AUTHOR'S NOTE

I had to pull an all-nighter, but here's another one knocked out. So many of the reasons I wrote this story and the things I've been building up to all along are featured in here, so I hope you all enjoy it!


CHAPTER 34

Forever In His Memory


Link had never run so fast in his life to the Kokiri Forest. With all the magic wielders already on their way to Hyrule Castle, he felt the time closing in on him quite acutely. It pained him to leave Dark behind, when they had completed so many other parts of this mission together, but it was more important that he stay with Zelda. If he was not successful; if he could not find the emissary who was likely to have the last piece of the map or the Wind Waker itself, they would all need to attempt the reversal spell at the proper time anyway, and hope for the best. They could not risk the Temple of Light sealing itself off from other worlds permanently, not with so much at stake.

Epona screeched to a halt as they approached the bridge leading into the forest, and he jumped off her and darted across it. While it was possible to coax her over the uneven planks, without knowing exactly where he was going or what he was doing, he was likely to move around in the Kokiri Forest faster without her. He could think of only one place to start, though it was somewhere he had already been once before: to speak with the Deku Tree Sprout.

He felt more on edge than usual as he made his way through the forest, his pace feeling painfully slow. Racing through the clearing that had become the home of the Kokiri would only lead to panic from them all, and walking with purpose would better prepare him for the task at hand. Rushing often led to unforeseen delays, and he could not take the risk of any of those.

He had only made it past the shop, when a familiar person slid in front of the path to the Deku Tree Sprout, blocking the way as they stood there with their hands on their hips. "Hey, Link!"

"Hey, yourself," Link replied, rolling his eyes at Mido's antics and trying to step around him. But with a swift sidestep only possible from the young and small, Mido was standing in front of him again, and when he tried to go to the other side, Mido once again came between him and the path. He took a step backward, crossing his arms and glaring down at the Kokiri.

"Sheesh!" Mido wiped his forehead in a fake show of exhaustion. "You don't give up, do you? But if you want to pass through here, you're going to have to try harder than that."

"What do you want, Mido?" Link's tone was flat, unamused by his antics. They were so close now; the Wind Waker was the last step to the end of their mission and he wasn't about to let anything stand in his way, much less his childhood rival.

"It's not what I want, it's what you want." Mido stared up expectantly at Link. "Don't think I didn't notice you and your Sheikah friend running around the forest!"

"What's it to you?" Link asked grumpily.

"No one does things here without my permission," Mido boasted, "unless you're the Hero of Time, it seems." He made a face, and Link sighed. "It's pretty obvious you're still looking for that information you needed."

"I am, and I'm on a very tight deadline," Link said. "So if you don't mind, I need to speak with -"

"Me," Mido finished, and Link stared at him. "You've already spoken with the Deku Tree Sprout, right? And how much help was he?"

Link glared at him, shuffling his feet. Truthfully, while the Deku Tree Sprout had been able to tell them a bit about the magic, he could not help in the way he had expected, and by the way Mido was smiling at him, this was something he already knew full well. "Not much."

"So speak with me instead," Mido prompted. "Come on, what have you got to lose?"

"Fine." Link found it hard to overcome the resentment he felt towards him, when Mido had lorded his leadership of the Kokiri and his friendship with Saria over Link for his entire childhood. "I'm looking for someone the Great Deku Tree might have sent on an errand. I think they have what I need."

"I see." Mido looked up thoughtfully, tapping his chin and drawing out his time with loud hmms that had Link just about ready to turn around and find someone else to ask. He did not have the tolerance for people wasting his time, not today. "The Great Deku Tree wouldn't send just anyone on an errand for him. It must have been somebody important. Somebody he trusted very much."

"I figured that much out myself, thanks," Link told him shortly. "Got any other ideas?"

"Are you telling me the Hero of Time can't figure out a simple riddle?" Mido taunted. "Use your head. It's somebody the Great Deku Tree knew he could believe in. Somebody he knew would do what was necessary, no matter the cost." Link stared blankly at him, and Mido sighed loudly. "Good grief! You're going to make me say it, aren't you? It's me." He gritted his teeth, and looked up at Link. "I'm the one the Great Deku Tree trusted most of all."

