Yikes, things have been manic the past fortnight! Sorry to all my regular readers who've been eagerly awaiting the next installment – I've had so much to do it's beyond belief! That, and this chapter took me ages to write for a very good reason.
Thanks to Afterburn Tango (welcome new reader!), ConGie, MysteriousMidna and RiderlessWolf for reviewing the last chapter; also welcome to my new readers who've been working their way through the earlier chapters! Always love to hear new opinions on my earlier work.
Sorry Heroes has stalled out recently; I'm finding action sequences hard to write, and having enjoyed writing the romantic scenes a little too much, I probably drowned the recent stuff in it. This chapter's more philosophical, though.
Thanks to MysteriousMidna for commenting that my perspective switches can get confusing. Now, I still dislike specifying who's talking, but to make it clearer, each of my narrators now has their own perspective-switch sign:
(~^~) is Link
(~+~) is Midna
(~|~) is Zelda
If this is better, I'll edit the story so far to bring the whole lot in line.
I don't know practically how far Heroes is from completion, though the second (of two) major story arc is approaching its turning point. I've had to set up a lot and trying to avoid contradictions has been hard.
Oh well, without further ado, here's Chapter 22! Enjoy!
Chapter 22
The Chess Board
(~+~)
"ZANT!!" I yelled. How was this possible??
"You seem surprised to see me," the heclic suggested. My face hurt from the rage flowing through it, my jaw clenched so tight my teeth protested. But I could not believe what I saw.
"I KILLED YOU!" I roared at him. "HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?!"
He adopted a face suggesting he knew what I didn't. My eyes flashed and the Shadows snapped to my sides. With satisfaction, I saw his face turn to fear.
"You would strike down an unarmed man?" He said, sounding outright afraid.
I stopped. I had known him for many years, yes, but never had he shown fear. But I recovered and snapped, "Why not? You don't need a sword to fight anyway, just someone else's magic!"
"And what do I not have any more?"
"We know Ganondorf's not lending you his power any more," Link spat. "And it's because of you that he returned to power. We should kill you right here, right now for what you did." The sword raised higher, and…
And much to my surprise, its glinting edge came to rest against Zant's neck, and he made no move to stop it. He only looked afraid, almost pleading in his eyes as he stared at Link.
"Please… just hear what I have to say…"
"Why?" We both snapped at the same time.
As if in answer, he raised his hand to the sword, but didn't try to move it. Instead, he pressed the flat of his palm to the sharp edge, moved it slightly and pulled it away. He showed us his palm.
My jaw dropped, and Link's sword backed away, though still within range of a rapid strike.
He was bleeding!
Impossible. He was such a strong sorcerer that he would be immune to injury. Either this was a very clever trick, or…
"Midna." My train of thought snapped, and I glared at him. He had no right to use my name.
"You can sense it, can't you?"
"What? I can't sense anything!" I seethed.
"Exactly," he said solemnly.
I froze. "Goddesses…" I breathed. He was right. I could sense nothing. No magic in the air at all. Even when resting, I could sense a sorcerer's magic.
From Zant, I could feel nothing.
He was powerless.
"You destroyed my body, Midna. And I have to say, I thank you," he said, and actually sounded genuinely pleased I had. I glared at him in response. "I stand before you now as a mortal. I have no power of my own."
"How?" I snarled.
"You remember our encounter in the Throne Room, Princess?"
"What of it?"
"What I told you was true. My 'god' did not allow me to die when you inflicted that fatal wound. You destroyed my body, but the rest of me lived on. He prevented my spirit from leaving this plane of existence." He gave a weak smile that confused me. "I have wandered the realms for six months, dead and yet unable to die, living on yet not alive."
"Your death can be easily arranged," Link snarled. "Do you know of the damage you did? Two worlds cursed, thousands dead and injured, and you have the audacity to show your face?"
Much to my surprise, his head fell. "You will come to know my reasons in time, but I believe there is something of much greater importance that you need to know," he said solemnly. He looked up. "Do you not wonder why you are still alive in this Realm?"
I felt that icy fear take my insides again as my mind caught up with him.
Link's eyes widened. "Our enemy is already there…" He repeated in shock. "You mean…?"
