A/N: So, we're on chapter 11 of this story. And, because one review made me LOL, I decided to take a look and say a few words to some recent reviews. Sort of.

Why-is-buggie-takeN wrote a rather amusing review. Let's start with that actually made me laugh: "Vincent is an a-hole, pure and simple".

Thank you, I tried. Well, he does… anyways…

But so far, yes, that's how Vincent is. Actually, I've grown accustomed to my devoted readers knowing that, it's hilarious to see someone new make that assumption. As for Link, he's not the same one we knew, so therefore different on many levels. Harsh? Silvia thought so. And his problem with Zelda? It seemed pretty obvious to his actual intentions and causes. If not, there's still enough story to figure out his motives.

rikku92, nice review. Nice thinking. We'll have to wait and see right?

Zoshonel, oh shush, so Impie shows some emotion. She has an off switch somewhere and the King knows how to flick it.

And last, certainly not least, my lovely muse: Shinobi Kitten! Well, what can I say to you here that I don't already? But I'm glad you love the story so far. Yes, through the ups and downs but I can finish it and I'll be happy if you love the end with the rest of the story. But anyways, for you, I'm getting another chapter done… starting on a Wednesday no less…

Awakening to the Dark

"You know, getting to take this tour of the castle since we weren't just teleported, this place is an artistic piece of architecture and quite skillfully decorated," Vincent said aloud as he brushed against a suit of armor, causing a bit of a ruckus as he regained his footing.

"You sure know how to pick them, Malon," Aivlis said. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. She casually walked over to Vincent and pulled him down by the collar of his jacket, "Mind keeping it a little quiet? We can't exactly be caught or who knows what may happen. And as cute as you are, I don't think that Link's shadows think the same way. And your unarmed, which means that you'll have no choice but to surrender and no other choice except to stay stuck down in the dungeons." Aivlis let go of Vincent and turned around. She looked to the rest of the group, "And we should keep going. We can't afford to just stand around in the halls."

"Where are you taking us, anyways?" Malon asked, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed at Aivlis.

"Out of the castle," she simply answered. She walked passed Malon and beckoned everyone to follow. But as she walked forward, she realized something. They were in the castle now; they were deep inside its interior. And the further they got in so that they could get out, the more heavily secure it will become. And she stopped when she noticed that one of Link's guards decided to take a detour into the corridor that Aivlis and the others were in. Not believing her luck, Aivlis forced them all behind a suit of armor and pressed them against the wall. She looked to the shadow to see it retreating back to the hallway from before and continue its usual path. She let out a relieved sigh as she let the others free themselves. "That was a little bit too close. Maybe if one cutie could stay quiet we probably wouldn't have to hide like that," she said, before she looked over to Vincent. She looked away from him and then turned around, "I'll go on ahead and I'll see if there any more obstacles we might run across. Just stick around here and make sure not to get caught."

Aivlis gave a quick smile at the lot of them and quickly disappeared around the corner in record time. The King and Impa did as they were told, sure that it was the best thing to do. Vincent placed his hands behind his head as he watched Aivlis walk away before turning to Malon who had that look in her eye. And once again, Vincent was trying to reconcile with her and get it through to her red head that he wasn't looking at Aivlis like how Malon suspected. But Zelda stared off at where Aivlis had gone off to. She had her fist clenched tightly and her gaze slowly tore away and looked down to the ground. She was sick and tired of waiting around for someone to come and save her and she was tired of being told to just wait. Her fists released themselves, her nails leaving imprints on her palm from the tension.

"Guys," she said softly.

"What is it, Zel?" Malon asked, tearing herself from Vincent for just a moment. She went over to her best friend and was about to put her hand on Zelda's shoulder before the young princess quickly turned around.

"I have to go!" she said, her lips slightly curved to a smile.

"But Aivlis said to wait," Malon added. She looked down to Zelda, not really realizing that Zelda was shorter than her. Malon never actually realized or noticed that about Zelda, usually thinking that they were eye to eye. Perhaps the Gerudo in her acted up while she was gone and caused her to shoot a few inches. "I think it's better if we listen to her for now. I mean, you were one for following her as well."

Zelda shook her head, her blond hair going all over the place. "I can't sit and wait here any longer. I know what I have to do. I know exactly what to do…" she said, getting quieter with each syllable. She turned around and quickly got away from Malon's grasp before she could talk some sense to her. Zelda did not want to be tied down for any longer. And that was who she was. She was always ready to get up and go. For as long as she could remember she never just sat around and did nothing, no matter what people thought of her. Yes, there were things she could've done better or at all to help, but no one could say Zelda, the Zelda running down the hallway of her castle, was happy with just sticking around and doing nothing. And like last time, Zelda was going to do her best once again.

