ATTENTION! For those of you who have already read/reviewed this chapter, don't be alarmed. I'm simply reposting it since fanfic was down the day after I originally did so, so that those who may not have gotten an update can read it as well. Thanks!
Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry this took so long everyone! I have a little explaining to do I guess... I just started my sophmore year at college just a week ago and things have been CRAZY! In between getting all set up, going to class and everything else, I've had no time and effort to write until recently! And so I bring you this chapter finally, which I hope is good enough, even if it was a bit of a struggle to write. And so, I'd like to thank madden12345, Jigoku no Yami, aire-fi, Namie Rose25, phoenixwrite, KillerGirl685, chiekareout, Batch03, zelda reborn, Ildesia, aferdii, and pawsinn for following/favoriting! Wow! There were a lot of you guys this time around! And a lot of reviews too, so lets get to them!
T: Here it finally is! :D
Ruddman: Oh believe me, Link will be held accountable. After all, you don't just destroy an entire city without having to reap the consequences. I may not touch on them too much in this story, but there will most likely be a sequel to this that will deal more with the aftermath of it all. But of course, there will be consequences shown even here for his actions, so keep an eye out for them!
ShadowRougeVII: Yeah, the FD was being really sinster, which was so fun to write! :D And yes, Link is not entirely evil; after all, he has to be redeemable somehow! And as to why the FD was being depicted as so evil in the last chapter, well, we'll have to wait and see...
Arksendis: Yeah, its about time, huh? And indeed there was a TON of foreshadowing there! And thank you kindly! :D
RandomButLoved: I honestly stunned myself with all that! And yeah, Link is starting to waver, something that will become all the more clear in this chapter and the upcoming ones. Hopefully someone can save him in time... And yeah, it really was dark, huh? But I gotta admit, writing the FD like that was so fun! :D
Jarvis R. Yeriel: Well, Verona's argument has to have some flaws. After all, despite the agreement her and Link had reached, I'm starting to develop some friction in it, something that will become excruciatingly clear in the next chapter. But yes, the holes in her plans will only grow... which may or may not lead to her ultimate downfall... maybe...
Nintendoman01: Perhaps... we'll have to wait and see...
Guest: Yeah, hopefully Link will start to catch on wth time...
whitworth5274: Who knows? (well I do) But let's just say he'll be pretty thoroughly corrupted... but the way in which thats going to happen, I can't quite say yet ;D
And with all that done, lets get started!
Chapter 24: The Princess of Twilight
"How sad… To be right in front of someone and not be noticed at all…"
-Midna, Twilight Princess
Verona frowned a bit as she stood over Link while he lay unconscious in the room she had bequeathed to him within the Palace of Twilight. The Queen of Shadows patiently waited for the hero to recover from having another large portion of his spirit stolen from him, knowing that his body and soul had to compensate for its loss by taking energy from another source, the Triforce of Courage, most likely. Not that it mattered much to Verona; she would wait as long as she had to until the Spirit of the Hero belonged to her in its entirety.
And yet, as she watched Link toss and turn about restlessly in his sleep, his Twili markings pulsating dimly in the darkened room, Verona couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. At first, she wasn't entire sure why; after all, everything was going exactly according to her intricate plans. She was on the fast track to getting everything she had ever wanted, all the power she could have ever dreamed of. And yet, something still seemed wrong all the same.
Thinking that the hero had something to do with her sudden trepidation, the Queen of Shadows narrowed her gaze towards him in close examination, steadily realizing that he was subtly shivering in his sleep. Somewhat bewildered by this, she gingerly reached out and placed the back of her hand against his forehead, feeling that he was startlingly warm. Verona's frown deepened as she considered these symptoms, along with the fact that he was breathing rather irregularly, and soon enough she came to dismaying conclusion.
Though light dwellers didn't come into the Twilight Realm often enough for it to be a regular occurrence, Verona knew of a relatively obscure condition that she had come across during her studies, one that only afflicted those from the world of light if they lingered too long in the Twilight. Since Hyrule was a land engulfed in the purity of the light, those from it were often adversely affected by the impurities of the Twilight Realm, a place devoid of many of the key qualities they needed to survive. And though Link was showing all of the flu-like symptoms of what was commonly known as Twilit fever, Verona didn't quite understand how he might have come down with it. After all, he had been subjected to the Twilight before on several occasions, and to her knowledge, she guessed that he had never had it before. The only theory the Queen of Shadows could come up with was that his sickness came about because of the lingering remnants of her dark magic that she had left within him after drawing the Spirit Shard out. In conjunction with the fact that his spirit was steadily weakening, his body had most likely become unaccustomed to the Twilight Realm, and because he had been within it nonstop for well over a week now, far longer than any period he had spent within it before, he had come down with Twilight fever.
Verona let out a sigh of disappointment as she shook her head, looking down at Link with an expression that was both one of disgust and worry. While not much was known about Twilight fever because of its extreme rarity, the few cases of it that had ever been noted had always ended in a slow, excruciatingly painful death. And while the Queen of Shadows knew that the hero's life would eventually be forfeit either way thanks to her own plans, she knew that she couldn't take his spirit from him if he was dead.
"Always something…" Verona scoffed in annoyance to herself as she turned away from Link, not even caring that he was muttering incoherently in his sleep. Her yellow and crimson eyes were set in a tight glare as she emerged onto the room's small balcony, glancing behind her only once as she heard the hero let out an agonized, frightened moan. Powerful hallucinations were another symptom of Twilight fever, so the Queen of Shadows wasn't really surprised when she heard him let out a terrified shout as he continued to wildly thrash about, clearly unaware that he was trapped within one.
