Hello, Christmas Break.
So I've done nothing but write for the past four or five nights and this is what I cranked out. This story is the second part of a two-part series centered around Dark Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The first story is To Be Real and can be found at my author profile. It's probably a good idea to read TBR first, as this story is based on characters and events from the first.
As always, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed To Be Real and although I won't mention you individually here, your feedback meant a lot to me. I hope you'll give me encouraging feedback on this story as well, and perhaps some of you will give me those play-by-plays that I love so much.
I don't own any characters that appear in the Legend of Zelda series. I do, however, lay claim to this storyline and some of the original characters and monsters I have included within. Regardless, I am making no money from this writing and probably never will.
I need to warn you that this chapter of the story contains gore and some disturbing scenes. If you are a younger or a more sensitive reader who is upset by things of this nature then please turn away now. I will not be held responsible for you being disturbed by my writing, nor am I interested in hearing about it.
And if you don't mind these unpleasantries? Please enjoy the story.
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As daylight finally broke over Hyrule after the long and frightful night of Ganondorf's reign, the entire country entered into a new era of prosperity. The seven long years of tyranny were over and the country gradually returned to normalcy. The Kokiri children began clearing the weeds and the remaining evil beasts from their sacred forest. They also began dabbling more in the art of music, so enamored with the songs at the festivities after Ganondorf's defeat. The Gorons began extensive excavations of Death Mountain and started building themselves a larger and more magnificent city. They were making great technological advances with their construction and began an entire plumbing system within the mountain. The Zora, once free from the ice, also began searching to expand their borders. There were rumors of a distant ocean and they wanted to know where to migrate should something like Ganon's great frost happen again. The Gerudo tribe in the desert was perhaps the only race that didn't have their region turned completely upside-down by the evil king. They, too, entered into a new era as many of the Gerudo had recently given birth. Their yearly mating ritual had been performed several months prior, thanks to the help of an unwilling hero. Those women who did become pregnant all gave birth to beautiful baby girls. There was no male Gerudo king to speak of just yet.
Hyrule's magnificent Castle Town had been decimated during Ganondorf's rule. The town had been completely overrun with hideous monsters. Its buildings were crumbling and, in some cases, completely leveled. The castle itself had been replaced by Ganondorf's ominous tower but, upon the death of the king, the tower collapsed into itself and crumbled into the lava pit below. The former glorious town, the crown jewel of Hyrule itself, was a pitiful cemetery for the relics of Ganondorf's reign.
Not knowing what else to do about their demolished home, the former residents of Castle Town set the wreckage ablaze. The flames climbed into the sky, keeping the horizon brightly lit as it burned through two whole nights. The fire eventually burned itself out and after the flames died, one building stood pristine and untouched above the rest. It was a miracle that the Temple of Time should survive such a conflagration and the Hylians took this as a sign. Construction of the new royal castle began around the Temple of Time itself. The holy Master Sword, the weapon of the legendary hero himself, would be safely housed within the walls of the Royal Family's home.
To the east of the castle town, Kakariko Village was content to bask in the calm that followed the storm of Ganondorf's fury. There were no big projects going on in Kakariko, no huge environmental overhauls or construction projects. The denizens of Impa's little mountain town went calmly about their business, doing little to attract the attention of outsiders. But there were things about Kakariko that were strange, and these piqued the interest of one curious Shiekah. When she wasn't in Castle Town, zealously getting her hands dirty and helping her fellow countrymen rebuild her estate, Zelda slid into her form-fitting Shiekah uniform and stalked through the foothills of Death Mountain, eagerly waiting for some trouble in this little town, watching for something to sharpen her skills on.
As the moon rose into the sky, a thick purple mist shrouded the Kakariko Graveyard, threatening to encroach upon the sleeping village at any time. This strange mist poured forth from the Shadow Temple, which even outside of Ganondorf's rule had always been a place for restless spirits to fester. The ancient Shiekah tribe had sealed the temple entrance to keep beasts locked within but it had never been re-sealed after Link's quest. This was a nightly event but tonight, however, things felt different. As Zelda sat above the entrance to Kakariko Village, her hair tied back and her face hidden behind rough linen, she kept her eyes locked on the temple entrance. She seemed to be waiting for something, watching the Shadow Temple like a cat watches a mouse hole. Her persistence paid off quickly, as she heard a far-away sound. A scraping sound, low and heavy, echoed off the walls inside the temple. Zelda stood, grasping her throwing knives, dropping into a ready stance as she waited for the vile beast within to show itself.
