Disclaimer: I still do not own anything from Nintendo, such as the characters, plots and the many other settings. I'm just a fan of most of their work and, I quite enjoy some the games.

Reviews: Kate7950 – Thanks for the review, and I'm motivated again! ^^

The Legend of Zelda

Ocarina of Time

Chapter 7: The Massive Climb: SSOF

After being escorted out of the castle, Link looked at Malon and, knowing that it would be safer if he didn't tell her what he was planning to do. She tilted her head in curiosity and smiled, looking into his sapphire blue eyes, as if they meant he was hiding something. Christian, his armor gleaming brightly as he walked by placed where sunlight shone towards him, was still leading the way out of the castle. Link had noticed that a lot of knights had their swords at their waist, but only Christian carried his on his back.

Not only that, but unlike the knight swords he seen, Christian's was by far the most different shape. The hilt was a bright orange in color, with a sapphire embedded at the end of the hilt. The center guard started with a phoenix's head, and with wings spreading out, the blade itself looked fancily done. Link hoped that he could find a way to get either a new blade, or have his current one refined from a blacksmith. But he supposed that the Kokiri Sword would do for a while, even if it was more along the lines of a dagger than anything.

Once the four of them were outside the castle, Link looked at Christian one last time, but saw that he was really deep in thought. Before Link would turn to face Malon again, he heard Christian speak, saying, "Link..." Link gazed back at him, and Christian turned to face him, his sapphire eyes gazing at Link's. "Protect those who are dearest to you, that's all I can tell you for now…" He explained, before turning and began to wander around the castle town, where people were wandering endlessly.

Link thought about what he said, and something in his mind sparked up, and a very minor vision of the past came to him; flames, swords clashing with one another, cries… darkness.

Though he couldn't see, he heard Christian's voice speak, and a woman's voice talking with one another, but the words were muffled; he couldn't hear them clearly. What he could hear is, "Take him… safety… south… forest of the Kokiri… Deku Tree…" and then a horse neighed, and began to ride off, before more combat noises came to him.

Link had recovered when he felt Malon nudge him a little, his eyes opening a little. He looked as though he was in a bit of a trance, before they went to completely open. 'Christian… who were you talking to, and who were you sending to the forest…?' Link thought, but forgot where he was momentarily. He had completely forgotten about Malon being there with him, and he was well aware that it wasn't proper that he left her like that.

He turned to face her, and saw that she wore a worried expression, as if concerned that he might've thought of something bad. Link just casually smiled at her, and said, "Don't worry about me, I just kind of dozed off… But I'm sorry for concerning you at all, Malon…" That was when he saw her smile again, and that was the Malon he got to know rather well. But he was still confused as to how on earth that memory came to his mind, yet he didn't want it to interfere with his quest, as well as Malon.

It was around that time that a horse neighed, and with that, Link looked in the direction of the sound, and he saw Talon's cart that Link and Malon rode in yesterday to get there, arrived beside them. Malon, as if understanding what it meant, she climbed on the back, and signaled Link to come and take a seat next to her. He blushed a bit, and he remembered looking at how far away Death Mountain was, and he had that feeling that her farm was closer to Death Mountain than where he was now, so he climbed in.

During the ride, Link had expected more of the bandits that they had a run-in with on their way here would show up again, but since they had nothing of interest now, no encounters. Malon was glad that the ride was silent and encounter free, as was Link, though he wanted a bit of fun on the way there. So what Malon had him do, was to shoot at trees as they passed them, and the more he hit them, the longer he could stay at the ranch, and if he hit enough, she might let him use Epona as much as he wanted, even if she was still a pony.

Unfortunately, Link didn't hit the amount needed to have right to ride the pony, but he didn't let it get to him; after all, he didn't have much training with a bow anyways, let alone a slingshot. But at least he had a place to go to if things should get a bit too difficult for him on his journey; something for him to look forward to. Once they arrived back at Lon Lon Ranch, Link and Malon were in a conversation amongst themselves, about what they plan to do in the future. Link hopes to become a successful swordsman, even if he is to remain a child for his entire life. Malon didn't seem to understand, but played along, and said that she hoped to be a great horse whisperer and trainer when she's older.

Link actually envied that dream of hers; at least they had one thing in common; they had their dreams, but she's a human, so no doubt that she'll grow up to an adult, while he'll still be a child, or so he believed. But the dreams he had bugged him, about the ones in which he was older, bigger, and adult-like, so he wondered on who, or what he really was. He grew up in the forest, raised as one of the Kokiri, yet he has memories of Christian, who was not at all in the forest, and that made him question who he really is. But he managed to calm back down when the cart came to a stop, and he climbed off, and dusted himself off a bit, since he got a bit of dust on him when they hit a small bump on the way there, and that made him lose an arrow.

