To be honest, I'm still stoked that I'm finally writing something as ambitious as this! I really hope you all like the intrigue so far, as I'm proud of how I wrote it. Anyways, please feel free to review and give me your thoughts. Enjoy!
-Joost

Shattering the Stars
Chapter 2: That Cold, Sterile Embrace

"Shatterhand?" Link repeated, dwelling on the name.

"Yes, from a very distinguishing feature. A malformed right hand, mangled by something we don't know. Shatterhand." Beads of sweat ran down the bedridden Link's forehead as he explained.

"Is that a nickname? A title? I'm not sure I understand," The younger Link stated, putting his hand to his chin and trying to reconcile the name. It made sense as a nickname, due to what his doppelganger said about the disfigurement the man allegedly bore.

"That's our dilemma, you see, because we don't know what he really goes by. He claims his name is 'Alastor', but it's clear it's a load of bull," The older Link spoke scornfully, hardly concealing his rage. The look in his eyes, his clenched fist, the distasteful frown, all of it perfectly expressed how the damaged man really felt towards this fellow.

"But exactly how did he do this?" The younger asked, opening his hands and signaling to his variant's scars. Before the other could answer, he coughed furiously, ignoring the drips of red that stained his blanket. Then he groaned, panting, out of breath from the effort. It was painful to watch.

"Those little twerps he calls 'soldiers', they teamed on me, and I barely escaped with my life," said the older Link. The memory of how expertly they fought had still remained trapped inside his psyche. "They seemed to be able to counter everything I had. It was… odd, to say the least."

"Did they have prior knowledge of your techniques?"

"I'm not sure. Possibly."

"Were they well trained?"

"It seems so, but by who I don't know."

"Why does this Shatterhand want to kill you?"

"Please! Enough questions!" The wounded man erupted with annoyance, catching the younger Link off-guard. Silence purveyed around the room for a moment before another coughing fit began, this time fiercer than any of the previous.

"Ugh… I-I-" The older man looked at himself, his sheets, and his own wobbly hands. His eyes, formally laden with fiery passion, now fell victim to an overwhelming gloom. "I-I know that these wounds are too severe. It's apparent to me that I'm not long for this world…"

Apprehension consumed Link's face. Was the other aware of his sneaking around last night? Did he know that his variant used the Lens of Truth to see the true extent of his injuries. Maybe, but it was equally likely that he just had a feeling deep down that he had little time. That neat little trick Link had, the sixth sense towards danger, perhaps it was ubiquitous with him across the different realms.

"You knew, didn't you?" The dying man said, trying to force a smile.

"Huh? I-I'm not sure I follow," the other Link failed to mask what he was already aware of. The variant just chuckled, albeit weakly, glad that his other was as cunning as he used to be.

"Oh please, don't be so modest. I can see it in you, and… it's alright. I accept my fate with open arms," said the variant, lying back and staring at the ceiling. With his eyes, he traced the swirls on the oak planks above him, focusing on the grooves. There he was just able to discern the age of the tree the wood had come from. 218 years old. It must've been a breathtaking specimen in its heyday.

"I-I…" The younger Link didn't know what to say. The affirmation he witnessed spread across the doomed man's face made his heart sink into his stomach, which then tied itself into a knot. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"No need to be sorry for me, because I know…" he paused to cough again. Before he continued, he glanced over at his younger variant, reading him over. "Because I know this isn't the end. My sacrifice won't be in vain."

"What do you mean?" Link asked, perplexed. There, the other man recited an old proverb he was taught by a very regal woman in his life.

"You know that there is no end, nor is there a beginning. There's only the infinite passion of life. As long as the people we meet-" A sudden tightness sprung up in the bleeding man's chest, but he wheezed and fought through it. "…the people we meet carry on what we've done, we're never truly gone."

"Wait, are you saying…?" Link's jaw went slack, and he inched closer to himself.

"Yes. I hate myself for putting this onto you, especially seeing how much you've managed to find in this world, but… I need you to finish this. I need you to find and kill Shatterhand," The older, weaker Link truly despised his request, and seeing how his doppelganger fumbled with his words, he felt it wasn't fair. Their faces were only a foot away, and when the bedbound fellow held his hand up, his younger double took it. The grip was strong as iron, using what little strength he had left. "It shouldn't be you, but it must. Otherwise he'll hunt you down and destroy this land and everyone in it."

"P-Promise me…" He whimpered, feeling helpless as death was stalking the doorstep. The grip was starting to loosen, and his prolonged departure was at hand. He gazed at the oddly balanced sword across the room. "Promise that you'll use that sword to find him… and promise that the foul crimes of that man will be burned and purged away, for the sake of all."

"I-" Link almost hesitated, but quickly came to the notion that he couldn't let the life fade without accepting. The weight on his shoulders, he finally knew what it symbolized. Responsibility. "I promise."

