Link and Sheik sat down, side by side, around the circular table in the meeting hall. Impa was sitting on the opposite side of the table and had her arms folded, her eyes flickering dully as she waited for the meeting to start. A Rito clad in armor stood behind his chair, and Link recognized him as the Rito who had let them into the village. Girotiho was sitting on Sheik's right, and four other Rito, whom Link assumed were council members, sat around the table. Only one seat was empty…the Chief's seat.
Girotiho cleared his throat, and all eyes turned toward him.
"As we all know, the Chief has been captured by the Moblins, and we have few alternatives to respond to this situation."
"The answer is obvious," the guard said, "We need to send a task force to rescue the Chief. The Moblins aren't goin’ to ‘and him over, and I won’t stand for abandonin’ the Chief."
"Hito, sit down," Girotiho said. "No one is saying that we should abandon the Chief, and we need to take a vote before we do anything rash."
"So, a vote?" one of the council members asked.
"Well, yes," Girotiho answered. "Those for sending an attack force to rescue the chief…"
All members of the meeting raised their hands, including Girotiho.
"That settles it then. But who should we send on this mission?" Girotiho asked.
"I say we send everything we ‘ave," Hito said.
"No," Link said, shaking his head. "What if the Moblins attack again? Who will defend the village?"
"You three defended it fine last time, so I say you can do it again."
"We had help from your soldiers.” Sheik paused. “We are going with you."
"Most certainly not. We can’t except outsiders into our army, and how will you get there? You don't have wings to fly."
"We can walk," Sheik said.
"No, no. You would slow us down too much."
"Why do you even need to fly?" Link asked.
"The Goron caverns lay between us and the Moblins."
"So?"
"The Rito and the Gorons have never been on good terms with each other," Impa said.
Girotiho nodded.
"The Gorons would never let a whole force of armed Rito into their Caverns. We are already at war with the Moblins; we don't need the Gorons against us too."
"Then we can walk through the caverns, and you can fly over and await us on the other side."
"It isn't a bad idea," Girotiho said.
"It would give your soldiers time to rest after the long flight."
"It could work," Hito said.
"So it's settled?" Link asked, and Hito nodded.
"I'll let you come along, but I'll send you packin’ if you cause us any trouble."
"Alright, when do you leave?" one of the council members asked.
"Tomorrow mornin’?" Hito asked, and Link, Impa, and Sheik nodded.
"It's settled then," Girotiho said. "I'd get packing if I were you!"
***
Link straightened the black scarf on his neck and let it hang over the buttons of his dark gray tunic. He smiled into his mirror and nodded in approval at his appearance; he had let his straw hair remain tousled, but he had made sure his scarf and tunic were perfect. He was wearing his leather boots, which went well with his tunic; the muddy brown melding together with the darks created a mystifying look about him. His tousled hair, though, gave him a friendly appearance.
“Fantastic,” Link said to himself. He walked out his door, blowing out the candle on his coffee table on his way. And using a handy spell, he caused all the other lights to distinguish, leaving the house dark.
He walked through the streets with ease. He hadn’t bothered to bring his knife, the only weapon he was permitted to carry. It gave him a dangerous and unfriendly look, which spoiled the impression his hair set.
He found the small café he and Lana had agreed on—Piper’s Piping Hot Pastries. It was Arnold’s other bakery, which also served as a café. His sister enjoyed the cooking aspect of the culinary arts more than baking, so she partnered with him and opened a café, which served freshly-baked pastries sent over from Arnolds bakery. That way she could focus her cooks on beverages and lunches. They both enjoyed the work and loved seeing Link when he came in to eat at one of the two places.
He walked into the café, a small bell tinkling above his head. He saw Lana sitting in a booth to his left and walked over to her. She had turned her head at the sound of the bell, and she smiled at Link—he took this as a good sign; it showed that she had warmly anticipated his arrival.
“Hi...Lieutenant.”
