Disclaimer: I do not own Nintendo characters. Some the dialogue in the beginning of the story is my Easter egg.

The sun was bright in the late morning sky; its rays brightened everyone's mood around Hyrule. The market was becoming busy as it reached its peak hour, especially as people gathered around Castle Town to see the amazing circus build up its tent and equipment. Others were searching through shops in their own quest to find the cheapest deal around.

One particular Hylian, whose stomach was grumbling, was having trouble making a decision. About food.

Pick that apple barrel. Those red apples look sweet, don't they? His mind chimed. He wore a dark green tunic over light silver chain mail; on his feet he wore a pair of bronze boots. A metal shield was strapped to his back and he was equipped with a metal sheath that carried his master sword.

Link, who fit said description, picked up an apple from the barrel and brought it close to his face. He eyed it as if there was something wrong with it. Bringing the apple away from his face, he turned and glanced over at the apple barrel on the other side of the small alleyway. Yeah…the ones over there in that barrel look sweeter, so I should put this back. He strolled over.

Link, nicknamed the Hero of Time, fussed over what products he bought. He could never make up his mind most of the time, so he ended up never buying anything from this part of Castle Town. Sure, it was the only good place to get food, but it was expensive to Link. He wasn't rich. The money that he found while traveling through Hyrule always went to reforming some bridge, or fixing someone else's farm or some other random situation with a damsel in distress. The funny thing was was that Link found his money literally growing on trees and in tall grass.

Only today, Link didn't know that he would be starting on a whole different adventure. A long adventure.

He was in the middle of thinking that he should go back to the first barrel of apples he inspected when he heard an inquiring voice to the side of him.

"…Do you need any help, sir?"

Link turned to the flower shop only feet away and looked into the eyes of a young girl, only a little bit younger than him. She had long brunette hair with curls on the edges and soft hazel eyes that matched along with her dark green blouse. She was holding a bundle of orange flowers in her right hand and was reaching under the counter to get a glass vase. He rubbed his eyes expecting the girl to disappear. Someone actually works here? I must be imagining things. Link blinked twice.

She was still waiting for a response when he answered her with a late, "-No thanks. I was just looking."

She briefly scanned his green tunic and asked, "Nice outfit. You from around here?"

Link raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem like you're from around here yourself." Since when did anyone not know who he was?

She shifted her eyes. "Yes, I just moved here." His guess was confirmed.

She admitted she was still getting used to the area; she'd been there less than a week.

This explained why Link was surprised to see someone actually working there. Every time he'd come to buy flowers there was no one ever working behind the counter. Ever.

"So, are you a guard, then? This town is crawling with them." She put the flowers in the vase and set it down.

"I wouldn't say that." The young girl tilted her head in confusion. "It's complicated." He tried to explain.

Who could really say that they had a normal life until a disaster happened and they just happened to have the qualities that the goddesses were looking for at the time?

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, anyhow, I'm Heather." She held out her hand.

Link shook her hand. "You can call me Link."

"I see," She gave him a smile, "I have lots of time. Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

Link was inclined to; she was very polite.

For the next couple of hours, Link told her about his adventures and how he became who he was today. In certain parts, Heather would ask or comment to clear up some points. Like for example how he could possibly fit a fishing pole in his pocket. Or why he carried a sword around with him. Or if he could explain to her why he rammed into trees for money. When Link tried explaining these misconceptions, he would stumble upon a logical explanation.

"So…where does it all go?" Heather asked peering at Link's tunic. "You must have magical pockets or something."

Link grinned. "Something like that." Link demonstrated by pulling out his childhood slingshot. Heather's eyes dilated in amazement. She didn't know what to make of it.

She then urged him to tell her about his adventures outside the castle and so on. Link engaged her request by telling her of his many encounters with evil monsters that had once lurked outside the grounds. He told her of the small village Ordon, of where he grew up in and of his little childhood friends.

Between helping customers, Heather would listen to Link's "complicated" story.

Just as Link was about to tell her about his first temple, a loud and sudden crash interrupted his thoughts. The commotion made Link automatically tense up and look to the center of Castle Town. Someone was calling for him.

The mailman, known for having his quick and loud deliveries, had accidentally turned the corner and ran into someone carrying their groceries. The loud spur of noise had come from the pots hitting the ground and the yelling had come from the mailman, who was still yelling, "Mr. Liiiiiiiink!"

