Ok, I have to rant about this. I posted chapter 14 and with the new stat counter I have found that 16 people have hit that chapter and I received one review. That is ridiculous. It takes a whole 30 seconds for you to review and you don't. I give hugs to the person who did review. To the rest of you, shame on you. Please, please review!
Journey to Death MountainZelda watched the sun rise after the horrible rain the night before. That was all that seemed to happen lately, was rain. She has slipped into a routine that involved getting up at dawn. She wanted to see the sun because Ganondorf had decided on her punishment.
She had to fend for herself. She no longer had help to dress herself and do her hair. She was on her own and if a maid so much as gave her a sympathetic look it was apparently treason to the king.
She had to make her own food and the food for her father. She had no help with that either. According to Ganondorf there were spies all over the castle continuously watching her. It gave her the creeps and she only hoped that there weren't any spying on her in her anti chamber.
She left the window and snuck down into her bedroom. There she found one of her older, simpler dress and quickly pulled it on. She found a ribbon on her dresser and tied back her blond hair. Looking in the mirror, Zelda looked at her pale face and disgusted eyes. She was so ticked off that she had sunk to this level. She felt old and used. Not the young seventeen year old that she was.
With an angry sigh, Zelda made her way down to the kitchens. She couldn't help but be angry with Impa. Impa had left her with no trace and no protection. Impa was supposed to be her guardian but it would seem that she had neglected the duties.
Zelda was starting to run out of ideas on what to cook for her father and Ganondorf for breakfast. She often thought that she would poison Ganondorf's breakfast but then she remembered that her father would try it first before Ganondorf.
The kitchen was empty which was odd but then Zelda remembered that the sun had just risen and that the kitchen workers didn't start breakfast for another hour at this time of year. So she looked for some oatmeal and began to make some porridge for herself and then she went about creating some cinnamon buns. She finished the buns within a couple of hours and was ready to take them up to the throne room for her father and Ganondorf.
Zelda often wondered why Ganondorf just didn't kill her father. It was rather strange that he was keeping the king alive.
She arrived in the throne room to an awful sight. Ganondorf was accusing a young girl from stealing food from the kitchen. The girl was extremely frightened and she was crying softly. Zelda set the tray of cinnamon buns on the table and walked over to the girl.
"Ganondorf, you have no right to be threatening this child. You aren't the king. There is little food as it is and you accuse her of stealing when she was starving? I gave her food she stole nothing," Zelda spoke loudly, and clearly and calmly. The child suddenly realized that this person was the princess. The girl was surprised that she was also telling an outright lie to the advisor of the king.
"You didn't give her diddly squat. I have people watching you at all times princess and they didn't see you give anything to this brat," Ganondorf replied coldly. Zelda gazed at him coolly with no fear.
"Then I suppose you should hire some new spies. They obviously were sleeping on the job," Zelda said calmly with a hint of smugness. Ganondorf just gapped at her. The little child and Zelda smirked at him before Zelda retrieved the plate of cinnamon buns and placed them in front of her father. She gave the child a cinnamon bun from the plate and dared Ganondorf to say something.
Ganondorf decided to ignore her and the child as he was hungry and not in the mood to deal with the seemingly unbreakable princess. He began to brood over the person who was annihilating the monsters in his temples. He sensed that he had seen this kid before but he couldn't remember.
The same way that he had found the temples in the first place was by some forgotten part of his memory. He was trying to make sense of all of it but he couldn't grasp enough of the memory to remember. He was very frustrated by it.
Zelda took the opportunity to head out to her courtyard. She found Libby there and immediately comforted by the horse's presence.
"Liberty, I sure named you well when you were a foal," Zelda sighed, using Libby's real name. Libby snorted and then with a toss of her head pushed Zelda to the hidden entrance of her garden.
