Disclaimers are Ch. 1. Some of you were wondering about the story "As You Like It", and what happened to it. Fanfiction.net removed the story on the premises that it did not follow the site rules. Basically, someone decided that the story, characters, etc., had nothing to do with Zelda, or affiliates. Unfortunately, I wrote the story on the spur of the moment, and since I didn't foresee the trouble, I have no backup. Ah well, such is life.
Ch. 10
I feel
The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh,
Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state
Mine shall never be parted, bliss or woe.
-John Milton
The first initial scrabble for take-off gave Link a head-start since he had not planned to try his luck in rolling. However, once the Gorons had achieved bolder-form, they came roaring down the path at an incredible speed, making him lunge out of the way for his life. The lead flew past him, and he jumped up from where he had fallen to give chase on two legs. The trail was smooth and packed from years of racing, and he found himself hard-pressed to keep from over-balancing. Several of the slower racers tried to pass him, and suddenly one hit him in the legs, and he found himself flying through the air down the path, before he it hit with a thud, and began to tumble ungainly down the trail. At this rate, surprisingly, Link caught up with several racers, and was hit again, this time almost being run-over.
There was a sudden rumble of rock, and he scrabbled to a stop to catch sight of a slide of mountain debris, loosened by the vibration of many Gorons' rolling, shooting down the trail behind the racers.
Link wondered aimlessly if this was part of the challenge, and gained his feet to turn and run headlong down the trail, turning a sharp corner in the inclined plane to follow it. Some of the racers were naturally slowed by this turn, and he was able to catch up in his awkward half-tumble half-run. Several of the smaller, faster rocks from the land-slide caught up with him, and he winced under the sharp stinging. However, his blood was boiling competitively, and he ignored it, focusing on the trail. The sharp turns and climbs in the road were ideal for him to get one-up on the racers who relied on rolling on an inclined path, and he scrabbled fiercely with them to stay in the lead. Nevertheless, the Gorons' smooth, round shape made it easier on the straight, down-hill paths, though, and he felt himself falling behind. It did not help either when once again he was knocked from his feet by a competitive racer, and this time tumbled to a painful halt against a jutting rock in the trail.
Link had only a short time to feel the sting of it, before the roaring behind him became deafening, and the rock slide was upon him.
Suddenly, Link had an outrageous idea. Instead of dismissing it, he fueled it, and fought, stumbling through the first layer of fast moving shrapnel to lunge for the side of the trail. A larger rock flew through the air and hit him agonizingly in the shoulder, but he pressed on, ignoring the pummel of sharp debris, and scrabbled up the side of the trail, which was lined and packed with boulders made to halt racers from tipping over into the bottom-less drop below. He reeled on the edge for one breathless moment, before falling back and catching his balance. Once he had gained his footing, he began to run head-long down the side-lines, forcefully pushing thoughts away of the long drop on his right side. At this rate, he knew he could never catch up to the race, and he began searching among the fast-moving rock-slide for something to aid himself with.
There, amid the rapidly moving boulders and rocks, a flat piece of shale came into view for a moment, and he leapt recklessly for it. Link knew instinctively mid-air that he would not reach it, though, and tucked himself into a ball at the last minute. He was dragged almost underneath a mass of debris, but somehow managed to pull free. Several rocks hit him forcefully, and he was pressed to keep moving in a stumbling run with the slide. However, he caught sight of the shale again, which had miraculously not been crushed, and lunged desperately for it again through the dust-choked air. His left hand closed over the sharp side of it, and he ignored its biting edge, instead dragging it towards him.
He lost his balance once, and was hit by a small boulder, and almost stayed down. However, to stay down would have meant death, and he forcefully lunged forward again, tripping and slipping over the first layer of debris. It was impossible to stay here for long, and he knew that soon he would fall again. Pushing the long piece of shale out in front of him, he shoved it to the ground beneath the fast-paced rubble, and jumped on to the back in one unsteady motion that almost cost him his balance. Years of riding horses paid off, though, and he straightened his body as best as possible, holding out his arms as he eased up again. The shale held out, and he adapted it like a craft on rough waters. It held itself over the dirt and rocks, and he was able to ride it out down the trail at an alarming speed, surfing the dangerous waves with a natural talent.
