Guess who's ba-ack! Thanks for being so patient everyone, and for all your continued support for this story. All I can do in gratitude is try to write more so here! Tell me if you like it. 3

...

Caelis

Eleven Years Ago

The little girl could not weep as she crawled away from the burning heap that was once her village.

She and her sister had been playing outside the city gates by their favorite tree, taking turns to push each other on the swing their father had put in place for them. "Be careful, my sweets. Don't let your mother know I built this for you." He had winked, hoisting Ava up on the swing while she giggled.

That swing made up most of their play time, whenever they could sneak out of the village. Talking about things six year old girls talked about, they swung in turns, trying to reach the heavens.

It was one of those sweet summer days that everything went up into flames.

Ava hadn't wanted to, but when smoke began to rise up from where their village was, her sister was off in a sprint and she had no choice but to follow, tripping behind.

What she saw when she crawled through the little hole through the southern fence was etched into her memory forever. Bodies, everywhere, dead and dying. After the first couple of corpses, Ava thought she would be desensitised to the vile sight of the people around her lifeless. That was before she saw the bodies of her parents with her sister standing over them petrified with fear.

The two girls in their trauma stood in silence over their parents, before the sounds of more explosions stirred them into motion. Hand in clammy hand, they ran as the sounds of laughing beasts chased them. Somewhere, Ava lost the hand of her sister, but kept running in spite of the fading shrieks of her sister. Fear was all that propelled her forward out the blazing gates.

Keep going. She repeated as a mantra. Keep going. Her little legs failed her, as she tripped and fell on her stomach, forcing her to crawl from the chaos and screeching monsters. She reached the tree that she had just played at hours ago and climbed up its branches with the last of her strength, hiding herself away until well after the sounds of fire subsided.

Once things were quiet in the dead of night, Ava walked back into the village. She ignored the silent decay and went back to what was once her house, once her parents. The fire had disfigured all but she could still see her mother's dark hair and her father's icy blond, distinguishing their bodies.

She sat cross legged beside them and waited. Waited for them to arise. Waited for them to tell her it had been a bad dream.

It was a full day later that the soldiers of Hyrule found her, cold and starving. She offered little resistance when they took her from what was once her home and answered their questions with quiet syllables.

"Only survivor." he heard muttered from the soldier who'd wrapped a blanket around her and put her in front of him on his horse. "Poor thing." Another commented. Even at six years old, Ava despised the sound of pity. "She'll have to go to the orphanage."

As they rode towards Castle Town, Ava watched the still smoldering wreck of her village fade from her sight and hardened her young heart.

...

If some of the earlier Gorons had just let them explain themselves, it would have gone a lot easier. But, that was then and now they were walking into the mines. As soon as the heavy door closed behind them and they were out of sight from the Gorons, Link plopped to the ground and groaned. "I hate these things." He complained as he took off the iron boots.

Ava took off her own gauntlets, and looked away as he wrung out his feet, slightly disgusted. "Well, at least you get a break for a while. Something tells me Darbus is gonna need more than gentle persuasion."

"If a fused shadow is involved, you can count on it." Midna said, popping up to take the heavy boots and gauntlets and dropping Link's normal leather boots.

Link looked so tired from lugging those boots around that Ava felt half tempted to offer that they rest. But she knew that wasn't an option with how pressing the situation was. Besides, they'd rested the whole night. It was more than enough time. Link seemed to share that sentiment as he arose moments after putting his boots on.

As they walked further into the mines, the temperature increased rapidly, swarming them in a sudden heat. Ava shrugged off her jacket and tied it around her waist. Heat wasn't the worst for her. It was much more preferable to the cold, but still, she wanted to minimise the amount she would sweat in these flaming mines when they had no way of knowing how to get rehydrated.

At the end of the corridor, they reached an open cavern that was basically a giant flaming lake with a few winding platforms. They jumped back as flame erupted from the lake to block the first platform.

Well, it looked like sweat was inevitable.

They had a few close calls with the unpredictable bursts of flame, but eventually made it to the other side of the lake after following the winding paths. How in Din's name did the Gorons navigate through these narrow passages?

