Dark Link X Reader: Just Another Shadow

    You were once a beautiful swordswoman, mastering the arts in your small town that you had stepped up to protect. It would have stayed that way if it wasn’t for the mob that had nearly hacked your arms off though. Trampling in from Hyrule field, troops of Ganondorf spilled in your town’s gates, breaking and raiding everything. You couldn’t defend the place any longer by yourself, and almost died trying to protect the place; that is, until someone came to help. It was the infamous hero Link that came, making the job look easy as pie and saving the town for you. He did his deed, and went on his way, leaving the town full of cheer. But sadly, none of that cheer was directed towards you in the slightest.

    Your efforts weren’t good enough, and the town began to blame you for its near destruction. You became degraded, worthless, pointless, and nameless. You were stripped of your protective and well known title and downgraded to a lowly sword swinging wannabe; one that can’t even protect her own town anymore. Your own town, the one you grew up in since birth, cast you away and chose to lean on Link for eternal support. They literally banished you and forced you out, now living under a man you slightly grew to hate because of this incident. He had an entire land to save, so little time would be had for your town. You didn’t let them know that though, and let your hate and disappointment flow in hopes they would get attacked again as you left, tossing your only key to the town gates into Lake Hylia, discarding them forever.

    Even after this incident, no matter how strong your hate grew for your town and everyone you ever tried to help, you still wanted to be recognized again; to be accepted, and to show your strength for others. You tried many things to do this. Trained with magic, staffs, different weapons of the sort, and even entered tournaments to prove your skill with the sword, but to no avail, every single one of those things ended up failing, leaving you at the bottom. Your initial disappointment in yourself had cast you to the depths of the world itself, putting you in a living hell as everyone bested you in everything. You just couldn’t win, and no one ever noticed you again.

    Everything was lost. You wandered the streets of Castle Town, and any other place you went, but you always walked in the shadows of the buildings, underneath the things that stood over you. No one noticed you, offered you anything, or cared to help you when something was dropped. What you once were was gone, and society seemed to want to make sure you could never come back up again, all because of a task that was impossible to complete alone, taken over by an obviously stronger person with a chosen asset. Just because of this, didn’t mean you had to be erased from existence, but that’s what people did regardless. You were just another shadow on the side of the street; a patch of darkness that lacked existence, or acknowledgement at all.

    Coming back to today, you were just having your usual stroll through Castle Town, kicking your feet through the back alleys as you shuffled on in search of a bit of food. Not even the cats of the town noticed you as you went. You literally stood in front of one, and it just sneezed and walked on by as if you were never there. You sighed, and let more negative energy pile up on you, further diluting your existence as you stepped out into the main street slightly. A food stall was selling fruit. Time for your usual evening peruse for food. Reaching out from behind the stall at its side, you nabbed a few apples and a Hylian pear for yourself, dropping what little rupees you had left in your wallet into the tip jar after. You still felt guilty for your daily theft, so you made sure to tip the stall you took from as a thanks for being another one of the people that had forgotten about you.

    Munching on one of the apples, you ventured back into one of the alleys and sat at a dead end under the darkness of the buildings, disappointment resting on your face. These days really stunk now, and you wished you could have your normal life back again. Just once, you wanted to walk in the light again, but no one would be there to do it with you, so you sat in the darkness alone. That’s all it seemed to be good for anyway.

    “What’s a person like you doing back here in a dark alley by yourself?” A voice suddenly said.

    Startled by the sudden presence, you almost choked on your apple as you coughed up a chunk, supporting yourself with your right hand before you looked up to see the owner of the voice. Upon raising your vision, you seen a tall figure clad in all black, pale white skin, and dark black hair with red eyes. Strangely, this person looked familiar, but not quite the same as the subject you couldn’t put your finger on.

    “Who… are you?” You asked. “And further more… you can… see me, and you want to talk to me?!”

    “Of course I can. Why wouldn’t I be able to?” The man asked, seemingly confused by your statement.

    “Well… It’s a long story and a stupid one too…” You mumbled under your breath, looking back down at the cobble you sat on.

    “Your questions seem more valid than mine. I think you need someone to hear you out right now. You look like you’ve been ignored for a long time.” He said knowingly, bending down and sitting on the cobble next to you. “Starting with your second question, yes I can see you, and I have perfect reason to talk to you. You’re in a dark alley by yourself looking lonely. You looked like you needed talking too.”

    “You’re a complete stranger, yet you want to hear my pointless problems? You sure are strange…” You murmured, shaking your head slightly.

    “I’ve learned to hear people out. When someone isn’t given a chance to explain, they resort to the worst case scenario, and end up somewhere they don’t want to be. Stranger or not, please tell me your story. I can tell you need talking too.” The dark man suggested, giving you a warm look and feeling for someone with red eyes.

    “That’s so… Kind.” You said slowly. “Well… I don’t exactly know where to start… Could you maybe, ask a question that may give me a place to start then?” You asked, feeling a little more open now that you were finally given an opportunity to talk after months of pointless wandering.

