Tracks of the Spirit

Ch. 13

By: Cutegirlmayra (Shout out to animelover1145 and GreenFantasy64 plus guest for there comments! Yes, I simply LOVE making up Moblin names. Hehe, gorcle and toigsts XD BEST. NAMES. EVER. Watch out future children, lol. But, I know it's long, and I just realized… it might get longer D: yeah… I completely forgot about a plot twist I made up.. so sorry about that. But I'm still going to finish this! All… of… this… -dies in chair.- WAIT! What about the games! I'm running out of title names! -falls back to death's arms holding me bridal style.-)

Ganon walked, with almost exhaustion if it weren't for the fact that he had two lands and a princess's life force flowing through him to keep him sustained, toward a master bedroom. The so called, 'Queen of darkness' wiggled her way by moblin's sleeping bodies to follow the king. As she trotted sneakily into the bed chamber, Ganon's frame bent over with pain. She oinked in fright and possible worry, but ran and hid before he could see or hear her.

"Curse this mortal frame, and curse the limited power of life!" he slowly rose again, clutching his chest as it glowed with lights in a tight ball. "Your more stubborn than I assumed, Princess… even now you try to retain life within Hyrule and yourself. But you will fail… and you will die."He walked over to the bed and rested upon it.

"No…Ganon…. It is you… who will… die.."

Ganon chuckled at her weak attempt to communicate with him. "Pathetic creatures. You and your people. They have already fallen to my will and power! And you will not fail to do the same…"

The little pig inched closer, and hid under the bed. She poked her little pudgy face out, listening but not really understand the conversation he was having with himself.

"Hello?" Dark Link entered the hutt, swishing and swashing things that dangled above him out of his way. "Ever heard of spring cleaning?"

"You, boy. Help me…"

Dark Link froze, and looked around. "Well, I might be persuaded to help you… if I knew where you were…" he looked everywhere, but no body was around….

"Upon the table… my spirit is trapped in this bird cage. Release me, and I will give you anything you desire!"

"Or I could just kill you now, seeing as your probably the Guardian of Greed." He pulled out his sword, walking up to the table in the back of the room, with a tarp over something oval-ish and round. "I actually prefer you trapped. To be honest." He chuckled and pulled the tarp off, to his amazement, he dropped the sword.

Within the bird cage, was a beautiful woman with light grey skin. She wore draps of black that seemed torn on some area's like her arms and the ends of her dress. She wore gems around her neck, that layered and sparkled as if fish we're moving through them, or perhaps in them.

"Let me out..?" She said sweetly.

"I-I-I-I-I-I, hehe, no." He was about to place the tarp back on, trying not to feel anything for the woman in the cage. "You see… I need to kinda kill you so…"

The woman moved up and along the bird cage's walls, "I'll give you anything, anything you desire." Her face grew with an evil pleasure, and Dark Link couldn't help but look back at her. "Anything." she looked at him cheekily. "What is it you desire?"

"…..You….."

She smiled.

"…..Dead….."

She frowned cutely.

"Come now! Open the cage and I'll hear your heart's true desire." She looked like she was getting bored and fed up with his games. "And I'll even grant it."

"Really?" Dark Link moved away from the cage, "could you by chance be, Oh dare not think or speak it but…, lying?" he knew the game all to well.

She slouched back in her cage, her raven black hair falling slightly over her beautiful sliver frame. "No, I really will give you anything if you let me out the 'bigger cage.'"

"What's that now? Your already in one." Dark Link gestured to her small cage. "How can you have an even bigger one? Considering your stature."

"I was once the being known as, Jewele. A… well, grim reaper if you will." She looked up at him with an evil since of playful pride. "Since I can tell your not the hero that defeated the other three guardians, I'll let you in on my secret. See these seemingly pearls around my neck?" she held up her chin, and Dark Link moved in closer to see.

"…Yes…? So?"

"They were once souls."

"Oh, you cheeky devil." He smiled to her. "Their now your monstrous slaves right?"

