Dark was prepared to panic when he found all of Link's items outside of the tower room door; however, recognising that they'd been left out in an orderly manner, refrained. However, upon finally entering the room, that tamped down panic erupted through him when he saw the amount of blood splattered across the room. Snatching up Farore's Voice, he managed to rasp, "Link?"
"Dark? I'm at the top of the tower...found a map...'m tired..." The shadow chuckled weakly.
"I'll be there in a moment. If you need me to, I can take Farore's Wind back to the entrance, come back, and warp us out."
"Okay..." Dark snorted and terminated the connection, replacing Farore's Voice under his tunic and padding out of the room, picking up Farore's Wind and sending Link's things to the void before heading back downstairs. He felt the prickle of recognition now and again as he descended, trotting past the two doors on the first floor and casting Farore's Wind. The air took on a green tint and cool, fragrant winds whipped up from the stagnant air, engulfing him in a verdant cyclone of fresh air that smelled of blossoms and spring rain. A soft, shimmering chime hung in the air, and a brilliant green orb floated lightly over his head. He stared up at it, feeling undeniably mystified, as he always was when he found himself faced with the power of the Goddesses. Shaking his head at his own awe, he headed back up the stairs and rejoined Link.
"Here," he said, tossing Farore's Wind to the blonde. He caught it deftly despite his weariness, dragging himself to his feet.
"Be careful," Dark warned, steadying him when he stumbled as he rose.
"I'll get Epona and Strife; your things are in the Void. I'll bring them back when we get back to the crypt." Link nodded slowly, trembling some. Dark eyed him for a moment, then summoned a bottled fairy from the void, popping the cork and freeing the small creature, who instantly assessed Link's sad state and swirled around him, disappearing in a blast of pink sparkles. Link started, eyes widening a little at the wash of magic through his body.
"Ah!"
"Better?" Dark inquired, one eyebrow raised. Link wrinkled his nose and nodded, rubbing his eyes.
"I'll see you outside – I have one more thing I have to check." Link nodded dully and yawned, trudging out of the room and tossing the crystal into the air, catching it and repeating the toss as he went. Dark watched him disappear through the doors, wondering if he was actually going to cast the spell or not. Seconds later a flash of green light told him it was the former, and he set off himself, trotting down the stairs and toward the left most door on the ground floor. The rotted wood crumbled with a touch, and he strode through, entering a hall that was open to a courtyard – a small garden. Here he found what he'd been looking for; a battered stone bench, covered in bizarrely untouched wooden figurines. He crouched in front of it, eyes scanning the scene laid out before him. Gorons, Zoras, bizarre creatures he couldn't name but found familiar, horses, birds, and humans – humans of every race, all situated around a rough carved Triforce painted yellow. He picked it up, unsurprised by how light it was – it was clearly meant for a child. The sensation of familiarity darted through him again, but he had no time to dwell on it, remembering at once why he'd come here in the first place. Activating Farore's Voice, he called Link.
"Dark?"
"We need to hurry; map out a path while I deal with the horses and our things. Do you know where the entrance is?"
"North of us; in the mountains, leading down into Kakariko's original graveyard, where..." He stopped.
"Where the fire happened. We're going to be facing Redeads and Stalfos all over – we should stop at the Fairy of Courage's fountain before we go. It's out of the way, but-"
"We can heal here, Link – there's a Fairy behind the throne room, remember? Don't worry, drink one of the bottles of milk and you'll feel well enough to come up the stairs."
"I'll meet you there." The connection terminated itself, and Dark pocketed the wooden Triforce, turning and padding out to where the horses stood. A few moments were spent distributing bombs, bottles, arrows, and the like between them, while non-essentials (or seeming non-essentials) were stowed in sealed saddlebags on Epona, the better suited of the two for carrying anything. Strife was, essentially, a warhorse; a Gerudian warhorse and better suited to travel than Hylian warhorses, but nevertheless a warhorse, not meant for carrying anything other than the lightest of burdens along with his rider. He strapped the Master Sword's shadow to Strife as well, finally giving up on using it as his main weapon any longer; even Link had another sword, but he didn't try to use it more than the Master Sword, because he recognised what he was better suited to. He led both horses to the mouth of the canyon, tying them to a pair of convenient spires of rock on either side of the canyon.