"Libby, what are you doing?" Zelda hissed. Libby beckoned her to climb on. Curious, Zelda swung herself onto Libby's back and Libby took off at a gallop through the hidden entrance. This nearly unseated Zelda but she clung to the mare, suddenly unsure if it was a good idea to do the horse's bidding. But she put her trust in her anyway.
Libby galloped through the castle field and down to Hyrule City. Zelda was confused until Libby ran right into the Temple of Time.
"Libby! Your not allowed in here!" Zelda exclaimed. Zelda decided that she might as well seek some solitude here. She slid off of Libby's back onto the plush red carpet. She approached the altar and knelt in prayer to the goddesses.
"Din, Farore, and Nayru. Please protect the Hero, whomever he maybe. I must ask you to protect the people of Hyrule as well; they need protection from that Gerudo. Protect my father from him as well. And…" Zelda was suddenly interrupted by a voice.
"My goodness Princess Zelda, don't you ever ask anything for yourself?" A crystal sweet voice asked. Zelda froze at the voice. Only a goddess could sound like that.
Zelda slowly turned around and saw two of the three goddesses. Nayru sat on Libby's back while Farore gently stroked Libby's nose. Nayru's sapphire eyes smiled warmly at the princess. She also received a small smile from Farore.
"Tell us what is really bothering you, Zelda," Farore spoke sounding very much like Nayru. Zelda hesitated a bit before giving in to her frustration.
"I have a million questions. Who is the Hero? Where is he and when is he going to get here! Why hasn't Ganondorf killed my father? Why have I been reduced to living like a slave in my own home!" Zelda started to sob. Nayru glanced at Farore and then she slipped from Libby's back.
Nayru gently lifted Zelda's head so that she was looking directly at Zelda.
"The Hero is someone that you have met. The Hero and the Lady are trying to get here as fast as they can. Killing the King could cause an uprising and Ganondorf is trying to break you so that you won't resist him when he decides to actually kill the king. However the Hero and Lady will be here before that happens. Does that answer your questions?" Nayru asked kindly. Zelda was slightly gaping at the goddess.
"When will the Hero and Lady get here?" Zelda asked quietly. Nayru looked thoughtful for a moment.
"We don't know. We don't think in time. That is our sister's job. Only she could tell you. But she is not here right now," Nayru said quietly. Zelda narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Then how do you know that the Hero will make it before Ganondorf kills my father?" Zelda asked suspiciously. Farore glanced at Nayru and with a shrug she answered.
"The Child of Courage won't let you down. He will be here. We have complete faith that he will get here before Ganondorf kills your father. Our sister will make sure of that. She is an acute timekeeper. They will make it you must have faith," Farore said softly.
"You are the Child of Wisdom, don't let something such as this put you down. You are smart and you have already cornered Ganondorf a few times. You have wisdom enough and even courage enough. Heck you even have enough power to hold Ganondorf at bay until they get here. You must remember that you are the one in line for the throne and that you mustn't give that to Ganondorf," Nayru said quietly.
Zelda nodded quietly not sure how to respond. She was trying to figure out why the Goddesses were there in the first place.
"Where is Impa?" Zelda whispered. Nayru lifted Zelda's face once again.
"She is safe princess, and she will be coming with the Hero," Nayru smiled.
"Why did she leave?" Zelda whispered. For a moment Nayru didn't say anything because she wasn't sure what to say. One often doesn't find a goddess speechless.
"Impa was called upon by the Sheikah, like I said she will be home soon and now you must return home too. It is getting close to midday. Remember, stay strong and the Hero is going to get here as fast as he can. Good luck Princess," Nayru said and in a flash of blue and green light, they disappeared, leaving Zelda and Libby alone in the temple of time.
Link looked to the north following Kariah's gaze. On the shores of the lake, a score of horses and riders lined it. Link was definitely surprised to see them. Navi was too. Kariah however seemed indifferent.
"Who are they Kari?" Link asked watching the riders suspiciously. Kariah turned her amethyst eyes to look at Link.