Link smiled. “Don’t call me Lieutenant. Please. It’s Link.” He sat down, holding two fingers up, and a waitress hurried over to their table with two sets of silverware in hand.
“Hello,” she said cheerily, “Do you two know what you will be having?”
Link looked over at Lana, and they both nodded.
“Two cups of hot cocoa, light on the cream,” the two said and laughed at their identical orders.
“Very well,” the waitress said, chuckling as she walked away.
After a couple of seconds Link asked, “So what’s your story?”
“My…life story?” Lana asked, and he nodded. She sat for a second then started, “I grew up in Kakiriko village, south of Castletown. You know of it?” Link nodded. “So I spent most of my time with my mother at her apothecary, and I was very talented with the trait, so when I was of age, I moved to Castletown and bought a building that was being advertised at Kakiriko. My mother had considered buying it but decided against it when I told her my plans. She gave me a healthy supply of herbs and such things to help me start out while I was figuring things out on my own and trying to find a supplier. My mother grew her own things, and I followed suit, but I rely on other businesses occasionally for some things.”
“I had a twin sister growing up, but we didn’t get along toward our coming of age; I haven’t seen her since we were eighteen.” Link sighed and grimaced. “I never had any sort of childhood sweetheart at Kakiriko,” and Link turned his head in astonishment. “My father, bless his resting soul, forbade me from courting until I was of age. Silly, but most fathers send their daughters off and have them courted prior to age, and as soon as they come of it, they marry. Not my father, though. I haven’t had much time to court. My apothecary is struggling; I need people to work for me so I can have a day off.”
Link took this in. “Wow,” he said softly, and was about to launch into his tale when the waitress came, two cups of hot cocoa in hand.
“There you go,” she said, “Are you eating tonight?” She asked, and they both nodded. They gave their order, and chatted on for a while longer, sipping hot cocoa as they waited for their meal.
***
The Trio of Heroes walked silently through the violent wind. The Rito warriors planned to leave a day-and-a-half after the Trio to give them time to walk, and, if the Rito were right, sort out any issues with the Gorons.
Link wasn’t enjoying the wind, no one was, and to keep tufts of ripped-up grass from going in his mouth, he wrapped his scarf around his neck, covering his face tightly. They had been walking for two days, and according to the Rito, they should be arriving at the Goron Caverns soon, hopefully before noon. They would leave the plains and enter the mercifully still caves.
A rock formation came into view. “This is the entrance to the Goron Caverns!” Impa shouted, and followed through with a fit of coughing as she tried to spit out the grass that had entered her mouth.
They rushed to the entrance where they rested for a moment, the wind howling outside. “We should go,” Link said quickly, and they resumed walking. The cave descended about ten meters before it evened out, so they took care not to slip down the steep slope as they walked. The wind wasn’t roaring behind them anymore, and the one sound they could hear was their feet coming down on the warm rock.
They each lit a torch and walked for a hundred meters or so before the cave widened from it
s three-meter width to a booming dome-like cavern. There wasn’t an exit out of the cavern, they found, after a few minutes of searching.
“What now?” Link asked.
Impa shrugged. “I’m not sure, General,” she said, and simply sat down, folded her legs, and started meditating. Link turned his head in confusion at her actions and decided to take a break and eat while they figured something out.
Sheik and Link each pulled a sandwich out of their pouches. As always, Sheik walked to the far side of the cavern to eat. Link sighed and sat down, propping his back against the stone wall. He looked around the cavern, and something caught his eye; he stood and walked over to it. Shiek and Impa appeared to be oblivious to him, as both were now meditating. He looked closer at the object. It was a small sphere pushed into an indentation in the ground. He stepped on it. Nothing happened. He frowned and stepped on it again, putting more weight into it this time. Still nothing. He then tried jumping on it. It shifted; he was onto something. It took him a bit of time, but he eventually heard a click, a low thump, and a bit of whirring, and the ground shook.
Impa and Sheik vaulted to their feet and glared at Link. “What did you do?” Impa demanded.
