Wow... Now this story is officially longer than my first. While it's had more words for a bit by now, here is where it gains more chapters! Anyways, I hope you guys like this one. I'm pretty proud of how Link is characterized here. Enjoy!
-Joost

A Terminian and the Twilight of Danger
Chapter 22: From the Fog

The Goron rolled down the hill, as he usually did every morning. Rounding the corner, he knew that he was facing the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern. The hill down towards the feast was well-known to every Goron.

Suddenly, a bomb blew up right in front of the Goron, sending him out of his curled-up state and slamming right into the wall.

"Ooooh… What was that?" The Goron asked aloud, even if he thought there was no one around to hear his question.

There hadn't been something to impede his usual rolling in five years. Then, his question was answered by the gleaming tip of a shadowy sword. Blood-red eyes stared down at him, with a matching scowl just under them.

"Take us to your blacksmith." Dark Link ordered.

"Wh-What?" The Goron asked, startled.

"Did I stutter?" Dark Link barked in response, thrusting his sword forward and pricking the Goron's neck lightly.

"It'd be best to do as the boy says." A voice came from above. The Goron looked up and saw two witches perched atop of floating brooms, holding their wands. "He's hardly afraid to use his weapons."

The Goron was frozen in fear. Never had he gotten his life threatened before. He shakily got to his feet, shuddering as he felt the edge of the dark sword place itself against his back. Taking slow steps at first, he picked up his pace when the blade started to dig into the stones all along his torso.

"Come on, we haven't all day!" Kotake warned, flying lower to the ground.

The Goron whimpered, but complied. He started to take faster steps, refraining from rolling down the hill into Goron City in fear that they would think he was trying to escape.

"Kabetta? What's going on?! Who are these people?!" The Goron who always sat near the tunnel that led to Goron City noticed his friend return with company.

Before Kabetta could say anything, Dark Link pointed his sword towards the other Goron and Koume extended her wand. A quick blast of electricity shot towards the poor fellow and brought him to the ground. Now every other Goron was put on high alert.

"What in the?" One Goron shouted from below.

"Bladon? What happened to Bladon?!" Another Goron who was on the same level as Kabetta and his captors spoke up.

"Should we kill them?" Dark Link asked, turning towards his companions.

"No, no. They are simply rocks. They can do nothing." Koume stated, smirking at the growing amount of Goron's approaching. She knew just how to make sure they were kept at bay.

In no time at all, the group was surrounded by nearly every Goron in the city. All held their fists up and were prepared to fight for their brothers, but none could anticipate what they were getting themselves into. Each started to protest against the invaders. Their words were met by uncaring ears.

"SILENCE!" Koume screamed, flying up and waving her wand. She spun around and sparks went off, causing every Goron to fall to their knees. "You all are animals! Take us to your blacksmith, or be fed to the great dragon, Volvagia!"

All the hollers of protest ceased when the witch brought up the flame serpent. A layer of fear washed over every Goron, and they started to tremble. Even when the spell lifted, the terror still remained. Finally, one young, brave Goron stood.

"A-Alright… Come with me…" He said, slowly backing away from his brothers to let the invaders through. Soon enough, all four were in the presence of Medigoron, the desired blacksmith.

"Give us the greatest sword you can make!" Kotake asked, practically hissing her words.

"Very well, but it will take a little bit of time. This sword has been in the making for… almost five years! It's nearly ready." Medigoron said, eyes filled with worry as he saw just how fearful the Goron who had led the three here seemed.

"Finish it up faster! We need a good blade!" Dark Link said, walking past the Goron in front of him to address Medi. There was reigning authority in his voice. The witch sisters were continuously shocked at how forward the darkness was.

"May I ask why?" Medigoron said, eyes not on the teenager in front of him. Instead, they were on the smaller Goron. He was backing away, very slowly. Medi knew what his friend was planning, he just had to escape.

"It's for a very special plan. One that's not to be shared with the likes of you." Dark Link said, cocking his head back and refraining from laughing.

"I see. Now, I must know… Do you think you will be successful in this plan?" Medi asked, watching as the other Goron finally slipped out of sight.

"Enough questions!" Kotake bellowed, raising her wand and threatening to attack the blacksmith.

"Just. Finish. The sword." Dark Link said. Medigoron decided not to argue and continued to work on the weapon.

