6. Gorons (Or Lack Thereof)

Stunned, and more than a little upset, I spent the night in a tree in Hyrule Field. I didn't actually sleep much, but when I did my dreams were filled with fire, war, lies, betrayal, and that blonde, who this time couldn't seem to decide whether her eyes were sapphire or ruby.

All the next morning I wandered aimlessly, leading Epona by her reins. Navi kept talking about the clouds over Death Mountain, but I was too locked in self-pity to care. Noon found me outside of Hyrule Castle Town and, without anything better to do, I went in.

I had a vague idea of putting the Master Sword back in the Pedestal of Time, just to see what would happen, but I was stopped from trying this when I walked into the Chamber. My foot was abruptly caught under something hard and I went crashing to the floor.

"Ow!"

"What the-!"

"Sheik?"

"Link?"

Sheik blinked sleepily at me, then pulled himself up into a sitting position. "You should watch where you're going," he muttered.

"You shouldn't be sleeping in the Temple of Time." I peered at him. "Were you sleeping in the Temple of Time?" He just blinked again. "Why were you sleeping in the Temple of Time?"

Sheik yawned. "I have nowhere else to go," he answered simply.

This time I blinked at him. "You're kidding."

"Nope." He got up and walked over to the Pedestal, where he sat on one of the steps. He patted the spot next to him, inviting me to sit down. I did. "You look awful by the way."

"I don't doubt it." I scratched at one of my cheeks. "I just found out I'm an orphan."

Sheik shrugged. "So am I. Deal with it."

I stared at him. "You are?"

He nodded. "Ganon killed my parents, along with most of the other Sheikahs." He looked at me. "I told you when we met I was the last."

"Wow…" Now I felt bad. "You're worse off than I am. I'm just a regular Hylian."

Sheik laughed. Once again Sheik was laughing and I had no idea why. "Of all the things you are, a regular Hylian is not among them."

I laughed too. "Maybe not." For awhile we laughed together, it felt pretty good after all the sadness of the last day or so. Eventually though, we stopped. And there was nothing to talk about.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Sheik spoke. "So… How'd things go in the Temple?" he asked brightly.

I groaned and slumped forward, putting my head between my knees.

"Oh, come on," Sheik patted my shoulder. "It can't have been that bad."

"It's not just that," I said, my voice muffled.

"Then what is it?"

I sighed. "You want the whole list?"

"Sock it to me."

"Okay," I took a deep breath. "I just found out everything I thought about myself was a lie, I've lost one of my best friends to sagehood, Ganondorf's puppet nearly finished me off and Ganondorf got away from me, I failed miserably at saving the world, I'm missing seven years of my life, I'm worrying myself sick over Zelda, and, oh yeah, I'm so horny I can barely think."

"Wow." Sheik took a deep breath and laughed a little. "Okay, that sucks, but at least that last one is normal."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"No, I'm serious. All guys our age feel like that."

"Not as bad as I feel it."

"Okay, look at me." I didn't move. "Sit up and look at me." I sighed and did so. "It. Is. Completely. Normal. I have those kinds of thoughts all the time."

"I refuse to believe that every teenage male thinks about this stuff as often as I do."

"Fine, be that way." He paused. "You know, this is a good opportunity to teach you the Prelude of Light."

"The who now?"

Sheik stood up and stretched. I just watched. It was odd, but for all Sheik's sleek musculature and obviously hard life, he was still pretty feminine. Like the way he stretched, luxuriously, like a cat. Sheik turned to me as I was thinking this, and I looked away immediately.

"Stand up and get out the Ocarina," Sheik ordered. I did, not really seeing much choice. "There will be times you will need to return here quickly," Sheik said in his formal tone. "You will need this song to be brought to this place… The Prelude of Light."

He began to play, and I played along. It was just like in the Sacred Meadow. The music rose up between us, but this time there was suddenly a lot more light in the room as we played. Or maybe I just became more aware of all the light. Either way, there was definitely something about that song, just as there had been for the other one.

"One more thing," Sheik said when he finished. He wasn't looking at me, but at the Pedestal. "Just so you know. If you put the Master Sword back in the Pedestal of Time…" he took a breath, as though saying this were an effort, "you'll go back."

"'Back'?" I thought I knew what he meant, but it seemed almost too good to be true. "What do you mean 'back'?"

"I mean back," he frowned at the Pedestal. "Back to your proper time."

"You mean it?" I rushed over to Sheik and took him by the shoulders, staring in his eyes. "I can really go back to being a kid?"

"Uh-huh," Sheik grinned. "You're still mentally a kid, aren't you?"

"Maybe." I released him and turned away. "What's it to you?"

"Ohh…nothing…" He was still grinning. "It's just, kids think differently about certain things, react differently to certain situations," he looked at me, with that infuriating grin still on his face, "blush easier…"

I gulped and turned away.

"Tell me what you're thinking right now."

I didn't say anything. At that exact moment I was thinking about how feminine he was and how I would like to throw him down, tear off his clothes, and discover that he was really as feminine as he looked, but I wasn't about to tell him that. "No," I said.

"Come on…"

"No."

"I won't tell anyone else."

"I said no."

"Fine," Sheik got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Then I won't tell you what I know about Zelda."

"What!" Instantly I was on my feet and had him by the collar. "You tell me what you know now, or I'll tear it from your head myself!"

"Geez, calm down." Sheik winced and I realized what I was doing.

Abruptly I released him. "Sorry," I said bluntly.

"No big deal." Sheik casually sat back down on the step. "Take a few deep breaths and get that testosterone under control, and I'll tell you all you need to know."

