Disclaimer: Um, FANfiction?
A/N: -_-' People, seriously? You really thought I was over LoZ for Yu-Gi-Oh DMX? SERIOUSLY?
"Papa, I brought you supper." A young woman set a tray down in front of a plump, groggy man. "You need to keep your strength up."
The man glanced up at her and smiled lightly. "Malon, have I ever told you how much you look like your mother?"
She laughed, kissing him on the cheek. "Yes, you've told me every day."
Talon hugged her tightly, laughing. "And when is the baby due?"
"The baby will be here any day, papa. We're both ecstatic over it. I hope it's a strong baby boy just like his daddy and grandpa!" Her eyes glazed over dreamily at the thought of holding a bouncing baby boy in her arms.
Her father held her closer, a few tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm happy for you, Malon, honey."
"Papa, don't cry," the redhead cooed. "I'm still your little girl."
"We're screwed."
The archers prepared to fire as Tovia spoke worriedly. "Alright, any ideas on how we're to come out alive?!"
Link gripped Epona's reigns and his sword nervously. "We're going to go straight for the large one and try not to get hit?"
"…Link… That has got to be the worst plan ever," he stated dryly.
"Do you have anything better?" the other blonde shot back, just before he charged forward.
"No, bu-!" Tovs was interrupted by a fire arrow shooting through the sky straight towards his heart. He screamed and braced himself - it hit the air around his body and fell to the ground, like it had run straight into a wall.
What the?! Did… Did I just use a force field!? Maybe I can hold it up around us both!
Link's shouting brought him back to the field. "Hit him, Tovia!" he ordered, slicing at the Bulbin next to him. Armor flew around them, bouncing off the force field.
Tovia stared at the back of Link's head in disbelief. "With WHAT?" Arrows knocked against the force field, making a light thud each time. He turned around to find more Bulbin archers on warthogs.
"Do something!" Link grunted, not knowing how to reply. He sliced at the armorless back of the Bulbin, making it roar in pain as it gripped the reins of its warthog.
It jumped over the fence on the Bridge of Eldin, Link and Tovia following after it. "Wait a second…" the sixteen year old muttered, glancing behind him.
There were no more Bulbins chasing them.
"It's a trap!" he shouted just as they landed onto the bridge.
A firelit arrow hit the wooden fence behind them, blocking the exit. At the other end of the bridge, the Bulbin glared at them with his warthog ready to charge.
They went head to head.
"That's it! You're fucking mad, Link!" Tovia yelled, dunking as Link swung his sword in a circle to hit the Bulbin next to them. "Do you realize how much danger we're in?"
The green garbed boy simply ignored him, leaning in as they charged forward once more, sword prepared to swing.
But instead of the blade hitting the Bulbin, the Bulbin whacked Link, making him fall off of Epona and the bridge. He dangled off the edge, hanging on tightly and trying to pull himself back up. The sword was a few feet away from Tovia. "Get the sword, Tovia!" he shouted urgently.
The Bulbin was nerve-wrackingly close to the injured Link.
Tovia clenched his teeth. Well, don't just sit there, stupid! Get the sword and fight!
Acting quickly, he got off of Epona and gripped the sword, and then swung it at the Bulbin. The Bulbin turned around at the sharp pain. Tovia slashed again, taking a step back.
The Bulbin took another step forward, leaning down to put little space between them. Tovia felt his right foot slip - there was only air behind it. He looked up in fear as the Bulbin gave him a hard push, sending him over the edge and the sword back onto the bridge.
He tried to grasp something, arms flailing for some form of safety. He stopped suddenly in the air, and felt solid ground below him. He craned his head up to see Link fighting off the Bulbin on the bridge.
"How the…?" Tovs looked down to find darkness. "Am I floating?"
A scream sounded next to him and he quickly turned to find the Bulbin falling farther and farther until he too blended in with the dark. A hand reached down towards Tovia, helping him up the bridge.
Link panted, collapsing with Tovia. "Good job. Didn't know… you could… float."
"Thanks.… Didn't know… either."
He sighed and shook his hand, "Sorry for being… so rough on you."
"Link… Is everyone okay?" Colin asked after his eyelids fluttered open. He glanced at Talo, then kept his eyes on Beth. She sighed with relief, smiling at him. "…Good. Beth… I'm sorry. You know… for shoving you. Are you mad?"
She shook her head quickly and vigorously, laughing a bit.
"I… I think I finally understand." He looked up at the silent Link. "I understand what my dad meant when he said I needed to be stronger, like you, Link. He wasn't talking about strength, like lifting stuff. He was talking about being brave." The young boy looked up admiringly. "Link… You saved me, didn't you?"
He smirked, shaking his head slowly. "Not without help."
Colin looked around for the other two older children but couldn't find them. He settled with thanking Link for now. "You can do anything. You can do something for the Gorons in the mines, too, can't you, Link?"
