Hey! It's me! Furiz! And I'm back with another chapter of this. I don't have much to say here because I'm no longer quite as stressed! Huzzah!
Also, on an unrelated note, FF dot net was refusing to update the review section on my end. So the properties tab tells me that I have new reviews, but then won't show them to me in the actual doc themselves. I'll still be able to respond to reviews, because the emails tell me what they say. This issue has since been resolved, but I'd just figure I'd mention it in case it repeats itself.
RRRP:
Ri2: Yes. And it's hilarious.
ChangelingRin: KaeGae is built to be ignored. As for the other half… no comment.
RyoshiMorino, who falls under the same category as ChangelingRin: Wow, thanks! I didn't actually mean for this to be a tragedy; originally, it was meant to b a simple piece poking fun at the insane mechanics of Master Quest. And it still is, to some extent. But as I was writing it, I saw a golden opportunity to tell a story about overcoming one's demons and dealing with loss, which I could show very well through Link. The only reason it's marked as 'tragedy' on the listing is because I can't think of another better marker. I've written the whole story already and I can safely say that it gets less heavy-hearted as time goes on. Besides, OoT and MM are inherently tragic stories, and I guess that bled into the narrative on its own.
The Epitome of Eccentricity: Kinda. In her defense, Zelda didn't actually know that sending Link back would cause... well, this. Thanks for the feedback!
DISCLAIMER: In an alternate universe, I said that I owned The Legend of Zelda. I proceeded to be copyright struck. I don't want to get copyright struck, so I'm not going to say that I own The Legend of Zelda.
Chapter III: Dead Mountain
"Fuck," Link swore. "I forgot to buy a pair of gloves."
"Language!" Ivan scolded. "Besides, shouldn't we be heading to Death Mountain, like Impa told us to?"
"The last thing we want is for the Gorons to throw us out of their city like the Hylians did back in that one town," Link argued, walking back across the drawbridge. Ivan grumbled, but followed.
Once he was in the town, Link walked into the bazaar, ignoring the Goron trying to sell bombs. He didn't have a bomb bag, so he couldn't have held them anyway.
"Um, excuse me, sir?" Link asked innocently, trying his best to sound like an average Hylian kid. Cheerful, ignorant, and undefiled.
"Oh, hello, kid! What would you like?" The shopkeeper replied amicably, beard wagging in tandem with his words. "Our top seller is the Hylian Shield, but it might be a bit too big for you."
"That's fine, thank you," Link said, trying to summon puppy eyes. "My mum has arthritis, and her birthday is coming up, so I was wondering if you had any gloves I could buy for her?"
"I don't know, kid… I've got some Hylian Knight's greaves, but-
"Have they got steel plating on them?" Link asked.
"Well, no…"
"Great. How much?"
"Lowest I could go is… thirty Rupees."
Link checked his wallet before remembering that he had picked up three Red Rupees on the castle walls. "Here you go," the child said, setting two on the counter that a solid foot taller than he was. He had to stand on the tips of his toes just to put the Rupees on the table.
Goddesses, he hated being a kid.
The owner turned around and walked into a back room, from which several loud banging noises could be heard. The shopkeep soon walked out with a pair of rough leather gloves in tow. Snatching the forty Rupees from the counter, he set the gloves and two Blue Rupees on the tabletop for Link to take, which he did.
"Thank you, sir!" Link said, walking out of the store with his purchase.
Once out of sight, the boy took the gloves and pulled them onto both his left and right hand. They were monstrously large on his infantile hands, but a bit of twine could solve that issue in a heartbeat.
They would have fit perfectly if he wasn't just a child.
!0*0!
"Why is leetle man going back to forest?" Ivan demanded.
"Because I need to see Saria," Link replied.
"No, you don't!" Ivan argued. "Link is supposed to be saving the world, not visiting friends!"
