A/N: I'm just glad you guys are sticking with me through all this insanity. It's about to get crazier, trust me. :P Hopefully you guys enjoy this, though... and, as usual, feel free to tell me if there's something you dislike about this. I'll do my best to fix it if I can. :3

...Also, just for clarification, in this chapter, it says the "east" portion of Hyrule. "East" refers to the Wii version, since... that's the version I played... xD; (But if you want to know, I still envision Link as being left-handed because... that's just how he is. :P)

Midna stepped into her throne room and looked around at the Twili gathered there. A few guards stood at the doors and along the walls, and the members of her council sat in front of her. "Your Highness - Midna! Are you all right?" one of the council members asked frantically, a pink-eyed Twili woman with yellow markings on her cheeks. Her name was Seila, and she had been Midna's close friend for a long time.

Midna smiled and sank down into her throne, crossing her legs. "I'm fine! I'm glad to see you're all safe, too." She was so glad to be sitting down; although she was reluctant to admit it, she still felt horribly nauseous from when Ameia had cut her hair. She leaned to the side and rested her head on her hand, trying to ignore the dizziness. "So... As some of you saw, a few people from the Light Realm managed to stumble into our world."

A tall Twili councilman frowned. "Princess, I feel I need to say this... You've spoken fondly of the people of the Light Realm in the past." At these words, Midna tried not to blush. Yes, she had spoken fondly of them, but mostly of Link. She had never spoken his name to her people or told them how much she truly cared for him, but she always said he was the brave hero who saved the Twilight. The councilman continued, "Despite the fact that you seem fine with these people, our past with them cannot be erased. They and their Goddesses mercilessly drove us away from their realm. I've said this before, but you still seem overly forgiving of these people."

Midna tried hard not to glare at him. "'Our past with them cannot be erased'? Really, Shaldun? You're completely missing the fact that our ancestors lusted for power, and their banishment into this realm was justified." She couldn't believe she'd just said that... She took a deep breath and plowed on, despite the fact she was probably embarrassing herself. "Of course, we are nothing like our greedy ancestors. We are understanding and kind; we are pure and gentle... are we not?"

All the other council-members nodded their heads in agreement, and Shaldun pressed his lips together for a moment before he too nodded. Midna smiled. "Are we not far superior to our ancestors?" she asked softly.

Shaldun sighed. "Where are you going with this, princess?"

"Well." Midna tried to sit up straighter and square her shoulders. "If we are, indeed, superior to the selfishness of our ancestors, then I want to prove that. I want to stand above their biased hatred toward the people of the light realm. I want to help these people." She smiled. "Don't you remember all the stories I've told you of the light dweller who saved our entire realm? I couldn't have returned to you without him. Without him, Zant would still be on the throne, and all of you would still be stuck in the form of a dark beast."

All the members of her council remained silent for a moment, thinking on her words. Shaldun nervously shifted his weight.

"Then," another councilman spoke up, "what do you wish for us to do, Your Highness?"

"Simple," Midna said with a sigh, leaning back in her throne again and allowing herself to relax. "If you want to... I'd like you to stay back here and watch over the Twili in my absence. Make sure the kingdom is well taken care of." Her eyes searched the members of her council. All of them seemed to be accepting of this task, especially Seila. She was grinning widely and nodding her head. The sight made Midna smile. "Do you accept this task?"

"I do," Seila said without hesitation. "Anything to help you, Princess Midna."

After this, all the other council members echoed words of agreement.

Midna stood up, and though a wave of dizziness nearly overcame her, she forced herself to stay on her feet. "Thank you all so much."

"You'll return soon, won't you?" Seila asked.

"Of course," the princess replied. "I'll come back as quickly as I can. I just want to help the light-dwellers if I can. I owe them so much..." And by "them", she thought to herself, I mean Link and Zelda more than anyone else.

Seila sighed. "Well, I'll miss you, Princess Midna, but know that we'll all be happy to take care of your throne, and we'll do a great job at watching over your people. And... I hope you have fun in the realm of light." She grinned.

