*Apologies for removing this chapter! I had to revise the ending, so if you've already read this chapter, just skip to the part here Midna met Wolf Link. Not only was I unhappy with the overall result, it was full of embarrassing mistakes. Also, I was able to correct a few typos. Thank you for your patience!*
"They know…"
Lana cracked an eye open. It was so early in the morning… Why was it now, after being perfectly silent for a few days, the Mask had to bother her? She reached over to her nightstand, feeling around lazily.
"To your right."
The sorceress grit her teeth in annoyance and shifted her hand in the direction she was told. She picked up the Mask and held it above her face.
"Did you need something?" she asked sarcastically.
"Indeed I did," the Mask replied. "Cia and her army… They know when you're coming. The black witch is training her followers. She has put a spell on her dear pet wolf. Now he's completely fallen for her. So I'd watch out for him."
A soft laugh emitted from the Mask. Lana bolted into a sitting position at the news.
"How do they know?!" she demanded. "How told them? What happened to Link?"
"Quiet," the Mask hissed. "Your high-pitched voice is beyond irritating. Allow me to explain. The witch put a spell on Epona so she could understand human words. Then she sent the Hero of Twilight to get information from her. And thenshe put a powerful spell on him, one that will make him do whatever he can to assure her safety."
Lana furrowed her eyebrows. "A love spell?"
"Something like that. But it hasn't reached its full power yet. It was only cast on him yesterday. You must attack early or else they'll see it coming and Link will become as hostile as Cia wishes him to be."
"Early?" Lana repeated. "Then we'll have to attack today or tomorrow. We're not ready!"
"How so?"
"Well, the Gorons are sharpening Impa's blade, Link's been slacking off, Agitha's still missing, the army's not-"
"Yes, yes. I understand. But you only need two people. Yourself and a partner."
"Why just two?" Lana questioned. "Cia's Links know their stuff. And there are three!"
"Listen, I know what they're doing. The witch put a spell on my puppet to make him forget about me for the time being. But my hold on him remains strong. I see everything through his eyes. And I can tell what you need."
"…Fine. And I assume you want me to give you back to the Hero of Time when I go."
"Smart girl. Now, do what I say and you cannot lose. Leave in a few hours with only your most experienced warriors. Begin gathering them immediately. Begin a full-on assault. Stealth will not be your ally in this battle. Make it clear you've arrived."
Lana nodded. "Okay. I'll try it. But you'd better be telling the truth."
She slid out of bed, placing the Mask back on her nightstand.
"Wait, girl," the Mask called. Lana stopped before the doorway and looked back. "Before you leave, I need to tell you something." The sorceress could practically feel his mischievous grin.
"Bring Midna."
Dear Diary,
This is my first entry here. Cia made me this journal to keep me busy. At first I thought I'd fill it with drawings of bugs, but Beetle said it would make a better journal. And I can draw bugs in the margins! I'm glad to say that my first entry will be a happy one. Ever since yesterday Grasshopper's been having this big dumb smile on his face. He keeps drifting off into thought. He gets especially excited when Cia walks in!
Caterpillar always winks at me whenever he gets that dumb smile. I don't know what it means. Even Beetle laughs at Grasshopper's face. No one will tell me what's going on! I tried asking Mr. Fire Ant Volga but he just looks away and gets all red. And when I ask Ms. Queen Ant Cia she gets all happy and tells me it isn't children's matters. At least she's been nice to me.
Grasshopper's been getting super nice too. He lets me hang around him more and is simply much more upbeat when we speak together. I won't deny how cute is enthusiasm is, but where has this sudden change come from? I'll ask Ghirahim later today. He's been training me in magic and I've been getting pretty good! I can even summon a giant beetle for a little bit! I'll tell you what Ghirahim says next time, Diary.
Agitha closed her diary contently. She guessed Cia was in a very good mood to make her such a thing. It was shiny and purple and had a lock in the shape of a purple Mariposa butterfly. She set it on her dresser and smoothed out her dress. Her royal guard was likely on his way to lunch right now, like he did at this time every day, and she wanted to join him.
