Title: Dark Link

Ch: 6

Written By: Emerald Padparadscha

The next day, Malon awoke with a smile still on her lips. Never before had she had such a pleasant dream as the one she had just last night. She had dreamt of a tall, dark haired man with pale skin and beautiful red eyes. He was dressed strangely, dressed in the way a Hylian wouldn't usually dress. There was a scabbard, a strangely familiar sword within, across his back, and he wore what appeared to be a black, loose cloth shirt tucked into a pair of black pants. He wore black boots as well, she remembered. She seemed to remember everything about him. His face was a lot like Link's, she recognized, yet he had finer, more determined features. During the entire dream he had stayed just out of reach of her, yet the dream was still pleasant.

Malon giggled as she got out of bed. Her dad had said that she would end up dreaming about someone other than Link. He was right. Whoever this new stranger was she was definitely glad for the change. She did have somewhat of a crush on Link still, but she knew that he was far out of her reach. Link, though he did come to visit friends and Zelda, who was family, and sometimes came to the ranch to see how she and Talon were doing, he was still a lone wolf, never able to settle down for any length of time.

After getting ready and finished the morning duties around the house, she did as she always did and started out to the stable to let the horses out to run in the pasture. The sun was just above the horizon, so it was still early. She smiled. She never arose this early before. Going back to bed was an option to her if she wanted it, but she found herself wanting to see Dark Link. Why, she didn't know, and she questioned it plenty. Of course, no answer dared rear its head. As usual, she was left clueless.

She opened the door slowly as she always did before entering. If Dark Link was near the door, she wanted him to have time to get out of the way before the sunlight filtered in. She shut the door behind her. Suddenly, something didn't feel right. The atmosphere of the stable felt different somehow. She looked at the horses and cow. They weren't acting up or strangely in any way. All was ok there. She looked toward the corners where Dark Link usually stood. He wasn't there...

She looked back toward the horses. Epoch wasn't there either...

She knew then. Dark Link must've taken Epoch out last night. Where he had gone to was as much of a mystery to her as to why he had gone. She did remember Link telling her the story about Dark Link. Dark Link's only purpose was to kill Link. If that was the case, probably he had gone to fulfill his purpose. It was only right. Purposes were meant to be fulfilled, even if they weren't on the side of good.

She did have to go to Hyrule Market today. Maybe she would see Link there and would be able to find Dark Link. Though she wasn't sure if the right thing was to tell Link about his other half. Maybe Link already knew. Or, if he didn't know, perhaps Dark Link didn't want him to know. She sighed. She felt as if she didn't know what the right thing was anymore. She only hoped that Dark Link wouldn't try to kill Link again like he had tried in the past.

Dark Link stayed just within the shadows of the alleys of the marketplace. He had watched as many went about their daily doings, and he watched as people went in and out of the castle. As usual, he didn't dare come out into the light. Not since that one day the sun had burned him. If the sun hit him fully... He hated to think of what might happen if that was to happen to him. So in the shadows he stayed. And from the shadows was where he watched as Malon entered into the town. Just at the sight of her he had felt something strange pull upward inside of him, and it was that pulling that he wanted to be rid of forever. He wasn't flesh and blood, hence he should not be concerned with such things.

Yet concerned he was, and he was right in the middle of it. Emotions, feelings, and such things like that. He had them all. He wasn't even Hylian. It was all caused by Malon. That he did not understand. He found himself wanting to just fulfill his purpose and kill Link rather than to try and understand these sensations he was going through. When night came and Malon left, he was glad for it. When she left he didn't feel those things anymore.

Hyrule market had been rebuilt just as it had looked before. Not a single piece of Ganondorf's rule remained. Even the evil tower that he had created from the castle had been turned into a much better version of Hyrule Castle. From Dark Link's perspective, he wondered how they had covered up the moat of lava, but he didn't put anything past the power of the Sages. They had all placed together their powers to help rebuild their own individual kingdoms.

Even when darkness came, Dark Link still sat in the alley, watching the dogs wander across the streets. A couple of times a few dogs had tried to come up to him, thinking him someone that might offer a pet on the head or a scrap of food, only to run away yelping. As he sat there, his thoughts didn't leave him alone to his peace. He had to return sometime to the ranch. Without Malon's song, he didn't feel as if he had peace anywhere inside of him. When she sang, he felt as if nothing could go wrong. Strange. He needed that now. He felt that somehow everything had gone wrong.

