Due to reader request, I have created a character reference guide for this story. See my profile for details.

Chapter 35: The Night Before

Link sat with his back to the trunk of a large tree just within the fringe of the forest. A mere two day walk to the forest, and Sheila's suggestion that cutting through it, as opposed to taking the road around, would not only save them nearly a week to reach Nigel, but the temple within the forest, dedicated to the god of nature, would be the location of the third part of the restoration spell.

Now they spent their first night in the forest, about twenty feet from the fringe, just out of sight of anyone on the road. Link sat with is back to a tree as Zelda and Sheila lay a short distance in front of him, wrapped in warm blankets, and Midna continued to sleep on his where he had lay when Zelda woke him for his watch.

There was a light breeze, causing the branches to of the trees to rustle, and his eyes kept scanning the lower branches, as though expecting to see something that didn't belong there. Could those ninja leap through the branches with nary a sound, like the forest folk of legend?

He doubted it, but the thought made his skin crawl.

As close as they had been before without his knowledge, he doubted he would see them coming until it was too late. In fact, the only time he clearly saw any of them was when they had attacked them at the University of Magic in Tyr. Then they had vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

He knew they were out there. He just didn't know where.

He tried to stay focused on his task, listening for the smallest sounds that would be a warning, but his thoughts kept drifting. He reached inside his shirt and pulled out the small box that contained the necklace he bought in Whitos-Neiki. He opened it and saw the five pointed star pendant, emeralds in each point and a white diamond in the center.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't really thought about it when he bought it. He saw the star and remembered that Midna loved watching the stars, back when they were in Hyrule. When they had camped a night at the fishing hole near lake Hylia, they'd been up for hours as he showed her all the constellations he knew. They'd had several days to wait while the canon that would be their transport to the temple built in the sky was repaired.

She couldn't wear it now, though, he knew. The chain was far too long for her small neck and would even likely get tangled in her arms, stubby as they were. The chain was long enough that on a human woman, it would hang about eight inches from her neck, and the pendant would rest between…

Link shook the image from his head. That was hardly what he needed to be thinking about right now. Unbidden, another image took its place. The beautiful woman he had seen in his dream. Tall and slender, with hair like that of the after noon sun, red with an orange-ish tint, like fire. Her face was unusually narrow, but not in an unattractive fashion, and her pale blue flesh caused her red eyes to stand out in stark contrast.

In those eyes, he saw curiosity and trust, and now he realized, longing. Longing for what she knew she could never have.

The dream had been so vivid, he thought, it had felt so real, as he pulled her close, her warm flesh against his, their lips meeting in a passionate embrace, at first she tensed, surprised, but then relaxed and almost melted into his arms…

Link turned to Midna, where she law on his blanket. He understood now why she had not fought back, when they had shared the dream, that night in the desert. She had told him that it was because of his strong will, that she couldn't resist, but now he understood.

And knew that it could not be.

He shut the jewelry box and tucked it back inside his shirt. It simply wouldn't work. Once she had been freed of the curse, she would have to return to her kingdom, to her responsibility as its ruler. Where would that leave him? Maybe her people would accept him as her husband and… their king…

But he wasn't cut out for kingship. He'd grown up on a farm, fully expecting to spend his life herding goats and training in the sword to protect it. When Bo eventually retired from being the mayor, it was likely Link that would take the responsibility.

Yes, responsibility for about forty people, if you counted the new farmsteaders who had moved in since Ganondorf's defeat. That was nothing compared to the thousands, hundred thousands… millions? Link doubted Hyrule had that kind of population, but he hadn't seen much of the Twilight Realm in his brief visit to the palace and surrounding city.

No, he wasn't the kind of person to lead numbers like that. In fact, he was uncomfortable with the group he traveled with now, having Zelda and Sheila's safety depend on him like this. Yes, it was much simpler when it was just he and Midna.

And now this, he turned his left hand to look at the Triforce symbol that glowed faintly in his flesh. He had determined to learn its use so that he could break the curse that hid Midna's true form. That was the one thing left that he could do to help her. And then they would have to say goodbye.

But the woman who seemed so intent on offering its power to him now stayed silent, not appearing in his dreams. He had tried several times to used its power on his own since they left Whitos-Neiki, with no success.

