Author's Commentary: Thanks to all the lovely people who reviewed! I got some wonderful comments. I'm back with Chapter 2. Just to warn you guys, there's going to be a lot of time skipping until I get to where I want to be. I'll do my best to keep things as easy to follow as possible.

SPECIAL THANKS:

StoryJunkie: Thanks…. LOL. I thought about ending it right there. It would certainly achieve the purpose. I appreciate your input. Please do so again.

The Mad Joker: Well, you got your wish. You're reading more. Please review again. It will put a smile on my face. What? Don't I sound sincere?

Kupow: I like your name. It's catchy. Your compliments were very uplifting! Many thanks. As far as a beta goes, I would greatly appreciate your help. Just give me some manner of contacting you. Thank you so much! Please review again!

Silence

THE DARK SIDE OF A HERO

Chapter 1: Become Lifeless

Link dry heaved as he violently scrubbed at his tunic. The horrendous, putrid scent of Jabu-Jabu's innards stained his clothes, and now it lingered like some kind of persistent, disfiguring disease. He was nearing the decision of just buying another one with what money remained in his wallet. The rancid odor was too much for child's nose to bear. At this rate it seemed to be a permanent unfortunate condition. He had been madly rubbing away at the green garment for the past two hours since he had emerged from the disgusting guts of the fat fish lord.

He stopped for the moment, leaving the article of clothing floating in the water as he briskly retreated for fresh air. He waded through the waist-deep, crystal-clear waters towards the rock bed. This was not the manner Link wanted to spend his time at the fabled Zora's Domain. He gave a long, defeated groan as he emerged from the cavern lake. He looked down at himself. His green bikini-style briefs were soaked, too. He worried about chaffing, but he highly doubted cotton would do that.

A Zora that had been standing nearby, who had earlier escaped to the land areas of the aquatic haven to rid his nostrils of the powerful stench, stepped up to the boy and loomed over him.

"How's it comin', kid?" he asked in a gruff voice, his hands resting on his hips.

Link groaned again, collapsing to the ground on his back, limbs spread like a starfish. All that rough, repetitive motion was taking its toll on his tiny arms. "I don't think it'll ever come out," he admitted disappointedly. "And I really like that tunic, too. It was my favorite! Not to mention my only one! This really sucks… At this rate I'll wear the fabric down and rub a hole in it before the smell comes out!"

The fish-man could clearly see the Hylian boy's frustration and sadness written all over his face. He couldn't help but sympathize with the poor child. A lot of the Zora folk knew about this problem. The odor of Jabu-Jabu was a potent one, and nearly impossible to get out if it set into your clothes. Especially if one has been exposed to it for a prolonged period of time. Even the scales of a Zora who spent only a few seconds with him for the quick purpose of feeding returned smelling to high heaven.

"Ah, don't worry there, pal. You'll get it," the merman reassured, though he was hardly sincere.

Link frowned and nodded his head. He sat up and sighed, supporting his weight on his arms. He was sick of going in out of the water to scrub and rest. The elf couldn't count the number of times he had gone through this cycle already. He wanted to cry. Giant octopi, slimy tentacles and electric parasites he could handle easily, but when it came to laundry he was at a total loss.

"You should see if the shop owner's got anything that could help ya. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to lend a hand. We all owe you a lot you know. As overbearingly annoying, bratty and delusional as she is, Princess Ruto is the only heir to the Zora throne. I'm sure he'd do all he can to help get that helluva stench out of your precious Hylian clothes," the Zora man suggested, dripping with cynicism.

"Yeah…" Link sighed. "I might as well. I've tried everything else." Link stood up, sniffled and sadly walked away with a tear-jerking pout. The merman's heart sank, but he couldn't help but smile.

"Aw!" he exclaimed in the middle of awkward laughter as the boy walked to the Zora Shop. What a pitiful expression! It was adorable! The blonde hung his head as he walked between the torches of the shop entryway, passing through the door and up to vender's counter.