Twice he thought he caught sight of something dark and material out of the corner of his eye, but he was hard-pressed to pay attention to his own safety, and did not have time to look over fully. The roaring of the wind in his ears and around his face might have been exhilarating, but he was training every muscle in his body to the down-hill rush of the slide. Up ahead, Link caught sight of an even sharper turn in the path, and he knew that he could not maneuver it like this. Instead he focused his senses on it, and began to crouch tentatively down for the dive he would take. All too soon, the slide was upon it, and he lunged forward where the trail ended, clearing the debris which would have dragged him down to death.
He hung suspended in mid air, his legs brought up to his chest, and the shale board under him hovering with the force of the leap.
As if the world had frozen in time, the Gorons on the sidelines below watched in awe as the flying Hylian slowly brought his legs down to touch the shale, and then everything speeded up again as he tipped forward, and seemed to glide down onto the trail, hitting it hard and losing his balance on the flat rock in a tumble. However, the terrific leap from the path had put him ahead of the other racers, and now, with adrenaline pumping, he let them catch up, pulling himself out of the awkward fall to catch one of the racer's on the side, and pulled himself up onto its back. There he balanced himself with the roll by kicking his legs out before jumping haphazardly to another racer's back. He did this several times as they flew in towards the end-point, before suddenly launching into the air, amid the startled cries of the watching Gorons. Flipping mid-air, he came down in a run, before tucking himself into a neat roll ahead of the line, and flew past the end-point like a small, green-colored rock.
The Gorons on the side-lines set up a sudden deafening roar of cheering, and the very mountain shook with their triumphant cries. They surrounded him in one great mob as he slid to a halt, and lifted his aching body into the air, and for the moment he didn't care that he was bleeding and his bones were broken. The racers came rolling in, and they too rushed forward to hoist him up. It did not matter if they had gotten second or third place, only that a Hylian had come to race them, and had proven his worth. He was brought around until he saw the young arrogant Goron from before.
"You are a warrior!" The young racer cried, eyes widened in awe, and Link's reply could not be heard above the roaring chant of the crowd.
"LINK! LINK! LINK!"
Darunia came up, and ordered them to let him down. He was gently settled on the ground, where he lay in pain as the adrenaline rush wore away. They quieted down a bit to where Darunia could finally hear Link.
"I didn't know I could do that," Link mumbled as loudly as he could muster to be heard.
"Sometimes we never know what we can do until we try, my friend." Darunia said softly, and Link was utterly amazed at the tears he saw in the great Goron's eyes. "He's hurt," Someone cried. "Take him to the infirmary!".
Link felt many strong arms lift him, and he felt himself drift towards unconsciousness.
"Wait..." He said, and he turned painfully towards Darunia. "I saw...something...someone..."
But all he received was a worried look as his eyes drifted shut and he fell unconscious in the Gorons' steady grip.
*************
He was awoken by a steady pressure on his arm, and he tried to turn his head to see the blurry shape leaning over him.
"Hello again, young warrior." Darunia said. Link tried to sit up, but his body ached and he felt sick. "Do not try to move," Darunia warned. "You took quite a beating, and by all accounts you should not have waken up so soon." Link tried to nod, but regretted the move, as his head felt like a thousand sharp needles were shooting around inside of it.
"What happened..." He groaned, trying to foggily remember the events of the day. Darunia finished tying the bandage around his arm.
"You took one too many tumbles, and broke a couple of bones." He sighed, in the heavy, moanful way that Gorons do. "I should have never let you do that, it was foolish to think that no one would be hurt."
"I wasn't expecting the... rocks," Link said groggily. Darunia chuckled, and nodded, stepping around to pick up a mug of something steaming. Link eyed it warily as he brought over.
"Here," Darunia said.
"What is it?" Link said, trying to lean away.
"A sleeping drought. You need to mend these wounds, and, no offense, but you're a very active young creature."
Link took the mug warily, and sipped from it. The mixture was pleasant, though, and very minty, and he drank as much as he could before it started to kick in. He sank back into the make-shift bed with a slightly alarmed, slightly drowsy look. Darunia took the mug back, and turned to leave.
"Wait..." Link muttered, already feeling the effects of the drought. "I saw...something...today... I-"
"Hush, young warrior. You have worried enough today, and now is the time to rest."
"But...I..." Link's eyes drifted shut, though, and his body went limp as he succumbed to the powerful pull of the potion. Darunia shook his head.
"Warriors... all the same. Always fighting against the very thing they need." He put out the torch in the rock wall, and ambled out, leaving the young Hylian to slip into a deep, exhausted sleep.
