[That draws a sardonic laugh from his lips as he turns back towards the table.]
Here? Barely. I had help at the last second and if I hadn't, I was going to do my damndest to take him with me. I'm not letting what happened to Eruteka happen here.
[He catches the slip and winces. Time to try and change the subject.]
You said you saw your father...? What was he like? Was he a researcher like you?
[ Well that's not the reaction she was hoping for. Here she is, trying to be encouraging because he seems upset, and he brushes her off. First he confides in her, then he throws up his walls again. It's like there's a time limit to his honesty; once the time's up, all hope for a proper conversation is over.
But worse than that is what he actually says, implying that he was willing to give up his own life in order to keep the monster that took the form of Dromas from doing harm.
And then Darin has the audacity to decide that no, he's done with this conversation. The abrupt change in his attitude makes the usually-patient Zelda bristle. ]
My father? [ She frowns, striding around him to stand beside her table. ] No, don't you try to change the subject. What happened?
What happened? Someone came and helped. I got to watch my brother die again, this time by my own hand. What more do you want? What, you want a play-by-play?
[Or was she talking about Eruyeka? Like hell he was going to tell her that. Darin already said Dromas was stronger than him, she doesn't need to know he wiped out a city. He doesn't need anyone else to know how much of a danger he could be simply by existing here.]
[He glowers down at her.]
Or, maybe you're the one who doesn't wanna talk now?? It's easier to pry into someone else's life isn't it?
[ This is hardly the first time Zelda has been on the receiving end of Darin's attitude, so she doesn't balk at it. She remains beside the table, right arm held carefully in front of her, challenging him on his attempt to intimidate her. ]
I will tell you everything you want to know about my father, but not until you tell me what you are so afraid of. You cannot simply tell me that you were prepared to use your own life to end his and expect me to leave it at that.
[ Originally, she intended to be more gentle about this. Everything he's already shared about his brother paints a troubling picture, to say the least. But she isn't going to allow him to attack her like this when all she's trying to do is understand what he went through. ]
Who the hell cares?! If that's what has to happen to keep Eltrut or any of the other cities from being lost, then that's a damn small price to pay!
[Darin lowers himself closer to Zelda's face as he gestures sharply to the side with his right arm.]
What the hell does it even matter to you?! You barely know me! I saved your life once and for some reason you've got me painted as some...some paragon of virtue! I acted without thinking! I'm not some damn hero or champion or anything, Zelda! I'm just a blacksmith who doesn't want to see people die anymore!
[He whips around and makes for the door, but stops. he runs both hands through his hair in frustration, then whips around again.]
You want to know why I was prepared to use my own life?? Fine! When I met Dromas in Eruyeka before I got here, he wanted to prove a point. Namely, the fact that I'm supposed to be a lot more powerful than I am. And he decided to prove his point by wiping Eruyeka off the map. It's gone. The city, the people. He killed them all and used his powers to turn every building, every body into a spire. "A monument to mark the beginning of our destiny" he called it.
[He hates this. He hates recounting the events of that day. But somewhere deep in his mind, he thinks that maybe he can scare Zelda. Make her believe he's dangerous. Too much trouble. He couldn't push her away by being abrasive and cagey so maybe it's time he just tries to make her fear him.]
[He gestures wide and grans as he recounts the story, straightening up to his full height as if he were regaling her with some incredible tale or legend. And when he's done, he holds his ground; chest puffed out, hands clenched at his sides. Resolute.]
I didn't want that for Eltrut. I couldn't live with myself if that happened again. If I have to go down to make sure no one else has to suffer, Zelda, I will do it without a second thought because who the hell am I to weigh my stupid life against everyone else's? Against all of you.
[And there's the crux of it. His life isn't worth the same as anyone else's. In his eyes, it never has been. And so he'd gladly sacrifice it if it meant those more deserving got to keep theirs. Losing him would be better for everyone anyway, in the end. If he's gone, there's no prophecy.]
[ It's decidedly more difficult to hold her ground when he starts shouting at her, but she somehow manages... even though a faint tremor runs through her form. She's not scared of him-- not scared that he'll hurt her, at least-- but his outburst is still frightening in itself. Rarely does anyone lose their temper with a princess.
For a moment, she worries that she's gone too far when he strides towards the door and she wonders frantically if she should try to stop him. The last time she tried to stop someone from leaving her home, they attacked her and then ran off anyway. Zelda feels like she knows Darin better than she knows Louis, but he also just yelled at her that she doesn't.
But he stays anyway and Zelda listens in silence as he lets out all his anger and all his fear. At the end of his story, she's shaken, this time visibly, and steadies herself with her left hand against the tabletop. No wonder he fears his own power-- to see it used not only to snuff out an entire city, but to warp even the bodies of the dead into something twisted and frightening.
If Darin had stopped there, he might have succeeded in actually scaring Zelda (at least temporarily). It's terrifying to imagine how his strength could be used to effortlessly kill everyone on Eltrut. But he doesn't stop, and when she hears what she knows to be the heart of the matter (because Zelda knows, better than most, about sacrificing oneself to protect others), her fear immediately dissipates. Over and over he insists that he is not selfless, not heroic, not virtuous, and yet in the next breath insists that use his own life to protect everyone else's.
