Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda, I don't own Peru, and I sure as hell don't own a small planet just outside of Alpha Centauri.

Chapter 9: Desperate Times

On the surface life continued as usual within the walls of the Palace of Twilight. Ganon carefully orchestrated the actions of every noble and soldier so as to have them appear normal, using their memories to add another level of plausibility. Outsiders were not generally admitted into the Palace, the Rulers of Twilight being more careful than their counterparts, but those arriving on business were still allowed entrance. Those few that were admitted wondered why the Light Dwellers were absent from the halls, but when they asked that of what friends they had among the guard and staff they were told that the Hylians were keeping mostly to themselves, within their own chambers—the servants gave this reply on orders from the Captain of the Guard in order to "prevent a widespread panic." This was accepted with little question; what could the Twili know of Light Dweller customs?

Just below the façade however, Ganon's machinations were clear. The Palace Mages, minds dominated by the Dark Lord, were forging weapons of Twilit Metal. The off-duty guards trained for battle as never before. The nobles discussed tactics in the High Council Chamber—here Ganon released just enough of their minds back to their owners' control so as to be able to strategize.

Noct continued about his duties, trying to act as normally as possible while at the same time listening carefully for any hints at what was going on and for anything that might be of importance to Link and Zelda. He heard nothing. No one so much as mentioned the Hylians outside the High Council Chamber—not even the servants mentioned them, fearful of the changes in the atmosphere of the Palace and worried of being accused of being in league with them—and it would be far too suspicious for him to ask around.

The day passed and Noct grew more nervous. In speaking to Link and Zelda Noct had committed treason of the highest degree and a day's worth of silence made him worry; he couldn't risk returning empty-handed and though he was unsure why he felt that the sooner he gave the Hylians news, the better.

Additionally, the sooner he returned the sooner things would over and the less the chance of discovery; if anyone found out what he had done and what he was doing, chances were he was as good as dead. The though terrified him, chilled his soul, but he remained steadfast; he would help prove the Light Dwellers' innocence.

His fear was helped in part by his naive belief in a perfect justice and an unfailing human kindness; he truly thought, deep down, that the nobles, Midna included, would see that the Hylians were innocent if only he could gather enough evidence and would excuse his own transgressions as a valiant pursuit of justice. And with that he thought that Midna would return to her normal self, would see that what she was doing was wrong. She had to—in the intervening year between this and Ganondorf the Younger's defeat, Noct had become attached to Midna to the point where she seemed almost as much his older sibling as Nero and her transformation scared him most of all.

Toward midday, Noct couldn't take it anymore—alone with his concern, a sense of impending danger flitted about at the edge of his mind, though, again he knew not why. He just knew that if he were going to help the Light Dwellers, he was going to have to act, not simply wait idly. He would have to set things in motion, risk or no risk.

Thus he had only one option left, one that could very well ruin his plans and get them all killed, though the task in and of itself did not appear outwardly dangerous: he would have to get information straight from the source and ask Princess Midna what she had up her sleeve.

The High Council was breaking for lunch. Noct waited outside the chamber with the pretext of having papers from some guild or another that needed approval. Midna, on exiting the chamber, glanced quickly through them and signed off on them—the papers were of little consequence and, after all, appearances had to be maintained. She then nodded at Noct in dismissal, and began moving down the hall. Noct followed.

"Uh… Your Majesty?" Noct began, regretting the words even as he spoke them.

Ganon was mildly surprised that Noct was addressing him; the young Twili had tried to appear normal, but he could not hide his discomfort at being in 'Midna's' presence. "Yes?"

"Uh… Well, I was, um… I…" he stammered.

Midna's eyes rolled and when Ganon spoke with her voice, the tone was filled with its usual levity and nonchalance, though it seemed to Noct that a certain, joking note was missing. "Oh, spit it out, will you?"

"I was wondering… what's gonna happen to the Hylians?"

