Chapter Eight: Bloodlust

I finished the incantation and waited anxiously.

But nothing happened.

"Did I do something wrong?" I questioned uncertainly.

"No of course not, but we won't be able to tell if it worked or not unless we go to the Light Realm," Zant explained impatiently. The guard looked confused. He wasn't the only one.

"Fine, follow me," I commanded, setting a quick pace. How far was I willing to go for the Light Realm and Link? Would I really go so far as to lead Zant back to their world? He couldn't know that I found a way back to the Light Realm because that was why I brought him back to life. Reviving him was purely for my own greedy purposes, a sad attempt to reach Link again, so he couldn't have plotted to trick me into leading him to the curtain, if he didn't even know it existed.

Unless, there was some way for him to figure it out. Maybe my extended absence tipped him off. Too late now, we had arrived.

I heard a muffled gasp come from both of my companions. Zant slowly reached forward to touch the wall, but withdrew before actually making contact. The guard backed away a few steps, and looked like he was ready to turn tail and run. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, gesturing for them to follow me.

On the other side of the Twilight curtain I stood, with a shadowed Zant, waiting for the guardsmen to come through.

"What if he chickens out and runs away?" Zant asked from a nearby shadow.

"Then we find him, drag him back here, and shove him through the curtain if we have to," I seethed. "Din! Doesn't he realize that the fate of the Twili rests on his shoulders?"

"Probably not," Zant muttered. "I mean, what if the only reason we can step through is because of our above-average level of magic?" he questioned, pondering the possibilities out loud. "What if the only way to the Light Realm is indeed power? Granted, a different kind of force."

I shook my head impatiently. There had to be an easy way that we were simply missing. Suddenly a flare of light erupted from the curtain, and I jumped back in surprise. Shielding my eyes, I had to squint to make out the form of a Twili, materializing right before my eyes. As the metaphorical dust cleared, I heard a gasp come from Zant.

"Holy blessed goddesses!"

My jaw dropped open at the sight of the Twili, standing proudly and unharmed, in the Light Realm. Not as a shadow. "Din's fire!" I exclaimed. "Zant, you insane psycho you did it!" Zant simply glared triumphantly at the now very, very confused guardsman. I'd really have to get his name later and thank him for helping today without question and only slight hesitation.

"W-where are we?" he asked uncertainly.

"The Light Realm, friend. Welcome home," Zant told him with a smug grin, offering his hand to the trembling Twili.

"Okay, listen up," I said, returning attention to myself. "I want you"—I commanded while pointing to the guard—"to return to the palace, but you are not to speak a word of this until given permission. If you notice any strange side effects, write them down. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"And you"—pointing to Zant this time—"get to come with me, but, I swear by Farore, the moment you act up, you're dead," I told him sternly.

"Yes, Your Highness," Zant mock-saluted. "Now can you try out that incantation on me, please? I want use of my hands, if its not too much trouble."

A quick spell and some shadow travel later, we arrived at the front of too-close-to-completion-for-comfort castle. Zant refused to come out of the shadows, so I walked alone back to the room Link and Zelda were staying at. Upon entering the room I could tell something was off, but I wasn't sure what that was until Zelda blocked my view from Link.

"How is he?" I asked, worry coloring my tone, only to receive a vague answer.

"Midna, he's fine, of course, but we should let him rest. We can talk somewhere else," she reasoned. Ignoring her protests, I dropped into the shadows and reappeared by Link's bedside. I heard Zelda's teeth click together in frustration.

"Link," I murmured mournfully. I checked his hand, quickly wishing I hadn't. The entire hand was black, almost burnt looking, and it was spreading up his arm. As far as his elbow I could see trace amounts of the poison that was there, but not really there. Soul poison. Suddenly, I heard Zelda scream. I spun around to see what the problem was, only to groan in frustration.

"Zant!" I yelled in anger.

"What?"

"Don't just pop out of the shadows like that; you nearly gave Zelda a heart attack!" We both looked over at said queen, who was now clutching her chest with wide eyes.

"What is it doing here? How did it get here?" Zelda fired off questions quicker than I had time to answer, so I simply waited for her mini-rant to finish.