But it doesn't come from a place of altruism, does it? It comes from a place of deserving... or, in this case, undeserving. ]
You truly think your life is worth less than anyone else's? [ The harshness is gone from her tone, but her question is still a challenge against him. ]
[Darin stands rigid, his heavy breathing flaring his nostrils. Fists balled at his sides so tight his nails have dug into the callouses; his knuckles bone white.]
[But he doesn't back down. If Zelda really desired to know, then fine. Fine. She can pity him and understand why he won't change his mind on this.]
You want to know who I am, Zelda? Really know?
My name is Darin Altway. The mere act of being born cost my mother her life. As a child, I survived an attack that I shouldn't have. An attack that took my brother Dromas, and my father Dracer. I ran and my brother tried to save me. He got cut down and all I bore was the scar across my back.
People with hair like mine are rumored to be descended from demons. The first thing I remember when I woke up in a strange bed, bandaged and clinging to life were adults arguing over who would take "The Cursed Child." And for a year, that's what I was. A burden to be passed around. No one wanted me. Everyone was afraid that keeping me around would lead them to the same fate as my family. No one had the courage to put me in an orphanage because "they owed it to my father" but apparently they didn't owe him enough to actually want me around.
[As he talks, his voice grows more somber. He laughs at that last sentence; a cold and bitter, mocking laugh.]
It's only by a miracle that Acteon took me in. And the only reason he didn't do it sooner is because he thought others were more well-suited to take care of a child. If it hadn't been for him, I would have been sent to an orphanage and no doubt conscripted into the army when I was old enough.
I hide my strength because people are scared of me. When I healed from something that should have killed me, people thought I was a monster. That sooner or later I'd become something terrifying. That I'd hurt them.
[He keeps the prophecy to himself. Dromas had only told Darin about it at their meeting in Eruyeka and talking about it felt like it might manifest somehow.]
So you tell me: is my life really worth the same as anyone else's? Because if it was, why didn't anyone want me? If the cost of saving a city is one life, why not the one that nobody wanted? No one would miss it.
[The lump is back in his throat. Darin wears his heart on his sleeve, earnest and true. And admitting now, with his own voice, that he was never wanted cuts deeper than the blade that tried to cleave him as a child. He doesn't want to be a bad man. But the world decided he was and fate seemed to conspire with them. All he wants is to do one good thing with his life. Even if he's never wanted, even if no one remembers him, it would validate his existence.]
[ It's hard to listen to his story, and harder still not to look away as he tells it, but she forces herself to. Because yes, she does want to know who he is. He's told her bits and pieces of his story here and there, and she recognizes those pieces when he reaches them. But this time, he lays them all out for her, in a line from start to finish, as if his life is a spectacle for her to judge.
It's not pity that fills her gaze as she listens, but sorrow. Sorrow to hear all the injustices he suffered as a child, only seven years old. Zelda knew loss at that age too, the untimely death of her mother, but at least she still had her father and Urbosa. Darin had no one. No one to care for him as he grieved the loss of his family. No one to tell him that their deaths were not his fault. How horrible, how cruel, to fear a child for reasons beyond his control.
Zelda remains silent, even as Darin challenges her to weigh the worth of his life. There are a thousand things she wants to say, a thousand ways she wants tell him that he did not deserve the cruelties he suffered as a child-- nor the stigmas he suffers yet today, all because of his unique power and the possibility that his heritage is less than completely human. He was right to run; he was a child. They were both children. His strength does not make him a monster; it is how he uses that strength that would. His brother proved that at Eruyeka.
But a handful of kind words will not undo years upon years of suffering. Worse, she doesn't want to make him think that she is trying to brush away his suffering with her words. He clearly carries far more scars than just the one across his back. Wounds like those take many years to heal. Hers have. Link's have.
So she chooses her words carefully, and when she finds them, they're small. Because she is small. She's only one person.
But so is he. Not a monster. Not a curse. Just a person. ]
[Darin stares at her. The edge in his eyes is gone, replaced with a mixture of confusion and incredulity.]
...Why?
[He doesn't understand. How could he? As far as he's concerned the only person who might miss him was in another world entirely. Acteon freed him from his prison transport. He sacrificed his own freedom because he believed Darin could find who framed him. He doesn't even know where Acteon was at that moment and the more he thought about it, the more tears stung his eyes.]
[Stubbornly, he shakes them out and returns Zelda's declaration with a hardened stare.]
Why the hell would you?? Because I saved you once? Because...Because I said we were friends? What possible investment could you have in me that you'd miss me when you've only barely learned who I am! What I can do!
[For all his protests, he's still standing, rooted in place. Desperation creeps into his body language— he pivots like he's looking for a way out. He shifts his weight back and forth between his feet and his hand constantly finds its way to comb through his damnable blue hair.]
I'm just one man. One stupid, cowardly man. I've run from everything! Hell, I'm trying to run from you right now!
[The tone of his voice shifts to pleading. Because something tells him that if he doesn't push her away right this moment, then he won't be able to walk away. And that, inevitably, he will hurt her. He hurts everyone. He's literally fated to do so.]
[ All his anger seems to have burned out, because even the way he glares at her doesn't carry the same intensity that it did a minute ago. His protests lack the same ferocity as before, sounding more desperate than cruel, as though he's trying to convince himself as much as her. ]
I disagree. I feel like I owe you quite a lot.