Link relaxed after seeing the mailman push through the mob of standing people around the area, their heads all turning toward the sudden commotion.

Link accepted the red envelope and opened the seal to scan the short note. He looked up at the curious flower girl and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, maybe I'll see you around later. I'd like to hear more about where you came from."

She laughed. "Alright, but it won't be as exciting as your story."

He was gone without another look back.

Heather's eyes followed him out of the castle; she wondered how much of what he told her was true. He didn't really give a lot of details.

"What an interesting fellow." She turned back to her work and began organizing the flowers in front of her.

Galloping on his gentle mare, Link steered the reins toward his least favorite hang out spot, Lake Hylia. The lake was accompanied by a spirit who watched over the vast oasis. Sure, the lake had a cannon that you could use for transport, but Link worried that the accuracy of the landing wasn't quite right. There was, after all, a gigantic wall right next to the landing area that someone could smack into. Link avoided that transport as much as he could see reasonable.

As Link neared the bridge overlooking Lake Hylia, he slowed his Epona to a stop and slipped off the horse, touching the ground neatly. Link stroked Epona's healthy, bronze mane, telling her she was free to roam around; He could always rely on Epona to come back to him later. As if she could understand him, Epona neighed in response, and trotted over to a patch of rich-looking grass.

Link watched his horse for a moment and then turned into a pathway that led to a shack. Once entering, Link paid the exuberant man in a vibrant costume 20 rupees. Link scanned the room full of cuckoos. There was a particular type of cuckoo he liked using. Once he found the brown feathered chicken, Link held the cuckoo above his head with stretched arms. He crossed the room onto a platform that was outside a door. Looking down thousands of feet made Link's pulse accelerate. He was up really high. He took a deep breath, looked straight ahead, and jumped off the plank.

The cuckoo gently flew him downward over the lake while the wind flippantly passed through his hair. He passed over the shimmering lake and steered the cuckoo to a patch of green grass. Link released the cuckoo as he landed, waving to Rusl as the man walked over to him and met his arrival.

"I see you received my letter. Nice timing, Link." Rusl greeted him with a pat on the shoulder. "So all the plans are in order…I just need help setting up the equipment. The tablecloths are located over there by that…" Rusl's voice faded slightly as Link turned to the side of him.

Momentarily distracted by Rusl's rambling, Link watched the surface of the cool lake water. He wished he could dive down and swim; He wasn't here to relax though. The letter was Link's reminder of Colin's surprise birthday party, and he did not want to be late, so he arrived early. He knew how much Colin admired him and did not want to disappoint him.

"...but don't lift it up before I tell you to, because then it will all fall apart. You ready to get to work, Link?" Rusl finished as he walked away to the picnic area.

Realizing that he zoned out, Link pursued Rusl and sheepishly asked him if he could repeat the directions. Rusl raised an eyebrow and gave Link an amused expression. He repeated them.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Closing the door behind him, Link set aside the lantern on a wooden table nearby; He was back inside his home. Link stretched his arms out and let out a yawn. It was way after dark and he needed his sleep. Link reached over and grabbed the lantern off the table again. He held it up and stepped across the mat and climbed up the ladder to his bed.

Once on the platform that held his bed, Link set aside the lantern on the floor. Pulling off his green pointed hat and leather boots, Link fell face down on his bed with a huge sigh, not bothering to undress or pull the covers over him. He let the soft cotton fabric provide heat as he enveloped into a cocoon. In this moment of time, he was not particularly thinking about anything. All he was concerned about was keeping the warm comforting feeling under his body.

Link let out another tired yawn and opened one of his eyes, but with the bright light from the lantern Link shut his eye quickly and grunted. He lifted himself out of bed and shuffled his feet toward the small lantern. He turned a knob on the side that lowered the gas and before long he was engulfed in darkness.

The only sound that could be heard in Link's room was a quick clink from his belt, now on the surface of his night stand, and the ruffling of clothing being disposed on the floor. Link went to find something to wear for the night and found a grey undershirt and some briefs that had been stored in his dresser.

He stretched out his arms as he gave a final yawn which was followed by a shiver. He glanced at the window, noticing it was still open and felt another shiver at the abrupt change in temperature. It was freezing! He quickly got underneath the covers of his bed and hugged the sheets surrounding him, then shut his eyes tiredly.

