Favorable side

by Gladys Garcia

  knew…" she said with what sounded like a remorseful sigh.

  "A-about what…?" Link asked a bit nervously, unsure of what he might find out.

  "It is indeed called the Spirit Shard," the Queen of Shadows said, quickly conjuring a powerless duplicate of the real shard, bereft of the Spirit of the Hero so Link wouldn't

  be naturally drawn to it. The hero stared at the fake shard with worry, wondering if it really did hold a piece of his spirit as Zelda had said. "But I would like to know… what

  did Zelda say it was for?" she asked, already knowing what the queen most likely tried to convince him of, though she knew asking would make herself seem less

  conspicuous.

  "Um… she said that you were using it to… to take my spirit away from me…" the hero stammered, shifting his gaze from the shard to the dark queen anxiously.

  Verona let out a coy laugh upon hearing this, one that only set Link at ease slightly. "Is that what she told you?" she asked, still laughing lightly. "Please. That's absolutely

  ludicrous! First of all, it's completely impossible for a person's spirit to be ripped from their body, which just goes to show how little the queen knows of anything. Second

  of all, do you really think I would do something so… unspeakably heinous to you, Link? After how much I've helped you? After how I took you in when everyone else had

  turned their back on you?"

  "No," the hero said defensively, knowing that he did truly appreciate all Verona had done for him, as it was certainly more than Zelda had ever claimed to have done.

  "But… if that's not what it's for… then what does it do?"

  The Queen of Shadows smiled calmly upon hearing this question, having already formulated a perfect explanation beforehand. "I'm glad you asked," she said, glancing

  down at the imitation shard. "Do you remember how I said I wanted to help you from the moment I arrived in this land? Well, this was part of that."

  "But you stabbed it into my chest," Link said with confusion in his tone, subconsciously placing a hand over the place where she had struck him with it weeks ago.

  "Yes, and I do apologize for the pain that must have caused you," Verona said with what sounded like remorse. "But it was the only way I could allow it to properly do its

  job… You see, Link, I knew that in order for you to protect yourself from Zelda and her malicious planning against you, you would need the power that your Triforce piece

  could naturally grant to you. However, it's usually never exactly clear when such powers reveal themselves, so my shard… gave your powers a little… push, so to speak…"

  "Wait…" the hero said in both realization and sudden anger. "You mean… I have these powers… because of you?"

  "No, no, not entirely," the Queen of Shadows assured him, understanding how he might be upset about such news. "You've always had them, but they were lying

  dormant within you your entire life. When I injected the Spirit Shard into you, however, it unlocked that natural magic that was always there, allowing you to know the

  true power you have at last mastered."

  "But at what cost?!" Link asked, suddenly distraught as he quickly rose from his throne, flames of anger curling around his fists. "Because of these stupid powers, I was

  nearly chased out of Castle Town! Everyone in my hometown is no doubt terrified of me because I couldn't control them! I hurt… someone I really care about with them!

  And you thought they would help me?! I never even wanted them in the first place!"

  "Link, please, calm down," Verona said, not at all taken aback by his outburst even as the flames bristled around him in his fury. "I realize you're upset-"

  "Upset?!" the hero scoffed, the rage and hurt in his expression clear as the bright flames came to surround his form entirely. "Upset?! These powers ruined my life, and it's

  all your fault!"

  "No," the Queen of Shadows said firmly, her tone hiding hints of commanding darkness as she also rose to stand, her posture imposing as she stood over the hero.

  "These powers enhanced your life. Think about it, Link. Before you gained your powers, had you ever really felt powerful before? Did you feel as in control of your own life

  as you are now? Without them, would you have ever been able to rise up against Zelda like you have? Regardless of whether or not you want to believe it, I did you a

  favor. I made you strong."

  "You could have told me this before," Link accused coldly, though the flames around him slowly began to diminish. "And by before, I mean when I first found out about

  them."

  "Well, I would have," Verona said, holding her hands behind her back. "But back then, you still wrongfully saw me as your enemy. And even more than that, I thought that

  you would be able to figure them out of your own. Little did I know they were so heavily dependent on your emotional state. You should be grateful that I was able to

  help you control them at all based on how fickle they often are."

  The hero crossed his arms and scowled as he looked away, though the flames finally vanished before the Queen of Shadows placed a gentle hand on his armored

  shoulder. "Link…" she began, her tone gentle and sweet as she gave him a comforting smile. "You should know that everything I've done has been to help you. I'm sorry

  that my deeds unintentionally brought you turmoil, but have I not rectified my mistake? I took you under my wing, taught you, empowered you. I gave you everything

  you deserve and then some. Believe me when I say that my intentions have always been to help you rather than harm you…"

  Link remained silent for a long moment as he considered all this, knowing that it was true. Verona had been the only one who was consistently there for him lately, aside

  from Midna, but the hero was hesitant about being around the Twilight Princess after hurting her the way he had. Certainly Zelda must have been wrong in her accusations

  against the Queen of Shadows.

  Right?

