Chapter 2
Link mumbled to himself as he walked silently through the winding corridors of Hyrule Castle. He pace was slow and precise, his eyes constantly darting back and forth, searching for any possible threats.
"Oh goodie, here's one now," he said softly to himself.
"Master, won't you just listen to me for a second?" Navi flew to his nose and Link halted in his tracks.
"Why can't you just stay dead? Why must you always spy on me, you little heathen?"
"Spy, master? I would not spy-"
"I know *he* sent you here. Stop lying to me, else you might tempt my darker half." Link said this with a sly grin, the sane part of him instantaneously screaming at the mention of the other half, willing it not to take over.
"Master, who is this 'he' you are referring to?" Link growled not so quietly and swatted at the fairy to send her sprawling through the air. Link was about to say something witty and cruel when he heard voices coming from the other end of the long passage. He turned to search for the fairy, afraid she would expose him, but found nothing there. Realizing she had withdrawn back into the recesses of his mangled mind, he made a mental note to squash her *before* she started talking the next time he decided to hallucinate. Re-focusing his attention on the commotion down the hallway, he slipped back up against the wall and secretly made his way down to the end to find himself standing in front of huge oak doors. He listened carefully to the voices within...
"Don't fret, ladies. She just swooned temporarily, she will be fine in a few minutes."
"Are you sure?"
Link strained to identify the voices. ((Rauru..)) he thought with a slight growl escaping his lips. ((And Saria.)) He thought the last with a sigh.
....this is the princess's chambers....
Link again felt a stirring in his stomach, and though the presence within him was not completely awakened, the minute control Link had over his body was easily overpowered by the other's. The sane part of Link tried to push it away and told Link to just continue and get the hell out of there, but the other was much stronger.
....you came here to do something, so I suggest you finish it now....
"No," Link whispered softly, "not now, it wasn't meant to happen this way..."
....fool. If not now, when? If you do not do it now, you never will. So get in there and do it. Do not mind the others, they are powerless to stop you....
Link flattened his back against the oak doors and let out a big sigh, his forehead scrunching in concentration. He knew he could not overcome this...thing within him. He had managed it only once and the energy it drained nearly killed him. Ok, maybe not killed, but still.
"Are you insane? There are two sages in there, counting Zelda there are three."
....you benighted fool. It seems you have lost your touch...
"I haven't lost my touch, I just..."
...shut up and listen to the heartbeats in that room...
Link again pressed his ear to the doors and listened for a few moments. Surely enough, there were not three but four heartbeats emanating from inside the chamber.
"What the...who else is in there?"
....think boy, think....
Link stood there trying to listen but the presence within was beginning to grow impatient.
....Impa you great fool! Have you lost all your senses? I should kill you....
"Zip it. You can't kill me. If you somehow could, you wouldn't have anywhere to live and all that crap, so don't try to threaten me. All you can do is-"
....take over your weak, pathetic excuse for a brain. You may not have noticed yet, but I am winning. It will only be a matter of time....
"I'm still in control," ((barely.)) Link felt a sensation not unlike a snicker somewhere inside himself. "So shut your yap and let me think."
...thinking to yourself does you no more good than trying evade the inevitable...
Link rolled his eyes. So what if it could read his mind? Link sighed, knowing it was futile to try to hide anything from it.
...you know it is useless. No matter what you lead yourself to believe...
Link shook his head in annoyance. Exactly how many times had he heard something to that effect in the past? Too many to count. "We'll see about that." Link turned to continue walking down the corridor, but he could not. He hated to admit it, but his mind was losing the battle for sanity, and it would only be a matter of time before he fell completely into darkness.
"Fine, I'll go in, but I'm not promising anything." What he felt then was, to say the least, a silent yet strong ringing in his ears. He realized after moments that it was the presence within him...laughing. ((Bastard.)) As he reached for the large handle on the door, something heavy plowed into him and he went sprawling across the tiled floor, the object pinning him to the ground.
"You idiot! Do you realize what you were about to do?!" At the sound of her voice, Link pushed the girl off him so he could turn around and look at her.
