"Link, look out!"

The skull kid rolled to the side in the nick of time, barely avoiding the tektite that dropped from above.

The tektite let out an angry screech, hopping and turning around back towards the boy. Link reached back to grab hold of his sword, standing defensively.

The insect charged, springing into the air in hopes of crashing into and smothering its prey. Link was faster, however. He crouched down and, at the last second, stabbed upwards, the blade cutting deep into the monster's exposed belly. Its angry shriek became one of horror as Link used all his strength to push it back before removing his blade. The monster's blood gushed outwards, spilling across the rocks as its shrieks became weaker. Mere moments passed before it gave one final twitch, the light leaving its single eye.

Link panted, running his blade on a rock to clear off as much blood as possible. This was the third time now in the past hour or so one of the monster insects had attacked him, considerably slowing his ascent. He was already well sick of it.

He began to walk again, taking a sip of water from a small canteen. This time, however, he thought to keep ahold of his sword, just in case any more of the red monsters grew brave and attempted to challenge him.

As the incline began to grow steeper, Link realized he could make out what looked like a cave up ahead. However, it could offer him nowhere to shelter and rest, as a huge boulder covered the entrance. The only cracks in the seal were far too small for even him to slip through.

Still the sight struck his curiosity. Carefully, checking his surroundings as he approached the area – much wider open than the path he had taken thus far - Link padded up to the great stone. For the most part, it appeared intact. However, he could make out small cracks near the top, though not deep to make it break apart. He ran a hand along the rock face, mind drifting to try and come up with reasons it would be there.

"If you're looking for rock sirloin, I'm afraid you came at a bad time friend."

The deep, yet quiet voice made Link whip around suddenly, his grip on his sword tightening.

In front of him was a huge brown being, their hands raised in front of them defensively. Despite their size, they appeared to mean Link no harm. He let the sword fall to the side and eyed them curiously.

"Woah there little guy!" The creature cried out, louder this time. "I ain't gonna hurt you! I guess you haven't ever met a Goron before."

Link's head tilted to the side. So… this was a Goron? They appeared rotund, and almost bean shaped, with short skinny legs, and great beefy arms. Small rock-like protrusions jutted from their head and back.

He shook his head.

"Well, it's always nice to meet a guest!" The Goron responded with a chuckle, placing one hand over his belly. His stomach let out a low rumble shortly after, and his gaze sobered. "I'm afraid you came at a time we can't offer you hospitality though, friend. That great boulder there blocks the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern, a very important place for us Gorons…"

"Gorons eat rocks," Navi explained. "This was likely their primary food source."

The Goron nodded a confirmation. "That's correct, it was. But one day, many dodongos suddenly appeared inside the cavern. It quickly became a very dangerous place! And then, if that was not bad enough, a Gerudo in black armor used his magic to seal the entrance with that boulder!"

Link shot Navi a sideways glance. She did the same. Ganondorf had been here too, from the sound of things. And that could only mean one thing.

Navi fluttered closer to the Goron, urgency giving her voice an edge. "Um, if you do not mind, we were actually trying to head to your city on royal business. Could you point us in the right direction?"

The Goron's face immediately lit up. "Are you messengers for the royal family? Have you come with aid? By all means don't let me keep you waiting! If you keep following this path up the mountain-" he cut off to turn and point towards another incline turning back, "you'll come right to Goron City's entrance. If there's something you can do, anything, please do!"

Link gave the Goron a quick nod. With renewed vigor, he took off at a light jog up the path, hoping that he was not too late.


Night fell before the duo could arrive, forcing them to tread carefully in the darkness. Link walked with one hand to the cliff raising high to his left, keeping an eye on the path in front of him for any gaps or holes. To his right, the path fell off sharply. Even with a fence to help prevent accidental falls in some spots, it was still nerve-racking to walk in the near darkness with a chance at untimely demise so close by.

