all the way down to the floor as it dragged on the ground about a foot or so, just like Verona's cape did. The cape was held in place by the firm, yet simple shoulder armor
placed atop of it, again, quite similar to the golden mantle the Hylian queen had gifted him, but these were silver and engraved with Twili designs. The hero wasn't really
sure what to make of these new additions, and the Queen of Shadows clearly noticed this as she noticed the bewilderment in his expression.
"Perhaps I should give you a better look…" Verona said smoothly, snapping her fingers as a tall mirror materialized before Link, allowing him to see his reflection fully. The
first thing he noticed was certainly the black cape, flowing down from his shoulders from the silver armor plates and looking somewhat out of place when compared to his
forest green tunic, though it made his features seem somehow more mature and mysterious. However, that wasn't the only thing the hero noticed. It had been a while
since he had gazed at his own reflection, and so now he was able to see that the Twili marks on his face had expanded and brightened, looking bold and pronounced
against his once-tanned skin, which had seemed to somehow pale slightly. In addition to this, his silver eyes had taken on a brighter pallor, almost seeming to glow slightly,
but still nowhere close to the natural blue shade they had once been. But most disconcerting by far was the fact that a lock of his dark golden hair had turned pure white,
though he had absolutely no idea how such a change might have come about.
"You don't like it," the Queen of Shadows said with a hint of disappointment in her tone as she noticed the hero's concerned expression. "Do you?"
This question quickly broke Link's focus as he turned towards Verona and away from his somewhat daunting reflection. "No, I do like it," he said reassuringly. And it was
true; he appreciated the new cape and the mantle very much, as they were a symbol of the fact that the Queen of Shadows genuinely believed in him, that she truly did
care for him. And yet, even despite this wonderful new gift, he still couldn't help but be bothered by his changed appearance.
"Are you quite certain?" Verona asked, not entirely convinced. "After all, I crafted it especially for you. And, that's no ordinary cape either; I placed a special enchantment
upon it that not only shields you from the effects of light magic, but it also allows you to disappear into the shadows, just like an actual Twili can. Certainly you can see
how such an ability could prove useful, right?" she asked, not stating the other functions of the cape and armor she had given him, such as how she could use it to track
both his location and emotional resonance at all times.
"Of course," the hero said with a nod, forcing a smile once more for her sake as he held some of the thick, dark fabric of the cape in front of him and admired it. "And I
really do love it. Thank you, Verona."
The Queen of Shadows was still frowning at him, far too savvy to believe his fake happiness. "You're welcome…" she said easily, noticing that his gaze was transfixed on
the mirror once more. Though she was tempted to, she didn't outright ask him what was bothering him this time, so instead, she inferred with what was a fairly accurate
guess. "You're no doubt wondering where those markings came from… aren't you?"
Link glanced over at her with a look of obvious surprise that she had figured this out, but he merely nodded nonetheless, hoping that she would have a definite answer for
him.
"As you've likely figured out," Verona began eloquently. "Those markings are reminiscent to those that my people bear from birth. For us, they symbolize the lives we
spend here in the shadows, the darkness and violence from which our kind was so shamefully born from. But for them to appear on a light dweller… well, I'm not quite
sure what it means," the Queen of Shadows lied, knowing full well why they had appeared and why his eyes had lost their blue coloration, though she still had no idea why
some of his hair had whitened. "But if I could guess, I would say they're appearing in response to you fulfilling your destiny…"
"My destiny?" the hero asked in confusion, watching as the Queen of Shadows slowly moved to stand behind him as she placed her hands on his armored shoulders and
met his gaze in the mirror.
"Certainly, you must know that you were never meant for the harshness of the light, Link…" Verona said, her voice elegant and her words graceful. "After all, you have
been betrayed by it in so many ways… And even before all that you went through, you didn't feel at ease in it any more once your first journey had reached its end. For
during that journey, your soul had bounded with the shadows you were forced into… You grew attached to them, even if you knew you never could be one… Until now…"
"But… I'm not a shadow…" the hero said with a frown, not really following what she was saying.
"No, you're not," the Queen of Shadows said with a nod. "You're more than that. What you really are transcends both light and shadow… By your own merit, you have
risen above them both, to the point that you have the capability to conquer them both, to rule over them for eternity. You are still a hero, yes… but no longer are you a
mere hero of Twilight… You strive towards a world ruled neither by light or Twilight, but shadow… A world where you don't need to hide your powers, where I wouldn't
have to conceal my ambition… A world that we can work towards together… A great destiny lies before you, Link… One that you yourself are steadily fulfilling… One that
you are in charge of, not me, not Zelda, not Midna, not even the goddesses themselves…That is what I believe those marking symbolize… That you are in control. They
show what you have become, what you have risen above. No longer are you the Hero of Twilight, cast out and ruined by his own people. You are stronger, smarter, and
braver than you have ever been before… You are… the Hero of Shadow!"
