The Shadow Chronicles: Chapter Three
by Shiris
***
Link sighed in relief as he somehow managed to get through the dark temple in one piece. He was only wearing his white under-tunic, that he slipped on before he came out. He threw his hood on since it was removed. He dressed completely back into his normal attire, but he felt the same strange urge again.
'What's wrong with me?' He asked himself in frustration.
Link stumbled a bit as he began to walk up the stairs that led out of the chamber.
'Something is happening inside me...but I don't know what...' He thought.
When he got to the top of the stairs, he looked around the entire graveyard. He saw beyond everything. He heard everything. Every little detail was clear and sound was clean. He was a bit nervous since he still did not know what this was.
'I pray nothing bad's happened...' He then felt a cold wind rush past him.
'Navi...' Link looked about, but saw nothing.
'I completely forgot...Navi isn't anywhere near here...' Link thought with a sigh.
"I should probably find her first before I try anything." He instructed himself.
Link took off as he leaped from the stone tile beneath him. He suddenly stopped and shook a bit. He looked up and gasped slightly as he saw he was now under the stone archway in Kakariko.
'What in the world...I felt like the wind itself just now...' Link shivered uneasily.
Link grasped himself. Suddenly, a small groan escaped his lips as he felt a strange thirst run through his body. Link dropped to the cold grass on the ground as he began to quiver. Link pounded his fist into the stone wall in anger making a huge hole. Link pulled his fist away slowly and looked at it with a shocked expression seeing no injuries and feeling no pain.
'What did you do to me?' Link questioned himself.
As he felt a wind go by him again, he finally lifted himself up. He looked towards the gate to Hyrule Field.
'I'll find you Navi. Then I'll deal with that witch...' Link planned with his anger hidden.
"Hey there, Link!"
Link jumped with a start, but then hoped it was who he expected it to be. He glanced back to see Malon smiling playfully at him and froze.
"Hey there, what brings you around here?" Malon asked still smiling.
Link just stared stupidly at her.
"Oh...Farore..." Link stuttered.
"Say again?" Malon asked a bit confused.
'Malon looks like an...angel...just like Oriana did...but Malon's colors aren't cold like hers were...opps...' Link tripped over his own feet slightly as he tried backing away from her.
"Link, you're not...looking where I think you're looking..." Malon narrowed her cerulean blue eyes towards him.
"What are you talking about?" Link asked trying to act innocent blinking his eyes a bit.
"You're lying." Malon admonished.
"Why do you say that?" Link blinked his eyes more.
"Well, everytime my daddy lies, he starts blinking his eyes a lot, too." She confirmed.
"Uhhh..." Link felt he couldn't hide anything now.
"Well...of course I ain't going to let you go unpunished!" She giggled.
Malon grasped Link's arm and dragged him towards the village entrance where a small carriage of milk hooked to two horses and where Epona was still waiting.
As Link and Malon approached the two horses began to neigh histerically and buck about. Malon left Link a moment to investigate the trouble.
"What's wrong? There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just me and you remember Link, don't you?" The horses only backed off slightly.
Malon looked to Link, "I don't get it. They usually aren't frightened this easily. Maybe it's been a while since they've seen you that's all, Link?"
Link didn't answer. Never wanting to answer. Ever. Just afraid if anyone were to ever question what had happened to him just a few hours before...
"Link!"
He looked up as if he'd just awoken and fixed on Malon.
"Yes...?" He studdered.
"You've got to come receive your punishment!" Malon urged as she hopped on one of the horses and drove the carriage off. She turned and motioned Link to follow.
Link smiled slightly feeling warmer with Malon around. When he went to pat Epona's muzzle briefly, she pulled away suddenly and backed up a bit as she looked at her master suspiciously with her liquid eyes. Link patted her mane and stared into her eyes wondering what was wrong. He suddenly realized...
'She can sense it,' Link figured, 'so she realizes I'm not me anymore...doesn't she?'
Link grasped Epona's muzzle gently causing her to neigh nervously in response to the sensation of his cold hands. Link then calmed her down and leaned close to her head.
"Please girl, It's still me. I'm still Link. You're hearing me right, girl?" He cooed sweetly to her.
She looked fast into his eyes and calmed at his warm gaze. She stood steady waiting for him to saddle.
"Thank you, girl." He patted her muzzle softly, then climbed atop her and kicked her gently nudging her to follow Malon.
***
Malon had put the horses and Epona away in the stable and her father had gone to bed hours ago. She pinned Link to the ground inside the horse coral.
