Link and Zelda arrived at the table and sat inbetween the king and his friend with whom he shared guard duty as a royal orchestra of sorts was playing background music.

"Hey Eidermand"

"Hey Link. This is not good."

"Oh?"

"I got stuck with guard duty in Kakariko Village tonight. AND I have to work in the morning."

"You'll get double pay, right?"

"Nope. Lucky, ain't I?"

"I guess you could call it that. But hey, look on the bright side. It's not the worst fate in the world."

"Then what is?"

"I'll have to get back to you on that one."

With those words, the feast arrived: roasted boar. It was a welcome change from the usual food that Link ate, and he dug in quickly. During the feast, Zelda put her hands on Link, who was too busy enjoying his meal to care. Zelda took no notice of Link shoveling the delicious boar into his mouth and ignoring her touch, only wanting to hold Link's hand. After everyone at the head table finished eating, King Daphnes made an announcement to those gathered in attendance.

"Attention everyone. Yes, it is true that a small girl was killed yesterday in Kakariko Village. Yes, it's true that we do not know who the killer is. But, that is no reason to be afraid. We have the very best guards in Hyrule on duty as we speak, and to be on duty later this evening. We are determined to find this threat. However, I urge all of you to take precautions. Lock your doors. Shut your windows. Don't walk out alone at night, especially if you are unarmed. Now on a less somber note, it is time for the Royal Dance. My daughter, Princess Zelda, would you do us the honors of performing the first dance for us?"

"Why of course. Link, would you dance with me?"

Link inwardly sighed at the great conflict before him. He loved Malon, and thought it would be bad if he did anything with another woman. Then again, it would look horrible if he refused a royal invitation to anything, and he did not want to hurt Princess Zelda by saying no despite not having feelings for her. It was this great battle between his heart and his mind that pained him deeply. For better or worse, his brain won this round.

"Why sure, Princess."

Link stood up from his place and grabbed Zelda's hand. She led him towards the center of the hall as the orchestra warmed up for the upcoming dance. Link took the lead in the dance as the orchestra played a wonderous song for the two, doing his best to not disappoint Zelda. Zelda, on the other hand, was doing her best not to screw up, worried that one mistake would make Link not love her. Both feigned enjoyment of the dance, trying to please the other. When the dance finished, both inwardly breathed sighs of relief that it finished. They took their seats, as the people on the sides of the room got up and joined each other in dance.

Around ten, the party ended. Everyone said their goodbyes, Eidermand went to the village, and Link walked home. He clumsily fell into bed face-first, succumbing to fatigue. Link dreamt of a dark cloud chasing him through an open field split in two sides: light and darkness. Link ran through the light side, desperately trying to escape the cloud. He got over to the dark side of the field, only to realize what had just happened: The cloud lured him to the dark side, where it would have an advantage. Link turned around and ran desperately for the light side, trying to avoid the cloud, only to fail and be engulfed by the darkness.

Link woke up, but was not himself. He grabbed his dagger and boldly walked out his door, defying the king's advice not to go out alone at night. He creapt along the shadows, heading towards Kakariko Village. He needed to kill someone. The thirst for blood poked at him every waking moment. It soon overwhelmed him. He couldn't wait anylonger. He looked at his wrist, and his dagger. He gently pressed it against his skin, just enough to cause there to sprout blood. He rubbed his face against it, gaining pleasure from the moisture of the red fluid. He continued along his path, finally ariving at the village.

Standing in the center of the village was Eidermand. Link saw this and instinctively climbed a hill overlooking the center. This kill would require some skill, he thought. A direct confrontation would not serve him well. He overlooked Eidermand and picked up a rock beside his feet. He needed to have Eidermand afraid in order for this to work properly. He through the rock, and heard it crash with a thud beside Eidermand's feet.

"Who's there?" asked Eidermand.

"My name is Ahriman" replied Link, still with darkness in him. He moved silently along the hill to confuse his opponent.

"Did you kill the little girl last night?"

"I did. And soon you will join her."

"I am armed. I am a full grown man. Your scare tactics won't work on me."

"Oh yea?" With those words, he took his dagger and threw it right at the man. It cut the air with blazing speed. As it was in midair, the darkness left Link. He came to wondering where he was. He saw the dagger in the air just as it entered his dear friend's throat. Link quickly turned around to see the hill above him to see who threw it, but in vain. He quickly slid down the hill, and looked at his friend. His eyes were glazed over; he died before Link even got there. Link took out the dagger and cried as he held his friends head against his shoulder, getting more blood on him. He called out for help, but no one could hear him. His friend had been murdered by the very same person that killed the little girl. He looked at the corpse with tears in his eyes, and knew what he must do.