"They are outlaws, banished by the King under Ganondorf's influence. They are no longer loyal to Hyrule and Zelda's own cousin is the leader of the band. I'm not sure how they will react to us if we go down there," Kariah said, a thoughtful look on her face.
"We have to try, surely once we free the King they will come back no?" Link asked. He couldn't believe that they would just desert their country. Even if they had been exiled.
Kariah seemed against going down there but she gave in and followed Link along the bridges. Surely they saw them coming so Link knew that they wouldn't be able to surprise the small army. Besides, their party only consisted of a Hylian, a forest fairy, and a powerful Goddess. The army had caught both Epona and Arden however they wouldn't allow themselves to be ridden.
Suddenly they were attacked before Link could draw his sword and they were both bound and gagged. Kariah struggled against her bounds but wasn't able to break them. They were thrown in with Epona and Arden who were in a makeshift prison.
Arden bowed his head to Kariah's bonds and they simple disappeared. Link was confused but he didn't have time to worry about that now. Kariah had quickly pulled the repulsive rag off of her face. She quickly used a knife to cut Link's bounds and she removed his gag as well.
"Who do they think they are? They have no idea who they are messing with," Link said enraged. The army hadn't taken any of Link's weapons, which was a good thing because the Hero of Time could only wield the Master Sword.
"Do you have a plan Hero?" Kariah asked standing at Arden's side. Link nodded unsheathing the Master Sword.
"We are busting out of here. We aren't going to be held captive by a bunch of outlaws," Link said, mounting his trusting steed. Kariah nodded and mounted Arden. She pulled out her bow so that should she need to defend herself she would be able to. Epona and Arden both let out a dominant mare and stallion scream. Together they broke through the weak prison into the melee of horses and knights.
"What the hell! How did they breakout!" Someone yelled. They were quick to reorganize and soon Link's plan started to backfire. A rider entered the circle of horses and rode around the duo.
"How is it that you strangers can ride this mare and stallion when we could barely get near them?" the rider asked in a low dangerous voice. Link looked at him calmly, his confidence was definitely unnerving for the other rider.
"They would belong to us that is why," Link answered just as dangerously, his sword glinting in the sunlight. The rider, obviously the leader and cousin to the princess looked at the sword with some interest. It was a beautiful blade and it defiantly stood out of his reach.
"Where did you get the sword from, you are not worthy of such a possession. The girl too, she isn't worthy of yours either," The rider said smugly. It was that moment that Link felt a flash of fear for Kariah, she was definitely in danger.
"What makes you think that you are worthy of my possessions?" Link answered, masking his reaction by asking boldly.
"I am a knight and you are no more than some peasant wishing he was a knight," the rider answered eyeing Kariah. She stared back calmly, but her glittering eyes betrayed her anger. Link felt his blood begin to boil.
"I dare you to take the sword from me," Link hissed coldly. Epona picked up on his rage and was dancing on the spot.
"Kari, if you can here me, I want you to get out of here, even if that means using the Ocarina of Time to warp to safety. I will catch up with you after that," Link said, hoping that she had picked up on his telepathy.
"I don't think so Link, I'm staying right here beside you, we need these guys as an ally no an enemy," Kariah answered back. Link threw her an exasperated look but she ignored him.
"You seem so confident, what is you name kid," the rider said, giving Link another going over.
"My name is Link," Link said, not revealing anything else about himself. The rider raised an eyebrow.
"And the girl is called?" he asked smugly. Link opened his mouth to answer, but Kariah spoke for herself.
"I'm known as Kari, what is yours knight?" Kariah answered coldly. She eyed the knight with a warning evident in her amethyst jewels.
"Milady, my name is Conan, I am the Duke of the Hyrule," Conan answered Kariah, pleased that she had actually spoken. Kariah eyed him warily.
"You mean ex Duke of Hyrule, I believe that King Harkinian has stripped you of that title. You would do well to realise that," Kariah answered coldly. He ignored the stinging insult by rounding on Link.