He remembered two things about the time he had used it to defeat that monster in the mountains. The first was rage, so hot and blinding, that he hadn't truly been aware of what he was doing, and the second was some form of pull, as if an invisible hand was connecting him the power the Triforce possessed. He wished he could remember more. Link's temper had a relatively long fuse, compared to most people, but then it had to be, considering the results when he lost it.

Righteous fury and blind rage are two very different thing. That's what the teachings of the sages say. Link liked to think that when he had been angry before, it had always been for the right reasons, such as when the moblins rode through Kakariko and snatched up Colin. That alone had driven Link into a frenzy. While the fighting was going on, Link wasn't thinking of saving the child. All he could think about was reaching their leader and tearing him apart. Was that really "righteous fury?"

That woman was right about one thing, at least. He was afraid to learn to use the Triforce, because he was afraid of what it would do to him and his personality. He could become as terrible as Ganondorf, if not worse.

An odd thought struck his mind. The Hero of Time, the first carrier of the Triforce of Courage, when Ganondorf had stolen the Triforce from the Temple of Time. He had the ability to control time itself, the legends said, traveling forward and back through time, able to slow its passage or even speed it up. Link wondered if he'd been able to rewind time just after being impaled on a sword and then avoid it due to foreknowledge.

Well, what he had used against that bizarre creature in the mountains certainly hadn't been control over time. Never before had he been that angry for any reason. When the beast had struck Midna, he'd just lost it. He'd seen everything through a red haze, and simply reacted without any thought or hesitation.

He'd killed the beast with a power he hadn't even known he'd had.

A movement startled him out of his thoughts and he snatched the Master Sword from where it lay on the ground beside him.

Sheila had rolled over in her sleep, he realized as he leaned back again. Or so he thought. She lifted her head and looked at him, blinking sleep from her eyes. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Just past midnight, I think," Link said, "You can sleep a few more hours before your watch."

She sat up, turning her head to the side, popping her neck. "I don't know," she said, turning to look deeper in the forest, "I wasn't sleeping well to begin with. I feel like something's watching us."

I know that feeling, Link thought, scanning the tree branches again.

"I can't sense any auras, though," Sheila said.

"It's just the heebie jeebies, then," Link said.

Sheila slipped out of the blanket and straightened the skirt of her travel gown, then moved over by Link and sat down next to him, her back to the tree trunk. "Can I ask you something, if it's not too personal?" she asked.

"What?"

"You bought that necklace for Midna, didn't you?"

Link didn't speak for a moment, then responded, "Why do you ask?"

"Curious, mainly," she said, "I don't think it's for Zelda. You don't seem that close to her. You haven't really done anything to suggest you're interested in getting close to me. And I doubt you bought it for yourself."

"I thought I already told you that I love you," Link said with a smile, "Marry me and have my children."

"And I know you well enough now to know you aren't being serious," Sheila said, "Not that it was that hard this time."

"Yes," Link said with a sigh, "I bought it for her. She loves watching the stars, so I thought…"

"That's not all there is to it, though, is it?" Sheila pressed, "You have feelings for her, don't you?"

Link turned to look at her, then glanced over at Midna, before looking back at Sheila. "Are you implying…"

"No!" Sheila interrupted him, "Gods, no. I'm not asking if you're physically attracted to her. If you were right now, then I would start to worry. I'm asking, do you care for her?"

"Well, yes," Link said, "She's a good friend and I trust her…"

"Quit dodging the question and answer me," Sheila said, "Or just tell me to get lost. It'll explain more than what you're doing now. Do you care for her?"

Link turned away from her and rested his head against the tree trunk. It was several seconds before he answered. "Yes."

"But there is a reason you haven't told her?"

"Because it won't work," Link said, "There are too many barriers, both personal, between us, and political. Because she's a princess and I'm a peasant. Because I'm human and she's…"

"Not?" Sheila finished when he trailed off.

Link sighed but didn't answer.

"Link, let me tell you something," Sheila said, "Elves, or at least most of us that are left, are an extremely stuffy, stuck up, and all around arrogant race. Many of us believe that we are truly better than the human race because we are so long lived. Now, not all of us are like that, but most are. These ones that believe this are rarely even seen in public anymore, hiding away in their mansions, whether in the cities our out on private estates.

