Light and Shadow [III] (Link x Reader x Dark Link)

"So, that's the Water Temple, huh?"
Pondering your question aloud, you cocked your head slightly to the side as you regarded the sacred building in front of you before turning around to face Link, who gave you a silent nod in approval.

"Hmm..."
You merely hummed in response and paused for a moment, but then just shrugged with your shoulders. Link and you had already been through a labyrinth full with nasty Skulltulas and the living hell, so...how bad could this temple possibly be?
"Well, it can't be worse than the Fire Temple, right?"

You flashed the blond male beside you an encouraging smile and turned once again to look at the sacred temple, about to enter it.
"Alright, let's g-"

"Wait."
However, Link swiftly grabbed you by your wrist, stopping you from even starting to walk over to the huge building's entrance.
Surprised, you raised one of your eyebrows from curiosity as you gave the cerulean-eyed man a questioning look.

"Be careful."

"Huh?"
You blinked in confusion upon hearing Link's words, wondering about the reason for his sudden concern.
"What's with that serious expression all of sudden?"

Link's grip around your wrist only tightened as he knit his eyebrows. Ever since the young man had spotted the large scar on your back, he couldn't help but feel the urge to protect you and that's why he'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't let you get hurt anymore.
"Just stick with me and don't get separated."

"Uh...sure."
You were totally taken aback by Link's unexpected actions, but nodded nonetheless your assent, unsure of how to react other than that.

"Good."
The blond male's features softened ever so slightly upon hearing your agreement and he flashed you a satisfied smile before starting to head the way into the Water Temple, his hand still grasping steadily onto your wrist and thus, tugging you more or less along.



*****



Shuddering in disgust, you wrenched out your dripping wet hair and heaved a deep sigh in frustration while furrowing your brow.
"I stand corrected. This temple sucks. I absolutely hate it here, this is the worst place ever!"
You huffed in annoyance and puffed out cheeks as you recalled your latest memories.

Link and you had been running around for hours, searching for the right way through the temple. The constant changes of the water level hadn't only caught you off guard, but had also made you lose the last bit of orientation you'd had. Totally clueless and without any idea where to go, you'd kept to wander aimlessly around this horrible labyrinth, hoping to pass it any old way. After straying for what had seemed like an eternity, the two of you had somehow ended up at the very same spot from where you'd started your journey – and for that reason alone you'd wanted to smash your head against the wall in frustration, you'd just been going around in a circuit for the whole time!
You'd nearly gave up hope, but then Link had spotted a hidden doorway, neither of you had apparently seen the first time you'd gone through the area, and thus you had been able to continue your way through the Water Temple.

"Sheesh...I even ripped my blouse because of one of those stupid Spikes. Not to mention that I'm soaking wet, I look like a drowned rat."
You let out a small groan as you spotted that the end of your blouse had been torn apart while checking your attire and puffed out your cheeks before looking up to meet Link's gaze, awaiting that he'd share your pain.

But unlike you, Link didn't complain at all about the Water Temple. Instead, he just let out a small chuckle upon seeing the pitiful look you gave him.
"Pfft."

"Hey! Don't laugh about it!"
Not at all amused about the cerulean-eyed man's reaction, you crossed your arms over your chest as you glared at him through narrowed eyes. He didn't seriously dare to laugh about your misery, did he?!

But the young hero just continued with his chuckling. Heck, it got even louder as he noticed the angry expression on your face. He knew that it probably wasn't a laughing matter (well, at least not for you), but as you'd been complaining about what had happened, recalling your way so far through the Water Temple, the expression on your face had changed so many times, that Link couldn't help but laugh about it. You looked just too hilarious (and cute) in his opinion.
"But you were making the funniest faces right now."

You just huffed once again upon hearing Link's lousy explanation and continued your way through the temple, with Link only a few steps ahead of you.
Just as he entered the next room, you started to speak up again, wanting to retort to his previous excuse.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I do- Woha!"

