A/N
Sorry for the weird formatting, likes making things difficult.
Last chapter I was so excited I actually finished it that I forgot to thank the people who reviewed, followed, etc. I'm very sorry.
Thus, I want to thank you all very much for reviewing, following, favoutiting, and most of all, reading - and continuing to read - my story. It really means a lot to me, and you've probably heard that a thousand times, but I can't think of alternative words to express it with right now.
Special thanks to:
KPGirl1227 I hope I was not the cause of your death. I was working on this chapter. Honestly. I read your first review a long time ago, and meant to reply, but then I couldn't find your profile, and forgot to thank you last chapter. Sorry! Anyway, thank you very, very much, and I didn't leave you hanging for a month. Amazing, I know. I'm rather proud of myself. Although I have no right to be.
James Birdsong Cool username. Thank you for reviewing! As well as reading, of course. I hope I don't disappoint. Too much.
Guest Reviewers and People I failed to PM:
Thank you all so much for your reviews, encouragement, etc.
Alright, I'll stop talking now. Here is the actual chapter.
-0-0-0-
It was late, well, very early. Close to sunrise, actually, and Sheik was very tired. She'd barely slept, and her body was still sore from the encounter with the Twinrova. She groaned softly and shifted into a different position, struggling not to fall asleep.
"Little Sheikah!"
Sheik was immediately on high-alert.
"Come, I know you can hear us!"
"Yes, come!"
Sheik stood from where she had been sitting on a rock some ways from the fire. Instinctively, she reached for her weapon, though she knew it would do her no good.
"Come…"
Come!"
Shakily, Sheik took a breath. Those voices. Why, why did they choose now to make an appearance? She considered calling Impa, or simply ignoring them and trusting the barrier to protect them, but that would get her caught. Knowing she had few other options, and none of them good, she silently exited Impa's barrier, careful to conceal her exit to the best of her capabilities.
"Hello!" Koume said, appearing from behind some of the trees.
"What a surprise!" Kotake cackled.
"Tell us, what brings you out here?" Koume asked, invading Sheik's personal space with her huge nose.
"Yes, what?" echoed her twin.
"… I came for the solitude," Sheik replied.
"Ah, yes. One such as you would know that well."
"Yes, very well."
Sheik glared, glad that the witches couldn't see her expression in the dark. She hated those witches with a passion. She could still feel the burns they had inflicted upon her, and she despised their method of speech.
"May I ask the reason for your presence here? If I am not mistaken, this forest is not a place that would provide you comfort," Sheik said, careful not to offend them or sound authoritative in any way. The witches didn't like being spoken to as equals by traitors like her.
"Haha, yes, no comfort." Kotake confirmed.
"No, none indeed."
"But Koume, our presence, she inquires as to our presence."
"Yes, she does. Should we tell her, sister?"
"We should, we should!" The two witches nodded in agreement and flew a circle in front of Sheik, spinning and cackling evilly, the glow of their magic casting odd shadows on the trees.
"We come with a message, Little Sheikah," Koume began.
"A message, yes," Kotake echoed.
"Lord Ganondorf has a mission for you, a dangerous mission."
"Yes, dangerous indeed."
"Deep, deep under ground."
"Through fire and stone."
"There is a dragon…"
"A dragon…"
"Go. Go and observe. That dragon must be killed, but not before it kills the enemy."
"The Hero will burn, and so will the Gorons…" The twins cackled, their voices echoing through the trees.
Sheik fought the urge to cover her ears at the horrendous noise. "I understand," she ground out. "I will depart at sunrise…"
"Our King will be pleased! Good Sheikah."
"Pleased, yes. Loyal Sheikah." The Twinrova gave her identical glares reflecting disgust and hatred. It felt as though they wanted nothing more than to freeze her blood and burn her bones to ash.
Sheik backed away, executing a shallow bow as she moved. "By your leave…"
The twins cackled and spiraled away into the slowly brightening sky.
"Go, go swiftly!"
"The shadows are fading, hurry and run, Little Sheikah!" Then with their horrible screeching laugh, the Twinrova departed.
