Dark Revenge
By: Shadow Phantom
Chapter One:
A Disturbing Dream
Link was tossing and turning in bed one night. He was having a nightmare. There was a figure- he couldn’t make out who- who was trying to attack him. He was in a room with white marble walls, surrounded by crystal clear water. He couldn’t see very well, and the figure was wielding a sword and shield. Link couldn’t make him out- he was shrouded in darkness. The figure was laughing a very sinister, and yet, familiar laugh. He heard someone screaming for help. He looked around to find them, and then, a sharp pain hit him in the back. Link could feel warm blood running down his back. He looked down and saw the tip of a black blade sticking out of his stomach, with red blood - his blood - on it. He tried to let out a scream, but no sound came out. As the light faded away from his eyes, he could hear the laughing of the man who had killed him and the screaming of the person echoing in his ears…
He woke up that morning drenched in sweat and out of his bed entangled in his sheets. He ran through the dream he just had… who was the shadowy figure, why did he want to kill me, and was it a prophetic dream? He had had them before about first meeting Ganondorf in the field in front of Hyrule. He decided to just sleep on the thought and head down to the dining hall for some breakfast.
The table was already set and he found King Harkin, Queen Marilyn, Zelda, Impa, Link’s and Zelda’s son, Doric, and a few other guests who were probably acquaintances of the king’s. Link sat down at his usual place next to his wife and child. He kissed Zelda on the cheek and said “good morning,” Zelda responded by grinning.
King Harkin noticed Link sit down and greeted him as he usually did each morning by saying,” Good to see you Link. Are you doing well today?” Link responded “I am doing well sire. I’m just a bit tired this morning,” the king responded,” You don’t look up to your usual self. You’re kind of dead looking today. Is something bothering you?”
“No,” Link said,” I just got to bed a little late last night,” (Link yawned). “A good ride around the field would do me some good,” he said.
Doric cut in,”Can I go with you dad? I haven’t been around the field for a while, and I’d like to see some of our friends again too,” he said with a look of a puppy. Doric had the blonde hair of his mother, and the strong blue eyes of his father, which were big and round with thick eyebrows. He had pale skin with not a single freckle. He was slender and muscular at the same time. He was very capable of creating a face that only a parent could resist. “Only if it is alright with your mother” Link said, looking over at Zelda with the same look of anxiousness of his son. Apparently, Link wanted Doric to come just as much as Doric wanted to go. “Alright, but be back before lunch, and no exceptions. You know how worried I get about you two together, especially when I don’t know exactly where you’re going,”
“Thanks mom,” said Doric as he hugged his mother. Zelda gave Link a look of warning that said all too clearly “be careful with him or else”. Link understood.
Doric and Link were in the stable preparing to ride Epona. He was still thinking about the dream he had had that night. He was in a sort of trance and almost didn’t notice it: his shadow moved away from its natural path. Did he really see it? He ignored it and untied Epona and got the saddle on her. “Get on Doric,” said Link. Doric obeyed and they were soon out on the field. “So Doric, where do you want to go first?”
Chapter two:
The Kidnapping
“Let’s go to the ranch, or the lake, or the forest maybe? ………um… why don’t you decide dad”
Link responded, “Alright. We have all morning, so why don’t we go to the ranch to see Malon first, and then we’ll decide where to go from there?”
“Alright Dad, lets do that first,”
Link gave Epona a slap on the bottom to get her started. Soon they were out on Hyrule Field. Link had forgotten how good it felt to be riding on the field on a warm, sunny day such as this. The cool breeze felt good on his face. He felt more alive than he had in a long time.
He rode Epona toward the ranch. He was still preoccupied with what he had seen at the stable. ‘Was that really happening? Did it really move out of place, like it had a life of its own? Could it have something with my dream, or was the dream making me paranoid?’ the thoughts were rushing into his mind. He was so preoccupied that twice he would have run into a tree if it weren’t for Doric snapping him out of it. “What’s up Dad? You almost got us both knocked off twice. Hey! There’s the ranch!”
They had arrived at the collection of barns, fences, and shed that made up Lon Lon Ranch. “Who’s that there yelling, Dad?” asked Doric. “I don’t know son,” began Link, “Wait, it looks like Talon. I wonder what he wants. Hey, Doric. Why don’t you walk on over to the ranch? It’s only another fifty feet or so. Tell Malon that I’m coming and I am just talking to her father, okay?” Doric reluctantly got off and started toward Lon Lon Ranch.
Link rode over to Talon and asked him,” What is all the ruckus for?”
