S: WOOT! My first ever Zelda fic, I hope you enjoy it and don't get too squeamish about the coupling (nothing graphic but I thought I'd give it this rating just incase).

The sort-of Zelda bashing doesn't last.

WARNING: Contains male x male 'relationships' to coin the term loosely -0 Actually there's only a couple of small kisses sighs disappointedly. Dark themes, depression and such, as well as suicidal thoughts.

If you don't like it please don't read it. There you go, I've tried to stop you, now if you continue reading and become extremely disturbed then it's your own fault.

nods and points to self don't blame me.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, none of the characters are mine, and I only own Gannondorf's pair of baggy brown pants... although they probably aren't mine either... sighs sadly

Chapter One

Destiny

The dark clouds amassed overhead as Link trudged back towards the castle, body weary from fighting. Thunder growled warningly as lighting danced through the clouds, illuminating the walls surrounding the town, towering above him. Suddenly a white horse darted across the drawbridge, blue eyes widened with fear watched him from it's back as he sprang back from beneath the heavy white hooves. He spun, his mind reeling with confusion, as he watched the horse fade into the growing darkness bearing it's two passengers from sight. Lighting cracked above him once more as he turned. A dark skinned man relaxed on the back of a midnight black beast silhouetted against the raging sky.

His enemy.

Crimson eyes bore into his own.

His nightmare.

"Which way did they go?" The blonde haired boy glared into the ruby red eyes, defiance in the face of such power. He had been such a fool.

A smirk.

Pain.

Laughter.

His destiny.

"Link?" A soft, melodic voice caressed him.

"Let me be." Turing over where he lay he glared at the roughly cut stone awash with soft glowing light. The relaxing melody, which flowed through the fairy fountain, tried to ease his growing agitation. A small fairy skimmed across his shoulder as it tried to heal something, which could not be mended by mere magic alone. The festering wound of emptiness within him. It had overshadowed him since he had first entered the sacred realm.

"You shouldn't be avoiding your destiny. I have let you stay here for awhile as you were in need of rest, but you can not abandon your land and future forever."

"What if this is my destiny? This is not my land, this is not my future. I was brought here against my will on the whim of a young girl's prophecy. What if I was destined to fail?"

"You have not yet failed my love. Nor will you." The longhaired fairy smiled softly as she placed a comforting hand on the young man's scarred shoulder.

"You don't want me here anymore." Link sat up slowly, back still turned to the fairy. "I am a burden, forgive me for not having seen this before. I will go." The cold echoed in the curt, precise wording.

"No, that's not what I meant. Link, the future depends on you, if you fail the future will fail."

"Whether or not I fail or succeed, time will continue, the future will become the present which will in time become the past." Link stooped to sort through his healing potions, his lips drawn in to a frown and his brow furrowed, the low dull ache that accompanied his dreams always told him when it was time to start moving again.

"But if you fail the future will be dark, cast in shadow. If you succeed, the future will flourish, light will return to the land." Standing he turned to face the magenta haired Fairy, his once lively blue eyes shadowed.

"Your urge me to go because Zelda is here. Isn't she." A statement not a question.

"Sheik, you know referring to her highness as Zelda is dangerous." Link snorted.

"She may have fooled me once with that disguise but do you truly believe that Gannondorf would be deceived by such a small trick? Sheik indeed." Picking the discarded sword leaning against the wall he examined it, he chuckled darkly to himself. 'The Sword of Time, the sword of misery, death, pain, endless existence.' Ignoring the fairy watching him he fingered the blade, drawing blood, 'An untimely death for an unfit hero.' The thought slid well oiled through his mind, 'No, he was too weak even to end his own existence. Besides the shadow wouldn't let him, it kept him trapped here in this reality.' He slid the sword forcefully into his scabbard.

"Link?" A small voice broke his thoughts, the voice which filled him with loathing.

"Princess Zelda." Her title and name dropped from his lips laden with disgust. "What brings you here? So close to Gannondorf's castle." He turned to her a mock look of concern on his features. "You may get caught, and then what would your kingdom do?" The look turned darker as the blonde haired young man continued. "I suppose the same thing it has been doing these last few years, depending on a man whose life was stolen from him, whose innocence was ripped from him, whose spirit was broken, used, and defiled." He had seen too much pain, death and destruction, it only added to the growing shadow in him. "Ah, but what do they care as long as he gets the job done. Isn't that right? For was that not what you came here for?"

