Chapter 11: Surprising Reflections; a Meeting Made for Hylia
Reunion with a Friend Arc
Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, this is just a Fanfiction.
Featured Music: "Ranked Amongst the World's Best" - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass OST. Chapter Briefing.
"Memories" - Dynasty Warriors V OST. Scene 1 (First Half).
"Foulwater Falls" - Wario Land V: The Shake Dimension OST. Scene 1 (Second Half).
In an explosive confrontation rivalling that of even demi-god-like proportions, Link and Tatl manage to free Weybour and Snowhead from its eternal slumber in winter by utilising the deceased Darmani's power. With his giant strength stored safely within the Goron Mask Link easily and briskly makes quick work of the mechanical bull hiding within Snowhead Temple; the Masked Mechanical Monster, aptly named 'Goht'.
With Snowhead and its neighbouring village Weybour saved from rapid solidification under ice, Prima – a conglomerate that seemingly have arms in every field – opt to go ahead with one of their many next competitions; an entry-level race around a track, aptly titled, 'The Weybour Winding Warpath'. Although this race is part of a long touring Grand Prix tournament that they are handling, luckily for the heroes, this one has no previous qualification requirements. Choosing to take part in the race, presumably for the first prize of Laminite Gold Dust, Link seemingly hopes to put the rare mineral toward upgrading his weaponry.
A notion that was put to the test.
In their endeavour however they meet with what appears to be previous acquaintances and contacts of Darmani, the Third; two Goron men. Andesalt 'Andy' Tabard and Flint Bradshaw. In what seems like a friendly rivalry with Darmani, Andesalt appears to have had his challenging world record runs shaved by the formerly living Goron champion; an incredible feat that leaves the 'White Light' speechless. However it isn't long before even the great Andesalt's records are challenged; in Flint's rise to fame and power he manages to not only outrun Andesalt's records but the current Terminian champion's as well.
Truly, the Weybour Winding Warpath was an appropriate contest of speed and strength between these three outstanding marathoners.
It is all too quickly, however, that dreams are gained and lost; as they race through the winding raceway only the three eternal challengers are left between the rest of the large number of Gorons, and it is these three men that manage to make the top-cut. In their final approach to the finish line Andesalt is wiped out by the ever devious Flint and, very soon, the race becomes a vie for control between the only two remaining racers left; Flint and Link.
When they make their neck-and-neck run however, a pictograph finish in and of itself, only one can come out on top.
Just as a great contender once proclaimed.
'There can be only one'.
Scene 1
DAWN OF THE FINAL DAY
-24 Hours Remain-
"Ladies and gentlemen I have been to the edge of the earth, I have seen the first world war. I've even bore witness to the great rise of Prima itself but never in all my years as its spokesman seen something as incredible as this!"
As the wide-smiling Mr. Marshall's voice boomed out from behind him through the input Gossip Stone lying on the table before him, the audience resting in their stand behind him cheered out loudly and emphatically, as if in powerful agreement.
"Three Goron heroes of astonishing speed and might, clashed in a demanding competition of even greater challenge!" Marshall continued on, his heightened morale carrying his words as high as his similarly sky-high mood. "I'm sure that in time to come, future racers will be looking back on today's results to glean careful and valuable information!"
"Can't argue with that!" Tasty Seth concurred, a similarly intense grin plastered upon his younger expression; a nod in his voice as he re-opened his mouth to continue. "This has been, easily, the most hype race I've ever seen dude!" The young man laughed out. "Who would have guessed that the champion would have kept his title?!"
"A call that was, quite simply, far too close to make," the smiling Marshall chuckled as he leant his head to the side. "In the pictograph finish, Darmani and Flint were mere millimetres away from one another," he illuminated as the very pictograph itself he was referring to flashed behind him on the great big brightly-blue Gossip Stone behind him and the audience stand. "So, as you can see folks, please... give it up..."
