Chapter 7: Second Kill, Second Chance
I love it when you're frustrated.
Link ignored Dark's comment as he re-sheathed his Master Sword, now clean again after the blow he'd struck against Reynolds . The Triforce of Courage had darkened, but there was still the slightest smoldering to it, a healthy reassurance in all the darkness of the room, in Link.
Well that's one down. Two to go, Hero!
"You're entirely too happy about this." Link thought at his Dark half as he took a step over Reynolds's body and moved forward along the corridor. The soft glow of the moonlight was drifting like steam over the misty darkness that swirled around Link as he strode down the corridor's red silk carpet.
Dark was going on about something in his head, his voice playful and chipper, as if this whole situation was just one big game. Which Link supposed that to Dark, it probably was, making it even more apparent that Link had to detach his dark side as fast as possible.
So you killed the traitor, so now we have to find our next victim.
Link spared a moment to distract his Dark side, "Is there any particular order or reasoning to these attacks? Or did you actually know that Reynolds was a traitor?"
I knew. I know everything about everyone that ever came close to being in contact with Ganon. I was his dear servant remember?
"What I remember was you annoyingly attacking me in the Water Temple, using my own moves against me, and then killing you and hoping you'd never come back, but that didn't work out so well." Link felt a surge of rage in his heart, and knew that he'd struck a chord, a large one apparently.
That was not my choice. If that stupid king had let me do it my way, I would have won.
"I'm sure." Link paused when he reached an intersection at the end of the corridor. Link was having trouble placing himself, but he was about ninety percent sure that the right would take him up towards the more elegant rooms and the west observatory, while the left would lead towards the more mainstream center of the castle. Link prayed they were going left. There was no way that he could ever bring himself to drive that blade through Zelda's heart, he'd kill himself first before he'd ever do that.
Relax Hero, I want to be the one to extract your princess's heart from her royal chest, so no, we won't be going right.
Link let out a small sigh of relief as he felt his body turn and head towards the stairs at the end of another corridor that moved them towards the third floor, the floor below his own, and the rooms of lesser importance.
"So you never really answered my question Dark, are we killing in a particular order, or not?"
We are. But I'm not telling you.
Link waited for more, but Dark seemed to be done speaking for now. So Link pushed himself as far away from Dark's presence in his head as he could, unfortunately that meant that he lost the forward control of his body, but it also meant that he could think his own thoughts without that darkness shading them into nothing.
Link had figured something out from his first killing. When Dark had let him go he'd realized that he'd had more control then he thought, in fact, he had most of the control the entire time, he was just too shrouded by that dark pressure pounding in his brain to realize it. So Link figured that, the next time he had to kill, Dark's presence in his mind would have to lessen, even if it was only a little, in order for Link to strike the person down. And when Link felt that power lessen, he hoped, no he was certain, that the Triforce of Courage's glow would ignite the light that still dwindled within him.
Link mentally frowned. The plan that was forming in his head wasn't a good one, and it gave Dark plenty of time to regain control, probably too much, but hopefully his actions would have the desired effect on Dark's mind, clouding his for a change. Link's mental frown deepened, no, it defiantly wasn't a good plan, it wasn't even a mediocre one, but it was all he had to go on. But if it failed, Link shuddered, Link didn't want to think about that.
Hero, what are you doing in there?
Link mentally checked himself before allowing his conscious to swim back up into the darkness at the forefront of his mind. "Nothing." He thought at Dark, but he was smart enough to realize that Dark wasn't going to buy that.
I'm sure. In my experience, no one has ever done "nothing" without a reason.
"Well say hello to the first honest person you ever met then Dark." Link realized that more time then he'd thought had elapsed while he had been busy planning. They had made their way past the third floor to the second, where some servants' corridors and some rooms, like the library and the common area studies, were located. Why was Link bringing him here?
Time to take the second life Hero, hope you're ready.
"I'm never ready for murder, Dark." Link thought angrily at his other half as he moved towards the servant corridors. He turned towards the hallway where the women slept, or were supposed to sleep anyway. Link felt his heart quicken. "A defenseless woman Dark? That's low even for you."
Don't be such a goddess loving goody-goody.
"Don't be such a darkness-loving demon."
Where I come from, that's a compliment, not an insult.
Link chose not to respond to that. He moved his way up to a door on the left side of one of the small mini-corridors that made up the servants wing on the second floor. Once close to it, he felt Dark's presence die down a bit, but not enough yet. So Link knocked on the door lightly, speak softly.
"Ya? 'ho's there?" Link recognized that voice.
"It's the Hero of Time." Link's voice felt like liquid, it poured from his lips in much the same way that one might envision candlelight oil sliding down the side of a glass lantern. "I've come to improve your night."
Link heard hastened shuffling and he barely had time to lean back from the door before he felt it fling open in more speed then he imagined possible for a woman of her stature.
"Oh, 'oney! I'ew you'd come!" The woman grabbed Link by his right hand and half-yanked, half-dragged him into the room. "I just 'ew! You have no need to worry, 'oney." She leaned in to Link and Link felt the disgust swirling in his mask of a smirk, "I'm gentle."
Ha! Ha! HA! Looks like someone has an admirer.
Link ignored Dark's comment. If his plan was to work, he had to detach himself as much as possible from his dark side. I cannot dwell on him. The more I think on Dark, the stronger his hold will become. Link wasn't sure where he'd heard that, but somehow it seemed very important, almost as important as the small glow that was slithering its way up his arm as his Triforce piece welcomed the chance to rid the world of this lustful woman.
Not going to answer me Hero? That's fine, I'll let you two be alone.
Link could taste the smirk in that comment, but he ignored it. He waited as the woman continued to whisper what he was certain she thought were seductive come-ons, but his concentration was on his right hand. He could feel the darkness in his mind retreating back into the corners, and as it did, he could see the glow from his Triforce of Courage shimmering in the gloom of the servant woman's room like a light arrow in the Lost Woods. Finally, he felt the control return to his limbs, he felt himself as himself again, although he knew he probably still looked like Dark, but that was easily avoidable, there were no mirrors in here.
"What's the 'atter 'oney?" The kitchen woman leaned in, "Nervous?"
"Not at all." Link felt the Tricorce surge, and he shoved the woman onto her bed.
"Oh, my! 'Ou are forward aren't ya?"
"Not at all." Link smirked, a genuine smirk of his own choosing, and he turned quickly on his feet and rushed for the open door as fast as he could.
It didn't take long for the darkness to begin trying to pick its way back in, but Link set up a mental barrier in his mind, an attempt to hold off Dark's control as long as possible. He rushed out of the servants corridors and headed straight towards the common area rooms.
What are you doing Hero?
Link felt Dark's angry screech in his head as he propelled himself forward, each second requiring double the effort the last one had taken.
Get back there and kill that woman!
He wasn't sure how he knew. He wasn't sure why. But all he knew was that at the end of the corridor, in the largest section of the palace's library, was where Hestial was standing. And Link couldn't be sure how or why he knew, but he did know, that she was waiting for him.
