Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 6

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Link was currently facing a dilemma. Swim, or fly.

On the one hand, the Zora currently standing guard on the island of the House of Gales would probably not be very forgiving if a Hylian were to invade their territory. On the other hand, if Link were to call Irene again, she would probably kill him. He had her flying around enough for one day. Besides, he would prefer to avoid any future confrontations between Irene and Ravio. But he was so tired…

"I almost got myself killed in there.", he groaned aloud. The Zora may have turned to stare at him at that comment.

With a slow motion, Link lifted the trophy of his small adventure, still clutched tightly in his hand. The Pendant of Wisdom sparkled in the rich sunlight so much that it was almost blinding. These jewels are like Zelda's eyes…

Link looked at the sky to calculate the time. Deciding that it did not matter, he took a nap under the still burning sun, welcoming the unconsciousness.

You should already know that.

…What?

Do you have all the time in the world?

Yes you do but you FAILED

NO WE SAW THE FACE OF VICTORY

Temporarily just look at the world around you FORGETFUL it is a DISCRACE A FAÇADE the old ways have FADED you must hurry

WAKE UP!

"Wake up, Hylian!".

The sentence was barely registered in his still muddy from sleep brain. "…What?".

"I said, UP.".

Slowly the blond-haired boy lifted his half-lidded eyes to see a very displeased Zora staring down at him. "How long I was out?".

The Zora was clearly unpleased with the casual behaviour of the young Hylian. "Three hours. It should be seven or eight o'clock by your standards.".

Link nodded, slowly getting up and stretching. "Yeah, I'd better go home now. Guess I'll swim there.".

If the Zora had an eyebrow, it would be twitching. "Swim there, boy?".

"Can't call" YAWN "Irene.".

"There you go then.". And without any warning Link was tossed into the water.

The shock of the sudden change of temperature was enough to completely shake away all his drowsiness. Chocking his breath, Link forced himself to the surface and exploded into a violent cough fit. "What was THAT for!?", he demanded from the displeased Zora.

"You were sleeping. I decided to wake you up.".

"Oh, for goodness sake – You can drown someone that way!".

"For you to have made your way to this island, you must at least be a decent swimmer.". Link was fairly certain that the Zoras' standards of "decent swimmers" were vastly different from the Hylian ones.

Link was NOT in the mood to deal with cranky Zoras. "I'll go home.", he stated, hoping the guard would leave him alone.

Said guard just huffed. "Go ahead. Try avoid getting blasted. Or eaten. Or catching a terminal cold that may spell the end of you swimming endeavors.".

"Why you… Oh, forget it.". First thing after a temple was a snarky Zora. Just peachy.

The Zora did not bring any objections to Link's departure; or at least, he did not voice them. After a brief debate, Link decided to find an alternative route to his house rather than the one he had taken previously. Perhaps he should go by Irene's house to buy a potion from her grandmother – who knew when he would be able to do so again. "And I should really tell the Elder that I'm done here…".

However… His eye caught something shiny drifting in the distance.

Instead of heading north, Link swam to the most southeast part of Lake Hylia, close to the waterfalls that pour down all the way from Death Mountain. He was pretty sure that that was a dead end, but he was interested in seeing what the shore had to offer. The cool water did miracles to Link's sore muscles.

A few minutes later, after avoiding a few Zoras – should they not know that he did their queen a huge favour by now? – Link found himself swimming in the southeast canal that swirled through the high cliffs. The canal had many twists and turns, causing Link to completely lose all sense of direction. It was only a matter of time before he ended up in a dead end. That being said, there was a dock here and…

"A letter in a bottle?". Usually that was a sign of distress. Link took the bottle and made himself comfy – the water was quite shallow here – before reading its contents.

"I was up in the mountain doing some bouldering… when I lost my grip. And fell. And sort of hurt myself. Eh, all in the day of a boulderer. Going climbing without equipment isn't for the faint of heart! Anyway, I'm stuck on the mountain way past down the Tower of Hera, and I could really go for some premium milk! Yeah, that'd really get me up and going again. So if you're at the Milk Bar, pick some up for me! No need to panic and stuff, I can wait for a few days! You can even keep the bottle!".

Link stared at the letter for a few moments. He knew about the Tower of Hera. He knew the rumours about its location, that is. Death Mountain. People said that all sorts of bizarre monsters loomed those heights since ancient times. Nobody dared to climb it for the never-ending falling boulders would surely crush all intruders. Anyone who would ever possibly build a tower there was either incredibly powerful, or a madman.

Link had been in two such Towers already. With a quiet sigh he resigned himself to his fate. "Guess I'll have to get him that milk.".

Link was quick to get up after that, but instead of returning to Kakariko village through the shortest path, he chose to circle this new shore to see if there was any way clear of those aggressive Zoras. Avoiding a large number of crabs and Octorocks, Link soon found something a cave. Curious, he walked inside the dark cave only to be assaulted by the snake-like Ropes – that was a fairly obvious name in his opinion. He soon gave up trying to kill them with his sword and started stomping the ground – and their heads – repeatedly. He had more fun doing that than he should. After that, he took out his lantern and lit the two torches, a chest falling from the ceiling immediately. He was rewarded for his efforts with a purple rupee. "So there are riddles like this all over the place…". Why would anyone hide their money behind simple puzzles? Not that Link complained…

Interested in what he would find next, Link kept exploring the coast, looking for anything unusual. Not a turn later he found two statues identical to the ones he saw at the Eastern Palace site. Shrugging his shoulders, he made a mental note to come back here later. Maybe he should ask Ravio about those bombs of his…

"Well, looks like there's nothing else around here.". Ignoring the fact that he spent the last thirty minutes fooling around, Link started swimming back to Kakariko Village.

