Part Two

"A...new quest? Zelda Hime-sa-" She cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"I told you, just Zelda. I can't have people knowing who I am."

Impa looked extremely peeved about this whole situation. "Zelda Hime, you cannot leave. You are needed here, in the palace. Just because you have scary visions doesn't mean-"

"Enough!"

The tiny princess glared at the two before her. Link slouched a bit, but Impa held her ground. Zelda just stared at them.

"Zelda..." Link said under his breath, but was stopped by the princess herself.

"I won't be told what to do! My visions were always right before, so why would they be different now? I'm going Impa. I need to go."

Impa wanted to tell her no, Link could tell. The warrior held her fists at her hips, her knuckles white. She turned from the princess, staring at the far wall of the courtyard.

"Then go."

Zelda smiled sadly, her eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry, Impa. But we'll be back soon. Link, come on. I need to get some things."

Link blinked and looked around, then pointed to his chest. "Me?"

The tiny, beautiful princess giggled, her hands covering her mouth. "Yes, you. Please, follow me. Impa, please prepare a horse for me."

The disgruntled Sheik snorted, but turned on her heels and did as her princess commanded. Link hesitantly followed, looking over his shoulder at Impa trudging away. Something seemed wrong.

Zelda led them to a large chamber, where she told him to stay by the door and make sure no one was coming. Puzzled, the elf-boy agreed, but was slowly starting to feel more and more unsure. Was something wrong with the kingdom, or with Zelda Hime? She seemed strange to him somehow.

"Um...Zelda Hi-I mean, Zelda. What do you need to get?"

She stood on the other side of the room, her shoulders hunched and her face turned away. Suddenly, Link felt very uneasy, and a strange aura permeated the air around him. He fell to the ground, clutching his burning throat. He couldn't breathe! What was happening?

"Z-zelda Hime-sama..." Instinctively, Link reached for the sword he knew wasn't there anymore.

The young girl screeched, and Link saw her collapse before blacking out.




It was dark. Not a true black, like a color, but...nothingness. He was somewhere devoid of color.

"Wh-where am I? Zelda Hime-sama? ZELDA?!?!"

Not even his voice echoed back to him. It was swallowed in the darkness that pulsed around him. Link's blood roiled, and his instincts to fight roared through his body. Like when he had fought Ganondorf that first time, outside the palace, he could feel the anger, the energy and sheer power surging through him.

"Yes, that is good."

Link twisted around, trying to catch the location of the voice. His eyes were hard, and the blue haze they usually were had become a hard, cold grey.

"Who are you? Where is Zelda Hime?"

A laugh answered his question.

"I asked a question!"

"Can you feel it, Link? The power within you? Can you feel it calling?"

Link shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to expel the voice from his mind.

"You cannot fight it, Link." He opened his eyes when the voice began to change. Looking everywhere, he tried to find the voice, tried to see. "Does it haunt you, Link?" He was sure of it now.

"Zelda...Hime-sama."

"Teehee." She appeared before him, her bare toes touching nothing but resting against something nonetheless. The void rippled around him, like water. She leaned over and gently cupped his chin in her delicate hands. "Link, welcome."

The young hero tried his hardest to move from her reach, but his body wouldn't respond. He hung in the void, in nothingness, and could do nothing.

Zelda's voice changed with each word she uttered, becoming deeper but at the same time staying the same. "You cannot stop this. Can you feel it, Link? The pain, the anger? Can you feel it corrupting you? Consuming your soul?" Now, her voice was completely doubled, only the deeper voice rang louder in his heart. Her eyes blazed, and her mouth curled up in a sneer, but quickly returned to the smiling, girlish look of before.

For a moment, as her fingers squeezed his jaw, Link felt as though he could sense an inner conflict raging throughout his princess. But then, it was gone, just as swiftly as the pressure from her fingertips. Link blinked in confusion; his mind roiled. What...what was happening? What was happening to Zelda Hime? In his confusion, anger began to boil.

Link ignored her question, and snapped at her. "You are not Zelda!"

The girl laughed. "But, I am, aren't I?"

The boy jerked his head away from her hands, an angry response forming in his mind. He had never hated anyone, not truly, but now... The princess-demon, still smiling, lifted her legs so she was sitting cross-legged, and hovered in the air. She chuckled as she watched the boy before her try vainly to escape-as he tried to fight certain feelings he never thought he'd experience.

Suddenly, the young girl's smile evaporated, and she screamed as she held her body. The flesh writhed and her face contorted in agony. Link, feeling the bonds around him weaken, unconsciously reached out to her, and when his hands touched her face, everything disappeared.




