(A/N) I hope this chapter turns out more exciting than the last one. I certainly had to do a lot of YouTube viewing for this one. I am playing the game as I'm writing this but I already did the Fire Temple and couldn't remember the little details. Also, I realize it took a while but I finally got Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and find myself playing it for hours every day. As a result I'm kind of in a Kingdom Hearts mood but not quite.
In the Pit of a Palisade
Ralis stepped out of the shop with his new tunic. It wasn't as expensive as he thought it would be. It cost him two hundred rupees. His wallet held six hundred and had been full for quite a while. Now all he had to do was switch his green tunic with the red one. He looked around to make sure no one was around and didn't find Link. "He must not be back from changing yet." He shrugged before taking off the green clothing. "I probably shouldn't wear chainmail in there…" He said taking that off as well.
"What are you doing?" Navi gasped.
"Changing. Where do you keep on coming from?" Ralis asked slipping on the red tunic.
"Link asked me to come find you. I didn't think you'd be changing right out in the open."
"I have an undershirt and pants on. What does it matter?"
"It doesn't." The fairy answered. "I'm just not used to it."
He finished fastening the belts back into their positions and attaching the scabbard and the shield onto his back while walking off rolling his eyes. He was pretty sure at this point that Navi was simply a prude and found a lot of things improper. He'd changed in public places before. No one had a problem with it back in Hyrule. He never went so far as to completely strip in any place where someone could see him; it was obvious that he couldn't do that.
"So where's Link?" He asked stretching. It'd been a while since he'd last gone without chainmail. It wasn't too heavy when he had it on but when taken off there was a big difference.
"He should be here momentarily. I thought it would take longer to find you."
"The shopkeeper didn't mind me changing in front of his store." Ralis shrugged. "It's no different than changing a jacket."
"Right." Navi replied defensively. "I knew that."
"Then why do you keep bringing it up?" He smirked.
The conversation had potential to turn into a lengthy argument but was ended right then and there when Link hopped down to them. The fairy flew behind him and didn't reappear. Ralis had been curious as to where she always went when she disappeared, he'd been wondering about it for a while. It wasn't something that would drive him crazy; it was just a surprise every time she would pop out. But he still didn't feel like he had the right to ask any questions at this point.
"Is it really bothering you?" Link asked the other blonde.
"Is what bothering me?"
"Changing your name. Do you resent me for it?" He reworded the question but Ralis still had to think about it and found it hard to answer. "You just behaved as though you hated it back there."
'Did I?' Ralis asked himself. He was a little belligerent when they were talking to the Goron. But he never thought Link would take it so seriously. "Don't worry about it. I just need to get used to it. It's nothing that needs to get in the way." He walked away so the topic had to be dropped but didn't get far before he realized he had no idea where they were going.
Link continued to watch him as he walked away. The similarities were really starting to creep him out. The way he talked, the way he walked, his eyes, a fair share of his mannerisms, they were all things he did. Even if they were brothers they would've been separated their entire life. The chances of him being so much like Link were slim if anything at all. It would require them to be raised in a fairly similar manner and what were the odds of that? He had to talk to Rauru as soon as possible. But he didn't know how to contact him. He now knew how to talk to Saria whenever he wanted but there was no song to allow him to speak with the old man. And maybe it wasn't even the sage he needed to talk to but he had to figure this out. There was such a barrier between them at this point. It made him feel like he couldn't talk to his companion. His attitude was telling him to stay away.
'Does he hate me?' Link wondered.
"Are we going to go slay a dragon or what?" Ralis called back over his shoulder.
"Yep." Link answered walking toward a doorway to the north of the shop. "The Goron told me there was a secret entrance in his father's chambers."
He stepped over to what looked like a place-mat before the door and motioned for Ralis to follow; waiting briefly for him to catch up. They both approached a statue that vaguely resembled a Goron. It stood between two torches and was surrounded by markings on the walls around it. Link tilted his head before grabbing it. Ralis decided to simply observe this time and let Link do the heavy lifting. It sounded as though it took a lot of effort but the statue gave way and came loose from the wall. He checked behind it while Link continued to pull and saw that there was a hole. He stepped into the tunnel and saw a dim glow of red on the other end.
"Is that the way in?" Link asked.
"Looks like it." Ralis said turning back to make sure he was following. "It also looks really hot down there. Are these tunics really going to be enough to keep us alive?"
"They should be." Came the short reply.
The two proceeded with caution through the passage and saw the red glow get brighter as they came closer to the mouth of the volcano. The temperature did rise significantly. They could feel it for a short time but it didn't go beyond a certain point. The air was still breathable. Admittedly it got a little heavy but not so much that it bothered them. The tunnel opened up into a crater and the heroes stepped out onto a ledge. There was smoke rising from the lava deep in the pit but they could still see the blackened sky. Ralis saw that the area was filled with planks and bridges. It was almost like a more primitive form of the Goron mines. Beyond a sign here and there it wasn't much to look at. So Link went straight to business by looking for a way to get from the ledge to the broken bridge a few feet away.
