Title: Dark Link
Ch: 4
Written By: Emerald Padparadscha
It had been nearly five days in total. Every day he could hear footsteps fall on the sand at the bottom level of the Water Temple, and every day it would be Link. The same. Dark Link had come to expect it even on the short notice. Never did either care to make contact with one another. There would be no need. Moreover an unspoken truce passed between them. Neither proceeded to step out of his boundaries. Link because of his wonder. Dark Link because his reasons were his own.
Yet Dark Link discovered a restlessness inside of him. Of course, he found, to his displeasure, once again part of Link was seeping through. So he left, passing right under Link's nose without the Hylian noticing at all. Dark Link laughed mentally, might've almost laughed out loud if he would have wanted to, at the thought of the great Hero of Time noticing nothing.
Knowing what time of day it was wasn't high on his priority list, yet, as luck would have it, it was the beginning of nightfall. He walked beneath the waves on Lake Hylia's bottom as easily as if he would have been wearing the Iron Boots. Wading out of the water to the sanded beach, he came out of the water completely dry. Such as it was being a shadow. If it weren't for the fact that he knew what the word wet meant, then he wouldn't have known about it at all.
A sharp neighing cry drew his attention upward the bank several feet. Standing there was the magnificent black stallion from before, its piercing gaze focused upon Dark Link, who stared back with equal intensity. The stallion reared, shaking his mane roughly as he whinnied again, then settled himself back to all four hooves. Neither one gave in the challenge of wills, and the end of the challenge never seemed to come, neither one looking away. Dark Link walked forward, raising his hand and placing it on the horse's muzzle. He could feel greatness flowing through the beast.
Maybe this was destiny that they met. If it was, then let it be so. He didn't care much about it. This horse was faster than him. He could cover much greater distance by horseback than he could by walking alone. There was no saddle or bridle. No matter. He could still get around.
Holding out his hand, a rope, appearing as shadowy as himself, appeared in his hand. Fashioning a bridle from it was none too difficult. Dark Link slipped it on the horse's head, positioning it as it should be. The horse gave no fuss when Dark Link climbed on his back and took the reins in hand. Squeezing lightly the horse's sides with his legs, he urged the beast foward.
Malon stepped beyond the entrance of Lon Lon Ranch and walked onto Hyrule Field. Though it was still dark, the sun was beginning to rise on the horizon. It would still be a while yet, however, before the daylight truly came.
Until then, she had something to find, no matter the dangers of the field at this hour.
"Epoch!" She called, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Epoch, come home!"
She stood silent for a moment, listening for any sign. A hoof beat. A whinny. Just...anything. She didn't understand. Epoch was usually home by now. Yet, if it was any other horse she was consider now, she would have thought something wrong might've happened.
He recognized this terrain, Dark Link realized. If he was correct, he was near to Lon Lon Ranch. He head heard a strange sound coming from this direction as well. At first he had been hearing a song. The song had ceased only a few moments ago, but it had left him with a peculiar feeling inside of familiarity. And, strangely enough, something else had coursed over him.
Perhaps it was one of Link's memories slipping through. Whatever it might be, it did leave a sense of calmness in him. Like a blanket had been lain over his thoughts. He never thought that he would have felt peace before, but it was surely nothing less than peace he felt then.
"Epoch." A voice. Sounded like a woman. "Epoch, where are you?"
Dark Link pulled the stallion to a halt. The voice had sounded like Malon's. He listened. She had started speaking again. Calling for someone, perhaps? It was a possibility.
"It's almost daylight. Epoch?" Malon called again.
This brought Dark Link's attention to the horizon. Indeed the sun was coming up, and none too slow. The top half of the great yellow daystar was slowly peeking up over the tall mountain crest of Death Mountain. Lon Lon Ranch was the closest place to him that he could go to hide from the sun. However, he had to wait till Malon disappeared before he could enter. He might've found it humorous that the daylight always seemed to bring him here.
It was nearly five minutes before he made it into the stable, and the sun's rays hit his hand as he opened the door, burning it.
Burned?
It was nearly midday. Dark Link sat against a hay bale, holding his burned hand in his other hand. Scarred. A thin, red line nearly three inches long had been made on the back of his hand. The sunlight had hit him there. It had seared him. Almost like he had...flesh?
No! No flesh! He was a shadow! Link's shadow! Thought he too no pride in being that particular Hylian's other self, it still meant he was not living. It burned, but did not bleed, and living things bleed. He clenched his hurt hand into a fist, placing it at his side. He denied it. He denied the pain that he felt when it the sunlight had touched him.
The door of the stable creaked its warning that someone was about to enter. Dark Link leapt to his feet and eased back into the shadows of the corner, blending in there perfectly with stealthy ease. Save for his eyes, which he could not dim the glow. Into the stable strode Malon, a bucket of oats in her hands. She stopped when she came upon sight of the stalls.
"Epoch! I was sure you found your way out again today." Malon giggled as she walked over tot he stall, holding the oat bucket up for the black stallion to eat from. "I know you hopped the fence, so how did you end up here?"
The stallion rose his muzzle up out of the bucket and snorted, tossing his mane as he shook his head. Malon smiled at the horse's reply. Even if he had the ability to speak, she knew he wouldn't tell her a thing.
