Chapter 2
He groaned as he leaned against one of the two buildings. He felt like he would pass out if he stayed out there any longer. He took deep breaths, taking in the comfort of the shadows. He could hear the distant whinnying of horses in the corral and the soft whistling of the wind as it blew past him. He sat down and let his tired body rest. He listened to the small sounds of the ranch and allowed himself to drift asleep again.
A few hours later, the door to the stable opened and out walked a tall, skinny man with a thick, pointed moustache. He looked down at him and sneered. He raised his pickfork and stuck him with it, causing him to jump awake.
"Oi, ya can't be sleeping here! Get out of here!" the man shouted.
He stared at him dully, his eyes half-closed. He stood up and continued to stare.
"Are ya deaf? Ya can't stay here! Get out!" he shouted into his ears.
He flinched, then turned and began to walk away. He looked back and growled at the man. Just then, the door to the other building opened and out walked a short, stout man with an equally thick moustache, but it was more rounded. He looked at the young man and smiled.
"Ello Link! How ya been? I heard a bunch of racket outside, so I came out to see what was happenin'. Was Ingo yelling at ya again?" the man said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He turned around and stared at the man, who jumped back in surprise.
"Oi! You're not Link! I was wondering why yer' hair was black. Ya look just like him! So, what brings ya ta Lon Lon Ranch, me boy?" shouted the man, clearly not frightened by his appearance.
"Umm...I just came for...a horse!" he lied.
The man stared at him and smiled.
"Well, we have plenty of those! Come and look at some of our fine breeds! Ingo! Get back ta work and stop hassling customers!" he shouted at the man named Ingo.
Ingo growled and walked back into the stable. He looked back at him, worry written all over his face.
"Don't worry, boy! He's always that way! Ya'll will get used ta it!," shouted the man. "By the way, me name's Talon. What be yours?" he asked.
He stopped and looked to the ground. His name...He wasn't too proud of his name...Others would judge him by it. He was filled with dread when someone asked for his name.
"Uhh...My name is...Dark..." he said softly.
"Dark? That be a weird name. But Link be a weird name too! Are you two related?"
"No...I have no connection to this Link that you speak of..." he lied again, turning his gaze to the corral.
"Well, here we are. Go on in and look around. When you find a horse ya like, take it for a ride. If ya want it, we'll discuss a price, kay?"
Dark nodded and walked into the corral. He gulped as he looked at all the horses there were. None really caught his interest, except for one. It was away from the others, a jet black stallion with a white face. It looked over at him with rare blue eyes. He slowly walked over to it, trying not to spook it. The stallion remained still, allowing him to stroke its neck. He smiled as he noted the soft texture of its coat and the intellegent look in its eyes.
He tangled his fingers into its white mane and pulled himself up onto it with one swift movement. He staightened himself, then gave the stallion a quick kick. The horse jumped and began to walk. He smiled as he controlled the horse by tugging on different parts of the mane and increasing pressure to the horse's sides with his heels. He began to trot, enjoying the bouncing motion it gave. Then he broke into a canter, and then into a full gallop around the corral. He urged the stallion to go faster towards a fence. The horse obeyed, and jumped it easily. He grinned as he came to a stop and jumped off.
Talon clapped his hands and laughed loudly.
"Good job, me boy! You have a natural talent with horses! How 'bout ya work here? Ya get good pay, a room and three square meals! And if ya do stay, i'll give ya the horse for free!" shouted Talon as he patted his shoulder.
Dark smiled weakly. He didn't think he could possible stay. He would have to work in secret. Yet, he would have a place to hide and plenty of food. Plus, he would get that brillant horse for free. It was decided. He nodded his head.
"Good! Ya'll can start tomorrow! Be warned though, ya'll have ta get up right early in the mornin!"
Dark nodded and walked back over to the horse. He stroked its muzzle while staring into its eyes. Such beauty & intellect; this couldn't be a normal animal. He heard hoofbeats again. He turned around and gasped. There was the woman, Malon, dismounting from her mare. He looked for a place to hide, but it was too late, she had seen him.
She began to run over to him, shock & fear in her eyes. He hung his head low and waited for her to come. He knew he was in trouble.
"You! What are you doing here?!" she shouted as she grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"I...I didn't know you lived here...I went to the closest place to hide. That man, Talon was it? He offered me a job and I took it. I thought that if stayed here, I would always be able to hide in case he came...I'm really sorry..." he said, trying to calm down Malon.