[ Despite how he looks like he's ready walk out the door at any moment, for whatever reason, he continues to hesitate.
Initially, Zelda remained beside the table out of fear-- fear of the force of his anger, fear that approaching him would drive him away. But now she takes a cautious step towards him, carefully watching his reaction. ]
Not because you saved me. But because I have enjoyed the time we've spent together. Because I've seen the brilliance of your designs and I want to help you bring them to life. Because you sampled those silly frogs with me.
[ By the time she finishes, she's about an arm's length away from him. And that's where she pauses, supporting her right arm with her left, careful of the bandage he just changed for her. ]
I cannot show you a sunset from the pinnacle of the sky to cheer you up, even though I wish that I could. All I have are my words. But I hope you can believe them, because they are the truth.
[For a moment, it does look like Darin might turn and flee out of the door. He watches Zelda slowly cross the room until she's close enough that they could both reach out to one another.]
[He hears Zelda's words and they're at complete odds with his worldview. His life. He has no reason to distrust her. She's been patient and considerate of his concerns and privacy. He's been so difficult with her and for what? Acteon and Kessler both proved that there were good people out there. People who would accept him.]
I'm still dangerous. I...I could still hurt you.
[He doesn't want to hurt anyone but people seem to get hurt just being around him.]
I'm cursed, remember?
[It's a weak, sardonic counter to her kind words. He's reaching; grasping at straws. Something to validate his fears. Dromas called him a coward and he's always known Dromas to know what he was talking about.]
[ His arguments are weak, half-hearted things, lacking any real fight, and that's how she can tell her words have managed to reach him. Are they things he truly believes, or just things he's heard so many times he assumes they're the truth? It's impossible not to internalize such cruelties, especially a lifetime's worth. Zelda is only just learning to believe that the Calamity was not her fault.
Zelda does not believe that he is cursed, but she stops short of asserting that. She doesn't want to overwhelm him anymore than she already has by challenging him on everything he believes about himself.
So instead, simply, ] I am not afraid of you.
[ She hesitates for a moment, then reaches out once more to lightly touch his arm with her left hand.
Is he dangerous? Certainly. Could he hurt her? Without question. But so could any other person, powers or not. Yes, perhaps the risk is greater with Darin should he lose control, and he has said himself that he barely knows his own strength, but Zelda can't find it in herself to fear him for that. That would be like fearing a lightning strike every time she hears thunder; she'd rather risk the danger to watch the storm than never see the beauty in each flash of electricity webbing across the sky. ]
[When she touches his arm this time, he doesn’t flinch. How can he? His entire body is tended up like a knot of steel cords. He lowers his gaze to the floor between them. He’s lost. Confused. The cognitive dissonance between what he feels and what Zelda is saying is deafening.]
[Because he knows her words come from a place of kindness. Even Acteon and Kessler knew what he could do and said much of the same. That they trust him. They aren’t scared of him. He’s not a monster.]
[But they didn’t see what Dromas did. They didn’t see what he was apparently capable of. And they didn’t know about the prophecy, about the origins of his power. That he’s an Archfiend God of destruction. That he’s literally supposed to be the end of Anmaral.]
[So while Zelda says she’s not afraid of him now, he can’t help but believe that will change. That if she ever learns the truth, she’ll be terrified of him. And, honestly? As much as that prospect hurts, he’d prefer it to actually hurting her. Or anyone for that matter. He’d rather be alone than disappoint people who came to trust him. If they can’t stand him, they can’t get hurt when he inevitably changes. He’ll be easier to stop.]
[He can’t meet her gaze but she could easily step into his.]
Then clearly you don’t recognize danger when you see it.
[One last push; a weak barb meant to try and cause her to get upset and withdraw. Before she starts to care too much.]
[ Oh, it's much too late to stop her from caring too much. That chance has long since passed, blown away on the wind when he carried up into the sky and snapped their picture. ]
So I've been told before.
[ Zelda is aware of her tendency to be reckless. Hell, Darin chastised her for exactly that on the day they met, when she risked an encounter with the harpies in order to try to rescue him. And he is not the first person to say so, nor is he the first person she's put herself in danger because of... and he will certainly not be the last.
The nice thing about being notably shorter than Darin is that it's easy to move into his field of view when he's trying to avoid her gaze-- which she does now, not retracting her hand. ]
You say that I barely know you and very well, I will capitulate to that. But I do know that you would not hurt me, not on purpose.
[ But she knows he'll still fight her on that, so Zelda decides to take a gamble. ]
However- [ She takes a steadying breath. ] -if you can tell me truthfully that you intentionally mean me harm, I shall stand aside and trouble you no more with my company.
[Darin's eyes snap to hers. He has no doubt that she's telling him the truth; he knows that look. He's worn that resolute look more times than he cares to admit, always when he was challenging someone's authority. He wore that self-same look when he challenged the masters of his smithing guild when they tried to declare him ineligible for his master's certification. He wears that look any time some high-born noble looks down on him, pitying his 'affliction.' It's the look of someone who knows in their heart of hearts that something is worth fighting for.]
[And Zelda seems to think he's worth fighting for.]
[All he'd have to do is lie. Tell her that he'll hurt her, that he wants to hurt her and that'll be the end of it.]