Eventually, as they descended further and further into the mines, the temperature stabilised. When they stumbled upon a room with a lake consisting of water instead of fire, they jumped in immediately. And it was cool water too, a welcome combat to the grime and sweat they'd collected from the hotter parts of the mine.

When they'd loitered around in that cool water for as long as possible, they reluctantly began moving through the rest of the temple. The deeper they progressed, the more monsters emerged from the shadows, even more aggressive than usual. Ava blamed the heat.

After finishing off a few bulblin, they entered the door across from them. It was apparent as the door closed behind Ava, that this room was different. Calmer. Domestic. "Please, come in, young humans." After exchanging a wary look, Link and Ava stepped forth.

It was a Goron, clearly very old from his small frame and the cane he was using to support himself. "Word has come to me of you..." he said, beckoning them closer. "Come, I don't bite. If Gor Coron has faith in you, then your hearts must be true."

"Thank you." Link bowed respectfully. "We've come to—"

"To save Darbus… I know. I am one of the four Goron elders. Gor Amoto is my name."

"Can you offer us any assistance, Gor Amoto?" Ava asked, putting in a bow like Link's for good effect.

Amoto chucked at that. "Here," he held out what looked to be a shard of blue glass. This is part of the key that will open the seal we placed on Darbus."

"Part of…?" Link asked.

"Each of the elders keeps a piece. There are three of us in the mines. Now go. Save our patriarch. Please!" he bowed, deeper than Link or Ava had.

"We will." Link promised.

Straight and to the point. After saying farewell to the elder Goron, they tackled the mines once more. It was simply a matter of navigation at that point, trying to come to terms with the twisting passages and giant rooms with paths branching off. By accident, they stumbled across another Goron elder: Ebizo. He gave a similar grateful speech that Amoto did and handed over another key shard.

To her surprise, the shards stuck together like magnets. All that was missing now was the final shard.

Ebizo stopped them before they left the way they came. "Wait. There is something that may help you... A weapon said to have been left in this mine by a hero of old."

"What kind of weapon?" Link asked. What did it matter. Their current equipment was just fine. Unless this was magic, like the boomerang in the forest temple…

"It is beyond price, and so we have protected it through generations." Ebizo explained. He walked with them outside the room and pointed to a room they hadn't been in yet. "Talk to the guard and take it with you, with the blessing of the Gorons."

"It's a quick stop." Link noted.

"It feels too easy." Ava muttered as they were out of earshot of the elder.

"Aw, there's no need to jinx us." Link smirked. Ava rolled her eyes and followed after him in the direction of where the weapon was.

She stopped him before he opened the door. "Humor me."

"Really?" At Ava's impassive look, he relented. As Link got the iron boots from Midna, Ava slipped her silver gauntlets on. "Aren't you being a little paranoid."

"Maybe." Or maybe, he just didn't want to go through the trouble of getting Midna to cooperate. They'd never know. "The Gorons have just been so rational so far."

"The elders were very helpful!" Link protested. "Ebizo just told us to take the weapon with his blessing."

"Well, we'll see!" Ava snapped, motioning to the door. They stopped bickering and proceeded forward to the room where the guard was.

The air in this room was practically sizzling. From where they entered, all that could be seen was a large circular platform and a door behind it. Underneath them was a crackling lake of red lava. Ava looked away from the lava to the door, which opened, revealing a large figure. They walked forward to greet the Goron that must have been the guard, stepping onto the platform. It was then that he noticed them. "What? Humans?! What business do you have coming here?!"

"Hello! We've come to—"

"No business!" The Goron roared. He was the largest Goron Ava had ever seen. A drastic change from the frail elders. "You are invading our sacred space! I will protect this treasure from you!"

"No, wait!" Link protested as Ava grinned. "You don't understand. We spoke to your elder. He told us—"

"Ha! A likely story!" The Goron snarled. "I, Dangoro will stop you! If you wish to steal our treasure, it will be over my dead body!"