There was a post sticking out of the rock above it and it looked like the perfect place to launch onto and land safely. He searched through his things for the Hookshot Dampé had given him, took a moment to aim, and fired. He easily flew across the lava and onto the bridge. Now all he had to do was wait and see if Ralis could make it. It was just beyond the distance he could jump and he could see that it was too far for the other blonde as well. He started to wonder if he was going to have to throw him the Hookshot when Ralis reached back into his pouch again. This time instead of iron boots it was a similar device to what he had used. It was held in the hand but instead of a pointed head it had three large steel claws at the end. When it fired Link watched it fly and stop short on the post. He also noticed the claws wrapped around and gripped the post so that when Ralis was pulled over it didn't just drop him. He hung there momentarily and then released it.
"Good." He said putting away his Hookshot. They moved to proceed but were stopped when something jumped down in front of them. Another blonde wearing a blue outfit similar to Impa's, but less revealing. Most of his face was covered but one red eye was visible while the other was covered by his hair. Ralis reached up and put a hand on his sword but Link grabbed his arm before he could draw it. "No. He's a friend."
Ralis looked at Link and then back at the newcomer. This young man didn't look evil but the fact that he kept his face covered made him look shady. Still, Ralis nodded and relaxed his grip on his sword. Once he finally let it go the young man stood and walked towards them.
"It is something that grows over time… a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time…" He said stopping a few feet away from them. His gaze went to Ralis for a second but then returned to Link. "The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it; you will know which way to go…" He looked at Ralis again as though he was very bothered by the fact that he was there but said nothing of it. "This song is dedicated to the power of the heart… Listen to the Bolero of Fire…"
'Bolero of Fire? Who is this guy?' Ralis frowned.
The red eyed blonde took out a lyre and began to play a sequence of notes. Ralis couldn't make much out of it. He just listened until he stopped playing. It sounded very soothing. And then the instrument changed to that of a wind instrument. He looked next to him to see that Link was playing the song back to the man on a blue ocarina. Then they both started to play the tune harmoniously. Now its sound was even greater and became one of the most beautiful things Ralis had ever heard. He was almost sad when they stopped. Now they both acted as though he were invisible.
"Link…" The young man said putting the lyre away. "I'll see you again…"
The blonde shook his head and stepped forward as though he were going to reach out for him. Ralis saw a spark appear before Link's feet and grabbed him before he could go any further. As soon as he did a wall of fire appeared between them and the other man. Link looked around for a way to get past the fire but there was no time. The third blonde took a few steps back and threw something on the ground which created a blinding light. Once they could see again he was gone along with the fire.
"Why does he always leave?" Link asked looking up in an attempt to find him.
"Link, there's no time to look for him." Ralis answered pointing towards the only path.
Link looked at him a little frustrated but agreed. "You're right. The Gorons need our help."
They walked across the land bridge through the lava and came across a hole in the ground with a ladder going down. Ralis looked down it to confirm that it was too far to jump and followed Link down the ladder. It led to a room comprised of a large staircase and some doors. There were three statues at the top acting as torches with flames spitting out of their mouths. They split up to see how many of the doors were open and how many were locked. In the end there was only one way to go. They ran past the fire Keese and went through the only open door to the left of the statues.
Inside they found a large Goron with white hair jutting out every which way. Ralis only had to guess that it was Darunia. He folded his arms and looked around as Darunia and Link talked. The Goron was on the other side of the room and there was lava in between them so all Link and Ralis could do was listen. The message was pretty much the same as what they'd heard from his son. Ganondorf had awakened Volvagia and was going to sacrifice the entire Goron race as an example to those who might oppose him. It wasn't anything addressed directly to him so he only caught every other word.
Mostly he looked around the room to see what needed to be done. He could see that there was a cell containing a Goron to the left and nothing to the right. There were pillars rising up from the lava close enough to jump to. If they were there it was worth exploring the area. Then again, he didn't see a treasure chest. There were only jars. Looking up, there was a pillar coming out of the ceiling. 'That probably needs to come down somehow.'
Darunia had already disappeared behind the door and locked it behind him not wanting the two boys to follow him. He was a little concerned about the outcome of his fight but not enough to allow others to be hurt when it was his duty to act. It was also a curious thing to see two boys appear instead of only Link. He had only known what to say to the boy he'd met seven years ago and having the other there was unnerving to say the least. Link had never struck him as the sort of person to ask for help. He looked more like the type to go it alone. But it was none of his business. He had other matters to deal with.
After the Goron had gone Link jumped onto the right ledge being several steps behind Ralis; who had to wait for Link. It wouldn't be fitting for him to open the cell and proceed without his partner. He wasn't exactly sure what his boundaries were but it was safe to assume that was overstepping them. Besides, he didn't want to completely deprive Link of any opportunity just because he got there first. His role was simply to provide back up if it was needed. Or that's the way Navi made it sound. And the last thing he wanted to do was make Link feel inadequate in comparison.
It didn't take long for Link to return to the center of the room. He didn't even appear to notice that Ralis hadn't followed him. "What's the matter?" He asked.
"Nothing. I was just thinking." He looked down at Link's hand to see him putting a bottle away. The light glow of it was a dead give away that he'd found a fairy in one of the jars. "Ready to go on?"
"Sure." Link shrugged walking past the blonde and hopping to the closest pillar on the left.
