A/N: Sorry about the late update. For all you computer-savvy guys out there, you'll understand when I say that my CPU fan died last Wednesday and so I had to wait for the new part to come in and then I had to put my entire laptop back together . . . which wasn't fun considering that the only way to get to the fan was to go under the motherboard. It . . . was very traumatic for me since my laptop is like my baby. I was so worried the entire time that I would put a part in wrong and then my computer would be no more! Whew! So glad that that's over. Anyway, that's my reason. It's not too late is it?

In other news, the next chapter should be out before the end of March. I lost a couple of chapters when my computer shut down, so I'm sorry about the infrequent updates!

As always, thanks to kiboeme, my awesome beta!

Warnings: Inappropriate usage of legal procedures and most likely inaccurate trial process. Hey, I'm no lawyer (or anything concerning that. My legal knowledge all comes from AP Government and I've already forgotten most of that.)

Read, Review and Enjoy!

~Shard of Freedom

Legend of Zelda: Shadow Reign

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Midna's Strength

"Link, Colin's missing," Ren said casually, leaning against the wall and eating an apple like he had all the time in the world.

Link didn't move his eyes from the papers he was looking through, all of them mission reports from the Sheikah. Over the past few days, Link had gained an increasing respect for the princess, now seeing the mass of paperwork that leaders had to deal with on a daily basis.

"And Nephenee's gone too," Ren added before he bit into the fruit once more.

"And do you have any idea where they would have gone?" Link remarked as he threw more papers into different piles, to be sorted and placed in drawers later by their contents.

"Well, Nephenee might have heard that her people were free from Ganondorf's control and wanted to return to them, so I might have led her through the Tunnels on the Princess's orders." Ren stopped speaking so that he could chew on more of his apple. "And Colin might have found her note a few hours later and heard about how there was a bunch of Twilight beasts headed towards Kakariko Village and then forced me to take him through the Tunnels as well."

"Ah," Link said as he looked up from the papers on his desk. "Forced you. Ren, I seriously doubt that my apprentice has enough skill to physically force you to do anything. He's good, but you're a hell of a lot better."

"Forced might have been an exaggeration. "

Link shook his head, leaning back in his chair. At first he had refused to use Tempa's office, but when they had said that he could have Daime's old rooms instead, he had backtracked quickly. He wasn't sure what the old advisor had been hiding, but whatever it was, his room needed to be thoroughly cleaned out with light magic before Link or anyone else would step foot in there. So he sat in Tempa's office, which was surprisingly nondescript. There were a few wooden scroll holders containing a mess of papers lining the entire room, along with bookshelves and a few tables covered in reports and knives. Link's own desk was made out of the same rich, dark wood as everything else, and it was convered an organized disarray of the Sheikah reports that came in every day at sunset. Luckily there were only around five a day, but it was still a mess that Link had to deal with, along with the complaints from the clan members and the entire disaster that was Midna's trial.

"Tell me, this battle with the Hylian Army—should I be worried about losing either my apprentice or my ward anytime soon?" Link asked with a sharp glare at Ren. If they died, it would be his fault.

"The battle's going in the Hylian Army's favor. With their skill, I doubt that they'll die. Nephenee's the Oath-Sister of the current clan chief of the Gerudo anyway—she'll be protected. And like you said, Colin's good."

Link nodded. "Thank the goddesses for small miracles. I don't think that I would have been able to go after them, not with the clan the way that it is. And Midna's trial is today too."

Ren nodded. "As for small miracles, it's a good thing that Daime's gone. Otherwise this trial would be a lot uglier than it's already going to be. At least we have some supporters and Uru is a good and honest man. He'll give a fair trial."

Link ran his hands through his blond hair. The Sheikah were a good clan; Link saw that every day when he went out and worked with the average people, rebuilding homes and trading stories. But it was wearying to be a leader in a time of crisis.

"Any word on Tempa's condition?" Link asked to shift his mind to different topics.

Ren shook his head. "Sheik says that she's stable, but she's unconscious. There's no threat of losing her to death at this point, but at the same time, there's no sign that she's going to wake up any time soon. And he still can't get the darkness to disappear from her wound."

"I've wondered this," Link murmured, "but why do we still call her Sheik? Daime's gone, I thought that the princess would be safe now?"