Link looked at him in disbelief. "It's...it's you?" he asked. "But...how...?"

"It's always 'Mido, can I speak with the Great Deku Tree?' and 'Mido, can I go into dangerous parts of the forest all by myself?' Or my personal favorite, 'Mido, you're so annoying, even though you're just doing it to protect the things you care about.'" The Kokiri appeared close to tears, and his voice was shaking ever so slightly, but he stood with a non-blinking gaze, proud and tall. "Never, 'Mido, you're so smart, maybe you know something about this.' Sheesh!" A small drop of water formed at the corner of his left eye, and he wiped it away almost immediately. "I kept waiting for you to put the pieces together. I kept thinking you would find clues and come to ask me about it. I thought you would come crawling back to me and beg me for the Wind Waker. But you never did. You're just like the rest of them." He wiped furiously at his face, and then reached around behind him. "Just because I'm tough, just because I don't let people do what they want all the time, you think the worst of me. But I'm not as petty as you think. I won't make you beg or plead for it. You can have this."

From seemingly out of nowhere, he produced what could be none other than the Wind Waker. White in color, it was intricately carved, with decorations on the handle. It glistened in Mido's hand, and as he held it out a gentle breeze suddenly picked up around them. Link reached forward, expecting at any second Mido would snatch it back, would tell him it was all a trick, but he didn't, and Link took it from him and felt the wind rush up at him from the ground; a melody almost seeming to play in his ears.

"But..." Link stared down at the ornately carved wooden stick he now held in his hand. "How...how did you get this...?"

"Good grief! You're even more thick-headed than I thought," Mido told him, and Link decided to overlook the insult just this once. "You're the one who went and checked out every stone in this forest. Didn't you hear what they had to say?"

"Well...yeah, but..." Link floundered under Mido's gaze, and Mido rolled his eyes. "I didn't hear anything about the Wind Waker from them…"

"Sheesh!" Mido jerked his thumb behind him. "You didn't talk to the one back there? The eyes are everywhere. They know that I left the forest. That I'm the only Kokiri to do so. And I even came back alive," he said proudly.

"I...thought it was referring to me," Link admitted, feeling foolish.

"Egotistical," Mido scoffed. "You're not Kokiri," he informed Link, as if he wasn't already acutely aware of that. "Well? Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Uh..." Link said uncomfortably. "You wouldn't happen to have part of a map, would you?"

"I might," Mido said with a wide smile that told Link he certainly had it, but that he did not particularly feel like handing it over. "But you owe me something first."

Link frowned and patted gingerly at the money purse he kept with him. He would not put it past Mido to extort an enormous amount of money from him. "Sheesh," Mido said, as he waited for him. "Do you want my help or not?"

"I do," Link said. "I just..." he did not know how to say what he wanted, that he did not think it was fair for the fate of Hyrule's connection to other worlds to rest on his ability to scrounge up a sufficient amount of rupees.

"Really now," Mido said with a little shake of his head. "Is it so hard to say two words? I'm just looking for a little gratitude. Good grief!"

Link could feel his face turning red now; he had assumed the worst of Mido not once, but twice today, and it was in such contrast to how he normally treated others he could not help but feel ashamed at himself.

"Mido, I'm...I'm sorry." The words almost felt like they were stuck in his throat. "Thank you. For everything. You're...a really good leader. The Kokiri are lucky to have you."

"Aw, shucks," Mido said, and to Link's surprise he also flushed slightly pink. "Here's your map." He deposited a scroll of parchment into Link's outstretched hand, and Link tucked it away quickly. "Get out there and do what you do best, Hero."


The elation Link had felt at finding that last piece of the map and the Wind Waker itself gave way to worry when he and Dark presented it to Zelda the following morning. The day had finally come to undo the magic that was put in place to protect their world and others so long ago, and he could not stop thinking about the cost that was associated with it, no matter their success or failure.

