Chapter Nine: The Second Fragment
"They weren't keeping them out, they were sealing them in!" Midna cried as Bulbins poured from the dark doorway of the tunnel past the metal bridge. Her voice came not from near his ears, but down on the ground in his shadow.
"Yeah, I figured that out!" He deflected an arrow fired at him from somewhere in the darkness of yawning tunnel beyond, the Bulbin that shot it not concerned with hitting its mates. There were archers that he couldn't see, and that was going to be a problem. He didn't want to lure the club Bulbins up onto the platforms and ultimately kite the archers to where they could fire at more explosives, but he didn't have any other solution. He began to back up the ramp, already deflecting the first Bulbin's club and knocking it wide. It gave a startled grunt and then its body stiffened when he ran it through.
There was a startled cry in the tunnel then, and a smashing sound. Another arrow fired, but it went wide, as if the Bulbin wasn't aiming at Link. He risked a look and saw an archer run out of the tunnel, only to be dragged back in by a tendril of shadowy hair. Midna was taking care of them. They were fighting somewhere she could actually help.
The ramp made his task of fighting six more Bulbins easier, since they could only come at him one at a time. It was easy to disarm them, or knock their weapons to the side with his shield and then kill them with a thrust. Despite his exhaustion and pain, he was still able to fight, finding reserves of stamina he didn't know he had. While he had been pushing himself over the past few days, this was the first one where he felt he was reaching his limit.
Soon there were six more Bulbin bodies floating in the lake beneath the catwalks. Panting, he cautiously stepped down the catwalk and onto the end of the metal bridge. "Clear?"
A shadowy hand formed of magical hair popped out of the dark entrance and extended its index finger in a beckoning motion. "All clear." her voice said.
Link relaxed, lowering his sword and shield. "Thanks for that, by the way. I didn't know what I could do about those archers." He walked over the bridge, the horn heels of his boots hitting it with a metallic plinking sound. When he entered the dark tunnel beyond, he had to stop due to not being able to see anything yet again. How the heck did the Gorons manage to see when they had to come and go in and out of the light like this?
"I was finally able to do something, and I didn't want you getting shot. It was bad enough that you had some close calls when you were swimming." He couldn't see her yet, but her voice came from right in front of him. "The tunnel here extends a bit, so it's safe for you to stand here while your eyes adjust."
"How could you tell that's what I was doing?"
"Your pupils get bigger whenever you go back into a dark area after being outside." Midna told him. Oh, that made sense. He really wasn't thinking about how his own eyes looked as he was going about his business in these mines. Although if she was lurking in the shadows on his body, how could she see his face? "Not only that, but I can tell when you're looking at me instead of staring in my direction. Like now...you can see me, can't you?"
"Yeah. Or at least I can see your eye." It was still difficult to see the rest of her in the darkness, but the one red-on-yellow eye that peeped out from beneath the stone helmet was always easy to see. For some reason, her eyes were the only part of her not made of shadows. There were four Bulbin bodies on the floor. He cleaned his blade on one of them and sheathed it. Having to remove the blood all the time was getting annoying, but then again he wasn't used to killing this many things.
"How are your ribs?"
"Obnoxious." It wasn't a typical way to describe pain, but the fact that it never went away was eroding his patience a bit. He hoped he didn't start getting angry due to being in pain. "I can see enough, now. Let's continue on."
Link put his shield away as he went down the tunnel, which extended about thirty feet before taking a ninety- degree turn to the right. He expected to fight more Bulbins on the way, and could hear their voices from somewhere ahead. The tunnel opened up into a large sweltering room, with a solid metal guardrail to his left, and a stone ramp that went down and around a corner. The Bulbin voices came from below.
He risked a peek, raising his head above the metal barrier just enough so he could see what was below. There was a river of black-crusted lava that sluggishly moved through a channel that divided the room, and there was a wide metal platform suspended above red-hot cracks in the floor of the cavern. He did a quick head count of the Bulbins, and found that there were nine that were on that platform, some of them standing and talking, but the rest of them sitting idly. They did not seem to be on alert, in fact they didn't seem concerned at all; it was likely they did not hear the bridge slamming open, and none of the Bulbins that ran from the tunnel were carrying horns. Their idle state also said that they had probably been shut in here for a while. How long could Bulbins survive in a hot place without food or water? Some of the ones he fought had waterskins and pouches, so they likely were prepared, but even then they probably had been shut in here for days.