"Hey there, kiddo!" the retailer greeted with spunk. His tone suddenly changed when he caught sight of those big, blue eyes shining with a melancholy light. He immediately felt miserable for the poor boy, but that sour face was so cute he couldn't help but grin. "Aw! Why the long face, big guy?"

Link's bottom lip extended as he plopped his forehead over the counter. "My tunic is ruined…" he said solemnly.

"Ruined? What happened to it?" he asked curiously.

"It got Jabu-Jabu stink all over it…"

"Oh, wow. That sucks, dude. I guess you can't get it out?" he asked, though he already knew the answer to the question.

"No!" Link exclaimed, looking up at the vender with watery eyes. "I've tried everything I can but I can't get rid of it!"

"Why don't you just burn it and get a new one? I'll give it to ya dirt cheap, my man."

"I thought about that. But it's my favorite! I've had it for so long! I don't wanna get rid of it…" the Hylian boy confessed.

"Sentimental value, eh?" he concluded. Link nodded slowly. "Well, let's see if I got something back here that can help ya. I hear these life potions pack a powerful smell. Wanna try those?"

"I guess…"

"Here," the shop owner said, placing two small glass vials of syrupy red and green liquid on the countertop. Link reached out and took the red one in his hand, uncorking it. He wafted the smell to his face, and smiled at the pleasant scent. He looked at the retailer with renewed hope and vigor.

"This red one smells really good!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Like a bundle of fresh apples! Do they taste as good as they smell?" he asked, eyeing the bottle carefully, marveled by the viscosity and the way it oozed from side to side when he titled the transparent container.

The Zora shrugged. "I don't know. I've never actually tried one. I hear that red one's got quite a zing to it, though."

"I'll try it," Link said. "It's better than nothing. Maybe it'll get rid of the smell. How much does it cost?"

"Ah, just take it," the retailer offered with a dismissive wave. "It's the least I can do to repay you for returning Princess Ruto safely to us. Even if she is a whiny little pain in the ass."

Link giggled. He nodded in complete agreement. The intestines of that big fish were hard enough to navigate without having to lug her deadweight around and having to put up with her constant stream of ridiculous complaints. She was heavy for such a little piece of meat. He hated to admit it to himself, but every time he tossed her somewhere he felt a certain spring of satisfaction. He thanked the vender profusely, and started walking back to his hallowed clothes with a brand new smile.

"Hey, kid!" the vender called out. Link looked over his shoulder and answered him politely. "That's some nice underwear you got there," the salesman said with a creepy kind of grin. The elfin child gasped and his cheeks flushed a bright, embarrassed red. The Zora man guffawed as Link hurriedly removed himself from the shop.

Link skipped back to his tunic, the pure water splashing all about him. He decided to take a whiff of the green potion before he began the little experiment. He secretly wished that it would smell better than the red one, because green was his favorite color. He made a small noise of intrigue as the scent filled his senses. It reminded him of fresh peppermint.

"That's not too bad. But I like the apple one the bestest," he declared to himself with poor grammar as he recapped the green liquid and uncapped the red again.

He poured the liquid onto his tunic, discarded the vial and started scrubbing again. His eyes glimmered with excitement as the liquid began lathering as he worked the material and concoction in with the clean water. The air around him began to smell like crisp, juicy fruits. It was a tremendous upgrade from the previous.

"Oooh… Bubbly!"

Much to his delight, it didn't take long at all before that putrid odor vanished from his clothes. Link shouted with glee and hugged his tunic, taking a deep breath of the new apple scent. He threw the garment over his head, his arms poking around trying to find the sleeves. He let out a deep, contented sigh of relief as the tunic fit over his body once more. The Hylian certainly felt a little less self-conscious now that he wasn't galumphing about in his distinguishing underclothes.

"Navi!" he called out into the cave, his voice echoing off the walls. "Naaaaviiii! You can come back now! I don't smell like shit anymore!" he happily announced.

