Legend of Zelda: Deluge November Part 3

      Someone was grabbing Link by the shoulders, shaking him. Mumbling incoherently, he opened one eye. Auru was sitting beside him, looking tired and peevish. It was before dawn, and the sky was a grey blue, with dark grey clouds threaded, wispy, all over.

    “Link, this is the fourth time I woke you up!” he was saying as he rolled up his bedding. “You need to get up now, everyone’s almost ready and we’ll be going in a few minutes. We’ll be left behind if you don’t hurry!”

    After yawning widely, Link began to slowly inch up. His head and leg ached strangely. Moving gingerly, he slowly sat up and reached for his head. His hat was gone. Looking around dully, he spotted it on the ground, where he had used it as a pillow. Picking it up, he unfolded it, slipping his hand inside. He felt out a tear in it, wide enough for him to slide all of his fingers through.

    The memory of the dark night and the battle with the Stalchildren rushed back to his mind. He rubbed at his leg that was bandaged where one of the monsters had bit him. Feeling up at his scalp, he scraped off some dried blood from where one of them had grabbed his head. Looking at the blood as he crushed it in his hand, he shuddered.

     Auru was folding up his bedding and strapping it with leather thongs to bundle it together with his other luggage. Eventually he paused, frowning at Link, who was still sitting down, in a daze, remembering the night before.

     “What’s the hold up, Link?”

     “Huh? Oh…” Shaking himself, he began to pack his things.

     “I can’t believe all that happened last night,” Auru was saying as Link worked. “I mean, I know everyone was talking about there being more monsters out in the field, but I never dreamed anything would happen to us. It was incredible.”

     Scowling, Link tied the rope around his cloak a little too vigorously as he thought, I don’t think ‘incredible’ is exactly the right way to describe it.

     Just as he finished bundling his things and hoisted them onto his back, the caravan began to move out. Auru continued to chat away about the previous night, becoming increasingly louder and animated. Link plodded on beside him, munching on a piece of dried pumpkin, only really taking in half of what Auru was telling him.

     As the bleariness of sleep swept away from his eyes, he looked around as they walked down the low hill they had camped atop. To their right, the north, was Zora’s River, which they still followed now as it flowed on to the north-west. Before them were the plains, increasingly hilly, with a few tiny, dark villages dotted in the distance. Behind the hills the moon was setting, fading with the ever lightening sky.

     But none of those villages are the city. It’s supposed to be huge and right along the river, not in the field. Link looked along the river ahead, searching. On its other side was another forest, filled with more coniferous, evergreen trees than the woods near Zora’s Domain. Beyond the trees were far-off, enormous blue mountains, surrounded by a clear sky. Once he tried to look behind them, but it was hazy, cloudy and night was still hanging over the land; he could see little.

     With a start, Link realized that a stranger was walking beside him, talking to Auru. Rubbing the last of the sleep from his eyes, Link recognized the strange scholar who was researching the Forbidden Woods. The scholar was skinny and short, with light blonde hair that was just beginning to turn grey. He wore practical brown and green clothing, a high quality leather belt with a fine buckle, along with a knife at his waist. He also wore a dark cloak that was made of whole, new material, bearing some embroidery around its edges.

    “I wish we could talk with those Gorons,” he muttered to Auru.

    “Really? Well, why not? They’re at the head of the caravan, right?” Auru began to walk faster, eagerly craning his head up to look for them. “Let’s go introduce ourselves. What do you want to talk to them about so much anyways?”

    Link followed them, wondering if he should interrupt as the scholar answered Auru hurriedly, “I don’t want to bother them, you never know their tempers!”

     Auru laughed. “That’s a weird thing to say. I grew up around Zoras. How different can another species be?”

     The scholar frowned, but his voice was still nervous, “Sometimes they don’t like questions. But still, I wanted to find out why they’re going to the city and who they are exactly. Plus, I enjoyed studying their culture when I was younger, but they’ve been so secretive lately, there have been no advances in that field. If I were to find out something new from them, it would be aid in validating my research group in the Forbidden Woods.”

     “Let’s try it then. Plus, I don’t know much about the Gorons, it’d be neat to learn about them.” Auru looked back at Link, asking, “Hey, doesn’t it sound like it might be interesting?”

