Link careens into Foothill Stable several hours after paragliding down from Akkala tower. Epona is lathered, her sides heaving. He strokes her neck, murmurs softly to her in reassurance. She'll need a full rest before he takes her anywhere else.
"What's been happening with the mountain?" he asks the stable hand as he passes the reins over.
She shrugs, looking anxious. "Not much since the explosion a few hours ago. It doesn't look like it's erupting just yet, but from this distance we should have enough warning to get to safety if it does. You picked a poor time to visit, I'm afraid; even without the volcano, the monsters have been making the route to the city difficult lately."
"Do you know if the road is still passable?"
"I couldn't say, sorry. No one's come down since," she replies. "You want a bed?"
"No, but I'll take some food," he says. "And do you have a map of the area I can look at?"
He's chewing a sandwich of shaved ham and thick-sliced cheese which he holds one-handed as he examines the routes up the mountain, when he gets the itching feeling of being watched. In the shadow of the doorway a Rito bard is observing him, feathers brushing gently against his lyre. He comes over at Link's eyebrow raise. Link had assumed he was Faronese, based on his jewel-toned plumage, but when he speaks his accent is solidly Hebran.
"You're heading up the erupting volcano?" he asks, peering at the map.
"I am," Link confirms. "Have you just come down?"
The Rito shakes his head. "I'm afraid not; I came from Zora's Domain. They had some interesting things to say about their recent troubles with their Divine Beast," he says, giving Link a curious look-over.
"Is that so," Link replies vaguely, going back to his map.
He can't really say why he's so keen to brush off the bard's scrutiny, given that he'd - however reluctantly - told Bolson about Vah Ruta. But the idea of complete strangers looking at him and knowing who he is - who he'd been - is making him squirm. He's heard the 'Ballad of the Champion', with its tragic end and its undercurrents of forbidden romance, in a few different inns by now. It's a popular, if melancholy, choice. Any bard will know it; this Rito may well know more about Link than Link does.
What he wants is just a moment to sit and gather his scattered thoughts, to really think about the things he learned at the Citadel - to slot the shards together like puzzle pieces into a coherent whole. But Vah Rudania certainly isn't going to sit and wait for him to be sad about things he can't even change. As disrespectful as it feels to the dead, he has more pressing business.
"I'm heading to Goron City myself, if you'd care for some company?" the bard offers after a while watching him in silence.
Link raises an eyebrow at him. "I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to be going that way right now."
"You are," the Rito counters. "Besides, I'm seeking inspiration for new songs, and do you know, I just have a feeling that the top of Death Mountain is going to be a very inspiring place quite soon."
In the end, it's a free country and Link can't actually stop Kass coming with him (as he'd finally introduced himself. Link hadn't given his own name, for obvious reasons). At least he can fly away from danger if things go south. The air is already getting warm as they approach the base of the mountain. The shorter but steeper hike to the city, via South Mine, takes a day and a half, so Link has three days' worth of anti-heatstroke elixirs in his pack, as well as salve to stop sunburn, for the intense sunlight at the higher elevations. The shops in Goron City sell both, so he can restock before heading down, if he has to.
Kass plays as they walk: snatches of unfinished compositions he's working on, instrumental pieces, a few old folk songs; he very pointedly doesn't play the Ballad. Link wants to be annoyed by the distraction, but the music is easy enough to filter into the background. It's actually quite nice, and Kass makes no effort to draw him into conversation - perhaps sensing that Link would prefer to be alone right now. As they near a rocky overhang close to South Mine, Link hears faint scraping, as of claws on stone, and puts an arm out to stop Kass. He lifts a finger to his mouth - Quiet. Stay here. Kass nods understanding, eyes wide. Link gets his bow out and creeps closer, an ice arrow nocked. Gaile at the stable assured him the splash of cold it produces on impact will scare off most monsters which might haunt the path up the mountain, but Link's sword is loosened in its scabbard in case that's not true.
