Chapter 29
Wolves and Wildcats
This time, Link noticed none of the beauty that Twilight had to offer. In fact, the curious stares, muted murmurs and snooping footsteps of observers weren't enough to alter his dogged gaze by even a centimeter.
His objective: to reach the building at the top of the hill. The square silhouette looked down on the approaching group which was growing by the second. Every student in the path of the migrating horde was snapped up like a fish in a rip current. Link was aware of their presence, but couldn't have cared that they were there if he'd tried.
Only one thing mattered right now, and that was to put a pretentious, disrespectful man in his place. No one should be saying such hateful things about Midna. No one.
It reminded him of the demon.
Even Pipit's random and ridiculous commentary wasn't enough to disturb his resolve.
"Never a dull moment with him, know what I mean?" he heard Pipit say from several yards away. Even though Pipit was hopelessly drunk, Link could tell by his tone that he was talking to a woman. "It's not like he does it on purpose, either. He just sort of…attracts trouble." At that, Link blinked twice, but his squared expression remained as immovable as the moment he had accepted the stranger's challenge.
"The only way he'd…lose this fight is if he's…as wasted as I am!" Pipit said with a laugh, garnering several agreeing snickers from Link's accumulating audience.
Still, several Twili students, mostly ladies, couldn't help but voice their opinions on Link's contender.
"Vigil is one of TKA's best!" at least five girls said. Link heard the admiration in their words.
Vigil… A fitting name for someone like him. How appropriate it was for a man bent on dragging Midna's name through the dirt to be named for that solitary time of night when a person prays, hoping, searching, waiting for something…
Yes, this man most certainly reminded Link of the demon lord – someone who exuded gentility, yet underneath it all was a snake; a fraud interested only in his own personal gain, who would laugh and congratulate himself if others happened to be harmed in the process. A pleasurable side-effect.
Link gnashed his teeth, finding that the angrier he got, the clearer the image of the demon became in his head. He peered at the infuriating stranger to his right, his frustration mounting for more than one reason.
His face had that same smug look Ghirahim's always did. That half-smile that said, 'I'm superior to you'. Link rolled his eyes at the thought.
Knights take an oath to honor and protect women. Doesn't anyone follow through with their vows anymore?
Link's disapproval increased with each footfall. His fists hung tightly at his sides. He should have been in Skyloft right now, rummaging through Commander Eagus's weapon stash in the sparring hall. That's where Fi had suggested he go, anyway. Then he could finally return to the surface and get to work on the first part of his mission: retrieving the sword which Fi seemed to think that he needed.
Link bit his lip in thought. Fi was his Goddess-given guide. If she was instructing him to seek out a specific sword, even if he could find a comparable object in a much less cumbersome location, then he would listen.
Besides that, some time alone after all of this madness didn't sound half bad.
"He put me in the hospital, man," Pipit said, chuckling as though it were a joke. Link grimaced and sighed, hoping that Pipit wasn't planning on elaborating on that rather shameful story. Link was hard-pressed to entertain even a single thought about the Lumpy Pumpkin without picturing Pipit's discomposing little stunt, which Midna had seen, no less. Thank the Goddess she'd been outside during Link's subsequent attempt at revenge.
Never before had he disregarded his friend's dignity so readily, but never before had he been so drunk.
Thoughts of his rage-fueled dance with his best friend were followed by the unpleasant memory of sparring with him – no, not sparring, fighting – during which they had nearly knocked each other senseless. And for what? The entire two day incident, starting with the wrestling match in Link's dorm two nights prior, had all been a dreadful misunderstanding. Link was on edge about Zelda. Pipit was being haunted by painful childhood memories, sort of like tonight. Link figured that people were probably still on the fence as to whether they should feel sorry for Pipit for what happened to him that night, or if they should just have a good laugh about it. And it was all because of Link. To him, the whole incident was well worth forgetting.
Link was grateful to have learned what Pipit's problem was, but at what cost? Part of him was afraid that, after all that had happened, their friendship hadn't benefitted, but had suffered a blow.
The knowledge was valuable, however, as was Pipit's experience, especially in light of what Link was dealing with. Perhaps in time the positive would outweigh the negative.
Link had already felt guilty for his poor judgment the night of the party, and even though he had apologized at home and on the surface, the need to ask for forgiveness was starting to creep in again—
Just like tonight, Pipit had been hurting that day, and all his supposed best friend did was exacerbate the situation. The more Pipit shared, the worse Link felt. And today, Pipit had shared a lot.
"He gives a good lap dance…" Pipit said in a voice laced with drunken sarcasm. Link cringed. "But he gives an even better concus…concussion… What's-his-face had better watch out!"
"Ugh, Pipit," Link mumbled, wishing that he could sew his friend's mouth shut.
In order to will the guilt away, Link rehashed the sparring hall scene in his head, thinking expressly about when Pipit had picked him up, thrown him against the wall and tossed him across the room.
The demon had done the same; not to mention he'd accused Link of every single sin imaginable. To the demon, Link carried so much guilt that his self-confidence was overblown. Maybe his overconfidence in the Faron Woods had led to his capture by Ghirahim, but it wasn't like he was going to make the same mistake again…
Not only that, but he had apparently allowed the exceptionally good looks of a demoness to lure him away from the girl who he was supposed to be with. He also wasn't worthy of a mother and a father's love. And deserving of the title, 'Sir'? Certainly not; his reasons for pursuing knighthood were not gallant, but selfish.