Navi flew slightly ahead, leading the way with her pale light. Link painstakingly made sure to keep his footsteps only within the light, lest he slip and fall to his doom into the darkness below. Would the fall actually kill something undead like him? He would rather not find out.

For a moment, Link considered contacting Saria and Skull Kid to pass the time, as he had the evening before. But the danger around him made him reconsider, and instead he chose to follow silently and obediently behind his fairy friend.

Suddenly Navi came to a stop. Link slowed to a stop behind her.

"I think we're here," the fairy whispered. "Look." She fluttered ahead just a few feet, illuminating a raised platform in front of her. Stones had been placed in an unnatural near perfect circle on the platform itself. For what reason they were placed, Link did not know. But he knew one thing for sure- it meant civilization.

But it was not the only thing he spotted. As Navi's light drew further from his eyes, he could see a second, distant warm orange glow beyond the platform. The glow of firelight in a cave. That was it, it had to be the entrance.

With renewed effort, he trekked behind Navi quickly and carefully, finishing the last few minutes of the trip in silence. Soon, the warm glow overtook Navi's glow as he reached the cave entrance.

Link found himself in a vast, open cavern, lit by torches both at ground level and far above. On the far end, he could see the wall painted with faded colors that must once have been vibrant, depicting great, scaly, fire breathing beast. In front of it, suspended by thick ropes was a raised platform. It appeared to be empty.

The walkway he was on looked like it looped almost all the way around the space, sharply dropping off towards the center. As he inched close to the edge, he could see similar rings below, stretching out until the pit bottomed out. Although he could not make out the details well from here, at the center of the ground level appeared to be a ginormous clay pot.

Link backed away from the edge. Technically, he could make the jump down to the next level with no trouble, but without knowing he could find a way back up, he chose to instead search for another way. He glanced both to the right and the left. On either side a tunnel branched off, leading to a location that he could not make out from here.

Link chose to try the left path, giving the drop off a wide berth as he worked his way around the path. As he reached the tunnel, he could see in the dim light that it angled downwards, and as he began to descend, it curved back, spitting him out on the middle level.

Turning right, the next tunnel he encountered did the same, bringing him to the bottom level. From here, he could see he was right that the thing in the center was a huge clay pot, carved in the form of Gorons.

But other than the size, the pot did not interest him any. Perhaps what actually made him the most curious, however, was the closed door he could see just beyond. As he approached it, he could see that it too was carved from stone, with etching on it of what looked to him like fire and four triangles set into a shape that reminded him of an animal's paw print. Unlike the tunnels, this entryway happened to have what looked a woven mat at the entrance.

His gaze swept to the side, noting a Goron to the right that seemed to be dozing off.

Until Navi spoke to him, that is.

"Hey, Excuse me!" They fairy called out.

The Goron startled awake, uncurling. Almost immediately the rock creature was on his feet, eying the skull kid and his fairy cautiously.

"We were looking for-"

"Say no more," the Goron said, holding up a hand. "I can see it written all over your face. If I'm not mistaken, you came out here to eat the red stone! Well, too bad! It's not here!"

Link blinked once, staring at the Goron dumbfoundedly.

"What? No!" Navi responded for him, bobbing back and forth just slightly impatiently. "He doesn't eat rocks. He eats… fruit. And bugs, apparently." She came to a stop directly in front of the Goron. "No, we're not here to eat any rocks, but we are looking for a spiritual stone, do you know where we might find it?"

The Goron tilted his head. "Spiritual… stone? Do you mean the delicious-looking red stone that used to be displayed up there?" He tilted his head to look up towards the suspended platform far above them. Navi and Link looked up in turn.

"That sounds like the kind of place a special stone like this would be."

The Goron shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not there anymore. See, I was so hungry that I thought it would be okay if I gave it one tiny little lick...so I snuck out here. But it was already gone! I think Big Brother took it away. He always says that everyone is after that red stone!"

"Big… Brother?"