    He shrugged. “I’ll come along.”

    The scholar was looking at him curiously. “I don’t believe we’ve met. You’re traveling with Auru?”

    Link nodded as Auru walked between them, saying, “Yeah, he’s going to be my brother, come this spring.”

    “Oh! So, he’s the brother of that Layrel you’re engaged to, eh?”

     “That’s right, he’s Link.” Auru grinned at Link, gesturing to the scholar, saying, “This is Talno. I can’t believe you two hadn’t properly met before this! Well, let’s go and talk to those Gorons, shall we?”

    “If you insist,” Talno said, proceeding to walk ahead of them as they hurried to the front of the caravan.

     Auru noticed Link frowning silently at him and raised his eyebrows, asking, “What? What’re you so mad about?”

     “I just never knew you were so talkative around strangers,” Link answered, looking back ahead of them.

     “What’s the harm? Just because we need to be careful around ‘city folk’ doesn’t mean everyone is suspicious. Lighten up, Link.”

     The Gorons came into view. As they approached them, Link realized just how big they were in the light of the dawn. The shortest was as tall as Link, but was vast, stocky and sturdy, well twice the width of Link. The darkest Goron of medium height was at least six feet and a half, and he had a wider belly than the other two. The tallest, who was walking ahead of the other two, was easily seven feet tall and looked as strong and firm as a gigantic boulder. Or a small mountain.

     Talno slowed, waiting for Auru and Link. Link hung behind them as they walked over the Gorons. Auru looked cheerful and earnestly friendly and Talno was clearly trying to hide the fact that he was nervous. The contrast between them was almost comedic, especially when Talno quickly wiped off his brow and wrung his hands nervously. Link shook his head in exasperation.

     The shortest Goron spotted them and smiled at them, in that strange, vague, twisted smile he had last night. Yet, in the pale dawn light with the warm glow of the sun beginning to fall on everyone, he looked a little friendlier, though not by much.

    “You two don’t look like this merchant lot,” said the Goron, his voice mellow, but at a more medium pitch than Link was expecting. He had expected all of their voices to be low and gravelly like the largest one who had spoken last night.

     “No, I’m just traveling to the city,” said Auru, his face bright and smiling.

     Not waiting for Talno to say anything, the Goron asked, “Is this your first time going to the city? Is it?”

     Auru nodded. “Yes, I’m going to get an engagement jewelry piece for my fiancée.”

     “Ahhh.” The Goron raised an eyebrow, his smile widening. “Hylian customs.”

     “You…guys don’t do engagement and all that, huh?” Auru asked.

     “No.” The Goron shook his head. “No desire or need to.”

     “But there are young, child Gorons, isn’t that right?” Talno asked very quickly, as if the question burst out on its own.

     The Goron rolled his eyes slightly, but was still grinning. “Yeah, but they’re born from the mountain. And that rarely happens. And we have nothing to do with it. It’s supposed to be caused by Din, or something like that. But really, it hasn’t happened for a long time.”

     “That’s true,” said the taller Goron, edging closer to the group. His voice was a little lower than the shortest Goron, but it was sincerely pleasant as he went on, “There hasn’t been a child since, well, definitely over eight hundred years.”

     “Yes, Golo, thank you,” said the shorter Goron, almost sneering at his companion, who did not seem to notice.

     The short Goron, Auru, and Talno continued to chat, talking about the Gorons’ home of Death Mountain, what their culture was like and how often they came out into the Hylian lands. Link listened for a while, but eventually stopped, feeling a little bored as they started using a lot of words he recalled reading in some of Purel books, but what they meant was still a mystery. Soon he noticed the other Goron, Golo, had fallen away from the others, slowing, nearing Link.

     Setting his jaw, Link took a few paces to catch up and walk alongside Golo, catching his eye, saying, “Thanks for last night. If you three hadn’t come, we’d probably all be dead by now.”

     To his surprise, Golo laughed, but it was good-humored. “That’s true! But, it’s no problem. Your king is our leader’s sworn brother, after all. If you’re his people, we should look out for you too, when we can.” He gestured at Auru and Talno. “Are you traveling with them?”

