The Legend of Zelda
Legacy of the Sages
Chapter 7: The Fire Within, part 3
Link walked down the long, dark tunnel. He almost wondered when it was going to end, when it led abruptly to a small, lobby-like grotto. The grotto once looked like a place where the Gorons would prepare themselves for work, but Link noticed that everything had been tossed about like crazy. What's more; the entrance to the next cavern had become sealed off, a bunch of rocks blocking the path.
"How are we going to get through that?" Darin asked.
"I don't know," Link said, "But we're going to have to try."
At first, Link tried digging his way through, to absolutely no avail. Darin tried a Farore's Gust, which simply bounced around the room like a pinball, before smacking into Link, knocking him flat. After checking to see if he was alright, Link dusted himself off and began exploring the room, with Darin following suit. The two looked around for a while before Link almost thought of giving up. There was only two ways in or out of this cavern; the one that was blocked and the way back where they came; no side passages or anything.
It was then that Link noticed the plants.
He recognized the bright red bulbs and the course leaves almost as soon as he laid eyes on it. He looked around, and noticed there was about a half a dozen of these bulbous plants everywhere. He remembered a Goron telling him that Bomb Plants only like to grow in dark places, which made it almost exclusive to Death Mountain.
"Why didn't I think of this before?" Link asked himself as he reached down to pick up the big plant. He tugged on it for a while, and realized that it was stuck fast. He kept pulling and pulling, until finally he found that it was no use. He almost kicked at it had it not for the fact that he knew how explosive it was.
"Maybe you didn't think about it before because you weren't strong enough to even lift the thing?" Darin asked.
"Oh shut up!" Link said.
Link just about admitted defeat. He was crazy to think that he could do this alone. Why did he do this alone anyway? He was just about to get up when he heard the soft pitter-patter of tiny feet.
"Warra-Link!" shouted a familiar voice, "Warra-Link! Wait a sec-sec!"
"Biter?" Link was caught off guard when the toddler Lizalfos suddenly jumped and landed promptly on his chest, giving him a big hug. "What are you doing here? You should be back with Karnak!"
"Karnak busy-busy," Biter said, "No time to watch egg-chick! Me forget no way Warra-Link can pick up boom-boom flowers. Me wanna say, but Karnak busy speech-talk to big rock-eaters!"
"You mean Gorons, don't you?" Darin said, floating down to where Biter was standing.
"Yes-yes," Biter squeaked, "Gorons! Me see no easy-peasy break up speech-talk, so Biter quick-sneak inside tunnel, so give this to you!"
Link noticed that Biter had managed to put something in his hands. In his hands was a pair of strange-looking bracelets, which were either gold, or brass in color, and a strange mark that looked like a spiked ruby upon each.
"What are these?" Link asked.
"They called Goron Bracelets," Biter squeaked, "Karnak had them in skin-fold on cloak. He must forget you need them. Make you strong-strong, yes!"
Link looked at the bracelets. He put them on, and noticed that they had a comfortable fit; it was almost like they weren't even there. He noticed a strange feeling in his arms after he put them on, almost like he had a boost in strength.
"Thanks Biter," Link said. He gave the little lizard a big hug in gratitude. He then looked sternly at Biter and said, "Now, I need you to go back over to Karnak before he gets worried sick about you. Hurry up and get going, and don't come back in here for me until I come back out, understand?"
"Yes-yes, Warra-Link," Biter squeaked. Without another word, the little Lizalfos scurried back to the entrance of the tunnel, his little tail wagging behind him.
"Well," Darin said, "I think you found yourself an admirer, Link. You meet someone for only an hour and immediately you become a role model!"
"I have that effect on people," Link said. He quickly stood over to one of the Bomb Flowers. "Well," he said, "Here goes nothing!"
He reached down, and picked up the flower. Almost immediately, his arms received the strength that they needed to pick up the flower. He almost cried for joy when he began to hear a strange noise coming from the flower.
He gasped. The force of picking up the flower must have lit a natural fuse inside. In seconds, it was probably going to blow!