"Link-"

"Don't fret little princess I am leaving to face my destiny, after all, if it truly is my destiny it will come to pass sooner or later. As does death." He smiled curtly and skirted past the crimson-eyed Sheik, the eyes reminding him of the powerful man in his dream.

His death.

Strolling across the rainbow coloured bridge he gazed up at the dark castle, reflecting the state of his mind, it towered above him as the desert king had done in his nightmare, powerful, dreadful, alluring. His heart kicked in his chest. 'Alluring?!' Entering the sinister, gaping doorway he pushed the thought from his head, his body jumping into action as laser beams cut the air around him.

As he felt his life leave him and the floor redden with his blood, he saw the small pink glow of a fairy surround him, replenishing his energy in exchange for it's own. Why had he brought the fairy along if all he wished for was death? Was it because he was afraid? Or was it... was it because he wanted to face Gannondorf one last time. Face him and understand the truth.

His sword slid out of the metal husks as they clattered to the floor, magic draining from them. He slumped against the wall, the final key heavy against his chest, his lungs burning from the effort of the last fight, his cuts stinging from the thin layer of sweat covering his body, his tunic ripped and soaked with patches of drying blood. Dragging himself up for the last confrontation Link ran a hand through his hair, gulping down the last of his sickly sweet red potion. Placing the odd shaped key into the heavily chained door he pushed it open, feeling the skin on his already scarred shoulders knit and the blow to the back of his head fade to a dull ache instead of the splitting pain he had endured earlier. The emptiness of the room surprised him and he stumbled wearily up the long flight of stairs where at the top he suspected Gannondorf would be waiting for him, his flaming hair, matching the blaze in his crimson eyes and the fire of his laughter.

"At last we meet again." The man stood waiting in the room at the top of the stairs as he had guessed, the only thing that surprised him about this meeting was the sudden drop he received from the emptiness inside him as he first saw the desert mage.

"You have finally made it, I was a little disappointed that you took so long." Link didn't bother responding; he didn't respond as Zelda was presented before him trapped in a diamond cage of magic, neither did he respond to the dark skinned man's goading. The words were lost on him, they swept over him like an enchanting murmur, the haunting voice carrying meaning which he failed to understand. He didn't need to understand, he had come here for only one thing. Death. So instead he watched the desert man, studied his movements carefully, the way he held himself while speaking to him, as if he was talking to a small child who didn't understand, someone inferior. He supposed he was. The way his hand rested calmly on the hilt of his sword, fingers unconsciously tapping to a tune, which he couldn't hear, a rhythm to which he found himself mirroring with his foot. The fingers slowed there dance and stopped under the blue eyed stare and Link glanced up to find the man watching him carefully, his mouth no longer forming words, his voice no longer filling the room. His crimson eyes alight with a touch of confusion and curiosity.

"Why are you here?" Link shrugged.

"Does it matter?"

"Humour me." The man's careless grin shot straight through Link, carving into him.

"To die." The tone of the voice not the answer seemed to catch the taller man off guard. A cautious, curiosity narrowed the crimson eyes as he cocked his head slightly to regard the emotionless looking young man.

"Surely you, the defiant, bold child have more confidence in yourself to believe you can defeat me. You are after all the Hero of Time, a child of destiny. Are you not?" The tone was mocking and Link smiled humourlessly.

"I am not that child anymore. I've aged and matured; I know this was a fool's quest, a false hope for a fading kingdom." The desert king nodded, a scornful smile gracing his lips.

"As they say, with age comes wisdom."

"And with knowledge and experience the loss of innocence." Link drew his sword and held it level with the desert man's heart. Gannondorf studied him calmly, noting the slight shake in the young man's grip, his own sword still resting against his side.

"You still seem innocent to me Fairy boy." He stepped forward, closer to the point of the blade, tempting the young man to strike. "All too innocent." He smirked regarding the blade now inches from his heart. "Tell me." He glanced up into uncertain blue eyes, noting the flickering shadow there.

"Have you ever truly experienced life?"

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--- To be cont.

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The language is a bit odd, I don't really know what I was trying to do O.o but it levels out to normal in the other chapters

S: Please R&R! See the small button down there, it is pleading with you to press it, it gets very lonely. Plus I'd love to get some feed back! I know a lot of people don't like the idea of Link and Gannondorf getting chummy, but please let me know what you think!