The Shadow grumbled to himself as he stalked away from the glen. Hero, ha! He chuckled darkly to himself. He was no fucking Hero, no matter what the crazy sword-lady and living leaf-lady said. He looked behind him, expecting to see the four of them watching after him, but there was nothing. Not even the body of the slain Hero remained. He shook his head.
Goddesses.
There didn't seem to be any discernible path through the forest; the cliffs rose and fell around him, graduating from the highest ones behind him to the lowest down in front of him. The area was stuffed with ponds and lakes and strung through with streams and rivers, everything connected by numerous waterfalls. Thick, tenacious vines crawled up the cliffs, foliage grew in a lush carpet, and trees shot skyward nearly everywhere. Huge ones, tiny sprouts, stout little buggers sprouting clutches of bananas. He grabbed a bunch, using his sword to cut it free, and found a large, flat rock to sit on. He peeled a fruit, biting into it. It was sweet and soft, almost melting on his tongue. Delightful. He had another, just because he could.
(Had he seen himself just then, he'd have seen the corners of his mouth pulled up in his first genuine smile, the vermillion of his eyes sliding the barest sliver toward crimson. But, of course, he couldn't, and so his first, small moment of true happiness passed without him even realizing it had come at all.)
As he ate, he contemplated again what he should do now. He was free; he no longer answered to Ganondorf. He didn't answer to the Goddesses, either, although they probably could've struck him down, had they so wished. But he hadn't agreed to their crackpot scheme, and he sure as fuck wasn't going to Hyrule Castle.
But he would need drinkable water soon, and more than just bananas to eat, although those seemed plentiful in this region. Some of the taller trees also sported some sort of spiky-looking fruit near the top, a Hearty Durian, he thought they were called, but was unsure of the taste and didn't want to waste time and energy climbing a huge tree for something that might be reminiscent of dirt.
He looked down at himself; there were several small cuts and nicks from where the Hero had landed some good sword hits, and there was some soreness in his shoulder from some of the massively-powerful blows to his shield arm, along with other various bumps and bruises. He would need some bandages and medicines, too, he supposed. As a lone swordsman on the road, he was bound to get into a scrape or two, especially given his… unusual appearance.
He was subject to the double-edged sword of knowledge without practical experience in everything but fighting. All he really had were the clothes and weaponry on his back. Thanks to his former Master, he had a map of Hyrule in his head, but every town was slashed out with a big red X, and the castle nestled at the center was only marked by the outside wall, the castle proper having been burned away, the edges crisp and blackened.
His perch was on a shelf by a waterfall at about the midway point in elevation; below him pooled the large, odd footprint of Lake Floria cut into the base of the cliffs and falls, a long, wooden bridge spanning it from east to west. On the west bank, across the lake to the south from his current location, stood what was clearly Lakeside Stable, going by the huge wooden horse head atop the building. He should be able to get some drinking water and a few supplies there, perhaps a pack to carry things. A horse would be fantastic, too. Having no coin, he would have to sneak in under cover of night and steal what he needed.
He looked up; the sun was hidden behind a solid wall of gray, but the quality of the light suggested it was late afternoon. He would have to get going soon in order to get down to ground level while daylight still aided him. He'd have to find another way across the lake; he was currently on a shelf above the Bronas Forest, and could see no direct path to the stable that didn't involve him getting wetter than he'd really like. To his right rose the spire of Faron Tower. The trees below him blocked his view of the narrow river; perhaps it was narrow enough there to simply jump across. Once he found a way to it, he'd find a place to hide in the woods near the stable, come out well after dusk.
Standing from the rock, he found a suitable vine, cut a length of it, and used it to tie what remained of the bunch of bananas to his belt. He stood at the edge of the shelf he was on, seeking the best way down without breaking his neck.
"Hey! Listen!"
Startled out of his reverie, the Shadow jolted unpleasantly, reflexively jerking away from the noise and pulling his sword. Then, annoyed with both himself and the irritating Sprite, the Shadow thwacked at the creature, but it adroitly dodged his swing. It hovered just out of reach, so he pointed the dark sword threateningly at it. "Damn it, you listen. I'm not your replacement Hero; I'm not going on your quest. Fuck off."
"No!" it taunted, flying just a bit further away.
He sighed heavily. He was silent a few moments, looking at the tiny, glowing pain in the ass. "I'm going to kill you," he said.
"Nope. Can't," the wee beast trilled at him, laughing. "Besides, I'm a Fairy; not only that, I'm your Companion Fairy. I'll just come back if you do manage it."
Shit, he thought. He watched the damn thing flit about for a few more seconds, then dropped his shoulders in defeat. He sheathed his sword, planted his hands on his hips, and slapped on the coldest glare he could muster, which had… no discernible impact. The Sprite darted about like a hummingbird, clearly not trusting the Shadow not to pull his sword and attack it again. Smart.
"Look, Knobby—"
"Navi."
"—I'm not going on any quest."
"Okay."
That caught him off-guard. "Ohhkaaay…" he drawled, confused. "What?"
"Okay, you're not going on the Goddesses' quest. So what are you going to do?"
"Uh, well. To start with, I guess I'm going to either climb down these cliffs here and find a way across the river at the narrow point over there," he pointed, "or jump in the water, ride the falls down, and swim across to that stable over there," he said, proud he'd at least come up with that much of a plan.
