Old Summary: Thanks to a tragic accident, Link is now forced to be Princess Zelda. Therefore, growing up as a girl, he is more girl than boy mentally. The only comfort he finds in life is his sparring. But if he is found out, he will be killed. And when Dark, a handsome young man from Labrynna decides enters his life, things only get worse. What's more, just what is going on beyond the walls of Hyrule... WARNING: Yaoi, shaunen-ai, murder, blood, gore. Don't not read just because it does have boyXboy. There is a lot more in this story than just romance.

Updated Summary 2015: Dark is a cocky, intrusive, handsome young man who comes to Hyrule on diplomatic mission from his home country, Labrynna, who finds himself falling hard for the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda. Thanks to his noisy nature, he quickly learns the truth: that Princess Zelda is not Zelda, but rather a young man named Link. Dark finds himself in a whirlwind of secrets as he tries to protect Link from being discovered for who he is, as well as come to terms with his love for him.

I feel that I must warn you that Dark Link isn't what you normally think. He's a bit more human, and actually just looks very similar to Link, rather than identical. Thank you.

Beautiful Blades

Chapter 1: Concerning Princesses and Mysterious Dancing Fighters

If one was to ask about the country of Hyrule, they would get mostly positive responses. Some of these responses include its resources and beautiful, infamous landmarks. There is the great Lake Hylia, said to have the clearest, crystal-like water in possibly the world, but the world was so vast that there was no one who had the means to compare the waters between this lake and elsewhere, so this claim is mostly assumed. This large lake provides the rest of Hyrule with fresh water and fish, for those who are fond of fish of course, and a beautiful tourist site for both citizens and visitors. This attraction, however, irritated the Zora, a graceful race of humanoid fish-like people. This shy but strong race lived in the lake's waters, but based farther up the river, where their Queen or King ruled peacefully over their people. They are not an aggressive race, but they are not fond of people coming to stare at their home constantly and rudely, as some have added, and then leaving litter around the lake bed. It can be noted that on several occasions empty bottles have been fished out of the water, which while this is useful to the people who manage to snag such a treasure, when it sits on the bottom of the lake it has proven to be nothing more than a worthless piece of unwanted scenery.

Of course, many mountains surrounded Hyrule, enclosing the great country within a wall of safety, making it difficult for enemy armies, of which the country had none, to simply waltz into the land and cause war. It is difficult, and dangerous, to cross over these mountains, but they are pimples on the earth against the greatest of them all: Death Mountain. As its lovely name would suggest, this monstrous mountain has proven to be fatal to climb to the weak of heart, which is why those who have settled up higher on the mountain are the Gorons, a race of people of the earth, large creatures mostly made of stone than flesh. They are a proud race, taller than humans and stout, with muscles of steal, literally. They are loyal and kind creatures, known for their strange but obvious love for hot-springs, and bone-crushing hugs. There was once a warning placed by the trail to Death Mountain, put there by a small boy who had written: Avoid hugs at all costs. Whether he experienced these hugs or not is left for questioning. But Death Mountain, by any stretch of the imagination, was large. Very, very large, and is often prone to small bursts of volcanic activity, of which causes a tempest to rain from the sky.

While Hyrule contains many more races and unique places, one place that everyone whispers about is the great forest, The Lost Woods. Once again, as the namesake would suggest, there are whispers that this forest consumes those who dare to enter below the shade of the trees. Once you enter, some say, you are never to return. Whether this is true or not, no one knows for sure, because no one has returned yet to tell the tale of their great escape. The woods shelter, however, one race who has mastered its confusing maze: the Kokiri. There is not much known about them, except they are considered fairy children who never age, remaining a ten year old child for hundreds of years. This forest is also said to have touched every part of Hyrule, and no matter where you go, you will always see that forest shadowing your back.

Of course, this is asking the people of Hyrule, and any visitors who have come to the land. Hylians have bias view, which is logical because they live on the land, but to be fair their view is virtually identical to that of those who visit, so it brings up the wonder of just what Hyrule is like.

