Well, I'm back! Been a long semester, but it's finally over! I've left you all hanging for more than 3 months, and have felt awful about the lack of updates for my stories. Life, school, and work ate up my time, and finding inspiration or desire to write was difficult.

Still, I'll never abandon a story I've started, and thank you all for your patience. I wasn't quite sure where to end this one, but I like how it turned out. It hasn't been beta'd yet, so please let me know if you spot any mistakes or have any suggestions for the story!

On that note, I'm welcome to PMs and thoughts/criticism on the story. All reviews are welcome, though when it comes to guest reviews I'd be unable to contact and answer questions, and I'd rather not potential spoilers in an author's note.

I'd like to thank Sokka-Mushroom, SparxtheHedgehog, and Sir Pudding for reviewing the previous chapter!


Chapter 7: In the Shadows

Quiet. It was always quiet in the tower. Soothing. Peaceful.

If she distanced herself enough from the reality, it was almost as if it were another ordinary summer day in Hyrule, standing at the window.

If not for the never changing golden glow of a sunset and the misshapen "birds" that honked and trumpeted as they circled the tower, the illusion might have held.

Zelda sighed, the former Princess of Hyrule turning from her view of the outside world. There was little she could do in her velvet prison, lest she break her promise to the Twilight King. If she used her powers to even the slightest degree, she would alert the usurper's guards in an instant, and there would be little reason for them to continue showing their "hospitality" to anyone in her court. Though who was to say that they would stop there? she thought bitterly. The twili who had taken Hyrule hostage was utterly ruthless, and judging by the actions he'd taken storming the castle he wouldn't show more than the basest of mercies to the townspeople.

She grimaced at the thought. Perhaps it was a lot to ask of the Hero, but given he was the only one who could help lift the siege of Twilight from the land, there was little choice in the matter. He needed to save them, for all of their sakes. And she, bound by her oath, could only sit in this tower and wait, as if she was the "damsel in distress" in an old fairy tale!

A slow creaking of the tower door was heard from below, indicating the impending arrival of the guard. Every hour, a single guard was dispatched to check on her, providing food and drink for her on every fourth visit. Given the promptness of the guard, it was easy to see that the King had at least maintained some manner of discipline with his… soldiers, disturbing as they were.

The shuffling of feet drew closer and closer to the ornate doors of her room, finally stopping just outside. A steady rasping of knuckles against the intricately carved wood signaled that the beast had delivered what it had intended, and the doors cracked open enough for the misshapen creature to swivel its head through. The slimy black tendrils of the helmeted face seemed to feel about the air, like the antennae of a cockroach, searching for her presence. After making several disturbing clicking noises, the beast nodded its head upon determining where she was and (thankfully) left without doing anything further.

Zelda held her breath as the beast slowly descended back down the flight of stairs, waiting until the sound of the lower door closing shut once again before crossing the room. The fact that she was at their mercy sickened her, but what would the people of Hyrule gain were she not to eat? She'd only be hindering herself if she—

"Princess," the tall robed figure sneered. "I hope you have room for another; after all, where would your manners be if you were not gracious enough to invite your host to dine with you?"

Zelda stood frozen at the doorway, dumbfounded by her captor's audacity. The twili took her silence as acceptance, striding past her without a second glance from the fish-like mask he wore.

"I trust that everything is to your liking here," the foul creature continued, summoning forth a plate of exquisite Hylian cuisine that he casually placed on her table. "It becomes rather tiresome keeping my soldiers from pursuing their instincts, particularly when the castle servants don't do their jobs."

Zelda felt herself tense at his words, her eyes glinting with defiance. "I've held up my end of our arrangement, Zant—"

"Lord Zant," he corrected, cold humor in his voice.

Zelda ignored him. "Do you really believe it is wise to make threats to my people in my presence, here in the castle of my father's father?" she asked coolly, clenching her fist towards him as the Triforce shown brightly on the back of her hand. "It is for their wellbeing alone that I've allowed for this at all."