It was not a moment later than his arrival when the green-clad boy heard someone calling out to him. "Oh, buzz buzz, Link! Long time no see!".

"Huh?". Link turned around to see the third competitor in the "weirdest outfit" competition. It was an old man with dyed green hair styled like antlers of all things and he wore a bee costume with a puffy collar.

"Huh. Don't you remember me? I've been catching bees since way back in the day.". Oh. Now he remembered him. This guy used to get in trouble all the time in the forest and other places like it because he would pull all sorts of crazy stunts trying to catch those insects he was so obsessed with. He had always been a weirdo, but now… he was even weirder. And rounder. Not that he was going to say that in his face.

"You look… well.", Link said carefully as he followed the man to his house. The place was small, with a nice green carpet with flower patterns on the floor, and the walls full of bug-catching nets and pinned golden bees.

"Well, I guess I've changed a bit. Takes a bee to see a bee. So I've bee-come a different person. Now every-buzzy calls me the Bee Guy!".

Link took a double take. "…Sounds fitting.".

"Yes, it is. But… I haven't been catching many bees as of late. So just bee-tween us, I wonder if you'll do me a favour. I want you to catch bees for me! You can keep 'em nice and safe in bottles.".

What!? "I don't have-".

"What, you don't have a net? Bee-cause you're helping me out, I'll give you one of mine!".

I don't have the TIME for this… But he accepted the net anyway. Guess I can find other uses for this thing.

"Spending my days surrounded by a buzzy swarm of bees has always been my fondest dream.". Was this guy even sane!? "So use that net to gather up some bees, if you please. Of course, I'll reward you for bee-ing so helpful.".

Something in his apologetic tone made Link smile awkwardly. "Well I guess I'll run into some stray bees here and there…". He placed the net in his pouch and then headed to the Elder's house.

Once he got there he entered without knocking, trying to avoid the eternal chaos of papers. For some reason, it appeared as if Sahasrahla had made a quick attempt to tidy up the place; all the papers that were previously dropped on the floor had now been moved on the desks, leaving them in a far bigger mess than previously.

"Link? Is that you, my boy?". The elder walked in the room slowly, looking more tired than ever. He actually looked even older than his age, with his eyebrow furrowed like this. To think he had only seen him this morning… It was barely evening now.

"Yes. I found the Pendant of Wisdom.", he replied, lifting the three-stoned jewel with the golden crescents.

Sahasrahla's face lit up. "Congratulations, my lad. Now there's only one of them left! But…".

"It's at the Tower of Hera, isn't it.".

The old man blinked in surprise. "How did you know!?".

"Lucky guess. I tried to think of any old ruins I might know of.".

The Elder nodded wisely. "Tis true. Many temples and ruins of old had once played a vital role in the quest of the Hero of Legend. The Pendants of Wisdom had been hidden there since antiquity. However, your trial will not begin at the Tower itself. Climbing the mountain alone is a challenge.". Sahasrahla looked at Link deadly serious. "There was an old legend at the era of the Hero, speaking of how warriors thought Death Mountain to be an omen of death. They would always have their shields turned to the mountain to protect themselves from the forces of evil. But that is not all, for it was said that the gate to the Dark World was located at the very top.".

"I bet it wasn't the only one…".

"That is unknown, my boy. Those are treacherous heights.".

"Weird monsters and crushing boulders, right?".

"Indeed. You'll need to arm yourself well to overcome this challenge.".

Link smiled. "Don't worry. I got that covered.", he replied, thinking of Ravio.

Sahasrahla shot him a strange look. "Be careful, Link. You never know what danger lies at the corner. It is best if you head home. You'll need all your strength for tomorrow.".

"But what is it's too late?". The old man looked at him in surprise, and Link finally let his worry spill. "Zelda… Princess Zelda is locked in the castle by that madman! What if she's alone in there with him? Who knows what he's done to her already! Maybe-! Maybe…".

"Link.". The old man put his grizzled hands on the boy's shoulders, in an attempt to calm him down. "Lady Impa is there with her. Even though she isn't as young as she used to, she is still a Sheikha. It is the duty of her people to protect the Royal Line, and Lady Impa is more than capable of carrying it out. So you needn't worry.".

Link felt better, knowing that. "Thank you, sir.".

"No need to thank me, my boy. Now, head to your house.".

Link raised an eyebrow at the elder's apparent eagerness to get rid of him. "What's wrong?".

Sahasrahla sighed deeply. "Ever since you left this morning, everyone in the village has been asking me questions on what happened to the castle… and unfortunately I don't have the answers.".

Link tried to change the subject. "What kind of weapons do I need? Getting on top of Death Mountain's tricky, right?".

Sahasrahla refocused to the matter at hand. "I don't know myself, but I know someone who does. His name is Rosso, a miner; you may know him.".

"Yes, he's friends with my master. He sells us the ore for the forge.".

"Good. You may ask him. Do you know where he lives?".

"Yes, I'll go there now.", said Link, tucking the Pendant in his pouch and preparing to leave.

"May the goddesses protect you, young Hero.".

And everyone else.

The walk to Rosso's house was as short as expected. He lived a roughly half a mile north of Kakariko Village, right next to Death Mountain; it only took fifteen minutes to get there. Link was pretty familiar with the place. This time however, an unexpected sight greeted him – the fenced yard was full of rocks of all sizes. Did the earthquake cause a landslide or something?