"Link!" Darin shouted, "Don't just stand there holding that thing; throw it!"
Without a word, Link tossed the plant over to the door. He quickly turned his back and crouched down, his shield covering him up like a turtle shell. Darin quickly flew right in front of him, protected by Link's body.
Within seconds, there was a tremendous explosion. Link managed to see a flash of light reflected off of the walls before stones began colliding everywhere all over the room. Some of them bounced harmlessly off of his shield, which had protected him from the blast. He turned around to see the damage done and was quite shocked to see that the entire entrance had been blown open by the force of the bomb. He looked down at the plants at his feet, and almost backed away from them in fear.
"How do these things do that?!?" He asked.
"I don't really know," Darin said, hovering up to his place on Link's shoulder, "I think I heard a Goron mention that they do it because that's how they spread their seeds, but other than that I don't know. You've got to admire its effectiveness, though!"
Link couldn't agree more. He got up and went through the lobby entrance to the beginning of the cavern, and then was almost pushed back by the wave of heat to follow. The blast of heat had enough power to push him quite a distance, and Link could feel hot sweat immediately fall across his face. He had no idea about what to expect in such an environment, and could see right away why any reptile would want to live here.
He stepped into a very big cavern, which had several ledges and tunnels all connecting to the gigantic room. Link stopped to stare at the marvels of the deep, underground caverns, though the biggest thing that caught his eye was the centerpiece of the entire room…
There, in front of his face, was the biggest Lizard skull that he had ever laid his eyes on. The monster that should have owned that head must have been at least a hundred feet long. The skull sported several rows of extremely sharp teeth, each at least as big as Link's Kokiri Sword. The eyes seemed to glare emptily at Link's face, and Link could almost swear that it was daring him to come closer.
"What in Farore's Wind is that?" Link asked in shock.
"It looks like a Dodongo," Darin said, "They are supposed to get really big, though their age helps determines how big they can get. Males and females alike can get huge, though males live longer and tend to grow a lot bigger than females over time. Females are supposedly able to grow faster than males, but they stop growing once they get about as tall as a horse."
"Please," Link said, shaking his head in disbelief, "No more. I'm just glad we have to deal with Lizalfos and not these monsters."
"Don't worry, Link," Darin chuckled, "Dodongos went extinct hundreds of years ago. The only time they had been spotted otherwise was in this exact cave, though your great grandfather dealt with them all when he was a year younger than you are!"
"Really?" Link asked in surprise. He knew that his ancestor was incredible, but to take on something as big as whatever owned the skull in front of Link's face would have to be very incredible indeed! And to think that his great grandfather was about Link's age when he did it…
"Unless those Lizalfos like to eat rocks there can't be too much damage in this cave," Darin said, "I'm sure we have nothing to worry about!"
Link was about to agree when, suddenly, a blood curling roar sounded out from within the cave. Link looked about in shock. What kind of a monster could roar like that?
Princess Zelda lay awake in her bed. Though she was usually up by this time, she was rather worried about what was going on in her life right at the moment. Only a few weeks ago, she had been a happy and carefree girl, living her life the way that she wished, and only having to worry about her duties as a princess to disrupt her daily fantasies. All of that changed when she began having dreams.
Every one of her ancestors seemed to have them. Though most were dismissed as either wild dreams or as visions created when stressed by the daily work of royalty, there was no denying the gift of foresight within the lineage of princesses in the royal bloodline. Her mother had it before her, as did her grandmother, and certainly her great grandmother, who was the first Zelda, the same Zelda who aided the Hero of Time in his quest to save Hyrule from Ganondorf, the same Zelda who was the Sage of Time, and, rumor had it, the wielder of the legendary Triforce piece of Wisdom…
The same Zelda who gave her the greatest gift she could ever imagine.
