Chapter 20

Link never truly realized what a thoroughly horrible, wretched experience it is, waking up so terribly early. Perhaps the past days' stresses are what made it so apparent this morning, but why hadn't he noticed it sooner? It takes Link three tries and much prompting and prodding from Sheik for him to finally get up.

"Ow," he groans, wincing as he rubs his back. "Ow, okay, why do I hurt so much?" With a wide yawn that leaves him blurry-eyed, he feels beneath his bedroll in an attempt to find whatever left him so sore. "Remind me to get a better bedroll."

Sheik nearly smiles. "Duly noted."

"Aha!" Triumphantly, Link's hand closes around something and pulls it out from under where he'd been laying minutes before. "A rock," he says, almost disappointed. "Why did I think it was going to be a rock?"

"Are you done?" Sheik asks, already fully-dressed and armed. "I'd very much like to be off."

Link falls backwards with a dramatic groan, but laughs nervously when Sheik quirks a brow. "Right. Have to get ready."

Epona apparently had a good night of rest, energetic as she is when they go to fetch her at the stables. The fairies are in the saddlebags like before, but they remain silent, Sol only offering a weak and unenthusiastic greeting. Sheik doesn't comment but stays impassive, almost as if they weren't there to begin with.

Impa doesn't come to see them off, but a few Sheikah children do, gathered by the town's entrance that leads to Death Mountain. They are fascinated, reaching out to touch Epona's side as they pass, but their parents pull them back before they can. A flurry of complaints and whining is left in their wake; children beg to watch 'the person with the fairies and Sheik' leave.

"They are sheltered here," Sheik says once out of earshot.

"Huh?"

"They are sheltered here, I said," she repeats. "In more ways than one, I suppose, and I'm not too certain if it's good or not. But I know it's better than being killed."

"Who would want to kill you?" Link asks, happy to shake off the silence that had settled on his shoulder like a too thick cloak.

Sheik shrugs, focused on their route as she guides and urges Epona onward. "Many."

"Why?"

"We are sworn to protect the Royal Family," she says. "What enemy of the crown wouldn't want us slaughtered?"

"Every Sheikah? I thought it was only certain ones."

"Every one."

"So you...?"

Link imagines she sighs, but her shoulders and chest don't show such a thing. "Yes, even me. When I was ten, when I began my training officially."

"Oh." He cranes his neck to look ahead. "So we'll be there soon, right?"

"Yes."

Link feels as if she doesn't want to talk much more, but the quiet is unsettling, disturbing, and won't let him be still. He picks nervously at the edge of his shield, reminding himself that he needs a new one, and soon a list forms in his mind of what they really do need to buy.

So lost is he in his thoughts, Link doesn't realize it when they arrive, or as far they can go by horse. Sheik doesn't stop, however, even as they speed towards a locked gate leading to Death Mountain and Goron City.

"Uh, Sheik?" he says, torn from his thoughts. They are worryingly close now. "Sheik!"

She doesn't answer; instead, it's almost as if she pushes Epona faster. And then the mare's forelegs leave the ground, followed by the rest of her and her burden.

Sheik is obviously prepared for the jump; she leans into it, forward, until her cheek is near Epona's neck. Link, quite obviously as well, isn't.

He grabs frantically for Sheik as he tilts backwards, and his arms wrap tightly around her waist. They land a moment later, Epona's hooves heavy on the red earth, throwing up thick clouds of dust behind her.

The impact is jarring and Link feels it in his teeth; maybe they clacked together, because his head rings vaguely. Once he's sure that his heart won't give out, Link stammers, "I don't ever want to that again." He pauses, gathering his muddled thoughts. "Ever."

He expects her to laugh, but she doesn't. "You've never had to jump with a horse, I take it?"

"No. Is it that obvious?"

She doesn't answer for a moment, as if afraid to offend him. "Yes, it is. You were completely unprepared."

"Yeah," he says sheepishly. "I guess so."

Death Mountain opens up grandly before them, made from rust-colored earth and rock, and a ring of smoke is gathered at the volcano's mouth. A path has been carved into the mountainside, which Sheik says is for the Gorons and visitors.

"I wouldn't have thought Gorons got many visitors," Link says, staring up in awe at the monstrous mountain.

"They don't, really," Sheik answers. "But their mines are up there, and they need to get the ore and such down here somehow. We'll need to get off here; we'll be too heavy otherwise."

Sheik dismounts, quickly followed by Link, who says, perhaps a bit hopefully, "Aster, Sol, are you coming?"