     “Yes, I’m traveling with Auru,” Link indicated him. “It’s our first time going to the city.”

     “That’s a lot of fun. This is just my first time, too. We don’t really go down to the city often.”

     Link thought back to the previous night, then asked, “So, is that how you fight, rolling up and trampling things like that?”

     “Eh, well, it depends on the situation. If we always did that, we’d tear up our own mountain! No, we do other forms of fighting, too. Never with weapons though.”

     Link nodded. “I wouldn’t need weapons either if I had rock all over me.”

     “Nor would you need them if you were made of the stone and earth itself!” Golo hit his dark, firm chest with a balled fist, as if for emphasis. Link first spotted light traces of what looked like pale white tattoos on the Goron’s face, arms, and torso. Golo continued, “It must be hard to be made of flesh. No wonder you have to turn to using the earth for weapons. It’s metal, right?”

     Link noticed Golo was looking down at his sword and nodded. “Yes, and it’s supposed to be pretty good quality. The man I’m borrowing from used to be a knight.”

     Golo snorted as if at some private joke, but then asked, “Can I see?”

     “Sure.” Silently, Link pulled it out, holding it forward horizontally for Golo to see.

     “May I…?” He gestured at the blade.

      Link nodded.

      Not minding the blade’s sharp edge, Golo picked the sword up by the blade. Gently he tapped it a few times, and would stop, still, as if listening. Link wondered what he was looking or listening. Before he could ask, the Goron handed it back to him, though he did not give it to him with the handle facing him. Hesitating, Link carefully reached out, reaching his arm around awkwardly to grab the handle safely.

     As he sheathed his sword, Golo was saying, “It’s not bad quality. It won’t snap on you or anything like that soon, at least.” Link decided it was not best to respond as Golo continued talking, telling him about the wrestling and different basic forms of hand-to-hand fighting that the Gorons used. This went on for nearly an hour, with Link hardly speaking, usually just nodding his head. While he was interested, he quickly realized that most of the fighting techniques that the Gorons used were really only useful if you weighed over eight hundred pounds and had no bones to break.

     Eventually the short Goron asked Golo something about Death Mountain, and the two groups joined. They were discussing the geography of Death Mountain, though not in great detail, Link noticed. Talno and Auru were mainly concerned about the different types of shrines found on the mountain and how they were built and why. As the conversation continued in a variety of directions, the tallest Goron, still waking a ways in front of them, made no move to acknowledge or join their discussion.

     “And that’s why this will be my fifth time to the city,” the shortest Goron, whose name was Dolo, was saying. “I can’t believe we had to come back so soon, it’s only been about a year.”

    “Yes, you three are going to the castle, correct?” asked Talno, whose shoulders and poise were relaxed, though his voice was still a little stiff. “It’s pretty amazing. I haven’t been there since I was young. Well, not inside, at least.”

     “That’s where we’re headed, actually,” said Auru. “Not to see the royal family like you all, we’re just going to check on my brother. He’s a knight.”

     “A knight?” Golo and Dolo grinned at each other as the latter continued, “Oh, those…little fellows. They’ve got a strange career, don’t they? They hardly do anything!” Ignoring Auru frowning at him, Dolo went on, “We’re going to the castle on much more important business than that. I can’t tell you much, but there’s just been a lot going on lately that concerns both Hylians and Gorons. It’s really pretty juicy, though nothing much has come of it.”

     “Does this have to do,” Talno lowered his voice, and Link had to lean forward to hear as he asked, “with the Sages? I heard they’re starting to look for them again.”

     Golo looked away, uncomfortable, but Dolo was nodding, “Yeah, something to do with that. Apparently there are different signs saying that at least some of the sages are going to return, or that there will be new ones, or something. I heard—”

     “That’s enough.”

      The tallest Goron was standing directly in their path, towering over them, his arms crossed. They all immediately stopped as he nailed Dolo with a foul look, saying, “Don’t make me regret bringing you along.”

     Golo shifted and shuffled his feet uneasily as Dolo just said flippantly, “What’s the arm? It wasn’t like I was telling any details. Besides, anyone can find these things out.”