This clearly wouldn't work. Verona knew that there was no way she could keep Link in the Twilight Realm now, since his condition would only deteriorate until he eventually and inevitably died. Even all the magic the Triforce of Courage gave him wouldn't be able to prevent it. Which meant that the Queen of Shadows had no other choice: they would have to return to Hyrule.
It wasn't that Verona herself could not deal with the light of Hyrule; after all, she had fortified her own magic to be able to handle it for extended periods of time. But she was reveling in the dominion she had claimed over her native realm. Of course, while Hyrule was in the palm of her hands as well, she didn't very well want to go there until she had gathered every last piece of the Spirit of the Hero, so that she could lay waste to it as she had always planned. But now it seemed as though carrying her campaign back to the land of light was what she ultimately had to do, and soon. If she waited too long, then the hero wouldn't have a spirit left to steal.
What made the situation even more aggravating was the fact that they would have to take Zelda back to Hyrule with them, which would only embolden her in her foolish escape attempts. After all, if she wanted Link to kill the Queen of Light, then she would have to wait until he was at least physically able to before she thrust the sword into his hand and told him to execute her. But Verona would ensure that Zelda would remain properly restrained, in the same way that she would ensure that Link stayed in line as well. So far, he had been surprisingly cooperative, to the point that the Queen of Shadows had to admit to at least herself that she appreciated his willing aid thus far. Of course, he had complained a few times, which was expected, but he had yet to outright rebel, something that set Verona's mind at ease. In the midst of countless other matters that she had to attend to, at the very least she found she could trust Link to remain in on her side as long as she kept up her act. After all, keeping him in her thrall was key to her success at the end of it all.
Verona stiffened the slightest bit when she head Link stir in the room behind her, but she didn't turn to face him, knowing that he was finally waking up. However, she did finally turn around, mostly out of surprise when she heard him clumsily collapse to the ground the moment he attempted to rise out of bed.
"Link!" she exclaimed, the concern in her voice strangely clear as she rushed to him, forgetting her usual grace as she knelt down beside him as he remained on his hands and knees. His vision was spinning to the point that he didn't even notice the Queen of Shadows kneel down next to him thanks to the sudden onset of motion sickness making him weak and nauseous.
"Link, are you alright?" Verona asked, her usual calm demeanor suddenly gone as she looked into his face, seeing that his Twili markings were glowing bright and his grey eyes were drastically dull. The hero didn't respond as he continued to breathe heavily, his sights set on a trance-like gaze to the floor beneath him. "Link?"
The hero breathed a sharp intake of air as his eyes suddenly widened, his gaze finally drifting upward as he lifted his head a bit. "I… I'm n-not… I didn't…?" he began to stammer, speaking in soft, broken, incoherent sentences. "But h-he… he was… me…"
"What are you on about, child?" the Queen of Shadows asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as she tried to decipher what he was babbling about.
Link was silent for another long bout of time as he glanced around, his breathing still tense and his darkened eyes still filled with obvious confusion and fear. "I… I don't u-understand…" he murmured, his muddled mind still half trapped in his nightmare as he tried to figure out where the dense forest had gone, along with the sinister figure who had been taunting him. "Where is he…?"
"Who?" Verona pressed, still puzzled by his cryptic words.
The hero didn't respond to this question as he instead focused his bleary gaze on the Queen of Shadows, giving her a look of sheer bewilderment as his body tensed up in sudden fear. "W-who are you…?" he asked, sounding completely lost and unknowing.
"Link, it's me," Verona said with a somewhat patient frown.
"Midna…?" Link guessed, his mind unable to recognize the Queen of Shadows for some reason as if is most recent memories had been blocked off by something. And so, instead, he made his judgement based on the familial semblance that Verona bore to her cousin, whom he did happen to remember, yet even then, the Twilight Princess herself was very vague in his mind.
"No," the Queen of Shadows scoffed coldly, offended that the hero would even confuse her for Midna at all. "I'm not Midna. I'm Verona. Remember?"
Link continued to stare at Verona in disturbed confusion, still unable to recognize her even as she managed to grip onto his arms and begin to pull him up off the ground. However, it was clear that he was still unsteady on his feet as he swayed the moment he was standing upright, his entire body trembling in his weakness. "B-but…" he stopped as his entire body seemed to go rigid, his eyes growing heavy as the Queen of Shadows did her best to steady him.
"Link, you're delirious," Verona said, her tone serious yet somewhat sympathetic. "You're very ill and you need rest. Now, just lie down and go back to sleep."
Not surprisingly, the hero hadn't really heard a word that she said as he weakly leaned against her outstretched arm, not even caring about remaining upright as his head began to loll tiredly. However, just as he began to slip back into the depths of unconsciousness, he whispered one last, delusional thing as his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell back onto the bed. "F-Farore…"
Verona let out a long sigh as she looked down to the now listless hero, shaking her head as she realized that he seemed so small and vulnerable when he was ill, like an innocent child. And in a way, the Queen of Shadows realized, he was still but a child. After all, he was only about seventeen, so young to be bearing a spirit so strong and magic so powerful. Because of his youth, he was certainly naive, but in a rather endearing way. A strange feeling passed over Verona as she was reminded of the fact that he was not only a youth, but also a living being in general, more than just the mere vessel of her prize. She knew well what this feeling was, but the last thing she wanted to do was admit that. She could not feel remorse for what she was doing to him. She couldn't. There was no room in her plans for such weak sentiments of pity and compassion. No matter how young and innocent the hero was, no matter how much torment he had gone through because of her, no matter how she felt about him, she could not relent.
