Four
The entrance to the underground lake was hidden from all but adventurous eyes, which usually made it peaceful, the natural beauty of the surrounding, curved pillars of stone more like a grand cathedral than a cavern, everything silent and serene.
//It also,// Ruto thought with a small smile, //makes it very hard to stay awake.//
The guard who had been posted here was drowsing where he sat, trident propped on the rocks behind him. Once, long ago, she would have lunged out and pounced on the man for slacking off on his job, and probably scared him out of his wits in the process. No, the fact that she was up and alert well before dawn wasn't any sort of slight against him, and they probably didn't need the extra alarm, not after so long without hearing or seeing any sign of Ganon or his minions.
Ruto traced a long scar on her right arm, not the only gray mark against her pale, dappled skin, only the most recent. Hopefully the last, not that she wouldn't fight, didn't want to fight, but she was protecting so many who would be helpless if the war came to their door again - and they had already lost too many
"Oi. Old man." Ruto muttered, smirking when the sleeping guard didn't stir.
"Oi," she bent closer, speaking directly into his ear, "does that look like Ganon to you?"
Nothing, for a long moment, and Ruto stepped back, ticking the moments off on her fingers before the name sunk through, into his dreams.
//Two... one...//
He was on his feet before he was awake, hands clutching for the trident that was still resting behind him.
"You can use mine." Ruto tossed him the weapon as he whirled to face her, and they both seemed surprised when he actually caught it. The confusion on his face quickly turned to chagrin.
"Oh, princess. I... my sincerest. It- it's inexcusable..."
"It's all right. I've been thinking we ought to just block off this tunnel at night and close the patrols altogether. If they haven't attacked yet, they probably aren't going to." She sighed, stretching. "Go on and get some real rest, I'll finish out your shift."
"Yes, your highness. Thank you."
He saluted, sheepishly handing her trident back and retrieving his own from the rocks. Ruto sat down where he'd been resting - rather comfortable, actually. The cave was quite relaxing at night, the sole source of illumination the glistening spheres of collected crystal fragments that formed from the jagged peaks on the ceiling. The orbs grew brighter as more crystals merged, clinging onto the stalactites until they were heavy enough to fall, dripping down gently and exploding in a soft circle of dusty light that slowly faded back to darkness.
It wasn't long before Ruto found she was yawning, and quickly stood up, flipping her trident in a few easy moves. It wouldn't be good at all to dismiss a guard for sleeping on the job and then fall asleep herself. Princess Ruto, silly sleeping beauty, she could already hear it -
She paused, mid-strike against an invisible opponent, unsure what had caught her attention until it came again. The very softest of sounds, little more than a whisper against the ground and a shift in the air. One hand tightened on her trident, and she remained very still, waiting. It didn't take long before she heard it again, light footsteps coming directly toward where she stood.
"I know you're there."
Ganon's minions were destructive enough when they were large and loud. Ruto had heard of attempts on Zelda's life like this, though between the Hero of Time and the Sheikah guard all those assassins had failed.
It was quite obvious no one would be running to her rescue now, no other Zora within range even if she shouted for help.
//Fine.//
Ruto brought the trident up in front of her, crouching defensively, waiting for the first sign or sound of attack. A puff of dusty light rose up, just to the right of where she thought it should have been. The barest trace of a footprint glimmered and vanished in the haze.
"I will attack, if you don't show yourself."
"Wow, you're getting really good at angry demands. I sure wouldn't mess with you."
The voice was very familiar, but Ruto was still not expecting to see Malon's head suddenly appear in midair, staring back at her.
"Boo."
"Ack!" It was only luck that kept the trident in her hand, and Ruto scrambled to recover as the bird girl giggled.
"Think I could get Ganon to yelp like that?" Her disembodied head swayed in the air as she grinned. "Ooooooo. Boogie boogie boogie."
"Will you quit that?" Ruto scowled in exasperation. "What happened to you?"
"I got my birthday present early this year. Dad made it." The rest of Malon appeared, a crack in the very air that she calmly stepped out of. Ruto watched her grab and flip that patch of nothingness in her hands, like a magic trick, turning it into a simple gray cloak that she folded into a tidy square, dangling it over one arm.
"Invisibility. Very nice." Ruto reached out as Malon stepped forward, hugging her close. "I'm glad to see you, friend."
"I heard you had a very ugly fight with one of Ganon's bath toys. I was worried."