Ralis waited a minute before following after him. The interior of the temple was very hot even with the tunic on. It was just as bad as the Goron Mines but at least they had a hot spring and even rooms inside the temple were filled with cooling water. He highly doubted this place had anything like that. There was no sign of water in the city and it would've had to be coming from somewhere. His thoughts led him back to the wound on his neck. It was of little consequence but he realized there was no way to clean it if it started to bother him in here.
He jumped across to the ledge Link was now on and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Link had already discovered a button set in the floor and jumped on it opening the cell. The Goron looked confused and a little slow in the head.
"Are you releasing me? Am I free to go?" He asked rubbing his head.
"You are. Get out of here as fast as you can." Link answered stepping aside. "Don't worry about the others. They'll follow you as quickly as we find them."
"Alright." The Goron nodded striding out of the cell. He stopped next to Ralis with a questioning look. "Who are you? I don't know you as a brother."
"I am traveling with Link and I go by the name of Ralis for the time being. I am not a brother of the Gorons in this kingdom but rest assured I have gained their respect where I come from. You and your brethren are no strangers to me."
The Goron still looked confused but nodded again. "In order to get into the room where Darunia went, you have to do something about the pillar stuck in the ceiling." He said before leaving through the door they'd come in. Ralis smirked after he'd left. These Gorons were a lot simpler and silly than the ones he'd had to wrestle to gain entrance to the mine.
"What did he say?" Link asked pocketing a small key he'd found in a chest inside the empty cell.
"He confirmed that we need to knock down that pillar…" Ralis pointed. "That way we'll be able to jump across and enter the room Darunia locked himself in."
"There's probably a room above that will allow us to do that." Link mused, jumping back to the ledge with the door. "For now we'll simply have to free the Gorons while we search."
Once back in the main room, they now had a key to get them inside the door adjacent to their current position. The Fire Keese were on the ground stunned from what looked like a good punch from a Goron. Ralis rubbed just below his sternum and grimaced. He felt their pain, it wasn't pleasant. And since they were so small they'd probably be stunned for hours perhaps even a day.
The next room was filled with stone slabs propelled by blasts of flame and still filled with lava. A wooden bridge extended all the way across the length of the chamber and Link went charging across it. He came to a gap in the planks with a stone slab beneath it. He jumped down onto it and waited for one to be propelled towards him. Soon he made it to the right side of the room and into a hidden door by the use of a bomb. Inside was another cell holding a Goron.
Meanwhile Ralis stayed on the bridge and waited. Link had taken off so quickly once again it was as though he didn't need his help at all. Which he probably didn't. But he was better off doing this rather than sitting around and letting Link do everything. 'It couldn't hurt to go through the door on the left, could it?' He asked himself heading in that direction. But there was always the possibility that Link was in trouble and if he didn't go check now it might be too late. 'What if Ganondorf decides to make another appearance?' His eyes widened slightly. That was a terrifying thought. He glanced at the door Link had gone through and a second later a Goron came out of it. 'He's okay.' Ralis told himself going through his own door.
Inside was another cell and another Goron. For whatever reason it was sleeping even though the situation was grave. Ralis had to wonder how it had accomplished something like that. It could be eaten at any moment by a horrific dragon and it was sleeping.
"Wake up!" Ralis shouted jumping onto the switch to make the bars open. The sound of metal scraping across stone made the Goron utter a groggy sound. "C'mon! The door's open!"
"What?" The Goron asked. "Really?"
"Yes. We've come to save you." The blonde answered.
The Goron got up and stared. "Are you Link?" He said behaving like the others. "You've grown so big."
"No." Ralis shook his head. "I'm not Link. He's somewhere else in the temple saving the rest of you. Please hurry."
"Thank you!" The Goron said gleefully running out of the cell and disappearing out the door.
There was a small treasure chest inside this cell as well. It also contained a small key like the last one did. "I'll have to give that to Link…" He sighed. He walked down the hall and stuffed the key into his pouch. When he opened the door he was only able to take a few steps before he noticed he couldn't leave. There was a large stone block blocking the entrance. "Hey!" This had never happened before. He ran up and tried to push it but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried. "Is anyone out there? Link!" He shouted pounding on the stone. "Link!"
In the meantime, Link was upstairs in a room made of tiles and battling a Like Like. He was doing his best to stay away from the gelatinous creature. He'd gotten too close when he first entered the room and only avoided being eaten when Navi screamed at him. Now he stayed a yard away from it at all times and had no idea how to beat it. Navi had scared him so much that he didn't dare to get any closer. Defending wouldn't do him any good. This thing could swallow him whole. It was basically a mouth. "Wait." Link told himself. "This thing is a mouth. That means it will eat a bomb!" He said throwing one at it. It actually didn't eat the bomb as expected. But the bomb went off right at its base and made it fall over. Still not wanting to get near it he just threw another bomb at it. He was very relieved when it melted away. It allowed him to focus on the Gold Skulltula he'd spotted on the wall. Killing it would help him get even closer to breaking the curse on the family in Kakariko Village.
"What happened to Ralis?" Navi asked following him back out to the bridge room.
"I'm not sure. I hope he didn't go too far." Link answered jumping down onto the stone block he'd moved to get up into that room. And he was very surprised when it made a noise after he got down. "What's that?" He asked putting his ear up next to it. The sound was a little muffled but he could still make it out.
"Link! Get this rock out of the way!" Ralis shouted. He was so glad to hear that Link was actually there. He'd thought he was going to be stuck in there until he died of starvation.
