Chapter 11
The Stone Princess
Rising with the dawn, Link had hoped to bid farewell to Sarita before departing with Midna into the Kokiri Wood. Yet, search as he might, he could find her no where. None of the other Kokiri had spied her since yesterday afternoon, and none could tell where she might have vanished to since then. Link could not tell either, as Sarita was known for evasiveness and clever hiding. Overturn every stick and stone in the forest, and one still might not stumble across her....
Link’s heart fell into solemn silence. He felt reserved as he led Midna along, suddenly weary despite his deep sleep. He realized how much he missed his dear friend and wished that, regardless of the late hour upon which they’d returned last night, he’d popped in to see her. The last time they parted, he feared it would be the final time he ever beheld her freshly flushed face and beaming smile. Now, he feared that same again, only more poignantly the second time around.
Midna said nothing, though she glanced with concern at him from time to time. She kept a respectful distance away, giving him the space he needed to try and collect himself. Yet, upon entering the small clearing containing the Mirror, Midna breathed quietly, “Look...”
Link had been entirely absorbed in his thoughts, eyes staring fervently down at the ground. But he looked up at the gentle command and took in a wondering breath.
Before the Mirror sat a small girl, green skin and hair revealing she was a Kokiri. Two crowns of small white blossoms skillfully woven rested on her head. Having exhausted her immediate supply of flowers, she instead plucked blades of grass, crafting a third crown.
Link stepped purposely on a branch. Her head snapped up. Then, with a cry of delight, she flew into his arms.
They hugged close, and he knelt down to gaze straight into her shimmering eyes.
“I was making the crowns for you,” she whispered. “I was told I would meet you and another here, to lead you to the Gorons’ City. I was told you would arrive this morning, but I waited here since last night, just in case....”
She removed one of the flower crowns and handed it to Link who donned it with a proud grin.
As he stood, Sarita peered shyly but curiously around him. Then, creeping up to Midna, she extended the other crown.
Midna tenderly took it, fingering it with a soft, admiring smile before setting it atop her head.
“Hello,” she said quietly, “I am Midna. You must be Sarita. Link has told me much of his dearest friend. It is truly an honor to meet you.”
With a warm, motherly smile, Midna reached down her hand while Sarita extended hers up with a shy but bright grin. The tiny hand of the small child hugged the delicate fingers of the tall woman. Both were his princesses in their own rites; he loved them both.
“Come on then,” Sarita said as their hands released, drawing herself up all business-like. “We’ve a mission to complete—an important one at that. I shall lead you to the caves, and from there, to the Goron’s City.”
She cast a smile and wink at Link before slipping with effortless dexterity into the tangle of the woods. Midna floated after, seemingly unhindered by all the bramble, leaping skillfully across fallen logs and slipping about gnarled bushes. Link took up the rear, casting a final glance at the Mirror and wondering when it might bring their two worlds together again.
“So,” Midna ventured slowly, “if you know the way, are you then the Sage of Wind meant to lead us to the first Spiritual Stone?”
“No,” she shook her head. “At least, not that I know. And I should hope that if some great deity bestowed such a title as ‘Sage’ upon me that I would know about it.”
She shared a smile with Link, eyes twinkling with old friendship and fresh joy.
“No, as Link will have told you, I am a curious thing. I discovered the entrance to the Gorons’ city in one of my explorations of the Kokiri Wood. Then, I thought it was just a cave. But with a vision from a strange, cloaked woman, I know now it is something more....”
Midna’s and Link’s eyes flashed to each other with wonder and a singular question: Pami? What other strange voice floated between realms, granting random advice? Strange though, and interesting, if Sarita actually saw her physical form....
They remained silent on the matter though, as if quietly agreeing it was not terribly important to figure out at the present moment. Especially as Sarita stopped them before what appeared an entirely ordinary tree; no different in size, its gnarled branches twisting up in the same, odd patterns as all the other trees. She knocked a short but specific pattern on its bark, then stepped back to watch as a door scrolled aside to reveal an arched opening. Midna and Link watched in awe, Link shaking his head. If no one else could detect a difference in each and every tree of the Kokiri Wood, Sarita could. And if not her, then probably no one at all.
