"Are you trying to reach the Gorons of Death Mountain? It is far too dangerous, Link!"

-village elder, Renado

Chapter 29: Reunions

"You are under arrest, Hero!" Hyrulian Imperial troops said, surrounding Ravio and his mother.

Ravio was confused, not understand what they were saying through their thick accents and rough speech. He knew how to speak Hylian, but they called him a 'Eroe'. It sounded like they were calling him a "Hero", but he wasn't one. Not at all. He was only the son of a merchant.

"My son's not a hero. We're just humble merchants on this isle," his mother told them.

The soldiers, armed with glowing shortswords and bladesaws, glowered and the leader said, "The bells of the temples rang in the Great Sea region and you're the only child in this colony born the day of the bells."

"Um, that doesn't mean anything," Ravio told them.


Tower of Hera…

Fi, crying as Ghirahim and Vaati aborted their mission with Baito to find her, hugged her brother tightly and told them everything that happened. She didn't care. She was so happy to see her brother and so terrified and in disbelief with what Oni had done. As she retold her tale, leaving the capital and then to the point where she had been nearly killed and kidnapped by Oni, Vaati inspected the chamber.

Ghirahim was surprised at her tale, wondering who this "Oni" was. He was also surprised that she was chosen to find the reborn Hero, but she was to protect him, not return to the castle. The young man inspected his sister and saw that she had a torn part in her leotard, where her left lung was. The bottle she carried with a fairy in it was empty and he was thankful she remembered to carry one with her.

"I…I'm worried. If Oni's still out there, then Link's in danger," Fi told him.

Vaati didn't care, asking, "Why? Wouldn't it be best if the Kingslayer was to fall to that creature you talked about?"

"No. Because all the people we spoke with said that something's wrong with the land and it'll die if he does," Fi told him.

"Fake news…" Vaati said.

"It's not fake! I've seen it! Places that was supposed to be filled with fire are frozen over and shadow monsters like Oni are everywhere!" Fi yelled, sounding delirious.

Ghirahim held her and said, "Don't worry. We're going to take you back to Kakariko, get you fixed up and rested."

"No! I can't rest! I have to make sure Link's okay," Fi told him.

Vaati sighed and said, "If Sheik and Midna are around and went with you guys, then the boy will be okay. And they'll bring him back as ordered. His Majesty can cure him with the full might of the Triforce and he wouldn't have to fight."

"Yes, you did say that this Link boy isn't fond of fighting and doesn't want to face His Majesty," Ghirahim said.

Fi clamped her mouth shut, as if feeling that she screwed up. Ghirahim patted her head and told her, "Don't worry. You're not a traitor, especially since that kid's not too fond of what he is. If anything, we could help if you really want us to."

"No way, Ghira! He's a traitor! Always has been, always will be!" Vaati yelled.

"And us leaving Skyloft during our mission makes us not much better, y'know," Ghirahim retorted.


30 Rauru 1015, 6th Era of Water, Goron City…

"I can't believe this. We come all the way to Death Mountain to see him knocked out like this!"

"Oh quiet, Agitha! Aryll told us what happened."

Aryll, sitting at the circle pit of Daruk's home, saw her sister, Groose, Karane, and Pipit arrive in Goron City. They were irate that they would leave them behind in Lake Hylia and spent days looking for them. They couldn't find them in the city, but was told by those working in the hotel that they were on the mountain. Agitha fumed, telling them how they found Epona at the Elde Inn and how they had to help her up the dangerous, icy mountain.

As she ranted, Aryll stared at Link. He didn't move and it was like when she first found him at that mountain. Laying on the mat near the fire pit when she first saw him, the girl couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe he wasn't cut out for it. Maybe they should let Sheik and Midna take him to the capital, get the treatments he needed. Maybe everything they done was just as Agitha always said, a fool's errand.

"Well, at least we're all together and that's all that matters," Pipit said.

"Uh huh…Anyway, so Oni's gone?" Groose asked.

They looked to Aryll, who kept watch over her brother, hoping he would at least stir in his sleep. No such luck and Daruk replied with, "Yup. Link took him out."

"How?" Agitha asked.

"With seriously powerful Light," Sarada told her.

The girl was skeptical, looking at her brother with disdain, and then back to the group. The mixed breed told her everything that happened, how Oni turned into a monster, how he actively hunted them down and even killed Fi. She even told her how he infiltrated the temple, summoned a powerful Lizalfos, and then fought them when they were near the Hero's Sanctuary, ending with Link destroying Oni with Light magic.

Agitha's demeanor didn't change and she said, "So, that guy was a demon after all."

"Well, more like an undead monster thinking he was the Kingslayer…" Sarada replied.

Karane placed a hand on Aryll's shoulder and said, "At least you're okay. Um, so what do we do now?"

Aryll finally spoke up, telling them, "Link didn't get purified…and we have to take him to the spring in the Lost Woods…"

"What? Why there? Isn't that place dangerous?" the newcomers asked, yelling.

Sarada shushed them and Agitha muttered, "It's not like he's going to wake up…"

As soon as she said it, Link stirred awake and Aryll was relieved. He sat up and noticed the group, jumping as he saw Agitha and the others. Link trembled and looked like he was freezing.