"I'm not sure if his followers are listening still," Ren responded in an equally low voice. "We should be careful if we ever speak of her in conversation."

Link nodded, satisfied. He threw down the last of the papers and got up from his desk, cracking his back. He still wore traditional Sheikah garb, but it was looser than the skin-tight armored suits that were common among the warriors. He wore deep navy leggings tucked into his usual brown, steel-toed boots and a loose but fitted long sleeved black shirt with navy bracers that bore the Sheikah symbol around his wrist. His wrists and hands were bandaged up to the knuckles. He was comfortable, although he missed the familiar feel of the Hero's Clothes.

He strapped on the Master Sword. These days he usually went without the shield. Link was hyperaware these days of what the populace thought of him, for both Midna's sake and his own, and Daime's accusations of Sheikah fighting still rung in his ears. Although he had proven himself in the ring, Link tried not to blatantly flaunt his unusual fighting style.

"They will respect you even if you do have the shield, you know," Ren said from his corner of the room. "Sheikah don't just fight hand-to-hand. We all learn, and it's the foundation of our art, but we have snipers as well. Fighting with a full-length blade is uncommon, but not unheard of for a Sheikah. Some of our best warriors have wielded swords."

"I'd rather not cause any waves right now, Ren. Perhaps later, when this has settled down, I'll wear them openly. I've proven that I can fight like a Sheikah. I'm just reminding people of that fact."

"You're their Shadow. The only Shadow that they have right now. They'll respect you no matter what."

Link glanced over at his advisor. "Will they? After Daime?"

"We are Sheikah. We are not made to lead, but to follow, to obey orders, to be spies and assassins and ambassadors to the crown. We follow the righteous, the royal, the powerful. We follow Princess Zelda, who leads with poise and grace. We follow Tempa, who leads with actions and a firm hand. We follow you. You are powerful. You are wise. You are a leader. And deep down, whether you realize it or not, you carry a lot of the same values that we do. You may be an outsider right now, but you're more Sheikah than you would like to think."

Link touched the Tear on his cheek and tried not to think about how true Ren's words were.

Midna was trapped in the same cell that Link had been imprisoned in. Someone had a sick sense of humor.

The imp had very little to do while she was stuck her cell. There was a bed and a soft lantern glowing in the corner, but other than that, all was dark. The walls were earthen and damp, the cell door was made out of metal, with a rectangular slit in it for air.

Midna lay with a hand behind her head on the bed, tossing a ball of Twilight energy up into the air and then catching it. She knew that if she tried, she could have broken out of the cell before she had even been imprisoned. But what would have been the consequences? Link would have never been trusted among his own people. She would have been an outcast, unable to follow him and get the help that she needed.

No, she was stuck in a cell, playing with the little amount of Twilight magic that she could use without attracting attention.

She wondered if things would have turned out differently if she was in her full form. Her beautiful, graceful, original form. Despite the blue skin and bright orange hair, she was normally humanoid enough to never be mistaken for a monster.

She hated Zant. She hated Dark Link. She hated Ganondorf.

Stripped of most of her magical power, not nearly enough to traverse the gap between worlds without her Fused Shadows, which were in the hands of that horrendous doppelganger. Stuck in her little imp form, treated like a child when she was older than anyone's great grandfather. Her people transformed into slaves, trapped in their monstrous forms, slaughtered in battle and forced to wreak havoc across Hyrule. With so many of the Twili mindless soldiers for Ganondorf, would there be a kingdom for Midna to return to?

She sensed his presence before he opened the door.

And Link knew that she had sensed him too, which is why he hadn't bothered with knocking. He knew the extent of her powers far better than anyone else.

Link looked different and it wasn't just the clothes and tattoo. He was more sure of himself, more grounded. Despite what he thought, he wasn't out of place within the Sheikah, not awkward like he was around the Gorons when they insisted upon calling him brother. He walked like he belonged, the way that he never had in Ordon Village because they had never known the pain of battle or the feel of a sword in their hands. He didn't belong in Castle Town, with the hustle and restlessness that would never serve Link; he needed more peace than that. He couldn't live without the sense of being useful, that he was doing something to improve the world that he lived in.

