Chapter 11: Hear My Name, and Tremble!
After his long, depressing conversation with the miniature Deku Tree, Link had returned to the Forest Temple by way of the Minuet of Forest. This time, he didn't pass out, or recover any memories. He had to continue to wonder what had happened in those gaps of his knowledge, of the adventures on the Great Sea. First, however, he had to return to the boss's chamber, and hope that Gatrice, whom he'd only realised wasn't with them after he'd recovered from the shock of the Deku Sprout's revelation, was still there.
It took only a short time to make it back to the boss's lair. There was the entryway, with its wolfoi, and then the corridor leading to the main chamber, and then the lift. He found Gatrice, leaning against one of the posts of the bounding wall around the arena, glaring at him.
"You! You left me behind!" she said, as he opened the door. Her green eyes were narrowed, almost into slits. "How could you!"
Link could not help the brief thought that it was as dealing with another Princess Ruto.
That was not true. Gatrice, unlike Ruto, had every right to be angry.
"I'm sorry," he said, scuffing his shoes as he approached. "I did think that you'd be able to come with us, on that blue pillar of light."
He pointed at it, as if she wouldn't know it otherwise.
Then, they'd started to explain just what had happened in the Chamber of Sages. Gatrice took the news that Saria was staying in the Chamber hard. She'd collapsed, falling to the floor, and Link had carefully scooped her up with his right hand, to her half-hearted glare.
"What…what will become of me, then? What am I, but Saria's guardian faerie? I don't rightly know what to do with myself, without her."
"Well, you'll have some time to figure it out," Navi snapped, huffing. Link wondered why there seemed to be such animosity between them. Could it be Gatrice's rather abrasive demeanour, or the comment she'd made, seven years ago, about Navi letting him be an ignoramus? Or was it something else?
"Perhaps, we can find somewhere for you to stay until Saria returns," Link suggested, and Gatrice folded her arms, turned her head aside, and scoffed.
"You ungrateful little twit! Honestly, we don't have to look after you! Come on, Link, let's go check on Goron City!"
"We can't just leave her here," he said, brows furrowing as he turned a puzzled glance her way. Navi was huffing.
In turn, Navi, too, fell into a sulk. Link was left to continue the explanation, and then there was a long silence, as they made their way back through the Lost Woods, which kept its promise of helping Link find his way through.
He'd forgotten about Mido, until he saw the Kokiri leader, standing there, still, beside the path leading deeper into the Lost Woods.
"So, did you accomplish whatever you went in there for? Did you help Saria? What? Gatrice?!"
Mido's guardian faerie, a boy with black hair, and violet eyes, surrounded by a halo of pink light, zipped over to Gatrice, lifting her in his arms, to lay her down on the forest floor.
"Oh, this isn't good," he said, glancing up at Mido. "Just what happened in there?"
Gatrice raised herself into a sitting position, and turned to face Mido.
"Saria's gone on to her true destiny. She's gone to be the Forest Sage, and she won't be coming back for some time. She wants you to go live your own life. And me. But, I don't know what to do with myself without her. She was my task…."
"She's in a place outside of time. I wouldn't worry about her, too much. She's safer than the rest of us," Link reminded her, and she gave him a hollow smile.
"I don't think you understand," said Mido's faerie. "We faeries are nothing but the guardians of our kokiris. What's a kokiri without a faerie? Er, I mean, what's a guardian faerie without a kokiri?"
Navi glared at him, as if temporarily shifting the focus of her ire from Gatrice, but Mido was first to scold his own faerie.
"We don't talk about kokiris without faeries," Mido said, sternly, and the faerie hung his head. Link cocked his, trying to puzzle out what was going on.
"I see. Saria's not coming back, but…I promised Saria something. I promised her I'd tell Link that she was waiting for him, if he ever returned. Will you do that for me, mister? Saria…really liked…him…. But….
"I have responsibilities to the kokiris that I've neglected. It was bad enough losing Link…. And, speaking of which…you have the look of someone who travels far and wide. Will you keep an eye out for someone for me?"
Link still hadn't figured out what he meant, yet, too unused to all the changes he was trying to track.
"He's probably somewhere around here…in the Lost Woods. It's strange, but the Woods usually deters or consumes outsiders. Only a person with a strong connection to the forest is safe…. Anyway, he wears clothes very similar to yours, but he's about my age. He's one of the kokiri, the forest folk. His name is Link."
Link's head snapped up, and he made to speak, but Mido held up a hand, stopping him. "I said some things to him…things I didn't even mean. I was a right jerk to him, in fact. If you see him, tell him he's welcome back to Kokiri Forest at any time. I never meant to banish him; this place will always be his home. And…if you see Link…tell him…tell him I'm sorry for being mean to him. Alright?"
He rushed through the words, as Link stared, and stared. Never had he imagined something such as this happening—an unwitting Mido apologising for his actions, unknowing, to the very person he'd hurt. He was doubtless still self-righteous, and arrogant, but that was tempered, now. He was no longer the tyrant of Kokiri Forest. He'd grown up, metaphorically speaking.
Link blinked, considered saying something, correcting Mido, but closed his mouth tight, swallowed, nodded.
"I'm sure…that he understands," he managed to say, as Gatrice raised an eyebrow at him. Maybe she'd tell Mido everything instead. He could hope. Instead, he watched Mido walk away from the passage, back to Kokiri Forest.
He followed, walking back out into the bright sunlight of the now monster-free forest. He'd done some good, at least.
"And, take that Gatrice with you! Good riddance," Navi muttered under her breath, as Mido and the two faeries went away, out of sight.
Navi did not seem to realise that she was reminding him of a prior commitment when she led him along her own line of thought.
"Say, Saria wasn't the only one to teach us a song of power, was she?" she asked, as Link debated returning to the Lost Woods, to see if the tunnel still led to Goron City. It seemed probable.
"No, Zelda did too," he reminded her, trying to figure out what she was trying to say.
"Yes, and there was another one," she said, with a hint of impatience to her voice.
