The Legend of Midna

Act 1 - To Enter the Twilight

Chapter 1: Resurgence

The bulblin scrambled backward, shrieking in fear as the remains of its blade clattered to the ground. With one swift slice, Link chopped off its head and whirled around, slamming his shield into the other bulblin that had attempted to sneak up behind him. It snarled and retaliated with an overhead slice designed to cleave the hero in two. The blade bounced harmlessly off Link's shield, sending the bulblin careening off balance. Seizing his chance, Link stabbed the monster through its chest. He watched in silence as it fell to the ground, writhing in agony. When its body went limp, Link sheathed his sword and walked out of the cave.

Even though Ganondorf had been defeated and the Twilight had receded, the bulblins had continued to press their attacks on Ordon Village. Every day, several bulblins scouted Faron Woods, seeking an opening to attack the village that would never exist. And each day, Link and Rusl headed out to drive them away or thin their numbers. With every victory, the skirmishes became fewer and fewer. Slowly but surely, Link and Rusl were pushing them back to wherever they'd come from.

Rusl! Link's eyes narrowed as he searched the forest for the older warrior. He broke into a sprint as the faint shouts and clangs of battle reached his ears, hoping his former mentor in the martial arts was okay. Bounding up the steps that overlooked a makeshift fortress, Link came to a halt, nocking and loosing two arrows from bow before his brain had registered the sight before him. Rusl was down on one knee, blood seeping from a trio of cuts on his leg and forearms. Three bulblins had surrounded him, and it was taking everything the warrior had to keep them off of him. The arrows struck true, snuffing out two of the three bulblins in a single instant. Shocked, the last turned its gaze skyward as Link descended toward it, Ordon sword poised to strike. The blade pierced its skull as Link's boots smashed into its chest, driving the twisted creature into the ground. He waited a moment to ensure its death before extracting his blade and offering a gloved hand to Rusl. He accepted with a nod and winced as the younger man helped him stand.

"I owe you one, Link. Another moment and they would have had me."

Link nodded in response. "Can you make it back to Ordon? I can finish up here."

Rusl grunted and took a swig of one of Sera's healing potions. "I can manage." He placed one hand on Link's shoulder. "You've grown so much in so little time. I'm proud of you and all you've done, Link, but… experiences like the ones you've had can change a man."

Link stiffened. Of all the people in Ordon, Rusl had been the most accepting of his return, trusting that the young man's word that he was alright and that there was nothing to talk about.

"I'm fine, Rusl. Go home."

Rusl stared at him for a moment. "If that's what you want. You know you can always talk to me, right?"

The hero sighed, but continued to stare at the trees before him. "I know."

Rusl removed his hand from Link's shoulder and closed his eyes. "Be careful, Link."

By the time the older warrior opened his eyes, Link was gone.

Link steadily trudged homeward. Bulblin blood dripped from his gauntlets and left a dark trail on the ground, the only sign he'd been fighting for most of the day. As he washed his gauntlets at Ordona's spring, a distant half of him expected Midna to pop out of his shadow and lecture him for being so slow. Of course, it would never happen. The fact that she was gone was still too much for him to bear even now, four months after her departure. He refused to accept the fact that he would never again hear her voice or see those amber eyes gaze back at him.

Link donned his gauntlets and continued down the road to his home. Did Midna miss him? Did she even think of him anymore? Had the Twili accepted her as their ruler again? More questions tugged at his mind, but a nicker from Epona startled him out of his musings. Tying Epona's reins back to the tree, Link grimaced as he realized who was waiting for him. Ilia stood next to the ladder to his house. He avoided her laser sharp gaze as he removed the saddle from Epona's back.

"Link."

He froze as Ilia gently put her hand on his shoulder. "What's troubling you?"

Link shrugged her hand off. "What makes you think something's wrong?" he snapped.

"Oh, Link..." Ilia turned from him to stare off into the sunset. "We've barely even heard you speak since you came back." It was true, too - since Link had returned to Ordon Village, the villagers had begun to notice that the once ever-cheerful farmhand was no more, replaced by a moody and reclusive stranger. Though everyone in the village had attempted to talk to him about it, he refused to answer them. Only Ilia had persisted.

"You never acted this way before you left." She turned to face him once more. "We're your friends, Link! If something's bothering you, you need to talk to us!"

"And I am telling you nothing's wrong!" Link half-snarled, and bit back words that would have sent Ilia running home in tears. "Look, Ilia, I don't want to talk to anyone right now. It's late, I'm tired, and there's more work to do tomorrow. So please, get out of my way and leave me be."

"I will get out of your way."

Link started forward. "Thank –"

"After you tell me what's wrong!" The woman placed her hands on her hips.

Link grit his teeth. "No." One hand slipped into the clawshot, still securely fastened on his belt. "Goodbye, Ilia." With one motion, the hero aimed and fired the clawshot, letting its chain drag him up to the door of his house.

"Link!" He ignored the girl, placing the clawshot back on his belt.

"Go home, Ilia!"

When another angry outburst never came, Link stepped to the railing and looked down. Ilia was looking up at him, her eyes a misty green.

"I don't know what happened to you on your journey, Link, but surely there's someone out there who does. If you won't talk to me, then..." Ilia sighed. "At least talk to them." When he failed to even acknowledge her remark, she left, tears slowly streaming down her cheeks.

Surely there's someone out there who does. Despite his stoic appearance, the words had hit home with Link. He'd need some time to think about it, but for the most part Ilia was probably right. She usually was.

