(This chapter's gonna be pretty short, but the next one will be longer!)

Zelda's POV

It was over. They had lost.

The three days were up, and all their futile attempts to subdue Dark Link had failed.

Zelda sagged her shoulders and yawned. The rings under her eyes were so dark you could mistake them for black eyes.

All she felt was numb. She had lost so many friends, her hope was dwindling quickly.

With all hope gone, Zelda had spent the last few hours simply mourning her friends. Purah, Link, Brigo, Groose, Josha. And that was just naming a few!

She knew Dark Link would be coming for them soon enough. Having exhausted all attempts to fight back, their only hope now was to hide. Zelda leaned back onto her heels, and slowly picked herself up.

"Everyone! Dark Link will be coming for us soon! We must evacuate! Everyone to the shelter! We will lock it up behind us. Our only hope is to wait this whole thing out!"

Zelda sprinted over to the shelter entrance. She hopped down onto the ladder, sliding down into the shelter. Hitting the cobbled stone with a softthud,she headed over to the infirmary.

Zelda couldn't take her eyes off the injured soldiers. They were just protecting their kingdom! They were so loyal, and yet, they got this. Those poor soldiers...they didn't deserve this. Zelda walked over to the first soldier. His injuries were gruesome. He had a large slash across his chest, his leg was broken, and half his face was burned off by gloom. He seemed to be on the brink of death.Hopefully he can be healed, or put out of his misery,She thought.

Zelda knelt by his bedside. She gently reached out her hand, and took it into hers. Leaning over to whisper in his ear, she said, "Don't worry. I'm sure a hero will come to save us from this mess. We just have to hold out a little longer." Offering comfort was the least she could do in these troubling times. Zelda turned away, letting a small sob escape her lips. She was a failure. A failure of a princess. With her power, she was supposed toprotecther kingdom, not have it protect her! All these innocent people who had died for her, the losses weighed heavily on her heart.

Suddenly, the floor was shaky. Everything was wobbling. Zelda collapsed to the ground, her hands slamming into the wooden floor. A loud crash was heard from above. Dark Link must have come for them. Zelda almost tripped on her own feet as she rushed for the ladder. Feeling for the wooden rungs, she started climbing up.

Once she reached the top, she took in the destruction. Everything was gone. Lookout Landing was gone, and the Skyview Tower had collapsed. Zelda looked around, frantically trying to spot Dark Link.

"Looking for someone, Princess?"

Zelda whipped around. "Dark Link!"

"Tsk tsk tsk. You've met with a terrible fate haven't you? The dawn of the Final day. The Final day for you and your pitiful little followers. Do you surrender?"

"You dare mock the bravery of my soldiers? We will never surrender! We will fight you to the death!"

"Heh heh heh. You want a piece of me? Very funny! I like your attitude! But you let your guard down."

Dark Link folded his hands behind his back and stalked around Zelda. "I've already captured all your worthless soldiers." He gestured behind him.

Zelda stared where his shadowy fingers were pointing. There was a large dome of gloom covering the entrance to the shelter. Everyone down there was trapped!

"Yes, they're trapped." said Dark Link reading her mind. "And they're being slaughtered as we speak."

Screams shouts, and sounds of fighting echoed up from below her feet. Her fists clenched. Her veins popped. "They have more value than you ever will! You're nothing but a worthless shadow!" she screamed in anger.

Dark Link turned around, his eyes ablaze with fury. "Don't EVER mock the shadows! You think they're weak and insubstantial! Do Ilookweak to you? Can't you feel my strength? Let me show you the raw power of DARKNESS!"

Dark Link raised his hands toward the sky. A large stream of black gooeystuffcame blasting down from the sky. The black goo gathered into a ball in front of him.

Dark Link shot the goo straight at Zelda, encasing her in it. Zelda screamed as the goo covered her face and froze into an orange crystal.

Zelda was trapped.

Dark Link walked over to her prison. "Hah! Princess Zelda! You fooled mecompletelythese past few days! Here I thought you were this pretty little spoiled brat. Yet here you are rebelling against me! You are anaughtygirl!"

