the ground, only barely managing to maintain her balance. However, even then she struggled to remain standing steady on the ice, shooting a cold glare towards Link,
who was skillfully skating towards the other end of the room.
"Link!" Verona shouted angrily, clearly flustered as she nearly fell once more, her high-heeled shoes doing nothing for her on the slick ice. She was only met with the hero's
teasing laughter however, the fact that he was enjoying her embarrassment only angering her more. And yet for some reason, she found that she couldn't stay too angry
at him as she looked towards him and the roguishly charming, encouraging grin he was giving her.
"Come on, Verona!" Link goaded, still laughing a bit upon seeing the Queen of Shadows' frustration. "Can't you just let go and have a little fun for once?"
Verona's bitter glare turned into a devious smirk upon hearing this as she straightened up, stepping out of her high heels and conjuring shoes more appropriate for iceskating.
"Oh, I'll let go…" she said, her tone jokingly sinister. "But only so that I can teach my mischievous little pupil a lesson in respect!"
The hero grinned brightly in excitement as the Queen of Shadows rushed forward, showing much more grace and precision this time as she swept across the ice after
him. Once more, Link used wind to push himself to go faster, though Verona utilized a similar tactic in the form of shadow magic, which gave her just as much speed as he
had. The hero tried to shake her off his tail by cutting tight turns and curves across the floor, however, what he hadn't been expecting was for the Queen of Shadows to
outsmart him and cut him off. Link let out a surprised gasp as Verona suddenly appeared right in front of him, and, to avoiding colliding with her, he impulsively created a
large burst of ice to try and slow his momentum. The Queen of Shadows' eyes widened as the blast exploded into a huge flurry of snow, which was enough to stop both
of them as they both slipped to the ground clumsily, the snow falling upon both of them in heavy piles.
Link laughed loudly and heartily as he fell back in the snowdrift that he had unintentionally created, not even caring that the residual snowfall was heavily falling over him.
At first, Verona was not as amused as she rose to stand amidst the snow, a scowl on her face as the snow chilled and soaked her. However, even the Queen of Shadows
could not hold her amusement in for too long upon seeing the hero's contented expression as he reveled in the lovely wintery conditions he had created. He was getting
better, to be sure, and in his progress, Verona found some strange sense of satisfaction and happiness. She knew that she could feed off of his negative emotions for her
purposes more, she could not deny that she actually almost enjoyed seeing him happy.
"See?" Link asked her as he sat up, giving her a sardonic grin. "Wasn't that fun?"
The Queen of Shadows had half a mind to deny him that she had actually enjoyed herself, but even she knew that would be a blatant lie. And so instead, she simply gave
him a bemused smile as she gracefully began to head for her place at the head of the room once more. "I suppose it was," she said, still grinning as she glanced back at
him. "Now, let's get back to work."
Out of all of his powers, wind was surprisingly the easiest one for Link to use and control. It was not as blatantly dangerous as fire or ice, even if it did have the potential
to cause disaster if gotten out of hand, something Verona had made very clear to the hero when they began practicing with it. And yet, creating wind felt very natural to
Link all the same, to the point that he felt right at home forming a harsh tunnel of wind right in front of him.
"Perfect," Verona said with a pleased nod. "Now… make it bigger."
Link kept his steady focus up as he did as she said, spreading his hands apart wider as the whirlwind expanded in response to his commands. "Bigger," the Queen of
Shadows encouraged, and the hero followed her instruction as the spiral of wind grew even larger, to the point that it was nearly half the size of the room, and yet that
still wasn't good enough. "Bigger!" Verona nearly shouted and this time, Link did not hold back. He threw his arms out wide as the whirlwind encompassed the entire room
nearly, increasing in speed drastically.
The Queen of Shadows used her magic to shield herself from the hurricane winds while the hero continued to stand firm amidst them, slightly awed by how fast they
were. He had never known such a wild, deadly gale before, and he had certainly never made one like this before as it continued to race around him, blowing his hair and
clothes about without care. There was something strange about it though, especially as the otherwise unseeable breeze took on a slightly greenish tint, something that
Verona couldn't see, but Link could. He took in a small, somewhat shaky breath as he felt something stir within him, something strangely nostalgic and instinctual. With his
arms still held out at his sides, the hero closed his eyes, the winds seeming to pick up even more, even though he could feel the world around him begin to fade away until
his senses were basically numbed.
"Son of Courage…" a strangely familiar, feminine voice faintly whispered to Link as he remained unaware of everything going on around him. It didn't belong to anyone the
hero knew, but he was still almost certain he had heard it somewhere before. "Link… my son…" The voice was very soft to the point that Link could barely hear it, even
though he was striving to. And yet, as it spoke to him, brief, snapshot visions flashed throughout his mind. They were all very short and vague, but he was able to pick
apart a few select images: a beautiful woman with verdant hair, garbed in emerald clothing, a heart-shaped mask with sinister, glowing yellow eyes, a pure green orb
colliding with a dark blue one, and a mysterious figure with snow white hair and empty, blank, soulless eyes.