The Goron rolled down the hill and towards Kakariko Village as fast as he could. He knew it wouldn't be long before the invaders realized he was gone. There just had to be someone that could help!

When he finally reached ground that wasn't rock, he knew he made it. Uncurling, he looked around frantically.

"Someone! Please, help! There's trouble in Goron City!"

"Hey!" A guard who was conversing with an older woman noticed the distressed Goron just by the open gate that marked the path to Death Mountain. He started to run towards him.

"What's the problem?" The guard asked as he got into earshot.

"It's- It's… w-well its…" The exhausted Goron broke out into a stuttering fit, unable to find the words he needed. His mind was going far too fast to properly form a sentence.

"Hey, hey, calm down, son. It's alright." The guard consoled the poor Goron, helping him sit down and catch his breath.

After a moment, the Goron got his bearings. He pushed away every other fleeting thought and had only one objective.

"I need to get to Hyrule Castle! To see the princess!" The Goron yelped. There was only one person he knew that could help.

"U-Um…" The guard was shocked at such a request. It seemed urgent, but perhaps the Goron wasn't comfortable talking about the problem with just him. "Alright, follow me. It'll be short notice."

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The Goron jumped up and gave the guard a fierce hug. The sound of metal twisting filled both their ears and the guard groaned in pain.

"Oh, sorry, sorry! I- I forget my own strength at times." The Goron let go and apologized profusely.

"It's…" The guard winced in pain, shaking his bent gauntlet. "It's fine. B-But what's your name?"

"Oh! My name is Link!"

The guard looked back with shock.

Link, the hero in green, laid on the couch. Romani, the guard with the bow, was right on top of her boyfriend. Both were enjoying a moment of silence in the house, and some alone time. Anju and Kafei were out getting food, Jim was practicing getting that new bag that was constantly teasing him in the Bombchu Bowling Alley, and the fairies were relaxing at the Great Fairy Fountain, getting some much-needed rest.

"For a girl, maybe Ilia?" Romani said, breaking the long kiss between her and Link and pondering about a certain subject.

"Hmmm… I'm not sure. How about Lana?" Link countered, smiling at his girlfriend.

"What about a boy? What does Grasshopper have in mind?" Romani asked, resting her head on Link's chest and thinking.

"I don't know…" Link's face flushed, and his tone became nervous. He tried not to think about the idea of having a boy. "M-Maybe Teba?"

"That's not bad…" Romani chuckled. "Bah! There's too many names to pick from!"

Link giggled. For a while, the two lovers enjoyed the embrace of each other. On occasion they shared a tender kiss, and on others they simply basked in their combined warmth. Link thought about how he was using his time. For the past several days, he'd been working hard to fix the things he broke. Didn't he deserve a little time to relax?

A knock on the door told him otherwise. The boy just groaned.

"Who's that?" Link said with a slight annoyance. Reluctantly, Romani sat up and let her boyfriend stand so he could get to the door.

Turning the knob and pushing outward, Link was greeted by a guard.

"Mr. Dotour!" The guard nearly shouted, saluting Link.

"Please, just Link." The teen said, waving his hands gently in protest.

"Right, my apologies. Link, there's a bit of a problem. Come to the castle, the princess and a visitor wish to see you." The guard stepped back and waited for Link to leave the house.

The boy turned around and gave a pleading look to Romani. Neither wanted him to leave, but if Zelda needed him, it must be important. Romani gave Link a nod of approval, and he was off.

At the castle, Link and the guard walked through the corridor followed by an awkward silence. The Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield shuffled with each step as they rounded the corner and faced the grand door that led to the throne room.

On the other side of said door was Link the Goron, standing nervously next to the princess. Never in a millennium did he think that he would get to stand before such a regal figure, but here he was. His heart pounded as he waited for the right help to come and save him from this nightmare.

The grand door opened, and one look between the hero and the Goron made the Goron jump in fear.

"WAHH! W-Wait! How is he here?!" The Goron exclaimed, mistaking Link for his darker side.

Both the guard and Link himself were left in shock. The hero stood in a defensive position as the guard remained confused. Even Zelda was baffled, but upon closer inspection of the hero, the Goron calmed his nerves.

"O-Oh… I-I'm terribly sorry! I thought you were someone else!" Link the Goron said, the normally beige-yellow hue on his face becoming a shade of pink. The hero had never seen a Goron blush before.