Aivlis, on the other hand, was casually walking around the castle. No haste or quickness in her step like in Zelda's. She was simply trying to remember the different paths and routes each of Link's guards took and how long it took them to make their rounds. And she was a shadow herself, so hiding and keeping on her toes was something she really didn't need to worry about. Not that it would've been hard to bypass Link's little army of shadows, they were dumber than dirt. But it wasn't hard to figure out why. Link has a lot of them, and he was pretty new to the shadow creation and giving it life thing, so she could let his first attempts slide.

And then she felt arms embrace her from behind. At first, her instinct told her to become intangible or to quickly rid herself of the pest. And that's when they kicked in. It wasn't everyday you could sneak up on a Sheikah shadow. It's more or less impossible to do it unless… well, unless you have some great power that can mask your approach. And Aivlis, thanks to Silvia, knew that only one person has the theoretical power to even attempt what had just happened.

"Silvia? What are you doing down here?" he whispered in her ear. In that low and serene voice that was just spiked with a little naughtiness thrown in. But even with all that, it was hard to ignore the concern and worry underlying it all. It was Link after all, not Vincent.

Link was boyishly innocent, but he had his heart devoted to someone. And that voice of his let Aivlis know that she had to tread carefully. Link obviously thought she was Silvia. And he wasn't too far from the truth, still she wasn't Silvia. But she couldn't let Link know that, not yet anyways. And if Aivlis got caught then, there was no telling what Link might do to the escaped captives or to Silvia. So Aivlis, knowing what she had to do, played along with the charade. What Link didn't know wouldn't hurt him. And anyways, Aivlis figured this could be her chance to get Link and Silvia a little alone time. "I could ask you the same question, Link," Aivlis said, her voice having to become more tuned in with Silvia's mannerisms and behavior for the moment.

"I was coming down here to check on our guests," Link said. He gently closed his eyes, "Though it seems you were thinking of the same thing." He kissed her gently on the cheek and let her go, "Should we go down together then?"

Aivlis, without turning around, "No, no, Link… I have a better idea! How about we just take today to… have a lunch and just be by ourselves? We barely have time to do so anymore. All our time has become engrossed with trying to keep Hyrule running and being the top nation. How about we just take the rest of today to just have our own fun… like last night?"

Link stared at her, trying to make heads or tails with Silvia. And the worst part was that she wasn't talking to him. She still didn't try to look at him and he wanted to turn her around and ask why. He didn't understand why Silvia had a sudden change of heart and mind and decided to put off moving their captives. Especially after she had made such a deal about it the night before, it didn't add up to Link at all. And he was going to speak his mind about that but… he decided against it. Link figured that Silvia did have a good point. They didn't have much time to be with each other ever since they had taken the throne. And the only day that it seemed that they managed to have any moment of peace was last night. And even then, it was filled with talk and arguments about Zelda and the rest.

Zelda. Link did not like to hear or even think that name anymore. He remembered the time when he was so in love with that name and the person who owned it. He used to think that she was the most beautiful person that walked on Hyrule. How he used to worship her, he used to do anything for her, he used to love spend his time, energy, and being with her. And yet she took it all and gave nothing in return. Absolutely nothing. Not even a simple nod to his affection. And who was there to help him through it? Silvia, of course. And the thought that the only reason why Link even cared for her was because she was right there at the right time did run through his mind. And he knew that wasn't the case. He realized that even through his strong infatuation with Zelda, there was always something there between Link and her. And she came first to him then, like all the other times. So if she wanted to take the day for them to just be together, he was more than fine with it.

"Okay, if you want to Silvia," he said. He took a step forward so he could go and walk with her.

But Aivlis knew she couldn't let Link get a good look at her. There was already enough evidence for him to make the assumption that Silvia wasn't being herself. So she took another step back and stepped into the shadows. Thank the Goddesses for shadows. Her eyes – the red eyes supposedly found in most Sheikah – were covered enough and far away for Link not to actually notice. And that was a priority. Silvia had very distinct blues. And if Link looked at them for long enough, then he would ask questions. "How about I meet you in the courtyard, Link? I'll go get our lunch ready and all that, okay? Just go on ahead of me and I'll be right there in just a few minutes, alright?"

