Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series is in no way whatsoever mine. This piece of fiction is using characters and features from that franchise purely for entertainment purposes only. I do not intend to gain anything by writing this work aside from the satisfaction of writing and criticism on how I may improve.

Chapter 2

The gods of the light world were out to get her. There was no other reason for them to travel entire country of Hyrule searching for some of the ugliest statues she had ever seen, only to return back where they started. The damned things were hidden incredibly well, and for a few moments during it she wondered if they would ever find them all.

The desert, the forest, inside Death Mountain, and even the lakeside…if she ever returned to her realm none of her subjects would ever believe all the places she had been. 'At least none of the things were underwater,' she thought as she mentally reviewed everywhere they had revisited. 'Yeah, that was really lucky…'

Midna was no fool. She had seen how there was always something for Link to do, something that would always somehow help him get closer and closer to his goal. Whether it was saving a Zora Prince or even wrestling his village mayor, fate seemed to conspire in Link's favor at every turn.

'Statues that supposedly last for hundreds of years without breaking to piece or succumbing to civilization? Please,' Midna thought derisively. The simple fact that there were statues at the Lake, on the small patches of land that were not underwater, only increased her suspicion.

Midna watched as Link rammed his sword through the skull of a Bokoblin. The beast let out a weak cry as it crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Hyrule Field even seemed to be safer nowadays, with fewer monsters dominating the area. That was the only Bokoblin they had seen and they had been riding for hours already.

Either Link had some really highly placed friends, or he was born with the devil's luck.

The Twili sneered at the thought. "Luck? Hah!"

Luck did not exist in her world. You either built a favorable road for yourself, or ended up falling into the endless void. Life did not give anyone any second chances. Somehow, though, her ancestors had managed to bring peace to the chaos that prevailed for years among the tribe.

Midna touched her fang with her tongue. She clenched her fist as she thought of the magic that caused her pain: the Triforce of Power. When the goddesses rejected your people, it was hard to sympathize with the plight of those that still held their favor, especially if their remnants cursed you to existence as an imp.

Kakariko's gate was coming in view now. They had long ago crossed the bridge that connected the Faron province with Lanayru. The trail behind was free of and bloodshed, for the most part, which Midna was glad for. She had gotten tired of Link having to slaughter the monsters too stupid to know when to retreat. Those times always ended up as annoying detours.

As they made their way into Kakariko riding atop Epona, Link wasted no time and went straight for the shaman's house. He barely returned a nod to the Gorons guarding the entrance to the village, and he did not even bother to acknowledge Talo's cries from his lookout point. It seemed her wolf was rather eager for something else.

"Remember," she whispered into his ear as he entered the incense miasma characteristic of Renado's house, "No shagging until we're done with Zant okay? A couple minutes of cuddling and kisses and then we're gone."

Link waved her away, an irritated on his face. His hand passed right through her in her shadow form, and she snickered as she saw Ilia approach Link. The poor dog had way too many things hanging in the balance of this quest of his. The peace of Hyrule, the safety of his home and friends, the best sex he would ever get from this girl in front of him…

The red-haired Twili sighed and relaxed a little as she watched her wolf fall to pieces in front of his peasant girl. It was plain to see that the air between them had not been cleared, with something else preventing the two of them, or specifically Link, from falling back into the comfortable role they each shared in their relationship.

Ilia touched a scar on his temple. That was from that fight at Snowpeak, if Midna remembered correctly, the one where she first experienced those visions.

The Hero, for his part, did not shy away from the touch. Instead, he seemed to lean into it, as if asking for Ilia to heal it with her gentle caress. There was a wistful look in his eye as he stared at Ilia, and it seemed she noticed that, because soon she removed her hand.

Midna scoffed to herself as she observed this. 'Feh. Another bleeding heart,' She thought, but then frowned as she remembered the first one.

Zant was a dead man walking, and this she vowed.

