Authors Note: This is the first chapter of my very first Zelda story!!!!!!! ^^ I hope that you all enjoy this. To everyone that's reading this, please check out my other stories and let me know if you like them. Well now, this story is rated M due to swearing, drug use, and sexual content. Before you start scrolling down to look for the LEMON, there isn't one up here. I can't remember if we're allowed to post them up here, so I'm being cautious. I'll be posting the full, uncut version of this story on another site though, one that'll allow LEMONS, and I'll post the name of that site when I get it up there.

Special thanks: SONAMY sonic and amy. Thank you for beta reading this. I know that reading the first version of this must have felt like a kick in the teeth. So I'd like to say thank you for sticking with me and beating the crap outta my first draft. I owe you big time for this.

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. If I did, I would be out gloating, not up here writing about what's already mine.

"X" denotes spoken words

'X' denotes thoughts

Broken Glass Syndrome: What stares back from a shattered mirror.

Twilight, viewed by many to be the most breathtaking time of day; the light melding together with the darkness to form an almost all encompassing shadow. The hero of both the land of light and the realm of dusk was among those who viewed this time as thus. He let out a breath and held the reigns of his horse tightly.

"Come on Epona," he said when he felt the familiar call of recollection pull on him, trying to make him relive the last moments he had shared with the woman he had grown to care for. Though she had not died, so to speak, she was never coming back. That thought alone was enough for Link to try and not reminisce.

Unbeknownst to him, a figure swathed in shadows watched him vigilantly. The dark figure moved slightly and on deft feet, followed him. A slight breeze caused the cloak around the figure to stir and in that brief moment, unseen by any but the creatures of the night, rich green skin came into view. The face, that was distinctly female, was enveloped in a lighter green than her body, while her eyes were a fiery orange and lined heavily with black. Her hair matched the tone of her eyes and swayed in the wind.

The woman carried a regal air about her, but was obviously still very much a child at heart, this showing in the way she tiptoed behind the swordsman. Trying her best to tail him and remain undetected, the stranger stuck to the shadows whenever he looked back over his shoulder.

'I've got to be quieter,' she thought with amusement. 'It'll ruin the surprise if he sees me now,' she thought with a mental titter.

She must have laughed aloud as well, for the horseman had stopped and drew his sword. He jumped off his horse and ran into the surrounding trees leaving the woman alone on the path.

'Where did he go,' she thought, slightly annoyed. Her annoyance was short lived though when she felt the tip of a blade against her back. She stiffened and froze when he pressed the sword even harder against her.

"Who are you and why are you following me," asked Link in a voice that made ice seem like fire by comparison. He felt like he was being followed and it appeared that his instincts were once again right. Those months of traveling and fighting had helped him hone his skills and he would be hard pressed to find someone that could actually sneak up on him. Although, retaining some of his wolfish nature helped somewhat. He brought the blade up the person's throat and placed it against their skin when he heard tinkling laughter.

"I didn't really want you to find me like this," said the woman in a strange language that Link somehow recognized. Her voice was filled with mirth. 'I'd hoped to find you in your room,' she thought making herself blush.

'I know that voice. It…it can't be,' he thought not believing where his thoughts had led him. "Midna…is that you," he asked, silently praying to the goddesses he wasn't going crazy.

She silently debated if she should answer his question. "What would happen if I was this Midna," she asked, opting to play a game with him.

Taking the bait like a starving man takes any kind of food, Link played along. "Well I would have to do this," he said, finishing his statement by dropping his sword and taking the woman

in his arms before planting a kiss on her neck.

He turned her around to face him and pulled her hood down, revealing her face to him. To Link, it seemed that her beauty had not faded in the least, though it had been five years since he last saw her. He tenderly caressed her cheek and ran his other hand through the silken fire that was her hair. Slowly, tentatively, he pulled her face closer to his and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

She wasted no time in responding, opening her mouth to let their tongues battle for dominance. The queen and the knight continued their languid, heartfelt kiss as Link ran his hand down to her waist and pulled her closer to him.

She smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. 'My, my, my. He's grown bold hasn't he,' she thought amused. She remembered how he had once only stared at her beauty, desire clouding over that kind twinkle in his eye. This stroll down memory lane caused her smile to grow and her cheeks to heat up.

She broke the kiss and gazed into his cerulean eyes. Midna brought her hand up to his face and brushed away a lock of golden hair, smiling at him. "I take it that you missed me," she murmured before giggling.

"More than you'll ever know," he replied. 'How did she get here,' he wondered as he held her close to him, afraid that if he let go, she would fade into nothingness. He placed a kiss upon her brow and let out a content sigh. "Stay with me," he implored. His only response was a nod.

He released his hold on her petit waist and grasped her hand, guiding her over to Epona. The blond haired man mounted his stallion and helped pull her into a sitting position behind him. They rode in silence, not daring to break the mood that had fallen over the both of them.

Once they neared Link's home, Midna gave an involuntary shudder, anticipating what was about to happen. Though she had had other lovers before, none had been able to excite as the simple rancher had. His kind and gentle nature touched her to her very soul and it warmed her heart to see that he hadn't changed. His being exceptionally handsome helped somewhat as well.

