- Authors Notes:

*First I want to say that this story has nothing to do with my main one, The Hero's Brotherhood. Also, Sheik is male and his own person in here. I know that in the game Sheik is Zelda but if you don't like the idea of such a change then the back button is not far away.

*This also doesn't really belong in any world or timeline. It's going to have characters from more then one game.

*This is slash, as in eventually Link & Sheik are going to get together.

*So, warnings. This story will have things like rape, torture and death. If any of that isn't your kind of thing then you should also find that back button I mentioned earlier. This is really just to test my ability to write dark themed stuff since it is looking like it might find its way into my main story. Though probably not as intense. I would appreciate reviews so I know how I'm doing with this new area. Thanks :)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZ

Dark clouds billowed across the sky, easily blocking out the sun's bright rays of light. This cast a despairing image over the area, as if saddened by the scene far below on the ground.

What had once been a thriving village tucked in the side of the mountain was now a picture of destruction and grief. The light rain cascading down onto the fires reaching toward the sky was starting to stop the consuming wrath of the flames.

It didn't diminish the damage that the fiery wave had already wrecked on the little haven though. Smoke rose into the sky from the places that the fire was struggling against the rain to remain alive. Pieces of charred, smoldering wood were falling from their perch on top of houses, barns, shops and even the play area that had been at the center of town. Some structures had collapsed altogether, unable to handle the furious nature of the fire's destructive bite.

A groan was heard nearby. Pale skin poked out of the few places that weren't covered by ash or his simple but mostly torn farmers clothing. A hand raised sluggishly to wipe away the ash that had started to settle around tired, blurry eyes. Deep blue eyes finally opened but a fierce wince from his body reminded him of how sore it was. A deep breath, and then strenuous effort to force himself to sit upright.

Sore muscles protested against being used. It was a deep ache though. One that signaled that it was from more than over exerting his body.

The madness must have broken free again.

He sighed, his blurry eyes trying to make out the bright colors around him, as he brushed the ash from his dark blonde hair. His hand froze once it swept past something that was much too heavy and wet to be ash. His hand lowered and blinked a few times until his vision cleared enough to make out what had made him pause. A startled gasp escaped his lips.

Blood coated his fingers and now he saw that his hand carried more evidence of a violent nature. Cuts, bruises, even long gashes stretched up and down his arm. He finally noticed that he was shirtless, but his arms seemed to be the only place that sustained any damage. His hands trembled as he raised them to survey their damage. He turned his palms over, eyes widening in horror as he realized that they were covered with what he could only guess were defensive wounds. Had someone or something attacked him? Why couldn't he remember?

His started to panic. His eyes sweeping the area in fear of other assailants but the sight of the burning village intensified his fear. What happened here?!

He quickly backpedaled, but his hurried attempt to escape the painful sight brought him in contact with something that was definitely not ash.

His blue eyes snapped to what had stopped his movement and then a scream of fright flew from his mouth. He shot away from it, trying to put as much distance between it and him as possible as he stumbled to his feet.

A body laid there in a pool of blood, twisted in odd angles. It was missing an arm and both legs. They looked ripped off though. Like some kind of vicious animal had attacked it.

He trembled even more as memories started to flash before his eyes. He clutched his head as silent tears trailed down his cheeks, trying to stop the images.

Mocking laughter as frightened sobs and painful screams were heard…cheers all around as they forced themselves on their victims…then running. From him. He was lower to the ground, snarling viciously as he raced after them. The madness had have done this.

He raised his head slowly, and the half buried sign of the town's butchery came into view. What was once the place where he worked, where he would bring home the kills that would feed more than half his small village, was now just a few pieces of smoldering wood held together by crumbling walls that looked ready to collapse any minute.

The steps drew his attention next, and he whimpered as more images reached his mind. This is where it started. Where…they started.

…"You're late again! I would dump a bucket of water over your head to wake you if it wasn't such a valuable resource!" exclaimed the women standing on the porch of the butchery….

…He smiled sheepishly. Rubbing the back of his head….

