Two years passed, and the two exiles lived peacefully without worry. True to his word, Renado had set up a place for them to stay in the building that rested on the hill- the house that he had secretly been responsible for destroying. They made the place really nice for him, fully decorated with furniture and décor, and made sure the baby had everything he needed- even toys. Link couldn't ask for a better place to raise Nani, as the villagers all looked after them and gave them truly accepting embraces. He could depend on them for whatever he needed, even though he tried not to be a burden to them.
He took to helping out at the Monster Control Team of Eldin Village, leaving Nani in the care of the Shaman- the only person he completely trusted with the boy- until he returned. Everyday, they set out to find the wild beasts and exterminate them from the earth, and while it was typically easy, occasionally, rare species would appear that made even Link struggle. Though, hunting the monsters once more was almost therapeutic for the man, and the 21-year-old found another purpose in his life- this time utilizing his training from the golden wolf. Besides, he felt he owed the people of Eldin to protect them.
One day, when he returned from one such mission, he found the shaman laying on the ground unconscious amidst a disoriented room. Link quickly made his way to the man and shook him awake. Renado opened his eyes, grumbling as he held his aching head. "Ugh... Err... What happened?" he asked, shocked at how he found the house in such disarray. Before Link could open his mouth, the shaman gasped and sat up, grunting in pain and laying back down. "A man... He... He took Nani... They are headed towards the graveyard!" Link headed towards the door without another word, only to be stopped briefly. "Be careful- he uses dark magic!"
Storming out of the building, he ran for the entrance to the graveyard in the back and desperately searched for his tiny offspring. A dry wind wisped by him, revealing an eerie hollowness around him. His heartbeat was all that could be heard as it raced in fear and anxiety. He couldn't let anything happen to his little Nani, but if he couldn't find him, he wouldn't be able to protect him! Link crept slowly around the graves, searching behind every row for any sign of life. His footsteps were synonymous with the silent wind as it danced across the dusty tombs, but his eyes were of the fearsome hawk; he examined every particle, no matter how small, as he went, and his fists were clenched tightly around the hilt of the sword strapped to his waist. Even his thoughts were silent as he crept through, his soul intent on finding his mark.
Then, his ears twitched as he heard a faint mumble behind him. He reared his head around to see what made the noise, only to see a figure coming down on him fast and hard. He quickly dodged out of the way and met the blow of a rival blade with his own. Instantly, he was on his toes and meeting every strike his adversary made with perfection. They waltzed to the steady beat for a while, until the antagonist pulled a plot twist and kicked his chest, sending him flying. Link scrambled to his feet, but was kicked back on his back once more. Dodging an offensive blow to his face with his sword, Link managed to knock his attacker's blade from his hands.
As his dance partner went for it, and Link struggled to stand up, he got a peek off him: the man after him was of his same height and built, but he wore a black cloak that covered his face. It was only a flash, however, and Link was back into another waltz with the man. The weapons clanged so hard and so fast, it was as if there was a terrible storm in the middle of the graveyard. The blows were relentless and powerful from both contestants, and each hit caused a bright spark to fall to the ground. It was a miracle they did not catch fire as the sparred, but it would have been quickly put out by the wind from their breakneck speed. A spectator would call their match one of the goddess of beauty's and the god of love's many great struggles; deadly and efficient, yet a work of unsurpassable art in its own right.
Finally, Link tripped over a small headstone and fell on his back. The man came down on him, a strike of which he deflected by grabbing it with his own two hands. With all his might, he held on to the blade and pushed it away from his chest- he still had a child to protect. Then, he wrenched the hilt from its master and tossed it away, but then the attacker put his hands tightly around his neck. Link gasped and struggled against his power, wanting to be free to no avail. He coughed and croaked as he desperately searched for air, gripping the hands tightly. As he struggled, he looked up at the hooded figure, barely making out a face in the darkness. He gasped.