"I suppose it doesn't matter now. You're back." She sighed. "Plus you're in a stall. I've been trying for years to get you in one and you haven't let me. Hmm. What made you want to try now?"
When Malon left, Dark Link came out of hiding. He looked at the stallion, who had no other thoughts but of the oats in the feed trough. Epoch, was it? The black horse now had a name.
Once again, as he knew it would, night came. Sometimes he thought the darkness would never come. It was tiring his patience waiting for it. Leading the black horse by the bridle, he moved out of the stable. Once outside, he started to mount Epoch, but something caught his attention. A song. That song from before. It was nearer than ever. Epoch seemed interested by it as well. Had that song originated from this ranch?
The stallion pulled the reins from Dark Link's hand and took off galloping toward the pasture. Dark Link knew he wouldn't have bothered to follow if it wasn't fore the pulling force the strange song had on him. So peaceful...
Malon, her hands clasped together and her eyes closed as she listened to the notes, continued humming the song her mother had taught her when she was a little girl. It always made her feel better when she hummed this song. The sound of hoof beats and a soft whicker made her open her eyes. Epoch stood in front of her. She smiled, reaching out and stroking his silken coat.
"I knew you'd find a way out of that stall. You couldn't be kept in there forever, could you?" She giggled as the horse butted his head lightly against her shoulder. She peered past Epoch through the darkness toward the house. Some movement there had caught her eye. Then she saw something. She knew what, or perhaps who, it was. A gasp escaped her.
Dark Link had been standing at the entrance of the horse corral, listening to the song that the woman had been singing. So Malon had been the source of the song that had emanated peace throughout him. He hadn't felt it ever before, but he did know that he wanted to feel that way again. It was addictive. An addiction that he knew of no cure. When he heard that song, all thoughts of death, destruction, and even the urge to kill Link all disappeared in what felt like a wispy cloud.
He walked foward toward her and the horse, his old thoughts once again returning against his will. "That song..."
Malon tried not to flinch under the intense gaze. He sounded like Link, only with a slightly deeper voice, yet his voice seemed to hold more curiosity now than she had expected. "The song...?"
"Where did you learn that song? It holds a mysterious power." He said in reply.
"M-my mother t-taught it t-to me." She stammered. He was close now, having stopped and standing only four feet away. He was as tall as Link, though is presence was far more terrifying just looking at him as she was. Strange. Epoch wasn't afraid. "I sing when I'm s-sad or l-lonely."
Dark Link thought for a moment, then almost commanded, "I want you to sing that song again."
Malon wasn't sure what to say at his statement. "N-now?"
He nodded his reply. Though his presence was still terrifying to her, something about him now, the way he stood perhaps, told her that he wasn't going to hurt her. Not this night. Malon gathered her wits about her the best that she could under the circumstances, clasping her hands together, and began to sing again. She closed her eyes as she felt the notes flow through her, concentrating solely on the notes. If she saw or thought of anything else, such as the dark figure in front of her, she was unsure that she could continue. After about a minute, she dared open her eyes.
She was amazed by what she saw, though that did not stop her singing.
Dark Link had relaxed visibly, the way he stood definitely not as tense as it had been before. He seemed to listen to her song with keen interest, and it was as if the song had some sort of effect on him that was for the better. The terrifying glow that was his eyes had dulled down just to the point to where there was a calmness about them. About him all over. Everywhere.
Yet, soon, Malon regretted, it got late, and she had to end. She needed her sleep for the next day. Chickens to feed, horses to take care of, cows to milk... The farm life wasn't easy considering all that she had to go through. Her father helped, of course, though she had the duties of taking care of the animals.
"I have to go. It's getting late, and I need to sleep." She said, holding her arms around her, hoping that Dark Link wouldn't do something to forbid her from leaving. He didn't make a sound, so she walked on past him toward the exit of the corral.
"Come back tomorrow night." Dark Link suddenly said, causing her to stop. She turned around and looked at him, listening. "Sing your song tomorrow night for me."
"I..." She found herself almost smiling despite herself. "I come here every night to sing. You can come and listen if you want."
She saw him nod once before she turned around and walked to the farm house. Funny how he didn't seem as evil as the stories Link had told about him. Link had told about this shadow creature that both looked like him yet fought almost better than him, feeding off of his fear as if it was some sort of feast, fighting with the styles of a demon incarnate.
Dark Link stayed where he stood, turning his eyes upward to gaze at the stars. He hadn't found a purpose, nor had he found whatever destiny comes to those which are created, but he had found something that calmed him far better than the soothing waters of the Water Temple had. He looked toward the farm house, watching Malon disappear through the door. He had to wait until tomorrow night.
The next day, Malon was not surprised when she found Dark Link standing in one of the darkest corners inside the stable. He only watched her, not speaking nor reacting in any way to the presence of anything or anyone. She tried not to let herself be bothered by his own presence, going about her chores and duties as anyone else would expect her to do, yet he was there, and that did bother her to some degree.
However, when night came and she ventured out into the corral to sing as she did every night, she spied Dark Link over next to the outside wall of the stable. All she could see of him were his eyes, which were glowing red and couldn't blend in with the darkness around him like the rest of him could. He just stood and listened throughout the entire night she was out there, and when she left to go to sleep, he left as well to go do whatever it was that he did at that time of night. There was no telling, she knew. She wasn't going to bother and ask.