"Thank you, Seila." She smiled at the council members. "Thank you all." She strode toward the throne room's exit, but she stopped by Seila's side and whispered with her smile widening, "Keep Shaldun in check, will ya?"

Seila smirked. "Of course, Midna."

"I know you trust her, Link, and somehow you two seem to be good friends," Ashei huffed, "but I'm still wary of her. Sorry to say it, but that's how I feel."

"Has she done anything to hurt you?" Link said with a sigh.

"Well, no..."

"And instead, she helped us. She fought Ameia," Link continued.

Ashei sighed and dropped to the floor. "Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry. It's just that... Well, I hate this place. It's such a strange realm... it feels so wrong here. I wish I was back home."

"I like it here," Shad interrupted. "It's lovely in a very unique way." He studied a series of glowing blue markings on the wall. "It's very... interesting."

"I'm sorry, Ashei." Link sat down next to her and sighed heavily. "I don't know what Midna is doing, but I trust her." He tried to smile at her.

Ashei pressed her lips into a line, then she shook her head. "Yeah, yeah... Fine. But how do you two know each other? Maybe you could explain that while we wait for her to come back?" She raised a brow at him and flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"I... Uh." Link shifted uncomfortably. "It's a long story."

"We have time, yeah?"

"Oh, I'd love to hear such a story, old boy! Especially the story of how and why you turn into a beast?" Shad grinned at Link and motioned at him. "Go on! We need to know this kind of thing! After all, something as odd as this doesn't happen every day!"

But Link did not want to tell the story of Twilight covering Hyrule, and how he had met Midna in the dungeons of Hyrule Castle, and how she had pushed him to find the Fused Shadows in order to defeat Zant, and...

As if on cue, Midna opened the door of the room and stepped inside with a huge grin on her face, effectively putting an end to the awkward conversation. Link breathed a huge sigh of relief as she put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "I'm back! Miss me?" she said with a small laugh. She certainly seemed excited. "So... I spoke to my council, and they've agreed to take care of my throne and my people in my absence."

Link's heart skipped a beat, and he tried not to hope for too much. He stared at her with wide eyes. "In your absence...?"

"Yes, I'm coming with you." Midna smirked. "I figured you could use my help... I'll make sure to take good care of you!" Her smirk widened. "After all, Goddesses know you need my help more than anyone. You can hardly do anything for yourself, can you?" she teased.

Link resisted the stupidly strong urge to throw himself into her arms. Instead, he smiled widely at her in return. "You're coming?" Was this really happening? He could hardly believe it! Midna was coming back to Hyrule with him! He thought he could hear Ashei asking a question or two in the background, but he didn't pay any attention to her. He was too excited to. But then his heart dropped. "Midna... You trust your council, don't you?" he asked hesitantly.

Midna blinked and paused. "Thank you for worrying, but I wouldn't leave the Twilight Realm if I didn't trust these people. I have a very close friend in the council, and I know she'll take good care of my people." She smiled.

Link nodded once in reply, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling, even though he was afraid he looked like an idiot.

"What are you waiting for, slowpokes? Let's go!" Midna said happily, turning to leave her palace.

Link followed her, and he heard Ashei murmur behind him, "She's coming with us? I really don't know what to think about that..."

"It's exciting! Amazing!" Shad said with a wide grin. "I could ask her so many questions about her realm!"

"Is learning all you care about?" Ashei huffed. "Link just turned into a beast, revealed that he's somehow friends with this strange Midna person, and you're not even wary?"

"Well... I wouldn't say I'm totally comfortable with this situation, but he's Link! We trust him, don't we?"

"Well, yeah!" Ashei sighed. "But the way you're reacting to this entire situation is very abnormal, don't you think?"