He frowned. "Oh, right! Malone! She taught me Epona's Song! I was going to check on her…. I suppose, we'll head north, and stop by the ranch before continuing. Is that what you wanted to say?"
"You'd do well to keep a closer eye on your friends," Navi chided, but she fluttered onto his shoulder.
And, three days later, they arrived at Lonlon Ranch. The difference between seven years ago and now was not readily apparent, until he came to the gate installed in the end of the makeshift alley between the house and the stables. Beyond that was the ring around the horse corral, the gate to which was shut and locked, despite it being the middle of the day. Standing outside the gate was a man with a ruffled collar, and a doublet, with fine leggings. Where was Tarlon? Where was Malone?
"Hello, young man, welcome to Lonlon Ranch," said the man with the bushy black eyebrows, right hand clasping his left behind his back as he leant forward towards Link. "I know they're telling tales in the Village that I stole this ranch from the previous owner, but that's not true at all! When the Great Ganondorf conquered Hyrule, he recognised my natural talent and hard-working nature, and gave the ranch over to me! Now, I manage the ranch on his behalf.
"To prove what a better manager I am than that lazy fool, how about I show you around? You can go back to the Village and tell them how much better the ranch is, now."
"Actually," Link said, interrupting with a level voice, despite his suddenly churning stomach. Ganondorf ruled this ranch? Then, what might have become of Malone and Tarlon? "I was looking for the old owner, or his daughter, if I could…er, borrow one of the horses?"
He added that last sentence almost on a whim, thinking that Malone would probably be found near Epona, if anywhere at all. She would want to know that her horse friend was safe and looked after.
"You want to see the horses, eh?" asked the man, ignoring everything else Link had said. A shrewd look entered his eyes, and he rubbed his hands together in. "In that case… pay me twenty rupees, and you can see the horses for ten minutes. You can ride them, even, if you want. They're all saddled and bridled ready for riding. How about it?"
Link glanced over at Navi.
"I know how to ride. I can teach you," she offered, and he nodded, thinking that he had plenty of money, after all the rupees he'd gained from the wallmasters.
He handed over a red rupee, and the gate swung open, and the stranger pushed him through, into the oval corral.
He stumbled, caught himself, ran further into the enclosure, looking for a white mane of a blood bay mare. He remembered Epona's Song, and withdrew the Ocarina of Time. It was such a lengthy song, he thought that he'd have little time to even attempt to ride Epona before time ran out, but Epona appeared after only a few measures of the song, seeming to walk through the fence before her. She stood before him, much taller than he remembered her being. She'd grown into a truly spectacular-looking horse. He raised a hand towards her nose, palm up, and she nuzzled it.
"Hey, Epona," he said. "We only met once…. Do you remember me? Do you know where Malone is?"
Navi giggled at him, but didn't make any comments. "I don't think she speaks Hylian!" she said. "We'll find her more quickly, if she's in this corral, if we ride. Of course, she probably isn't in the ranch at all…."
Navi gave a swift, hurried explanation of how to ride and mount a horse, and Link spent the rest of the time allotted to him searching the corral for any sign of Malone. There was none. Nor had the new owner told them anything of what had become of the previous owner and his daughter. Link wondered if there was any way to buy the horse.
At least Epona would be free, and a horse would cut down on the time spent traveling Hyrule Field. Navi might even know something about caring for them.
The new owner was prompt, evicting them the moment that their ten minutes were up.
"Well, I'll let you ride again if you pay me twenty rupees again. Just for ten minutes…what do you think?"
Link had a goal in sight now. No matter where the true owners of the ranch were, they'd be easier to track down with a horse. All the same, he had come here to find Malone.
"Perhaps in a few minutes," he said, trying his best to keep his voice level and polite, whilst seething inside at the injustice of it all. He ran back through the gate barring the entrance to the ranch proper, checking inside the farmhouses, first. The room where he had won his first bottle of milk was still filled with cuccos, but looked strangely empty without Tarlon sleeping leant up against his desk. The room to upstairs was locked. He knocked, but no one answered, so he went back outside.
He did find Malone, in the stables, mucking out stalls. She whirled to face him as he entered, flinching. He could see a hand-shaped bruise on her cheek. She seemed to sense his gaze, and raised her hand to cover it.
"Malone?" he asked, incredulous. She was shorter than he by about a head, but easily recognisable by her long, red-orange hair, and bright blue eyes. Her white dress had a purple skirt, and the scarf she'd worn when they'd first met had been repurposed into a belt. Her eyes were ringed by deep bags, and she slumped where she stood. She looked feeble and frail, as if a gust of wind would easily knock her over, as if she couldn't possibly lift the pitchfork he'd seen her wielding when he entered.
"Who?" she asked, hand covering the area of the bruise. Was it that man, the new owner of the ranch…?
Link's hands clenched into fists, and guilt stabbed at his heart. He ought to have checked on her earlier. He ought to have saved her first. But what if he had? Would Saria have died?
"Who are you? We don't get many visitors here, anymore. Not since…not since Ganondorf, the Evil King of Thieves, conquered Hyrule, and took the ranch from my father, Tarlon. Mr. Ingo used to work here, in the stables, and my father treated him right, I thought. But, that resentment that drives him now must have been building for a long time. I hate it! I don't think Mr. Ingo is an evil man…I think Ganondorf brings out the worst in people. Oh, but listen to me blather on!
"Welcome to Lonlon Ranch. If you want to buy a horse, you should talk to Mr. Ingo. If you were a friend of my father, it's better not to mention that. I haven't seen him since he was kicked out…but I think he's living in Kakariko Village now. I want to see him again, but he's banished from the ranch, and I can't leave. If I do, Mr. Ingo will mistreat the horses."
"Malone, is that really…you?"
"Huh? Have we met before? Or are you the Hero of Time my mother told me to wait for?"
Link's eyes widened in shock. He blinked furiously. How had Malone heard that term? Why didn't she recognise him? Was she even looking at him? Her hair fell over her face, hiding her eyes, making it difficult to tell where she was looking.
