Fan Fiction ❯ Janus ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Thanks for the reviews, minna, keep `em coming! I've probably lost at least half my readership over the last chapter, so I need lots of support from those of you who remain ^_~.

 

--> Janus1 - Yes, you're right. Janus being the two-faced god, it seemed an appropriate title.

 

A/N: I've decided to stop excessively nitpicking this fic. I came to the realization that this is probably going to be a pretty long fic once I figure out where I'm going with it, and as such will almost certainly undergo a massive rewrite once I hit Chapter 6. I always do this, because once I get to Chapter 6 I have a better idea of where I'm going with the story; it's certainly the case with this one, because when I wrote Chapter 3 I realized that it's going to be much longer and more drawn out than I originally thought (it'll be very clear as to why this is once you read it); I'm actually going to need a supplementary plot and at this point I have absolutely no idea what to do (meanwhile, my traitor muse is off playing with a new fandom.)

 

I'm going to take this opportunity to confess that I haven't finished playing OoT yet...In fact, I'm still at the Fire Temple.

::puts a large pot on her head and holds a garbage can lid as a shield against anything that might be thrown at her::

However, my cousin and my sister have both completed the game, and I saw most of it, and now that my sis is off to school again I can get a little “quality time” with the N64.

 

 

Janus

Chapter 2

 

“Hey! What are you--!”

Link shoved past the guards and slammed open Zelda's bedroom door.

“Link!” Zelda was sitting on the edge of her bed with a startled expression on her face. “Has something happened?” Zelda's eyes widened more as she took in Link's angry expression. The surprised and worried expression on her face gave Link pause, and he took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself before replying.

“Sheik was just in my room,” Link told her. “How is that possible?”

“It isn't,” Impa's voice came from behind Link; he turned to see her standing in the doorway. “You must have been dreaming.”

“I understand why you would think that,” Link said, “but believe me, it was no dream.”

“Someone must have been playing a childish prank,” Impa said. “I can assure you, there is no--”

It was then that Impa noticed Zelda's expression. Zelda's face had gone white, and she was staring with wide eyes at her right hand, clutched in a fist in her lap.

“Zelda, what is it?” Impa asked.

Zelda opened her hand and held it out; a simple gold chain bracelet with a ruby charm rested in her palm. “I...I don't know how this got into my hand…”

“What is it?” Link asked.

Zelda let out a keening wail and clapped her palms over her ears, shaking her head. Impa rushed past the confused guards and Link and pulled the princess into her arms, transporting them both away.

Cursing the fact that he couldn't follow them directly, Link took the bracelet from the floor where it had fallen and raced back to his room to grab his Ocarina; once he had it he played the Song of Time and was transported to the Temple of Time. Link ran up to the sealed door and pressed his hand to the center of the Triforce symbol, activating the teleportation spell that only he could use.

When Link arrived he saw Zelda being attended by Rauru and Saria with the others looking on.

“What is going on? Link demanded of Impa. He thrust the bracelet in the Shadow Sage's face. “What is this?”

“That bracelet holds the enchantment that allowed Zelda to become Sheik.”

Rauru stood from where he knelt beside the now calm princess.

“What this indicates,” the Sage of Light told Link. “Is that somehow the mask has taken on a life of its own.”

“Are you telling me that Zelda has two people inside of her?” Link asked, disbelievingly.

“Essentially, yes,” Rauru answered.

“Well,” Link said, after struggling with the concept for a moment. “What do we do?”

“That is a difficult problem,” Rauru sighed. “Somehow we must find a way to cure her of it, we cannot have a Queen with a split personality after all; that would quite likely be nothing short of disastrous.”

“NO!!!” Rauru and Link turned quickly to see Zelda struggling against Nabooru and Ruto, and Saria picking herself up off the ground. “NO!!! I WON'T LET YOU!!!”

Link walked over to Zelda and stopped, looking down into a pair of crimson eyes burning with angry accusation, but as Sheik's eyes stared up at him from Zelda's face the anger bled away, leaving only sheer terror.

“Please,” Sheik whispered trying to reach a hand out to Link. “Please don't let them kill me…Link…”

Link sensed Impa behind him only a second before she reached past him and touched Zelda's forehead; the crimson eyes slipped closed and the princess's body sagged against Nabooru and Ruto.

“I will find out everything I can,” Rauru said, as Link picked Zelda up. “In the meantime, it would be best to take her back to the castle and keep a close watch on her.”

“Link or I will always be at her side,” Impa assured him.

The Sage of Shadow put her hand on Link's shoulder and transported them back to Zelda's bedroom.

“I will speak to the guards,” Impa said, and she left the room.

Link tucked Zelda into bed, then went to set the bracelet on her vanity.

“Give it to me.” Link turned at the voice and saw Zelda sitting up in bed, looking at him with Sheik's eyes. “The bracelet. Give it to me. I dislike being in Her body.”

“Then leave.” Link snapped, setting the bracelet down and then crossing his arms. “You don't belong there anyway.”

“If I could I would have done so already,” Sheik returned.

“Well, Rauru will take care of that.” Link regretted his words the second they left his mouth. Sheik paled, an expression of betrayal and disbelief on his face, then his eyes narrowed.

“Maybe I should just destroy Zelda. I can, you know; it would be difficult, but she isn't that strong. You wouldn't be able to do anything about me then.”

“Don't you dare!!!” Link crossed the room and grabbed Sheik by the shoulders, pushing him down on the bed. “Don't you dare do anything to Zelda!!! You are an intruder who doesn't belong here or anywhere else! You're just a bit of Zelda's imagination that got a little out of hand! You aren't wanted! Go Away!”

Sheik stared at Link with wide eyes brimming with tears; he blinked them away and shook his head.

“Shut up!” He screamed, pushing at Link futilely. “Shut up! What do you know!? Leave me alone!!!” Then he sagged back into the bed and shut his eyes. When the eyes opened again, they were blue.

Zelda wrapped her arms around Link and cried.