"Link," Ilia said, her voice soft but firm, "I know that you've changed. I can see that even without touching you, but-" here her voice choked for a second, "just . . . just be Link when you're done okay?"

Link tilted his head to the side, as if confused by her question. Even so, his demeanor visibly brightened as he gave her a sincere nod.

'I wonder, though,' Midna thought as she saw the exchange, 'If he'll even have a choice?'

Her opinion of Link had changed since the night of the Bulbin attack. She had thought him tame, but his actions that day had caused a great unease to begin stirring within her as time passed.

Though the book had not provided much info at all into the origin of her unique ability to see Link's death or dead body several times in the course of seconds, it had lent her some insight of the story behind the Hero chosen by the gods. As she progressed through the book, she learned that after defeating various mighty foes that threatened Hyrule's existence, the Heroes were never given a rest.

Blood, sweat, and tears, all that and more, all that they shed to achieve their goal, suddenly became obsolete as they defeated adversary after adversary. There were rumors that the Hero's of times past lost their link to the Triforce, thus making them as mortal as any other, but many retained the mark somehow. It was like a show that just kept going on for them, with no one to watch but themselves.

It made Midna sick. Was fate really so fickle as to play with the lives of all those men and suddenly declare them useless when they were done with the job? Was this going to happen to her wolf?

'No,' she realized suddenly, looking at the two humans, 'Wolves bow down to no one but their masters, be it themselves or another. And fate isn't the one holding the leash here. I am.'

The thought was not as reassuring as she wished it were.


'Oh…oh wow…that was…'

She found herself at a loss for words as she stared up at the storm clouds that had gathered. She was aware that her mouth was open, drinking up the water that fell from the heavens, but she could not care. Her hair tingled as she brought a hand up to it.

Midna stared at her tiny little hand, noting even among the confusion that was her mind, that she was still an imp. It seemed that even the power of the Fused Shadows really were not enough for her to revert to her original form.

The Twilight Princess had harbored some hope that by using the full power of the ancient artifacts she would be able to break the curse upon her body, but even that resulted in failure. It seemed that she had slain Zant out of pure spite then.

She felt a tired chuckle escape her. Once upon a time, she would have felt guilty at such a thing, but she no longer cared. The past was the past, and there was no changing it. All she could do was look towards the future.

She heard someone walk up to her, the sound of the man's boots muffled somewhat in the pattering rain. Turning to see, Midna saw the feet of her wolf in Hylian's clothing. She smiled satisfied with his appearance. There was no point in denying he was attractive even by her standards, but she was not happy about this, it was the fact that he had been worried. 'Silly little wolf.'

Link picked her up, cradling her as if she were a child. She struggled at the embarrassing situation, but that was more out of general principle than any real shame. A princess should not be carried by her ward as if he were her equal.

'Who am I kidding?' she thought as she quietly nodded her head against his chest, 'He's the Sacred Beast for shadow's sake! If he doesn't have the right, who does?'

After several minutes of Link waiting for her to recover her strength, Midna finally reoriented herself with her surroundings, and melted back into his shadow. The man's face was carefully blank of anything betraying his thoughts or feelings, but Midna was grateful all the same. She had no clue what he felt but, she could guess the thought running through his head.

It was almost over.

The mere concept of it made an ecstatic shiver travel down her spine. She wanted to laugh, but she schooled her features into a grim visage whenever Link glanced her way.

Link looked up at the castle. There was anticipation in his skin, something that threatened to burst forth and wreck havoc across this last fortress. He knew that there was a chance he could die in that castle, Midna had made it perfectly clear to him that he could very well die from just about anything during their walk to the barrier.

Even so, he could not help but want to laugh, but he kept his cool and watched the castle, drinking in the image for future reference, and appreciate the beauty of it.

A loud clap of thunder signaled the beginning of his adventure into the castle.