Not now, not ever.
Midna was exhausted. She had lost track of how many days she had been wandering about Hyrule, searching every corner for both the hero and the queen. Not that she would have been able to tell day from night thanks to the endless black veil reigning the skies still.
The Twilight Princess had stuck around long after the fires in Castle Town had naturally burned out, hoping to catch up with Link somehow. And yet, once the smoke had cleared and the town was revealed to be empty, she found that not only was he gone, but so too was Zelda. Knowing that the queen wouldn't just ditch her at a time like this, Midna's first suspicion was that Verona had actually managed to capture her, though there was no way to know for sure. Which was why she had searched the ruins of the charred metropolis thoroughly for any sign of both of her missing friends, desperate to ensure they were both well and safe. And yet, she found nothing.
However, Midna wasn't one to give up so easily. Despite the fact that her search in Castle Town had been fruitless, she had quickly began a one-woman campaign across the entire kingdom, gliding above its snow-covered terrain as fast as she could. She spared no location from her scrutiny either; from the heights of Death Mountain, to the frigid falls of Zora's Domain, to the vast expanse of Gerudo Desert, to even the untamed wilds of Snowpeak. If it was part of Hyrule, the Twilight Princess risked it to go there, revisiting many of the locales that her and Link had happened upon during their first journey together. Ironically enough, the only place she couldn't venture into was her own realm, which she knew all too well was her own fault since she had been the one to break the sole conventional gateway between the worlds of light and Twilight. Midna had already come to the conclusion that Verona was most likely parading around the Twilight Realm as if she owned it; she could only hope that the Queen of Shadows had not dragged Link and Zelda there too.
Midna sighed to herself in defeat as she ran her small hands up and down her arms in a pitiful attempt to stay warm. She had been meandering out in the dead of winter for nearly a week at least, and there had been no relief from the bitter cold conditions in sight. Thankfully, Twili were somewhat more accustomed to cold since their realm lacked the warmth of the sun, but even still, there was only so much the Twilight Princess could bear.
She had just finished checking Ordon Village for about the tenth time, knowing that there might be a chance of the hero showing up there, but of course, he had been absent, his home still lying in the same pile of charred remains as it had been last time. Midna couldn't help but think of her last encounter with Link as she found herself aimlessly gliding through Hyrule Field with no real destination in mind. It hadn't been long and he hadn't said much, but she had been able to see all of the fear, dread, grief, rage, and anger in his eyes in that one moment that it was clear that something had happened to him during their time apart, though she didn't even want to imagine what. After all, he had already gone through so much abuse and torture already; the last thing he ever deserved was to be put through any more pain.
Which was part of the reason why Midna was so resolved to find him. Regardless of what was befalling Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, she had decided to make Link her first priority. She knew that if she could only manage an actual conversation with him, then certainly she could convince him to return to her, she could help him master control over his powers, and then, once the storm of emotions between them had passed, then they could reunite with Zelda and together the three of them could put Verona's ambitions to an end at last.
Of course, finding the queen was just as much of the Twilight Princess's concern. After all, with her new powers, she would certainly be the first one the Queen of Shadows would seek to kill, that is, if she hadn't already. A small burst of dread ran through Midna as she considered this distinct possibility, hoping that it wasn't true. And yet, if what Zelda had told her was true, then Verona didn't really have any purpose in keeping her alive in the same way that she needed to with Link. For all the Twilight Princess knew, the Queen of Light could be long past dead at that very moment.
Shaking that disturbing thought from her mind, Midna propelled herself forward even faster, gravitating towards the ruins of Castle Town for some reason. Snow was falling lightly from the blackened skies above onto the still smoldering remains of the once-prosperous city, creating a somber scene as the Twilight Princess tucked herself away within its natural shadows. She wasn't entirely sure why she had come here at all; after all, the place was completely abandoned, as it had been for the past several days after the fire. No matter what reason Link had been there during all of the unfolding chaos, there was no chance he was there now. The same went for Zelda, who, Midna theorized, had either been captured, or, best case scenario, had merely been separated from her in her large-scale rescue attempts. And yet, the Twilight Princess decided to once-over the destroyed city one last time anyway, just to make sure it was truly as empty as it seemed.
Despite the damage done to every single dwelling and shop, the town's outer and inner walls were still largely intact, giving Midna a form of cover as she silently swept through the town, keeping on high alert for signs of danger. It didn't surprise her much that Verona's shadow beasts were on the prowl throughout the ruins, most likely on the hunt for anyone or anything that might have survived the massive inferno, not that she believed anything had. The town had been so thoroughly obliterated that there was really nothing worth returning to.
However, it wasn't too long until Midna discovered that she was not as alone in the city as she had thought as she emerged into the main square. The Twilight Princess drew in a sharp breath and her eyes grew wide the moment she caught sight of the hero's turned back as he stood far on the other side of the square, completely unaware of her presence as he instead faced the castle. Though her first instinct and desire was to rush to him, she stopped herself upon catching sight of the shadow beasts creeping into the square from the east and west thoroughfares. Midna knew that she was more than capable of taking out a few simple creatures such as these on her own, but the last thing she wanted to do was startle Link and send his powers spiraling out of control once more, thereby putting him in danger. And so, the Twilight Princess tucked herself out of sight, watching from the shadows as she observed the hero, who was still looking away from her and to the castle instead, not even turning around as the shadow beasts slowly sulked towards him.