The Goron's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you've never heard of Big Brother Darunia, Chief of the Gorons?!"

Link slowly shook his head. Navi however seemed at least somewhat familiar. "I believe I have heard the name mentioned before. You'll have to excuse my friend's cluelessness. Link here is from the forest, and this is only the first time he's left."

The Goron's demeanor softened; he gave Link a gentle smile. "Apologies then, my friend. It's rare to have visitors that are not already familiar with our customs. If you wish to see the spiritual stone, you'll have to try speaking with Darunia."

"That's fine," Navi confirmed. "Where is he?"

The gentle giant's smile faltered. "That… might be a problem, actually. He gestured to the door beside him. "Big Brother has shut himself up in his room saying, 'I will wait in here for the Royal Family's messenger!' Unless you bring news from the castle, I'm afraid it may be some time before you're able to get in. We Gorons are having something of a crisis at the moment, I'm afraid."

"A food shortage, right?" Navi asked. When the Goron nodded, she continued. "We were filled in back near the cavern's entrance. Actually… we were sent here by the royal family. The princess, more specifically, sent us."

The Goron's eyes lit up. "Then you're here to do something about the food crisis? Then please, let me let you in!" He began to move, then stopped.

"Actually…" he started.

"What is it?"

"I was told that the messenger would come bearing some sort of proof. Something that only someone with a connection to royalty would have. I'm afraid without that, I can't let you in."

Dismayed, Link turned his head to Navi. The guard back in Kakariko had kept the note From Zelda. What else did they have?

Navi pondered the question for a moment, letting her mind wander back over the last few days, settling over the thoughts of their interaction with the princess; her dream… the story of the triforce… the male Gerudo… Impa… Impa! That was it!

"Link! The song! Play Zelda's song!"

Link's eyes immediately lit up. Of course! If anything would work, that would. His hands quickly reached into his pockets, fishing for the ocarina that was becoming familiar to his hands fast. His fingers brushed over the holes as he recited the song in his head. Only once he was certain he had the notes memorized did he begin to play.

The notes of the lullaby rang in the air, clear and calming. The boy's eye-lights flickered out as he found his worries melting away with the melody, memories of playing music with Skull Kid sticking in his head.

When his song drew to a close, the cavern was silent, save for the quiet breathing of both himself and the Goron beside him, and the soft crackle of torch flame.

Finally, a quiet, but firm voice sounded from beyond the sealed entrance.

"Let them in."

The Goron by the door snapped to attention at once before waddling over to the stone door and reaching down to give it a lift. The sound of stone grinding against stone rang, and slowly, the door began to retreat into a hole within the cave wall, revealing another short tunnel.

Although the pathway was dim, Link could see a brightly lit room not far beyond. He gave the Goron a wide smile and a fast, friendly wave, then stepped inside the room.

The room was sparsely decorated. And yet, it was much more extravagant than any other part of the city he had seen thus far. The only furniture was a couple of small tables, but beautiful handwoven carpets took up most of the floor. The walls had been carved into with intricate designs, and the carvings then painted a darker color. Banners adorned by the triforce symbol hung from the ceiling. And at the end, a carefully carved stone statue of a Goron stood, watching over all the room's inhabitants.

But it was the real Goron that stood in front of the statue that caught Link's eye. He was huge, far bigger and beefier than any of the other Gorons Link had seen thus far, standing more than twice his own height. From his head came great stiff tufts of thick hair, more like a mane than anything else.

The Goron stared Link down, the expression of his deep blue-violet eyes unreadable, crossing arms thicker than Link's head. Not even against Gohma had Link felt so small.

Link slowed his pace to a stop a few feet away.

"So…" the Goron started. "Who the heck are you?"

"I am Navi," the fairy chimed in response. "And this is Link. We were-"

She was cut off as Darunia began to mutter to himself, ignoring her. "When I heard the song of the Royal Family, I expected their messenger had arrived, but… I mean, the weird kid knows it, which I suppose makes him the messenger but…"

He suddenly jabbed a finger at Link, raising his voice. "You're just a kid! Tell me, has Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons, really lost so much status to be treated like this by his Sworn Brother, the King?"

