A/N: I'm baaaack~! Love you guys, thank you for staying with this story. I know I've been off for a while but Writer's Block sucks. Also, I've been obsessing over tickets to my two favorite artists ever and they're coLLABING ON TOUR HELP ME! I tHiNk My DaD gOt Me TiCkEtS
Go read Tears of Twilight as well! I updated it recently and am very proud of myself.
Shadow's Overture, Chapter 7.
~Link's POV~
Zant has left me free for now, and for that I am glad. After surviving the constant grip around my will, it's started to feel as though my lungs and brain will collapse. We even breathe in sync. Tell me that isn't creepy or even slightly alarming to a guard.
My head is still hung low, chains still wrapped around my waist, wrists, and ankles, though nothing else. He and I both expect that I am unable to escape. After all, I'm broken. I'm helpless. I am hopeless. A Hero without hope is not someone who is worth anything.
Zant still watches me with his sharp, hawk-like gaze, his eyes only barely leaving me to glance over at Zelda, who is tied up tighter than I am. I let out a breath and bite my lip.
My voice shaking, I finally speak for the first time in what feels like hours.
"You win."
I'm so quiet that even I hardly hear myself, and Zant leans in closer, his gaze confused.
"Repeat yourself," he commands. He sounds almost curious. I'm just glad his temper has died down. Or, well...enough that he doesn't hurl the ball of lightning he holds in his hand at me.
I'm trembling as I speak again, slightly louder, but not much. "Y-you win." Shock crosses his face, and I release a soft sob. "You've already taken everything I care about, Zant. Zelda is here under your command. Hyrule crumbles at your fingertips. Midna is...Midna is dead. You've taken everything I wanted to protect. Everything that I...that I wanted to live for."
I stop speaking when I start to crack and shatter in front of him, biting my lip even more harshly than before and drawing blood. Tears drizzle down my cheeks without interruption other than the occasional couple that drip from my nose and chin. My sob is loud and painful, rough in my throat.
Midna is dead.
She's dead, for Din's sake.
I killed her.
Zelda was kidnapped because of me.
I'll probably have to kill her too.
Hyrule is in pieces, all in an effort to seize me.
I am destroying Hyrule.
So I voice it.
"Everything I've ever touched is falling apart...just...kill me, Zant. Kill me. Please." At this I raise my head up to meet his gaze and find his eyes narrowed on mine.
But all mine hold are misery and pain. Even if there was one, he would never find a lie in them.
"You care for her."
His words are sudden, abrupt, and surprisingly soft. Not really soft, I guess...just not sharp.
"W-who?"
"Midna."
I flinch. "Of course I do. I always will. She was my best friend."
"Was she more than that?"
I close my eyes and lower my head again, biting back another sob. I nod.
Cold fingers tilt up my chin sharply and I shiver, forced to meet his gaze again.
Zant's voice is a low hiss, barely audible. "I would kill you right now, Hero, if I did not still have use for you. In fact, perhaps I would keep you alive, just to watch you suffer like this for eternity, forever in my grasp, forever unable to protect those you love. Yes, that sounds better. They will all die: Talo, Malo, Beth, Colin, Rusl, Telma, Renado, Ilia. All of your childhood friends, all of your allies, all of them will either bow to me or perish at my fingertips. Twilight will once again rule all."
I simply sob again when he releases me, drooping like a rag doll once more. In the corner of my eye I see Zelda fighting to retain her calm, and possibly her will. She looks over at me, her lip trembling, her expression indescribable. Then her voice echoes in my mind, quietly.
'You love her.'
'Yes.'
She doesn't say anything more, just turns to watch Zant as he vanishes from the room, leaving us alone for the first time since we've been captured. I'm glad she understands. I still love Midna. I will always love her. There is no 'loved,' even if she's gone.
Rusl approaches the Mirror Chamber with the rest of Telma's resistance at his side and an army of Zoras and Gorons at their backs, prepared for the Mirror of Twilight to reform.
Auru told them of Lanayru's words and that now they are simply to wait.
Rusl is growing impatient when there is a faint shimmer, and small shards of glass start to come together, little by little, piece by piece, until there is a glass mirror sitting on the ledge, facing the large obsidian block.
Auru grins and exchanges a tight embrace with Shad. Ashei lets out an excited exclamation. Rusl smiles and turns to the soldiers, calling out to them in ranks, and they start their charge on the Twilight Realm.
Telma snaps at the reins, glancing back behind her. Talo is keeping guard, but she isn't sure if he's able to do enough damage to keep the monsters off their tail.
Ahead of them sits her destination, small and subtle compared to the vast Hyrulean landscape and the long bridge spanning an enormous channel of shadow—the hidden village, where Impaz lies in wait for their arrival.
"We're almost there, kids," Telma calls as she lashes the reins again and urges her stallion onward. She hears a snap and the roaring of a boar, then a crash, and Talo laughs. She smirks to herself. If that kid wasn't taught by Link she would be shocked.