"Hey, bud. You okay?" Groose said, approaching.

Link's eyes suddenly turned fire red and he yelled, "G-Get away!"

His arm's were suddenly covered in fire and the group gasped. Aryll backed away as the fire in the pit surrounded him and engulfed the boy's body in flames. The group was scared as Link cried out for help. Daruk stood in front of them and said, "Focus, kid! Focus!"

The ground around him cracked and stones surrounded Link in his terrified state. Just as he was about to utterly lose it, Gor Ardesio and the other elders had entered the room, with Gor Litho holding a red rod with a Goron's Ruby at the tip. The darker-hued Goron threw it at the boy and yelled, "Focus using it, boy!"

Link caught it and he tightly shut his eyes. The Goron elders stood in front of the group to protect them from the wild flames and intense heat. Aryll, behind Daruk, saw from behind the barrier a struggling Link.

He was breathing heavily, trying to concentrate, and fire came out with every breath. The boy, near whimpering, said, "I-I-I'm s-sorry…"

He cried out, and an explosion of flames filled the room. An earthquake rocked the place and the group fell over from the shaking. The Gorons stood firm, the element hardly affecting them. A flash of blinding light and, when everything settled down, Daruk yelled, "What the…?"

Aryll rushed over, seeing that Link had disappeared. The others joined her and Groose yelled, "Where did he go?"

"Oh no…" Daruk muttered.

Sarada looked to Aryll and she did the same. Karane, worried, asked, "What's going on?"

"He's probably gone on ahead…to the Lost Woods," Sarada replied.

"We need to find him!" Aryll yelled.

The girl rushed for the exit and her twin asked, "Why are you worried about him? He's the 'Hero', right? Let him do this himself."

"He can't go by himself. The Lost Woods is extremely dangerous, Agitha!" Sarada said.

"Hey, I didn't tell you my…!" Agitha yelled.

"I'm half-Sheikah, so I read your mind the moment you go here," Sarada replied.

Agitha vented again, telling her how she thought it was an invasion of privacy. Aryll, however, prayed that Link would be okay. Because it seemed like for every step forward he took, Link was pulled two steps back.


With Sheik and Midna, Tower of Hera…

"WAH-HA-HAH! Sheik, Middy! You're here!" Fi cried.

Sheik and Midna, reunited with Fiona, Ghirahim and Vaati, were held together by the crying child and she wasn't letting go. Midna, uncomfortable, said, "Okay, okay, kid. You can let go now."

She did, sniffling and wiping her runny nose. Ghirahim rolled his eyes, asking, "So, you could sense where we were?"

"Yup. And why aren't you in Skyloft?" Midna asked.

Vaati replied with, "I told Ghira not to leave our post, but he said that Fi was in danger. And sure enough, we found her here, chained up and having a Moldorm heading straight for her."

"So, who put her there? Oh…oh no…So, he really was a monster," Sheik said, reading Fi's mind.

She could see Oni transformed and turned into a ReDead-like wraith. And then the shocker was the image of the monster running Fi through like a meat on a skewer. The girl survived by carrying a bottled fairy and it revived her when the cave Oni had ambushed Link's group in collapsed.

Midna sighed, telling the girl, "Thank you for remembering to bring a fairy with you."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have looked forward to hearing about your demise," Sheik told her.

Fi nodded and Ghirahim told her, "We're just going to have to find another fairy for you so we won't have to worry about that."

The girl gave another nod, hugging her brother. Sheik grinned underneath her mask, but it quickly disappeared and she couldn't sense Link's presence on the mountain. Instead, it was far away. Really, really far away.

"He's not on the mountain anymore…" she told her colleagues.

"Really? So, we hid in their shadows and missed him?" Midna asked.

"Yeah. He's…near the forest…Why there?" Sheik said.

"Well, I can still sense that curse on him. So, I don't think he got purified like he was supposed to," Fi said.

Ghirahim and Vaati looked at each other and Vaati didn't seem to please with where the conversation was going. So, he said, "No. We're not helping!"

"But!" Fi said.

"And if we get that boy back to the emperor, he'll overlook our leaving Skyloft," Ghirahim told him.

Midna and Sheik waited for his response and he said, "Oh, alright! Okay!"

"Yay! Twilight Brigade #23, ready for duty!" Fi cheered.

"Um, I'm Shadow Corps team 7, Fi…" Ghirahim muttered.

Sheik turned away, concentrating on the fort nearest that forest, Fort Faron. She remembered hearing on the Gossip Stone airwaves that Dame Lydia was in the area and that she was the boy's mother. Maybe if she was to go, she'll find him in time before he would try to enter that dangerous forest.


With Link, Southern Hyrule Fields, near forest line…

Link, appearing in a flash of light, landed on the snowy ground, the flames around his body melting the snow upon contact. Long frozen grass was revealed and Link jumped as he never seen grass before. He tried to get to his feet, only for pain to rack his body and he fell on his stomach, dropping the red rod he was given.