But if we were to ask the opinion of a young boy, fourteen of age, soon to be fifteen, he would stare at you quietly, carefully judging his response. You may start to feel awkward before he would answer, of which would be something along the lines of this: Hyrule is nothing special.

Odd thing for a young Hylian to say, but given his circumstances, you would never hear those words come out of his mouth. In fact, you would hear: "Hyrule is a beautiful and wonderful land!"

Of course, you wouldn't even hear them from his mouth, or at least as a boy.

You would believe you were talking to a girl. A pretty girl, as some would state.

In fact, you would believe you were talking to the Princess of Hyrule.

Link was no older than five when his life changed forever. Actually, he was celebrating his birthday that night, a small party with his family, consisting of his father and mother, and a dear friend of the same age.

His father was a Knight of Hyrule, considered one the best and brightest, and a close, personal friend to the King of Hyrule himself. Princess Zelda, age five, and Link, age four, soon to be five, had met before. It could be noted, and has been by visitors, guards, and the Royal Family themselves that both children looked oddly identical. In fact, if you were to dress Link up as a girl, or Zelda as a boy, they could pass for twins. Easily. The children did not find this amusing, and refused to take part in such conversations, preferring to play in the mud (much to the Queen's horror) or other various activities.

That day, Link's father had met with the Royal Family, discussing matters Link couldn't comprehend. This did not matter, since Link was at the house anyways, preparing to have his party. He cleaned house, bounced off the walls with excitement, and attempted to bake his own bread for the dinner. His mother, bless her heart, decided to give him a shot, which resulted in burnt dough.

When Link's father came home, he merely laughed at his son's attempts, patting him on the head.

"Son, I believe you are more a fighter than a baker!"

This is quite true. Actually, Link was considered a prodigy of the sword. The first time he pick up a sword (really more of a dagger), age four, he swung the sword exactly like his father had done moments earlier. It was a perfect swing. His father, realizing his son's talents, decided to let his son begin training at five, which the youngster knew and looked forward to with all his heart.

However, Link felt rather hurt on the subject of his cooking skills, and still wanted bread. Laughing, his parents sent him out to get some, and he waved good-bye to his friend and family as he ran to the nearest store, about ten minutes away.

When he returned, the house was on fire.

No one knows what really happened next. But the next day after the fire, soldiers came to search the ruins. Within the ashes they found three bodies: a man, a woman, and a child. It was believed, and correctly assumed, to be Link's parents.

But the child was a mystery. For it could not be Link, as he was found huddling in an alley not far from the house, hugging the bread he had gone out to buy. That bread had saved his life. Ironically, this concept lies in correspondence with a religion based in a far away land, but this is of no importance. That bread had also torn him away from his family.

The men took the boy back to the castle, were mass chaos reigned supreme. The King's younger brother, the Prince of Hyrule, uncle to Princess Zelda, had vanished over night, with bloodstains left on his bedsheets. The King and Princess appeared to be safe, but the King was mentally affected, both by the loss of his brother and of his best friend, or as some have claimed.

The King now feared for his daughter's safety. The Prince had not been in line to rule, and was slaughtered nonetheless. The princess herself could be in possible grave danger.

So when the King saw the boy, an idea came to him, an idea that would change the life of Link forever, that would virtually wipe him out of existence. Only a selected few would know the truth. Only a selected few would understand what had happened in the secrecy of that throne room.

Link soon found himself as a double for the princess. He had to become her, study what she studied, learn what she can do. He would be her face to the public. And be the shield for unwanted assassins. He was no longer allowed to live as a boy.

Before he left the throne room, the King stopped him. "Boy, there is one last thing you must remember. No one may ever know you existed. Link is dead. Link died in the fire. You are Princess Zelda. You are a girl."

"And if anyone is to find out about your secret, you will have no reason to live anymore."

Ten Years Later

Dark had arrived in Hyrule only a day earlier, and he already hated every minute of it.

