Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction ❯ Back In Her Hands ❯ Swamped ( Chapter 13 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Grey Fox 
Zelda and Link trek across Termina, searching for the second sanctuary. Meanwhile, something's happening back in Hyrule....
Anime/Manga: Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.27.2005 | Updated On: 06.15.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 552 | Status: Completed
Zelda and Link trek across Termina, searching for the second sanctuary. Meanwhile, something's happening back in Hyrule....
Anime/Manga: Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.27.2005 | Updated On: 06.15.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.9K | Visits: 552 | Status: Completed
Back In Her Hands
a Legend of Zelda romance fic
Chapter 13: Swamped
4-27-2005
by Grey
Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.
This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.
******
By Zelda's estimates, it had now been over three hours since Link had went into the first sanctuary. The pouring rain had not let up at all, and Zelda had long since been forced to cover her ears to block out the sound of the raindrops hitting her forcefield. The rocky soil at the base of the pit had been turned to thick mud and large puddles had formed everywhere. And to a normal sized person, those 'puddles' would be like lakes.
Zelda had tried to remain patient, to keep reminding herself that Link was too skilled an adventurer to get killed doing this sort of thing, but at this point, it was no use. The waiting was driving her mad, as was the fact that she could do nothing to help him.
*Arrggh, I hate this!!* Zelda thought angrily, tormented by her helplessness. *Here I am, possibly the most empowered woman on Earth, and I can't do a thing to help Link! I can squash any enemy in that sanctuary, but since I can't fit inside, I have to wait out here while Link does all the work by himself.*
But then Zelda realized that Link might not want help at all. Even though he had had fairies accompany him in the past, Link had always done the dirty work alone, and he probably preferred it that way.
*Yeah, all men have a bit of an ego,* Zelda reasoned gloomily. *He's probably enjoying this, getting another chance to prove how tough he is. Wouldn't want his girlfriend getting in the way.*
After thinking about this, Zelda wondered how Link felt about being with a gigantic woman in general. He had said again and again that her size was irrevelant to him, that it didn't change the way he felt about her. After all, he had traversed countless miles of ocean waters just to find her again.
But now Zelda couldn't help but wonder if, on some level, he felt a bit mortified having a girlfriend who could crush him without even trying. In a world where men tended to consider themselves superior to women, she doubted any man would truly not care, even Link.
Then again, Link never showed any indication he felt any embarassment. Throughout the last week, his face never betrayed any sign of humiliation when she held him in her hands, and he never complained when she nuzzled him, hugged him or gave him a big kiss.
On the contrary, Zelda had the feeling that somehow, he enjoyed it. Zelda couldn't help but to smile as she once again thought of how adorable Link looked when she held him, and how she couldn't resist smothering him with affection. As much as she wanted to return to normal, at times she found it absurdly fun being a giantess, holding Link captive in her hands....
Zelda was so wrapped up in these thoughts that she almost didn't notice a small pillar of light arising from the muddy ground near the sanctuary's entrance. Her spirits picked up as she noticed this and looked down to see what was going on. When she did so, the pillar of light had faded, but now Link stood in its place, knee-deep in a puddle of mud.
"Link? OH LINK!!" she exclaimed joyously, relieved that he had finally made it out of the sanctuary. Without a second's hesitation, she lowered her barrier and scooped Link up off of the muddy ground, then used Nayru's Love again to re-erect the barrier.
She had only dropped the forcefield for about two seconds, but she had still become completely soaked. But such a trivial inconvenience didn't matter, now that she knew Link was safe. "Link, are you OK?" she asked breathlessly. Link didn't say anything, but merely nodded.
"So Link, did you find it?" asked Zelda. Once again, Link didn't say anything to answer her. Instead, he pulled out an object and held it out in front of him. Zelda brought Link closer to her face so she could see what he was holding. She still had to squint to make it out, but it looked like the Giant's Mask, only it was made of some sort of brown, polished stone instead of metal. "This is it, isn't it?!"
Link winced as Zelda spoke; her words were far louder than the ricocheting raindrops and crashing thunder overhead. "Please, keep it down. And yes, it is," Link answered weakly as he put the mask away.
"Oh Link, I'm so sorry," Zelda breathed, much more softly this time. "I forgot about my voice, I'm sorry. It's just that.... you were in there so long, and I'm so relieved to see you made it out, and...."
"Yeah, this sanctuary did take me a while to figure out," Link said, cutting off Zelda's string of worried ranting. "But I'm OK, except I have a bit of a sore back and an ugly burn on my leg."
"Oh, my poor little Link," Zelda said sweetly, smiling down on her soulmate. She then kissed him, her lips engulfing his entire upper body. After that, she gently nestled his body against her cheek.
After a few seconds, however, Zelda pulled Link away and brought him back in front of her face, and Link could see she was worried about something. "Oh Link, I-I'm sorry... I d-didn't.... it's j-just that... umm," she spluttered incoherently.
"Uh Zelda, what's wrong?" Link asked in a concerned tone, more than just a little confused about the dramatic shift in Zelda's mood.
Zelda sighed, then launched into an explanation about what she was thinking right before Link had exited the sanctuary: how worried she was that he thought being with a giant woman was an affront to his masculinity.
After Zelda had finished explaining herself, Link did something that shocked her: he let out a raucous peal of laughter. "Wha? Link, what are..."
"Zelda, I've said it before and I'll say it again: you worry way too much," Link said, still laughing.
"You... you mean..."
"Zelda, I'm not like that. I don't think that way," said Link reassuringly. "Look, I've been surrounded by strong-willed girls all my life. I grew up with Saria, and then I met Ruto, Impa and the entire Gerudo tribe. And then in Termina, I met girls like Romani and Anju.... and of course, that loudmouthed fairy Tatl...."
"Well, I guess when you put it that way...." remarked Zelda as she looked away from him, still not entirely convinced.
"I'm serious, Zelda. I don't feel threatened by tough, strong-willed girls at all," said Link in a chiding tone. "In fact, I think it's those sort of qualities that you have that made me fall for you in the first place; how tough and iron-willed you are."
Now Zelda turned her gaze back down at Link. "Are you serious?" she asked him, genuinely astonished.
"Have I ever lied to you, Zelda?" replied Link, still in that scolding tone. "And as for being held by a giant woman, well, isn't it obvious that I kinda like it?"
"Well, yeah, I did get the feeling that you do," whispered Zelda. "But it must be so weird for you. I can't imagine why you would."