"The Dark King, my 'god,' call him what you will. He is no longer in this Realm."
"Then where is he?" I demanded.
"Why, the place the two Realms join, of course," he said.
Had any other man been standing beside me, I knew, when I realised what he was saying, that the sword would have fallen to the ground. As it was, Link had difficulty holding onto it. "Holy goddesses…" he breathed, his voice quaking with fear. "The Mirror Chamber…"
"Not long after your arrival, he crossed between the Realms. It was he who closed the portal."
As I watched the glimmering blade, I saw a faint outline of gold through Link's glove. His face was scrunched up in concentration. Several moments later, it broke, and he looked at me, fear in his eyes. "I can't hear her," he said, hints of panic at the edge of his voice.
"No doubt she has her hands full," Zant spoke. We both wheeled around to him. "I doubt he will kill her. She is much more use to him alive."
"Why the Tessek doesn't he just face us?" Link demanded.
"I believe he will in time, Hero," the heclic suggested with a trace of a smile. "Until then, with you trapped here, his second return to the world of light is almost unchallenged."
(~^~)
Oh Goddesses, I had been so blind.
It had to be; this was his plan all along.
We were trapped here, surrounded by darkness, while evil incarnate had somehow managed to return to the light. Only Zelda stood before him, and my breath hitched in my throat when I realised she was no match for him.
"How can we trust you?" Midna snapped at the usurper.
"Because you are still alive," Zant noted.
I felt the bottom of my stomach fall away. He had to be right. What we had done would have doubtless grabbed Ganondorf's attention, unless he had planned for this.
Unless he expected nothing less.
"Why would he do this?" Midna cried. "He plunges my people into darkness and then runs away when we come for him?"
"It is far from cowardice he has chosen," Zant answered. He gestured behind us. I chanced a glance, my sword still true toward him.
He was indicating the portal, but I could see nothing had changed.
"Look hard, Hero," I heard him say. I flashed a glare back at him, then returned to the dark portal.
There on its face was something I had not seen. A tiny sparkle of light!
It was no bigger than the tip of my smallest finger, sitting at the very tip of the circle.
"Midna!" I said. "Look!"
She hadn't taken her eyes off the man who had wronged her in so many ways, but she too stole a glance at the portal. Her jaw dropped.
"Any chance?" I said hopefully.
She gathered herself. "There's a connection, but it's far too small for either of us to warp through," she said, thinking aloud. "But why? Did Zelda not close the portal properly?"
"It was not the Princess of Light who closed the portal."
We both rounded on him.
"Don't you see?" He seemed to implore. "He has overpowered her and closed the portal to you, but not to things far smaller than a living creature."
"Like what?" I demanded.
"Ask her," Zant suggested nonchalantly. I glared at him, before noticing Midna's face of realisation.
"Magic…" she breathed.
"Very good," Zant said. I ignored him, silently asking Midna what she meant.
"He's drawing the Nothingness through to Hyrule!"
Everything around me suddenly became very cold. "No!"
"I am afraid so, Hero," Zant continued. "It was his plan all along. He would assume absolute dominance of the Twilight Realm, building up enough power to return to Hyrule, and trap you here until he has dominated both Realms, by which point his power will be so great not even the chosen bearer of the Triforce could stand before him."
Without realising I had acted, the Master Sword flew up level with Zant's nose. As he narrowed his eyes to the blade, my teeth slammed together, a feral growl escaping my bared lips. "You seem to know a lot about his plan, heclic." My voice was low, edged sharply with venom. "Too much, if I didn't know better. So you're going to answer some questions. And if I don't like your answers, you'll be seeing that plane between life and death again very quickly." I twisted the sword before him for good measure.
"So be it," Zant said solemnly, his head falling. I was slightly surprised, though I tried not to show it. Why was he being so submissive to us?
I shook the thoughts and formed my first question. "How did you return?"
"When Midna killed me, I found myself trapped between worlds. I could see and hear, but I could not be seen or heard. Nor could I act, at least at first. Though I knew of the legend of the Hero of Light and Shadow. And Sacred Beast as you were proven," his mouth twitched slightly, "I followed you when you returned to the light.
