Chapter 28: Betrayal and Paranoia

Answering the Sworn Oath Arc

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, this is just a Fanfiction.

Featured Music: "Urgency Drives Us" - Fire Emblem 10: Radiant Dawn OST. Chapter Briefing.

With the frightening power and speed of one who possesses the divine Aegir of the Shinzui-et-Sanmiitai, Link manages to overcome the great power Phantom Ganon commands in the Forest Temple but only with the assistance of his demonic second side; the villain, Kage Narumono. In spite of this glorious victory, having saved the lives of all three of his comrades, Link soon realises he is forced to give one up; the one person he has loved since his days of childhood. In learning of her destiny to serve as divine Forest Sage, Link's distrust and animosity for the rebellion and even princess Zelda grows by the minute.

At least in their bittersweet victory however, the group of heroes manage to at last turn the harsh tide of war; in cleansing the deep forest of the Kokiri, Link and his comrades manage to embolden the dispirited men and women of Hyrule. Having successfully snatched a triumph over the seven-year long king Ganondorf however, their efforts at last receive his full attention. As a message to other races in the country he sends in his men to overpower and kidnap the Goron race in Death Mountain.

With assistance from his right hand Scaverin, the warlock manages to revive the ancient subterranean lava dragon Volvagia. In keeping with his merciless reign and rule Ganondorf threatens the very lives of the Gorons by promising to feed each and every one of them to the fearsome dragon in the hopes of intimidating them and other peoples within the country. Although the Gorons are a hardy race of people they are overpowered by the sheer number of military men that Hyrule's king commands.

Hoping to free his people Darunia, Big Brother and chief to his Goron race, sets out alone to the divine Fire Temple. Although he manages to save his only son, a boy named after the Hero of Time himself, he has lost all contact with the outside world and is now presumed missing-in-action. Tracking him down Sheik, Raynard, Link and Navi all meet with the Goron chief's son and are directed to him.

In spite of being thankful in the knowledge that Darunia was last seen alive, Link cannot help but feel a guilty sense of apprehension; his former involvement in the death of the chief's right hand man weighs his conscience down like an anchor on a ship. Although it was merely Kage Narumono that murdered Barkner and snuffed out his life, the shame in his part however small would no doubt cause a huge rift and he knows it.

With all this deep deliberation, Link presses on in his quest to follow Saria's last wishes...

Scene 1

"So... he managed to beat it anyway... hm...?"

Scaverin listened in from his position next to his monarch, watching the murmuring man's left fingers drum carefully on the throne's arm-rest. A small grin grew on the fierce-looking canines Ganondorf carried as he re-opened his mouth to speak once more.

"It's been so long since we've received any adequate challenge...," the flame-haired king grinned on through the fist he used to rest his head on, his elbow on the arm-rest. "I hardly know how to react..."

Opting again to remain silent and wary, Scaverin merely frowned back.

He had fallen for this trap before.

At last hovering his yellow-like eyes 'round to the summoner on his left, Ganondorf narrowed them.

"How did you find them... Scaverin?" The Gerudian king finally addressed him, curious in his firm-eyed glare.

"Relatively... powerful," the cloaked man spoke slowly, as if making effort to think back to his engagement. "I only ever did face off against two of them though."

"Ah... our rat and their leader, hm?"

"Indeed," Scaverin confirmed in a frowning nod. "I believe their Hero of Time was engaged in another battle at the time."

"Yes...," Ganondorf mused quietly, re-hovering his amber eyes forward with a hardened scowl on his face. "A 'hero'... without a cause..."

Furrowing his brow thoughtfully and curiously, Scaverin listened intently. "My lord...?"

"You saw that, didn't you?" Ganondorf batted back to the formerly religious man. "Same as I did...," he murmured out, re-narrowing his eyes forward. "That boy changed during the fight."

"Ah...," the listening cloaked warrior nodded. "Yes..."

"The Shinzui-et-Sanmiitai...," Hyrule's king began passionately. "A power said to heighten those to satanic levels..."

Merely quieting himself, the cloaked schemer narrowed his eyes similarly as he listened.

"I believe it, Scaverin...," Ganondorf addressed a second time and with a malicious chuckle upon his dark-green lips. "As young as he is... he may very well be approaching even the biblical power of the Sainted Three...!" The Gerudian man hissed out in a hushed whisper, raising his right twitching fist from the side of his face to shake in a mixture of excitement and fierceness.