"But, we are all extremely patient in all matters. Do you know why?"

"Because you've got time to spare," Link guessed, "Because you're so long lived."

"Precisely," Sheila said, "and this patience extends to the matters of love and children as well."

Link lifted an eyebrow. Where was she going with this?

"My point being that most elves do not have children until they are nearly eight hundred years old, and then rarely have more than one or two, if any at all," Sheila continued, "Our numbers are slowly but steadily dwindling because of this. My race's patient nature is what is killing us.

"There are maybe a hundred elves left in the world today."

"That's all?" Link asked in genuine surprise.

"That's all," Sheila said, "Now, let me go a bit further to my point. My father is a judge. He is, naturally, an elf, and well off from his family. He had no reason to work in such a trying and actually poor paying job. In fact, he didn't intend to when it was offered to him. But he was eventually convinced to do so."

"Why did he accept it if he didn't want it?" Link asked.

"Anyone who wants to be a judge is immediately disqualified from eligibility," Sheila said, "Considering how much power they wield, it was a precaution in appointing judges to prevent abuse of said power. Current judges seek out those with good hearts who they think would fill the position well and make them the offer. My father has tried to get me to join more than once, but I'm more stubborn than he is. I'm not going to cave in.

"Anyway, my mother was not a rich woman. She was the daughter of a weaver. A peasant."

"Wait," Link said, "If all elves are considered nobility, that means…"

"That's right," Sheila said, "My mother was human. I am a half-blood. Very few people know this, outside of my father, myself, and Geoff and Riven in Tyr. My point here, though, is the fact that my parents loved each other Link, even though one was a noble and one was a peasant, and even though they were of different races. My father was denounced by his own family for marrying her, but that didn't stop them."

Link knew she was comparing her parents to himself and Midna just now. "But elves live so much longer than humans," he said, "How could he stand watching her grow old and die while he did not? You've said you're over three hundred. She must have died a long time ago."

"She didn't grow old, actually," she said, "She died in childbirth. I was only barely saved, I've been told."

"I see," Link said.

"But the point stays the same," Sheila said, "My father didn't dwell on the fact she would die long before him anyway. They treasured the time they had together. Even you have to eventually have to say goodbye, that doesn't mean that parting has to be the sole focus of your relationship. Now, you care for Midna, correct?"

"Yes."

"Does she care for you?"

Link thought about that dream they had shared once more. "Yes."

"Then isn't that all that matters, at least for now?"

"It's not that simple," Link said suddenly, then paused before adding, "There's another."

"Another woman?"

"Yes, back in Hyrule."

"Do you care for her like you do Midna?"

"Well," Link said, "Yes."

He had hesitated for a hair of second before saying "yes."

"You don't sound very sure," Sheila said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Link asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Sheila said.

"But it doesn't make sense anyway," Link said.

"What doesn't?"

"Me caring for Midna," he replied, "I mean, yes, we've been through a lot together, and I trust her implicitly for it, but I don't have any idea why I care about her the way I do. I've never seen her real face, I don't know little details about her, like her favorite color, like I do about Ilia. Hell, she's not even that nice a person, the way she taunts and prods at people occasionally, myself included, and yet…"

"And yet you care for her," Sheila finished.

"Yes," he said, "and I don't know why."

"Well, Link," Sheila said, "If you'll listen to the opinion of someone who has never been in love on the scale we're talking about, the way I see it is that if you know why you love someone, it's not real love. You can love things about them, or things they do, but it is those aspects you care about, not the person.

"I know it sounds hopelessly romantic," she added, "But that's what I think of your situation."

"You've given me a lot to think about," Link said.

"Why don't you sleep on it? I can take watch from here. I'm not going to get any more sleep anyway."

"If you're sure," Link said.

"I'm sure," Sheila said, "You look like you need it anyway."

Do I really look that tired? Link thought as he moved to his blanket and wrapped it around himself, careful not to wake Midna as he did so. It only took him a few moments to fall asleep.

Sheila looked up at the branches of the trees swaying in the breeze.

She still felt like she was being watched. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but an ominous foreboding clung about her in the air.

Something was about to happen. Something that would change both the immediate future of Link, Zelda, herself, and Midna, as well as the future of the entire world. She just didn't know it yet.