"I watched you battle the imposter god, and though I had no desire to assist you, I saw an opportunity to exact my revenge on him for leaving me trapped. I discovered that, with extreme effort, I could focus my powers. I was able to taunt him at times, breaking his concentration just enough that you could strike him."
"You helped us??" Midna cried, her face seemingly lost between rage and confusion.
"More than you know," he smirked slightly. "I discovered I still possessed a link to him. Though it was very faint with his powers at their peak, I was able to prevent him retaking his form while Zelda restored herself."
"It was you…?" Midna stuttered. Zant nodded once. I noticed I was faintly shaking my head, unable to believe what I heard.
"Though I lost my influence over him, I was still able to act. When Midna warped you away, I saw an opportunity. You have wondered, Princess, why you can remember nothing of your confrontation with Ganondorf?"
Midna nodded slowly. The sorcerer, or rather, ex-sorcerer, gave a rapid smirk.
"There was no confrontation. At least, not directly. I knew that even the Fused Shadows would be unable to stand against him. But I could sense the spirit of the Shadows, unable to be heard by anyone but me. I gave it the slightest of suggestions at just the right moment, before Ganondorf unleashed his power."
"What did you suggest?" Midna said, humouring him.
He adopted a knowing smile. "To attack."
Midna caught eyes with me. I didn't know what to think, and she seemed to be torn between believing him and dismissing him as a lunatic.
"The Shadows unleashed their full potential in one instant, perfectly matching the false god's power for long enough to break his focus. The shock of the counter was what destroyed the tower, and the release of so much power, so suddenly, must have knocked you out, Princess."
Midna's mouth fell open very slowly. "But then…"
"How did you return?" His face softened. "I saved you."
Her one visible eye widened dangerously again. "WHAT?!" She and I cried in unison.
"With his focus broken, I was able to use the Dark King's power to warp you far from the tower. You must not have awoken until after his defeat at the Hero's hand."
Midna was stunned to silence. I shook my head again. I couldn't decide what was crazier – Zant's story, or the fact that I seemed to be believing it. "But then, the Shadow…" I began, spotting a gap in the story.
"Such a release of magic weakened it, which is why the pieces separated. I was able to recover three of the pieces, but the tower began to collapse before I could reach the fourth, and I chose instead to bring Midna to safety. He was able to regain a form and retrieve the helmet before the tower gave way. And with its power weakened, he was able to use his own magic to crumble it."
I had to look away. My sword had fallen without my noticing some time into his tale. There was something in the way he spoke, something that suggested he had no desire to lie. That what I heard was the truth. I struggled against it. This… this creature had tried to kill both of us on many occasions. He had so nearly succeeded in taking Midna's life. No matter how much he wished to appear changed, that was something I would never, ever allow him to forget. My gaze returned to him, and out of so many questions I had, only one word left my mouth.
"Why?"
Why did you do it? Why did you save the one who killed you? Why didn't you help finish the job yourself?
Why are you helping us?
"What you saw of me was not the true me," Zant said quietly. "When I conceded to Ganondorf's proposal, he merged his soul with mine. And only then did I learn just how unstable he was. Years of roaming the worlds as a mere spirit, consumed by his hatred of the Hero who had forced his arrest and execution attempt, it had driven him mad. And only too late, that unstable power bled into me. I was unable to control myself; he forced my hand time after time."
Midna's face had solidified again, set in anger. "Make as many excuses as you like, Zant, now you've gone too far. Everything else? Marginally believable. But this? Ha," she spat. "I've attended enough trials in my short time to recognise the convicted trying to talk their way out."
"But that would imply I do not take responsibility for my actions," Zant replied.
Both of us froze. To me, this was completely unexpected. He was taking responsibility…?
Midna's jaw had dropped, his reply seeming to have stunned her to silence.
"It was all my fault," he said sincerely, not looking at us. "Midna knew it, that I lusted for control, for power. I would not believe it myself. Had I listened to her, this may never have happened." He looked up at Midna. "It was because of you that I did all this."
I felt an odd chill sweep through me. I did not like where this was going.
Midna didn't seem to have caught it. "No matter what action you take, you'll never make up for what you did," she spat at him.
