Chapter 12: Twilight
Link wasn't sure how long he lingered in darkness after Zelda had him channel the mirror's power. It was taking all he had to keep drawing in breath after painful breath.
Something touched his cheek, absent of the burning pain that had come whenever Zelda had touched him. He felt the foreign power inside of him stir in reaction.
It was a struggle to open his eyes, but at least the cover of nightfall spared his head from further pain. When his vision finally cleared and focused on that familiar gray face, he couldn't help the tears that welled up.
It was her. She'd come. It hadn't all been for nothing.
Midna gaped in silent surprise. His eyes had lost that brilliant blue she so fondly remembered, and had instead become the intense orange and yellow shades of the Twili.
She knew now, with little doubt, what was happening to him.
"You idiot," she hissed, her tone worried and exasperated. "You knew how dangerous the shards are; why would you do this?!"
"T-to...see you," Link told her simply. Sure enough, he had a weak smile on his face as he gazed up at her, despite how close he was lingering to death's door.
She wanted to hit him for the foolishness of it all.
"Midna," Zelda interrupted softly. "Can you save him?"
The Twili felt frozen for a moment in panic and fear, especially as she watched Link's eyes go unfocused and slide closed again, his consciousness fading. Could she? He had taken the ancient magic inside of him, and it was killing him.
...because he was a light dweller, in the world of light.
"I must take him into the Twilight Realm," she said with quiet urgency. "...that may be his only chance."
"Do it," Zelda urged without hesitation.
"Zelda," Midna's voice lowered, wanting to be sure she had other woman's full attention. "Even if he pulls through, he will have to stay there. Forever. Are you sure…?"
A grimace of pain passed through the blond's eyes. "I would rather he survive. Even if it means we must say goodbye."
Midna nodded. She scooped her arms under Link's limp body and carefully lifted him. As she turned away, she heard noises of protest from the other humans and paused, glancing back at them.
Rusl braved a step forward, openly alarmed. "Where are you taking him?"
"To my world. He will not survive the sunrise if he stays here."
"Could...one of us come? To...to stay with him?"
"It is a world of shadow. You do not belong there," she told them bluntly, leaving no room for argument. An argument would take precious seconds that Link simply did not have. "I will bring news when I know if he will pull through."
Rusl looked as though he wanted to argue, but Zelda's gentle hand on his arm silenced him.
They all were left to watch on helplessly as the orange-haired Twili ascended the stairs and disappeared, wondering if that would be the last they would ever see Link alive.
"Hang on..!" Midna urged, digging frantically through his bag. Link managed a small nod, resting his head back against the cold stone wall he was sitting against. The heat of his own blood slipping through his fingers was a sharp contrast to the numbness settling over him. Feet away, the discarded armor of the Dark Nut he'd barely managed to defeat lay scattered across the floor. He hadn't realized his eyes had closed until he heard her growl in frustration, followed by the sharp sound of shattering glass that made him flinch. There was a soft tinkling sound that he vaguely recognized as a fairy. A gentle warmth settled over him, chasing away the numb chill and returning some of his strength. His lungs filled with a deep breath, and he opened his eyes to find Midna mere inches away, staring anxiously at him. She sagged, then reached over to yank his hat down over his face in annoyance. "Jerk; don't ever scare me like that again!"
Link offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, just teasing.""Not funny," she grumped, spinning away to pout with a huff. Link slowly picked himself up, and reached over to put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Thanks, Midna."
He woke to a soft, constant, mechanical hum that seemed oddly familiar, and with a sense that he'd been asleep for a very, very long time. Crusty eyelids parted to reveal a stone ceiling, lit by a gentle blue glow.
He knew this place…
"Link?" he turned his head slightly, and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Midna was there with him. She looked surprised, then relieved, to see him awake. "Welcome back to the world of the living," she said quietly, leaning forward to get a better look at him. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," he admitted tiredly. He vaguely remembered how much it had hurt just to breathe, and that horrible, twisting feeling of his insides tearing themselves apart. All of that had eased, leaving only a lingering ache and sense of exhaustion. "How long was I…?"
"A few days," she told him. "Death was breathing down your neck. Which reminds me…" she smacked his shoulder then, looking tired and put off. "What were you thinking?! Didn't I teach you about messing with shadow magic in our time together?!"
"Sorry," Link replied, and much of him truly was. His recent memory was cloudy at best, but he remembered enough to feel ashamed with himself. "...is everyone okay?"
"They are worried for you, but they're fine."
That was a relief, though he knew he owed his friends an apology. Slowly he started to sit up, muscles protesting at the movement, only to freeze when he caught a glimpse of his hands.
"Wh-what…?"
Midna watched him in silence as he examined his arms; the warm, creamy tones of his skin had been replaced with the same combination of grays and blacks of the Twili, with pale blue patterns of lines on his forearms. She did not regret what she'd had to resort to, but she wasn't without empathy to the shock of it.
"You're in the Twilight Realm, Link," she explained calmly. "I had to bring you here to save your life. The shadow magic that's now a part of you-it was clashing with the light of your world, and your own light. It was killing you. But...well…" she gestured. "Thankfully our healers knew of a way to extinguish what was left. There wasn't even much to do; you'd already started to change."
