Link mounted Epona and rode like the wind to the west. He rode across the width of Hyrule field, riding to the south of Lon-Lon Ranch, and the plateau on which it stood. He rode all night. He was chased once by a poe, but the evil spectre could not keep up with Link. Link finally arrived at the Gerudo Valley just after dawn. He rode up the narrow path to the first bridge easily. That first bridge was no more than a heavy deku plank. Link had trouble keeping Epona from bolting, because she was unsure of her footing and scared, even with Link riding her. They crossed that bridge and came to the rope bridge over the Hylia River Canyon. The bridge itself was quite broken, only the two downward sloping approaches were in place. Had they been breakable, they too would probably be kindling driftwood in Lake Hylia. Link lined Epona up and brought her to full gallop!
Epona rode faster than she ever had before! She was frightened, but trusted Link. She ran straight for where the bridge had been, and jumped over the gorge! Link quickly slowed her to a trot, and rode back toward the bridge, where the master carpenter's tent was pitched. The west plateau where they were was crescent shaped, with the path leading up to the Gerudo Fortress on the outer side of the crescent. The plateau ran along the canyon for about two hundred yards, most of that to the south of the trail to the fortress. The carpenter's tent was pitched on the north end of the plateau. Link stopped Epona next to the tent and dismounted. The master carpenter came out to see who had rode up.
He hadn't aged visibly since Link saw him last in Kakariko. He was still old, and still amazingly large, strong, and healthy. The carpenter looked at Link and said, "I am a master craftsman! Those Gerudo thieves, they broke their bridge! I want to fix it, as they hired me to do, but all my men are gone! They said that working as carpenters was too boring, and they went to the Gerudo Fortress to become thieves!"
The carpenter paused for a moment. Then, he asked, "Hey you! If you're going to the fortress, would you mind finding out what my workers are doing out there?"
Link replied, "I'll be going to the fortress, but not today! I came out here to bring you this." Link took the poacher's saw off of his t-frame, and held it out to the carpenter.
The master craftsman exclaimed, "Hey, that saw! It's mine! But, I thought I left that saw with my old lady. Oh, well… My Biggoron tool broke, so I was going to Goron City to get it repaired. Your coming here is great timing. Will you give me my saw?"
Link answered, "Of course. That's why I rode out here with it." The carpenter accepted the saw from Link.
The carpenter said, "Good Kid! Thanks! I'm sorry that I can't give you something as good in return, but… take this anyway!" He handed Link the three pieces of Arliss's two-handed sword!
Link said, "Thank you, for returning my father's sword to me." The carpenter looked at Link with fear in his eyes, and said, "You're wrong, kid! I bought this sword!"
The Hero of Time answered, "In a way, you did. You paid for it with your reputation, and the life of your son!"
The master craftsman looked at Link and said, "You…"
Link interrupted, "No. I didn't kill your son! You did. And you did not use my hands to kill him; I tried to save his life! Your stealing the sword was the cause of his moodiness and madness! That madness caused him finally to take refuge in the Lost Woods, with your saw in hand! The curse of the Lost Woods claimed him.
"I happened upon him, because my father told me where I would find him. I rode non-stop to Kakariko and back, trying in vain to save his life! Your mother-in-law made a potion, that had I been able to get it to him in time would have saved his life! I rode holding nothing back, and failed by only minutes! He had already passed into the last stages of becoming a Stalfos, and had run off leaving your saw behind! One of my countrymen, a girl of ten was in need of the potion for a different reason. She received the potion and her life was saved.
"I am not a vengeful man. Besides, you have suffered enough for robbing my father's grave, desecrating his body, and trying to defraud me of my inheritance. It is your son's forgiveness that you must seek. And you will never know whether or not you have it, until you've joined him in the realm of the dead. You have the rest of your life to ponder upon it, and if I have any power to affect things, your life will be a long one! You have your wife and daughter still, be grateful for them. Go with fortune!" Link quickly and carefully put the two blade pieces in one of the inside pockets of his tunic. He tied the hilt of the sword to his t-frame by its thong, mounted Epona, and jumped back over the canyon! He crossed the plank bridge slowly, barely keeping Epona from panicking. He rode the rest of the path back to Hyrule Field and rode north on the west road.