If the twili was afraid of the power of the Goddesses, he didn't show it. "I seem to recall you were unable to protect your people in the first place, princess. Otherwise, I would never have claimed Hyrule for my own, despicable as it was." Zelda tried to maintain eye contact for a moment before faltering, lowering her hand in defeat. Zant seemed not to notice as the lower portion of his helmet retracted, folding in on itself in a mechanical fashion. Only the demonic twili's mouth was exposed as he grinned up at her from her table, revealing rows of sharp, needlelike teeth.

"Though there is one thing I must credit this land for," Zant said, taking a forkful of roast cuckoo into his mouth as he began to eat with gusto. "The food is superb. It's almost a shame that your world won't produce such quality dishes without your precious sunlight… almost." He finished off the remainder of the slab of meat, moving on to one of the castle's sweet rolls.

Zelda turned away from the sight of the meal, trying in vain to prevent her mouth from watering at the aromas wafting through the room.

"And who knows?" her captor continued. "The land might yet maintain its yields. If the people obey, I might even be willing to share the scraps of my court's meals as a reward."

Zelda's hands gripped the windowsill hard enough to turn her knuckles white. "I assume that you have another reason to have come up here than to taunt me?" she asked, looking out through the window once again.

"Well, as enjoyable as that might be," Zant chuckled, "…you are correct." The princess heard the scraping of the twili's chair against the stone floor as he rose from the table, banishing the food away to where he had received it.

"My soldiers, strong as they are, have met with an obstacle," he said, the humor now gone from his voice. "They have not yet been able to spread our Twilight throughout the land as of yet. Something… or someone… has prevented my scouts from claiming the light from the Spirit that resides in Ordon. Now it seems that the province of Faron has been… restored," he spat the word, "as well."

Zant paused for a moment, letting the gravity of the situation sink in. "Tell me, princess…" he said dangerously. "You wouldn't happen to have had anything to do with these events… would you?"

So the Hero is succeeding, Zelda thought, smiling inwardly. "I can assure you, I've upheld my promise. I've not wielded any of the power of my blessing since we had our… accord."

Zelda heard the monster's footsteps fast approaching, turning just in time with her arms raised defensively as Zant stopped within inches of her, his mouth twisted into a snarl.

"You lie! The pitiful creatures you call your 'people' are no more aware of what's happening around them than they are their own futility!" he spat, stopped only from advancing further by the fierce glow and crackle of magic coming from her hands.

"Your beasts would have discovered me if they are as competent as you claim," she countered, gaining some small satisfaction by the further tightening of the twili's mouth. "Perhaps you've underestimated the abilities of the Spirits of this land."

Zant threw back his head, barking a laugh. "Hardly! My soldiers had more difficulty conquering your castle, and that didn't take much. Those fools can't even protect themselves, let alone a province. No, there must be something else at work," he said, staring at her left hand which held her piece of the Triforce.

Zant would discover that the Hero and Midna are working together soon, she realized. But if I can keep him from knowing for just a while longer…

"You assume much, Zant," she said, denying him his self-proclaimed title. "Perhaps it is not the rise of the Spirits, but your beasts who are failing."

The twili's mask slid back into place, but not before Zelda saw Zant's scowl deepen. "You push your luck, hylian. Maybe I should make an example of one of the maids, and then have you explain to your servants why their companion has to suffer."

"If you do that, then you will not leave this castle alive," Zelda warned, bristling in defense of her people.

The false king was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I wouldn't be so worried about what I do…" he began, his voice disturbingly calm for her threat, "…as what they would do…" Zant gestured to the guard that had appeared in the doorway, feeling the air with its tendrils as it stalked forward on its fingers, twitching and scuttling like a spider. "With no one to control them, who knows how they'd react? After all, they are only beasts, as you said…"

Zant turned on his heel, leaving Zelda feeling grim defiance in his wake. "I shall investigate this matter, princess. In the meantime, enjoy your meal." He summoned a plate of food on the table, exiting the room without a backwards glance.