Suddenly a blue light came speedily charging up to him from the direction of waterfall, stopping right in front of his nose, jingling wildly. "Link!" the fairy yelled, appalled. "Don't say that! It's vulgar!"

"What?" he replied innocently. "I was just repeating what you said I smelled like."

Navi grew upset and discomfited. "Yeah…well… DON'T!" she reprimanded sternly. She suddenly yelped in shock as Link yanked her out of the air and stuffed her in his oversized hat. It was like everything she told him went through one ear and out of the other.

"Let's go, silly Navi!" he ordered merrily as he put his hat back on his feathery blonde hair. "Back to the castle!" he cried out valiantly, and proceeded to leave the aquatic haven.

The green-skinned man lovingly stroked the cold, soft, grey cheek of his masterpiece. He giddily laughed with a sinister grin as he eyed the statue up and down, and then once more. Every last bit of the young man was absolutely radiant. He was perfect. Perfect! From the architecture of his literally statuesque physique, irresistible looks and soon-to-be engineered personality.

"My Goddessess…" the evil-eyed man awed. "He's amazing… I can't believe he's complete. Look at his eyes!" he shouted as he reached up, caressing the brows with his thumbs. "It was worth the wait! They're positively gorgeous! He's everything I could've imagined!"

He laughed again as he placed an arm around the naked statue's shoulders. His expression changed to one of morbid seriousness when he caught the faceless, robed shadows in his gaze. "You have all made your King very proud," he said commandingly.

They all simultaneously and silently bowed in deep reverence.

"I do believe that it is time to make our move against Hyrule," he said cryptically to himself. "Muster the Gerudo! Bring every able-bodied warrior you can!" he ordered. "Tell them to be ready to embark for Hyrule Castle in four days! Two of you will take care of this assignment, and I don't care who!"

"The rest of you will stay behind as we make arrangements for the final procedures here. I want NO mistakes! If any of you so much as think about ruining by beautiful boy then I will personally see to it that you spend the last week of your life under a dull cutting knife!"

"A new age is upon us all gentleman. I will reform with this weak world with my bare hands! I will make this country strong, prosperous and independent like it used to be! Let the ashes of mercy and compassion be the beacon of the new order! The age of Ganondorf: King of the Gerudos is upon us all!" he announced, filled with pride, ambition and dark ray of joy.

"Link, don't you think you should rest? You haven't slept a wink since we got out of JJ's belly. I worry for your health," Navi said to the boy as the passed the gate at Zora River, putting them back in the vast, open grasslands of Hyrule Field.

"Ah, don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Link assured her, continuing to walk on.

"But it is a four days walk by foot to the castle!" she objected still.

"What are you complaining about? You'll be riding along under my hat the whole time," he retorted.

"Just take it easy, Link. I don't want you to overexert yourself and get hurt," she conceded.

"It's okay, Navi! I'll be fine. I'm the chosen one, remember?" he said playfully.

Link dove into the river, needing to cross it in order to get to the greater area of the field so that he could reach the road to the castle town. He never enjoyed trying to maneuver in the water wearing his sword and shield, as the weight opted to make him sink. It required him to swim at an awkward angle, making it much more challenging to put a decent amount of force behind his strokes. He emerged from the cold river waters, shaking like a dog to rid himself of the excess moisture. It wouldn't be long before the intense heat of the early summer sun dried him.

Hyrule was a very seasonal kingdom, experiencing the full blow of Mother Nature throughout the year. It's cruel, scorching summers and cold snap winters were hard to enough to brave through and still have enough food and clothing to spare for the other two seasons. The relentlessly wet climate of the fall and the humid, pollen polluted air of the spring were the easiest, but probably the most irritating on the senses. That was the time to plant crops early on, before the calling of summer came around again, followed with drought.