"You were realllllly naughty," Malon flipped Link's hood off to see him more clearly as she giggled, "and now you have to suffer the consequences!"
"Well, what's my punishment..." Link smiled a bit seductively as he brushed her coppery red hair.
He widened his eyes in shock as she locked her lips tight onto his. Link stared at her surprisingly when she pulled away panting heavily, but smiling.
"What a punishment..." Link kept staring at her and still surprised.
"And that's just the beginning." Malon giggled then pulled her lips to his again.
This time, Link kissed back. He felt in heaven again hoping Malon and him could stay like this for a while. Link closed his eyes feeling more dreamy as he kept contemplating. Then the same strange urge hit Link hard causing him to flinch in Malon's kiss. Seeing this, Malon pulled back slowly then she rubbed Link's forehead gently as she began to feel nervous.
"Link, please tell me you're alright...Oh, Nayru...please say he's alright!" Malon shook with fright as she looked at Link more nervously.
"I'm fine...it's alright." Link reassured her as he held his forehead.
"Thank Nayru you're alright," she rubbed her eyes a little, "are you sure...if you need to throw-up or anything feel free...you can rest her for the night if you like!"
"Don't worry. I'm okay." Link smiled hoping to calm her.
He suddenly lost himself as he felt the feeling take over. He began to wonder why he wanted her so much thinking it was just some sexual urge or something. He realized that he was eying her throat, but didn't know why.
'Wait. I remember what all those old stories said...that vampires feed off of the blood of the living to keep their immortality...but that would mean...oh, Farore, no...no!!' Link didn't want it to be true wishing he could change all of it.
"What's wrong?" Malon asked unaware of her fate.
Link unconsciously placed his hand on Malon's shoulder as he gently pulled her to him. She only responed with a little gasp to his action. He gently brushed away her hair from her neck with his icy hand. He leaned closer and opened his mouth letting his sharp canines gleam faintly as he drove them into her throat. Malon's eyes widened at the sharp pain, but didn't understand what was happening and quickly fainted. Link was now drinking the blood rushing into his throat slowly, not realizing Malon's condition.
Suddenly, he pulled away, but held her close to him and jumped away as he saw an arrow fly towards them and hit the spot him and Malon had been moments before. Link looked up still holding Malon protectively to see a figure about his height standing at the entrance to the coral.
'Peroin?!' Link thought as he saw him ready another arrow into his bow.
"Just drop her and move away, vampyre! I'm well prepared to fight you if necessary!" He warned aiming his bow at Link and Malon.
"Peroin! It's me!" Link shouted hoping Peroin would listen.
"That's real clever thinking you could fool me by sounding like Link, vampyre! I'll inform you that these are silver arrowheads!" Peroin accused about to fire.
"No, Really! It's me, Peroin!" Link wanted to laugh knowing that the silver wouldn't make any difference if they did hit him.
Peroin slowly lowered his bow.
"This better not be some trick or you're going to meet my pissed side." Peroin warned before he walked towards them.
Link brushed aside Malon's hair to see the deep puncture wounds he himself had made. He closed his eyes shut wanting them to just disappear. He then placed a finger to his lips and looked down at it seeing blood smeared on it. He also ran his fingers over his teeth and nearly dropped Malon at his discovery.
'Oh, Farore...no,' Link realized while shaking, 'I have...fangs...what the hell did that witch do to me...?'
Link clenched the fist that left his mouth tightly and even felt his fangs lengthen with his anger. He looked forward and saw Peroin staring in shock at the scene.
"Link...it really is you...?" Peroin still stared with his silver eyes wide open.
He looked at Malon and jumped slightly.
"What in Hyrule happened to her?!" Peroin shouted with disbelief.
"I...uh...why me?" Link sighed not wanting to explain.
"What?" Peroin waited.
"Alright...I know you're not going to believe any of this..." Link started.
***
One hour and thirty minutes later (still night)...
"What???!!!"
"Yeah."
"So you're..."
"Uh huh."
Peroin laughed as he fell back into a chair as they were now back in Kakariko inside Peroin's house.
"We sent you to get rid of a vampire and now YOU'RE the vampire!"
"Peroin...listen it's not like I wanted this all to happen." Link corrected.
"Sorry, but it just seems amusing. You're aware that I've got to kill you, right?" Peroin said a bit sarcastically.
"It's only right." Link looked down in morose.
"Didn't you know I was only joking with you!" Peroin reassured smiling, but growing serious seeing Link.
