Darunia leaned over Link, holding the torch so the young man could see what he was doing. He was busy tying his arm into a sling with his teeth. The Goron could tell he was exerting himself; he had not often seen the youth sweat, and now his brow was laced with it. The Master Sword lay by his side, firelight glinting off its polished surface.

"Brother," Darunia said nervously. "Maybe I’m mistaken, but isn’t your left arm your sword arm?"

Link grunted in reply, his blue eyes flickering up to glance at the Goron.

"I thought so," said Darunia, even more nervous than he had been a moment before. "How, then, do you plan to fight? You haven’t forgotten that you’re the only one who can wield the Master Sword, are you?"

"Of course not. Watch," said Link. He picked up the Master Sword with his right hand as he got to his feet. He managed to perform several elaborate sword motions before the blade clattered to the floor.

"We’re all going to die, aren’t we?" the Goron asked, his voice soft.

"NO!" Link shouted. "If you think I’m going to give up a second chance, you’re wrong."

He picked up his sword again and motioned for Darunia to follow him. The pair continued down the hall until they came upon Rauru and the women, who were resting by a drainage grate. Link heard the faint trickle of water, but there was none to be found.

"I’m thirsty," Saria whispered.

Darunia hoisted her up onto his broad shoulder. "We are all hungry, thirsty and tired; but if we find a way out, then we can eat drink and rest to our hearts’ content! Hold on just a little longer, young Saria! We will soon be out of this treacherous place! We will dance to the songs of the forest all night long!"

The little girl nodded, but she could not hide the somber expression on her face. Link’s heart sank when he saw it, for he felt, though he tried to be optimistic, that Saria would never again taste the cool refreshment of water, nor hear the sweet songs of the forest ever again.

He sighed and stared down the long, dark and seemingly endless corridor. He found it strange that they had not yet come across a fork in the path. The guard had called it "The Maze", had she not? If so, then where, exactly, was the maze?

What sort of maze was this?

The ceiling rumbled again. Link showered down on Link’s head, covering his hair with a chalky grey powder. Ruto stood up and started to wander down the hall. Link followed behind the others, on the lookout as always.

He jumped when Ruto suddenly screamed up ahead. He ran past the rest of his alarmed friends until he reached Ruto’s side. She was on the floor, sobbing and shivering, next to a large grate. Link looked in and saw sharks swimming in the murky water.

"I can’t go any farther," she said, gazing up at him with pitiful, watery eyes. "I just can’t walk across that grate."

"Don’t be ridiculous," growled Link. "You’re going to let a couple of caged sharks prevent your escape?"

"SHARKS EAT FISH!" Ruto exploded.

"Calm down," Link ordered. "If you start yelling, the whole place is going to fall down on us. If you want to stay here, that’s up to you, but we’re not waiting. It’s your choice."

He motioned for the others to continue. They hurried across the grate, the sharks snapping at them from far below. When Ruto again refused to move, Link shrugged and followed them.

"Link… wait," Ruto moaned. She shakily rose to her feet. "I’m coming. Just don’t leave me!"

"See? They can’t hurt you, Ruto," said Link. He stepped forward so she could take his arm. "Hurry across, the others are waiting."

He dropped his sword on the floor and took Ruto’s hand. He squeezed it when he felt it shaking, and she seemed to calm down somewhat. She tentatively walked onto the grating – and then it started to open with a loud clanging noise.

She screamed and grabbed onto his waist, preventing any chance of escape. As they both plummeted to the waters below, Link grabbed onto the edge of the grating with his good hand. He tried to pull both himself and Ruto up, but it didn’t help when the Zora princess was screaming bloody murder into his posterior.

"Ruto!" Link roared. "Shut up, for the love of Farore! I can’t help you unless you stop screaming!"

Her screams were reduced to a dull whimpering. Link’s muscles tightened as he tried to pull both the princess and himself to safety. It didn’t take long for his arm to start aching. He felt Ruto slipping down his body, putting a huge weight on his hips.

"Link…" she whimpered. "I can’t hold on…"

"Yes, you can," Link said firmly. "Try to climb up my body."

"I can’t…"

"Ruto, please," he begged. "If you don’t, I’m just going to let go. There’s no point of hanging here if you’re not going to help me help you."

After a moment of silence, he felt her move again. Her hands clamped around his torso, climbing steadily upwards. Her legs were wrapped around his knees.

"That’s good," he said encouragingly.

"Link, I can’t do it," Ruto repeated. She slid back down to his hips, whether on purpose or by accident, he didn’t know. "I’m not strong enough for this!"

"Well, neither am I!" Link snapped.

It was then that a shark jumped out a Ruto. She screamed and let go of him in her surprise, crashing to the water below. He heard some ferocious ripping sounds, then all was quiet once more. Breathing heavily, he glanced down to find that the murky water was clouded with blood.

He was not sure how long he hung there before Darunia appeared. He had been thinking of letting go as well, but the Goron pulled him to safety before he could do such a foolish thing.

"I heard screaming," Darunia said, explaining his presence. "Where’s Ruto? I thought she was with you?"

Link pointed to the red waters below. Darunia looked, then grimaced, then glanced at his young friend.

"So she’s dead, then?" he questioned.

"No, Darunia, she’s having a picnic," Link snapped. He brought his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his hand. "I… I couldn’t save her. I’m sorry."

Darunia sighed. "It’s alright, brother. You tried. We can’t expect you to save us all in your condition. We shouldn’t depend on you so much. It’s unfair to put so much weight on your shoulders."

"I don’t mind," said Link quietly. "Well, we can’t do anything about Ruto now, I guess. We should just continue on. How far up are the others?"

"About five minutes down the hall," Darunia said. "It’s strange, but there hasn’t yet been a fork in the path. I have a terrible feeling that something bad is up ahead. Do you know what I mean?"

Link nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."

Darunia hurried off down the hall. Link turned back to the shark pit. He kissed his fingers, then pressed his fingers to his forehead, then let his hand fall to his side.

"Rest in peace princess," he murmured.

He picked up his sword from the ground and started off after Darunia, vowing he would not let Ruto’s fate be the fate of the others.

Author’s Notes: o.o A.Katz Omnipotent King, stop being so observant. Yes, I screwed up last chapter by having Link carrying something with his busted up arm. Let’s just say he’s really amazing and not even a broken arm can stop him.