Oddly, as if in respect for the heat of the moment, the congregation behind him fell duly silent.
But not for long.
"For your former and now reigning Termina champion; Darmani, the Third!"
As the ever-grinning faced Link stood atop what appeared to be a podium assigned only for those in top cut, he folded his Goron-formed arms as the watching crowd let loose their bellowing cheer for him. Standing next to him in the slightly lower podium was the frowning Flint, similarly folded armed and yet in a completely contrasting expression.
Disappointment it could only be.
The final Goron, the conflictingly-smiling form of Andesalt, turned his respectful nod up at the smirking Link on his left, a single muscled hand resting on his hip as he did.
When a staff member of the sporting event stepped forward, large golden trophy in hand, the grinning-faced Link double-took from his position.
"Here you are!" The man, seemingly well-dressed enough for the occasion, smiled as he hovered the large award forward. "First prize."
The grin that the former Kokiri sported however soon found itself dropping when he drew his oceanic-eyed gaze over the single and simple-enough trophy before him.
"H-Hey!" He exclaimed out, like a petulant child denied its treat. "Where's the Gold Dust?!"
"It's...," the older man chuckled, an eyebrow raising as he nodded his head down into the trophy's cup below. "Inside..."
Link blinked his sea-blue eyes back at the man before leaning forward in a comical fashion as if to investigate.
Sure enough a fresh bottle of the powerful Laminite ore, Golden Dust lay inside, joined by two golden Rupees and a single silver one.
That's five hundred Rupees in there, the wide-eyed Link thought to himself, truly taken aback.
"S-Sorry...," he apologised in a sheepish scratch of his head before he leaned his hands forward to gently take his winnings off the man's hands, a newly grateful look about his apology-filled smile. "Thanks!"
"All good," the man chuckled amiably enough. Turning to leave he offered the blonde youth an appreciative nod. "Well done by the way."
This time the smiling Link's expression soon evolved back into its usual overconfident and toothy smirk.
"What a way to end the season," Marshall spoke up again, his light baritone filling the huge room. "I only wish there were more to come."
"Y'know, I gotta tell ya Marsh," the similarly grinning Seth nodded upward in his speech. "As great a favourite as Darmani was to win, I never saw it comin'."
The older commentator laughed in response, as if tickled by the notion. "You're not wrong there my friend!" He called out. "But with the great legacy Darmani carries I guess it must be the luck of the Gorons!"
"Heyyy! That's a mean joke!"
Even as Zubora moaned in his narrow-eyed glare, thrusting a finger down at the item he was seemingly directing his comments to – the forged Razor Sword – Link found himself grinning back in response as he rested his left hand across his hip; his ever-faithfully reliable gesture.
"Oh!" Zubora exclaimed, his eyes widening as if in realisation. "Unless..."
Just as the man seemingly understood, the grinning-faced Link rose up the beautiful glass bottle of Gold Dust he had just procured from the race earlier. As it shone brightly in the wide-eyed Zubora's gaze, the mountain smithy could only gasp as if having witnessed an astonishing sight.
Indeed, even the very sight of Golden Dust of Laminite origin was enough to draw all kinds of eyes.
"I don't believe it; Gabora, look!" Zubora gasped out, eyes widening as he leaned forward in his long sofa, hovering his fingers over the lavish material hidden away inside the glass bottle. "Gold Dust! And it's of Laminite too...!"
"OHHHHH!"
In spite of his earlier confidence in bringing the material forward, Link very quickly found himself wincing in response to the powerful echo that Gabora's bass carried to his sharp-left; in a wince he nearly scarpered completely, having been unusually surprised by the rather large man's positive outburst.
"Where in the name of the Four Giants did you get this...?!" Zubora hissed out, eyes narrowing almost as if in scrutiny somehow.
His mood returned to its usual overconfident boyish charm, the young Hero of Time swung his blonde-haired head back 'round to smirk over at the more intelligent partner of the two mountain blacksmiths.
