Chapter Three
Link stood across from an old goron. "It's a pleasure to meet you Brother Link. We haven't officially met before, but my name is Gorgama."
Of course. Darunia was dead… A different goron would meet me. It came to him as a bit of a shock; even though he should have known.
Link went up to the goron and gave him a hug, a custom that gorons had. Despite their appearance, gorons were always known as the friendliest of races. Link wasn't sure how he knew, but this goron was definitely older than the rest. For a race of rock eating species, it was always hard to tell them apart, aside from size. However, he could get the feeling that this goron was older.
"One of the gorons who Navi spoke to has informed me that you came here on business." Gorgama was straight to the point. It was a refreshing pace. Gorons were simple people, and they didn't like to beat around the bush.
"Yes." Link was about to continue, but Gorgama interrupted.
"Would this have to do with the number of increase of monsters?"
Link was surprised. "Not really; did you encounter such problems here?"
"Unfortunately, Death Mountain has been blocked off. We can no longer visit the Fire Temple." The goron looked miserable.
"What has happened?" Link asked.
"As a protector of the Hyrule family you must know of the secret entrance to the Fire Temple."
Link remembered the time that Darunia had told him how behind the very desk, there was an entrance to Death Mountain Crater. He nodded his head to Gorgama.
"Yes, well that entrance has been sealed off."
Link stared in confusion. "Why?"
"It has been compromised. Unfortunately, the only entrance at the moment belongs to our smith at the top of Death Mountain. He has been guarding it. Although he can't go in, he has been able to prevent anything from coming out."
"What's in there?"
"We're not sure. I was in a meeting with head of security over the lack of spider monsters in the mountain trail when our wall burst down and monsters started coming in. We drove them back briefly and managed to block it with boulders rigged with bombs on the other side."
"That's horrible." Link contemplated what was going on. "It's possible… It's possible that when Ganondorf's triforce of power left him and joined the evil in the world, it didn't just power up monsters, but slightly corrupted the world."
"But you freed the temples right? Does that mean all the temples have been tainted again?"
Link thought it over. In the Kokiri Forest there were no evil creatures lurking around. "No. Only a bearer could cause so much ruin. The Triforce of Power only had one command, and that was ruining the world. Without a user to control the power of the triforce, it's only doing things at random. I think the rise in monsters in Death Mountain Crater, is probably a cause of it, but they're limited. If it were fully corrupted, then Dodongo Cavern would also be filled with monsters."
"Wow!" Navi was fluttering around. "Great job Link!"
At the compliment Link felt shy again. He wasn't even thinking when he started talking. "Yeah… Like I said, the Triforce of Power is a threat to the world. Right now Princess Zelda has the Triforce of Wisdom and I wield the Triforce of Courage. Alone, none of these can best the other. However, if Princess Zelda could help me, we could seal the Triforce of Power back into the Temple of Time."
"That's a great idea!"
"Indeed. That makes sense Brother Link. However, where is Princess Zelda?"
Link remembered that all the sages were dead.
They weren't gone, they just weren't with the living anymore. When one became a Sage, one left the land of the living and transcended into another realm. Princess Ruto, Saria, Darunia, and everyone else had moved on to the Spirit Realm. It was a safe assumption that Princess Zelda as the Sage of Time was no longer with them.
"Princess Zelda is with the other Sages of Hyrule. I have been trying to contact the Sage of the Forest, Saria, but my message isn't getting through. I think that the link between a sage's powers lies in their followers, if all the sages get their power back we can fix this wicked world." Link thought back to the kokiri children. None of them were going to the temple since they had to take care of the Great Deku Sprout.
"But to help the sages we need to visit the temples, and the fire temple is currently blocked off since it lies inside of Death Mountain Crater."
Link thought this over. "Me and my companion will go inside Death Mountain Crater. We will defeat the monsters and then when the path is clear you'll be able to visit the Fire Temple."
Navi floated around, "Don't forget about your original goal Link!"
His face turned red. "Of course I didn't forget!"
The old goron simply laughed. "What is it you came here for Brother Link?"
The blonde smiled. "Kakariko Village's primary defense is chipping, and we wish to ask for your help in replacing the stone boulder at the entrance with a new one."
"The Goron's are forever indebted to you Brother Link. We will have the boulder ready for when you return from the crater. Will you be taking the secret entrance?"
"If that is allowed? My companion is not cleared by the Royal Family; however, given the circumstances, I hope that can be overlooked."