"We'll only be a moment," he assured both horses, receiving a snort from Epona and an eyeroll from Strife.
"Nice to see you have so much faith in us," he replied wryly, patting them both on the shoulder before heading back up to the castle.
The Great Fairy watched the two heroes leave, eyes lowering to the runes etched around her fountain. They'd once said 'Fair Guardian of the Castle', which had meant 'Great Fairy of the Royals', essentially, but now it read 'O Ancient and Benevolent One'. Tears streamed down her face, silver facets of crystal that dissolved once they hit the water, spreading a shimmering rainbow sheen across the soft waves.
"All Father...Queen Mother, Lady Guardian, Glorious Warrior...Forgive me. The secrets of darkness are to be revealed, and all shall suffer for it..."
The canyon flared into a stony plain that rose into the mountain sharply after a few miles. Link eyed the slope dubiously.
"I think we should send Epona and Strife back."
"You think they'll be okay?" The blonde rolled his eyes, beginning to unsaddle the mare.
"Trust me, Dark – they'll be fine. I just don't want to risk breaking one of their legs on this mountain. We can walk – you went up Death Mountain, didn't you?" Dark shrugged, doing the same for Strife. The stallion lipped his collar, snorting.
"Hey – hey, chill. You heard Link. It's for your own good." The horse eyed him balefully, then tossed his head, butting against his chest, as if to say, 'You had better be telling the truth,'. Dark chuckled and ran his fingers through his mane, oblivious to the odd look Link was giving him.
"Go on, you two – head back to the ranch, and stay together." Epona snorted and tossed her head, trotting away the moment Link let her go. Strife followed at a more sedate pace, whinnying sharply when Epona got too far ahead. He shook his head at the two horses' antics and followed Link, who had the map stretched in front of him as he walked.
"This language isn't actually that hard to understand once you really look at it – it has the same roots as Hylian, and the alphabet is similar to Gerudian. Given that, this is-" He looked up, then back at the map.
"Mount Hylia. There's no lake on this map, but the rivers are all here. There is a large space here that says...Gerudo Crater, and it's connected to Gerudo Valley. I think they must have diverted the waters into the crater to create Lake Hylia, and this mountain was stripped of its name to protect something. That would explain why it connects to the crypt." Dark raised an eyebrow at Link's explanation.
"Why, though?" Link shrugged, folding the map gingerly and stowing it in the belt pouch he'd once put Deku Seeds in for his slingshot.
"There's a path here, and a faded sign. So, Dark," he turned, eyes sparkling playfully.
"What have we learned about signs?" His shadow rolled his eyes.
"Always follow the signs." Link moved forward, eyes all but glowing with mischief.
"Link-" Dark's comment – or question – was cut off as Link pressed a soft, affection kiss to his mouth, pulling away to nuzzle his dark hair.
"I always knew you were smarter than you let on." Dark stared after the blonde who was currently scaling the mountain like he'd spent his entire life doing so (and he almost had...), scrabbling over the dull stones without a care for his own well being.
"Found the path again!" Dark rolled his eyes, beginning to follow, only to catch sight of something shimmering beneath a particularly large stone.
"Hey, Link?"
"Hmm?"
"Get further up the path for me," he requested, lighting a bomb and scrambling to catch up with the blonde. The explosion was oddly muffled, caught under an overhang of stone that kept it from unleashing the wrath of the mountain on the two lone men, obliterating several rocks in the area.
"What-"
"Just as I suspected." Dark leapt down and scooped up a particularly shiny, bright orange Rupee. Link stared at him, then facepalmed hard, muttering.
"Only you." Dark smirked and pocketed his prize, heading back up to the path, whistling the Song of Storms as he went.
The path wound through the mountain for only a few more miles before plunging into another canyon, this one natural-made as opposed to the man-made one leading to the old castle. It forked; they entered from the left fork, but the other fork led toward Zora's Domain.