"I-It's alright…" Link said, letting his guard down once he knew there wasn't going to be any kind of fight. He and the guard went closer to Zelda and her visitor in order to discuss the problem.

"Link," Zelda started. Both the teenager and the Goron turned her way. "…thank you for coming on such short notice. It seems that Death Mountain is facing some kind of problem."

"Y-Yeah! There's bad people in Goron City!" Link the Goron said, accidentally interrupting the princess.

"Correct." Zelda continued, trying not to sound slightly annoyed at being talked over. "It seems they are holding the Goron's captive."

"What do they want?" Link asked, not thinking anything of the minimal description of the invaders. The Gorons had an interesting way of referring to others, but it wasn't at all a problem.

"They want our blacksmith to forge a sword! One that he's been working on for years now! The Giant's Knife!"

Link recognized that name. That was the weapon he bought in the future, during his first ever adventure in Hyrule. One detail about it was that it wasn't the greatest sword in the world. It had a tendency to break after a little while. But if they were able to ask, then it meant it was far more than simply a pack of monsters.

"Who were they? Did they say why they want it?" Link asked.

"They… They never said why. All they said was that if we didn't, they'd feed us to Volvagia!" The Goron's mood went down significantly. The poor boy felt helpless. "But I do know one thing! The people that threatened us… one of them looked like you!" He pointed to Link. "Only darker!"

Link's whole body stiffened, and his breathing became sharp. His fist clenched up and his nails started digging into his palms again. His crystal blue eyes darted around, but they weren't looking at anything in the room. They were lost in thought. The mind of the hero grew cold, and so did his stare. Something inside of him almost snapped, and he wore a look of venom.

"Is anything the matter, Link?" Zelda asked, a little startled at the hindered rage behind Link's eyes.

"No. Everything's fine." Link gritted his teeth beneath his lips and forced out a chuckle. Even to him it sounded strange, but he didn't try to explain it.

"My friends and I will head out to see what we can do." Link said.

"Will you need any assistance from our soldiers?" Zelda asked.

"No, no. That… won't be necessary." Link turned around and left the throne room.

"Should I…?" The Goron pointed to the hero as he left.

"Absolutely. They'll likely need you to help them get to Death Mountain." Zelda said.

Link walked down the dirt path to Castle Town like an automaton. Everything else seemed secondary to what he was currently thinking about.

Makade. Dark Link. Whatever. He was at Death Mountain. For how much longer, the boy didn't know, but he would round up his friends and head to Goron City. There, he'd finally get to have a proper rematch against his variant. He didn't want anything to get in the way of that. If any Hylian soldiers joined them, they'd take Dark Link away and imprison him before he could do anything.

Link then realized he wasn't alone. Walking right beside him was the Goron that had come all this way to plead for help. Feeling a little nervous, the boy tried to act normal as his mind was torn between fantasizing about fighting Dark Link and talking to the Goron.

"So… Your name is Link, too?" The Goron said, half-asking.

"Wait… Your name is Link?" Link said, taken by surprise.

"Yeah! My father, Darunia, named me after this great hero helped him out a few years ago!" Link the Goron said.

Link, the hero, felt humbled. His cheeks flushed and he lost his voice for a moment. Had Darunia really named his own son after him? He recalled that after he beat the King Dodongo, he was referred to as a 'sworn brother.' At the time, Link didn't know what it meant, but he did now.

"Are you… that hero?" The Goron whispered.

"I-" Link thought. He stopped walking and turned to face the Goron, extending his hand. "I guess so. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Good to meet you too!" The Goron said, happily complying with a heavy handshake. When he was done, Link held his palm in pain. Perhaps the Goron's grip was a little too mighty.

"So… this is your first time in Castle Town?" Link said, continuing the walk back to town.

"Yep! It's a lot greyer than I thought it'd be…" Link the Goron replied, noting the bland coloration of the bricks beneath their feet as they entered town. The hero in green didn't react to the light joke.

"Here it is. Wait right here, I'll gather my friends." Link said, opening the front door to the house.

"There you are Grasshopper!" Romani was overjoyed to see Link again. Jim was now leaning on the wall, clearly in a good mood. In his hands was that brand new bomb bag that he was eyeing earlier.

"Hey…" Link mumbled, looking down.

Romani immediately recognized the expression Link wore. Her smile vanished and she got up off the couch and walked over to him. She took his hand and held it.

"What's wrong?" Romani asked, her voice as smooth as chocolate. And like chocolate, Link melted.

