To Shatter A Stone Chapter 1
Messages and Memories
By RaiaGirl
On any given day, Goron City was nearly as busy as Hyrule Castle Town. The various pathways throughout the city played host to activities ranging from men and women working to children playing and the like. Sounds of talking and laughter rang through the city like chimes, giving the entire place a warm, cozy feeling.
It isn’t that way now, is it? Darunia thought as he slowly made his way toward his chamber. The silence deafened him; what had been a cheerful, lively place merely two days before had practically become a ghost town. The few who did roam the pathways remained quiet—a drastic change from the pleasant bustle of normal daily life. Darunia could see the horror in their expressions, the traces of tears still present around their eyes. He tried his best to ignore them; each somber gaze was just another reminder…
“Big Brother, may I present to you the messenger from Hyrule Castle.” A voice tore through the silence as Darunia entered his chamber. The first thing he noticed were two Gorons—his father’s advisors—standing on one side of the room. A young Hylian soldier in full armor stood on the other side of the room, bowing ever so slightly.
“I bear a message from the King of Hyrule.” The messenger began as he stood to attention. “The whole of Hyrule joins him in sending his deepest condolences to you for your tragic loss—“
“Is that all you came to say?” Darunia interrupted, growing impatient. The harshness of Darunia’s tone shocked the messenger into a brief silence.
“Um, no sir.” He finally resumed. “I have also come to warn you of another possible Gerudo threat. A rather large group of Gerudo has almost taken over Kakariko Village. I was barely able to get through. Most of the villagers have fled to Hyrule Castle Town, and the Zoras have closed off their domain to protect themselves. But with Kakariko Village in their hands, the Gerudo will not have any trouble gaining access to the Death Mountain Trail. The king has offered any and all assistance you may need to fend off—“
“Did I ask for assistance?” By now, Darunia’s patience was worn whisper-thin.
“No, sir.”
“Then do not give it. This is a Goron issue, and we will fight them ourselves!” Darunia approached the messenger, who by this time was in obvious fear. A small whimper escaped the messenger’s lips when he suddenly found himself staring directly into the face of a very angry Goron. “If that is all you have to say, then leave this place. Return to Hyrule Castle with this message: We will fight alone! Do you have that?”
“Y-yes sir.”
“Then leave!” Now visibly shaking, the messenger quickly bowed and exited the chamber. Darunia turned on his heel and looked at the two advisors. They tried their best not to look nervous, but inside they were shaking as much as the Hylian was. “Send everyone you can down Death Mountain Trail and set up a watch at Dodongo’s Cavern. Make sure everyone has a weapon and access to at least a few bomb flowers. The further away from Goron City we stop the Gerudo, the better.”
“But Big Brother….” The older of the two, named Dymium, spoke up. “It would be wise to leave at least a dozen of us keeping watch at the entrance to the city in case the Gerudo get through—“
“If everyone is fighting them down at Dodongo’s Cavern, they won’t get through. We must stop them on the trail before they even get near Goron City, is that clear?”
“Clear.” The younger one—Kazan—quickly replied with a small nudge to his older comrade. Before Darunia could order the two advisors to leave, they left on their own accord, leaving the young ruler alone in his chamber. He breathed a heavy sigh.
Nothing could quite describe exactly what Darunia was feeling at that moment. He mentally kicked himself for being so hard on his advisors and the messenger, but he just couldn’t help it. He was angry at the world, at himself; the pain in his very soul was eating him from the inside out. And now with the Gerudo threatening Death Mountain again, the burden of protecting his people was on his shoulders as well. That didn’t sit well in Darunia’s mind.
The young ruler made his way to the very back of his chamber where a large statue stood; with a sudden effort, Darunia grasped the statue with both hands and pulled, revealing a hidden passageway known only to him and his late sister. Not even his father had known about it. Without pausing, Darunia entered the passage.
On the other side was the very heart of the Death Mountain crater, where the Fire Temple stood in undisturbed solace. Darunia had always felt a strange attachment to this place, even as a child. Whenever something bothered him, he would always take refuge within the Temple; just being inside the Temple walls would somehow give him a measure of comfort. The young ruler knew that no one would disturb him.
But as Darunia entered the first room in the Fire Temple, dozens of memories flooded his mind. He remembered countless times when he and Varabeth played in this very room for hours on end.
“You can’t catch me!”
“Oh, yes I can!”
Darunia saw himself at the age of ten, chasing after his five-year-old sister. He would always give her a head start, but inevitably he would catch her. Varabeth’s innocent giggle would echo through the room, and soon both of them would be rolling on the floor with laughter.
“You’re my bestest friend in the whole world, Runie!”
“You’re mine too, Bethie!”
Varabeth… Why did you have to die? The images in his mind were just too much for Darunia to take. He fled the temple and returned to his chamber.
The Gerudo must pay...