AN:

Hey again,

And so begins the second part of the Termina quest: the mountains. Once again, the story does begin to change much more here, so you won't be hearing a total retelling of Majora's Mask. Just keep reading. In this chapter, Link begins to explore the north, not knowing the hardships that lie ahead of him. Hope you like this chapter. More to come.

Chapter 13 – A Cold Wind from the North

Link began to walk towards North Clock Town through the Clock Town morning breeze.

"Hey, Tatl."

"Yeah?"

"So… where exactly is Argott right now? Is he back the way he was?"

"Actually, I already thought about this."

"Huh?"

"You see, Argott actually traveled back in time with us once… so, technically, he still knows who you are."

"I understand that, but is he still expelled from the Deku family?"

"I'm not entirely sure… He might be right here in Clock Town."

"You think so…?"

"Hey, Link!" yelled Argott, from the Laundry Pool.

"Argott?"

"Yeah, it's me! Thanks to you, I sort of live her now!! Isn't that funny?"

Argott was now totally aware of the ocarina's powers. Is that good or not?

"What about the Deku Royal Family? Are you still apart of it?"

"No… they actually expelled me from the palace two days ago, so that can't really be redone. But once you save Termina I'm sure they'll reconsider!"

"How do you know that I have to save Termina? Weren't you just with me at Woodfall?"

"Yes, but I am totally aware of your quest. I know what happened when you picked up that mask off Odolwa's face. You saw the giant, didn't you?"

"What?! How do you know that?!"

"I am a descendent of the legendary Argott. He was the one who first rescued the giant. His story is passed down through the generations. Only our family knows of these secrets, though."

"Is that so, indeed?"

"Yup. So, where ya headed now?"

"Tatl said we should go to the mountains now. You know, up north?"

"Yeah! I've never been there. I hear it's gotten really cold up there! It's pretty funny, since it was nice and warm there a week ago. Those poor Gorons."

"Gorons live up there?"

"Yeah! Gorons love the mountains."

"Oh…"

"So… can I come?"

Link chuckled. "Argott, I don't think scrubs can really stand such cold weather. You'd be miserable. If I were you, I'd just stay here in town, and maybe the swamp."

"I don't want to go to the nasty swamp. I'll stay in town if I have to."

"Good, but I advise you to stay away from the cold."

"Okay, Link. Come find me when you're in town, then."

"Okay, Argott."

Link continued to walk up to the northern edge of town, while Argott frolicked off and explored. He passed the tower and the rural parts of the town. There was Jim, trying to shoot the big Majora's Mask balloon again.

Link continued on the path until he eventually ran into the northern gate, where a Terminian guard stood.

"Hey, wait a second there, young lad! I'm afraid I can't allow you to head up to the mountains. It's gotten very cold up there and the Gorons recently sent out a notice saying they didn't want anyone but town officials going up there until it warmed up. Sorry, lad."

"But I can defend myself… Look! I have a sword!"

"I can see that, and I'm sure you can easily defend yourself, but you'll freeze up there! A lot of Gorons are migrating down here to escape the cold. I don't know if you've checked, but the Stock Pot Inn is full of them. You'd be much better off staying down here."

"You don't understand! I can help the Gorons! There's something bad going on up there, and I have to stop it!"

"You? You're going to stop it? That's a laugh! No one can stop it from being cold."

"It's not that. It's that Skull Kid."

"Who?"

"The Skull Kid! Have you looked up at the sky recently?"

"Uh…?"

"Yeah! Look at that moon! It's pretty dang close, isn't it?"

"Sure is. I was thinking about that myself."

"Something bad is going on, and we have to work together to stop it. If we can eliminate whatever force is tormenting the Gorons in the north, we can save this land!"

"Hmm… interesting concept. Okay, kid. You've convinced me. Now, listen. I don't want you doing any funny business up there! I just want you to talk to Darmani, the leader of the Terminian Gorons and ask how the people of Clock Town can help. We can't stop the cold, but we sure can save the Gorons. Just be sure and be back here by tomorrow night so I can send out another notice!"

