"To behold the wandering moon,

Riding near her highest noon,

Like one that had been led astray

Through the heav'n's wide pathless way;

And oft, as if her head was bowed,

Stooping through a fleecy cloud."

~ John Milton

The princess of the Twili let out a pent up sigh. She absently twirled a flame-hued strand of hair and rested her chin on her hand.

"You seem distraught, m'lady. Something on your mind?"

Midna immediately sat up. She hadn't meant to doze off. She quickly huffed, "No. Nothing like that." The forest was in that dark state after the moon had passed its zenith. Blue light washed through the trees, scribing the ground with patterns that reminisced Midna of her own home. Across from her, Zelda sat with a gentle expression on her face. The princess of light had shed her trappings of state and conjured a small sprite, and the little ball of radiance floated before her, illuminating the scroll that Zelda was trying to read.

The journey to the Mirror of Twilight was proving to be an exceptionally long one. Without portals, the trio of two princesses and temporal hero had to walk. Even with Link on Epona, he never left the two women's sides. Or, at least, Midna's side. For her own record, the Hylian princess was content to wander a short distance away and watch the two grow awkwardly tense near each other.

The Hero of Time himself was in the deep woods as of now. He was out collecting more proper firewood after the last of it had been used. Not everyone could conjure light like Zelda. Naturally, when Link left the camp, Midna left her tent. Because she had heard Link. She wasn't listening or anything. Honest. It's not like she had been watching him from her mat. That would be weird. Completely unfitting of Twili royalty... He shouldn't have been so loud. What with him being silent, and getting up, and walking. It was inconsiderate... Where was he, anyway? What if something was in the forest, or there were still Twilight predators or-

"Midna!" Zelda snapped. The Twili broke her reverie again. Zelda gently chastised, "You drifted off again. Is there anything you want to talk about?" Midna tried to put up a facade of recalcitrance, citing, "No. I was just thinking about home. Zant and Ganon undid much. I'll have to do a lot of work to put everything right again. Nyx and Nut know how long it will take to get things back to normal." Zelda raised an eyebrow, "I can understand that. I suspect my own court will be in chaos in the following months. But you'll pardon me when I say I think you have other things on your mind."

"Of course I do. You're a princess, queen really. (Just admit you keep the 'princess' part to sound cute.) You know I have a lot to deal with."

"Oh, Link! Did you find any firewood?" Midna perked up instantly. Faster than a shooting star, the Twili turned to where Zelda was smiling at behind her.

Of course, nothing stood there, nothing so much as rustled in the woods. Midna turned around scowling to find the Hylian noble with a gentle smirk on her face. The Twili huffed, "That was a childish trick to pull." Zelda only continued to grin as she said, "Children contain boundless wisdom. Even a babe could see how awkward you are around Link."

"I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"Really now? Let's talk about... yesterday, for example. While going over the Gerudo pass, you suddenly said that you're feet were tired and that you wanted to get on Epona. In itself, not unusual, even my feet are sore. Yet, when Link removed himself from his noble steed, you suddenly had the vitality to keep walking."

"So?"

"I'm not outright saying anything. It just seems odd that you need to be riding with Link. That's all."

"I didn't -need- to, it just seemed like it would have been nice. The horse, I mean, not the riding. Well, the riding too, but not with... Why do you care anyway? It's none of your concern."

"Perhaps. But I'm worried for you, Midna. Are you sure you're ready to return home, to the Twilight?"

"Of course I am! My people need their queen now! And I suggest you focus on your own domain, -your majesty-."

"That's not what I mean. You say you're people are stoic, cloistered. They keep their emotions to themselves. But I think your time among us has changed you. You're very... open. Loud, rude, but passionate and zealous as well."

"What do you mean 'rude'?! And 'loud'?! You don't even know-"

"No! No! I'm not saying that's a bad thing! It's great! It's what makes you who you are, what separates you from other Twili, and most Hylians for that matter. What I'm saying is that maybe you should stay here just a little longer and, gain some closure, so to speak."

"I have nothing left unresolved. I have no time to waste just because you decided to play doctor."

Zelda sighed, "I can see there's no point in trying to dance around it any longer... Midna, how do you feel about leaving Link behind?"

Midna seemed to startle at Link's name. Her pointed ears perked up and her ears widened, as if she expected her presence. In a flash, the Twili recovered her composure and haughtily said, "I don't feel one way or another. He was... very pleasant to me while I was here. But now it's time to go home." Zelda still carried an inquisitorial look of concern as she confessed, "It's just that you seem very attached to him. You talk to him very easily, and you do seem calmer in his presence."

