Rain poured down on the village of Ordon. Epona grazed outside Link's house, ears twitched to the smallest sound. White paws walked through the mud, cold breath heaved around a long snout. Silver eyes stared at Epona. The horse whinnied at the sight of the wolf. Gold markings ran around the wolf's face and shoulders. A girl sat on the wolf's back. Her skin was black with light green tattoos. Her face was covered with a stone mask. Part of the mask was broken, letting one of the girl's red eyes gleam through to look at the horse. Orange hair was pulled back with a stone bead.
The
girl smirked at Epona, who stopped whinnying. The girl flew over and
landed on the horse's saddle. She whispered something into the
animal's ear, revealing one long fang. The wolf crawled over and
sniffed Epona, curiously. The horse's white mane waved back and
fourth as it shook its head in reply to the girl's question.
The
girl smiled and said quietly, "My name is Midna and that is Dawn,
we are here to look for the Hero." Dawn barked a hello to Epona as
Midna continued.
"Your owner's name is Link?" Midna listened to the horse as it spoke.
"Yes, and as you said before, he does have a Triforce on his right hand."
Midna
glanced at Dawn, who looked at her left paw. Midna frowned as bad
memories of the last month came to mind. 'So much blood… so
much…pain.' She thought to herself. Epona looked sadly at the two
lost souls before her.
Dawn
stepped forward to stare the horse right in the eyes. "We need a
large favor. It's the only way to get Link to come to the
Twilight." Listening to the plan, Epona agreed to do what they
said.
"Link!" the sound of the children came floating through the windows in Link's house. Link pulled back his blonde hair to glare out the window. Talo and Malo screamed at Link as he climbed down the ladder to the ground. Epona watched as her owner listened to the two children.
"Link there's a large white wolf in the village and it's stealing the sword that you're going to give to the Princess at Hyrule castle!" yelled Talo. Malo mumbled something about Talo forgetting to mention that the wolf is also stealing one of the Ordon shields.
"What!"
Link turned to Epona, running over and jumping into her saddle. He
charged through the gate and into the village of Ordon. In the
village, people ran into their houses but at one of the houses, the
door was open. Link noticed a long white tail dash into Rusl's
house. Link dismounted before Rusl's house and ran inside; as he
did he pulled out the wooden sword Rusl had given him.
Inside,
Rusl stood wielding his long sword at a large white wolf. Its fur
shifted like a ball gown. Its claws dug into the wooden floor tearing
them to their silent death. The wolf knocked Rusl aside with a clawed
paw, his sword falling out of his hands and onto the ground.
Grabbing the Ordon sword that was lying on the bed the wolf whipped around to leave when it saw Link in the doorway. It froze, silver eyes fixed on Link's blue ones.Link was surprised by the creature's beauty, as if it was a girl. There seemed to be something strange about the wolf that seemed to hit Link in the heart. The Triforce on his hand blazed as the wolf broke eye contact with Link. It sprinted past, fear in every hair of its body. Link turned noticing that an Ordon shield was on its back. Link mounted Epona again and chased the wolf out of the village.
When Link tried to stop Epona she kept going, following the strange wolf. Epona's hoof beats echoed through the cavern as she galloped across the bridge. "Epona!" shouted Link as he tried to stop her again. Then he saw it. A black mass of twilight loomed over the land. It shrouded Hyrule in darkness. Birdcalls stopped as the twilight took over the sky. Epona stopped, sending Link flying off her back. He tumbled head over heels as he hit the ground.
As he got his mind back to normal, things in his mind clicked. A girl flashed into his memory from a long time ago. Her back was turned to him but her grace was stunning. But as he looked at her feet, blood dripped from her flesh. She fell to her knees, crying out a name. Sorrow filled Link as the girl died before him. The shadow that had killed the girl stepped forward holding a sword. The sword was covered in the girl's blood. The shadow moved over to where Link was standing raising its blade, its sword glinted with a cruel hatred, to real to be just one of Link's memories.