Midna thought that the Sheikah clothes suited him fine, although she missed the Hero's Clothes.

"So where are Ordon boy and superstitious girl?" Midna quipped, trying to lighten the grim mood that Link had brought in with him.

"They left," Link responded, "but they'll be back. There's a battle happening on the surface."

"And you're not a part of it?" Midna asked surprised.

Link shook his head. "That battle doesn't need a Hero. But you do."

Midna scoffed. She was the Twilight Queen even when weakened. At the moment, she didn't need his blade.

"Midna, listen to me. I meant that in more ways than one. I'm on your side, and that's helped sway a lot of people in your favor. But the Sheikah aren't found of the Twilight. They were the ones who fought Zant's initial invading force, and Twilight magic made one of their own betray them. You're going to have to have a good defense if you want them to release you." Link paused and took a deep breath. "Midna, you need to tell them."

"Tell them? But Link—"

"You always tried to keep me safe during the Twilight War," Link interrupted. "This is my chance to protect you. The Sheikah already know about my transformation. I've told them about most of our adventures together. Just tell what they already know."

Midna wanted to protest, to remind Link of how much both of them could lose, but she bit her tongue. Link was trying to do a good thing. She exhaled slowly. "What should I leave out?"

"Anything past Arbiter's Grounds. There are some places that should remain undiscovered." Link's brow furrowed. "And you don't have to tell them anything about your own realm if they don't ask."

Link straightened the Master Sword on his back. "Now we need to head to the trial. With any luck, this shouldn't last long."

"Alright," Midna said and she prepared to drop into Link's shadow before he stopped her.

"Float beside me, lay a hand on my shoulder," Link said. "Remind people that you were my guide during the Twilight War."

"Alright," Midna repeated, hovering beside him as they walked out of her cell.

According to Link, it was the same room where they had tried him for the attack on Tempa. Midna found a sick sort of irony in that, too.

She wasn't imprisoned or chained or anything like that—she was on trial merely for who she was, which was a being of the Twilight.

Midna sat in a black chair in the center of the room. Usually the Shadow would preside over the trial, but with Link being so new to being the clan chief and so close to her, Midna was being tried by an elderly man named Uru.

He didn't look too threatening, she supposed, with his white hair and soft red eyes that had dulled over the years to the color of rust. But he was Sheikah, and Midna knew that the whole lot of them were deadly, from infants to the elderly men. His Tear was striking black on his pale skin.

Link had told her as they walked through the Tunnels to Chambers of Judgment that only the Blooded Sheikah would be able to sit and watch her trial, but all of them were within the Cavern. Still, the room seemed hollow and empty as Midna squirmed in her black chair.

The Chambers were clearly made for a much larger clan, the same way that the Cavern was built, with so many empty homes. Still, there was about thirty people scattered about, mixed between men and women, all with hard expressions and black Tears on their faces. Many of them had dark or graying hair; Link was the only blond head in the crowd. All of them were older in years, but few were as white-haired as the man who sat before him now.

A dedicated man, Midna thought as she remembered what Link had said about how the Blooded could return to normal civilian life after ten years of service.

Uru banged his gavel down on the desk, but there was no need. These were strong and skilled warriors, mature and solemn soldiers. There was no talking to be stopped. "Midna, Queen of the Twilight, you have been placed on trial by the Sheikah for the crimes of your people, the Twilight that were and are being inflicted upon both Hyrule and the Sheikah. Do you have a representative on your behalf?"

"I will defend myself," Midna said strongly, wishing that her voice didn't sound so much like a child's while she was stuck in her imp form. She also wished that she wasn't wearing a powerful piece of dark magic like a headpiece. That probably wasn't earning her any bonus points.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ren and Link silently sitting in the first row. Link was resting his elbows on the wall that separated the accused from the jury. His blue Tear and blonde head were striking in the audience, reminding everyone of just exactly who he was. Ren sat next to him, lounging and looking through papers. Neither one of them looked concerned. That calmed Midna's nerves a lot more than it should have.

"Then let the trial come to order." Another bang of the gavel. "Are you not a member of the Twilight race?"

"I am."

"Are you not the queen of said race?"

"I am."

"Yet you claim," Uru said, "that you had no involvement with the Twilight beasts that raided the Sheikah Cavern only nine days ago?"