Before Ava could smugly tell Link, "I told you so", the Goron guard, Dangoro leaped high into the air, a surprising feat for such a large being, and stomped down, effectively bringing the platform down from it's suspension onto the lava lake below them. They screamed as they stumbled on their new toppling terrain. But they didn't have the luxury to panic as the huge Goron charged at them.

Link looked down in surprise. The platform was magnetic! His boots, made of iron, were clinging to it, strengthening his stance. He looked to Ava who jumping from place to place, trying to duck around Dangoro and not stay in one place too long. "Ava!" he called. When she looked to him, he imitated one of their wrestling stances. She nodded in understanding.

Ava waited for Link to grapple with Dangoro. Once she was sure the Goron was in Link's grasp, she came in and punched him as hard as she could.

It wasn't enough to send him flying, but it did push him back significantly to the edge of the platform. "Again." She said to Link, wringing out her hand. While the gauntlets had allowed her to move solid rock, it still hurt. She motioned to the lava and understanding lit his eyes.

Dangoro looked angry and surprised as they cornered him. This time, he leaped towards Ava, so fast that she barely dodged, having his fist skim her side instead of her stomach. It was still enough force to barrel her towards the edge.

Her peripheral vision allowed her to see the hand that reached out to her, but she didn't take it. She didn't want to rip his arm out with her gauntlets. She heard Link cry out as she fell over the edge.

He didn't need to worry. She grasped onto the edge of the platform as she fell, managing to keep herself from careening over. She pulled herself up with a grunt, watching the platform bend under the pressure, until her feet were back up onto the treacherous ground. As she caught her breath, she saw that Link was grappling with Dangoro. He glanced over at her and relief melted his frown.

Ava indicated her head to Dangoro's unguarded side and Link nodded with the slightest of motions. She lightly stepped over to the perfect spot. At her signal, Link pushed at the Goron, making him stumble enough for Ava to slam into him with her fists as hard as she could, knocking him off the platform into the lake of lava.

He howled in pain and for a split second, Ava thought he was going to drown, but Dangoro managed to reach the edge and climb out onto the platform. As he faced them, dripping molten rock, but otherwise unharmed, they resumed their stance. He only laughed heartily and pulled the chains in the middle of room bringing the platform up with the three of them on it.

Once they had overcome the shock and had secure footing once more, they could only stare at the Goron incredulously. "You have proven yourselves well, humans! So, tell me, what do you seek?"

"We've come to help your Patriarch." Link said, visibly relaxing.

"And your elder, uh, Gor Ebizo, told us to take a weapon here somewhere."

Dangoro's ruby eyes widened. "You're here to rid the mines of evil? Well, why didn't you just say so!?" he laughed again.

"We tried to explain!"

"No matter. If you are seeking the legendary weapon, it is up ahead." He bowed deeply. "Please, use it to save our Patriarch and mines."

After straightening his back, Dangoro indicated to the door behind him. Once they were in and the Goron was out of earshot, Link turned to Ava. "Don't say it."

"Don't worry." she smirked. "I'm not the type to gloat when I'm proven right."

She got a look at that. But, he didn't bite back, choosing to busy himself in taking off his boots. At that, she remembered to take off her gauntlets and tie them to her belt. She winced, touching her wrists. She still felt some impact from punching solid rock, but she'd have to put it aside. While she waited for Link, she chose to use the time to inspect the room they were in. It was marginally cooler than the one before, but it was enough to make a difference. It was a mostly empty room, with the halls on either side narrow and leading to other parts of the mines. And naturally, like most places in the mines, it was suspended over lava.

All there was in the room was a large, ornate chest surrounded by lamps. Once Link was done changing his shoes, they made their way to the chest. Ava, suspicious still of the Gorons, inspected the area for traps, nodding to Link once she was sure there weren't any. She waited in suspense as he opened the chest. Judging by the noise he made, it was something impressive.

Still, she wasn't expecting him to pull out the loveliest bow she had ever seen. She couldn't help the gasp that came from her lips. When Link handed it to her, she took it without noticing him. She ran her fingers over the supple wood and felt the weight of it in her hands. It was perfect. It was oh so familiar. It was meant for Ava.

"Do you want it?" she asked Link, not looking away from the bow.