Finally, they grow closer and Telma braces herself, yelling for the kids to do the same. They have to get everything in. They have to take the horse and wagon with them.
They leap, Malo lets out a shocked cry. The wagon bumps into the ledge but carries on, and they gallop into the village.
Impaz greets them with a little wave of the hand and beckons for the others to help push a boulder into place, blocking the entrance to any and all monsters.
"Let's head inside," Telma suggests, herding the children along to the house at the end of the clearing. "Impaz, we have a couple things to talk about."
~Zelda's POV~
I've been watching Link for hours now. He hasn't moved much—hardly at all, in all this time. He's bleeding from his wrists where the chains have rubbed and dug into his skin. His hair hangs low over his eyes and his shoulders are slumped, which is terribly uncharacteristic. He used to carry himself so well. He knew himself. He was sure of who he was, and he was confident in his abilities. Now...I don't know what he is, and I don't think he does either.
Zant still hasn't returned, and I still haven't relaxed. He will be back, certainly, and it will probably be the moment I let my guard down.
'Link.'
I try to catch his attention via our mental bond, but I don't think he's listening. Is he even conscious? I listen carefully to his breathing. It's too hard to tell. I simply sigh. I wait.
I understand how he feels, at least somewhat. Midna was a dear friend of mine as well, however briefly I knew her. Whatever the case was, we were as one for a while. It is my regret that I never had the chance to speak with her over even something trivial.
What I don't see, however, is why Link is pinning the blame on himself. He knows that it was really Zant who caused her death. How can he continue to blame he, who is not guilty, over Zant, who is?
A chill enters the room and I look over to see Zant, looking far better than before. His tattered robes have been repaired, along with his helmet, so now it is hard to tell whether he is looking at I or Link.
Knowing him, however, he is likely looking at Link whilst he speaks to me.
"Do you wish to be freed, princess?" he asks.
I scowl. "Every one person on this earth wishes to be free, Zant."
"You know what I meant."
"Yes, I do, and yes, I wish to be freed, but not at such a price that all those I care about will perish."
Zant tilts his head to the side sharply and inquires, "And who are these people you hope to protect?"
"The people of Hyrule, naturally, and the Twili as well."
He shrugs. "Well, then. You know it's impossible to save all of their lives—especially when all of them are marching into a war foolishly."
I laugh. "'Foolishly'? If the Hylians have joined with the Zoras and Gorons, and plan to recruit the Twili, as I assume they would, then you have slim chance of survival, Zant. There are few brave men in my army, but the Gorons have many, and the Zoras are clever. I am not sure what the Twili will add to this mix, but certainly they will be vital to our success."
"That's if you succeed, princess. I have strong allies as well, and I doubt your Gorons can withstand magic for long. In fact, I was just going to take the both of you to meet one of my allies. You see, I wasn't gone just to fix my wardrobe. This sorcerer, in particular, has been pulled through the gates of time and wishes to help me conquer Hyrule." Zant raises his hand in Link's direction, and the chains pull away, leaving him to drop to the ground harshly. I manage to catch myself as mine are removed and hurry over to his side, coaxing him awake.
Zant mentions that he will leave us in control as long as we don't try something stupid, and I decide to agree. It isn't as though I can do anything, anyway, and Link probably can't, either, in his state.
We warp to his destination the moment I get Link on his feet, and the two of us follow the usurper down a long corridor that Link seems to recognize faintly. When we emerge into a large clearing of moss and stone, he tells me what it is.
It is the Sacred Grove. Just beyond here, he drew the Master Sword and removed the curse on him.
We follow Zant down a flight of stone steps, and a man comes into view. Or, well, he looks to be a man at first glance.
He is dressed almost entirely in white with patterns of diamonds cut into the fabric, and wears a rich red scarf draping across his shoulders and down his back. A golden sash with a gem decorating it wraps around his waist. I notice that he is actually wearing long white gloves, much like mine. He seems to be picking at a dark sword he holds in his grasp, but when Zant clears his throat, he turns to look over us. A flash of recognition crosses his face, especially when he sees Link.
With a distorted warping sound, he splits apart into hollow black and orange diamonds, only to reappear right in front of us, reminding me much of Zant. Link and I both pull away a little, and he pouts.
"What, can I not greet the descendants of my old...'friends'?"
I don't bother to ask questions, as I'm sure one of these two will elaborate. Besides, Zant said he summoned him from some other era, meaning it is likely that he was pulled from the past.
True to my prediction, Zant explains, "He was called back from thousands upon thousands of years ago, where he met another pair named Link and Zelda who defeated him much in the same way I was."
The man flips back his shiny white bangs and bats dark brown eyes lined with purple, holding up a hand to silence Zant. He takes a bow as he speaks. "Hello, princess. Hello, Link. My name is Ghirahim."
