Fan Fiction Friday: The Silence Within The Stone – Chapter 20

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Chapter Twenty

The three rode forward, spurring their horses on feverishly, the ground shaking beneath them as the dragon drew closer. Several additional Zora emerged from the waterfall equipped with elaborate, crystalline bows. They took aim and fired upward, their comrades screaming at Link and his company to hurry behind them. Link turned to Jenoa who was quickly falling further into the thralls of the extreme cold. Her body began to convulse more and more until finally, her eyes rolled back into her head and she began to slump over on her saddle. Link screamed her name but was drowned out by the earth-shattering roar of the beast above them. He slowed Epona and caught Jenoa before she fell, hoisting her up and onto the saddle in front of him. He held her close with one arm and with the other continued to hold tight to Epona’s reins. In spite of the additional weight, it felt as though Epona had tapped into hidden reserves of strength and her gait became faster, testing Link’s own endurance as he continued to hold himself steady on her back while supporting Jenoa.

Their assailant began its descent, bearing down on them as it began to slowly open its maw, its abdomen swelling like a great bellows primed for stoking a hearth’s flame. A white mist began to seep out from between its fangs, portending what was to come. The Zora fired fruitlessly for several more moments before abandoning the endeavor, electing to instead focus their attention on giving orders to a group behind the waterfall to begin closing the gates to their city. Link and Rukio neared the waterfall, but it seemed that the environment was too much for Jenoa’s steed to handle as well, as its speed had diminished considerably. It was now a significant distance behind them and visibly frustrated with running in the wintry atmosphere. The dragon erupted above them, a concentrated spray of frost blasted the ground, coating it in a thick layer of ice. Epona being hurriedly ushered in to the cavern behind the waterfall by the small cadre of Zora, carried Link and Jenoa across the threshold of with Rukio close behind. Within the cavern, two great slabs of marble were being brought together, clearly the gateway to Zora’s Domain. Behind them, still on the frosted plains, Jenoa’s horse was struggling mightily to catch up to them, the great dragon close behind. Link and Rukio waited, debating on whether or not to return to the field, desperate to try anything and everything to bring it to safety. But they knew it would have been in vain. All they could do was watch helplessly as the animal was coated in a thick sheet of ice by Silindrath’s icy breath.

The gates closed behind them, Link dismounted from Epona, carrying Jenoa in his arms.

“Please,” he began, having approached one of the nearest Zora. “She’s freezing to death, do you have anything that we can use to keep her warm?” He looked around helplessly, several Zora looking at him in silence, unsure of how to respond or react to this outsider in their midst.

“We have garments befitting those of your kind,” a thin-lipped Zora said stepping forward. He was hunched over a bit, no doubt an impediment brought about by age. Two long tendrils drooped low from both cheeks resembling a very long mustache. He was adorned in a purple sash embellished in gold markings and leaned on a pale white stick for support. He gave it two quick taps on the floor and two much larger Zora approached. Link hesitated a moment but relinquished Jenoa to them feeling that it was the best course of action. These people had given them respite from Silindrath and he had little reason to doubt that they would do anything but do what they could to help her. He looked on as they rushed her up a nearby spiraling staircase before finally giving himself a moment of vulnerability and shivered with intensity from the cold. “They’re taking her to our healers,” the old Zora said. “Don’t worry boy she’ll be alright, and if what we’ve heard about those desert-dwelling Gerudo is true it’ll be a quick recovery. Now, it seems as though she isn’t the only one in need of attention. Under normal circumstances the climate here is fairly hospitable to you Hylians, but as you can see we’ve had something of a…change in temperature. Let’s go see if we can’t find you something as well eh?” Link cupped his hands to his mouth and blew hot air between them. He thanked the Zora and was led further inward, Rukio following close behind, slowly spinning as he took in their surroundings. Epona was led away by several female Zora but Link felt no trepidation and knew that she too would be cared for very well. She had earned the rest after all, for if it weren’t for her they would have shared the fate of Jenoa’s poor horse.

The carved marble walkway that they were now traversing snaked through the city, branching off to allow entrance into various buildings. great pools of water, now covered in ice dotted the area around them. It was difficult to discern how deep they went now given the cloudy frost within them but he had to imagine that they went a substantial ways down. The thought of being in deep water frightened him a bit and he picked up his pace to catch up to Link and the old Zora. After a fairly lengthy jaunt through the city and being gawked at by onlookers, they arrived at a great bridge that led to the most prominent structure in the entire city: the palace of the Zora. Two great frozen waterfalls were positioned on the left and right of two great spires that connected the marble walls that formed its perimeter. Several towers were visible over the closed entryway with the largest one being placed in the center. He pulled tightly on his tunic, a feat that proved much more difficult now that he was nearly devoid of all body heat. He began to ask a question but found himself unable to as his jaw had become permanently clenched, a reflex to avoid the chattering of his teeth.

The old Zora peered back at him. “Not much farther now my boy. You seem hearty enough, so I have no doubt you’ll make it the rest of the way. Think of this as…character building no?” he said with a slight chuckle. After quickly realizing that this was no time for levity he promptly turned around and lost any semblance of a smile. They continued onward across the great bridge. Rukio wondered what this place would look like if the water were not frozen over. All of his life he had only known rocks and the firey, flowing rivulets of lava that cascaded down from the peaks of Death Mountain. This place would no doubt prove to the be the antithesis of his much warmer birthplace if it were allowed to maintain its natural state.

Upon reaching the large gate, the old Zora coughed loudly, tapped his staff on the ground three times and waited. There was no response. “Odd,” the old man began but was cut off by the sound of the gate grinding open and a small contingent of Zora troops emerging from within. They encircled the group and brought spears to bear, pointing them at Link and Rukio’s necks. Link, his body rigid from its struggle to adapt in this environment was helpless to do anything. Rukio stepped closer to Link and began to reach for Evelyn, but the old Zora brought an arm up to stop him. He sighed and in an exasperated tone remarked “Don’t waste any effort on this boy. Consider it a ‘formality’ that we’ve enacted as of late courtesy of a very paranoid King Rautu VII.” He looked up at the troupe and began moving forward.

“Vizier Ulrira! Are you hurt!?” one of the soldiers asked as he passed.

“Do I look hurt you nitwit?” Ulrira answered, pointing his staff forcefully in the soldier’s face. “I’m perfectly fine. They’re harmless! Victims of Silindrath like we all are. Now ease up, as they’ll come quietly. After all you can surely see that the Hylian boy is in no shape to offer any resistance or pose a threat? I swear, youth these days…” He motioned Link and Rukio forward. “Come on boys, we have a date with royalty.”

And with that, they were led inside the castle walls, the gate shut loudly behind them.

Bryan King is an editor for Zelda Dungeon. He loves writing about everyone’s favorite green-clad elfin boy, and thinks Zelda II doesn’t get the love it so rightly deserves.