She blushed and looked away, as if being embarrassed by his words, but she looked up at him again quickly. "Well, you know. The game best played with more than one pieces." She got up and did a little spin, almost dancing as she talked. "I was sealed here, by the people of his nation, into the Dark World. Then Ganon knew of my power and sealed it along with me into this Capsule. But my power was to great, so he made me even more pathetically venerable and placed me in this secondary cage." She slumped over with a pout and leaned against the bird cage's middle support beam. "And here I am." She leaned back and let her long, silky hair flow back behind her. "So…" she gently stroked the beam. "I thought if I tricked the hero of time, I could get him to free me, and then impersonate the one he loves and get him to get me out of here. But you came instead." She looked back at him, turning to where now her back was on the pillar within the bird cage. "A blessing I hope?"

"For our line of work, we don't want 'Blessings'" teased Dark Link, folding his arms and placing them on the table, smiling evilly to her. "Want to hear my proposition?"

"Fire away!" she turned herself quickly around and pushed up against the pillar, excitedly.

"How's about I free you, ah-tata, without you killing me and when I trick the hero myself, then, eh. I'll kill him and you take his soul for all eternity. Deal?" He placed his hand to his face, waiting for her response.

"Why… ha! That's better than my plan!" She happily moved to the bird cages door. "Greedy and selfish! I think I might like you, Sir. What shall I call you?"

"Shadow. Call me shadow." He stood back up straight and started fiddling with the bird cage.

"Excellent. Shadow… what a pleasant name." She smiled up at him, leaning down on the step before the bird cage's entrance and mimicking what he had done only seconds ago. Placing her hand on her cheek and waiting for him to open the door.

Shadow flicked the door handle,

"And with that, my dear. You are free to-"

A gust of black wind expelled from the cage, and he was burst back into an array of assortments. "What on hyrule!? Thank goodness for these small cushions! My butt has been saved." He sighed in fake relief, then looked over to the woman.

"At last! Ganon can not use me, anymore!" she was full sized now, and still as deadly beautiful as before. She looked herself over, moving her arms over her head and feeling her original form.

"Whhhoooo~" Dark Link whistled. "Now then, how do I get you out? Oh, without Link and the lovely princess seeing you of course." He sat up and looked to her fondly, "Of course, I wouldn't want them thinking I've brought a grim reaper with me and such."

Jewele looked to him and smiled, "No, we must'nt." She walked over to a orb that was handing with cobwebs on a shelf. "Yesss… my true power is back to me, I will be able to escape. But first…" she moved to Dark Link and sat in front of him. Looking at him mischievously.

"Oh, no grown woman should look at a man with that face… it's sure trouble." Dark Link teased, moving up to be closer to her.

"Down, boy. And look within my crystal ball."

"I don't really like crystal balls, bad experiences looking in them and finding an angry old dark lord within them." Dark Link was given a glare and he rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, love. What's in it?" he peered in.

Link had awaken from his sleep, his body full rested now, but Dark Link still hadn't come out of the pillar of greed. 'Did it really take this long for me to complete the challenge? It seemed like minutes or hours to me…' he thought to himself as he dusted off his tunic and sat up.

"Well, it was a few hours or so… maybe even a day or two… like the last one was…" Navi floated down to his knee, spiraling as she did so gently.

"Navi… still reading my eyes I see." He smiled kindly to her. "I did miss you." he patted and stroked her small puffy body.

"Hehe~ that's good to know. However did you discover the Guardian's weakness without me, Link?" she fluttered happily and hopped to position herself more directly in front of him.

"W-well…" he felt embarrassed that the last guardian was harder to figure out without help, and the fact that he lost his temper… "It wasn't easy." He admitted with his hand behind his head and a slight goofy expression.

"Haha! It's okay, the point is you did it!" she hopped up and down on his knee, showing she was happy and proud of him.

"….eh…er…uh.." Zelda twitched in her sleep.

Link looked worriedly up to her, then curiously said to Navi, without looking at her, "How long as she been like that..?"

"…Awhile… Dark Link would stroke her hair to calm her…." she quietly said, softly as if so Link didn't hear her.

"He what?" Link looked down at Navi, "You were suppose to be protecting her."

"I was! But… he didn't seem like he was trying to do anything bad or whatever… he seemed to… to…"

"To care about her.."