…"Sorry Ilia. I thought I was making good time but I guess not. Forgive me?" he said as he presented her with his best kicked puppy look...

…She scowled but sighed eventually, shaking her head at him…

…"Damn you and that cute face. Fine…but you better not be late tomorrow or else I might be inclined to use something that isn't valuable to dump over your head!" said Ilia sternly, though he could tell her control was slipping. A smile was already breaking through her attempt to scold him. She looked ready to say something else but paused at the sight of her father rushing over to them…

A quiet sob echoed around the area as he clutched his head again, knowing what came next even if he couldn't call it right away.

… "Run! Bandits! They-" Then an arrow flew through the air, piercing its way cleanly through his skull…

…A scream of grief was heard to his left, but he could only stare in horror as the body of the mayor slumped to the ground. Years he's been hunting but it did nothing to lessen the blow of actually witnessing the death of a person, much less someone he had been close too…

…His head raised and suddenly his mind snapped into action at the sight of horses galloping toward them. Their riders waved their weapons around intimidatingly while others held lit torches…

…He grabbed a hold of his friend as she tried to run to her father's side…

…"Ilia! Listen to me! Grab the children and run for it! No!" He shook her and she finally turned her tear stricken face to him, "Go grab the children! Now Ilia!" Then he gasped and shoved her away from him, the sword aiming for her throat barely missing beheading her as a horse raced in between them...

…She looked over to him, terrified, before pivoting around and sprinting away…

…He was running now, drawing his sword as he went but his heart beat with increasing fear. Rusl was supposed to be on patrol. The man wasn't one to slack off, so these bastards must have overwhelmed him quickly. Too quickly for him to send warning to the village…

…They would overwhelm them soon then. He had to reach Uli. The women had raised him so he knew that not even the goddesses themselves could make her leave her newborn child behind…

He began to choke, his desperate sobs making it difficult to breathe. He stumbled away, trying to escape the images but they were relentless. More bodies littered the floor, in a pattern that suggested that they had been running away from something.

They were in the same state as the first one though. His deep blue eyes, barely able to take in what he was seeing, hesitantly surveyed the area. About a dozen or so bodies looked like an animal had ripped into them. The few that had a head or enough of a face didn't look familiar.

He shuddered. These monsters had descended on them right before the monster within himself had descended onto them. There was a part of his soul that rejoiced in the knowledge that they wouldn't be hurting anyone ever again but…

He had promised her…he promised Ilia he would never let it take control again.

He ran from the sight and headed farther into the village. The smart thing might have been to get away from the burning village but all he could think about were the screams. He wasn't even sure where they originated from, but they echoed around his mind like a broken record.

Surely…he wasn't the only one? There had to be others that survived.

He tripped as his foot caught onto something that lay half buried in the dirt and debris. His breath came out in shallow pants as he paused to glance back at it, as if his lungs weren't getting enough air. The toy rocking horse leaned half buried with both of its hind legs broken off from the weight of the debris over it.

Then a flash of floral clothing. He hesitantly glanced up and flinched back, unable to stop the short gasps that soon gave way to the crushing sorrow at the sight of the clothing caught on the edge of the porch. It was beyond him how that small bit of floral print from Uli's long sleeved shirt had somehow survived the fire.

…"No!" he yelled as he saw Uli being dragging down the steps of her and Rusl's house. She was lashing out, trying to escape the man that restrained her. Her capturer sneered, hand sliding lower and disappeared into her long sleeved blouse but then he suddenly rammed into the man and slammed him into the wall with the force of a sledgehammer. A force he knew was aided by the madness growing from within him…

He spun around and continued running. Not even knowing where he was heading anymore.

…He wasn't entirely sure what happened next. One minute he was yelling to Uli to run as he fought the man that released her and then suddenly four other men seem to materialize out of thin air to help the bastard...