"I just… It's…" The hero started, not sure how to explain.

"It's the dark version, isn't it?" Romani said, leaning forward a bit and placing her forehead against Link's. He closed his eyes and spoke in a near whimper.

"It's him." Link admitted, even though it was needless.

"Where?" Romani asked, not moving her head. She knew Link needed some comfort right now.

"The mountain. Death Mountain. Where the Goron's live…" Link explained, putting his hand of Romani's cheek and caressing it softly.

"Hey. What's going on?" Jim finally noticed the couple across from him. Without delay, Link put out his hand and groped the air, signaling for Jim to take it. The Bomber did, and all three friends stood together.

"It's the darkness. He's in the mountains. The Goron's are in danger." Link said, keeping his eyes closed.

Jim was left stunned for a moment. Collecting himself after some time, he drew into his friends, and they all held each other's hands. There was a question that had to be asked and answered.

"What do we do?" Jim was the one who had the courage to ask.

"We…" Link thought about how he would word it. When nothing better came to mind, he continued with a blunt undertone. "We're going to go to Death Mountain… And I'm going to kill him."

"Grasshopper, no! That's not what we're going to do." Romani spoke sternly, taking both of her hands and holding Link's face softly. Her eyes were filled with compassion, but also a demanding authority. "It's not what he would have wanted."

"Well…" Jim began, scratching the back of his neck. "But shouldn't we avenge him? He was a friend to all of us… I-I mean, I'm not saying it's alright to kill… but we lost. We really lost. We need to end this with something for our friend. Right?"

Romani felt defeated. Deep down, she too wanted to get back at Dark Link for what he did to her friend. She lowered her head and sighed, finally relenting. "Fine."

Neither Link nor Jim smiled. They just nodded and all three gathered their things. Feelings of melancholy nearly overwhelmed them until they opened the door, greeted by the Goron that was still standing outside.

"O-Oh! Hello!" Romani instantly perked up. No matter how she was feeling, she was always able to greet new people with a smile.

"Who's this?" Jim asked, his own mood getting infected by Romani's.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. Guys, this here is… Link." Link said, gesturing towards the Goron. Jim and Romani did double-takes.

"Huh? He has the same name as you?" Jim pointed to his friend while looking at the Goron. The Goron in question smiled meekly and gave Jim and Romani a little wave.

"Yeah. He's an… old friend." Link said, smiling. The Goron blushed again, and his heart warmed.

"Wow! Romani's hardly seen many Gorons! Only one time has she ever met one!" Romani crouched down and shook hands with Link. The comment caused the hero to reminisce on who exactly she had met.

"It's good to meet you!" Link the Goron beamed before looking to the road that led to the drawbridge. "Should we get going?"

The three teens nodded, and they were off. The trip across Hyrule Field was standard, all except for the strange bout of silence that fell on the group. When they were halfway to Kakariko Village, Jim decided to do what he did best and break the silence.

"So… How did you get the name 'Link'?" Jim asked, walking a little closer to the Goron.

"Well, you see, my father was the leader of the Goron's, and a long while ago, a boy named Link helped us with a big problem! A dinosaur that started eating up all of our food! But Link beat it!" The Goron seemed ecstatic to tell the tale of King Dodongo's defeat. Every Goron knew it well by now, but few got to share it with others. "My father decided to name me after Link."

Jim and Romani turned to their friend. Link wore a mad blush now, and he hid his eyes behind his bangs. For once, it wasn't in nervousness or sadness, but in prideful embarrassment. To him, his endeavor to beat King Dodongo was trivial compared to what he had been up against these days, but it made him feel good that the people still remembered it to this day.

Before the group knew it, they were reaching the stone staircase that led right to Kakariko Village. The first thing they saw was the trademark windmill, but none associated it with the taxing mystery that they found themselves foundering in a few weeks before. The strangeness of the variants was something they had mostly put behind them.

"This way!" The Goron turned to the pathway to Death Mountain.

"More stairs?!" Jim complained, shocked at the next staircase that seemed to taunt him. The Bomber never had an affinity for stairs.

Romani giggled at Jim's comment and the four continued, passing the gate after a quick look of acknowledgement was shared between the Hero of Termina and the guard who was standing post.

As the four made their way up the trail, a strange, howling sound made their attention break. Link, Romani, and Jim took defensive positions and left the Goron riddled with confusion.