Each and every time he looked at her with those damnable piercing blue eyes she had to fight with every ounce of her self-control to not jump on him and claim him as hers. She nearly failed when her true appearance came back and she stood before him, enshrouded in all of her glory and beauty. The look in his eye was that of a wolf, planning on how to capture its prey.

Lost in the giddiness of her old memories, she did not notice that Link had stopped Epona at the foot of his home. Since the children of the village had grown older, and he had grown to big for his ladder, Link built a small staircase that led to his front door. Seeing how his companion was preoccupied, he simply scooped her up into his arms, cradling her with the utmost of care.

He walked up the steps to his door and kicked it open. "It's not much, but it's home," said Link, looking down at Midna. She nuzzled closer to his chest and let out a relaxed sigh.

"I think it's lovely," she said, looking at her surroundings. The room had modest furnishings. One bed in the far corner, a hearth at the wall, cooking supplies scattered about it, and a couple chests, tables, and chairs here and there. She looked at the mantle and saw a shield and sword hung above it. The light from the fireplace cast flickering shadows on them.

'Why are they hanging there and not at his side,' she thought, noting that the sheath was the one for the Master Sword and a quick look at his side told her he had the wooden Ordon sword. 'It's not really important I guess,' she mused as she snuggled closer to his chest.

He blushed slightly at the feeling. The blonde man bent over and kissed the top of her hair and let out a breath. "Midna…I've got something I want to say," the hero said to the woman nestled in his arms.

She gave him a quizzical look but nodded. "What is it," she asked after he set her down so that he could look her in the eyes.

He took a deep, shuddering breath and opened his mouth to speak. "This is something that I didn't get the chance to say before you…went home," he started. His cheeks were beginning to turn a dark shade of crimson and his gaze was downcast. "Midna…I…I love you," he stammered, blushing furiously.

When he looked at her he was more than surprised to see her smirking at him. "You really think you need to tell me," she asked in false incredulity. "C'mere lover boy," she said motioning for him to walk over to her.

When he did, she grabbed him and pulled him to her. "You're words are sweet, but shut up. I like to think actions speak louder than words," she told him, grinning, reaching for his belt buckle.

XXXXXXXX

The sounds of birds chirping in the morning air made their way into the open window of Link's room. He groaned as he felt the tendrils of sleep disengage from him. 'Hmm, this morning feels different for some reason. Wonder why,' he mused.

His ruminations were interrupted when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. It was then that he remembered what happened. His gaze flickered down to Midna's sleeping form and brushed a strand of red hair out of her face. 'She's beautiful normally but when she's asleep, it's...it's just wow," he thought, not being able to come up with any words to describe her beauty.

She stirred in her sleep and slowly lifted the lids of her eyes to find Link smiling at her. 'What's he look so cocky for,' she thought. Mornings were not something she looked forward to. She pulled the covers over her head and mumbled something about not getting up until her fifteenth cup of coffee.

Laughing, Link got up and walked over to the fireplace and put a water filled kettle over the open flame. "Midna…coffee. Come and get it, said Link in an alluring voice, trying to make her get up long enough to drink the steaming brew.

"Don't wanna get up. I'm comfy right here, at least I was until you got up. Get your skinny ass back in bed," she said using the same tone to order him around with she used on their journey. "It's still early we can sleep in sometimes, can't we. I mean you own and work on a ranch; I'm a queen. We're entitled to a little bit of indulgence every now and then," she said with a yawn.

Not wanting to argue with her, Link set the coffee on a nearby table and crawled back under the covers, wrapping his arms around her.

She curled up against him, her back to his chest. The green skinned woman let out a happy sigh when he placed a kiss on the back of her neck and started to play with her hair. 'This has to be heaven,' she thought. If it wasn't, then heaven most feel pretty damn amazing to be better than what she was experiencing right then.

Hours passed and the two still lay in each other's arms, occasionally exchanging a kiss or two. They made love two more times before finally slipping out the bed to gather their clothes. When they were finally dressed, they made their way to the river, hand in hand, to bathe and refresh themselves.

"We're not going to the main river," Link informed her when they were at the waters edge. She gave him an inquiring look before he continued. "There's a natural hot-spring not far from here. It's deeper in the forest," he told her.

A smile split across her face and she started walking faster. "I've always wanted to get in one of those. We don't have any in my world. All we've got is cold lakes," she said with a frown.

The couple made their way to the hot spring, chatting about anything to pass the time but never about how Midna had made it to his world. They knew that the time for joy would come to an abrupt end if they broached that topic. When they saw steam, the queen of darkness let out a cry of delight and ran the rest of the way, Link following closely, laughing loudly.

"You might want to let your body adjust to the water first," he said when he saw her shedding her clothes and stepping over to the water.

Not heeding his words, she jumped right in and let out a cry. "Told you so," the blonde man laughed when he saw her dart out of the pool of sulfuric water. Midna shot him a dark glare and threw a rock at him, which he easily dodged.