"You would do well to tell that wench to keep her mouth shut," Conan hissed.
"She does what she pleases, I have no power over her or her mouth," Link smirked moving so that he was in a defensive position with the Master Sword.
"Who do you two think you are?" Conan spluttered, pulling out his own sword.
"Where are resistance fighters to Ganondorf and loyal to the Princess of Hyrule," Link said calmly. Conan just stared at him.
"Your enemies of Ganondorf?" Conan asked suddenly interested in learning more about the duo. Link nodded, slowly dropping his defensive stance on Epona's back.
"I guess that makes us allies, not enemies," Conan concluded sheathing his sword and holding out his right hand. Link didn't sheath his sword but he still held out his right hand. The Hero of Time and the Leader of the resistance formed a small union against the coming war against Ganondorf.
"So what were you doing at the lake Link," Conan asked, his demeanour changing slightly. Link paused slightly trying to figure out what to say.
"We were fishing, that island is the best place to fish at this time of year," Kariah said, covering for Link's hesitation. Link nodded in agreement with Kariah. Link and Conan dismounted and went to sit by a fire, and Kariah followed still mounted on Arden.
"You seem hopeful all of a sudden," Link said, observing Conan. He shrugged, staring at the fire.
"One of our party has gone missing since we were attacked by a mob of Moblins. They attacked so suddenly. Kael has been missing since then. We don't think he is dead but we are wondering if you can keep an eye out for him when you go on with your business. He is a family member of mine," Conan said, seeming to carefully choose his words on the missing youth. Link nodded and turned to Kariah.
"What is our destination?" Link asked.
"Kakariko Village," she answered. Link nodded and then got up.
"Conan, we will keep an eye out for your relative, we are leaving and will hopefully make it to Kakariko in good time. Pleasure meeting you and good luck," Link said, swinging up onto Epona's bareback. She was bridle less and so was Arden, something that Conan was only noticing now.
"How do you control those horses, you have no means of discipline," Conan asked curiously.
"They are specially trained, and they are our friends, they are often willing to go where we want unless they have a very good reason to object," Link said carefully.
"Oh Link! There is a faster way to Death Mountain. We will use the lost gates. The one into Zora's Domain should be unfrozen and we will be able to get to Death Mountain from the lost gate in the Lost Woods," Kariah said suddenly excited. Conan gave her a weird look but she ignored him. She ran down to the edge of the water. Link and Conan followed more slowly. Epona and Arden walked behind them.
Kariah dove down to see if the gate was still frozen and found that it was open. Swimming back to the surface she found Link with his face almost touching the water. As a matter of fact she didn't really see him, but was definitely surprised when he gave her a kiss as soon as she broke the surface. She started to sink again, and spluttered slightly in surprise but Link was quick to grab her flailing arms. Link smirked at her but she chose to ignore him.
"The gate is open, we must get moving," Kariah said, almost coldly, and so she slipped back into the water.
"She sure didn't seem impressed by that kiss you gave her," Conan smirked. Link gave a sigh before turning to the horses.
"Epona, Arden, we want you to go to the Death Mountain pass and meet us outside of Goron City. We will need you for the decent of the mountain," the horses whinnied and turned to the north. They took off at a gallop and soon were lost to sight.
"Kari rejects me every time, but I think she is in denial," Link said, waving farewell to Conan before plunging into the cool depths of Lake Hylia.
He surfaced in the still chilly basin of Zora's Domain, but Link was happy to see that there was no more ice left in the domain. Kariah was sitting up on the ledge by the door drying off. Link swam to the ladder and pulled himself up and sat beside her.
"Kari, I'm sorry if I offended you, please forgive me?" Link asked, his azure eyes pleading.
"Link, how many times do I have to tell you, I cannot be," Kariah said quietly. Link stared at her in disbelief.
"That is bull Kari, it is possible if you believe that it is, so what if you are a goddess, that doesn't mean you can't love me, a mortal," Link said angrily.
