Zelda's POV
Zelda wandered down the crumbled steps into the gloom, Link trailing behind her.
"How much deeper can we get?" She asked, but of course there was no response. The silent knight behind her, Link, her friend, herHero,instead offered a courteous shrug.
A strange red mist was gently drifting through the caverns. Gloom, the other scientists had named it.
In its more compact form, it had been found extremely dangerous, causing sickness andgloomeverywhere it spread.
It had yet to end a life, and for that she was thankful.
Upon descending the final few steps, she noticed a shadowy figure up ahead. Blurred by the gloom, she couldn't quite make out what it was.
Link rushed in front of her and immediately took the defensive. "I'm fine!" Zelda exclaimed, rolling her eyes. But of course, he simply ignored her protests and took the lead.
Slowly inching forward she started to make out a dark hooded figure. It was bending over a body that was laid out on the floor.
"Wait is that..." Who was that? It looked familiar. Slowly, the figure began to get up and turn around.
It was Link.
Zelda screamed.
"How?" Whatwasthis? She knew something was off down here, but nothing like this!
The new Link was wearing dark clothes with glowing red streaks. His right arm was melted away and coated in gloom. The real Link immediately sprang forward into battle.
Zelda watched on in horror as Link clashed blades with himself. "Link! Be careful!" She shouted,
Suddenly Link screamed. It was a deathly sound, piercing Zelda's ears as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened.
She was brought out of her stupor just in time to see Link's body hit the ground. The dark Link left his sword in Link's gut, and strode over to the first body laying on the floor.
He yanked a small white stone of the body and tossed it away. It rolled toward Link. Zelda rushed forward and grabbed Link's hands. Ice-cold.
He can't be dead!
A huge shudder went through the earth. Zelda looked up. The body was rising. It looked like a mummy. A corpse, dead for far longer than she had been alive. Its face was wrinkly and cracked, decaying skin stretched over the bones. Dark red, not quite maroon hair cascaded down the body, almost reaching the floor.
The mummy stretched its arms up toward the sky with a crackle.
Suddenly some sort of red-pinkgooburst out of his hands, flying towards the ceiling.
The force of the blast seemed to weaken the floor just enough that it started to crumble under Zelda's feet.
"Link!"
Some way, somehow, Link was struggling to his feet. With a weak grunt, he pushed Zelda away as the floor caved in around him.
"No!" Zelda shrieked.
As if in slow-motion, Link fell out of sight, the mummy in hot pursuit.
Zelda backed up to the wall, panting. Hecan'tbe gone! Hecan'tbe!
Suddenly dizzy, her vision was swimming.
Why, why him! After everything he had done for her!
Rage began to build up inside of her. Rage at Link for putting himself in danger.
Rage at Dark Link for killing him.
Rage at the un-named mummy for, well,everything.
Rage at herself for needing protection, rage at the goddesses for dooming him to this terrible fate, but mainly just sorrow.
Link was gone, again, and surely there was no bringing him back this time.
Tears began to form in Zelda's eyes.
It was all her fault. Italwayswas!Shewas the one who insisted on venturing under here in the first place!
Why. Why. Why him...
She couldn't breathe anymore. Streams of water dripping out of her face, she closed her eyes and gave in to the darkness.
Zelda awoke back at Lookout Landing.
Everything was fuzzy.
Where was she? Where was Link?
Zelda slowly got up, feeling for the edge of the bed. Her head was pounding.Everything hurts.
"As it should."
Huh?
Zelda jolted up and turned around. "Purah! What are you doing! ... Did I say that out loud?"
"Yep, you sure did." Purah said smirking.
"Now for the lecture." She leaned into Zelda's face before screaming. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! I find you PASSED OUT at the bottom of the castle ALONE! Where's Link? He was supposed toprotectyou!"
Zelda's mind zoomed to a halt.Where WAS Link? He was with me the whole time, up until...
Everything rushed back.
She couldn't believe it. She'd lost it, she'd lost everything.
Keep it in control, you've got this.
But it wasn't true.
That mummy under the castle, it...
No it's my fault...
No link...
He's gone!
But I...I wish I had...
IT'S ALL MY FAULT
In...out...
in...out...
in...out...
in...out.
Breathe...
I CAN'T!
Pounding her fist into the ground Zelda screamed. She screamed for Link, for herself, for everyone ever hurt or killed under her rule.
Everyoneshehad ever killed.
Tears dripping on the floor, she slowly picked herself up and turned around. Everyone, shocked by this sudden outburst, just stared.
She dug into her heart to tell them the words she had been dreading.
"Link's Dead".
Running toward Purah, she began sobbing again.He's dead, he's dead, he's dead, I never told him...
"What do you mean he's dead?" Purah asked. "He can't be dead, he's the greatest knight we have!"
"I KNOW!" Zelda shouted. "There was a...a Link...an Evil Link..." She sputtered, beginning to break down.
"He...he..he...he stabbed our Link...Then a mummy..."
"Wait hold up, There's anevilLink?" Purah interjected.
"YES, he killed Link!" Zelda screamed, "It's ALL my fault, it was my stupid idea to investigate!"
"Wait," said Purah, "Calm down."
"Calm down?, CALM DOWN?, LINK IS DEAD AND YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN? We barely saved him the first time! I can't do this again, Purah Ilovehim!"
"I know, I'm sorry." Purah sighed.
"You knew?" Exclaimed Zelda, shocked.
"I mean, it was kind of obvious," Stated Purah, "Considering everything you two do for each other."
Suddenly, some sort ofvoiceechoed throughout the whole kingdom.
"ALL HAIL LORD GANONDORF! IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO BOW DOWN, YOU WILL NOT BE SPARED! THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!"
"There he is! Dark Link!" shouted Zelda, " He's on the castle!" Starting forward, she grabbed a spear and rushed out, Purah in pursuit.
Suddenly a dome of the pink goo,Maliceit was called,closed around Lookout Landing. Zelda barely stopped in time not to get vaporized.
Breathing fast, she whipped around to stare at Purah.
"I need to get him!, He KILLED Link!"
"I'm sorry," Purah exclaimed, "I'm still in shock, as you are. But we need to get you inside, before Dark Link comes back!"
Zelda sighed
"Please, if not for you, then for me." Purah finished.
"Fine." Zelda consented.
As they walked back to the fort, one thought stuck in the front of her mind.
Link was dead.
And it was all her fault.