He gave a sigh. "That's not what I meant, alzaknal."
I couldn't understand the last word, but gained a good idea when I saw Midna's face change. Another chill swept through me. Her expression was pure shock. Before I could react, she launched herself into the air and shot out of the sword's light, out of sight.
"Midna!" I yelled, my voice dulling more the louder I made it. Without a second thought, I dashed after her, holding the sword before me to see. In its limited range, I could barely keep track of where my feet fell. Moments later, I saw the edge of the floating island, and skidded to a stop just in time.
"She will be fine, Hero," came a voice behind me a moment later. I turned to face him, my face set in rage. "She can hide where you can never find her."
"What did you say to her, heclic?" I said coldly. I raised the sword to him.
"Alzaknal means 'beloved one,'" he told me. There came the chill again.
"Please tell me that has other meanings to the Twili," I suggested. I felt a fire burning within me.
"Its meaning is the same in both realms. Think about it, Hero. Do you know why Midna hates me so?"
"Because you nearly murdered her," I snapped.
"She hated me to that extreme long before that, or didn't you notice?"
I stopped. I didn't know what to say. He was right.
"Go on then, explain yourself."
He walked to the edge of the island and looked over. For a moment, I thought he would jump, and the thought of pushing him did cross my mind, but there was something nagging at me. I just couldn't hear his words as lies.
He eventually sat down on the stone, his feet swinging above the oblivion beyond the edge. He stared into the blackness. "Midna and I grew up together. We were very close friends; she was the daughter of King Tul, a true Princess, whilst I was the son of a respected noble. It was long expected of us to fall for each other, and in time we did." He sighed. "I loved her, Hero, much stronger than she did in return, though there was a time when she felt for me."
He paused. I stared at him, dumbstruck. "However, the king died young in a tragic accident while practising magic beyond his abilities. His Queen had died in childbirth, and the Princess was deemed too young to rule by the Council. They decided that, for the good of the Realm, they would elect someone older as ruler, so they scoured the noble families and settled on me." He gave an ironic laugh. My face twisted further.
"There was one reason Midna did not feel for me as I did her; she knew how much I loved to be in control. And she was right, but I was so caught by my passion for her that I would not see it. I proposed to her, trying to force her hand by offering her the chance to be Queen. But she saw through me. She knew what such a role would mean for her, and she wanted none of it. She petitioned the council, arguing that she was strong enough to rule, that her age did not matter. And eventually they agreed." His voice had become bitter.
"To lose my throne and my love so quickly, I did not know what to do. It was after that when I ran into the false god. He got inside my mind, offering me to chance to take the throne and be with her. So blind was I by my own desires that I agreed without hesitation. And it came at a great cost."
He sighed again. "Ganondorf took over me, and his broken mind began to mix with mine. He had gone so long without form his power was difficult to control. And such unstable power bled into me. As time passed, I was less in control of my actions. When I took the palace by force, Midna stood against me. She saw me for who I was, and she swore she would never allow me to succeed. It was then that my mind snapped. All that power flowing through me clouded my judgement, and I decided she was just an insolent child. The curse I placed upon her reflected that thought, forcing everyone to see her for the child I felt she was.
"It was much time before I realised I had gone too far. But by that point, there was no return. It was as if I had taken a step back from my own body, watching from afar, screaming at myself to cease, but my attempts were in vain. By the time you faced me, he had completed his regeneration and departed for Hyrule. My efforts to wrest control of myself had broken what remained of my mind."
That explained a lot about our fight, I thought grimly.
"For Midna to actually kill me… in a way, it was a relief. My death banished his lingering influence, and I felt truly free. It soon became apparent that I had not crossed over, nor could I. I realised what had happened, and vowed to make Ganondorf pay for what he did to me."
He paused, gathering his thoughts, before sighing and continuing, "After you impaled him, I could feel he was still alive, searching for a way to escape. And in his weakened state, my connection to him was much stronger. The sword wound wasn't quick enough to kill him before he left his body, so I found a way to physically harm him. I finished off that body; I broke its neck, and though it severed our connection and all of his influence was gone, I remained a ghost. I later found out I wasn't quick enough when he rose again in the Twilight Realm."