The guard stayed in the corner, its haunting black body bent in unnatural angles with disturbingly humanoid hands and legs. With a shudder she turned to the plate that had been left for her, which contained nothing but a glass of water and stale bread. Shamefully, Zelda lunged for the plate and worked at the bread voraciously. My will shall not be broken, she vowed to herself as she crunched away at the pitiful meal. For the sake of the Hero and her people, she would endure.


Unaware of the plight of Hyrule's princess occurring miles away, Link's paws pounded away at the ground as he sped ever closer to his destination; a mountain that seemed to beckon in the distance. Somewhere along the way of the children's capture, Talo lost the wooden sword Link had given him before he left for Hyrule, and by the mercy of the Goddesses had provided him a scent to track. Despite the inconvenience of this body, I have to give credit where it's due, he thought. His canine form was coming in handy for some situations, namely using his fine-tuned senses… and running. With a "trail" to follow and his excitement to follow it, he practically galloped through the twilit plains of Hyrule's Fields, covering far more distance than he would have on foot. Even Midna seemed pleased with their progress, despite still digging her heels into his sides from time to time to get him to move faster.

As if on cue, his last train of thought was punctuated by another kick in the sides from the persistent imp on his back.

"Come on, wolfie! Faster!" Midna urged him, using her heels on him like one might to a horse. "We should just use you as a steed instead of your horse. We might actually be making good time if you keep this up!" she snickered, holding onto his back with a grip that tugged uncomfortably at his fur.

Well, guess this was her version of "payback" for what he'd said beforehand, Link grimaced as he maintained his already breakneck pace. He really couldn't go much faster at this point, though he surprised himself when he found he wasn't really slowing down despite the fatigue he felt. He swore he'd been running for hours already, but there was no real way of knowing in a realm of Twilight. With the unchanging golden light of his surroundings being the only light available, time began to blur together, as did the scenery. Sure, there were small farms and collections of homes that dotted the landscape in the distance, but the majority of the famed Hyrule Field was just that; vast, grassy, empty fields.

Aside from its inhabitants, of course.

What must have once been kargarocs, the large vulture-like birds that Rusl had told him of during his travels outside of Ordon, were now of the same shape and size of the monstrous "birds" that had circled Hyrule Castle, and were utterly malformed. With a now circular jaw that opened like a flower, the monsters plagued the skies, trumpeting and filling the air with the beats of their leathery wings.

If that wasn't enough, bands of bulbins and wild bokoblins who had wandered the plains were now also disfigured, their twisted and blackened shapes becoming even more nightmarish than they had been before.

It was by sheer luck that none had decided to pursue him even after he had been spotted by them on multiple occasions, though the "birds" were both faster and seemingly more feral. Link swerved to his left, still tracking the scent even as one of the beasts swooped down from overhead, but before it could try to grab him a bolt of magic struck it square in the chest, dropping it to the ground in a heap where it dissolved into the familiar black particles that fled into the surroundings.

Midna's magic-laden hands still crackled in the air, her voice betraying the grin she must have had on her face.

"Better keep it up, wolfie. If you slow down, I'll have a lot more target practice to deal with. I might start to slip up," she said tauntingly, even though Link knew she was lying. Between her giggling and snarky remarks, it didn't sound like she was even breaking a sweat. He, on the other hand, was practically laboring for breath, and probably wouldn't last much longer. Adding the distractions of Midna and the birds to the mix made it increasingly difficult to track the scent.

Another bird swooped down from above, breaking off at the last second to avoid a burst of twilit magic. "I think these things are trying too hard," Midna scoffed. "And they really don't know who they're dealing with."

The monstrosity honked as if in reply, coming around for a second pass. This time, the Midna's attack struck home, blasting the beast back as it disintegrated into the shadows.

"And they're stupid, too. What a great combo!" she continued with a roll of her eyes. "Still, at least we won't have to put up for this for much longer; wherever you're going is headed straight for the next Light Spirit."

