Ok folks! So this one took a while because of writer's block, and personally I think I kinda rushed through it because dang i hate this stage in the game, but whatever. Be ready for another super LONG chapter, cause that's what this is! Anyway, onto the guest reviews!
ShadowRogue: Cameos are always super fun and there's even more in this chapter! I actually have seen that very abridge series and it cracked me up! I think anything parodying the Zelda series is the bee's knees!
GrayishGirl: I totally feel you! And Agitha is a pretty interesting character indeed!
Arrowsheena: I'm glad you like the style and descriptions, as those are two things I'm trying to get better at! And believe me when I say that Ghirahim is going to be a hoot!
Blueheart100: Thanks!
Ok, well with alll that outta the way, let's get started!
Chapter 11: The Land of Myth
The kingdom that spread out before Impa, Sheik, and their small force of soldiers upon going through their chosen portal seemed very much like the Hyrule they all knew, yet it was somehow very different. Instead of the land of Hyrule they were all so familiar with, they had ventured back to the era of the mythical Hero of Time.
The Hylian forces specifically emerged near the very center of this era's version of Hyrule Field, a series of lush, rolling hills that spanned on for miles. Immediately noticeable were the thick forests lining the southeastern border of the land, the towering mountain to the very north, and the castle to the north as well, though a noticeable aura of darkness was hovering over it. This gave the Sheikah guardian, who was quite well versed in her Hylian history, the impression that the point they had entered into was during the quest of the Hero of Time, before he defeated the dark lord who had claimed the Triforce of Power and conquered Hyrule while the hero was forced to slumber within the Sacred Realm for seven years.
"Alright, troops," Impa began authoritatively, moving to the front of the group of soldiers once they had all passed through the portal. "Our main objective is to find and close the Gate of Souls, but at the same time, keep an eye open for Princess Zelda. She may very well be here as well."
"Where do you suggest we start?" Sheik asked in her usual calm way.
The Sheikah guardian frowned as she surveyed the land around them, finding no signs of even any monsters that might be telling of the location of the gate. "I'm not exactly sure to be honest," she said thoughtfully, more to herself than the Sheikah warrior. "The Hyrule of this era is vast and unpredictable. It could take days of searching before we even find so much as a single clue…"
"Perhaps we should split up, then?" Sheik suggested. "In order to cover more ground?"
Impa glared at the Sheikah warrior upon hearing this suggestion, her distrust for her still as high as ever. Though Sheik hadn't made any sort of mutinous move against the Hylian forces yet, the Sheikah guardian immediately opposed this idea, for certainly dividing the troops present would be an easy way to thin out a third of Hyrule's forces. "We are not splitting up," Impa said firmly, crossing her arms. "This is an unknown territory to us, and so we're going to travel together throughout all of it."
Sheik didn't seem to surprise by Impa's resolve and so she simply nodded in agreement to it, understanding her reasoning. Before the Sheikah warrior could make another suggestion however, the Sheikah guardian interposed with an idea of her own. "See that wall up there?" she asked the group, referring to the rounded stone walls from behind which the tops of a few buildings could be seen just a mile or so to the north. "Maybe there's someone in there who might be able to help us. I say we go scout it out and see."
Sheik, as well as the rest of the troops, didn't see any problem with this plan and so they all readily agreed with it. After all, their starting position wasn't too far from the area in question, and so they all set out towards it in an organized formation, with the two Sheikah women leading the pack.
"The land is so barren and empty…" Sheik mused as she looked around the fields and saw no signs of life aside from them.
"According to the legends, when the dark lord took over Hyrule, his evil presence drove out most of the natural life in many parts of the kingdom," Impa informed, recalling her sufficient knowledge from studying Hyrule's history alongside Zelda for many years. "An aura of darkness pervades this land, but it is one that only the Hero of Time will drive out."
"Certainly, then, the hero must be well on into his quest," the Sheikah warrior surmised. "The aura of which you speak does not feel as strong as it could be. He must have already awakened a few of the honorable sages of legend."
"The sages?" the Sheikah guardian asked, knowing that such a detailed recount of the Hero of Time's mission to awaken the seven sages of the land was not widely known by most. "How do you about them?"
"Well, such things are well kept stories among the Sheikah, as you most likely well know," Sheik said somewhat mysteriously. "We do serve the purpose of being the legend keepers of the land, after all."
"We…" Impa scoffed to herself, glaring away from the Sheikah warrior. Even if Sheik was not truly a Sheikah, which is what Impa still very much believed, she certainly did have extensive knowledge on the elusive tribe, something that bothered the Sheikah guardian quite a bit. After all, how could her tribe's sacred, secretive traditions and history have been compromised so easily to have been discovered by whom Impa was certain was nothing more than an interloper in disguise.
No more discussion happened between the two Sheikah women as they approached the walled area, which, upon getting closer to it, they discovered that it appeared to be a small farm. Thanks to Impa's knowledge of ancient Hylian scripts, she was able to translate the sign at the entrance of the farm to read "Lon Lon Ranch". Deciding that there certainly must be at least one local inside of its gates that had heard or seen something concerning the Gate of Souls, Impa, Sheik, and a few of their troops entered inside to find a humble farmhouse, alone with a wooden stable, and the main feature of the ranch, a wide corral filled with several different types of horses. As the soldiers came into the corral area itself, they initially found not another person in sight amidst all of the horses and cuccos wandering around, much to their disappointment.
"Oh, hello!" a young, female voice chimed from behind the group, somewhat startling all of them. Impa and Sheik, along with their soldiers all turned to see a young woman emerging from the stable. She had long, orange-red hair that flowed down her back and bright blue eyes that matched her inviting smile well. She wore a white, short-sleeved top and a long pink skirt, along with a brown apron, leather boots, and a yellow ascot tied around her neck. "We weren't expecting anyone to come by today, especially a group of soldiers, but welcome to Lon Lon Ranch anyway! My name is Malon, and me and my dad run this place. Is there anything I can help you all with?"
"I believe so," Sheik said smoothly. "My name is Sheik, and this is Impa," she said, motioning to the Sheikah guardian who stood nearby. We're passing through the area with our troops looking for a portal known as the Gate of Souls. You happen to know anything about that, would you?"
Malon frowned in confusion. "Gate of Souls?" she asked, clearly having no idea what the Sheikah warrior was talking about. "I'm sorry, I've heard of any Gate of Souls before…"
"Well, then, have you heard of any strange happenings lately?" Impa asked, remembering what Lana had said about the Gate of Souls being able to produce monsters. "Any sort of trouble going on around Hyrule, or anything like that?"
"No more than the usual trouble…" the farm girl said with a shrug, clearly referring to the problems brought onto the normal people of the land thanks to the dark lord's oppressive rule. "Oh, but wait!" she exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. "I was just in Kakariko about a day ago delivering milk and I did hear rumors of something unusual going on up there! Yeah… I think someone said something about the Gorons causing a ruckus, though I don't exactly remember…"
"The Gorons?" Sheik asked a bit worriedly. "But they are said to be a very kind, peaceful people."
