The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

by Annie Felis

A game novelization. Link had finally found peace living in Ordon, when he was suddenly dragged into a magical field called the Twiight and transformed into a wolf. After meeting a strange creature named Midna, he discovers that he has been chosen by the gods to be the next Hero of Hyrule. Thrust into this unlikely role, he must save his home from an enemy he knows little about.

7. Chapter Seven: Death Mountain

Chapter Seven: Death Mountain

Link told them a simpler and abridged version of his story so far. He did not mention turning into a wolf, or Midna, or the meeting with princess Zelda. The Fused Shadows became "ancient relics" that the Light Spirits said would help him on his journey. It was a very simplified story that made him seem like far more of the hero than he was, but it was impossible to recount Midna's accomplishments in the retelling.

They were seated at a long table in the center of the inn, made by pulling together two smaller tables and four benches to accommodate the eight of them. Barnes had found some left over fried cucco and cornbread in the kitchen of the inn, and some milk for the children. It wasn't a hot meal, but it was a meal with meat, and for that Link was thankful. It was about dinnertime, the sun low enough to turn the sky gold and pink, and for the canyon to be entirely in shadow. The poor children hadn't eaten for nearly twenty-four hours, and they were ravenous. At least Link had gotten to eat the cheese and tomatoes he found in the guard's station that morning.

"I have heard that both the Zoras and the Gorons have hidden various magical relics created by the gods or ancient sages in their temples for safe keeping." Renado said, also visibly hungry but eating with a bit more restraint than the children.

"That's certainly true. Eldin asked me to visit the Gorons to get one of those relics." The only one who had seemed surprised about the existence of the Light Spirits was Barnes, but Barnes seemed like a practical non-Hylian variety of human that didn't think much about magic and gods. The foundations of the poor man's world must have been shaken.

"You said you fought some of those shadow creatures. Did you kill many?" Barnes asked between bites of cornbread. It wasn't a mild curiosity; the man seemed concerned.

"I admit I wasn't counting, but I'm sure it's less than ten. I had little choice in the matter, it was either them or me." He gloomily looked down into the tea that Barnes had made, actually having something hot to drink for once. "I know what the Shadow Beasts are, and I'm not proud of having to kill them. They're cursed by the leader of the Twilight Invasion, and they can't help what they're doing."

"You have that power from being the hero that makes it so you can't get turned into one. That's something at least." the bald man said. That was Link's version of the golden triangles that protected him from the Twilight, and had stopped a Shadow Beast from transforming him. Saying that he had a power that protected him due to being the hero was a good enough explanation, and probably had a seed of truth in it. He still didn't know what the mark on his hand was. "They would've tried to take you away too, with those pointed ears. Every last Hylian in this place was taken. Kakariko's a Hylian town. We're the only three round-eared humans here." He shrugged. "It could be coincidence, though. We were lucky that we were near the spring with the kids when the Shadow Beasts attacked. Renado took them inside the Sanctuary and I threw what bombs I had on me before holing up in there too."

"It probably was coincidence. Ordon is completely populated by regular humans, and at least fifty of them got taken away. I was the only Hylian there, and instead of taking me they tried to kill me." He ate some of the cornbread, and had the surreal thought that he was eating something that was cooked by somebody who was now a Shadow Beast.

"Why were you the only Hylian there, out of curiosity? You're pretty young to move that far south on your own." Barnes asked after a moment.

"It's personal." That was all he wanted to say on the subject. Link turned to Renado. "Tell me how you found the children. I'm going to guess they didn't walk to Kakariko."

The shaman folded his hands in front of his face, and stared past Link at the cold fireplace that was behind him. "I was in Castle Town on personal business with Luda when the Twilight Invasion began. At first there was the strange orange light you call the Twilight surrounding the town, but the town and the castle itself were protected somehow, likely by the royal family. When the Twilight settled in and the air became cold in the middle of summer, I was concerned. I didn't know how the city would react so I took my daughter and fled through Central Hyrule." His eyes lowered. "It was frightening. People were also fleeing villages and towns, but there were also green monsters that rode on boars that were capturing people and taking them away somewhere. I am not sure why, but they did not seem interested in our wagon. I drove the poor horses hard, but I knew I needed to get back to Kakariko, so I could use the power of Eldin to try to protect people here." He raised his eyes to meet Link's, and there was sadness in them. "I failed in that regard."

"It's all right. If the Twilight was already here when you got to Kakariko, Eldin couldn't have done anything anyway." Renado seemed to be aware of the Twilight in a way that others were not. Coro hadn't seemed to notice any change, nor did the Gorons that were up the mountain earlier. A Shaman though would have the magical or spiritual power to sense subtle magical changes, or at least that's what Link thought.

"The children were walking on the road. I almost hit them with the wagon, and then I stopped when I realized that they were all by themselves." He kindly put a hand on Talo's back. "They were so tired from walking they could barely speak. I was unable to abandon them, so I put them in the wagon and continued on to Kakariko. As we traveled, Colin was the one who spoke to me. He asked if I had seen a young Hylian man with blonde hair."

He had found them walking on the road...why were they abandoned there? He had questions, but Renado drank his tea, either done telling his story, or not willing to talk about it anymore. Link stared at his now-empty plate, wondering how the children could have gotten away from the Bulbins. The plate moved, and he looked over to see Beth picking it up.

"It's time for us to clean up and do the dishes. It's okay, Link. You sit and relax." she said with a smile on her freckled face. The girl worked with all the other children to gather up plates from the adults, and went into the kitchen with Barnes. Talo and Malo doing dishes? Barnes and Renado were better parents than Jaggle and Pergie after only having the children a few days.

After they left, Renado set down his mug and fixed Link with a serious expression. "There is more I must tell you." he said quietly, so the children in the next room would not hear. "The other children were reluctant to speak due to the things they had seen, but Colin is a brave child and was able to talk to me. He said that they witnessed people being killed or transformed into Shadow Beasts while they were in Central Hyrule, and unfortunately they saw more of the same here last night."

The children had seen people being killed or transformed into monsters. It upset him to know, that their innocence had been lost due to the invasion and the cruelty of the Bulbins. He knew first-hand what seeing something like that could do to a child.

"I can see that this knowledge hurts you. I'm sorry." Renado said kindly. Ilia had always said that she could always figure out exactly what Link was thinking by looking at his face. He had started to find that other people could do so as well. "Colin said that they had come a long way from the Ordona province, captured with other Ordonians by the green creatures."

"Bulbins." Link said. "They're from far to the west."

The shaman nodded. "Yes, well these Bulbins brought the Ordonians to a man in black with a metal mask. The man said that they were of no use, and they were only after the ones with the pointed ears."

Link stopped with his mug halfway to his mouth to stare at Renado. "They were only after Hylians? ...maybe it wasn't a coincidence that only the three of you were left here, then." It was strange. Then why take the Ordonians? Did all humans look the same to the Bulbins, and they couldn't see the difference between long and rounded ears?

"The man in black told the Bulbins to take the Ordonians to 'the village', and left." Renado continued. "As the Bulbins were preparing the Ordonians to take them somewhere, a young woman named Ilia helped the children get away."

His heart skipped a beat. Ilia had helped them? Then she must not have been injured too badly. He wanted to ask questions, but he let the man continue with his story.

"She was caught by one of the Bulbins and presumably brought to where the rest of the Ordonians were, but at least these four children were able to escape thanks to her. Colin had been looking for a young man named Link. It seems that we've found you." He examined Link's face, likely trying to detect his mood again.

Link's emotions were in turmoil, though. "She helped them get away...and then was taken to a village somewhere?" He swallowed hard, both relieved that Ilia was still alive, but upset that she was taken to an unknown location. How would he find her now? "Ilia...the last time I saw Ilia, she was shot in the back by Bulbins. I tried to fight them off, but they attacked me and left me to die. I had no idea what happened after that, or where she had gone." His voice dropped in volume, subdued. "Or if she was still wounded." Thinking about what happened at the spring was one thing, but talking about it was different. When he had told Bo and Rusl about it, his emotions were still numb, in shock from what had happened. Now they felt raw, and remembering how Ilia was injured was painful.

Renado gave a kind smile and reached out to put a hand on Link's arm from across the table. "She is close to you, isn't she?"

Link nodded, not trusting himself to answer. He had already shed a few tears earlier, and didn't want to do so in front of this man he had just met, as kind as he was.