"Dark!" He yelled hoarsely. The hands momentarily released him, the face looking confused and bothered. Though, they were quickly around his neck again. "Please, Dark, s-stop it! You don't know what you're doing!" The choking grew tighter. Link's body tensed up, his cells burning as he tried desperately to escape. His lungs felt as if they were caving in and shriveling up, but his face was even more tight and burning. His feet kicked aimlessly, trying everything he could to inflict damage on the man. "Dark! Snap out of it! I... I..." Link begged. The man leaned closer, and Link was looking into another's eyes. The eyes he saw on his old friend were not the rightful ones; they were a cold and soulless black, ones that held no warmth or pain. The only emotion he saw in his eyes was that of hatred- eyes set to kill. He had seen these eyes before; they were the eyes his friend had had just over three years prior, before he had come to have a soul. Now, Dark was back in his old ways, and Link knew he had to do something.
face, glaring into each other's eyes- passionate blue versus dead black- but Link would not have him looking at him with those eyes. Then, Link lunged forward and planted his lips on Dark's. The man's hands dropped. The look in his eyes was one of puzzlement, and while he tried to pull him off and kill him, the man seemed to be unable to move from the shock. Link, feeling this, move his hands up to his face and put more force into the kiss. They were like that for a while, Link's body perfectly formed into the identical one's own as he moved his lips against the man's. The wind drifted by again, and it blew their faces and hair gently- as if Nayru approved.
"Link?" Dark called as they lay on the cement floors of his cell. Link turned his head to look at the man. "When you, you know, kill Ganondorf and all, do you think I'll be free, too?" Link nodded with a small smile; he couldn't talk from all the screaming he did constantly, but his nod sufficed for Dark. It always had, and he returned the smile. "Then I'll get to visit my family again! Oh, and once that's done, I'll come back to you, and we can live in the castle.
The man suddenly wrapped his arms around Link and leaned into the kiss. Their mouths intertwined as they pushed against each other, almost like the greeting of two winds that hadn't crossed paths in forever. Then, Link pulled away. They looked into their eyes once more, and this time it was passionate blue versus vivid red. Link smiled, elated that his friend was finally back from the depths of hatred. "Dark," Link whispered. The man smiled. Then, Link jumped and gripped his companion's shoulders. "Nani! What did you do with Nani?!"
Dark stood up and led him to a dead tree in the back where the boy slept in the branches. Link sighed in relief. "Get him down."
"It's amazing how fast human children grow in just two years, but shouldn't he have red hair?" Dark asked as he used his dark powers of telekinesis to safely bring him to his mother's arms. Link held him softly, kissing his chilled cheeks. Then, he turned to his companion and nodded.
"Yes, but red hair would be a dead giveaway. So, we're using berries to change his hair color," he explained. Dark opened his mouth to speak, but Link already knew what he was about to say. "Not everyone knows who his father is. For the most part, they've been content in the story that he was killed in the battle against you-know-who."
There was a long pause as they stared at each other. Link's eyes suddenly welled up in tears as the reality sunk in. Standing before him was his old friend, a dear friend whom he hadn't seen in years. Dark had been the only light in his captivity, the only thing that made him keep going and strive for freedom each day. His heart fluttered, even though it was heavy; the tears fell from his eyes and streamed down his cheeks softly. Normally, he himself was able to hold back emotions- something he had learned from his rough childhood- but when it came to Dark, he couldn't help himself. He missed him so much, too much- and the man had made him promise not to ever hold back his feelings. So, he ambled over to the cloaked man and buried his face in his chest, sobbing. Dark returned the embrace firmly.
Dark undid the chains from Link's wrists and caught him as he fell to the ground. Kneeling down with the beaten teen in his arms, he smoothed his hand over his face and called to him, but he was unresponsive. The look in his eyes scared the shadow, as they were not the lively, vivacious ones he had grown accustomed to daily- rather, the orbs of a broken stray dog. He wasn't sure what to do, so he did all that Link had taught him: he hugged him. Firmly, warmly, he returned the favor for every hug the younger man had ever given him. Link gasped and seemed to have woken up. They sat like that for a while, Link merely laying in his embrace, before he looked up at him.