The fights that followed were vicious. It seemed that now that they were so close to the ending, fate had decided to play for the other side. Enemies came in formations now, much better ones than the haphazard forces of the desert Bulbins. There was a method to the madness of it all, as Link cut through and made his way towards his goal, with madness in his own method.

It took him the better part of the entire day just to clear the garden of its pests, and at the very end of it, Link was panting and aching all over.

"Rest," Midna told him, as she pinned him with her whole body. It spoke of how exhausted Link was if he could not move even her tiny body aside. She was surprised he had lasted as long as he did against King Bulbin.

Link grunted and tried to get up, but he could barely lift his arm, let alone push Midna off him. That did not stop him.

Midna pushed his arm away easily, narrowing her one visible eye at him with annoyance. "If you move so much as a finger, I swear I'll bind you for the rest of the night and make you sleep hogtied." She heard a threatening rumble in his throat. "We might die soon anyway, so maybe I'll have my wicked way with you too."

She ended that last sentence with a gentle touch to his face; she looked at him with what she hoped was a seductive expression. A small part of her mind wondered if imps could even do seduction.

Link's sharp blue eyes stared at her with something akin to astonishment. Then, fast as the shock came, something that sounded suspiciously like a snort escaped, and then he dissolved into a weak laughter that carried more emotion than he would ever dare admit. He closed his eyes and felt his gut ache painfully as the laughter left a knife in his side.

The young Twili was not surprised. Instead, she too began to laugh as she considered the idea as something more than a spur of the moment thing. It had a certain appeal to it, and she would not lie to herself, because some part of her wished it were possible.

Would the gods ever stop playing with their lives?

A sudden cold feeling gripped Midna at the end of that thought.

Midna felt herself vomit a little as the images flashed through her head. Arcs of power danced across her mind as the sounds and sights rushed in, flooding her senses with information that she never knew. Her skin registered pain and pleasure at once as memories that were never hers rushed through her mind.

Times that never came to be, such as Colin's death at the hands of King Bulbin, or a bombing of Kakariko. . . such things entered her. Midna found herself remembering things that never existed or suddenly vanished. The Master Sword falling deep into the pits of the lake, the Sages never assisting Midna or Link with information. . .

This…was not the future. This was the past, this had already happened.

Midna shook her head, and gripped her helmet as if to steady herself. Her eyes hurt as they witnessed chains of events that never happened or could never happen.

Link losing an arm to the shadow beasts in the Mirror Chamber.

Zant imprisoning her in the dungeons of the Palace of Twilight.

Zelda scorning her for her appearance.

It all made Midna want to scream. She could not for some reason; otherwise, she would be tearing her vocal cords to pieces. The red head was barely aware of the real world anymore. She felt Link holding her, but that seemed meaningless to all the lives she was suddenly living.

There were strangers in them too. People neither she nor Link ever met in their travels. One man was dressed in all green, hanging in the air by a red balloon. There was girl, also a redhead, and she looked to be taking care of a horse. A strange mask flashed past her, and terror seized Midna as she felt something abominable hiding within the mask.

It was as if someone had unplugged the stopper preventing mortals from recalling perfectly the lives of all those lost to history. Midna clenched her fist, trying to will it away with her focus. No such luck.

After what seemed like years, Midna felt the past retreat. Her breathing was heavy and labored as she gripped the fabric of the tunic beneath her.

Staring at nothing, and feeling far too small, Midna struggled to remain conscious. A coppery taste in her mouth told her she had bit the inside of her cheek too hard. The Twili winced as she rubbed her face with her hand. "Dammit."

It was still tender, but nothing more than an annoyance that was going to pester her the rest of the day.

A rough hand came down and shook her gently. Midna swore and closed her eyes, steadying herself before she opened eyes and glared at Link, who seemed unperturbed by the deathly gaze.

"I'm okay," Midna lied, easily and perfectly, "I just felt woozy, that's all."

