Chapter 43

A Fight with Barba

This had to be the guardian's battlegrounds, I just knew it! I thought as I placed the key into the lock. Then I quietly cracked the door open.

It was then when my eyes caught a glimpse of what I was looking for, a stone statue at the end of a wide room. This was the battleground for sure!

I turned back around to see Sun-Summoner standing just behind me, he stared at me with eyes that asked silently why we weren't going in already, but a flashback of Rebonack attacking the Prince was already taking control of my mind. "I need to tell you something before we go in there," I whispered, trying not to grab the attention of anything, though I don't expect the guardian to do much even if it did hear me. "Do you remember when I said that you need to do everything I tell you to do when we were looking for this place?"

He was still for a moment like he was searching the depths of his mind. Then, his face brightened and a half-smile appeared. "You're going to ask me to stay out of this one, aren't you?"

I wasn't sure if this was going to help or hinder now that he already knew what I was asking him. "I've done this before, this is where I'll fight the guardian of the palace. But the battle is only between the guardian and the chosen one, they don't allow anyone else to interfere."

He didn't reply, and now I was growing worried. "Before you came here, you promised you'll listen to me. You can't turn back on that now."

"Well, it certainly wasn't an easy thing to agree with, especially now."

I was growing angrier. "Listen, this is going to ruin everything! There's no way I'll reach the Great Palace and find the Triforce if the guardians believe I cheated, and that's just if you don't become seriously hurt, or worse!"

Finally, he made his decision. "I said it was a difficult choice. No one wants to sit by and watch as someone's caught in a fight they might not win. But I know I made a promise, and I know this is important, and so I'll keep my word and stay out of it."

I sighed, breathing all the breath I sucked in back out. I thanked him before I opened the door again.

Sun-Summoner barely moved a muscle. "I'll be waiting out here, please be careful."

There were lava pools in this room as well, and like before, it didn't seem to bother the iced floor near it. The red reflections were cast from the bubbling magma to the frozen walls and ceiling and were then spread even more by the ice reflecting the light. The result had the breathtaking majesty of a sparkling ice chamber that was warmly bathed in dim red light.

There was no sign of the guardian in the room until I stepped close to one of the pools. I didn't even see it, but the guardian blasted up out of the pool, shaking hot lava off its body. I instinctively brought my arms up to feebly protect myself. And as it was safe again, I took my arms back down and recognized the beast. It was Barba, the dragon I saw earlier. Sun-Summoner was right, it was the protector after all!

I was already withdrawing my sword and shield as the great beast splashed into the pool and vanished. More lava splashed everywhere, and I held up the shield to protect against it, and then I turned around the room to see where Barba might show up next. And just as predicted, the sudden eruption of lava came from behind me and was followed by the dragon. Barba inhaled deeply and when the beast's breath was released, it came forward in a blast of fire!

I could feel the heat coming from it even from behind the magical shield, and once the flame finally died down, I quickly pointed my sword in Barba's direction and summoned beams, but the dragon barely even showed a sign that I hit at all.

It then retreated back into the pool once more. I needed to get closer to hit the dragon, but could I really strike against those scales? And even if I could, how could I get close enough without falling in the pool?

I ran out of range of the pools and took a moment to cast "jump" before returning behind the protection of the shield. And it was a good thing too, for the dragon was back yet again and exhaled more flames. The fires splashed down on the magical surface like a river of fire that beat hard on the single rock that refused to budge in the stream.

I pushed against the flames with all my strength and was surprised when I was slowly walking forward. When Barba's fiery breath was finally exhausted, I ran quickly ahead, jumped over the pool, and struck out against the dragon's snout!

I landed on the other side and tried not to slide too much forward. Barba roared against the red line that opened upon its face. I somewhat expected the creature to turn around and fight again, but like before, it fell back into the magma and was no doubt going to try and find an advantage in a different pool.

