Hi there! First off, I'm sorry for the delay with this update. Sadly, that monotonous dimension we call reality has been affecting me of late, and a few personal issues have really killed my motivation and inspiration. Nonetheless, I have endeavoured to get the latest chapter up together for you. It's a little slow moving, but a fairly necessary link to the next part of the story.

All reviews welcome. It's nice to hear if people are reading the story, and even more so if they're enjoying it.

Chapter 10

The Death Mountain Trail

The night that followed the encounter with Anju and her brother was not a comfortable one, but the following morning was more hopeful. Link slept in a lee beside the windmill that kept him out of the wind. He did not want to sleep at the top of the hill, but he was happier out of the village than going back amongst the houses, and in the darkness he could not espy any better shelter than huddling against the side of the tall building.

The sun woke him, and as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes he took a moment to contemplate the astonishing views that surrounded him. Rays of light stretched down to him as Din's Fire climbed above the peaks of the mountains. They threw the rocky crags into a stark contrast between the sunlit slopes and the hulking shadows where the sun could not reach.

The windmill marked the eastern border of Kakariko Village, and the little town nestled at the bottom of the hills looked idyllic as the sun rose. Link's gaze followed the village to its northern edge, where steeper slopes marked the bottom of Death Mountain. Stairs had been cut into the rock, which disappeared into a ravine between the wall of the mountain and the much lower hills around its base. That was the start of the trail Link knew he would have to follow.

He jumped to his feet, stiff from another night in the open, and began to pull food from his pack for a sparse breakfast before getting started. His pack was not yet empty, but nor was it as full as he would have liked it to have been.

As he ate, he allowed his eyes to roam the landscape, and so it was that he noticed something he had not previously seen. At the bottom of the hill he now stood atop, on the opposite side from the village, there was a graveyard. Link had never seen such a thing before, and he descended the hill to take a closer look.

He walked amongst the graves and read the names on them with interest. In the forest, death was not a worry. He had only once between truly aware of the pain of bereavement, and it would have been impossible to bury the Deku Tree; the dead colossus was his own monument.

Here, though, were many strange names of people who had passed and been interred by those they left behind. At first Link found it strange, for their burial and the upkeep of the graveyard meant nothing to those who had departed. Slowly, it occurred to him that this was for the people of the village, the people who wished to pay their respects to lost loved ones, and who wished to make sure there was some sort of symbol to their memory.

A path led through the graveyard, to a statue in its centre. The statue was of two men, who both stood with drawn swords, back to back. They were grim faced, and looked stern. Even to Link, observing the worn stone, it was obvious that they were of different races. One was a hylian, facing to the south, and the other was evidently a sheikah, facing north. Paths ran from the statue, one in each compass direction.

A sign stood by the monument. Unable to read the markings scratched upon it, Link found himself relying on Navi once more. "This is King's Tomb," she read.

Knowing he had a long way to travel, Link turned again to look at the gargantuan mountain, and followed the northern path away through the graves.

As he walked, he had the uncomfortable impression that the statue of the sheikah was watching him.

He had hoped that the path would lead easily to the beginning of the trail, but it quickly became obvious that this was not the case. Instead, it led to another, smaller cemetery. Link's first thought was to turn away and make his way across the grass back to the village, but something held his attention.

The first graveyard was much larger and was simply a series of neatly laid out plots, and well tended. Link had not been intimidated or unnerved walking amongst the quiet graves in the bright sunlight, and apart from the statue, there were no other structures.

Din's Fire had not yet risen high enough to reach down into this area, though, and it was cast in dark shadows. Looking at the landscape and the walls of the mountain that the graveyard hugged, Link wondered if the suns' rays ever reached in here. It was possible the little space was never brightly lit. The dark shadows caused Link to wrap his arms around himself, feeling a chill in the warm day.

The other distinct thing about this graveyard was the building on its far side, built against the very wall of the mountain. It was not a large building, but it looked austere, and even threatening. There was something unpleasant about it. The edifice itself was a pillared front, but the main part of the structure seemed to have been delved into the rock wall behind it. The entrance was little more than a dark opening, unlit and menacing. Link did not like it.

His eyes were drawn away from the building to the big headstones by the graves. They were different from the ones he had seen previously. Those had been loving monuments, bearing remembrance of friends and families. These looked more ornate, larger and more expertly formed, yet somehow more severe. Link could not resist going closer.

The graves were set in several long lines, and one particular set seemed the most impressive. Moving to them, Link saw that each one had a name carved on it, though he could not read it without Navi's help, and below were two lines of numbers. Stood near one of the first, he asked Navi what they meant.