"Let's just say I know a guy that knows a guy...," he began, raising up his now free left hand as if to inspect its shortened nails in a display of informality. "That knows a guy!" The youth finished, a cheeky wink of his left eye mixing with his grin ever-widening as he did.
"Y'know what kid? I like you!" Zubora laughed back, clearly tickled by the youth's jokey demeanour. "We like you!" He amended, raising up his right finger to wave the huge and lumbering form of his partner next to him. "We'll do this for you... on the house!"
This time Link couldn't help but drop his grin in favour of a wide-eyed frown, shocked and all.
"R-Really?"
"You bet!" The little blue-dressed man smiled in an affirming nod, re-opening his mouth to continue. "You can pick up your new and improved sword later tonight!"
"Damn man; you guys are awesome!"
To match his casual call he spontaneously walked forward and rose up his balled-up right fist. Sensing his intentions, the light-grinning Zubora shot up his own fist to bump with the youth's in a display of respect and brotherly showmanship. Almost as if they were both children they similarly leaned their hands back from the contact before opening up their fingers into what seemed like some kind of an explosion. They illustrated their juvenile behaviour with a similarly infantile sound of explosion with their voices, eyes similarly widened. The watching Gubora, seemingly entranced, could only widen his own eyes in a venerated shade of awe.
Tatl, witnessing the event before her however, buried herself in her milk-shaded light in a very different kind of surprise.
Comical embarrassment.
–
2
DAWN OF THE FIRST DAY
-72 Hours Remain-
After having returned Snowhead Temple's many wandering Stray Fairies, Link and Tatl at last recovered the dormant-sleeping power that lay within; an empowering of Quintessence and Aegir that the Great Fairy of Snowhead and Weybour carried, easily raising the youth's already intimidating level of strength.
Added onto their already high-rising morale was the re-acquisition of the Razor Sword, now fully and permanently upgraded into the 'Gilded Sword'. The weapon, formerly having been known as the trusty 'Kokiri Sword', was now one indeed to be feared; its blade had been lengthened significantly, coated in what appeared to be a mix of silver and gold.
Seemingly from the very Laminite's Gold Dust that it was constructed from.
Although the ever-grinning Link compared his new tool's weapon to his previous armaments – the Master Sword and the Biggoron's Sword – he found himself enamoured with, not only its overwhelming level of power, but its lasting durability. Especially in comparison to its former twin, the Razor Sword.
As the heroes prepared their funds together for the next road ahead, they found themselves in a hotly-spoken debate about the merits of his current weaponry. Even in their rather questionable business decision of purchasing a Powder Keg, having successfully been vetted by Medigoron in Weybour, they continued to bicker and argue.
"I get that it's stronger-"
"A lot stronger!"
Link's grinning assertation made the listening and hovering Tatl roll her eyes, as if exasperated by the heated discussion.
"But it looks so ugly!"
In response Link very quickly uncurled his Goron form to swing his spiky-haired head 'round to face her, this time in what looked like a half-annoyed frown. She couldn't help but laugh in her own kind of retort.
"Oh you know what I mean!" She pushed forward, a chuckle in her soprano. "I mean compare it to how the Razor Sword looked!"
As Link turned his head back to eye the simple path that Milk Road lay before him, he found himself creasing his frown this time in what appeared to be thoughtful rumination.
She is right, he thought to himself.
Comparing the Razor Sword's aesthetics to the Gilded's was easily a no contest; he missed the beauty and simplicity in the Razor Sword's design.
In looking at the Gilded Sword, it seemed to be a kind of piece that someone with little to no taste or even knowledge in weaponry would construct.
Overzealous silver and gold be damned.
"It's an interestin' point," he at last conceded toward her, regaining his grin as he shrugged back in reply. "Come on! I'm anxious to see if you're right about this."
"'This one too'."