"How did you get in there?" Link gasped getting out his ocarina. He played the Song of Time hastily but it was still enough to magically move the stone block. The other red clad boy came running out of the small hall as soon as he could. He looked a little shaken but it would pass. If anything Link was more scared than he was. He could've potentially killed his partner. He now knew he must've moved the block while Ralis was in the room inside. If he'd been distracted Ralis could've been trapped forever. "I'm so sorry." He said over and over.
"I told you not to move that block!"The fairy scolded.
"Not now Navi, please!" Link begged. "I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. Are you mad?"
"No." Ralis said trying his best to smile. He really wasn't mad but he wasn't in the best mood yet. "It's alright. We just probably shouldn't get separated again."
"Yes!" Navi piped up. "Stay together!"
The two frowned in response. They had both become accustomed to working alone and it was easy to slip into the old mindset.
They waited a few minutes to allow Ralis time to breathe before continuing. The next room was basically a fire spout shooting up into a hole in the ceiling. There was a block next to it that Link pushed on top of it. They saw that the pressure was still strong enough to push the block up through the hole and they both decided it was safe to ride it upward and see where it led. It was like the stalactites being carried up on the water spouts in the Lakebed Temple.
The block took them to another tiled room with one door to go through. It led to a room where they had to climb up some grating in order to get out. But the bottom of the grating was blocked by fire. They needed to hit a switch in order for the flames to go down briefly so they could climb safely. Before they could get to the switch they had to battle a couple of Torch Slugs. Link defeated his easily but Ralis was having some difficulty. These things were different from the slugs he was used to. The ones he'd handled before could be killed easily by coming at it from above; these had a constant flame coming out of their backs. He was careful not to get burned but it still took him a few spin attacks to kill it. By that time Link was already on the other side of the room.
Ralis got over to him just as he was hitting the switch. They both ran as fast as they could over to the grating before the fire could come back on. It was a close call but they were able to make it just before the flames came shooting back out. Ultimately they found themselves in a room like a maze.
"These Temples don't get any easier do they?" Link sighed.
"No. They may get less complex in structure but then the enemies are harder to defeat."
"Are you serious?" Navi groaned. "This is almost brutal."
"It's the way it works." Ralis shrugged. "If there was no challenge there would be no growth." He took a step out into the maze but instantly jumped back when a giant boulder rolled by. "Rolling rocks. How charming." He said sarcastically. "They're definitely not making it easy for you."
"It looks like there are even switches on top of the walls." Link said looking up.
"But I think there are still some Gorons on this floor. We need to stay together."
"Don't you think it'll be alright if I go left and you go right?" Link asked. "We can meet back here and I promise not to go through any doors without you."
"I guess that'll be okay…" Ralis looked at Navi. "Is that okay?"
"It can't hurt to try. It would save some time." That fairy answered following Link. He didn't make it very far either. A boulder came rolling right towards him and he was forced to cling against the wall in order to avoid being bowled over. After the rock passed he gave Ralis a thumbs up and continued on out of sight. He could see a Goron close by.
Ralis had found nothing but another Goron and a key. He thought it safe to assume all of the empty cells would contain keys. He'd just have to do the same thing he'd done last time. It still wasn't right of him to hold items. He turned to leave only to find the Goron was still standing there.
"I forgot to tell you!" He said folding his arms. "When you are on fire, you can put it out by swinging your sword or by rolling forward… Did you know that?"
"Uhh… yes. Ever heard of stop, drop, and roll?" Ralis asked.
"No…" The Goron answered with a frown. "Thanks for saving me!"
After the Goron had left he had nothing to do. There was nothing else on this side of the room. He had to go back to the entrance and wait for Link to return. Not that he was complaining. It gave him an opportunity to take a break. The heat of the temple was too intense to ignore forever. He was just glad this room wasn't filled with lava. But the air was still tight. He envied the Gorons at times like this. They didn't seem to even notice the heat.
"These Gorons are so different from the ones in Darbus' tribe." He sighed. They were all a bit childish and didn't look as though they were the very proud race they should've been. He convinced himself that they were simply calm in most situations and that any sort of judgment of them wasn't fair if he hadn't seen them fight. He wasn't there when Ganondorf's men came to drag them to the temple. They probably put up a good fight.
He leaned up against a nearby wall and slumped down. It took a few minutes but he soon heard footsteps and knew it could only be Link. "Find anything?" He asked as the blonde came around the corner. "I found another key."
"Really? So did I." Link said holding his hand out when Ralis offered him the item. "So now we're back up to two. That's great!"
"This place certainly lives up to its name." The younger man groaned. "It's easy to lose focus."
"You're telling me. And we don't even have the map yet." Link answered. "We haven't been here very long but it feels as though it's already been days. I want to get out of here but there's still so much farther to go."
"There's no time for whining!" Navi squawked. "C'mon Ralis! On your feet!"
"Alright, alright. I'm working on it." He mumbled while forcing himself to stand. 'It's probably just the heat but she's starting to get on my nerves.'
