The Legend of Zelda: Prince of the Sea

Chapter Eighteen: Plans

Eyes opened to darkness.

The woman was in a cold and empty room. She knew this because she could hear the echo of her shaking breath. There was also the fact that she had been having the same nightmare for nearly two weeks now, so it came as little surprise that she was dreaming it once again. Whereas before when she had awoken to such darkness, panic and confusion quickly consumed her. Not this time. This time, no emotions changed her features, even as Zelda slowly turned towards the only source of light. There in the distance was a column of light illuminating a stone table with a man sleeping upon it.

No... not sleeping, dead. He was dead, for it was Link, and Zelda could see the sword sticking out of his gut. However the sword... wasn't the Master Sword, that much she could see. It was a black blade, which confirmed that once more she had fallen into the same dream. Sighing, the woman walked forward, just the same as she had many times previously, but she did not react this time. She knew more now. She knew that the Link she saw lying upon the table in the waking world was nothing but an empty vessel. Link's true spirit was trapped from returning to his body and doomed to remain in the Light World. That is until either his spirit entered the Twilight Realm and could then return to his body if his body was there too, or when his future successor of the Chosen Hero's bloodline appeared, to which he could then pass down his knowledge and training. However, that could take centuries... millennia even.

The current state of Link's body, which was preserved in time by the Master Sword, and his doomed fate are both consequences of the actions of a single being...

"Dark Link..." she whispered, coming up to the side of the table and stepping into the spotlight. The queen stared down at the man's face upon the table, once again regarding how his skin tone was grey, his hair a ghost-white, and his clothes being shades of black and grey. Zelda had always assumed that it was Link upon the table and she would reach out to him, only for the dream to change to the dark island's beach. But... what if she had been wrong all those times before? What if... it wasn't Link who lay dead on this dream-table?

"Dark Link is that you?" she whispered, searching the unmoving face of the dark knight.

A deep growl suddenly filled the air and Zelda whipped around as her heart struck the inside of her chest and her gasp followed the threatening sound's echo. With eyes wide the queen looked around into the blackness, trying to pinpoint the origin to her nightmare's newest development, but she couldn't see anything. When yet another growl echoed within the room, the woman spun around to look to the other side of the table and beyond. The growls, which resounded again and again in different tones and intensities now, seemed to come from somewhere over there. With echoed footfalls, Zelda stepped around the table and, with a lasting glance at the knight upon the table, she walked towards the growls. Fear gripped her chest, but determination drove her forward.

This was new and this was different... and she would find out what her nightmare was turning into or perhaps even trying to tell her.

Being several feet away now from the illuminated table and in complete darkness, Zelda strained to see what monstrosity could possibly be making the chorus of snarks, growls, and barks that filled the air. She shook with fear, she wanted to run, but muttering to herself over and over that this was a dream and that dreams were their own realms helped her to venture forward. One foot after another, Zelda hesitantly walked forward. She flinched and winced every time another loud bark or snarl struck her ears, but if they were getting louder that meant she was getting closer.

As Zelda took another step, the table's light far behind her now, and the Hyrulean Queen froze when her eyes narrowed instinctively at a sudden spark of light. The light was close, really close to her: so close that she had to lift her right hand to shield her eyes when it got steadily brighter. That's when Zelda realized that light was actually coming from her hand and, more specifically, from the glowing symbol of the Triforce on the back of her hand. Surprise momentarily smothered her fear, but Zelda didn't have time to appreciate the sacred sight. She gasped when the light cast from her hand spilt onto the ground where three lines appeared in the form of a triangle etched onto the black ground. When the lines connected, the light of the lines lengthened to meet in the middle to form a dimly glowing triangle.