The feeling of warmth roused her senses, Sable felt her chilled body slowly thawing. A slight scent of burning could also be detected which hurried her awakening alone. She frantically leapt up in the bed, waving her arms and yelling "Don't cook me!"

She found herself face to face with rather perplexed Goron standing by an unlit torch. He easily towered over her but did not seem like he wanted to harm her as a friendly smile appeared. "Sorry, goro. I thought you'd warm up faster if I lighted the torch, goro"

Sable shyly lowered her arms "Sorry, that was quite rude of me."

"It's alright, goro. Darmani said he found you in the middle of a snowstorm, goro. So I guessed you would be a little shaken when you woke up, goro."

"Where's my bag and weapons…" A hand went to her head "And my hat?"

"Just over there, goro." He pointed over his shoulder and true to his word, her possessions were there along with Iris'. They were in a cavernous stone room that should have been freezing this time of year. However there were burning torches everywhere and plenty of fur pelts to ward away the cold. The Goron informed "You're in the Goron Village, goro. Your friend woke up a little while ago, goro. Lucky that Deku merchant told us what to do, goro. Otherwise there's no telling what would've happened, goro."

She rose from her makeshift bed of piled furs "Thankyou, I'm Sable by the way. What's your name?"

"Gorko, goro. This is actually my room, goro. But it's pretty big and you can stay here as long as you need, goro."

"That's very kind of you… what's the catch?"

"No catch, goro." He smirked back to her "But a friend of Pierre is a friend of mind, goro. I take it you're the jester girl who lives with Shikashi, goro. The one who keeps researching stories about Termina, goro."

"Yes, that's me." Sable then stood on her toes in a pitiful attempt to seem taller. Even then she barely made it to his chest "Would you mind if I asked you about Goron stories later?"

Gorko laughed heartily "Of course, goro. You sound a lot like Shikashi when he first came through here all those years ago, goro."

"You know Gramps too…" Sable shook her head "Why am I not surprised?" she then remembered and abruptly asked "Where has Iris gone anyway?"

"Sure, goro. She's with the elder and the children, goro." Gorko gestured to the doorway "Main hall is through there, goro."

Sable bowed and left with a smile on her face. Although now she was curious about where the old professor travelled in his youth and why he never told her about it. Before leaving Clock Town, Sable thought Professor Shikashi was just an old hermit but now he seemed to be some grand adventurer who travelled all over Termina in the pursuit of knowledge. There was something admirable about that lifestyle and it grew more appealing with each passing day.

The main hall was a grand chamber within the mountains. The smooth stone walls were decorated with bright paintings depicting all kinds of legends. The floor spiralled around the room as a ramp as Gorons had a habit of rolling everywhere. Windows in the high curves of the ceiling revealed the haze of white from the deadly blizzard. Sable was honestly surprised they had managed to get so far up the mountain in this weather.

Towards the top of the ramp was a main landing leading to the elder's chambers as well as the mountains outside. In the grip of the storm, a mighty stone door had sealed off entry to the city to keep the warmth in. Sitting around a large bonfire was a withered old Goron with wiry hair drooping over his ancient face. His audience consisted of children and adult Gorons who were hanging on his every word. Even Iris was among the crowd, nearly dwarfed by the Goron children.

The elder took a deep breath as he said "Long, long ago… longer before any of us were born. Our ancestors' world was plagued by an evil demon of unmeasurable power and strength. No one knew where he came from, but once he appeared in Termina there was no stopping him as he consumed all in his darkness. This demon was known as Bellum, the bringer of plagues, a hideous monstrosity with many golden eyes that could manifest into different forms"

The children gasped and trembled with fright as the elder explained Bellum. The vague outline of the ancient demon was carved on a wall behind him. It looked Terminan yet was covered in twisted shadowy limbs and patterns of exoskeletons. The most notable feature were the many golden eyes amidst the darkness of the creature.