Sarita walked right inside the tree, disappearing into its dark shadows. Link and Midna had to duck under, almost doubling over to fit, and then, inching forward a little—
Midna shrieked and Link would have as the ground vanished beneath them, like someone tugging a rug from beneath their feet. The next moment, they landed hard and slid downward at a fast.
After a very long, bumpy, and not altogether comfortable ride, they found themselves shooting onto a firm, flat surface, rolling roughly before coming to a halt. Coughing at the dust swirling about, Link sat up. He smiled as Midna sat up looking stunned, wide-eyed, and disheveled for perhaps the first time in her life. A little frown crossed her face as if suddenly made aware of this, and she scrambled to adjust her cloak and fix her hair.
On his other side, Sarita hopped up and brushed the dust from her tunic, smiling up at Link. “That was fun. I should have brought you here to try it ages ago....”
“So,” Midna said, still fussing with her hair which apparently didn’t cooperate how she thought it should. She at last dropped her hands, giving up. “So, how are we to get out of this place anyways?”
Sarita nodded, and Midna and Link looked up at a small stone door.
“That will take you to the surface. And that—”
She pointed to an archway which led to a small corridor lit by torches.
“—I assume leads into the Gorons’ City. I was never brave enough to explore it. I just like to ride the slide now and again....”
Link cast her a mock-hurt look, as if she betrayed him in never sharing such a wonderfully curvy slide. She smiled sheepishly and blushed, and he would have laughed; sometimes she discovered some things just too good to share, at least at the first.
Link then rose to his feet, walked over to Midna, and extended his hand. As Midna took it and helped herself up, she said, “Well, then. I suppose the only thing to do is to go through that doorway and see for ourselves....”
The corridor led to another lit by torches, and that led to another and another, and that led to a branch of hallways which they had to choose between. Sometimes their path wound up, sometimes down, sometimes twisting. In the end though, it was all mundane, solid stone and an uncanny lack of life or any sign thereof, as far as they could hear or see.
“Where is everyone?” Midna breathed as they wound along.
“It’s emptier than the Kokiri Wood during a thunderstorm,” marveled Sarita, slipping her hand absent-mindedly into Link’s; he smiled to himself, reveling in the snatches of warm memories that gentle touch induced. “Very much quieter too...especially minus the thunderstorm....”
After some time, they emerged into a huge, oval-shaped room. Stone doors ran about its perimeter, but otherwise, it appeared fairly plain. Until they looked up and Midna breathed, “Ah, my goddess...”
The room stretched up and up several stories; they could see balconies of the upper levels extending from the walls, and way up, they managed to make out the ceiling.
Midna heaved a huge sigh reflecting the vastness of the place. They could comb it for hours and still never locate anyone or anything.
“Well then,” she said, marching forward with
determination. “Let’s keep looking....”
They passed through one of the open doorways.
When they had wound through the caves so long that everything began to merge into a solid blur of indecipherable brown stone, they turned a corner and stopped short. At last, a break in the continuity. Another stone door, yet before it, a cluster of several dozen huge, perfectly round, dark grey stones.
“Good,” said Midna, “maybe this is a sign of sorts....”
No sooner did the three start forward though then they stopped short, startled, as the round stones jumped up and limbs sprang forth. After a mad explosion of arms and legs like a strange fireworks display, the Gorons stood before them. Broad-shoulders, round, squat heads with large, bright black eyes and flat noses. Muscular arms and legs covered in stony plates, as were their backs.
It was then Link recalled his own transformation and the Gorons’ ability to curl into a ball and travel with extreme speed and skill; as they were now, they could only amble along awkwardly and slowly. Still, Link, Midna, and Sarita stood perfectly still and respectful, knowing their strength to be unmatched.
