Chapter Text
"What did I expect to gain from having a heavy, bone-breaking implement on something that's designed to be thrown so it flies back at me?"
Link was in a sore and painful mood as she came up on Riverside Stable; she made a point to step towards the campfire and drop her boomerang into the flame before returning to the counter. "Board for one horse, please," she requested. "And then a bed for the night."
"Sure thing," the man assured her. "Where you headed?"
"Zora's Domain," Link replied.
The man's expression fell. "I don't know if that's a wise idea," he admitted. "They've been having some trouble."
Link narrowed her gaze. "That's part of the reason why I'm going," she insisted, "but... what sort of trouble?"
"All that good water has been polluted by some kind of mysterious muck," the man explained. "As far as I know, nobody knows where it came from. It's terrible for the Zora, of course, being water folk. I'm not sure how they'll manage."
Mysterious muck that nobody know where it came from? Link turned towards the wetlands with concern. Oh, no... Don't tell me it's...
It was not.
In hindsight, Link wasn't sure why she thought it was; enough time had passed since the Upheaval for most people to be fully aware of the gloom and what sort of problems it posed. As she came up on the road to Zora's Domain, she knew immediately that it wasn't gloom, or Malice. This muck didn't smoulder or boil, but simply sat, unliving; it did not bear the sinister, malevolent hues of crimson and black, but was more of an ill green, clearly unhealthy but not seeking out to harm. The river itself was an unpleasant colour, as well - and after a moment, Link saw a glob of the same sludge fall from on high, sinking into the river.
Someone else was at the edge of the first puddle as Link approached, looking most displeased at what lay before him. "What is this thick, muddy gunk, anyways? Ugh, and these stones are blocking the road. This isn't good..."
"Hey," Link prompted, stepping towards him. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," he insisted, "but the road's blocked!" After a moment, Link recognized the man as someone she'd seen in Zora's Domain before. "So many travelers turned back - of course they would. If you're not a bird or a fish, you have to follow this path to get to the Domain. But I have to get there! Finley's waiting for me!"
"It's Sasan, right?" Link asked. "I've got business in Zora's Domain, too - and I'm not gonna let a little gunk stop me." She glanced at the puddle they were standing before. "If this isn't Malice, then maybe..."
She fingered her Purah Pad for a moment, causing something to appear in one hand - a so-called 'fruit' that was more like a mass of water contained in a skin, thick enough to keep its shape but thin enough to burst if thrown. Link drew the fruit back and pitched it into the puddle... and as it burst, it seemed to dilute the sludge, leaving it thinning away until there wasn't enough to be seen through the grass.
Sasan started. "Huh? Just... water?"
"Looks like it," Link observed. "But clear water." She eyed the river. "They said the Zora's waters have been polluted - which means the river's not gonna cut it." She turned to Sasan. "Come on, let's get you to the Domain."
Link ended up doing most of the fighting herself, owing to Sasan's lack of combat skill - but his giant bag full of splash fruits were more than reason enough for Link not to leave him behind. Even so, the trek took a long while - most of the clear land paths had collapsed, and those that hadn't were littered with gunk that didn't seem to hinder the monsters as much as the Hylians (tossing a fruit in the direction of a monster seemed like a bad enough idea that Link insisted he let her struggle until the creatures were dead).
She couldn't even imagine what a horrible situation the Zora must be in, if it was this bad on a Hylian.
It was an overnight trip that almost ended on a foul not - Luto's Crossing had a Boss Bokoblin leading a squad on patrol, and the far end needed to be climbed - but Zora's Domain was finally visible as the day broke. The home stretch had only a couple Lizalfos for Link to dispose of, and Sasan ended up bidding her thanks and sprinting into the Domain ahead of her as Link caught her breath. The community was absolutely filthy with sludge; the spring upon which the Domain was built seemed clear enough, but the waterfalls that surrounded the domain seemed to be clouded a sickly green.
A group of Zora women were standing before the statue in the plaza, which was itself covered in sludge as well; two were of rather dark scale, while one had scales of bright gold.
"...sorry. Everyone has been treated now, but we've used up all the splash fruit."
"There were more injuries than anticipated. Please accept my apology."
"You have nothing to apologize for. You did what had to be done. More importantly, I am grateful that everyone is alright. Now if only we could do something about that statue..."
Link cleared her throat lightly to draw their attention. "Something the matter?"
The group turned. "Are you a traveler?" asked the gold Zora. "I am sorry I didn't notice you until now."
"Not to worry," Link insisted. "Sounds like the situation here is even worse than it seemed at first glance." Her gaze fell. "Is it just me, or is this gunk..."
"Falling from the sky," the gold Zora confirmed. "Things have finally calmed down, at least for the moment. However, this place remains covered in sludge."
Link reached for the Purah Pad. "You mentioned you were out of splash fruit? I've got a good stock."
"Oh, no," the gold Zora protested, "you needn't-"
"I do need to," Link insisted. "At least let me clean up the statue."
A fruit appeared in her hand, and she pitched it towards the statue; sure enough, the sludge thinned, revealing the form of Lad-
Huh?
Link was baffled when the statue was revealed; gone was the elegant Zora princess with trident in hand. The statue that stood there now showed a much more muscular Zora, posed such that he seemed to be soaring at an upward angle - and there was a shorter figure upon his back, clad in scale mail with noticeable fins upon it.
"Oh! Thank you," praised one of the dark-scaled women. "That statue is a symbol of hope for the Domain."