Link ignored them as they continued bantering, and instead watched as Midna stood at the edge of the Twilight, staring down into the void for a moment. She took a couple steps back and snapped her fingers, summoning the Shadow Crystal. It floated above her palm, its markings glowing red instead of their usual orange. Midna furrowed her brow. "I wonder how this works," she mumbled. "I think... Maybe..." She waved the Shadow Crystal in a few complicated patterns, but nothing happened. She bared her teeth and kept trying. "Ugh, work with me, you stupid thing!" she hissed as she continued waving the Crystal around. After a moment longer, a swirling portal finally opened before them, and Midna smiled widely. She glanced to Link, and he stared at her for a moment, still amazed that this was even happening. Was she really going to come to Hyrule with him? "Well, stop gawking at me and hurry up!" Midna said with a grin.

Ashei was the first person to step through the portal. She was obviously excited about leaving the Twilight. Link and Midna went next, followed by Shad.

And they emerged in the middle of a battleground.

They stood in the portion of Hyrule Field east of Castle Town, and it was filled with bulblins and Tenrian soldiers. The two sides battled each other, and corpses were littered across the grassy floor. A sword nearly pierced Link's side, but he barely managed to duck out of the way, his eyes wide. He drew his own sword and whirled to face his enemy, a tall Tenrian soldier clad in bright armor. Link parried another attack from his enemy and shouted, "Midna! Did you have to teleport us into the middle of a battle?"

"Well, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Midna called irritably as she formed a ball of red magic between her hands and used it to shock a nearby bulblin.

Shad instantly tried to flee from the battleground, but a bulblin smacked him on the side with its club. Shad yelped in pain and grasped at his side. "What do I do?" he yelled desperately, trying to duck a series of attacks from the bulblin in front of him.

Ashei came up behind the creature and skewered its chest. "Why aren't you carrying a weapon, Shad?" she hissed in annoyance.

"I'm not a fighter!" he protested. He leaned down to the body of the dead bulblin and took its club out of its hand. "I suppose I could try to use this...?"

"It's better than nothing," Ashei grumbled. "Behind you!"

Shad whirled around, but he was too slow. A Tenrian soldier stood before him, his sword poised to strike. Midna formed another electric red ball in her hands, and she tossed it harshly at the enemy. The soldier fell with a scream of agony as the red ball of magic exploded against his body.

With a groan, Midna collapsed to her knees. A bulblin stood behind her, holding its club above her head in preparation to swing it downward. Link lunged forward and lobbed the creature's head clean off. "Midna?" he asked in concern.

"Mmmphh..." she mumbled, "I'll be fine... I promise..."

Link frowned. "You are obviously not fine," he muttered. They couldn't possibly stand here on the battlefield in the midst of all this chaos - both the Tenrian soldiers and the bulblins were fighting against them. They had to get to safety. He gently grasped Midna's arms and helped her to her feet. "We have to find somewhere safe to stay," he said, looking to Ashei and Shad.

Ashei nodded, and Shad sighed in relief. "Let's go, then!" he said, his voice loud and shaky. "I don't want to be here for a moment longer than is necessary!"

But where would they go? Link scrambled away from the battlefield as quickly as he could, with Midna slightly leaning on him the entire way, Ashei and Shad in tow. He ducked behind a large rock, away from the commotion, and the others knelt down beside him.

"So what do we do?" Ashei asked. "We need to get into the castle, yeah? We need to make sure the others are okay."

Link nodded. He glanced between Shad and Midna. "Shad, stay out here with Midna. Try to find somewhere safe to stay if you can."

Midna stared at him with a frown. "You're just going to leave me here? I'm coming with you, Link."

"But you're obviously not feeling too well..."

"I'm coming with you anyway," she insisted. "I'll be fine, I promise. Now that I'm here in Hyrule, I don't want to be useless to you. And besides, my magic should return to me in a few days, so I'll be even more helpful to you then!"

Link frowned at her, but then nodded reluctantly. He didn't want her to get hurt - and if she did, he would hold himself responsible for it.

"We need a plan before we go in though, don't you think?" Ashei said quietly, poking her head around the large rock. "We're far enough away from the battle to be safe for now, but who knows how long that'll last? We need to hurry."

