Thanks for the ton of reviews I got for the last chapter! Really appreciate it! I'd name everyone, but there's so many! I'm glad to see classic Midna is okay with everyone (that poll will be taken down momentarily). And I'm also glad to see that bringing back the King of Evil has grabbed everyone's attention! I felt that he was kinda shoehorned into the game; you spend three-quarters of it going after Zant and then find it's been Ganondorf all along! So, this fic'll be his moment to shine :)
Right, well, this has been in the works for a while; sorry it's taken so long, writing history is not something that comes naturally to me! Onto that subject, the last thing I will ever do is write a history book! I'm not totally convinced by my style, especially as the amount of detail I needed to put in necessitated first-person which, to me, didn't mesh as well as I wanted with the history text.
It's a long chapter because of the amount of detail about the past I needed. It's been through the blender A LOT, so I hope it flows as well as I intended. Again, it could take me quite some time to finish the next chapter; I had a workable draft but it needs some revision and is too short to be a chapter on its own.
Edit 23/04/2012 11:59PM: yep, I'm still working on this story! I just discovered the Export function, which is going to make smoothing my old flaws out MUCH less daunting! Removed some very dodgy phrasing I'd been wanting to for over a year.
Enjoy!
Chapter 18
Light and Shadow
"He loves you; you know that, right?" I said.
She turned her head away, avoiding my eyes. She gave a quiet sigh and spoke, "Yes, and I think I love him, too. I'd never thought it would happen. We're so different…"
"They say those with the least in common make the best of pairings," I said hopefully.
"It's not that, Zelda. We're of two different realms, two different peoples… It won't last, I know it. Something will stop us. Or, something will spark hatred of us that will lead to unrest for both worlds."
"What are you saying, Midna?"
She was silent for a moment, checking she was out of earshot of Link. She made sure the door to the room was closed. "I have to break the Mirror."
My mouth fell open.
"It's the only way," she said, but her voice sounded distant to me.
I shook my head as I gathered my thoughts. "Midna, you can't! It's the only way into the Twilight!"
"And that's why it must be destroyed! What if we face another Zant, or if a different tyrant attacks Hyrule? If the Mirror is intact, such an event will spill into the other realm as surely as it did the last time. He's taught me that to protect one world is impossible without protecting the other. You must understand this."
"And what will you do if you face another enemy like Zant? You'll be cut off from help; it took a light-dweller to defeat Ganondorf after all!"
Midna shot me a warning glance. "What happens in my kingdom is my own business, but I know you will understand. We will manage. It was only because Ganondorf was a light-dweller too that I needed Link, though I didn't know it." She paused, thinking heavily. "And I'm sure the rest of my people won't be pleased to learn the light-dwellers can come freely to our realm while they cannot do the same to here. Some are probably still bitter that the ancient light-dwellers banished us in the first place. It's a powder keg, Zelda. It would take one spark to set off a tragic event. And I fear Link could be that spark." She dropped her gaze to the floor. "What if one of those who truly hated the light chose to attack Link? I know he wouldn't kill a Twili, knowing now what they are. All it would take is one lucky shot… Link could be the first to fall in a war with the light realm. If enough were set in their minds, I couldn't hold them back."
I let my breath out in a pained sigh. She was completely right. "Do you know what it'll do to him?" I asked dangerously, motioning to the door.
"I don't want to imagine."
"Well, you should," I said, some bitterness in my voice. "I can see it in his eyes whenever he looks at you. It's love, pure and simple, but he doesn't know if it is. You go through with this without telling him first, you'll destroy him."
Her gaze became heavy again. "It could destroy him to tell him, too. What would he think of it? After all I've put him through… I just don't know how he'll react. Please, Zelda, please don't tell him."
I sighed and paused a moment. "Very well, I won't tell Link what you plan on one condition. And that condition is, you must tell him how you feel. Let him know that it's love. If you won't be swayed in your intentions, it might help the pair of you to heal if you both know where you stand."
Her eyes fell in sadness. "You speak from experience?"
"No, only from wisdom of ages passed. But it has guided me well."
She looked at the door. A tear fell from her cheek. She scooped it onto her finger and looked at it for a moment, watching it glitter in the light. "All right, Zelda." Then her eyes changed, as if she had an idea…
When I awoke, I was lying on my bed. Memories flickered around my mind; I remembered that conversation with Midna, and then the first time I'd met Link as a wolf. Well, the memories were connected in a way.
I became aware that I wasn't alone. Probably the way someone with a deep, masculine voice called my name. "Zelda, are you all right?"
I knew that voice. It was Link.
I rolled over and met his eyes. "Link… what are you doing here?"
His eyes seemed to search the room for the answer. "Oh nothing, just… dropping by to say I've completed my quest."
My face turned to suspicion. "And in truth?"
I then became aware of a third eye, just over Link's shoulder. It was paired with one made of stone. Above them, a pair of horns rose level with Link's cap.
Oh no.
"Please tell me I'm still asleep and that is not who I think that is," I begged weakly.
He glanced over his shoulder, shot the eyes a look that seemed to say, 'not now!' and turned back to me. "Erm, I guess there are a few questions that need answering…"
"That would just so happen to be the understatement of the year," I confirmed.
"How does that stand with, 'this land goes straight from strange to stranger?'" Cackled a third voice. One I knew quite well.
It was her.
"Well, go ahead and show yourself, Midna. At this stage, I don't think anything could significantly shock me."
Midna moved beside Link.
I recoiled in shock, nearly falling off the bed.
"Famous last words, Princess," the floating imp said idly, checking the nails of her left hand.