The beast made its way up though the temple corridor, purple mist rushing out of the entrance as it finally showed itself. The hideous creature was like none she'd ever seen. Its great forearms and clawed hands dragged across the ground, making a heavy scraping sound. The creature seemed like it should be top-heavy, as it had great broad shoulders and a massive barrel chest atop a tapered torso and short legs. The head was relatively small in comparison to the great shoulders but the jaw was immense and hung to its chest, revealing a set of jagged yellow teeth reminiscent of an anglerfish. Bored within its dark prison, the Dead Hand had apparently evolved itself into a more mobile creature, much more deadly but still pale and blotchy. Its rotting flesh emitted a stench of week-old clotted blood.
Zelda stiffened as she beheld the frightening creature, silently vowing that it would never reach the village to terrorize her citizens. She ran forward and leapt into the graveyard, landing in its center, several gravestones and a length of fence separating her from her quarry. She started running toward the creature, silent as could be since it was doubtlessly a blind foe, but as Zelda drew in a breath she froze, dropping her weapons.
She raised her hands to her throat as she began uncontrollably coughing, inadvertently drawing the attention of the hideous shadow beast. It wasn't the rotting stench of the creature that was getting to her but the thick purple mist filtering into her lungs. It was choking her, eating away at her airways like poison, causing her eyes to water and her lungs to burn like fire. She felt drunk, suddenly getting the sensation that she was spinning out of control. She fell to her knees, leaning forward as the contents of her stomach rose into her mouth. She helplessly wretched, vaguely aware of the approaching creature who was displaying his brutish strength by knocking over and smashing the marble grave markers as he ploughed toward her. She lifted her head just in time to see the Dead Hand draw back one giant paw, ready to end her life with a single deadly swing.
Zelda heard a yell behind her and felt another body moving above her. The Dead Hand was thrown back as a man came down atop it, standing on its massive torso. He thrust his mighty sword into the beast's chest, into its center, and leapt off just as the creature deafeningly shrieked and melted into nothingness. The man turned toward Zelda, not even taking the time to sheathe his sword before lifting her into his arms. She couldn't make out his face, as her eyesight was severely impaired from the poison. She felt the sensation that they were flying through the air and realized, gratefully, that she was being rescued.
Finally that hideous stench was gone and Zelda could breathe again, but breathing had become difficult and painful. Her ability to move had been robbed from her as well as her sight. She felt her companion lay her down in the cool grass and kneel close beside her. She could do nothing as he lifted her head and hurriedly poured a bitter-tasting potion into her open mouth. The princess coughed as the medicine burned in her chest, but luckily it was a potent remedy. Her sight was the first of her faculties to be restored and she blinked repetitively as the forms around her gradually became clear.
A plain of green broken by a streak of silver and purple eventually came into focus for her. It was the hallowed Master Sword, slick with the blood of a recent kill. Zelda's heart leapt for joy as she recognized the blade. Could it really be?
"Princess, are you alright?"
That sensuous voice, that dulcet tone that sent her heart a-flutter brought her eyes upward. Silhouetted against the moonlit sky was a pair of broad shoulders, a muscular neck, a pair of long pointed ears and peaking bangs. Zelda's breath quickened as she felt her arms returning to function. She couldn't yet speak, her airways still raw, but she reached up and tenderly cupped his soft cheek in her hand. She savored the touch, Goosebumps rising on her skin as the pad of her thumb traced the bridge of his perfect nose, the angle of his strong jaw, the fullness of his pink lips…
And then she felt it. A hunk of cold metal marred the pristine surface; a hoop pierced his lower lip. Her heart sank. As her eyes adjusted more, Zelda could see the silver bauble. She could see, too, the bar through his left brow and the various studs in his long ears. The soft hair falling into his face was raven black and the bright eyes, instead of blue, were crimson.