"Then let us hope that she is all right." Renado said with a gentle smile. The man was incredibly sympathetic to a stranger he had just met. It reminded Link of Rusl.

Luda came out of the kitchen to come and sit down next to her father, holding half an apple with a little bit of honey drizzled on it. Dessert, presumably. Her father continued to speak, withdrawing his hand from Link's arm. "Colin mentioned you quite a bit on the way here. The boy really admires you. He told me that his father was a blacksmith and a swordsman in Ordon. He tried to stay optimistic despite everything he had seen. He's a very strong boy." That got a small smile out of Link, and Renado returned it. "It's only fitting that you be the one to defeat the beasts and rescue us, after all the talking up of you that Colin's done. He sees you as a hero."

"So do others." Link said morosely, his smile gone. "Those others being the gods. I still don't know what to make of it all."

"We cannot always pick our lot in life, only live the best we can. You may not have wanted or asked to become a hero, Link...bu you have already accomplished so much. I have no doubt that you will succeed with the Gorons." The shaman drained the rest of his tea and set down the empty mug.

"In order to travel up Death Mountain, an ordinary human needs protection from the heat of the volcano." Luda said after eating around the core of the half an apple. Her speech was just as formal and polite as her father's. "The Gorons sell bracelets and charms to travelers in order to help them reach Goron City. You may have mine, if father does not mind." She glanced up at Renado.

"I think that is a very good idea, Luda. Why don't you go home and fetch it for him?" He smiled at her as she set down her apple core and then stepped outside through the front door of the inn. After she was gone, he spoke softly again. "I am grateful that the Goron merchants haven't been down the mountain to the village for a while, otherwise they may have also wound up as Shadow Beasts. After seeing how terribly strong the ones that used to be human can be, I'd hate to see what a Goron would turn into." The shaman frowned. "It is quite strange that the merchants have not come into town for days. Would you be willing to make sure everything is all right with our neighbors, once you climb the mountain?"

Link was about to answer when the sound of hoofbeats of a single horse came outside, and Luda cried out. The two men rushed to their feet and made their way outside, to find that Luda was standing on the front porch of the inn, watching as a terrified horse ran around the road.

It was Epona. A pair of Bulbins rode on her back, somehow getting into town through the southern gate. Most likely jumping it, Link thought, knowing that Epona was quite capable of jumping high fences. He was surprised to see the horse here of all places, but couldn't worry about how she got here. He climbed up on the wooden railing that surrounded the front porch of the Eld Inn, and waited until the horse got close enough. Not only did she get close enough, she ran right by where he was perched on the railing.

Link leaped into the saddle as the frightened horse ran past, kicking off one Bulbin in the process. The other Bulbin that was in the saddle lost the handhold it had on its companion, and it fell back to cling to the rolled up blanket that was behind it. He almost fell off as well, the horse bucking in fear as someone jumped on her back, not realizing who it was. Link clung to the front of the saddle and kicked at the Bulbin, who was grabbing at the end of his cloak. He smashed his boot right in the masked face of the green monster and it fell.

Renado shouted something at him then, but he couldn't hear it; he was too focused on the horse. He was trying to haul himself up into the saddle, but the mare kept running in fright, occasionally kicking out her legs. Eventually he managed to sit down and get his feet in the stirrups, and he leaned forward to grab the reins. Not that they would do any good; he never used a bit on Epona, and tugging on her bridle in her current state would get no response. He called out the horse's name, to see if she would recognize his voice, but her frantic run up and down the road of Kakariko continued.

Instead of calling to the horse, he decided to try the song she had been trained to respond to. He wasn't about to sing the entire song, but started out loudly singing the first three notes of the song, which was also the horse's name. "E-po-na! E-po-na!" The mare threw her head and rolled her eyes, but then started to slow. He sung her name again, a bit quieter, and she slowed to a walk. Link continued to hum the song to the horse, who quivered beneath him from exhaustion and fear. He patted her neck and started to talk to her soothingly, and after a moment she stopped walking on her own, lowering her head and blowing hard. He cursed the Bulbins for half-killing his poor horse, and dismounted, still holding the reins.

"Hey there girl, are you okay now?" he said softly, reaching out to pat her nose. The poor mare's chest was lathered, and her flanks covered in sweat. He gently hummed the song one more time and she pushed her head into his chest as she always did. "I'm so glad you're all right. I can't lose you." he whispered, close to tears. "You're all I have, my Epona." Link shut his eyes and rubbed at her jaw, resting his forehead against hers. If he was alone, he would have kept his head against Epona's and allowed himself to cry. His emotions were tightly-wound at the moment. As it was, he could hear the footsteps of Renado and Luda as they approached, so he took a deep breath to steady himself and opened his eyes again.

"That was amazing." Renado said, truly in awe. He spoke softly to not frighten the horse now that she was calm again. His daughter stood next to him with her hands over her mouth, but Link could see that she was smiling behind them. "How did you jump into the saddle like that? And calm her with a song?" the shaman asked.

"I didn't think about what I was doing. I acted, and that's all there is to it." he rubbed at Epona's cheek and she pushed her head against him again. He smiled fondly at her. "Epona was trained with that song. I usually sing it when I take care of her. She'll come running if I sing it out loud." He gave a small chuckle. "If. I don't really like singing in front of others."

"I promise I won't tell anyone I heard you singing." Renado said with a completely straight face, but his eyes were merry. Link found himself liking this soft-spoken holy man.

He had to laugh. Laughter was far better than crying on his tired horse's face. Maybe laughter would be the thing that carried him through the emotional ups and downs that he'd run into on his journey so far. "What were you shouting about? I couldn't hear."

The shaman pointed down the road, towards the southern gates of Kakariko. "The Bulbins ran back the way they came, towards the gate."

"Let them go. It's only two." he said, not willing to chase down and kill a pair of Bulbins when Epona needed him.

"They may have jumped over the gate with your horse to get in, but they won't make it out again." Renado said. "Not unless they can figure out a way to climb the barricade. They will likely be back."

"They'll go under the gate, since there's a little gap along the one side. That's how I got in." He saw Renado's surprised expression at somehow a person had fit beneath the gate. Not that he was a human at the time, but it would have been far easier if he was. "You may not have noticed, but I'm not the biggest person." Link said dryly. He dropped his hand from Epona's head, although the horse still nudged at him a little. "Is there a place I can put my horse? She needs to eat and rest."

"Oh, of course. This way, please." Renado gestured, his fingers barely peeking out from the large sleeves of his robe, and then he began walking past the inn. On the side of the Eld Inn was a building Link had noticed as he was wandering around as a wolf, but didn't pay attention to. It turned out to be a stable with a slanted roof, made of worn gray wood that was dry and dusty like everything else in Kakariko. As he lead Epona inside, there were two other horses that stepped up to the doors of their stalls to tilt their ears and faces towards the humans. Renado had mentioned having a wagon, so these likely were his horses.

Luda immediately took a bucket to the pump behind the inn to fetch some water, and Link began scattered straw on the floor of the next stall over from a dapple gray gelding who seemed very interested in both the people, and the new large mare that had entered the stable. He began to clean the sweat off Epona, first with straw and then with a brush that was hung on a nail in the stall. The owners of the inn seemed to have a few basics in the stable for horse care, and for that Link was grateful.

He checked her hooves as she thirstily drank the water that Luda kept refilling, and he found that despite her rough treatment, her body was fine. The other two horses seemed thirsty too. They probably hadn't been cared for since the day before, so when he gave Epona some oats he did the same for the two of them. The mare chewed enthusiastically, which was not surprising since the last time someone had fed her was the morning Ilia took her from the stable, four days ago. It was possible that she found some grass wherever the Bulbins had her, but there was no way to tell. Four days. How did so much happen in four days? The whole thing was like a surreal dream.

Luda disappeared for a bit, and then returned holding a lantern and a few carrots, with the other children following her. She put them into Link's hand, and he smiled at her. "Thank you. You're a really sweet young lady." The comment made her cheeks darken in a blush a bit, although Link wasn't sure if it was from an adult praising her, or the fact that girls her age acted a bit awkward around him. Beth wasn't the only girl from Ordon that behaved that way.

He gave the two other horses a carrot, and then Epona the remaining two. She nudged at him to beg for more as expected, and he gave a little laugh and patted her nose. Colin then walked over to reach up and pet her face, with the other children coming up behind him. The chestnut mare whickered at them as they approached, recognizing the children. One of the other horses responded, and the children laughed. It was hard to believe that just a half an hour ago, this poor horse was being ridden by Bulbins. It was hard to believe that just days ago, these children were wandering the fields of Central Hyrule alone.