Opening his eyes hurt. Everything was so bright.

Link groaned and rolled over onto his side, coughing dryly. His head spun, and his vision was blurred. Somewhere, it sounded like fire was roaring.

"Nnn..."

Beside him, he could feel silk. When he tried to move his arm, however, a pain shot through his entire being, and he had to force himself not to cry out. Something was buried deep in his left arm.

The thing beside him stirred, but it took Link a moment to realise someone was picking him and the one beside him up. His blurred vision caught sight of pale skin and fair hair. Zelda Hime-sama...

Smoke was everywhere. It filled his lungs, causing him to cough uncontrollably. A comforting hand rubbed his chest, like a mother would for an ailing child, and his dry heaves calmed. Blinking away tears, Link thought he saw a young woman with red hair and purple eyes, but he passed out again.




Crickets chirped, waking the young elfling.

"Ah, good, he's awake."

"Finally."

The boy in question blinked sleep from his eyes, and tried to sit up. Gentle hands held him down. Again, he couldn't quite make out a face, but saw red hair and purple eyes.

"Wh-who...?"

"Shh..."

The boy relaxed, feeling safe and comfortable. Almost like home...


Impa looked down at the sleeping boy, her face worried.

"What happened there? Did he do something?"

The lady with her shook her head. "No, it wasn't him. In fact, I'm surprised he lived through it." She held the dislodged piece of wood in her hands as she bandaged Link's left arm.

Impa grunted. "Foolish child." Her eyes wandered from the boy to the silk-clothed figure beside him. Zelda Hime was sleeping peacefully, her face relaxed. At least, that's what it looked like. But Impa knew something was wrong, and her princess wasn't sleeping at all. Some strong magic had been cast, catching the princess fully.

"We have to do something."

The redheaded Hylian said nothing, only sat beside the boy, stroking his forehead with a cool, damp rag. She had finished bandaging him up, but he had a high fever, and was lucky to have escaped the fire alive.

"The boy is strong, and there is something special about him." Impa nearly jumped when the woman spoke, her quiet voice unusually strong. Something in her eyes made the warrior hold what she was about to say. After a few minutes, the woman spoke again. "I am leaving now. He will wake soon."

"I understand. Goodbye."

The woman left as the boy opened his clear blue eyes.




His head hurt immensely, as did the rest of his body. And he felt hot, like a fire raged within him.

"Thirsty..."

Hands reached behind his head and lifted him up, tilting his head so he could drink from the canteen. His parched mouth absorbed the water almost immediately, and he nearly choked trying to drink more.

"Easy, young one."

After he had quenched his thirst, Link slid down onto his back again, his eyes drooping.

"Why am I so tired?"

"You're sick, and nearly died back there. Try to take it easy for a while."

Link nodded, but suddenly his eyes flew open. "Zelda Hime-sama!"

He turned his head, and saw her lying beside him, sleeping peacefully. But something was wrong.

"Impa...what's wrong with her?"

The Sheik warrior shrugged her shoulders, twisting the cap back onto the canteen. She then took a seat beside the princess and pushed some hair off of her face. Zelda's face was slack, but still remarkably beautiful, and once again, Link felt helpless.

"Impa, what can I do? I have to help her."

Impa ignored his question for a minute, but when she turned to him, it wasn't with an answer. "What happened Link? Tell me."

The Hylian boy sat up and looked with downcast eyes at his knees, his bangs covering his face. "I don't know. Something...something took over her body. It had to be that. She screamed, and then..." Link was hesitant to tell Impa about the void, where Zelda had had a demon's voice and eyes. The thought made him shudder. "I don't know..."

She nodded, accepting his answer. Her hands hovered above her princess' still form, and they sat in silence. Link noticed that his arm was bandaged, and was about to thank Impa, when he heard a voice.

'Link-san...'

The boy looked up, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. Like in that place...

'Link-san...you have to help her.'

"I know that, but I don't know how."

Impa brought her head up, and looked around. "Link? Who are you talking to?"

The boy ignored her, and continued to listen to the quiet voice.

'Link-san...save her. Save Hyrule. It is your destiny.'

"I know, but why me? Why was I chosen?"

Impa was now thoroughly confused and a bit scared. "Link, who are you talking to? Link? Can you hear me?"

'Come, Link-san. I will help you. I can show you the reason.'