"…yes…"

Link moved up from his position on the ground, making Navi hop off his knee to the ground, slightly bobbed a few steps to the side, and then gently flew off toward him. Link took the remaining chain in his hand, and just looked at it. "….I've left a dark entity in charge of the future of Hyrule, the world, and Zelda…" he thought out loud. "Am I completely worthless?"

"Link! No!" Navi flew over the chain, in front of his line of vision, "Link, you've done everything your mortal body could possibly do! you couldn't complete that challenge in the state you were in, nor help Zelda." She looked up, her jealous still present, but she looked back to Link. More concerned about him then her own desires. "She… she understands and accepts what must of been done. I don't even need to look into her eyes to know that, Link. That's how much you mean to her…" she said the last part with a bit of sorrow and loss of breath, she moved slightly away from Link.

"Navi…" Link could tell she still cared deeply for him, he reached a hand out to her but she whacked it away.

"NO! I have to let go! I have to give you up! Just let me do it on my own time, my own way…" she fluttered off over his shoulder and into a dark lit space of shadows. Her little blue light, the only sign she was there.

"…..I'm sorry, Navi… but there will be someone for you… one day." Link whispered, but he could only see the light twitch from it's movement slightly, so at least he knew she heard him. He focused his attention back to Zelda though, who was still groaning and twitching in pain. "It's not just nightmares…. I think it's Ganon's power. Draining life force has to hurt your body…" Link pulled the chain down, Zelda's body moved toward him, and it appeared as though she was standing. He embraced her, every bit of grieving and sorrow in his embrace. "Zelda… I'm so sorry…"

"Please, Link. Don't feel ashamed or powerless. I need your strength more than ever now."

Zelda's voice resounded in his mind, he slowly moved down and had Zelda's body lightly being held beside him. "How… How can I hear you?"

"I, myself, am not sure… At first, I would hear your voice, and call back to it. Now it seems… like we are somehow connected…"

"…Zelda… does it hurt?" he asked, honestly. Though he knew the answer already.

"…yes…"

Link lowered his head, holding her closer to him. "Forgive me… I can't save you right now, but I will. I promise you, I will!"

"Link…this is the legend of my ancestors. These occurrences are not coincidences, they have been preordained from the beginning of life. The goddess's needed a princess to suffer for a blessed land. They needed a hero, to protect the land that the princess was to rein over. All of this, to sustain a world that was once never existing. We must protect Hyrule, Link, And any other land we so inhabit. This is our destiny, our duty, and our privilege."

"How can you say that when you've suffered enough? Your suffering not for hyrule now, Zelda, but for Ganon's sake of power!" Link was losing his anger again. Hearing Zelda's sincere words, he couldn't help but feel like they're whole lives are meant to suffer forever and ever. "Doesn't it just.. make you mad, Zelda?"

"I hear your thoughts, Link. Please understand, this life is not all bad is it?"

Suddenly a memory swarmed Link's being.

"Link! Link! Don't do it, Link! It looks scary!" A little Zelda stood up in a tree within the lost woods. Around her waist was a tightly secured vine that was meant to hold her up. But before her, was a 2 large cliffs, in the center, nothing but a plunge to a bottomless ditch. However, rushing water and birds could be heard below it.

"Hyahh!" Little Link spoke up behind her, putting the finishing touches on the safety vine before grabbing his own and holding her next to him. His comforts didn't seem to help as Zelda clutched the vine for dear life,

"My father's gonna KIIIIIIIIILlllllll mmmeeeeeeee!" she screamed as Link was just to excited to wait any longer. They flew through the air a moment, before the vine grabbed them and swung them across to the other side, where some kokiri had already put some swing boards out like a diving board for anyone who wanted to swing like tarzan. "Haha!" Link said happily, placing his feet on the protruding wooden board, and looking over Zelda's shoulder to see her expression.

Her hair was a mess, and her teeth we're grinded tightly together, wided eyed fear shown clear as day on her face. She gave a glare to Link, "And this is your explanation of 'Fun'?"

Link looked down, sad he had disappointed the one person he wanted to impress today.

"Well, I suppose one more go couldn't hurt. Considering this is the most 'Fun' I've ever had outside the castle before anyway. YIPIEEE!"

she pushed off the board, Link was so surprised and shocked that he could barely hold onto the vine. Now he was swinging in front of her, after nearly jumping off the platform to lunge himself for the rope. She giggled and screamed in excitement.

