Chapter 11: curse

Author's note: Thank you so much, UltraViolet, for your review, and congrats on being the first reviewer! Now that I know to keep doing exactly what I've been doing, this story will be speeding right along!

Zelda was sitting peacefully in the library, reading, a troubled expression on her face.

Time passed differently in different sections of Hyrule, she knew. She also knew that in temples, what seemed like hours but she also knew that Link had been gone for several days now. Where was he?

She bent over her book once more, determined to stop thinking about him. That just made her sad.

Besides, her book was fascinating. It told of the history of the heroes who'd carried the name 'Link' and the sort of issued they'd faced in the past. For some reason, it comforted her. Many times before, Hyrule had been at the brink of destruction when Link had come, manifesting himself as that chosen one. Even though Midna and Vaati seemed very worried right now, she knew that many times before, someone had claimed 'Hyrule was doomed.' And now, Hyrule still stood. It had gone through thousands of phases, from a kingdom ruled by the goddesses themselves to a land of ocean, from an anarchy to a gentle monarchy. However, Hyrule still stood.

She became so engrossed in her book that she never noticed a peculiar crackling noise until she looked up. There were flames at the corner of the room.

She stood up and gasped. Someone had set fire to Hyrule castle! Despite the fact that the castle was made out of stone, a fire could still devastate it, weakening the mortar and destroying the foundation. She had to get out, and fast.

However, something was stopping her. This was the library, after all. There were only three libraries in Lanayru province, and this was one of two imperial libraries. The other one was in the basement, hopefully safe from the fire, but now, she realized that one of the curtains was burning. This library wasn't going to be safe. Many of Hyrule's treasures would be lost. It hurt her heart to think of it. She grabbed the book she was reading, and left using the only door.

She was met with an inferno. Everything flammable was aflame. Even the mortar was burning. Hyrule castle had never burned like this. Oh, once it had exploded, but never had it burned. Zelda hoped that no one else was inside. Realizing that she had to get out before the smoke began affecting her, she leapt and sidestepped flames in a twisted sort of hopscotch. By the time she left that flaming room, her head already felt cloudy and she realized that she'd have to duck lower to avoid some of the smoke. Idly, she wondered if she could get herself partway out using Farore's wind as she crept along the ground, but then realized that if she got it wrong, she could be killed. Besides, it took a lot of her energy.

So for room after room, Zelda crawled through the castle. Each room had a particular memory for her, each place was part of her home. And now it was all burning. Zelda's tears, each putting out the fire just slightly, were what marked her trail.

As soon as she finally emerged into the daylight, she collapsed. The smoke and the fire had taken a lot out of her, and now she was a mess. However, all was forgotten at the sound of laughter. Someone was happy that her castle was burning. She pulled herself up again to see a tall figure who looked similar to Link, but Zelda instantly knew from the maddened expression on his face that he wasn't. Besides, his eyes were purple. Then she noticed something that shocked her.

"Vio!" she gasped.

"Shadow Link," he corrected her, smiling. "But yes, Vio as well, sort of."
"Why?" she asked sadly. She'd just been reading about Vio, and was shocked he was behaving this way. "Vio was supposed to be the intelligent one. Vio was supposed to be the caring one. Vio was supposed to be the one who APPRECIATED THINGS!" she was becoming hysterical. This maniac had destroyed her home.

However, she was surprised to see that his eyes suddenly changed color. For a moment, they glinted the blue that she'd associated for many years with her beloved fried. She was even more surprised when a tear dropped out of one of the eyes. It hit a blade of grass, which suddenly seemed to divide into two slightly.

"Yes, I, I am supposed to be the appreciative one," he said in a quiet voice, a tear dropping from his eye once more. Suddenly his eyes glowed red, and he screamed, "WHY? WHY MUST I BE THIS ONE? WHY MUST I DO THIS?"

His eyes glowed purple, and suddenly, as though answering his own question, he replied, "Because above all, I'm Shadow Link. And I'm evil." He turned to Zelda.

"Why did you make me think like that?" he asked her. "No matter. You'll suffer."

With that, he drew his bow. Zelda gasped and tried to run, but made the mistake of turning around to see where he'd fire his arrow. The arrow looked a little odd, and it's tip was red as though it had been coated in blood. The rest of it was black. A shadow arrow. And the blood—Shadow Link's blood! Infused with the veil power that Vio was said to control! Zelda knew she had to get away.

Barely had she even moved when all of a sudden, the arrow hit her. Right next to her heart.

As she collapsed, Vio could see that for a moment, she was surrounded in light. Then, almost as soon as it began, it was gone.

"The veil power and the curse will both take effect, immediately," he smirked. Then, seeing the book she was holding, he picked it up. An expression of curiosity crossed his face for a moment before he picked it up and put it in his satchel.

Perhaps a book could appease his Vio side for a while.

When Zelda woke up, she immediately knew something was wrong when she stood up.

The dress had become way too large for her. But how? It hadn't seemed to grow. And why would it?

Then she looked at her hands. They were smaller than normal.

The dress wasn't growing! She was shrinking!

She screamed in horror. A small pool of water nearby made it plain to her that she looked younger than usual. What was worse was that the pool reflected a hot air balloon, far up in the sky. Link was returning. There was no way he could catch her like this! If she really was aging backwards, he could never see her again! She was just too mortified.

Quietly, she raced off into the now night, tears marking her path once again.