The journey to the castle and through the stairwells, up passages, and across walkways was much too short—mostly, me trying to continue pretending pessimistic—and it seemed like seconds later when Link and I stood in Zelda's throne room.

The guards had left and Zelda stood, eyes narrowed.

She knows, I thought. I elbowed Link. "Alright, Zel, let's talk privately. Link, can you go wait with the guards?"

Zelda spoke before he could respond. "He stays." Her voice contained quiet horror.

Fury rose within me, angry that Zelda—someone who I was undeniably connected to—could be turning her back on us in this way and then having the audacity to be mad that I found a way around her antics. "Send him outside. Now."

"No, Midna," Link said. "What's going on?"

I turned to him, silencing him with my glare before turning the evil eye to Zelda. "He doesn't need to hear this. You're playing a political game with me. I'm no idiot."

She shook her head. "He needs to hear this because it is three, not two, Midna."

Link, too, was getting agitated. "What's going on? Somebody needs to shine light on this. I'm tired of being in the dark. I know you're hiding something and I know Zelda knows what it is."

"Show him, Midna."

I growled. "No."

Zelda turned to Link. "Take off her right glove."

Oh, hell no, I drew both of my hands sharply to my chest. Zelda, who I had never seen use her power for a malicious purpose, raised a finger and bound me still while Link grabbed the glove off of my hand. She put her finger down, ending the spell, and I took the opportunity to kick Link in the shin. He tumbled, but kept ahold of my hand, turned it over.

Long enough to see the tattoo.

"Dammit, Zelda!" I shrieked. "I didn't want him to know!"

Link's fury bled through, too. "Is this what you've been hiding? What did you do, Midna?"

The Princess watched coolly. I sharply ignored Link and turned all of my rage to her. I felt messy, felt like I was out of control, but I channeled the fury into something sensible, let the Triforce bled out a red haze around me, like fog in the air, hanging low and musky. "I did what I needed to. To keep you alive. To keep my people alive. Both of you are so stubborn that you would have never listened!"

"You got the Triforce," Link whispered, anger giving way to the sharp sound of betrayal. My heart hurt hearing that, the red haze diluting to a more willowy gray.

"She did it by force," Zelda continued. "A spell, commonly used by dark sorcerers, that I would have never imagined her to know. It's old magic, traced to her ancestors. The ones banished to the Twilight Realm in the first place."

I huffed out air and refused to look at either of them.

Zelda softened her voice. "Midna, if this was in response to my lack of help…"

Sigh. "It's not because of that. It has nothing to do with you. It's because I need to do what's going to protect my people, protect you, and protect Link. This was what I had to do to join in on this stupid fight."

I snuck a look at Link and regretted it immediately. His eyes blazed with every emotion under the sun: betrayal, sadness, and bitterness. But underneath the negativity, I saw the curiosity and something I wanted to say was joy. Something boyish…like he was glad I had joined the Triforce-carrying-club. "Don't look so glum," I whispered.

"Zelda said you took it by force. Define it."

I drew in a breath and decided against it with a firm shake of my head. Link knew better, though. "No secrets, Mid. Zelda will tell me if you don't."

"Something I know all too well, dog boy. Fine. I did a spell. Simple enough, people do spells all the time. It was out of a book of…uhm, forbidden magic, like Zel said. Took me to the realm in between this one, the Twilight realm, and…I retrieved the Triforce there." I would take the knowledge that Dark was sealed inside to my grave. Literally.

Zelda nodded. "She's telling the truth, now."

I chewed my lip and snuck another glance at Link, who shook his head and said, "This is disgusting. Not only are we the Three Triforce holders, but we've been through hell and back together. Through the spells of Twilight imposed by Zant, through me being a wolf, through you and Midna sharing a body, through Dark. . .we are hopelessly intertwined. But we're all working different agendas. We all have different goals in these last days of ours. How fair is that? How moral is it that? Midna…clearly, you have ulterior motives. You want to fight, probably to try and keep your people alive as well and Zelda and me, with no regard to your own fate. I am trying to be the diplomat here, and Zelda…you're looking out for Hyrule and I'm sure that you and Midna have something worked out as far as insurance. What will it be, the two of you hold me down via binding spell on judgment day?"

"Link, that's not—" Zelda began.

He cut her off. "I want a decision made right now. All or nothing. Either all three of us come to a mutual agreement on a mutual goal or we all split up and do it alone." I saw the fire in his eyes and knew he was dead serious.

I closed my eyes and mentally sifted through my Shadow Storage, turning the pages of the books on the TriShadow. Three fused shadows—one for each anti Goddess. Anti Goddess? So the other end of the spectrum for Courage, Wisdom, and Power? I hadn't thought of using all three Triforces and combining them…I had only thought of one. That was daunting enough.