"I can't explain it myself. I just do. And I'm kind of going to miss your giant-sized attention once we get you back to normal," Link said, flashing a smile.
Zelda didn't said anything in response. She merely smiled down at Link again, and then brought him back up to her face for another smothering kiss.
******
Saria looked up at Impa again. The two of them stood in Kokiri Village, right in front of Saria's house. "So, you still haven't sensed anything, either?" she asked the Sheikah warrior.
Impa shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Either she is too far away for the bond of the Sages to function, or she is purposely making it so that we cannot sense anything from her."
"Or maybe both," Saria added gloomily. "But, why did you come here to ask me about this? If I sensed anything, knew of anything, I'd come and tell you right away."
Impa let out a heavy sigh, and said, "There's something else I needed to ask about. About an hour ago in the market town, I overheard some gossip about people seeing a Zora no one recognized...."
"But all Zoras pretty much look the same," Saria chimed in, cutting Impa off.
"Yes, I know," continued Impa, "but they said this one was wearing some garments, and they sounded reminiscent of Link's clothing. I reasoned it could be him in disguise."
"REALLY?!" cried Saria, her spirits lifting. This was possibly the first sign of Link in days. "Have you found this Zora? Do you have any idea where he is?"
"No," Impa answered solemnly, shaking her head. "That's why I came here to the forest. After checking out Zora's Domain. I thought perhaps, if it was truly Link, he might have come back here instead."
Saria's spirits plummeted as quickly as they had risen. "No, Impa. No one but you has come here today, Zora or otherwise."
"Please keep a look out for him regardless. He may come here later, under the cover of night," Impa said regally. "And Saria, watch yourself, my friend. My instincts tell me that something is happening. Something.... shadowy."
"Y-yes, Impa. I'll watch out for him," Saria answered uneasily. Impa nodded, then turned to leave the Kokiri Village. She merely stood and watched her go. Saria desperately wished she could be like her, as disciplined as a Sheikah. NOTHING seemed to faze them, unlike her....
Saria then sensed someone behind her house. Through her powers as a Sage, she could pinpoint the whereabouts of any sentient being in her forest, thanks to the abundance of plant life everywhere; she had merely been distracted by her conversation with Impa.
At first, Saria thought it could be the mystery Zora, since it was nearing nightfall, and most of her fellow Kokiri would already be indoors. However, she soon realized it was probably that ONE troublesome Kokiri....
In an instant, her despair gave way to anger. "Mido, I know it's you! Get out here!" she bellowed. Sure enough, Mido timidly crept out from behind her house a second later, a look of dread etched on his face. None of the Kokiri wished to face Saria when she was in a sour mood.
"You were eavesdropping on us, weren't you?" she asked him angrily.
"Well, yeah," Mido said shakily. "Why... is that a big deal?"
"It's just plain RUDE to listen in on other people's conversations!" snapped Saria.
"Well, er, I saw Impa come in the village and head straight for your house, and I thought she had news about Link and the princess, and, uh...."
"That still doesn't give you the right to snoop," said Saria acidly. "Why do you always insist on being so troublesome?"
"Don't tell me you're still mad about the thing with the temple!" cried Mido.
Saria bit her lip. It was true she was still annoyed by the way Mido completely ignored her and entered the Forest Temple. Ever since Link's comeback, Saria had had enough on her mind, and didn't need Mido flouting her authority and causing trouble.
"Just go, Mido. Now," she ordered him, in a tone that let him know she wouldn't tolerate any dissention.
"I don't know why you're always so upset these days, but you need to get over it," spat Mido, then he took off for his house, his fairy companion fluttering close behind. Saria stood and watched him go, making sure he entered his house, then she turned and went into her own.
Once inside, Saria picked up a clay pot near the doorway and threw it against the wall, and it shattered to pieces. "Damnit!" she shrilled as she picked up another pot and smashed it against the wall as well. Her fairy buzzed about nervously, but Saria took no notice. Nor did she care who heard the commotion; she desperatedly needed to vent some frustration. Saria knew Mido was absolutely right: over the last few days she had been prone to bouts of depression and anger.
And it was all because of one person: Link. As he had grown up among the Kokiri, he had become her best friend. But over time, her feelings toward him changed into something much more. And she had always prayed, hoped against hope, that one day he would return to Hyrule and return those feelings he had for him.
But as soon as Link had come home, it was painfully obvious that it wasn't her he had returned for. He had given his heart to another, and it tore her apart. Saria had tried to cover it up, hide her feelings, pretend it didn't bother her, but it was no use. There was no way to pretend that your heart wasn't broken.
And now, finally, she had reached her breaking point. Saria then sat in the middle of her house and buried her face in her hands, finally letting the tears flow.
******
Everything was relatively uneventful in Termina's southern swamplands. The sun had just gone down, so no travellers were around and the boat cruise/tourist info hut was now closed. Besides, storm clouds were looming overhead just as they had been in the eastern canyons, so no one would really want to be out anyway. And except for the sound of crickets chirping, the swamp was quite peaceful.
But then something happened to upset the tranquil state of the swamp. Around the owl post statue, a huge cyclonic wind system began to form, and large, white feathers appeared as if from nowhere, caught up in the swirling winds. Then something slowly materialized within the winds: Princess Zelda, with Link perched on her shoulder, holding the Ocarina of Time.
"Well, I finally got the hang of it," said Link, relieved that he had perfected how to transport both himself and Zelda with the Song of Soaring.
"So, the next sanctuary is somewhere in this swamp?" Zelda asked him, not enthuiastic about having to trudge through a wetland. She had had enough of wet environments after being caught in the rain in the mountains. She was still soaked from the rain and so was Link. Zelda hadn't dared use Din's Fire to dry Link off though; she feared that if she made the slightest miscalculation, she'd roast him alive.
"Yep. And judging from the map, you'll have to cross over more rocky barriers to get to it," answered Link, taking another glance at the mask salesman's map.
"Lovely," Zelda muttered, feeling the dryness of her throat as she spoke. It had been several hours since she had had a drink of water. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of taking advantage of the rain back in the mountains. "Link, I'm thirsty. Do you know if there's a good source of fresh water around here?"
"You're in luck. I knew the perfect place to get some water around here. Hopefully it's still there," replied Link. Then he gave her the directions to get to the potion shop loacted in the swamp.
Zelda stomped through the swamp and reached the potion shop within seconds, and to Link's relief, fresh spring water still encircled it. The water was even deeper than before, in fact. Wasting no time, she bent down and cupped her hands, bringing water up to her mouth to slurp up. Link, who was hanging on to Zelda's collar, marvelled at just how much water it took to quench her thirst - she must have brought up dozens of liters with each handful.
