Alone in Darkness

Silence. Absolute silence surrounded them. An aura of doom traced in the air. None of the trio spoke. They were too frightened to move.

Zelda clutched her chest, immobilized. She stared up at the tan high ceilings. In the void she felt something stare back. Silently observing her, though she saw no eyes, she was certain she felt a pair of eyes watching her. It started from the tumbling down the stairs to now staring up at the menacing ceilings.

Machinery deep within the beast rumbled to life. It must have sensed their presence. The ground hummed. Blinking red lights sparkled faintly in the dark room. The ceiling was held up by narrow tan pillars.

Windows on the right side of her were nailed shut. Zelda squinted as she strained to see the outline of three ominous doorways lead out of the room. Sheikah runes ran along the walls providing the dim red light that glowed throughout the room.

Etchings of eyes in some of the runes had slits through the pupils cut into the wall. Were the walls hollow? Hollow walls would be the perfect place to watch them.

Slowly Zelda sat up, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim red light. She hissed as pain shot up her right arm. She held it close to her as though the pain would magically stop if she cradled it with her gloved hand. But the pain kept coming. After what seemed like an eternity, she glanced down at her arm.

A nasty bruise covered her arm from wrist to elbow. Her arm was smeared with a combination of red and purple. The only word that could describe it...disgusting.

(Just what's needed at time like this.)

Zelda breathed a heavy sigh. She didn't glance back at the others.

"Could you get up!"

Zelda whipped her head around to see where the voice came from. At first her face was neutral but then she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

The scene before her was one of Revali tugging Prince Link by his hands to get him to his feet. Revali's method lacked gentleness as he wound up dragging Prince Link across the floor. Prince Link remained unmoving, refusing to get up while he was face down bumping across the floor.

"Get up!" Revali yelled.

"But my head hurts." Prince Link's complained as he still refused to move.

(You, crazy people couldn't be any quieter!)

"Ow, can you stop that." Prince Link lifted his head glaring at Revali.

Revali let go but made an effort to make sure that he let suddenly and roughly causing a bit of pain for Prince Link.

"Now my elbows hurt." Prince Link groaned as he still lay flat on his stomach with his hands before him.

"Pfft, you'll live." Revali retorted, crossing his arms as he observed the room with his sharp eyes, memorizing every detail of the room.

"You don't know that." Prince Link lifted his head again and scoffed with a more solemn look on his face.

Revali simply glanced at him about to open his beak to shoot back at him but closed it.

No one knew if they were going to survive.

Zelda cut in, "Well let's make sure we survive."

She stood up, her eyes jumping between Revali and Prince Link. Revali stood straight reaching for his Eagle Bow while Prince Link looked up at her.

"So..." Zelda started but the words disappeared from her tongue as if slipping down her throat never to be seen again.

Even though only Revali's and Prince Link's eyes stared at her, she couldn't come up with anything to do. To tame a Divine Beast? There wasn't exactly an instruction manual about that. The only thing that came to mind slipped from her lips because truly she had no idea what to do.

"Let's just wing it." Zelda sighed. Her eyes slid back to the dark tunnels.

"Are you serious?!" Prince Link blurted out as he remained motionless on the floor.

"Well, you didn't decide to come up with an idea. Did you?" Revali scoffed as he ruffled his feathers in triumphant fashion.

Prince Link tried to sit up. He arched his back and dragged his arms to prop himself up to shoot a nasty reply. But he collapsed in pain, he curled up in a ball, and cradled his head in his arms.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow." Prince Link hissed as he recoiled in pain.

"What now?" Revali glanced back at the withered Prince Link.

Zelda who was already kneeled over and turning Prince Link's head gently to the side. A wince emitted from him, but he allowed her.

Silently, she lifted his hand in a gentle fashion off the part of his head he had been cradling. A spark rippled through her fingers at the touch. His bright blue eyes gazed into her luminous ones. A warmth washed over her as if a fire flickered inside her. Zelda hadn't realized that her hand was still wrapped around his.

