The Legend of Zelda: Link's Shadow

Prologue

Link pushed the heavy door open and walked in. As he did the door closed loudly and thick, metal bars slammed down, an all too familiar sight the past couple of weeks. He took his attention away from the door and looked around; it was half dark and foggy. The ground was covered in water about ankle deep; there was a small island with a dead tree about 50 ft. away, and a door beyond that. He walked past the dead tree and examined the other door. It also had metal bars over it. Great. He thought.

He turned and looked around. To the left was what looked like a crumbling stone arch. He walked over too look at it but instead slammed into an invisible wall right before he got there. "Crap." He said, rubbing his head. He turned and saw a dark figure standing next to the tree. "Again, great." Link drew his sword and cautiously walked toward the figure.

When he got within 5 ft. of the figure he nearly fell backwards. The person could be his twin; except the figure wore a black tunic and cap, his hair was white and he had some sort of tattoos running across his face. The figure half leaned against the tree, staring at his feet. "What's your business here?" Link said. The dark figure just stood there, acting as if Link wasn't even there. "What's your name?" the twin just stared down, his arms hung lifelessly at his waist.

"Hey! I'm talking to yo-" Link didn't have time to finish. The figure moved with inhuman speed. He lunged at Link, pulling his sword and shield off his back. Link saw an opportunity too strike. He stabbed his sword at the twin, but only hit air. The dark figure moved in mid air, landing perfectly on Link's sword. For some reason Link couldn't move, his muscles were locked in the half-kneeling position, supporting the figure on his sword. He saw the evil twin smile. The figure flipped backwards, bringing his sword in front of himself too slice Link. He regained control of his muscles in time to only get nicked on his right cheek.

The twin landed perfectly a few feet from Link. He rested the edge of the sword on the ground, leaning on it. "I have no name." He smiled. "As for my business…" He brought his sword up and pointed it at Link. "… I'm here to get rid of you."

Chapter 1

"You knew full well what was going too happen…"

Link rode his horse up a small hill. There's a small village on the other side and he planned on staying there for the night. The people of this village took him in when his mother stumbled into the village, wounded. She had died a few days later. He was only a baby and they took him as one of their own.

Link crested the hill and saw the small village; people working at the crops, children playing. He rode to the entrance of the village. "Link!" Yelled one of the children when she saw him. All of the playing children ran over to Link's horse. "Hey kids, how've you been? You've all grown since I last saw you." He reached down and picked up the girl that yelled his name.

"How 'bout you, Czeska? How have you been doing?"

"Good Mr. Link. Oh yeah, Look Look!" She pointed too her mouth with excitement. "I fost a ooth. fee?"

"Yup, your growing into a big girl."

"Czeska! Stop pestering Mr. Link." A woman called from a small house.

"It's no problem Karya, you know I love kids."

"Stilll, you staring down her mouth isn't exactly fun."

He hopped off Epona and grabbed her harness, Tying her to the tree next too the house. He walked up too Karya and hugged her, She hugged back.

"How've you been Link?"

"I've been fine. You?"

"Not really, I need too talk too you."

"What about?"

"Link… Gaiju's gone." She tried too hold it back, but began too tear.

"How? What happened?"

"He-"

"Link! Come play with us!"

Link turned and saw Czeska running towards him.

"I can't, me and your mom need too-"

"Go ahead Link, we'll talk after she goes to bed."

--

It was dark and Czeska was in bed. Link and Karya sat adjacent too each other. Karya told him of the imps and monsters that attacked the village shortly after he left. How Gaiju was leading the assault against the monsters when he was killed. Link didn't know what too think. He and Gaiju had known each other since Link was 2 and they were inseparable, and now Gaiju was gone. He was taking it hard, but he was sure Karya was worse off. They now sat in silence for several minutes. Link decided too break the silence

"…"

"I'm sorry Karya."

"…"

"He was everyone's friend. I'm sure-"

"Why Link?"

"Why?"

"Why did you leave…" she began to tear again. "… Why did you leave us when you knew what was going too happen."

