No one in Hyrule had heard of the Twili before.

Sure, several of the more high-class citizens of the land had read about them in books, but they never actually knew that they truly existed. Those books that did mention them were the prime reason; they had described the ancient race as a kind of fairytale creature, one that you would only see in dreams and children's artwork. They were just a figment of the imagination, like all other legends, and they were about as real as a carnivorous dairy cow, or an owl that came out during the day.

And so, as would be expected, the people of Hyrule regarded the Twili as just that: a fairytale. The children, with their wild imaginations and their innocence, drew pictures of what they thought the Twili would look like. They would draw them standing with their family, or they would draw them playing in a field. Sometimes one of the older, more mischievous children, as a joke, would put the Twili in taboo situations. Although these few were reprimanded for such crude behavior, they knew that nothing was all-too offensive. The Twili didn't exist.

It wasn't until centuries later that the people of Hyrule found out that the Twili weren't just creations of the mind. It was something that nobody had expected; the legend of the Twili was so old that they had only heard about it from their ancestors, who had lived through the legend's pinnacle in popularity. Nobody talked about them anymore in conversation, and no child had drawn pictures of them. Instead, the people had taken up an interest in a different race, called the Oocca, which seemed like a more tangible concept to grasp because they lived up in the sky, as opposed to an alternate dimension like the Twili.

But this time, the people of the land had heard about them from a source that would have been more reliable than any book or ancestor, and that was the princess, Zelda.

Zelda was wise for her age; though no one knew approximately how many years she had under her belt, she couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen. She had demonstrated her intelligence during such major trials as global drought and war as well as trivial things, like land disputes and taxes. Many people who were set on declaring her to be the smartest person in the land mentioned the supposed fact that she had read every book in the land and memorized their contents.

But when Zelda first spoke of the Twili to the people and stated that they were, indeed, real, the people were bewildered. The princess had given an address to the people of the land about what Hyrule had just faced: Ganondorf had returned and tried to take over once again, but this time he had assistance from a creature named Zant, who was one of the mysterious Twili.

As soon as she breathed the word, the crowd before her was split. Those that had loved the princess the most were easily persuaded that the Twili did indeed exist, and that the drawings that their grandparents had made in their youth were indeed of real, living things. Those that had more trouble believing the tale were thoroughly convinced that the princess had gone insane and should not be on the throne, but despite protests, the princess stuck to her declaration: the Twili existed, and that was all that mattered.

No matter which side they were on, many people took up a huge interest in the Twili once again, and the interest in the sky-dwelling Oocca began to fade away. New books were printed on the beings, those that were pro-existence as well as those against it, and several theories were developed on the race. Many leading thinkers decided together that the Twili existed in an alternate dimension that could not be accessible by ordinary means, and that the race chose to live in secret and did not want the citizens of Hyrule to know of their existence.

Then there were the skeptics. Many people wrote books that argued how the Twili couldn't have existed because they were merely fairytales, just as atheists of the land had argued that the three goddesses were nothing but a children's story invented to give people a false optimism towards life, despite evidence existed to prove otherwise. These anti-Twili citizens were just as stubborn in their views, and they continued to ignore the fact that the Twili could very well be real.

A fewer amount of people had argued that the Twili were evil and vengeful, which would make sense because of this mysterious "Zant" person. Several of them came up with the idea that the Twili would attempt to wage war with the Hylians, and an epic battle would ensue.

As that idea gripped hold of more and more people of the nation, Zelda had decided to address the people once again on the matter. It was time for the confusion to disappear forever, and the real story to be told.

Zelda inhaled deeply as she gazed at herself in the large mirror before her. From her bedroom she could hear the many people outside in the Hyrule Castle Courtyard, all anxious for her to make her appearance. Now that they were there and she could hear the mixed cries from the crowd, she became unsure if she should go on with this speech.

No. She must. Midna would have wanted her to.

She grabbed several strands of her corn silk hair and fingered them delicately. She then bound the strands together with a cloth-like material, and then she let it fall out of her hands. She had hated doing this, but she knew that she had to. It was a sign of her "royalty", or so she had been told.

She gave a frustrated sigh when the binding came undone and her hair fell free. Before she could get to it again, a small, delicate hand that wasn't her own took hold of it instead. She looked up and saw the face of her maid, Impa, smiling down at her.

"Shall I help you, then?" Impa asked in a smug, but kind, tone.

Zelda watched as her maid did her hair. Both binds were quickly in place, and she had once again looked like the princess she was supposed to be.