He had heard of the beautiful scenery of Lake Hylia and magnificent glory of Death Mountains, the mystery of the Lost Woods, and the other various places this land beheld. He had heard of the scorching winds of the Desert, and the cold fear of the Peak Providence. But he didn't get a chance to see these sights, as he was here on a diplomatic mission. A mission, he kept silently to himself, that was a virtual waste of time. But he didn't dare say that here in Hyrule, and not in front of his master, whom he feared more than the masses of Hyrule itself.

He sighed, leaning out of the window of his hotel room which resides in Castle Town. Because they were not of royalty, they did not have a place up at the castle of which they were welcomed at. As this might seem rather odd, it was actually his Master's request that they have a nice place within the town. "Dark," he had said, "this is a chance for you to see and understand Hylian culture. After all, a personal guard of the Labrynna Royal Family should be able to understand foreigners' points of view. It is important to sympathize."

Dark just sulked. He would much rather be by the Prince's side, whom he was best friends with. But it was because of the Prince's illness that Dark found himself here in Hyrule alone with his Master. Unable to travel, the Prince asked Dark to attend Princess Zelda's fifteen birthday party, as it was a huge, important gathering to celebrate an important leader's coming of age day. Dark promised, but he grumbled all the way across the mountains.

He knew why the King had invited everyone to such an event that actually wasn't that important as everyone made it out to be. Ever since ten years ago, the King has not been right in the head, as the rumors claim. It was known that prior to the death of the King's brother, Hyrule was preparing to make peace with the Gerudo, a race of beautiful women who were known for their talents in thievery. Their current leader, Ganondorf, wished for the hundred of years long feud to end, and so did the King of Hyrule. A huge meeting had been arranged for the two leaders to meet up, and sign a peace treaty at last.

But then the King's brother vanished, and their best Knight and his entire family, including their son, had died in a large fire. Dark had heard the son was suppose to be a prodigy at swordplay, and he wished he could have had the chance to meet that boy in person.

But that was impossible now, wasn't it?

Dark didn't dwell on it too much. But he knew that relationships between the Gerudo and Hyrule have been edgy, to say in the least, over the past decade, and other countries also questioned Hyrule's honesty after they turned their back on the Gerudo. Despite claims that the Gerudo are to blame for these deaths, people wondered what the Gerudo had to gain from killing these people when they were so close to peace.

The party was a few days away, and Dark was bored. He had already searched Castle Town, and he found he missed the Prince, his quiet and calming personality. It had always soothed Dark. But he was stuck with…

The door slammed opened, and Dark sighed. Speak of the devil. Literally.

A large man entered the room, a serious look on his face. In his late 30s, he was slightly balding, and a little large around the waist and in the face. Despite the little fat, underneath was muscles of iron, and Dark wouldn't doubt if they could rival the Goron's strength. A sword was strapped at the man's waist, and on his chest was a pin with the Labrynna Royal Seal, proof of his status as the current King's Personal Guard.

He towered over his pupil, glaring down at him. Dark glared back up at him in return. Dark was a shorter boy of sixteen, but wide in the shoulders and strong in both mind and muscle. His red eyes sometimes were hidden under the mass of black hair, which he sometimes tied back into a small ponytail. He wore a black tunic with leggings and dark brown boots, and a black cap on his head. Around his waist he also had his own sword. He lacked the pin his Master had. He had yet to reached that status, despite being a personal guard in training.

"Boy!" his Master boomed over him, "Where have you been? Not sulking up in this dark room, I hope?"

Dark grinned, thinking of a witting comeback to say, but decided against it. "No, sir. I simply came back to rest."

His Master snorted. "Rest my ass. You have been sulking like a girl the entire trip. 'Oh, Prince, why did you have to be sick?' 'Oh, poor me!'"

Dark's face momentary darkened. "I did not say that!" Or at least, he didn't sound like that.

His Master sat on the bed. "Listen, kid, you need to understand that this trip is important. Relations with Hyrule have been poor, and Labrynna needs Hyrule's support. Resources are scarce, and Hyrule supplies them. So you will go to this party with a smile on your face, or I will take this sword and carve one on your face for you."

"Ok! I get the message!"

"Good." His Master sat back down, and removed the sword from his waist. Taking out a cloth from a pouch around his waist, he started to polish the smooth metal, working out the smudges that had collected over the day.

