…into a wider room. White pillars supported the room in its four corners. In the middle of the room, a large pool opened. Spray came up from the pool, bathing the room constantly in water.
Faru clapped her hands as they came closer. Link leaned over and could see the massive metal fins churning the water. Faru said, “So it is working! Great! Which means the sewage hall has opened.”
“The what?” Link asked, looking at the young zora.
“Well, more specifically, the room beneath this has opened up,” Faru stated. “And, considering that no one wants to go through that,” she pointed down at the filter, “the Queen hid the key to the Central Generator beneath it.”
Link looked over the edge one more time. “We’re going through that?”
Faru giggled. “Don’t be silly. We’re going to go around it. There’s a little hallway that the Queen told me about that leads down there. Come on!” Faru took Link by the hand, and started pulling him along towards one of the side exits. The doors rolled open for them obediently, Nayru’s symbol becoming more common as they went further back into the structure, and spiraled downwars towards the base of the city.
Finally, Faru let go of Link as they reached the bottom of the city. Link could hear the pounding the massive filtering system beyond the wall next to him. Faru walked down a few more steps before stopping in front of a door. Despite how far they were from anything most zoras would have seen, this door had Nayru’s symbol on it, traced with silver and gold, and was present just as formally as if it was the entrance to the Queen's quarters.
Link rolled the door open for the two of them. Water streamed out, before being swept away through a grate beneath them. Faru shouted, “Quickly, before you flood the place!” She jumped into the water, and swam through the current.
Quickly pulling his mask up, Link followed her through, before turning around to close the door. The water returned its downward path towards a hole in the ground that exited back out into Lake Hylia. Something swam beneath the temple, and Link was glad for a moment of the protection of this room.
Then he looked up. Beneath the massive spinning fans of the filter swam at least ten craniocs. The massive fish had no intentions of looking down, but Link didn’t want to encourage their attention anymore than he had to. Faru, on the other hand, did.
Link spotted her almost before it was too late. The zora was charging one of the large bulb-headed fish, aiming directly for the large dome extending for the creature’s head. Apparently the spot was weaker than it appeared, because it caused the monster to shutter after being hit, before it curled up and died.
The other craniocs weren’t too happy about Faru’s actions though. Their scales turneda bright red, and they began to charge Faru. Link whipped out his clawshot, grappling one of the monster’s by the bulb. As he was pulled into the bulb, he drew his sword, and swiped a second one across its forehead.
The two craniocs sunk into the water before they vanished. Link turned to the remaining few. Faru had handled another one nicely, before sinking as another charged her.
As Link handled a few more, Faru swam to a small door very near the filter. The current there was very strong. The craniocs eventually had to give up in their pursuit to follow them, as they couldn’t force their massive bodies up any further.
The little door led to a small room, decorated richly, but not excessively with unnecessary ornament. It was a small study, partially underwater. On the desk, sat a chest, of equally regal quality, though simple like the rest of the room. Link walked over to the chest as Faru explained, “This was the King’s room.”
Link paused, remembering no king when he visited Zora’s Domain. Faru went on, “The King wanted this city to flourish more than anything. He helped cast the barrier as well…so that one day zoras could return and rebuild it.”
They was a framed pictograph on the desk of the royal couple. It was several years old, and worn with age, but the faces of the two zoras were untouched and blissful. Though Link had no concept of it, he was sure the King was a very handsome zora, and the Queen was equally as beautiful and regal. Link looked down at Faru, who tried to smile, but she seemed too sad to really try. She just pointed to the chest as her lip quivered.
Link turned to the slender chest, and carefully lifted the lid. There were no sparks or bright beams of light. It was simply a chest. And on a bed of dark blue velvet sat a large, silver key inside it. Blue veins of almost liquid gemstones flowed through the sides. Three pure sapphires sat on the top of the key, set in the shape of Nayru’s symbol.
Lifting the key up, the weak light in the room caught the sides of the key. Little beads of light bounced off the side, and covered the walls with brilliant strands of light and rainbows. It was nice to see so much color in the other wise simple room, and suddenly, Link’s heart felt uplifted.
Lowering the key back down to stow it ended the beautiful picture, but Link’s energy was still renewed. He set a hand on Faru’s shoulder, her foul mood seemingly chased away from even the simple action. She smiled again, and looked at the key. “That’s it! That’s the key to the Central Generator. Come on! We’re so close to restoring the city.” She hurried back through the door.
Following closely, Link swam back through the door. He was worried they would find the remaining craniocs, but they found nothing. The water was still, with the exception of the current created by the filter. Faru began swimming again, but Link held her back. There was something wrong with this stillness.
Something whipped out through darkness from Lake Hylia. It hit the filter, and had to come back. Link saw it for just a moment. It was a long, yellow-green tail. Faru gasped, and looked up at Link. He heard her words through the water, “That’s the dragon.”
The tail struck again, this time towards them. Link and Faru managed to dodge, but the tail slammed the door they had just exited. It was now impossibly dented, and firmly wedged shut. There would be no returning there.
Faru pointed up to the filter. Link saw it, passed the filter, where a shimmer of gold came through. It was a clawshot medallion. Link looked at her, and then back at the filter. Its great fins churned the water. But at the tail struck out again, he realized that they didn’t have much of a choice.
Grabbing Faru, Link aimed his clawshot at the medallion. Timing was against them, both through the filter, and with the increasing attacks from below.
Sending a prayer up, Link squeezed the grip. The clawshot hit its target, and latched on. Link felt the pull upwards and closed his eyes.
The next thing he knew, he and Faru were dangling over the top of the filter. He let out a breath of relief, as did Faru. He lowered down a bit, before swinging on the chain enough to get them over solid ground.
Faru took a few more deep breaths as Link pulled his mask down and put his clawshot away again. Faru pointed towards a large door on the other side of the filter. “That’s the entrance to the Central Generator. That dragon’s waiting for us in there.”
Extending his hand out to help her up, Link asked, “Are you ready to face him?”
She nodded and stood up. “Let’s get him,” she said with firm conviction.
The two walked over to the door. Much like the design on the key, it had a silver frame lined with blue metal. Nayru’s symbol sat in the middle as a lock. Link put the King’s Key into the lock. The stem shattered, leaving the sapphires in his hand, and a slender strand of silver. It was a necklace now.
Faru lifted the necklace from Link’s hand. She recalled something from it, “This was…for the Queen. The King had a gift for her, but then the attack happened.” She held on to it as the lock fell and the door swung open. She nodded again, saying, “I’m ready to fight him.”
Link drew his sword out and looked down the dark corridor. Zelda was waiting for him in Eveningale. He was ready to finish this dragon was well.
Convicted, Faru and Link walked side-by-side down the dark tunnel…