He climbs up onto the rock formation to peer behind. A group of lizalfos are lurking, clearly waiting to pounce on any unsuspecting travellers. They haven't seen him yet. Link does a head count: five, poor odds but not insurmountable. Eldin lizalfos spit fluid which ignites on contact with air, he'll need to avoid getting splashed. He wishes he had the slate; a bomb would be perfect right now. Instead, he puts the ice arrow back in his quiver and pulls out an explosive one. He scans the rock face and finds a weak-looking spot close to the top.
The arrow explodes on impact, sending scree and chunks of rock down onto the monsters below. One lizalfos drops instantly, its head caved in by a boulder. The rest bring their arms up to shield themselves, and Link fires a second arrow directly into the group to send them flying. Another hits the wall with a sickening crunch and doesn't get back up. Link jumps down from the rocks, landing lightly on the balls of his feet. The remaining three lizalfos are already disoriented and injured, but they still outnumber him.
One rushes him, and is easily dispatched. The other two hang back and get ready to spit. He ducks behind the rock and swaps back to the bow, grabbing two arrows from the quiver. Once he hears the splatter of fireballs against his hiding place, he swings out with his bow up; feels cold clarity settle over him like a trance. Aim, fire, reload. Aim, fire. The two ice arrows hit the lizards square in their open mouths; they flail and claw madly at the shafts. He closes the distance and takes them out with two brutal sword thrusts.
He goes to retrieve Kass from his hiding place, sword cleaned and sheathed.
"Monsters this close to a settlement isn't good," he says, wiping his sweat-soaked forehead with a sleeve. Kass hums in agreement, and gives Link a calculating gaze.
Once upon a time South Mine was the primary Goron settlement, but that was ancient history even before Link's previous life. With its seams largely depleted, little remains of its former glory; these days it mostly serves as a trading post and stop over for travellers en route to Goron City. When Link and Kass arrive, a cluster of Gorons are gathered at the gates, which are bowed inward by fallen rocks.
"Is something wrong?" Kass asks the closest.
"Damn eruption's all but cut us off from the rest o' the mountain," he grumbles. "Reckon we're lookin' at a day's effort minimum, just to get a path through cleared."
"There's no other way through to the city?" Link asks.
The Goron looks him up and down, taking in his stance and the sword at his back. "Well, you could take the tunnels," he says. "We've not checked 'em for cave-ins or lava breaches yet though. Or dodongo," he grins, showing off a wide set of tombstone-like teeth.
Link hesitates, considering his options. Kass coughs lightly.
"Or, we could fly over the rockslides," he points out.
They stay overnight at the backpacker's hostel off the main thoroughfare, which they're shown to by an enthusiastic little Goron called Pelison. Pelison wants to know if they have work for his labourer brother, Greyson, who's disaffected with his current job (and isn't that just a match made in the Sacred Realm? Link lets him know about Bolson's crew and pats himself on the back for a job well done). They're served a fried hash of meat and potatoes, which they wash down with a fresh dose of cooling elixir, and then turn in.
Setting off with the first light, they make it to Goron City ahead of schedule even with a minor detour for Kass to register Link's slate with the Sheikah Tower they pass on the way. They're waved through the city gates by a surprised guard; inside there are Gorons everywhere, far more than Link would have expected to see crammed into the space.
Link weaves through the crowds to the central plaza, tailed by Kass. There's a group of Gorons there clustered around a large stone table spread with maps and schematics. An animated discussion is taking place, with several of them gesturing wildly as they speak and others scratching their heads. In the centre a large Goron with a shock of flame-red hair is leaning over the table, giant hands spread over the plans. He seems to be listening to several of the conversations at once. A younger Goron is hanging back at the edge of the group, wringing his hands together. Link approaches the nervous one.
"What's going on?" he asks.
