A.N.: Yay! Another chapter! So I've been listening to "Prince Ralis is Saved", and I'm telling you…it really gets your mind moving! I wrote this chapter in three hours, which is a new record for me, so I hope you all enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda


"The meeting between the King of Shadows and his Sothiya is a rare sight to see. Witnesses' accounts are all explained as the same, where their friend/sister/daughter has fallen under a trance like state, and it becomes nearly impossible to grab her attention. It is believed that this occurs because of the natural attraction Sothiyas have for their mate and vice versa. There is not enough information to prove this, but it is believed that this only happens once, for after the first time it transpires, the two learn how to deal with what is known as "The Pull" unconsciously.

"The Pull" is the desirability between Sothiyas and their kings; the allure has nothing to do with external beauty, but with something deep down, something absolute. Just as some people have a secret passion for rainstorms, earthquakes, or blackouts, the two mates hold a certain, undefinable something directed to one another. They are two equals being connected as one…"

~An excerpt from Chapter 5 of "Legends of the Past: the Shadow People" by Leonardo the Wise, Hylian Mage of the Eldin Province


I knew she was here.

Searching the large crowd, I saw many different faces of women and children, but none of them matched the description I was given by my trackers. There were several moments where I thought I saw her, but the feeling wasn't there. The girls I had spotted were either too young or too old; too large or too little; just too not her….

I plunged my sword deep into the chest of a guard who thought he could sneak up behind me, watching his eyes widen with surprise when I drove my boot deep into his stomach to pull his limp body off my blade. His blood splattered over my dark clothes, my mind lurching at the excitement of it all.

Not even one hour ago, I took on a large army of Hylian men, and came out with only minor scratches and bruises. My clothes were drenched in their gore, and the smell drove me over the edge with eagerness for more…it had been such a long time since my last battle; and after so many years of sparring and practicing my magic, it felt amazing to test my skills upon those men.

People were now beginning to take notice of me, shouting evil names like "Demon!" and "Monster!". I didn't mind them though, for I was here on a mission; to collect what was rightfully mine. The crowd of people moved in a strange pattern as the organization they had all grown accustomed to was tossed to the side. Two middle-aged men approached me with pitch forks, charging at me as I ducked out of their way. I could feel my hat get caught in one of the men's weapons, being torn as I moved quickly behind them. I drove my blade deep into the man's spine, enjoying the look of fear that crossed his friend's face as his companion's blood spurted onto him. I turned to the second man after I discarded the body of his friend, watching him turn sharply on his heels before running off into the horde of people, pushing several children forcefully to the ground as he screamed curse words to the world.

I returned to my search, walking forward into the crowd as they all scattered in different directions. It was like I had a force field placed around my body while people refused to step in range of my sword, some were even jumping into the fountain in the middle of the town square to avoid me.

I saw an old woman standing several feet to my left, tossing what smelled like lemon juice onto my clothes as she muttered a foreign language. I watched her for a moment, intrigued with her words when I heard "King of Shadows" leave her lips. I guess not all people from Hyrule were idiotic…she knew what my purpose here was.

Turning away from the woman, I could feel something spreading through my body as a smell seemed to erupt out of no where. I automatically moved my gaze to the Southeastern end of the town square, watching a woman have a tug-of-war with an elder man. They were fighting over a blue scarf that was covering her mouth…

Her pale green dress was covered in dirt and tattered, and her dark brown hair seemed to shine in the sunlight as it fell nicely down her back in waves. My body tensed when the man tore the scarf off her face, and the strangest feeling pooled throughout me.

I remembered asking my father what it was like the first time he met my mother. The way how he described it at the time was so confusing, but now I understood… Everything seemed to move in slow motion when her blue eyes met mine, my body shuddering at the thought of ravishing her.

This "pull" I felt toward her wasn't love, but something entirely different yet the same. My feet began to move through the crowd, which was beginning to dissipate as the people found refuge within the buildings nearby. The Sothiya stood still in her spot, her lips forming a perfect "o" and her eyes widening at the sight of me. She was entranced with my form, unmoving as I could feel my mouth curve into a smirk. This was all too easy…

But of course, I knew better to believe it would be trouble-free.

A young child, around the age of eight, grabbed ahold of the Sothiya, tugging on her roughly as the two of them moved to the Eastern exit. For several more seconds, we held eye contact until she was forced to look away by the child. A certain amount of anger filled me as she ran, but I brushed it off, knowing that it would be easy to dispose of the boy who was taking her away from me.