"How should we deal with them your majesty?" Scaverin questioned eagerly, frowning in a business-like expression. "They're already approaching the Fire Temple..."

"We'll let them infiltrate it for now...," the listening country's monarch responded, lowering his fist as he eyed his strategist with a light grin. Turning his gaze forward once more he narrowed it to thin slits. "I'm anxious to see how the boy deals with Volvagia..."

"Who's there?!"

The voice that bounced so emphatically and so masculine in tone could only be one that the listening Link recognised; having stepped through one of the Fire Temple's many doors he stood far-off face-to-face with a familiar man indeed.

The wide-eyed bearded form of Darunia stood opposite in facing to what appeared to be a very important doorway indeed; locked with a golden key and all.

"... Link...?" Darunia whispered, his brow furrowing as if unable to believe his very eyes. In spite of all the misgivings Link had for the rest of his allies he couldn't help but grow a weak smile in recognition for his companion of old.

"Darunia...," he gasped back in a light friendly laugh, stepping toward the platform's edge. "It's... been a while."

"Yes... seven years, my old friend," the Goron chief smiled. "To think that you would come to aid us just as you had done back then..." He trailed off, wiping a tear of appreciation.

Despite his friend's good mood and tone to match Link's guilty mind couldn't help but wander back to his unintentional killing of Barkner.

I almost wish I hadn't met back up with Darunia to avoid this, he thought worriedly.

"It's nice to see you my friend but I have very little time to catch up with you," the Goron chief talked on, re-catching the blinking youth's attention. "These seven years have been an oppressive one from the man you call 'Ganondorf'...," he claimed on in his hard-eyed glare. "Somehow he has resurrected the ancient dragon of legend; Volvagia!"

Widening his oceanic eyes as he listened, Link held back a gasp.

Sheik was right.

"On top of all that he's going to feed my people to that damn thing as a warning to other races that resist his reign...," Darunia muttered out, briefly lowering his eyes in his angry glower. "If that raging lizard escapes from this mountain, all of Hyrule will become a burning wasteland!"

Link couldn't help but wince as he listened.

"I have to do something...," the Goron's leader continued on as he clenched the fingers in his left fist passionately. "Even if it's a suicide mission I must do what I can to save my people!"

"N-No... Darunia..." Link whispered out, eyes widened; a similar kind of terror began to creep at the boy's nerves.

The same kind of terror he felt when last speaking to Saria.

"If you could just rescue my men... that's all I ask brother," Darunia spoke softly, a similarly smooth smile upon his face. "You've been a great friend to me... it is time I pay this debt back to you."

"Darunia no!" Link countered angrily, narrowing his eyes forward. "This is no answer!" The Hero of Time added, similarly clenching a fist to emphasise his words. "These Gorons; they need you!"

"I understand that Link...," Darunia shook his head back. "But who else will confront that monstrous beast if not me?"

"Why do it alone?" Link shot back before raising up his left hand, leaning the rest of his body to his side as he did. "When we can do it together?" He finished in a narrow-eyed whisper, frowning on in his serious look. Surprised Darunia eyed the Hero of Time before him, his eyes darting in the youth's open hand before slowly growing a light smile.

–

2

Raynard grunted as he spun his halberd expertly across the blaring-hot air, savagely tearing apart the screeching Fire Keese.

"Damn bats...," he muttered out, annoyance weighing down his tone to match the heavy atmosphere of the volcanic-like dungeon. He stood opposite the frowning Sheik atop the dark-brown planked bridge they crossed over. Wiping an arm across his forehead, the dark-haired mercenary gasped through the abominable heat. "I don't know how much longer I can last in this heat..."

"You'll have to put up or shut up," Sheik ordered snappily over his shoulder as he spun his knife 'round his right fingers expertly before about-turning to continue forward across the bridge. "We don't have much choice."

"Tch..." Raynard merely grunted back, an annoyed scowl creasing the folds of his face. Accepting his commander's directives however, the ebony-haired youth followed on suite behind the Sheikah. Reaching past the two stone posts at the end of the crossing the duo of freedom fighters stepped on through the ensuing door ahead.

And widened their eyes when they entered.

