MIDNA
Two sides of a same coin…
That is how the age-old dichotomy between Light and Darkness has been often defined. They are completely opposite and yet, neither of the two can exist without the other… United yet, separated… Different yet, equal… And evenly matched.
Such was the balance that allowed our world not to be engulfed in Chaos and Destruction… A fragile balance indeed, made possible by this two elements' separated union…
A separation wanted by our Goddesses… And for their sake and our own, these two sides must not merge with each other… No matter what…
No matter the emotions…
No matter our own feelings…
Because that is the tragedy of the two sides… They are close to each other… But they never truly meet.
So close… Yet so distant.
It is indeed true… Our nature is chaotic and we can't help it…
We are destined to suffer.
Signed: Princess Zelda, ruler of Hyrule.
It was a warm afternoon that day, although he could not be sure of it since daylight couldn't possibly penetrate the ominous thickness of that underground labyrinth…
It's been a very busy day for the "Chosen Hero by the Goddesses", as basically everyone he met used to call him, he had to battle giant 3-feet carnivore plants, obnoxious goblin-like creatures, flying beasts and the occasional "favors' hunters" from the nearby village… And that was the easy part, to say the very least.
Right now, he was stuck with his greatest and, if possible, hardest task yet… Trying to reach the blasted, high-placed treasure chest.
He tried everything he could in the desperate attempt to make that chest fall from the column it was placed on:
He shot it with some of his arrows… He tried with one of his bombs… Then with his bombs attached to his arrows…
He used his wind generating boomerang…
His harpoon-like claw…
His… Giant chained ball? How could he even transport so many ridiculously huge items, was something that slipped everyone's mind… Including his.
After so many illogical failures, he found himself to be rather frustrated and, therefore, out of pure blind rage, he did the only thing any masculine male would do in cases like this…
He headbutted the stone pillar… Hardly.
Ironically enough, this simple and insane, brain damaging act managed to obtain the desired effect… The chest finally dropped… Right on his head.
If he was an average man, he would have probably gained a lethal concussion by now… Thanks to the Goddess, he was definitely NOT an average man… And the fact that he's been headbutting things since the beginning of this adventure was a further proof of this theory.
None the less, it still hurt like mutant termites inside an underwear… Which were probably the only things he had never fought against, were they?
Suddenly, a genuine girlish giggle began to fill the room. The thick-skulled hero growled in pain… His current one and his soon to be one, for he knew very well of whom this giggle belonged to.
It spoke in some ancient, fancy language no one could understand… Thankfully, the subtitles were in English.
"Well… I've heard the expression "use your head" but this is ridiculous!" Said voice mocked while a shape started to form right out of… The hero's shadow. "Then again… You won't probably need that empty shell for anything else, right?" She stated in a "what would you do without me" kind of tone… Her interlocutor was utterly irritated, by now.
The shape from which such childish, feminine voice came from was rather unique… She was an imp-like creature about 3 feet tall but since she could fly in midair, she was at the male's height… Her form was not clear, it was shadowy and foggy, impossible to define at the moment except for her borders… And her huge, single, bright yellow-orange eye. She was a creature of the Darkness, indeed.
"Say…" She continued. "… Is that the reason of why you can't speak, uh? Too many fruitless fights against hard stone pillars, iron gates and walls in general?" She smiled an amused smile, showing a single fang out of her mouth.
If he could, he would have certainly answered this provocation with a brilliant joke of his own… Unfortunately, he could not speak… As a matter of fact he couldn't even think about a retorting joke other than "Oh shut up, you mean dwarf"… Which was very pathetic. Instead he decided to adopt the most offended glare he could master, which, in his interlocutor's point of view, seemed more like the face of a spoiled brat on the verge of tears… The crossed arms and legs didn't help his credibility.
She sighed. She's been around him enough time to know when he was actually bothered… And therefore, by a very great effort, she resisted the urge to mock him any further.
"Ok, Link… I'll cut it out. Now why don't you just open the chest that almost caused your cerebral death?" She suggested, adopting a sweeter tone… Although still sarcastic like a primetime comedian.
Link exited his "offended" mode and was now standing tall to his feet. He was a medium-sized, slim, young boy with dirty blond hair, blue eyes and outrageously pointed elf-like ears. He wore a green warrior tunic and a hat of the same color, he had a long sword and a shield placed on his back, ready for a quick extraction in case of necessity. Right now, his juvenile facial features were showing an excessive yet, genuine amount of enthusiasm and determination that really managed to freak out the imp a little… Then she just felt annoyed by this… Then she could not help but smile. He was Link alright.
