Reflections of Time
A rose.
A single rose.
Ripples ran across the water as the bud hit the pool, making the room seem irridesent in the glow. The petals floated on the water, making the reflections of the young man standing before them seem to fade.
Link stabbed one dainty petal with his sword's tip, raising it up to meet his eye. He watched as the petal turned from red to black… a deep black.
The water temple seemed so quiet now. So lonely. He stood in the white room, tapping the sword against a tree, scraping the petal's remains on the black trunk. Navi fluttered hesitantly above his head before lowering into his hood.
"What a battle…"
His voice seemed to echo on the cold, white walls of the room. He shivered at the thought of complete emptiness. Nothing…
Just moments ago there had been another Link, a darkened replica of himself to the exact degree. He had been a silvery black against the white background, just like the pedals that sizzled in the water.
Link, at first look, had thought of a mirror. He remembered. The mirror sat on his mother's table in his parent's bedroom. He used to sit on that table while she powdered her face, making faces in the silvery glass. He remembered his mother… but he had never known her.
When Dark Link took out his sword, Link saw that this was no childhood memory. This was his other side. A side controlled by Ganondorf to defeat himself in a battle between… and inside… of one whole.
Link had drawn his sword also, the Dark Link mimicking Link's pose. Link was the first to strike.
The sword clanged like a glass shattering on a floor, causing water to spray into their faces. Link had to fight not to be taken into the fact that this was himself, and that the boy he was defeating had been there too… on his mother's table… making faces in the mirror…
Navi encouraged him on, trying to make Link realize that Dark Link was not himself, but a fake. A decoy. Link would not listen. Again and again he plunged in, sword drawn, only to cause a ring to dance across the endless white walls.
Link had stopped. He was weak from trying to defeat something of his own equal. Something that was himself.
"Do you remember that axe?"
Dark Link's voice was colder than ice in the room. Navi shuttered and hid in Link's hood. She hovered close to his ear.
"Don't listen to him, he isn't you," Navi whispered, her voice warm in Link's ear.
"What axe?"
"The axe that dad gave to us… that one summer?"
Link was thrown back. He could feel the blade his hand, the chopping of the wood, his father's whistle as he cut the boards for the fire. The fire…
"Stop, Link! Don't listen!" Navi said, cutting off Link's memories.
"You remember. Don't you?" Dark Link said, leaning against one of the charcoal black trees.
"You aren't him, Link!" Navi cried, almost screaming in his ear.
"You can't fight me… I am you."
"NO! DON'T LISTEN!"
"I…am…you…"
"NO! STOP!"
Link was overwhelmed by emotion, twisting his mind, making him feel as if he was there, chopping wood. What wood? What fire? What mirror…?
"NOOOOO!!!" Link scram as he charged the Dark creature, his blade jabbing through the replica's chest…
A sigh escaped his lips as he remembered this. Another life, another memory.
"Okay, Navi. Let's go," he whispered to the fairy. She zoomed out from under the hood and fluttered about Link's face.
"Okay."
They walked out of the room in silence…
…in the white room, the last petal slowly sank into the pool.
{*.*} Starberry
A rose.
A single rose.
Ripples ran across the water as the bud hit the pool, making the room seem irridesent in the glow. The petals floated on the water, making the reflections of the young man standing before them seem to fade.
Link stabbed one dainty petal with his sword's tip, raising it up to meet his eye. He watched as the petal turned from red to black… a deep black.
The water temple seemed so quiet now. So lonely. He stood in the white room, tapping the sword against a tree, scraping the petal's remains on the black trunk. Navi fluttered hesitantly above his head before lowering into his hood.
"What a battle…"
His voice seemed to echo on the cold, white walls of the room. He shivered at the thought of complete emptiness. Nothing…
Just moments ago there had been another Link, a darkened replica of himself to the exact degree. He had been a silvery black against the white background, just like the pedals that sizzled in the water.
Link, at first look, had thought of a mirror. He remembered. The mirror sat on his mother's table in his parent's bedroom. He used to sit on that table while she powdered her face, making faces in the silvery glass. He remembered his mother… but he had never known her.
When Dark Link took out his sword, Link saw that this was no childhood memory. This was his other side. A side controlled by Ganondorf to defeat himself in a battle between… and inside… of one whole.
Link had drawn his sword also, the Dark Link mimicking Link's pose. Link was the first to strike.
The sword clanged like a glass shattering on a floor, causing water to spray into their faces. Link had to fight not to be taken into the fact that this was himself, and that the boy he was defeating had been there too… on his mother's table… making faces in the mirror…
Navi encouraged him on, trying to make Link realize that Dark Link was not himself, but a fake. A decoy. Link would not listen. Again and again he plunged in, sword drawn, only to cause a ring to dance across the endless white walls.
Link had stopped. He was weak from trying to defeat something of his own equal. Something that was himself.
"Do you remember that axe?"
Dark Link's voice was colder than ice in the room. Navi shuttered and hid in Link's hood. She hovered close to his ear.
"Don't listen to him, he isn't you," Navi whispered, her voice warm in Link's ear.
"What axe?"
"The axe that dad gave to us… that one summer?"
Link was thrown back. He could feel the blade his hand, the chopping of the wood, his father's whistle as he cut the boards for the fire. The fire…
"Stop, Link! Don't listen!" Navi said, cutting off Link's memories.
"You remember. Don't you?" Dark Link said, leaning against one of the charcoal black trees.
"You aren't him, Link!" Navi cried, almost screaming in his ear.
"You can't fight me… I am you."
"NO! DON'T LISTEN!"
"I…am…you…"
"NO! STOP!"
Link was overwhelmed by emotion, twisting his mind, making him feel as if he was there, chopping wood. What wood? What fire? What mirror…?
"NOOOOO!!!" Link scram as he charged the Dark creature, his blade jabbing through the replica's chest…
A sigh escaped his lips as he remembered this. Another life, another memory.
"Okay, Navi. Let's go," he whispered to the fairy. She zoomed out from under the hood and fluttered about Link's face.
"Okay."
They walked out of the room in silence…
…in the white room, the last petal slowly sank into the pool.
{*.*} Starberry