The Snow Maiden

Maybe You're Lonely

The sound of cheers and drums woke him up, though how he had stayed asleep through his pounding headache, he didn't know. The food the big-mouth man had given him had been a joke, so he could add an empty stomach on top of it.

Slugging his way out of bed like a chu-chu, he made his way down the narrow stairway to the church below to ask the friar for more food. The churchman, for some stupid reason, looked offended, so of course Dark Link knew he'd say no. The only reason he didn't go ahead and ransack the church then and there was because he was too tired, not to mention he caught the whiff of a much easier find out the door, and from the smell of it, much tastier than stale bread and cheese as well.

Thus, he found himself back outside walking and surrounded by over-excited people. When some playing children squealed rather loudly, he winced as it made his migraine throb. The stupid drums playing out of rhythm didn't help either. Food first, he told himself. He could kill them later when he didn't feel so crappy. He could stab the stupid drummers too.

His nose led him to a roasted pig being sliced over a fire. He was so relieved upon finding it, he didn't even take the time to notice Link glaring at him a ways away as he got into line. All he could think about was how nice it would be to have pork sliding down his throat. Hot pork.

The drummers stopped and a barrel-chested man got up on a small floor of old planks set up under the canopy that had been set up across the square. He started talking about how grateful they were or other for Link the savior and superhero of the land, blah blah blah. He was busy watching the pig juices land into the fire and thinking 'what a waste.' He felt like a wolf dragging away its prey to a secluded corner when he finally left the pig with his loaded plate. There was a bonfire not too far away and he was able to find a warm seat by himself.

"So, you're Shadow."

His ham steak dripped down his chin as he looked up. The gangly boy from before was standing there, watching him. He champed down and the meat smacked back onto the plate.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. That is your name, isn't it? Shadow?"

Shadow? How cliché, he thought. When he thought of a better name he'd correct the boy, but until then he just chewed.

"So, um...uh, this is so awkward, but my sister's friend dared me to come over and talk to you. Really twisted my arm, she did-it's really stupid, but she wanted to ask if...you know what? Nevermind. I think she just thinks you're cute or sumpthan, but don't tell her I said that. "

"Bug off."

"Oh, right, sorry. I'll just...yeah."

"Kane." said a third voice.

Dark Link groaned and looked up to see his original giving one of his hard looks to the guy, who gulped.

"I was just leaving, no stress!" he protested.

Dark Link watched as his original shooed the teenager away and gave his shadow a glare. In response, he just continued to eat. Seconds of silence passed where he just chewed and Link looked on. He was just about to ask whether Link had a fetish for watching other people slop torn meat into their mouths when he finally spoke.

"Where did you see that girl in the snow?"

He swallowed. "Huh? The Snow Maiden?"

"Yeah."

"How do you know about that?"

Link sighed. "Last night when you wandered in you kept muttering about her in your brain freeze delirium, now do you remember where you saw her?"