"Malon, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Malon stood up and straightened out her skirt. Wiping the dust off her blouse, she looked down at him, still laying on the floor and barely noticed the flicker of red dissipate from his eyes. It didn't register, however.
"You idiot. You will be in serious danger if you try to go in there. I know that Saria is here because I saw her in the entrance hall with Impa when I was delivering milk. If you go in, they'll have your head!"
"Slow down Malon, how did you know where I was? Where's-"
"I sent the guard in the other direction once we realized you were gone. He was in a hurry to get me out of there because the head guy or whatever was supposedly coming back soon, and the only reason he let me in was because...ugh...because he thought I was 'cute.'"
Malon twisted her face in a look of disgust. Link almost smiled at the look, almost. He noticed that she seemed to be her regular, bouncy self, as opposed to the serious, stern Malon he had met only moments ago. It was also then he realized that whenever he was in her presence, the one within him receded just slightly and he had enough control to talk to her in a, well, sane sort of matter.
It occurred extremely odd to Link that he did indeed feel...almost rational. Whenever he had managed to be without "it" for a time, which was not often, he always found himself hallucinating (namely Navi) and acting without lucid cause. He was crazy in other words, though not when he was with her. Maybe she was the one who could help him...
"You didn't answer my first question." Malon looked down at her shoes almost sheepishly, Link thought, and then glanced at the huge, wooden doors.
"Well, I uhh...Ok. When I was little, my father used to bring me along with milk deliveries so I could watch him to eventually take over the business." Link finally stood and nodded his head, and Malon knew he was getting impatient. "I snooped around a lot, and I still know pretty much where everything is. It hasn't changed much, but I figured my best shot was to look for you near the princess's bedroom." Link almost looked guilty at that, but he would not let his emotions surface so easily. Instead he looked at Malon with heavy eyes, and she could see the pleading within them even though his face was stern and immediately took pity. Again.
"You're coming home with me, Link. Let's get out of here before anyone finds you."
Link nodded his head in mute agreement and pushed away the nagging in his brain that told him not to leave until the job was done. She grabbed for his hand, to both her and Link's surprise (and for some reason Link didn't complain), and they walked quickly yet cautiously down the hallway to find her carriage outside. Somehow, his feelings for Malon were stronger than those of the being inside him. ((Yup, I'm in-))
....don't even think about saying that word....
"Love." Malon stopped and looked at him, and for the first time she saw emotion on Link's face, though it was not what she expected. He looked almost panicky.
"What?"
"Uh, love is what I remember when I was a boy. A boy in a forest, with no real family, but friends who loved him. It's the first time in many years since I've felt..that way, and the first time I've ever been able to admit it." Link felt complete shock at himself as he uttered those words, and fear. They just came spilling right out. He was afraid that something horrible would happen to him because he allowed himself to express those kinds of feelings. He noticed the tingling that usually accompanied the taking over of his brain, but no such thing happened. The presence within him couldn't overtake his mind, it was almost poisonous now. It was filled with something that it dared not mingle with. Link did feel fear at first, but not regret. Just like that his emotions carried him away, reaching into crevices and abandoned nooks within himself he had forgotten about, leaving his darker half to sit in frustrated silence.
Malon nodded and took his hand again, not saying anything and continuing down the hall. For the first time since he became the Hero of Time, Link no longer felt completely alone.
*********************
Rauru glanced at the doors that exited the chamber as he was attending to Zelda's forehead with a damp cloth. "Did anyone hear that?"
Saria and Impa looked at each other briefly before looking at Zelda, who just shrugged her shoulders. The truth was, all three of them heard what was going on outside, but as the Sheikah was about to investigate, Zelda held her with a gaze that told her not to pursue the matter. Impa didn't pretend she knew what the princess was thinking, but in her own mind, cursed herself for letting the rogue she knew was out there get away. She had no desires, however, to displease her highness. Rauru, on the other hand, really *didn't* know what was going on.
"It was nothing, Rauru. Don't worry yourself," Zelda said, looking at Impa and Saria knowingly, and with a little guilt. Impa walked over to Zelda's bed and sat down on the edge, looking at Saria who was stood firmly on the other side.