Midna's body whipped around to face Noct, eyes fairly flashing as they narrowed and suspicion roused within Ganon. Perhaps he should take over the servants…

Noct quickly alerted to his danger, believing that Midna might be on to him. Trying with limited success to keep his voice as steady as possible, Noct added, "I-I was curious be-because the H-H-Hylians have helped us so much and they are f-foreign diplomats, so I w-wondered if they were going to be g-granted leniency."

"No," Ganon replied, carefully scrutinizing Noct. "They will be punished to the fullest extent of the Twilian Law; the princess and her soldiers will be held prisoner until further notice and the Hero will be executed tomorrow… Why? Do you believe that traitors such as these deserve leniency?"

The Dark Lord was moments away from ripping into Noct's mind, when the Twili finally responded, saying "No…" He paused for a moment, then continued more forcefully in a resolute tone, "No, it's for the best. We can't allow them to attack us as they will. We must not allow them to attack us as they will. We must not be subjugated again." With great trepidation, he forced himself to meet Midna's eye. Her eyes, once good-naturedly sardonic and lively, now reflected only cold emptiness. It took all his strength to repress a shudder.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Noct," Ganon said, letting his guard down a bit and releasing his hold on the magic that would have crushed Noct's will, "because at the conclusion of the execution, I intend to announce the High Council's plans. You see, we have decided to go to war."

Noct just nodded and said, "If you believe it to be the correct path, then I will stand by you now as ever."

The young Twili took his leave soon after. Ganon watched him go, a small smile forming on Midna's lips. "The little fool…"

Noct's mind raced; It was too much to take… How could Midna do this? She was like a sister to him, how could she betray him and all that their people believed in such a way? What had happened? Where was the woman he used to know? What in the name of Eternal Darkness was he supposed to do to stop her, if that were even possible?

Noct forced himself to calm down with a simple trick—he remembered that Midna had taught it to him and was forced to use it again before he could go on. He had less than twenty-four hours to free the Light Dwellers, but how? He was just one Twili—Midna had an entire army for Twilight's sake! Yet, he couldn't just leave them to die, let alone stand by while Midna dragged his people and those of the Hylians' into another war.

Noct made a desperate plan. He went about his day as usual, or so it seemed. In much the same way as Ganon, he was covertly preparing for a battle. Servants in any palace have a sort of understood code, so as to spread the court gossip in a relatively discreet manner. Few, if any, outside the servants know the code as there are no explicitly set terms, only implications.

Through this, Noct conveyed a plea for help to his friends—not an easy thing given the mode of communication, but Noct had been at the Palace for sometime and had some practice in the tongues of obvious subtlety.

The other servants were shocked at what they heard—they'd seen the guards training, but had dismissed with classic denial—and most agreed to lend a hand and spread the word to those they trusted. Many were uncertain at first but Noct and several others were able to win them around. It took the rest of the day, but the servants were able to formulate a plan through this peculiar word-of-mouth system. The rescue would begin at midnight.

Back in the dungeon Link and Zelda had spent the last two days unable to sit still. They had attempted to gain an audience, but their request had been completely ignored by the guardsmen. This led to a near-constant pacing on the part of the Hero and intermittent revivals on the debate of Midna's loyalties. Noct was not discussed both to protect him and to avoid jinxing the only chance they had of escape and of him actually being on their side. Nevertheless, they did remain hopeful. But then, what else did they have?

The other Hylians had, more or less, resigned themselves to the dungeon, recognizing that there was nothing to be done about it. At first they had asked Zelda what was going on, practically begged for an explanation; they were in a totally alien land, unlike any they'd ever known, awaiting an unknown fate. It pained the monarch beyond description not to be able to reassure them. The exception to the Hylians' general despair was, of course, Captain Ralon. He didn't care a whit for his own treatment, but his blood boiled at how they treated his liege and his men.

Evening had reached its pitch-dark peak and Link was readying himself for a third sleepless night, when the sounds of a struggle broke the night, startling him and waking most of the Light Dwellers. These noises were followed by a number of sharp clangs and dull thumps.

Link stood and pressed up against the bars, trying to get a view. The Hero exchanged glances with Zelda. The commotion died out completely in a few short minutes, Link not managing to see any of it. However, moments later Noct and a number of unfamiliar Twili dashed around the corner.