Shad shifted his weight uncomfortably. He was still clutching the bulblin club, and was staring down at it with an uneasy expression. "I'd simply love to aid you in whatever way I can, but I'm afraid you know how incapable I am at fighting."

"Oh, just come with us," Ashei said with a small smile. "We'll protect you."

Shad turned the bulblin club over in his hands and huffed. "That's just the thing - I'd only be a burden on you."

Ashei rolled her eyes. "No, you won't. You'll be fine, I promise. Now let's come up with a plan, yeah? Maybe we should sneak into the castle through the secret passage in Telma's bar?"

Link nodded. "That could work... I bet Castle Town's streets are crowded with bulblins and Tenrian men, though. We'd need to slip past them as quietly as possible."

Shad took a deep breath. "All right. What are we waiting for, then?" He looked down to his shaking hands. "What in blazes have I gotten myself into...?"

Ashei grinned at him. "C'mon Shad, you'll be fine. Let's go, yeah?" She poked her head around the rock and observed the battle scene for a moment before she slipped out into the open. She crept along the wall that surrounded Hyrule Castle Town, with Link, Shad, and Midna in tow. A couple bulblins noticed them and ran over to attack them, but they were easily dispatched.

Link was correct - the streets of Castle Town were filled with enemies. Ashei motioned the group into a small alleyway behind the buildings, and from there, they managed to reach the south side of Castle Town virtually unnoticed.

The downward staircase leading to Telma's Bar was blocked by a group of bulblins and Tenrians locked in battle. Link watched their movements with a thoughtful frown on his face. How were they supposed to get to the bar now? They'd have to run out into the open and expose themselves, and maybe even cut down a few enemies on the way into the bar. He supposed there was no other way. He glanced over his shoulder to the others and jerked his head toward the bar. Midna and Ashei nodded in understanding; Shad looked hesitant. With a long sigh, Link decided that Shad was just going to have to follow them whether he wanted to or not. They were at war; they couldn't afford to be slowed down by Shad's incompetence with fighting. The others followed after him as he ran out of the cover of the alleyways and into the open.

Almost immediately, they were met with resistance from the hordes of enemies in front of the bar. Link and Ashei swiftly cut down a few nearby bulblins; Midna took out a couple Tenrian soldiers with her magic. Shad stood uselessly in the background, defensively holding up the bulblin club he was carrying in preparation to attack. One of the bulblins made its way over to him and threw its club at his side. Shad barely managed to dodge, his eyes wide, but he accidentally dropped his own club in the process. With a terrified shout, he desperately ran away from the bulblin as it pursued him, trying to get in an attack. Noticing the mayhem, Link thrust his sword through the bulblin's chest, and the creature fell with a garbled screech.

"C'mon, let's hurry!" Ashei shouted over the commotion, rushing toward the bar.

It was then that Midna's knees buckled beneath her, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Oh, in the name of Din," Link muttered under his breath. He hurried over to her and lifted her up off the ground. He tried not to panic - not only was he concerned for Midna, but now that he was carrying her, he couldn't use his sword.

"Link, behind you!" Ashei called to him.

He looked over his shoulder, only to see a bulblin swinging a crude blade toward him. Eyes wide, Link barely managed to dodge the attack at the last second, tripping over his own two feet as he scurried out of the bulblin's range. Ashei thrust her sword forward, piercing the creature through the stomach. She quickly withdrew her sword from its flesh, then turned and sprinted toward Telma's Bar with Link and Shad in tow.

They slipped inside the bar, only to be met with a small group of bulblins standing guard. The creatures all turned to look at the newcomers - and one of them lunged toward Ashei, its crude sword aimed to pierce her heart. But Ashei easily deflected the blow and sliced the creature's chest. After their comrade fell, the rest of the bulblins rushed toward Ashei almost simultaneously, their weapons poised to attack.

Link turned toward Shad. "Take care of her," he said, pushing the still-unconscious Midna into his arms. Shad looked confused for a moment, and started to protest, but Link didn't have time to listen. He drew his sword and turned to face the enemy. He drove his blade through a builblin's chest as Ashei cut one's throat.