And indeed, Link showed no concern for the meandering monsters behind him, largely because he didn't really feel like dealing with them at the moment. It had been over a day since Verona had brought him back to Hyrule, which had come as a surprise to him since he had still been ill and unconscious during the transition between realms. Of course, upon awakening, the hero had been confused upon finding himself within Hyrule Castle as opposed to the Palace of Twilight, but he had felt a great deal better having returned to the world of light. Verona had been quick to fill in the blanks for him, telling him of his bout of Twilight fever and her decision to move back to Hyrule. She had informed him that she had overtaken the abandoned castle as their new base, having deployed her shadow beasts in imprisoning Zelda within her own dungeon as an extra measure of cruelty towards the Queen of Light. Link was admittedly relieved to be back in Hyrule after having been exposed to the empty, draining atmosphere of the Twilight Realm. Even though darkness still reigned the skies above him, at the very least he could feel the subtle, natural changes in it, specifically the wind, which he was able to tell apart from the magical gusts he was able to create. It was refreshing to be sure, but at the same time, Verona had warned him that he was still suffering from the lingering aftermath of Twilight fever, which was an explanation of why he still felt so weak and fatigued even if this was the first time he had really been up and about since returning to Hyrule. The Queen of Shadows had tasked him with supervising the shadow beasts as they checked Castle Town to make sure that there were no surviving stragglers left there from the fire, and though the hero thought such a menial chore was beneath him, he obliged, knowing that he didn't really have anything better to do in his relatively poor condition.
However, despite what Verona had requested of him, Link paid very little mind to the dull creatures roaming the town on largely their own accord. After all, he knew they wouldn't find anything considering how he had gone out of his way to torch the entire place indiscriminately. But even so, the hero could still hear the monsters slowly approach him, their low, mindless growls betraying their hunger for him well. Even if they were created and enslaved by Verona, that didn't mean they had to hold Link in the same regard at all; in fact, he might as well have been the same in their eyes as every other light dweller they might seek to consume.
But unlike other light dwellers, the hero had the advantage of magic on his side. Right before the first pair of shadow beasts decided to pounce, Link thrust both his hands backwards, still not turning around as shards of ice burst up out of the ground, instantly impaling the creatures to death before they could even touch him. The next group met a similar fate, meeting their abrupt ends by both a tall ring of fire the hero had quickly composed, as well as the forceful winds he had conjured in order to knock the creatures into the flames. Link merely rolled his eyes in disgust as the expendable beasts died, his disdain for them as strong as ever. A part of him hoped that Verona had seen what he had just done from the castle, so that he could finally make it clear to her that he had no intentions of working in conjunction with such feral, worthless beings.
Midna had watched the entire violent display from her place in the shadows, her jaw dropped in shock at what she had just seen. But aside from her amazement, the very next thing that swelled up in her chest was pride. Somehow, some way, Link had managed to harness his powers, at least to some extent. The Twilight Princess reasoned that he must have done it on his own, finally reigning in his flighty emotions in his solitude away from society and all those he might have hurt. Midna couldn't help but smile warmly at the thought, knowing that despite all of the pain his powers had caused, he had finally reconciled with the fact that they were now a part of him and he had accepted the strength that they would certainly provide him with.
Unable to keep her distance from him any longer, the Twili imp began to glide towards the hero, an excited grin on her face as hope filled her heart. His back was still turned to her as she flew towards him silently, not bothering to call out his name as she instead stopped but a few inches away from him, hesitation and anxiety suddenly filling her. The last thing she wanted was for him to run off in a sudden panic once more; in fact the only thing she really wanted was to have an actual, legitimate conversation with him, just as they used to be so able to do before. And yet, Midna knew that such fears would do nothing for her now. The only thing she could do now was try and hope for the best.
Link was alerted to the presence of someone behind him the moment he felt the slightest skimming of finger tips upon his shoulder. Even though the gesture was soft, the hero was still startled by it all the same as he quickly spun around, forming a dagger-like shard of ice in his hand as he turned to face whoever might try to assail him. However, he immediately stilled his hand from plunging it the moment he realized who was floating behind him.
"Midna?!" Link exclaimed in both shock and alarm, instinctually backing away from her the slightest bit as he held his hands close to his sides, refusing to let them be instruments of pain towards her again.
"Hey there, little wolf," Midna greeted with a small smile, though there was sadness in it as she realized why he had pulled back from her. "Long time no see, huh? Though I gotta say… black really isn't your color…" she said, glancing at his new black cape with a frown.
"W-what are you doing here?" the hero asked breathlessly, knowing that he couldn't very well flee from her now that they were meeting face to face like this.
"Looking for you, duh!" the Twilight Princess scoffed as though it was obvious. "What have you been doing these past several days!? You've had me worried sick!"
"Midna… I… I don't… I didn't…" Link took in an anxious breath, realizing that he was nervously stammering as the winds subtly began to swirl around him. His eyes unconsciously drifted towards the Twilight Princess's arm hanging at her side, somehow not showing any signs that he had burned it at all, even though he vividly remembered doing exactly that only a few days ago.
"Link," Midna said sternly, noticing his wide-eyed, confused gaze. "Talk to me."
"Your arm…" the hero said softly, staring distantly at the once-injured limb, remorse pouring into his mind once more. "It's healed…"
The Twilight Princess glanced over at her formerly burnt arm for a moment and shook her head dismissively. "Link, I don't wanna talk about this right now," she said, gliding a bit closer to him, though he only took a small step away from her as she did so.
