Shadow Medli

Ah, yes. Hello there, I am Shadow Medli, author of this rather bizarre fanfiction that I think needs a better title. I couldn't think up anything better for it, though, so now you're stuck with The Last of Promised Light. Anyway, you might have questions that I might be expecting from a critic. Now, I'm not very old in age, but don't judge me in that fashion. I'll throttle you if you do! I mean...I prefer not to be looked upon as the average youth.
Why did I convert Link to the malignant side? In my view, when it comes to a twisted background, there is always a condition with the hero. Are they conflicted, imprisoned, near death, corrupted? My more favorite option of harming the spirit of a hero is corrupting them. To turn against the ones they once protected is an unexpected, terrifying...crime, shall I put it. From benign to unholy, that outs a rather troubling aura about the story. Especially if there is a force that may be controlling the hero -- this makes the innocent think, now that a being bearing more power than their saviour had arisen, that the end could be anytime soon.
Is there something I'm trying to tell you? Well, recall any past shows and movies you've watched, any comics or books you've read, anything that gives you a story. I'm not talking about any humorous types, I'm speaking about the life-threatening area. Every time a terrible event has befallen, a loophole is somehow found, and all eventually breaks away from the darkness back into peace. I will not give you any examples, but there's plenty of them out there. This fanfiction will tell you that there is far more to such experiences than finding a way for everything to become normal once more. The end of a movie, the hero risks dying, but always finds a way to come back. Someone dies, but is brought back. A villian returns mulitple times, but is always put down. I wonder if you realize the thousands of sacrifices that must actually be made in such dire situations. This is what I'm aiming for; a storyline based on so much fantasy, yet so much real limitation.

The Last of Promised Light
Chapter III - Therein Blackness...

As Impa and Zelda trudged along, having taken the shortcut from Goron City that led to the Lost Woods, Impa noticed how dreadfully quiet Zelda had been. She bowed her head a bit, examining the princess who was so obviously tormented within, her hope collapsed. Impa held back a pained sigh, and set her attention back to the path they were taking. "Princess...don't put too much thought into it. I am assured that there is another force behind this unforgivable scheme. There will come a time salvation will be upon us." She paused, waiting for the young girl to answer, but she gave no response. Impa sighed, sensing the hollow emotion within her. Hopelessness. Impa did not know what she could say to lighten the Princess's feelings, however. In dire times like this, she did not know what to do, except follow the path that is opened before them; and the parth they had to follow now was the one to Zora's Domain.
Zelda stared at what lay before them. Her heart was heavy, and her hope did indeed vanish. It was swept away with the dying wind, and the light that led them through the darkness was as dim as the night. The trees towered above them, barricading the glow of the stars and the half moon that hung above them in the black air. The rustle of leaves could be heard as they quietly progressed through the Woods, and they were quick to find the shortcut that would take them to Zora's Domain. Impa raised her right hand, threw it down, and a blinding flash suddenly snapped. As it subsided, the two disappeared, leaving behind very little trace of their presence.

It was indeed nighttime, when the stars should be out to cast strange patterns across the dark sky. Over Lake Hylia, feather-like clouds stretched past the vast black heavens, the moon glowing strongly past them. Sitting quietly on the shores of the lake was a figure, in a fetal position, his blue eyes staring past his blode hair into his reflection. He stared at his own eyes, full of fear and confusion, a malice dormant beneath. Why me? he thought in agony to himself, falling on his back, arms and legs outstretched. I'm still just a child, even if I'm the hero of two lands...wait...I'm a child...I guess that just makes me more vulnerable to something like this. Someone's using me, but for what? And where did Dark Link come from? I thought I got rid of him. But Ganondorf can't be back, not so soon...Link continued to struggle, his mind unable to answer his questions. He laid there, staring up at the moon, lost in its glow. "How can I control myself at this time of day?" he muttered to himself, even more flustered about the essences of light and unholiness. "I don't understand anything!" he called out at the sky, not expecting an answer from anyone. Link sighed, and looked down at the waters of Lake Hylia, staring at his reflection. Has fate turned against him? This was far more complex than when Ganondorf endangered Hyrule...or when Majora nearly destroyed Termina with the moon. Link fell over on his back, arms and legs outstretched, staring up at the enormous moon hanging above. He gazed at the stars in the great black sky, recalling what his friend Saria had once taught him.

"The Great Deku Tree once told me, Link, that if you look closely up in the sky, and follow the stars with your eyes, you can see the eagle of the people outside of the forest."
>"Really?"
"Yep. But I've never found the eagle. Look up...aren't the stars beautiful?"

