Sleep did not come easily that night. Too many things were going through Darunia's mind to let him relax. He kept asking himself if he had done something differently, would his father and sister still be alive? Over and over again the terrible scene during the Gerudo attack played back in his mind; over and over again he saw the only family he had perish in a split second along with half a dozen others. Try as he may, Darunia could not will himself to sleep.
Finally, in the very early morning, the young ruler fell into a deep, almost comatose slumber-only to be awakened a few hours later by the disturbing sounds of yelling and screaming. Still not quite awake, Darunia uncurled himself just enough to see the solitary Goron rolling into his chamber. The intruder quickly uncurled, and Darunia recognized her immediately. She was the same woman he had seen in the graveyard the day before-Brec's sister-only this time, fear had replaced the grief in her eyes.
"Big Brother!" She breathlessly began. "It's-it's the Gerudo! They're back!"
Darunia immediately stood up.
"They broke through the blockade at Dodongo's Cavern?!"
"No, they didn't!" The woman continued. "I don't know how they were able to do it, but the entire Gerudo army climbed the mountainside, completely bypassing the Death Mountain Trail! They passed the blockade entirely and are attempting a direct assault on Goron City itself!"
"Damn!" Darunia cursed. "Where are they positioned?"
"Come on!" She gestured for Darunia to follow her and curled into a ball. Darunia rapidly followed suit and the two Gorons rolled out of his chamber. The young ruler followed her outside of Goron City, just to the north where a medium-sized patch of bomb flowers grew. Once there, the woman uncurled and pointed toward the west; about two hundred Gerudo stood less than a thousand feet from them on the small indent just above Dodongo's Cavern.
"They aren't moving very fast, but whatever it is they're firing at us-"
"Run for cover!" Another Goron shouted. What could only be described as a large, spiky fireball flew past Darunia's head and hit near the Goron City entrance, causing the ground around it to shake slightly. "That was too close!"
"Throw as many bombs at them as you can!" Darunia shouted over the din. "Don't let them get any further!" With those words, his plucked a bomb from the nearest bomb flower and chucked it at the offending force; the explosion sent about three or four Gerudo toppling to the trail below, but didn't even phase the others. Undaunted, Darunia picked another bomb and threw it. He and the other Gorons near the city's entrance continued throwing bombs at their attackers, all the while trying to dodge the many flying arrows and spiky fireballs which the Gerudo fired at them.
About a half-hour later, the Gerudo army had dwindled to a mere two dozen. Darunia threw one last bomb at them; the explosion was enough to send them scrambling for cover. As the remaining attack force began their hasty retreat, a loud cheer arose from the Goron people.
But it wasn't over yet.
"Crap! Look out!" Dymium yelled from Death Mountain Trail. One final fireball streaked through the air toward Goron City; it missed the entrance entirely, but made direct contact with the patch of bomb flowers. The entire patch exploded in a giant ball of flame and smoke.
Darunia felt himself being catapulted into the air from the force of the explosion, tumbling over the cliff edge with about a half-a-dozen other unfortunate victims. He cried out in pain as he landed with a dull thud directly in front of Dodongo's Cavern. Darunia's eyes opened briefly, long enough for him to see part of the cliff face crumbling from the intense blow. Darkness soon enveloped him and he lapsed into unconsciousness.
It's dark...
Very dark...
Why is it so dark?
"Big Brother?"
A sweet voice melted through Darunia's unconsciousness and caused him to slowly awaken. He could feel the dampness of a wet cloth being wiped across his forehead and the touch of a hand. Slowly, sensation gnawed its way back into Darunia's body, bringing intense pain and dizziness along with it. He tried to move his head.
"Please don't move. You have a nasty injury on your forehead. I'm taking care of it, but you need to stay as still as possible, okay?" The voice was definitely female. Darunia could feel her feather-light touch on his forehead as she proceeded to clean the wound. He winced in pain. "Sorry. I'm trying to be as gentle as possible. I'll be finished momentarily." Darunia felt his head being lifted up and a strip of cloth being wound around it. "There. That's the worst of it. You're lucky to be alive."
Darunia's eyes slowly opened; with a combination of fuzzy vision and dim light, he had a hard time seeing anything. When his eyes did finally focus, he could barely make out the dim silhouette of a woman watching over him.