The hero had no idea what any of this meant, but after it was all over, he heard the gentle voice beckon to him once more, and this time, it spoke a little bit louder and
more clearly. "Beware, my son…" the voice said, the slightest hint of worry in its tone. "Your walk in the darkness will lead to nothing but your own demise… You were not
meant for these dark shadows… You were born of the purity of light… Of my light…"
"Link?" Verona's voice began to break through the other voice that the hero was hearing, but he heard it plead once more before he opened his eyes again, the winds at
last dying down as it faded away to whence it came.
"Please, my beloved Son of Courage… Listen to my words… Return to me… before it's too late…"
Hours seamlessly rolled on into days as Verona continued to train Link, making sure that the hero was honing his skills beyond just control. She wanted to ensure that he
had complete mastery of them, and so she taught him techniques that were quite advanced for each type of magic he possessed. It was tiring, yet satisfying work, and
with each skill Link learned, he felt more and more capable of not just keeping his powers reigned in, but actually applying them in every aspect of his life, especially
fighting.
By the time two entire days had came and went by without notice, the Queen of Shadows finally announced to the hero that their training had reached an end. Link had
figured it was about time, as by that point he had learned to do things he had never thought possible, even with magic, such as engulfing the Master Sword with fire,
sculpt an entire building out of ice, and even use wind to nearly fly without any other assistant. His confidence with magic had certainly grown, and he had come to the
point that he viewed himself ready to put all he had learned into action.
"Now, before we call it quits entirely, I do
believe that one final test is in order," Verona said with a sly grin. "I think one final battle will allow me to assess your skills
properly."
"Alright," Link said eagerly, ready for anything at this point. "So… what am I fighting this time?"
"Oh, not 'what'," the Queen of Shadows said as she stepped off the platform, still smirking ominously. "But 'whom'…"
"Wait…" the hero said with a sudden frown. "I'm supposed to fight… you?"
"Well, of course," Verona said as she conjured her scepter. "Is there a problem with that?"
"Um… no…" Link said with a shrug, even if he did have a few reservations about this. "There's no problem. It's just…"
"You're afraid I'll be too much for you?" the Queen of Shadows said with a smooth laugh. "Well, don't worry. I promise I'll go easy on you. After all, you're still largely a
beginner."
The hero took in a deep breath and nodded at this, taking up an offensive pose, though he decided to not use his sword so that he could properly practice his magic alone
without having to rely on a blade. And, with a single word from Verona, the battle was on.
On instinct, Link was the first to rush forward, conjuring up an ice spire in each hand as he ran for Verona. The Queen of Shadows used her own magic to dispel both of
them as he swung at her with them, and she was quick to counter with a burst of shadow magic. The hero hurriedly sparked fire around his hands as he blocked the
shadows, before sending the flames Verona's way with a strong gust of wind. However, the Queen of Shadows was level-headed as ever as she used only the metal of
her staff to protect herself from the fire, quickly using her magic to briefly teleport out of Link's sight. Yet even despite her sneaky tactics, the hero was onto her as he
quickly created a shield of ice and spun around, just as Verona tried to ram the end of her scepter into his exposed back. Link grinned confidently as the metal of the staff
shattered the icy shield, winds swirling around him as a result. The hero used the wind to his advantage as he commanded it to lift him up and out of her reach, not even
wasting a single second as he launched a burst of ice at her. The Queen of Shadows narrowly dodged it, glancing briefly behind her as it shattered into jagged icicles upon
colliding with the ground. However, what she didn't see was the fireball rushing for her until it was almost too late. With a surprised gasp, Verona held her scepter up in
front of her, recoiling backwards as the flame exploded brightly, momentarily blinding her. She stumbled backwards even more upon feeling something else collide with her
staff, and once her vision cleared she was able to see what had happened. Link had launched himself from the funnel of wind he had been hovering upon, drawing his
sword as he did so. His blade had squarely met the Queen of Shadows' scepter and brought it down a bit as he landed, and as Verona's eyes widened a bit at his speed
and precision, the hero couldn't hide his clever, confident grin.
"Excellent…" the Queen of Shadows said with a proud smile, withdrawing her staff from its tension against Link's sword. Likewise, the hero sheathed his blade, knowing
that the battle was over. "By all intents, I'd say you passed with flying colors. Congratulations, Link. You're ready."
"Thank you," Link said with a genuine smile of gratitude. Even though it was strange to admit, he was truly thankful to the Queen of Shadows for all she had done for him,
from supporting him, to teaching him, to encouraging him and everything else. After the time he had spent with her, he felt as though he had come to know her as more
than just someone to be hated or feared. She was an actual person, with actual feelings, and though she had done her fair share of wrongs, certainly she had good
intentions. After all, no one could ever be perfect. "But… what exactly am I ready for?"