Her eyes settled upon a steady trickle of crimson trailed down the side of his left ear. Zelda dropped his hand and gently placed it at his side. She inched in closer to observe the wound as she grew dangerously close to his face. A tinge of red flushed his cheeks, but Zelda didn't notice, thankfully.

(It seems to be the wound from the lockup.)

As she looked closer the sutures were still in. Sadly, they were messily stitched in as if in a rush. It was an emergency and had to be done quick before he had lost more blood. The suture was partway open and was leaking out a stream of blood.

Zelda glanced back toward the long staircase that they tumbled down.

(It must have come loose when he fell.)

"Oh boy." Zelda muttered to herself as she furrowed her brows.

"Is he being dramatic again?" Revali sighed as he had his wings crossed and was turned away from the two of them.

"No, look at this." Zelda scoffed and gently turned Prince Link's head to show the bleeding wound on the back of his head.

Revali whipped around as if he couldn't help himself. His sharp eyes landed on the back of Prince Link's head.

As quick as Revali eyes set upon the wound, a flash of an emotion crossed his face. An emotion that she believed he couldn't experience. Traced in his eyes as if for a single second his sharp eyes seemed to be layered with fear.

Swiftly, Revali walked away, stepping back and his eyes diverting from the bloody wound. He turned around retreating away from Prince Link. Revali walked away briskly. His feathery shoulders trembled but he quickly quieted them as he tensed his body. Little beads of sweat slid out of his feathers.

Zelda noticed this and momentarily stopped observing Prince Link's wound. She squinted curiously at Revali.

(What's up with him?)

"Hey, Revali, you okay?" Zelda hesitated.

They weren't exactly friends, but she thought he was always fearless. No, he couldn't be afraid, that was impossible. The greatest Rito warrior afraid? But of what?

"It's obvious Zelda." Prince Link scoffed mockingly even through his pain "Are you still scared of blood, Revali?" Prince Link gave out a hoarse chuckle but winced again.

(What? He's a warrior. Blood is going to be a requirement for fighting. Link must be joking.)

"Its not funny, Link." Revali growled not bothering to turn around.

Even though she had seen Revali angry before this was different. It was more sensitive, not mere bickering.

Zelda rummaged through her bag. She swore she recalled bringing a medical kit. Maybe she could sew the wound. Though she wasn't exactly a professional at it asking Revali would be a bad idea now. It was very unlikely that either of them knew how to properly do this.

"How dare you! Its Prince Link, bird brain!" Prince Link spat at Revali as he tried to lift his head.

Zelda hissed at him "Lay back down."

Zelda waved a needle and thread she had found in a sarcastic way. Revali glanced back and a smirked appeared on his feathery face. He purposely avoided looking at Prince Link and his bleeding wound.

"Oh, well look at that. You have a 'professional surgeon' at hand. I am sure it won't be too painful." Revali scoffed with a wave of his wing.

Zelda shot Revali a dirty look and turned to Prince Link's fearful face.

"Ha, it doesn't hurt that bad. Actually, let me try to get up." Prince Link jabbered.

Prince Link tried to sit up but was roughly pushed down by Zelda's free hand. She didn't even make an effort as she didn't look up. She rummaged again through the bag for something to sterilize the wound. Alcohol would be preferred.

(This is why I like you better unconscious, especially when it comes to injuries!)

"You know Prince Link. That feeling of a sharp needle stabbing you. As it pierces your skin ripping through your blood vessels." Revali imitated it as he dramatically flopped over as he sent an imaginary needle through the back of his feathery head.

"I used to hear screams echo throughout the camp as the Rito boys were stitched up after a long day in the mountains. The claw marks and nasty bites caused by those vicious creatures. Some bled out or some just were to live in torture for the rest of their short lives. Up in the mountains with a crazy old hermit to train a handful of orphans for a pointless cause." Revali strayed from his insult as he unintentionally rambled on.

"It's funny that I was the only one that made it out of that place." Revali unenthusiastically laughed to himself as he kicked at the ground.

It almost seemed like Revali had forgotten that her and Prince Link were there. Like almost like a conversation that played through his head constantly. Each word sounded like they were said before no stutters and plain simple. The taunting tone had disappeared as emotion tinged Revali's tone.

