The next morning, Link was abruptly woken with a tug out of bed. His heart sped off as soon as he felt the support of the mattress leave him until the floor caught him. Before he could even open his eyes, his feet were running to catch up with the person pulling on his arm. Then, they stopped, and he opened his eyes to see Dark, only for a white undershirt to be thrown in between them. Link shoved it over his head and looked out at his doppleganger once more.
Dark was almost frantic, grasping and tugging at his chainmail and tunic, fumbling at the simple buttons to his gauntlets and boots. His hair was still a mess from laying in bed, and he still had the same dirt on his face from yesterday, as for some silly reason or another he had thought it unnecessary to properly get ready in the morning. The blonde knew it was a bit of a life-or-death matter, but this was a little over the top.
"Dark..." Link began. Dark didn't even bother to look up from his difficult simple task. Instead, the raven made a small grunt and continued to tug and prod and pull. "It's not even morning yet."
"Yes it is. The rays just haven't reach Kakariko yet," Dark replied shortly. Link sighed and finished putting on his shirt. He had forgotten how sensitive his companion was to the light. Came with the territory, he supposed. "Anyway, there's very little time. The trip to the desert will take a day. Get Nani ready."
Link raised a brow. The deser- his heart slowed. Oh right... He had forgotten that they had decided to go to Arbiter's Grounds... He wasn't exactly sure what they would be doing there, other than Dark's plain hint of 'get to the Shadow Realm'. He had his quiddities, of course, as the desert didn't hold any fond memories for him. Not only was it the place where one of his dearest friends had left him, but it was where... He shivered and shook his head of the images that came to mind. Dark must have felt his discomfort, looking up from his shoes and reaching a hand out.
The desert was the last place he ever wanted to go. He would sooner travel to the bottom of Lake Hylia and drown with naked fish people staring at him than head to the desert. But this was for Nani. He couldn't be selfish about this, otherwise the most important person in the world to him would be taken from him or killed, and that was the VERY last thing he would ever let happen.
Link nodded and headed over to the sleeping toddler, who now occupied more than half of the bed. As Link had learned, physics don't apply to children; they may only be 3 feet tall, but their bodies could cover a space of 8 feet. With a smirk, he brushed his black hair from his face and nudged him. The child stirred a little, but simply turned the other way and returned to sleep. The blonde sighed and wrapped his arms around the boy, pulling him on to his lap.
"Nani, you have to wake up," He told the boy.
Nani opened his eyes and looked up at his mother, eyes heavy with want of sleep. His little blue eyes... Link had to catch himself before he fell into them. His son was just too adorable for his own good, and sometimes, they had the power to erase everything around him. Link smiled and put him on his feet. They strolled over a clothesline that hung across the roof, Nani wobbling like a drunkard, and Link unclipped the little pieces of clothing that belonged to the smallest in the house. With minimal resistance from the sweetly yawning boy, Link placed the blue shirt over his head and fastened the buttons of his overalls.
"Ready?" Dark asked, standing by the door. Link looked down at his sleepy child and nodded.
The three of them quickly left the house and headed out to the main road. Nani seemed very confused, staring behind them at their house as his mother carried him away. He was barely three years old, and sometimes the world was very perplexing, especially when for so long all he had to worry about was whether or not his mom would let him have the last cookie in the jar. Even though he wasn't exactly sure what was going on, he knew it wasn't good. Deep down, he feared he would never come back.
"Link! Dark! Hold on a moment!" Renado called from behind. They turned around to see both he and Luda running to catch up with them. When they did, the shaman stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "Link, Dark. Please, take this with you. It will conceal Nani's power for as long as it has charge. It may last you or it may not, but it's better than going empty-handed." With that, he placed a small jewel shard in Link's hand. Dark nodded, while Link was a bit apprehensive. Regardless, they accepted it.
"And also, a gift from the villagers. We want you to know that the two of you are dearly beloved," Luda added, handing them a bag of food and water for the trip. "Please return safely. Kakariko wishes you the best in your travels."
Once they reached Hyrule Field, the sun was just beginning to show its hair, it shining gold crown. The dew on the grass was fresh as the morning wind blew past their blades, waking them up from their slumber. The nocturnal monsters that stalked the land at night had subsided, giving way to a nearly free field. In the horizon, just before the awakening sun, Hyrule Caste stood in its dark silhouette, towering over Hyrule itself like a monument of war and death.
Link felt a part of him sharpen. Inside that castle was a woman he thought he could rely on. She was a woman that he had save the world with. She was the woman that he had planned to see very often. She was a woman that he gave his life for... She was a woman that abandoned him. For a very long time, he had had a burning, unhealthy hatred for her. Now, he only had pity and distaste.
Zelda could have come for him, back when he was captured, at any time. She had the resources, the time, and the encouragement to do so, and yet she chose to do nothing. She sat up there, on her throne and in her luxury, while he was tortured and... and... Link shook his head of the thoughts. No, he wouldn't go back into that poisonous state of hatred anymore. It wasn't all bad, anyway... At least he got Nani out of her negligence. Still, after all they had been through, she could have at least checked up on him to see if he needed help or an ear.
