Chapter 11: To Twist and Torment
Dark woke when he felt a slight blade of light warm the steely skin of his hand. Dark scrunched his eyes and turned his head, trying desperately to avoid the inevitable dawn. Dark grimaced slightly, he felt rather sore, like he'd been sleeping on stone.
"Do you think he's dead?" Dark flinched. No. Please, no.
"I sure hope so." Dark groaned, oh why?
Dark slowly opened one red eye to see a small blue face leaning into him. The face reeled back and zipped out of sight as he glared sleepily at it.
"He's awake! He's awake!" Dark grimaced again, that annoying pitch could only belong to one particular being, one very small and annoying being.
"Link! Hey are you listening? Link!" Dark covered his exposed ear with his arm and growled.
"Go away, both of you." He growled as he rolled onto his back, one red robbed arm covering his eyes, "I'm trying to sleep."
"Dark, it's nearly noon, you need to prepare yourself for battle. What if Crimodia arrives today? You have to be ready." Link spat down at him, obviously enjoying the fact that he'd been the one to rouse the grumpy shadow from his rest. Link gave him a swift kick in the side, making Dark roll and gasp, clutching the offended flesh. "Get up already!"
Dark snarled and leaped to his feet. He grabbed the Hero by his throat and drew his Replica, bringing it up to the Hero's cheek angrily. "I said, go away." Link glared back at him, his Triforce piece shimmered brightly and he pried Dark's fingers loose from his neck, bending his hand back, making Dark cry out.
Dark jumped back, sword out and ready. Link drew his own blade, Navi zipping around his head.
"Get him Link! Get him!" she cried, ever the one woman cheerleading squad. Dark rolled his eyes at the annoying fairy and instead swung his blade in two fluid one-handed motions in front of him, showing off his strength.
"Dark! I am sick of you! You want me to prove I can beat you? Here it is!" Link rushed his dark twin, barely giving Dark enough time to block. Dark struggled under this increased strength from his fairer half, and leaned back, rolling away from Link's continued blow. Dark straightened and rushed Link, quickly exchanging their positions. Now Link struggled, and Dark leaned into the blow, red eyes glittering in a desire to taste the thrill of blood on his blade.
But Link mimicked his dark side, and rolled and dodged Dark's blow. Dark cursed silently, and felt something hard hit him across the face. Dark was flung back, and he skidded across the floor a bit, his Replica sent flying into the wall. Dark cursed loudly and pounded the floor with two silver fists. What a cheap shot!
"Hah!" Link mocked his other half; his Master Sword aimed directly at Dark's slender nose. "Seems you lost this round Dark." Dark ground his teeth angrily. He peered up the length of the Hero's blade until his red eyes were locked with the Hero's fiery blue ones. Dark frowned, and then finally he shrugged casually.
"I suppose you did. Of course physical prowess isn't everything." Link's temper flared and he poked Dark's cheek with the Master Sword, making Dark grimace as he felt the sharp pain of the sword's goodness touch his skin.
"What's your problem? Can't you just admit that I won?"
Dark lazily looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, he even feigned a yawn. "I'd admit that you beat me, except you hit me in the face with your shield, so I don't think this counts."
Link huffed and withdrew his blade, allowing Dark to pull himself to his feet. "It's a perfectly legitimate tactic." He said as he re-strapped his shield to his back and moved towards the door.
Dark meanwhile had thrown his ebony black outer tunic over himself, binding it tight to his slender waist with his black leather belt. He slipped into his soft black leather boots and moved over to the room's washbasin to wipe his face. And he let out a self-centered cry, making Link and Navi whip around.
"What did you—my, my face!" Dark poked at the tender silver flesh of his left cheek, which had already started to puff and bruise.
Link rolled his eyes. He seemed to have become a lot more sarcastic in the last few days. "Oh for goddesses sake Dark, it's just a small bruise."
"Fix it!" Dark snarled at him, red eyes glinting with the anger of his inner demon, "Now!" Link exchanged a look of disbelief with Navi, and then looked back at Dark, one eyebrow raised amusedly.
