Hyrule Field was silent to Link's ears. The breeze blowing in from the lake ruffled his tunic and cap, but it made no sound to him. Link could feel his heart pounding in his throat and the heaving of his chest as he struggled to catch his breath from the fight. And he could see his opponent standing just thirty feet away, crying in pain but refusing to fall over even as the life ebbed from his body. The Master Sword had been thrust completely through Ganondorf's chest, its pointed tip gleaming in the evening sun from the huge man's back. With each cry from Ganondorf's lips, more blood pulsed out of his fatal wound and spilled down his chest and onto the grass.

Link could see all of this, but he heard nothing. He was only half-aware of Princess Zelda standing to his right, gazing solemnly at her dying enemy as if she were presiding over court. Once he would have been in awe just to be in the presence of Hyrule's great princess. Now, he had seen much more of the world than just Zelda, and he didn't think anything would surprise him anymore. That thought, though, was vague, lurking somewhere at the edge of Link's mind. One name kept going through his head. Midna. Images flashed before his eyes: Midna, floating in the air in front of Zelda's comatose body, failing to prevent Ganondorf from using his Shadow magic to enter and control her. Midna, being thrown to the edge of the throne room outside Link's first battle with Ganondorf, but still struggling to stand so she could help Link win the battle and save Hyrule—the land to which Midna did not even belong, the land that had shunned her people. Midna, drawing on the power of all four Fused Shadows and morphing into a monstrous six-legged Shadow beast, her body pulsing with magic, and bearing down on Ganon to destroy his beast form and drain his power.

That was the last he had seen of her. Midna had warped Link and Zelda outside the castle before attacking, knowing they might be in harm's way. And then, before Link's very eyes, the castle had exploded—and Ganondorf had ridden out, triumphant, ready to escape atop his great black steed. It was Zelda who had saved the day then, calling on the power of the four Light Spirits of Hyrule to aid her, and they had appeared right there in Hyrule Field. Link had never heard of any of the Spirits leaving his spring, but there they were, not showing their true selves but still present in four golden balls of light over Zelda's shoulder. They had taken Zelda's bow and fashioned for her arrows of Light, imbued with power to slow and weaken Ganondorf.

Desperation had fueled Link with the concentration to ride and command Epona as he chased down his enemy, Zelda firing her Light arrows from behind him on the stalwart mare. When Ganondorf's stallion had been injured and the man himself was too weak to run anymore, it was rage that had given Link the power to get through his final battle between the two of them, a swordfight to the death. Link's sword had won. But killing the man, while it calmed his rage, did nothing to soothe Link's growing fear. Whatever Ganondorf had done to Midna, it could not be good. She can't be dead. She just can't be. Midna…

Suddenly he felt his left hand tingle and he glanced down at it, seeing the Triforce that had been marked there from birth begin to glow. He glanced at Zelda and saw that her left hand was also emitting a soft light. A loud thump made him look up to see that Ganondorf had finally fallen, his left hand outstretched and his Triforce, too, shining with light, but only for a moment before it went dim. Link looked at his hand again to see the top triangle dim while the other two remained lit. The bearer of the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf, was losing his life force.

"He is dead," Zelda pronounced just a second later. Her voice was void of emotion, but Link could see the relief she was unable to hide from her face. She turned from her enemy and faced the opposite direction, then began to pray: "Light Spirits, I call upon you one last time."

Was she thanking them for their help? Link turned to watch as the four glowing golden balls appeared in the air in front of Zelda. He had the sense that the four spirits had never truly left, but watched over him during his battle.

"Light Spirits," Zelda said solemnly with her head bowed in deference, "For many years of my life I had assumed the Twili were enemies—a grave mistake when the true enemy was hiding from both worlds, waiting to destroy them with his power. The princess of the Twili risked her life to save our world when hers was already saved. I do not have the power left to revive her now. Please, Light Spirits, do not let her die. I can sense her life force ebbing away, but she is yet alive inside the castle."

Link hardly dared to believe it. Midna was alive? He had begun to give up any hope that she had survived that fight. Would the Light Spirits be willing to help her?

As he watched, the four spirits took on their true forms, and Link was in awe. He had seen each of the spirits individually, and even that had been incredible. This was overwhelming; awe and wonder began to even overpower his fear and hope. The four spirits appeared before them, side by side on Hyrule field: Ordona, in the form of a goat; Faron, in the form of a monkey; Eldin, in the form of an eagle; and Lanayru, in the form of a snake. The golden balls that held their power was the brightest part of the spirits' images, but their animal-like bodies pulsed with Light energy, glowing a softer yellow-gold. As one the four spirits turned to face the castle.

Link wasn't sure what they were doing until he saw a small black form suddenly shoot up from the wreckage and fly through the air to a rise in the grass a short distance from Link and Zelda. He recognized Midna's small imp-like body and her red-and-yellow hair from where he stood.

"Spirits," he breathed. "Thank you."

You are welcome, they replied as one. Now go to her.

Link needed no second bidding. He tore across the grass to her side, but halted when he was almost there. The form laying in front of him was far too large to be Midna. What the…

The body stirred and rose. Link found himself looking at the back of a tall, lean Twili woman. Of course. Ganondorf held the curse that turned Midna into an imp…I killed Ganondorf…the curse is gone…

Midna turned around, and Link's breath caught. She had been beautiful before, even when her body was distorted into something less-than-human. Now, Link could only be amazed that she had looked like this before they met—that this was what she usually looked like. Midna's skin was still black, with a white chest and belly and a white left arm. She now had the body of a woman, with a loose black tunic covering her chest and another black cloth tied about her hips as a skirt. A long black cape flowed down her back. Her face was white in the center with full black lips; her eyes of red and yellow were lined with black marks that flowed into her hair. Her hair, so short before, was long and thick, straight red-and-yellow locks running down her back and over her shoulders. Link could only stare, his mouth dry.

"Well," Midna prompted. "Say something." Her personality was obviously unchanged. When he remained silent, she smiled at him. "Or am I so beautiful that you have no words?"

"Yes," Link breathed. He walked up to her slowly, taking her hands and smiling as he looked into her face.

"Midna," he whispered. "You're alive."

"Yes," she said. "I am. And I am myself again."

Suddenly the two were embracing, relief and joy filling Link simultaneously. All he could say was, "Midna."

"Link," she replied tenderly. "It's over. It really is all over now."