"I know," Malon said with a concerned frown. "That's why it was so strange to hear them acting up like this! Apparently, they won't let anyone up onto Death Mountain at all! It's really weird…"
"Perhaps the Gate of Souls might be on the mountain then…" Impa pondered thoughtfully. "If the Gorons are in an uproar, then it might have something to do with invading monsters coming out from the gate."
"It would be worth a look," the Sheikah warrior nodded in agreement, before turning back to the farm girl once more. "Do you know of the quickest route to Death Mountain?"
"The fastest and easiest path is to go through Kakariko Village, just a little bit to the northeast of here," Malon said, her kind smile returning. "But… you're not really planning on going all the way up there, are you?"
"We have to," Impa said with resolve. "Our mission is to find that Gate of Souls and close it before it can cause any more damage to this land."
"Well, you're all quite brave then," the farm girl said, clearly impressed with their valor. "But before you go, wait right here for a minute. There's something I'd like to give you all."
The Sheikah women complied with this as Malon hurried back into the barn, before emerging a moment later with a cart laden with bottles. The farm girl picked one of them up and showed it to the group so that they could see the white liquid filling it. "Take these," she offered generously. "They're filled with our special Lon Lon Milk, the best in all of Hyrule! Its sure to give you the energy you need to get where you're going!"
"Thank you," Impa said with a grateful smile as she commanded a few of her men to take the cart out to the field where the rest of the soldiers were waiting and disperse the milk bottles.
"You're welcome," Malon said with a bright smile. "I wish there more I could do to help, but I have to stick around here and hold down the fort."
"Well, thank you for the help that you have given us," Sheik said reassuringly. "But I believe we must be off for now."
With another commanding nod, Impa gave the troops permission to move out and set a course for the mountain, and as they did so, the farm girl called out after them, her warm smile still apparent all the while as she saw them off. "Best of luck to all of you!"
Death Mountain was certainly an imposing place, even from afar. Its tall peak towered over the land, a ring of smoke from its volcanic heart surrounding the sharply pointed crest. The path leading towards the peak itself was steep and rocky, but the Hylian troops steadily trudged up it nonetheless, marching in an orderly line and constantly on the alert for any signs of monsters or the Gate of Souls alike.
Impa walked swiftly alongside the line of soldiers, her stern attention focused straight ahead as she went and her mind filled with thoughts. The Sheikah guardian thought back to the conversation she had with the hero the previous night concerning the Sheikah warrior and their apparently shared suspicions about her. Sheik had done relatively little to incriminate herself, yet at the same time, she hadn't really proved why she should be trusted either. Of course, Impa knew that the Sheikah warrior had saved her from Volga back at the Valley of Seers, but that could have very well been a part of her plans. The Sheikah guardian had never really been a paranoid person, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the suspicious feeling she got from Sheik. Something was certainly off about her, whether it was her appearance, her attitude, or her motivation, but whatever it was, Impa was determined to find out what it was.
Upon coming to this resolve, the Sheikah guardian slowed her pace and turned to glance behind her as she watched the Sheikah warrior make her way up the path as well. Sheik marched along at a much more casual pace, which was something else that also bothered Impa. The Sheikah warrior came off as very unconcerned and aloof when compared to the rest of them, who seemed too emboldened and passionate about their mission. In fact, it seemed as though she was a very passive playing in something that, like the Sheikah guardian was, she should have been very active in.
"You know, you could have accompanied either Link or Lana in their missions…" Impa began steadily, not wanting to let Sheik know that she was onto her ruse. "Why did you choose to follow me?"
The Sheikah warrior offered no response to this question as she simply walked past the Sheikah guardian, her expression unreadable as she refused to even glance Impa's way. The Sheikah guardian gave her a slight glare of derision at this, deciding not to let the matter go that simply. This time, she was going to get answers, no matter what she had to do.
"I can't figure you out…" Impa admitted as she walked a little ways behind Sheik. "How much do you really know of the Sheikah tribe?"
"I know as much as any other Sheikah," the Sheikah warrior said vaguely, still not glancing back. "But if you need a confirmation of this, then feel free to test me in any way you wish."
The Sheikah guardian scowled at this, knowing that from anyone else, these words would have sounded defiant, but Sheik simply spoke them in her monotonous way. "Very well then…" Impa said, thinking of a very basic question to ask. "Tell me; who is your tribe's leader?"
"Impa, which would be you," Sheik replied simply, as though it was obvious.
"Correct…" the Sheikah guardian said, though her brows still furrowed in confusion. "And yet, there is no one named Sheik in my tribe…"
Sheik finally turned around upon hearing this, her visible crimson eye cold and hardened. Impa suppressed the urge to smile in satisfaction, knowing that she was starting to get to her supposed "ally". "So then," the Sheikah guardian said, stepping in quite close to the Sheikah warrior. "Who does that make you? What are you really after?"
Sheik was silent for a long moment upon hearing this question, her manner as stoic as ever as Impa stared her down relentlessly. And, when she finally did answer, her response was just as cryptic and mysterious as ever. "I'm after exactly what you are," the Sheikah guardian said, looking her straight in the eyes. "The truth."
The Sheikah guardian found herself growing increasingly frustrated with the Sheikah warrior's mysterious ways. "How can you be after the truth when you're so clearly hiding something?" Impa accused harshly, clenching her fists tightly at her sides.
"I am not hiding anything," Sheik said coldly, but Impa refused to believe her as easily as that.
"Oh really?" the Sheikah guardian hissed in muted fury. "So you can stand there and honestly tell me that you are not allied with the sorceress and that you've merely been sent to spy on us then?!"
"What?!" the Sheikah warrior asked, not hiding how absolutely confused she was upon hearing this. "What could have possibly led you to believe something like that?"
"Well, let's see…" Impa said with a burning scowl. "First you show up completely out of nowhere, then you refuse to tell us anything about yourself, and then you act as though you know something about the princess's whereabouts, but then you don't say anything that might help us find her! How can I possibly trust that you when all you've been is secretive and suspicious!?"
"Impa, I can promise you that I am not in working with the sorceress," Sheik said as calmly as possible, trying to avoid the inner hurt at even hearing Impa accusing her some something.
"Then prove it," the Sheikah guardian said, her tone low and angry as she stared the Sheikah warrior right in the eye, showing no sign of backing down whatsoever.