Link nodded. "I'll do my best."
The boy smiled and closed his eyes. Immediately, the other children gasped and took a few steps forward. Talo tried to put him over his back to carry him inside, groaning as he struggled with Colin's weight.
Renado stepped forward and picked the boy up with ease, leading the children to the inn where he and his daughter would take care of him.
Link turned around, facing the direction Death Mountain was in. Midna flew out of his shadow, leaning down on his shoulder.
"Not that I care or anything about your well being," she yawned, "but I think you should rest here for the night and then head up to Death Mountain. I don't want a dead servant."
"Great to know you care," he mumbled, eyeing her with distaste.
She giggled, shrugging. "Two more Fused Shadow Helmet pieces and then you're free!"
"Which is why I want to leave now," he stated.
"But look at you. You're dead on your feet. How are you going to climb up that in this state?"
"I'll be alright."
"You'll be Keese chow."
He gave her one final glare before walking off towards the inn. "Fine, I'll stay here for the night."
Lois sat next to Tovia on the floor of the sanctuary, eating some soup and bread. "So, what you're saying is that you floated?" she asked with her mouth full.
"I nearly died and all you can say is that I floated?" he questioned. "Can you stop talking with your mouth full? It's disgusting."
"Well, I find it pretty cool that you floated. There's another power you can put to use. And since it bugs you, I'll keep doing it." She stuffed some bread into her mouth. "Want some?"
"No thanks, you've ruined my appetite!" Tovia joked.
Childishly, he stuck his tongue out at her.
The girl smiled mischievously. "Hey, Tovs, did you know I'm on a diet?"
He rolled his eyes. "What is it with girls and diets?"
"It's a seafood diet. See food?" She opened her mouth up wide, showing bits of chewed up food.
Tovia laughed, lightly hitting her shoulder. "That's really disgusting, Lois!"
The two laughed for a few more minutes before eating in silence, enjoying each other's company. Lois leaned back against the wall a bit. "Hey… Tovs? Do you remember what my dad used to say about us?"
He shook his head, yawning, "No, why?"
"I'm just trying to remember… Oh!" she excitedly blurted out. "Remember how you used to play that game with him?"
"You mean that game where he asked me questions about Hyrule?"
"Well, remember how you used to win? Remember what he said? 'How'd you like to marry Lois, huh?'." she laughed loudly.
Tovia twiddled his fingers together nervously, sweating a bit, and blushed a deep shade of scarlet. "Your dad was always trying to get us to court…"
She faced him, blushing also. "Y-Y-Yeah… My dad was silly… I mean, we're best friends."
"Y-Yeah, that doesn't mean we have to be boyfriend and girlfriend." He turned away from her. "Maybe I should go find out what's up with Link… He hasn't come to get us yet so we're probably staying here for a while."
"Okay, Tovs…" The door closed quietly after him and she felt incredibly lonely all of a sudden. "When did things start to change?" she murmured. "Did… Did I always feel like this?"
Because deep down, Lois wished they weren't just friends.
"Din, Lois, do you really need to pack so much food?" Link groaned, still grumpy about waking up so early after such a late night.. He never went to bed so late.
Lois rolled her eyes at him, stuffing more food into one of their extra packs. "Link, we're climbing a mountain called DEATH Mountain. You don't know when we could get back."
Tovia walked into the the room, looking exhausted. He fell back onto his bed, moaning.
The two simply ignored him. "Yeah, well, if you pack all of the food, we're not going to have enough for when we go to Castle Town!"
"Our houses are in Castle Town. There's plenty of food in Castle Town. We'll be just fine. Now quit complaining and go fill a bottle or something." she ordered, making shoo motions with her hands.
He did as told, grumbling something about how it was pointless that she had to move all of their food to another bag.
"What's wrong with you, Tovs?" Lois questioned as the door shut.
"I feel like someone slammed my head repeatedly on a table." he whined.
She stared at him in mock pain, "Aww, poor baby."
He pulled the blanket on his bed over his head, hissing at her like a snake.
The young woman opened the door up and stuck her head out, shouting, "Hey, Link! Get over here!" Tovia winced at the loud noise.
Jogging up to the inn, Link leaned on the doorframe. "First you tell me to go get us some water. Now you tell me to come back in and bug you?"
"I think I found out Tovia's twilight form." Lois laughed. "Tovia is a bat."
Link saw Tovia slumped behind her. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, eyeing the lump under the covers.
"Head hurts, light hurts, sound hurts, and everything is a world of pain and misery!" he moaned childishly.
Link coughed to mask the laughter threatening to spill past his lips. "Tovs," cough, "I think… I think you have a hangover."
Tovia poked his head out, glaring at him suspiciously. "That's not possible… I mean… I don't think I had anything to drink… I went straight to bed after dinner. …Did… Did you put alcohol in any of my food last night?"