"Think this is how they got the water to Lake Hylia?" Link asked, crouching to trace the marks in the stone. Dark stared down the canyon, arms folded.
"Probably..." This place offered none of the sharp memories the castle had, which led him to believe it was younger than the castle. He didn't even know how old he was, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was closer than ever to realising the truth behind his origins.
"Dark?" He started, meeting Link's eyes. The blonde had an odd expression on his face – one of bemusement and recognition.
"What is it?"
"Nothing...nothing..." The shadow raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't question it, heading down the path again, Link close behind him. They started to complain and joke, their laughter ringing off of the stone walls, pervading the dry air with their unguarded joy. The silent stone sentinel that was the mountain took their happiness in like an inhale of fresh air, but something brewed in the air, driving the heroes forward without their notice. They finally slowed to a halt to stare at an enormous, clearly man-made stone door bathed in the bloody light of the setting sun.
"Look's like there's – a door?" Link stopped, eyeing the stone slab with all the wariness of a hardened adventurer. Dark moved closer, tapping the stone once.
"Should I try singing – or you could try using the Ocarina?" Link blinked.
"I was actually going to bomb it," came the slightly sheepish reply, a pink blush suffusing Link's face under Dark's unblinking gaze.
"..." The blonde grinned weakly at him and fumbled the Ocarina from his pockets, preparing to play, when the memories hit them both at once.
The sounds of battle rang through the mountains, though they were clearly happening many miles away – nearer the castle. Here, a group of refugees huddled, some clutching valuables to their chests, others standing with weapons around the noncombatants, eyes locked on the only entrance to their position. Finally, the sound of a horn cut through the cacophony ahead, and cheers filled the air. A woman with soft red hair looked up, gingerly cradling a child to her chest.
"Is it over? Are they okay?" The woman at her side, a Gerudo by her darker skin tone, darker hair, and familiar hawkish nose, shook her head.
"Just wait, Mara; they'll tell us-"
"Nanaro! Mara!" Both women looked up at once, and the rest of the group grew restless at the sound of hoofbeats. Two horses rounded the corner at high speeds, skidding in the gravel as one of the riders dismounted quickly, running up the path to them.
"It's done – and the baby-"
"Is fine, my lord." The Gerudo took the babe and offered the small child to the man, who shook his head, smile growing.
"No – no, not like this." He stared down at the slumbering form, blue eyes sparkling with happiness through the grime and blood covering his face.
Dark inhaled sharply as the memory retreated, hand still splayed across the stone that was now grating open, not unlike the Door of Time, to Link's eyes.
"W-what-" Link swallowed hard.
"Was that – who-" They stared at one another.
"Dark, you don't remember that, do you?" The shadow shook his head, jaw clenched.
"We're getting closer – can't you feel it?" Link stared at him, then at the open door.
"Closer to what?"
They entered together, but their minds were far from in unison. Link was no longer mulling on the memory that had all but ambushed them outside the tunnel; instead, he was comparing – uneasily, but nevertheless comparing – the mannerisms of his two lovers, lost and found. Dark and Ganondorf had some behaviours that were similar, and some that were identical. For instance, they both had a stoicism that made Link feel like a fool when faced with it. When deep in thought, their expressions were similar – almost mirrored one another.
Both would have vehemently denied it, of course, but they weren't exactly dissimilar. They each valued power, though Dark understood better the need for courage – likely a side-effect of being Link's shadow. Link had only heard Ganondorf laugh in true humor once, and in that too, they were alike, as Dark's voice was deeper than Link's, and rougher. He'd noticed especially that Dark and Ganondorf were almost exactly alike in their treatment of Strife – as if he was more than a tool, a faithful but otherwise of little value tool. That was a rarity – Ganondorf had avoided bonding due to his childhood, and had looked at his own people as commodities to be guarded, not humans to be cherished, raised and nurtured in the face of their harsh homeland.