However, you instantly stopped talking as soon as you noticed that the ground suddenly began to shake lightly. Surprised and also confused, you looked up to Link, only to see that a stone wall started to raise from the ground, separating the two of you within a blink of an eye.



~~~~~



"(f/n)! (f/n)!"
Link exclaimed your name in a loud voice as he banged his fist against the thick stone wall, hoping that he'd be able to break somehow through and even though the blond male did know exactly that this wouldn't happen at any rate, he didn't stop punching the wall until he saw that his hands had begun to bleed.

"Damn it..."
Letting out a groan, Link then looked up and observed the masonry wall, searching for a possible way to open it, but he didn't find one.
Figuring that he had to look for another way to unlock the gate, the blond male gritted his teeth in frustration as he muttered some further curses under his breath while running a hand through his shaggy hair, pondering about his next steps.

Just then, the young hero heard some dark chuckling coming from behind him and turned surprised around, only to find an ominous man, that had a creepily close resemblance to himself, standing not too far away from him.

The mysterious stranger began to walk over to Link as he started to talk to the blond male, a small smirk on his face.
"My, my. If that isn't the Hero of Time."

Link instantly furrowed his brows upon hearing the pale man talk. How did he know about him? Was he a partner of Ganondorf?
"Who are you?"

The enigmatic doppelganger's smirk got only bigger as he answered Link's question, seemingly amused about his reaction.
"I am your shadow, but feel free to call me 'Dark Link'."

The blond hero creased his face into a deep scowl as the raven-haired man's reply reached his ears. He didn't know what the answer of this 'Dark Link' was supposed to mean exactly, but he surely knew that it couldn't be anything good.
Not wasting his time with any further questions, Link quickly grabbed the grip of his sword and drew it with a swift movement out of its sheath as he lunged himself at the pale doppelganger in front of him.

Dark Link snickered loudly as he easily parried Link's attack with his own sword.
"Well, aren't we a little bit rude? We barely talked to each other and you're already lunging yourself at me."
His lips then curled up into a playful smile before he added the ensuring sentence.
"Not that you could defeat me, anyway."

Link huffed at his opponent's words as he tightened the grip around the hilt of his sharp weapon.
"We'll see about that."

The loud clashing of the two swords echoed through the whole room as Link used all his strength to push himself away from Dark Link before charging once again at the ominous man.
And thus started a heated battle between the Hero of Time and his dark doppelganger.



~~~~~



"Link! Link!"
In the meanwhile, you had done the same thing as Link and tried to reach the blond male with your voice as you cried out his name, banging your fists against the stone wall. But just like Link, you didn't have any success with your doings either.

"For crying out loud!"
Heaving a sigh, you pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration as you tried to settle down a little bit. You needed to find another way to enter this room, but you wouldn't be able to do that without a calm mind. Once you'd managed to collect your thoughts, you looked around and spotted a small hole in the stone wall. The heavy gate was pretty thick and massive and you didn't believe that the bombs you were carrying around had enough power to break it, but maybe if you put a bomb into the crack, the explosive force of the bombs would be powerful enough to create a passage to the room Link was in.
Without any hesitation, you took out one of your small bombs and placed it into the crack before lighting its fuse and getting some distance between the wall and yourself by hiding behind the closest corner. You covered your ears and awaited the explosion, counting down.

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

*BOOOOOM*

Your eyes immediately brightened as you cautiously peeked around the corner, seeing that the bomb had been able to cause the wall to break down, just as you'd hoped. You quickly ran up through the new created entrance, starting to call out to Link in a relieved tone.
"Link! Are you o-"

However, you stopped both, talking and running, as soon as you laid eyes on the man beside Link. The resemblance with the blond male was uncanny and sent a chill down your spine as you gaped at the young hero's doppelganger with eyes as wide as plates, to which Dark Link's smile grew big.

Noticing this, Link instantly positioned himself between you and the pale male, preventing the doppelganger from being able to look at you anymore.
His voice was stern and serious as he started to warn you about his mysterious opponent.
"Stay away from him, (f/n). He's dangerous."

Dark Link let out a pleasant chuckle upon hearing your name and totally ignored Link's presence as he stepped a little bit to the side, enabling himself to take another look at you as he asked you in a cocky voice.
"So you're (f/n), huh?"

The way the stranger purred out your name wanted to let you shudder in disgust, but you covered it up by letting out a huff. You couldn't let down your guard, not in a fight and especially not in a fight with such an ominous guy.
"Who are you?"