WHOOSH

Along with the sudden blast of flames amidst the growing chaos that was the platform filled with fire came the echoing sound of laughter of all things; the listening Sheik and Raynard could only watch in shocked expressions at the sight before them.

A humanoid-like form spun almost endlessly in place within the forcefield of flame before at last side-flipping onto the confined arena in which the two resided in.

Oh no, Sheik thought.

It was waiting for them.

"What the hell is that?!" Raynard gasped out, his brow furrowing forward as he readied his halberd at their new opponent.

Seemingly human-shaped, all of its limbs bar its torso were of a burning nature; indeed, the god-like flame that it displayed so heavenly began to brighten even further as it started to spin in place, a kind of devil-like Aegir in its body.

"It... looks like a Flare Dancer...," Sheik murmured out in his narrow-eyed glare, fingering his knife protectively. "Don't get too close to it!"

"Don't have to tell me twice..." The listening mercenary muttered out as he briefly eyed his commanding officer, both hands gripping the hilt of his weapon.

Almost as if sensing the pair's intentions however the Flare Dancer shot out numerous smaller spheres of flame as it spun about in place, in an attempt to hit the duo.

"Scatter!"

Obeying the apprehensive order, Raynard narrowed his eyes a second time as he leapt abruptly in evasion to his left. Skidding across the dark-tan brick ground he just barely managed to avoid one of the many orbs of fire that came flitting on after him. When he recovered however the young survivor double-took to his front only to find the Flare Dancer hot in pursuit directly ahead of him.

"Raynard!"

In spite of Sheik's fearful call the young soldier could only stare in a mixture of horror and fatalism; with his amber eyes widened he at least attempted to bring up his halberd to block the inevitable charge.

SMASH

Grunting, he was sent spinning through the air until he finally landed inside the wall behind him, seemingly taken out of action. Growling as he watched from the wall he stuck to in his acrobatics Sheik turned his similarly blazing eye in pursuit of the fast-approaching Flare Dancer. Readying some extra throwing knives laced with water-elemental Aegir, he grunted as he tossed them forward in his enemy's passing.

The knives made a noisy grinding echo as they made direct contact with the Flare Dancer's projectile flames, cancelling them out. As his enemy crossed the distance from the safely-sticking Sheikah, Sheik found himself glaring on after the gliding Flare Dancer almost finding it grinning behind the flame armour it wore so well.

Water clearly was not the answer in spite of his initial suspicions.

But what about fire itself?

Specifically an explosion so blazingly hot that it would overtake the Flare Dancer's flames.

With that in mind, Sheik pushed off the wall he rested on to land back on the ground he once stood; working very quickly, he placed a Quintessence-activated mine before back-flipping with great agility to his safe spot on the wall. Watching the Flare Dancer glide across the battle arena he readied his normally sharp senses; finding it approaching quickly as he had surmised earlier the Sheikah widened his one visible eye.

"Now!"

Raising up his right hand he narrowed his eye forward as he lifted only his index and forefinger upward; an activation of the Aegir resting inside the cleverly disguised ground. Seemingly realising its mistake, but far too late to react, the Flare Dancer audibly gasped and attempted to alter its gliding arc before it came too close.

DROOM

In a pained demonic growl, the Flare Dancer found itself stripped of its satanic clothing and only its torso remained; merely bobbing down harmlessly, the little form that was left was a direct contrast to its formerly terrifying shape. Seemingly having recovered from his earlier injury, the dark-haired Raynard grunted as he leapt up in an acrobatic forward-flip; his halberd sung a song of violent steel as he somersaulted in pursuit.

SMASH-SKRRRR-SQUELCH

With an agonised echoing screech, the naked Flare Dancer was surprisingly easily cut up by the savage spinning slash that Raynard employed; as it groaned from the pain it slowly began to expand in size. Oddly, the watching mercenary was captivated by it as if unable to move.

"Move Raynard!" Sheik called over, his eye widened behind his golden locks.

Finally gasping to action, the listening youth pushed in a swift back-dash. Skidding across the ground he rose up his halberd diagonally to assist in deflecting some of the wind that kicked up as a result of the inevitable explosion. Breathing a sigh of relief as he watched, the slow smiling Sheik showed off an approving nod before dropping himself down to ground level.

At least no-one suffered anything too debilitating, the Sheikah thought to himself gratefully.

