Chapter 11

Their footsteps rang out in the dim corridor as it winded its way down into the depths of the castle. The Shadow Lord walked at a brisk pace, Navi gliding up ahead of him, the bright radiance of her tiny form cutting a path of light through the gloom, and Princess Zelda struggled to keep up. "Wait, wait, wait!" she huffed. Her scar throbbed with a cold tingle, but she kept her mind on the task at hand, not wanting to let her thoughts dwell on what her face must look like now. "Where are we going? This isn't the way out!"

The Shadow Lord tilted his head towards her before he spoke. She noticed that he did not – or would not – look directly at her. "Secrets, love, this castle is full of secrets." His voice sounded hollow. "If what you've said is true – about Rojan and the fop taking over – we're going to need weapons garnished with a dash of surprise."

They rounded another corner, the floor dipping slightly to show that were still descending. "What kind of surprise?" Zelda asked. Her eyes went from shadow to shadow, seeing a dead torch here, a cobweb there and, occasionally, the slight shuffle of movement that signified the presence of the spidery Skulltulas. When Link didn't reply, she said, "I didn't even know the castle was this…deep."

"Lot of things you didn't know, love," Link replied from up ahead of her. This time he did turn to her, his eyes sparkling with a smug sense of satisfaction. "Like the portals for example."

Zelda arched an eyebrow. "Portals?"

"That's right." The Shadow Lord turned away as he veered sharply into another passageway. Zelda had to twist mid-step to match the change in momentum. "Apparently this castle is older than we thought. At least its foundations are. See – your ancestors built it on the remains of an ancient Sheikah fortress." He glanced back and winked. "Nice touch, if I may so." He picked up his pace. "Now, as soon as it was built, people started hearing things in the night. Voices, bumps, that sort of thing."

Zelda felt an expression of scorn fall on her face. "Ghosts? I hardly th-"

"That's what they thought," the Shadow Lord said, cutting in. "Ghosts. But it wasn't, you see. Turns out that the old landlords had bewitched the place, threaded their old fortress with a series of portals so that they could get from one place to another with the least amount of effort." Link turned to her and grinned. "I like the way they think." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, what was happening was that people were hearing conversations and noises on one side of the castle from the other. Not liking the whole situation they closed off the portals – but the locations, ah, the locations of these sweet little portals were preserved, recorded by a few of the more prudent and pragmatic castle dwellers." He shook his head. "And that's where we're going now. Open the portal, get the weapons, strike back at the usurpers and then," he turned around completely so that he was walking backwards for a moment, "take back my city."

"So why have you dragged me along?" Zelda asked, bitterness threading into her voice.

"Hate to admit it, love," the Shadow Lord replied. "But I need you." He blinked, then added hastily, "Need your help, that is. Can't do this by myself, and old Navi here is a tad small. So," he took in a deep breath as his voice dropped an octave, "it's just you and me, sunshine."

The Princess gave him an odd look as she lapsed into silence. His words had set off a tremor within her, but she wasn't quite sure what exactly it was that she was feeling. Her ring had failed, and Link had remained the same evilly twisted madman that he'd become over the years. But then…why should she give up so easily? She looked at him with a different light – he was clearly resourceful and intelligent, and he had the basic tools necessary to run Castleton efficiently. The only problem was his lack of morals and his very warped worldview. If only she could bring him back…but if the ring had failed, what else could she do?

Her mouth went dry as the only possible solution formed into her mind – perhaps she should just tell him?

Up ahead a wedge of light peeked through a crack in the wall. Navi flew up to it, peered upwards, and then cried, "Hey! Lis-" She coughed. "Look!"

They crowded around the small opening, and Zelda found herself staring up at a small group of townsfolk who were, in turn, staring up at a raised podium. Though they were below the dungeons, the trio were still not deep enough to be truly underground. The Princess squinted as she saw a figure shuffle onto the dais.

"The bounty hunter," Link murmured. "This should be interesting."

Zelda glanced at him; found that the Shadow Lord was crouching uncomfortable close to her. She shifted ever so slightly to give herself some space. Peering through the hole, she whispered, "I wonder what the people think of this change of power."

Link grinned. "They'll hate it, of course, love," he replied. "They're just begging for me to come back." She knew he wouldn't be able to control himself and so wasn't surprised when he added, "Unlike you, my people were madly in love with their Shadow Lord."

Zelda said nothing in response. The trio watched as the Stalfos raised an arm. "All hail Rojan, joint ruler of Castleton!"

The townsfolk, grins plastered on their faces, raised their arms in response, then shouted enthusiastically: "Hurrah! All hail Rojan! Mighty one! Generous one! True ruler of Castleton!"

The Shadow Lord, his expression aghast, let his jaw drop open. "Bladdy ingrates!"

Zelda jabbed him with the point of her elbow. "Ssh!" she snapped, though she couldn't quite stop herself from smiling. "Quiet!"

"Truly," the Stalfos went on, "it is a deep honour for me to be in the service of such honourable people."