     “Dolo—”

     “Look Durmuni, I wasn’t going to say anymore, anyways,” Dolo said quickly, almost snapping. But his expression and tone lightened as he asked, “But say, we have some green travelers here.” It was all Link could do to not jump away as Dolo put a hand on his shoulder and the other on Auru’s, his grasp frighteningly firm. “They’re going up to the castle to visit their kid brother, a knight. How about letting them come with us?”

     “Visiting a knight, hmm? Is this true?”

     “Yeah, it is,” said Auru, clearly trying to make his voice sound as light as possible even with Durmuni glowering down at him. “He’s a new recruit, of three years, so I want to check up on him, give him news about my engagement, things like that. But, I mean, it’s nice of Dolo to offer, but really we can go on our own—”

     “There’s no harm in it,” interrupted Durmuni, looking back at Dolo. He then turned away, walking away from them, getting back to his place near the front of the caravan.

     “That guy is too intense,” Dolo muttered, finally taking his hands off of Auru and Link, who quickly stepped out of Dolo’s reach. “Even if he’s the tribe leader, he really needs to learn how to relax and not see everything as some far-fetched threat.”

     “You shouldn’t speak that way,” said Golo, disapproval in his voice, looking ahead nervously at Durmuni. “Besides, he can hear you.”

     “So,” said Dolo loudly, turning back to Talno, “exactly what did you say you were doing down at the southern woods?”

    

     In just a half hour, as the sun began to rise higher into the sky, the city came into sight. It was in the corner of a shallow valley, mostly surrounded by the river, with a large white wall shielding it all the way around. There were three enormous drawbridges leading out of the city and into the field. They were heading for the entrance on the eastern side, and as they began to walk down the hill towards the city, Link could see several other groups of travelers approaching the other city entrances, to the south and the west.

     The city itself was very large, sprawling, composed of wood, brick and stone, scattered together randomly, giving little sense of an order or pattern. The buildings looked incredibly close together, almost smashed inside the city as if to make enough room for everything. The city covered a wide, irregularly shaped area in the valley, hosting what looked like well over five thousand buildings. Link tried for a moment to decide if there were more or less, but he quickly stopped trying.

     Amidst the irregular, small, mashed buildings a few stood out. To the northern, far end of the city was a tall white building, surrounded by a small open space. There were also a few other taller buildings, most of them close together in a row, near the middle of the city, probably lining a few streets. Link noticed that the further away, further north the city was, the more stone buildings there were.

     Beyond the main body of the city, at the foot of where the land sloped up, was what looked like a second town, made of stone, with more trees and patches of green and brown. It was also surrounded by a wall, three in fact, two of which went beyond the houses, further up the slope, encircling its peak. Upon the peak, surrounded by at least a mile of open, healthy land was the castle.

     Auru was pointing at it, talking so loudly and energetically as if there was nothing grander in the world. Link realized his mouth was open as he stared at it and shut it. Raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun, he looked at the castle again. At first he thought that it was much smaller than he would have expected, but then realized it was probably at least five times bigger than fine stone buildings in the second area of the city. The castle was surrounded by a moat. It was constructed primarily of pale and white stone, but its roofs were a strong violet. It also had what looked like oversized wooden doors, but then Link remembered hearing about the castle, and decided those were drawbridges. There were other smaller buildings around the castle, but none were also encircled by the moat.

     As they walked down to the city, which was soon hidden behind the towering, old walls, Dolo had started talking again about his own trips to the city. The others paid him full attention while Durmuni, still in the lead, stayed silent. Link focused on their surroundings as the caravan began to thin out, getting in single-file to go across the bridge and into the city. As the first wagons entered the city ahead of them, Link could hear the loud ruckus of human voices and life from the other side.

      They crossed the drawbridge and were surrounded by the city. They were in a long, wide cobblestone street, full of more people than all the river villages combined. Link steadied himself, looking at the two-story buildings lining the streets. Made of brick, wood or gray slate stone, they had low windows with either shutters or actual glass and narrow, short doors. Most of them had fine, shingled roofs, slanted symmetrically. The buildings were so close together there was often no space whatsoever between them. When there was a narrow alley, they only led to even more people, and houses and other winding pathways into the city.