Time swept by and Link was soon enveloped in the soft fabric that embraced him. His mind emptied and soon he was unconsciously sleeping, not at all bothered by the whistling of the wind outside, or the crushing of a few leaves outside his house. The crunching of leaves were caused by footsteps, though, a faint noise, barely above a whisper. The sound came closer to Link's house until it finally stopped at the ladder. The intruder paused to take in the unfamiliar territory. His hand gripped the side of the ladder and squeezed on the wood.

The wood made a squeaking noise which caused the dark figure to withdraw. His piercing red eyes followed the ladder to the top of the landing where he spotted a thick branch hanging over the edge of the tree. It's branches stretched out widely, making the perfect pathway to the window. His red eyes pierced the tree as he carefully stepped over to it. He used the branches to climb up and crouched underneath the window. He listened intently for any sign that the Hero of Time was waking up, but all he could hear was deep breathing.

Was it going to be this easy? He smoothly straightened up carefully and raised his head to the window. He took a deep breath, listened again for the deep sleep pattern and then stepped onto the windowsill.

The young man in the bed was turned towards the window, showing the gentle features of his slumbering face. His eyes were closed and his expression was completely at ease. His hair color looked almost silver in the moonlight. The dark figure's gaze softened slightly as he noticed a faint glow on Link's arm where he loosely gripped the sheets on top of him. The triforce symbol was outlined by pure light glowing slightly in the darkness. He was the one.

A powerful wave of rage engulfed him, reminding him that this young man was the reason for his continuous suffering. He felt the desire to slit the young man's throat now. He could end it all in just one swipe. He brought his head back down and slowly unsheathed a dagger. He held the dagger in the moonlight so that it gleamed, reflecting the sharp, clean tip, yet to be corrupted with the blood of another.

The Hero of Time... How pathetic. He ground his teeth together. And what was he? The Hero of Shadow? The Hero of Darkness? Hardly. He had been cast aside to the Dark Realm, banished to hell.

He clenched his fists in rage and silently glared. All those years he had literally wasted away, chained to a demon realm where he was unable to do anything but sit back, consumed in darkness, as his counterpart enjoyed life. It was not a home or a place he liked to think of it as, yet it was an existence somewhere in a great abyss.

Why was it that he was the one who was cursed to live in a hellish place for eighteen years? He looked at his hands and examined his dark skin. Why had the goddesses chose to intervene? Why should this young man who laid inches from his blade have the pleasure to walk along the light. It was almost humiliating.

He abruptly stepped into the room.

Humiliating... He strode to the bed's side and leered as he held the dagger up to the exposed, pale neck. A flick of the dagger and the Hero would bleed to death before he could even be fully aware of what had happened. That's it. His crimson eyes glinted in the moonlight.

He dropped the dagger a couple inches, formulating a deep plan on the spot.

Yes... Why simply kill off the Hero of Light-Time, whatever his pathetic title was. It would be too easy. His counterpart proved that only too well as he continued his calm slumber under the blade of a dagger. There was nothing stopping him from making his move. Link continued to breath slowly with soft murmurs; he gave a troubled expression and shivered beneath the covers.

The dark figure shook his head in disgust. He would get his revenge, and it was going to be sweet.

He needed to figure out his weaknesses. It wouldn't be difficult, though. The Hero's guards were down. He silently grinned and swiftly flew to the window seal again. His feet touched back soundlessly as he grabbed the sides of the window. He pushed off from the window and dropped down to the ground.

The noisy sound of crushed leaves awoke Link as he sat bolted upright. He shook away his sleepiness as he gently rubbed his temples. He listened silently as he sat still; nothing further could be heard with the wind blowing. A breeze through the window rippled Link's sheets. He got up and went over to the window. He peered out of the window seal, trying to make out anything in the moonlight. After a moment of suspicion, he shut the window and crawled back into bed, longing the warmth to come back to him.

x-x-x-x-x-x

It was mid-morning when Link found himself swimming down from the Zoras's Domain. He had just visited their Prince who had just recently lost his mother, the queen, and was now in charge. The queen had been kidnapped and executed before her people as a message. No one had forgotten that tragic day, especially the young prince who was not even thirteen. Link had given him what advice and encouragement he could; Link was not really a consoling type of a guy, but he felt sorry for the young Prince.

After he let the current of the river take him down to the lower part of the Zoras's River, Link pulled himself out of the river and stood up, soaking in his water suit. He was about to head off, when the mailman caught him yet again out of no where.

"Mr. Liiiiiiiiink!" the mailman called as he speedily approached him. Handing Link the red envelope, he turned around saying, "Well...off to deliver more mail!" and was gone in a flash.

