It's been a while, but it's finally up. (Whew!) If I get any details wrong, just tell me and I'll fix it, kay?
Another note: ...sorry about the messed up format thing...
Chapter 3
Never Forget the Legend
The interior of the building known as Cellar was very dank and cold. The stone walls dripped with a little water, and Link shivered slightly. He didn't like it much, but it actually reminded him of the Snowhead Temple, it was so cold. There were lit torches propped up all around, and Link could see no guards at the time being. That was a good thing in a way, but it also meant that the guards could take him by surprise more easily. He had learned from his experience in temples and such that sometimes a room that didn't have any enemies in it was either the most dangerous or most puzzling of all.
Carefully notching an arrow, Link stepped to one side of the room. He had good aim and a swift reload time. If he saw a guard, he could easily knock the guard out. Quietly and carefully, he sidestepped over to where the next door opening was, on the side of the room. He listened for the footsteps of the Hylian guards.
His keen hearing told him that there were at least five guards in the room. There were distinctly five sets of footsteps, but Link's senses told him that there were more than that. There was someone very close to the doorway who happened to be breathing hard, and was not moving.
Taking a chance, Link peeked around into the doorway. Immediately, he pulled his head back. There was one other guard besides the ones he had sensed. This guard was looking straight at the doorway where Link had peeked in through, and from the noise that was now being made, had seen him.
"I saw something move," Link heard a voice. It had to be the guard. Knowing that he would be found soon, Link decided to knock out the guard. He swiftly pulled himself around the corner and fired his loaded arrow right in the appropriate spot to knock the guard out.
The guard fell, and the other six guards stared in shock. Taking that moment to finish off everything, Link reloaded and fired, calmly and effectively, over and over again. He was sure to aim carefully, so as not to kill any of them.
As the last guard dropped to the ground, Link walked in and picked up all seven of his arrows, before taking a look at the surroundings. It was a relatively small room with what looked like a metal trapdoor in the middle of the room. Curious, Link walked over to the trapdoor and slid it open.
It wasn't locked, and as Link looked down into the room below, he could see that the room was just like the rest of the building, but had a large pile of sticks in one corner. On the floor next to the pile, he saw the shape of what looked like a ball. His instincts told him what the figure really was, and worried, Link dropped down.
Almost immediately, the figure uncurled, revealing what looked like a young male goron. Link was reminded of Darunia' son, many years before, who had given him the Goron's Tunic years ago. Darunia had named his son after Link, for the deeds he had done. Link smiled, remembering the Gorons and their power. Not to mention that being one was actually quite fun. The Goron's Mask had given him the chance to know what it was like to be a Goron.
The Goron slowly stood, unclenching fists and shaking tense muscles loose. He shook his head as though he were trying to clear up some thoughts. His feet pounded against the stone floor, as he pulled himself up to his full height, which was in fact a good deal taller than Link. Link himself stepped back, knowing the full strength and potential the arm of a Goron held.
As the Goron finally looked up into Link's eyes, Link could see tension and anger within the young Goron. The Goron stared at Link, narrowing his eyes. "They send a child as an interrogator...that's new," He mumbled to himself. He studied Link cautiously. "He even has a sword..."
"I'm not here to harm you in any way," Link said, trying to stay calm and focused. This Goron could easily smash him into a pulp.
"I don't trust you." The Goron circled around to where the trapdoor was, above the heads of both Link and himself. "Although it seems certain that the guards are definitely not listening."
Link chuckled to himself. "I believe it would be very hard for them to listen, considering that they're not even conscious."
Whirling around as fast as one of his kind could, the Goron eyed the sword and shield on Link's back. Link gulped. The Goron obviously thought of him as dangerous. Link himself was only afraid of the Goron because he knew of their strength, and from what he had been told earlier from Shaelon, the Gorons and the Hylians did not like each other very much.
"Your sword...and your shield...what is the purpose of such items in your hands? What have you slain with your weapon?" The Goron asked, suspiciously.