Across the slow-moving river of lava was another metal bridge, and the Bulbins had cut the rope down near the winch just as Link had done before. It was only partially lowered, as the rope had tangled itself on some metal crossbars that were driven into the walls to support some kind of light source that he couldn't identify. It glowed softly with yellowish light, but he couldn't tell what generated it.
If he could somehow cut that rope free, the bridge would lower the rest of the way, and distract the Bulbins. He briefly entertained the idea of giving Midna his sword and asking her to do it, but she'd be out in the open, and some of those Bulbins had bows. A different solution came to him, and he pulled out his bow and started fishing around in the quiver at the small of his back. He had made sure to put the fire arrows to one side of the quiver to make things easier on himself. Even so, the feathers on the fire arrows did feel a bit different, the fletching longer than the regular arrows, so he was able to select what he wanted without being able to look. He would be able to fire at the rope without the Bulbins seeing him, although some of them might notice the arrow if it dropped down near them.
Link set the arrow and drew back the string of his bow, and the magic on the bladed tip flared to life as the it ignited. Midna watched wordlessly as he fired, the magical flames catching on the rope as it arced through the air and continued on to land in the lava river. The rope wasn't flame-resistant, good. He glanced over at Midna, who looked up at the burning rope without commentary. She didn't know anything about bows, but if she did she likely would be impressed with the difficult shots he had been making in this place. At least he was a bit impressed with himself, although after the salty response she gave earlier he didn't brag. He pulled out a regular arrow and peeked over the guardrail again.
One of the Bulbins made a sound almost like a "huh?", and pointed up at the burning rope, likely having heard the arrow as it flew. A few of the others looked up, one even putting its hands on its hips as it babbled in its own language. He had been telling himself that these green-skinned invaders were monsters, but they were no more monsters than Gorons or Zoras. They were a race of people, and behaved how people tended to behave. It didn't change the fact that they were the enemy.
With the Bulbins distracted, he stood and shot one holding a bow in the back. Its companions began to shout and scramble to their feet, and he managed to shoot down another archer before they saw the man on the top ledge firing arrows. "Hold this." he said, shoving the bow into Midna's hands and then immediately drew his sword and shield. The pain of his ribs was still there, but the seven green-skinned enemies were far more important.
Their feet clattered on the catwalk as they ran to meet him as he quickly descended the stone ramp. Another archer fired an arrow, but he deflected it with his shield, and then saw that Midna had swooped down from the ledge above to smash her hair into the Bulbin. It fell off the catwalk into the red-hot rocks below and screamed as its clothing ignited. Right, don't fall off the catwalk. Good to note.
As before, they were unable to surround him as he stood at the end of the ramp, holding his place as they came at him one or two at a time. He had taken care of four when the bridge slammed down, the force of it knocking another Bulbin off its feet and over the side of the catwalk. Midna picked up another archer and flung it against the wall, where it slid down before landing on the hot rocks with the two others. It also screamed as its clothing caught on fire, and the sound disturbed Link. He hadn't planned on killing them that way since it seemed cruel, but Midna didn't seem to care either way. Dead was dead.
The last two fell to his sword, and he cleaned the blade yet again before sheathing it, panting in pain. The heat wasn't quite as strong as it was in the cavern with the lava lake, but it was still uncomfortably hot. He took his bow from Midna and then stood at the end of the catwalk to look down at the three blackened Bulbins that huddled along the wall, the creatures weakly moving. One of them was making a sound that almost sounded like sobs. He used three arrows, and the three badly-burned Bulbins had merciful deaths.
"Why did you do that?" Midna asked him as he returned his bow to its spot above his baldric. "They were dying anyway."
"That's a terrible way to die. They're our enemies, but I can't leave them there to suffer."