"How did you heal it?" Link asked, shifting his gaze back to her face with a puzzled frown.
"Come on," Midna sighed in annoyance. "I'm done talking about what happened in the woods already! You know I was never even upset about that! It was just a dumb accident. Why won't you just let it go?"
"How did you heal it?!" the hero suddenly demanded in clear desperation, and in her aggravation over his prying, the Twilight Princess didn't hesitate to snap her answer at him without thinking.
"Zelda did it!" Midna shouted harshly. "There! Are you happy now?! Will you finally shut up about this?!"
"Zelda…" Link repeated coldly, his tone strangely bitter as he fixated his gaze to the small circle of ice spreading out on the cobblestone beneath him by no real accord of his own.
"Link, listen to me," the Twilight Princess began carefully, hearing the hints of fury in his tone. "What happened with Zelda… it wasn't her fault. Verona was the one who forced her to say those things to you."
"Save it, Midna," the hero said coldly. "I've already heard all that from her, but I'm not about to fall for any of it again."
Midna let out a sigh as she crossed her arms. "I know she hurt you, Link," she said rather softly. "But you have to understand: she really didn't want to. Verona blackmailed her into it. Believe me, she's really torn up about it. Even if she's not ready to admit it, I do think that she loves you, in the same way you love her."
"I don't love her," Link said bitterly, turning away from his former companion as he glared towards the castle's ivory towers. However, even he could not ignore the strange feeling that filled his heart upon saying this, a feeling that could almost be equated to the guilt of lying. Not that he was going to admit that to Midna. "I don't think I ever could after all this…"
The Twilight Princess frowned with both compassion and worry, knowing that the hero she cared for so much usually wasn't so apathetic and aloof. It was as though all of the warmth and openness she had once known him for had been sucked completely out of him, leaving nothing but hollowness in their place. What else could have happened on him to add to his already insurmountable hardships to completely lock his emotions up entirely?
"So…" Midna said a bit uneasily, moving away from the subject of the queen entirely, seeing that she was getting nowhere with him in that area. "How'd you learn how to control you powers? I saw you take down those shadow beasts and I gotta admit, you've gotten a lot better…"
Link took in an anxious breath upon hearing this question, knowing that telling the Twilight Princess about his partnership with Verona straight up wouldn't end up going well considering the distain between the two cousins. And he really didn't have any reason to tell her anyway; after all, Midna was one of the few people left in the world that he would openly admit to caring about deeply. The last thing he wanted to do was turn her against him with something like this. "I… uh… I taught myself," he said hastily, knowing that it was a rather lame excuse, but it was the first one he could come up with.
The Twilight Princess scoffed upon hearing this as the hero turned to face her once more. "Yeah right," she deadpanned, rolling her eyes at him. "And I turned myself into an imp again. Now, come on; how did you really get that good over the course of just a few days?"
"You don't think I could learn on my own?" the hero asked, a bit offended by her disbelief. "Because your help wasn't doing anything for me at all either, you know."
"Oh!" Midna exclaimed harshly. "Of course it didn't! I mean, it's not like I was the one who helped you escape from those guards! I wasn't the one who tried to calm you down after what happened in Ordon just so you wouldn't completely explode! And I guess that means I haven't been searching all over this goddess-forsaken kingdom alone, in the dead of winter, without any leads as to where to go, just so I could find you and knock some sense into that stupid thick head of yours!"
"I never asked you to hunt me down!" Link retorted, clenching his fists tightly at his sides as they steadily began to grow warm with oncoming flames.
"Then you shouldn't have ran away!" the Twilight Princess argued fiercely, gliding in closer to him in her anger. "Look, I get that you didn't want to hurt anyone else; I get that you felt guilty about what had happened. But you can't just run and hide from all of your problems!"
"I'm not running!" the hero exclaimed as small bursts of fire finally sparked around his fists. "Not anymore. You may not realize this, Midna, but things have changed! I'm not anything like I used to be. I'm not afraid anymore; I'm know more now than I ever have before. And I owe none of that to you."
"Oh, yeah?" Midna asked shrilly, clearly riled up by this point. "Then who do you owe your 'success' to? Cause considering how terrified out of your mind you were before, I honestly don't think you regained your confidence and courage all on your own!"
Link didn't respond immediately, knowing that Midna wouldn't buy that he had done it all on his own again. But at the same time, her accusing words cut him deep, to the point that he couldn't help but respond with bitterness of his own. After all, he had taken her belittling for so long now; it was about time for him to finally stand up for himself, even against her. "You're right, Midna," the hero said rather calmly, a hint of icy darkness in his tone. "I didn't do it on my own. But you should know that I didn't do it with your help either. All you did was yell at me and make things even worse! But I have control now; I've learned how to use them the right way. And do you want to know who I really have to thank for that?" The Twilight Princess's bold expression faded as she noticed the dangerous look in the hero's shining silver eyes as he drew a bit closer to her, a sudden burst of untraceable fear coursing through her as she shook her head. Link smirked at this, even though he was dreading the fact that he had to tell her, though he had no idea how she would react. "Verona."
Midna gasped upon hearing him, rage and shock filling her all at once. "What?!" she exclaimed, all of her stated fury returning to her as her red and yellow eyes bored into his grey ones.
"You heard me," Link said crossly, though he wasn't about to explain any more than that.