The Insect Princess opened her bedroom door and practically skipped out of the room. Wolf Link was in the near distance down the hall, making his way to the dining room. After a few of her steps echoed, he turned around to see how it was.
"Good afternoon," she greeted with a quick curtsey before running to his side. "How was your day so far? Agitha hasn't seen you since you first woke up."
"Oh, right…" Wolf Link scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I was doing some –err, training."
Agitha tilted her head. "Again? But you already trained yesterday."
"I've been pretty behind, so…" His face suddenly turned red as he got that stupid smile again. "It's not like I mind it or anything."
"You know, Ghirahim's been teaching Agitha magic," the princess grinned. "Can she join you next time?"
"No!" Wolf Link realized how panicked he sounded and cleared his throat. "I mean, you've got Ghirahim and all that."
"Did someone call me?"
The Demon Lord suddenly appeared in a shower of diamonds before them. He flipped his hair dramatically.
"Hello, Ghirahim," Agitha said, curtseying once more. "Are you on your way to lunch as well?"
He chuckled a bit before replying. "Of course I am. I can't leave my slave alone for too long. But have you noticed how much time I've been giving him to breathe? That ingrate had better be happy!"
The trio casually strode into the room they used for eating. Young Link was just running out of the opposite hall with Sky and Zelda to sit down at a large wooden table. Cia was magically spawning food to cover the table's round surface. The Hero of Time leapt into a seat and studied a pile of mashed potatoes excitedly. Zelda giggled at his behavior, something she'd become used to since her arrival, and sat down next to him. Cia, for whatever reason, grimaced at the queen's arrival and took the seat across from her.
"Sit down next to me, Link," Zelda invited Wolf Link, patting the empty chair to her left.
The Hero of Twilight looked to Cia for approval. With gritted teeth, she seemingly forced herself to nod.
"My grandson is pretty popular with the ladies, eh?" Young Link smirked playfully, raising his eyebrows. "You get laid lately, Sky?"
Sky Link sat next to his younger incarnation as Wolf Link made his way towards a chair by Cia. "The closest I've gotten to that was a girl in Skyloft saying I get more handsome every day."
"Oh?" Young Link asked, nudging his side. "You gonna ditch Zelda for her?"
"Of course not," Sky Link laughed, reaching for a plate. "Her name's Karane. She's dating someone already, so it's not like she's available anyway."
"Shame," Young Link sighed. "How can someone with such devilishly good looks have such a hard time getting a girlfriend?" His expression sporadically turned to one of horror. "You're not gay, are you?"
Zelda's face also became twisted in fear. Sky Link simply shook his head, so used to such sudden comments that he wasn't fazed. "Nope. But I've never fallen in love with anyone except-"
He realized what he was about to say and stopped immediately. He looked down and picked up a ham sandwich for his plate, leaving an excited Young Link leaning over the table with anticipation.
"You're no fun," the Hero of Time grimaced. He fell back into his chair and crossed his arms. Agitha could've sworn she saw Cia let out a sigh of relief, while Ghirahim scrunched his face in disappointment.
"Excuse me," Agitha interrupted. "But where's Mr. Fire Ant? Isn't he hungry?"
"If he's any later I'll let you try out your new spells on him," Ghirahim smirked. The Bug Princess nodded excitedly, settling in a seat between one Ghirahim took and Wolf Link.
"That bastard can hold his own," Young Link said between bites of a slice of bread. "I come back almost dead and all he gets is a dislocated shoulder and shit."
Zelda ruffled his hair and he instantly quieted down at her touch. "I do hope he's doing alright, but let's not worry too much about him. Right, Link?" She turned to him, but found him staring at Cia in some sort of a trance. "Link!"
He flinched violently at his name, causing Young Link to laugh at him like it was the most hilarious thing in the world.
"Got a bit distracted by something, did you?" he snickered. "Or…maybe two things. Eh? Eeeeh?"
"Hey!" Zelda slapped his head gently. "Don't be so rude!" Noticing Cia's beet red face, she slumped her shoulders in embarrassment. "I'm very sorry about him."