At last, the misery had all fallen away, and the older, damaged, declining Link was ready to be cradled by the arms of the fallen. His body went limp, arm slumped down on the bed, and one breath of conclusion signaled the man's reunion with death. The other Link was overwrought with remorse, and he lowered his head in shame as he watched a mirror of himself pass on. He reached up and gently used his fingers to shut the man's eyes, letting him embark on his well-deserved rest.

For a while, Link just sat alone, thinking about what he'd do. How would he even tell Romani? Jim? His parents? Possible arguments swarmed his head as he gradually became more distressed, a few tears streaking down his cheek. Using his sleeve to wipe his face dry, he slowly stood up and staggered out of the room, mentally trying to articulate how he'd explain everything.

"You think you guys will stay another night?" Anju asked Romani as she flipped through the reservations notebook. Apparently, the inn was expecting a tenant sometime around dinner, and the lack of space was a bit concerning.

"Maybe, but Romani thinks she can convince Grasshopper to not be so worried!" Romani spoke confidently, thinking it'd be easy to turn on the charm with Link and coerce him into heading back to the beach house.

"You sure? You know how stubborn he is," Jim remarked, snickering under his breath. The conversation died down when they all heard the creaking of floorboards, the stairs always giving away secrecy.

Link appeared, drained and emotionless, leaning on the load bearing wall connected to the front desk. The others kept quiet, waiting for him to say something. The way he opened his mouth, just to second guess himself and keep his tongue still confused them.

"He… He's dead," Link said fecklessly.

"What?!" Anju rose from her seat, greatly perturbed by the sudden news.

"What happened?!" Jim went on alert, but he fought the instinct to grab the hilt of his sword. The training he'd received taught him to always prepare for a fight whenever he learned of someone's untimely demise.

Romani's reaction to what Link had said hurt his soul the most. Her face was almost completely drained of its color, and she zoned out, looking into the distance blankly. The hero could see his wife breathing heavily, correctly concluding that her heart was racing. However, he didn't have the strength to rush to her aid and tell her things were alright. With what he knew, he didn't know if things would be alright.

Link, with the others surrounding him, asking questions, just walked over to the bench Romani sat on and planted himself beside her. Without a word, he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder and brought her into him. She didn't sob, but her own trembling body told him how nervous she really was. As a husband, his inner voice begged him to not let go until his warmth soothed her, and that's exactly what he did. A soft hush came from his lips as he cradled Romani. When her shaking subsided, he was soon brought back to reality.

"Hey," Jim barked, snapping his fingers twice in front of Link's face. The former hero blinked, acknowledging his friend. "You there, man?"

"Right, sorry," Link said indifferently, subconsciously taking Romani's hand and interlocking his fingers with hers. She felt him squeeze her hand, and she squeezed back, never wanting him to let go. Link collected himself and pointed his head at Jim, asking, "What? What is it?"

"I asked you what had happened up there," Jim said, annoyed to a certain extent. The looks from Anju, Kafei, Jim, Tatl, Tael, and Navi were a bit overbearing for Link, but he complied.

"His wounds were too severe to treat," Link told them.

"But we gave him a blue potion! It's the strongest medicine there is, how did it not help?" Kafei was the one to run out to the Southern Swamp to buy one of the potions he talked about. It wasn't a waste, but with the knowledge that the man passed away regardless made it feel like one.

"We were too late," Link responded without much compassion, his head clouded with something else.

"What do you mean, 'too late', Link?" Anju asked.

"I…" Link didn't want to tell them of his little escapade in the middle of the night, but he already kept it from his variant, he couldn't anymore. "I checked his wounds during the night. The Lens of Truth, I used it to look within, and I found it he was bleeding on the inside…" Link almost choked on his words, cursing his constant curiosity and how it led him to terrible truths. "There's nothing we could've done."

"Oh…" Anju put her hand over her mouth. "Oh my goddess…"

The innkeeper started mumbling incoherent nothings, and her husband began to comfort her with the expected celerity. He was always fast to do what he thought was right. Anju's words were frenetic and without meaning, at least from the few feet away Link was from his mother. Only Kafei could distinguish what she was saying, and he didn't dare tell another soul.

"Honey, don't you dare go down that road, alright?" Kafei clasped Anju's hand and took the gambit of kissing her on the cheek, hoping he'd get some sort of reaction. He did, thankfully, and Anju broke out of her muted haze and hugged him.

Jim and the fairies were the only ones not in a state of what looked like delirium. Shunning the depressing mood, Jim marched up the stairs and barged through the door to the Knife Chamber. He paused when he laid eyes on the variant's lifeless form, realizing that it was precisely the reason why the others seemed so upset. All the Bomber could see was his best friend in the variant's place, and he shuddered at the thought.