The Twilight Princess stared at him with awe for a moment or two before she shook all of those disturbing thoughts off with an amused laugh. "Oh… I get it," she said dismissively, though there was still a small hint of nervousness in her tone. "You're kidding… You have to be."
"I'm not kidding, Midna," the hero said firmly.
"Yeah, whatever," Midna said, hiding the fact that she was desperately hoping it wasn't true behind a layer of stoicism. "I mean, even you're not dumb enough to side with someone as crazy as Verona." The Twilight Princess let out an uneven laugh as she glanced towards Link once more, noticing that he held his cold expression unflinchingly. "Right…?"
Not wanting to outright admit it, the hero glanced away, letting out an aggravated sigh at the fact that, even still, the Twilight Princess was demeaning him and criticizing his choices without even listening to his reasoning at all. And he didn't even have time to try, for before he could even get in a word in edgewise, Midna finally exploded in what was nothing less than absolute rage. "Are you insane?!" she screeched, gliding into his face so that she was only a few inches away as her eyes burned with unbridled fury. "Haven't you listened to a word I said?! Verona is nothing less than evil, possibly even more so than Zant and Ganondorf combined! How in the world did she con you into-" the Twilight Princess cut herself off as she let out a gasp of realization, her expression softening a bit as she looked deep into the hero's silver eyes. "She brainwashed you, didn't she? That's the only explanation!" she exclaimed, grasping at the chance that she might be right and desperately praying that it was the case. "Well, don't you worry, little wolf! I'll find a way to break you free from-"
"Midna," Link cut in, resolved to prove the Twilight Princess wrong in the midst of her usual stubbornness. "I'm not kidding and I'm not brainwashed. Verona offered to help me with my powers and she did, much more than you ever could have."
"You complete idiot!" Midna nearly screamed in absolute rage. "How could you be so stupid!? Verona doesn't want to help you! She wants to kill you! She's been using that shard she stabbed you with to take your spirit away from you!"
"Who told you that?" the hero asked sarcastically. "Zelda? You know, Midna, I thought that you of all people would be smart enough not to believe her lies."
"Don't be even more stupid, Link," the Twilight Princess hissed in obvious anger. "You can't trust Verona! She's a liar and a thief!"
"Then I guess she's not that much different from you, huh?" Link retorted coldly, crossing his arms sourly as he remembered everything Verona had told him. "Especially since you never bothered to tell me about what happened between you, Verona, and Dehäan."
"What?" Midna asked, clearly taken aback upon hearing Dehäan's name again after so long. "She told you about that mess? Well, whatever she said was a lie. I didn't steal anything from her. She just can't accept the fact that the other Twili chose me to rule them over her. Probably because they could sense her selfish intent from the beginning."
"What about Dehäan?" the hero asked, still not buying it fully. "From what I understand, it's because of you that Verona couldn't be with him."
"You honestly think I really wanted to marry that square?" the Twilight Princess scoffed. "Please. He was so boring. I was only going to do it because it was my duty. I never 'loved' him at all."
"But Verona did," Link said, not liking how Midna was able to make so little of a matter that nearly ruined the Queen of Shadow's life. "And she was banished for it."
"No, she was banished because she was caught practicing dark magic," Midna said pointedly. "And because she attacked me. She was in the wrong, Link, not me."
"So I guess that means I'm in the wrong too, right?" the hero asked with a dark frown.
"Yes!" the Twilight Princess exclaimed as though it were obvious. "Link, I can't believe you would do this! You were this kingdom's hero! There was a time you were ready to lay down your life to save it! But now… look at what you've done!" she yelled, throwing her arms out wide in reference to the ruins all around them. "I bet you were the one who completely destroyed this place, right?! And I bet you have no remorse about any of it either after all of the lies Verona has fed you."
"You're right," Link said, not at all ashamed to admit it. "I have no regrets about this. They all deserved everything that happened to them, especially Zelda."
Midna gasped upon hearing this, completely aghast at how unsympathetic he was being. She knew that such callous, hateful behavior was so unlike the kind, selfless hero she knew and admired. It was as though he had become a different person entirely, one that she could scarcely stand to be near. "S-so… I guess you just don't care that Verona attacked my people, or that she cursed me and stole my throne!" the Twilight Princess accused. "After all, you've shown quite clearly that you don't care about anyone else, so why should you think I'm any different?"
The hero's expression softened a bit upon hearing her bitter words, a genuine pang of remorse filling him even in the midst of his attempt at stoicism. "Midna… no…" he said with a soft frown, one that reminded the Twilight Princess of how he used to be before the Queen of Shadows had enthralled him into the side of evil. "I… You… you're still important to me… Despite everything that's happened, I still care about you…"
"Oh yeah?" Midna asked, a hint of hidden grief in her tone. "Then prove it. Leave Verona. You know it's not too late, but it will be if you stay with her too much longer. Please, Link… I… I can't stand to see you with her knowing that all she wants to do is kill you… After all, you're still my little wolf…"
The Twilight Princess gave him a soft, sweet smile as she extended her small hand out to him in offering, her eyes pleading for him to heed her words. She wanted nothing more than for him to take it, for him to join her once more and turn away from the Queen of Shadows and her treachery. Midna full well that she was perhaps the only one now who could bring him out of the shadows and back into the light. If he would listen to anyone, it would be her.