"Thanks, guard!"

Link tossed a blue rupee up into the air for the guard to catch. He wasn't exactly sure if he was going to keep his word and return the next night, but he was surely going to get some useful information.

Link ran out of the northern gate.

There they were. The big Northern Mountains of Termina. They looked so close, but they were quite a distance away. There was a sign to the right of Link…

NORTHERN TERMINA FIELD

CONTINUE straight on the path toward the Northern Mountains. BEWARE of Dodongos and other creatures upon coming to the base of the mountains. We strongly urge you to carry a weapon at all times.

- The Great Goron Alliance

"Uh-oh…"

"Don't worry about it, Link. Dodongos are stupid."

"Yeah, I guess. How long's the walk?"

"Don't know for sure. It could be quite a walk there, but it's fine. Termina Field is gorgeous in the morning."

"Indeed it is."

Link began to walk. He talked with Tatl as he walked towards the mountains.

"So, Tatl, tell me exactly what happened up there. Were you present when the Skull Kid did it?"

"Yes… unfortunately. It wasn't too long ago. He went up to the Snowhead Temple which is located in a deep basin in the middle of the range and revived the monster dwelling within it, named Goht. After he revived the monster, he placed a curse upon all of the mountains. It was the gloomiest curse of all. The mountains have always been known as the most beautiful region of Termina, but on that day the Skull Kid cast an eternal snowfall upon the mountains. According to him, winter would never end in the mountains, making Gorons' lives miserable."

"Whoa."

"Yeah. The Gorons can only flourish in warm weather. Usually when winter rolls around in the mountains, most of the Gorons migrate to the south end of the mountains where it is warmer, but this time the south end is just as cold."

"That's awful…"

"Indeed it is. I can't believe I stood behind the Skull Kid during all that."

"Maybe it was because… you didn't want him to hurt you."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. So, is there a leader of the Gorons? The leader of the Gorons in Hyrule was Darunia of Death Mountian."

"Yup. The leader of the Gorons of the Northern Mountains is Darmani. I could be wrong, but I heard that Darmani was actually killed recently. From what I heard, he tried to fight Goht and put him back where he belonged. Sadly, the Skull Kid had empowered Goht with superior powers unseen by the Gorons, that Darmani could not endure."

"So… he's dead?"

"I think so…"

"How terribly sad."

"I know. I don't know who the next leader could be."

"Hmm…"

"All of this talking is making me want to go up there more. We have got to help those Gorons out."

"We should, and we will, Tatl."

"Just be careful, Link. It really is cold up there. You should probably get something warmer to wear."

"Something warmer to wear? I haven't such a thing. I'll be fine, Tatl."

"I don't know, Link…"

"Listen, Tatl. If I do just freeze up, I can always find something warm. It's too late to turn back to Clock Town now anyway."

"Okay. Suit yourself."

This was a much longer walk than the walk to the swamp, but they were getting closer to the mountains. Link knew, because he could feel the temperature slowly dropping, and was beginning to feel a chilly wind coming from the north. He was indeed getting closer.

Meanwhile, some Gorons had actually left the mountains and migrated to other places. Many went to Ikana Canyon and Clock Town, but few went to Great Bay and none went to the Southern Swamp. In fact, a Goron named Viccum traveled throughout Termina selling Goron products. At that moment, he was headed to Clock Town. However, he took a detour that led from the mountains to Ikana Canyon, rather than having to venture through the frigid slopes.

He was planning to arrive at Clock Town that afternoon through the Eastern Gate and spend the night at Anju's Stock Pot Inn. At that moment, he was just making his way out of Ikana's gate.

"Whoo! That sure was a tiring hike! All the way through the Mountain Village to the Lower Valley and all the way through Ikana Village! It sure has been quite a long walk! I can't wait till I get to Clock Town and have a nice nap!" though Viccum.

