Chapter 13

"You have a…" Zelda's voice, echoing in the small cavern, trailed off as she struggled to find the appropriate words. Above them she could hear the dull rumble of a thousand tiny feet stomping against the ground. Somewhere nearby water dropped into unseen pools, rhythmic metallic splashes sighing in the air.

Link glanced up at her, his eyes pools of blue light. "A what…?"

The Princess sat back, wrapping her arms around her legs as she knitted her fingers. "A feather up your…"

Startled, the Shadow Lord spotted the offending item and dislodged it from its hiding place. "Thanks, love."

Navi floated in the air, spilling light in her wake. She cocked her head to one side, listening. "I think they've gone."

Zelda strained to catch a hint of a sound. Nothing. "You're right." She glanced at Link. "That was very brave of you. Fighting off all those cuccos so that Navi and myself could find this cave."

"With a stick," the Shadow Lord added. "Fought them off with a stick." He held up the broken twig – he'd torn it off a tree as they'd made a dash for safety – and it hung limply in his hand, snapped almost in two. "I tell you, love, once you've looked into the eyes of a cucco, then no demon or malevolent otherworldly force will ever chill your bones again." He shook his head. "It's like staring into whirlpools of pure, undistilled darkness. There's no mercy in those eyes, love, no spark of decency or warmth or anything that would even hint at a soul." The Shadow Lord took in a deep sigh. "Cuccos. Demonspawn, I tell you. Oh, yes…one minute they're all fluffy and sweet and cluck-cluck-cluck, wouldn't hurt a fly-"

"Link," Zelda said.

"- but underneath all those feathers you can hear the beating of the blackest, sickest, most twisted of hearts. Thump. Thump. Thump. Just listen – listen!"

"Link!"

"Oh, yes, love, can you hear it? There it is – there's that little voice whispering in those fluffy hearts. Listen!" Silence fell as they listened. "'Don't clucking mess with me,' that's what they're saying. 'I may look cute and fluffy on the outside, but I know that I clucking rule this clucking world and if you even glance at my feed, you'll clucking taste the full power of my foul wrath.'"

"Don't you mean, 'fowl wrath?'" Navi piped in, tittering. "Surely, they're no match for you with their…ah…poultry skills, are they, Link?" She giggled some more.

The Shadow Lord, his eyes narrowed to slits, stared at the floating fairy. "Navi, love."

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Link." Zelda tried again. "Like I said, thank you for protecting us." She felt something warm blossom in her heart as she spoke. "It was very heroic of you."

The Shadow Lord scowled. "Wasn't for you," he said. "Just that I needed a place to hide and you were the only ones who could find it for me."

The Princess cocked an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Right." Her voice was hollow in the enclosed space, her words as though lined with an edge of copper. She stood, the warmth rushing back into her stiff limbs, and brushed herself down. "We should get going. It may be safer if we explore deeper into this – what are you doing?"

Link knelt on the floor, head bowed, eyes closed and hands clasped. "We are gathered here today," he intoned. "To mark the passing of a dear, departed Green Hat." He wiped away a tear. "It was…the most cherished of all companions-"

Zelda sighed. "This really isn't the time, Link."

"Quiet, love," the Shadow Lord replied. "Spiritual moment, innit." He cleared his throat and carried on. "A companion who shared all manner of dangers with its host, exalting in his adventures, spurring him on in his battles, comforting him in his deepest loneliness. Fare thee well, Hat. You shall be missed." Link stood, flicking a glance at the Princess. "Let's go, then."

Zelda stood her ground, folding her arms. "What's so special about that hat, anyway?"

Link brushed past her, another impatient scowl etched on his face. "When one has to carry a slingshot, hookshot, bottles and a thousand other items – not to mention Spiritual Stones for a certain Princess – then one needs a place to put them all in."

The Princess blinked. "You mean…you put them all in your hat?"

Throwing her another glance, the Shadow Lord gave a short nod.

"What…even the-?"

"Yes, love."

"Surely, not the-?"

"Yes. That, too."

Zelda frowned. "You haven't been wearing the same hat since when you were a child, have you, Link?" The Shadow Lord slipped further into the darkness of the cavern, mumbling to himself. Zelda followed him in. "Have you, Link?"

Spinning on his heels, the Shadow Lord fixed her with an irritated glare. "What if I have, love?" he barked, his voice ringing off of the walls. "What's it matter? Let's just get out of this place and go home, innit?"

