CHAPTER 5

It's been over a week and a half since the night in the graveyard, and I still haven't heard from Dark. I've been trying not to think too much about that, just for my own sake, but it still bothers me. Shouldn't he have shown up by now?

I mean, for all I know, he's here right now, lurking in the shadows of my office and watching me while I sit here and try to work. No, that's unlikely. He couldn't even stay quiet for an hour when he was in my motel room that night. It doesn't seem possible that he could follow me around for over a week and not say something, especially after Vael brought the Lens and the bracelet back yesterday.

But if he's not here, then where is he?

I shake my head. I have more important things to focus on than my supposed shadow, and if he truly is my shadow, then he's aware of that.

Once I can make myself stop thinking about Dark, it takes no time at all to get lost in my work. It's a little after lunchtime when I ease the heavy volume I've been copying from closed and flip my notebook shut. There; I've finished copying everything I need, so I can finally take this book back down to the archives.

I may as well do that now, even if just to get it off of my desk. I slide the book in my bag and my bag over my shoulder, lock my door behind me, and head downstairs. The historical studies building is busy this time of day, especially down on the ground floor, full of students attending lectures or demonstrations, instructors leading classes, researchers working in labs or their offices...

I head to the archives down in the basement and spend several minutes filling out all of the paperwork to return the book properly. Now that I've taken care of that, it's after lunch, and I'm hungry.

I get halfway to the student union before I hear someone calling my name. Is that Ralph?

It is Ralph. He waves me over to him. Now that I can get a good look at him, he looks more frazzled than he usually does.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

He gives me a small grin, more relieved than happy. "Not really, but... Do you have a few minutes? I could really use a hand."

"What kind of a hand?"

"Boss-man wants me to grab some snacks for the meeting this afternoon. Would you mind helping me carry some of it?"

"What meeting? I didn't know there was a meeting today." Did I forget?

"Huh? Oh, right!" Ralph waves a hand at me. "It's not one of ours. All Boss-man told me was that it's a very important meeting that he needs to focus on, so I need to go get the food for him and then set up the projector and the snack table. Can you give me a hand carrying stuff?"

"Sure, I can help. Where are we going?"

"Just over to University, that's all. It's not that far, but still, I didn't really want to have it carry it all myself. It's a lot to balance."

I can believe that. I'm not sure exactly what he's getting, but takeout containers are really not meant to be carried in numbers. "How long do we have before the meeting starts?"

He checks his watch. "About an hour; we've got plenty of time."

We make our way across campus, past the museums and Old Main, and head through the west gate to University Avenue. It's busy, naturally. It's just after lunchtime, which means that the restaurants and taverns lining the other side of the street are all filled with students and researchers. I check the menus as we walk past. I can't decide if I want to come back over here or just hit the Union once I finish helping Ralph.

"It seems like all he does lately is have meetings or go to meetings, just one meeting after another," Ralph mutters. "I don't even know who half of these people are, but I'm always the one who gets drafted to make sure everything gets set up just right."

"Do you know why he's having so many meetings?"

"I dunno. He doesn't tell me much. I do all the work, and he gets all the credit. Just like always." He rolls his eyes and scoffs. "I did overhear him talking to someone about some artifact, but I was kinda busy at the time and didn't get to listen to much. For what it's worth, he hasn't asked me to clear anything out or move anything around."

That doesn't really tell me much. "That's all you know?"

"Whenever he finally bothers to fill me in, I'll be glad to share."

My guess is that at least some of these meetings are about the artifacts and documents from the Royal Archives Vault. We still haven't gotten those yet, and I'm not really sure what's behind the delay. Chambers hasn't mentioned much about it other than that we'll be receiving the shipment soon.

I've been too busy with other things to worry about it much. If Chambers wants my opinion on the situation, he'll ask for it, though I doubt that's ever going to happen.

"You know, it must be nice to be the one in charge," Ralph says after a moment. "Just kick back in your big, comfy chair and tell everyone else to do your work for you. Then just wait and rake in all the glorious credit."

"I'm not sure it's quite that simple," I reply with a laugh.

"Yeah, well, my uncle makes it seem simple," he says as he opens the door to the sandwich shop. It smells wonderful in here, like fresh-baked bread and cookies. The shop is as busy as everywhere else along the street, but the line's moving quickly.

And I get an idea. "Ralph, you ordered ahead of time, right?"

"Yeah, Boss-man called it in a couple of days ago; I'm just here to pick it up. Why?"

"Do you have a couple of minutes? I haven't had lunch yet."

"Huh? Oh, sure." He grins. "Go ahead and grab yourself something. We're a few minutes early, anyway."