Viccum finally made his way out of Ikana and into the easternmost region of Termina Field. He couldn't even see Clock Town from there, though.

"Oh, great!"

EASTERN TERMINA FIELD

Now LEAVING IKANA. Continue STRAIGHT towards Clock Town. Beware of Bombchu animals.

"It's that long of a walk? I sure hope those stupid critters don't see me."

Viccum continued to walk along the dry, rocky path. He was getting more and more tired. The more he walked, the more he reminisced on Darmani.

"Ugh! If that darned kid didn't come and wake up that monster up in Snowhead… Darmani… he'd still be with us. I hate him! I wanna wring that stupid kid's neck!! How dare he mess with the leader of the Gorons of Termina? How dare he?!"

Viccum got to the point where he was talking out loud to himself, expressing his utmost anger toward the situation. He missed Darmani, and knew how miserable the rest of the Gorons were, especially the youngest one: the son of the Goron's former king. Viccum tried to ignore these things as he progressed toward Clock Town, but could not get them out of his head. His only option was to continue…

"Geez, Tatl, are we almost there yet?"

"We're getting closer, but we're not there quite yet."

"This would be so much faster if I had Epo- Epona?"

"Huh?"

"Epona! I can't believe it! I almost forgot about Epona!! Tatl, what did the Skull Kid do with Epona?"

"Uh…"

"Tell me! That horse is my most prized possession! You have no idea what I had to do to earn her back in Hyrule!"

"Okay! I'll tell you! Truth be told, I'm not exactly sure where she is. All I know is… the Skull Kid just released her somewhere in Termina. He didn't… kill her, if that's what you were thinking."

"That's a relief. So she's probably just running about the land?"

"I really don't know. There is a ranch southwest of Clock Town. She may be there for all we know."

"She's there? Ah, you should have told me! We could have gone to find her!"

"Well, first of all, I'm not 100 percent sure she is there, and second of all, the Skull Kid placed a massive boulder on Milk Road a couple of days ago, preventing people from entering and leaving the ranch!! It was so cruel!"

"He did?"

"Yeah, but once we find some way to open it, we can get her."

"Okay. That's good."

"But for now, we must stay on task. I think it's getting colder."

"It is."

Tatl could actually now see the path leading up to the villages of the mountains. It was covered in snow as expected. She followed it up with her eyes until she saw… a large block of ice? The pathway was blocked by a large block of ice?

Maybe her eyes were deceiving her. Luckily, she could also see a Goron up there. Maybe he was assigned there to prevent intruders, which was good, because he wouldn't try and stop Link with all of his weapons, and he would at least try and keep other goons out of there.

As Link continued to walk towards the mountains, the colder it continued to become. It was actually starting to bother Link.

"Brr… Tatl. It really is starting to get chilly. I wonder if there's a shop anywhere nearby."

"I wouldn't count on it. They might have some in the mountains, though."

The mountains were getting larger, and Link was almost able to see the base of the mountains.

"I think we're almost there!"

There was, in fact, a Goron by the entrance to the mountains, and there was also a large block of ice. The Goron's name was Maggiar, and he was a member of the Great Goron Alliance of Termina, a group established by Darmani in order to protect the Goron people against attacks, provide the basic needs to Goron villages, and help maintain a stable Goron government.

He had been assigned as a guard at the base of the mountains. They wanted him to make sure no outsiders came in, especially Terminians. The Gorons had recently released a notice saying no outsiders would be allowed in. But he was miserable. He was cold, hungry, and bored because he had to stand in the same place from sunup to sundown. Having people trying to enter the mountains would even be exciting.

Link finally approached the great mountains of Termina. He knew he was at the base once he saw snow beneath his feet.

"We're here! Finally!"

"Link…"

"But it sure is cold out here! Brr!!"

"Link, watch out!"

"What?"

There was a big Dodongo walking towards Link, about to unveil an inferno of fire from its mouth.

"Whoa!" said Link, as he dodged the Dodongo just before it let out the fire, "you know, Tatl, that fire actually feels nice."