"Uh...stuff," Link said without even pausing to realize what he was saying.
The Goron paced menacingly up to Link. "You are a poor liar," the Goron gripped Link by the shoulders, stopping any motions for any attack. Link kept a straight face. He had faced more terrible foes than a single Goron, which strangely enough, could possibly have been the Happy Mask Salesman when he had failed to return Majora's Mask after being transformed back to his normal form from the curse given to him earlier. "What is the truth? Tell me!" The Goron asked with urgency.
Link stared the Goron straight in the eye. "Never a Goron – or Zora, or Gerudo, or Shiekah, or Hylian, or Kokiri either, for that matter." The Goron was now staring at Link with a more confused face than before. "Dodongo, yes. Goron, never."
The Goron released Link so swiftly that he fell down. Link winced slightly from the fall, but once again stood. The Goron turned, facing away from Link. "So you say."
Link breathed in a few times. So far, the meeting had gone better than he had expected. But he wanted to be on good terms with the Goron, not simply another Hylian. "Um...what's your name?" he asked cautiously. The Goron turned and stared in complete confusion at Link. "I just don't feel comfortable talking to you calling you Goron," Link explained, still being careful.
"I believe I would like to know your name first," the Goron beady black eyes peered suspiciously into Link's own blue.
"My name is Link."
The Goron's eyes widened. Link could almost feel the tension in the Goron melt into complete surprise. The face of the Goron was also shocked as well. "Name is Link...has killed Dodongos..." The Goron's now inquisitive face seemingly wanted some answers. "Are you by chance descended from the great brother Link, Dodongo Buster and Hero of the Gorons?"
It was Link's turn to stare. For once, he was completely speechless. Of course, he actually WAS these things, but he didn't know what to say. "Uh...yes, I am," Link answered unsurely.
The Goron began to smile. Slowly, he breathed out in relief, at the same time looking at Link with awe. "So, you say. You are the first Hylian ever to show me some sort of respect, and the other ones were always quite rude, even if they were unarmed. Yet, you have a sword, a shield, and probably many other weapons of different sorts, yet you treat me like an equal."
Link shrugged. "I've had my share of being treated in different ways." It was true, Link thought quietly to himself. Being made fun of by Mido, almost getting knocked out by the Gorons, as well as almost being made the Goron Leader in Termina, and the Deku Scrub curse had been terrible too. Not to mention being thrown in a dungeon by the Gerudos, and too many other events to name.
The Goron straightened up and bowed. Link was a little surprised by this action, but stayed silent. "I am Darcen, the son of Big Brother Karunen, descendant of the great Sage of Fire, Darunia."
"You're a descendant of Darunia?!" Link almost asked in shock. He clearly remembered many moments with Darunia, such as when the goron had danced around the room and given him the Goron Bracelet. If Darcen was a descendant, then maybe he could learn what had happened in the thousand years of his own absence. "What's happened in the history of Hyrule? What's happened recently? Why is everything like this? Why-" Link's outburst of concerned questions was paused by Darcen holding up a single powerful hand.
"You seem to be concerned about how Hyrule is doing nowadays. I can answer all of your questions," Darcen nodded, "But now, there is something else going on." The young goron pointed up towards the trapdoor exit.
Link listened carefully. There was some rustling and groaning taking place above them. Link tried to remember what had happened up there when he had entered...security...arrows...then it hit him. He could remember everything that had taken place. "Oh no...the guards must have regained consciousness..." he himself groaned. "If they see me down here..."
Darcen whirled around, looking for a place for Link to hide. Link also peered around the room quickly. He remembered the room being like the rest of the Cellar, with its dank walls and stone feeling, and that it had had a large pile of sticks in the corner. The eyes of both beings rested on that pile. Knowing what to do, Link leaped forward and buried himself into the pile.
Darcen helped by piling more of the twigs on top of Link. The many sticks helped to conceal the bright green clothes that would have served as good camouflage in the Lost Woods. However, since the entire room was a stone cellar, green would stand out even more. It was this problem that Darcen and Link found when it seemed that Link was already close to the bottom of the pile.
