A/N: An update two weeks in a row? Don't get used to it. The shorter chapter-length helped, but I've just been motivated to get through this chapter. One more left to complete the arc after this. Enjoy.

Heart of the Mountain

In the painful, curse-induced haze, Link struggled to comprehend Volvagia's sudden appearance. He was back? Now? Here of all places? Why? This wasn't some grand, open chamber where they could do battle, where Volvagia could take on his true form. No, they were in an itty-bitty room with barely enough room around the hole in the ground for the three of them to fit. Though… through the brain fog, Link could just make out a larger room beyond the doorway.

Before he had a chance to dwell on it, or to even attempt to stand and fight, Volvagia wordlessly reached down and grabbed him by the front of his tunic, half-dragging, half-carrying him into the bigger room. He tossed Link, throwing him several feet away. Link hit the ground with a sharp, kicking dust up into the air on impact. He did not try to move right away.

"Hey! Let him go!" he heard Skull Kid yell, followed by a yelp and a dull thud as he landed on the floor nearby. Skully sprang back up, attempting to fight Volvagia again, but was knocked down just as fast.

With some effort, Link groaned and rolled onto his side, gasping as he mentally struggled with the curse. A pair of heavy, metal boots walked into his line of sight, stopping just in front of him. He fully expected Volvagia to lift him up, or else to run him through with his pike, but neither happened.

"Really, now?" Volvagia growled. "You managed to follow me all the way here, only to fall to your own magic. This is just pathetic."

Link's eyes flickered wildly, the brightness wavering just as much as the color did. Slowly, he forced himself into a sitting position and tilted his head up to look at Volvagia. "'m not… p'thetic," he grunted through clenched teeth.

Volvagia tilted his head down. He was frowning, though Link could not tell if he was looking at him. The world seemed to spin as Link stared at him defiantly. His vision grew blurrier. Finally, Volvagia let out a snort and spoke. "Really? If you're not so pathetic, why haven't you struck me down yet?" His grip tightened around his pike. "Get up."

Still gripping at his chest, Link staggered to his feet, the world spinning worse with his every move. But as soon as he was standing, Volvagia lashed out, striking him with the butt of his pike. Once again, he was sprawled out on the ground.

There was a quick whizzing sound, and then a dart bounced harmlessly off of Volvagia's armor. Skull Kid had climbed to his feet. With an angry yell, he rushed towards the dragon man, only to stop short when the pike was spun around to face him.

During the whole exchange, Volvagia's gaze never turned away from Link. "This is not your battle. Stand down, or I will kill you without hesitation. This is between me and the other one."

Skull Kid glared, but he didn't dare move any closer. He remained tense, ready to strike at the first opportunity he would get. "You're a mean old bully, you know that?"

Link pushed himself back to one knee. His vision swam and went completely dark a couple time's as the curse whispered words in his head, trying to break his concentration and take control away. He feared moving any further.

"Draw your sword," Volvagia demanded. "Now."

His sword? No. No, he couldn't do that. The sword knew he was bad. The sword knew he was filled with evil. The sword would surely strike him down if he tried, weakening him in a way that would allow the curse to take control! It had nearly struck him down before, when he was in control; how could he hope to wield it now? In hopes of voicing this, Link tried to speak. But his mouth refused to work. He opened and closed it soundlessly a couple times, before he finally managed to sort of form words. "I c an t."

Volvagia let out what could only be considered a growl. "Can't? Or won't? Pathetic. Do it and show me your life is worth sparing! Or else I'll ram this pike through both you and your friend and end your miserable, meaningless lives right now."

The sword will kill you if you take it, the voice whispered. Don't let him fool you.

Link was trembling, his strength failing fast. The sword might kill him if he tried to use it. Volvagia would kill him if he didn't. He… He had no choice but to try. Slowly, he reached back, grabbing the indigo hilt. As soon as his hand touched the holy sword, searing pain shot through his entire body. And yet, despite the pain, despite the world still spinning, his vision cleared and became sharper.