Sheik paused for quite a long time as Impa continued to stare her down relentlessly, her front of calm and aloofness finally seeming to cave in under pressure. The Sheikah guardian knew she had her right where she wanted her, for certainly the Sheikah warrior was lying and wouldn't be able to prove her loyalty in a believable way. However, Impa truly was surprised when Sheik slowly began to lift her hand towards her face coverings, as if she intended to finally remove them. "Alright…" the Sheikah warrior said softly, her heart pounding out of fear as she looked the Sheikah guardian directly in the eyes. "Impa, I'm really-"
Before Sheik could say anything else however, she was suddenly cut off by a small pink fairy, who had seemed to come out of nowhere and fly right between the two Sheikah women, completely breaking the heavy tension between them. "Oh, thank goodness!" the fairy exclaimed to herself briefly, somehow speaking in a language that both Sheik and Impa could understand, unlike the fairies of their time, which communicated in an indiscernible way. "Hey! Listen! I need your help!" The fairy chimed as she flew up above the Hylian troops as they all stopped to glance up at her.
"Help with what?" Sheik asked curiously, somewhat thankful for the interruption.
"Oh, it's awful!" the fairy said worriedly. "The Gorons! They-" She cut herself short however as she looked down at the two Sheikah women, letting out a surprised gasp as she flew in closer to both of them. "Wait… Sheik? Is that you?"
The Sheikah guardian gave the fairy a look of confusion. "I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Have we met?"
"Well, yeah!" the fairy said, admittedly just as bewildered as to why she wasn't recognized. "It's me! Navi! You know, Link's companion?"
"But… Link's fairy companion is named-" Impa began to say, before she remembered that they were in a different time period entirely and that certainly the Link that Navi was speaking of was not the hero from their era, but the legendary Hero of Time himself. "Oh, I understand…" she muttered to herself, realizing how that would be confusion.
Sheik also realized this about the same time as Impa, and so she was quick to clarify for Navi. "You have me confused for another," she explained. "I am Sheik, and this is Impa-"
"Impa?" the fairy asked in confusion, turning towards the Sheikah guardian. "But… you don't really look like Impa…"
"Allow me to finish," the Sheikah warrior interjected, knowing that certainly Navi was speaking of another Sheik and another Impa. "We are not of this time, but rather from the distant future. Any semblance in either name or appearance to people you might know is purely coincidental, I assure you."
"Oh…" Navi mused, believing this as she took a closer look and saw that the two Sheikah women before her didn't really look exactly like the Sheik or Impa of her time save for a passing semblance. "Alright then… But, we could still really use the help of you and all your soldiers!"
"What's the matter?" Impa pressed, hoping that maybe the fairy knew something of the Gate of Souls or the situation on Death Mountain.
"Princess Ruto is in trouble!" Navi cried fretfully, coming to float over Sheik's hands as she held them out as something of a perch.
"Ruto, Princess of the Zoras?" the Sheikah warrior asked, knowing the Zora princess from her knowledge of this era.
"Yes!" the fairy said, her wings beating together anxiously. "She was abducted by the Gorons!"
"Well, that explains what that Malon girl was talking about when she said there was trouble about up here…" Impa mused to herself before Navi went on.
"I don't understand it," the fairy said with a sad sigh. "Their leader Darunia used to be such a kind, gentle soul… But ever since that Zelda woman showed up, he hasn't been the same since!"
"Zelda?" Impa cut in, her eyes growing wide upon hearing this. "Princess Zelda has been here?!"
"Princess Zelda?" Navi asked. "Oh no, no! She can't be the princess! She doesn't look anything like our princess and besides, Zelda's been missing for the past seven years, ever since Ganondorf took over!"
"Then it must be the Zelda of our time!" the Sheikah guardian exclaimed, immediately jumping on this lead as it was the first real one she had gotten in quite some time.
"Let us go and see with our own eyes, then," Sheik said calmly, not wanting to jump to any conclusions so soon.
"Well, come on, then!" Navi exclaimed brightly, gliding up above the troops once more to lead the way. "The Gorons' stronghold is right through this gate!"
And indeed, the fairy's word was not wrong. The gate standing right before the halted troops did indeed lead to the portion of Death Mountain where the Gorons were gathered, and even upon a first glance, it was easy to tell that the Hylian troops were vastly outnumbered. The sheer amount of Gorons storming the mountain was staggering, their count well on up into the hundreds, if not thousands as they lined the entire mountain, clearly ready to defend their territory from intruders.
Of course, Sheik, Impa, and their troops wasted no time upon arriving to this portion of the mountain. They quickly made the nearest empty keep their base, before they could even be spotted by a single Goron. And, as soon as everyone was prepared to set off, the troops began to march out after Navi informed the Sheikah women that Darunia was most likely stationed at his chamber near the peak, and that Ruto was most likely held hostage there as well.
"I'm concerned about our primary mission," Sheik mused as her and Impa watched the soldiers move out an begin to engage the unsuspecting Gorons. "But first we must rescue Princess Ruto."
"And hopefully we'll find Princess Zelda while we're at it," the Sheikah guardian muttered to herself with determination, resolved to get to the bottom of the situation.
With their mission cut out for them, both Sheikah women took off out of the allied base, their weapons at the ready to fight. It was about this time that the Gorons noticed the invading forces within their domain, and they were quick to charge in defense of their home.
"Stop!" one of the Goron captains called out angrily. "No one can pass through here under the order of Big Brother Darunia!"
"Wait!" Sheik called out as her and Impa came face to face with a line of Goron warriors. "We don't want to fight! We only came to-"
None of the Gorons responded as they all simply continued to rush at the Hylian soldiers, using their strong physical strength to oppose the soldiers' weapons. "They don't look like they're willing to talk…" Impa said with a scowl, already prepared to put her giant blade to use if it meant finding Zelda at long last. "I guess we'll just have to force our way by then…"
Deciding that this was the only way, both Sheikah women began to work their way up the mountain through its western path, cutting through the Goron forces the best they could. Unfortunately, the mountain-dwelling people were strong and durable, their firm, almost-rocklike skin hard to damage easily, but at the same time, the Hylian troops weren't really seeking to harm the Gorons, who seemed to be both angered and confused more than anything else, though for what reason, no one knew.
Not too long after Sheik and Impa had set out, however, a sudden rumbling filled the mountain, one that climaxed with a loud crash coming from the direction of the allied base itself. "What was that?" the Sheikah guardian demanded, looking down from her spot to see a second boulder that had come from a spot just a bit to the north of the Sheikah women crash into their allied base, sustaining some sizable damage.
"They're attacking our base!" the Sheikah warrior exclaimed, gripping her harp tighter than ever. "We have to stop those falling rocks. From the look of it, they seem to be coming from that keep to the north. Perhaps capturing it would be a good start."
"Then I'll go do that," Impa said, placing her discrepancies for Sheik aside for now as they were in the heat of battle. "You go make sure our base doesn't fall. If it does, then it's all over."
The Sheikah warrior nodded as she took off for the allied base, using her magical melodies to rip through the perusing crowds of Gorons all the while as the Sheikah guardian headed for the nearest boulder keep.
"It's strange…" Sheik mused to Navi, who accompanied her she cut through the enemy forces. "I always thought the Gorons were a gentle people… Who knew they could be capable of such violence…?"
"It's Darunia, their chief…" the fairy said, her wings drooping a bit. "He was always so kind and friendly! But ever since meeting Zelda… he's like a totally different Goron!"