“Sorry to get you so worried about me,” he said,” I’m just angry about the fact that Ingo hasn’t been showing up for work at the ranch for a while now. He hasn’t shown up for three days, and it’s made work around the ranch a big pain in the neck. Malon and I have had double work for three days, and we haven’t made a single days’ profit because we don’t have enough time to milk the cows or advertise the horse races that happen every week. I was just venting some of my anger by yelling as loud as I could, that’s all,”
“Well, you didn’t need to use all of those words,” Link said, ”I had my son with me when we passed, and I don’t think Zelda would be very happy with me or you if he were to use those kinds of words around him,”
“Sorry Link,” Talon said,”I am in a very bad mood. How is the old Doric? Takin’ after his father alright? Heh heh heh,”
“The last thing Zelda needs is another one of me to look after. I would like this boy to grow up exposed to things like a normal person, and not try and be a hero like me,” Link said. “I’m going to the ranch now. My son wanted to see you and Malon again. He should already be there. I’ll head on over there now-what was that?”
A scream had come out of the ranch. “That sounded like my son!” Link said loudly. “Hop on Talon. Don’t worry, your daughter raised a strong horse, she can take your weight and mine easily,” Talon took the words ‘hop on’ a little too seriously. He nearly succeeded in knocking Link off of Epona, but he kept is balance. “Ride, Epona!” Link bellowed. Even with Talon’s weight, Epona still made it to the ranch in about fifteen seconds.
When they arrived, Link and Talon jumped off of the horse and started searching for either Malon or Doric. Talon was the first to find someone. He found Malon on the floor of the east barn, unconscious. Link continued searching until she came around. Talon called Link into the barn, where Malon lay on a stack of hey. Link was the first to speak about the scream. “What happened? Where is my son, Doric? Why were you unconscious?”
“Hold on Link. She’s still a little dizzy,” said Talon.
“It’s alright, Daddy. I’m well enough to remember what happened,” said Malon, speaking for the first time. “I do know that I heard a boy scream, that must have been your son. I was working on re-stacking the hay. I started to leave when I saw Ingo in front of me. He didn’t look like his usual self. Right then, I saw a shadowy figure that had a striking resemblance to you Link- walk by the entrance with a bag. The bag seemed to be squirming and twitching. I looked up, and then I got hit on the head with something. And that’s the last thing I remember,”
It took a while for all of the details to sink into Link’s head. When he had thought about the story for a while, he finally asked,” Malon, you said that you saw Ingo there. Talon just told me that he hasn’t been in for work for a few days. Why would he just suddenly appear there all of a sudden? Unless he was helping my son’s kidnapper,”
“Link,” Malon started,” I very much doubt he was working for the man who took your son away from you. He may be bitter, but he would never try to harm someone,”
Talon also agreed with a confident nod of his head.
“You said that right after you saw my son’s kidnapper, you looked up at Ingo and then you were hit on the head. Do you think Ingo could-“
Malon cut in, “I already told you, Link. Ingo would never intentionally hurt someone. Someone must have come up behind me and hit me,”
Link responded, “There was no chance for someone to sneak behind you. You were already in the room when the whole thing happened. You would have known if someone was in the room way before you got hit,”
“I don’t know Link,” she said, looking at the floor very sadly.
“I’ll have to look for Ingo now. Maybe he’ll have more information. Get well Malon, and you two take it easy. Don’t worry. I don’t blame you for this. I mostly blame myself for not being here when it happened,” Link said.
“Before you go,” Talon said, “take some of our famous milk with you. You’re going to need it if you’re going to be keeping a straight mind,”
“Thanks,” Link said, jokily,” I could always use a wake-up call,”
Link put the milk in the pouch on Epona’s saddle. He just wondered one thing… he ran back into the east barn as quickly as possible. “Malon!” he started, “You said that my son’s kidnapper was in shadow, right?”
She responded, “Yes, why?”
“How could he be? It is bright outside and there’s almost no shade at the ranch.
You also said the figure looked a lot like me, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” she responded
“I see. Then he has returned to seek revenge on me,” he muttered, “Thank you. I must go!”
Link got onto Epona and rode off in the direction of Kakariko Village. He knew who had taken Doric. The one person that both looked exactly like Himself and totally different at the same time. Dark Link had returned, and his revenge was to take Link’s pride away from him: his son. Now he had to go to Kakariko Village to find out more of his plan. If Ingo knew anything, Link had to know. He set off for the village, knowing all to well that he would be needing that milk.
Chapter Three:
Troubles of a Man
The sooner that Link found Ingo, the sooner he could head out to save his son.
He was at breakneck speed on Epona, heading for the bridge that crossed Zora’s River. His green cap and hair were flying madly in the wind. He was sure he didn’t have much time to find Dark Link and stop him. “Faster Epona, Faster!” he said to his trusty horse. The bridge was just a little further.
At last, the bridge was in sight. Just across it were the steps to Kakarico Village. Link brought Epona to a slower pace as he reached the stairs. He tied her to the post at the entrance and ran up the stairs three steps at a time.
He saw the gates to the village with the guard. “Guard!” he began, “Where is the residence of Ingo?”
“Ingo? He lives in that house over there to the left,” the guard said, pointing to a house up on a hill next to a brick house.
“Thank you,” Link said. He ran over to the house and knocked on the door.
“Ingo! Ingo!” Link said as he pounded on the door, “It’s Link! I need to talk to you Ingo! I need some information about what happened today at the ranch! My son has been kidnapped! I need to talk to you!”
