Woohoo 10 chapters! Who's ready for some whacky midnight shenanigans?

The Magic Awakens

Chapter 10

Lost in the Woods

Midna's house was only a few suburbs over from Link's. It was a newer, wealthier neighbourhood with clean-cut hedges and freshly mowed lawns. And palm trees. Why did rich people always favour palm trees? Many houses had glass windows and open designs. Sandy colours and rounded features.

Hers was different. It stood on the fringe of the neighbourhood, facing rows of pine trees just across the road. Two angular storeys of black granite with small, sparse rectangular windows. One on the top floor was shattered. Link almost tore himself away from the parked cycle when a voice from behind startled him.

"You actually came."

It was as if Midna had appeared from the shadows. To his relief, she appeared to have no new injuries. She wore a simple black, tight-fitted look from wrist to ankle with a leather jacket and combat boots. He caught his eyes tracing the curves of her legs.

"What do you need?"

Midna fiddled with a lock of hair. "You've seen a lot of Hyrule, right?" He nodded. "If someone had to hide something really important, where would they go?"

A light mist permeated the forest. Ghostly spirals and swirls so faint that anyone would guess they were a figment of the imagination. The trees themselves watched them drive by, but they had no faces. Not quite. It was as though something otherworldly was ever-so-slowly phasing into view.

Link and Midna drove along a broadly curved road with a reputation for funnelling vehicles in but never leading them out. It was nothing more than an urban legend, Midna knew, having made a few trips through this part of the forest before. But that was in the safe shell of a car. On a bike, she was far more exposed to the forest's mercy. Her hands tightened around the waist of the one who had explored these woods before.

A distant rumbling caused her heart rate to jump. In Link's rear-view mirror, a headlight emerged, followed by a motorbike with two plain-looking Hylian passengers. Midna stiffened, and Link sensed it.

It was gaining on them, and though there was a chance that they were just regular travellers, he wasn't about to see what happened if they tailgated. "Hold tight," he said. Her helmet pressed against his shoulder.

He slammed on the accelerator. The bike lurched forward. Wind clawed at their clothes as they sped around the bend. An engine screamed. Their pursuers rounded into rear-view. Same bike. Different riders. Gone were the Hylian disguises. White masks with flipped Sheikah symbols. Tight red bodysuits. The burly blademaster drove. The lanky archer aimed a crossbow loaded with a two-pronged, golden arrow.

Link swerved away from one, then another. They exploded against the road with an electric crackle. The gap between the bikes was closing. There would be no escaping a third arrow.

"I've got this!" Midna yelled. She snapped her fingers. Her helmet vanished. With the grace and flexibility of a trained gymnast, she swung her leg over Link's head. Her back pressed against his. Glowing, orange hair coiled around his chest. Blood red energy crackled between her palms. She thrust out her hands. Bolts shattered. The enemies' front wheel shot forth. Sparks flew as metal screeched against the road. The riders vanished.

A puff of smoke. The hovering archer shot. An arrow caught Link's front wheel. Jolts forced them to jump. They tumbled across the road. The bike spun and slammed into a nearby tree.

Link yanked off his helmet. A wavy-edged katana swiped at him. He rolled out of the way and leapt to his feet. The Master Sword materialised to parry a second strike. The enemy's stance wavered. Link thrust. The blademaster swerved. Steel nipped their side. They traded more blows. Link was faster. They were stronger. Weapons locked. The blademaster pressed down on him. Overpowering.

The archer's body slammed into Link's rival, sending both henchmen into a nearby trunk with a heavy "oomph!" The moment they recovered, they shrieked in alarm, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Link whipped towards whatever had caused them to flee, and what he saw was nothing short of breath-taking.

Long tendrils of flaming hair flew about Midna. Her eyes glowed a piercing red. Veins of cyan blue extended from her fingertips and up her legs.

When she was certain the danger had passed, she met Link's wide-eyed wonder with a smirk. "What? Say something," she teased. "Am I so beautiful that you've no words left?"

"So, you really are Mr Important Hero?" Link nodded. To quell Midna's pestering about the Master Sword, he told her everything as they trudged through the woods. As a targeted magic wielder, she arguably had a right to know anyway. She would keep it a secret as long as he did the same for her magic (though he established that he would have to inform Impa, Zelda, and Ganondorf).