"If it's not too much trouble, Saria, Rauru," Impa said, nodding to each of the two as she said their names, "I would like a word with Zelda. Alone." Rauru looked up from his ministrations but did not question the Sheikah.
"Of course, Impa," he said politely and went to exit the room. He stopped at the doors and turned for Saria. "Come, little one." Saria gave Impa a questioning look but did not say anything and quickly hurried to Rauru's side. After they closed the doors, Impa stood and hovered over the princess.
"With no disrespect intended, your highness, I demand an explanation as to what you were thinking. You know how dangerous he is. You cannot keep holding on to this fantasy that he will return to his normal self and everything will be just fine and dandy." Zelda looked at Impa, almost shocked at her choice of words. She had never known her to use such a forced tone, or an impatient one in all the years she'd cared for her. Impa had always been calm and collected about every situation, no matter its intensity, but this one clearly frightened her beyond belief. That knowledge scared Zelda senseless. It took her some time before she replied.
"I-I just, I couldn't. I know that somewhere in his..."
"That is ridiculous! Zelda, you know very well that your decision may have put lives in danger. I'm sorry for the disrespect I am showing, but I cannot allow this. I'm going after him."
"No! No, wait." Zelda leapt out of her bed as Impa made haste to the doors. "I have an idea where he's going, and perhaps we can surprise him there." Impa contemplated this, and decided she'd go along with it.
"Alright, but I suggest we hurry. Who knows what he might be doing at this point."
"Thank you, Impa. We'll tell Saria to go back to the forest and wait there. Alert the other sages and tell them not to leave their provinces. Their people should be protected at all times now that he's out there."
"A wise decision, Princess. I will get word out." Zelda halted a minute and put her hand on Impa to stop her.
"No, wait." Zelda sighed and shook her head. "They will need explanations and I cannot chance the spreading of false rumors. I do not want my nation in a panic, we will go about this with precaution."
"Agreed. You shall call a meeting to be held immediately." Zelda nodded and gathered her robes while Impa went to tell Saria and Rauru their plans. This was going to be a difficult task, but they- she.. had no choice.
Link mumbled to himself as he walked silently through the winding corridors of Hyrule Castle. He pace was slow and precise, his eyes constantly darting back and forth, searching for any possible threats.
"Oh goodie, here's one now," he said softly to himself.
"Master, won't you just listen to me for a second?" Navi flew to his nose and Link halted in his tracks.
"Why can't you just stay dead? Why must you always spy on me, you little heathen?"
"Spy, master? I would not spy-"
"I know *he* sent you here. Stop lying to me, else you might tempt my darker half." Link said this with a sly grin, the sane part of him instantaneously screaming at the mention of the other half, willing it not to take over.
"Master, who is this 'he' you are referring to?" Link growled not so quietly and swatted at the fairy to send her sprawling through the air. Link was about to say something witty and cruel when he heard voices coming from the other end of the long passage. He turned to search for the fairy, afraid she would expose him, but found nothing there. Realizing she had withdrawn back into the recesses of his mangled mind, he made a mental note to squash her *before* she started talking the next time he decided to hallucinate. Re-focusing his attention on the commotion down the hallway, he slipped back up against the wall and secretly made his way down to the end to find himself standing in front of huge oak doors. He listened carefully to the voices within...
"Don't fret, ladies. She just swooned temporarily, she will be fine in a few minutes."
"Are you sure?"
Link strained to identify the voices. ((Rauru..)) he thought with a slight growl escaping his lips. ((And Saria.)) He thought the last with a sigh.
....this is the princess's chambers....
Link again felt a stirring in his stomach, and though the presence within him was not completely awakened, the minute control Link had over his body was easily overpowered by the other's. The sane part of Link tried to push it away and told Link to just continue and get the hell out of there, but the other was much stronger.
....you came here to do something, so I suggest you finish it now....
"No," Link whispered softly, "not now, it wasn't meant to happen this way..."
....fool. If not now, when? If you do not do it now, you never will. So get in there and do it. Do not mind the others, they are powerless to stop you....
