So what did you all think of that last chapter? You all seem to want to kill Ganondorf? I'll keep this brief. Things are explained here and if not, ask any questions you have, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability without revealing to much. Thank you for all of you who are sticking with me on this story, it means a lot.
-Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble-
The days that followed Link mainly slept, letting his body recover. Every so often, Link-goro and Danek would go to Kakariko Village and bring him some nonperishable human food, which he managed to eat when he was awake. The young teen woke up the fourth day with a migraine. He let out a soft moan, as he rolled over and his cerulean hues landed on Navi, who was sleeping. A smile graced his lips, realizing that she was taking care of him.
"Brother Link," a deep voice whispered. Link turned his head and saw Danek standing in the doorway.
"Hey Danek," Link replied. He made a face of pain. "Do you have anything for a headache?" Danek nodded, as he handed Link some pills. "What are these?"
"Pills some hylians gave us," he replied. "They know you're up here so they gave us a few things we could give you. Take two for now and save the rest for later." He handed Link a cup of water and Link took two pills. The water was cold and soothing. It felt great against his parched throat. He then tested his pain, as he slowly raised his arms in the air. A dull pain flared up on his right side and his right arm stung a bit, but it was bearable. He looked at Danek.
"Do you think it's wise if I continue or do you think I should rest some more?" He wanted to asked someone who was a doctor of sorts. Danek stroked his chin.
"Do you feel up to it?" Danek asked. Link thought for a moment before he nodded. "Then you should continue. But do stay safe."
Link got to his feet, stretching his sore and stiff muscles. "Thanks, I will." He found his white shirt and slipped it on with little pain. Then he managed to get his chainmail over his hair and made sure it was straight.
"Brother Link," a voice called out. Link turned and saw Link-goro standing there with a new heat resistant tunic for Link. "Here, the gorons want to present this to you." Link smiled, as he took the new tunic. "The old one was too torn up and badly burned. Please be safe."
"Thanks, I will," Link replied, as he pulled it over his head. He let out a small laugh, as he tied his belt around the tunic. It was a perfect fit. "There we go." He looked at Navi, who was sleeping on the red floppy cap. He walked over and gently touched her. "Navi." The little fairy let out a small yawn, before she opened her eyes.
She let out a small gasp, before she flew and hugged Link's nose. "Oh Link, you are alright." Link, along with Danek and Link-goro ended up laughing. Link placed a finger on her back and gently pressed her against his nose in regards to a hug. Then he released her and she flew in front of his face. He picked up his red floppy cap and placed it over his golden blond strands.
"Are you ready, Navi?" Link asked. "We need to finish." The fairy nodded and then Link nodded to the gorons, as he left the room. She zipped under his hat, nestling against his blond strands.
Link-goro looked at Danek. "Do you think Brother Link will be okay?" Danek nodded, a smile on his face.
x~X~x
Link narrowed his blue eyes once they re-entered the Fire Temple once again. It seemed slightly different this time. Much more sinister and much more evil. He noticed the pillars on either side of the staircase and an idea popped in his mind. He turned to Navi and sighed softly.
"Left or right?' He asked, looking back and forth.
"One side most likely ends to a dead end," Navi suggested. "Go to the right side and try it." Link only nodded, as he managed to get to the right side. With extreme difficulty, he removed the Megaton Hammer from his pouch. He raised above his head and with a hearty yell, he smacked it in the pillar blocks. He continued to move them away and until it revealed a door with a lock on it.
Link looked into his pocket and retrieved a small key. He used it and it unlocked the door. The first thing he saw was two fire keese and a torch slug. He could hear others in the room, but he purposely stayed near the door. A fire keese came out Link almost burning him. He unsheathed his sword and swung it out the keese. It let out a shriek and disappeared into nothingness. It drew the attention of the two other fire keese in the room. They both went at Link from opposite directions and then Link let out a yell, performing a spin attack.
"Good," Navi whispered into his ear. "There are four slugs around the corner. If you go near them, they might jump at you. As long as you have your shield out, they can't hurt you." Link nodded, as he held his shield in his right arm and held the sword tighter in his left hand. Link came around the corner and he attacked the four torch slugs one at a time. The final one tried to jump over Link's shield, which didn't work, as Link hacked at it with his master sword, ending it's life. Then suddenly the door in the corner raised it bars, allowing Link to proceed.