"How long have you had magic for?" Link asked.

"About a year," Midna said. "Sort of. For a long time, there were hints. Whenever I got mad, things would fall off tables and shelves. Sometimes I'd be holding something, and it disappeared when I wasn't paying attention. Later I'd find myself holding it again." They both chuckled. "I found out when I was studying for an exam. I'd gotten an A minus on the last one, so Mum was breathing down my neck over this. She was coming up the stairs. I didn't want to deal with her again, so I sort of just…" She melted into the darkness.

Link's hand flew to his hilt, head twisting this way and that in search of whatever had taken her. She leapt from the shadows. "Boo!" He jolted. She clutched her sides as she cackled. "You should've seen your face!"

He chuckled with her. "Snap a pictograph next time." It was refreshing to see her loosen up, even when it was at his expense.

They talked some more about her powers. Apparently Midna used her shadow-walking ability to sneak out quite often, but her excursions were never eventful enough for her. "I need a break from the family sometimes, but I can't go anywhere fun in case someone recognises me," she said. "I hate to think what my parents would do if they found out about my powers."

"If you did go out, where to?"

"I love indie music, so probably local gigs."

Midna wondered if she was sharing too much about herself, but Link was the first person she could actually talk to about this kind of thing. It was so freeing to finally have someone else who understood and accepted the side of her she was most proud of yet was forced to hide from the world. After a while though, she noticed his slight frown. "Something wrong?"

"Do you know who those people were?" Link asked.

"No. You?"

"Impa warned me about them. They're members of the Yiga Clan. It's some cult of Sheikah who worship the Demon King from the legends."

"Freaky," Midna wooed. "I feel so much better knowing that I've been attacked by cultists this entire time."

"How long have you been dealing with them?"

"A few days. I didn't realise at first. It started with little things. Pizza I didn't order. Plumbers we never booked. I turned them away each time. They got me when they posed as my brother." Midna hesitantly pushed back her hair to reveal the cut near her right eye. "That was how I got this." She was aware that he had seen it, but there was something vulnerable about choosing to share it. "They were no match for me though," she said, flashing him a wicked grin.

"That's why you wanted to go home so badly."

Midna nodded solemnly. "If they came again, I had to be the one by the door. Not Mum. Not Zant. I guess that's why they tried the window next."

Words could not describe the unique blend of sorrow and admiration Link felt for Midna in that moment. Her willingness to be the first line of defence to protect her family, and the fact that the burden fell upon her because she was gifted with powers she never chose to have. It made him wonder, were the Yiga Clan terrorising any other civilians around Hyrule? If it made it onto the news, Zelda would have told him about it, as she was keeping a close eye on current affairs for clues about the next medallion's location.

"What are they after?" Link asked.

Midna snapped a relic into her hands. The light of Link's slate revealed an odd, helmet-like structure that appeared to be made of stone, yet she held it as if it were lighter. Cracks cut through otherworldly carvings. A single eye bore into his soul. The relic radiated a dark energy. Uncomfortable. Uncanny.

"You feel it too, don't you?" He nodded. Something about them drew up feelings of nostalgia and great unease. For what? Link did not know. "They're called the Fused Shadows, and they've been passed down through my family for generations. Legend says they once held great power, but also great darkness. They only started emanating that weird energy a few weeks ago."

"That's around when we pulled the sword."

The Fused Shadows dispersed into black particles. "My magic became more powerful as well."

As they continued through the woods, the mists around them thickened at a gradual pace. Wisps gently swirled through the air, and the faintest blue light glowed all around them, just beyond the fog. First it was beautiful, and then it gradually constricted, as if thousands of hidden eyes were watching them.

A distant, slow jingle prickled Link's ear, and Midna squinted at a faint blue orb glowed just beyond the mist.

Link hid behind a tree. Midna followed his lead. He summoned the crossbow and loaded it. From there, he crept between the trees with Midna close behind. Each time, he'd poke his head around the side to view the light. They got close enough to see the outline of a lantern floating in mid-air, as if carried by a ghost.