Ruto grinned. "Just payback for some nonsense I heard about Nabooru dragging some other idiot into a secret raid on Hyrule Castle."
Nothing they did was without risk anymore, and though the princess was glad to see her friend, she was already bracing herself for the reason why.
"It seems a bit far, just to say hello. You're out here alone?"
Malon dropped her eyes slightly, not a good sign. "I wasn't even sure your people had come here, actually. I left Epona outside, she's the one who brought me here."
Ruto's eyes widened, heart skipping as Malon's expression grew grim. "Is he all right? Is Link-"
"He's alive. The Deku Tree is looking after him. I don't know how, but it's growing back, it grew back. He... he was hurt, pretty bad when I found him. The tree wouldn't even let me touch him. I don't know if... I don't know what happened to Zelda."
Malon reached into her pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. "The map Link was carrying said the Chaos Glass could be found here, somewhere in these waters."
Ruto frowned. "What does it do?"
"I'm not sure, but if Ganon wants it, I've got to make sure I get there first." Malon grimaced. "He probably knows about this place. I can't be more than a day ahead of him, if that. You'll have to move your people again before he arrives."
"We'll go deeper, the caverns are endless down here - and we've rather run out of lakes to run to. Most of them belong to Ganon now." Ruto's expression turned dark, and then thoughtful. "I think I know where we might begin looking for that glass of yours."
"We?"
Ruto snorted. "As if I'm going to let a land girl get herself eaten in my kingdom."
"I'm not going to get eaten."
The feathers on her wrists still twitched happily. Water was not her element, and Malon had not been looking forward to making the quest alone.
"Will Epona be all right by herself?"
"I sent her back to Link. She's a smart horse, she'll get there." One of the ranch's best and the hero's trusted steed, always something to be proud of. Malon sighed, giving the water a wary look. Ruto smiled.
"I'll go find a tunic for you. I've always wanted to see how a bird like you swims, anyway."
Malon just stuck her tongue out at the laughing princess, and glared at the water again.
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"Cold... cold cold cold..." Malon broke the surface listening to her teeth chatter. Ruto lifted her head above water a moment later, completely unfazed.
"It can't be that cold. Zoras can't live where it's /that/ cold."
"It's cold, ok? I know cold and this is cold... and my feathers are all wet. All five of them." She raised a hand, watching beads of liquid drip down the longest drooping plume. The waterproof bag Malon had stuck the cloak in banged slightly against her ear when she moved her head. She tried to push it out of the way, not that there seemed to be much to see at the top of this cavern, or anywhere else, as far as she could see. Ruto sighed patiently, and pointed down.
"It's right below us, there's a crack in the rocks that leads pretty far down, and some rocks with what looks like Hylian painted on them, but it's badly faded."
Malon nodded, and followed the Zora back down under the water. It was /cold/, damn it, and only got colder as they moved toward the bottom of the rocks. Ruto was probably moving at half-speed, just to keep from losing her altogether - Malon envied her the speed, the graceful picture she made, iridescent scales shimmering like a cape around her legs, sweeping elegantly along her arms, the black-and-white strands around her face that looked like a mass of dreadlocks, though Ruto said they were more like an anemone - whatever /that/ was.
//Thank all three goddesses Zelda came first, or I doubt we could even be friends.// Yes, she'd definitely worry that Ruto outdid her for Link's attentions - more graceful, more beautiful, certainly with a better title to her credit.
//Considering everything, though... she's worse off than you are. At least you still have your father.//
Ruto pointed to the faint blue markings as they reached the bottom of the cave - there was the fissure, just as she said. It looked very, very dark, even though the Zora was carrying some sort of underwater light. Malon gritted her teeth, and nodded, and followed Ruto inside.
-----------------------
It was a long, long time before they found anything beyond a maze of underwater passages. No enemies, thankfully, though both she and Ruto kept their weapons at the ready, the light casting a dim blue glow on what was first only rocks and canyons - but eventually, broken statues and toppled pillars began to take their place.
//A lost city?//
A lost /something/ - and Malon shivered as they passed very close to the remains of a statue, a pair of wide-open marble eyes set in a face larger than she was, just enough left of the ears that she could see they were pointed. Hylian, then, these poor forgotten people. The light Ruto was carrying bumped against the wall, the blue glow wavering and sudden shadows jumping out. Malon kicked out, scrambling to get closer to the princess, who didn't stop to tease her, as nervous as she was, really, in the face of this long-ago cataclysm.