"They're dates," she answered. "The top line is when they lived and the second is when they ruled. This is the line of the rulers of Hyrule." Sombrely, Link examined the graves and Navi read him the names of those now long dead who had guided Hyrule, some well and some poorly. Some names were familiar from Archon and Zelda, while some were names Link had never heard before.

Suddenly Link heard a noise. On edge in the gloomy graveyard, Link jumped and drew his sword, twisting to see what the disturbance was. His eyes caught the slightest of movements as a figure slid neatly behind one of the pillars of the portico. Link saw them for the briefest moment, but it was enough to take in the armour and the colours they wore; it was a sheikah.

Feeling more than uncomfortable now, Link turned and left the graveyard at a fast walk, before breaking into a steady run towards the village. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he went. He could not shake the feeling that the sheikah had meant him to know he was not alone.

Shaking his head, Link slowed back to a walk as he neared the houses of Kakariko. He had no wish to go into the village proper, for he had no desire to accidentally run into Tursun again. While the man might be more sensible in the morning light and with his head clearer, Link knew that he had hurt the villager's pride, and it would not be brushed aside easily. He had underestimated Link the previous evening, and the kokiri had no wish to see if had learnt from his mistake.

Instead, he stayed close to the base of the mountain, and made straight for the steep steps that began the Death Mountain Trail. It was, he knew, a hard and arduous path. It was little used by hylians now, and instead the gorons who found it easy to move about the mountain face tended to come down for diplomatic visits rather than having guests come to them. There were not many occasions when any other Hyrulians attempted the trail.

Aware of all of this after Zelda's tutelage, Link climbed the steps towards the canyon. He was out of breath before he even reached the top, but he did not mind. Setting a steady pace, he began down the canyon, the walls of the hills and Death Mountain towering beside him on either side.

It was a strange sensation, walking along the floor of the ravine. The only real noise was his own footsteps, which echoed around the rocks a thousand times. Every now and then another sound would reach his ears, strangely magnified, and so it was impossible to gauge where it came from or what it really was. He found himself periodically peering over his shoulder, but there was no one behind him and nowhere for a pursuer to hide from sight.

After carrying on in this way, he came to a dead end. The canyon walls tapered together into a point, and there was no way of carrying on.

Frustrated, Link turned round and looked back down the path he had followed, wondering if he had missed a turn. It was impossible, though; there had been no deviation to the path. He took a moment to catch his breath. The track sloped constantly upwards, and he had been going fairly quickly.

As he stood, allowing his body to rest, his eyes scanned the walls, and he noticed on his left hand side that while the wall was mostly sheer, there was a flat platform jutting out a foot or two above his head. For a fully grown hylian or a goron, it would probably have been below eye level, if not by much.

Frowning, Link's eyes glanced over the wall, and he set his hands to it, his nimble fingers seeking points to get a grip, and then he began to climb. Getting high enough, he flung his arm over the edge of the platform and pulled himself up. Panting slightly, he got to his feet, using the wall to stabilise himself. It was not a wide place to stand, but it was enough to see that the trail continued from here.

He edged his way along and found the raised ground widening out, making it easier to follow. It climbed quickly, and was hard going, but now he was on the right way again, Link moved quickly. Occasionally, he glanced down to his right, and saw the canyon steadily falling further and further away.

He smiled. The sensation of moving forward and climbing higher was a pleasant one, and he found that he was enjoying himself. It was hard work, but he was strong willed and determined, and he was not deterred.

The sun reached its zenith high above him and the small boy worked up a steady sweat as it began its slow descent into the west. The afternoon was wearing on and Link was panting slightly as he pulled himself up another incline.

Climbing up a section of wall where the trail was too thin to walk, his small fingers reached out and felt a large boulder. Steadying himself with his feet, he checked quickly that the rock was firm and would not give way, and then pulled himself up onto the next tier of the mountain. Finding space to stand easily, he took a second to catch his breath and leaned heavily on the boulder.

It groaned. Startled, Link jumped backwards, stumbling slightly before he managed to regain his footing on the uneven surface of the mountain.

The boulder unfolded itself and stood up, then turned round to look at Link.

The kokiri's shock did not decrease as he realised it was a goron. He had seen several of the creatures already, but it had not occurred to him before just how like real rocks they were. Curled up as the goron had been, there had been no sign to indicate it was in fact a living being.

The goron's expression was slightly irritated as it turned, its long arms unfolding to hang at its side. Its wide face peered down at Link from small black eyes. Its face was flat, with two small holes showing its nose, above a very broad mouth. This was slightly open, revealing rows of thick molars, which the gorons needed for their diet of very hard food.

Seeing Link's shock and confusion, the goron's irritation disappeared and its expression brightened.

"Ah, you are only a little hylian, so I will not take offence at you leaning on me. It was inconsiderate of you, though."