Feeling concerned, Link slowly walked into the house. He could hear Rosso complaining from inside. "Urggh! These rocks! Real pain in the neck!". As he walked in, Link could easily see the man lift a boulder, turn around, and smash it on the floor of his house into tiny pieces. Link was suitably awed.

Truth be told, Rosso was a large man. And by large he meant huge. He was not the tallest person Link had ever met, but his weight and strength was enough for three men. Rosso had a stout but strong built, his arms and biceps resembled tree trunks. Rosso's facial features were also rough; he had a big mouth that looked like it split his face in half, no eyebrows and small, black, almost beady eyes. He also had only a turf of fiery red hair on top of his head which he held together with a black leather band, and a thick fiery beard to match. Rosso was shirtless as always, with nothing but an undersized brown vest on him, pants, and thick boots. Link had noticed a while back that his belt buckle had a strange symbol on it that resembled a footprint. He wondered what it meant. To complete his attire, he wore a pair of leather wrist bands on each hand – to protect them, he said.

Rosso, being obviously preoccupied, noticed Link a little bit late. "Huh? A customer?", he asked in his booming voice, before his face split into a wide grin. "Hey, you're that kid who works for the Paul, right? The blacksmith! Decided you've had enough of that place, huh? Here to be MY apprentice, maybe? Grah-ha-ha!", he laughed heartedly. "Just joking! I wouldn't do that to your master. Come in, kid!".

Link felt all the tension melt away from his shoulders. In spite of his intimidating appearance, it was impossible not to like Rosso. His sheer friendliness made him approachable and respected to everyone.

Only when Link got inside Rosso's house was he able to appreciate the extent of the damage done to the place. While the walls of the house were more or less intact – in fact, not even the sheets of paper nailed on them had fallen off – the roof sported a very large hole. Countless rocks had filled the back of the house and the formed a pile along the walls, so tall that it reached the ceiling. Link briefly wondered how in the world was Rosso planning on fixing that mess; he couldn't even begin to think about the cost. Actually, he could, but the number was too big for comfort.

Rosso noticed the way Link was eying the house. "Sorry 'bout all this, kid. I was on the mountain mining ore when, all of a sudden, the earth started shaking! When I got home, the place was a wreck. Rocks everywhere. You seen outside? I'll be bustin' my back for days to clean up that mess.".

"That earthquake; it was yesterday evening, right?", asked Link for confirmation.

"Aye. You lad felt that all the way down to your Mater's place?".

"The entire Hyrule felt that.", informed him Link with a heavy sigh. "The center of the earthquake was at the castle.".

Rosso threw the boy a strange look. "That's odd. Could swear it was from the mountain… How d'you know that?".

Link had not considered an excuse for that question. How could he tell anyone that a wizard did it? Everybody would think he was crazy! "I was close! That's all.".

Thankfully, Rosso did not press the issue any further. "Well, at least pickin' up rocks and smashin' the things feels good. Wish they were full of good ore, though. These have nothin'".

"If I can help in anything…".

"What? You want to try too? Rah! Feels good smashing stuff!".

Link had to admit that destroying all those needless old pots in the towers had been a great method for stress relief. However, this never goes on record. EVER. But… "I can't lift them.".

"Huh? Can't do it? Sorry to hear it. Can't stand to see a nice kid like you not be able to throw your weight around…". Link was one hundred per cent certain that most people in the world could not. "Here – take this.".

To Link's surprise, Rosso searched throw one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out a pair of brown leather fingerless gloves with metal studs. Even more surprisingly, they seemed to be about his size! "It's a hand-me-down from yours truly.".

Link stared at it in confusion. "What is this?".

"That's the Power Glove. When you wear it, it doubles your strength. Pretty good for a kid like you!".

Link was astonished by this gift. "Thank you so much!".

The large man chuckled. "You'll feel tough with that on your mitt – oughta be able to up rocks! Smaller ones, anyway. And if you get to smashin' and just can't stop yourself, well, there's a whole bunch of them outside!". He burst into laughter at the look on Link's face. "Grah-ha-ha! Just a joke, that's all. I wouldn't REALLY tell ya to do all my work out there. Still, if you do… who am I to stop ya? Now, those rocks aren't gonna clean themselves up. Back to it!".

"Actually, Mr. Rosso,", stopped him Link, "there's something I need to ask you.".

"Hm?".

"I, uh…", how in the world do I explain this? "I have to go to the Tower of Hera tomorrow, and I don't know what tools I should get.".

Rosso examined Link from head to toe and back at the sound of this, his gaze lingering to the finely crafted sword and the wooden shield on his back. "You're easy with weapons I take it?".

Link thought about it for a moment. "Yes.".

"Well, ya'll need a hammer, that's for sure. The BIG ones, not those you smack nails into the walls with. Or those heavy but small ones at the forge. You'll also need a hookshot. That's a chain launcher thingy, to cross gaps. There're some pretty big ones up in the mountain. You think your master can make them? I don't know if he has the ore for it. I sure don't have much. Oh, bombs too. Ya never know.".

"I know a merchant.", replied Link. Ravio seemed to have a tool for everything.

"Good for you. Anyway, when ya go to the mountain, watch your head. Falling rocks all the time. Monsters too, but they're not too much. And tell that ol' smithy master of yours I said hello.".

"I will!", promised Link with a wide grin as he left the house.