Anxiety rose up in the pit of my stomach as I shifted to the multiple lava tunnels that the large green-scaled guardian could be in. And when it appeared again behind me, I heard the intake of breath before I could even turn around, and so instead of taking cover from the flames, I jumped and rolled off to the side, avoiding the attack completely. I quickly came back up to my feet and broke into another run at the pool and jumped high enough to attack Barba's face again.

Barba was not a dumbfounded dragon, however, and not only moved out of the way of my sword but rammed its body right into me! I was sent flying even higher into the air and landed hard on the ice. I didn't have to look to know I was dangerously close to one of the magma pits.

But I was able to roll away from the drop. Stinging sweat coated my face and obscured my vision as I stood back up. Barba, of course, was already gone again. This time though, it showed up a lot sooner than before and came out of the pool that I almost fell in. Barba roared and inhaled, but I didn't wait for the flames, instead, I went ahead and leaped into the air and soared towards the dragon.

The dragon's fiery breath was still aimed towards where I was a minute ago, but Barba lifted its head and I felt the hot fire burning on my legs. It didn't stop me, however, and I was close enough to Barba's head, that I grabbed on. I held tight and batted at the flames, quickly managing to put it out before turning again to stab the beast.

Blood rolled down from multiple stabs and Barba roared its last cry. It didn't even try to shake me off as it was sinking into the magma pool instead. I pulled my sword free and jumped from the head away from the pit. Barba's cry of defeat continued before bubbling underneath the lava and then everything became quiet again.

It was done, I have fought and won the battle for the Hidden Palace. And that meant one thing, I was now ready for the final fight. The final fight for the Triforce of Courage. That thought alone filled my stomach with denial even more than it did with this fight. A part of me still feared the Great Palace, but why? Was it because of my drop in confidence as a hero, or was it because of all the nightmares that kept me up at night? You don't have to worry about that now, I assured myself. It's still quite a way to reach the Great Palace.

By the time I snapped myself back into reality, I realized I've been staring into the pool where Barba disappeared. And now my eyes stung again, and everything but the lava looked dark. I calmed my breathing, wiped off the sweat, and healed the burns on my leg. As the spell took the wound away, I realized how bad that burn was. I was suddenly relieved I had the spell.

When I was ready, I went back to where I came in. I almost forgot about Summoner. As I opened the door, I saw him standing near the far wall, and he greeted me with a wide grin. "You did it?!" He cried excitedly and laughed aloud. He went to pat my shoulders but then tightened me in a hug instead. "I knew you could do it!"

Seeing his reaction brought joy to my overwise stressed mind. It made me appreciate how well this fight went, I was still alive and well after winning the battle, and my new friend, the elder of Kasuto, kept his promise.

And so, I took out a crystal for the statue, the last crystal in the bag. And we marched up the stairs after placing it, leaving the Hidden Palace as it began to rumble. The sun was well over its peak, but it still caught every clean white spire as the palace fell to pieces. Sun-Summoner was more than a little upset to see it break down, he mentioned over and over at how much of a shame that was. I agreed, it was a shame to see such a historical palace collapse, and I suppose for him, it was worse, as he heard and marveled every mystery and rumor of the place.

But there was nothing more to do, it was time to move on. "Where are you going next?" He asked me once the entire building rested in shambles.

"My final challenge, the Great Palace, it lies at the end of Death Valley from what I understand."

He nodded. "That it does, and it's a good thing you have with you a holy charm. It's difficult to move through there with one, but impossible without."

He continued on, warning me about the dangers of the Valley of Death. But already my mind was slipping away after a while. I couldn't shake this sickness in my gut, I feel like my quest from six years ago was repeating itself. Zelda was in danger once again, and I was so close to saving her now, but I still felt as far away as I ever was. It was the same feeling I had those six years ago when I was climbing Death Mountain when I was about to enter Ganon's lair. I had so much confidence at the start of this quest! What happened to me? Now it was like this was my very first quest. Though now, instead of blissful ignorance and recklessness, I was fearful for my life and what I may encounter.