"But- but- you're an imp again!"
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," she said, not looking up.
I gripped the sheets for support, both to stop myself falling backwards, and as some anchor in the real world. "Link… some answers would be quite welcome right around now…"
(~^~)
"…and that was her idea!" I finished.
The imp rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it was definitely yours!"
"Take note, Midna," I laughed, giving her the look of a hungry puppy. "How could you doubt a face like this?"
"Hey! Unfair advantage!" Midna growled. I grinned wider.
Zelda held a hand to her temple. Her Triforce was glowing slightly. "You know, this is hard enough to understand without you two bantering with each other," she said in frustration. "Please let me check I know the facts."
"Shoot," Midna said.
"First, Link, you went to Arylus, stopped Dalné from invading, saved Orlon's life and found the mythical World's Point."
"Yep," I replied immediately.
"Next, you met all three Goddesses on a golden Triforce in the sky, and the spirit of the Hero of Time joined you."
"That's right."
"They told you to unite light and shadow in the Mirror Chamber, which you did and you overcame Midna's magic to rebuild the Mirror."
"Pretty much."
"At the same time, Ganondorf's spirit was in the Twilight Realm, where he gained himself a body and covered the land in pure darkness."
"Correct," Midna took over.
"You turned yourself back into an imp to avoid him."
"Yes."
"And somehow, managed to be in the right place at the right time to escape and meet, at which time you finally confess you love each other?"
We both nodded together.
Zelda looked at both of us. "You two are without doubt the strangest pair of people I have ever met," she said flatly. She shook her head and lay back on her bed, her hands covering her eyes as she muttered to herself.
I looked at Midna with a grin.
"When you hear it like that, it does sound a little…" I searched for the word.
"Impressive?" Midna offered.
"Unbelievable?" I tried.
"Mad!" Zelda suggested, the word muffled by her hands. "For the sake of everyone, don't ever try and reproduce! This world couldn't cope with any more..."
Midna gave me the evil smile that often worried me. Her look said, 'no promises!'
"Back on the task at hand," I suggested.
"Oh yes, what's the legendary quest this time?" Zelda said sarcastically. "Oh right, Link's now the master of Light and Shadow."
"Yep, that one," Midna said casually.
Zelda gave a frustrated pause. "I feel like I'm going to get a migraine if I think on this too much, so Midna, take whatever you need from the castle library. Link, tell Pellen I give you permission and he'll let you in."
"Aren't you coming?" I asked.
"Right now, I think I need a long sleep. Maybe I'll wake up and realise the stress of rebuilding Hyrule has made me imagine all this." With that, she fell back on her bed, fully clothed, and wrapped her arm across her face.
"Okay, I guess we'd better," I said to Midna.
She nodded and we both left the room. Pellen approached us almost instantly.
"Pellen, Princess Zelda has given us permission to use the Castle library. Could you take us there?" I asked.
"At once, young sir. Though may I enquire as to who your companion is?" Pellen replied, indicating the floating imp.
"Name's Midna," she said casually. I saw Pellen extend a hand to her to shake.
I should have expected this from her. Without warning, she closed her eyes, and with a rush of Shadow magic, her hair-hand flew out of her head to shake Pellen's. The guard froze in shock as the magic hand shook his gently. "Princess of the Twilight Realm. Pleased to meet you," she cackled. Pellen nodded distantly.
I let out a sigh in Midna's direction, trying to suppress the laugh before turning to the petrified guard. "She's pretty harmless, usually. Now, where's the library?" I tried to snap the guard back to reality.
"…oh yes! Right! The- the library!" He stuttered, his eyes wide. He turned and almost ran away from us. I had to jog to catch up.
As we were catching up with him, I smiled at Midna and said quietly, "You know, you should really try subtlety once in a while. Scaring the lives out of people who are a little on edge might not be the best approach here."
The imp flashed me a grin, but added, "Okay, you're right. Just that humans are really fun to mess with!"
I rolled my eyes. She had a point; it was far too easy, but there was a time and place…
Falling into (fast) step behind Pellen, we reached the library door; Pellen unlocked it, swung the door open and ran away very quickly.
"Well, this isn't exactly what I had in mind," Midna said, unimpressed.
I had to agree. The library was a large room, recently completed, and not unlike the library in Arylus, with shelves filled with books and tables to read them on. However, here, books were scattered across the shelves and floor, and as if that wasn't bad enough, some of the books looked worse for wear than my Ordon clothes. Everywhere I looked, I saw volumes with chunks taken out of the covers, charred pages and even books ripped in half. This wasn't a library. It seemed to be a mass grave of paper.
"Would I be correct in assuming that little incident between you and Ganondorf had something to do with this?" I asked cautiously.
Her teeth came together in rage when I mentioned his name. "Gah! We levelled the whole tower, didn't we?" She cried, raising a hand over her eyes and lowering her head as she spoke. She thought for a moment. "Maybe there's something useful still here."
We searched through the ruined books for hours; a different guard brought us a meal at lunchtime on behalf of Pellen, who was apparently not feeling well. Zelda herself had sent us lunch, as she was visiting Orlon.
The search was tedious and fruitless. Occasionally we'd come across a page or two on ancient Hylian legends, but much to our frustration, either it was one page that had flown free of the rest of the book, or there was a neat hole blasted through the part we needed to see.
Midna finally threw the half-book she was struggling with across the room. "Gods-damn it! This is useless!"