Zelda had set up all the pieces of map in their associated order; they lay broken on the table, some with tattered edges, others stuck in a partially-scrolled position from being kept that way so long. The ink was smudged on most of them, and the parchment discolored on just as many. Link privately wondered whether they would repair themselves when they were reconnected, or if their magic would build a patchwork quilt of parchment.

"Are you ready?" Zelda asked him as everyone began to arrive. "Once we start, I do not think we will be able to stop."

"That isn't a question for me," Link said gravely, and he looked at Dark. As nervous as he felt, he knew Dark felt worse. He had much more riding on their success than Link did, and any self-doubt on his part might result in unpredictable magic, though he had gotten better at controlling and commanding it over the last few weeks.

"Yeah," Dark said gruffly, and he reached for the Gossip Stone for reassurance from Link, who responded with as comforting thoughts as he could. "Let's do this."

Zelda nodded once gravely, and then looked around the room at the oddly assorted group of citizens. "Welcome. Thank you all for coming. We are here today to right a wrong; to reunite our world with those we were once connected to. I have done a great deal of research on the subject, and I am confident that together, we can accomplish our goal." She was met with silence, and she smiled. "Though I am accustomed to taking charge, one thing you learn when you become a leader is there is no shame in asking others to step up if they are more qualified for the mission at hand. Of those of you who were here last time, we would humbly ask for your instruction and guidance in the matter of this magic."

It was no surprise to Link when Javo stepped forward. Though there were several others who had participated, he was the youngest of them, and was not afraid of speaking in front of a crowd. "The first time this was done," he announced, "magic was performed in a certain order. This time, that magic will need to be performed in reverse. I recommend we stand in a circle around the table."

It was a surprisingly orderly affair, with Javo calling out the types of magic and positioning people as they identified themselves. "Originally, we used light magic to form the correct pattern and dark magic to break it apart, followed by wind, earth, fire, water, and illusion to strengthen the magic before the spell was sealed with alchemy." Mizumi nodded his head in agreement as Javo spoke. "This time, we must use alchemy to prepare the map for reassembly, followed by all the other magic. Your Majesty, I am afraid this leaves you with the task of sealing the pieces together again."

Zelda's mouth was set in a grim line, and she nodded once to show she understood what was expected of her. In a way, she knew it would come down to her to perform the final step. "I accept this responsibility," she said formally. "Doctor, it is up to you to begin."

With a start, Link realized she was speaking to Mizumi, whom he had forgotten was an accomplished doctor of the relatively new sciences. He nodded, and withdrew a beaker of a bubbling golden liquid. "I made this a few days ago," he explained. "Once I pour this on the map, it will be able to accept the magic. Timing is everything!" he said loudly, and Link took note of how nervous some of the participants looked, such as the young Goron who had stepped in for Biggoron. "I will snap my fingers when the next spell must be applied. Remember, you must keep your magic on until the spell has been fully sealed, or we will have to start again." He looked sternly around the room, and waited to see everyone nod before he held up the beaker. Hesitating for just a moment to look around the room, he poured it onto the map.

The effect on the old parchment was instantaneous. Before his eyes, Link saw the gold liquid splash over it, and the pieces unfurled and glowed with raw energy. Mizumi snapped his fingers, and Shikashi, who Link knew now was really Kenzo of the Sheikah, cast his hands over the map and watched them shimmer, seeming to be there at some times and at others not. Snap. Water streamed over the edge of the table. Snap. Flames flickered at the edges of the parchment. Snap. The paper laid flat, grounding itself.

Snap. It was Link's turn now, and he lifted up the Wind Waker, conducting a symphony no one could hear save for himself. The wind blew around them, ruffling the edges of the paper. Snap. Dark held up his hands, which were trembling slightly, and the shadows came forth from the corners of the room, affixing themselves to the edges of the map. Snap. Zelda held up her hand, and a glowing beam of light shot from it, hitting the map. But something was wrong. Her spell was not stopping; none of their spells were stopping, and she held up her other hand. "I need more power," she gasped.