Link's tight fists stayed where they were as he walked and contemplated. He had started out a lost little boy in a big, overwhelming world. His circumstance was not his fault, though, nor did it automatically render him unfit to be a knight. One couldn't dedicate his or her life to achieving knighthood without harboring at least a small amount of honor within themselves. Although, Groose was quite possibly the exception to that rule.
Link wasn't perfect. Not at all. The demon had been sure to stress that particular point. In fact, Ghirahim had gone above and beyond, emphasizing that Link's self-reliance was entirely stupid, and that he was doomed to fail without the aid of his enemy. Or ally, as the demon had tried to brand himself. Preposterous, really, that Link would need the demon in any way. Fi's role as his guide was a testament to that. The Goddess would not have appointed an incompetent fool to do her work, nor would she have given that fool someone as incredible as Fi as a personal assistant.
Speaking of Fi, Link would have much rather been lounging comfortably in his hotel room and listening to the rest of her story than tromping off to the sparring hall of a school that wasn't even his.
If he wasn't fuming he might have given some serious consideration to the notion of dropping everything and returning to the hotel. Still, this was about Midna. Listening to hurtful words about himself was one thing; to have the displeasure of hearing a man bash someone that special to him was something that he couldn't ignore.
Maybe it was because he and Midna were in a state of limbo and his frustration over her had already been brewing. Perhaps it was how he had been questioning her integrity in spite of what he wanted to believe. Maybe it was the fact that, no matter how much he denied it, some of what the demon had said about her made sense. Not just about Midna, but about himself—
About them; him and the demon, and what had developed in the demon realm.
"Admit it," Ghirahim had said, "you like me."
"What I'd like is to watch you suffer and die in the worst way possible," Link whispered gutturally. A few feet away, his challenger gave him a quizzical look. Link expected a flippant retort from the demon, seeing as though he seemed to have set up camp in his mind recently.
"You really ought to lend your ears to that little witch of yours, sky child. Listen carefully. Imbibe what she tells you. Who knows? There is a chance that your hatred for me may dissipate."
And there it was…
"Oh, I'm sure my hatred will just drift away on the next breeze," Link shot back. "Fi's a good storyteller, but she's not that good."
"Akin to the many lives that will be lost because of you, your animosity will be snuffed aborning. It has already begun to happen, and it will continue. I promise you."
"I don't believe you."
"Have you learned nothing from what she's already told you, human? Now more than ever you should recognize how very extraordinary our connection is. It is phenomenal, marvelous. In every way, unprecedented. Can you not feel it by now?"
"You forcing your weird powers onto me? Is that unprecedented?" Link stomped along. "I've been told that to be used by you is nothing out of the ordinary."
"Yes, but never before has a joining been so fabulous, sky child." Link sensed the excitement in the demon's words; the words that only he could hear. "It is special."
"It's not special to give in too easily when you're exhausted and depressed," Link countered. "And that's all it was."
"Every time, my dear human?"
"Yes, every time," Link replied.
"Are you exhausted and depressed right now?"
"No…"
"Then why is your heartbeat escalating just as surely as your musical abilities are slipping away from you?"
Link huffed indignantly. "Because I'm angry, that's why."
"Anger has nothing to do with it, sky child. Your heart pounds for me. Blame it on the clashing of two silly egos all you like. The sound of my voice is driving you wild."
Link's face turned even redder than it had all night. His fists tightened some more. Just when he was set to launch a slew of heated words at the demon, he felt an interference in his thoughts, as if a finger had been laid over his lips before he had the chance to speak.
"You want to see me again…" the demon purred.
Link's eyes shifted. He was glad that no one around him had the ability to hear the war that was raging in his head.
"Do you know what else, sky child?"
With a blank mind, Link shook his head, muttering indistinctly. "What?"
"I look forward…with immeasurable hunger and thirst…to seeing you again, too." That very same finger grazed the innermost part of his brain, releasing a tiny, teasing burst of pleasure from deep within. With a low grunt and a jerk of his head, Link shook it off, feeling the demon's presence retreating.
"After you, champ," the blond stranger said, offering a loose smile.
Link felt his eyes clear. Before him was an open door, and past it lay a shiny hardwood floor; recently polished, apparently. Not even sparing a glance at his opponent, he stepped inside.
The sparring hall was empty for only a few seconds more. In no time, people began filing in, splitting up and gathering in little groups along the walls, placing elbows along windowsills. With a set jaw, Link watched absently as observers made themselves comfortable. Disallowing any more unwanted thoughts from chipping away at his absorption in the moment, his gaze floated from one student to the next. Keeping in mind what Lilith had told him not long ago, he briefly took note of who was within this sample of the Twilight population—
A whole lot of pale-skinned young men and women. With a critical eye, Link looked into their faces, receiving many dubious stares in return. While any sky state could shelter a demon fleeing from the demon realm, it made perfect sense that most found refuge in the darkness of Twilight.
Looking around, however, Link could tell that picking the demons out from the humans, and vice versa, was not going to be easy. With the exception of a few people who looked like they'd come from one of the sunny islands of Superna – or perhaps Skyloft, or another sate – everyone was extremely fair-skinned.
Link turned his attention to their hair. The most noticeable feature of a demon, and the one thing that he saw a surfeit of in the demon realm, whether long, short, curly or straight, was starkly white hair.
Link saw hair of brown, blond, red, black, and every shade in between. The one color he didn't see was white.
