fleets: Heyyy, it's like I have a regular updating schedule or something! Sunday night update again! Totally unintentional though, so I can't promise anything for next week.

Also I actually included a new paragraph in Chapter 18! Lexik kindly pointed out that Vaati's epiphany to visit the Gerudo Witches seemed like a huge leap in logic without a few explanatory sentences on how he got there (it was there in my head, but I never wrote it down! Silly me. Thank you Lexik!) It's only a small paragraph of some more of Vaati's thoughts just before he decides to go visit Twinrova, but I hope it makes the transition less sudden.

Chapter 20: Will to Live

The ground never reached them.

Zelda watched helplessly as darkness engulfed her, and Shadow Link's grip slipped from her fingers. She was alone again.

Where am I?

She was still falling down, down into an endless, empty void. Her heart, which had been pounding quickly from the rush of stepping off of the castle roof, had slowed to a calm beat. The fear from the nightmare had gone, and all that was left was the almost serene emptiness as she fell into the darkness. The wind tickled her hair as it rushed past her in her descent.

And then, music. Her eyes that had been closed before opened slowly, surprised from hearing such a beautiful song in the vast darkness. It was a melancholy ballad by a lone ocarina, which was eventually joined by a cello singing of reluctant farewells. Then, as though to drown away the poignant string, a horn blared a promise of the future.

They need you.

Zelda's eyes snapped open, and jolted awake. She felt the comfortingly solid, real, touch of the bed beneath her, and there was the welcome sight of sunlight pouring through the tall windows of the extravagant chamber she was in. The world was bright with vibrant hues like the clear blue sky and the purples and golds of the tapestries, unlike the perpetual grey of the nightmare. The comforting music she'd heard faded as she came to her senses, but when she closed her eyes she could still imagine it.

She noticed, then, that she was still holding on to someone's hand. Zelda hurriedly looked over the edge of her bed. "Shadow!" The teen's eyes were still closed, and he was lying on the floor next to her bed. Her breath caught when she noticed blood all over his face and hands, but thankfully they did not appear to be his. What happened to you? Zelda swung herself out of the bed and knelt beside him, shaking his shoulders gently. "Shadow, please wake up." She prayed that he hadn't been left behind in the nightmare.

She gave a sigh of relief when Shadow Link stirred, his eyelids fluttering open as he woke. His eyes became more focused when he noticed Zelda kneeling next to him in concern. "You hear that music?" he asked somewhat groggily. They dared to smile, then, their nerves from the awful thing they'd had to do to escape the nightmare finally dissipating. However, no sooner had Shadow Link begun to smile that he froze, petrified by what he saw leering at them from the ceiling.

Zelda's smile vanished, a heavy feeling sinking in her chest when she noticed a small tremor in his shoulders and the color draining out of his cheeks. "Shadow?" she asked, almost afraid of his response. She slowly turned around to look at what it was that had spooked him.

A large, black, amorphous object was attached on the ceiling above them. There was no movement from it, save for a thick arm that extended from it that dragged itself through the doorway on the far end of the room. They could hear a faint noise approaching, of something being pulled along the floor, and after a few seconds a limp body appeared as it was dragged through the entrance. A large, emotionless black eye abruptly appeared on the thing crawling along the ceiling.

"Dethl," Zelda hissed, and immediately reached for one of her hidden dagger that she kept strapped on her legs at all times. And then she paused, noticing who the victim in Dethl's claws was. It was Shadow Link, a different Shadow Link than the one on the floor in front of her, with his limbs twisted and disfigured. What little she could see of his hands were raw and red, like the skin had been stripped from them. To Zelda's horror, there was a low moan from the ragged body. That Shadow Link was still alive.

The Nightmare tossed the body aside as it dropped down from the ceiling, observing their reactions carefully. "Don't be so surprised, Shadow. Did you seriously think that we wouldn't notice if our Nightmare was sabotaged?"

"Zelda, r-run…" The Shadow Link next to her stammered, his voice breaking. He recognized the tortured Shadow Link as the one that had been left to keep watch while he'd tried to bring Zelda out of the nightmare.

