Welp, there's a surprising return of the humour here. Hope it balances out the angst nicely.

The Magic Awakens

Chapter 46

The Order of Hylia

In the abandoned subway network under Castle City, Ghirahim grovelled at the feet of his master. "Failing you is my greatest shame, but I lust for redemption. Please," he rose to his knees, offering his cracks and chips. "I humbly request that you mend my broken form, and I will put the spirit maiden through peril after peril until she has awoken the power."

Lord Ganondorf (or Demise, as his enemies called him), loomed over his failure of a servant, but he did not look upon him. Instead, he was fixated on the Triforce marking. The lower left triangle throbbed like a slow-beating heart, climbing higher until it burst with energy. Then a constant tingle remained. Ganondorf smirked.

"There will be no need for that." He snapped his fingers, and a bloody darkness filled Ghirahim's fissures. When it faded, the servant was restored. Ghirahim flexed his fingers and smiled.

"Wisdom has awoken," Ganondorf declared.

Ghirahim clapped his hands together. "Oh, how delightful! Those children must surely be vulnerable. Shall we go house-calling, my king?"

Yes, they should, but the moment Ganondorf took a step, he was assaulted by a splitting headache. Someone was clawing their way into the mind's throne. He groaned and massaged his temples, forcing the intruder back. "Not yet," he said. "I need more time."

Of all the things to jolt the twins awake, they hadn't expected a smoke alarm. One second, they were twitching under the spell of their nightmares. The next, they were on their feet, weapons drawn, searching for whatever fire had been ignited to flush them out.

"Where's the lid?!" Midna screeched from downstairs.

"Grab the frying pan from the sink," a masculine voice ordered. Link and Zelda looked at each other. Uncle Rusl? There was a metallic clunk followed by a synonymous sigh of relief.

Zelda shrugged on a cardigan and pulled the sleeve over the shining Triforce of Wisdom. She crept after Link down the stairs until he peered around the corner. Midna and Rusl were huddled over the stove. She cautiously lifted the frying pan from a second flying pan, and they both reeled back with wrinkled noses. The smell of burnt something wafted to the staircase, forcing a cough from Link.

The cooks whirled around. On Rusl's brow bone was a bruise that made the twins' eyes bulge. "What happened?" they cried.

Rusl lifted the frying pan on the stove and shimmied the charcoal within. "We tried to make breakfast. Well, lunch. Late lunch." Link shook his head and pointed at his own brow. "Oh!" Rusl reached over to Midna (who had turned more purple than his bruise), took her frying pan, and spun it like a sword. It too had charring. "Your lovely girlfriend greeted me with this at the door."

Midna hunched over the sink, shrivelling in mortification. "I thought he was a Yiga," she squeaked.

Link shyly entered the kitchen, Zelda trailing behind. (She had covered her mouth; the second-hand embarrassment was too much.) "Sorry you had to meet that way," Link said. He really hoped Rusl wouldn't become another opponent to his endlessly controversial relationship.

Rusl laughed. "On the contrary, I learned you were in safe hands." Slowly, the weight of recent events settled upon his shoulders again. "How are you both doing?"

Oh. That's right. Impa was dead. She was gone forever, and Zelda was revolted that she had forgotten about that for even a second because destiny had shoved in something new to grieve. "It's complicated," she mumbled. Link nodded along.

"I understand." Rusl pulled out his slate. "Purah's on her way. I'll have her pick up something. Any requests?" Zelda shook her head as Link shrugged.

"I'll get ready for the day," Zelda said. Link thought that was an excellent idea, so he followed her up the stairs. Anything to escape the looming reveal of their final fates.

Once she had reached her own room, Zelda was transfixed, or paralysed, by the contents of her wardrobe. It was a curated biography of her short life thus far, and it juxtaposed the heavy, regal gowns worn throughout her past lives. Yes, she always favoured the elegant and the vintage -a "princess on her day off" aesthetic- but it was far from the uniform worn by the past lives who came before.

She was the first Zelda in millennia who was not born into a life designed for her, and it was all too clear that most of her ancestors had prayed to be reborn into a life like hers. When they finally received it, how was it meant to end? An early oblivion.