Then Link was back on the ground, the memory vanished from his mind. Epona nudged him gently. Sweat beaded his face, "Who was that girl?" he whispered to Epona. He looked up and saw that the wall of twilight was three feet away from him. He jumped up and stared as red ruins swirled on the twilight's surface. Link screamed as an orange hand bigger then his face shot out and grabbed him. It pulled him in, sending ripples through the wall. Then he was gone; Epona bowed her head unsure of how she felt about this and trotted back to the village.
Link was pulled into a world of twilight. Shadows drifted into the air, the ground an ashy gray. He fell onto the earth. His mind broke, his head spun, and his insides turned. His scream became a howl as he transformed into a black wolf. White designs curled around his face and stomach as his clothes were replaced by fur. His tongue lashed out of his mouth, and black creatures descended upon him. They had no faces, but they had flat stone plates with thin gray tentacles extending out from behind the stone face. Red markings covered their backs as they let out a shriek.
Link collapsed on the ground as the creatures pulled him away, dragging him by his hind legs. Consciousness was taken from him, but it left him the image of the dying girl. The beasts dragged him away from the edge of the twilight realm, taking him to a place far from his home.
Link awoke to the sound of dripping water. New smells came to his wet nose. He stood up and got his bearings. He seemed to be in some kind of cell. As he walked over to peek out from between the bars, he fell over as the chain on his leg pulled. He stood again and snapped at it with his fangs. All it did was make loud noise. Then someone in the room giggled. He twisted around to look at Midna. She floated above the ground with a big grin on her face. "I know you'd take the bait." She sniggered at him. He growled at her as she talked.
"You know that's not a nice way to treat a lady," snapped Midna as Link leaped at her. The chain tugged, making Link flip over in midair. He slammed onto the cell floor with a howl. Midna laughed as he got up again.
"You know, that was so funny," laughed Midna. "That I'm going to release you from that chain." Black stripes of lightning buzzed through the air slicing the chain in two. Midna disappeared and reappeared behind the bars to the cell.
"But you have to get out," said Midna, addressing Link in a taunting voice. "Oh and if you do get out… you might get to see her." Link stopped in the middle of trying to dig through the ground. The girl appeared in his mind again. Memories drifted to his mind, some wonderful, and some full of pain, but all of them distant and faded. Link lashed out with his paw at a destroyed box. It shattered as the steel-like claws ripped it to pieces. Link tore at the ground where the box had been. He dug through the ground and crawled out of the cell.
He shook dirt off his black coat as Midna jumped on his back. Realizing that she did this, he bucked like a wild horse, trying to get her off him. She snatched one of Link's fluffy ears and tugged it roughly. "Now stop that! Because you did that I won't tell you how to get out of here." Midna crossed her arms. Silence took over the two, she sighed.
"I can see those large puppy eyes you're giving me…" More silence.
"Fine! Go into the next cell and pull the handle hanging from the ceiling." Midna grunted as Link walked into the other cell. Leaping into the air he grabbed the handle, and he let go as a secret passageway opened, leading to somewhere. Link ran down the passage running into the twilight.
Twilight shone down on Hyrule castle, the blue-tiled roofs dull and bleak. Link took in the view from the opening in the tower he had just been in, Midna pointed to one of the towers, "That's the one you want, now go!" she kicked Link in the side. Link sprinted across the roofs of the castle, his chain rattling with each bound. His tongue lolled out of his mouth at the feeling of the wind in his face.
"Watch the drool!" snapped Midna, wiping some off her face. She stuck her tongue out at him as she clung onto his fur trying to stay on his back. Bird creatures soared down at the pair. They had bird bodies but their faces looked like that had a bomb go off in their beaks. The core of the birds' faces flared red. Their calls like battered bagpipes rolling down a spiked hill. They collided with the roof sending tiles flying like pieces of a splintered dagger. Link turned on the nearest one. Jumping on it, he dug his claws into its feathery chest. He opened his mouth and bit the monster over and over again. It screamed and died in an explosion of feathers. The other birds fled.