"Uh?" He murmured, raising an eyebrow as he hovered his head back 'round to face her. "What?"
"You're anxious to see if I'm right about this one too," she clarified and not without a sense of superiority in her soprano that had somehow become the standard. "It's not very often that I'm wrong."
For once the former Hero of Time found his frown deepening into an annoyed crease before he swiftly swivelled it 'round to face the sight before them.
CRACK... CRACK... CRACK...
Resting just ahead up the small incline appeared to be a gigantic fractured boulder and a single man gripping a pickaxe, knocking its steel blade relentlessly against it.
I wonder how long it'll take the poor guy to finish that huge thing off, the frowning Link thought to himself.
His expression soon shifted into the sociable grin he was ever known for however; a trait he carried with him as he stepped forward.
"Ah! Wha-?"
The nameless construction worker ahead, surprised, widened his sweat-driven eyes as he at last seemed to notice the grinning Goron Link's presence. He lowered his steel pickaxe as he turned his body 'round to face the youth, placing the reliable tool he carried across his similarly broad shoulders.
"Oh...," the man began, huffing his breath out as if having been horribly tired out from the strenuous activity. "Hey buddy...," he greeted. "What's u-?"
TICK-TOCK...
TICK... TOCK...
The man's eyes, widening from the sheer shock of the huge explosive device having been lifted from the youth's inventory, washed over his astonishment at the sight of the Powder Keg ticking away in Link's large and muscular grip.
"Oh god! What in the name of the Four Giants?!"
In response, heavy pickaxe or no heavy pickaxe, he turned and fled back down the small hill behind him, allowing the ever-grinning Link to place the ticking explosive down next to the huge obstruction ahead. Quickly curling his body up to roll backward, he effectively followed the nameless council operative, his confident smirk ever present upon his face as he swung it 'round to watch.
"Here it comes...!"
Almost as if in retort to the man's hissing gasp, the Powder Keg at last responded and in the way everyone had, of course, faithfully expected.
DROOM-BOOM
CRUMBLE-CRUMBLE...
As the large rock at last gave way to the powerful explosion that the Powder Keg provided, it broke up into little shades of debris, scattering all over the otherwise lovely path that Milk Road afforded them.
"Urgh..."
Surprised by the negative reaction that the man uttered the blinking Link swung his blonde-haired head 'round in an unsure frown.
"H-Hey...," the man began again, rolling his eyes as he sighed, seemingly disappointed somehow. "As long as the path is open for traffic... it's... whatever."
"Is it wrong that I feel bad now?"
"That's a first," Tatl snorted in his direction. "Nah; the poor guy seemed like he was genuinely annoyed so I can see that."
As he ruminated on her light-toned words he stepped forward, now bereft of his Goron form and in his original Hylian. Resting ahead appeared to be a dirt-road path of similar quality to the one behind him, marked only by a long pair of gates on each grassy side. A large sign, written in basic Hylian script, sat at the top of the area before him, lifted by two similarly tall hardwood beams. A pair of signs, one larger than other and stacked atop each other, rested above; seemingly the true sight to see.
Romani Ranch
Village of Milk
Oddly enough, similarly to when he stepped toward Hyrule Castle for the second time in his earlier quest, he felt some strange kind of déjà vu.
"This is...," Link began, his brow furrowing as he swung his blue-eyed search around the beautiful ranch in the morning sunlight. "Romani Ranch...?" He murmured out, legitimately surprised by the sight. "But... how...?"
"What? Surprised that there's farms out there besides your one in Lon Lon?"
Again he registered the little guardian fairy's words with a sense of shock displayed across his wide-eyed frown.
How did she know about Lon Lon, he thought.
"Relax...," the little milk-shaded fairy grinned back at him as she hovered forward, eliciting him to follow behind calmly. "I can only assume that's where you're from, in spite of the clothes," she claimed, nodding her little bulbous body toward the youth's striking green Kokiri Tunic. Link blinked in response, swinging his blonde-haired head down to exchange his unsure frown with it before turning back to face her. "Y'know... given the horse and all."