She narrowed her eyes. Dark Link.
She immediately became aware that the hated minion of Ganondorf was holding her upper body in his lap. Zelda immediately struggled to be released from his grip. Dark obediently let her go, watching her helplessly flop across the grass, as she still didn't have full control of her lower extremities.
"H-How d-are y-you!" she wailed at him, her voice so broken so that he could hardly make out her words. It pained her to talk so much so that she paused, shutting her eyes tightly as her throat burned.
"Don't try to talk yet, Princess," Dark softly spoke, not moving from his spot. He didn't want to approach and upset her further. "The purple mist that creeps up from the Shadow Temple is poisonous to Hylians. It takes a while to recover from prolonged exposure, even with the aid of Uula's medicine."
"Don't y-you ta-alk down-n to m-me-e," Zelda hissed, her voice so hoarse that she sounded like a man. She swallowed hard, turning to face Dark when she felt she was far enough away. The bitter taste of the medicine rose again in the back of her throat and she looked surprised for an instant. Without warning she spit up a second time, the purple elixir running down her chin. She still wasn't completely sensible and she watched, confounded, as it stained the front of her Shiekah uniform. "Wh-Wha-at di-id you give me-e?"
"Medicine," Dark spoke, frowning as he reached into his leather pack for another vial. "It needs to stay in your stomach in order for you to recover quickly." He crawled toward the princess and as she moved to retreat he grabbed her firmly by the wrist. "Princess, you need to take this!" She began to struggle, albeit weakly, but Dark realized better than she the severity of her situation. He uncorked the vial with his teeth and moved to pin her down with his body. He straddled her miniscule waist and put his full weight on top of her. Gingerly he pried open her mouth, ignoring her cries of protest and the bites at his fingertips, and forced more of the medicine into her mouth. She immediately began to spit it out but he clamped his hands over her mouth before she could, forcing her head into the grass.
Zelda tried to force him off of her but her muscles were weak and aching. She let her sore arms go limp at her sides and she shut her eyes tightly, letting her head fall to the side. Dark leaned over her, keeping his hands over her mouth should she try to spit the medicine back up. He knew that the noxious gases would affect her thinking as well and he didn't want her irrational behavior to affect her healing.
As he sat atop Zelda, watching her slowly give in to his silent orders, Dark felt that familiar twinge in his groin. It had become an almost daily occurrence by now. Whenever he saw the village maidens out in the river washing their clothes, it happened. Whenever he watched the other young men sparring shirtless by the well, it happened. Sometimes it happened for no reason at all, usually in the morning as he awoke. But now as he held Zelda beneath him, as she relaxed and surrendered to him, he was reminded of how he had held the Hero of Time in this position just a few short months ago.
In the midst of a contest of strength, just as Dark Link had claimed the dominant position over his twin, Link had sat up and passionately kissed his lips. Dark shamefully recalled how he had scurried away like a dog with his tail between his legs. Link had won their scrimmage because, as the Hero had said, "You were made stronger than I am, Dark Link, but I was made smarter." Since that day, Dark spent much of his time wondering exactly what Link meant by that. His mind began to wander again as he contemplated the Hero's meaning. As he got lost in his thoughts, he didn't pay attention to the princess who began to stir beneath him.
Zelda had just enough leverage to draw her knees up to her chest and drive her ankles hard into Dark Link's stomach. Dark was lifted off of the ground and shot several feet away, skidding across the grass before he came to rest. He coughed and groaned miserably as he curled up into a ball, clutching his bruised stomach. Zelda stood, carefully brushing the grass from her uniform and fluffing out her golden hair.
"Well I think you've made your point, Dark Link," she spoke, her tone heavily laden with contempt. "Kakariko Village is apparently your 'territory'. You seem to have things under control here, as far as defense goes." She walked over toward him, standing menacingly tall above him as he lay recovering on the ground. She placed a foot on his shoulder, rolling him onto his back. "But I am still Hyrule's princess and I make the laws."
