Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. If I did... xD

Defining the Indefinable

A Legend of Zelda fanfiction

How would one define the Hero of Twilight?

It was a question that had plagued her from some time. He seemed to disregard most Light dweller stereotypes. He was certainly not Hylian, despite the fact he was physically Hylian. He defied all basic Hylian culture and mannerisms. From the moment she met him, Midna spent most of her time watching the Hero of Twilight. She wasn't attracted to him whatsoever, no, that wasn't it at all, but she needed him in order to complete her mission. She kept a close eye—albeit begrudgingly—on practically everything he did. Midna knew everything from who he usually interacted with, what his favorite foods were, when he ate, and how many hours of sleep he received on a normal basis. She definitely didn't enjoy the job, but she needed the dumb wolf alive. After all, she couldn't have him dying on her. Whose idea was it to have a chosen hero anyways? Oh, that's right. If she ever met those damn Goddesses, she'd have a few choice words for them on several matters. Midna grimaced. She hated relying on others. It was the most incompetent feeling ever.

So, in order to keep her temper in check and prevent her from strangling the green-clad hero, Midna decided to research basic light beings. She didn't go into a library and read—that would take far too much effort—but she did make a point to examine all types of Hylian behavior so she could make sure Link was actually functioning properly.

Now she knew more about Hylians than she ever cared to. From listening to the air-brained teenagers in Castle Town, she learned which fashions were in "style" and who the biggest heartthrobs were. For some reason the pompous maniac who ran the Star Game was attractive. Yep, Midna didn't understand Hylians. It was also apparently attractive to wear dresses so tight you couldn't breathe or move without ripping the fabric. Strange. More importantly, Midna made a note to observe the basics. She discovered that the optimum number of hours for sleep was over six, and even longer for a teenager. It was important to eat a healthy breakfast and eat more frequently but smaller portions. The most imperative Hylian necessity was water. Dehydration killed faster than famine, and severe dehydration led to serious problems.

Midna didn't care what Link's fashion taste was. Sure, the boy's clothes were awfully dusty and she was pretty sure men shouldn't wear tights, but then again, Link didn't choose his outfit. Another thing to discuss with those pesky Goddesses. She did mind that at most Link received four hours of rest and only ate about once a day. His drinking was sparse, and that was putting it lightly.

There was one fact even more peculiar: the boy never complained. If Midna had to take one thing away from her Hylian observations, it would be that Hylians were never happy. They were always complaining about something. The food was too spicy. That woman dresses like an overgrown Cucco. The water doesn't taste clean enough. Rent was too costly. This insignificant muscle hurts. It never ended. Every Hylian complained about something. Link was another story. He ate seemingly inedible foods without complaining, he never showed pain no matter how much he was bleeding, and he always got up—no matter how hard he was struck down. Midna had to admire her wolf's drive. He wasn't much, but he was a fighter, and that much was certain.

Midna tried to decipher what the boy actually liked to do. Well, for starters, he did have a fondness for that high-maintenance chick from the little town he grew up in. The brats appeared to worship the ground he walked on, and he always had the patience to humor them. A smile always escaped him when he rode Epona. Midna scowled, she hated that damn piece of running meat. Sure, the horse was handy, but it was a pain staying in the overgrown cow's shadow. Weren't horses supposed to be graceful? Other than that, Midna knew one thing for certain. Link loved to sleep. She'd definitely had her fair shares of reprimanding him for falling asleep in the middle of a dungeon. There was also that particular time where she literally had to drag him away from a nice patch of grass because he wanted to sleep in the mossy meadow. Yet, for a human so fond of sleep, she noticed something when they trekked back to Link's house for items he'd left behind.

The house didn't have a bed.

"Where's your bed? Don't people, you know, actually sleep in beds?"

"I don't have one," the Hero of Twilight replied nonchalantly. "I sleep on the floor."

"That's comfortable?" Midna snorted under her breath. Not that she minded, but all other humans she'd observed had strange attachments to their beds. She winced as she recalled a painful memory of a child screaming to his mother that his bed wasn't satisfactory. Her wolf loved to sleep, she knew that, so why was he missing the most important item?