Oh, for Din's sake, did it have to be ghosts? The very idea of the undead made Midna want to scrunch herself up like a sheet of paper and toss herself under a dresser.

Link had heard of these ones before. Poes. They had the power to turn invisible, but the vessels that held their souls had corporal form. The key to defeating them was simple. Break the lantern; kill the poe.

An arrow shattered the lantern, but the dying poe let out a shrill scream. The tiny body of a crude, patchwork doll with a scythe hit the dirt. Suddenly, dozens of rattling noises closed in. Link stashed the crossbow and sprinted along the dirt path with Midna close behind. More lanterns flew from the mist, accompanied by tiny shrieks of rage. They ran back the way they came only to be flanked by more poes. Link drew the Master Sword and swatted at them. They bobbed and weaved out of the way. Midna tried to impale the lanterns with her hair but couldn't pin down a single one. An invisible scythe sliced the tip of one of her locks.

"That's it!" she yelled. Midna slammed her hands against the ground. A circle of black rimmed with orange lightning expanded, locking the poes in place. It was a useless attack, really. She just needed a breather.

The full spin of a sword shattered the lanterns. Several tiny corpses fell. Midna sprung up in shock as Link performed a victorious swish of his blade. "Couldn't have used that trick earlier?" he teased.

She gaped at him. He had a few thin cuts but was completely unbothered by her spell. "Why didn't you freeze?" Link tilted his head. "That spell should've worked on you too."

He glanced at the Triforce on his hand. "Maybe this has something to do with it?" Midna burst out laughing. "What?"

"You're way too casual about this," she said. "Everyone builds up the Triforce to be this incredible, holy, mystical thing, but then I meet someone who has a piece of it and he's all like, 'It protects me from stuff? Oh. That's neat, I guess.'"

He flushed a little. "How do you want me to react?"

"Maybe some long, theatrical monologue wrestling with the curse of your destiny?" She put on a low, melodramatic voice as she flourished her hands. "Oh, woe is me! I have been blessed with this incredible power, but at what cost? This burden upon my shoulders is too great!" She finished with a swoon and laughed. Link was silent. "Hey, I was only teasing."

"It's not a curse," he said. "I'm new to magic, but I'm used to everything else."

He can't be serious, Midna thought. A grand destiny to save Hyrule from impending doom was higher stakes than frontline protests or urban exploration. Not even she could comprehend how immense the pressure would feel. If she were in his position, she'd be having a panic attack every other day. Link was either highly resilient or far more arrogant than he let on.

She suspected a combination of both. Whatever helps him save Hyrule, I suppose.

The deeper they went into the woods, the more alive and peaceful it seemed. Sunset fireflies danced to a faint melody on the wind. Silent princesses fluttered on a gentle breeze, where they lured in pink orbs with iridescent wings. The mists gradually thinned as they drew near a large tree that towered over the forest. Its branches held sparse green leaves. Ridges formed a fatherly face with a downturned moustache and a gaping mouth. A soulless husk barely clinging to life.

During the Era of Magic, this tree once housed a guardian spirit who protected the forest. With the magical mists gradually returning to the Lost Woods, it would soon become the most naturally secure hiding place in Hyrule.

Together they entered the Great Deku Tree.

The moonlight from the entrance silhouetted Midna's figure, but otherwise it was complete darkness in every direction.

"Know any light spells?" Link asked. Both their slates were low on battery.

"Sure. Ask the shadow mage if she knows any light spells."

"Don't shadows need light to exist?"

A pause. "Shut up. It's not that dark."

"I can't see anything."

Midna cursed his weak Hylian eyes as she seized his wrist and tugged him left. "There's a very obvious pathway spiralling up the tree." Their footsteps clicked against wooden floorboards

He silently prayed that Midna couldn't see his blush. They were almost holding hands right now. Well, being yanked through the darkness by an impatient Twili probably wasn't the most romantic situation to be in. He shouldn't even be thinking of Midna in that way, lest he incur the wrath of Zelda, Tahk, and even the object of his affections.

"Watch your step," Midna said. Link tripped over a stray root, stumbling into her back. "What did I just say?"

"Let's go slower," he suggested.