Link almost tumbled over his own feet in surprise, drawing his attention to where he was now. The mountain was close; far closer than it had been a few hours ago. A canyon-like trench seemed to cut through the outer-base of the mountain, merging into the surrounding cliffs that formed a natural wall before it. Panting hard, Link took another few sniffs of the air, finding Talo's scent still present, beyond the ugly iron gates that stood guarding the path.

"Huh, I wonder what these gates are for," Midna pondered aloud, eyeing the path before them. "Are they trying to keep someone out… or keep them in…?" She let the question hang in the air, neither answer being a welcome one for the village's inhabitants. Sniffing the ground, Link found a soft patch of dirt to dig through, pawing his way under the gate and to the other side. The odd pair made their way through the cut-through, the canyon's walls high on either side. True enough, Link could hear the lamentation of a Light Spirit nearby, the melancholy notes radiating through the air. But his hairs stood on end as he the underlying scent of the bulbins overpowered the children's, mingling with foul stench of shadow beasts as well.

Quickly, Link ran forward until the canyon's walls broke into a clearing, revealing a settlement amidst the divide in the rocky walls. A sign arced across the clearing, the word "Kakariko" carved in bold letters into it. So this is Kakariko Village, Link thought. That must mean the mountain in the distance is Death Mountain.

It wasn't quite how he'd imagined it, from Rusl's stories. Rusl had described Kakariko as a quiet but populous village, a village at Death Mountain's base that worked closely with the tribe of gorons that lived on it. Gorons were another race altogether from hylians, and were likened to a "race of rock people" by some of the Ordon villagers. Some stories said they ate boulders; others said that they lived in the magmas of the volcanic Death Mountain from whence they came. Some stories even went so far as to say they could grow to be the size of a house, but with all of the fantastic tales, it was hard to know truth from falsehood. From what Rusl said, the village had cropped up around Eldin spring, just as Ordon had for its. And aside from the small oasis of water, it was doubtful that there would have been any hylians living here at all.

And now, it seemed that there weren't all that many left.

What may have once been a busy street lay littered with ransacked market stalls, broken carriages, and debris of all sorts. Buildings seemed to have makeshift barricades in place, and those with windows were either boarded shut or smashed into. And the scent of the beasts revealed that many still stalked the area, the corrupted bokoblins, bulbins, and shadow beasts in the street, on rooftops, and even climbing the tower that overlooked the town.

Cautiously, Link clung to the canyon wall, the golden glow of twilight painting the surrounding area with orange cliffs and long shadows, which he firmly stuck to. Sniffing and heavy breathing could be heard from the buildings nearby, guttural growls and the scraping of claws against wooden rooftops.

The round building ahead of him still had lit torches, for all the good they did in the twilight. Oddly enough, the light from the torch posts seemed to be absorbed into the atmosphere, the darkness eagerly overcoming the natural light. A crack in the window shutters revealed similar "phantom" torches inside, a good indication of—

"Ah, cripes," a voice sighed bitterly. "How the hell am I supposed to babysit these little brats when I oughta be savin' meself?"

Link's ears perked up, moving closer to the window to investigate. Talo's scent was strong, now. Very strong. Daring a look inside, Link pressed himself against the window shutter, searching and listening. Several spirits were clustered inside, huddling around each other. If he just focused a little more…

There! That is definitely Talo! he thought, the small spirit huddled amongst the others. I've found them! Link's tail started to wag uncontrollably at the thought. He sniffed the air again. Talo, Malo, Beth, even Colin! There was another child with them as well, as well as a man who seemed to be their caretaker… but… where was Ilia?

"I dinna see those black brutes anywhere out there," the man at the window continued. He smelt of meat and cheese… and some sharp scent he didn't recognize. "They've gotta be hidin' somewhere, waintin' for their helpless little prey to come out. Then! Then they'll feast!"

A scared whimper came from Talo, who sat closest to the other man.

"We are safe as long as we are in this sanctuary, child. Be at ease," the man soothed.

"Oh yah? I wunder if the munsters out there agree with ya," the window man snorted. "They sure didn't seem impressed with me bombs! How long do ya think we can 'old this sanctuary against beasts that strong, ey?"