The blonde Hylian boy took off at a steady yet hurried pace once the dampness is his clothes staved. He had grown a sixth sense for efficiently spreading his energies for a long day's journey without the onset of fatigue or severe dehydration. A nice little trick that provided to be useful whenever he had to travel by foot, which was often. Link preferred staying active from the break of dawn 'til sunset, as his youthful stamina allowed him to do so. He learned to never travel by night, and he learned this in a nightmarish manner. That was when the children of the undead emerged from their unholy and unmarked graves in the ground: the wretched Stalchildren.

The first the time the tiny elf laid eyes on those repulsive, vile things he did have nightmares about them for a night or two. They whey they walk, lopsided with their bones morbidly clanking about, mouths and joints twisted in unnatural manners. Their eyes were hollow yet still alive and glowing with a miserable, empty yellow. Bits of rotten, green and brown, maggot-eaten flesh dangled about: peeling…decomposing. You could smell them before they even crawled out of the dark. The boy had heard of many wanderers disappearing in the night, and now he knew why. Those lucky enough to be found usually had to be placed back together before funeral arrangements could be made…sown back piece by chewed and mangled piece.

They attempted to chase him down, but luckily the living are much more quick on their toes than the dead. He easily outran them, but unlike them his energy couldn't last forever, and there was no way he could run all night long. It wasn't until he started sprinting along the dirt road that they abruptly vanished, leaving him all alone once more. Link later discovered that they reacted to the sound of footsteps, seeing not with their eyes but with their ears. As long as he walked along the dirt his steps would be much too quiet for them pick up. Still, it was a risk he didn't take. If an incident occurred that forced him to leave the road he'd be doomed, which he why he only traveled during the daylight.

By morn of the second day, Link's thighs and calves were becoming noticeably sore. His will didn't allow him to ease up though, he had to hurry back to the fair Princess Zelda and return to the three enchanted stones to her care. Somewhere in the distant corner of his mind he wondered how much he could pawn them for. He'd probably be a wealthy man for the rest of his life. He knew that it was out of the question however. Even if he managed to find the raw nerve to do something like that the people to whom the jewels belonged would see his head impaled on a stake at the castle gates. They were sacred artifacts, and many died to keep them safe from the clutches of Ganondorf. Link was going to treat them as such. But what really perplexed him was how a man so ugly could have such power and influence on others.

He thought back to the first time he saw the Evil King through the window at the Hyrule Castle's courtyard: shaggy red hair, long nose, lanky build and thin, beady eyes. Not to mention his disreputable teeth. The Gerudo commander was unmistakably repulsive. It's a shame that the males of the desert dwellers weren't as attractive as the females. But seeing as how rare men were in their culture, it wasn't too much of a burden on the vain world. It's a good thing the man was born with power and connections, because otherwise he wouldn't have anything else with those looks.

But midday of the third day, Link's body was angrily crying out to him. He ached all over. He was almost afraid to fall asleep now, despite his exhaustion. At this rate he thought he would never wake up. It sounded like the same problem Navi had. It must've been nice to sleep under a hat all day, safe from the Sun's rays on a bed of angel-soft golden hair. The Hylian boy wiped a smear of sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his tunic as he jogged along.

Breathing was the key to his endurance - in through the nose, out through the mouth. Were it not for this his body would've given out from fatigue long ago. He had to stay focused on moving. As long as his mind was occupied with this one task it wouldn't notice the agony and strain his muscles were undergoing. Link always felt the urge to vomit when undergoing strenuous physical activity such as this, even though he had become highly conditioned and developed in the past few weeks. He discovered that if he simply didn't think about how much he wanted to quit then he could remain strong for greater periods of time.

But, by evening of the fourth day, he could barely stand to move on. He had been getting very little rest as of late for two reasons. The first being his body hurt to him too much to get comfortable, and the second was that if he wasn't thinking about how wiped he felt he was thinking about getting back to the castle and finally go back home to the forest and take a well-earned vacation. He wouldn't mind sleeping for seven years about now. He was running off sheer will power at this point. The castle was very close, and he figured he would in town before the Stalchildren appeared. He'd developed an advanced sense of time through his journeys, so it wasn't difficult to guess the time from the Sun's position as it slipped into the horizon.