Link stood there for a moment, not sure what to do or say. After a few moments, "If you say so, Silvia."

"Great, I'll be there in a few," Aivlis added before she quickly went up to Link, gave him a quick kiss on the lips and scurried off. She had to be quick about it all, not to mention she had to still appear as Silvia, but Aivlis thought she did well enough and she hoped Link bought the act. But all she really knew, she was going to get some hell from Silvia later on. But she had to handle quite a few things all of sudden and she didn't have a lot of time to get it done. She really hoped that the group could hold on for a little longer before she could return. And she still had to take a detour to the kitchen to get a basket of lunch ready. And then she had to tell Silvia about it.

Perfect.

But she also didn't notice that Zelda made her way all the way back to her room. Well, she was rounding the corner to the hallway on which her room was located. She was quick, even in her heels, as she quickly neared her room. But just as she was a few feet away from her room, the door to it opened in and out stepped Silvia. Zelda came to a stop as she saw Silvia walk out of her room, a very solemn expression on her face as she was. Zelda bit her lip and clenched her fist tightly once again. She had no idea what to do or how to handle what was just about to happen. She knew she couldn't or even bother trying to hide somewhere. Silvia was the best Sheikah she knew and she would be able to find Zelda with no problem. So Zelda stayed right where she was, waiting, anticipating the moment when the two of them would look at each other.

And as Silvia turned to close the door and make her way out of the hallway, she spotted Zelda not too far away. And like Zelda, she was stuck in that moment of time with Zelda's person in her vision. And Silvia didn't see the glorified whore that Zelda was – at least that how she had came off – but more of the Zelda that had given her that present so long ago. The one who cared, the one who loved back, that was who Silvia was staring at. Even though, no matter what, Silvia would always consider Zelda a sister. No matter how distant Zelda became. Silvia placed her hand on her chest, feeling the now bigger pendant through the Sheikah outfit and gave a slight smile. She just realized that Zelda pulled another one of her little tricks and managed to get out of the cell.

And the two remained silent for a few moments. They really had nothing to say to the other that hadn't already been said.

"How did you do it?" Silvia asked, trying to break the silence.

Zelda looked down for a moment before she looked back up to Silvia. Zelda locked her eyes with Silvia from that moment on, not wanting any excuses to never look her in the face again. Blue on blue, a very deep sapphire that seemed to mirror each other, almost as if Zelda caught herself looking in the mirror. "I used magic," Zelda said. "It was tough but I managed to work up enough to get me out."

"What about the others?" Silvia asked, knowing that Zelda wasn't in the best of shape mentally or physically to channel so much magic like she used to.

"You don't know?" Zelda asked, a little surprised that Silvia didn't actually orchestrate the escape. "I thought it was your idea… but I guess it makes sense now."

"No, I didn't know," Silvia answered. "What am I supposed to know about though?"

"Silvia, quick!" Aivlis shouted as she came from nowhere again. "You gotta get down to the courtyard with this basket so you and Link can have-" Aivlis came to a stop when she noticed that Silvia wasn't alone. And Aivlis was getting tired of people seemingly showing up and catching her off guard. First Link and then Zelda, Aivlis shook her head at the thought that she might be getting rusty. There was always the excuse that she has a lot of things going on and that Link and Zelda aren't the same obvious person they used to be.

"Aivlis," Silvia said she looked to her shadow that was coming up from behind Zelda. "Why did I know that you had in a hand in this?"

"In all honesty, Silvia, Zelda got out herself," she said as she walked up to Silvia. She held out the basket for her, "You and Link have a date right now and the poor guy will be heartbroken if you keep avoiding him. I did my best but maybe you should consider going down there and spending the day with him. You two really need a break. Don't worry about Zelda or the others." Aivlis turned around to Zelda, "And did I not tell you to stay put?" Aivlis shook her head and looked back to Silvia, "Go and have fun."

Silvia looked at the basket for a moment, letting her eyes linger there. That was essentially a ticket for her and Link to be alone for a while. And the way Aivlis had put it, she had set it up so that Silvia and Link are the only ones around. And that meant they didn't have to bother themselves with anything else except each other. And that was something Silvia really wanted and asked for a few times and now she had it. But she looked to Zelda who had averted her gaze from Silvia once again. She trusted Aivlis to not let them do anything against Link or her. But they did escape. Zelda, Malon, Vincent, the King, and even her aunt Impa. That was going to be with her when she was going to be with Link. And that was going to make things difficult.