The first enemy did not come without warning, Malon nearly running into Ruto's back as she stopped suddenly, lifting one arm to block her, raising her trident with the other. Before Malon could figure out what was wrong, the Zora had dove forward, with a sudden burst of speed that left her awash in bubbles, catching sight of the water princess just as a dark black tentacle wrapped around her waist, dragging her into a crack in the wall.
Malon shouted, only a silly gargle beneath the water, and swam awkwardly, sword in one hand, reaching the hole just as Ruto popped out of it, a few tendrils of inky blood still streaming from the prongs on her trident. After the initial encounter, the largest enemies they found were fish, slightly bigger than most dogs Malon had seen, with teeth to match. Thankfully, they didn't swim in schools, and she easily killed the one that did try to take a bite out of her, Ruto nodding her approval as the body curved in its death spasm, dropping into the darkness beneath them.
At the edge of one tunnel Ruto paused, and reached up, tapping the light in a way that dimmed it to darkness. One long-fingered hand found her own, but then the princess let go of it long enough to press it to Malon's lips. She nodded back, agreeing to silence, heart thudding as the Zora took her hand again and dragged her forward, into a darkness unlike anything she had been in before. Losing all direction, the only point of reference she was left with was Ruto's hand in hers, and Malon only hoped she didn't seem to be clinging too tightly, knowing she would have crushed the princess' hand if it meant there was no risk of losing her.
//Why did she, with the light..?//
A soft sound in the water, though she couldn't recognize it, and something slick and serpentine brushed against the tips of her toes as her foot dragged behind her. Malon stifled her scream, knowing even as she jerked her foot up that something would strike, whatever was beneath them lunging up with razor sharp fangs and -
Ruto stopped again a few feet further, pushing her forward, until she could feel the edge of a small gap in the wall. It took a great deal of her remaining bravery to push herself through into more darkness, waiting to feel the Zora's hand on her shoulder, wincing as the blue light appeared once more above them, and Ruto swam on.
Malon did not look back through the crack in the cavern wall.
It must have been hours before they broke the surface again, so deep now that the water was being warmed by geysers from beneath and even Malon was no longer cold. Often, a panel of worn writing or stylized figures would appear just when they were about to give up hope, like a signpost urging them on, suggesting it was the right direction even though the words themselves were worn past comprehension. Still, they found more dead ends than clear passages, some blocked by smooth walls and others covered over by rock that had tumbled down long ago.
It was after several of these that they backtracked to the nearest pocket of air, Malon clinging to the rock to give her arms and legs a chance to rest, Ruto's face twisting in a bitter frown.
"I'm sorry, Malon. I thought that I would be able to figure out the way, once we had come this far. I fear I am too proud of my own abilities."
Malon quickly shook her head. "We haven't checked more than a handful of passages yet, and there seems to be more markings in this area than anywhere we've been before. I think we should keep searching, as long as we-"
An explosion shook the cavern, rippling through the water around them.
"What is that?!"
"I'm not sure." Ruto ducked beneath the water as another tremor shook the cave. She appeared only a moment later, dark eyes wide. "I know where it's coming from, I can track the sounds. I think we should go see what it is."
A third rumble, the shaking too precise and steady to be natural. Malon nodded, quickly following the princess back down, moving faster now that they had a goal, as the explosions grew louder and louder around them.
The princess was right, with a location to track she didn't have a problem cutting a swift path through the tunnels, and the only trouble Malon had now was keeping up with her. Ruto even quickly disposed of the few enemies that did appear in her way, barely breaking her long, smooth stroke. As they drew closer, larger rocks started falling more frequently from above, and more than once Malon found herself in the shadow just to have a pale arm grab her and pull her out of danger.
Finally they emerged into a smaller tunnel, tiled white and blue, rectangles the size of her palm with worn details, whorls and spirals that left the passage looking almost bumpy. Malon was so fascinated she didn't notice the turn until Ruto grabbed her hand again, dragging her up to open air.
The room they surfaced in was relatively small, tiled in the same glittery blue and white, and the room shimmered and shone like the inside of a oyster's shell. The path down to their pool was layered with several sets of stairs, Malon could lift herself up and just see over the top, a set path marked out in all light colored stone, leading to another raised platform, a set of stairs, and high on a deep green coral altar, what could only be the Chaos Glass.
It pulsed with light, swirling and shimmering beneath the surface, all different colors, and Malon strained her ears for a song that seemed to be just beyond her reach, a chorus of voices singing in some key that she would never be able to hear.
