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Thank you to Princess Zelda-figure skater for beta reading!
Dark Reflections: Chapter Three: New Ideas
Dark Link's POV:
The cold January air bites at my fingertips as I make my way into the university. The courtyard is shrouded in a thick, dense fog, the kind of fog that drenches you from head to foot the moment you step outside, and makes it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you. I've found that once Christmas and New Years have passed the cold and the frost stop being so festive and romantic and start just being a nuisance. I've seen it happen, watched Link's spirit drop with the festivities, and from what I've seen out here so far, Link isn't the only one.
I turn the corner into the car park, burying my hands deep in the pockets of his favourite mossy green winter jacket. When suddenly I feel my feet knock into something and I find myself stumbling. I steady myself and carefully look down, only for my eyes to fall upon a strange sight. Sheik lies back down on a skateboard. At least… I think it's Sheik… it's hard to be certain as his torso lies underneath the car, with only his legs clearly visible.
"Hey buddy…" I murmur, carefully watching him. "What exactly are you doing down there?"
He uses his fingers to grip the bumper of the car, pulling himself out from underneath it. He looks up at me, grinning naively.
"Hey Link, sorry about tripping you up… my tool box is round to the left side of the car, could you fetch me my wrench?"
"Sure…" I reply, wandering half-heartedly around to the other side of the car, kneeling down beside the tool box. I begin to search though the collection of tools, equipment, and mechanical contraptions. Wrench… wrench… suddenly my fingers glide over the wire cutting plies, and a devilishly brilliant idea dances through my mind. I grin, quickly taking and pocketing the pliers, before grabbing the wrench. I get to my feet and pace back around the car, handing Sheik his tool.
"So, what are you doing?" I ask, watching him carefully as he slips back under the car.
"Just making sure everything's in order," Sheik mutters. "This car is my pride and glory… it needs to be in perfect working order at all times!"
I laugh sarcastically, "If you say so! Look, I've got a lecture to go to, I'll see you later."
I turn, walking away along the frozen concrete. But I don't travel more than twenty feet before I hear his low voice calling a name… Link's name…
"Yeah?" I reply, turning back around quickly to face him.
"Have you seen Midna?" He asks, propping himself up on one elbow.
And that's when another havoc-wreaking opportunity flashes before my eyes. I pull a slightly crooked grin, and say "Last I saw she was having coffee with Zant."
"Zant?" Sheik questions, sitting up a little straighter. "Is he that Twili from her seminar?"
"I guess so," I reply. I've heard Midna mention this guy in her classes a couple of times… it seems so perfectly fitting for this opportunity. "They're good friends, very close!"
"Yeah…" Sheik growls, his face suddenly darkening, "Too close…"
I turn away, unable to hide my delighted smirk.
I wander half-heartedly into the kitchen of his apartment, cracking my knuckles and stretching my limbs. Being in Hylian form is sure uncomfortable… it's much easier living as a shadow, but then again, you don't get the same sense of life that way. I grip the handle of the fridge door, carefully pulling it open, glancing through his stock of food… what do Hylian's eat? I stand there in silence for a few moments, pondering my options, before taking an apple from the bottom shelf of the cold storage space, and grabbing a bottle of water from its door, before carefully closing it. I pace through his eerily silent apartment, the floorboards creak a little beneath me as I walk into his room, making a bee-line for that beautiful mirror. Rather than hesitantly taking my time, I pass straight through, now used to the cold and the strange sensation I get from it. Link watches me in silence with his piercing azure eyes, his hair falls in a limp mess around him, he looks tired, hungry, but his eyes still won't leave me. He remains exactly as I left him, still tied up on the floor, gagged, his shirt is still a little damp. I feel a smile tugging at my lips as I watch him uncomfortably shift where he sits, restrained by the ropes that bind him.
"You've been very good while I was gone…" I smile, carefully throwing the apple up into the air and catching it in the palm of my hand as I pace back and forth in front of him. I stop, turning to look directly at him, kneeling down in front of him "And if you promise to carry on behaving this way, I might untie you and let you eat something. Does that sound fair to you?" He nods vigorously, those azure eyes wide with urgency. I let myself smile, pulling the gag from around his face, letting it slip down to his neck. He breathes a sigh of relief as I move around him, carefully pulling at the knots, unlooping the ropes in just the right way to let them fall to the floor with a heavy thud. But as soon as he's free, he jumps to his feet, rushing towards that mirror. I roll my eyes nonchalantly, flexing the fingers on my right hand, before aiming them towards him. A chain unfolds from my palm, snaking along the cold, grey, flooring, following his path. He reaches out his fingertips, so close to touching the intricate framing, when suddenly the chain dives at him, shackling his ankle. I watch with a devious smile as it slithers back to the wall, attaching itself to the bland brickwork, forcing him back from the mirror. He falls to the floor with a loud thump, desperately pulling at his ankle, trying to pry open the shackle, but the set iron is fixed shut.
