, empty except a slice of buttered bread. Malon stacks it on Baron's and returns to the kitchen.
Talon stretches and asks Baron, who is now opening a door to the room near the front door below the stairs "Are you tired?"
Baron waves at him and quietly says "No."
while walking into the room, leaving the door open.
Talon walks toward the door turning back to Anju and smiling with a wave. "Sorry to not stay,"
he pauses a bit, "Baron and I are tired."
Anju says "Good to see you, Talon."
Talon replies from the doorway "same to you,"
as he gently closes the door.
Malon, having quickly washed the dishes already, asks Anju "Do you want any more tea?"
Anju says "Yes,"
and Malon brings the pitcher to the table, sitting across from Anju. Anju pours herself a glass."Nothing to be nervous about."
Malon says flatly, the sentence jarring Anju. "I appreciate it, Malon."
she says. Malon sips water.
For a while, there is only the sound of cuckoos milling about in the loft. The two sit quietly drinking for some time before Malon looks at Anju."We should talk a bit more upstairs."
Anju looks at the girl. She must only be in her mid twenties, but acts so strange. Malon stands up and walks toward the stairs. Anju hesitates, but stands. She pauses again, but walks over to Malon, who turns and walks up the stairs. Anju follows quietly. Malon furnishes the large key ring and unlocks the door at the top of the stairs, walking in. Anju turns the corner and follows.
The room is massive. Bookshelves line the walls. To the left of the door, a drafting table holds a map of the land and a few notes pinned to it. Against the back wall, cornering in the bed, a large table is covered in books, maps, blueprints. Ahead, lit by the sunset light through the windows to the south and lingering daylight to the west, four large chairs face a short, dark table, two facing the door, the other two mirroring them across the table.
Malon makes her way to the chair across the table nearest a window on the west wall. Anju joins, sitting slowly in a chair diagonally across from Malon. "Is this your room?"
Anju asks, unable to hide awe in her voice. Malon pours herself water from a pitcher on the table, saying "Yes, it is a bit of a mess right now though."
Anju simply stares at the girl, but her eye is quickly drawn to flickering purple on the shelf behind Malon.
Anju's eyes widen as she sees, along with the books and decorative silverware, kettles and some apparently Gerudo vases and Zora stone-carved sculptures, two rows spread across two of the adjoining bookshelves display bottles of various colors of glowing Poe Souls."Do you like my collection?"
Malon asks. Anju jumps a bit and looks to the girl, who is lighting a candle. Anju is stunned. Forgetting she was holding a glass of water, condensation drips down her hand in the rather humid room. Malon sets the candle on the table just as Anju sets her glass down. Malon quickly reaches to the table by her side - she grabs a coaster, stands, and leans over to pick up the cup and place it on top.
Anju doesn't speak, and Malon walks over to the south wall, opening fully a window in the corner that was open a crack. A cool breeze comes in as Malon walks to the other side of the shelves and opens another window wider."Nothing to say?"
Malon asks, glancing at Anju breifly as she walks past her toward the door. Anju quickly turns and watches the girl, who opens another window along the west wall by the door. Anju turns back around before Malon does. She listens to Malon's light footsteps across the carpet come back around and says, "You have so much... stuff."
Anju says, rather awkwardly.
Malon returns to the chair she was in. The faded pink cushion of the dark wooden armchairs almost towers over her. "A bit of everything, yeah."
Malon says in a much more casual tone than Anju has ever heard from her."A lot of the things are gifts,"
Malon says, "boys are always trying to impress me. I don't mind though."
she laughs. Anju just stares, but she does lean back a bit."The Poe I caught myself though."
Malon says proudly, pointing left she makes a motion like drawing an arrow, looking at Anju as she pretends to release it, then grabbing her cup of water. Anju grabs hers as well and the two drink."How old are you, Anju?"
Malon asks. Anju pauses at the question, looking at Malon, who looks at her while she drinks from her cup.
Anju replies rather flatly, "Fifty two."
A bit peeved by the question, she shoots back to Malon "You?"
Malon sets her cup down, saying "I thought you were older."
rather flippantly before replying "I'm twenty five."
Anju raises an eyebrow.
The candle flickers from the breeze that is quickly cooling the room, and Malon trims the wick with a small, ornate scissor from the table, moving the candle down across from Anju. Anju can't quite place the scent."Do you like whiskey?"
Malon asks.
Anju looks at her indignantly and the girl laughs. "I'm joking."
Anju crosses her legs, folding her hands in her lap. "I suppose I should get to the point then."
Malon says, quickly becoming more serious. She grabs some papers from a short, small rack next to the chair, looking at them breifly before setting them on the table.
Malon stretches then reclines in her chair as well, lifting one leg and untying her boot. "I am a bit worried that you Sheikah will be causing problems."
Anju, having finally resigned herself that she can only expect the unexpected from this girl, replies "None of us have any power, Malon."
Malon has started taking off her other boot and says "I know. It isn't that I'm worried you will do something. I'm more worried that the other Hylians might start a witch hunt."
Malon places her boots together in front of the other chair, crossing her legs and taking off her socks.
Anju looks at the Poe bottles. "Why would they? They believe all the Sheikah are dead except for Impa."
Malon replies, "Some of them do - others are suspicious. I wouldn't tell you I was worried for no reason."
Anju is indignant. "Why do you act as if it is our fault?"
she asks rather sternly."Because it is."
Malon says even more harshly, casting a dire glare at Anju, who shoots back "What am I supposed to do about it?"
Malon looks at her for a while then sighs."How many people are suspicious? Are they planning something?"
Anju asks. Malon shakes her head. "I'm not sure how many, but most of the people from the old capital. They aren't planning anything but we can't afford rumors and conflicts."
Anju replies, "We can't, no. What is this deadline Talon mentioned?"
Malon looks back at Anju. "Have you met Ganondorf's advisor?"
Anju pauses. She looks back to the bottles of Poe. "He isn't a Poe."
Malon says, Anju quickly replies "I know. I have not met Nemek, I don't plan to."
"Well, you don't really have a choice."
Malon says.
Anju sighs, her fists clenching a bit."What do you know about him?"
Malon asks.
Anju doesn't reply.
Malon adds, "I'm not asking for him, I'm sure he knows what you know. I'm asking for myself. I don't speak for or ask anything on his behalf."
The two are quiet for a while. Anju eventually says "I don't know much of anything. Before you visited me today, I was trying to find information but I don't have any texts old enough to go into details. Any texts that would are far beyond what I could ever access and probably now either destroyed or buried under Kakariko."
Malon leans forward at this. "Buried under the rubble?"
she asks.
Anju simply says "Deeper."
Malon puts a hand to her mouth in thought.
Anju adds - "I don't know where. I don't know how to get to them. I'm not even sure they exist. Rauru and the others kept a lot of texts somewhere, but there is a lot that was never written, only passed down. As far as I understand, everyone who knew anything is... gone."
After some more silence, Malon says "You know, I don't work for Ganondorf. I'm not sure what happened but, I think he might be dying. He has visited me, but he's only offered encouragement and recommendations, never demands or threats."
Anju shakes her head."Things are as they are. What is the deadline for?"
Malon leans back. She stretches again, rubbing her back with one hand and rolling her head. "Nemek says that monsters are going to get worse and we will have to fortify. It won't happen quickly, probably over a year or more, but he said we should be prepared. Do you have any reason to doubt that?"
Anju replies, "No."
Malon stands up, walking to the large table in front of the bed. "We are going to separate the Sheikah into a partition to the North."
Anju is quiet.
Malon looks back to her, then approaches, standing above her."Within a week, I will announce I've found out there are Sheikah among the Kakariko villagers. I will tell everyone that, out of an abundance of caution, all former Kakariko residents will be split off and moved to a Northern partition and be surveilled by my gaurds."
Anju walks over to her chair and sits, looking at the water left in her cup.
Malon does add, a bit more softly. "I don't know anything about you Sheikah. I was raised to respect the royal family from a distance, here. Despite everything that happened, most of which I don't know, I respect you. But I also respect Ganondorf. And Nemek."
Anju quietly nods.
Malon says, "I'll walk you to your home."
Zarah finishes her meal in the kitchen after gathering and washing the dishes. Returning to the stable, she looks up at the gold skulltula."Hey. You."
It stops spinning aimlessly and seems to look at her."What're you doing?"
She patiently awaits an answer. Eventually, the skulltula moves along the ceiling and starts to descend the pole in the back of an open stall. Zarah walks into the stall, watching it descend to the floor.
The skulltula inches a bit toward her away from the wall and stops in front of her."Follow me, okay?"
She backs up, out of the stall and outside of the stable.
After a bit, the skulltula follows her out, as it reaches the rays of the setting sun, it pauses and backs up.
Zarah stares. "You can't go in the sun, huh?"