He stepped out into the street, causing all the dogs to scatter in a yelping mess. Lights started to turn on in the buildings nearby, but Dark Link paid them no attention. He walked out of the castle and moved through the darkness until he was on the Hyrule Field. Epoch was waiting outside for him, he noticed. How the stallion had known that he would leave at this time he didn't quite figure out. Still, whatever the reason, he mounted the great horse, positioning himself comfortably.

"Home, Epoch." He said to the horse. The horse understood, and Dark Link didn't have to bother with the reins. He let them lie limp on the horse's neck.

The night had only an hour left to it when Epoch finally brought them through the ranch gates. Dark Link dismounted and began to walk toward the stable. He didn't even hear it when the figure came up behind him.

"Welcome back." Malon greeted. He turned around and looked at her. "I thought you'd be back."

"Who said I'm back?" He asked, looking at her.

"I hadn't thought that you would try to fool me." She smiled softly. "Of course you're back! Even if you did leave you wouldn't have left for long."

"I can leave for however long I like." He said, moving to open the door. "Remember who I am."

He stalled when her hand came down on the doorknob as well. His hand was on the doorknob, and though her hand went straight through his and touched the knob, it was the sheer act of it that caught him off guard. He looked at her hand for a moment, then met her gaze with his own.

"I do remember you who are." She said. "And I know that you don't need to be alone. I don't care if you were Ganondorf's creation or not. Link told me that you have some of the Water Temple's magic in you, and the Water Temple is far from evil."

He narrowed his eyes. "When did you -"

"I spoke to Link today while I was in the marketplace." She answered him before he finished. "I also knew that you were there. I saw you. I just didn't talk to you."

He watched as she removed her hand and turned to walk back into the house, leaving him outside alone. When she had disappeared back into the house, he looked down at his hand. For a moment he looked at it closely before clutching the doorknob and turning it. He was sure that, for a moment, he had felt something. A tingling sensation when she had lain her hand on the doorknob through his. Before when they had touched he hadn't felt it any at all. Now, this time, he did.

Malon looked at her hand as she stood in the middle of her bedroom. With her other hand, she rubbed it lightly. Touching him this time had felt different than it had last time. There was a feeling there that she hadn't expected. That she hadn't really known about. She walked to her window and looked out it, looking upon the entrance into the stable. Any other day and she might've slapped herself for thinking things such as these. She wanted to touch him again, even if this time she hadn't actually touched him...

The next day, Dark Link found himself disappointed that it wasn't Malon who came in to let out the horses and to feed the cow. Talon was the one who did this chore today. He found himself hiding in a darkened down corner so that the man wouldn't find him. Talon still didn't know that Dark Link was living in his stable yet, and Dark Link knew that it was best if things were kept that way. So he hid while Talon went about his work. Malon didn't come in any at all the entire day. Although he was far from wanting to admit such things, he was slightly depressed by her absence.

The procession of time went by until it was finally nightfall, and Malon had yet to enter. Dark Link ventured out toward the pasture, listening for any sign that Malon might be there. No sound. No singing. No footsteps. He walked out into the pasture, listening still, sensing the air for anything that might be around. Yet again nothing. Something was on the ground in the middle of the pasture, though, where Malon used to stand. A note. Dark Link picked it up and proceeded to read it:

Dark Link,

Come to the stable. I need to ask you something.

Malon

Dark Link looked at the note for a moment, then back at the stable. Hadn't he just left the stable not five minutes ago? She had left the note and then waited for him to come out of the stable just so she could go in. Now he was really wondering what her reasoning behind that was. Or, what was her question that she needed to ask.

He walked back into the stable, his vision easily piercing the darkness. Standing near the corner where he always stood was Malon, looking his direction. A lantern was by her side. Other than the light of the lantern, the stable was completely dark. He walked over and stopped four feet from where she stood, a neutral appearance over him. He was waiting for her to speak first, and she could see it.

"My question for you is..." She started, then tried to get out the words. She looked over at the glowing lantern. "...well..."

She found that the words weren't coming out as easily as she had rehearsed them back in her room earlier that night. She looked back up at him. Neither he or his expression had changed or moved. He was still staring at her.

"I was wondering if..." She started again, hoping that it would come out better this time. "...if you could care."

This time his expression did change, and if she could tell that it changed she would see that it was one of confusion. "What do you mean...care?"