"Mercy? I didn't expect that, considering you had no problems killing Shadow Beasts before." She hovered next to him on the catwalk, peering down at the burnt corpses. The sickening smell of burning flesh had started to waft up to them.
"I didn't have a choice before. This time I could choose." Link searched the archers to replace his arrows, although none of them had any magical ones. He then stood in front of the thick metal bridge that spanned the sluggish river of lava. The heat coming from that black-crusted liquid rock was almost like a solid wall, and when he took a few steps towards it, he instinctively backed away. "Of course the Gorons would make a bridge over lava and not think anything of it."
"Can't you cross it?" Midna asked, staring at the lava.
"I don't know. Maybe? I can feel the heat of this catwalk through the bottom of my boots, so I can't imagine how hot the bridge is now that it's over lava." He looked across the way to the stone floor on the other side, which was flanked by carved pillars and lit by the strange yellow lights from above. It was probably cooler over there versus where he was standing right now. He took a few deep breaths, trying to psyche himself up for what he needed to do, and after hesitating for a few seconds, sprinted across the bridge.
It was far too hot for him, even with the enchanted bracelet, and it felt as if his skin was burning, even beneath his clothes. He would have turned away to avoid the heat if he didn't have the forward momentum that carried him on. Then he was past it and the temperature dropped, and he slowed his run and then came to a stop. His chain mail felt uncomfortably warm, but he couldn't exactly take it off.
Link turned to Midna, who was still on the other side of the bridge, and watched as she blurred and zipped across it far faster than he could run. When she was next to him, he put his hands to his face to touch his cheeks with his fingers. "I feel like my face is burned. Do I look burned?"
She shook her head. "No. Your face and ears have been red every time we've been in a hot room, but that's to be expected. I don't think you actually burnt yourself when you ran across there."
"Do you know what I've been thinking of almost the entire time we've been here? Swimming someplace cool." He gave a short laugh. "And then I had to swim and it was terrible. I can't wait to get out of here."
"It'll be done soon. Are you ready for a fight?" Midna asked as she watched him pull out the strange mechanical key that Gor Coron had given him.
"No, because I'm still hurt and I still don't know how we're going to fight something we can't kill." He stepped up to the large metal and stone door, which had a series of gears set into its face. "I'm not going to let that stop me, or this door. How the heck does this work?" He found the slot for the strange key, but then nothing happened. Was there something else he was supposed to do?
Wordlessly, Midna moved up to the key and pressed her hand on the back end of it, depressing a button there that he did not see. The mechanism turned and the door began to retract in four diamond-shaped sections.
"Ah." he said, now noticing the button. Midna seemed to be far more observant then he was. She was likely much smarter than him, too. He pulled out the key from the retreating door and put it away, and then looked into the dark room beyond. There was no movement, no sounds coming from the next chamber, so he stepped inside.
There were more of the yellow lights in here, but they appeared to be broken in some way, one of them had even fallen to the ground to scatter its glass on the floor. The air was stale, and Link wondered if Darbus was breathing all right in here. There were the sounds of heavy breathing coming from the center of the room, and as his eyes adjusted Link could see a dark form standing there, its head hung low as it sagged from chains that secured it to four pillars in the room. It stood on the ruined remnants of a pedestal, which was the likely the resting place of the Fused Shadows piece before Darbus touched it.
He stepped up cautiously, trying to determine if the mutated Goron was sleeping, when a large yellow eye opened on its head, glowing with an inner light. Another eye? Maybe it was some kind of theme with the Fused Shadows. The eye started frantically looking around the room before settling on Link, its slitted pupil narrowing when it saw him. Midna hid in Link's shadows as the beast began to stir, flames igniting on its body and illuminating the room.
The Goron's skin had been replaced with shining black obsidian that was run through with molten cracks, the fire beneath them glowing orange. He opened his eyes, which glowed with the same orange fire just below the giant yellow eye, and the Goron's face had turned into a snout full of teeth. Yet Link could see a strange double-image when he looked at the monster that once was Darbus. The fiery beast was there, but within it was the form of a Goron, the true nature of the being that had been corrupted by the Fused Shadows. He hadn't seen that when fighting the corrupted plant. What was different?