That visit went way better than he could have hoped. His mood dropped a little again when he almost tripped over a rock. He took a look at his newly acquired magical item, and a tiny cocky smirk formed on his lips. "Let's see what these can do.".

A few minutes later, Link had smashed almost every single rock in the yard and one of those annoying Crows – purple beak and yellow edges at their wings, not the regular ones – along with them. It was at that exact moment that Rosso chose to exit his house. He took a double take and looked around his yard in astonishment. "Wh-where have all those darned rocks got to?". That was when he noticed a very still Link with a rock over his head having an "woops, am I in trouble" expression.

"Oh HO! You went ahead and did the job for me! I gotta thank you for all that.".

"I was thanking you-", started Link, smashing the last rock.

"Gah! No need for that kid! Come on in, OK?". Inside his house, Rosso had brought a small chest out of thin air and prompted Link to open it. With hesitation Link found inside a purple rupee. "Glad to share what's in that chest with you. You earned it, kid!".

Link could not believe Rosso's generosity. Not only had he given him the Power Glove for free, he had even paid him fifty rupees! "Thanks a lot, Mr. Rosso. Really.".

"Don't mention it, kid. Just take care of yourself outa there.".

And that was why there was absolutely no way anyone could ever dislike Rosso.

That evening Link was finally able to go and sleep at the comfort of his own home. Well, as comfortable as it could be with Ravio's merchandise stacked in there. He could swear the pots in his house were gone last time he had been there.

The greeting was the same as usual. "Welcome home, Mr. Hero!", greeted him Ravio cheerily, though it seemed a little forced.

"What's-" YAWN "up?".

The big bunny chuckled. "Are you tired, Mr. Hero? You seem quite exhausted!".

Link nodded. "You won't believe the running around I made earlier.", he muttered.

"So how did it go?".

"Go what?".

"Why, your quest of course, Mr. Hero! Did you gotta conquer the Palace of… whatever.".

Link snorted. "It's a windmill.".

"Oh. Well, uh, did you conquer the windmill?". That sounds so weird…

"Yep.", replied Link a grin. "Got the treasure and everything. Thanks to your bracelet, really.", he admitted. "That thing's a real life saver.".

He could actually spot Ravio's blush beneath that hood of his. "Um, it- it was nothing, Mr. Hero.".

"Just call me Link… But, yeah. I wouldn't even reach the place without it.".

"So, where to next, Mr. Hero?", asked Ravio with interest.

"The Tower of Hera.", replied Link, sitting on his bed and dropping the sword and shield at his side. "It's on top of Death Mountain.".

His purple-clad friend took half a step back. "Sounds… awfully ominous for Hyrule.".

"Everyone says that place is a death trap.", explained Link, trying not to think of all the possible ways the trek up the treacherous cliffs could kill him. "Falling rocks and weird monsters everywhere. A friend of my Master goes there to mine ore.".

"Your master?", asked Ravio in confusion.

"I'm a blacksmith apprentice. Didn't I tell you?".

"Dunno…".

"Never mind.".

"So… Ore, you said? Is it like a volcano or something? Those fire-spitting mountains?".

Link thought about that for a second. "It used to be from what I know; it was inactive at the time of the Hero of Legend, that's for sure.". Link observed Ravio's troubled posture. "You don't really know the landmarks, do you?".

"Not really…", admitted Ravio. "It's more… different than I expected.".

"Well,", started Link "North and northeast is the Death Mountain. You can see it from everywhere. West to that are the Lost Woods. Nobody lives there cause anyone who wonders in too deep meets ghosts and thieves or something.".

"You don't sound very convinced.".

"Never saw anything.", shrugged Link. "Except that one time…".

Ravio looked very concerned and curious now. "What, monsters?".

"No, never mind. South of that, there's Kakariko Village. That's where pretty much everyone lives. It's a pretty peaceful town.".

"No thieves, no nothing?".

"Nope. Nothing ever happens in Kakariko.".

"Lucky you…", commented Ravio with an oddly downcast look on him.

"Em, I guess?". Link rubbed his head to get rid of the awkwardness that settled between them. "South of Kakariko, there's the Gerudo Desert. Not sure why it's called that, but nobody ever goes there. The place is practically barricaded.".

Ravio nodded in understanding. "Cliffs and stuff?".

"Yeah, from what I hear. East of that, there are the plains. Nothing special really. And south of the Eastern Palace, there's Lake Hylia. That's where I was now. Only the Zoras live there, though their main land is southeast of Death Mountain, just above the Eastern Palace. And… That's it, I guess. Hyrule's not very big.".

"Look at the good side, Mr. Hero! It's not as bad as other places!", cheered Ravio.

"I guess not…". Truth be told, Link had no idea what was going on overseas. Hyrule had apparently ceased all communications with other countries for a few centuries now. "Speaking of Death Mountain, Ravio, I need some help with that. Do you have a hammer, bombs or a hookshot? Figured I need them.".

"Of course I do, Mr. Hero! But for a price~".

"How much?".

Ravio thought about it for a moment. "The rental price for the hookshot is fifty rupees, and for the hammer… Hold on… That would be twenty rupees. The bombs are forty.".

"Why's the hookshot the most expensive?".

"The hookshot is a delicate mechanism! It must be treated with care! Its chain can extend to all distances!".

"You'll show me in the morning.", replied Link.

"Wait, the morning?", asked Ravio. "I thought you had a princess to save?".

Link felt a wave of guilt wash over him at that. "Sahasrahla says Impa will look out for her. She's a Sheikha.".

"Alright then. If you say so…". Ravio still sounded suspicious.