Dark disliked people for their fickle natures and general cowardice, as he saw it. He refused to even consider that a person under the proper stresses could and would rise up to protect his fellow man – 'humanity doesn't value itself, no more than the Zoras or the Gorons', in his own words. He believed the races crippled by their inconsistent faith, looking to the gods when they had lost all hope but denying them attention when peace reigned.
But for all this, Link couldn't see Dark and Ganondorf as offshoots of each other, brothers in darkness in any form. No, for all his mysterious and likely ancient ways, Dark seemed to mimic Ganondorf in the same way a child sometimes mimicked their parents. It wasn't consistent, and it was only in some very specific fashions, but the fact remained. Link bit the inside of his cheek and shook his head. He was chasing a dying tangent, and they were getting further and further into the tunnel, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end and his palms to sweat.
"Hey...Dark?" His shadow slowed and looked over his shoulder.
"Hmm?" The hero moved to stand beside him, laying a hand on his arm.
"We're almost there – see? Light." Dark blinked and looked to where Link had indicated, squinting.
Sure enough, multicoloured lights could be seen, faintly, from further into the tunnel. Unnerved and exasperated, Dark moved forward, Link close behind.
They emerged above the chamber, stones etched with runes grinding forward to form stairs like those in the main tomb.
"Link, Dark!" Link's eyes brightened and he quickly jumped from the platform, running forward to meet Navi. The fairy twirled around his head and hands, their twin laughs loud in the solemn space. Dark felt his lips tip up in a relieved smile.
"Are you alright?" The fairy chimed and shook her wings, lightly scattering the area with dust.
"Perfectly intact if not a little irritated. But you're here, and that's all that matters! You know how to finish the ritual, right?" Dark froze, mind buzzing.
'Give us the truest desire of your heart, and time will right itself.' He swallowed hard, throat dry.
"Ah-"
"So you are returned to us, hero and hero's shadow. Ancient ones awakened and battled, you are no different than you once were." Link started and turned.
"What?" Dark felt the magic clench around his body and tried to jerk forward as a reflex; his body stiffened and he was petrified in an instant as the Sage of Light stepped free of its pedestal, unsheathing the stone sword.
"Come forward, hero, and offer your hand." Link stared at it, fingers grasping for the Master Sword. Now the Sage of Shadow spoke.
"Do not be hasty – we mean you no harm. A sacrifice of blood, no matter how small in quantity, is required. Step forward and offer your hand."
"Offer your hand." Dark's cry of objection was choked off by the magic binding him, as was Navi's. The blonde hero stared at the Sages, and then at his friends, expression first uncertain, then set. He moved forward and grasped the stone blade, eyes never leaving the Sage statue's. Light gathered around the blade, and it flashed to metal as the Sage pulled it from Link's hand, the edge biting deep into his palm as it was resheathed, returning to stone. Link swallowed an oath and stumbled forward, pushed by an unknown force. Cold washed over him as Dark was similarly thrust forward, standing on either side of the bowl with Navi above them.
"Yours is not the only sacrifice to be had. The world cannot be righted without loss. Do not seek to find the supposed wrong and right it. The gods of today and our god of yesterday have spoken, and blood has been spilled." Link's blood swirled in the water, and the Sages exhaled as one, voicing the Goddesses' names and finally-
"Unumbra. Blessed son and father, he knows now." Dark felt his eyes roll up in his head and the sensation of Link's bloody hand clutching his as he collapsed, Navi's startled cry ringing in his ears.
Navi...
Navi, canst thou hear Us? Thy time is upon thee. Radiant Nayru, Din, and Farore call upon thee. Come to Us.
A/N: The end. Seriously. I'm done. With this, anyway. Now I'll work on finishing SR - which will actually be pretty short, because I'm already mad at it - and starting the sequel, in Majora's Mask.
Speaking of MM, I mentioned an unaffiliated fic that would occur in said timeline, that "might" be Link/Oni. Well, due to too much time on kacfrog's page on deviantArt, it's turned into Kafei/Oni. It might stay that way, it might not. I have no idea. Just a heads up, if I ever get Link out of the random forest. XD