"I don't see why everywhere we go is so hard to get to," Dark whined as they stood at the entrance to Zora's Domain.
Link eyed him thoughtfully. He was not about to share that the only easier route here involved diving to the bottom of the pond that Dark had nearly drowned in only a few days prior - especially since the main reason they were here was so he would never have to face the dangers of deep water again. "People who don't enjoy the company of others are unlikely to make it easy for said company to visit them."
Dark rolled his eyes, but no further complaints left him, even as they walked through the waterfall and proceeded down the narrow path to the shop he remembered visiting once before all too well. The narrow stone path leading them downwards was just as slippery as it had been last time, and the same infuriating shopkeeper and his smiling assistant were waiting for them when they finally reached the bottom of the path.
"Twice in such a short period of time?" Dailo, the shopkeeper, looked delighted and graced them both with a bow. "I'm honored."
Dark closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Link laughed and exchanged some banter with the Zora. Every sight, every sound, seemed almost to be an assault on his senses. It wasn't that he hadn't been given adequate time to recover from his incident, but he was starting to realize that the thoughts that caused it in the first place would not simply go away. He carried them everywhere and everything around him seemed a constant reminder in some way. With the slightest shake of his head, he opened his eyes. Blocking everything out did seem to help - for a little while, anyway.
"...looking for a Zora Tunic," Link was saying, gesturing towards Dark. "Would you happen to have any in stock?"
Dailo exchanged a look with his assistant, and Link noticed the smallest of frowns appear on his face before he smoothed out his expression. "We do sell them," he said hesitatingly. "But as I'm sure you know, its magical properties don't have the highest success rate when not custom made for the wearer."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Link said, flashing the Zora a smile, and again they exchanged a look.
"Sir..." the shopkeeper began.
"Link," he corrected firmly.
"Link," Dailo repeated, inclining his head slightly. "If I may be so bold. I recommend letting us take your friend's measurements and custom making him a tunic instead. The difference in cost is not that great, and I would certainly hate for the magic to wear off during an...inopportune time."
"And if the wearer possesses magic of their own?" Link inquired.
"Then there would be no issue. The wearer's magic simply takes over, whether they are aware of it or not. But surely you're not suggesting..."
"It's not a suggestion," Dark growled then, wishing he had learned something, anything, from his many hours of training that he could show them. But his magic, if he even had any, had yet to make an appearance, so looking menacing was the closest he was going to get right now.
Both Zora looked startled, but they ducked into the back room of the shop without another word, presumably to select several of the tunics for Dark to choose from.
"Tell me," he said to Link in a low voice, sounding almost angry. "Did you have to go through this same song and dance to get the one you're wearing?"
Link coughed somewhat guiltily, running his hands over the sleeves of his own Zora tunic. Unlike the one Dark would be getting, his had not been purchased, rather it had been a gift from the King for releasing him from the ice that still plagued much of the domain. "It wasn't easy," he said finally. While it perhaps did not imply what Dark thought, he felt he had more than earned it for traversing through the frozen caverns and ridding it of the monsters that plagued it.
Dark glanced at him suspiciously, feeling like Link was trying to avoid the question, but he put it from his mind as Dailo strode back into the main room of the shop, his assistant trailing behind him weighed down with what must have been at least fifteen folded tunics.
"This is our entire stock of our famous tunics," he said in a jovial tone, his previous objections seemingly forgotten. "You should look through them," he told Dark. "Find one that speaks to you."
Dark looked at the pile of tunics which were being set down on the counter, and then back at Dailo. "They're identical pieces of clothing," he said flatly. "Can't I just find one that fits?"
"Identical?" the shopkeeper echoed, sounding surprised. "Did you not hear what I said before? Each Zora tunic is custom made for the wearer. No two are alike! Though these come from our wares, they are all donations, and were all made in their own way."
Deciding to ignore the response, he flipped through the fabric in front of him, and as he did so he could not help but notice that they all had different patterns on the fabric and different embellishments on the hems and ends of the sleeves. He stole another glance at Link, and then looked through the pile again. He wanted one as plain as he could find; one that matched Link's as closely as possible, and towards the bottom of the pile he found one, pulling it out and eyeing it with curiosity.
"You have a good eye," Dailo said respectfully, though Dark felt sure he would have said that no matter which one he picked. "Would you like to try it on?"