Link shrugged. "I like sleeping on the floor. It's good for your back, anyways." He returned to stirring whatever eerily bubbling concoction was in the pot.

"You're weird."

"I hardly think the foul-mouthed miniature imp with a large stone on her head has any room to talk."

Midna scowled, subconsciously fixing the Fused Shadow on her head. "This 'large stone' has the potential to defeat Zant, you know."

"Potential," Link echoed mischievously as he took a whiff of the dangerous goo. "Right now it's quite the fashion statement."

Midna raised her hand, starting to think of what magic was most appropriate when dealing with this pest, and paused. Link was practically doubled over with laughing. This was…unusual. Link was friendly, so overly friendly it was almost nauseating. He never so much said a word as she incessantly nagged him to do her bidding. If someone insulted he simply waved it off. But now… he wasn't being rude, per say, but the green-clad hero was actually somewhat talking back to her. Teasing her, no less! The nerve.

Midna pouted when her wolf finally righted himself and gave her a sincere smile.

"Thanks, Midna. I needed that."

She still couldn't define him, but she did know one thing:

The Hero of Twilight was weird.

That day remained an isolated incident. Link hadn't teased her since. Midna almost missed it despite herself. It was refreshing, in a way. The boy was too goody-goody for her tastes. Didn't speak much but when he did, he had something to say.

That was another thing that irked Midna regarding Hylians. They. Never. Shut. Up. Link was quiet, choosing his words wisely. His voice was particularly soft, not that obnoxious drawl that most Hylians enjoyed. It was peculiar. How could one be so expressive and communicate without saying a word? Not that he didn't speak, he did, it was just infrequent compared to the majority of the Light dwellers. Midna did most of the talking.

She asked him about that, too.

"So, Wolf Boy, how do you expect to get past the boiling pot of lava? You're a measly human! If you fall in, you're done for!*"

After some initial traversing through the treacherous fiery terrain for some time, they had stumble upon a peculiar room. A giant block stood in the center, with blazing pillars of lava exploding out of the ground intermittently. Link quickly discovered that he had to pull the chain in order to release the wall blocking the entrance to the next room, but after several failed attempts he discovered he had to change his strategy.

Link surveyed his surroundings, cautiously examining every nook and cranny. He observed and timed the flow of lava. He tested his footing on some of the perilous rock formations, ensuring that they could support his weight. There was definitely a timed pattern of the lava columns, and only some blocked the way. After maneuvering around a bit, he took note of the easiest path.

Midna was growing impatient. Sure, she was glad he wasn't running headfirst into the situation. If he blindly ran through this challenge he would end up as a meager pile of ash. The miserable failure with the monkey taught him something. He wasn't daydreaming whatsoever. His sharp blue eyes were focused on the task at hand. He wasn't going to let anything catch him off guard again. Although she was glad the Light dweller wasn't completely stupid and was showing improvement, Midna was impatient. It was obvious that the rocks would support his weight easily. All he had to do was time his jumps and they'd be on their way. There was a pretty clear path which he should take. The Fused Shadow waited for no one.

"Do I have to do everything for you? Follow this path, time your jumps and you'll make it in no time."

Link remained silent, focused on a looming shadow on a wall in the distant. He said nothing nor made an attempt to follow the path she was illuminating with her shadow magic.

"Oi! Wolfy!" Midna was definitely growing tired of waiting. "This way!"

Link continued to ignore her. His razor-sharp gaze was still fixed on the shadow ahead of him. He did not even acknowledge the taunts and later death threats as Midna gave up.

"Fine!" She growled. "Take your time. I'll just continue myself! Catch up to me when your pea-sized brain figures it out."

Midna indignantly started down her path, arms crossed and seething. She wanted nothing more than to kill the stupid wolf, revive him, so she could later bury him alive. Just because he was the most inept being on the planet…

She barely had time to cry out in warning as a fire lizard leapt out of the neighboring rock formation, teeth bared.

Link materialized out of nowhere, slashing viciously at the creature who came inches within snuffing out Midna's life. The reptilian beast howled, fell into the lava, and succumbed quickly to the sweltering depths of the lava.

After taking a few minutes to regain her composure, a sting of truth struck Midna harder than anything Zant could throw at her.

Link saved her life.

