The Legend of Zelda: Mark of a Hero | Part 1 - Hyrule

Overworld Chapter 46 - School of Hard Rocks

...as he landed back on the entrance to the temple atop Death Mountain. His arms were still above his head as the light faded and the heat of the caldera below hit him once more. It passed over him like water off a duck. Nothing could surmount the sensation currently buzzing through the entirety of Link's mind.

Donu's voice brought Link slightly more back down to earth. "What's the cause for celebration?"

As Link stepped down off the stairs to the temple, Link felt his face started to ache from the immovable smile plastered on it and didn't care. "Being alive, I guess."

She wanted to see him more. He'd survived giving her a compliment. Directly! No flowery prose about it, he'd said that to her face. How much longer that lasted remained to be seen, particularly with Impa. And it was a business arrangement, it wasn't anything other than that. He couldn't expect it to be anything more than that.

She wanted to see him more.

A heavy hand pat his back and again he was pulled back to the material world. Donu chuckled as he stepped away. "I see."

Link took a moment, processing suddenly where he was as he looked around. "Wait a minute. Wrong part of the shrine."

"Actually," Donu said just as Link began to wind up the spell. The wings faded, Link waited as the Goron moved to collect something from the small meditation space he had set up. "Since you're here. A favor and a gift." Donu returned, two items in his hand. The first was a scroll stamped with the sigil of Din, bound to be mailed. The second though was unanticipated.

He would have expected the ruby from Donu's staff to be heavier. In Link's hand though, it fit easily. Cool to the touch, no presence from inside it, very lightweight. As Link turned it over, Donu stated, "I'm afraid that Zelda's spell did drain it too thoroughly to repair."

"I'm sorry," Link said, moving to hand it back. Donu held up his hand to block the gesture.

"I can make another one. These things happen," Donu replied, still smiling. "This one you should keep. A token, for your efforts in the temple." When Link still looked hesitant, Donu insisted, "Please. It's little more than a paperweight to me. And to be honest, I have put inert rubies in here before." He leaned the top of his staff towards Link as he said it. "You'd be doing me another favor taking it."

"If that's the case," Link replied, reluctantly putting it into his bag as Donu's insistence. Not much good it would do him in there. He had an idea of someone who might like it though.

"Well, don't let me keep you. It's late, it looks like you've had a busy night," Donu said, using his staff to pull himself up to standing. "Some sleep seems it would do you good."

Link laughed, the buzz of adrenaline starting to catch up with him. "Yeah, probably. I'll post this for you when I get back in town first though." He held up the scroll even as he was already picturing the proper destination in the city beneath the mountain.

There were no surprises waiting in Goron City. Link weaved his way through the city far more easily now that he wasn't trying to hide. The post box outside the manor remained intact, easily taking Donu's scroll, before Link made his way back to the room waiting for him in Katolo's manor. Starting to feel the grit Zelda had pointed out, he bathed, dunking his clothes in the bath after, before throwing them over the window in his room to dry before the morning. They were dry before his head hit the pillow thanks to the steady heat coming from the now sleeping mountain outside.

He was one of the first people up in the morning as well, something uncharacteristic even he recognized. Saddiqah was surprised to find him already awake when she came down, helping Aphe with breakfast, and reasonably alert for the hour. As he made his way back with a tray of food, Saddiqah caught him with her arm across his path.