Disclaimer: Nothing from the Zelda games is mine…Neither is Lindsay, Rhia, Zyuiu Dbyu, Prince André, or Rowrun. With that…let the games begin!
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Darkness falls
Catching me unprepared
Darkness falls
And I suddenly feel scared.
Darkness falls
And I've lost my way
Darkness falls
Before the end of the day.
Darkness falls
And I've lost myself inside
Darkness falls
Costing me my sense of pride.
Where were you
When darkness fell?
Where were you
*
The dawn crept silently into the bedchamber of the Princess Zelda. Zelda slept on, blissfully unaware of the sun that marked the third year since she had been forced to run from Hyrule Proper to the Tourney, disguised as a Shiek that Link did not remember.
That had been the strangest time in Princess Zelda's life. Not the most frightening—the seven years spent as Shiek waiting for the Hero of Time, right underneath the hand of Ganondorf, controlled that title. But when competing for strangeness, nothing beat that year.
It had started with Damion the evil magician, who was the puppet of Ganondorf. Damion had faked Zelda's death and cast a spell so he could blame it on Shiek. Zelda had fled as Shiek into Hyrule Proper, where she met up with a girl named Lindsay. That led them to Rhia D'nalz, the Archseer with unpredictable powers and a tendency towards chickens.
The three had run through Hyrule Field to the scrublands, with a magically-infuriated Link close behind. They then came to the Tourney in the land of Odentnin. Allies and foes were made there: Prince André and Lord Rowrun of Odnetnin, members of the Order of the Crimson Hawk, became Shiek, Lindsay, and Rhia's friends. A young fighter named Ymota U recognized the handiwork of a minion of the Evil King and joined in Link's attempts to kill Shiek, and Lindsay and Rhia, if they would get in her way. Ymota U's sister, Zyuiu Dbyu, was exposed to the dark side of her sister and joined Shiek in her fight against Damion.
The Tourney ended with Shiek recovering from an attack on her life. Ymota U had stabbed her as she was trying to convince Link of who she really way. With Rhia's help, Shiek lived, and Link was convinced. The six traveled back to Hyrule Proper, where they fought Damion and Ymota U, as well as Impa and the imperial soldiers—the latter, for a time, at least. But as Shiek fought, she was overcome by a madness she knew only as a voice that called itself the dark side of the Triforce—which had already claimed Ganondorf into insanity.
With the voice telling her that she was destined to die at Damion's disposal, Shiek was determined to kill Damion. Ymota U had been eaten by a giant chicken, and Damion was the only threat that remained in Hyrule. Shiek killed him and nearly died in the process, and was only healed with the power of two magic swords belonging to Lindsay and Prince André.
And then life had suddenly been…normal.
For three entire years, life for Princess Zelda and Link had been entirely normal. Under the category of normal now fell several odd things, such as Rhia and her chicken outbursts, and going to the Tourney to watch the year before, but still, that was now normal.
And so dawn crept into Zelda's chamber. With it crept Link.
He crouched inside her closet for close to an hour, waiting for her to wake up. He watched from in between the doors as she got up, yawning, and brushed her hair. He watched, entirely content, as she slipped out of her nightgown and sauntered lazily over to the closet. Link could barely contain his laughter and bubbling excitement as Zelda reached and opened the closet doors.
"RAAAAAAAAR!"
Zelda shrieked. Link jumped out at her and caught her as she stumbled back. Zelda stared in shock at Link for a moment, then slapped him. Link, still laughing, looked chagrined. Link held Zelda tightly and kissed her. "Good morning," he said.
"You're mean," Zelda snapped.
Link laughed. "I know," he said. Link held her like that for a few more minutes, then Zelda sighed and said, "Link, I'm stark naked. Will you let me get dressed?"
Link pouted. "Do I hafta?"
That brought a smile from Zelda. "Impa's going to be in here in a half-hour, whether I'm dressed or not," she said. "And unless you want a large bump underneath that hat of yours, I suggest you let me dress." Link scrambled backward, and Zelda was soon dressed. She wore a deep red dress of a light cloth. Around her neck hung, as always, the silver Triforce necklace that had helped both Zelda and Rhia D'nalz return to life from the land of ever-present shadows and rain.
"It's hard to believe it was only three years ago," Link said.
"I remember what I was doing right now, back then," Zelda said, the memories fresh as Link brought it up. "I was falling off a roof in the Proper, in front of Lindsay Vinsick's house."
"Falling off a roof?" Link said, thinking back. "Oh right, you told me about that."
Zelda smiled and nodded. "But, I'm absolutely starving, Link. Let's go get some breakfast?"
They left Zelda's rooms hand in hand, talking about the day to come, and not the past.
*
It was a normal day in most of Hyrule. The Kokiri Forest was quiet; the scrubs and Hyrule Field were undisturbed. Death Mountain lay dormant, the waters flowed silently. Dusty temples of the six sages lay forgotten and silent in their eternal twilight. Kakariko bustled, the Lon Lon Ranch laughed in the breeze. It was a normal day in most of Hyrule.
Not in Hyrule Proper.
The group that made its way through Hyrule Proper commanded respect and caused whispers of memories three years dusty. The last time they had marched through the Proper, they'd been bound and prodded on by the great frogsticker, the Master Sword.
Rhia D'nalz was immediately recognized. She lived in the Proper, still. The people in the town looked upon her fondly, even if "Chicken Girl" did seem like a derogatory nickname.
Next to be recognized was the fiery-headed woman walking next to Rhia, Lindsay Vinsick, who had lived in the Proper for eighteen years until, that very day three years before, Shiek had almost literally fallen into her lap. Now she lived in Odnetnin with her soon-to-be husband, Lord Rowrun of Odnetnin, who walked beside the two.
Behind them walked Prince André of Odnetnin, who was betrothed as well, but not to the young woman who strode jauntily beside him. Zyuiu Dbyu still had her oddly angled and cut blonde hair, the same look of serene confidence on her face. The shadows of her past had been lifted from her.
The group of five made their way towards the castle. Little did Zelda and Link know that these five brought with them news that would disturb the normal that had been the last three years of their lives.
The shadow came…
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a/n: First of all, no I don't know what is up with that last line. It sounded nifty enough to me.
Welcome to Darkness Falls! Lord only knows where it'll go from here.
Lil' Blue Muse: My turn to talk?
Simi: No.
Lil' Blue Muse: *beans Simi with GameCube* Yes it is! Bweehehehe! *erhem*
Formal welcomes to all the peoples who submitted characters in the last story! Meaning, in order, Lindsay, Winkybunion, Zappermon, Warstock Leonhart, and OmniGG!
Next, a welcomes to the rest of you. If you want a character of yours to magically appear in Darkness Falls, email Simi, or Review her, and say so! Maybe you'll get one.
Wif dat, my muffins are burning. Eep!
~Winged One and Lil' Blue Muse