Zelda turned her head to the side just in time to avoid her head being scraped with the force of being slammed into the rocky surface head on. Even still, the impact scratched and tore at her skin.
"Hello, Dark Link," she grumbled. "Nice seeing you again."
"And you as well," Dark Link replied, his hands tight on her shoulders. She could swear that he was smiling. "I missed this, you know. Why don't we talk like we used to?"
One of his elbows pressed her chest against the wall, and his hands began tying her wrist together with thick rope. From what she could see, they were in some kind of dungeon; there were no prisoners from what she could see, but the atmosphere was as still as it was depressing; no light, no air, and no hope.
"What do you want with us?"
"My revenge," Dark Link said, pulling her back just to toss her to the ground. This time, with no hands to protect herself she fell face first, impeded only slightly by her shoulders. She winced in pain. "For bringing me here in this goddess damned place."
She pressed her forehead to the ground, her eyes shut as she asked, "What are you talking about?"
"The fight with Hades? You making him angry? It's your fault. All of it. Now, in his domain, we are all at his mercy."
Zelda's eyes flickered around the room for possible escape routes. For some reason, there were none; no doors, no windows, no wooden trap entries, evenl just wall to an endlessly high dungeon ceiling. It was as if Dark Link had transported them to a place beyond the base of the mountain when they had disappeared into the shadows. Something about that unnerved her; her not knowing where she was, and being alone with Link's enemy, made her all the more anxious. All her observations took her less than a second, and she focused back to Dark Link. "I thought Hades would be the one who employed you."
"He did!" Dark Link stalked towards her, and Zelda scooted back. "He found me here, to do his services, or else it would have been my life! That bastard! He even has my sister! Did you know that?"
"No, I didn't," Zelda said. The only thing she could do to really keep this contained was to keep him talking. There was no telling what he'd do if he stopped.
"The job he wanted me to do wasn't all that bad," Dark Link said, backing Zelda against the wall. "I can't say that I won't have fun with this. Still, the nerve of some people . . ."
"What's the job he wanted you to do?" Zelda asked, though she knew the answer would undoubtedly be unpleasant. She was trapped, now; there was no way out.
"Oh, you know. The usual." He aimed a kick to her side.
Zelda slid to the ground. That was unexpected. Wincing, she retaliated, aiming to kick him in the legs. Dark Link dodged out of the way, planting another kick in her side. Zelda winced again. She dare not cry out; that was, of course, what he enjoyed most about their little encounters.
This had not been the first time Dark Link had kidnapped her to get to Link. His hate for him had not died when they had stayed at the mansion, she realized with another painful kick to her side. It had only subsided, so that he could be allowed to stay and look good following the Mansion Rules. He had been lying when he said that he had been forced to carry out Hades' deeds; this was suggestion made to him by Hades while he was in the Underworld. And if there was anything Dark Link loved most about the world, it was causing pain towards Link. And by doing that, he often aimed for Zelda.
Of course, Zelda thought, Dark Link was wearing the heaviest of combat boots.
He kicked her again. "I wonder—" kick – "how long—" kick – "it will take –" kick – "your boyfriend—" kick— "to save you this time?" Zelda grimaced from the final attack. "A week? A month?"
"He'll come" Zelda muttered.
"What was that?" His heavy boot stomped heavily on her stomach as he bent down to hear her.
Zelda half gasped, half coughed. She swore something inside of her had just broken. "I said," she said painfully, "he'll come. He always does, no matter what, and when he does, he always beats you."
Dark Link seemed to pause to think about that for a second. His face took on an unusual calm demeanor, as if thoughtful and attentive to her words. But she knew he was only toying with her. Her words had only enraged him further, twisting into unfathomable anger as he yelled, stepping back to pay her with another kick to the side. "Not this time," he snarled. Another kick.
Despite all her pain, Zelda smiled; a smile of great victory and malice, all at once, because in her heart she knew she had already won. "You mean, because your new boyfriend Hades is helping you out, you'll succeed? Because you've never been able to defeat Link by yourself. You never will."
Dark Link stopped looking at her squarely, before he stepped behind her to yank her up by the hair. Zelda gasped, shutting her eyes.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE SO SMART, HUH?" Dark Link yelled in her face. Spit flew and she had to clench her mouth tight. "YOU AND YOUR BOYFRIEND, RUNNING AROUND WITH THE TRIFORCE OF WISDOM AND COURAGE, SAVING THE WORLD?!" He slammed her face first into the wall, still grabbing at her hair. He said in a low tone, a quiet voice in the surface of her fears: "Well, it's time you were wrong for once. It's time you lost." He slammed her into the wall again, and again, and again, until Zelda gave a cry of pain. "It's about time!" he exclaimed, and she knew that behind her he was smiling. Tears trailed down her face, and she cursed herself for not having her hands to be able to so magic; cursed herself for getting kidnapped, again; cursed Dark Link and his stupid combat boots and his stupid affinity for walls; cursed the world, cursed everything.
Nose smashed in and blood running everywhere, Dark Link didn't stop until the cut on her head grew wider and wider and she went unconscious.
"Selfish bitch," Dark Link spat, and dropped her to the ground.
Zelda woke up from blackness, opening her eyes to more blackness. Dark Link was gone. Her neck ached and her nose throbbed, and she could feel the dried blood that was caked beneath it. Her side was sharp with blinding pain. On the floor, she sobbed, but she couldn't wipe her eyes. Her arms were still bound behind her back. There was nobody else around; no comfort at all.
XXX
A/N: Come on, people. Review. I know you want to.
This happens about a day before Link and Pit have their big fight in the Underworld valley. Next chapter will be about Day 3 of being in the Underworld, for both Dark Pit & Daisy, Dark Link and Zelda. Then I'll continue back to Pit and Link. Sorry for any confusion.
I'm not a sadist. Really, I'm not. But sometimes I think that they don't push the limits in these video games enough. So I push the limits in this story.
