Chapter 8

For the first time since he had first heard its thoughts in his mind, Zant found himself missing the Voice. It had been two days since his visit to see the Light Princess, and the Voice had said nothing since then. At first, Zant had counted this as a victory; the Voice may have taken control of his mouth once, but now it knew that Zant was back in command. But as the hours of silence turned into days, Zant began to long for company.

There was still a part of him that denied the Voice's existence - a part that said those thoughts were his own. He had tried several times to make himself believe that, but after his outburst in the Princess's tower, it seemed clear that something else was at work here. Did the Voice speak for the God of Twilight? It had appeared in Zant's mind the day he received his god's power. And yet, it did not seem at all like the god Zant had met that day. The God of Twilight wanted what was best for the Twili, and he had entrusted Zant with the power to change the fate of his people for the better. The Voice, on the other hand, was angry, cruel, and bitter. It mocked Zant at every turn. Lord Ganon, the God of Twilight, would not do that. Perhaps it was a test...

Lightning flashed outside, lighting up the throne room and turning the statues of the Golden Goddesses for a split second into terrifying demons.

Zant blinked. He was standing on the stairs before the throne, gazing up at the statues with his helmet in his hands. When had he removed it from his head? When had he gotten up from the throne? He could not remember.

He ascended the stairs and took his place on the throne once again.

What am I doing? he thought, not expecting an answer but secretly hoping for one.

Silence.

He had thought about going to see Princess Zelda again. Without the Voice's interference, perhaps he could finally explain his proposal to her. But he could not bring himself to climb the stairs and face her - not after what happened last time. He had lost control of himself and then fled like a coward, a child, not a conqueror.

The guard he had stationed on the stairwell had reported nothing; the Princess had not attempted to leave the room.

What is she plotting? Zant asked himself, still hoping for a response from the Voice.

Nothing.

Zant sighed.

"What am I doing?" he repeated, this time aloud.

He had hardly left the throne in the days since his meeting with Princess Zelda. Somehow the seat gave him comfort. It reminded him of who he was - a conqueror and a liberator, one who had brought together two great peoples.

Only, he had not exactly brought them together yet.

"What am I doing?" he repeated a little louder. His voice echoed faintly around the vast throne room.

His Shadow Beasts were patrolling nearly all of Hyrule, freely moving through the Twilight without the protection of Zant's power. King Bulblin and his followers were roaming the land as spirits, as were the rest of the Light peoples.

The Twili were beasts, fierce warriors who had been brought into this world against their will and been forced to conquer it. The Light peoples were spirits, living in fear while at the same time desperately trying to continue their everyday lives.

No one had been brought together. Zant's plan had come to a halt. He could put it back in motion whenever he chose, so why didn't he? What was holding him back? What was he doing?

"What am I doing?!" he spat, throwing his helmet to the ground in frustration. It bounced down the stairs, making a dull thud whenever it struck the carpet.

Zant slumped over on the throne and put his head in his hands. He wanted to rest for a while and regather his thoughts. But the moment he closed his eyes, other eyes opened in his mind.

The eyes of Midna, gazing at him with defiance, sadness, fear, rage.

The eyes of Terani, of Vedir, of the Twili, glaring at him in the moments before he turned them into monsters.

The eyes of Princess Zelda, beams of Light that pierced into his soul. And what had they found there? Nothing but a coward who had enslaved his people and conquered a world that was not his.

The helmet reached the bottom of the stairs and rolled to a halt. Silence once again filled the room. The cursed silence.

Where are you? Zant asked the Voice.

No response.

"Where are you?!" Zant called, throwing his head back and shouting up at the high ceiling of the throne room. The Golden Goddesses looked down at him in contempt.

He could not bear the silence anymore. He got to his feet and started down the stairs towards his helmet. He would speak to Princess Zelda, and she would agree to his plans for bringing the Light-dwellers and the Twili together. She would have to.

Zant reached the helmet and paused. He stared down at the polished metal that had not been forged by any Twili. It had been a gift from his god, and he was grateful. And yet, it seemed so sinister.

I will leave it here, Zant decided. I will speak to the Princess as one leader to another, not as a captor to his prisoner.

Just as he was about to make his way towards the tower, he heard the sound of shuffling footsteps. Moments later, a Shadow Beast appeared in the doorway to the throne room. It was dragging something behind it.

What could that be? Zant wondered. He strode towards the Beast and met it in the middle of the throne room.

The Beast released its prize and stepped to the side. Zant stepped forward and gazed down at the thing, his eyes shining with curiosity. It was some sort of creature. It had four legs, a tail, a long snout, and two triangular ears with blue earrings pierced through the bases. It was covered in dark fur with some white markings. Its eyes were closed, but the steady rise and fall of the chest told Zant that the creature was still alive. It was no Twilight animal, but neither had it become a spirit like the rest of the Light creatures.