After six or seven handfuls of water, Zelda felt she had enough. "OK Link, now let's go to the next dungeon," she told him as she stood up. "By the way, what's that building right here?"
"Oh that, it's just a potion shop. It's run by the parallel version of...."
Link was cut off by the sounds of maniacal cackling.... coming from two separate directions. *Oh no, I have a hunch this isn't good,* he thought glumly.
Sure enough, Termina's versions of Koume and Kotake swooped down into the swamp and hovered a few dozen feet away from Zelda. "My, she's a big girl, isn't she Kotake?" one of the Gerudo witches said to the other.
"She certainly is, I wonder where she came from, Koume," the other witch said.
"Uh Link, aren't they....?" breathed Zelda nervously.
"Uh huh," muttered Link. "Let's just get out of here," he suggested. Zelda decided that was a good idea, and turned to leave the same way she came.
"Hey, I wonder what made her so big, Koume?" she heard one of the Gerudo hags ask the other.
"If we can find out, I bet we could get rich selling the secret, Kotake!" said the other.
"Let's get her!" cried both of the witches in unison. Upon hearing this exclamation, Zelda whirled around, only to be greeted by the sight of Kotake launching an ice attack right at her head.
Zelda's entire face was now covered by a thick sheet of ice, and her hands instinctively went to her face, as if trying to pry to ice off. Her whole body shook violently, and Link was flung off of her shoulder. Luckily for him, he was able to grab hold of some strands of Zelda's hair as he was suspended in midair, saving himself from a long fall.
By using a bit of Din's Fire, Zelda was able to make to ice on her face to evaporate. She could see again, and a few yards overhead, she could see Koume firing off a flame spell down at her. Zelda moved to the right to avoid it, but it still managed to hit her, striking her on her left shoulder pad. And since metal conducted heat extremely well, she could feel the searing flame throughout her shoulder.
Zelda hissed through gritted teeth, now extremely agitated. Then she saw both hags hover a few dozen yards in front of her, both of them powering up their magical energy. *OK, go ahead and try, you brainless hags. I've got a big surprise!* she thought acidly, preparing her own magical spell.
The two Gerudo witches simultaneously fired off their energy blasts directly at Zelda. But as the blasts were closing in, Zelda used Nayru's Love to erect a diamond-shaped forcefield around her, and the blasts ricocheted off of it and back at the hags.
"What the....?" the hags exclaimed surprisedly as their spells came rocketing back at them. Both witches were hit dead-center with their own spells and were stunned, now floating in midair atop their brooms.
Zelda took advantage of that and stepped forward, swiping the air in front her with her outstretched hand and swatting both of them out of the sky. The witches were knocked off their brooms and landed back in the spring water encircling Kotake's shop. They were now down for the count, and that was good enough for her; no point in finishing them off, since they weren't exactly the evil Koume and Kotake that had worked for Ganondorf.
"Whew, that was easy, wasn't it Link?" Zelda huffed as she looked down at her shoulder, only to find Link was no longer there. "Link?! Oh no!!!" she cried, fearful that he might have plummeted dozens of feet down to the ground. "Link, where are...."
"Zelda, look at your back," she heard him say, his voice sounding faint and distant. Zelda obeyed and looked behind her. She could see Link was clutching the very ends of her longest strands of hair.
Zelda quickly reached behind her, placing an outstretched hand directly underneath Link. "Link, let go. I've got you," she told him. A second later, she felt him land in the palm of her hand. She then brought him around and in front of her face. "Oh Link, I'm so sorry. I almost got you killed...."
"It wasn't your fault," Link said reassuringly. "Let's just get out of here before those two recover." Zelda nodded, and briskly ran back out to the main swampland.
******
Saria sat in the middle of her house, her face still drenched with tears. The tears had flowed non-stop now that she had finally cracked, and her fairy friend had stopped trying to cheer her up. It was as if she could tell Saria's sorrows weren't going to be lifted anytime soon, that there was no way she would ever get Link out of her mind.
Link... she had always been with him, right from the beginning. Saria had been there when his mother, mortally wounded, entrusted the life of her baby to the Great Deku Tree. As the Deku Tree had ordered, she presented the baby to the rest of the tribe, telling them a fellow Kokiri had been bestowed upon them that day. Among the Kokiri, she alone knew of his true origins.
And so they had grown up together, becoming inseparable friends. But when Link, all grown up, had come for her in the Forest Temple, Saria found that her feelings for him had changed. They were now... feelings of love.
*Oh, what was I thinking?!* thought Saria. *How could I have possibly believed he could feel that way about me? I'm a Kokiri, I can't grow up! I'll never be the type of woman he wants, a beautiful woman like Zelda....*
Zelda.... now, whenever she heard her name, it filled her with all-consuming jealousy. Over the past few months, after the fall of Ganondorf, the two of them had become close friends. They were fellow Sages, working together for the betterment of Hyrule.
But now.... she was the one Link loved, the one he had come back for. To Saria, it was as if she had stolen Link from her. And she was beginning to feel that same sort of jealous anger toward Link as well. He had spurned her, the girl who had always been there for him.
*Oh, if only I could cause them the pain they've caused me,* Saria thought vindictively. But of course, she knew it was pointless to entertain such thoughts. Link was probably the mightiest adventurer who ever lived, and Zelda.... as she was, not even Ganondorf would have a prayer against her.
But then, in the midst of all her sorrow, hate and pain, she heard a voice whisper in her ear: *Perhaps I can help you with that.*
"Huh?" said Saria, suddenly fearful. She stood up and looked all around her house, but no one else was in there with her, save for her fairy. But she was now buzzing around incessantly, as if she sensed something dangerous nearby. And now that she had been shocked out of her depression, Saria began to sense something too. Something malevolent, sinister.... evil.
And then, as if by magic, the floor right underneath her turned pitch-black, and black tendrils shot out of the ground, wrapping themselves all around her. Saria would have screamed in terror, but one of the tendrils was clamped around her mouth. Then the tendrils dragged her down into the floor, and within seconds, she was gone.
******
Princess Zelda slowly wandered southward through the marshy waters, using the power of Din's Fire to light the way. Directly south of Termina's swamplands, beyond rocky hills and thick, swampy forestation that was impassable to anyone but the princess, there was a bayou that led out to the western ocean. And according to Link's map, the next sanctuary was located somewhere in the bayou.
