"What are you doing here?" Muzu asked harshly, not at all sparing Link and you a glance. He turned his body away from you two and breathed out heavily. "I have no desire to speak to you."
"Muzu, I think you should be more considerate to our guests. Especially Link," Sidon stated, taking a step towards the older Zora.
"Why should I?"
"Because Link, the man who stands here," the Prince gestured towards him. "Is the one whom my sister, Mipha had feelings for. Ever since I was small, I would hear my father tell stories about my sister's undying love for a Hylian named Link."
Link raised his eyebrows in surprise. He looked at you, seeing the same expression on your face. When Muzu heard this, he shook his head in disbelief and directed his hatred filled eyes towards Link. He started to burst out in anger, completely disagreeing with anything Sidon said. As this tantrum of his continued, you noticed Link looking at the large statue before you intently. A familiar offset stare came over his eyes, which caught the attention of Prince Sidon and Muzu almost instantly.
"What's wrong with him?" Sidon asked, flickering his attention to you. "Is he unwell?"
You shook your head, following Link's gaze. The statue he was looking at closely was of Mipha, the other Champion. Her immortalised sculpture was beautiful, captivating even, and you too stared at it for a few seconds before responding to Prince Sidon. "He's remembering," you breathed, glancing up at the Prince. Sidon was going to question this, but Link's sudden gasp stopped him from doing so. The blonde boy slumped to the side, but you caught him quickly. "Hey, you alright?" You asked him with a concerned look.
"Y-Yes," Link responded, nodding his head slowly. He looked back and forth between Muzu and Prince Sidon. "I remember her. Your sister."
"What?!" Muzu shouted, taken aback by his words. "Do not mistake me for a fool, Hylian! There is no way you remembered her just now. Without any solid proof, I cannot take you at your word. Until then I will not be sharing any information on how you can accumulate shock arrows." The Zora huffed and turned away, wanting to ignore Link once again.
"Muzu... look at what he is wearing!" Sidon exclaimed, pointing to Link's clothes.
Muzu narrowed his beady eyes at Link before letting his jaw hang. "Eh?! What in the... That is the Zora armour from before! Lady Mipha made that by hand... and yet it fits you perfectly!" Muzu stared at the attire in disbelief. He then shook his head, raising his eyes to meet Sidon's. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Now you understand, do you not? Now you know who her heart belonged to and who she made this special armour for. The fact that this armour fits Link perfectly should be proof enough that Mipha made it for him and him alone!" Sidon explained, hoping to make Muzu understand. "You have always disliked Hylians, even before the Great Calamity. That is why Mipha never told you. Muzu... now that you know this you must help him. Please, tell us where we can find the shock arrows we need."
"Hmph. I never would have imagined she would make that special armour for one such as he...," Muzu trailed off, turning his attention to the glowing statue of Mipha. By the look of his face, you could tell he was remembering her. He then huffed and turned his gaze towards Link and you, though this time his eyes didn't carry much anger and hatred. "I do not approve of asking for help from a Hylian, but I suppose it is our only option at this point. I am a proud Zora. That means I must take responsibility for my unwarranted behaviour toward the two of you."
Muzu lifted his head and breathed out. "That tall mountain over yonder... It is called Ploymus Mountain, and there you will also find Shatterback Point. There is an awful beast there that shoots volley after volley of shock arrows. Even a single one could be fatal to a Zora."
"Aha! You must mean that Lynel! He is a man-beast, that one!" Prince Sidon glanced at the mountains, studying them before turning to Muzu. "That beast does indeed wield shock arrows. That is certainly one way to collect them quickly. He is vicious to be, but I am certain Link will rise to the challenge."
"In order to appease the Divine Beast, I estimate that you will need at least twenty shock arrows. Do you think you can gather that many?"
"Why do you doubt him Muzu? I have no doubt he will triumphant! Besides, he will not be alone," Sidon said, gesturing towards you with his head. He then faced his body to you two. "I suggest we get moving. The fastest way to Ploymus Mountain is to ascend the waterfall east of the domain! That Zora armour should come in handy. Just swim to the water basin, and then go up the waterfall from there."