Perfect. I hop in line and order a sandwich. I don't remember Vael coming by my office, so he probably worked through lunch, too. I should get something for him, too, I think. I get us both lunch, as well as a couple of cookies because they smell so good, and then I pack everything plus a couple of bottled drinks in my bag so my hands will be free.

By the time I finish, Ralph has his order paid for and ready to go. There's more to it than I was expecting - two gallon jugs, two sandwich trays, and a large paper bag.

"Your uncle expected you to carry all of that by yourself?"

"Now you see why I asked for a hand," Ralph says. "Since you're helping, I'll let you pick what you want to carry."

The two jugs are clearly straight out of a refrigerator. Neither one of us will be able to carry them all the way back to the building without swapping back and forth or setting them down to warm our hands up or something... and that's going to waste a lot of time.

Wait, my riding gloves are in my bag; I dig them out and pull them on. "I can carry the jugs if you can get the rest."

"Hey, works for me."

We don't really talk on the way back to the historical studies building. Ralph mutters to himself the whole way; the pieces I can pick out sound like a checklist of everything he needs to get done before the meeting starts. It's a long checklist.

We're almost to the door when I hear "Historian Masters!" The voice is familiar, but I can't quite place it, so I stop and turn towards the sound.

Dark jogs up to us with a broad grin on his face. "Hey, there you are!" He pulls a large manila envelope out of his padded pictobox case and holds it out towards me. "Here are those pictographs you asked for. Sorry it took so long to get these to you."

Pictographs? What is he talking about? "Oh, uh, right." I set the jugs onto the sidewalk so I can take the envelope from him. It isn't labeled. "I'm a little busy at the moment, so I'll get back to you about these later." I don't know how I'm supposed to do that, honestly, but I'm not about to discuss any of this in front of Ralph.

"Works for me. I just wanted to get these to you. I hope they're helpful." He gives me a little wave and jogs away.

What is he talking about? Does this have something to do with that proof he said he could get me? I slide the envelope into my bag, trying to keep it from bending. It isn't easy; my bag's pretty full.

"Oooh, pictographs," Ralph says with a laugh. "Are these the incriminating kind?"

"No, they're not." At least, I hope they aren't. Considering the source, however, there's a good chance that they're the embarrassing kind. I shake my head and pick the jugs up again. One more reason to not discuss this here and now. "I was just having a few pictographs touched up."

"Aw, is that all? Guess I should've figured. You're too nice to take advantage of incriminating or embarrassing pictos, anyway." He works the door open and we head inside.

He's giving me a little too much credit. I've had several roommates, after all. "Are you saying that you're not?"

"I'm saying that it depends on exactly who and what the pictos show. Some things are just too tempting to resist." He leads me to one of the conference rooms on the third floor and unlocks the door. "Here we are. You can just set those on the table in the back. Thanks, Link. I really appreciate your help."

"Do you need anything else?"

He looks almost like he wants to say something, but then he shakes his head. "Thanks, but I can handle things from here. Catch you later. Oh, and enjoy your lunch."

"Thanks. See you around, Ralph." I start towards my office, remember what I have in my bag, and then change direction towards Vael's office.

Dark couldn't have known that I'd be helping Ralph just then, so he had no way to know that I'd be outside the building just now. Did he just happen to see me on his way past, or was he coming to deliver the envelope in person? If Ralph hadn't been with me, would he have said anything else, or would he still have just handed me the envelope and left?

He was probably on his way to or from class and just happened to see me. For all I know, he planned on sliding the envelope under my office door or something; even if he doesn't know where my office is, it's not like it'd be hard to find it considering all of our offices have little nameplates by the doors.

I'm letting myself get distracted by details. What's important here isn't how he planned to get them to me; what's important is these pictographs, whoever or whatever they show. And they can wait a few minutes, because I want lunch first.

I knock on Vael's door.

"You may enter."

As I open the door, Vael looks up from the incredibly complicated diagram on his desk and reaches for his glasses. "Hello, Link. Do you need something?" He sounds as tired as he looks.

"Hey, Vael. Have you had lunch yet?"

"No, I haven't. Is it midday already?"

Worked through lunch, just like I thought. Not that I really have room to talk "It's almost two. I just back from picking up food; I got you a sandwich if you want it."

He rubs his eyes before sliding his glasses on. "You did? Thank you, Link."

"Do you want me to bring it to you, or...?"

"I think I'd rather get away from my desk for a bit, if that's all right with you."

"Sure." We go back to my office and make ourselves as comfortable as we can at my desk. While I get our food out of my bag, I also set the envelope where it can lay flat.

Vael waves a hand towards the envelope. "What is that?"