Link flattened his back against the oak doors and let out a big sigh, his forehead scrunching in concentration. He knew he could not overcome this...thing within him. He had managed it only once and the energy it drained nearly killed him. Ok, maybe not killed, but still.
"Are you insane? There are two sages in there, counting Zelda there are three."
....you benighted fool. It seems you have lost your touch...
"I haven't lost my touch, I just..."
...shut up and listen to the heartbeats in that room...
Link again pressed his ear to the doors and listened for a few moments. Surely enough, there were not three but four heartbeats emanating from inside the chamber.
"What the...who else is in there?"
....think boy, think....
Link stood there trying to listen but the presence within was beginning to grow impatient.
....Impa you great fool! Have you lost all your senses? I should kill you....
"Zip it. You can't kill me. If you somehow could, you wouldn't have anywhere to live and all that crap, so don't try to threaten me. All you can do is-"
....take over your weak, pathetic excuse for a brain. You may not have noticed yet, but I am winning. It will only be a matter of time....
"I'm still in control," ((barely.)) Link felt a sensation not unlike a snicker somewhere inside himself. "So shut your yap and let me think."
...thinking to yourself does you no more good than trying evade the inevitable...
Link rolled his eyes. So what if it could read his mind? Link sighed, knowing it was futile to try to hide anything from it.
...you know it is useless. No matter what you lead yourself to believe...
Link shook his head in annoyance. Exactly how many times had he heard something to that effect in the past? Too many to count. "We'll see about that." Link turned to continue walking down the corridor, but he could not. He hated to admit it, but his mind was losing the battle for sanity, and it would only be a matter of time before he fell completely into darkness.
"Fine, I'll go in, but I'm not promising anything." What he felt then was, to say the least, a silent yet strong ringing in his ears. He realized after moments that it was the presence within him...laughing. ((Bastard.)) As he reached for the large handle on the door, something heavy plowed into him and he went sprawling across the tiled floor, the object pinning him to the ground.
"You idiot! Do you realize what you were about to do?!" At the sound of her voice, Link pushed the girl off him so he could turn around and look at her.
"Malon, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Malon stood up and straightened out her skirt. Wiping the dust off her blouse, she looked down at him, still laying on the floor and barely noticed the flicker of red dissipate from his eyes. It didn't register, however.
"You idiot. You will be in serious danger if you try to go in there. I know that Saria is here because I saw her in the entrance hall with Impa when I was delivering milk. If you go in, they'll have your head!"
"Slow down Malon, how did you know where I was? Where's-"
"I sent the guard in the other direction once we realized you were gone. He was in a hurry to get me out of there because the head guy or whatever was supposedly coming back soon, and the only reason he let me in was because...ugh...because he thought I was 'cute.'"
Malon twisted her face in a look of disgust. Link almost smiled at the look, almost. He noticed that she seemed to be her regular, bouncy self, as opposed to the serious, stern Malon he had met only moments ago. It was also then he realized that whenever he was in her presence, the one within him receded just slightly and he had enough control to talk to her in a, well, sane sort of matter.
It occurred extremely odd to Link that he did indeed feel...almost rational. Whenever he had managed to be without "it" for a time, which was not often, he always found himself hallucinating (namely Navi) and acting without lucid cause. He was crazy in other words, though not when he was with her. Maybe she was the one who could help him...
"You didn't answer my first question." Malon looked down at her shoes almost sheepishly, Link thought, and then glanced at the huge, wooden doors.
"Well, I uhh...Ok. When I was little, my father used to bring me along with milk deliveries so I could watch him to eventually take over the business." Link finally stood and nodded his head, and Malon knew he was getting impatient. "I snooped around a lot, and I still know pretty much where everything is. It hasn't changed much, but I figured my best shot was to look for you near the princess's bedroom." Link almost looked guilty at that, but he would not let his emotions surface so easily. Instead he looked at Malon with heavy eyes, and she could see the pleading within them even though his face was stern and immediately took pity. Again.
"You're coming home with me, Link. Let's get out of here before anyone finds you."