"Sounds easy... will my partner be able to come with me up the waterfall?" Link asked, glancing at you.
"I believe so. Simply carry her on your back. Anyway, I'll wait at East Reservoir Lake, right by the Divine Beast. Gather at least twenty shock arrows, and then come join me! Clear?"
Link nodded as a wave of confidence came over him. "Yes. I will meet you there," he said firmly. He turned to look at you with fiery determination in his eyes. You had seen this kind of look countless times before and there was something about it that always put you in awe. "You ready?"
"Of course," you responded, taking a step back. "Lead the way."
•••
From a distance, the waterfall you walked towards had been like a silent white stream, but as Link and you got closer, the more noise could be heard. So there you soon stood, with Link by your side as the deafening roar of the water drummed into your ears. You gulped and slowly rose your head, looking up at the large waterfall that was just a few feet away from you. The plume of water vapour reached you little by little, dampening your body. It didn't take long for strands of your hair to stick to your neck, but you weren't bothered by it. You glimpsed at Link, seeing his golden bangs turn a damp colour as it stuck to his forehead.
"So how does this work?" You asked, looking at him through the light mist of the water vapour.
Link gawked over the waterfall and then very slowly moved his eyes to you. "Sidon said I just had to swim to the basin of the waterfall and then go up. I mean, it seems easy?" He shrugged his shoulders, flickering his eyes back to the roaring water.
"Okay," you said. You took a deep breath and started to walk into the small pond, lowering into the water little by little. You hissed silently when the cold water engrossed your body, but you didn't stop until you were swimming right in front of the waterfall. Droplets of liquid showered you, making your vision blur a bit. You blinked it away and swayed your arms around to keep afloat. You looked over your shoulder, seeing Link swimming towards you. You noticed his lips moving, but no sound was heard.
"What?!" You shouted, but your voice was lost to the overpowering waterfall that beat down on you, making it almost impossible to float. You moved slightly away and turned back to Link but when he started to shout you heard only bits and pieces. "I can't hear you!" You yelled though you doubted he could hear you.
Link grumbled and grabbed your arm, pulling you towards him. The action made you yelp, but you didn't move away. Hoping that your closeness would allow you to hear him, he spoke up once again. "Get on my back," he shouted, blinking away the transparent water that trickled down to his eyes and corner of his lips. You looked at him a bit dumbfounded before nodding quickly to his words. You swam until you were facing his back and then slowly wrapped your arms around his neck. Link moved his hands back, grabbing your legs. He had them wrap around his waist before swimming under the waterfall.
The water beat you down roughly, making you squeeze your eyes close. You buried your head in the crook of Link's neck, wincing each time the droplets fell onto your back. "Hold on," Link yelled, not knowing if you could hear him. You were going to speak up, but instead, you squeaked when you felt Link lunge upwards. Cold air came in contact with your skin as Link effortlessly swam up the water and though you wanted to look up, you kept your face hidden. His body buckled each time he came out of the waterfall and dove back in, and the action constantly made you shiver.
You weren't sure how long this would last and when you finally got the courage to look up you gasped. Link plunged upwards one final time as he reached the top of the waterfall. You were in the air for a few seconds and you felt your body levitate, which caused your insides to churn in a sick manner. You hoped this would be the end of it, but when you looked ahead you saw yet another waterfall. Link used the updraft of the jump to take out his paraglider. You weren't sure how he did this so quickly but in a matter of seconds, you were hovering in the air and going towards the next waterfall.
"Link," you mumbled out, wanting to get his attention, but the boy paid no mind. Just seconds before reaching the waterfall he hurriedly put the paraglider away and the same process from before happened. He went up the waterfall and you held on for dear life, feeling your stomach knot tightly from the movement. You squeezed your eyes close, a weird feeling then coming into your throat. A sickening sensation. You tried to say his name, but you couldn't muster your words.