The large eye swiveled from Zelda, who had her dagger drawn menacingly at it, and then back towards Shadow Link cowering in fear. "And so we see again that the fear from nightmares is not persistent, and yet fear borne from this one IS. Why is that, we wonder?" It inched closer, and a few additional smaller eyes appeared to observe them intently. "Perhaps it's because the nightmare realm isn't… real. That offends us, but you cannot help it, can you."

Zelda crouched, readying herself and trying to find an opening for an attack. However, Shadow's stuttered, almost pleading voice stopped her. "You can't fight them, Zelda. Y-you have to run…" he implored. Then, shot up on his feet, swinging his sword and slicing away one of Dethl's oozing tendrils that had snaked its way towards them. He grabbed Zelda's wrist roughly, leading the both of them out of the room. "Run!"

Something zipped towards them, and Zelda quickly deflected a tendril that had charged them with her dagger. However, she wasn't fast enough for the second one that snaked around from the side. She tried to warn Shadow Link, but it was too late, and it pierced him through his knee, sending him skidding across the floor of the palace. She ran back to help him, but someone else grabbed her wrist, pulling her away. She was about to wrench herself free, but was shocked to find that it was yet another Shadow Link. "Shadow? But how-" She turned back to the first Shadow Link who was now fighting for his life against Dethl in a losing battle.

The newest Shadow scowled, and then tugged at her wrist again, urging her to leave the other one behind. "I'm only going to say this once, blondie," he said, looking away from the other Shadow who was slowly getting cut to pieces, "Never stop for any Shadow Link. There're literally hundreds of us. Just keep running until you get out of this place, and don't try to be a hero." Then, he added almost bitterly, "Your life is worth more than mine."

"But…" Zelda trailed off, and she allowed herself to be slowly pulled away. There was no saving the other Shadow Link. She gritted her teeth together, upset about how all she could do right now was to run away. Frustrated, she twisted out of Shadow Link's grip, causing him to stop and turn back at her in surprise. She looked almost angry at him now. "That's not true, Shadow. Even if there are many of you, every single one of you has a life worth living." As she said this, memories of navigating the nightmare with the other Shadow Link surfaced. The feelings of hope and trust that had been built between them as they pushed forward, her hand in his, had been real. "Don't throw away yours so easily." Then, she pushed past him, running ahead.

"I…" Shadow Link stared blankly at the princess, and then quickly followed to catch up. "Heh, your kindness disgusts me," he shook his head with a grin, and then, pointed towards a corridor leading to the periphery of the Palace of Winds. They ran faster when they heard a crash behind them, as Dethl had finally decided to come after them instead of destroying the other Shadow. "That kind of attitude is exactly what's going to get you killed, ya know? You can't save everyone."

"I can at least try."

They sprinted around the corner, trying to put distance between them and the Nightmare that was slithering towards them, still dragging the bodies of their barely-alive victims. As Zelda rounded the corner, her breath caught in her throat at the sight that awaited her. Hundreds and hundreds of Shadow Links stood waiting with their swords drawn to face Dethl. There were some that blockaded the path ahead, and many more hanging about the upper walkways, or watching them from the open archways along the palace walls. Shadow Links lined the ceilings and hovered in the air, riding the resident peahats that slowly drifted along the wind.

The Shadow Link that had been with her earlier grinned upon seeing her shocked expression. "Then help me try to save yours," he said, and then pointed the way towards their exit just past the blockade of Shadow Links. They parted to let them through, although they quickly closed the path when Dethl snaked into view.

For a few seconds it looked as though Zelda was going to turn around and join the fight, and her steps slowed hesitantly. However, she clenched her fists and continued forward with the Shadow Link leading the way through the crowd. Shadow Link was right: she couldn't afford to recklessly attack Dethl without some kind of plan. She should at least recruit other help first to defeat a powerful monster like them, and until then, all she could do was help Shadow help her.