Link took a startled step back, aghast. "I-"

Navi was the one that found her tongue first, answering for him. "What? No, of course not! We-"

But she was cut off again.

"Now, I'm REALLY angry!" The Goron roared. "Get out of my face, now!"

"WAIT!" Navi cried out in protest, fluttering dangerously close to the enraged Goron's face, her erratic flight causing her to let out jingles from frustration. "If you would just let us explain-"

Darunia cut her of tartly. "I don't have time to entertain children. If you haven't noticed, we Gorons are in the middle of a crisis! Ancient creatures have infested the Dodongo's Cavern! Starvation and hunger because of the rock shortage! If that wasn't enough, we've had a poor harvest of our specialty crop!" He let out a long huff, before finally calming just slightly, steadying his breathing.

"But… This is a Goron problem! We don't need any help from strangers! And certainly not from a royal family that couldn't bother to send anyone other than a child to speak with us."

He turned away from the duo, arms crossed. "Begone from my sight. You are free to stay the night, but I expect you to be gone by morning, understand? You come at a bad time, we have no room for hospitality."

"But-"

"Navi."

The fairy turned back to Look at Link. He had retreated to the edge of the room once Darunia had turned and now was staring straight at the fairy. He only shook his head, and turned to walk away, shoulders slumped.

Navi hesitated, but followed him out, stopping with him just outside.

"Well, that went terribly. But… We can't just give up. There has to be some way to get through to him, don't you think?"

Link shrugged, looking back to Navi for a moment before continuing onward towards the path back up, ignoring the question from the Goron beside the door.

Navi began to fly after Link, but stopped for a moment, turning back to speak to the Goron briefly before catching up.

"Link, he said he overheard everything. They don't have any traditional beds, but there's a tunnel nearby that sometimes blows wind from the forest. He said it might be a nice place to relaz."

The boy shrugged, considering his options for a moment, then shrugged again, suddenly feeling very weary. How late was it now? Staying up any longer would do him no good. He gave the fairy a tiny nod, beginning his search for the place to sleep.

Navi dashed forward to nuzzle up against the side of his jaw, a show of comfort. "Don't worry," she said quietly. "Sleep on it. Think on it. We'll come up with something in the morning."


Everyone seemed to be asleep; only the sound of chirping crickets and nocturnal creatures sounded throughout the Kokiri Forest. Good children were asleep at this time of night.

But by Kokiri standards, Link could hardly be considered a "good child."

Good children did not help other children put prickly burrs in other children's beds. Good children did not find breaking pots amusing.

And good children certainly didn't go digging in other people's treasure boxes just because they could.

Yet here Link was, creeping into the village of forest children well after dark, his eyes on a particular chest he had seen the last time he and his friend had snuck into the village. Did it have anything interesting? He had no clue; it was the act of sneaking in to look that made it so enticing.

He adjusted his scratchy, fingerless gloves. It was only one small part of the outfit his friend had given him recently, the clothing that most skull kids wore, a sign of who they were, another way they were the same as the Kokiri but different. Honestly? It was too big, and itchy. His friend looked much better in the colors.

Perhaps, he thought as he crept quietly through the darkness, there was more to his interest in the forest than he realized. He'd always had some level of interest in the area since Skully had introduced him to it. Perhaps that was why he had chosen to make his home so close to the home of the other forest spirits.

For one reason or another he felt like there was something he had to do here. Something he had forgotten…

The house he was looking for was just ahead. He'd learned from his bits of exploration and creeping around that this particular Kokiri was a bit full of himself. And also, a particularly heavy sleeper.

But as he approached the house, a path beyond him caught his attention. More than once in his trips, to the Kokiri Forest, he'd noticed the path before, but curiosity had never been strong enough to pull him towards the area. But tonight, he found it calling out to him.