Sheik felt a magical barrier shatter. She hadn't noticed it before, but it must have been blocking the sound so they could speak without waking Impa. With a weary sigh, Sheik returned to the camp. She knew something like this was bound to happen, but why did it have to relate directly to the Hero? She should have thought about him all those years ago when she made that deal with Ganondorf. But it was too late now; She'd have to obey. There was no choice.
-0-0-0-
As soon as he stepped through the tunnel, Link was assaulted by a wave of hot, dry air. Slowly, he approached the edge of the walkway he was on and glanced over the edge, wary of rolling Gorons. In the center of the city stood a huge pot-like thing that spun round and around. Link glanced to the left of that and saw the Goron Chief's door. It was shut. Link frowned. Normally, the room was open to everyone. There must be trouble again, just as he'd thought. Quickly, he began running down the various staircases and roads that led to the bottom floor. The longer he spent in the Goron city, the more empty it felt. Normally the city was busy with Gorons rolling around, sitting outside of their doors, or dancing, playing games, and talking. He had almost reached the ground floor when a familiar rumbling drew his attention.
"Watch out!" Navi shouted, shooting out from under his cap.
Link pressed himself against the wall just in time to avoid getting run over by a rapidly rolling Goron.
"That was close!" Navi squeaked, flying back into the center of the path to watch the Goron roll away. "I wonder where everyone else is, though. He's the first one we've seen all day. Why don't we try talking to him?" Navi suggested.
Link nodded, and positioned himself next to a bomb flower. This was the fastest way to get a Goron's attention. When the Goron got close to them, he yanked out the bomb flower and expertly tossed it in front of the rolling creature. Link clamped his hands over his ears as the bomb exploded.
"I won't let you get me! You probably work for Ganondorf!" the Goron yelped, turning to run away.
Navi flew forwards, blocking his path. "Wait!" she shouted, flying up to his face and hovering there, "We don't work for Ganondorf! We just want to talk to you!"
The Goron jumped backwards in surprise, tripped, and fell. "How could you do this to me? You, you're Ganondorf's servant! Hear my name and tremble!" He shakily got to his feet. "I am Link! Hero of the Gorons!" He did his best to glare defiantly.
"We don't work for Ganondorf! This is Link, the Hero of Time!" Navi said with exasperation.
"What?" the Goron blinked. "Your name is also Link? Then you must be the legendary Dodongo Buster and Hero, Link!" Goron-Link said, eyes growing wide. "My dad is Darunia, he named me Link after you, because you're so brave!" he explained.
"Nice to meet you, too," Link-the-Hero replied.
Then Link-the-Goron clasped his hands together. "Please, you have to help my father and all of the other Gorons! Dad told me not to let anybody follow him to the temple, but... Only you, Link, can save everyone! They are being held captive, and Ganondorf plans to feed them to the evil dragon, Volvagia!"
"Volvagia?" Navi asked.
"Yes! There is a story about it." Goron Link took a breath. "A long time ago there was an evil dragon named Volvagia living in this mountain. That dragon was very scary! He ate Gorons! Using a huge hammer, the hero of the Gorons…" Link the Goron mimed smashing something with a hammer. "BOOOM! Destroyed it just like that. This is a myth from long ago, but it's true! I know, because my dad is a descendant of the hero! So, will you help?"
"Of course we'll help," Navi said, "but how do we get into the Temple?"
"Oh, right. I'll tell you about the secret passage to the Fire Temple!" Goron-Link proceeded to explain about having seen his father push aside a statue in his room, and enter the Fire Temple that way. "I'll also give you this heat resistant tunic." He handed Hero-Link a red tunic.
Link-the-Hero accepted the tunic with a nod of thanks.
"Alright, thanks for the information. Don't worry, we'll save everyone!" Navi said, pumping her little fist. Link the Hero nodded determinedly, and waved to Goron Link as he and Navi descended the last set of stairs and headed towards Darunia's room.
Goron-Link had opened Daunia's room, and inside they found the statue Goron-Link had mentioned, moved it aside, and entered the secret passage. Link could feel the temperature increasing with every step, and was soon extremely grateful for his new heat resistant tunic. He wandered down the dark, stone passage for awhile before abruptly entering a well-lit cavern.
