Heeeyy!

Thank you for the feedback! I answered them on the last minute, but I did! I would like to talk about something, though, nothing bad. Astercia's review made me realize something; this is what they said:

"Wouldn't it be better for them to live in Hyrule? I know that you said the Twili are sensitive to the light (although I'm certain there are way's around that), but if Zelda is the King's only child then who is going to take over after him?"

I'm going to clear this up in case someone is thinking along the same lines. What I'm going for is that they will go to Hyrule eventually - Link says it a few times starting on this chapter, but I didn't make it very clear; I should probably edit one chap and add this. Zelda will take her father's place with Link by her side, but until the need for that arises she'll stay in Twilight, which is a place safe for him, so she can try to get to know Link. You've already seen he is the angry kind of guy, if he were to marry and immediately move to Hyrule things would be worse than they already are haha

Guest Reviews

Reader314: Sooo sorry for not replying to your first review, I was so excited to update I forgot certain this orz but thank you so much! I'm glad to know you like my writing (I try so hard omg) and the story so far! :D You'll see how the married life will suit them; it's hard to talk without spoiling aaaaaAA

Talking about spoilers, I might add few comments at the end of the chaps to comment on a few things without spoiling them. Just cause I'm a lazy bum and don't want to edit Annular Eclipse, know that last chapter was written based on the feeling I get when listening toUltraviolence, by Lana Del Rey!

Enjoy!

Have I told you I find you too cute to be true?

[edited 2018.03.06]

Umbra

The umbra is the darkest part of the Moon's shadow. From within the umbra, the Sun is completely blocked by the Moon as in the case of a total eclipse. This contrasts with the penumbra, where the Sun is only partially blocked resulting in a partial eclipse.

Link woke up to find her side of the bed empty and made, sheets pulled up and pillows lined by the headboard. He stretched in place, feeling his spine and joints popping, muscles moving and awakening, and slowly got up to start a new day. He pulled open the dark curtains to let the orange glow of twilight into the room and it burned his sleepy eyes. He headed to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, finding remnants of water in the bathtub and one towel hanging to dry; the rest appeared untouched. Changing from his wrinkled pajamas to a tunic of a dark grey shade, Link pinned the light tabard to the front and tied the chain about his hips. After running a hand through his unruly hair and putting on his fine headpiece, Link exited the room and went for the dining hall without any rush despite the hunger he felt.

The few servants that passed by him stopped and bowed as he went on his way. Normally he would greet them in some form, but they knew he was still bothered and possibly angry at the idea of being wedded to a stranger, so they let him go without any vocal greetings, knowing better than to speak to the hotheaded prince when he did not want to. Link was somewhat glad they had not directed any words his way, but he was far too busy wondering just where she had gone to acknowledge more than their presence in the same hallway. With long and quickening strides, he soon came up to the dining hall and slipped inside when the doors opened before him.

His father was sitting at the end of the table, wife on one side, daughter on the other. Zant sat beside Midna and Zelda sat beside his mother, but left one vacant seat between the two: his. His wife, he noticed, was having a rather amicable and polite talk with Ardian, who asked for more details of the places of Hyrule he did not have the chance to see. As soon as he entered, the conversation diverged and the attention solely focused on him. The princess avoided eye contact and lowered her silverware whilst everyone else shot him suspicious glances, and he barely had time to snap at them for his sister acted just on time.

"Good morning, sunshine." Midna teased from behind a tall glass of fresh juice and received only a low groan in answer. "Slept well? Let us hope you did not roll over Zelda. You know how much you move during the night."

Link pulled a chair and plopped down unceremoniously, glaring at his sister. "You speak too much in the morning. Have you ever thought of shutting up?"

"Link," his mother chided gently. "Manners."

"Yes, mother."

Midna had that triumphant look on her face until her mother glanced her way; her smile faltered. "And stop teasing your brother."

"Yes, mother." She sighed, narrowing her eyes when Link smirked, and went back to her meal with a huff.

Before he could even realize, Zelda was passing him the bowl of fruits, having already poured some orange juice into his glass and milk and coffee into his cup. Link silently took the desired fruits without ever looking at her face, turning away to fetch the bread as she gave him a slight smile and put the bowl away. Elliét watched the exchange with a grin on her lips, glad to see they were getting along so well.