She let go of his shirt and jerked around, crossing her arms against her chest.
"You should have given it more thought..." she whispered, her anger melting into worry.
"I...was weak and I had nowhere else to go. If I didn't, I would have died..."
"And why is that?" Malon said, turning around.
"I...can't stay in the light for too long...Even now, I am on my last reserves of energy, trying to fight back the urge to black out...That's what happens when you're made from shadows..." he whispered, turning his head away from her.
She sighed and grabbed his arm. He looked at her, confused. She helped him walk over to the single tree in the ranch. He fell to the ground, gasping for air like he did before, his body shaking violently. Malon stared at him with worry.
"I...I'm okay...I just need to rest...Please, if he appears, hide me...I don't want you to get in trouble..." he whispered softly.
Malon nodded and sat down next to him, looking up at the sky.
"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" she asked, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of fresh country air.
Dark nodded, turning his gaze to where she was staring. She sighed and looked at him.
"I...never got your name..."
"My name? It's Dark..."
"Dark? It isn't very creative since you look-"
He glared at her with a fiery intensity.
"Oh, sorry...I guess you don't want to talk about it, do you?" Malon said nervously.
"No, I don't...It's too painful..." he said bitterly.
Malon smiled and grabbed his hand. He flinched at the touch, but quickly relaxed.
"You are not the only one with painful memories...When I was small, my mother became gravely ill. Her body was racked with pain and she had a blistering fever that wouldn't break. She couldn't leave her bed, let alone the house. Eventually, she passed on in her sleep. I never got to say good bye or got to tell her how much I loved her..." she said, her voice cracking a bit.
Dark stared at her, confused and a bit upset.
"Why did you tell me this? Surely you don't think I would tell you my past because of that?" he asked, choosing his words carefully so not to upset her.
"I...thought it would help you to know you're not the only one in the world in pain. This ranch has suffered for so long. It's finally returning to normal after such a long time..."
"I see...I'm sorry to hear about your mother. At least you still have your father..."
"That's true. And I have my friends..."
"You mean Link?"
Malon giggled.
"Yes, and you..."
Dark's eyes widened as he stared at her. Malon winked at him, then jumped up and ran away, laughing. He could feel his face becoming warm and it took a minute for him to realize he was blushing. He sighed and leaned into the tree. At least he was safe...for now.
- - -
Dark opened his eyes and yawned. He had fallen asleep under the tree after Malon had left. He smiled and stood up. He stretched his arms and rolled his neck, hearing the satisfying cracking of the vertabre. He looked up at the sky and realized it was near dusk, the sky a deep magenta. He walked over to the corral again, looking for the horse. When he saw it, he smiled and ran over to it. The stallion nickered happily and walked over to him. Dark ran his hand through its mane and looked into its eyes again.
"I haven't named you yet. I should think of a name that suits you well. Now, let's see...How about Star?"
The horse snorted.
"Yeah, too overused. How does Midnight sound?"
The stallion shook its head. Dark laughed.
"Okay! Hmm...I think I got it! How about Titus? I think you would make a great companion and the name suits you!"
The stallion whinnied in approval. Dark stroked its nose.
"Then it's settled! From now on, your name shall be Titus!" he said happily as he scratched behind Titus' ear.
Titus nickered joyfully and began to prance around. Dark laughed loudly at the stallion's struting. He sighed contently and walked over to the small shelter that was in the corral. He sat down in the shade and closed his eyes. It seemed like his life was finally turning up roses, but he knew something would happen that would change that. He heard footsteps stop in front of him. He opened his eyes and saw Malon, a huge grin spread across her face and her arms behind her back.
"Do you think you can help me get the horses in the stable? I would really appreciate it." she said, helping him to his feet.
"Okay..." he said.
Malon's smile grew larger. She pulled her arms in front of her and gave him a halter. She showed him how to attach it to the horse's head, and then how to lead. He followed her instructions and soon got used to the job. When he had Titus properly tied up, he followed Malon and her horse to the stable, the other horses closely following.
"Why do they do that?" asked Dark, eyeing the other horses' actions.
"They are herd animals. They want to naturally follow their leader."
"Leader?"
"Yes. Your horse is the leader of this small herd. By the way, did you give him a name?"
"I did. His name is Titus."
"A rather good name. It means companionship, right?"
"It does and I think I could use that companionship right now..."
"You still hurt inside...Please, if there is anything I could do to help you..." Malon said as the walked into the stable.
