Link continued the grueling trek up the mountain. He finally arrived at the first rope covered wall. He placed his hands and gripped the ropes. He began to haul himself up the rope wall and finally he clung to the top of the cliff and hoisted himself up the cliff. He stood up and continued to make his way up the mountain. Midna appeared from behind him and offered some advice for him. "Hey Link you should take it easy, I mean the last thing I need is for you to pass out on the way up the mountain."
"Don't worry Midna I will be fine." He said.
"That's what you said last night when you fell asleep while watching the camp." Midna retorted.
"Yeah, I know that but that was an accident it was because you moved me that I fell asleep." Link snapped back.
"HEY LINK!" a voice echoed down the mountain pass.
Just then a rumbling filled the mountain pass as he saw a massive Goron rolling down the mountain pass towards him. The Goron stopped just short of hitting him. The Goron unraveled and stood up. "Hello Brother how have you been keeping, it's been a while since we have seen you in these mountains.
"Yeah I know I've been busy with other things as of late." Link responded to Darbus the current presiding patriarch of the Goron Race.
"Well then Brother what brings you to these mountains today." Darbus asked Link.
"Well you see I wish I was here on better terms but you see…" he paused before he continued "I kind of have a bit of a problem."
"Well Brother then speak up and let me see if we the Mighty Goron Tribe may help." He said with pride.
"Well then Midna if you be so kind as to show yourself." He asked Midna.
Midna emerged from behind Link in her usual manner. "Hello…" she said in her usual tone this time with a little more shyness as she was in her true from.
"Well now Link who is this beautiful lady with you today… She doesn't look like she if from Hyrule at all."
"Well now you see Darbus that's just the problem she is not from Hyrule at all she is from the Twilight Realm, you may know her as Midna the Twilight Princess."
"Well… I can see that now but I don't remember her being this beautiful." He responded to Link.
Midna began to felt quite embarrassed under the two men's stares. Midna sunk slowly back into Link's shadow hoping to escape the stares. She soon heard Link call her name again she re-emerged from Link's shadow and noticed Darbus was gone. "Were did Darbus go."
"Well he left to go tell everyone else of our arrival." He explained to her.
"Alright then Link isn't it best we be on our way now." She told him.
"Yeah you have a point I guess I'll keep climbing we are near the top I think now, shouldn't be much longer till we reach Goron Village."
~Meanwhile at the Twilight Palace~
"Look Master you must listen to me… The girl might not be dead for all we know she could be seeking help as we speak." The young boy pleaded with the man.
"Look boy I am telling you for the last time she is not alive there is no way she could have survived." The man roared back at the young boy in the black tunic.
"Look Master all I ask for is a little leeway so I can search for her and assure that she is dead for good." The boy continued to argue with the Half-Twilight Man.
"Look boy since you are so infatuated with that women I will permit you a little extra leeway, you may go search for her and if you do find her alive then deal with her as you see fit I don't care." The man finally grew tired of the boy and gave in. The man reached to the black band on his arm and twisted it. One of the jewels on the band lit up while the other two remain unlit. "Now go Boy before I change my mind!" The man roared at the young boy.
"Thank you my master." The boy spoke to the large man before he made his way towards the very portal he had dropped Midna through and entered it.
~Back at Death Mountain~
Link had finally emerged at the Peak of Death Mountain and made his way across the open area that used to house a massive lava boulder. The crater from the lava rock was still visible in the rocks surface. Midna reemerged from Link's shadow and looked at the crater. "Wow I can't believe that the crater is still there after all these years.
"Yeah Midna you will find rocks heals the slowest of anything in the world." Link spoke.
"Yeah I guess you do speak true Hero," she said while looking up the mountain.
"Hey Midna do you mind if I make a quick stop by the Hot Springs to relax for a bit I do feel kind of tired after climbing all that way up here." Link asked Midna.
"Sure Link its fine if you want to relax for a bit after that climb." Midna responded back.