Zarah thinks for a while. She turns and runs to her tent, returning with a spherical basket with a flat base, setting it down near the skulltula with the lid open.
After a few seconds, the skulltula starts to climb the basket. Its the size of a large rat - the weight of it tips the basket toward it and Zarah almost reaches down but the skulltula pulls the opening of the basket down enough to climb in. As it does it tumbles and the basket rolls back upright.
Looking into the basket, she thinks aloud - "We'll have to see... You seem pretty smart."
She watches the skulltula's legs twitch, then still.
She looks for a while longer, then puts the lid on and picks it up, turning and taking it to her tent.
Makaru sits reading in the sun on the fallen tree at the lake above Zora's domain, having added planks to form a bench atop the tree. Past the pages of his book, past the large boulder that separates the lagoon above which he sits from the wider lake, various Zora talk, dive, swim, play games in the distance.
A Zora walks from the entrance to the Domain, past the lagoon in front of him, entering the fence that leads to King Zora's shrine and the long, dark ascent to Ruto. The Zora does wave at him, just a simple wave of recognition. He waves back to the Zora who disappears into the shrine.
He hears Malon calling out to him."Good afternoon, Zora boy!"
Turning, he begins to move forward to dive,
but, walking toward the fallen tree she says, "I'll come to you."
"Are you sure?"
She rather easily and quickly climbs the trunk.
Reaching him, she looks over the bench he had constructed."I spend a lot of time up here though so I figured I'd make it more comfortable."
Makaru says, watching Malon sit and recline a bit."On your knees."
She says, smiling widely.
Makaru's eyebrows raise. He does kneel, facing her."No, no,"
Malon says gently, "Turn around."
Makaru obediently turns around, and feels Malon sit up to put a hand on his waist. "Good."
Sitting up next to him, her other hand guides his lips to hers. She sucks on his lower lip, making him quiver."Not coming on too strong, am I?"
She asks, pulling back breifly.
Makaru shakes his head, smiling. "Not at all."
She smiles back, leaning up and pulling his head down a bit more, sucking his lower lip again, then biting."Should we go to my room?"
He asks.
Malon looks up at him, raising an eyebrow, "If I wanted to, I wouldn't have come up here, stupid boy."
she says, digging her fingernails into his thigh. "Of course..."
He looks into her bright eyes as her fingernails press harder, moving down slowly.
For a moment, he does somewhat nervously glance across the lagoon and over the boulder at the crowd of Zora.
Malon lets up, "Remember your magic words? I'll stop if you want, sweetie."
Looking back into her eyes, he does smile and gently begin to nod. As his head goes down to nod a second time, Malon's right hand quickly moves from under his hind fin, pressing hard against his inner thigh from behind, spreading him. His eyes widen, watching Malon bite her lips, her fingernails stabbing his thigh, moving further up.
He lets out a rather loud, high-pitched sound."Don't worry. Nobody would suspect you'd be wrapped around my fingers like this, would they?"
Makaru nods slowly as Malon pulls and pushes slowly."Sit up, sweetie.
You're making a mess.
He straightens his back, resting his hands on his thighs.
After some time, pulsing and tugging, she ascends more.
Makaru just breathes deeply and slowly.
""
It's like you are made for me to play with, isn't it?
He nods.
She pulls more, rocking her fingers, knuckles.
""
Take it out. Between your legs.
Makaru, leaning forward, a bit limp, gulping, nods.
""
I said take it out.
Malon commands, this time quite loudly, making Makaru jump a bit and look around the lagoon, although no one is near or headed over, he can still hear all the Zora visible over the boulder chatting, laughing and playing.
"" Malon interupts, tugging.
Yes ma'am, sorry…
Makaru nods, "" - he unsheaths.
I do like this a lot...
Malon stares, satisfied, still pulsing her knuckles.
Makaru wiggles his hips, smiling and moves himself further into Malon's palm, ""
You do, don't you? Look at you. So cute.
Malon gives him a surprised look.
""
The best part is yet to come.
Makaru, eyes dimming a bit and narrow now, blushing, nods.
""
You'll forgive me if it is a bit much?
Makaru eagerly wiggles and moves his hips up and down a bit.
"" Malon asks, a bit more lucid.
Whatever you want, Malon.
"" Makaru says, smiling, also snapping out of it a bit.
Lean forward more.
Malon looks to the side, not at anything in particular, but pausing. "" She says, still looking away, almost as if listening for something. Makaru smiles back at her and obliges.
You are sure you are ready?
Malon holds for a moment, squeezing and releasing slowly. "" She asks, looking away still.
I've taken more.
"" Makaru says, Malon looking to him out of the corner of her eye. "
Go as far as you want. We have magic words."
You better turn a little bit.
The two look at eachother for a while, Malon looking a bit thoughtfully past him. She smiles, tightening her grip.
Just as she does, Makaru hears the door to the shrine open.
Makaru turns to look, but looks down as Malon uses her free hand to push him, whispering quickly, ""
Hello! Isn't it a lovely day? You must be the queen.
Makaru does.
Malon's thumb slips in, her wrist quickly follows.
He freezes, seeing Ruto from above the fence and in a split second, Malon's wrist disappears into him - she sits up, pressing his hips down, quickly now, nearly elbow-deep inside him.
Turning to look at the gate, it opens slowly and Makaru covers his face with one hand, breathing deeply and quivering as he drips.
"" Makaru opens an eye and stares into the lagoon through his fingers, Malon pushing just a bit deeper.
Who are you? A Hylian?
From this position, Ruto can only see that they are sitting next to eachother. Makaru just stares down, breathing deeply and dripping.
Ruto take just a few steps forward from the gate.
"" Ruto asks, ignoring Makaru who breathes deeply, face in his hand.
Why yes, I am. I've been here a few times, its a lovely place, I hope you don't mind me visiting!
"" Malon says to Ruto cheerfully.
You do pay respects while you are here?
Ruto looks suspiciously at Malon, still ignoring Makaru.
"" Ruto asks.
Well that was why I asked to meet the Queen, what was your name?
Malon shifts her weight, her knee digging into Makaru's dick, just out of view from their elevated position.
""
It isn't me you pay respects to. You pay tribute to the river.
Ruto stares at her for a bit from across the lagoon, eventually saying, ""
Ah, I see.
"" Malon replies. "
I haven't been up here before! But, I'm sure Makaru can show me how to pay my respects! Right Makaru?" He breathes deeply and nods.
Speaking of him,
"" Ruto says, finally acknowledging him, "
Makaru, tear down that bench. I don't want you sitting out here. We have plans for more construction in that area."
Yes ma'am.
Makaru sits a bit more upright and nods to Ruto.
"" he says rather loudly, his voice cracking.
How was that?
Malon and Makaru breifly look at eachother, then, turning to Ruto, they see she has already turned around and opened the gate.
Makaru watches her close it behind her, while Malon leans back.
After a few moments Makaru watches the door to the shrine open, and close.
Makaru breathes deeply, now turning to face Malon.
""
Really... good.
Makaru, now sitting cross-legged, rubs his forehead.
""
Time to clean up. Your tongue needs exercise."
Malon smiles breifly, before looking sternly again.
"
The old fisherman calls out to a short gray-cloaked figure wandering near the pond as several Gerudo and Allonians fish."Garot! Watch the pond. I have to go see Eamond."
The young Garo turns his head, annoyed. "Whats the point having someone at the desk anyway, its free."
The fisherman, running a hand through his graying hair and shouldering a backpack says back loudly, "You know well we need tallies taken. If the moonfish disappear, it'll be on your head."
The Garo approaches the desk. The fisherman lifts the counter, trading places and dropping it gently. The Garo quips, "Everyone knows you plant the moonfish, Luverne. They know well they can get them easily from Zora's River any day."
The fisherman looks out to the pond, now two overlapping lagoons fed by a waterfall. He wraps the other strap of his backpack on and heads to the door without a word.
Luverne walks out, turning and following a wooden bridge over the swamp. Walking down an aisle of two-story row houses, he lights a cigarette of Baba leaf, pushing up his sunglasses and ignoring the Garo and Sheikah bartering and chatting, the music played by a Garo on a balcony above. It is a bright, sunny day, although the fall air is still humid and cool. Luverne approaches a stable where three Wallmasters peck at the dirt with their gnarled fingers."Hup chup."
He grunts, and one of them crawls over to him, buckling and rearing back slightly onto the blunt of its palm. He climbs onto the saddle and the wallmaster levitates, a faint blue glow underneath. "Geetcha."
He barks, flecking the side of the giant hand with a green, black and gold bat whip. It floats rather quickly out toward the exit of Garo Lake, the fisherman drawing from his cigarette a few times quickly while digging around in a bag.
As he reaches the gate, he mutters to a Garo, still digging in his bag, "Topoe, ha-leil."