"What are you going to do, Zelda?" Silvia asked before taking the basket from Aivlis. "What do you and the other have planned against Link and I?"

"Right now," Zelda started. She couldn't keep lying to Silvia. Not after all just went on. So as Zelda worked up the nerve to look at Silvia in the eye again, "Right now we just want to get out of the dungeons. I have to get something out of my room first but then, then we leave and we will come back Silvia. Link isn't doing Hyrule any good by taking its crown like he did. He has to be stopped; otherwise he's just as bad as Ganondorf."

"And you were any better?" Silvia said in a hushed tone. "He did what he had to do to make Hyrule a better place because he knew he was the one for the job." Though, Silvia didn't want to tell Zelda that she thought along those lines. Link had become a little more confrontational about everything. The old Link would have been much calmer and peaceful about it all. But that wasn't what mattered at that point. Zelda's point was the fact that Link took the crown from her without any reason and doing nothing with it. Which was a lie, but she just wouldn't know what he had been up to. "I don't expect you to understand, Zelda. I know you're not going to look at it my or Link's way. But you managed to get yourselves out. Why don't you forget it? Link is a better leader than you are and he has great plans for Hyrule."

"Silvia," Zelda said, tears beginning to choke her. "I can't and I won't. And if you really believe that, I can let that go. It's hard for me because… I know sooner or later you and I will probably have to get at each other's throats. And I don't want to do that. I don't want to fight someone that's as close as you are to me. But if I have to, just to prove that what you're standing up for, who you're standing up for is wrong than I have to." Zelda took a few steps forward to Silvia.

Not quite sure what to do or expect, Silvia simply readied herself. But she didn't expect for Zelda to wrap her small and slender arms around her and pull her in for a tight embrace. Silvia was taken aback as she felt Zelda bury herself into her shoulder and felt a few tears dry themselves on her shirt. Silvia wasn't quite sure what to do. Zelda knew that Silvia wasn't the one to always be so free with actions. And she didn't know what Zelda wanted in return. Silvia thought she could give Zelda a hug but…

Zelda let go of Silvia, "You better go down and see Link."

Silvia stared at Zelda for a moment. She wanted to ask, wanted to figure out what Zelda had planned once Silvia left to go see Link. But the look on Zelda's face, it was something else. A sorrow filled Zelda looked at her with tears in her eyes and a slight smile that was curved from her lips. Her eyes didn't boast the same expression her tears made one think she would have. Silvia wasn't quite sure how to read Zelda's mixed expression. All she could come up with was that… Zelda was genuinely happy for Silvia but she was having a hard time knowing that she might have to take it all away from her. And Silvia wanted to know more about what Zelda was going through. She wanted to know if Zelda was going to be okay.

"Silvia, leave," Zelda said. "You're wasting a lot of time looking at me when you could be with Link. And he's waiting for you. Not a lot of guys do that for any girl you know." Zelda smiled at Silvia with a broader grin and urged her to go. "I promise that we won't do anything right now. We're not even halfway ready to even let Vincent and Malon attack Link. Just go and have a good time."

Silva kept her eyes on Zelda for a moment before she caught herself slightly smiling at the princess as well. "As you wish, my princess," she said with a nod.

Silvia left the hallway, leaving Zelda alone as she began to make her way down to the courtyard. And she believed Zelda when she said they would leave her and Link alone for the day. And while it didn't seem like the best thing to say, Silvia knew that was one of the best things Zelda had ever done. For a rare moment, Zelda thought of Silvia first and wanted her to be happy and enjoy it for as long as she could before she would have to try and take it away. And when the time did come, Silvia wasn't sure what to do. She loved Link, but she loved Zelda. It was a matter of choosing one's heart over one's duty and… for the lack of a better term – family. And Silvia hoped that Zelda thought the same way about her. Because then it would be that much easier for Silvia to believe Zelda about what she said to her. About letting Silvia keep her day with Link conflict free.

And if anything, she knew Aivlis would always step in if there was anything going on.

But Silvia managed to work her way all the way down to the courtyard. And with the sun behind her, she raised her hand to shield her eyes as she scouted the rather large gardens to find that man dressed in green. She put down her hand when she couldn't spot him and sighed deeply. Maybe he had gotten tired of waiting. Link was a busy man and he figured that she wasn't going to show up.

"He's over there," said that little voice belonging to Drakeus.

Silvia looked over to see Drakeus basking in the noon sun. He had gotten up and looked over to his mommy as he pointed over passed the high hedges. He yawned and then tiredly blinked. "He's waiting over there."