"Uh…I…How did you—How did she—?" he stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence. It didn't help that Malone had grown up to be quite pretty, or that he seemed to be awful at talking with women, in general.
"You're him, then? I'm sure that Mr. Ingo can still be saved…he just needs to remember what's really important…he's being driven by his own greed, right now…but I'm sure there's still a good person, underneath it all. And, please, look after my horse, Epona for me. I can't get to her. He's keeping her hostage for my good behaviour. Please, help us!"
"Don't worry," he said, stance rigid as he gathered his determination. He turned from her, resolute, turned back. "I'll save Epona for you, Malone."
There would be time for reintroductions later. It had been seven years for her. It was understandable if she had forgotten him. But, he could do this, at least, to atone for being a failure of a friend.
He went back out to the horse corral, approaching Ingo again.
"I'll pay you twenty rupees," he said, handing over the red rupee. The man smiled, a disturbing, greedy smile, as the rupee disappeared into his wallet, and the gate swung open.
Link walked through, and Epona approached him of her own volition, as if she had been waiting for him. He mounted more easily, this time, and wasted no time training himself in horseback riding, remembering Navi's instructions. Press his knees in to get her to walk, and again to trot. She was a swift horse, with little need for cantering or galloping, but he knew he needed to accustom himself to that greater speed, also.
Epona was an amazing horse, as swift as the wind, but gentle and smart, too. She seemed to sense when he wanted her to speed up, slow down, and turn, without need of the reins. He went easy on them as a result, barely pulling back on them at all to guide her to a halt. She broke from a full gallop to a halt, and he stared at her, patting her soft wild mane. Epona was something else. Malone was right.
Ingo surprised him when he approached. "Well, well, well," he said. "It seems you're a quick study! Impressive…hmm. How about… you and I have a little wager… we'll see how well you can ride that horse. I'll pay you back your twenty rupees if you win. One lap around the dirt path outside the horse corral…what do you say?"
Link didn't see what it would hurt. He'd either have to pay the man twenty more rupees, or he'd get the money he paid back, and some real practice with Epona as he did.
"Alright," he said, nodding.
Ingo quickly set them up behind the white starting line outside the gate to the horse corral. He had a small, timid black-maned mare, with a much less ornate saddle and tack than Epona's. Link couldn't help wondering about that.
Navi was relegated to the role of observer, unable to interfere. She fluttered anxiously by the starting line, and then landed at the top of the arch of the gate frame.
"You can do it, Link!" she cried, as Ingo counted down from three to the beginning of the race.
Then, they were off! Ingo had chosen his horse poorly; she was clearly spooked, and no match for Epona's speed. Link soon outstripped the horse, passing by her even on the outside of the makeshift track. The race was still closer than Link would have liked. He couldn't help the sense of culpability that overcame him when he saw how Ingo slapped the horse he rode repeatedly, driving it ever faster, trying to catch up. But, he had to concede that Link crossed the finish line first.
When Ingo caught up, he swung off the horse, yelling angrily at her, as she stumbled away from him.
"Stupid horse! What good are you!" he cried, kicking at her. "You, boy! How could you have beaten me? It's that horse, isn't it! What is wrong with that horse? I've never seen her behave so tamely around anyone…. I've been trying to break that horse for years, now. And yet, you tamed her in only a few minutes! How is it even possible?"
He clutched his head, kicking at the dirt, twisting back and forth, as if in pain. "I can't believe that I lost! I'll never live this down! But…there has got to be…some way to regain my reputation. Let's see. Hmm…."
He straightened up, clasping his left hand behind his back again. Link could see that his eyes looked puffy and red.
"Yes…how about…another little wager? Another lap around the course. If you win…you can keep…the horse…."
Yes! Well, that worked out better than he could have planned. Now, all he had to do was win again, and Epona, at least, would be safe! Maybe, when she knew that Epona was alright, Malone would be able to oust Ingo, and reclaim the ranch….
Determination steadied Link's hands and voice. He made to answer, but it didn't seem as if Ingo were giving him a choice. Then entrance gate to the ranch swung closed, and Ingo retreated into the corral to find another, tougher horse. Link was sure that this time, the race would be much more underhanded, too. Probably, Ingo would call the start of the race to his advantage, trying to trick Link into starting early, or surprising him with a later start.
He returned with a horse the colour of the sun, with dark eyes and a broad girth. Tall and imposing, the stallion shook his head, snorting around the bit in his mouth, pawing the ground. There was a sneaking suspicion in Link's mind, thinking of Ganondorf, that this one might have been being trained as a charger. A warhorse might be better suited to a dirty competition than Epona, depending on the tricks involved.
Sure enough, Ingo staggered the "go" that set them dashing from the starting gate, hoping that Link would be slow to respond. Epona, at her canter, soon began to catch up to the horse. Link knew he had to pace her, to avoid wearing her out—whilst Ingo had a fresh horse, Epona had already been around the track once, albeit never at a faster gait than a canter. She was, however, slower and wearier from the exertion she'd already been put through thus far, and Link hoped he was doing the right thing. If he'd known that he was going to race her, he would have waited for her to recover from his self-training.
Instead, he'd have to try to pace this race, and perhaps push her a bit harder than he should, and hope Epona and Malone forgave him.
Epona sped up, despite Link's plan, eager to put space between herself and the larger warhorse. Ingo frowned, scowled, slapping the hindquarters of the taller horse.
"Epona…please don't," Link pled. "Look what he's doing to that horse…he's doing that because he's afraid of losing…it's the horse that suffers, not he. As long as we beat him…we should avoid provoking him further."
As if she understood his speech, Epona slowed down a bit, letting the distance between them lessen, as Link stroked her mane, trying to soothe her.
Epona was breathing heavily, despite the lax pace. Link bit his lip, hoping that he wasn't hurting her, doing this.
He sped up whenever it seemed that Ingo would pass them, knowing the man would exploit any lead he got as best he could, no matter how his steed suffer.