After Link had stood there with Epona, letting the children visit her, he turned to Renado. "I plan on going to Death Mountain tomorrow. Would you and Luda be willing to take care of Epona while I'm gone?"

Luda came next to Colin, who was still gently petting the mare's neck. The horse had her head held a bit lower so the children could touch her better, and was absolutely lapping up the attention. "I would be honored to care for such a beautiful horse." Luda said, putting her hand on Epona's nose near Link's. "Our two horses will be here with her, so she'll have company and won't be lonely. I'm sure she's been very unhappy separated from you."

"That makes two of us." He looked down at the children. "She probably needs to sleep soon, kids. It was a very rough trip on her to get here, so let's leave her be, okay?" He watched as the other children walked away to head back to the inn. It was getting dark, and they would likely be going to bed soon anyway.

Luda remained, as did her father. The girl reached onto her wrist and removed a golden bracelet with sapphires set into it, shaped like the four-triangle emblem of the Gorons. "Here, Link." She held it out to him. "This was made by the Gorons to allow humans to climb Death Mountain without suffering from the heat. It will protect you."

He took it from her and adjusted it a bit so it would fit, and then put it on his right wrist. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. I know how valuable something like this." Link looked at the sapphires, which were likely worth more rupees than he had seen in his entire lifetime. "For years magic has been banned from us, but the Gorons seem permitted to use it just fine." he noted absently, thinking out loud. Link saw Luda's face then, and saw how she looked away at the ground, clearly uncomfortable. Renado did not respond in the same way, but he put a hand on his daughter's back. Perhaps they lost somebody to the royal family's removal of magic users from Hyrule.

He decided to change the subject. "While I plan on returning to Ordon at some point to let people know that the children are safe, I have more important things to take care of first. I still need to figure out where Ilia was taken, too." Just mentioning her quickly in passing like that wasn't as bad, and didn't upset him as telling Renado what happened at the spring. "Until then, will you please continue to care for the children?"

"I don't mind." Renado said. "It has become quite lonely here, and the children make things a bit more lively for Barnes and I. I am glad that you decided not to climb the mountain tonight, and I believe it's best if you rest here for the night." He gestured towards the open door of the stable, his face lit from beneath by the lantern Luda still held. "There are plenty of open rooms at the inn, and the children will sleep well knowing that you are nearby. Follow me."

Renado lead him into the inn and up the stairs, past where Barnes was herding the children outside through the back door, likely to the outhouses. The second floor of the Eld Inn had a long hallway with about a dozen rooms, all of them small and tidy. "Normally there's a fine outdoor bath on the roof of this place." the dark-haired man told him. "With no Gorons coming down the mountain to supply the rocks to heat the water, it's nothing more than a cold puddle."

"I'm not too worried about bathing at the moment, considering I plan on climbing a volcano tomorrow." Although he hadn't bathed in days, and it did sound appealing. He wondered if he smelled like a wolf. "Do you know why the Gorons haven't come to Kakariko? Do you think it has anything to do with the invasion?"

Renado opened a door at the far end of the hall, the last room in the line, and used the candle lantern he had taken from Luda to light the lamp on the bedside table in the small room. He spoke as he put the glass top back on the oil lamp. "I doubt it. The Gorons are strong and proud, and would not normally have abandoned the people of this town. They would not leave the people of this town to fend for themselves." He shook his head. "No, something even more terrible has likely happened up there. All the more reason for you to climb the mountain as soon as possible." He picked up his lantern again. "If you need anything, Barnes is in the room at the opposite end of the hall. He decided to sleep here to keep the children company. Good night." He then exited the room, leaving Link alone.

He shut the door, deciding that he probably should sleep soon. He had been going to sleep not long after it got dark as it had been, and using the early morning light as he climbed the mountain seemed to be a better idea than going up beneath a blazing afternoon sun. As he began to remove his gear, Midna appeared.

"Is this fine, doing things day by day?" she asked, a dark shadow that sat down on the edge of the dresser. The mirror behind her reflected her shadowy form. "I know you need to sleep and all, but what Renado said about the Gorons is troubling."

Link hung his cloak on a peg on the back of the door, and then went to set his shield and baldric down. "Things didn't seem too out of the ordinary while we were in the Twilight up there earlier. Other than the giant rat, that is. The group of Gorons we ran into there looked like a bunch of miners, and mining is what they're known for."

Midna kicked her tiny feet a bit as she sat, watching him as he gradually removed everything that was strapped or buckled to him in some way. "If this strong race of rock people are having so many troubles that they can't even come down the mountain to help their neighbors, then what waits up there where the Fused Shadows piece is hidden?"

"Whatever it is, it has to wait for morning. I've done a lot today, including climbed that mountain, and I have no intention to do it again in the same day." He pulled off his green tunic, then the chain mail. It glinted gold in the lamplight, and he carefully rolled it up before removing his gambeson. "I know you don't like how slow we're going, Midna. There's nothing we can do about it. If I could move faster, I would."

"Yeah, I guess. We did free a Light Spirit today, and you managed to get your horse back and find one of your friends. That counts as a successful day." She crossed her arms, glaring at his bare torso. "Why do you insist on taking your clothes off in front of me again?"

Link gave her a flat stare, now only in his leggings. "All right, Miss Prude. How do you normally sleep, then? With all your clothes on?"

"No, with none at all."

He blinked in surprise. All right, that was not the response he expected. "Then you have no right to be critical of me."

"But I'm by myself then, without an audience." She frowned as he removed the leggings and only stood in his drawers. He had considered throwing them at her, but she would have complained about that too. "And I'm a captive audience here."

Link blew out the lantern and climbed in bed. "If you're going to be traveling with me, get used to seeing some skin. You certainly don't give me the space to have any privacy as it is, and then you complain about it in the meanwhile." He shut his eyes, not wanting to have this conversation right now. All he wanted was sleep. He was exhausted.

"I only complain because you're a man, I'm a woman, and it's improper." she said lightly. Then she paused to wait for him to say something, and when he didn't she spoke up again. "Don't you care?"

"No." he said, starting to feel grumpy. "Stop talking and let me sleep." Thankfully, she didn't say anything else, and he quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

---

Link awoke to the feeling of somebody tugging on his face. Still half-asleep, he swatted at whomever was bothering him, and felt his hand smack into something solid. There was a high-pitched "ow!".

"Why did you hit me?!" Midna demanded, floating in the air not too far from the bed. She had a hand put to her shadowy face, as if he had hit her there.

He groggily looked at her and blinked some of the sleep out of his eyes. "Why did you pull on my face?"

"To wake you up, obviously." She gestured towards the window, which had a curtain drawn across it, with a little bit of light leaking in along the edges. "The sun has been up for a while now, and despite your snoring, I can hear people moving around the inn."

Did he snore? "You could have found a better way to wake me." he said, sitting up.

The little imp shrugged. "Sure, I could have shook you awake." Then she reached out and patted his cheek. "But those funny young man whiskers were too tempting."

"Oh." He rubbed at his face, and felt that it was kind of scruffy. "I haven't really had an opportunity to shave."

"I know, which is why I wasn't nagging you about it. You ought to do something about it, though. I think you're still too young to grow a beard that doesn't look ridiculous."

"While I don't exactly like your wording, I agree." Link thought he would look pretty stupid with facial hair, and he probably was still too young to have anything other than a patchy beard. He climbed out of bed and started to dig through his satchel until he found the dagger in the leather sheath. After searching around the room a bit, he found that there was a small chunk of soap, a towel, a basin and a pitcher of water. The water didn't smell strange; it probably wasn't sitting there all that long, so he opened the curtain to let in light and got to work.

Midna sat on the dresser right near him as he started, fascinated. "I've never watched a man shave before."

He sighed, not really wanting an audience, and then remembered what she had said last night about being a captive audience. She'd have to get used to his daily routines if he actually was in a town instead of sleeping in cucco coops. "Haven't you ever watched your father shave?"

"My father had a beard for as long as I can remember." she said, tilting her head and watching him shave with one red eye.

"Ah, so you really were a human once." It was a joke, but a bit of a mean-spirited one. She was sitting right next to him. Couldn't she give him a little space?

Midna snorted derisively. "Of course I was. Did you think I was born this way?"