The blond man gave her a disbelieving look before he shook his head before he put it back down. He stared at the sky, saying nothing. By now, the storm had already gone and all that remained were the marshy grounds and the wet duo lying right in the middle.

After a few moments, Link began to get up and Midna made to stop him, but his strength seemed to have returned to him by that point. He pushed the little Twili abruptly, knocking her to the ground, surprising her with the sudden action.

Link stared at her intently, but his gaze was only met with grumbling. She knew he was testing her to see if she really was okay. She was not, but her pride would never let her admit it, especially to her wolf.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go." She said as she floated up to eye level and threatened to kiss him with her proximity. "Can't have you lollygagging behind now, can't I?"

She stared at his face intensely, only to turn away with a huff and float away.

The man followed her like a dog.


She was dead.

A large portion of the Twili had wondered what would happen to them when they would die. After being banished into the realm of perpetual twilight, there had been a question that most had felt very uncomfortable with. What would happen after their death?

Tradition had long since provided the answer to the masses, and that was that the gates to the Sacred Realm would open for their souls. The land where the holy power was supposed to be enshrined at, a paradise beyond even the description of words that would never be harmed or toyed with…this was what the Sacred Realm was to her people.

When the judgment was rained down upon them, her people had found refuge in their faith. Perverse and twisted as some of them were, Midna could not help but respect the power of hope in such a hopeless tribe such as they were. It brought her own small amount of admiration for her people. Yes, they had royally screwed themselves over by defying the goddesses, but time had changed them. They had learned from their mistakes, and they had grown.

The uncomfortable questions were never really answered by anyone. Many theories popped up, some gaining credibility while others were dismissed as ridiculous. Regardless, Logic stood no chance against the ebbing tide of Hope, and eventually fear and panic were replaced by heart and strength.

That was what the history books said. Midna had no doubt that the chain of events probably was something like that, but with more bloodshed and chaos than the books let on. Very few books felt inclined to include the gory stuff, she noticed, and so she took some things with a grain of salt when their sources were from such devious items.

Now though, she was living history. Or was it dying history? She did not know nor did she care.

All around her was color. Violets, indigoes, vermilions, sunshine, life, love, tears, wills….all flowed together and somehow worked in unison. A constantly moving vortex of absolute unity twisted and turned and a heavenly wind blew across her face as she indulged in the sensation. Warm whispers of comfort and sleep seeped through her skin and Midna was temporarily paralyzed by the wondrous sensation the gripped her.

"Oh, Link-" Midna began contentedly, until she remembered the sequence of events up to then.

The Twilight Princess looked around once more, and she realized with a certainty that shocked even her, that this was the Sacred Realm.

At that point, Midna was very much on guard.

"You always were an untrusting fellow, Princess," sang a voice more perfect than any musical orchestra, "and cynical as well. Relax, you are safe now. The shadow of existence had not claimed just yet."

Midna turned, and she suddenly noticed that she no longer had short stubby legs or a small child's body. She looked down in wonder at her body, running her hands up from her legs to her head, a faint whisper escaping her mouth as she touched a body she had almost forgotten existed.

"You like this? Hrm?" rang out another voice, and it fell on Midna's ears as sweeter than honey. "With good reason too. Your vanity was not without due cause…by your standards of course."

"Don't get enamored with her so quickly my sister. Her path is not ours to read any longer," called out another, just as perfect as harmonious as the other two. "So let us commune and begin with the trade."

"Trade?" Midna called out, ignoring the scenery around her and concentrating on the voices. It was hard, but she managed to do so, "What if I don't want to trade anything?"

"You will, dear Princess. A beggar rarely has a choice when it comes to food now, isn't that right?" This time there was a warning note, steel under wiring that lined the voice with thorns.

Midna bristled at being called a beggar but she relented. She had a rough guess as to whom she was talking to, and if she was right, than as much as the Twilight Princess did not want to admit it, they had every reason to call her a vagrant.