I morphed with the shadows, using my magic as an easy form of transportation. I followed the two just before the gate that would lead to a large field outside of the town; my energy levels felt oddly low as I took a solid form once more; normally I would be able to travel in my shadow form for miles, but I could only move two-hundred yards… It was just a reminder that I couldn't wait any longer to take her.

I quickly snatched the boy from his spot beside the Sothiya, placing my sword upon his throat without a second thought. I ended his life swiftly, letting his body fall to the ground as another one of my victims. I refused to waste anymore time…my race depended on me and this girl.

No man, woman, or even child shall get in my way.

Stepping over the kid, I watched the girl shut her eyes tightly in preparation for something, letting tears slide down her face. Why was she crying? Was the child a family member? He held no resemblance to the Sothiya and wore clothes that were of the poor, so I was sure he had no relation with the girl. I lifted my hand and gently wiped the tears away, feeling strange for this was the first time I had ever touched a Hylian without causing harm.

I told her to stop crying, and she opened her eyes, looking on at me with disbelief as I let my magic transform me back into my human form. I noticed that her blue eyes had a tint of green within them, giving them this ocean effect. I complimented her on her beauty, using the tricks I had learned from past experience with the female Shadows in my world. Women liked to be told they're attractive, and for a moment, I believed my advances were working. I leaned down to kiss the woman upon the forehead, which would give her the marking that would allow me to take her back to the Dark World…but then she smacked me upon the face with a book I had failed to notice before.

What an arm she had… It wasn't painful, but there was enough force to pop my neck out-of-place. If this were anyone else, I would have dug my sword deep into their throat before asking them to apologize…

But this was her.

I angrily warned her, but then a warrior, who seemed several years older than I, approached from behind the girl, pointing his sword in my direction as my frown deepened. The girl took off running as soon as we were divided by this man, hopping onto a horse before calling his name. "Simon" held eye contact with me, refusing to look back at the Sothiya as she begged for him to run with her. He lunged forward at me…What a valiant move…

I felt jealous by the emotion she put into her words, and how informally she spoke with this man; but I supposed I could take care of him easily. I wouldn't be able to chase after the girl; I was still tired from the amount of magic I had to use for my transportation technique. So while I rested my body, I had decided to take on this man, hoping that he would be more of a challenge than the last group I had battled.

I watched with frustration as the girl rode away on the horse ungracefully, hugging its body while I took note of the direction she was traveling in. I glanced back at the man in front of me, calculating his movements with my eyes. This man was two to three inches taller than I, so I expected his blows to be strong; however, his height will play against him, for I would be quicker with my attacks.

"GO, Eliana!"

So her name was Eliana? How…enriching…

"I am the greatest knight, and the most skilled warrior in Hyrule… I will allow you a moment to surrender yourself to the Hyrulian guard. If you refuse, I will not hesitate to kill you." The man threatened with all seriousness, glaring at me with hateful eyes. A laugh bubbled in my throat as I allowed it to escape, watching as this man's glare faltered slightly before returning. "Do you not believe me?"

How amusing. He had convinced himself that he actually had a chance to defeat me.

"Only the one who carries the Blade of Evil's Bane can destroy me…and he has been dead for over two-hundred years!" The man jumped forward, his attacks filled with rage as I easily dodged and blocked them. Holding my sword horizontally in front of my face, I parried his blows with a counterattack, slicing his left arm open due to his lack of a shield.

"You bastard…" The man hissed, not allowing himself to let up on his attacks. He was just like Mathias…letting his emotions get in the way of things. How was I suppose to believe that this was the greatest warrior in Hyrule, when he couldn't even control his sentiments?

I jumped forward, deciding to go on the offensive…I had already wasted enough time, and the longer this went on, the further away the Sothiya, Eliana, would be.

This man held up quite well considering he had no shield, and he had lasted longer than all the other men I had faced. At one point, he was able to shove me into a stone wall, punching me in the gut with his left fist before nearly separating my sword from my hand. It was quite admirable, but not enough to win. I bumped into him with my shield, knocking him off-balance before swinging my sword to his hand, forcing him to let go of his weapon before he fell to the ground. Lifting his chin, I aimed my sword at his throat, the tip digging into his skin. My grin widened at the sight of his helpless form, urging me to end his life then and there…

"You are just as weak as that old maidservant…however, she was more of a challenge honestly." I teased.

He furrowed his brows. "Did you kill her?"

"...In all of my life, I have never let someone go out of pity…but I suppose exceptions can be made."


I awoke with a jerk. My mind was racing as my nightmares receded to the back of mind, leaving me to my guilty thoughts and woes. I half-expected to awaken in my room, where my everyday routine would begin with Malia knocking on my door, but I knew better than that.