So Zelda was forced to trudge through the waters. At first, the water only came up to her ankles, but it quickly became deeepr the more she progressed, and now she was knee-deep in swampy water. She had given up lifting up her dress to keep it out of the boggy water and decided to just deal with it, but she still found the whole situation vexatious.
And that wasn't the only thing bothering her. The sun had gone down completely and only a half-moon was out, and even that was covered up by clouds. Sure, she had her magic to provide plenty of light, but it did nothing to alleviate the gloomy atmosphere of the bayou.
"Ugh, I hate this," she said bitterly. "Once I'm back to normal, the first thing I'm going to do is take a nice, long bath," she said to Link, who was once again perched on her shoulder. This time, however, he had tied the ends of several strands of Zelda's hair around his waist, in case he was thrown off again.
"Yeah, I figured," murmured Link as he stared down at the bayou below. It was still so surreal, viewing the world from so high up, atop a giant girl's shoulder. He couldn't decide which was weirder: seeing the world from such a perspective, or tagging along with someone so monstrously huge. Link briefly wondered if this was how Navi and Tatl had felt when they had travelled with him, hanging around someone so much bigger. He had to smile at the irony of the role reversal: now it was he who tagged along with someone far larger than him.
"Would you like you take one with me?" Zelda asked, a hint of devilishness in her voice.
"Huh?!" Link cried out, shocked by Zelda's naughty suggestion.
Zelda giggled, amused by Link's nervous repsonse. "What, are you saying you wouldn't want to?" she asked coyly.
"No, I mean, yes, I mean... oh, uhh...." Link spluttered.
Zelda chuckled again. "That's my Link. Always...."
Zelda's words trailed off as she suddenly fell forward, her foot having snagged on some underwater rock or root. She flung out her arms in front of her, saving herself from becoming completely submerged in the swampy water. Still, the front of her dress was now drenched in slimy, muddy water, and her arms were soaked too, up to the ends of her gloves.
"Yuck!!" she exclaimed dejectedly as she stood up, staring down at herself; her royal dress was now completely ruined. "Ugh, this dress has had it! It was my favorite one too...."
Her voice trailed off again when she noticed where Link was. Since he tied himself to some of her hair, he was now dangling at the very ends of those strands. And since she had stood back up, he was now up against her chest. "Hey Link, look where you are!" she said teasingly.
Link, who eyes had been screwed shut after getting knocked off, opened them to find he was dangling up against her breast. "Wha... AAHHH!!!" he shrilled, now EXTREMELY uneasy about his current position. Yet, of course, at the same time, he admitted to himself it wasn't exactly a BAD place to be....
"Hee hee hee," giggled Zelda as she grabbed the strands of hair that Link was tied to and dangled him in front of her face. "I bet you enjoyed hanging around there, didn't you?" she asked coyly, smiling to herself. Link, however, was feeling a mixture of embarrassment, uneasiness and guilt. First there was Zelda's suggestion about the two of them taking a bath together, and now this!
Still smiling and giggling, Zelda placed him back on her shoulder and continued walking through the bayou. Eventually, she spotted something: up ahead was dry ground (as dry as the ground could be in a bayou, anyway) , and a few dozen feet from the water's edge was what looked like some sort of mansion.
"Link, could this be it?" she asked hopefully, making her way towards land.
"I think so," said Link, checking the map again.
Soon enough, Zelda was standing on solid ground, right in front of the mansion. Now that he was close enough, Link could see that it was very reminiscent of the Forest Temple. The architecture, the color schemes, even the way vines grew up along the walls... everything was almost identical to Saria's temple. *First there was one similar to Nabooru's temple, and now this,* Link thought as he untied the hair around his waist. Out loud, he said, "OK, set me down Zelda. Let's get this started."
Zelda obeyed and carefully set Link down in front of the mansion. Link hurriedly climbed up the stairs toward the front door, eager to get started. Zelda watched him go, once again feeling that sense of helplessness: now he had to go into another sanctuary, and she had to remain outside and wait patiently.
It was then that Zelda sensed a flash of pure terror. And it was coming through the bond of the Sages....
"Wha?" Zelda murmured, shocked by the sudden sensation of being hit with someone else's turbulent emotions. She then focused her mind, trying to pinpoint where it had come from and which Sage it was....
"Link!! Saria's in there!!" Zelda cried out as soon as she figured it out.
Link, who was halfway up the steps in front of the bayou mansion, turned around and said, "What?! Why would she be here? How do you...."
"It's through the bond we Sages share," replied Zelda as she moved closer to the mansion and kneeled down. "I don't know how or why, but she's trapped inside that mansion! And she's scared Link! I can sense it, cold fear...."
For a few seconds, Link stared dumbly up at Zelda, not sure what to make of her sudden revelation. Eventually, though, he came to his senses, and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. He quickly played the song Saria had taught him long ago; it had been so long since he had last played it....
Link could then hear Saria's thoughts echoing in his mind. *Link?! Link, you're here?!*
*Yes, Zelda and I are here,* he thought back to her. *Hang on, Saria! I'm coming to get you out of there....*
*NO!!!* came Saria's mental voice, cutting Link off. *No, don't come in here! Get yourself and Zelda away from here!! It's too dangerous!! I.... AAAAHHHH!!!!*
And that was it. The connection between them was broken. "Zelda, what are you sensing now?" he asked the princess desparately, looking back up at her.
Zelda shook her head. "I can't sense anything anymore! It's like, she's cut off!" she answered, a look of terror on her face. "Link, you've got to get in there! Get her out!"
Link nodded, then ran up to the mansion's huge oak double doors. With one mighty heave, Link pried them open, then rushed in.
******
Oooh, the suspense is building, isn't it? Wait till you see what this new plot twist with Saria turns out to be....
And about the hidden references in the last chapter, they are as follows:
-The three-headed dragon is called a Gleeok, ripped right out of the original Legend of Zelda.
-A treasure chest with the item already gone? Sounds a lot like how the Stalfos Knight took the hookshot in Level 5 of Link's Awakening.
-Here's the most blatant one: the whole idea for the magnetic gauntlet came from that item in Oracle of Seasons.
-That whole thing with pulling back the boss's arms.... that was one method needed to beat Ramrock, the boss of Level 8 in Oracle of Ages.
-And the 'floating head' thing was ripped from that one boss in Wind Waker.
-And the way enemies vanished in puffs of smoke.... it's like the death animations in the so-called 'cartoony' Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures and Minish Cap.