…He struggled against them, a sense of helplessness overtaking him as they pinned him down and began to bind him in rope. A vicious punch to his stomach stole the air from his lungs and sent him crashing to his knees. Laughter was heard before the little wooden table that sat between the overturned, broken chairs groaned from the weight suddenly put on top of it. He heard a rip and then buttons were sliding across the floor…

…His struggling intensified once he heard Uli's cries of pain. Those holding him down were momentarily surprised from the sudden burst of strength that nearly sent all five of them tumbling over the side of the porch…

…The sight of Uli's pale legs spread wide and held suspended in the air by a man that seemed to ride her like a damn horse made him seethe with rage. He could feel it. The wrath of the madness twisting within him as it clawed at his resistance but he felt firm…

…Unleashing a monster upon monsters was never a solution…

…It didn't last long. Even as they took turns with her. Filthy, vile creatures! But he could do nothing. Soon they were being dragged through the streets. He could barely see through the haze of tears and the roots of his hair still stung from when these vile men had nearly ripped it from his head when he had refused to watch them violate the women who raised him…

…He closed his eyes, trying to block out the wails of pain and grief from Uli. It was not from the way they dragged her by her hair. It was from her desperate pleas to reach her newborn child, still within her and her husband's house that was now starting to go up in flames…

He slipped on the loose debris that had fallen around the blacksmith. He straightened quickly but stiffened at the sound of creaking wood. A glance upward and then he hurled himself forward, narrowly missing being crushed by the section of the blacksmith's roof that had lost the battle to the fire's indomitable wrath.

He stumbled to his feet and hurriedly backed away, coughing as the smoke started to infiltrate his lungs. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to control his breathing. His feet began to move forward while his mind began to wander, almost as if he was subconsciously trying to detach himself from the horror that was unfolding in his mind.

The sight around him began to swirl with colors, the sounds deadening. He wasn't sure what was happening, but as long as that heart wrenching pain didn't return he didn't really care.

Then he reached the center of the village. The sight before him was enough to bring his numbed mind roaring to life again. From a distance it could have been a pile of bags and he wished that it had been. Instead, bodies piled on top of each other stood next to the little wooden play area meant for the children.

Faces that he recognized were all along that pile but what brought him to his knees with a cry of anguish was the smaller bodies hung from the tallest structure of the wooden play area. Four large planks of wood stood surrounding the area, with bars connecting two thin beams that connected each plank with each other.

The children used to love swinging from those bars and it became the last thing they ever saw. They now hung from those bars, their bodies burned and twisted in abnormal ways like some kind of twisted demonic ornament.

He rocked back and forth slightly, nearly choking from the way his body shook with the force of his sobbing. This was where everything ended.

…He hit the ground face first since he couldn't raise his bound hands to break his fall. After a quick shake of his head, fearful blue eyes swept through the area. They were being gathered in the center of town. Where the wooden play area stood. Others were being dragged along and deposited next to him…

…Then a man, laughing as he joked with his comrades beside him, held the foot of a body as it dragged along the ground behind him. A sob laced with grief and sorrow, one that matched his own, came from Uli as they both recognized Rusl…

…His mind was so bewildered and overwhelmed with fear that everything seemed clash together into a jumbled reel of sounds and images. He couldn't understand the leering words meant to hurt him. He barely felt the slap from someone that apparently was unhappy with his unresponsive state…

…What got his attention was the scream of terror from someone that he thought had gotten away…

…Two men had Ilia pinned down on the ground with her arms held above her head. Her scream of terror morphed into pain as they drove a dagger through her overlapping hands to keep them in place…

…"NO! Ilia! Leave her alone! Ilia!" he yelled in desperation. The madness surged to the surface, faster than before and he barely contained it this time. A grunt of surprise was heard from behind him as they were almost hurled back from the force of his thrashing but he was subdued as others came to help restrain him…

…He heard his neighbors, friends, and family begging for them to stop along with him. For their own pain and the pain they could feel from all around them…

…Then a man who could have towered over everyone there appeared. The bandits looked over at the man with the careful stride, a cigar hanging from his mouth. His bald head turned casually as he surveyed the people before him as if he were browsing in the marketplace. He could have fit in at a dinner party with his calm attitude if it weren't for the giant mace held in one hand or the spiked leather vest surrounding his torso…