After about a few hours of traveling, they found themselves on the outskirts of Hyrule Castle Town. By then, Nani was walking on his own, enamoured by the flourishing life all around him. He'd had never seen such tall grass, such endless amounts of land, a sky with no clear beginning or end. Link had always kept him in the village, as if he were too far from Renado monsters would sense him, and now that he was free... He could hardly keep himself from running off in his own world. Now that they were at the end of the field, however, standing just before the big city, his hyper jumping and smiles subsided.
Nani suddenly stopped in his tracks as the crossed the small bridge over the ravine to Castle Town. The gates towered so high above him, casting their noon shadow over him and swallowing him in darkness. He gulped as he took a step back. Link put his hand on the boy's head, ruffling his curly hair a bit. Maybe it was just intimidating because it was something new to the three-year-old... Or maybe, there was something there he could sense and didn't like. Either way, Link was sure it would be alright.
"I know, bud, I don't like it here either," Dark assured the child. Nani gave him a short glance before returning to the object of his apprehension. "Don't worry. We're just cutting through. We'll be right in and then right out."
That's right. All they had to do was was cut across real quick and head to Lake Hylia. That didn't mean it would be easy, though. The more Link thought about it, the more he disfavored the idea. Castle Town wasn't just a town anymore. It was a full blown city, complete with hoards of people, pollution, and danger. At any given moment, a carriage could bound by and run Nani over; he could look away for two seconds and Nani could be snatched away; the smoke could choke Nani and steal his life! Link's legs suddenly began to shake, and in order to keep himself standing, he leaned against the rails of the bridge.
"On second thought, maybe we should find another way..." Link suggested. Dark raised a brow.
"What's with you two?" He asked, crossing his arms. Nani shook his head at the gates and coward over behind his mother. Link patted his head and looked up at Dark. It was THAT look, of course. He could never object to that look. "Alright, alright. I think I have enough magic to make a boat."
With that, Dark stepped away and closed his eyes, putting his palms together. He stood for a short while, concentrating. Normally, something like this would be far more simple. Normally, he could have done something like this with just a snap of his fingers, but not today. He had spent too much time in the Light Realm. It was draining his powers. So, he stood there for what seemed like hours, gathering his dwindling energy. Then, he burst open his eyes and unleashed all his dark magic into a grand, regal, gargantuan- speck of dust? Dark blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Are you already out of magic?" Link asked, cocking his head. Dark nodded, his eyes avoiding the blonde's. "Well," he sighed, "I guess we'll just have to b-"
Suddenly, Dark flinched and grabbed his companions just as a large bomb was thrown onto the bridge. Hopping onto the rails and off into the ravine, he quickly pulled them away; still, he wasn't fast enough, and the explosion that resulted caught them with its breath and knocked both Nani and Link out of his arms. They fell nose-first into the water below, swept away by the current.
As soon as he he touched the water, Link pushed himself up to the surface and desperately searched for the child. Frantically dipping in and out of the water and shoving the liquid out of his way, he screamed the boy's name with no sign of him. Nani couldn't swim. Despite the intense burns on his back from the blast, he grit his teeth and searched with everything he had in him. He dove under water once more, when he suddenly caught the child struggling in the currents below. Immediately, even before he realized he was moving, Link jolted after him and wrapped his arms around him, clutching him tightly to his chest and heading for the surface. As soon as they reached the top, Nani let out a sharp gasp and started to whine. Link began to swim before he looked back to see that Dark hadn't risen yet. At that though, he set the boy on the grass and dove back into the ravine.
Link opened his eyes underneath, the currents pulling on him as if to drag him under and choke his life out. He held up against it, however, and his eyes darted back and forth along the bottom of the river as he drew closer to it. About half way down, Dark appeared, floating unconscious. Link grabbed him and pulled him up onto the grass beside Nani, and then held onto the surface to keep from floating away. He didn't quite have enough energy to pull himself up, but he had at least some to hold on and comfort his crying son. He looked back at where the bridge used to be, trying to pick out the perpetrator. There was nothing. Only an uncomfortable silence.
Link relaxed a bit and turned to Dark. The side of his head was bleeding, and he had yet to awaken. He wasn't too concerned, though, as he knew Dark was a shadow being and wouldn't die from bodily wounds. Still, he put his forehead against his and stroked his hair with his other hand.
"Mommy," Nani whined, tugging on his mother's shirt in an attempt to pull him onto land. Somehow, at this, Link found some extra strength and managed onto the grass beside Dark. The boy buried his face in his soaked chest and rambled on a crying, babbling tangent. The blonde rubbed his back, cooing him with 'shh's and 'there, there's. Inside, however, he was shaking. That was too close. It wasn't a warning... they were serious.
Just then, with his adrenaline all but depleted, the pain of his burns returned. He whimpered to himself and sat up, inhaling sharply as the feeling penetrated his spine and filled his mouth with a thick taste of iron. His vision blurred a bit as he took trembling breaths. Nani's voice said something, the screams of his cells blocked him out. Then suddenly, there was nothing.