Link opened the letter and read.

Hi Honey,

How've you been? It's been a while since you've come to visit. I was hoping if you could help me out again. A merchant that I frequently do business with has fallen ill for the time being. He was supposed to bring fish for today's special, and I just can't let my customers down. If it's not too much of a burden, please bring me fresh fish as soon as possible. You'll be paid, of course. I'll be waiting.

Yours truly,

-Telma

Link folded the letter into his pocket, among other bizarre objects. He had already been planning on heading to the secret fishing hole, but if Telma wanted him to catch the fish and keep them all... it was best to avoid Hena's anger at him for taking many fish from the pond. He glanced back at the wooden door, imagining the beautiful solitude of the hidden pond. He faced the calm river's edge again but decided it wasn't the best place to fish. He walked up to the wooden building over the bridge and entered through the door.

"Hey!" The woman had huge hair and greeted him warmly. "You want a canoe trip down the river? That'll cost ya!"

Link nodded and handed over the rupees.

"Alright then. Hop right in!"

The river flowed quickly but it wasn't rough. He had to swing the oar around and use powerful strokes to avoid cliffs or jagged boulders jutting straight up out of the water, but he managed this without harm to the boat. The ride ended at a short waterfall. The canoe tipped over the edge and Link felt the warm water envelop him feet first. He resurfaced taking a breath and swam over to the side where rocky land lay. He shook himself out a bit, his tunic dripping of water, before he removed his fishing pole.

He took some precautions as he wheeled the frail wire back, and then released it with a snap of his wrist and watched as the bait sank into the water near the middle of the river.

Link shifted his weight, shaking off more water droplets as he waited and looked around. The tall cliffs enclosed the area, but it was peaceful rather than menacing. His direction snapped back to the fishing line as it twitched in his hand. It wasn't a powerful jerk, though, only a mere nudge. He could see the shadow of the unsure fish flitting through the water, snipping at the line a couple times but wary to take a bite. He willed it to bite, but the fish decided differently and skirted away.

Realizing hours later that the sun had taken no time at all to heat up the temperature around him, Link looked up in the sky. He briefly shielded his eyes with the length of his arm from the intense rays long enough to sense that it was a little after noon. Taking his time, Link reeled the line back in. He had collected quite a few fish, mostly Greengills with a couple Hyrulian Bass. He decided to keep them in an empty bomb bag he had on him. (Once the bombs had run out, he had saw no need to refill it now that evil was gone from the land.) He would have to thoroughly clean the bag out later, though...

For now, he needed to get the fish back to Castle Town while they were still fresh.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Turning the knob to the right, Link pulled the old wooden door toward the side of him and strolled inside. He turned expectantly to see the bar tender helping a customer. Link waited patiently for a few moments, shifting his feet slightly on the ground. He switched the bag of fish into his other hand. It was heavy, Link wasn't going to lie. When Link heard a slightly surprised exclamation, he tilted his head up to the counter and noticed Telma had her attention focused on Link, well, the bag he was holding. Realizing he had permission to interrupt, Link stepped over to the counter and handed over the fully loaded bag. Once he was sure the bag wouldn't fall, Link stepped back a few feet. (Link had "space" issues.)

"Link, sweetie, do you have another moment to spare while you're in town?" Telma teased. She came out from behind the bar and stood next to Link.

"Is there something else that needs to be done?"

" Do you see that empty vase on the table over there?" Telma asked as she tilted her head. Her indication pointed to an empty table with a white tablecloth. On said table was a unique velvet vase with the triforce symbol engraved upon it.

"I need you to replace the flowers in it. I have a couple coming here tonight and they seem like they're ready for a romantic evening..." Telma let the last words hang in the air. "I'm going to have more decorations up but it wouldn't be the same without some lovely flowers. Do you think it would be too much to ask if you could go over to the flower shop at the south end?" Telma looked over at Link and noticed he had paled. "Is something wrong, honey?"

Link's stomach tightened. He took an extra long and unnecessary breath. He shook his head quickly, and excused himself from the room.

Out into the hallway again, Link shook his head slightly and tried clearing his mind. He mentally pushed his feet toward the south side of Castle Town.

Link sighed. He climbed the short flight of stairs that led out of the alley and turned right. He turned his head at the passing people around him. He wanted to prove to himself, that out of the many people gathered in this part of Hyrule, there couldn't be more than a couple of people who were together.