Link kept an eye on the owner of Lonlon Ranch, and the other constantly judging how much further it was to the finish line. When they came close enough, he nodded to Epona, who sped up, returning to a full out gallop, as she pounded across the finish line, breathing heavy. Their victory was indisputable, and left Ingo fuming.
He stormed up to Link, pointing a shaking finger at him. Actually, it wasn't only the finger that was shaking. He sent Link an impressive glare, those bushy eyebrows coming almost to a single point.
"How could you defeat me a second time! I can't give you that horse! That horse I've been working to break for years…I'd intended it for a gift for the Great Ganondorf! How could some upstart kid beat me, the Great Ingo! It isn't right!"
He clutched the sides of his head, again, as if physically pained, writhing where he stood. "What did you do to that horse? You cheated! I've never lost a race before! This will be the end of me. Without that horse…."
Then, a crafty look entered his eyes. He straightened up, hands once more behind his back. Link frowned, watching the man as he retreated to the back alley. He did not seem the type to quit so easily. Link glanced at Navi, who fluttered back down to land on his shoulder. "I have a bad feeling about this," she muttered.
"As promised, kid, you can keep…the horse, but…."
The gates barring the alley leading out of the ranch swung shut, and a barrier sprang up around it.
"You can't leave this ranch! Haha! We'll see how you feel about your victory come morning."
Link could see the glorious oranges and reds of Hyrule's sunset beginning to blossom to the west. What would happen come morning…could it be the return of Ganondorf? He wasn't ready! He hadn't gathered more than two of the six medallions! He needed more time!
Ingo must have seen the expression on his face, for his laughter was a triumphant crow, as he headed towards the building in which Tarlon had napped with his cuccos.
"We have to get out of here, Link. This is really bad. We can't afford to stay and see what happens in the morning," Navi said. "We'll have to find some way out of the ranch…and the only way I can see is this high fence. I think…I think we'll have to jump it."
Link's eyes widened, and he stared at Navi in disbelief. "Jump it? But…I didn't practise jumping at all."
"We don't have a choice," Navi said, crawling under the white collar of Link's undershirt. Link looked down at Epona, patting her neck, and leaning over to whisper in her ear. "What do you think, Epona? Are you up to it, girl?"
Epona whinnied, and reared gently back, carefully tilting herself back onto her hind legs so that he had a chance to brace his legs against her. She pawed at the air, and dropped back to the ground. She backed up several steps, and then began to walk around the track of the racecourse. She broke into a trot, which shifted to a canter, and then a gallop, and she ran full speed at the high wall surrounding the ranch, leaping over the high fence with a jolt that took Link's breath away, and crashing down on the other side, somehow landing on her feet, coming down with two forelegs first, followed by her hind-legs. She reared again, whinnying as if in defiance, and galloped off into the night.
That had been something else. The sensation was almost like flying. Link waited until she stopped, trusting her judgement, and then dismounted, reaching up to run his fingers through her mane again.
"Malone was right. You are the most incredible horse I've ever even heard about. That was quite some jump—I didn't know anything could jump that high," he said. "But, you're free, now, Epona. Go off on your own, if you can look after yourself. When we liberate Lonlon Ranch, you can go back to Malone. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you again."
She nuzzled him gently with her nose, and he wondered if she remembered him, or just recognised the song. Either way, he could see why Malone thought that she was magical.
Epona stuck by his side, as he swept out across Hyrule Field in the direction of Zora's River, the bridge across it, and Kakariko Village.
"Are you coming with us?" he asked, as Navi watched in evident fascination from her perch beneath the collar of his shirt. Epona snorted in return, reared back again, whinnying, and then rubbed her nose against his shirt.
"…Is that a 'yes'?" he asked.
He reached for the saddle horn, again, mounting for the third time that day.
They rode off to Kakariko Village in silence. The journey that usually took half a day was over in a matter of hours. He dismounted at the entrance, somehow trusting Epona to look after herself.
He climbed the two flights of steps into the village, and wandered around, taking in the many changes the village had undergone in the seven long years he'd been gone. There was no guard barring the now wide-open gate up the Death Mountain trail, nor any of the other guards who had once offered information on the village.
The pile of bricks and scaffolding the carpenters had been playing with when he'd come as a child had been used to build the new premises of the Shooting Gallery (open only during the day). The bazaar had taken the place of the gate guard's house, with the apothecary situated across from it. They, too, were closed at night. The man who'd watched the sunset from the balcony of the house backed up against the market now stood at the top of a tall tower nearby. Link suspected he even slept up there.
Link lay down near the entry gate to the village, where he'd slept seven years ago, and awoke after noon of the next day. He was still trying to recover his sleep that he'd lost during his quest through the Forest Temple.
He headed to buy supplies, first, where he found a familiar man with a bandanna, blue overalls, and a scruffy beard sleeping on a pallet on the floor.
The wife of the boss of the carpenters, who had welcomed him to the village seven years ago, welcomed him once again, explaining all that was to be found in the now bustling town, still called "Kakariko Village".
Link thanked her, bought his provisions from her store, and turned to Tarlon. He was a very deep sleeper when he was upset. Link could hear him mumbling in his sleep—pouring out all his worries and fears for the ranch, and for his daughter. Link wished that there were something that he could do. For now, it was best to let him sleep.
Link left the house, and then headed for the shooting gallery. Navi sighed, shaking her head, as she watched him open the door, flying in after him. The owner, who was the same man, was familiar with the forest folk, and therefore was forgiven for not recognising Link. Now that he had a bow, he needed the practise.
He stayed there, practising, and improving his skill with the bow, for hours. His average was, at least, better from the start than it had been with the slingshot. And, the more he practised with the bow, the better his aim became. He suspected that his arm ought to have hurt as if it would shortly cramp up, and refuse to loosen up again for days. But, whenever he began to feel a bit too tense, as if his muscles were stiffening, he took a sip of the bottle of Lonlon milk, which was, while not a panacea, still strangely potent stuff.