More importantly, the voice had gone silent.

Drawing his blade now, still feeling weak, he turned his attention to Volvagia.

As soon as the sword was out in front of him, Volvagia swung at him again with the flat of his pike. Letting out a yelp, Link held the sword up defensively, flinched, and looked away, expecting a blow to the head.

Instead, he heard a metallic clang; he'd blocked the blow. Still, there was so much strength behind the blow that he still stumbled backwards, falling back on his bottom. The Master Sword clattered to the ground nearby.

And now the tip of Volvagia's pike hung mere inches from his chest, and the man's expression was unreadable. He could feel the pain in his chest returning, and his vision was starting to blur again.

"Grab your sword and stand," Volvagia growled, jabbing the pike. The tip came so close that it managed to catch on his tunic, though it did not pierce through to his skin.

Fumbling, Link reached for the sword, scooting back a few inches before standing. This time, when he took hold, the pain was barely noticeable. His head seemed to clear and – though his strength was still waning – he no longer felt like he was fighting for control of his body.

Volvagia held his pike at the ready, watching Link for several seconds. But then, surprisingly, he backed off, standing up straight with his spear at his side. He tilted his head up, looking down at Link over the bridge of his nose. "I still do not understand you, spirit, nor how you can wield that sword while smelling of him. But if you hope to use it, you must figure out how to use it effectively." With that, he struck the butt of his pike against the ground once, then turned and began to walk away.

He… Volvagia wasn't going to attack him? Had he actually helped him?

Link sank back down to the ground, his strength failing now that he seemed to not be in imminent danger. Skull Kid moved to stand defensively between him and Volvagia, but there seemed to be no point in doing so anymore. "Why did you…" Link mumbled, trailing off when he couldn't figure out what to say.

"I am aligned with Ganondorf only as a favor for reviving me, nothing more. If you are being truthful when you say you oppose him, and if you mean to fight him, then the two of us will have to clash, sooner or later. And I have no intention of holding back. One of us will die." He struck his pike against the ground again, emphasizing his words. "I have no interest in fighting someone who can't even control their own sword. Or their own body, for that matter. It's disgraceful, and pathetic." Volvagia started walking away again, tapping the end of his pike along the ground with each stride. "When you are finished flailing around here in the temple, meet me for battle in the central chamber. But you best hurry, or else I may grow bored and decide to dispose of the sage while I wait."

With those foreboding words, Volvagia stepped back through the doorway and stepped right off into the hole the two skull kids had come through.

For a moment, an uncomfortable silence filled the room, with Link staring at the ground with the sword in his hand, his eyes scrutinizing the blade's every detail. But finally, he looked up, shared a look with Skull Kid, and turned towards the ledges in front of him, sheathing his sword along the way. There, after taking a moment to recover, he began to climb the metal mesh, leading him through a doorway and deeper into the temple.

The continued along in near silence for some time, allowing Link time to recover and dwell on the conversation with Volvagia. Eventually, they reached a room where they had to proceed by walking across a pathway over lava, made of the same wire mesh as before. It was at this point, staring down into the molten rock, that Link finally broke the silence.

"I don't understand. Why did he do that?"

"Hm?" Skull Kid paused at a point where the walkway had been damaged, waiting for Link to catch up before leaping across the gap.

Link stopped entirely for a moment, bringing a hand up to his chest. "I just… don't understand. Volvagia hurt the Gorons. And he hurt me! But…" He tilted his head back, just barely glimpsing the hilt of the Master Sword. "Back there… He kind of saved me from losing control. I don't understand why."

"I wouldn't think to hard on it," Skull kid replied, shrugging. "Adults are weird. The do weird things for no reason.

Link tilted his gaze down. "I guess…"

After that, Link went quiet, his mind drifting to other problems as he started walking. The silence made Skull Kid uncomfortable. "Okay. That's not all that you're upset about, is it? Go one. Say it."

