It had been a long day's travelling for the pair. They had left their camp at the edge of Hyrule Field and made their way through Faron Woods towards the mysterious Temple of Time.
As Link cleared the final jump, his foot slipped, and Midna had to physically yank him forward before he was claimed by the abyss.
"Don't do that! " She shouted at him," I thought you were going to kill yourself!"
Link merely grinned at her and said,"Aw, feeling concerned for me, Midna? I'm touched." She glared at him.
"Yes, I'm concerned, I'm concerned that the so-called 'Hero of Light' has to be pulled from his death by a two-and-a-half foot imp! Be more careful, for the love of Nayru!"
Link smiled and entered the stone passage leading to the Sacred Grove.
By this time, whether it was the density of the canopy above them, or the proximity to the Temple of Time, darkness was falling quicker than either of them had expected.
They stopped in a small clearing to pitch camp; indeed, it was one of the few places in the grove where the sky was visible. There was a small stream burbling over rocks leading to several different pools around them, and a large deku tree in the middle of the clearing.
Link rolled out his sleeping sack by the tree, and glanced skywards. Dusk had fallen, and he could see the first few stars in the sky, testing the waters for their friends, as they did every night. He was about to point this out to Midna, but she had retired to his shadow for the night. He sighed exasperatedly, lay down in his sleeping sack, and drifted off.
"Midna! Midna! Midna, wake up, you've got to see this!"
The Hylian's excited words found her and she grudgingly emerged from his shadow. "What?" She grumbled. Her helm had been taken off before she went to sleep, and her flaming hair hung around her shoulders," What exactly do I have to see?" Link simply pointed upward, still smiling like a lunatic.
Rolling her eyes, she looked to the sky, and gasped.
The sky was alive with lights. Clusters of stars grouped close together, huge coloured clouds of dust, great galaxies with sweeping tails of stars trailing through the inky backdrop of the night. Fairies and fireflies hovered in the clearing, adding yet more beauty to the scene.
She gaped at Link, eyes wide," what-what's wrong with the sky?!" She cried, terrified.
Link frowned, at a loss regarding her reaction, but then it hit him. Midna was from a world of perpetual Twilight. No day, no night. And no night meant no stars.
Midna's never seen stars! Link realised. The thought made him sad. He smiled at her reassuringly and said," Nothing's wrong, Midna, they're only stars."
He could almost see her mind working to find the best way to recover her dignity. "Stars…" She said slowly," Yeah, of course, just stars. I knew that."
He raised an eyebrow and she gave in.
"What are stars?" She asked in a defeated tone. He laughed softly.
"Nobody knows for certain." He admitted. "Some say they're the spirits of those who've left our world; others say that they're sparks of light left by the Goddesses when they returned to the Heavens. And some…" He leaned in at this point, a knowing smirk on his face as he whispered conspiratorially," And some believe they are cracks in the sky, and that one day the sky is going to shatter above our heads and kill us all." Midna giggled at his serious expression. He held her gaze for a few seconds before he burst out laughing.
"That one never gets old," He gasped, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I got a good laugh out of that the first time I heard it as well." Midna laughed as well.
He smiled gently,"And some scholars say that they're huge balls of fire, far bigger than even the whole of Hyrule, but that they're so far away we see them as pin-pricks in the sky.
They sat there in a companionable silence for a few seconds before Midna asked hesitantly," Do they- Do they have names?"
Link considered the question. "Some of them do." He answered. Midna nodded, waiting for him to say something else. When he gave no indication of speaking, she asked again, "Could- Could you tell me?"
He grinned inwardly, and pretended to think about it,"…. No. I don't think so."
"Oh," She said, quietly, trying to hide her disappointment," Ok, I-"
"But I can show you." He interrupted, turning to face her, a small smile spreading across his face.
She breathed out, shaking her head with exasperation.
He sat up, his back against the deku tree," Come over here," He said, motioning at his sleeping sack. Midna raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback.
He blushed slightly, "No, I didn't mean- not like that, I- It's just it's easier when we're looking from the same angle." He finished meekly.
Midna giggled at his discomfort, and hovered over to sit on his outstretched legs.
Link rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself, and began:
"Ok, see those ones there?" He asked, pointing at a cluster of stars," See how they make a shape? That's Darunia, leader of the Gorons. It's said that Darbus, the tribe's current Patriarch, is a direct descendant." Midna nodded, smiling.
"And right there," he started, gesturing at a group of lights close by, "Is He of the Many Faces. Legends say he appears in lands troubled by war and chaos. He is the fire of the sun, and the ice of the coldest winter. He is the rage that burns in the hearts of men, and he has lived since the dawn of Time itself, always running, never looking back. Yet for all this, he is troubled. The loneliest being in creation."
Midna listened intently, gazing at the sky, losing herself in the sheer size of the heavens above her. As she sat there with Link, she realized guiltily that she didn't want their journey to end.
She didn't want to give all of this up. Didn't want to return to the monotony of the Twilight. No day, no night.
Only darkness.
After a while, Link stopped talking and they simply sat there. Admiring the world around them. Unnoticed by either of them, Link's arms had found their way around Midna's waist, and he hugged her closer to his chest.
Midna sighed before saying," It's beautiful."
Link agreed, and without warning, words jumped from his lips without permission," As are you," He murmured.
He felt Midna stiffen against him, and suddenly he felt uncomfortably hot as he realised what he had just said. He felt his ears redden.
Midna squirmed out of his arms and levitated a few feet away, not looking at him.
No, He thought, a sense of dread overwhelming him. I've ruined it, I've ruined everything.
He felt a knot in his stomach as he attempted to explain himself.
"Midna- I'm sorry, I- I wasn't thinking- Please, I-"
"Did you mean it?" The question came quietly, dangerously calm.
Link was confused," I… What?"
She spun around to face him." I said, did you mean what you said just now?"
Link blinked, surprised. He considered the question before answering quietly," I wouldn't take it back."
Midna regarded him for a few moments, her expression unreadable, before a slight smile touched the corners of her mouth. She floated back over to him and returned to her recently vacated spot on his lap.
"Thank you, Link," She said softly, before curling up to sleep.
Link smiled down at her, and hugged her close to him, lying against the tree.
She looks so peaceful when she's asleep, He thought. Zant, the Twilight, the troubles of her own kingdom. All were lifted from her mind as she slept.
Link smiled again and whispered," Goodnight, Midna."
He looked down at her again and the simple truth that he knew he would ever be able to tell her whispered at the corners of his mind.
He sighed and gave a sad smile, thinking to himself, I love you Midna…
The Hylian was fast asleep. Midna looked up at his face and smiled. It had become a hobby of hers, watching him sleep. His face seemed so calm and peaceful. Unburdened by the thoughts of destiny, Gannondorf, Hyrule or Princess Zelda, you would hardly believe he was the same person.
He's not bad-looking, Midna thought. For a Light-Dweller… She snorted quietly, who was she trying to fool? She was in way over her head.
It's not that I don't want to give up this world, She realised, it's that I don't think I could live without him.
She faced an impossible decision; her kingdom? Or her love?
Wait, love? When did love come into this? She wondered. The word felt strange, but it was good. She buried her face in Link's tunic, I love you, Link.