The goron considered this for a moment before nodding his head in approval. Link smiled, "If I may request one more, may I have a room? We've travelled a long way and wish to re-cooperate."
"Of course! We will have a room ready for you. Navi may stay here and we will show her while you catch up with your companion."
Link nodded and headed out while Navi stayed behind. She was pouting, and Link felt playful, so he stuck his tongue out at her. Her light rose in color before dimming back down and Link couldn't help but snicker.
"Are you not going to eat?"
Erza turned around to see Link standing behind her. She was still at Marble Garden, hanging out with Goron Link when he walked in. She hadn't said much or even moved since she heard the news from the young goron.
If Link was the Hero of Time, that saved a lot of time for her. She would ask Link for his help in contacting the sages then ask them for help in contacting their goddesses and be taken back to Earthland. The way things were in Hyrule though, she wasn't sure if Link could do such a task right now. After all this business with the monsters looked pretty intense, even she had trouble fighting them.
"Are you not going to eat?" Link repeated himself.
"Huh?" came her reply. She scolded herself for taking so long to reply. When she finally followed Link's movements he was sitting down next to the younger goron.
"Hey little buddy, how you been?"
Erza smiled at how the two Links seemed so friendly despite being so different. "Not to good Brother Link! This lady right here tried to kill me! She threw me against the wall earlier today!"
Erza's smile faded.
"It was an accident! He's the one that was just rolling around the street!"
"But she's the one that used a sword against me!"
"Well you broke the sword anyway!"
Link chuckled softly. "Little man, Erza here is my friend; do you think you could forgive her? I'm sure she won't do it again." Goron Link sighed and nodded. "And Erza, we can go to the smith later to pick up a sword." Now it was her turn to smile.
Just then a goron came up to their table. "Brother Link! We're so happy you choose our restaurant to dine tonight. We've already started preparing your meal!" Then he grabbed two drinks from his tray and handed them over to their table before leaving.
"Erza, please drink this tea. It's very relaxing."
She saw him push her cup, which still had steam coming from it, towards her. As she took a look inside and she could see a leaf floating in it.
"It's a tea made from the leaves of a flower. It has a very warm feeling to it." When she looked at him oddly, he simply shrugged. "It's the best way I can describe it."
She decided to try it and blew on it a bit to cool it down. As she drank from it, she understood what he meant. As it went down her throat she could feel the warm sensation go through out her body. It was only briefly, but it was there and definitely made her want a second sip.
As he saw her face lighten up at the taste, Link smiled. The Bomb Flower leaves made an incredible tea. It was almost as good as the Hot Moo Moo Chocolate, but unfortunately Gorons couldn't milk a cow.
Goron Link saw his idol pull out some rupees and start paying for their meal as Navi floated outside. He was sure that Link had seen her and that was why he was paying already. He idly wondered why Erza hadn't brought up the fact that he was The Hero of Time. As they walked their separate ways, Goron Link just hoped his friend would not be too angry at him for telling her what he knew.
As Erza walked with Link towards what Link said was a smith house, she wondered how to bring up the topic. Hey Link, I heard you were the hero of time. She doubted that would be a subtle approach.
She didn't pay much attention so she only realized that they had reached the armory because it smelled like fire and steel. It was the smell of a smith's lab. Erza looked around and was amazed by the knives and swords that were simply decorating the place. Link went straight to the goron who seemed to be in charge and started talking amicably.
Link was standing in front of Medigoron talking shop. "Listen Medigoron, I need a favor of you."
The goron who was too big for his own store simply laid on his belly and laughed. "Of course Brother. How can I help you today?"
"One is a favor from your brother, and the other, well I'm looking to buy a durable broadsword."
Meanwhile, Erza kept looking at the swords on the wall. She picked a blue hilted blade and smiled. It looked nice, but when she grabbed it, she could tell it wasn't of the greatest quality. She swung it around a few times and her mood seemed dejected. This sword will probably break if I hit a wall! She sighed, good quality items were hard to come by, apparently even in Hyrule.
Link tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around. "Sorry, I was looking at this sword, but I'm not sure I would like it."
The Hero of Time smiled at her polite way of saying, no thanks to the cheap sword. He still remembered the time he went to fight with the cheap Giant's Knife. "You get what you pay for. That knife is only 200 rupees so it's no wonder that it breaks easily."
She looked at him perplexed, and Link was reminded that she wasn't from Hyrule. She obviously didn't understand what rupees were so she didn't know if it was a lot or a little. To her credit, her confusion lasted only seconds before she schooled her features and nodded.