"I am considering it...I deserve it before more end up like Malon." Link looked down at her in the bed.
Peroin looked at her and then at Link.
"She's still alive, so you must know how to control how you drink from people and don't even realize it," Peroin informed, "I know for a fact that victims won't remember anything about their encounter with a vampire when they gain consciousness. So you shouldn't really have to worry. I'll just keep her here at my house while you go about your business."
"Thanks. You really won't tell anyone about what I said to you, right?" Link asked still worried about the trouble if anyone found out about all of this.
"It's almost dawn. I'd like to go with you, so I'll know where to find you during the day if emergencies arouse." Peroin insisted.
"I suppose, but you're sure that she won't wake and you won't be here to tell here a fake story?" Link asked still worried.
"Don't worry so much!" Peroin assured.
"Alright." Link dashed out the door with Peroin trailing.
As they entered the graveyard, Navi was floating at the entrance as if she were annoyed by something. Link had forgotten about looking for her due to the whole Malon interruption. When he approached her, Navi spun around with a rather angered look. Link noticed that she was carrying some lavendar colored powder in a pouch.
"Just where were you?!" She scolded.
"I...I...don't tell me I have to go through this again..." Link sighed.
***
One hour and thirty minutes later (after sunrise)...
"WHAT???!!!"
"That's what I said."
"Don't pay attention to him."
"That means..."
"Yep."
"She didn't ask you."
Navi just paced in the air still holding the pouch.
"You know something Link..." Navi began.
"Yeah...?" Link asked.
"I can never, ever trust you by yourself, ever, again!!!" She roared with a squeak.
"Why do I have this feeling that I knew that you were going to tell me something like that..." Link groaned.
"You just landed yourself in such a very intelligent spot...you, you...!"
"idiot." Link knew.
"Yeah!" Navi finished.
Link glanced towards the entrance of the Shadow Temple as they all laid thinking and discussing within the torch-lighten chamber where the whole thing started.
"So you think you'll be fine here during the day, then?" Peroin asked still uncomfortable about his friend spending a whole twelve hours with only Navi here to watch him in a place like this.
"Don't worry. All of the undead spirits here believe that I am one of them, Peroin." Link reassured him.
"How'd you know...?" Peroin questioned with shock.
"I could hear your thought even if others can't." Link explained slightly confused himself at this strange new ability.
"Ohh...Then I'll be on my way then..." Peroin dashed up the stairs and a small thud was heard.
Link smiled faintly and commented.
"Peroin is a really good-looking guy now that I look at him as a vampire. Everyone seems to be more beautiful than they did before now." Link wondered aloud.
Navi gave him an odd look.
"Not good-looking in THAT kind of way!" Link glared at her for thinking that.
"Hey!"
"You're really gorgeous, too, you know," Link commented, "even for just a little ball of blue energy, you're a lot more radiant than times before this."
"Quit trying to butter me up." Navi scowled.
"If that's what you really want." Link looked ahead into nothing as he thought again.
Navi flew up to Link showing the pouch to him.
"What's this for?" Link wondered.
"It's a new type of potion that the old man in the Lakeside Laboratory conjured up and wanted us to try it out!" Navi explained.
"A new potion...?" Link repeated still in wonder.
"Well that's all he knew himself. He doesn't even know what it does, himself!" Navi informed.
"So I'm the guinei pig?" Link confirmed.
"Sort of." Navi finished.
Link tucked it into his shirt and yawned loudly. His pale violet-blue eyes grew glazed and tired. Soon he stretched and leaned against the cold mud wall sitting in the corner growing sleepy. Navi cuddled in close to him as she conked out on his chest. Link glanced down at Navi smiling faintly as he gently rested his hand over her as she shivered from the cold of the rain still pouring outside. Even outside it was still dark and cold, but he didn't want to take any chances. Soon he feel into a deep sleep as soon as his eyes gave out and closed tight as they wandered into sleep.
***
Link quickly sprinted far from the Fire Temple and began to head towards the forest.
"How the heck did she find me in the first place?!" Link scowled at Navi.
"Weeelll...you shouldn't have over-slept like you did and maybe you would have moved out and this wouldn't have happened!!" Navi glared after her answer.
"How was I suppose to know that she was waiting for me to fall asleep?!" Link defended.
As they approached the Forest Temple, Link easily vaulted up to the platform with no need of the hookshot anymore. After they had pasted up the entrance and ran down the first hallway, Navi guided Link towards the elevator. He ran into the corridor right before the chamber where he'd fought that phantom version of Ganondorf. Link slumped over against one of the walls as he breathed more calmly. He looked about the hallway suspiciously knowing that he hadn't successfully escaped her...