“Welcome,” greeted the front-most Goron, throwing his arms out wide in a welcoming gesture. “Welcome, dear Brother, Sister, and Little Sister too....”
He smiled warmly, eyes darting at each of them, and Sarita released a small giggle as the intense but kindly eyes rested upon her.
“Are we to assume you are the chosen Hero and his helpers?”
Midna nodded. “We are.”
“Good. Our princess has long awaited your arrival. Come. If you pass her test, she will know you are indeed the Hero and will be most honored to speak with you in regards to how you might obtain the Stone you seek....”
As he turned towards the door, the other Gorons cleared aside. Link, Midna, and Sarita followed the Goron down the narrow path. Link tried to smile at the Gorons in passing but felt slightly uncomfortable. Their own grins were warm and inviting to be sure, but they watched him so closely, as if trying to read his soul and judge whether it was pure or false.
“Yesterday,” continued the Goron who led them, “we were visited by a voice from the gods who told us that only the true Hero would be able to tell who our real princess is. So, we have set up a test for you in the room beyond....”
With a stomp of the Goron’s foot, a stone door raised, and Midna, Link, and Sarita stepped within—
And stared in amazed intimidation.
The room was vast, with hundreds of torches running along its circular wall. A maze of statues filled the room, all of them the same—a Goron whose skin was as black as midnight, eyes gleaming like black diamonds. White diamonds adorned her neck and head in two simple but brilliantly gleaming circlets. Arms crossed, she stood tall, muscles as firm and formed as her male counterparts’, if not more so. Determination and a command for respect rested in her eyes, posture, and confident smile.
Link, Midna, and Sarita all knew that, somewhere amongst these hundreds, the real Goron princess waited to be found by the Hero.
“Okay, but how—?”
Midna barely had time to turn before the door slammed shut, leaving no hope for guidance or escape.
“Well, that was just slightly rude,” she mumbled, turning back to the statuesque maze. “Just slightly...I mean, a clue would have been nice, at least....”
“Do we start looking then?” Sarita piped, cheery as ever, eyes gleaming with excitement at the thought of such a challenge. Link tried to smile too but knew this would not be as simple as one of her forest explorations—especially since they were trapped in here until the riddle was solved.
But, with a nod that was more confident than he truly felt, he, Midna, and Sarita glided into the maze. They branched off, though not straying too far from one another, carefully inspecting the statues for any signs of a break in their pattern.
After searching what seemed an age but was surely only a few minutes, Link, Midna, and Sarita joined up again in the midst of the maze. Midna sighed and tapped her long fingers against one arm. Link scrunched his face in hard thought. Sarita gazed about with wide, inquisitive eyes which glittered undaunted.
Link began rummaging around in his satchel, half absent-mindedly. By the time Midna gave him a side-ways, knowing prompt, he already held the ocarina in his hand.
Midna smirked. “A step ahead of me, Hero. Good call, especially seeing as you are supposed to be the brawn and I the brains....”
Link flashed her a mock-pout, and she laughed lightly. “All right, all right, so perhaps even the bearer of courage may find a little wisdom at times; and I suppose I could have used a bit of courage when first using the hookshot and the like....”
Sarita nodded. “A perfect balance indeed. But I believe wisdom shall be most needed to decipher what kind of song might show us the true Goron princess....”
All drew solemn and quiet again. Link placed the ocarina to his lips, fiddling around with different notes, pitches, snatches of ancient songs. He tried the melodies of the first sages, the Six who’d helped that first Link span time and space with their music. He even ventured Midna’s Requiem. When no other significant tunes assailed him, he resorted again to playing random bits, his blank mind all the while racing to think of some idea. He caught Midna rolling her eyes at one point and almost laughed; he’d always been terrible at pretending to know what he was doing....
After a time though, frustration etched itself firmly upon Midna’s creased brow and set lips. Again, to be incapable of coming up with the answer they needed right now overwhelmed her. Link struggled too, knowing the way must be easier than he thought...