Passing through the shanties and out onto the southern plains, he hangs a left, heading North toward Allon Market. Producing a bag and rolling papers, the wallmaster smoothly levitating up toward the market a bit slowly now, he quickly rolls a few Baba leaf cigarettes, holding the finished ones between his knuckles as he rolls the next.
Finishing three, he drops them into the pouch along with the papers as the wallmaster slows further up toward the Market, hanging right and circling the walls. Again turning around the outer wall of the Market, the pull into a long alley and head deeper, the Luverne looking up the Gerudo towers in midtown and puffing Baba, adjusting his hat."Sekum."
he sighs, a bit listlessly tapping the wallmaster's saddle with the bat, crossing his legs as they slow toward a lean-to where a Deku scrub and a Goron bicker. "Hot as hell today."
Luverne yells over the hum of a turbine in the aqueduct above.
The two glare at him and ignore him. He hangs a left, slowly U-turning into another long alley. The Deku scrub quickly runs to him and walks beside him. "Luverne, you owe me twelve rupees, cad."
Luverne lets out a puff, coughing and jumping as smoke gets in his eyes. He nearly falls off the saddle, both hands holding his sunglasses which almost fall. "Farore's mossy twat!"
He grumbles, coughing but stabilizing on the saddle as they both head through the alley."What you say!?"
The scrub shreiks.
Luverne swipes at the scrub, almost destablizing himself again. "Kyruk, you-"
he coughs violently again, throwing the roach of his Baba cigarette, "Fine."
He pulls another pouch off the side of his backpack. "Have you seen Eamond?"
He asks, holding out twelve rupees to the Deku scrub. "Who? Your dealer, Baba creep?"
Kyruk swipes the rupees and stops as Luverne continues forward, pushing his sunglasses up again then stowing the pouch of rupees away. He ignores Kyruk, who turns and walks back.
Turning right again, down the third long alley, he parks his wallmaster under a metal lean-to with a Moblin overseeing four others who rest in cubbies along the back wall. Luverne pays the Moblin three green rupees from his shirtpocket. The Moblin scoffs. "Four is the new fee unless its a rental. Everyone knows that."
Luverne glares over his sunglasses, taking them off. "How about these sunglasses, they're worth twenty-four."
He holds them out, having stepped off his wallmaster. The Moblin snorts. Luverne begrudgingly pulls out his pouch of rupees again, but stops. "Its a rental, give me my three rupees back."
The Moblin stares and steps forward, looking down at him. He gulps, producing a fourth rupee and handing it to the Moblin. "I know you weren't joking around, I ought to tell a guard."
It says, hooking a leash and guiding the wallmaster to a cubby. Luverne snorts back and turns, the familiar smell of cornbreaded pea-hat and Deku latex wafting through the alley. Looking up to the aqueduct, he sees five Gold Skulltula in a nest amongst some vines. Snorting again, although more of a sneeze, her turns and walks further, turning right into a shop."Cruz, a soda?"
He yells.
Cruz, a lankey middle-aged Allonian with almost-white blond hair and cartoonishly large spectacles turns around. He reaches into a fridge below the counter and cracks open a can, setting it on the counter. Luverne grabs it, taking a few large gulps before sitting at the counter. "Cruz, what's the point of this city?"
Cruz, having turned and begun washing the window to the shop, quips back flatly, "To give us something to scrub all day."
Luverne sighs, taking a small, loud sip of soda."At least you can still use your arms."
Luverne says.
Cruz doesn't react, but replies, "Only to scrub windows and serve open tabs to the crusty old husbands of moonfish whores."
Luverne sips again, lighting a Baba leaf cigarette."Two rupees to smoke inside"
Cruz says, not turning.
Luverne pulls a drag, looking around the shop. Carved plates made of pea-hat scales, oversized books with dubious stories of local landmarks, outdated maps and ugly Deku cup sets hang around on racks or line dusty shelves. An old Allonian woman coughs in an aisle behind the bar counter."Where's this guy, Eamond?"
Luverne asks.
Cruz, having returned from the fridge, takes out a sandwich – unwrapping it from paper and lifting one of the slices of bread to closeley inspect the inside, his glasses at the tip of his nose. "Who?"
Cruz asks, pulling something out of the sandwich and dropping it in a wastebin under the counter then wrapping the sandwich back up."Eamond. Big redheaded guy, wears outlander denim five sizes too big that looks like his mother ironed it for him."
Luverne says, reaching to his backpack with a light grunt."Never seen him"
Cruz says, putting the sandwich back in the fridge and walking to the other end of the bar, picking up a small, long book and perching on a stool, picking up reading at a bookmark.
Luverne quietly places two green rupees on the table and puts out his Baba cigarette on the top of the can, putting the rest of it into his shirt pocket. "Have a good one, Verne."
Cruz says as Luverne stands up and heads out the door.
Luverne sighs, turning to climb a flight of stairs between the shop and another building. Turning left, he climbs more stairs which stop at the three stories, continuing forward into an alley that opens up a ways to the right behind more buildings. Ignoring some Sheikah kids shooting cans with slingshots, he continues ahead to a yellow-gold gate in the bluish Sheikah stone walls of Old Allon. He whispers something into a square hole in the wall and a loud crack signals the gate being unlocked. He pushes it open, it creaks as he walks through.
On a rooftop now overlooking Old Allon, its buildings' wood-framed white plaster walls a bit too bright, he turns left, walking across several thick, stacked planks forming a bridge from one rooftop to another, then another right along that rooftop, between the blue Sheikah stone walls of the district and a faded wooden fence. Down a flight of steep stairs made of dark brown brick, past an alcove in the stone perimeter walls behind one of Old Allon's oldest tall apartment buildings, he enters a hole in the wall that forms a long hallway.
Through this, leads to another bridge, this one rope and planks. He crosses it quickly, onto the roof of a short building and out toward a ledge overlooking a fenced off area. "Hey."
He grunts, looking down at an Allonian man tossing away trash. "Hey Luverne, chilly out today isn't it?"
The man says, looking up."You seen Eamond around?"
Luverne grumbles.
The man looks up at Luverne. "No idea who that is, Verne. Some friend of yours?"
"I guess you could call him that."
Luverne says."Oh, I see,"
the Allonian says catily. "Missing him are you?"
"It's not like that. Nevermind."
Luverne says, annoyed, turning.
He heads back across the rooftop, toward the bridge, climbing down a ladder. Reaching the bottom, an Allonian kid calls out to him, approaching. "You're looking for Eamond?"
Luverne turns around, looking at the short kid in old fashioned Hylian style clothes. "Yeah, where is he?"
The kid points down the street. "He's down by the old school they're getting rid of, he's security or whatever. You take a right, then a left, then a left, then-"
Luverne waves at the kid. "I know where it is."
Luverne just starts walking. The kid shrugs and walks the opposite direction. Through the streets of the Old Allon district, always so finely groomed but quiet and empty, blinds drawn, Luverne reaches into his bag and produces a sandwich from a pouch. Unwrapping it and inspecting the inside, carefully lifting on of the slices of bread, he picks something out of it, flicking it away and takes a bite. Past the hotel, down the alley to the left, past the new schoolhouse and to the left again, he finishes the sandwich somewhat quickly, seeing Eamond standing outside the fenced walls surrounding the old schoolhouse."How the shadows are you?"
He says.
Eamond turns, seeming confused. "Ah, hey. I just was about to head home. I've been working all day."
Luverne approaches. "Working on standing around?"
Eamond laughs."Pretty much, I guess. Pays good though."
Eamond looks at Luverne, who is crumpling and stowing away the wrapping of his sandwich. "What about you Luverne?"
Luverne wipes his mouth with his arm. "Well, I was coming to see if you wanted to talk for a while. Wild ball game the other day."
Eamond looks at him, "Ah, well. I was just about to head home."
A woman calls out from the gate past the fence. "Come on, Rudy!"
Eamond looks back to her, waving. "I better get back home. Tired as a cuckoo in the canyon. I'll see you some other time."
He turns, beginning to walk away.
Luverne adjusts his backpack."Alright. Have a good one, then, Eamond."
Eamond looks back as he walks."My names not Eamond, its Rudy."
Luverne stares at the ground a bit.
He pulls out and lights a Baba cigarette."Hey! You can't smoke in Old Allon!"
A kid yells out from a balcony.
Luverne looks up at the kid, but smoke gets in his eye and he hacks and coughs, his mouth dropping the cigarette. "By Farore's gnarly old hole,"
He mutters, coughing again and stomping the cigarette.
He turns to head back the way he came.
Impa and Nabooru sit by the river as several young Gerudo further up laugh and yell. Impa looks up the river to them, where three stand in a line, an older Gerudo stands to the side ahead, and a several more teenagers watch from off to the side, sitting on rocks or leaning against the riverbank.