The gallery's owner raised an eyebrow at him, but Link shrugged, and kept playing. And gradually, the time between sips lengthened, and lengthened, until he didn't reach for it at all.
He only spent about three hundred rupees—occasionally, when he seemed close enough to winning, the owner offered him a free second shot or third, or fourth, to see if he could make it this time. He seemed to have no other custom for income, but then, he wasn't really losing money to Link, either.
By the time Link left, he seemed to be hitting every target but one, every time. That he consistently missed precisely one—and not the same one every time—was a source of strange frustration. But, Sheik was doubtless wondering what he was doing. He should continue on.
He should backtrack to Lonlon Ranch, and speak to Malone. Perhaps tomorrow.
He camped out near the entrance to the Village again, mounting the saddle at first light, and riding back to the ranch.
Imagine his surprise when he found Malone standing in the middle of the wide-open corral, beaming.
"You did it! You saved us! Oh, thank you, Hero!" she said, beaming at him and Epona. "I think what Ingo really needed was for someone to defeat him…remind him that there's more to life than winning. And, you did that! Now, he's gone back to being a nice person, again! He got rid of his fancy clothes, and he's working out in the barn…he's a lot humbler than he used to be, too. I think he realises how close he came to turning evil, and it alarms him, too!
"Oh, but where are my manners! I'm Malone! I'm the owner of the ranch, until my father comes back. What's your name…?"
Link glanced at Navi, and then turned back to Malone.
"It's Link," he said, sliding back off the saddle. "Link Sylvanus. We met seven years ago, and you taught me 'Epona's Song'. I'm not surprised you don't remember me, but—"
Malone's face spread into a wide grin. "Really? I thought it was you, faerie boy!" she said, in a sing-song voice. "You have that faerie following you around, although Dad says that the kokiris of the forest don't grow up. But, I knew that you must have known 'Epona's Song', for her to respond so well to you. And, whom else have I taught that song?"
Link blinked rapidly, staring at her, head cocked, trying to figure out everything that she was saying. It was rather a lot, just realising that she did seem to remember him, despite their brief acquaintance.
"Thank you so much for saving us, faerie boy! As a sign of my thanks, please look after Epona for me…I'll show you how to care for her. You bought her, and fought for her, so now she's your horse! She's the best horse here!"
Malone spent the next several hours explaining the details of horse care to Link—what they ate, how to tell if they were injured (and if so, how), and other warning signs. If all else failed, he could always ask her, but he needed some knowledge of how to treat injuries. Horses could also be given restorative potions to help them heal, but it was best to give them only enough for them to make it back to the ranch.
Malone recommended that Epona be left to fend for herself. No matter where she was, she always seemed to know when her favourite song was being performed and would come running; that was a good way to call her. Epona was wilder and more resilient than the other horses, and even Malone was confident in her ability to ward off most predators.
"She'll probably stay here when she isn't out with you. I don't think any wall or fence could hold her out."
Link wondered how to explain that magical moment when Epona had jumped the fence, but words were insufficient to express the experience.
Instead, he listened to all of Malone's advice and guidance patiently, letting her instruct him on proper horse care.
"One last thing, faerie boy," she said with a smile, as he sighed, looking down. He really wished she wouldn't call him that.
"If you're going to Kakariko Village, will you find my dad? Tell him he can come back here? I'm sure Juna will let you borrow one of her pocket cuccos if you tell her I sent you. Will you do it for me?"
Kakariko Village was close. He didn't mind returning to the village before he warped back to the woods.
He regretted not being present when Tarlon and Malone were reunited, but he'd stalled his quest long enough. It was time to return to Death Mountain. The way Tarlon beamed before running off in the direction of the ranch was thanks enough.
Juna retrieved her cucco with a smile, thanking him for looking after Malone. He felt rather as if he were slowly reconstructing Hyrule, and this had been one of the pieces. Now, however, he needed to go to Goron City, to see what had become of it in his absence.
Goron City, he found when he entered, seemed to be completely empty. Then, he noticed the small goron rolling around the circle-ledge where the huge rolling goron had made his rounds seven years ago. Darunia's room, and the goron shop, were blocked off with closed doors. Link suspected that Zelda's Lullaby would open Darunia's door. What of the shop? Did it matter?
Since there was only one goron to be seen, no matter how he scour the town, he positioned himself with great care, and pulled out a bomb from his bomb bag, aiming and timing his throw just right so that the blast hit the tiny goron, startling him into dropping, and then slowly unfolding himself.
"You—you evil bully!" he said in a high-pitched voice. "You must be one of Ganondorf's servants! Well, I'm not afraid of you!"
He pointed back at himself with his thumb. "Hear my name and tremble, for I am Link of the gorons."
Navi laughed and Link hung his head. "Link"? Really? Had one of the gorons really named their child after him? Was it just because he'd killed the King Dodongo, seven years ago? How old was this child, then? Had he hurt it with that blast?
"Hey, son, are you alright?" he asked the goron. "I didn't realise you were so young! I didn't hurt you with that blast, did I?"
The goron gave him a strange look but shook his head. "Gorons are tougher than that," he said, making a valiant effort to puff himself up.
"So, you're Link of the Gorons, huh? My name's Link, as well. That's a bit of a coincidence…."
Navi was stuffing her fist into her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. Immediately, the goron child brightened up, standing up straight.
"Really? Your name is Link? Then, you must be the legendary dodongo crusher and cavern buster! My dad, Darunia, named me after you! He said you and he were Sworn Brothers! You're my hero! Can I have your autograph?"
And then, he seemed to melt, almost falling over, sitting abruptly on the ground.
"That's not important right now. You've gotta go save everyone! The ancient evil dragon was revived by a man in black armour, and everyone was taken to the Fire Temple to be sacrificed to the dragon! Dad went into the Fire Temple to rescue everyone days ago—and he hasn't come back yet! Waah!"
He rubbed his eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks. Link bent over the goron, uncertain as to what to do, glancing over at Navi, almost from habit, to look for help and advice.