Of the pair in the room, the goron was the one more concerned. He kept on peering up at the trapdoor, worried that the guards might look down any moment. The groaning and moaning of the guards were turning into sounds of stretching and pacing. Darcen could tell that they were kind of suspicious as to what was going on. Urgently, he lowered his head to the pile of sticks. "Link, isn't there some way we can hide you?!" he whispered.
Link could only whisper back, "I don't really think there is, unless we can put something on top of the pile; preferably something light."
"That's it!!" Darcen snapped his fingers, and then looked down at the bits of green that showed through the pile. Seemingly, he knew what he was doing, but wasn't quite so sure about it. Then he sighed. His mind was made up. "Link, I am really, really sorry about this," Darcen whispered into the pile.
"What?!" Link would have yelled, but because of the guards, it came out as a tiny whisper that no one heard.
Darcen turned around, made sure that he knew what he was doing, and flopped down onto the pile of sticks; right on top of the area where Link was hiding. A few sticks broke from the goron's heavy weight..
"AUGH!! Darcen! What in the name of Din are you doing?!" Link whispered in shock.
"Just be quiet! Trust me!" Darcen whispered back in urgency.
Link had no choice but to relax. The sticks poked into many areas of his body, which made the hiding spot already uncomfortable, but now there was also this huge weight above him, which pushed all of the sticks above him down. In all, Link was not particularly enjoying this one moment.
Above the two in the room above, the guards were now fully awake. Link and Darcen could hear their voices as they conversed about their headaches and the strange occurrence not long before.
"I told you that I saw something move," the voice of the guard that had seen Link earlier came down.
"Whatever that was, they must have purposely tried to knock us out. They would have killed us otherwise," another one stated.
There was a sigh. "That's very good accuracy then," said another voice.
Another groan came to Link's pointed ears. "The good accuracy hurt."
Link smiled slightly. The soldiers didn't know it, but they were actually complimenting his archery skills. The smile quickly faded as one of the sticks nearly poked him in the eye.
Another voice of a soldier came in. "The trapdoor's open. Someone opened it."
At once, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard. Link couldn't see it, but he could almost feel the fierce glares of the soldiers as they stared down in through the trapdoor. But instead of a cry, he heard a puzzled remark. Maybe the soldiers hadn't glared down after all...
"Hey you! Goron! What are you doing?!"
Was Darcen a good actor? Right now, the acting skills were all that would keep Link out of trouble.
"I'm relaxing as best I can on a pile of sticks! Can't you see that?!" Darcen yelled irritably.
He certainly seemed so.
Before anything else could happen, the sudden chime of a loud, huge, brass bell rang throughout the building. The vibrations of the huge bell shook everything, including Link in his hiding place. He tried to settle himself down without moving the sticks too much. He didn't want to give himself away. The good thing was, Darcen was still on top of him. This meant that Darcen hadn't been effected by the vibrations quite as much as he.
However, this entire bell obviously meant something to the guards. There was the sound of shuffling and gasps. "A raid! We must hurry!" one of them yelled. At once, with the sounds of clanking armor accompanying them, the yells of the guards faded away into what sounded like distance. Silence followed.
Darcen rolled off of the pile. His muscles groaning in protest, Link pushed his way out of the pile as well. He kicked away a few splintered twigs. "Let's hope we never do that again..." he said relieved, rubbing his aching back.
It was quite evident that the entire building was now completely empty save for Link and Darcen. There was no movement; no sound of anything living above. The steady sound of dripping water was a reminder that the entire place was damp, and only the slightest bit of light from a lit torch above allowed anything to be seen. The guards, in their haste, had extinguished most of the torches.
"Well," Link finally exclaimed, placing his hands behind his head, "Shall we get out of this place?"
Darcen stared. "How? I can't exactly jump, and I know that I'm too heavy for you to lift, if you want to try it that way."