Despite the fairy's constant badgering, he did his best to keep a good attitude. She would be a lot more bearable if she went back to her hiding place more often but this wasn't so. Unlike Midna she stayed out and chattered on about nothing. Eventually Ralis tuned it out. He had to. The next door they went through contained a room that was nothing but three interconnecting platforms of rock and a lot of empty space in between. He could see the fall would be a long one if he slipped. Link had already gone ahead of him and shot a target to open another door. He saw that he'd left the door open so that the bars previously over it wouldn't come out. It was still getting them separated but at least Link appeared to be keeping track of it after the incident he'd accidentally put Ralis through.
It wasn't long before Link came back out of the door holding a map. "We do still have quite a few rooms to explore." He sighed.
"Why do you wander off all the time?" Ralis asked. It was hard for him to remember he was now traveling with a companion but he figured Link would adjust quickly. Navi made it sound as though he were new at this. Ralis had been journeying with Midna for months and she was connected to his shadow; that was basically alone.
"I don't mean to. Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering. You asked me not to go off alone but you seem to do it a lot."
"I'm sorry. I just thought you'd be alright alone." Link shrugged. "You're stronger than me… for now." He narrowed his eyes slightly but not in anger. He looked more determined than anything.
Of course he did. The two of them were young men after all. And as much as Ralis had thought he was the stronger one he wasn't so sure it was true. He may have been jumping to conclusions but it was difficult to kill that Tektite. Much more difficult than it should've been. He could tell the difference easily. Perhaps the breed here was simply smarter and knew how to keep themselves alive. It wasn't anything he was going to concern himself with as of yet; it was simply something that had caught his attention. He was so used to being able to kill those creatures without even thinking beforehand. This time around he'd had to do a lot more than that.
"Link!" Navi shouted, popping out from nowhere. "Focus! There are still Gorons who need help!"
"Yes Navi." He sighed before moving on.
The next door led them to a fairly boring room. There was a ledge to jump and grating hovering over the lava on the floor. But no immediate danger from what they could see. Of course none of them expected a wall of fire to spring up through the grating once they jumped onto it.
"How does that even work?" Ralis asked as he took off running.
"Don't ask me! Ask the crazy people who built this place!" Link replied hurriedly.
They climbed over the grating and jumped over the ledge on the other side. There were a few Red Bubbles that sprang up and tried to bite them as they went but it all inevitably led them back to the room containing the maze. Only now they were up high and could run across the top so long as they were careful not to fall.
Link went ahead to kill a Torch Slug but Ralis stood back and looked for danger before moving. When he looked up all he saw was a crack in the ceiling. It trailed across a short way and eventually broke apart to form a circular shape and came back together. He couldn't help but notice the piece was slowly slipping out of the ceiling as he was looking at it. His eyes went back down and followed where the slab would land to see that Link was going to be crushed.
"Link! Move!" He yelled before he jumped across the gap.
"Huh?" The blonde looked up briefly from the still fighting Torch Slug.
The slab of rock came loose from the ceiling and began to plummet towards him. Link, having finally noticed, froze.
Ralis ran to the area as fast as he could go and tackled Link to send them both flying out of harm's way. He got there just before the stone fell and went crashing through the floor, taking the Torch Slug with it.
The two boys just laid there for several moments afterword. Ralis had to breathe and Link had to get his heart to start. None of them had expected that. Link had inkling that the temples he explored were rather old but it had never occurred to him that the ceiling would come down on top of him.
"Pay attention to your surroundings!" Ralis scolded. He didn't mean to sound angry. He'd simply never seen such oblivious behavior. Sure, Link had seen the enemy before him but there could've easily been more hiding. It wasn't as though he hadn't made the same mistake. He just didn't want Link to learn the hard way with an arrow in his shoulder and an imp smacking him.
"I…" There really was no excuse for his incompetence. He was aware that Navi tried her best to warn him when it came to sneak attacks, but he also knew he couldn't rely on that, much less blame her. "Are you hurt?"
"No." Ralis sighed. He stood just to be certain that he wasn't lying to Link or himself. But he was right. Nothing was broken and no part of him had even been scraped by the rock.
"What about your neck?"
All Ralis did was cringe in response. He didn't even want to think about it. At some point he'd felt the wounds begin to sting due to the sweat, "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Moving on…" Came the quick reply. "Wow! Look at that. There was a passage beneath here."
"I hear Gorons!" Navi screamed.
"What?" Link asked. "Down there?"
"Yes, let's hurry." The fairy breathed as she flew down the hole.
"Right!" The older boy answered. He looked back briefly to make sure Ralis was following before continuing downward.
Ralis did start to follow but something stopped him fairly quickly. There was a metallic wire wrapped around his ankle. His first response was to look for Link and found that he and Navi were already gone. He tried to pull his leg free and when that didn't work he tried to kneel down to take it off. That couldn't work. It was simple enough but whenever he tried the wire was pulled tighter. "What?" He sighed.
The moment he turned to look behind him the wire was pulled upward and caused him to fall flat on his face. "Ah! Ow…" He pushed himself up and put a hand to his face. "Whoever you are, knock it off! This is just cruel." He stood up and brushed himself off just before he heard someone jump down and land lightly behind him. His body went rigid and the stranger threw something on the ground. It released some sort of vapor which he inhaled before he had time to think.
Link had finished rescuing the Goron in the tunnel below and was currently climbing up the grating to get back. There was another opening at the end that led to some other room but he was wondering where Ralis had gotten to. He knew he saw him following but then he was just gone. "Do you think there was another monster up there?" He asked Navi.
