Chapter 4
Domination

Link had left Zelda standing right outside the door. He wanted to change quickly as he felt very insecure leaving her alone for a long length of time. However, it was easier said than done. His left hand throbbed relentlessly and by this point, he was positive several of the bones were broken if not cracked. Ripping a piece of cloth from the end of his cloak, he bound it around his hand tightly to serve as a temporary splint. His side and back also ached, but he wasn't too concerned, and he was still too stubborn for his own good to admit he probably at least needed some medical attention.

After several more painstaking minutes, he was finally completely dressed in his usual attire, even his sword put away in its sheath and strapped across his back. He hurriedly emerged from his room to find Zelda not there.

Oh shoot…She says she doesn't see why she needs protection, yet I leave her side for five minutes and she's already gone…

But wanting to shed some optimistic light on the situation, he dashed as fast as his injured limbs would allow him to and headed to see if she had hopefully just wandered off back to her room. It was a possibility and it was more rational to check up on that before freaking out over anything.

Once to her door, which several guards were now stationed around who nodded at him in recognition that he was a friend of the princess and staying at the castle, he heard muffled voices coming from the inside of her room, that of Impa and Zelda. He put his ear to the door and listened, the guards didn't seem to take any notice to this act of eavesdropping.

"I'm not completely helpless you know," Zelda spoke.

"I am highly aware of that and I'm sure he is too, it's just that he cares deeply for you and---…" Impa began.

"I know, I know. And he just doesn't want anything to happen to me." Zelda had cut in. "It's just the same with my father with him stationing all those guards around my door…I'm not worried about that m---Zen…coming back, so why is everyone else?"

"Because they---."

"I know they care but I just…oh never mind."

The conversation stopped at that point and after a few moments, Link decided it was as good a time as any to make his presence known…so he knocked. He was slightly puzzled as to why she would be so resentful of protection…but then again, he was resentful of admitting the pain he was going through…he just saw it as being a sign of weakness in front of the king.

Several light footsteps were heard and then the door was opened by Zelda, now dressed in a lavender night gown…had it really taken him that long?

"Oh, hi Link." she greeted him and then added a light peck on the lips. "Come on in."

Link did as he was bidden and shut the door gently behind him. Impa actually smiled in acknowledgement.

After a while, when Link hadn't spoken, it became clear that this confused Zelda. She had been expecting Link to scold her about just wandering off like that, but it never came…so she brought up the subject herself out of confusion, "Sorry for just going off like that…"

"It's fine, I figured you'd come back here…" Link replied smoothly. Indeed that was the truth, but only half of it…he didn't feel he should tell her how panicked he had felt at first after what he had just heard.

"That's not the reaction I expected…" Zelda muttered to herself. "Ya know Link, you look tired…you should just go back to your room and get a god night's rest and not worry about me. Impa will be in here and there are already guards around my door."

"All right then." Link said.

That was too easy! Something was up…but her mind was so muddled with the past few events to even bother trying to figure out what, "Goodnight then…I guess…" she said trying to keep her voice from betraying her troubled thoughts. She gave him a goodnight kiss.

With that, he left the room. He knew she wouldn't check to see if he was really gone as she would look foolish in front of the guards. He had no intention of going back to his room and sleep. Even if she felt like she was suffocating in overprotection…he wasn't about to let some crazed freak…god or not…come near her. He positioned himself right along side her doorframe, sword out and close to hand.

…

Minutes slowly faded into hours as night wore on and Link couldn't help but find himself nodding off to sleep. Maybe Zen wasn't coming, he had only made that threat to keep them alert for no reason? These thoughts finally made Link drift off to sleep.

Once he was in a deep slumber, there was a sudden shrill scream emitted from within Zelda's room. Link instantly shot up, grabbing his sword in his right hand, with a start, but that only dragged pain forth, making him light-headed and dizzy. Once recovered from that, he kicked the door open and barged in…he had failed to notice the guards that had been assigned to defend the princess were all slumped over on the hallway floor.

"Nice to see you again," none other than Zen smirked at Link's barging in.