"Soon enough Bellum consumed all living things and forced the five tribes of Termina into refuge. The Terminans were the worst struck as Bellum had taken Clocktown from them. He had used it to birth his unholy armies and the six elemental demons that made him invincible"

Sable paused with curiosity 'Five tribes?' she thought as the elder continued his tale. She was now listening more intently than before. An adult Goron offered her a seat on his shoulders so she could see the elder better.

"But where there is darkness there is also light. Four heroes answered the prayers of the Giants, they were gifted with the divinity of their wrath, the power to command their shadows! From the southern swamps came the champion of Odolwa, Dakar, the prince of the Dekus. In depths of the western oceans the hero of Gyorg and illusionist of the Zoras, Mikaw came to the giants' aid. To the east and the solitude of the Stone Towers came the legendary Gomess and guardian of Twinmould, Majora. Last but not least," he paused dramatically "From the north came Damino, the hero of the Gorons and the bearer of Goht's power!"

The audience cheered loudly as the elder said Damino's name. At that moment Sable noticed the Goron who had found her in the snowfields. He bashfully smiled to himself as his kin cheered on.

"Together, the four champions of the Giants banded together and fought as one! They massacred the six elemental demons allowing them to enter Clock Town where Bellum resided. The battle was long and tiring, but they succeeded in defeating Bellum. They called upon the wrathful and dark sides of the giants. As one they chanted…"

"From the darkness of the Woodfall, the secrets of the Deku. Odolwa, the masked jungle warrior, the dark side of the southern giant. I call upon your courage!"

"From the storms of the Snowhead, the unwritten words of the Gorons. Goht, the masked mechanical monster, the shadow of the northern giant. I call upon your power!"

"From the depths of the Great Bay, the lost songs of the Zoras. Gyorg, the masked gargantuan fish, the gloom of the western giant. I call upon your wisdom!"

"From the echo of the Stone Towers, the forgotten past of Ikana. Twinmould, the masked twin centipede, the silhouette of the eastern giant. I call upon your divinity!"

"We call upon your souls now! Return this demon to whence it came!"

The elder grinned as he finished the tale "They destroyed his body and cursed his soul so he could never return to Termina again!"

The children and adults listening cheered, even though they had heard the tale many times before, it was still a delight to hear over and over again.

"Tell us another one, goro!" cheered a Goron child

Another cried "The one about Darmani, goro!"

"Alright, alright, calm down, goro. Now let's see…" the elder proceeded to retell the adventures of their modern hero.

The next few days passed peacefully as Sable spent her time gathering various folklore from the Gorons. Frustratingly the Dekus of the swamp were more wary of her and so she was never allowed to even enter their palace let alone talk openly with them. It was refreshing to meet such a clan, what was more interesting were the Gorons' knowledge of their history. They revered the old tales and could recite them perfectly, everyone knew their ancestral bloodlines as well. The tale of Bellum and Majora particularly interested Sable, as far as knew no other folklore in Termina even mentioned this climatic battle or the existence of the Gomess tribe.

In the meantime Iris had a habit of vanishing outside for most of the day. Usually she returned at night covered in frost and shivering from the cold. Then strangely she would wake up the next day and do it all again. Sable put down her notebook as she saw Iris leave Gorko's house yet again. She stood to follow her, wrapping her Wolfos fur coat around her in the process. Keeping a safe distance to avoid detection, Sable followed Iris through the Goron village and out into the snowfields.

From the mountains, the village was scattered across the cliffs like a burrowing worm. The only noticeable features were the various dome structures rising from the blanket of snow. Tracking Iris proved to be challenging as Dekus were simply not heavy enough to leave footprints. Sable had a feeling her cover would be blown any second now as her boots crunched the snow while she ran. If Iris had known she was near, she did not reveal it any way as she kept walking towards the frozen lake to the south of the village.

Withered trunks with wispy branches reached high into the air. Snow cloaked the islands scattered through the icy lake, sturdy wooden bridges linked each mound. Iris knelt down in the snow at one of the islands. She closed her eyes and began to meditate, as she did her frost magic began to pulse through her. Today, she knew today would be the day it would finally happen. Iris felt her body go cold and her leafy hair begin to crystallise into long icicles.