Link smiled, and pulled out his Hookshot.
Positioning himself so that he could see what was above the trapdoor, he searched the ceiling above for a target that would work to pull him up. A few planks of wood on the ceiling that could only be seen at angle caught his attention. Aiming the Hookshot, Link fired, keeping his hold on tightly as the hook thudded deep into the wood.
He closed his eyes as the chain retracted, giving a cry as the chain pulled him along with it. He felt the wind rush past like it always did whenever he used this weapon, and at the last minute, opened his eyes to see the hook retract completely. He dropped to the floor, smiling as he saw the trapdoor leading down a few feet away.
Link walked up to the door. "Darcen!!! Just do what I did, and you can get out!!!" With that, Link dropped the Hookshot down.
As he stared down, he saw Darcen pick up the Hookshot and eye it carefully. "How...does this work?"
Link stepped to the other side of the trapdoor. "Can you see these wooden boards?" Darcen nodded. "Okay, aim that thing right at them."
Darcen held out the Hookshot straight up towards the boards. Link silently wondered if that was how he looked when he used the Hookshot. A question from below the floor called up. "Now what?"
"Um, you see the button? Press it, then hold on as tightly as you can."
A few moments later, a huge brown blur and a cry of surprise followed the retracting Hookshot chain. Even Link stared. He hadn't actually seen the Hookshot in action, because only he had used it before.
Then, there was a huge thump, and then a booming sound. Link ran over to Darcen, who had landed on his back. Concerned, he asked, "Are you all right?"
"Ow...is hitting your head on your target a normal part of using this weapon?" Darcen sat up, rubbing his head. "If it is, then I'm not too excited to use it again."
Link stared. "Well...maybe it's a first time thing. It's never happened to me before."
Darcen handed the Hookshot back to Link. "Thank you...for getting me out." It was a sincere thank you. The Goron's face seemed almost sorry about something, but thankful at the same time. "And...sorry for how I treated you before. There's been a lot of mistrust between races."
I know, Link thought silently. He opened his mouth to reply. But there was a sudden shout from another source.
"LINK!!! HURRY UP!!! THERE'S TROUBLE!!!"
Link immediately closed his mouth and turned to where the yell had come from. Shaelon came running at full speed into the room, evidently worried. She eyed Darcen for a moment.
"It's okay, he's with us. His name is Darcen. What's wrong?" Link asked urgently.
Shaelon breathed, "Goron raid. All the guards went to help, but the Gorons seem pretty determined to get in here. I need you to go out there and do something!!" She gave Link a good looking down. "If you are the Hero of Time, I'm sure you can do something."
Darcen's eyes went wide open. "He-Hero of Time?!?! The Great Hero of the Gorons, Dodongo Buster?"
Link worriedly answered, "I'll explain later. But Shaelon," he turned to her, "I can't just run out and yell, 'I am the Hero of Time and you must all stop fighting!!' First off, no one will believe, and secondly, I can't admit my true identity!!"
Darcen suddenly ran forward. Link ran after the Goron, and easily caught up.
Darcen stared Link in the eyes. "My best guess is that the other Gorons are here because I am. Maybe if I can get there, they'll stop attacking!!"
Link nodded. "Shaelon, we're going!"
All three scrambled out of the Cellar.
Outside, the entire town was in chaos. Cuccos and dogs were jumping into unimaginable places (for example, tops of houses), while their owners scrambled to retrieve them. Some people went into their houses for shelter, while others ran around screaming in terror. Even more so, they ran away from Link, Shaelon, and Darcen because Darcen was a Goron. In a way, this helped them run to make their way to the Town Square.
The Gorons had already managed to break into the town when the three got there. Soldiers were running from all directions with swords withdrawn, aiming at specific Gorons. Those Gorons however, managed to block those blows quite well.
Darcen apparently caught the eye of one soldier specifically. That one soldier cried out, raised his sword, and charged directly at Darcen. Darcen noticed, turned, and was too slow to move out of the way. It would have been too late – but Link was already on it.