Epona was tiring from all the galloping. Link took the ride more slowly, and arrived at the Kakariko Steps just after sunset. He dismounted and ran up the steps into Kakariko Village. He ran through the village common, up the three flights of steps to the north gate. He ran through the gate, and up the path up Death Mountain.
The path was slightly more dangerous then it had been seven years ago. Tektites still lurked on the path, and Link was obliged to kill two of them as he climbed up the path. But Death Mountain itself had become more dangerous because of its eruptions. There were several huge boulders partly blocking his path. But these boulders were the good news! The bad news was the procession of huge boulders rolling down the path toward him. These boulders, though they behaved according to nature, were magic! They disappeared before they got to Kakariko. But they would easily crush Link if he let them!
He covered the path much more quickly than he had as a child. He reached his magic bean plant at the mouth of Dodongo's Cavern just over an hour after leaving Kakariko Village. He stepped on the plant, and it took him most of the way to the summit of Death Mountain in less than a minute, making Link's ears pop with the sudden ascent! He stepped off of the plant just as it started back down, and contemplated the last dangerous part of his voyage.
He ran down the path at full speed! As he did, he was showered with huge flaming boulders from the very bowels of Death Mountain! He dodged, ducked, and rolled along the path. He came to the wall just after dawn.
He was attacked by a red tektite! He gave it one quick furious chop with the Master Sword, and sent it into oblivion! He turned his attention to the three skullwalltullahs on the climbing wall. He killed the first one with his hookshot. But the other two were out of range! He climbed up the wall and to his left, dropping on the first ledge, a third of the way up. From that vantage, he was able to kill the last two skullwalltullahs. He quickly climbed the rest of the wall, reaching the summit at mid-morning. He walked to where he remembered the giant Goron hibernating from years before.
This time, the giant Goron sat up, and moaned in pain, rubbing his eyes! He walked to Biggoron, and the giant spoke to him. "My brother opened a new store. It's Medigoron's Blade Store. However, I am better at making blades." Link said, "You are Biggoron the Smith?" Biggoron answered, "Yes." Link said, "I have a blade that was made by you years ago. A carpenter who came into possession of it years ago misused it as an axe, and broke it! I need it reforged." Link took the pieces of Arliss's sword, and offered it to the Goron giant. Biggoron held the three pieces in the palm of his hand, and felt them for a moment. He told Link, "That broken knife is surely my work! I really want to repair it, but because of yesterday's eruptions, my eyes are burned, and I can barely see!
"There are fine eye drops in Zora's Domain. You will find them if you go to see King Zora. Can you get me the eye drops, please?"
Link answered, "Yes. I'll get the eye drops for you. How will King Zora know you sent me?"
The giant Goron reached down into his crater and pulled out a small trident. Small by the standards of a giant Goron made the trident almost as big as the Master Sword! Biggoron said, "When he was a young man, and he still travelled abroad, King Zora came to have me make him some of these little forks. I've found them relaxing to make from time to time, but haven't sold him any in years! I made this one last week. He'll recognize my work, and the newness of the metal."
Link accepted the trident, and hooked it onto his t-frame. He said, "It will be a day or two before I'm back."
Biggoron answered, "I will be here." Link turned around, and started the long dangerous journey to Zora's Domain.
Link jumped down to each ledge in turn, and finally to the path below. He ran, ducked, and rolled along the path to the grotto, avoiding the flaming boulders sometimes by a hair's breadth! He jumped down the ledge below the grotto entry hole, and ran down the path to where it met with the path to Goron City. He kept running, noticing that there were no Gorons waiting along the path. But sadly, Link already knew where the Gorons were. He only hoped that he could rescue them in time! He kept running down the path as fast as he could, and re-entered Kakariko just after sunset.
He ran through Kakariko, down the steps to Hyrule Field, and mounted Epona. He rode her at full gallop to where he had to swim the Hylia River to enter Zora's Domain. He had thought of taking the shortcut through Goron City and the Lost Woods. But he knew he would have to have Epona at the ready to get to Lake Hylia before the eyeball frog spoiled. He would have no time to waste calling Epona and waiting for her to run to him!