Ransacking the Kokiri boy's treasure would have to wait.

Link changed his route towards the path, creeping along quietly in hopes of avoiding waking the other children. The path wound back and forth between two raised rock and dirt walls. What made him most interested, however, was the sound of resting Deku Baba plants to the sides. He took great care not to disturb them.

Before too long, the path opened back up into a large clearing, bits of moonlight filtering down through the canopy of leaves above.

Before Link was a gargantuan tree, far larger than any Link had ever seen, even in the twisting and winding Lost Woods. He made one last glance behind him, then turned to dash closer to the tree's roots for a closer look.

A creaking noise brought him to a sudden halt. He froze in place, not daring to twitch a finger or even blink.

'Child of the Lost Woods,' A voice rang out around him, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. 'What bringeth thee here?'

Link let out a yelp, springing a good foot up into the air. Furiously he whipped his head back in forth in an attempt to find what the source might be.

The voice chuckled in his head. "You need not fear, child. Any child of the forest or the woods is indeed welcome here. I, the Great Deku tree, welcome all underneath my protection."

He finally turned his attention to the tree. How odd, how peculiar. And yet, he felt like it made sense. A forest spirit protecting all forest spirits.

"I came to look around," he half-lied. Certainly, he would not be welcome if his mischievous antics were revealed, right?

The tree was silent for a moment, but then he laughed again, "Now, now, child, I can hear that thine words ring not true. I hear worry in thine voice. Come, sit amongst my roots, thou may speakest to me of thine troubles and I will listen."


Link groggily blinked awake, parts of the dream of meeting the Deku Tree still lingering in his mind. They left a sour taste in his mouth. Not because of any part of the dream, but because it reminded him of the Deku Tree's request. And of Zelda's request. And of how it seemed like he had already failed.

Sure, he was not ready to quit quite yet. But what could he do, steal the Sacred Stone? Certainly, the idea, while maybe not the best solution, was not totally out of the picture for him. But how could he manage to even pull it off, when he had not a single clue as to the whereabouts of the gem.

Navi stirred, her sleep disturbed by Link's movement. She fluttered up to rest on his shoulder as he sat up, stiff from his rest on the dirt floor. Gorons seemed like they could just curl up and take a nap at any time, almost anywhere. No wonder they had no "traditional beds."

Link stretched, arms raising high as he blinked his sleep from his eyes. It was just as dark in the tunnel he had slept in as it had been the night before. In fact, he had no clue what time of day it might be without the sun or moon to tell him. It could be the middle of the night still, for all he knew.

His stomach rumbled, the only real sign that much time had passed. It occurred to him that he had not eaten since before he had left Kakariko the day before. He shifted to reach for his bag, pulling out some of the remaining wrapped fruit, and ripped a small chunk of bread off the remainder of his loaf. For a moment, he wondered if Goron cuisine was anything he'd enjoy. Then again, they kept speaking of eating rocks. He may have… odd tastes in comparison to humans or Kokiri, but even he would never eat a rock.

He took a bite of the bread, chewing thoughtfully. He did not feel much better rested than he had been when he arrived. But it did not matter. Darunia expected him to leave. But he had to find some way to get that stone. His mind drifted to the angry Goron the night before. In his current state of mind, he had no hope of getting through to him. There had to be some way he could get him to calm long enough to talk at least…

...Maybe Saria would have an idea.

As soon as he had finished his modest breakfast Link moved to dig the fairy ocarina from his pockets and began to play the familiar tune.

Several moments of silence followed, then finally Saria's sweet, singsong voice answered.

"Link? Link can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Link responded, holding back a yawn.

"That's good. Where are you? We were worried when you didn't call. Skull Kid was especially worried."

"Skull Kid is there?"

"He's asleep," she explained. "But yes, he's here. He snuck into my house sometime last night. I'm pretty sure he stayed up and watched me sleep waiting for a call from you. Does… I'm not sure how well he understands what personal space is."