The sky was black, telling me that it was several hours before daybreak. All lights down below in the village were out except for small candles lit up in several of the windows. I could see no one outside, however I thought I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Figuring it was just an animal, I walked down the incline to the main part of the village. My stomach was making a strange gurgling sound…was this what it felt like to be hungry? My last meal was yesterday with Helena… I wondered if she was ok…

My thoughts were interrupted by a strange noise coming from behind one of the buildings… I became paranoid when the noise suddenly stopped as I looked over to where I thought the source was at. Quickening my pace, I sped-walked to the nearest house, knocking on the door softly. I waited for a few moments before trying again, hitting the door harder so the owners could hear me. "Go away!" resounded through the open window, so I left the house to try next door.

I walked up the steps to the what appeared to be a store, and gazed through an opening. My stomach continued to growl when I saw several produce items sitting in the corner. I walked over to the door, pounding on it loudly in hopes that the shop owner would hear me. There was no voice or noise, just silence and my hungry stomach. I let out a deep sigh, my mind filled with thoughts of what had happened the other day. My life was falling apar-...

Bending down to grab a rock I had just kicked, I forgot about my misery for a moment, and tossed the palm-sized mineral between my hands. For a brief second, I considered throwing the rock at the window of the store…just so I could grab a block of cheese and be on my way. I would be gone, and leave the town; however, I didn't know where I would go…

The plan was to escape to Kakariko, and that was it. The guards were supposed to have taken care of the monster while I ran away to hide…

I dropped the rock on the ground, shaking my head as I brushed away my evil thoughts. Just listening to myself was sickening…how could I even think about vandalism?! It wasn't like I was starving to death…

I stepped off the store's porch, walking to the side of the building before hunkering down to wrap my arms around my knees while I leaned against the wood. I needed to take a few moments to think...

There were so many things going through my mind, and it all was disorienting. The book I had brought with me was discarded after I had finished reading it. The words jumbled in my mind while only a few stuck out more than the others; words like Sothiya, and mate… Most of the first chapters were about the origins of the Shadow people and what was believed about them, but further on, I found plenty of sections that talked about "the Sothiya."

That man…the King of Shadows…called me a Sothiya...

So, does that mean he is here to take me? Not kill me?

I wasn't too sure, because at the end of the book, I found a small section written by the author about how his findings were possibly untrue. He had never been to the Dark World, and he had based his writings from records found in the past. The only information that was a primary source was the story he told about watching his sister disappear right before his eyes… She was out with a young man in his early twenties who had the oddest of all eye colors her brother had ever seen, and they were standing together in the soybean field just beside her home. Moments after her brother (the writer) had called her name, the two of them vanished together, and they were never seen again.

Is that what will happen to me? I'll just disappear from the face of our world, and never see my family again?

I squeezed my legs tightly, pulling them in as I buried my face into my knees. I was so scared and sad and angry and tired…I felt guilty for Alan's death and the many others before him. I hadn't seen Simon since yesterday, and the more time that passed on, the more worried I became. I also hadn't seen the Shadow yet, so perhaps he was defeated?

I needed to come to terms with myself… What would happen if the King of Shadows comes for me once again? Would there be more bloodshed? I didn't want anyone else to be slaughtering by that man, but what would happen to me? Even though I had read that book Malia asked me to, I was left with more questions than answers about my predicament...

I supposed the real question was what would I do when I saw the demon once again? Would I run away, which would most likely lead to more death? Or would I give myself up and destroy my life for the sake of others?

The answer was quite obvious.

Standing from my crouched position, I thought about my mother, and if she would approve of my choice. Most likely, she would tell me that she was proud of me no matter what… I remembered the first time I had ridden a horse by myself…I remembered the first song I had learned on our piano at home…I even remembered the first lesson I had in dance class… Every step of the way, she was there by my side, cheering me on and pleased with whatever decisions I had made, so I was sure that she was beside me at this moment, smiling the same, special smile that she would always save for me in my hardest of times. What I would give to hear her voice once more, and to listen to her laugh, and to watch her smile… I missed her so much.

I walked toward the entrance to the village, my head low as I began to accept my fate. I couldn't cry, for I had already shed too many tears…yet I still felt something wet fall down my face; I decided to pretend that it was raining.