Link glanced around the room and much to his disheartenment, found that Zelda was no where in sight. Impa lay unconscious at Zen's large sandaled feet, "Where is she?" he yelled.

"Not here apparently," Zen's eyes gleamed evilly.

"You better not have harmed her in any way for your sake," Link growled.

"For my sake? Oh haha, you are just too funny."

"I'm serious."

"So am I and as proof, here's a little something from me!" Link suddenly found himself slammed into the floor by yet another invisible force that came with just a simple flick of Zen's hand. "You and all the inhabitants of this pathetic world are all going to suffer. Now that I am free, nothing will stop me!" Zen vanished, leaving his maniacal laughter echoing through the many rooms of the castle.

Link shakily struggled to pull himself up, his breathing coming in small gasps, practically hyperventilating as he labored to get air to enter his lungs. As soon as he was up, he heard a chorus of unnatural croaking sounds coming from behind him and cautiously turned. What he saw came as a shock to his system.

Sickening and vile looking creatures, covered head to…toe?...in black rotted flesh now stood before him. Where their eyes should have been, there were only empty sockets and their mouths hung gaping open, revealing razor sharp teeth. Just as their teeth were razor sharp, they had long claws extending from their rotted 'hands.' Their height only reached to halfway up Link's chest, but they certainly looked like they could do quite a bit of damage. Much as Link hated to admit it, he was in no condition to fight.

One of the creatures stepped forward and appeared to be studying him curiously, but then the next thing he knew, its claws were thrust straight through his stomach and protruding out his back. Blood curdling screams scattered throughout the castle reached his ears, signifying that there were more of the horrid creatures reeking havoc.

The creature with its claws stuck through Link abruptly ripped them out. Link felt fatigued and just wanted to collapse at that moment, but no…he couldn't do such a thing. Despite the blood gushing from the fresh wound and his other many aches and pains, he turned heels and ran…only to crash into someone out in the hallway…none other than the king of Hyrule.

"Do you know what's going on? Where's my daughter?" he hurriedly asked Link, fear hanging at the edge of his voice.

"No time to explain now, stay with me your highness and I will protect you to the best of my ability," Link's voice came out weakly, yet with a great determination. No matter the injuries inflicted upon him or the differences between himself and the king, it only seemed right to defend the ruler of the country…at least try to anyway.

"I don not need your help," the king snapped, but when he saw the grotesque creatures rapidly exiting Zelda's room and charging towards them, he quickly changed his tune. "Oh yes, please don't let those things near me! I beg of you!"

That was something Link had never thought he would hear…a king…begging? "Follow me!" Link replied gruffly, taking off with the king very close behind. He didn't know how much longer he could last out, he knew he had to have already lost large quantities of blood, but he just couldn't give up…not yet.

As Link ran as fast as his injuries would permit, he occasionally had to pause to kill off any of the creatures that came to close to himself or the king, they died just like anything else.

Once in the main hallway, they ended up at the back of a pack of frantic people fleeing the castle when the king suddenly tripped and fell.

At first, this went unnoticed by Link, but it didn't take very long for him to realize the king was no longer behind him. He swiftly spun around to see the creatures closing in on the king, who was trying to scramble upright. Before the creatures could swarm over him, Link charged in with all barrels blazing. Several heads belonging to the creatures plopped to the floor with a sickening thud.

"Thank you…" the king gasped out.

Link didn't respond, black dots were beginning to form over his vision as he began drifting on the border between consciousness and unconsciousness, but he couldn't go down…not until the king made it to safety.

Helping each other, they hurried out the front doors, down the dusty path, and luckily, the creatures appeared to have given up the chase once they reached the market.

"You should be safe now…your highness…" then Link felt himself pitch forward and everything went black as his head met pavement.

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Welp...there's another chapter...lol. Thank you to those who actually reviewed and have a nice day as you submit a review on your way out : )

-blondie91

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Legend of Zelda, however, I do own Zen and any other made-ups be they minor or major characters (er creatures too lol)