Firstly thank you to my reviewers Vladimir the Hamster and Sweswe. You guys made my day! And thank you to everyone reading - I've had over 1100 hits, whoop! I would really appreciate reviews for this chapter as its one of the pivitol ones and I want to know what you think.

AND if I don't update before then, I hope you all have a happy holiday!

Chapter Twelve – Shadows

Mali's POV

"What do you think, Mayor Bo?"

I turn my weary gaze to Lian, one of the villagers. Somehow I have almost every occupant of Ordona Village crammed into my sitting room.

"They were so close – what a thing for our village." Another voice pipes up.

Of course, they only want to speak of one thing – Link and his relationship with the Princess. It is a subject that I do not like, however, as Link's closest friend I am believed to be the person best able to dispense gossip into their waiting ears. How wrong they are!

"Of course, it is not unheard of – a princess beneath her station." My father comments, out of respect for him, I nod. I refrain from adding that if that Princess were to marry my Link she'd be marrying above her station. "But still…" All eyes turn towards me, or more pointedly, towards my companion who is sitting laughing at them all.

"Idiots." He murmurs for my ears alone. I smile as his breath tickles me. I could get myself lost in that voice of his! He smirks at them and leans back in his chair. We are sitting so close that our knees are touching. His dark hair is loose and casually rests on his shoulders. His eyes smoulder with amusement at the joke that only he and I share. It is obvious that the people of Ordona demand an answer from him. Varjo is not forthcoming. He pointedly refuses to reply.

My father acknowledges this with a kind of disappointment. Evidently even he is not indifferent to discussing a little scandal. "It is clear that they are in love." He muses. The villagers nod.

It is not clear. I feel like shouting at them all to look at the facts – the only thing obvious is that Link is a fool. Although I didn't really believe him at the time, Varjo's words were true. Link is in love with the Princess. If he thinks for a second I will help him win her then he is sorely mistaken. I find my eyes drawn towards Varjo once again and I quickly turn away. It would not do for the villagers to think that there is anything between us.

Perhaps because he saw the look I gave him, or perhaps because he is bored with the subject, Varjo rises from his seat and smiles idly at them. "It is pointless speculating over Link's relationship with the Princess." He tells the assembly. "Even if what you suspect is true, it will come to nothing. Zelda will not marry him."

"How do you know?" One person demands.

"She is not a fool." Varjo's voice is cool enough to swiftly depress pretension amongst the ranks. He is, after all, a duke born and bred. He turns to me and I see that he is angry. I begin to wonder if perhaps Varjo has designs on the Princess himself. He smiles at me, no doubt in such a manner that will cause the village to speculate over my relationship with him, and holds his hand out to me.

I take it without question and he pulls me to my feet. He keeps my fingers in a tight grip for just a moment, warning me to hold my tongue. I'm amazed by the power he has even in one hand. I cannot stop thinking that his hands are so cold…

"I rely on your discretion." He says to the villagers. "Although you may believe it to be a positive thing for your village, for Ordon even, if the King hears of the sordid relationship his daughter is currently having with her servant he will be furious."

I am sure he has heard the slight gasp that accompanies his words. He has just as good as confirmed the rumour. I glance at his face and see that familiar demon of mischief lurking in his smile again. Whatever his reason may be, Varjo certainly intends for all Ordon to believe the gossip about Link. And he must know that, try as they might, the people are bound to discuss this with their friends, their relatives… basically the world. What could he be planning?

I realise that he still holds my hand and I blush. The moment I do, his eyes glint. I shiver again. Varjo is the strangest man I've ever met. On the one hand, he is undoubtedly handsome on the other hand he is so cold. His looks attract yet his personality repels.

"Mayor Bo and I are going to follow the Princess." He announces. His fingers grip mine almost painfully as he speaks, quelling any expression of surprise I might have uttered. With these words he practically drags me from my home.

At a fast pace we cross the village, not pausing for breath until we reach the old road to Link's house. Varjo finally releases my hand and I rub the life back into my fingers. He watches me intently. I can feel his gaze burning on my flesh and I shudder.

"You are quiet today, Mayor Bo." He whispers. Slowly he takes my hands in his and massages my fingers with a delicate touch. If anyone saw us now…

I raise my eyes to meet his and discover that he is smiling again. I finally admit to myself that he disturbs me. His smile is positively evil. I shudder.

His hand slowly touches my face and my eyes close. I feel that I am again falling under a terrible spell. It is as though my mind wants to resist him but my body cannot. His fingers are so, so cold...

