A/N: Hello! To the people who wrote reviews, thank you for taking the time in doing so. And thank you all for reading! Also, I went and read through some of the content within this fanfic and I spotted some mistakes. Oops. I correct them if they're extremely noticeable, but please be patient with me if you see them. I still screw up every now and again in this. But anyway, as usual, I do not own Nintendo or The Legend of Zelda.

Twilight Princess Link's Perspective.

Chapter Fourteen

The Instrumentalists and the Singer

"I believe he thinks I'm angry," Link said, walking into the mountain. To his left and right were some clay pots he smashed. He found health and Rupees, of which he was appreciative. A sign pointed him back in the direction from which he'd come, marked with Old Hylian he couldn't read. He guessed it said something like, "Go this way if you're lost." But why would someone get lost down here anyway? Was that even possible? Did these Gorons not know the path very well?

Link rested against a grey boulder and stared at the entirety of the volcano from his place on the left path. His face, hair, and clothes, as well as the surface of the boulder he leaned on, were washed in the red light of the lava. His eyes were fixed on the broken bridge before him.

Two wooden poles rose out of the ground, and a snapped line of wooden planks lay on the searing floor before tumbling down to the world below. A wooden beam jutted out from a large hill within the volcano, just above what remained of the other half of the unstable bridge. If Link had the Hero of Time's Hookshot, he could probably get across. But he didn't, and he wasn't going to explore without his companion.

"Well, at least we're out of that situation, huh, Midna?" Link asked. He climbed on top of the boulder and sat there, still staring at the remains of the bridge.

From out of his shadow rose his impish friend. As she appeared, she began to become more solid. Her red eye seemed even more piercing, bathed in the crimson glow that surrounded them. Midna floated behind Link and rested her elbows on his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to get you in that situation, Link," she said. "I transformed you into a wolf so you could smell those Gorons out. It was fortunate for us that the other Link believed you were really competitive, because it meant we could walk away like that and follow a scent trail. I'm impressed that you could walk across that tightrope without making any noise, and tracking down the Gorons using a seven-year-old scent is rather interesting."

"The tombstone-shaped dirt had a different aroma…" Link said. He glanced to his right, waiting for the Hero of Time, who still had yet to appear. "It smelled special. However, the Gorons have a similar scent, and theirs was masking everything else. The only challenge was distinguishing the strongest, freshest scent from all the others."

Midna was silent for a moment before she said, "But even I wasn't expecting that intricate lie from you. 'He almost killed me trying to get past'?" She poked Link's cheek. "I'm leaving you in charge of my governmental affairs because you're so clever with your lies."

Link laughed. "What governmental affairs? You aren't royalty, Midna…" He grinned teasingly. "Or are you?"

Midna looked up at the sky far above them, watching the reddish-pink clouds drift by on the violet heavens. She had her devilish smile, which meant she was thinking something devious.

To Link's surprise, Midna grabbed her hair-hand and lifted it up, pointing it at the sky but not making it look like an arm. She released her hair, but it remained where it was. She covered her red eye with her right hand.

"Fear me, pathetic Hylian!" she commanded. She jumped onto his head, then pointed forward with her left hand. "I am Zant! I will rule all of Hyrule! This is my volcano. That's my broken pottery fragment." She leapt off him and hovered in the air right before him, causing him to slip back off his boulder in an attempt to distance himself from her.

"Nngh!" Link's back hit the ground while his feet remained on the hot boulder. Midna floated above him.

"And that's my boulder…" she said, grinning even more broadly. She suddenly dropped from the air and landed on Link's stomach, dragging him completely down to the ground. He felt like she had dropped a boulder on him.

"Mi—" Link began, but she put her tiny cyan fingers to his lips, silencing him.

"And you're my Hylian."

Link said nothing. He was too stunned. He remained there, wide-eyed and unsure.

Midna was still smiling, her pointed tooth resting on her bottom lip. Then, her expression changed. She looked beyond Link, staring at the wall. He'd seen her do this before. She was listening.