[But didn't he tell her that he hates liars? That he'd rather people be straight with him than hide their thoughts and intentions? He wears everything on his sleeve openly. He never compromised who he was even if people hated him for it. His principles were forged in iron.]
[He sighs and closes his eyes, some of the tension leaving his large frame like steam evaporating off of a red-hot stovetop.]
...I...don't want to hurt you, Zelda. I'd never hurt you...
Hell, when I heard you got hurt I was ready to find the jerk who did it.
[He glances away, huffing as he rubs the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed at his own admission. After all, that's why he rushed over here in the first place, isn't it?]
[ She knows before he speaks that she's won her gambit. It's plain as day in his face and in his form, the will to fight dissolving right in front of her. Even if he had tried to lie to her, Zelda wouldn't have believed it-- not only because she already knows he's a terrible liar, but because she's already seen over and over again the way he cares for other people.
It's the entire reason he's here in her apartment at all.
She lets him look away this time, her countenance softening. ]
I know that you won't hurt me. It does not matter to me who-- or what-- you are, Darin. You are my friend, and I won't allow you to throw that away so easily.
[Darin spares a glance Zelda's way and immediately snaps his eyes back to the nearest wall, his frame stiffening up reflexively. It's really not fair how she can be so disarming.]
[What's worse, he feels like a complete ass right now. All of that trauma dumping, the yelling...and all because she just wanted to understand him. And he came over to help her too! Just what the hell was wrong with him?!]
[His head falls and he roughly tussles his own hair.]
Gah...! The hell is wrong with me?? I came over to check on you and I went and yelled at you over something stupid. I'm sorry, Zelda. I shouldn't have disturbed you in the first place.
[The urge to bail; to try and run and save face is strong. He'd probably be heading for the door if he wasn't so sure he'd just explode through it at this point.]
[ (His poor hair. If he keeps going at this rate, he's going to end up pulling it all out.)
Zelda carefully moves so that she's a bit closer to the door, intending to put herself between it and Darin. She'd really rather he not run off after all this. ]
No, I am glad that you came. Truly. [ She squeezes his arm softly, trying to get his attention back. ]
I'm sorry that I did not tell you sooner what happened to me. I only meant not to trouble you because I am not in danger, but... [ She expels a small sigh. ] ...Well, were this Hyrule, you would not be the only one upset with me for my silence.
If it helps, I will accept your apology for yelling at me. But none beyond that. [ There's something gentle but firm in her tone that says she's not willing to accept any argument about this.
Zelda pauses for a moment, examining him carefully. He seems to be calming down, but they've been in this position before, where he's gone back and forth between being comfortable with her and wanting nothing to do with her. And in addition to that, his words are often at odds with what she reads in his emotions; he acts as though it would be troublesome to spend time with her, but lights up like the sun when they stumble upon a subject they're both passionate about.
She can't keep up this guessing game any longer. ]
Darin, tell me plainly: do you wish me to stay out of your life?
[He answers before he even has a chance to properly think. Always quicker to speak with his heart than his own self-doubting mind. But now that he's outright said it, walking it back would just cause more frustration.]
[With a grumble, he drags a hand down his face.]
I don't...want you to stay out of my life, Zelda. I'm just not...good with this sort of thing. I actually really like spending time with and working with you.
[But there's something else and Darin's not sure he can put it off any longer. If Zelda is so dead set on understanding him then...]
...There's...a reason. A reason why I try and push people away. Do you mind if we sit...?
[ Zelda is not expecting an explanation for why he is trying to push her (and apparently others) away; he has reasons aplenty, based on what he's already told her of his life. So to hear that there's another reason under all that takes Zelda by surprise. ]
All right.
[ She nods and leads him back to the table, gesturing to the other chair as she takes a seat. She doesn't intend for it, but her brow has furrowed with concern at what he might be about to say. After everything else, what could be left? ]
[Darin takes a seat and leans forward, propping himself up with his elbows on his knees. He focuses on the floor rather than Zelda's face as he wrings his hands.]
Before...when I said that people with hair like mine are said to be descended from demons...? There's...more to it.
[He wrings his hands and closes his eyes. He recalls the day he crossed paths with Dromas at long last after weeks of chasing him down. The strangely empty city of Eruyeka. His dramatic reveal and speech. How he laid Darin out so easily, laughing at how weak Darin was.]
When I met my brother...back home. The day he destroyed Eruyeka...
He was trying to show me how strong I should be. That together...a city or two was nothing.
[He closes his eyes and breathes out slowly.]
Back home there's a...a prophecy spread by the church. They've used it to fearmonger and convert people.
"A Red Star Afore a Silvery Moon Ushers in the Heralds of This World's Doom The Realms Now Split the Demon King Will Rise This, Poor Souls, is How Our World Dies."
[It sounds like nothing more than a poem, one that Darin had heard endlessly parroted throughout his life. Only recently had it felt less like a limerick and more real.]
It talks about the alignment of Anmaral's moons forming what the chuch calls "The Demon's Eye." It's never happened before but when it does...something's supposed to happen.
The Archfiend Diomuhr is supposed to rise up and destroy the world.
[He pauses there, assuming Zelda has her fair share of questions. Darin certainly had enough for Dromas.]