"If those 'tings come in a group, it's over!" he continued, "We're lucky that we got the children in 'ere when we did. Sure, de bombs knocked de boars off course so the folk could save 'em, I'll credit meself that, but our little victory was just that, ey? Remember the lady from the general store? Just one of those 'tings attacked her, and a whole gang from de town went to save her! And what happened? She was already a goner, and there were two more of the munsters waitin'! Fran and Lilith were struck down in de street, and old Rikez down the road actually became one of 'em! How do ya think we can be protected in 'ere when that's what we're—"

"BARNES!" the man roared. Sure enough, Beth broke down crying, heaving sobs as the caretaker placed a gentle hand at her shoulder.

"Barnes" moved away from the window, oblivious to the low growl that Link had been emitting at his disregard for his friends' fears.

"Look, Renado…" Barnes sighed. "All I mean to say is that it's risky in 'ere, too! Ain't ya got some place we can 'ide?"

"Renado" seemed to hesitate in his answer, silent for a moment. "There is… a cellar," he replied.

"WHAT?!" Barnes roared. "Ya mean ya 'ad a place dis 'ole time? Where's the entrance, man?"

Renado must have pointed to the birdlike statue in the center of the room. "There's a lever on the statue that reveals the sliding—"

Barnes hightailed himself over to the statue, groping and searching for the device. Finally, he grabbed a hold of the bird totem's beak, and was just about to pull down on it as the other child spoke up.

"I would not do that, if I were you," she said flatly.

"Oh ya? And why's that?" Barnes asked, stopping despite himself.

"When Father instructed me to secure the cellar, I saw insects like the beasts outside underneath." She motioned her arms like the scuttling of the bugs to emphasize her point. Barnes drew his hand back like he had touched hot coals, staring at the lever for a moment before finally casting his hands into the air in exasperation.

"So we're just supposed to wait 'ere? Fat lotta good that'll do us!"

Beth continued to cry amongst the others, heaving sobs into her hands.

"Don't cry, Beth! It'll be okay!" Colin said, reaching out in an attempt to comfort her. She shrugged him off, turning and crying harder. "Link's coming to save us!"

At this, Beth sobs turned to hiccups, the room awaiting an explanation.

"I just know he is. I can feel it!" Colin continued with a voice full of hope. Talo scoffed, but no one said any more.

Link was touched by the faith Colin had in him. They had no way of knowing that he would come, yet here Colin was, trying to keep everyone's spirits up… so to speak.

"Aw, these kids knew that you'd come and save them! What a hero!" Midna praised him, though it was hard to tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

"How sad to be right in front of someone and not be noticed at all," she mused, looking at her nails. "After all, being chosen by the Goddesses is the only thing that keeps you from turning into a spirit, or worse, into a shadow beast like that Rikez guy, when you enter twilight. And no one even knows what you have done… you may be doomed to toil in obscurity forever…" she trailed off, sighing in mock sadness.

Link growled at her barbed comments. Pointing it out to him didn't help anything.

"Now you're the type to worry about everything, I know… but don't fret over Princess Zelda! She can handle herself, and she chose this state of affairs, after all…" Midna grinned knowingly. "Anyway, what's with having to pull the nose of a statue to get into a cellar? Not very subtle… but at least we have a place to start looking."

A warbling cry came from the nearby home, the beast call prompting Midna to quiet down slightly as they both looked cautiously about. "Come on, my lonely little hero," she giggled. "Let's go restore that Light Spirit of yours."

Link nodded, heading towards the spring to retrieve the Light Vessel. The sooner they restored the province, the better.


"Well? What do you think?" Midna asked, annoyed at the rate the hero was sniffing the bugs out. Just as they had before, they'd gone to the spring and gained the means to take back the stolen light, which meant chasing around a bunch of the creatures who stole that light. Creatures who just so happened to take the forms of bugs, and who were apt at crawling into buildings and homes, spreading through graveyards and rooftops, even going up part of the mountain.

