Link x Dark Link - Oneshots

The Lockup

A/N -
This takes place in the Breath of the Wild era before the calamity.
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Link's PoV -

For living in castle town and protecting Zelda day in and day out I really haven't seen much of Hyrule castle aside from Zelda's study and the castle grounds. Today Zelda is inspecting the lockup also known as the prisons to make sure everything is in proper condition. I follow the princess as normal.
     This part of the castle is dark with few torches lighting the way. The prisoners are held underground far away from the citizens of Hyrule so no sunlight penetrates this far underground. We pass several storage rooms holding a surplus of weapons and shields presumably incase a monster were to get lose as to provide the guards with ample ammunition. A guard meets us at the entrance. I can tell his rank is high by the type of advanced and rare weaponry he carries. He asks us to follow him and explains that the lockup boast every monster Hyrule has to offer. The hall of cells we are currently in are less strong monsters but still mildly dangerous all the same. Housed in these cells are chuchus, keese, bokoblins, and other minor enemies.
     Ascending a flight of stairs we are meet with more dangerous monsters. Cells of lizalfos, wizzrobes, and yiga soldiers line the halls. Zelda caries a checklist occasionally scribbling something down on the paper. She listens intensely to the guard and asks questions here and there. Other guards patrol the halls of cells. The rank of the guards increases the more flights of stairs we ascend. I don't speak, as is my usual. Instead I listen to the guards chatter hoping to learn a bit more about the enemies. I've encountered quite many of these monsters through Zelda's and my travels. Most monsters are not much of a threat to the average citizen since all citizens carry weapons and technology. Regardless, to keep Hyrule safe and to avoid Ganon having minions to do his bidding when he eventually returns enemies are kept here in the lockup.
     On the last level three more guards each carrying weaponry of high rank join us. They form a protective stance around Zelda and I. The lead guard explains that this is the most secure and dangerous part of the lockup. Past the guards I glance lynels, hinoxes, and different talus. I'm concentrating on a particularly angry blue hinox who keeps pounding at the thick cell bars when I hear my name. "Huh?" I question but I go unheard. The guards seem exceedingly nervous around this cell isolated from all the rest. This cell has thicker bars than the rest and is the only cell to be guarded. I tune in to the lead guard and Zelda's conversation. "This is our most dangerous prisoner, known as Dark Link. He is said to be Ganon's most prized creation. As you can tell we take the security of this prisoner particularly serious." The cell is exceptional dark all I can see inside is a pair of glowing crimson eyes. A chill runs down my spine as I feel the demon's gaze lock with my own. A piecing headache echos through my head and I fell an intense sensation of sadness, anger, exhaustion, hunger, but mostly pain that echoes throughout my body. Oddly enough the pain seems to steam from my neck. I colapse to the ground and the world around me goes black.
     I awake in the castle infirmary. I've been here before after some injuries on Zelda and my adventures. This place is a striking contrast to the lockup. The room is blinding with sunlight streaming in from various windows and torches and lanterns. The walls are white marble unlike the dark stone beneath the castle. Banners and beautiful paintings decorate the walls. A guard sits in a chair across the room. His voice brings me to my senses. "Your demonic shadow has psychic powers that can cause your symptoms. However, I've never seen them have that strong as an effect on anybody else before."
     I sit up and kick my legs over the hospital bed. A small ice pack falls off my head, I didn't even know that was there. The guard talks again. "The guards wear these crystals; they help protect us from his psychic attacks." He states pointing to a crystal necklace, it looks like a ruby, around his neck
     I can't stop thinking about what happened to me down there. The feelings of sadness, the anger, the hunger, and mostly the pain. I can't help but to think that my shadow was showing me how he felt. "When I collapsed my neck was burning with wave after wave of crippling pain. I think my shadow was trying to show my something, do you have any idea what it could be?" I question the guard.
     "I wondered if he would react differently to your presence since you are his mirror reflection. As a safety precaution we locked a Sheika made device around your demonic shadow's neck. It decreases his power and causes enough pain to discourage him trying to escape," the soldier explains.