"I need to see Saria," Link angrily sighed, "because she'll teach me a song that lets me cheer up Darunia so that I can go get the Goron Ruby!"
Ivan blinked. "What? How do you know that Saria will teach you a song? For that matter, what was the whole thing with Printsessa Zelda about 'remembering'? And 'Zel'?! You shouldn't refer to a printsessa by a nickname! It's terribly rude!"
"Don't question it, Ivan," Link growled.
"Link," the sprite stated, trying to stay calm. "Ivan is your guardian fairy. Ivan wants to be able to help you every step of the way. All Ivan ever wanted to do was help. But Ivan cannot help you if leetle man is fighting Ivan. Ivan just wants to help you, so could you please let Ivan help you?"
"That's what Navi said!" Link roared, whirling on his fairy, who was too stunned to properly react. "That's what Zelda said! That's what they all said before they forgot!"
Ivan stared at the boy, letting him vent.
"You weren't there. You can't understand," Link spat coldly.
"Then make Ivan understand," the fairy ordered calmly.
"No!" Link screamed. "You'll never get it! You won't! You won't!"
"Why not?" Ivan asked, his voice dwarfed by that of his partner.
"Because!"
By this point, Link was trembling with the levels of fury building up in his mind. Then he made a decision, consequences be damned. He wanted Ivan to feel his pain, to feel his suffering, to feel his anguish, to feel his torment, to feel his hatred, to feel how Link felt when his entire world was going up in flames.
"Do you really want to know? Do you really want to fucking know?"
"Language!"
If Ivan wanted to understand, then by the Goddesses, Link was going to make him understand.
"I've already saved the world, Ivan! None of this is new! The Great Deku Tree's died twice now! And just like now, he sent me to see Princess Zelda, and she sent me to get the Spiritual Stones! Only when I came back, Ganondorf had killed the King and forced Zelda and Impa into hiding. Back then, I didn't know that opening the Door of Time would allow Ganondorf to get to the Sacred Realm, so I opened the Door as Zelda asked. But then, the Gerudo King to touch the Triforce and become the King of Evil for seven long years.
"I was in a forced coma in the Sacred Realm for all that time because I'm too young to be the Hero of Time. Then I'm sent on another quest to create five Sages from my childhood friends! It was awful! And when I was done with all that, Zelda gets herself captured by Ganondorf and I have to march to his castle and confront him! I killed him. I hacked at his corpse until his head was more red with blood than with hair. And when I was done… they sent me back to before I did any of it. They didn't ask for what I wanted, they didn't care. Nobody cared! They never cared!"
By this point, the boy was crying heavily, trying and failing to regain his composure. This was no way for an adult to act. He shouldn't be acting like this. He wasn't some scared child anymore. He couldn't be.
"When I came to… I was back in Kokiri Forest. A day before my adventure began last time. The forest remembered my struggles and punished me for it," he continued, brandishing his Stalfos hand. "Nobody remembers, not even Zelda. Only me. And the next day, instead of Navi, you show up."
"Ivan assumes that Navi was the fairy from the other timeline, then?" Ivan inquired solemnly.
"Yeah. And she was great. I loved her. She was better than you."
As soon as the proclamation left his mouth, he knew that he had messed up, especially considering the raw venom laced into the words. Ivan said nothing, only looking blankly into Link's eyes.
"Iv-Ivan needs to go. Ivan will be back. Don't go anywhere," the fairy finally choked, darting off into the forest.
"No, Ivan! Wait!" Link hollered, desperately trying to keep up with his guardian. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I promise!"
If his words had any effect on the fairy, they didn't show, as Ivan rounded a bend and disappeared.
He didn't know how long he stood there, numb to the world, as he tried to process how badly he had screwed up. There could have been a sword pressed to the back of his neck and he wouldn't have noticed, simply staring off into the entrance of Kokiri Forest.
He trudged to one side of the small canyon that led to the forest and sank down against it, nearly bawling his eyes out. There was no use comparing Ivan to Navi. It was like comparing a Goron to a Zora.