The chains glowed red hot around Darbus' wrists and ankles, and he growled as he tugged on them sharply. One snapped free near his left hand, and he used that hand to tug on the remaining chains, breaking them farther down. The corrupted Goron roared and slung the chain on his right hand at Link, who narrowly dodged it.
The yellow eye tracked his movements. With the strange double-vision he could see that there was a piece of carved stone beneath it, the fragment of the Fused Shadows. That eye was likely a weak point, just like it had been on the plant. He pulled out his bow and hoped that destroying the eye would be enough. If it wasn't, he didn't know what he could do. He doubted his sword could penetrate obsidian.
Another chain came in his direction and he dodged again, quickly firing an arrow at the eye but missing. He fired again, and Darbus covered the eye with his clawed left hand, stomping after Link and trailing the twin chains that rattled on the floor. That gave him an idea.
He dodged again, but felt that his normal agility was starting to flag and he wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. Darbus followed, and Link slowly lead him towards one of the pillars, firing the occasional arrow to keep the Goron's attention. He kited the beast in a wide loop around the pillar, and the chain trailed behind it exactly where Link wanted it.
"Midna! When I tell you, you have to pull on the chain coming from his right leg." The chain on his arm came his way, but luckily he was far enough around the pillar that it missed. He put away his bow and drew his sword and shield.
The little imp appeared and her one eye looked over the chain that was wrapping itself around the pillar. "Right!" she said, understanding what he planned to do. She grabbed the other end with her hair, and paced the slow movement of the chain as Darbus stomped along.
Link continued to bait the corrupted Goron around the pillar, backing away slowly with his sword and shield held ready. Darbus slung the chain on his right arm at the Hylian in front of him, and Link caught the blow on his shield. A shuddering pain shot down his right arm from the blow, and ignited a new burning wave of agony in his ribs. He grunted in pain and grit his teeth, knowing that while his arm wasn't broken, he shouldn't try to deflect the chain with his shield. He turned and ran instead, putting some space between himself and Darbus. "Now!" he called to Midna.
She hauled back on the chain then, using the pillar as a fulcrum. The force yanked Darbus' leg back, and he collapsed to land on his belly. Link did not hesitate, taking a few running steps before leaping into the air, slashing down on the yellow eye just as he had with the giant plant. The eye collapsed in on itself and started to dissolve into black squares, and the monstrous Goron raised his face and roared, the flames on his body growing brighter and more intense. Link grunted from the heat and hid behind his shield, backing away. Then the light faded, and when he looked the obsidian monster had dissolved into black squares, leaving the still form of a very ordinary Goron laying on the floor in its place.
As before, the black squares merged to form into a piece of carved stone that fell to the floor. Midna immediately went and picked it up with her hair. The imp looked at it and smiled again, the same smile she had when she had touched the first one. It was eerie, as if the fragment affected her in some way. "Finally...another one. I have three pieces now, almost enough."
"Midna." Link said, not liking the expression on her face. It looked greedy and malicious, and now that he knew her true personality it was not like her at all.
She blinked at him saying her name, and the fragment vanished in a few black squares. "Sorry. Was just thinking. I said I'd tell you more about things, so I won't go back on my word." Midna moved to hover in front of him as he put away his sword and shield. "Zant. That's the name of our enemy, the name of the King of Shadows. A false king, a king that abuses the power he has stolen, and a king that I never will bow to." She gave a small snort. "Not that Zelda is any better, letting her kingdom fall into such a state so Zant could invade."
Link didn't care for the royal family, but he didn't fault Zelda for what had happened. The problem was caused by King Adelbert, and the man was dead and gone. He opened his mouth to tell her this but she spoke again before he could give his words voice.
"You have your reasons to hate the royal family of the light world, and I have my reasons to hate Zant." Midna said. "I think you understand how I feel."
There wasn't much to say to that, and so he nodded. "There's only one piece left, right?"