"Are—are you serious?"
"Deadly serious Hero!" Dark snarled back, still poking the tender skin irritably. "You've damaged my body; do you think these things grow on trees? Fix it!"
Link exchanged another look with Navi and looked back at Dark. "Umm, there's some potion in the cabinet under the basin." Link indicated the spot where Dark was standing. "Just a small bit should do it."
Dark wasted no time. He swung the cabinet's doors open and drank a bit of the potion, feeling its effects working on his mortal skin instantly. He let out a sigh of relief. To think he'd almost damaged his borrowed body, what a horror that would have been.
ooooooooooooooooooo
Dark crossed his legs idly; he liked this throne, made him feel like the kingdom was already his. Dark was alone in Hyrule Castle's main audience chamber. His work was done. The sealing circle had been completed, now that all remained was for the army of light to assemble and for them all to await Crimodia's inevitable arrival.
Dark yawned and leaned back, his hands forming a makeshift pillow behind his head. He could defiantly get used to this kind of life. A comfortable bed, food anytime he wanted it, a throne, Dark smirked, nope nothing bad there.
"Dark, you look comfortable." Dark opened one glittering red eye in slight irritation. Who would be so foolish as to bother him when he was this at peace? Dark frowned when he realized who it was that was approaching him across the chamber, "The princess," he thought "Of course she would."
Dark sat up in the chair, extending one hand in invitation, enticing smirk in place. "Princess! Care to join me?" he smirked deeper when Zelda returned his comment with a dark scowl.
"No, but perhaps you would like to remove yourself from my throne?" Dark smirked and stood up, bowing mockingly as he moved aside, allowing the princess to pass.
"Your wish is my command my lady."
Zelda glared at him regally from the side of her eyes. "Drop the act Dark, I have an important matter to discuss with you."
Dark straightened and moved down the throne's steps until he hit the floor. He turned back to look at the ruler of all Hyrule, his eyes dancing amusedly. "And what is that princess?" he purred.
"I know Dark. I know why you came before, and I know why you are here now." Dark flinched, his smirk faltering slightly.
"Do you now?" Dark said as coldly as he could, still trying to keep Zelda from noticing the tremor her words had sent through him.
"You're almost complete." Zelda responded, her voice almost not her own, and Dark knew instantly why.
"The Sheikah," he whispered looking up at Zelda's dead eyes, "of course you know. You always did."
"I came to tell you that you have to hurry. If Link does not awaken completely to his—to you, before Crimodia arrives, then he won't be—"
"I'm very aware of my own duties thank you." Dark replied nastily, spite making his words feel like chips of ice.
"Then you must be aware that Crimodia's presence is practically at our gates. I think you have mere hours."
Dark frowned and began to walk away.
"Where are you going? Hero's Shadow, you have a duty to perform! It is your only purpose, you cannot fail!" The Sheikah shouted at his retreating back through Zelda's slender lips.
Dark ignored him and kept on walking. He was aware of his purpose, for how could he not? Being this close to Link for a prolonged period had made it unwaveringly clear. He was aware that the Hero was troubled, and he was aware that he himself was not. And that meant that something was wrong, for that was never how it was supposed to be.
Dark reached the double doors that lead out into the main hallway. Dark opened one as he heard Sheik shout one last command at his back.
"He's practicing in the courtyard, meet up with him and finish the job. Or else we will all surely perish, and this alliance will fail."
Dark ground his teeth and refused to respond. Dark instead passed through the door into the hallway, slamming it shut behind him. Dark moved in the direction that his tie with his light side told him was correct. His mind full of the words Sheik had unloaded on him. Dark was aware of what the Sheikah man meant, for how could he not know?
Dark was the evil. He was the one who was meant to suffer. He was the villain. Now he had to play the role, the role he would always play, the Hero's shadow, and never the Hero.
oooooooooooooooooooo
"You do realize that this battle will call for much more than you've ever given before right?" Dark leaned lazily against the inner courtyard's wall as he watched the Hero of Time practice swinging and slicing at the air. Link paused in his onslaught at invisible enemies to give his dark side a scowl.
