The Calm


Darunia stood at the entrance to Goron City, staring down at the layers of pathways spiraling down towards the center pit. Normally, at this time of day, his people would be out and about, doing their daily routines.

But now, the cavernous city stood empty and quiet, carefully carved stone marred by craters – signs of the disastrous fight. A certain tension filled the air as he stared down, quietly contemplating his situation. His once-proud people… now splintered and forced into hiding. A few hid in the deepest parts of the city, sheltering in fear of the heart of the Heart of the Mountain. But many, far too many awaited their doom within the temple.

And what was he doing?

Standing here indecisively, debating whether to try and free those who had been captured, or remain here and protect the remainder of his people.

"You can surrender, Darunia. Your life, for your people's. Surely, that's a fair exchange?"

Darunia swatted at the air, trying to drive away the memory of disaster, of defeat.

He refused to just give in, but he also couldn't stand idle while his people died.

Staring at the long-ago painted walls, his mind dwelling on what his proud warrior ancestors would have done, Darunia made a decision.


The two skull kids traveled late into the night, leaving the moon-bathed forest behind as wind buffeted the rolling fields beyond. But eventually, they had to stop and rest, unable to travel further without taking a moment to recover from the hectic day. They stopped at an old, crumbling wall not too long into the journey, — the moon still hung high in the sky by the time they stopped — and took a moment to relax and watch the clouds drift by in the sky, countless stars peeking out in between the puffy wisps.

Well, relaxing was relative. Skull Kid, at least, seemed at relative ease, anxious out in the open, but otherwise content. But Link was having a harder time, his mind drifting back to everything that had gone wrong, now that things had settled down and he had time to dwell on it.

The Master Sword weighed heavily on his back.

Skull Kid folded a few seeds into his hand at some point, insisting that he eat to recover his strength, to help restore his magical essence.

Only after much nagging did Link comply, downing them all at once.

At some point, Link drifted off into an uneasy sleep, though it did not last for long. Skull Kid, too, fell asleep at some point, his head lolling to the side to rest on Link's shoulder, eyes dim. Despite the soreness from being first struck with a dart, and then a knife in that arm recently, Link didn't try to adjust or push him away, trying to find some peace in his friend's company. While they rested, he took a moment to tie the broken ends of his bag's strap together. It wasn't ideal, but it would do until they could replace it.

He let Skully sleep there until dawn's light began to peek over the horizon, then gently shook Skully awake before standing up, offering his friend a hand.

They were off, traveling through the field in near silence. Every once in a while, Skull Kid would run ahead, his anxieties about leaving the forest replaced with wonder and childish glee at seeing a whole different world.

Link couldn't help but wonder if he'd been like that before, when he'd first struck out. If only he could ask Navi.

Eventually, they came across the stream that Link remembered crossing to get to Kakariko, and Death Mountain in turn. They paused at the water's edge for a few minutes, refreshing themselves with a drink before following the water downstream.

For some time, Link traveled with his gaze on the ground, thinking about everything that had happened at the Forest Temple. Thinking about what he had done there, and what it meant. Thinking about what had happened before, about the memories that were still hard to process and recall. Thinking-

"You okay?"

Two words. Those two words from Skully snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to look to his friend, but the other skull kid had paused, and was standing a few feet away. His hands were behind his head and he had tilted back slightly, as if trying to appear carefree, but his beak was twisted into a frown, giving away jut how worried he was.

Link opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly. He considered for a moment. "I'm… I'll be fine," he replied with a shake of his head. "I'm not okay but… I'll be okay." He paused and forced a toothy grin. "Don't worry so much, it's not like you."

Before Skully could say anything else or counter his statement, he turned and began to walk again at a brisk, forcing him to follow behind and catch up.

It was quiet.

Once again, they made a great effort to avoid the monsters that dotted the landscape, though Link couldn't help but wonder if they would welcome him with open arms if he were to approach.

He didn't test it out, though.

Soon, a dilapidated stone bridge came into view, signaling to Link that they were getting close. The bridge had not looked this bad before, but he still recognized it. By now, the sun was high in the sky, the clouds having been blown away. After a quick, but careful crossing, avoiding gaps where the foundation had crumbled away, the duo headed up the path.