As Zelda disappeared past the crowd, the black blob slowed to a stop, and its large eye scanned the gathering of Shadow Links uninterestedly. Some of the blob oozed into the walls and the floor, staining the white stone into a deep shade of poisonous maroon while Dethl addressed the Shadow Links in minor annoyance. "You don't really think all of you can stop us, do you? Step aside, and we may decide to spare you for a little while longer, minion," the creature ordered, with a hint of malice in its voice. Several eyes blinked open on the colored walls and floors, forcing a few of the Shadow Links to back away uneasily. Still, the main force of the doppelgangers continued to block Dethl's path.

"Go ahead and pretend you're like Vaati all you want, Dethl, but you're not even half the master that Master Vaati was," a Shadow Link from the group called. Another one added defiantly, "And I'm not your minion!"

"Rude…" Dethl drawled. The layered voice became much more menacing, then, and the blob began to pool together, taking the form of a large, hovering sphere. The Shadow Links closest to it backed away when two enormous claws grew from the sphere, and a single large eye opened in its center. A few of the Shadow clones appeared unnerved by how similar Dethl looked to Vaati's most powerful form, but they did their best to stand their ground while the Nightmare clicked their claws threateningly. "Well we only ever needed one of you. By the time we're done, at least one of you will be begging to be our minion like you once did with Vaati."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's just through here."

Zelda and Shadow ran through the magnificent floating palace, sprinting as fast as they could while the other Shadow Links bought them time to escape. Zelda had little time to marvel at the scale and serene beauty of the place, though she did wonder about how large the palace was as they ran from one section of it to another. The Palace of Winds was almost as large as a Hyrule Castle Town, with different sections of the palace connected with narrow skyways like buildings connected by streets.

Behind them in the distance, Zelda could hear rumbles and explosions as Dethl fought with the hundreds and hundreds of different Shadow Links. For now, they seemed to be safe from the Nightmare pursuing them.

How do we beat them? How? Zelda's mind raced for any possible solution to defeating what Shadow Link called 'Nightmare Incarnate.' As though reading her thoughts, Shadow Link looked over his shoulder towards her.

"I've said this before, but it's impossible for Dethl to die. You can't kill a nightmare."

Zelda bit her lip, but then she noticed that there was still a faint glimmer of determination in Shadow Link's eyes that suggested that hope was not lost. "But we can send them back to the Dark World?" she guessed, "Will it work if we break the Dark Mirror again?"

At this, Shadow fell quiet, and he went back to looking straight ahead while they ran through the beautiful arches of the white palace. When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy and somewhat defeated. "No, it won't," he said quietly, "The Mirror is but a door. If we break it, Dethl will simply remain here, in this world. They might disappear for a while, but they'll come back again someday and then all of this will repeat itself." When Zelda waited patiently for Shadow Link to continue, he sighed, and then chuckled in a troubled way. "Ideally, Dethl would go back to the Dark World on their own and then we can break the Dark Mirror after it so it can't come back here, but…"

"But Dethl doesn't look like they'll be going back any time soon," Zelda nodded, shaking her head. It sounded like an impossibly unlikely task.

The two of them slowed when the skyway they were running on eventually led to a spacious floating platform of blue and white tiles. There was a shallow pool of water in the center that reflected the clear blue sky above. Zelda could see some floating blue lights that glowed softly like fireflies above the water, and she recognized it as a warp rift which would teleport them somewhere, most likely to the lands far below them.

Finally, they could escape this place.

Next to her Shadow Link beamed at her. "We can do this. We'll find a way somehow," he smiled, and Zelda almost couldn't help but smile back from his earnest effort to be optimistic in the face of absolute despair. "Maybe we can find Master Vaati, too, and convince him to help us out."

At this Zelda faltered, and her hair fell softly over her eyes when she hung her head in shame. "I don't… Shadow what I did to him is unforgiveable. He's not going to talk to me, much less help."

"If we're doomed anyway, we might as well try, yeah?" Shadow grinned when Zelda finally cracked a small smile and nodded. "Come on, we can apologize together, pick a goddess, and pray. I call dibs on Hylia."

"Then start praying now."