Falling into silence the Princess walked on, the darkness wrapping around her like a cloak, pierced as usual by Navi's glow. The going was rough, the ground under their feet rocky and misshapen. Spikes of slippery, wet, granite teeth leered out from the walls, and they had to duck to avoid being struck. Striding on with a steely heart, Zelda again found her musings centred on Link. She was, she had to admit, a tad surprised that the 'Hero of Time' had fought so ferociously to defend his two friends. Once more, she found it difficult to ascertain the Shadow Lord's true personality.

"You know," she said, more to give words to her thoughts rather than to break the silence. "Once we're free of all this, once we're home, I can ask my father to annul the marriage." Did she just see Link's shoulders stiffen imperceptibly or was it merely her imagination? "I'm sure we can talk him into it. After all," and now her voice took on a cautious edge, "there's no point continuing in something we both don't want. Especially as we have so little in common."

To the Zelda's surprise, it was Navi who replied, the fairy darting in between the two of them, her sharp radiance making them both squint. "Hey!" she trilled. "Listen! I can't believe the two of you! You're so…so…" Her face scrunched up as frustration bubbled through her tiny form. "So much like children!" Navi began zipping from side to side in frantic movements. "Nothing in common? Nothing in common?! What a gob of –" She stopped herself in time. "Listen! You both, whether you admit it or not, you both spend all your time trying to do what's best for everybody. Yes, both of you! The only difference between the two of you is that you use different methods to get what you want!" She was out of breath already. "Well, hey! Listen! Maybe, maybe, you both would have a better chance in helping everyone if you'd just combine your efforts!" Turning away, Navi floated off slowly, mumbling under her breath. "Actually, forget it. Don't listen to me. No, don't. Honestly, the way the two of you talk to each other is it any surprise that you're married…?"

Zelda watched the glowing orb fade into the shadows. "Well," she said, addressing Link. "That was…different."

The Shadow Lord shook his head. "I know!" he gasped. "That's the first time she's ever told me not to listen to her!" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Maybe it's that special time in her fairy life, you know." He winked. "You know."

The Princess had no idea what he was talking about. "I didn't mean that. I meant-" Link was still winking at her in a conspiratorial manner. "Oh, never mind."

The faint sound of weeping floated towards them. Zelda looked at Link. The Shadow Lord shrugged. "Navi, love," he said, striding towards the source of the sound. "We didn't mean-"

But it wasn't Navi. Sitting on a boulder, the stem of a rose running between his fingers, they found a Hylian man, armed with a sword, and sniffling slightly to himself in the shadowy darkness. "Oh, woe is me," he sighed. "Where is she…? Where is my love?"

The man didn't seem to notice the newcomers. Link, his eyes wary, stood off to one side while Zelda approached the Hylian with tentative steps. Navi flew out from a dark corner to join her friends. Stopping short in front of him, the Princess asked gently, "Is anything the matter?"

The man's head snapped up, his mouth shaping an 'O'. "Who?" he asked, startled. "Oh…I'm sorry. I didn't realise. You must think me such a fool." Something tinkled in the near darkness and Zelda saw keys dangling from the man's belt. "It's just…" he went on. "It's just that I don't know where she is. My heart aches for her – and all the sacrifices we made! But here I am, stuck as a warden."

Zelda pursed her lips together. "You're not making much sense, friend," she said. "Could you explain? Perhaps if we introduce ourselves – my name is Zelda. My companion is Link, and the fairy is named Navi."

The man, his face a mask of misery, hung his head and sighed. "I'm just a poor man named Peotr." He sighed again. Out of the corner of her eye, Zelda saw Link and Navi exchange glances. "While travelling from my village, I met the most wonderful, beautiful and scintillating creature in the whole world. Cassindra! Captivated, I was. Captivated!" His eyes grew wide. "I was intoxicated by her love. Nothing in this world could make my heart come to life more than her presence."

Smiling at his heartfelt words, Zelda asked, "What happened?"

Peotr's face grew dark. "Her father, that's what happened." Bitterness burned into his words. "Her father wouldn't let me marry her. Said I was too poor and lowly!" Peotr's hands curled into fists. A strange dreamlike expression fell across his face. "But it didn't matter…we ran away!" A trembling laugh flew from his lips. "We cut up one of the farm animals…smeared Cassindra's bed with blood, then hid away on one of the Trader Carts. Ha! Fools couldn't tell the difference between an animal and a girl…we could hear them wailing as they rode off. Didn't matter, though…so long as we were united in our love."

"Awfully considerate of you," Link said, leaning back against one of the rocky walls.

Both Zelda and Peotr looked up. "What?" the man asked.

"Killing an animal. Putting all those people in distress…must be nice to get what you want by breaking everything else in your path." The Shadow Lord sniffed, a dismissive gesture. "If you get my meaning, mate."

Peotr, his face flushed, bristled with anger. "It wasn't like that!" he choked. "We didn't mean to hurt anyone! We were in love!"

