Chapter 2

Link, the Shadow Lord of Castleton, was surrounded by complete darkness. Inky black it was, the type of darkness that sucked the light and joy out of every living thing. His heart thudded in his chest, trembling from the chill that bit deep into his skin. A sudden halo of light pierced the gloom like a knife. Peering ahead, Link saw something lying on the floor, a bracelet of illumination surrounding it. He shuffled forward, the cold air like a trickle of ice down his throat, and squinted as he tried to make out what it was.

Fabric fluttered in the gentle breeze, a glint of emerald catching his eye. His Hat! Joy erupted in the Shadow Lord's heart, and he began to run forward, grinning. Link froze as the Hat began to rise, a small shape forming beneath it. Dread hooked into his heart when he realised what it was. A cucco. A cucco was wearing his beloved Hat. Not just any cucco, no; a foul, wrinkled one with glowing yellow eyes.

Link drew his sword with an echoing metallic whisper. His fingers tensed around the hilt, his feet shifting into an attack stance.

The cucco eyed him warily. "At last we meet again," it said. "When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master."

Blinking, the Shadow Lord frowned. "You're a talking cucco." His voice rolled in the air.

Slowly, Link's eyes moved up to his Hat, sitting forlorn and defenceless above the creature's feathered head.

The cucco noticed the gesture. "You want this, don't you?" the cucco whispered, seductive menace flooding its voice. "The hate is swelling in you now." Its eyes narrowed, its beak forming a sneer. "Take your weapon. Use it. I am unarmed." It bit out its words, clipped with hatred. "Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger. With every passing moment, you make yourself more my servant."

Trembling, the Shadow Lord struggled to control the bile of rage rising in his heart. He wiped his brow, and stood his ground. "I'll never join you."

"It is unavoidable," it crowed. "It is your destiny." Lightning flashed, illuminating the room for a heartbeat. "You, like your Hat, are now mine!"

"Never," Link breathed.

"Your thoughts betray you." Its yellow eyes turned inward, as though pondering. For some reason, the cucco began to have problems breathing. "Your feelings for your friends are strong, especially for…" It tilted its head to one side. "…wife! If you will not turn to the cucco…then perhaps she will!"

Light flooded the room, and a massive, pink-clad cucco waddled in, one eye blind, a scar trailing down its face. The first cucco began to cackle menacingly as Link's mouth dropped open. His sword clattered to the ground and he sunk to his knees. Throwing out his arms, he screamed: "NOOOOOO-

-OOOOOOO." The Shadow Lord woke with a start, a film of sweat drenching his skin, the muffled tap of rain echoing in the darkened chambers. Blinking, Link's eyes readjusted themselves, and after a moment to steady his breathing, he peeled himself off the bedroll. He was in the windmill that Kerric and his sister Raenie called home, sleeping in one corner of the main work room, the twins twitching as they lay, the Princess – over in the far corner – sound asleep. It was a wonder that no-one had been woken by his shout.

"Link?" He turned to the sound of the voice, saw Navi float over to him, her light dim. "Is something the matter?"

"Just a dream, love," he replied, pulling on his tunic and smoothing it down. He flashed her a smile. "Nothing to worry about."

Silently, he padded across the room, straw snapping and biting into his feet, the drumming beat of the rain a constant companion. The sky seemed to tear as thunder rolled, a burst of lightning flashing through the room's only window.

Link knelt beside his wife, watched the steady rise and fall of her breathing. His wife. They certainly didn't live like man and wife, that was clear from their sleeping arrangements. They'd had little time to discuss the matter, though, so busy they'd been with readjusting to this new world, and then planning a way home.

Lightning winked through the window once more, making the Princess' face glow with an azure haze for a heartbeat. With the tip of his finger, he slowly trailed the path of her scar. Zelda's eyelids fluttered, but she didn't wake. The Shadow Lord felt something surge in his heart. This is what he'd wanted all along, and it had been there from the very beginning, though he'd been completely unaware.

He didn't love her for himself, of course – he wasn't too fond of that sort of person, the sort that demanded affection just to feel wanted. As wonderful as that was, and as delicious as the warmth it brought to the heart – it really rather wasn't something that ever lasted. That sort would mope and make a martyr of themselves – the whole, 'I'll never find someone' speech - when they didn't get what they wanted. He could always recognise those sorts – if they ever found themselves rejected by the objects of their affection, their love would instantly blister into hate and resentment. True hatred, not the façade he'd always put on to rebuff the Princess' criticisms of his policies. Though, he had to admit, he did at times enjoy putting the poor love in her place over her somewhat naive views. He just hadn't meant to enjoy it too much. Terrible of him, he knew.

