Celebration
Time passed unbearably slow as Link sat at the top of the valley. He had found himself a somewhat comfortable seat and for a while watching the flurry of activity below held his interest as Goron after Goron poured into the valley below. Many carried large stones and took great care in placing each one inside the pattern of the valley floor. But eventually Link's mind found its way back to his worries and the midday sun which seemed to refuse to draw closer to the horizon.
Restless in his current vantage point Link made his way down the narrow path to the valley floor and began navigating the sea of stony giants. The air was alive with excitement. From the pieces of conversations Link overheard this celebration was something the Gorons desperately needed. Darragh had certainly been wise in his decision.
Link's presence also drew a lot more attention than it had before. Most stopped what they were doing to watch Link pass by. Some pointed and engaged in hushed conversations. There were even a few that approached him and judging by their stumbling words and shaky appearance they had built up a lot of courage to do so. The farther Link waded into the crowd the more it dawned on him; he had taken on a heroic status among the Gorons. As the realization sunk in Link found himself more and more uncomfortable. He began looking for a way to escape the attention. However, surrounded by adoring giants whose sheer size robbed Link of any sense of direction, his efforts were futile.
Nearly defeated, Link had almost resigned himself to his fate when he spotted a familiar face among the crowd. A glimmer of hope began to rise as he called out, "Dara!"
Upon hearing his name the large Goron turned from what he was doing and a huge smile spread across his face when he spotted Link.
Moving through the crowd as quickly as possible Link made his way toward Dara and threw his arms as far around the stony giant as they would reach.
"How was meeting with Patriarch?"
"Good," Link replied, releasing his hold on the Goron.
"Like Dara promised horses well taken care of."
That gave Link an idea, "Could you take me to the horses?"
"Everything ok?"
"Everything's fine," Link said hoping his nervous fidgeting wasn't too obvious, "I just need something out of my saddle bags."
"No problem," Dara turned to the Goron he had been helping, "Dara be back soon."
Link breathed a sigh of relief as he followed his guide through the crowd. The adoring attention continued but knowing he would soon be away from it made it easier to bear.
Much to Link's delight is wasn't long before they broke free of the gathering crowd on the southeast side of the valley. Dara was leading the way towards a large opening in the rock wall similar to the tunnel that led into Death Mountain.
"It been several moon cycles since Goron have visitors with horses, so most supplies gone bad. But Dara gave horses what good food there was," the Goron said as they entered the opening.
Adjusting to the darkened light Link's eyes could see the opening rapidly expand into a massive cavern. Link guessed the highest point was taller than the largest of the ancient trees in Faron. At the very top the cavern opened up allowing a vertical shaft of sunlight into the otherwise unlit cave. Animal stalls lined the cavern walls along the ground and the path that started on Link's right and spiraled its way up the rocky walls. This kept the center wide open and even though there were a few carts and wagons scattered around there was room for dozens more.
Dara turned left as they entered the stable, "Link horse over here."
Just a few stalls away from the entrance Link spotted Epona curiously eying them.
"What Link need from bags?"
"Actually," Link confessed, "I just needed to get away from all the attention. Do you think it would be ok if I stayed here for a while?"
"Sure. Dara stay to keep Link company."
"What about the Goron you where helping?"
"Godron be fine."
In spite of his words Link could tell Dara wanted to leave but the Goron's eyes kept shifting nervously between Link and Epona.
Confused Link looked at Epona, "OH!" the realization suddenly hitting him, "I promise I'm staying for the celebration. I just need a chance to rest."
That seemed to ease the Goron's concern, "Ok. Dara come back for Link when celebration ready to start."
"Sounds good," Link said as Dara turned to leave.
The first thing Link did was remove his sword and shield from his back and gently place them on the ground nearby. Already feeling the relief of being rid of the weight of his weapons he opened Epona's stall. A smile spread across his face as he watched her happily trot around the cavern. Leaning against the rock wall Link allowed himself to sink into a sitting position on the floor.
After finishing one loop around the massive stable Epona returned to Link. She nudged him with her nose, but when Link refused to move she carefully lay down on the stone floor next to him. The last thing Link remembered was how soft Epona felt as he laid his arms and head across her back.
The rhythmic melody of distant drums slowly lured Link back to the waking world. Opening his eyes he noticed the cavern was darker than he remembered and what little sunlight still shone through the top of the cave came in at a steep angle.
Link groaned as he tried to sit up, his stiff muscles telling him what a bad idea his sleeping position had been.
"Finally," a voice said.
A few feet away Link spotted a Goron holding a large bucket of water.
"Dara almost out of ideas to wake Link up."
Link eyed the bucket nervously, "What time is it?"
"Celebration time."
Link jumped to his feet, but let out a loud groan as his stiff body had its say about his rapid movements. He began moving towards the entrance, his muscles gradually becoming more compliant.
"Link forgetting something?" Dara asked before Link had taken more than a couple steps.
Turning around Link saw Dara staring at his weapons, "Do you really think I'll need them?"
"Hopefully Gerudo leave Goron alone tonight, but Link don't want to be caught off guard."
The day had been so peaceful; it was hard to believe the Gorons were under siege. Link quickly strapped his weapons to his back then returned Epona to her stall before following Dara out of the stable.
The sounds of battling drums filled the valley and almost drowned out the low murmur of voices, which again stopped as Link passed only to resume in his wake. Thankfully Dara made his way quickly through the dense crowd with Link close behind and it wasn't long before they reached their destination.