Emotion boiled inside Link; anguish at Ivan, hatred at the world, vexation at Zelda, and most prominently, absolute loathing at himself. In his mind, he raged at the Goddesses, at Ganondorf, and at anything and everything else, no matter how large or small.
The ex-Hero got up, angry tears still falling down his face, as he rammed his fist into the side of the canyon, ignoring how it split his knuckles and sent shards of agony up his arm.
"Why? Won't? You? Remember!?" he screamed, sinking to his knees and taking his anger out on the softer ground instead. His Kokiri Sword dug into his side, but he didn't care. If anything, he welcomed it. Physical pain was a distraction from the far greater torment of failure.
!0*0!
"Ivan has returned- oh my Goddesses, what happened to you?"
"I happened," Link replied solemnly. He imagined how he must have looked- blood-soaked, tear tracks down his face, unkempt hair, and a faux smile. No wonder Ivan was concerned.
"Well, Ivan never wants to see this again. Crying is fine, we all have to let out emotions sometimes, but leetle man should not be actively hurting himself. It's pathetic."
"I know, Ivan, but you haven't had your entire existence swept out from under you."
"Think of it this way, leetle man," Ivan said comfortingly, perching himself on Link's shoulder. "You have a chance to right all the wrongs Ganondorf will commit before they are even committed. You have a chance to prevent so much suffering and death. You can save Hyrule and live your life. And no matter what you choose, Ivan will always stand by you."
The sprite wasn't wrong. The Goddesses had to have let him alone remember for some reason or other. He could stop that abysmal future from ever becoming a reality. He had to.
Ivan will always stand by you. It was a comforting thought, a foreign thought. On that first day in this mirrored world, not even Navi had stood by him. She didn't exist anymore. Saria didn't remember. Impa didn't remember. Zelda didn't remember. Nobody remembered. Nobody stood by Link except the one he knew the least.
I'll hold you to that, Link thought. And let you be damned if you lead me astray.
"I guess. Ivan?"
"Yes, Link?"
"I wonder what happened to Navi," Link said wistfully.
"Ivan is sure that she's out there, somewhere," Ivan placated. "We just have yet to find her."
"Ivan? Link asked.
"Da?"
"I didn't mean what I said earlier… you know, about Navi."
"Ivan knows," Ivan replied. "You are just missing a friend. No harm in that."
"Is there any way we can bring back everyone's memories?"
The sprite looked pensive. "Maybe. But it is certainly beyond Ivan's power."
"All right," Link said, wiping stray tears from his eyes. "Let's go see Saria again."
"Very well," Ivan declared, perching himself on Link's shoulder. "Onwards!"
Even though he knew Ivan was just trying to cheer him up, Link let out a laugh. He strolled forwards, across the bridge, back into the forest.
!0*0!
"I've been waiting for you, Link!" Saria said happily, ceasing her cheery ocarina tune. Link had been sure to heal himself in the Fairy Fountain in the middle of the maze-like Sacred Forest Meadow before presenting himself to her, so as not to stress the Kokiri girl. The pair were spared from the cold night winds by the geography of the small valley.
"It's nice seeing you too," the Hylian replied, setting himself down on another stump and preemptively pulling out his ocarina.
"Does this place ever make you feel anything?" she asked suddenly.
"Er…" Link contemplated, remembering the Forest Temple. "I think it'll be important to both of us someday.
"That's what I feel, too!" Saria agreed. "I think we ought to be able to communicate over long distances, so that when the time comes, we know to come here. If you play the ocarina with me, I can teach you to talk through the spirits of the forest. You want to try?"
"Absolutely!" Link replied ecstatically, happy to be back on track.
"Alright then, try to follow along with the melody I play. Ready?"
Without wasting any time, Saria pressed the wind instrument to her lips and started playing that catchy song again. She stopped after a bit, looking at Link expectantly.