  "I guess you're right…" Link said with a relenting sigh as he let his remaining anger go.

  "Of course I am…" Verona said sweetly, casually moving to stand behind him as she secretly gathered her magic together. "After all, why would I ever dream of hurting

  you when you have so much left to offer?"

  As the Queen of Shadows said this, she was quick to replace the fake Spirit Shard with the real one, placing her other hand on the center of his back gently. The moment

  her dark magic acted upon him, the hero's body stilled as if he had turned to stone, his eyes widening and his mouth hung open in what would have been a scream if he

  had been able to feel what was happening to him. And yet, it was as though his entire body, including his mind, had stopped functioning as Verona began to draw out yet

  another piece of his spirit, using a great deal of her magic to rip another wisp of green out of his body and trap it inside the Spirit Shard instead. However, while she was

  doing so, the Queen of Shadows attempted something else as well, something that would hopefully aid her cause even more.

  Verona knew, based on the questions that Link had asked her alone, that Zelda still somehow had an influence on him, no matter how small. The Queen of Shadows was

  enraged to think that the hero would still have feelings for the Queen of Light after everything that had happened, but even so, it was clear that the natural bond that

  existed between the Blood of the Goddess and the Spirit of the Hero still existed, as damaged as it might have been. And Verona knew well that if her plans were ever to

  succeed, she had to eliminate that bond once and for all, even if she had to rip it away from the hero forcefully.

  The Queen of Shadow's hand took on a dark crimson glow as she pressed her dark magic even harder upon Link, whose eyes were slowly losing both their pupils and

  irises altogether until they were empty white, glowin
g brightly amidst the Twili markings pulsating red instead of teal on his face. Verona cared about none of that,

  however, as she closed her eyes tightly, her hand trembling as she tried to draw out the ancient bond that connected the Spirit of the Hero to the Blood of the Goddess. A

  small wisp of blue instead of green slowly began to emerge from the hero's back, however, despite her immense concentration, the Queen of Shadows found that for

  some reason she could not pull it out of him, no matter how hard she tried. Verona let out a frustrated shout as she struggled to rip the bond from Link, her magic

  glowing powerfully, until, all at once, she exhausted it.

  In the resounding explosion of power, Link was thrown backwards away from Verona, her magic no longer acting upon him as his markings turned from red to teal once

  more. He landed roughly on the ground, completely unconscious thanks to another piece of his spirit being stolen, thereby draining his energy from him. The Queen of

  Shadows herself was knocked back quite a bit, though she managed to maintain her footing as she recovered from the intense outpouring of magic she had just

  unleashed. Breathing heavily, Verona cast an aggravated glare at Link's listless form, wondering why she had not been able to rip the bond he still had to Zelda away from

  him. Certainly it couldn't be that strong any longer, right?

  Verona shook her head as she stood firm once more, slowly sauntering over to Link as she noticed that a few more locks of his hair had whitened, something that still

  bewildered her, not that she had the patience to figure out why now. Though she wasn't entirely sure, the Queen of Shadows had a theory as to why she had not been

  able to take the bond between the Spirit of the Hero and the Blood of the Goddess away. So long as Zelda lived, that bond would certainly remain, for Link would be able

  to grasp onto the hope, however small, that she still cared for him. However, if she were to die before she could convince him that she really did, then their bond would be

  forever irreparable.

  It was clear to Verona that there was only one way to get rid of the bond that blocked her from her ultimate victory: kill Zelda. And, as she stood over Link, watching as

  his Twili markings glistened dimly in the darkness, she knew exactly how she was going to get rid of the Queen of Light once and for all.

  When Link opened his eyes, he found that he was standing alone in the midst of Hyrule Field somehow, giving him the impression that he was dreaming, even if he

  couldn't remember falling asleep in the first place. But even so, he immediately noticed that he was able to feel the chill of the wintry wind as it blew across his skin,

  snowflakes gently falling with it. He couldn't help but frown curiously, knowing that he had not been able to physically feel the sensations of hot or cold since he had gotten

  his powers. However, he only cared about that for a moment as he suddenly heard a low growl come from behind him.

  The hero instinctually reached for his sword only to grasp empty air. He let out a frustrated sigh, realizing he didn't need it so long as he had his powers, and so he simply

  spun around, ready to attack whatever monster had dared to sneak up on him. However, as he turned fully, he realized that it was by no means a malevolent creature

  that had approached him.

  Link found himself staring down into the single glowing red eye of a golden wolf, or specifically the golden wolf. During the Twilight Invasion, the hero had often received the

  aid of an ancient spirit that only ever referred to itself as the Hero's Shade, which, in a spectral plane, had appeared in the form of a ghostly knight. However, in the

  physical world, it would appear before Link as an ethereal golden wolf, the very same one that stood before him now.

  The hero instantly relaxed upon seeing the sacred beast, knowing that it meant him no harm. He was admittedly confused though, knowing that he had not seen the

  Hero's Shade since his journey had ended. Why would the wizened spirit suddenly appear to him again now and here, in his dreams?