Link put his hands up defensively. “I figured it out,” he said, and seconds later, the rumbling grew louder. The walls started to shake. Fragments of rock fell from the wall, and parts of the walls began to shrink back, leaving meter high gaps that were a meter-and-a-half deep. They looked at the gaps spiraling up from the ground, wrapping all around the room, and disappearing into an exit in the ceiling.
“They must be for the Gorons to roll up,” Impa said, and Link nodded in agreement. Sheik leaned over and began to walk up the path. Link and Impa followed. They found themselves in a large corridor, and a big sphere rested in the wall to Link’s right. He pushed it hard with his hand, and it sunk into its indentation. The path disappeared, and the cavern returned to normal.
They walked down the corridor until they reached a stone door. Link opened it, and they found themselves in a cavern ten times the size of the one they had been in before. It had different levels, the Trio being on the top level. Gorons were milling about, some rolling. Torches lit the lower half of the cavern while the top of the cavern opened up to the sky, letting the afternoon light in. The wind must have howled far above them, but it was pleasant in this cavern.
They started to walk down a path, not knowing where they were going, when two Gorons rolled up to them and sprung up, pulling a defensive stance as they did.
“What business do you have here, intruders?” one of them said in a deep but friendly voice. “And how did you come through the secret passage?”
Impa stepped forward and unraveled the scroll permitting passage, signed by Zelda. She read it, and the Gorons instantly bowed. “Please forgive us General. We did not recognize you. Welcome to the Goron caves! We will lead you to our chief.” Link stepped back as they snapped up from their bow and began to walk, inviting The Trio to follow, smiling hugely as they did. They seemed friendly enough, Link decided, and returned the smile.
They walked through the cavern and arrived at the chief’s room. One of the Gorons put his hand on the door to the room and pushed it up, locking it into place above their heads.
The chief, Koro, was sitting on his throne, and he immediately perked up at the sight of Link. Impa had the letter ready, but the Chief hopped off his throne and ran to Link, sending tremors through the ground. He stopped a meter from Link and, to their surprise, bowed.
“You have returned!” the chief said in an ecstatic voice.
“Um, what?” Link asked, and the chief turned to the wall and pointed to the paintings that were caked on it. One of the paintings depicted a teenager in a green tunic wielding a blue-hilted sword fighting a demon-like figure. A Triforce hung above the two figures, and Link recognized it as a depiction of the chosen hero fighting Demise. He turned to the chief.
“You are the chosen Hero, right?” The chief said, and Link nodded. The chief smiled, and turned to the two Gorons who had escorted them to the Chief. “Escort the travelers to a spring,” the chief said, “and have a feast prepared. We shall celebrate the return of the chosen Hero!”
The two Gorons turned, but Impa intervened, “Hang on, chief? We apologize, but we cannot stay long, we must depart within the hour. We are on a mission.”
“Very well,” he said, and turned to the two Gorons. “Never mind. Go back to your post.” The two Gorons shrugged and walked away.
“So,” the chief said, “if you don’t mind, could you possibly tell me about this mission of yours? And have a seat.” He waved to a set of cushioned chairs to the side of the room, which the Trio promptly pulled out, while the chief sat in his throne.
Impa spoke up when they sat down. “We are travelling north to the Moblin fortress. The Rito chief has been captured, and the Rito tribe promised us compensation for our efforts.”
The chief frowned. “The Rito will not keep their promise to you. The Goron tribe is trustworthy, so to ensure you do get something out of this quest, I will reward you, though not out of pure charity.”
The Trio was all too confused.
“You see,” the chief said, “the Moblins almost always leave us alone. But a fortnight ago, Biggoron, our blacksmith, went missing. He always sits in the middle of the cavern, forging or carving whatever he desires; he is quite childish. But he gets things done, so when one morning he wasn’t there, we were very confused until a scout of ours reported that Biggoron was walking to the Moblin fortress. The scout was careful not to be seen, but he heard Biggoron muttering something about stealing his knife. So we checked his forge, and sure enough, the “knife” he was working on—which is a sword to you and me, as Biggoron is quite huge—was missing.”