But just as easy as it was to dye cloth, so it was to dye hair. As unaccepted as a demon would be in the human world, there was little reason to question why he or she would take up hair coloring as a means of fitting in. Bright white hair on a young Twili would surely rouse suspicion.
In addition, many of these demons were half human. This made differentiation even harder.
Standing still as the room filled with more and more people, Link discretely studied them, analyzing skin tones and eye colors. Many students were amazingly pale, but looked perfectly human. Others had Lilith's skin tone. Still others were darker. And they all had varying hair colors.
Even in a place as dark as Twilight, the sun would eventually deepen a demon's skin tone, causing him to become increasingly lightfast; yet another thing to consider.
Link rapped his fingers on his sides, thinking some more. The average height of a demon was also something to keep in mind. There was nary a short demon in the demon realm. In fact, short was most likely considered anything below six feet.
Ghirahim was much taller than that, as were so many of the other demons Link had encountered. Lilith, being a hybrid, was on the shorter side. If height was directly correlated to the likelihood that one was a demon, then Midna was wonderfully and reassuringly short.
Sighing, Link looked around with discouraged eyes. Demons might've been tall, but so were a lot of humans. Some of them towered over Link. Ruling someone a demon based solely on looks was a feat.
Full demons versus hybrids… Which were more abundant in Twilight, or in general? 'Original demons', as Lilith had described them, were thousands of years old. It could be assumed that they would have a harder time blending in compared to hybrids, who were not semi-immortal, but aged like the humans around them, albeit more slowly. A full demon, supposedly, would look the same today as he had at the time of creation. Surely people would find it odd if someone they knew, over the course of many years, showed no signs of aging. Perhaps the Twili wilderness was brimming with demon communities.
A demon face or a human face… Both races had features that were all across the map. Demons tended to have large eyes, but many humans did, also. Almost all demons had brown eyes, but so did the majority of humans. The pointed ears were characteristic of both races; limb-to-torso proportions were the same; voices varied widely; physical needs seemed to be the same for both races, although Link wasn't sure if Ghirahim had any needs besides making him miserable—
"Are we gonna fight, or are you just gonna admire the scenery all night?" Vigil asked from the center of the floor, his conceited grin just asking to be wiped away. "I know the girls in Twilight are way hotter than in Skyloft, but…" He shrugged amusedly. The only reaction from Link was a harder glare.
"You got that right!" Pipit called from somewhere in the room.
"Shall I grab us some swords, then?" Vigil asked. "Shall I also assume that we are doing this without shields?" Link gave a straight-faced nod as he walked to the middle of the room, watching his challenger all the time. A few moments after disappearing into one of the back rooms, Vigil came back with two metal swords – both of which had obviously seen hundreds of sparring matches.
"Take your pick, friend," he said, raising his brow slightly. Their gazes locked as Link's hand came up. "Aren't you going to inspect the weapons?" Vigil asked. "Compare them? You never know. They might be different sizes, different thicknesses, different weights—"
"I don't care," Link replied, still staring Vigil in the eyes. Grabbing one of the hilts, Link took the full bulk of the weapon into his hand, quickly adjusting to its heft before the tip had a chance to hit the floor.
Vigil's chin nudged outward in an acknowledging nod. "I see…" he said calmly, grasping the hilt of the sword that had been left in his hands. "I appreciate your confidence." He cocked his head, displaying an admonishing look. Link scowled. "But overconfidence…"Vigil took a step, bringing his face uncomfortably close to Link's. "Overconfidence has no place here. You, of all people, should know that." Link was barely able to stop his face from twisting.
What? he thought.
As if Link wasn't angry enough.
"Did he just say the O-word? Did I hear that right?" Link and Vigil slowly turned their heads to view Pipit, who somehow managed to recruit two remarkably pretty brunettes to keep him on his feet. "Hey, front row seat. Nice."
One of the girls tightened her hold on his arm, placed a palm onto his chest and smiled adoringly up at him. Link cringed, knowing from earlier that Pipit reeked like a mixture of about ten different drinks. Pipit looked down at the maroon-clad knight, gifting her with a horribly goofy smile which she seemed to eat right up. Link hoped that, for her sake, Pipit's weird face didn't mean he was about to throw up.
As the trio backed up toward the wall, Link refocused on Vigil, who promptly mouthed, 'Bring it'.
Link's left foot slid back as he leaned into his battle stance, the murmur of the audience fading into the background. He glowered at his opponent. The more he glowered, the more Vigil's face dropped. Whether his slumped expression was due to uncertainty, anger, nervousness or flat-out fear was indistinguishable. Link didn't care, anyway. He was looking straight at Vigil, but wasn't really seeing him.
Link's mind was wandering. His wrath was stirring. He saw his enemy – his true enemy, Ghirahim, who seemed to excel at the art of asserting his control over every facet of Link's life. The physical, the mental, the psychological – it was all the demon's playground.
Link's knuckles started turning white around the tarnished hilt.
He heard the demon's chuckle and felt the soft sweep of red velvet.
He saw the faces of every army general who had wasted the past forty-eight hours of his life. He saw Sheik, the most arrogant man in the sky realm. He saw the mission in the woods that he should have been completing right now.
Overshadowing everything else, however, was Zelda. After hearing Pipit's summed-up version of Zelda's mission earlier, Link had started getting antsy. He just wanted to leave, to get on the move, to be there waiting for his best friend at the appointed time, not flying from one state to another to accommodate a bunch of strangers. He had a weapon to track down and a volcano to locate, and he had to make it there in time…
Despite what had happened between her and Pipit, Link wanted to see her so badly he could almost taste it. He wished that he could be the one escorting Zelda through the wilderness, protecting her from enemies, watching over her as she slept at night… Not some mysterious woman who claimed to be Zelda's guardian. Who knew who she really was.
