Another door shut behind him, and infront of him, a room full of mist. The little blue fairy flew up around him.
"Are you alright? I think you should rest…you look kinda sick." She said. The man put a hand through his now dirty blonde hair.
"Navi, I need to continue…"
"Why? Because you want to meet the princess again?" A dark voice crept into the room. The boy tensed, and drew his sword. "Oh, come now, Link, you don't really want to meet her again?" The man's red eyes looked straight into Links blue ones.
"I fight because I believe what I do is right!" Link said, not moving closer to his opponent. A dark chuckle vibrated around the room
"Truly, you are niave, Link. Tell me…how did Gandorf get into the Sacred Realm? How did his hand touch the Triforce, hmm?" He asked evily. Link stared at the man.
"Who are you?" Even through the mist, Link could only make out the faint outline of this person, and those bright red eyes, that seemed to pierce through the mist.
"How cold, my dear other half, I thought you would recognize me. But I guess you are after something of a name, ne? Well, I guess you can just call me Dark-I have no name after all…" The stranger seemed to come a bit closer. "And you still have to answer my question." Link tried to move back, before noticing the wall. Navi, just looked over at the stranger, but kept quite.
"What do you mean? Why should it matter how Gandorf got his hands on the Triforce? He has it now and-"
"You haven't relised, I might have guessed. You know that the only thing stopping him was that sword in your hand. If you didn't get the spiritual stones, if you hadn't pulled out that blade, the world would be at peace. You know that's the truth, after all Ruaru told you that the master sword was the last key to getting to the Sacred Realm. You don't fight for what is right, my dear hikaru, but because you feel guilty. You made this mess, and it is only right that you fix it." Link just stood their as his words sunk in. Dark…was right. His blade felt heavy in his hands at that moment. If he hadn't pulled it out of it's stand, he...wouldn't be here. Gandorf wouldn't have entered the Sacred Realm. "But the fault isn't intirely yours. You were lead on...by your dear friend," the spite Link heard in that word made him shiver, "the princess. She told you it was the only way to protect the Triforce. I'm not going to blame you, Link, after all, you were just an innocent from the forest, everything you did, you thought it was for the right cause, and it was. You tried to save a tree, you saved the Gorons, and Jabu-Jabu. You did good, but the princess…she told you to go that step futher, she gave you all you needed and told you to play the song, to pick up that sword. Can you tell me honestly, that you like being this 'hero of time'?" Dark, who had constantly being move towards Link during his speech was barely a foot away.
"You are wrong!" Navi said, zooming infront of his face.
"Oh? Then you believe it is Link's fault?" Dark accused. Navi faultered, and stumbled, trying to shout that it was neither of their fault. "hmm, how do you know that Zelda wasn't the one who wanted the Triforce? Was she not the one who wanted to touch it, under the pretences that she would 'protect' it?" Dark said. Navi just stood in midair, not sure what to say.
"Zelda isn't a bad person…" She said weakly, not looking at Dark. Dark laughed.
"You meet her only once. You've seen her only twice, and you claim to know her?" Dark said. Navi feel quite. Link looked up into Dark's eyes.
"How do you know that?" Link said accusingly, hand once again gripping the master sword. His words, Link decided, were poison. Everything he said had to be a trick, some way to try and turn him against the princess.
"How? I am you, Link. Simple as that. We were once one…back before you touched that blade you hold. A hero is pure after all, so all your evil wishes, ill thoughts, anyones you wanted to have after you touched it, and before you touched, now give me power. You don't remember that hate towards Ruto for having to carry her around inside Jabu-Jabu, or the wish to kill that fish while you were lost inside it, do you?" Dark said, voice getting lower.
"Of course he does, it is apart of his meomory! You can't take that away from him!" Navi shouted, glaring at Dark. Dark gazed calmly at her, a smirk on his face.
"Oh, but this question was not directed at you, fly. I'ld start holding your tounge, for I'ld hate to trap you in a bottle." Dark said, happily, like he would enjoy it, Navi instantly moved backwards.
"But Link remembers that, right Link?" Link looked at her. He had…hated Ruto? He had wanted to kill the fish that ate him? He couldn't help bite his bottom lip. He had no recollection of these events Navi seemed to know of. Was he losing his mind, or…was Dark telling the truth?
"I…don't know…" Link said after a time. He quickly averted his eyes from Dark. A dark laugh echoed around the room.