  Unsure of what to do or say, Link took a small step forward towards the golden wolf. However, that apparently startled the shining beast as it abruptly turned and darted

  off in the opposite direction, running off towards the snow-covered forest to the south.

  "Hey!" the hero called out after the golden wolf, not wasting any time in chasing after it. "Wait!" The golden wolf didn't heed him as it simply continued to run, going must

  faster on four legs than Link could on two. A part of the hero wished that he was a wolf himself at the moment so he could keep up, considering the fact that he had no

  way of calling Epona to help him go faster. Fortunately, upon entering Faron Woods, the golden wolf kept to a straight path, making things easier for Link as he followed its

  bright, sacred glow through the darkness.

  Eventually, the golden wolf finally began to slow its quick pace, allowing the hero to begin to catch up to it as they both made it to a small clearing. However, he was only

  able to see it for a brief moment as it glanced back at him, his lone crimson eye seeming to glow brighter than before as it suddenly disappeared altogether. Yet as it

  vanished, the Hero's Shade somehow called out to Link, leaving him a vague, mysterious message in its ghostly, yet firm voice.

  "Heed my words, my son… A heart led astray can only be found by the one who let it go… For while in the shadows you walk now, you will find the light once more… I will

  make sure of this…"

  The hero had no time to figure out what his former ghostly mentor meant, he was distracted by a sudden flash of green light from behind him. Though Link had no idea

  what was going on, he turned around nonetheless, only to see a radiantly glowing figure standing amidst the darkness of the trees only a few feet away from him. Their

  back was turned to him, but he was able to discern from her figure that she was most likely a young woman, taller than him, with immaculate, long green hair flowing all

  the way down her back to her feet nearly, some of it piled atop her head in two neat buns. She wore a simple, light green gown that seemed to shine like the rest of her

  form in the dim light, her entire being appearing like a beacon of hope and goodness amidst darkness and treachery.

  Link found himself unable to speak or move in her presence as he simply stared at her turned back with wide eyes, somehow both afraid of her and captivated by her all

  at once. And, as she slowly turned her head so he could see part of her face, he found that he could do nothing else but stoop low to one knee in response to her sacred

  radiance. Her skin was beautifully fair, and while her hair swept over her shoulder blocked her mouth from view, he was able to see one of her eyes, a perfect, almost

  glowing shade of peaceful green, that seemed to comfort him and pierce his very soul at the same time.

  "Link…" she spoke his name in perhaps the most beautiful voice he had ever heard, one that he knew he had heard before somewhere, even despite the hint of pain in her

  tone as she said it. "Why have you turned away from my light…? From me...?"

  The hero simply shook his head slowly, drawing in a tight breath as he heard the disappointment in her melodious voice. For some reason, he didn't consider himself

  worthy of speaking to her directly, for certainly she was the most sacred being he had ever encountered.

  "But you have…" she said, as if reading his thoughts, though she still didn't turn to face him fully. "My son… Have you so easily forgotten? Have you forgotten me? Have

  you forgotten your purpose?"

  These questions admittedly confused them, for he had no answer to any of them. She watched his bewildered expression for what seemed like ages until she let out a

  saddened sigh, turning from him once more as she shook her h
ead. "What a shame…" she said with noticeable grief. "You are still not ready…"

  A sudden panic rose up within him as he noticed her heavenly form begin to fade away, for he desperately wanted her to stay so he could remain in her comforting, loving

  presence. However, as she disappeared, she left one last statement for him, tears on the edge of her benevolent tone as she spoke. "You are not ready to know what

  you truly are…"

  As her form finally dissipated, leaving the forest to its darkness once more, the hero was quick to rise to his feet once more, his eyes wide as he stared at the spot where

  she had once been. Without thinking, he rushed towards the inky blackness in front of him, unaware of the new figure materializing within the darkness until a hand

  suddenly reached out and pushed Link roughly away.

  The hero recoiled backwards as a sudden burst of pain sparked through his chest. However, as he glanced up to see the figure emerging from the trees, that pain all too

  quickly turned into an instinctual fear. Whoever they were, they slowly sulked forward out of the trees, their head held down so Link was unable to see their face. What he

  did immediately notice however, was the fact that they were dressed almost identically to him, save for the fact that their tunic and cap were a light shade of blue instead

  of green, their pants and undershirt were black as opposed to tan, and they wore a set of silver chest armor and gauntlets. Even in stature and height, they were similar

  to him, however, the resemblance shocked the hero even more as the figure slowly raised their head so he could see their face.

  Though their features were perfectly matched, the similarities stopped there. Link gasped and took a step back when he saw that the figure's hair, which would have

  looked exactly like his, was snowy white, which matched their empty, pupil-less, soulless eyes well. Their face was marked with unnerving red and blue symmetrical

  designs, adding to their overall sinister appearance, especially as they gave the hero a dark, malicious grin.

  "W-who are you?" Link asked in obvious nervousness, wishing now more than ever that he had his sword with him.