Slowly, Midna saw the three forms appear from the background. A strange line of something golden began weaving itself, and eventually Midna made out a foot, followed by legs, and so on and so forth. As the head wove, brilliant green eyes opened, and hair the color of nature emerged from the scalp of the woman.

"Oh Farore…" said the awed Twili. The goddess smiled charmingly at the phrase, and picked an iris out of her striking green tresses. Midna stared at it, feeling small and like a child as she picked it out of the goddesses offering hand.

Midna looked to Farore's side, and she went weak in the knees a she spotted the rest of the famous trio. All equally stunning, all equally beautiful, and all possessing powers so mighty even Ganondorf would bow down to them.

"You have been suffering as of late," stated one of the three, Din, judging by the explosions, frozen in time, which made up her eyes.

"From a power that you should not have right to," said Nayru, her eyes serene and eternal.

Farore nodded with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Power?" Midna asked, "Do you mean the Fused Shadows? Listen, I only used them because there was no-"

Din held up a hand, and Midna shut up faster than the Magic Armor sucked Rupees. "We are not referring to your clan's magicks. Do not attempt to lie to yourself or us. We have no need to do the same for you after all."

Scolded by a goddess. Link would never let her live it down if he found out.

"The Hero is part of it, but not entirely," said Farore, interrupting her sister in a strangely peaceful tone, "We are referring to the remnant of Wisdom still inside you."

Midna looked away from the deities.

She had thought about it, sure, but never had she dared to believe it. The Triforce of Wisdom belonged to Zelda, and since Zelda had literally handed Midna her body and soul for the shadow princess to live on in. It only made sense that Wisdom would follow its vessel, even if that did mean another container. The idea though, was so far-fetched that Midna could not bring herself to believe that the golden goddesses of the Light would allow a princess of Twilight to possess such a thing.

Wisdom was said to have the ability to decipher lies and reveal truth. It was even reputed, according to the book she had read so long ago, to allow its bearer the ability to divine the future albeit in short periods. It would have explained everything about Midna's visions had it not been for the fact that thousands of those visions never happened.

"The wind does not blow in one direction only, child," trilled Nayru as she took a step forward. Then she smiled. "Why the shock? Your heart is ours to hear, and yours to speak. Words are unnecessary among us."

Midna took a step back, uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going.

"My avatar was skilled in its usage, but she did not account for what would happen when she turned herself over into you. She was a creature of Light, and you of Twilight. However, not by any instruction on our part, you were her opposite, or at least the Triforce perceived it as such.

"Time does not matter to Wisdom, which is all seeing and scopes out eternity. It did not portray the future to you, Midna, because the past was all it sought whilst locked within you."

The past…that explained all those memories that never were. Her head still ached as she thought of them, words and images that came from a stranger's life, not hers.

"But that means that all I remember really happened." Midna thought aloud as she pieced the clues together, "and that's not really possible. Is it?"

Din took over the conversation now. She radiated heat and warmth, but her voice gave away none of this. "Wisdom sees through all deceit…even ours."

A bad feeling was coming over Midna. From what the goddess said, it was as if they had somehow tricked everyone in Hyrule somehow, something that certainly was not beyond the scope of their ability. In fact, it would probably have been child's play for them.

All those horrors, all those things that Midna had been sure never happened, had. Link had died hundreds of times, either from something as simple as choking on a piece of fish bone, to getting mutilated and violently destroyed by hordes of Bulbins eager to appease their leader. Monstrosity after monstrosity had killed Link, but somehow he had survived enough to the point of facing Ganondorf.

Midna did not have to ask before she got the answer in the form of a miracle.

Farore, who had been twiddling her hair much like an anxious mortal woman, picked a black rose from behind her ear, and held it by its stem, away from its thorns. Almost immediately the rose wilted, its petals falling off, and the rest of it shriveling worse than a dried prune. Then, once it was definitively dead and the damage seemed irreparable, it began to re-bloom. The stem thickened and hardened as moisture clogged it, and a small bud emerged from the decayed stem of the previous flower. White petals unfurled and glistened in the light of the Sacred Realm.