Link thought back to the last time he had been to Kakariko. It had been night when he arrived then, and although he hadn't really been close to any of the villagers, he had found a friend in the form of Dampe. Or a friendly face, at least.

How much could it have changed in seven years?


Things had changed more than he expected, it turned out.

There was a noticeably different air about the town as they entered. Link couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched as they made their way through the village gate. Though, for the most part, the tiny little village looked the same, there was a different smell about the air. To his right, Link caught sight of a handful of burly men packing burlap bags of equipment, stopping to look at the two skull kids with cautious gazes, peeking glances at them as they walked closer and closer to the main part of town, whispering amongst themselves.

Two men stood at the base of a tree, exchanging jokes and laughing, despite their frail forms and baggy eyes. Until they spotted the skull kids, at least. Their laughter died down and one of them began to approach. The other grabbed his shoulder and shook his head, whispering something, and the first man turned to run off further into town. Skull Kid shot them a cautious, but unamused stare, and veered Link off to the left to give the tree a wide berth, his fingers digging into Link's shoulder — though Link was pretty sure Skull Kid did not realize how hard he was holding on. His friend pressed just a little bit closer, occasionally shooting glances over his shoulder or in the direction all the adults head headed.

There were more people out on the dirt paths than Link remembered, he realized as he made his way along the street. Some were just standing and chatting amongst themselves, while others sat out on blankets or mats, calling out to people as they passed by. But they all had at least one thing in common: that same weary disposition. And a wary look in their eye, as they saw the two skull kids walking through the village. Link hadn't been close to any of the villagers, but he was quite certain he'd never seen any of these people previously.

"There they are!"

Link paused, turning his head as he heard a voice call out to his side. The man that had run off was back now, hanging back as Link stared. In front of him stood an older, lightly armored woman, who stared back at Link with an unreadable gaze. Despite having only met her once before, Link could recognize her from his trip to the castle. It may have been seven years, but Impa looked just as spry as she had before.

She looked over Link for a moment, as if judging how much danger he posed, then looked at Skully with the same gaze. Skull Kid had stopped to stare back at her now, shooting back a distrustful glare.

The corner of Impa's lips twisted upwards. She muttered something to the man, waving him off with a more serious expression before turning back to approach the duo.

"It's been a while, Link," she began, crouching so that she was on eye level with him once she was close. "Seven years is a long time to go missing, don't you think?"

Link opened his mouth to say something in response, but she stopped him by bringing a finger up to his lips.

"Yes or no, are you here to see what's going on at Death Mountain?" she asked in a quiet, urgent voice.

After just a second of hesitation, Link nodded. Impa's mouth turned to smile again.

"Kakariko has gone through a lot of change in the past seven years. I think it best if I escort you through town." She stood back up. "Come along now, quickly."

She began to walk at a brisk pace, forcing Link and Skull Kid run to catch up. Once they had, she let them overtake her, guiding them along the path past more begging people. Voices died in their throat as the trio passed, eying the skull kids with concern.

Link had seen enough by now to know that they didn't trust him. It should have hurt, he thought, seeing so many people judging him at once. But in reality, he just felt tired.

After perhaps ten minutes, they reached the edge of town, leaving behind the judgmental humans. Only then did Impa begin to talk, speaking in a quiet voice. "You'll have to excuse the villagers. Many of them are refugees from Castle Town and would be hesitant of. Well. Let's just say that things are not well here in Kakariko. Things are starting to stabilize, but many people died of injury and disease over the last couple years."

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "But enough of our concerns. It's good to see you alive and well. When... Hyrule fell, Zelda worried that you had perished. And although things weren't ideal, she was glad to hear that you had not."

"Is Zelda okay?" Link asked. "Where is she?"

Impa hesitated. Link stared at her for a moment.

She knows.

His chest throbbed. He sucked in a sharp breath. His fingers twitched. The voice. The curse was still there, listening, reminding him of its presence even if it couldn't seize control. And there were some things it seemed more than happy to share, in hopes of disheartening him and weakening his resolve.

She knows what you are. She knows what you've done. She doesn't trust you.

His tense change in demeanor did not go unnoticed by Impa. Or Skull Kid for that matter, who put a hand on Link's shoulder, tensing.

"She's... safe," Impa finally answered. "I can't tell you where right now, so I hope you'll just trust me."