“And you think the Moblins took it?” Link asked, “and that they lured Biggoron back to their fortress?”
“Exactly,” the chief said, a grimace on his face.
“So,” Impa said, “what would we get in return for bringing Biggoron and his knife back?”
“Biggoron will decide that. I’m sure one of you needs a weapon, and he can forge a powerful one for you.”
“We’ll do what we can to bring him back, Chief,” Link said, a determined look on his face.
“Thank you, Hero. What may I call you?”
“My name is Link.”
“It’s good to have you back, Link. We need a hero at this time, and the gods have sent us one. Now,” he said, clapping his hands together, “you need to be going if you wish to be departed by the end of the hour. So is there is any immediate assistance we can provide?”
“Just directions out of the cavern,” Impa said, and the chief nodded. He clapped his hands together again, and a Goron appeared in the doorway seconds later.
“Escort the Heroes to the canyon exit, would you?”
The heroes followed the Goron through the cavern’s winding paths until they arrived at a tunnel, which had an occasional torch lit on a wall. “This path will lead you to the canyon. Good luck with your travels, Heroes,” and the Goron bowed as the Trio walked down the tunnel.
Ch.10.
Link smiled as Lana laughed. She was adorable when she laughed; she always flashed her two tiny dimples brightly, which caused Link to smile even brighter. They were on their second date.
After their meal, they strolled on top of the outer wall, which was open to walk on during certain parts of the day. They would be forced to leave in half an hour or so, so Link was wary of his closing gate of time before his second precious date with Lana ended.
“So what is your goal?” Lana asked, somewhat randomly.
“What do you mean?” Link asked.
“Your goal in life, the biggest thing you want to have achieved before you die.”
“Oh, uh, well, I’d like to hold the position of a Hylian general at some point in my life, and I’d like to marry a beautiful woman who makes me happy. And I want to
have kids—a girl and boy—girl first, of course.”
“Why the girl first?”
“Well, if I’m a general and my firstborn is a boy, he must serve in the Hylian army; its tradition.”
“Don’t you want your son to honor his father by serving?”
“No, that is the last thing I want for him. After seeing hundreds of good men slaughtered in battle, I wouldn’t want my son to be endangered.”
“Oh, that makes sense…” she said, and they walked a ways before she spoke again. “Does it haunt you?”
Link turned his head. “Does it haunt me?”
“Yes…the soldiers you have seen die. And the people you have had to kill. It’d haunt me.”
“I don’t know why, but knowing that I’m protecting my kingdom and my future family from harm…It keeps me sane.”
“You really want the best for your family, whoever they may be.”
“Yes, I…I do.”
She smiled at him, and for a brief second he saw something flash in her eyes: a thought, a wish… He looked at her. She was stunningly cute in her outfit, and the way the moonlight lit her up…
He smiled at her, and without thinking, leaned in and touched her lips with his, softly. He put his hands behind her head and waist, pulling her in closer, and she wrapped her arms around him.
He would never forget the first time he kissed her, and the courage it took.
***
They found the Rito soldiers waiting for them when they reached the tunnel’s exit. They found themselves in a sprawling canyon with a cliff behind them, blocking the wind.
“Were we too long?” Impa asked, and Hito shook his head.
“No, we needed the rest, flyin’ through the wind is terrible.”
“Do you need more time to rest?” Impa asked, “or are you and your soldiers ready to get moving?”
“We’re fine,” Hito said, and clapped his hands together, causing all the sitting Rito to snap to their feet.
“We leave in five,” Hito said to his soldiers, and the Rito put out their fire and stretched their legs and arms.
“So, ‘owd it go with the Gorons?” Hito asked.
“It went well.” Link answered, “They offered us a feast, and they didn’t harm us in any way, so…yeah…I’d say well.”