"What – what do you want from me?" My voice sounds breathless and fragile even to my own ears.

He leans forward and whispers in my ear gently, "I want you to talk to me, Mali." I feel overwhelmed. I am not small yet he towers over me and blocks the sunlight from my eyes. He is like a shadow that smothers the land. Yet he is beautiful and in some dark recess of my heart I know that I am drawn to him.

I open my eyes again as he suddenly pulls away. The sunlight is so bright and it burns my skin. I cannot look away from his face but he is not looking at me. I hear the distant babble of voices and see that the villagers are pouring out of my father's house. Varjo watches them with the same intensity that he uses on me and then he takes my hand in his again.

He pulls me into the shade of a tree and for a moment, he smiles down at me. It is the smile that reminds me of Link – it is kind and loving. "Take me to Link's house." He whispers.

"You have already been there." I remind him. His smile broadens and I feel a tug at my heart. When he behaves like this, he is most likeable. I think Varjo has a tormented soul, and that's why he can be sinister but at moments like this, when his mood lightens, he changes. It is like the sun comes out in his heart again. Normally he is shrouded in shadow.

"That was two days ago." He retorts. "I don't remember the way."

His fingers lace through mine and for once I do not notice that they are cold. I feel myself smiling up at him and I cannot turn away from his scrutiny. His eyes are endlessly deep and wise. "I like you, Mayor Bo." He announces suddenly. His eyes soften as they gaze into mine and then he kisses my cheek tenderly.

And then he laughs and says, "Come, we will be making ourselves the talk of the town if we stay here."

With his hand still laced in mine I lead him up the overgrown path towards the dilapidated ranch. I don't know what I am thinking. My mind is a complete blank. All I know is that Varjo is very, very strange and I think I should be afraid of him.

"You may talk to me, Mali." I glance up at Varjo and he pulls a face. "It is permissible for two friends to converse, you know?"

"What would you like to talk about?" I recall his actions from this morning and the sensations I had when he kissed my cheek. We have been at Link's farm since then and I haven't been able to think of anything but him. I am worried about myself.

"You." He responds. He lowers himself to the ground with catlike grace and without much prompting I take my usual seat beside him. Once I am seated he asks, "Have you always loved Link?" He asks.

Well that was a bit unexpected! I don't mind talking about my family and my life but I don't like talking about my deepest emotions. Especially those centred on the man I believed to be the love of my life.

"You do not want to discuss him, do you?" He asks.

Not for the first time I begin to suspect he has the ability to read a mind. He's definitely strange. And disturbing.

"Poor Mali, I suspect that is a wound that will never heal. As long as there is a Princess Zelda, you will always be second fiddle to her. But you knew that, didn't you? What did he tell you – that he was destined to love her?" He remarks. I see the mischief in his eyes again. Surely we are friends. Why would he want to hurt me too? I jump to my feet. I cannot take any more of this torment. The hurt inflicted on me is too deep, too terrible to talk about. It feels like Varjo is twisting the knife in my wound.

I hear him scramble to his feet and I start running. It was stupid of me to expect to be able to outrun him. Not only is he taller than me, thus able to make huge strides but also he is a trained and fit soldier. I scream as he grabs my wrist and jerks me around. His hand is pressed against my mouth and his other hand grabs my wrists. He pushes me back harshly. It hurts when by back smashes into the wall of Link's home and the air is knocked out of me. I raise my eyes to Varjo's face.

His eyes are almost glowing red as he glares down at me. I try to struggle but it's impossible to fight against him. He is so strong, much stronger than me. My heart beats in my ears and I feel bile rising in my throat. I can taste blood. I have never been so frightened in my life. He raises my arms over my head painfully and pins me to the wall.

"Mali." His voice is amused and he shakes his head in mock desperation at me.

I scream.

His strong hand smothers my cries, and I find it increasingly difficult to breath. Oh god, what is he going to do with me? Nobody will hear my cries. Nobody ever comes here.

"Mali, be still." He orders me like he would a disobedient soldier. I can't obey. I can't. I am so scared. My head is throbbing and my chest hurts. I can't breathe.

He presses his hand more firmly against my lips and uses his whole body weight to control my desperate struggles. The more he pushes me against the wall, the softer my screams become until I only cry. My cheeks are wet with tears and I almost choke on my sobs. I have never cried like this before but I am so scared.

"Mali, enough." Varjo seems to take delight in my misery. He forces me to remain in this humiliating position – pinned against a wall with my arms above my head, sobbing with fear. He is so strong and so cold. His voice is not a comfort to me. It only adds fuel to my desperate terror. Slowly he moves his hand from my lips. I want to scream but I can't. I can only cry harder.