[ Zelda listens silently, taking care to give Darin ample space to speak. The things he says are troubling, to be sure, but her expression remains measured for most of it.
Until she hears the words "Demon King," that is.
The color drains from Zelda's face, the rest of Darin's explanation going more or less unheard. The Demon King. Of course, he cannot be speaking of the same Demon King from Hyrule's past, the one Zelda fears she has identified among the members of Rauru's court. The one who is here, somewhere, doubtless biding his time and planning something terrible. Anmaral's Demon King cannot possibly be the same person. It is impossible.
But logic does not put Zelda's mind at ease. It's statistically impossible for Ganondorf to be here, in this world, at the exact same moment as Zelda, across all the possible worlds and moments in time and space. And yet, here they are.
Normally, Zelda would have a question or two at this point, even though she suspects Darin still has more to tell. But right now, she can't think of a single thing to ask. Although she is facing Darin, she seems to be staring right through him, her mind all the way back in Hyrule, watching Ganondorf kneel before Rauru and the utter fear that dropped in her stomach at the sight of him. Zelda has gone quite pale, her expression tense and grim, a look Darin has never seen on her before. ]
[Darin was expecting this reaction, which makes his next admission all the more painful. When he speaks, he closes his eyes and his words are hushed. Ashamed.]
According to my brother...Diomuhr could not enter Anmaral as he was. To do so, he had to play a trick. He had to be reincarnated.
One human couldn't contain all of that power. So...two were chosen by destiny to each bear one half of his soul.
Twins.
[He lets the emphasis hang, sure that Zelda knows what's coming next.]
...Zelda, Dromas and I—together—are Diomuhr.
I'm the Demon King prophesied to destroy my world...
[And there it is. There's the story. The reason why he doesn't want people to get close to him. Because he'll hurt them if he changes. Or worse yet, he'll hurt them by changing. They'll come to care for him and try and find ways to stop him and would likely get killed in the process. Or, worse yet, they'll be disappointed in him should he be unable to change his fate.]
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no subject
Here? Barely. I had help at the last second and if I hadn't, I was going to do my damndest to take him with me. I'm not letting what happened to Eruteka happen here.
[He catches the slip and winces. Time to try and change the subject.]
You said you saw your father...? What was he like? Was he a researcher like you?
no subject
But worse than that is what he actually says, implying that he was willing to give up his own life in order to keep the monster that took the form of Dromas from doing harm.
And then Darin has the audacity to decide that no, he's done with this conversation. The abrupt change in his attitude makes the usually-patient Zelda bristle. ]
My father? [ She frowns, striding around him to stand beside her table. ] No, don't you try to change the subject. What happened?
no subject
What happened? Someone came and helped. I got to watch my brother die again, this time by my own hand. What more do you want? What, you want a play-by-play?
[Or was she talking about Eruyeka? Like hell he was going to tell her that. Darin already said Dromas was stronger than him, she doesn't need to know he wiped out a city. He doesn't need anyone else to know how much of a danger he could be simply by existing here.]
[He glowers down at her.]
Or, maybe you're the one who doesn't wanna talk now?? It's easier to pry into someone else's life isn't it?
no subject
I will tell you everything you want to know about my father, but not until you tell me what you are so afraid of. You cannot simply tell me that you were prepared to use your own life to end his and expect me to leave it at that.
[ Originally, she intended to be more gentle about this. Everything he's already shared about his brother paints a troubling picture, to say the least. But she isn't going to allow him to attack her like this when all she's trying to do is understand what he went through. ]
no subject
[Darin lowers himself closer to Zelda's face as he gestures sharply to the side with his right arm.]
What the hell does it even matter to you?! You barely know me! I saved your life once and for some reason you've got me painted as some...some paragon of virtue! I acted without thinking! I'm not some damn hero or champion or anything, Zelda! I'm just a blacksmith who doesn't want to see people die anymore!
[He whips around and makes for the door, but stops. he runs both hands through his hair in frustration, then whips around again.]
You want to know why I was prepared to use my own life?? Fine! When I met Dromas in Eruyeka before I got here, he wanted to prove a point. Namely, the fact that I'm supposed to be a lot more powerful than I am. And he decided to prove his point by wiping Eruyeka off the map. It's gone. The city, the people. He killed them all and used his powers to turn every building, every body into a spire. "A monument to mark the beginning of our destiny" he called it.
[He hates this. He hates recounting the events of that day. But somewhere deep in his mind, he thinks that maybe he can scare Zelda. Make her believe he's dangerous. Too much trouble. He couldn't push her away by being abrasive and cagey so maybe it's time he just tries to make her fear him.]
[He gestures wide and grans as he recounts the story, straightening up to his full height as if he were regaling her with some incredible tale or legend. And when he's done, he holds his ground; chest puffed out, hands clenched at his sides. Resolute.]
I didn't want that for Eltrut. I couldn't live with myself if that happened again. If I have to go down to make sure no one else has to suffer, Zelda, I will do it without a second thought because who the hell am I to weigh my stupid life against everyone else's? Against all of you.
[And there's the crux of it. His life isn't worth the same as anyone else's. In his eyes, it never has been. And so he'd gladly sacrifice it if it meant those more deserving got to keep theirs. Losing him would be better for everyone anyway, in the end. If he's gone, there's no prophecy.]