"I don't think this is coming out right." She moved her gaze back to the light. "I might as well say it. I think I care about you. In more ways that I really should."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not someone to care about. So far only pain has come from my actions. You do know this, do you not?"

"I know." She nodded. "I just had to get it off my chest. I'm not sure if it's made me feel better, though. I guess I hoped it would somehow. I don't know what I expected it to change. I really don't. To tell you the truth, I don't understand anything anymore. I'm way to far over my head."

She took the lantern and walked out the stable door. Dark Link could only watch as she went. He didn't understand why he had said what he had, but it had been nonetheless the truth. Nothing else. The door to the stable shut quietly for once. There it was again. That feeling inside of him. He clenched his fist. Whatever it was felt like a large ball made out of mist that was forming in the very middle of his being. Not visibly, of course, but something was there. He could feel it, and he knew it did exist.

Malon continued up to her room, the light of the lantern lighting her way. It was dark downstairs. Her dad was already asleep, as per usual, and the 'super cuccos' that he had trained were all resting as well. Her light footsteps hadn't awakened them. She knew she could stomp through the house and she probably wouldn't wake up those four heavy sleepers. It took nearly all three cuccos in the morning just to wake up her dad alone. She pulled open her door and set the lamp inside the room, reaching her hand to turn the flame up so that there would be more light inside the room.

It was then that a hand was placed lightly over hers and kept it from turning up the light. The hand felt as solid as hers did, though there was a familiar warmth to the touch. It was dark, so she couldn't see very well, but she didn't need to see to know what the next feeling was that crossed her. And she knew who it was that delivered the unexpected moment and touch. She closed her eyes when she felt Dark Link's lips capture her own. It was a gentle kiss, not too timid yet not too bold. The kiss left her warm all over, and, when it ended, she found herself wanting more. She opened her eyes and turned up the light, now able to see his body through the darkness.

"I thought you -" She started say.

Dark Link placed a finger on her lips to hush her. "Only I know what I do."

Suddenly, he vanished, fading in only a second into nothingness. Malon looked at the now empty space in front of her, reaching out into the darkness as if to clasp something that might be there. Would hopefully be there. Her hand touched nothing, just air slipping through her fingers.

Maybe it had only been some dream or some type of trick her mind was playing on her. She touched her lips lightly. It felt too real to be a dream or a trick. Too real...

Outside, Dark Link sat on the top of the iron and wood fence that surrounded the horse corral. He did not have to balance, easily staying where he was. With one hand, he reached up to his mouth, touching his lips, then taking his hand away and gazing at his fingers, almost as if he expected there to be something from his lips on them. Maybe he did expect something to be there. He didn't fully understand the reason for kissing her. His reason. He didn't even know if he had a reason. What Malon had told him in the stable had set something loose inside of him that had pulled stiffly at him. He tried to not give into it, yet it had been strong enough to overcome him.

He had gone up to Malon's bedroom to wait for her, and then he had done that which he himself didn't understand. He kissed her.

He blamed Link's feelings for her that had been placed inside of him. Link liked, or had liked, her more than a friend, and it was those feelings already implanted inside of him that had more than likely surged forth and caused him to react. He knew Link's feelings and memories when they surfaced. What he had felt when he had kissed her though... What he had felt when she had spoken to him and told him all those things... Those had not been Link's feelings that had caused him to feel that. He had felt his own.

He blamed it then on Link's feelings causing his own feelings to form. He wasn't even supposed to have feelings, yet he did. He hated complexity.

Dark Link realized something. He was blaming everything on Link like a coward. A coward he was not, and he could face his own problems. Though it still didn't register to him how he was feeling these things in the first place. He needed answers now, and answers weren't the things that were in great supply. Not the answers he needed. No person could truly know the answers he needed. Not in this world.

Not in this...world...?

...

It came to him! Of course, not in this world! The Temple of Time was the doorway to the Sacred Realm, the realm where the first Sage, Rauru, housed himself. Rauru was the Sage of Light, the one who's power was second only to Zelda's. He could not speak to Zelda. Not Zelda. However, Rauru would be one to not hold grudges, and he understood all the temples, not just his own. He would surely have the answers that he would need.

But, the final key to the Door of Time was not in place. The Ocarina of Time. He would have to gather all three Spiritual Stones, and the the Ocarina of Time itself.