For better or worse, Midna frowned and leaned sideways, sliding off Link and landing in his shadow, disappearing from sight.

Link stood up and brushed himself off, just in time to hear, "Hey!" He looked up, spotting the distinctive blue orb following a figure.

The Hero of Time walked over to him. He looked exhausted. His eyes were drooping, his face was beaded with sweat, and he was almost panting. Link wasn't certain if the Hero of Time's frown could become any more pronounced.

"It's so hot…" he whispered, almost breathlessly.

Navi dive-bombed her Hero to get his attention.

"Put your tunic on!" she commanded.

"But Link doesn't…" was all he managed to say before he grumbled and began digging through his inventory. He pulled out his red tunic and tore off his green one, flinging it on the ground in disregard. He threw his red one on and put his leather belts on over it.

Navi sighed. "Honestly…"

Link nodded wordlessly.

"Okay, fine," the Hero of Time said as he patted some wrinkles out of his red tunic. "It is very nice in here. It's as if I'm not in a volcano at all!"

Navi bounced up and down energetically, then turned to Link. "How come you aren't hot?"

Link gestured at the red lava bubbling in the bottom of the volcano. "I've been in hotter."

The Hero of Time walked over to him and touched his cheek, then whistled. "You're hotter than…" he trailed off. He touched the boulder beside them, then continued with, "You're hotter than this boulder!"

Link poked the boulder, than touched his own cheek. "I don't feel any different."

Navi landed on his hat. "Go back there and get yourself a tunic! Link the Goron did say the shopkeeper might help us. See if he has a red tunic for you!"

"But I do not feel excessively warm!" Link protested.

"If Link—" Navi gestured to her Hero "—had to put on a tunic, so do you! Now get moving, or I'll escort you there!"

Link sighed. "I suppose." He turned and began heading for the entrance he'd come from, waving the Hero of Time away. "Carry on without me. I'll rejoin you later."

The Hero of Time didn't look happy about it, but he turned to face the bridge. He hefted his Hookshot, ready to cross the churning lake of lava.

Link walked out, returning to the room he had moved the statue in.

"Kill-joys…" Midna muttered from Link's shadow as he walked across the tattered carpet.

Link rubbed his arms. "The temperature seems cool after departing the volcano."

"It's a difference of eighty to two-hundred, isn't it? Truthfully, they are correct; you do need a magic tunic to protect you from that intense heat. Otherwise, you will end up dead."

Link tugged on the front of his tunic, causing his chainmail beneath it to clink. "It was modified," he said. "Enhanced to tolerate heat. Perhaps the Hero before me discovered the Goron's Tunic and decided to create a better Hero's Tunic for himself."

"Perhaps…" Midna agreed as Link ambled into the shop. The store was made of ash-colored dirt: walls, floor, and ceiling. Grass grew out of some sections of it, but it was yellowing. How it even sprouted there at all was beyond Link. Weeds would be weeds.

Several clusters of sticks were tied together, lining the walls. Two stone shelves braced the back wall, filled with merchandise Link didn't particularly need or want. Two hearts were visible on the left top shelf. Some potion was on the left side of the bottom shelf, and a red Goron Tunic was beside it. All four slots on the right shelf were occupied by bombs. Behind the counter—which was situated between the right and left shelves—sat a single Goron.

"Welcome!" the Goron said as Link drew near. "Which of my wares would you like to purchase? Or are you just here to talk?"

Link pointed to the Goron Tunic. "How much is the tunic?"

"Three hundred Rupees."

That is very expensive. However, I have five hundred and sixty-seven. I think I'm good. Besides, Link and Navi won't let me in there without the Tunic.

"I'll take it," Link said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out the necessary amount of money.

The Goron accepted his precious stones and handed Link the red Tunic.

I got a Goron Tunic! Link thought, holding it in his hands and examining it. This adult-sized tunic is fire-resistant, and adds extra resistance to lava. If I'm going to a hot place, then I'd better wear this.