Link's doppelganger snickered as he heard your question and took another step forward, not bothered at all by the fighting stance Link took as he noticed him doing so.
"Theh. The hero's bad attitude must have rubbed off on you."

He then gave you a mock bow and introduced himself in a sarcastically polite tone.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, (f/n). I am Dark Link, the shadow of the so called Hero of Time."

You took in a sharp breath at Dark Link's words.
"...his shadow?"

The dark-haired doppelganger gave you a toothy grin upon seeing the bewildered expression on your face before explaining the meaning of his words.
"Let's just say that I combine all of his best qualities."

Quickly regaining your composure, you once again put on a blank face as you responded Dark Link with a small snort. Even after hearing his 'explanation', you didn't really know who this guy was, but you were sure that he was an enemy and an enemy had to be defeated.
"I doubt that."

Just as Dark Link was about to reply to you, Link lunged himself yet again at his doppelganger, having enough of the little chitchat between you and the ruby-eyed male. But the dark-haired doppelganger swiftly dodged the hero's attack and used his shield to push the blond man away, causing him to stagger and eventually fall to the ground.
Having watched the situation, you figured that you had to interfere and ran without any hesitation up to Dark Link, wanting to attack him with a small dagger that you quickly drew out of your pocket. Holding your sharp weapon with a tight grip, you raised your hand, about to knife Dark Link, but the doppelganger instantly foiled your plans by turning swiftly around to face you and grabbing your hand that was holding the dagger.

The very same moment when Dark Link's hand grasped your wrist, you let out a shriek of surprise. Not because he had been on to you, but because you'd felt a strangely warm and fuzzy feeling stirring up inside your body as soon as he'd touched you. However, you didn't have any time to think about your strange experience for Dark Link already continued to fight you. He twisted your hand with a quick movement, what caused you to let out a cry in pain, before pushing you down to the ground and trusting his sword right beside your neck, only barely missing to cut it through.
"My, my. Pretty brave, aren't we?"

Dark Link's voice was barely a whisper as he closed the distance between the two of you until his face was close enough for his lips to touch your ear as he continued to speak with a visible smirk on his face.
"...or maybe you're just being naive?"

He then pushed himself a little bit off of you and gave you yet another cocky grin.
"You can't stand a chance against me, sweety."

In the meanwhile, Link had managed to get back up on his feet and started to run up to attack Dark Link. However, it didn't seem as if the hero's doppelganger had the intention to fight anymore, seeing as Dark Link quickly pulled himself away from you while raising his hands in mock defence. He then proceeded to yank his sword out of the ground and gave Link and you a mocking wink before bidding his goodbyes, wearing a cheeky grin.
"Well, it was nice to play with you, but it seems like I have to get going now. See you soon, Hero of Time. (f/n)."

And with that said, Dark Link suddenly disappeared into a black cloud, leaving Link and you totally dumbfounded behind.

You blinked in confusion as you tried to proceed what had just happened and pushed yourself slightly off of the ground, supporting yourself on your forearms.
"What...what was that?"

Link walked quickly over to you and helped you to get back on your feet before shrugging with his shoulders, eyebrows knit together.
"I don't know. But nothing good at any rate."

His expression then instantly softened as he spotted the cut on your neck.
"Are you alright?"

You, however, still stared at the spot where Dark Link had disappeared from and nodded your head, only absently answering Link's question.
"Yeah, I'm okay."

"But his sword cut you."

"Hmm?"
It wasn't until those words of Link reached your ears that you noticed the small cut on your neck as you placed your hand on the hurt spot, feeling a little bit of blood flowing out of it.
"It's just a little scratch, nothing serious."

"Show it to me."

Link's serious voice took you a little bit aback as you still continued to press palm of your hand against your battle wound.
"That's really not ne-"

"Just let me take care of it, okay?"

The unexpected and sudden harshness in Link's tone made you flinch slightly and caused you to give in as you removed your hand from the cut with a small sigh.
"...fine."

The blond male regarded your wound for a brief moment before rummaging around in one of the pockets that were attached to his belt and taking out a small container which was filled with a healing ointment. He opened the caddy and dipped the tip of his finger into the salve before carefully covering your wound with it. Closing the caddy with the ointment in it and putting it back into his pocket, he then took out a bandage and gently bound the cut.
Once Link had finished to take care of your wound, you gave the blond male a small smile.
"Thanks."

