“But…they had already started to retreat. How…how could they have…” Igari’s words stuck in her throat. “I mean, there couldn’t have been more than twenty of them on that ledge by the time…what happened?”
“I don’t know…” Darunia’s voice came out in a choked whisper. Fear and anger fought for dominance within his mind; the intense shock of discovering that the Gerudo had taken over was difficult to fathom. And there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. No doubt if he had been in Goron City at the time of the takeover, the Gerudo would have killed him just as they had killed his father and his sister. But now wasn’t the time to regret the past. The future of Goron City was in serious jeopardy, and the only ones that could possibly stand in the Gerudos way were himself and Igari.
“What are we supposed to do?”
What are we supposed to do?
This was the last thing I had ever expected to happen. There is no way anyone could be prepared for anything like this. Father might have been able to figure something out, but…I…am…not… Dammit, Darunia! Stop comparing yourself to your father! He’s dead, and there’s nothing you can do about it. For the sake of Goron City, you’ve got to have confidence in yourself!
“Big Brother…” A worried look spread across Igari’s face.
“If there were only about twenty of them at the rockslide, we may be able to rally the people against them.” Darunia mused. “But the problem is getting into the city without being captured by the Gerudo.”
“We already have a slight advantage.” Igari pointed out. “We know there’s a passage here and they don’t.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.” Darunia paced back and forth across the ledge, stroking his beard and periodically looking at Igari. “We just might be able to sneak in at night. But knowing the Gerudo, they have probably already pillaged the city and taken away all of our weapons. We’ll need something to fight back with…”
“Bombs.” Igari gestured toward the cave near the Fire Temple. “Since we have easy access to Dodongo’s Cavern, we can get as many bombs as we want.”
“Right!” Darunia snapped his fingers. “Great thinking. Once we get inside, I’ll try to locate where everyone is being held, then fight off any guards that might be watching them—“
“Correction. We’ll fight off the guards. We’re in this together, right?”
“Do you doubt my ability to take on the Gerudo myself?” Said Darunia in mock exasperation.
“Do you doubt mine?” Igari questioned, arms crossed over her chest. “No, I don’t doubt you at all. You are every bit as strong as your father, physically and mentally. Inexperienced at ruling, perhaps, but that’s to be expected from one who was basically thrust into your position without warning. It’s just that…” Igari’s expression softened significantly; her eyes almost had a pleading look to them. “The Gerudo are very powerful, and we don’t know how many guards there are. I just…don’t want to see you dead.”
“Igari….” Darunia placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. He wasn’t quite sure what to say or how to feel at that moment. An overwhelming need to avenge his fallen friends and family still remained the focus in the young monarch’s mind, along with the anger and anxiety that went along with it. But there was something else—something completely different edging its way to the surface, something that seemed to push the other emotions away for a short time. As Darunia continued gazing into Igari’s eyes, that something finally struck him.
In a single moment in time, he had found a better reason to fight. More importantly, a better reason to survive the fight. And she was standing right in front of him.
“Please be careful. I don’t want anything happening to you, either.” Darunia finally spoke, a hint of a smile slowly making its way across his lips. Igari returned his smile with one of her own.
“I will.”
The pair of Gorons made their way back across the bridge and back into the cave that connected with their bomb flower quarry. Neither Darunia nor Igari had expected to be back inside Dodongo’s Cavern so soon after they had escaped from it, but there was really no other choice. Bomb flowers were the only weapons they had easy access to; if they even had a chance against the Gerudo, they had to gather as many bombs as possible. Unfortunately, they were seriously limited in the actual amount they could carry.
After determining that they were completely out of other ideas, Darunia and Igari opted to take several trips back and forth from the Goron City passage to Dodongo’s Cavern—a dangerous prospect at best considering the number of times they would have to traverse the lava lake—but they really had no choice. This undertaking took the better part of the afternoon and stretched into the early evening. By the time they had transported the last of the bomb flowers, the sun was just setting and both Darunia and Igari were completely exhausted from their efforts.
“Forty-five bomb flowers….” Darunia sighed, rubbing his sore arms as he stared at the giant pile of bombs in front of the passageway. His gaze drifted over toward Igari, who was already sitting down against the wall with her eyes closed. “Igari?” The only reply he received was in the form of a soft sigh. She’s asleep. She must be exhausted… Darunia suddenly felt a wave of tired coming over him; he sat down not too far from where Igari was sleeping and leaned back against the wall of the passageway. Not long afterward, he too had drifted off to sleep.
“You, you monsters!”
The desperate cry of a woman awakened Darunia with a start. At first he thought it might have been Igari, but he noticed that she was still sleeping not too far away from him. He quietly stalked over to the statue blocking the passage and listened intently to what was happening on the other side.
“Tell us where the Spiritual Stone of Fire is NOW!”
“I cannot. I do not know where the stone is. And even if I did know, I would never tell the likes of you, Gerudo scum!”
“They will never find it…” Darunia breathed. “Not where I hid it.”
“Hmmm?” Igari slowly opened her eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Shh.” Darunia placed a finger over his mouth and motioned Igari to join him; she quickly stood up and made her way toward the statue.
“We have already killed each and every member of your royal family in carefully executed strikes and taken over your precious city. What makes you think you can hide that stone from us? If you don’t tell us where that stone is, you will die. It’s simple as that. Either way, we will eventually find the stone. Why not spare yourself?”
“You murdered my daughter and my son.” The Goron’s voice sounded broken and exhausted, as if the owner of the voice had been crying for quite a long time. “I have nothing left to lose.” A horrified expression suddenly crossed Igari’s features as she took in the woman’s words; she recognized the voice only too well.
“Oh, no….” She gasped. “Th-that’s my…mother in there….”
“Fine, then. Have it your way. That’s one less Goron we’ll have to deal with.” The Gerudo made a noise that sounded like a cross between a guffaw and a growl, then clapped her hands once. “Avara, kill her.”
They heard the distinct sound of a sword being removed from its scabbard.