Link thought he had loved her for her beauty and her kindness - but now that one of those qualities was irreparably gone, he realised that he'd been wrong. He loved her for what she represented – all that was good in the world. It reminded him of the time he had faced Ganondorf. With Hyrule a wind-swept ruin, the only thing, in his eyes, that had remained pure, was the Princess herself. Link knew that she had a role in the world; he just didn't think that role was to be in charge of the day-to-day business of a city like Castleton. Even now, he was rather at a loss to explain that to her. The Shadow Lord frowned – that was something that always bothered him. He could never explain to others things that seemed blatantly obvious to him. They seemed puzzled – if at times not downright aghast - at his words and actions, and he was even more puzzled at their reactions. It was as though their minds had habituated themselves to one type of thinking and they didn't know how to break out of it. Awfully dull way to live, if he did say so himself.

He stood. Whenever he felt like this in Castleton, he always had one solution – to go out hidden amongst the people. "Navi, love" he called in a soft voice. Trotting back to his side of the room, Link pulled on his boots and cloak, lifting the hood as the fairy hovered over to him. "Let's go sightseeing."

"Hey!" she whispered back. "It's raining."

Link tried hard not to roll his eyes. "I'm glad you're here to tell me these things, love, otherwise I would never make it through the day without you." Noticing the little woman's scowl, he added, "Just going out for some fresh air. Thought I might need a little light."

"That's all I am to you, aren't I?" she squeaked, following him nonetheless. "Just a light! Hmph! I've heard how you keep all the other fairies locked away in bottles in your castle. You just use them when you need them!"

"No, love," he replied, opening the door. The sharp bite of chill air stung his skin, the rain splashing against his face, the sound of its patter increasing tenfold. "I know fairy culture. I studied it. It's your purpose in life to do at least one altruistic thing for another person before you die. Just one, and then you can do what you like. It's your purpose in life, it's the only thing that your culture considers noble. If you don't do it, then I know that your descendents are considered unfit and low for a hundred generations – they get all the bad jobs, they get treated like dirt." He peered out into the gloom, shivering slightly from the cold. "The fairies I keep are the ones that didn't want to play that game. They thought it'd be fun to scare the children, to jump out in the dark, snickering. I know from the scrolls that if a fairy is kept in a bottle, then as soon as she's released she has no choice but to heal the one that freed them." He stepped out, his skin tingling as fat drops of water splattered against his body. "So I found out who these particularly nasty fairies were. I stuffed them in bottles, and I stored the bottles in my castle. When the situation called for the appropriate resolution, I took one with me, then let her free. I get what I need. She gets what she needs. And then she's free to go."

"Still," Navi said, though there was an uncertain edge to her voice. "It just doesn't seem right. Keeping them cooped up like that."

The Shadow Lord sighed, but said nothing. There it was again. That incomprehension he received from everyone.

His cloak stuck to his skin as he strode, head down, through the deserted streets. No one would be out walking in this weather. Navi floated by his hand, so that any curious onlooker would assume that Link was carrying nothing more mundane than a lamp. The rain continued to fall, tinkling as it struck metal, briefly glowing blue as lightning flashed, and splashing into the river nearby. Link veered from the path, then scrambled up a small hillock, his boots slipping and sliding as the soil turned to mud. He stopped under the shade of an immense tree, its branches hanging over the edge of the rise, then pressed his back against the rough bark and slid down to a crouch. Since coming to this world, this was the place he'd chosen whenever he needed a time to reflect. From here, he could see deep into the town, could observe the main trail that the traders and travellers used as they entered Garizon.

The Shadow Lord sniffed as he gazed into the darkness. Down below, huddled beside the muddy trail, Link saw a street urchin, his body frail and trembling. A dark shape, jostling along the uneven path, peeled out of the darkness – a carriage, the driver wrapped up in wool, light seeping out from the windows. The urchin raised a hand, his lips moving in petition, but the carriage trundled by, its wooden wheel dipping into a puddle and drenching the boy as he sat.

Link sat, expressionless, as he pondered on his situation. The land they found themselves was named Hyrule, just like home wouldn't you know, and it was a kingdom, the monarch a benevolent and wise old man who lived sheltered away in his castle. Terribly quaint of him, but he did seem sincere. Garizon was an insignificant town, ruled with an iron hand by a woman named Spinster Jardel, or so Kerric had told him. Refusing to jump to conclusions, the Shadow Lord had tried to find out as much as he possibly could about the Spinster – perhaps she was a ruler like he was? Perhaps she was a kindred spirit?