For a minute the room was quiet except for the scrape of the dagger, and Link thought about her mentioning that small detail about herself. Her father had a beard, but the word was "had" not "has". Was her father dead? "Midna? What was your life like before you were cursed?" He stopped looking at his reflection in the mirror to glance down at her.

She was no longer looking at him, and in fact was looking away. "I was a person." the little imp said, evading the question. "It doesn't matter." She stood and then blurred into a mass of shadows, hiding in the shadow beneath his bare feet. "You cut your face near your nose."

Link looked in the mirror and saw that she was right, and swore while reaching for the towel to take care of the blood above his lip. He remembered his father having a straight razor, but being a teenager living by himself he had to make do with what he had, which meant that he tended to cut his face more often. It probably would have helped if anybody had shown him how to shave, but he was left to bumble through it on his own. He cleaned off his face and torso as best as he could with water and the towel, and examined his bruises again. The were darker today for sure, and still a bit tender when he pressed his fingers on them. Not much to do about that. They'd heal with time.

A bit later he offered to help Luda in the kitchen, after coming down and finding that she was the only one in the building. The other children had gone outside with Renado, and Barnes had left to take inventory now that his storage was nothing more than a smoking crater. Luda told him that she was ten years old, yet trying to do her best to learn how to do things like cook and clean.

"My father knows how to do these things, of course." the girl said as she scrambled cucco eggs in a bowl with a whisk. "But he has duties to Eldin, and must care for the shrine, not to mention care for our garden. There are animals left behind that he must look after as well, and so I am trying my best to do my share." She looked over at what Link was doing, which was dicing onions to go into the omelette. He had already chopped up some ham that was left from some previous meal at the inn. "It seems as if you know what you're doing. Not what I'd expect from a swordsman."

"I've been living by myself since I was fourteen, so I had to learn. Let's just say I made a lot of inedible things before my cooking finally graduated and earned the title of 'edible'." The onions were of the sweet variety, so they didn't make his eyes sting and tear up. Even if they had, he didn't feel comfortable with a ten-year-old using a sharp kitchen knife and would have offered to do it anyway.

"What were you doing living on your own that young? I know that you said it's personal when Barnes asked, but it doesn't seem right for a boy that young to live alone." It was a surprisingly mature question from a young girl. She seemed to be quite intelligent, just like her father. She started frying beaten eggs in a pan, and watched as Link threw in some onions and ham, and then frowned a bit when he didn't answer. "You don't want to say."

"No, I don't. I know you're just trying to talk, Luda. Sometimes adults have parts of their lives that they don't like to talk about." Her face turned a bit red and she looked ashamed, and he felt guilty about it. Maybe he should have just told her, although he had no idea if she'd go and tell the other children or not. "I can at least tell you that I became a farmhand when I was that age. After I grew a bit bigger and stronger, I started handling herds by myself."

She folded the eggs over and smiled, looking happy that he wasn't upset about her being nosy. "It sounds like something out of a story: a farm boy gets a sword, defeats some bad guys and becomes a hero."

He put his hands on his hips and watched as she finished cooking the first of many omelettes they were making. "A story? If somebody is out there writing this story of mine, I'm going to have to demand a rewrite with fewer monsters." He gave a small smile when she laughed at his joke. Normally people did, but Midna didn't seem to appreciate his sense of humor. He didn't exactly appreciate hers either.

The two of them finished preparing the meal of omelettes, toasted bread with jam and hot tea, and the only people remaining in Kakariko ate together in the common room of the inn. It was a hot meal, an actual hot meal, and Link savored it. He couldn't linger too long, and went up to go through his supplies and prepare as soon as he was done eating. There was no reason for him to bring his cloak, since he wouldn't need it while climbing a hot volcano. The waterskin had to come though, as did some jerky and dried fruit, just in case he was sweating too much and needed to replenish his body's salt. Everything else should probably stay behind, and he started going through his pouches and the satchel to double-check he hadn't forgotten anything. He found the slingshot, and pulled it out to look at it. While it had come in handy once, he couldn't keep extra things that he didn't need.

Talo was absolutely tickled when Link gave him the slingshot, which in hindsight may not have been the best idea, but he couldn't think of what else to do with it. Besides, the boy had been through so much, and despite acting the same as always, was likely traumatized. If he could gain one small happiness by having his slingshot back, so be it. Talo promised not to shoot at any buildings this time, a promise that Link absolutely did not believe in.

After that, he was prepared to start the hike up Death Mountain, the morning sun still low enough to keep the canyon of Kakariko in shadow. It would get hot eventually, but at least starting out it wouldn't be too bad. He had started on his way, but only was halfway through the town before he heard Barnes calling his name.

"Hey, Link!" the bald man said, waving a hand. Link stopped and turned, and then waited for the man to catch up. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm planning to give you a gift of some of my merchandise, but right now my supplies are pretty low since my storage shed blew up."

"Oh." He felt a bit guilty. It was probably best if he told Barnes the truth. "I'm sorry, Barnes...but I was the one who blew up your shed." Despite the sudden look of incredulity on Barnes' face, he continued talking. "I really had no choice. There were some of the shadow monsters hiding in there, and there was no way for me to fight them safely."

Barnes balled his hands into fists, and his normally friendly face settled into one of rage. For a minute, Link thought the man would hit him. He certainly deserved it. "Do you have any idea how many hundreds of rupees worth of supplies was in there? No no no, not hundreds. Thousands?!"

"I'm really sorry, okay? I'd give you every rupee I owned, if every rupee I owned was anything more than pocket change. I'll try to make it up to you." So far Barnes had been a pleasant man, but after seeing this panic in the Sanctuary and now this anger, Link realized that the guy was highly emotional. Link could relate, having felt that way over the past few days.

The balding man's rage popped like a bubble, and he sagged, relaxing his hands with a sigh. "No, I don't want your money. I want to be mad at you, but I can't. You did what you did to protect the town, and we're not stuck in the Sanctuary anymore." He put a hand to his mouth, rubbing at his thick ginger mustache with a finger. "The little tykes were so scared, so if I had to lose a good chunk of my livelihood so they could be safe, then fine. At least my bombs helped save us, in a way." He lowered his hand and nodded. "I'm still planning on making you some bombs, since a guy like you could use some. I still have a few supplies in my shop, but it'll be a while. A good explosive engineer can't be rushed, y'know?"

"I'm glad you're not angry with me. I do want to make it up to you somehow, though. If that was worth thousands of rupees, then I put you into a hole."

"Nah Link, don't worry about it." Barnes waved his hand dismissively. "You should go up to the Gorons, and not worry about the stuff you've had to do in order to help others. You're a hero, right? Heroes don't worry."

"I guess." He almost told Barnes to not call him a hero, but it would do little good. That was his title now, whether he wanted it or not.

"No, you don't guess. Have a little confidence in yourself, will you? You're gonna need it, if you plan on talking to the Gorons. I've been working with those guys for twenty years now, and I know them pretty well. They respect confidence, and they respect strength." Barnes grinned. "Who knows, you might have to sumo wrestle them."

"Excuse me?" That was new. He had a vague idea of what the sport entailed, since Bo was seriously into it and even showed him a few times, but that was a heavy sport for heavy men, and Link was a lightweight. "I have no plans on getting into wrestling matches."

"Yeah, I can see why. A little guy like you wouldn't hold up well against a being made of muscle and stone. Well, best of luck to you then. You seem like a bright guy, I'm sure you'll think of something to impress the Gorons. Later!" He then turned and walked towards his shop, which wasn't too far away, and went inside.

Link watched him go and sighed. "That guy's just a little strange. Nice, but strange."

"I'd call it 'eccentric', but then again you'd have to be that way to make explosives." Midna said from within his shadow. "I wish you had warned me that the gunpowder was going to explode and not just burn. That scared the heck out of me."

"Sorry." he said, starting off again towards the footpath that lead up Death Mountain. "It's not like I could say anything other than a few words, and 'explosion' isn't one that a wolf's mouth can say. I couldn't even say 'wait' for crying out loud."

A soft giggle came from beneath his feet. "I know it annoys you when I find you cute, but it's really adorable when you try to say simple words as a wolf. I think my favorite is how you say my name. It makes me want to give you cuddles and pets."

Link grumbled under his breath. "I told you, I'm not your dog. You wouldn't cuddle me now, or scratch my human ears, would you?" His feet started up the trail, which wound around the mountain for a bit before climbing back in a sharp turn, zig-zagging its way up and through the red volcanic rocks.

