The rain and wind hit against his young face like tiny knives as the dark figure limped towards Hyrule Castle. From a distance you would think that the Hero of Time had returned home from his hunting trip. But this figure could easily be mistaken for him. Even the guards that were on duty, though being slightly lazy from the weather that kept them indoors, found the sight nothing to worry about and went about their business.

But no one questioned where his horse, Epona, was. The Hero of Time never went anywhere without Epona. No one even questioned why he was limping, holding his side to keep the blood from spilling onto the ground, though clearly it didn't help at all. His attempts from not bleeding on the ground were futile. There was a small trail behind him that could lead any Dodango to him and just gobble him right up.

This wasn't the beloved Hero of Time, however. It was someone who had the exact same face, but different features about his body. While the hero was strong and muscular, this one was lanky and thin. Black hair sat atop his head and crimson eyes filled with pain.

This was Shadow, or also known as Shadow Link. A dark being created from the evil king's anger in order to help do his bidding in getting rid of the Hero of Time. Obviously they had both failed. Link had defeated them both, but Ganondorf was gone while Shadow remained. Unknown to him of course.

"Help," he whispered to no one in particular. His voice was drowned out by the loud clash of thunder.

He just couldn't move anymore.

He came to a stop at the stairs that led to the large double doors of the castle. The Princess of Destiny would show mercy wouldn't she?

Shadow's body weakened much more than he hoped and he slumped to the ground, his body hitting the steps hard, leaving a dark red stain which was washed away by the rain that was pouring down.

The sound of footsteps approaching didn't even make him stir. It was probably his imagination he was sure. The feel of strong, warm, yet soft fingers on his skin neck only seemed to lull him into sleep. It didn't even occur to Shadow that someone had found him.

Was he being caressed by one of the goddesses? Had they finally taken pity on him? He had done wrong in his life but it was only for his own safety from Ganondorf's wicked hand. He wasn't much of a father figure to look up to if all he did was threaten to kill if things didn't go exactly as he had planned.

I...can finally rest in peace, he thought to himself, pressing lightly against the warm hand that was touching him. He would be able to go peacefully. He couldn't feel the pain any longer form how numb he was. He wanted to stay alive. To have the life that he never had. Seemed like fate didn't want him to have that life he wanted.

The warm hands went to his shoulders then and started to shake him to try to wake him from his numb state. The movement made Shadow's body move just enough for him to feel the sharp jabs from his wounds even with the hands on him being so careful not to jostle him too much.

"Hey, are you alive? Wake up!"

The familiar voice caused Shadow to open his eyes and stare up at the Hero of Time. A strong but kind face so much like his own yet not stared down at him. Concern was written in his eyes but there was also caution. Of course why wouldn't he have any with the incident that had occurred back in the Water Temple.

With a death grip, Shadow grasped hold of the front of Link's tunic as if it was his lifeline bringing him out of a raging sea.

"Help me," Shadow croaked up to the blonde male.

Link only stared down more at him in shock before he realized what was going on. Instead of leaving him on the stairs to die or ending his life with the blade strapped to his back, hidden underneath his cloak, he picked his shadow up into his arms, cradling the weak lanky body to his chest.

Instead of going through the large double doors like Shadow believed they would be going, Link took a turn and went towards the servant entrance to the castle.

That was understandable. Surely the princess would pass out from having an old enemy in their midst. The warmth of the castle wasn't enough to make him warm. The chest underneath his own hand was warm and inviting but not his own.

Hadn't Link lived in Kokiri Forest? Or was he just a guest in the castle and that was why he was taking him inside and into a gorgeous bed chamber. From what he could see he knew that Link lived there.

The softness of a mattress under his back pulled Shadow from his thoughts. The warm arms left his body and Link's face came back into view of his own as he stared down at him. His own hand came to rest on the one that was still on Link's tunic.

"You'll need to let go so I can treat your wounds," Link said softly to his shadow.

Realizing that he still was clutching the green fabric, Shadow instantly let go, mumbling an apology to him. Link only gave a small nod and moved back from the bed, removing his brown cloak and draping it over chair near the fire in order to dry it.

The hero's footsteps retreated from the room then, giving Shadow the time to try and think of what was going on at the moment. Link had taken him into his home and left him in his room, on a lovely bed no doubt. This was not a place to kill someone obviously.

He wanted to save him. But why?

"Still with me?" he heard Link ask, the hero having returned into the room when he was lost in his thoughts again. Shadow's crimson eyes flicked to him and he gave a soft nod. In Link's hands held a small basket filled with first aid supplies.

"Good. Let's get you cleaned up."

Link set the basket down on the bed and took a seat next to it, gingerly helping Shadow into a seated position. A gasp came from his lips, a sharp jab of pain coming from his body. His clothing was pulled from his body, the fabric tattered and blood stained. There was no way he would be able to wear that again. That was pretty clear.

Large wounds covered his torso, bleeding fresh blood with each movement of his body. On his back were slightly smaller ones but not as fresh as the ones on his chest. The skin was dark and sickly looking on his back, signaling an infection had just set in.