Link thanked the shopkeeper and walked out, his wallet significantly lighter. He removed his belts and weaponry, then put on the red tunic. Retrieving his equipment, he walked back into Death Mountain Crater. The heat still came at him like a vicious attacker, but it was slightly less ferocious.

Link approached the broken bridge. He still had no items he could use to get across it.

"Midna," Link called.

The Twili rose out of his shadow. She did not solidify, but instead remained a dark figure. "What is it, Link?"

"Transform into wolf."

Link's body instantly became that of a beast. He stood up and shook himself, only for Midna to materialize in the air above him and land with a thud on his back. He coughed, glared at her for a fleeting second, and turned back to the bridge.

Midna looked up at the bridge, then floated over to the beam jutting from the wall. She turned around as she hovered over it, waving that hair-hand of hers and beckoning him forward.

Lowering on his haunches, Link glared at her hair, focusing on her fingers. He just needed to jump forward and grab them, and everything would be alright.

He broke concentration when he heard the most dreaded and awful sound. He had been listening to the distorted whispers of the wind, or what he believed was distorted whispers, and he thought they had been making some words. He'd heard something about growing friendship and some blossoming thing…and something about a song.

But what he was hearing now was the most dreaded and awful thing in his entire life. In fact, it even seemed to affect Midna. She sat down on the wooden beam, her hair falling back to her shoulders. She pressed her fingers to her ears and muttered in her Twilit language, "Someone kill it…!"

Link cringed and covered his ears. "Gah, make it stop!"

The harp, which had preceded the dreadfulness they were now hearing, had been delightful. The notes were slightly repetitive, starting off low, then becoming lower, then repeating the first to notes, before raising in pitch and repeating the second note, then repeating those two notes.

However, the new notes were being played by the distinctive Ocarina of Time. The first four were correct, but then the melody was messed up, sounding something like what Link imagined a hoard of cats would sound like if he started using them as musical instruments.

His claws dug into his thick fur, his dewclaws carving lines into his white markings. "Goodness…"

The song progressively worsened. Now, none of the notes were right. The harpist, Sheik, played the melody again, but it still didn't seem to sound any better on the Ocarina.

Link sighed heavily through his nose, then raised to a sitting position. He threw his head back and began to howl the melody, trying to get it out of his ears. At the moment, he honestly didn't care if the Hero of Time could hear him; he wanted the terrible Ocarina playing to stop.

Fortunately, it did. Both the harpist and the Ocarina-player were silent, listening to Link howling the melody to them.

"Thank you…" Midna whispered, "…for making him stop." She gestured Link forward with her hair-hand again, and he wasted no time leaping forward and jumping toward her. Midna disappeared as Link landed where she once stood. He jumped off the beam, landing on the bridge, which clacked beneath him. Midna landed on his back, but he was used to her extra weight. He trotted forward, only to see both Sheik and the Hero of Time standing on that section of the bridge.

The Hylian Hero and the Sheikah stared at him, dumbfounded. Sheik seemed to be considering whether or not blinding the wolf would be necessary.

Link carefully weaved his way past both figures and trotted away, Midna waving farewell to the two stunned instrumentalists.

"Link…" Sheik began, but his eyes were on the wolf and the imp. "I'll see you again…" He turned back to the Hero of Time and backed up. A wall of fire erupted between them, and Sheik backed up even more. He threw his Deku Nut, as usual, and mysteriously vanished from the volcano.

The Hero of Time looked around, trying to find where the Sheikah had disappeared to, but all he saw was the wolf and the imp.

Link, seeing that the Hero of Time was now glaring at him, picked up his pace and skittered past the hexagon-shaped dais on the floor that was marked with the Triforce and the symbol of fire. He scampered across the natural dirt bridge that spanned the lava, disregarding the rocks that were lined up perfectly on the left and right side. A fleeting thought crossed his mind as he stepped onto the uneven rocky floor.

Maybe while Sheik was waiting for Link, he lined those rocks up.