"Ofcourse you don't, you are the hero. A hero with only pure thoughts, by the wishes of the Goddess above. But, I'll warn you of something." Dark stopped, as if trying to put his words together. "Your friend, Zelda, will betray you. Just don't be surprised when it happens." Dark smirked. "I'll leave you with those words, and I'ld think over them, oh Hero of time" Dark mockingly bowed to Link, before vanishing, leaving a chest and an open door in his wake. Link slide to the floor, shivering, even as the mist and the illusion of the room faded.
"Navi…I think I will take up that offer of resting here…" Link got out a blanket, and tried to rest, but rest doesn't come easy when you have the feeling of being complete lost.
It had been a few weeks since Link meet Dark in the room of Illusions, and now, Link stood in the temple of time, and before him stood Sheik, his guide through this adventure. Dark's words every now and then would appear in his mind, as he noticed small things, but he always pushed them aside.
"Link…I've kept a secret from you Link…I have the triforce piece of wisdom…and…" Sheik lifted his right hand, and the triforce glowed. Link shielded his eyes from the light that was produced, unsure of what was going on. When he looked back, he couldn't help but stare. Where Sheik had stood moments before, now stood Zelda. 'Your friend, Zelda, will betray you.' Link just looked on in shook as Dark's words to him hit him, hard. Zelda…all this time, he believed that she was waiting, and helping people, and yet here she stood before him.
"Link…please take this light arrow" Zelda said, giving him the last items "You will need it in your fight against Gandorf" She gave him the arrows, as Link, still numb with shock had no ideas in what to do, or say. Gandorf obviously saw Link's weakened defences, as a few seconds after receiving the light arrow, a crystal started forming around Zelda's feet.
"AHHH!! What's happening, help me Link!" Zelda's frantic screams echoed off the walls, as it slowly sunk in what was going on. Running over, he tried to crack the crystal, even as it slowly rose in the air, then noticing as she was knocked unconscious by one of Gandorf's spells. Link couldn't help but watch in horror. Numbness from the shock once again settled over him, as he collapsed to the floor.
"I did warn you." Link shivered as he heard Dark's voice. At this time, he didn't want to see him, he wanted to be…alone. It was something he needed to sort out. His mind was moving to fast, and thoughts were muddled.
"It's a pity you can't see you own hate for her right now. She's been leading you on. Even worse, she's been doing nothing all this time. She could have at least tried to rescue a sage, or gotten you the hookshot, or rescued the king of the Zora's. She could have done so much, and yet, she just waited." Dark's voice didn't echo around in the large temple, and as softly as it was said, Link couldn't help but shiver. His words were full of logic, and yet Link couldn't take it. Zelda…the princess…wasn't like that, was she?
"I…" Link faultered. He didn't know anything anymore. Everything he though he knew had been torn from under his very feet. Things he was sure of just five minutes ago seemed to not have ever been true. "What is truth?" Link said looking up, as if poising it to the Goddess. Dark couldn't help but smile.
"It is whatever one wishes it to be, as nothing is certain, and most is speculation. The honest truth, is that there may be no such thing as truth, only perception of different people. Truth, destiny, everything can be changed, that is the way of the world, that way of Naryu's law…" Dark seemed to trail off, as if thinking about everything, as he always had an answer. "Gandorf wouldn't see himself as evil you know, he would have reasons for doing what he did." Link looked up, tired, exhaustion running through his veins. Dark, leaning on the wall just looked at him. "You should rest before you try to go up Gandorfs tower. You're most likely to die if you go now." Dark said, shrugging simply. "Here is the safest place right now, anyway. You rest, after all, you can't leave this story only half finished." Link looked away, even though his exhaustion ran through him, he couldn't help but listen to the rambling that Dark was talking about. "Ironic…you started your quest at Hyrule castle, and you are going to finish it at the exact same area. It's odd how destiny is weaved…" Link didn't hear any more as he fell into a light slumber, shivering all the while.
With one final blow, into the hideous, distorted flesh that once belonged to the man Ganondorf, the sages trapped the soul away. It was done, there was no more to do.
"Link… Thank you. You have saved Hyrule!" Zelda aproched Link slowly, smiling widely.
"Yeah, Link! Now we can go home!" Navi burst out, flying widely around his head. For all the joy in the world, Link couldn't help but stare at Zelda. The smile on his lips slipped.