     It would be too easy to get lost in here.

     Gulping, he walked briskly, moving closer to Auru and the others. Quickly he glanced up to see most of the buildings around and ahead of them down the lane were all roughly the same height.

     I guess I could always climb to the top of one if I was really lost.

     They continued through the city, separating from the caravan, sticking to the wider, main streets. The presence of the Gorons, mainly their girth, cleared them a fair path, preventing much chance of them being swept up or away in the largest crowds. There were masses of people, some animals and occasionally wagons laden with cargo, pulled by enormous horses.

     A flurry of cuccos chased by a red-faced young girl with a net greeted them into the market, located in the large town square in the center of the town. Throughout the square were stalls and stands, bearing a vast variety of different wares, foods and occasionally small animals. The air was full of the noise of gabbling voices, mooing cows, the often indignant cries of cuccos and occasionally a barking dog. Dolo was dismissively pointing out the different types of stalls and all that he knew about their products. The scent of fresh bread reached Link and he clutched his gurgling stomach, reminding himself that he had eaten breakfast.

     As they fought their way through the crowd, Link saw very little other than the immediate people, animals and booths in the square. Raising his voice, Dolo pointed over at a large fountain they were passing. It was in the middle of the square, and, when he peeked in, Link saw the emerald shards of broken rupees beneath the water. In the center of the fountain was a fine, intricate statue of Nayru made of white stone. Unadorned, her dress was flowing and simple; stone and true water cascaded around and at her feet. Her expression was peaceful and confident with a matronly smile on her face. Her eyes of sapphire rupees were half-closed, but it was clear that she was looking out at all around her. Looking back at the statue several times, Link noticed that none of the townspeople seemed to acknowledge it.

     “The rest of the city isn’t so crazy,” Dolo was saying loudly. “This is just extra-crowded since it’s the end of the market week, but it’s usually pretty busy here. Though, what you really have to watch out for is the south-east section after night. I can go everywhere in this town at any time, but little meatbags like you would get robbed or killed by some of the criminals who hide around in the shadows.”

     “Don’t worry too much though,” Talno said firmly, looking at Auru and Link after shooting Dolo a dirty look. “If you stay away from the south-east, the city is very safe. The knights patrol it after sunset, and we even got rid of our wild dog problem.”

     “Wild dog problem?” Auru wondered aloud.

     “Purel told us about it,” Link said, nodding once to himself. “There were a lot of dogs who would roam the city at night, and it was a problem for property and for sanitation reasons.”

     “It’s still pretty filthy,” Dolo drawled, gesturing off-handedly towards three cows nearby that were being sold.

     “It’s certainly a lot better.” Talno shuddered in disgust. “Let’s just say that growing up down here was, cleanliness-wise, horrible compared to life after I moved to the aristocratic quarter.”

     “That’s where we’re headed now, right?” Auru asked.

      “Yes, it’s between the main city and the castle,” Dolo said. “You’re forced to go through it. It’s so clean and quiet compared to this place.”

     “Sounds like it’s not nearly as interesting,” Golo said, grinning at a boisterous auction that they passed.

     Dolo was replying in an exceedingly sarcastic tone, so Link tuned him out. He looked back around the market as they passed through its outskirts. The market was indeed full of a vast variety of people, though it was clear who was and was not from the city. The city folk in the crowd were largely blond with fairer skin and were dressed in clothes that were largely more decorative and less practical than the simpler clothes that Link, Auru and other countrymen and travelers in the crowd stood out in. As they passed a man with a curled blond-white mustache and an extravagant hat, Link remembered the gaping tear in his own and reminded himself to fix it as soon as possible.

     In about fifteen minutes, they had reached the edge of the city. The noise began to fade, replaced by a quiet overall murmur that felt much tamer than the uncontrollable, unpredictable sounds of the market. The aristocratic quarter was full of large limestone buildings and streets, most of them houses. They had fenced yards with gardens and trees, kept in what seemed to Link unnaturally good condition in spite the season. Several people were out and about, most just talking with each other, wearing clothes that were fashionably extravagant instead of ridiculously so, though most wore jewels in either their clothing or as jewelry. Unlike in the city, where most everyone had just kept out of their way and treated them like just another part of the crowd, Link noticed the people here often spotted them and turned and walked away, often muttering amongst themselves. Looking down at his dirty, rough clothes and his bandage on his leg that was stained by blood, for the first time in his life Link felt like he was too dirty. Auru was still talking animatedly with the others in the group, but he too was wiping some dust off and even combing his hair back through his fingers. Realizing just how silly these futile attempts were, Link stopped fussing over his own clothes and just kept walking.