"I trust him. That's all."

"You're also very protective. Whenever it's his turn to sleep, you always volunteer to guard the camp. In front of his tent. Staring intensely at the entrance."

"I'm not 'staring intensely'. I'm focusing. He protected me, so now I will protect him as best I can. It's a Twili thing, you Hylians wouldn't understand."

"I see. Now, why do you trust Link so much? Why him?" Midna almost seemed indignant (almost) as she spat out, "Because we've been through so much! He was an excellent bodyguard, tracker, and guide. He kept me safe. That's all."

"Hrm... Very well. Let's say, strictly in the realm of fancy, that absolutely nothing you said here would ever have any repercussions. That nobody, no one, nothing is here. It's just you, it's just the voice in your head. Now look at yourself. And look at Link. Look at everything you've been through together, and thoroughly examine how you feel whenever you are in his presence. Now, truthfully, what do you feel?"

"... Gratitude. A slight relief." Zelda let out a sigh tinted with frustration. She contemplated why she had even bothered to take the subtle route. She kept forgetting that Midna was stubborn even by Twili standards, especially to herself. Zelda tried to reason, "Midna, you're not in the Twilight right now. No one's going to judge you. It's okay to admit that you have feelings for Link. It's obvious to anyone with eyes. There's no shame in saying you love him, no matter how little or what way."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Like I said, he was a great warrior and friend. Nothing more."

"Nothing more, you say?"

"Yes."

"And you have never even considered him as something more?"

"And when would I do that? When I was a mewling imp or he was a howling wolf?"

"Both. Poets go on and on about how love conquers all, and I imagine you grew very intimate- Never mind. It's a vulgar thought."

"What?"

"It's nothing."

"Oh no. You don't get to prod me about phantom feelings and then walk so easily."

"It's not anything, truly. Just some obscene fable that an asylum doctor concocted."

"What? Spit it out! I'm not some virgin-eared courtier afraid to tease! Tell me!"

"Well, alright. But this is just talk, mind you. Cooked up by some scholar, Duerf I think his name was."

"Yes. And?"

"Well, he believes that a mount and its rider have a certain connection. A very intimate one, if you understand me."

"Of course they're 'intimate'! Don't you Hylians know how riding works? A mount and its master have to be bonded-"

"Yes, I understand. But when I say intimate, I mean intimate, like a lover."

"And how does that-" The realization hit Midna like a bag of bricks. A slight primrose tinge crawled into her cheeks as she blurted out, "Oh, you have a filthy mind! It was never like that, it wasn't even close!"

"I'm not saying that you and Link were like that, but I can kind of see it."

"You're delusional."

"Just think about it. There you are, tender but dominating, submissive yet proud. Sharing in one another's presence, opening a rare spot of communion."

"I am not 'tender' or 'submissive' anything, and I never will be."

"Gently, you swing your hips over him, straddling his body, lacing your fingers through his hair. You adjust yourselves for a moment, then, with the slightest of tugs, you're off."

"I won't listen to this. I'll go back to bed right now." Midna threatened as her face kept growing flush.

"You start out slowly, gently, exploring the dark and hidden places. Your hand reaches out, steadying itself, until it has a firm grasp on where it is."

"How do you know about this again?" Midna's face was now positively pink; it was rather strange on a Twili. Stranger still was how calm Zelda was saying all this, like she didn't even care what she was thinking about, like it didn't even matter how much it made Midna squirm.

"His body moves beneath your thighs, warm and rhythmic, comforting and powerful. I imagine by now your legs are sweaty and trembling. But it's fragile, oh so fragile. A noise, a sudden interruption, even a wrong movement of either of your parts could upset the cohabitation."

"This isn't funny, you know that? I don't know who you think you're fooling, but no one's laughing." (Midna was starting to veer towards red at this point.)

"But maybe it doesn't? What if the disturbance only makes you go faster. What if the fear and the energy push you forward, escalate the experience? Ah, of course. You almost rip his hair out, and he increases his efforts tenfold. You let out the most gentle of yells but submit in an instant, too caught up in the moment yourself. Faster and faster you go, determined, almost afraid to make the experience end. Then, at last, you both let out a shutter. Dismounting, you ease off of him and collapse into his shadow, nestled gently in his presence."