"We don't have time for this, there is a girl out there that is one of the most powerful people in Hyrule and her father is not going to be around much more. We have to finish this before Ganondorf kills the king and Zelda," Kariah said shortly. Link stood there stubbornly not quite ready to give in because a pampered princess was in trouble.
"What if I refuse to continue?" Link asked quietly. Kariah turned to him with a very dangerous glare.
"You have no choice Link, Ganondorf has the Triforce of Power and will absolutely turn this beautiful country into a land of monsters. Is that what you want? You and your future generations to fall under the evil grip of a man that is more or less immortal. That is sentencing your country to a life of misery Link. I have nothing to do with this and if you don't smarten up soon you are going to fall behind. Do I make myself clear?" Kariah hissed, her godlike powers slightly coming forward making Link quiver slightly. He wasn't expecting that she would become so hostile towards the matter.
"Clear as water, Kariah," Link said quietly. Kariah curtly nodded and went through one of the Lost Woods sections. They found the stone archway that lead to Goron City.
"So what have I missed?" a voice asked from the inside of Link's hat, causing him to jump. Kariah glanced at the irrepressible fairy. Shaking her head she left Link to explain to her.
She continued through the lost gate and stood waiting for Link on the far side. She found a small flaw in her plan as she found a bunch of boulders blocking the way into the city. Link soon joined her and saw the dilemma ahead. He cracked a small grin and dug around in his pack for a moment and pulled out an explosive bomb.
"Sometimes it's easy to steal bombs from a merchants stand, you never know where they might come in handy," Link said coolly.
"My hat's off to you Hero," Kariah said with a small smile. Link smirked back and struck a flint on a knife to get a spark to light the fuse. He placed the bomb and they backed away from the boulders. The bomb exploded opening the entrance into Goron City. Slowly Link and Kariah entered the city.
Link was suddenly bombarded by memories. He remembered the happy smiling faces of the Gorons who were always present in the city. He remembered their cries of hunger back when he was ten and had faced the dangers in Dodongo's Craven.
He vividly remembered the terror he felt racing King Dodongo and the warm fuzzy feeling he got when the lead Goron gave him the Goron's Ruby on his spiritual stone quest. He remembered the layout of the volcano behind the leader's room. He remembered meeting Sheik on the bridge and learning a song.
He couldn't remember how the song went but he remembered learning it. He couldn't seem to remember the name of the leader of the Gorons but he knew that they were once great friends. He felt a slight pain at knowing that what he knew to be a friend would no longer recognize him. It was all because of someone else's mistake that the last fifteen years of his life were a lie.
Kariah watched as the memories seemed to hit him in the face. She knew that if he knew who was behind his erased memories he would stop the quest immediately. But there were many things that he had forgotten and would maybe never remember.
"The Gorons have been trapped in the Fire Temple haven't they?" Link asked quietly, remembering the heated temple very well.
"Yes, but I wouldn't be surprised if Darunia's son is still here. You remember that he gave you the Goron Tunic so that you could survive the intense heat of the volcano," Kariah said watching Link carefully.
"Yes, I remember, the young Goron was once named after me but somehow since Darunia won't remember me it won't be the case. What is his name?" Link asked listening to the sound of a Goron rolling around on the level above them.
"The stories passed on by the Gorons are often hard to erase. They still have stories of the Hero of Time and the little boy who rid the craven of the Dodongos. They don't remember when the event actually happened but they know the legend that was left behind. Darunia actually named his son Link after the Hero of Time that passed through this land seven years ago. They will recognize you Link, you have been depicted in stories to the young Gorons in bedtime stories. They will be honoured to meet you," Kariah said with a small smile.
Link looked almost relieved that somebody remembered him from the alternate time, even if it was just a story.
"Well, lets go speak with Link, the son of Darunia. I have to save his father from Volvagia," Link said, heading for the staircase on their left. Kariah froze at the mention of the dragon.