Zelda was quiet as the five Twili chatted, talking about the latest events in their realm, things she could not comment for lack of knowledge. She settled for sipping her tea and cutting up slices of papaya and cantaloupe in her plate, and marveled at how they differed from the fruits back in Hyrule, mostly in color. They appeared to be a lot darker. She had never seen mangoes of such a deep yellow color, it had to be due to the permanent state of twilight; there was no other explanation. Ripe bananas were the color of overripe ones, and cherries were as dark as blackberries. She would have a hard time getting used to it, but at least they were just as sweet.

She was just finishing peeling an apple when they all turned to look at her, all but Link that is, and she slowly lowered the fruit and knife. "Did I miss something?"

"Are you enjoying it here?" His sister asked, one of the few times she directed her words at Zelda.

Assenting with her head, she answered. "Yes, I am. I have not seen much yet, but I have hopes I will be able to see more of the land soon." The couple sitting on the other side of the table returned her smile and slowly they fell back in another family talk, leaving Zelda to her fruits and Link to his bread. He seemed almost angry as he tore it to pieces with his bare hands, eyebrows pinched and a frown on his lips, but Zelda dared not interfere or even ask what was wrong. Simply, she touched his shoulder for only a breath and he stilled under her palm, whipping his head around to face her, but her gaze was focused elsewhere, so he turned back to his bread, this time much calmer.

Breakfast was uneventful, but somewhat enjoyable. Link spoke up at times and Zelda did not say anything unless they were directly speaking to her, choosing to take her time to eat her meal. To most she was used to eating in silence; to her husband, she was not willing to get closer or attached to them. That thought almost made him laugh. They had something in common after all; both did not want to be familiar with each other.

Link was heading to his study room to do his part of the paperwork of the day when Midna, who blocked his way by stepping before him whenever he tried to walk around her, intercepted him in the hallway. "What do you want?"

"I just want to talk, little brother."

He let out a long-suffering, dramatic sigh, which made her crack a smirk. "About what?"

"Her." Link made an almost disgusted face and walked around her, leaving Midna with the only option of following. "Don't you like her?"

"I barely know her, Midna." He said with a slight shrug, hands clasped tightly behind his back. "She doesn't talk, she doesn't do anything. She only sits and breathes and occasionally drinks water and eats something. There's not much to like."

Her sister scoffed at him and picked up her pace, coming to walk beside him in matching hurried strides. "I bet you didn't even try to talk to her."

"You're right, I didn't."

"And you expect her to come talking to you?"

They stopped before the door to his study room, Midna purposefully standing in his way so the door would not open to let him inside. Link glared up at her, but the glare she gave in return could rival his own, if not win. Accepting defeat, he motioned for her to follow him and the door slid closed behind their backs once they had walked past the threshold. The prince left his sister standing there as he sought refuge behind his desk and after getting comfortable on his chair, he continued. "Why me? Why not you?"

Midna slumped her shoulders momentarily, then chose to sit on one of the chair across from his. She regarded him as if she was tired of having that discussion again, and truthfully, she was. They had talked about it so many times it was impossible to count on two pairs of hands and feet; the number was just too high to be kept track. "Because I am the oldest and I must stay in Twilight."

"That's just an excuse."

"An excuse?" An incredulous noise left her mouth before she went on. "Link, if I were in your place I would at least try to talk to her. She seems to be smart. Surely, she won't bore you with pointless things."

"But why her? Why not a Twili? They're so much easier to understand, and besides I wouldn't have to leave here."

His sister slammed a palm on the tabletop, which made him jump. She was fed up with his attitude and complaints, but still maintained a low and controlled tone. "Are you that self-centered? She's in a strange place surrounded by strange people and you don't see her complaining. She went through extensive training to learn our language and she does not stutter once. Look at the things she did and is doing for Hyrule. It's time you start doing the same for us."

Link shot upwards, leaning forward over his desk, fists tightly pressed down on the smooth surface and teeth showing as he sneered. "Don't give me that kind of talk."