Link stared at Midna's outstretched hand for a pregnant silence, anxiety and hope filling him all at once. A part of him wanted to gladly accept her offer, to follow her wherever she might lead, just as he had not too long ago. He pined for the days when it was just the two of them, exploring the land of Hyrule together, freeing it from dark forces as their bond grew ever deeper. Those were simple, relatively carefree times, but in the end, as much as he remembered them fondly, he knew they could never be again. Even though his powers were now under control, he knew that he couldn't be with the Twilight Princess anymore. She would only remind him of the life of shackled servitude and remorse, the life he was resolved to never return to.
"Midna… I… I can't…" the hero said with a sad sigh, glancing away from her with obvious guilt.
"Why not?" Midna asked with morose curiosity.
"Because it is too late…" Link said with both seriousness and sorrow. In all honesty, he knew that what he was saying was only half true; indeed, he did believe that he had gone too far now to turn back to where he used to be, but it was more than that. He wanted to protect Midna, and he believed that staying with Verona could effectively allow him to do that. After all, the Queen of Shadows had made her distain for her cousin clear, and though the hero didn't think that the Twilight Princess had necessarily been in the right about what had transpired in the past. Certainly, Verona didn't believe herself to be above harming or even killing Midna; however, perhaps Link could somehow convince her against such violent measures, allowing his former companion to take refuge and survive even amidst the regime the Queen of Shadows was steadily creating. Even if things could never go back to the way they used to be between the hero and the Twilight Princess, at least, Link reasoned, he could keep Midna safe the best way he could, considering the circumstances. "I told you: a lot has changed. Nothing is the same anymore and… I don't think that I can just move past any of this… But you need to know that it's not because of you. I've changed, Midna; more than you really know. Things just can't go back to how they were… I'm sorry…"
"So am I," Midna said bitterly, all of her former gentleness fading into anger once more. "You have changed, Link, but it's definitely been for the worst. You used to have morals, ideals, common sense; but all of that's completely gone now. When I look at you, I don't see a hero anymore; now all I see is a traitor!"
"I am not a traitor!" Link proclaimed defensively. "It's not my fault that everyone turned their backs on me first! As far as I'm concerned, none of them were even worth saving in the first place."
"Well maybe you were never even worthy of being their hero at all!" the Twilight Princess shouted angrily. "I should have known that I would never get anywhere with you! It's like talking to a brick wall! Maybe that dumb light spirit's prophecy was really about you after all!"
"Prophecy?" the hero asked in clear confusion.
"Oh, you know, the one about you turning evil and destroying everything?" Midna said pointedly as she drew her face in close to Link's tauntingly. "Because to me it looks like you've already embodied it perfectly, Mr. Hero of Shadows! Do you have any idea what you're really doing? Do you even understand what's going to happen to you if you keep this up? Do you even care?"
"Did you even care about what it must have felt like for me when you left all those months ago, Midna?" Link asked bitingly, trying to shift the conversation away from him, even though learning of this newfound prophecy that was supposedly about him somewhat bothered him.
"Don't you dare try and pin any of this one me!" the Twilight Princess retorted. "This isn't about me. It's about you and how you've completely and foolishly turned your back on everything you once stood up for. And for what? To live it up at Verona's side for a few weeks before she ultimately kills you anyway?"
"You're wrong about her!" the hero exclaimed defensively, knowing that after the lengths that the Queen of Shadows had gone to for him, she certainly couldn't have the wicked intentions that everyone claimed she did. "She was there for me when no one else was, including you! She's patient with me and she actually cares about what I have to say, which is way more than you've ever done!"
"You moron!" Midna shouted in blind rage. "She has you so blinded by lies that you can't even see the truth at all! So you know what? Go ahead, let her kill you! See if I care! You'll realize I was right when you're standing on the brink of death, your spirit nearly drained from your body entirely! Oh, but it will be too late by then, won't it? I can already hear you now: 'Oh, if only I had listened to Midna! Then I wouldn't have willingly thrown myself into my own destruction!'"
"She's not going to kill me!" Link protested firmly, refusing to believe this ploy from anyone, including Midna.
"Yes, she is!" the Twilight Princess argued back stubbornly. "Why else do you think she wants you with her so badly?! It's so she can steal it from you silently without you even noticing!"
"No!" the hero shouted loudly, not even noticing the ice continuing to spiral around his feet or the winds steadily swirling around him. "You're wrong! You don't know anything about her and you don't know anything about me!"
"Clearly I don't anymore!" Midna yelled hotly. "You've gone so far off the deep end that I don't even think you realize how far gone you are! You'd do anything Verona wants, from slaughtering all of the people you've likely already killed to throwing yourself down at her feet, practically begging her to take your spirit! You're following her without a second thought, not even thinking about what the consequences might be. But I want you to ask yourself one thing, Link, without thinking about me or Verona or Zelda or anyone else: what do you want?!"
By this point, Link was so enraged and grieved over all of the accusations that Midna was making about him that he could barely keep it all contained any longer. He was completely forgetting about concealing his emotions, and therefore, his powers soon followed suit. After all, to hear such hateful words come from the one person he still wanted to protect willingly, the one who had stood by him in turbulent times before, was more than he could bare. And yet, as he heeded the question she had asked him, he found that he had no good answer for it. He had been battered and torn so many times that he couldn't really figure out what he needed to be truly healed from it all. Siding with Verona had only provided an escape, but not a solution to all of his pressing problems. There was still an palpable emptiness inside of him, one that he had no idea how to reconcile. And, in the midst of the battles he was waging both externally and internally, perhaps there was no way to fill it at all.