"By the Giants! You're frozen! We need to get you back to the village!"

Iris abruptly opened her eyes to find Sable looking panicked over her altered hair. She laughed "So the frost mane worked after all."

Sable prodded one of the icicles "You mean, you wanted this to happen?"

"Frost mane is a spell that makes you immune to ice, kind of like fire mane, but I don't feel confident enough to try that one yet." Iris stood, dusting powdery snow off her black robes "It's why I've been coming out here and surrounding myself with blizzards. Don't look at me like that, it can be reversed."

"Well…" Sable let out a sigh, not entirely convinced "So long as you're alright."

"Any luck with finding out about the Fire Salamander?"

"All I know is that it comes out during winter when there's a full moon, even then these mountains are massive so I have no idea where it will go."

"I knew it, goro." They turned to see the disapproving face of Darmani, the village's hero. He towered over them with his muscular arms folded across his chest "There's no other reason as to why your kind comes here, goro." He pointed to Sable accusingly "And I'm telling you now, goro. I will be the one to kill that Fire Salamander, goro."

Sable shook her head "Why? That beast has no sacred importance to the Gorons."

"But it does to me, goro. I am a descendant of Goron heroes, goro. I need to prove my strength, goro."

"But your village already adores you and you've already gotten rid of all kinds of threats."

Iris hid behind Sable and wished the earth would swallow her. Darmani had scared the living daylights out of her, it was illogical that a creature like a Goron could even possess any stealth. Now this argument was becoming more heated with each passing moment.

"A child like you wouldn't even have a chance of killing one, goro."

"And you are an idiot to underestimate others. Who's to say that I am not a warrior like you?"

Darmani laughed out loud "You, goro?" he teased "Who're your ancestors, goro?" He wildly lashed out a direct punch with his rock encrusted fist to a white wolfos sneaking up on them. The beast howled as it toppled down the side of the rocky island and crashed into the frozen lake below. "I am a direct descendent of Damino, goro. When the time has come and the darkness has risen I will be ready, goro. I will become a true hero and bring honour to my bloodline, goro."

With cold determination, Sable raised her dagger and threw into the head of another white wolfos who had foolishly tried to sneak up on them. The blade pierced in between the monster's red eyes. Iris hugged her knees and covered her head with her arms as she wished for it all to be over.

Sable let out a sigh, her breath was a misty fog in the cold. "I am no hero… but I am a descendant of Arch Mage Midna of the Gomess." She coldly informed Darmani "It is the duty of my bloodline to collect the souls of the legendary beasts that reside in each region of Termina. I'd appreciate it if you stayed out of my way."

Darmani knelt down to her level, his words dripped venom "For your sake child, you'd better stay out of mine, goro."

She said solemnly "But you will fail when the time comes."

Darmani roared at her "WHAT!? Impossible, my punch can smash snow and ice asunder, goro! How can you say I'll fail, goro!?"

"You're biggest fault is that you do not respect or honour your opponent. It leads you to underestimate them which will be your greatest downfall. Everyone at the village idolises you so they've swelled your ego to the point where it can't decrease." Sable narrowed her eyes "I guess I'll be hunting with you on the night of the full moon."

Darmani glared at Sable as his hand clenched into a fist. It was so tempting to just smash her right here for saying such slander but he could not. He let out a monstrous growl as he turned and stomped back in the direction of the village.

Iris finally uncurled and pleaded "Maybe we shouldn't go back, I mean, you just made one of the most notable Gorons hate you."

"Gorons have a culture built on kinship and ancestral worship," Sable calmly informed, she went to the corpse of the wolfos to retrieve her dagger "They are also honourable so I doubt Darmani will do anything in the village, what we merely did here was establish a challenge and nothing more."

Iris shook her head, still hating the idea of returning to the village. Sable on the other hand remained calmly silent as she walked back through the snow.