The useless, bungling, lazy, goody-goody, worthless Light dweller that always had his head in the clouds had saved her life.

"You knew that thing was there."

Link nodded as he brushed off ash from his tunic. Midna noticed his sword hand was not the color it was supposed to be. Did she do that? Did that happen when he saved her? "I was observing it for its movement patterns," he explained gently. "There were times when it had its back turned. I figured since I don't have a bow and my slingshot is no good against those things, my only option was to avoid it. I knew fighting it in this environment was disadvantageous."

He tried to mask his pain by shoving both of his hands in his magical, space-defying adventure pouch, but Midna noticed, and the guilt only burned harder. Midna was exasperated. The dumb thing actually knew what he was doing and didn't tell her?

"Why didn't you tell me?" She cried, pent-up anger and frustration evident in her voice.

"There was no need," Link responded. He looked down, almost sheepishly. "I assumed you knew it was there. You know everything, Midna…you're more skilled at all of this than I am."

Hmm, at least he admitted her superiority. No, Midna, that's not what's important right now. She shook her head. The whole situation infuriated her. He was supposed to be indebted to her, not the other way around!

"You know, only 'asses' assume," Midna snarled, still fuming, her pride hurt by the entire scenario. Was her pride hurt? Was that why she was guilty? Or was she starting to care for the too-brave doofus that stood before her. Not a chance.

Link's blue eyes were filled with the purest of intention and heart. His genuine smile was enough to make one cranky imp's bad mood disappear entirely. "I know. I'm sorry. I should speak up more."

"Yeah, why don't you?" The statement escaped Midna's lips before she could even think about stopping it.

"Words…they're overused," Link's voice was barely above a whisper. "So many empty promises. People hide behind words. They use them as a façade, in order to mask their true intentions. I don't want people to know me by my words, which are empty, but by my actions. You said it yourself, Midna. 'It depends on your actions. Because you can never trust words, you know.' When I speak, I want people to know I truly mean what I say."

Well that changed everything. Midna pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. How was she supposed to respond to that? Surely there was a reason for Link's feelings. Clearly the poor sap had been deceived one too many times in his lifetime. That's what happens when you're too gullible and let people walk over you like a doormat. There was something else, though…Link wasn't speaking just from personal nightmares. The purity and courage that came from those words—he may not speak much, but Midna knew one thing. Link always meant what he said. That was something you couldn't say about most Hylians. Chalk up another difference.

"That's reason enough for me," Midna said quietly, floating over to Link and placing her hand on Link's injured one. Focusing her energy, she called upon what power she still had to heal the Hero's wounds. The wounds inflicted on him while protecting this sorry imp. Please, she begged. To my ancestors, my tribe, even those damn Goddesses, help me heal him. Help me help him.

The swelling in Link's hand diminished significantly and the red tinge faded. She felt him sigh with relief as the pain dulled. When the hand was healed, she gave it a small slap. He winced, rubbing the tender limb, but did not make a sound of pain.

"Thank you, Midna."

"Hmmph!" Midna exclaimed. "I only healed you because you're useless without your sword hand. Swinging that pointy thing around is the only thing you're good for. I'd never get to the Fused Shadow in time."

They both knew the real truth. Although Midna continued to treat Link coldly for some time afterwards, she never forgot his selfless act or the many that would follow. He was no ordinary Hylian.

The Hero of Twilight was even weirder than originally anticipated.

They had certainly come a long way from that. After Zelda selflessly gave her power to Midna, Midna discovered that there was another Hylian who didn't fit the stereotype. Maybe even those stereotypical Hylians weren't as bad as they seem.

She heard an impatient whine as she glanced down at the massive furry beast beneath her. It was Link's turn to be edgy, although she wasn't sure if it was simply eagerness or worry. Midna of course knew it was the latter. It was unlike her to get lost in her musings, especially regarding the mass of fur she called her wolf.

They were in Arbiter's Grounds. The Poes had recently snatched the blue flame that guarded the door and scattered, leaving only their ghostly sense behind. Link was currently motioning to a soft layer of sand that he could easily dig up. "Well go on then," Midna teased lightly. "Or does the widdle puppy not like getting his fur dirty?"