Zelda needed him, and for some reason, the powers that be seemed to want to keep them apart.
Link cracked his neck, still feeling the chain that was no longer there, yet had never left.
Twirling his sword a few times, he looked Vigil up and down. Vigil shuffled back in preparation.
Link might not have been able to be with Zelda right now, or go sword hunting, or revenge seeking against the demon, and he certainly wouldn't be able to play his violin worth a damn. On top of that, he couldn't even begin to understand what the Goddess expected of him, or where she was going to take him. But there was one thing that he could do right now: kick this guy's butt.
"En garde?" Vigil asked, tilting back and putting Link on point.
"En garde," Link answered, bending into a bow as his opponent did the same. Any chattering that was still taking place abruptly ceased.
As the two slowly straightened, they crossed swords. The room had fallen deathly silent. Metal against metal rang out delicately. After both young men stepped back again, the game was on. Every eye was glued on the pair in the middle of the room.
The two cautiously circled one another, watching, listening, waiting. Vigil looked like he was going to say something, so Link let him.
"You freeze your dick off yet?" Vigil asked, chortling.
"Did I what?" Link asked, looking at him like he was insane.
"Yeah, I heard she's just as cold on the inside as she is on the outside." Vigil's tongue slid out between his teeth as he chuckled to himself. Link shook his head in amazement.
And they say Skyloftian knights are unprofessional…
"I say her old boss is lucky she fought him off," Vigil continued, still giggling. "'Cause that's the last place you want frostbite…" Entirely too amused by his own dark and bad-mannered humor, he put his free hand out to Link.
Through with listening to this man spout off insults, Link hopped forward. In a flash Vigil reacted, swinging his sword diagonally from right to left. Link sprang back, dodging with ease. Frustrated with his miss, Vigil immediately shot forward and swiped at Link's middle. Link spun out of the sword's reach.
With his last spin, Link tossed his sword from his right hand to his left, whirling it behind his back before drawing it up into a vertical slash so fast that Vigil heard the clash of metal long before he realized that his hands were empty. He gasped and froze in place, his alarmed eyes bursting open as he felt the worn tip of Link's blade against his neck. Like stone figures they stood, Link's eyes following the line of his rigid arm as it brought the hard, cold evidence of Vigil's loss straight to his Adam's apple. As if to confirm his defeat, the sharp sound of metal crashing to the floor exploded outward, making him flinch.
Vigil's gaping mouth closed as he swallowed hard, looking at his dejected reflection amid the spark in Link's blue irises. He heaved a breath, realizing that he had been the only one to break a sweat.
Never before had he been beaten so quickly. In fact, a sparring match this short-lived had never taken place anywhere on the TKA campus, especially among Twilight's finest knights.
The silence was thick as Link lowered his arm, observing the taller man as his nostrils flared.
"Good fight," Link said, offering his right hand. Vigil's gaze didn't move. His mouth twitched as if he was thinking.
The next few moments passed in slow-motion. In a single heartbeat, Link's open hand dropped as he sensed Vigil's shoulders tighten. When Vigil's face clenched, Link leaned back on his left foot before ducking down.
By the time Vigil's fist reached where Link was standing, he had cleared the punch by several inches. In one fell swoop Link released his grip on his weapon, sending it sliding across the floor and out of the ring while popping back up and swinging his forearm to the right, deflecting a punch that had been aimed straight for his eye.
With a face that was becoming more flushed by the second, Vigil pulled his arm back, letting loose a rumbling growl as he sent another jab full force toward Link's head. Raising a hand, Link caught the balled up, flying powerhouse before it could connect with his face. It landed in his palm with a loud smack. Turning the tables, Link centered himself, gritted his teeth and shoved, sending Vigil stumbling backward. Shouts started escaping from the crowd.
"Hey…punching is an ill…illeg…illegalmove," Pipit mumbled off to the side. A bit late, but correct, nonetheless.
Link stood with his hands out, ready to either defend or attack. After regaining his footing, Vigil lunged, poised to tackle his opponent and knock him off of his feet.
Waiting until the right moment, Link stepped out of Vigil's path, dropped down and swept a leg along the floor, hooking his foot from behind and tearing him from his charge. With his feet pulled right out from under him, Vigil flailed his arms and landed on his back with a heavy thud.
Like a wildcat, Link pounced, seizing his deserving prey by his tunic, flipping him on his back, straddling him and bending his left arm up unnaturally at the elbow. Vigil arched against the pain.
"Ah, damn, see…" Pipit said, now seated against the wall with his two helpers. He wagged a wobbly finger as he took a few seconds to laugh. "I know what…that feels like… That's the worst!" He looked to the side at his new admirer. "I told that moron he was done for."
Vigil tried looking at Link out of the corner of his eye. "Okay…okay," he said through shallow breaths. He winced. "You win…!"
"I'm not trying to win anything," Link said, leaning down and speaking quietly into Vigil's ear. "Whatever this grudge is that you have against Midna, I don't care. But there is one thing that I do care about."
"… And what's that?" Vigil huffed.
"Your apology," Link said.
"What, to you?" Vigil asked.
"Dude, speak up!" Pipit called as both young ladies massaged his shoulders. "Inquire… Inquiring minds wanna know what you're saying to that loser."