If you found them all, congratulations! You get a Street Fighter II arcade machine with Sheng-Long in the roster, a copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee with Sonic and Tails in the roster, a copy of Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball with a topless mode, and a copy of Zelda: The Wind Waker with realistic graphics. Oh yeah, and a GameShortz.
So long,
Grey
a Legend of Zelda romance fic
Chapter 13: Swamped
4-27-2005
by Grey
Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.
This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.
******
By Zelda's estimates, it had now been over three hours since Link had went into the first sanctuary. The pouring rain had not let up at all, and Zelda had long since been forced to cover her ears to block out the sound of the raindrops hitting her forcefield. The rocky soil at the base of the pit had been turned to thick mud and large puddles had formed everywhere. And to a normal sized person, those 'puddles' would be like lakes.
Zelda had tried to remain patient, to keep reminding herself that Link was too skilled an adventurer to get killed doing this sort of thing, but at this point, it was no use. The waiting was driving her mad, as was the fact that she could do nothing to help him.
*Arrggh, I hate this!!* Zelda thought angrily, tormented by her helplessness. *Here I am, possibly the most empowered woman on Earth, and I can't do a thing to help Link! I can squash any enemy in that sanctuary, but since I can't fit inside, I have to wait out here while Link does all the work by himself.*
But then Zelda realized that Link might not want help at all. Even though he had had fairies accompany him in the past, Link had always done the dirty work alone, and he probably preferred it that way.
*Yeah, all men have a bit of an ego,* Zelda reasoned gloomily. *He's probably enjoying this, getting another chance to prove how tough he is. Wouldn't want his girlfriend getting in the way.*
After thinking about this, Zelda wondered how Link felt about being with a gigantic woman in general. He had said again and again that her size was irrevelant to him, that it didn't change the way he felt about her. After all, he had traversed countless miles of ocean waters just to find her again.
But now Zelda couldn't help but wonder if, on some level, he felt a bit mortified having a girlfriend who could crush him without even trying. In a world where men tended to consider themselves superior to women, she doubted any man would truly not care, even Link.
Then again, Link never showed any indication he felt any embarassment. Throughout the last week, his face never betrayed any sign of humiliation when she held him in her hands, and he never complained when she nuzzled him, hugged him or gave him a big kiss.
On the contrary, Zelda had the feeling that somehow, he enjoyed it. Zelda couldn't help but to smile as she once again thought of how adorable Link looked when she held him, and how she couldn't resist smothering him with affection. As much as she wanted to return to normal, at times she found it absurdly fun being a giantess, holding Link captive in her hands....
Zelda was so wrapped up in these thoughts that she almost didn't notice a small pillar of light arising from the muddy ground near the sanctuary's entrance. Her spirits picked up as she noticed this and looked down to see what was going on. When she did so, the pillar of light had faded, but now Link stood in its place, knee-deep in a puddle of mud.
"Link? OH LINK!!" she exclaimed joyously, relieved that he had finally made it out of the sanctuary. Without a second's hesitation, she lowered her barrier and scooped Link up off of the muddy ground, then used Nayru's Love again to re-erect the barrier.
She had only dropped the forcefield for about two seconds, but she had still become completely soaked. But such a trivial inconvenience didn't matter, now that she knew Link was safe. "Link, are you OK?" she asked breathlessly. Link didn't say anything, but merely nodded.
"So Link, did you find it?" asked Zelda. Once again, Link didn't say anything to answer her. Instead, he pulled out an object and held it out in front of him. Zelda brought Link closer to her face so she could see what he was holding. She still had to squint to make it out, but it looked like the Giant's Mask, only it was made of some sort of brown, polished stone instead of metal. "This is it, isn't it?!"
Link winced as Zelda spoke; her words were far louder than the ricocheting raindrops and crashing thunder overhead. "Please, keep it down. And yes, it is," Link answered weakly as he put the mask away.
"Oh Link, I'm so sorry," Zelda breathed, much more softly this time. "I forgot about my voice, I'm sorry. It's just that.... you were in there so long, and I'm so relieved to see you made it out, and...."
"Yeah, this sanctuary did take me a while to figure out," Link said, cutting off Zelda's string of worried ranting. "But I'm OK, except I have a bit of a sore back and an ugly burn on my leg."
"Oh, my poor little Link," Zelda said sweetly, smiling down on her soulmate. She then kissed him, her lips engulfing his entire upper body. After that, she gently nestled his body against her cheek.
After a few seconds, however, Zelda pulled Link away and brought him back in front of her face, and Link could see she was worried about something. "Oh Link, I-I'm sorry... I d-didn't.... it's j-just that... umm," she spluttered incoherently.
"Uh Zelda, what's wrong?" Link asked in a concerned tone, more than just a little confused about the dramatic shift in Zelda's mood.
Zelda sighed, then launched into an explanation about what she was thinking right before Link had exited the sanctuary: how worried she was that he thought being with a giant woman was an affront to his masculinity.
After Zelda had finished explaining herself, Link did something that shocked her: he let out a raucous peal of laughter. "Wha? Link, what are..."
"Zelda, I've said it before and I'll say it again: you worry way too much," Link said, still laughing.
"You... you mean..."
"Zelda, I'm not like that. I don't think that way," said Link reassuringly. "Look, I've been surrounded by strong-willed girls all my life. I grew up with Saria, and then I met Ruto, Impa and the entire Gerudo tribe. And then in Termina, I met girls like Romani and Anju.... and of course, that loudmouthed fairy Tatl...."
"Well, I guess when you put it that way...." remarked Zelda as she looked away from him, still not entirely convinced.
"I'm serious, Zelda. I don't feel threatened by tough, strong-willed girls at all," said Link in a chiding tone. "In fact, I think it's those sort of qualities that you have that made me fall for you in the first place; how tough and iron-willed you are."
Now Zelda turned her gaze back down at Link. "Are you serious?" she asked him, genuinely astonished.
"Have I ever lied to you, Zelda?" replied Link, still in that scolding tone. "And as for being held by a giant woman, well, isn't it obvious that I kinda like it?"
"Well, yeah, I did get the feeling that you do," whispered Zelda. "But it must be so weird for you. I can't imagine why you would."
"I can't explain it myself. I just do. And I'm kind of going to miss your giant-sized attention once we get you back to normal," Link said, flashing a smile.
Zelda didn't said anything in response. She merely smiled down at Link again, and then brought him back up to her face for another smothering kiss.