"I'm not sure."
"What's going on here?" He'd reached the top to find that Ralis wasn't anywhere to be found. "Navi, I lost him again."
"Well that's just rude. He'd just asked you not to do that."
"What should we do?"
"There isn't time to go look for him. We can only move on and hope he catches up." The fairy said still flitting about. The other boy really was gone. She flew up high and couldn't see him anywhere.
"But he doesn't have the map. How's he going to find us?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure he'll be fine."
"I hope so…" Link sighed. He was a bit hesitant about continuing onward but Navi was right. There wasn't enough time for him to worry about his partner's whereabouts.
Ralis was unconscious and back in one of the first rooms in the temple. He lay on the dusty floor in front of the three large torches. His ears twitched at the sound of a lyre. He propped himself up as best he could but he still felt a little woozy. "What…?" His eyes focused on the one playing the lyre, the red eyed blonde from before. "What do you want?" He glared.
"Feeling hostile?"
"You drugged me and brought me all the way back here. How do you think I feel?" Ralis snapped.
"Just relax. It's a side effect to the black out. As is weakness of limbs so don't try to stand just yet." He put the lyre away and kneeled down beside him. "I only intend to have a word with you."
"Why didn't you just talk to me back there?"
"I needed to speak with you in private. Link would have only complicated things. And I didn't want you to make a fuss so…" He put two fingers to the young boy's neck. His pulse was still too high. "You need to calm down or the rage will take hours to subside."
It felt impossible from Ralis' point of view but, "Fine." He let out a deep breath. "What do you need to know? Who I am? Where I come from? Why I'm here? I'm Ralis. I come from the Ordona Province. And I don't know."
"Ordona Province? There's no such thing."
"Maybe not here-"
"Not anywhere." The young man interrupted. "There's nowhere in the world by that name."
"I wouldn't lie about that." Ralis argued.
"And yet you would lie about your own name?"
'How does he know that?' He wondered but, "I'm not lying about it. An alias is still a name. And who are you to judge? You haven't even told me your name."
"I will tell you my name when you answer my questions."
"I already answered your questions! What does it matter if I only answered two truthfully?"
"There is no province of which you speak."
"Yes there is! Get an updated map! It's a small province neighboring the Kingdom of Hyrule!"
"What do you mean?" The mysterious blonde looked genuinely confused. "This is Hyrule."
"What?" Ralis' jaw dropped. "That can't be right…!" Nothing about this place was right. He couldn't believe it. "You're lying. You've got to be! This place doesn't look anything like Hyrule!"
"I assure you it is."
"No, it can't be!"
"It is."
Ralis shook his head. What he was hearing wasn't possible. He'd been all around the Kingdom of Hyrule and this place had completely different landmarks, the castle looked all wrong, and the Gorons on Death Mountain were completely different. Not to mention Death Mountain wasn't supposed to be next to the castle. And he was almost certain those weren't the only changes. This had to be a different kingdom. Granted, the fact that Ganondorf was in control had to mean things weren't at their best but that land wouldn't have changed so drastically. And the people in the village at the base of the mountain were complete strangers. He'd been traveling long enough for everyone to know him wherever he went.
Nothing was making sense. He clutched his forehead and forced himself to stand. His head felt like it was going to burst. It was almost too much to take. His legs were still weak from the aftereffects but he refused to fall back down. Instead he walked away to the door he and Link had gone through, opposite from where they'd seen Darunia. He just had to get away from this man and think.
"Where are you going?" The blonde asked following him.
"I'm going back to Link." Ralis grumbled. "Stop following me."
"I cannot." He sighed. "You're not going to make it if you go on your own. I'll guide you."
'I'd rather you didn't.' He rolled his eyes but kept going. There really was no reason for him to hate the man so much but his rage was focused on him.
He was also growing increasingly irritated by having to go through all of the rooms once again; undoubtedly it was easier than before with all the puzzles solved, but all of the monsters had returned. And his new mystery companion was right about his eminent peril had he gone on his own. His reaction time was significantly altered to the favor of the monsters. It was almost too much to even draw his sword, and even when he did he couldn't help but notice how heavy it was. But he refused to just sit by and do nothing. He would take a swing at a monster if it ever came close and he didn't miss. At first he had to hold the sword with both hands but as they progressed back through the temple he slowly regained his strength.
Eventually the two began to venture through rooms Ralis hadn't seen before. However they found all the treasure chests opened and the puzzles solved.
"It looks like Link has already been through here…" Ralis sighed before sitting down. The drug hadn't completely left his system and his legs demanded a break.
"It looks like he doesn't need you."
"I never said he did." His response was calmer than before although he was still frustrated that he didn't know the man's name. "He asked me to come along and I thought it couldn't hurt. I'm only here to provide back up when he needs it."
"Who are you?" The young man persisted. His eyes trailed down to the drawn sword Ralis was using to help support himself.
"I'm a traveler like Link."
"Perhaps you're more alike than you know." He pointed to the Master Sword. "Link carries that same blade. There is no other like it."