"Please don't damage the books more than they already are." Came a familiar, soft voice. Our heads snapped up to the door. A weary-looking Zelda stood in the doorway. "Looks like I'm not crazy after all," she said with a sigh. "For once, I'm not sure which option is worse, that I'm truly mad and you're not really here, or that my eyes do not deceive me and both Hyrule is still fragile, and the Twilight Realm is in peril."
Midna's face and mine quickly fell.
"For now," Zelda resumed, not an ounce of amusement in her voice, "I'm going to assume my mind hasn't fallen apart and give you some help."
It occurred to me that, with her love for knowledge, Zelda would know more about the library (or what was left of it) than anyone. She stepped forwards to where we sat, a table in the middle of the room, piles upon piles of books in front of us. I had a heavy tome open before me that was getting me nowhere. Midna's pile of books was much smaller; most of them now littered the floor around her.
"Thanks Zelda," I said gratefully, pulling a chair to the table. She sat on it and looked through the books before her.
"And thank you, Link. Orlon sends you his gratitude. He is recovering slowly from the attack."
"That's great to hear. I was really worried about him."
"He wished to thank you for your aid, but I told him that you did not require it." Truth be told, I was thinking I could stand being the Hero now, but I understood Zelda. "If you wish to see him, I have given him a room in the castle. It also means I can keep watch on him without too much distraction from running the land. Fortunately, today does not truly call for my hand in the events, so I have left my advisors in charge. I trust them."
I nodded in thanks to her, for taking time away from her duties to help us.
"Any hints, Princess?" Midna said, not looking up from the book she was scanning through.
"You have found nothing useful so far?" She confirmed, reading the titles of the books we hadn't yet checked.
"No; most of them were too damaged to get anything useful out of them," I said heavily.
She checked the last book and shook her head. "If you have found nothing on the ancient legends so far, these books won't give you answers." She held up a history of the castle. "You're fishing too far from the group," she told me. "If what Midna told me is correct, the legend of the Hero of Light and Shadow pre-dates even the oldest texts here. Most do not stretch past the Civil War."
Midna looked up from the book, her face one of acceptance. "Damn," she sighed. "But I felt so sure… It's got to be the answer."
"There are a few tomes kept in the vaults below the castle," Zelda suggested. We both looked at her, asking her to continue. "They are very, very old, though. I do not believe they can be read, though if it is key to the salvation of the Twili, I will try my best."
"Let's go see," I said, rising from my chair. Zelda stood as well.
"Under normal circumstances, only Royals are permitted in the vaults. However, I doubt anyone will object to you accompanying me." She looked at me with a faint smile. "Besides, they are very heavy."
I groaned as Midna laughed.
Zelda led us down to the ground floor of the castle. She approached a guarded door, and with only a nod, the soldier protecting it unlocked it and permitted us to pass, though I caught him giving Midna a strange look. I frowned at him, and he snapped to attention.
Zelda took a torch from the wall, and before she could fish out a flint or I could get my lantern to light it, Midna idly flicked a spark of magic into the soaked material, setting it on fire in an instant and nearly singeing my hair. The flames glowed purple for a moment before they cast out orange light.
We proceeded down the dark corridor that sloped into the ground, deep into the castle's foundations. I recalled running through the foundations before, using the waterways to get Midna help…
Zelda took turns seemingly randomly as the corridor reached flat ground. I'd come up against some confusing places before, but even I'd get lost here; every wall and door was identical. It was a maze, probably designed to lose a potential thief. And it was effective. Soon, I couldn't even tell if we were still in Hyrule.
However, our guide knew where she was going, and eventually stopped outside a door. She drew a key from her waist and unlocked it. Before she opened the door, she gave us a warning look and said, "Many of the objects in here are fragile and irreplaceable. For your own sakes, don't touch anything in here unless I say so."
"Okay," I nodded.
Midna grabbed both hands behind her back. "Right."
Zelda opened the door.
The vault wasn't actually as impressive as I was expecting. It was pretty empty, in all honesty. There was a rack of books on one wall, a couple of tables on the opposite side, and a few objects strewn across the floor. The whole room wasn't very big, either.
"As you might have guessed," Zelda said, "this isn't the only vault. However, this is the driest one, so we store the more sensitive items here."
That would explain it.
Zelda walked over to the bookshelves and began to search their titles. I wandered to the centre of the room as Midna floated over the tables. In the centre, I saw several plates of armour and elegant swords, all inlaid with jewels and precious metals. They weren't like the Master Sword, which although ancient, had a perfect blade; all of the weapons showed signs of their use. The armour was battered and chipped. "What's with these?" I asked out of curiosity.
Zelda didn't turn around. "Everything in here has its own story, Link, and most are quite long. Probably best you just leave them be."
"What's this?" Midna asked, though I think she was asking me more, because when I looked up, I felt an urge to rush over there. I crossed over to her and gazed at the object.
"No way," I said.
Midna had indicated a tiny object, no bigger than my clenched fist. It was nondescript and innocent-looking, and had many holes all over it.
"Zelda… is this…" I started.
Zelda seemed to have gotten quite frustrated with our questions because her head suddenly appeared over my shoulder.
"No, it's not the Ocarina of Time," she said bluntly.
My face fell. It was an ocarina, nonetheless. "So, why keep it?" I said.
"I don't know the reasons for everything down here, and definitely not that one. It's called a 'fairy ocarina,' essentially a child's toy. It's been down here for decades, maybe centuries, and I have no idea why; there's nothing magical about it. And in case you're wondering, the Ocarina of Time isn't here either. No-one knows where it is." She laughed quietly. "Fittingly enough, the instrument itself is lost in time."