"I do. Before this new war began, I was pushed out of my own realm and shoved in this smaller form by Dark Link, the doppelganger of the Hero who has command of the beasts. He transformed all of the citizens of my realm into thoughtless monsters and uses them at his own convenience as a personal army of the king of the Gerudo, who currently claims Castle Town."

"Can any back up this claim?" Uru asked. It was probably protocol, and didn't mean that he didn't believe her, but Midna still wanted to yell at him that no one had ever been to the Twilight Realm other than her and Link and some of the most unsavory characters that you could ever meet, so of course no one could—

"I can," Ren said. Midna tried not to gape at him.

"Midna appeared to me and my travelling party five days before the battle began and was with us during the entirety of that period. There was no way that she could have led an army without our knowing," Ren continued.

Uru nodded. "Backed by a Sheikah witness, as well as one of the Blooded. Motion to clear Midna, Queen of the Twilight, from charges concerning the attack on the Cavern nine days ago?"

Link's hand went up first, and that was the catalyst. It wasn't all of the Blooded, but it was a majority. Whether they actually believed her or were simply supporters of Link as a Shadow, she wasn't sure, but in the end it didn't matter. She would get the same results.

"Motion passed. Accused is pardoned of all crimes involving the attack on the Cavern." Uru slammed down the gavel once more, but Midna noticed that there was a twinkle in his eye.

He wanted her to go free, Midna realized with a start. Most of the Sheikah there . . . they didn't want to imprison her. After everything that she had heard about the clan, she assumed that they would lock her up just for revenge, just because she was Twilight, just because she was there when their advisor was killed and might have been responsible for it. But this man, her judge, was practically smiling at her and telling her that they were going to let her go.

Her eyes found Link in the crowd. He was barely concealing the wolfish smile that he always wore when he was about to win a battle.

Link knew. Link hadn't walked her into the lion's den. He had given her a defense and a way out all at the same time.

She could hardly prevent a toothy smile from taking over her own face.

Uru banged the gavel once more, but suddenly it wasn't as threatening as it was before.

"And now, about the Twilight War . . ."

Obeying the advice that Link had given her, Midna told her story, from the beginning, brushing over anything that she felt like she should leave out. Certain parts of their quest just weren't for anyone else's ears. She told the Sheikah about Zant and how he had stolen both her throne and her power, aided by the dark king Ganondorf.

She told about how she had adventured through Hyrule with Link at her side, all in an effort to free her people.

She told them about the sacrifice that Zelda had made to keep her alive and how she and the princess were actually on pretty good terms with each other, all things considered.

Uru interrupted from time to time, asking questions about a certain dungeon or motives for a certain quest, and Midna was surprised that the easiest and best answer was always the honest one. Many of the Sheikah looked enraptured by her tale and Midna began to feellike she was around a campfire exchanging stories rather than sitting on trial.

Once, she saw Ren smiling deviously out of the corner of her eye.

Then she realized it. Of course. This trial had never been about convicting her. Here she was, not defending herself from accusations but exchanging stories of her adventures, of how she and Link had fearlessly saved Hyrule and handled everything that the evil king had thrown at them.

All it did was show Link in a better light, not to mention Midna herself. Oddly enough, she was boosting Link's reputation within the clan by being on trial.

She caught Link's eye when she was in the middle of telling about the epic battle in Hyrule Castle.

Was this your idea? She sent the thought out to him, knowing that he would receive it.

He only smiled in return.

That damn clever bastard.

It was brilliant. She might hug him later.

But only after she punched him for not telling her first.

Zelda sat next to Tempa, her brown hair free and loose around her. She squeezed Tempa's hand. "You're going to come out of this, Tempa, if it's the last magic act that I preform."

Zelda looked at the wound. She knew that it was useless to talk to someone in a coma, but she still told Tempa that she was going to get more water before leaving the room.

As the princess closed the door behind her, Tempa stirred.

Her eyes opened slowly. One was her normal, iridescent green.

The other, ringed with darkness where the white should have been, was the pure, unfiltered color of fresh blood.

Shaking off the coma, the red eye looked around, satisfied.

Only half of Tempa's face curved into a malicious smile.