Link gazed idly at his fingers. "Is that so, mate?"

"Ssshh," Zelda soothed, throwing the Shadow Lord a warning glance. "Then what happened? Where is Cassindra?"

"Oh!" Peotr moaned. "Oh, woe is me! The sadness! The pain! Woe! The sheer pain!"

"You said it, mate," the Shadow Lord piped in. "My ears can't take it anymore. Mind toning it down a little?"

Both the Princess and heartsick young man glared at the Hero. Peotr turned to Zelda. "We were separated," he breathed. "While trying to navigate through the Forest That Suffers No Fools."

"Think the trees were trying to tell you something there, mate."

Peotr ignored the jibe. "I searched for her…searched and searched, my heart bursting with terror and pain, like lead on my soul."

"Do you talk like this to everybody, sunshine?" the Shadow Lord asked. "I'm just wondering, like. Maybe your family weren't wailing because they thought you were dead….maybe they were celebrating because they didn't have to listen to your whining." His voice dropped as he added, "If I'd been rid of him, I'd have declared everyday a national holiday."

"The mist!" Peotr went on. "The mist was so thick…I couldn't see anything. And then – the Royal army found me! Took me in, they did…I had to help them fight in the war – and now! Now I watch over our captives as the others work. Watch…and wait. Wait for my Cassindra." He sighed yet again. "Though without her, I'm worthless. I'm nothing more than a dark pit sucking the life from everything around it."

"Well, at least you're honest, eh, mate?" the Shadow Lord said, grinning. "Worthless without her, hmm? Feel like half a man, do you?"

"That's right," Peotr said coldly.

Link peeled himself off the wall and strode forward, his ever-familiar grin returning. "So in other words, sunshine. You don't love her because of her. You love her because of the way she makes you feel. That ain't love, mate…that's narrcississ…narcississsiiss…nar- that's when you're in love with yourself, mate."

"How dare you!" Peotr bellowed, his temples throbbing with anger. "What would one such as yourself know of the mystical ways of love? How would you know what Cassindra needs? What I need?"

"A good slap from the sounds of things."

Peotr favoured Link with an expression of extreme distaste. "Like I said, you know nothing of love."

The Shadow Lord's grin stayed in place. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Somehow I always thought it's when you accept another person just as they are. That you care about them no matter how much they annoy you. That you hope that they're happy, not how much they help you to justify your own existence. Not very exciting and romantic, I know, but a whole lot more sensible."

Peotr lapsed into silence. So did Zelda – hers was more from a radiating sense of shock. She didn't realise that Link had dwelt so much on the subject. More water dropped in an unseen part of the cave, a ghostly sound that somehow made the Princess' hair stand on end.

"So," Link said, bringing his palms together. The sudden lull seemed to have made him nervous. "You were saying something about a 'war' and some 'captives'?"

Nodding, Peotr stumbled to his feet, Zelda helping him to steady himself. "I'll show you," he muttered. He led them down a dim tunnel, the walls here glittering with some sort of reflective mineral embedded into the rock. "Here in the Far Continent – as you most likely know – the two tribes of the Rowz and Khadraj have been forever entwined in a bloodthirsty war. Terrible, it's been, terrible. Murder, rape, pillage – all these backward people know are how to feast on the other's flesh. We, from back home, decided to put an end to their tyranny. And so we fought them both. And we won."

Zelda's face brightened. "That's very noble of your people."

Peotr frowned, confused. "Our people. Surely you've heard of the Narrowing War?"

Clearing her throat, the Princess realised her mistake. They were strangers here in this land, but they didn't need to attract attention to themselves. "Of course. But I was just saying…it was a noble aim."

Nodding, satisfied with her reply, Peotr went on. "Yes, truly. A heroic battle it was. At least their evil has been vanquished."

The tunnel opened out into a larger cavern, the darkness banished by smudged lights peeking out from oil stained lanterns. A blanket of glitter covered everything, twinkling in their eyes. Heat washed over them, and the sounds of metal clanking against rock rang out in the air. Glancing up, Zelda could see other Hylians – or whatever race they passed for here – working busily against the rocky walls, their axes smashing against the minerals in flashes of glinted light, rock chips spinning from each blow.

"Here they are," Peotr said, his voice unable to mask his distaste. "The last remains of the two tribes, here in this cell. We had to…ah…neutralise the rest. For their own safety, of course."

Zelda peered into the cell they'd stopped in front of. Sad, weary eyes stared back. Covered in rags, the stench of filth wafting through the air, the prisoners huddled together in defiant silence. Children, some wailing, some gazing with bright, wide eyes, crawled over disease-ridden limbs. She could see that the two tribes were separated, sitting on either side of the cramped quarters. The Princess had to steel her heart from the sight. Cleary, appearances were deceiving. These were evil people. They deserved to be caged like this.

