Chapter 4
Today I woke up in Hell

Link felt like a drowning victim. It hurt to breathe, dry blood plastered his mouth and throat, his head was all but literally screaming in pain. He tried to go back, to be pulled under the dark waves of sleep, but consciousness dug its teeth into him and dragged him into the waking world. He just wanted to curl up and die. Slowly he became aware of other, less immediate agonies. His shoulder was on fire, his back seared, blood plastered his shirt. He couldn't feel his legs and didn't want to so he didn't dare move them. Rocks were digging into his side, his body ached from being in the same position for hours though he was having trouble figuring out what that position was-he could scarcely tell which way was up and down right now. For all he knew he could be floating in empty space, if not for the pressure against his shoulder. He anchored himself to that thought, deciding the pressure was ground. So...that way was down. And that way was up.

"Ulgh..." Nausea spun his head as he struggled to bring everything into perspective. He couldn't move his hands-what was going on? A rope...great.

He tugged at the ropes for a moment, his hands bound behind his back, but even if he hadn't felt as weak as a toddler right then he couldn't have done anything about it. His hands were pitifully shaking, he couldn't tell if they had any circulation even. Now he was fighting to wake up, to figure out what was going on. Adrenalin pumped weakly through his veins and nausea churned his world again. It took longer than it should have for him to figure out how to open his eyes.

And when he did, he wished he hadn't.

Red Eyes was glaring down at him, black hair shadowing his face, his lips curled back from his teeth in an actual silent snarl.

Well, not silent. It was saying something, but Link couldn't be bothered to figure out what it was. His head still pounded, his senses were still stunned. His leg was beginning to throb now, as though to say it was its turn to be noticed.

A soft whimper hissed between his teeth.

Red Eyes raised a brow. Link couldn't bring himself to care about dignity. He couldn't help it. He hurt too much.

"Wow. So this is the hero of time? I'm trembling."

Shut up... Link wanted to say it so bad but his lungs just wouldn't work right. He hunched his shoulders, shivers wracking his body, though he wasn't even cold.

"You okay?"

"S-since when do you care?"

"I don't. Just wondering."

Link glanced up at him again. Shadow was watching him rather emotionlessly, which was at least better than the glare. He was sitting with his back against a tree, though it wasn't the same tree Link remembered him being under before. And he wasn't tied to it. Though his hands, Link now noticed, were still chained, resting casually on his bent knees. Sunlight filtered through the leaves above him, dappled with blue sky. It was one of those perfect late spring days, one Link might have actually enjoyed under any other circumstance. He could hear other people now, or maybe people wasn't the word. Heavy steps, low grunts, a cackling and squealing language. It had to be those things, the ones he'd fought last night. If pigs were green and carried swords they wouldn't be far from these creatures. Link tried to shift, to get a better look around, but pain lanced up from every limb.

"Ah!" He bit his lip, swallowing another cry. His eyes were closed tight and he was counting seconds, trying to breathe. "Wh-where are we?" he managed.

"Don't know. We went across the mountains last night and half of today. You've been out a while."

"Are we still in Hyrule?"

"Link. I've scarcely spent more than the last few days out of that hellhole of a Zora Temple. What makes you think I would know a thing about direction? I believe last time I was out on my own I found myself walking off into a desert wasteland. Now what does that tell you?"

Link didn't think that deserved a response. "What are those things?"

"Again, how am I supposed to know?"

"Aren't they some of Gannon's minions?"

"They left me tied up. So...apparently not."

"Oh...and...where's my hat?"

Link had never, in probably his whole seventeen years, been without that hat. It felt weird, the breeze tugging at his hair and throwing it in directions he didn't want, even if it was somewhat short. It was just weird.

"Link...We're tied up and probably awaiting our chance to become a meal, you're still bleeding, we have no idea where we are, and you're worried about a hat?!"

"Um..."

"Link. It's a hat. Do you even know how stupid you look in it? Hell, do you ever look at yourself? You're wearing tights! Do you know how much you look like a woman? And that hat belongs at a five-year-old costume party!"

"You're dressed the same way."

"And that's changing first chance I get to a market. It wasn't my choice, mind you."

"I miss my hat..."

"Oh my...hell, fine! Here. You want a hat? Here! Here's a hat! Now shut up!" Shadow had jammed his own hat onto Link's head.

Link stared up at it, still frowning sadly. "But...it's got you on it."

A sigh hissed between Shadow's teeth. His eyes snapped up, the train of conversation cut off. He was staring at something over Link's shoulder. Link didn't want to try moving again, not for the life of him. "What is it?"

Heavy footsteps and snorting breathing answered him. A shadow fell over the pair of them and Link rolled his head back to look up. One of the massive pig-trolls was standing over them, thick strings of drool dripping from its tusks. Link shuddered. He hoped they'd eat Shadow first, maybe they'd be too full to eat him.

It pointed one of its sausage fingers at Link, who was still shaking just slightly. "You're awake," it stated simply. "We're leaving."

"Where...are we going?"

"Get up. Walk."

Link was close to hysterics at the thought. "I-I-I've just had a pair of arrows in my torso and my leg is bleeding all over! I'm not walking!"

"You'll walk. Or you'll die."

The ultimatum set, the troll turned away, lumbering back to wherever its comrades were in that place Link still couldn't see.

He was still shivering. Shaking so bad. Why couldn't he stop? "Where's Navi?" he whispered soberly.

"No idea."

"Maybe she went for help?"

"And maybe lollypops will rain from the sky."

"What about Epona?"

"Your horse? Still alive, amazingly enough. I think they're planning to eat it."

A low sigh hissed between Link's teeth. He buried his head against the grass, swallowing waves of pain. He wasn't getting up. Wasn't getting up. He hurt too much-he couldn't even start. "I h-hurt," he moaned softly. Shadow ignored him, gaining his feet, eyes watching his every move.

Link couldn't manage another word. He rested his face against the dirt, hoping that if he stayed here long enough the pig-people would follow through on their threat. What he'd give to die right now...

Suddenly he felt a hand grip roughly around his upper arm. He tensed up, expecting a sword to follow. Instead, the hand yanked him upright, all but dragging him to his feet. Link staggered, his bad leg giving out from under him until he was half kneeling in the dirt. He gasped, tasting blood in the corners of his mouth. After a long moment he managed to look up at the hand and its owner, Shadow scowling just slightly and looking rather darkly smug.

Link sucked in a pained breath. "Don't help me..."

"Who says I'm helping? Maybe I'd just hate for you to get such a painless death. I at least want to see you struggle for a moment. Come on...get up. Try, hero." He spoke condescendingly, flashing a mocking grin.

"Go to...hell..." Link would be damned if he let this thing get any satisfaction. He jumped slightly, forcing his good leg to straighten and support his weight. His other just...hung there. It was all he could do to keep it from dragging. It was all he could do to stay standing. How the hell was he supposed to walk?

And, just as these dark thoughts were brooding on the horizon, Shadow suddenly lifted a foot and jammed it into Link's wounded leg.

"AAUGH!" Knees gave out, he collapsed. Sprawled in the dirt, agony singing in his every bone, his other wounds screaming at the mistreatment of smacking hard ground. He closed his eyes, bit his lip, and tried to breathe. Wait it out. It would stop, the pain would stop. Just a little longer...

A deep, cleansing breath was sucked into his lungs. His eyes peered open, glaring up at Shadow with new loathing. "What...why-"

"Payback for the little horse escapade, dog."

Link swore viciously, clutching his leg to himself. It was bleeding again-or maybe it had never stopped.

"Wha's going on here?!" The guttural voice roared over Link and he winced, curling up tighter, eyes shut and mind flickering on the edge of consciousness. Please just kill me... kill me now.

A long pause answered, one that Link desperately hung on to. Until his world swam and he couldn't take it and his eyes rolled until he wasn't sure what was happening any more. But before he was completely out, there was a sudden single sound of solid impact.

When Link woke next he was draped over Epona. Surrounded by the creatures, and many of them now had mounts. The pig-like creatures rode pig-like mounts, the oddity of which was somewhat lost on Link at the moment. Looking up, he found Shadow trailing behind Epona, head down, and face plastered with blood. Glaring fierce hatred at the half-conscious hero.

In spite of himself, Link grinned. Justice was sweet.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. =) I really appreciate it.