The older Gerudo has quieted them down and counts down from three. As she yells "Go!"
the three girls begin trudging against the current up the water that is just above waist deep. Impa noticed one of the girls from the cafeteria earlier, although she doesn't see Asheti or the other.
Nabooru turns to Impa."We should have moved a long time ago."
The two watch the girls wade upstream as others to the side cheer them on, though Impa does look away."The royal family wouldn't have let you."
she says."I meant before the royal family."
She says. Impa scratches her eyebow, just letting out an "Oh."
Nabooru suddenly stands up quickly."Look."
Impa quickly stands as well, looking up the river - the Gerudo up ahead also have quieted and are looking. Four Zora are walking down the side of the river - although they have two younger zora with them that are talking cheerfuly. Two other Zora slowly follow in the water. Nabooru and Impa approach the group of Gerudo as the Zora near.
The older Gerudo looks to Impa, who just waves to the Zora.
Some of the Zora wave back, and some of the younger Gerudo yell greetings. Nabooru looks at Impa, asking "What do you think?"
Impa shrugs. The two walk along the river to meet the Zora who are walking.
The Zora approach, most of the Gerudo have gotten out of the river on the other side, although some now stand a ways behind Impa and Nabooru."How are you all?"
Nabooru asks.
One of the Zora smiles and pulls ahead, extending a hand to Nabooru. Nabooru shakes his hand, "I hope we aren't intruding too far?"
The Zora waves his hand "No, no. It was rude to not meet you all sooner."
Impa sighs with relief.
The other, seemingly the leader of them, continues, extending a hand to Impa, saying to both of them "I'm Makaru. Representative of Ruto and the King."
Impa shakes his hand, although her mood does darken a bit at the mention of Ruto.
A bit louder, addressing also the older Gerudo behind Impa and Nabooru, "We brought you some fish from upstream, past the domain. Moon fish don't come down here."
He gestures to the Zora in the water that have now come up to the river's edge, one of them lifts to the surface a netted bag with five live fish in it. The fish don't struggle. Impa and Nabooru approach, shocked at the size of them."Hylian Loach!?"
One of the younger Gerudo asks loudly, walking up with a few others and looking in awe.
Impa corrects her, "It's Hyrule Loach - not Hylian Loach."
The other girls laugh, as does Nabooru."Well,"
Makaru says, "We've called them Moon fish since before-"
he pauses for just a split second, cutting himself off. "They trust Zora, but once you take them they'll probably start flopping, so be careful. They might just be fish but they can break your nose."
Nabooru responds - "Of course, yeah."
She looks to the group of girls, "Who wants to swim them down to camp?"
Four of them immediately jump in the water and move toward the Zora, who laugh."Oh,"
Makaru adds, "Keep them in a trap away from the river, though. They aren't meant to be down here."
Nabooru and another Gerudo nod."Like Makaru said, be careful. They can really hurt you. Two of you should hold the leash and go slow."
The Zora lifts up a large dowel, stained with some kind of waterproofing, that has a thick rope leading to one of the nets. "Each of us have two nets."
he says.
The older Gerudo approaches the river and starts to get in. "Let me see how they handle."
The Zora holds both nets with one hand, handing one of the dowels to the Gerudo. "Okay?"
he asks, she nods. Gerudo girls from across the river have now crowded around and some of them have gotten back into the river.
The Zora releases the bag and it floats downstream past the Gerudo's legs. As soon as one of the fish touch her leg they start flopping violently, although the woman doesn't struggle much to hold the dowel, some of the kids laugh at the reaction."We'll definitely need two for each net."
The older Gerudo says a bit flatly. "Nehru, Danari, Silas, Tera, get the others and be careful."
she says, the girls approach and the two Zora carefully hand them the dowels, this time under the water.
The girls clearly struggle but can manage. The older Gerudo tells a couple of the girls "Go get a trap ready, we'll meet you down there in a bit. Everyone else, lets go. Don't complain to me that your break is short, either - you all wanted another race."
The older Gerudo turns to the Zora, "Thank you. We were just wrapping up but - we will see you again?"
The Zora look at Makaru, who the Gerudo woman also looks to."Yes. We've been adjusting. A lot has been changing, even for us. We won't be strangers so much though, it was nice to meet you- what was your name?"
"Issrah"
."Issrah. Hope you like the fish."
Makaru smiles, the Gerudo looks to Nabooru, who says "Thank you Issrah,"
turning to Makaru, "and thank you as well."
Issrah and the rest of the Gerudo make their way downstream. Nabooru turns to Impa, who has been quiet. Impa looks at her a bit pensively.
The younger Zora have jumped in the river and one of them swam quickly to the group carrying the fish, turning and backflipping out of the water upstream to cheers and laughter from the Gerudo girls.
One of the other young zora does the same to more applause and fawning from the girls. Nabooru and Impa turn back from watching and Impa does smile. The two turn to Makaru."Alright, you've shown off, they're clearly impressed. Get back home now."
Makaru says to the younger Zora boys, who without protest swim back up the river, the older Zora following.
Makaru turns to the Zora standing, who, without a word, but with a wave to Impa and Nabooru, also climb into the river and swim up it, Makaru watches them go.
After a bit, Nabooru asks, "Are you the prince?"
Impa cringes, although Makaru turns around, looking down."No. Our prince..."
he pauses.
Impa noticeably tenses."Oh, I just meant..."
Nabooru pauses just enough for Makaru to change the subject. "Ruto will become Queen soon, I'm just her counsel. She didn't send me though."
Nabooru looks at Impa, who stands rather stiffly.
After a while, Impa says "Makaru."
The Zora looks to her and she bows.
Makaru says quietly, "The Gerudo are fine. If Ruto sees or hears of any Hylians other than Malon being here, though…"
Impa stands. "I understand... Although..."
Impa and Makaru look at eachother for a while, then down.
Nabooru shifts, looking up the river and tapping her foot.
Impa and Makaru look at eachother again."I think..."
He trails off and looks away.
Impa just tilts her head a bit.
Makaru eventually asks, "Sorry, what were your names?"
"I am Impa."
Impa says.
Makaru turns to Nabooru, who still looks away. She finally turns "I am Nabooru."
She extends a hand. Makaru shakes it. Nabooru explains, "We left the desert as there was... a split."
she pauses."We thought we'd only be here for a while, but some things came up and we will likely be here for..."
Nabooru pauses again, then looks at Impa, who is looking at her.
Nabooru turns to Makaru, "We will be staying in the lowlands here indefinitely. If anything comes up, we can move our camp."
Makaru looks to both of them, then, addressing Nabooru,"I also don't foresee any issues."
Nabooru nods. "You are honorable people, the Gerudo have long admired you."
Makaru smiles at this. "That is mutual, from every Zora I have ever met."
Nabooru bows, as does Makaru."I wanted to reach out before anything changes. You never know what is going to happen these days. Glad to meet you two."
Makaru looks to each of them again. Nabooru offers a hand, which he shakes, Impa's as well."Good night then."
He says, bowing to Impa and turning. He dives into the river and quickly disappears upstream.
Nabooru looks to Impa, whos arms are folded."What do you think?"
Nabooru asks.
Impa doesn't say anything for a while.
She sighs, "Everything is moving so fast."
After a few moments, Nabooru puts her hand on Impa's waist gently. Impa unfolds her arms, grabbing Nabooru's hand. Nabooru looks at her. Impa turns, tightening her grip a little, but she just looks into the river.
They walk along the fence toward the south gate, although they both stop for a while at the small trap that holds the Loach the Zora offered them. The two look in, watching the fish.
As they walk through the camp, a group of younger Gerudo are standing in the aisle of the camp. As Impa and Nabooru pass, the four of them quiet down.
Nabooru starts walking more quickly, and Impa catches up.
Approaching the cafeteria pavilion, Nabooru slows down approaching her tent."What is it?"
Impa asks.
Nabooru turns to her. She looks at Impa expressionlessly."I just need to be alone for a while."
she says.
Impa is confused, but accepts, asking "Do you still want to make the soap with Zarah and I?"
Nabooru looks away and shrugs."I just need to read and write for a while. Some time alone."
Impa resists the urge to pry. "Alright."
she says softly.
Nabooru continues - "There's just so much to think about. I need to meditate as well - and do prayer."
Nabooru's eyes wander. "Oh, I need to bathe as well-"
Nabooru starts, but Impa puts a hand up. "You don't have to explain. If you need anything, let me know."
Nabooru looks at Impa and smiles. "Well,"
Nabooru starts, turning and quickly unfastening the door on her tent and opening it. She walks in but turns her head back and asks "Come in just for a second?"
Impa smiles and does.
Nabooru closes the door lightly and leans up and kisses her breifly. They look at eachother and smile. Nabooru leans in again, this time they kiss quite a lot longer and Impa does put her hands on Nabooru's waist. Nabooru holds Impa's head with her hands. "Ring for me at dinner later. Maybe spend the night again?"