"Why do we have to wait? We could just walk up there right now and get 'em!"

Zivlyn was practically dancing in impatience as Tharkus sat on the ground near the edge of the clearing. They were about half a mile away from Link and the others, and knew precisely where they were.

"We are waiting because I said to," Tharkus said, "Remember, we don't want any of them to die just yet. Attacking them now would likely result in casualties on both sides."

The thirty ninja they had with them were nowhere in sight, but Tharkus knew they were all about and some within reasonable distance to keep watch on Link and his friends.

"But you said…" Zivlyn started.

"I am well aware what I said," Tharkus interrupted her, "We need the fragment of that mirror. That is what I said. After we have that, the Twili is useless. And I know exactly what you want with Link. Don't worry. You'll get it."

"Hmph," Zivlyn said, "It's been so long I'm forgetting what it feels like."

Tharkus had the net he'd told Khall he would make. A relatively simple enchantment. When not active, the net would absorb sunlight, and when the spell was triggered, it would radiate it back out ten-fold. It was nearly blinding to look at and would only last about three hours, but it should be enough to restrain the Twili.

There was a river that flowed west to east through the forest, a short distance north of the temple, and a small glade near it that was an ideal ambush location. They just had to make sure Link and his friends arrived there when they were prepared.

There were three entrances to the passes into the mountains west of Whitos-Neiki.

Now, from all three of these poured a seemingly endless numbers of soldiers loyal to the Lords of Chaos. Where they had found so many men was a mystery, but an undeniable truth. Watching her men move from the passes and form into ranks almost made Kilishandra nostalgic as she stood atop a small rise a short distance out, where all her men outside the passes could see her.

She was no stranger to battle, as many times as she had fought in her father's name, and at his side, but for some reason she was nervous, like the very first time she had gone into battle. Perhaps it was just that she wasn't sure what she would encounter here. She knew her enemies were human, but they were not the same as all those before. They were worlds apart.

And the fact was that she was striking the first blow. That was different.

In her first battle, it had been a counter-offensive, in truth. The barbarians had attack her father's territory, but they had moved the army into position in time to stop more than a few outlying from being taken. She had been about seventy years old that day, still a child by elvish standards.

Wave after wave of barbarian cavalry had charged their position, all to fall to vicious vollies of arrows, so great in number they darkened the sky. In fact, she remembered what Ganon said when he saw the first wave charge.

"What a waste of men," he had said with a smile, then ordered the archers to fire.

When the last wave fell before them, the entire field was swamped with bodies of the soldiers and their horses. So much life cut down in the span of a few minutes. And they had scarcely dented the numbers in the barbarian horde.

And then a single rider had appeared in that field, riding toward them at full gallop. His voice could be heard even at that distance. It was no words, not a battle cry, but a roar of fearless defiance.

Of course, Ganon ordered the archers to fire upon him, and then the most remarkable thing happened. The corpses of the dead barbarians had leaped from the ground, floating into the air about the warrior, shielding him from the arrows, then when the arrows stopped falling, the bodies suddenly flew away from him, and Kilishandra could see clearly now, he wasn't even holding the reigns of his horse, but had a sword in each hand, spread wide to his sides, and his feet were on his saddle as he stood on it in a crouched position, and roared again.

Ganon ordered the archers to hold their fire. Holding his free hand out toward the approaching rider, he said a single word, "Daem!" and a streak of golden lightning arced from his fingertips toward the rider.

The rider leaped. The bolt connected, throwing dirt and dust and chunks of the horse into the air, and the concussive force hurled the rider higher, where he flipped over twice in the air, then came down to land perfectly on his feet less than twenty feet from them.

He took a fighting stance, holding his right hand sword above his head, point toward them and the left before him, up in a defensive position. "Okay, wizard," he'd said, smile on his face, "Bring it on. You're nothin' I can't handle!"

Her first thought was that he had to be insane. Ganon was one of the most feared men alive, and for good reason, and this man, little more than a boy really, was challenging him with nothing more than a pair of swords.