"Nothing to be sorry about," the sorceress mumbled. "It's not like you can control what he says."
"Oh, come on!" Young Link huffed, throwing up his hands. "Does anyone here have a sense of humor?" He pointed to the Demon Lord. "Ghirahim, my man! You know I was just joking, right?"
Ghirahim rested his chin in his hand and smirked. "Of course. You know, you'd make a good slave. I need someone upbeat around between my master and this one." He jabbed a finger at Sky Link.
"I would be honored, but I'd prefer my princess," Young Link shrugged. "She's adorable and you're, uh…" He eyed the Demon Lord up and down. "You're sort of creepy."
Ghirahim quirked his visible eyebrow. "I take offense to that."
"Good." Young Link stuck out his tongue and stole some biscuits from his sky counterpart's plate.
The screech of chair legs scraping against the tile floor made the group halt their actions instantly. Young Link stared at Cia mid-chew as she began to back away from the table.
"What's the matter?" he asked, gulping down his meal.
"Don't mind me," Cia smiled politely. "I just need to check on Volga for a moment. I'll be back soon."
"But you've barely eaten," Zelda replied in a concerned tone. "It can wait until you're finished."
Cia inhaled sharply in annoyance, but kept her smile. "I said I'd only be a moment." Without another word, she rushed off. Once out of the room, Wolf Link slumped his shoulders and stared at his plate sadly.
His ancestor shook his head. "I get that you've just found your first love and all, but can't you think about something else for once?"
Wolf Link turned to him and raised an eyebrow judgingly. "How do you know she's my first?"
"It's obvious," the Hero of Time replied knowingly. "When I first fell in love, I had the same look on my face. And it's not like a stupid childhood crush. Those ended…pretty fast for me. I'm talking when you literally walk into crap thinking about someone, you stay awake at night thinking about them, and everything they say to you makes you get all excited… That sort of stuff. And don't try to deny it. I saw you faceplant into a wall this morning."
A ripple of laughter swept through the room as Wolf Link's gaze went back to the table.
"Don't make that face," Zelda giggled, rubbing his back gently. "I've felt the exact same way you have. It's perfectly normal."
The hero met her gaze slowly. "You have?" he asked innocently.
She nodded, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Of course. I actually fell in love pretty late."
"What's he like?" Young Link said loudly. He turned a few heads, particularly Zelda's, but she soon realized why he was doing this. He wanted her to give Wolf Link a little "hint, hint."
"Well, um…" She racked her brain to find a good example. "He's saved my life as well as my kingdom, which is what made me like him." She thought that would do the trick, but Wolf Link's expression didn't change. "He's quite handsome as well. But the only problem is that he's younger than me and I would be breaking laws by being with him…"
"Really?" Wolf Link frowned at the information. "But you're the queen. Can't you do something about it?"
"No. He loves someone else anyway." Zelda turned away after her curt statement, her eyes now empty.
Young Link and Ghirahim exchanged an annoyed expression.
"Are humans always this dense?" Ghirahim asked the hero telepathically. Used to being communicating with this way, Young Link simply shrugged a shoulder.
"Only the ignorant ones," he answered. "My poor grandson is so modest he can't read the mood at all. He must take after me that way. You know, I can't even imagine how Cia got that bastard to fall in love with her."
"This had better be good," Cia growled impatiently. She stopped at the balcony rail and folded her arms. "Alright, I'm here. What's so important?"
A purple fog swirled in front of her and formed into a robe with a single, glowing red eye under its hood.
"It's urgent news," Wizzro said in an uncharacteristically serious tone. "Somehow Lana learned that you knew about their plan. She's on her way here now."
The sorceress dropped her arms. "Now?"
"She's almost here," Wizzro continued. "I didn't catch her soon enough."
Cia grit her teeth in anger. "Dammit!" She lifted her hand as violet energy crackled through it. "You have five seconds to explain yourself."
Wizzro blinked his eye in shock. "M-Mistress?"