I should come up with some plausible-sounding excuse, but it doesn't feel right to lie to him about this. I've been keeping too much secret lately. "It's from my mysterious stranger. He says it has pictographs in it, but he didn't tell me what they show."

He scowls. "When did he give this to you?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I was helping Ralph carry some stuff, and he just walked up and handed it to me like I knew what it was."

"So he's willing to show his face in front of Ralph... This means he can pass for a student..." Vael murmurs to himself.

"I thought I told you that he's a student." Did I forget? No, I'm sure I mentioned it. I start eating my sandwich.

He sets his bottle on the desk and picks up the envelope, scanning the outside of it. "That also means you haven't had the chance to look through these yet. You don't know anything about them. Assuming these truly are pictographs, they could show anything."

"I know." For all I know, it's a pictograph of the two of us in that motel bed or pictographic evidence we were in the old graveyard. I really don't want Vael to see either of those, especially the former.

Vael holds the envelope out to me. "Regardless, it's your envelope to open when and where you see fit. I admit I'm curious, but I also acknowledge that it isn't my business."

I take the envelope and stare down at it. At least he's understanding. Should I open this now, or should I wait until Vael leaves? I don't know.

I take a deep breath, open the envelope, and peer inside. Inside is a stack of pictographs, probably a dozen or so. I slide them out, careful to keep them facing away from Vael.

The top pictograph shows an old, crumbling ruin with mountains in the distance. The next several show interior shots, presumably of the same ruin. Those are followed by three different views of an ancient-looking monument shaped like a sword, followed in turn by a close-up. Nothing is immediately recognizable, but I can look them over in more detail later. I set each one on my desk when I finish looking at it.

The last two pictographs are taped together. The one on top is of Dark, shirtless, sitting on the floor behind a low table. It looks like he took the pictograph on a whim while working on something; I can just make out the edges of several papers on the tabletop. The only things he's wearing in the pictograph are his choker and a broad grin. I'm not even sure he's wearing pants, but the table is covering him up, at least.

There's a battered old couch just behind him with his jacket draped over it. Something large and metal gleams from where it sits against one armrest; I think it's a shield. The hilt of a sword rises from over the armrest, like a sword is propped against the side of the couch. Does he just happen to keep those there, or are they in the pictograph deliberately? They look like they're just resting where he put them, not like they're posed, but...

It's a weirdly normal picto, all things considered. But there's another one taped to it that I can't see without pulling the two apart, and it's probably best that I do that later, when I'm alone. I have a feeling that it's the kind of picto I really don't want anyone else seeing.

"You've been staring at that one for a while now," Vael says. When I look up, he's looking over a couple of the other pictographs.

I look down at the pictograph in my hand and sigh. Vael does want to be introduced at some point, even though I don't know if I should. Then again, considering Dark's apparently content to show up when I'm with someone, it's only a matter of time before he pops up when Vael's with me...

I hold the picto out to him. "Here. You want to know what my mysterious stranger looks like."

He raises an eyebrow at the pictograph. "So this is the man responsible for all of this. Interesting. Somehow, I expected someone..." He tips his head to one side, lips curled in a faint scowl. "I'm not quite sure how to phrase it, but I expected your mysterious stranger to be more mysterious, not just some random student. I suppose I expected someone older."

Vael flicks the picto onto my desk. "I wonder: did this make it into the envelope by accident, or did he mean to give you this? All of the other pictos show some ruin."

I don't think he spent enough time looking at the pictograph to notice the resemblance, especially since he doesn't mention it. Vael isn't stupid; he's going to note the resemblance given enough time. How am I supposed to explain that? I'm going to have to figure that out before they meet face-to-face, because if I don't explain it, Dark will.

I put Dark's pictograph back in the envelope and go back to my lunch. Time to change the subject. "The ruin is the important part."

"Oh?"

"He said he was going to bring me proof. I'm assuming that these pictographs are supposed to show his evidence."

Vael raises an eyebrow at me. "Proof of what, precisely?"

That I'm somehow the hero reincarnated, not that I'm willing to admit that. "Proof that he knows as much as he claims to know."

"Ah, yes, those claims you're not comfortable divulging yet." He takes another bite of his sandwich and looks down at the pictographs again. "I'm impressed with the quality of these. He seems to understand you need to make out the details."

"You sound surprised."

"I am. I don't know what to think of this stranger of yours, Link. He clearly has the means to acquire magical devices, and whatever this monument is looks realistic. He seems to be a student, but when does a university student find the time to prowl ruins and locate old magical devices? It's unlikely he does this as part of his coursework unless he is more thief than student, and I've found no record of anything like your bracelet and Lens being found or lost.

"And yet this all seems far too elaborate to be a hoax."