"What? I've never used a bow in my life." He laughed. "It's yours."

That it clearly was. The wood felt so warm in her hands, hands that were the perfect size to grip it. But it made her feel cold too. Because this feeling, as comforting as it was, reminded her of the one she had from listening to the song from the stone. Memories that must have been from another life were nudging at her, but she pushed them aside. Not my problem.

Ava drew an arrow from the quiver at her back and lined it up. She pulled the string back with more effort than she needed for her other bow. The string was made of something else then. She didn't realise she was holding her breath as she let the arrow fly, hitting directly at the door in front of them. Oh. The arrow left an indent where it was stuck, clearly much stronger than when shot from her old bow.

"I never knew it was possible for someone to fall in love with a weapon." Link was grinning at her as she put the bow on her back.

"Oh, shut up." She scowled.

He raised his hands in surrender and indicated to the door, still grinning. "How long did it take you to learn how to shoot so well?"

She pondered the question for a moment as they walked. "A few years." She was horrid to begin with, only improving after much pain and practice. Hmm, they did have an extra bow with them now. "I could teach you, if you want."

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Sure. It's a good skill to have." And he wouldn't always have her around to dispatch enemies further away. "We can start whenever we have time. You won't be a master right away, so don't expect too much."

Link didn't look deterred at all as he clapped her on the shoulder with a warm smile. "Thanks."

"Yeah," she said lamely, relaxing once he removed his hand. Ava really didn't feel great about unnecessary physical contact, even though she was growing more comfortable with Link.

After facing Dangoro, nothing else in the mines was much of a challenge. Ava was enraptured by her new weapon, relishing in the feel of shooting down enemies from further away with the much improved range. They didn't make them like this in Castle Town. How could something so old be so much better?

The third patriarch Liggs, stood taller than the others. He wasn't surprised at all to see them there and gave them the last shard to complete their key. "Be careful. Who knows how powerful Darbus is in his new grotesque form…"

"However powerful he is, we will stop him." Link vowed.

The elder still looked troubled. "What turned him… It is different from the power of the shadows. I fear it must have been something truly sinister to change him so." What could be worse than the twilight? It was a disturbing thought, one that the old coot was probably wrong about. They thanked the elder and left him.

"There." Midna told them as they stood before a grand circular door. "I feel the Fused Shadow."

"Let's get it." Ava said, nodding to Link to place the completed key in the lock.

As Link slid the key in, Midna dropped the boots and gauntlets for the pair. "Something tells me you'll need them."

They didn't contest this and geared up. This was the point of braving these mines after all, to face the Goron patriarch. If normal Gorons gave them so much trouble, one powered by sinister magic certainly would.

The door slid open with a painful groan and a cloud of dust. They strode in, and were greeted by a room that was spacious, dark, and not at all empty.

A lone figure stood in the center of the room on top of a dark mass. Streams of pale light were flowing down on them from cracks in the ceiling, highlighting the deep red of their garments. This was not a Goron, and made Ava raise her bow and aim it in the direction of the figure.

They didn't give her the opportunity. "So he lied. I can't say I'm surprised." It was a female voice, sweet and childlike. "The hero and his weapon. Here at last."

"Who are you?" Link asked, hand on his own weapon.

Midna materialised in front of them. She had no quips or sarcastic comments this time but a dark expression on her shadowy face. "Take her out. Now."

"No." The girl lowered her hood and looked at them with pale, icy eyes. Silvery hair fell around an ashen face. She's blind. Ava realised with a start, as she saw those pupilless eyes in greater detail. "Our battle is fated for another time, I'm afraid."

Still, the girl stuck out a hand and a long silver staff materialised in her hand, laden with black runes and topped with a red jewel.

As she raised the staff in the air as one would a sword, Ava loosed an arrow, aiming for her head. The girl did not move or react, yet the arrow did not hit its target. A wall of white fire consumed the arrow inches from her face. Her blind eyes met Ava, and she only shook her head before lowering the staff in a downwards swing.

