Necklace of Courage

Chapter 4

A.N. Well, hello. I'm up to the fourth chapter! Yay! Anyway...reviews are welcome! They keep the sunshine going in Hyrule!

Warnings For This Chapter: Spoilers, Violence, Blood, Mild Cussing

Rating For This Chapter: M (Just to be safe)

Link was led back to his cell, sweaty, and tired. He couldn't believe what had just happened to him. He had been saving himself. Sitting down upon the bunk, he buried his face in his hands. What had he done? "Ruto...I'm so sorry..." He mumbled to himself..."I had no choice..." He sobbed softly. What would she say to him now? What would she do?

After a little while, he laid back down upon the cloth mattress and went to sleep, dark dreams overtaking him.

Shadow Link looked around. He was sure that this was the place... He checked his map. "Damnit..." He muttered as he looked at the waterfall in front of him. "There should be a way to--" he looked down at the insignia of the Royal family on the walkway he was on. "Hmm...the royal family, eh?" He sighed slightly. "Only the bloody song..." He had never remembered that thing, but he had always heard Link play some kind of a tune on his Ocarina every time that he came to one of these insignias...

"Hmm.." Sitting down on the inscription, he tried to remember..

"Hey, what are you doing here?" A female voice called up to him only about a level below him, almost causing him to fall.

He looked over, and saw Ruto, and shook his head. 'Now what...' He stood up, and looked at her, smirking slightly. "Well, that is my own business, isn't it? Besides, what would you be wanting with such information of my doings...don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Yes, right here...keeping hooligans like you from entering my kingdom!" She took a dive, and sprung back up behind him, punching towards him.

He smiled, and grabbed her arm as she swung it at them, sending them both into the rushing water.

Vera came in to see Link, and smiled at him. "The queen says that you can go...you conceived with her. Congratulations!" She reached up, and unlocked the cell door, standing to the side of it a little bit.

He looked at her with a sickened look. "Thanks alot."

"Hmph."

He got up, got his belongings, and went outside, going to the brink of the Gerudan fortress...and then making a mad dash for the Zoran Empire.

"Damnit, Dark! Let me go!"

Dark Link smirked as he kept on pushing Ruto down into the rocks as she was swimming. It was amazing to him that she couldn't swim very well, even though she was a Zoran. Weren't they supposed to be half-fish or something? He enjoyed the dark purple look of her blood as she kept on hitting the boulders under the water. It made it..pretty looking.

The river went in sort of a sharp left turn, and then went out under a tunnel in the rocks. Before the tunnel, the ebony-haired Link jumped up on Ruto, leaped off of her and landed on the bank. "See you later, sucker!" He then smirked, and began to make his way back up to the domain, stalling a moment to watch her seemingly lifeless body float downstream.

Link looked up, he had been running for about all day now, and he could now see the stream...with...something floating in it. "Hmm...that looks like...a Zora?" He ran faster, and went to the water's edge, panting, and catching the Zora. The water was all purple around it...it didn't look good. He turned it gingerly over, and gasped, recognizing her.

"Ruto..?" He ran a hand over her cold flesh softly. Her eyes were closed...and she didn't seem to be breathing. He felt for her pulse. She was alive...though badly wounded...her body showing many cuts and bruises.

Picking her up, he began to take her to her Kingdom...through the water way on the side of the hill, soft tears beginning to form in his eyes, as they shortly flowed from his face. He looked down at her face, seeing it paling in color, "I'm so sorry Ruto...I wish I knew--"

A laughter cut him off. It was shrill, and it was right in front of the side entrance. He looked up, towards the laughter, and sneered. "Dark! Get out of my way!"

"Hmm...no. I think that I want to stay here." He looked at Ruto and smirked. "Aww...what happened to her? Did she fall from the rocks or something? I can't imagine anyone wanting to do that to her!" He looked mock-outraged, and then laughed. "The bitch shouldn't have tried to knock me off of here, or she wouldn't have had any problems!"

"Dark! I swear to you that you will pay for what you have done to her!" Link gently put Ruto down, and put his cloak over her. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, and looked where Dark Link had stood. Instead, he saw himself face to face with him. His shadow's crimson eyes glowing hotly into his blue ones.

"I will pay...did you say?" Dark looked at him, and smirked lightly, putting his hand on Link's on the hilt of his sword. "I don't think so." He put his own sword up against Link's neck. "I think that you are coming with me, fairy boy." He knicked him with the blade, and they both vanished, traveling through the shadows.

To Be Continued