Before him was a massive forest, long since died and covered in thorns. Behind him were snowy fields as far as the eye could see and a frozen river that cut through. The faint image of a building was beyond the river, but Link was in too much pain to care.

His body felt like it was going to break apart and wanted the pain to stop. With a cry, a great wave of flames shot from his body, melting the snow all around him and creating a great mist.


"What in the…? Milady, what's that?"

Lydia, after getting an assignment to head for Fort Faron to clean up loose ends the Shadow Corps left behind, looked out the window of her office, seeing mist rising from the snow. Her assistant, a rookie Hylian soldier, was terrified and he asked, "Is…Is the forest people going to attack?"

"What? Forest people?" Lydia asked.

The door opened to her rather rundown office and she saw the Shadow Corps members Amy Poe and I-no Cubus. The teens, with I-no looking rather proud, came inside and the girl asked, "So, they sent you here? Why? I thought you retired."

"I thought so too, but the empire needs me and my expertise, apparently," Lydia replied.

Amy was silent, looking down with somber eyes. I-no continued the conversation, asking, "So, are you here to check before we deliver?"

"I guess so. Let me see if it's the real thing," Lydia said.

I-no, pulling a green medallion about the size of a dinner plate out of hammerspace, placed it on the woman's desk and power radiated from it. She nodded, saying, "Amy had to use her power to get it out. But, here it is and the emperor can rest easy as he's one step closer into getting the Triforce of Power."

'He's still looking for that, I see,' Lydia thought.

"B-But ma'am…!" the Hylian soldier stammered.

He pointed out the window and saw the fog roll in. I-no sighed and said, "Hopefully those 'forest folk' won't try anything. Seriously, I just wanna go back home and sleep in my own bed."

Amy stared and made a few hand motions. I-no translated, saying, "She wants to investigate the fog. Not like that's a good idea…So, I'm not going out there."

The door burst open and a captain entered with a few of his men, saluting Dame Lydia with a fist over heart salute. Lydia did the same, asking, "What's going on?"

"Ma'am, there's been someone sighted in the fog. Looks like a child, but they're armed. They're approaching the fort as we speak," the captain told her.

"Alright, ready the fort's defenses. We can't take any chances," Lydia ordered.


Exhausted and needing help, Link managed to muster up some strength to stand, the flames on his body finally dying out. He was still unnaturally warm, as if he had a high fever. He trudged in the snow, his Goron-made clothes not really conducive for cold weather. But it was sorely needed as his body temperature barely went down. As he walked, mist rose up from the snowy ground and he could barely see in front of him.

Using the rod, more like staff, for walking, Link made it to a building he didn't remember seeing as his group crossed the plains. It looked like a fort and Link wondered if soldiers were there. Oni was at the driver's seat when they stole the wagon, so maybe he was avoiding places that had an imperial presence.

"Oy! Who goes there?"

Link stopped as the mist cleared and he could see soldiers, armed with bows and cannons, looking at him. The fort's gates were tightly shut and the soldiers looked ready to end him. They aimed and were about to fire when Link said, "I-I'm…My n-n-name is…"

"LINK!?"

A woman in dark blue dress with a silver armor overlay appeared on top of the fort's gate, where the archers were. She was joined by a girl in green and a young woman in pink and light blue. They eyed him suspiciously and the woman in armor, most likely the fort's commander, yelled for the gates to open.

"But, ma'am! What if it's an illusion? The forest folk are known to use powders and other mysterious things to trap people in them," someone told her.

The dark-haired young woman in pink and light blue nodded, saying, "Yup. Dame Lydia. We encountered that when we headed for the Forest Temple to get the medallion."

The girl in green said nothing and Link realized the commander was his mother. But what was she doing so far from Aboda?

"M-Mom…?" he asked.

"Open the gate! That's my son!" Lydia yelled.

Reluctantly, the troops opened it and Link limped into the fort. He could see that the interior was run down, with bricks and stones missing in various parts of the outer walls and floor. Within the walls were slits where Link assumed more archers were stationed, ready to end him if something happened. Two guard towers were on the right and left walls, with barracks underneath. Horses in stables, a small restaurant and a weaponsmith were there, making the place look somewhat like a small town.

A large courtyard led to the central building where Link figured his mother took command. It had several lamps hanging from it's walls, illuminating the area around it. The interior was lit up and there were at least 20 windows, most likely for each room. The imperial flag of Hyrule flew proudly on top, giving anyone who was loyal that gazed on it hope and pride. Scars were also on the building and Link wondered if a great battle had happened there.

He suddenly became woozy and cursed himself as he didn't want anyone ending him over his persona changes. The boy nearly hit the floor when Lydia caught him, saying, "I got you. I got you."

She hugged him and said, "You're safe. You're safe with us."

"M-Mom…" Link said, his vision coming back into focus.

Lydia gave him a kiss on the forehead, only to flinch at his temperature. She then motioned for someone to get a medic and the soldiers did as commanded. The next thing Link knew, he was being carried to the central building, where the infirmary was.


And there's chapter 29. Well, all I can say is that things will be coming to a close soon with this fic…Will Link ever get purified? Or will he be a failed Hero again? Stay tuned and review!

-miano53