Dear Readers,

It has been a very long time. Too long! I can't tell you what all your reviews and favoriting have meant to me. It's hard for me to believe a simple snapshot written late one March night evolved and grew into a story that has so entertained not only me, but all of you as well. Nothing else can be as fulfilling for a closet fanfiction writer.

However, while elaborating on the story of Twilight Princess was an exercise all its own, it did bother me that the tale I was telling was not really mine. I had planned to leave Don't Let Me Leave You where it ended in its eleventh chapter, leaving to speculation what Link and Midna found after they stepped through the Mirror. But as so many of you have expressed in your reviews the desire for a sequel, how can I refuse?

A word of forewarning: all I've borrowed for this story are the characters and referenced events from Twilight Princess. The plot and original characters are all mine, so I beg pardon if the scale and complexity are not quite as grand. Recently, though, I have been devoting a lot of time to visual art. My goal is to upload to DeviantArt a series of illustrations to accompany this story. Updates on that project will appear here on along with new written chapters.

In the meantime, I give you the brief first chapter of All Things in Shadow; the sequel to Don't Let Me Leave You and my first visit to the Realm of Twilight in nearly a year.

~FidesNemo

Chapter 1

Homecoming

As it had been each time she'd stepped through the Mirror, Midna could not be certain if the journey lasted a fleeting moment or a vast eternity. Aware suddenly of solid ground beneath her feet, she opened her eyes and took in the sight and scent of her realm. From afar, her palace city seemed peaceful and unchanged since last she'd laid eyes on it. She dared to feel relief. "Home."

"Home." Link's blue eyes met her crimson ones. "A new word to me."

Midna couldn't help but smile. "Get used to it, Hero." She took his hand. "Come. I've feared the worst for too long."

Their feet left the Mirror pedestal and Link's stomach flipped. The ground, dark and obscured, lay far below. He kept his eyes diligently forward and concentrated on the warm breeze on his face, and on the spectacle of the black palace looming ahead. Soon enough, they had crossed the void and stood on the polished stones of the reception platform. Midna's eyes swept the area. This time, their arrival had not gone unnoticed.

"The princess has returned!" Heads lifted and fingers pointed as the scattered figures hurried into a group to receive their leader. Some, Midna saw as they approached, were limping or leaning on canes. A few seemed abnormally hunched and still others had wild eyes, as though mortal terror lurked in every shadow and alcove.

"Something is wrong," she breathed as the bedraggled party drew near. Link only nodded in reply, his eyes flickering this way and that in search of any trick or ambush.

One man assumed the role of spokesperson and walked up to stand before Midna. He bowed. "Princess, we rejoice in your return! It is a blessing come not a moment too soon."

She bade him rise and passed over formalities. "What has happened here? How long have you been free of the curse?"

He seemed surprised she knew. "Only hours, my Lady."

"Tell me all you saw."

"It was like waking from one nightmare to be thrown into another," said the man haltingly. "The dark forms left us, and our minds became our own once more. But the torment was far from over. Many did not survive the transformation or the reawakening." He shuddered. "I witnessed my own brother go mad and cast himself into the void. Many are dead, deformed, or missing without a trace. I do not know of a single family left untouched."

Midna suddenly felt sick and unsteady. "The curse was not unraveled before I killed Ganondorf," she murmured breathlessly. "This is my doing."

"Princess!" The commanding, sonorous call came from the palace steps. Striding across the platform, followed by a flock of attendants, was a Twili vastly different in appearance from any Link had thus seen. Instead of the flattened, tapered face and round eyes of the majority - of which Midna was also a slight exception - this man's head and face were shaped like a large, leathery hatchet. Whereas others' skin was a mystical blue, his was dark, almost black; it made his sharp beard and facial hair seem even more luminous. Power and poise became him.

"Sareth!" Midna cried, relief evident in her voice. "Thank the goddesses."

"Hearing of your disappearance was terrible anguish," the man said when he was near enough. "It soothes my soul to see you well, Midna."

"As I am relieved to see you."

Sareth's piercing eyes flickered to Link. "Who is this you've brought?"

"His name is Link. Sareth... he is the hero of legend. The Sacred Beast! Together, we were able to defeat the evil that befell our realms. Without him, I would not be here." She gave Link a subtle look meant only for him.

"It seems you have much to tell me, then."

"Volumes. But I must survey the city and appear before the people. This new tragedy is my responsibility. I will then call the Council to order."

He seemed to flinch. "There is no Council. I was the only one blessed enough to survive the reawakening."

"No!" Midna staggered. "All of them, gone?"

Sareth bowed his head. "Yes, Princess."

Midna's fists clenched and she squeezed her eyes shut to stem the flow of guilt and sorrow. "I was a fool."

Link touched her shoulder. "Midna..."

"A fool! I acted without knowing the consequences. Even in death, Ganondorf spread suffering." She looked up with fury in her eyes. "I must face my people."

The strange Twili stepped in front of Link without a glance and put a comforting arm around Midna. "You have seen much hardship, Princess. Perhaps you should retire to the palace for now."

"No. I have been absent too long already."

"Have I ever led you wrong? Allow yourself respite."

"Sareth, please!" Midna stepped out from under his arm. "I have shamed my name too much already to continue ignoring my duties!"

He raised his hands in sudden surrender. "As you wish, my Lady. I meant no offense."

"Nor did I. Forgive me." Her tone softened. "Will you join us now?"

"Regretfully, I cannot. I will maintain order in the palace until you arrive, and we shall meet in the Council chamber; say, in the twentieth hour?"

"Agreed. Thank you, Sareth. Until then."

"Until then, Princess." He bowed like a courtier and departed, his attendants trailing in his wake.

Link stepped up to stand beside Midna. "Who is he?"

"My senior counselor," she replied, eyes still downcast. "My only counselor now."

"He acts like a king."

"It was not long ago that he was essentially king. I'll explain everything later. For now, we are about to be on the receiving end of a great deal of attention."

"I'm ready for anything." He felt the stares of the Twili milling about on the platform, and his neck prickled.

"I wish I were too," Midna murmured. She steeled herself and led him toward the assembly.