Slowly, the door opened. A scared voice said, “Come in. Just don’t hurt me!”
“I’m not going to hurt you, Ingo. I just want to talk.” Link said, reassuringly.
Link entered the house and sat down at a table near the fireplace. Even though Ingo was a bitter man, he seemed to have a sense of style. Everything in the house was red velvet and polished wood or marble. The table that Link sat next to had a Triforce mark made out of colored glass. Ingo sat at the other end in a red velvet chair. “What do you want to know?” he asked. “I just want to know what happened at the ranch today,” he began, “My son was kidnapped. He was put in a sack and hauled off by a shadowy figure. Do you know what I’m talking about?” A look of fear came into Ingo’s eyes. It took him a while to answer, but finally he worked up enough strength to do so.
“I haven’t been myself lately. My wife, Jenna, just passed away a few days ago,” he said, sorrowfully. It looked like he was having trouble fighting back the tears. Link was having trouble believing that Ingo was capable of fear or sadness, but obviously, the tears weren’t false. “It struck a devastating blow to my heart. I was a wreck the past two days. I just stayed here, mourning the loss of my wife. You have never known what it is to lose someone you dearly love forever. It is the most terrible thing that can happen to a person. It makes you die over and over again every time you think about it. I feel these things now as we speak.
“I felt too depressed to work, and for the past three days I haven’t shown up for work at the ranch. I didn’t even have enough emotional strength to care to write Talon a letter saying I would be out. Today I decided that I had to move on. I went to the ranch today earlier than I usually do. According to a gossip stone near the ranch, it was about 4:15 A.M. I started work by sweeping out the north barn where the cows are kept. It was about sunrise when I heard someone move outside. I at first thought it was Malon doing her morning chores of milking the cows and restacking the hay stacks. I realized that someone else was in the ranch when I heard a pair of footsteps tat sounded too heavy to be Malon’s and too light to be Talon’s. I looked outside and I saw a boy walking along the edge of the fencing of the pen. I went to check outside and then I saw…well…it,”
He paused and took some deep breaths to help himself remember the exact details. Link encouraged him by saying, “continue,”
“There was a shadowy figure lurking about,” Ingo began, “I don’t know how he was in shadow, because it was very bright outside. Anyhoo, I saw him approach the child from behind and snatch him up in a bag. The boy screamed and he was squirming in the bag. I tried to go after the figure. I ran past the east barn when I noticed the bag had been tied and left there. I looked into the west barn and saw Malon in the barn looking at me.
It was at that point that I saw a shadow moving on the floor, but no one was making it. It stopped right behind Malon, and then the shadowy figure rose out of the shadow holding a sword. He hit her with the handle on her hand and then he ran off. I looked outside and both it and the boy were gone. There wasn’t anything I could do to stop it, I thought,” Ingo looked very downtrodden now, as though he had stood and watched a murder without doing anything to stop it.
“It wasn’t your fault, Ingo,” Link said with a reassuring tone in his voice, “You did your best to tell me what happened. I don’t blame you for any of this,”
“I’m not done,” said Ingo, “I went back to the field in the middle of the ranch and found a horse. I had to stop him. I would never forgive myself if I lost a child the way I lost my wife, even though the boy wasn’t mine. I jumped the back fence and rode out onto the field. I was just able to see the figure disappear behind the fence that leads to Lake Hylia. I had lost him. I couldn’t follow him. He was already too far ahead of me. I fell into a nervous wreck again and headed back here. That is all that happened,”
He paused for a moment. Link was just running over the details. The room was totally silent except for the crackle of the fire behind Link. It was almost two minuets before either of them spoke again. It was Ingo who started again, “Is Malon alright?” he said, worriedly. “She’s fine,” Link said reassuringly, “She only suffered a minor head bump. She was out cold for a few minuets, but otherwise she’s fine. Don’t worry. Thank you for the information. You didn’t fail my son. In fact, you just gave me the information I needed to be able to find and save him. I must go now. I am going to have to find a way to tell Zelda about this. How could I lose my son!?”
Link got up and started toward the door when Ingo said, “Don’t lose your son, Link. It will kill your heart if you do. Trust me,”
“I will get him back if it takes my own life in the process,” Link said with determination. He got to the door when Ingo said, “Tell your wife Zelda how lucky she is to have a partner to love, won’t you,”
“I sure will, “Link said. He left the house and headed for the gate. “What time is it guard?” he asked.
“About noon, sir,” said the guard.
‘Zelda will be worrying about me a lot,’ he thought. He punched the gate in anger, gritting his teeth. “I should never have let him out of my site” he mumbled.
He walked down the stairs to the place where he had left Epona and noticed the clouds growing dark. He could hear the faint sound of thunder from far away. A storm was coming. The weather much reflected his mood: dark and gloomy. He untied Epona and said to her, “I hope you’re up to riding in a storm, because we’re going to Lake Hylia today,” Epona didn’t look scared.