Impa smiles back and bows slightly while stepping out."If you want me to, I will."
Impa says. Nabooru smiles.
Impa backs out of the tent. Nabooru quickly grabs and orange sash from by the inside of the door and hangs it on the hook above her door, closing it rather quickly. Impa turns around, her heart still racing a bit, a smile lingering.
Nabooru had lead training up the river.
It is mid afternoon, and Impa had come up after seeing the young Gerudo returning without her. She went, finding Nabooru just relaxing by the river and they sat for a while talking, although now they are heading back to camp for dinner."Hey!"
Zarah calls out from down the river.
Nabooru rolls her eyes and stops.
Impa smiles - "Hey, come here, you have to see this!"
Zarah yells again. They start walking, Nabooru yells back "We're coming!"
They turn the bend in the river, seeing Zarah standing by the stables. They walk rather slowly down Zarah yells and gestures to them, "Seriously, hurry!"
The two look at eachother and start jogging, eventually meeting Zarah who points into the stable up at the ceiling."Look! Its so pretty and gold!"
Nabooru and Impa look up at the ceiling where Zarah points – a gold skulltula is clinging to the ceiling.
Nabooru laughs, "I didn't know they had those out here in the lowlands too. They're so pesky."
She looks at Zarah, "Go get your bow."
"What!? I don't want to kill it! Maybe I can train it!"
Zarah says."They're a lot more useful dead. We can use the metal and gemstones."
Nabooru says bluntly.
Impa is staring, concerned, and Nabooru turns to her – surprised to see her worried expression."What, scared of a skulltula?"
Nabooru teases.
Impa immediately starts to walk past the fence to the gate, around and toward the stable, Zarah letting out a "Huh?"
Impa doesn't even wait to take her horse out of the stable, getting on and starting to ride out and through the gate."I have to go see Anju. Those shouldn't be here."
She looks back at Nabooru and Zarah, who are both confused. "I'll be back in a bit."
Impa says, turning, but Nabooru asks, "They exiled you, though, you think they'll let you in to see her? What's the big deal anyway?"
Impa looks back, "They probably will turn me away, but maybe I can sneak in to see her, she said she lives along the west fence, I can look over and see if she's there..."
"Why are you so worked up about it?"
Nabooru asks again, but Impa simply turns and starts over the bridge, saying "They shouldn't be here."
before getting to the other side and quickly riding off toward the south end of Lon Lon.
Nabooru and Zarah look at eachother."Well, leave it for now I guess."
Nabooru says.
Zarah asks, "Is she really that afraid of a skulltula?"
Nabooru shakes her head. "I don't know. I guess I'll find out when she gets back."
She scratches her head."Dinner?"
Nabooru asks."Oh! I'm on cooking duty, I forgot!"
Zarah says, immediately running into the camp.
Nabooru sighs, looking breifly back across the field to Impa who is already almost disappeared over the hill.
She heads into camp, calling out to Zarah, "I'll be in the cafe, alright?"
Zarah probably doesn't hear. Nabooru walks through the main aisle of the camp toward the cafeteria pavilion.
Dreza sits there, reading.
Nabooru sits, and Dreza shifts slightly."She won't let it go."
Nabooru says.
Dreza's brow furrows, barely. She sighs."Just be patient. She has been a Sheikah her whole life."
Nabooru looks away.
Nabooru and Dreza sit in the cafeteria, talking about cutting down some trees near the stable to construct a more permanent barn. Dreza though, stops Nabooru, pointing out and up a bit to the field, "The scrubs found us."
Nabooru looks, seeing three Deku Scrubs flying slowly toward them. "Either us, or they might be going to Death Mountain."
She says. Dreza and her watch and wait.
After a while, the scrubs pass over the pavilion roof, so they both get up and walk to the north gate, looking up and seeing the scrubs descending. "Hello, how are you?"
Dreza says to them."Excellent, excellent! It is a bit strange to see you Gerudo in the lowlands, are you lost? Regardless, don't I have a deal for you today!"
One of them squeeks as he lands in front of the two, who look at eachother. Nabooru puts her hands on her hips.
Another scrub speaks up as well, now landing with the other. "I've also got a HUGE discount today for you two!"
Dreza laughs.
The third scrub says, "I'm sure you think you have everything you need already, ladies, but I've got something you've likely never seen before!"
Nabooru raises an eyebrow."Well, what have you got?"
Dreza asks the first scrub. "Sir, I have an exclusive deal just for you only!"
It squeeks to her, although it looks at Nabooru as well and adds, "and your beautiful wife as well! I am selling the finest Deku Sheild you ever saw – with it you can defend her from any Mad Scrub or even Wolfos!"
Dreza laughs heartily again. "How much then, do you only have one?"
Nabooru rolls her eyes.
The scrub jumps excitedly, saying "A wise man to ask for a bulk discount! I can offer you five for the incredible price of one hundred rupees!"
Dreza and Nabooru stare at eachother in shock."I'll be right back!"
Dreza says, walking quickly into camp."What about you two?"
Nabooru asks the other scrubs, crossing her arms.
The second says to the other, "After you, sir!"
The other says "No, no, I insist!"
Nabooru rolls her eyes again and points at the second."What have you got?"
"Ma'am, I offer you the best deal you can find today! Red potions, today only five rupees each!"
Nabooru raises her eyebrows again."And you?"
She asks the third."Ma'am, you are clearly an experienced lady, I am sure you have traveled far and wide, but I believe you have maybe never seen something like this before – I offer it for a mere ninety-nine rupees!"
The scrub says, digging in a bag it has set down.
The scrub struggles with something heavy in the bag, eventually lifting up and then promptly dropping a huge hammer with a shreik."Ahem!"
The scrub bends over and stands the hammer up."What do you think? As a matter of fact, I will offer you a special deal just because you are so beautiful – only seventy rupees for you! This hammer can easily smash any armor, make short work of an Armos, and even turn boulders to dust with one fell strike!"
Nabooru looks at the hammer, stroking her chin."Or!"
The scrub continues, "It makes a lovely conversation piece for a tasteful lady like yourself! A mysterious artifact, sure to impress any guests!"
Nabooru sighs."Sure, I'll take it."
She says, producing her wallet and handing the rupees over."Wonderful, wonderful, miss! You're sure to love it! Goodbye now!"
The scrub shreiks, grabbing its bag and quickly ascending.
Nabooru catches it muttering "Finally rid of that stupid thing."
as it begins flying much more quickly toward Kokiri forest."Are you still interested in Red Potion?"
The second scrub asks."I never said I wanted any."
She says, glaring.
The scrub shreiks with fear, but she laughs. "I'll take six."
The scrub claps and jumps ridiculously, reaching in and pulling out a large jug, "I have bottles for sale as well, only sixty rupees each!"
Nabooru waves her hand, seeing Dreza returning."The bottles are how they get you."
Dreza says.
Nabooru shakes her head, passing Dreza toward her tent. Dreza transacts, receiving the sheilds and carries them to a table in the pavilion as Nabooru returns with six empty bottles to the first scrub that landed, now alone.
She hands the scrub rupees and holds the bottles for the scrub to fill. As soon as the last is full, the scrub quickly puts away the flask and begins ascending as well, saying "You've bought us all out, we didn't even make it to Death Mountain! Well, enjoy your day, ma'am!"
as it turns and quickly flies to Kokiri Forest, the three of them now forming a sparse line across the sky, chirping and squeeking at eachother across the sky.
Nabooru places each of the bottles back in the caddy she brought them in, bringing it over to the table with Dreza."What's that?"
Dreza asks, looking at the hammer still standing outside the gate."Oh. I figured you'd have a use for it."
Nabooru says, quickly walking out and picking it up, inspecting it and finding no markings of any kind, the handle wrapped with fraying fabric, she carries it back to the table, showing Dreza. "Its huge."
Dreza says, staring."You think you have any use for it?"
Dreza shakes her head, "eh… "
Nabooru looks at the caddy of bottles. "Do we have potion makers in training? I have been a bit worried the ones we have might go bad."
"Oh, yeah. Asheti seems to be very good with it."
Dreza says.
Nabooru nods. "Well, something for her to do during her retreat then."
Dreza nods as well."I'm going to put these in the armory tent. Are you hunting or training today?"
Dreza asks, picking up the stack of sheilds.
Nabooru looks toward Lon Lon, a bit mindlessly, but sees Impa's horse pulling around toward the gate. She grabs her spyglass from her belt and looks closer, seeing a door to the side of the large gate open and Anju speaking to Impa, eventually inviting her in.
Nabooru retracts and puts away the spyglass, sitting down."I don't have any tasks today at all. I'll probably wait out here for Impa to come back. We might go visit the lake, but if not I'll probably just read and maybe fish some later."