Link once again launched into the air and did the same as before. He used his paraglider to hover towards the last waterfall and during this he seemed to forget you were on his back, despite having your arms and legs wrapped around him. You groaned when he started going up the waterfall again, only this time the churning in your stomach got more intense. Your head began to pulse and you felt your chest tighten in a very unfamiliar way. "Link!" You managed to shout out, snapping the boy out if his thoughts. He shook slightly and even though he wanted to respond, he didn't. The boy stayed focused on getting up the last waterfall.
Your arms started to loosen slightly as you began to lose focus. Your body was turning internally, not at all used to the movements it was being exposed to. When Link did his final jump he pulled out his paraglider and leaned forwards, to solid ground. Once his feet touched the floor he put the object away and held onto your thighs, looking over his shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" He asked, feeling your arms slide slowly from his neck. He gulped and helped you down, noticing your legs a bit shaky. "What's wrong?" He asked with concern, looking at you with knitted eyebrows.
You hugged your stomach, feeling a gag reflex coming. You pressed your eyes shut, breathing through your nose slowly. "Just give me a second," you muttered, bending over a bit. You didn't focus on the water that trickled down your body, nor on the cold winds that blew against you. The sensation in your stomach and throat made you not worry about this. You grumbled quietly, feeling a hand then rest on your shoulder.
"(Y/n)," Link said, slowly crouching down so he could look up at your scrunched face. He frowned and gently cupped your neck, staring at you with obvious worry. You gradually opened your eyes and gazed into his azure ones. You gulped, feeling your nauseousness go down just a bit, but you still felt your stomach reflex.
"I'm fine," you replied, wanting to reassure him. You took a quivery deep breath in and started to stand up a bit more straight, pushing past your strange feeling.
"Are you sure?" Link asked, standing as he brought his hand down to his side.
"Yeah, it's just that got me a little uneasy," you sighed, gesturing toward the waterfall with your chin. You rubbed your stomach gently, the uneasy feeling finally settling down. It was then you realised you were soaking wet. Fortunately, the weather above the mountain was much better compared to Zora's Domain. The sun shone above you brightly, giving you enough warmth to ignore the chilly breezes that came and went. And the plus side, there was absolutely no rain descending from the sky and no dark clouds covered the blue horizon.
"Sorry," he said as he pulled his wet hair away from his face. He then looked around, spotting a trail that went up the mountain's ridge. He rose a finger, pointing to it. "I think we have to go there."
"Don't you want to dry up first?" You questioned as you squeezed your clothes tightly, watching as water dripped onto the floor. You did this multiple times to get the water out your attire and now, you needed to wait. "Unless you rather fight that unknown beast while soaking wet."
"Well the trail seems to stretch out for a long time," Link reasoned with a shrug. "By the time we reach Shatterback Point, we'll be dry."
"I guess," you muttered, looking at the dirt trail as a long sigh escaped your lips. "Come on then." You started walking toward the path as you pulled your damp hair back, tying it into a similar hairstyle as Link. The boy hurried to your side, his eyes ahead as the two of you hiked calmly.
"You know," he started to say with a smile. "You should style your hair like that. It looks good on you." Link turned to look at you, admiring the way your (h/c) hair was pulled back into a loose low ponytail. He hummed in thought and extended his hands to your hair, pulling two strands of it so it cupped each side of your face like his did. When his cold fingertips brushed over your cheeks, you shivered, though you didn't stop him. Seeing the style made his smile grow more and he looked away with a proud face.
"So what does a Lynel even look like?" You asked, glancing over at him. You were curious to know what you were going to be up against. "Do you have any memory of one?"
"No, not really," he responded with a sigh, shifting his head to gaze at you. "Why?"
"I just wish we had more information about this beast."
"We've fought many things before. I'm sure it won't be that hard," he said with optimism.
You looked at him and exhaled through your nose. "I hope you're right."