Link nodded in response to her answer. He made his way up another rope covered wall. He made his way over the small ridge that led to the Goron Hot Springs. He slowly stepped in the Hot Spring and sat down. He heard someone enter the Hot Springs behind in him. He turned his head only to see Midna sit on the edge of the rock pool and dip her feet in the water. Midna looked at Link and asked "What are you looking at isn't a women allowed to enjoying the Hot Springs too, I mean you didn't even take your tunic off." She said scornfully.
"No its fine I guess, as for the reason I don't take the tunic off is because it dries off really fast, so I don't bother to take it off."
They both sat in silence in the Hot Spring. They could hear the wind blow through the mountains. They both sat until they both heard the scarping of stone and Link looked over and saw a Goron emerge from the lift area that led to the throne room of the Goron Tribe. Midna saw the Goron and quickly hid in Link's shadow. She didn't want to be embarrassed by more the Gorons. "Midna relax," he whispered to her.
"Sorry Link I don't like the way they look at me." Midna whispered back to him.
"Midna they look at you like that because they never have seen your true form, I can't help it that they are surprised by your beauty." "I mean they only know you as the little imp that hid in my shadow."
"Sorry Link I still would prefer to be in your shadow while they are around."
"Alright Midna if you insist." Link responded to her.
"BROTHER!" boomed the Gorons loud voice thought the small Hot Springs.
"Jeez, why do the Gorons have to be so loud all the time?" He heard Midna say.
"I really couldn't tell you why Midna I guess that's just the type of people they are." He whispered back.
"Jeez it just bothers me sometimes." She whispered back to him.
"Hello Brother," Link shouted back to the Goron.
"Jeez Link not you too." He heard Midna mumble under her breath.
"Brother what brings you up to our humble mountain today." The Goron spoke with their natural booming voice.
"Well Brother I came up here to seek guidance." Link spoke back to the Goron in his best Voice he could muster.
"Guidance for what Brother," The Goron boomed back to him.
"Well you see my Brother I have fallen on a less then fortune circumstance, or I should say the unfortunate circumstance found me." He told the Goron.
"Some kind of Hero you are." He heard Midna hiss from the shadows.
"Whatever do you mean Brother?" the Goron asked inquisitively.
"Well if you guys recall a certain Princess of Twilight." He responded to the Gorons question.
"Oh brother, are you speaking of the Imp that journeyed with you previously?" The Goron asked.
"Yes that would be the one I am referring to, but let's just say she isn't the same Midna you remember now." Link answered the question.
"Link I would prefer some kind of privacy you know." He heard her hiss from the shadows, he could tell she was getting quickly getting angry with him.
"Well Brother it was good to see you again." The Goron said while making his over to a ledge to sit down.
"Midna you're being very hostile." Link spoke back to Midna with a wry smile.
"It doesn't help with how you are acting." She hissed back at him.
"Jeez alright I'm sorry I've upset you." He said back still with that wry smile on his face.
"You don't really mean that do you…" she said with a little desperation in her voice.
Link felt incredibly bad after hearing her sound so desperate to get him keep quite. He stood up and climbed out of the Hot Spring. He shook the water off of his tunic and made his up the trail leading to the Goron Patriarchs throne room. He arrived at the large stone door that separated the inside from the outside. He placed his hands on the door only to have the door spin open throwing Link to the ground.
"Ouch," Link mumbled as he picked himself up of the dusty ground of the Goron homeland.
"Oh, hello Brother," Link heard the familiar voice of Darbus. "I was wondering when you were going to arrive I was about to come looking for you, but from the looks of it you were enjoying the hot springs." Darbus spoke to Link in his usual commanding voice.
"Yeah I was just down there relaxing after the arduous climb up the mountain." He responded to the Darbus who was standing in the doorway.
"Well Brother what are you waiting for, come on in." Darbus motioned with one of his large hands towards a large carpet lying on the ground.
