Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.

The Voice
22 - The Most Accurate Clock in All the Land

"Are you sure you need to leave so soon, goro?"

Yunobo was wringing his hands in a nervous manner as walked with Link to the village entrance. He kept his voice down, as it was just before dawn, not wanting to wake up the other Gorons. Link doubted he'd wake them up even if he used his normal voice—the bubbling of the lava in the crater and intermittent rumbling from Death Mountain created more than enough noise to keep him awake.

"Sorry, Roly," Sheik said, paying no heed to his volume level, as per usual. "But we've got things to do and places to be. Hyrule isn't going to save itself."

Not really the way Link would have put it, but it was mostly correct. Sheik mercifully left out the bit where Link would go insane from the heat if he stuck around for much longer...and that he was utterly terrified of facing another bout of hugging from the grateful Gorons. He'd barely survived the ones he'd gotten from Yunobo and the Goron chief...and he was quite sure that his vertebrae hadn't been that noisy before...

"S-Sorry, Yunobo," Link said, giving the young Goron an apologetic smile. "B-But Sheik's right—w-we c-can't s-slow down now. Hyrule is c-counting on us."

Yunobo didn't look happy, but he nodded. "Did I tell you I saw Daruk when Vah Rudania emerged from the crater?" he asked. "He looked down at me and smiled, goro." He touched the Champion's scarf around his neck. "Do you...do you think he knew who I was, goro?"

Link nodded. Yunobo had indeed mentioned that fact at least four times last night, during the impromptu celebration in honour of the Divine Beast's appeasement. Link hadn't expected the Gorons to be able to produce so much noise—he could still feel the drumbeats pounding in his chest.

"I'm s-sure he d-did," he said. "B-Bet he s-saw his own b-bravery reflected in y-you."

"Oh, I don't know about that, goro," Yunobo said, looking down at his feet. They'd stopped at the village gates, and had been standing there for a few minutes already, the young Goron clearly reluctant to part with them. Truth be told, so was Link. He liked Yunobo—he saw many of the same insecurities he himself suffered from in the Goron. "I'm not a champion like him, goro."

"That's where you're wrong, Roly," Sheik said, his tone surprisingly kind.

Link felt bad for being surprised whenever Sheik managed to sound kind or behave civilly, but this streak of kindness shown to the young Goron was unprecedented. It was possible that Sheik had decided, on his own, to be a little kinder...but Link was more afraid that the Sheikah was up to something, and this was only a prelude, a trap to draw his hapless victims into before the cage came down!

"We couldn't have done this without you," Sheik continued. "We'd have no way of approaching the Beast if it weren't for you. Without you, we'd have burned to death somewhere along the path, if we even got that far in the first place. As far as we're concerned, you're a Champion through and through."

Link found himself nodding along, still unable to shake off his suspicion. He still agreed with Sheik's words, whether they were genuine or not.

"R-Really?" Yunobo asked, eyes widening.

"R-Really," Link said with a nod, ignoring that he and Yunobo had, for one moment, stuttered in the exact same manner...and forcing down a little resentment and jealousy that surfaced at knowing the Goron didn't have that problem permanently, unlike a certain someone. He reached out and touched the scarf around the Goron's neck, tugging on the edge. "Th-This is p-proof."

"It's just a scarf..." Yunobo said uncertainly.

Link shook his head and reached into his pack, pulling out his own Champion's Tunic, which had been carefully folded up. He didn't feel comfortable wearing it yet—but he kept it with him as a reminder...as well as proof. The day he could wear it without feeling like a fraud, he'd know he was once again the Hero he was meant to be. Yunobo's eyes widened a little when he spotted the tunic, sporting the same colour and patterns as his scarf. As Daruk's scarf.

"They don't let just anyone wear those colours, Roly," Sheik said. "And it's our opinion you've more than earned the right to wear 'em."

"I...thank you, goro," Yunobo said, seemingly lost for words. "No one's...said anything like that to me before, goro."

"N-Now we have," Link said firmly, patting the Goron's arm after putting his tunic back in the pack.

"And we really should get going if we want to make any sort of headway," Sheik said as the skies above began to brighten, the sun very close to rising now. "It's been a pleasure, Roly. You support in the war to come will be much appreciated."

Yunobo's face steeled itself at that, and he nodded. "You can count on us, goro," he said. "Chief might be reluctant, but the rest of us know the Calamity will affect us all if it's not stopped."