Link smiled and took your hand into his. He gave it a gentle squeeze before speaking. "I'm always right," he mentioned. There was a boyish grin on his lips that made you crack a smile. Even though he wasn't at all sure what you two were up against, he wanted to remain somewhat confident, or else he would freak out. His eyes travelled back to the path that now sloped more. The higher up the two of you went, the colder it would get, despite the sun beating down on him and you. Your wet clothing only made the situation worse. He sucked air between gritted teeth when a gust of wind pushed against his body, causing him to hug himself to feel some type of warmth.
"My gosh it's cold," he muttered, quivering as he looked around. The path was slowly coming to an end, but his mind was so wrapped up on the chilly feeling that he didn't even notice. When more winds came he grumbled and hugged himself more tightly. "We should've dried up first."
"Mhm," you said, though you weren't really paying attention. The boy continued whining about how cold he was, hoping you would do something to lessen the feeling, but you kept your eyes directed forwards. As you walked up the ridge you saw a vast field laying in front of you. There were a few trees around, though they were all sprawled across the field at random. You squinted your eyes, spotting what looked like an arrow stuck on a nearby tree. Shock arrow. You smiled, but this seemed to easy. Cautiously, you walked a bit more, having Link follow behind you. You slowly passed by a large rock, and when you did your eyes widened.
There, standing with its back facing you, was the Lynel. You held in your breath, not having time to look over its centaur-like features because when Link saw it he gasped loudly. The sudden sound made the Lynel perk its head up. You scolded the blonde boy and quickly pulled him behind a large boulder just in time. Yes, you had seen many monsters during your journey but none of them looked like that. The creature beamed with power and its terrifying traits made your heartbeat quickly. You slammed your back against the rock, hearing the hooves of the Lynel near you, but after a few seconds, they stopped. Slowly, you peeked your head, seeing it trot away from the boulder uninterested. You then let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.
"Dear Hylia, that Lynel is huge," Link whispered. The sight of the monster had made his heart race, but he was more thrilled than scared. The creatures he had come across were easy to defeat, but seeing this monster, well the idea of a challenge sounded delightful to him.
"How are we supposed to collect shock arrows and defeat that thing at the same time?" You asked, but the question was more directed to yourself. You tried to formulate a plan in your head, but since you knew so little of this creature it was impossible to come up with one. You didn't know what its weak points were, nor the skills it may or may not possess. This made you frown, but Link seemed to come up with a plan in a matter of seconds.
"Easy," he spoke silently, turning his head to look at you. "You gather the arrows while I occupy the Lynel." It was a simple plan, but it was one that made your eyebrows knit together. Link, however, thought it was the best idea ever. Wasting no time he hurriedly pulled out his sword and shield as a wave of confidence and determination came over him. But before he could even step out from behind the boulder, you grabbed ahold of his arm and pulled him to you with a confused face.
"Are you insane?!" You whispered yelled.
"Do you really want me to answer that?" He asked with a tiny snicker.
"Link, this isn't some kind of game," you spoke seriously. Sure, you admired the courage he had, but you knew he always liked a challenge. And part of you recognised that that side of him could very well end up killing him if he wasn't careful. "That monster is one that we have never come across. We don't know what its capable of! If you go to it without an actual plan of what you can do, you can get yourself killed!"
"We had never come across Moblins before. Or Yiga members, Wizzrobe's, and plenty of other enemies," he reasoned. "Yet we managed to defeat those. What's so different about this monster (Y/n)?" Link appreciated your concern, but he knew he could defeat this creature. Or well, he had faith that he could. Granted, the monster was absolutely terrifying and seemed powerful, but he acknowledged that he couldn't cower over these things. Part of being a hero was risking your life, right? He gave you a gentle smile and ran his hand down your arm. "Just trust me, okay?"
You looked at him and though you didn't want to admit it, he was right. You huffed, and with that Link knew he had gotten you to agree with him. He grinned and squeezed your arm gently, his eyes soft as he looked at you. "I'll try to direct the Lynel towards me, okay? When I do, try your best to stay hidden so you can swiftly collect twenty arrows. Alright?" Link said, waiting for you to respond. You chewed on your bottom lip, hearing the creatures hooves near once again. You quickly nodded, making Link smile. "Let's do this." He slowly moved away from you and peeked to the side, spotting the Lynel. He looked at you, sending a playful wink before stepping out.