I carried on looking across the tables, spotting many assorted relics, some broken, some hopelessly misshapen. Nothing else stood out. Eventually, I heard a footfall behind me and turned to feel a heavy object pressed against my chest. My hands flew up to support it and Zelda let it go. She was right; the book she'd given me was incredibly heavy. I grunted as I took the weight, hearing Zelda take a breath from the effort.
"Think you can manage that?" Midna said in my ear as Zelda heaved a second book on top. It felt like I was holding two blocks of stone, made worse when Zelda slid a third into my arms. I couldn't believe paper weighed so much! I heard Zelda step away from me, and I feared another book was imminent, but she soon said, "Let's go."
I lowered the pile of books so I could see over it, my muscles protesting, and rightly so this time; I wasn't saving people, I was carrying books! I took one awkward step, tripped over a discarded piece of armour and lost my balance.
As I fell forward, I saw the books fly from my grasp and the look of horror on Zelda's face. I couldn't catch them; it was hard enough catching myself as I fell heavily to the ground. My wrists hurt with the impact, and the way I fell twisted my ankle. I winced as I rose, keeping as little pressure on it as I could. What puzzled me was the lack of crashing of ancient paper on stone. I looked up.
All three books simply floated in the air.
I picked myself up as Midna floated slowly over to them, her face set in concentration. As she got close, she threw her arms wide, pulling the books close to her, and then they all vanished.
"Thanks for catching the books before me," I said, grimacing at the pain in my ankle. I'd twisted it badly.
She opened her eyes. "Books don't have the Triforce to heal them," she laughed. "You know, you could have asked – Twili pockets, after all!"
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, I'll remember that. Look, my ankle hurts a lot. If you two don't mind, I'd prefer to go sit down for a while."
"Of course," Zelda said. She came over to me and let me put my weight on her shoulder. "After all you've been through, taken out by a simple twisted ankle." She said.
I had to smile. It was a stupid thing to happen.
She guided me out of the dungeons of the castle and into a waiting room for nobles and other dignitaries. I lay back on the exquisite sofa-bench there and waited for my ankle to heal.
(~^~)
"I have to know what you intend to do," I said as we walked back towards the library.
"Find a way to knock Ganondorf off his pedestal and feed him as many of his fingers and toes as it takes to choke him," Midna said, punching her fist into her other hand.
I stopped. "You know what I mean."
"You mean, after we do the finger-feeding." She sighed, stopped and floated idly towards the wall, as if to rest against it. "Well, I finally told him. We both know where we stand."
"And you're still no better off?" I confirmed.
"You said it'd help us…" She said, though there was no bitterness.
I smiled softly. "You two are unique. Truly. There is no comparison for you. All I can say is, what do you want?"
"To go back to being a princess; my people need a leader-"
I cut her off quietly. "No Midna, that's what you think you want. What do you truly desire?"
She turned to face the wall for a few moments. Finally, she spoke slowly, "I want us to be together."
"And why do you feel it won't work?"
"Because it just doesn't seem possible. We're two different species, Zelda. As opposite as night and day." She shivered for a moment at that thought. "Ugh, bad example…"
"There is an old expression. 'Love knows no bounds.' The true love that you two feel for each other cannot be justified, will not take notice of the differences between you or be dulled by your thoughts. Pure love cannot be rationalised; it just is."
"But I can't live with that! Goddesses, I don't even know why we love each other."
I gave a warm smile as the imp turned. "Then it is true love, Midna. You love him as a whole; there is no reason for or against. There will be parts of him you like more than others, but you will only ever love the whole."
Her mouth twitched as she stifled a quiet laugh. "Maybe. But how do you know?"
I paused. She had to know. "You weren't there to see him, after what you did," I said sadly. My breaths came heavy and I sighed a lot as I thought. "You remember what I told you? That if you didn't tell him, you'd destroy him?"
Midna hesitated to nod.
"All I can say is, I wish I had been wrong. What you did to him when you left had even me devastated. Here, hold my hands."
(~^~)
I did as Zelda asked, gingerly taking both of her outstretched hands. I felt her right hand grow warm, and suddenly…
Suddenly I saw Link. I searched around myself as I tried to call out to him, but I had no voice.
We were in the Mirror chamber. And then cold swept over me as I realised what was happening.
Zelda had shared her memory with me, and wanted me to watch it. I couldn't look away, but I could close my eyes and the image would vanish. She was right; I had to accept what I'd done. And the only way was to understand it. I opened my eyes and looked at the scene through Zelda's eyes.
As if it had been frozen in time while I had thought, the memory began to unfold. I realised I had just gone through the portal. Although I was quietly pleased I wouldn't have to hear myself say those awful words, it meant I would have to watch my actions afterwards. I grimaced as I saw the Mirror of Twilight shatter with an awful sound, the cracks finally giving way under the force of my enchanted tear. I just couldn't bring myself to say it to him, so I had thought that perhaps my actions could speak for me.
How heartless I had been.
I watched as uncountable numbers of shards exploded outwards, scattering the Mirror to the sands around us. And although the memory had unfrozen, Link hadn't.
He stood there, clad in his pure green tunic, his sword and shield across his back. He didn't move at all. I knew what this was; Link could stand so still as to be a statue if he so chose. His training had taught him how to show no reaction when it called for quiet. But this wasn't quite the same.
His mind had frozen, and without instruction, so had his body.
He was paralysed by his emotional reaction.
His reaction, I realised with a pang of guilt, to what I'd done.
