Yes I know I took a really long time to update…this chapter was unbelievably hard to write and I tried my best with it. Hopefully it will be updated in a lot less time and maybe even finished. Any way I hope it is to your liking. P.S I reposted this chapter due to some corrections.

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Malon ran.

The sound of her feet against the floor was in her ears. Her breathing felt labored in her chest.

He couldn't have come for her. Had she even thought that he'd come for her?

The truth is she thought that she would return, not have anyone actually come for her.

She threw open the doors, the sounds heavier than it had ever been. Jonalir had stayed behind. She didn't need him at the moment.

Final door. She wrenched it open.

She froze in place. She couldn't stop the horror from filling her eyes as two of the men she'd ever loved were lying on the ground, grappled in a death lock. Both of them were bleeding.

Dark Link held Link around the throat. He was grunting with effort. Link was sputtering and slamming his fists into whatever he could to disengage the grip.

"Damn it, listen to me!" he growled at him, withstanding a blow to the cheekbone.

Malon recovered. She let out an earsplitting scream.

"STOP IT!"

The force of the scream made both heads turn to her. Malon nearly stopped breathing.

Their faces.

For a split second, no one in the room moved. The moment almost seemed like it had been inevitable. Like it had been fated from the beginning.

Link, however, was the first one to recover. He punched out as hard as he could. He was done playing.

This blow hurt so much more than any hit he had taken so far. Stars exploded in front of his eyes as another shot to the stomach drove the breath from him. Link quickly swung him in place beneath himself. Dark Link grunted from the pressure, flinching from the feeling of Link, breathing down his neck.

Before Malon could help in any way, a glint of silver flashed from gauntlet to fist and pointed with rock-steady aim at his fallen counterpart.

"NO!" Malon rushed towards them. "Link!"

She skidded to a halt when Link swung the blade into her direction.

"Don't you come any closer," Link warned, as cold and sharp as jagged ice.

She could have been standing in front of Ganondorf himself and yet still not fear him half as much as she feared the look in his eyes right now.

"Link," she pleaded, her voice cracking, "Please… don't do this."

He laughed lightly as though he were genuinely amused by all this. "Why not, Malon? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

Malon shook her head. "You're not a murderer, Link. Please just put the knife down."

He didn't listen. Instead, he tightened his hold on the blade and kept it directed at her. "Wrong answer. Give me one reason why I shouldn't bury this into him right now."

Malon darted her eyes to her lover. He however kept his gaze trained on Link. "She can't give you one. You have every right to kill me. Why don't you do it?"

Link didn't acknowledge him. Instead he kept his eyes on Malon. "Malon…"

She had no choice. "I love him."

There it was. Out on the table for all to see. She didn't want to see how Link would react to this. He had acted so rashly that she wished to take it back before it could do anymore damage. But she couldn't.

That's when the doors blasted open. The stone bashed into crumbles.

There was no warning and no corporal cause of the sudden attack but the door behind them also burst into pieces.

There was a great howl. Winds of the strongest sort reamed into the rooms, leaving a whirlwind of destruction in its wake.

The doorway beyond shone with blinding white light. The three occupants of the room threw up their arms to protect their eyes.

Link felt a sharp pulling on his body. The force was beyond his control. His heart was thundering harder and harder. The lighted doorway sucked in as though desperate to swallow him up.

Dark Link was quick. He snatched Link's hands and held on. Malon grabbed him around the waist.

Link tried to kick against the force. His body was being stretched and contorted. Pain scratched at his sides.

Dark Link dug his heels hard into the ground. His fingers were locked iron clasped around Link's, fighting a battle he couldn't afford to lose. Malon was holding on tightly, her tears flying from her eyes.

Please. I can't lose them. Not both of them.

As though mocking their sudden unity, the winds began applying pressure behind Malon. It shoved her forward. Malon's frantic bracing at the ground did no good. Her screams were lost as they propelled forward, light penetrating though eyes like hot knives through butter. Then they knew no more.

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Hyrule Castle was being stormed.

Those lucky to have their lives were rushing through the abandoned market. The guards at the bridge were desperate to get as many inside as they could.