Zelda leaned down, leaning all of her weight on his left shoulder. Although his arm had healed since the fight with Ganondorf, since Dark had it torn completely off by the greedy tyrant, it had become his one physical shortcoming. He snarled and winced in pain as Zelda leaned down upon his tender arm.
"The cardinal law of Hyrule, Dark Link," she hissed at him, mere inches from his face now, "is to never – ever – touch its princess."
She hovered over him for an instant, watching to make sure that she had sufficiently frightened him before she backed off. Once she was off of him, Dark rolled onto his right side, his mouth open in a silent wail of pain. He gripped his shoulder tightly, glaring up at the princess as she walked away, pulling her mask up over her mouth. She leapt from roof to roof across Kakariko and then finally up onto the cliff side. Once she disappeared into the night, Dark stood, shaking the pain out of his stomach and his shoulder.
"You're welcome," he muttered, gathering his pouch and his sword and heading back to Uula's cottage.
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With the absence of Dampe, the former grave keeper of Kakariko, and the open portal to the Shadow Temple looming above the graveyard, the townspeople unanimously agreed that Dark Link should be the new grave keeper. Dark was not only a capable defender of the village; he was of a special breed of man. Dark enjoyed the hard labor of being a grave keeper. Although digging deep graves and replacing the stone markers that seemed to get destroyed once a week was hard work, he relished in the physical aspect of his job. He enjoyed working in the quiet graveyard from sunrise to dusk and he especially enjoyed coming home after his day. There was always a pleasant hot bath, a plate of warm food, and a doting surrogate mother waiting for him there.
Uula was busy during the day as well. She and the woman from the potion shop worked closely since Uula acted as the village nurse and midwife. It was her job to bring medicines to the sick members of their small community and to nurse them back to health. She enjoyed her job immensely. Uula loved to make people feel better, much to Dark's pleasure.
As Dark walked home from the graveyard late one evening, his pointed Kokiri hat crumpled in his hand and soggy with sweat, his eyes were on the stars. His daily chore was to clean up and repair all the damage done to the graveyard under the moon.
For several weeks, monsters had been nightly raiding the cemetery and threatening the safety of his village. The invading beasts became larger and more numerous each night and try though he did to hide their existence from the naïve townsfolk, it was difficult. He had little time to rest after his long days before tending to his nightly guard duty. Dark was often exhausted at night and wasn't in peak condition to be fighting. He would sometimes come home near dawn, mortally wounded and bleeding. Lucky for him, Uula kept her medicines out in the open and there was always a stray red potion handy for him to drink. He had begun sleeping later and later into the day and while Uula was concerned for him, she knew that he was old enough to take care of himself.
As Dark reached the cottage and looked in through the window, he expected to see Uula busy at the hearth. The cabin was dark, though, save a single candle on the table. Dark heard footsteps running toward him and turned to see one of the village men running past him, a faint lantern in hand.
"Hey!" Dark called to him, "What's going on?"
"It's Anju!" he cried, not slowing for an instant as he turned west. "She's having her baby!"
Dark Link's breath hitched in his throat as a vision from ages ago came to him like a dream. While under Ganondorf's control, Dark had taken Anju from her home and used her as a virgin sacrifice to awaken the ancient shadow beast Bongo Bongo. He vividly recalled how the shadow lord had eagerly ravaged his prize. Anju's stomach had swollen considerably in the weeks that followed and when the hero Link showed his face in Kakariko, she looked to be nine months pregnant. Now, a few short months later, Dark had heard rumors that Anju's stomach had become so distended that she was bedridden, gasping for breath beneath a mountainous womb that was purple and black with bruising and stretching. She was going to give birth to a beast, he knew, and suddenly reality slapped him across the face.
Uula, his surrogate mother, was the village midwife. She would be the one to deliver the horrible beast.
Dark Link sprinted in the direction of Anju's house. When he arrived at the door, he found the entire village crowded outside the cottage holding what looked like a candlelight vigil. He shouldered past them and ran up the steps, following the strained cries of a woman in labor. He cracked the door and slipped inside before anyone could tell him otherwise. Uula and a few other village women were the only people allowed in the cottage; it was inappropriate for a Hylian man to witness the birth of a child. Dark knew, though, that this was not going to be a normal birth. He needed to be here to protect his mother.
