Short note – I've updated the interlude so it's now in italics. I wanted to show that it was something different, and I think, at least visually, it does that now!

Well I've turned into a little writing machine – second chapter in as many days! I have the time at weekends to do this, which is why I update then. In the week I am too busy. Hope this is ok with everyone. Still, longer chapters really aren't my thing, I have trouble concentrating on them, plus I find my ability to write coherently deteriorates in longer chapters, so I know you'd all prefer slightly shorter, but coherent chapters to pages and pages of waffle!

So as you see, we're moving on to the Twilight Realm now. I hope things make sense to you in the way I have presented them so far!

*-MM-*


Sleep

llll

Gaia moved to cradle me in her arms, as I broke into racking sobs, finally able to let go of all the pent up emotion I had been storing up.

"Well, I knew there had to be more to your moods and visions than just the hard work you're going through," Gaia said to me, soothing me with her voice. "Plus, now you've confirmed it's about love, I don't know why I didn't see it before! But then again, the tears help." She pulled away from me to give me a smile, and I smiled back at her. Gaia always knew how to cheer me up a little.

"Oh Gaia," I said, wiping tears away, "I shouldn't be crying over this, I'm a princess for Twilight's sake," annoyed at my own display of weakness.

"Midna, you are more than allowed to cry every now and again. Though this is only the second time I've ever seen you cry..." she broke off, not wanting to remind me of the day my parents died.

"Maybe you are right, Gaia," I said, getting off the bed and walking to the window, to look at the Twilight outside, "but the time of crying is over. I must find out what is causing these visions and work out a way to use them to my advantage." I felt a glint in my own eye at the thought of seeing Link again. I whirled around to face Gaia again.

"What if there is some way of getting back to the Light World, that I don't know of?!" I said excitedly. "If I could find some way of returning to the light again, I could see Link, and let him know..." I couldn't bring myself to say that word again in Gaia's presence. Gaia noticed I'd had gone quiet and came over to stand by me at the window, looking out at the Realm I now ruled.

"So tell me, Midna," she asked, quietly, "what's this Link like?" Sighing, I began to put Link into words, for the first time ever.

"There's just so much that can be said about him," I replied, nervous, as I didn't know how I was going to do him justice. "He's an adventurer, a warrior, fierce in battle, but kind and caring outside of it. He understands power, and how it should be used properly, and not for own ends. He knew me when I Zant had transformed me into an imp, yet accepted me for who I was. Obviously, I was lying to him at that point, but he didn't know or care, he always took all the insults I threw at him. And when I saw him for the first time in this form, I couldn't read him, he just stared blankly..." I shook my head as I could feel my eyes glazing over with tears again. "Yet he could also be surprisingly stupid sometimes," I added with a smirk. I was remembering the amount of times I had hit that wolf, appeared in imp form to chastise Link for being so slow...

"Well, if he can survive you, I say he's a keeper," Gaia nudged me playfully. I laughed.

"I guess you're right Gaia, but what I still don't understand is why I can see and hear him now, why I can see and hear Zelda."

"Wait," said Gaia, "you didn't tell me you could hear in these visions?!" She looked at me puzzled. I broke away from her and began to pace the room, with her watching me.

"Well, it's not hearing as such. I catch the conversation by being able to lip read, a skill I bet you didn't know I had Gaia," I turned to her and winked. "It has come in rather useful these last few weeks, being ruler and everything. I can see what people are talking about, without even needing to hear them, especially those councillors..." I broke off knowing Gaia was looking at me in a stern way. I knew why.

"Yes, yes, I have lip read a few of your conversations too," I admitted, "but only when you talk to councillors. Which reminds me, that conversation you had with Councillor Dax the other day was very interesting..." I smiled broadly as I remembered it, and watched Gaia blush.

"Midna, what I talk about with Councillor Dax is, well, private. Please stop it." Gaia looked cross now, my favourite mood of hers as it was easy to play with her.

"OK, I will stop. I'm not worried about Councillor Dax anyway, so I'll leave you in peace." I gave her a wink. "I don't want to hear what you're talking about again anyway." I made a face and Gaia threw a pillow at me. We both laughed.

"So back to the visions?" Gaia reminded me.

"Yes," I continued. "Well, I can lip read the visions and hear the conversation, but the weirdest part, the weirdest part of the visions is that I can hear the thoughts of people, well, the thoughts of two people."

"Who?" Gaia asked, in amazement and awe. "Whose thoughts can you hear, in these visions?"