Suddenly remembering what he was doing, Link hastily held his ocarina to his mouth and played the song again, suddenly remembering all the other times he's used it to talk to Saria.
"Great! Great!" she exclaimed. "Please try to not forget this song. Do you promise?"
"I swear on my life," Link replied. "I'll see you again soon."
"I wish you never had to leave in the first place," Saria said wistfully, deep blue eyes staring off into the distance.
"It's okay. I just have to blow up a primordial lizard, heal a fish god, and hopefully not get engaged to Princess Ruto. Once that's all done, I'll come back with all three Spiritual Stones in tow, and I can stay here for as long as I can."
His proclamation, if confusing, seemed to lift Saria's spirits, but hardly all the way up to the way he remembered her being a lifetime ago, when she was just as carefree and happy as every other Kokiri.
"When you want to hear my voice, play that song. You can talk to me any time…" she trailed off. Link sidled closer, wanting this moment to not end quite so soon.
"If I want to talk to you, I'll either play the song or drop by in person. Just hang in there," Link promised before standing solemnly and jogging out of the Sacred Forest Meadow.
He left Saria there, looking at the boy leaving her world, as she mournfully putting the ocarina to her lips once more and resuming her song, as if sending Link off to his doom.
!0*0!
It was raining in Hyrule Field, like it was recognizing Link's suffering and weeping over it. The morose child in question was propped up on a tree, glowering at the world with a muted hatred. Ivan couldn't look happier, though; he was flitting amongst the raindrops without a care in the world, and Link couldn't help but find his positivity infectious. He couldn't help but let a small smile grace his features, the last vestiges of outward rage finally bottling itself up with the rest.
Great. Now he had to pray to the Goddesses to disregard all those curses he had sworn on various people. Mostly Zelda.
His stomach growled, reminding him of its existence. Sighing to himself, Link pulled an apple out of his pocket that he had picked up from the forest and bit into it, juice dribbling down his chin.
At least he didn't have to worry about the moon falling out of the sky or anything.
Finishing the apple and chucking it into the storm, Link assembled his gear and continued onwards, summoning his shield to protect himself from the rain.
He would be at Kakariko by morning.
Then again, at this rate, he could be at Lon Lon Ranch by midnight… and he did have to go there anyway to learn Epona's Song…
No contest.
Turning towards the Ranch, Link trudged through the rain. He somehow got there a few minutes earlier than expected, but he soon realized a problem.
Literally everyone was asleep. That being said, he would kill for some sleep, himself. Surely he had time.
Link walked into the ranch, disregarding Ingo passed out outside the stables with a bottle of something in his hands. He stepped into the stables, found a comfortable patch of ground, and slept.
He woke up only an hour later, sweating profusely and nearly screaming in terror before remembering where he was and stopping himself, not wanting to spook the horses.
It was going to be one of those nights, wasn't it?
!0*0!
Sunlight streamed into the window as Ivan shook the boy awake. The Hylian in question mumbled something vulgar under his breath before yawning wide, briefly slapping himself across the face to finish waking up.
His stomach growled, reminding Link of his hunger. Passing by a container of carrots, Link shrugged, figuring the horses had plenty before plucking one from its container. He also couldn't resist pocketing a sugar cube on his way out the door.
Judging by the position of the shades in the ranch house's upper windows, its occupants were yet to be awake. Grateful, Link stole out of the ranch before coming back a few minutes later when he heard Malon step outside, singing that hauntingly beautiful tune.
She went straight to the stables and let the horses out into the small field, taking special note of a small rust-colored filly with a shockingly white mane. Link followed, silently until they reached a race track, when he cleared his throat.
"Oh! It's the fairy boy again!" the ranch girl said, evidently surprised. "Thanks for finding my dad! He came home in a hurry after you woke him up, hee hee! Don't worry though, I gave him a piece of my mind. So did you enjoy the castle? Did you ever meet with the Princess?"