Dark went back to the window to collect his thoughts. It was true he was whining, and he shouldn't be doing so. He did act like a little girl, the way he bickered about his predicament. It was not something he was proud of, but it hurt that his Master had to make a huge point out of this. He sighed.

His Master caught heard the sigh, thinking it directed towards him for scolding Dark, and he grabbed the nearest heavy object to throw: a book.

It landed with a thud on the back of his skull. "OW! Hey!"

"No sighing, or else that will be ten laps around the town!"

Dark scowled, but he did not sigh after that.

The clock struck 10 when Dark's Master fell asleep on his bed, with Dark still up, reading the book that had hit his head earlier. It was rather a fascinating book, a novel about a shadow with a soul. He laughed inwardly at the concept, though. How ridiculous.

He glanced up, seeing his Master still in his clothes snoring away on the bed. Dark only stared for a moment, waiting to see if there was any movement to suggest he was partially awake. There was none.

Dark put down his book, and carefully made his way over to his Master's bed. His Master just snored. Ever so slowly, Dark dared to poke his Master's face. He jumped back as soon as his skin contacted the rough beard.

Nothing.

Grinning, Dark tip-toed out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, he ran down the hall, down the stairs, and out into the street.

Truthfully, Dark only left just to laugh in his Master's face, to prove that he can do whatever he wants, and that his Master can't do a thing about it. He had nowhere to go, and nothing to do. He had very little spending money with him. Even better, he had no idea where to go.

And after a few minutes of wandering, he was totally lost.

Feeling like the greatest idiot in the world, he leaned against a wall, sighing angrily. He did miss the Prince, but he was excited for this trip. Hyrule was a beautiful place. Everyone was basically nice here.

He just had a bad attitude about the whole thing. Mostly because he was bored as well. Dark longed to talk with someone his age. He had spent ten weeks with a balding man who lived by the sword and bacon. Dark enjoyed his spars with his Master, but conversations were dull, if not lacking.

Dark loved to fight. The thrill, the excitement, the rush of adrenaline through his body as swords collide. He used to spar with the Prince back at home.

He sighed again. He missed those duels.

Suddenly, as if answered by the gods themselves, he noticed two men rush by. They were hooded, and moved carefully, as if afraid to be seen. He watched them, his black tunic blending with the shadows of night.

The men halted by an alley, heads on swivel as they searched the street. Empty of guards. Nodding to each other, the men scurried into the darkness, disappearing.

Dark didn't even blink. Also quickly glancing around for guards, he followed them, curious to see what was so fascinating about this alley that these men would risk being caught. It had to be something interesting. Dark grinned, suddenly excited.

He noticed that the alley descended downwards, so he moved carefully down the steps. It was too dark to see, so he guided himself by running his fingers against the grimy wall. He felt a few webs entangle with his hands, and he shook them off calmly before continuing.

As he continued, after what felt like ten minutes, he could hear distant shouts, and muffled cheers of excitement. Curious beyond control, Dark took a risk and began to sprint down the alley, dangerously skipping every two steps. The cheers were louder now, and there was a definite clang of weapons.

Seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, he turned the corner to see the most amazing sight.

A secret battle arena. And not just any battle arena, he realized, but an illegally hosted one. It was forbidden to fight for sport outside of officially held events in Hyrule, and he had heard from Hylians who lived in Labyrnna that there were often illegal spars that take place in tournaments such as the one he was looking at now.

He smiled. Now this should be fun!

He looked at the stands. Surprisingly, they were rather full. The arena was dimly lit with a multiple, lanterns with weak flames that hung from the ceiling, which were mostly above the arena itself. Most of the stone stands stood in darkness. The ceiling was rough with cracks and ribbons of spaces threatening to collapse the entire place. But it was obvious nobody really cared.

Dark took a seat in the stands as well. It was a pretty decent seat, not too far from the arena but not close enough for flying weapons or debris to come unwanted at Dark's face.

