Dark by S. Park

Part fifteen Exchange of Destiny

Questra was even larger than the trade town we'd first encountered had been. It was thronged with people, and I even a saw a few other races; a handful of Gorons going singly about their business, a cluster of Deku scurrying along together, a solitary Zora striding proudly among the crowd, and even a few Hylians, so at least Link and I didn't stand out quite so badly here.

We asked after Bertram the Sage in several places before getting directions to a shrine at the edge of town. It was peaceful there, though once again the day was dark and the clouds overhead threatened either icy rain or snow. The shrine was a small building, old but well tended, with neatly arranged gardens that, even in winter, were pleasing to the eye.

There was a hitching post by the road outside where we left our horses. At the end of the garden path the door stood open, so we went inside. The main chamber was small. It was very clean, with a well-swept floor and plain white walls. A modest altar against the far wall held three small statues of the goddesses, and a handful of incense sticks that gave a sweet, smoky fragrance to the air.

Kneeling facing the altar was an old man. He was short and quite bald, dressed in orange robes and wearing sandals. He got to his feet as we entered. "Greetings. What brings you here to my little shrine?"

Link didn't respond, so I answered. "We're looking for Bertram the Sage. Are you him?"

"I am."

"You sent me a message. I came to find out what else you know."

"A message, you say?"

"Yes. I'm Dark."

The old man peered at me curiously. "Interesting. I hadn't expected a Hylian."

"But you know about my... my curse? About Link and I, and the darkness, and his song?"

He shook his head. "No. I see what I see, my young friend, but I see little else. I saw a dark figure, and a light, and heard a song, and knew the words that needed to be sent, to bring you here. But beyond that I know nothing. So you will have to tell me your tale."

Link and I exchanged glances. I didn't want to tell this stranger about my problems. But if he could solve them... "I'll tell him," said Link softly.

"Thanks," I said shortly. Somehow just his offering irritated me, even though it was exactly what I had hoped he would do. I wondered if my hatred was getting worse, or if it was only my fatigue from the long journey that made me so easily angered.

The sage insisted that we sit down and have tea with him, and Link agreed readily, though I chafed at the delay. I wanted to get this over with already.

When he had poured the tea and we were all three sitting and taking our first sips, the sage said, "So. Tell me about light, and dark, and the song."

"It started when I was fighting an evil mage named Ganondorf. He set a spell which made my shadow come to life and attack me. I defeated the shadow, but... he wasn't just a shadow, when I hit him he bled. I knew he was me, somehow, or very like me, and I didn't want to leave him to die, so I healed him."

"And you are he, then." The sage looked at me. I nodded, keeping a tight hold on the irritation that threatened to blaze into fury. Saving me had been stupid, Link should have just left me to die.

"Yes," said Link. "We met again not long after, and have become friends of a sort but our... friendship is hindered by the fact that the compulsion Ganondorf laid on Dark remains. He keeps trying to kill me."

"A compulsion, you say? Then he is forced against his will to do you violence?"

Link looked at me. I looked away. He'd volunteered to tell this story, he could tell it. "Not exactly against his will. At the time he acts it's what he wants to do. He hates me, most of the time. Or at least is very angry with me. But the hatred comes from the spell, not from his own wishes."

The sage looked between us again, and I'm sure he noticed my sour expression. "Interesting. And the song?"

"That's why he only hates me most of the time, and not all of the time. There's a song I can play that removes his hatred, but the effect doesn't last, it fades. Quicker if I do something to annoy him, but even when I don't it always wears off eventually."

"Very interesting. You have a magical instrument, then?"

Link pulled out his ocarina. "Yes."

The sage peered at it. "Hmm. A very powerful item. Though not the greatest of those you two carry." He shot me a glance, and I knew he must mean the Master Sword. "I am not surprised it would have an effect."

"It's not just the ocarina though, we tried switching instruments, and it still worked. It's even worked when I just hum. So there's something about me in particular."

"Curious. Can you cast other spells merely by humming?"

Link blinked. "I don't know, I never tried."

"I would be very interested to see if you could," said the sage. "Perhaps you could make an attempt?"

Link frowned, no doubt mentally shuffling through the songs he knew. Time wasn't to be played with lightly, and neither was the sun, those spells were for only when needed. Summoning a storm we might then have to travel through was the last thing he wanted, and of course traveling back to Hyrule wasn't a good idea either. And Zelda's Lullaby only worked in very specific circumstances, there was nothing here for it to affect. That left Epona's Song or Saria's Song. "All right," said Link. "I guess I can try one." He closed his eyes and hummed, and I heard Saria's Song. Since that let him speak silently with her, I couldn't tell if it was working, but after a moment he opened his eyes and shook his head. "No, nothing."

"Yes, I sensed no magic then. You did not cast a spell, you merely hummed a few notes. Are you sure your humming has cast this spell of yours?"

"Fairly sure," said Link. "I could try that one now?"

"Yes, please do."

