The Legend of Zelda:

“What’s your name, kid?” Nabooru said sternly, addressing the intruder from across the table in her office. She did not sit however, but stood across from him as two other Gerudos held him by the shoulders, and two others stood behind him. His hands were still tied together behind his back. Kat was listening in on the conversation from a distance, leaning her back against the back wall and crossing her arms casually. She was still proud that he had been caught, and was eager to know what Nabooru was planning on doing with him.

“My name is Dace, and you are wrong to call me “kid”; I am the leader of the Neroth tribe.”

“What?!” Nabooru and the rest of the Gerudos shrieked with laughter. The kid barely looked fourteen. Here he was, the leader of their rival tribe, in their clutches. They were free to do whatever they wanted with him! It was this kind of greedy power that fuelled the Gerudos.

Nabooru regained herself and the rest of them quieted down with her. “I… I’m sorry, how old are you again?” Nabooru leaned a foot up on her chair and rested her elbow on her knee, covering her face with her hand, preparing herself for the answer.

“Sixteen.”

He already knew how they were going to react, but these were Gerudos he was dealing with. They would try to mess with your head, try to be the bigger person in a situation. He sighed, annoyed, as the Gerudos began to howl again insanely. Even Kat couldn’t hold it in and felt at place joining in on the laughter.

“Look,” Nabooru continued as the Gerudos still laughed in the background, “I’m guessing you inherited the position by being the previous leader’s son, something like that, right? Well, let’s cut the crap and cut to the chase. What are we going to do with you? What are we going to do with him?” She now turned to the rest of the Gerudos, arms raised, trying to make the situation as dramatic as possible. Sure, Kat had pissed her off earlier, but this was too good. Having the Neroth tribe leader in her hands put her in one of the best moods she had ever been in. “Any suggestions, Kat? You are the one who found this slimy bastard and took him on by yourself.”

Kat kept her place against the wall, looking over to Dace. “Hmm…” She placed a hand on her chin and pretended to think. “I know. Let’s kill him.”

The rest of the Gerudos didn’t nod, waiting for Nabooru’s reaction, but it was clear that they thought the same.

Nabooru rotated on the ball of her foot and scanned Dace up and down. “As fun as that would be, it would not be the wisest of decisions,” she said suspiciously, the cheer fading quickly from her voice. “Honestly, Kat, I would have expected you to have looked further ahead before saying that.”

That was typical of Nabooru; lead you on to think she was on your side, then turn around without any hesitation. Kat’s gaze shifted to Nabooru. “What do you mean? Wouldn’t you want that?”

Nabooru looked over her shoulder at Kat, as if she was no longer worthy of her attention. “Sure, I would want that, but it would not be smart. The Neroth tribe would only be wondering where their beloved leader is, then realise what happened, and would attack us. My plans will not go well if they come over here and kill off our women.” She looked back to Dace, dismissing Kat from her thoughts.

Kat never took being ignored lightly. She stood from the wall and took her place beside Nabooru. “What else are we going to do with him then? Let him go?”

Nabooru rolled her eyes. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, Kat. No, I’m not going to let him go.” She paused, allowing the tension to build. She glanced around at the group of Gerudos, then rested her eyes on Dace. “He will stay here with us.”

The room fell deadly silent; Nabooru received pleasure from this, knowing she had caused everyone to become speechless. But Kat knew better and decided to cut her off before she became anymore self-absorbed.

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

Nabooru gazed at the Gerudos. “He will stay here with us, in his present state: alive. No one will lay a finger on him. The Neroth tribe will come looking for him sooner or later, and when they do, we will be there to meet them, holding a knife to their leader’s throat.” Nabooru stepped up to Dace and took his chin in her hand, digging her long fingernails into his skin. She moved his head from side to side, as if examining him like an object.

“A ransom?” one of the Gerudos said awkwardly.

Nabooru released his chin quickly, taking one last look at him. “Exactly.”

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“Where have you been, Kat? I’ve been so worried!” Rin squealed as Kat entered the room.