The small group of bulblins was quickly disposed of, and Link sheathed his sword and turned toward Shad. "Thanks," he said, taking Midna into his arms again.

Shad blinked, still confused. "Oh. Er, of course...?" He looked around Telma's Bar and frowned. "Where to next, then?"

Ashei pointed to a small alcove near the ceiling of the bar. "In there. It's the passage to the castle." She climbed atop a table, and from there, she pulled herself up into the alcove. "Come on!"

Shad climbed up after her, and Link went next. It was difficult to climb up into the little alcove with Midna in his arms, but somehow he managed. The moment they'd climbed into the alcove, Shad turned to face Link and frowned. "I suppose we're safe from the enemy in here, even if it's only for a little while. Therefore, I have some questions for you, chap."

"Shad... we don't have time -" Ashei started, but Shad interrupted her.

"Come now, Ashei, I know we're both dying to know who this Midna is, and why you know her, and why, of all things, you turned into a rabid beast." Instead of the innocently curious expression Shad usually had, now he only looked cold and even a little scared.

Link realized just how horrible their experience in the Twilight Realm had been. Not only had he turned into a mindless wolf intent on killing anyone around it, but now they were being forced to travel alongside Midna, a strange and otherworldly woman that they didn't fully trust. Surely they felt just as confused and afraid as he had felt the very first time he'd stumbled into the Twilight and met Midna in her imp form.

His lips parted with a few words of explanation on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't speak. He simply couldn't bring himself to explain the long story of his journey to save both realms of Light and Twilight and how Midna had been by his side the entire time. They deserved an explanation, but he didn't have one for them.

Finally, he managed to say, "There's no time..." He trailed off for a moment and took a deep breath. "We need to hurry. What if our friends are in danger?"

Shad frowned. "Link -"

"Please," Link said desperately, "another time..."

Ashei and Shad shared a glance, and Ashei shrugged. "He's right," she said quietly, "we have to go, yeah?" She turned her gaze to Link for a moment. "But you have to promise that, when we get a moment of peace, to tell us the entire story."

Link hesitated.

"Promise," Ashei insisted.

"All right... I promise," he said, lowering his eyes. He really wasn't looking forward to keeping that promise.

The moon rose high into the sky, casting a faint silver glow on its surroundings. Lord Denlot stared out the window, a frown on his face. "How is Princess Ameia in control of a bulblin army? When did she make a treaty with them?"

A Tenrian soldier behind him shook his head. "I don't know."

Denlot grunted in irritation and plopped down on a nearby chair, looking at his wounded leg. A bulblin had shot him there, but his men had helped treat the wound. "I didn't know we would be met with such resistance." He leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs.

"It's all right, sire," said the soldier, with a small smile. "We'll follow you wherever you go, and we'll do whatever you ask us to. After all, you're far better than Princess Ameia, and we would give anything to have you on the throne instead of her."

Denlot smirked. He had manipulated these people so perfectly that they very nearly worshiped him. "Thank you. I won't put your loyalty to waste," he pledged. And he wouldn't - he'd use his men in whatever way he possibly could, and he knew they couldn't deny him anything. It was too perfect. Everything was working according to plan - except for the small issue of the war with the bulblins, but that wasn't too much of a problem. Denlot leaned forward and steepled his fingers. "I want you to do something."

"Anything." The Tenrian soldier straightened his posture and nodded.

"I want you to explore this land of Hyrule. Take over the first village you see - create an outpost there. I want to take as much of this kingdom as I possibly can; that way, I'll have a nice advantage over Ameia. I want to corner her and her followers." Denlot grinned. "I want to destroy them."

A/N: So you guys probably have some questions. Like, "So what's going to happen next? Is Denlot the new villain? And what the heck kind of name is Denlot?!" You'll have to wait to find out! xD

...And yeah, thanks again for reading. You guys are great! :3