He swam the river, and ran up the path to Zora's River. He got to where the magic bean seller had been when Link was a child. There of course was no vendor. But the octoroks had become more numerous. Two of them attacked him! Link had no time to play with them, though. He jumped most of the way across the narrow river, and swam the rest of the way to the opposite shore. He climbed back onto dry land, and ran the path he had run as a child. He stood before the waterfall just before mid-day. He noticed that the air was much colder than he had remembered. He also knew why the air was colder, and shivered not from the cold, but from revulsion of the cruelty! He played the Song of the Royal Family, and the waters of the waterfall parted. Link jumped across the open space, and was in Zora's Domain.
Every drop of water in Zora's Domain was frozen solid! Flakes of snow floated in the air, but didn't seem to accumulate. Link ran down the path, his mind wandering back to the last time he had been there. How different it had been then! Especially after he had defeated the barranade inside of Jabu-Jabu's belly! From the moment he found Princess Ruto searching for the Zora's Sapphire within Jabu-Jabu's belly, she had nagged and complained at him! She even made him carry her on his shoulders! And for once, Saria was no help at all! She actually revelled in the abuse Ruto heaped upon him! At least she did, until after Link had defeated the barranade, and Ruto not only presented him with the Sacred Stone, but also forced upon him her sacred hand in marriage, and almost gave her body as well! Saria was a woman scorned, and nothing could match her fury!
He had walked carefully because of the ice, and now stood next to where King Zora was entombed in a block of red ice! The last words Ruto spoke to him, at least as he lived time, were "Please don't tell my father!" At the time, he had no intention of telling the King. At the time, he had no time to tell the King! Ruto's kiss and grope of his manhood were unwelcome. But they had also aroused him, and Saria was mad enough to kill them both! Link had to run as fast as he could to the short cut to the Lost Woods to catch Saria, and he barely made it! If Saria had had the silver scale Link had, she would have made it to Zora's Domain, and gutted Ruto before King Zora's unbelieving eyes!
But, that was seven years ago, even though it wasn't quite a week for Link! Now, King Zora would be told nothing, at least not until Link had thawed him! The Hero of Time took the bottle of blue fire, and poured it on the block of red ice imprisoning King Zora. The red ice melted in less than half a minute, and King Zora started to move. Remembering the King's farsightedness, Link quickly and carefully negotiated the icy path to the platform from which visitors spoke to the King. Zora exclaimed, "Oh—I've come back to life! Was it you who saved me? Don't be nervous!"
Link answered, "It was I, your majesty."
The King said, "It looks like you have a hard time breathing underwater. As an expression of my gratitude, I grant you this tunic. With this, you won't choke underwater." King Zora picked up a bluish grey tunic from beside him, and tossed it across to Link. Link caught the tunic, and wedged it behind his tunic. King Zora said, "Is there something else you want, Hyrule?" Link was surprised! King Zora recognized him. He also recognized who he was, addressing him by his title, as a king would to a lesser noble, not by name!
Link regained his composure, and said, "Yes, your majesty. Biggoron the Smith asked me to get some eye drops from you. He sent me with this trident to prove I came at his bidding."
King Zora answered, "You may keep or dispose of the trident as you see fit, Link. Even if you sought the eye drops for amusement, I would owe them to you. You not only saved my life, but I know you are the Hero of Time, and ride to defeat Ganondorf to free the entire realm! Ruto was also very fond of you, even if you were already married when she met you!" Link was even more shocked!
King Zora continued kindly, "Go ahead and secure that tunic onto your pack properly while we talk, Link. I don't want you to lose it!" Link did as the King told him. King Zora said, "As for the eye drops. You might say we have them, you might say we don't! We do have the main ingredient. If you take this eyeball frog to the master potioner at Lake Hylia, he can make the drops for you. But you need to deliver it fresh! It will only keep for a day, and the underwater path to Lake Hylia is frozen over solid on this end, unless you've already found a way to thaw it! Can you make it before the frog spoils?"
Link answered, "Yes, your majesty." Link had just finished putting his t-frame back onto his back. King Zora tossed Link an eyeball frog! Link caught the frog, and put it the inside pocket of his tunic. Zora said, "Go with fortune, and quickly! I don't have that many frogs left if you let this one go bad!"
Link replied, "Thanks, your majesty!" and left at a full run!