"Now, now," he said in a lecturing tone. "Is that anyway for a queen to act," he asked, humor filling his voice. Her frown soon disappeared, and was replaced by a beaming smile. 'What's that smile for,' Link thought.

His question was answered when Midna used some of her magic to pick him up and hang him upside down. He let out a surprised yell and started swearing. She laughed loudly and looked up at him.

"Is that anyway for a knight to talk," she asked sweetly before she dropped him into the waters below. His head broke the surface and he gasped for breath, swimming to the bank.

"That…that's not fair," he panted once he got back on the shore, quickly removing his sodden clothes. She ignored him and stepped into the water and waited a moment before settling down, sighing in content.

"Smart choice in coming here," she hummed. "I had no idea that a bath could feel this luxurious," she said; looking over at him, steam obscuring his body somewhat. She sighed when she felt him wade up beside her and circle his arms around her.

He nibbled on her throat and smiled when she moaned. "We need to get clean," he said, releasing her and picking up a rag that floated nearby. Link laughed aloud when she groaned in frustration.

"Why did you do that," she pouted. It wasn't fair to just get her hopes up like that and not do anything more than a simple bite. She stopped all thoughts though when he started scrubbing her back. She was lost in the sensation of his strong, calloused hands moving the rag up and down her soft skin.

For one so strong, it was strange seeing him be so gentle. Once he was done with her back, he started washing her hair, running his long fingers through her mane of blazing tresses. She let out a sigh of pleasure and relaxed against his chest. "Link, I love you," she murmured.

He moved his hands away from her hair and pulled her closer to him and closed his eyes, letting the two of them drift in the docile currents of the hot-spring. He got lost in the feeling of her pressed up against him and sighed in content. 'I wonder what we'll do today,' he thought.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone gasp at the shore. Link quickly looked up and saw Ilia staring in shock at the sight in front of her. 'What's she doing here,' he groused.

"L-L-Link…what…what is that," she cried, pointing at Midna.

Anger wormed its way through the mans heart. "SHE is my lover. Her name's Midna and she is not a 'that'" he said angrily.

"But…but she's got green skin. She can't be human! She's a monster," Ilia shrieked. All that time spent in Kakario village had scarred her in more ways than one. Anything that didn't look human was a monster in her eyes. To her, it looked like Link was in a pool of water with a demon.

"I love HER, not her COLOR. Her skin doesn't matter," he shouted.

"Yes it does! Humans have skin like this," she screamed, pointing at her face. "Beast's have skin like that!"

A slap rang out in the forest, making the birds in the nearby trees scatter. Midna slowly lowered her hand, glowering at Ilia with hate filled eyes.

"Who gives you the right to decide what's human or not," she asked coldly through clinched teeth.

Ilia could do nothing but stammer and stare. "As I thought. You don't have an answer because there isn't one. Humanity isn't something caused by skin pigmentation. It's made out of what's in here," Midna said, pointing at her heart.

"You're wrong! You can't be human. I won't believe that someone with green skin, red eyes, and red hair can be a person. You're an animal or something," Ilia shouted.

The site of Link arising from the misty waters, his eyes hard and cold, silenced her. "That's enough. Ilia leave us. I value our friendship but I don't want to even look at you right now. Please do as I say and don't make me force you to leave," said an eerily calm Link. His façade only let up once the woman had made her way back to the village, sobbing the entire way. "Why did she have to find out like this?"

"It's only to be expected love," Midna sighed. "People always get caught up in trivial things, such as race," she said in a slightly sad voice. "It's in human nature to not trust what's different. Still, being a human means that you're supposed to have enough intelligence to be able to look past such a superficial difference."

Link sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, wondering what he would say to Ilia when he saw her again. "I know…I know. We need to talk to her again though. It's no secret that she loves me and I'm guessing that seeing us like this…it must seem like…I don't know," he said, stumbling for words. He had wanted to say betrayal, but that didn't seem right. The two were nothing more than close, childhood friends.

"So, when do you think we need to have this talk," he asked, looking at the woman floating beside him.

"Soon. How about after we get something to eat," she asked.

He nodded and went back to his thoughts, letting the gentle currents of the water take him wherever they wanted. He reached and grabbed Midna's hand and smiled at her, earning a smile in return. The two lovers stay like that for a time, just floating in the warm waters, trying not to think about the troubles of the day, each enjoying the company of the other.

Authors Notes: So this is the end of chapter one. I hope that you liked it. When I went through and started rewriting this, I took a slightly different route than what I had first intended. This is still fanfiction, but it's a more personal story than my others. I'm white and my ex isn't. That's not a problem normally, but because I live in the south, most people…didn't take kindly to it. Most of the people I know are racist and for me to go out with a Mexican girl wasn't right in their mind. If you're still reading this, no we didn't break up because of this. Things just didn't work out well between us. Anyway, I digress. This story is going to cover some of the things that we went through when we were together. Hope that you like this story, and I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. I've got a lot of other fics up here that I'm working on as well, so I apologize now if the update isn't as speedy as you'd like.