"Our brother, sisters, what are we going to do?" Kariah called out. Din suddenly decided to make an appearance. Link had already gone up the stairs and hadn't noticed that Kariah had stopped.
"Kariah, our brother has fled the body of the dragon. The dragon known as Volvagia no longer holds our brothers spirit, he has fled to one of the offspring of Volvagia. He is in the body of a baby dragon. This adult dragon must be destroyed to awaken the Sage of Fire. Now get going before the Hero notices that you have fallen behind," Din said, her ruby eyes soothing Kariah's concern. Din was the eldest of the three sisters, and Kariah had always looked up to Din. Kariah gave her sister a quick hug goodbye before grabbing her skirts and running up the tunnel.
She heard another bomb explode and the sound of a surprised Goron. She reached the level as Link confronted the small Goron.
"Your not one of Ganondorf's followers?" the small Goron asked in surprise. Link shook his head good-naturedly.
"Then who are you?" he asked the Hylian. Link glanced at Kariah, wondering what to give as a name to a Goron that was named after a person in a forgotten time period. Kariah mouthed to him that he should tell the truth.
"Umm, my name is Link, I'm the Hero of Time, I've come to help your father Darunia in the quest to rid Ganondorf from Hyrule," Link said thoughtfully. The Goron's eyes widened slightly at Link's name.
"You're Link, the Hero of Time, passed down in Goron legends? The one who defeated the Dodongo's long ago and saved the Goron's from starvation?" Goron Link asked astonished. Kariah walked up to Link and placed a reassuring hand on Link's shoulder. Goron Link looked to the newcomer.
"Who are you?" He asked curiously. Kariah decided that the truth and nothing but the truth could be given to this Goron. He was genuine and caring, but he was still suspicious. He had warmed to Link because of his namesake, but Kariah seemed more threatening to him.
"I'm a goddess, I'm Kariah, Goddess of Time," she said with a warm smile. For the second time that evening the Goron was surprised. A goddess right here in Goron City! Goron Link felt so honoured that he bowed awkwardly to the pair.
"Link of the Gorons, such formalities aren't called for, although I appreciate it. Not many people know that I'm the Goddess of Time, so please act as though you don't know, Ganondorf surely has spies everywhere. Call me Kari," Kariah said soothingly.
It surprised Link how she could change her attitude in the blink of a moment. Not to long before entering Goron City, she was very pissed off about something, now she seemed in a gentle mood.
"Link, we need one of the Goron Tunic's to enter the mountain, Kari isn't coming with me but I will need to be able to move comfortably through the mountain crater. Do you have one anywhere?" the Hero asked Link of the Gorons. The Goron smiled hugely and rolled down two levels. He had opened the Goron shop and Link gave the Hero a red tunic with the ability to repel heat.
"My father is in the Fire Temple trying to free the Gorons from captivity, please be careful, the dragon is nasty," Goron Link warned. Link gave him a grin and with the total confidence from the memories of the Fire Temple, he waved.
"I know the temple well young Goron, protect Kari for me while I'm gone," Link said, smirking at Kariah mischievously. Much to his surprise she walked up to him.
"Be careful Hero, not everything may be the same within the bowels of the temple. You will need this in order to light torches from afar. Be careful, and awake that lazy fairy of yours," Kariah said with a hint of amusement in her voice. She gave Link a special arrow that was tipped by the element of fire.
"You have the magical powers of Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, and Nayru's Love. Use them to your advantage. You will remember what to do when the time comes. May the winds of fortune bless you," Kariah said solemnly.
Kariah next did something that took Link by complete surprise. He found her lips upon his in a gentle, reassuring caress. She pulled away and with tears in her eyes and she pushed Link to the entrance to the crater.
"Good Luck Hero!"
There ya go Emerald Destiny. I fulfilled my promise to you! I got it up before I leave for camp. Talk to ya in three weeks.
Now I'm begging you please review, even if it's really short. It will take you maybe 30 seconds to do so.