"You're too impatient," commented Impa as she admired her work. "If you would just relax and take your time, you wouldn't have as much trouble doing this as you do now."

Zelda stared at herself in the mirror and stroked the binding. "Impa… Do you really think I should go through with this?"

Impa frowned. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"Every passing second."

"I believe it would be for the best. The people have a right to know what almost happened to Hyrule. And think! If you didn't appear now, people would think that you were hiding something, or that you really werecrazy."

Zelda frowned. "Do you believe I am?"

"Of course not. It's your eyes."

"My eyes?"

"Your eyes are honest. Whenever you speak about the Twili or this Midna that you seem so fond of, I can tell that you're speaking the truth. You're not insane, dear."

Zelda took in another deep breath. "Well." She stood up. "I suppose it's time." She tossed her hair back and felt the binds smack her shoulders recklessly. The curtain that separated the bedroom from the balcony over the filled courtyard seemed to beckon her.

Her hands darted forward and pulled the curtain aside, and the princess quickly walked out onto the balcony. A giant roar came forth from the crowd before her, and for the first time in her life, Zelda felt afraid to speak in front of her own subjects.

She held out her hand and the crowd immediately quieted down. The people all looked up at her, willing to listen to anything that she had to say.

"My dear subjects," she said in a loud, yet smooth voice. "Several months ago I appeared before you and told you about something that had just happened to Hyrule. Through this I declared that a specific race, called the Twili, did indeed exist."

Another roar came up from the crowd. Zelda could now see that the audience contained people that were no longer on her side, as they looked up at her with large scowls, and they did not cheer.

Zelda held up her hand once again. "It was then that many of you seemed to have had trouble believing what I said to be true. I can see now that many of you find me to be insane, and that I am no longer fit to rule. I believe it is appropriate for me to now say that even I can become ignorant, but at this point in time, the ignorant ones are those that think I should be replaced."

A small murmur broke out this time. Zelda could see that the scowls of those specific people were now replaced by faces of shock.

"Many of you believe that the Twili do exist, and I thank you. However, there has also been a rumor that the Twili plan to go to war with us, and that we should prepare ourselves for battle against this other race. The fact that the Twili are evil creatures is not so. The only evil one was Zant, who had made himself an usurper king through the dark lord Ganondorf and tried to take over Hyrule. Zant is no more, and the throne of the Twili now rests in the hands of its rightful owner. Her name is Midna, and she was a very close friend of mine."

Zelda winced at her poor choice of words. The moment she had said "was" caused the people to stir into an uproar.

"Let me explain! Midna was overthrown from her position by Zant, as I have already said. She was cursed, and being so, was forced to take on the form of an imp. With the help of a young man from the Ordona Province, she had managed to prevent Hyrule from becoming part of the Twilight Realm, which is the dimension that the Twili reside in and the place that Zant had desperately wanted to expand. She ultimately destroyed him, and as soon as Ganondorf, his source of power, was no more, she was able to break free of her curse, resume her true form, and take back the throne. My friends, she does not mean to harm us anymore than the other leaders of the races in our fair land."

The crowd began to murmur once again. Zelda turned around and gave a glance at Impa, who nodded approvingly. She had made a nice recovery.

"Even still," she continued, "we do not need to fear the possibility of any form of evil coming from a place such as the Twilight Realm. Should any kind of uprising occur that would be beyond Midna's control, the take over would only happen there, and would not be able to expand into Hyrule. This is because the only link between the land of Hyrule and the Twilight Realm has been destroyed." She paused. "I am sure many of you are familiar with the Mirror that rests in Arbiter's Grounds."

The crowd lost all control now. Several people shrieked, as they were very familiar with the object the princess was talking about. Others were confused and didn't know if they should shriek as well or simply wait for the princess to continue. Had it not been for the many soldiers that were standing guard, the frenzy would have probably turned into a full-scale riot.

"Enough!" The people settled down once again and stared up at Zelda's face, and looking back at them, she could see that a certain amount of fear had appeared on their faces. Terror had taken over. "I did not mean to startle you. Even still, there is nothing to be afraid of. As I have said, the Mirror has been destroyed. Many of you are well aware of the fact that for centuries, the Arbiter's Grounds had held some of Hyrule's most horrible and evil people that could be incarcerated. Many of you also know that those criminals who were so evil were never sentenced to death, but sentenced to an alternate dimension accessible through a mystical mirror. This alternate dimension is the Twilight Realm."