"How did you do that?" He stutters, his voice dry from dehydration as his confused eyes meet mine. He turns back to look at the wall, grabbing the chain and trying to wrench it away, but his attempts are futile.
I smile, feeling a small thrill of pride at his confusion. "Didn't you wonder how that mirror got enchanted Light Brother?" He turns to watch me as I stand before him, arm extended, palm upwards. "Things like that are so simple when you've got a little magic…" I spark up a miniature flaming ball in my palm, allowing it to jump back and forth from finger to thumb, before closing my hand into a fist, extinguishing its light. He watches me in stunned silence, his mouth hanging open a little.
I smile, holding out the apple and the bottled water to him. "Are you hungry?" he studies the food and drink carefully, hesitant over whether or not to take them. I sigh "Look, if I wanted to kill you I'd have done it by now, besides, I'm your dark twin, if you die, I die… so what good would it do me to kill you?"
He hesitates for a few seconds more, but eventually decides to take the nourishment. I watch him carefully as he hungrily scoffs the food between mouthfuls of water, the relief washes over him as he eats, now seemingly ignoring the chain on his ankle. Eventually he finishes, swallowing the last few mouthfuls, before leaning back against the wall, eyes closed.
I carefully put my hands on my hips, watching him. "How much do you know about cars?"
His eyes snap back open, watching me carefully. "That's a random question…"
I shrug, "Maybe, but I need to know."
He looks hesitant for a few moments, but then sighs. "I know my way around one… why?"
"Good, it's plausible then," I say, smiling as I turn towards the mirror, ready to leave.
"Why? What's plausible?" He asks, climbing to his feet, desperate for knowledge.
I smile tauntingly. "You'll find out soon enough…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asks as I begin to walk slowly towards the mirror. The chain makes a small sound as he steps closer to me, pulling it taught.
"It means you'll know when I decide I want to tell you." I smirk.
He sighs, accepting his defeat, but as I proceed to pass through the mirror, his cold hand wraps around my wrist, holding me back. I turn to face him, and his desperate eyes meet mine. "Can you at least tell me one thing?" He asks, I stop, giving him a slow nod. "Zelda… is she ok?"
I smile, "She's fine… for now…" and with that I vanish from the room, back into the real world. I turn back, watching him through the enchanted glass as his shoulders droop, the worry evident on his face. He walks back over to the wall, leaning his back against it and allowing himself to slide down to the floor, sobs shake his weak body as he cries desperately over his love.
The car park of the Castle Town library is lit only by street lights, casting pools of light one the dense concrete. Their yellowish tinge makes the skin of my arms look deathly pale, but I'm hoping that at this time of night no one will see me. I know Sheik always works late in the city library; he'll probably be in there for another hour or so, giving me the perfect opportunity to work my mischief…
I glance around me, checking that there's no one in sight as I dodge between the street lights, ducking in and out of the yellow beams of light, hoping that no one will see my face. I delve around in my pocket, allowing my left hand to thoughtfully stroke the pair of pliers sitting in my pocket as I near Sheik's car. I steal one last glance around me before producing the pliers and laying my body down on the cold grey concrete. I sidle along the ground until I find myself lying underneath the car, carefully rooting around the underside, hunting for the brake wire… where is it?
Suddenly from around me I hear loud footsteps and a high pitched giggle. I swallow hard, gasping a little. I quickly scrabble out from under the car, hauling myself to my feet, only to find Midna staring at me, one eyebrow raised.
"Link?" She questions.
I glance at her companion, tall, pale, with wide haunting red eyes… he watches me eerily, and I don't know what it is about him, but he puts me a little on edge… Midna glances up at him, before turning back to me.
"Link, this is Zant, I don't think you two have met before."
"No, we haven't, nice to finally meet you Zant," I say, putting on a broad smile and extending a hand for him to shake. His cold hand grips mine and he gives it a firm shake, a smile spreading across his pale lips.
"What were you doing on the floor?" Midna asks, still watching me cautiously.
"Oh…" I say, laughing casually as my mind races to come up with an excuse, "I just dropped my keys."
"Oh… ok…" she says, though I'm not entirely sure she believes me. "And the pliers?"
"Uhh…" I mutter, "Borrowed them from Sheik! I was going to return them!"
"Well Sheik said I can borrow his car… you might want to move!" She says, laughing.
"Oh right!" I reply, stepping out of the way, allowing her to clamber into the car. She carefully closes the car door, pulling the vehicle out of its parking spot. I watch in silence as her and Zant drive away through the night, damn… well that's one opportunity flawed, but surely they'll be other chances?