Link entered the room and immediately tiles came flying at him once again. He was ready with his shield this time. He also saw the Like-like, but it wasn't attacking him, since he was quite a distance from him. He guessed since he wasn't near it, it didn't feel threatened.
"Let it think that," Link muttered, as he retrieved his bow and arrows. He took aim, closing his right eye in the process and let an arrow fly. Once it made contact, it made a strange sound. Link quickly withdrew another arrow and let it fly. It made the strange sound again, as it evaporated into thin air, leaving behind a red rupee. He picked it up and put it in his wallet.
"You seem ready," Navi spoke up, smiling at Link.
He returned her smile. "You think so? Well I feel much more alert." He pointed to the door on their left. "Let's go." He opened the door and immediately it was barred up. Then he heard that undeniable sound of the flare-dancer. Link swallowed, as he took a deep breath.
The flare-dancer appeared and it was orange. It started spinning, as Link removed his hookshot. He latched onto the head and pulled it from it spinning body. Once again, when it landed it grew legs. Link was well prepared this time, as he ran the opposite direction and managed to hack and slash at it a few times before it jumped into the flames.
The battle ended within two minutes and he managed to roll away before it exploded. It missed him and Link breathed a sigh of relief. "You did it," Navi commented, smiling at the young hero. Link nodded, placing the sword back in it sheath. Then he also put the shield on his back, entering the final room. He noticed the boss key inside a cell with the last Goron. The switched looked rusted, so Link removed the hammer from his pouch and pounded the megaton hammer against it. Both sides of the cell opened and the goron got to his feet.
"Are you releasing me?" The goron asked. Link smiled and nodded softly. "Oh, I see Big Brother Darunia asked you to rescue me. I owe you big time! Please help big brother!" The goron turned to leave. Link opened the chest and then removed the boss key.
"Onto the dragon named Volvagia?" Link asked, looking at Navi. She nodded to Link, who took a deep breath. "Let's do this." Link then began to head towards the room that was known as the bosses Lair.
x~X~x
Rinku was starting to feel like he was in a horrible dream. For a moment he was starting to believe that, but when he opened his eyes that terrible desert man would be there, taunting him and laughing that evil and horrible sound. Rinku took in a deep breath, while his eyes looked over his body. He had a feeling it was connected to Link. Maybe Link was hurt and they made him feel it. That was the only explanation he could think of. It was the only conclusion that made sense. He knew that meant Link was in the Fire Temple. A quirky smile cross his features. He knew Link was continuing and the faster he got it done, the sooner he could stop Ganondorf.
"And your smiling because?" Ganondorf inquired, entering the room. Rinku's smile faded, when he saw the horrible monster in front of him. "Aww, you didn't have to stop. You seemed to be happy. Thinking of that pathetic, little hero?" Ganondorf leaned down until he was face to face with Rinku. "Link will not save you! He doesn't want to save you!" Rinku could feel a strange power engulf him, as he gasped. He couldn't stop staring into those evil eyes.
'Rinku, look away,' he yelled inside his mind. He didn't want this to happen, but he didn't know what he could do. It seemed as though Ganondorf was growing quite impatient and he needed Rinku to be his. The teen felt his eyelids grow heavy. 'No, don't fall asleep...' He could no longer keep his eyes open, as darkness engulfed him. Rinku's body collapsed forward and he hung from the chains that were around his wrists.
Ganondorf grinned evilly, before he clapped his hands. A man in the shadows stirred and took a few steps forward. "Master." The voice matched Rinku's perfectly, except it held a sense of malice and was slightly deeper.
"Dark Rinku," Ganondorf began. "I think you know what you must do with him." He pointed over to the unconscious Rinku. Dark Rinku laughed and nodded. Dark Rinku walked up to Rinku, placing his hand over his chest. The unconscious teen flinched back unknowingly from the touch. Dark Rinku pressed his hand against Rinku's heart, who woke from the pain.
Dark Rinku pressed himself farther against Rinku, merging his soul into Rinku, who screamed in pain. His head was pounding, causing a massive migraine, and his stomach constricted. His insides burned and twisted until he lurched forward. He vomited the blue substance on the floor mingled with crimson, his blood. Rinku felt as though he was dying. He could have been, that was all he was able to register through this horrifying experience. Dark Rinku was taking over, he could feel the evil shutting out his consciousness. His sight was blurry, he felt heavy, weak, and exhausted. He closed his eyes, tears pricking at the corners. The last thing he envisioned was Zeruda's beauty and presence. The smile on her lips pierced through the darkness and he could still hear her beautiful voice: "I said I love you, Rinku."
x~X~x
Zeruda felt her heart constrict painfully, as she let out a soft gasp. 'What on earth was that?'