For just a second, Link wanted to lash out, to demand more answers, to question why he should trust her if she didn't trust him. But then he reminded himself that she had good reason not to trust him, and he relented, sagging.

"Okay," was the answer he gave.

Impa opened her mouth as if to say something more, but Skull Kid interrupted her. "Hey, why's it smell so funny here."

Impa stared at him for a moment before beginning to walk again. "Well, it's partially… Kakariko is still a bit... overcrowded at the moment. Most of the survivors from Castle Town, after Ganondorf's forces attacked, fled here. Some chose to move on, but those that didn't have tried to settle down here. But there's really not enough room to go around. Not enough resources when so much is under Ganondorf's control. And now with the supplies from the Gorons cut off..."

She trailed off, losing herself in her thoughts for a moment. But she refocused just as quickly. "Sorry. So, you're headed up to Death Mountain to find the sage, and hopefully find out what happened to the Gorons at the same time, correct?"

Link responded with a slow nod, earning another smile.

"Sheik already headed up there. I'm sure he'll have more information to give you when you get there."

"You... know him?" Skull Kid asked, finally breaking his silence.

"Of course," Impa replied with a nod. "We come from the same tribe of people."

They came to a stop at the base of the path up the mountain. "This is where I leave you," she announced, stepping to the side. "I have obligations I have to take care of down here, and you have a quest to take care of up there. I suggest you headfirst to Goron City before you look for the temple. Your friend will have to be outfitted with something more protective against the heat and flames than what he's wearing, and you should get that tunic of yours patched up as well, in case the damage affects how well its magic works."

Once again, Link nodded slowly, this time mumbling his thanks. Then he turned and began to make his way up the path, Skull Kid following just behind after one last cautious look at Impa.

With everything going on, Link thought they couldn't arrive at the Goron City soon enough.


As the duo made their way up the jagged mountain trail, some of Link's stress began to melt away at the prospect of visiting the friendly Gorons once again. Heavy clouds began to roll in while they traveled, and by the time they reached the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern, a light sprinkle of rain had started up.

Link picked up the pace, stomping through the dirt, hoping to reach the cavernous city before the path turned muddy.

He hadn't thought it odd when they passed not a single Goron on their way to the city, figuring it a result of the rain. After all, he'd only seen a couple the first time he came through here, hadn't he?

"So, what are these Gorons like?" Skull Kid asked him as they walked by a stick marking the path up towards the fairy fountain.

"Oh, hm..." Link took a moment to pause, thinking back. "They, well... they like music. And dancing. They're really nice. And strong... but really, um... prideful too. They don't like accepting help."

"So, they're like that here, t-" Skull Kid cut off. "Oh, don't worry. I was just thinking out loud, is all. That's pretty neat."

They fell silent again. Link glanced at Skull Kid every few seconds, questions forming in his head. Skully always seemed like he knew more than he let on, but like he was afraid to explain why. Why was that? Saria's knowledge came from the Deku Tree. But Skull Kid didn't have that luxury. So, what was his deal?

And then a thought occurred to him. A thought that he had before, couldn't hold in any longer.

"Skully..."

"Hm?"

He took a deep breath. "Have you... been outside the forest before?"

Link wasn't sure what he expected, but he hadn't expected Skully to stop in his tracks. He took a few steps further before he realized that the skull kid had stopped. He stopped, too, and turned around. Skull Kid's head was tilted downwards, and his hands had been balled into fists.

"...I have... a long time ago..." His voice came out barely louder than a whisper.

"Is that how you know about things like Gorons and stuff?"

Skull Kid responded by shifting on his feet slightly and nodding.

"What was it like, when you left?"

Skull Kid tilted his head back up. "Can... can we talk about this some other time? I promise I'll tell you some day but... not today. I'm not ready to talk about it."

Link started to open his mouth to say something more but decided not to press the matter and shut it again, responding with a nod. He instead turned and began to walk in silence, Skull Kid following a few steps behind.


Soon, the entrance to Goron City Loomed in front of them, a rocky overhang blotting out the sky as they approached. Link felt like he should be excited, getting to see the friendly Gorons again. But something felt... off. Like something was missing. As he dwelled on this uncomfortable feeling, he began to piece together what the problem was. For one thing, it was quiet. Even if they were still right outside the city, he felt like they should have heard something from the normal hustle and bustle. Screams of laughter and joy, music, idle chatter, anything.