Stepping through the door after the firmly-frowning Darunia Link swept his oceanic eyes across their new surroundings.

"Brothers!"

The deep voice of his companion made the listening blonde blink in his direction; finding him abruptly rushing toward the room's oddly large end.

"Darunia wait!" Link called on after him, reaching forward with his hand in an attempt to stop him. Finding the room more suited to being one huge prison than anything else he caught the sight of what appeared to be perhaps around twenty or so trapped within the gargantuan cage before him. Narrowing his eyes he watched Darunia quickly approach the cage door and opened his mouth to continue. "Something's not right about this..."

"I sense it too." Navi nodded in quiet agreement, a similarly anxious tone in her voice.

Reaching toward the cage with his burly arms, Darunia smiled as he began to approach the large prison. "It is so good to see you all again," he greeted at the shocked faces of the Gorons all resting inside. "I was worried you'd be-"

"Big Brother; behind-!"

Widening his dark-brown eyes, the muscled mass of a man swiftly leapt to his right in evasion, barely avoiding the flying throwing knives directed toward him. Skidding across the ground safely to land next to his companion of old, Darunia rose himself back to his feet in a hard-eyed glare to stare at the source of the interruption.

A relatively average-height man stood looming his cloaked shadow over them, seemingly the culprit. When he pulled down the darkened hood he wore Link couldn't help but stare in a shocked revelation at the resulting figure before him.

The firmly-frowning form of the former bishop that was Scaverin.

The right-hand to Hyrule's new monarch.

"I... remember you...," Link began cautiously, his fingers itching for the Master Sword resting across his back. The watching devout merely huffed back; a light twitch to the frown he wore so well. "Jabu... Jabu..."

"You know this man?" Darunia questioned, raising up his bushy eyebrows in a display of surprise.

"He's... dangerous," Navi answered from her charge's side in between the pair, keeping her eye carefully fixated on their new enemy. "Former man of the Hylian military..."

Narrowing his eyes at the figure as she spoke, the listening Darunia appeared to somewhat recognise the standing Scaverin. "You..."

Raising a dark-brown eyebrow the watching Scaverin opened his mouth. "Oh?"

"You're the one that gave the Gerudian forces that information...," he whispered out, brow furrowing in seeming realisation. "The information that led Daphnes to his downfall..."

Responding with a simple low-toned laugh within his throat, Scaverin re-opened his mouth to elaborate. "I cannot quite take all that credit... if it wasn't for God's planning... the Hylianis Militaris Ordinis would still be standing."

"God?" Link parroted, batting the question back with a narrow of his own sky-blue eyes.

"Your king of course," Scaverin shot back, a knowing grin on his lips. "My lord Ganondorf."

"Pathetic...," Darunia hissed over, disgusted. "Do you realise how many lives were lost that day?"

"A necessary evil...," Scaverin replied, his sharp smile soon sliding into a slithering scowl. "Just as this is...," he finished his sentence by raising up his right arm; pulsating with turquoise-blue Aegir it began to glow as he slowly outstretched it forward, palm facing the ground. Tensing up as they watched, Link reached for his weapons and the glaring Darunia rose his burly arms ever so slightly. "Aegir Art...," the former bishop began once more, narrowing his eyes to thin slits before suddenly widening his hazel-shaded orbs. "REVIVIFICATION!"

DROOM-RUMBLE-RUMBLE...

In accordance with his memories of their former encounter Link grunted as he reset his big brown boots back down to the ground, skidding backward from the sheer force of Scaverin's mighty Aegir technique. As the stone-like ground began to rumble ferociously it gave way to the massive plume of smoke that was borne from the robed man's technique. At last, as the fog of war began to die down, the watching heroes widened their eyes as they beheld the sight before them.

A closed coffin.

Similarly watching from his position next to the casket, the summoner grew a very small grin before raising up his index finger. "You... may recognise this one." Scaverin spoke, a sly tone in his baritone; Link found himself furrowing his brow in suspicion as he listened to the cloaked schemer snap his fingers.

CLICK-CLATTER-TUMBLE...

Tensing up, Darunia and Link exchanged a worried look before turning their eyes back to the opened sarcophagus. From inside the black abyss of death's prison stalked on through a shut-eyed muscular form; seemingly the shape of an adult man. Gasping in a high-pitched, horrified frown, Link widened his cobalt-blue eyes at the revelation laying before him.

