An army swam in the waves. At first glance, it looked simply like a bunch of wide eyed blue fish wearing comical looking silver armor. But when the surface of the water stilled, it was clear that the fish were actually heads attached to bodies. Long, slender and scaly, they wore blue and silver armor. Strong long feet that look more like flippers or paddles, like something that can not function out of the water kicked with steady movements to keep them floating. Their blue scales almost blend with the river. Fins flow from the back of their head like hair, varying in shade from water blue to coral pink. They are the Zoras, a proud people of the sea. Able to breathe underwater just as well as on land, Zoras spend most of their time in the river palace upstream. But not this day. This day was different. This day was a dangerous sort of special.
"Prince Ralis, the army awaits your command," one of the Zora near the back said in a voice like bubbles.
"Good. We move as soon as the rock dwellers arrive," Prince Ralis answered, his voice rough and deep from the excessive time spent on land. The last time he'd been this close to Hyrule Castle, he had been weak and sick. A young boy who'd just lost his mom and was searching for a hero to save his people. It was a journey the young boy had not been prepared to take and the dangers that lurked in the shadows had helped the boy to grow up quickly. Though he was still young by the standards of the Zora, he was strong and capable. He was more mature than anyone could have imagined and his advisors were simply a formality that tradition required. It was in his blood to rule his kingdom, the fate that had been bestowed upon him. He was determined not to let his parents down. He wanted to make them proud.
"Prince Ralis," the odd Twili said as he swam down a waterfall leading to the fields. He wore the battle armor the Zoras had made for him and held a weapon made by the finest Zora craftsmen. A grim smile filled his face and his eyes were wide as he took in all the wonders the Light Realm had to offer.
"Yes, Kilm?" Prince Ralis could feel the flutter of nerves in his stomach. He'd never gone to war before, much less commanded one. But at least he got to do it with his mother by his side, even if she was stuck in a spectral form.
"Queen Midna is indisposed. She has left me in charge for the time being," Kilm said with a bow. He really was an odd Twili. He had a natural talent for swimming, yet hadn't been in water before yesterday. And his Twili magic was weak, which suggested he was only half Twili. It was a curious puzzle, but the Prince did not have time to sort it out.
"So, Twili, what do you plan to do?"
"The Twili people are losing. We need your number, strength and skills. We need the help of the legendary water tribe," Kilm said with a slight shake of his head and a pleading look in his eyes.
"I knew I would like this one," Queen Rutela whispered, her voice melodic like windchimes.
"We wait for the Gorons of Death Mountain. As you know, they have promised to come to Hyrule's aid." It was quiet then, for a while. Down here, the clamor from the battle could not reach. So all was silent but the rush of the waves and the steady bubbled breathing of the underwater army.
"Prince Ralis! I have a letter for you!!!!" The prince sighed as the silence was shattered by a hairsplitting yell.
"Postman. How lovely to see you," the prince said glumly. "How did you even get down here?"
"I climbed." Such a dedicated postman. Forced to wear such a ridiculous uniform and travel around the Light Realm with little concern for his own safety, yet still so committed to his work. A true marvel.
"Wonderful," Prince Ralis muttered sarcastically.
"Ralis! What did we talk about!" Queen Rutela chided him.
"Right, sorry. Mr. Postman, you said you had a letter for me?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Prince Ralis, sir." the postman said. He handed a slightly damp letter to the Prince.
"Thank you." The prince waved him off and opened the letter.
Dear Prince (It read), The Gorons roll to the fields. We attack at dawn. Or noon. Or evening. We attack whenever we arrive. We come to aid of Hyrule with skilled fighters. We fight together once more. From the Goron Elders.
"Well, it seems we can't depend on the Gorons for a planned attack. They will attack when they arrive. Which could be at any time, depending on if they get lost in their vast tunnel system again."
"Actually, I believe they weren't far from here. When I received the letter, at least, they weren't." The postman clung to the nearby cliff wall like a spider, looking down at the prince with curious eyes.
"So they are close?"
"No, they were close a few minutes ago and they were making better time than me. Could run me out of the job if they wanted too," the postman said with a sad sigh. Then he continued his climb, crawling up the surface of the wall like it was flat ground.
"A few minutes ago... That would mean they are here now! Zora army, to the land above!" The water surged and swayed as the army of Zora swam up out of the waves and flew through the air. For a second, it was like they were weightless. Like they were people of the air, not of water. But then that second was over and they all landed feet first on the grassy land.
"Welcome to the battlefield, fish. You've joined the party late, the rocks have been here for a few minutes already," a twili warrior told them as he killed an enemy in front of him. Once again, there was hope on the battlefield.
Where the Twili people fought with magic and chaos, the Zoras fought with orderly and regulated attacks. They moved as one, like they were all a drop of water that was a part of a bigger stream. The Gorons, on the other hand, were messy and crazy. The more fun in their attack strategy the better. The more games and challenges, the stronger or scarier the opponent. You name it, they did it all. But even with all their differences, it seemed like good had a chance of winning this battle of perpetual near night blue.