A harsh, shrill scream of fury pierced the western night, as the dark force felt the resurrected spirit of the hero awaken. After all their planning, and all their worries, how could something like this have happened? Fiery with rage, the spirit sought to occupy itself by killing a few pawns, only to find that they were all dead. Another scream. Another wave of anger. A towering figure emerged from the shadow behind it. It spoke to it in an unintelligible language (again I WILL NOT TRY TO WRITE IT!), then sighed and lay against a wall. It looked up at the sky as the huge figure vanished. Things would have to be changed. It could not let this go unattended.

As morning began to break outside, Chain began bombarding Link with questions, which he, and Ruto ("SHUT UP, WOMAN!"), tried to answer as best they could.

"So you were ambushed?"

"Yes." Link replied, slowly.

"Then these shadowy things attacked you?" Link simply nodded. "Then, you floated down the river, blood STREAMING from your wounds, and died?! Just like that?" Link simply nodded. "And THEN you mean to tell me that you just up and came BACK FROM THE DEAD as a FUCKING ZORA?!" Again, Link just nodded, slowly. Chain sighed, and then leant against the wall. He eyed the two of them with narrow, red, and slightly jealous eyes. Then he laughed. "Well, I guess I'm going to be brother in law to a Zora. Never thought for a second that this day would come." Then, with the utmost air of total nonchalance, Chain dispelled the dark aura covering his body.

Beneath it, Chain looked just as similar, if not more, to Link as he did with it on. He had the same face, same hands, and same clothes. In fact, he was essentially Link's identical twin, of course, with a few slight differences. He was slightly taller than Link had been as a Hylian, although was now a couple of inches shorter. His tunic, and his hood were a very deep shade of purple. In fact, from a distance they just looked black. His hair was silver, with streaks of purple running through it, and slightly blackened tips. Although the glowing aura that once surrounded them had been dispelled, his irises were still a deep, blood red colour, and his pale, almost albino face was dotted with freckles. Surprisingly, despite his slightly violent disposition, Chain's mouth seemed to be pulled up into a permanent grin, very much like Link's.

"You know," he said, with a surprisingly jovial tinge this voice, "You two make the cutest couple"! He laughed, and then began looking over his twin. Link, on the other hand, was just stunned to even more silence than usual by his Shadow's sudden change in character.

"What…the hell…happened to you?" He asked, stumbling over his words. Although he was finding it slightly easier to talk, it was still very difficult.

"Nothing!" Chain replied, beaming. "I was just in a bit of a bad mood before. Y'know, with you DYING and that." Despite his blatant disbelief, Link couldn't help but fail to suppress a laugh. He could tell he was going to get along with His twin.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Chain suddenly turned to Ruto, who'd been watching the two fondly the whole time. "We haven't been properly introduced yet! My name's Chain, princess. Or should I say, sister to be? Great to meet you in the flesh!"

"The same to you!" she replied. "Well met, Chain. Oh, and technically, it's sister in law." Ruto giggled as she returned, ever so quickly to her cheeky old self.

Watching his fiancé and brother quickly bond, Link began to take his first proper look at his new body, by using the water in the bottom of the chamber as a mirror. He was caught off guard by just how different he looked, however, after the initial shock had worn off, he wasn't surprised in the least. After all, he was a member off a different race now.

"Well, at least I'm not so short now." He thought to himself as Ruto walked back over to him, having had a rather interesting conversation with Chain about how exactly they'd met.

"You know, your twin is quite the charmer!" she said to him. "Of course, he's not my type, but, if you like that sort of thing, then he's really a nice guy."

"Not…your type? Ruto…h-he's essentially me!"

"Exactly!" She replied, cheerfully. "And I only have eyes for you, Link." They both laughed, and Chain walked over to them.

"So, when are you two going to tie the knot?" He enquired, eagerly.

"We-uh…haven't really…thought about it…"

"Y'know, with Link having literally just got here. And dying. And being resurrected. But, it's not like it's a big deal or anything." The sarcasm in Ruto's voice was blatant, but Chain was evidently un-phased.

"Actually," Link cut in with a new, more confident tone, "I was hoping we could do it within the next month or so…", he hesitated, "Well…if-if that's… alright with you, Ruto".

Without so much as a word, she threw her arms around him, kissed him on the lips, then looked him in the eyes and said, with a slightly seductive tone

"A month? Screw a month! I say we get it done within the week!"

As night fell over the desert, a lone wanderer in black armour, untidy ginger hair blowing in the sand stricken wind, stumbled across a clearing. Of course, he'd seen the colossus before. Why, it used to be Nabooru's headquarters. But this time, something felt different. There was a new aura emanating from far beyond it. Slowly, limping as he went, the once king of Gerudo dragged himself into that accursed temple, slinking through the passageways he knew so well, until he reached the rear exit. A door to an empty place, a bridge between two very different kingdoms, and, at its centre, a vast camp. A new kind of fear struck the outcast as he wandered towards the entrance. Then, as he felt a sharp pain in his head, Ganondorf's vision went black.