"Hey!" Link shouted as he drew closer to the ghastly creature. "You! Yeah, you with those... um, ugly big horns!" His loud words caught the attention of the monster. The Lynel turned, growling when his beady eyes centred on Link's body. The boy smirked and had a firm grip on his swords handle, watching as the monster pulled out its own. He charged towards it with quick feet, drawing its entire attention to him. "(Y/n), go!" He yelled as he blocked a powerful blow. His arms shook from the pressure they were being put in, but he was able to use his strength to parry and jump back, avoiding a swing.
You gulped and nodded, trying to focus on getting the shock arrows. And quick. You took a deep breath and jolted from behind the boulder, sprinting as fast as you could toward a tree. You ran on light feet, so the Lynel never turned to look at you. Besides, it was occupied with fighting Link. You grabbed your quiver and started stashing the two shock arrows you were able to obtain inside. When you were done you started to look around the other trees, spotting another few arrows resting beside one that laid a few feet away from you. You prepared yourself to run to it, but the Lynel seemed to sense your presence. The creature turned his head away from Link, examining the area for a few moments. Luckily, you were hidden behind the tree, with your back pressed against it.
Link growled when he saw the monster's attention begin to waver, but he used it to his advantage. He grunted and plunged the sharp end of his sword into the Lynel, earning a loud cry of pain. Smirking, he drove the blade out and stepped back. Finally gaining its attention again he started to swing his weapon against its body, trying to get hits in. The Lynel roared in pain and started to gallop away. This made Link arch an eyebrow, but when he saw the creature come at him at full speed he sneered. He stayed put, holding his sword out and counted. Just before the monster could thrust its sword at him, Link backflipped and dodged the swing easily.
The world around you and him slowed, and when you peeked your head out you were in awe. Link was able to land on his feet almost effortlessly and when he did he rushed to the Lynel, taking advantage of the slowed time. He yelled as he repeatedly thrusted and swung his sword around, hitting the Lynel with a grin on his lips. You watched him with amazement, but you then remembered what you had to do. When time went back to normal, you sprinted to the next tree and resumed your task. Every once in a while you would turn to make sure Link didn't need any help, but he seemed to protect himself with ease.
You averted your eyes and went towards another tree at a quick pace, but when you heard Link yell —in what you could only assume was pain— you whipped your head around. Fear crept inside of you when you saw him struggling to keep up with the Lynel's blows. You were going to shout, to make the Lynel focus on you and not at him, but you weren't able to. You somehow happened to trip over a rock that poked out the grass, landing on the ground with a wince. The Lynel must have heard your fall because it quickly cocked its head to you. As you fumbled onto your knees, you heard Link shout out your name.
With a confused face, you turned to look at him, seeing the Lynel now directing its eyes and body towards you. Your eyes widened as the monster began to pull out a bow and arrow. But it wasn't any normal arrow. It was the shock ones and the Lynel was pointing it... up? A puzzled look swept your features as the creature drew his bowstring back and let the arrow fly upwards. Is this monster stupid? It seriously shot the arrow— but you were yanked away from your thoughts when Link began screaming at you.
"(Y/N) GET OUT OF THERE!" Link screamed, and when you looked up you knew why. The electrifying arrow was now falling towards you. You gasped and quickly jumped to the side, fortunately avoiding the shock arrow, but the Lynel only seemed to deploy more into the air, and they were all heading toward you. Avoiding all of them was nearly impossible. You had to constantly outrun each blow, which proved tiring.
When Link saw this he snarled and now, full of anger, lunged towards the Lynel, stopping it from releasing more arrows. He yelled as he swung his sword against its body, earning howls of pain from the creature. But he didn't stop. Sweat started to roll down his temple and neck, and his muscles were beginning to yearn for rest, but he moved past it. He held his shield over his head, grunting when the monster pushed down on him with its weapon. Link sucked in air through his nose and then growled as he plunged his sword into the chest of the creature. The Lynel once again cried out in pain, but instead of fighting back this time, he jumped far back.