…

"I don't like it.", admitted Link. "I don't have a clue how long it'll take 'till I get all the pendants. And it's been almost three days. Who can fight for three days in the row? Impa is an old woman, for Din's sake!". Link was ranting now. "And then there's Death Mountain… It'll probably be a full day 'till I get done with THAT place, if ever… There are legends about that tower, you know. How it's supposed to be the ultimate fortress or something. How am I supposed to survive this and get to the Princess in time?!".

"Yeah… I guess you're right…", commented Ravio awkwardly. "But you've already done so many amazing things! Like a real hero!".

Ravio's enthousiasm and unwavering faith brought a small smile to Link's face. "Yeah… I guess you're right…".

"See, Mr. Hero? It's not so bad!". Link had already given up on fixing that habit".

Limk kicked off his boots. "Goodnight Ravio.", he said, burying himself under the blanket.

"Wait, Mr. Hero! Where will I sleep?!".

…

…

"YOU'RE KIDDING ME!".

The next morning, Link was sure to wake up and have breakfast as soon as possible. He had to finish this. Fast. And the first step was to call Irene.

"Why did you wake me up so early!?". She shouted as soon as she saw him.

Link threw her a long look – she didn't look just barely awake at all. "You told me the other day that your grandma wakes you up very early to help with the potions.".

Irene huffed. "That for her sake, not yours, Greenie!".

"Anyway", started Link, "I need to get to Kakariko Village real quick.".

Irene frowned at this out-of-character moment for Link. "What's the emergency?".

"Save the princess.".

Irene snorted. "You're sure she's not at her castle?".

"No, she's definitely at her castle.". That's the problem. Thankfully, Irene did not seem to be in the mood for small talk, so she did not inquire further. In fact, for the first time ever, the trip was fairly silent.

"Thanks for the ride, Irene.".

"No prob.".

As soon as Link got off the broom, he checked his mental to-do list. First, get the milk for the miner. His first stop was the milk bar. The barman always opened his shop very early, because that was when he had most of his customers. Link eagerly stepped in the well-lit store.

"Good morning!", he greeted Talon. "Do you have premium milk?".

"Welcome! Care for an icy-cold glass of-!". Talon paused when he realized what Link had said. "Whuh? You heard about premium milk?". The bar owner realized that he was shouting and took a few careful glances to see if anyone had heard him. When he realized nobody had, he dropped his voice to a whisper. "How'd you find out about the good stuff. That's a golden membership exclusive product!".

"I found a message in a bottle from a miner stranded on Death Mountain.", replied Link. "He was specifically asking for it.".

"I see…", said Talon deep in thought. "A message in a bottle. And from someone stranded up on the mountain? Could only be one guy. He's a tricky customer. Sorry to ask, but could you take this premium milk to him? I bet it would help him heal up in no time. Wait for a moment, I'll get it ready.".

Looks like this sort of thing happens very often…, thought Link as he watched Talon vanish at the back of the shop. A few minutes later the barman was back with a shiny new bottle filled with milk up to the very top. Link couldn't help but notice how it looked a bit more creamy and thick compared to the usual variety.

"Here it is.", said Talon as he handed the bottle to Link. The boy thanked him in return. "Does this sort of thing happen often?".

"He's a regular at my establishment who loves exploring the mountain. Last time he was here, I think he said his next expedition would take him east of the Tower of Hera.". Woah. I hadn't even had to explain the situation. All his guesses as spot on! "You're really going up the mountain, kid?".

"Yeah, I have some things to do there.".

"Be careful, with the earthquake and everything. That customer of mine… I can't afford to lose his business. Get that to him, OK? I'm really counting on you, friend.".

"How much is the milk?".

"Fifty rupees.". Of course the guy on the mountain wouldn't mention the price…, grumbled Link in his head, but he handed the money nonetheless. I'm running short…, he noted. I have to do something about it.

"No choice…", he grumbled as he called Irene. He hated what he was about to do.

He once again called Irene. "Where to this time?", she asked.

"The Sanctuary.".

"The Sanctuary? Are you running some weird errands again or something?".

"Not exactly.".

"Then what?".

"I'm storming the Tower of Hera.".

Irene had a spit take. "You're doing WHAAAT!? What does that have to do with saving the princess!? Don't tell me you're role-playing the Hero of Legend or something!".

Link shot her a death glare. "Not in the mood, Irene. I really am on a time limit.".

"Oh yeah? Then when's the deadline?".

"As soon as possible.".

"What is that supposed to mean?".

Link sighed. He did not want to start an argument. "It means that I have to get to Death Mountain very quick. Sorry for bothering you with it, but it really is an emergency.".

"Well, as long as you're sorry for it…", said Irene with a cocky air. "Sanctuary, right?".

"Yep.". Without any more talking, they took off.

As soon as he got off at the Sanctuary, Link quickly made his way to Rosso's house. He was pretty sure that he had seen a cave a few meters away from the back yard last time he had been there. As soon as he spotted it, after he made sure that Rosso was not watching him, he took out his hammer and smashed the logs that blocked the entrance. Inside there was a lone treasure chest which Link opened. Inside, there was a red rupee.

"I'm sorry, Rosso.", mumbled Link under his breath. He really hated himself for stealing from such a kind man, but he had little choice but to do it. This, morning, Link had paid a hundred and sixty rupees. It was a staggering amount of money, and he found himself in a great need of money as of late.

