Hey there! I'm going to go ahead and guess that I'm going to get a lot of new readers for this story, considering how this is my first Zelda one-shot I've posted here. Originally, I was doing a series for Zelda, but I had to stop it because I wanted to finish my other series first. I know Zelda has like 13 thousand stories, or something, but I wanted to write for it anyhow. Anyway, this is an idea I've had in my head since probably a year now. Around October 2007 I gave myself a challange known as the 25 quotes challange, where I had of list of obviously 25 quotes that I would try to either draw or write something for. I've never even touched the thing since, so I wanted to try it out. Anyway, this story is based on one of them. The name of the title is actually the quote, and it was inspired by a beautiful piece of fanart I saw on deviantART a while ago, of Zelda and Midna's first meeting.
Anyway, I'm really proud of this story. My only problem is that is seems like I could have expanded upon it a bit more (it's about 2,300 words), but I had no idea what else to write. Anyway, please enjoy!
Based on: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
Rating: I actually think that this is good enough to be considered K. Wow, that's a first!
Author's Notes: I haven't played Twilight Princess in a long, long time, so my appologies if some of this seems inaccurate. If that's the case, then feel free to let me know. I try to be the biggest nerd possible so I can keep my stories canon.
Oh yeah, I got the information on Zelda's robe from her trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
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Why must this be the fate of what becomes of my kingdom?
Princess Zelda stood alone, her body unanimated, only moving slightly as her chest arose and fell with each small breath she took. Her delicate body was hidden behind the thick and soft feeling of the dark velvet robe that draped down to the floor, its hood shielding her eyes with a dark shadow. It was her request towards the guard who was somehow able to find enough kindness within him to bring it for her, into this tower she was bonded to for however long they planned on keeping her before they dispose of her. The robe was her only way to show her respect towards those who had risked their lives to protect her, those who had lost their lives due to the evil that now patrolled the land of Hyrule. She mourned for these souls silently within her mind, constantly besieging herself with questions about her decision and the safety of her people.
Her blue irises were locked in one spot, looking out the fogged window stained with raindrops and her feelings of sadness. The sight of how her land looked now, how her castle looked now…she could barely take it. Yet she continued to look, the vista now embedded into her mind. The sky was nothing but streaks of orange and navy, flowing by as though they were paint being washed away by a stream. Tiny black squares lifted from the ground and danced around before her eyes until they soon became distant within the sky. Everything glowed with a warm orange-like light, similar to the one casted by the golden hour of the setting sun. But the golden hour brought beauty and warmth, emotions mainly consisting of happiness that warmed the blood that circled through her veins. This light only made her feel depressed and scared, not for herself but for the safety of her people. There was nothing that guaranteed their safety; nothing that guaranteed that she would still have a kingdom after this was all over. Cold water had replaced her blood, keeping her body stiff.
"Nayru protect them," Zelda whispered, her words barely heard over the crackling fire not too far beside her. "I am sorry for my decision and wish no harm to be done."
"Do you really think that words are going to save you?" Zelda gasped, raising her brows with shock slipping into her pupils. She turned around to try and find the source of the sudden voice. It sounded foreign, speaking a language similar to that of the King of Twilight that she was somehow able to understand, despite never hearing such a tongue within her entire lifetime. Her eyes were unable to notice anything within the small room, making her wonder if she were hearing things.
"Eee hee he!" A snicker came from the emptiness, followed by, "Oh, I forgot, you humans can't see us." A chime suddenly rang in Zelda's ears, somehow revealing a strange creature unlike anything the young princess had seen. The figure appeared to be an imp, its curves suggesting it was a female. The imp had arms of unusual size that ran down towards the ankles of her short legs. Her body was wrapped with black and white patterns on her skin, with glowing markings of unknown symbols circling her limbs. Only one of her eyes were shown, which was large and unnaturally colored. Her other eye was hidden behind some type of stone helm, which seemed just as big as the imp herself. Many designs were carved into it, and Zelda wondered why it was significant towards the imp. Zelda felt as though a strange sense of energy leaked out from the ancient stone, although whether or not it would cause harm or good was something she was unable to figure out. The imp also had a long ponytail that she swished back and forth behind her, as she hovered above the floor.