Link headed off to Hyrule castle where he would explain to Zelda what happened…somehow, rest Epona, and grab his Zora tunic, bow, Iron Boots, Longshot, and keys to the doors in the dungeons he’d gone through. He was going to need them all, because where his son was being held was the treacherous home of his son’s kidnapper, Dark Link
Chapter Four:
The Journey to the Water Temple
It started to rain just when Link had reached the drawbridge to the Castle Town. He raced Epona past the town as fast as he could. The faster to the castle, the faster he could get his gear and save his son. How was he going to get past Zelda without telling her what happened? She probably already knew the truth. She was, after all, telepathic. There was no escaping it now. He had to tell her… the whole story.
He was in the field now in front of the castle. His heart was pounding as loud as the thunder. His thoughts were racing. “The dream was real. It was a prophecy. Why didn’t I think of it before? Why did I not take more care of my son?”
He reached the castle when the rain really picked up. He walked inside and went into the throne room, expecting to find Zelda there. When he didn’t see her there, he asked the king, “Where is Zelda, sire?”
“I don’t know exactly, Link. She got worried and said that she was going to go search for you. She took Lorian with her. Actually, now that I think about it, I think she said she was going to the lake first. Is something wrong, Link? You look terrified,”
“Sire!” Link began, “She is in great danger. Doric was kidnapped by an old enemy of mine. He is presently holding him in the Water Temple. Zelda is probably already been captured. How could I let this happen?” he said frustrated to himself. He continued…”I’m sorry, Sire. I am just so angry with myself for letting this happen. I should have been more alert. It is my fault; therefore I am the one who must deal with it. I came here to get my gear and go there now,”
“Do you want a guard to accompany you?” the king asked.
“No. it is best if I do this alone,” Link answered,
“Well, good luck, and bring back my daughter and grandson, please,”
Link ran as fast as he could to his room. It was unfortunately on the other side of the castle in a small tower. From it you could see for miles on until the forest from the window. It was two rooms away from Zelda’s room just east of his. The hallway between them led into the North Courtyard, which leads to the hall that lead to the Main Hall, and off of the Main Hall was the throne room. It took Link a few tries to finally get there the first time. He continually had to play one of his warp songs to even get out of the castle to start over again. By now he knew where it was even without his map.
It took him only about a minute to get to his room. By the time he had run up all of the stairs and got to the room, he was panting hard, but that didn’t matter to him. All he was worried about was his family being saved. He opened the locked trunk marked “WEAPONS AND GADGETS” in gold lettering and opened it with his key. Inside were his Longshot, hammer, boomerang, bow, slingshot (that he had now passed down to Doric, although Doric didn’t always use it properly), bombs and the Bomb Bag, five Bombchu, and twenty Deku Nuts. Link thought out what would be most needed. After a few minuets, he finally decided on his bow, bombs, and his Longshot. He took them out and put everything on his table.
He turned around and saw that the rain had turned into a full blown storm. It was pouring down rain and the moat was starting to flood. He was just going to have to deal with it. There could be nothing to stop him now.
He walked over to the shelf where he kept his swords. He grabbed the Master Sword and its sheath, plus the shoulder belt with the many pouches. He went over to the trunk with his other equipment and got out his Zora Tunic and put it on along with his waist belt that had the many clips and pouches necessary to hold the tools he had to take. He pulled out his Iron Boots and put them into a leather sack for carrying. He also got out the sack that held all of the keys to each of the Temples he’d gone to and placed the keys into the lower pouch on his chest belt. He then put the Bomb Bag onto his belt, secured the bow on the strap on his back, slipped the sword into its sheath, and put the Longshot onto his pouch on the waist belt. He was ready to take Dark Link down.
After equipping the items, he ran out of the castle as fast as he could. He found Epona tied up where she was supposed to be. He mounted her and got out onto the field. It was now raining harder than it had before, and it was very hard to see more than ten feet away from where he was. “I am just going to have to deal with it,” he thought to himself.
With some difficulty he was able to make it to the gates to Lake Hylia without losing his bearings. It was still very hard to see far away. It took him a couple of tries to make the jump over the fences that led to the lake, but eventually Link was successful. When he was across, he tied Epona up on the signpost next to the Lakeside Laboratory.
Link got the sack with his Iron Boots and put it over his shoulder. He grabbed the milk out of the saddle bag on Epona’s side and placed it into a small pouch on his chest belt. He walked out onto the shore of the lake, got the boots out of the bag and put them on, put the Leather boots he had worn into the bag, and slowly walked into the lake. When he was close enough, he fired the Longshot onto the peg that locked the gate to the Water Temple, and the door slowly opened. With his shield on his back, his sword in its sheath, and his endurance at high, he walked into the Temple door.
Chapter Five:
Brothers Reunite
Once he reached the entrance hall, Link took off the boots and tied a rope to them that way he could still float to the surface, get on solid ground, and still pull the boots up from the water’s bottom.
