Chapter 1 Scarlet and Josh

Well, here I go. This chapter introduces Scarlet and Josh to you, and begins the dark tale of fear, evil, fighing, freedom, killers, true love, light, warriors, and most of all, Ashira Darga Cul. Thanks Sammie for all your help of course, half the credit goes to her and all. Please review when you are finished, tell me what you think and how I could improve.

Thunder rumbled in the distance under the dark, clouded sky which blocked out the moonlight and starlight. Hyrule field stood silently, darkened under the shadows of night and the storm. A lone eighteen year old man sat on a hill, completely oblivious to the darkness. The wind howled, blowing his short brown hair out of place. Lightning flashed, illuminating the dove white envelope which he clutched tightly in his hands. Thunder rumbled as his brown eyes just stared at the envelope. Then slowly, very slowly, he lifted the flap and drew out the leaf of paper which was inside.

Lightning flashed again. This was no letter, and the paper had no words written on it. It was a charcoal picture of a horse, black as night, galloping across a dead field with fire in its eyes. The man gasped in horror, and lowered the paper. Slowly he pushed the paper into his pocket and rose cautiously to his feet. Fear overcame him as he looked out over the plains, hoping not to see a dark figure shrouded in a flash of lightning. He took off running suddenly, searching for anywhere where he would be safe. The Dark Horse was coming for him. He saw a tree, and ran for it, as if afraid the night itself would close in around him.

'Why did I go out on a day like this? I should have known it would start thundering. What were you thinking Scarlet? Come on!'

A young Gerudo of about seventeen years of age was walking across Hyrule Field, quietly berating herself for going out on a day like this. Her light purple eyes sparkled when the lightning struck, but she cowered when the thunder rumbled. She sighed deeply, and tucked her red bangs behind her ear, looking ahead silently.

'I can do this...' she thought to herself. 'Thunder doesn't scare me...'

She gulped a bit. Right at that exact moment the thunder rumbled again, and she cried out in fear, crouching down to the ground and covering her head.

'Was I fine? Did nothing happen? Oh how I disliked thunder...'

The girl peeked an eye open. She sighed in relief and stood back up, her bracelets clattering against each other. Nothing had happened.

'See Scarlet? Stop being so afraid.'

She smiled and started walking again,carelessly tripping over a rock and falling to the ground.

"Now that's what I call clumsy..." she muttered to herself, looking at her now dirty red clothes.

The Gerudo sighed heavily and sat up, glancing at the sky suspiciously and standing back up, dusting herself off and walking further.

'Why had I gone away again? Oh yeah, because I thought the day would stay good... And because I wanted to wander around.'

She shivered and rubbed her bare arms, searching for any place where she could get some shelter, even if it was just for a few minutes. Her gaze finally landed on a tree, but someone else was there. She frowned a bit and looked again. The girl shook it off and walked towards the tree, hoping he wouldn't mind company, assuming it was a he.

The man placed his hand against the cold trunk. Then he grabbed a branch, and hoisted himself up. He didn't feel safe on the ground.

"Excuse me sir," a voice suddenly spoke. "Is it alright if I take some shelter here too?"

The Gerudo smiled. She had been right, it was a he. The man jumped, and almost fell from the tree. He spun around, grabbing his weapon.

"Oh!" the girl yelped, startled as she jumped back a bit. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you sir!"

She looked up in surprise. His weapon was a long intricate staff, with gold lining and pictures of ancient battles. And on the top of the staff stood a barrel shaped hammer head. A gigantic hammer.

"Could you... um... please put away your weapon?" she eyed the hammer.

The Gerudo hadn't seen anyone using a hammer as a weapon, but it was quite big. The man relaxed and lowered the hammer.

"What is it that you said?" he asked.

"If I could take some shelter here!" she shouted over the storm.

Thunder crashed again, causing her to wince slightly.

"After that I said sorry for startling you, and after that I asked if you could lower your weapon!" she joked with a smile. "But could I take shelter here, sir?"

"Uh... sure..." the legends stated that the Darga Cul was a man, so he wasn't worried.

The Gerudo smiled up at him and nodded. "Thank you sir."

She sat down at the base of the tree, and tried to ignore the thunder.

"So what's your business here?" she asked.

"Well I'm here because I needed a place to spend the night!" he replied, starting straight up into the sky, almost afraid to look down at the girl. "What's yours?"

"I wanted shelter from the thunder," she murmured. "I don't like thunder."

She flinched a bit when the thunder rumbled again.

"And I guess I needed a place to spend the night too," she added looking up.

The man turned and looked down at the girl. Her dark skin shone in the moonlight.

"Your a Gerudo," he said, "aren't you?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Mm-hmm, Gerudo, that's me," she said politely. "My names Scarlet! Just Scarlet. What's yours?"