"Yeah, um… I forgot to tell you that since you're a wolf you can use a thing called sense." Midna mentioned, "And you can use it to see spirits, but they can't see us, like the one over there." Link's blue eyes turned to look at what Midna was pointing at. A green flame danced by a wall. Link blinked and the world turned a little darker but at the spot where the flame had been stood a man in armor.
"What are those bird things?" whimpered the man. Lightning flashed off in the distance. Link whipped around to look at the tower Midna had told him to go to. The shape of a person was lit up in a window. The person seemed to notice Link and ran from the stained glass window. Midna almost was thrown off as Link bounded for the tower. His heart raced in his ears, as he leaped though a window. Glass shattered over the stone staircase.His eyes blazed as he smashed through a metal door at the top of the stairs. The room was small it at the feeling it was haunted. Dawn sat at the windowsill. Her head was bowed and her ears were flat against her head. "It's good to see you again," she said greeting Link and Midna. Sorrow filled Link for the girl was nowhere in sight. A burning deep in him, grow dark. Shadows engulfed it casing a feeling of loss and pain.
Dawn walked over and demanded, "Well Midna, you wanted both of us and here we are. Why do you want us?" Midna flew over to the window, next to Dawn.
"Now why are you asking me this? I did not bring you here; you followed me at your own will. And you," said Midna turning to Link.
"You came because that girl in your memories just won't fade away like normal memories." Both of the wolves were hooked on Midna's words now as she continued. The fireplace in the wall crackled and hissed blue flames, burning heat onto Link's fur.
"Wait how do you know so many things about us that we don't know? Like you know that…" Dawn grow silent.
"Will you listen to me now and let me help you both?" Both of the wolves nodded. "Good, now for me to get your memories back I have to lock your minds." Midna's visible eye turned black while raising her hands. Dawn collapsed on the ground the designs on her pelt glowed. Link was hit with a tremendous pain that seared through his body. He too collapsed, hearing Midna talk. "For me to get what was your memory back I will send images into your heads. I warn you now; some are so horrible that you will feel pain that is not your own."
Link's mind was filled with images almost like a movie. Hyrule was shrouded by a black sky. Beasts too gruesome to describe slaughtered guards, each one soaked with the blood of their prey. Inside the castle, guards brandished long swords at a walking shadow. It wore a helmet that was long with a large tongue that stuck out. Two round eyes stared at the men from the mask. The shadow lifted up a hand, clawed with silver nails. A sword appeared in its hand and came down on the knights.Their dying screams rang to a long hall. A throne sat in the middle, statues of angels circled around a golden Triforce. The girl Link had in his memory was standing at the throne surrounded by knights. She was blurry like most memories but the blade in her hand was blazing light. Its handle was tipped with emerald. Blonde hair was blown back as a pillar of darkness blasted open the great doors. More beasts ran in jumping on the knights.
The masked shadow strode in, followed by two creatures. The girl took a step back in shock as the shadow stopped before her. All the knights that had been guarding her lay dead and the shadow leaned forward, the tongue on the mask flipped open revealing a mouth. The skin was very pale with almost black lips. As it whispered something in the girl's ear, slime twirled around crooked teeth. "It's your choice, girl; let your kingdom live, or shall I have to place the heads of every living thing in this land on a stake?" The voice wobbled from high to low pitch but at the same time rasped, like a hyena.
The
sword dropped from her hands, clanging to the stone steps. The sound
of the dropping sword solemnly called defeat without a voice. Falling
to her knees, the girl was taken away by the two creatures behind the
shadow. It sat at the throne, waving its hands to the creatures. They
screeched with delight and began to feast on flesh and bone of the
dead.
Twilight
covered the land of Hyrule as the castle burned with the howls of
victory from the beasts. People in the town turned into spirits not
knowing of the fears that were met inside the castle.