But at long last, Link had tracked the remaining bugs into a single hut.

Link looked up to her and gave her a flat look before proceeding to dig under a few loose boards at the foundation. After successfully getting through, the odd pair crept inside. Link sniffed at the air and searched for the bugs even as she cautiously surveyed their surroundings. There was an awful lot of what seemed to be black powder around, hasty skulls and crossbones drawn on crates and barrels.

Midna was jerked about as Link jumped at the insects, though he was unsuccessful in his attempts. The bugs scuttled and flew about, dashing to hide in the corner fireplace and huddling inside.

She rolled her eyes in impatience. "Seriously?"

Link snorted in response, jumping up for the torch that hung on the wall and plucking it from its sconce in one swift movement. Deliberately, he slowly made his way over to light the kindling in the fireplace, torch in his mouth. Even as a wolf, the hero still acts like quite the hylian, Midna grinned to herself. And he was certainly predictable as well.

The wolfen hero brought the torch to the stone fireplace, lighting the sticks and twigs within and instantly stoking a small, smoky fire to life.

Any second now…

The fireplace rattled around, the chattering and hisses of the bugs within growing louder. Suddenly, the insects shot out their prison, smoldering and burning. Panicked, the creatures flew about the room, bumping into the various crates and barrels that were stacked on the walls, causing the black powder to spark and—

Oh, no.

The powder was set ablaze, quickly spreading to the other barrels and jumping from box to box. The whole building was going up in flames!

"Uh…" Midna stuttered, eyes wide at the sight of the bonfire. "Sorry, but as romantic as this is, I'm not going to stay in here with you. I'm getting out!" Quickly, she leapt off of the hero's back and floated through the way they came in, small explosions erupting as she fled.

She turned to see the entire building ablaze, being shaken about by the explosions within. Her eyes darted about, searching for Link's appearance from any other exit. She wasn't worried for him, not really. All he had to do was come out where they'd gone in.

Another explosion rocked the building, forcing a dusty cannonball of fur and soot out the side, coughing and hacking as it went. Midna breathed a small sigh of relief despite herself, but was on guard once more as the entire house began to collapse, showering the area with sparks and lightless fires from the explosion, one final BANG from the rubble ending the fiasco.

Lowering her arms from their protective stance, Midna drifted back over to Link, the battered hero appearing more like a dirty mop than a wolf.

"Well, that's one way to hunt these things," she remarked, looking back to the Tears of Light that now floated amongst the wreckage. "Sure, you had to blow up someone's house to find them, but… that's how these things go, huh?"

Link gave her a sooty glare, his fur matted down and blackened from the explosions inside.

"Aw, cheer up, wolfie," she said, giving him an impish grin. "These are the last Tears we need, after all. Once we gather these up, this place gets restored and back to—"

A chilling howl rang out from below, the call answered by what sounded like dozens more. Midna froze, her eyes meeting Link's briefly as they looked to each other, as if verifying that they both heard it. Zant couldn't be onto us now, could he?

A portal appeared over the spring itself, several shadow beasts dropping down from above as reinforcements.

"Better grab them and go, hero!" she urged him, readying herself for the coming battle. Either Zant knew, or he was being cautious and simply giving the spring more protection. The satisfaction of knowing they were getting under his skin was overshadowed by the fact that they were now severely outnumbered.

Link grabbed the final Tear of Light from the rubble, filling the "grape" light-vessel the Light Spirit gave them. Just as before, they were instantly teleported to the waters of the spring… and into the waiting arms of the beasts.

No sooner had they landed were they set upon. Link leapt at the twisted shadow beast closest to them while Midna shot bursts of twilit magic into the fray, trying to gauge how many there were. There must have been nearly twenty of the corrupted creatures atop the buildings, some climbing down into the street to fight while others rained arrows down from their perch, the projectiles splashing down around them.

"Link! We need to get to that Spirit!" she cried, blasting another beast back even as two more barreled towards them. Link growled at the aggressors, making the jump for the throat of one… only to be bashed aside by the other. Midna held on tight as he was flung back with a yelp, gingerly rising again to defend himself.

