Chapter 14: It's So Easy When You're Evil

Ganondorf was sitting in his throne room, planning his new command over the land of Hyrule, when he heard something coming from his observatory. He ran in the cluttered room to find an assortment of magical devices detecting a strange change in the atmosphere somewhere in his empire.

Ganondorf leaned over the instruments. "The Water Temple, huh?" He stood up and looked at another instrument. "I guess that little weapon of mine must have able to defeat Link." He sighed and sweat-dropped. "Even though that would be great and all, it'd be a little depressing to think that I went to all the trouble of making Phantom Ganon, only to have it destroyed so quickly by that blond twerp, when I could have just left that silly little Dark Link to do it." He started laughing, but soon stopped in thought. "Wait, that can't be right. Unless I've been sleeping for several weeks, Link shouldn't be anywhere near the Water Temple. Last I knew, he was just entering the Fire Temple."

Ganondorf stared over the devices again. "This deserves some looking into." He opened up a portal and stepped through it.

---

Dark Link was sitting on his little island, reading one of the stories Ruto had given him. It was no more than a simple fairy tale, but Ruto said it was his favorite, so he considered it his favorite, too.

"Strange. I don't remember leaving these books with you."

Dark Link, wide-eyed, jumped to his feet and turned around. "Oh, hey, King Ganondorf. I wasn't expecting you. So, does this mean that you're letting me out of here now?"

Ganondorf thumbed through A Guide to the Races of Hyrule. He looked up at Dark Link. "Well, that all depends. Have you met your goal?"

Dark Link paused. "Right. My goal. What was that again?"

Ganondorf's jaw dropped, and he was about to scream. Working on better judgment, he stopped and mockingly smiled. He patted Dark Link on the head. "Why, my poor, dear, sweet boy. These books must have made you forget why you were placed here." His eyes grew narrow. "Which was to destroy Link, of course."

Dark Link scratched his head and teasingly stuck out his tongue. "Oh, right, that goal."

Ganondorf sighed. "Well, if completing your goal isn't what's making you so happy, then what is?" He tried grabbing hold of Dark Link's shoulders to shake the young boy, but missed when Dark Link shifted to scratch his ear. He clutched his fists and pounded them to his sides. He glared down at Dark Link. "My instruments detected joy, so I demand to know why you are happy!"
Dark Link cleaned his ear out with his small finger and examined it. After flicking the earwax away, he looked up at Ganondorf. He didn;t see the Gerudo King as much of a threat, but he knew that it also wasn't smart to antagonize him too much. "Oh, well, that's easy, Ganondorf. You see, I'm in love."

Ganondorf stared at Dark Link blankly. "You're in... You're in..." A smile cracked across his face. "You're in love!" His laughter echoed off the walls.

Dark Link's ears drooped as he blushed. A vein pulsed in his temple. "And just what, exactly, is so funny about being in love?"

Ganondorf wiped away a tear, having laughed too hard, and looked down at Dark Link, a broad smile still plastered across his face. "To put it simply, it's not possible. You don't have a heart to love."

Dark Link crossed his arms. "Well, you don't know everything." He glared at Ganondorf, pointing to himself. "I, in fact, am in love."

A laugh escaped from Ganondorf. He inhaled deeply before looking back at Dark Link. "All right, who are you in love with, then?"

Dark Link shrugged and scratched his cheek, his eyes shifting away from Ganondorf. "Well, it's not really any of your business... but it's Princess Ruto."

Ganondorf gasped in surprise one of the few times in his life. "Princess Ruto? But that's impossible! She was frozen in Zora's Domain with the rest of the Zoras."

Dark Link's eyes flared. He turned quickly and pointed an accusing finger at Ganondorf. "Liar! She's been with me for months!" He paused and looked up at the ceiling. "I think. It's really hard to tell how long I've been in here."

Ganondorf sneered. "Don't you dare talk to your KING in that tone of voice!" He made to backhand Dark Link.

Dark Link simply lifted arm, completing neutralizing the giant Gerudo's attack. "Listen here, I'll talk to you however I feel like. And you know what, I was really hoping Ruto was just exaggerating about what you had done to Hyrule, but you just proved everything she said to be true."

Ganondorf growled. "I see that you taught to reject me." He clamped his fist. That bratty, little fish has made one of my most loyal servants arrogant to me, but this could prove to my advantage. He released his fist and smiled warmly. He placed his hands together. "So you love Ruto, do you?" He laughed. "Then that should make you want to kill him all the more."