     When they came to a cluster of large marble buildings, taller and longer than any of the houses, gated off by high, dark iron fences, Talno stopped, saying, “This is where I live, the only university in Hyrule. I study and teach here during the summer.”

     “Can I come visit you maybe?” Auru was grinning ear to ear. “I’ve always wanted to see the library in this place!”

     “Certainly!” The Gorons had kept walking, following Durmuni, who did not seem to have noticed that the others had stopped. Golo gave a farewell smile to Talno as he continued, “You kids had best be going. I will look forward to seeing you soon!”

     They turned away to follow the Gorons, Auru reluctantly so. They walked through the rest of the quarter, the houses growing increasingly larger and more luxuriant. Some of the yards were hidden by enormous hedges of holly bushes, while others sported small fountains and gated herb gardens. Dolo pointed out several houses as belonging to important members of the government and military or knighthood. Link began to wonder what it was like inside of the houses and if they ever got warm in the winter. He noticed that many had multiple chimneys, but certainly not enough to keep each room warm.

     Soon, they reached the dark, dense walls and gates that led into the castle. There were knights patrolling the top of the wall and a few stood around the gates, holding their lances carelessly, one stretching lazily. They wore subtle dark purple garments, chain mail and helms with ridges on the brow and all along the middle of the head. On their chests, torso, arms and shins was metal armor with stylish, decorative engravings.

     At the sight of the Gorons, the knights drew themselves up, on alert, but relaxed as they approached, clearly recognizing them. One of the knights came forward, bowing to Durmuni, saying, “The king is expecting you, sir. Please come inside.”

    “Of course,” Durmuni replied curtly, with an acknowledging nod.

     The knight looked up, revealing an old, wide face with a tidy goatee, his small eyes examining Link and Auru. “And you are?”
     “I’m Auru, this is Link.” Auru bowed slightly towards the knights. “We’re here to visit my brother, Bolek.”

     “Ahhh.” The old knight stood up straight, sighing. “Bolek. Right. I remember your letters to him. How many did you send in this past year…?”

     “Just about four, though he never replies.” Auru shrugged dismissively.

     “Yes, that’s right. Well, go right in.”

     After the gates were raised, they walked through into the wide, tidy castle grounds, with rolling fertile hills, leading upwards to the highest hill, the peak, upon which the castle rested. Link could see out of season gardens and cropland, a large maze of tall, leafless brush, as well as a clear pond with several small streams winding through the land from it. Behind the castle were the hills outlining the valley, and beyond were the blue northern mountains. A cold breeze spun across the air, floating down to them, making Link shiver, rubbing his arms.

     “Bolek will be on the east side of the castle, near the moat,” the old knight was saying, pointing out towards the right of the castle. “As you walk, stay to the main path.” There was a smooth path made of the same white material as the castle, winding widely up towards it, in plain sight of any of the knights on the walls or guarding the castle.

     The Gorons turned away from them with the old knight, following him on a more direct path towards the castle. Auru bade them farewell, which Golo returned warmly and both Dolo and Durmuni ignored. Link frowned at Dolo’s behavior, but Auru did not seem upset by it. As they began to walk down the main path together, he began to talk about how much Dolo made him think of Bolek when he was younger.

    “He was always like that, too, acting just a little self-important.” Auru chuckled. “Hopefully the knights have whipped him into shape, eh?”

     Link thought back to the old knight’s reaction to hearing Bolek’s name, but did not say anything. They walked out along the open path, off into the grounds towards the castle, which loomed, towering ahead of them, dazzling and menacing against the clear sunny sky. 

 

The Legend of Zelda and characters copyright Nintendo

"The Legend of Zelda: Deluge" writing and original concepts and characters copyright Mahira / Mahira-chan