"Now that's an unpleasant image. Don't ruin this for me, Link. I actually can hug a wolf. How many people can say they can do that?"

He did not give her an answer, and kept walking. She knew he didn't like it when she pet him, but didn't seem to care. How hard was it to respect somebody and not touch them when they didn't want to be touched? There were plenty of times where he wanted to touch Ilia, but didn't do so because he respected her personal space, and he actually had a good reason to want to in the first place. Link thought of Ilia then, and of what Renado had told him. If she was taken away from the children, and their captor said that round-eared humans were "useless", did that mean that the Ordonians wouldn't be turned into Shadow Beasts? His over-active imagination envisioned Ilia being transformed into one of the monsters, and he felt his throat tighten up and tears form in his eyes. He blinked them away. No, it turned out so far that things haven't been as bad as they seemed. The children were all right, he was able to become human again after being a wolf, and both Midna and Zelda were allies. Perhaps Ilia will still turn up. The anxiety of wondering where she was, and whether she was still hurt or not, and what her fate would be almost made more tears spring to his eyes. Why was he so moody?

"Midna…" he began. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask, but what kind of answer you get depends on the question." she said from ground-level.

"Do you think I'm an overly emotional person?" It bothered him. He had worked hard to control his emotions for years, and had finally gotten to the point where he was a functional adult. Now all of this had to happen, and he found himself close to tears a few different times today, as well as the day before. He hadn't cried in years before he entered the Twilight.

"What, do you mean the crying thing that little fat-headed kid was bothering you about?"

"Yes, the crying thing." It wasn't phrased in the best way, but she at least understood what he was getting at. "I was crying when you found me. It's not just that, though. I've found myself becoming more angry since I first was transformed into a wolf."

"Huh, I guess this bothers you." She made a small noise that one would make if they were thoughtfully tapping their chin, even though she was currently nothing but shadow. "In a normal situation, I'd dismiss your behavior as that of a fickle young man who can't handle the realities of the world. Hey now, don't get grumpy, I'm not finished." she said, seeing his expression change. "This situation is absolutely not normal. I think you're handling everything fairly well despite the amount of stress you've been under. Besides…" she added softly. "when I was first transformed into this form, I cried too."

He had thought that Midna was likely tougher than he was, since she seemed fairly aloof most of the time. There was that argument he had with her as soon as he was able to speak again, and her anger over being stuck as the little imp was very intense. Perhaps she was just as moody as he was, but able to control herself better. "Why did the King of Shadows transform you, anyway?" He didn't expect an answer, but he had to ask.

She was quiet as his booted feet crunched on the gravel of the uphill path. Then to his surprise, she answered. "The same reason you were: because I was a threat. Weak kings always try to eliminate things they see as a threat, even if those things aren't all that threatening. You seem to know something about that, don't you?" Now it was Link's turn to not answer, and Midna's soft chuckle rose up from the shadow below. "I guess I'm not the only one keeping things to myself."

Link continued on in silence then. She was right: there were things about himself that he didn't want to share, just like she did. Midna didn't want to tell him this morning anything about her life before she was transformed, and only had mentioned her father in passing. He hadn't told her much, other than Epona was the only thing he had left from his family, but she probably pieced together things from what others had said. Coro had mentioned that King Adelbert was crazy, and Link had said he hated the king. Then there was that little comment he let slip yesterday evening about magic being banned. Midna was an intelligent person, so she likely understood at least some of his hatred of the king. She didn't know everything, though.

The hike took longer as a human as it did a wolf, as he expected. The wolf's body was able to run uphill without too much effort, but walking up a hill as a Hylian meant that after a while, he could feel the effort in his calves. Looking to his left, he could see the canyon and Kakriko in miniature, and past that the rolling plains of Lower Eldin. He was only about halfway up the mountain, but he thought he could see the smudge of green that marked the jungles of East Faron, but it was too humid in that direction for him to be able to see the ocean beyond them.

"I know you're enjoying the view, but there's a Goron up ahead." Midna informed him.

He stopped looking out at southern Hyrule and glanced up to the next section of switchback trail. He couldn't see a Goron past the craggy porous rocks, but he did see an archway constructed of metal pipes and plates. Once he rounded the corner and started up the next section of trail, he could see the Goron; the rock-person was standing in the direct center of the path beneath the archway, looking bored. It was the same Goron that had noticed him running by as a wolf the day before, or at least Link thought it was. Upon seeing the Hylian walking up the trail, the Goron crossed his arms and stood up straight.

"Halt!" he called down, causing Link to stop. "No humans are allowed up to Goron City at the moment. I'm going to have to ask you to turn around immediately."

Link had stopped about thirty feet down the trail from the Goron. "I can't turn around. I don't want any trouble, but it's important that I speak to your leader."

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, because the Goron's expression was one of brief panic, and then he narrowed his large navy-blue eyes. "I'm going to say it again: turn around, or you're going to get hurt, human."

He had to get past this Goron somehow, and presumably the other Gorons that were blocking the path on the way up. If there was some kind of problem, the proud race would likely try to keep anybody from climbing the mountain and finding out. Link took a few more steps. "Please, I don't want any trouble. If you don't trust me, you're welcome to give me an escort up to the city."

The previous warning the Goron gave him was his last one. He rolled into a ball, his armored stone back on the outside like an armadillo, and he charged down the hill to smack into Link. It was like being hit by a boulder, and the force of it knocked the wind out of him even as it knocked him into the air. He tumbled down the slope past the trail he had just been on, and rolled to stop at the next one below it. He gasped for a moment, able to breathe again, and curled into a ball, coughing. The ribs on his right side felt like the were on fire, and every cough was agony.

"Are you all right?" Midna asked, concerned.

Link wasn't sure. He slowly, painfully sat up and put a hand to his right side. There was no way to tell how badly he was hurt there. He could just be bruised, or the ribs actually could be cracked. He hoped they weren't broken, since he had heard that broken ribs were dangerous. Then again if they were broken, he probably would have lay there in agony instead of sitting up. Having never broken a bone in his life, he had nothing to compare it to.

Midna materialized near him, partially in his shadow but partially in the sun as well, a faint dark outline, fainter than usual. It was difficult for her to be in the sun, but she still appeared to check on him. "You're hurt, don't deny it. Did you hurt your side?" She put her small hands on his arms and chest, checking him over.

"I'm fine." he managed. "I don't think anything's broken. Just a little banged up, that's all." Yet every breath he took hurt. There was no way he could turn back now, not with the piece of the Fused Shadows causing chaos somewhere in the middle of Goron lands. "This presents a problem. It doesn't seem like there are any other safe paths up the mountain, and our Goron friend up there could very well break one of my arms or legs with little effort." He grunted painfully as he shifted position. "I can't back down, though."

"What about the thing Barnes mentioned? He said something about wrestling and brute strength." She put a small shadowy hand to her chin thoughtfully. "Is it as easy as that?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh, really? You think I can overpower a Goron? Or a city of Gorons?"

The little imp put her hands on her wide hips. "You haven't been paying attention. I might be small, but my power gives me considerable strength. That strength has only increased now that I have two pieces of the Fused Shadows." So that's what the helmet on her head was. Link had guessed that it was some kind of important magical relic; people don't normally have hair that can pick things up. "The sun isn't helping right now, but maybe when I'm mostly shadow I can do something."

"What do you plan on doing?" It didn't seem like having her out in the open to fight Gorons was a good idea.

"I've picked you up a few times by now, and that's nothing." she said. "I've also been able to pick up Shadow Beasts, but they're not half-rock like these mountain people are. Moving a Goron will be the real test."

"Do you plan on throwing that guard down the mountain?" Somehow that seemed worse than simply fighting them.

Her red-on-yellow eye fixed on his blue ones. "No, Link. You're going to."

He did not like where this was going, and started to rise to his feet. His ribs still hurt, but the pain was starting to turn into a dull ache that burned a little every time he inhaled. It was manageable for now. "Fine. Explain."

"Since the Gorons respect wrestling and strength, you're going to pretend to throw them to the side while I do all the heavy lifting. If it seems like you're an amazing strong Hylian, the Gorons will likely respect you and let you get to the Fused Shadows fragment easily." Midna looked him up and down. "I think I can hide in the shadows of your clothing, or maybe scatter myself to look like I'm the shadows on your body somehow. I know you're a little squeamish about me getting close and touching you, but consider this a necessary evil."