"Is this better?" she questioned Zelda, placing her hands on her hips and smirking, revealing one pointed fang. Zelda tried to contain her emotions.
"If you are one of the shadow creatures, then please, do whatever you want with me," she began, her tone of voice sounding stern. "I will not harm you, but I ask that you please leave my people alone." The imp let out a giggle.
"Oh, you don't know anything, do you?" she asked, leaning closer towards the princess. "Don't worry, I just came here to get a look at this mysterious 'Princess Zelda'." The imp floated closer towards Zelda until she was only a few inches away from her face, seeming to be studying it carefully. "I've got to say, you don't look anything like royalty. What's with this robe, anyway?" She picked up part of the fabric with her short fingers, which Zelda quickly tugged away.
"This is to show respect towards those who have lost their lives because of your kind," Zelda stated, her voice trying to hide any emotions that might leak from her mind. "Please, I ask you, leave me alone." The imp only laughed at her once again.
"What, do you consider me to be one of these 'deadly creatures'?" She floated away from the Princess, now crossing her legs and putting her hands behind her head. She looked as though she was lying on an invisible mattress. "Look, I'm sorry that your land looks like this, but hey, it was your choice." Zelda remained silent as the imp grinned at her. "Don't hate me for it. The Twili may have a bad reputation because of what he did to you, but we're not all bad." Zelda only had to assume that this "he" the imp was referring to was the King of Twilight.
"Who are you?" she finally asked, taking a small step closer towards the being. The imp looked surprised at the question, but her emotion soon changed and her expression became what it was before—the mocking, trouble-making one.
"I was wondering when you'd ask," she began, shifting herself so that she was floating on her stomach now, her legs raised and crossed at the ankles. "I'm known as Midna by most. By others…" She hesitated. "Well, we'll leave that for another time."
Zelda nodded. "I see," she began. "Now, Midna…why are you here?" Midna kept that smirk on her face at the question.
"Didn't I already tell you? I wanted to see this infamous Princess Zelda," she answered. Zelda felt her muscles tighten at the mockery.
"If all you are going to do is insult me and my people, then please, leave me be," she responded, a hint of anger seeping into her voice. Midna looked startled.
"Hey, calm down," she answered back. "I'm sorry, ok? But don't go ahead and assume you still have power. You forget, you're our prisoner. You have to do whatever we Twili say, so you might want to start being careful." Despite her taunting tone, Midna seemed to show a little concern towards Zelda. "Zelda," Midna continued, shocking Zelda with the fact that she addressed her by her name, "believe me, I don't really want this. Our kind tells of a legend about how a beast will come to save us all."
"From what?" Zelda quickly questioned. Midna switched to a sitting position, crossing her legs and tossing her head onto one of her tiny hands.
"Wouldn't you like to know," she responded, her face now showing an expression of annoyance. "Look, if I tell you any more, you'll be putting yourself in even more danger than you already are." Zelda still sensed a hint of concern within Midna's eyes.
"Please," Zelda began, changing her attention towards Midna's helm. "At least tell me why you carry around that helm." Midna looked as though she were pondering an answer, her face indicating some type of wariness.
"Oh, this?" she questioned, pointing towards the large object that rested atop her head. "This is something of legend that our kind talks about. It is said to be of our ancestors, containing the strongest magic of our—" She stopped herself. "Oh, what am I doing? It's not like you can help me. Besides, I already told you too much." She suddenly began to float around the room before giving a chance for Zelda to continue the conversation. Midna suddenly took interest in the old and tattered canopy bed over towards the side of the room. She ran one of her short fingers across the old cloth. "Such a messy place for a castle like this, huh?" she questioned, rubbing the dust she had collected between two of her fingertips. Zelda changed her vision so that she was focused on the imp.
"We do not use this area anymore," Zelda began. Midna nodded as though she was listening, but seemed more fascinated with the dust between her fingers. "This is one of the older parts of the castle, and it had begun to fall into ruin after a terrible storm a few years ago." Midna continued to nod, changing her focus so that she was now concentrated on the princess.