"I don't think it's a hoax." How can I after everything that's happened? So much of this really only makes sense if I accept that Dark is my shadow and that he's somehow connected to Ganon's Slayer. I don't have any siblings; neither of my cousins looks that much like me. How can he be my dark twin unless he is my shadow?

Vael adjusts his glasses and sighs. "I trust you have your reasons for believing that, even if you aren't yet willing to reveal them."

"Yes, I do. I just... I wanted proof. I'm not sure these pictographs are proof of anything other than the fact that he's good at pictography." Dark carries his pictobox around a lot. Does he study pictography?

Vael picks up one of the pictographs and looks at the back of it. "Something is written on this."

"Really?" I grab another one and flip it over. He's right. There's a large row of handwritten words running across the top half of the back. It's not modern Hyrulean. It's an older form, the same language I used to test him at the motel. Is this his idea of a joke, or is he doing this to be secretive?

"As if he knew you wouldn't be the only one looking at these pictographs..." Vael muses. "Rather knowledgeable about your skills, isn't he?"

"We've talked a couple of times, Vael. He knows what I do. He's interested in history, too."

"So I have gathered. That still doesn't explain him being capable of writing you notes in a language that only a few people still speak. I'm familiar with how this works, Link. This isn't Ceremonial Hyrulean; this is one of those old tongues that are really only of interest to historians and linguists." He scowls at me. "There is something here that you're not telling me."

Yes, there is, but there are reasons I'm not telling him. I take a long drink of my soda to buy some time to think.

He shakes his head. "No, I already know what you're going to say. You're waiting until you get more confirmation before you share the details with me." Vael sounds frustrated.

"Right. I don't mean to bother you with as much as I have, but you're the only one I can ask. Some of his claims are really out there, even the ones that do make sense."

"No need to apologize. Your questions have been rather interesting."

"I am going to explain all of this to you, I promise. Once I know I can trust his explanations, then I'll fill you in."

"That's really all I can ask for, isn't it? Just please be careful, Link. I don't want you to get into something you can't handle."

"I'm being careful." That feels like a lie. What part of this has been me being careful?

He checks his watch. "I should probably get back to work. Thank you for lunch."

"You're welcome. See you later. Don't work too hard."

He chuckles and gives me a wry smile. "I could say the same to you. I'll see you later."

I lean back in my chair and stare down at the pictographs. What is all of this? I slide the taped-together pictographs out of the envelope and look at the exposed back. There's no note. All of the pictos of the ruins are labeled, but this one isn't.

I sigh and carefully cut the tape, pulling the two pictographs apart. The hidden one shows Dark naked and sprawled out on a bed. He isn't smiling, for once, but I don't really notice anything else because he's naked.

I snap my gaze away from the naked pictograph and shove both pictos of him back into the envelope. I knew it! He put this in here specifically to embarrass me, because apparently the night in the motel wasn't enough for him. I don't know why he seems to enjoy this so much, but I do know I don't appreciate this. My cheeks are burning. I want to crawl under my desk for a while.

The first thing I'm doing when I get back to my apartment is to take the two pictos of Dark out of the envelope and... I don't know. Hide them. Burn them. Do something to ensure no one else finds them.

In the meantime, I don't feel quite as embarrassed now, so I turn my attention to the rest of the pictographs. They're all of some old structure, one I don't recognize. I pick up one of the shots showing the strange sword-shaped monument for a better look. On second thought, I don't think it's a monument, actually. It looks less like carved stone and more like an actual sword driven into a piece of rock, an old sword covered in ages of rust, debris, and corrosion.

I get my magnifying glass out. Something about the placement of the sword nags at me. It's straight up-and-down as best as I can tell, blade towards the floor and hilt pointing at the ceiling. There's something deliberate about it, like it was intended to look like a monument, but...

The sword doesn't look like a normal sword. Granted, I'm not that knowledgeable about old weaponry, but there's something about this sword that seems... special, in a way. I pull out some paper and a pencil and sketch the shape of the blade.

Once finished, I set my pencil down and examine the sketch. The sword looks simple yet elegant. A large diamond-shaped gem marks where the blade meets the hilt. The crossguard is shaped almost like wings. The blade is long and sharpened along both edges, but I'm not sure exactly how long it is because of the rock. The hilt looks like it's meant for a one-handed blade; it's a simple hilt, one that's clearly more for function than form. Even so, there's an elegance to the whole weapon, so is this an actual sword or just a ceremonial one?

I shouldn't be able to make out some of these details. I can't see them on the pictograph, so I don't really know they're there. Most of the details, if not all of them, are obscured by dust and corrosion and age. Then why did I draw them? What makes me so sure that they're there?

Why is this so familiar?

I flip the pictograph over so I can read the inscription. 'The Master Sword sleeps in the Great Palace.'