"D-Dark..." Link mumbled from a shattered throat. "I'm... Fine..." Dark held him tighter.
"Baka... You're not fine. I know how that bastard can be, and you always make me cry for it... Now... Return the favor. Don't hold it back- it's not good for you..." Dark replied, whispering into his ear. Link was silent, quivering in his arms. "Cry, damn it..." He ordered. There were a few more seconds of silence, before Link wrapped his arms around his neck and sobbed into his chest. "Never again, okay? You don't ever hold your emotions from me. I don't have many, and I can't- so you have to share your's, alright?" Link nodded.
"Hey," The doppelgänger mumbled. "Do you think I could stay here for a while? I can't get back home until the full moon, and I have nowhere to go here."
"Of course, Dark," Link replied, whipping his tears. "But we need to be discreet about it; it's not every day you see a shadow creature," Link agreed. They took to this agreement and headed off towards the exit. They had to straighten things out with Renado before Dark dared to even think about staying in the village. Once they reached the building, Link quickly tended to the mildly wounded man, helping him sit down and fetching cool water from the springs to fix his bruises.
At first, he was a bit apprehensive toward the man, but he slowly became accepting as they explained their relationship to him.
"I see, so he was your captor, but he had a change of heart and defended you. Very interesting. Shadow creatures rarely have emotions like compassion," Renado gathered his thoughts. "And what's more, he aided your escape... But why did you revert to your former self?"
Dark took a small pause as he thought about what to say, and then he replied with, "It's a bit hazy, but I remember walking into a room and being attacked. After that, it's a blank, but I think I know what happened. See, our base instincts are to kill and serve our masters, and even though we have acquired other traits over the years, that part of us is never truly lost. That's why, if you make a shadow lose his other traits, those are all that's left. I think the attacker knocked me unconscious and made my mind lock away my memories." He looked over at Link and smiled. "But I was reminded..."
"There must be another role in this matter then... Link, I do believe your child is not completely out of danger, nor are you," the shaman uttered. He turned to Dark and closed his eyes. "You spoke of a master... Who do you serve?"
"You know that answer, Shaman... Your people's tales tell of a tribe of the dark that serves the bearer of power and the desert, much like the Sheikah serve the bearer of wisdom and the royal family," Dark replied. Renado nodded.
"Then you mustn't ever leave Nani's side," He instructed him. "He is, after all, a bearer of Din's might..." He explained after receiving questioning looks. Dark gasped. Link looked down at his small child. "You are surprised? It is true your tribe would not know that the triforce passes down by generation, as your master has only ever reincarnated. Yes, Nani is the second in history to receive the power, which makes him your master. As such, you must pledge your eternal allegiance to him, and so, too, must your people."
"I don't sense it... How could he be-" Dark began.
"My power alone casts a barrier around his yet undeveloped force. If we were to separate far enough, the people around him would surely feel his presence and learn of his identity," Renado explained.
"So it was your power I followed..." Dark mumbled. Then, he nodded. "I am at equal with you, shaman. You will have us enter the shadow realm and gain the protection of the tribe of shadows from the one hiding in the background." Renado nodded.
"Wait, hold on," Link interrupted them. "We don't even know if he means harm... Could it have been merely a grudge against Dark?"
"No... I remember distinctly that my order were to kill you and retrieve Nani. Somebody who worked for the Evil King wants you dead, and I would not have obeyed if he wasn't a follower of my old master," Dark corrected him. Link looked around nervously.
"Will we be alright entering your realm?" Link asked. "I don't have my triforce anymore..."
"You will be fine. Even without your triforce, you are still blessed by the goddess Farore. You two will be welcomed guests, or I will have to shed some blood."
"Then your path is set... You will leave immediately after sunrise. For now, do catch up," Renado spoke. The twins exchanged pleasant glances.