But instead, an eerie silence permeated the area, save for a distant roll of thunder.

He hesitated at the huge cave entrance, staring down into the dimly lit pathway inside. Suddenly, he remembered one of the things Sheik had said. He said they hadn't heard from the Gorons in nearly a month. He wasn't sure how long a month was, but he was clued in enough to work out that it was a concerning amount of time, based on Sheik's tone.

For just a second, he glanced back to Skully, but his friend didn't seem nearly as worried. To be fair, he hadn't been here before - or at least not in a long time, if his story about leaving the forest was true. So maybe he had nothing to worry about either?

Unfortunately, he became less and less certain as they headed inside.

There wasn't a single Goron in sight, and no sounds of any living being. To make matters worse, the city clearly showed signs of struggle. As they slowly made their way down the steps towards the bottom of the chamber, they passed by craters, drag marks, gouges and gashes in the wall, and ashen scorch marks, as well as the occasional decomposing form of a lizalfos.

Something terrible happened here.

By the time they reached the bottom, they'd yet to come across a single living soul. Disturbed, Link made a beeline towards Darunia's chambers, only to find the entrance sealed tightly shut, just as it had been the last time Link had come.

"Well, now what?" Skull Kid grumbled, kicking the door.

Link tried thinking back to his last visit. "Well… let me try something." He reached into his bag and, after a second of hesitance, pulled out the Ocarina of Time. This had worked last time, so surely it was worth a try again, right?

Without even warming up, he jumped right into Zelda's Lullaby, having memorized it well enough by now that he could repeat it effortlessly. He played through it not once, not twice, but three times with a small pause after each one to see if anything would change. But the door never opened. Goron City truly seemed to be abandoned.

Frustrated, he stashed the ocarina away again and spun, halfheartedly kicking a pebble while he tried to think. If the Gorons weren't here, how was he supposed to figure out where to go next?

He looked back up, letting out a sigh, and turned his attention towards the stairs back up.

And just happened to catch a glimpse of a figure staring from the stairway. They froze as he locked eyes with them, let out a choking, panicked noise, and turned to run away, stumbling up the stairs.

"Wait!" Link called out, beginning to give chase. The stranger did not wait; as he reached the steps, he could hear them let out a swear as they tripped up the stairs above him.

"Hey, come on!" he heard Skull Kid call out above him. He must have warped up in hopes of cutting the fleeing figure off.

It gave Link just enough time to catch up.

Surrounded, the stranger - which Link could now see was a rather small Goron - dropped and curled into a ball and cried out, "No! Don't eat me please! I don't taste good!"

"Eat you?" Skull Kid repeated. "Ew. No way! We only eat sensible things like nuts and berries and insects!"

That caused the Goron to take pause. When no one made a move to attack him, he hesitantly began to uncurl and got a better look at the two strangers. He spent a particularly long time staring at Link, squinting in the dim lighting until suddenly his face lit up.

"Hey, wait a minute! I know who you are! You're Link, the Dodongo Slayer!"

Link and Skull Kid exchanged a quick look, Skully silently asking the question of what that was all about. Link opened his mouth to say something, but the Goron kept talking before he had a chance to.

"Oh, this is so cool, I finally get to meet you! And you look just like all the stories my dad told me. Oh! I didn't even introduce myself. My name is Link, too! My dad, Darunia, named me after you! I should get your autograph. I know! you could sign the rocks on my back! 'To Link, my biggest fan. From Link, the Dodongo Slayer!' Yeah, that would look so cool!"

Link tried to interrupt to point out that he didn't even know how to read, let alone write, but there was no stopping the excited Goron once he started.

"Dad's gonna be so excited to see you when he gets back. Come on, I should take you to where everyone is hiding. That's where he'd come to. Unless... Oh! Are you here to help us again, Dodongo Slayer Link?"

Finally, the Goron Link quit talking, instead expectantly looking at the skull kid Link. He stared back for just a moment, trying to figure out how to form his thought. "I… am... I think? I only just got here. I don't even know what's going on. Where is everyone?"

For just a fraction of a second, the Goron faltered. But it didn't last for long. "Oh, you probably haven't heard what happened yet, then. Come on, I'll take you to where everyone else is, follow me!" Without waiting for an answer, the Goron Link curled back into a ball and began to roll off, Leaving Skull Kid and the other Link to follow.