Master Sword? Great Palace?

I see a pedestal in the woods, in a crumbling ruin, in a hidden room in a massive temple, in a room ringed with tall statues and stained glass windows, in a secret room inside an enormous statue. A sword waits there, blade thrust into the pedestal, dull and sleeping and marked by time and so very, very old.

This is just my imagination running wild because of a couple of pictographs. It's a monument shaped like a sword, or maybe it's an old weapon left there from an ancient battle. That's all it is.

No, that's not all it is. The sword is an actual sword, and it was put there for a reason. But that doesn't make sense. Who would put a sword in a pedestal, and why?

I already know the answer. The hero put it there so it could sleep. The hero always finds his sacred blade in an ancient place and pulls it forth from a pedestal. He's the only one who can draw it, so by thrusting the blade into a stone pedestal, he puts the sword in a safe place. Only the next hero can retrieve it.

A simple sword meant for combat. An elegant sword holding sacred power. It has to be the Hero's Blade. There's nothing else it could be. It's intact and it's real and -

- Dark knows where it is.

My heart feels like it's pounding in my chest. He keeps talking about getting me all the proof I need. Would he take me to the Great Palace if I asked him? Because I want to see that sword with my own eyes.

No, I don't want; I need. I don't know why, but I need to see that sword. I need to run my fingers down that corroded blade and wrap my hand around that dusty and aged hilt. I need to take it from that old ruin and keep it close, keep it ready, keep it safe...

xXx

Of course he isn't waiting for me when I leave for the day. Now that I need to talk to him, Dark's nowhere to be found. I spend a few minutes lingering around the square to see if I notice him or he notices me, but he isn't here.

Okay, let me think. If I remember right, Dark has the same parking decal that I do, which means he has a garage parking permit. That rules out all of the surface lots. The south parking garage is the only one with designated motorcycle parking, so...

So I still have an entire row in a parking garage to check. There are at least two dozen motorcycles still in the garage when I check, but none of them are his.

He's not here. What am I expecting? It's late afternoon; he probably left hours ago.

I sigh heavily and climb into Epona. I don't know where he lives. I don't have a telephone number or any other kind of contact information. That means all I can really do is wait for him to show up, but I don't want to wait. I want to know where that sword is.

A car drives past on its way out of the garage; I catch a flash of it in my mirrors. There's nothing to be gained by just sitting here, and yet I can't make myself start my bike. I sit back in the saddle and stare out at the road, watching the cars pass.

Maybe if I wait just a little longer, I'll see him.

I hear several vehicles moving through the garage. Some pull out and head for the exit. Others pull in and park.

"Waiting for someone?"

I turn towards the voice and - someone is standing right beside me. I jerk away and almost fall off of my bike.

Dark laughs.

"That isn't funny." I tighten my hands around the handlebars and try to catch my breath.

"Huh. I think it is."

"You're the one doing it, so you don't count!"

He sits on his own bike, parked next to mine, and doesn't say anything while I calm down. I didn't even hear him pull in and park. Am I that distracted? Or is he just that stealthy?

After a few minutes, I feel better. I lean back in the saddle again and let go of the handlebars.

"Rupee for your thoughts?"

"Did you take those pictographs?"

"The ones I gave you?" He grins broadly. "Well, yeah, I did. Didn't I tell you that I've seen what you call the Hero's Blade? I think they came out damned nice, too."

I look down at my tank bag. "Where is this Great Palace? The legends mention it, but there's never been any proof it existed."

"Exactly. We didn't want anyone else finding the place, so we never told anyone where it was. Someone in the castle knew then and might know now, but basically, it's a secret to everybody but me." He shrugs. "It's hard to get to. It's deep in the mountains of Eastern Hyrule, at the far end of the Valley of Death, and the only entrance to the Valley of Death is in an old graveyard near Old Kasuto. And who even remembers that there ever was an Old Kasuto?"

That's a long drive and a very ominous name. Why is it so hidden? The legends say it was hidden because it was the secret home of the Triforce of Courage, so is that why? To keep it safe? That does make sense... As for Old Kasuto, Vael's from New Kasuto; there's never a new without an old, so there logically had to be an Old Kasuto or a Kasuto that existed at some point.

There's something familiar about the name though, like there's something important about it that I just can't quite remember. I shake my head. No, it's probably just because of Vael.

I have to ask, "Would you show me the way to the Great Palace?"

"If you want to go, sure. I can get you there. We could go now, even."

I look over at him and slump in the saddle. "I can't just run off, Dark."

"Okay, and if I give you time to prepare, are you going to talk yourself out of it?"

"Do you really think I'm going to do that?"