He quickly ran through Zora's Domain, being more lucky than careful not to slip on the ice. He jumped through the waterfall and back out to Zora's River. He started running along the path, but after crossing the rope bridge, decided it would be quicker if he swam. The water was much shallower than he remembered. But the wading didn't slow him down much, and the path was enough shorter that he did save time. He swam the last part of Zora's river out to where it became the Hylia River and climbed out next to where Epona waited. He mounted Epona and rode like the wind! He rode southwest, crossing Hyrule field south of Lon-Lon Ranch. He lined Epona up with the two tall fences, and urged her on faster! She easily made both jumps, and they rode to the shore of Lake Hylia.
Link was shocked at the drop in the water level! But he had no time to marvel at any of the sights on this trip! He rode almost to the door of the master potioner's laboratory before he dismounted. He ran to the door of the laboratory and walked in.
He walked up to the master potioner. The potioner introduced himself by saying, "Hello there, son. I'm researching the process of making medicine by mixing Lake Hylia's water with various unusual compounds. Perhaps you've met the old woman who runs the potion shop in Kakariko Village. She is kind of a student of mine." Link was still out of breath. He pulled the eyeball frog from his tunic, and handed it to the potioner. It was still fresh.
The potioner exclaimed, "I haven't seen an eyeball frog like this since Zora's Domain froze over! These eyeballs are so delicious! Tonight I will cook fried eyeballs for the first time in a long time! Uhoy hoy hoo houy hoy! Such great stuff! Please say thank you to King Zora!"
Link regained his voice and said, "No! You are supposed to make eye drops for Biggoron the Smith with the frog, not your supper!"
The potioner said, "Eh? What? These are for making Biggoron's eye drops? Oh, how disappointing! You should have said so in the first place!"
Link answered, "How was I supposed to know that you ate eyeball frogs, too?"
The master potioner ignored the question. Instead, he turned to his compounding bench, frog in hand. He compounded the frog's eyeballs, water from Lake Hylia, and some other assorted powders and fluids. He mixed the lot together, and put it into a star-shaped bottle the size of Link's chest! The potioner said, "Here it is! This medicine doesn't have any preservatives in it. So it won't last long at this temperature. Run as fast as you can to Death Mountain. You're young—you can do it!" He handed the bottle to Link, who buttoned it inside of his tunic. Between the strength of the tunic's buttons, and the strap from the scabbard of the Master Sword, the bottle was held securely in place. But would Link's body heat make the eye drops go bad sooner? Link was horrified at the thought! But he had no other choice. He ran out of the lab without another word!
He rode like the wind the entire length of the west road from Lake Hylia to the Kakariko village steps, arriving there just after dawn. He dismounted with a jump, and landed halfway up the first flight of steps leading to the village common. He ran through the village without a word, and up the Death Mountain Trail! He ran so fast that neither the red tektites nor the boulders could threaten him! He leapt onto the magic bean plant and rode it up to the grotto. He jumped off the huge leaf platform and hit the ground running! He ran down the path to the wall, paying no heed to the boulders crashing down around him! He stopped only long enough to shoot the lowest skullwalltullah, and climbed up the wall! He climbed so quickly the red tektite and the other two skullwalltullahs didn't even know he was there! He reached the summit and ran to where Biggoron waited. He took the huge bottle from beneath his tunic and shouted breathlessly, "I'm back with your medicine, Biggoron!"
The giant smith looked down to Link and said, "Oh, you're back! And you brought me the eye drops! I'm going to use them right now!" The huge Goron took the bottle from Link, removed the stopper, and emptied half of the two-gallon bottle into each eye! He blinked twice, and exclaimed, "Wow! This is stimulating! It's working great! Now I can get back to my blade business! My work takes time, because the blades are so small compared to my size. Come back in three days time, and your sword will be ready. Just be patient, and you will be pleased beyond measure with my work!"
Biggoron looked at broken blade for the first time. He then howled in pain again! "No! It can't be!" He looked at Link, and saw that he was the son of the Duke of Hyrule, whose broken blade he held in his hand! "Must you be so cruel in your vengeance? If you require my life, take it! But don't make me forge the blade of my own doom!"
Link replied, "Nonsense! I have no complaint with you! I am Sworn Brother to your King! And this blade didn't fail my father! The carpenter who stole it from Papa's grave broke it, and only in the last month! Look at the breaks, notice how fresh they are!"