The leader of the Bomber's continued to gawk at the corpse, burdened with memories of how much his own friend had fought and suffered. An intruding idea of his own friend failing on some point of his life and meeting a similar fate as this man stuck with Jim as he slowly backed out of the room.

Link's fitful description of what had happened to the man upstairs bounced off the walls while Jim returned to the lobby. His mouth talked innocently yet wobbled with an uneasy mindset. Jim could tell his friend felt guilty for it all, regardless of his clear-cut purity in the whole situation. There'd be no indictment on him, but still that sinful feeling landed on him.

"So… what are we going to do?" Tael asked.

"We… We need to at least dignify him with a burial." Link stood up, still grasping Romani's hand. "I learned he was also a hero in his home realm, just like me. He deserves it, even if we can't get him home." The green-clad man looked back to his wife and bent his finger to caress her wedding band.

"Alright, but where?" Tael was skeptical of the idea, knowing that the variant hadn't been here for long.

Link ruminated on Tael's question, pacing around the room. It meant he was no longer holding Romani's hand, which made the latter a little waspish, but she instead just rubbed her stomach and took deep breaths, relaxing. The former hero, reconsidering his entire retirement, kept his thoughts imprisoned inside his head for the time being. While Link was occupied, Tatl and Navi managed to start showing there they weren't filling the places of statues.

"I wonder…" Navi began, thinking out loud. "What was his world like? He seemed much older and weathered than the Link we know, so maybe he's been through something different?"

"Well, he didn't even recognize me, so maybe he never even…" Tatl wished she never said anything, as she quickly fell down an imaginary rabbit hole of why the other Link didn't know who she was.

"The beach," Link said, finishing his thought.

"Why the beach?" Tatl asked, hiding her thanks changing the subject.

"Because it's where Mikau was buried, and I think it's a fitting resting place, at least for now," Link explained, brushing his bangs away from his face. "That beach… it's already letting one warrior sleep soundly."

"Isn't it also where you found him, Grasshopper?" Romani's voice was a soft, spring breeze to everyone in the room. It'd been so long since she had uttered something, it felt like she wasn't even present. Link smiled and nodded, the warmth of his grin infecting the ranch woman.

"Then Romani thinks it's a great idea!" The way Romani delivered her comment forced Link's smile to falter a bit. She had come to some inference while silent, and it bothered the hero, just slightly.

Then, an unspoken problem emerged. Just how would they do it? Link was the first to answer this, going upstairs to the Knife Chamber. It was a few minutes before he returned, and in his arms was a body with a long, wool blanket draped over it. It disguised the lifeless from the preying light of disgrace. Link and Jim kept their heads down as they rode off to Great Bay, the Bomber bringing a shovel along with him. Neither really wanted to handle to task, but who else was going to?

Dusk was wrapping along Termina when Epona returned once again to the coast of Great Bay. On her back were her rider and his wife, finally home. As Link dismounted from his steed and helped Romani off, he briefly peeked at the beach. He saw Mikau's Guitar, and just a dozen feet away was a sword, its blade embedded in the sand. On it was a green, faded hat, tied to the hilt and flowing from the salty wind.

Link and Romani walked inside of the beach house and huffed, tired after a long and arduous day. Emotionally deteriorated and yearning for a night of leisure, the pair held each other as they went inside.

The home, originally the Oceanside Spider House, had been remodeled by Link and the carpenter team from Clock Town as a wedding gift to Romani. Once primordial and abandoned, it was renovated into a fine living space. The place were Link had to roll down as a Goron was dug out, making way for a bean sprout to serve as a ride of sorts to get down to the actual front door.

Romani rested her head on Link's shoulder as the couple were taken down to the door. She grunted softly until her husband placed his head onto hers, adoring how it felt. Once the plant reached the bottom of the rustic, quarry-like chamber, facing the entryway, the two occupants walked off and entered their humble abode.

The Spider House, now a decently decorated living space, had the old downstairs segment filled up and cut away from the main body of the property, all except for one room that served as the basement. The rest of the structure had been refurbished, the stairs leading to the cellar also branching further up to an upper floor. The old library, now a study, had been used frequently, Link purchasing books on parenting for the special occasion only a few months from now.

Just next to the staircase were two new doorways, one leading to a modest but lavishly farm-themed kitchen, as to Romani's preference. The other door opened up to a hallway, in which were two more doorsills each leading the way to a bedroom, one for Link and Romani, and the other for their new additions. At the very end of the hall was a cabinet that held various supplies for cleaning and keeping the space tidy, and above was a picture of a very special day for the two, with one of them wearing a white gown and the other, a sharp, black tunic. Their smiles lit up the room better than the light fixtures on the ceiling.