A small tug on the elbow of his sleeve. He looked down. Sarita beamed up at him, widely, proudly, even a bit mischievously. A bright sparkle radiated from her eyes, like that of a child who has just deciphered a very difficult problem all on her own.
He studied those eyes quizzically, intensely. She granted a prompting smirk and giggle, laughing even more when he continued to stare dumbfounded.
At last, she ended his torture by humming three, simple notes.
He smiled broadly.
The beginning of Saria’s Song.
Sarita laughed more vibrantly still, loud and unbridled. How could Link have forgotten? A simple, silly song, and yet, it tied into one of their favorite tales of the ancient Hero. How often Sarita would spin the tale as they sat around a blazing bonfire eluding to the torches of the Gorons’ cavernous chambers—just like those blazing from the walls surrounding them now. As soon as Sarita reached the right part in the narrative, Link would play her song, and the two of them would dance and laugh long into the night, unable to resist just like Darunia, that great Goron king of old. The rest of the story would be history; they could always pick up where they left off the next night, and often did.
With a wink at Sarita who granted a final giggle, Link placed the ocarina to his lips once more and began to play Saria’s Song.
Link’s feet began to itch. Midna began to sway. Sarita started hopping lightly about. Soon, like a trio of pied pipers, they danced gaily to the sprightly melody, weaving in and out of the maze of statues, until—
“Oh, baby! Keep up that beat, that hot, hot, hot beat!”
Glancing up, Link saw Midna spinning, her cape twirling about her elegantly, giving her the appearance of a night-time goddess dancing for the stars. Sarita bounced about like a waltzing flower. And beyond, several yards away, one of the statues moved, surprisingly lithely.
As the three danced closer and closer, Link playing with more spirit, varying the melody here and there with clever trills and changes in pitch, adding heightened emotion to the already-freeing song, the Goron princess came clearly into focus.
Finally, they stood before her. She leapt, bound, and twirled wildly, releasing loud cries, howls, and high-pitched calls of exhilaration. When at last Link sped to that final note and brought the song to a swift end, everyone’s feet lay still. The princess looked at the
m with eyes brighter and far more intense than any the fake statues held. A wide grin spread across her face as she exclaimed, “Man, Brother! Surely, you are a descendant of the chosen Hero! Our ancestor Darunia wrote much of that song, preserving it for many generations to come. As you see, we choose to live close to the Lost Wood, every now and then catching a wisp of its enchanting melody and dancing into a tizzy. But never, never, never have I heard it played so hot, hot, hot! Welcome, my Brother and his friends!”
She clapped Link on the back, heartily but with such force that he stumbled a little and smiled up at her sheepishly. She seemed not to notice but rather drew herself up proudly, declaring,
“I am Onyx, Sage of Wind. Strange, it seems perhaps, yet I am called this because the songs I sing control the winds of the mountain, bringing the rain needed to harvest the Gorons’ special crop of bomb flowers.
“My people and I have eagerly awaited the arrival of the Silent Hero. Yes, that is how you are quickly becoming known all across Hyrule. News always travels fast in these big-type quest situations....
“And, you, the lovely lady of Twilight. How may I address you?”
“Midna, my lady.” She bowed her head then motioned to Sarita. “And this is Sarita, a dear friend of Link’s, one of the Kokiri children of the wood.”
Sarita stared up at the towering princess with huge, round, gleaming emerald eyes, and then dipped into a little curtsy.
“We-ell!” Onyx laughed deeply. “Ain’t you just cuter than a whole bottle o’ buttons? I’m afraid you’ll have to stay behind with us though. Where Link and Midna are going—it’s no place for one so small. Possibly the most carefully guarded of all three Stones, I’d wager.”
“Where is it?” Midna asked, mirroring Link’s curious frown.
“Well, in ancient Hyrule, but you know that already. Next to the original caves of the Gorons was a volcano. A long line of dragons dwelt there. The last one known living was called ‘Codiya’. Somehow or other, you got to go in there, tame Codiya, and, well, who knows the rest? Only the Hero, I’m sure—once you get in there and figure it out! Come, I’ll show you the place to play the Song so you can get a move on—”
“Lady Onyx!”