"Maybe if you learn what's bothering him, he'll stop?" she offered, with a worried frown in the goron's direction.
"Uh…what's this about a dragon?" he asked. "I need to know what I'm up against, right? To be useful to you?"
The goron nodded, seeming unsure.
"There's a goron legend that, long ago, an evil dragon named Volvagia lived in the Death Mountain Crater, deep inside Death Mountain. It was really scary! It ate gorons! Daddy used to tell me stories to make me behave…. Well, everyone was terrified of the monster, but then a hero arose, wielding a heavy hammer known as the Megaton Hammer. Somehow, he slew the dragon, and saved the people! In their gratitude, they named him first chief of the gorons! My dad descends from that hero so I know the story is true! Anyway, the man in black armour came one day, and resurrected Volvagia! Now I'm scared, because my dad is going up against the dragon without the hammer, and he's all alo-ho-ho-hone!"
He burst into tears again, and Link glanced at Navi, who shrugged.
"Where's everyone else, then?" he asked, uncertain as to what else he could say.
"The man in black armour came one day, and took them all away to the Fire Temple, locking them up! My dad was away at the time, but I hid, and I saw what was happening! I was too scared to do anything! But, I heard the man tell them where they were going. He said it was because they'd defied him in the past. He was going to make an example of them for the other races! You have to go save everyone! I'll give you this Goron's Tunic that my father told me to give to you if you ever came around! Don't worry, it will stretch or shrink to fit you!"
A red tunic the colour of fresh blood suddenly appeared on the ground before him, complete with hat. He turned to Navi, and then back to the goron child.
"He truly thought I would come, huh? Well, don't worry. I'll save him! I'll save everyone! Just hide here. Alright? Don't follow me; I need someone to look after the gorons I rescue, huh? And I think your dad would kill me if I let you come."
"Oh…alright. I'll open up the shop and the door to my dad's room for you. There's a path into the crater that leads to the Fire Temple behind the statue in my Dad's room. You'd better put on the red tunic before you go in, though. Gorons are resilient, but humans can't stand higher temperatures for very long! You'll boil in the heat! The red tunic is heat-resistant, and will protect you! It creates a bubble of coolness around itself, so even your face will be protected! Don't go in without it!"
Link nodded, and reached down for the clothes, closing his eyes to gather enough focus to switch out his outfit. The red tunic did, indeed, stretch to fit him. He took a moment to ponder how it was that the tunic looked just the same as his kokiri one, only in red. How could Darunia have known?
"Don't worry, kid," he said, resting a hand on the goron child's rocky shoulder. "I'll save your dad. Stay here and wait for him. I'll come back, too!"
His father was the Sage of the Fire Temple, right? He doubtless wouldn't be returning anytime soon, but Link didn't know how to explain that without it sounding as if Darunia were dead.
With some parting words of encouragement, he leapt over the two cliffs to the bottom of Goron City, where he moved to stand before Darunia's door, which rose into the ceiling before him.
Beyond, the room looked just as her remembered it, except that Darunia wasn't there. He hadn't noticed the statue much before, but now its placement in the centre of the back wall seemed conspicuous. It took little effort to push it aside, revealing a shaft leading down into a room filled with a red haze.
Before him, the narrow shaft led down via a flight of steps, which, as he descended them, afforded him an ever-widening vantage of the crater itself. It was vast, and glowing red, with an island of solid rock rising up in the centre, and lava pooled all around, with various ledges rising up out of the lava, mysteriously solid despite the intense heat, which he could feel, despite that it was muted by his protective clothes.
A thought ate away at the back of his mind: the Wind Waker, whoever he was, had entered the heart of a truly active volcano with no protection save for the few snowflakes born of the shattered energy of the Fairy Queen's ice arrow.
He shouldn't have lived. The heat should have killed him, but he hadn't even felt it. That must be a sign of some sort, a clue. Did it hint at the non-literality of prophecy? At the unreality of dreams? Even from here, high above, he could feel the aridity in the air. It was hard even to breathe. The tunic worked to filter out even the wisps of smoke, and the heat haze, and still every breath he took felt burnt. He wondered if a person's insides could scar and blister, the way skin did.
There were the remnants of wooden, wooden bridges, hanging high over the cliffs, connecting them. The remnants of a broken bridge hung on either side of a gap too wide for him to jump. The bridge remained intact for part of the span, crossing over the lava, supported by wooden beams fixed into the rocky walls of one side of the crater, and rising from scaffolding built up from a lower island, nearby.
He decided that it was worth it, to try the hookshot. He could see that there was a hole (a passage? The Temple?) in the wall to the left of the far side of the bridge, and the bridge looked recently destroyed, as if it had seen much use, and then had been deliberately damaged to hinder pursuit.
Before he went the more obvious route, he turned to the right, winding around the other side of the crater, taking the easier route, and seeing where it led. He found a gossip stone, and a mysterious boulder sitting next to the wall. Because it was there, and because its placement up against the wall was suspicious (and because of the last three times he had noticed such a boulder before), he set a bomb between the wall and the boulder, and waited for the explosion.
Once again, a much wider tunnel was revealed than the explosion should have created on its own, and Link knew what he'd find even before he entered. A green path along the packed snow of the faerie fountain led up to the insignia of the Royal Family, flanked by two blue torches. His shoulders slumped. Navi always teased him about his…discomfiture concerning the Great Faeries…but they were more than a little intimidating, especially dressed as they were…or rather, weren't!
But, he climbed the steps to the sign of the Triforce, and withdrew the Ocarina of Time, closing his eyes, and trying to forget the moment, as he played the song of the Royal Family.
It was hard to ignore the shrieking laugh of the Great Faerie as she shot out of the waters of the spring, her hand cradling her head, as she floated in the air above him. As did the others, she had the same bright red hair, and wore nothing but vines. Faerie fashion apparently changed only slowly.
Still, her smile was kind as she looked upon him, saying, "Welcome, Link! I am the Great Faerie of Wisdom! I can double your magical reserves! Doesn't that sound useful?"