"It's HUGE!" Navi said, peeking out from beneath Link's heat-resistant hat. "This must be Death Mountain Crater!"
Link nodded. It was indeed huge. The ceiling was somewhere high above, hidden in thick shadows. Stone walls, pillars, and paths rose from the lava lake that made the bottom of the cavern. From somewhere above them, rivers of lava flowed and cascaded down, forming massive waterfalls of lava. Occasionally a lava geyser would erupt, shooting the molten substance hundreds of feet into the air.
"Amazing…" Link breathed, leaning back as far as he could to watch one such geyser. The entire thing was breathtaking. Link wished there was someone to share it with. At least he had Navi. Slowly, Link resumed walking, pausing every few minutes to check his direction or admire some new aspect of the scenery. After a long while, Link arrived at the remains of a bridge.
"We need to get over there," Navi informed him, flying in the direction of the far side. Link looked between himself and the other side of the lava river, then at the remains of the bridge. He considered using his hookshot, but the idea of trusting nothing but a hook stuck into a piece of wood to cross a burning hot river was not very appealing to him.
Navi noticed him staring at the hookshot. "Hey! You need to use that to get across, right?"
Link nodded.
"Then stop wasting time! Goron lives are in danger!"
That spurred Link into action. He said a quick prayer to the Goddesses, then aimed the hookshot at the wooden supports of the bridge. He clenched his hand tight around the handle, and pulled the trigger. He barely registered the thunk of the hook imbedding itself into the wood before he was jerked off of his feet. He slammed into the bridge, and the hook came free. He grasped the edge and pulled himself up seconds before he wood have fallen to his death. Taking a deep breath, Link attempt to calm his frantically beating heart. He let out his breath slowly and stood up. Being a hero was seriously stressful. After Hyrule was saved, he would take a long vacation to some secluded little village. Someplace calm and quiet, and free of dangers like this.
"Whoa!" Navi yelped.
Link spun and drew his sword, only to spot Sheik standing calmly a few feet behind him at the edge of the broken bridge.
"How did you get there?!" Navi asked, flying over to the Sheikah.
Sheik didn't answer, instead turning to Link. For a moment, Sheik simply stared at Link, his red eyes are a bit unsettling, Link thinks, shifting uncomfortably under Sheik's inspection. Then Sheik speaks. His voice is soft, and Link strains to hear.
"It is something that grows over time... a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time… The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go…" Sheik pauses, and seems to consider his next words. "This song is dedicated to the power of the heart... Listen to the Bolero of Fire." Sheik's harp appears in his hand, and Sheik carefully strums a few notes. The acoustics in the Crater are fantastic, and the sound echoes throughout the cavern. After Sheik has played through the entire song once, Link brings the Ocarina of Time to his lips and blows gently. Once Link has mastered the melody, they play it through a final time. It feels as though the entire Volcano has gone silent for a moment. As though everything is listening to their song. Link can feel the magic pulling at him, begging to be used. He gently dismisses it, ending the song. Sheik finishes with a simple, yet still beautiful, rolled cord. Link feels the magic float away, and he can almost believe he hears a sigh of disappointment from the volcano itself.
Sheik stores the harp away again, and Link copies with his instrument.
"…Link…" Sheik's shoulders rise and fall in a barely noticeable sigh. "I'll see you again…" Sheik steps back.
Without thought, Link runs forwards. "Wait!" Before he can reach the Sheikah, a wall of fire shoots from the ground, blocking his path.
Sheik backs away a further two steps, and gives Link a look containing regret, hope, fear, and something dark that Link can't identify. Before Link can think anymore, Sheik throws a deku nut to the ground, and vanishes.
Link blinks and glances around, although he knows the Sheikah is already long gone.
"We should hurry, Link," Navi urges. She is always the one keeping him on track.
Link nods and readjusts his equipment before jogging onwards. Not far ahead is a crossroads of sorts. Four paths intersect at the center of the lava lake, and in the center platform is a hole with a ladder leading further down.