She laughed humorlessly, turning halfway from him. "I do that because it's time that you grow up."

His scowl deepened further, patience wearing thin and voice shaking. "I am grown up."

"Then act like it."

"I will do whatever I damn please!" He shouted in her face, arm sweeping out in an arch and throwing a stack of paper fluttering to the floor. "This is my marriage! You have nothing to do with it!" Midna watched as the paper sheets slowly descended to the dark ground, red irises following them as her brother huffed and slowly sat back down on his chair, gulping in air and glaring to the side. "I could care less about the people. They don't deserve anything from me. I don't owe them anything."

There was a frown on her pretty face and she bit her bottom lip. Using the populace as a motivation to have him keep doing these things had been long ago proved not to be good. It was the worst approach one could use on her brother, but not as bad as using the nobility instead. Link hated all classes, from high to low, but never acted on his feelings and did whatever he had to do because he was never given any other choice – his marriage was one example of that.

He always stood out in his own way and that was bad.

"Get out."

The princess stood and did just that, not because he ordered, though, but because talking to him when he was taken by any kind of emotion was a waste of time. It was best to leave before it got out of hand. With some more words stuck in her throat, she turned her back to him and left, missing when his features softened in the slightest. Link had not greeted Zelda that morning and left the dining hall without a single word to her. His poor wife was going to be ignored until something made him change his mind about her or someone rescued her from this life. Of all things he could do, this was the second worst, to pretend she did not exist, the first was trying and getting rid of her in any way, but Link would never wish her harm. He never wished that for any of the nobles and only Fierce Deity knew how much he despised them.

Still, Midna feared for her life and sanity. She just hoped Zelda had a strong mind and was as emotionally strong. If by any means, his actions endangered her in any way and words got to Hyrule, their marriage would be pointless. There would be no stopping the war that would rise.

Zelda admitted that the way Hyruleans described the Twili as savage monsters was way far from the truth. They all had been cordial and treated her nice so far, except her own husband, but she understood his reasons. If she could be honest with herself and them, she would say she would rather spend the first couple of days isolated from anyone just to let it sink that it had already happened, that she was taken by a man and locked on the other side of the Mirror of Twilight for the meantime. She had been preparing herself for this from the moment her father had made it clear that there was no going back, that annulling the contract was not wise and would result in another war.

Over the years, she had grown to accept this, but the idea would have sounded more... Appealing, if her father had explained the situation they were in and given her the chance to choose if she would go along with it or not. And she would have agreed, even if it took her a couple of weeks to reply, because he long ago pinned the idea in her head that she would have to sacrifice her life for her people. Arranged matrimonies happened all around Hyrule, but this was the first time a contract had been signed. It had been years since ink left a mark on paper and she still felt like a piece of land or an expensive painting in an auction. She felt like a trading object.

However, in the same way that there was no canceling the pact, there was no canceling this either. It had been done and it would remain this way for as long as she could hold their union together. If Link cooperated it would be so much easier, but he seemed to be far from willing to help. If he ever decided to divorce, though, it would be her and the majority of the Twili against him and a minor part that wanted to rise against Hyrule. And he would have to go through his father, who would do all in his power to maintain the alliance intact. The Twili might not like her, but they were not stupid enough to go into war again.

She glanced off to the side. Living in Twilight did not sound so bad, but oh, would she miss Rutela and Ralis...

"Princess Zelda?" The woman in question looked up at Zant, who easily towered over her. Distantly, she compared his height to Link's. He seemed to be twice as tall as her husband was. Oddly enough, the thought almost made her laugh.

"Yes?" She glanced away again, avoiding looking at his eyes for too long. There were no signs of pupils or irises in there. His sclera, if it really was all his eyes had, faded from orange around the borders to yellow in the center. Quite interesting, but not the loveliest sight to look at. Not to mention the fissures in the corners of his mouth; it was bone chilling.

"Did something catch your attention?"

Indeed, something had and now that he mentioned it, she seemed to realize he was talking to her before she got lost in her thoughts. "I apologize for getting distracted," her hands folded neatly before her. "It was not my intention."

Prince Zant brushed it off with a quirked eyebrow, or lack of thereof, and a grin. "What was it?"