"Oh, hey little brother," the Goron replies. "There's a lot going on right now, goro! Vah Rudania woke up and it's stomping around causing all kinds of problems. North Mine's been flooded with lava, it had to be evacuated! And the trolley tracks are all buckled, even the ones to the hot springs, and there's rockslides on the roads. No one can go anywhere until they're cleared."
"Yes, we had to fly over a few on the way up here," Kass says. "Does this happen often?"
"Oh, no," the Goron says. "Rudania has been quiet since Daruk's time, until two days ago."
One of the other Gorons notices them. "We're tryna decide if it's safe to start diggin' yet or if we should wait out more tremors," he says.
Another chips in, "Or whether we should evacuate the city too, fall back to South Mine until things calm down."
The red-haired Goron looks up at them. "Bludo should really be makin' this call, since he's the gaffer for the city, but he ain't here," he says. "So once Soto and his boys get here from South Mine we're puttin' it to a vote."
The young Goron wrings his hands together. "I'm sure the Boss will be better soon, Gabro. You know how his back gets."
"Why don't you go check on him, Yunobo?" Gabro suggests dismissively. Yunobo frowns but moves away from the group. Link hurries after him, Kass following close behind.
"Who was that guy?" Link asks.
Yunobo sighs. "Gabro's the foreman of North Mine. He's pretty angry about having to abandon it, I think he'll try something soon whether the Boss signs off or not. If he makes Rudania angrier..." he shudders.
"You're going to see the Boss now?" Link asks. "Could you get us an audience?"
"I can try, but he's not really seeing anyone right now," Yunobo replies. "What do you want to talk to him about?"
Link side-eyes Kass, but there's not really any avoiding it now. "I'm going to offer my services to calm Vah Rudania," he says. "I'm on a quest to free all the Beasts from Ganon's control."
Yunobo gasps. "Are you sure, Brother? You're so little. And Rudania is so scary!" he exclaims.
"I've got to try," Link says. "Just my luck that Rudania kicked off now. If it held off for a few more days, I could have checked back in with Robbie and Purah. I'm sure they've come up with something good by now."
Bludo point-blank refuses visitors, so they head to the inn to regroup.
"I think the Boss doesn't like people seeing him like this," Yunobo says. He's hunched in on himself, as though he'd really like to curl into a ball and wait for all these problems to go away. "If he could go soak in the hot springs he'd probably be OK, but with his back and the rockslides there's no way he'd get there right now."
"Well, if Bludo can't go to the hot springs..." Link begins, looking at Kass.
"... then the hot springs must come to Bludo," Kass finishes Link's train of thought. "How do you propose we do that?"
"I'll need you to do me a favour. Do you know the Sheikah observatory in North Akkala?" Link asks. When Kass nods, looking curious, he unbuckles his holster and hands it over. "I need something from there. Tell them Link sent you, and give them this."
The Rito's head feathers lift in surprise, but he nods and tucks the holster away in his satchel. "I'll set off after we check into the inn," he promises.
"Yunobo, can you find us some barrels?" Link continues. "Nice big metal ones?"
Yunobo brings his hand to his head in a sloppy salute. "You got it, brother!" he cheers.
Given how long the Gorons have been welcoming visitors to their home, Link's surprised at how un-adapted the inn is to softer bodies. Even with his bedroll on top, the rock bed is barely better than the ground. The giant slab of eldin ostrich they serve him is charred on the outside, though thankfully still juicy inside, and there's a platter of geode slices despite their table seating no Gorons. The closest thing to a vegetable is some grilled mushrooms on a skewer. He strongly suspects they're pandering to tourists who want an "authentic" experience.
The place is full tonight. Mostly with the Gorons displaced from North Mine, but there are a few other guests stranded by the volcanic activity. A trio of blond Hylian hikers who must be at least brothers, possibly even triplets, who call everyone 'dude'. And a Gerudo, Ramella, who's clearly on her grand tour of Hyrule after coming of age. She's engaged in conversation with Kass, who's trying to convey the intricacies of Goron to her.