     "Thank you but I better go now, I need to get back to Zelda," I stand and to leave.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. Zelda told me that you were to go home and rest for the rest of the day. She'll be reporting the inspection of the lockup to her father anyway," the guard states.
I nod and leave. A restful evening does sound nice. I'm usually not allowed in the throne room anyway, most people aren't. I exit the castle. Sheika and royal guards train with the guardians. Some wave to me or greet me to which I kindly reply. Once at home I go straight to bed. My brain still fells foggy from my blackout earlier and my energy still doesn't fell completely normal. I lay down and within minutes I'm asleep.
I don't know where I'm at. Everything is dark and cold. Pain washes over me constantly never ceasing. I pull together all my energy to examine my surroundings. I crawl to the only light source, a dim torch seemingly across the room. With my focus on the light source I'm stoped by cool metal bars. The moment I bump into them a shocking sensation overcomes me stemming from my neck. The pain is fierce and pure and I let out a scream of agony. Two guards immediately appear glaring down at me from across the cold bars that created this pain. Their spears are aimed at me and they shout at me but I can't hear them through the agony that courses through me. I don't have the energy to retreat to a dark corner so I lay there collapsed pitifully on the dirty cold floor. Hours later the pain is back to normal but still excruciating. A bowl is tossed through the bars and I gather my strength to go investigate. Somehow my hungry stomach knows it's food. Inside is a meager portion of some unidentifiable food but I desperately devoured it. My stomach growls begging for more but I know better than to ask for another serving. Instead I cower back in my corner. I have just enough energy to quietly beg, "Link, I know you're there, please save me. I'm not evil..."
I awake in a cold sweat and immediately sit straight up in bed. I grasp at my neck happy to find that no Sheika colar resides there. Was I experiencing my shadows life? I somehow know the answer. He needs my help but isn't he a demon? Doesn't he deserve to suffer. I stand knowing I won't be able to go back to sleep. All I can think is that I need to help him.
The night passes sleepless. I find Zelda that morning in her room. She informs me of the inspection of the lockdown and that everything seems to be in working order. I only half listen to her, my mind keeps wondering to my shadow. "What should we do today, Link? I'd like to explore those shrines a bit but my father wants me to examine a Sheika experiment back in the lockup today."
Zelda has a bad habit of asking me questions that I'm not actually supposed to have an opinion on. I think all women do that. Normally I would go along with whatever Zelda wanted to do but I need to get back to the lockup. I have an urge to see my shadow and somehow find a way to help him. "Maybe your father is right, we should probably go back to the lockup," I hope my input is enough to persuade Zelda.
     "After yesterday I didn't think you would want to go back there, Link, but if you're okay with it then I guess I am too," with that Zelda and I make our way down to the prisons.
     A different soldier welcomes us today. Surprisingly, we are lead to the third level where the most dangerous monsters are kept, where my shadow is caged. Two Sheika scientists stand by a lynel's cell. A group of guards surround them. Zelda and I stand toward the back of the group but we can still see the guards open the lynel's cage and the Sheika began performing some blood tests. I wonder if Dark Link has ever been experimented on? The lynel suddenly jerks and the guards loose their grip on the rope holding the lynel in place. One scientist almost get trampled by the lynel. Guards rush over from all areas of the lockup. Zelda is pushed to safty and I am lost in the chaos. I see both soldiers rush over from Dark Link's prison. I take the chance to pickpocket one of the guard's keys. I scurry over to my shadow's cage to see him huddled in a dark corner. His eyes lock with mine at first holding fear and anger but apparently after realizing it's me his crimson orbs soften to an emotion I've never seen before. In my chest I feel a warming sensation totally unlike the pain I felt the day before. I hurriedly unlock Dark's prison. I rush over to him. For the first time seeing just how weak he is. His body is much to skinny and his clothes are dirty and baggy. I quickly pull him closer to me to hopefully get his colar off. At my touch the Sheika technology glows an angry gold color. Dark whimpers. The colar is obviously set to harm him if tampered with. I can tell Dark is trying not to let out a scream of pain knowing that that would give us away. I find an ancient arrow in my quiver and carefully cut the painful device off my shadow. The more I cut into the metal the more Dark wimpers. I manage to free him and I gently slip the colar off him. I expect Dark to teleport away but he must have blacked out from the pain. His unresponsive body rests on my own. He almost looks peaceful maybe even cute. I think about leaving Dark in his prison. That was my original plan, after all he is Ganon's creation. Then I think of the loneliness, the anger, the isolation, and the hunger Dark felt that was not caused by the colar. He doesn't deserve that, no one does. I carefully lift Dark bridal style. The guards are still focusing on the lynel so I slip away unseen.
