The Legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time

Lord Jabu Jabu

Chapter 15

Lord Jabu Jabu

Navi cried out, driven by a desperate need to protect Link. His screams pierced her heart like tiny knives. He thrashed and screamed as three Zora held him down. Ruto was also yelling, but Navi's attention remained on Link as one of the Zoras retrieved something from a satchel secured to its belt. It was a small tube covered by a protective sheath.

A dart.

"Stop!" Navi screeched, her initial shock swiftly transforming into outrage. "Don't you dare hurt him!"

Navi dashed towards the Zora holding the dart, her diminutive form colliding with his eye in a tiny burst of magic. It disrupted his focus, causing the warrior to blanch and stumble backward, the dart tube still in his hand. He nearly fell over, clutching his eye.

"Please," Navi's voice cracked, raw with desperation. "Listen to me! He's done nothing wrong! Don't hurt him!" Her wings vibrated frantically, seeking a flicker of understanding in the Zoras' stony faces, but they remained impassive, masks of silent disapproval.

One Zora took notice of her—the one she'd struck. Cold fury filled his eyes, a malice that Navi realised too late. Before she could react, the Zora's hand was swinging towards her.

SMACK!

The world exploded in a blinding flash of pain. Navi spun through the air, the world a blur of colour and pain. She couldn't move her wings or slow her descent, plummeting straight towards the sodden earth. She struck the ground beside a tall oak. Only the damp, muddy earth and fallen leaves spared her from the worst. For a time, pain pinned her down, each breath a spasm of agony that tore through her frail form, her face pressed against the forest floor.

With considerable effort, Navi tried to push herself upright. Her body screamed with pain—it was as if tiny needles were being driven into her back. Eventually, she collapsed back onto the muddy earth. She lay there for some time, willing herself to breathe through a haze of pain.

As Navi regained clarity, she noticed the glade was now eerily silent in the wake of Link's screams.

Link!

What had they done to him?

With considerable effort, she forced herself onto her side, enduring the paralysing pain as she surveyed the scene. Link lay unconscious on the ground, surrounded by vigilant guards.

The Zora princess—Navi's only potential ally—was engaged in a heated exchange with Grop, oblivious to the fairy's plight.

"Ruto, I'm trying to protect you!" Grop insisted. "You can't trust anything in this forest! How many of your tutors have told you exactly that?" He nodded to a Zora, who presented Ruto with a small bottle of liquid. "You've endured a terrible ordeal," he said, adopting what could have passed as a soothing tone. "This will help you until we can get a healer to look at you."

One Zora positioned themselves behind Ruto, holding her firmly, while another tilted her head back, administering the liquid.

"Princess, don't make this any more difficult," Grop pleaded, his tone marked by sincerity. "We're trying to protect you. Just hold still, and you'll be back home by the time you wake up."

Ruto seemed to have a hard time believing him, gagging and struggling to break free of her guardians. Considering her recent torment at the hands of the Blin, her thrashing was unsurprising, but Navi could see she was losing strength. An uneasy tension settled among the river folk, their anxious eyes betraying discomfort as they exchanged uneasy glances.