The girl bowed slightly.

"I'm... I'm Josh the Hammermaster," the man replied. "What are you doing outside the Gerudo Fortress?"

He had met Gerudo's before. They were very secretive, with criminal minds and cruel sexist comments about men being inferior and stuff.

"Huh?" Scarlet said. "What am I doing outside of the Fortress? Wandering around, meeting people."

Scarlet nodded.

"I like traveling around," she continued. "I barely come into the Fortress. They think I'm weird, because I don't want to wear what they wear."

She shrugged faintly.

"I don't mind though," Scarlet said. "I like being independent."

Josh looked down at her again. "What is it that they wear which is different?"

"They wear purple, I only wear red," she said with a smile.

Josh nodded and looked back over the horizon. He was afraid that Ashira Darga Cul would come during the night if he fell asleep. But why did it matter? No one ever escaped from Ashira. What were the chances that he could? But if he stayed here with this girl then the Dark Horse would kill her too. Josh's eyes widened. He had always been a gentleman, and he didn't want a girl to die because of him.

"Um... excuse me?" he looked down at Scarlet. "You might want to... leave."

Scarlet looked at him in surprise, frowning slightly.

"Sir... why should I leave?" she said silently. "I'm scared of thunder, I don't wanna walk further. And..."

She noticed his look. "...is there something wrong?"

"Yes I'm afraid so," Josh replied. "Something much worse than thunder is coming after me."

He held out the piece of paper that had been mailed to him with the picture of the Dark Horse on it. Surely she had heard of the Dark Horse. Scarlet gasped in shock and looked from the paper to him.

"Thats... that's the sign of the Dark Horse... is he after you?"

Josh just looked at her silently.

"Th-that's horrible!" she cried out, standing up. "There's no way I am leaving now!"

Thunder then rumbled and she crouched down, covering her head.

"I-is it over?" she opened one eye.

Josh nodded as the lightning flashed.

"You must leave," he said. "He will kill you if he finds you with me."

Scarlet bit her lip thinking and finally stood back up.

"Can I... help?" she asked looking up at him. "Someway?"

She'd heard that most of the Dark Horse's targets ended up dead. But this guy had been nice to her.

"I really want to help..."

Josh sighed sadly.

"If you want to help me you will leave me. I couldn't take it if you died because of me."

Scarlet looked at the ground for a while before looking back up at Josh.

"O-okay..." she said silently, turning to take her leave.

It didn't feel good, leaving someone who was in need. Lightning flashed again. Josh rubbed his eyes. Had he just seen a dark shape off in the field? Lightning flashed again. The dark figure was gone. It was too late, Ashira had come. If the girl tried to leave he would pick her off.

"Get back here!" Josh shouted over the thunder.

Scarlet stopped, gasping when she saw the Dark figure appear and then disappear. The Gerudo turned and ran back to the tree, jumping up and hoisting herself up on the branch, sitting down with a slight tremble.

"Well... at least you won't die alone..." she said frightened.

Josh looked at Scarlet and something clicked within him. She didn't deserve this. The Dark Horse wasn't even hunting her. Josh's hand closed around his hammer.

'The heck I'm going to sit here and watch this guy come and kill an innocent girl!' Josh thought, before jumping out of the tree and raising his hammer.

Scarlet gasped, and resisted the urge to jump out as well. She gritted her teeth, shuffling uncomfortably on the branch.

"Sir be careful!" she finally cried out.

Scarlet looked around nervously. She couldn't just sit there. She gave a startled yelp as the thunder rumbled again, and covered her head.

"Where are you!" Josh shouted into the darkness.

"Here..." Josh yelped, and turned around, swinging his hammer.

A dark figure rose up from within the bushes, and begin walking towards him. Josh trembled in fear. Lightning flashed, illuminating the dark cloaked demon. It spoke again, its voice was cold and dark.

"Ever touched the fire and darkness of hell?"

"Ashira Darga Cul?" Josh said trembling. "What ever did I do to bring your wrath down upon me?"

Scarlet kept her eyes shut tightly, awaiting the blow or scream from the man that had kindly said she could stay before saying he was picked as a target by the death horse.

A raspy voice came from within the tall cloaked figure.

"You danced with the darkness while the moon bled and the very land burned!"

Josh saw a flash of steal and immediately swung his hammer to deflect the blow. Scarlet suddenly yelped, and the Dark Horse turned to her. He raised his weapon as if to strike her, but then stopped. Suddenly he turned, and faded away into the darkness. Josh sighed, and lowered his hammer.

"Uh..." Scarlet picked up the courage to open one eye. "He's gone?"