-0-0-0-
Sheik glared at the entrance to the Death Mountain Crater. She was forced to enter through the top of the Volcano, since going through Darunia's secret passage was too risky. It would be bad if someone saw her enter the temple. With another fierce glare, Sheik finished the spell that would protect her from the heat, and entered the volcano. She tugged her cowl down so that she could breath better. There as no one here to see her scar, nobody to stare in disgust or shun her. Nobody but herself, the Hero, and some Gorons for miles. This mission had put her in a horrible mood, and she blasted things to pieces as she walked to vent some frustration. How was she going to get around this? If the Hero failed to defeat Volvagia, Sheik would be forced to kill the dragon, and if it had not already killed Link, kill him as well. Or risk the Princess's life and being tortured by Ganondorf. Sheik prayed to the Goddesses that Link would not lose. Then she smirked bitterly. What reason did the Goddesses have to listen to her? A murderer, a traitor, an outcast. Not even her own creators wanted anything to do with her. She leapt a gap and continued to descend further into the mountain. As she walked, her anger dissipated into depression. So many forces were against them. Unbidden, her thoughts wandered to the Hero, and she wondered if he was okay. He had gotten a bit of a head start, but Sheik was certain she could catch him before he climbed down into that oven the Gorons called their temple. If he couldn't defeat Volvagia, what would she do? If she assisted him, she would be disobeying Ganondorf's orders. But would she really let the Hero die?
In her heart, she already knew the answer, but her mind was not made up, and it continued to eat at her as she travelled. It wasn't long until she spotted the Hero a few ledges below her. Careful to stay out of his sight, Sheik made her way across the cavern until she was above him. She watched as he used his hookshot to cross the broken bridge, and pause on the other side. Sheik took the opportunity to jump down behind him. She winced as the drop aggravated some of her injuries. Navi flew up to her, and babbled some things that Sheik didn't listen to. She closed her eyes and recalled the poem Zelda had written for this song. Then she delivered the speech, and taught him the Bolero of Fire. A song she had learned from a Goron bard. He didn't know it's significance, or his own talent. He could have made an amazing mage.
As the music echoed through the cavern, Sheik felt herself become calm, and her heart certain in it's decisions. The magic in this place made her feel strong, and confident, but also volatile. She had to be careful not to let it influence her too much.
Sheik stared at the Hero for a long moment, and finally, her head caught up with what her heart had already decided. No matter what happened, she would not let the Hero die.
"…I'll see you again…" She sighed, stepping back. This decision could be fatal.
"Wait!" Link called. Sheik was shocked when the Hero ran towards her. Without thinking, she raised a wall of fire, blocking his path. Using a deli nut, she warped away before he could say anything further.
Retreating to the shadows and ledges high above, Sheik followed the Hero as he continued through the Crater, and eventually arrived at the edge of the ancient mine shaft leading to the Fire Temple.
-0-0-0-
Link approaches the edge of the hole slowly, wondering what could possibly be built beneath a lake of lava. Looking over the edge of the square hole, Link saw a ladder descending into the darkness. Reluctantly, Link lowered himself over the edge and began the decent. It's a long way down, but finally Link feels his feet touch solid ground again. Across from the ladder is a stone doorway, beyond which Link can see a bit of light. He approaches the gateway cautiously, and can't help feeling excited. He wondered what this temple would look like. Even with his minimal understanding of magic, he could sense the ancient energies rushing through this place. It was as though the entire mountain was alive. Presently, the dark hallway opened into a chamber lit by three torches carved into the likeliness of huge Gorons, which surrounded an iron door. Right down the center was a grand staircase leading up to the whole display. Link drew his sword and jogged up the stairs. He paused at the top to admire the decorations, then he shoved the door. It opened with a loud screech! Which made Navi cover her ears. Cautiously, Link walked through the door, sword raised and pointed ahead of him. This door led into an enormous, oval chamber. Before Link had a chance to admire the entire room, his attention was caught by Darunia, who was standing in front of an ornate door on the opposite side of the room.
Darunia spotted him, and his eyes widened.
"Is that you, Link…?" he asked. His voice sounded tired. "Oh! It really is!" He smiled slightly, and seemed to cheer up a bit.
"Hello, Darunia!" Navi said, flying over. Link wished he could fly. All of the lava covering the ground waiting to turn him into toast was rather unnerving.