Link closed his eyes and hummed again, and this time I heard my own song. Immediately the anger I'd once more begun to feel drained away from me. I sighed, as always it was a relief to be free of it.

"Fascinating. It's small and focused but actually quite powerful. I've never know anyone who could cast a spell just by humming it. Very interesting."

"But I can't walk around humming all the time. We want to find a way to permanently free Dark from his hatred. But simply breaking the spell that caused it might kill him, since it's the spell that made him in the first place."

"I see your problem. Yes. Very interesting. Sadly I cannot break this spell for you."

Link's face fell. My own expression no doubt was equally disappointed. "You can't?" I ventured.

"No. But I didn't say it couldn't be broken. I am fairly certain there is one who can break it."

"Who?" I asked eagerly.

The old man looked at me soberly. "I can't tell you."

"What?" I felt a flare of anger, and for once it was directed at somebody other than Link. "Why not?"

"Because the fates have decreed it otherwise," said the old man.

I got to my feet, dropping the teacup. "So what, some kind of destiny demands that I go through life with this curse? Is that it?"

"You misunderstand. Destiny does not demand you stay cursed, but destiny has sent you here with a dual purpose. Your curse can be removed, but my curse needs removing as well, you see."

"Your curse?"

"Yes. You need not know of it. But I am cursed, and you two can bring me what I need to remove it. Destiny has sent you here to do do, I have foreseen it."

I was about to snap back with an angry retort, but Link spoke before I could. "Destinies aren't fixed," he said quietly. "Seven sages saw me return to my home, and yet here I am, and they are all wrong. Fate doesn't demand that we break your curse for you."

The sage stared at Link. Then he laughed. "Perhaps fate does not, but I do. I have the key to your problem. You have the key to mine. Why shouldn't we exchange them?"

Link nodded silently. I muttered a curse under my breath.

"In the mountains not far from here lies a cavern. It is long and deep and full of monsters. I cannot venture there, but you are clearly used to such dangers. Within that cavern lies a box, and within that box a book. Bring me the book and I will tell you what you need to know."

"Very well." Link nodded.

"What?" I couldn't bite back my incredulous outburst. "We have to go fetch some dusty tome for you?"

"I cannot reach it myself. So I require the help of ones such as yourselves."

"If you want an exchange, then why not give us our answer first, and then we can go get the book?"

The sage regarded me from narrowed eyes. "I am not a fool, boy. Even with the best of intentions you might fail, and then I would be left still cursed. Bring me the book first, and you'll have your answer after."

"It's okay Dark, it's not like I haven't done this sort of thing before," said Link.

"And you're an idiot for it!" I snapped at him, the calm of his song already eroding away.

"Dark, please..."

"He's just an old man, we can make him tell us what we need," I growled.

Link looked shocked. "No. Do I need to get out the ocarina to calm you?"

I had never before felt like that was a threat, but it seemed like one now. I snarled something incoherent at him and turned to leave before he could make good on it. Now I had one more reason to hate him, he could use that spell to force me along with whatever he wanted, since when he played it, it made me like him. But no. I shook my head, feeling once again torn between conflicting feelings. He really was my friend, he played only to help me. I knew that. I clung to it, trying to push back the anger that filled me, but it was greater than usual. He was being such an idiot! Here the end of our quest might be in sight and he was going to send us off on some addled mission for an old man who was too lazy to solve his own problems!

A few moments later Link emerged from the shrine. He mounted Epona wordlessly and set out, headed away from town, towards where I could see mountains on the horizon. "Hey! Wait!" I called after him. "I'm not going to go along with this just because you say so!"

He looked down at me from on top of the horse and sighed. "Dark... what else are we supposed to do?"

"Any number of things!"

"Like try to bully an old man into giving us what we want?"

"Well if you don't like that we could ask around the marketplace. He said all he could do was tell us who could break the curse. If we asked enough people I'm sure somebody else would know too."

"So you want to tell your story to the whole town?"

"No! I'm not saying tell people the story, but we could ask after mages, at least. And the old man said that he wasn't going to risk us running off without getting his book, but what's to say that he won't refuse to give us our answer once we have it? Hell, for all I know he doesn't know anything, and is just pretending so that we'll do what he wants!"

"And if that's the case we'll deal with it when the time comes. For now I think this is our best option."

"Well I disagree. Who made you my master anyway?" I was white-hot with fury at this point. Link reached for his ocarina. "And don't play that damned thing at me, just answer me! Why should I follow you off on this ridiculous mission?"

Link sighed, and gave me a wry smile. "Well, for one thing you can't very well try to kill me if you don't come along. And if you're not going to let me play for you, then I assume you are back to wanting me dead?"

"I... damn you. I have no idea what the hell I want, and you know that! I'm going crazy here, I need to have this fixed."

"Then we need to get going, if we're going to get the book and be back in any reasonable sort of time."

I started rattling off every curse I knew, but Link just turned Epona and started down the road. I mounted up and went after him, unable to think of any other options.