Epona, he thought.
That's how she realised where I'm from.
Or at least where Epona is.
As his thoughts turned to the ranch, and the loved ones he left behind there to go search for Navi, he found his frown deepening... but only a little.
"I hope she's doing okay."
"Who?"
Realising he gave voice to his quiet reflection he rose his thin blonde-haired eyebrows before smiling in a sheepish fashion in response.
"Um... friend of mine," he stated as he marched on forward with her, pivoting his head to the right as he did, his oceanic-eyed gaze washing over a group of cows in the pasture seemingly chewing away at some of the thicker grass laying around them. "She works at a place sort of like this one."
He felt her raise a symbolical eyebrow behind her beautifully cream-shaded light. "Oh really?" She started, seemingly curious and all. "What was her name?"
Link, at first, found himself narrowing a single eye in what felt like suspicion before finally he surrendered and re-opened his mouth to respond to her.
She's probably just being sociable, he thought.
The chances of her still working in league with the Skull Kid or some other hostile party were slim, at worst.
"Malon." He answered her, a light business-like frown atop his tenor voice.
"Malon...," Tatl hummed out thoughtfully, her eyes seemingly narrowing behind her light form. "Oh! Of Lon Lon Ranch... of course," she finished out in a low-toned whisper of realisation. "You must be close!"
Surprised yet again, Link's eyebrows found themselves shooting back up as he swung his head 'round in response, a curious look drawn across his young expression.
"I mean she gave you that horse, didn't she? Or am I wrong in my assumption?" The little fairy clarified, a seeming grin in the tone of her words.
She's just teasing me now, he thought.
I bet she's enjoying it too.
"Yeah," he murmured back in reply, slowly levitating his head back to his front. "I guess we are."
Tatl laughed, ostensibly pleased by the reaction she received. "So lukewarm!" She whooped out, temporarily pulling her body back to laugh as she did. "I mean what if she was here to see y-"
"Hello?"
3
A woman's voice, so chillingly familiar, made the frowning Link widen his sea-cerulean shaded eyes before darting his head 'round in swift search for the mezzo-soprano.
Standing evidently to the duo's immediate left appeared to be a young woman, just as they suspected, seemingly rising up from petting a second pair of cows next to her.
She seemed to be the ranch's owner.
However when Link's flabbergasted, wide-eyed frown met with her sociable smile, he was similarly drawn with a shocked silence.
Recognition flew across his face and, as he stared back at her unflinchingly, she couldn't help but raise one of her familiar hot-red auburn eyebrows.
"M-Malon...?"
"Who's Malon?" The woman brusquely responded, a similarly intimate fire brewing away in the warm chestnut-brown of her own eyes. "I'm Cremia."
His mind at last caught up with events and all shock passed; Link couldn't help but to utter a gasp regardless, turning his sweating head away from the two female pair of eyes watching him with a likewise curious quality.
Of course, he thought.
This is Termina, not Hyrule.
This woman ain't Cremia as much as Gorman ain't Ingo.
But just like with Gorman... there was an extremely persuasive resemblance; in turning his deep-blue eyes back to face her, he felt like he was staring back at the woman he near gave his heart to in the alternate future of Hyrule's second civil war.
In great spite of all possible educated guesses he could have made, given the obvious evidence of people's doubles, he still had not even considered the possibility of a double for Malon.
And yet here she was, almost as if to mock him.
Suddenly he felt extremely guilty, almost as if he had kissed another woman and she caught him red-handed.
"Is he...," the newly-introduced Cremia began tentatively, a half-wince in her hesitant smile. "All right?"
"Believe me you have no idea."