He leaned in close, his nose pressing on the surface of the crystal.

"And so you will face the punishment worse than death."

Dark Link placed his hand on the crystal, and both vanished from sight.

Everything was black. She couldn't see anything. Zelda forced open her eyelids. She felt something cold and heavy weighing down her wrists and ankles. Looking down, she realized they were chains. She was chained to a wall. She was in somewhere pitch-black save for the light of a single lantern.

Footsteps echoed through the bare cavern. A withered man shambled into the room. His clothes sagged on his frail form. His bones showed through his rotting skin. His eyes sunk deep into his face.Wait. I've seen him before. But where?

"Greetings Princess Zelda. I am Lord Ganondorf." the man spoke. "I trust my servant Dark Link brought you here safely?"

Zelda struggled to free her hands from their prison. "Where is he! Hemurderedall my friends! My people!"

Dark Link materialized in front of her. Zelda jumped back in surprise.

"I see you have met my Master, Lord Ganondorf. As you can see, he has been placed under the most unfortunate curse."

Zelda snorted. "The flow of time is always cruel. It doesn't need to be called a curse. It's speed seems different for each person, yet no one can change it."

The man called Ganondorf looked up. "Wise words Princess Zelda, however with the correct amount of power, one can change even the flow of time." His eyes flashed in the darkness.

Zelda gasped. She remembered him! He was the mummy! The one who lifted up the castle!

Ganondorf turned around at the sound. "I see you remember me. Not that it matters. You won't remember anything for long."

"What are you talking about?" Zelda asked.

Dark Link stepped forward. "Don't you remember? You are the leader of Hyrule, and, being in charge of Hyrule, you will take the punishment for your people. The punishment worse than death."

Dark Link reached around to his back and pried a small stone off of his sword's hilt. "You see this?" he asked, bringing the glowing black stone to her face. "This is a secret stone. This is your punishment. To eat it."

"Why? What does it do?" Zelda asked, backing away as far as she could from Dark Link.

"This stone, when swallowed, will make you immortal. An immortal dragon. Draconification, I believe it's called. However, becoming an immortal dragon is to lose oneself, to quote a friend from a time long past. You'll become a dragon. In doing so, you'll lose your body, your mind, and everything you've ever loved."

"Here." Dark Link placed the stone into Zelda's open palm. "When you're ready."

Zelda dropped the stone. "Why would I obey you?" She asked. "I'm not going to swallow this!"

Dark Link smiled. "Oh but you will. We have your soldiers." Dark Link disappeared. He materialized again with a large gloom ball full of the surviving soldiers. "You eat it, or you watch them die!" He picked up the stone and offered it to Zelda again.

"Don't do it! Save yourself!" A soldier shouted from within the gloom ball.

"It's your choice." Dark Link mused. "It's your life, or theirs."

Zelda took the stone. Enough people had died already. She didn't have a choice! If she let even more soldiers die, she...she didn't even know what she'd do! She'd do it. For Link, for Purah, for the whole kingdom of Hyrule.

Zelda opened her mouth, ignoring the shouts of the soldiers...and she ate the stone.

Link's POV

Wake up...wake up my Hero. The time has come for your light to shine upon Hyrule once again. It is time...time for you to release me from my bonds, my Hero.

Link opened his eyes. Where was he? He seemed to be in some sort of dark cavern. Link tried to lay back down, but he couldn't. He stood up instead.What? I didn't do that!Link walked over to the only exit in the room. Everything was blurry, like a dream. It was like his mind was disassociated from his body! He wasn't in control.

Walking up the steep tunnel, he arrived in a large cavern. There was a withered man being held down by a glowing hand. It was certainly a strange sight.

Link felt a pull in the direction of the body. He walked over to where the withered man lay.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the cavern behind him.

Link whipped he saw was a spitting image of himself. He was walking down the steps with Zelda.

How?

Link looked down at himself. He was wearing all black, and his skin was ghostly white.

Link snapped up with the realization.

He was Dark Link.