"Spare me your life story." Prince Link scoffed at Revali with no remorse as Prince Link glared at him with all the nastiness he could muster.

"Pfft, it wasn't a life story. It was simply a chapter of my glorious life ahead of me. I am sure that you won't have the same...let's say yours is definitely tilting towards the unlucky side." Revali snarled as head gave a slight tilt to the side.

Prince Link's eyes were to the point that violence was an option and was about to open his mouth. Just for the sake of more irritation Revali interrupted him.

"Let's not forget-" Revali paused. "Pardon me for being so blunt but let's not forget that because of your asinine self it sent has Rito Village burning to the ground. If you hadn't released Ganondorf none of this would be happening."

"It was a horrible mistake. One I regret deeply" Prince Link mumbled looking down.

Zelda ambushed him and poured the alcohol on the sutures that had reopened. She tried to make haste so that the argument wouldn't escalate to violence.

"Ow!" Prince Link yelled as he instinctively reached to deflect her hand. But Zelda gave a little slap on his hand as she tried to do her work.

"Oh, no last time I checked you weren't sorry at all. You were busy making assumptions such as assuming that we Rito's eat our children. Now if that isn't sick, I don't know what is." Revali retorted.

"Did your little apprentice tell you that? The one that so 'warmly' welcomed us." Prince Link snapped.

"Malus, my advisor? I believe ears are meant for hearing, aren't they? Malus is my most trusted advisor, but I didn't need him to report this. I heard you myself plain and clear. An enemy of my father but now a friend to me. Its nice that forgiveness is an easy thing but with you, no." Revali snorted in disgust of Prince Link as he ruffled his feathers.

"Shut up the both of you." Revali and Prince Link both turned in surprise at Zelda's voice.

"How many times have you two fought and how many times have I asked you two to stop?" Zelda fumed as she jabbed with her needle at Prince Link's wound as she attempted to sew it back up.

Her frustration with the two of them had reached its snapping point. They had accomplished nothing in taming the Beast. Instead they were bickering, and she was sewing up a clumsy idiot.

Zelda threaded the sutures into his skin, weaving it and hearing an occasion cry of pain from Prince Link. She tried her best to ignore it even as much as she hated causing pain to others. Revali could care less as he turned in the other direction...sulking.

"Is it almost done?" Prince Link groaned as he lay on the floor in dripping sweat as well as blood.

"And there." Zelda replied as she drew back the needle finishing up the stitching.

"Ow, didn't you learn to sew" Prince Link held the back of his head as he slowly sat up.

It seemed to be holding together so far. No blood at least for the moment.

"I did some, but my mother didn't think it was necessary." Zelda snapped at him.

She took Prince Link's comment very personally as she yanked his hands up. His body jolted up but he wasn't fully prepared as he wobbled on his feet.

"You could have been gentler!" Prince Link protested as he stomped his foot like a young child.

Zelda still couldn't believe that after all these years Prince Link never matured fully as a polite and decent Hylian being.

"I could have...but I didn't." Zelda mumbled to herself knowing Prince Link wouldn't hear her.

Revali let a snicker escape his beak. He must have heard her. But she could care less.

"What are you two laughing at?" Prince Link narrowed his eyes at the two of them as though he was almost jealous.

Zelda rolled her eyes so far you would think her eyes would roll onto the floor.

(Dear Hylia, he's worse than usual.)

"Nothing that concerns you." Revali called over his shoulder. Revali strutted across the room, bow loaded with its deadly arrows and his tan scarf rested around his neck.

In the dim red light Revali's feathers were a dark navy blue with a few white outlines on his wings and face. Before it was almost like his feathers were black.

"Wait, I have to show you guys something I found." Prince Link cupped his mouth to enhance his voice to Revali who was a little ahead of them.

"Pfft, it can wait. We must kil..." Revali paused and quickly added "Tame! I definitely said tame." Revali reassured and hastily whipped around stopping his quick pace.