Link had found the eagle among the stars earlier, however, sometime when he was in Termina. He saw that great bird in the sky right now, and closed his eyes, recalling Saria. "Yes...they are beautiful," he muttered to himself. "It hurts...to know..." He did not finish his sentence, for he fell into a peaceful slumber, having lost himself in blissful memories. The eagle of the Hylians watched over him like a protective god, as though it had forgiven him, even though he was corrupted now. It's wings spread, it's talons sharp enough to pierce any man, it stood for glory and freedom. As Link fell asleep, a small owl soared across that massive sky, following the light which it was given.
The owl, with is small and delicate wings, rapidly beat the air as it carried itself across the sky. A small hoot escaped its little humming grey throat, as it flew about freely like that eagle among the stars. The avian fluttered high above the lake for a long time, but eventually swooped down on the child now laying dormant in the grass. It landed on Link, giving a high hoot, hopping onto his chest. The owl inclined its head this way and that, examining him, before hopping off of him, following his arm to his shoulder, flitting onto it, and rubbed its small furry head against his cheek. Although he was asleep, it was although the owl knew he was troubled, and soothed him as it gave another hoot. Don't worry, little boy! I'll be here for you. Always! No matter what! The owl hopped onto his chest again, and sat down, its legs hidden beneath it's small body of white, black and grey feathers. Who was this strange little creature, only one knows.
Watching this from the tree that stood high on the small island in the center of the lake, a massive silhouette gazed upon Link and the owl with piercing eyes. Stay with him, and never leave his side. Kaepora Gaebora spread his massive wings, shielding the two from the moonlight momentarily, and he launched his massive body into the air, soaring out of the area like a fleeting shadow. "Whomever has unleased this curse will pay with his life...I am sure of it."

"A suspicious group?" repeated the seventh Zora who Impa and Zelda had spoken to. "A caravan, you must mean! Yeah, I know where they are. They came by not too long ago, and I overheard one saying they should head to the Desert as their route takes them."
"Splendid," Zelda sighed in relief, glad they finally had some information.
"Do they move about quickly?" Impa asked the Zora, still requiring a little more information.
"No, they go pretty slow. Hey, I need to go now, I'm pretty hungry."
Impa nodded to the Zora, and he gratefully slid back into the water with a neat and graceful backwards flip. The Shiekah then looked down at Zelda, who looked anxious to leave immediately. Her blue eyes were full of worry, as though she knew something Impa didn't, and she struggled not to hop up and down in her stress. Impa was unsure whether to ask or not, for curiousity could sometimes lead to a wrong turn. However, she felt that dire need to simply ask.
"Princess, does something trouble you?"
"Over there...over there, I thought I saw something..." Zelda replied, raising a gloved hand towards the bushes on the other side of the river. "It was a shadow, but I felt a sinister presence."
Impa kept her eyes on her for a moment, yet slowly turned her gaze towards the bushes. It seemed that the figure was gone for now. However, once she narrowed her eyes to try and spot something among them, she did indeed see a faint glow of red within the shadows. She leered into it for a moment, when it darted away, a black blur sprinting from her eyes down the river. It moved too quickly for either of them to attempt to race after it, to her disappointement.
"We must worry about that later...for now, we should seek out this caravan."
Impa stood there, waiting for Zelda to regain herself, but it didn't seem the princess would make a move. Not wishing to wait, Impa turned, steering her away sternly, her hand on Zelda's shoulder. As they walked away, Zelda looked up at Impa with a concerned frown.
"Impa...how come I didn't see this?" she asked quietly, and Impa glanced down at her. The princess didn't see this coming. Neither of them had considered that for quite a time. Zelda had asked the very question that couldn't be answered. Impa kept silent, staring at the paths laid before them, unable to respond. "Impa..."
What should Impa say? She didn't know a thing? She had no idea? Deciding it was best to keep silent, she continued guiding Zelda with her hand on her shoulder. The cool air, the stars glittering above, the river streaming by them, the darkness settled all around, and the silence...the atmosphere was mysterious, not to mention highly suspicious. The Cucco that was always found near Zora's River was asleep, sitting in that ring of rocks with its wings by its sides, legs hidden beneath its feathers. Its eyes were closed, and it was breathing heavily, as though no horrible fate would befall it. Zelda watched it as they passed by, wishing she could be in such bliss like that. As she turned her head away, the shadow from before darted from the darkness, sprinted by the Cucco, and disappeared once more. As it did, the bird gave a squawk of fright, but was abruptly silenced as it was stolen from its slumber.