Link would pay for the arrows he used up, but he forgot that he had no money whatsoever until he pulled out his rather small wallet, which was empty, and had a moth fly out of it, making him blush a bit. Of course, Malon wanted to make sure it was fine, however, Link wanted to pay her back, so he decided to work it off by working for the remainder of the day. It was roughly mid-afternoon, so there were still things that they could do for that day. The cuccoos needed to return to their pens, a few cows had to be milked, and the horses were to return to the stables.

(1)

When the sun was just peaking towards sunset, Link gave a sigh as the last horse was put in the stables with Malon's help. She envied how Link managed to round up cuccoos at quite an impressive pace, a bit faster than what she could do. But she was aware that he probably had quite a few problems to deal with back in the forest, so he had to be fast in order to avoid them. She had never had to worry about running on her feet too much; she had often relied on Epona to keep up with cuccoos when she couldn't herself. But Link's legs were roughly average compared to his body size, and he seemed to be much faster when he took his sword and shield off his shoulders.

However, Link knew he couldn't stay here for too long, and that he has to press onto Death mountain, and obtain the Spiritual Stone of Fire from the Gorons. Once he had his equipment back, he stood by the front door when Malon was about to head in and prepare for bed. She tilted her head when he didn't go in with her, but it was then, though he didn't wish to endanger her or anything, Link had to make up something.

"Since I've been in the forest for a long time, I really would like to see all of Hyrule, and be sure to return here and the forest to explain my stories of what I find." He explained to her, and though Malon didn't wish for him to go, she knew she couldn't hold him back.

"It is your dream to travel across the land and become a great swordsman, so fairy boy, I won't force you to stay. As a token of our friendship, I'll lend you Epona, but on one condition…" She spoke, and Link was a bit surprised at her offer, before she pressed on, "Promise me that you'll return to check up on me every once in a while, in case something should occur here…" She asked him, and though it was quite a task for him to accomplish, Link nodded.

"I promise, Malon… I'll return and if anything should happen to you, I'll be there to protect you if I must… I swear it on my name…" He spoke to her, gently taking her hand and placed it over his heart, to show her that he meant it with his heart. They both blushed a bit at the action, but Malon smiled through it, which had caused Link to return it with his own.

With that, Link had to finally release her hand, and before Malon was completely out of sight, she told him, "Please take good care of her…" With that, the door closed, and Link smiled a little before turning around to the stable. Ingo was no longer in there, since he slept in the silo a ways away, so he didn't have to worry about waking anyone. Link slowly walked in, and navigated to Epona's coral, and saw her standing, but he saw her look at him. Before she could freak out, though, Link pulled out the ocarina Zelda had given him, and played her song.

The pony immediately calmed down, and after link opened the door, Link approached her, and she seemed to enjoy being around him. She had no reigns, but he could make do without them, and led her to the stable doors, and opened them enough so she could go through, and he followed her, and closed the door behind them. Being careful, Link mounted the young pony, and was glad that he wasn't bucked off of her, making him sigh in relief.

"Let's go, Epona…" He whispered into her ear, and as if she understood, she began to navigate her way out of the ranch, and once out, Link took out his map, but it had already gotten dark. Since he had completely forgotten about Navi, who was once fast asleep in his cap, was now wide awake since he needed her. She gave off a nice light, and that allowed him to see the map much more clearly.

"So, we're here…" Link muttered, lightly pointing at the map, and with the help of Navi's blue glow, he was able to locate Kakariko Village, which was due west from his current location, across the Kakariko Gorge. "And where we need to go is around here…" He explained, pointing a little further west at Death Mountain. He pulled out the note that Zelda had given him, examining what it said, before putting it away again.

"Alright Epona, let's go…" He whispered, and with a small neigh from the pony, she took off in a normal gallop heading west, after Link had put away the map. He used both his hand to keep a decent hold on her, and Navi started to fly behind them, trying to keep up. Link had almost lost his cap a few times on the trip, so what he did with it was that he placed the cap in his hold so it wouldn't go anywhere, revealing his messy blond hair.

The ride had turned out to be shorter than expected, even if Epona was only a pony. Link entered the canyon that led to Kakariko Village, and once there, he saw it wasn't as lively as it was compared to one of his dreams, but still had quite a few people there, nonetheless. Upon entering, two young children approached him and Epona, but they kept a bit of distance between them and the pony, not wanting the rider to be bucked off. They asked him several questions, like where did he come from, why he was dressed like that, and why did he have a fairy fly around him. But it wasn't long before their mother called them to return, that supper was done.