Link thought about how it would soon be first morning light in Termina. Lucky bastards… Although he had never been to that country across the world, he thought it would be fun to visit at least once. It was supposed to be a lot like Hyrule. The Hylian eyed a group of unusually dark rain clouds, hovering over where the castle would be. Now he wanted to seek shelter even more badly to get out of what looked like a vicious thunderstorm. The elfin boy's nose could already smell the stale ozone lingering in the atmosphere.

Navi peeked out of Link's hat, then emerged and flew along side him. She gave her familiar jingle, indicating excitement over something.

"Look!" she said joyously. "The drawbridge to the castle town! We're so close! Isn't that great, Link?"

"Yeah…" he huffed, having no lung capacity to spare. "Sure… Terrific…"

His spirits dampened as the bottom fell out of the sky, and fat drops of cold rain began pummeling his face. He held his hands over his eyes so that he could keep his sight through the torrents. A clash of thunder and lightning boomed overhead, causing the fairy to retreat back under her precious hat-house.

"Can't get my wings wet!" came her excuse.

Link smiled as the large drawbridge began to descend, the clink and clatter of chains and creak of large wooden beams lowering to provide access across the mote. The sound of a horse gallop was quickly gaining in volume, and before the bridge completely leveled out so he could see and white horse came charging out of nowhere at Link. He gasped and quickly dashed out of the way, watching as the brilliant, bright white mare sped away. The steed was occupied by a tall, familiar-looking woman with grey hair and young girl.

It was already too far away to see their faces. The girl did a double-take as she passed by the boy dressed in green. With a single, sudden and panicked thought she pulled a oddly-shaped blue object from her gown and tossed it, demonstrating a remarkably good arm for a girl her age. It soared over Link's head and landed with a splash in the water. Link watched as it sank to the bottom of the shallow mote, and as he turned back to the horse and the young girl he found that they both were long gone.

The violent neigh of another horse startled Link. He turned with wide eyes and found a black, heavily armored animal with a detestable, green-skinned man sitting atop it. Its eyes were red while it reared back on its hind legs, and every time the animal breathed smoke seemed to jet out of its nose. The rider turned to Link with a positively hateful grimace.

"You there!" he yelled madly. "Boy! You must've seen a white horse pass by just now! Where did it go! Tell me!"

Link didn't respond. He fully recognized the man. He answered him by drawing his sword, shield held firmly in front of his chest. The man's eyes widened and narrowed at the same time, glowering with amused disdain.

"So…" he said, frighteningly calm. "You think you can protect them, do you? Do you know who I am you damned little brat? I am Ganondorf: King of the Gerudo! And now King of Hyrule! What hopes do you have against me?"

Link growled and charged him, brandishing his sword over his head with rage and valor.

"You insolent child!" Ganondorf snapped and extended his palm. A flash of light sent Link careening back to the earth, a small stack of steam rising from the burned skin. Link screamed as the intense pain racked through his chest. A smoking hole had been seared through his clothes where the blast made contact, and the flesh beneath was red and black as if charred by a massive degree of heat. He hellishly intense sting sent him into a state of severe shock, disabling his movement.

Ganondorf merely grunted, gnarling his teeth and kicked his horse with his sharply spiked spurs. The horse bolted taking off in a direction with the hopes that they were trailing behind the white steed. Navi rushed to Link's side, beginning to panic at his total lack of responsiveness. His eyes are closed. He's barely breathing…

Link awoke a time later, how much later he couldn't say. All he knew was that his head had a slight ache, but a familiar sting in his chest made him wish he was still unconscious. Thought's of the Gerudo King quickly vanished, as the first thing to reenter his mind was the object the girl purposefully threw his way. He crawled over the mote, fighting back the pain. It hurt just to breathe. When the elf looked inside a small, blue object fell under his attention.