******
Saria looked up at Impa again. The two of them stood in Kokiri Village, right in front of Saria's house. "So, you still haven't sensed anything, either?" she asked the Sheikah warrior.
Impa shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Either she is too far away for the bond of the Sages to function, or she is purposely making it so that we cannot sense anything from her."
"Or maybe both," Saria added gloomily. "But, why did you come here to ask me about this? If I sensed anything, knew of anything, I'd come and tell you right away."
Impa let out a heavy sigh, and said, "There's something else I needed to ask about. About an hour ago in the market town, I overheard some gossip about people seeing a Zora no one recognized...."
"But all Zoras pretty much look the same," Saria chimed in, cutting Impa off.
"Yes, I know," continued Impa, "but they said this one was wearing some garments, and they sounded reminiscent of Link's clothing. I reasoned it could be him in disguise."
"REALLY?!" cried Saria, her spirits lifting. This was possibly the first sign of Link in days. "Have you found this Zora? Do you have any idea where he is?"
"No," Impa answered solemnly, shaking her head. "That's why I came here to the forest. After checking out Zora's Domain. I thought perhaps, if it was truly Link, he might have come back here instead."
Saria's spirits plummeted as quickly as they had risen. "No, Impa. No one but you has come here today, Zora or otherwise."
"Please keep a look out for him regardless. He may come here later, under the cover of night," Impa said regally. "And Saria, watch yourself, my friend. My instincts tell me that something is happening. Something.... shadowy."
"Y-yes, Impa. I'll watch out for him," Saria answered uneasily. Impa nodded, then turned to leave the Kokiri Village. She merely stood and watched her go. Saria desperately wished she could be like her, as disciplined as a Sheikah. NOTHING seemed to faze them, unlike her....
Saria then sensed someone behind her house. Through her powers as a Sage, she could pinpoint the whereabouts of any sentient being in her forest, thanks to the abundance of plant life everywhere; she had merely been distracted by her conversation with Impa.
At first, Saria thought it could be the mystery Zora, since it was nearing nightfall, and most of her fellow Kokiri would already be indoors. However, she soon realized it was probably that ONE troublesome Kokiri....
In an instant, her despair gave way to anger. "Mido, I know it's you! Get out here!" she bellowed. Sure enough, Mido timidly crept out from behind her house a second later, a look of dread etched on his face. None of the Kokiri wished to face Saria when she was in a sour mood.
"You were eavesdropping on us, weren't you?" she asked him angrily.
"Well, yeah," Mido said shakily. "Why... is that a big deal?"
"It's just plain RUDE to listen in on other people's conversations!" snapped Saria.
"Well, er, I saw Impa come in the village and head straight for your house, and I thought she had news about Link and the princess, and, uh...."
"That still doesn't give you the right to snoop," said Saria acidly. "Why do you always insist on being so troublesome?"
"Don't tell me you're still mad about the thing with the temple!" cried Mido.
Saria bit her lip. It was true she was still annoyed by the way Mido completely ignored her and entered the Forest Temple. Ever since Link's comeback, Saria had had enough on her mind, and didn't need Mido flouting her authority and causing trouble.
"Just go, Mido. Now," she ordered him, in a tone that let him know she wouldn't tolerate any dissention.
"I don't know why you're always so upset these days, but you need to get over it," spat Mido, then he took off for his house, his fairy companion fluttering close behind. Saria stood and watched him go, making sure he entered his house, then she turned and went into her own.
Once inside, Saria picked up a clay pot near the doorway and threw it against the wall, and it shattered to pieces. "Damnit!" she shrilled as she picked up another pot and smashed it against the wall as well. Her fairy buzzed about nervously, but Saria took no notice. Nor did she care who heard the commotion; she desperatedly needed to vent some frustration. Saria knew Mido was absolutely right: over the last few days she had been prone to bouts of depression and anger.
And it was all because of one person: Link. As he had grown up among the Kokiri, he had become her best friend. But over time, her feelings toward him changed into something much more. And she had always prayed, hoped against hope, that one day he would return to Hyrule and return those feelings he had for him.
But as soon as Link had come home, it was painfully obvious that it wasn't her he had returned for. He had given his heart to another, and it tore her apart. Saria had tried to cover it up, hide her feelings, pretend it didn't bother her, but it was no use. There was no way to pretend that your heart wasn't broken.
And now, finally, she had reached her breaking point. Saria then sat in the middle of her house and buried her face in her hands, finally letting the tears flow.
******
Everything was relatively uneventful in Termina's southern swamplands. The sun had just gone down, so no travellers were around and the boat cruise/tourist info hut was now closed. Besides, storm clouds were looming overhead just as they had been in the eastern canyons, so no one would really want to be out anyway. And except for the sound of crickets chirping, the swamp was quite peaceful.
But then something happened to upset the tranquil state of the swamp. Around the owl post statue, a huge cyclonic wind system began to form, and large, white feathers appeared as if from nowhere, caught up in the swirling winds. Then something slowly materialized within the winds: Princess Zelda, with Link perched on her shoulder, holding the Ocarina of Time.
"Well, I finally got the hang of it," said Link, relieved that he had perfected how to transport both himself and Zelda with the Song of Soaring.
"So, the next sanctuary is somewhere in this swamp?" Zelda asked him, not enthuiastic about having to trudge through a wetland. She had had enough of wet environments after being caught in the rain in the mountains. She was still soaked from the rain and so was Link. Zelda hadn't dared use Din's Fire to dry Link off though; she feared that if she made the slightest miscalculation, she'd roast him alive.
"Yep. And judging from the map, you'll have to cross over more rocky barriers to get to it," answered Link, taking another glance at the mask salesman's map.
"Lovely," Zelda muttered, feeling the dryness of her throat as she spoke. It had been several hours since she had had a drink of water. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of taking advantage of the rain back in the mountains. "Link, I'm thirsty. Do you know if there's a good source of fresh water around here?"
"You're in luck. I knew the perfect place to get some water around here. Hopefully it's still there," replied Link. Then he gave her the directions to get to the potion shop loacted in the swamp.
Zelda stomped through the swamp and reached the potion shop within seconds, and to Link's relief, fresh spring water still encircled it. The water was even deeper than before, in fact. Wasting no time, she bent down and cupped her hands, bringing water up to her mouth to slurp up. Link, who was hanging on to Zelda's collar, marvelled at just how much water it took to quench her thirst - she must have brought up dozens of liters with each handful.
After six or seven handfuls of water, Zelda felt she had enough. "OK Link, now let's go to the next dungeon," she told him as she stood up. "By the way, what's that building right here?"