The young hero returned your gesture.
"No problem."

An awkward silence fell then over the two of you as you just continued to stare into each others eyes, not saying a single word. You felt unable to break Link's steady gaze as you slowly but surely felt the heat rising to your cheeks and your heart starting to pound heavily against your chest.
Overwhelmed by the intense situation, you quickly broke the silence by clearing your throat, a light blush dusting your jowls.
"We...uh, should probably get going. We still haven't purified the temple, after all."

Link snapped back to reality upon hearing your words and started to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment. Trying to hide his blush, he swiftly started to head forward.
"Y-yeah. You're right. Let's go."

"Okay."
You nodded your head in agreement and began to follow Link, but not without taking a last glance behind you, looking once again at the spot Dark Link had pinned you down not too long ago. Rubbing the wrist he'd grabbed, you remembered the strange feeling that had suddenly overcome you as soon as the doppelganger had touched you and wondered about the meaning of your inner ruckus.

Little did you know that you weren't the only one who'd felt that strange jolt of feelings.
Dark Link had felt it, too.



*****



"Yeay!"
Letting out a chipper cheer, you threw your hands excitedly into the air as you walked alongside Link into the direction of Kakariko Village.

After successfully beating the Water Temple's boss, purifying the sacred temple and saving the third Sage, Link and you had decided to take a small break at Kakariko Village, seeing as the small town was also the next destination of your journey.

Unable to hide the excitement about having a free day after all those weeks of beating your way through the different temples, you started to jump up and down for joy while letting out a few happy giggles.
"I can't wait to eat at the Inn! Finally a warm meal, after all!"

Link let out a small chuckle upon seeing your beaming smile. You sure seemed excited to eat dinner at Kakariko's Inn.
"But we're eating warm meals on a regular basis, aren't we?"

"Yeah, sure. But we mostly eat fish."
You heaved sigh as you recalled your meals of the last days. Fish, fish, fish, fish. You'd eaten nothing but fish.
"I swear, if I have to eat one more fish, I'll turn myself into one."

Link's laughter grew only louder as he heard your latest remark to what you let out a small huff, thinking that he was laughing about you.
"What's so funny about it?"

"Nothing."
The blond male's lips curled up into a small smirk.
"I just had to imagine it. You'd be a cute fish."

"W-what?"
Stuttering with wide eyes open you stared dumbfounded at the young hero beside you as you felt your cheeks growing hot, from either anger or embarrassment, you did not know.
"I-is that supposed to be a compliment?!"

Link let out yet another chuckle, merely shrugging with his shoulders.
"Maybe."

"Hmph. You're a doofus!"
You quickly regained your composure and puffed out your cheeks before turning your head to the side and crossing your arms over your chest. However, you weren't able to hold up your 'pouting' façade, seeing as you let out a small snort shortly after as an image of yourself in fish-form popped up in your mind.
Link gladly joined your contagious laughter and so the two of you continued to walk to Kakariko Village, enjoying each other's company and stupid jokes.



*****



"Here you go, guys. The house's special."
The landlady at Kakariko's Inn flashed you a bright smile as she set the plates full of delicious food in front of you.
"Enjoy your meal!"

Link bowed his head thankfully while you clapped happily your hands together upon seeing the mouthwatering meals and thanked the middle-aged woman with a blissful smile on your face.
"Ahh, thank you so much, ma'am!"

The landlady nodded her head and wished you once again a bon appétit before disappearing into the kitchen to get the orders for the other guests.

"It's pretty full here, huh?"

"Hmm?"
You glanced up from your food and looked around, noticing that there were indeed unusually many people in the inn.
"Yeah, you're right. I wonder what's going on."

Wanting to know the reason for the confluence, you cautiously tapped the shoulder of the man who was sitting next to you, wanting to ask him whether he knew why there were so many people in the rural tavern.
"Excuse me, sir?"

"Whaddya want, kiddo?"
The middle-aged man turned around and replied you with a wide smile on his face. He seemed to be pretty happy for some reason.