"Yes, and once we obtain that, I should have enough power to remove Zant...permanently." Her voice dropped in volume, as if she was speaking to herself. "Then everything will be right again…"
There was a groan from the floor, and Darbus slowly got to his feet, illuminated by the yellow light coming from the open doorway. The Goron had the top of his hair trimmed level in a manner that resembled a brush, and had thick pale hair on his arms and legs. It was probably the Goron equivalent of being hairy. He was large, as large as the heavily-armored warriors that waited with Gor Coron outside the mine, and the pebbles on his back extended over his shoulders and down his arms. The patriarch put a meaty hand to his head and groaned again. "I feel like I've taken a mine pick to the brain." He dropped his hand and turned to look at Midna and Link. "Who are you two? Wait...what happened?" He gasped and stepped back to look at the ruined pedestal. "The relic! It's gone!"
"Hey, slow down. It's okay." Link said, extending his hands in an attempt to placate the large Goron. "There was a monster that tried to steal the fragment of the Fused Shadows, but we defeated it."
"There was?" Darbus looked confused. He had no idea what had happened. It probably was for the best.
"We also took care of the Bulbins that were in the mine. I can't promise that I got to them all, but I think we took care of most of them." he continued. "Oh, and two dodongos, but that wasn't part of the plan."
Midna gave a smirk and crossed her arms. "Link keeps saying 'we' but he really did most of the work. I only helped him when he needed it."
"...Link?" Darbus asked in a curious tone, and then stepped up to the Hylian to tower over him. "It's dark in here, but you're wearing green, aren't you?" Of course the patriarch would know about the hero, if the elders knew. He glanced over Link's shoulder. "Hm, you don't have the sword, but wait...is that the bow? You're him, aren't you? The next hero?"
"Yes. The Light Spirits instructed me to gather the relics guarded by the three races in order to use them to defeat the King of Shadows. He's the guy who sent all these Bulbins into your mine, and why there was a monster in here." It wasn't a lie, exactly. "I'm supposed to free Hyrule from the Twilight, a magic field created by the King of Shadows."
"Twilight? What, like when the sun sets? I don't remember seeing anything like that." He put a hand to his head again. "Ugh...why do I hurt so much?"
Now it was time to lie, just a little bit. Link hoped he was a good liar, because he certainly didn't feel like one. "You were unconscious when I found you. I think you tried to fight the monster and it hurt you, so I had to rescue you."
"Rescue?" Darbus said sheepishly, once again beginning with a question. "Hey, uh...don't let word of that get out, okay? If my people realize that I needed to be saved by a half-pint Hylian, they're gonna lose all respect for me."
Was that half-pint comment because all Hylians were small compared to Gorons, or was that directed at Link's own shorter stature? He shouldn't be offended by it. "We promise not to tell anyone."
"I've got an idea!" Darbus exclaimed with a grin. "What if we say we fought the beast together? That will make a more interesting story, and it'll let me save face."
Link had to laugh at that, and then immediately regretted it, grabbing at his painful ribs. "That'll work, I guess."
"Are you injured? The Goron asked, looking him over. His concern seemed genuine. The patriarch seemed to be a good person, despite his desire to make himself look good in front of his people.
"Nothing I can't handle." Link dismissed his injury, not wanting to bother the patriarch with it. Darbus was likely in rough shape himself, having been locked in this room for days.
"He has cracked ribs." Midna said, waving her hand in an offhand manner. "He doesn't want to make a big deal out of it, but he's been hurt this whole time."
"You would come into this volcano, fight and defeat all those Bulbins and do it while injured, just so you could help me?" Darbus said, a bit awed. "You truly must be the hero." He carefully put a large hand on Link's shoulder. Only a few fingers could actually fit. "I would be honored to call you 'brother', Link. You have done my people a great service, and earned my gratitude."
He looked up at the patriarch in the dim light of the relic chamber, and saw his serious expression. The Goron meant it from the bottom of his heart. The leader of the proud race was thankful to him, of all people, and Link felt humbled. It was not a compliment to be taken lightly. "Thank you. That means a lot." It really did. "We should get going. Three of the elders are still locked up in a room, and they'll want to know that you're all right."