"Uula!" Dark cried as he caught a glimpse of his surrogate. Uula was on her knees at the foot of Anju's bed, her linen dress soaked with black bile. She turned to him, her face pale with fright, but determination was hammered into her stern expression. She wasn't mad at Dark for intruding. Rather, she was relieved to see him here, as she knew that something wasn't right. Dark knelt down beside her, swallowing hard. "Mother, I'm here to help."
"Grab some clean towels," she ordered, turning back toward Anju, lifting the girl's skirts a bit. "It is almost time."
One of the village maidens handed Dark a stack of fresh linens and then quickly scurried away. She and the five other girls in the room kept well away from the foot of the bed. They crowded around Anju's head, stroking her hair, holding her hands, and comforting her in this uncertain hour. Anju herself was disconsolate, wailing between contractions, her porcelain face streaked with hot tears. Dark Link was especially disturbed by what Uula was doing, though, touching and examining her between her legs in what he felt was a most inappropriate place.
"It's coming," she solemnly spoke, an utterance that made the village maidens fearfully whimper. They wouldn't abandon one of their own no matter how scared they were and they nervously crowded around Anju's head. Dark Link inched forward slightly, getting close to Uula but staying slightly behind her, holding an open towel ready should a normal baby be born.
Anju's bulbous stomach jumped and she emitted a tormented wail. The color drained from her face and he head lolled to the side, drawing a concerned gasp from the women at her side. "Anju!" Uula sternly commanded her, "Anju stay with us. You need to push, Anju!" But it was too late. The girl had already fallen unconscious.
Anju's body continued to expel the fetus even without her consciously aware of it. Her stomach began to shrink slightly as thick black blood began running from her parted legs. The women cried out in distress but Uula and Dark wore the same stony scowl, waiting for something – anything – to come out.
The cavernous birth canal slowly began to open as thin black tentacles started worming out. They latched on to Anju's white thighs with tiny suckers and strained to pull the rest of the body out. First came the soft head with two large blind eyes and three menacing little horns. Then emerged the belly of the beast, where it hid its mouth and its rows of tiny needle-thin teeth. Now that the little black creature had some leverage, it jumped out of its mother's body and latched onto the nearest prospective host: Uula.
The woman cried out and fell backward as the octopus-like creature opened up its body to envelop her face. Dark yelped with panic and reached down, grabbing the slimy body with his bare hands and struggling to pull it off of Uula's thrashing head. The creature was trying to latch its long teeth into Uula's bare skin, but Dark lodged his own fingers in the monster's gaping orifice, keeping it open. With a mighty heave, he pulled the creature free from Uula's head and flung it unceremoniously across the room. It hit the wall with a sickening splat, sliding to the floor and leaving an inky black mark on the paint.
"Uula! Are you alright?" Dark Link was distraught, helping Uula to sit up and tending to her like he was the worried mother.
Disgusted, she wiped the ink off of her face with the hem of her own dress. "I'm fine, Dark, I'm fine. But, dear, what was that?" She looked across the room to where the shadow creature lay while protectively clutching Dark's arm. Dark Link stood, carefully stepping toward the creature, putting himself between the vulnerable women and the strange monster. Whatever it was, although small, it was the offspring of the fearsome Bongo Bongo. There was no telling what kind of power it held.
Cautiously, Dark picked the creature up in his hand, grasping it firmly so that it couldn't escape, and brought it up to eye-level. It seemed to be struggling, unable to breathe outside of a host body. He recognized the glaze of death in its eyes.
"What is it, Dark?" Uula asked, cautiously stepping forward.
"Some sort of shadow beast," Dark spoke. "It looks to be a parasite. I don't think it can live for much longer outside of a human body."