"Hurrah!" cried the crowd. They looked very much pleased with proceedings.

"Now," Rojan said, "is the time for Castleton to move forward. Now is the time for a change!"

The people roared their approval. "Hurrah!"

"A true time," the bounty hunter continued, letting his gaze rest on the townsfolk. "A time long forgotten." His glowing eyes seemed to turn inward, as though he were reminiscing. "A time…of misery! And despair!"

"Hurrah!" said half of the crowd. The other half looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Rojan grinned. "Let us hope for a blight on our crops!" Some people in the throng glanced uncertainly at each other. "And a curse on all our children!" He raised his fist again. "Hurrah!"

The crowd decided to look anywhere but the podium. Some decided to take a curious interest in the ground beneath their feet. Others found the dirt under their fingernails to be particularly fascinating.

"He's mad," Link hissed from between clenched teeth. "Why in the world would anyone want a madman to run this city?"

Zelda made to reply, but was distracted by the bounty hunter pushing forward two small, indistinct figures, manacled by their arms and legs. "Here is our first dire proclamation," Rojan said sweetly, his skeletal features stretched into a macabre grin. "Any who oppose us," he continued, "shall suffer. Painfully. Brutally. Harshly." He flicked a glance down at the onlookers. "You know, just like our everyday lives." He pushed the prisoners forward.

The Shadow Lord tensed instantly. "Saria!"

Zelda took in a sharp breath. "Ruto!"

"They must have found her when she was trying to flee the castle," Link said. He pulled away from the opening, deciding he'd seen enough. The bounty hunter was droning on now and he didn't want to hear any of it.

The Princess gaped. "Ruto probably heard that something had gone wrong," she said, her voice hushed. "And then came straight over here. That's where they got her."

Link's hands balled into trembling fists. "It's all my fault," he said. "Shouldn't have let the little love try to spring us all on her own."

Zelda looked at him, momentarily surprised by this raw moment of honesty. "You weren't to know."

The Shadow Lord shook his head. "They lay a finger on her and I'll skin them alive." He blinked as he thought on. "Then dip them in salt."

Frowning, the Princess tried to organise her thoughts. "I don't think they're going to do that." She saw him glance at her, then added, "Lay a finger on them, that is."

Link shot her an incredulous look. "Of course they are, love. Why else have taken them?"

"No, listen to me." Zelda's furrowed brow deepened. "They must know we've escaped." She glanced down the passageway, half expecting a horde of troops to come raging at them. "But they think we've left the castle. So…this…this display here is to send a message. They'll know we'll find out about Ruto and Saria. And then they expect us to come back, and that's when they'll deal with us."

"Not unless," Link said, moving away from the hole so that the light fell on his back, "we deal with them first." He smiled at her. "Nice work, love. Seems like you didn't lose all of your wisdom after all."

Zelda almost flushed with pleasure – she was surprised herself with the reaction – until his words completely sank in. "Lose?" she asked. "What do you mean 'lose'?"

The Shadow Lord looked flustered for a moment. "Erm," he stumbled. "Nothing. Slip of the tongue. Nothing more. Let's go, let's go…time's not on our side, and we've got friends to be rescuing."

Zelda felt a smile curl onto her lips. "Rescue friends?" she asked, her voice light. "Is that why you're doing this?" As though she couldn't let herself dare to hope, she felt the acrid taste of scorn enter her words. "I thought your seat of power would be more important to you than one little 'friend.'"

Link spun around on his heels to face her. The anger on his face made the Princess shrink back, and prompted Navi to dart towards the ceiling for safety. "I'm sorry, love," the Shadow Lord barked. "Is it a little too humbling for you to finally be the one doing the rescuing and not the one who's needing to be rescued?" His eyes blazed. "Bit jealous are you, sunshine? Must be a new experience for you. Want to sit down and recover while I fan you and feed you grapes?"

Hot rage burst into Zelda's heart. "That's not what I meant!" she snapped. "And I do not think of myself like that!"

Cocking his head to one side, the Shadow Lord continued with his tirade, "Oh, is that so, sunshine?" he said. "You know what – you think you're so special. You think you only care about others. But, hey, here's the truth – the only reason you bother to help other people is so that you can feel good about yourself; it's so you can think to yourself 'oh, aren't I so wonderful?'" His chest was heaving now. "You're nothing more than a leech that feeds on other people's sufferings just to boost your own sense of self."

The Princess recoiled as though she'd been physically slapped. "Lie! That's a lie!" Burning tears stung her eyes. Link was about to continue, but she cut him off swiftly. "Well, here's the truth about you, 'Shadow Lord.'" She stepped up to him so that her face almost touched his. He was about to look away when she cupped her hand around his chin and jerked his head back towards her. "Look at me. Look at me. What's the matter, Link? I don't look so wholesome to you anymore, do I? Why's that, I wonder? Oh, let me guess – little boy misses his mother. His beautiful, kind mother – but what's this? Here's a princess he knows, and she fits exactly the image he's been carrying around in his heart for years. But – oh dear – she's not about to give him all that love and tenderness he craves, because quite frankly, she's not just not interested in…a pathetic…little…immature…boy."