He shrugs. "You might. It's going to be a long trip and we're going to have to deal with a bunch of monsters. It'll be like the graveyard, only worse. You sure you can handle that?"

"If I can see the Hero's Blade, I can handle a lot." I don't know if I can, but I have to try. I have to go there and see the sword. I know I do.

He climbs off his bike and takes a couple of steps towards me, leaning in and staring into my eyes. His eyes look normal in this light.

"What now?" I have to fight the urge to pull away.

"Don't mind me; just checking something." He leans back and grins at me. "You mean that, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I'm taking this seriously, even if you're not."

"Oh, but I am. I know exactly how serious this is, probably even better than you do. You need to see the sword. I'm the only one who can get you there. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. This isn't a simple trek, and this isn't a simple sword."

I give him a flat, unimpressed look. I don't need to be told that! "It's the Hero's Blade. I know that."

"Yes, it is. And it's more than that, too. The legends leave a lot of things out, Link. A lot of things. The hero's sword is heavy with the weight of heroes and legends and destiny. Evil can't touch it. Only the hero can wield it. That kind of thing."

"I know that."

"And you still want to see it."

"You don't understand, Dark. This isn't a matter of wanting. I need to see it, more than I've ever needed anything before."

He puts a hand on my shoulder. "I understand, Link. Again, I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

He's right. If I can draw that sword from its pedestal, then it's undeniable proof that I really am the hero. If the hero of legend has returned, it's because Hyrule needs its hero again. If Hyrule needs a hero...

I stare out at the street. "Does this mean Hyrule is in danger?"

He sighs heavily and looks away. "Well... every time the hero is reborn, it's because Hyrule will need you, whether you're up to the task or not. I can say for certain that the Master Sword is still sleeping. If it hasn't woken up yet, then whatever evil you're here to face isn't much of a threat yet either."

"So I won't set some beast free by drawing the sword?"

"What? No, no. The sword isn't sealing anything. It's just there to sleep. It was your idea, even. Well, not you. The Link before you, the one you call Ganon's Slayer. It's not the first time you and I have hidden the sword for the next hero."

Hang on. Did I hear that right? "Did you just say 'the Link before'?"

"Yes, I did." Dark grins at me again. "It's one of those funny little things. Your name never changes, and yet no one can ever manage to remember that their hero's name is Link."

Is that right? It's almost stupid, and yet when he says it, it sounds so plausible.

"Anyway, we're not talking about your name. We're talking about your sword."

"It's not my sword, Dark." I can't think about it that way. "It's a sacred historical artifact."

"Tch, whatever. It's your sacred historical artifact. I hope you don't think we're going all the way out there and back just so you can put it in a museum somewhere."

I don't answer him. The Hero's Blade belongs to Hyrule; it deserves to be on display in a position of honor. I've always believed that. But now, after seeing those pictographs, I have this powerful urge to find it and keep it safe. I need that sword close to me.

"This doesn't make sense," I say.

"Yeah, well, some things just aren't meant to make sense." He rubs my shoulder. "We've got time, if that helps. There's no great evil rampaging across Hyrule, so there's no need for the hero just yet. If you want to let your sword keep sleeping... it's your decision."

"I want it to sleep as long as it can, but I still need to see it." Why am I fixating on this so much? There's still the possibility that I'm not the hero. I don't even know if I can draw the sword, and yet I'm assuming I can and planning accordingly. I'm rushing things, aren't I? So why can't I make myself slow down?

"Well, yeah, I figured that. So then," he says with a laugh, "how soon can you get away?"

xXx

I stare at the door to Chambers' office. Why am I so nervous? Is it because I don't know what the answer is? That shouldn't matter. This is a perfectly reasonable request. I have time saved up that I can use, and I don't have to tell him why I want the break. The worst outcome is that he says he needs me around for now.

Maybe that's why. If I don't get time off, then I can't go to the Great Palace. And if I can't go to the Great Palace...

I take a deep breath to steady myself and knock on the door.

"Come in," Chambers says from inside the room.

I ease the door open and step inside. "Do you have a moment, sir?"

Chambers looks from the mass of paperwork on his desk and peers at me over his glasses. "Of course I do, my hero. Is something the matter?"

"I'd like to use my vacation time."

"Ah. This seems rather sudden. Did something happen?"

"I'm all right, sir. I know it's kind of sudden, especially since we'll be getting those artifacts and documents soon, but I..." Think, Link, think! "I think I need a break."

"That's perfectly understandable. You've been working very hard lately, and once that shipment arrives, we're all going to be quite busy. When do you want to take your vacation?"

"As soon as possible."