"Thank you," she said to him before she walked off. She followed his very vague directions and finally caught sight of Link. He was lying down on a checkered blanket that kept him off the lush grass. Probably with good reason, since otherwise we would probably blend in with his surroundings. But he laid there, his left hand over his eyes in an attempt to shield his eyes from the hot light. He did try to place the blanket in the shade but apparently he still caught a lot of sunlight in his eyes. Silvia walked quietly over to him and sat down next to him on the blanket. "Link?"

Link bolted up and looked at her, his cobalt blue eyes staring into her sapphire blues. "You finally made it. I was beginning to worry," he said softly.

Silvia smiled at him, "I'm sorry for taking so long. I got caught up in getting our basket ready. I'm glad you remembered to get a blanket so we don't exactly sit on the ground." Silvia then placed the basket down on the blanket and opened it. But before she took out anything, she looked over to Link. "Link, you know I love you. Right?"

"I know," Link answered. "And I love you."

"Could you please tell me what happened in the sha-"

Silvia felt Link's lips pressed against hers. And it was a nice, chaste kiss. Simple, yet lovable. She closed her eyes and returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Together, they fell onto the blanket and were locked with each other. But nothing did heat up or become more passionate. They just laid there with each other, an occasional sweet and tender kiss sometimes intervening. Silvia hated how he did somehow avoid the subject but she didn't mind when it came down to it. She will hear it from him one day soon. She just had to make sure that he wasn't in kissing distance. But after a few moments of the two of them just lying on the blanket, gazing into each other's eyes, Silvia sat up.

"Maybe we should eat some lunch now?" she asked.

"Sure," Link agreed as he sat up with her.

And Zelda had watched as Silvia reached into the basket. She smiled as her closest friend in the world was having a great time with the man she loved. Zelda hoped that one day she could actually have that feeling, to experience that for herself. Because she knew that every relationship she had beforehand wasn't one that was filled with the pure love she saw with Link and Silvia. Zelda looked away from the window from which she looked through and down into the courtyard and walked back into her room. She picked up the turban she left on her bed and took it with her as she went to her vanity mirror. Zelda left the turban alone for a moment as she took her brush and took it through her hair.

Still wet from the quick shower she had taken so she could change.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She was a petite woman. She didn't exactly have the same kind of meat on her bones that Malon or Silvia had. She was just a little smaller. And her outfit seemed to make that a little more obvious than her dresses. It was supposed to be skin tight but that was when Zelda had the muscle to fill it. But that was a different story that never happened. Yet she kept it because she never knew whenever she would have to use it. Not that it mattered whether she had it or not. But it was far better to fight in a formfitting suit that provided some padded protection than a frilly or revealing dress. No matter how good you were.

And as Zelda took her hair and began to braid it, she couldn't keep her eyes off of the blazing red eye that was centered on her chest.

She wasn't sure how Silvia would feel when she would see Zelda in the Sheikah outfit. But Zelda had been trained to be one of those warriors. And even though she didn't bother much with the training or the customs ever since she and Link managed to return peace to Hyrule, her lean build remembered much of her training. It was Impa's practice on Zelda to train one thing over and over until it had become second nature. It was fact that a lot of it might have been slowly ebbed away from sloth and years but Zelda knew, deep down inside, that she still had what it took. She knew she couldn't beat Silvia but she could put up a fight. And that meant more to her than a win. It meant that she was ready to take the fall herself and that she wasn't just going to count on someone else to handle her affairs.

Finishing her braid and tying the end with a white piece of cloth, Zelda placed the turban on her head and stood up.

"We got dressed up for something, didn't we?" Aivlis asked as she came into the room and eyeing Zelda. "Bet you wish you kept up using your magic so that you could dress up with a snap."

"I take it you already led everyone out of the castle," Zelda asked as she turned to Aivlis. And in that moment, her eyes flashed from blue to the crimson red.

"Yeah," Aivlis responded. "Are you ready to come along?"

Zelda nodded. Aivlis turned and began to walk. Zelda followed her but not before she looked out the window once again to smile once more. "And I'll see you later, Silly."

A/N: To clear a few things up, this Zelda is based on my first assumption about Sheik and Zelda from OoT. And that is that it was always Zelda, just in a more traditional disguise. No sex change magic… just Zelda with a little tan and some contact lenses magic.

But anyways, hope you guys liked. Read and review, por favor.