Underneath their feet, the ground began to quake. The violent tremble had made a good few fall off balance. Some were able to carry on in their flight whereas some had been trampled into the grass.

One Sheikah slammed onto his front. His hands plunged into the ground and when he looked at them, they were slicked in red, thick fluid.

The ground was bleeding. Blood rushed out of cracks like cuts in flesh.

Inside the castle, before Zelda could react, the mirror blew to pieces, raining out over everyone in the room.

Ingo fell to the floor, screaming. A sliver of glass had lodged into his left eye, popping it like a grape. Zelda slid over towards him and held him in her arms.

Bright white light stung into her eyes. It hurt so much; she ducked her head into her shoulder.

Outside the castle was chaos. The ground was bleeding. The sky contained no light.

What was now even worse was the movement all around Hyrule field. The guards tried to make out what was all of a sudden crawling out from behind the hills and projections of rock. They moved sluggishly. Their steps were erect and stiff.

A piercing screech jarred one guard to look over his shoulder.

He didn't have another second before the undead stallion reared up, hooves flailing.

The guard stood no chance as he fell with a dead splash into the moat.

The horse and rider drove through the fleeing crowd, squelching the bloody ground under its hooves. It was heading right towards the growing legion on the horizon.

The second guard named Pero panicked. "Close the bridge! Close the Bridge! CLOSE THE BRIDGE!"

There were four men on each side. They pawed at the thick chains, yanking with everything in them.

Some of the people either realized the bridge was going up or took a look behind them at the advancing legion. Whatever the case, it was now an all out war to get to through the bridge before it went up.

It was painful to watch as people made flying leaps onto the bridge and rode it until they could get through before it was too late.

The bridge clamped into place with a finalized thud. Pero couldn't stay any longer to hear those who didn't make it inside. IF he lived beyond this, he would never forget their crying.

"The Three be with you," he prayed. Then he fled to the castle.

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The next thing Link knew was that he was on his belly in a mess of broken glass.

He had returned home.

He tried to ease himself up but the glass bit into his palms, hindering him as he tried to stand.

Zelda finally looked up.

"Link," she gasped. He wished to run over and embrace her. Then he noticed Ingo lying presently in her lap. He was still but his chest was moving. His eye socket was a raw mess.

He saw Kotake desperately close to freeing her sister from the large debris that was pinning her against the wall.

He made for Zelda. His movement allowed her to see his dark twin in his entirety. He was kneeling over Malon's prostrate form. But her attention was torn away as Link started speaking.

"You have to help him," he said quickly. "Can you heal him?"

Zelda shook her head. "There's nothing I can do for him. We have to get him to the surgeon."

At the doorway, King Harkinian had accompanied Ramo and a few other sentries back to the room. The sentries were spattered with grime. Zelda cringed to see that not all the stains on their clothes and skin were just dirt.

King Harkinian took in the scene. Koume and Kotake were easing a bloodied Ingo off the floor and out the door. The Malon girl was laying face down where the source of all this evil was kneeling next to her. He didn't spare another moment.

He pointed at Dark Link. "Seize him!"

Zelda couldn't move. "Father?"

They grabbed him by the arms. He didn't fight them. He just kept his eyes on Malon. She was stirring gently.

"Link?" Zelda turned to him.

Link was facing a harsh dilemma. Though the man had attempted to save him, the fact remained that he was involved in all of this. He couldn't say a word.

"Clap him irons!" Harkinian ordered.

Zelda shot straight up. Her father was behaving rather contradictory to his usual peaceful demeanor.

"Father? Will you answer me?" she demanded.

Harkinian turned on her. "I have no time for questions. I want him in the dungeons! NOW!"

Before he knew it, the iron clamps tightened against his wrists.

"If you have anything to say in your defense, I suggest you speak now!"

The King's lip was quivering in rage. Dark Link was far too addled and confused to really speak for himself. He didn't know what he could have possibly done. He had failed his former master. Maybe this was retaliation. He didn't know.

"I don't have anything to say in my defense," he replied. His tone was fatigued and even a bit helpless.

