Life in Zora's Domain - Part Two

Chapter 22 - Astra Meets Goron Chief Yun

Summary: Goron Chief Yun travels to Hyrule Castle to meet with Zelda and Astra. Afterward, Astra explains she needs to investigate the Yiga Clan hideout before any assault can be undertaken. Paya's husband Talan supplies some helpful information.

It was midday at Hyrule Castle, and Astra and Zelda were having lunch with Goron boss Yun, formerly known as Yunobo. Zelda had invited him both to introduce him to Astra as well as seek Goron support for future actions against the Yiga Clan.

Lunch was pleasant, for the most part. But the crunching sound of Yun biting into his solid rock meal made both Astra and Zelda wince. They instinctively ran their tongues across their front teeth to resist the feeling they had all just broken.

"Pretty tasty!" said Yun after swallowing. "Did you get this locally?"

"No, we keep some rocks from the Eldin Region on hand for whenever we have Gorons as guests," said Zelda. "They're no trouble to store, and I don't think they spoil with age, do they?"

"No, no, not at all. Rocks often taste better with age, though real aging takes a very long time," said Yun. "But thanks for warming it up a bit before serving. A hot meal always goes down better."

"You're very welcome. And you didn't need to bring a gift, Yun, but thank you for the Goron Spice," said Zelda. "I enjoy spicy food."

"I hope I brought you enough then," said Yun.

"Way more than enough!" laughed Zelda. "I only use a small pinch at a time, or I would burn away my taste buds. A dozen bottles are plenty and very generous, Yun, thank you."

"How was your trip here?" Astra asked. "Did you roll all the way?"

"Oh, no," laughed Yun. "I walked most of the way here, along with my two guards. Once we Gorons mature, we generally only roll when we're in a hurry, or we can't resist a nice downhill stretch on our journey. Kids like to roll all the time, though, and sometimes have races. But the roads are quite pleasant to travel now, so walking is fine."

"Perhaps it would be good to continue our discussion," said Zelda. "I was hoping to secure Goron cooperation with a campaign against the Yiga Clan."

"Of course, Zelda," said Yun. "You don't even need to ask. Any enemy of Hyrule is an enemy of ours. We don't see any Yiga Clan spies in our part of the world. It must be too hot for them. But we Gorons will willingly fight to rid Hyrule of them."

"Thank you," said Zelda. "I knew I could count on you, but I needed to ask. Now that I have secured the cooperation of all the races, we can begin planning our next steps."

"That's good. But hey, it's great to meet my Goro brother's daughter," said Yun. "I never knew Link had a child. Astra, I should tell you that your father was a true role model and taught me to believe in myself. We worked together to do what I thought was impossible - calm a rampaging Rudania. He showed me you didn't have to be big and strong to be brave and get the job done, and it was a turning point in my life."

"My father told me the story. Do you mind telling me what happened after you both appeased Rudania?" said Astra.

"No, no, I don't mind at all. Just let me think back," said Yun as he scratched his head. "First of all, our mining operations expanded right away since Death Mountain was safe to work on again. The Gerudo were always eager to buy our jewels, so our economy picked up too. And we got a bit more tourism, though not as much as we would like. Our weather doesn't seem to appeal to everyone. Our boss was Bludo back then, and he was a good leader, respected by his people. But his back kept giving him problems, probably injured from swatting away magma bombs when I helped him drive back Rudania before Link showed up. Anyway, Bludo eventually started showing his age. So, about ten years ago, after he saw how much I had matured, he stepped down as boss and urged everyone to vote for me as his replacement. And that's what happened. So, it's no exaggeration to say I owe where I am today to your father, Astra."