Midna pinched the bridge of her nose. The shouting match between the councilors had died down to a comfortable grumbling as each councilor thought over the proposal they'd been presented with. By Xenos, how did Mother and Father ever deal with these incompetent fools? she wondered. Of course, none of the councilors she glared at now was anything but incompetent. The Council of Thirteen, as they were called, was the ruling body of the Twilight Realm, second only to the Ruler of the Twilight. More importantly, they were a group of venomous snakes, looking to backstab each other for political favor, and perhaps even the throne – if they were cunning enough.

"Enough!" boomed a firm voice, and the chamber fell silent. Another Twili, dressed in simple black robes, stood from his chair. "We will reconvene tomorrow at the usual hour. I urge you all to come back with valid arguments as to why we cannot help rebuild the farmlands for the citizens of our land. If not, then –"

Midna smoothed her gown as she stood from her seat. "- Then we will have no choice but to pass this proposition. Thank you, High Chancellor Balore, and members of the Council of Thirteen, for your time today." She winced inwardly at how smooth and alien her words sounded to her ears. Zelda must have rubbed off on me more than I thought. "High Chancellor, may I have a word?"

Balore nodded and weaved his way around the desks to her as the rest of the council filed out of the assembly room. "Yes, Princess?"

Midna waited until the last councilor shut the door behind her before speaking. "I wanted to thank you for ending that… display of idiocy."

Balore waved one hand at her. "Someone has to look out for my sanity. And yours, of course."

The princess shook her head. Of all the councilors, Balore was the only one that never seemed to be out for personal gain. Her father and mother had trusted him over their years as rulers, and she was slowly beginning to see why.

The chancellor cleared his throat. "I had intended to talk to you before the session, but I'm afraid other matters required my attention."

Curious, Midna remained silent. What could he possibly have to talk about?

"As you may know, Princess Midna… only a king or a queen may rule the Realm of Twilight."

Midna blanched. He isn't going where I think he's going with this, is he?

"No acting ruler has ever gone more than six months without m-"

"Don't finish that sentence, Balore," she growled.

"- marrying," he continued, ignoring her outburst. "It's been four months since you returned, Princess. I understand that the reconstruction efforts have taken up much of your energy, but it is time – past time – that you consider marriage proposals." He gestured at the door. "There are plenty of eligible bachelors –"

"And all of them are snakes, through and through! I can only think of one –" Midna clamped her mouth shut, even as thoughts of a hero clad in forest green flashed through her mind. No one knew of her affections for Link, and as far as she was concerned, no one would.

"Only one?" pressed Balore. "May I ask who -"

"No."

"Princess –"

A spark of twilight magic arced between her fingers. "This conversation is over, High Chancellor! I expect you to be here, on time, tomorrow morning!" Midna spun on one heel and strode out the door, fuming the entire way back to her personal chambers. Once inside, she slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Midna, please," came Balore's muted voice through the door. "I owe it to your parents, at least, to assure your safety."

Midna sighed and opened the door. "Get in here," she snapped, and shut the door behind them as Balore sat on a chair. "What does marriage have to do with my safety? And no history lessons, please, just spit it out!"

The chancellor opened his mouth, then shut it. "As you wish. As you surely remember, ours is a culture steeped in tradition… if you do not marry, the nobles may very well drop their support. The people love you, but it is the nobles who hold true power – never forget that."

"There is no one in this realm I would have as a husband, so the nobles will just have to deal with it," said Midna, and turned away. The smell of iron mixed with grass and leather teased her nostrils. "I will not marry, Balore. I know it's unusual, but some have ruled alone before."

He sighed. "You may not have a choice in the matter."

Midna turned and fixed him with a stare. "Explain."

"Several chancellors have debated asking you to abdicate should you not choose a suitor within the next few months. Dulcinea, in particular, has been very active as of late. I believe she means to have the throne, and I will not see you lose it over an issue easily solved." Balore closed his eyes. "Please. I only ask you to consider this, not make a decision now –"

"Why do you care so much?" interrupted the princess. "Everyone on the Council of Thirteen is out for themselves, and themselves only. There's always an angle they're looking to play. You were a friend of my parents, it's true, but…" she trailed off.

"You're not sure you can trust me," finished Balore, and looked up at her. "I understand. But no matter what you may think, I swore an oath to your mother that if anything ever happened to her, I would watch over you. And I will not fail Mystearica, not in this." He looked away.

"I… see." Midna looked away. Perhaps he understands the pain of loss more than I thought.

The two remained in silence for a minute until at last, Balore rose from his seat. "Well, then. If you'll excuse me, Princess?"

And just like that, whatever moment between them had passed. "Of course, High Chancellor. I'll see you tomorrow."

When the door closed behind him, Midna sat down at her desk and took a moment to gaze outside her window at the serenity of the Twilight Realm beyond the palace – and shot up out of her chair, her eyes focused on the writhing black mass of bodies heading toward the steps that led to the palace.

"Impossible," breathed Midna, one hand clenching into a fist as she caught sight of the familiar eerie stone masks each of them wore.

The Twilight Messengers had returned.

Author's Note: When I first wrote The Legend of Midna I had no idea it would expand into two stories. Now that I'm rewriting it, I can include things that hadn't existed or been thought of when I wrote the first half. Also, I think I've gotten worse at suspense over the years. Yep. Feel free to drop a review. No ETA on the next chapter but I'd like to have it done within the next few weeks.