"Deep breaths," I reminded her. "Zelda I found a way back to the Twilight Realm—but that's a problem for another time—and Zant found a way for the Twili to stay solid in this realm, as you can see." I waited for her response. Zant looked a little nervous, with good reason I suppose. Entering a place unwelcome was never the best formula for happy people.

"That still doesn't explain why it's here!" she exclaimed, exasperated, while jabbing a finger at Zant.

"Zelda, I know this is hard to believe, but Zant is on our side. He's, uh, what's the word?" I questioned, glancing at Zant.

"A reformed maniac."

"Ah, right, that!"

Zelda looked at us like we were crazy, but I suppose, in some sense, we were. Who, but a mentally unstable being, would present the former conqueror of Hyrule to the proper ruler of the very same land? I imagine Zelda still had a few grudges to settle with Zant. They could work it out on their own; I had my own problems. Walking back to Link's side I took his left hand in my good one, and started talking to him.

"Link, I'm sorry. I have to do something… hard. I should never have shattered the mirror, and I want you to know that just in case this doesn't work," I murmured sorrowfully. "Zelda? What do you know about removing a Triforce from someone?" I questioned softly.

Taken aback by my request, she hesitated. "Midna, why would you want to…?" she questioned uncertainly.

"Link's Triforce is tainted, poisoning his soul," I explained calmly. "You need to remove it with your magic if you can. I'm… worried that if I try to remove it, the process won't go as well."

"I can't do it, not without his consent, and you know as well as I that he would never agree to this," Zelda replied, firm in her decision. "He'd die and take the Triforce with him before risking its exposure to Ganondorf!"

"He may be willing to die, but I'm not willing to let him," I muttered, not really caring about what she thought was right and what was wrong. He was dying, from his own Triforce, because of me. This isn't about right and wrong, this is about correcting a mistake. I stroked Link's blackened hand tenderly. "I'm so sorry." With these last words I raised my other hand and began searching for the tug of magic I knew would be around his hand somewhere.

Then I felt it and had to swallow down the bile that rose in my throat. Barley brushing the magic left me feeling ill; how would I manage pulling it out? Gritting my teeth, I tugged again and felt the resistance. "Link you've got to let go of me, other wise I can't remove it…"

"M-Midna!" Link gasped, just barley managing to open his eyes, though they rolled about uselessly, unseeing.

"Link, you've got to let go of me—of everything that's happened, do you understand? It's the only way I can make you better," I told him tearfully, praying that he understood and would comply.

"Midna this is madness!" Zelda cried, fuming and walking quickly towards me to stop the so-called madness.

"Zant," I commanded without emotion. Instantly I heard Zelda's cry of protest as Zant came out of the shadows and held her back. It seems like resurrecting him hadn't been such a waste after all.

"Link, did you know I resurrected Zant? Everything we worked for when the Twilight invaded your realm, I brushed off like it was nothing, and brought our sworn enemy back to life," I laughed weakly, trying to keep the emotion from my voice. "How does that make you feel Hero?" I mocked.

"No, Midna, don't—," his weak protest was cut off with a gurgle as he coughed out blood. "Why? Why did you break the mirror?" The question caught me off guard and I lost some ground, but quickly rebounded with the perfect answer.

Laughing once like I was queen of the world, I replied, "Foolish light dweller! You should know why. I shattered it so that light and shadow could never mix again,"—which was true—"and so I could get away from you." He winced but my resolve held, if only just. "I have a whole other life in the Twilight Realm, stupid dog. I have a fiancé who I am to marry, so that I may become the full-fledged queen of my realm," I boasted cheerfully.

"N-no," he protested weakly. "I-I thought…!"

"You didn't honestly think that you meant something to me? Ha! Laughable, you were a tool, Mutt!" I answered smugly, anticipating his question. "The only way you would've been allowed back into the Twilight Realm with me was as a pet and slave. The same thing you were all through out our little adventure."

His Triforce glowed weakly in protest, trying to grant the courage its wielder needed, but with the taint polluting it, the piece could do nothing. And then I felt the give; the slip that told me Link was buying into my lies.