"Wh...who are...you?" Darunia's voice came out as a choked whisper.
"I suppose it's difficult for you to see, huh?" The woman replied. "My name is Igari. You know my brother..." She caught herself. "Rather, knew my late brother Brec."
"I...remember..." Darunia recalled seeing her at Brec's gravesite the day before. He also remembered her coming into his chamber to warn him about the Gerudo attack. "You...were at...bomb flower patch..." He remembered the explosion that had sent him and several others over the edge of the cliff; Darunia briefly recalled the loud roar of falling rocks just before he passed out. "Rock slide. There was...a rock slide."
"Half of the cliff collapsed from the explosion and blocked the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern." Igari explained. She heaved a sigh. "We're inside Dodongo's Cavern. Trapped."
"Wha?" Darunia was confused. "How? I was at the mouth of the cavern when I landed."
"Someone dragged you inside just before the slide hit the cavern. It was either take refuge inside or be crushed." Igari didn't want to say this next part. "Out of everyone who fell, we're the only two in Dodongo's Cavern. The rest..."
"Are dead." Darunia finished. He saw Igari nod. "No...." He could feel the anger building up inside of him, burning like the core of Death Mountain itself. He needed to get out of there, to return to Goron City, to wage war against the ones who had taken so many lives. In a fit of determination, Darunia made an effort to stand. A wave of dizziness washed over him at exactly that moment, and the effort failed miserably.
"What are you doing?!" Igari exclaimed, placing a hand on Darunia's shoulder. "You're injured! You need to stay-"
"Don't tell me what I need to do!" Darunia bellowed. He pushed her hand off of his shoulder and struggled to his feet in spite of the dizziness plaguing him. "We must defeat the Gerudo! How am I supposed to lead Goron City if I'm not even there?"
"How are you supposed to lead Goron City if you're dead?" Igari fired back. "That's exactly what you'll be if you don't rest!" Darunia ignored Igari's warnings and grabbed hold of a nearby boulder-obviously debris from the rock slide-and hefted it into the air. Seemingly without effort, Darunia threw the boulder away from the blocked cavern entrance and reached for another. A few moments later he collapsed in a heap on the ground, holding his head in pain. Heaving a sigh, Igari raced to his side.
"Are you okay?"
Silence. Only the sound of Darunia's ragged breathing permeated the still air inside of the cavern. He was in pain, and Igari knew it.
"I have failed." The young Goron king finally spoke. "I failed to stop the Gerudo and because of my weakness, more of us have died. Goron City needs a king who can fight these Gerudo and win, someone like-"
"King Devor." Darunia felt a twinge of grief at the mention of his late father's name. "He was a great man, and an incredible ruler. But you've only been Big Brother for three days, and in that three days you have seen more grief and horror than anyone should experience in a lifetime. No one expected the Gerudo to attack, not even your father...." Darunia could hear Igari's voice shuddering; he felt a single tear fall onto his arm and realized that Igari was crying. "Y-You can't blame yourself. You've done the best you could under the circumstances..."
Darunia looked up at Igari; the light was just bright enough for him to see the sincerity in her tear-filled eyes. Before he knew it, tears began to form in his own eyes. Everything finally hit him, his father and sister dying, the latest Gerudo attack and the subsequent deaths of his comrades, his being trapped behind a wall of rock. The anger had subsided for now, giving way to pure grief. In the three days since his father and sister had died, Darunia never shed a single tear for them. Now the tears flowed unchecked down his face.
"I-I can't believe they're gone..." Darunia could barely say the words. "Dad, Varabeth..." He paused for a few moments. "...Brec."
"My brother..." Igari's voice was little more than a whisper. "I miss Brec so much...."
"Everyone is gone." By that time, Darunia had become inconsolable and began pouring his soul out to his companion. "My mother died eighteen years ago, and now with my father, sister, and best friend gone too..." His voice trailed off. "...I'm alone." Racking sobs shook his body, making his head ache even more than before. Darunia slowly cried himself into a much-needed sleep. Mere moments before drifting into unconsciousness, he felt Igari's gentle touch on his tear-stained face.
"No. You are not alone."
