Ghosts of the Past
by tir-synni
Chapter II: In a Darkened Room
In a darkened room
Beyond the reach
of God's faith
Lies the wounded, the shattered remains of love betrayed
And the innocence of a child is bought and sold
In the name of the damned
The rage of the angels left silent and cold
With a final
pat, Sheik released Aslan. Immediately,
the dark stallion whinnied and joined his counterpart on the Hylian
fields. Epona whinnied in greeting, and
the two horses trotted off Farore knew where.
Sheik smiled
atd not improved in the slightest, especially when it came to him. But what could he be lying about?
Sheik did not
have the opportunity to ask. With one
final glance at Epona, Link strode inside.
His proud head was high, but the hand clenched over the Ocarina of Time
gave him away. Concerned, Sheik
nonetheless followed his lover into the bustling marketplace.
As always,
elves were bouncing around everywhere.
After Link gave the running man a wary look, he flashed his shy smile at
everyone who recognized him. Men and
women paused in their shopping to smile brightly and wave at their beloved
Hero. In all the lands close to Hyrule,
Link's name remained legendary for his courageous feats. One small child's awed gaping almost made
Link flinch, but only Sheik noticed it.
He wondered idly what these people would think if they knew how much
Link hated their hero worship. Their
adoring, awed gazes were the reason Link rarely came out in public. Usually, if Zelda wished to meet with them,
she would have arranged something at
Sheik nodded
at a beaming woman, scowling at her under his mask. One of the people who did not know Link was
taken. He would have loved screaming
that at some of these doting elves, but Link would have hated that. Link preferred his private life just
that--private.
Sheik sped up
his steps and grasped Link's elbow. He
lowered his head in mimicry of a personal conversation. Link bowed his head, as well.
"Have I
told you today that I loved you?" he inquired softly.
Instantly,
Link's whole demeanor relaxed.
"Yes, but I don't mind you saying it again."
Sheik smiled
under his mask. "Well, I love
you. Just remember that when the
brunette over there tries to paw you."
Chuckling
quietly, Link's tight smile lightened.
"I love you, too. Now let's
see how fast we can get through this crowd."
~~~~~
It had taken
some convincing, but Sheik had in the end won the argument. No matter how much faster it was, the guards
would feel like they were being mocked if he and Link sneaked past them. They were still miffed at how easily
Ganondorf had slipped through their defenses.
Sheik had won the argument by lifting up his mask, sneaking a quick kiss
on his lover's nose, and commenting how much he liked the tapestries in the
main hall. They were walking through the
doors for a change.
Zelda met them
in said hall. Link's distant expression
warmed as he perceived his friend, and he walked over to gently kiss her
cheek. "Hey, you called?"
The queen
smiled warmly at Link as she hugged him, then Sheik. "It's good to see you both again. I hope my messenger did not awaken you too
early this morning."
Sheik rolled
his eyes. "Link gets up before the
sun, and he usually gets me up, too.
Don't worry. We were awake."
Link smiled,
but for once, didn't comment. After
greeting Zelda, he was withdrawing back into his shell. Sheik frowned. He had expected this mood to pass after they
left the crowd. Instead, by the
shuttered look in his beloved's eyes, it was just getting worse.
Zelda noticed
Link's silence with a disturbed look.
However, when she spoke, it was of other matters. "Come, into the parlor. I believe this will interest both of
you."
Link's eyes
noticeably darkened, but for the life of him, Sheik could not figure out his
lover's strange mood. What was going on?
~~~~~
Zelda's parlor
was small, made for comfort instead of majesty.
Enchanted lights lit up the bookshelves lining the wall, as well as the
large oak desk and plush chairs. Zelda
elegantly settled herself into one of the dark-rose chairs, Sheik sitting
across from her. Link alone stood, his
lovely face unreadable. Worried, Sheik
studied him, but Link's expression give nothing away. What was wrong with him? Usually, Link could hide nothing.
"I had a
prophesy last night," Zelda began without preamble. "A sea of light, peaceful and
bright. And then darkness strikes down
from the clouds like lightning, and it hits the heart of the sea. Under the surface, the light begins frothing
and tossing, and soon, the darkness totally possesses the light. Above the clouds, a paler darkness swirls,
until the blackness engulfs it, as well.
Did you have a prophesy, too?"
Sheik's fair
skin bleached white. "I had a
prophesy, but for some reason, I could not remember it when I awoke," he
whispered. "But Link told
me...Link? Link?!"
Frantic, Sheik
leaped to his feet and looked about the room.
His eyes were not tricking him.
Link had vanished. The corner in
which he had stood was empty, and the door was open a crack. Without sound or obvious movement, Link had
slipped out towards the end of Zelda's tale.
His fear
growing, Sheik whirled back to Zelda.
The queen's wide eyes met his.
Neither had noticed Link leave.
"Last
night, when I awoke, Link told me I had screamed his name," Sheik
rushed. "I told him I had had a
prophesy, but he denied having one. He
informed me he had not dreamed last night.
What does this mean?"
Terror burned
in Zelda's eyes, but Sheik saw her force it away. Zelda would always be a queen first and
foremost. "It means Link is in
grave danger, and he knows it," she returned flatly. "We must find him."
~~~~~
Epona's strong
muscles bunched and lunged between Link's tense thighs. He rode low over her neck, his feet tight in
the stirrups. Only aware as to her
master's wishes, the fierce mare galloped quickly over Hyrule Field. Link let her go at her great speed, despite
knowing even her greatest speed was not fast enough to escape his nightmare.
What have I
done? Why is this coming back? What is going on?
Link closed
his eyes and buried his face in Epona's rich mane. I had a prophesy last night. Just like Sheik and Zel. I had a prophesy, and the Fierce Deity
blocked it. But why didn't Sheik
remember it? Is the Deity's power so
strong that he blocked Sheik's in some way?
But how did it suddenly emerge?
It's laid dormant for so long.
Zel's prophesy...Me and the Fierce Deity...Oh, this is all my
fault...But I thought there was no other way....
Shuddering,
Link clung to his mare. Epona neighed
and leaped over a fence. Link didn't
even raise his head to see what she jumped over. He didn't move at all until Epona neighed
again and stopped.
With a
confused blink, Link raised his head. He
was at
Link closed
his eyes and allowed himself to slide off of Epona. He collapsed beside the water and bowed his
head. I am the Hero, but once again, I'm
the one who introduced this evil to Hyrule.
How can I fight this evil when I house it within me? But I thought it was gone! I thought...I thought it was too far gone to
hurt anyone!
Opening his
eyes, Link gazed into
I am the
defender of these lands, Link snarled. I
have sworn to fight any evil that would try to harm its citizens. But how can I fight the Fierce Deity? Its form is another dimension, and its soul
exists in me. Its heart beats in my
chest. How can I fight this thing?!
Epona neighed
softly behind him, and she nuzzled him gently.
That tender motion was too much.
Softly, the young Hero began to weep.
He had failed his land, and he did not know how to remedy this.
"You
cannot possibly beat me, child!" Majora mocked Link's bruised, battered
body. "You have neither the power,
nor the strength. How do you propose to
defeat a creature that has the power of the gods?"
Link pushed
himself up on shaky arms, spitting blood from his mouth. The Fierce Deity mask weighed heavily in his
pocket. The child's earlier warning rang
in his ears, but Link knew he no longer had a choice. He had to win. Termina...everyone depended on him.
"With the
power of a deity," Link hissed, pulling out the mask. He slipped it over his face....
Link closed
his eyes, tears still slipping down his cheeks, and passed out beside the
lake. One hand fell limply into the
still waters.