He floated to the top with the rope in his hands. He came out wet and breathing normally (due to the ability of the Zora Tunic) and his tunic turned a dark navy blue. He walked over to the edge of the second water pool. He took out his Longshot and fired it onto the bull’s-eye on the central construction.
The room was about as large as two basketball courts. It was four stories tall with three of the floors covered in water. The walls were made of white marble with markings of deities and spirits of the Zorinian religion. In the middle of the room there was a giant tower that served as the outer wall of a small room on the inside. On the walls were corridors and doors leading to different rooms in the temple. Some of the rooms were submerged at this time, but the water could be lowered and raised any time by playing the ocarina.
He walked over to the right side of the balcony and grappled over to the door adjacent. He took out one of his keys from the chest belt and tried it in the lock. It didn’t work. He tried another key… still nothing. After another try Link managed to unlock the door. He was heading in the direction of the room where he first fought Dark Link.
Link entered the room and saw some keese on the walls. ‘Only one way to deal with those,’ he thought to himself. He took out his bow from its strap on his back and got an arrow from his quiver, knocked an arrow and fired it at one of the bats. It was a direct hit. He did the same thing until all of the keese were dead. Link then walked to the edge of the platform he was on and saw a familiar sight.
This room was a collection of a bottomless pit with two platforms on each end to hold a door. The only way to reach the other end of the pit without falling to your death was to jump to the many moving platforms that lined the walls of the pit. Luckily for Link, there was a target for the Longshot to hit on each end of the platforms.
Link took out his Longshot and aimed carefully at the first target. He fired and hit the target completely dead on. He was instantly pulled across to the platform and released. He pulled himself up onto the platform. He looked at the second platform which was right above him, moving down on a slant. He had to do this quickly or the platform he was on would disappear into the dark hole on the conveyor belt. He took aim and fired… another direct hit. He quickly pulled himself up and then fired again. Bit by bit he was able to reach the door. He took out a key from his pouch and tried it with success. He walked into the door.
He was in another familiar room. This room was perfectly square and the floor was covered with a thin layer of water. There was a door at the other end with a chain around it. This was the room where he first fought Dark Link. Link took out his sword quickly and placed his shield in his right hand he put the iron boots away in a corner of the room. He walked into the center of the room cautiously in case of an ambush he was in the middle of the room when he heard a voice.
“Hello, Brother,”
Link spun around and saw a person in shadow standing in the corner of the room. The figure had the same voice as the person in his dream. “Who are you?” Link said as the figure approached him. Link saw that he was wearing a sword and shield in his hands. He had a black tunic on with a black elfish cap on his head.his hair was golden and styled just like his. His face was very similar to his own, with the same blue eyes and long nose. It was almost like he was looking at himself.
“I already told you who I am,” the figure said, “I am your brother. You are my brother. I have no real name anymore. That part of my mind was erased when Ganondorf took me away from our mother, Sarah. I don’t expect you to remember this, though. You were a baby when you escaped. I was three when it happened, and I was only able to remember a bit about the occurrences of that night. Do you wish to know more?”
“All I want to know is where you’ve taken my wife and child,” Link responded, “Tell me where they are or I will have to make you tell me!” Link had his sword ready. His muscles tensed. The only thing he cared about was getting his family back. He could care less who this guy was. Link would never forgive himself if he didn’t rescue his wife and son, even if he had to kill this fool to do it.
“If you must know,” the mysterious person said in a know-it-all tone, “They’re right behind that door. You won’t be going anywhere, though, until we settle something. And don’t try to break through that door, either. I jinxed it to kill anyone who tries to open it, even I, until one of us is dead. Don’t get any ideas, brother,”
“I’m not your brother! I don’t know who the hell you are, and frankly, I DON’T CARE!! I just want my family back!” Link yelled with anger taking over him.
“Before we fight, you should at least know who you’re dealing with,”
“I COULD CARE LESS!!!” Link bellowed, “I will listen, but only if I get to take my family back!”
“In good time, Link,” he started… “My name is Shadow. I am twenty years old. I am your biological brother. I was born in the village of Sedya. My mother’s name was Sarah. I was taken by Ganon’s men when I was only three years old. I remember that day well.
“That day in the village I was playing in the corn fields. I was carefree. As I was going home for lunch, I saw a black stallion pass by the road with about twenty other people. I thought nothing of it, because many royal parties came through the city. It was a stop for travelers and traders. It wasn’t unusual.
When I reached home was the last time I saw you or my mother. As soon as I reached the house, a great explosion happened over by the farm. Soon, the whole city was in flames and many people dead. My mother and I knew we had to try to escape. She took you in her arms and took the back door. She had me running behind her. We were able to make it to the edge of the city when one of the riders grabbed me and hit mother in the head with the mace and left her and you to die. She must have been alive because you’re alive.
“Ganon took me to the valley. He saw great promise in me, and taught me the ways of sorcery. Over time I learned that I could project my image as a shadow anywhere that I wasn’t. The shadows you’ve been seeing lately were my image. This shadow can also become solid and hold solid objects such as a sword. The thing you fought in this very room was that image.