Link chased the thoughts out of his head as he leapt forward, dashing between the tall ornate columns that were colored like red amber because of the light. His claws clicked as he raced across the hot bricks. All around him, stone faces carved into the walls leered. Before him, bricks lined a hole that led to Hyrule-knows-where. He peered down at it, seeing more bricks beneath him. So, it wouldn't take him to Hyrule's netherworld, which was nice. The only question was whether or not he could transform back into a human to climb down.

Link's ears involuntarily flicked back, due to the sound of footsteps thudding across brick. He glanced back and spotted the Hero of Time quickly running toward him. Deciding that he wasn't going to be caught by his Hylian companion, Link leapt down into the hole.

"AROOOOO! Krough!" He slammed into the ground, his legs feeling weak beneath him. His paws and joints throbbed painfully. He stood up and shook his head from side to side, then turned and limped into the yellow brick doorway, heading for a room he could see before him. He braced himself against the wall, his shoulder pinned against it for support.

"Midna…transform into human…" he panted.

His body turned black, and he rose to his feet, still leaning against the wall. He sighed and looked at the room, trying to gain his bearings. A staircase led to several lit braziers encased in the mouths of stone statue faces. A door stood off to the left side of the staircase, and a statue with another face on top of it decorated the right side of the stairs. The thick "rails" that bordered the stairs were marked with religious-looking designs. The walls were made of carved stone, and the ceiling was assisted by support columns. Link could see two doors on opposing walls on top of the stairs.

"HWAAAAAAH!" he heard behind him. "Kai…tch…!"

"Look where you leap!" Navi shouted.

"NO! I leap where I want to leap!" the Hero of Time complained.

"When you break your legs…" Navi stopped; she had heard the sound of the door closing as Link entered the left room at the top of the stairs.

Link, having left the other two behind, turned to see what was in front of him, only to spot a Goron standing in front of a chained door at the far end of the room. He stepped forward to get a better look.

The Goron was built more muscularly than all the others Link had encountered in past-day Hyrule. White paint dotted the corners of his eyes, either like tears or warrior marks, Link wasn't sure. The spike-shaped rocks that formed his hair and beard seemed dangerous enough to impale someone. On his shoulders, the mark of the Gorons had been painted. Black ropes were tied around his wrists and ankles, like jewelry.

"Who's there?" the Goron called. His purple eyes glared at Link, before they widened from what seemed like recognition. "Is that you, Link…?"

"I am Link, yes," he answered, taking another step forward. Below him, lava churned, bubbling red.

"Oh, it really is Link!" the Goron called.

He must be the leader that Link wanted to bring me to… Daru… Darunia? Link tried to recall.

"You've grown so big since I last saw you!" Darunia exclaimed. "I want to have a man-to-man talk with you."

Whoa…what?

"But now's not the time. Ganondorf is causing trouble on Death Mountain again! He has revived the evil, ancient dragon, Volvagia! On top of that, he is going to feed my people to that evil dragon as a warning to other races that might resist him…"

Link balled his fists, glaring.

"Ganondorf sounds even more troublesome than Zant…" Midna whispered as she rose out of Link's shadow, hiding behind him so Darunia did not see her.

"If that fire-breathing dragon escapes from the mountain, all of Hyrule will become a burning wasteland!"

"What do you propose we do?" Link called to him.

"I will go on ahead to try to seal up the evil dragon… I am concerned, though, because I don't have the legendary hammer… But I have no choice. Link…I'm asking you to do this as my Sworn Brother…"

Midna snorted a laugh. "That other Link certainly earns some strange titles."

"While I'm trying to deal with the dragon, please save my people!"

Link put his left hand on his chest and swore an oath. "I promise!"

Darunia seemed slightly relieved by this. He smiled kindly, then regained his serious expression. "The prisoners' cells are in the opposite direction. I'm counting on you, Link!" He backed up, then turned to the locked door. To Link's surprise, the chains slid into the walls, and the way was unlocked for the Goron leader. He entered the door, which slammed shut behind him, chains and lock rematerializing and barring the way.

