"I thought you had died."
The sound of that voice brought him back centuries.
He turned around. Midna stood in the entrance to his tent.
It was an even darker time for him, back then.
He cocked his head.
"I could say the same for you," he replied calmly. He didn't question how she had snuck past the heavy security, but was instead rather surprised by the lack of hatred in her gaze.
She shrugged in reply. "Being the queen slows down the aging process, I guess."
"Well, you haven't aged a day."
"Was that a compliment?"
He smiled, but it probably came out more like a grimace. "Well."
"I agree with you. I haven't aged a day. You, on the other hand, look even worse than before." She grinned cockily, probably hoping he'd rise to the bait and flip out. Well, she was to be disappointed. It would take a lot more than that to send him over the edge.
"I died. That might be why. Anyway, kindly state your business. What does the great Queen Midna want with the traitor Zant?"
"What was it like?" she asked boldly, completely ignoring his question. He expected that. It fit in with her personality. Not caring about what anyone had to say, brashly talking over people; she was quite rude, really.
"What was what like?" he asked, not breaking his childlike stare.
"Death."
He scooted the rest of his body around to face her and crossed his legs. He swayed his head from side to side, contemplating the question.
"It was cold, and dark. A bit like nothing."
"Hmm." She nodded at that answer, seeming satisfied. "Were you scared?"
"I was dead."
She smiled again. "I suppose so."
He decided to ask the question that had sprung into his mind the moment he had heard her enter his tent. Though he felt he already knew the answer.
"Are you here to kill me again?" he asked innocently.
"No."
"Because if you are, I'm afraid I have no intention of letting you. I still have to assist my Master."
"Goddesses. Again with the 'master' thing. Seriously, that's always creeped me out." She regarded him with mild distaste, but still none of the familiar raw hatred that he remembered.
"Then what do you want? Are you trying to learn my tactics? Do you want me to run away and hide? Neither of those things are going to happen, you know."
"You can come back with me."
That was completely outside of the realm of Zant's expectations. So much so, in fact, that at first he didn't register the question. He sat with his legs crossed on the floor in the middle of his tent and stared at her. Then, he realized what she was asking.
"No," he replied blankly.
"You could help us, Zant."
"No!" he shrilled, drawing his knees up under his chin.
"I'm willing to forget your past crimes here! You can start over. After the war, I can welcome you back into the kingdom. It'll be just like nothing ever happened." She widened her eyes pleadingly.
"No no no no no no no no no no no no," Zant muttered to himself. He could feel himself beginning to lose control. He didn't want to. He couldn't. Master needed him. He needed Master. He couldn't bear to go back to that old life.
"Zant, please. You're being ridiculous. What do you think Ganondorf's going to do with you once he's done with you?"
She insulted Master.
"What would he do with me?! What would I do with you! I won't go back to that life! I won't be run into the ground!" he shrieked. It was probably the last intelligible sentence he could form before falling into incoherent babbling.
"He'll dispose of you, Zant! Toss you aside! Kill you!" she shouted.
It would still be better than having you as a queen.
The voices in his head began to talk, and soon drowned out Midna's words. He could make out her mouth moving. He wanted her to stop.
I won't be run into the ground.
A familiar haze of red descended over his sight, and the next thing he knew he was screaming.
You could help us, Zant.
You can come with me.
Toss you aside! Kill you!
nothing but an usurper worthless cease your incoherent babbling toss you aside kill you banished from this kingdom lend me your power what was it like again with the MASTER thing lendmeyourpowertossyouasidekillyouintothegroundneversubmittoyouWHAtwasiTLIkeinTotHEGRouNDyoUrEbEiNgridiCuloUSiwOnTgobaCKbeTTeRthaNYOuaSquEEnnononononononononononoononononononononono
It was cold, and dark. A bit like nothing.
When Zant came to his senses, his tent was in tatters. Many of the soldiers had gathered a safe distance around him, and banded together, watching him carefully. A faint thought at the back of his mind told him that this was a little ironic. It was just like the day he was banished. Only this was where he was banished to.
Master stood before him. Zant's lips parted in joy at seeing his master, but he was met with his palm in the side of his face. Black blood spurted from his mouth, and his cheekbone had all but caved in from the sheer force of the slap. Zant stared, stunned, into space, as Ganondorf turned and walked away without a word. The soldiers hastily parted to allow him through and saluted as he passed. They eventually grew bored with watching Zant stare vacantly at nothing and dispersed, leaving him alone in the dark.
Midna had disappeared into thin air.
A/N: So, I suppose this is a bit of an AU where, instead of simply being summoned from their respective time periods, Zant was brought back from the dead and Midna was summoned from the Twilight Realm~! I like to think that Twili age differently to Hylians, as well as time moving much differently in the Twilight Realm.
Thank you for reading!