Fan Fiction Friday: Daruk’s Song – Part 1

My brothers and I hail from the peaks of Death Mountain. The weather is always blazing, we seldom see any visitors, and the food here is to die for. My brothers are strong in body, but we are even stronger in heart. We roll along the hills and find comfort among the hot springs that dot the mountain range. There wasn’t much that shook us — maybe a rumble or two from Death Mountain, but we always stood firm.

My people have prospered since the days of the old. Tale has it of an ancestor who helped the Hero of Time save our land. We may be rough around the edges, thick skinned, and maybe a little hard headed, but we are family to all. We are the Gorons. 

The fires of Death Mountain always warmed a special place in my heart. There wasn’t much that could get me down. I lived my life in simplicity. All I needed was a good Rock Roast and a full day of training! We Gorons enjoy the simple things and not much else. On a good day I would roll down to the base of the mountain and communicate with the good ‘ole natives of Hyrule. Talkin’ with the little people always brought me joy, they were so different from my Goron brothers!

There was a stable nestled at the base of the mountain. I enjoyed visiting the owners of that place, they were always so kind, and much less rough than little ‘ole me. On today’s roll down the hill there was a small group of Hylians clustered around the doorway, talking amongst themselves. A few of the small-fries jumped at my presence, but they must have never seen a Goron before! 

“Good day little Hylians!” I boomed. The smaller Hylians hid behind the slightly larger ones and peeked around cautiously. “Aw, now you don’t have to be afraid of ‘ole Daruk.”

“Good day Daruk. It is so nice for you to visit our stable again,” a male Hylian said, patting one of the small-fries on the head. “Now Bastian, say hello to Daruk. He is a mighty warrior of the Gorons. He lives on top of Death Mountain.” The small-fry, Bastian, peeked from behind and waved his hand. 

“Oh Daruk! What a pleasure.” A lady Hylian emerged from the stable and rested her fragile hand on my bicep. “You’re finally getting to meet the children. I see that you have met our son Bastian. And… oh, where is Elanor?” The female Hylian spun around looking for the other small-fry.

“I’m here Mama!” a tiny female voice replied. It was Elanor, somehow the small-fry had climbed up on my shoulder.

I chuckled and looked up at the little girl. “Well you sure snuck up on ‘ole Daruk, didn’t ya!” The girl beamed and waved to her family. “Charles and JoyAnne, it is great finally getting to meet your little family.”

“The pleasure is ours Daruk. You have helped our stable so many times from all of the monster attacks. We would be remiss if you didn’t help us stop the boulders from rolling down and destroying our home.” Charles said, picking up his son.

“Aw shucks, pleasure is mine! I enjoy meeting the tiny people.” I picked Elanor off my back and set her down gently. Gorons always had to be mindful of their strength when dealing with the little people. Our strength was far superior. We could crush the Hylians like bugs if we felt so inclined. But our people would never stoop so low. 

I turned as a tiny voice reached my ears from inside the stable, “…it’s a sign of the Calamity! The great evil will return and destroy our land. The moon tells.” 

I huffed, all anyone ever talked about now-a-days was ‘ole Calamity Ganon and how he was set to return. I listened as the Hylians spoke in eccentric voices. Their conversation reminded me of the time when the little Sheikah people came to visit Death Mountain. 

The Sheikah were small like my Hylian friends, but they carried themselves differently. Upon their arrival at our home they began to dig into the mountainside. My brothers assisted the little people in their dig, and soon enough they found some kind of Divine Beast or something like that. It was a magnificent creature, but there was no tellin’ how long the beast had been buried underneath all of that rock. 

The past faded from my mind as I listened to the Hylians in the stable clamor on about how someone needed to drive the beast and use it as a weapon. We Gorons didn’t care much about the relics we dug up, as long as we could eat them. But that was back in the good ‘ole days. At the thought of food my stomach began to growl. I glanced over and watched as the children played among the rocks. Their parents watched them carefully. Goron children never had to worry much about gettin’ hurt, it only made them tougher. My mind was full as I bid my friends farewell until my next visit. 

I rolled back up the foothills and into the mountains, hunting for Prime Rock Roast as I made my way home. We Gorons would eat multiple dinners to keep our strength up, but there was more than my typical eight dinners on my mind. Were those Hylians right about the Calamity returning? And would my brothers and my home be in peril? I wasn’t one to be bothered by much, but all of the chatter the little people were making about Ganon made me wonder. My thoughts on the Calamity didn’t last long though, especially after I stumbled upon a host of Rock Roast ready for eating. 

The full moon shone against the peaks of Death Mountain. The molten lava cast a red glow against its white reflection, making it look strangely foreign. I munched on another piece of Rock Roast as I sat on the cliff looking over Goron City. I should have spent the day training, but sometimes a Goron needs some time to relax.

My mind wasn’t so relaxed though. Despite telling myself that I wouldn’t be bothered by that pig, I let the worries creep back in. I was sure that the good ‘ole days were gone, especially with all the recent talk about Ganon. I really had no time to dwell, though. Things were sure to be fine! I had to keep on rolling! There was no need to bother myself with such things, and tomorrow I would get back to training; that way I could protect my home, and all of the delicious Rock Roast from that swine.

For now, I wanted to admire Death Mountain, my home, and rest assured that the bond of my brothers would never die.

 

Heather Beard is a writer for Zelda Dungeon. She’s a (crazy) cat lady with a passion for Zelda lore, and really cheesy pizza. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and Twitter!

Featured image artwork is by the author, Heather Beard.

Comments
Sorted Under: Breath of the Wild, Fan Fiction Friday
Tagged With: No tags were found for this entry.