Zelda rolled her eyes and didn't look back at Prince Link.

(Whatever he has to say is probably going to be something petty or unimportant. We have to get moving)

Revali much more curious than her whipped around and waltzed back towards Prince Link. His feet/talons clicked against the tan floor that was lined with glowing red. She continued toward the beckoning dark tunnel determined to get this laborious task over with.

Zelda reached for her sword preparing to meet the dark stricken tunnel but failed. Not heeding Prince Link's call, she felt a thunderous feeling hit her foots streaking up her legs and throughout her arms.

Crumbling dust leaked from the ancient ceilings. As it poured down, a creak of machinery and a thrumming sound echoed from the walls.

The Sheikah eyes lining the wall exploded with a violent red color that blared across the walls lighting up the room with its striking color.

"Clang." A sound emitted from the right of her.

"Clang" it happened again to the left.

To her horror gates to two of the tunnels slammed down. The darkness was shut away, any escape from those two doors were gone. But that wasn't the end of it.

Suddenly, the room seem to slant dropping downwards. Zelda fell upon her knees as her boots slammed against the tan floor.

(The room. Its tilting!)

It didn't stop as it continued to tilt steeply to one direction. She felt her body slide away from the blaring lights.

In a frantic attempt to not go cascading down into the dark tunnel, she tried to reach for Revali. The Rito with the ability to fly had taken flight which made him immune to the effects of the lurching floor.

Revali's sharp eyes slid over to her...as if he was debating. Prince Link was flailing around. Desperation was painted in his eyes.

Time slowed down. Earsplitting chaos erupted around her. Blaring red lights clouded her vision as panic was settled into her heart.

There wasn't enough to time for Revali to save both of them. It was either one or the other. Either she would die by her head splitting open due to momentum as she slammed into the wall that awaited her at the end of the tunnel or Prince Link would slam into the wall. Neither choice was exactly...promising.

Revali glanced over at her. A steely look glinted in his sharp green eyes. Without a word he swooped over to Prince Link to her surprise. Reluctantly, Revali grabbed the back of Prince Link's snow quill collar with his talons. He swept him upwards from the floor to the relative safety of the chilling air.

Revali looked back at her giving a stern look having confidence that she would survive on her own. Zelda felt herself being thrown down into the darkness. The dark hallway obscured her vision as she came tumbling down.

The tiles beneath her ripped at her skin sending searing pain up her body. Zelda felt like a rag doll being dragged upon the icy tiles as the beast tilted. She was pulled down farther and farther as the blood red Sheikah eyes whizzed by.

It was like a terrifying mimic of a long water slide when she was a girl except this one brought intense pain. Her heart beat faster than the creaking sounds of the beast's innards. She held her eyes shut, praying for the pain and terror to end.

Zelda finally opened her eyes only to see an incoming wall shattering any hope she had left for herself.

There was no way she would be able to save herself now. So much for duty and keeping the prince safe. Zelda wished Revali had saved her but in reality, she wasn't as important as Prince Link. Even if Revali did save her, then Prince Link would never even have a chance at survival in the first place.

Depriving another breathing person of life was something she could never do. In a heartbeat she would trade her life for another to live on.

A sense of betrayal pounded in her heart at Revali's action but she had never trusted Revali in the first place. Did she? Perhaps it was short lived respect that she had for him. Even though he was arrogant, it was hard to ignore his skill for battle.

But the same steel eyes played back in her head. It hurt slightly though she knew it wasn't intentional, at least she thought so. It was a selfish thought, but she really had wished that Revali had saved her.

But Prince Link after all was the logical decision.

The Queen would be proud after all, at least Zelda died in the name of her task.

Protecting the Prince.

But then there would be no Hero.

At the last second, she felt the beast jolt back into its normal position. An earsplitting cry of the birdlike beast exploded in her ears. Her body took flight as she was thrown back against the hard tiled floor.

Zelda felt her body ache in pain at the new bruises and cuts all over her body. Thankfully, the thick snow quill outfit saved her from more painful injuries.

Zelda wanted to desperately make her body move but it refused, pinning her to the ground. She couldn't will herself to get up.

