Dark by S. Park

Part Four Shadowing

All of Hyrule seemed to be wild with glee. Every person in the whole land was rejoicing, except me. There had been the bonfire celebration that first night, when it seemed the entire nation had gathered in one place to dance and sing and drink to Ganondorf's death. And then the rebuilding had begun, the remnants of Ganondorf's tower had been torn down and a new castle was growing on the spot. The market town too was being rebuilt, and everyone spoke of the return of hope and prosperity.

I was just as glad to see the tower's remains go, it was only a reminder of the failure of darkness. I still didn't understand how it was possible. I knew that darkness was the stronger force. How had light won? And not just once, but over and over, for Link had defeated me and countless others just to reach Ganondorf.

I brooded on it yet again as I sat and watched Link. He was on the rocky ground in front of the slowly rising castle, practicing with his sword. I knew all those moves well, I could almost feel the weight of the sword in my hand. But my blade was gone. I had acquired a dagger, so I would be ready to kill when I met Link unarmed. I had considered a sword, but the dagger could be more easily concealed. And I was beginning to think that stealth and subterfuge were my only options, for I had never yet seen Link without his sword. He even slept with the damn blade by his side.

The sun gleamed off the silvery steel. He still carried the Master Sword, since he had not been sent back in time to return it to its place in the Temple of Time. That was my doing, I knew. It made me feel a little smug, though it also made me wonder. He knew I was the cause of his current troubles. I knew that he knew. But he had never spoken of it. Not to me, and not to Zelda or Impa or any of his other friends either. If I didn't know better I would have thought he was mute, he spoke so little. I wished I knew what he was up to. My memories of him told me that he could not possibly be plotting something against me, he had never been one to plot, and yet he surely must be up to something or he would have told somebody by now that I was the one keeping him trapped in the present!

I growled under my breath as I watched him. The sunlight touched his hair to blazing gold. He was so bright, just as he had been that first time, when he brought color into my gray world. He wore his green tunic today, as he so often did, and against the dullness of the dead earth around him he gleamed like a jewel.

I knew that I must be visible as well, in fact he had probably noticed me and was simply ignoring my presence. I had seen a mirror now, so I knew what I looked like. Like him, yes. My face was his face. But my hair was jet black, my eyes were ruby red, and I had fangs, small but sharp, which no Hylean I'd ever seen had. I wore black as well, it was the color I felt most comfortable with, though I had taken care to choose clothing of a completely different cut than Link's tunic and trews.

It still amazed me, though, how nobody had noticed my resemblance to their hero. Impa finding me familiar was the closest any had come. And yet I was him repainted by a different brush. It made me wonder if any of his friends were actually seeing Link, or were they just seeing the Hero of Time? Did they notice his face at all, or was it just the sword they saw? Would any of them recognize him if he donned the clothing I was wearing? And if I donned his, would they think I was he? I laughed at the thought. No, surely somebody would notice the hair, at least. My jet black was nothing like his vivid gold. But still, it made me glad that I wasn't a hero. He was showered in praise and attention whenever he went out in public, I had seen that as I followed him, looking for my chance to strike. He didn't seem particularly comfortable with it. And if anything he was even more silent with his admirers. The two words I'd gotten in response to my hatred were two words more than I'd ever seen him give in response to their adulation.

"Hya!" He danced back and forth, sword spinning and flashing. I wanted to go down there and fight him, meet his sword with my own. The urge was strangely divorced from my desire to kill him. I knew that sword to sword we were evenly matched, and he had resources I did not, if we met in straightforward battle he would win again. But something in me yearned to be there with him, strong and free in the sunlight.

What would happen if I got a sword and went out there to practice with him? He didn't hate me as I hated him. How would he respond?

That thought lingered in me as I went about my day. I spent most of it trailing him, of course. I didn't want to miss my chance. But I took some time to see if I could acquire a suitable blade and shield. The shield was easy, nearly any shield would do. The blade was harder. I needed one similar in weight and shape to the Master Sword.