"He would," Link answered for him firmly, and before he knew what was happening he found himself being dragged by the elbow into the back room and into a small changing stall. Only a short while later he emerged, the Zora Tunic clinging to him uncomfortably as he held up the tunic he had been wearing when he entered, not quite sure what to do with it.
"Well?" Link asked, eyeing him approvingly as he came back into view. "What do you think?"
"Blue isn't my color," Dark replied sullenly, crossing his arms as if he could somehow hide the tunic from view by doing so.
Admittedly, he was right. The blue tunic did not complement his complexion as well as the black one he normally wore, though it did bring out tones in his hair Link had not even been aware existed until that moment. More importantly than looks, though, it would be functional once Dark got in the water, and that was really all that mattered.
"This was your idea," Link reminded him gently. It was true - while it had been Link's suggestion originally, once Dark had learned of the properties of the tunic, he knew he would need one himself if he hoped to accompany Link to any more underwater locations like Lake Hylia and the Water Temple. "Don't tell me you've changed your mind."
"That's not the problem," Dark replied quietly after a short pause, staring into Link's very blue eyes and wondering if he would mind so much if the tunic had matched their shade better. "Things like this just...aren't for me." He turned away, and sadness seemed to hover in the air around him as he did so.
"They're as much for you as they are for me," Link insisted, plucking at the sleeve of his own tunic, looking down at it and then staring at Dark. He sighed, heaving his shoulders as he did so, and it was then that Link remembered a Sheikah tradition Zelda had told him about once. Colors such as blue and white were typically only worn by elite tribe members, either those who served the Royal Family or were akin to royalty themselves.
Suddenly, Dark's reaction had made all too much sense. He had been feeling insecure lately, worried about how he was perceived and if his efforts were even worth anything. Of course he would not think he was fit to wear an outfit such as this one; a rich blue tunic made with fine fabrics.
"You look just like royalty to me." The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself; he had not meant to say it at all, and certainly not out loud or in front of other people, and he stood there frozen as Dark picked up his head to look at him. His initial surprise quickly gave way to a scowl, though it seemed to require some effort on his part.
"I guess I'll take this one," he growled, and then shoved his black tunic into Link's hands, watching in an almost detached manner as he sighed, rolled the fabric into a ball, and tucked it into a pouch around his waist.
"Splendid!" Dailo said, beaming. "Now, gentlemen...shall we discuss the slight matter of the price?"
Dark closed his eyes again as rupees exchanged hands over the sound of murmured whispers. What was Link playing at, anyway? Him, royalty? He felt momentary relief that Link thought so highly of him, then ground his teeth together, irritated at himself. Of course that wasn't really what he thought. Surely he only pitied him; only thought that convincing him to wear the tunic would make his risk of drowning a problem he wouldn't have to deal with anymore.
"Dark?" He opened his eyes to see Link in front of him, an expression on his face that gave him a very peculiar feeling. "Are you okay?" That tightness in his chest - was it anxiety?
"Like it would matter if I wasn't," he spat out after a moment, and though Link leaned back slightly and closed his eyes momentarily, he made no other sign that he had even heard him.
"Come on," he told him, and Dark followed along behind him silently as he exited the shop and continued down the path until they were at the water's edge. "How are you feeling? Are you ready to test it out?"
"Test it out?" Dark repeated, following his gaze to the floor of the lake in front of them. "I - no," he said firmly, staring in revulsion at the water. "Hell no."
"You did realize the purpose of that tunic is to go in the water, right?" He looked at Dark with sympathy; he did not have words to express how guilty he felt making him face his fears so soon after his incident - and yet, he knew that he would do Dark no favors by postponing this any longer.
"I'm not stupid," Dark said, crossing his arms angrily. But though he was obstinate, Link had no intention of giving up so easily, and their stalemate did not last long.
"I'll be right here with you," Link told him softly. "There is no safer place to swim than in Zora's Domain. Please, Dark. Trust me." He held out his hand, and smiled at him with all the warmth he could manage.
Dark stared at him with uncertainty; his eyes flickered from Link's outstretched hand to the water and then up to his face. He felt as if he was searching for something he had not known he needed until this very moment, and yet when he looked up at him he knew without a doubt he had found it. "It's safe?" he asked, and he almost did not recognize the voice as his own, for it seemed so weak compared to how he typically sounded.
"Very much so," he responded gently, and almost as if in slow motion, Dark stretched his hand out to meet Link's. He wished that his heart would stop pounding. It was starting to make his head hurt, and though he felt reasonably sure his friend would not let anything happen to him, was it really safe to go underwater feeling like this?