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For a moment, she worries that she's gone too far when he strides towards the door and she wonders frantically if she should try to stop him. The last time she tried to stop someone from leaving her home, they attacked her and then ran off anyway. Zelda feels like she knows Darin better than she knows Louis, but he also just yelled at her that she doesn't.
But he stays anyway and Zelda listens in silence as he lets out all his anger and all his fear. At the end of his story, she's shaken, this time visibly, and steadies herself with her left hand against the tabletop. No wonder he fears his own power-- to see it used not only to snuff out an entire city, but to warp even the bodies of the dead into something twisted and frightening.
If Darin had stopped there, he might have succeeded in actually scaring Zelda (at least temporarily). It's terrifying to imagine how his strength could be used to effortlessly kill everyone on Eltrut. But he doesn't stop, and when she hears what she knows to be the heart of the matter (because Zelda knows, better than most, about sacrificing oneself to protect others), her fear immediately dissipates. Over and over he insists that he is not selfless, not heroic, not virtuous, and yet in the next breath insists that use his own life to protect everyone else's.
But it doesn't come from a place of altruism, does it? It comes from a place of deserving... or, in this case, undeserving. ]
You truly think your life is worth less than anyone else's? [ The harshness is gone from her tone, but her question is still a challenge against him. ]
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[But he doesn't back down. If Zelda really desired to know, then fine. Fine. She can pity him and understand why he won't change his mind on this.]
You want to know who I am, Zelda? Really know?
My name is Darin Altway. The mere act of being born cost my mother her life. As a child, I survived an attack that I shouldn't have. An attack that took my brother Dromas, and my father Dracer. I ran and my brother tried to save me. He got cut down and all I bore was the scar across my back.
People with hair like mine are rumored to be descended from demons. The first thing I remember when I woke up in a strange bed, bandaged and clinging to life were adults arguing over who would take "The Cursed Child." And for a year, that's what I was. A burden to be passed around. No one wanted me. Everyone was afraid that keeping me around would lead them to the same fate as my family. No one had the courage to put me in an orphanage because "they owed it to my father" but apparently they didn't owe him enough to actually want me around.
[As he talks, his voice grows more somber. He laughs at that last sentence; a cold and bitter, mocking laugh.]
It's only by a miracle that Acteon took me in. And the only reason he didn't do it sooner is because he thought others were more well-suited to take care of a child. If it hadn't been for him, I would have been sent to an orphanage and no doubt conscripted into the army when I was old enough.
I hide my strength because people are scared of me. When I healed from something that should have killed me, people thought I was a monster. That sooner or later I'd become something terrifying. That I'd hurt them.
[He keeps the prophecy to himself. Dromas had only told Darin about it at their meeting in Eruyeka and talking about it felt like it might manifest somehow.]
So you tell me: is my life really worth the same as anyone else's? Because if it was, why didn't anyone want me? If the cost of saving a city is one life, why not the one that nobody wanted? No one would miss it.
[The lump is back in his throat. Darin wears his heart on his sleeve, earnest and true. And admitting now, with his own voice, that he was never wanted cuts deeper than the blade that tried to cleave him as a child. He doesn't want to be a bad man. But the world decided he was and fate seemed to conspire with them. All he wants is to do one good thing with his life. Even if he's never wanted, even if no one remembers him, it would validate his existence.]
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It's not pity that fills her gaze as she listens, but sorrow. Sorrow to hear all the injustices he suffered as a child, only seven years old. Zelda knew loss at that age too, the untimely death of her mother, but at least she still had her father and Urbosa. Darin had no one. No one to care for him as he grieved the loss of his family. No one to tell him that their deaths were not his fault. How horrible, how cruel, to fear a child for reasons beyond his control.
Zelda remains silent, even as Darin challenges her to weigh the worth of his life. There are a thousand things she wants to say, a thousand ways she wants tell him that he did not deserve the cruelties he suffered as a child-- nor the stigmas he suffers yet today, all because of his unique power and the possibility that his heritage is less than completely human. He was right to run; he was a child. They were both children. His strength does not make him a monster; it is how he uses that strength that would. His brother proved that at Eruyeka.
But a handful of kind words will not undo years upon years of suffering. Worse, she doesn't want to make him think that she is trying to brush away his suffering with her words. He clearly carries far more scars than just the one across his back. Wounds like those take many years to heal. Hers have. Link's have.
So she chooses her words carefully, and when she finds them, they're small. Because she is small. She's only one person.
But so is he. Not a monster. Not a curse. Just a person. ]
I would.
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...Why?
[He doesn't understand. How could he? As far as he's concerned the only person who might miss him was in another world entirely. Acteon freed him from his prison transport. He sacrificed his own freedom because he believed Darin could find who framed him. He doesn't even know where Acteon was at that moment and the more he thought about it, the more tears stung his eyes.]
[Stubbornly, he shakes them out and returns Zelda's declaration with a hardened stare.]
Why the hell would you?? Because I saved you once? Because...Because I said we were friends? What possible investment could you have in me that you'd miss me when you've only barely learned who I am! What I can do!
[For all his protests, he's still standing, rooted in place. Desperation creeps into his body language— he pivots like he's looking for a way out. He shifts his weight back and forth between his feet and his hand constantly finds its way to comb through his damnable blue hair.]
