Hi guys!Just for a heads-up, I have exams in a two weeks, so it will be while for the next chapter to come. Enjoy this chapter!

Ch. XII

The Mountains of Ice

When Link opened his eyes, he saw Clock town around him once more. The carpenters worked diligently on their tower and the stallkeepers were attending their goods. Link stretched his arms and cracked his neck. He had another region to travel to, and today was the day.

Twelve days had passed since Link had begun his new quest. Or rather, less than one day. The concept of time travel was no new thing to Link, but he knew that this cycle was going to confuse the hell out of him if he didn't write down how many "days" he had spent there. Link looked up at Tatl, who was floating above his head.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up! We need to go to the mountains next!", she exclaimed. Link nodded with this statement. He had only three days to travel to the mountains, find out what was going on there, and fix it! He needed to make good time.

Link went to the banker that he had met in southern Clock town, and tried to get some rupees that he had deposited. To his surprise, all the rupees that he has stored on the final day were in the bank! When Link heard his total balance, he grinned in satisfaction. He had exactly 135 rupees! That was more than enough to buy some more rations and health potions. After an hour or so of buying the things he needed, Link was ready to head out. With Tatl sitting on his head, he confidently walked out of Clock town's Northern exit.

Link walked outside to an awe-inspiring sight. He saw an enormous ice-covered mountain rise ahead of him with only a small path crossing it. He gulped. He had only seen one other mountain that was this size, and that was Death mountain, an active volcano! Link hoped that huge chunks of molten rock would not rain down on him when he climbed this particular mountain.

As Link struggled up the mountain path, a blizzard just HAD to hit. Link had been traveling all day, and had been going up, and up. He had been wishing that he had bought some warmer clothes, but he didn't have enough rupees. He was really feeling the chill in his drafty tunic. He didn't usually wear pants as a child, and only some underwear covered his nether regions. He decided to change that once he got back to clock town with some more rupees, he would buy a pair of pants. For now, he would have to trek through the mountains in what he had on him.

As Link trudged through the ankle-high snow, Link saw a small building in the distance. It was fashioned from stone and wood and had a very large chimney in it. It was close to a frozen waterfall with chunks of ice floating in the river beneath it. When Tatl saw the building, she spoke up.

"H-hey, Link, w-why don't we go there, maybe try to w-warm-up?", she asked, teeth chattering. Link nodded in agreement.

When he opened the door to the hut, Link was disappointed. Instead of a warm fire crackling in the forge at the end of the hut, there was only a chunk of ice. Huddling near a candle on a small table, a small man with a goatee and suspenders shivered. When he noticed Link, he looked up from the meager warmth.

"H-hello, my name is Zubora, the owner of this smithy. Unfortunately, due to the unexpected onset of ice and snow, we are closed. If you want an item to be forged or crafted, then you will either have to find something that can melt the ice in our forge, or wait until the ice melts.", he stated.

Link looked around the smithy and had a double-take when he realized that was an enormous man dressed in slate gray clothes behind the counter! He had muscles the size of melons, and his head almost scraped the roof that was 4 meters above Link! He involuntarily stepped back, and his eyes locked on the face of the huge man. Or rather, the mask that covered half of his face. The half of the man's face that Link could see was completely blank! On the other half was a metal mask with an eyehole cut out of it.

After seeing Link's expression, Zubora flashed a grin at him.

"What's wrong, kid? Oh, I'm so sorry. Let me introduce you to Gabora. He is the metalsmith with the brawn, meanwhile, I am the one with the brains. I found him not too long ago, and our business has been booming ever since. Isn't that right, Gabora?", he said. Gabora stood straight, and bellowed:

"Aughrroo guh arggggg!". Something seemed off about the giant of a man for Link, and he decided to get out of there. He swiftly said goodbye to the smithy owner and exited the hut to the frigid wind coming down from the mountains.

"Well,", Link said, "that was strange. I wonder if I could find a way to melt that ice though.". He shrugged at his question, then kept on trudging up the mountain path. It wound and twisted through the mountains, getting thinner and wider. The only wildlife Link could find were a few foxes, and a Wolfos he had to fight. Its white coat had perfectly camouflaged itself from Link until it had jumped out at Link and swiped a paw against his shield. That battle had been quick and effective, Link having killed several dozen by this point in his life. Other than this single encounter, Link had yet to see any of any other living creatures, including the Gorons that Tatl was talking about.

"The Goron tribe in these mountains usually have more mild temperatures. Even in the highest points of the mountains, it rarely snows very deep or very hard, especially this time of year. It is summer for heaven's sake! This must be a curse from the Skull Kid, it has to!", Tatl said as Link walked through the now knee-deep snow.

"You don't say?", Link replied. There was snow piling on his shoulders by this point, and Link didn't think he would ever feel warm again. He almost wished for the blistering heat of Death Mountain in Hyrule rather than this icy peak.