Link could not help but giggle at Sarias frustrated tone. He himself, on several occasions had awoken to Skully's face hanging above his, eagerly waiting for him to awake.

"But enough about that, how-" Saria cut off mid-sentence.

"LINK!" Skull Kid's voice rang in his head. "Linklinklinklinklink! There you are finally! I was waiting all night for you! Did you find the stone already? I bet you did because you're totally cool. Well?"

"Well… not really, actually. No."

"Oh."

Link let out a sigh. "I made it to the Gorons but… they don't want to listen."

"They're having problems here too," Navi chimed in after landing on the ocarina. "Food shortages for one thing, likely caused by the same man that cursed the Deku Tree." She paused. "How… are things there right now, anyways. Has anything… changed?"

"Nothing…" There was a moment of hesitation in Saria's voice. "Nothing so far. But it's been… four days now? The forest grew over hundreds… thousands of years even. It will likely take more time for the effects of our guardian's death to show."

"Aw chin up," Skull Kid butted in cheekily. Link could only imagine that he was making some sort of silly face as an attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Besides. Us skull kids have survived for just as long without the Deku Tree's help. You Kokiri could do it too!"

"It's not that simple," Saria responded glumly.

"She's right," Navi added. "Even the Lost Woods were under some level of guidance and control of the Deku Tree. It's mists helped keep the Kokiri safe from intruders, but the Deku Tree kept the mists from spreading too far. Once his power fades…" She trailed off.

"You don't know anything bad will happen though," Skull Kid argued. "Why worry then. It just makes you a bunch of sad, sobby people! Have some fun."

"I can't just not worry about it, Skull Kid!"

"...We're… getting off topic," Link finally cut in quietly and hesitantly, before the two forest dwellers could become tenser. "I know this is important too but… could we worry about the stone first? I… never told you guys I saw the man that probably cursed the Deku Tree, did I?"

Silence.

"I guess not."

"No… What's he like?" Saria finally asked.

"He's really tall. Taller than most adults that I saw. And his hair is the color of a fire! He wore dark armor and… And his eyes were the scariest part- he looked like he could kill you just by looking at you!"

Neither Saria nor Skull Kid responded for a while. Skull Kid was the one to break the silence this time.

"So… are you gonna fight him?"

"What?" Navi cut in. "Of course not! We are not going to fight him. We're going to stop him before he has the chance to hurt anyone. Then the adults can deal with it."

"Adults can't be trusted to deal with anything," Skull Kid grumbled, but he quickly changed the subject. "So, you need to get the Gorons to listen to you, so you can get the stone from them right?"

"Right."

"Well, what about a gift? Or a trade of some sort?" Saria suggested.

"What do you have in mind?" Link asked.

"I don't know… what are you good at? Besides mischief. I don't think they'd appreciate your childish antics."

"Oh, I know! Put bomb powder in with their food! They eat rocks, right? No one would notice!"

"SKULL KID! That is the exact OPPOSITE of a good idea!"

Skull Kid cackled. "Kidding! Totally Kidding!" He probably was not kidding.

"...Well…" Link started, considering. "I can swing a sword. And I can play music. And…. Actually, I think that's it. If we're not counting pranking as a skill."

"Music sounds like a great idea," Saria responded. "It should be a great show of goodwill. Now… what song should you play. Something cheerful maybe? Or maybe you could pick up some of their own music, as a show that you're interested in their culture?"

"I hear Gorons make great lullabys," Skull Kid suggested. "That should put someone that's angry right to sleep right?"

Link opened his mouth to respond, but his eyes caught movement in the dim light. He turned his head towards the source. A Goron stood at the end of the tunnel, staring and shifting on his feet.

"Uh, guys, I think I need to go. But I'll keep the ideas in mind."

"Come home soon! It's so boring without you!" Was the last thing Link heard from Skull Kid before pulling his hand away.

