Samusaran101: Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! ^_^

XionTheBlackRose: … oh. Okay. (sniff sniff) Nah, I'm just kidding. Maybe…

BorderCollieChihuahuaGirl98: OMG! I know! :D Aya is evil!

CupcakePride101: Nope, and because I need him alive for more torture! Just kidding. ^_^ Or not… hehehehehe…

BluekeyBlades: Me too! :P

And, since XionTheBlackRose didn't really like my idea of calling Link's younger brother Young Link, he/she suggested I called him 'Knil' (pronounced 'Neal"), which, obviously, is 'Link' spelled backwards. I like booth… so, in your review, tell me what you prefer!

Onto the chapter!

***Normal POV***

Young Link awoke from a dreadful night's sleep. His head was pounding, and his legs hurt like hell. Eyes blurry, he made out figures standing in front of him; Melinda and Aya, now the two most dreaded humans Young Link had ever met.

"Look who it is," Aya drawled, grinning. "Our little object,"

"I'm NOT an object," growled Young Link. Melinda rolled her eyes to the heavens, annoyed. "Of course you aren't,"

"Hmm…" Aya's eyes narrowed. "Well… we'll have to see about that, then, boy…"

Aya kicked the smaller boy in the stomach, making him keel over in pain. He then brandished a whip, the evil, thick coil unraveling like a snake.

Young Link's eyes widened. The whip came down hard on his cheek, making him stumble backwards again. He yanked it back and lashed out again, hitting Young Link's back. He fell to the ground in agony. Melinda just watched.

Aya then grabbed his knife and drove it deeply into the boy's back, where the wound was, cackling insanely and pushing in the blade deeper and deeper. Pain exploded all over his body. Young Link could have sworn he saw Melinda wince slightly, but a moment later, it was replaced by a cruel sneer.

"AYA!" Came a sharp voice.

Aya turned around to see Mido stomping towards him, looking furious. Melinda curled her lip, as if Mido was the most revolting thing she had ever set eyes on. Young Link had to agree with her on that.

"Where have you been? Lord Ganondorf has been looking for you! He wanted to talk to you. I get MY turn with the slave now!" Mido gave Young Link a nasty smile.

Aya, obviously annoyed with being interrupted during his fun, glared. "Fine. But then, I get my share… with MY property," Aya smirked at Young Link, who cringed inwardly and narrowed his eyes back at him. "The little brat needs to learn some manners,"

"You've already HAD your share!" snapped Mido impatiently. "And, you! Woman! Lord Ganondorf wishes to see you also,"

Giving him a look of loathing, Melinda smiled tightly through clenched teeth. "Of course, sir."

Mido frowned at them. "What are you two waiting for, then? Leave. Leave, now!"

They obeyed.

He turned towards Young Link, scowling. "… I see they've done their damage to you, Young Link. You look awful."

"You sound like Zelda," snapped Young Link.

Mido moved as fast as lightning, placing his booted foot down hard on Young Link's throat, causing him to gasp for oxygen. "Do—not—EVER—compare me to that imbecile of a princess! Do you understand me?!" Hating himself, Young Link nodded.

"GOOD!" Snarling, Mido released him. Young Link gulped for air. "Now… I wanted to inform you about Lord Ganondorf's plans for you in the future,"

"That sounds nice," Young Link agreed sarcastically. "I wonder what they are?"

To his surprise, Mido ignored him. "Lord Ganondorf is most merciful… he will not grant you any torture today,"

"Wow. How very thoughtful of him."

"Tomorrow, he will give you to Aya to do his bidding—"

"That sounds nice,"

Mido stepped forward threateningly. "STOP INTERRUPTING ME, YOU SNARKY, PATHETIC SLAVE!" He kicked Young Link hard in the stomach and slapped him harshly across the face.

Young Link bit his lip in pain as his stomach screamed for mercy. He knew he was being a fool, but he could not be displayed as weak. Not now. Not anymore.

"Listen, Mido. I know you dislike me—everyone knows that—but don't you think betraying your family and helping Ganondorf is a little too mu-"

He was cut off as Mido's hand was brought sharply against his cheek once again.

"SHUT UP!" Mido shrieked, looking quite deranged. "Just shut UP! You know NOTHING!"