Midna had her mouth slightly agape at that moment. Her eyes had a slight glaze to them and her cheeks were a healthy shade of red. Zelda, by contrast, looked like she was just thinking about what she wanted for breakfast, her composure unfazed and not so much as a drop of sweat on her brow. Midna glared as she panted, "And how do you know about this, again?" Zelda seemed to come out of her reverie long enough to explain, "Oh, just something I heard. You know how it goes. I was always curious why my father absolutely refused to let me ride horse bare-back once I turned thirteen. It all seems obvious now."

The Twili was fuming now as she scathed, "Well it doesn't matter anyway. That never happened. I'm disgusted you even thought about something like that. That's the kind of pathetic fantasy for lonely old noblewomen and grubby sages who never come out of their towers. And to say that I would think of anyone, especially Link that way is just insulting."

"Think about me what now?" Link stepped out of the woods with a bundle of kindling over his back, looking tired and worn. Midna let out a yelp, and the two Hylians stared at her for a moment. Midna seemed to only notice Link as she chastised, "D-don't sneak up on us like that! I have all my powers back, you know! I could have turned you into a sprite or a shadow or something worse!" Link smiled, "Sorry." Midna felt herself flush again as Link set down the firewood. The Hylian let out a yawn and a stretch, groaning, "Well... if you two ladies don't mind, I'm heading back to bed. We have a long way to go tomorrow morning." Wearily, Link went back to his pallet, and the two girls heard him shuffling around before drifting off to sleep. Zelda let out a mild yawn herself as she dismissed the light spirit, asking, "He's right. The Mirror is many miles away, and we'll have to find an alternate route over the Gerudo mountains. Can you watch the fire for a few hours?"

Midna was still slightly put off by the fact that Zelda seemed to have completely forgotten their earlier tète-à-tète. The Twili gave a blank, "Sure." as she tossed a few bits of kindling into the fire. Zelda crawled into her own tent, and it wasn't long before Midna heard her breathing slow. The Twili stared for a long time at the fire. She some more kindling on to the pyre, and made a show (to no one in particular) of warding the campsite.

Then, like a thief in the night, she slipped next to Link's tent. At first, she was content to be near the entrance, but the shifted rapidly. The Twili, quietly as possible, snuck into the hero's rest. Midna knelt beside Link, watching his chest rise and fall as he slept. She gently touched his arm, stroking it with one of her nails. And then he was on her.

Faster than she thought was possible for someone fresh out of sleep, he grabbed her hands and pinned her beneath him. It was powerful but tender, feeling proud but submissive. there was a moment where they shared in each other's presence, opening up that rare spot of communion. He gently swung his hips over hers, straddling her body. Smoothly, he laced his hand into her hair as he touched his face to hers and and whispered through a wolfish grin, "My turn." And Midna only felt a momentary pang of regret for smiling like mad herself. Then, with the slightest of tugs, they were off.

Zelda had snuck out of her tent long before Midna had skulked off to be with Link. The little light spirit she had conjured earlier was following her. As the two walked through the forest, Zelda couldn't help but complain, "I still can't believe I managed to say all those filthy things. And with a straight face no less." The spirit tinkled, "You were great. You stuck to the script I gave you and now everything's falling to place."

"And what exactly is the overreaching goal here?"

"Nothing much. A little thing called love, if we did our jobs right. Like you said, anyone with eyes could see she was crazy for him."

"I'm not so sure. Maybe we were only getting lost in our translation, so to speak. Maybe they were only friends."

"Could be. But what happened just happened. Make of that what you will."

"True. What was your name again?"

"Tatl. Thanks for remembering."

"And you say you have a brother in the Twilight? I didn't even know the Twilight had fairies."

"It's not common. But Tael will keep an eye on her majesty when she gets home."

"Good. I'm not so convinced that the universe is as absolute as Midna says it is. I think there's room for Twili and Hylian to coexist."

"The centuries of bitterness and bloodshed aren't putting up any big red flags, I take it?"

"I'm cautious, but I believe this can be handled with a gentle touch."

"What makes you say that?'

"Call it a matter of intuition."

Back in their tent, Link and Midna had collapsed into each other's shadows, nestled into the other's presence, both sharing a final impish grin for the evening.

So, yeah. Here's some unabashed Link/Midna fluff. This started out as an idea I had one day, and you know how it is with ideas. You've got to get them out one way or another, 'else they just fester and grow bigger. Now some of you might be thinking, "Wow, this was crap!" Not to sound threatening, but I have one gentle response;

The Zelda CD-I games happened. You can't deny it forever. They happened.

To everyone else, hope you liked this story! And remember: Gorgo, Mormo, and the Thousand Faced Moon!