She grimaced as she prepared and released another bolt of magic, slicing into the beasts before them. Even with the spring's healing properties, Link wasn't going to last much longer with this. An oncoming arrow punctuated this, landing just inches from their position.

A chilling, inhumane roar came from the street, a blackened and lightning fast shape sprinting towards them. The fallen beasts seemed to absorb light around them as they were revived, struggling to their feet as their wounds magically sealed. Midna bared her fangs in anger. Now it just a losing battle.

As if sensing this, the Light Spirit voice drifted from the spring's source. "…Come… my child… bring the Vessel to me…"

Link looked to her, giving her a growl and a bark.

"Yeah, yeah, move already!" she shouted, holding on with one hand as she fired bolts of magic into the crowd with the other. Link dashed forward, the Vessel of Light materializing in his jaws as he neared the spring's mouth. The beasts were only paces behind them, roaring and moaning close behind as they splashed through the shallows.

With a final effort, Link cast the vessel into the mouth of the spring, a bright light shining forth as the Light Spirit regained power. The mass of shadow forms behind them hissed and screeched in place, paralyzed by the sudden light that sprung forth.

And Midna was caught up in it.

She gasped at the pain. The light was scorching; her entire body felt aflame as she was exposed to the pure light of the realm. Thinking quickly, she dove into Link's welcoming shadow, an oasis of darkness in the oppressive light. The pain slowly receded, but she kept her eyes shut tight against the glare. The light grew until it was as if the sun itself had fallen from the heavens and into the spring waters, washing over all as the shadow beasts faded into oblivion, their very essence destroyed.

She opened her eyes again to the realm of Light, Link standing tall once more in the clothes of the hero. The Light Spirit loomed before them in the form of a great bird of prey, its wingspan encompassing the breadth of the spring.

"Hero," it intoned. "My name is Eldin. I am one of the light spirits of Hyrule, and am the guardian of these lands. O great hero chosen by the Goddesses... the dark power you surely seek lies in the sacred grounds of the proud mountain dwellers above," it gestured, raising its beak to the mountains behind them. "But already those grounds have been defiled, draped in shadow and seeded with evil. To obtain that power, you must go to those sacred grounds and cleanse them."

The spirit began to recede once more into the spring.

"Wait!" Link called out. "What you did just then… I want to thank you for saving us," he said. Midna's eyes widened in surprise. He said us, not me.

The spirit turned its head to them once more, its eyes staring into hers. "I removed the darkness from this land, and those touched by it. I could not discriminate against your companion, but it seems she is well."

Link cast a shocked glance down towards her, as if confirming what the spirit said before he looked back to it, a curious look on his face.

"Be warned, hero," the Eldin said, fading away. "Agents of darkness have taken notice of your deeds. The darkness… now hunts you…"

The light from the spring vanished, leaving standing amidst the pool of water as the sun shone brightly upon them.

"Midna, are you—?" he began.

"I'm fine," she scoffed, springing forth from his shadow. "See? Still here."

Link frowned. "When Eldin shone its light on those shadow beasts, I heard you make a sound as if you were hurt. And don't say you didn't," he added when he saw her open her mouth to speak. "Wolf hearing, remember? One of the upsides of being in that form."

Midna was silent for a moment. He'd called her on her bluff, it seemed. No point in hiding it now.

"…All right, fine. Yes, I was affected by whatever the Light Spirit did," she admitted. "Light and shadow can't mix, after all. But really, I'm fine now."

"So…" he continued, "…how bad?"

"Ever take a swim in a fire?" Midna asked bluntly.

Link grimaced. "Ouch! How do you feel fine after that?"

"It was only for a few moments; mostly it was because I had your shadow to hide in."

"You're welcome," he said flatly.

"Ha, ha," she laughed dryly. "You know, you almost sounded worried for a moment there, Mr. Hero."