"No," Midna said as she saw the miracle, "You- you witch!"

The goddesses did not seem surprised by this reaction; instead, they looked as if they were expecting it. Midna suddenly did not care if it would damn her to an eternity of hell, but goddess or not, what they had done crossed the line.

"Is he just some toy to you?" she hissed, her magic flaring up in response to her anger, "Do you think you can just bring him back just like that, if he did something wrong? What kind of sick twisted world are you running anyways!?"

"The Hero had to remove Ganondorf from the man's position of power," reasoned Din, her heavenly face frowning as she looked at Midna, "He retained any and all experience after each subsequent reset."

"Reset? RESET?" Midna roared, wanting nothing more than to slap the woman in front of her. "He died. He died thousands of times, and you don't care at all! 'Oops, he's gone and fallen into lava. Reset!' 'Too bad that dragon burned him to ashes. Reset!' If I weren't so sure you'd blast me to kingdom come, I'd hurt you."

The three goddesses stared silently at Midna. None of them seemed have been all that shaken up by her explosive anger. Farore even tried to offer her another flower.

Midna stared into those green pools of life, and she hated everything in them. Nothing so pure and wondrous should have been able to do what they had done. With a sneer of disgust, Midna slapped the flower out of the goddess' hand.

The red-haired princess did not know what she was expecting as a response, but a kiss on the cheek and dirty thoughts sure were not it.

Backing away, Midna tried to calm down as she kept eyeing the goddesses.

"We already know you plan on sealing the door to Twilight," continued Nayru, as if the sudden altercation had never taken place to begin with, "but we must ask that you return what little of Wisdom you have left to either I, or my chosen vessel. If you choose not to, you risk the entire future of Hyrule."

'They don't even use their names,' Midna thought as she thought over those words, 'And…they seem awfully interested in Hyrule, even though it's only part of the Light Realm.'

The deities made no motion to indicate they knew of Midna's thoughts, but the twili knew they were aware of how she thought. This only frustrated her even more.

"What do I get out of it?" she challenged, "I could learn to use the Triforce and help my realm, maybe enough so that we wouldn't have anymore psychos like Zant who lust after the light realm their entire lives."

It was a cheap shot, but they had obviously been playing dirty since a long time ago.

Din nodded appreciatively and slowly, as if talking with a child. "You could, and we would not be able to do anything about it. Nayru's vessel has made you an entirely new class of creature with your partial Triforce and cursed magicks. You are, now, the only being to be even partially resistant to us.

"But would you go through with your resolve?"

It was a rhetorical question, and one that did not even need to have been vocalized. Midna was well aware of the implications of weakened Triforce pieces. Link had barely survived up to that point with one whole one, and Zelda likely would not have been nearly as useful an ally without Wisdom to guide her.

Could she damn future generations of men and women, Gorons and Zora, to a future of oppression at Ganondorf's or whatever else's hands? There was no chance that evil would not arise once more, and Hyrule had need of its Hero and its Princess when such times came; and a weakened princess was an almost useless one.

Midna hung her head. "Fine," she spat out bitterly, knowing but hating it was the best thing to do, "I accept that offer but on the condition you never play games with the lives of the Hero ever again."

"Impossible."

An immediate reply, and from none other than Farore too.

"Why?" demanded the frustrated princess.

"How else would they grow? Natural training?" asked the green-haired goddess as she fiddled with her bare toes. "You saw how skilled Link was before his quest. He was barely able to fight off Bokoblins, and that was with years of training under his belt."

The goddess stopped with her toes and began playing the air, her fingers falling into a strange soundless rhythm. "It was, in the long term, best for everyone."