“Don’t give me that crap, Rin.” Kat shut the door behind her and headed over to her wardrobe. She began rummaging through it, looking for a new uniform considering the trial she had put hers through during the fight with Dace. She looked over her shoulder briefly at Rin and turned back to her clothes. “What are you doing in my room, anyways?” Considering how her suspicions had risen so greatly towards Rin in the last twenty-four hours, she could only imagine what she was doing in her room.

Rin stood from the bed. “I was worried about you, I heard that there was an intruder in the fortress and I panicked! I came in here and waited until you got back.”

“Really. How Hylian-like of you.”

Rin stepped towards Kat slowly. “Was there really an intruder, Kat?”

Kat didn’t bother turning around. Having found a new pair of clothes, she continued to pretend to look through her wardrobe. “Yeah, the leader of the Neroths.”

“Oh… you told me about them, that all-guys tribe? To the north?” Rin placed a finger on her chin, trying to remember correctly.

“Yeah. He broke in and killed my… this girl I knew, Lona. I found him in the basement trying to… free some prisoners, you know, just trying to get back at us for stealing a large chunk of their treasure.” She wasn’t about to tell this girl where their treasure room was. “Anyways, I attacked him and took him down. I managed to get him tied up before some more elites arrived and took him to see Nabooru,” she lied, trying to make herself not seem like a victim. “You’d think she would have had him executed, but instead she decides to keep him here and hold him for ransom when the Neroths come looking for their leader. I guess it was an okay decision, but I really don’t want to let that bastard walk away like that.”

“Hm…” Rin wandered back over to Kat’s bed and sat down gently on the side, tapping her feet aimlessly against the hard ground. “You say he is their leader?”

Kat finally turned away from the wardrobe and set her new pair of clothes on her desk. “Yes. His name’s Dace. He’s only sixteen years old, but it doesn’t surprise me that he is their leader at such a young age. He showed great strength and showing cunning skills when I fought him. It’s not safe to keep him around here.”

Rin smiled. “I really don’t mind having a guy around here. You should introduce me to him.”

Kat rolled her eyes. “I don’t want anything to do with him. Now, if you’d excuse me, I have to change. That brawl with Dace wasn’t a gentle one.”

“Sure thing.“ Rin leapt off of the bed and strolled over to the door. “Hey, Kat?”

Kat raised an eyebrow.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Rin smiled sweetly before turning to the door and closing it behind her.

Kat frowned suspiciously as she watched her leave.

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Out in the hallway, Rin turned sharply to head to her room when she bumped into a dark figure who had been standing outside the room. “Oops, sorry.” She looked up at the figure and immediately recognized him as the guy that the girls had been fussing over down at the bridge. His bright red eyes glared down at her ferociously, his skin as pale as a ghost.

“You had better watch where you step,” he said to her, his voice dry and scratchy.

Rin trembled. “I’m sorry, mister. I’ll be careful next time.”

Dark Link simply glared at her without another word. Rin stepped to the side and walked straight past him, looking straight at the ground until the door to her room was in the corner of her eye. She went in and quickly shut the door behind her. He watched her go, hearing the sound of at least three locks clicking into place on the other side of the door. His gaze shifted back to Kat’s door.

“So, Ganondorf was right,” he thought. “Yes… that Dace they speak of sounds like he will work well for the ceremony.” A malicious grin cracked onto his face suddenly, which formed into a chilling smile, sharp fangs meeting at the points from the top and bottom of his lips. “Yes… Ganondorf will be very pleased.”

His eyes flashed towards Kat’s door. Swiftly, he bent down and peered into the keyhole. She had already changed and was now setting aside her ruined uniform.

“Damnit.”

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The darkened silhouette of Dark Link stomped strongly through the battered ruins of Hyrule Castle Town, his cape billowing in the wind behind him like a blackened curtain. Wandering ReDeads sensed his presence immediately, their necks craning grotesquely towards the smell of living flesh. They moaned and screeched horrifically and began surrounding Dark Link as he made his way to the fountain that had once stood in the centre of the marketplace.