Verona's declaration echoed throughout the lofty chamber as Link continued to stare at his own reflection in silence, unsure of what to think. While the idea of being in
control of his own life and destiny for a change sounded incredible, he couldn't help but think that such control was coming at a price. Already his appearance had changed
to the point that he barely recognized himself on the outside, but what if he was slowly starting to change on the inside as well? Already, the hero had noticed that he
seemed to be much more bitter and aloof since he had joined Verona, but he counted that up to the fact that such emotions helped him keep his powers in check. After
all, concealing and not feeling would certainly keep them from spiraling out of control again. And yet, perhaps none of that mattered after all. Unlike before, he was finally
able to do whatever he wanted, regardless of the standards that had been set before him. He was able to take charge and be whoever and whatever he wanted to be.
And so, Link smiled darkly as he embraced this new title, realizing that it certainly was accurate. He couldn't possibly go back to being the Hero of Twilight, hated by the
very land he had saved, the people who wanted him in chains. He couldn't go back to being everyone's slave, never able to lead his own life and existence. He was never
going back.
For now, he was the Hero of Shadows, and he was finally free.
After a prolonged, dreamless unconsciousness, Zelda slowly opened her eyes, her throat still burning from having spent such a long amount of time breathing in smoke
and her entire body aching. Both her thoughts and vision were clouded for a moment, but as she finally regained her bearings, she noticed that the ceiling above her was
composed of dark grey stone and that the air was finally breathable once more, giving her the impression that
she wasn't in Castle Town anymore. Gingerly, she sat up on
the hard stone surface she had been lying on and looked around, realizing that she was sitting in a small, largely empty stone room, containing only the makeshift bed of a
slab she was sitting on, a small, barred off window that was closer to the ceiling than it was to the ground, and a thick wooden door with no handle on her side of it.
The queen's heart sank as she realized she was in captivity once more, but she was quick to realize that wasn't all. She could sense a certain feeling in the air, one that
carried a certain familiarity to it. The lingering feelings of stillness and darkness made her every step echo loudly throughout the cell she was imprisoned in as she stood
and made her way over to the window. Though Zelda had to stand on her tip-toes in order to see out of it, she gasped in show when she saw an endless veil of thick
Twilight sprawling out before her, blanketing the empty world outside. Unlike the Twilight that had covered her own kingdom months ago, this darkness felt much more
natural to the lifeless place she was now in. The queen bit her lip anxiously as she realized that she was in the Twilight Realm itself, the land of Hyrule now worlds away.
Without question, Zelda knew that her captor was Verona, and yet at the same time, she remembered that the last person she had seen before slipping into
unconsciousness was Link. As much as she desperately wanted to believe that he had nothing to do with any of this, she knew that she was only deluding herself by even
thinking he was innocent after how he showed no signs of trying to help her. Of course, the queen knew better than to entirely blame the hero for what had transpired;
certainly the Queen of Shadows was manipulating him in more ways than one in order to draw him to her side and keep him there. Perhaps she had either forced or
convinced him into starting the fire in the first place in an attempt to lure Zelda out and apprehend her, a plan that had clearly worked. The Queen of Light did her best to
suppress her tears as she glanced out the window into the Twilight once more, realizing that Hyrule had fallen, and it had done so by the very hands of the one who had
once saved it.
Zelda's attention was suddenly diverted away from the dreary view outside however when she began to hear the low mummer of voices coming from right outside her
cell door. The door had no window to allow her to see what was transpiring on the other side of it, and even then, it was too thick for her to really identify who was
speaking and what was being said. However, she only had a brief moment to eavesdrop before she heard the door begin to open from the outside. With a soft gasp, the
queen backed up against the far wall and prepared to defend herself against Verona, cursing under her breath over the fact that the Bow of Light was nowhere to be
found. Quickly, Zelda glanced down at her hand, only to find that the Triforce of Wisdom was no longer glowing its bright blue color. Even more disconcerting was the fact
that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get any of her powers to work, regardless of how much focus she was putting into activating them. Certainly, the Queen
of Shadows must have planned out every detail by putting her in a cell where even her magic was rendered completely useless.
However, before Zelda could even think of finding another means of defending herself, the door creaked open, and the queen's worst fears came true upon seeing who
was standing in the doorframe, glaring crossly at her from the very first moment he saw her.
"Link…" the queen whispered softly, her voice almost inaudible when compared to how her heart was hammering in her chest.
The hero's scowl deepened as he clenched his fists at his sides, trying his hardest to keep his anger from boiling to the surface. It had taken him quite a while to mentally
prepare himself for this meeting, and yet Verona had assured him that he was ready to face her, even if she had carefully cautioned him not to physically harm her. Yet.
"Your highness…" Link greeted icily, wanting nothing more than to make her suffer after what she had done to him, even though he knew now was not the time.