Something wet and sticky splattered across Zelda's face. Her fingers slowly went up to her cheek and she wiped her thumb across her skin.

Blood. There was blood on her face.

Her blue eyes raised towards Shadow Link who was staring at her in shock. Crimson was dripping from the corner of his mouth where he'd coughed up blood. He looked downwards at the sharp tendril that was sticking out of his stomach.

"Shadow…?" Zelda asked, her voice cracking. She watched as Shadow Link collapsed into the pool, coughing and gasping while the blood pouring out of his gaping wound stained the water.

The tendril whipped back towards where it had come from: a black amorphous creature blocking the path where they had come from.

Zelda couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was no way it could have caught up with them so soon. No way it could have gotten past all of those hundreds of Shadow Links so easily. Why? Why was Dethl here?

"It amuses us that you thought you could create a diversion with your small army of copies. You're not the only one who can create multiple copies of themselves, Shadow Link. Remember, we are infinite, too," the creature's eye swiveled open, peering at them with that familiar, eerie gaze.

Zelda froze, a horrifying thought consuming her. Don't tell me there's more than one Dethl.

She felt something pull at her feet. It was Shadow Link, his arms collapsing as he tried to push himself up from the floor. "Z-Zelda, go," he gurgled, coughing up blood again.

Another tendril shot up from the ground just a few feet away from them, and it flashed towards them to strike. Eyes narrowing, Zelda summoned a magical shield, deflecting it, and then she slammed it into the ground with a well-timed spin kick. Before Dethl could attack again, Zelda pulled Shadow Link over her shoulders, dragging him towards the warp rift.

"Seriously just… leave me. I'm n-not going to make it anyway."

"I told you not to throw away your life so easily!" Zelda scowled, struggling under his weight. She managed to deflect another attack, but Dethl was closing in on them quickly.

Zelda barely heard Shadow Link's whisper in her ear. "Heh," he chuckled lightly, and then Zelda felt some of the weight lift away from her shoulders as Shadow Link staggered on to his feet. She lifted her head, surprised, and was then knocked off balance when he shoved her with the remaining strength he had. As she fell into the warp rift, he grinned. "Your kindness really disgusts me."

Zelda's eyes widened, and her fingers reached for Shadow Link, but it was too late. "I'm coming back for you, Shadow! I promise!" She screamed, her hand outstretched helplessly. However, the warp rift was activating, and the blue lights that floated around her became larger and larger until her vision was consumed by a flash of blinding white.

And then, just like that, the Palace of Winds was gone. Shadow Link was gone. Blue runes glowed beneath her feet for a brief moment before they vanished, and Zelda found herself in the shade of some ancient ruins. Old statues and remnants of pillars similar to those found at the Palace of Winds lay broken and crumbling, and behind her there was a huge rock formation that overshadowed the ruins. The sand swept across another warp rift that glowed softly above some lines of ancient Hylian carved into the stone.

Fearing Dethl would come after her through the warp rift, Zelda stumbled away. She was still numb from what she had just witnessed at the Palace of Winds, but she couldn't just stand here and wait. Zelda forced her slightly trembling legs to move, and she only stopped to judge where she was, and where she should head for next. A wide, empty desert expanse awaited her, with nothing to be seen for miles and miles except oceans of sand. She was most likely somewhere in the Gerudo Desert, and probably close to the Valley of the Dead judging how she couldn't even see the silhouette of Death Mountain in the horizon. The Valley of the Dead was a place where they said not even the monsters traversed, and the Gerudos avoided it saying that none who entered could find their way back.

She had to find the Gerudo camps – it was the closest place of safety she could think of, if she was indeed in the edge of the Gerudo Desert. It would be a brutal journey to travel the desert sands on foot, but she had to do it. She remembered the song she'd heard just as she'd woken from the nightmare that Shadow Link had saved her from, and the message it had left her with. They need you.

And she remembered, too, her last vision of Shadow Link at the Palace of Winds as the warp rift took her away. She remembered Dethl's coils springing up from beneath Shadow Link's feet as he continued to smile at her encouragingly, even as the blood continued to fill his lungs.