”Unfortunately, when I lost the battle to you, brother, Ganon sealed me away in this temple. I have been surviving by using my shadow minion to steal food. Ganon said that I could only be freed if you were killed. That is when I hatched my plan. I would take your family away from you the same way mine was taken away from me. I would use them as bait to lure you here. I wish to destroy you and take my freedom. Your family will become mine. I will have a second chance at life. If there was another way, I would take it. So now, you see, we must fight. There is no other way. I am sorry, brother,”
He finished, and just looked at Link until he answered, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go,”
They got into their ready stance, and prepared themselves for the worst. One, and only one, would come out alive.
Chapter Six:
Battle for Freedom and Family
“Just to let you know,” Shadow said, “I know every move you know. There isn’t anything that I don’t know about you. I know how you fight, and I’ve seen your maximum endurance level. I have trained myself during my imprisonment here by fighting my shadow form. I have the same endurance as you, so this will only come out by someone giving up. Let the best person win,”
They both readied themselves for a fight that would come out with one alive. They were both fighting for something they dearly wanted. They were going to push themselves to their limits and beyond.
Link took the first strike. He ran forward with his Hylian Shield in front of him to guard his stomach. He chambered his sword and took aim for a slash to the gut. Without even using his shield, Shadow blocked with his Shadow Sword. The clang of the swords echoed in the chamber as loud as a bell.
Shadow took the opportunity and tried a slash to the gut himself. Link was able to block it with his shield and take a stab at his double with his sword. Shadow blocked with his shield. The swords and shields clashed a couple more times before Link finally took a shot at long range weaponry.
He took out his bow. He only had twenty arrows left. He shot one, but Shadow rolled out of the way. Link fired another, still a miss. He fired another few arrows and every time Shadow dodged. Link took out his Longshot and fired. It missed. Obviously, long range tactics weren’t going to work.
Link got his Master Sword out and ran again toward the other. He started to strike to Shadow’s skull, but then changed it to a stab to the chest. Shadow Link saw a fake-out coming and blocked his chest with his wooden shield. If only Link could get the shield away from him.
Link thought of many ways to get rid of it (while defending attacks). He couldn’t just break it, because the wood was too strong. ‘The wood!’ he thought. ‘The wood is a material that the Longshot can attach to!’ all he had to do was get him off guard.
“Why do you want me dead? Isn’t there a way to break the curse another way?” Link said, “My wife, Zelda, she could probably break the curse on you. She’s a mage. She’s probably seen this kind of spell before. Set her free and I can help you get your freedom back. I promise!’
“Ganon has already told me that there is no one but himself that could take this spell away. I have used my powers to create another exit, but that can only work if I am the last one of my bloodline alive. There is no other way. I am sorry, brother. I must kill you. It is not my wish, but that is the only way,”
“Do you really believe what Ganon told you? He was a maniac. He could care less about you. He only gave you those skills so you could use it to destroy me. I’m guessing that even if you had defeated me, you being imprisoned here anyway. He is an evil man who cares nothing for anything or anyone. When Ganon was killed, the spell over the land was broken. I’m guessing that the spell on you has been broken too. Have you ever even tried leaving the temple? You don’t have to do this! There is another way. I promise!”
They just stared at each other until Shadow decided to not listen any more. He lunged foreword and took Link by surprise. The blade of the Shadow Sword cut into Link’s right arm. It caused a severe gash. Blood trickled down Link’s arm as he screamed in agony, but he was able to regain concentration quick enough to lash out and land his own sword into the other Link’s shoulder. He jumped back, one arm hanging loosely. The shield dropped from his arm. Shadow lay silent in a corner bleeding badly. Link had accomplished what he had wanted to do. He had gotten the shield away.
Surprisingly, Shadow still wanted to fight. He took up his sword in his left hand. He ran forward and tried to slash at Link’s stomach. Link had no choice. When Shadow was ten feet away from himself, he drew his bow and fired an arrow at his leg. It hit. Link’s arm seared with pain by pulling the string. He was starting to get dizzy. It was getting dark for Link. Then he remembered the milk in one of his pouches. Lon Lon Milk could restore your health in an instant, and the natural chemicals in the milk made it a very powerful drug. He just had to get it in time. He pulled open the top pouch on his chest belt. He pulled out the milk. It was getting very difficult to see. He felt around for the cork and found it. He pulled it out and took a sip. Soon, the dizziness was gone, the pain was still severe, but he had immobilized his double.
Link staggered over to Shadow Link and turned the Master Sword to his heart. “There is no more you can do to defend yourself,” Link said, “Are you ready to speak like a sensible Hylian, or do I have to hurt you even more? I won’t hurt you if you will just do what I say. Are you ready?”
Shadow hesitated, but after a few seconds, decided that there was no more he could do. A chance at a free life is a lot better than having no life. He answered, “Fine. I give up. I will listen. If there is any truth in what you say, then it means that I could live. I am ready,”
Link sat down next to his double and clutched his wound, the pain still strong. Slowly, they began to discuss a compromise.