"YAHOO! Hahahehehahaha!" she got on the other platform and gave a slight teasing turn to look at Link, "Fun?"

Link's hat was tilted to the side, he had landed wrong and now only the upper part of his body was hanging onto the platform, he was slowly slipping too, hair messed up, and eyes in pure horror, he looked to her pleading for assistance.

"Oh my gosh! Link, I'm so sorry!" She reached for him, "Don't falllllllllll!"

"AHHHHHHHH!"

she had grabbed his hands, but losing his grip on the wooden board he completely fell, dragging her down with him too. But thanks to the safety rope around her waist, the vine jingled up and down, as if they had bungee jumped.

"L-Link! Are you alright! Hang on!"

Zelda didn't have the arm strength to pull him up, but Link just looked up to her with an expression that stated 'it's okay, it's not your fault.' Which made her still feel horrible about pulling a fast one like that. "Someone! please! Help us!"

"Ah! Ehm." Link suddenly spoke up, and started swinging his legs toward the cliff's side.

"But Link, what if I drop you!?" Zelda said, terrified she might not be able to hold on any longer.

Link looked up to her with a smile, and started swinging again, as if to say, 'Don't worry! This is fun!' to calm her down. She was on the verge of tears, thinking she might be the cause of a friend's sudden death. But his charming face made her fear drift away as she giggled while the tears fell to through the two cliff's large mouth. They looked like a trapeze act as they swung over to and fro till they got to the other side at last.

Once safety to the top, Link cut off the safety vine and breathed, thankful he was alive and that Zelda was safe. Zelda breathed as well, sitting next to him she looked happily alive and still a little worried. "Never, under any circumstance, are we doing that again." Link nodded profusely, and the two of them laughed together happily.

"Oh… and don't tell my father."

Link stopped laughing and nodded his head quickly again and again.

"Heh, did you..?"

"Yes, I brought that memory of mine back to you. though, it was my perspective, I believe we both understand what the other was thinking. It was one of the most treasured memorizes in my life."

"Heh, nearly dying?"

"heheh, No silly, being with you…"

Link's face grew cold, he felt his heart almost skip a delightful beat, but then stop suddenly. "Zelda… I…"

"Link, please. Get some more rest. I'll be fine. I just.. I want to see you again,.. so badly. Let us hope your other considers me his master, only then can we continue on. We must find a way to defeat Ganon, at all cost."

"His master? But doesn't Ganon control him?" Link looked to Zelda's sleeping and age stricken face. Half her youth and beauty sucked out of her, it was as if he was holding a corpse as it is.

"Before I had lost all my strength, I summoned the last of my will to insert in Dark Link's soul some light. Now he may choose between good or evil."

"You mean… half of you… is in him." Link didn't seem to happy about that knowledge, and Zelda could sense it in his thoughts.

"Link… I still don't trust him. But please, understand. You will always have me. I am your friend first and for most. Dark Link can never have my full trust, but you can."

"Pfft! And your heart."

Link looked over to the shadows in front of him, Navi was easedropping, looking through Link's eyes to know what was happening in them. "Navi…. This is a private converstation."

"Well, excuse me. I just was supervising in case you two got to lovely dovey. Someone's got to keep an eye on the young folds these days." She huffed her reply.

"Navi… you sound like an old woman." Link humorous kid, smiling over to her. Not at all upset.

"Well, I never! I'm not old! Oh…hmph!" she sat down ontop of the remains of the pillar of jealousy.

"…Navi … it's good to hear from you again. Thank you for protecting me when Link wasn't-"

Navi turned herself away from Link's eyes, "I wasn't really talking to you… princess…"

"…"

"Navi!"

"Well, I wasn't!" she fluttered off as Link looked like he was about to go scold her for being so rude.

"No, don't please…"

Zelda coaxed him into sitting back down again with her voice. "She is simply upset. I understand. But she did such a good job protecting me in your absence. Even when Dark Link frightened her, she tried so bravely to see to it that your command was followed through. I knew she was protecting me cause you asked her too, Link. But I thought maybe… oh well. I understand she must feel heart broken. But… we aren't really… well…" She stopped talking, as if waiting for Link to say something.