Link wheeled away from her touch. "I am not immature." He struggled to regain his composure. "And you have a very high opinion of yourself, I must say."

Zelda snapped her head up towards him. "So do you." She knew she shouldn't. She knew it would be a mistake. But she couldn't resist. "Oh, and…and you think I only care about myself? You think I've never had genuine feelings for someone else?" Reaching into the pouch on her belt, she pulled free the ring. It flashed momentarily in the small light. "Well, this proves you wrong. And, no, it isn't a magical ring, it's-"

"-not a marriage band, is it?" Link asked.

Before she could stop herself, the Princess said: "Yes!" And though she felt distinctly stupid saying it, she added: "We are married!"

Silence fell. They stood – the Princess and the Hero – looking straight at each other. Link's form was framed by the small crack of light, and he seemed to be, at that moment in time, wreathed by a halo of illumination. From somewhere above, Navi peeked out from her hiding place. Link gazed at Zelda. Zelda gazed at Link. Blinking, their eyes grew wide, the strength of their emotions overwhelming. The Princess trembled, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.

"Ha," said Link.

"I'm sorry?" asked Zelda.

"Ha," the Shadow Lord went on. "Ha…hahahahaha…haaaaaaahahahaha…hahahahaha…married! Hahahaha! Married! Hahaha!" Link doubled over. Zelda watched in stony silence. "Haaaaahahahaha." The Shadow Lord wiped away tears as he collapsed to the floor. "Heeheeheehahaha." The Princess cocked an eyebrow. Link began slapping the floor. "Hahahahahaha."

Finally he stopped, gasping in huge lungfuls of air. The sound of his voice faded away in the darkness. Zelda folded her arms across her chest. Ever so slowly, Link raised his head to look at her. Their eyes met. "Bwaaaaa…hahahahahahaha. Married! HAAAAAAAhahahahhahahaha!"

Zelda's eyes narrowed. "This is not quite the reaction I was expecting."

The Shadow Lord's only response was to roll over on to his back, throw his legs into the air, then begin to kick his feet as his body shook with laughter.

"Get up," Zelda said, her tone icy. "We've got to work to do. We'll discuss this later."

Link pulled himself to his feet, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Yes, dear."

"Don't call me that." The Princess began to stalk off. She heard Link titter behind her. "And stop that."

"Love," he said.

She spun around, desperately hoping that her face conveyed her anger and not her deep sense of hurt. "What?!"

"You're going the wrong way."

Zelda scowled, the muscles in her face clenching and unclenching. "Lead the way," she seethed, her teeth clenched tightly.

They strode on in stony silence, as though a glacier of solid ice now stood between the two of them. Zelda kept her eyes fixed firmly ahead, not wanting to even glance at the Shadow Lord. Her heart felt like a gaping pit, empty and raw at the same time. She was mad; she must be to have revealed herself like that. What did it matter now anyway? They were obviously two completely different people. Dimly she was aware that the ring was still embedded into the palm of her hand, biting into her skin. She glanced down at it, saw the crimson soreness of her hand, and was tempted to just throw the useless thing away.

Something flashed in her eyes, and Zelda glanced up to see Navi give her a sad smile. The Princess smiled back, slightly comforted by the small show of solidarity. The fairy fluttered away, spilling droplets of light in her wake.

All of a sudden, Link came to a stop in front of a bare, stone wall. "Here we are."

Zelda examined it quickly. "There's cracks in it," she said.

"That's right, love," he said. "And I don't know why, but one thing I've learned about Hyrule is: where there's a crack, there's a way." He then added in a low voice, "Not very subtle, if I should say so meself, but awfully handy when you're just seven years old thrust into a nightmare searching for some spiritual grapefruits." He closed his eyes, hissed, then corrected himself, "Stones. Spiritual stones." He blinked, and then: "You know, it always struck me that stones aren't really that spiritual. They're more…material, if you get what I'm saying. I mean, they were probably worth an aw-"

"Link," the Princess cut in, her voice echoing in the near empty passageway. "Open the portal."

To her surprise, the Shadow Lord merely nodded. He lay one palm flat on the wall, and then tapped on it with his other hand. His eyes narrowed as he listened. Shifting his hand, he tapped again and listened again. He did this a few times until he finally stopped abruptly. Stepping back, he steadied himself, rocking on his heels, then ploughed his shoulder into the wall. It collapsed instantly and a blinding light flooded the corridor. Energy crackled from within, whipping their hair and tugging at their clothes.

The Shadow Lord called over the din. "After you, Princess."

Zelda glanced at Link, then at the open portal. She could see nothing inside except a brilliant glow that stung her eyes. Swallowing as she steeled herself, the Princess stepped through the portal.

The light swallowed her whole.