He was silent and still for the longest time, until all of the sparkling pieces of the mirror had sunk into the sand. Then, he fell with them. He crashed to his knees, threw back his head and yelled out…
I heard him yell; Zelda's memory was as clear as crystal. Every second carried his broken emotions to my ears, and it didn't cease when he ran out of breath. He might have known he was almost alone, or maybe he didn't care. Because when he yelled out for the last time, I realised.
This was what a broken heart sounded like.
He fell to his hands and cried for several minutes. Zelda's vision moved closer to Link and I saw her hands rise to comfort him. No words were spoken, but I could feel his tears through Zelda's arms.
And then suddenly it was over, and I stared back at Zelda. I released her hands, noticing her Triforce glowing. She swayed slightly and I flitted over to grab her shoulder. She grabbed the wall for support.
"Nayru, Zelda! Are you all right?"
She took a deep breath. "I should have rested before I did that," she said softly. "I have been under so much stress recently; to channel my memories through the Triforce is very tiring, and I realise I am hardly in the frame of mind to fight it back."
"You didn't need to," I said. "Zelda, I appreciate what you did, but not at the expense of your safety."
"I'll be fine; I just need to sit down for a while."
"Here, I'll help you back to your room."
"That's okay, Midna, I think the Library will be fine. I find the presence of books very relaxing."
She started along the corridor in the direction we had been going. Her steps were slow and calculated and she gradually sped up; I hardly needed to guide her. Not like floating before Link every time he had to leap across a large gap to find footing for him, I smiled.
Zelda made it safely into the library and sat carefully on the chair she had sat on earlier.
"Better?" I said, settling into my chair opposite her.
Zelda held the chair with both hands, but looked up and nodded. "Thanks."
"And thank you," I said solemnly. "You showed me a side of Link I had never seen before. He'd always bottled up his feelings on our quest; I'd never seen him happy or sad. It was like he was emotionally dead."
"I guess Link does that because it drives him," Zelda said, though not certain of how to continue.
"He does," I said, taking over. "I knew he hid his feelings, never letting them get in his way. I guess he bottled them up so much, when I did that, they just all gave way at once." I looked at her. "It was more than a broken heart, wasn't it?"
"With the realisation that you would never come back, and the fact that his role as the Hero was fulfilled, Link went through a complete breakdown," Zelda said quietly. "He was dead to everyone for months. He was left dazed, confused about what he was feeling and overall, empty. You know how you complete him, Midna. Now imagine how he felt without you. There was a void within him, and it nearly consumed him. He convinced himself to leave, to try and make sense of why the events occurred as they did. It gave him something to live for, and then he met the Goddesses and they gave him even more. They gave him you back."
My head fell as she finished. I didn't speak for several moments. "So…" The word hung heavy in the air as I tried to think of a way to continue.
"Yes," Zelda picked up as I trailed off. "Right now, you're the only one he lives for. His past life is gone; he can never go back to it. His life from here depends on you."
I looked up. "I never realised just how much we meant to each other. I always thought he'd get over it."
"Link is such a complex person that even the most mundane things are unpredictable to him."
"I know that now," I said deeply. "If anything, Zelda, I think I know now that any action I take is a risk. I'll have to talk with Link at some point."
Zelda smiled. "I knew I'd get through to you eventually."
I flashed her a quick grin. "You did."
"Now, how about we try to find a way forward?" Zelda suggested.
(~^~)
Midna rose from her seat and levitated the books onto the table as I cleared the piles of newer texts to the sides. She set them down gently and I opened the black leather cover of the first tome.
I could tell this much; the language was ancient. There weren't even words I recognised; the pen strokes were fading and very difficult to read. I focussed my Triforce, though my body complained about my fatigue. I pushed on, trying to gather as much ancient knowledge as I could. But the words would not yield to me. Nothing leapt out at me that I could read. I sighed out the deep breath I had held with the effort. "It's no good," I said. My strength was exhausted, especially given what I had shown Midna. Pushing myself would only make it worse for me. "The text is too old. I could try to rest and attempt again tomorrow. Channelling the knowledge of ancient languages is extremely tiring," I finished.
I leant back in my chair, and then noticed Midna; she was staring intently at the text, and motioned me out of the way. I slid the chair backwards and Midna snapped in front of the book. I stood awkwardly and came to the side of the table to see her eyes darting back and forth across the page.
"The End of the Age of Darkness," she said slowly. I stood there dumbstruck for a moment. She was reading it!
(~^~)
Zelda looked at me in shock. "How can you know that?" She said.
"It says it right here in black and white," I said flatly.
"No, how can you read that? It must be centuries old, if not older!" She exclaimed.
"Well, the Twilight Realm's a bit behind the times," I grinned. "I mean, we still use magic in everyday life!"
"So, what, this is your native writing?" She queried.
"No, but it is very similar to Twili history texts, and being a Princess requires me to know how to read them," I said, pondering over the marks on the page. "A lot of our magic is written in the same language, too."
"This book must date before the Dark Interlopers," Zelda suggested. I flashed her a look to tell her that was a sore subject.
"Probably about the time we're looking for," I admitted. I read further down. "Any idea who Falrue is?"
"Falrue…" She echoed, thinking. "Yes! She was one of the last of the natural sorceresses of Hyrule. Probably the last."
"Before you started relying on the Triforce?" I smiled.
Zelda frowned at me. "I don't rely on it; it focuses my natural abilities, which I will admit are nowhere near as capable as a Sorceress like Falure. The true art of magic was lost some time after her."
"Looks like she had a knack for history as well," I said, scanning down the page. "She's recorded a thousand years of Hyrulean history here."