Aster and Sol both alight upon Epona's back, and it's almost as if their light is dimmed slightly. "Nah," Aster says, wings quivering. "We'll...we'll watch ol' Epona here for you, I guess."

Link feels like he should apologize for something, anything; the fairies are usually so chipper and sadness does not suit them, especially not Aster. "I—"

"Don't worry," Sol says, and Aster adds simultaneously, "Just go."

Link blinks.

"See, even Ms. Serious is going."

When Link glances over his shoulder, it's true; Sheik waits by the pathway, looking up at the mountain.

"Besides," Aster says, "you really think fairy wings go well with fire?"

"No, I don't." The words taste bad in his mouth; it's like he's admitting defeat, which isn't something he enjoys, no matter how often he's had to do so in his life.

"Then go." Aster gives another fairy-shrug, which is odd when she isn't flying.

Her wings shiver and her green light flickers slightly. "Don't worry, Link. I'm sure even Gorons aren't used to an angr—I mean, a floating sheet. We'll be fine."

Link's of course forced to agree. When the fate of Hyrule rests on your much too weak shoulders, you're forced to do a lot of things. "Okay," he says reluctantly. "Don't hurt anyone. Or get us in trouble."

With a last backwards look, he makes his way to Sheik side. She only offers him a glance, to make sure he is there, before starting up the path. Link sighs and follows after her, already feeling the ache in his thighs.

About half-way up the mountain, Link is eyeing a mine cart that is pulled off to the side, temptingly empty, but it's off the track that runs beneath their feet. "Hey, Sheik, can we—"

"No," Sheik says immediately.

"You didn't even hear—"

"I don't need to," she says without missing a beat. "I already know."

"Oh, yeah?" Link crosses his arms, but the effect is dampened by his irregular breathing. "What was I going to say?"

"You were going to suggest we ride the mine carts, correct? They can only go down, you know."

Link's smile deflates slightly. "I wasn't going to say that." After Sheik gives him a sceptical look, he amends, "Okay, you're right, but I meant when we're going back down!"

Sheik stops, causing Link to nearly run into her. "If you can find one on the track," she says, "...we'll see."

Link whoops and resumes the trek with more gusto, but quickly notices Sheik isn't following. "What are you waiting for?"

"We're here."

His eyebrows rise as he looks around. "I don't see anything," he says, gesturing at the barren path and cliff-side.

Sheik walks over to a relatively large rock, one about the size of a wagon's wheel. "Come here."

With a frown, Link does. At closer glance, he sees the rock has an x-shaped hole in its center. "What? It's just a rock."

She points to a chip in the mountain side, not even big enough to pass a fairy through. "We're going through there."

Link laughs. "That's funny, Sheik, but where are we going, really?"

But when all Sheik offers in response is a steady gaze, he sighs and looks down tiredly at the stone at his feet. "How are we going to do this, then?"

Sheik gives a dry smile. "Step up."

"Wait, what? On the rock?" he says, looking at her. "Why do I have to go first?"

"Because I doubt you'll know what to do if I were to be first."

He laughs weakly. "I guess you're right." Gingerly, he places a foot on the stone, then the other, and gives a bashful smile. "I feel silly."

"Now don't move," Sheik says, pulling her ocarina out, before adding, "And don't worry."

He's about to say that that doesn't really instill confidence, when she says that, but she starts to play the same song as before, the one she used to get them in and out of the Golden Realm. With the melody echoing off the walls, Link decides it sounds like a lullaby.

And then there's a bright flash, like a bolt of lightning, and when he blinks away the dark spots in his vision, the environment surrounding him is suddenly alien.

The earth is still red beneath his boots. But where's Sheik? He turns around and comes face-to-face to a stone wall. He cranes his neck and can see the top, though it looks far away.

The sound of the ocarina plays again, the same tune. Link looks back up just in time for the flash. When he can see again, Sheik is beside him, brushing dust from her arms and tucking away the blue instrument.

"Good, you didn't stray far," she says when she sees him. She waves him over. "This way."

"Uh, where are we?" Link asks.

"You don't recognize it?" Link shakes his head and she sighs. "What did you think that was?" She's pointing at the wall he'd been looking at.

"A wall...?"

"You were standing on it moments before."

The only thing Link had been standing on was—no. "The rock? But—but—it's so big!"

"Which makes us?"

He blinks. "Huh?"

"Which makes us what, that the rock is so large?"