"So, he really has met with Princess Zelda…" Impa said to herself, having barely overheard the conversation amidst the din of war as she got further away from both Sheik and Navi and closer to her destination. "But even so, why would that force such a negative change in him?" The Sheikah guardian shook her head as she fought on, knowing that the princess certainly couldn't be the cause of such trouble. Could she?
All the same though, Impa was quick to clear out the west bolder keep, using both her heavy blade and her water magic to cut a swath through the Gorons protecting it and securing it for the Hylian troops. The flow of boulders speeding towards the allied base came to an end, and before it could start again, the Sheikah warrior was quick to make sure that her troops went out and gained an advantage over their foes by capturing the eastern boulder keep before the Gorons could even have a chance to.
As soon as it was sure that the allied base was secure for the moment, Sheik set out from it with Navi in tow, heading up the eastern path to rendezvous with Impa. The cluster of Goron warriors was as thick and relentless as ever, and of course, none of them were willing to listen to reason, but the Sheikah warrior couldn't help but wonder why as she fought them. Certainly, this sudden change in temperament couldn't be coincidental. Navi had said that Princess Zelda had brought this change about, but how? The princess of Hyrule was a benevolent soul, and she certainly wouldn't try to stir up such discord and chaos that the Gorons seemed to be under now. A different entity certainly must have been at work, one with wicked intentions if they wanted to pit the Gorons and the Zoras against one another in such a way.
While Sheik found herself caught up in one of the eastern keeps preoccupied by the enemy forces, Impa continued to tear through the Goron troops, finding them to be strong, but easy to take down with enough force. Of course, along the way, she did have to end a few of them, and she certainly did feel guilty for it, but this was war, and in the grand scheme of things, the general of the Hylian army knew that individual lives did not matter on the battlefield.
However, as both Sheikah women continued to fight tirelessly in their attempt to get up the mountain, they did not know that the Goron patriarch himself was watching their ascent from the peak, and was more than prepared to put an end to it. And as if to signify this, the voice of the proud leader of the Gorons himself rumbled strong and fierce across the entire mountain so that all the invaders could hear. "Who dares attack the noble Gorons?!" Darunia bellowed loudly, his rage quite clear in his tone. "Whoever you are, prepare to battle a Goron Chieftain and fall!"
Both Sheikahs had heard him loud and clear and both were quick to head towards the northern most point of the mountain that they could get to without it being blocked off. The Gorons lining the way were plentiful for both of them, but soon enough they both finally reunited, knowing that soon the Goron chieftain himself would join them.
"So," Sheik said to Impa a bit breathlessly from fighting as they joined up. "Darunia has appeared? Very well. We must stop his rampage then."
"For once I agree with you," the Sheikah guardian said as she lashed her blade out at an attacking Goron. "We need to calm him down so we can get some answers about what's going on around here. And the only way to do that is to knock him out!"
"Be careful!" Navi cautioned as she fluttered nearby. "Darunia's not acting like his usual self! He could be very dangerous!"
Right as the fairy finished her warning, the Goron patriarch himself finally arrived, rolling down from the summit and landing only a few feet away from the Sheikah women. Like his Goron brothers, Darunia was of a sizable girth, his form sturdy and rock-like, though he had more of the look of a chief about him, as he was larger and generally sterner in his appearance and features. He came into the battle wielding a large, heavy metal hammer marked with the Goron symbol, though he lifted it as though it weighed nothing at all, a testament to his well-known and respected strength. All of the nearby Gorons were quick to show their reverence to their patriarch by clearing out of the way for him to slowly approach the two leaders of their opposition, his footsteps rumbling on the earthen ground as he swung his hammer over his shoulder casually.
"So, you guys are the ones who invaded my mountain and are attacking my brothers?" Darunia asked, scowling angrily at the Sheikahs.
"Darunia, please," Impa began tactfully, hoping to put a stop to this battle before it could get even more out of hand. "We do not wish to harm you or your people. I ask of your to all off your troops and end this before anyone gets hurt."
"Oh, I'm gonna end it alright," the Goron chieftain said with an uncharacteristically dark grin as he heaved his hammer into both hands. He said nothing more as he swung his weapon out towards his foes, striking several Hylian soldiers immediately with devastating force.
"Watch out!" Navi warned, recognizing the weapon that Darunia was wielding as he continued to advance on Sheik and Impa, who had taken up the defensive for now. "That's the Megaton Hammer! It's an ancient Goron artifact that can really do a lot of damage it you let it!"
"Them I suppose we'll have to stay clear of it," Sheik mused as she began to strum the Song of Storms on her harp, allowing a swirl of electricity to surround her. Thankfully both Sheikah women had the advantage of speed on their side as they moved faster than Darunia ever could, both of them circling him before the Sheikah guardian moved in and allowed the electricity around her to touch the Goron patriarch, eliciting a grunt of pain from him as he was briefly stunned by it. This opening allowed Impa to slice her blade across his back, which while as thick and durable as a rock itself, did not give Darunia complete and totally protection. He stumbled forward clumsily, allowing Sheik to meet him with a pair of her kunais, which she aimed squarely for his open stomach. Since his skin there was not as thick as the skin of his back, the Goron chieftain let out a sharp cry as he felt the pain of the small knives being torn across his heavy midsection, drawing blood. In angry retaliation, Darunia swung his hammer broadly at the Sheikah warrior, who deftly and gracefully leaped over it just in time to avoid being hit with it. The Goron patriarch let out an infuriated shout upon missing his target, which intensified as a hail of water arrows, courtesy of the Sheikah guardian came raining down upon him, finally knocking him to the ground by the sheer force and clearly injuring him to the point of momentary submission.
"Now are you ready to talk?" Sheik asked, still standing apace from Darunia with her guard up, just as Impa was.
"Ugh… not bad…" the Goron patriarch groaned in clear pain as he struggled to pick himself up off the rocky ground. "I'll guess I'll have to withdraw for now, but only so I can strike back twice as hard!" With a hefty shout, Darunia curled up once more and rolled off faster than either Sheikah could have expected, darting up to the summit before either of them could even follow after him.
"Drat, he got away!" Impa growled as she sheathed her blade, seeing that the nearby area had apparently cleared out of Gorons in wake of their leader's defeat.
"Next time we face him, we will certainly subdue him once and for all," Sheik said with resolve, placing her harp aside to take a much needed breather as well.
A beat of silence passed between the two Sheikahs as the Sheikah guardian turned to look at the Sheikah warrior, giving her an unreadable look. In facing the Goron patriarch, the two of them had fought so seamlessly together, in a way that reminded Impa quite a bit of how her and Zelda often worked together in battle. And while the Sheikah guardian was still hesitant in giving her full trust to the suspicious, mysterious Sheikah warrior, Impa knew that if the two of them were to get through this battle alive and victorious, she would have to place her distrust of Sheik aside, even if it was only for a while.