Dreza, shifting the sheilds she is holding, asks "How are things, by the way? Seems to be good."
Nabooru breathes deeply. "I think it is. I'm still nervous."
Dreza turns away, although she does look back at Nabooru."Taking things slow?"
Nabooru sighs. "Trying."
"I always tell you, take your time. You can't keep jumping from person to person."
Nabooru sits looking at the potions in the caddy for a while.
Turning to look, Dreza has already left.
After a while, Nabooru, occasionally taking her spyglass to look across the field at the gate to the ranch. She sees the large gate draw open. As it does, a woman on a horse slowly makes her way out, seeming to call back to someone further back – Nabooru sees a Hylian man wave to her. The woman has a large black sunhat, wearing purple shorts, a cropped vanilla shirt with a gold neckercheif.
Nabooru watches the gate close behind her as she makes her way down the hill towards the camp. Closing the eyeglass, she stands up, but decides to just sit back down.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Zarah approaching. Nabooru turns to Zarah, who says as she approaches, "Hey, I gave that skulltula a home! It listened to me and crawled right into a basket I set out for it!"
Nabooru looks at her, ignoring what she said and asking, "Zarah, have you met a lady with red hair?"
"Yeah, right there."
and points at Nabooru, who glares."No, I mean a Hylian. From that ranch, maybe you can see her, she's coming this way."
Nabooru points out to the ranch."Oh. Thats Malon. She's umm…"
Nabooru looks at Zarah skeptically."Where'd you get that?"
Zarah asks, point at the caddy of potions."Oh, you just missed it. Some Deku Scrubs stopped by. They were practically giving things away. Look at this."
She says, turning and hauling the hammer onto the table. Zarah's eyes widen. "Woah. Did a Deku Scrub sell you that!?"
Nabooru nods.
Zarah picks it up effortlessly."I don't have any use for it really, I thought it was interesting though, and it was cheap."
Zarah pretends to fight with it, striking poses. "I was thinking Dreza might want it but she said she has no use for it either."
Out of the corner of her eye, Nabooru sees Malon approaching the bridge."I wish I had one. I bet this thing could crush a boulder like its nothing-"
Zarah starts, investigating it. "Have it. Maybe you can pay me back the rupees I spent on it if you smash enough boulders."
Zarah just turns and quickly walks off toward the river. "Thanks!!!"
She yells back at Nabooru."Well hey there! Sad to see her run off!"
Nabooru turns, seeing Malon waving and smiling. Nabooru finds herself waving back then pauses before asking, "You must be Malon?"
Malon gives an exaggerated bow – "Yes ma'am. I take it you are Nabooru?"
she asks, looking over as Nabooru nods."Do you need any Red Potion? I got them very cheap earlier."
Malon walks over, reaching for her purse and asking "Oh, well I wouldn't mind a spare, how much are you charging?"
Nabooru looks to Malon's horse, saying "Oh, you can just have one. By the way, we do have a stable-"
Malon looks at her with a faint smile still and interupts "I probably won't be too long, I do have to visit Death Mountain as well."
"I see."
"Mind if I sit with you for a while?"
Malon asks, grabbing a Red Potion and stowing it in her purse."Sure."
Nabooru simply says.
Malon makes her way around the table to sit across from her. "Oh,"
Malon starts, "I was wondering if you all would take money for those, um…"
she pauses. "Well, that girl who left, she gave me some delicious pastries the other day, I'd love to buy some."
Nabooru observes Malon, who seems to fidget."It isn't really our way to take money for food."
"Ah, I see. Well, I would love to have them again some time."
Malon says, digging in her bag and producing a canteen which she unscrews."We do have some, I can get you a couple."
Nabooru says.
Standing, she pauses, looking Malon up and down.
Malon drinks from her canteen."Were you wanting to buy a tray full? For how much?"
"Well, I'd buy plenty to share with folks at the ranch, they have been working hard. I was thinking one hundred rupees?"
She says, taking another sip of water.
Nabooru looks at her rather stunned.
Malon quickly says, "Well, maybe a hundred fifty?"
Nabooru waves her hands, "No, no, a hundred is plenty! We'd be glad to sell you some, how many trays did you think? We only have one tray worth made at the moment."
Malon looks excited, "Oh, that's fine, I'd love to buy them fresh any way! I was thinking six or seven, do they keep well?"
Nabooru says "Yes, very well."
Malon screws the lid back on her canteen, rifling through her purse a bit, although producing nothing and staring at the table."Do you happen to have any coffee on?"
"I'll be right back,"
Nabooru says, "I'll grab you a cup of coffee and a couple baklava."
Malon closes her eyes, breathing deeply,
gently saying "That'd be lovely."
Nabooru heads to the kitchen tent and Malon rests her head on a hand, looking into the woods across the pavilion.
After some time, she yawns and looks around, eventually looking down the aisle of the camp, where she sees Zarah walking quickly toward the pavilion with a basket.
Zarah enters, and waves at Malon while looking around, quietly approaches and sits at the table, opening the basket and tilting it to show Malon."Look, I found this in the river just now."
Malon looks into the basket and sees several chunks of Red Ice, saying "Gemstones?"
Zarah shakes her head. "Its ice."
Looking at the girl skeptically, she asks "It was in the river?"
Zarah nods."It doesn't melt, it just stays cold. I found some a while ago and kept it but I found some more. There wasn't much of it, but if we had more we could use it to keep food for a lot longer."
"Ah. I have heard of that…"
Malon puts a hand to her chin."What was your name again, dear?"
she asks."Zarah."
Zarah stands, looking into the basket and shaking it a bit – the ice making a horrible screeching sound that makes Malon cringe. "Please don't do that, what a terrible sound!"
Zarah frowns, closing the lid and turning away.
Malon extends a hand, though, saying "Hold on, girl-"
Zarah interupts, "I just told you my name."
Malon's mouth hangs for a moment.
She smiles."Well, Zarah. If you do find more, we do need a new supplier, if we can get it locally I'd pay very well."
Zarah looks at her and flatly says, "I don't need money"
then turns, walking back along the woods, just missing Nabooru returning through the central aisle of the camp holding a tray with two cups and a plate, sitting beside Malon and grabbing a cup of coffee and drinking.
Malon rifles through her bag again mindlessly, eventually producing a smaller flask."I'm sorry, dear. I just remembered that I also have to visit the Zora today as well."
She pours the cup of coffee Nabooru brought into the flask. "I appreciate the coffee and company, of course."
Malon looks at her, her lips puckered, raising a finger to them in thought, she looks off into the woods past Nabooru.
Nabooru asks, "Have you been speaking with their King?"
Malon scratches her neck, saying, "Oh no. I haven't been able to meet him, nor the princess. I have made a bit of a friend among them, though."
Malon stands up, but seems uneasy. "It was quite nice to meet you, Impa…"
she says.
Nabooru casts a confused look.
Malon seems to freeze up, and suddenly collapses.
Nabooru looks around then quickly attends to her, finding her unconscious.
Checking her breathing, which is fine, Nabooru grabs Malon's arm and hoists her up, whistling and calling out toward the camp, "Dreza!"
Dreza and Nabooru had set up a hammock in the pavilion, resting Malon on it. Nabooru glances over, noticing Malon rubbing her eyes.
Dreza and Nabooru stand from the table and approach her.
After yawning and stretching, Malon looks confused at them, then at the hammock she is in.
As if nothing were wrong, she says "Oh, I appreciate your hospitality, ladies."
Dreza and Nabooru look at eachother."Do you remember where I happened to put my bag?"
Dreza turns to get it from the table, while Nabooru stares."Are you alright?"
Malon, looking a bit confused still, says "Well, I suppose I'm still a bit tired, but I do have a lot to do today."
Receiving her bag from Dreza and attempting to stand but reclining back into the hammock a bit. "I do thank you so much for the accomodations. Do you often see fireflies in those woods?"
Again, Dreza and Nabooru look at eachother, then back to Malon, who says thoughtfully, "That forest is filled with them, its quite an asset. You could save a fortune on oil if you learned to harvest them."
Malon again rifles through her bag aimlessly."You sure you are feeling alright?"
Dreza asks.
Malon nods, producing both the bottle of red potion and flask of coffee, unscrewing the flask and yawning. "Oh yes, much better. I was so tired."
she says, drawing from her flask, then uncorking and drinking some of the red potion.
The Gerudo watch her as if she were a guay that learned to speak."You collapsed on the floor earlier, I had to pick you up and Dreza prepared the hammock. We were very worried."
Nabooru says.
Malon waves her hand, finishing another pull from her flask of coffee. "I'm so sorry about that. Again, I appreciate it so much. I needed just a rest."
Malon stands, having put the potion back in her bag and slung it over her shoulder, sipping more coffee."I do have so much to do today. Do you think you could feed my horse while I go to the Zora's domain? I'd gladly pay you to watch her."