"And then?"
The Shadow eyed the irksome Fairy. "Well, I'm going to have to wait until everyone's asleep and take whatever I can grab. Don't exactly have any rupees," he said.
"Don't you?"
"You've literally known me almost my whole life. You know I don't have anything. But I still need stuff to survive, if I'm going to, so: a spot of larceny. I mean, I already killed a guy today, right? What's a little theft?" he shrugged, unbothered.
"I have a better idea."
"Oh, do tell." He watched it flit about for a moment in what seemed to be a complicated pattern before a gray leather wallet landed with a clink at his feet. He glanced down at it, then back up to where the little shit was glowing smugly at him. His eyebrows met his hairline. "Where were you keeping that?"
Tinkling laughter filled the air. "That's definitely not a conversation I have the first time I meet someone."
"It's not our first time; we met an hour ago," he smirked.
"First day, then, smartass."
"Whoa, potty mouth, are you even allowed to cuss? Aren't you afraid you'll get smited? Smote?"
"Piss off," it rebutted, and he did laugh then. The Sprite stilled in midair for a moment, then slowly drifted closer, seemingly fixated on his eyes. After a moment, it seemed to shake off whatever had affected it to float a comfortable distance away and sparkle annoyingly at him once more.
"I'm still not going on any crusade."
"Of course not," came the too-easy answer.
The Shadow narrowed his eyes. "I don't trust you."
The little thing gusted a tiny sigh. "You don't trust me yet, Shadow of Link."
He scowled. "Don't call me that."
The Sprite glimmered confusedly, then offered a hesitant, "But… that's… who you… are?"
He didn't know how to articulate that the 'of' in the middle made him feel like he was less than the beloved Hero. Clearly, he reminded himself, such was not the case, as he was here and Link was not. He bent down and picked up the bag full of money. It was surprisingly heavy. "You can call me Shadow or Shadow Link, I suppose," he said, tying the bag to his belt. "But I'm not going to play your Hero, so I'm not sure why it matters what you call me, Knotty."
"Nah-vee, Shadow of Link," it over-enunciated at him snarkily.
He glared at it. It sparkled back at him.
"Naht-zee," he smirked.
Before he could even blink, the vicious little bastard winked out from where it had been hovering a few arms' lengths away, appearing in a flash to poke him in his right eye. It also gave a tiny, sharp punch to the side of his nose before it ghosted a safe distance away from him again. His hand came up to press into his eye, seeking to ease the sharp pain. "Ow!"
"I can do this all day," it goaded.
"You little asshole!" he shouted at it.
"We should get along just fine, then," the little Pixie bastard cackled.
The Shadow glared with his one good eye and thought it over for a moment. "Fair enough," he conceded. His eye was watering, but he didn't regret verbally sparring with the Sprite. He certainly hadn't asked for company, so he may as well entertain himself, he thought. Besides, the little thing was just so… reactive. It was probably better than only having himself for company, he reasoned. And, he suspected, the Fairy also enjoyed it on some level. Being good all the time must get boring. A little snark was good for the soul.
"Fuck, that hurt," he sniped. "So, what? You're just going to float along after me like an annoyingly-loyal firefly?" He went back to looking over the edge, contemplating the fastest way down to the stable.
"Goddess, no. I'll disappear when we get around others. But this is a big land, and it takes a long time to get from one place to another. Chances are that you will want some company, at least sometimes."
"You mean, chances are that you will want to pop out and annoy me from time to time."
"That's what I said."
He peered intently at the tiny, hovering being. If he squinted really hard (with the eye that wasn't watering), he could just make out a form. It appeared to be a pocket-sized female, not just a little blob with wings. Huh. She had opalescent hair cut short at her tiny, pointed ears, wore a short, bright blue dress, and had just pinpricks of blue for eyes, all standing out against luminescent, paper-white skin.
"Can you tone it down a bit?" he asked. "I don't need to see into next week."
"Yes," she said, but didn't. He squinted at her harder, eye barely a slit (the other just slid uselessly shut, still leaking tears down one side of his face), to find her smirking at him.
"You're lying."
She had the nerve to laugh tinily right in his face. "Am I, Shadow Link?"
"No, I'm Shadow Link," he retorted.
"Smartass."
"Better than the alternative. Even I know that, and I was only born today."
The Pixie twinkled at him. He stared at it.
"Are we done?"
"Sure," she agreed.
"Great."
"So how're you getting down there?"
He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Can't you fly me down?"
"No."
"I won't touch you; you can grab onto me wherever works best."
"It's not a question of grip; it's a simple matter of weight ratio. A Companion Fairy cannot lift a Hylian," she tried.
"You just pulled a sack of rupees five times your size out of your—"
"Hey!"
"—and you're telling me you can't hover me or teleport me or whatever?" he said. He wasn't actually sure what kinds of magic Fairies were capable of. It wasn't surprising; Fairies would be considered beneath the notice of someone like Ganondorf, after all.
"I shrank that and had it in my pocket, Shadow," she explained.
"Sure."
"Oh, Hylia. You are exhausting," she lamented.
"Yeah, well. As I understand it, that's the way with newborns," he deadpanned.
Her shimmering laughter followed him as he began carefully climbing down the mountain toward the stable.