Though this was not lost on Harkinian, he still gestured to the guards. "Take him away."

Once they had removed him, Zelda rounded on her father. "What is going on here?"

Harkinian proceeded to tell her of the impending chaos that was going on outside the castle. Link had slipped away from them and knelt down beside Malon. He roused her gently. Her eyes snapped open and she reared onto her knees, taking in a harsh breath.

He pulled back allowing her to grasp her bearings. Her head snapped up. Once she found herself looking into Link's eyes, she shrank away from him. Her eyes darted all around the room.

"Where is he?" she demanded, her glare fierce. "What did you do to him?"

King Harkinian stepped forward. "Malon as on my word, you have arrived home alive. Your father has worried so. I wish to have you brought to him immediately."

Malon slowly sank into something of a bow before she rose. "Begging your pardon majesty, but I wish to know what you have done with the man that had come back with me?"

King Harkinian shook his head. "I cannot answer that, save for that I won't have him harmed."

Malon wasn't comforted by this. "I want to see him."

"I cannot grant you this at the moment," Harkinian told her. "There is great danger that awaits us outside these palace walls and I fear he was the one responsible."

"But," Malon began. "He was going to let me go free. After he became corporal, he didn't wish to hurt me. He actually saved my life on more than one occasion."

Link actually snorted.

Malon glared at him. "Don't you dare scoff. If you remember, he was the one who tried to save you just before."

Link would have liked to forget it. Instead he shook his head. "You don't know his true intentions. You shouldn't be so naïve to believe that he is all good."

"I believe what I choose to believe Link," Malon stated. "He might not be all good but neither are you."

Without another word she turned and went to leave. The remaining guards followed her out.

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There was still so many.

Pero skidded to a halt. The crowd to get into the castle was large. He stretched his neck to peer over their heads. He cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Declan!" he yelled.

The guard who he had called made his way over to him. "Why is this taking so long? We have to get everyone inside."

Declan shook his head and went to speak when his gaze all of a sudden moved up towards the sky. The blood drained out of his face. If this weren't a severe time, the look was almost comical. Pero spun around to look in the same direction.

Something had been catapulted over the Palace walls! It was burning and…screaming?

It was too small to be a catapult projectile. Not to mention, it was flailing as though it had arms and legs.

The panic jumped down Pero's throat. He shoved Declan into the direction of the castle.

It was coming down fast. It landed with a sickening splat and a horrifying scream.

Pero clapped his hand over his mouth and nose. He motioned for Declan to go assist the now stampeding crowd into the castle.

He made out the man-shaped lump amongst the dancing flames. He had been alive while he was frying up in the sky but died once he smashed into the ground. The face was so misshapen and charred that it didn't even look Hylian anymore.

Pero yanked the cloak off his own back and quickly smothered the flames though it wouldn't do any good for the poor soul now.

Small pieces of him had scattered in embers. Pero threw his cloak to the side as it was now full of blackened bits of flesh.

He tossed his head to the side and nearly threw up next to the corpse's feet.

While there, he spotted that there was light metal box attached to the decrepit ankle by an iron shackle.

It hadn't been locked meaning that whoever had done this wanted them to find what was in the box.

Pero pulled a sheath of parchment free and shook it out. It was like some kind of letter.

If anyone had the nerve to approach my little present, then you would have found this letter by now.

Yes as it seems, I have returned alive and well to Hyrule. Honestly, did you really think you could keep me away from the place I both know and love?

Anyway, I don't think I need to get into specifics of why and what I'm doing here. Thought the intelligence level of some has made me laugh as of late. Therefore I believe that you will all go to alert your precious hero of time just as soon as you read this sentence but don't be so hasty to leave just yet. I wanted to say that it won't be that easy this time. I'm not in the mood for any more games. You're all as good as dead. Don't even bother begging for your lives. I don't want to waste any more of your time or my time. So I'm just going to leave you with this bit of information:

With every little cut you inflict upon me, so will you inflict on an innocent man.

It ended there. The message made Pero's blood turn to ice water through his veins.

He didn't have any time to lose.