Tatl's rude yet humourous answer at least brought some kind of cheer back down to the group of three; something that the laughing Cremia reinforced, even as the frowning Link rolled his eyes in response to his guardian fairy's words, mildly miffed by her ability to change his normally unflappable mood.
"Well... anyway...," the young woman chortled amicably, lowering her head back down to face him as he approached slowly enough. "At least Milk Road's open to traffic now! Thank you for letting me know." She smiled in a respectful bow forward, her hands joining together at her front as she did.
"No... problem." The sheepishly-smiling faced Link responded, rubbing the back of his green-capped head in an awkward fashion that was unlike him. Her own smile soon took a similarly youthful turn as she rose an auburn eyebrow in her next statement.
"And your name would be...?"
Link's own straw-haired eyebrows shot up in realisation and he laughed nervously in response before at last shaking off his earlier surprise and responding again, this time with a bit more grit.
"It's Link," he introduced himself with his usual boyish grin. "Nice to meetcha."
Once again, the young woman regained her smile as she bowed forward, seemingly in a sign of respect.
"Welcome to Romani Ranch, the birthplace of 'Chateau Romani'...," Cremia smiled, her chestnut-brown eyes briefly shutting as she bowed forward before soon re-opening as she stood back to full stature. "Please... enjoy yourself."
"That come from the sign back there?" He batted back, rising up another eyebrow as he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder back whence he came. "Sounds like a sales pitch!"
"Probably because it is," she responded, raising up her calloused left hand to rest under her raised right elbow as she began to elaborate. "Our father taught us well... before he passed."
Link, surprised once more, couldn't help but blink his cerulean-eyed gaze back at her. "'Our'?" He parroted, unsure.
"I have a younger sister." She grinned back at him, nodding her hot-haired head back the way and presumably further away up the long dirt path. The frowning Link followed her gaze and, sure enough, came to what seemed to be two large buildings in the not-too-far distance; one dark-brown and the other a more homier cream shade decorated with a long brick chimney and a faded-red roof.
Looked as if that's the house, he thought.
So where's-?
It was then, however, that he noticed her; his eyes widened for what felt like the umpteenth time when he saw her. A young girl that strongly resembled herself only younger.
Seven years, to be precise.
Having just left Malon back in Lon Lon Ranch in his own country, seeing not only an adult variation of her from his murky-shaded past and a younger twin pattering about was almost too much to take.
Am I dreaming, he wondered silently.
This just ain't right.
"Maybe I lost that fight with Majora's Mask and this is it torturing me."
Even while his near paranoid thoughts carried him on he attempted to throw his inward notions out as being silly.
Where's Navi when you need her to counteract my dumb logic, he thought to himself.
"So what brings you out here?"
Cremia's prodding, marked ever with the sociable smile she wore so well, managed to make the listening youth blink back at her before he re-opened his mouth to respond to her. He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his dirty-blonde hair as he responded.
"I've been sort of... tracking a friend of mine," he answered in a nervous-sounding laugh as he did. "She may have come through here."
"Oh!" The young woman called out, her smile dropping to favour a curious frown. She rose up her right rough fingers to rest under her chin as she did. "I mean... we've only really had a little foal turn up last night. Other than that..."
The former Hero of Time's eyebrows shot up in recognition.
Bullseye, he thought.
"Can I see her?"
His request, so sudden and seemingly so rude, could only make the listening Cremia stare back at him in a curious turn of her own frown.
Maybe I shouldn't have asked so suddenly, he thought.
Might be a good idea to-
"Okay."
Cremia's sudden affirmation, marked with the light grin she was seemingly becoming known for, made the listening Link widen his eyes in response.
Was she serious?
"R-Really?"
"Sure," the young woman shot back, her warm smile coating her words in a softness that her hardworked hands unfortunately lacked. "You seem trustworthy enough... and you did open the road for us so I guess we owe you, don't we?"
He couldn't help but grow a grin on his expression, ever widening in its usual fashion.
"Yeah... I guess you do."