Link and Dark Link: (Convulsing on floor)
Sorceress: (Hides bottle labeled "Termina Fever Samples-use at your own risk") Oh, this is terrible! What happened to you two?
Ruto: You gave them the last of the cookies.
Sorceress: Oh…I forgot I had those…
Ruto: You shoved them down their throats!
Sorceress: It was the tranquilizers' faults! They gave me an insanity attack! Anyways, Dark Link, will you?
Dark Link: Sorceress…does not…own Zelda… (Collapses)
o~o0o~o
Termina Fever
Ch 10: Enemies Thought Long Destroyed
Zelda clutched the windowpane, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Raising her head, she stared out the window, clammy hands tightening.
A large bonfire burned in the center of the city. The few remaining healthy ones approached the flames with wheelbarrows, dumping something into the blaze. What was it…?
Bodies. Oh Goddesses, they were dumping bodies into a fire. Zelda's head spun.
There were sounds, too. The clang of a mallet on a bell, counting up the dead, the pitiful call of a beggar women pleading for spare change. Zelda felt tears slip down her face. A few short weeks ago this place had been prosperous, blessed even; Termina Fever turned it into a wasteland almost overnight.
"Look at my city, Link," she murmured. "Look at what it has become."
"We couldn't have changed much, could we?" Link' voice was harsh and raspy, nearly unrecognizable. "If the Healers couldn't figure this out, I doubt we'd figure it out." He fell into a coughing fit here, hand pressed against his mouth; when he withdrew the hand, it was covered in blood, a ring of it. He stared at it, transfixed.
Zelda stared at him a moment longer before turning her attention to a pale servant standing in the doorway patiently. "What…what is it?"
The servant wavered a second before stumbling over to read the note clutched tightly in his right hand. "Your Highness is needed in the throne room," he mumbled before falling to the ground, dead.
o~o0o~o
How Zelda had managed to drag her fever-racked body to the throne room was a mystery to all bystanders; she doubted she'd ever know how she found the strength to do it either. Link's appearance was even more of a mystery.
However, Zelda held her head high, cold, unforgiving look on her face as she rose to meet the guest. Link stood behind her, leaning on his sword. He coughed up blood in waves, but kept his eyes on the door at all times; a man in black armor had opened it.
The armored man knelt in the middle of the throne room. "Zelda." He leered poisonously. "And you as well, Hero. I appear to have come at an ill-fated time."
"Ganondorf?" Zelda gasped; the color drained from her already pale face and the onlookers would not have been surprised if she had fainted then and there. She didn't, however, but remained where she was, staring at Ganondorf. "Indeed. Your visit was timed badly; several of my couriers have become ill." Zelda placed a hand on a pillar.
"And you are certain you are not among the infected, Your Highness? Ganondorf cocked his head. "You and the Hero are in a most pitiful state." He gestured towards Link, who had dropped to his knees with the effort of coughing; red was seeping out from between his fingers.
Zelda made no movement, merely replied, "With so many couriers bedridden, of course we are in a dilemma."
Ganondorf laughed. "Oh, dear, that's wonderfully humorous. A fantastic lie, really." Face becoming serious, he continued. "Now I'm willing to offer you a proposition…"
Zelda nodded. "Continue."
"I have a…slave, yes, on a journey for the cure to what you call Termina Fever. It should be returning within hours, if I have been monitoring it correctly. You can have the first bottles of it…on one condition." Ganondorf paused. "I want Hyrule."
"Hmm…" Zelda pondered. "That would depend. Who is this slave you speak of?"
Ganondorf smiled coldly. "Before its defeat at the Water Temple it was my most trusted minion. Of course, afterwards, I received no word from it and it thus fell even lower in my opinion; I still watch it with great interest, though. I call it…" Ganon smirked. "Dark Link."
Link's head shot up. "Dark Link? I thought I'd killed him."
"Shadows never die my dear Hero…unlike you." Ganon smiled evily.
"Well, they can come pretty dang close." Ganondorf turned around to reveal Dark Link standing in the doorway, Saria to his right and Ruto to his left.
"You!" Ganondorf spluttered, as Dark Link trod past the King of Evil impassively. "How much did you hear?"