"I'm sorry," said Link immediately. "I didn't realise I was leaning on anyone. I had no idea you were there." The goron's wide mouth spread into a wide, benevolent smile.

"Things are not always what you think they are though, eh? Well, you will think twice the next time you climb on a boulder, I dare say. If you knew no better I hold no grudge. But whatever is one so small who does not even recognise we mountain folk want so high up our slopes?"

For a moment, Link hesitated. He had kept his purpose a secret from the people in Kakariko, fearing that they would stop him going. He was up the mountain now, though, and he had a suspicion that the gorons would view his story differently to the hylians of the plains.

"I was sent to come and see your people by the princess Zelda," he answered, bluntly.

The goron chuckled lightly. "You were sent by the princess, were you? Well were you my child, I would scold you for telling lies, but to climb all the way up the mountain on such a wild tale seems unlikely. But perhaps you are only the child of one of the families in Kakariko? If so, I'm sure your parents must be worried. The mountain is not safe for little hylians."

"I am not a hylian, though. I am a kokiri. I've been sent to Hyrule with a warning. The princess heard what I had to say and told me I should warn all the people of this land."

"Oh ho? Well this tale is certainly one worth hearing, then. Perhaps you are a village child with a vivid imagination, but then perhaps you speak truth. We gorons are discerning folk, well able to see through nets and deceptions, and as I look at you I feel that you are too young to tell such great lies with inhibition. Yes, perhaps you do come from the forest, indeed."

"Will our story be more plausible if you hear it also from me," asked Navi, fluttering at Link's shoulder.

The goron's eyes narrowed as he squinted at the hovering ball of light. "Ah, and who would you be? It seems it is my turn to apologise for rudeness; I am afraid in the glare of the day I did not see you. You must forgive me, the eyes of a goron are meant for tunnels and dark places. Din's Fire does more to hinder me than it does for my hylian brethren."

Link felt a warmth through his bond with his fairy. He could tell she was smiling at the goron's polite words.

"It is not an impoliteness at all. Indeed, I would say it is more important for you to apologise for mistaking Link for a hylian, just as he mistook you to be only a part of the mountain side."

The lines of the goron's eyes crinkled as he chuckled again. "Indeed! It seems I should heed my own words that things are not what we think they are. Now, what is this warning that you have come to give?"

"Can we see your leader?" asked Link. "It is him I should speak with. The princess told me to seek out the Big Brother of the gorons."

The goron, named Marduk, led Link further up the trail. It was slightly easier at this point, a single path clinging to the side of the mountain. It was steep, and tiring, but it was a single path that did not deviate, and Link was not forced to climb over obstacles or up portions of the rock face at any point.

After a short while, they came to a fork in the path. The left fork was a wide track, wider than any point Link had seen on the trail so far. It was very steep, and Link could see that after fifty feet the track broke again into rocks and boulders. The right fork swung away from the wide path, and as the slope rose the new path again hugged against the cliff wall.

"The left hand path will lead you further up the mountain," explained Marduk, as he turned to the right. "The mountain trail continues to the summit. This path will not take us higher, though; it leads instead to Goron City."

Link followed Marduk along the track and the wall at his left sloped inwards, until it opened into a cave hollowed out of the rock. It was a wide space, entirely open to the mountain on one side. In the centre was a stone table. Looking around, Link noticed that a tunnel entrance led almost directly in to the mountain on the opposite side of the crevice. He also noticed that there was another opening across on his left.

Marduk followed Link's glance. "There is a view point there, where we can view anyone coming up the trail," he said. "It is unguarded, so your ascent was unmarked. Should any invaders attempt to scale our mountain, though, we would be able to hold them off for a long period of time. From here, we have access to different points all over the mountains, but it is impossible to reach this point from the foothills except by the trail you followed. The mountain provides us with many natural defences, and we have no need to build the fortifications our hylian brethren construct on the plains. It is virtually impossible to lay siege to Goron City."

Though he was unaccustomed to the ways of war and knew little about battles or sieges, Link was impressed. If nothing else, the pride with which Marduk spoke about his home conveyed the mountain's prowess. The goron's patriotism was moving.

Following Marduk to the tunnel entrance, Link felt a moment's apprehension about crossing the dark threshold. He had only once before been underground, when he journeyed below the Deku Tree's roots. It was not a pleasant memory.

His companion took a torch from a wall sconce and held it ahead of them, lighting the way down the tunnel. It led steeply downwards, and Link felt his heart rate increasing the further into the rock they went. He realised soon that he need not have worried, though, as the tunnel opened out into a vast cavern. Link found himself on a wide walkway. Moving to the edge, he looked down and saw that he was on the top tier of three levels. Looking down, he could see other walkways, with gorons bustling backwards and forwards. In the centre of the cavern, the ground floor, there was an open and mostly empty space. It looked like this was some sort of gathering ground. Link could see from his vantage points that there were tunnels and passages leading away from this central cavern at various points on all three levels.