*************
The blindingly hot sunlight beat down upon his bare, burned back, and he shifted again to find the shade he'd lost. The sun-blanched blue tunic above him was stretched out between two closely intwined trees to provide the shade, and he stretched a hand up in confusion towards the odd-colored clothing. My tunic isn't...
Suddenly, the wind started to howl, and he leaped up just as the tunic began to loosen itself. He snatched it from the trees with his left hand, and reached his right hand behind his back to grab...
No... go back, Link!
What?
...
Who said that!
A sand storm rose up in a deadly wave in the fiercely whipping wind, and engulfed him as he stood staring up at it. The burn of the sand hit him and he twisted in agony as his whole being seemed to catch fire and suddenly combust. Around him, the world twisted violently, and he found himself struggling to breathe in the thick sand surrounding him.
Just as he thought he would suffocate, he remembered something Darunia the Second had said, and clung to it.
"When the power comes, do not fight it!"
It went against his nature to not fight it, but in his confused dream-state mind, he could not tell the difference between true death and dream death, and so to live, he knew he had to give into it. As quickly as it had come, the storm ceased, and he fell from the sky onto the hard, rocky ground. He scrabbled up, and looked around him, brushing the thick sand away. Laughter rang in the distance. The deep, mocking laughter that had haunted him. Link gritted his teeth, and stood up.
You! He wanted to cry, though he had no voice.
The laughter grew louder and he had to cover his ears to block out the deafening sound. Louder and louder it became, until it was all he knew, and he sank down onto his knees. Slowly he tried to give in, to relax, though all of his senses screamed for him to fight, and slowly, very slowly, it started to ease. Finally, he had let his body ease, slumping down toward the ground in the hot, dry wind, and the laughter had all but faded.
Link closed his eyes, and swayed in the wind gently.
"Sleep," Said a soothing voice, and he embraced it.
*************
When Rocko came in to see him, Link was sitting up in the bed. The young Goron now looked at him with a new kind of awe.
"Stop it," Link chided him. "I'm not any different than the Hylian guy you almost ran over."
"You are, Link!" The Goron said. "And to think that you are alive and well after all of that... and you won!"
"I won?" Link was confused.
"Don't you remember?" The young Goron said. "And no one disagreed. It was voted on by all that you won the race. The judges said they had never seen anything like it. You rolled, Link!"
Link winced. "I think I remember that." The young Goron grinned again, and as if remember something, thumped himself on the head, and ambled over to pick up a package he'd left at the infirmary opening. He lugged it up, and onto the bed beside Link, who looked at it blankly.
"Your sword," Rocko provided. "Biggoron worked quickly to finish it once he had heard about the race. He said that now you will really need it!"
Link unwrapped the blade with his one good hand, the other being in a sling. Inside of the cloth lay the sword he had taken from the armory, only it wasn't the same anymore. His eyes widened, along with Rocko's.
"Ah!" Rocko cried, slightly jealous of his friend's weapon. Link could only stare back at the beaten and worn reflection in the steel blade. His face was cut up, and bruised, and his eyes were tired, but...
But confident. Because he'd found an answer to one of his questions at least, and that... made all the difference.
*************
Link was restless while his bones and body mended, and he often proved to be a bad patient when Darunia came to check on him.
"I have things to do!" He called out angrily on several occasions.
"What things have you to do?" Darunia would always say patiently. "You have bones to mend, thats what you have. Now sit still."
And so day in and day out Link stayed in the bed, though now, in the silence between meals, and visitors, he had time to think. And he had never thought so much in his life. He analyzed himself, and the life he had lead, and questioned his own beliefs and ideas. Also, he thought about the dreams and the visions, and what Darunia had said, and began to put together his own theory about it.
On the fifteenth day of lying dormant, Link could take it no more, and snuck out to stretch his stiff and weakened body. He took a Deku staff that lay by the infirmary opening, and walked out of the city and into the sunlight. It felt good on his chilled skin, and he tipped his head back in a rare moment of enjoyment.
The moment was broken though, when he caught something dark out of the corner of his eye, and twisted around to see it. His body protested to movement painfully, and he winced. However, there was nothing there, and he looked around. Making sure there were no Gorons around first, he began to walk to a perimeter along the trail he was on.
"I know you're there," He finally called out, keeping his eyes alert for any more movement. "I don't think you're here to hurt me, or you would have already... I just want to know who you are."