…Ilia's cries were the only thing heard as the one that had been attempting to spread her struggling legs paused to turn and glance at the one that must be their leader…

…The bald man tapped his cigar, letting the ashes fall to the ground before he took it from his mouth and addressed us…

…"Its most unfortunate that you fine people happened to be on the farthest edge of Hyrule right when the new Queen has ordered stronger border patrol. Really, I feel bad," The leader said in a tone that could have been taken seriously if it weren't for the wicked smirk on his face. Mocking laughter echoed around as his men joined in his dark humor…

…"You know what?" The leader started to pace causally in front of us, "I even heard rumors that they were going to build a guard post not more than ten miles from here. Well, damn. Tough luck indeed. Not to worry though. Once we are done here, I'm sure the Queen will feel obligated to build it then. You all have that to look forward too, yeah? Making the world a safer place! Ha! Now men, let's do our part and make these people a worthy sacrifice for Hyrule!"…

…It was nothing but a living nightmare after that. These horrible people seemed to make it their mission in life to cause as much pain as humanly possible. The leader soon took a special liking to Ilia. The sounds and sight of what that devil had done to her was something that he would see for the rest of his life. However long that would be…

…Then he couldn't focus on anything but his own pain. He struggled in vain as a man with a grinning rat face straddled his waist and ripped his shirt open. He screamed as the man took a dagger to his skin like a painter would to a canvas. He didn't know if the patterns carved deep into his chest were meant to be anything but he didn't particularly care. He just wanted the pain to stop but no amount of pleading would work. In fact it seemed to spur the man on…

…He could have been there for minutes, hours or even days. Time seem to blur together as the pile of bodies next to the wooden play area grew bigger. He was choking on the force of his sobs now. His hands were unbound but now bent in odd angles once two other of these sadists came to take over once rat man had his fun. They broke his fingers one by one, moving to the bones in his forearms, and then finishing with each humerus bone within his upper arms, enabling each and every movement from his body to be excruciating to feel…

…That was the point where he was begging and pleading for death, especially when they made it painfully obvious that they would be starting on his legs next. Then his capturers paused as the leader said they had found some stowaways…

…Dread filled his heart when the children were carried into the play area. Someone forced him to sit up and pulled his hair until he was facing where the leader was having the children line up under the bars overhead. The only girl among them, Beth, looked worse than the others. What little clothing she had left was torn and charred while bruises and cuts littered her body. She cried for her mother as she was placed under the bars…

… "Please…please! They're just children! How can you people so heartless…?" He exclaimed miserably. Chuckles were heard around him and then he felt a pat on his head as someone leaned close to his pointed ear.

… "Curse your own rotten luck kid. Or rather, curse their rotten luck. Heh, they almost got away after all. Too bad they aren't very fast. Should have kept up a stronger patrol around this place bucko," whispered rat man into his ear…

…He just cried harder. The children had almost gotten away? He should have reacted faster! Should have warned Ilia sooner!...

…Then ropes were being tied around their small necks. The dread intensified once he realized what was about to happen to them. At least half of the parents of these children wouldn't be watching them die since their bodies had long since joined the pile growing next to the play area. Goddesses…why couldn't they have escaped?...

…The leader was grinning at the desperate pleas to spare the children, gesturing with his hands like their misery was the equivalent of an applause to him. Then, one by one, they were hung from the bars. As if that sight wasn't enough to induce nightmares, the leader revealed something else that terrified them…

…From his palm a small ball of fire appeared. Magic. It had been years since anyone of Hyrule had seen it. It was believed that the art was simply lost from the world. Fire was a gift of Din, the Goddess of Power and here this vile man, the very definition of a true monster, was wielding it like it was a part of him…

…Did the Goddesses truly bless such a wicked creature? What did that mean for the rest of them?...