"Alright well since you offered," Link said while making his way into the large throne room.
He approached the large carpet and sat down. "Wow this is very comfortable, Hey Midna why don't you come out and say hello to Darbus."
He could hear Midna audibly groan from the shadows as he slowly appeared from the shadows of the room. "Fine here I am Link." She said after she fully appeared.
"Well Midna are you going to take a seat and tell Darbus of your plight or do you want me to?" Link looked at Midna and back to Darbus.
Midna floated over and sat down on the large carpet. "Well I guess I can tell it myself." She spoke after she sat down. "I have some dignity left to keep." Link could hear her mumble under her breath.
"Well then Midna lets hear it." Darbus's voice echoed throughout the same room.
She recounted her tale to the massive Goron sitting in front of them. "Hmmm, why yes that does sound like a problem, so you wouldn't happen to have any ideas on how to return now would you?"
"Yeah Midna you never did tell me your plan to return the Twilight Realm." Link spoke after Darbus finished speaking.
"Well fine I guess I need to explain my plan." She spoke "Well you see there is a sealed temple buried beneath Hyrule Castle I heard in legends from the Archives of my Palace that the temple housed a portal that led directly to the Palace of Twilight."
"Well now what do you mean sealed?" Link asked Midna
"I mean sealed as it the entrance has been locked by a series of Shadow Locks that require Twilight Keys to unlock." She answered Link
"Where can we find these Twilight Keys?" Link asked to Midna.
"Well then," Darbus voice was low, but still echoed in the room.
"What is it Darbus." Link asked looking at Darbus concerned face.
"Well you see the Goron Legends speak of an ancient relic given to the Goron by the ancient Hylians, they say they buried it deep in a forgotten Goron temple, the legends call it the Fire Temple."
"Fire Temple huh, well that sounds like fun." Link interjected in Darbus's recounting of the Goron Legend.
"Well then if it sounds so fun I guess I could so you the way to the forgotten temple." Darbus responded to Links eagerness to explore the temple.
"Well the Twilight Realm isn't going to save itself, the faster I handle this the sooner I can get back to enjoying my life not that this isn't fun either I enjoy my own fair share of adventuring but not with a Kingdoms fate in the balance. So I guess we better get going show us the way Darbus." Link responded to both Darbus and Midna in one swift concise statement.
"Well Link you seem very eager to put yourself into peril, why are you doing this?" Midna asked inquisitively.
"Look Midna like I said I just want to be done with this so you can be safe and I can do something else with my life, like forget this whole 'Hero' business." Link responded to her.
"But Link why do you want to forget this whole 'Hero' thing it's what you were destined to do." She answered him.
"Look Midna this whole 'Hero' business is just something I have to do it's not something I want to do." Link said back to Midna, she could tell that Link was getting agitated.
"Link I'm sorry if I said something to make you angry." Midna spoke quietly.
Link could barely hear Midna's voice, he felt bad for what he had said. He told Darbus to wait a few moments so he could get ready. He exited the room and spoke to Midna "Look Midna I'm sorry if I said something to make you upset." He told her.
"Link its okay I understand why you are upset, I didn't want to be queen it was something I had to do, not something I wanted to do." She said quietly.
Link saw a single tear fall from her eye. It glinted off the sunlight as it fell to the ground. As it hit the ground Link leaned forwards and embraced Midna in a hug.
"Midna… I'm sorry if I did something to upset you I'm sorry." Link said while holding back his emotions like he normally did.
"Link its okay honestly," she spoke truthfully Link could tell by her voice.
"Alright," Link collected himself and released Midna, "we can get going now."
"Yes let's get going," he heard Midna respond to him.
Link reentered the room and spoke to Darbus "Well looks like we are ready now show us the way Darbus."
(Author's Note: sorry this took so long to upload and sorry its a little on the short side, I've been busy as of late but here is chapter 2 at last next up is the Fire Temple…)