The more Link uncovered, though, the more disheartened he became. Spinster Jardel was really a rather sordid piece of work - nothing more than a petty crimelord, a woman who spun a web that stuck fast to every illicit and unlawful endeavour in town. Money was her idol, and power her lover. She was, Link thought, an inverse Shadow Lord – she somehow managed to create the image of wise and kind leader, while inside she was nothing more than a putrid mess. She had once managed to drain one particular family of all its wealth, hoarding their money in her Treasury. It had been Link, after the family had come to him for aid, who had broken into the vault, and retrieved what was rightfully theirs. Spinster Jardel had not been pleased.

The woman had a series of underlings who did her bidding – old crones named affectionately as the Elders – and they were just as ruthless as she was. In a pique of frustration, when they had refused to sell their land over to her for a piffling price, Spinster Jardel and her Elders had murdered Kerric's parents as they slept. And this, of course, had been the reason why Kerric had hired Link and his friends – for nothing more complex than the cold task of revenge. Kerric didn't want her dead – at least, he didn't voice that desire openly – he just wanted justice. He knew that the Spinster held in her Fortress the title deed to his parents land, and knew that if he could get that and escape to the King, he and his sister could transfer their land to another part of Hyrule and live there free from the Spinster's touch. Link thought Kerric was really a rather good sport – rather than demand the woman's death, Kerric was more concerned with providing a future for his twin sister. For once, both Zelda and Link agreed that this was a job well worth undertaking.

The only problem was the Fortress itself. Gloomy, foreboding and well-protected, they would have to plan their assault very very carefully. Coincidentally enough, the very portal that the Shadow Lord and his friends sought lay deep within Fortress Jardel. Kerric remained a little cagey on how he knew so much about the portals, but said he would be more than willing to help them. Link pursed his lips. A deal was a deal, after all.

He was pulled from his musings by the sound of another carriage approaching. Once again, the urchin begged for help, and once again the carriage trundled by. As soon as it vanished into the night, another carriage approached, the horses hooves drumming against the ground. The Shadow Lord's eyes narrowed. He recognised the markings on this one.

"Navi," he said. "With me, love."

Springing to his feet, he ran down the hill, drawing his sword with a slice of metal. He skidded to a halt in front of the carriage, the horses rearing in fear, the driver bellowing out a panicked 'Whoa!'

Link slashed the air, his blade cutting through the curtain of rain. "Money or your life, mate," he said. "Unless you've got some oranges. I would really love some oranges. Did you know that you live in an orangically-challenged parallel dimension?"

The driver's eyes widened in shock. "Thief!" he screamed. Screams began to erupt from the enclosed carriage. "Robbery!"

Leaping onto the horse, Link slit the reins with a practised arc, his sword trailing water. "Better run, sunshine," he growled. "Or else my ghost will haunt you."

Navi burst out from the Shadow Lord's cloak with an enthusiastic, "Boo!"

There was silence for a moment, save for the rhythmic dance of the rain. Then the driver opened his mouth and screamed, sliding to the ground and sprinting away, stumbling all the while.

"Hey!" said Navi. "Do I really have that effect on people?"

The Shadow Lord gave her a quizzical glance. "Truly you are the cucco of all fairies."

Navi beamed with pleasure for a heartbeat, soaking in Link's praise until, with a jolt that crumpled her joyful expression into a frown, she protested, "Hey! You're saying-"

"Not now, love," the Shadow Lord said. "Work to do."

He bounded over to the coach, then put a fist through the window, shards of shattered glass spraying into the air. Another scream shot out, a shriek that tore through Link's ears. The Shadow Lord recoiled, his hands coming up to the sides of his head. "Bleedin eck, woman!" he cried. "I only brought a sword, two daggers, three throwing stars, a package of mouldy cheese and a vial of poison. You've got yourself a bleedin lethal weapon there, love!"

Link popped his head inside. The carriage rocked slightly from the motion, the rain falling in slanted torrents into the open window. A man and a woman, dressed in far too much gaudy silk, sat huddled together, shrinking back in fear. Eyes darting around the interior, the Shadow Lord spied the glistening spheres of a pearl necklace hanging from a hook, and scooped it up with the tip of his sword. "I'll just be taking this, thanks."

"T-Take it all!" the man stammered, trembling. "Take everything."

"No, the necklace is just fine, thanks very much."

"Take everything!" the man protested. "Take my wife! But don't kill me."