"Perhaps I might have been wrong about you, Sheik," the Sheikah guardian admitted, though her tone was as unrelenting as ever. "Maybe your heart's not really in the wrong place like I thought."
Though Impa couldn't see the slight smile that crossed Sheik's hidden lips, she could hear it well enough in her voice. "Thank you, Impa," she said with a grateful nod. "I hope this means that we can put these harsh feelings and words aside and work together."
"For now, I suppose we can," the Sheikah guardian agreed astutely. "But first things first. We need to figure out how to-"
Before Impa could even finish, she was interrupted by the sound Darunia's triumphant shout echoing throughout the mountain. "YES!" he cheered loudly. "I'm back to full fighting strength! Brothers, we're marching out again!"
"What?!" Impa exclaimed in disbelief, but it certainly appeared to be true as the Goron chieftain began to roll down the mountain once more, this time with the intent of capturing the allied base to drive out the intruders once and for all. "But, that's impossible! We just defeated him only a moment ago!"
"He looks like he hasn't a scratch on him…" Sheik mused as the two of them stood a ways down from Darunia's current position as he made easy work of several Hylian soldiers using his heavy hammer. "Will there be no end to this battle?"
"I wonder how he's replenishing his health…" the Sheikah guardian pondered thoughtfully, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Is his base hiding some secret?"
"That's it!" the Sheikah warrior exclaimed, a sudden idea coming to her. "Allow me to try something. First, I need to get to the nearest boulder keep."
"Go on ahead then," Impa said, motioning to the eastern boulder keep, which was only a few feet away from them. She wasn't sure what Sheik's plan was, but she could only hope that it would work, otherwise this struggle would go on forever. However, the Sheikah warrior was quick to set her idea into motion as she asked the engineer staffed within the boulder keep to prepare the mechanism for something, though the Sheikah guardian still didn't know what.
"Darunia appears to be heading towards our base," Sheik said to Impa as they watched the soldiers prepare. "If we leave him to his to his own devices, he's bound to cause us even more trouble. Hold him off while we get this working."
"But what do you plan on doing?" the Sheikah guardian asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Something that will hopefully turn the tide of this battle in our favor," the Sheikah warrior said as vaguely as ever, but this time Impa decided to accept it. After all, any plan was better than the aimless struggle they were putting up now.
Without any other questions, the Sheikah guardian rushed off towards the lower half of the mountain, knowing that the Goron patriarch was approaching their base too quickly for comfort along with a legion of his brothers. Any Hylian soldier that attempted to get in their way was quickly knocked aside by Darunia's hammer, and Impa knew that if this did not end soon, then she would not have an army left to find the Gate of Souls at all.
"Brothers!" Darunia roared as he continued his march upon the allied base, which was now in his sights and simply lying in wait to be conquered. "Take their base! Show them the strength of the Goron tribe!"
The Goron warriors cheered in response to their leader's encouraging words, clearly showing increased morale as they rolled towards the allied base from all directions, flooding it quickly with their heavy numbers. With a pleased grin, Darunia prepared to join in on their assault, before he was met with a heavy blow from behind. Impa swiftly clicked her blade back into its sheath as she dashed around the Goron leader, standing between him and the allied base as she prepared to defend it until the end.
"You again, huh?" Darunia growled angrily, prepared to fight as well. "You must be looking for a beating!"
"Leave our base alone!" Impa retorted unrelentingly, knowing that her men were certainly fighting off the Gorons the best they could, though certainly they wouldn't be able to keep it up forever.
"Not until its claimed for the Goron tribe!" the chieftain shouted as he began his first attack, fire surrounding his hammer this time as he swung it for her. The Sheikah guardian narrowly dodged it as she summoned a watery orb with the hopes of repelling him, though he did well to use his sturdy metal weapon to protect himself from it. A series of strikes, counterstrikes, and defenses went on between the two for quite some time, Darunia using his brute strength and heavy hammer pitted against Impa's smooth speed and quick wit. However, unlike the clearly agitated Goron patriarch, the Sheikah guardian was able to keep her cool as she fought, something that she had always been good at, and in time, she managed to wear her opponent down to the point of exhaustion more than anything else, as she still didn't really want to hurt him.
With a sigh of fatigue, Darunia let the head of his hammer fall to the earthy ground for a moment as he stopped to catch his breath, though Impa patiently waited for his next strike as she kept her defense up all the while. "I've gotta fall back for a minute…" the Goron patriarch muttered to himself in exasperation, before he sent another harsh glare to the Sheikah guardian. "This isn't over yet!" he growled before he curled up and rolled off once more, a support team of his fellow Gorons quickly following him up the mountain as he retreated to the chief's room, thinning out those who were attacking the allied base.
Sheik happened to catch notice of Darunia speeding towards his own base as she stood within the boulder keep and she subtly grinned to herself, knowing that he was about to receive an unpleasant surprise. "We're ready," the Sheikah warrior said to the engineer, who had the boulder mechanism all prepped. "My plan begins… now!"
On her word, the engineer nodded and switched the mechanism's lever, allowing a boulder to release from the keep. However, unlike the previous ones that rolled down the mountain and towards the allied base, this one had been set on a different path instead. As opposed to going down, it was propelled upwards and into the dwelling of the Gorons themselves, Goron city. The boulder bounded up into the city at a frightening speed, and any Goron standing in its path cleared out of it, for there was little they could do as it crashed first into the stone monument that stood in the center of the city, which contained their supply of rocks meant for eating, and then shattering as it reached the closed door of the chief's room itself.
An uproar of confusion and panic arose amongst the Gorons when they heard the deafening crash coming from near their base, but Darunia was the one who was clearly most distraught as he arrived back at the city, only to find that the secret to his repeated revitalization was no more. "No!" the Goron patriarch cried out in both fury and sudden fear. "The premium rock sirloin I had hidden here! It's gone!" Darunia's hands curled up into angry fists as he stomped his foot, the sound of it thundering throughout the cave. The rock sirloin, a rare delicacy of the Gorons, had been his key to his success, as it was a rare kind of stone that held special healing properties. But without it, there would be no full comebacks against his foes as there had been before. The Goron patriarch would have to face his enemies in a fair fight this time. "Gah! You!" he shouted to the Sheikahs and their army in a blind rage, his voice sounding out across the mountain once more. "You destroyed my rock sirloin! I won't forgive you for this! Gorons, move out!"
In response to the command from their patriarch, the remaining Gorons holed up near the enemy base set a course for the bottom of the mountain in order to capture the allied base once and for all. However, Impa was quick to plow through the hordes on her way back of to the boulder keep, where Sheik was preparing to set off from herself.
"So that was your plan?" the Sheikah guardian inquired as she joined the Sheikah warrior. "To eliminate his source of strength?"
"In a way…" Sheik said mysteriously, being quite humble of her success.