"Stupid Dog!" I exclaimed, punching him in the face with all the force I could muster. "Let me go!" And he did, almost instantly. With a grunt of exertion and flashes of déjà vu, I removed the courage piece of the Triforce.

Link shot straight up, screaming like I had never heard in my life—not even my own screams of pain could've matched his, but, then again, he lost a lot more than I did. I gave up the Triforce of power, hoping it would spare me the suffering; I surrendered because of greed. He surrendered because of a broken heart. Link sat perfectly still, silent tears escaping fearless blue eyes. I couldn't stand watching him sit there so confused, but I couldn't look away, either. Soon enough my own tears began stinging my checks.

Zant finally allowed Zelda her freedom, and she rushed forward to check on Link, while I sank into the shadows. "Midna what did you do?" She exclaimed in a panic. Silently, I moved forward and offered her the Triforce piece. Her eyes went wide, and, for once in her life, Zelda was speechless. "Th-that's not…"

"It is, actually," Zant remarked as he approached the gleaming, bloody piece, face glowing in excitement. "I never thought I'd live to see something this astounding!" Zelda grasped the piece and turned away from Zant. He looked hurt, but backed off, respectfully. Link still sat shocked, which I immediately pointed out to Zelda, who rushed over to heal his hand.

Without looking too closely, I observed that his hand didn't look as badly damaged as mine had been, for many reasons I was sure. He wouldn't be lying in a pool of his own blood for hours, waiting for death before someone attended to his wounds, so I was sure he would regain full use of his hand. Not to mention Zelda was the healer on hand, not a farm boy turned hero with no experience.

Zant, feeling uncomfortable in light dweller affairs, faded into the shadows, but I remained standing just a few feet away from Link, staring blankly at nothing. After a good hour or so, Zelda finished healing Link's wound and with a huff of anger left. Link had remained awake during the entire process, but it didn't look like he was going to last much longer.

I approached him slowly, but he didn't look at me until I came to a halt next to his bedside, within an arm's length. The familiar warmth from his deep blue eyes seemed to have vanished as he gazed back at me without emotion.

"Zelda said she's going to find a way to return my Triforce," he stated plainly.

"I won't let her," I replied with equal disinterest.

He turned away from me to stare at the wall across from him before responding. "When you returned, I had thought it would be for the better. I never though you came here just to help Ganondorf, but I was wrong wasn't I?"

I hesitated to answer. On one hand, he was correct because really that's all I had been doing so far. First I allow Ganondorf access to the Light Realm again, then I return his Triforce piece, while unwittingly also giving him a way to easily kill Link. Everything so far had been my fault, my doing, in a sense, but in another I was just another victim.

All I had wanted was to return to the Light Realm—only briefly—to talk to Link. Just talk, and answer some question that desperately needed to be asked. Like why I broke the mirror and left. Even though I believed Link understood that I shattered the mirror to stop the flow between the Light Realm and Twilight Realm, I don't think he understands why I had to leave.

To him, my people were nothing. To me, shattering the mirror was choosing between family and friendship. No matter how strong your friendship is with another person, you always choose family first, but what if it was more than friendship? What if the real choice was between family and true love? That was a totally different scenario, and one I couldn't deal with at the time.

"Link, I'll always be by your side. I made a few mistakes, and this was the only way I could fix them," I explained, choosing my words carefully.

"Midna, I don't… understand… how all this happened?" he half-questioned, half-stated.

I closed my eyes, no longer able to look at him, even if he wasn't looking at me. How did this happen? When did it all start? I thought back to the day I resurrected Zant, then to the anniversary of the mirror shattering, through the attack on Hyrule Castle, and the Triforce's mysterious magic. A magic that could bind souls just as easily as it tore them apart.

I was never meant to hold the golden power, and this was why. Sure, Link and Zelda of the past could create the bond, but leave it to me to screw it up. Gritting my teeth, I finally opened my eyes only to lock gazes with Link. Unlike other times, though, I felt nothing in his stare. Just a mistake, an accident, and it meant nothing—not anymore.

"Get better soon, Link, Hyrule needs you again," I told him before turning on my heel and walking out the door without a backward glance.

Zant made himself known before I was even outside of the Castle Town limits.

