The Lost Woods were quiet. Too quiet. The once lively tune that had echoed through the trees was no longer playing, and the leaves seemed to have lost their emerald lustre they had once possessed. In the middle of the clearing, there stood a young man cloaked in darkness, and in his arms, a young girl- a Kokiri- clung to his chest, as if weakened.
"Saria."
The girl in the young man's arms stirred, and murmured, "Dark Link."
Even as he held her, tightly gripping her waist to prevent her from slipping, his heart ached for her; they could never be together- he was an evil pawn of Ganondorf, and she, a mighty Sage, one of the seven chosen to seal him away within the Sacred Realm. Why didn't they understand? What was it about him that they hated so much?
His blood red eyes shone with fury that they should deny him the one thing he wanted most in this life- to be free and to spend his existence with the one he loved. Were they so cold hearted that not one of them could understand his true emotions?
He despised them all.
But the one he despised the most- the one he wanted most to see crushed beneath his boot- was the princess. The princess and the hero were the banes of his very existence- both trying their hardest to seal him away for what they could see on the surface. So what if he had been created by the King of Evil himself. So what if he had tried multiple occasions to kill his lighter half? It infuriated him that they should punish him for being created, and for being shackled to an evil man's will.
The girl in his arms- the Sage of Forest, Saria- stirred once more, and he held her tighter, determined not to let her fall. His lips brushed her forehead, and a small smile found its way to the Sage's lips. Suddenly, she convulsed, shaking violently, the smile disappearing as soon as it had come, and her eyes flew open, piercing blue and startlingly bright.
Only now did true concern show in Dark Link's eyes, and he brushed away the tears that had begun to well up in the corners of her eyes, for a reason he couldn't understand.
"Dark…" she whimpered.
He kissed her to keep her quiet, and the smile that had once graced her velvet lips returned, her arms lacing around his back, pulling her body closer to his, as if never wanting to let him go.
"I'm here," he whispered.
"Don't leave me," she moaned.
A smile found its way to the shadow's lips. "I won't. I swear."
She tightened her grip around his neck as she could feel herself slipping from his arms, and he caught her as she fell, gathering her back into his arms, like a precious child he refused to let go of.
"I love you, Dark…"
Ganondorf's minion smiled softly, a smile that contrasted the hatred he felt deep inside - for his master and the ones who had tried to seal him away.
Saria gazed up into his crimson pupils, and for a second, she thought she saw them change colour; now they were a cold, ice blue, like hers, and the eyes of the hero he was created to kill.
"What is it, my love?" he asked, worry hinting in his tone.
"I just… just… I want to stay with you, Dark… I want to be with you… forever…"
"And you will be. I promise you that."
"Really?"
"Really."
She threw herself at him, burying her face in his ebony tunic, and smiling through her tears as she felt his hand on the top of her head, stroking his fingers through her dark emerald hair.
"Stop crying. I don't like it when you cry. OK?"
She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and smiled. "I try not to cry. I try so hard."
Fresh tears were already forming in the corners of her eyes, running down her face, trails of silver in the faint moonlight that filtered through the gap in the trees above. Her body racked with gentle sobs and she clung tighter to his form.
A small gasp escaped her throat, as she felt herself being lifted into his arms, and she pulled herself closer, snuggling against his chest with a sigh of content. "Dark…"
He smiled. "I know you try. But you just can't quite manage it, can you?" He kissed her forehead and brushed a stray lock of emerald hair from her face.
Tears spilled from her eyes, crystalline droplets of holy water, which he brushed away, laughing softly.
"See? I told you."
"You know… I love you Dark."
"Do you?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Yes!" she insisted. "You know I do!"
"That's good."
He tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and gazing deep into her cerulean eyes.
"Such pretty eyes," he murmured. "Like the sea…"
"Thank you…" She turned away, blushing in embarrassment.
He took her hand in his, and spun on his heel, dropping to one knee as he did so.
"Dark… what is this?"
A faint smile crossed the shadow's lips, a sight rarely seen by human eyes.
"Saria, Sage of Forest, and guardian of these lands. Long have I watched you, long have you been the object of my desire. My heart has yearned for you since the dawn of time, since the dawn of my creation. And now, I must ask, for the sake of going insane, lest I hold this off. Will you marry me?"
"Yes. I will."
"Really?"
"What, did you think I would refuse?"
"There was always that."
He laughed, and, with a flourish, produced a ring of shimmering gold, with a single band of diamonds encircling it.
"It's beautiful."
"Isn't it? I hope you don't reject me after this, but I had to do terrible things to pay for that ring."
"That doesn't matter. At least they were for me."
The shadow laughed, a sound that was, strangely, barely audible in the forest of silence. "And I would do it all again, if it meant I could hold you in my arms for eternity."
"And what of your master?"
"His chains can bind me no longer. His soul has been cast into the abyss, and I have cast off the shackles of his oppression. From this day forward, I am free. Free to love you."
"Oh, Dark…"
He took her hand, and slipped the ring onto her finger, watching as the diamonds glittered in the fading light when she moved.
"Like a goddess…" he murmured.
She laughed. "You think so?"
"I do. There is none more beautiful."
"Well, thank you. And there is none more handsome, my lord."
"You are too kind, my lady." He bent and took her hand, pressing his lips to her soft, pale skin.
A fiery blush spread across her cheeks, and she turned her head away from him.
"Why do you blush, my lady? Whatever have you to be embarrassed about?"
"N-nothing. It's just… no-one's ever kissed me like that before."
He laughed. "Not even like this?" He pulled her into his arms and his lips crashed down upon hers, his grip strengthening around her waist. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest, and he smiled, running his hand down her body and making her gasp.
Smiling, he pushed her up against a tree, and let his hands roam freely over her body; she stopped him only when they reached her belt, and pushed him away from her gently. "Stop, please."
"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
"Actually, I have some news." She smiled.
"What is it?"
Her smile widened, and she blushed, a deep scarlet spreading like wildfire across her cheeks.
"I'm pregnant."