Hero by Heart

Chapter 21

Zelda didn't sleep well. Somewhere during the night her fireproof elixer had started to wear off, making the heat almost unbearable. She had woken up drenched in sweat and had to look in her bags for another elixer, which took her way too long.
     After finally downing the cool liquid, she felt better, but getting back to sleep had proven difficult. She felt sweaty and dirty and couldn't get comfortable on the hard rock bed.
     As morning rolled around she didn't feel much better, with aching muscles and burning eyes. She didn't want Link to know, however, so she put on a brave face.
     The climb up the previous day had been way more difficult than she had anticipated, leaving her exhausted and aching everywhere. The thought of another rough climb today certainly wasn't a fun prospect.
     Still, as Link led her out of the inn, she discreetly stretched her sore limbs and took a few deep breaths, preparing herself for the day. She would not complain, no matter what.
     Instead of turning right, as Zelda had expected, Link led her to the left, immediately entering the small cave-like structure next to the inn.
     'I figured it might be easier to buy you the Flamebreaker Armor too. It's a little heavier to carry around, but it's more dependable than those elixers,' Link said, pointing out the items for sale.
     Zelda nodded, grateful for his thoughtfulness. She pulled out the boots and inspected them. They felt quite heavy, but she was sick of the constant heat, so it would have to do.
     They paid the Goron behind the counter and quickly left the shop, after she pulled the armor on. This time they headed past the inn and up the path, towards the big Goron pacing in front of his house.
     'Goodmorning, Bludo,' Link called out.
     'Well, well, well,' the big Goron rumbled. 'Who do we have here? If it isn't our young friend Link. And is that the princess of Hyrule my old eyes see there?' He held out his giant hand for her. 'It's wonderful to see you again, Princess!'
     Zelda smiled kindly, shaking his massive hand. 'It's good to see you too! It's been too long.'
     'Rumor has it that the two of you defeated that filthy beast at the castle,' Bludo said. 'Is that true? He is truly gone?'
     Link nodded. 'He won't trouble us any longer.'
     'That's wonderful! Amazing! It was about time that nasty dog got taken care off. Good riddance.'
     'Bludo?' Zelda gently asked his attention, smiling at his heartfelt reaction. 'Is it possible for us to head up to Vah Rudania today? We would like to do some research.'
     The Goron frowned, dragging his hand over his bald head. 'Why would you want to do that? It's no longer needed, right?'
     'No, but there is still much to learn about it,' Zelda explained. 'We are trying to take a look at all the Divine Beasts.'
     'Well, be my guest. I have to warn you though, it's tough to climb up that volcano, even for us Gorons.'
     Zelda nodded. She knew it was going to prove difficult and she dreaded the climb, but her desire to see the Beast won it from her reluctance. She just had to deal with it.
     'You can ask Yunobo for some help. I think he would be happy to be of service,' Bludo said. He then turned to Link. 'Ever since you and him stopped that rampage of Vah Rudania, he has been in much better spirits. He seems much more confident now.'
     'That sounds like a good plan,' Link said. 'Do you know where we could find him?'
     'Lately he spends a lot of time staring off into the distance, at the entrance gate. You should look there.'
Zelda and Link said their goodbyes to Bludo and headed back towards the town's entrance, where they indeed saw a Goron standing on top of the gate.
'Brother!' The young Yunobo called out. 'It's good to see you!' He took Link into a massive embrace, almost completely obscuring the small Hylian from view.
Zelda chuckled, which gained her the attention of the Goron.
'Oh!' He said, his eyes growing big. 'You must be... I mean... uh... hello?'
Zelda gave him a friendly smile. 'Hello. You must be Yunobo. I have heard so much about you.'
The Goron nodded, awkwardly putting his hand in his neck. 'You have?'
'It's all good, don't worry,' she quickly said. 'I heard you and Link defeated the Divine Beast when it was out of control. You were very brave from what I've heard.'
To Zelda's delight she could see his face light up at those words. He even stood up a little straighter, sticking his chest out. 'That was great... I still can't believe we actually did that!'
     Link gave him a pat on the shoulder, having to stretch out as far as possible to do so. 'We sure did, big brother.'
     Yunobo beamed down at the two of them, before turning his attention towards the Divine Beast, which was clearly visible from there. 'Ever since that day, it has stayed there, never moving. I went back up one day, but it won't do anything. It's all dead.'