"We don't have time to go slower!" she snapped. "What if those masked freaks come back?"

"Do they have night vision too?"

"I don't-" Midna sighed. "Let's take a break."

"Alright." She choked back a snicker as he felt around for the wall. Link sat down and pressed his back against it. Midna did the same.

There wasn't any noise aside from the barely audible chirp of a few distant insects. Combined with the pitch black, it was as though Link was sitting within the void. Only the touch of the tree grounded him.

"What can you see right now?" Link asked.

Minda huffed in annoyance. "Not much anymore. We're a decent way up the ramp, though. I'm sure we'll be fine."

"What if we run into a skulltula?"

She fell silent for a moment. "A what?"

"It's a spider. About as big as a ten-year-old."

"There are giant spiders here and you didn't tell me?!"

Link winced. "I forgot."

"That settles it. We need a torch. Surely Mr I-Go-Adventuring-On-A-Whim knows how to scrounge one together?" He flushed red. "Well?" Midna asked impatiently.

"Yeah," he said timidly. "We need a thick stick, some tree sap, and…" He trained off.

"And what?"

"Some cloth strips."

"Where are we gonna to get those? For Din's sake, why do you look like you just walked into the girl's changing room?"

So, she could see him blush. "I'll have to use my shirt."

"Oh." He could hear that devilish smirk. "Tell me, is the torch an excuse?" Link buried his face with a groan. "Aww, the chosen hero is shy. How cute."

"Just find the other supplies." Pearls of laughter echoed through the darkness as she clacked down the ramp. With Midna preoccupied, he removed his jacket and slipped off his shirt. The cold air prickled his skin, so he quickly shook the jacket back on. Unbeknownst to him, Midna had stolen a look. She was curious as to what kind of physique the Literal Saviour of Hyrule would have, and though she was only treated to a small glimpse of his back, she was not disappointed.

Link's toned arms were already famous throughout the student body. A semi-regular talking point among her friends during the warmer months. Though she remained silent or attempted to divert conversation whenever the subject arose, a very reluctant part of her agreed. They were arms you could feel safe and protected in, and they were arms that could do plenty more.

The shoulder blades were a new experience that many would envy Midna for. The sharpness. The way they rolled. A handful of scars, some still healing, littered his skin. The stories they could tell. If he wasn't Zelda's brother, she might have considered pursuing him. Life was too short to give a shit about what her parents thought.

Something clamped her ankle. She yelped in pain. "Midna!" Link stumbled towards her.

"Stop! You'll-" His foot found air. The rest toppled over the edge. A blast of magic killed the baba. She threw her hand over the side. An invisible force caught him just before he smashed against solid wood.

He hovered momentarily, then the force slowly hoisted him upwards. She had never used levitation on a person before, so this took an unprecedented level of concentration. And he was heavy. Her strength wavered, but he was almost there. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead to his. She shifted closer. Pain shot through her ankle. A hiss. The magic broke. She seized his hand. The pull ached. Their palms were slick with sweat. Her nails dug into his wrist as she gritted her teeth and channelled her magic again.

A rough jerk. Link shot upwards. She had expected a rough landing, but she didn't expect him to land on her. Not to mention that his top half was only covered by an open jacket.

Given how much the darkness disoriented Link, he wasn't fully aware of what had happened. Though his body had momentarily slammed into something that wasn't wood, his hands and knees only felt the ramp, leaving him completely unaware of the flustered Twili lying beneath him.

Coarse breath tickled his lips. "Get off."

He sprung to the side and buttoned up his jacket. Were the Goddesses trying to bless him or curse him? He had no clue and would rather have not been in that situation at all. Well, maybe under different, more consensual circumstances.

"Sorry about that," he said, turning towards her general direction. "Are you okay?"

"You're asking if I'm okay?"

"You're hurt."

"And you almost broke your spine!"

"But I didn't." He was smiling. Why in Hylia's name was he smiling?

"People like you die young."

"I'll take short and exciting over long and boring," he said deviously, though his face softened a moment later. "What happened?" His attempt at eye contact was way off mark.

"A deku baba bit my ankle. It's not a big deal."

"It is," he said. "Can I see it?"