The monster took in a deep breath and when Link squinted his eyes, he noticed flames forming in its mouth. "It can shoot fire?!" He asked in frustration, running to the side as the Lynel spewed out balls of flame one by one. The boy was able to dodge every single one, but by the time he was ready to fight again, the monster was already charging at him. This caused Link to struggle even more, but each time the creature jumped back to throw balls of fire, you were able to form a pattern.
"Link!" You shouted, stuffing more shock arrows into your quiver. "The Lynel throws three balls of fire and before he charges at you he's physically drained for a few seconds!"
"Okay, and?!" Link spoke as he swung his sword again, but the monster avoided it by jumping back once again.
"Get as close as you can! Once he releases the last ball of fire take advantage!" You explained loudly, your breath hitching when you saw him miss a fireball just by a few inches.
Link looked at you and nodded his head, trusting your words. He then moved his attention back to the charging beast and leapt backwards, evading its blow. Just as he was about to thrust his sword, the Lynel leapt back and prepared to release more balls of fire. He counted each one, and when he counted the third ball he sprinted towards the monster, successfully catching it off guard. In quick movements, he was swinging his sword around, causing more and more damage. But the Lynel continued to fight, despite its grave injuries.
You groaned, watching as Link tried his best to keep up with the Lynel's blows, but you knew he couldn't continue that way forever. Why am I just standing here? You scolded yourself and quickly got your bow. You felt around the feathers of your arrows and pulled one out. A shock arrow. The sound of electricity could be heard as you nocked the arrow between your fingers, resting it on your index one. You took a deep breath and trusted your instincts as you drew the string back. You looked at the head of the Lynel and let go of your arrow, watching as the tip met its target. But it didn't kill it. It merely weakened the Lynel, bringing it down to the ground, but that was all Link needed.
Link got onto the back of the creature, causing it to go crazy. The monster buckled upwards and kicked its legs back, trying to get Link off its body, but it didn't succeed. The boy held his sword up before driving it down into the skull. This made the Lynel roar in extreme pain, falling onto its knees. Link drew his sword out and stepped back, watching the creature's body darken before exploding in a puff of purple smoke. His mouth was slightly open, letting out gusts of warm, exhausted breaths. He staggered back in fatigue as his back met the bark of a tree.
You sighed and rushed towards the tired boy, a caring look setting onto your face. You gently wiped away the beads of sweat from his forehead and cupped his cheeks, looking up at him. "Are you okay?" You asked softly, smiling as he leaned against your touch. He was breathing heavily, but a part of him relaxed under your touch. And he was grateful for that.
Link fluttered his eyes closed, humming out in response as he continued leaning into your delicate hands. "Peachy," he answered with a tiny smile, opening his eyes gradually. He looked at you with relief. "Thank you for shooting that arrow."
"Hmm, I figured you needed help," you snickered, sliding your hands down to his chest. You could feel his heart beating quickly, which you guessed was from all the action he had been exposed to. "Did you hurt yourself?" You started to inspect him, looking for any cut or bruise that could be on his light skin.
"I'm fine," he told you, though parts of his body were in pain. But he didn't want you to worry at all. He took both of your hands and brought them back up to his cheeks. Something about this form of contact soothed him, and he hoped you didn't mind the position. "Just cup my cheeks for a bit." He exhaled and closed his eyes once again, feeling the warmth of your smooth hands and the warm sensation he was getting in his chest.
You sighed and gently rubbed his temple with your fingers, examining his relaxing features. "I got all the arrows," you decided to say, though you spoke softly as to not disturb him a lot.
"That's good," he breathed out, feeling his heart pace at a normal rate now. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, opening his eyes again to look into your soft ones. He got lost in their colour for a few moments, and it wasn't until he noticed a small smile on your lips that he snapped out of his tiny trance.
"So what do we have to do now?" You asked, tilting your head to the side.
"Now, we go to the East Reservoir Lake and meet up with Sidon."