Cologne landed on the small island, next to an old tree. She looked across the decreased waters of Lake Hylia with a sigh.
"Just what is Ganondorf doing to this world?" she mumbled. "We wanted to leave the desert so we could live in a pleasant world, a paradise with gentle meadows and refreshing lakes... but all he did was to upset the balance of nature. The volcano had grown uncontrollable while Volvagia was alive, the forests have been ravaged by his minions, the rivers have been frozen... and now this lovely lake is slowly running dry. What for? Just so he can prove his power? Doesn't he have enough?"
She shook her head. "I need to keep a close eye on that so-called 'Dark Link'. Ganondorf and the twins never told me his true origins, only that he is loyal and that he is supposed to watch over the beast known as Morpha. But what if Morpha gets out of control? If all the water in the kingdom freezes or runs dry, Hyrule will turn into a second desert."
Suddenly, a shining light appeared behind her. She turned around to see four youngsters stepping out of the light. She recognized them as soon as she saw them. Those two forest kids that had troubled her master for such a long time, that cursed boy who was also the elder Zora princess and... her great-granddaughter. She also noticed how Shampoo and two of her new friends were wearing blue Zora Tunics.
They looked around. "Is this Laky Hylia?" the girl with the huge spatula wondered.
Then, the blonde boy noticed her and drew his blade. "It's another one of these ancient hags!" he shouted. The others jumped to attention.
"Sheathe your sword, boy!" Cologne said in a bored voice. "I'm not here to fight you."
Shampoo gasped. "Great-grandmother? What... what you doing here?"
Cologne glared at her. "I see that you still haven't managed to learn a better Hylian, huh? I thought that hanging around Hylians all the time would help you with that..."
"This... is your great-grandmother?" Link wondered.
"It's the old ghoul, all right!" Ranko growled. "Listen up, Cologne, the only reason why I'm not trying to kill you right now is that you are a relative of my fiancee... but I don't know how long I can restrain myself, so why don't you just buzz off?"
"As rude as always, son-in-law," Cologne huffed. "Hasn't the Zora lifestyle taught you some manners? I have come here for my personal reasons. And I take it you have come to stop Morpha, haven't you?"
"Who or what is Morpha?" Ukyo asked.
"The creature responsible for this drought," Cologne explained. "That's all I can tell you. You shouldn't be here, do you know that?"
"Why? Because your master told you so?" Link asked. He still hadn't sheathed his sword.
"It is true that I am supposed to tell him of everything that could threaten his plans... but I don't think I will inform him right away. Instead, I am giving you a chance."
"A... chance?" Shampoo wondered. "What you mean, great-grandmother?"
"A chance to leave while you still can," Cologne said. "You might be able to overcome the dangers of this temple, and maybe even beat Morpha and the other dark minion that is waiting for you... but you will never be able to defeat Ganondorf!"
"You want us to give up, just like that?" Ukyo snapped. "You've got some nerve if you believe that we listen to you, you wrinkled old mummy!"
"Listen up," Link said in a calm voice and pointed his sword at her. "This is the Master Sword, the legendary blade forged to fight evil, and I will use it to destroy Ganondorf, that's something I swore to myself. We will succeed, and we won't let ourselves be intimidated by your words!"
"You are mere children!" Cologne shouted. "How could you ever hope to face the grand master of evil? He has more power than you could possibly imagine. He has countless minions under his command, not to mention the Gerudo army, the General of Darkness, the Sorceress of Shadows and us, the Gerudo Elders!"
"If we take you down now, one of these problems will be solved, right?" Tatl grumbled.
Shampoo held the angry fairy back. "Great-grandmother," she said. "Shampoo already tell you, I not want to come back as long as Ganondorf is king. Airen taught Shampoo how to be strong and stand up against evil tyrants... and I don't want Gerudos to be pawns of him just because elders are corrupted. Gerudos are proud warriors, and they should know when they are fighting for the wrong side."
Cologne only saw resolution and determination in her great-grandchild's eyes. "Shampoo will fight, even against you, if she has to. But I don't want to hurt you... and you won't stop us from saving Airen's sister. So, please, great-grandmother..." She lowered her head. "Honored elder... please do not interfere with our mission... or we must do what we have to do."
Cologne stayed silent for a while. Then she sighed. "You really are a stubborn child, aren't you? Then again, all of you are. Fine, I see that nothing I say would change your mind right now. Go on, do what you want to do. But I am warning you, Shampoo... I am warning all of you. Do not underestimate Ganondorf's powers. If you stand in his way... he will crush you!"
Shampoo was surprised to see that a tiny tear was glinting in the corner of the matriarch's left eye. "And I don't want to lose you either..."
Cologne mounted her broom and took one last look at the group. Her gaze found Ranko's. "Son-in-law, you better protect Shampoo. Unlike me, the creatures that are waiting for you won't hesitate to kill you all."
"I think I'm a much more competent bodyguard than you could ever be, old ghoul!" Ranko spat.
Cologne just frowned at that last remark. She then turned around her broom and flew away.
Ukyo and Link were stunned. "I... didn't know one of the Gerudo Elders was a relative of yours..." Ukyo then said.
"Shampoo left many relatives behind, spatula girl..." Shampoo said sadly. "Sisters, cousins, aunts... and great-grandmother. Shampoo know they not all want to follow Ganondorf... they just too afraid to say otherwise."
"And... is that also the case with Cologne?" Link wondered.
Shampoo didn't reply. Ranko saw how uncomfortable she was. "Um, I think we should hurry and find the entrance to the temple," she said. "I fear for Ruto's safety..."
"Airen is right," Shampoo nodded. "Shampoo ready to try out blue armor."
"I guess there's no way around this, is there?" Ukyo sighed. "Oh well..." She held her nose and jumped directly into the clear waters below. Shampoo and Link did the same, the fairies surrounded themselves with magical bubbles before following them, and the Zora princess once again leapt into the water with an elegant dive.
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(Posted Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:43)
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