Link pulled out a broadsword, and handed it to her. She was skeptical at first, especially after her experience with this shop owner's other blade, but apparently this sword was to her liking. "It has nice weight, and isn't too long that I can't wield with one hand."
The young hylian nodded his head. "It seems like the one you had before, but hopefully more sturdy. I made sure to tell them to factor the weight of a goron on it, and that it wouldn't bend."
Erza blushed slightly. "I didn't mean to throw the young goron against the wall. He was just a hazard that had to be dealt with."
He laughed at her expense, "Sure sure, now let's keep going, there's much we need to discuss again tonight."
Erza was still doing practice swipes with her sword as Link guided her to their destination. Link smiled as he looked at her, honestly speaking, having a new weapon was one of the greatest things in the world. He often did the same when he got a new item, exploring where to use it and where to have it fixed or restocked. It was safe to say that he understood her joy.
Finally they turned into a tunnel and link led her straight to the end where it split into two ends, one left and the other right.
"To the left is the living quarters, and to the right is a vapor cave, which is a natural underground hot mineral water steam bath." He pointed towards each and Erza smiled softly.
Link headed towards the right to the vapor cave, and Erza followed. She hadn't showered in days.
As they entered the steam cave, she could see that it had a huge tub where at least five humans could sit in side by side, but realized that probably only two gorons fit perfectly.
Link, who was ahead of her, walked straight ahead and sat on a nearby rock bench. That was about all she could see before the steam in the room started to blur her vision. She realized that this was a mixed bath!
"Link… is this a mixed bath?"
From the other side, through the steam, she heard his reply. "What do you mean mixed?"
"As in males and females?"
"Oh." There was a short wait, before he answered, "You know goron's are asexual creatures right?"
Goron's had no gender! That really freaked her out, but it should have been obvious since it seemed like they had no reproductive organs. "Right…"
She was debating whether she should leave or not, when she heard a small splash in the water and a blue light come through the steam.
The fairy! I guess… if I stay I can ask him about the fairy. She unequipped her armor, and was relieved when she realized she still had her swimwear, from her training trip before she ended up in the Celestial Realm, in her armory. It had been years before she could be in the same room as someone else without her armor, but at the moment she didn't realize it. Both her curiosity and her care for her equipment overruled the small sense of insecurity.
As she slid in to the water she could see better since the vapor was at a higher elevation than the bottom of the small tub. Directly across from her was Link, without his shirt, wearing only two bracers on his hands and strangely enough six medallions around his neck. To his left, were his boots set to the side of his neatly folded clothes, but what drew her attention the most was that atop of his clothes, and atop of his green cap, laid a round blue light with small wings.
"Link…" she started hesitantly, not sure if this would bother him or not, but when he only moved his neck to face her, she continued, "is… is that a fairy?"
He looked at her oddly. "You know of fairies?"
She wasn't sure what to say to that, but just shrugged a bit. "I know of them, but I was never sure if they were real."
Again, Link could tell her trepidation when speaking on subjects that she clearly had no knowledge of.
"Erza… do you mind if I ask where you're from?"
His question was simple, but Erza's eyes narrowed and her hand went underwater. His eyes quickly observed the water and it seemed to have risen, even if it was a little. It was obvious to him that she had drawn a weapon. Navi quickly flew from her position on his cap and was right behind him floating. Link sighed.
"Why?"
Erza's reply came forced. She had been acting casually with Link for only a day, and it was only because he was courteous to her and showed her around. Now though, she knew he was keeping secrets from her. It quickly came across her mind that he had lured her to a cave and given her a false sense of security just to finish her off here. It was a stretch, but for someone who had been betrayed by the one she liked when she was only eleven years old, it was reasonable.
"Erza, I didn't mean any offense. I'm only asking you a question." He tried to be polite, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could do this. He would give her the benefit of the doubt, but eventually having a weapon drawn against you will get to you. He wasn't sure if he could take her on, but he would definitely defend himself if needed.
"Answer my question." It dawned on her that this was a man who killed a gigantic monster around the same age when she was kept as a slave in a tower, but she steeled her nerves.
"I only want to know you better." Navi seemed to be getting nervous because her wings were flapping faster. "I know you're not from Hyrule Erza. I've known since we met back in Castle Town."
She suspected as much, but to have him come out and say it, well it left a sour taste in her mouth since she only recently found out that he was the Hero of Time.