Link inspected him, his ice blue eyes losing a bit of the caution in them. "How did you get like this?" he asked him. "I thought you were dead. The last time I saw you...you were in the Water Temple."

Shadow let out a sigh, wincing when Link started to dab something red on a cotton ball onto his chest. "After you left...Ganondorf...came to me and took me out of there. "He punished me for failing my mission..."

Shadow's voice was slowly coming back, a slightly higher version of the Hero's.

"Punished..." Link mumbled to himself, focusing his attention more now on the wounds on his back, adding more of the red liquid to his back to help heal and disinfect his injuries. "...for not killing me?"

A simple nod was the answer that he was able to get out of the Shadow.

"Sounds like him. Evil bastard..." Link muttered sympathetically. "You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you while I'm around. I promise. I am the hero after all and a hero always keeps his promises."

"Yes, I have the great Hero of Time to protect me," he said with a small roll of his eyes but smirked softly as he closed them. "Even after what I did to him."

Link tied off the last bandage and moved from behind Shadow. He was guided onto his back slowly, making him hold in a noise so he didn't seem so...weak.

"Heroes rescue all kinds of damsels in distress, regardless of what they've done," the blonde said to reassure him. It did little to reassure him but it made him laugh once lightly before starting to cough, the taste of his blood on his tongue.

Blankets were placed over his cold body in order to give him some sort of cover in his nude state. A soft thank you was mumbled to the hero from his lips, laced with sleep. He was about to go completely under when he felt a hand under his neck, tilting his head up and the ring of a bottle against his lips.

"You need to drink this. Then you can get some sleep," the blonde's soft voice said to him. Shadow obliged a bit reluctantly and opened his mouth, tasting the bitterness of the red potion that had also been used against his wounds.

Once the last drop hit his tongue, Link guided Shadow's head back to the pillow, a small smile on his face. Shadow looked up at him weakly, finding the sight of him a bit breathtaking. He would have never thought of the day that Link would be staring down at him like this.

"Get some rest. You have a long night ahead of you," Link said to him, tucking the blankets around him.

"...thanks," Shadow said to him, soon letting his eyes droop closed and let sleep overtake him quickly.

*~Link's P.O.V.~*

A light knock on the door broke the blonde from his thoughts as he watched his shadow fall asleep. Quickly he backed away from the bed and drew the curtains to hide him so who ever it was at the door wouldn't see him.

He opened the door with tired eyes, revealing his wide standing there in her satin nightgown. She looked tired and a bit irritated. Ever since she had kicked him out of the bedroom she hadn't been very patient with him. She blamed him for them not being able to conceive a child. Impa had told him that it was her who couldn't. But he still took the brunt of it.

"Forget to say goodnight, love?" she asked him, putting on her winning smile that she used in order to get what she wanted. It was sad to think that she had once been a sweet girl. That is until the option of not being able to have children turned her bitter.

"I was just about to come see you, darling," Link lied through his teeth, stepping to the side to let her in. He knew it was risky to let her in but if he didn't he would end up regretting not doing so. "I was in a hurry to get get most of my wet clothes off from the rain."

The blonde guided his wife to one of the seats by the fire, praying she didn't noticed the black tattered clothing nearby drying by the fire. She didn't seem to notice as she ran her hands over the velvet chair, gesturing to her husband to take a seat next to her on the other chair.

"How was your hunt?" she asked him, spreading her delicate fingers over the fire and making it rise a bit more to add warmth to the chilly room.

"Not well. I wasn't able to catch a thing in the rain," he said with a sigh. He hated not being able to bring anything home. "I think Epona is mad at me for dragging her out in this weather. How was your day?"

A soft giggle passed through his wife's lips. "I'm sure a good brushing will have you forgiven." Her face turned a bit solemn then, staring into her lap. "Well, Ruto caused another uproar about you being my husband again."

Link sighed, leaning back into his chair. Ever since he had gotten the Spirtual Stone of Water or the Zora's Sapphire, Ruto had been on him to try and get him to marry him like he had supposedly promised. She had caused an uproar at their wedding, objecting to the two of them being wed. But in the end she was escorted out and the two had a lovely wedding.

"I'm sorry if that had put any unnecessary stress on you," Link mumbled to her. She simply smiled and stood up from the seat then. She leaned down, giving the blonde a soft kiss on his cheek before moving towards the door.

"I'll be expecting you at breakfast tomorrow. We have something we need to discuss," she said. Link gave a simple nod and his princess left. As soon as the door was closed, Link heard a soft groan come from his bed.

Instantly he was on his feet and pulling back the curtain. Shadow lay on the bed, whimpering and shaking. He had broken out into a sweat and felt clammy. But that was the effects of the potion Link was sure.

"No..." he heard his shadow whimper. A small frown came to his lips and he gingerly laid a hand on his cold forehead.

"I'm here. No ones going to hurt you. Not ever again."