For the lovers, however, fear was out of the question. The only two emotions they were able to feel were love and anticipation. For three days, they had been doing nothing but preparing. Invitations had been sent, preparations made, rings designed, and decisions, well, decided. Chain, who was surprisingly well organized when not completely insane, had, therefore, been making many of the arrangements. The one thing they hadn't done, however, was personally invite some of their closer friends, something they'd both sworn that they'd do. Honestly, Link was quite nervous to face a good deal of his friends, knowing that many of them would give both their arms for a chance with him (And we all know he knows how that feels!). Saria, at least, would be understanding, seeing as she was only young, but Zelda and Malon? Well, that was a different story altogether. Not to mention, there was no telling how they would react to his…different…appearance. Ruto, sensing his nerves, came over to him.

"Hey, what's wrong, baby?"

"Oh…nothing. I'm just a bit… apprehensive, that's all. I mean…we have to go invite everyone at some point...but, I-I just don't know how…those two will react…to all of this."

"Come on, Link, you know them better than that. Whatever happens, I know the queen will stand by you. Malon as well…I think." Link chuckled as he listened to Ruto's slightly failed attempt at reassuring him. She was probably right. Each clasping the other's hand, and both shrouded in a spell which allowed them to stay out of water, they set off. They spent the day visiting many places. Their first stop was Kokiri village. Of course, the Kokiri couldn't leave their forest, but the village itself, being Link's old home, was, in their opinion, the perfect venue. They had a polite conversation with a very confused Mido, then left in a surprising hurry. Darunia was slightly taken aback by Link's sudden change of appearance, but was happy for the two of them.

Then, of course, it was time to visit Hyrule castle. Upon reaching the gate, the same guard from the week before (who, if you remember, was a total arse to the dirty, quiet, possibly vagrant Link. Oh the joys of supporting left wing politics. LABOUR PARTY FOREVER!), they were, owing to the presence of a princess, promptly let through (Again, those kinds of people are TOTAL FUCKING GITS WITH NO SOULS. And again, oh the joys of being left wing). They made their way slowly up to the main tower room, and Ruto, noticing Link was shaking, squeezed his hand, tightly. He smiled in response, and knocked tentatively on the heavy oak door. Almost immediately, a latch slid open, and the door quickly followed. Zelda was barefoot, and her hair was a mess. Judging by the tear stains on her cheeks, she'd been crying a lot, and recently at that. Nevertheless, as the door swung open, there was a wide smile on her face. A smile that promptly turned to a confused expression as she saw the two Zoras standing at the door to her quarters. She'd opened the door so eagerly because she'd sensed Link, and yet the only two people there were Ruto and a stranger she'd never seen before. Or, had she?

"Wait, is that…is that you, Link?" Without a word, Link nodded, curtly, and smiled that familiar half smile at her. The one he used to say that everything would be alright. Zelda's face lit up as he did so, illuminating the beauty that Link had already become so oblivious to. She gave him a loose hug, realising that something had to be going on between him and Ruto, then sat down, invited the two to do the same, and asked, simply: "What the hell happened to you, Link?"

"It's, uh…It's a long story" He and Ruto replied, as one.

And so, the two were forced to recount the whole, bloody tale. Something the both of them had been deliberately avoiding. This time, it was Zelda's turn to stay quiet. She listened with great attention, hanging on to every word, with a mixture of horror, disgust, surprise, happiness, sadness, rage, respect and many, many other emotions flashing across her face. After they finished, Zelda asked simply whether or not there was anything going on between the two Zoras. That was when Link announced the engagement, and asked whether Zelda was free on the day of the wedding. She paused, and then said, happily

"Of course! Congratulations you two. I always thought you made the perfect couple!"

"Uh…th-thanks, I…guess." Replied Link, taken aback. And so, the two left the castle feeling uplifted. They booked a hotel room for the night, sleept in separate beds (it was the custom of many traditional Zora families to do this until after getting married), and set off for Lon Lon Ranch first thing in the morning. Something Link had been dreading. He remembered the way Malon had reacted upon seeing him again. Contrary to how she was in his adult timeline, she'd grown up to be a very outgoing, and frankly rather sexual young lady. Some would call her a slut, but Link preferred to think of her as "forward in her desires".