Link stood slowly, his pain forgotten. His eyes were like blank sapphires; dull and lifeless. Impa gasped and tried to get up to stop him, but just then a strong wind blew through their tiny shelter. A dark presence contorted around her and Zelda, and she screamed.

"LINK!!!"

The Kokiri-esque child halted in his steps, and a sparkle glinted in his deep eyes.

'Link-san, hurry. We have not much time.' The voice seemed frantic, and not so coaxingly nice anymore.

"But...I can hear..."

'We must hurry!'

Behind him, Impa was cradling Zelda to her, covering her body from the strangling darkness. It was hard to breathe. Link felt a coldness against his back, but he couldn't turn around. Something was holding him in place.

His eyes focused, and his heart beat faster. He suddenly realised where he was.

"Let me go! I need to help them!"

'Link-san, you are needed here. Please, let me help you! They will be fine.'

"No! They're calling me!"

The boy wrenched against his invisible bonds, tearing his clothing and skin against unseen wire. Why...? What was happening to him?

Behind him, he could hear Impa yelling out. He tried harder to break away, to see what was happening behind him. His breath came in gasps, and the air was thick all around him. Why was this happening?

Suddenly, a light shone from behind him, and Link shut his eyes on instinct. But it felt so warm he wanted to turn to see it.

'No, Link-san! Please! Don't go!' Something seemed to happen to the voice. 'I won't let you go!'

But Link had already turned around. He opened his eyes wide, amazement rippling across his features.

"Zelda...Hime-sama..."

The princess was floating in the air, her arms outstretched and her head thrown back. Her eyes were still closed. The bright light that had made Link turn around was emanating from her body. Impa knelt beneath the princess, her mouth open and her arms to her sides, as though she were in shock.

The gaping darkness around them receded, and the moment all the darkness was completely consumed, the light dimmed and the princess began to drift down.

"Zelda Hime..." Impa looked on helplessly as her princess floated back down, into her lap. She was still frozen in her place.

The air around them thinned, and Link gasped air back into his lungs as he raced towards them. How had he gotten so far away from them? He couldn't remember anything but the voice. The voice...

What are you? And where did you go? Why are these things happening to me? I just wanted to be a normal boy. I just wanted a home...

He reached the crouching Impa at the same time she regained control over her body. Hugging the princess close, Impa rocked back and forth. Zelda didn't stir.

"Impa," Link collapsed beside her, his face worried. He had no time to be feeling sorry for himself. Zelda needed him now. And apparently, so did Hyrule. "What happened?"

"I don't know. You started talking to yourself, then the air became thick and everything went dark. And then I heard Zelda Hime's voice, and she started to glow. I don't know what happened."

Link sighed and dropped his head. It had been all his fault. If only he hadn't listened to that voice.

"Link." He looked up, but Impa was still looking at the princess.

"Yes?"

"Save her, please."

"Huh?"

Impa shook her head, as though she was fighting with herself. "Please, save her. She's scared, and alone. And you're the only one that can help." Now she looked at him. "She's calling for you."

"But...how can I help?"

"You are the Hero of Time. Isn't that reason enough?"

Link suddenly felt a hot anger boil up inside him. "Why should that matter? I didn't ask for this! And I defeated Ganondorf! I killed him..." Link looked down at his hands, and his anger evaporated. He had never thought of the implications of what he had done. He had killed.

Impa seemed to understand how he felt, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head slowly, and his eyes had tears in them. "I know, young one. It's hard sometimes, but this is who you are. And as unfair as it is, it's the truth."

Link wiped the unshed tears away before they had time to fall. He wasn't a child, who had the time or luxury to cry. He was the Chosen One, the Hero of Time, and right then, he was needed again.









Okees, here is chapter two. Actually, I'm not too pleased with how this one turned out, but I can't for the life of me figure out what seems wrong with it. I've re-read it about 15 times and I've revised it about five. Argh!

Well, anywho, thanks again to my Onesan for editing and shtuff. T'was much appreciated, no da.

Um...I think I wanted to say something else...I can't really remember. Oh yeah. I hate this skip line format. Can anyone tell me how to make it look like story format? You know, like actual paragraphs-like a book. I'm kinda...not knowing in a lot of technical areas of uploading and html and about anything related to posting something on the internet. Hey! At least I freely admit it! ^-^x

Aaanywho. What do ya think? Is my writing as sucky as I think it is? Are my stories lame and unenjoyable? Will I ever shut up? I might as well say this now, as well. This is slightly AU, for all those nitpicky little purists (of which I sometimes am).

I guess that's it for now. Next chapter should be up soon. *hope hope*