"Link...!" Navi hissed out, as if to remind him somehow but it wasn't necessary; Link easily identified the person standing imposingly before them.

Barkner, the Goron.

Although formerly deceased and against all notions of impossibility, the young man himself stood in a low-stature, his eyes shut. Folding his arms behind him and the casket he came from stood the smirking Scaverin, visibly satisfied by the group's reaction.

"Barkner... my friend...," Darunia whispered out, dropping his arms from his earlier hostile form. "What have they done to you...?"

"Darunia no!" Navi called over at their slow-marching ally. "That's not Barkner anymore!" The guardian fairy advised frantically. "Link, tell him!"

In spite of his partner's urging Link couldn't help but stare between the pair of Gorons before him, guilt eating away at him like a disease.

Watching on with a grinning malicious chuckle, Scaverin rose up his right index finger from his folded-armed stance to snap his fingers a second time.

CLICK

Like magic, an imposing silver hammer materialised within the slouching Barkner's grip seemingly waking him up at last. As he opened his eyes to scan across the prison, the watching trio got a good look at the telling blackened sclera of his optics. Along with the marring imperfections that stained his appearance, such as the cracks in his skin, was the final sign of his formerly missing status.

Barkner truly was deceased.

Faced with the victim of his demonic second side Link found himself taking a step back, his grip on the Master Sword shaking. Taking quick note, Darunia double-took in his direction before narrowing his eyes at the youth.

"What-?" He began, narrowing his eyes at the former Kokiri. "What's...?"

"Oh this is just delicious...," the observing form of Scaverin grinned on, leaning his bald head to the side. "You didn't know... did you Darunia...?"

"Know what?" The listening Big Brother to the Gorons snapped back angrily, eager for answers.

"Don't!" Link suddenly blurted out wide-eyed, a desperate pitch in his baritone.

Chortling malevolently Scaverin re-opened his mouth, completely ignoring the young blonde. "You see... in my line of work... to use this technique I must have some form of molecule belonging to the deceased to be able to summon them...," he explained very briefly, nodding his head. "Hair, blood even teeth... it can be quite impressive what you can get away with." The former bishop grinned sarcastically, a chuckle on his lips.

Growling angrily as he listened, Darunia began to clench his fingers into fists.

"Anyway...," Scaverin started once more. "While... cleaning up... another of your little friend's escapades...," the summoner claimed, nodding his head in the direction of the horrified Link. "I could barely find a reminder of poor Barkner in that cavern... except for two things," he continued on, narrowing his eyes in his knowing smirk. Raising up his right index and forefinger amidst his folded-armed stare he resumed his elaboration. "The blood of a deceased Goron... and the hellish sample of Aegir left behind with it."

Gasping through his nose as he listened, Link found his eyes darting back to the similarly silent Darunia, terror engulfing his senses.

"Now... I'm no detective Darunia...," the robed man smirked. "But surely whoever commanded that Aegir would have been his killer... correct?" He posed, raising a curious eyebrow. Furrowing his brow as he listened on intently, captivated by the conversation.

"Where are you going with this...?" He murmured back, suspicion lacing his voice.

"Do you know who that Aegir belonged to...?"

Silence.

Here it comes, the harrowed Link thought to himself.

Just as he had feared, the wide-eyed form of Darunia very slowly 'rounded his bewildered open-mouthed frown on him, at last making the connection.

"Y-You...," the Goron chief gasped out, aghast at the revelation. "You were with him..."

"Darunia...," Link responded his voice breaking as he shook his blonde head back, tears very slowly staining the sides of his cerulean eyes. "I didn't mean to... it wasn't me, I-"

"You... you're a murderer...," Darunia whispered a horrified, stunned and open-mouthed frown. "What did he ever do to you...?"

"Darunia no!" Navi exclaimed into the conversation, flying in between the pair as if to cool the rapidly-growing tensions. "That wasn't Link; you have no idea how this-"

"He knows exactly how it went down... little insect," the narrow-eyed Scaverin interrupted her, causing the trio to swerve their heads in his folded-armed direction. "Now... join your fallen companion in death...," the cloaked schemer began once more, his hardened scowl very gradually morphing into a low-fanged smirk. "Kill them."