He flips open the large planner on the side of his desk. "Let me see..." he muses aloud. "The storage facilities should be fully prepared by then, so I should be able to make the final arrangement for the shipment then..." He smiles beneath his bushy mustache and nods at his planner. "Yes, this is the perfect time. You can take your vacation and come back renewed and refreshed and ready to begin work on our newly-acquired documents."

He looks up at me, clearly pleased with himself. "How does next week sound?"

That's a lot sooner than I expected. "Uh, yes, that sounds fine, sir."

"Good, good." He writes something down in his planner and then draws a line all the way across it. "Then your vacation is next week. I hope you enjoy your rest and return to us ready to jump into the Archives."

He seems really eager to see me take a week off. Is it just that the timing is so convenient? Does he want to be sure that we're all prepared for the extra work that the shipment from the Archives Vault is going to require? "Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it, my hero. Rest well while you have the chance."

"Right. I'll do what I can, sir." I don't think I'm going to get much rest, honestly.

"Good to hear. Do you need anything else?"

"No, sir, I don't. Thank you again."

I'm not going to complain that I have next week off, I think as I walk back to my office. Sooner is definitely better than later, and yet... something about this just seems too convenient. No, I'm not going to question it. Chambers has his reasons, and I've got more important things to worry about than the timing of this.

I should load Epona tonight. That way, I'll be ready to go when I get off tomorrow. I need to get more arrows. Dark mentioned monsters, so I should assume I'll need plenty. Where are the monsters - in the Valley, in the Palace, or both? I don't really like the thought of fighting inside an old, crumbling ruin. Maybe the monsters are all outside, out where I can pick them off with arrows if I must.

And I don't have a way to get in touch with Dark. I sigh and fall back into my chair. I keep forgetting to ask for his name and contact information. How do I keep forgetting to get those? Because he keeps distracting me with other things, I think darkly. He knows me too well. It's eerie how well he knows me.

I check my watch: almost two. I shake my head; I've been so distracted by asking for my vacation that I missed lunch again. I should go get something from the union, or maybe even University - walking will help clear my head.

Has Vael had lunch? I walk over to his office. There's a sheet of paper taped to the door; he's over in the magical studies complex using one of their warded rooms. So much for that idea, then.

But that's all right. To be honest with myself, I'm hoping I'll run into Dark somewhere along the way. I'm aware that Vael wants to be introduced, but I'm really not comfortable introducing the two of them until I have a cover story for Dark at the very that I have any idea what kind of cover story I can come up with that explains both him being a stranger when we met and him looking so much like me. Vael's going to notice; he's going to call me on any little inconsistencies in my story...

I reach up and massage my temples. That has to be paranoia talking. Why do I keep rushing straight to the worst conclusion? I'll figure this out later. Hopefully, nothing will happen to force my hand on this.

I think I'm going over to University Avenue for lunch. There's more privacy there than in the student union building.

As I walk past the museum, I hear a shutter click. It's probably nothing - a lot of people visit the museum, and all kinds of people take pictographs of the building and the nearby trees - but I stop and take a look around just the same.

Sure enough, there are several people with pictoboxes standing outside the museum. Some are clearly tourists. Others seem to be students. Oh, right. I've seen this kind of thing before. Some kind of practice thing for pictography students. Wait, is one of them...?

One of them is Dark. He's off to one side, well away from everyone else. Instead of aiming his pictobox at the historic building or the trees covered in brightly-colored flowers, he looms over a bush, lens practically touching the leaves. I watch him as he stands there for a couple of minutes, barely moving, and then finally clicks the shutter.

He straightens up with an achy sigh, peers down at the back of his pictobox, and scoffs. "Yeah, that doesn't work. Stupid bug."

I walk over. "What are you doing?"

"Failing at taking pictos of bugs." He raises his head and grins at me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting lunch. I was hoping I'd run into you at some point."

"Oh?" His grin turns into a smirk. "And why's that?"

"Because I know when I'm free, and you haven't bothered to tell me how I can contact you." I look around; no one's particularly close. "Or even your name."

"Tch, like I said, all my friends call me Dark."

"Yes, but what's your name? You know mine."

He takes a leisurely look around, still smirking. "If you really want to know... I've had a lot of names. I think I like Dark Link the best."

Why is that so familiar? "That makes you sound like an evil version of me or something."

He laughs hard at that, doubling over the bush. When he finally starts calming down, he manages to force out, "You say that every time!"

"It's not that funny, is it?"

He looks up at me with tears in his eyes. Then he starts to say something, but all that comes out is more laughing.

I groan under my breath and cross my arms. I really don't see what's so amusing about this. He's drawing a lot of attention.

It takes him a few minutes to finally stop laughing. "Sorry. I shouldn't be laughing." He wipes the tears from his eyes, still snickering. "But if you could see the look on your face, you'd laugh, too. Damn, my sides hurt."