I took off my worn flats, holding them in my hands as I let the dirt fall in between my toes. I tossed them to the side, deciding that they were no longer useful and too ragged from the amount of running I had done in them. Malia would have yelled at by now to put them back on, but she wasn't here…

I breathed in the smell of the world, wondering if it would be my last time to ever do so. Running my fingers through my hair, I brushed out the tangles that had formed over time before ripping a piece of cloth off of my dress. I began the meticulous process of braiding my hair, tying the end with the green material as I walked toward the opening that would lead to Hyrule Field. The castle came into my view as I moved further down the path, and so did the horse I had used from the other day. I was astonished to see that he had stayed although I had urged him to run free; however, I was glad he was here for two reasons: I needed someone to talk to and there were an increasingly large amount of bublins and bokoblins in the area, so the possibility of him getting caught and abused was quite high...

I ran my fingers through the horse's mane, listening to its breathing as it ate the grass below its hooves. This horse seemed small compared to the other mounts I had seen, and he was the first to eat grass; most horses we owned lived off of carrots and salt licks, but never have I seen them try to eat grass.

"I'm starting to want my old life back." I said out loud to horse, wishing that he could reply. I had wanted something different, but I never asked for this! As boring as my old life was, this new one was three times as worse, and I had only started living it one day ago.

I leaned my head against the horse's body, asking him silly questions to humor myself as I waited for many minutes… I was trying to distract myself from the cruel reality of my life; that I was going to be taken away by some murderer, and basically force myself to give him my virginity for the sake of a race that killed Hylians for the fun of it.

In a way, the humorous jokes I made were working, but every raindrop that fell down my face reminded me that it all wasn't a dream…but a nightmare.

After two hours of waiting, I saw that the sun was beginning to rise from the horizon. I could hear life beginning to stir behind me in the village as people resumed their everyday lives.

"Do you think I could eat the grass?" I asked my companion with an emotionless voice. Of course I was joking, but I was starting to wish that Helena would come out of no where with a plate of cinnamon rolls for me to eat. Just thinking about the sugary icing was making my mouth water…

I looked off into the distance at a dark form that was traveling in my direction. I couldn't tell who it was, but I prayed to the Goddesses that it was Simon. The figure was tall, and dressed in dark clothing…he carried a sword and a shield, and wore a Phrygian cap, not the formal, tall hat that Hyrulian knights wore…

It was him, the King of Shadows, coming to collect his prize after so many battles. I could tell the man seemed exhausted by the way he walked, but when he spotted me, his steps were carried in a different way...

Now that I had the chance, I studied his features carefully with my eyes, looking for any sort of threatening move on his part. His silver hair was long, and his bangs fell just above his scarlet red eyes. His skin was no longer the black color I had seen the first time, but a sun-kissed tan that suited him well…I had to admit that he was no slob and quite handsome, but I also had to remind myself of the crimes he had committed; what he had done to all those people.

"What are you planning, Sothiya?" He asked in his deep voice, standing a few meters away from my form. I took note of how tall and lean he was; the top of my head coming up to his neck. He was very intimidating…

"M-my name is Eliana." I stuttered out, mentally smacking myself in the forehead at how weak I sounded.

"Do you wish to come with me, Eliana?" He basically read my mind, a smirk crossing his face to reveal a pair of fangs that I hadn't noticed before.

"..." I stood silent for a moment, listening to the horse at my side breath heavily as he looked off into the distance, uninterested in our conversation. "No, I do not want to go…but by how inevitable this is I cannot continue to put it off."

The man's smirk widened into a grin as he complimented my choice, telling me that I would make a wonderful and obedient queen for his people. I frowned deeply at his words, watching him with bated breath as he closed the distance between us.

"Do not be afraid, I promise to not hurt you…I just have one thing I need to do before we leave." Leaning down, the man placed his lips onto my forehead, leaving me in shock as he held it for several seconds before pulling away.

"What was that for?" I asked, scared out of my mind by the strange burning sensation that I felt on my noggin.

"I have left my mark. Although invisible to the eye, it will ward away any Shadows who try to attack you. It proves that you are mine and only mine, and will also allow you to travel to my world." I closed my eyes at his words, feeling him grab my hand as he took no extra time to ask me if I wanted to do anything before we left. The raindrops began to fall harder as he attempted to intertwine our fingers, but I wouldn't allow him.

The last thoughts I had before we teleported to the other world were of the strange noises and movement I had heard and seen in Kakariko…if it wasn't who I thought it was, then what was it?


A.N.: I would like to point out that it wasn't actually raining, but Eliana just wanted to pretend that her tears were just raindrops so she wouldn't have to suffer through the reminder that her life was destroyed. :3 Anyway, I see those view numbers… :D I know you all are there! I promise that I won't bite, so please write me a little something on your way out the door! Have a wonderful day!