"I said tell me now," I loomed over him. "I'm not afraid to hurt you."

Sheik looked at me with narrowed eyes. "You couldn't hurt me if you tried."

"Oh no?"

"No."

We stared each other down, neither one of us blinking, moving, or doing anything but glaring and breathing. Suddenly, at the same moment my anger drained away and left me with a feeling I didn't even recognize, Sheik's eyes widened and he looked away.

"What?" I sat down on the steps and leaned towards him. Sheik wouldn't meet my eyes. I grinned. "What's the matter, scared?" I teased.

Sheik stood up and stepped away from me. "Not exactly," he said, still avoiding my gaze. "I just remembered something I have to do."

"Wait!" I leapt to my feet. "What about Zelda?"

Sheik looked at me and smiled. "She's fine, completely safe, and she's even more worried about you than you are about her."

Then, before I could say another word, he threw another one of those seeds on the ground and was gone.

For a while after that I stared at Pedestal, fingering the Master Sword's hilt. I could go back. I could run around as a kid, not have these thoughts and feelings that caused nothing but trouble, not have this constant hunger for something I knew I wouldn't get, that I both wanted and didn't want at the same time. I could go back to being without wild hormones racing through my blood.

I took my hand off the sword and turned away. There would be time for that later, right now I had to investigate those strange clouds over Death Mountain.

By the time I got to the Goron Village I had managed to push all thoughts of Sheik from my mind. Well, not all thoughts, he was still there, lurking in the back of my mind, but the most nagging thoughts had been pushed aside to give me room to think. Not that I was doing much thinking anyway. In fact, I was doing so little thinking that it took me more than two full minutes to realize that the Village was empty.

Not a soul in sight. Not a single Goron in the place. Except for that little one rolling around on the third floor.

"Hey, little guy!" I shouted down at him. "Hey!" The little guy just rolled in the opposite direction. "I'm coming down there!" I warned him, then did, running down the stairs at unsafe speeds.

The little guy, despite being small, was very determined. Every time I got close to him he switched directions and rolled away from me. As a last resort, done mostly out of anger and exasperation then any real thought that it would work, I chucked a bomb at him.

It worked! He stopped! I ran up to him and demanded to know what he thought he was doing.

"I won't let you get me! You probably work for Ganondorf!" he exclaimed. He was shaking and looked very scared.

"Hey, hey, calm down. I do not work for Ganondorf."

The little guy sniffled and looked up at me. "You don't?"

"No way. My name is Link," – funny how bits of information can completely slip your mind until you need them – "I'm Darunia's sworn brother."

"Your name is Link?" the Goron kid exclaimed. "My name is Link!"

I stared. "You're kidding."

"Nuh-uh. Then you must be the legendary Dodongo Buster and Hero, Link! My dad is Darunia, do you remember him? Dad named me Link after you, because you're so brave! It's a cool name! I really like it! Link, you're a hero to us Gorons! I'm so glad to meet you! Please give me your autograph! Sign it: 'To my friend, Link of the Gorons' Oh... I guess it's not a good time to ask you for this..."

"Wow." I always knew Darunia was a bit of a freak, but to name his kid after me? That was just…well, really flattering actually. And the kid needed to cut down on the sugar. "Where is everybody?" I asked Little Link.

He started sniffling again. "They've all been captured and taken to Death Mountain." With that he officially burst into tears.

"Oh no…"

Navi popped out. "Maybe he'll calm down if you talk to him."

I shook my head. "If he starts crying more, I'm blaming you." I leaned down and put my hand on his shoulder. "Okay Little Link, stop crying. If you tell me what you know I promise I'll do my best to save your people."

Little Link nodded and sniffed. "A long time ago there was an evil dragon named Volvagia living in this mountain. That dragon was very scary! He ate Gorons! Using a huge hammer, the hero of the Gorons... BOOOM! Destroyed it just like that. This is a myth from long ago, but it's true! I know, because my dad is a descendant of the hero! My dad, Darunia, went to the Fire Temple. The dragon is inside! If we don't hurry up, even my dad will be eaten by the dragon!" Little Link started crying again.

"I'll find him," I assured the little guy. "He's my brother after all."

"But you can't go into the mountain, it's much too hot for a Hylian like you."

"Well…yeah." I thought back. "I've been in the crater before and it is pretty hot."

"I know!" Little Link produced a some red cloth from somewhere. "Take this, it'll keep you cool."

I took it and held it up. "This looks like that Goron Tunic thingie that was in the shop."

"It is!" Little Link said cheerfully.

"Okay." I held the tunic up against me. "Do you think it'll fit?"

"Try it on!" both Navi and Little Link said at the same time. So I did, while Navi explained the nature of her existence to the young Goron.

"Fits good," I said, swinging my arms.

"Great!" Little Link exclaimed (wow he's energetic). "Now come on and I'll show you a secret passage in my dad's room!"

Little Link led us down the stairs and into his father's chambers, where he paused. "I know there's a secret passage somewhere in here that leads right into the mountain…" He started feeling the walls. "Hmm…"

I sighed and leaned against the statue at the back of the room. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"I know it's in here!" Little Link insisted.

I ignored him and closed my eyes. While Little Link muttered and Navi fluttered, I noticed that it was much warmer over by the statue. I opened my eyes and stated looking for the heat source. There! Warm air was coming from between the statue and the wall it stood against.

Experimentally, I pulled at it. It moved, so I pulled as hard as I could, dragging the statue away from the wall and revealing a dark, warm passageway.

"That's it!" Little Link exclaimed.

"Come on Navi," I said. "We've got work to do." And with that, I stepped into the heat.