"Oriana! Just come out! Quit with this little game!" Link spat out in anger at her teasing.
"Oh Link, it's just not fun anymore!" Oriana appeared from behind the stone pillar against the wall with a wicked fanged smirk, "I knew I should have made sure that you weren't gifted with that mind reading ability of yours. Oh wait! You got it from your beautiful and skillful mother...my...I should curse myself for that then!"
Link glared hatefully at her as she began laughing maniacally at him. He attempted to spring up and run for the elevator, but Oriana shoved him against the floor with an invisible force. He looked back at her with his fangs bared and his pale eyes glaring.
"My! You are a funny one! You never seem to get the point that I'll just keep stopping you no matter how hard you try!" She began to laugh in that same manner again angering Link even more.
Link rushed her, suddenly, knocking her to the floor roughly with a loud thud. He jumped up from the attack and leaped onto the elevator and disappeared. Oriana looked up from her landing and just smiled in delight.
"Oh Link...you little bastard...keep running." She chuckled to herself.
***
Link ran out of the temple and pulled out his ocarina and played the Prelude of Light. He was then warped to the Temple of Time after a gold light faded. He ran towards the altar, but collapsed on it with his fist clenched.
"Why...? Why...Dammit! Why?!" Link pounded his fist into the stone several times cracking it.
Navi flew out of his hood looking mornful. She looked to Link who she could swear was crying.
'I never thought someone as brave as him could ever even let out a tear...I only saw him whimper once as a kid after he'd gotten hurt by Gohma and even that time he got right back up. I wish I could do something...' Navi thought wanting to cry with him if she only could.
"It's alright," Link quickly whipped away his tears, "there's nothing you can do...but...I know that I can still save Hyrule...somehow. I know we both can. I can find my way around all of this soon."
"Link, that gets irritating, you know." Navi informed him of her displeasure of him reading her mind all the time.
"I'm sorry, Nav'." Link smiled back up at her.
"Link, your face and eyes are really pale and I have this feeling you haven't feed in these past four days. Why?" Navi asked slightly stern and worried.
"I don't want to."
"Huh?"
"Look. I know that you wouldn't understand, but I don't want to hurt others anymore like I did Malon..." Link explained.
"Link..." Navi flew up to him and leaned against his chest.
"Navi...?" Link blushed slightly and pushed the fact that she was only a fairy into his mind.
"I like you and all, so...I don't want to see you hurt either. If I were Hylian or human in any way I'd let you take me and drain me dry, I wouldn't care! I wouldn't!" Navi squeaked brokenly.
Link answered as she faced him.
"But I would..."
At his last word, the doors to the temple flew open and a figure stepped in with a confident stride. Link backed away as he recognized the intruder. Navi only stood her ground in the air watching the stranger approach.
"Link...Link...what am I ever going to do with you?" The feminine voice spoke in a slight teasing manner.
"Go the hell away, Oriana." Link growled.
"Hey! You sounded kind of threatening there...but...not really! Well, this must be the little pest from a while back? Oh, she belongs to you. Oh Link, I don't think you can turn a fairy, so you should probably just get rid of her!" Oriana giggled madly.
"Navi's my friend and the only one who's going to be rid of, is you!" Link jumped on top of Oriana and punched her in the face, but was kicked in the gut at the same time. Both of them rolled off of each other while Link was holding his gut in pain and Oriana was clutching her face in agony.
"Damn bastard!" Oriana flung her arm out and struck Link sending him into the wall.
Link still held himself now in more pain as he watched Oriana get up and walk towards him.
"Those stunts you pulled on me in both the Fire and Forest temple were acceptable, but when you hit me in my precious face, you made me have to practically kill you." Oriana rasped out in hate.
"Hey, it's not like it looked any better before, bitch." Link grinned slyly in triumph.
"You won't be smiling anymore after I kill you." Oriana grinned back, but in a scornful way.
Oriana picked Link up and threw him into the altar, but threw herself into it as well when he pulled her with him. She slammed into the altar and fell forward with Link on impact. Oriana recovered and attempted to grab Link again, but dropped him back to the floor as he drove his fangs into her arm deeply and tore at it. She looked down at her arm then at him with an incredibly hateful and angry glare.
"YOU F***ING DEMON! LOOK! JUST LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID TO ME!!!" She shoved her arm into Link's face, but he only smiled wickedly as his fangs gleamed.