Although Zelda, the fourth in the line of princesses named in honor after her great grandmother, never truly felt as grand as her ancestor, her friends and servants certainly said that she looked the part. Indeed, her own father had declared that she looked almost exactly as her ancestor, and he knew what he was talking about. Her father was old enough to have seen his grandmother-in-law when he was a young prince, though she had died of unknown causes at the age of 41. Indeed, it was a sad time indeed, but had it have not been for that death, her father would never have met her mother, the granddaughter of the famous queen. That meeting had caused destiny to intertwine the two of them together, and within twenty years, Zelda's father had become King Hyrule, the honorary title given to all kings during their reign. It was, however, quite a few years later before Zelda was miraculously born, though five years after, her mother had died, and she was left alone with her aging father.
Zelda was glad that she was a princess, though she did admit to herself that she didn't truly like the experience of being cooped up in a castle all of her life. Her father had exclaimed that he had asked for the goddesses to either bless him with an adventuring prince or a faithful princess, and, in a sense, he got a combination of both wrapped together in one package. Zelda was still faithful to her duties, but she had an adventurous spirit.
It seemed that soon, she would get her wish. Her dream came to her one night, and continued springing up for weeks, showing seven glowing lights throughout Hyrule, which became replaced one by one by different evils, until only one light, representing herself, was left.
Afterwards, as the land began to change to reflect the evil contamination, a new light sprung forth from the heavens, and began destroying the evils one by one, until only the light stood triumphant, its beams glowing through the power of the other six lights that had become resurrected with this light's power. The light began to take shape, and Zelda soon saw that it was a handsome man in green, who carried a sword in his hand.
Zelda recognized him as the Hero of Time, but was surprised when, appearing from nowhere, a small boy in green stood up in front of the Hero. The Hero smiled, and the boy smiled with him. They both walked in unison, both wielding a sword each in the left hand, and a shield in the right. They walked up to the princess in perfect unison, as if they both were one and the same, and she could see that they both had to be related to one another.
She now realized that the boy represented Link, the great grandson of the Hero of Time. Somehow, Link had managed to get into the palace walls, and also managed to provide the Kokiri's emerald, which was a key piece to the puzzle that was to follow. Whatever the evil force was, which she now figured was the Seven Sorcerers, they wanted to release Ganondorf, and she would stop at nothing until they were defeated.
She got up and went into her garden. She looked at the window where she had first met Link, and how she was surprised that the boy in green had found her. She also remarked at how foolish he looked when captured by Naru, her bodyguard. They both discussed about it and laughed at how scared Link looked when he was snatched in mid-step by Naru's arms, and how he almost looked like he was going to plea for mercy. Naru, however, could tell that the boy would probably have fought for his life if he got the chance, and Zelda had agreed to that. Link may have seemed timid, but inside he had the spirit of a warrior, which was, in a sense, a legacy passed down by his great grandfather.
She sighed. She hoped that Link was going to be okay. She never did give him the full details of her mission, and why she needed him to find the stones in the first place. However, she felt that it would be a good idea not to tell him at the time, though now she was regretting it with every bone in her body.
She looked at the treasure in her hands. The Ocarina of Time, its polished blue wood and silver plating glistening in the light, seemed to wish to comfort her with its brilliant beauty, and she smiled. So long as she was alive, nobody was going to release that awful monster, and there wasn't anything that anyone, Sorcerer or otherwise, could do to stop her.
She got up to leave, hiding the Ocarina in her pocket. As she left her garden, she didn't notice the gleaming set of amethyst eyes that watched her depart. Behind a window, prince Vaati chuckled to himself as he watched his prize go by.
Foolish little girl, he thought, Don't you fret your pretty dress, my dear. When you become mine, and when the deed that I must accomplish is done, I'll lock you away somewhere where nobody will make you upset again, and then you and I can just stare at each other's beauty until the end of time…
He walked away from the window and cackled wickedly. Zelda heard the evil sound and felt a chill go down her spine, though when she turned, there was nobody at the window.
Was I being watched? She thought.