"Sure thing, brother. I'm gonna guess you have the relic now?" He removed his heavy hand from Link's shoulder and began walking to the yellow-lit doorway that lead into the cavern with the lava river.
Link walked with him, with Midna floating behind. "Yeah. It's safe and sound." he assured Darbus.
The Goron patriarch kindly carried Link over the river of lava when he saw that the young man was having difficulty crossing it due to the heat. Darbus' large rocky body protected Link from most of the heat as he perched on his shoulder, and the patriarch didn't set him down until they were out in the quarry. He accepted Link's story that Midna was made of shadows when she had to disappear into his body, and asked no questions. Since Link was the hero, nothing about him should be surprising.
They made their way back to the tunnel with the locked room, and Darbus knelt down to examine the bodies of the slain workers. "Damn those Bulbins…" he said with tightly controlled fury.
"I agree with that statement. The Bulbins came to my home and stole away a bunch of humans." Link's waterskin was empty by now, and he was feeling quite thirsty. It felt like his tongue was made of leather. "That's what brought me to meet the Light Spirits and figure out who I really was. I was just an ordinary guy a week ago."
Darbus stood. "You're anything but ordinary now, even if you don't feel any different. Look at me. When I had to take over as patriarch, it was a big responsibility...but I didn't feel any different even though everyone looked up at me." Finally, somebody who understood. "I still have responsibilities, and so do you, brother. Let's talk to the elders and get out of here." He reached out to pull up the large switch easily with one hand, and the door opened. Three voices called him by name when they saw their patriarch standing in the doorway.
Link followed him in, grateful for the much cooler room. His body felt weak and stiff, and he assumed he was dehydrated. He glanced around the room, only half-listening as Darbus recounted what had happened to the elders, or at least the version of the story the two of them had agreed on. The leader of the Gorons called him "brother". Did that mean that they were friends? Allies, for sure. If only Ilia could see him now. The thought of her made his heart sink a bit; he still had no idea where she had been taken. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard somebody say his name.
"Link?" Darbus repeated. "You okay there?"
"Uh, yeah. Sorry...I'm just thirsty and tired from it. Can I have some of the water that's here?" It was the truth, at least.
"Help yourself." Gor Liggs said. "But beware, young hero: do not drink too much too quickly. That is the advice we give to humans who visit us. If your kind drinks too much water at once, it can make your insides swell up and you'd die."
"Wait...what? Humans can die from drinking too much water? But we need water to stay alive." It was a strange concept. "I guess too much of anything is bad in excess. Thanks for the advice, I admit I was going to have a bunch. I've been sweating a lot in this place." And he probably smelled all the worse for it, too. Gorons didn't smell like much of anything, but humans were a different story. He hoped he didn't stink too badly.
Link refilled his waterskin and only drank a bit, as he had been doing throughout the mines. The way he had been doing it to conserve water was probably the smartest way to do it. The three elders opted to remain in the break room a bit more, willing to wait until a group of warriors could escort them out. It didn't take them long to reach the entrance of the mines, which still had its heavy metal doors thrown wide open. When they stepped out into the afternoon sunlight, Gor Coron's face lit up with joy.
"You were successful!" the old Goron said as they approached.
"I said I would be, didn't I?" Link reached into the pouch that held the strange mechanical key and pulled it out, then handed it over to Coron.
"I did not doubt you. I am merely pleased that Darbus is safe." His smile was wide as he looked up at his son. It must have been terrifying as a parent to know that your child is trapped as a terrible monster. Link couldn't relate, but he could understand worrying for a loved one.
"Hey, old man." the patriarch said to Gor Coron by way of greeting. "I think everything's set in the mines, but we oughta send in a few of these warriors in to make sure. Somebody needs to help the other elders out." Darbus turned to the armored Gorons and put his fists on his narrow hips. "You four to the left, go into the mines. You four to the right, wait here and make sure nothing comes out."
Eight large armored fists thumped on eight muscular chests. "Yes, boss!" the warriors intoned at once, and then followed Darbus' instructions.