Upon hearing the word, "dinner", Link heard his stomach growl, realizing he hadn't had a decent meal since the Ranch two days ago. "Right, I can't get a lot done if I don't eat…" He muttered, partially to himself, and partially to Navi, and was surprised when a very small sound came from her, and heard her agree with him. So, what he had to do for the moment was to put food first before he would attempt to climb Death Mountain. It took him a moment before he took notice of the inn, and since he still had Talon's red rupees, he might be able to get a decent meal for both him and Navi, though he knew it wouldn't need much to satisfy her.

Link rode Epona to the side of the inn, and thankfully, there were some ropes there, so he tried his best to tie Epona to the fence area, before climbing off of her. "I'll be right back girl, don't worry…" he whispered to her, and though he didn't see her nod in the night, Link walked up the slope to the doors, and stepped in after opening them. Almost right away he had to move away from the door when someone walked out, or rather, something rather large that appeared to be a golem at first sight. Link knew it wasn't dangerous, regardless of its size since they were in a village and all.

Link walked over to a table, Navi flying close behind and stood in front of Link on his side, giving out a sigh. She still didn't look too happy since the Deku Tree's passing, but Link knew they had other matters to deal with. "Don't worry Navi; when I obtain the Triforce, I'll wish that Gannondorf never existed, the Deku Tree to be resurrected, and that Hyrule will be a peaceful place… But there are some things I'd also like to know about that I'm sure that not even the Triforce could grant… At this point, I'm having doubts that I'm not who I've grown up knowing to be…" He explained to her in a whisper, closing his eyes, and he saw her expression.

She shook her head, before saying, "Don't worry about it, Link… Even if you're not what you grew up believing, you're still you, right?" She flew up to him, and landed on the top of his head and his hair, which he forgot to put the cap on. He shrugged a little, knowing that the cap wasn't always necessary, he supposed. He also agreed with her; no matter what race her was, or what kind of person he was, he was always himself.

He smiled up at her, before the waitress came, and asked to take his order, not even noticing Navi at first…

Once well fed, Link had stepped outside the inn, giving one last word of thanks before sighing softly. He headed over to where Epona was, and saw her bent over, having a drink from the container under where she was tied up. He sat on the railing for a moment, Navi flying close around him while Epona drank. He didn't notice, however, he was being watched from two different places; one of them was a robed-man on a horse in the distance, and the other was from a rooftop a ways away, unaware of the dark gaze aimed at him from the man he hated. He pulled out the ocarina Zelda had given him, and began to play it softly, remembering a tune that Saria seemed to enjoy playing.

The robed man was really Christian, trying to keep a low profile from the public. Though he wasn't ordered to come to the Kakariko region, he was aware that Link came here. He actually did take notice of the lad in front of a window near the inn, and saw his fairy partner flying by him, before he began to play an instrument of sorts, an ocarina, it seemed. He reached for a part of a necklace that he had hidden under the robe, and opened the locket that contained a picture of him, his wife, and his only son.

'Could this be the same Link… I lost nine years ago when my wife had perished…? I told her to head for the forest since she would be safe, but a knight informed me that she was mortally wounded by Gerudos on the way there… Perhaps she survived long enough, and managed to have him be watched over for nine years… But… I don't know what I should do; Link believes that he's really a Kokiri, and I don't wish to disappoint him… Perhaps… I should just let time move on, and he might figure it out on his own that he's not who he thinks he is…' Christian thought to himself, closing the locket and hid it once more, and turned to a pouch to look at the blue ocarina in which Zelda told him to protect with a graved shape of the Triforce near the mouth piece; this was the Ocarina of Time.

He wanted to make sure who he thought was one who was once close to him was safe. He looked like he was in good condition, but still, he was informed by Zelda that Link might not have had time to stop by the Bazaar to obtain a specially forged shield to withstand the flames of Death Mountain. The shield was actually on his back, along with a small note on the inside, explaining about what he inside of Death Mountain was like. When Link seemed to be talking with his fairy friend after playing, Christian decided he would make his move, and keeping the hood hidden over his face, he passed by the front of the inn, purposely dropping the shield while pretending that he never noticed it slip off, but keeping the Ocarina out of sight of anyone.

Link wasn't paying attention when the robed figure rode by on the horse, but was surprised when he heard something collide with the dirt. He looked up and saw what seemed like a shield in the dirt, and Link was about to tell the man that he forgot something, they were gone. Link looked back to the shield, and when Navi came into view, he saw the note, which he took from it and read over it.