Darragh and the Council of Elders stood inside the large circular stone at the center of the valley and were exchanging formal greetings with the surrounding Gorons as Link and Dara approached. Dara stopped a few feet away from the Patriarch and Elders. Bowing his head, he beat a single fist against his chest. Link did the same.
"Welcome Dara," Darragh said.
"Dara honored to be with Patriarch."
Darragh smiled, "Welcome Link. Darragh trust Link stay with Gorons pleasant."
"Very pleasant Patriarch, thank you."
"Good."
Darragh quickly glanced at the western sky where the tallest mountain was just beginning to pierce the setting sun. The Patriarch put his open hands high above his head and silence rippled through the valley quieting even the drums. Link could see the eyes of the nearby Gorons gaze expectantly upon their leader.
"Welcome Goron brothers and sisters," Darragh's booming voice echoed off the valley walls as he spoke, "Recent times been trying for all Gorons. Gerudo attacks have tested Goron strength and endurance, but Darragh proud to say that Goron continues to prevail!"
The valley erupted in thunderous applause at the Patriarch's words. Darragh waited until it began to subside before motioning for silence again, "But tonight not night to dwell on dark subjects. Tonight is celebration of strength and honor displayed by all Gorons that would make Ancestors proud."
Another round of applause cut off Darragh's speech, but he quickly silenced it, "Gorons also celebrate return of Gordon first born child at hands of new brother Link!"
Applause again filled the valley and this time grunting and cheering where mingled in. As the noises started to fade Darragh's voice rose above the crowd one last time, "Gorons celebrate til moon high in sky."
With the Patriarch's final words the drums resumed, each one beating out its own complex melody that intertwined with others as they echoed across the valley. Link did catch himself several times throughout the evening dancing, if you could call it that, to the hypnotic rhythms of those drums.
Early on the Gorons cleared the stone at the center of the valley and used it as a rink for their wrestling sport. Dara explained to Link that the competitors were only allowed to touch each other on the shoulders with their hands, with the exception of the occasional jab to the face, and the objective was to force your opponent off the stone. Link watched round after round even joining in the cheering for his favorites. Finally a winner emerged and was given the honor to challenge the Patriarch. Link felt sorry for the Goron as Darragh clearly towered over him. The smaller Goron put up a good fight, though, even coming close to winning a few times but in the end the Gorons cheered as their Patriarch emerged victorious.
With the wrestling finished the drum beat changed and the Gorons turned to a different activity. They divided up into smaller groups around the large stones they had placed in valley and began dancing. Their movements certainly weren't very graceful, which made Link feel better about his own dancing skills, but they had an incredible sense of rhythm as each group moved in its own unique pattern.
Link found himself leaning heavily on Dara for support as the ground trembled violently in time with the dance. The tremors grew more severe as the Goron groups banded together and their dancing synchronized with each other until all the groups moved in unison. The drums' rhythms began building too as their melodies fell in line with one another. The dance and the drums increased their complexity as they built to a climax and with a series of deafening drum beats the dance reached its end. The Gorons cheered and applauded themselves. Link was just glad the ground had stopped moving, though he was very impressed with the Gorons' skill.
The drums resumed as the applause died, but their melodies were much calmer. Looking up Link noticed the moon had nearly reached the height of its journey across the sky.
"Celebration almost over," Dara commented, "Link need anything before Dara go?"
"I'm fine," Link replied, "and thanks for staying with me during the celebration."
Dara smiled, "It Dara honor to look after little brother. Link visit again soon?"
"Definitely."
"Good. Sleep well brother Link."
"Sleep well brother Dara." Link turned and began making his way through the quickly dissipating crowd.
It didn't take too long for Link to retrieve Epona from the stable and by the time they reached the eastern path the drums had finished playing and only a handful of Gorons lingered around.
In the absence of the drums an eerie calm settled over the valley. The large stones that had been brought in earlier still remained and in the moonlight it wasn't hard for Link to imagine they were Gorons silently watching the night sky as a line of dark clouds on the horizon begun its advance across the heavens, obscuring some of the stars and threatening to cover the moon.
The soft booming of a Goron footsteps drew Link's attention away from his star gazing. Looking across the valley Link could see Gordon approaching. He was cradling something in his hands.
Gordon waited until he was just a few feet away from Link before he spoke, "Link enjoy celebration?"
"Well the food wasn't that great, but the music was good," Link knew before the celebration that Gorons only ate rocks, but he still couldn't resist the joke.
Gordon let out a short nervous laugh, "Maybe Hylian need stronger stomach."
It was Link's turn to laugh, but as the laughter faded an uneasy silence settled over the pair.
"Link sure about power of runes?" the Goron's voice was very serious.
"Yes."
Gordon stared at the object in his hands, "Gordon not told much about rune. Only told protect, for rune lead way to great power."
"I'm not interested in keeping any power. Once my friend and your baby are healed I'll return all the runes to where I found them."
Gordon gazed at the scrap of metal in his hand a moment longer before offering it to Link.
"Thank you," Link took the rune; it looked identical to the shaman's.
"Link do Gordon favor?"
"Certainly."
"Be more careful who Link speak to about runes. If Gordon did not owe Link debt for saving baby, Link would have never seen rune."
In the distance a lone drum began beating. Gordon's posture fell.
"What is it?"
"Trouble in mines," Gordon locked eyes with Link, "Tell others of Goron problem. Many too proud to ask, but Gorons need help and perhaps if request comes from Hylian; Zoras and Royal Family will act."
Link couldn't help notice how tired Gordon looked as he dropped into a large ball and rolled off towards the sound of the drum.