"The ancient sorcerers were able to extend their lives to many times what we can today, so I think you'll find she lived through all of them. Can you see anything like what we need?" She said.
I checked through Falrue's first page. Unlike modern books, there was no list of the book's chapters, so I assumed Falrue would mention some of the contents in her first words. Ah-ha!
"Yes! She mentions a war between light and darkness!" I said triumphantly. I flicked through the stiff pages, going further into the book. Eventually, after some moments of searching, I arrived. And I began to read the text to Zelda.
"It is my duty to the ages to chronicle the events that led to the downfall of the great Hylian society. It was a long time in its coming; the distrust and hidden agendas between the tribes threatened time and again to throw the world into endless war.
To begin at the very start, the tribes were split very cleanly between the races that dominated the land. The tribe of humans was vast, but so thrown around by those who sought different goals that their true potential was never reached.
We users of magic and possessors of pointed ears named ourselves the Hylians; in tongues of our elders, it meant 'those of high.' The elders often told us our ears were shaped to allow us to hear the words of the Goddesses, though such events were few and far between. By the time we heard their words, everything we had built was about to be torn from us. We were a proud people. Too proud. Our mastery of the magics of the land made us the envy of so many, and those who did not envy us feared us. We did not help ourselves by displaying our abilities to all who would watch. We could control so much with our abilities that those who would oppose us chose not to, not so much for themselves, but for the sake of the land, which they feared might not be there in the aftermath of such a battle.
The third large clan was for many centuries steeped in mystery. The called themselves the Clan of Shadows. Its members were never seen outside the boundary of their village, and were never seen while the great Sun burned in the sky. It is said they feared, or even hated, the light of the Sun. Instead, if a Shadow was ever seen, it was after the Sun had disappeared over the distant horizon, in the time we called the half-light. They would go about their business as if night was day to them. And come first light, they would vanish.
With the distrust that each clan placed in the other, and the unending skirmishes that refused to grant a decisive victory, one of our people chose to act. His name is still feared among us.
His name was Azréalus.
In his time, he was a great sorcerer; he mastered the art of light, able to bathe our crop fields in eternal sunlight in the depths of winter. But he saw that he could do so much more.
He forced himself to learn even stronger magics. After years of secrecy, he emerged to demonstrate his new powers. With his mastery of light, he could level entire buildings, melt rock and carve the land apart as he saw fit. He decreed that, with such power, the Hylian tribe would conquer the lands and destroy all who stood to oppose them.
The elders were scared beyond telling. In a few years, Azréalus had gone against the very principles of the Hylian clan, peace for the good of others. We would never destroy those who stood before us unless they chose to threaten us. What he proposed would have been nothing short of total war on the entire land, crushing the other clans and driving them into submission.
He threatened to act without their approval, but they acted before he did. The elders never showed their true power for fear it could one day be countered. But on that day, they felt they had to intervene. They saw no other way but to banish his magic from him. It cost the life of one of the elders to summon such ability, but though her death was mourned, it was deemed a worthy sacrifice.
Without magic, and a traitor to his own clan, he was cast out, exiled from the clan forever. Once alone, he disappeared for many years. In the time before we next saw him, those of us with magics attuned to the light, like myself, felt a deep change in the fabric of nature. We could feel darkness approaching.
When we saw him next, he was not alone. He brought with him castaways from other clans who felt the desire for dominance as he did. But what scared us the most was his power. Though he could never again wield the sacred magic of light, he was so determined to achieve power that he drew it from darkness itself.
We had never seen anything like it before. His approach to the first clan, the only survivor told us, was heralded by the darkest of clouds that blocked out the Sun even at midday. And the cloud was not moving. It was growing.
Azréalus cast the dark cloud over one of the human tribes who refused to bow to him. Once it was done, the humans were imprisoned in darkness. Azréalus decreed that those who refused his dominance would be left in the darkness for all time, so that they would never see the greatness their land would soon claim.
Four human villages fell to him in as many days. By this time, we Hylians stepped in. My father, Talex, was one of the first to stand before him. But even his most powerful magic of light was eclipsed by the absolute power of the darkness that surrounded Azréalus. He was struck down in moments. It was on that day that I vowed Azréalus would die by my hand.
The darkness that Azréalus cast around the human villages could easily be broken from the outside, but those within could not escape. It held them like a black jail, turning their village into a prison. Inside, they could neither see nor hear. And by some cruel twist, they could not die. The blackness kept them alive.
Our most powerful spells and enchantments could neither drive it back, nor protect against it. The power Azréalus wielded sought out light and consumed it. When our village was the last that stood between Azréalus and dominance of the land, an unlikely ally arose from the shadows.
The dwellers of the Shadow clan, ignored by Azréalus in his conquest against the wielders of the power of light, rose to our side. The darkness threatened us all, they told us. It was time to set aside the petty differences that sparked so many pointless battles. They taught us their history; long ago they were like us - Hylians. At some time in the ancient past, they were stricken with a strange sensitivity to light, and so they separated and dwelt in the shadows. They were never comfortable in the light, but at the same time they could not live without the half-light their lives depended on. And Azréalus threatened to destroy all light, so they chose to aid us.
The shadow dwellers were so similar to us Hylians that some could even wield magic. Their power was unique; whilst ours came from the light, theirs came from the half-light itself. It was an odd magic, but whilst it was not the dark magic that Azréalus used against us, it was different to light magic.
The strongest sorcerers from both clans stood before Azréalus as he marched his followers upon us. We refused to back down, and when he cast the darkness towards us, we stood firm. Together, we tried to force it back, but the magic of light and shadow alone was not enough.