By the end of the day, though, they had learned that the warrior's confidence was well founded. Kilishandra had never before imagined that one warrior could cause so much damage. In fact, if it weren't for Ganon, herself, and Khall being there, that warrior could have possibly slaughtered their entire army single-handed. As it was, nearly half their losses were due to that single warrior. They had won the battle and forced the barbarians into retreat, but had been unable to kill that warrior or the barbarian king.

The warrior's strength, Kilishandra now knew, stemmed not only from his extraordinary skill, but from the swords he carried. With a word of command, he caused them to burst into flames, and could create raging infernos by spinning them in his hands, or hurl streaks of fire from them that caused men to burst into flames in an instant.

Magical weapons were much more common there, where she and Khall and the others had come from, than they seemed to be in this land, and she had seen none that rivaled the mightiest she had seen in that previous war. When they had pushed the barbarians back into their homeland, she had seen the terrible power the barbarian king possessed in his last ditch effort to defeat them. Spinning his war-axe above his head, he had conjured mighty tornados that ripped through both armies, hurling men on both sides through the air to their deaths on the rocky terrain.

More men died in those few moments than in all battles against the barbarians to that point put together.

Yes, where she was from, single warriors tended to rise above their compatriots, whether through sheer skill or special weaponry, or both, and they became their army's rock. Their fall meant the death of them all.

In other battles, Kilishandra had met other such men and women. And she was such a warrior now. Maybe that was why she felt nervous, now before the attack on Whitos-Neiki. If the city did possess such a warrior, she would be the only one in her army capable of defeating him. It was her task, not to lead her men against the enemy, but to kill the one man the enemy would rally about due to his skill and strength.

It made her feel very lonely.

The army was moving out. Zero could feel it, even in his cell. The normally silent halls of the citadel were loud with marching boots, then faded to quiet again.

This was his only chance to move unnoticed. He slipped his hands from the wrist shackles that held them. The lack of any form of bones in his body allowed his hands and wrists to easily slide out. He picked up Black Razor from where it lay near the cell door. He couldn't believe the fools had actually left it right there. Maybe they had expected this, but he doubted they could stop him.

He drew the blade from its sheath, looking at the black blade of the sinister weapon as the voice of the sword whispered in his mind, promising power in exchange for blood of innocents.

"Silence, sword," Zero said to it, "Your promises won't work on me. I'm your master now."

He turned and struck the iron cell door with the blade. It cleaved through the metal easily, turning it red and hot. The two halves of the door collapsed, folding over on themselves like cloth as the iron turned molten.

Zero stepped out into the hall beyond, taking stock of both directions, seeing no one, and turned and ran for the main gate. Turning at intersection and down hallways deliberately designed to be a maze, it took him but a few minutes to reach the upper courtyard, the halfway point. And someone was waiting for him.

It was Zantris, the demon servant of Shaklator, sent to watch him. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

Zero didn't answer, and stopped a few steps away from the glowing pentagram etched into the stone floor of the courtyard.

"I don't remember Khall saying anything about you leaving today," Zantris said.

"I'm done taking orders," Zero said, "From Khall, from you, and…" he paused for effect, "From Shaklator."

"Now you see, Zero," Zantris said, walking closer, stopping on the other side of the pentagram from Zero, "That's where you're wrong. You don't simply defy a goddess. The goddess you would not exist without the aid of, no less."

"When did I say I was defying her?" Zero said, "I am still her faithful servant, but I'm done taking her orders. I'm going to aid her in ways even she cannot see. That is the very reason she gave me free will. Even a mindless golem can follow orders. But only a living thinking entity can reason and invent methods others do not see."

"You actually think you're alive?" Zantris said, "I think you are losing your mind."

Zero spread his arms in a form of confidant shrug. "I'm the dawn of a brand new species."

Zantris stepped toward him. "And that's where you're wro-gurk!"

He was cut short as Zero suddenly lunged forward and plunged Black Razor into his stomach. The one step forward had closed the range between them just enough. Zero pulled the sword free, then spun about on the spot and with a single swing cleaved Zantris' head from his shoulders. He stepped aside as the body fell forward, landing in the center of the pentagram, black blood pooling around the torso and neck. The head rolled a short distance away.

"Told you I'd kill you first," Zero said, swinging the sword before him, flicking the blood from the blade onto the stone floor.

Sheathing the blade, he walked toward the exit. Everything was about to really get started, and he wasn't about to miss it.