He took a quick look up to the sky. The sun was up for quite a while now, but the air was still cold and crisp from the morning breeze. "I have the whole day.", he said to himself. But that did not mean he did not have to hurry. He was saying that a lot today, but it was true. He was incredibly worried for Zelda. He had already wasted days trying to get the pendants.

Ahead was the infamous Death Mountain. The entrance to its caves was just down the hill. When he got there, Link smashed the rocks blocking his way with his power gloves and took a deep breath.

"Let's do this.".

The first thing Link noticed as soon as he entered was that the space was pitch black. The only visible light was the one coming from the entrance of the cave. He quickly brought out his magic lamp and used its light to reveal the space within. The second thing he noticed…

"What in Farore… The ground is paved!". The cave was not a cave at all. It looked a lot more like an artificial tunnel. The space was cleanly cut, the walls and the ceiling, though obviously aged, were still smooth for the most part, and the ground was paved with smooth rocks that made Link feel like he was walking on one of the streets of Kakariko rather than untamed soil. Not only that, but the tunnel appeared to be very long too, and wide. "Who in the world could have made this?".

Link walked further into the tunnel, wary of any monsters. As soon as he took the right turn, he was quickly assaulted by something on the ground. He barely had time to see it as it moved away, but it soon came back and Link was able to discern its features more clearly before killing it.

It was a Mini Moldrom. An orange creature as lomg as a snake, but with an insect-like body with an oversized head and orange in colour. They were kind of small but very fast, with a strong exoskeleton that served as an armour, and apparently no awareness of their surroundings, thus assaulting absolutely anything that crossed their path. And even worse, dark, dry and narrow spaces were their favourite living environment. In other words, Death Mountain was the perfect fit for them.

"I hope there aren't any more of them ahead…".

Once he was done with the Moldrom, Link noticed that there was another path on his left blocked by a large rock. He tried lifting it but he could not. When he saw that smashing it with the hammer would not work either, Link decided to move ahead. The tunnel was like a snake with all its twists and turns, and Link noticed that it was going uphill. He faced a few other Mini Moldroms on his way out, but soon he reached the exit.

Once outside, his senses were assaulted by all directions. First was the bright light, that almost blinded him, thought it seemed to be filtered through something. The next was the overwhelming scent of eggs gone bad. Sulfur, if he remembered correctly. He had been smelling that for a while now, as the smell seemed to have purred deep into the rocks of the mountain, but now it was overwhelming. The third was the loud, booming noise, and the powerful rumbling that shook his body to its core.

"What the-!". A bright flash of red made Link twist his neck up and to his left. To his horror, the mountainpeak was shaking, and the noise was building up. "Can't be…".

On the climax, the mountain erupted.

Link watched with wide eyes as a gayzer of molten rock and ash erupted from the mountainpeak and slowly started descending, deadly boulder following suit to cause a minor avalance.

"No way… This isn't a mountain…", breathed Link in realization. "It's a volcano! It's a freaking active volcano!".

Suddenly, the name "Death Mountain" made a lot more sense.

Once upon a time, in the ancient land of Hyrule, there was an old superstition; that all warriors should guard themselves with their shields from the dark miasma of evil that oozed from the mountain.

Right now, Link was faced with a danger unlike anything he had seen before – the wrath of Din herself.

"An active volcano…". The situation on Death Mountain was a lot more dangerous than Link originally had thought. He already knew about the falling rocks and the monsters, but the volcano and the ash provided a new danger altogether. He had heard from his master that the stuff that came from a volcano was poisonous. Sulfur, in particular, was one of the few materials that Nick the smith would avoid like the plague. Now there was the threat of Link suffocating from the smoke at any given moment.

Before he could fully assess the new dangers, Link was attacked. He blindliy sung his sword at that direction, only for a resounding sound of clashing metal to be heard. "Huh?". He looked around for the monster, but the only thing he saw was a… metal statue? After looking around for any other monsters, Link examined his finding further. The small monster statue looked like a humanoid and chuby lizard, with large eyes and two small pointy horns at the back of its head. Now Link recognized it. It was a Deadrock. The name was unusually obvious. He decided to leave it alone.

Link now examined his surrounding further. While his right was a dead end, there was a relatively narrow path created by various rocks and boulders on his left, most of which boundels were made by frozen lava. He also noticed that some of them were sparkling for some reason, as if there were precious stones in them.

"Let's see what inside.". With a swift and decisive move, Link took out the mighty hammer, and smashed the glimmering rock to reveal "RUPEES!". All of them were green, worth only one rupee each, but Link did not care. Money is money. He quickly gathered the rupees in his pouch and moved on to the next boulder, just in time to avoid one of the falling and blazing ones.

Link was wet with cold sweat. "Dear Din… that was close…". If he had not noticed the shadow of the incoming boulder above him, he would have turned into a scorched corpse. And he had the Deadrocks to deal with too. "That's Death Mountain for you.". Still, the presence of the rupees explained why there were people mining up here.

Link took a U-turn and smashed as many rupee boulders as he could while avoiding the Deadrocks and the lava boulders. He crossed a wooden bridge that led to the eastern part of the mountain, while pointedly ignoring the huge fall beneath him – he could not even see the bottom due to the fumes! – and he quickly dealth with the blue Tektite that he found there.

Tektites were monsters that resembled crabs or spiders, but they only had four legs in orange colour, blue or red bodies – the red ones were tougther – and a single huge eye that dominated most of their body mass. Their rubber-like bodies made them very resistant to damage.