"Well it's not a fake if that's what you're implying." A fake wouldn't have broken the curse on him and he would've been stuck as a wolf to this day. He also couldn't think of a way for anyone to switch them. It was kept in the Sacred Grove and guarded by those statues and their puzzle. It wasn't the puzzle that would've stopped them though, but the statues themselves. Only someone like him would've been able to activate them. No one else appeared to be able to hear the melodies played by the Howling Stones.
"I do not think it's a fake. I only made an observation that the two of you seem to have overlooked. You both wield the Master Sword and yet there is only one in existence. Why do you think that is?"
"I don't know."
"Are you so reluctant to answer my questions because you distrust me?" He waited but Ralis didn't respond. He only looked at him momentarily before averting his gaze. "Very well. My name is Sheik of the Sheikah Tribe."
'Like Impa…' Ralis nodded as he stood up. He felt like he was just about back to normal and was eager to proceed. "I suppose you want me to tell you my real name then?" He asked. "I guess you wouldn't have offered to help me if you were working for Ganondorf. And I can't really see how telling you my real name would hurt us."
"Whichever name you use it wouldn't matter. He'd still learn about you eventually." Sheik answered.
"I wasn't really aiming for secrecy." He muttered. "But… Believe it or not, my name is actually Link. I merely tell people my name is Ralis to prevent any sort of confusion."
"Intriguing to say the least." The Sheikah mused. "So you both wield the Master Sword, you are both named Link, and on top of all that you look as though you could be blood relatives."
"I've been hearing that a lot." Ralis said under his breath. "Any idea what all of that means?" He honestly didn't want to think about it. Every time he did he'd come up with something crazy or just too coincidental to believe.
"I have one." Sheik replied. "Have you ever encountered something enabling one to traverse through time?" Ralis stared at him as though he had two heads. "Because if you do indeed come from a province neighboring Hyrule which either no longer or has yet to exist and you rule out what seems impossible what are you left with?" He looked to the young blonde but Ralis only continued to stare. "Do you carry a map of your land with you?" Ralis finally responded with a nod. "May I see it?"
"Sure." He said quickly taking his map out and handing it to him.
Sheik looked the map over and couldn't help but notice the obvious differences. Not only were certain locations different but there were also some areas missing and completely new lands were added. The geography was also completely off. "This doesn't look like any of the maps depicting the land in the past." Sheik said looking more closely. "And… I also don't recognize this style of script."
"Really?" Ralis asked.
"This confirms it." Sheik pointed to the back of the map. "I can read the numbers. This date has yet to occur. In fact it's almost a century into the future."
"What?" That was the second time Sheik had surprised him in such a way. "If you're joking it's not funny." He said taking the map back. "Is it possible that you've made a mistake?"
"Rule out what seems impossible and…" Sheik repeated.
'It's not all that impossible… I was in the Temple of Time after all.' Ralis thought. 'I just don't want to believe it.' He looked around at the room they'd just entered. It was one they'd already seen filled with labyrinths of flame walls that jutted out from the ground when approached. Ralis had ignored the hole in the grating in the front of the room when they'd first gone through due to the conversation; now he realized he shouldn't have. He looked down and saw that the room below was the very room where they'd met Darunia. Sheik peered down through and saw that the door had been unlocked. Not long after the entire temple shook with a monstrous roar.
"It sounds like he's already fighting Volvagia." Sheik remarked when Ralis ran past him.
The young hero didn't give a second thought to his actions beforehand. He just ran up to the pit and dove down into the room below.
"Reckless as well as naïve…" The Sheikah mused. "He could very well be Link's son." He looked a moment longer and then disappeared.
"Please let him be okay." Ralis gasped before jumping across the gap and pushing the heavy door upward just enough for him to get inside.
Once there he could see Link standing on a section of rock in the center of a lava filled room. There were holes spaced evenly throughout out it but no sign of the dragon. He continued to run, determined to get over to Link, but stopped at the edge. The gap was too far to jump and he could see no other way to cross. Instantly he began to look for his Clawshot but also kept an eye out for the beast.
Link kept his eyes on the holes in the ground just waiting for one to start flaring up. As soon as he saw one begin in the periphery of his vision he dashed over and waited. Volvagia stuck its head out and Link struck it with the use of the hammer he'd acquired. The heavy blow to the head stunned the dragon long enough for him to take a few slashes with the master sword, but not enough to kill it. Volvagia bolted up and tried to gut the blonde with its claws and made Link retreat. Once the young man was far enough away the dragon receded back into the ground only to come back up in a different area. Link attempted to hit it again but Volvagia flew upward out of the hole to the ceiling.
Link could no longer see what the dragon was up to but soon saw that whatever it was it was causing rocks to fall. He did his best to dodge to the larger ones and found that by doing so the more angered Volvagia became. Soon the rocks were falling at such a rate that they were almost impossible to dodge and one cracked over the top of his head.
Ralis watched him fall to the ground and couldn't wait any longer. Finally finding his Clawshot, he launched it at Volvagia's tail to get him across. The temperature difference between the two areas was immense, and it only got worse when he was close to the dragon. Still, he sprinted over to Link and stood his ground. Despite the newcomer Volvagia swiped at them and merely knocked Ralis out of the way. Causing him to tumble over to one of the far corners.
Link woke up just in time to roll away from the dragon's intended bite. He picked up his hammer and swung it to try and run Volvagia off but the dragon persisted and just kept snapping its jaws at him.