He ignored the zombies as he took his place in front of the once proud monument. He shot a look over his shoulder as they neared. “Fools. Can’t you recognize me as one of your own?” He spat in disgust and turned back to the shattered fountain. The ReDeads came within reach of him, arms extended to their maximum reach, their hollow mouths gasping for the living. But there appeared to be some sort of invisible barrier around Dark Link that prevented them from touching him. The ReDeads were senseless however, and persisted to lay a finger on him. They did not care whether their meals were on their side or not; they merely considered the living as prey.

Dark Link continued to dismiss the ReDeads from his concentration and scanned the rubble of the fountain. He smiled savagely. “Oh, Ganondorf, you’re going to be so proud of me,” he whispered aloud. He chuckled lightly to himself, shoulders tossing gently.

The laughter faded and he slipped a pale hand into the pocket of his black tunic, pulling out a small vile. He held it high and tapped the side with a finger. He smirked, analyzing the red liquid inside. “Ganondorf will be very thankful for your help, Dace…” A snakelike tongue twitched between his teeth contently.

He knelt down before the rubble of the fountain and began shoving some rocks out to the side until a sort of ring was formed where it had once stood. Satisfied, he stood, the vile clutched tightly in his hand as the ReDeads still clawed at him.

His gaze rose to the north to Ganondorf’s mighty castle, as if seeking approval from his lord. He looked down at the circle of rocks, the cobblestone beneath cracked and mouldy. He now took the vile in both hands in front of his chest and bowed his head.

Suddenly he began speaking in an ancient tongue, the words playing about his lips as his tongue slithered about. Slowly his voice rose, until he was almost yelling the words, bellowing them out to the entire land. The ReDeads screeched louder too, startled by his actions and more agitated then ever.

Then he stopped, and so did the zombies. A terrible silence fell over the square; the only sound was the constant howling of the restless ring of smoke that surrounded the crater of Death Mountain. Dark Link rose his face to the sky, red eyes beaming ferociously. “May a single soul of the deceased below the earth, rise now, in the form of a new being.”

Dark Link took the vile in his hand and tossed it onto the ground in the centre of the circle. The vile broke open and the blood of Dace splattered onto the cobblestone. Some of the ReDeads now clambered over the rubble and reached for the spilt blood, screeching louder then ever. Dark Link squinted as their screams pierced his eardrums, but he was more concentrated on the circle.

Suddenly the ground began to shake tremendously. Pieces of houses and roofs collapsed to the ground in clouds of dust, and many ReDeads collapsed to their knees, their limbs frail and weak from years of starvation. Dark Link spread his feet apart and bent his knees as the earth shook. “Yes… Yes!”

Inside of the circle the ground around the blood began to collapse into the earth. The cracks that were already there shot across the cobblestone throughout the square and widened. Strangely enough, the ground beneath Dark Link’s feet stayed intact. The hole where the fountain had been opened up violently, pieces of debris dropping into the pit. Some ReDeads fell in as well, their moans fading into the earth.

Then there was another tremendous shake in the ground that knocked Dark Link to the ground. From beneath the hole that had opened up, hundreds of translucent beings shot up, desperately trying to claw their way to the surface. Their screeches were worse then the ReDeads’ as their mouths gaped for fresh air. They couldn’t of course, actually get out. Only the one Dark Link had summoned could return to the living world, but they were all fighting desperately to be that one.

Finally, a single soul rose up from the ground above them all. They realised that they had not been chosen and became even more ferocious, baring pointed teeth at Dark Link, begging him to let them out as well.

“Sorry guys.”

The ground began to shake again and where the ground had parted now shot together in an incredible crash, sealing the deceased back into the earth, leaving the single one floating slightly above the ground. The shaking finally stopped, and the soul stepped onto the ground, silent.

Dark Link rose to his feet quickly, eyes wide with excitement. The being looked exactly like Dace, except for some minor differences that the soul had once been while it was alive. His hair was silver instead of brown and his eyes were a pale, icy blue. His skin was paler of course, having been dead for so long, and his face seemed to be longer and looked slightly older.

The new being looked at Dark Link emotionlessly, like a doll.

Ganondorf was right; of course he was right! The resurrection had worked brilliantly, just the way that Ganondorf had created himself! He now had another servant to stay by his side for all eternity. Dark Link smiled maliciously and stepped forward to greet it.

“Welcome back to Hyrule, my friend.”