A vast majority of the time-of the shortening daylight hours and frigid nights- Midna would remember how much she fear she felt, how far her stomach would drop and her eyes would widen, whenever Link would engage in combat, even if it was with merely a Bokoblin. She would shut her yellow and red eyes and bite her lip with enough harshness to draw blood, although she tried to refrain from that action.
Link always succeeded in his battles, so her fear, in a sense, seemed irrational. Common it was, though, that an opposing blade would cut him, or the bite of a beast would seize his limbs. These moments, the exact second in which it occurred, would induce a grunt, cry, or in severe cases, a scream depending on the magnitude of the injury. Midna despised these happenings, for she had to witness his weakness and blood-his pain- at the expense of saving Hyrule.
Saving Hyrule was their goal, a goal that must be achieved at all costs. A goal that Midna pushed him to accomplish from the very start for her own selfish benefit.
It turned out to be so much more than a fight for the Twilight Realm, she realized after witnessing the valiance, sacrifice, and self-discipline Link exhibited; It was a struggle for the World, Light and Dark alike.
She truly couldn't bear it when Link suffered, couldn't bring herself to watch him wince and fight back tears at a vicious conflict. He was her hero. Yes, her hero was meant to be shared with the world, for that was whom he was fighting for. Guiltily, though, she wished that his motive for fighting was her, and her only. She knew that wasn't the case.
Link had the gorgeous Zelda awaiting his gallant arrival at Hyrule Castle, and a sweet, homely childhood friend to return to. In addition, the entire land of Hyrule anxiously anticipating the return to their simplistic lives after the demise of Ganondorf.
Even if she wasn't his direct motive, the way he looked at her made her think she was. His innocent, omniscient blue eyes bore into her whenever they spoke was like she was the earth, and he, the hooves of horses that rip the roots of the grass out of the soil. He really did tear her apart.
What broke her the most was the inevitable fact that she would eventually have to leave and he could not accompany her. These moments they had together were the only ones they would ever spend. Affection was not an emotion she could easily relay; it came out in awkward insults that were meant to be endearing in a way. She could never truly show him how she felt- how much he really meant to her- in the ways normal people could. Instead, it was the little things: she called him by his name, Link, whenever they spoke, as opposed to the brash, "What do you want?" that usually reiterated like a broken record at times that he would ask to warp. He appreciated it, too, and she could tell. His smile would break through his unnerving grimace, and oh, how she adored his smile. The way his cheeks would turn into crescents, and his eyes would glisten like calm water in the sunlight. He appreciated her, and she appreciated him.
The two shared a bond that would be indecipherable by anyone else, should anyone else actually see her when Link was as his human self. They could read each others' thoughts almost literally, and had an exact same sort of opinion of people, areas, and predicaments they came across in their journey.
Although Link would never be able to understand her emotions and loyalty towards the Twilight Realm and the absolute abhorrence she held for the despotic Zant, she knew he empathized, for he was fighting for his own world, his own friends and quaint village of Ordan. Despite Midna's reluctance to even consider his small life of luxury as something akin to her own way of living, she found it endearing as time passed, and when Link would occasionally make stops at his hometown, she learned of their daily ordeals. These people worked hard. Be it farming, herding, or caring for their families, there was an aura of these people that Midna admired. Her previous idea of the typical Hylian was abolished.
In the quiet times that she and the Hero shared, she would find herself not listening to what he said, but reminiscing over the contents of their journey. Despite the danger, troubles, and hardships they must endure, Midna found herself enjoying the exhilaration at times; the night breeze that would soothe her face as Link bounded across the fields as a wolf, or the moments when they would return a province to its former glory, despite her bias towards the Twilight Realm.
The endearment, delight, and glory of their adventures, she supposed, would always and forever surpass that initial fear for Link's life. Midna's memories would be forever plagued of these legendary times, though she would try to forget for her own sanity and comfort.
Midna, however, didn't want to ever forget.