"Link. Dark. Well met!" The voice emanated from just above the water, startling them, their fingertips only just grazing before they both dropped their hands back at their sides. "I must say, I'm rather surprised to see you both here."
Link turned, facing the water as a tall Zora emerged from the lake, his hands clasped in front of him; the perfect image of serenity. "Likewise," he said, grinning. "I wasn't aware you ever left Lake Hylia." The Zora inclined his head slightly, and it was then that Dark recognized him as Javo, the one who had given them so much information on their quest, and set him upon the seemingly impossible task of reuniting ancient magic.
"I rarely leave, it's true," he admitted. "But I am permitted to come back home occasionally." He looked at them curiously, noting their attire, and asked, "are you here to participate in our mining efforts?"
"Mining efforts?" Dark asked, and while Link had the same question, he was glad to have been spared the embarrassment of not knowing what Javo was referring to.
"Surely you must know," Javo said somewhat reproachfully. "Much of our land - and, regrettably, several of our people - are still buried under the ice. Every day, efforts are made to free ourselves of this icy prison. This used to be a rescue mission, but as more and more people have been recovered, it's become somewhat more of a mining operation. We do find interesting things from time to time - why, certain parts towards the edge of Zora's Domain turn out to have been covered in ice even before Ganondorf's reign! I am not usually so lucky as to participate, however. I was fortunate to be able to take a break from my duties at the Water Temple today. Would you care to join me?"
"I don't think that's -" Dark begin, only to be cut off with a quick backward glance from Link as he replied, "We would be honored to help."
Dark glared at Link, angry for the interruption which had obviously been meant to prevent him from speaking his mind. He wasn't going to say anything rude...at least in his opinion. All he had been going to say was that he didn't think that was their place. They were outsiders, and as a member of a private group of people himself he did not think he would like someone that didn't belong making his business their own.
Thankfully, Javo did not seem to feel the same way, and he smiled at both of them, spreading his arms wide. "I'm glad to hear that! Very glad, indeed." He let his arms drop, and as he did so, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "There is another benefit to participating, of course. I am fairly sure that somewhere along the area we will be exploring is where we will find my piece of the map. I have several friends I can trust to look for it and hand it over discreetly should it be found, but I would of course feel more comfortable if one of us were to find it directly."
"Than what are we waiting for?" Dark asked gruffly, pretending he had not just been about to reject Javo's invitation. "Let's go already."
It did not take long to meet up with the other Zora participating in the mining efforts, but it did take significantly longer to be handed tools, and to make their way to the back of what Link had called the Ice Cavern when he last stumbled upon it.
"This place was once beautiful," Javo had murmured as they walked through the crystalline caves. "It still is, I suppose, but in a different way."
"Yes, but the ice feels as if its tainted with evil," Link had replied, speaking in a low voice so as to not send any stalactites crashing down on top of them. He could not shake the strange chill he felt as they walked, one he was sure had nothing to do with the cold around them, and he could not stop himself from looking around to try and locate the source of the sensation he felt as they made their way through the freezing caverns.
It was with some relief that they reached the back of the caves, an area which Link had not remembered from his last visit, for the strange feeling was not present. He remembered Javo mentioning that certain areas had always been covered with ice, and wondered if this was one of those areas. "It feels better here," he announced, but Javo only smiled tolerantly at him and started chipping away at the ice, and eventually both Link and Dark had followed suit.
The work did not readily lend itself to talking. Occasionally he would hear a whisper through the caves, and at one point he had heard a triumphant cry of excitement that made all three of them stop and look around, but most of the noises he heard were those of tools hitting ice, and shards falling to the ground. The Zora were always rather quiet; they tended to focus on the task at hand and not engage in idle chatter, something which Link felt suited him quite well. Dark, though, was struggling with the silence. It was not so much the lack of communication, but the absence of overall sound that was the issue. He was muttering to himself as he swung his icepick at a crystalline structure and cursing softly under his breath whenever he needed to shift positions or aimed incorrectly. Link wanted so desperately to help him in some way; even if it were just to muffle his words with other sounds, but he did not get his wish until he finally made his way through the ice and snow to see the wall beneath.
"Javo," he said cautiously, breaking the silence around them. He was leaning over the wall he had just cleared, wiping away the last thin layer of snow that shook onto the area from above. "Would you mind taking a look at this?"