"So I saw," she suddenly said, quickly floating over towards the window and taking a short glance of the rooftops visible outside. "I like this place, especially in the Twilight. You shouldn't leave it to rot. Then again, why do I care? I hate this world of light, anyway." Midna turned around to face Zelda when she realized that she didn't respond after a few moments. Zelda's face looked blank, but her lips seemed tightened as though she were holding back emotions. Zelda was surprised to know that Midna actually seemed a little concerned.
"Aww look," Midna began, "I know you're upset about what happened to your land and all, but this is your home now. Sitting around here mourning and praying to your gods or whatever is not going to do anything." She floated closer towards Zelda. "Listen, if I find this beast of the legend of my people, then I promise that everything will be better." Zelda turned her head away from Midna.
"Midna…" Her voice seemed to contain sadness, now. "I am sorry, but I find that hard to believe." Midna floated around Zelda until she faced her directly once again.
"I do, too, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up hope," she answered. A thought suddenly seemed to skip into Midna's mind, as she began to scan Zelda's body. "Hey, I just realized…why aren't you a spirit like the rest of them out there?" Zelda finally looked at Midna once again, seeming confused at the question.
"I…do not know," she answered. Her hand suddenly revealed itself from beneath her robe. "I believe it could be because of this." She carefully removed the long silk glove from her arm, revealing her soft skin and an odd marking of three triangles on her hand. Midna looked curious, and gently grasped Zelda's hand between hers. Her one visible eye widened and then squinted as different emotions swirled throughout her mind.
"What is this?" she finally asked, looking up towards Zelda, yet not letting go of her delicate hand.
"It is the Triforce," Zelda responded. "Our people tell of a legend of how the three goddesses had blessed three Hylians with one of the powers of the Triforce. I have been blessed with the Triforce of Wisdom." The left triangle of the marking on Zelda's hand suddenly began to glow, which seemed to frighten Midna, making her drop Zelda's hand and lifting her own hands as though she was ready to defend herself incase the need arose. Zelda let a smile slip onto her lips at Midna's reaction. Zelda continued, "I believe my power is what protects me."
"What about the rest of the Triforce?" Midna questioned, her muscles loose once again after realizing that there was no threat present. Zelda nodded, pointing to the other triangles on her hand.
"This," she pointed to the right triangle, "is the Triforce of Courage. Legend has it that the Hero of Time was once the wielder. And this," she pointed to the top triangle, "is the Triforce of Power. Legend says that the beast Ganon, who once nearly destroyed Hyrule a century ago, had once wielded this power." Midna seemed intrigued, but then changed her expression back to her taunting and careless one.
"Ahh, what strange legends you humans have," she said, letting out a slight giggle. "Oh, the things you would say if you heard the legend of our people. I can hardly imagine…" She snickered. "Oh, don't mind me." A sudden noise entered the two's eardrums, making Midna quickly shift her body to look at the large metal doors of the room.
"The guard…" Zelda whispered. "Please, you must get out of here." Midna looked over at her, that wry smile coming across her face once again.
"Oh, don't worry about me, princess, I'll be fine." She silently snickered to herself. "I'd worry more about yourself, if I were you." The sound of footsteps became louder and more frequent. Midna winked at Zelda with her one eye. She looked as though she was about to disappear, when Zelda suddenly asked her something.
"Will I ever see you again?"
Midna left that smirk on her face.
"Perhaps," she responded. "Until then…" She suddenly shot up towards the ceiling, seeming to disappear by the time Zelda blinked.
"See you later," her voice echoed within the room, leaving Zelda alone once again.
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So, how was it? Was it good enough for my first one-shot? I've always wanted to write a story when Zelda first met Midna, seeing as though they know each other when you meet Zelda for the first time in the game, and the quote "This is your home now" got me inspired. I'm sorry if the talk about the Triforce seems a little out-of-character, as I'm sure that Zelda would have been a little more cautious of her sacred power. Anyway, I found Midna and Zelda to be extremely interesting characters and my favorite ones in Twilight Princess, which is also my favorite Zelda game, so I really hope that you other Midna/Zelda/Twilight Princess fans enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought; I love reviews whether they are positive or negative, and hopefully I'll be able to write for this series again. And maybe I'll actually be able to finish my 25 Quotes Challange this time!
Thanks for reading!