I was among the group that faced him that day. I had prepared the strongest of our light magics to use against him, but it was not enough. But what happened when myself and the Shadow member beside me cast our magics together showed us the way.
Our magics, cast so close together, mixed together, becoming a strange power that was the perfect opposite to the darkness that drew around us. We both knew what this meant, and we poured everything into forcing back the darkness using this new power. When the others realised what we had discovered, they joined us, and such incredible combined power cast together destroyed the darkness all around us.
The Shadow member, a sorcerer named Midnus, and I stepped forwards to face Azréalus. Without his darkness to cast over us, we forced him to duel for his life.
He was still more than a match for us. Every spell we cast at him was met with a stronger one of his own. Even our combined spells were not enough; they broke apart before they could touch him.
It was then that I heard what I doubted I would ever hear.
A tiny voice in my ear.
Not from behind me, but from above.
A tiny message from the Goddesses of old.
It told me one simple instruction.
"Unite light and shadow."
Midnus and I were in the middle of casting our magic, but I forced him to turn to me, and we cast our powers into each other.
What happened next, I struggle to describe.
Midnus and I ceased to be.
In our place was a single being.
And it was both of us at once.
I could feel Midnus' thoughts and he could feel mine. We were one body, one united power. And we stood before Azréalus.
When our magic was cast this time, it was stronger than light or shadow magic alone. Its power doubled even compared to our merged spells.
Azréalus could not defend himself from such power. When our spell hit him, it broke through all of his dark magic and cast him to the ground. When he attempted to retaliate, he found his powers had been suppressed. For the second time, he was without magic. And had the Goddesses themselves not intervened, I would have struck him down there and then.
We could not see them, but three shapes of pure gold surrounded the defeated sorcerer and with a divine flash of light, he was gone.
I remember faintly hearing another message from the Goddesses as they left. They told me he would be banished forever to the Realm of Nothingness. Since he desired to bring darkness to the world, they had sent him to a place where there was nothing but darkness. And he would remain there for the rest of time. I was able to take some comfort in the knowledge that he was gone forever, and that this banishment to eternal darkness was likely worse than death. He would suffer for the rest of his life, which the Goddesses hinted would never end.
The triumphant victory was marred by its aftermath. Though Midnus and I had played an equal role in the defeat of Azréalus, the rest of our clans could not see it. Both wanted to be known as the clan that defeated the darkness. We tried our hardest to make our people see the truth, that neither Light or Shadow were superior, but they would not listen. In a matter of days after our alliance had formed, the clans broke apart. The Shadow dwellers took it as a sign that we light-dwellers would always see ourselves as the dominant race and they bitterly retreated to the half-light. They claimed we had used them and cast them out.
I missed their company as we aided in the rebuilding of the human villages. We chose not to make our powers known, instead walking among the humans as equals. In the years that would pass, we selected small numbers of humans to teach our magic to; we found that some had the potential to wield magic, though they were few. By this simple action, we weakened our people's image as the superior race, and gained acceptance of the humans. Though the Shadow clan would always be suspicious of us, we built a new land with the humans. The peace was fragile, and was tested when the last of the dying Shadow dwellers finally acted.
They were small in number, having wasted so much time preparing to fight us that they neglected their own society. Their numbers fell to time and soon only a few remained. Desperate, they sought out the very power they had helped banish.
In the aftermath of Azréalus' banishment, one fragment of him remained.
His armour.
He wore an elegant stone shoulder-plate and helmet that protected him from all magic and gave him the power to see in the blackness he created.
When the Goddesses had stolen him away to the Realm of Nothingness, they had been forced to break apart his enchanted armour into four pieces. We knew they bore too much magic to be safe, so we gave the guardians of each village a piece to keep safe.
Years later, the small group of shadow-dwellers quietly raided the safe places the armour was kept in and reunited it. They called themselves the Dark Interlopers. With the shadow magic the armour possessed, they sought entry to the Sacred Realm of the Goddesses to claim the True Force. With it, they intended to finally defeat those who dwelt in the light in vengeance.
The Goddesses bore witness to the rise of Azréalus and would not do so again. In their divine wisdom, they intercepted the Interlopers and broke the armour apart again. In their anger, they cast the beings who dwelt in the half-light into a realm where only half-light existed, where they would not threaten the peace of the light. They gathered the pieces of the armour and placed them in the care of beings we could not understand, to keep safe for all time. Though a rumour spread that of the four pieces that made up the armour, only three were ever recovered. We guessed that one of the Interlopers had managed, somehow, to retain a piece of the armour, and it was drawn through into the realm of half-light with them.
A small group witnessed the banishment with me, when we gathered our forces to combat their assembled power. Even though we did not lift our weapons, we stood on that hill united, Hylians and humans as equals. From that day forth, we vowed to live in peace.
And I am honoured to say that peace lasted for centuries. As I near my last years, I feel proud that I was part of a great force that stabilised the fragile land. The great Hylian society fell to give rise to a new, united people."
I scanned further ahead and realised the rest was Falrue's reflection on her life. I looked up at Zelda, who had remained remarkably quiet as she listened intently. She locked eyes with me.
"This may be exactly what we need," she said, her face full of wonder. "You remember the short riddle Nayru told Link? 'Unite light and shadow?' It sounds like merging your magic is the way to fight the darkness."
"So if Link and I went back into the Twilight Realm and tried merging our magic, we could drive it back?" I confirmed.
"It's all we have to go on," Zelda shrugged. "And it's worth a try. Link was able to do it safely, why not try-"
"Someone mention my name?"