"Oh, Link, stop! We've got to go! You can outrun that Dodongo!"

"Okay, okay."

Link ran past the Dodongo towards the mountain. He saw some steps that looked as if they had been carved. The Gorons must have put them there for easier access to the mountain.

Follow these steps to the Northern Mountain Village. Please be cautious.

- The Great Goron Alliance.

Link didn't have too much time to read the sign. He had to escape the Dodongo's line of fire until it could no longer see him. He ran up the stairs in great agility.

He reached the gate where Maggiar was standing.

"H-H-Hello," said Maggiar.

"Hi."

"W-Wh-Who a-are y-y-ou?"

"My name is Link. I've come to help the Gorons."

"Y-you have?"

"Yes. Is something wrong?"

"Y-yes… I'm f-f-fr-free-freezing!!!"

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. How do I get up to the village?"

"R-right th-through he-ere, but there's a huge bl-block of ice in the w-way!"

"I can see that…"

"And I don't know if-f I'm sup-supposed to l-let you in!"

"Listen, Mr.- what's your name?"

"M-Maggiar."

"Mr. Maggiar, I was sent here by the Mayor of Clock Town to help the Gorons. I heard that there's some bad things going on up in… Snowhead? I think that's the name. I've come to help."

"W-well… I don't mind, but y-you have to somehow b-br-break this ice!"

"Hmm… Tatl?"

"I don't know, Link. It looks pretty solid."

"What's that up there?"

"It looks like a humongous icicle!"

"Hmm…"

"You don't have anything that might be able to melt the ice?"

"Not a thing."

"Oh…"

"Well, maybe we can get that icicle to fall."

"How?"

"Shoot it with a few arrows."

"You think that'll work?"

"Yes. Just do it."

And with that, Link fired three powerful arrows at the icicle. It jiggled several times before it fell onto the ice block. Upon contact with the ice, it caused the block to shatter into hundreds of pieces. Never thought an icicle could do that. The ice must have been very brittle.

"Great! Let's go!"

"W-wait!!"

"What is it, Maggiar?"

"I can't stand here any longer!"

Maggiar had stopped stuttering.

"Let me come with you!"

"Come with me?"

"Yes! Maybe I can help! I live in Goron Village, which is in a basin toward the eastern side of the mountains!"

"Oh, okay, come on then!"

Link and Maggiar ran up through what seemed to be a trench in the mountains. It was covered in snow. Despite how cold it was, it was rather beautiful.

"Where does this lead to?"

"It leads to the mountain village! That's were all of the non-Gorons of the mountains live! We might be able to recuperate there!"

Link and Maggiar continued to run through the increasingly deep snow. Link had now adjusted to the cold temperature, but still needed something warmer. This event was so reminiscent of the Ice Cavern near Zora's Domain in Hyrule. He remembered how unusually cold it was there and how lifeless it made the region look, but somehow, the ice and the cold was enchanting. He just wished he could have known what caused it to happen.

The infamous day that Link never even got to witness was flashing through his head, as if being send to him by the godesses.

"King! There's a large man dressed in black at the gate! He claims to be from Hyrule Castle! Should I let him in?"

"A man dressed in black?"

"Yes. I don't like the looks of him."

"I know who that is. Princess Zelda said this was coming. It's the evil king! Do not let that man in to Zora's Domain!!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Zora guard ran back to the entrance to give Ganondorf the news.

"Sorry, sir, but we aren't allowing visitors! You'll have to come back another time!"

"Is that so, young Zora?"

Ganondorf launched through the waterfall and into the domain. He looked down at the water as all of the Zora's looked at him in shock and panic.

"Who are you?!" asked a random Zora from afar.

"Your new king."

Ganondorf lifted his hands and began to cast an evil spell upon the Zora's territory.

"What is he doing?!?!"

He shot a white beam from his hands, identical to Kotake's ice attack, at the water. It sent a freezing current throughout the water, freezing it instantly, and freezing the poor Zoras in the water.

