The Revival of Shadow Link

47:

I hated it down there.

It was colder and darker than what I was used to, mold grew on the ceiling, and in the dark, you could hear voices and see things that you knew were not actually there; it was enough to make the toughest break and enough to drive the perfectly sound of mind insane.

I hated it even more that he was down there. 

I wanted him dead, I didn't want to destroy his mind, I loved him. I loved him, I loved him so much. And now, he was nothing more than a traitor who couldn't live anymore. I was going to have to kill him, but I loved him so much, it wasn't fair, but I either had to get rid of him or make him rot in that cell all alone and I couldn't let him do that. 

So, I decided to check on him. To make sure he couldn't escape and was still there, I reminded myself. Not because I wanted to look at his gorgeous face.

His back was leaned up against the wall and his hands were in his lap, occasionally twitching. His eyes were shut, but he seemed to be awake, he must have been focusing on something. I wanted to go into his cell and hug him, and talk with him, and love him to death, but I was too busy being angry and hurt to do that, too busy thinking about how else he could die. 

I knew he couldn't live. 

I noticed his temple was bleeding still, kinda what happens when giant monsters three times your size knock you to the ground. I looked at the bandages I had in my hand.

I was hoping he would have been unconscious so I wouldn't have to deal with talking to him; I just didn't want him to bleed to death or have some sort of trauma to his beautiful brain, but to be honest, I probably would have been fighting the urge to strangle him if he was asleep and  completely at my mercy.

I started walking towards the cell, done stalling.

His eyes shot open, staring at me when I got closer.

"How could you?" I felt like screaming. "You're never going to understand how much I loved you, how much you meant to me. I wanted to live the rest of my life with you, I wanted to be happy with you. I thought you were happy, you said you loved me, you're a liar and a traitor and I can't ever forgive you."

"How the fuck are you so calm?" I asked instead. 

He locked eyes with me, cold and calculating, everything I loved about them now just brought me pain. All I could think about was how he seemed to be calculating how hard he had to swing to shatter that mirror.

"How? You do realize that you have maybe fifteen minutes to live, you're going to die. And the others are probably pissed at you, no one is gonna come to save you. You're in danger, you're gonna die, and yet, you're still so calm."

He shrugged, closing his eyes again.

I looked down at the bandages in my hand and then back up at him. "Back against the wall now."

He obeyed and I opened the door, muttering, "you're so lucky I don't make you bleed more."

I wasn't at all gentle with him, but not once did he struggle against me and when I was done, I realized that I was seriously wanting to shove my head in his chest and start wailing, but I stayed strong.

He now had bandages wrapped around his temple and forehead. 

"I loved you," I said. "I loved you so much and you..." He shifted on his feet like he was uncomfortable. He was uncomfortable? "Did I do something?" I shouldn't have asked it, but I needed to know because otherwise, it was just going to eat away at me.

"Shadow Link, it wasn't anything you did, I just...I can't abandon the others, or my father, or Princess Zelda, or all of Hyrule for you."

I could see all over on his face that there was more to it than that. "You didn't want to to begin with."

"I had no intentions of staying on your side, no." He sighed. "I didn't expect this to happen."

Well, at least I didn't do something to make is betray me; he always knew he was going to.

Had every interaction we spent together he spend thinking about stabbing me in the back?

"And on top of that..." he swallowed. "You...were just a bit possessive."

I felt shame grow inside me. Even if there could have been some chance that Vio would have wanted to stay, I probably ruined it. But he didn't want to, he didn't want to, and as much as I loved him, what was I gonna do? Force him to stay with me?  If I was actually considering that, then I would be a lot more than "just a bit possessive." 

"A relationship where I'm lying through my teeth to my partner and am constantly in danger isn't a good relationship. This isn't your fault, Shadow Link, this isn't your fault."

It hurt that he was calling me Shadow Link instead of just Shadow. 

"If Hyrule didn't need saving, then maybe things would have been different. They still can be. You're good, I know it, I've seen it, you aren't nearly as evil as everyone wants you to believe, as you believe, I know. You can help us! Then...maybe things can change."

"You go from trying to kill me to trying to get my help?" 

He frowned.

I felt anger consume me, my eyes were no doubt red. "The Dark Mirror isn't just a source of power, it's the reason I'm still alive; the mirror you just tried to smash has been keeping me alive, and if you break it, I die." 

For some reason, I muttered, "I liked it better when you were smashing something else."

He looked absolutely horrified. "I-I didn't...I didn't know--"

"I don't care. Knowing or not, you had every intention of betraying me and that can't go unpunished, Vio."

"Shadow," he said, and he looked desperate, his eyes were pleading and willing me to do what he wanted. Even more when he actually grabbed my hand. "Please...I know you're good, you don't have to do this. Don't you want to be a hero? For me?"

I would do anything for you, Vi. I snapped out of my thought and yanked away my hand. He was trying to manipulate me, he wanted me to be a hero for him, he was just trying to buy time... 

"If you really felt that way, you should have said something sooner, not right before I kill you. I can't believe you, Vio."

He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it frowning. He tried again but failed to say anything again. He looked defeated. 

"You're right, now's an awful time to bring it up."

I swallowed. "Goodbye, Vio." I turned on my heel and left, knowing I did not lock his cell door. 

I went to the mirror and looked at him, almost hoping he would try to escape, which would have been easier.

And he just sighed and sat back down, back against the wall with his eyes closed, clearly thinking.