"You didn't know what the Temple of Time was. You didn't know what Ganon did. You didn't know of the sages or the demon lord. You didn't know you were in Castle Town or where Kakariko Village was. You don't wear traditional armor. You definitely have no knowledge of Gorons or even the currency of Hyrule."
Having all these facts thrown in her face made her a bit angry. Her eyes narrowed, and she replied bitterly, "So what? Since I'm not one of you, you're going to kill me?"
His eyes widened. "Of course not Erza. I thought… I thought we were becoming friends. I just wanted to get to know you better. Explain things that you didn't know of." He meant everything he said. Today after finding out that he would be going into Death Mountain Crater, he felt it fair to explain to her more of Hyrule. Find out how strong and reliable she was and hopefully ask her to either guard the entrance or accompany him. It was definitely a lot to ask of from a stranger, so he wanted to inform her of as much as possible. "I've heard of a world far from here from a merchant, but I'm not sure if that's where you're from. Maybe if you told me more I could help fill in details."
She realized that Link was a good person; someone who people trusted and looked up to. She was still skeptical, but unequipped the SAI she had hidden under the water and saw him and the blue light visibly relax. Did they know I had a weapon? "I'm sorry Link. I was just… nervous. I'm in a land I don't know, with creatures I've never heard of. I don't even know if my friends have noticed I'm gone, or how I can get back home."
She wasn't sure if it was the tea or the amazingly hot water that was so relaxing, but after almost attacking one of the only people she knew in this world, her guard completely unwound.
Link smiled melancholic at her. He knew exactly how she felt. Just a few weeks ago he felt the same way. There were evil creatures where there shouldn't be; Castle Town was different from what it had been; the people of Hyrule knew he was gone and damned him for it.
"It's okay Erza. We will figure things out, but I know the only way for that to happen is if we do it together." She was surprised at his words, especially since she had just pulled a weapon on him.
There was a small moment of peace. Finally Erza broke the silence. "I'm from Earthland, the kingdom of Fiore, the town of Magnolia and my guild's name is Fairy Tail."
Link tried to think back to the Mask Merchant, and all the places he told him he had visited. Neither Earthland, Fiore nor Magnolia sounded familiar.
"It's not in this world."
Link stopped thinking and just looked at her perplexed.
"I'm from a different world. I was visiting the Celestial Realm," At this Link's eyes rose surprised, "with permission from the Celestial King, and there I saw a fairy and followed it. I was desperate to follow it and fell through the portal and ended up in some woods. Then I fell in a hole that took me to the temple where we met."
The fairy circled Link in a way that kind of irked Erza. He has incredible patience! Even from across the tub she wanted to swat away.
"If what you're saying is true, then the only way for you to return is to be taken to the Celestial Realm by our Goddesses."
Erza was pretty sure that would be his response. "When… when do you think that would be?"
Link looked away. With everything going on, when would he be able to help her? "I.. I don't know. I promise I will help, but…"
She could see he felt bad about not being able to help right away. She almost laughed at how serious he was about this just five minutes ago. "I understand Link. If you're certain that your Goddesses will take me, then I will assist you in putting things back in order here in Hyrule."
He was surprised, "You don't have to!"
"I want to." She quickly countered. "If I help you, then we can contact your Goddesses faster." She didn't want to think about how much time she would miss from being away from her friends, but she also felt it was right to help Hyrule. Like Link had said earlier, 'While there is evil … in the world… there is no rest for me.' Almost. She still wanted to leave, but after hearing his words it was hard not to want to help.
Link felt relieved. "Well thank you for your help then. Unfortunately, tomorrow you will only be doing guard duty."
She arched an eyebrow. "And why is that? We haven't established our strength aside from that time in Castle Town, but I think I can handle myself just fine."
He laughed at how quickly she was to defend her proficiency. "It's not a matter of skills, but a matter of the terrain."
Once again Erza was confused.
"Death Mountain Crater will burn you alive. You might last 10 seconds, but not longer than that."
Erza quickly stood up and Link was left staring at her in her bikini for a full minute. Oddly enough he noticed a strange symbol on her left bicep.
"What are you—"
A light enveloped Erza and the next thing Link knew her bikini had been replaced. She jumped back and landed gracefully on the actual floor of the vapor cave. The steam was clouding her, but before he could say anything Erza's wings flapped away the steam. He just sat in the water staring at her. Instead of her black two piece bikini, she now had some sort of fire themed armor. She had a red sword in her right hand, which now both sported elbow length gauntlets. Instead of her skirt, she wore a one piece, but her legs weren't completely exposed. Instead she wore red boots, with what seemed like strange black thigh highs.