She glided along cool chiffons, linens, cottons, and wools. This wrap skirt and that blouse were a combo she imagined she'd wear on a first date with Ganondorf, and over the past week she had thought about tweaking her kimono-fabric romper to honour Impa at her graduation ceremony.

Oh gods. Impa knew. This whole time, she knew. That was why she was so resistant to the quest. That was why she never pushed Zelda hard enough to awaken her sacred power. That was why her stoicism has slipped into fragility these past few weeks. She knew she would never see her children graduate, go to university, bloom into adulthood, get married, or whatever life milestones the twins chose to pursue.

Imagine raising children and knowing that you would outlive them? That must have been a reality Impa wrestled with for the past nine years. Now that she was gone, she didn't have to experience that loss, but this was not a silver-lining. Her death was a waste. Given time, Impa would have been able to heal, and at least fate could've allowed her to grow old, unlike the twins who needed to die before they could learn how to live through the sudden tragedy of her loss.

You know what? Wisdom might encourage Zelda to be grateful for the life she did get to live, but she was angry! She had worked so hard to ensure peace not just for Hyrule, but for Link, Ganondorf, Midna, Impa, and herself. If anyone deserved to see a world free of the Demon King, it was her and Link.

She may be the vessel of Hylia or her bloodline but curse that Goddess. Curse all the Goddesses! If Din was so powerful, then why was she helpless to stop Demise from claiming her Triforce piece? If Farore saw all life as precious, then why were Link and Zelda's to be discarded. If Nayru was so wise, then why was Zelda "blessed" with knowledge that said self-destruction was the only way forward?

It was an abusive ultimatum foisted upon the twins: die or watch everyone else die in a demonic inferno?

People like Zelda deserved to shake their fists at the sky and curse the Goddesses, but what good would that do? She would still have to seal her soul away, and she would seal it away, because she cared too much about people to refuse.

She might as well make the most of what little time she had left, so she pulled the skirt and blouse from her wardrobe. When she donned it and caught her reflection, it felt… wrong. This was the outfit meant to be worn by a giddy girl foraying into romance, and she had forayed into romance that night, but she hadn't been allowed to revel in whatever nebulous intimacy she and Ganondorf shared. And she didn't feel like making the most of her life today. She felt like grieving. She wanted to break down. She wanted to ache. But she also couldn't stand to spent her last days in sorrow, and yet that was all she felt.

Awakening the Triforce of Wisdom did not give her some life-changing truth to reason away that strife. That was still up to her. She couldn't help but be a little resentful towards those golden triangles. Awakening Wisdom gave Zelda the means to save Hyrule, yes, but all it did was bring the bearer pain upon pain.

A knock on the door snapped her out of her burgeoning spiral. She shook the last of it from her mind and called them in. The door creaked open to Link leaning against the frame. He wore a faded green shirt and dark wash jeans but his skin and the tips of his hair were damp from the shower. "Can we talk?"

Zelda nodded and Link crossed the room. He sank into her mattress, hunched over as he ran a hand through his hair. She shuffled over to her modest vanity and plucked up her concealer. She didn't feel like wearing make-up that day, but it was easier to look like she was coping when she was doing something. "What is it?"

"Did Impa tell Rusl already?"

"About the self-sacrificing thing?" Link nodded. "I don't know."

A beat of silence passed them by. "How are we gonna tell them?"

Zelda leaned forward as she dabbed on the foundation. "That might be the one thing I can't figure out."

Link's hand dropped from his hair and dangled between his knees. "Midna doesn't know," he mumbled. A wet sigh shuddered him. Zelda set down her blush, sat beside her brother, and drew him into her arms. "Last night, I said I'd never leave her." His fingers curled into her blouse. "Why can't I keep my promises?"

Zelda rubbed his back and ran her fingers through his hair, just like Mum had when they were children. His tears were sparse, but the depths of Link's sorrow were always denoted by how he clung to her. It was always with the fear that he might lose her too, and now "might" had become "you most certainly will."

His whole life had been dedicated to protecting and supporting Zelda so she would never have to relive the heart-wrenching agony he witnessed nine years ago. Maybe if it was just him who needed to make the sacrifice, it would be easier, but he couldn't save Zelda, and he couldn't save Midna from the kind of loss he knew far too well. He was a hero to all but those who mattered to him the most.