The Shadow Lord sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to kill you, mate, and I don't want anything else." He leaned in closer. "I've been watching you, sunshine. I may be a newcomer to your land, but I know that your law demands you give a tiny percent of your wealth to the poor. You've not been doing that, mate. I'm just here to help you with your civic duty."

The carriage bounced as Link leapt off, landing in the mud with a squelch. He approached the urchin, the thin child staring up with a wide-eyed gaze, then dropped the necklace into the boy's lap. The urchin sprang to his feet instantly, and then ran off, a sheer wall of rain covering his tracks.

"You ruffian!" the man screamed, sticking his head out the doorway. The rain began to plaster what little hair he had to his head. "You're insane."

Link stopped short, then spun on his heels, water running down his face. Navi hovered nearby, illuminating his face with her glow. "Mate," he whispered. "When the whole world's gone crazy, then it's usually the most sanest of people who are considered mad." He spun on his heels once more, and stalked off into the night, swallowed by the darkness.

2

"Where have you been?" the Princess asked as Link slipped in through the door. They were all awake now, sitting in a circle on the damp floor. Water leaked in from the roof, dripping to the ground in dull splats. "We were worried about you."

The Shadow Lord shook the rain from his cloak. "Just for a stroll, love, nothing to tie yourself into a twist over."

Kerric's sister gazed at him thoughtfully. "You're wet."

Link stopped, then looked up. "It's rainy, Raenie."

"Ha, bleedin, ha," she replied, scowling. Her expression changed instantly. "Did you go out on an adventure? I bet you did! That is just so scorchin. Wait till I tell my friends!"

"Yes, love," Link said as he trotted over to them. "Navi and me were on the trail of the Great Raindrop of Doom. Terrible battle it was. Almost caught a cold."

Raenie grinned. "So scorchin!" she cooed. "This is the best thing since we discovered the banana inside the peel!"

Link frowned, looking utterly confused, but was distracted by Kerric's voice. "You shouldn't go out like that," the young man said, his voice grim. "I think Spinster Jardel must know about your existence by now, especially after all the antics you've been up to these past few months. She'll have her Ryguard out looking for you."

The Shadow Lord, discarding his cloak quickly, slid into his bedroll. "Can't say I'm too familiar with the term, mate."

"Assassins," Kerric said, his mouth stretched in a tight smile. "Her personal guard, if you will."

"Terribly sporting of you to tell me this now," Link said with a false grin. "Anything else you want to reveal now? Secret weapons? Hidden desires? Long dead revelations of quite frankly unbelievable familial connections?"

Kerric stood. "Since you're safe and you're obviously tired," he said. "I'm going back to sleep." He glanced over at Link. "Don't worry about the Ryguard."

"Like we shouldn't worry about how to get into the Fortress?" the Princess asked, Navi floating nearby. She began smoothing out her bedroll as she waited for a response. Link noted that she'd pulled it slightly closer to his, and that her weapon – a dagger – lay nearby. Was she more worried about the Ryguard that she let on? The Shadow Lord smiled.

Raenie bounced to her feet, heading off towards her own bed. Kerric smiled at the three friends, knitting his fingers, then cracking his knuckles. "Worry not, my esteemed companions," he said, his voice cheerful. "All we need to do is follow our hearts, believe in ourselves, and we can achieve anything!"

Link, Zelda and Navi froze and, wearing deeply incredulous expressions, ever-so-slowly turned to face him.

Kerric grinned back at them.

"Are you not well?" the Shadow Lord asked.

"Nevermind!" Kerric said, shaking his head and stalking off.

Soon the room was plunged into the darkness again, the faint rumbles of thunder rolling off into the distance. The rain beat against the mill, like the sound of a thousand tiny feet.

"Zelda," Link whispered.

There was a shuffle. "Yes?" she replied, her voice drowned in fatigue.

"You know if in every world there's a counterpart from everyone in our world, then there must be a Link and Zelda here, too."

"Mmm-hmmm."

"Maybe even a Malon." He paused." No offence, you're my wife and everything, but our Malon is a bit of a sizzler, isn't she?"

Silence followed. The Shadow Lord stared into the darkness, wondering if he'd pushed her too far.

"Link," she said finally.

"Yes."

"That's my step-mother you're talking about."

"So?"

A sigh. "So, you're lusting over your own mother-in-law."

Another silence followed, longer and deeper than the last. Just as they were about to fall into sleep's deep embrace, just as they were about to sink into their own little dreamworlds, their all eyes all snapped open to the sound of Link's voice shouting: "Egad!"