The shield wasn't as light compared to his Deku Shield, but he was just barely able to hold it up with his right hand like a shield should be. He looked at the design, and it looked almost similar to what Christian had, but it was simpler compared to Christian's. Navi examined it, and though she glowed yellow a bit to show she had a problem with it, Link took it and set it on his back, having it overlap his Deku Shield. Apparently, the note explained that the shield was more formerly known as the Hylian Shield, which was something the Knights of Hyrule used in combat situations.

"Well, that was really nice of that man; the next time I see him, I'll be sure to thank him for this shield." He spoke to Navi, placing the shield on his back, and by doing that, his entire back and parts of his legs were covered by the shield. He knew that he can't use both it and his sword at the same time, and since he was heading up to Death Mountain anyways, it would just be best he left that shield as it was on his back; that way he could have an extra hand free if he needed it.

But, due to the fact it was night now, it would be best he waited until morning to press on, but then again, if he procrastinates, Gannondorf is only going to become closer to his goal; obtaining the Triforce. Link swore he wouldn't dare let the dark man step close to the Triforce if he could help it. "Navi, let's go; Epona will be safe here in town, since she is but a pony after all, or rather…" He stopped, wondering if Epona could remember the way back home.

When he approached her slowly, she saw him, but she didn't back off, since he had managed to tame her with the song Malon taught him. He gently placed his hand on her muzzle, petting her carefully, and asked her that very question. As if understanding, she pressed her hoof against the ground once, as if showing him that was a yes. He smiled, and untied her ropes, and led her to the Kakariko entrance. Once they were out of the canyon, Link looked at Epona once more, and with a light push, the pony began to dash towards the ranch, following the path.

Once done, Link re-entered the village and continued further from the inn, passing by a few homes, a shaman's hut, a bomb and other utility store (2), all the way to the canyon towards the Death Mountain. And like Zelda told him, there was a guard there, but he was dozing off a little bit, leaning against his spear to remain upright. Link approached him, and he didn't stir, so Link did the only thing he could really do, so he shook him a bit, and heard him grumble a little. When he finally awoke, he stretched a little and gave out a yawn.

"Hmmm… why did you have to wake me kid; if you want to head up the mountain, you're out of luck. Unless you have permission by a Royal Family member, I cannot let you pass beyond this point-" Upon those last few words, Link reached into his pouch and pulled out the note which Zelda had given him, and after the man examined it, he said, "Hmmm, this is surely Zelda's handwriting…" Navi was hovering close to him so he was able to read it in the darkness of night.

After a moment, Link raised an eyebrow when the man gave a light snort, before bursting out in laughter. Either the man didn't believe him, or Zelda must've put some kind of joke on the paper that somehow, Link couldn't understand. "What is our princess up to now… Anyways, now that you happened to have permission, I suppose I could let you through; you seemed prepared anyways, so you should do fine, though…" The man spoke, immediately unlocking the gate with a set of keys he had, and opened it.

"If you happen to return to Castle Town; that is if you ever do happen to return there… No, I'm not asking you this because of the compliment I gave you, kid, but rather… There's a shop in Castle Town that just opened up, according to townspeople who recently visited there. It's a mask shop, and my son wants me to go there sometime and get him a mask of a really popular character, but… This is my station, and I cannot go anywhere…" The man spoke, before giving out a sigh, before going silent again. Link couldn't help but feel sorry for the man a little, and with a nod, he turned to head up the trail, climbing the one ladder before pressing on.

He wasn't paying attention to his footing, and when a geyser erupted at his foot, the steaming hot water came in contact with his leg, and Link could help but yelp out in pain. He had climbed a ways up already when this occurred, and without realizing, he tripped over some kind of plant-thing. It didn't move out of place at all, and, since he was a little pissed, Link used all strength he had to pull the plant out of the ground, but when he pulled it with enough strength, he was pushed back, with the plant-thing hitting his stomach a little.

Yet, something about it wasn't right; the plant had… a fuse? Navi immediately recognized the plant did smell of black-powder, a little, and now she knew what it was. "Link, that's a bomb! Get rid of it!" She yelled, and when Link heard that, he tossed it, accidentally throwing it down the trail. But he crouched and turned his back towards the bomb, knowing the shield would take the blow. Once he heard an explosion, he heard the sound of crumbling rocks, and when he looked down, he saw the opening to a cave of sorts.