"A symbol of hope?" Link echoed. "This is... me and Sidon?"
"What?" The other looked back and forth between Link and the statue for a moment before starting. "Wait... You're... Sir Link?! The swordswoman of legend?!"
Link coughed abruptly, surprised at the remark. "Legend?" she echoed. "Um...?"
"Ahem!" The less excitable of the two looked rather upset. "Please remember to mind your manners, Chroma."
"Yes! Sorry, Khira!" Chroma looked very awkward all of a sudden. "Please accept my apology."
"It's fine," Link insisted. "Though I take it you three are new in Lanayru, if you weren't here for the chaos with Ruta?"
"Yes," confirmed the gold Zora. "Please pardon our rudeness. I have heard mention of you nearly every day since I first arrived at this domain. I am Prince Sidon's fiancée. My name is Yona."
Her words had Link double-taking. "Fiancée?" She smiled. "Well, now I feel bad for the dirt nap. A pleasure to meet you, your Grace."
"And I am truly honoured to have the opportunity to meet you, Sir Link," Yona returned. "I had heard that you were missing along with Princess Zelda. If I may ask, what brings you here?"
"Well, I'd like to help with the situation around here," Link admitted, "but I'd be lying if I said that was the only reason I made the trek. Me and Zelda 'went missing' after we went to investigate the gloom underneath Hyrule Castle. We found something hideous and monstrous under there - and as it happens, Zelda's still unaccounted for."
"Oh, dear," Yona bemoaned. "And so now you are travelling the kingdom to investigate. Feel free to stay at the Domain for as long as you see fit to carry out your investigation." She smiled. "If you do not mind, I also ask that you please go and meet with Sidon. I am certain he would be delighted to see you. He will be found at Mipha Court, at the peak of Ploymus Mountain."
The name brought a soft smile to Link's face. "Well, glad to hear they didn't just replace her." Her face fell. "Wait, Ploymus... You mean Shatterback Point? Lynel territory?"
Yona offered a smile of her own. "Not anymore."
After a power nap at the inn (that ended with a wakeup at nightfall), Link discovered that climb up Ploymus Mountain on foot, rather than via waterfall, was an absolute pain. Even with Rauru's ability to Ascend upward through the rock, she had a lot of climbing and walking to do; the sun was rising again by the time she reached the mountaintop. The sight, however, was worth it - although still stained with sludge as was the Domain proper, Mipha Court was a beautiful place that ascended up towards Shatterback Point, with the Zora Princess' statue perched atop it all to overlook the place.
The muscled figure whose likeness was portrayed at the Domain was standing in the waters of the court; a pale light flowed from his hands, and Link noticed a sizeable flow of sludge in the corner of that pool was not spreading through the water. As she stepped forward, her feet splashed in the water, drawing the Zora's attention; he looked like he couldn't believe his eyes as he made to approach.
"Is it... really you?"
Link smiled. "Hey," she greeted. "Sorry it took me so long to check up on you."
There was a moment longer of shock; then Sidon swept his arms out at his sides, beaming. "It's good to see you, my friend!" He exclaimed. "I received word that you had gone missing, and was beside myself with concern! Whatever could have transpired?"
"Long story," Link admitted. "When me and Zelda went to check on Hyrule Castle, we found a really deep cave - with Zonai ruins, and a mummy who the gloom seemed to be coming off of. Then it woke up, and... well, people call it the Upheaval." She shook her head. "Me and Zelda got split up, and I woke up on a giant sky island - a couple months later, as it happened."
Sidon reached for his head. "A sky island... Could it be that the sky is the key to everything after all?"
Link double-took. "Sorry?"
"Ah, my apologies," Sidon insisted. "I have actually been wondering if those floating sky islands could be the source of the falling sludge. I have tasked a Zora historian with investigating ruin fragments and all historical documents for any information." His gaze fell. "As for me, I am not at liberty to leave this spot at present, as I am uniquely qualified to deal with the sludge here."
"I noticed you seemed to be doing something," Link admitted. "Care to elaborate?"
"Well, you see..." The Zora prince turned to look over the court. "We created Mipha Court to overlook the source of the water that flows into Zora's Domain. A spring so high that there is no upstream for anything to sully it - or so we thought." He raised a hand outward, and that light emerged from it again. "With my power to manipulate water, I must separate the sludge from our water in order to clean it. If I cease, then the sullied water will flow into our beloved home, and there will be much pain and suffering. That is why I cannot afford to leave here, no matter what."
Link sighed. "The lives of your people... That's a hell of a burden to carry."
Sidon glanced back at Link. "It is a small weight, compared to the continued existence of Hyrule in its entirety."
"Fair enough."
"Say, Link..." Sidon sounded pensive. "Does it not seem that Princess Zelda's whereabouts might be related to the floating sky islands and the ruins?"
"...Now that you say that," Link admitted, "my search so far has all been on the surface level. I never really thought that she might have ended up on a sky island."
"That being the case," Sidon insisted, "perhaps you should go and speak with our historian Jiahto. It is quite possible he could provide you with some useful information. At present, you should be able to find him continuing his investigation at Toto Lake."
"Toto Lake," Link recalled. "That's the one just north of the Domain, right? I'll be right there."
She started up the Mipha Court, but Sidon's call interrupted her. "Link!" She turned to find a smile on his face, despite the situation. "I hope you know that I am truly happy to see you again after such a long time apart."
Link smiled back at him. "The feeling's mutual," she agreed. "And congrats on the engagement."