Heading to the Gerudo Desert was indeed a caravan, which two wagons, six horses and plenty of people. One wagon was dragged along by white horses, and the one behind by black horses. Several Hylians chattered among themselves, a deku in their midst, but the second wagon was particularly lonely. Loaded on the first was food, treasures, custom objects and plenty more they could sell. They always went about Hyrule, collecting whatever was in their path to make a living. The wagon pulled by the black horses had more strange novelties on board, however, and it was no wonder why the others kept their distance from it. Inside, all was gloomy, for there were sinister items and dangerously dark artifacts, some believed to be bound to malicious magic. Roaming among these, however, was the blackest of the caravan, the most serious and cold. He was only 11 years old, awkwardly enough, but he garbed a black tunic with a red belt, a steel collar about his neck, spiked bracelets on his wrists, chains over his back and chest holding a halberd, and his dark blonde shoulder-length bangs hid brown eyes that reflected only death. He strolled among these objects, hands locked together behind his back as he stared at the wooden floor. The others trusted him to be there, to make sure nothing got out of hand with the second wagon, since he was the only one who would dare uphold the task. His eyes slid towards a black stone item that took the form of a horse's head, a moderate size, and looked very heavy. It had ruby red eyes, and he reached out to touch it. As he did, the horse's head glowed red, and it suddenly threw its head back with a haunting whicker. He simply gripped the horse around the neck, and it tossed its stony head, ears flicking. He released the object, and it suddenly froze in its original position. He simply stared, face showing not a trace of an expression, and continued to walk on. He came to the entrance of the wagon and stared out at that moon, longing to be free again. If he wasn't stuck with this cursed caravan, if he had any other choice, he would be happier. Much happier. He then suddenly remembered why he was bound to this caravan. No...it was for his own good, that he be with them. As he gazed up at the moon, he noticed clouds above, and kept that impassive face. However, the calmness did not last very long, for there was an abrupt bang as the wagon suddenly stopped in its tracks, and as he peered outside, he saw the black horses neighing and kicking at the air wildly, tossing their heads about and flicking their tails. A wall of fire was barricading their path, and those ahead of them had turned around to gaze at this unexpected phenomenon.
The boy wasn't the least bit startled, but he slipped out of the wagon anyway and walked past the settling horses to approach the flames. There was chatter among the folks behind the fire, and as he reached out to touch the flames, several stared while others protested. His arm slid through the embers without harm, and as it returned to him, he examined his arm, flipping it over several times. Frowning in disapproval, he knew this fire had to be fake. However, it didn't seem someone wanted them to proceed any further. Glancing around, he searched the area for signs of a stranger. Yet it seemed that no one was there the more he scanned their surroundings. The crowd was even more concerned, having apparently realized that the barrier of flames was not real, and the boy looked back towards the wagon of cursed and dark artifacts. Climbing back into it, he ignored the calls of confusion and anger form the others when he turned his back on them, and felt around a small black dragon with blood red eyes. He lifted it from the crate it was sitting upon, and brought it outside, still glancing around for the intruder. As he began stroking his finger along the back of the plated dragon's neck, it came to life and let out an unearthly screech, stretching its wings and crying out at those behind the flames. A few backed away as its red eyes gleamed and glowed, climbing up the boy's arm with lethal talons, though he flinched not even once as it perched on his shoulder. Silence failed to settle among them as the crowd continued to chatter excitedly, the flames dying away, leaving no trace of its presence. The horses pawed the ground and shifted their feet nervously, the small cursed dragon figure perking its head and flicking its wings, its four claws clinging to its position as though it were a miniature gargoyle.
A shadow watching this from the tree nigh smiled to itself in amusement, emerald eyes observing the panicked nomads and the composed youth standing before them. "Hehehe...I do spy an interesting one here after all..." it snickered sinisterly to itself, slithering to the grass with a black serpentine body, pikes jutting out from the sides. By then, the group had returned to their wagon, thinking it was no more than a meaningless event. However, the guardian of the black wagon was overlooking the area, his small companion doing the same suspiciously. As he turned around to retreat into the covered carrier, he felt an unknown coil of coldness wrap around his leg. Glancing down, he stumbled back into the wagon, and twisted around onto his rump to see a long snake leering at him with eyes full of malicious intent. "So...tell me your name," it started quietly, flicking a forked tongue at him. The dragon hissed, and it smirked again in amusement. The boy looked up to see the others starting off without him, not noticing the spooked horses who were not daring to move.
"And you are?" he answered in response, not so willing to release his name.
"Oh, a smart one, are you?"

Link stirred, oblivious to his surroundings at first, only to realize it was still nighttime. He groaned, sitting up and massaging behind his shoulders. His joints were stiff, and his mind bleak. Blinking through a soft and rather harmonious rain, he removed his cap and stratched his head, then replaced it behind his bangs. Looking down, he noticed a diminutive and brown figure sleeping in his lap now. "Wha?" Staring blankly for a moment, he decided to reach out and prod it lightly. immediately, it jerked to life and raised its head, eyelids heavy with sleep. Link was astonished, and he drew his hand back as he noticed how rapidly the little creature was beating. "Hey...who are you?"
The owl looked up at him drowsily for a moment, not understanding him for a few seconds. The question finally registered, however, and it blinked hard as it clacked its beak and shoved itself onto his talons. "Hello! My name's Micut. Kaepora Gaebora sent me to help you get through the curse." He tilted his head in the same way the great owl did, bobbing it left and right. Link sent his gaze to the sky, scanning it for a sign of the massive figure above, but saw nothing like that. "So, tell me what happened?"

"Uh, what?"
"Tell me what happened!"
He blinked in surprise at the nerve of this little owl, and smiled. Micut's curiousity did verily remind him of himself. "Okay..."