"Zora people, ATAAAAAAAAAACCCKKK!!!!!!!!!!!"

All of the Zora's courageously charged Ganondorf in fury and anger for destroying their haven. They had no fear of what he would to do them. The Zora warriors grabbed their spears and swords, ready to attack the king of evil until he begged for mercy.

But, the king of evil was feeling different today. Once all of the Zoras got to him, he flew out of the domain and back to the river, making all of the Zoras follow him.

"Follow him!"

They all ran out to Zora's river. The momentum unfortunately forced them all to fall into the river. Ganondorf, using the Triforce of Power, cast a spell on the river also, causing it to speed up and go faster, so the Zoras would not be able to get out until the river emptied in Lake Hylia.

"Have a nice trip!" said Ganondorf, as he flew back into the domain. Now it was time for King Zora. Ganondorf didn't even give him an opportunity to speak. He quickly cast a curse upon him, freezing his entire body in red ice, and ice that could only be melted by blue fire.

Out in the fountain, Lord Jabu-Jabu finally noticed what was going on, and swam away through the river gate in front of him, breaking it down. The gate ultimately led to Lake Hylia as well.

From then until Link saved Hyrule, the Zoras' land was a freezing wasteland.

Was the Skull Kid mimicking Ganondorf?

Link got more chills just thinking about how horrid that was. How horrid it was to see such a beautiful haven of the Zoras frozen. Now, he got to see the haven of the Gorons frozen. What an unpleasant sight. Almost as unpleasant as the sight of Ganon's castle in the place where Hyrule castle was before.

Link eventually noticed that they were climbing, and the higher they got, the more the temperature dropped. It just didn't feel too great for him. This was making the Fire Temple seem wonderful.

"M-Maggiar, is there an-ny place that's w-warm in the village?"

"Yeah, but you'll have to wait a little."

Tatl was burrowed inside Link's hat again. She was just as cold as him. She had never actually been around such cold weather, and did not realize what the Skull Kid had done until now.

Once again, Link and Maggiar were not the only ones hiking somewhere. Viccum was still treacherously making his way through the dry part of eastern Termina. It was 10am, and he hadn't gotten much closer to Clock Town since he left the canyon.

"Oh, man! It must've been eight hours since I left the darn canyon!! If I had known that stupid town was so far off, I wouldn't have come!" Viccum said to himself.

Viccum began to wonder what things were going on back in the mountains. He was worried, because the young Goron child was crying uncontrollably before he left due to the cold and lack of head inside the Goron's shrine, but he had work to do. He was a businessman. It was his duty to venture across the lands. After all, his good friend Gannik lived in Clock Town at the local bomb shop, where he sold powder kegs. It was about time he paid his old friend a visit anyway.

Viccum continued to walk. After a few steps, he began to hear the noise of some creature scuttling across the ground.

"What was that?"

More running.

"I guess I should just keep goin' and ignore it."

Then, the critter came out. It was a Real Bombchu… the dreaded animal native to Ikana Canyon that took pleasure in sacrificing itself.

The creature spotted Viccum.

"What do you want? Get outta here!"

The creature's natural reaction was to set its bomb off and run at Viccum, which is exactly what it did. It even sprinted at him, anxiously waiting to blow itself up and hurt the Goron.

"Oh no!"

Viccum began to run faster, hoping the creature wouldn't catch him. But, Gorons aren't too fast when they're running. They can only go fast while rolling… but Viccum couldn't roll. He had a large knapsack.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The Bombchu got closer. Viccum saw a rock on the ground and threw it, hoping the Bombchu would follow it, but he didn't even see the rock get thrown. So, Viccum had another idea. He ran towards one of the stone pillars and hid behind it.

The Bombchu kept running until it hit the pillar and blew up.

"Phew! That was scary! I can't wait to get to town and out of this stupid field!"

Viccum decided to take a short rest before continuing onto town. He grabbed a Dodongo's Cavern rock out of his knapsack and began munching on it, taking great pleasure in chewing it. He anticipated arriving in town later that afternoon, assuming he has no more problems with Real Bombchus.