The Chosen Hero slowly approached the chest, savoring each and everyone of his steps with theatrical emphasis. He then finally opened it and his face was immediately covered by a blinding golden light while an overused theme started to play the Goddesses knew from where. The play reached its peak when Link took the blessed object from the chest and held it between his hands in idolizing admiration, his mouth was agape and his physic was rigid as he took hold of the sacred… No, divine… Godlike item he just found inside the cursed chest. His lifelong quest was finally over now that he had it…
He found…
A COMPASS!!!
The imp smashed her small hand on her forehead, clearly annoyed by her idiotic companion's un-required antics… If he would have found the labyrinth's master key he would have probably exploded into smithereens by the sheer joy.
Why does he have to do that, every time!? She wondered within herself. Then her gaze fell upon Link's enthusiastic one and hers softened a little… She could not be mad at him, he was just being himself and he didn't care about what other people would think of him.
He was still joyously holding the compass in his hands, struggling to obtain her attention like a child would do to his mother… Or the little girl he liked.
Perhaps, just perhaps, this comparison seemed more appropriate in her case. She knew that he would be lost without her guide and help, she also knew that without him she would not be able to save her realm… She needed him just as he needed her… In more than a way, perhaps.
Just perhaps.
She crossed her arms in a "I know something you don't" fashion.
"Yes… Good job. You do have a compass… Now you can easily find all the remaining treasures in this area." She said.
He smiled vigorously.
"If you had a map." She concluded.
He frowned miserably… He was now so pissed-off with himself that he decided to do what any reasonable masculine male would do in this kind of situation… He headbutted another stone pillar… Several times.
She sighed again. She wondered if all the Light-dwellers, as she used to call Link's people, were like him… Thick brains or just plain stupid. Her own people was nothing like that… Suddenly, a venomous discomfort made its way through her mind and soul.
Her people… She missed them. She missed her home.
Filled with sadness, her cocky attitude momentarily fell down, freeing her behavior from such façade for enough time to let Link notice it. He had stopped headbutting the pillar by now. He went closer to her.
Since she was now completely out of Link's shadow, her form was now revealed in all of its uniqueness and fascination.
She was a small, cute looking creature with black-grey skin, a few glowing green symbols printed all over her body. She was obviously female, her curves confirmed that. Her head was the most interesting part… She was wearing a rather large stone-like hat, ancient patterns decorated its surface, making it resemble something Mayan. It had horns at its ends. Orange long hairs went down from this hat, locked in a giant ponytail that almost seemed to have a life of its own.
Her bright reddish eye, the one that was not covered by the huge (and probably heavy) hat, was glowing in an unnatural way… Probably due to the fact that she was actually showing emotions.
Before Link could do or say… Could just do anything, she put one of her small hands on his lips. Her expression was saying "don't you even try it", although her soul was saying otherwise.
His expression showed a genuine amount of concern, the kind of concern that could very well never disappear from a one's face.
"Look, I'm fine. I was just thinking of my home, that's all." She said.
He seemed convinced by that remark and resumed his usual dumb happy face. She rolled her eye.
"Ok, Link… I'll turn you in a wolf, if you insist." She added.
Link seemed a little taken aback by this… Why does everybody he met seem to know everything he would think or want? Right now, he was thinking that he could easily found an exit from this dungeon if he could use his animal instincts.
She took a small piece of dark matter out of nowhere and touched the boy's forehead with it. In just a blink of an eye, he turned into a quadruped wolf, his fur was grey and elegant and his dimension was considerable for a canine. Before he could have the time to actually "enjoy" his metamorphosis… His imp companion relentlessly jumped on his back, pretending to be some kind of a princess riding her favorite horse… Or should I say, slave.
Because that's what he was… Her personal slave-pet. And the creepy thing was that after a while of this forced usurpation… He began to like it. Even though he would always growl at her when she would do such thing to his poor, overridden back, he would enjoy to actually be her honorary servant… Why, you may ask? Maybe he was a sadomasochist… Or maybe, it was something else…
Something deeper…
Something forbidden.
She was smiling and giggling in a juvenile fashion, clearly enjoying the ride as well.
"Giddy-up!" She would usually yell when she wanted him to run faster.
After a while of this yolk, she yawned… She could get tired very easily. Then she just fell asleep on the wolf's furry back.
Lupine Link turned his head to stare at the spectacle. She looked very pretty when asleep, she was holding his body in a tight embrace, a small smile came out of her lips.
If he could, he would have smiled. She meant a lot to him… In a way, she was his dark half. He could not be completed without her. He could not live without her… Literally! She saved his life uncounted times already. And, idealistically speaking, he was her light half, the one that made her laugh and relax… At his own expenses, of course.
They were exact opposite yet, they were so similar… They were two sides of a same coin and just for that… They were going to suffer.
There is no Love without Sorrow, after all.
And soon enough, the imp-like creature known as Midna would exactly find out why.
But right now… She would just rest asleep.
Asleep inside the various, merging colors of the Twilight… The beautiful zone that lies between Light and Darkness.
The End