A glance back, then Link quit walking again, lowering his head. "I… I think Zelda should have had someone else help her. I'm… bad."

Skull Kid stopped and turned around to face Link, crossing his arms. "Are not. You're just a bit of big dummy is all. You went and trusted a bunch of adults and now they all want to blame you for not doing what they want you to do!"

"But Zelda isn't an adult!" Link argued. "Besides, I hurt a bunch of people! I hurt the old sages and I hurt Navi and… and Saria." He paused, one hand grabbing his other arm. "Navi… I don't know where she is, but she must have left me behind when I went bad. And… And maybe she was right to. I shouldn't be here."

"That's not-" Skull Kid started before cutting himself off. He shrugged his shoulders once without uncrossing his arms, exaggerating his grumpy posture. "Well, you're right about one thing. You shouldn't be here. Neither of us should. But you are, and you're kind of obligated to help out now, aren't you? I get the feeling you won't listen to me and leave, so we should finish what we started. Otherwise we've been running around in this dangerous, very fiery place for nothing. And that would suck."

Skull Kid paused, carefully stepping over a hole and onto solid ground. "Besides. You're not bad. The adults are just blaming you. You didn't choose to do all those bad things, did you?"

It didn't feel right to let himself be blameless, but Link had nothing he could say to that, so he didn't. There was no argument he could make that would change what Skull Kid said. But it still didn't feel right.

He stepped back onto solid ground, then turned to Skull Kid. "I guess… I guess you're right…" he mumbled.

"Of course, I am," Skull Kid said with a nod and a cheeky grin. "Besides… good or bad, we're already here. Might as well cause some mischief on our way out, right?"

Link was beginning to realize just how big – and empty – this temple was. Since his conversation with Skull Kid, they'd passed through several more rooms without incident, at worst having to deal with a couple of strange, lava-like slugs that were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. For the most part, their trip had been characterized by an uncomfortable silence, only broken by occasional small talk.

Still, it felt like they were making good time. At some point, they'd had to climb down into a dark tunnel that seemed to pass under one of the huge chambers, unable to find any other way to progress. Stumbling through the darkness, one hand brushing along the wall, Link had been lost in thought, dwelling on their earlier conversation.

Until he tripped and fell face-first into a set of metal bars.

Groaning, he clenched his fingers against the ground and tried to sit up. He brought one hand up to his forehead, rubbing at the spot where he'd hit the bars.

The sound of movement in front of him, movement that was neither his nor Skull Kid's, made him freeze. "Who's there?" an anxious voice called out, trying to put on a brave façade.

Link leaned forward, trying to make out any possible details in the darkness, almost colliding with the bars again. From what he could tell, the bars spread across the entirety of the tunnel, suggesting that perhaps they'd come across one of the cells Goron's were being held in. As he focused, he was able to catch just the barest bit of movement outlined by the glow of his eyes.

Illuminated by the blue light, he saw the top of something jagged moving. He pushed his head right up against the bars and could just make out the form of a single Goron cowering in the darkness, tightly curled into a ball. Were they… were they scared of him?

"Um… Hello?" Link said quietly, bringing one of his hands up against the bars. He hesitated for a moment, glancing back to Skully to see if he might back him up. But his friend was busy looking the other way. He would have to deal with this himself. "Ah… we're here to help. Honest!" Please believe me.

There was a long stretch of silence where neither Link nor the Goron moved. Skull Kid moved, though, because he didn't care about what was happening. Instead, he was busying himself running his hands along faded engravings on the wall, tracing the lines with a bored expression.

Slowly, the Goron uncurled, looking to Link skeptically. Then recognition flickered across his faced and he relaxed, smiling. "It's you! I knew you'd come to help a brother out. It's me, Togoro, the Goron that was helping you with the dragon back in Goron City!" He rocked back slightly, then stood up. "What are you doing here? Oh, that doesn't matter. Quick. There's a switch over there on the wall. Press it and let me out, then let's get out of here!"