Nabooru looks at Dreza, who also, after a moment, just shrugs."It's alright, you don't have to pay. I'll bring her to the stable."
Dreza says as she walks through the pavilion to tend to Malon's horse."You're sure you are alright?"
Nabooru asks again, watching Malon adjusting her bloomers. Malon looks up, now making eye contact."Oh, I'm feeling just great, really. That red potion was remarkably fresh, it must have just been made. Are you sure you don't need any money for it?"
Nabooru waves her hand, "I'm glad you are feeling well. You needed it, so it is fine."
she says, Malon already beginning to walk toward the main aisle of the camp to head to the river trail.
The two walk and Nabooru asks, "Did you meet the princess' counsel, Makaru?"
Malon yawns again, although she gives Nabooru a look from the side of her eyes and smiles very widely. "I did, yes... How ungoddesly my mind turns around him."
Nabooru rolls her eyes, and Malon laughs, elbowing her – Nabooru bristles. "Oh come on. He's irresistable, I'd say, wouldn't you?"
Malon says, still smiling and looking ahead as they approach the stable and south gate.
Nabooru simply says, "Sure."
Approaching the gate, the two stop. Malon pauses, then turns around, leaning forward toward Nabooru, who flinches."You must have someone you fancy already?"
Malon says, smiling and leaning further toward Nabooru, who folds her arms.
Malon looks Nabooru up and down
Nabooru is silent, glaring at her."Perhaps someone of the fairer kind?"
Malon prods, smiling.
Nabooru, arms folded, stares at Malon angrily."I'd just begun to find you tolerable."
Malon's smile fades."I'm sorry."
To Nabooru's surprise, Malon seems to tear up."My father... likes the same..."
Malon looks down."I love him so much, it is sweet. Ingo sent him away. He's back, though he hides from everyone now with his dear, Baron."
Standing quietly, Nabooru softens, her mouth hangs open a bit as she fails to think of anything to say. She watches a teardrop fall from Malon's cheek to the dirt.
Then another."We are all trying our best,"
Malon says.
She wipes her eyes."To find something to keep going on for..."
"Its the best we can do."
Malon says, rifling through her bag, finding a handkercheif and folding it in her hands.
Nabooru rubs her forehead, staring at the ground away from the girl as Malon quietly wipes her tears."I am sorry to be so gloomy,"
pausing, Malon asks, "What was your name again?"
"Nabooru. It is alright. I appreciate your openness, Malon."
Nabooru says, the two still don't look at eachother.
Malon puts away her handkercheif and folds her hands."I may have to return home for the day."
she says softly.
Nabooru waits for her to say more, but she doesn't.
Nabooru tries to think of something to say, but can't.
Malon looks breifly up at Nabooru but doesn't make eye contact.
Nabooru turns around to the stable and brings Malon's horse over. "I'll watch to make sure that you make it back safely."
Nabooru says, presenting her spyglass as Malon nods again, now quiet. She wordlessly gets on her horse and begins making her way along the woods, Nabooru following silently as well.
They reach the north gate of the camp and Malon turns to Nabooru, looking down to her and making eye contact again."Thank you, truly."
she simply says.
Nabooru scratches the back of her neck, looking down, "You owe me nothing."
She looks back up to Malon, who has turned and is already heading quietly and slowly back to the ranch.
Nabooru sits back down at the table in the pavilion, watching Malon head back to the ranch - the town.
The evening light had turned everything gold.
After finding the red ice, returning and finding no more, Zarah had wandered up the river further, finding some boulders to test the hammer on.
Being satisfied with it, and collecting a few blue rupees, she had returned to her tent, setting the hammer down near her desk and now sat to think of some other ways she could make use of it.
Sitting for a while, thinking, she, a bit absently, looks down at the baskets under the desk – one having the gold skulltula, the other having red ice, both lids closed.
She lifts the lid of the skulltula basket, "Huh?"
finding it empty.
She looks around her tent for it, but finds nothing.
Leaving and rounding the corner, seeing a Gerudo cooking for the camp in the kitchen tent, she asks, "Have you seen a skulltula crawling around?"
The Gerudo just continues cooking, saying "Nope."
Returning to the pavilion, she hears a scuttling coming from inside Impa's tent. Without hesitation, she heads to the door and quickly opens it.
Inside, she finds the skulltula's sound is coming from a bag near the door. Zarah recognizes it, filled with fronds of lavender, sage and juniper that Impa and her had still not done anything with.
Zarah opens the bag and realizes the skulltula must be at the bottom. She reaches in, getting sap on her arm, eventually pulling the skulltula out carefully. Holding it up, she sees it has wrapped itself around some papers."You eat paper?"
Zarah asks it, taking it in both hands and standing up, looking down. It doesn't seem to be eating the paper, just clinging around it.
Zarah looks at it as she walks out of Impa's tent, returning to her own without sealing Impa's.
Sitting at her desk and setting the skulltula down, it unfurls from the paper and crawls over the side of the table – Zarah pulls back and watches it crawl down the table leg, back into its basket.
She stares for a while as it spins and eventually stills, and she returns the lid.
Looking up, she inspects the papers. They are note pages, a stamped header on the pages reads "Lake Hylia Laboratory of the Royal Family"
, with odd handwriting on the printed lines.
She looks around, then down at the silent baskets, she stands and seals her tent's door.
Lighting a lamp, she begins to read the few pages.
To whoever may find this, I am long gone – I have taken the cowardly path, I admit.
Leaving these, pages I may unburden my soul.
Dear reader, this land may have met with a terrible fate. I know not enough to say how, why, or if there is any hope.
I have for so many years occupied this Lake – just busy work, I always thought it odd I was stationed here. The Royal Family had me simply monitor water levels, fish growth, various mundane things.
Well, some years ago, I found a trapdoor on the ceiling.
One which, in all these years, I never noticed.
Perhaps I did, but assumed the planks to be a mere patched hole.
I had become quite paranoid after the first assault of rocks thrown at the building from the lake, and, knowing I could not leave my post due to my contract, I turned my eyes over every inch of this building.
It began as manic cleaning – every inch scrubbed with the smallest brush. Even in my strange trance over those days, I knew that something had broken in my mind as I found myself scrubbing the ceiling.
The Royal Family had sent guards for a night or two, during which nothing happened. They told me the rocks must have been flung by some wandering children, or perhaps by some animal kicking up. They seemed to almost suggest I may have done it myself, and were annoyed with me.
With little to distract me from my ever-racing thoughts, I scrubbed away, eventually, reaching those curious planks on the ceiling.
Upon the first pressure on the old wooden planks, I found them giving way.
At first thrilled at the prospect of a new distraction – repairing the hole in the ceiling – I realized the planks moved together, and pushing upon them with my hand, they gave way together and I realized they formed a hinged panel.
Adjusting the position of my ladder - which had, since my first assignment (or confinement), always been present in the case of the terrible occurrence that a scientist may fall into the deep pool while it is empty (a fate which now seems pleasant) – I climbed to the topmost step, heaving upward, so enthralled with curiosity.
Into the crawlspace, I hoisted myself and a lantern.
Finding it disappointingly empty at first, I lamented the lack of some arcane discovery. Only months later would I wish that I had not been so determined to inspect every arch, every plank, every brick. The latter proved to be my undoing, as nestled into a circular indentation in an innocuous brick of the wall which made up the base of the lookout tower, was a keyhole.
Enthralled, so tragically ignorant, I realized my keyring, decades ago passed on to me when this building would become my home, there was always a remarkably old and large bronze key which seemed to fit no lock.
With glee I descended and fetched it,
returning to that cursed brick.
Surely sweating with anticipation, I inserted it, and to this day I remember the lock turning on its own of course.
Latching itself open, the brick wall I faced began to retreat into itself by some supernatural force, forming an opening into the inside of the lookout tower.
Upon its latching against the opposite wall, looking up the inside of the tower, a metal ladder plumeted down before me, the ringing of the iron striking the brick singing like a siren to me.
I greedily climbed.
Of course, it could lead nowhere, as the tower is narrow and ends abruptly at the lookout – no hidden room could fit, and indeed I climbed to the top, met with brick ceiling.
Yet behind me, on the wall across from the ladder, a small shelve was formed in the brick, holding exactly the sort of treasure that a man like myself could not but shreik with boyish excitement to find:
a row of books.
No ordinary books, as well – these were thin and tall, like none I had seen in all my years scouring libraries and antiquaries. They had leather covers, warped with age, yet were thin - at most two dozen pages each. Still, they were quite heavy, the leather seemingly covering some metal which reinforced them even further from bending.
Without hesitation I excavated them, one small armful at a time.
Finally with the collection completed on my desk, I poured through them immediately, but upon the first page I was met with disappointment - It was merely a ledger of materials for the laboratories construction.