"They're not calling you voe when they call you 'brother'," he explains. "The Goron language has no concept of gender, and translation into Hylian is imperfect. I suppose male words feel like a better fit, when they're forced to choose."
Ramella looks thoughtful. "I see. I had wondered before why Gorons are allowed in the Sacred City, but if you are saying they are not really voe..." she says.
"As far as I understand it, they're not. In the Rito language we use the same word for the Gorons as we do for other sentient beings which are neither male nor female, such as the spirits of the forest."
"I'm never sure how well the Gorons can tell who's male or female though," Link butts in. "So they might still call you 'brother' even if they had a word for 'sister'."
"You speak from experience, little vai?" she teases.
"Hey, I'm sure I'd look great in sirwal," he volleys back at her. "I've definitely got the calves for it."
Ramella blushes, and Kass bursts out laughing.
Kass sets off for the tech lab shortly after dinner, saying he's perfectly happy to fly at night, and Link heads back outside to enjoy the relative cool. From the bench in front of the inn he's got a great view of the gigantic statue of Daruk which has been carved into the mountainside since his last visit. They've done a good job capturing his essence, but looking at it doesn't produce the same flood of memory as Mipha's statue. Well, he wasn't nearly engaged to Daruk, he supposes, snorting at the mental image that produces. He's about to go back inside when he finally feels a memory settling over him. In his mind's eye he sees Daruk sitting down on the bench next to him, his chain clinking softly as he sits.
"Something bothering you, little guy?" he asks.
Link shakes his head instinctively, but then reconsiders. If he can't talk to Daruk, who can he talk to? "Just frustrated I guess," he says.
"Things not going well with Tiny Princess?" Daruk rumbles sympathetically.
"She's barely spoken a word to me since the King appointed me as her knight," Link says bitterly. "She spends half her time asking her father to change his mind and the other half sneaking away from me. Which she's surprisingly good at, I'm definitely going to be having words with Impa about teaching her stealth. I don't know what his Majesty was thinking. How am I expected to protect someone who can't bear to spend even a moment in my company?"
"That sounds tough, brother," Daruk commiserates. "But give her time to come round. She's been used to her freedom, she probably feels like her dad is babying her."
"I wish I could," Link sighs "But you know as well as I do that we might not have time. The monsters are getting bolder. And the rumbling from the mountain today while we were on the Divine Beast..." he trails off.
Daruk looks uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his head with one broad hand. "Yeah, I know. But I know you too. You'll get there, somehow. It's just difficult now, on account of how she thinks you're already who you're meant to be, and she isn't."
Link looks sidelong at him. "You know we could both hear you guys at the ceremony, right?" he asks. "She's not a failure. And I'm not a hero. I'm just trying my best and hoping it'll be enough when it matters, same as her."
"I don't think she knows that. A sword's a pretty visible thing. It's easy to think you're all sorted out when you walk round with that thing on your back and don't open your mouth. What's that saying, 'better to keep your mouth shut so no one thinks you're an idiot'?"
Link's not sure that's quite right, but Daruk's already waving a hand in dismissal. "Or however it goes. Anyway, have you tried talking to her about all this?"
"She won't speak to me, so how could I?" Link's aware he sounds defensive.
"Well, maybe that's what you gotta figure out. You two can't carry on like this, we need to be working together to stop this Ganon character," Daruk says firmly. "And she's our leader, so it's no good her thinkin' that you think she's weak."
"I don't know how anyone thinks that!" Link exclaims, frustration finally getting the better of him. "I get that she hasn't found the key to her sealing power yet, but she works so hard at it, and at everything else. She's been vital to the Sheikah researchers, and she's helping all of you master your Beasts. She still has all her court duties, and she's polite to people even though they gossip about her. She's selfless and smart and incredible. I just wish I could make her see that I'm on her side."
Daruk's smiling at him now. "Is that so? Then I think the two of you are gonna be just fine," he says. He clamps a giant hand on Link's shoulder before he heads off into the night.