"Well…" Verona said a bit leadingly as she glanced away from him. "I… would like to extend an offer to you, Link. Of course, you're completely free to turn me down and if
you do, then I'll be more than happy to return you to Hyrule. But… if you do go back on your own, then you'd just be one person standing against all of the many people
you want to exact revenge upon, which, even with your newfound skills, would certainly be a grueling task."
The hero frowned a little upon hearing this, knowing that he didn't particularly like the thought of having to be alone, both figuratively and literally. Even though he now had
legitimate control over his powers, certainly the people of Ordon would still see him as someone who had coldly murdered five men right before their very eyes. Even
Midna, who had vowed that she wouldn't leave him, certainly would have her reservations about being around him after how he had burned her, forever tearing a rift in the
strong bond they had once had.
"Go on…" Link said after Verona gave him a brief moment to think, willing to at least listen to what she had to say after how she had helped him so immensely.
The Queen of Shadows' smile deepened as she slowly sauntered around the hero, placing a gentle hand upon his shoulder as she used her unseen dark magic upon him
yet again. "The way I see it, you and I have very much the same goal, Link…" she began, her tone smooth and easy. "You wish to make the people of Hyrule, as well as
their queen, see the error of their ways for rejecting you. I also wish to teach them a lesson. To long have they languished in their precious light, to the point that they
despise and revile the beauty of the shadows that my people and I come from. We would have much to gain by continuing this alliance we have built into the foreseeable
future. Together, we could make all of them pay. Together, we could make the entirety of Hyrule bow at our feet. Together, we could rule them all! Now… doesn't that
sound absolutely… wonderful?"
Though there was once a time when Link would have been completely against this sort of thing, he found himself strangely comfortable with the idea of working with
Verona to make his enemies suffer. After all, they all deserved it after what they had put him through. And yet, even still, he had his doubts. The last thing he wanted was
for the Queen of Shadows to see him as her slave and little else. He was so tired of being used by everyone and everything: Zelda had used him, Hyrule had used him,
destiny had used him, even Midna had used him. But he refused to be used by anyone else ever again. He belonged to no one but himself now.
"Let me make one thing very clear," the hero said, his tone cold and serious as he gave Verona a discerning look. "If I do agree to this, then I expect to be nothing less
than your equal, got it?"
"I wouldn't dare try to make you anything else," Verona said with absolute sincerity. "After all, power like yours is to be respected, not simply used as a mere tool."
Link nodded in acceptance of this, knowing that if the Queen of Shadows dared to retract on her promise of their equality then he wouldn't hesitate to break things off
with her. "So what exactly do you plan on doing?" he asked, almost ready to accept her offer, though he still wanted more information first.
"I'm thinking something along the lines of… wide-scale destruction…" Verona said with a dark grin. "A way for you to flex your powers a bit. A little fire set to Castle Town
would be enough to show all of those fools just who they respect and honor. Plus… it would also be an excellent way to lure Queen Zelda into our hands…"
The hero clenched his fists upon hearing the queen's name, more than ready to do anything to make her suffer in any way he could. "What are we going to do with her?"
he asked, not even really caring that much just as long as it caused her pain, both physical and emotional.
"Capture her of course," the Queen of Shadows said. "Force her to watch as her people pay
the price for their sins, for her sins… So what do you think?"
Link watched with an unreadable expression as Verona held her hand out to him once more, this time extending an even more enduring offer to him. The thought of
putting Zelda in her place certainly tantalized him, and it was perhaps the point of this entire deal that excited him the most. And even beyond that was the fact that he
would have the means to show the people of Hyrule that they had been prejudgemental fools in casting him out. Perhaps the Queen of Shadows was right; perhaps
Hyrule was being corrupted by light after all. Maybe it was time for shadows to be equal with them, if not greater. Maybe it was time for everything to change.
"I'm in," the hero said with finality, taking her hand and shaking it firmly to prove their newfound alliance.
"Perfect…" Verona purred, a hint of sinister darkness in her tone as she knew that everything was falling into place exactly as she had planned. "In that case… let's get
started…"
Castle Town was much quieter than it usually was under the continual night sky, even despite the fact that its streets were still filled with their usual activity. Though it had
been a few days ago now, word of the Hero of Twilight's mysterious, dark powers had spread amongst the citizens like wildfire, and with it came an endless barrage of
rumors, very few of which were actually true. Quite a few people believed that he had actually killed the queen already, while others had claimed to have heard from
Ordon and Kakariko that he had caused destruction and chaos in those villages as well. And of course, there were certainly whispers among the people that the hero
might return to Castle Town itself and wreak havoc upon it. Overall, the entire populous was still quite shaken up, and as the days continued to go by without hearing a
single word on the status of their queen, the people continued to grow more and more anxious and worried for what might become of them.
It was because of this growing cloud of dread hanging over the city's head that the local soldiers had decided to take a small initiative. Even though Queen Zelda had not
Favorable side Page 33