A scream built up in her throat from all the agony, but it didn't come. It was as though her body had shut down completely in a heap on the ground.

All she could move was her eyes. Her eyes scanned the hall that was clouded in darkness. Not much to see except the glowing Sheikah symbols and two doors that stood at either side of her.

Zelda realized that she had fallen into center tunnel, the one which had remained open. And which had now shut behind her. The entrance she had tumbled through was now blocked off. At the far end of the tunnel, away from the room with Prince Link and Revali, she saw an opening. The doors on either end of the tunnels were decorated with a large Sheikah eye with slits in the eye socket.

Zelda peered down the dark tunnel, red Sheikah lights flashed on and off. An eerie feeling set into the bottom of her stomach and crawled through her nerves. She wasn't sure what lay beyond those dark halls.

Slowly, she sat up, sliding her legs in front of her carefully until she was in full sitting position. Mindlessly she looked around as she blinked a few times. The pain in her legs decreased enough to make her confident enough to stand up.

A strange smell assaulted her nose making her wobbly. She collapsed onto her knees landing on the cold floor again, except this time her hand landed on something.

Zelda froze as she felt a strange thick liquid swirl around her left gloved hand. She felt the hair raising on the back of her neck and her heart quickened.

The smell was familiar, but she couldn't place her finger on it. Zelda was too terrified to glance down at it but dared.

It was a thick liquid, not clear. The color was obscured in the dark and red light. It swirled around her hand soaking it. She wasn't sure why a part of her found it horrifying while part of her felt numb, neutral.

(What is it?)

Zelda lifted her hand out of the liquid.

A blue light suddenly streamed from behind her. In confusion she looked over her shoulder to see the Master Sword glowing in a haunting blue. The blue glow shone brightly on the red stricken walls. Blue and red clashed together making a deep violet dance across the floor as though having a waltz with the blood-like Sheikah colors.

Zelda reached back and pulled the glowing blue sword before her. It instantly clattered upon the tan tiles as her mouth dropped in horror.

It lit up the room slightly just enough to see the mysterious liquid. It was not something she was expecting to see here in this ancient beast. Now she knew why it was familiar.

Fresh blood.

Zelda jumped back and eyed the disgusting blood. It shimmered under the Master Sword's glowing blue. She ripped off her blood-soaked glove to rid herself of it. It had seeped into her precious glove. She didn't sense or see any other person or living creature in the room with her. Though long black feathers were scattered in the blood, almost like bird feathers.

Taking off the glove rid her of the bloodstain but revealed her disgusting hand, which she hated. She looked down upon her gooey pulsing black hand with disgust. Sadly, she couldn't do anything about it. It was a good thing Prince Link and Revali weren't here. Her eyes glanced down at the scene again.

The blood was a thick fresh crimson and had not yet begun to dry. Whoever it was must have lost a lot of blood since it was not a small puddle. No one could lose this much blood and survive.

A pressing question called for attention.

(Where's the body?)

Her eyes darted to the open doorway. She grabbed her Master Sword quickly as if anticipating someone would dart out but it was deathly still. The beast had stopped moving and stopped humming.

She stepped cautiously away from the pool of blood into the dark hall. She wished to avoid whatever killed or mangled the person's whose blood spread on the floor. Zelda knew that something likely still lurked within the hall she was about to enter.

Stepping carefully, one foot after the other, she tried to remain calm. She saw that not a single drop of blood was on the floor beyond the edge of the pool of blood. No footprints, no marks of a body being dragged. Something foul had occurred on this beast and she had no intention of running into the cause.

She had a mission to accomplish and wanted to safely accomplish it. The fact that the body was gone unnerved her. Someone had moved it. Or the person was still alive though seriously injured. Though how they could move far with such grievous injuries and without leaving a blood trail was beyond her.

Zelda pressed herself up against the wall, her eyes darting back and forth. Silently, she moved forward not knowing what awaited her.

Then she remembered. Revali and Prince Link were alone together. She clapped her hand to her forehead.

(That's going to go well...)

