Chapter Ten: Shadows and Secrets
1esor2: Lol! Chocolate is the best isn't it? Anyway, I cleaned up Link's language a bit. Consider this: he is a dad now so he kind of has to be a little cleaner in language. And yes, Nadia is a puppy. I forgive you for your randomness as well!
Epicness: I will do my best to keep being epic lol! And sorry it took over a week, my graduation is in a couple weeks and I had to practice this week for it. Enjoy the chapter! :-)
Nadia's POV, Great Bay Coast.
I growled and circled the Gerudo woman. The look in her eye was fear.
"Please! I am not lying!" she begged.
"How can we believe you? You tried healing her!" Rayne snapped. I howled in agreement.
Damn straight, bitch. I thought. My eyes burned with passion as I glared at her.
"I didn't do anything! It's not my fault she's an Interloper!" The Gerudo said. I stopped circling her and bared my fangs at her.
"What in the hell is an Interloper?" Navi asked. I stopped baring my fangs, closing my mouth. I realized what the Gerudo meant, and remembered what one of the Great Fairies said:
"Through the twists of time, there are many different paths.
The one of Courage and Wisdom is the only one who can pass
Through the gate to the land of dusk, of day spent.
Their life has been lent.
They are the Trespasser."
Trespasser and Interloper were interchangeable words. They meant the same thing. I whimpered in confusion. Rayne looked at me in concern.
"Can she shift back?" Rayne asked quietly.
"At any given moment." The Gerudo said. I perked up, my ears alert.
"Copper? Can you try changing back?" Rayne asked. I lowered my gaze and thought about being Hylian again. I was suddenly back on two feet instead of four. I sighed.
"That was weird!" But I kind of liked it. I thought.
"You're you!" Navi landed on my shoulder.
"Thank the Goddesses!" I said softly. Rayne looked at me, his sapphire gaze penetrating my defenses. I felt nude under his eye and blushed.
"See? She's been blessed with this power. Being an Interloper, girl," The Gerudo paused, smiling, "you have the control to access the Power of Twilight."
"What?" I asked.
"You are more powerful at night than at any time of the day." The Gerudo said. My eyes widened, but quickly reverted back. I smiled.
"It's a great power to have, I assume?" I asked.
"It is. The Power of Twilight is dangerous, but potent. You can call on it. Your wolf form is the embodiment of it; it protects your Hylian form. Use it wisely." The Gerudo said. I nodded in understanding.
"I understand. I apologize for attacking you." I said.
"All is forgiven." The Gerudo said as she left. After she was well out of sight, Rayne pulled me into a hug.
"Thank the Goddess you're all right." Rayne breathed. I chuckled, leaning into Rayne's shoulder. He now smelled of fire, leather, and sandalwood, the easygoing scents of autumn.
"Step away from her." A deep voice said. I froze in Rayne's arms. The voice sounded like my father's. I moved from Rayne's hold and looked into blood red eyes. The person I was looking at looked a lot like me, with black hair, pale skin, and, hell, we both wore a red tunic. The only difference was our eyes. A wolfish growl emitted from my throat.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
Link's POV, Near Great Bay Coast.
"How much farther, guys?" I asked.
"Not far. Just on Great Bay Coast." Tatl said. My heart started to pound in my chest. I was so close to finding my daughter; I could almost hear her voice.
"All we have to do is have your good old horse jump over the fence!" Tael said. I chuckled, patting Epona's neck. She nickered.
"Epona here can do about anything." I said.
"Link? Isn't this the horse we spooked when you first came here?" Tatl asked.
"It is." I answered.
"Damn she's old!" Tael said.
"But reliable. I don't trust any other steed as fully as I do her." I said.
We came up to the fence between Termina Field and the Great Bay Coast. I steeled my heels into Epona's sides, and she jumped into the soft sand on the other side. I slowed Epona to a walk. Memories flooded my psyche and I smiled. I caught sight of Caber and the gray mare and walked Epona over by them. I tethered her, having the two fairies follow me.
"The fairy's just ahead!" Tatl and Tael said in unison. I looked up, seeing my daughter next to a man with red hair and blue eyes, and looking at a man with black hair, pale skin, and blood red eyes.
"Dark! Get the hell away from my daughter!" I yelled, drawing my sword and approaching my Dark Self. My Dark Self drew a sword of his own.
"She's your child?" Dark asked.
"Well, of course she is!" I snapped. I looked to Nadia, who was shaking in anger.
"Father, what are you doing here?" She demanded.
"Getting you back to Hyrule, where you belong!" I looked back to Dark, "Get away from Nadia, now!"
"Link, Link, Link, do you wonder why she looks more like me?" Dark asked.
"Stop it! Both of you!" Nadia yelled.
"Stay out of this!" I snapped at my daughter.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Nadia shouted.
"She's right Link, she looks to be of age now so you could just marry her off and get rid of her!" Dark said.
"Will you quit? Who are you, anyway?" Nadia asked Dark. My stomach twisted as the area fell silent.
"I'm the Dark Self of your father. I was born of intense hate. Beings like me are born of intense feelings." Dark said.
"You have no name?" Nadia asked.
"Well, your mother did call me Kade." Dark said.
"My mother knew you?" Nadia asked.
"Dark, I swear if you answer the question I'll kill you." I said.
"Father!" Nadia admonished. She looked back to Dark.
"Zelda knew me well. So does your father here. I only almost succeeded in killing him." Dark said.
"There's something else." Nadia said.
"Nadia, you don't need to know," Dark cut off my protest.
"She needs to know, Link! I bet that's why she's here in Termina, to find out why she's not blond haired and blue eyed like you or Zelda." Dark said. He looked to Nadia with a lewd smile. Nadia shrunk back against the red-haired man.
"Naddie, he's not trustworthy!" I protested.
"Why don't you just shut up, Link," Dark turned his intense gaze to me, "she deserves to know, after all. She is the precious firstborn of Hyrule!"
"You have no right to talk to the Hero of Time like that!" the redheaded man said.
"Silence!" Dark growled.
"Leave Rayne out of this! Just tell me!" Nadia said.
"Naddie, no!" I said.
"You were born to become my bride." Dark said. Nadia's eyes widened.
"No. No. Mother wouldn't, Father?" Nadia looked to me, confused.
"We backed out of that promise when you almost killed Zelda!" I growled at Dark.
"But when you backed out of the promise, you cursed your daughter! She would've been blond-haired and blue-eyed had you not!" Dark said.
"Father?" Nadia asked me.
"We had no idea, Naddie. We had no idea that you'd end up looking like him." I said.
"You caused this? Why did you try to make it seem like you didn't know? The Great Deku Tree…" Tears filled Nadia's eyes.
"Nadia… please. He almost killed your mother, with you inside her!" I said softly. A growl emitted from Nadia's chest as tears ran down her cheeks.
"How could you?!" Nadia shouted, lunging at me. The redheaded man wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her back. Nadia sobbed and tried getting at me. She finally weakened to the point she just turned to him and sobbed into his chest. I felt extremely guilty.
"There is a way to lift the curse, Link. Make her marry me. She'll turn into the blond-haired, blue-eyed Princess she was meant to be." Dark said.
0*0*0*0*0
Did you see that coming? Did ya? Did ya?
Sorry had coffee. Wired as hell! Feel good though! Awake! But I'll never sleep tonight, I'll tell you that!
Well, there's quite a few questions now. But they all will be answered. Review!