"At least you're aware of it. No offense Midna, but it's like you said: you're a woman, I'm a man, and it's improper." He moved his arms a little experimentally, and found that he could more or less move around normally without feeling too much pain. The pain in his right side was dull and constant more than anything else. "All right, let's hope that your strength and my acting skills can make this work."

Midna merged with the shadows on his body then, surrounding him for a moment before disappearing entirely. "Let's do this." her voice said, no longer coming from the ground, but right next to his ears instead.

Link walked back up the path until he was in front of the Goron again, who looked at him like he was out of his mind. "What, again? How didn't you hurt yourself?" The brown-skinned creature pointed one large hand at him. "Look, this is your last chance. I really don't want to hurt you, but you're leaving me no choice. I have to do my job."

Time to see if this worked. Link widened his stance, bent his knees slightly and held his hands up in front of him. "I wasn't prepared last time, but this time I'll get past."

The Goron shook his pointed head and gave a short sigh. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He then curled into a stony ball and rolled down the path again.

Link's vision was briefly veiled in shadow, as if he was looking through a piece of smoked glass. A shadowy hand that he could scarcely see shot out of his chest and grabbed onto the Goron, and he barely was able to to touch the rocky back before Midna hurled the rock creature down the mountain. The stunned Goron rolled to a halt in almost the exact same spot Link had done moments ago, and looked a bit dazed as he lay there half-formed into a ball.

"Let's hurry." Midna told him, her voice so very close. It made him uncomfortable, but as she said it was a necessary evil. He'd have to get used to it. It wasn't as if she was getting close for personal reasons, at least.

He did hurry up the trail and past the metal arch, at least as much as someone with painful ribs can hurry uphill. They left the guard behind, and continued through half-formed lava tubes and rusty red stone dotted with small porous holes. "We'll have to work on our timing." he said. "I barely touched that guy before you threw him."

"I agree. I think saying 'heave, ho' is too long, so I'll just say 'now' when it's time for you to pretend to be a tough guy." A small giggle surrounded his ears, coming from all around him. "Not that you aren't a tough guy, but you know what I mean."

The next Gorons they ran into weren't guards, but a group of four children and a pair of adults with them. A family, perhaps? None of them charged at him as the previous Goron down the slope had done, but instead rolled away and up the mountain before he even got close. Link hoped he didn't frighten them, he was a lone Hylian with a sword he wasn't even using, but it's possible that this family knew that he had to do something to the guard to get this far. Not too long later another guard rolled down the wide trail at him, metal armor flashing in the sun as he tumbled towards Link. This time they worked in sync a bit better, and he "threw" the Goron to the side, but wound up throwing him into a rock face that was next to the trail. The poor Goron did not move, and as it turned out was unconscious when Link walked over to make sure he hadn't hurt him too badly.

"Maybe we should avoid killing any Gorons while in the middle of their territory." Link sad dryly.

"I'll try not to throw any more into walls." Midna assured him.

While the climb wasn't too terribly steep, it gradually grew hotter, both from the heat seeping through the rocks of the volcano and the blazing sun overhead. The air around them shimmered with the heat, and here and there he could see cracks in the ground that glowed orange. He found himself sweating despite the enchanted bracelet that protected him from the heat. If it wasn't for that, it would have likely been too hot for him to survive up here for long. He started to drink his water, and eventually had to stop to eat a piece of jerky and some dried fruit, sitting off the main path and hidden by a pile of rocks.

"Don't you feel this heat?" he asked Midna, scratching at his sweaty hair after removing the long hat. He probably should have left the hat behind, but he didn't consider that until his head was baking beneath it. At least the heat gave him something else to concentrate on other than his sore ribs.

"I can, but it doesn't bother me much. So far, the only places that made me uncomfortable were really cold." Where was she that was cold? It couldn't have been the Twilight, since that's where she normally lived. Perhaps someplace freezing, although he had no idea where that would be in the middle of summer.

They went through three more Goron guards, rolling rocks that came at them one at a time only to be hurled with force by Midna's strong magical hair. His pantomime of throwing them around worked so far as they came one by one, but if a group decided to come at him he didn't know how he could manage it anymore. He didn't even know if Midna could handle multiple Gorons at once, and Link did not want to draw his sword on any of them. Would he have to fight any?

It wasn't too much longer before they found out. There was another metal archway, this one far larger as it spanned across the path that was more of a proper road by now. There was a stone and metal building next to the archway, some kind of guard station. This was a checkpoint, and normally these guards would be welcoming, but things were currently not normal. The three guards were all armored on their arms, shoulders and heads, and carried clubs made of metal. The Gorons talked among themselves as he approached, gesturing at him. It seemed as if they were going to discuss things instead of attacking him, but after he had gotten about a dozen steps closer, the three started at him, clubs held ready. He had no choice but to draw his sword, although lifting his arm to retrieve his shield was painful enough that he left it on his back. His ribs were going to be a problem if he had to fight.

Suddenly the mountain trembled, fragments of stone sliding down the rock face next to the road as the entire ground shook. The crown of the volcano spewed a much larger plume of ash, and jettisoned hot rocks into the air. Link had no idea where to go: huddling next to the sheer rock face meant that smaller fragments would land on him, but staying out in the open meant that a burning rock could land on his head. By some sheer stroke of luck, none of the rocks hit near where he was standing, but mostly up by the guard station, or some distance behind. The three guards huddled into rocky balls to protect themselves, and the rain of hot stones did not hurt them. There was a long low-pitched whistling sound as a massive half-molten rock the size of a house flew from the volcano's caldera and landed some distance behind on the path, spraying globs of lava as it connected with the ground. It rolled a bit and then came to a stop.

"While I can handle Gorons, taking on the mountain itself might be tall order." Midna said jokingly, and he had to nervously laugh a bit at her comment. This place was dangerous, and he had no desire to meet his end due to a rock to the head.

Then there was another sound, the dull, metallic-sounding roar of one of the magenta portals as it formed in the sky close to the guard station. A dozen black forms dropped from it to land on the scalding rocks of Death Mountain, and they split: a larger group went for the three Gorons, and five went for Link.

"Dammit." he cursed. This was not a good time for the Shadow Beasts to appear. "Run! Don't fight them!" he called to the Gorons, who ignored him and began to engage the dark monsters. He swore again and began to fight the ones that rushed at him.

This was the first time he had fought them while in human form, and while he couldn't let his wolf instincts take over, he could certainly allow his own instincts do the same. Link was far faster on his feet than the Shadow Beasts, able to draw them into lunging attacks and then run them through. In fact he found it far easier to fight them as a man versus a wolf. They weren't much of combatants, just loping creatures that mindlessly rushed at whatever they were fighting. If they used to be ordinary people, then they wouldn't have much skill in combat. They were ordinary people, and now he had to kill more of them. He pushed that thought down as he killed the fifth one, and then turned to see how the Gorons were faring.

They had managed to kill five as well, despite there being three of them versus Link being by himself. One of the Gorons was sitting dazed without his helmet, and a nearby dead Shadow Beast was holding his weapon. His companion fought off another, which made quick grabs for his weapon. They hadn't tried to take Link's sword, but then again the Gorons were much slower than the Shadow Beasts were. The other remaining Shadow Beast made a grab for the final Goron as he knelt down to see how his injured friend was doing, and he was picked up easily by his wide neck by long, black arms. It was just how one had picked Link up when it attempted to transform him after he first entered the Twilight.

Without thinking, he broke into a sprint and vaulted himself into the air, sword held high with two hands, the pain of his ribs forgotten. He came down on the long arms with his blade, severing them both in one massive downward blow. A small voice in the back of his mind told him that he shouldn't be able to do that, that there was no way he was physically strong enough to slice clean through flesh and bone, yet he had. He had, because he needed to.

The Goron dropped and pushed away the dead hands that clutched at his neck, and Link landed lightly on his feet to spin and run through the wounded Shadow Beast. He straightened, panting slightly, and turned his head to look at final Shadow Beast, which was still fighting the third Goron. That guard swung his club with incredible strength and smashed both the stone mask and the head of the dark monster, and it twitched as it collapsed, dead.

The guard that he had rescued got to his feet, picking up his club, but he made no move to attack Link. "How…?" the stunned Goron asked, after watching a Hylian fly through the air to slice through the limbs and then quickly kill a monster that had nearly defeated the Goron.