"What's going on?" Link the Goron asked, shuddering as Jim and the other Link pulled out their swords.

"That howl…" Link said, his eyes narrowing. Most of, if not all, of his senses were going haywire. Something was terribly wrong. Then he noticed a shadow growing in size underneath him.

Looking up, he jumped back in the nick of time, making way for a creature to land with a powerful thud, still on its feet. All three hero's recognized the incredible stature of the monster. A Moblin.

However, this was a horrendously different Moblin. Its skin, normally a deep brown, was now a pitch black, almost like the night sky. Everything about its appearance was dark, excluding its eyes. The eyes were a glistening yellow, the irises obscured. It reminded the trio of Bellum.

Before any words could be exchanged, the Moblin twirled its spear and attempted to swing at the three.

"Get down!" Link yelled on instinct. He and his friends ducked, and the Goron curled up and hid himself amongst the rocks.

The Moblin swung again, this time being blocked by Link's Mirror Shield. The boy in green staggered back from the blow, not suspecting it to be so intense. Before the Moblin could try again, Jim jumped forward and slashed the spear with his own sword, cutting it in half.

"Ha!" Jim exclaimed, thinking the Moblin was left without a weapon. He quickly wished he could take it back, as the piece that was lopped off from the handle floated up and reconnected itself to the other on its own.

Romani was next to act. Taking care not to fire her shot directly at the Moblin's face, she loosed an arrow that grazed its ear, leaving it disoriented. Link ran up and tackled the beast, Mirror Shield still between them. He pushed back, hoping to pin it against the nearby stone wall to let his friends try and fight it.

Link was quickly overpowered by the Moblin's enhanced strength, and he was sent to the ground. The beast rose it's spear in the air and was about to stab the hero, when a mighty punch from behind sent it flying.

Link the Goron, now trembling, lowered his fist once he saw the Moblin make impact with a distant boulder, breaking it into pieces and knocking it out.

"Woah…" Jim said, astonished.

Link the Goron panted, still shaking from all the excitement. He looked to the hero he had saved, then Romani and Jim. All three gave his wide smiles.

"That was amazing! You did great!" Romani proclaimed, congratulating the Goron for his bravery.

"Yeah! I didn't know Goron's were that strong!" Jim added, running up to the savior and giving him a hug.

"Thank you." Link said, standing up and smiling at the Goron who saved him.

Link the Goron was still awestruck at what he did. Even he didn't know he had that in him. He silently thanked his departed father for the strength he was gifted by blood and smiled at the three heroes.

"Y-You're welcome!" The Goron chirped, adrenaline pumping through his body.

After a quick minute of thanks and catching their breath, the group slowly approached the sleeping Moblin to investigate why it might have attacked.

Link nudged the beast's shoulder with the Mirror Shield, just to see if it was feigning unconsciousness. When it didn't react, he grew calm and lowered his guard. All four started looking the Moblin over, seeing if there was anything they could do to help.

"Hmm." Link was the first to see the red bead connected to the Moblin's neck. That bead was all too familiar.

"What is it, Grasshopper?" Romani asked. Link beckoned her over and her heart filled with remorse when she saw the bead. She instantly felt cruel for needing to attack.

"Poor thing." Romani said as Jim took a look.

Giving the others a knowing look, Link gently raised his sword and carefully sliced the bead off from the place it was grafted onto. The four watched in relief as the darkness that covered the monster receded, letting its true appearance reach the sunlight once again.

"They're… resorting to mind controlling them now…" Link said, feeling guilty. His mind could only ponder if that's why they were acting amuck the other day. Perhaps they were merely afraid of seeing their cohorts be consumed.

"We have to stop them." Jim said, finding new resolve.

Before anyone else could speak, a loud, distinct cackle rang through the valley, making all their hairs stand on end. The three knew that laugh.

Link was the first to take off running, Romani, Jim, and their new Goron companion right behind him. As his boots pounded against the stone path that led up the mountain, his head was invaded by thoughts of who could be up there. He hoped who he was aiming for was still there.

Just as the squad rounded the corner that formed to the downhill slope that led to Goron City, they spotted them. On the opposite end of the area, Dark Link, Koume, and Kotake just exited the tunnel that bled into the outside. The darkness was wielding the Giant's Knife.

Link's breathing grew sharp, and he drew his sword. His eyes met with Makade's, and they both stopped in their tracks.