Link began to reach his hand up, feeling for the switch. "But we can't go. We gotta find the have to find the hammer for Darunia."

"What, the Megaton Hammer?" Togoro paused, his brow furrowing. "Well, I mean, there's a switch on the other side of the bars there if you want to try the other side, but you still need to let me out, brother." He pointed a finger behind him.

Skull Kid finally turned his attention away from the wall, approaching the bars beside Link. "Oh that? I can take care of that, easy." A light breeze ran down the tunnel and then he was gone, reappearing inside the cell. He paused to walk to the far side to stand in front of the other set of bars. Another rush of wind and he was gone again, reappearing on the other side. Only his face was visible from where Link stood, illuminated by his eyes. He moved to the side, pressing against the wall to feel for the switch in question. Link did the same, patting the engraved walls until he felt until he felt something click in. He held it there, waiting for Skully to find his. A soft click followed, and then the ground rumbled as the bars slowly began to fall.

"This is supposed to be used to keep the rest of the temple closed off in an emergency," Togoro explained, grumbling as he waited for the bars to fall. "How dare they use it against us!"

Link didn't know what to say to that, so he just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. Once the bars were low enough, he stepped over them, passing by to get to Skull Kid's side. "We need to keep going, quick"

Togoro looked the two skull kids over before his gaze drifted to the remainder of the tunnel behind them. He turned to look behind him for just a moment before addressing them. "Well, I'm sure it's important, so… maybe I should come with you? No one has been in this part of the temple in my lifetime, or in my father's lifetime even! But… it's built in a way that allows us Gorons to traverse it easily. It's not so easy for others. Maybe I can help you."

For only a second, Link hesitated. Skully looked like he was about to argue, but Link spoke up before he could. "I mean, if you think you could help, I don't see why not."

The Goron's face lit up. "I'd be happy to. Come on, follow me."

Togoro took the lead, walking ahead down the path until he was only barely visible, forcing the two skull kids to run and catch up.

"Wait!" Link called out. "Don't you need light to guide you?"

Togoro shook his head. "We Gorons can see exceptionally well in the dark. It helps when you're down in the mines with only a torch to light the way."

That came as a surprise, but, surprisingly, made sense to Link. He gave Togoro a firm nod. "I'll keep an eye out for trouble, then."

"Works for me," Togoro said. Then he turned back, leading the way out of the tunnel and further into the temple.

The stretch of exploration that followed was even less eventful than before, and the conversation between the trio practically nonexistent. Here and there, Togoro would give Link and Skully directions, guiding them through the darker, hard-to-see-in rooms. Here and there, the two would have to work out a path through the room, while Togoro would walk right over the superheated, almost-molten flooring.

Eventually, they reached a room that appeared to be a reprieve. It was a small, nearly empty chamber with a fire pit in the middle. Nothing about this would be unusual, if not for the fact that there was a crackling fire in the pit.

Skull Kid squeezed past Togoro, who had stopped in the doorway, to stare at the fire. "Why is there a fire going? Should we be concerned?"

"Possibly," the Goron murmured. "Stay on guard going forward."

Giving the fire a wide berth, the three crossed the room to stand in front of the only other door on the other side. Togoro stepped forward and twisted the handle… but it was locked.

Skull Kid let out a huff, crossing his arms. "Of course it can't be easy," he grumbled before reaching across Link – who let out an annoyed sound – to reach into his bag for the keys Sheik had given them. Picking one at random, he slid it into the keyhole and twisted; it didn't budge.

Skull Kid shook, rattling with what Link assumed was anger. "This is stupid. I wish we could just knock this stupid door down."

"Try another key," Link urged, reaching for the ring to do it himself.

So concentrated the two skull kids were, they didn't notice when the fire seemed to flicker and dim them. But Togoro did.

"Um… guys?" Togoro tapped Link on the shoulder.

Link swung around to look at Togoro… and let out a shocked cry, jumping. From over Togoro's shoulder, he could see something had emerged from the flames.