Link and Maggiar continued walking through the fresh powder, having to bypass trees and boulders standing in the way.

"I think we're getting closer!" said Maggiar, "I can smell the smoke coming from the chimneys!"

"Oh, this is great! Now I can sit by a fire for a little while before I go on," thought Link.

Tatl fell asleep inside Link's cap, since Link's head provided enough warmth for her. She was comfortable.

"We're gettin' closer!"

Link…

"Aah!" Link was startled, "what?"

Link…

Another voice? This time, it wasn't Gabourri.

Save us, Link.

Wasn't one of the giants, either. Something was wrong.

Save the Goron people from this plague. Release the one trapped inside Snowhead.

This was fishy. That wasn't Gabourri speaking to him. It was another voice that sounded so foreign, yet so familiar.

The voice stopped speaking. Link decided not to mention it to Maggiar or Tatl.

"Chilly, huh?" said Link.

"Just a bit."

Link and Maggiar continued walking up the slope, but while they walked, Link continued to ponder on why the Skull Kid chose to freeze the place.

"Hey, Tatl."

"Yeah?"

"Did the Skull Kid ever tell you why he chose to freeze this place? If he could freeze this place, why didn't he just freeze all of Termina? Is there a reason behind it."

Tatl hesitated.

"Well?"

"…uh… I'm not sure, Link."

"He just wanted to make the Gorons miserable?"

"I…guess."

Tatl was acting strangely. Was she trying to hide something from Link? If she was, she wasn't doing a great job.

"Here we are!" said Maggiar as he pointed north towards the Village.

The Village was quiet and pleasant. To Link, it seemed like a "snowy Kakariko", only a bit smaller. He couldn't wait to get inside to shelter for a little while. On the other hand, he wasn't exactly sure who would let him in.

"So, Maggiar, where do you live?"

"In Goron Village. It's quite a ways down. You wouldn't want to walk there right now."

Link believed him.

"Okay, so is there a nice shop anywhere nearby?"

"Yeah. The village shop is at the northwest corner near the frozen river. It's nice in there."

Link began to walk through the town. He could see the lights on in the houses and the smoke coming out from the chimneys. It looked so warm and cozy. He passed over the frozen stream and into the central part of town. There was a large central house with a tall smokestack. Without even thinking or asking, Link walked in. For some odd reason, Maggiar wanted to wait outside…

It looked like some sort of shop, but not one Link was familiar with. He noticed a large block of ice on his left with some sort of… thing inside.

"Who's there? A customer?" said a voice.

"…yes!"

"Whatcha need? Sorry, I can't forge any more swords till spring! My machine's totally frozen over! I've tried to melt it, but the ice isn't even dripping water. You'll have to be patient, sonny!"

"Wait a minute; I only wanted to buy something warm."

"Something warm? Something warm?!?! Ha! Well, sonny boy, looks like you came to the wrong place!"

"OOUUURRRGGGHHHHHH!!!" yelled a voice coming from behind the fireplace.

"What was that?"

"Don't mind him. He's just my assistant. Shut up back there!"

"OOOUURRAAAAAHHH!!"

"Is he okay?"

"Don't worry bout him. Anythin' I can help you guys with?"

"Yes. I need to know where I can find something warm to wear."

"Well, looks like yer outta luck, kid. All the shops closed down once the snow fell. No customers were comin',"

"Why?"

"Great question! It does snow up here in the normal wintertime, but not this much. Those people probably went down to Clock Town just so they could be warm. The shop owners went too."

"Is that so?"

"Yup."

"Well, where can I go from here?"

"Hmm. That's up to you, kid. I hardly ever even leave the village. You'll have to manage yourself. Sorry."

"Okay…"

Link exited the house disappointingly, but he still knew that he would find some way to get the job done.

"Hey, Link," said Tatl.

"Yeah?"