Impa couldn't help but crack a smirk, knowing that this plan had indeed been ingenious, but her pride kept her from outright admitting it at the moment. "Well, it looks like Darunia won't be able to regain stamina anymore," the Sheikah guardian concluded. "It's time to take him down!"
The Sheikah warrior simply nodded in agreement as both of them set up, cutting down any Goron in their path as they headed up into Goron City itself, which was lined with the rock-solid warriors. And it was clear from how aggressive they seemed to be that they intended to do whatever it took to defend their leader.
"This is absolute chaos!" Impa growled as she cut through all of the Gorons surrounding her, knocking them all out as she tried to avoid being pelted by the rocks they were throwing, a rather futile effort. "The Gorons from our time would never act in such an outrageous way!"
"I feel as if the sorceress is behind this…" Sheik mused calmly as she used the Serenade of Water to plow through the enemies in her way. "Could her allies be controlling the Gorons?"
"Whatever the case may be, we need to put a stop to it," the Sheikah guardian said firmly as her and the Sheikah warrior finally cleared a path into the chief's room, where Darunia himself stood in wait, having recovered from his earlier fatigue and ready to make his last stand.
"Darunia!" Impa shouted, her hand on the hilt of her blade as her and Sheik squared off against the Goron leader alone. "This is your last chance. Stand down and surrender, or we will be forced to take you down!"
"Hah!" Darunia merely chuckled darkly with a hateful smirk that definitely wasn't like him. "Like two Sheikahs can stand up to the might of the leader of the Goron tribe himself!"
"Darunia, please," Sheik said calmly, trying to reason with him one last time before things got out of hand. "You are not acting like yourself. You must calm down and see the error of your ways before you-"
"Why should I listen to you two?!" the Goron patriarch asked harshly, gripping his hammer tightly. "You come to my mountain and threaten my brothers, and then you expect me to surrender? Never! A good Goron never backs down from a fight!"
The Sheikah women exchanged a brief glance before nodding, knowing that no matter what they tried, Darunia simply would not listen to him. The only way to put an end to this madness was to subdue him and break whatever influence the princess apparently seemed to have had on him.
The confrontation quickly turned into a battle as Impa was the first to lash out, deftly swinging her blade until it struck the Goron leader's protected back. Sheik was quick to make her first move as well, preforming the Nocturne of Shadow in order to surround Darunia with a cloud of damaging darkness, blinding him as the Sheikah guardian went in for her next watery strike. Impa quickly summoned a blade that locked much like her own, only it was made of ice and hit the Goron patriarch hard, completely dousing him. However, Darunia wasn't about to be taken down so easily this time. With a powerful shout, he lifted his hammer high and brought it down hard, causing the ground within the keep to rumble to the point that neither Sheikah were barely able to keep their footing. The Goron patriarch took advantage of this unstable footing as he took aim for Impa, knowing well that her blade could greatly damage him. The Sheikah guardian did see his attack coming, but she was too slow to stop it as his hammer collided with her side roughly, sending her flying into the nearest wall of the keep.
Sheik let out a sharp gasp when she heard Impa's cry of pain and noticed that the Sheikah guardian was unable to easily pick herself up off the ground. However, Darunia clearly had no intentions of giving either one of them a break as he moved to attack Sheik next. The Sheikah warrior's eyes widened as she knew that the Goron leader was a strong foe, one that she certainly wouldn't be able to take down without Impa's aid. And so, in a bit of a panic, Sheik quickly threw down a Deku nut, vanishing on the breath of its explosion and reappearing briefly at the injured Sheikah guardian's side before Darunia, who was quite confused at this, could even see what was happening. And, upon throwing down another seed, both Sheikahs vanished out of the keep entirely, reappearing in another part of Goron City entirely, a small, somewhat dark tunnel that was fortunately abandoned.
"Impa?" Sheik worriedly asked the Sheikah guardian, who had begun to bleed from the mouth from the heavy blow she had received as she lay on the ground, completely crippled from the blow. "Are you alright? Can you get up?"
Impa let out a groan of pain as she slowly reached a ginger hand to her side, which was bruised and bloodied quite badly from the hit. "I… I can't…" she muttered as she closed her eyes and cringed. "C-curses! We… we need t-to get… back i-in there and f-fight…"
"You can't in that condition," the Sheikah warrior said as she knelt down beside her ally, her voice radiating sincere concern. "We need to get you some help, but we-" Sheik suddenly cut herself off short as she began to hear a soft sound, something of a light melody, flowing from the deeper parts of the tunnel they were in. Where it was coming from, or what rather, she wasn't exactly sure, but her curiosity and worry for the Sheikah guardian compelled her to find out. "Do you hear that?" she asked Impa, who merely gave her a look of confusion amidst her agony.
"H-hear what?" the Sheikah guardian asked coldly, fighting against unconsciousness though it was quickly trying to take her.
Not bothering to answer, Sheik stood and turned towards the depths of the blackened tunnel, hoping that perhaps on the other end there was someone who would be willing to lend them some aid. "I'm going to get some help," she said to the injured Sheikah guardian, who merely looked at her in complete disbelief.
"N-no," Impa said firmly, forcing herself to sit up even though it brought her unbelievable amounts of pain. "Someone… n-needs to take… Darunina d-down…"
"And we will," the Sheikah warrior reassured her, positioning her harp. "After you are well. And so for now let me go. Please, Impa. You need to trust me on this. I promise on my life that I will not fail you."
The Sheikah guardian gave her a look, somewhat cold look, putting her pain aside for a moment to think this through. Impa knew well that she was severely injured and would not be able to fight unless she was properly healed, but at the same time, to put her life in Sheik's hands, of all people? It would certainly be a risk, one that the Sheikah guardian was not all too keen on taking, especially at a moment like this. But at the same time, she knew that she didn't have any other options. It was either let the Sheikah warrior go on ahead and do whatever she planned on doing, or wait for Darunia to find them and strike them both down.
"Alright," Impa relented, though she refused to say anything that would make Sheik believe that she actually trusted her. "G-go on ahead… B-but hurry…"
"I will," the Sheikah warrior nodded with sincerity before turning to Navi, who still flittered nearby just as she had been throughout the entire battle. "Can you please say here with her? Just in case?"
"Sure thing!" the fairy said brightly, gliding down to the Sheikah guardian's side.
"Now, before I go…" Sheik began, though she trailed off as she began to strum the Song of Healing upon her harp once more, its healing magic starting to work on Impa's wounds, though the Sheikah warrior knew it would be gradual, and of course would not do all of the work. The Sheikah guardian merely nodded her slim gratitude as she laid back down and rested for the moment, knowing it was all she could do as Sheik headed off into the unknown.
The tunnel was dark and eerie to be sure, but as the Sheikah warrior headed through it, she found that the tune she had heard before only grew louder and clearer. It was a bright, cheerful song, and its blithe sound appeared to be coming from what sounded like a wind instrument. And, as Sheik finally made it to the light at the end of the path, she was finally able to see where it was coming from.