"Are you alright?" Sheik asked, when she heard her gasp. Zeruda was speechless, not able to answer herself. "Princess Zeruda, are you alright?"
"Ye-yes I am," her voice was unsure. She knew something had happened and she only got that way when it involved Rinku. "Rinku...I-I think something happened to him, I just know it."
Sheik raised a brow, looking in the direction of Hyrule Castle. "Are you sure it was Rinku?"
Zeruda let out an audible sigh. "It had to be him. I am not connected to anyone here, but him."
Sheik let out a soft chuckle. "Not entirely true. In a sense, you are my granddaughter." Zeruda knew how true that was, but she didn't say anything. "If you want, we could go check it out."
"No," Zeruda said. Sheik raised a brow. "We promised Link after the Water Temple, so let's stick to that." Sheik nodded, looking towards Death Mountain.
"I think he is about to face the dragon" Sheik whispered. "The atmosphere on the mountain had reached it's boiling point. If he fails, Kakariko Village and Goron City will cease to exist."
Zeruda thought about what Sheik said. "Wait, you don't mean it will erupt, do you?" Sheik only nodded, keeping her eyes on the mountain. She hoped that in her heart that Link would succeed.
x~X~x
Link stood outside the door and let out a deep sigh. "Here goes nothing." He inserted the boss key and the locked and chained from from the door. It opened and he stepped in. He was on top of a platform, saw a stone block, and then another area that looked like an arena with 9 holes. "I suppose that's where we stand?" Navi only nodded. Link ran and jumped onto the stone block. Then he jumped onto the arena looking.
Suddenly, the ground shook and the stone block began to sink into the lava that surrounded Link. "Oh no," Navi whispered. Fire began to erupt from the middle followed by a loud shriek, as an enormous red dragon came out of the ground. "Subterranean Lava Dragon Volvagia," Navi informed Link. The dragon blew fire from it's mouth, causing Link's eyes to widen. "The dragon's weakness is it's head. Smack against it with the hammer, Link." He nodded, watching the dragon retreat into one of the holes.
Fire began to erupt from one of the holes, as Link ran towards it. "Look," Navi shouted, while Link retrieved the hammer. The dragon popped up and it tried to swipe Link with it's head, as he jumped attacked with a yell. The dragon let out a whine, as Link jumped into the air once again with the hammer. He struck her head with a loud thud. Volvagia sunk into the hole, as fire erupted from another hole. "Try to shoot it's head with the bow and arrow." She flew into the air, around the young blond hero. Link removed his bow and arrow and took aim for Volvagia's head. The ground began to tremble, as three arrows missed. His closed his right eye, tongue between his teeth, as he focused his aim at her. He then let the arrow fly and it hit the dragon in the left eye. She let out a shriek before she retreated into one of the holes.
"You're doing good so far," Navi whispered. Link pulled the tunic from his body, taking a deep breath.
"It's so hot," Link whispered to Navi, who only nodded. "I-I could use water, but got no time for that."
Volvagia came up for the hole, but she didn't attack Link. He watched her, as she flew towards the ceiling. The ground starting to shake, as boulders from the ceiling came crashing down on to the platform. Link gritted his teeth, as he struggled slightly to keep his balance. He then watched while Volvagia retreated into a hole with boulders pounding around it, like it was protecting her. Link watch as three holes lit up with fire. The one behind him was where she came up from. Volvagia swiped at him, burning his left side.
Link let out a small cry of pain, as he got to his elbows. His eyes widen when he saw Volvagia opened her mouth. He grunted, rolling out of the way, as fire blew from her mouth. It missed him by mere inches. He got to his feet, as she retreated into the hole. Link withdrew the megaton hammer and watched very carefully.
Volvagia came from a hole on Link's right side. He turned to face her, took aim, let out a hearty yell, and pounded against her head as hard as he could with the hammer. While she was slightly stunned, he once again took aim, hoping it was for the final time. She shrieked, retreating into the hole. Then suddenly she was up the middle hole, in the middle of the air, letting out shrieks as she was burned from her tail to her head. Her skull fell in front of Link, then disappeared into a blue mist.