As Zant crouched to get a closer look, a faint golden glow caught his eye. It was coming from one of the creature's feet. Zant reached out a hand and carefully turned the foot towards him.

The outline of three very familiar triangles shone up at him. The lower right one was filled with Golden Light, shining much brighter than the hollow ones. Once again, Zant felt the power within him flare up, stronger this time. The three triangles blazed brighter in response, and Zant swore he felt their energies mingle and flow together where his fingers touched the creature's foot.

The Triforce of Courage! the Voice bellowed triumphantly in Zant's mind, startling him. He dropped the foot, and it fell limply to the floor.

Zant could not help the wave of relief that flowed through him at the Voice's sudden reappearance. If it noticed - if it even could notice - it said nothing.

Guilt and sense of defeat followed the relief. Zant had spent so long trying to convince himself that the Voice was not real. When that had failed, when he was at last forced to acknowledge the Voice's existence, he had been determined never to let it gain control of him again. Now he had failed yet again. He had allowed the Voice to become a part of himself - a part he missed when it was silent, and a part whose return he was grateful for. He hated himself for that.

The Triforce of Wisdom allowed the Princess to retain her true form, the Voice continued, interrupting Zant's thoughts. But the Triforce of Courage has turned its bearer into a wolf. How interesting.

"Where did you find this...wolf?" Zant questioned the Shadow Beast. The word wolf was foreign to him, and it felt strange coming out of his mouth.

The Shadow Beast stepped forward. Zant reached out a hand, hesitating for a second as he remembered the incident with Terani. He took a deep breath and placed his palm against the Beast's head.

There was the forest again. A wall covered in Twili markings towered above the Shadow Beast, who was patrolling this area.

The sound of running footsteps and heavy breathing came from the other side of the wall. The Shadow Beast shuffled forward, listening. The footsteps came nearer, then stopped. There was a gasp.

Suddenly, the Beast reached out a hand, which went through the wall and grasped something on the other side. The Shadow Beast pulled its hand through the wall. The thing in its grasp cried out in fear and alarm as it was taken into Twilight. The Shadow Beast stepped away from the wall to examine its captive.

It was a Light-dweller - a young man with blonde hair and pointed ears. He struggled, grabbing the Shadow Beast's hand and attempting to pry himself loose. As the Beast brought him close to its face to get a better look, the Triforce suddenly appeared on the young man's hand. The Triforce of Courage glowed brightest for a moment, and then the entire Triforce was filled with blazing Golden Light. The Beast threw the man away from him, temporarily blinded and in pain from the touch of the Light.

The young man cried out and then hit the ground with a thud. There was ragged breathing and gasps. Then a scream of agony. Another thud. Then silence.

When the Shadow Beast's vision returned, the young man was gone. In his place was a wolf who bore the glowing Triforce on his foot, but it quickly faded away. The Shadow Beast approached the wolf cautiously, but the creature did not move. Its eyes were closed and its breathing was shallow. The Shadow Beast grabbed one of the wolf's legs and began dragging it to Hyrule Castle.

Zant removed his hand, having seen all he needed to see and fearful of another, more violent vision of a Twili screaming at him.

So this is the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, the Voice whispered, sounding amused. A mere boy, turned into a beast at the touch of Twilight.

"The bearers of both the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage are now in Hyrule Castle, under my control," Zant mused. "If we can secure the one who holds the Triforce of Power as well, no one will be able to oppose us."

He was immediately and painfully aware of the fact that he had said we and us instead of I and me.

You needn't worry about that now, the Voice said a little harshly. Midna is the biggest concern at the moment. If she locates the rest of the Fused Shadows, she may become a nuisance.

Yes, that's right, Zant thought, more to himself that to the Voice. He had nearly forgotten about Midna.

"Imprison the wolf in the dungeons, away from the soldiers." Zant commanded the Shadow Beast. "Then continue your patrol. I want Midna found as soon as possible."

The Beast grabbed one of the wolf's legs once again and began to drag him from the throne room. Zant watched it go in silence. That Shadow Beast had once been one of his people. Was that one Terani? Or perhaps Vedir? He could not tell one from the other. A pang of guilt swept through him.

"And...thank you," he whispered as the Beast disappeared from sight.

'Thank you' will not be enough to make the Twili choose to follow your rule if you return them to their true forms, the Voice mocked him.

When I return them to their true forms, Zant corrected. They will choose what is best for their people, and that is to remain in the Light World.

Midna must be found, the Voice reminded him again. It sounded both irritated and bored.

Zant hated himself for ever having missed the Voice.

He turned and walked back to his helmet, which still lay on the floor. This time, he picked it up and placed it on his head. Talking to the Princess could wait.

Midna must be found.