Chapter Seven:
Death and Rebirth
“Will you give a try at leaving?” asked Link
“I’ll give it a try” said Shadow Link. “The only thing is… What if it doesn’t work? I’ll be stuck here forever. There’ll be no escape for me,”
“My wife can probably create a small hole in the barrier that shields you from leaving if there is one, that way you can just walk through,” said Link reassuringly.
“Then it’s settled,” Shadow Link said, getting up from the floor. He winced with the pain of the arrow still in his leg. Link saw the damage and said, “Zelda could fix it up in a jiffy if you let her go now,”
“Right, then,” Shadow Link snapped his fingers and the chains on the door on both sides of the room disappeared, leaving the doors unlocked. As Link walked to the door, the door burst open and there stood Zelda with Doric in her arms. As soon as she saw Link she ran over to him and gave him a hug. She felt the blood of the wound on Link’s arm and quickly backed away. “What happened!” she said, surprised. I thought you’d never come. I rode out on a horse along with one of the guards to find you and a shadowy figure attacked the guard and took me. That is the last thing I remember. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. My brother and I had some issues to take care of. He’s sitting over there if you wish to speak to him. He is in need of some healing on his leg. Could you help him out?”
“I don’t see why not-Link! Isn’t that the person who took our son and I (so, she did find out telepathically) and locked us up here?”
Not exactly, but that is the person who created-What the..?”
At that moment, Link heard Shadow scream. Link spun around to see the creature that was attacking. The dark shadow reincarnation of himself had pierced Shadow’s sword through the heart of the owner’s body and killed him. Anger suddenly surged through Link’s body and soul. He had found new strength to fight. Now it was just Link and his ghostly reincarnation (not shadow, mind you the actual enemy in the game).
Dark Link turned to the real one and lunged foreword. Link was fast enough to block it. He threw the bow to Zelda and said, “Fire light arrows at him when he’s distracted!” She picked up the bow and took an arrow from the quiver on the ground.
Meanwhile, Link and Dark Link were dodging, blocking, and striking each other as hard as they could. Link took out his Longshot and took careful aim. He fired it, but with Shadow in the battle before, Dark Link was able to dodge every attack. Sword techniques were going to have to be used only to block until Dark Link was distracted.
Link was not immune to all of Dark Link’s attacks. In one case, he had faked Link out and it had cost Link a sizable gash on his thigh. The critical hit to his leg made it very painful to get any power out of his techniques and it also seriously lowered his speed. ‘I have to get him distracted now or I’ll get killed,’ he thought.
During this time Doric was standing next to his mother in awe of what he was seeing. ‘I can’t let him do this. If I don’t do something quickly, dad’s done for,” he thought. ‘I have got to distract that thing away from him. I left my slingshot at home, and there’s nothing to throw. Damn it! I wish I could help in some way,’
Link was having a hard time even staying alive at this point. He was badly bruised and was bleeding badly in more than one spot. There was no way he could outfight this thing, so he’d just have to hope he could stun it, or get it distracted. ‘If there was a loud noise or something that came from somewhere without any warning like a large flash, there might be a chance that that would take his attention away from me long enough that Zelda could fire an arrow at him’ he thought, ‘But all I have is a few bombs, and he would know it were coming and he would be able to dodge them anyway. But if someone else,,,’ “Doric, here’s a present for you! I think you know what to do!” He threw the bomb bag and the bombs away from himself and toward Doric. Doric caught them and he plopped one out. He was going to have to wait until Dark Link wasn’t expecting it.
Link had run out of energy and blood. It would have to be now or never. Dark Link moved in for the kill and took a chop at Link’s chest. Link blocked it and rolled over as another strike-this time a stab to the gut-headed for him. He did this a few more times until he heard it. A chorus of loud BANGS went off.
As Dark Link spun around to take a look at what was going on, Link yelled out, “Now!”
Zelda took careful aim and fired an arrow at Dark Link. The shot was a direct hit. Dark Link fell to the ground. Link got up and picked up his sword and held it over Dark Link. “Have a nice time in Hell,” he said sarcastically. He plunged the Master Sword into the body and fell over, exhausted. The shadowy ghost slowly started to disappear until there was no more. The battle was won and Link’s family was saved. Slowly, Link fell into darkness and a deep sleep.
Chapter Eight:
Happy New Beginnings
Link woke up the next day in the hospital wing of the castle. He tried to sit up, but the gash on his leg was still hurting, and the stab wound to his shoulder still stung. He was wearing no shirt, though the bandages that covered most of his upper body (covering minor and major cuts and sores) made him look like an old mummy from the Gerudo stories.
He lay back down and decided to wait until someone came in to check on him.
Thoughts were going in and out of his head. He felt angry at himself for letting his brother be killed. ‘I should have done something. There had to have been something I could have done to protect him. I let someone else down. This, time, though, I can’t save them.’
He pounded the wall next to his bed in anger. It had grown to more than anger. It had become uncontrollable rage. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He couldn’t live in this lonely world. He couldn’t sleep knowing that he had let someone die that he could have helped.