Instead of the high, craggy peaks of Death Mountain, Sheik now found herself within a deep, dense forest, lush trees towering all above her as the tiny sparkling forms of fairies flittered all over. She could immediately tell that this was a sacred, hidden place, but upon taking a closer look around, she found that she was not alone here. For as she ventured a bit deeper into the woods, guided by the song still wafting through the trees all the while, she came across a clearing where a tall, though blocked off structure rested. Below the high entrance to this place was a short tree stump, and upon this stump sat a young girl, contentedly playing an ocarina as a group of small woodland animals gathered around her to hear her play. She couldn't have been much older than ten or so, her short hair just as green as the simple clothes she worse as she created the upbeat song humming through the trees, her eyes shut as she was completely engrossed in her music. The girl didn't even notice the Sheikah warrior's approach until Sheik finally spoke up, almost afraid to break through the cheerful melody, though she knew that time was of the essence for Impa's sake.
"Excuse me?" the Sheikah warrior cut in, interrupting the girl's song and clearly startling her.
"What?!" the girl exclaimed, her blue eyes flying open as she stared up at Sheik in absolute surprise. "Oh, hello. I'm sorry. I really wasn't expecting anyone to come out here… Well… I was, but… I wasn't really expecting a Sheikah to show up here in the Lost Woods of all places!"
Sheik couldn't help but smile a bit under her face coverings. "My name is Sheik," she introduced herself, hesitating to get to the matter at hand as she wondered how this girl would be able to help in their predicament.
"I'm Saria," the girl said with a warm smile. "Um… I'm just a little curious though… How did you find me here? Not many are able to find their way through the Lost Woods so easily…"
"Your song led me here," the Sheikah warrior said. "I could hear it coming in through the tunnel near her that connects to Goron City."
"Oh yeah! I heard about that tunnel, but I've never been through it myself," Saria said with a nod. "I've always wanted to go there though. I heard that Mr. Darunia, the Goron leader, really loves my song!"
"What?!" Sheik exclaimed, her eyes widening at this news. A sudden idea came to her upon hearing this, one that she immediately planned on putting into motion to end the conflict on Death Mountain once and for all. "You wouldn't happen to mind coming with me and playing it for him then, would you? Death Mountain is in absolute chaos, and me and my friend need Darunia to calm down in order to stop it. And… I think that your song might be just the thing we need…"
"Really?" Saria said with a concerned frown. "Well, if that's the case, then of course! I'll gladly come and help! After all, we sages have to stick together!"
"You're a sage?" the Sheikah warrior asked the girl in disbelief as she stood, grabbing both her ocarina and a long staff that had been lying on the ground behind her, a weapon that utilized the power of the forest known as the Deku Rod.
"Well, of course!" Saria said with a cheerful grin as she began to lead the way back to the tunnel. "I'm the sage of forest, and Mr. Darunia's the sage of fire! Which is why I don't understand what could be making him act so violently… He's always been so nice!"
"My companion Impa believes that it may have to do with Princess Zelda…" Sheik muttered, though Saria overheard her nonetheless.
"Wait…" the girl said with a frown as they arrived back at the tunnel. "Impa, the sage of shadow? And Princess Zelda?"
"Oh, no," the Sheikah warrior said, shaking her head as she remembered that she was in a different time. "You see, I am not from this time, and neither is the Impa or the Zelda I spoke of. We've actually come from the future, and we're hunting for the Gate of Souls. You wouldn't happen to have heard of it, would you?"
"I'm sorry, I haven't…" Saria said apologetically. "But… once all this mess with the Gorons is over, I could help you look for it!"
Sheik once again smiled to herself, glad that even in the midst of everything that was going wrong, she had happened to find a new ally all the same. And soon enough, both of them soon made it back to Goron City, where Impa, surprisingly enough, had seemed to recover enough that she was back on her feet.
"Impa?!" the Sheikah warrior exclaimed in disbelief as she hurried to the Sheikah guardian, who was impatiently waiting for her. "H-how… how did you-"
"It was that milk that Malon gave us!" Navi cut in before Impa could say anything. "That stuff really does wonders!"
"Yes," Impa nodded in agreement. "But I'm still pretty sore. Which is why I hope that this 'help' you brought will actually be of good use…" The Sheikah guardian raised an unimpressed eyebrow as she glanced down at the young Kokiri girl, who simply smiled confidently back up at her.
"Hi!" Saria greeted kindly. "I'm Saria, and… I think I know a song that might just be able to help."
"A song?" Impa asked a bit harshly, glaring at Sheik more than Saria. "That's what your big trump card is? A measly song?!"
"I believe that it will work," the Sheikah guardian said astutely, ignoring the fact that the Sheikah guardian merely continued to glare at her.
"Fine," Impa said with a sigh of exasperation. "We're out of options at this point, so here's hoping that it works. Let's go."
The trio was quick to race back towards the chief's room, where Darunia appeared to be impatiently waiting for someone to battle. "Oh, so you're back, huh?" the Goron leader said snidely as he heaved his hammer up once more. "Good! I'm ready to finish what I started!"
Sheik, Impa, nor Saria did not make a single move to draw their weapons against Darunia this time, but instead, as the Goron patriarch charged for all three of them, the Kokiri girl simply stepped forward, poising her ocarina to play. "Mr. Darunia, wait!" Saria called out as she quickly up the wind instrument to her lips and began to play her lighthearted song. The bouncy melody immediately stopped the Goron leader in his tracks as he merely listened to it, his expression unreadable for the longest time, though his hammer was still poised to strike all three of them down. The tune wafted throughout the entire mountain, cutting through the keeps and reaching the ears of nearly every Goron as they all halted their attacks against the Hylian soldiers and simply listened, as if the melody had somehow put them into a trance.
Unsure of when to stop, Saria continued to play the song, her eyes shut as she was confident that Darunia would not attack her. Impa and Sheik simply watched on in awe, though they were completely ready to defend the young girl from the Goron leader should this plan fall through. And yet, it didn't. Instead, something completely unexpected happened.
Darunia began to dance.
The two Sheikahs backed away a bit cautiously and warily upon seeing the Goron patriarch drop his hammer and instead begin to flail his arms and legs about wildly to the music, somehow keeping in time with it even though his movements with unlike anything they had ever seen before. His eyes were shut and for the first time in a while, he smiled widely, and soon enough that smile turned into a cheerful laugh. Saria watched on with happy eyes as she continued to play her song, knowing that it was working just as she had intended it too.
"Yeah!" Darunia cheered as his dance began to wind down several moments later. "What a hot beat!" The Goron patriarch eventually tired out however as he completed his dance and opened his eyes, grinning down at the Kokiri girl warmly. "What a nice tune! You know how much I love that song, Saria!"
"Works every time, Mr. Darunia," Saria said with a casual shrug, having finally finished playing.
