What is Courage?

Waking of Saturday, March 18, 2017 ~ 5

What is Courage?

I had thoroughly explored the Domain, and there were two roads I had not followed to their ends—because their ends trailed away into mountains and wildlands and I had had enough trekking through the dangerous wilderness for the time being.

But now I had to follow the east road out, which would lead me straight onto Ploymus Mountain.

Laflat met me at the edge of the square.

She knew where I was headed, and she told me there was some fool in the Domain, a diving fanatic, who kept pressuring others into going there as well and diving off Shatterback Point by questioning their courage.

“Oh yeah, Gruve, I know that guy,” I didn’t say.

The problem, she said, was that the mountain was too dangerous—Laflat knew there was a Lynel living somewhere on it, and she often tried to discourage people from going there, but she needed help.

She asked me to take a picture of the Lynel and bring it back to her. That way she said she could better describe it in terrible detail to frighten her fellow Zoras away from going there and doing anything stupid.

Well.... I’m not one to condone fear-mongering.... though I don’t suppose I can blame her. The application of Fear is, time-tested, the easiest and most effective way to control other people, after all.

But she didn’t seem like one to abuse it; this particular fear sounded like it might perhaps be a healthy one. I agreed to help her.

I had been delighted to see Mikau and Lulu Lakes on my map. But as I approached them now and prepared to ascend their many-layered falls under the brooding downpour, they brought me no joy. Just a handful of herbs and a few good frogs I could cook up later.

I had heard of Lynels before. I’d even seen a picture once or twice. I know what your centaurs are now, Joseph.

How big would it be?

Was it fierce?

Did it really carry a sword and shield?

Would I have to wait for it to shoot every single arrow I had to collect? Pick them from the ground?

I gazed up the darkened curtains of water. The sky had been gloomed over so grey, the same color, day and night, for so long. You couldn’t even tell what time it was without looking at a clock.

How soon would I find the Lynel?

Or would it find me first?

“‘Not the absence of fear’,” I reminded myself in a murmur, and speared up the first waterfall.

Zoras, Zoras Everywhere

Waking of Saturday, March 11, 2017 ~ 3

Zoras, Zoras Everywhere

As I crossed the bridge, a female voice called out.

I looked around.

Another Zora, deep red as a plum, poked her head out of the water to my left! She seemed astounded to lay eyes on me. A real Hylian!

Her name was Tona and she said the same thing Ledo had said—Prince Sidon was away at the bridge up the river, and would I please go and help him.

Well, that’s where I was headed. So off I went.

The tower was heavily guarded. I managed to evade most of the resident monsters, but there was one moblin that gave me a bit of trouble as I climbed—he sent me rolling dangerously near a cliff’s edge before I was able to take him down. And the rain certainly didn’t make things easy; all the rocks were too slick to hold on to.

I climbed a tall ladder to a look-out platform and paraglided over a Lizalfos I could see lying in wait, camouflaged to look like the stone. Chameleons....

And the tower was open, and free, and I scaled its sides and rested on its platforms until I finally came out onto the uppermost floor!

Someone shouted in surprise at my appearance.

I looked around.

There was another Zora up here.

“What are you doing up here?” he asked me.

“I could ask you the same!” I said.

His name was Gruve, and he, like his fellows, had been sent out by Prince Sidon to locate a strong Hylian. But, along the way, he had fallen asleep.... only to be woken by a tremendous lot of rumbling and movement, and.... here he was.

Oh no, I realized, he must have been sleeping right on the spot where the tower was buried before it burst out of the ground.

Since then Gruve had been trying to call down to the prince on the bridge far below—for he was too frightened of climbing down or taking an ultra high dive directly into the river—but it seemed Prince Sidon was unable to hear him or help him from his predicament.

“I FOUND A HYLIAN!” Gruve still tried valiantly, which I’m sorry to say made me have to suppress a little grin. Poor guy.

Well, no worries, I was that close it seemed. After uploading the local map (and noting that Lulu and Mikau Lakes were next to each other <3) I HALO-jumped to a very near shrine down off the hill and across the water—where there was another Zora waiting! Her skin was deepest crystal-blue and her voice very even and mature. Torfeau was her name.

I noticed that this one was wearing a bit of armor.

I was getting close it seemed.

Go to the bridge and meet with the Prince, she said, yes, yes, like everyone else, I knew. I looked through my scope toward the bridge and could see, up on one of the spires, yet another Zora waiting, bloodruddy in color, with a thick, muscly build and a many-crested head. He was also wearing a little bit of armor, more intricate and intimidating than Torfeau’s, and was keeping a thorough eye on his surroundings. Maybe a guard there to protect Prince Sidon as he waited for his Strong Hylian.

I was very close now; I would get there soon enough.

But I wanted to take care of this shrine, first....