"Hello, Navi," Darunia said. Then he turned back to Link. "You've grown so big since I last saw you!" he commented.
Link smiled.
"I wanted to have a man-to-man talk with you, but now is not the time." Darunia sighed, then squared his shoulders. "Ganondorf has been causing trouble again. He revived the evil, ancient dragon, Volvagia! On top of that, he's going to feed my people to him as a warning for all other races who dare to oppose him! Listen, Link, if that fire breathing monster escapes from Death Mountain, all of Hyrule will become a burning wasteland." He looked at Link seriously. "I will go try to seal up the evil dragon. Link, I am asking you to do this as my sworn brother… While I'm trying to deal with the dragon, please, save my people!" he begged.
"Calm down, Darunia, we'll free all of the Gorons. Don't worry!" Navi assured.
Darunia smiled. "Thank you. The prisoners' cells are in the opposite direction. I'm counting on you, Link!" With that, Darunia turned and ran through the door, closing and locking it behind him.
Link watched for a moment, before turning and planning his rout to reach the door through which the cells were. The only way across turned out to be leaping from platform to platform. Each appeared to have been made accidentally by crumbling stone pillars. Very reassuring. Once on the other side, Link pushed open the door and entered the area beyond.
This temple, like the last one, was beginning to fall apart. Remnants of it's glory still stood, making the temple quite breathtaking, but most of the amazing architecture was ruined. Walls were scorched black from dragon-fire, and expensive decorations such as murals, carvings, and gems had been stolen.
Link encountered the first Goron who needed saving fairly quickly, but it was another forty minutes before he successfully opened the cell. The Goron thanked him profusely and gave him some idea of where to go next. In this manner Link progressed through the temple. Freeing Gorons, completing the puzzles to get the keys, and fighting monsters.
Three Gorons and two hours later, Link was exhausted.
"Why must this Temple have so much rock and lava?" Link asked. He was missing the trees and cool air. This temple was insufferably hot. "Not to mention fire-spewing things, and those awful fake doors!"
"Maybe because it's the Fire Temple?" Navi suggested snappily. She, too, was tired, and wanted nothing more then to get a breath of fresh air. She felt as though she were being cooked alive, and she had almost lost her wings to sparks and splashes of lava more times than she could count.
"Never mind," Navi sighed, "Let's just get on with it."
Link stood up and straightened his hat with an air of determination before continuing.
-0-0-0-
"Is that what I think it is?"
Link reached down and pulled the heavy object from the bottom of the chest. He held it up for Navi to see.
"You got the Megaton Hammer! This is the legendary weapon needed to defeat Volvagia!" Navi announced, flying around it in quick, excited circles.
Link lowered it to the ground and examined it. It weighed an incredible amount. It was so heavy Link was unsure if he would be able to swing it, much less fight with it. The entire hammer was made of some shiny, silver material that Link had never seen before, and was imbued with the same fierce energy contained within Death Mountain.
"Now that all of the Gorons are free, let's hurry and help Darunia," Navi suggested.
Link agreed, and with a great effort managed to relocate the hammer to his Bottomless Bag. Thank the Goddesses for that invention. It was absolutely fantastic. Not wasting a second more, Link jogged over to the exit and left the room. He had to hurry. He didn't know what it was, but something told him that time was of the essence. He hurried through the halls, Navi calling directions to him from the map he had acquired in a previous room. Soon they successfully returned to the main chamber from which they had originally entered. Link easily leapt across the lava, having since become very accustomed to doing so, and made his way over to the door through which Darunia had gone. He unlocked it, then shoved hard with his shoulder. The heavy door inched aside, and Link slipped through. The door banged back into place behind him, leaving him in the dark.
A/N 2!
I said it before, however it bears repeating. Sheik is referred to as male by a some of the other characters, Link included. So sometimes it may get confusing. I'm doing my best to avoid confusion, but I can't always do it.
That aside, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, and I will do my best to make the following chapter much more exciting, as I realize these past couple weren't that great. Do you people think Link is too flat of a character? I don't know if I want to give him a very strong personality, or if I want him to be a bit more vague. Suggestions, opinions, reviews, all of that is fantastic. : )