"You deserve it." Everyone I can see is going back to their own business now that he's calming down.

"Aw, now you're just being mean. I'm being serious. Normally you phrase it more like a question, but your reaction is always that I'm your evil twin. And here I thought I'd finally done a damned good job of establishing that I'm not evil."

"Then why are you Dark Link if you're not evil?"

"Well, leaving aside the obvious, I am a shadow." Dark pulls himself off of the bush and brushes leaves off of his shirt and the lens of his pictobox.

"It sounds more like a title than a name."

"Which is why I said you could call me Dark. That's what you've always called me."

But I haven't -! "Do you have to phrase it that way?"

"What? It's true. You're the one who gave me the nickname in the first place."

"No, I didn't. One of the heroes gave it to you."

"Oh, right, now we're going to get all pedantic about it."

I give him a sharp glare. "I'm not being pedantic! I'm just being realistic! Whoever gave you that nickname isn't me. Even if I am somehow him reincarnated, I'm not him."

He sighs; his shoulders slump. "I know that, Link. Part of you never changes, but the rest of you is always different. I know. But it's always you. That's how I see it, anyway. An earlier you gave me that nickname, and we've both used it ever since."

We're not getting anywhere like this. I have the feeling that we're trying to use the same words to describe two different concepts.

"Anyway," he says, "you said something about being free?"

Right; that's only the reason I even stopped to talk to him. "I have next week off. I know it's short notice, but -"

"Hey, I was ready to go yesterday. You're the one who needs to get ready; if it's not too short for you, then it's good for me. Do you want to leave together, or should we meet up somewhere?"

"I don't know where we need to go. All you've told me is that it's in Eastern Hyrule."

He laughs. "Oh, right! Well, the closest town to where we've got to go is Waypoint, but that's a pretty long drive, especially if you want to leave from here tomorrow afternoon. It might be better to stop in Nabooru for the night."

Okay, I know where Nabooru is. It's a decently long drive, but it shouldn't be too bad. It's been a while since I've crossed the Great Bay Bridge; I don't remember how bad the traffic is. "We should probably do that. Otherwise, we'll get there before dawn. If we're going to have to deal with monsters, I'd rather do it when I can see them."

Dark nods. "You'll need the light to see, anyway. We'll be able to get through on our motorcycles, no problem, but it'll be off-road the entire way."

"Can we make it that far?" I like the idea; I won't have to figure out how to haul my gear with me if I can just leave it in the saddlebags.

"I've done it more than once. As long as we leave Waypoint with our tanks as full as possible, we'll make it back to town. Maybe I should leave earlier in the day and get us a room."

That would make it easier, but at the same time... "How are we going to find each other?"

"Shit, good point. Guess we should leave together. It works for me as long as it works for you. Just remember: it's going to be dangerous. Come armed if you come at all. And if you decide you can't go through with it..."

"Dark, I'm going. Nothing you say is going to talk me out of this."

He chuckles and gives me a broad grin. "I'll remind you that you said that."

That's certainly ominous. "You went out there to take those pictographs, didn't you? It can't be that dangerous if one person can do it himself."

He shrugs. "You're assuming that one shadow is equal to one person. I've spent a lot of time fighting, and as I think I've proven, I can be very stealthy when I want to be."

I fail to see how hiding in walls really helps in this situation. "Yes, but you know we can get through on wheels. That implies you've done it before. Your motorcycle seems to be identical to mine, and I know for a fact that it's impossible to be stealthy with Epona. Stealth has nothing to do with it."

"We're not going to be on the bikes the entire time, Link. Stealth has plenty to do with it."

"We're going to ride past monsters, aren't we? How many? What kind?"

He crosses his arms and laughs. "Of course we are. There are monsters all over the place once you get into the mountains. Let's see... some Moas, maybe a few Goriya, lots of Moblins and Lizalfos -"

"Geru," I say, though I'm not sure why I say it.

"Tch, whatever. Some floating eye things that I never bother to learn the name of - and no, they're not Moas. They're just... eyes. Last time I went, I actually saw a few Dodongos, too. Decent mix, but the biggest threat they've got is just their numbers."

"That's a big advantage." Is speed better than a numbers advantage? I don't know. Assuming decent terrain, we can get a huge speed advantage, but that assumes decent terrain.

"Having second thoughts? That's fine."

I should refuse to do this. It's dangerous, and the more he talks, the more risky this entire thing sounds. But I can't shake the image of the Hero's Blade from my mind, nor can I ignore how badly I need to see it for myself.

"You're not scaring me out of this, Dark," I say, keeping my voice low. I know where the Hero's Blade is. What is an army of monsters compared to that?