"I was just wondering...it's pretty rare to see so many people around here. Is there some sort of party going on?"

The man with the big, grey moustache guffawed upon hearing your words and his smile grew even bigger as he started to explain the cause for all the turmoil in the usually quiet inn.
"Tha, ya bet! Ma lovely daughter gave birth to a healthy baby boy! And we're celebrating that special occasion now!"

You couldn't help but smile yourself as you heard the whiskery man's answer and quickly congratulated him on his grandchild's birth.
"Oh, really? That's wonderful! Congratulation on becoming a grandfather!"

"Thaha! Thank you, thank you!"

"Say, why don't you join us? The more the merrier, right?~"
It was then that the man, who was sitting beside Link, turned around and chipped in into your conversation, jogging the young hero's elbow while wiggling his eyebrows seductively.
"Hey, pretty boy! C'mon! C'mon! Join our party!~"

"W-who? Me?"
Link blinked surprised as he pointed at himself, totally taken aback by the sudden approach. Was...was this guy flirting with him?

"Why, of course I'm talking to you, cutie!~ Now, drink up!"
The rather feminine man stroked lightly over Link's shoulder before thrusting a jar filled with beer into the cerulean-eyed male's hands.

Link only reluctantly took the cruse, still totally dumbfounded and flustered by the sudden turn of events.
"H-hold on, I can't just-"

But he was instantly cut off by the moustachioed man beside you, who didn't even give him the chance to object as he encouraged him to join the party.
"Now, c'mon, kid! It's a special day, after all!"

Link shoot you a helpless look as if asking you to make an interjection and help him, but you only gave him a small smile in response while shrugging with your shoulders.
You were already staying the night at the inn, taking the day off...so, why not enjoy the party?




You let out a hearty laugh as Mutoh, the middle-aged man with the big and grey moustache, finished telling you guys another one of his funny stories. Link, who had in the meantime taken a seat between Mutoh and you (since Ichiro, the flirty guy, had creeped him kinda out) even had to wipe away small tears that started to form at the corner of his eyes.
The celebration was going on smoothly and you were really enjoying yourselves, relaxing for the first time in a long while....at least until a certain question came up.

"So, what's such a young couple doin' here, anyway?"

"W-what?!"
The question took both, Link and you, totally aback and so the two of you let out a yelp of surprise as Mutoh asked you the latter question.

The moustachioed man just shrugged with his shoulders before giving both of you a meaningful look.
"Just bein' curious. Are ya travelin' around...or are ya maybe even on your honeymoon?"

"W-we aren't a couple."
Link quickly tried to clear the misunderstanding, but Mutoh just let out yet another hearty laughter before wagging his eyebrows and nudging the blond male in the side.

"Aww, but ya look totally lovey-dovey!"

"W-what?!"
Link nearly choked on his drink upon hearing the middle-aged man's latest statement and flushed bright red.

The blond male's reaction caused the grin on the whiskery man's face to grow wide.
"C'mon, don't be so shy! Go and get the lady!"

"N-no! W-wait! I-I can't ju- woahh!"

But Link didn't even get to finish his sentence, seeing as the man had already pushed him towards you, wearing a bright smirk.

You let out a small yelp as you saw Link falling towards you and quickly stretched out your arms to catch him. However, the weight of the blond male's body forced you to lean back, to prevent the two of you from falling and in the end, Link and you were pressed tightly together, only a few inches separating your faces.
Link blushed a deep red as he realised the situation you were in and immediately apologised to you in a bashful manner.
"S-sorry, (f/n)..."

"I-it's okay..."
You timidly stuttered back, your eyes steadily locked with Link's as you felt the heat rising to your cheeks. Your heart started to beat so fast and loud that you were sure that Link would be able to hear it, wouldn't you get out of this awkward position.

You quickly averted your eyes to the side to evade your face from getting even redder as you searched for an excuse to get out of the inn. You definitely needed to cool down for a few minutes.
"Uh, I uhm...I'll get some fresh air, it's getting pretty stuffy in here."

Wriggling yourself out of the situation, you gently pushed Link off of you and stood up, instantly heading for the door. You didn't dare to turn around to look at the blond male as you started to dash off, but not without reassuring him that you wouldn't stay long.
"I-I'll be right back."