He shook his head, laughing. "I swear to Nayru that I did not touch your food in any way, shape, or form."
The suspicious gaze fell to Lois.
"Don't look at me like that! I didn't do it. It was probably one of the kids." she shouted defensively, making him flinch.
"What part of hangover do you not understand, Lois?" he groaned. "Be quiet."
She grinned cheekily at him. "Get up, Tovs. Hangover or not, you're coming with us."
The young man pushed himself off of the bed, swaying slightly on his feet. "You're so sadistic."
"So then Tovia goes and starts petting a cucco, right?"
Lois was telling Link an old story about the two of them on her father's farm, small talk to pass the excruciating torture of climbing Death Mountain, dodging the Gorons or a jet of hot steam every now and again.
Tovia really wasn't paying attention, focusing on his headache. He couldn't remember the taste of alcohol in his dinner. He side-stepped at the last minute as another Goron rolled past in an attempt to knock them down.
Watching as it rolled off down the mountain, Tovia noted how the race looked like it was made of boulders, and seemed just as strong....
"You know, there's something I seriously do not understand." Someone sat on a throne, twirling their goblet of what looked to be red wine. The cloaked figure took a sip of the goblet's contents.
"What do you not understand, master?" a young woman purred next to him.
The figure's forehead wrinkled in thought. "Why is it that Gorons, who are made of rock and the strongest of all the races, always rely on heroes to save them?"
"I do not know, master."
"It is quite ridiculous. All that strength goes to waste on a bunch of cowards." He snickered.
Lois shook him a bit, breaking the boy out of his daydream. "Right, Tovia?"
"Huh? What did you say, Lois?"
She sighed, exasperated. "Never mind."
An hour later, after dodging hot jets of steam, gorons, and flaming rocks from the mountain, and they arrived at their destination, the entrance to the Goron Mines. Upon seeing the three Hylians, six Gorons curled into balls and began to charge.
Link readied himself to toss a set on the left as Lois held onto Tovia for dear life.
"ENOUGH!" a voice boomed throughout the small room. Immediately, the six Gorons uncurled and stood up, turning toward the back of the room.
Two Gorons moved aside and a much older one stood, arms crossed. He looked very displeased with his tribe. "Are these young ones such imposing enemies that you must all gang up on them? I think not, Little Brothers."
The Gorons lowered their heads in shame.
"Who are you three?" the elder ordered, aiming his beady eyes at the Hylians.
The three young adults bowed their heads in respect before speaking. "I'm Lois, from Castle Town and this is my friend, Tovia."
"I am Link, from Ordon Village. We've come to help you and Kakariko."
His stone-hard head raised up a bit, impressed. "Very well, step forward." They did as ordered. "I am a Goron elder, little humans. I am called Gor Coron. Because of certain… circumstances, I must lead the Goron tribe in place of Darbus, our tribal patriarch. You three have done well to come this far. You are strong… for humans."
Lois bit her tongue, resisting the urge to correct him. Hylians, Hylians! We're not humans! Pointy ears! See?! POINTY!
"However…" His tone of voice became more official and threatening than before. "The mines beyond here are sacred to my tribe. Outsiders are not permitted. Unless…"
Link smiled; "Unless we prove ourselves strong enough." he finished for him.
Gor Coron grinned, "I could make an exception: only one of you must prove yourselves. I am sure the others will get along just fine if one of you can defeat a Goron. So which one of you are willing to try it, little humans?"
The green-garbed Hylian stepped forward, "I will. May I have a few minutes to prepare myself?"
"Very well," Gor Coron turned to another Goron, speaking in hushed voices.
"Follow me, guys." Link led them outside to change his boots as Tovia frantically told Link he was an idiot for thinking he could take on the Gorons. He pulled out a pouch, ignoring him.
The female stared at the object in confusion. "Um…? Aren't Iron Boots, I don't know, heavy? And aren't they big?"
Link laughed, "Defiately. My adopted mother gave this to me, though. So now I don't have to bother Midna all the time. She said that it's a magical pouch that weighs nothing and can hold anything. All you have to do is think about what you want while sticking your hand in. And then it's right there."
"A magic pouch," Tovia stopped his rant. "I've heard of those. Didn't you tell me about them before, Lois?"
"Oh yeah," she exclaimed. "This scholar told me about them. They're from way back when every Hylian used magic. I think he said they were made from Dodongo skin?"
"Wait a second…. Where… where are they?" Link stuck his hand out, looking down at his feet as if they'd just magically appear there. "Where're the boots? I did pack them, right? Did I? Lois, did I pack the boots this morning?" He whirled around to face her, eyes wide in fright.
She shook her head. "I don't remember you packing any boots. You just got dressed, complained about waking up so early, and helped make fun of Tovs with me.."