I'm just one man. One stupid, cowardly man. I've run from everything! Hell, I'm trying to run from you right now!
[The tone of his voice shifts to pleading. Because something tells him that if he doesn't push her away right this moment, then he won't be able to walk away. And that, inevitably, he will hurt her. He hurts everyone. He's literally fated to do so.]
You don't owe me anything. You're better off.
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I disagree. I feel like I owe you quite a lot.
[ Despite how he looks like he's ready walk out the door at any moment, for whatever reason, he continues to hesitate.
Initially, Zelda remained beside the table out of fear-- fear of the force of his anger, fear that approaching him would drive him away. But now she takes a cautious step towards him, carefully watching his reaction. ]
Not because you saved me. But because I have enjoyed the time we've spent together. Because I've seen the brilliance of your designs and I want to help you bring them to life. Because you sampled those silly frogs with me.
[ By the time she finishes, she's about an arm's length away from him. And that's where she pauses, supporting her right arm with her left, careful of the bandage he just changed for her. ]
I cannot show you a sunset from the pinnacle of the sky to cheer you up, even though I wish that I could. All I have are my words. But I hope you can believe them, because they are the truth.
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[He hears Zelda's words and they're at complete odds with his worldview. His life. He has no reason to distrust her. She's been patient and considerate of his concerns and privacy. He's been so difficult with her and for what? Acteon and Kessler both proved that there were good people out there. People who would accept him.]
I'm still dangerous. I...I could still hurt you.
[He doesn't want to hurt anyone but people seem to get hurt just being around him.]
I'm cursed, remember?
[It's a weak, sardonic counter to her kind words. He's reaching; grasping at straws. Something to validate his fears. Dromas called him a coward and he's always known Dromas to know what he was talking about.]
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Zelda does not believe that he is cursed, but she stops short of asserting that. She doesn't want to overwhelm him anymore than she already has by challenging him on everything he believes about himself.
So instead, simply, ] I am not afraid of you.
[ She hesitates for a moment, then reaches out once more to lightly touch his arm with her left hand.
Is he dangerous? Certainly. Could he hurt her? Without question. But so could any other person, powers or not. Yes, perhaps the risk is greater with Darin should he lose control, and he has said himself that he barely knows his own strength, but Zelda can't find it in herself to fear him for that. That would be like fearing a lightning strike every time she hears thunder; she'd rather risk the danger to watch the storm than never see the beauty in each flash of electricity webbing across the sky. ]
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[Because he knows her words come from a place of kindness. Even Acteon and Kessler knew what he could do and said much of the same. That they trust him. They aren’t scared of him. He’s not a monster.]
[But they didn’t see what Dromas did. They didn’t see what he was apparently capable of. And they didn’t know about the prophecy, about the origins of his power. That he’s an Archfiend God of destruction. That he’s literally supposed to be the end of Anmaral.]
[So while Zelda says she’s not afraid of him now, he can’t help but believe that will change. That if she ever learns the truth, she’ll be terrified of him. And, honestly? As much as that prospect hurts, he’d prefer it to actually hurting her. Or anyone for that matter. He’d rather be alone than disappoint people who came to trust him. If they can’t stand him, they can’t get hurt when he inevitably changes. He’ll be easier to stop.]
[He can’t meet her gaze but she could easily step into his.]
Then clearly you don’t recognize danger when you see it.
[One last push; a weak barb meant to try and cause her to get upset and withdraw. Before she starts to care too much.]
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So I've been told before.
[ Zelda is aware of her tendency to be reckless. Hell, Darin chastised her for exactly that on the day they met, when she risked an encounter with the harpies in order to try to rescue him. And he is not the first person to say so, nor is he the first person she's put herself in danger because of... and he will certainly not be the last.
The nice thing about being notably shorter than Darin is that it's easy to move into his field of view when he's trying to avoid her gaze-- which she does now, not retracting her hand. ]
You say that I barely know you and very well, I will capitulate to that. But I do know that you would not hurt me, not on purpose.
[ But she knows he'll still fight her on that, so Zelda decides to take a gamble. ]
However- [ She takes a steadying breath. ] -if you can tell me truthfully that you intentionally mean me harm, I shall stand aside and trouble you no more with my company.
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[And Zelda seems to think he's worth fighting for.]
[All he'd have to do is lie. Tell her that he'll hurt her, that he wants to hurt her and that'll be the end of it.]
[But didn't he tell her that he hates liars? That he'd rather people be straight with him than hide their thoughts and intentions? He wears everything on his sleeve openly. He never compromised who he was even if people hated him for it. His principles were forged in iron.]
[He sighs and closes his eyes, some of the tension leaving his large frame like steam evaporating off of a red-hot stovetop.]
...I...don't want to hurt you, Zelda. I'd never hurt you...
Hell, when I heard you got hurt I was ready to find the jerk who did it.
[He glances away, huffing as he rubs the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed at his own admission. After all, that's why he rushed over here in the first place, isn't it?]
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It's the entire reason he's here in her apartment at all.
She lets him look away this time, her countenance softening. ]
I know that you won't hurt me. It does not matter to me who-- or what-- you are, Darin. You are my friend, and I won't allow you to throw that away so easily.
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[What's worse, he feels like a complete ass right now. All of that trauma dumping, the yelling...and all because she just wanted to understand him. And he came over to help her too! Just what the hell was wrong with him?!]