"It's no one's business, Pipit, not even yours!" Link answered, keeping his eyes on Vigil. He leaned in again. "Apologize to Midna." Vigil tried to shift but succeeded only in increasing the pull on his arm. He grunted. Link could tell he was struggling not to make any pained noises.
"She's not even here," Vigil said, his voice strained.
"I'll relay it to her," Link whispered through clenched jaws. He didn't burden himself or Vigil with tightening the grapple. He knew that his opponent was well aware of his inescapable restraint. Still, Vigil hesitated.
"This is stupid," he carped.
"What's stupid is a knight talking about a woman like that," Link said. "A woman who, I'm sure, didn't do anything to earn that knight's hatred."
"What the hell do you know?" Vigil asked, panting. "Mister hero. The perfect guy for the perfect damn girl. Bet you didn't even have to do anything…" He took a breath. "…to meet her unrealistically high standards…"
"Perfect?" Link shook his head. "Neither one of us is perfect, I promise you."
"I hate guys like you… You lucky fucking bastard…"
For several seconds, Link just stared, a flurry of aggravated thoughts hitting him.
"Lucky?" Link unknowingly clamped down on Vigil's pinned wrist. The Twili yelped. "If it was a choice between lucky and perfect, perfect would win, hands-down, and I already told you I'm a far cry from perfect." Link inched closer. "You think I don't know anything? Well, I'd say you know even less. I am anything but lucky. You don't even want to know…" He looked into the wide, desperate eyes of his opponent. "You just don't want to know. But I'll tell you one thing: I'd switch places with you in an instant." As soon as Link admitted the words, his throat tightened with guilt. His hands loosened.
The silence between the two knights in the ring was the last in the building as impatient voices started jarring the quiet.
Expecting another half-baked comment from the peanut gallery, Link glanced at Pipit, who was caught in the snare of a passionate kiss with one of his helpers. Link sighed, surprised but not. He turned back to Vigil.
"Just apologize," he said simply.
"Sorry," Vigil mumbled.
"Sorry…?" Link asked encouragingly.
"Sorry, Midna," Vigil groaned, his temple hitting the floor.
"Thank you, friend," Link said, freeing Vigil from his grip. Finally able to stretch his arm, Vigil closed his eyes and exhaled gratefully.
Crouching before him, Link presented a hand.
Vigil looked at it for a moment before allowing his eyes to shut. Link stood up, convinced that his challenger wasn't ready to be helped up by anyone just yet.
Walking away, Link was immediately surrounded by spectators, all marveling at his skill. The voices and pats on the shoulder quickly blended together into a single hand and voice that said, 'I've never seen anything like it.'
Looking at the ground, Link grinned a little. The pleasant memory of being praised back home for winning the Wing Ceremony returned. He could practically smell the crisp air on that oddly cool Saturday morning.
What a weird day that was… Link thought. Weird and horrible. Gods, Zel, I can't wait to have you in my arms again.
The building was completely abuzz. By keeping his feet moving he was able to avoid being sucked into any long conversations. He smiled, nodded and offered his thanks all the way to the door.
The misty night greeted him as he stepped through the door, happy to leave the grating noise behind. He inhaled and looked around. People were staring at him, as usual. No doubt word was already spreading about what he had just accomplished.
Not wanting to stop, Link started walking back to the hotel. He had no desire to be fawned over.
With the sparring hall receding in the distance, the looks that he was given jumped out from the darkness – doe-eyed from the ladies and skeptically awed by the guys. Link simply set his gaze on his feet, trying his hardest to keep a low profile.
He heard a low scuffle of shoes against the rocky path behind him, but he paid it no heed. Instead, he laughed inwardly, thinking about Pipit and where he might end up tonight.
Maybe I should go back and get him.
After a moment, Link shook his head. Pipit could handle himself…hopefully.
As Link skipped over a large stone, something wrapped itself around his wrist. Jerking around, he came face-to-face with a very pretty sight.
Full yet delicate lips; long black lashes; hair styled and pinned elegantly back; auburn-tinted eyes that belonged on a goddess…
It could only be one person.
"Midna?" Link asked, not believing his eyes. It was dark, and details were obscured. Perhaps a Midna look-alike – such as what Pipit had been hoping for – had seen him in passing and wanted to try her luck. Link's mouth dropped in confusion.
Whoever this girl was, she had a grip of steel, and she wasn't letting go. When the corner of her mouth started to come up, Link blinked to clear his vision.
She let go of his wrist and reached both of her hands toward her hair. With both arms up her chest came out, asking for Link's attention, which he gave. A shapely chest framed perfectly by pink lace was difficult to miss, after all. He swallowed, bringing his eyes back up to hers. Her smile widened as she finished fiddling with her hair.
One hand pulled away, bringing with it a gleaming hairclip. The young woman's hair cascaded over her small shoulders, at last giving Link the proof that he needed.
A strong whiff of roses and a glimmer of red in the moonlight forced his disbelief away. He smiled warmly, wryly, not quite grasping reality. What were the odds of finding her right here, right now?
Just as he was about to say something, she gathered her hair to the side and held it out to him. Inches away from the tuft of silky copper strands, Link dipped his chin and looked at her curiously. Her upper-body bounced slightly as she chuckled.
"Thought you might want this," Midna said, tilting her head forward.
"What? Why…?" Link's smile lessened.
"To drag me back to your cave, of course," she said, wrinkling her nose at Link's bewildered expression. "Isn't that what men do after they duke it out over their territory?" If it weren't for her playful grin, Link might've thought she was genuinely offended.