The most noticeable thing he observed was that her hair was no longer just straight, but instead in ponytails.
As she stood in front of him, a smirk on her face, Link was left speechless. "What is this?"
"This," here she twirled and even flapped her wings a bit, "is my Fire Empress armor, which allows me to control fire, fly and protects me from flames."
He stood up, and she was surprised to notice that he didn't wear any clothes! The steam quickly enveloped him before she could mention it though. The blue light quickly flew around Erza. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she could see that the blue light circled her, almost as if measuring her up.
When she turned back to see Link, he was already putting on his boots. "That was a neat trick. I wasn't aware others could do that."
She was about to question what he meant by others, when his green tunic and skirt suddenly changed colors to red. "This is my Goron Tunic, and protects me from intense heat, reducing even a volcano's temperature to just about room temperature."
She was surprised that Link knew, what Earthland called, Re-Equip magic. Although it was a common magic, it was surprising to see someone from a different realm know it. He walked up to her, and his face seemed confused.
"You said you can control fire?"
She didn't understand the question, but nodded.
Link opened his hand and stretched it out in front of her; in the palm of his hand a ball of fire started dancing.
"Do it."
She didn't understand, but lifted her sword almost like a staff, but the fire wasn't doing as she ordered it to. In fact no fire was coming from her sword either.
"How- How did you know that I wouldn't be able to control it?"
He pointed at the blue light by her. "Navi was sensing your armor's magical properties, and informed me that you can definitely walk in the crater and even fly, but that it didn't seem like you could control fire."
"Navi?"
"My fairy partner."
She was so caught up in her story she had forgotten about the fairy.
She turned to the blue light with wings and didn't know how to feel. "So fairies are real."
Link nodded. "Only children of Kokiri Forest have one. A Kokiri and his fairy are united for life. Without a fairy, one cannot make it out of the Lost Woods. It's actually really surprising that you made it out, but it seems like you made it by chance."
I could have died within the hour of waking up! "I... Wow. That's shocking."
"Fairies are magical creatures, and they have immense knowledge. She can fly at high speeds and are often a Kokiri child's guide or mentor."
She kept hearing the words Kokiri, but if she remembered correctly, Link wasn't Kokiri. His parents were part of some civil war. "How… how did you get a fairy if you aren't a Kokiri?"
Link looked away, and the blue fairy flew over onto his shoulder. "The Great Deku Tree deemed it necessary to have a fairy help me in my quest. Without Navi, I don't know how I would have come this far."
As they both stood in the vapor cave, both decked out in armor that made the vapor of the cave moot, they realized that they were just standing around. A small laugh started before they both started heading toward the sleeping quarters. Once they reached it, she could see that it wouldn't be any better than the attic in Kakariko Village. In fact the room consisted of just stacks of hay. She supposed this would, she had slept in worst on certain missions back in Fiore.
"I'm glad you'll be able to come with me tomorrow."
Erza didn't understand what he meant. She hopped onto her own bale of hay, while Link was jumping on his own opposite of her.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's nice knowing someone has your back."
She smiled. While she preferred doing missions alone, she also knew that having a team was a great help a lot of the times. It also dawned on her that from what Goron Link had told her, Link had been on his own since he was 10. She always had her guild, but Link was The Hero of Time, not part of a guild or a team, just himself and his fairy partner.
"I'll do my best to keep up with the so called, Hero of Time." She decided being cheerful would be a wiser choice.
"Hah. It's just a title, I'm not a hero just doing what I think is right."
Once again his humbleness surprised her. "By the way, when we're done with this I expect to hear the deatails of your escapades. I don't know how much what that little goron said was truth and how much was a lie."
Link smiled and nodded.
"What kind of task will we be doing tomorrow anyways?"
"It won't be anything too difficult; it's just a simple extermination mission." Although she should have expected it, calling an extermination mission something simple still surprised her.
"If that's a simple task, what's a difficult one?" She meant to say it as a joke, but the pregnant pause that lurked the air made her realize that Link was really thinking it over.
"I think fighting a monster is easier, but sometimes finding the correct information is just as hard."
"That's true. You have no idea how many jobs I've gone where most of the witnesses are making things up as I ask them."
He laughed, "Or just say 'it was like' and 'you know'." Their laughter continued.
The fire in the room went out and only Navi's body glowed.
Link finally spoke up. "We should go to sleep, or we'll be too tired to clear the crater tomorrow."
"A good night's rest is ideal."
Meanwhile Navi simply smiled.