The current battle was over, and the winner, a large buff man with an eye patch over the left eye, and no shirt, Dark noticed, pounded his chest like an ape, then walked off the stage. Dark raised an eyebrow at his behavior.

Another man stepped forward. He wore a loose-fitting black outfit with no shoes, and his bald head practically shone in the dim light.

"And it looks like Mr. Konos was beaten Mr. Paul! What a fight folks! But it looks like the crowd favorite is up next, the sword master wonder, Lefus!"

At the words "sword master" Dark's attention was caught. He looked at the sword master. He was another large buff man, grossly buff, Dark thought with disgust. In his hands he gripped a worn-out looking sword. Dark could see his veins practically pop out of his hand he was gripping the handle so hard. And here I thought he was a master. What kind of "master" of swordplay tries to strangle his own sword?

"And his opponent this round, the ever wonderful Lee!" Lee, as it turned out, was a smaller, skinner man who was also with a sword. He looked terrified of Lefus.

Dark lost interest, enough where he didn't even watch the fight to see Lefus cream Lee. He wasn't interested in unnaturally large men practically eat their opponents alive. There was no talent behind it, only brawn and muscle. It was sickening to watch, uninteresting.

Dark signed. This was a waste of time again. He barely watched the next two fights, which brought Lefus up to the final round.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Believe or not, but we are at this week's final round! This week's winner," he pointed to Lefus, who roared with triumph. The crowd went wild. Dark yawned.

"VS the nine year champion, the Graceful Mask! The masked wonder whose name he refuses to tell has been undefeated for nine years! What an amazing feat folks! But will this change today? Let's find out!"

Dark took a look, interested to see who this nine year champions was. If he has been in this tournament for nine years, then he must be one another one of those huge men who rely on their strength to win, with a stupid mask to boot. He watched the Graceful Mask walk on.

Instead, to his surprise, a boy about his age walked on. He could tell by his body build. The boy was slight, with small shoulders, tiny wrists, and skinny arms. He was about Dark's height, give or take a few inches, making him of average height, and he had semi-long, golden hair. It was beautiful, catching the light of the lanterns so it shone softly. His ears were pierced with blue earrings, with protruded out from behind a mask shaped like a yellow fox. A Keaton, Dark recognized. The boy wore a simple green tunic.

In the boy's hand he held a small blade. It was rather unimpressive looking, dented and worn from years of use. Strands of missing decoration hung from the end of the hilt.

The crowd went nuts, and Dark himself felt excited. If this boy was about his age, then he has been champion since he was six or seven. Even to Dark, that sounded impossible. He was curious to see just how this fight will go down.

The bell rung for the fight to start, and Lefus instantly charged. Roaring, he ran towards the boy, waving his sword ridiculously in the air. Dark snorted at the sight.

The boy was unfazed. As the man towered in front of him, he swung down his sword to hit the boy. The crowd gasped. A lot of energy had been put into that one attack, and it was fast.

And to everyone's surprise, or for those who have come here often, expectantly, the boy dodged.

Dark stopped to stare. That dodge…

It was obvious Lefus had expected something to hit as he almost lost his balance. He turned to see the boy standing quietly behind him. His eyebrow twitched. The boy was too cheeky for his own good. He lifted his sword, and attacked again.

Once more, the boy dodged.

Dark was standing up now. He was lost for words. Those dodges… they were in total control. Every part of that boy's body moved exactly how he wanted it to move, at the exact moment it should. Not only that, the boy was dancing.

Dancing. Literally dancing as he dodged. His dodging WAS his dancing, and it was a graceful and an amazing sight to watch. Lefus kept at his assault, and the boy kept dancing out of the way.

Dark couldn't stop watching. This… is what he was looking for. This was a real fighter who knew exactly what he was doing. And he's been doing it for nine years.

Lefus was breathing hard now, and his attacks were slower. He looked angrily at the boy. "Stop…moving… huff huff…"

The boy said nothing.

Lefuf, yelling once more, lifted his sword and brought it down it attack the boy's head. Dark watched as the boy did something totally different.

He lifted his sword at last to block. The interception rang throughout the arena, and the crowd kept cheering. It was fantastic! Perfectly in time with the flow! What a show!

