Chapter One: Into the Growing Darkness

Chapter One: Into the Growing Darkness

Author's Note

Disclaimer – Of course I don't own any of these characters; I am simply borrowing them for the goodness of fan fiction!

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Enjoy! :)


Lightning pierced through the dark, ebony sky while heavy sheets of rain beat the ground like that of thundering drums, drenching anything and everything that was without protection and shelter. As soon as the flash of light disappeared a rumbling roar rattled the earth, making its presence known to the figures below by waking them from their peaceful dreams. Even the trees reacted in fury, disturbed and distraught that they had been awakened from their slumber, waving their wooden arms in protest. The wind was howling like a raging beast, bellowing in the hidden shadows as it prowled its way across the land, uncaring of what direction it was going. All directions and any direction; it didn't matter. Such a fool one would be if they decided to venture out at such a mature hour, especially because of the rabid storm. However, there were some who still made the attempt. Such fools… Who knew what would be lurking in the darkness…?

A cloaked figure materialized from the growing shadows, running forward towards the castle wall while calling out desperately to anyone who would be able to hear.

"Open the gate! Open the gate!" The figure swerved his concealed head in all directions, hoping for a reply. There was nothing. He thrust his fists forward and banged on the drawbridge, but found it was only a futile attempt; the weight of the rain hitting the ground was enough to drown out any other sound. At that very moment a fierce screeching cry shot through air, almost swallowing the sound of the storm itself. His head swung to the side to peer over his shoulder only to find sets of red, gleaming eyes fixed upon him. He was paralyzed; he couldn't move. Not even an inch. Fear struck his entire body, causing him to succumb to the budding darkness. He knew he hadn't a chance.

And so the storm raged on, stirring many into wakefulness, shuddering at least slightly, for the howling and crying of the wind sounded very much like a scream of terror…

Zelda awoke with a sudden start, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. Her heart was racing at an accelerated rate, faster than she ever thought it could go. Looking around at her surroundings she was reminded of where she was and scolded herself for having such an absurd dream, even though it was more of a nightmare than anything. Her back was resting against the wall of a small cavern, the mouth leading to grassy hills that were dotted with trees and full of wildlife. I'm safe. She thought. But what if my dream was a prophecy? What if it is foretelling the future? She hated when she dreamt about things, especially when they turned out to be nightmares. There was always a possibility that they were prophetic visions that held underlying messages of which had to be plucked and analyzed; whenever she had visions of the future they of course were never told explicitly, though it would make things a hell of a lot easier. It was like picking through those old, old books for hidden meanings and metaphors that hinted towards what was really meant. To her it was like another language set a side to cause more frustration and confusion. Anyway, it didn't really matter. She had to figure out whether it was a prophecy, and even if it wasn't it would make her feel better getting it off her chest nonetheless. So, with much effort, she leaned on the sword that she had been gripping with her hands, pushing herself into a somewhat standing position.

"I haven't got much time," she said bluntly, looking down at her left side, below her ribcage. Her flesh was peeling along with the cloth that had once covered the area while blackened blood seeped out of the wound at a slow but deadly rate. With that she covered her face with her worn collar and retreated from the cavern, determined to fulfill the task that she had set herself to do. She had to be certain that she wasn't seen, though, so this particular outfit made it so that her movements were more smooth and agile, allowing her to attack quickly if necessary and move from one area to the next in a flash. Now, to anyone but herself, she would be regarded as Sheik, the last of the Skeikah.