"I have a plan," we all said at the same instant.

"Link first," Zelda and I said.

He nodded curtly. "Obviously, diplomacy first. But Midna is gearing up for a fight and I see no reason not to come bringing all the firepower we possibly can. To help…convince…the Goddesses."

Zelda spoke next. "I'd like to, in the next few days, start displaying how well Light and Shadow compliment each other. Get the people mingling. Just to help press our point."

They both looked to me.

"I'm fine with both of your ideas. But. . .I have a back up plan, of course. And that is to make it very costly for the Goddesses to wipe out my people—"

Link interrupted. "And you. I want you, right now, to factor yourself into the deal."

An eye roll. "Fine. My people, me, you, and Link. I want them to know that if they mess with one element of that group, they mess with the others. And…I have an insurance policy, in addition to that. Devious enough, but. . .I bound myself to the Triforce." That was a lie, considering I hadn't done so. "If they kill me, I go down the line. I will be reborn. They'll never get rid of me. And I'll make them pay."

They eyed me like I was crazy. "The war you wage is dangerous," Zelda cautioned. I met her gaze. "A war far bigger than Dark Link's death. The Goddesses themselves shall fight against you."

I nodded. "I'm aware."

Silence.

But Link spoke. "We're all on the same page, then. Let's do it. Midna, fess up. What are you planning on doing with your Triforce?"

I winced. "Link…something you won't approve of. But, ironically, it fits with showing how well Shadow and Light compliment each other."

"I'm prepared to not agree with you. You never ask for my approval, anyway."

The words flew from my lips like daggers. "I thought it was a myth, you know. But myths have a way of becoming reality. So here you go. I'm using the Triforce of Power to combine with the Fused Shadows."

Link's eyes bulged. I saw the recognition in them, the distant memory, months ago. The blackmail that let Dark get under my skin. The immense power that came with just a hint of Shadow Magic from the Fused Shadows mixing with the Triforce.

The holy implications it had, too.

"Link is, oh, regrettably familiar with how powerful this combination is, Zelda. I don't ask your help, because it's dangerous and reckless. I can use the Triforce of Power with them and it will be powerful enough."

"But it won't," she shook her head. "And our Hero has said it all too well. All or nothing. I will help you. And so will Link. The Triforce's three pieces will be in harmony with the three of the Fused Shadows. That will be the ultimate symbol of cooperation. The Triforce, in essence, has the ability to covet and change the very matter of human nature, while Fused Shadows concentrate more on drawing spiritual matter in, correct? Shadow Storage, for instance."

I nodded. "Sounds about right. Fused Shadows are more focusing on shadow—playing with the elements of darkness, invisibility, cloaking. Using them, usually, leads to your body being lent to the power of the Shadows and you transform into some ugly creature."

Now, shock wearing off, Link saw the beauty of this plan. "Combine the two…and it's ethereal. Beyond that. It's being able to take the world and shape it in your palm. It's something the Goddesses would certainly be interested in."

"Two sides of the same coin. Different, but when you put them together…it's valuable," I said, somewhat echoing Zelda. Hope swelled in my chest. "We're idiots, you know. I don't know if this will work. I don't know how to use all three of the Triforce. . .I don't know."

Zelda bit her lip. "I will scour as many bases of knowledge that I can. I assume you have a spell book, Midna. In the mean time, I want us to immediately start mixing our people. Perhaps the political leaders of your realm could meet with—"

And then the boy of Farore, Courage, the boy I loved, said something so profoundly true that it stole my breath for a moment. "No. Start with the children. The very picture of friendship and innocence. Let the Light kids meet with the Shadow ones. It is humanity at its most basic form." He shook his head, as if coming out of a daze. "That's what I think."

"Of course," I muttered. "It's ingenius. It's already somewhat happening. The Twilit kids in the Zora Domain are playing with the young Zoras. It's so simple, I feel like I'm braindead for not seeing it before Link did." I turned to Zelda again, tearing my eyes from the blizzard of blue in Link's eyes. "How soon can we do it? How do we get children to volunteer?"

Zelda's voice rose. "Warp to Ordon. Get the children from Ordon, Link. They trust you so much. That will be the simple step. Then take their parents to see the friendships. Perhaps pictographs will be helpful. Evidence. A testimony. Yes, this…this is our best shot."

I shot a quick look at Link. "Can we do it? We don't have much time to pull this entire thing off. Let's move it."

He walked towards me and I took his hand, preparing the spell around us. "Zelda," I said, eying her. "Start researching Start informing the townsfolk of the visitors." But as I snapped my fingers and let the warp dissolve me, I mouthed something to her. "You still have to keep him safe."

She nodded before we became the matter of particles, floating up through the skylight.