While I sought a blade, Link aided the rebuilding. He took some time to himself, but most of the time he was volunteering in the town, or aiding with the new castle's construction.

Since I was shadowing him everywhere I ended up doing much of the same work as he. Nothing looks out of place more amid a bustle of busy workers than someone just standing around doing nothing. And I did not find the work unpleasant. There was something vaguely satisfying in quitting at the end of the day and being able to see what I had built standing there.

This new feeling troubled me. I had known determination. I had known hatred and fear and pain. But this was something different. This was like Link's memories, like the way I could recall him feeling after he had accomplished some task. I didn't want to become any more like him than I already was! And I feared that this strange satisfaction would blunt my rage, distract me from my revenge. So I was very glad when I finally got my hands on a sword. Facing him would let me renew my hatred, and remind myself of my goal, I was sure of it.

I was pleased when he went out to practice the following day. I watched as usual for a time, then I picked up my own sword and shield and walked out onto the barren ground before him.

He straightened from his fighting crouch and regarded me calmly. I stopped a short distance from him and drew my sword. He lifted his slightly, prepared to block, but remained silent.

I growled at him, "I'm just here to practice with you, not to kill you. Not today, anyway."

He nodded, but still said nothing. I bared my teeth, suddenly wanting to beat some sort of response out of him, but that would get me nowhere. Instead I moved in on him, sword raised.

We met in a whirlwind of steel. I hammered at him, but he blocked every stroke. And every time he attempted to get past my guard I blocked him as well. Steel clashed on steel over and over as we moved back and forth across the makeshift practice field.

I felt a kind of exhilaration to be fighting so. It didn't even really matter that I faced my hated enemy, simply using my skills, letting my muscles work as they hadn't in far too long, was glorious. I laughed suddenly, and Link grinned at me. I might hate him, but in this at least we felt the same. We both loved combat.

But eventually we both began to tire. It was Link who broke it off first, stepping back and raising his sword. I stepped back as well and sheathed my blade. We were both panting hard, and both grinning as well. It had been so much fun! But as my blood cooled paradoxically my rage heated. How dare he stand there grinning silently at me! Why wouldn't he speak? Why didn't he explain himself? The more I looked the more my hatred and anger grew, and at last I could contain them no longer.

"Why won't you speak? Do you want people to think you're mute?"

Link just shrugged and sheathed his sword.

"Well, say something!"

"What is there to say?"

"Ha, so you can speak! Well, there's plenty to say. You could say, for starters, why you haven't told anyone who I am!"

Link shrugged again. "I see no reason to."

"No reason to? You're not an idiot, you have to know that I'm the reason Zelda couldn't send you back to your own time! You're trapped here because of me. And they have no idea why. But you do! All you have to do is tell them, and they could no doubt get me out of the way one way or another and send you back!"

Link chuckled softly. "That assumes I want to go back."

I gaped at him. "What?"

Link just smiled.

I growled at him. "Why wouldn't you want to go back? You'd get to grow up in peace."

Link slung his shield over his back and turned to go.

"Hey! Come back here and finish explaining this to me! Why the hell are you giving up the chance to not have to do any of this? You could relax, enjoy all those years you missed, have something like a normal childhood. You would probably be best buddies with the little Princess, maybe even marry her, all that! So why give it up?"

"Peace is overrated," Link said over his shoulder, "and so is marriage." He walked away leaving me standing there stunned. Peace is overrated? The Hero of Time was saying that? Or had I somehow been following some other evil shadow Link? What was going on here? And what the hell did he mean about marriage? I once more shuffled through our shared memories, but the only thing related to marriage I could find there was his bafflement at the Zora Princess Ruto's bold assumption that they would be wed. Had that somehow made him decide to dislike marriage? I couldn't remember any such decision.

"Gah," I said, and kicked a rock across the ground, feeling the need to express my confusion and frustration somehow. I was going to go mad if I had to deal with that enigmatic bastard much longer. I hoped I could kill him soon.