"Oh that, it's just a potion shop. It's run by the parallel version of...."
Link was cut off by the sounds of maniacal cackling.... coming from two separate directions. *Oh no, I have a hunch this isn't good,* he thought glumly.
Sure enough, Termina's versions of Koume and Kotake swooped down into the swamp and hovered a few dozen feet away from Zelda. "My, she's a big girl, isn't she Kotake?" one of the Gerudo witches said to the other.
"She certainly is, I wonder where she came from, Koume," the other witch said.
"Uh Link, aren't they....?" breathed Zelda nervously.
"Uh huh," muttered Link. "Let's just get out of here," he suggested. Zelda decided that was a good idea, and turned to leave the same way she came.
"Hey, I wonder what made her so big, Koume?" she heard one of the Gerudo hags ask the other.
"If we can find out, I bet we could get rich selling the secret, Kotake!" said the other.
"Let's get her!" cried both of the witches in unison. Upon hearing this exclamation, Zelda whirled around, only to be greeted by the sight of Kotake launching an ice attack right at her head.
Zelda's entire face was now covered by a thick sheet of ice, and her hands instinctively went to her face, as if trying to pry to ice off. Her whole body shook violently, and Link was flung off of her shoulder. Luckily for him, he was able to grab hold of some strands of Zelda's hair as he was suspended in midair, saving himself from a long fall.
By using a bit of Din's Fire, Zelda was able to make to ice on her face to evaporate. She could see again, and a few yards overhead, she could see Koume firing off a flame spell down at her. Zelda moved to the right to avoid it, but it still managed to hit her, striking her on her left shoulder pad. And since metal conducted heat extremely well, she could feel the searing flame throughout her shoulder.
Zelda hissed through gritted teeth, now extremely agitated. Then she saw both hags hover a few dozen yards in front of her, both of them powering up their magical energy. *OK, go ahead and try, you brainless hags. I've got a big surprise!* she thought acidly, preparing her own magical spell.
The two Gerudo witches simultaneously fired off their energy blasts directly at Zelda. But as the blasts were closing in, Zelda used Nayru's Love to erect a diamond-shaped forcefield around her, and the blasts ricocheted off of it and back at the hags.
"What the....?" the hags exclaimed surprisedly as their spells came rocketing back at them. Both witches were hit dead-center with their own spells and were stunned, now floating in midair atop their brooms.
Zelda took advantage of that and stepped forward, swiping the air in front her with her outstretched hand and swatting both of them out of the sky. The witches were knocked off their brooms and landed back in the spring water encircling Kotake's shop. They were now down for the count, and that was good enough for her; no point in finishing them off, since they weren't exactly the evil Koume and Kotake that had worked for Ganondorf.
"Whew, that was easy, wasn't it Link?" Zelda huffed as she looked down at her shoulder, only to find Link was no longer there. "Link?! Oh no!!!" she cried, fearful that he might have plummeted dozens of feet down to the ground. "Link, where are...."
"Zelda, look at your back," she heard him say, his voice sounding faint and distant. Zelda obeyed and looked behind her. She could see Link was clutching the very ends of her longest strands of hair.
Zelda quickly reached behind her, placing an outstretched hand directly underneath Link. "Link, let go. I've got you," she told him. A second later, she felt him land in the palm of her hand. She then brought him around and in front of her face. "Oh Link, I'm so sorry. I almost got you killed...."
"It wasn't your fault," Link said reassuringly. "Let's just get out of here before those two recover." Zelda nodded, and briskly ran back out to the main swampland.
******
Saria sat in the middle of her house, her face still drenched with tears. The tears had flowed non-stop now that she had finally cracked, and her fairy friend had stopped trying to cheer her up. It was as if she could tell Saria's sorrows weren't going to be lifted anytime soon, that there was no way she would ever get Link out of her mind.
Link... she had always been with him, right from the beginning. Saria had been there when his mother, mortally wounded, entrusted the life of her baby to the Great Deku Tree. As the Deku Tree had ordered, she presented the baby to the rest of the tribe, telling them a fellow Kokiri had been bestowed upon them that day. Among the Kokiri, she alone knew of his true origins.
And so they had grown up together, becoming inseparable friends. But when Link, all grown up, had come for her in the Forest Temple, Saria found that her feelings for him had changed. They were now... feelings of love.
*Oh, what was I thinking?!* thought Saria. *How could I have possibly believed he could feel that way about me? I'm a Kokiri, I can't grow up! I'll never be the type of woman he wants, a beautiful woman like Zelda....*
Zelda.... now, whenever she heard her name, it filled her with all-consuming jealousy. Over the past few months, after the fall of Ganondorf, the two of them had become close friends. They were fellow Sages, working together for the betterment of Hyrule.
But now.... she was the one Link loved, the one he had come back for. To Saria, it was as if she had stolen Link from her. And she was beginning to feel that same sort of jealous anger toward Link as well. He had spurned her, the girl who had always been there for him.
*Oh, if only I could cause them the pain they've caused me,* Saria thought vindictively. But of course, she knew it was pointless to entertain such thoughts. Link was probably the mightiest adventurer who ever lived, and Zelda.... as she was, not even Ganondorf would have a prayer against her.
But then, in the midst of all her sorrow, hate and pain, she heard a voice whisper in her ear: *Perhaps I can help you with that.*
"Huh?" said Saria, suddenly fearful. She stood up and looked all around her house, but no one else was in there with her, save for her fairy. But she was now buzzing around incessantly, as if she sensed something dangerous nearby. And now that she had been shocked out of her depression, Saria began to sense something too. Something malevolent, sinister.... evil.
And then, as if by magic, the floor right underneath her turned pitch-black, and black tendrils shot out of the ground, wrapping themselves all around her. Saria would have screamed in terror, but one of the tendrils was clamped around her mouth. Then the tendrils dragged her down into the floor, and within seconds, she was gone.
******
Princess Zelda slowly wandered southward through the marshy waters, using the power of Din's Fire to light the way. Directly south of Termina's swamplands, beyond rocky hills and thick, swampy forestation that was impassable to anyone but the princess, there was a bayou that led out to the western ocean. And according to Link's map, the next sanctuary was located somewhere in the bayou.
So Zelda was forced to trudge through the waters. At first, the water only came up to her ankles, but it quickly became deeepr the more she progressed, and now she was knee-deep in swampy water. She had given up lifting up her dress to keep it out of the boggy water and decided to just deal with it, but she still found the whole situation vexatious.