"…I…I didn't kno-"

"That's bull!"

"…"

"You knew full well what was going too happen! That's why you left, to go on your noble adventure!"

Link started too look back at his journey.

"Did you ever stop to think what would happen while you were gone!?"

He had actually, he spent days fighting with himself about what might happen too this town, about if he should leave at all.

"I… I didn't want too leave. I never wanted too leave. Here I was happy, but when I left…I…I only saw death, destruction, blood…"

This stopped Karya dead in her tracks.

"… I saw whole towns massacred, people… ripped too pieces and… strewn across the ground, no regard for ev- even a child…"

Karya felt filthy for her anger toward Link.

"…Not just humans… but Gorons and Zora too. He… he killed them all… just for the sake of power… and he got it…"

Link wasn't going too get emotional; he was going too be hard. He lifted his right hand a clamped it into a fist, his backhand facing Karya. His leather and metal glove started too glow, a gold triangle slowly materialized into existence on the metal plate.

"…This is why I had too leave. Because he knew I had it. He would have killed everybody here for it without even thinking."

"Who?"

"Ganon. He's gone now, locked away for safekeeping. But someone else wants it now; an evil clone of myself that Ganon created too get rid of me. He'll know I came here, and I never should have come. Now I have to stay too protect this place. I lost Gaiju, but I will not lose you and Czeska."

Karya had never seen such anguish and determination in the eyes of the once small, animal loving boy. When he spoke it looked as if he went through hell, the way he described it, the way he always moved with caution and watched every move of others. He was never like this before. Link used too be the most peaceful and gentle person she had known. He could get deer too eat out of his hand. Now he was so cautious he might kill the deer in suspicion. Before he didn't think weapons were practical, but now he carries them everywhere. He's not the same person that left. She thought. He's come back battle hardened and seen things more gruesome then the most experienced soldiers would see.

"I know." He said

Link had startled her. She must have been in deep thought.

"I frighten you, don't I?" he said with a very serious look. "My weapons, my demeanor as a whole."

"You don't frighten me. Your just… different, your not the boy who grew up with me."

"I'm very much the boy who left, only I've grown up. I've realized eventually everything dies, no matter how cute or innocent it is…"

Karya remembered the day, when Link found a baby bird, dead on the ground near the tree where it was nested. He was sullen and depressed for days.

"… I've also realized that the most innocent things are the ones that need the most protection."

Link talked for several more hours, explaining, in detail everything he went through after he left. Link guessed it a little after 1:30 when they finally went too bed. He was exhausted and this would be his first real bed in months; he would sleep well…

--

A dark figure stood at the top of the hill over looking the village. A smirk spread across his face. It was not yet 3:00 AM, a perfect time he thought. He could feel Link's presence in this village and that gave him all the more reason too have some fun here. The figure walked down the hill and spotted the first of his prey; a young guard sleeping next too the wooden arch that indicated the town's entrance. The figure produced a bow and three arrows. He positioned the first arrow and aimed at the man's left arm. He fired the dark arrow and it sunk into the man's arm, pinning it to the wood. The man woke up immediately. "What th-!" he was interrupted by another arrow that pinned his other arm. The man tried to free himself, but it brought too much pain, he was stuck. He opened his mouth too scream and the last whistled through the air and flew into his mouth. He was not dead, but in excruciating pain, and he could not yell for help either. The dark figure walked up too him and came face too face with the man. "Tsk Tsk, sleeping on the job. Now we just can't have that…"

He unsheathed his sword. "…I believe discipline is in order."

Link jumped up out of the bed. A scream had awoken him. No, several screams. And now he could smell smoke. He grabbed his weapons and ran outside. Several houses were in flames and people were running in hysterics, screaming. Oh no. He heard cynical laughter. Link spun around and saw Dark Link walking along the largest cluster of houses, setting fire to each one with his magic. A man ran out of one the houses on fire and accidentally ran in front of Dark Link. His arm shot out with insane speed and snatched the man's neck. The man's legs flew into the air as the clone smashed the man's head into the ground with a sickening crack. Dark Link got up and saw Link watching him in disbelief. "Oh, I didn't know you had awakened yet, my green counterpart."