"Time's up." She shot a wave of energy at him, but he teleported away before she could strike. She cursed under her breath when he appeared behind her.
"Looks like you used quite a bit of dark magic," he cackled, now sounding like his usual self. "So now you have pay the price. Tell me, what did you use it for?" He dodged another blast of black magic. "I suggest you get your little army together. The time you spend irritating me could be spent getting outside."
Cia rolled her eyes and waved Wizzro out of the way. He vanished with a harsh laugh. The sorceress didn't question his leave and hastily walked back to the group.
"Get outside!" she ordered sternly. Everyone snapped to attention, their eyes wide with alarm. "Lana is on the way. She's here early. We don't have much time, so grab your weapons and head to the front!"
The group instantly stumbled out of their chairs and ran for the weapons in their rooms. Only Ghirahim and Agitha headed straight outside, since Agitha didn't need anything and Ghirahim was a weapon. The rest of the team soon followed, Cia counting them as they sped past to make sure they were all there. Zelda was the only straggler, since she had to create a rapier with her magic. (She probably ran off just to tag along with Wolf Link.)
"That's everyone," Cia said to her. "Let's hurry up. They could be here already."
Zelda nodded sternly. "I'll keep a close eye on Agitha and Ghirahim. We don't need him betraying us."
"Just look after the girl," Cia said, summoning her staff. "I'll worry about the demon. Now go!"
The two women rushed after the others, determined to finally end this war.
"I'm bored."
"We've been standing here for ten seconds."
Young Link glared at Sky half-heartedly. "I get bored quickly, okay?"
"Quiet," Ghirahim hissed. "You're making my ears bleed."
Agitha gasped in worry. "Oh, no! Are you alright? Do you need a handkerchief?"
The Demon Lord gave his eyes a quick roll. "It's a figure of speech, girl." He let a beat of silence pass. "Any sight of them?"
"Not yet," Sky Link answered. "Just be prepared just in case, alright?"
"Right." Young Link twirled his sword in his hand. "…They sure are taking a while, though."
"Are we there yet?"
"Midna, please," Lana sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I told you 'almost' several times."
The princess frowned as she floated past Lana's head. "I don't get the point of this anyway. You never told me why we brought so little soldiers."
Lana looked back at the men walking behind her. She did as the Mask advised, only bringing one hundred of her finest warriors. The Mask was currently fixated to her belt. She was planning to give it back to the Hero of Time like she said she would. Cheating her way through wouldn't help, so she would be true to her word.
"There," the Mask said. "There's my slave. Hurry up, girl!"
She sighed again. This thing was pretty pushy for an accessory.
"Oh, hey," Midna grinned. "There they are." She ducked under a rose bush, a sign they reached their destination. "I call dibs on the wolf. I want pay back for making me go all soft in his dimension."
"Don't-"
"Let her do as she likes," the Mask cut Lana off. "Everything will go according to plan. I promise."
Lana hesitantly backed down and signaled her men to approach the squabbling group before them. "Wait, is that…?" she gasped.
"It's the princess from my time," Midna finished, narrowing her gaze. "And looks like they got Sir Fabulous to help out too. You sure we're ready?"
"At least they're missing Volga. He must be pretending to be injured…"
The Mask had a point. They were at least one down, but…
"Oh, you've arrived." Lana let out a small squeal of surprise as Ghirahim teleported behind her. He pointed down at her and loudly declared, "She's over here, you blind fools. Don't you have any eyes?"
"Crap," Midna cursed in frustration. "Everyone, get him!"
The soldiers dove for the Demon Lord, but he vanished with a snap of his fingers, causing the men to fall humorously on top of each other. The Twilight Princess slapped a tiny hand to her face.
"I'll handle the wolf," she repeated, floating up from her hiding place. The enemy had already started rushing towards the army. Midna narrowly dodged being hit with a swarm of golden butterflies. "The hell…?"
"Ignore it," Lana huffed. "Just go after him."