     'That's why we're here,' Zelda said. 'We want to investigate the technology and find out why. Bludo said you might want to help us to get in. Will you?' She offered him her kindest smile, which he quickly returned.
     'Of course! There is nothing to be scared of now. If you know the right ways, it's easy to get there.'
'If you don't mind, we would like to go there today,' Link said.
Yunobo nodded. 'I'll be ready in a few minutes. Meet me at the plateau above the village, near the bridge.' And with that he turned and rolled away.
Zelda looked at Link and smiled. 'He is nice.'
Link laughed. 'You should have seen him when we met. He was scared of everything. I'm happy he's doing better now.'
Zelda nodded, before following Link as he led her down to the main road again.
'I packed some food and gear,' he said. 'It's ready to grab at the inn. We should be able to make it a few days with that.'
Zelda nodded again, even though he could not see her. He looked determined and so sure of himself, not even doubting climbing up an active volcano. She admired that about him. It made her feel much more at ease herself.
After getting their stuff, they walked out of the city and up a steep path. Yunobo was already waiting for them, standing on the bridge he mentioned earlier.
It wasn't more than a few steps, but it enabled them to cross the stream of burning lava down below.
Without a word both Link and Yunobo started walking, so Zelda simply followed.
Even though she had been here before, the view kept impressing her. The mountain rose up into a clear blue sky, the ground a mixture of grey rock and orange soil, with trails of red, steaming lava all around. In front of them were small rocky islands in a lake of fire, steam rising up everywhere, moving in the wind. It reminded Zelda of the hot springs down below, although much less enticing to dip in.
     She was incredibly grateful for her armor, with all that fiery lava around them. She felt what a difference it made to the previous day, even when the temperature had undoubtedly risen even further. They metal was heavy, but some sore muscles were definitely worth it.
     They now walked past the entrance to the Abandoned Northern Mines and up again, through a tunnel carved into the mountain. On the other side they came out on a long, narrow bridge. It looked like it was hastily made, twisting a bit and with lots of iron poking out.
     Zelda took a deep breath, before carefully stepping on. She trusted the Gorons and their crafting skills, but this bridge looked ready to crumble right onto the City below.
     Once they had made it across, she let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. She glanced at Link, but he kept his gaze forward, not showing any sign of having heard.
     As she walked on, however, he briefly grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
     Zelda's face split open in a smile, but she quickly tried to wipe it away, not wanting to show just how much it affected her.
     They now reached Death Mountain Marker 7, indicating they had reached another set of hot springs. Zelda looked at the water longingly, remembering how good it had felt.
     'Maybe we can go in on our way back,' Link suggested, following her gaze.
     Zelda nodded, even though she was slightly disappointed. She wanted to take a break and feel the delicious water on her skin, to cool off and relax her sore muscles. Still, she did not want to have to climb a volcano in the dark. She tried hard to ignore the pull of the springs and sighed as they disappeared from view.
     As the road continued up the mountain, more and more pools and streams of lava surrounded them. It was beautiful and yet so dangerously hot. Zelda couldn't help but feel impressed.
     Just when the Bridge of Eldin came into view, with the very peak of the vulcano behind it, Yunobo led the way to the right, where a strange-looking machine stood.
     Zelda wasn't really paying attention to what Link and Yunobo were discussing while she examined the machine. She wondered what it did and how it worked. It looked quite impressive.
     When she turned around she noticed both guys watching her, making her feel a little self-conscious.
     Link stepped forward, leaning in close enough to talk without the Goron hearing. 'This is the easiest way to go up for you. It won't require any energy and it's very fast, but you have to be willing to do it.'
     Zelda quirked her eyebrows. 'Why wouldn't I be?'
     Link chuckled, dragging a hand through his messy hair. 'It might be a little dangerous. Yunobo is there to protect you, but I can't be, so we will have to trust him.' He looked over his shoulder at the young Goron. 'He will keep you safe, I'm sure of that, but I'd rather have you with me.' He now smiled at her sheepishly.
     Zelda couldn't help but smile back lovingly. It was really sweet when Link got protective and caring like this. 'I think I will be okay. How does it work?'
     'Yunobo rolls up, like only Gorons can. He will get in that way-' He pointed at the broad opening of the machine, '-and I will create an explosion on that side.' He pointed at the other end. 'It will send him flying at the mountain.'