"It is impressive, is it not?" asked Marduk. Again, pride was more than evident in his tone. "The capital of the gorons of the mountains. Big Brother Darunia's rooms are on the lowest level of the city." The rocky figure moved away from the ledge and Link followed him along the causeway until he turned down one of the side passages. Following, Link descended a staircase and came out on the next tier of the city. Marduk led him down several other passages and down more stairs until they came out on the lowest level.

It was a clear space, and there were fewer tunnels leading off it. A stage stood to one side, set with brightly burning torches. It looked as if this was a congregation point, with music or speakers on the dais.

Turning his attention back to his guide, Link entered another passage. This went for only a short distance before it opened out into a small room. It was very different from the cavern, which was spacious and bustling; this was clearly someone's home. There were hangings on the walls and a table in the centre of the room. A large statue stood against the back wall; it was a stone sculpture, looking like the most basic form of a goron had been carved from an enormous boulder. A long, dangerous looking spear stood next to the statue.

Link did not take a great deal of this in, though. His attention was more taken instead with the enormous goron standing in front of the statue. He was taller than any other goron Link had seen, and his large rock-like muscles made him look like a small mountain in himself. Wiry, wild hair sprung from the top of his head and from his chin.

He did not look happy. Most of the gorons Link had met in his travels wore an almost permanent wide grin on their faces, so much so that Link had been beginning to wonder if it was just the form of their faces. This goron did not have that same good humoured appearance. The corners of his mouth were turned sharply down and his brow was furrowed in an evident frown. He looked grumpy and angry.

"Big Brother, goro," greeted Marduk. His smile seemed to widen even further and his tone was very placating, as if he wished to avoid saying anything that might anger the stern goron more. "This young fellow has climbed our mountain to request an audience with you."

The Big Brother peered down at Link from his little black eyes. His expression altered momentarily into what Link could only call a sneer before returning to its angry frown.

"If some little hylian chooses to climb up here, I do not see why I should be bothered with it, Marduk. I would have thought you would realise that there are more pressing issues on my mind at present."

"Yes, Big Brother, but Link claims that he has been sent her by the Princess of the hylians. It seemed important for him to speak to you."

The large goron laughed, a loud single bark; it was not a pleasant sound. "And so you automatically believe the story any child may bring to you? I can see you do not have children yourself."

Marduk's tone took on a slightly defensive note, at these words. "It is from spending time with children that I have learnt to tell when they are inventing stories and when they speak plain truth, goro."

Again, the Big Brother laughed. Link felt anger through his bond with Navi, and knew the fairy was annoyed at the goron talking down to Link simply because of his size. She rose up from where she had been resting on Link's shoulder, her dull glow expanding into a bright light.

"Link has travelled here from the Lost Woods with a warning for all Hyrule. Knowing that, will you deny the veracity of his words? You claim to have more important things on your mind than what Link has to say. Could it be that there is trouble on Death Mountain that you are not able to deal with?"

It was the wrong thing to say. The Forest Ambassador role had always worked in the rest of Hyrule, but it was immediately obvious that it carried less weight to the gorons.

"Do you think Darunia, Big Brother of the gorons, needs advice and aid from a midget and a flying lantern? You say this child (Darunia filled the word with scorn) comes from the forest. So what can he possibly know about goron problems that those who live on this mountain do not!

"Now I suggest you leave here, before I give you a lesson in strength!"

Marduk intervened, quickly. "I shall ensure they are safely escorted from the city, Big Brother. I am sorry to have bothered you." He gestured urgently at Link, and followed behind him as they returned down the passage into the main cavern.

"I must apologise for Darunia's behaviour," said Marduk. "He is not an unkind goron, but we are indeed beset by problems, and he seeks to govern his people well. Do not judge him too harshly."

"He should learn to accept help form any source," said Navi, primly.

Marduk smiled wryly. "Perhaps so, but he is proud. To gorons, physical stature and prowess is important."

"Wise words and courageous hearts often go further than stature and might."

He chuckled. "I can see from both of you that wise words and courageous hearts are by no means in short supply in Hyrule. Nonetheless, it would be unwise to push Darunia at the present time. However, I would ask you to remain here, and we may seek a more opportune moment.

"Tonight is the evening of the goron dances, when we come here to ease our worries. Join us, you will be honoured guests, whatever your stature. And it may be that Big Brother relaxes, and so does his refusal to hear your words."