This was so much to take in. His words sounded sincere; all I could think was that he was not lying, that he was telling me everything. It was still on the fringes of belief what he had supposedly done, but to me, it made sense. Barely.
"I followed you for some time afterwards, occasionally flitting back to the Twilight Realm to check on Midna-"
"What?" I interrupted immediately. "You could return to the Twilight?!"
"My spirit was bound to neither world," he sighed. "I could jump between them at will. Not unlike Ganondorf's ability to travel between the realms with his Triforce piece."
"That's how he got to the Chamber, right?" I concluded. "He was waiting for us to come here, then jumped to the Light Realm?"
"Yes," he said sadly. "And it is how I returned after I was forced to break apart the Mirror. With his soul bonded to mine, I possessed the power of his Triforce."
"You have to teach me how," I ordered.
He looked up at me and sighed. "I knew you would want to know, but I cannot teach you."
"Why not?" I demanded.
"Because I myself do not know. My memories of my time under his possession are dim at best. I could not teach you how without possessing a piece myself."
I stared at the glove on my low sword hand. The Triforce wasn't making its presence known. It felt like it was taunting me, its true powers a mystery just beyond my grasp.
As I thought, Zant gave a quiet laugh. My attention snapped back to him. "Magic can be a wonderful thing, Hero. Think yourself lucky that is all you have known. I have seen the true horrors of what magic can bring. They say power corrupts, and I know for certain that absolute power corrupts absolutely. I never wish to wield magic again. That is why I no longer have power to call my own." He stole a glance at my questioning face. "No doubt you will want to know how I returned."
I gave a solitary, firm nod.
"The union of light and shadow is an ancient Twili myth. Very few know of it; only those deemed of high enough status are even allowed to learn of it. Light and Shadow were more than two sides of the same coin once. They were a united, powerful people. Circumstances tore them apart."
"I know," I warned him. "I know what happened with Azréalus. Just tell me about the magic."
"Very well," he said. "The united magic of light and shadow goes beyond the boundaries of either magic. Its limits have never been found. When the magic is created, almost anything is possible.
"It is for this reason that I followed you back to Hyrule. I knew you had the potential to unite the two powers, but you had no drive to do anything about it. So for months, I sent thoughts to you, planting seeds of unrest that would eventually force you to leave."
I took a deep breath to stop me striking him down there and then. My sword twitched. "You were in my head?!" I shot at him.
"No, I just created enough disturbance in you to force you to leave Ordon."
"That voice… suggesting I leave… that was you?!"
"Again, no, that was you alone, but a part of you that agreed with me. I could not risk taking direct action lest you consider yourself insane."
My hand clenched the sword harder.
"Why do you hate me so for it? My actions brought you what you wanted. I saved you from yourself."
"You had no right to," I spat.
"Even though 'it will never happen again' would not be enough for you, rest assured I could not do so again if I tried."
"That doesn't change the fact that you invaded my mind."
"Let it go, Hero, you cannot change the past."
As much as I wanted to hurt him, I relented. He was still useful, for now.
"You managed to do exactly as prophesised, uniting the magics in the Mirror Chamber. Had I been faster to react, I could have resurrected myself there and then. But admiration took me." He turned to me and gave a faint smile. "You have the potential to destroy him for good, Hero. That display of power was most impressive."
"Get to the point."
"Ah yes. I knew I could not try again until you united the magics again. And your attempt earlier was just what I needed. As I told you, Light and Shadow magic wielded as one have no limits. I took enough of your magic to recreate my body whilst abandoning my own magic. And here we are."
"Here we are," I repeated, glaring at him. "I knew I felt something odd."
"Were I to have asked, you would not have allowed it to happen, no matter my intentions," he countered.
He fell silent for several moments as I tried to understand how he had done it, when he spoke again.
"It was for her that I came back, you know."
I let the sword fall to his shoulder, the sharp edge against his neck. "Why?" I growled. "You have no idea of the damage you did to her, do you? You took everything from her - everything! And you nearly killed her, so many times."