She bent over, and Link tried to inconspicuously look away. Somewhere just behind his conscious awareness, Sturgeon's stern lectures about propriety, and behaviour befitting a gentleman resounded, and he bowed his head. It was hard enough to talk to girls as it was….
A ring of blue light surrounded him, and energy filled him, but he noticed no obvious differences. Still, he knew that the Great Faerie had done precisely what she had said that she would do.
"I have filled your magic, and restored what energy I could, and healed all of your wounds. I hope that you find my gift useful."
He raised his eyes, looked up, immediately looked down. "It's very useful. Thank you."
He could probably use one of the spells he had learnt four or even five times, now, without needing to recover his magical energy. She smiled down at him, lying down on her belly with her calves kicking the air.
"Hmm. I'm glad. There are seven Great Faeries to be found around Hyrule. Each of them can help you to improve yourself in various ways. If you find all of them, you will become the Hero you were meant to be! Keep your eyes open, and seek them out! When battle has made you weary, please feel free to come back to see me!"
With these parting words, she raised her hands over her head, spiraling down into the springs, leaving them empty again. Link noticed how cool the spring was, against all odds. They were in the heart of a crater, but the air was crisp and cool, as an autumn day.
The contrast when they left the springs was marked. He ran back along the ridge lining the rim of the crater, returning to the bridge, and striving not to think about the Great Faeries. He much preferred the ones on the Great Sea.
He took out the hookshot, aimed it at the wooden slats that made the bridge, and rotated the disc, shooting the chain of the hookshot out. It caught, and releasing the disc caused the chain to pull him across the gap. He ran across the ledge surrounding the protruding spire at the heart of the volcano, heading towards the mouth of the tunnel he had already noticed, and was halfway across when he heard the sound of something heavy hitting wood behind him, with a solid sounding thud.
He whirled around, less surprised than he had been the last time he had seen the woman with the covered face who stood there. She stood on his side of the bridge, seeming unprotected from the heat, and he worried for her. If he could feel it even through his heat-resistant clothing, was she wearing similar clothes of a different colour—or was she unprotected? Perhaps the sheikah were naturally tough enough to withstand higher temperatures than hylians. Who knew?
She began to walk towards him, speaking to him as she did. "We meet again, Link Sylvanus. I am glad to see you have progressed much since we last spoke. But, another Sage awaits you in the Fire Temple, an old friend of yours."
Link closed his eyes, and bowed his head. Then, it was true. Darunia was the Sage of Fire. "True Friendship is something that grows with time. Time strengthens it, unlike the many things it weakens or destroys…. True friendships endure through struggles and sacrifice, shared burdens, shared goals, shared dreams…. The love we feel for our friends grows ever stronger, creating one of the strongest bonds there is….
"When we find ourselves in troubled times, we turn to our friends, and together, we can make a way forward. Link…when last we spoke, you said that I was your friend. Maybe, then, we can create a song that will help you to return to this place at any time. The Fire Temple lies just beyond that tunnel…fire is an element ruled by the strength of the heart, and your heart will grow stronger with its guidance. The 'Bolero of Fire' is ruled by that same strength of heart."
The harp appeared in her hands once more, and she plucked out eight notes on the strings. Link could already begin to sense how the song would progress, the way it would slowly rise in pitch and volume, building upon itself, the way that shared experiences did. He could almost see the substance of Sheik's argument at work.
He pulled out the Ocarina of Time, and followed along. Sure enough, Sheik continued with the same pattern of notes, at a higher pitch, and he followed it with a similar build up, until the song reach a critical point of tension, whereupon they slowly calmed it down, without losing any of the emotional power of the piece.
Sheik nodded, whether to herself or to him, he didn't know, but he sensed that she approved.
"Yes, a true song of power…the sort built from human minds connected to the soul of the land. Well done, Link."
She bowed her head, taking a step backwards, and Link started after her, but a wall of flames divided them. There were so many things he wanted to say—to ask her if she would be alright, returning back across the crater, and how she had come to this side of the bridge to begin with. Did she have some sort of protection against the heat of the crater, or did she need some of the medicine of life, or even the strangely restorative milk? Instead, she backed away from him, as he raised his arms to shield his face from the flames, despite how pointless the gesture was.
"Link…I'll see you again," she said, and she threw something he couldn't make out through the wall of flames, and vanished. He slumped over, despite himself, feeling as if he had lost something important.
Yes, he did think that he and Sheik were friends, and, as such, he wanted to make sure that she was alright. He'd already failed the rest of his friends—Darunia was going to battle a dragon; Saria was trapped in the Chamber of Sages after being sucked into a painting; Zelda was missing who-knew-where. He wanted them to be safe, and to know that they were safe. Was that so wrong?
"She'll be alright…if she made her way in here to begin with, something must be protecting her from the heat—even if we can't see it. I think she might have some sort of connection with fire, personally," Navi said. "Did you see the way that wall of flames arose, just when she needed it to avoid us? Although, what kind of friend hides from us and avoids us the way she seems to…?"
"I'm sure she has her reasons," Link said, firmly, as he crossed the narrow rock bridge to the tunnel.
A hazy thought came to his mind, as if clouded by the red haze pervading the crater—Tetra had just been a disguise that Zelda had worn, unaware of it herself, until the king had revealed it to her. Suppose…? No, that was ridiculous. For all their superficial differences, Tetra and Zelda looked more or less the same: eyes the same shade of blue, hair the same blonde, with the greatest physical differences being the clothes they wore. Maybe Tetra looked a bit tanner than Zelda, too. Sheik, on the other hand…well, he would have noticed if Zelda had had red eyes.
He saw the ladder leading deep into the ground, and peered down into darkness. He sighed. He didn't like not knowing what might be lurking at the bottom, and he turned to Navi. She cocked her head at him, looked down the shaft, and folded her arms. "I really shouldn't leave you alone for a second," she said. "But…alright. I'll go see what's below."