Link swallowed. "Let me tell her, okay?"

"Okay," said Zelda.

And so down the stairs they went, where they would pretend that their future was "okay" for as long as they needed.

It was quiet at the dining table. Too quiet. What was there to say, aside from that which Link was not ready to tell? Zelda kept her right hand covered under the table, determined not to spark the conversation.

The front door burst open. "I'm here!" Purah panted. Her glasses were askew upon her head, tears stained her cheeks, and a shopping bag swung from her wrist. "Gods, where are the bowls? I need a ladle," she wailed. Zelda and Rusl scrambled to fetch them.

Purah caught sight of Midna. "Shit! There are four of you?"

Midna shrank a little but nodded. "I just started staying here."

Purah squinted at her, then reeled back in shock. "Wait. You're that Ozul girl!" she pointed.

The family name stung. "Just Midna, thanks."

"Fucking hell. I owe you an apology."

Midna cocked her head. Link leaned towards her. "She quit Highlights on air when Revali started shit-talking us. Day after the school dance."

"Shoulda done it sooner." Purah sniffed as she pushed the bag down around a sealed take-out bucket. "Didn't realise how toxic that bloody bird was until we started reporting on my own niece and nephew." She peeled off the lid and the comforting aroma of congee wafted throughout the dining room.

"About that, I kinda have a bone to pick with you," Link said.

Purah squeaked. "I knew it! I shoulda come sooner. It's just… Farore, if I was still with Highlights, I would've been reporting my sister's death as breaking news!"

Okay. That was not where Link was going, and now he felt horrible about it. He just wanted some semblance of fun to distract from everyone's flaming despair. And deflect from the secrets he couldn't yet share. "Actually, it's about the Allegedly Chosen Hero meme?"

She blinked at him. "Oh yeah…" she breathed.

Midna cleared her throat. "I mean, I thought it was pretty funny."

Link rolled his eyes. "You don't have to deal with people tacking 'allegedly' onto everything you do."

A laugh escaped the aunt. "I'm glad you can allegedly still worry about those things." Midna choked on a giggle.

Zelda placed a stack of five bowls against the table, and in doing so, extended her hand beyond the cardigan sleeve. Midna gasped and pointed. "Zel, your Triforce!" Zelda tugged the sleeve over it again.

Rusl came over with the ladle. "What about it?"

"It's glowing," said Midna, "like Link's." Link slipped his own hand under the table.

Rusl shared a nervous glance with Purah before he offered his palm to Zelda. "May I see?"

Zelda pursed her lips but reached forth. The sleeve fell away, allowing the radiance to bloom. Midna and Purah gasped.

Rusl's hand trembled slightly, so he withdrew. "So does that mean you-" Link cut him off with a glare. He lightly jerked his head at Midna.

Midna didn't know why everyone was suddenly staring at her like she had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. "Okay, what do I have on my face and why is it more important than the Triforce?" Now everyone was swapping concerned looks with each other! This was like the unfunny version of an in-joke.

A ladle of soupy rice splattered into a bowl. "Who wants congee?" Purah awkwardly sang.

Only slurps and the chinking of spoons filled the silence. Midna supposed everyone was too melancholy about Impa to celebrate or even question how Zelda awoke the Triforce of Wisdom overnight, but she couldn't shake the notion that everyone just knew something she didn't. Had she somehow offended them just by sitting there? With the way her parents had snided her on the daily, she couldn't help but wonder.

Link kept stealing glances at her, but every time she caught him, he hunched over his bowl and shovelled another spoonful into his mouth. She made a point to narrow her eyes as she took dainty sips of her congee but he didn't stammer to justify himself. Whatever. She could confront his weirdness later.

Only when the last spot of rice had been cleaned from their bowls did someone make a sound. Rusl cleared his throat. "So you must be wondering about the plan for today?"

"Are we organising a funeral?" Zelda asked.

Purah bit her lip. "Not yet. When you awoke Wisdom, Impa was supposed to take you somewhere."

A memory from Zelda's previous life lit up. "The Order of Hylia?"

Midna blinked at her. "You have your own cult?"

"Not quite. Zelda Harkinian LXXXII ordered that the organisation be founded before she sealed the magic away, should the seal be impermanent."