A tall figure stood in the center of the fire, the flames flowing up around it. Most of its form seemed to be made of the flames, but there was a dark, that made up its chest. Almost daintily, the figure stepped forward and out of the fire. Once it was on the regular ground, it began to spin, flinging trails of fire around the room, forcing the trio to duck as a burst of flame flew their way.

Togoro was the first back up. "What's a fire dancer doing this far out of the core?!" he cried out as he dodged another burst. He turned to glance at the forest dwellers for just a moment. "Link, keep an eye out for trouble. Not Link, you get that door unlocked! I-I'll keep this thing busy."

Before either of them had a chance to protest, Togoro let out a mighty roar, and raced forward with what little grace a Goron could muster. With as much as force as he could muster, he swung his fist at the fire dancer. Unfortunately, his blow sailed right past, but it still forced the elemental to slow down and spring backwards, granting Link and Skull Kid some breathing space.

"We don't even know if we have a key!" Skull Kid complained. But he still went back to working at the lock, trying key after key. Every so often, Link would shout out a warning and the two would dodge out of the way of some flung flames before returning to try another key. All the while, Togoro continued to chase the dancer around the room. Occasionally, he'd land a hit, but he was taking far more hits than he was landing, and a handful of welts and burns dotted his face and upper arms where the dancer had lashed out.

Watching the fight, Link's hands itched to jump in, to help, to do something. Without thinking, he reached back for his bow and nocked an arrow. He waited, tense, for the dancer to come close, then released. The arrow whizzed through the air and connected with a loud thunk, embedding itself in the core. The fames quickly extinguished, and the core dropped to the ground.

Togoro paused for just a moment, staring dumbfounded, then suddenly curled into a ball and raced towards the two with the shout, "Get down!"

Link hesitated for just a second, looking at the fire dancer. The core had begun to swell, growing larger and larger as flames tried to reignite around it.

Before he could dwell on it, Togoro tackled both him and Skully to the ground, partially covering them. A few seconds passed, and then a loud, cacophonous boom shook the room, leaving Link unable to hear his own shout, or anything but a ringing in his ears for some time. Flames shot into the air, licking at the ceiling, and small bits of dust and debris feel down onto Togoro.

Finally, when things seemed to settle, Togoro sat up. Looking the two skull kids over. He began to speak, but Link couldn't hear him. He tilted his head and said, "What?"

The Goron spoke again, but still Link did not hear him. His eyes flickered. Slowly, though, the ringing began to go away.

"Link? Link, can you hear me now? Link?"

Link nodded slowly. His head was spinning as he dusted himself off.

Togoro relaxed, a relieved expression on his face. "Oh, thank goodness. There you are. Sorry." He offered an apologetic smile and scratched the side of his head. "Those things sometimes explode when their core is pierced or otherwise damaged badly enough. Didn't have time to warn you."

Link looked back to where the core had been. Sure enough, there was nothing left but a few burning chunks of what looked like stone, but was clearly not, as well as a scorch mark on the ground. "It… It's fine," he mumbled, still a bit shaken, before standing up.

Skull Kid seemed much less perturbed; he turned his head to the side, then leaned over to pick up the set of keys, which had been knocked out of his hold during the commotion. He let out a groan, dramatically bringing the back side of his hand to his forehead. "Aw man! Now I have to start all over! Thanks a lot."

"I… Probably saved your life, you know…" Togoro mumbled, off-put by Skull Kid's tone.

"Don't worry, he's always like this," Link said quietly, giving Togoro a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

A few minutes passed in silence as the three recovered from the unexpected fight – or rather, Link and Togoro did, while Skull Kid busied himself with the keys. Link busied himself with gathering up his belongings, which had been spilled out of his bag and scattered when he'd been tackled. But finally, after some trial and error, Skull Kid finally found a match, swinging the door open with a triumphant shout.