They all looked helplessly at her, and though Link could tell others were increasing the power of their magic even as he summoned forth more wind, he knew it was not enough. Zelda was extremely powerful by herself, but her magic was more based in protection and passive power, and she had a limit on how long she was able to use it for. It dawned upon him suddenly that he might have been the only one in the room who could help; he had light magic while none of the others did. He looked over at Dark for assurance, but his eyes were focused on the map, and Link could tell any distraction might make him break his spell. Link only needed one hand to control the Wind Waker. While he continued conducting, he held up his other hand and flexed it, then extended it forward with light magic of his own.

A shockwave broke through the room at the addition of his magic, sending everyone flying backwards and breaking their spells. "It's done!" Mizumi crowed, managing to avoid the blast by ducking down below the table at the last minute. "The map has been reassembled!"

The younger among them picked themselves up off the ground with ease, and as Link helped the older ones in the group get back up, Dark walked forward, looking down at the map. "It's in one piece, sure. But did it work?" He frowned down at it. Aside from it looking once more whole and complete, there was no indication it functioned as expected. He looked around the room, but no one seemed to know the answer; save for Zelda, who had closed her eyes and tilted her head up towards the sky. "It has worked," she said. "The pathways are open again. I can feel them. Congratulations, Dark - you have successfully completed your first mission for Hyrule."

Dark nodded once in acknowledgement, but his hands were curled into fists, and Link stepped away from the sudden celebration that had broken out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked gently, though he felt sure he knew the answer.

"I'm fine," he said shortly. "I did what I set out to do." Tentatively, he reached towards the map, and Zelda caught his eye as he did so.

"You may take it," she told him. "I daresay it belongs in the Temple of Light. You will be returning there, will you not?" But Dark did not answer her, simply taking the completed map and rolling it up, and then he walked out the door, leaving Link to mutter a quick apology to their present company and follow him.

He did not speak on their way home, giving Dark time to think through things. He had some thinking to do himself, because he knew Zelda was right, and that Dark would be returning to the Temple of Light and leaving Hyrule. He was not ready to say goodbye, but he did not want to hold Dark back from his goal to rescue Shadir either.

"I know what you're going to say," Dark told him shortly once they had arrived at Link's house. "And I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Have I become that predictable?" Link asked him, hoping to evoke a laugh, but Dark simply regarded him with a serious expression.

"You've always been predictable, Mr. Hero." Link crossed his arms in mock irritation, and Dark took a step closer to him. "If you want to talk, then perhaps you can answer a question for me. Have you decided yet whether you'll be coming with me?"

He hadn't decided yet, and he had a feeling Dark already knew that. "Never mind," he said after a moment, and wrapped his arms around Dark leaning in and giving him a kiss that reminded him of all the things he would miss if they were no longer together. "I don't think I feel much like talking, after all."


It was only a few days later when Link awoke early in the morning with a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. The house was quiet, as it always was just after sunrise, but the silence seemed to carry an ominous tone to it, and he sat straight up in bed, getting dressed swiftly.

"Dark?" he called, making his way to his room, but the half-open door partially made bed seemed to confirm his worst fear. He felt around his neck for the stone he always wore, frantically reaching out with his mind, but he received no response. He and Dark had never tested the range of their silent communication, an oversight on their part. "Dark?" he asked tentatively, out loud, knowing distance was no issue there. But this, too, got no response.

There was only one place Dark could have been headed by himself. The Temple of Light. Link raced out of the house, barely stopping long enough to belt on his sword. Dark had mysterious ways of transportation; he could easily get in and out of Castle Town at night, and it was possible he had slipped away much earlier. But there was no song Link could play, no portal he could step through, that would get him there any faster.

He ignored the sting of pain from Dark leaving without even saying goodbye as he rushed through Castle Town, running faster than he ever had before in his life. It was then that he saw him, as he crossed over the drawbridge, an indistinct figure in the distance. "Dark!" he yelled, and he saw him pause for a moment before he seemed to be walking away again. He held up the stone. Please wait for me, he thought, and the figure stopped this time, turning around.

"Why?" he asked sadly, when he was close enough to make out Dark's features. It seemed like he had been crying; his eyes were red and his face held the vestiges of raw emotion, but Link wondered what amount of suffering had made him leave when he had been so broken when Link had left in much the same way.