It was as the hero came to this dismaying, hopeless conclusion, his emotions seemed to spike as the winds lashed out around him, blowing the Twili imp back just the slightest bit. Link clenched his fists tightly at his sides as he closed his eyes and hung his head, feeling the bitter cold aura surging through him, but doing nothing to stop it as he tried his best to hold back pressing tears. However, he failed in this, as Midna noticed a single tear of both sorrow and desperation steam down his cheek, one that instantly made her regret all of the harsh words she had thrown at him, even if she knew it was too late to take them back now. The hero took in a shaky breath as the ice around him accumulated even more, snowflakes beginning to mingle with the nearly-hurricane winds circling around him as he finally spoke, his voice soft and broken at first until it sudden rose in both panic and pain. "Midna…" he muttered, his eyes still shut as he tried to grasp at something to say, but he found nothing, just like the nothingness encompassing him on the inside. "I… I don't know!"
As Link shouted this out in lost desperation, he was unable to stop the multiple heavy shards of ice that suddenly shot out from the bitter cold air around him, all of them spiraling straight for Midna. However, unlike the incident in the woods, the Twilight Princess was ready for the uncontrollable projectiles this time. With a gasp of fear, the Twili imp contorted her hair into a hand and quickly batted all of the ice shards away from her with a great amount of force, managing to avoid being hit by all of them. Her strike shattered most of them, but one of the larger ones was repelled backwards towards the very one who had accidently created it: the hero.
Already in fearful shock over how he had almost unintentionally hurt Midna again, Link had not time or wits to react to the large ice shard hurtling towards him at a great speed. The Twilight Princess herself could do nothing but let out a cry of warning and panic before the projectile managed to strike the defenseless hero in the head squarely, instantly knocking him to the ground unconsciously before it shattered on the ground behind him.
The winds instantly stilled as Midna wasted no time in rushing to Link's side, tears already welling up in her eyes as she noticed the large bleeding gash the ice had cut across his forehead. She lowered herself to the ground beside him as she let out a small sob, finally letting all of her pent up heartbreak over the situation as a whole go as she tried to rouse him. "Link…" she whispered, placing her small hand on his cheek as she absently traced a finger along some of his markings, noticing with horror that they were much more apparent now, to the point that their glow made his pale skin seem even more so. "Link, please…" She wasn't really sure what she was asking of him at this point, whether it was for him to wake up or for him to denounce his choice to stand with Verona. But even so, the hero was listless, and this time, the Twilight Princess knew she was entirely responsible for it.
Yet at the same time, another burst of anger filled Midna as she looked down at Link, knowing that this was his fault as well. If he hadn't so foolishly joined Verona, then this rift would have never been torn between them. Whether the Queen of Shadows had used her magic to influence him or not, he would not listen to reason, even when all of the evidence was stacked high against Verona actually being benevolent. Which was why, even though Midna desperately wanted to, she knew she couldn't take Link with her, even as unconscious as he was. She would be getting him away from Verona, sure, but what else would she really be accomplishing. She couldn't very well hide him away if he willingly wanted to be with the Queen of Shadows, as ridiculous as their dark alliance was. That would only make her as bad as Verona herself.
And so, though it was the last thing Midna wanted to do, she relented, knowing that, despite how much she had prayed it wasn't true, Link really was lost to her. The hero she had once known and believed in was dead, leaving only a wicked shadow of his former self in his place. He would never listen, never return, never know the light again. The prophecy was indeed true: he was the Hero of Shadow now, and he would certainly meet his end.
It was an end that the Twilight Princess refused to see however, for despite the fact that their bond had been irreparably broken, she could not deny that she still cared for him or that she still wished the best for him. She had been able to tell that there was conflict stirring within him, even still, and perhaps through that conflict, he would realize where he had gone wrong. But Midna bitterly realized that she wasn't the one to force him back to his heroic ways. If that was truly the course that fate wanted to take, then it would have to happen by the will of the very goddesses themselves. Until then, she could only pray that it wouldn't come too little, too late.
Midna let out another broken sob as she rose back into the air, hovering over the hero's prone form for a moment or two. Verona was most likely hanging about somewhere nearby, meaning that it would be dangerous for her to linger for too long. Indeed, she had found Link, but it was not in the way that she had wanted to. And so, the only thing the Twilight Princess could do now was try and find a way to solve this immense conflict herself. After all, regardless of the ties she had just cut with the hero, her duty to her realm and her people still stood.
The Twilight Princess's heart was certainly heavy as she turned and began to glide away from the hero, leaving him alone and unconscious on the cold hard ground. There had once been a time that she never would have dreamed of leaving his side again, but now she found herself wanting to be as far away from him as possible, lest her heartbreak over what he had willingly chosen deepen even more. "Link…" she whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear her as she paused only for a moment, glancing back at him one last time. She couldn't help but feel the familiarity of the situation, standing on the threshold of staying with him or leaving him behind. Even the first time she had been in this position, it had been more than she could bear. But in the end, she had let her heart guide her in the decision that was best for her people above all else, the same decision that she knew she had to make now. "I… I…" she took in a small breath, knowing that there were no other words she could leave for the wayward hero now but the very same ones she had left him with before. "See you later…"
Ugh! Well that hurt to write! But seriously, Midna and Link are my brotp. Tearing them apart like this almost hurt as much as tearing Link and Zelda up did... But yeah, it really seems like Link is burning all his bridges, huh? In fact, the next chapter might deal with the only bridge he has left... (cough Ilia cough) Hope I didn't give too much away there! But yeah, like I said, next time is gonna be incredibly ANGSTY which I can't wait for! But for now, please don't forget to leave me your REVIEWS please! Until next time! :D