Perhaps then, I could have thrown them all out, assuming them to be worthless transaction records kept for propriety's sake.
Yet I read each memo anyway.
Orders of planks and bricks and rope and the like, I absorbed them as if they were the finest literature in the land.
Finishing the first volume, I moved on to the next.
Within it, I found more ledgers, although no longer were they for simple materials to build the small building I inhabited.
The ledgers called for increasingly strange things.
Massive stone slabs, with precise dimensions. Then, many iron gates and bars. Then, chains and spikes and barricades.
Fascinated, but assuming I had run across ledgers for construction elsewhere in the land, I glanced and saw the requests were indeed to be shipped to Lake Hylia, from Kakariko – purchased from Goron.
Pouring through the ledgers, between pages asking for more and still more carved stone, I saw requests for "crystal switches"
and "blade traps"
, for "hookshot targets"
, hundreds of torches.
It quickly dawned upon me that perhaps the gate at the floor of the lake lead not merely to, as I was told, an old ceremonial plaque, but the entrance to some vast underground construction.
Thinking of this, I was quickly answered by a new volume which no longer held ledgers, but a journal of construction and blueprints.
I looked over them, my suspicion all but confirmed. I was lead to the obvious question, what purpose could it serve?
The volumes I had read had begun to outnumber those I had not, and I feared my question would not be answered.
If only it had remained unanswered, I may not be forced to do what I soon must.
Dismissing the blueprints and journals describing the mundane details of the construction and receipts of payment for labor, I finally reached the final volume.
This volume detailed the discovery of a creature – Morpha.
This creature was shown to have remarkable abilities of regeneration. It was mandated by the royal family - to be contained and studied. As a small digression, the writer remarks on the foolish and primitive past generations of Zora, who seemed to see the creature as a god of the river. The Zora King, it was said, some decades before, during wartime, offered Morpha to the royal family.
Now, dear reader. How could a King offer his own peoples deity? Not merely to be killed, but for such a monstrous fate – to be imprisoned and experimented upon?
It is clear, certainly – in the time of the war, he had no other choice.
Still, what has come of this…
I can barely bring myself to explain further. This is no mere tale about the Zora King's capitulation. This is no mere tale of the Hylian royal family's sins. It is larger. The royal family itself is merely a mask – a mask for forces with plans far more horrible than a simple drive for power and wealth. Yet the details, I will not describe here. Whoever seeks them, can find them within the documents.
I pray, dear reader, before you seek the documents, that you consider my choice after learning what I have. I admit, I am a coward. That is why I leave this note for someone else. That is why I returned the documents to their place. If it were all true, there was no use thinking of it.
I swore to not think of it. I told myself it must have been some terrible dream, what I read. In the years that followed, there were no assaults on the lab. Nothing strange occurred. I carried on with life.
Yet here I sit, writing to whoever may find these pages.
I am not sure if it right to say that the Sheikah plan is soon to fail – neither am I sure whether it is better for it to succeed or to fail...
I met the Executioner, the Hero, the Weapon.
Seeing that naive boy - it brought back the memories of those cursed books which I spent years pretending I never read.
I met him once, then, for years, I did not see him.
He returned one day, older. Asking a simple errand - procuring eyedrops. I obliged, but held my tongue.
After this, for some weeks, I did not see him again.
My anxiety grew – I would soon be scrubbing the walls and ceilings with fervor.
One night, several hours after seeing a strange man conduct some ritual on the island, then leave on horseback, I glanced out my window to see something floating on the lake.
My reader, I will not write what I found floating in the lake.
It is not fit to be written of.
I have decided to make myself one with the lake as well.
Perhaps no one will find this testament.
Perhaps it is better that nobody does.
I will leave it up to fate.
Whether these pages are found or not, I feel a great weight lifted from me. Hylia, if you do await me, or Morpha, if it is you who meets my wretched remains, be kind to my miserable soul.
In the mid day, Impa, Nabooru and Malon sit at a table under the pavilion of the camp, drinking tea, having finished eating.
Malon looks out across the feild, Nabooru and Impa look at eachother breifly and Impa returns to finishing her food."I'll find Dreza."
Nabooru says, standing and turning to wander off into the camp.
After she is gone for a while, Malon says, "She is wise and capable, I don't understand why she doesn't want to."
Impa, finishing her food, says, "She doesn't want the attention."
She sips tea and digs in a bag under the table. Malon tilts her head, still looking off across the feild. "I see."
She says, turning as she sees Nabooru and Dreza approaching.
Dreza waves a bit awkwardly as her and Nabooru sit."Well, you don't look too excited,"
Malon says.
Dreza looks up at the ceiling of the pavilion and shrugs. They sit for a while, Malon looks at Impa, who has started reading, leaning forward onto the table with her head resting on one hand, facing away, her head down."Well,"
Malon says, looking back to Nabooru and Dreza, tapping her canteen, "we will be meeting weekly, every friday evening around seven, since the sun sets late. After the stonework perimeter is done we will start construction on the plenary hall, until then we will just be meeting in my home."
Nabooru nods.
Dreza tilts her head.
Impa turns a page in her book.
Malon is quiet for a while, then sips some more water from her canteen, looking out to the ranch.
Zarah emerges from her tent, just around the corner from the kitchen. A Gerudo from inside, with a tray, calls out -"I was just about to bring your food, Zarah."
Zarah looks down at the tray, then up at the Gerudo. "You can put it on my desk, I'll be back in a bit."
she says, walking toward the south gate.
Approaching it, she glances to the stable, looking for a while at the horse she found by the lake. She breathes deeply and sets out up the river, the sun not set, but the evening shadows growing long.
Walking up the river further than she has yet, past the shanties and climbing up a fallen tree, she continues further as the river's edges narrow and become overgrown. The noise of the river grows louder as she reaches a small bend; an old wooden bridge. She walks across, rounding the bend to the right and then pausing, standing and looking with awe.
She had never seen the waterfall before. The sound of it is overwhelming, yet strangely calming.
She stands for a while simply listening to the blanket of white noise that drowns out any frogs or guay.
Eventually, seeing that the waterfall is split, a crevice dug into the stone, she ascends the moss-covered stone, taking care with each step.
Reaching the center of a stone outcrop which long ago must have been carved as a bridge from one side of the waterfall to the other, she stands looking into the crevice and seeing inside, at the end of a long tunnel, a open massive cavern, lit up inside with a faintly bluish glow. Looking down, she sees that she stands upon a stone plaque which has had its face noticeably recently chiseled - just a blank platform.
Looking back into the crevice, she jumps across to it and slowly walks down the hall.
Makaru and Zarah stand in the humid dark of the stairwell.
Zarah's voice echos almost piercingly through the silence."Princess Ruto, I found something that belongs to the Zora."
There is a long silence, and Makaru begins to shake his head.
Just as he does, the door begins to open, scraping against the stone."Come in."
Ruto's soft voice says. Zarah and Makaru look at eachother, and Zarah leads the way up the last step into the bright room. Before Makaru can turn around the door to see Ruto, the door begins to close. He raises a hand, but instead backs down quietly.
The door closes and he turns. He sighs and makes his way back down the stairs to the foyer.
The walls arch in Ruto's room, covered with by a vast mural of the flora and fauna of the river. Sunlight pours in from the south, where a massive window spanning the width of the room is carved from the rock. Along each wall, lit by skylights, are two vast aquariums filled with fish, clams, eels, seaweed, corals.
A waterfall springs from the north wall, the water almost silently flowing down a stepped ramp to an opening in the wall, at the base a long pool extends halfway out into the room.
Zarah looks in awe at all of it, as Ruto turns to sit on a small mezzanine which looks out the massive window.
Zarah follows slowly behind, taking it all in and stepping up to the beautiful wrought iron table and chairs, inlaid with fine embroidered cushions."You must be a Gerudo, then."
Ruto says softly, watching the girl set down a covered basket and sit.
Zarah just nods, still looking around the room.
Eventually, Zarah turns and digs for the papers in her bag, taking them out carefully.
She looks at them, then at Ruto, who smiles kindly."What did you have for me, dear?"
Ruto asks.
Zarah looks down again at the pages for a while,
rubbing them with her thumb.
Zarah quietly puts the papers back in her bag.
She leans down to pick up the basket.
Presenting it to Ruto, she says,"I found this."
She opens the lid to present the ice.
Ruto looks disappointed.
She glances to Zarah's bag."Are these some kind of Zora gemstones?"
Zarah asks,
pretending she thinks the ice is noteworthy."Ah, red ice…"
Ruto pauses, watching Zarah carefully."It's sometimes found. It comes from upstream."
The two sit quietly."You're free to have it."
Ruto says flatly, resting her chin in her hand and looking out the window.
After a few moments, Zarah slowly stands."Well, I should get back. It's dinner back at camp."
Ruto doesn't respond.
Zarah just turns around and leaves.