She would never get the answer, because already prince Vaati was making his way to his room, to give the daily report to his equally wicked business associates…
Link had wandered aimlessly in the caverns. He had forgotten to ask the Gorons for a map through the cavern walls, though he could tell right away that it wouldn't exactly be too difficult to navigate. As Link and Darin traversed the different caverns, they immediately spotted the Lizalfos' handiwork.
The monsters had did their best to wreck all of the equipment in sight. Picks, shovels, even smaller tools that were meant for gardening Bomb Flowers, were all smashed and destroyed, their remains littering the floors of the different tunnels and caves. Link, however, couldn't exactly see any sign of any Lizalfos, though he was starting to get rather suspicious about their whereabouts.
He was about to give up when he suddenly heard a growl around the next bend. Link quietly and carefully turned his head beyond the corner to see exactly what was on the other side.
It was a Lizalfos, though it was obviously bored to death. The creature stood on its hind legs, its arms hanging loosely at its sides, though Link noted that the creature was covered in lightweight body armor. A sword in a sheath hung loosely by a belt on the creature's waist. It glared about the room it was guarding with angry-looking eyes, though it was obviously letting its guard down because of the lack of anything to do in the caverns.
Link was quiet. He didn't want to attract the Lizalfos' attention, because it might just raise an alarm. Instead, he reached to the side of his belt and picked up his sling, loading a Deku Baba Nut in the small cup at the end of the sling. Darin flew out of the way as Link began to twirl the sling.
The Lizalfos heard the whoosh of wind that the sling made as it swung back and forth. It cocked its head quizzically, wondering what kind of creature could make such a noise, then turned its head in the general direction of the sound.
Link took full advantage of the target. He popped up from behind his corner, and, with all his might, tossed the nut at the surprised lizard-man. The Lizalfos didn't even have time to scream before the nut collided with its snout, its blinding effects hitting him dead on in its face.
The Lizalfos made one quiet hiss before it plunged to the ground. Link took full advantage of the Lizalfos predicament, and got out one of his ropes, which he used to tie up the creature. He didn't want to do any killing unless he had to.
"Nicely done," Darin said when Link had tied up the creature's snout, arms, and legs, "I seriously doubt that he would be able to get out of that knot!"
"I surely hope that you are right," Link said. He quickly looked around the room to see what the Lizalfos had been guarding. Inside the room was a rather strange-looking treasure chest, one that didn't seem to look like it had been opened in a while. Knowing full well that there could be stuff inside, Link quickly opened up the chest. He poked his head inside of the large chest, and pulled out…
"A map!" Darin shouted, "What luck! I never thought we couldn't have been more lost until now. Finally, something to use to find our way around this place!"
"Now that we have this," Link said, "We just have to find the other Lizalfos. That might be a bit difficult, seeing as we only found this guy."
There was a rustling noise. Link and Darin turned about, and Link almost dropped his jaw. The Lizalfos was awake, and while Link was looking at the map it was trying to break free of its bonds. Already, its legs were free, and it was doing its hardest to release its hands, and after the hands…
"Uh-oh," was all that Link managed to say.
The makeshift muzzle came off of the Lizalfos' snout, and it let out a terrifying screech. The terrifying sound echoed off of the walls, throughout the cavern, its screaming cry penetrating through every cavern, every tunnel, and every opening inside of the cave.
Link drew his sword, preparing for the worst. The Lizalfos kept its ear cocked for a moment before attacking, but its mood quickly changed when several yips, screeches, and high-pitched roars followed suit moments later. It looked at Link with frenzied eyes, as if to say, "you lost."
"Well," Link said, "so much for not killing anybody."
The Lizalfos drew its sword with a snarl, and leapt at Link, its claws spread out in a terrifying display of ancient fury.
To be continued…
Kerian: Oh boy...Link's in for one of the fights of his life! Hmm...I wonder what else is going to happen at the castle? Sounds like something big's about to happen between Zelda and Link!
You have no idea how far down my jaw dropped when I saw that I got 32 reviews this morning! Oh my gosh! Thank you all for your opinions about my story!
Vaati's reasons for wanting to marry Zelda will become clear enough in the future...you can count on that...
-Kerian