Midna slumped back in her chair. "Do all your lives think of everything?" Zelda forced a smile. A faint smile.

"We have members all over," Purah sang, stretching her 'L's. "You've met plenty of us. Ever checked out our awesome tatts?" She flashed the crest of Hylia on the back of her hand as Rusl pushed up his sleeve to reveal the one on his forearm.

Well now Midna felt even more stupid about assuming that he was a Yiga. Apparently he was the opposite.

"Impa had it too," Link said, "and Rauru, Urbosa, Daruk."

"What about Dr Dorephan?" Zelda asked.

"Pssh. Never seen her at the club," said Purah.

Zelda tilted her head. "Club?"

"Where Impa worked, silly," Purah chimed. "It's our HQ."

"Gate of Time?!" the twins cried.

"The club was a front to make some rupees for the organisation." Rusl scratched his head. "Still don't know why it couldn't have been a less social business endeavour."

Purah scoffed. "How many times do I have to explain that the cool cats wouldn't be caught dead hanging around a call centre?"

Rusl sighed. "Point is, I think it's about time we show the kids around."

"But we're not eighteen?" Zelda questioned.

Purah waved it off. "Eh. Who needs ID when you've got those fancy triangles anyway?"

Link was giving Midna that look again. "Can Midna come?"

"As long as you kids don't drink, I don't see why not." Purah turned to Rusl. "What do you think?"

"I think she's more than proven her loyalty." He side-eyed Midna with his bruised brow raised. Yet again, warm purple crept up her cheeks.

In a suburb adjacent to the central business district, Purah and Rusl ushered the teenagers down an alleyway until they reached a set of double doors. It was decorated with deactivated LED lights forming several overlapping cog shapes swirling inward. Impa had shown the twins a video of what the door looked like when activated. A turning tunnel of teal leading to some unknown world or era.

Purah shimmied a brick from the alley wall and showed her tattoo to a hidden camera within. When a beep answered her, she shoved the brick in and waited. In the circle at the centre of the door, a slot slid open, revealing green eyes and tanned crow's feet. "Names?" a deep, feminine voice asked.

Purah saluted. "Purah Eri!"

Rusl waved. "Rusl Alder."

"And your company?"

"Check it," said Purah. "The twins of destiny!" The adults parted to reveal them. "Show your markings, kids." Link and Zelda did so. The doorkeeper's eyes widened at the golden light.

"And the third?" she asked.

"Midna Ozul," Link said, taking her hand. "She's with me."

The eyes grinned at them. "Alright, honey. If you say so." The slot closed, and a click later, the doors were parted by a busty woman with red box braids, pointed ears, and dimples. "What precious little darlings," she beamed. "Haven't seen you kids since you were up to my knee. Come here." The twins were scooped into a crushing embrace, their feet dangling above the concrete.

"T-Telma?" Link rasped.

She gasped, popped them down, and slapped her hands on Link's shoulders. "Your memory's as sharp as a peahat's razor. I ought to give you a free milk for remembering little old me." That did sound nice. Back in Ordon, Mum, Dad, and Rusl had a gathering of some old friends. Telma was among them. Link didn't remember much about her aside from her boisterous presence and the creamiest milk he ever tasted.

"And look at you," Telma awed at Zelda. "The spitting image of your ma. I dare say I see a little Impa in your looks too."

Zelda wanted to take it as flattery, she really did, but it caused the tears to well up again. With a bowed head, she mumbled her thanks.

"Aww, honey." Telma knelt to Zelda's level and pulled out an embroidered handkerchief. "Take a minute to dry your eyes. There'll be plenty of time for that later." Zelda took the cloth and dabbed her tears.

Telma wandered towards Midna next. She clasped her hands together, eyes twinkling. "Well bless my stars. You're Midna Ozul!"

"You know me?" Midna asked.

"Well, of course! Been hearing all about how big a help you've been on the quest. Saw you take down that sleezy CEO on the news too. Count me a fan." Oh yeah. Vaati. That happened the previous night, and it already felt like days had passed.

Rusl cleared his throat. "Telma, we should show the kids around."

"Farore, you're right! Come along and stay close. I'm sure you're a responsible lot, but I best not find ya sneaking a sip of any lonesome glasses."