At once, Javo set down his icepick, coming over to peer over Link's shoulder at the carving he had found. "Why, that?" he asked in mild surprise, placing a gentle finger on the wall next to it. "That is a dragon."
That was exactly what Link had thought, for he could think of no other creature that would have smoke swirling up from its nostrils that would not also be considered a monster, but he still found it too unusual a coincidence to have found it in this cave. "Why is it here?" he pressed. "I thought this was a somewhat guarded and sacred area. It seems an odd place to find such drawings."
"It is certainly a sacred area - or, at least, I would assume it was before it was frozen over. But that does not necessarily make it an unusual place to find artwork such as this." From the areas surrounding them, Link could see other Zora slowly making their way over to them, as if drawn in by the sound of voices. Even Dark had propped up his icepick on the wall beside him, crossing his arms and listening intently. "Do you know the history of dragons in Hyrule?" Link shook his head, and the Zora smiled.
"Long ago, before Hyrule even existed, there were three golden goddesses. It is said that upon seeing the chaos that would befall the land, they granted us the gift of life - wisdom, courage, and power - to combat that chaos. Once their tasks had been completed they created the Triforce, a gift for all humanity. This part of the tale, though, I assume you already know."
The Zora had gathered into a small crowd by this time, and they all nodded or smiled in response. No one could grow up in Hyrule and not hear the tales of the golden goddesses at some point.
"But," Javo raised one finger triumphantly. "That is not where the story ends. After they had left us to our own devices for some time, they became concerned about how their children were faring. And so they decided to return to the land, disguised as spirits who would grant protection to those who were worthy. These spirits took the form of dragons, and they would sail silently through the sky, gracing the people with their presence.
"Over time, these particular dragons became well-known, and were worshipped much the same as the goddesses would be. But again, after a time they departed. Their presence in this world brought about other dragons. Some were benevolent and protected the people, while others challenged them and had to be dealt with. These days, dragons are largely regarded as myths - but some still strongly believe that the golden goddesses will return once again as the dragons, or even perhaps as spirits of another type, when Hyrule most needs them."
He bowed his head, and the Zora around him broke out into polite applause as he signaled the end of the story. Link, though, regarded him with a mildly interested stare, and simply said, "I saw statues of dragons in the Water Temple."
Dark looked at him with a start as he remembered that Biggoron had specifically mentioned a dragon statue in the Water Temple, and that indeed Link had gone there. Yet with everything that had happened since his return, he had never asked him what happened while he was there, or if he had fulfilled Biggoron's request.
"Yes," Javo replied, not seeming phased in the slightest. "The Water Temple is another sacred area, though reserved more for visiting royalty or special occasions. There are several statues of dragons, the largest of which was said to be a sculpture of Nayru herself, in her dragon form."
"There was an inscription on one of them," Link continued. "But I couldn't read it."
"Ascendit ad caelos dracone sol incipit," Javo repeated solemnly. "It means, 'the dragon ascends to the heavens as the sun begins to set.' I'm sure the inscription would have faded many years ago from the repeated exposure to the water. Shame how our very life force erodes our artifacts over time."
"What does it..." Link begin to ask, but Javo chuckled tolerantly at him, cutting him off.
"What does it mean? Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps it means the dragons will depart this world with us. That is the most popular interpretation. Then again, maybe it just means they don't care to be around during the nighttime. Those who added the inscription are long gone, and we are unable to ask them. In fact, many of our people are not aware it was even there in the first place - I only know because of the training I received to be a guardian of the Water Temple."
"And if someone were to destroy one of the statues?"
"Destroyit?" This question, it seemed, had finally rattled Javo, and he blinked in confusion at Link. A confused murmur also rippled through the still-gathered crowd of Zora at his words. "No one could possibly...I mean, perhaps if it were an accident...nothing would happen, I suppose," he admitted. "Butwhy? The statue has done no harm to anyone. It is considered a religious object by the Zora, and it would be rather disrespectful to destroy it for no reason."
There was only silence in response, and from the way Link's eyes were cast slightly upwards, Dark could tell he was thinking. He must not have carried out what he had intended, after all. If he had, Dark knew that Link would be honest about what he had done, and no doubt would be apologizing.
"Why, indeed," Link murmured at last, looking rather unsettled himself. And then, hanging his head low, he picked up his tools and casually strolled towards the cave's exit, making only the smallest of gestures for Dark to follow him. There was someone outside of Zora's Domain that had a lot of explaining to do.
