Shadow of a Doubt
How had it all gone so terribly wrong?
Link could remember just moments ago when he'd managed to pull the Master Sword from the Light Dragon's head, feeling its radiant power bursting outwards… Then, before he knew it, the golden skies around Hyrule had turned dark and sinister, and he was sent cratering down to the lands below as the Light Dragon bucked its head.
Such a dire fall wouldn't be too much for the Hero, except for the fact that something within the legendary sword was draining him. He could feel his very essence being sucked out of himself, but he couldn't let go– This sword was too important.
Lightning crashed all around as he fell through the clouds, barely able to see the ground far below coming ever closer. Link grasped with his free hand desperately to try and grab his paraglider, but it slipped from his grasp as cold rain sprayed down in a torrential blast from the heavens. Letting out a yell of frustration, the Hylian looked around for the spirit of Tulin, spotting him not far off.
"Link…"
That was all the spirit managed before it dissolved into nothingness, and along with it, any hope Link had of surviving.
Plummeting into the dark unknown, Link was soon greeted by an incredibly hard surface, which gave way soon after, resulting in him slamming multiple times into several things before he finally hit the ground itself.
His mind in a daze, Link could only lay there in agony, his vision fading, as pink lights danced around him, a warmth enveloping him as fairies began to dance.
Even that seemed fruitless however, as their light dimmed and then faded before he could make a full recovery. It was enough to allow him to turn over, examining himself in the dim interior he found himself in, letting out a huff of relief his body was still in-tact. But the sword…
Lifting the Master Sword still deathly clutched in his hand, his eyes widened at the sight of a dark purple light emanating within it.
"Oh my dear Link… You are far too trusting of your beloved Princess."
The voice that spoke held vestiges of Zelda's voice, but with a sinister undertone that led into a cackle that echoed inside Link's mind, making him wince and try to release the blade– But it was to no avail. It was as if his arm was no longer his own, even though it was technically Rauru's to begin with.
"Now you will be forced to suffer. Witness the beginning of the end for yourself.~"
Suddenly, the room around Link turned to a dark landscape. He looked around in confusion, til something began to form in front of him–
It was Zelda. Though she was… Different. Her skin and outfit was pitch black, her eyes glowed a deep scarlet hue, and her hair was white as bone. She stepped from a vortex of shadows, a smirk on her face as she confidently strode towards the Hero.
Link let out a gasp as he tried to rise, only to fall back to his rear. He held the Master Sword before himself in a warding gesture, scooting back til he felt a wall behind himself, despite being unable to see anything about the room anymore.
"Your Princess is no more. She is now I," the false Zelda spoke with a chuckle, her voice causing strange whispers to gather around in the shadows.
Link shook his head, not believing the lies, swiping the sword through the air in a confident stroke, though even that took the little energy he had out of him.
"Would you try to strike me down? Would that truly make you feel better about your failure?"
She continued forward. Link tensed up, holding the Master Sword up, though Zelda brushed it aside with a hand and knelt down before him. Link's eyes reflected the red glow of Zelda's as she peered closer at him, one of her cold hands reaching up to caress his face gently, making his confidence waiver even more.
"That is what I thought. Link… Link…. Link…"
Link gasped as Zelda's voice slowly returned to its normal sound, and in the blink of an eye, the shadowy atrocity before him had changed into the perfect and serene Princess.
Zelda had a sad smile on her face as she touched Link's cheek, tears forming in her eyes as she shook her head.
"It is really I, Link," she said solemnly, her voice threatening to break. "I could not stop him… Nobody can. I had to give in."
Link shook his head, denying this claim, knowing that there had to be a way to defeat the Demon King. After all, what was it all for otherwise? Gathering the champions and their secret stones, seeking out the restored Master Sword, all the experiments and efforts of Purah and her lab…
But Link knew that this truly was Zelda before him. The girl who showed enough bravery to seal away Calamity Ganon for a hundred years. Would she give up so easily, if there were any hope?
"My noble Hero… My… Knight," Zelda spoke, beginning to sob. "It is over… Please… Join me in the suffering, at least. I do not wish to do it alone."
Link felt his heart shudder. The perfect image of Zelda began to change before his very eyes with every passing moment, turning from the Princess he knew well to the wicked and dark incarnation, and then back again in an instant.
He closed his eyes, hearing whispers tickling at his very soul. Strange voices, some familiar, some horrifyingly unfamiliar, seemed to be trying to coax him one way or another.
"There is no winning, Link."
"My Daughter is suffering, Link. Please comfort her."
"Link…"
"Link please.."
"Link, go to her."
"Link"
"Link–"
"You must save her, Link."
Letting out a shuddering breath, Link felt tears swelling of his own. He allowed himself to breathe, and after a moment, he slowly opened his eyes to the harsh reality before him.
The Zelda he knew was no more. Here before him was the result of her failure– A new being that served the darkness she swore to destroy. Yet… What was there to do about it? Link did not have it in himself to raise that sacred blade and kill the Princess he swore to protect all those years ago.
Defeating the Demon King… Yes, that would free her, wouldn't it?
Link glanced over at his right arm, the one that Rauru had bestowed upon him to save the world. It was now dark, twisted, and nearly unusable, his hand grasped firmly around the corrupted Master Sword in an eternal grip.
No… He couldn't do it, not anymore. Zelda was his only chance, and here she was, defeated.
The shadow of his former Princess leaned in closer, pressing her forehead to his own. He felt her icy skin, devoid of any warmth, as she gazed firmly into his eyes…
And to his surprise, he saw those sad, blue orbs beneath that red sheen, gazing into his eyes with regret, longing, and over a hundred years of history between them.
"Link… I can't do it alone…"
That was when the Hero of Hyrule fell. His grip finally released from the Master Sword, and Rauru's arm fell off of him like a rotted hunk of flesh, as Link pressed forward and embraced Zelda with his remaining arm, letting his tears flow as he felt the cold darkness start to move along his skin.
"Thank you… Link, we will be together forever. He promised," Zelda said, a small smile on her face as she embraced her Knight.
Together, the two became eternal servants of the Demon King, shadows of their former selves that could not even feel the warmth of each others love any longer.
Still, the two were eternally bonded. In the moons that followed, the rumors of a Dark Knight and a Shadowy Princess would arise more and more, always together, and always ruthless in their murderous intent.
Soon, Hyrule would truly fall. The last vestiges of rebellion were squashed, and the Demon King's corruption spread across every inch of the land.
While it is only told in legend, it is said that the shadowy pair that helped create his new world were placed in a tomb by the Demon King after his revival, hand in hand together for eternity, all of their suffering from their own failures finally coming to an end..
But it is impossible to know the truth. All who remember the heroic Princess and her Champion are long gone now.
The Legend of Zelda has truly been forgotten.
The End...?