"You're so lucky Zelda has everyone working on the castle; if someone had seen you come out of that shadow, we'd be in trouble," I reprimanded him, mostly on reflex. I had to explain these kinds of things to Link; I never thought I'd have to lecture Zant, too. Then again, I never thought I'd talk to Zant again. In many ways I wish I had left him dead, like now.

"What's going on with you and the wolf?" he asked obnoxiously. I punched him in the nose, receiving a satisfying crack in response. "Ow! It was just a question, no need to break my nose!" He howled in pain, jumping in circles.

"Well then, learn your place, and stop being a freaking gossip," I told him coldly.

Zant stopped hopping around like a buffoon. "You are the princess of the Twilight Realm," he thought out loud. "All you need to do to get anything is snap your fingers, and someone will bring it to you on a silver tray. If you really wanted that wolf, you could force him to return with you to the Twilight Realm and seal away our realm again," he concluded. "So why don't you?"

I sighed in frustration. Reformed psycho or not, he still couldn't possibly understand. What did I really expect though? He was a servant to my family; he had witnessed for himself how our family rules. We do what we must, when we need to, but otherwise it's all about us. My father was a prime example. He took the first woman he found to conceive an heir, and then dumped her like she was meaningless. He never stopped to think that I might want to know my mother, or that he might enjoy her company if he gave her a chance.

He died alone, and I didn't want to follow in his footsteps.

I know now where my heart lies, but I will never know where Link's does. Now that he thought I betrayed all of Hyrule, and forcibly removed his Triforce (which I actually did do) love would be the furthest thing from his mind.

"Zant, I'm not my father," I answered simply. He seemed unsatisfied with such a short response after the long wait, but did not press the matter further—a wise move on his part.

We walked on in silence, not really going anywhere particular. Soon enough the sun started to go down and I decided it was time to find Zelda. We ran into her outside of Link's temporary room.

"Midna, you're lucky you didn't kill him," were the first words out of her mouth upon seeing me.

"I knew what I was doing, thanks," I retorted. She stared me down, grinding her teeth. Zant looked nervous and was quick to walk off, distracted by a butterfly or something stupid like that. "Where's the Triforce?" I asked after Zant was out of earshot.

"Safe," was her one-worded response. I shrugged, knowing she said it in order to irk me, but refusing to give in to her small taunts. I turned to walk into the room, but she quickly caught me with a hand on my shoulder. "I don't trust you around him anymore."

"Well, I didn't know you cared that much, Your Highness, but I have a right to visit my friend," I replied, narrowing my eyes.

"Friend? Do you honestly think that he—or any of Hyrule—considers you a friend anymore?" she demanded harshly. "I suggest you leave, and never come back again, if you know what's good for you," she openly threatened. My temper flared; I shrugged her off and gave her a firm shove, causing her to trip over her feet a little.

"Coming here was an accident—obviously another mistake I'm going to be blamed for!" I roared in fury. "Besides, you need my people now; you need all the help you can get! All you have is a broken hero and a weakened group of pathetic, sniveling fools!" The insult hung in the air and a sour taste flooded my mouth. Spitting off to the side, I entered the room, slamming the door in Zelda's shocked face.

Link looked up from the book he was reading and smiled when he saw me enter. His broad grin quickly faded as he studied my face. "What's wrong?" I was taken aback by his simple question. I had thought for sure he would still be mad at me, or at least a little depressed.

"What's wrong?" I repeated dumbly.

"Yeah, you look a little upset." He tilted his head to the side, and gave me a puzzled look.

"Link… what's wrong with you?" I tried to sound as polite as possible, but this was a bit strange. He was acting like nothing happened.

"How do you know my name?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Not that I blamed him for messing with my head, especially after what happened, but now he was just acting like a brain-less monkey. Just as he opened his mouth to speak the door opened behind me, and I turned to see Zelda enter, looking perfectly composed.

"Midna, I need to talk to you for a moment," she said, ignoring Link's confused look. "It's about Link," she continued after a short pause. Reluctantly, I followed her back outside. Once the door softly clicked shut, I turned to barrage her with questions, but she beat me to the punch.

"I had to do a little more than operate on his hand."

"What do you—?"

"He doesn't remember you anymore, Midna."