"What," Link asked, "exactly are your people digging for?" Zelda glanced at him, noticed that his brow was furrowed, as though deep in thought. It only occurred to her just then that the Shadow Lord had made no comment during Peotr's little explanation. She found that strange.

Peotr laughed, his voice edged with anxiety. "Oh, nothing. Just a little mineral. Nothing to worry about."

The Shadow Lord's face took on a dark cloak, his eyes thinning. He tilted his head to one side. "The mineral was here before?"

"Well, yes." Peotr looked flustered now. "It was always here. Not that that matters."

Link stepped up to him, until they were side by side. "Whose mineral is it?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"It belongs to nobody." Again the jailer looked distinctly uncomfortable. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the clanging din of the digging. "Well, no, at the moment it belongs to us."

"Whose?" Link insisted

"Ours," said one prisoner, his voice sour. Thin eyes stared out from a gaunt, dirt covered face.

"Both of ours," said someone from the other tribe. A knot of hatred blazed in this one's eyes.

"Ah hahaha," Peotr said nervously. "Matters not. Their evil had to stopped that's all. Their minerals - well, yes, we were aware of them for a long time - but they were just icing on the cake."

Zelda stopped short. "No..." Realisation flooded her heart, and it horrified her. "You wanted the minerals all along. All this talk of stopping evil...doing good...it was just words to cover your real intentions."

The jailer bristled. "To the victor the spoils," he snapped. "No harm has been done."

The Princess gaped, seeing the prisoners in a different light - their squalor, their misery, the defiance in their eyes. "No harm...?" she gasped. "You've robbed these people of their freedom and stole their resources!"

"Because," Peotr countered, annoyed. "It was the right thing to do. We stopped them from killing each other."

"And, instead," Link added, his voice quiet. "You've decided to give them a slow death instead."

"We feed them," the jailer said. "They're looked after, to a degree. They just can't do any harm here."

"You mean," Zelda cut in. "They can't stop you while you take their precious minerals. And all the while you convince yourselves that you're doing something noble!"

"We are!" the jailer shouted. He pressed his arms against his sides as his fury grew. "You didn't see their savagery! You didn't see their barbaric natures!"

"All I see," the Princess cut in, seething. "Is one evil exchanged for another."

There was a slice of metal and the thin rattle of keys. Peotr glanced down in shock to find that he'd been stripped of both his blade and his keys. Link, grin firmly in place, held the point of the sword to the man's throat, then threw the keys towards Zelda. "Your call, love."

"You can't let them free!" Peotr fumed, his eyes glancing at the blade. "It would be inhumane!"

"You can't let us stay, pretty scar," one prisoner cooed. "That'd be even more inhumane."

Zelda stared at the keys. Her fingers curled around the cold metal, her hand trembling. She felt sweat – cold, like ice – blossom on her neck.

"They'll just keep on slaughtering each other!" Peotr cried. His own sweat dripped from his brow. There was a sickly screech of metal from somewhere above, but none of them took any notice, so engrossed were they in their own situation. "We stopped them, don't you understand, we stopped them!"

"Let us decide our own futures," another prisoner said. They were shuffling now, their chains clanking. They slipped through the dirt as they watched with eager interest. Children fell into silence. Women bit their lips. Men tensed. "Without interference from the likes of him. And without having our land stripped bare."

Zelda grit her teeth. The keys shook in her hand, her sweat mixing with the steel to concoct a metallic tang that hung in the air.

"You'll be responsible for the murder of hundreds, if not thousands!" Peotr bellowed. The other workers were finally looking up now, and Zelda knew that she only had seconds to make a decision.

"You'll be responsible for the oppression of hundreds, if not thousands if you let us stay," the prisoner said. "We'd rather die than live under their heel."

The Princess let her mind go blank. As though terrified that she'd change her mind, she thrust the key into the lock, then turned it until it snapped. The door swung open, and the prisoners surged forward. Some of them whispered thanks as they passed, some touched her gratefully on the hand.

"Now you're learning, love," Link said under his breath.

"NO!" Peotr lunged for the Princess, his hands aiming for her throat. A blade swung up to block his path. He seethed as the Shadow Lord grinned back at him.

"Hey!" said Navi, hovering above Link's shoulder, arms crossed and wearing a stern expression.

The Shadow Lord winked. "Hands off the wife, mate." He motioned to his two companions. "Now, if you'll be excusing us, we'll be taking our leave." He winked again. "Thanks very much for the sword!"