"When I saw the vision of Princess Zelda, I could hear her thoughts, and when I saw the visions with Link in, I could hear his thoughts," I concluded. "But I don't know why and I need to know why." I sank back onto the bed, frustrated at how much I knew, yet also how little.

"Why is it important for you to know why?" Gaia asked. "Surely you being able to see them both is enough?"

"Gaia, these visions provide me with a connection to Link and the Light World, it would be useful to know how I have it, and, how to stop it as there are some thoughts that I don't want to hear..." I trailed off, thinking of the pain I felt in Link. It had subsided a little, but it was still there. Thoughts about me, about how he loved me, yet how he also hated me for breaking the mirror.

"Link's thoughts?" Gaia, asked tentatively, not wanting to arouse the passionate anger in me that could happen so often.

"Yes," I snapped, but taking a hold of myself I replied in more controlled tones, "yes, sometimes I don't want to hear Link's thoughts. I feel all the hurt I have caused him, I feel him in anguish and it distresses me that I know that I caused this anguish. It wouldn't be so bad if I only saw him, and didn't hear him, but I do and it's agony." I buried my head in my pillow again, trying to dispel the tears that I could feel ready to fall.

Gaia, in her usual role, came back over to the bed to calm me down again, stroking my hair as she had always done.

"Look at me Gaia," I said, sitting up yet again, "I'm a mess. No wonder the councillors are getting agitated with me, I'm even more quick-tempered with them than usual and I snap at all the little things. I'm going to have to do something about this. I sprang off the bed, surprising Gaia in the process, as a thought suddenly struck me.

"Wait a moment, if I can hear their thoughts, maybe they can hear mine?" The realisation dawned on me. "Yes, if I try to contact them through thought alone, maybe we could speak and talk things through!" Gaia watched me as I paced the room, thinking through my plan.

"But Midna, you'd never be happy with talking alone. Surely it would be better to look for a way to physically meet again?" Gaia was smart, she always had been.

"Yes, I know that Gaia," I said petulantly, "but I've got to try this first. I don't know what's causing it, and if I can speak to Zelda, and maybe Link, maybe there is a way to use this telepathy kind of power to our advantage, and create another crossing point between our worlds." My mind was racing. So many thoughts were filling my head. What if I could find a way to see Link again? What would I say to him? What would we do? Would he come here again, after all the trouble that came out of this Realm?

"Shut up," I said out loud, but to myself. Gaia presumed it was to her.

"I didn't say anything Midna?" She was confused.

"I was talking to myself, sorry Gaia. It just spilled out." I shook my head. "Now I'm talking to myself, what craziness is next? The councillors letting me take full control of ruling the Realm? I think not."

Gaia looked at me as if I'd gone insane. I clearly was insane, but it was completely my own fault.

"Gaia, I'm going to try contacting Zelda first, mostly because I don't want to talk to Link yet, I'm not ready, and also because she will have more knowledge of things than him" I paused a little and added, "he really can be useless sometimes, y'know?" Gaia nodded as if she did, but clearly still thought I was insane.

"I need to induce these visions, which, so far have only happened when I have been asleep. So, I'm going to induce sleep with magic. So if you could leave me..." Gaia looked like she didn't want to go anywhere. She looked at me, imploring me not to go through this. She looked worried about me.

"Don't look so worried, you know how capable at magic I am, and besides, I'm sure you know when I've woken up, you're bound to hear me," I said, rolling my eyes at the remembrance of waking up from every vision so far, with a loud shout, and Gaia rushing in.

"Fine," Gaia almost snapped at me, "go through with this, but I will be sitting outside your door, ready to come in at the slightest noise."

"Fine," I snapped back, but showing I wasn't annoyed with her, I stuck my tongue out at her.

"You really are a spitting image of your mother sometimes," Gaia said, to my surprise. "She was always so feisty, especially when it came to your father. You seem to have inherited her passion for life and love. She would have been proud of you, y'know?" And with that, she left the room, and I heard her pull up a chair outside my door.

I put Gaia's comments to one side, to concentrate on the matter at hand. I closed my eyes and felt the magic in my fingers, the spell for sleep. I made my way over to the bed and led on it, not wanting to cause Gaia alarm by collapsing on the floor. I raised my hands above my head, to incant the spell and shortly afterwards, I felt a wave of warmth caress my body.

To sleep.


So, more developments in this chapter. A bit longer than usual, I wanted to introduce Midna and Gaia a bit more.

Hope you liked it!