Link climbed a wooden ladder and there he spotted another weather vane as well as the entrance to a tunnel. He woke up the vane with a quick prayer for safety, and it chirped back in acknowledgment, completely ignoring the chaos surrounding it. However, instead of enetering the tunnel, Link noticed the entrance of a regular cave just bellow him. He entered and found a small treasure chest with a blue rupee in it. That was worth five.

Using his wall melding abilities, Link made his way to another cave, which had its entrance blocked by fallen rocks. He used one of his new bombs to clear the passage, and inspected the cave. There was another treasure chest inside, but this one had fifty rupees. "Looks like I won't have to worry much about money.".

Link climbed back to the entrance of the tunnel, but not before taking a small but dangerous detour for some other rupee boulders. However, instead of going in the tunnel, he turned into a painting to access the entrance of another cave that he spotted.

He was a little surprised to discover that the inside was as well-built as the tunnel he had used to come here, if not even more so. The floor was smooth and blemishless, and the walls were painted with intricate blue patterns, and the whole space was illuminated by a well-made lamppost. There was another rupee boulder here, but that was not what caught Link's attention. No, his attention was caught by the small fountain in the corner.

Something was fluttering over it.

There were some… creatures over the fountain. They were small, but they were glowing with an ethereal white light, which somehow was not harmful to the eye at all, and they were leaving somesort of glittering substance in their trail. He could make out two pairs of wings on each on them, resembling insect wings, but those were much clearer than those; they were beautiful. If he squinted close enough, he could make out actual bodies. They were silver in colour with hardly anything to cover them, but they resembled… hylians.

Link could not believe his eyes. "They- This can't be real…".

He walked closer to the fountain, his steps slow and light as if he were stepping on fragile glass, in a trance by his wonder. He kneeled next to the fountain, and one of the creatures fluttered close to his face, waving him hello.

One of the fluttering, winged, glowing, hylian-like creatures just waved him hello.

"Fairies.".

Link had heard of fairies, obviously. Ever since he was a kid, he had developed a great interest in the monsters and the legends of Hyrule. While his job as the blacksmith's apprentice was far more important and consumed a lot of his time, Link took great pride in the fact that he could recognize every single monster in Hyrule. However, Link right now was doubting his recognition skills. He pinched himself once. Nope, still there. The fairies were real. Now what to do with them…

"Fairies are pretty useful, aren't they? They can heal anything… Put it in a bottle, right? But I don't think they'll just fly in the bottle…". After a moment's thought, Link took out the bee-catching net that the Bee guy had lended to him and used it to catch one of the fairies. It was caught off guard and trapped in the net with ease. Link placed her in a bottle – it looked like female – very carefully so he would not ruin her wings – they looked very fragile. After a moment's thought he decided against talking a second one. He had no idea how those fountains worked, but he did not want to ruin it.

Shaking his head, Link destroyed the rupee boulder and left the fountain.

Link finally went back to the tunnel he had found earlier and entered. As expected, the place was paved and its walls were smooth, just like the other tunnels from earlier. However, this tunnel had something different about it. The resounding sound of something huge, rolling. And it was very, very close. Link looked up to see the cause of the noise, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This was not just a tunnel; it was an entire mining system. It was some sort… production lane? He thought that was the name, but he was not sure. Regardless, there was a whole bunch of lava boulders, some of which had rupees in them, rolling down on a lane designed for that specific purpose. It was obviously done for mining purposes, but now Link had a whole bunch of questions floating around his head.

Who could have possibly done this? Who could have possibly braved Death Mountain – an active volcano – and build an entire mining system there? The thought alone that rupees originate from here was overwhelming. Link had honestly neved wondered where their currency came from. Yet here was a system not only fully dedicated to that purpose, but it seemed to be fully automated. A single man could not have possibly done this. Heck, not even a hundred men could have done this. The Death Mountain mines – he would call them this from now on – was a system worth years, if not decades of effort, and it was done with tools that Link could not imagine. They were done by a group of people that actually lived here.

Link was overwhelmed. "I should ask Sahasrahla later…".

Now a more urgent matter; getting through this without getting crushed.

The line was zigzagged, and there was an almost continuous flow of boulders rolling down, with frequent but small openings. There were staircases among the different levels of the line which provided safe spots for rest. He would have to use his painting transformation for the rest. From his vantage point, Link could not see any exits; however, he had not seen any alternative rootes outside, so there had to be one. If it's blocked, I'll just blast it.

His mind made up, Link bravely climbed up the first staircase.

He quickly ran up the lane and climbed the second staircase before the boulders could get him. He did the same with the next staircase, but on the third level, he noticed that there were chunch of the floor missing. He turned into a painting to cross over those, and he remained as such for a bit longer waiting for the boulders to pass by. He climbed onto the the staircase, waiting for the next row of boulders to pass, and that was when he noticed a safe spot; there was a large opening on the wall blocked by a few logs. Link readied his hammer, ran to said wall, turned into a painting to cross over the gap, smashed the logs and hid in the crevice, just in time to avoid the next row of boulders.

From his vantage point, he could see that the mine had two exits, both in different heights, both of which were accessible via wooden bridges. Better go to the higher one first to take a better look around. He did so, avoiding a few other boulders in the process, and found a small treasure chest. He shook his head at the improbable location. "I guess nobody would think to look for a treasure chest around here…". Then again, why would anyone hide money when they were practically surrounded by it?

Link opens the chest. Inside, there is a red rupee. Link takes it.

Link went back inside and headed to the next exit. He found a wooden sign there. "Please, be careful of fallings rocks.".