Link scowled, as much as he could in his wolf form. Midna couldn't help but chuckle to herself. There was no way that those gorgeous, serene pools of blue could ever look menacing. His eyes were simply too peaceful, too pure, and too innocent. He quickly started fervently digging to unearth the chain that lay below.

Hylians were strange creatures. They needed the obnoxiously bright light in order to survive, they had a strange obsession with honor and pride, they never stopped talking, and they had this insane love for others that often drove all of their intentions. Midna still didn't understand their sense of fashion, nor did she get why certain foods were health and others weren't. She especially would never comprehend why the ugliest men were considered attractive.

Link was even more of a mystery. Here was a boy, who despite being rather lazy in nature and way too trusting for his own good, showed more courage than anyone in Hyrule. No, more than anyone in Hyrule, he showed more courage than anyone she ever knew. He rarely spoke although he knew the true meaning of speech, and more importantly, he had a huge heart. He loved unconditionally.

Midna's viewpoints were beginning to change. Maybe saving Twilight and Twilight alone wasn't really the best option. Maybe it wasn't what she truly wanted. She wanted to save the world of Light, too.

That view change could be attributed to a certain shaggy mutt who was still desperately trying to find the switch underneath the layer of sand.

"You know, the layer of sand isn't that thick," she grumbled good-naturedly.

That only encouraged the wolf to dig harder and faster. However, in his haste, he completely forgot that digging quickly in sand was never a good idea—the fine grains of sand were much less dense than dirt. That was never good for the senses. Realizing his mistake too late, the canine hastily jumped back, but the damage was already done. The small particles had already irritated his nose.

Midna was jerked again out of her reverie when Link started thrashing about, panting, wheezing, and having a massive sneeze attack as he attempted to clear his sinuses of the grainy irritants. He flailed around, clearly in pain in exasperation. Midna jumped off of him, and watched him in his struggle with the horrible and completely menacing tiny specks of dust.

Link had faced horrible creatures, ranging from hordes of Bulblins to massive parasitic fish. He tested his sword skills against the Bulblin leader, successfully mastered the bow so he could free Darbus from his shroud of evil, faced a man-eating plant like it was nothing, and the list could go on and on. She had never seen him this frantic.

So the giant monster couldn't faze him, but grains of sand could.

The Hero of Twilight was definitely the weirdest creature Midna had ever encountered, regardless of race.

He may be the weirdest creature to ever exist, but he was her odd wolf.

That was all she needed to define the indefinable.

A/N:

*Kudos if you recognized this line from the game! It's one of my favorites. Once you enter the Goron Mines, talk to Midna and she'll say this.

** Yes, "you can never trust words" is also in the game! Cookies if you recognized that as well!

There may be some slight inaccuracies regarding the Goron Mines sequence. Do you remember the room where you have to pull the chain and time the block right before the room with the water and the first Goron elder? That's the room the sequence is based in. Of course, there's not a creepy shadow that you have to watch out for, that was my creation. xD I didn't want Link to have the bow yet, so I was trying to find some sort of situation to put them in mortal peril. The whole scene changed about five times. xD

I apologize for whatever small grammar/spelling errors there may be. I'm a fast typer (I wrote this in about 2 hours, believe it or not) and I don't always catch my mistakes. Please let me know if you see any so I can fix it!

I hope you enjoyed it! I'm posting this on my old account, my new one has the penname of "Skyward Princess of Time" so please check that out for future work. I posted on this account because of technical reasons. This is a really old account though, so please for my sanity don't read my earlier work. I was so young! xD

This is my first Legend of Zelda fanfiction, and the idea came about rather randomly, because I always wanted to analyze Link's character. How would I define him? I decided the most fun would to have Midna try to figure it out. It turned out a lot better than I was expecting, since it's not only character development for Link but Midna as well. I didn't plan for it to work out this way, but I'm happy with the way it tied together. I made it so it went from Midna comparing superficial things (such as what they ate, fashion, etc) to deeper things, like what made Link strong as a human. I also used "Hylian" although I really wanted to use "human." xD

It's a bit long, but thank you for reading it! Please feel free to contact me at my tumblr (.com) or through here, and later on with feedback, future writing stories, or if you'd like me to update Psychic, my original story.