Months passed by, but one day in the castle someone ran through the halls to the same tower Link, Dawn and Midna are in now. The person wore a green tunic and in his hand was a blade like no other. Light cascaded off it as it slew many beasts. The person was Link; he reached the tower door and pulled. The girl turned and smiled, she ran over and grabbed his out stretched hand. They ran through the corridors avoiding the monsters. They stopped outside the throne room, Link looked inside. On the other side of the room was an open window. He pulled her in with him and they dashed for it. Suddenly the mask shadow appeared on the throne with swords in hand. It walked over to the pillar where Link and the girl were hiding. "If someone is trying to escape, they better remember that I will use that thing in them kill them, slowly." Link looked at the girl; her face was a mask of terror. He stepped out from behind the pillar and swung his sword. But the shadow was gone.
Eventually
they got out and onto Link's horse: Epona. In the back of Link's
mind back in real life the girl's name came to mind, Zelda. The
images continued, for days Zelda and Link spent together finding some
things called Fused Shadows. One day along the road they found a
wounded white wolf. Her injuries were bad, so for nights they camped
out near a spring.
Link
sat by the spring fast asleep; Epona walked over and started eating
grass. Zelda sat next to the white wolf. "So, you're Zelda, and
that young man must be Link. I've been traveling so long just to
find you two." Said the wolf. She looked at the girl next to her,
smiling through pain. Zelda touched her gently, the wolf's smooth
fur, soft between her long fingers.
"My name is Dawn and I am both of your guardians. From the beginning of Hyrule, there have been two forces that control life: Evil and Good, for long they have fought each other using living things in this land. One day the four Light Beings that guard Hyrule locked both the evil and the good in all things. All was good; peace continued sending a new light onto this world." Dawn told Zelda.
"Then the three goddesses that are life itself blessed three humans. But not knowing that one had been filled with all evil they gave the power to them. The three were Princess Zelda of Hyrule Castle, Link the farm boy of Ordon, and Ganondorf of the Desert Thieves. The three gave hope to the land, banishing the evil, except one; Ganondorf. He drove his people to power and madness. He raged war against the other blessed humans. Many died through hatred and revenge." Dawn stopped and looked at Zelda. Her eyes were down cased. Silence flew into the tent like deadly butterflies.
"You might be wondering how you two are still alive and are so young since that happened over thousands of years ago. Well, the three goddesses saw that if any of you were to die, the world's balance would die with you. So they gave you as many lives as was needed. Now every time you die you get reborn into the same body, as the same person. Just like never ending reincarnation but you will always keep your youth. Also another thing the goddesses did was giving you a guardian. Unlike you, our bodies and minds change each time we die."
Link woke outside to Epona biting his hair. He sat up and gazed off at the spring's waterfall. Its water fell like snowflakes on a winter's morning. Back in the tent Dawn touched Zelda's arm gently. She pulled her sleeve up to reveal a black mark burned into her skin. Zelda flinched when Dawn touched it with her cold nose. "Did he really curse you?" said Dawn, terrified at the black marking on her arm.Zelda tugged her sleeve back down as Link poked his head through the tent door.
More images came but the zoomed by as if some one was fast-forwarding. Blood splattered over the land, people, things died. Swords clashed together, weapons slaughtered. Mayhem filled the hearts of many. Revenge was one of the few things in people's minds. Screams echoed around the land that was once full of peace. Then it stopped on a sad scene. Link and Zelda rode on Epona. Rain slammed down on them in the middle of Hyrule fields. Blood dripped from both their clothes and flesh. A large gash sliced through Zelda's chest, and her blood fell onto Epona's white mane. "I won't… let you die." Link gasped to Zelda, although she was already dead. His mind grew blurry and dark. Twilight filled the land, letting no bit of light through.
Link's sword fell from his hand, its soft beauty destroyed by envy and cursed by lust. It imbedded itself in the earth, forever to be lost and never to be found. "I can't let you…die…alone." He fell off Epona, who stopped. Rain hit his cut face. Zelda lay dead next to him. Soon half of Link's blood was gone, soaking into the unforgiving ground and staining the blade owned by his and Zelda's murderer. He touched Zelda's face, her skin cold with death. Tears fell down his face as sorrow took over every part of his body. Link went limp and died in the icy rain, alone with the only person he ever loved.
