The first time Link met Midna, he had almost hit her with his car. It was late at night during the peak hours of a thunderstorm. He was driving home from a late shift at the animal shelter, and was eager to get off the road. His truck bounded down the strip of pavement, splashing through puddles and hurdling through the cascading rain. He rounded a turn and reached to adjust the wiper speed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her.
"Holy!-" He shouted.
He slammed on the brakes and grabbed at the wheel as he was thrown forward. He jerked the vehicle to the left, hearing the screech of rubber against road. He came to an abrupt halt, being caught by his seatbelt as he was flung by momentum.
He took a few deep breaths, as he clung to the steering wheel. He slowly lifted his head, gazing tentatively into the scarcely lit darkness.
She stood in front of his car, wide eyed and scared while his headlights cast harsh light over her. Mascara flowed from her eyes as smudged red lipstick precariously sat on her lips. She held a pair of shoes in her hand, one was missing a heel. The coat she wore hung on her shoulders, its waterlogged form coiling around her like a snake. Her dress was ragged and torn, showing bloodied knees.
They stared at each other through the moving wipers, both astonished.
"My god." Link uttered, fumbling with his seatbelt and stepping out of the car.
"Are you alright?" He yelled over the rain.
The woman stared at him and took in a shaky breath.
"Are you alright?" He asked again.
She took another breath. "Yeah...I'm great."
Link let out a puff of air and looked around, his hair casting drops as he turned. "What are you doing out here? Wait, where are you going?" He inquired as she walked past him.
"I'm getting off this godforsaken road before some other idiot in a truck tries to kill me!"
"Okay…" Link said, rubbing the back of his neck "But, where are you going?"
"I'm going to Orden, or Ordin, whatever it's called." She shouted back at him.
"Ordon?" Link offered.
She turned back to him, looking like a drenched cat. "Yeah."
"I could…take you there." Link told her in the kindest voice he could muster.
She squinted at him with a scowl. "Thanks, but I don't really want to get in a dirt covered truck with some hillbilly that almost ran me over. I'll get there myself."
She stalked off, muttering to herself.
Link didn't know what to make of her remark. He had never met a more disheveled woman, and he had never met one with such a sharp tongue. However, link was not the kind of guy to abandon a woman in her time of need, no matter how ornery.
"Okay," he called after her. "But, you're going the wrong way."
"What?" she seethed back at him.
"Ordon is that way." He pointed ahead.
"I came from that direction!" she screeched, glowering at him.
"You must have missed the turn."
The woman looked back the way she came, to the path in front of her, and then finally up at the storming sky. She gave an angry groan and stalked toward the truck. She reefed open the passenger door and sat inside.
Link sighed and returned to the driver's seat, his wet clothes squeaking against the dry material. He switched the car into gear, and began to drive. The first few minutes were filled with tense silence. Link subtly looked at her. Her arms were crossed and her face still had an immensely displeased expression.
"My name's Link." He said lightly.
The woman didn't say anything.
"What's your name?" He asked with some hesitancy.
The woman grumbled and glared at him, as if exchanging names was a burden.
"Midna."
XXX
Link had never dreamed of visiting a large city, but when Ilia received a sizable scholarship to a university in New York, he agreed to accompany her on a campus visit.
The journey from his small town several states away had been a long one. It had been his first time in an airplane, a trip that granted him a full understanding of why so many people hate airlines.
First there was a mix up with the tickets, and he and Ilia found themselves sitting on opposite sides of the plane. Link was positioned between a man who smelled like he'd never seen a shower before in his life, and a rather large man who seemed to have an undiagnosed case of narcolepsy ─ more than once, link found the man's head resting on his shoulder. If that wasn't bad enough, Link had to endure the rhythmic drumming that resonated through his seat as the child behind him avidly kicked away.
When they finally arrived at the airport and were finally free from the claustrophobic conditions they had been forced to endure, they found themselves missing several bags of luggage. After alerting airport personal, an act that earned them a shrug and an unconvincing "we'll look into it", they walked to their hotel.
Not daring to spend money on a taxi, something they regretted half way through the trek, they had slowly made their way to their temporary housing. The hotel they were staying at was not impressive and stood in the middle of a somewhat unfriendly neighborhood. After they threw their surviving bags on the worn floor and plopped into their two separate beds, Link found himself wondering how anyone managed to live here.
As the days went on, he found himself becoming increasingly homesick. The murmurs of bullfrogs and the quartet of crickets he once fell asleep to were now replaced by car horns and angry shouts. The fields of green he once walked were now crowded sidewalks that held bustling and irritable people.
Despite his misgivings, Ilia seemed to relish in the change of atmosphere. She explored everything inch of the campus, whisking link along with her.
"It's so big!" She exclaimed one day, as they wandered around the establishment.
"And loud…" Link responded. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay here?"
She smiled at him "I'll be fine. Besides, I need a break from Ordon."
Link frowned.