"Oops…" He spoke softly, hoping that he didn't do that, but something told him he should examine what was inside. Getting a grip, he took his sword in hand, and cautiously stepped into the dark cavern, breathing returned to normal after the incident with the bomb. Navi did give off a little light, and it did help a little, so he could see a few feet in front of him. Without paying much mind to what was in front of him, he tripped over what seemed like a rock at first glance. Link groaned, and when he stood up, he turned around to see another one of the things he saw earlier from the inn.

He didn't know that it was a Goron, a species that Zelda had mentioned to him lived in the area. But it seemed a bit smaller than the one he saw in town, it was more his size, but even so, it looked far stronger than he was. The creature looked at him, and with Navi's light, he saw that it was clutching something, a bag of sorts. "Hm? Why is a human in our mountainous area, and in such a dangerous place like the Dodongo's Cavern?" It asked him, in a deep, grunted voice.

Link was a little shaky, but after calming down a little, he regained a little composure, before saying, "I came here, searching for the Spiritual Stone of Fire to aid me in a quest to save Hyrule…" The Goron looked at him, setting the bag down for a moment, and checked to make sure the boy wasn't lying.

"For a young one, you have courage, and have good timing too. You see, our leader, Darunia, is willing to give the Goron's Ruby, or the Spiritual Stone of Fire as you call it, to the one who clears this cavern of the great beast that lurks within. However, I've been here for too long, goro… And though I would love to taste that stone, I cannot force myself any further than this." It spoke, Link not exactly certain if it was male or female. But it was then the Goron took the bag and handed it to Link, taking Link guard a little, and he culd smell more black-powder.

"So you should go in Goro's place, goro… Goro being me, if you must know…" it spoke, introducing itself, and before Link could ask what this beast was, the Goron curled up in a ball, and began to roll away rather quickly. He thought that they all walked, moving at a slow pace, but it would seem they have a speed advantage as well that seemed to be overlooked.

Link, looking at the bag, looked inside and saw a number of bombs, however, none of their fuses were lit, so he sighed in relief. But he did see something that did light the fuse in there, and placed that in his pocket; both pieces being flint. He gulped a little, and pressed onwards down the intertwining tunnels. However, it wasn't long before he approached a dead-end, yet something came to his ears.

As the bubbling of boiling lava could be heard from the crack in the ground, Link could only walk forward. Not wanting to fall if the crack was unstable, he set the fuse on one of his newly acquired bombs before setting it near the crack. Backing up a few feet, Link waited with his shield up for the large explosion caused by the small bombs. After a while, shrapnel flew every which way, however none of it was able to pierce his shield as the explosion was let off.

Link walked up to the new hole in the ground, looking down. He saw a dirt path, and the heat within the moist cavern just seemed to increase severely. Wanting this to be done and over with, Link jumped down the hole, the fall larger than he expected. Luckily, the ground was soft to cushion his fall, but Link couldn't help but feel that he wasn't alone here with Navi.

The ground shook as a faint roar came from behind him. Link, turning around hurriedly, saw…

Author's notes:

Preview for Chapter 8: King Dodongo Battle

Link watched as the large beast, slow as it was, prepare for one of its flame attacks. Link, without really remembering the note given to him, pulled out his Deku Shield and prepared to block the attack. However, when the fire came at him, Link winced greatly at the burns that the flames caused, and watched the edges of the shield catch fire, forcing him to let go of it.

Link watched as the beast looked at him, and without warning, it curled up into a large back, and Link couldn't think of anything except to curl up into his own ball, the Hylian shield still on his back. When the creature rolled at him, however, the most that happened to him was minor bruising as well as being pushed to away from the lava pit that rested beside him.

The creature rolled by him, remaining on the dirt path, and after one corner, the creature hit the wall, and uncurled, but turned around, slowly approaching. Navi seemed to understand the way it fought, and figured out how to defeat the beast. "Link, when it opens its mouth, toss one of those plant-bombs into it, and perhaps it might become stunned after ingesting it?" She suggested, and Link, having lost the time needed to set the fuse on one of his own bombs, he attempted to lift one of the flowers like before. But the creature was already preparing to breathe fire at him, and if Link didn't hurry, he would be burned to a crisp…

Anyways, please R&R. (Also, I apologize for the long wait, because I had a case of Writer's Block, so ya… x_x)

1- I might make a bonus chapter on how Link fares with farm life, depending on your reviews, of course…

2- Like I mentioned before, I'm using the TP map for this fan fiction, so no doubt that I'd forget to put those in as well. However, since I'm following a set time-line, the characters who were once in those buildings don't exactly exist in the OoT world…