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The sound of Ganondorf's laughter was still prevalent in her dreams. Sweat trickled down her forehead as her imaginary self became wrapped in the grasp of the dark lord. His overbearing eyes permeated into her very being; he mocked her and taunted her and kept her shackled at the wrists. Her only hope then was that of a wolf; one whom she had only met twice before. Yet she was drawn to the animal.. her undeniable wisdom granted her not only wisdom itself, but a keen sense of judgement of a person as a whole. That is why she trusted it, and gave her own energy to Midna as a sign of understanding between herself and the princess of the Twilight Realm. Yet she knew at that moment, she was to become Ganondorf's slave, prisoner, and bait to whomever should rescue her in the end. If she were to be rescued at all.

Zelda knew all about Ganondorf. As a little girl, her mother would tell her stories about the struggle the dark lord had caused Hyrule before she was born. As a descendant of the princess who had fought alongside the Hero of Time himself, Zelda felt she knew Ganondorf and the hero even though she was far too young for it to have been possible. In her heart, she always wished for Ganondorf to return, as stupid as a wish it may have been. For she knew that along with Ganondorf, the hero Link would awaken and they would eventually meet. As the dismal days continued endlessly in Hyrule Castle, she held that hope in her heart as a possible release from the monotony she existed in as the princess of Hyrule.

Everyone knew her as quiet with a serious demeanor, yet she could not deny her desires for a different life. However because the things she wished for were denied of her, she became colder and colder within each passing day. Standing out on the balcony and looking out onto the world beyond her prison of a room, she made a wish that her life would change. What a mistake that had turned out to be.

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Ilia welcomed Link with a warm-hearted hug as they reunited in Ordon Village. It had been a long journey for Link back to his home after he had taken the Princess Zelda safely back to her own castle. He was weak and exhausted, yet the people of the village were delighted to see him nevertheless. It was as if nothing had changed since he had left to fulfill his destiny as a warrior of Hyrule, and something about it was slightly unnerving. How could everyone just go on like nothing had taken place? He figured then, that perhaps he would never fully recover or forget the events that had transpired. How could he then, return to his old ways as a ranch hand? Lost in his own thoughts, he neglected the young woman sitting sadly beside him on the grass near the pond. She reached out, and placed her hand on his.

"Link.. what has happened to you?" Ilia continued to stare out at the fireflies that danced together over the glistening water.

A sigh was all that escaped Link's lips.

Ilia started to stroke his fingers gently, trying desperately to issue a response. "I know you've been through alot, Link. But please.. don't forget where you came from, or the people who... care about you." Her lips began to slightly tremble. Link turned to look at her then, and seeing her watering eyes, he cautiously embraced her in a hug that she had been craving for ever since they had been separated. Ilia spoke again then, into Link's ear as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "You're going to leave again, aren't you?", she whispered.

Link only rubbed her hair softly and spoke not a word. Ilia knew then that Link's mind and heart had grown past the little boundaries of Ordon Village and out of her life.

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Her black cloak fell to the floor that resembled a puddle of obsidian ink. She walked slowly over to the edge, and dipped a foot into the large warm pool of dark liquid. The temperature was perfect, she decided, and sank one leg into the black water at a time, until she was fully emerged up to her shoulders. A pleased sigh ushered forth from her delicately painted lips, and she closed her eyes as she tilted her head back and shut the world out. Life as a Twilight Princess really sucked, she thought to herself as she pouted her lips. 'It was much more entertaining to ride on that wolf's back', she mused. For some reason, she enjoyed bossing him around. Even now, as she had the whole Twilight Realm as her subjects, not a single one of them was as much fun to torment as Link had been.

"Midna!", she cursed herself out-loud. 'Thinking about him isn't going to do any good', she told herself firmly. Midna smiled, and shook her head. Sometimes she just didn't understand herself.

A voice from behind her snapped her out of her thoughts. She could see an image being reflected onto the glassy ripples of water in front of her, but she couldn't determine who it was.

"Are you unhappy now, even in your own home with the entire population of the Twilight Realm waiting on your every need, your highness?" the voice asked.

"Who are you?" Midna asked warily. She raised an eyebrow and turned to look upon the mysterious figure. His appearance was covered in a dark cloak, and all that could be focused on was a smile peeking out of the blackness where his head should be seen. He stepped forward, and folded his arms across his chest.

"Why don't you come out of there now?" He gestured at her impatiently. He looked puzzled for a moment, and then with a hint of amusement added, "Have you been away so long that you have forgotten me?".

Midna didn't say a word at first, but with a hint of rebelliousness, she asked, "Remove your hood, so that I may see your face." She pursed her lips and gave a nod to the man to hurry up.

"If you insist, your highness." The man took hold of the hood and brought it back slowly to reveal himself to her.

Midna gasped. "Dalos?"

"The one and only", he added.

Midna seemed confused for a moment. "..but I thought you had been sent away to fight for Zant..?" 'Good riddance', she thought. Midna looked around for a moment and asked with exasperation, "Would you mind giving me some privacy so I can put my clothes back on?"

Dalos thought for a moment, but then shook his head. "Ah, you won't be needing these anymore", he said matter-of-factly as he proceeded to kick her garments to a far off corner. However, Midna already knew what a bastard Dalos could be, so she managed to use some of her magic to halt the clothes in mid-air.

"Now, turn around", she demanded.

Dalos chuckled and turned away from her, placing his right hand loosely over his eyes. Midna stepped slowly out of the water, feeling the slightly chilly air against her wet skin. She put each item of clothing on slowly and deliberately, taking as much time as she could to torment the waiting Dalos. As her cloak was again around her thin frame, she spoke to Dalos. "Too bad you won't ever be able to experience that with your eyes open."

Dalos turned around again to face her, his mouth still shaped in an irritating grin. Softly he replied, "We'll see about that."

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Author's note: Thank you to all who read the first and second part, and extra thanks to those who left reviews! I appreciate your comments and advice. I hope everyone will find this story , in the end, to be to their liking. Take care!