The Serpent's Egg
By Nicolle

1st Note: All the names of extraneous characters for this fic are randomly selected from the latest issue of Yoga Journal.

2nd Note: Since everyone has their own fav version of Dark Link, I've decided against describing which one it is exactly. Fill in your favorite.

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda belongs to Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo. Thank you for letting your fans borrow them.

Chapter Four

Elana clutched the horse' reins as it darted through the trees. The thing in the air was faster than the horse, but the forest slowed it down. She screamed when a claw slashed her back.

"HELP!"

The pound of hooves answered her and she caught a glimpse of Link through the trees. Even with Annie on his back, he had no trouble drawing his bow and knocking the monster out of the sky. As soon as it hit the ground, Link rounded about and trampled it.

He stayed long enough to be sure it was dead before heading back to Elana. Her body draped over her horse's neck. Half unconscious, she breathed heavily. Link examined the wound on her back. It was deep and he could see the white of bone. Digging through his saddle bag, he found a potion and carefully tipped a bit down her throat. The healing gently closed the worst of the wound.

He pulled her down and laid her on the forest floor. Annie's head popped over his shoulder, watching him prep a needle and thread.

"This is going to hurt."

Elana whimpered while he sewed up her back and carefully badged the stitches. Helping her sit up, he gave her peppermint from his pouch.

"Chew on this. It will numb the pain."

Annie tugged on his hair.

"I'm hungry."

He smiled. "Me too." He pulled out a piece of leaf bread and broke it into four pieces, throwing the fourth piece into a shadow. A hand reached out of the darkness to catch the bread. "Where is she?"

"Looking for the Egg." The other took a bite of the leaf bread and chewed slowly.

"Anything to add to that?"

He gestured to Elana. "Keep her alive."

"I got that part from your last visit."

Annie ran up to the other, staring at the red eyes. He patted her on the head. "Don't wander off. There are undead in these woods."

"Undead?" Link cursed softly. "We need to find shelter before dark." He stood and brushed off his hands. "Come on, Annie, back in the sling."

She nodded and stopped, looking at the ground. Little tufts of green grass sprouted from the dead ground. Link followed them in a line to where Elana sat. Watching the princess, he slung Annie to his back. He offered her a hand. "Time to go."

She looked up, still in shock from the pain. She took his hand and grimaced when she stood. A few drops of blood slipped from the bandage and hit the ground. Grass sprouted. Making a mental note, Link helped her onto her horse and took the reins.

Night fell too fast. The moon rose high over the dead trees. Link could hear the shuffling. He detoured his horse toward the city, hoping to get to the farms ringing Zoebha's capital.

"What happened to protecting her identity?" the other whispered through the shadows.

"We need shelter first. Keep Elana in her saddle!" Only after his horse started galloping did Link hear the other's laugh. He turned to see Elana gone from her horse. Annie gripped his tunic harder as the undead started moving faster. "What did you do with her?"

"Maybe I put her somewhere safe."

"I doubt that." They burst into a clearing and a farm house appeared in the middle of the field, cold and dark. Link headed toward it, passing through a gate, and by a statue of the goddess Farore. He pulled up short and ripped his left glove off. He put his hand to the statue and the Triforce symbol on his hand glowed. An array of light burst forth from the statue, skewering the woods. The screams of the undead followed and then silence.

"Wow."

Link smiled at Annie. "Cool, huh?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's find Elana."

"Okay!"

If there was one thing Link knew, it was himself. The other was attempting to speed up the process, impatient for his once in a lifetime chance. But he couldn't choose the test or force the time. That belonged to Nayru alone. And just as he knew himself, he knew where the other would put Elana. He headed to the farm house.

"Annie, I need you to stay here on the porch. Hide behind the tarps and barrels."

The girl nodded as Link let her out of the sling. He patted her on the head.

"I'll be right back. Stay as quiet as you can."

Annie huddled down and hugged her knees. Link tried the door and it swung open slowly.

"Now where is Elana?"

Elana didn't know where she was. The room was dark and underground by the ever present smell of dirt. Her back ached, but no matter how much potion she drank, it refused to heal any further than it already had. She could hear something moving in the darkness and she was pretty sure it wasn't the other. The other didn't make noise. Even when he spoke, it didn't sound like he drew breath.

She crept toward the only light she saw, slipping through the cracks of wooden planks above her. Reaching a ladder, she shot up it as fast as she could. Something grabbed her ankle and she screamed. The trapdoor to the dirt cellar burst open and Link jumped through. The thing in the dark dragged her through the mud, away from the opening.

The very real presence of an awfully big mouth breathed down her back. Digging into the mud, Elana attempted to drag herself forward to no avail. An arrow aflame struck the monster and its grip on her slackened. She scrambled to her feet and froze mid-stride at the empty sling.

Link drew his sword and stood ready. "What are you waiting for? Run!"

"Where's Annie?"

For a heartbeat, Link's equilibrium died. "Hidden on the porch. Go!"

Elana ran for it. He turned his attention fully to the monster. It the fading light from the arrow, he saw eight tentacles, a gaping maw of razor teeth, and one large red eye. As darkness fell, he leapt to the right and ran for the reflected light from the eye. He ducked the tentacle that swiped at him and jumped, bringing his sword down through the eye and into to the brain.

Soaked in monster goop, he pulled his sword free and flicked the monster guts from the blade. He headed back to the ladder and climbed. The door to the porch was open, but neither Elana nor Annie where anywhere to be found. Muddy foot prints led from the porch to a house a field away.

Link whistled for his horse and it followed him as he ran for the next house. A light shone from a second story window. He entered the house carefully and found Elana and Annie huddling, cornered by a zombie. Elana covered Annie with her body, revealing a reopened wound. Before Link could stop it, the zombie touched Elana's back and turned to ash where it stood.

Link stood slack jawed as someone crept down the stairs.

"Who's there?"

Link turned. "Bot!"

Bot set the candle down on the table. "Captain, you've looked better."

"You're telling me." He sighed. "I hope Zelda's all right."

Sheik hurried through the temple to Lanayru's chamber. The serpent's head rose from the mist.

"Queen of Destiny, what you seek is not here."

"I saw dead Gerudo in the shrine. Has Ganon taken it?"

"The Egg still eludes the Enemy."

Sheik sighed in relief. "Has he left the shrine?"

"Yes."

"Where is the Egg?"

"Deep beneath the waters of Lake Zuron beyond the Crystal Mountains of Zoebha lies the Egg. But only the princess can retrieve it and she must first turn blue."

"She needs to drown?"

"Princess Elana must be one with the water and it will only be one of many little deaths."

"Wow. All right." Sheik sighed and bowed to Lanayru. "Thank you."

"Good Luck," she whispered as she descended into the depths.