Her lips frowned slightly. "That." Cocking her head towards the wall closest to them, their gazes fell on the only painting hung in the palace library.

He assented with his head once, lips falling open in recognition. "It was given by a queen to King Ardian and Queen Elliét when Midna was born. Lady Elliét and she were pretty close friends when younger." Then added in a quieter tone, "I do not know where it is, though."

"Lake Hylia." Zelda supplied a name for the location without a second thought, feet automatically taking her closer to the painting. "It is a famous lake in Hyurle, the biggest of all." She could not help but touch the bottom right corner of the canvas, gloved digits running over the signature written in white oil ink, the cursive, thin letters slightly tilted to the side like expected.

Her unsaid words hung heavily in the air and constricted her chest painfully, squeezing her heart. Zant had already realized the night before that her mother no longer lived, and perhaps having a painting done by Her Majesty now, in this circumstance, hanging on the library was not the best for Princess Zelda, but maybe it would bring her some comfort and a touch of her old home and kingdom to this place immersed in twilight. Maybe this painting would make it more bearable for her to stay, maybe now that she knew Elliét and her mother once knew each other she would feel a little better.

Zelda's hand fell to her side and she stepped back, face unreadable and guarded. With tense shoulders, she turned her head away from the wall, staring sightlessly out the rectangular window. "She was very talented," he resorted to say, hoping to break the tense atmosphere.

"Yes," the princess tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. "She was."

Link only saw Zelda again that day when he returned to retire for bed after a long day of locking himself up in his study room, spending half the time filling papers and the other trying to come up with enough excuses to use for the rest of his life. Midna's words were stuck in his mind and, although he admired his wife for doing what she did for her people, it did not make things any less bad in his eyes. He would have to leave someday, he would have to live in Hyrule and help her rule there. He would be confined to living a lifetime locked inside her pompous castle because the sunlight was too dangerous for him, while here both of them would be able to wander outside just fine.

Zelda was sitting and leaning against the headboard, comforters pulled up to her lap and face turned to the window, seemingly lost in thought. She did not see him entering and for that, he was glad. The less he had to talk to her, the better. Gruffly, he made his way to his closet whilst unpinning the top of his tabard and chain from his tunic, then after returning them to their designed hangers the prince put on only the loose pair of pants he wore to sleep. Back in his chambers, she had moved to lie on her side, her back to him. How fitting. She, too, did not want to interact with him in the slightest. Link pulled the thick dark curtains over the windows, cutting out all external sources of light and leaving the room under the faint light of only one lit candle, then moved on to his side of the bed, already prepared for him to sleep.

Word had reached him that after Zant showed her the palace library she had grown quieter, if that was even possible. Zelda had not appeared for supper, choosing instead to stay in their room by herself, claiming she felt sick in the stomach and that it was better not to eat. He had to smirk at that, because he once said the same thing, word by word, the first time Zant was invited for dinner when he started courting Midna, which made Link wonder if his brother-in-law had something to do with it. Zant was a skilled sorcerer, he could have tried to show her some tricks and used Zelda as his lab rat. That could only be it. How could a room in his palace upset his wife that much?

Link watched her back, her breathing slow and steady, a clear symbol that she was asleep. As her husband, he should ask her what was wrong and even try to help, but he cared for her just as much as he cared for the words said by her father on their wedding day, and so he would not put his nose into other people's business. If she had a problem, she would talk to him and then he would get involved, otherwise, he would keep his distance from her, there on the other side of the bed with her issues and quietness.

Accepting that the day was over, Link blew out the candle.

Post chapter notes:

- In the game, doors open by themselves; I thought it was a cool thing to point out to stress the differences between both realms, but I have no idea of how they work ahahaha

- I thought it would be cool to have fruits of a darker color because of the lack of a real sun; something similar will be mentioned in the future again

- To them, Fierce Deity is a god like Hylia is; you could say he is their... Patron god? Let's pretend that just as Hylia is important to Hyruleans, Fierce Deity is to the Twili; maybe their land was named after him as well, like Hyrule. Still the three Golden Goddesses are above him in Twilight as well!