Link nodded his head in mute agreement and pushed away the nagging in his brain that told him not to leave until the job was done. She grabbed for his hand, to both her and Link's surprise (and for some reason Link didn't complain), and they walked quickly yet cautiously down the hallway to find her carriage outside. Somehow, his feelings for Malon were stronger than those of the being inside him. ((Yup, I'm in-))
....don't even think about saying that word....
"Love." Malon stopped and looked at him, and for the first time she saw emotion on Link's face, though it was not what she expected. He looked almost panicky.
"What?"
"Uh, love is what I remember when I was a boy. A boy in a forest, with no real family, but friends who loved him. It's the first time in many years since I've felt..that way, and the first time I've ever been able to admit it." Link felt complete shock at himself as he uttered those words, and fear. They just came spilling right out. He was afraid that something horrible would happen to him because he allowed himself to express those kinds of feelings. He noticed the tingling that usually accompanied the taking over of his brain, but no such thing happened. The presence within him couldn't overtake his mind, it was almost poisonous now. It was filled with something that it dared not mingle with. Link did feel fear at first, but not regret. Just like that his emotions carried him away, reaching into crevices and abandoned nooks within himself he had forgotten about, leaving his darker half to sit in frustrated silence.
Malon nodded and took his hand again, not saying anything and continuing down the hall. For the first time since he became the Hero of Time, Link no longer felt completely alone.
*********************
Rauru glanced at the doors that exited the chamber as he was attending to Zelda's forehead with a damp cloth. "Did anyone hear that?"
Saria and Impa looked at each other briefly before looking at Zelda, who just shrugged her shoulders. The truth was, all three of them heard what was going on outside, but as the Sheikah was about to investigate, Zelda held her with a gaze that told her not to pursue the matter. Impa didn't pretend she knew what the princess was thinking, but in her own mind, cursed herself for letting the rogue she knew was out there get away. She had no desires, however, to displease her highness. Rauru, on the other hand, really *didn't* know what was going on.
"It was nothing, Rauru. Don't worry yourself," Zelda said, looking at Impa and Saria knowingly, and with a little guilt. Impa walked over to Zelda's bed and sat down on the edge, looking at Saria who was stood firmly on the other side.
"If it's not too much trouble, Saria, Rauru," Impa said, nodding to each of the two as she said their names, "I would like a word with Zelda. Alone." Rauru looked up from his ministrations but did not question the Sheikah.
"Of course, Impa," he said politely and went to exit the room. He stopped at the doors and turned for Saria. "Come, little one." Saria gave Impa a questioning look but did not say anything and quickly hurried to Rauru's side. After they closed the doors, Impa stood and hovered over the princess.
"With no disrespect intended, your highness, I demand an explanation as to what you were thinking. You know how dangerous he is. You cannot keep holding on to this fantasy that he will return to his normal self and everything will be just fine and dandy." Zelda looked at Impa, almost shocked at her choice of words. She had never known her to use such a forced tone, or an impatient one in all the years she'd cared for her. Impa had always been calm and collected about every situation, no matter its intensity, but this one clearly frightened her beyond belief. That knowledge scared Zelda senseless. It took her some time before she replied.
"I-I just, I couldn't. I know that somewhere in his..."
"That is ridiculous! Zelda, you know very well that your decision may have put lives in danger. I'm sorry for the disrespect I am showing, but I cannot allow this. I'm going after him."
"No! No, wait." Zelda leapt out of her bed as Impa made haste to the doors. "I have an idea where he's going, and perhaps we can surprise him there." Impa contemplated this, and decided she'd go along with it.
"Alright, but I suggest we hurry. Who knows what he might be doing at this point."
"Thank you, Impa. We'll tell Saria to go back to the forest and wait there. Alert the other sages and tell them not to leave their provinces. Their people should be protected at all times now that he's out there."
"A wise decision, Princess. I will get word out." Zelda halted a minute and put her hand on Impa to stop her.
"No, wait." Zelda sighed and shook her head. "They will need explanations and I cannot chance the spreading of false rumors. I do not want my nation in a panic, we will go about this with precaution."
"Agreed. You shall call a meeting to be held immediately." Zelda nodded and gathered her robes while Impa went to tell Saria and Rauru their plans. This was going to be a difficult task, but they- she.. had no choice.