So, as you can imagine, by the time they'd reached the gate, they were both extremely anxious, and apprehensive. Slowly, they walked up the steady incline. Cautiously, they knocked on the door to the stable, Link having guessed that that was where she most likely was at this time of day. Even though he'd always known she harboured feelings for him, he could never hope to return them. Hearing no answer, Link pushed the door open, and walked inside. Malon was apparently sleeping peacefully on a straw bale, with a horse trying to eat it while she snored. Gently, he shook her awake. As she opened her eyes, she yawned, then stared at the face directly in front of her own, paused, then yelped and leapt backwards. Shuddering like a spasmodic donkey, (this term is used entirely figuratively. If she actually started shuddering like a spasmodic donkey, she'd most likely dislocate several joints, and bruise her cheeks just from sheer flapping), she hauled herself up and grabbed a pitchfork from the wall, brandishing it at the two "strangers" who had woken her up. Upon closer examination, however, she realised they meant no harm, and seconds later realised who Link, at least, was. And, just like that, her attitude changed completely. She dropped the weapon, and relaxed a little, while at the same time, her eyes blazed mischievously. After a while, she asked

"Well, Link, would you care to tell me just what the hell happened to you? I'm just dying to know." At the sound of the D-Word, Link flinched a little, but eventually managed to recount the whole, sorry tale yet again, With Malon rubbing uncomfortably close to his leg. He could tell she was making an advance, but before he could object, or even speak for that matter, an angular, silver-blue fist had smashed into her face, sending her flying across the room. Although having very clearly dislocated her jaw, Ruto still leapt onto Malon, apparently trying to kill her and eventually had to be pulled off her by Link.

"KEEP YOUR SLUTTY LITTLE HANDS OFF MY FIANCE, YOU SLIMY BITCH!" she yelled, enraged, before storming out of the stable. Link threw an apologetic glance at her, which he assumed had been accepted, tossed her a bottle of blue potion, then ran after his fuming fiancé.

They spent the rest of the day in relative silence, and Chain very wisely decided not to break it. For the past few days, he'd done nothing but work, and so, he was understandably uncomfortable to have to spend his free time sitting in total silence with his brother and Very nearly sister in law. Finally, Link managed to break it. Very slowly, and incredibly tentatively, he spoke up.

"You…uh…I uh-I think that…what you did today…to-to Malon, was…uh…unnecessarily violent. I appreciate it, I really do, but there was… what I'm trying to say is-"

"That I went overboard? Because I'm fully aware that I went too far." There was a forlorn look on her face, the first look it had borne other than anger for several hours. "I'm really sorry, Link. I know She's one of your oldest friends," there were tears welling up in her eyes now, " but I just took one look at her and lost control. The thought of you with anyone else is just too much to bear!" She burst out crying, tears streaming from her amethyst eyes, and threw herself at her fiancé. Startled, he pulled her close, and whispered something barely audible in her ear. He took her by the shoulders, looked into her eyes, and smiled that all too familiar half smile at her.

"There's nothing for you to worry about. It's her fault for being such an asinine C**t in the first plac-...Oh, shit, n-now I've gone...too far. Heh."

Chain, who'd been watching the whole thing from a desk in the corner he'd been using for paperwork (And drawing. As things turned out, he was a pretty decent artist.), simply sat there, completely stunned at the scene he'd just watched unfold before his eyes. So that was what love truly was. A force that can change a person, and create a bond more powerful than that between a mother and her child. He watched them, fondly, placed a few final lines on a drawing he'd been working on, and felt a pang of jealousy in his chest. For the past week, he'd watched the two Zoras, and now, with their happiest day drawing near,he would have liked nothing more than to have someone so close as Ruto was to his twin. Before he let himself get carried away by his own desires, however, he warped away. There was someone out west he'd been just dying to meet.

PHEW! That was a long one. First things first, sorry for not uploading for a month! (Please don't Lynch me. Please. I like my neck not tied to a tree). As for plot development, I wasn't really sure which direction to go in, but I'm happy with the end result. There are a few reasons why This took a while. The first is schoolwork, and a lot of it. It's taken up a good deal of my time, as I'm nearing my exams. The second is the fact that about halfway through I hit a metaphorical wall which took weeks to break down. The third, however, is the sheer lack of reviews, be they positive or negative! I need criticism to improve my shoddily cobbled-together work. The more reviews, the better, so please, if you have the time or energy, leave your opinion on the story.

As for the character development, well, I haven't really done much. This owes to the sheer amount of dead ends that I hit while writing. I'm very pleased with the little fight scene I put in. I hope that provides a little insight into the future characters of Ruto and Malon. I'm rather apprehensive about Ganondorfs rather premature cameo, but his significance will become clear in a few chapters. As for Chain's character, I'm really at a crossroads. Now that we're getting to know him, he needs to be developed. I have a vague idea of what he will ultimately be like, but I'm still rather interested as to what my mind will decide.

Now, this chapter sees the first of what will be many instances of censorship. Normally, profanity and adult themes will remain untouched, however there are some terms I feel genuinely uncomfortable using. They are: Cunt, Nigger, Whore and Mong (as in down's syndrome). All four of these word, if I feel the need to use them, will be censored. No exceptions.

And that concludes the customary ending author's note. I look forward to seeing you in chapter four!

P.S. Keep guessing that other mask!