"You knew it would have to come to this eventually," Dark answered, rare sympathy evident in his voice. "You were just unwilling to make the choice. So I made it for you."

"I would have -" Link started to object, but Dark shook his head.

"You would have chosen to stay here. You would have chosen to stay in Hyrule, and I would have chosen to leave. The result is the same, Link. It's just less messy this way." Link might hate him for leaving like this, but at least he would be spared the burden of guilt from delaying his journey and choosing not to accompany him.

"No," Link said stubbornly. "That...that wasn't what I was going to choose."

"Really?" Dark's expression softened, before he reminded himself he was only doing what had to be done. "It doesn't matter. You can't come with me."

"Why not?" Link demanded indignantly.

"Because I owe it to my brother to find him," Dark said. He could feel his heart breaking with every word. "To find him, and to bring him home. And you...you aren't under that same obligation. You're under a different one. One that you can't fulfill if you come with me."

"I thought we were partners," Link said, his words echoing with sorrow. Heroes may not have been supposed to cry, but it did not stop his tears from forming.

"We're two sides of the same coin, Link. You don't need me to tell you that Hyrule needs their hero." Deep in his heart, Link knew that was true. They did need their hero. But without Dark, he was no longer sure that was him anymore.

"I need you," he whispered, holding out his hand to Dark. Seeing him now, on the verge of leaving Hyrule, made everything feel so much more real to him, and he wondered if he was making a terrible mistake by letting him walk out of his life.

"No," Dark replied sadly. "You don't. You're so much stronger than me. You were fine before I was part of your life, and you'll be fine once I'm gone."

"Will I ever see you again?" Link's words were coming out thick with emotion now, the hope inside him that Dark would wait for him coming to an end.

"I guess you don't know me as well as you thought you did," Dark told him. "I'll always come back for the people I love." He ran towards Link, kissing him once forcefully, the taste of Link's salty tears flooding his mouth and threatening to make him start crying as well. He pulled back, surveying Link's face carefully so he would be able to remember every detail on his journey. "You better still be here when I get back."

"I will be," Link promised, his breath catching in his throat, and Dark turned around sadly, beginning what seemed like an endless walk across Hyrule Field. "Wait!" Link called out behind him. "You never told me your real name."

Dark paused for a moment. Even he had almost forgotten that the name he had chosen for himself was not the one he had been given at birth, for the name 'Dark' had become so much a part of him that he did not think he would be himself without it. He looked down at the ground. There was no way he could turn around, not now, or he would not trust himself to take another step towards his future. "It's Ravio," he called back, and then he kept on walking.

"Ravio," Link murmured. "I'll never forget you." And as he walked back to his empty house in Castle Town, to cry and mourn the loss of someone who had been his friend and his lover, he reminded himself that as long as someone's memory was alive in your heart, they were never truly gone.


IN CLOSING

So there's my big reveal for this story - Dark was Ravio all along. I thought he was such a cool character when I played ALBW, and it always bothered me that he hasn't been featured in other games (I am not counting Hyrule Warriors as a main series game). His character has some serious potential and to me, it always stood to reason that if other iterations of Link exist in various times, other iterations of Ravio naturally would as well. One of the reasons I started writing this story, and did Dark's introduction in that way, was so that I could bring Ravio into the world of Ocarina of Time. But as those of you who follow the timeline know, he is not the exact same Ravio that is featured in ALBW, so I really do still think of him as Dark.

Similarly, I always felt Mido deserved more of a spotlight than he got in the game. I understand he has a bit more of a role in the manga, but I wanted to see him portrayed as more than just a bully. He didn't become the leader of the Kokiri and favorite of the Great Deku Tree by being a jerk, so I have to assume that he cared for his people and wanted what was best for them, and simply was jealous of Link for his instant favoritism with the Great Deku Tree and Saria, whom had both been close to him before Link's arrival. While his moment to shine was relatively short, I hope it helps to bring him some further appreciation than he would be given during normal gameplay.

I know this ended on a rather sad note, but we do have one more chapter left, and I intend to make good use of it.

Don't forget to check back for Chapter 35. Thank you for reading / following / favoriting / reviewing!