Midna smirked mischievously at her permission. She instantly disappeared in a cloud of black pixels, reemerging being Wolf Link. He didn't turn around, showing he didn't even realize she was there. She held down a giggle at his obliviousness. Her hair began to form into a giant orange hand, but a sharp pain made it retract into her typical ponytail. A groan of pain escaped her as she held her bleeding arm.
Wolf Link paused mid-swing and began to turn his head, but a tall figure rammed the hilt of its sword into his head. The hero was instantly knocked out and caught by the mysterious person.
"Honestly, how could someone so slow save an entire country?" The white-clad man pointed the tip of his black blade at Midna's throat. "As much of a hassle it is to save a human, I'm afraid if I don't my slave may be taken away. Run along and I won't have to dull my sword killing you."
Midna recoiled a bit at the new addition to the fight. "Who the hell are you? Get away from him, he's mine!"
"One thought at a time, imp." The man summoned red daggers around him, which no doubt cut Midna's arm earlier. "First off, you may call me Ghirahim. Secondly, if you want this boy out of your way, I'll gladly be your opponent instead."
"No way!" Midna snapped. "Do you even know who that is? That guy comes from a parallel dimension to my time where he made the other version of me all soft. She even died for him!"
"And what do you intend to do with him?" Ghirahim smirked. "Torture him until he screams for mercy? It certainly would be unsightly for a hero."
Midna shook her head. "Nothing like that. I'm going to kill him quickly. Not to spare him pain, but just to get him out of the way. I want revenge for what he did to the other me."
"Oh?" Ghirahim stared down at the boy resting on his arm thoughtfully. "And how can you guarantee he won't use his charms on you as well?"
The princess almost gagged. "I'm not as weak as that stupid princess from his world. She tried using him to her advantage and she ultimately became his tool. I'm not taking that chance. Now give him to me or I'll kill you too."
The demon tilted his head curiously. "You don't know your limits in that form. I cut you pretty deep. Don't you think such a small body would bleed out quickly?"
Midna tightened her grip around the wound. As much as she hated to admit it, this freak was right. She had to save the kill for later, but… Maybe if she took the hero elsewhere she could-
"Hey, you!" a familiar voice suddenly shouted. Midna turned her head to see a young boy running towards her at full speed. "Get away from my grandson!"
"Wait…" Midna narrowed her gaze at the boy until her eyes widened with realization. "You're that kid we kidnapped!"
"Damn straight!" Young Link held up his wrist as he sprinted to reveal a golden bracelet with a pink jewel in the middle. He pressed the gem and was engulfed by a blinding golden light. Midna shut her eyes tight, but once the light subsided, she cracked her eye open.
"GAH!" She winced violently at an older version of the child she saw staring at her not more than an inch away from her face. His now teenage self was smiling wildly, grasping his sword in his hand.
"I heard you plan on killing my grandson," he said. "But I'm not able to let you do that. Lay a hand on him and I'll personally decapitate you." He swung his sword lazily. "Deal?"
Midna glared at him. "Screw you. I'm getting my revenge. Now get out!"
This new Link grimaced at her words. "You do realize when he wakes up, he'll be pissed off, right? So I suggest you just leave while you can."
The Twilight Princess bit her lip as she began to understand her situation. She stood between two men and their swords. If she dared to attack one, the other would surely jump her. Her gaze subconsciously shot to a defenseless Wolf Link.
"You just gonna stand there?" the older Link frowned. "You're boring as all hell."
"Allow me," Ghirahim smiled slyly. He absentmindedly dropped Wolf Link (much to his grandfather's horror), and Midna saw her only chance. She bolted low to the ground, ignoring the pain it caused her. The two men watched in shock as she dodged the crimson daggers targeted at her and made her way towards her own prey. Her small body clung to Wolf Link's chest as they began to disappear in a cloud of black pixels.
*Finally! It is complete!
Young Link: IT'S ALIIIIVE! :D
Shut it. Anywho, I just got a new laptop! It's a cheap Dell one, but I don't care as long as I have my Yandere Simulator and Ib. I'm tired so I have nothing creative to write here. ^^ Review and you'll get a Midna plushie!
k bye.*