"I don't think you could help me..."
"If you ever want to talk, remember that I am here..."
Dark sighed and watched as Titus walked into his stall. He removed the halter and gave the stallion one last stroke on his muzzle. Titus whinnied sleeply and quicky closed his eyes. He looked around the stable and took in the scent of freshly layed hay. He saw Malon putting away the last horse. Then she turned to him and smiled.
"Well, that's all we have to do tonight. You got off lucky. It's almost time for dinner, so come inside the house." she said as she grabbed his hand.
Dark found that he didn't flinch this time; he had gotten used to Malon's constant grabbings of his hands. He followed her out of the stable and into the house. It was fairly large, the main room consisting of a kitchen and a dining area. There was a set of stairs that lead upwards.
"There are three bedrooms upstairs. One is my dad's room, one is mine and the other is the guest room where you will be sleeping. I hope you'll it. Oh, and the bathroom is up there too."
"I thank you for your generosity. I never had someone be so kind to me before..." he said as he sat down in one of the four chairs beside the table.
Malon smiled and began to make dinner. Dark looked around the room. It had a warm feeling to it, very friendly and lacking any negativity to it. There were shelves adorning the walls, small objects such as jars and wooden figures placed on them. He looked at the staircase and saw that the first step was higher off the ground then it should be.
"Hey Malon?"
"Yes, Dark?"
"Why is that step higher off the ground then it should be?"
"Well, i'm really not sure. It was like that as far as I can remember. Perhaps it was a mistake in the design of the house."
"Perhaps..."
"Dinner's ready!" she shouted as she carried a large tray over to the table.
"Do you need help?"
"No, i'm okay. I do this every night, so i'm used to it."
"Where is your father and that man Ingo?"
"They are making a delivery to Kakariko Village. They won't be back until later, so it's just you and me." she said happily as she placed the tray down.
Dark looked at the tray. There were two plates on it. Both had a hearty helping of scrambled eggs and a baked potatoe. A stack of toast was next to the plates, alongside a stick of fresh butter. Malon walked over to the counter and grabbed two bottles of milk.
"I hope you like everything. I'm not much of a cook, but my father always says it's delicious. I want your honest opinion!" she said as she sat down across from him.
Dark nodded and picked up his fork and knife. He slowly cut into the eggs and picked up a large piece. He placed it into his mouth and chewed. He was hit with a cascade of different flavors. He swallowed the egg and smiled.
"It's very good. I never had anything this good before." he said, taking another bite of the eggs.
"I'm glad you like it! I was afraid you wouldn't."
"I would have eaten it even if I didn't like it. I need the energy to get strong again." he said, finishing off the eggs and working on the potatoe.
"Oh, I see..." Malon whispered.
Dark took a drink of the milk and sighed deeply. Truthfully, he hadn't eaten before, or at least from what he could remember. The meal was like Heaven to him right now. Before he knew it, his plate was cleared of all food and he had eaten half of the stack of toast.
"Wow, you sure can eat a lot!"
"I...I'm sorry...Did you have enough?"
"I did, thank you."
They sat in silence for several minutes.
"Well, I have to clean these dishes. How about you go check out your room upstairs? It's the one at the end of the hall."
"Don't you want help?"
"No, it's okay. You go upstairs."
Dark stared at her, then stood up and ascended the stairs. He took one last glance at her, then continued to walk. He came to a narrow hall with four doors. He walked all the way to the end of the hall and opened the door. He walked into a small room. There was a window that overlooked the corral, a small feathery bed, a dresser and a table with two wooden chairs. He sighed as he sat on the bed and rested his head in his hands.
"What am I doing? I shouldn't be here...I have to get away and hide. Tonight, I will take the horse and flee...I don't want to see Malon or her family hurt if Master finds out i'm here..." he whispered to himself.
He lifted his head and looked towards the window. He stood up and walked over to it. Outside, he saw the corral, empty & quiet. He rested his arms on the windowsill and stared up at the waning moon, its glow comforting him.
"So, this is how it is? Will I spend the rest of my life running? Will I ever be able to have a normal life? I only wish I could stay..."
He turned and saw Malon in the doorway, holding something. He straightened up and walked over to her.
"I...brought you something..." she said, holding out a small package wrapped in a cloth.
Dark looked at the tiny object and gingerly took it out of her hand. He unwrapped it and revealed a small silver musicbox. He stared at it, turning it over in his hands. He opened the lid and a tune began to play, the same song Malon was singing earlier that day.