…Then the brief amazement faded as the small fireball was sent flying at the child struggling to breathe as they hung suspended in the air. They burst into flames, more than they should have with the small size of the fireball but it served as another blow to how well this man knew how to wield this forgotten art…

…The child must have wanted to scream but could not take in enough air to do so. He just flailed until finally he was still. Something broke within him at the sight. The other children followed soon after and little by little, his resistance was slipping. Each innocent life taken seemed to fuel the madness within…

…Soon there wasn't many villages left so the marauders started to leave, their leader at their head. With an order to make sure there were no witnesses, the leader joined the main group as they disappeared from the burning town…

…There were twelve left behind to finish them off. He trembled, not wanting to die but if he could, he would give his life if it meant that the others would survive. He didn't dare breathe such a request. He knew these sadistic people would just make a show of slaughtering everyone and leave him for last if he did…

…His attention snapped to his left as heavy footsteps approached him. He raised fearful eyes but then flinched when he felt the cold tip of a dagger at his throat…

… "Hummm…you've got nice eyes. Deep blue like the ocean. I don't think I have that color yet. I think I'll take those. Not like your gonna need them anymore anyway," snickered the man with a beak like nose. He nearly gagged at the sight of the necklace around the bandit's necklace. Along the length of the thick black string was at least twenty pairs of eyes. Hanging there like proud trophies….

…He was shoved to the ground and a whimper escaped him as the bandit straddled his chest. His broken arms were on fire at the pressure along with his broken fingers as they clutched weakly, if at all, at the thighs of the man…

… "Please…don't hurt me," he whimpered softly but then he bucked and his hands thrashed uselessly against the man's thighs, lacing his broken fingers and arms with pain as they flailed when the dagger was brought up close to his face, "Please! Don't! Please-!" A sharp slap to the side of his face made him flinch and tears started to cloud his vision again…

… "Stop that! I don't want to damage those eyes! Now hold still runt," growled the beak nosed man. A shout made the man pause and turn with a scowl at the interruption. He almost thought that one of these horrible people was actually trying to help him but as another bandit strode toward them, wiping his bloody hands on his pants along the way, he stopped to give a thoughtful look down at him….

…That look sent chills down his spine as those lustful eyes trailed over his body…

… "I see Randel already got his hands on him. Damn, he's still plenty good looking though. He's just the right age too. Let me have a go at him first Glen. Then you can have his eyes," said the one behind those lustful eyes. The beak nosed bandit sighed irritability but stood to his feet and stepped aside…

… "Fine…no punches or slaps to the eyes got it? I'll take yours instead if you damage those beauties," growled the beak nosed man before he strode away. The man chuckled, not disturbed at all apparently by his comrade's threats…

…Those lustful eyes narrowed as a smirk spread slowly over his face when his prey was hurriedly trying to scoot backward. His feet were still bound but his arms and hands were so injured that he doubted that they would do little more than hinder him in any attempt to escape. A quick glance around had a whimper rush passed his lips. There was no one left. No one that could help him…

…The man stalked after him, letting him scurry almost twenty feet away before he was on him like a ravenous Wolfos. He cried out in pain, cringing when his neck was bitten savagely. A tongue immediately licked away the blood that started to flow. It was frightening, disgusting and painful. All at once. He knew that the man was just getting started too…

… "That's it. Be a good boy and scream for me," muttered the man against his pointed ear. His hands were grabbed and pulled above his head, making him scream in pain as his broken bones were moved. The man reached back to slash at his binds, freeing his feet…

… "No! P-Please! D-Don't do t-this to m-me! P-Please!" he sobbed in desperation. This was the only part of his innocence that he had left and this vile man was going to not just take it from him, but rip it away. As painfully as possible. He thrashed and bucked, but he couldn't as much as move the man an inch. His struggles just seemed to excite the sadistic man anyway…

…He flinched, tears trailing down his face as a hand rubbed circles over his chest. His bleeding wounds from the dagger that had danced across his skin flared to life as that hand seemed to be seeking every one of them in order to dig a finger into them and induce shots of pain that had him begging and thrashing pathetically within seconds…

…Then he felt it, the madness rearing up as his resistance wavered. He closed his blue eyes, welcoming the numbing sensation as he put up no more resistance. Not to the monster settling himself between his legs or the one within, clawing to get out…

…He felt the monster pinning him down stiffen as his bones suddenly snapped back in place, his wounds resealing together and then darkness overtook him…

…He wasn't worried this time. He had nothing left for the monster within to harm…

His eyes snapped open when a hand landed gently on his shoulder. He shot away, scurrying as far from whoever it was as fast as he could. His back soon hit something solid, but he didn't care enough to look. His eyes were only for any potential threats.

