The Legend of Midna: Call of the Twilight

Chapter 8

"So, wait a minute." Midna was lying next to Link, her eyes closed. "You're telling me the reason this is happening is because your legendary hero screwed up once?"

Link watched, amused, as she threw her hands up in disgust.

"Perfect! Why is it when heroes screw up they have to make their errors as big as possible?!"

The Hero of Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. Glad to see you're back to your old self, by the way."

Midna opened her eyes and gave him her toothy grin. "So am I." She snuggled up next to Link, draping one arm over his chest. He smiled and said, "You know, this is exactly the way I'd like to die: in bed."

"This bed you speak of..." asked Midna coyly, "would I be in it at the time?"

"Preferably. If I was lucky you wouldn't be sleeping, either."

The princess blushed and said, "All right, wolf boy, enough!" She sat up, fanning herself with one hand. "Spare me my blushes, will you?"

Link was the one grinning now as he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder. I'm... content... thought the Hylian, surprised. He'd never been this happy, even when he had lived in Ordon before his quest. After everything had been said and done, after Ganondorf had been defeated, he had never imagined living a normal, quiet life. The only thing that had kept him caged in Ordon Village was his memories of Midna. Can I really settle down? he wondered. Instantly the answer came to him: yes, he could. He could because she was worth just as much as every adventure, every waking moment of his time. "And because she's an adventure all to herself," he added, unaware he'd said the last part out loud.

"Am I now? Eee hee hee!" Midna's amber eyes twinkled mischievously as they kissed. "You know... we should probably get going..." she whispered as they parted for breath.

"Mmm. Yeah, we probably should..." replied Link. "But..."

"But...?" Midna raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Don't tell me you don't want to stay here," he said.

"Of course I want to stay here!" The princess looked at him as if he were crazy. "But we can't; Zant needs to be stopped before he can do any more harm."

Link sighed. "I know, I know... it's just that things finally seemed, I don't know, normal."

Midna patted him on the back. "Well, don't worry; we won't be leaving for another hour. We're not leaving until we take a bath." Seeing Link's look of surprise, she added, "Separately. Not that I wouldn't... I mean... Oh, wipe that smile off your face! You know what I mean!"

------

Link eyed one of the Garo as they left the village, noting the special mask that he wore. When the hero was sure they were out of earshot, he turned to Midna. "Why do the Garo wear masks?" he asked, curious.

"The Garo wear their masks because it is their way of life. They wear it as a symbol of who they are: warriors who reject magic in all its forms. From the time they are born, the Garo are trained in their secret art of fighting; not a single one of them is ever allowed to use any form of magic. It's not as if they need magic: their style - or so I've been told - only needs three attacks to defeat an enemy. When they come of age, the Garo receive their masks and swords, symbols of their maturity. After a brief celebration, they are welcomed into the community as adults," she replied, eyeing the shaking branch of a large tree. Is someone there...? She shrugged and continued to walk along, failing to notice the dark shadow that slid off the branch and onto the road, scuttling behind a rock to watch the couple as they approached.

"So, wait. If the Garo can defeat anything in 3 attacks, why don't they challenge Zant?"

"Link, there's a reason they only have three attacks. They put their whole beings into the fight; if the enemy is still alive after they've used their energy up, they're defenseless. When they die, their bodies simply fade away... They'd only be wasting their lives if they attacked Zant, for they can't hurt him... Any other questions?" If Link had anything else to ask, he kept quiet. Before Midna could ask him what was going on, Link stepped in front of her, whipping out his sword and shield in the blink of an eye.

"Who's there?" he demanded to the seemingly empty road, his sword flaring a bright silver. A black Garo mask, elaborately decorated with thin chains of gold and silver, peeked out from behind a rock. Red eyes stared at the two of them.

"Why, hello there, princess," said the Garo, his sarcastic tone turning Midna's title into an insult.

"I know that voice... Ikaro? Is that you - oh, gods..." she whispered as the Garo stepped out from his hiding place. Directly attached to the mask was the body of an imp, the grey and black patches of his body standing out in the orange light. Set on his feet were two black shoes; a red cape hung from his shoulders. From a necklace around his neck hung a small symbol of an eye.

"Yes, princess, it's me. Who did you think it was, the High Chancellor?" The imp floated over to her, raising himself up to eye level with Midna.

"There's no need to be sarcastic, Ikaro. What happened to you?" She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to speak.

"You. You, Majora, and Zant, that's what happened to me!" He pointed at her with one claw accusingly. "If it hadn't been for you and your petty feud with Zant, this would never have happened!"

Midna's eyes narrowed. " 'Petty'? This is anything but petty, Ikaro; this concerns the well-being of the whole Twilight Realm!"

The imp snorted derisively. "Listen to yourself, princess; you really believe this is for the realm? Don't make me laugh." Ikaro glared at her with unmatched hatred gleaming in his eyes. "This is a fight between the Royal Family and Zant, and this never would have come about if you and your parents hadn't been lax on the throne -"

Midna had drawn the Fused Shadows out of her cloak. "One more word about me or my parents and I swear I'll -"

Ikaro was laughing now, rolling around in midair. "You'll what? I've been turned into this... creature... and laughed out of my position as leader of the village. What could you possibly do to me, princess? Death would be a welcome reprieve from this mockery of life!"

Link sheathed his sword and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Leave him alone, Midna. Look, Ikaro, we just want to know what happened to you."

The Garo stared at him. "Who are you, light dweller?" he hissed.

"That doesn't concern you," stated Link calmly. "Tell us what happened."

With a scornful glance at the princess he began his tale. "I had heard whisperings that Zant had returned and that he was nearby. I considered the well-being my village to be in danger and set out to confront the foe. I made my way through his castle, its hallways devoid of life, darkness reigning supreme. I reached the throne room to find not only Zant, but the legendary sorcerer Majora by his side. I fought in vain; when my third blow failed to pierce the vile magician I considered my life to be over." He paused, looking towards Garo Village. "I was wrong. Zant cursed me and sent me back to my village, where I was laughed out by those I had set out to protect. I have been cursed and stripped of my rank and my honor... no thanks to you, princess!" The imp turned away as Midna looked at Link, who nodded.

"You know what you need to do," he whispered.

"I know. But that doesn't make it any easier." She turned to Ikaro. What would Zelda say...? Oh, forget it. "You're right, Ikaro; this is my fault and I intend to fix it."

Ikaro slowly turned around, his attention fixed on her. Swallowing her pride, she said, "You were right. The Royal Family has done nothing to move the Twili forward. As soon as this is over, things will change for the better. You have my word."

"A princess who promises change? Perhaps... there is some truth in that. At any rate, Princess Midna... do what you will."

Link looked at Ikaro, astonished. "That was sincere, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "She is the first member of the Royal Family to admit her errors. I respect her for that, and if she is true to her word, then... I believe that she will lead us to great prosperity."

"Ikaro... thank you." Midna reached out to touch the former leader of Garo Village, but stopped as he floated out of reach. Raising one hand, he pointed to the largest mountain in the distance, several gray clouds floating ominously around its summit.

"Majora and Zant reside in a castle set in the heart of the mountain of lightning, Mjollnir; that is all I can tell you. Now go! Leave me be; I will wander this land until I have regained my former form..."

Link watched the imp float away, shaking his head all the while. "First the Twili at the palace, then in Domor's cave... and now Ikaro's curse? We have to stop him, Midna; I don't care what it takes anymore, we're going to make sure he dies. And stays dead!"