The patriarch ushered Link along back towards Goron City. "If you ever need help in fighting the Bulbins again, I will help. You may call on me whenever you have need." Another humbling statement. If he was going to be the hero, Link needed to figure out how to handle people treating him this way. He still felt like a goatherd that lived in a house on the edge of town.
"I hope that isn't necessary, but after the Twilight Invasion is pushed back, it may take all the combined races to drive the Bulbins out of Hyrule. There's a whole lot of them out there, and not much of the Hylian army. There might be near Castle Town, but Central Hyrule's a mess." He shrugged. "What soldiers I did see were dead."
"What was the Hylian king thinking?" Darbus asked, looking a bit exasperated. "How could he have let his country be taken over like this? I thought the Hylians were stronger than that."
Now that they were out of earshot of anyone else, Link lowered his voice and looked over at the two Gorons. "The king is dead, killed along with his knights by the invaders. Hyrule Castle and the surrounding town have been captured, along with Princess Zelda."
"That is quite concerning." Gor Coron said, looking worried.
"Everything's been turned on its head, and it seems like the King of Shadows invaded at the worst possible time. I don't know how much you heard from up here on the mountain, but Hyrule was on the verge of being divided again. Some years ago our king lost his mind, and banned magic." Link scowled, his hatred of the king clearly showing on his face. "Banning magic from a race of magical people…."
"Why in the world would he do something so foolish?" Darbus asked, looking equally concerned as his father.
Link shrugged. "I don't think I can understand the thought process of a mad king. Many knights and soldiers abandoned the royal family because of it, including my father." He wasn't sure why he told them this. Nobody knew who his father was outside of Rusl, but he felt that confiding in the two Goron leaders was likely wise. Telling them one of his life's secrets was strangely comforting.
"The hero is the son of a soldier...or perhaps a knight?" Coron asked.
"A knight." Link confirmed.
"It would make sense that the hero would have a good bloodline, father." Darbus told the other Goron. "Link, are you able to use any magic? I know many of the knights have been able to through history."
"I have no idea. My mother had magic, but she passed away before she could teach me anything." Midna was hearing all of this, he knew. He was revealing a bit more about himself not only to these two Gorons, but to her as well. She remained silent as she rode within his shadows.
"It's a shame." The patriarch said. "A good healing spell would do your cracked ribs wonders."
"Cracked ribs?" Gor Coron blinked in surprise. "You came all the way up the mountain, wrestled me, and then fought your way through the mines with an injury?" he asked a bit incredulously.
"The very first Goron I faced knocked me partway down the mountain and hurt me. After that I had to resort to trickery in order to fight my way up here. Besides, what could I have done? Gone home? I needed to come here no matter what." It was logical, even if it meant abusing his body. Perhaps that's why the hero was always young, so his body could take the abuse.
"Wait...you fought my people in order to get to Goron City?" The patriarch turned to his father. "Old man, what the heck was happening when I was trapped in the mine?"
As they continued on their way back into Goron City, Gor Coron explained to his son what had been happening in his absence, including the fall of Kakariko. Darbus listened with a grim expression, not liking what had occurred, but admitted that he would have done the same. He lamented what happened to Kakariko, though.
"I regret what happened to our neighbors at the bottom of the mountain. We must make amends for what has happened." The patriarch shook his head. "But for now, we can at least aid you, hero. It isn't as good as a healing spell, but we have hot mineral springs here on the mountain that are good for treating ills. Both my people and visitors love 'em. Maybe if you had a soak, you'll feel a little less sore."
"Sore" was an understatement, but Link didn't vocalize that thought. "That actually sounds really good right now." Maybe he could rinse away some of this damn sweat, too.
They made their way into the large hall with the throne to find it was no longer devoid of Gorons. There weren't many, but a few loitered around in the great hall. The group of scattered Gorons converged around their patriarch, delighted to see him back from the mines. He held up his hands to quell their questions, and turned to a shorter Goron at the back of the group. "Pyle."