The light in the room was extinguished with that fell swoop and the only point of visibility was that red jewel on her staff, glowing brighter and brighter with sinister magic. When the light came back with a start, the girl was gone, and the heap she was standing on rose with a roar, the jewel affixed to its forehead. "The patriarch." Ava realised with a start, even though the monster looked nothing like a Goron. It stood twelve feet tall and was warped by darkness, it's eyes as red as the glinting jewel on its forehead. Its hands and feet were bound in thick chains affixed to the walls. If there was comfort in that, it evaporated as the beast ripped itself free of the chains, leaving them dangling from its limbs.

"Watch out!" Link cried as the giant beast charged. They pulled back as the patriarch struck where they'd just stood, leaving a large crater in the shape of his fist. "Ava! Slow him down!"

"I know! I'm trying" Ava jumped and dodged another hit, feeling the sweat bead on her forehead. If any of those landed directly, she was dead. She punched at him, for him to barely move. When he charged at Link, Ava grabbed a chain on it's hand and pulled, for him to stop mid charge and swat at her, forcing her to draw back. This wasn't going to work.

"The jewel!"

Right. Ava jumped back and threw the gauntlets off haphazardly, hurriedly pulling out her bow. She watched Link duck hits, made all the harder from the weight of the boots, and let go of her bowstring as soon as the beast faced her.

The arrow hit the jewel, making it explode with light. The creature clutched its head and cried terribly. It caught sight of the cause of the pain and charged towards Ava. Before it could get far, Link pulled on the chain affixed to its leg, causing it to fall flat on its stomach.

With combined effort, Ava's arrows and the blow of Link's sword, the jewel on its forehead shattered. The beast let out a final cry and collapsed back into a dark heap, limbs twitching in pain.

The darkness scattered from the prone figure, coalescing into a familiar shape: A Fused Shadow. Midna didn't look happy about taking this one, from the scowl on her face. "Who was that?" Link asked. He hit the mark as Midna's scowl deepened.

"Another problem, if she's helping our enemy." Her gaze flickered to Ava and something incomprehensible crossed her features before the shadowy imp shrugged and reverted back to her snide self. "Zant's his name, if you forgot."

"We didn't." Link said grimly.

"In your current state, you two would be nothing to him, especially if he has help." Midna shrugged, eyeing the artifact in her hand. "It's kind of sad, actually."

"Why fight him then?" Ava asked coldly. "What do you get by fighting your king if he's so strong?"

A look of disgust crossed Midna's face.. "Zant will never be my king! I have nothing but scorn for his supposed strength. Not that your Zelda is much better..."

Ava stiffened. "What did you say?"

Midna only smirked, snapping her fingers and putting the Fused Shadow away with her magic. "I said your Zelda is not much better. It still appalls me that this world of light is controlled by that princess. A carefree youth, a life of luxury... How does that teach duty?"

Ava was stopped from lunging forward by a hand on her shoulder. "She's trying to get a rise out of you. Don't fall for it." Link warned in her ear.

Deciding to ignore the voice of reason, she pulled away from his grasp and turned back to Midna. "What would you know of duty?" she snarled, stalking forward so she was right in front of her.. "You know nothing about her! Nothing about what she's been through!" The girl forced to grow up too fast, to shoulder too much responsibility carefree? It would be laughable if it wasn't utterly offensive.

To Ava's shock, Midna didn't bite back. "You're right."

"I… am?"

Midna shrugged. "Yeah. I don't know much about her. She didn't choose any of this, after all. And I would never wish harm on her… No, as long as I can get my hands on the Fused Shadows, I'll be just fine." she smiled lazily and snapped her fingers. A portal emerged. "Shall we?"

Somehow, Ava cooled down and nodded. Midna had taken back her words, after all. Before they could step into the portal, the dark heap groaned and moved.

Link stepped forward and inspected the figure. "Er… Patriarch? Are you alright?"

With great difficulty, he sat up and blinked with unfocused eyes. "Huh?"

"He'll be fine." Ava said impatiently. "Let's go."

Link insisted on waiting until more Gorons came and took the Patriarch into their care, thanking the two of them profusely. It was only after that that they were able to leave those flame cursed mines.

Out they stepped into the cool spring of Eldin, another Fused Shadow in their grasp.