"You did it," Navi smiled at the young hero. Link smiled back, putting the hammer back into his pouch. He noticed the blue crystal and let it engulf him.
x~X~x
Sheik and Zeruda both watched from the top of Impa's house in Kakariko Village, a mighty blast sounded throughout the village. Then they watched as the evil around Death Mountain dispelled. Sheik smiled happily. "He did it. Link saved the Gorons and the village without realizing it."
"I'm so glad for that," Zeruda said, sounding quite relieved. "Now what's next?"
"Water Temple," Sheik whispered, as she headed for the inside of Impa's. "But it's the Ice Cavern is first. I need to speak to Impa before that."
x~X~x
The blue crystal took Link to the Sacred Realm, where he stood before the Fire Symbol. A light appeared and Darunia came up. Link's eyes widen when he saw the big goron. "Darunia!"
The Goron have Link a huge smile. "Thank you, Brother. I really appreciate what you did. I thank you on behalf of the entire Goron race! You turned out to be a real man, just as I thought you would!" Link chuckled softly as he scratched the back of his head, sheepishly. "By the way, I, the wild Darunia, turned out to be the great Sage of Fire..Isn't that funny, Brother?"
Link nodded. "So you aren't going back then?"
Darunia shook his head. "Well, this must be what they call destiny. Nothing has made me happier than helping you seal the evil here! Hey, brother, take this! This is the medallion that contains the power of the fire spirits - and my friendship." Link raised his head and saw a ruby red medallion coming at him. He raised his hands and it landed softly. It was a bit warm, probably to indicate and represent the Fire Temple." The Sacred Realm faded and Link heard Darunia's last words in his mind. "Don't forget...Now you and I are true brothers!"
Link smiled, as he landed on the Triforce platform in front of the entrance to the Fire Temple. He let out a small sigh and realized he had to tell Link-goro and the other Gorons that Darunia wasn't coming back. He let out a small sigh, before he began to make his way to Goron City. He let out a hiss of pain, looking at his left side. Volvagia got him good, as he pressed his left hand over the wound. He grimaced, but kept his hand over it. He retrieved a roll of bandages, that he didn't realize was in his pouch. Danek or Link-goro probably put it in there when he wasn't looking. He leaned against a rock, as he unraveled some and then tied it around his abdominal section. He winced, as he tied it and put the rest away.
"Okay, I stopped the bleeding for now," he informed Navi, who was watching him quietly.
"That's good," she chirped. She landed on Link's shoulders, as he continued to make his way towards Goron City. He cleared the gap and made his way inside. He entered Darunia's and took in a deep breath, happy to leave the heat of the volcano. When he left Darunia's room, he was embraced gently by Link-goro.
"The hero is back," he exclaimed, as the other gorons smiled at him. "So where is my dad?"
Link let out a soft sigh, as he looked at the young goron. "He isn't coming home, Link." The goron let out a small gasp. "The reason is because he is helping me save Hyrule and he was the Sage of Fire."
Link-goro looked so crestfallen that Link felt really bad. After a few silent minutes, Link-goro raised his tear filled eyes up at Link. "So, he is helping you and others save Hyrule?" Link nodded softly. The goron cheered up a bit. "Then I won't be sad, knowing he is still helping you. I am proud to be his son!" Link smiled and patted Link-goro's shoulder.
"I'm sure wherever Darunia is, he is proud of you," Link assured the young goron. Link-goro smiled and nodded. Link waved his goodbye, as he left Goron City.
"I think he took it well," Navi commented, as the two of them descended down Death Mountain.
"Yeah he did," Link replied, carefully avoiding the boulders that rolled close to him. "I am glad he wasn't too sad. I now know that Saria is doing the same and I won't be sad about her being gone either. I'll miss her sure, but I know she is helping me save Hyrule." Link didn't ponder on it long. He entered Kakariko Village and let out a small sigh. All he knew was he had one more temple to go before he could try and save Rinku, but what then? Link had a bad feeling, he was going to find out the hard way.
He then made his way to Hyrule Field, realizing it was drawing towards the evening hours. He took his time, walking along the water that was coming from Zora's Domain. He stopped, thinking about it, noting how cold the water was. 'Perhaps I should eat first, rest, and then check it out in the morning.'
Before he got anything out, a dark shadow appeared behind him. "Hello there, hero."
Author's Note: I have to say I actually love Volvagia and the battle. Next chapter will involve the Ice Cavern. Thanks and again, if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask.