haha, WELL, funny to think this could have been the ending to Finally.
The thunderclouds shook ominously, but only a rainless wind was felt.
He stood in the middle of the field. A sword in his left hand.
As she approached, she saw that his green tunic was torn and bloodied. Chain mail broken, strands of rings hanging down against his legs. He had fought, and until she got close enough to see his face, she had though he'd won.
His hair was an ashen brown, and his skin was tanned until it was the same shade as wet soil. Fragments of his old self remained: one eye was surrounded by his normal skin tone, and his lips were pale as well. But those patches only added to his mangled appearance. It looked as if he'd been dumped in oil and set aflame until he wore the colors of ash.
"So you came. Foolish Goddess." He said, with a ragged voice. "I can kill that mortal body of yours."
She clutched her bow. His eyes snapped open, and Zelda chocked on her gasp. His eyes were red. The whites had been dyed back, leaving the glowing red irises like blood-colored stars against his face.
"You think you can stop me with that? You think your power has returned?" He pointed at the Goddess Statue in the distance. "The Sword of Evil's Bane is sealed away! Hah! I wish you luck in sealing me away, when the only item strong enough to is already occupied!" He threw his head back and released a frightful laugh.
Zelda drew her fingers back against the string, and a golden arrow formed between her fingers. She loosed it. Dark Link cocked his head to the side, and the arrow passed him harmlessly.
"So what if some of your power followed you into that body- it's not-" He gasped, and his dark fingers traced his cheek. The side exposed to the arrow had turned pale, lacking the darkness of the rest of his body. He looked at Zelda, startled, then his piercing eyes narrowed. "Oh, I see how it is!" He screamed.
He dug his sword into the ground and ran at her, leaving a deep cut in the soil.
Zelda readied another arrow, and when she released it, Dark Link was forced to backflip to avoid it. As he scrambled to his feet, she readied another. He saw her and let out a high-pitched cry.
"Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it stop it!" The next arrow grazed his arm after a failed dodge, and he dropped to the ground, writhing and screaming as if the wound was soaked with fire. "Why-!?"
Zelda ran forward, keeping her bow ready. She needed a close shot. Just one well-aimed light arrow would finish it. The cursory attacks would only aggravate the evil spirit, and bring more harm to Link.
"Fight it!" She yelled. Not to the man in front of her, but the one trapped behind him. "Do you hear me, Link! Fight him!"
"I…am…Link!" He screamed, flipping onto his feet. The right half of his face had returned to normal, the blackness peeling away in tiny rips. He hand slapped over that side, as if it were burning away. Now was her chance. She ran, closing the distance, and pulled her bowstring back as far as she could.
Link's red eye narrowed. He disappeared from her line of sight, and then reappeared directly in front of her. The knight's sword pulled back, then stabbed forward. In one swift motion, she felt her ribcage snap, and the sword pierced through her back.
The bow clattered to the ground, the light blinking out. A lightning strike illuminated the breadth of the field, and as darkness fell, thunder shook it. Zelda found Link's body, and wound her fingers in the back of his torn tunic.
"W-what are you doing!?" Dark Link screamed, his voice wavering. Tears jumped from his eyes. "No!" A light arrow formed in Zelda's awaiting hand, and she grasped it and drove it into his back.
An earsplitting scream echoed across the field, drowned out by another thunder clap.
Link woke from the nightmare, and entered one even worse. He felt drained, every last drop of energy gone. But he dare not fall. He felt his arms become heavy with Zelda's body, and guided her to the ground. His hand was still frozen to the sword.
"No…" Her eyes met his, still so bright and full of love.
"Link." He couldn't open his fist. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything but stare at the bloodied portion of Zelda's dress, where his sword dug into her body.
"No." A flash of pain erupted from his back, forcing his sword hand open. He drove his hands into the ground to prevent himself from collapsing on top of Zelda, and came face-to-face with her instead. Then, the clouds finally gave in, and began to cry. The water stung against the exposed skin of his back, and his wounds burned, but he felt none of it except the twisting pain deep in his chest.
"I…I'll…" He looked at the sword, his hand still clutched to it, and his words were choked with a sob. "Zelda, Goddesses, what have I done…?!"
"He's gone? Are...you all right?" She whispered. He shook his head. He took a gasping breath and cupped her face with his hands, then pulled her body into his chest. He feared that if he so much as touched the sword, her life's blood would come gushing out, and end it in a second.
He found a rhythm in rocking back and forth, and became stuck in the cycle.
"I'm glad…you're okay." Zelda said. He shook his head again.
"Zelda, no." She touched him cheek.
"Take your sword." She told him. His face contorted in pain.
"You'll die."
"Link-"
"No! I will never touch this blade again! I swear to the Goddesses!" She closed her eyes, a red smile on her lips.
"Why not..swear to me? Return to the castle and…take care of our children." Link shook his head.
"Please, Zelda. Don't leave me."
"I said the same thing once." She whispered, catching his attention. He held his breath and listened to her soft, fading voice. "I thought I had lost you…I cried for…you, and myself. But no matter what, you…you never would have been gone from me. And neither will I." She shut her eyes, and Link saw them tighten in pain. He hadn't given her a blow that would kill quickly. Or painlessly.
"All right." He whispered, forcing his voice to be steady for the last time. Just a few more moments of courage. "I'll take care of them. It'll be all right." He said, swallowing hard. She smiled, her face relaxing just a bit more. "You'll be all right, my love. I have you. You'll be all right." Then, he swiftly pulled the blade from her chest, giving a quick tug in the direction of her back. It was fluid and smooth and she did not even gasp.
Link threw the blade from his hand, far into the mud, and pulled Zelda into his arms. He cradled her against his battered chest and felt the hot blood of fresh death wounds stain him. He shut his eyes and chocked on a mournful cry. He pulled her against him again, as she slipped, and held fast. Her head landed against his shoulder, and her hair tangled in his face. His voice shook and hitched as he spoke to her, whispering reassurances of love, though she had passed already into the Golden Realm.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
Zelda, my love, forgive me.
Please, please forgive me.
He returned to the castle as the storm was done. The body he brought with him wrapped in his cloak explained it all, yet so little. But Link could not tell them. He had lost his voice.