She zipped down into the hole as Link swung himself over the side, clutching the rungs of the ladder as he began to climb down.
"There's nothing," Navi reported into his ear. "Just a door that must lead into the Fire Temple itself."
Link nodded to her, carefully climbing down, hand over hand.
Sure enough, at the bottom was a great red door, complete with handle. The walls of the shaft were made of brick, so it wasn't a surprise that the door seemed to be of metal. Unlike the Forest Temple, this one should be more-or-less intact, made of the toughest substances to be found.
He opened the door, and walked into a large entryway, with two statues composed of heads with grinning faces, stacked into columns atop one another, flanking a broad staircase. He could see two fire keese flying through the air overhead, and sighed, pulling out the bow, and sighting along its length now, while they still hadn't noticed him.
He missed his first shot, and the keese banked midflight, heading for him, where he still stood at the bottom of the stairs. There was much more room to manoeuvre, here. He sent the bow away, drawing the Master Sword, as the monster dove at him. He clove through the first keese with the gleaming Master Sword, then sheathed the Sword, and pulled back out the bow, aiming for the second keese, still unaware of his existence.
He waited for the most opportune moment, when it was flying in a straight line away from Link, before firing his next arrow. This time, he hit. Link nodded to himself, gripping the bow in his right hand as he ascended the staircase, on the lookout for other foes. Navi looked as if she was considering pouting, but knew Link too well to question why he felt the need to train himself thus, using the bow.
At the top of the stairs were two doors. The one to the right was locked. The one to the left was unlocked. Link hoped that the Temple continued to be this straightforward, as he opened the door to the left.
Beyond was a room filled with brick columns rising out of the pit of lava flooding the base of the room. There was a wall of iron mesh visible to the left, and a series of brick ledges to the right. In the lava below was a strange metal frame that seemed as if it were meant to hold something that had been removed. Directly across the room, clearly visible, was a familiar goron with spikes of light brown hair surrounding his head, resembling a crown. Darunia.
Darunia heard the door close behind Link, and turned around, those violet eyes widening, possibly even in recognition.
"Who's there? I destroyed that bridge so that no one could follow me, and told my son to give that tunic only to…Link Sylvanus? Is that you?"
A tight smile strained to spread across his face, as Darunia's eyes crinkled.
"Link! It really is you, isn't it!" he called across the gap, in a loud voice that had Navi roll her eyes, and fly across to facilitate conversation.
"You've grown up! You sure seem as if you grew up well, too, as big and strong as a hylian can be, anyway, although it's nothing to a goron's strength! I'd really like to be able to sit down and talk to you about everything that's been happening, and where you've been the past seven years."
"In the Sacred Realm," Link responded. "I had my spirit sealed away by a Sacred Sword…I think…."
"I see. I did wonder why you stopped coming around…but that's not the main thing right now. Ganondorf has seen fit to punish my people again. Did you see the crown of fire surrounding Death Mountain? Ganondorf resurrected an ancient evil, the fire-breathing dragon Volvagia! He said that he would feed my people to it as a warning against those who might oppose his rule….
"Volvagia lies in the chamber behind me. My ancestor, the legendary hero of long ago, defeated the dragon with the Megaton Hammer. I'll just have to trust in my own brute strength…no one even knows where the hammer is, anymore, and if Volvagia escapes the Temple, the havoc he wreaks will destroy Hyrule. His fiery breath can't be quenched…he'd burn the entire kingdom to the ground! I don't have time to look for the hammer!"
Link could see the determination in the set of his face even here, but he wished the goron leader could wait a few minutes so that Link could talk sense to him…tell him to wait for a few days—it shouldn't take more than that long to make his way through the Fire Temple, and the Megaton Hammer was probably hidden within. But, Darunia was passionate, and more than a little reckless. He ploughed on, not giving Link a chance to speak.
"Link, I must ask you a favour as my Sworn Brother. I don't take this lightly. I must go seal Volvagia away. But…my people are chained in cages such as the one you see over there." He pointed to behind the metal grate on the left-hand side of the room. "Please, free them all. Don't worry about me! Save my people from becoming dragon food! The rest of the prisoners' cells lie through the door on the opposite side of the room from the door you just came from. Please, Link! Do this for me!"
Link bowed his head, raised it, opened his mouth to speak, but Darunia barged through the boss's door, and two lines of red-hot chains snaked across the door, colliding in the middle to form a padlock. That was definitely the boss's lair.
He frowned, crossed his arms, and then relaxed his stance, slumping. So much for saving another of his friends. But, if he hurried, perhaps he could make it to Darunia before the goron…was eaten…oh, this didn't look good. Still, he didn't know what a goron's limits were, and he knew that Darunia was particularly strong and tough.
Link jumped from ledge to ledge, making his way along the left hand wall, stopping to press a step-on switch as he did, hearing the familiar noise of a metal gate sliding aside.
By the time he made it to the green metal bars, the door to the cell was wide open. There was a small treasure chest inside, which doubtless contained the small key he would need to enter the right-hand door.
There was also a curled-up goron, who straightened up, standing as Link approached.
"What? Are you freeing me? Thank you!"
Link cocked his head. Had the goron somehow missed Darunia's long speech just now? Did something about the metal bars block out sound or…was the goron too terrified of the dragon to concentrate on anything else?
"Go ahead! Go back to Goron City," Link said. "I think it should be safe there, for now."
"Oh, thank you! I'll tell you a secret! Do you see that pillar hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room? If you want to get across the gap to the boss's door, you'll need to find a way to sink it back into its frame! Hurry and find a way to do that, so that you can help Big Brother!"
The goron ran past Link, wading through the lava as if it were water, and easily scaling the cliffs. That one would be alright. Link shrugged, kicked open the small chest, and just nodded as he reached down to pick up the small key. He'd expected nothing less.
There was nothing to do, no way even to ignore Darunia's foolish command and rush in to help him; his only option was to do as he had been bidden, and proceed deeper into the temple, through the right-hand door.