Chapter 3—Cold Soup
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The elements permitted Midna to see a mere five feet ahead of her. She wasn't in the least bit cold, however, for her magical barrier that she created kept the snow out, and the heat in. Link's hat, which she was now wearing, was also extremely cozy. She stumbled in the snow still, however, for it was now two feet deep.
I'll never make it in time at this pace. Midna finally reached the icicle tree and remembered what Link had done. He made it look fairly simple, so it was worth a try.
Summoning her magic once more, she unloosened the largest shard she could see. Link had ridden his snowboard on his feet, but Midna figured that she would have more stability if she were sitting. Manually steering would also result in her falling multiple times, so she would once more rely on her magic to push the sled left or right.
If I were still an imp, my barrier would have been depleted in mere minutes. It is so much more convenient in this form.
Midna pushed the sled forward and started the descent to Yeto's manor. She was obviously proficient with her magic because her sled moved much quicker than when Link had gone down—it was also far less jerky.
Taking the moment to think, Midna did some quick calculations in her head. It took Link around twenty minutes to reach the bottom; with my speed, I'll be there in ten.
As the trees and snow whooshed past, Midna could not erase the image of Link lying down in the snow, shivering so hard that a dog's wagging tail could not keep up. The worst part of it all was his ankle—it was probably so cold that he couldn't even feel it anymore.
She instantly blotted out the image by reminding herself that he was probably at Yeto's place. He would be drinking warm soup by the fire, and his leg would be fine. Midna still cursed at herself—Break his ankle!? What is wrong with me?
She began hitting her forehead in the same manner that she would if she was knocking on a door. I am such an idiot… mischief is my middle name, but that was just heartless.
Midna quickly stopped hitting herself, for the mansion finally came in to view. She ran (at least, as fast as the snow would permit) to the door and pounded on it loudly. Her knuckles were beginning to hurt.
Miniature explosions could be heard from behind the door, each one coming soon after the previous. After an annoyingly long time, the door creaked open: a humongous white Yeti stood before Midna; she felt like an imp all over again.
Yeto scratched his head, taking in Midna's strange appearance. "Who are you?"
Ignoring his question, Midna quickly blurted, "Has Link come by your home recently?" Yeto started itching his chin, eyeing Midna. "How you know the little human? You one of the monsters, uh?"
Shaking her head, Midna replied, "No, I'm not a monster. I'm Link's best friend." Well, most people would call me a monster; I certainly feel like one after what I did to him… I probably shouldn't even call myself his best friend anymore.
This thought made Midna frightful: What if she had crossed a line of no return? Her actions may have taken away the one thing she was going to need, now that she was in the light realm: A friend.
True, Zelda was going to be on her side, but she would never understand her like Link did. Link always knew if there was something troubling Midna.
She probably couldn't make new friends in Hyrule either. Everyone would flee from her appearance, regardless if the men were somewhat attracted to her. She would be jeered at and mocked by the Hylians, and Link wouldn't be there to stand up for her…
Midna suddenly realized that Yeto had begun talking. "…ink's friend, uh? In that case, come in for soup! It be nice and warm, uh. I'm sure there plenty if Link come soon." He threw his arms in the air to show the size of his cooking pot.
"Wait, Link hasn't come around?" Midna gasped. There's no time to lose.
Turning around, Midna made a mad dash back to her sled. Yeto was yelling something, but his words were carried away by the unforgiving storm.
Jumping onto the sled and not bothering to sit down, Midna propelled it up the slope of the mountain. It was significantly slower than a downhill ride, but much faster than running. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Midna started shouting Link's name.
In this weather, however, nothing could be heard from afar. Continuing to shout his name, Midna started looking for places that Link might have use for shelter.
Please don't leave me… I was stupid… Please forgive me…
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My leg doesn't hurt and my whole body feels relaxed and warm; this has to be heaven. Link's body felt like it was floating. Blissful memories flew through his mind, starting with his childhood. Memories of the first time he got Epona, the time he met Ilia, and the day he herded his first goat.
Link started chuckling. It's not every day where you look back on your life. This is much better than I was dealing with thirty minutes ago: My best friend yelling at me, my leg broken, freezing in the snow; bah, it's all in the past now. Forget about the past—enjoy the present!
Link was now in a flowery field, the sun shining brightly above him. Epona was to his left, and Ilia was to his right.
Ilia is silly. Ha-ha, she's smiling at me. Silly smile. Ooh, and Epona is snorting. Silly horse. Boy, life sure is silly.
Everything was silent around Link—all that could be heard was the soft wind and Link's laughing. The flowers looked pretty to him, so Link started rolling around in them.
I love flowers. Why don't I roll around in them more often? I'll have to keep that in mind for the future.
Suddenly, out of the sky came an angel. Everything about her was perfect: she was beautiful, her smile gleamed, and her skin was smooth.
Wait, it's just Midna. Waving his arms, Link attempted to shoo her away. Go away, Midna. You're supposed to be sulking in your corner, remember? Hmm, but Arbiter's Grounds is round; how will you manage that?
Drawing his sword, Link swung it left and right in the air. Unfortunately, his sword turned out to be a large lollipop. No matter, it would still work to swat her out of the sky. After a few attempts, Link knocked Midna down to the ground, and she was now at his feet.
Bye Midna! Link barked cheerily, and turned away to begin rolling around again.
"Please…" Midna sobbed. Link turned around.
"Don't die on me…" Link looked at himself. No cuts or bruises. He was sure he was still alive.
"Please, wake up!" I'm pretty sure I'm awake, Midna! Get your facts straight! Link started rolling around in the flowers again. He would deal with Midna later. Look at the bright side: at least her tears were watering the grass.
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Midna had pulled Link into her protective barrier and was now holding him in her arms. Her warm tears bounced off of his icy face, which was now covered in frost. His skin was bitter to touch, but Midna didn't care.
The only reason Midna had found Link's hiding place was because of her definition of a cave: she checked every spot that resembled a cave even slightly, and this was one of the few locations that she would have missed had her definition of "cave" been, "a large opening in cliff side."
The tears that relentlessly fell from Midna's eyes did not slow. The spots that they landed on were starting to melt away the frost, but to little extent. Link was still frozen, and Midna was still sitting around.
I have to get him someplace that can help. Her mind was thinking intently on Link, so Midna could only think of one location: Ordon Village.
She quickly summoned the blanket that Link was looking for earlier and wrapped him in it. She focused on Ordon Springs, and suddenly disappeared.
I was stupid… forgive me.