"The castle was pretty great. It's definitely a departure from what I'm used to," Link explained. "And I met with the Princess. Thanks for letting me borrow that cucco, by the way."
"Don't mention it!" Malon replied ecstatically. "Oh, I have to introduce you to my friend, Epona! She's the horse. Isn't she cute?"
"She'll grow up to be a fine mare," Link replied automatically. As soon as he said it, the young horse noticed Link's presence and bolted, nearly trampling the boy in the process.
"It seems that Epona is afraid of you, fairy boy," Malon said wistfully. "Don't take it personally. She's like that with almost everyone. Even Daddy and Ingo!"
"Like that with everyone, huh," Link said airily.
Malon went back to singing. Link spent a few minutes soaking it all in - the setting, the singing, the way the sun shone over the gates that led back to Hyrule Field.
"I like your song," he finally commented.
"Really?" Malon asked, positively glowing. "My mother composed it herself. Can you sing?"
The one occasion Link had tried singing was at this very time, as he was trying to learn Epona's Song. He had broken every single window in the ranch house and spooked half of the horses on the farm.
For that reason, Link stuck to his ocarina.
"I can't sing to save my life," Link replied honestly, slightly embarrassed. "But I can play the ocarina pretty well."
"You can play the ocarina? That's really cool! I want to hear you play something!"
"Well… how about your mother's song? I think that'd be fitting," Link suggested, trying to remain calm.
Malon seemed to adore the idea, her cerulean eyes shining with joy. "That sounds wonderful! This is the song…"
!0*0!
"Hey, kid! The road is closed beyond this point! Can't you read the sign over there?" the guard hollered. "Oh, I see. You're just a little kid, and you can't read yet. Ha ha hah!"
Link was standing in front of the gate to Death Mountain, still giddy from his visit to the Ranch. He'd have to go back at some point to unwind, assuming Ivan didn't tease him about Malon again. The sprite had burst into raucous laughter when Talon had asked Link "how he'd like to marry Malon", with the youth's response being one of flustered half-statements and unbridled embarrassment. That happiness was slowly being drained, however, by this moronic guard and his tireless belittling of the Hero.
"Ivan, could you please Mind Hack him?" Link whispered under his breath. "I don't want to listen to this clown anymore."
"Nyet! He's just a soldier doing his job. Ivan can't Mind Hack him in good conscience," the fairy replied.
"Fine," Link muttered, walking closer to the guard. "Perhaps this would change your mind?" he said, brandishing Zelda's signed letter.
The guard, evidently trying to humor Link, snatched the note out of his hands and opened it, muttering to himself, before glancing at the Princess's signature. It probably wouldn't have taken as much time if the Hero had decided to wait until morning to proceed.
"This is… this is surely Princess Zelda's handwriting… but how did it get to you, a commoner?" the guard asked.
"Long story involving a cucco," Link replied flippantly.
"Hmmm… you live on a farm or something?"
"Let's go with that."
"Okay… This is Link… he is under my orders to save Hyrule," the guard read, laughing to himself. "What kind of funny game has our princess come up with now?!"
Don't kill him, Link tried to convince himself. Don't cut him into bloody red ribbons. Don't stab him in the eye. Don't make him go to the Graveyard in a box. Don't shove a Deku Stick so far up his ass that I could see it poking out of his mouth.
"Okay, okay all right. You can go along now… just be careful, Mister Hero! Wah ha hah!"
He rammed the butt of his spear into the ground, and suddenly the iron gate behind him silently slid into its receptacle. Link pitied whoever's job it was to pull the gate open and shut.
"By the way, Mr. Hero… if you're going to climb Death Mountain, you should equip a shield! It is an active volcano, after all!"
"I'll be fine, thank you," Link replied, racking his brain for a suitable lie. "They're a bit too heavy for me and they don't really fit on my back."