I gasp in horror as he presses his hand against my heart.

I stare into his eyes. He is laughing at me again. I hate him. I hate him. I need Link. My heart pounds even harder. He grins at me.

"Are you frightened, Mali?" He murmurs. I swear if his hand moves a millimetre lower I will murder him. My fear is turning in to anger. Which is good. His fingers spread slightly so that they rest against my neck.

"Do you hate me?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" It feels like he's leaning against me? I stare up into his eyes. He smiles at me, the same smile that reminds me of Link. I gulp. "I think you are attracted." He whispers.

"What?"

"You are, aren't you?" His hand is still pressed against my heart and it is still beating wildly. I shake my head and his eyes fill with elusive amusement. "You cannot deny yourself." He says. "I can feel your heart beating and I can see what you cannot."

"And what's that?" I snap. I renew my struggles until he says, "Your eyes."

"What about my eyes?"

"They do not lie. You are intrigued by me." I sneer at him but at the same time I acknowledge, he does have a point. I might hate him but I've never denied that he is astonishingly good looking. And weird. And scary.

His hand moves up my neck to my face and then runs into my hair. His eyes half close as he gazes at me. All right, I'll admit, right now he's gorgeous. But that doesn't alter the fact that I hate him. He tried to…

"Mali, about you and Link." He murmurs into my ears. His whole body is pressed against mine. I tremble. I promise it is purely fear. I'm not that attracted to him. Am I?

His skin is so cold. Even his face is cold.

"What now?" I hope my voice sounds annoyed enough to fool him. Somehow I guess that Varjo knows what I am really thinking right now. Especially since his hand is still entangled in my hair, he holds my hands above my head, his cheek is pressed against mine and I can feel his heart beat. It is quite slow.

"You know hatred and love are closely related, don't you?" I think he just kissed my ear. "It is remarkably easy to slip from one to the other."

I gulp. It's the only noise I can make right now.

His hand slides to my waist and he nuzzles his nose against my neck. Oh god. I am still shaking but it's not precisely with fear anymore. My breathing is quickened.

"You could let your love of Link slip into hatred and then you can destroy her." He whispers against my skin. I should be alarmed by these words, but I am not. To be honest, at this moment in time he could say whatever he wanted to, I don't care. "I can help you regain his heart." He raises his head and gazes into my eyes. He is still laughing at me. I know but I don't think I mind anymore. If he has put me under a spell, it's a pretty good one and I quite like it! I vaguely remember being terrified only moments ago but it doesn't matter now. It's all in the past. His red eyes light with delight as I smile at him.

Then suddenly, he leans forward and kisses me.

His lips quirk into a smile as he observes my reaction, which if you are interested is confused, startled and strangely enough, annoyed. My heart thumps against my chest again, and I think my lips are trembling. I am certainly shivering. My arms are still pined above my head and he still holds me in place with his whole body. It is not my first kiss but it is certainly the best kiss of my life.

For a long moment he just watches me, his eyes gleaming with amusement and then he kisses me again. It is as though his magic is seeping into my blood. I feel barely capable of standing, let alone thinking straight. My body responds involuntarily to him and I struggle to wrap my arms around his cold neck. But he doesn't let me move. He forces me to remain perfectly still.

When he pulls away, I feel the sun brightening my world again. I had not realised how dark it had become in his shadow. I tremble all over. He is not gentle or kind but strong and passionate. My lips are bruised. I feel dishevelled and way too warm. Varjo smiles at me, in his usual impish manner.

"Just think how much better that would have been had I been Link." He says casually. It's strange because that's what I had just been pondering, only I'd come to the conclusion that nothing Link could do would match that. "He will never be yours whilst Zelda lives." He says. "Don't you want to…?"

"No." I exclaim. Varjo smiles at me. He doesn't believe me.

"One day you will be ready." He laughs. "And when that day comes, I will be on hand to help you regain what you have lost. Isn't that what you deserve?"

Is it what I deserve? Am I worth more than a Princess? I ask myself as I watch him leave. I stroke a finger across my bruised lips. I don't think Link matters at the moment. My eyes are fixed on Varjo's retreating form.

I don't think I want to leave his side. He frightens me and fascinates me and I can't stop myself needing him. He must have sensed my thoughts again for he stops and turns in my direction before I shout, "Varjo, wait!"

What do you think? PRESS REVIEW!