Without warning, Link had whipped out his own glittering sword, and neatly parried the blow. The soldier's eyes widened in shock at the young boy who had blocked his sword. "What do you think you're doing, boy?!" the soldier shouted.
"Simply defending another," Link answered curtly. The soldier's eyes now blazed with an inborn fire.
"Insolent child!! Traitor to our cause!! You shall pay!!" the soldier sent forth another blow, which Link blocked, sparks flying everywhere.
The soldier was clearly out of his mind. He raged and tried to slash at Link in every possible way, trying to kill him. Link blocked every single one of these blows with precision, and then finally, when the soldier closed in for another attack, Link hit the soldier on the head with the flat of his blade. The sound of a ringing helmet sounded as the soldier's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and the man fell, unconscious.
Shaelon and Darcen were silent. They had just witnessed a battle in which it seemed as though the soldier had had the upper hand, but then Link had had better sword technique and skill, and thus defeated him. The two stared at Link in amazement as he sheathed his sword.
"...Wow..." Shaelon breathed as her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Uh...yes..." Link nodded silently, more as a note to himself to try and not fight in public.
However, there was something else that quickly caught the eyes of the three. There was some strange commotion coming from the other side of the square. With worried looks, Link, Darcen, and Shaelon all scampered to where the commotion was taking place.
It seemed as though everyone was crowded around two specific combatants. All the Hylians were somewhat worried, as were all of the Gorons. Link silently wondered why, and pushed his way through the crowd. He didn't really need to; most of the Hylians backed away in fear when they saw Darcen striding along. This helped to open up a path through the crowd for Shaelon, who was more behind Darcen in their line order.
However, Darcen and Shaelon's journey forward stopped. Link had suddenly stopped where he was, staring at what was going on in the middle of the crowd. There was a gap here, and this was where everything was taking place. There was a feeling of tension here; Link could see why.
In the center of the gap was Temron, panting and sweaty. His eyes were dulled with exhaustion, sword loose in his grip. His eyes darted to the side, watching his opponent, but also noticing Shaelon close by. With a slight gasp, he backed away. Shaelon could only stare with worry.
To Link, what worried him the most was whom the opponent was. A strong Goron, with bulging muscles and tight features, was facing Temron. Sweat beaded down the Goron's forehead, muscles tense and ready. Somehow, this Goron reminded Link exactly of Darunia, beard and all. Close by, Darcen began to breath hard. The Goron facing Temron turned his whole head towards Darcen, but kept his eyes locked onto Temron.
Link realized that this Goron that so resembled Darunia, was Karunen, the Big Brother of the Gorons, and father of Darcen.
Quickly, he glanced into the eyes of both fighters. There was no real motive in them to fight each other; now that Karunen had found his son, he probably would have preferred leaving. But Temron and Karunen's eyes never left each other. Link realized it in a second. They were afraid of what the one might do to the other; they were afraid that they would be killed by the other; and thus would battle until one backed away...or was killed.
And that was what Link couldn't allow to happen. Shaelon and Darcen didn't deserve to lose any family members. Especially when Karunen looked practically like Darunia, Link's old friend, and a sad Shaelon would be like Malon when Ingo had had control of the ranch...strangely enough, Temron was nothing like Talon.
Both fighters decided to have one final blow. Link thought quickly. If only they knew about the feelings of the other...but no, that had to be forgotten in battle, right? He saw Temron's sword lift up high in readiness, and Karunen's heavy, muscled arm pull back in reply.
Link looked around hurriedly. No one was ready; no one stop it...who could?
Unbeknowst to him, a familiar symbol on the back of his left hand began to glow. Slowly, Link reached to where his sword lay across his back. He heard a few gasps from behind, but ignored them. He didn't need his shield; not for this; otherwise, he would have slung it down into the usual position. Carefully, he gripped the handle, and stepped forward into the gap.
Temron and Karunen brought down their sword and fist, aiming for what would be a killing blow. But one thing stopped them.