They made their way back around the circular path, heading to the far side of the chamber. Here, the Goron paused at a small indentation in the wall, tapping on it in a particular rhythm. There was a moment of silence, and then, to the two forest spirit's surprise, the rock seemed to split, opening up into a small chamber. A single Goron greeted them on the other side, eying the trio over before allowing them in, pushing a rock behind them to cover the entrance.

This Goron, too, seemed to recognize Link, but only greeted him with a curt nod before crossing to a second boulder. This one was also rolled aside, revealing a slightly larger, warmly lit chamber.

Inside Link counted perhaps a dozen Gorons, far less than what he'd seen the last time he was here. A few woven mats had been scattered about the room, giving them a place to rest, and luminous stones gave the room just enough light for everyone to see, casting the room in a pale-blue glow.

"Well, this is it," Goron Link announced with a gesture. "Welcome to our... dad calls it our refuge. These are the last of the free Gorons."

Skull kid Link tilted his head. This was so few... "What happened?"

"Ganondorf happened," one of the other Gorons growled sullenly. "He... did something to the Heart of the Mountain. Woke him. Enlisted his help, as well as the monsters lying deep below."

"Woah, woah. Slow down," Skully said, holding his hands up. "You can't just jump right into that. What's 'The Heart of the Mountain?'"

"A powerful dragon spirit that had laid dormant for centuries," another Goron answered. "Or at least, that's what the legends say."

"Bah! Legends!" another spat. "Forget Legends. You saw that thing with your own two eyes! That dragon led the charge, brought the monsters right into the heart of the city!"

"We should have driven the lizalfols out before they had a chance to organize like this," another Goron said. "Especially after what happened in Dodongo's Cavern!"

Link, listening to all this talk of monsters, shifted uncomfortably but said nothing.

"Darunia managed to get a few of us that aren't fighters hidden away. But most of our people were captured, and Darunia himself only barely managed to escape with his life!"

"Not that it matters. The dragon came back a few days later and issued an ultimatum. He has until the next full moon to turn himself over. If he does, our people will go free, and only his life will be forfeit. But if he doesn't, the dragon said he'd... h-he'd." The Goron's eyes went wide, and he fell silent, too horrified to finish his sentence.

Another finished the sentence for him. "He said that he would begin eating our captured brothers. He plans to make an example of us, show the rest of the peoples of Hyrule what happens when you try to cross Ganondorf.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, leaving the thought hanging in the air.

Link broke the silence eventually. "So... what did Darunia do?"

"He's been hard at work trying to figure a way to save everyone. He left yesterday, saying he had a plan. He didn't tell us what it was, though."

"And how long does he have to decide?" Skull Kid asked.

"Tomorrow night is the full moon."

An uneasy silence filled the room as the remaining Gorons shared uneasy glances with each other. Finally, Goron Link broke the silence. "If Dad doesn't figure things out soon..."

Whatever else he was going to say, he didn't get a chance to. There was a loud crash from outside, a blast strong enough to make the room shake, bits of loose stone and dirt cascading from the ceiling above them. The Goron's fell silent, instinctually curling up into balls, while the two forest spirits covered their ears.

When nothing else bad happened right away, one Goron gave the others an uneasy look. "I'm going to check out what happened. Everyone else stay here and stay silent."

Skull kid Link immediately stepped forward. "I'll go with you."

The Goron stared at him for a few seconds but relented. "Fine. Just stay close, brother."

Brother. That one word managed to put a bit of happy warmth in Link's chest. Bring a little bit of brightness back to his mood. But he said nothing, and only stepped forward. One of the Gorons rolled the boulder away so that they could pass through, then pushed it shut again, but not before Skully scurried out after the two. Now in the outer room, they pushed the secret alcove entrance open as quietly and carefully as possible.

Although the lighting was dim, as the trio approached the edge of the path, they could make out a humanoid form at the bottom of the chamber, metallic armor glinting in the low light. Around him, a crater far too big for his stature had formed, with no indication as to how.

Suddenly, the man's head snapped up. Link could tell that he was staring right at the three of them. He stared for a few seconds longer, then turned his head and began to bellow at the top of his lungs.

"Darunia! Show yourself, you coward! The moon will soon be full! Come out and face me, or else prepare for your people's demise!"