"Crap, the boulders!". Link dodged a magma boulder just in timebefore he was crushed by it, and avoided a Deadrock that was mindlessly coming to his direction, almost falling on his face when he tripped on a rock. "That was way too close…". He ran uphill and found the entrance to another tunnel.

This was a mine like the one previously, but smaller, and a lot more dangerous. Instead of the boulders being led to a safe direction, like the lane earlier, they were just rolling down through designated lanes. Crossing through this mine would be a lot riskier. In fact, Link knew that if he did not have the ability to turn into a painting, and decided to linger around in places, he would have already been killed. Where are they all going in the first place? Link could also spot several different exits, one of which was three levels above towards east.

Mindful of all the rolling boulders – there was a serious lack of security measures in this place – he quickly found the woodem bridge that led to the first exit. Outside there was nothing but another entrance a bit to the west. It was still the same mine. Link crossed another wooden bridge, and continued climbing up higher. To his annoyance, the top level had no save spots whatsoever. "I have to be quick.". He ran to the west end of the lane which had another exit, and finally stepped outside…

…to find himself on top of a cliff.

"Oh, come on! What were they thimking!? Who made this crap!?". Fortunatelly, there were no falling boulders all the way up here.

He spotted the closest mine entrance, just in the crevice ahead, so he turned into a painting to cross the gap. After looking around a little, Link spotted the entrance to a cave. He entered, and he saw that it was paved which meant it was artificial, but it was a dead end; there was a balcony so high up that Link would not be able to reach it even if he were to use the Tornado Rod. He decided to turn back.

The next cave – or mine, most probably – was way down bellow, under the gap between the two crevices. Link gulped. That was a long jump, and he could not see any obvious way to climb back up. He braced himself for the fall.

"Argh!". He rolled to absorb the impact, but his ankles still took the burn of the landing. He sat down for a moment, gently massaging his legs, and vowed to himself that he would avoid such high jumps as much as possible. He also took a gulp of water from his flask, thankful that Ravio insisted to take one with him. "Dehydration is one of the most common causes if death, Mr. Hero!", he said with no small amount of excitement. For a cheerful bunny, his humor was a bit too bleak at times.

As it turned out, the "cave" that he had found was nothing more than a tiny tunnel that led to the entrance of another cave. Still, that small tunnel had allowed him to get to the other side of the mighty mountainpeaks he was on top of no moments earlier. Trying to go around by any other means would take ages. "Clever shortcut.", he mused.

Link entered the new cave. It was paved, and lit up with lampposts. There was a steep staircase that led to much higher ground. When he reached the top, he saw that the walls have the same blue patterns as the ones he had seen earlier in that other place.

"Another fountain…".

Link was stumped. He had run into not one, but two fairy fountains in the span of less than a hour. Just like the fountain before, the space was cool but not unpleasantly so, the smell of the sulfur was absent – Link had not realized how polluted the air he was breathing was up until that point – and the fairies were fluttering around without a care in the world. The whole scene was serene and welcoming.

Link decided to rest here a little.

He sat down in the fountain, absorbing the coolness of the water. The fairies danced around him, covering him in their magic, and Link felt the pain in his leg and his fatigue fading away. Suddenly he felt a tingling sensation inside his right forearm. Surprised, he rolled up his sleeve to see the glowing scar that Yuga had left him not three days earlier. To his astonishment, the malicious glow was now somewhat softer, and the numbness in his arm had subsidized a bit. He testily flexed his fingers, and he realized that they were now easier to move. "Woah… Fairies really can heal anything…". He was grateful.

Feeling refreshed, he decided to take another fairy with him. "Time to go.".

The fairies waved him goodbye, and with a glowing smile, Link waved back. The tiny fairy that he had taken with him was waving too. Link carefully placed the bottle in his pouch.

He looked around for a new entrance and he chuckled a bit. This was the dead-end cave that he had found earlier. He was back where he came from. He jumped down and went outside, venturing down the route that he had left alone earlier.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight around the corner. Nothing.

Two mighty stone pillars were on each side of a long stone bridged that stretched across the void, the entrance of which was blocked by large logs. A weather vane was asleep next to the east pillar. Ahead of him, at the other end of the bridge, a large shadow loomed over the young swordsman.

Heavy, and so tall that he could not see the top before the volcanic fog shtouded it, with small windows like a fortress, covered in red stone and white gargoyles, this was the place that made even the best swordsmen and knight of Hyrule cower, and tempted many others.

The legendary Tower of Hera.

Author Notes: IT'S ALIIIIIIVE! I. AM NOT. DEAD. Yeah, I know, it's hard to believe. Most authors write a note "I'll get back soon after I settle this and that", and they NEVER do so. Unfortunately, I've done the same thing a few times over. BUT! I refuse to abandon this fic! Most of the time I would drop my stories due to the lack of plot, but this is a novelization, so I had no such problems. This fanfic will be complete.

I was able to write the first four thousand or so words during the year, and I've written all the rest in the last few days. I'm pretty sure this is the second largest chapter I have ever written, and it was a great pleasure to get back to writing. I feel so good right now... Um, yeah. I'm finally done with school too - as in, FOR GOOD - so I'll be able to update a few more times during the summer. At least I hope so, but it's only a matter of time before you'll be reading the Tower of Hera.

Anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for the long absence! I already have plans for all the chapter up to the tenth. After the Tower of Hera, aka. the next chapter, the following section of the fanfic will be the toughest one to write. I would REALLY appreciate any reviews or PMs.

Please review! I'm glad to be back!