"Noct, what are you doing?"

"No time to explain, Hero. Suffice it to say that all of you need to get out of here as soon as possible," Noct answered by way of explanation, pulling out a pair of metal keys. He used one to open Zelda's cell and the other to undo her shackle.

Zelda thanked him, then asked, "But, who are these people?"

Noct had unlocked Link's cell and was about to do the same to his shackle. "They're servants. I was able to convince roughly eighty to help you." He moved on to Ralon.

"Hate to break it to you, lad," Ralon commented, "but they don't exactly look like eighty people."

"Not all are here now; I've go them on watch, preparing our way, and so on. Now, please, we must hurry." Noct's hand was shaking and he was having trouble opening the door to the next cell. Link grabbed his wrist gently.

"Hold up there. Why don't you just relax for a second and tell us what's going on?" Noct began to protest, saying he had to free the rest of the Hylians. Link turned to the Twili's companions. "Can you take it from here?"

They looked at him with a sort of blank reverence; Noct had chosen them to accompany him based on fighting skill, limited as any of the servants' was, not based on linguistic skill.

"Uh, Noct?" Link asked, giving him a fleeting look.

He sighed unhappily and handed the keys off, translating Link's request to his friends and adding that they should otherwise continue as planned. As the others began freeing the rest of the Light Dwellers, Noct told Link, Ralon, and the princess what he had learned. He finished by telling them where he intended to take them: a keep in the Eastern Lands—it belonged a minor noble family, the heir to the heir to which was good friends with one of the palace servants. He was here on business for his guild—nobles' children were often sent off to guilds to learn some skill or another; he was one of whom Noct had approached Midna on behalf of—and had agreed to help them. He couldn't bring them back to the Light Realm; the portal was under heavy guard.

"No… You must be mistaken… Midna would never…" Link began, shock evident.

"Link, I know how you feel, but now is not the time," Zelda said, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to give him some amount of comfort, no matter how small. All of the Hylians had been freed by this time and she continued, saying, "We need to go."

"Right." In light of what Noct had told them, Link's emotions had shut down, leaving only logic—he had made excuses for his love before, but no longer; she had made her choices, she had betrayed them. There was no going back. "What about our weapons?"

"You will have to leave them," Noct informed him. "We can't afford to risk retrieving them."

"Ordinarily, I would agree, however we must, at the very least, reclaim the Relics," Zelda said. "Noct, if you would be willing to take us to the armory?"

Noct groaned internally; this was hard enough as it was. But he recognized the importance of the Relics… and the fact that Link and Zelda would go searching on their own. Better they had a guide. "If I must."

And so, Noct led Link, Zelda, and Ralon—he had refused to be left behind—to their weapons while his friends escorted the other Hylians out of the Palace of Twilight. It wasn't hard to locate the Relics once they were in the armory, though it did take a minute for Zelda to remove the magic locks and barriers around them. Master Sword and Light Bow and Arrows in hand—Ralon had even managed to find his own, ancestral sword and the Hero's shield—they turned to leave. They were stopped in the hall by one all too familiar to the Hylians' guide.

"Well, well, well. What exactly do you think you're doing, my dear, little brother?" asked the Captain of the Guard, Nero Kaeran.

Author's Note: No, I haven't given up on this. No matter how long it may take, I will eventually update any story I have started… given this took several months… Anyway, I'll try to settle back into my routine of a chapter once every 1-2 weeks, so hopefully Chapter 10 will be sooner in coming than this. Sorry to my Readers, Reviewers, and friends on Fanfiction for how long this took. I'll try to be on more often, but I can't today. Barring the unforeseen, I'll probably use the next week or so to catch up on my reading for the stories some of you guys've been working on.

Anywho, I hope you liked this chapter… and remembered what was going on. Speaking of remembering, did I already give Noct and Nero a last name? I checked and it didn't look like it, but I'm not sure. Also, for my reappearance, so to speak, I wrote a songfic for Devil May Cry, to any who are interested.

Well, sorry again and R&R if you've got time.

-TG