A figure in bright silver armor slowly got up and put their hands up in a peaceful gesture. He recognized the crest of the royal family on the front. Slowly the figure approached him, looking as nonthreatening as possible.

"Hey there son. Everything is fine now alright? We are here to help," said a deep male voice. It was gentle and soft, though it was a bit out of place among the full body armor and weapons surrounding his body.

He only saw another man trying to hurt him. This one was just better equipped. A snort drew the attention of his fearful blue eyes and he jumped when he saw a black horse, its ears perked toward him curiously, standing half way out from the side of a building.

Its rider wore the same armor as the man in front of him and soon over a dozen horses were appearing from the side of the building. He started to hyperventilate, thinking they were going to surround him.

He was about to make a run for it when a voice rung out from the group. It was feminine and yet it held more power than any male voice he had ever heard.

"What is wrong with you lot? Have you forgotten your training? Never surround a surviving victim of this level of carnage! Get away from him this instant before his heart fails from stress!" shouted that powerful feminine voice.

The group immediately started to disperse, except for the one that had approached him first. A beautiful mare that had patches of white and black all over its body walked forward to stand beside the man that watched him sadly.

He focused on the stride, never seeing a horse move like that. It was graceful, almost silent in its movement. As his sight carried farther up, he caught sight of a thin saddle and feathers hanging from its white and black mane. Then he saw its rider. Unlike the others, this women wore very little armor and yet he felt that the very atmosphere around her was just as threatening as the heavily armored man beside her mount.

A red weeping eye symbol adorned her gauntlets and the top of her chest armor. She swung gracefully off her mount and spoke softly to the heavily armored man. He stayed where he was, watching them carefully.

She nodded and told the man to join the others in looking for survivors. She turned to face him. Watching, just as he was.

Then she slowly walked forward, like she was approaching a wild animal. He tensed, but her eyes caught him off guard. They were red. Like blood. His eyes shot back to the red weeping eye symbol and suddenly he knew. Only one race had that shade of eye color.

"You recognize my people's icon, yes? Then you must know that a Sheikah's word is bonded by magic?" asked the red eyed women. Her tone was stern but soft. He wrapped his arms around himself and drew his legs up against his chest. He watched her carefully, though he didn't feel as threatened by her as he did with the silver knight. He slowly nodded, not finding his voice.

"Then listen. I swear to you, I will not harm you in any way. Will you come away from that wall?" she said in that softly stern voice as she knelt close by him. It was strange. The tone was soft enough that it didn't startle him but the sternness allowed him to feel grounded from the fear spinning around his mind.

She sounded confident but safe. He hesitated but slowly uncoiled himself and crawled toward her. He watched her the entire time but she stayed perfectly still. Almost abnormally so, perched there on the ground like a cat.

Once he reached her, he hesitated again but then caught a closer look of her eyes. He was wrong. They were not like blood. They were more like fire. Not the kind that was blazing around the ruins of his home. No, it was lively, infinite, and protective.

He whimpered, tears started to fill his eyes again. He leaned forward and curled up against her chest, crying softly. She paused awkwardly for a moment but then wrapped her arms around him, shushing gently into his ear. The sound was comforting. More than words would have been, especially since his mind wouldn't have registered most of them right now anyway.

"I am Impa, personal Guardsmen to Queen Zelda. What is your name?" asked Impa as she ran a hand through his dark blonde hair softly. He continued to cry, not saying anything. She seemed to have endless patience though, asking his name again in the same tone as before.

He was unstable, frightened and broken but felt he could trust her. So, with a sniffle he raised his head bashfully.

"….L-Link. My name is Link,"