Zelda sighed and hoped that the both of them wouldn't mess this up. After all, neither of them got along. The fact that they had to work together, alone together was just splendid.

(So much for taming the Divine Beast.)

She continued inching down the wall until a bright light obscured her vision. Zelda blinked and looked around for the source.

Her eyes landed upon an open doorway. Steady, sunlight creeped out on the darkness-stained tiles.

(Finally, now we're getting somewhere)

A small smile appeared on her face as she neared the entrance. Hoping that perhaps something helpful awaited there.

But she was wrong.

"So, this who we're up against. A pair of messed up idiots arguing in a hallway about who should hold the Sheikah Slate." A voice rolled out of the room.

Zelda jumped in surprise. She hadn't expected a person to be in there. What the devil is a person doing on the Divine Beast?

"How many times do I have to remind you. Its not just them on here. Go watch the door, that's where you're needed. Not here making sarcastic comments about me and those two idiots." Another voice spoke up.

Zelda inched toward the door. Though approaching the voices risked detection it was better to see the enemy than be unaware.

"Well, you haven't exactly found her, have you? I bet she's laying in her own blood in some hallway, screaming dramatically like they usually do. I would like to point out that YOU should be watching the door. After all, I'm the Champion of this Divine Beast and your just my temporary accompany."

Zelda was almost at the entrance of the door. Her ears strained to pick up any morsel of information. Perhaps they would give something away vital to taming the beast.

"You know it wasn't that long ago you were screaming dramatically at the top of your lungs. If you have any remaining lungs you still would be. First, I am the smarts and you're just the brute. So, keep your mouth shut. You know, she could be right out that doorway listening to you carrying on." The voice scoffed.

She was just at the edge and about to peek around to see the intruders that were apparently a "champion" and a "accompany".

"Stop, being prideful just because you can match her ability does not at all make you any smarter. Forgive me for being so blunt but let's not forget that you are the less trusted Champion out of all of us."

Zelda finally felt it was safe and they were distracted by their little spat. She slowly unsheathed her sword praying that it wouldn't make a sound. She stepped into the doorway that flooded her with light.

Before her was what seemed to be a control center. It looked like the helm of a ship since two beat up chairs were at the front side by side. A large window showed the outside.

At the left a series of security cameras of the Divine Beast. Each hallway's live footage was plastered upon a couple of boxes that were stacked up.

At the right was a station with multiple buttons and a few levers. The tan walls were glittering in the fresh sunlight and the Sheikah eyes were painted proudly along the walls.

But then her eyes landed on the two she had been hearing. Both were standing in the middle of the helm.

The one to the standing to the left was hardly a person. One would say it was a monster.

Sheikah Tech covered its face, its right arm, and its waist. The glowing orange and tan color from the Sheikah Tech made it appear as though a piece of the Divine Beast was stuck onto it.

It had a black slate covering its face with a glowing orange etched around its single crazed blue eye. A huge unfamiliar bulging tech covered its right arm, one would say it looked like a built-in gun. Long spiked red blaming hair billowed out of the back of its mutant head. The black substance coated its arms and it dripped off its skin onto the shiny tan floor. It hovered just a few feet away from the ground as though its legs had been ripped off its body.

A curious teal scarf hung around the monster's neck with a design which might have been a crudely shaped bird though it was hard to see since it was so badly stitched.

Her eyes moved to the figure standing beside the monster.

Zelda knew exactly who it was. It was the old man from the Lockup.

His insane multicolored blue and orange eyes and grimy white hair were unforgettable to her. The man's sunken build and the gooey black substance covering his body showed in the bright white light like a dark spot on a gorgeous painting.

She noted that his face was more revealed compared to when she saw him last. Zelda could see straight nose and bags under the old man's eyes.

The both of them turned to her sensing her presence. While the monster was unexpressive. The old man sneered and gave out a low haunting chuckle.

"Well, I wasn't wrong was I." the old man scoffed obviously reveling in his right guess. She was in fact lurking right outside the door.

"Never mind that." The monster growled as its crazed eye slid to the old man.

"Get her!"