Link quickly stashed the ocarina back away before scrambling to his feet. For several minutes, he and the Goron stared at each other in silence. But surprisingly, it was Link that broke the silence.

"Um… how long have you been standing there?" Link asked, nervously fiddling with the bottom of his tunic.

"A few minutes," the Goron responded, unmoving. "I thought I heard music. Instead I found you talking to yourself."

"Oh, the music was me, too." He considered explaining himself but decided against it. After all, who knew how much sense that would make to anyone else. A magical ocarina? That just sounds like crazy talk!

The Goron brought a hand to his chin, considering. "Then… are you, by chance, from the forest?"

Link nodded in response.

Excited, the Goron approached faster now, taking hold of Link's tiny wooden hands. "I knew it! I knew I recognized that tune!"

He raised back up to full height, gesturing to the pile of rocks behind Link. "We used to be able to hear it drifting from the forest through here sometimes, until the tunnel collapsed. Everyone loved it."

He stooped back down, once again taking Link's hands. "Do you think you could come play it for everyone? We're all so tired and hungry, but maybe it might lift everyone's spirits like it did mine!"

Link considered it, looking back to Navi. It could be a huge waste of time… or exactly what they needed to continue their quest.

Finally, eyes sparkling, he turned his attention back to the Goron. "Do you want to hear it on flute or ocarina?"


Darunia was tired.

He was more than tired, really. Hunger gnawed at his stomach. Today would mark his third day of his impromptu "fast", and a whole week since his last actual decent meal, having offered his portion of his quickly dwindling reserves to the neediest of his people.

They were running out of time.

How long would it be before he began to see his people perish at the claws of starvation? How long before he, too, succumbed to hunger's cruel whims?

His tribe's pride would not allow him to just give into the Gerudo man's demands. But how many of his people could he watch suffer before he would be forced to relent?

Would giving into his demands even save his people? Or would they be left to starve anyways?

More than once, he had considered leaving to solve the problem of Dodongo's cavern. But twice since the sealing, the Gerudo had come to demand he hand over the stone. Would he slaughter his people to take it by force, if he saw that Darunia had left?

He could not risk it.

And then there was the matter of the wooden child from the night before. He had been foolish to think the royal family would send help. They had been a neutral party in the civil war, the Gorons having no use for the people and lands beyond their mountain. He had not expected much. But to send a CHILD to do an adult's job? It insulted him and disgraced the royal Hylians.

Darunia was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of music outside his chamber, and not far from outside at that. The tune struck a chord, familiar to his ears, a memory of better times. Finally, curiosity got the better of the Goron chief. He stepped outside into the main chamber.

Several Gorons had gathered in the lowest floor, rain their heads higher up towards the next floor. Many were dancing, while others clapped along with the beat.

But at the head of it all, standing high and proud on the ledge above, was the wooden child from the night before, fingers gliding along the surface of an ocarina.

One particularly excited Goron appeared beside the boy, brandishing a tambourine. Wind instrument melded with a traditional Goron sound. Creating a lively fusion.

When was the last time Darunia had seen his people this jubilant? Certainly, it had to have been before their current misfortune had struck.

Darunia felt a smile creeping onto his face. For the first time in well over a month, watching his people dance and be joyful, he felt the weight of all the wrongs in their world lifting from his shoulders, even if only for the moment.

Mind free of the stresses upon him for a moment, Darunia began to dance with his people hopping from foot to foot and swinging his arms wildly.

"Oh!"

"What a hot beat!"

"Come on! Come on come on!"

However long the group danced, he could not be sure. But by the time the song drew to a close, even with the hunger still gnawing at him, Darunia felt more at peace than he had in weeks.

"What a nice tune!" He called out, causing the entire cavern to turn to him. His mind drew back to the night before, when he had so harshly turned the boy away. He could see now that it had been a mistake. If nothing else, it would not hurt him to listen to what the kid had to say.