"Oh, but, man…." Darunia said, placing a hand on his head as she shook it as if to clear it, apparently having finally broken free from whatever spell the "princess" had cast upon him and his people. "What's even going on around here? One minute we were—Oh, yeah! It was that Zelda lady! She came here and caused all sorts of trouble!" With an apologetic frown, the Goron leader looked to the two Sheikah women, who were admittedly amused after seeing him dance so festively. "I didn't realize what we were doing! Please, forgive us. All of us. Someone was twisting our minds!"
"We understand," Impa said with a cordial smile. "I am just relieved that we did not have to hurt you."
"I suppose that we owe it all to Saria and her song after all…" Sheik said with the slightest hint of sarcasm in her tone as she glanced at the Sheikah guardian, who merely rolled her eyes in response.
"Yeah!" Darunia said with a huge grin as he scooped the Kokiri girl up and placed her on his sturdy shoulders while Saria merely giggled all the while. "Thanks a ton, little sister!"
"Sure thing, Mr. Darunia," the girl said with a warm smile.
"Now, would you kindly mind releasing Princess Ruto?" Sheik interjected, remembering that they had come to save the Zora princess in the first place.
"What?!" Saria exclaimed as she looked down at Darunia with a frown. "You captured Ruto too?"
The Goron leader glanced down guiltily, truly feeling ashamed for all of the trouble that him and his people had unintentionally caused. "Yeah…" he admitted sheepishly. "But don't worry! We'll let her go right now! Fellas! Open the chamber up and let Sister Ruto out!"
The nearest group of Gorons who had gathered in the chief's room in response to their leader and themselves being freed immediately complied, pushing aside the large statue that stood directly behind Darunia, apparently blocking off some sort of enclosure. "Man, I feel really terrible for everything we've been doing…" the Goron leader said with regret in his tone. "I hope we can make it up to you guys for saving us though! Anything you want, it's yours!"
"Have you heard of something called the Gate of Souls?" Sheik asked, knowing that now they could get onto their sole mission now that this trouble was over.
"Wait," Impa cut in, her expression determined and solemn. "First things first. You said someone named Zelda came here and began all of this chaos? Do you know where she is now?"
"I know!" a new voice cut in before Darunia could properly answer. Everyone turned to face the newly freed Zora princess as she emerged from her former prison, clearly out of sorts and angry. Ruto had a more regal look about her than most Zoras did, her light blue scales shimmering all over her graceful, curvaceous body. Her fins hung down from her arms and from her wrist was an elegant scale treasured by the aquatic people known as the Zora scale, which granted its wearer even more water-based abilities than usual Zoras possessed.
"Well, that was a terrible experience!" Ruto proclaimed as she sauntered over to the group, her purple eyes burning with a bitter glare aimed for the Goron leader. "Darunia, honestly! I can't believe you! I come here on matters of diplomacy and this is how I am to be treated! To be captured and imprisoned as if I am nothing more than a common whelp! I'll have you know, in case you forgot, that I am Ruto, princess of the Zoras, and I shall be treated with nothing less than the upmost respect that is due to me!"
"Sister Ruto, I'm really sorry!" Darunia said with complete sincerity. "Me and my brothers… We didn't know what we were doing!"
"Well, I'll say you didn't," the Zora princess said crossly as she crossed her arms. "But… I suppose I could find it in my heart to forgive you… After all, it wasn't really your fault…"
The Goron leader smiled in relief upon hearing this, glad that they had been able to reconcile so easily despite what he had done. At this point however, the Zora princess glanced up to see the Kokiri girl still sitting upon the Goron patriarch's shoulders, giggling at the entire scene. "Oh, Saria, darling!" Ruto exclaimed with a bright smile. "Is that you? I didn't expect to see you up here on this… ugh… disgusting mountain as well!"
"Hi, Ruto," Saria said, giving the sage of water a smile and a wave in greeting.
"Wait," Impa interrupted the reunion once more as she turned to the Zora princess. "You said that you know where Zelda is?"
"That witch of a woman calls herself Zelda?" Ruto asked in disbelief. "She insults the princess's very name then! She showed up here as I was meeting with Darunia and made him and all the Gorons go crazy! But, before they took me hostage, I did manage to overhear her say something about where she was going…"
"Where?!" the Sheikah guardian pressed, hoping that, even if Zelda's actions certainly sounded strange, perhaps she was getting close to finding her after all.
The Zora princess didn't answer as she walked past the group and began to head out of the keep, but not before turning back to them and giving them a coy smile. "I'll explain, but first, get me off this filthy mountain!" she said as she made a disgusted expression. "It will take days, no, week in the water to get all of this dirt off of me!" Ruto continued to rant and rave as she led the way down the mountain, with both Darunia and Saria following not too far behind. Sheik also began to move forward, but she was soon stopped by Impa placing a hand upon her shoulder.
"Wait," the Sheikah guardian said, her expression not as cold as it usually was. She knew that what she was about to say would not be easy to get out, but in light of everything that had happened, it needed to be said nonetheless. "I… I just wanted to tell you that… well… you really came through for us…" she said, referring to her plan to ask for Saria's aid. "That was some clever thinking there and I don't know what we would have done without it… So… thank you…"
Unlike what Impa had been expecting, Sheik surprisingly didn't goad over the fact that she had been right, but simply nodded in acceptance, once again hiding her warm smile behind her mask. "You're welcome," she said smoothly and simply as she began to continue on her way once more.
"Hold on," Impa said, once again stopping her. "There's… one more thing… I feel like I should… apologize for how I acted earlier… My paranoia and stress was getting to me and I assumed things about you that were not true. Forgive me."
The Sheikah warrior simply nodded once more, knowing that the Sheikah guardian truly meant it. "I do forgive you, Impa," she said reassuringly, knowing that cooperation between the two of them would come so much easily now that they had reconciled. "And you needn't worry about finding the princess. After all, it is as I said before. We're both seeking the same thing: the truth."
Wooo! Well this chapter certainly took a little steam outta me, but I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't fun to write (especially Ruto at the end, I can already tell I'm going to have a fun time with her!) So, what did you guys think of Malon and Saria's little cameos? Before anyone gets their panties in a twist, allow me to say that Saria leaving the forest (despite being a Kokiri) comes as a result of the game not being canon and therefore I plan on breaking canon with her because I want her in this chapter and the next OoT one, which might also have a favorite Gerudo lady everyone's been asking me for... ;) So, next time around is Skyloft, huh? Great! I already have a ton in store for Link to have to deal with up there, like Fi, Ghirahim, and a few other fan favorites you guys requested... ;) But for now, I must be off as tomorrow evening I am to attend the Zelda symphony for the second time and fall in love with it all over again! (here's hoping they have some HW music!) so for now, I'll leave you with this question: What do you guys think of the contents of the MM pack coming out next month, which will include (for all of those who don't know) Young Link, Tingle, a Skull Kid costume for Lana, an OoT Impa costume, an OoT Sheik costume and a new adventure map!? Lemme know in your reviews! (lets see if we can breech 300 guys!) Until next time!