"Have you suddenly developed night vision?"

"That depends. Have you found the supplies?"

She glanced at the dead deku baba. Upon death, the carnivorous plants straightened their thick stalks and dried out instantly. She picked it up, broke off the head and held it up. He still stared past her. "I have a stick," she announced.

"And the sap?"

The smell hung in the air. She located a leakage just above and to the right of her head. "Yeah."

With a nod, Link crawled up the wooden ramp and felt around for his shirt and scraps. Watching how someone moved in perceived darkness was highly amusing. He retrieved the cloth strips and what was now a raw-edged crop top, stuffed them into his pockets, and crawled back. Midna guided his hand to the sap and awkwardly sat there as he hovered over her, closer than he probably realised. She could have tried moving away but didn't want him to almost kill himself if she made another pained noise. Hormones had nothing to do with it! He rubbed the fabric scraps against the sap until they were sticky all over. When he finished, she held the stick out to him. He didn't even look at it. She lightly poked him. Link took it and tightly wound the fabric scraps around the tip with the sap-side facing outwards. It was impressive how well he worked with only his touch to guide him.

With the torch completed, he handed it to Midna. She used her magic to set it alight. The sudden brightness made her eyes water, but for Link it was a relief.

The small radius of light revealed the rough bark interior of the tree, the sap wound, and Midna's slight grimace. Link felt a bit bashful when he realised the proximity they had when he was collecting the sap, but he focused on her ankle. The leather of her combat boot had a curve of punctures peaking into dark red. He reached a hand towards her but stopped shy, silently asking for permission. She nodded.

He untied the laces and carefully slipped the shoe off. Blood soaked the rim of her sock. The puncture wounds weren't too deep, having been stalled by the leather, but there was a ring of bruising. "Should we turn back?" Midna shook her head. "Think you can walk on it?"

"Maybe," she said. "Probably need to rest it for a bit."

Link pulled his shirt out of his pocket and tore it into thick strips. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Bandages."

"Oh." Her cheeks warmed a little. It amused her when he had to tear up his shirt for a purpose that served both of them, but now he was oh-so-selflessly sacrificing the rest of it just for her. She didn't deserve this.

After dressing her wound, she opted to put the shoe back on herself even though it caused her more pain. They chatted idly for a bit, even coming up with a little game. Midna would recount what her father told her about Link's exploits, and then Link would state his version. It was wild how they differed.

"Dad once said that you and five other people loitered on some train tracks. You caused two hours of delays."

"Did he mention our big Stop fracking in Gerudo Valley sign?"

"Nope. He conveniently left that part out."

They chuckled, but it mellowed into a tense silence. Though Link was enjoying these moments with Midna, there was the lingering fear that if she so desired it, she could get him into a lot of trouble.

Midna must have read his expression. "Hey, I want you to know that I'll never side with my dad, okay? No matter how much you annoy me." He smiled weakly but kept his head bowed, almost as if she was a cop he was trying to minimise conflict with. "Dad likes to make himself out to be some big hero protecting the city from people like you, but no matter how he tells it, he's silencing some kids who are trying to change this fucked up world."

When he remembered the lie she told her father at her own personal risk, Link had no choice but to believe her. "Thanks for saying that."

"The trespassing though? I'm not sure I can defend that."

"Neither can I." That stupid grin of his was back. Oh goddesses.

"Can I ask you something, though?" He nodded. "You said that when it comes to this quest, you're new to magic, but you're used to everything else. Did you really mean that?"

Link thought for a moment. "Sort of. Questing and protesting have a lot in common, but I'd say questing is easier."

"But isn't it worse? The entire fate of Hyrule rests on your shoulders."

"Exactly," he said. "Fighting systemic injustice is hard. It takes years and millions of people to make something change. This evil can be defeated by three people finding some magic coins. Wish all problems were that simple."

"That's an interesting way to put it," Midna said thoughtfully. "But it's still hard. You must be worried about something you've never dealt with before." That felt rather audacious to say, even for her. She was asking him to be open in a way that only friends would be. And she was the last person worthy of his friendship

But he surprised her. "I guess there's one thing." She scooted a little closer, ready and willing to listen. "It's Zelda." Midna flinched and turned away. "Sorry. Shouldn't have mentioned her."