    “Well, how about why can't people see you? Or why are you always in the shadows?” He asked.

    “… Yeah… That’s a good place to start.” You sighed. “It was back a few months ago in my village…”

    For that point on, you gave your spiel of what happened back in your village, how people reacted and treated you afterwards, and how your negativity had contributed to your current state now. The story saddened the stranger, and he gave you an empathetic look. Yes, empathetic, not sympathetic.

     “And from that point on… I’ve just been this. I’m stuck under Link’s shadow, all because I couldn’t do one stupid job and protect my town. I’m just sitting here in this shitty darkness.” You grumbled, crossing your arms over your knees and slamming your head into them.

    “Wow, that’s… really stupid.” He nodded. “I know the feel all too well. It’s painful.”

    You looked up with a sort of rude look on your face at the comment. “You know the feel? Excuse you? You aren’t the one forced to live under the shadow of someone better than you, who dominated and saved your town, and forced you to live in darkness because society is a judgemental bitch!” You raged, almost appalled.

    The man sighed deeply, shaking his head slightly. “I think it’s time I answered your first question. You remember it, right?”

    “…No? Why should I care anyway?”

    “You asked who I was. Well, I’ll let you know why I ‘know your feel’ so well. My name is Dark Link. Dark for short. I’ll let that sink in for a bit.” He said simply, tilting his head up at you.

    “… What?!” You said loudly, shocked at what you heard. Taking a proper look at the man you had been talking too, the familiar bit you thought you seen now came into view. He looked like an exact copy of Link himself, just darker. “Holy… Oh my Hylia…”

    “Yeah. I’m the one who is a literal shadow, forced to walk underneath him while he gets all the fame and I’m cast down as shame.” Dark said. “You and I are the same. We’ve had similar fates. The only difference is, I lost my heart for a while and nearly killed Link. But of course, the hero is always stronger than the bad guy, and I classically lost. I have no idea what came over me… But I have the ‘bad guy’ label hanging over me now.”

    “Oh wow… That’s… You know exactly what my problem is. Can… Can others see you or…”

    “Nope. I’m just a shadow like you. The only one who can, is the one I’m under. Link.” He responded.

    “… It’s so lonely, isn’t it?” You whispered, small tears forming in your eyes. “Being just another shadow on the street…”

    “…Not anymore. I found you, and you have me.” Dark suddenly said.

    “P-pardon?” You asked, looking up at him.

    “I’m a little different than society and Link. I understand you, and suffer the same fate as you. Now, you’re not alone.” He said with a reassuring look in his eyes.

    You began to tear up again. “Even though I just met you… You…”

    “It’s a spiritual connection and understanding. I don’t need to know you to understand you and request to stay with you. Am I wrong?”

    “…No. Please… Don’t leave me like society did…” You mumbled, beginning to cry slightly.

    “Never for as long as I’m alive.” He agreed, leaning over and pulling you into a warm embrace.

    “Thank you… So much.” You whispered, accepting the hug as you decided to forget the cruelties that the world had shown you.

    After a moment, Dark had leaned back and put a hand to your chin, tilting your head up for him to see. “There’s something I just don’t get. Why would the world cast away a talented, and extremely beautiful woman like you? I just don’t get it.”

    You began to blush slightly at the statement. “I-I, uh…” You stammered out, unable to find words to use at the moment.

    “That’s too bad. They let such a beauty slip away into the shadows. Their loss, and my gain. Can you agree?” He asked, implying something as he leaned closer to your face, tilting your chin up higher.

    “T-their loss indeed.” You stammered out, seeing where this was going.

    “Please excuse this. I feel like it needs to be done.” Dark said politely, taking the moment and closing the small gap between you two and gently kissing you.

    It was gladly accepted. You felt far more open to it than you thought you would have been, and you also felt suddenly accepted again. That search for recognition had been made real with this one person, and you felt like someone again, with a new purpose to live by. If you had the chance to come back into the light, you’d rather not. Just because the words dark and light stereotypically mean bad and good, doesn’t mean they literally mean that at all. Every light has its bad, and every dark has its good. And this, this was your darkness that was as pure as the light.

    Pulling back after the brief kiss, Dark looked at you sheepishly and chuckled a little. “Sorry. I felt like I needed to do that. It… is kinda lonely around here like this…”

    “No, it’s totally okay. You are so, so much better than Link himself. I don’t know why he gets all the glory, when you’ve been shrouded under him without a chance to show your kindness.” You said. “It is society’s loss, and most certainly my gain. Wouldn’t you agree?” You added, showing your first smile in months.

    “Hah, very funny.” Dark laughed. “Their loss indeed.” He then replied.

    “Thank you, Dark.” You whispered.

    “You’re welcome, _______.” He replied.

    “You know… being a shadow, really isn’t that bad. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever change again.” You added, leaning up and kissing Dark once more for thankfulness that you weren’t alone anymore.

    The darkness, really wasn’t that dark after all.