"If you ever change your mind, just drop by the Bazaar at Hyrule Castle. Tell 'em I sent you, and they'll give you a discount of some kind!"
The shopkeeper definitely wouldn't. He knew from experience.
"I'd like to ask a favor of you. No, not just because of the great tip I gave you! I'm just asking! Have you been to the Happy Mask Shop in Castle Town? Everyone's talking about it?"
"I've heard of it," Link said cryptically.
"My son pesters me for a mask, but I don't have time to go there… Well, I have no choice… this is my job… sigh…"
"Maybe," Link replied before remembering something.
Shit, I have to get the Sun's Song from the graveyard! he thought.
He ran through the village, avoiding the well and passing right by the cucco pen with that lady who bred cuccos, which was to the left of the well rather than to the right. Even after becoming intimately familiar with the mirrored Hyrule, it never ceased to throw him off. The seven birds were clucking agitatedly in their pen as their keeper tried desperately to placate them.
"Where is leetle man going?" Ivan demanded. "Death Mountain is the other way!"
"You promised to trust me," Link said. "Trust me. There's a song that we need to learn here."
Ivan thought for a moment. "Da," he finally agreed, flying faster to keep up with Link.
!0*0!
"This place gives Ivan the creeps."
"I know, me too, but it's something we have to do," Link persuaded, walking deep into the graveyard and disregarding the small child imitating Dampe.
"Don't mess with the graves! I'll tell Dampe!" the child warbled, trying to sound threatening. He failed miserably.
It started drizzling as the boy walked towards the end of the graveyard. They ignored the Poes that rose out of graves occasionally, lanterns whirling about madly.
They approached an engraving of the Triforce on the ground, situated directly in front of the Royal Family's tomb. Shivers crawled up Link's back, but he knew now that they were coming from the Shadow Temple and not the tomb itself, which comforted him somewhat.
Then he remembered what was inside the tomb, and the comfort dissipated.
Forcing the ocarina closer to his lips, Link shakily played Zelda's Lullaby, the simple six notes soothing him a bit. The rain came down harder, as a bright ball of electricity appeared just in front of the headstone, heralding the great lightning bolt and the deafening wave of thunder that followed. The grave exploded into huge fragments of shrapnel, thrusting Link and Ivan backwards unceremoniously. Regaining his bearings, Link got to his feet and jumped down the hole left in the explosion's wake.
"Ivan does not feel right about this," Ivan said warily. "It should be common sense that breaking into and entering tombs isn't a good idea."
"Well, we're not going to get anywhere by not looking," Link pleaded, continuing forwards.
The air down there reeked of decaying flesh and rot, eliciting a violent sneeze from Link. He preemptively loaded his slingshot before progressing forwards, ending up in a small stone room littered with the bones of Zelda's ancestors.
With Ivan's illumination, Link was easily able to kill the flock of Keese that had taken up residence in the room, making the way forwards open once more. Clambering up the cool stone stairs, Link progressed forwards until he entered the mildly horrifying final room.
There were three Redeads hunched over in the camber, unresponsive, but Link knew from far too much experience that they would release an agonizing screech when awakened, freezing their prey in terror as they slowly shuffled forwards. Once they got to it, the Redead would pull its victim into an embrace before biting at the back of the skull, trying to devour the brain. It was an awful experience.
Strange pools of luminescent poison also populated the room, and Link didn't feel like walking in it right then.
"That is a Redead," Ivan acknowledged. "Don't make a sound and walk by slowly. And to think that this is a tomb of royalty! Ivan shudders to think of what happens to peasants."
Following Ivan's advice although he didn't really need it, the Hero edged past the Redead blocking the way to the very end of the room. As soon as he thought he was able to, Link broke out into a mad dash for the end of the tunnel, jumping over one of the death pools.