     I manage to carry Dark through castle town and to my house without anyone seeing me. I gently tuck Dark into my bed. Then I hear a knock at the door. I open it. Zelda let's herself in talking as she walks, "Link, I've just been told that your demonic shadow has escaped. He must have used the lynel chaos as a distraction and snuck away. All the soldiers are out looking for him. Citizens are being told to stay inside. He somehow even managed to take that Sheika technology around his neck off, meaning he has complete powers making him all the more dangerous," I break out into a cold sweat as Zelda talks, making her way around my house, "Link, where is the master sword? We need to go help the soldiers find that demon."
     I panic, I left it in my bedroom. "You left it in your bedroom again didn't you?" Zelda makes her way to my bedroom door. "I keep telling you to keep it on you just incase something happens."
     I try to stop her but the princess had already opened my door. Inside Dark still sleeps on my bed oblivious to the fact that he is practically being hunted. I watch as Zelda's eyes land on my shadow. Her expression is more than shocked. "Link! You're the traitor who helped this demon escape!"
     Dark wakes up at the sound of Zelda's yelling. Even now I am happy to see that he looks much better. "It's my fault!" Dark rushes over to me, standing in front of me as if protecting me from Zelda's rage, "I convinced Link to help me escape, I kept torturing his with my psychic powers. You can turn me in just please don't let anyone hurt, Link."
     "Dark?" I question, he flashes a small sad smile at me letting me know he's okay with what's about to happen.
     Zelda stands in front of us obviously perplexed. "You're defending, Link?" Zelda asks, "I thought you would kill us both if you got the chance."
     "Of course not, Link and my souls are connected and I know he cares about you so I would never hurt you," Dark responds.
     Zelda stares at us for a moment seemingly comparing Dark and I. We look the same aside from Dark's grey skin, pure white hair, and glowing red eyes. His figure is slightly skinnier than mine from years of starvation in a prison cell but otherwise we are identical. Zelda's anger seems to fade away and her expression softens. "You love him, don't you, Dark?" Zelda asks.
     I'm confused by her comment and even more so by Dark's response. Still standing in front of me like a human shield I can see a dark blush spread across the back of my shadow's neck, "Yes..."
     "What?" I question stepping out from behind Dark and looking him in the face.
     "I l-love you, L-link..." Dark stutters.
     A warmth feels my chest at these words and I realize I might just feel the same way about Dark. He hugs me and I snuggle into his embrace. I feel a gentle kiss on my neck and instinct takes over and I run my fingers through Dark's hair. When we pull away I plant a long gentle kiss to his lips completely forgetting that Zelda is still there. She clears her throat bringing us back to reality, "I'm happy for you both but Dark is still wanted and soldiers have already started searching houses in castle town."
     What if Dark gets taken away from me? I can't let that happen. "It should be easy enough to hide," Dark smirks and suddenly he's gone.
     In his place is my shadow reflected onto the floor by a window's light. My whole life I've never had a shadow and I guess this is why. Dark's beautiful glowing crimson orbs look up at me with caring eyes from his reflection.
     Months have passed and the search for Dark has quieted down. Citizens have all but nearly forgotten that there is a supposed "demon" on the lose. Solders no longer care and are in fact happy to not have to guard my boyfriend's prison cell. Zelda's father thinks Dark is hiding out somewhere perhaps spying on our kingdom preparing for the day Ganon comes. Then again he never has liked me much and nobody else's cares so what does it really matter. Our days usually consist of Zelda, Dark, and I exploring Sheika temples together or simply having fun together. Even the other champions know about Dark but have promised to keep him a secret so long as Dark keeps his promise to fight along side us against Ganon when he comes.