She had to live.

The sand was hot beneath her feet, and the sun still had most of the day left to complete its journey across the sky. This was no path for a princess to take. However, a Sheikah warrior…

Zelda closed her eyes and then took a deep breath. She swirled her hands in large circles, her fingertips glowing with magic. With a flash, her royal dress was replaced with the uniform of a shadow warrior, her skin became slightly darker, and her feminine form was concealed for that of a young man.

The sand was just as hot under his feet as Sheik, but the nervous uncertainty about potentially dying alone in the desert dissipated. Sheik held on to the princess's emotions; the anguish from hurting her friends, the fear from the nightmare, the despair from failing Shadow, and most importantly, the determination to live.

He needed to hold on to all of these memories while he walked the unforgiving sands, so that he might make it to fulfill the promise he'd made to Shadow.

And perhaps make things right with Vaati again.

fleets: I was listening to "One Call Away" on the radio and I just couldn't get it out of my head while I was writing this scene. Dang.

For those of you who haven't played Link's Awakening, I HIGHLY recommend you check out the "Ballad of the Wind Fish." It's a beautiful song, and it's the one that I was trying to describe in this chapter.

RayHollows: I do like my cliffhangers :P
I hope this wasn't too long of a cliff hanging though! I usually end up being pretty good about updating because I also can't stand my own cliffhangers...
Aw thank you! I'm rooting for them both too! And I'm showing Shadow just how much I'm rooting for him by killing him repeatedly. Oh wait...

(pssst likewise thanks for the follow too :D :D though you've already seen my enthusiastic message ;) )

Ai Star: You called it! Dethl was totally waiting for them. Hmmm we'll see more of Vaati pretty soonish! He's still kind of mad, and by kind of mad I mean pretty really mad haha (whoops)

fanakatsuki: Thank you! Shadow Link has really grown on me this story, and I feel a little guilty about all of the crap I put him through (but apparently not guilty enough?). I have a lot to say about Vaati but ahhhh I can't :O

AquilaMage: Ok! That's good to know! (I really don't want to upset people but at the same time I think it's necessary in some of these chapters to really capture Dethl). As for Shadow's idea ummm... i guess it was good, but then it was bad because Dethl...? Ah well, it's a lot better than some of the other decisions he's made lately XD

Cattycheeno: Aw thank you! Shadow's especially come a long way since the beginning of this story :3
Hahaha you're right! Shadow and Vaati did switch places, didn't they? Vaati's free as the wind right now, no more 'leashes.' His 'leash' was really dependent on him being convinced that he has to do everything in his power to protect Princess Zelda, but now he's super mad at her soooo yeah. He quit.

Lexik: First off, thank you so much for all of your reviews, wow! I really enjoyed/appreciated reading all of them :D
The scene with Zelda defending herself against Fuu/Vaati was actually based off of a scene from the KotOR Star Wars video game that this story was inspired from. Except in the game, Vaati's character didn't react in a way that I thought was realistic (they were basically o.k. with it when the Zelda character told them they gave him a second chance. That made me upset).
UHMMM the spell unlocking the door (sweats nervously) let's pretend it was... a... special door? (I remember I had an explanation for this because I tossed and turned on this scene for nights and then I completely forgot to write it.) Erk, this one would need a bigger fix than the other mistake you caught, so it'll be a work in progress D: (thank you so much for catching these!)
I like to think of Zelda and Sheik as two different personas of the 'same' person (as in, Sheik isn't just a disguise for Zelda), and they're both just as real :)

Reily96: Thanks Reilybunch! I think staying up at ungodly hours actually helped me with that scene because sometimes I tend to get really... bizarre dreams. Thankfully they weren't as scary as Zelda's nightmare.
Honestly it was kind of hard for me to write Dethl at first because I feel bad about writing straight up evil characters (I have a tendency to antihero the crap out of everyone). It takes a strong stomach to write the really awful villains D: (like your Poe. Yeesh that guy in Tempest is a nutcase, and not in the endearing villainous way...)