"Hey, are you all right?" Sun-Summoner asked, apparently having asked that a few times. "Are you sick or something?"

Now I realized I've been staring blankly at the ground this whole time. "I'm fine," I answered, drawing my gaze back up. "I was just a little distracted is all."

A moment passed in silence, and then he sighed. "You have too much responsibility, I see that. And too much is going on. You are destined on seeking the Triforce, when all that you want is to save your friend, Princess Zelda. Not to mention all of the monsters who's been hunting you down during all of this. It would be too much for anybody. I think I would explode if it were me." He slipped his arm through his robes like he was looking for something he lost. "And I've learned quite a bit about you during all of this. People say you're reckless, proud, and strong. Like any powerful hero would be, you were untouchable." The comment forced me to look away. So that's how many people saw me? Did they see arrogant pride? It was one thing the prince used to point out all the time, it annoyed him. And at the time, I denied it, even though I knew I had it deep down. I don't want to be defined by it anymore, the mere mention of who I used to be brought me a twinge of shame.

"But all that I saw was modesty, and after a while, I began to ask myself, what if it wasn't just modesty I saw? But something more serious?" Finally, he found what he was looking for, a scroll. "You are being eaten alive by this crazy quest. It has taken a reckless hero, and beat him down into an unconfident, careful child." Still holding onto the scroll he brought out, he clapped me on either shoulder. "It's not a bad thing to be careful, but you have been thrown on both extreme sides. Don't forget who you are, you are the ever famous hero, Link. You have done the impossible, you have brought hope to people all over the kingdom, even in time for despair. But I want you to remember what you have learned. Use your fears and lack of confidence to become better at what you do. Use it to make you wise, cautious, and brave."

Yet another moment of silence, though this one was uncomfortable. His words, though soft, sliced me like a sharp edge, and it was hard to meet his eyes. Though when I did, they were as caring as his tone. He studied me like he was waiting for a response, though I had none. He then released me and continued. "I'm not wanting to bring you shame, there's nothing here that should. I just want to help you as a friend. Do you understand?"

I nodded. Words tightened together in my mind, forming a knot I struggled to untangle. But Summoner was satisfied enough by my answer. "I wish I could help you further, I feel like I'm lacking enough support for you." He lamented, I accepted it anyway. Still, he continued. "I wish I could give you a spell to help. The enemies in the Great Palace are powerful, legend speaks of a spell that could help. This spell is said to be the greatest one of the all, one that could vanquish many foes at once. It's simply called 'Thunder', though I don't have it..."

Before I could even thank him, he exclaimed and began searching for something in a leather bag he brought with him on the journey. After he opened this bag, he took out a neatly folded black cloak and swung it around my shoulders. "Maybe this will be enough. Most of the monsters that hunted you can smell blood and identify who it belongs to. I've enchanted this to help mask that smell, and I thought it'll also help you to blend in the shadows better. But be warned, some may still smell it, especially if they're close enough."

"I can't thank you enough for this." I managed to reply.

He smiled. "No, I should be the one thanking you, after everything you did for my village and my family. We would not still be here if it weren't for you. Thank you, we are truly blessed." He sighed and glanced from the broken palace to the clear sky. "I suppose I ought to be going, though I hope I'll see you back in Kasuto one day when we're not struggling for survival that is."

"One day," I promised, and after he set off, I turned to the west, bringing the hood of the cloak up and over my hat. Suddenly, something he said had me rifling through my bag for the spell I found a while back. The name sounded familiar, didn't I already have that spell? As it turned out, I did. It was the one I took from the desk all the way back in the Maze Palace. "Thunder" was clearly written on the top, though the spell itself still intimidated me. Still holding it in hand, I walked on. At least I have it. I had no idea if I could, or even should, use it or not. I shrugged and met the horizon.

It was time for me to face the Great Palace, and ultimately, my fears.