He didn't.

"No matter. I grow weak. Might I rest again as well?" she asked kindly, and with a bit of sweetness in her voice.

Link nodded and gently smiled to her, letting go of her body as it slowly raised into the sky above the ruin circles again.

"….She's like a floating angel… it's kinda sickening how pretty she is…" Navi didn't hear the last bit of the conversation, but she kept up her mean and rude streak.

"…Beautiful…"

"What?" Navi turned around to look at him.

Link stared at Zelda, who gently rested back into place, before turning with a small smile, almost a serious one, as if to declare it's not an opinion, and said again,

"How Beautiful she is. Any other word for it is just demeaning her."

Navi let out a scoffed fit of rage, and flew off. Angry by what he said, but his smile faded and he looked out to where she flew. 'I'm sorry, Navi. But I'm going to have to help you 'move on' if this keeps up…You need to know… I choose her.' he thought to himself and scratched his head, then looked back at Zelda.

"Oh my, is that her?" Jewele said with glee as she looked to a frustrated Shadow. "He looks an awful lot like you…" she fiddled with his hair.

"Enough! We're wasting time!" he swatted her hand away from him, and stomped off to the door, "Destory this pillar, and find a way to hide in the dark world from them! Understand?"

"Completely…ow…" she pouted as she held her wounded hand. He nodded and opened the door.

The Pillar of Greed didn't collapse as easily as the others did, once Dark Link was out, the Pillar budged in it's midsection, then another section, and another, till darkness shattered it. The chain on Zelda tightened, then loosed, then morphed, then dripped off her like melted water. Zelda and the life force lights, slowly moved downward, till she rested on the ground.

"Haha! See, nothing to it! And in record time compared to you!" Dark Link giddily said, checking his imaginary watch and then strolling over to Link, who was picking up Zelda. "What'd ya think?" he said, rubbing below his nose in a haughty manner.

"Good work, I'm proud of you, and so is Zelda. Now let's find a way to bring Zelda's light force back into her."

"…You mean her life force, and don't everyone clap at once. Besides,…." He looked into the shadows, beady little white eyes stared back at him, turning to pools of white with lost souls helplessly swimming inside them, a creepy white smile, before fading into the darkness. He turned back to Link, as if he saw nothing, "I don't need you to proud of me. Just glorifying me." He snickered.

-Outside~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"SLOW THIS FREAKING HORSE DOWN!" the night moon was high in the night sky, and Link rode as fast as he could possibly go on Epona. Epona literally treading the ground with each step, feeling her master's impatience and hoping to please him with her swift deliverance. "IS ANYONE LISTENING TO ME!? HEY!" Dark Link was in the back, bouncing on Epona's rum as he tried not to fall off. "DUMB HORSE, SLOW DOWN!"

"Epona, faster." Link instructed, kicking her with a "HYEAH!" as she moved at break-neck speeds. "Like you said, Shadow. We're out of time. This, Temple you spoke of, you sure it can heal Zelda?" Link looked down at Zelda's weakened shape, rocking with Epona on his chest as it lay limp in between his arms.

"I'm positive! Legend has it there's Life force to go around there. Although, it will come with a price." Dark Link mentioned, then grew angry again, "AND STOP CALLING ME SHADOW! You don't even know who I really am!"

"But I sure do… Link, tell him to stop pestering Zelda. Or I'll hammer him down again with my three other selves!" a spirit spoke within Link again.

"Sh- I mean, other me. I have the oddest impression to tell you that if you keep pestering Zelda, I may have to hammer you down with three other me's." Link didn't really understand the words, but Dark Link shut his trap after that, with pure shock and horror upon hearing those words. "It can't be… can it..? your…. AH! THIS HORSE!" suddenly he fell off, holding on to dear life by Epona's saddle, "HELLP MEEE!"

(Jewele, is pronounced, Jew-well. Or should I change the spelling to Jewwel? Please let me know in the comments! Also, wow. So. Much. To. Write! And I haven't even gotten to the plot twist yet! Oh it's coming though, as swiftly as Shadow/Dark Link getting kicked off of Epona XD haha! Stay tuned for Zelda's awakening!)