Dark Link raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Ganondorf grinned. "Why, didn't you know? As soon as Link comes here, he'll take Ruto away."

Ruto's ears stood up erect. "No. Ruto loves me! Why should I even trust you? I already know you lied to me!"

Ganondorf tensed and punched Dark Link in the gut. Well, he tried, but Dark Link merely stopped it with his own hand.

Ganondorf sighed and laughed gently. "Well, so it would seem that I can't threaten you directly." He pulled his fist back and cracked his knuckles. "So, I'll just have to a little bit more incentive." His face finally turned evil in Dark Link's eyes. "If you let Link leave this chamber before your dying breath, then I'll kill the Zora girl so slowly and painfully that you'd wish you had killed her with your own bare hands."

Dark Link's eyes grew wide. "No!"

Ganondorf nodded, and his eyes shone. "Yes! And let's not forget that everyone in the village is just dying to see you again."

Dark Link's knees went weak, and he slumped to the floor. "No. No. Do whatever you want to me, but don't hurt anyone else."

Ganondorf smirked at the slumped figure. "Then do as I say, and kill Link." He paused in thought. "I'll even give you the power to do it."

The evil king placed his hand over Dark Link's head. Suddenly, a surge of energy traveled through the hand and into the shadow's being. The younger Gerudo man screamed in pain because of the intense power being passed to him. He could feel his warmth flow away as coldness was replacing it. When the energy flow ended, Dark Link fell flat in the water. He opened his eyes to see in the floor that his eyes so bloodshot that they were like fire, and his skin, hair, and clothes seethed with so much evil energy that now they were all black with the wretched power.

Ganondorf nodded. "That's all I need." He turned and summoned a dark portal. "Remember, kill Link, and Ruto is yours. Betray me, and your life will be nothing but an eternal nightmare of emotional pain." He walked through the portal back to his castle.

Dark Link just stood up on his hands and knees, looking at his cursed reflection. His mind was nothing now but two thoughts: Kill Link, and Curse you, Ganondorf! He slammed his hands on the floor in rage.

---

Ruto stood outside the door that led into the Mirror Chamber. She looked at the three jewels fused together with gold in her hands. "Today is the day." She smiled as she held the Zora Sapphire to her body. "And this time, I know it's real." She turned and opened the door.

As she walked through the door, Ruto cupped her hand to her mouth. "Hello! Dark Link, where are you?"

Silence.

Ruto giggled. "Okay, you must have found one interesting book. You usually tackle me by now."

Silence again.

Suddenly, Dark Link appeared out of the tree's shadow. "What do you want?"

Ruto stopped. "Um, Dark Link, it's me. Ruto?" She paused. "Are you doing something with your hair? I could have sworn it was red."

Dark Link crossed his arms. "And again I ask, what do you want?"

Ruto stepped back. "Are you okay?"

Dark Link stepped forward. "Oh, I'm more than okay."

Ruto shook her head. "No, you can't be Dark Link."

Dark Link walked closer. "Oh, but I'm afraid I am. I just gained the power to protect you now."
Ruto found herself already against the wall. "It's impossible! Dark Link was a kind, caring, sweet, breast-loving young man." She pointed at Dark Link. "You're nothing more than evil incarnate."

Dark Link smirked cruelly. "You hurt me, Ruto. I'm only doing this for your own good."

Ruto shook her head as her hand searched for the door. She opened it just before Dark Link reached her.

Dark Link watched as the door slammed shut in front of him. His eye twitched slightly. "BLAST YOU, GANONDORF!!!!!" The exclamation echoed through the Mirror Chamber as Dark Link turned around and threw his sword. It stabbed through the tree perpendicularly as Dark Link raged over to grab it.

---

Okay, end of this chapter. It was long, I know.

Now, I realize the first question on everyone's mind: Why didn't Dark Link just kick Ganondorf's butt? Well, there are two reasons behind that. One, Ganondorf, canonically speaking, cannot be killed by anything other than the Master Sword. Dark Link's sword is a cheap knock-off, not even an actual Dark Master Sword, seeing how it was made by Ganondorf, so that wouldn't work. Two, Dark Link mentioned that he still respected Ganondorf in this chapter, so he wasn't going to automatically kill Ganondorf until he had true reason.

What's going to happen next? You'll have to read to find out.

Please review.