     Zelda raised her eyebrows, looking at him incredulously. 'And where do I come in here?'
     'He would take you in his arms,' Link said softly, an awkward frown on his face.
     Zelda sucked in a breath. He was actually talking about shooting her off towards a volcano in the arms of a living rock. It sounded insane.
'Look,' Link said, stepping even closer to her, 'I know it's crazy, it's scary, but I really think it's the safest way.' He gently grabbed her hand and looked her intently in the eyes. 'Would you do it?'
     Zelda thought for a second and glanced at Yunobo, who had turned his back to them and was studying the mountain. She slowly nodded. She trusted Link. If he thought it would be better, she wasn't going to doubt it. Besides, the feeling of his hand on hers made her feel braver than she was.
Before she knew it she was being wrapped in a pair of strong, thickly skinned arms, snug against Yunobo's chest. It wasn't really comfortable, but she did have a sense of safety.
He curled himself up into a ball, careful not to crush her. The world disappeared from view. There was nothing but darkness and the feel of his rocky skin against her. From the thumping, jostling and the sound of metal, she knew they had slid into the machine.
     Zelda kept her eyes shut tight. Fear and anxiety were swirling in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She almost laughed, overcome by a strange hysteria at the thought of what she was doing.
Somewhere in the distance she could hear Link, speaking some soothing words, but she didn't register them. Just when she was about to call out that she couldn't do this, there was an ear-splitting explosion and her stomach seemed to leave her body.
     Zelda did not like this at all. Her mind couldn't comprehend the motions her body was making, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
     She was certain she was going to die, crushed against a mountain.
     Within seconds that lasted an eternity, there was a loud crash and suddenly they came to an abrupt halt. Zelda's breath was knocked out of her and she doubled over, suddenly free from the tight embrace.
     Her hands landed on hard, hot rock and when she opened her eyes she saw small streams of lava trickling past her.
     Once she had taken a few deep breaths and regained her senses, she stood up and looked down. They had almost made it all the way to the top, leaving the machine to look like a little speck in the depths. They were up so high!
     'Are you alright?' She heard Yunobo ask timidly from behind her.
     She turned around and gave him a shaky smile. 'Y-yeah. I'm okay. Thank you.'
     Yunobo smiled at her, before putting his hand in his neck and looking over his shoulder. 'We do have to climb a bit further. Do you want to do that now or wait for a bit?'
     Zelda looked behind the big Goron to the peaks rising up. It wasn't all that far anymore and it looked decently climbable. 'Let's go.' She nodded. 'No use in waiting around. I want to get this over with.'
     Yunobo nodded and held out his hands for her to step in. With his big size and incredible strength he boosted her halfway up the mountainside.
     Zelda took it slow, careful not to make a single misstep. Yunobo helped her out here and there and they steadily gained more and more height, reaching the top before long.
     Zelda took a few deep breaths, feeling the hot air burn in her throat. She looked around at the stunning view, taking in the shape of Vah Rudania right next to them. Yet before she really allowed herself to pay attention to the surroundings, she looked down.
     Way down there, hardly visible anymore, was the Bridge of Eldin. She could just make out the machine behind it and started searching for a small speck against the dark rocks.
     After what seemed like an eternity she finally saw movement, on top of a pillar of rock that protruded from the mountainside.
     Link had already climbed quite the distance, but he was probably on about a third of the total climb. How was he ever going to make that? The mountain was brutal and unforgiving. It wasn't hard to imagine him losing his footing and crashing down to the depths below.
     Zelda shuddered.
     With her eyes she followed Link the entire way, unable to turn away. Now and then she held her breath as he disappeared from view, waiting for him to emerge from behind some overhanging rocks or a blind spot in the cliffside.
     Still, he kept coming closer and closer to her.
     Yunobo stood behind her all this time, never saying a word. He probably didn't even fully understand what all the fuzz was about.
When Link finally climbed over the final ledge and straightened up, Zelda stepped forward and threw her arms around him without thinking. She clung onto him tightly, afraid to let him go again.
She had been so scared. Scared for herself and flying through the air, but also scared for Link and the massive climb he'd just made. She trusted him blindly, but to look on while he risked his life was agony.
Link chuckled quietly, still panting. He gently stroked her hair. 'It's alright,' he whispered in her ear. 'We made it.'