The Giant Smith looked closely at the blade. He said, "I know you speak the truth. I wish I could believe you. But the only man who could convince me has been dead eighteen years!"
Link said, "He can tell you himself, then. I have to call him anyway, because of the special repair I need you to do to this blade." Biggoron quaked in fear as Link played the "Song of the Fathers" on his ocarina. Arliss appeared before Biggoron, looking as he had in life, but as a semi-transparent vision!
Arliss' ghost spoke. "Smith, calm yourself! Had my skill been as good as your blade, I'd still be alive! But the whole realm needs your help and your skill this day! The three of us and the Great Fairy of Swords will make this blade the Sword of Ages! If we don't, Ganondorf will feed your brothers, and your King to Volvagia!" Biggoron answered, "Of course. But I thought the Hero of Time was a Kokiri?" Link answered, "I am Kokiri, Biggoron! I cleared the Dodongos from Dodongo's Cavern seven years ago!" Biggoron looked at Link in amazement, and said, "You're Link?" Arliss retorted, "That's what I named him, Smith!" Biggoron marvelled, "You changed races to hide from the beast?" Link replied sharply, "I hid from no one! I changed races that I could love my life-mate as she loved me!" Link realized that only when he said it. He stood silently in amazement at what love could do to a person. Arliss said, "I had him hidden, Smith. And it is now that I hid him for! Link, it's time. Let's go into the Great Fairy's Fountain. Smith, hold your ear to the opening, and speak softly into it to answer the Great Fairy!"
Link and Arliss's ghost walked into the fountain. The ghost spoke quietly. "My son, you have done well. I see in your heart your concern for the Princess! She is safe. Should you prevail over Ganondorf, she will remain safe. She will not be defiled! She will be hurt again by her father's treachery, for she has yet to see into his heart, and I cannot stop that! But she will not be defiled, nor will she die by fire. She will never know the touch of any except for her husband, who will love her with a heart even larger than yours now, and who will never defile her!" Link heard more in Arliss' words than was there. He answered "Thank you, father. Dampé thought that you would resist more. The ghost answered, "I spoke rashly, even from beyond the grave. But I never cursed Zelda! She was innocent of her father's wrongdoing. Unlike the son of the carpenter, who helped his father rob my grave, Zelda is pure. Now, call the Great Fairy!"
Link played the Song of the Royal Family. The Great Fairy materialized and arose from the waters. "Hello!" she cried. "What is it you seek?" Link answered, "Great Fairy, we seek your help forging the Sword of Ages." She asked, "Do the three of you know what you truly want?" Biggoron said "Yes, Great Fairy!" Link and Arliss silently nodded their heads. "Good" the Great Fairy replied. She said, "Biggoron, forge that blade as a normal repair, but with all of your skill and love. Hold nothing back. Work quickly, but make that blade as pure as you possibly can! If this blade is not made true and true, it will fail its quenching. Great Warrior and Great Spirit! Come back in three days time. On that morning, we will make this humble blade into the blade of Legend!" The Great Fairy vanished back into the water, after healing Link fully and restoring his magic stamina.
Biggoron withdrew his arm and the sword from the cave. He went to his forge, which was heated by the fires of Death Mountain itself, and started to work. As he did this, he said "Sworn Brothers! This sword will be ready for its tempering by the Great Fairy three days from now! It will be the best sword ever made! But know this! Only two Sworn Brothers of the Wild Darunia and the Mighty Smith Biggoron could ever ask for such a sword, much less get it! Link, will you accept me as your Sworn Brother? I am not worthy, but I hope this sword will make it so. Link replied "Sworn Brother Biggoron! You are my Sworn Brother! If it were for the Gorons alone, I would gladly walk into Death Mountain itself to die fighting Volvagia! But you provide the sword that will allow me to help our Brother Darunia find the hammer, and assure victory! You forgive the delay that I may save the people of my heart, who are in graver peril still! You are truly worthy! It is I who is unworthy!" Biggoron spoke. "Sworn Brother, your heart is huge. Your courage is of legend, and yet lives still! If you are not worthy, neither am I! But, worthy or not, we are Brothers!" Biggorn pumped furiously on his bellows, heating the lava fire white-hot! He started on reforging the sword.
Link and Navi started the trip back down the mountain. They had three days to finish redeeming his liegemen, who waited at the farm in Hyrule field.