"That doesn't excuse what you've done to him." Midna retorted scathingly.

Farore looked up. "We're goddesses, we don't need excuses," she stated, in a voice so final that Midna could feel it closing doors. "If we wanted, we could have let you die as well. Though you may at least be able to resist us, once the black cowl has claimed you, you belong to us.

"You are under the impression you can boast and haggle your way through this deal," she said, her face tragically twisted by the sorrow in her voice, "Please, do not confront us anymore on this matter. We would be saddened if things stayed as they were."

"You have toyed with the lives of so many good people," Midna's answered, "Heroes and Princesses alike. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this was just some test you're putting me through. Before I decide though, you said there was something else. Something involving Link, right?"

The golden goddesses smiled, and nothing would have satisfied Midna more than to wipe such things off their faces. "You have matured, more than we thought. Your ordeals have been good to you, and we are bearing witness to your greatness right now."

"Be quiet," Midna hissed, biting down to keep from saying anything much worse, "I don't need your sycophantic praises poisoning my mind. I know I've changed, the same way my people grew and prospered, even after you abandoned them to life in perpetual twilight. We've done well without you, and you know it."

They still wore their euphoria inducing smiles. What would Midna give to slap even one of them, to prove that they were not infallible?

"The amazing progress of your people is duly noted, Twilight Princess," began Nayru, "and we would like to express our regret in having banished them long ago. This is the compensation we are offering for you, in exchange for Wisdom and the Hero: the chance to return to the realm of Light."

Whatever sarcasm Midna had prepared for the blue-haired goddess died on her lips as she processed those last few words. A chance to return to the Light realm….that was more than her ancestors had dared to ever dream of after centuries of banishment. It was more than just a change of home, it was, essentially redemption. It was once more adjoining themselves with the goddesses of creation, foregoing their bloody past and the first step to a greater future.

As a ruler, could she ever say no to such a thing?

"You said that you want the Hero," Midna started slowly, contemplating the ramifications of her choices if she were to acquiesce or deny the offer. "What exactly do you mean? He's one of yours, and you know it."

Din quirked an eyebrow, and her smooth sensuous lips pulled back into a smirk, "Indeed, yet the Sacred Beast within him recognizes none of us as his mistress. It would seem that you bind him to yourself more so tightly that even he defies us."

Midna's stomach did a flip.

Could it be true? If so, then if she returned Link to the trio before her, he would be subject to a life of service as their marionette, but one that would last for an indefinite amount of time so long as they wished it? On the other hand, if she stood tall with a firm grasp on his leash, it was likely that his next death would be the last.

She sat down, and cradled her head in her arms as she thought of it all. There was too much to consider and all the choices seemed wrong.

These were Farore, Nayru, and Din, the three that created all of the Light Realm and that left the power of the Triforce behind. They were eulogized and lionized in all sorts of works and traditions. People would give their lives in their names, and many would strike at any one that spoke ill of them. How would these people live with themselves if they ever learned of their nature?

And her wolf, how did he fit in to their scheme? Was he just some creature they made, specifically to foil a lunatic's strike at unilateral tyranny. Was the entire Hero pantheon before him like that?

Finally, after much deliberation, Midna made her decision and stood up.

"Just who do you think I am?" she said quietly, fury etched into her expression like a stone's grooves.

End Chapter 2

Author Notes: Sadly, though this chapter is up already, that is because it was already done. Those who read that insanely long oneshot of mine before know that this is the second half of that, so that means that no, my updates will not be daily. I will try to make it weekly, but there is a chance it won't even be that.

Despite that, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. The scene with the goddesses is actually the first scene that popped into my head as the idea for this fic came, and I knew then I just had to get it down somehow. Midna v. the goddesses? It's basically tug of war on a cosmic scale.

Next chapter will finally feature Zelda, and a deviation from video game canon. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, feel free to leave a review and whatnot.

And so forthwith, until next chapter.