It had been the cause of a...spirited debate, the night before, when Link had officially asked the Goron Chief for support in the war against Ganon. Or...well...Link had asked for his attention, and Sheik had asked. Or demanded. It was hard to remember; Link's oxygen supply had been thoroughly depleted thanks to the copious number of hugs he'd been subjected to throughout the evening. Whether it was from Sheik's less-than-diplomatic approach or just fear for his people, the chief had said no. It really had seemed more like a knee-jerk reaction, which was why the rest of the evening had been spent discussing (i.e. arguing about) it. It was a relief, therefore, when Yunobo had stepped in and declared his support...and even more of one that he was affirming it now.

"We'll send word to the Zora, goro," Yunobo continued "and figure out the logistics."

"They'll likely need ores and metals for weapons and armour," Sheik suggested. "And I bet they wouldn't turn down some explosives either."

"We'll get them whatever they need."

"Th-Thank you, Yunobo," Link said genuinely, looking out of the gates, to the road. "B-But we r-really sh-should get going—th-the heat..."

"Of course, goro," the Goron said, giving Link a sad smile. "Divine Beasts, and all that. Good luck?"

"Was that a question?" Sheik asked.

"I don't know, goro?"

"Eugh..."

Link shook his head and gave Yunobo one last smile before turning around and stepping through the gates. At least the way down would be calmer than the way up—Rudania had caused a lot of volcanic activity with its unceasing prowling and climbing. Already Link could tell the temperatures had fallen a little, and the tremors had stopped. Not that descending Death Mountain would completely trivial, but it was a whole lot safer than before.

He waited until they were well out of earshot of Yunobo (who'd stayed by the gates, seemingly intent on waving at them until they were completely out of sight), Link unclipped the slate from his belt and stared at the screen.

"What?" Sheik asked. "What did I do now?"

"D-Did you mean any of th-that?" Link asked. "Wh-What you s-said to Yunobo about b-being a Champion?"

"Of course I did," Sheik said, sounding offended. "Since when have you known me to speak anything but the truth?"

...he had to give him that, even if it annoyed Link to no end. As far as he knew, Sheik had never actually lied to him. Been rude, spoken out of turn, been an occasional pain in his arse? Oh, absolutely. But every word he'd ever said had been true—painfully so, at times.

"Huh," Link said.

"You thought I was just humouring him?" Sheik asked, still offended. "Please, as if we have the time or luxury to be coddling anyone. Roly may not look or sound anything like people expect a Champion to...but then it's not about appearances, is it? It's about actions. He didn't hesitate to step up when the time came—that alone is worthy of respect. And if people won't accept him as Champion, I'll fight them."

Link snorted a little at that. "H-How?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I'll figure something out," the Sheikah said smugly. "Burst their eardrums, for example. Good luck fighting, much less standing upright, when your balance's gone to shit. They'll just sway back and forth, bleeding from their ears, confused as all hell, and I'll just laugh and laugh and laugh..."

He would, too, Link thought. Sheik would take immense pleasure in someone's misfortune like that...if they deserved it, that is. And if someone tried to disparage Yunobo, they certainly did. Link would even hesitate to interfere.

"So, yeah," Sheik continued after clearly enjoying the mental image of all that for a bit, "I meant it. Every word. Plus, he saved our lives, so there's that. But you thought I was just lying through my teeth, huh?"

"W-Well..."

"Eh, relax. I'd be sceptical about compliments from me too. But I assure you they were genuine...as genuine as everything I've said to you is. Because you know what? The two of you are very much alike. No self-confidence, and a patent fear of fucking up, which is very likely."

It wasn't really a pep talk. Link wondered if Sheik had ever managed to give one of those without sneaking in a few stealth insults here and there. He very much doubted so.

"But neither of you give up, and you stick to your path even if you're terrified of it. I think I've mentioned it before, but that is what I consider bravery. That's the stuff Heroes are made of. Or Champions. Whatever."

Link nodded and smiled at the slate, running a finger along the edge of a corner. "Th-Thank you," he said.

"Eh, no need for thanks, I just call it as I see it."

"S-Still..."