[His head falls and he roughly tussles his own hair.]
Gah...! The hell is wrong with me?? I came over to check on you and I went and yelled at you over something stupid. I'm sorry, Zelda. I shouldn't have disturbed you in the first place.
[The urge to bail; to try and run and save face is strong. He'd probably be heading for the door if he wasn't so sure he'd just explode through it at this point.]
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Zelda carefully moves so that she's a bit closer to the door, intending to put herself between it and Darin. She'd really rather he not run off after all this. ]
No, I am glad that you came. Truly. [ She squeezes his arm softly, trying to get his attention back. ]
I'm sorry that I did not tell you sooner what happened to me. I only meant not to trouble you because I am not in danger, but... [ She expels a small sigh. ] ...Well, were this Hyrule, you would not be the only one upset with me for my silence.
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N-No, really...it's fine. It's not like you've got any obligation to report things to me and I wasn't exactly in a position to help you either...
I'm just...I'm glad you're alright. And I wanted to do something. And then I went and yelled at you like that.
[He laughs, more at himself than anything else.]
Some friend I am.
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Zelda pauses for a moment, examining him carefully. He seems to be calming down, but they've been in this position before, where he's gone back and forth between being comfortable with her and wanting nothing to do with her. And in addition to that, his words are often at odds with what she reads in his emotions; he acts as though it would be troublesome to spend time with her, but lights up like the sun when they stumble upon a subject they're both passionate about.
She can't keep up this guessing game any longer. ]
Darin, tell me plainly: do you wish me to stay out of your life?
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[He answers before he even has a chance to properly think. Always quicker to speak with his heart than his own self-doubting mind. But now that he's outright said it, walking it back would just cause more frustration.]
[With a grumble, he drags a hand down his face.]
I don't...want you to stay out of my life, Zelda. I'm just not...good with this sort of thing. I actually really like spending time with and working with you.
[But there's something else and Darin's not sure he can put it off any longer. If Zelda is so dead set on understanding him then...]
...There's...a reason. A reason why I try and push people away. Do you mind if we sit...?
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All right.
[ She nods and leads him back to the table, gesturing to the other chair as she takes a seat. She doesn't intend for it, but her brow has furrowed with concern at what he might be about to say. After everything else, what could be left? ]
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Before...when I said that people with hair like mine are said to be descended from demons...? There's...more to it.
[He wrings his hands and closes his eyes. He recalls the day he crossed paths with Dromas at long last after weeks of chasing him down. The strangely empty city of Eruyeka. His dramatic reveal and speech. How he laid Darin out so easily, laughing at how weak Darin was.]
When I met my brother...back home. The day he destroyed Eruyeka...
He was trying to show me how strong I should be. That together...a city or two was nothing.
[He closes his eyes and breathes out slowly.]
Back home there's a...a prophecy spread by the church. They've used it to fearmonger and convert people.
"A Red Star Afore a Silvery Moon
Ushers in the Heralds of This World's Doom
The Realms Now Split the Demon King Will Rise
This, Poor Souls, is How Our World Dies."
[It sounds like nothing more than a poem, one that Darin had heard endlessly parroted throughout his life. Only recently had it felt less like a limerick and more real.]
It talks about the alignment of Anmaral's moons forming what the chuch calls "The Demon's Eye." It's never happened before but when it does...something's supposed to happen.
The Archfiend Diomuhr is supposed to rise up and destroy the world.
[He pauses there, assuming Zelda has her fair share of questions. Darin certainly had enough for Dromas.]
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Until she hears the words "Demon King," that is.
The color drains from Zelda's face, the rest of Darin's explanation going more or less unheard. The Demon King. Of course, he cannot be speaking of the same Demon King from Hyrule's past, the one Zelda fears she has identified among the members of Rauru's court. The one who is here, somewhere, doubtless biding his time and planning something terrible. Anmaral's Demon King cannot possibly be the same person. It is impossible.
But logic does not put Zelda's mind at ease. It's statistically impossible for Ganondorf to be here, in this world, at the exact same moment as Zelda, across all the possible worlds and moments in time and space. And yet, here they are.
Normally, Zelda would have a question or two at this point, even though she suspects Darin still has more to tell. But right now, she can't think of a single thing to ask. Although she is facing Darin, she seems to be staring right through him, her mind all the way back in Hyrule, watching Ganondorf kneel before Rauru and the utter fear that dropped in her stomach at the sight of him. Zelda has gone quite pale, her expression tense and grim, a look Darin has never seen on her before. ]
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According to my brother...Diomuhr could not enter Anmaral as he was. To do so, he had to play a trick. He had to be reincarnated.
One human couldn't contain all of that power. So...two were chosen by destiny to each bear one half of his soul.
Twins.
[He lets the emphasis hang, sure that Zelda knows what's coming next.]
...Zelda, Dromas and I—together—are Diomuhr.
I'm the Demon King prophesied to destroy my world...
[And there it is. There's the story. The reason why he doesn't want people to get close to him. Because he'll hurt them if he changes. Or worse yet, he'll hurt them by changing. They'll come to care for him and try and find ways to stop him and would likely get killed in the process. Or, worse yet, they'll be disappointed in him should he be unable to change his fate.]
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