She waved it off. "It's fine. Keep going."

"You sure?"

"Doubt me again and I'll doubt how many braincells you have."

"That's a hell of a way to say, 'I'm here for you'," he joked, but his tone turned serious. "Ganon and I are equipped for this. We've had each other's backs and trained together for years. But Zelda? She always stayed out of trouble. I never had to worry about her." He sighed. "I guess that's the only thing that's changed."

Midna nodded solemnly. Though her relationship with her younger brother wasn't nearly as positive as the Harkinian twins', she understood what he meant. Her desire to protect Zant from those masked henchmen was partially why they were here, after all.

But the mention of Zelda reminded Midna exactly who she was and who she was with. Everything about this situation was wrong. She had dragged Zelda's brother on some impromptu quest to the woods in the middle of the goddess-damn night where he had already brushed with death at least three times.

The sooner the night ended, the better.

They made their way up the creaky ramp. Midna held the torch in one hand and pressed her other against the wooden wall for support. Link kept his ears as sharp as the sword in his hand. Midna's eyes saw further into the darkness than Link's could, so she would let him know whenever there was another deku baba in their path. With their senses combined, no more nasty surprises would harm them.

Link suddenly stopped. There was faint clicking noise.

He pointed into the darkness above their path. "Can you see something?" As Midna squinted, she could make out a large spider hanging from the ceiling. Eight spindly legs twitched in anticipation. The hand holding the torch quivered. "Skulltula?" he asked.

"Looks like it," she tremored. "What do we do?"

"Shoot it down."

"Seriously? You want to make it angry?"

"It'll get the drop on us if we don't," Link said. "Shoot it down and I'll take care of the rest."

Deep breath. Trust him. She handed Link the torch and raised her palms. Energy cracked between them. She released it. The thread snapped. Agitated clicking. Several legs scuttled against wood. Midna backed away. Link charged, torch in one hand and sword in the other. He slid the blade under the menacing arachnid and flipped it over. Those horrid legs thrashed. The sword plunged into the stomach. A dying shriek. The legs curled inwards. Link yanked his weapon out. Yellow fluid oozed from the wound and dripped from the blade. He kicked the corpse off the path. It landed at the base of the tree with a sickening crunch. Midna shuddered. He walked down the ramp with a smile. "That wasn't so bad."

She snatched the torch. "Shut up."

A few minutes later, the ceiling forced them to crouch and crawl. They reached a trapdoor. Link pushed it open and hauled himself through. Midna handed him the torch. There was no need for it anymore, so he blew it out and tossed it aside. She pulled herself out from the dark room and hovered onto her feet, weight on her good ankle. Link closed the door with a heavy thud.

The area was flooded with moonlight. Nothing but walls of wood and bark and the odd ingrown tree branch was visible, until she twisted around. A menacing, empty eye socket stared into her. The crumbling exoskeleton of a three-limbed spider as massive as a shipping container. What messed up law of nature, magical or otherwise, thought it was okay to let such a monstrosity exist?

"That's our hiding spot," said Link.

Midna gaped at him. "You want me to hide my family heirloom inside a spider corpse?!"

"No one would think to look there."

He had a point and she was too tired to argue. She summoned the Fused Shadows and held it out to him. "You do it. I'm not going near that thing." Link nodded and reached out. Just before he even grazed the surface, a voice rang out.

"There will be no need for that." The startle dispersed the Shadows as the pair spun around. A red trench coat the same colour as those masked henchmen instantly conjured nerves and revulsion in Midna's gut. She had no clue who this freak was, but she already had an overwhelming desire to kick his ass.

"Ghirahim," Link gritted.

"Why are you after my heirloom?" Midna demanded.

Cold laughter coiled around them. "Did you really think we were after some old relic? No…" That slimy smirk dripped from every syllable. "We were after you, Midna Ozul."

I had to end this chapter here because it was getting too long so now you have to sit on this cliffhanger for a week. You're welcome :D

Also the freaking shirtless scene was not planned. The plot conspired against me to make it happen and I, as an asexual, do not understand sexual tension. Not even a little. I did my best.