"Oh, don't be like that." She laughed. "I love that little town just as much as you do, but my father is driving me nuts! Besides, if I want a career in anything other than farming, leaving Ordon is my only choice."
"I don't know about that." Link blinked at her. "There are lots of opportunities back in town."
"Yes, but none in fashion design." She responded, patting him on the shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine, in a week or two we'll be back in Ordon."
"Yeah, but…"
"It'll be fine." She said kindly. "Why don't you head back to the hotel, I'll be done here in a bit."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it. Go back, get some rest. Think happy thoughts: cows, chickens, horses, goats, open fields, rivers."
He laughed lightly "what kind of a hick do you take me for?"
"The kind that's content so long as he has the sun and a few trees."
"Well, you're not wrong."
"I never am. So go on." She shooed him. "I'll only be an hour or so. When I get back, maybe we can go to central park or something."
"That sounds great. Just be careful on your way back, you have pepper spray right?"
"Of course." She rolled her eyes. "Don't you worry."
"Alright." Link said with some reluctance, and waved goodbye to Ilia.
He left the campus, feeling grateful for Ilia's understanding and slightly guilty for leaving her. Though he suspected her insistence was result of his misgivings. He walked down the sidewalk weaving between people and offering unanswered apologies as several bumped into him.
His thoughts wandered as he paced on. He thought of Ordon, and of its green fields and lush forests. He thought of Colin and the rest of the kids. He thought of Fado, and wondered how he was doing without his help herding the goats, and if Epona was giving him a hard time. He thought of all the trouble he and Ilia used to get into and found himself unable to fathom why she wanted to leave the peaceful village so badly.
While he can't quite bring himself to agree with her decision to attend a collage so far away, he did support and admire her determination. A smile tugged at his lips as he remembered her adamantly demanding he accompany her to a campus visit. Despite the worries he voiced to her, Link knew Ilia would be just fine, even so far from home.
The thought lightened his steps. The next few weeks would fly by, and then they would return to Ordon, where he and Ilia would have several more months before she left. He smiled, and brought his attention back to reality.
While he expected to see the familiar street the hotel sat on, he instead was given a foreign strip of city. A rush of confusion went through him and he looked around in surprise.
I must have missed a turn. He thought as he backtracked and began walking the way he came.
"You there! Stop!" A woman yelled behind him.
Link froze and turned around. He saw a tall woman shuffling towards him, her heels loudly colliding against the sidewalk. She wore a black suit with a pink undershirt, one that matched her hair as it sat in a bun atop her head. She approached him with an air of satisfaction, and she ran her twinkling green eyes over him eagerly.
"Yes, you'll do just nicely." she breathed and reached into her purse.
Wait, Link thought am I being mugged?
Though the woman didn't seem especially threatening, and certainty didn't look like a typical attacker, Link wouldn't put it past the city to produce such an obscure accoster.
However, instead of a knife or a gun the woman pulled out a business card.
"Esmeralda, scout for the Twilight modeling agency." She explained and held the card out.
Link glanced at her and then the card before cautiously accepting it.
"What's your name, handsome?"
"Uh," He faltered at her remark. "Link."
"Link." She repeated, seeming to roll the name over in her mind.
Link shifted uncomfortably, and he desperately tried to conjure some sort of excuse to dismiss himself and leave.
"So, Link." She continued, jolting him from his thoughts. "I've got this party today, and here's my plan. We show up, everyone loves you; we sign you on for a modeling contract ─ I'm talking photo shoots, runway shows, commercials, magazines. In a few short years you'll be a star, major money. We do all the hard work; you just smile and look pretty."
After that declaration, Link could only stare at her with wide eyes. He had barely managed to keep up with her statement, and now was a loss for words.
"Um…I'm not a model…" He stated shyly.
This remark only broadened her smile. "Well, not yet of course! Don't you worry, at Twilight we take care of our boys and girls. And, if for whatever reason it doesn't work out, we have plenty of other prospects that a gorgeous fellow like you could try."
Yet again, he could only stare at her.
"What do you say, Link?" She beamed at him.
"I…uh…Thanks, but no thanks."
The smile on Esmeralda's face faded.
"In fact," Link went on, hoping to discourage her even more. "I'm not even from here, just visiting with a friend."
"I see." She responded coolly.
"Yeah, I'm heading to my hotel right now. But, I'm kinda lost, so if you don't mind ─ I'll be on my way."
"You're lost?" She asked, seeming to reclaim her chipper disposition.
"Uh, yeah." Link had the sinking feeling he'd said something wrong.
"Well, you're in luck! I'll show you some New York hospitality and take you there."
"You know where my hotel is?"
"Darling, I know where everything is."
On that remark, Esmeralda marched forward, hooked her arm around Link's shoulders, and began leading him down the sidewalk.
"Oh yes, and one other thing," She added, feigning absentmindedness. "Before I show you to your hotel, there's just a small detour we have to take."