Romani sat down on a bench not dissimilar to the one in the Stock Pot Inn's lobby, right across from the study. Link had always been fond of that old seat and managed to track down one like it for his own home, though now with a dark blue color instead of light green. It matched the walls agreeably and proved to be endlessly easy to recline in.

Link had gone to put his item bag away in the bedroom, allowing Romani a moment to breathe. Even just walking through the house seemed to be a challenge for her, the child unknowingly ensuring that. When he returned, he sat beside his wife, sighing, thinking of the mystifying events of the day so far.

"So… what should we do?" Link asked, unsure how to break the thin ice that had accumulated during the silence.

"Rest. Lots of rest. The baby isn't very happy with Romani's mood," Romani looked down at her stomach.

"I'm sorry, hon, I didn't mean to upset you with what had happened to him…"

"What makes you think Romani's upset?"

Link raised an eyebrow. He knew many things, and when his beloved was cross was one of them. He shifted himself straight and reached for Romani's hand, taking it and giving a light squeeze.

"Firefly, honey, I've known that face of yours for nearly ten years. I can tell when you're upset." Romani sulked, pouted, then turned away from Link. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being right, but his own little smile brought her back to him.

"Okay, fine, Romani's upset," Romani said, turning back and scooting her legs so that hers and Link's touched. "The fact that poor man passed away, yet we don't even know who's responsible, yes, it muddles my mood."

"Well, about that…" Link began, cringing at what his wife's face might say now.

"He said he knew his name… Well, a nickname, really," Link fought the urge to shudder when he looked back on the fear his double fetched when he said it. The hero forced himself to repeat it, and he whispered, "Shatterhand…"

"Shatterhand?" Romani mirrored Link's original reaction to the name, bringing her hand to her chin and keeping it there.

"Yeah, he's apparently done a lot," the hero said, his voice just a paltry whisp in the dry, laconic air.

Link looked at Romani for a moment and then the front door to the house. An idea formed, a bold idea. He quickly got up and left, heading to the bedroom where he had put his bag to find something. When he returned, he kept his hands behind his back, and scanned the room inquisitively.

"Could you… stand by the chair for me, please?" Link's eyes conveyed a sense of adorable curiosity. Romani recognized that glimmer and did as he asked, standing behind the chair sitting just next to the front door, her arms draped on its back.

"Perfect," said Link as he held up the item he had retrieved. The pictograph box that he obtained from his first ever adventure in Termina. Leaning against the railing to the staircase, he looked through the lens and lined it up with Romani and snapped a picture, the little square contraption starting to whirr faintly.

"What was that for, Grasshopper?" Romani's own curiosity rivaled Link's as she walked back to him, looking at the box.

At last, the picture dispensed and Link waved it around, helping it develop. When the image finally became visible, he saw his own wife, immortalized on the thick photo paper. It was no match for the real thing, but he knew that it'd keep him going. Keep him determined.

"I'm…" Link stuttered. "I'm going. To find Shatterhand."

"What?! Grasshopper, no! Romani forbids you from going!" Romani got defensive right away, latching onto her husband's arm and planting her feet on the floor.

"Romani, look at me," Link asked, wrapping his free arm around his wife's waist after placing the pictograph box down. The two lovers gazed into each other's solemn eyes for a second. "I… I can't lose you."

"You won't! Because you aren't going!" The ranch woman gripped Link's tunic and held on tight.

"Romani, I need to go. If this man is real, if he exists and he's as dangerous as my variant said he was, then that means he's…" Link almost choked up at the simple idea of it, his voice cracking. "Th-That means one day he'll be here. And he won't stop at anything until he kills me and moves on. I-no, we, can't take that risk."

Link put his hand to Romani's stomach and rubbed soothingly. He couldn't and refused to take his mind off all that he had found in Termina. It was too precious to him. This, to him, was the infinite passion of life his variant spoke of. He had to protect it, and let it protect him.

"If-If he's going to be here one day, why not just wait until then, hm?" Romani was grasping at straws, trying to come up with a good excuse for Link to stay.

"We may not know what they day will come, nor might we be ready. It could be soon, or it could be years from now, when the baby's arrived," Link's chest brushed up against Romani's maternal swell, and a kick from the child accentuated his point. "We can't put them through that, not ever."

Romani prattled on with vague noises, furious that she was losing the argument. Link made sense. Their baby had nothing to do with the predicament of this 'Shatterhand', and it'd be cruel to put them through that if the day came after they were born. Much to her dismay, Link's objective meshed well with the circumstances, and she had little reason to defend her conflicting ideals.

"Fine…" Romani relented. She could recall the days when he was so shy and timid, yet now he was headstrong and exceedingly brave, almost to a fault. It didn't matter to her, just strengthening her grip on her husband and her best friend.