After a brief pause to allow Link to prepare his bow in case they ran into more danger, they continued on their travel. This time, Link took the lead with his bow half-ready. Skull Kid followed in the middle with a slightly sullen expression, and Togoro stayed at the rear, watching their backs.

They made their way through a particularly long hallway that seemed to slant slightly upwards, silently and tensely walking, as if expecting something to attack them. But nothing did, and soon the hall opened up into a large cavern.

Taking a few steps forward, Link could feel the previously gentle slope begin to curve up much more sharply, feeling less like carefully planned paths and more like uneven ground. He carefully began to take small steps forward, hoping to not trip over the uneven ground along the way.

Before he got far, though, Togoro suddenly cried out, "Stop!" Link flinched before turning his head.

Skull Kid had also stopped and turned. He let out a huff. "What now?"

"Don't you see the hole in the middle of the room? You're walking right towards it!"

Link looked in front of him again, then back at the Goron. "I… I don't see it."

"Wait, really?" Togoro paused, scratching at the side of his head. "…Huh. Guess your dark vision isn't the best. Okay. Look. Stay close and let me lead the way through here. Just… Watch my back, okay?"

Link gave a single nod before lowering his head, waiting for Togoro to pass him before following without complaint. Skull Kid followed close behind, ready to argue but holding his tongue.

With Togoro in the lead now, the Goron began to make his way up the path, veering away from their original trajectory. Link and Skull Kid followed close enough behind that they could at least see his motion, if nothing else.

As they progressed further and further up the path, Link began to make out the dancing glow of a fire somewhere higher up. His mind drifted back to the fire dancer, and he subconsciously gripped his bow just a bit tighter. If there was something up there waiting for them, he'd be ready. But nothing jumped out, and nothing approached them as they neared the top, and it soon became clear that the flame was far too small for anything like a dancer to be hiding in.

At the end of the curving path, they found a dais, with a small alter that had seen better days sitting up on the top. The stone parts of the structure were crumbling. Bronze bowls and lanterns were scattered across the ground, banged up and twisted beyond recognition. A single, dented bowl of oil sat on what remained of the stone surface, fire burning on the top. Despite how unorderly everything looked, there was one thing that seemed to be in pristine condition: laying behind the bowl was a huge hammer. The handle alone was at least as long as Link's arm, and the head of the hammer was as big as both of his fists.

"Th-that hammer, th-that's-" Togoro cut himself off, stammering as he pointed towards the alter. Then he broke away from the two skull kids, rushing forward to stand in front of the alter, his hands hovering uncertainly over the handle."

"Is that the hammer we're supposed to be looking for?" Skull Kid asked, peeking around the Goron. "Funny, I thought it would be cooler-looking than this. Bigger, maybe."

Togoro paused to look back at Skull Kid. "This has to be the Megaton Hammer. I recognize it from our historical art!"

With his suspicions now confirmed, Link walked around to the other side and picked up the hammer. Or attempted to, rather. But it didn't budge, far too heavy for his puny hands. He tilted his head up to look at Togoro.

"Carry this," Link demanded.

Togoro blinked. "I… what?" He looked at Link, then down to the hammer, then back to Link. "You… you want me to take the hammer? I can't! I-I can't wield this! It's only for those trusted with its power."

"Darunia needs it," Link pressed, putting his hands on the handle again. "You have to carry it back to him. I can't."

"Yeah," Skull Kid chimed in. "You don't gotta wield it. You just gotta carry it."

Togoro considered this for a moment, hesitating. Not Link did have a point… He looked to Link, then back to the hammer. After a long, silent moment of deliberation, he finally grunted and reached down to take hold of it, carefully lifting it up with both hands before slinging it over his shoulder."

"You're right. We should hurry."

Link gave a firm nod before whirling around and jumping off the dais. He wanted to rush ahead, but he couldn't. There was no point in rushing off without the hammer, and he needed Togoro's guidance to get back to the central chamber.

He just hoped they wouldn't be too late.