Link grinned at her. "Well, I would lose a lot of my things if you were gone…"

"Don't push your luck," she growled as a tired laugh escaped him, turning uproarious as it forced him to put his hands on his knees to keep balance. Though she tried to act offended, she found herself smiling as well at the display. Link had been awake for more than a day, and they'd both nearly been killed more than once, yet here he was, laughing like the village idiot after he told a bad joke.

Which he essentially just did, she thought, giving a small giggle of her own.

Their laughter died down as Link stumbled on back to the shore. "You know," he said as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "It feels pretty good to just—"

"Link?!"

Midna dove back into Link's shadow, hiding from sight. The children were all at the doors of the sanctuary, eyes wide with delight at the sight of him.

"Link!" they cried in unison, rushing forward to embrace him in a tight circle.

"Hahaha! See, Beth?! I told you Link would save us!"

"Really? That was you, Talo?"

The two men, Renado and Barnes, stepped forward to the bubbly group, Renado extending his hand in greeting. "You are the one from Ordon whom these children spoke of?"

Link nodded. "That's me. I'm Link of Ordon."

"We are well met. I am Renado, shaman of this village. And this…" Barnes puffed up his chest with pride at his impending introduction ."…is my daughter, Luda," he said, gesturing to the girl opposite of Barnes.

The other man instantly deflated, throwing his hands into the air as he walked off. "Oh, sure. No need to mention me name. I'll just be over 'ere, minding me business."

Renado sighed, rolling his eyes at the man's display. "That was Barnes, our resident 'bomb-maker' and inventor."

The young blonde, Colin, Midna gathered from the group, spoke animatedly.

"Link! It was so scary! The beasts took us through here, but the villagers here were able to save us!" he said, beaming at Link and Renado.

"Ya, yer welcome for that!" Barnes called out off in the distance.

Renado ignored the man. "At first, I couldn't believe they had come from so distant a place as the Ordona Province…"

Colin nodded. "Yeah, I… We don't remember much. All of a sudden everyone was captured, and until now… it's been like…"

"…a nightmare," the youngest child said.

"Yeah! It was like a terrible dream and we couldn't wake up," Colin affirmed, frowning at the thought of their ordeals.

"Mmm…" Renado hummed. "Nightmares are everywhere these days, it seems. This village has certainly seen its share of recent hardships… The dark beasts attacked, but even worse was the sudden and inexplicable change in the mountain-dwelling goron tribe."

He frowned, shaking his head in frustration. "They had long been our friends, but suddenly treated us as foes. Even now they refuse to permit us entry into their mines. It strains the limits of belief… To think that such a gentle and proud tribe could change so suddenly… It makes me wonder if something in those mines is the cause of this change..."

Well, the man wasn't the leader and shaman of the village for nothing, it seemed.

Renado looked back to Link. "In any case, you must take these children and flee this village before more nightmares descend. I, of course, cannot leave my village in such a time. There is no telling what may happen to us here if I do… but it is my job to try to coax the gorons back from their recent change of heart.

The children quieted down, confusion crossing their faces.

"But… I don't wanna leave all these people just to save ourselves!" Talo said.

"Come on, Link! Can't you do something?" Beth asked, all of the children looking to him for aid.

"Isn't there… some way to make up with the gorons?" the smallest child mused, eyes focused in thought. "You'd think someone could go to the mines and do something…"

Link's posture faltered for a moment, falling forwards for a split second before returning to his standing position, trying to hide his fatigued state. A move that didn't escape the shaman's notice.

"Come, children. Link needs a moment for himself," he said, ushering the children away. "Link, do come inside. You must be exhausted from your travels."

Link shook his head vigorously even as he yawned. "No, really, I'll be all right…"

"WHAT IN BLAZES 'APPENED TO ME BOMBS?!" Barnes voice cried out from further into the village.

"Just for a few moments," he said as he darted inside.

Smooth move, Mr. Hero, Midna smirked to herself. She wanted the Fused Shadow as soon as possible, but odds are Link wouldn't survive climbing a volcano if he was falling asleep halfway up.

She'd waited this long. She could wait a bit longer.