It took a moment to register, but when it did, Link started laughing, and so did Midna. Soon, they were in a fit of giggles. They came together, curling their arms around one another. Link pressed his forehead to hers, inhaling her fragrance. She smelled so good.
"You didn't see that, did you?" he asked with a laugh.
"Oh, I certainly did," she replied, equally tickled. "It was impressive, but rash. Knights shouldn't be sparring out of anger, or for some need to be top dog."
"That wasn't my aim, Midna."
"Yes, but you're guilty of the former," Midna said, rubbing her nose against his. "I don't want any guys fighting because of me."
"I was defending your honor, Mid."
"Mmhmm," Midna hummed, lifting her head. "As much as I found your stunt…sexy…" She looked him over. "You shouldn't have done it." Her spirited look suggested she might reprimand him. He hoped that she would. After attaining such a monstrous victory earlier, he was eager to keep playing. Maybe he was on a roll. With him and Midna, there could be more than one victor. And it was so much fun…
Yet, he didn't want to rock that particular boat. He didn't want to provoke her, or himself, or to stoke anything that didn't need to be stoked right now.
"What're you doing here, anyway?" Link asked, rerouting the discussion.
"I should be asking you that," Midna said. "Is this what playing your violin gets me? A disappearing friend?" Link's sunny expression dissolved as he remembered that he'd never said goodbye to her before leaving for Fort Cielgrenier two days earlier. "Did I rub you the wrong way?"
"Yeah, I mean no, you didn't, Mid. Sorry." He shrugged. "I was summoned by the general. It was very spur of the moment…" Midna gave a little nod, running a finger from Link's ear to his chin. His eyes fluttered.
"I was worried about you," she said, turning her eyes to where she was stroking Link's face. His hands slipped down, settling around her waist as he looked into her face, enjoying the slow movement of her lips. "When I saw that you and Pipit had left, and I didn't know where you'd gone, I didn't know what to think."
"Sorry. By the time I realized I'd forgotten to tell you, it was too late. Those soldiers were bound and determined to get me to General Sheik. Then I visited Superna, and Azuria, and now here—"
"You met General Sheik?" Midna asked, her finger slowing. Link nodded. "I've heard interesting things about that man."
"Oh, he's interesting, all right," Link said dryly.
"Do you wanna go somewhere so we can talk, where there aren't any people?" Midna asked.
"People?" Link turned his attention to his surroundings. Prying eyes were everywhere. Absorbed by Midna's unexpected presence, Link had forgotten about them. "Oh… I see what you mean."
"I think they're hoping that the damsel in distress will reward the brave hero with a kiss," Midna said. Link looked at her mouth. "I think they'd love that. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah, I agree," Link said distractedly. "But the brave hero isn't with the damsel in distress," he added with some reluctance.
"I suppose not. Too bad. I guess the damsel and hero had better behave, then."
"Yeah…" Link rubbed the back of his neck.
"There's a bar right down there," Midna said, gesturing toward it. "It's a nice place."
"I think I've had enough of it," Link said.
"Oh," Midna said. "Well, there's this little pub on campus that has private seating. It serves this really nice—"
"Actually, uh," Link interrupted, "I have a…" He paused. "A hotel room for the…night."
"Oh." Midna nodded. Link couldn't read her. "You wanna go there?"
"Yes," Link answered quickly. The pair exchanged ambivalent looks. "I mean, not if you don't want to, if you think it's too…secluded."
"Secluded?" Midna started smiling again. "Why would that be a problem?"
"Oh, I dunno, I just didn't want to imply that…"
"Your room is fine," Midna assured him. They stepped forward with their arms around each other. "So, where's Pipit?"
"Making out with some girl," Link answered with a scoff.
"I thought he said he was gonna try and rein himself in?" Midna asked. Link scoffed even louder.
"I think he's gotten worse in the past couple days."
"Link!"
The two stopped, simultaneously looking behind them. A girl was hastily approaching. Link's face lit up when he saw who it was. He separated from Midna.
By the time the girl reached them, she was gasping. She slowed, holding her head in her hands for a moment.
"Oh, I'm too…buzzed to be moving this fast," Mora moaned, steadying herself.
"Who's this?" Midna asked, standing off to the side.
"Link, uh…" Mora began, breathing hard. "I found my friend. You know, the one who used to take the ukulele lessons?"
Link grinned. "Yeah?"
"Well, her teacher's name was Kiri," Mora explained, her hands dropping. "Guess my memory isn't as crappy as I thought."
"What else did she say?" Link asked. Midna glanced back and forth between them.
"That her husband's name was Arn," Mora answered.
Link stepped back. "Really?"
"Yeah, uh…" Mora tapped her head as if to loosen the information. "My friend didn't really know her on a personal level, but she remembers that her and her husband left Evenfall a number of years ago."
Link's face proceeded to drop a little. "They're not here anymore?"
Mora twisted her toe into the dirt. "Looks that way." Her eyelids looked heavy.
"Do you know where they went?" Link asked.
"Oh…" Mora rubbed her face again. "Somewhere in…"
"Yeah?" Link urged.
"Skyloft, my friend thinks," she finished.
"No way," Link said, twisting to look at Midna. She just held her hands behind her back and pursed her lips.
"Yeah, I think that's what…my friend said, anyway," Mora breathed, backing away. Link watched her. "I'm gonna go back, though. Back to the—" She tripped over a rock but caught herself. "The restaurant. That's where everybody is, so…" She turned leisurely, giving an absent wave. "I'll see you around, hero man."