We both turned to see Link enter the library.
"What happened to you?" I grinned at him.
"I… dozed off…" he said sheepishly, avoiding my eyes.
I burst out laughing. Zelda giggled slightly too.
"What? We'd been searching through this place for hours! Trying to carry those books got the better of me!"
"Oh Link, needing more sleep in your old age?" I teased. He rolled his eyes.
(~^~)
"So, find anything interesting?" I said, trying to rein her in.
"You probably won't believe this," Midna smiled.
I smirked for a moment. "If I told you everything I'd been through up to this point, you wouldn't believe me. Becoming a bit of a trend around here." I took a seat. "Try me."
Midna summarised what she'd read. And even then, that took nearly half an hour as she ran back over the text. Zelda looked on in wonder as Midna read it; I guessed it was so old Zelda couldn't read the language, but it surprised me Midna could. I'd ask for the details later.
When she finished, there was an awkward moment of silence.
"So…" I said slowly, unsure.
"Which idea do you like more, merging light and shadow in the Twilight Realm, or going after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?" Midna said.
"Got enough gold, thanks… oh…" I caught the joke. She was teasing me. She laughed heartily again. I had to laugh at myself for that one!
"Oh, I don't know, I'm a princess, I could always use more gold!" She cackled.
"Maybe a nice golden crown would look good on you, my little princess," I smiled. "A few gold rings and diamonds, too!"
"Ha, please, give all the romantic yuck a rest until we get through this," she said, rolling her eyes. "Though the moment we do, I want the full works – dinner, poetry, songs, jewellery…" She checked them off on her fingers.
"Anything you say, my precious little imp!" I smiled. She frowned at me.
"Are you two even capable of focussing on the task in hand?" Zelda said in frustration.
"Only if it's trying to kill me," I said honestly.
"Same," Midna shrugged.
"Gah!" Zelda grunted, raising a hand to her temple. "You two…!"
"What were you expecting?" Midna cackled.
"Some degree of sanity, but it appears I was wrong to ask of that…" she said wearily. "It's getting late and I really should get some sleep. Link, Midna, if you wish to stay here tonight, you are more than welcome to. I am sure Pellen can find you both rooms."
I remembered Midna scaring Pellen out of his skin and decided that it was probably best not to. "I think, if it's all right with you, Midna, we can spend the night back in Ordon."
"And what, meet the villagers?" She grinned.
"Only if you want to; I haven't seen them in a couple of weeks."
"Okay, Link."
"In that case, I bid you goodnight," Zelda said, her tiredness breaking into her voice. She yawned and rose as we bade her the same, and she left the library.
"Poor girl. She's under a lot of pressure," Midna said after the door had closed.
I nodded solemnly. "You didn't see her before I left Hyrule; I thought she was going to break. With everything that happened in Arylus, I'm surprised she didn't."
"She's very strong, but she's finding her limits," she said. "What's happening in the Twilight Realm isn't helping. Either of us." She added.
As she said that, I noticed the light in the room going from yellow to orange. The Sun was setting slowly. It wasn't yet twilight, but it would be soon. I turned to the windows to watch the light change.
In a few minutes, the last remnants of the day vanished over the horizon, leaving the half-light to bathe the land. Midna floated silently to my side.
"It is beautiful," I said quietly. I turned to her. "You know, they say that at this time of the day, two worlds merge," I recounted Rusl's words.
She smiled slightly, her expression seeming to say she understood how I felt at this time of day. "We don't have such myths in the Twilight. We don't even have a Sun. Night and day as you Hylians would know it comes from the Sols."
I watched the gold flood across the field. "You think it's possible? Uniting our magics?"
"Like Zelda said, it's worth a try. Though if it doesn't work, you might not be able to get back."
"You managed to get through the Mirror," I reminded her. She placed both hands on my shoulder and rested on me.
"Yes, but that might have been a complete fluke. I had an enchanted bracelet to keep the Nothingness at bay," she drew the bracelet she was talking about out of her pocket and showed me.
"I take it you didn't grab a second on your way out," I thought aloud. She shook her head.
I had an idea; she was on my right side, so I slowly drew the Master Sword from my back and looked at it. In the dimming light, its steel blade shone slightly.
Midna smiled. "Even after six months, it has held the light of the Sols."
"Do you think it would work? Give me enough light to drive back this Nothingness?"
She thought for a moment. "I think when I left the palace, I could see a small patch of light around the Sols. It was very difficult to see, though, and I didn't have much time. But it's possible. And if not, I could dash into the palace and find you a bracelet like mine. It would really go with your eyes," she grinned, holding the bracelet beside my head as she compared them. I gave her a smile.
"What about him?" I asked.
She fell silent for a few moments, her smile gone. She pocketed the bracelet. "With any luck, we can cross into the Twilight and try it before he even realises we're there. If he does, we run."
I sighed. "We can't fight him, can we?"
She shook her head slightly. "He's too powerful. His power now comes from the darkness, and that's consumed the entire realm. We have to drive it back before we have a chance."
I looked back out of the window, watching as the light of day gave rise to the dark of night. "How long do we have?"
"For almost everyone, it takes about a week for their minds to begin to give in. It's been three days."
I nodded. "Then we'll try tomorrow. Let's go home."
Hope you didn't mind the long chapter - 17 pages in Word! :)
Like I say, I'm never going to be a history writer, but the level of backstory Heroes needs necessitated this chapter. I've got the next chapter mostly planned, but after that, I don't know.
Uni is about to restart so my free time is running out; I'll try for an update once a week, but no promises.
R&R please and see you next time!