They fell into a companionable silence as they began their descent, their attention focused on getting the hell off the aptly named Death Mountain without any major injuries. It'd be too embarrassing to get hurt now, after freeing Rudania. Honestly, it was a miracle Link hadn't managed to get hurt during the debacle—just a few bruises and a pulled muscle in his thigh, which a potion was doing wonders of alleviating right at that moment.

There were a few things they needed to talk about, still, but neither of them seemed keen on bringing them up. Which was fair, in Link's opinion. It had been a busy couple of days—he needed a little time to...work it all through in his head. Sheik needed that too, probably, even if he'd never admit to it.

Even so, with his determination not to ponder anything too heavy for a few days, the thought still returned every now and then, its long, spidery legs locking themselves into place, burrowing in where they weren't wanted.

Why had Ganon tried to take the slate?

"Link?"

"Hm?"

The Hylian looked up, blearily blinking his eyes as he tried to wake up from the brief nap he'd decided to take in the shade. They were about halfway down the mountain now, and while the temperatures weren't nearly as bad as they'd been on the way up, they were still bad enough to sap Link of energy at midday, when the sun decided to contribute to the cause of overheating the Hero.

It had been Sheik's suggestion that they take a little rest, and the heat, combined with the lack of sleep he'd had the night before, had just...knocked Link out completely. Waking up was just...unpleasant, apparently. He was warm, sweaty and sticky, and incredibly groggy.

Sheik waited patiently for him to come to.

"HowlongwuzIou'? Link asked, intelligently.

"No more than an hour or so," Sheik replied. "An hour, seven minutes, and thirty-one seconds, if you want to be painfully accurate."

It was one of the few pleasures he derived from being stuck in the slate—he probably had the most accurate clock in all the land.

Whoop-de-fucking-doo.

Link rubbed his eyes. "Thought you were letting me sleep till the afternoon," the Hero muttered.

"I was, and am going to," Sheik said, his words careful. When was Link going to notice, he wondered? "I just figured you'd want to know right away."

"Know what?"

"One of the locations Pikango marked on the map is nearby," Sheik said, still surprised Link hadn't noticed. He really must have been tired. "One of the places the princess took a photo with the slate, I mean. You'll have to climb a bit, but that's not exactly a challenge for you, is it?"

Link nodded. He still wasn't entirely there, it seemed. "Memories're good...but not until t'night, yeah?"

"Of course," Sheik said with a chuckle, deciding not to comment on how cute Link was like this. Just something about the neurotic Hero being too tired to even remember that he was supposed to be an anxious mess. "Go back to sleep—I'll wake you in four hours. Temperatures should be down and more comfortable then."

"Thanks...g'night," Link said, lying back down...and was gone like a light in seconds.

Sheik continued monitoring the surrounding area, his sensors greatly augmented by the data he received from the nearby tower. Like in the Zora's Domain, Ganon's forces had not lingered on the slopes of Death Mountain once the Divine Beast had been freed. Unfortunately, they weren't stupid enough to think they could take on the giant machine by themselves, especially when it was being piloted by the former Goron Champion.

Death Mountain had likely never been safer...for a given value of the word 'safe', that is. After all, you might still fall into a pool of lava or stumble into a crevice created by earth tremors, or get hit by flaming rocks from the random eruptions...but at least you wouldn't be gutted by a lizalfos or burned by a wizrobe, and that counted for something, right?!

Eugh, optimism really wasn't his forte. He had no idea how people could stand being so overwhelmingly positive all the time without grinding their teeth in an attempt to ward off logic and all sense of realism.

He went over his notes on Link's behaviour after a while, a little bored with just monitoring the area (though he did throw together a quick early-warning system that predicted Death Mountain's eruptions with about ninety percent accuracy—given enough refinement of the algorithms, he could make it ninety-eight), noting down that when extremely tired and/or half-asleep, Link's stutter was nowhere to be found.

It wasn't much—after all, if it took being half-asleep all the time for Link to overcome his stutter, his career as a Hero was probably going to be a short one—but at least it supported his theory that Link's stutter wasn't as ingrained as the Hylian himself probably believed, that it was most likely caused by his ever-present anxiety. That meant something could be done to, if not remove it entirely, at least alleviate it. All he had to do was make Link feel less anxious.

And that wasn't a problem at all!

Easily done!

Just a snap of the fingers, really!

...that is, if he'd had fingers.

Eugh, optimism. How did they all do it?

I aten't dead!

(Just exhausted)