"...So...I'm a Twili?" he asked quietly.
"Yes. And as a Twili, this-this is now your world."
Link was silent for a long moment, still staring at his hands, the information slow to sink in. He would be leaving his entire life behind. All of his friends. Epona. The ranch. Hyrule. All of it.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm the rising anxiety and grief before it could consume him. He'd always known on some level that it had to be one world or the other. His heart had made the choice the night he'd left Ordon.
"Well…" he said finally, turning a small, bittersweet smile towards her. "At least I'll get to be with you."
She crinkled her nose at him at the corny words. "Yeah, I suppose. I guess you can stay. But on one condition."
"What?"
"Next time you miss me, find a less dramatic way to tell me."
Link managed a quiet laugh at that. "Okay. Deal."
The Bulblins had left within hours of Midna taking Link into the Twilight realm, but the rest of the party remained in a tense vigil. As the hours dragged on, they'd tried to take turns getting some sleep, but the shadows beneath their eyes was proof enough that none of had managed much rest by the time Midna finally returned.
The news that Link was still alive, and was slowly recovering, made sleeping far easier for all.
As they waited for another update, Zelda filled them in on as much of the story that she knew; she told them about the world of the Twili, Ganondorf's influence and attempt to take over Hyrule, and how Midna was the one whom Link had journeyed with during the conflict. She also told them of how Midna had returned to her own realm at the end of it all, destroying the original mirror that connected their worlds in the process.
It was two more days yet before the mirror came to life a third time, just as the sky was awash with the dark purples and golds of twilight. The small group was instantly on their feet and gathering by the steps, eager for news.
Midna reappeared, along with another. Her companion had a heavy cloak draped over their head, obscuring the details of their face, and remained a step behind Midna as the pair descended the steps towards them.
"You're all still here. Good," Midna said in way of greeting.
"Princess-please, how is Link? Has there been any change?" Rusl asked, getting straight to the point.
"Ask him yourself," she replied, raising a slender arm to the shorter figure standing beside her.
The second Twili hesitated a moment in the confused silence that followed, before raising their arms to lower the hood of their cloak.
Shad gasped audibly. Renado took half a step back in surprise. Telma pressed a hand to her chest while Rusl's eyes widened in realization.
The structure of Link's face had not changed much, but much of his complexion had become a cool gray, with darker skin extending up his nose and above his cheekbones. It was a striking contrast that made his orange and yellow eyes stand out all the more. His hair looked a bit more wild than usual, and had become an intense reddish-orange.
"...Link, honey? Is that truly you?" Telma asked softly, taking a tentative step towards him.
He nodded, looking contrite and self conscious. "Yeah, Telma-it's me."
"Incredible," Shad breathed, stepping closer and adjusting his glasses for a closer look. "You've changed into a-a-"
"-a Twili," Link finished for him. "Yeah."
Unable to hold herself back anymore, Telma closed the distance at his familiar voice and pulled him into a tight, bone-crushing hug. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright; you gave us such a scare!"
Link stiffened for a moment in surprise at the contact, but soon sighed quietly and allowed himself to melt into it, deeply relieved at her acceptance. "I'm sorry," he told her, struggling to speak through the sudden lump in his throat. "All of you," he added as she pulled away enough for him to look over at the others. "I acted foolishly, and I could have hurt you all-I'm so sorry."
"No, Link," Zelda said, stepping forward to put a hand on his arm. "I am sorry. I suspected how badly you were hurting, yet I did not act to help you."
"We all feel the same way, honey," Telma added, giving Link's back a comforting rub as he wiped some of the tears from his face. The assembled group nodded in agreement.
"The Princess filled us in on the Twili and all that," Ashei told him.
"Yes," Auru chimed in. "The conflict ran far deeper than any of us ever suspected. That is a heavy burden for any one person to bear. And of course she told us about your role, Lady Midna."
Midna rose a delicate eyebrow at that, giving Zelda a disapproving glance. "Not all of it, I hope."
The blond princess smiled appeasingly back at her. "Not to worry, Midna. I left out the…unnecessary details."
Rusl, who'd been quiet til now, found himself observing the way Link was looking towards Midna and smiling at the private joke. His eyes may have changed color, but there was an affectionate warmth there that the older swordsman easily recognized.
So this was the companion Link had been so heartbroken over losing. It made sense; She was the one who'd been at his side through the entire ordeal-the only one who could truly empathize with how it had marked him.
And perhaps he offered her a similar sort of comfort.
It was Rusl's turn to close the distance and pull Link into a hug. "No matter what," he told the boy earnestly, "I am proud of the man you have become. Everyone is. And wherever your parents are, I promise they are, too." Link returned the embrace, squeezing his eyes shut for a long moment.
"Thank you for everything, Rusl."
"Why does that sound like a goodbye?"
"Because it is."
The pair separated reluctantly, and out of all those gathered, Ashei seemed to be the only one with dry eyes. "I have to stay in the Twilight realm," Link explained, perhaps unnecessarily, "or the light will start to kill me all over again."