It seemed, however unlikely, at least half of the crowd was in duos.

Link let his head fall forward and hang slightly from his neck. He watched the passing white bricks under his feet and didn't notice himself walking straight into a wall until his forehead bumped into it harshly. Link gave a disgruntled groan.

After rubbing his forehead for several moments, Link tilted his head upward and realized he was just a few shops down from the flower shop. He strolled over and stood a good distance away from the counter and observed that Heather was there again. This time she was wearing a plain red blouse with an attached apron. Link didn't want to bother her since she looked like she was in the middle of something, so instead of interrupting her, he gave a small cough.

At first Heather was still caught up in her work, placing red and white tulips into a classy container. The bright flowers that were stationed on the counter had been hand picked recently. Only when Heather reached for another container under the counter did she notice him.

"Oh hello. I'm sorry... I didn't see you there." She started to say as she stood up with the container gripped in her hand. Then as if to apologize she asked, "You're that... adventurer who I talked to a couple days ago, right?"

"Right; It's Link and I believe it was yesterday that I had the pleasure of meeting you." Link stepped up.

"Oh, right. So what'd you need?"

"I need some flowers." Link stated the obvious.

"Okay, sure. What kind?"

Link did a double-take. Now that he thought of it, Telma never specified. "I'm not too certain, actually." Is she setting me up?

Heather gave him a weird look. "Okay, let's start with the basics. What do you need them for? What kind of occasion are we talking about here? Roses, tulips, Wild Berries, Daisies, Blossom-Sukuras ...?" After seeing Link shrug his shoulders she said, "I bet you have a girl waiting for you back home, huh?"

Link felt himself redden. Who signed me up for this?

Link regained his composure, "I'm purchasing these flowers for the bar tender that lives a couple alleyways from here." Realizing he made a misleading statement that could lead to a misunderstanding he added, "It's for an old friend of mine."

"Huh, there's a bar in this town?" She shrugged in amusement. "I would have figured this castle town would be too fancy to have a bar here."

"Nope. You'd be surprised at what Castle Town has to offer." Link turned away from the counter and pointed in various directions as he explained the following, "Over on the west hand side, five doors down, there's a fortune teller. If you turn towards the center of Castle Town, which I'm sure you've already explored, there's Malo's Market. They have pretty good deals." Link turned east and added, "Not to mention there's been new construction in that area."

Heather fruitlessly looked in the directions of where Link pointed. She raised another eyebrow, impressed.

Pulling on his invisible mustache, Link finished, "Oh, right, I forgot about the Doctor on the West side, but I wouldn't recommend him." He's freaking expensive. Link turned back to Heather.

"You sound like you know your way around." Heather sighed. "I need someone like that who will help me get used to the area more. Is there someone who has a map...or selling one?"

"I'd be glad to help you around town; nobody else knows Hyrule as well as I do... or has had more trouble in it." Link offered a smile.

"I'd be delighted." After a moments hesitation she continued. " Are you busy later today?"

After seeing Link shake his head, she continued by saying, "Do you mind showing me around this evening, after I close up my shop?"

Link nodded with a twitch of a smile and then said "Heather, do you think I could get those flowers?"

She nodded; she could tell he was in a hurry and blushed of embarrassment. She hoped he wasn't running late for anything.

After being handed red roses, Link strolled around the corner to retrace his steps. He passed the crowd quickly and headed down the stairway that led to Telma's bar. Once reaching the wooden door, Link swung it open and stepped into the room. Instantly the room temperature around him changed; the warm air flowed over him. Link turned his head toward the counter of the bar expecting to see Telma there. She was not there however; she was across the room flirting with one of her customers.

Link slightly shook his head in disbelief and laughed to himself. Telma was a flirt. Telma winked at the man she was talking to, a hand on her hip. The definition of flirt. Link corrected himself.

He quietly crossed over to the table Telma had indicated earlier and laid the bundle of roses out on the table. The velvet vase was missing. Weird...

"Thanks for helping out, honey." a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

Link turned around to find Telma standing within feet of him. This woman definitely did not have space issues.

"Here." Telma reached over and extended her closed hand. "I need to thank you for all your work."

Link accepted the rupees and stored them in his pocket. He shook her outstretched hand politely. "Thanks. I'll see you around, Telma."

He left her bar, closing the wooden door behind him.

What's Dark Link plan? Why didn't he just kill his counterpart?

Is this good for Link, or worse?