Zelda shook her head nervously, not even sure what she wanted to say to him or what she even could say to him at this point. She could only hope that attempting to
reason with him would convince him that what he was doing was wrong. "So," she began, steeling herself as she held a firm posture, not wanting to look small or weak in
his eyes. "This is how it is, isn't? You risk life and limb to rescue Hyrule, and yet your loyalty is so weak and wavering that you so easily give it away to the very person
who seeks to destroy you!?"
"No," the hero said, his tone still as calm as he could manage, though the bitterness in it was clear. "That's what I used to do when I thought I was right in wanting to
protect you. But now I realize that you're the last person I would ever want to protect."
"Link…" Zelda said carefully. "I know that what I said to you was wrong. I know that I hurt you. And for that…" she took in a shaky breath as she glanced away from him,
her heart crumbling at the thought of what once could have been, of what they could never have now. "I am so sorry…"
"You're sorry?" Link asked bitingly, finding it harder to keep calm with each passing moment, though thankfully his powers did not reveal themselves yet. "You tell me that
you don't love me, that you've never had any feelings for me at all, and you're just sorry?!"
"I… I…" the queen began weakly, but she was ignored and quickly cut off.
"Do you have any idea what you did to me, Zelda?!" the hero exclaimed in nothing short of absolute rage. "I had never felt that way about anyone before I met you! I… I
loved you! And I thought… I thought you at least cared about me…" Link paused for a brief moment as he shut his eyes tightly to keep his tears back, but even still, he
was unable to keep a small circle of ice from spreading out around his feet. "But I was wrong. All this time, you were just leading me on. You were using me! I should have
never listened to a word you said to me to begin with. You really are cold and heartless."
A sudden rush of anger filled Zelda upon hearing this, knowing that while some of his anger was justified, she wasn't about to sit back and take the full blame for what had
happened. "How dare you!" she hissed hotly, taking a bold step closer to him as she glared at him fiercely. "How could you be so blind, Link!? I had no choice but to reject
you! Verona forced me to! It was either that or… or…"
"Or what?" Link asked harshly, crossing his arms as he clearly didn't believe a word she was saying.
Zelda shook her head mournfully as she looked to the ground, knowing that it was too late for her kingdom to be saved now. "Or nothing now…" she muttered morosely.
"She's going to destroy Hyrule no matter what I do… You both are, I suppose… I just… I do not understand why you have chosen this path, Link… Even if I hurt you… Even
if my people wrongly abandoned you… I cannot see what you hope to find by serving Verona…"
"I'm not serving her!" the hero exclaimed defiantly. "We're equals! And besides, you know nothing about her! She was there for me when you weren't. She took me in
and taught me how to use my powers, which had gone out of control because of what you did! You and Midna were both wrong about her, and you were wrong about
me."
"I certainly was wrong about you if that is what you truly think!" the queen said with hateful firmness. "She is lying to you, Link! She has deceived you into joining her side
for one purpose and one purpose alone! She wants to steal your spirit from your body and leave you for dead! That is what that shard she impaled you with was for!"
"Then why would she even take it out of me then?" Link asked, not
buying any more of her lies.
"So she could rip your spirit away from you piece by piece!" Zelda exclaimed, desperate to convince him of what she knew was right. "Please, Link, you must believe me!
Your very life could be at stake if you continue to listen to Verona!"
"And why should I listen to you, either?!" the hero almost shouted as he stepped closer to her, his bright silver eyes looking straight into her light blue ones. "Even if what
you're saying is true, which I'm sure it's not, than you're no better than Verona. If you had ever really cared about me at all, then you would have fought against her! You
would have tried to find a way out! But you didn't. Because you're weak."
"I'm the weak one?" the queen asked sardonically. "I find that hard to believe when you were the one who sold yourself to darkness itself! You have betrayed everything
you once fought for; me, Hyrule, Midna-"
"Don't you dare say I've betrayed Midna!" Link shouted in rage as he finally bridged the gap between them, though Zelda instinctually backed away from him in fear. "I
never want her to have any parts in this! I don't want her to get hurt!"
"Well, what do think she would say if she could see you now?" Zelda asked piercingly. "Because certainly, she would never approve of what you've done. You turned
against the land you once fought to save! You've killed countless innocents! You destroyed an entire city! Hundreds of lives! And for what? To quench Verona's lust for
blood? Tell me, Link, did murdering all of those people really make you feel like you really won anything?"
"Enough!" the hero demanded, fire spiraling out from his fist as he punched the wall right beside the queen. She gasped in fear as she felt the heat of the fire, knowing that
he had been incredibly close to striking her with his flames. "You have no idea why I did any of that! And how could you? After all, you've always had a perfect life of luxury
and pampering. Everyone in Hyrule loves their precious queen. As for their hero… Well, I stopped being useful to Hyrule the minute I defeated Ganondorf. It only got worse
when they drove me out and called me a monster just because of my powers. I'm sure that they never would have done that to you, now would they?"
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