--

"What? Did I get here earlier than you had hoped?" The dark man said with a smile. "I'm terribly sorry, but I felt you needed to be taught a lesson in how alike we are."

Link pulled his sword out and prepared for Dark Link too attack.

"Oh No. I'm not going too attack you. I plan too make you watch as I destroy everything you love."

This is all Link needed too justify an attack. He ran at full speed toward his dark twin, ready too rip him apart. Dark Link pulled out a large, black, war hammer and braced for Link's first blow. The sword smashed against the hammer's handle. At that same moment, Dark Link pushed foreword and made Link stagger back from the force of the blow. He spun around, swinging the hammer at Link. It connected with Links side and made him fly into Karya's brick house.

"And now that your ribs are broken, and you can't move…" He turned and walked towards Karya's front door.

"…I can have some fun with your little friends."

Karya rushed Czeska out the basement door at the back of their house, they headed for the trees near her house. "What' happening mommy?!"

"A bad man is-"

Dark Link turned the corner just as they reached it. He snatched Czeska while giving Karya a strong push, toppling her over. He went the way he came, casually, as if it was standard. She couldn't believe what just happened. Czeska! He kidnapped Czeska!

Link saw the evil twin turn the corner with a screaming Czeska over his shoulder. He couldn't believe Dark Link would go too such lengths. Dark Link stopped 5 Ft. in front of Link and dropped Czeska too the ground. Her back hit the dirt with a thump and she immediately scrambled up and curled up next too Link, very frightened.

"He can't protect you." Dark Link smiled. "He's less mobile than a newborn baby."

"Czeska!" Karya came running. Dark Link spun around and snatched her, mid-step. Karya froze as the cold metal pressed against her throat.

"I think she should go first; eh Link?"

Link shifted too sit up more, then smiled.

"Wrong person to kidnap."

A knife slipped out of one of Karya's sleeves. She brought her arm back and the knife dug itself deeply into Dark Link's forehead. He let go of Karya and reached up to touch the knife that had been implanted a few inches into his forehead.

"Now that wasn't very nice." Dark Link said as he yanked out the knife, casually tossing it to the ground.

Karya was horrified "Holy crap! He can't fee-!?"

"Feel this primitive thing you call pain, then no." Dark Link said with a cynical smile. "I don't bleed either."

Link couldn't take anymore of the villages suffering. "Why do you do this? Just leave them alone, it's me and the Piece you want!"

Dark Link chuckled slightly, he leaned in close to come face to face with Link, there noses only a couple of inches apart. "I do it… because it's fun." Dark Link stood back up and surveyed the burning village, drinking in the screams of fear, pain, and anguish. "I was created for this..." He said with noticeable happiness. He turned back to face the three against the house. "… And you should love what you do." He turned and walked away a bit more to a body of the man who lived next to Karya. Dark Link crouched down and surveyed the body, relishing the blood, the corpse's cold, off-white skin, the dead, fish like eyes. Then something tapped his foot. He looked down and had little time to react, his left leg blew off in a brilliant light as he flew through the air.

Link had lit and tossed a bomb at Dark Link's feet while he was doing whatever he was doing at that body. As Dark Link cartwheeled though the air, Link tossed another bomb. Right before Dark Link hit the ground, the next bomb exploded, tearing his side open and launching him into the brick wall. "You're right! That was fun!" Link called after Dark Link.

Dark Link used his sword to support himself as he stood up, his left leg completely gone along with a good chunk of his left side. He hobbled over to where his detached leg was twitching and picked it up. "This isn't over, I will kill them while you watch, and then I'll kill you." He scowled at Link before turning and hobbling away.

Karya helped Link get up and supported him on her shoulder. "We need to leave this town, and not just us, everyone." Link said as he grunted from pain

"You can't be serious, we can't make all these people leave their homes. They would never leave this place." Karya said, surprised by what Link said.

"If they don't then he'll just come back and kill them after I leave..."