"All of it," Dark Link replied. "You could have at least given me a gender. You did before." He handed the package he was holding to Saria and drew his own sword. "That's enough, Ganondorf. It's time to end this." He smirked. "For the person I love…" He gave Saria a long gaze.
Ganondorf stared blankly before laughing cruelly. "You? Love? My Goddess Din, you're better than Zelda." Raising a hand he grasped Dark Link's collar. "Stop it, Shadow."
Dark Link turned his head to lock his garnet eyes with Ganondorf's gold ones. Shaking himself loose, he walked away, crimson orbs still burning into his creator's. "I don't take orders you anymore." His fist tightened around his sword. "Who knows…maybe your greatest creation will be your downfall." With that, he charged Ganondorf, swinging his sword; Ganondorf blocked the blow just in time.
"Foolish copy!" Ganondorf raged, returning the blow, which Dark Link barely dodged.
The battle then started in earnest, with both fighters pulling out all the stops, things they would never use in regular combat. Ganondorf unleashed a ball of magic, Dark Link parried, sending it back to Ganondorf; this too was blocked, to be returned to Dark Link, who wasn't fast enough. The sphere of energy hit him and sent him sprawling, blood splattering the carpet. In the midst of it all, while Ganondorf was sneering triumphantly, blade extended, Dark Link disappeared.
"Ah, shadows…cowards, all of them," Ganondorf gloated. "You were an easy victory."
"Let's not get cocky," Dark Link replied jumping nimbly onto Ganondorf's sword. "Lest you become careless." With that, Dark Link prepared to administer the final blow on Ganondorf.
Ganondorf, thinking quickly, dropped his sword; Dark Link fell to the ground and Ganondorf pointed his sword at Dark Link's neck. "Of course not." Ganondorf pressed the blade against Dark Link's throat. He wished this most foolish, most repulsive creature to die a slow painful death. Termina Fever sounded like a wonderful way; he had heard that immunity was not for life. All he needed was Link or Zelda…overpowering them would be a simple task.
Beads of blood were beginning to form at Dark Link's neck. All Ganondorf needed to do was to weaken the shadow to the point where resistance would be nonexistent. Then he would take Zelda, yes, force her to kiss Dark Link; if Dark Link was truly in love with one who was not Zelda, then this would hurt Dark Link even more. He doubted this, though. Dark Link was a shadow and therefore could not feel love.
Dark Link's struggles were growing more feeble by the second. Hurry, Saria! Come back here now! Why in the world did I send both Ruto and Saria with Link and…wait a minute…where's Zelda? The next thing he knew, a warm, feverish mouth had been pressed against his own. She's not Saria… He opened his eyes to see Zelda, head held to Dark Link's via Ganondorf.
"Dark Link!" Saria came running back into the room, stopped when she caught sight of Dark Link. "You…" She turned her attention to Ganondorf. "You filthy…" She pulled out her sword. "Horrid…" She walked forward slowly. Then, yelling something unspeakable, she charged Ganondorf, and before he could react, Saria had driven her sword in the back of his head.
Ganondorf let out a terrible roar, taking his hands off of Zelda's head. Zelda collapsed to the ground, and Ruto came to take her away.
Saria held Dark Link's hand in hers as she watched Ganondorf disappear in a shaft of light. Dark Link looked up at her, smiled, and buried his head in her neck, invisible tears running down his face.
Saria picked him up and slowly began to walk towards the doorway to the castle as the first rays of sunlight descended upon the two.
She felt so much taller.
o~o0o~o
Sorceress: Your plans suck, Ganondorf.
Ganondorf: What? And where are Dark Link and Link? I want to beat their faces in.
Sorceress: I…misplaced them. Here, take these cookies and read off the reviewers.
Ganondorf: Msfcatlover…cookie. Dinosour…cookie. Deadaleta…cookie. ShadowLordl…cookie. Freakyvampirecatgirl…cookie. Misszelda3290…cookie. Shadowthedarkwolf…cookie. SuperGeek3…cookie.
Sorceress: You're all awesome, I say, standing in place of Dark Link.
Ganondorf: Where is he, anyway?
Sorceress: Um… (Runs away)