Link stared at the far end of the room, noticing a set of iron bars blocking a cell to the left of the boss's door. He turned to the columns rising out of the churning lava and leapt forward, grabbing a hold of one and pulling himself onto it. It was barely big enough for him to stand on, so he jumped off it and landed on the next platform, which was three times the size. He was forced to jump to another small platform. He leapt off that as well, and rolled on the ground as he neared the cell.

Behind the bars, a Goron had curled up into a ball, as if ready to launch Link into the air. He didn't understand why, until he realized that it was trembling. It was scared.

On the floor just in front of Link, a switch glistened in the light. He ran over to it and stepped on it, causing the bars to slide into the wall. The Goron looked up, then rose to his feet as the bars disappeared. It looked exactly like Link the Goron, but it was slightly larger.

"Are you releasing me? Am I free to go?" the Goron asked Link.

Link nodded. He turned and pointed to the door he had come from.

"Go that way, then walk down the stairs and you'll return to Death Mountain Crater," he explained.

The Goron nodded his understanding and said, "I'll tell you a secret for saving me!"

Link smiled kindly. "I love learning secrets," he replied, encouraging the Goron.

"In order to get into the room where Darunia went, you have to do something about the pillar stuck in the ceiling."

"Pillar?" Link looked back, then spotted the column. It was red-hot, lodged in the roof and barely peeking out from the stone surrounding it.

"Find a path that leads to a room above the ceiling right away!" the Goron finished. He walked past Link, quickly heading for the exit. Link glanced back, spotting a chest that had been left with the Goron. He turned and approached it, then kicked it open and held its contents in front of him.

I found a Small Key! This key will open a locked door, but only in this dungeon.

Link turned around, only to come face-to-face with the Hero of Time. His Hylian friend's arms were crossed, and he was scowling. He approached Link and seized him by his red tunic, dragging him out of the cell.

"You, sir, have some explaining to do," was all he had to say as he hauled Link out.

Link rested his hand on his companion's forearm, pushing it down. He separated himself from his friend, but not to annoy him.

"Very well then," Link said. "What is it you would like to know?"

The Hero of Time hesitated for a moment, before he said, "Tell me how you got here before me, and even managed to free a Goron before I finished jumping over here!"

Link grinned. "Well, there are a multitude of weapons in my arsenal, and one specific item allowed me to bypass you and Sheik. Also, you really need to practice playing the Ocarina; that wolf could howl better than you could play that melody! Regardless, after that, I encountered Darunia, and he has continued onward to delay the dragon from escaping the mountain. We must now free his people from this place and find the mysterious hammer, as well as…" He pointed at the ceiling. "Drop that pillar right there into the floor! And then we get to fight the dragon, Volvagia!"

The Hero of Time rubbed a nonexistent beard, contemplating silently how he would respond to that. Finally, he said, "Very well. Let's go!" He turned and began running and jumping back across the pillars that led him there. He exited through the door, leaving Link alone.

"Be careful how you craft your lies," Midna said from Link's shadow, her red eye peeking out at him. "He may ask you to show him this weapon next time. Then what will you say?"

Link looked at the floor, his eyes full of sadness. "I know, Midna… I know…" He leapt across the pillars to join his friend, his fingers locking around the hot, white door handle. He opened the door and walked out of the room, before reuniting with the Hero of Time. They were finally ready to locate and rescue the Sage of the Fire Temple.

A/N: My updates will fluctuate. You may get two chapters in two days and then have to wait two weeks for the third. It depends on my schedule and my writing mood (because I don't want to write a story just for the sheer sake of writing the story; I want it to be good). Also, the reason for OoT Link continually screwing up the song is because of Awkward Zombie's Bolero of Ire comic.

Also, because I did not say this earlier, to Philowen Aster, well, considering the game graphics, I'm surprised you noticed. XD Yes, I intend to make Wolf Link more involved because who doesn't love him? I'm glad you liked it, and I hope I don't disappoint you.

And to Aurawarrior13, thank you for your review (I love how you wrote "lexicon"; I had to google the definition, but now I have a new word in my vocabulary! Yay!) I tend to view TP Link more highly because I played him first, and I picture him as being very formal, which is why. I will write on, yes!