"Don't worry about it. If you see any more of those things, don't fight them; run. They used to be Hylians, and were transformed by dark magic into those things. If they touch you, they can transform you too." Now that he wasn't fighting, his ribs began to burn with a dull ache again. How did he manage to become strong enough to do that? It wasn't from his weight alone.

"More!" said the guard that was helping his companion rise to his feet. Link spun and saw four more dropping from the portal.

"Get out of here!" Link shouted at the guards. "Just run! They can't transform me." The three Gorons stared at him dumbly. "Move!" he bellowed at them.

The three of them turned and ran up the slope, helping their injured companion as they went. Link faced the four Shadow Beasts that were ambling up the mountain at him, and they seemed determined to go for the Hylian instead of the Gorons. That was fine. He didn't want to have to kill transformed Gorons as well as transformed humans. He began to fight the dark monsters. Sword fighting was not high on the list of things he wanted to be doing with injured ribs, but at least he had prevented a few more people from being transformed.

As he downed the second Shadow Beast, heard a crackling noise coming from somewhere around his torso, and saw a little shadowy arm come out of his chest to hurl the ball of dark energy at the portal. Okay, that was surreal. She had managed to capture the portal and make it her own, so at least no more Shadow Beasts would be coming, but so far she hadn't used any of these portals for anything. Maybe the intent wasn't to use them, only to prevent the dark army from using them.

After the last of the Shadow Beasts fell, he looked around. These bodies did not disappear, but remained. Some did, and some did not for some reason. There probably was an explanation, but he couldn't worry about it right now. As it was, he was still stunned about how he had managed to kill ten Shadow Beasts on his own.

"Midna, how did I do that?" he asked her, a little in awe of his own ability.

"How should I know? You stuck your sword in them, and they died." Her voice was still near his ears, close and personal.

Link looked down at the bloodied sword in his left hand. "No, I mean that was ten. Three Goron warriors only managed to take care of six of them, and I killed almost twice as many. I cut clean through the arms of that one...did you see that?"

"You're a guy who turns into a wolf sometimes and you're worried about how strong you are when fighting with a sword?" She paused, reading his reaction even though he wasn't sure if she could see his face from where she was hiding. "Does it bother you?"

"I don't know." He didn't. He hadn't had this ability while still in Ordon, but now he suddenly was much stronger and faster than he had been. Was it something to be worried about?

"Your gods made you a hero, so I wouldn't worry. I'm sure that they did something to make you stronger, or maybe your glowy hand has something to do with it. I won't deny you're pretty strong, stronger than a normal person, but you need to be. So do I. We can't question it, Link." Her voice became kinder, gentle. "For what it's worth, I don't think it's a bad thing. You're still the same guy no matter how strong you are."

He turned his wrist to look at the back of his hand, but the triangles hidden beneath his glove hadn't lit up, at least he didn't think they did. So far they only had done something when he entered the Twilight, so it probably was something else that suddenly made him strong like that. He sighed and wiped his sword clean on the body of a fallen Shadow Beast for want of anything else to clean it with, and then sheathed it. He continued on, trying to accept that he was suddenly a far better fighter than he used to be.

Link reached the gates of Goron City, and found two more guards blocking his path. These did not carry clubs, but instead were in heavy steel plate that covered their arms, chests and legs, and wore heavy metal gauntlets with spikes on the knuckles. These Gorons in particular were quite large, and they loomed over the human as he approached.

"Please halt." one of them said, holding up a metal-clad hand to signal him to stop. "We don't want to fight you, okay?"

The other one looked Link up and down doubtfully. "He's kind of puny. Are you sure he's the one?"

The first Goron turned to his partner. "How else would he have gotten here? Honestly, sometimes I think you have more rocks in your head than on your back." He looked down at Link, more than a foot taller than he was. "If you threw around the others like they were pebbles and killed a bunch of those dark monsters on your own, then you're strong enough to come into the city. The boss wants to talk to you. Follow me, please." He beckoned with an armored hand and then turned to walk into the city. Link followed, still sweating from the heat.

Goron City was inside a massive red-stoned cavern that had sharp pointed stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and a number of openings that let in the sunlight from above. There were hundreds of stone and metal dwellings situated on roads paved with stone and steel, and hundreds if not thousands of Gorons moved about the city on their own personal business. Thick black smoke rose from places here and there, although if it was from the houses or some kind of volcanic activity, Link couldn't tell. It was hot in the cavern, but not as hot as it had been out on the road, for all that mattered. He had been sweating for a while and was thinking of taking a bath when he got back to Kakariko no matter how cold the water was.

The guard led him to a larger stone structure with rounded walls, and through the open door into the main room inside. A large squat stone platform stood in the center of the room, and a group of Gorons lounged around on stone benches or were seated on the floor until he approached with the guard. Then they all stood to look at him with their big round eyes. Not all of their expressions were friendly, either. Gorons were supposed to be an amiable race...why were they like this?

A middle-aged Goron with wrinkles around his eyes and mouth sat on a larger bench at the back of the room on a raised stone platform, but despite his age he still had large muscles like most of the others. He had a fringe of the pale-colored hair that all Gorons had, but was bald on top. Apparently Gorons could lose their hair with age just like humans could. He leaned forward on his seat, putting one hand on his knee as he peered at the Hylian who had somehow made his way up Death Mountain despite the Gorons' efforts to prevent that from happening.

"Are you the boss of the Gorons?" Link asked him, wanting to get straight to the point.

"My name is Gor Coron, and I am in charge." the older Goron said, confirming his status. "And you are the human who apparently fought his way up the mountain in order to stand where you are right now. Did you really do that?"

"I did, although I didn't want to throw around your warriors. I only came up here to talk about something important."

Coron smiled in response. He seemed to be a bit more friendly than the others in the room. "There was only one other human strong enough to challenge us, while I was still young. I'm pleased that there is another among your kind like him. Now please, tell me what is so important that you had to fight us to get here."

"All right, although this is a lot to swallow." Here we go, time to lean into his new-found role as the hero. "My name is Link, and I have been chosen by the gods to protect Hyrule and all the races that live in it. The Light Spirits have charged me to retrieve important magical relics that will help me fight against the King of Shadows, who has invaded us. I managed to already get one relic from the ruins of a Kokiri town, and now the Light Spirit Eldin has told me to come up here to get the one that your people have been keeping safe." He hadn't really thought about what he was going to say beforehand, but being put on the spot like that made him reveal the truth easily enough.

Gor Coron put a hand to his chin and looked thoughtful, after hearing the story. "Hmm, yes. I can see by looking at your face that you are truthful. I know nothing about a King of Shadows, but the sacred quest does sound familiar. A long time ago, before our great city was in this location, there was another Hylian who came up Death Mountain with a sacred quest. He too wore green as you do, and carried a sword, although his was unique. He too came with important words for us Gorons. However...words are cheap, and actions carry weight." The Goron stood. "I wish to see first-hand how you managed to get here. If you can defeat me in a proper wrestling match, I'll tell you why you had to force your way here, as well as do my best to aid you on your quest."

Link watched as the leader of the Gorons stepped down from the platform and towards the stone ring that the Hylian was currently standing on. He whispered to Midna, trying to barely move his lips. "Don't throw him. Just push him. We have to knock him out of this ring."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Coron asked as he stepped up onto the stone sumo ring.

"Just mentally preparing myself for a proper sumo match." If the Goron had picked up on him telling the truth, hopefully he wouldn't pick up on the lie. "There is a man I know from Ordon that is knowledgeable in the sport, and he taught me a few things." That much was true, but he doubted Bo had fought a Goron before.

Cor Goron smiled at him again, friendly and pleasant despite the authority he held, not to mention the sway he had over Link's fate in Goron City. The Goron moved his feet apart and dropped into a ready stance, hands on his thighs. Link assumed the same position despite the sword and shield on his back, and realized that the Goron was going to have a bit of an advantage to grab onto him. At least, on top of all the other advantages he had. Midna had better get this right the first time, or he was going to look like the fool and lose his chance at getting the Fused Shadows piece fairly. He hoped he himself could get it right and look convincing enough, with about two dozen Gorons all watching him. Their eyes on him made him nervous, and he tried not to let on.

One of the Gorons came from the benches surrounding the ring, raised his hand, and then brought it down to signal that the match had begun. Cor Goron was far faster than Link had expected, and he grabbed onto him immediately. Expecting to get thrown, Link gave the Goron's chest a quick shove, and pushed him back, Midna's shadows briefly enveloping his arms. He stepped forward and the Goron charged at him to try to push him out quickly, but Link was immobile. In fact his legs felt like Midna had rooted them to the spot. She was reacting to how he was moving and not expecting him to follow, which made the facade easier to maintain. He moved forward one step at a time, advancing in a way that was impossible for his small body to accomplish, and pushed Gor Coron back despite the Goron's efforts to push. Midna was far stronger.