The creature's movement ceased and with a shallow gasp, it appeared to expire. Since the danger seemed to have passed, Dark Link was overcome with curiosity. He relaxed his grip and began turning the creature over, trying to identify it based on others he'd encountered over the past several days. On the bottom of the parasite was its mouth, a conical hole lined back to the throat with tiny teeth. He lifted it higher, trying to get a good look inside its mouth. As he brought it closer to his face, just as Uula opened her mouth to warn him not to, it struck without warning.
A dozen thin black tentacles whipped out and wrapped around Dark Link's head, anchoring in with their tiny suckers. The creature's head was against his face in an instant, its tiny teeth latching onto his lips and prying them open. He heard the women scream across the room but couldn't see beyond the creature's body. He gripped the parasite with both hands and tried to pull it off but before he could, it expelled its inky black blood into his open mouth.
Dark cried out, choking and gurgling behind his cephalopod mask, flailing wildly as he struggled to pry it off of his face. As the creature emptied its bile into his gaping mouth, its body shriveled up like a dried fruit. Eventually it was emptied, its black skin transparent as its entire essence had been emptied down Dark's throat. The tentacles gradually loosed their grip and fell away, and Dark was finally able to pry it from his head and toss it onto the floor.
"Dark!" Uula cried, coming to her son's side and holding him steady. "Dark, are you alright?"
Dark Link looked stupefied, stumbling back and forth for several seconds, looking at Uula with unseeing eyes. His face was pale and black fluid dribbled down his chin. The inky taste in his mouth was sickening but he couldn't bring himself to vomit. There was nothing in his stomach; the shadow creature's essence had been immediately absorbed into his body. He desperately wanted to expel the parasite's venom but there was no way. It was too late.
Dark looked around slowly, first to the maidens crowded around Anju, then to Anju herself, still unconscious and quite possibly dead. Dark realized that he had sentenced that innocent girl to die, that he had given her to Bongo Bongo like some twisted present. This was all on his own hands. He deserved this, he realized, whatever it was that was slowly coming to a boil inside of him.
He turned now to Uula, who was frozen still, waiting for him to say or to do something. Piteously, he began to whimper like a child, his heart aching for the comforting embrace of his mother.
"Uula," he whispered, "this is all m-my fault."
She reached forward to touch him, to ask him what he meant, but Dark pulled away. He felt the changes begin to happen, the warm pulsing in his veins, the purple tint in his sight. His head began to pound, a deafening sound in his ears that blocked out all else. He held his face as he stumbled toward the door, mumbling and whimpering unintelligibly. He sounded wholly pathetic and heartbroken.
The door seemed to open just as he got there, and standing there in the doorway was the entire populace of Kakariko Village. They still held their candles, nervously waiting for news on Anju, but to Dark's skewed vision they seemed like an angry mob holding torches. He turned back into the room but was confronted with more distorted visions. The women at Anju's head were beady-eyed beasts, their mouths agape and their lizard-like tongues wagging at him. He turned to Uula, then, who looked like a great bloated monster, grinning down at him mischievously and reaching out to him with stubby clawed fingers.
Dark Link was reeling in shock from his hideous visions. He looked from one monstrous crowd to the other, his eyes wide and his expression becoming more and more horrified each second. Terrified, he threw his head back and shrieked, emitting a feral cry that made the villagers block their ears, paralyzed for an instant by his piercing voice. Dark saw the visions around him shrink back and he knew that this was his chance. His humanoid body melted away into shadow and he flattened himself to the ground. He was able to move much faster in this almost liquefied form and he sped away from them all, racing out of the village and onto the moonlit Hyrule Plain. For an instant he seemed confused, unsure of where he should go, but then a blue-eyed face flashed in his mind, a benevolent smile and a kind voice.
Link.
Dark sped off in the direction of the Kokiri Forest, his mind instinctively directing him there. The world flew past him as he raced onward, Link's face now the only image in his foggy mind.
From the cliffs high above Hyrule Plain, Zelda watched Dark Link leave. A chilly breeze blew from behind her, ruffling her hair and her Shiekah garb. The wind seemed to be pushing Dark away from her, rushing him forward to an uncertain fate. The princess turned back toward Kakariko, observing the villagers and making sure that everything was under control.
Good riddance, Dark Link, she thought. And may the goddesses keep you out.