"And she has every right never to look upon me as a Twili again. And that is what I wish." He sighed, still not moving his head away from the sword. "I saw the aftermath of my actions. All I wish is to be held responsible for them." He carefully turned to look at me. "I want to stand trial for my crimes. I don't care what my sentence is. I could have fought harder. I should have allowed myself to die rather than send so many of my own race to their deaths against their will." He paused again. "I counted about sixty dead. While I was a spirit, I visited the families of some of them. I saw the true extent of what I had done. It is what drove me to return.
"Midna is the rightful ruler of the Twili. My crimes against her and her people are unforgivable. It is because I care so much for her that I wish to be held accountable for what I have done. I ask only one thing of you, Hero."
"What?" I snapped.
He sighed. "Please don't kill me before I have a chance to stand trial. If it is decided that I must die, I would welcome you to be the one to enact it."
Something unpleasant grabbed my mind at that moment. I had played over in my head so many times what I might do to Zant if I had a shot at him. But every time, it was a fair fight, to the death for both of us. To wield a sword was to follow the honour of the blade. I could not kill an unarmed man, even if that man wished for death with all his might. No matter how much he deserved it.
This was nothing like what I had envisioned.
Reluctantly, I withdrew the sword from his shoulder and lowered it, its point facing to the ground. Somehow, I knew that if he intended to fight me, he would have done so by now. Perhaps he knew that he was no match for me.
Or maybe he just doesn't want to fight any more.
"Thank you," he said without looking up. "All I want to do is make things right now. I know I did not love her, definitely not as you do, so all I want is to make sure she gets what she wants."
"That might include your head on a plate," growled a familiar voice. I sighed with relief as Midna flew back into the sword's light.
"Thank the Goddesses, I was so worried about you," I said to her.
"I can handle myself," she said casually. "And besides, I was only just out of sight. I heard everything you said." She floated before Zant, her hands raised defensively. Her face was so set I knew she was struggling not to kill him.
"Kill me if you wish," Zant sighed. "All I live for now is a chance to be held accountable for my mistakes."
"How much I would like to," Midna snarled, her hands generating a ball of Shadow magic. Zant didn't react at all, even as the ball reached lethal proportions.
"Midna!" I said.
Her eyes snapped up to me, and I saw a rage I had never seen burning within them. It went beyond anything rational, beyond what he deserved.
A lust for revenge roared within her eyes.
"Don't question me, Link!" She ordered. I suppressed a gasp; she'd never used such a tongue towards me before, not even when we first met. It was a voice of absolute authority.
She was in control.
"Midna, please, not in cold blood," I pleaded. "If you have to, make it count for something."
Her jaw was set solid, and her eyes darted back and forth between him and me. I could tell it was tearing her apart inside, the ancient conflict of right and wrong. Both sides were right, and both were wrong this time. She deserved every right to kill him right here and now for what he had done. At the same time, for her to strike him down, to give him, the criminal, what he wished, now that made no sense to me.
She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. As she opened her eyes, she released her breath slowly, looking at the pitiful excuse for a Twili sitting before her. She looked away from both of us, collapsing the ball of magic as she did.
"I'm sorry, both of you. Link, you're right. I can't do it, no matter how much I want to. He deserves a fair trial, and he will get one." She turned to me and our eyes locked. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, her voice so barely audible even in the silence around us.
"Don't be," I reassured her.
She turned back to Zant. "You truly did love me once, if you did this for me. I can never, ever forgive you for what you have done. But know that I respect your decision."
Zant remained seated on the edge of the island, his gaze fixed on the darkness before him. Without looking away, he whispered something so quiet, even my wolf ears struggled to pick out the words.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Midna nodded to him, and snapped her fingers. Black ropes appeared from nowhere and flowed over Zant's body, binding his arms and legs together. All through it, he made no show of resistance.
When the magic ropes ceased their movements, he spoke again. "If I may have one final wish, Princess?"
"What is it?" Midna asked.
"I wish to tell you more of the myth of Light and Shadow. I believe I know why your attempt failed."
Midna floated before him, listening intently. "Continue."
"Truly unifying Light and Shadow cannot be done by one alone. One from each of the races must be involved. The original event occurred with two sorcerers. The Hero is no sorcerer, but his blade is magical."
"You're suggesting the key may be his sword?"