Without a second though about what could happen to him he lazily slid into the water, diving to the bottom. The liquid was soothing to the serious burn on his chest, abating the pain into something for more dull, distant and bearable. He emerged later, taking in a gasp of sweet, moist air, holding the object in his hand.

"What is that?" Navi asked, flying in for a closer examination of the relic. "An instrument? Some kind of flute…" she said.

"It's an ocarina…" Link corrected, with a wondrous, curious gleam in his sapphire eyes.

Link stepped through the ornate, gigantic stone door of the Temple of Time. He looked around the bare, empty room. A single, stained glass window hung high on a wall, shining what was left of the moonlight down onto a pedestal, which housed an unusual sort of blade. The Hylian had never seen a sword quite like that before. It had a beautiful appearance – superb craftsman. Almost so superb that it looked as if it couldn't have been forged by human hands.

His curiosity got the best of him again. He walks up a tiny set of stone stairs, looking at the pedestal. He wondered if could take the sword out? It would probably be took heavy to carry. It looked as if it was pretty much stuck, too. The elf doubted he had the strength to pull it out. Still, he jumped atop the pedestal, straddling the sword, gripping both of his small hands around the hilt. With a single grunt and tug the sword was yanked out the stone, and Link was engulfed in a brilliant, heavenly wave of light.

END CHAPTER 1: BECOME LIFELESS

Author's Commentary: IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE HOW MANY HITS YOU GET AND HOW LITTLE REVIEWS STEM FROM IT. Come on, peeps. It's not that hard. Just let me know what you think of my work so far. All it takes is one word and you'll have made my day.

The plot thickens next chapter, so you won't have to read any more drivel about running through fields and dangerous night traveling for endless amounts of time. I didn't want to make this chapter too short, so I filled it in with…stuff. I shouldn't have done that – quality over quantity. Not sure why I named the chapter that. I didn't proof the last part either. I was too anxious to getit up.

I'm listening to Delerium right now. I find that if I listen to Delerium or Nine Inch Nails when I write, I get things done faster. Now a lot of you are asking: Those guys? That's weird… Or: Who the heck is Delerium/ Nine Inch Nails? They're my favorite groups; that's who they are. And you should worship them, too. Trent Reznor is a rock god. If were really strange, I would marry him. Just cuz I like his music. But I'm not. So too bad for him.

…My boyfriend just walked in and told me to turn my music down. I told him to shut up and dance. Laughter ensued. We're an unlikely couple… I've got a pretty rough personality, so to speak. He's a lot nicer than me.

He's walking over now. He throws some strange candy at my face, so naturally I just eat it without checking for poison. I think it's a Jolly Rancher: cherry. That's my favorite. He wants to play Jak 3, now. I think he's beaten it about five times already. What an addict. He tells me to stop writing about him, but I'm apparently not listening. I wonder how he even knew I was writing about him? He tells me to quit it again, and makes a pouting face. Cute…and it usually works.

He reminds me of Shuichi from Gravitation, except no pink hair. Anybody ever seen/read Gravitation? But why am I comparing him to an Anime character? I don't understand myself. Do you?

He idly threatens to break my laptop cuz I'm "writing mean and bad things" about him. I tell him he sucks at life, and that if I wanted to embarrass him I would type things like, "he's walking around his underwear." Cuz he is. He's got a hot bod - he works out. More laughter ensues between us. I actually think he is embarrassed cuz I wrote that. He's actually looking over my shoulder right now as I type. I feel triumphant. I also feel a flick to my ear. It smarts.

I still haven't turned my music down yet. He's shooting random people on his game now. I am amused by the odd sounds they make, yet I sometimes worry that our relationship is affecting his sanity. Oh well, it's not like either of us are going anywhere… except crazy, of course.

Why am I narrating my life? This isn't my freakin' blog.

Be sure to review.

Follow the Untrue