“Lady Onyx!”
“Laaaaady Onyx! Woot!”
A motley crew of Gorons rolled into the room, creating a cacophony of whoops and cheers, streaming in from all sides and popping upright as they clustered around.
“Ye-eah!” One waved his muscular arms in the air, dancing a little jog. “Did you hear that beat? Man, how could you not wake up—even from the deadest dead—”
“Man, that beat was hot!”
“Hot, yeah!”
“Ho-ooot—”
“Gentlemen!” Onyx thundered, certainly commanding, though her wide grin remained. Though their eyes still shone eagerly and several Gorons swayed or bounced a bit, the song yet lingering in their limbs, all hushed and focused with full attention upon their princess.
“All right then. Now, I’m sure Master Link, Lady Midna, and Miss Sarita here would love to return sometime and entertain us until we just up and die happily dancin’ all our limbs clean off. But—we all know they have a very important quest to fulfill first.
“So, Gorons, lead the wa-aay!”
With a chorus of whoops of agreement, the Gorons leapt up, and before they touched the ground, had curled into tight balls again. They zoomed from the maze, and Link, Midna, Sarita, and Onyx hurried to keep up.
Exiting the room, they bore left and wound up and up a narrow passage, and then down, down, down another they thought might never end. When they were nearly out of their last breath and ready to collapse, they turned a corner to see all the Gorons had stopped, standing upright before a door. A faded painting of a young boy facing a dragon could be made out.
“Within,” Onyx breathed dramatically, eyes vivid with emotion, and all the Gorons leaned in close as if they hadn’t surely heard the tale a thousand times before, “lays the remains of the throne room of the great Darunia, true and most-hailed king of our people in the early days of Hyrule’s birth. In here can the Song be played which will return you to that ancient land....”
As she strode forward, the Gorons parted like a wave, gazing admiringly at her and the three Heroes who followed.
Slipping inside the door, they stood in a small room. Its walls were faded, cracked, their glory stripped away. But the two torches in the room glowed up a singular structure which, though just as old, made Link stare in wonderment. This was the throne of Darunia, one he’d heard such magnificent tales about. Glancing down at Sarita, he smiled at her expression, mouth agape, eyes even wider than they had been during the other surprising moments of her small but significant part in the quest.
“Look, Link,” Midna breathed.
Link’s eyes roamed to where she pointed. Before the throne, on the floor, a Triforce symbol. The paint still gleamed with a pale, golden sheen. Link knew what that meant. Here, he and Midna must play her Requiem.
As they started forward, Onyx placed a gentle hand on Sarita’s shoulder to hold her back.
“No, little one. Here is where your part of the quest must end....”
Link turned to them and smiled. Onyx’s gentle but huge hand all but swallowed Sarita’s delicate shoulder. Walking forward, he knelt and took her tiny hand in his.
“We’ll have to come back here, Link,” Sarita sniffed, stubbornly blinking back tears. “You and me and Midna too...and we can all dance with the Gorons again. Together...”
The smile easily found Link’s lips. He signed that he would like that. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Midna smile and nod. She would like that too. In those few moments with Sarita, he had felt the freeness of a child, the freeness which he had always treasured about Sarita’s heart and which kept him ever-young along beside her. How old he’d felt during their quest, though he didn’t really realize it until they all danced together....
Rising, he felt in his heart they would feel that freeness again, together, he and Sarita. And he and Midna.
Then, he stepped onto the Triforce symbol beside Midna who already held her silver flute. Drawing out his ocarina, he and Midna shared an affirmative look. Then, they played her Requiem. The brilliant blue light of a warping crystal began to envelop them. As Link’s heart began to race, his fingers played on, and his eyes smiled at Sarita between the rays of sapphire light which quickly knit together.
When only bright blue surrounded him and Midna, he lowered the ocarina, and she her flute. She took his hand and squeezed tightly, and they waited for the light to fade and reveal a different place and time.