"We're...tiny? How—"

"Now," Sheik says, cutting him off. "Emery's forge is this way, like I said."

Link follows her in a daze, managing to stutter, "How—?"

"It's a special stone, and acts as a portal," Sheik says, as if it were the simplest concept in the world. "There are portals everywhere, I've found."

"And all you need to do is play that song?"

"With this ocarina. It's made from a special crystal that resonates magic." She pauses. "But it's usually not so easy to use a portal without their help, so they must be waiting for us."

"'They'?" Link says. "Who's 'they'? Emery?"

"Ah, she probably told an apprentice to help us. That must be it."

Link opens his mouth, tries to talk twice, before finally succeeding. "Uh, Sheik, I'm really confused—"

"Oh, you've arrived!"

The new voice makes Link jump. Sheik hardly twitches.

"I was getting worried, actually, 'cause you were taking so long. Master Emery sure wouldn't be happy if I lost guests!"

The voice belongs to a creature standing in the mouth of what Link had thought was a chip in the mountain side. It's barely as tall as his waist, with large, dark eyes. Its grins falters. "Oh, how rude of me! My name's Tany. What's yours?"

"Sheik," Sheik says. "And the one with the hanging jaw is Link. Close your mouth; you'll catch flies that way, or worse, fairies."

He snaps his mouth shut. "What are—" He presses his lips together, blushing at the rudeness of the question that tries to push past his tongue. What are you?

"Tany is a Minish, Link," Sheik says, giving him a pointed look. She glances back at Tany and offers a small smile. "Though I've never heard of one who spoke Hylian with such fluency."

Tany grins widely, eyes shutting in happiness. "Why, thank you, ma'am! I'm here to translate, though we don't usually get any Hylian customers."

"Where is Emery?" Sheik asks.

"Oh, right," Tany says, giggling, a high-pitched ringing, like bells or chimes. She waves them into the chip, which extends into a hallway, hewn in the rock. "This way to Master Emery!"

They hallway opens up into a large room, the heat of which they feel from afar. The room holds a great furnace, a quenching trough, a large anvil, and various blacksmith tools, like a range of hammers and tongs.

Tany shouts something in a language Link doesn't understand; it sounds vaguely like a mess of 'picori', whatever it means. She turns back to them when there's an answer. "Master Emery says she'll be right with you."

Another Minish enters the room from the hallway across from the one they came through. She is slightly taller than Tany, with harder eyes and graying hair. She speaks in the language Link can't understand, and Tany translates.

"'Two Hylians'," she says. "'How unusual'!"

"Hello, Master Emery," Sheik says, and Tany translates, too. "We have come to seek your aid, if you would offer it."

"'Whatever for'?" Emery asks, looking more interested in the conversation.

"I'm afraid the Master Sword is...unusable, at the moment."

Emery considers them with sharp eyes, and when she looks at Link, he flinches, feeling as if she knows it's his fault. "'That's terrible news. I've noticed a sickness has begun to spread. Is it what I fear'?"

Sheik nods. "Yes, I'm sorry to say."

"'You want me to forge a new blade, is that it?'"

Again Sheik nods. "If possible."

Emery gives a rough, gravelly laugh; Link thinks her throat must be ruined with smoke. "'It won't match the Hero's creation, of course, but for the good of Hyrule, I will try.'"

Sheik bows deeply, prompting Link to do so, as well. "Thank you, Master Emery. We and all of Hyrule are greatly in your debt."

Emery laughs again. "'Don't thank me quite yet. I haven't even set the fire!'"

Tempest Bound: And this is exactly why I couldn't say the precise placement of this story in the timeline. Now, though, I can tell you guys. It takes places after Skyward Sword, as I've said, but before The Minish Cap. Emery's Forge is the predecessor to Melari's Mine in MC, and Mount Cremel is, even in MC, placed where Death Mountain is in Ocarina of Time, in the north-west. So, yeah.

I'm attempting to explain where the Master Sword is at the time of MC, really, and who 'The Hero of Men' is, referred to in MC's prologue. The artwork shown depicts him in Link's usual outfit—the green tunic and cap—and this is what resulted. That part of the official timeline always bothered me; it was always seemed like there was something missing. There's just this...big gap.

Anyways, on a side note: I'm thinking of doing a Q&A for next chapter, or the next. Though I probably won't get many questions (or any, really), I'm open for anything, as long as it's something I can answer. Like, no spoilers for the story or anything. So, go wild!