Navi quickly fluttered over to Ralis, "Are you okay?" Of course she was only asking to make sure he was good enough to help Link.
"Yeah…" He got back on his feet and watched his comrade try to fend the beast off. "It sure hurts when its skin comes in contact with you."
"It's covered in armor made of fire and molten rock, what did you expect?" She stressed. "You've got to stun it, and preferably without touching it."
Ralis did his best to think quickly. 'I've got a bow, would shooting it work? No. An arrow probably wouldn't pierce its armor. Clawshot? No… Bombs… Bomb arrows? No, no, no. Uh…! Spinner?' He smacked himself at that last thought. 'Oh! I forgot one of the newer ones…'
Link, in the meantime, had no choice but to hold his ground. He tripped over a stone and dropped the hammer; now Volvagia was flying around him in circles and closing in. Soon it began to snap at him again which would cause him to back up and get singed by the flaring tail behind. Link couldn't see an end to it, at least no end where he would come out alive. 'At least the Gorons are out of danger… for now.' He told himself to try and make the situation seem a bit brighter. What happened next was not something he saw coming. His eyes grew wide when an enormous iron ball crashed into Volvagia's head, sending the dragon flying to the edge of the arena where it lay still.
When Link examined the ball closer he saw that it was on the end of a heavy chain and Ralis appeared to be the one who had thrown it. Even as he looked the young man gave the chain one good pull and the ball flew back into his arms. 'He's much stronger than he looks…' He told himself while retrieving his hammer. 'Almost frightfully strong.'
"Shouldn't you be finishing the beast off?" Ralis asked. He'd been getting nervous about just letting it lay there and recover.
"Right." He nodded and stepped up to the dragon. Taking aim with the hammer, he waited briefly before whacking it a couple times. Every time there was no response. He could see it breathing but still no response. His next thought was to use the Master Sword to stab it through the heart or maybe even behead it. However, once he drew his blade, Volvagia sprung back up and he narrowly dodged the swiping claws.
Ralis began to swing the ball and chain over his head and followed the dragon's movements. It receded back into one of the holes but before it could completely disappear he released the ball and caught its tail. The ball wedged and struck the tail above ground.
The creature roared angrily and thrashed about beneath the ground, trying to free itself but couldn't. In a fit of rage it stuck its head through the closest hole and looked for the heroes. Once it spotted Ralis keeping the ball in place it inhaled deeply, smoke began to pour from its mouth and it fully intended to reduce him to ash.
Link, leaping up from behind, brought the hammer down onto its head once more and didn't wait for it to be stunned before the Master Sword separated its head from its body.
Ralis looked away from the gruesome scene. He didn't like chopping the heads off of things. He did it once and it was almost completely by accident. Link had gotten lucky with this. Volvagia didn't appear to bleed from the wound and why not? The armor made such an intense heat that the wound was probably cauterized immediately. His experience was much more terrifying. It was his first encounter with a Lizalfos and, needless to say, once the head was off, blood spewed from one of the arteries in the neck and covered him. Another example of a time when Midna was less than supportive.
'Why do I keep on remembering all the bad times with her?' He asked himself before rolling his eyes and shrugging. "Is it done?" He asked chancing a quick look.
"Yes." Link replied, sheathing his sword. "I never thought you'd be squeamish."
"I don't want to go into any details." Ralis said retracting the ball and putting it away. He took a few steps towards Link but jumped back when a ring of blue light appeared. "What is that?"
"Don't worry." Link said putting his hands up. "It's nothing bad." That was all he said before he stepped into it. He became surrounded by the same blue structure that Ralis had experienced when he first came to what Sheik said was the past.
He was shocked, as was Link, when the same form appeared around him. 'I didn't even step into the portal, c'mon!'
Before long before the two of them were back in The Chamber of Sages. Link had gotten used to the teleports by now but Ralis looked like he might be sick. At least Midna's warps didn't involve spiraling. He was just as glad to be back on solid ground as he was the last time. And, still similarly to events prior, his head ached so badly that he was only able to note that Darunia was there. Not a word of the Goron's short speech was registered in Ralis' memory. He was only able to pay attention when he'd mentioned something about a medallion and looked up in time to see Link catch it.
"I appreciate your thanks, Darunia. But I can't take all the credit. Had Ralis not been there to help I'm certain I'd be dead."
"My deepest thanks go to you too, Brother Ralis!" The Goron boomed.
"You're welcome." He sighed contentedly. The sick feeling was finally ebbing away. Though his attention was drawn to something else soon after. Now that the crisis at hand had been remedied he had time to think about what Sheik had told him. 'This is the past?' He looked at Link. 'And he's…'
"Are you okay?" Link asked. "You look pale."
Elsewhere Ganondorf was looking out his window, astounded. Death Mountain looked as though it were erupting. There was fire shooting out of the crater up into the sky, but no lava flow. The stream seemed to pull the surrounding ash cloud along with it, leaving nothing but clear blue sky. His expression quickly became that of anger.
"So he's defeated Volvagia has he?" He asked a shrouded figure.
"Yes, Lord Ganondorf." Sheik answered.
(A/N) Why is Sheik answering to Ganondorf? I dunno. I thought the manga had some good aspects to it. They probably wouldn't work in the game itself but they were good for the story all on its own.