He was breathing heavily. His muscles were tensing. Sweat rolled down his face and chest. Then suddenly, the rage turned into great sadness.
Link covered his face with his hands. Slowly, tears began to slip down his cheeks. Short sobs came from his mouth.
The door opened to the wing, but Link didn’t look up. Then he heard the voice…
“Feeling better, Brother?”
Link looked up and saw his brother, Shadow, standing over him. “Shadow?” he said, “But how can it be? I saw your creature kill you in the temple. You should be dead. How did you survive?”
“Well,” Shadow began, “The last thing I remember was being stabbed by my creation, then I woke up in a bed. Your wife told me that you hadn’t woken up yet, so she said she came in to check up on me. She said that I had died, but she was able to revive me. She explained how you were able to defeat my creation. That was some good fighting. I didn’t think you were capable of beating it a second time. A soon as I heard the pound on the wall, I came in as fast as I could. That’s how I’m here,”
It took Link a few seconds to take all of this in. after a while, he said, “I just have one question,”
Shadow nodded.
“Why would your own creation attack you? It doesn’t make any sense,”
Shadow took a seat next to Link’s bed and started to explain.
“Whenever you create a spirit or creature from your own power, or conjure something, a certain amount of your knowledge is passed onto it. The longer the conjured spirit is kept alive, the more of your knowledge is passed onto it. I kept the spirit you fought alive for so long that he had begun to grow a mind of its own. I was able to keep the free will of the creation at bay for a long time, but I didn’t have the power to destroy it. I used it to do tasks, and nothing more.
“My creature soon learned of my plan to lure you here and kill you. When it saw that I was not doing the job, it remembered my vow to let nothing get in my way. It, therefore, killed me and tried to finish the job,”
There was a silence. Then, the door opened and Doric ran in. “Father!” he said in an exited voice. Doric ran to the bed and gave his father a hug.
“You saved my life back there, Doric,” Link started in a chuckle, “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive. That was a good job, Son,”
“Thanks, Dad,” Doric replied, beaming. “It was nothing. It really was no problem. By the way, what is going to happen to your brother? He doesn’t have anywhere to stay,”
“I know. I don’t know what he could do now. He’s going to have to start his life all over. Will you be able to manage?” he asked Shadow.
Shadow replied with a reassuring tone, “I’ll manage. I’ll find somewhere to stay. Hyrule is very big. There’s got to be somewhere I could stay,”
“Could he stay here, dad? We’ve got plenty of room. He could live here with us!” Doric said. His father could see the enthusiasm.
“Absolutely not!” there came a voice from the doorway. It was Zelda. She had come in to visit and had overheard the conversation. “I’m sorry, Doric, but you know how your grandfather doesn’t like anybody staying here besides royalty. Besides, he has to start an new, normal life. Being in a castle and being treated like royalty won’t help him. The answer is no,”
“Awww,” Doric whined, “but-“
“No buts, son,” Link said, “Don’t argue with your mother,”
“Can’t we find somewhere close that he could live, that way we could visit often?” Doric asked.
“Now that you mention it…” Link said, “Shadow, are you good at doing farm work and chores?”
“I’m alright at it,” he replied, “Why?”
“If you want to earn some extra rupees for some luxuries, I think the ranch needs some help with routine chores and maintenance. You could work there, and I’m sure that the family would let you stay there until you can find a house. I’ll take you there tomorrow, if you like,”
“That would be great!” he replied.
“Good idea, dad!”
“Sound’s like a good idea, honey”
“Then it’s settled,” Link said. I’ll take you there tomorrow and we’ll se about getting you a job,”
That night they all slept well after some more talking and laughing. They were all ready to leave their past experiences behind them, and they decided to start anew.
The next morning, Link gave Shadow a map of Hyrule to find his way around. Zelda made up a paper that allowed him access to the castle if he showed it to the guards. They all gave him some advice and directions to help him. That morning, after a good breakfast, the whole family walked down to the stable for some goodbyes.
“If you need any help, you know where to find us,” Link said.
“Visit often. You’ll always be welcome here at her castle,” Zelda said.
“I can’t wait to see you again, Uncle Shadow,” Doric said.
“I really appreciate all of this. This means a lot to me. Thank you for giving me another shot at life,” Shadow said, “I’ll see you around,”
They all waved goodbye as Link and his brother set off for the ranch. They would all miss him dearly.
Link got back that evening. Shadow had been able to get a job as a worker. He also was able to get some training that day in horse riding from Malon. As link said good bye that evening, he thought to himself, ‘I’m glad I have one less enemy, especially this one. Instead, I found a good friend,’
He kicked off his boots in his room, and lied down in his bed. He fell asleep, thinking of the new friend he had gained.
The End
AUTHOR’S NOTE: after a month of writing and plotting the story line, I was finally able to write a story about a under credited villain that everyone loved. I hope you understood the plot well and followed my text. Please tell my what you think in my comments section…
Sincerely,
Shadow Phantom