"Thank you! For…" Link's voice died out. He knew Mora wasn't listening.
Midna sidled up to Link. "What was that all about?" she asked over his shoulder. "Who's Kiri? And Arn?"
"I've got a few things to tell you," Link said, looking her in the eye. "I can't believe what she just said."
"Sounds like a lot's happened in just two days," Midna noted, taking Link's hand.
"It's amazing how much can happen in such a short time," he said.
"Hm, yeah," she said distantly.
"So, why are you here?" Link kept a close eye on the rocky ground as they started walking again.
"I figured it was a good time to return for my stuff," Midna said. "I left most of my things in my old dorm when I left. Now that I'm pretty settled in at SKA, I'm ready to drag the rest of my worldly belongings to my new room. Hopefully not to the disapproval of my roommate."
"Can Garnet carry all those bags?"
Midna gave him an innocent grin. "With Crimson's help, maybe."
"You're lucky you found me," Link said. Midna giggled.
"Actually, I won't be requiring your assistance," she said. "I paid some movers to do it for me. I arranged for them to meet with my roommate in Skyloft this afternoon so I could stay the night here."
"Homesick?" Link asked.
Midna shook her head. "Skyloft's my home now." She cuddled against him as they walked.
Over the next several minutes, the two backtracked along the path toward the hotel. The foggy atmosphere had cleared as if to permit just a little bit more starlight to shine down. The conversation began with Midna describing who Vigil was, how long she had been friends with him before he'd asked her out, and how little time it took for him to decide that she was the epitome of vileness for turning him down.
Link gladly informed her that he had given a contrite apology on her account.
"How did you know to come to the sparring hall?" he asked.
"Who wouldn't follow a huge group raving about what's sure to be the fight of the century?" she answered with a wink.
Soon, Midna's hand was in constant motion as she pointed out landmarks, explaining their significance and adding in her own thoughts and opinions about them, specifically about her old dorm. Her other hand, however, was the only one that Link was able to concentrate on.
Her right hand – the one that was holding him around the waist; the one whose fingers were toying with his belt and rubbing his tunic. If he leaned just enough to the side, he could feel her fingernails through the thick wool. His favorite part was when she inserted her pinky underneath the belt. It almost gave him goose bumps, but in a good way.
Link felt that the return trip was much shorter than his walk to the restaurant had been with Pipit. It must've been Midna's hand.
Walking past torches and plants, they entered the hotel lobby. After a few remarks about the wonderful pool smell, the two climbed the stairs to room twenty-five.
"Well, the Twili army could've done better," Midna said as Link unlocked the heavy door. "This place is nice, but there's fancier."
"Well, I don't need fancy," Link said as he pushed the door in.
Stepping inside, Link was startled to find Pipit passed out on the bed with a girl seated next to him. She was the same small, slender girl from the sparring hall. Her dark knight's cap curled around, hanging over her shoulder. Her hand rested on Pipit's back.
So much for secluded, Link thought.
"He said he wanted to come back here," the girl said in a hushed voice. "He said he didn't want to worry you." Link looked around for a moment.
"Well, that was…nice of him," he said.
"I wrote down my name and address and stuck it in his pocket," the girl said, gazing somberly at Pipit's sleeping form, "but I doubt he'll remember anything about me tomorrow."
"Oh, I don't think he'll be forgetting that kiss anytime soon," Midna interjected with a little smirk.
Link turned to her. "I thought you said you hadn't seen him?" She shrugged. Looking at the other girl, he saw that she was blushing.
"I'll just go, now that you're here," she said, sounding flustered. She rushed for the door.
"I'll make sure he remembers you," Link said as she made her escape.
"Thank you…" he heard from the hallway. He smiled at Midna. She shut the door behind her.
They both looked at Pipit. "They're awfully cute when they're sleeping, aren't they?" Midna asked, giving Link an elbow nudge. Pipit twitched in his sleep. His mouth hung slightly open. Link laughed quietly.
"He's lucky I'm not the kind of friend who paints his face and fills his hands with whipped cream while he's sleeping," he said.
"I wouldn't let you anyway," Midna said, sitting behind Pipit on the bed. "That's just mean. And he's too good of a friend for you to abuse like that." Link raised an eyebrow.
"Mhm," he said, sitting next to Pipit's head. "This room's getting crowded. We can't all sleep here tonight."
"Why not?" Midna asked, leaning against the headboard. "Now that I know you're here, I'd rather sleep on your floor than in my old bed."
"Isn't your roommate gonna be looking for you?"
"She never cared before," Midna said.
A loud snore tore through the room. Link and Midna had to laugh.
"Think we can go visit your roommate now?" Link asked, shaking his head. Crawling past their unconscious friend, Midna settled next to Link, resting her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head against hers.
Keeping his distance from her tonight was not going to be easy…
…
"Oh… My liver…"
Link's eyes cracked open at the sounds of early morning whining. Weak sunlight was trickling in through a small window across the room. He shut his eyes again, curling his fingers around the softness which sat in his lap. As his fingers got lost in the smoothness of it, it groaned at him.
Confused, Link withdrew his hand and tried to sit up, but was thwarted by something heavy. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he tried pushing himself up. Looking down, he spotted the source of all the weight: a mass of red hair with a head beneath.