Enraged, she hit Link dead hard into the wall making a huge hole. As her mangled arm slowly healed, she walked to him, slowly, with the same angered glare still on her face. Link knew he was way to weak now to get up and fight her again and began to think he couldn't do anything now and Navi was still helplessly floating near the altar not knowing what to do.
Suddenly, a light arrow flew out of nowhere right into Oriana's path. She jumped back covering her eyes from the flash of brilliant light. Link shut his eyes and covered his face keeping himself from being blinded. Oriana looked up carefully to see a boy Link's age dressed in dark clothing standing on the stairs of the altar.
"What the hell are you doing here, Princess?" Oriana hissed still shielding her eyes.
'Princess...?' Link looked up to see Sheik standing at the altar.
'That's Sheik...but...what...? It can't be...' Link thought in shock of realization after looking past Sheik's mind and self.
"You're not welcomed here, you witch." Sheik spat with disguist in his husky voice.
Sheik threw another light arrow nearly hitting Oriana, but barily dogded it. Oriana still covered her eyes afraid of the harm the light from the arrows would do. Before Sheik launched another, Oriana turned towards him and Link with a triumphant stance.
"Link, you were lucky miss royal crossdresser, here, showed up or you wouldn't be here still. Sorry sweety, but I've got to run. Expect me back of course." Oriana disappeared in flash when all that was present of her escape were the huge doors that were left open still.
Link stared at Sheik who was still standing there staring back at him, tranquilly.
"I gotta go." Before Sheik could disappear, Link caught his arm and surprised him.
"I'm not letting you run off this time...my vampiric abilities have actually worked for something once..." Link looked down still holding Sheik.
"Please...I..." Sheik begged pulling slightly to free himself.
"No! Please...wait," Link pleaded, "I want to thank you. You know she would have killed me if not for you..."
"Your welcome, but..." Sheik was interrupted.
"I know, but...I already know your secret..." Link finished.
Sheik stared at him with his wide red eyes.
"I don't have any secrets...I..."
"No...it's alright. I promise I'll never tell, Zelda."
Sheik stared wide-eyed at him and now shaking.
"How...?"
Link pressed his hand on Sheik's lips quieting him.
"I knew...when I looked into you..." Link confessed.
Link let go of Sheik waiting for him to run, but he just stood there staring at Link. Sheik was surprised when Link's eyes began to fill with tears.
"What's wrong...?" Sheik asked.
"I thought I'd never find you..." Link choked softly.
Sheik was gone in a small wave of golden light and now there stood Princess Zelda with tears also forming in her aqua eyes as well. Link finally could gaze into her warm, loving face again and could smell that same scent of roses in her golden hair. Link smiled warmly and spoke.
"It really is you...princess." At that, Link flung his arms around her embracing her warm body like he'd done as a small child.
Zelda hugged back firmly as she had her arms wrapped around his neck lovingly.
"Link...I didn't want to tell you now, but you somehow found out..." She felt his neck and stopped as she discovered that it felt extremely cold.
She glanced at his neck to see that it was practically white. She discovered that his hands and face were, too. She touched his face briefly and found it to be as icy as his neck. His usually bright blue-violet eyes were now pale and had a silvery tone to them. She also nearly jumped as she noticed the pearly fangs resting on his lips.
"Link...what happened to you...?" Zelda questioned shaking quite nervously afraid to hear an explanation.
"I know that everything you're about to hear will be hard to believe...but...let me start with this...I'm a vampire..."
***
"...And here I am." Link glanced at the tombstone and nodded.
"Yes. I know. I've tried already...but I could never find her resting haven during the day since I am also unable to walk while the sun's in the sky...but...I don't know...but I can give that a shot." Link rose from the muddy ground and looked up towards the dark cloudy sky as the cold rain trickled down his face.
'Dampe...I know I can trust you.' Link thought as he gazed up at the night sky.
Link glanced over towards the Shadow Temple then Kakariko Village.
'I want to test your idea, Dampe...but...' Link paused in thought as he looked back towards the grave smiling faintly then spoke aloud, "I'm going to need some help."
----------------------
(Author's notes: Hope you enjoyed and don't miss the next few chapters 'cause Shadow Chronicles is coming to a close and I'm starting on my Majora's Mask sequel and another upcoming saga that I'll reveal the title and a little pre-synopsis about the story in the next chapter! Thanks (Peroin again is my character!) This was a flashback until the very end with Link and Dampe just in case you were confused.)
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