He slumped up against the wall, clutching his head in his heads. "This is just great. I can't fight him! I'll get killed."
Tovia leaned against the wall with him, murmuring, "I could fight him instead…" He looked unsure of himself. How many spells did he know?
Link lowered his hands away from his face. "You're going to take on a Goron by yourself?" he asked in shock. "Can you actually do that?"
"Shut up!" the other male snapped at him. He pushed Link aside. "I can take him on! Just watch me!" Tovia stomped back into the other room.
"Hey, Tovs, wait up!" Lois called, following after him.
Midna popped out of Link's shadow, casually lounging in the air. "You know, I could go get you those Iron Boots while he gets his ass kicked," she piped. "You'll probably need them in the mines."
"Thanks, Midna. But try to be quick. I might have to fight Gor Coron after all." The imp nodded and zipped off into another shadow, starting her travel.
Link walked back into the entrance of the Goron Mines, finding Tovia and Gor Coron on a platform ready to fight. He bent next to Lois, whispering. "So he wasn't bluffing?"
She shook her head, looking slightly worried. "He's acting funny. The bastard wouldn't talk to me. Congratulations, Link, you are the first official person to get Tovi pissed off."
The two on the platform stood absolutely still, staring and waiting for the other to make the first move. All was silent for five minutes until Gor Coron lost his patience and lunged in for the attack.
What should have happened was as followed: Tovia is gripped by the waist by an incredibly strong Goron. The Goron easily pushes him off the platform and the three leave back to Kakariko to decide on their next move or wait for Midna to return with the Iron Boots.
Instead, a blast of wind surrounded Tovia like a shield, whipping his hair and his clothes around his stoic form and knocking everyone else off their feet. The strong wind speed pushed Gor Coron back onto the ground.
Tovia wiped his hands on his tunic, grinning down at the elder. "Had enough, old man?" he laughed joyously.
"Oh goddesses," Lois groaned embarrassedly. He's going to get us killed! Now's not the time to be a sore winner, Tovs!
The Goron sat up, glaring at him. "What a disrespectful child! Take him to one of the cells and see that he does not escape." .
Two Gorons picked him up and whisked him away. "Hey, let me go, goddesses damn it! I won! Ouch! Watch it, will you? That's my hair! You guys know what hair is, right?" his voice faded away.
"Wait!" Lois shouted, "Sir, you have to excuse him!" she began to plead. "He's retarded! He can't help it! It's a miracle he can even spell his own name!"
Gor Coron got to his feet and turned to Link, who was stuttering to come up with an excuse for Tovia. "You two may pass to the Goron Mines. Although your friend has been disrespectful, he did win. You have seen the mountain erupting without pause, correct?"
Link, mouth opened as he still could not figure what to say, nodded. He had seen the mountain erupting when they were traveling up it.
"When the mountain began to rage, all four of us elders and Darbus went to investigate its anger. We have a treasure that was entrusted to us by the spirits, and we must protect it at all costs. Do you understand? But the moment Darbus reached out and touched the treasure...everything went wrong." He looked away from them, as if re-living the moment. "He collapsed and transformed into an unspeakable monster before our very own eyes."
He sighed sadly, shaking his head in disappointment. "He raged through the mines, trailing ruin behind him. Then the eruptions grew more frequent and severe. We used all of our strength to seal him deep within the mountain, losing some of our brothers in the process, I am afraid. It grieved us to do this to our patriarch but we had no other course of action. I ask this favor of you, young warriors: go to the aid of Darbus! Make no mistake; the spirits have guided you here. I, Gor Coron, need your help. On behalf of my entire clan, I ask you for your aid! You two!" This he said to the two Gorons blocking the entrance to the mines. "Let the young warriors pass."
"I demand that you free Tovia first. I refuse to help unless he is with us." Lois stood her ground.
Link looked towards the Goron Mines, then back at Lois. Duty or friendship, which was more important? He took a gulp of air and announced, "I'm going, either way."
"But what about Tovs?" she demanded, arms on her hips as she stared him down like an angered mother. "You're just going to leave him here?"
"He'll be here when we get back. He's the moron," he pointed towards the direction Tovia was dragged off, "who got the leader of the Gorons pissed, not me." The hero crossed his arms in front of his chest. "If you want to bribe him out of that cell with nothing to give, be my guest." His stance fell and he slumped a bit, sighing dejectedly. "I have promises to keep.".
She huffed, "Go without me. We don't need you." Lois held her nose in the air as she saw a ripple in Link's shadow, indicating Midna was back from her trip down to Kakariko. She turned to Gor Coron.
"What would it take for you to release my best friend?"
And so, she began to do what she did best:
Barter.
A/N: Oh, Kay was never pissed at me. :3 My loyal beta has been fed in gold. Which has made her sick. She is now dying from the gold. -_-'