"Here. I'm glad you're back." the Goron named Pyle said with a big grin as he stepped up to Darbus. Link recognized him then: this was the Goron that had knocked him down the mountain. Seeing him next to the other Gorons made him realize that Pyle was young, and likely not fully grown yet. An adolescent Goron had kicked his ass with one hit...what would an adult one have done to him?
"Glad to be back. Link, this is my boy, Pyle. He can show you to the springs that our human visitors use." Boy? This Goron was Darbus's son?
"Oh yeah, I know the ones. You're gonna love them." He looked up at his father. "You be sure to tell me about everything when I get back, okay?"
Darbus grinned a big toothy grin, showing square teeth that could not possibly be made of bone, if they ate rocks. What were Goron teeth made of, anyway? "You betcha. All right Link, I'll see you around. Good luck out there, brother."
"Thank you, Darbus, and Gor Coron. I appreciate your help." He gave them a smile, and they both responded in kind. Then he turned to follow the young Goron out of the hall and through the city.
Pyle led him out of the city and in the opposite direction of the main path that went down the mountain, following a smaller path. There was steam rising up ahead, and it proved to be a natural hot spring of blue-tinged water that sat in smooth gray volcanic rocks. There were benches nearby, and even an awning over the benches to provide some comfort to visitors.
"These are some of the cooler ones that humans like to use." Pyle told him. "You're welcome to come back to visit here whenever you want, I'm sure dad and granddad will be happy to see you." He turned to go, and then stopped, facing Link again. "Oh, and I'm sorry I knocked you down like that. I was only doing my job."
"It's okay. I'm sorry I knocked you down the mountain right after that." He eyed the steaming springs. He had been warm enough in the mines, and the mid-afternoon sun was out. Was sitting in hot springs a good idea? Then again the Gorons had visitors to their springs, so they probably knew what was best. They certainly knew that a human could drink too much water and die of it, of all things.
Pyle gave a short laugh. "I guess that makes us even. All right...Link, was it? Take care, brother." He rolled into a ball and hurried his way back to the city.
Link watched him go, and then went to one of the benches beneath the awning in the shade and started to remove his gear. He smiled when he set down the hero's bow, which had found its way into the hands of another hero. That's probably how it was meant to be. After a few moments, Midna appeared in the shade of the awning and frowned at him. "We're not doing this again, are we?"
He undid his belt, not answering. She could complain all she wanted, he was going to sit in this hot spring one way or another, and he wasn't going to do it in his sweaty clothes.
"Link!" she said after he removed his chain mail and tossed it on the ground in a pile. "You're leaving me stranded in this little bit of shadow while you strip down?!"
"Turn around if it bothers you." He removed his gambeson and then went to take off his boots, turning his back to her. The bracelet should stay on, though. He wasn't sure if this spring for tourists was cool enough for him to sit around without it.
"It's the concept of the whole thing!" she said, her voice anxious. "Now I really am a captive audience, under this stupid awning. Are you listening to me? Link? Stop ignoring me!" Her voice increased in pitch as he removed the last of his clothing and threw it on the bench. "...oh gods, okay, that's...right. You are totally not listening." Her voice sounded as if she had not only turned around, but moved away slightly. "Do you have any idea of how improper you're being right now?" She was quite clearly flustered.
"Don't care." he said, stepping into the water. It was a little bit on the hot side, but pleasantly so.
"When you said I could deal with a little skin, that was not what I had in mind!" He risked a look at her, and saw that she was seated on one of the benches with her back to him, arms crossed. She wasn't looking, just as he expected her to do.
"What's the big deal, you're naked all the time." He sunk down into the water with a sigh to sit on the stone. It was quite pleasant. "You don't hear me bitching about it."
"What?! That's completely different, and you know it!" Her voice moved a bit closer, but still came from the awning. She had come as close as she could to lecture him. "Look here, you might be a farm boy and spent your days throwing around bales of hay or whatever it is you do, but where I come from, there are certain standards that men must adhere to. You are most certainly not a gentleman with the way you're acting."
Link ignored her tirade as she continued on, and slid into the hot water of the spring until his ears were beneath the water, and her shrill voice was faint and far away.