By the time Link spotted the Goron settlement, he swore he could feel his feet turning into blocks of ice in his leather boots. He gazed at the houses and shops built directly into the mountain, and he noticed no movement or activity. No Goron rolled past him, no boulder fell on him, and no bomb flowers were to be found. There was something wrong.

"Where are they", he asked Tatl. She looked concerned.

"I don't know. I think they have a keep somewhere in this maze, but it would need the strength of a Goron to open it. Let's explore and see if we can find any outside.", she replied.

Link heeded to Tatl's advice and began to wander. As he did so, he noticed a shadow flying overhead. When he looked up he saw the underside of a massive bird soaring above him.

"Aw crap.", he muttered. As he said this, a massive owl landed a few feet in front of him. Link pulled a Deku nut from his bag and threw it as hard as he could against the owl. It tried to fly off with an indignant screech but was stunned by the flash of light that it gave off. Link grabbed the bird and stuffed another Deku nut into its mouth.

"If you talk, you will break this Deku nut. Do you want that to explode in our mouth?", Link said. With a shake of the owl's head, Link continued. "Then, if you know what is good for you, stay the hell away from me.", he threatened. With a frantic nod, Link pulled the Deku nut out of the owl's beak, and it flapped its wings and quickly soared away, a few feathers falling from his wings.

"You really have a vendetta against that owl. To be frank, I'm a little scared of asking what he did to you.", Tatl remarked. Link grinned evilly at Tatl and replied:

"That "owl" is known as Gaebora Kaebora. He has been following me for years, and he won't shut the hell up. Do you remember the time we met him in the swamp? I bet he got loose because we went back in time again. He is the most annoying creature almost anyone can find, except for maybe a fairy.".

"Hey,", Tatl cried indignantly, "I'm right here you know!". Link chuckled at the fairy's expense and looked over the edge of a cliff. To his surprise, some of Gaebora's feathers were still in the air. Something was strange though. On a few spots in the air, his feathers stood still as if they were on the ground. Or, on a platform…. Link had experience with invisible platforms. In the Shadow Temple, in Ganondorf's Tower, and several other places of note, he had to cross them to get to his goal. They could only be seen through years of training, the eyes of a Sheikah, or with objects known as a Lens of Truth. Link had left his lens of truth at his house in the Kokiri forest, and now he was regretting it.

Link took a deep breath. He had been taught the basics of identifying invisible items by Sheik, who was Princess Zelda in disguise. There was a trick to spotting these types of things. They almost perfectly blended into the environment. If you knew where to look, or if you were paying close attention, you could see that there is a faint shimmer in the air on top of it, like a mirage, or the heat on a hot day. Link stared intently at the few feathers scattered across the void. As he did, he could spot the outline of a tile about 2 meters square, then another, then another. Soon, Link could see a row of tile leading across the chasm to an opening in the rock.

Link sat up and tentatively walked towards the edge of the cliff.

"Hey, Link, what are y-", Tatl began to say, but then Link put one foot off of the edge. She felt like she almost had a heart attack, but her heartbeat began to slow when she saw Link hadn't fallen off the edge. He put his other foot off the edge and seemed to be standing in the air.

"Link, what the hell!, Tatl yelled," You almost scared me to death! Why aren't you falling? Gaahhh!". Tatl was almost hyperventilating with fear, anger, and the cold. Link couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"It's OK Tatl, I found a pathway to the cave over there. See those feathers? There are invisible tiles underneath them. You can tell by the faint shimmer that each one gives off.", Link explained. To further prove his point, he stepped forward again into what appeared to be thin air. Tatl huffed. She was beginning to get annoyed at Link's antics, and had half a mind to search Snowhead herself, but decided to stick with Link.

"You're still a jerk.", she said angrily, then landed on top of Link's head with a huff.

Link grinned again, then continued on his path, carefully examining the space in front of him to make sure that there was a tile floating there. After a few more steps, he finally put both feet onto the solid ground of the cave entrance. Link looked into the confines of the cave and saw a small chest in the center of the floor. He walked over and opened the chest. To his surprise and delight, it was another Lens of Truth! These items made by the mysterious Sheikah tribe were rare and hard to come by, and now he had two of them!

Link examined the lens closer. It had a wood frame that was painted purple, red eyelashes, a red pupil, and had a gold tip at the end of its handle. It looked exactly like his old lens! He put the lens to his eye and willed his magic to run through it like a stream. As he gazed through the red lens, he could now see the floating platforms that led him here manifest, but he also saw something else.

Standing only a few meters in front of him, was a spectral visage of a mighty Goron with white hair and goatee. He wore a necklace of beads and sported several dozen tattoos. The most intriguing thing about him was a gash splitting his chest wide open.

"W-who are you?", Link asked.