"Look…"

Link looked in the direction Tatl pointed. To his disbelief, it was a statue of Kaepora Gaebora. The owl wasn't lying, after all!

"That… statue…"

"Whatcha talkin' about?" asked Maggiar.

"Oh, you wouldn't understand…" replied Link.

"Whatever. I'm gonna head over to Goron Village. You wanna come?"

"No thanks. I need to take a rest."

"Where you gonna rest?"

"Uh… is there any kind of inn around here?"

"Nope."

"Any public shelters?"

"No."

"Well, what, then?"

"Only public places I know of are shops. You can look around, but I think most of them are closed."

"That's a shame."

"Yeah. So, you wanna meet somewhere later on?"

"I don't see why not. Where can we meet?"

"Meet me right in front of the blacksmith's house at dusk. From there, we can find a place for you to crash for the night."

"Okay. Thanks, Maggiar!"

"I'll see ya later. I've got some things to take care of."

With that, Maggiar rolled off into the distance.

"Well, I guess we should look around for empty shops. We'll surely be able to keep warm there for a while," said Tatl.

"I hope you're right," said Link.

Meanwhile, due east of Clock Town was Viccum, who was finally about to reach his destination.

"Yes! I've finally made it! Now I can take a rest before I start doin' business!"

Viccum reached the great eastern gate of Clock Town. There was a large sign above it reading "EAST CLOCK TOWN." He'd finally made it. He walked into the town exasperatedly past the eastern guard.

"Hey, it's a Goron! Welcome to Clock Town!"

Viccum was too tired to respond. Instead, he headed straight for the Stock Pot Inn so he could get a nice rest as a reward for traveling across Termina. He walked into the door and approached the front desk, where Anju, the inn owner, was standing.

"Hello, miss."

"Hello! Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn!" said Anju, "do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, I do. The name's L-"

"Oh, I know who you are! You're the Goron who made the reservation last week! I remember! Here, just fill out this paperwork and I'll give you the key!" she interrupted

Anju handed him a piece of Woodfall paper with a bunch of writing on it.

"I have to fill all of this out?"

"Yes. It will only take a few minutes."

Viccum began to write.

"So, are you coming from the mountains?"

"Yes, miss."

"I hear it's gotten very cold up there."

"Indeed it has. I was glad to get out of there."

"I bet you were."

"Yup."

There was another brief moment of silence as Viccum continued to write.

"…you wouldn't have happened to see a young boy up there recently, would you?"

"A young boy?"

"Yes. Long, purple hair. Ikanian clothes. Ring a bell?"

"No. I'm sorry, miss. "

Anju sighed. "Me too."

Viccum eventually finished writing.

"I'm finished, miss."

"Okay, that will be twenty five rupees."

Viccum handed her a red rupee and a blue rupee before heading up to his room. He was thrilled that he got to take a load off.

Anju sighed and looked down somberly.

At that moment, Link found a shop that had closed two days earlier. There was a sign outside the door reading "Mountain Bomb Shop: Relocated to Clock Town until further notice. –the Management."

"Should I go in?" asked Link.

"Of course. You know they won't be back anytime soon."

Link walked into the shop. It was cold, since no one had been in there for a few days.

"How do we warm it up in here?"

Without responding, Tatl flew over to the nearby fireplace, where three pieces of dry oak wood lay. Suddenly, Tatl did something Link hadn't seen before, causing a fire to ignite.

"Whoa! Tatl! What did you do?"

"It's an old trick my brother taught me. It's a special fairy power. I can't really explain how it works. Don't worry about it now. Take a load off."

Link did not care. All that mattered was he was in shelter now, and it would be warm soon. The exhausted Link lied down on the floor beside the fire, closing his eyes. The warm fire gave the most enchanting and exhilarating feeling. It never felt so good to sleep on a floor. Back in Clock Town, Viccum had nested into his room and got into the bed, and both Link and Viccum drifted off to sleep simultaneously, having completely switched positions over the course of one day.

Apparently, some Gorons do live in the Mountain Village.