"It...belonged to my mother..."
"I can't take it then..."
"Please. I want you to have it. So you will never forget this place if you ever leave."
Dark's eyes widened. Had she heard him? He slowly closed the box and stared at it again. He could see his reflection again, the same evil appearance that haunted him. He looked up at Malon and saw that she was crying. She smiled as she turned to leave.
"Wait."
She stopped and turned to him.
"I...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to-"
"It isn't your fault...I'm sorry for bringing up the subject..."
"Malon, would you like to sit down with me?"
She nodded and walked over to the bed. Dark sat next to her and smiled weakly at her. He turned his gaze to the floorboards and sighed.
"I know that you want to know about me...I have never given away my past to anyone before. I feel, that you are the only one I can trust now...
"To begin, I was created, not born, or from what I know. I can't remember much of my childhood, if I had one at all. There is one thing I do remember though, and that is the Water Temple. I remember being trapped with no way of escape. But that was when I could move freely around the temple. That day, I fought Link...and I lost. Because of that, I was trapped in the room that we fought in. I should have died that day, but I was saved by this mysterious entity that brought me out of the temple.
"That was the first time that I could remember seeing the outside and interacting with it. It was like I was blind until today. And you helped me see it longer by letting me get away. I've come to realize that I owe you my life..."
"Dark, you don't owe me anything. I was just doing what my heart told me to do. I think we were fated to meet. I thank the great Goddesses for it. I wished for someone like you to come along since I was little."
"Trust me, I am nothing that you would want."
"But you are! You're kind and you listen to others. And you're also good with animals! What more could I want?"
"I never told you why I was sent to the Water Temple. Malon, I did some bad things that I will never be able to atone for. There are parts of my past that I remember, but their like jigsaw pieces in a pile. I also didn't tell you who created me, and I don't think you will like it."
"You can tell me anything Dark."
"I was created by...Ganondorf..."
Malon let out a small gasp. Dark looked at her and saw fear in her eyes.
"I...I remember...It was around the time The Imprisoning War began. My father & I were in Castle Town delivering milk when it happened. The skies turned black and the earth rumbled. I looked over at the Temple of Time and saw The King of Evil, Ganondorf. He spotted me and he smiled. That smile...It was so horrible.
"He spoke something that I couldn't hear and then, the shadows around him rose up from the ground and formed into a figure. He ordered it to kill everyone. It simply nodded and with lightning speed, it slew one person after another. Then, it came to me and my father, who was trying to shield me from it. It was almost on us when it stopped.
"I looked up and all I could see were its blood red eyes, glowing wildly. It took a step back and fled away from us. I looked around and saw that Ganondorf was gone. There were so many people killed that day; Castle Town was shut down and the survivors of the slaughter moved into Kakariko. I will never forget those eyes...For they are staring at me now..."
Dark's eyes widened as looked at her.
"No...I knew I did something bad, but did I really kill all those people? No, it wasn't me!" he shouted, clutching his head in his hands.
"It was you...But for some reason, you stopped at us. Why did you?"
"I...I don't know...Everything is just starting to come back...Why did I do it?"
"The killings didn't stop there. It continued on for five years. Many of the small villages around here were wiped out. I was always living in fear, hoping that our ranch wouldn't be the next target. But then, it stopped two years ago. I guess that was when you were sealed in the temple."
"Y-yes...When I was sealed, I began to forget what I was, and I changed in appearance. I finally became the person you see today."
"Dark...You aren't a person..."
"W-what?"
"YOU'RE A MONSTER!!!" she shouted as she ran out of the room.
Dark sat on the bed dumbstruck. He lowered his head and wept silently.
"Why must I suffer? Was it because of what I had done? I'm no longer like that...Back then, I was a wild beast that had no thought but to kill. Now what am I? Now I can't even kill...I have no purpose..." he said as he stood up and walked out the door.
He walked past Malon's door and he could hear her weeping. He clentched his fists and ran down the stairs and out the door. He ran into the stable and went to Titus' stall. He was halfway done unlatching the door when he stopped.
"If I steal this horse, she'll hate me more than ever. Why should I care anymore?" he said.
Dark sighed as he closed the door and gave the stallion a final pat on the nose. Then, he ran away. Away from the place he thought he could call home.
"But it wasn't meant to be...It never was..." he whispered as he ran into the night.