Most who were watching stared at the sight; one that would be remembered for a long time afterwards. Link's entire body now glowed, and in one instant, he withdrew his sword in the same quick way he had for so long, and raised it high, the golden flat facing each fighter.
And in this way, blocked both attacks.
Temron's eyes widened as he saw the strange, almost foreign boy he had let into the town earlier completely stop his attack towards the Goron, and at the same time halt the Goron's attack as well. The gilded sword of Link slipped slightly, but Link held it firm.
Karunen's black eyes widened as well, but also noticed the fact that Link had used the flat of his blade. And also had his back to him. Karunen stared into the blank face inscribed on the shield that Link carried, and saw his own reflection in it. There was a reason Link had that strange shield...Karunen stepped away, for he could see that this boy was a skilled fighter, and besides, it could also give him time to maybe grab his son and get away.
Link felt the pressure of Karunen's fist leave one side of his sword, and immediately afterwards, brought it down. He had been using the pressure of both Karunen's fist and Temron's sword to hold the sword in place, but now that one side of it was gone, the sword was much more liable to slip. Besides, by itself, it was a weak blocking position to be in.
Temron stared, and tried to move quickly past the young glowing fighter, who turned out to be faster. He tried to use the flat of his sword to push Link aside; but Link blocked this blow as well. "What are you doing?!" the man cried out confusedly.
Link didn't answer. He turned around, and saw that Karunen had backed away and was in no mood for more fighting. That was a good sign.
The other soldiers and Gorons had stopped what they were doing, and were now staring at Link, mesmerized by what was going on. It was evident that they had not forgotten the Legend, for the ones closest that had a full view of the Triforce of Courage that shone on the back of Link's hand all stopped everything they were doing to watch. Eyes kept shifting to former opponents, but eventually, all that was forgotten.
"Listen," Link backed out from between the two and faced them both, speaking with a voice which betrayed his physical age; it sounded somewhat deeper; with more authority and maturity than anyone in the town would have thought for someone his age. "Neither of you wish to fight. It is the fear of death and destruction to you and your families that you fear. You – " Link faced towards Karunen, "You came here for that reason. Your son, captured by ones whom you counted as enemies."
Link felt a strange sense of foreboding; that something would happen soon. The Triforce was activating these feelings; telling him something. There was no peace...a cloak of darkness shrouded his vision for a swift moment...the strong flow of power and wisdom that were the other two pieces of the Triforce were also pulsing into him...from another source...
Was it possible that Gannondorf and Zelda...
Zelda...
Link's body glowed even stronger, and he knew. He knew that what had happened to him in the past few moments was a warning. He spoke the warning out loud, "There is no more time for this. An age of darkness is about to engulf Hyrule; unless you can unite in a common goal, this darkness will reign forever. Ally yourselves with the other races; unite as one people. Only with the strength of unity will this darkness be destroyed.
"I understand your differences. I don't know how this hostility began; the Hero of Time did not fight evil to let you fight each other." This, was quite true...Link hadn't fought for nothing... "You must make an effort...look at each other for the souls within, not race...not now...unite..."
The glow was beginning to fade now. Everything he had felt earlier was fading. Except for his courage...that had never faded...as the glow died, Link could feel his energy depleted. The Triforce must have used his natural energy to give him all the feelings he had felt earlier. Normally, his stamina could allow him to continue on, but natural energy?
He dropped down to his knees, sweat beading off of his forehead. He hadn't realized he was tired; his vision was becoming blurry, and he couldn't tell which direction was down anymore. His breathing was becoming shallower...he heard multiple people calling out to him, but couldn't discern what they were saying...Letting this exhaustion and lack of energy take over, he collapsed.
There was a rumbling noise...no more clashing of swords, or the pounding of fists, but...more like the talk of bewildered people and Gorons. The ground seemed to be moving up and down now; Link hoped that the place he was in was safe enough to faint in.
With that, he closed his eyes, and let the darkness of unconsciousness overtake him.