"Man, this is HOT!" Link wheezed as he wiped his forehead. "How can you Gorons stand living in such a heat? It's so hot, my guess is that every tree that would grow in here would be reduced to a pile of ashes within seconds, just from the hot air itself."
"I doubt Konatsu would like it in here," Ukyo nodded in agreement.
"At least Shampoo should be used to this heat, right?" Navi asked the Gerudo warrior.
But Shampoo shook her head. "Desert hot, but not this hot," she panted. "Only Goron Tunic allows us to stay in here."
"Then how come you two aren't affected by the heat?" Link asked the fairies.
"Not affected?" Tatl nearly screamed. "I'm getting my wings singed here and he says I'm not affected!"
"We're protected by our own magic, I think," Navi replied. "Of course we can be harmed by the fire and lava, but to just heat, we are as immune as we are against poison."
"You are immune against poison?" Ukyo asked in surprise. She frowned. "Why is this the first time I hear of this?"
Tatl shrugged. "You never asked."
"Enough with the chitchat already!" Ryoga grumbled. "We are here to save my tribe, remember? So let's get going already!"
"You're right, sorry about this," Ukyo said. "Lead the way!"
They followed the Goron boy across unsteady suspension bridges that lead across the pit of bubbling lava. Ukyo gulped when she looked down into the crater. One wrong step...
"I'm surprised the ropes of those bridges haven't burnt through yet," she mumbled. "Do they even stand the weight of multiple Gorons?"
"The bridges are for those visitors of the temple that can't take the way we Gorons usually take," Ryoga replied impatiently. "Now hurry up!"
"Geez, calm down already!" Ukyo grumbled. "You do know that this is our first time inside a volcano, do you?"
Ryoga sighed. "Sorry, but... I'm just so worried about sensei and the others. If that hag and her dragon did anything to them..."
"Look out!" Shampoo suddenly shouted. "Shampoo sense something."
"Is it an ambush?" Link asked attentively and drew his sword.
"Relax, young hero! I am not here to harm you."
Everyone who recognized the sleek figure in the blue costume sighed with relief.
"It's just that cryptic message freak..." Tatl grumbled. "You nearly gave us a heart attack, pal!"
"Hey, don't call him that!" Link protested. "He's risking his life by helping us. Besides, why would he have taught us that song if not to help us?"
"A song to get back to a temple we probably won't ever see again in our lives?" Tatl snorted. "Hah! As long as he's wearing that mask, I won't trust him!"
"A wise decision, fairy of the forest!" Sheik said as he dropped down from the obsidian pillar he was standing on. "In these days, you can't be too careful... there are too many spies around that work for Ganondorf. But I assure you that I am on your side."
"Yeah, whatever..." the yellow-glowing fairy grumbled. "Now why are you here? You don't wanna tell me you came into a volcano crater as a tourist, do you?"
"No, I came here because you need to know something." He gestured at the Fire Temple, which entrance silhouetted against the dark, volcanic rock wall which surrounded it. "Right now, one of the sages is in the temple. It is no coincidence that you came here at this moment. You have to find the sage before Ganondorf can harm him."
"Wait a minute," Ryoga spoke up. "Who are you anyway and how do you know that? The only people in there are members of my race, and old Gerudo hag and an undead dragon... do you wanna tell me that one of them is a sage?"
"I can't tell you more," Sheik said. "I just know that there is a sage in the Fire Temple, and you must hurry."
"I agree with that," Ryoga nodded grumpily. "But only because otherwise, my people will be fed to the dragon."
"We don't have the time to argue," Sheik sighed. "Just hurry and do, what you have to do. Just try to recall this song, should you ever need to get back here." And he pulled his harp from his back.
"What's the big idea?" Ryoga yelled. "Are you crazy? My people are dying and you want us to listen to some stupid music! I don't believe it!"
"You calm down, rock-boy!" Shampoo said. "Shampoo thinks mystery-boy really wants to help."
"Yeah, he helped us before," Link nodded. "And I can't really say why, but... I trust him."
Sheik nodded. "It is something that grows over time... a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time..." He looked at Ryoga. "The passion of friendship will blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go."
He raised his hands up to the harp. "This song is dedicated to the power of the heart... Listen to the Bolero of Fire!"
And he started to play an upbeat melody that seemed to merge with the rhythmic bubbling of the lava stream down below. Link raised the Ocarina of Time to his lips and played along. And just as the heat was drying their skin, they felt how it was filling their hearts with a pleasant warmth.
Link and Sheik lowered their instruments. Sheik put the harp back and looked at the heroes in front of him. "Link... everyone... we'll meet again!"
"Wait a minute!" Ryoga protested. "How can we be certain that you don't..."
He wanted to reach for the Sheikah's arm, but suddenly, a wall of fire appeared in-between them. Surprised, Ryoga took a few steps before he remembered that he was a Goron and could stand the heat. But before he could reach Sheik again, the mysterious youngster pulled a Deku Nut out of his pocket and vanished in a bright flash.
When Ryoga passed through the wall of fire, it vanished like a shadow in a ray of light. Confused, his hands wandered through the air as if there was anything left he could grasp.
"It was just an illusion," Navi realized. "A spell so he had enough time to get away."
"Lousy little..." Ryoga growled.
"There you have it!" Tatl pertly said. "If he's an ally, why does he always vanish like that? He just has to be hiding something from us."
"Maybe," Link said as he pocketed his ocarina. "But if he has his reasons, I'm not gonna question him. Now let'S go and save the Gorons and that sage."
"I'm with you," Ukyo nodded. And they followed the bridge until they reached the entrance of the Fire Temple.
But just as Shampoo was walking past the obsidian pillar Sheik had been standing on, she saw something gently floating down to her. She grasped it in her right hand before it could fall into the lava.
"A hawk's feather?" she whispered.
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(Posted Sun, 25 Nov 2007 17:03)
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