His hands sank into the soft cushions of the hotel couch. His legs were crisscrossed. Midna had turned his entire lower body into a pillow. Accepting the fact that he was stuck, he laid his head back down. Memories of his late night conversation with Midna slowly came back to him. She must have fallen asleep on him sometime in the night. Why her head was in his lap, though, was beyond him. It was strange, but…comfortable. She was so still and serene that he didn't want to disturb her. He gently ran his fingers through her hair.
So much for keeping our distance, he thought with a smile.
"Uuuuugh," Pipit moaned. Link peered at the bed to see his friend rolling onto his back. Pipit gripped his head and writhed.
"You okay, Pipit?" Link asked, already knowing what his problem was.
"Mm," Midna said, still asleep. She snuggled deeper into Link's lap, rocking her head and curling up tightly between his legs. Link's spine stiffened as he felt the pressure and warmth from her face against him. Now he was awake.
"Oh, gods, my head…" Pipit whimpered.
On the other side of the room, Link's mouth was gaping and his hands were scrambling for some leverage. He tried uncrossing his ankles, which worked, but it only resulted in Midna's head sinking deeper into his groin. He gasped.
"I think I'm dying," Pipit said. It took a moment for Link to speak.
"You'll be fine, Pipit," Link said, trying to hide his dilemma. Not that Pipit was aware, anyway.
"I need to visit the—" Pipit hit the floor after rolling too far. "Ah! Oh, goddesses, I think I broke my face!"
Shaken from her slumber, Midna opened her eyes. She bolted upright. Sitting on her heels and gawking at Link, she pulled back a bit.
"Sorry," she said with a hand on her face, coming to terms with where it had been. She didn't start grinning until she saw Link's flabbergasted look.
"It's okay," he insisted.
"Mmhm," she said, chewing her tongue.
Link sighed. Even first thing in the morning, with crazy hair and old rumpled clothing from the night before, Midna was still his beautiful, fiery she wolf.
"Little help?" Pipit shouted, face-down on the rug. Link and Midna curtailed their silent flirtation and left the couch. Together, they hauled Pipit back onto the bed. He swayed before cradling his head in his hands.
"What'd I do last night?" Pipit mumbled.
"What we do every night," Link said. "Take over the world."
"I feel like someone's hammering stakes into my ears," Pipit grumbled. Sitting down on either side of him, Link and Midna gave each other concerned looks. "And what the hell is she doing here?"
"I think I know what he needs," Midna said.
After a tedious and very painful walk to the TKA campus nurse – and two bouts of vomiting along the way – Pipit was able to obtain a bottle of what was endearingly called, 'morning after pills'. Similar to what the SKA nurse offered her hung-over patients, this handful of herbal gems would be Pipit's only means of functioning that morning.
"Holy…" Pipit said, plopping down on a bench outside of the clinic. He munched a couple pills. "I guess I should've stayed in the room."
"You insisted on coming, Pip," Link said.
"Don't take too many," Midna said. "You'll start seeing spots."
"Spots are better than puking." Pipit popped a few more.
"You'll be fine, Pip. We'll take care of you," Link said, grabbing his shoulder.
Pipit shied away. "Ow…"
"It's gotta be close to eight by now," Link said. "We've gotta get back to the hotel. Our escort's gonna be waiting for us."
"Ooooh," Pipit groaned.
"Do you want me to come with you guys?" Midna asked, eying Pipit.
"That's up to you, Mid," Link said.
"Well, I'd like to come along. Pipit probably needs someone with him while you do your thing. And I haven't been to Cyainus in a while…"
"We'd love to have you along," Link said. "Right, Pip?"
"Uuuuuuugh…"
"See? He agrees," Link said with a nod.
Midna grinned. "Let's go, then."
"Death to alcohol," Pipit said, wiping his runny nose.
"Why did he drink so much last night?" Midna asked as they went on their way.
…..
Flying eastward was an enormous relief. East meant home.
After an hour-long flight, they were closer to Skyloft than they'd been since Friday.
Cyainus was gorgeous, namely the vast field of wildflowers that comprised almost half of its entire main island. Today was not the day to frolic through the tulips, however.
With Pipit constantly in the back of his mind, Link met with General Heron. After answering every question in full – far more enthusiastically than he had during his last two meetings – Link shook the general's hand and thanked him for not keeping him waiting. As he ran out, he heard the man say, 'I'll see you on the surface, son'.
Pipit had stayed behind with Midna in the landing area. She stood watch over him as he lay motionless on Crimson's back.
"Mmmm," he droned.
"We should come back to Cyainus soon," Link told Midna as he helped her onto her loftwing. She nodded, watching glumly as Link climbed onto Crimson, who by some miracle convinced Pipit to sit up. Link planted himself in front, giving Pipit something to lean on.
"Let's go home," Link said to Midna. Two pairs of enormous wings spanned outward, blowing around every leaf and blade of grass in the vicinity. The three humans were whisked into the air. Pipit found a reprieve from his aching head as he soaked up the warmth from his friend's back. Link didn't mind.
He took a deep breath. He felt alert, with an unobstructed mind. He looked ahead to the wide open sky. He peeked at Midna, thrilled to have her by his side.
"You know what I can't stop thinking about?" she asked, her hair billowing.
"What's that?" Link asked.
"You playing your violin." Link just looked at her. "Maybe you can play when we get back. Just for me." She smiled sweetly.
Link looked away. "Maybe after I do what Fi told me to do…"
"We'll have plenty of time," Midna said. "Okay?"
Link sighed, wondering what in the world to give in response.