"What is it?" Zelda jumped at Link's voice, and his words, never meeting his eyes. Bad news…
"I… You…" Zelda took a breath, bracing herself, "You have lost seven year off your life. It is… unfair. On you. I… I can send you back to the beginning, to before any of this happened." Zelda brought her eyes up to Link's. "You can regain those seven years. I just need … the ocarina of time. Will… will you let me restore order?" Her voice sounded pleading.
And it was ruined by a laughter that echoed the feelings in Link's heart. Zelda spun around trying to locate the laughter.
"Another betrayal, another way to hide… everything… surrounds you Zelda. Are you sure you don't just want to go back to the time before this happened so no one remembers the way you hid for seven years, when your people really needed you? But wait, some people would remember, what about them?" Dark Link asked, looking down on both Link and Zelda from the castles rubbles, red eyes glowing with untold emotions. Zelda (after locating Dark Link) glared back, challenging.
"The world was not meant to se this-"
"This? This is your doing, Zelda. You threw away your people for your own safety, you have no right to try and claim the throne again. You wouldn't even make a good Queen anyway." Dark Link's eyes glowed brighter, yet he remained perfectly still ontop of the castle ruins. Zelda remained just as still staring up at him. Silence followed, with the only sound being Navi's soft wing beats.
"No rebuttle for the truth?" Dark Link said softly, chuckiling. He slipped off the castle remains, and disappeared. Link could only shiver as he handed over the ocarina.
"I'm only doing this so… for the people of Hyrule."
"For the people of Hyrule" Zelda smiled, not even seeing Link's lie.
'Anything to get away from… from my darkness.'
"Link, the Great Deku tree wanted us to go to the Castle! Where are you going! Why don't you just ask the guard to take you? Link! HEY! Wait up!" Navi screeched after Link. Link tured harshley.
"The guard won't let us in, remember, Navi? They kicked us out." Link said, ith a hint of annoyance. Navi just looked at him as if he were insane. Then again, Navi had been giving him that look since Zelda gave him back seven years. Ofcourse, they'd only been back for half an hour…
"Anyway, Come on Navi, we can sneak in."
"Ah, who are you?" Zrlda stared at Link, head tilted. Her face clearly help confusion, and she was lost. "I don't want to call the guards on you, so will you please leave?" Link went numb. He looked blankly at her, before lowering his eyes to the ground.
"I'm… I… uh… sorry." Link turned around and ran out, leaving Navi and Zelda behind. He just ran, trying to hold the tears inside, until he ran into something.
"I told you again and again. She will always betray you, Link. Why didn't you trust me?" Dark's voice asked, looking down at Link. Link didn't even bother to look up.
"Yu are dark, she is.. was.. is suppose to be…" Link trailed off, curling up into a ball. Dark Link sighed.
"You trusted her over a part of you. It's ironic…" A hand stretched out toward link, and stopped inches away from him. Link slapped the hand away.
"Why can't you just leave me alone? I want to trust others! You… you're exactly like her! You manipulate others feelings until they think like you. Leave me alone!" The flood of anger meant for many lashed out at one, and the respose was a laugh.
"Link, I can't leave you alone." A gentle smile upon his lips. "I need the light, just as you need the dark. You trust to easily, I don't trust at all. We are a balance, you need me so you can get angry like you just did. I need you so I can learn how to trust. We need the other to fill in our own faults."
Without light, there is no darkness. Yet if there is no darkness, how can there be such a thing as light. With no darkness, there is no light, there is just space. Therefore, even the areas of pure light have a need for darkness, or else it will fall into chaos.
AN: holy molly. I finally finished this one-shot x_X
This has been a work in progress for about a year now (I got stuck for ages) And that seems terrible for only a three and a half page story.
Sorry to any Zelda lovers out there but, really, think about it. If this was a real life situation (well as real life as it can be) then, if Zelda didn't direct Link to open the door to the sacred realm, then we can assume that Ganondorf would not have gotten his hands on the Triforce, which would therefore mean that Ganondorf wouldn't have been able to successfully take over Hyrule.
That's just my opinion of it anyway.
Is it just me, or does Dark Link sound like an intellectual towards the end?
Just one more thing- That last paragraph is just a ramble, but I felt like it would be a nice ending to the story, and if you don't like it, finish at Dark Link's monologue.