Josh didn't move, not even to respond to the girl. He didn't know why the Darga Cul had disappeared. He knew that if the Dark Horse was alive, then he was a psychopath, which most likely meant that something was driving him. And something had driven him away. Scarlet gulped and jumped out of the tree in amazement.

"He's gone?" she repeated, walking over to Josh. "Why is he gone? I thought for sure he... that he would..."

She couldn't even say the words. Josh just stood there listening. Scarlet bit her lip and tugged his sleeve.

"Josh... I think... he's gone..."

"But why?" I asked. "He had me right where he wanted me, and he just let me go. Why?"

Then he noticed Scarlet's clothes and gasped in realization. Scarlet looked at him confused.

"What?" she asked in shock, looking at her clothes. "Something wrong? Am I bleeding?"

"No..." Josh said. "Its a... You're wearing red."

Scarlet looked at her clothes and then at Josh.

"Of course I'm wearing red. That's my favorite color, why?" she asked in surprise.

"In the legends of the Dark horse there is something that said he will never attack a girl who wears red," Josh said. "So since you were wearing red he fled."

Josh looked at Scarlet in amazement.

"I guess I... I owe you my life..." he fell to his knees, panting heavily.

Scarlet looked at her clothes again, and then looked up, smiling broadly.

"Then I've been able to help you after all!" she said happily. "I'm glad!"

Josh smiled slightly. He had never seen a Gerudo act the way this girl did.

"You know," he said. "You aren't at all like any of the Gerudos I've met before."

Scarlet tugged her raid hair behind her ear and smiled.

"I've heard that from a lot of people. Mostly the Gerudos themselves, maybe that's why I don't really fit in with them. But I'd rather be my own person, then following something that's forced upon me."

"That's wise," Josh's smile then faded away. "It seems that being who I am has caused people to drive me away."

Josh dropped his hammer, having all but forgotten about the attack of the Dark Horse. Scarlet's smile faded together with Josh's, as she walked over to him silently, crouching down to his eye level.

"Hey, don't think so negative sir," she said softly. "The people who did that were mean then. I don't see anything wrong with you."

"Everyone says that," Josh said. "But people don't want equality as they say they do. They want equality for the people they deem worthy of it, and destruction for the others."

"I don't see why I should destroy something," Scarlet said softly, standing back up. "Unless they try to destroy me. They don't accept me for who I am, but they never tried to destroy me. Equality... everyone is worthy to get that. But those people are too arrogant and selfish to see or let it happen."

Josh looked up at Scarlet surprised at her words. Scarlet's purple eyes sparkled slightly and she smiled at him. Josh smiled sadly and nodded.

"I know," he said. "Believe me, I know. I have lived that."

Suddenly he felt a cold hand touch his neck. He spun around, reaching for his hammer. Scarlet blinked confused, and looked at Josh. Josh saw a shape fading off into the darkness. A scrap of parchment fell to the ground before him. Scarlet grabbed the parchment silently and opened it.

"What's this?" she wondered, opening it fully.

A single message was inscribed upon the parchment. It read: "You are no different." And then on the bottom was the seal of the Dark Horse. Scarlet gulped, and looked at the parchment again. Then she handed it to Josh.

"I don't like the Dark Horse!" she cried out. "He's on my top one I don't like things from now on!"

A cold voice echoed out from the darkness.

"Remember that Hammermaster. You are no different. Feel the hand of darkness. I will find you, and end the cycle, unless you realize the truth!"

"Ieck!" Scarlet cried out startled, and jumped into Josh's arms.

Josh blushed slightly when she jumped into his arms.

"He's scary..." she muttered softly, trembling slightly. "What're we- Uh..."

She stopped, noticing that she was still clinging onto Josh.

"Sorry!" She said quickly, letting go and standing up. "What're we gonna do now?"

"Well," Josh said, still blushing. "I'm going to find you a better and safer place to sleep than out here in the forest, and I think I'll join you wherever that is."

Scarlet nodded in agreement and looked around once more.

"I guess... that's a better plan then staying here outside," she said with a faint smile.

She didn't like Ashira's words, they scared her.

"So, where to?"

"Do you know if there are any villages nearby?" Josh asked.

"Hmmm," Scarlet said. "There's Kakariko village sir."

Josh stopped, thinking about this. He hadn't been to Kakariko in years, and he hoped they wouldn't recognize him now. But it was their only choice.

"Lets go," he said. "And you can stop calling me sir, Scarlet. I'm Josh."

Scarlet smiled up at him and nodded.

"Come on! Lets get to Kakariko Village! And hide from the bad bad thunder."

'And that man...' she thought, eyes shining from happy to determined.

"Ah," she looked back with a slight smile. "Thank you for earlier."

Josh smiled. "Your welcome."

They then turned for Kakariko Village.