And that wasn't the only thing bothering her. The sun had gone down completely and only a half-moon was out, and even that was covered up by clouds. Sure, she had her magic to provide plenty of light, but it did nothing to alleviate the gloomy atmosphere of the bayou.
"Ugh, I hate this," she said bitterly. "Once I'm back to normal, the first thing I'm going to do is take a nice, long bath," she said to Link, who was once again perched on her shoulder. This time, however, he had tied the ends of several strands of Zelda's hair around his waist, in case he was thrown off again.
"Yeah, I figured," murmured Link as he stared down at the bayou below. It was still so surreal, viewing the world from so high up, atop a giant girl's shoulder. He couldn't decide which was weirder: seeing the world from such a perspective, or tagging along with someone so monstrously huge. Link briefly wondered if this was how Navi and Tatl had felt when they had travelled with him, hanging around someone so much bigger. He had to smile at the irony of the role reversal: now it was he who tagged along with someone far larger than him.
"Would you like you take one with me?" Zelda asked, a hint of devilishness in her voice.
"Huh?!" Link cried out, shocked by Zelda's naughty suggestion.
Zelda giggled, amused by Link's nervous repsonse. "What, are you saying you wouldn't want to?" she asked coyly.
"No, I mean, yes, I mean... oh, uhh...." Link spluttered.
Zelda chuckled again. "That's my Link. Always...."
Zelda's words trailed off as she suddenly fell forward, her foot having snagged on some underwater rock or root. She flung out her arms in front of her, saving herself from becoming completely submerged in the swampy water. Still, the front of her dress was now drenched in slimy, muddy water, and her arms were soaked too, up to the ends of her gloves.
"Yuck!!" she exclaimed dejectedly as she stood up, staring down at herself; her royal dress was now completely ruined. "Ugh, this dress has had it! It was my favorite one too...."
Her voice trailed off again when she noticed where Link was. Since he tied himself to some of her hair, he was now dangling at the very ends of those strands. And since she had stood back up, he was now up against her chest. "Hey Link, look where you are!" she said teasingly.
Link, who eyes had been screwed shut after getting knocked off, opened them to find he was dangling up against her breast. "Wha... AAHHH!!!" he shrilled, now EXTREMELY uneasy about his current position. Yet, of course, at the same time, he admitted to himself it wasn't exactly a BAD place to be....
"Hee hee hee," giggled Zelda as she grabbed the strands of hair that Link was tied to and dangled him in front of her face. "I bet you enjoyed hanging around there, didn't you?" she asked coyly, smiling to herself. Link, however, was feeling a mixture of embarrassment, uneasiness and guilt. First there was Zelda's suggestion about the two of them taking a bath together, and now this!
Still smiling and giggling, Zelda placed him back on her shoulder and continued walking through the bayou. Eventually, she spotted something: up ahead was dry ground (as dry as the ground could be in a bayou, anyway) , and a few dozen feet from the water's edge was what looked like some sort of mansion.
"Link, could this be it?" she asked hopefully, making her way towards land.
"I think so," said Link, checking the map again.
Soon enough, Zelda was standing on solid ground, right in front of the mansion. Now that he was close enough, Link could see that it was very reminiscent of the Forest Temple. The architecture, the color schemes, even the way vines grew up along the walls... everything was almost identical to Saria's temple. *First there was one similar to Nabooru's temple, and now this,* Link thought as he untied the hair around his waist. Out loud, he said, "OK, set me down Zelda. Let's get this started."
Zelda obeyed and carefully set Link down in front of the mansion. Link hurriedly climbed up the stairs toward the front door, eager to get started. Zelda watched him go, once again feeling that sense of helplessness: now he had to go into another sanctuary, and she had to remain outside and wait patiently.
It was then that Zelda sensed a flash of pure terror. And it was coming through the bond of the Sages....
"Wha?" Zelda murmured, shocked by the sudden sensation of being hit with someone else's turbulent emotions. She then focused her mind, trying to pinpoint where it had come from and which Sage it was....
"Link!! Saria's in there!!" Zelda cried out as soon as she figured it out.
Link, who was halfway up the steps in front of the bayou mansion, turned around and said, "What?! Why would she be here? How do you...."
"It's through the bond we Sages share," replied Zelda as she moved closer to the mansion and kneeled down. "I don't know how or why, but she's trapped inside that mansion! And she's scared Link! I can sense it, cold fear...."
For a few seconds, Link stared dumbly up at Zelda, not sure what to make of her sudden revelation. Eventually, though, he came to his senses, and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. He quickly played the song Saria had taught him long ago; it had been so long since he had last played it....
Link could then hear Saria's thoughts echoing in his mind. *Link?! Link, you're here?!*
*Yes, Zelda and I are here,* he thought back to her. *Hang on, Saria! I'm coming to get you out of there....*
*NO!!!* came Saria's mental voice, cutting Link off. *No, don't come in here! Get yourself and Zelda away from here!! It's too dangerous!! I.... AAAAHHHH!!!!*
And that was it. The connection between them was broken. "Zelda, what are you sensing now?" he asked the princess desparately, looking back up at her.
Zelda shook her head. "I can't sense anything anymore! It's like, she's cut off!" she answered, a look of terror on her face. "Link, you've got to get in there! Get her out!"
Link nodded, then ran up to the mansion's huge oak double doors. With one mighty heave, Link pried them open, then rushed in.
******
Oooh, the suspense is building, isn't it? Wait till you see what this new plot twist with Saria turns out to be....
And about the hidden references in the last chapter, they are as follows:
-The three-headed dragon is called a Gleeok, ripped right out of the original Legend of Zelda.
-A treasure chest with the item already gone? Sounds a lot like how the Stalfos Knight took the hookshot in Level 5 of Link's Awakening.
-Here's the most blatant one: the whole idea for the magnetic gauntlet came from that item in Oracle of Seasons.
-That whole thing with pulling back the boss's arms.... that was one method needed to beat Ramrock, the boss of Level 8 in Oracle of Ages.
-And the 'floating head' thing was ripped from that one boss in Wind Waker.
-And the way enemies vanished in puffs of smoke.... it's like the death animations in the so-called 'cartoony' Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures and Minish Cap.
If you found them all, congratulations! You get a Street Fighter II arcade machine with Sheng-Long in the roster, a copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee with Sonic and Tails in the roster, a copy of Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball with a topless mode, and a copy of Zelda: The Wind Waker with realistic graphics. Oh yeah, and a GameShortz.
So long,
Grey