"Hey kid! Come on down here, I'd like to have a word with you!"

The kid opened his mouth slightly in shock. But he wasted no time regardless, choosing to slide down the side of the cliff instead of taking the tunnel down. In no time at all, he was bounding to catch up to the Goron chief as he made his way back to his chamber.


Once again, Link found himself in Darunia's room, nervously tugging at his tunic. This time, however, the great boulder of a Goron seemed much more at ease as he took a moment to adjust the jars on his sparse furniture. Once he seemed satisfied, he turned back to the skull kid.

"I need to apologize to you, kid. I've been in a bit of a rut lately, worried about everything going on here. But that music you played. Oh, it made me think back to better times. Something just came over me! I suddenly wanted to dance like crazy!

"Let me introduce myself properly. I am Darunia! I'm the big boss of the Gorons!" The huge boulder of a Goron beat a fist against his chest. "You seemed to have something you wanted to say last night. Was there something you wanted to ask me about?"

Link turned his head to look at Navi, who seemed almost as surprised as he was. But unwilling to let the opportunity pass, Navi spoke up.

"Well, you see sir, we've been asked by the princess to gather three Sacred Stones, in hopes of stopping an evil man from taking them, and from doing bad things. We've already got one - Link show him the emerald." She paused long enough to allow Link time to brandish the gem and present it to Darunia before she continued. "So we came with the request of borrowing the Goron's gem."

Darunia's gaze darkened slightly. He turned his head to the side, raising a finger to his chin. "So… you want the Spiritual Stone of Fire, too?" He turned his head back. "The Spiritual Stone of Fire, also known as the Goron's Ruby, is our race's hidden treasure..." For a moment he seemed like he was considering something, but he made no movement.

"As such, it is not something I can just give up to you. Especially not in a moment of crisis like we have now. But… I would be willing to part with it for the greater good, if you are willing to do us a service in return."

"What kind of service?" Navi asked.

"Our food source, Dodongo's cavern, was cut off by that wicked man, possibly the same one you are trying to stop. Why don't you go destroy the monsters inside of the Dodongo's Cavern and prove you're a real man? That way, everybody will be happy again! More than that, it would be saving my people from starvation. If you do it, I will give you anything you want, even the Spiritual Stone! Is that fair to you?"

Link tilted his head considering.

"Now hold on," Navi interjected. "I understand your reasoning, but there has to be-"

"I'll do it."

"Wait, Link!" Navi whipped around to face the boy, flying close. "Look, Link. You don't understand. A monster infested Dodongo's cavern is dangerous enough for someone like a Goron. But it's a place of fire and lava. Your body is made of wood. One wrong step could kill you."

For a second, Link froze, eyes wide. But then he shook his head to clear it. "I'll just have to try."

Darunia seemed to hesitate for a moment too. But finally, he responded after shaking his head to clear it as he began to walk back to the table to his side. "If you really do mean to try, I have something for you. I'm not really giving you this in return for anything but take it anyway. If you wear this, even a little fella like you can pick a Bomb Flower - one of the special crops us Gorons raise. They work like a bomb, exploding shortly after you pick it. So, you have to be very careful. Still, you'll need this just to get inside. Understand?"

He turned back to Link, holding out a small, gold colored bracelet that was spiky on one end. An inset red crest, similar to the design Link had seen painted on the walls, decorated it.

Link accepted the item, slowly slipping it over his wrist. "... How does this actually help me?"

"Firstly, the bomb flowers are heavier than they look, it helps you like a brace would. But secondly, the leaves are quite sharp, so the bracelet protects your wrist when you go to pick the bud, understand."

Link considered for a moment, then slowly, he nodded. "I… think so."

The Goron smiled. "Glad to hear it. Good luck little guy, I look forward to seeing you soon!"

The boy adjusted the bracelet on his hand then turned to scurry out of the room. The day may have been half over already, but he could not sit and wait. Dodongo's cavern awaited him!