"The key may be his swordsmanship, Princess," he corrected quietly. "He may not be able to learn to wield magic in the short time you have, but perhaps…"
"Perhaps Midna could learn to wield a sword?" I suggested.
"Yes," he agreed. "By combining magic with swordsmanship, it may well be possible to do as you wish."
"Do you think it's possible?" I asked her.
"He is right; you use your magic through your sword," she thought aloud. "I believe I could wield my own through the right blade."
"Do you have a sword?" I asked.
"Royals do not have swords in the Twilight," she said heavily. "Until six months ago, we had no need for them." She resisted a glare at Zant, who still sat, acceptably bound, at the edge of the island. "I know of no magical blades in the Twilight Realm."
"There is one," Zant said.
We both looked at him.
"Do you remember your first visit to the Arbiter's Grounds? The great beast that protected the access to the Mirror Chamber?"
"Stallord…" I growled. And then my eyes widened in shock. "You brought it to life!"
"With the Sword of Twilight," he concluded. "It is a magical blade, perhaps the Twilight Realm's equivalent of the Blade of Evil's Bane, Hero."
"Where do we find it?" Midna demanded, shooting in front of his face.
His eyes finally rose to hers. "The Temple of Twilight, of course."
"Please tell me you know where that is," I said.
She gave a firm nod. "Less than a day's journey. Faster if we can warp." She pulled away from him.
"One final thing, Princess," Zant said. Midna paused. "You would doubtless try to go straight after Ganondorf with the two swords, but remember his true power comes from the Nothingness itself. Drive back the Nothingness, and you will defeat his power."
"And how would we do that?" Midna fired at him.
"In the very centre of the old Nothingness lies a forgotten temple. It is rumoured it was once the gateway to Tessek itself."
Midna gave a 'pfft' at that.
"Princess, what is the ancient Twili word for 'nothing?'" Zant asked.
Midna looked caught off-guard for a moment, but thought about it. After a few moments, she said, "Tessré…" as her face dawned to total realisation. Her eye grew uncomfortably wide very slowly.
"Tessek," I confirmed, my own eyes widening in realisation. "Hell."
"But Tessek's supposed to a place of eternal torture by demons!" Midna scoffed.
"Tell me, Princess," Zant said. "What is true torture, pain for all eternity, something to sense, or living for the rest of eternity in a state where you do not even know if you exist?" He paused. "True torture to those of us who need our senses to live is to be forced to live without them forever."
Both Midna and I were stunned to silence as we considered it. The thoughts scared me.
He was chillingly enlightened to the concept.
Midna shivered. I gently placed my free hand on her shoulder; she placed her hand over mine and held it for a few seconds. She lightly nodded to say she was ready.
"What do we do with him?" I said, indicating the immobile Zant.
Midna thought for a moment, before drawing her hand up before him. In a swirl of Twilight particles, he vanished. "The Palace dungeons should be fine for now," she sighed.
I gently pulled her close. "I'm proud of you. You had every right to kill him."
"I know," she sighed. "Everything inside me screamed at me to do it. But there was one voice that said no." She turned to face me, pulling her arm around my neck. "That voice was you. Even when you say nothing, I feel like I can hear your thoughts on anything. You're always there, guiding me. I don't know what I'd do without you."
I hugged her tightly, placing a kiss on her cheek. "You'll never have to know," I whispered. "I love you, and I'll always be here for you."
She turned her head and kissed my cheek. "I love you too," she whispered. She hugged my neck for a moment, before meeting my eyes. "Let's go find that temple."
I gave a faint smile. "Just like old times."
Writing Zant in as a would-be good guy is what took so long. I've seen him brought back several times to be the villain and I agree with ConGie – so much potential if he changes sides. I hope I've managed to convey that here; giving him a strong enough reason was damned difficult. I also took some creative license with the later events of the game; I haven't played TP for a few months now, so I hope I remembered them correctly before reinterpreting them.
On a side note, don't worry, there won't be a love triangle between Zant, Midna and Link. ZxM as they are will never work in my opinion. Plain old LxM all the way!
Right, next chapter's mostly ready, so I might update tomorrow, if I don't end up taking things back to the drawing board!
Until next time, this is Gargravarr signing off!