Just before he leapt, a flare of emotional pain surged through his being. Evidently, in all the stress of the moment, he had let his mental barriers down and his anger had came out again. He was forced to take a few seconds to regain some control of his thoughts, but in that time, the Redead had gotten close enough to him to start screeching. The Hero froze, off-balance, as he toppled into the acidic pool. Instantly, it started burning his flesh, forcing Link to thrash wildly in an effort to get out of the basin. The physical pain was enough to get his mind back in order, and dispatching the Redead wasn't that big of an issue thanks to Ivan's Mind Hacking.
"Leetle man," Ivan said, emerging from the dead Redead's head. "Why did you stop?"
"Just a flare-up of my emotional pain," Link replied, sounding like he was discussing the weather. "The acid helped snap me out of it."
Ivan blinked. "That concerns Ivan. Deeply. If your emotional torment is so bad that you need to override it by hurting yourself in the real world, it must be far, far worse than you've been letting on. And Ivan can see very clearly that it's bad. It makes Ivan scared, because Ivan cares about you, and it is tearing Ivan apart to see you willingly inflicting pain on yourself. Now, you are going to tell Ivan how he can help right now, and Ivan is not taking 'no' for an answer."
Link didn't know what to say. His mental turmoil was extremely powerful, and without a distraction, any distraction from that pain, Link was scared that he would quickly fall apart, thus failing in his mission to prevent that doomed timeline from ever occurring. Simply put, the Hero was gripped by fear, and was terrified of that fear. He worried that if he ever let his mind wander, his rage would take control and Link would do something he would later regret.
Link had no clue of how a sprite like Ivan could possibly hope to solve his problems.
"I don't know," Link eventually lamented.
"That's okay," Ivan said comfortingly. "We'll figure it out together. And Ivan will always stand by you."
"Thanks, Ivan. I needed that," the Hylian said, letting a grin grace his features.
"See! Ivan is helping already!" the fairy boomed, his deep laughter filling the cold stone halls with just a little joy.
Now, at the very end of the tomb, did Link find what he was looking for.
!0*0!
Finally, Link was on his way to Death Mountain itself. The trek upwards wasn't all that bad; there were only a few Tektikes and a particularly annoying rolling Goron that caused him any issues. And they weren't even that much of an issue. All Link had to do was bash the Tektites over the head with the butt of the Kokiri Sword and hug the cliff side to avoid the Goron. It was morning, a consequence of playing the Sun's Song, when Link entered the home of the rock people in the heart of the mountain.
There were more Gorons than he remembered there being, many of them lounging around and moving as little as possible. He knew that there was a great famine due to the large rock blocking the entrance into their quarry, so Link didn't talk to any of them. Instead, he opted to leap from story to story towards Darunia's chambers and ignore the fact that the Gorons could just eat the rock blocking the cavern entrance.
The rug felt plush under his feet, but Link ignored it as he reached into his pouch for Zelda's-
Oh. The guard had kept the letter. No matter; he could just play Zelda's Lullaby like he had last time. He hadn't wanted to play it, because he knew it would remind him of Zelda and her betrayal.
Grasping his ocarina, Link pressed it to his lips and played the six notes, trying desperately to not burst into tears. There was a silence for a short time before a gruff "Let them in" emanated from the room.
With that, the door opened, revealing Darunia's chamber. Link wasn't quite sure what to call it; it wasn't a bedchamber, because there was no bed, but it wasn't a throne room, either, because there was no throne. He'd call it Darunia's Room and stick with that.
The Goron in question turned towards Link with a confounded expression on his face.
"What the heck?" he questioned. "Who do you think you are? When I heard the song of the Royal Family, I assumed their messenger had arrived, but… you're just some random little kid!"
Could people please stop calling me that? Link thought.
"Has Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons, really lost so much status to be treated like this by his Sworn Brother, the king?!"
Link knew for a fact that Darunia was very touchy on the subject of Sworn Brothers, and didn't want to antagonize him. The best way to do this would be to dissociate himself as much as possible from the Hylian ruler.