A final tremor shook the cavern, and a chunk of tile dropped from the ceiling, and a terribly familiar figure fell after it, landing solidly on the floor, shaking a bit of dust off of the red robes that pooled around him.
"... Ganon!"
Ruto's voice was a violent hiss, trident in her hand and charging the Gerudo before Malon had even started pulling herself from the pool's edge. He saw her immediately, and fired a spell at her before she was halfway across the room, perhaps another of the powerful blasts he had used to break through the ceiling. It left a deep gash in the floor, but the Zora dodged, bringing the trident down again and again, furiously forcing him back, screaming in fury with each blow that landed, Ruto realizing all the while that she was doing very little damage.
Ganon lunged forward, to grab her, but the Zora danced away, trident raised and dark eyes blazing.
"Draw your sword and face me, villain."
Ganon smirked, lifting the cloak to reveal the empty place at his belt where his sword should have been. "I destroyed your precious hero already, what need do I have for a sword?"
Ruto roared, diving forward, footsteps beating a vicious rhythm on the floor as she lifted the trident and brought it down with all her might. Ganon brought his hands up, catching the prongs between his palms and twisting. The weapon shattered even as it was wrenched from her grasp, and Ruto lurched forward, off-balance until Ganon's hand closed around her throat. He was tall enough, certainly strong enough to lift her off the ground completely, the mark of the Triforce a thin gold line on the back of his other hand, calmly adjusting the cape around his shoulders.
"Very brave girl, to come here all alone."
//Alone?!//
Ruto's eyes jerked toward the pool, though Ganon didn't seem to notice, and Malon was nowhere to be seen. Nothing at all... except the hint of wetness, small marks across the floor, moving toward the edge of the wall. The invisibility cloak - her gaze snapped up to where the glass sphere still rested, enough room between it and Ganon that the bird girl had her chance, if she could keep him busy.
"Link... isn't... dead," Ruto growled, clawing at the fingers that did not loose their grip around her throat. Ganon nodded, unconcerned by the news.
"I will find him, eventually, and we can bring this tired business to a close. My men say they made good sport of him. If he has found a temporary shelter, I can't say it will help him for long."
Ruto kicked out, but Ganon could hold her at arm's length forever, most likely, and the only thing it did was wedge his thumb a bit deeper into the hollow of her throat, making it hard to speak instead of gagging.
"Damn you... I know why you're here. I won't... I won't let you use that to-"
A thick eyebrow raised in actual surprise, eyes twinkling with real amusement, buried in the craggy face.
"Use it? My dear princess, no one can /use/ the Chaos Glass, not for good or ill. I'm here to claim it before you idiots do something you'll regret." He frowned in thought. "Maybe I'll even let you live, to warn that princess of yours. Unless that little blow to the head finally removed her from meddling in my affairs altogether. One can hope."
So close, Ruto didn't dare look, Ganon still had his back to the altar, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see the edge of the sphere lift, and disappear.
"Oh, and don't think I didn't notice your little friend-" Ganon let go of her abruptly, as abruptly as he raised his other hand and fired off a bolt of lightning, cracking the pillar and sending bits and pieces of Malon into view as she tumbled backward, cloak twisting and falling away to reveal the Chaos Glass still clutched in her hands.
"Does every person on this blasted continent insist on acting like a rodent? Hiding, skittering in corners..."
Malon struggled to her feet, cloak forgotten, unable to draw her sword with the glass still in her arms. She pressed back against the wall as Ganon strode forward, arm still outstretched, flickers of electricity beginning to build for another attack.
"I'd ask you to give it to me, but as we both know that isn't going to happen..."
Malon dove left just as Ruto stabbed Ganon from behind with what remained of her trident. The jagged edge slammed through his back, piercing deep and sending his shot wide, as he roared, and slapped the princess away with his other hand. Malon was still running, even as the misfired shot broke away a piece of the ceiling - not enough for a lethal strike, but the rock that slammed into her shoulders sent her to the ground even as it tore the Chaos Glass from her grip.
Time slowed then, as the three of them watched it fall.
The sphere hit the first stair with a beautiful, chiming sound, and the second with a slightly lower echo. Malon felt her stomach twist like a wrung rag, meeting Ganon's eyes as the ball dropped into its last arc - there was real fear in his eyes.
"Idiot child... look what you've done."
The glass hit the floor, and shattered.