Neighboring Lands

A Quest To Save An Old Friend

The Chain gets into possession, Sidon already on his way with Wild to fight Vah Ruta. I walk to the water's edge, taking a deep breath as my eyes slide closed, grounding myself for what is to come. Slowly and carefully I take a step forward onto the surface, the water rippling under my boot; with another shaky breath I move my other foot off of solid land, but I do not fall in. Making slow calculated steps on the rippling surface I come to a stop, five feet away from land. My eyes creep open so that I may watch Sidon and Wild as they rush to the raging beast, and dodge the ice Vah Ruta shoots out at them. I chew on my lip as I start channeling my magic; the feeling of it becoming almost palpable in the air, sparks seeming to dance around us, causing the hair on our necks and arms to stand on end. The heavy feeling is almost suffocating, my breath steadying as the air around me starts to turn cold enough to burn our very flesh. The chill caused the Links to take a step back, rubbing their freezing hands together as the cold rain continued to pelt us. Once I see Link dash up a waterfall and shoot out two of the glowing orbs, my eyes slide closed as I raise my arms skyward and start to speak in an unfamiliar language to them; one they have heard rarely and only for massive spells. Spells that usually leave me out for the count. The language, while strange, is hauntingly beautiful; a mixture of soft vowels, firm hard consonants, and rolling Rs all flowing into one another as if a slow-moving river meeting a breathtakingly harsh waterfall that will plummet them into the welcomed unknown. The language feels ancient and mystical, yet seems to draw them into its mysteries, a sirens song.

My arms start to sway in time with my hips as I sway atop the rippling water, " use my body as the vessel to freeze all before me." Ice creeps down my fingertips, consuming my flesh in its wake, a blue tint taking over my skin and lips as I start to physically freeze. My clothing starts to stiffen as ice crystals make their home on my soaked clothing, and the rain around me starts to turn into a thin sheet of ice, falling to the ground and shattering. "Let ice run through my veins and spring forth consuming all in my path, so that they may become a path to propel me forward". The Ice continues its path from my arms, down my chest, and waits; the movement of my hips halts as the ice thickens around it and creeps down my legs into the water. Clouded eyes snap open to see how far along Wild and Sidon are; seeing only two orbs remaining and Wild in the air to strike, Vah Ruta in the perfect location. My hands slam downwards as I crotch, ice shattering from my body at the sudden harsh movement, but is quickly replaced as the air around me freezes further; rain has frozen like icicles held suspended within the air. "Freeze!" Ice shoots forth rapidly, snaking through the water and building a bridge to the ancient beast as Wild falls into the water and quickly climbs onto Sidon's back. Vah Ruta lowers into the water with a final howl of anger, the rain halting with its momentary defeat.

The ice reaches them just in time, forming a sloped ramp-up to board the low ledge of Vah Ruta creating a stable, yet slippery pathway for us. My blue lips tremble as I turn to look at the Links behind me, the sound of shattering ice and the scratches of intact ice reverberating in the air around us, from the movement. My voice struggles through my dry throat and blue lips, yet I do not feel the cold, nor the thick layer of ice that has made its home on me. My breath forms small clouds as I speak, "Let's hurry across before the ice brakes as Vah Ruta awakens." I start to rise to stand straight, ice shattering and raining down from me, I try to move my legs only to see them stuck in a formation of ice from the ankle down, my left knee stuck in it as well, pinning it to the surface of the frozen water. "Oh, that's not good."

Quickly Time pulls out his blade, sending the others along, telling them we will catch up. He kneels down and uses the hilt of his sword to break through the ice, before scooping me up over his shoulder and sprinting across the slippery surface. I bounce on his shoulder as more and more ice rains off of my partially frozen body. "Once aboard the beast, we'll get a fire going. You're freezing." Time's voice is calm while his heart is anything but, pounding as adrenaline is pushed through his veins.