You heaved a deep sigh as soon as you exited the inn and stretched yourself before walking over to a nearby bench and plopping down on it, only to let out yet another sigh.
Looking up at the night sky, you started to admire the many glistering stars and the bright shining full-moon as you muttered your next words quietly to yourself.
"I wonder what Link thinks of me..."

"Oh, don't you worry, deary."

A familiar voice caused you to froze in shock as all your blood ran cold. This voice...what was he doing in Kakariko Village? He couldn't had followed Link and you, could he?
"I'll give you all the attention you need."

You cautiously turned around to face the hero's dark doppelganger with a frown on your face.
"Dark Link."

The pale man let out a few chuckles before giving you a toothy grin and crossing his hands over the chest.
"It's good to see you, too, (f/n)."

"Hmph."
You only huffed at him, not saying anything more.

But to your dismay, your reaction only seemed to amuse Dark Link seeing as his smirk grew bigger.
"Now, now. Going all grumpy again? That's not really lady-like."

You snorted upon his remark, keeping up a tough attitude.
"As if I'd care!"

"Feisty, aren't we?"
The doppelganger's laughter got even louder as he slowly started to walk over to you, closing slowly but surely the distance between the two of you. You instantly stood up and wanted to take a few steps back, but were shocked as you had to find out that you were unable to move. You gritted your teeth in frustration as you shot Dark Link a death glare, he must had used some kind of paralysing spell on you while you were looking up at the starry sky.

Once he came to stop right in front of you, Dark Link grabbed some of your hair and yanked your head roughly to the side, earning a small groan from you. He then leaned down and started to whisper with an husky voice into your ear, sending cold shivers up and down your spine.
"You're lucky that I like feisty girls like you."



~~~~~



In the meantime, Link was still sitting in the inn, waiting impatiently for you to get back. He could understand that you needed a short breather after that awkward situation between you two, but you were already gone for quiet some time now and he started to get worried for some reason. He couldn't really say why, but he just had this feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Not able to take it any longer, the blond male got up from his seat and excused himself before leaving the inn, in attempt to get you.

However, the second Link stepped out of the inn, he gaped in shock upon the sight of Dark Link bottling you violently up and exclaimed your name loudly, a mixture of anger and worry lingering in his tone.
"(f/n)?!"

He then started to run over to you, but instantly dropped dead in his tracks as soon as he noticed that his doppelganger was pressing a small dagger against your neck.
Clenching his fist tightly, Link creased his face into a deep scowl as he demanded Dark Link to release you.
"Let her go!"

The raven-haired male smirked deviously upon hearing Link's voice and turned his head to the side to face the blond man.
"Oh, my. You really have the worst timing ever. We were just about to have some fun over here."

The doppelganger let out yet another dark chuckle before swiftly grabbing hold of your wrist and yanking your body around, so that he could grasp you around your waist, embracing you with one of his strong arms from behind. Continuing to press the small dagger against your neck, he then began to slowly take a few steps back, dragging your still paralysed body with him.
"I'm sorry having to disappoint you, but I don't feel like fighting you today."

It wasn't until he came to stop beside the village's pond that he ceased walking, a toothy smirk forming on his face.
"You don't mind if I take (f/n) here with me, do you?"

And within the very next second, Dark Link jumped off the ground and into the well, not even giving you the chance to say, let alone do anything at all.
The last thing you could remember was the splashing sound of the water, mixing with Link's outcries and the feeling of a strange warmth embracing your whole body before everything around you turned completely dark as you drifted off into a deep slumber, losing consciousness.


"No...No! No! No! (f/n)!!"
Link's helpless cries rang through the silent night as he ran over to the well, Dark Link and you had disappeared into. The young hero continued to exclaim your name over and over again as he reached his hands into the water, hoping he'd be able to somehow grasp you and bring you back.
Realising that his actions were leading him nowhere, Link slumped frustrated to the ground, nearly tearing out the clumps of grass he was clasping. Letting out an enraged groan, the blond man then punched with all his might the well beside him, causing its bricks to crack a little bit.
Clenching his fist tightly, he muttered trough gritted teeth as he swore himself to rescue you.
"Hang in there, (f/n). I promise that I'll find and save you, no matter what."