Zelda has expected another uproar to follow, but this time, the audience was quiet. She had won their full attention. "After his captivity, Ganondorf, the man that had tried to take over the land so many times, was sentenced to execution. Those in charge of executing him quickly impaled him with a sword. However, Ganondorf lived, for inside of his right hand dwelled the Triforce of Power, which is, indeed, a piece of the Triforce that the three goddesses created. He struck back, killing one of the executioners, and prepared to kill the rest as well. However, several of them thought quickly and opened the portal to the Twilight Realm that the Mirror creates. Ganondorf was then pulled into that realm and sealed, and at last, we had thought that he would be gone forever.

"However, we were beyond mistaken. Ganondorf had used his power to take on the form of a god and appear to Zant, who, at the time, had been a subject of Midna's. Zant was a being that desired to take over the land of Hyrule to bring more power to the Twili, and Ganondorf recognized this. He made a promise to him. If he were to allow Ganondorf to dwell on his body for strength, he would give Zant the power to overthrow Midna, and together, the two of them would be able to plunge Hyrule into darkness. In the end, after Midna and the Ordonian had managed to defeat the two, Midna shattered the Mirror beyond repair. We no longer have the ability to send people to the Twilight Realm, and we no longer have to face the fear of another insurrection."

Zelda looked down at the people and studied their faces. All of them were in awe, and she could tell that those who had criticized her were now on her side. Impa had always said she had a way with words, and now she could see that.

"There is nothing to be afraid of. Go back to your homes. Live your life as if nothing had ever happened. The kingdom of the Twili still lives on, but it does not live on in Hyrule."

She turned around and went back into her bedroom. She could clearly hear that the people were talking amongst themselves as they left. Impa was in front of her, her arms crossed and a smile on her face. "You did the right thing, princess. Do not worry about how they might react. Some people just have trouble believing the truth."

Zelda threw her hair back. "There was still more I could have told them. So much more I could have explained. Although, I'm sure that if I spoke of the origin of the Twili, any hope of getting them to believe that they were peaceful would have failed."

Impa frowned and nodded. "That was probably a wise decision. Besides, it does not matter how they originated, just as long as they exist. Let them make up more of their own theories."

Zelda fingered her hair, which slowly caused the binds to come undone. Impa had a point. If she had succeeded in convincing the people the Twili were good, and she was sure that she was, they would make up a theory about their origin that wouldn't make them appear violent, or cruel, or anything bad. However, that wouldn't keep the truth from staying there. The truth always stays where it is, no matter what kind of blasphemy comes forth.

"I wonder how Midna is fairing now."

"But Princess Midna… the people want to see you once again, just to make sure that you really have returned to them. Why do you continue to conceal yourself?"

A gray-skinned woman with sharp eyes sat on a throne before a kneeling Twili. "What, do I need to repeat myself?" Midna rolled her eyes and smiled. "Just tell the people that I do not wish to make an appearance. Not yet. Not now."

The Twili stood up and saluted. He walked away, leaving the Princess of the Twili to sit proudly.

Ever since Midna's return the Twilight Realm had been in a state of frenzy. People heard that Zant had been overthrown and Midna replaced, and as soon as that news broke through the celebrations started. All of those holidays that were to be celebrated at different times of the year were celebrated early. The longest-celebrated holiday was a lengthened version of Rakashan, the day that the citizens of the Twilight Realm celebrated the dawning of the age of a new ruler.

As she sat in her reclaimed Palace of Twilight, she couldn't help but smile. The threat of that idiot Zant was no more, and now that she had destroyed the Mirror of Twilight, nothing like what had just come to pass could ever happen again. Sure, she knew that she would no longer be able to see that humble princess and that sweet Ordonian boy that she had grown to love as a friend… but that seemed like a small price to pay. In all actuality, she was doing them a favor.

Although she was beyond happy to be back on the throne, she couldn't help but remember that small boy that had served her for years at a time, only to overthrow her. That wretch, Zant… the one that she had eventually grown to trust. After all, he got the job done; whenever she had ordered him to do anything, he would do it, and quickly. In fact, he was the best subject that she had, until that day…

The feelings of pain and hatred began to well up inside of her. She had known very well that he disagreed with her lax policies. Many times he had approached her on the subject of taking over Hyrule, despite the fact that he knew very well that she would dismiss him. Still, she never expected him to become so corrupt… So evil…

It was then that she found herself revisiting those old memories.