There was a long pause as everyone absorbed the enormity of this news. Finally, Renado approached, and clasped a steady hand on Link's shoulder. While the young hero looked quite a bit different now, the shaman smiled at the fact that he was himself, again-and perhaps even more. "Link...I thank you again for all you have done for us and for this land. Let me be the first to wish you the best, wherever your path leads you now."
Link smiled in return. "Thank you, Renado. Please give my regards to Luda and Barnes-I...hope I didn't frighten them too badly, before…"
"You had us worried," Renado admitted, "but they are both fine, and will be happy to hear that you are well again." With a final nod in farewell, he moved back, giving the others space to come forward and say their own goodbyes.
"It's such a shame you cannot stay," Shad said remorsefully. "There is so much I want to ask! Are you sure you cannot write to us, somehow?"
"I'm afraid not even the postman will be able to follow where I am going," Link told the scholar with a small, regretful smile.
"If anyone can find a way," Rusl interrupted, "you can. I have every faith that we will see each other again."
Link nodded in agreement. "If you ever see a big gray wolf with a sort of fish hook marking on its forehead, don't attack it," he told his old friend, only partly serious.
Rusl frowned in thought. "Wait...fish hook?" he asked, the description jarring his memory. "Now that you mention it..." his eyes widened in sudden realization. "That night the children were taken-that was you?"
Link laughed and nodded in confirmation. "Don't worry about it," he told the old swordsman. "There's no way you could have known."
"I suppose not," Rusl admitted with a small grin. "Good thing for you I was a bit banged up that night, or things may have ended differently." The pair shared one last arm clasp, then hugged again.
"Tell Colin I'm sorry? I...promised him I'd come back. Ilia, too-and the kids; I would have said a proper goodbye myself, if I'd known this would happen."
"They'll understand. They will miss you - we ALL will, but it is enough to know that you are alive and happy."
"Thank you, Rusl."
Telma got in one last hug, her eyes damp. "Now, you take care of yourself, honey. Promise me?"
"I promise, Telma. Thank you for everything."
"And you," the barkeep shot at Midna. "You'd best look after him!"
Midna rose her eyebrows in surprise at being addressed so casually, then split into a toothy grin. "I always liked this one," she told Link conspiratorially.
There were bittersweet tears all around as Midna and Link finally returned to the stairs. Zelda approached then, taking one of their hands in either of hers. "Take care, both of you," she told them softly.
"Don't look so sad, princess," Midna chided gently. "Link holds the key to the mirror, now, so who knows? Maybe we will see each other again. For real, this time," she added, at Zelda's dubious look. "That needs to stay between us, though. I don't like the idea of someone trying to get to either of our worlds through him."
"You are right," Zelda admitted. She smiled then, and pulled their two hands together. "Take care of each other. No one deserves it more."
She was amused to see that Twili did, indeed, blush. The pair glanced at each other, both smiling somewhat shyly, before looking away and clearing their throats.
"We will," Link promised quietly. "...thank you, Zelda. Take care."
She nodded that she would.
The two Twili finished their ascension, and Link turned one last look over his friends-his family-as the mirror glowed and their forms became trails of shimmering dust.
And just like that, they were gone, leaving the chamber bathed in heavy silence.
"Colin, go fetch your father?" Uli requested as she settled his sister into her highchair. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."
"Sure, ma."
Outside was pleasantly warm. Spring had started to transition to summer. It was a busy time of year, and the longer days made it all too easy for Ordon's denizens to lose track of time.
When he didn't see his father by the pumpkin patches, the blond boy started down the trail towards the spring. Sure enough, he saw Epona standing calmly by the bridge gate, two loads of wood balanced from her saddle, while his father stood and gazed out over the valley below.
"Dad?" he asked as he approached. "Is everything okay?"
"Listen," Rusl urged, a wistful smile on his face.
Confused, Colin turned his head to look out over the view. A few long moments of silence passed between them.
And then he heard it. A long, doleful howl of a wolf came to them on the evening breeze. Epona nickered and tossed her head, her ears perking up at the sound, and her reaction only seemed to broaden his father's smile.
"Is that…?"
"I believe it is," Rusl replied. "Twilight; the only time when our world intersects with theirs. I like to think that Link is saying hello."
Colin gaped in amazement. "Well, let's say 'hello' back!" he suggested, picking a reed from a nearby bush, and then another for his father.
And so the two stayed out for a few minutes more, blowing reed music into the distance until the sky came alive with stars and the pair were thoroughly winded.
For once, the hour of twilight didn't seem quite so lonely.
-END-
Author's Note:
Happy New Year! I felt motivated to finally get this fic wrapped up in honor of Zelda's 35th anniversary year. So sorry for the wait, but I am proud of myself for officially finishing a full fic.
Any more fics that I write will be uploaded exclusively to Ao3, along with a slightly revamped version of this one. My username there is Selkies_Song; Come find me there if you'd like!
Thank you for reading; I hope you have a safe and healthy 2021!