She ushered the teenagers down some stairs and into a room with round tables and stools fixed into the glossy black floor. There was an LED-traced bar on the left and a dance floor with a stage up ahead. Milling about were dozens of faces, many of whom seemed vaguely familiar, but a handful that the twins could name.

Urbosa was speaking to Daruk at one of the tables and perked up when she saw Zelda. "Hello, little bird," she waved. "Come see our newest member."

Zelda shuffled over with the rest behind her as Daruk shifted aside. "Doctor Dorephan!" she exclaimed. Mipha nodded and showed the tattoo on her inner wrist. It was scabbed and red around the edges. "When did you join?"

"A few days ago," Mipha said. "Um, Ms Eri referred me soon after I healed her. My condolences, by the way."

Zelda bowed her head. "Thank-you. I hope you don't consider your efforts in vain."

Mipha smiled softly. "Not at all. Surely that extra week was still precious?" Yes, it was. It so very, very was.

After wrapping up that bittersweet conversation, Purah beckoned the teens over to the stage. Rusl was rigging up a mic stand. "Who's the speaker?" Zelda asked her aunt.

"You, silly."

In those two nonchalant words, Zelda was hurled back to the last time she addressed a crowd. She had been sleep-deprived and in far too much emotional turmoil, just like the present. Her weak mouth had put Midna through the Dark World. How could she be trusted to take the mic ever again?

Zelda shrank away from the stage. "I couldn't."

"Aww, c'mon," Purah said. "You're a gifted speaker, and ever since Rauru's death, moral has been pretty shit around here. It'll mean a lot to hear from you."

"Perhaps," Zelda mumbled, "but I don't want to mess up again."

"Hey." Midna rounded into Zelda's view. "You'll do fine. I know you will."

Zelda bowed her head. "I couldn't possibly. Not after what happened last time."

Midna pouted. "Jeez, you're still hung up on that?" Zelda nodded meekly. "You know, I've always thought that if you never quit the election, you would've won."

"But so many would've voted for me because I'm a chosen hero."

"And plenty more would've done it because you were always the best candidate. Even the debate disaster didn't kill your campaign, so don't count on it to kill this too." Midna grabbed Zelda's shoulders, spun her around, and pushed her towards the stairs. "Go get 'em, Ms President!"

Zelda tottered up the steps and kept her head bowed, away from the gathering crowd, as she shuffled towards the microphone. Only when she curled her hand around it did she look up.

Some faces were excited, while others were solemn. It was such an odd mix. How many people knew the true fate she and her brother would have to face? If she wanted to ensure that the Order of Hylia remained strong in case magic seeped back into the world generations from now, then she would have to reveal the truth to all. Urgently. They needed a plan before Demise had the chance to catch her.

She gave Link the subtlest of nods. It conveyed what it needed to. If you want to tell her, do it now.

Zelda cleared her throat into the microphone. "Thank-you, everyone, for all that you've done to assist my brother and I on this quest." It hurt not to mention Ganon, but she wasn't sure how favourably the Order saw him, and she wasn't ready to handle any outrage. "To those who kept the media in check, thank-you. To those who hindered the police, thank-you. To those who granted us favours when we needed them, thank-you.

"Though we share a great sorrow regarding the loss of Mr Rauru and Impa Eri," she brushed away a stray tear, "we are on the cusp of sealing away the magic and preventing calamity. My brother and I have awoken our Triforce pieces, and that grants us the ability to fulfil our Goddess-given roles."

Link took Midna's hand. "Let's go."

"But her speech," Midna whispered.

"It is… unfortunate that certain sacrifices must be made for the future of Hyrule," Zelda stalled.

Link pulled Midna's hand into his chest, much like he had outside the police precinct when he only had her to hold him together. "Please."

Well, she couldn't refuse that now, could she?

Black particles flew from the twilight sky, puzzling into the couple, hand-in-hand, in the middle of the crumbling mirror chamber.

"So why did you wanna come here all of a sudden?" Midna asked.

Link pulled out his slate. After a few taps, he slipped it in his jeans and a nostalgic melody played from his pocket. Midna laughed. "How could I be mad at you for sweeping me away now?"

Mindful of the rubble, they danced about the ruins to 'Ballad of the Wind Fish' by the Indigo-Gos. It began as a cheerful tune, and they matched the energy with twirls and laughter. Link was hardly a graceful dancer, but he could match Midna's rhythm, and that was suave enough.