He punched Young Link in the nose hard, causing blood to gush from it. He glared as Young Link bit back another scream.

"You're WORTHLESS! PATHETIC! WHY AM I EVEN BOHERING?" Mido growled, kicking the boy once more before storming out of the cell.

Forcing himself up into a crawling position, Young Link made his way over to a corner, buried his face in his arms, and began to sob. This was it, then. This was his life. Being tortured everyday by different gruesome people, being tested in his defiance, being called weak and worthless and pathetic. He had lost faith in his brother completely. Maybe what Ganondorf had said previously was right. Maybe his brother had forgotten about him.

So… was this it? Was he finally going to give up?

Young Link spotted Aya's knife a few inches away from him, still wet with his own blood. He picked it up, holding it in his hands, and examined the metal.

Perhaps…

Young Link had thought about suicide before, but never committed it. He was created to live, and die at the end of his time. But if this was truly his life… this torture… this hellhole… then… why not?

He placed the blade at his throat, feeling confident. Young Link was ready to die.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Young Link was so surprised, he dropped the knife.

***Melinda***

Melinda Gaze, while walking back without Aya from her meeting with Ganondorf, was disgusted with herself. She had tortured a child… (a mere child!) … and enjoyed it.

However, she once had a child also…

No. Don't think about that, Melinda.

She did.

It was back when she was twenty-two, a young and foolish age. She remembered the same exact coat she was wearing, the same shoes, the same smile, the same beam of light in her child's beautiful blue eyes when Melinda had taken her for her first walk. She was a double-agent, working for Aya at the time. Her child, so innocent and lovely, had no idea of this, and Melinda had thought it would stay better that way. At least for a while.

She had never been more wrong.

It had been a nice day, with the exception of a few clouds in the sky. Melinda was dismayed and worried deeply to learn that her two-year-old daughter had become sick with the flu, and had a very high fever. She was rushed to the hospital. While Melinda was on her way, Aya had called her about their recent mission.

The words came back to her, flooding through her veins. She could recall the exact same tone that Aya's cold voice had come from the receiver.

"Gaze, we need you here. We've got the man surrounded. We can rob him with only your help. Come, now."

She had answered equally coldly, "My child is sick. This is not a good time."

Aya's laugh had run her through like an arrow piercing through flesh.

"Children are sick all of the time, Gaze."

"You are not understanding, Aya. This is-"

"You foolish woman! You coward! What is more important, your child or your duty?"

Her child was the answer, of course, but Aya did not have to know that. No one did.

Aya had then bombarded her with insults, saying she was a soft-hearted fool and such, but they had washed over her like water. They hadn't stung.

Seeing as the annoyingly persistent man would never give in, Melinda finally agreed to him. So she had kissed the head of her daughter, kissed her golden curls, and said she would be back in a few hours. The girl had whimpered and begged her not to go, and that she needed her.

Melinda had been too foolish to recognize a child in pain.

So she had robbed the poor man, killed him. She made sure to wash the blood from her hands, as to not taint the girl with such filth as the deceased.

Melinda could not wait to see her daughter.

She did not.

When she had returned to the hospital, it was in ruins. The smell of blood and ashes had met her nostrils. Her daughter was nowhere in sight.

Gone.

Dead.

Never coming back.

And now, Melinda was faced with a choice; to save the life of a young boy, or to kill him.

Young Link had truly melted half of her icy heart. Seeing him in fear, pretending to like seeing him like that… it was unbearable. She hated children because they were small and weak and innocent, and then died… just like that…

And the ones alive were snobby and careless. Goddesses, did Melinda hate them. But… for a child with nothing… a child beaten by a mother or father, who was unaware of how wrong it was… a child being starved, as if that were the normality… a child in fear, pain, but worst of all, joy… it just killed Melinda inside to see a child happy when another in the word was suffering, or starving, or dying, and it just hurt her even more to lay eyes on someone so innocent… so pure.

So then, Melinda Gaze had made her decision. The death of a child was a sin punishable by death.

It had happened once.

It would not happen again.

Samusaran101: Um… wow. Not that much YL torture in this one… (sniff) I left a cliffie though! And some new things about our friend Melinda! That my friends, is my poetic side! ^_^ The next chapter will be much longer!

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