"I already told you, I'm more than capable of defeating the enemies of light."
Dark smirked. "So long as they aren't yourself, that is." Link's scowl switched to an angry and embarrassed glare. He seemed to be combining those two emotions a lot lately; of course, he'd been spending a lot more time around his dark side lately.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he shot back angrily, jabbing a finger at Dark.
"You know perfectly well what I mean. Don't play into the naivety of a dill-witted hero." Dark leaned his head back and closed his eyes, as if he thought the conversation to be at its end. He smirked again when he felt the sharp pain of the goodness of the Master Sword prick the skin on his left arm. Dark opened one eye, "Yes? Can I help you Hero?"
"What did you mean 'so long as they aren't myself?'" Link asked again. This time his voice felt more serious, almost dark. Dark used a black gauntleted hand to push the Master Sword away, feeling the shining goodness of the blade burn his hand even through his gauntlets.
"Do you think it was any coincidence that you met me in the Water Temple Hero?" Dark answered Link's question with a question, making his light side's eyes spark.
"I suppose that no, it probably wasn't a coincidence." Link pulled away and began attacking invisible enemies again. Still talking as he swung out his frustration at the air. "When we fought, it felt like we were meant to fight. Like we would always be meant to fight, and it felt right." Link swung hard, nearly locking his sword into the ground, but he firmly yanked it free. Dark watched him closely, red eyes glinting.
"It's because what you fought in that Temple, what I am, is a reflection of you." Dark continued to lean against the wall, but not nearly as lazily anymore. There was a slight anxiety creeping into his steely skin, and his eyes flashed with anticipation, he reached for his replica.
Link whipped his head around to glare at Dark before looking back ahead of him and swinging even harder as if he were killing one of the invisible enemies, "I am nothing like you Dark; you're my shadow."
Dark frowned and returned his replica to the shadows. He relaxed because it seemed that the Hero wasn't in the mood for a fight, too bad.
"You are correct, but only partly. I am your reflection, your shadow yes. But I am also, you." Dark punctuated this statement with a shift in his swirling eyes, which darkened and lightened faster than usual, implying a sense of almost determination, making them gleam. Link looked back over his shoulder, blue eyes filled with a cross between mirth and disbelief.
"You expect me to fall for another one of your tricks Dark? You're delusional."
"It's not a trick." Dark replied coolly, every syllable ringing out with the severity of his words. Hey, the Hero had asked the question, Dark was simply supplying the answer. "Think back Hero, think back on what that annoying Sheikah told you when he taught you the Serenade of Water."
Link swung one more time and did as his dark side told him to do. His eyes widened a bit, "He told me that in the Water Temple, I would, I would have to face myself. That the Serenade of Water was a reflection of myself."
"Correct. And now think back on what that annoying twit of a fairy told you."
"Navi said—said I had to conquer myself in order to leave that room."
"Correct again! And the Hero can be taught!"
Link lowered his blade and turned to look directly at Dark, his dark blue eyes serious. Dark smirked back at him, his red eyes betraying the severity that his mouth denied.
"If you are me then— then why?"
"I am not a god of fate Hero, I cannot answer that question." Dark broke his gaze with the Hero of Time and sighed as if bored, "However, I do know that because I am essentially you, at least I am your negative side; I know more about you then you know about yourself." Dark stared off past the castle walls, where he could almost see Crimodia mounting her forces in preparation of the coming battle. There was little time left.
"How can you know more about me than me?" Link said a bit indignant, "I am me."
"Yes, but you still haven't conquered me Hero, and I don't think you ever truly will." Dark returned his attention to Link, who was scowling again, the seriousness of the moment before seeming to have passed.
"Oh I will, someday."
"Just not today?"
"No, not today, today I have to beat that monster witch." Link gave his dark side a grin that said I'm excited.
"Hey, don't forget that some of that dark army has my name on it. I wanna blast some of them all the way back to the time before time." Dark smirked and his eyes danced with Me too.