Even in the aftermath of overwhelming loss, Link had offered Midna a sliver of the peace she had dreamed of ever since Impa had opened her home to her. They were alone, free from her parents, free from the villains, free from every judgemental glare.

As the song mellowed into something softer and bittersweet, they drifted closer, gently swaying in each other's embrace. With her waist in his arms and his head tucked under her chin, Midna was the luckiest girl in Hyrule, and she wanted to make it known.

"Sometimes I still think about that night in the woods," Midna murmured, "and where my life would be if you hadn't made it out." She nestled closer. "I know we've both lost so much lately, but I'm really glad I still get to have you in my life."

The song still had a few more lines to go, but Link had already stopped swaying. He was still as stone. He always went still whenever something was crushing him. This moment was supposed to be peaceful. A fleeting respite. This undercurrent of unknown sorrow didn't belong.

Midna stilled as well. "Why did you really bring me here?"

When Link pulled away, he didn't look at her. No. He was transfixed by the black stone that was once a gateway between worlds. "Do you really think it was fear that kept the wolf and the imp apart? Not duty?"

Something sank in Midna's chest. Something dreadful. "What are you talking about?"

Link's tongue was hostage to his heart. He needed to tell her. He needed to be honest, but as soon as she knew, what if she shattered just like the Mirror of Twilight?

He needed to be brave. Brave enough to look her in the eye as he held her close. Brave enough to gather his words and set them free. "I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to break another promise."

Midna's mouth hung open for a good while, and when she spoke, her voice cracked. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"No! No. I'm gonna do worse." This wasn't going well. Her heart, something so strong and so fragile, was in his hands, and he was about to just... drop it into a mound of broken glass. "Me and Zelda. Our spirits are bound to the Triforce. When we seal away the magic…" He couldn't bring himself to say the rest, but he didn't have to. The realisation morphed her silence as she stared at him like he was a pictograph of Veran's remains.

He might as well keep going. Make his most vulnerable request. "Will you stay with me, until the end?" More silence followed, but something cold and dark ate away at it. She slipped from his embrace, and then the chilling words came.

"How dare you," she seethed. "I just gave up my family for you. I've gone through so much shit for your stupid coins. I did it because you made me believe that we wouldn't have to suffer anymore, and now you have the audacity to ask me to march you to your death?!"

Link's jaw hung wide. He knew she'd be hurt, but he didn't expect her to take it personally. "You're allowed to be mad, okay?" he said. "But this isn't about you. It's about Hyrule."

"Oh, how heroic of you," Midna sneered. "I'm sure all the legends will remember your sacrifice, Mr Important Hero. They'll glorify it. Remember when Link Harkinian died for us? Wasn't that badass?"

"You think I want this?" he shot back.

"I think you're giving up! If I was in your position, would you accept it, or would you demand that I figure something else out? Fulfil my destiny some other way?"

Maybe at first, Link thought, but if he truly believed that no sacrifice was worth it, he would have been killed by her Shadowblight form under the graveyard, or he would have never driven the Master Sword through Ganondorf's heart. He did those things because "There is no other way."

Midna spun from him with a snarl. Zant was right about him, and so was Mum. How long had Link known this? How long had he strung her along on this tragic love story? Even if he had only just found out, he should care enough about her, and enough about himself, to never see death as a justified outcome for this quest.

"The Order can take care of you." His footsteps crunched through the sand. "You don't need to go back to your parents." That was not what she was worried about! "Midna," he pleaded. Fingers brushed her arm. "Firework?"

She slapped his hand away. "Don't call me that." The flutters it conjured only caused her more heartache.

Link was stunned for a moment, but he deflated with a sigh. "I'm sorry." It was soft. Fragile. Vulnerable. "You're right. We do deserve better." Wait. Was he reconsidering? "But destiny comes first."

Yet again, she was a fool. He stepped towards her, but Midna snapped her fingers. His boots broke into black particles that flew to the sky.

Forget the hurt in his eyes. "Link, I…" Say your final words. "See you later." Cower behind your lie.

The last of his fractals left the desert, and Hyrule's loneliest girl crumpled to her knees. No one heard her howl.