The silence was complete, though, and he sighed. "At least... a sign, or something, that I'm not going crazy, that there really is more to this... That's all I ask of you... please." The silence began to jar on his senses, and he felt the beginnings of a fierce headache. He touched the bandage on his head carefully, and winced. It was ridiculous to think he was well enough to be out here. I really am just a fool, he thought bitterly. Chasing his shadow again. He leaned on the staff, and turned back towards the opening that led to the city, missing the shadow that stretched out from the ledge above him.
*************
When he returned back to the infirmary, he was met by a stern looking Darunia. "How do you expect to recover if you are not at least trying?" He chided Link. Link collapsed onto the bed.
"I have been trying!" He snapped, feeling the headache full force now. He sighed, and lay his head back against the cool pillow, and sighed. "Thats all I've been doing, and its not getting me anywhere..."
Darunia snorted, and came up to stand beside him. He reached out a paw-like hand, and gently tapped Link on the head.
"Ow!" Link yelped, glaring up at him. "What was that for!"
Darunia frowned. "For being foolish. "Do not even consider giving up now, young warrior, it has only just begun."
"Only just begun?" Link hissed, sitting up on the cot. "It hasn't just begun! It's been going on for what seems like forever!" He pulled himself up on shaky legs. "And now its time to end it!"
"Oh? How are you going to do that?" Darunia scowled. "Are you going to hobble back to Hyrule Castle, storm the gate, and attack the princess?"
"If that's what it takes!" Link growled, reaching for the blade that rested by the caught. Darunia beat him to it, and snatched the blade up, bringing the tip to rest at the base of Link's throat.
"I have always believed that things could be worked out without violence, my friend, do not make me a liar now."
"I bet you don't even know how to use that!" Link spat in contempt.
"Would you stake your life on that?" Darunia said, in a deep, dangerous tone. Link hesitated. "Now, please sit down, and let us discuss this like people and not like brutes."
Link stepped back slowly, and sat down on the edge the cot, feeling suddenly weak and shaky.
"Darunia..." He finally spoke, "I didn't..."
"I know," The Goron Chief said, "Sometimes it happens. Let us forget it."
Link rested his head in his hands. "I don't think I know what to do anymore... I mean, I thought I knew where to go...what to do. But maybe I'm-"
"Do not doubt yourself, Link!" Darunia stopped him. "You of all must be confident... I feel, no, I know, that you of all must be confident!"
"Somebody is following me!" Link suddenly mentioned, glad to have it out. "Somebody in a dark cloak... I've seen them three times now, out of the corner of my eye... and I think they brought back my ocarina when I was in the fields."
Darunia rested the keen blade he had been handling back down by the cot, and sat down on the rock floor to come face to face with Link. He was an interesting looking Goron, Link realized, decked out in a feathered necklace and a dark beard around his mouth. He was not that large, or strong looking, but he held an air of authority about him that even Link could appreciate. He blinked, and came out of his reverie, meeting Darunia's eyes.
"They may have been following me since I left the castle, but I can't be sure," He concluded.
Darunia nodded. "I thought that was what you were trying to say before... I had several watches placed at certain points around our mountain. If they see anything, then they'll tell me directly."
Link nodded gratefully, and finally spoke to question that had been eating at him for some time. "Do you think... that the legend we discussed before had anything to do with this?"
"I am almost certain it did." Darunia responded. "The power of the Sages is supposedly great enough to do anything once they are united. And the Triforce-"
"Is a symbol of Hyrule royalty." Link cut in. Darunia thought on this for a moment, scratching his bearded chin.
"Perhaps, in a way. But I believe it is the symbol of the three Goddesses: Din, Nayru, and Farore, and was made for all the people of Hyrule."
"Still," Link said. "If you were looking for something directly to do with the Goddesses, or the Triforce, you would immediately think of the royal family... Which leads us right back to Zelda!" He thumped the cot with his fist for emphasis.
"Whoa, whoa, young fighter," Darunia stopped his train of thought. "You are thinking with an angry and tired mind. It is best to rest now, before you jump to conclusions. This may be deeper than just Zelda. Though she hides something from you, she is not your enemy."
"Somehow I understand that," Link sighed. "But she doesn't make it any easier for what I must do."
"Things are not always easy," Darunia chided. "In fact, it is the easy things we should be suspicious of. But, what is it that you must do?"
"Well, I'm going to-" Link began.
"First," Darunia interrupted.
Link gave him an exasperated look. "First I'm going to rest," He said dryly. At Darunia's nod of approval he continued. "And then, I'm going to go find out more about these Sages."
"Excellent." Darunia applauded. "Now you are thinking like a man."