"Actually, no," Link said as placatingly as possible. "I was sent by his daughter to get the Spiritual Stone of Fire and bring it somewhere where it will be safe from Ganondorf. But while I'm here, I'd be happy to help reclaim Dodongo's Cavern."
The Goron stared at the Hylian, unblinking, before bursting into raucous laughter. This went on for a solid five minutes before he suddenly became enraged.
"Now I'm REALLY angry! Get out of my face!" Darunia yelled, shoving Link backwards and out of his face. "You come here asking for the Goron Ruby and demean us by offering to fix our issues? We don't need help from outsiders!"
"Oy! Stone man cannot shove leetle man around! That is Ivan's privilege!" Ivan argued, bursting out from underneath Link's hat. If it were possible for the Goron to be more confused by this encounter, he quickly was.
"Ivan, don't antagonize him. I'll just play the song and everything will be fine," Link placated, pulling out his ocarina and fervently playing Saria's Song.
There was no movement outside of Link's fingers fluttering over the several holes in the ocarina, producing the sounds of the forest in the heart of the mountain. This stillness was suddenly interrupted by the Goron breaking out into possibly the most enthusiastic dance Link had ever seen. He knew the song was good, but after seeing that for the second time now, he ought to convince Saria to write more music like that.
Link took a few steps back, not wanting to interrupt Darunia as he danced his depression away. Absentmindedly, he wondered if this would work for raw and unbridled fury. Then again, he definitely had his rage under control now. Right?
Right?
Finally, the Goron stopped his wild dancing and regained his composure, although he looked much more amicable now than before.
"Heeeey! What a nice tune!" Darunia said cheerfully. "Just like that, all my depression is gone! Something just came over me! I suddenly want to dance like crazy!
"I suppose I should get introductions out of the way. I am Darunia! I'm the big boss of the Gorons! You said you wanted the Spiritual Stone of Fire too, right?"
"Uh, yeah," Link replied. He was glad that he had gotten used to Darunia's mood swings back in the last timeline. "But that can wait. I'm named Link. I'm an ex-Kokiri."
"Well, Link of the Kokiri, if you think you can solve everything, be my guest! If you do that, I will give you anything you want, even the Ruby!"
"Okay, so that's great and all, but there's a slight issue," Link said. "I'd need a Bomb Flower to get into Dodongo's Cavern, but I'm only… ten now, and I'm not quite strong enough to lift it. So…"
Darunia laughed good-naturedly. "That's an easy enough fix. Let me give this bracelet to you. I'm not really giving it to you in return for anything, but take it anyway. If you wear it, even a little fella like you could pluck a Bomb Flower with ease."
"Thank you, Mr. Darunia!" Link said, hating how quickly he responded as the Goron Boss strode over to a nearby table and tossed the solid gold bracelet at the child. He caught it without blinking, put it on, and quickly exited Goron City. Back outside, Link veered left, picked up the Bomb Flower growing there, and launched it over the cliff. It sailed over the small fence and right in front of the cave entrance. When the plant exploded, it took the large rock down with it. Not wanting to waste time, Link leapt over the fence, ignoring Ivan's cry of dismay and disregarding the pain that flared in his legs, and walked into the cavern, ready for anything.
Except failure.
So… that was that. I'm trying to follow Kubler-Ross' model of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) in Link as he struggles to come to grips with the fact that he's the only one who remembers anything. The whole mental pain trumped by physical pain subsection is also in alignment with this idea.
Basically, I'm trying to have Link work through his grief like a normal person. I promise he won't become (too) fatalistic. I want you, as the reader, to be able to sympathise with Link's struggles, but also not overemphasize said struggles too much. Because too much moping over Link's grief would take away from the narrative, I believe. He's going to do his best to power through it and save the world, just like Link would probably do.
NOOTTD: Nothing.
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