Lefus looked shocked. The boy's expression stayed hidden behind the mask.

Then, turning on his heel, the boy spun around and kicked the man square in the stomach. The wind knocked out of him, Lefus cried out and leaned forward, allowing the boy to finish his final blow. Taking the hilt of his sword he brought it down in Lefus's exposed neck. The large man crumbled to the ground.

The crowed was silent for a moment. There had been no blood, no epic endings to the fight. The boy, without effort, took down the large man.

The crowd went wild, Dark with them. He clapped for the boy, and laughed as two men dragged off Lefus, the man mumbling in his sleep. Dark couldn't stop grinning. That was beautiful! What beautiful skill, something Dark wished to practice with! Yes, he wanted to fight the Graceful Mask!

Who was gone.

"Aaannnddd it looks like our mysterious champion has run off again. I can't help but wonder where that boy goes. But it does go to show that anybody can win this tournament! Well, folks, I'll see you next week, and remember! Don't tell a soul about this arena!"

The crowd cheered, some laughed, and they began to disperse. Dark did not join them. He began searching for the boy. Where did he go?

Dark's red eyes searched wildly for the boy, looking for a slim figure perhaps darting through the large crowd, but he saw nothing. Cursing, he noticed the announcer still standing around, confirming that the people were indeed leaving his arena. Dark ran on stage, and grabbed the announcer by the collar. "Hey, you!"

"Kid, let me go! I'm not going anywhere!" the man proclaimed, surprised by the sudden attack.

Dark cut right to the chase. He was afraid he would lose the boy if he wasted to much time chatting. "Do you know where I can find that kid? The champion?"

The man smirked. "Why do you need to know?"

"Just answer the question!"Dark growled warningly, fearing it was too late now.

The announcer managed to pull away from Dark's grip. Straightening his clothes, he frowned. "Look, kid, no one knows, nor does anyone really care. All anyone here gives a damn about are fights, and that kid can give one hell of a fight. Of course, that Lefus freak was small fry compared to other fighters I've seen that kid battle, and he's pulled through amazingly."

Dark folded his arms. "Surely you people know!"

The man shook his head. "Sorry, boy, I don't." Dark hissed angrily, and turned away.

Damn, just when he thought he found a fun sparring partner, he vanished literally under his nose. And no one seems to know where the hell this kid goes, much less who he is, as far as he could tell. He was so graceful, so talented… Dark wanted to fight that talent. He wanted to. Finally, he had something to do in this town!

He thought about his Master. He wouldn't approve of this, but Dark didn't care. His Master also didn't approve of cabbage, for whatever odd reason.

Dark made a decision right there and then. He would find the Graceful Mask. And he would fight him in a fun, fair fight. And he planned to win.

Link sat by the window of his bedroom, looking out towards the stars at Orion, his favorite constellation. He had changed into his nightgown, a pink frilly pattern made from silk, and had taken off his wig, letting his golden hair fall past his shoulders. He had already hidden his fighting gear behind the large stone brick, securing its safety.

Link checked his wrist, making sure there was no bruise from the fight. He had accidentally twisted it when he smashed his sword into the poor man's head. He hoped the man was ok, but Link was currently more concerned for his own well-being.

He nodded, satisfied. He seemed to be ok. He couldn't show any signs of the fight that night. Any proof that he disobeyed the King's orders will have undesirable consequences.

Link still remembered his orders. Never let anyone find out who he really was. He is Princess Zelda. He is a woman. Or, she is a woman.

And under no circumstances may he ever fight again. The king had made that clear. No swordplay, he had said. You must never hold a sword again. If you do, then you will have disobeyed me.

Link could still see the King's face as he finished his speech.

"And then your life will be forfeited."

Well, everyone, thank you for reading this ridiculous long chapter. I'm afraid it isn't fantastic, but I wanted it up today. I hoped you enjoyed, and look forward to more future chapters. I ask that you review so I know that I have readers out there. Please. Thank you.

Oh, and here, this also counts for the rest of the story: Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Zelda except my OCs. Thank you.