Astonished cries and muttering came from the gathered Gorons as they watched this small Hylian push their leader across the ring. Link gave him one more shove and the Goron fell out of the ring and on his back. Somehow, he and Midna had done it in an convincing manner, and the stunned Gorons did not cry foul.

Gor Coron laughed and got to his feet. "I saw the magic you used. That explains quite a bit."

Oh. It wasn't convincing at all, was it? Now what did he do?

"Relax, young man." he said, smiling kindly to Link. "The last human to defeat me did use his own strength, but he also wore heavy boots that were weighted down by slabs of iron so he wouldn't get pushed around as easily. It wasn't cheating then, and what you just did is not cheating now. Brains must be used along with brawn for a warrior to be successful." The older Goron walked back to his bench, and sat down, crossing his arms. "You had the strength to overpower a Goron, regardless of your methods. It's a sign that you really were sent by the gods."

"Thanks for believing me." He really didn't have proof that he was chosen other than the green outfit, and even then that wasn't much. Link stepped to the front of the ring to get closer to the Goron leader. "Now will you tell me what's happened here?"

"Of course." Gor Coron looked to the assembled Gorons that were in the wrestling hall. "Brothers, please leave us. I must discuss things with the hero alone." He waited as the group wordlessly made their way out, none of them objecting to the order. Coron was polite and respectful, and in return so were the other Gorons.

Once the hall was empty except for the old Goron and Link, Coron spoke again. "I am not the current leader of the Gorons, but I stepped in to take charge since I was the previous patriarch. The current patriarch of our people, Darbus, has been dealing with invaders in the main mine. These green-skinned creatures don't seem to be bothered by the heat, have skin almost as tough as a Goron's, and are quite skilled with their maces and bows."

"Bulbins." Link told him. "They are part of the invading army that has spread across Hyrule."

"Is that so?" Coron said, uncrossing his arms and leaning forward. "No, it must be so if they came all the way up here. These invaders seem to be searching for something, and it is either one of two things: the weapon left behind by the previous hero, or the relic entrusted to our people ages ago by the Light Spirits." He smiled again, in an almost fatherly way. "That is how I knew you weren't making up your status as a hero: you had mentioned the Light Spirits, and very few people know of their existence."

The old Goron's smile faded. "Darbus went to a specific mine to check that the relic was safe, but instead was corrupted by it somehow. He went on a rampage, attacking both Gorons and Bulbins, even destroying parts of the mine. Some passages are collapsed now. Between Darbus and the Bulbins, we had no choice but to seal up the mine. While it isn't the mine where we get the majority of our food, it's still important to us, and it's quite unfortunate that we can't go in there. I believe that there are many of my people still trapped inside."

"The first piece of the relic in the Kokiri ruins turned an ordinary plant into a terrible monster. These things are dangerous and should not be touched. Darbus probably didn't realize that." Link said. What would Darbus have turned into? Would it be something that Link could defeat without killing the patriarch?

"Link." Gor Coron said. "If you can find a way to free Darbus from the ancient relic, then you are welcome to take it with you." He stood again. "Come with me, young hero." The old Goron walked past him, and out through the large open doorway of the empty wrestling hall. Link followed, a bit surprised that everything had worked out, but not surprised that the Fused Shadows was the cause of the problem.

The Goron led him through the city, where many of the rock people stopped to watch the two of them pass and gawk at the rare sight of a Hylian walking through their home town. He stepped up to walk next to the old patriarch so he could speak to him. "Gor Coron, there's something you need to know. The people of Kakariko are gone, nearly all of them taken by the invading army. Only a few humans remain."

The old Goron stopped to turn to look at him, alarmed at the news. "What? How did that happen?"

"The King of Shadows. He's been taking people and transforming them into cursed shadowy beings that only know how to fight. When they touch somebody, they transform them into a Shadow Beast, just like them. I had to save three of your guards from some of them back on the trail, since I didn't want the Gorons to get transformed too." He shook his head. "The Shadow Beasts don't even seem to be bothered by the heat, either. I needed an enchantment to come up here, but not much seems to faze them."

"I had heard that you had killed many of them on your own, far more than those three guards. I admit I wasn't sure I believed the guards whom you rescued, but once you told me that you were the hero, it made sense." He gestured Link to move again, and began walking, but this time alongside him. "I had wondered how you were powerful enough to slice through the arms of one of those monsters. Normally Hylians aren't that strong, but after facing you in the ring I understand."

Link felt guilty. The reason he was able to throw around Gorons was not the reason he was able to cleanly cut through bone. He couldn't tell this Goron that, since he still didn't understand it himself.

They came to a large metal building that looked far more official than the sumo ring, and went inside. There was a main hall that was deserted, with a large metal throne at the back of it. They went past the throne and through a doorway behind it, the old Goron using his strength to move the large round stone door aside. There was another throne in this room with a few burning braziers, and Coron stepped behind it. The room was unbelievably hot and stuffy.

"You will need the old hero's weapon that he left with us centuries ago." He knelt, and Link could hear the latch of some box or chest open. "We had to activate the beamos, and it will be effective against them."

"What are beamos?" Link asked, curious about what this ancient weapon was, but trying not to rubberneck to see what was behind the throne.

"They're a machine that shoots a beam as hot as lava at anything that gets close. Their weakness is the same glass lens that they use to shoot those beams, and that is why you must use this weapon." He held something in his hands now, behind the throne, and turned his head to look at Link. "My tribe will be fulfilling our duty to pass on one of the hero's weapons. The child hero returned once he was an adult and a knight, and asked us to give this bow to a Hylian that had earned it." He stood then, holding a gray and brown recurve bow, and a leather quiver of arrows. "We weren't sure how to tell if somebody had earned it, until now." The old Goron stepped out from behind the throne, and then towards Link, extending the bow and quiver towards him. "If anyone has earned the previous hero's weapon, it is the current hero that succeeds him."

Link took them from his large brown hands, and looked at what was once used by the child hero. It was not a bow for a child, but built for an adult, with a taut string of some unknown material instead of gut, and metal reinforcements on the wooden frame. The quiver was simple, made of brown leather with a carrying strap, and about a dozen red-and-white feathered arrows sprouted from it. There was a leather cap hanging loose, and he put it on to seal the arrows away. This was centuries old, yet it looked new.

"How is this in such good condition if it's made of wood?" he had to ask. "I would have expected it to not do well in the heat of Death Mountain."

"I suspect it has been enchanted to last the test of time. I also suspect that the child hero was not the first hero to use it. I know a bit of your people's history, and there have been many heroes with the name Link that have used a bow that was supposed to belong to a previous hero." There were other heroes with the same name? With the same bow? How did this Goron know more about his own history than he did?

"I knew I wasn't the first Link, since the child hero had that same name. He's the reason why it became a popular name for boys." He began to strap the quiver around his narrow waist, figuring that the small of his back would be the best location for it. He was starting to run out of carrying space on his body. "I didn't know there were others with the same name. Maybe me having the name had nothing to do with what my parents wanted."

"Ah, do you mean destiny? Who knows? If you want to learn more, you could always ask Princess Zelda. The royal family knows much of the history of Hyrule, even if the people forget." He tapped on the bow in Link's hands. "You can disable the beamos by shooting them in their eyes. Maybe you can shoot out the eyes of a few Bulbins as well."

With the quiver now settled in the curve of his back behind his scabbard and shield, he shouldered the bow across his chest, in line with the strap of his baldric. "I'd be more than happy to oblige on that second part. I certainly have no love for the Bulbins, and their invasion of my home is what lead me to meeting the Light Spirits and becoming the hero." He looked down at his hand when Coron pressed something into it. It looked like some kind of shaft with a circle on the end that was almost like a gear. "What's this?"

"The key to open the room that holds the ancient relic. Please return that to me once you are done." The kind old Goron smiled again, but this time sadly. "I wish you luck, hero. Please, go into the mine and save my son. Please don't kill him."

He then realized that what had happened to the Gorons was very personal to Gor Coron. Link nodded, knowing that he would have to find a way not only to bring back the leader of the Goron people, but the child of this kind old Goron. "I promise."