Inspration: "Gladiator," with Russel Crowe, "The Count of Monte Cristo,"; Eldin's Riddle from chapter 13, and the "Tree of Life," album from Audiomachine for the 2020 reedit.
Special Shout Out: Averan Skybane, this one's dedicated to you.
Original Shout Outs: Stark Girl, Staarsgazer, Shadowheart123, Dang, Lilneo, ShatterShot, mikotolee and Hendrewen.
Re-edited 6/15/2020.
Word Count: 13,862
Chapter 21
Midna
A vision of love:
The twilight sun shined mystically in the sky overhead as I hurried through the fields of gold in front of me. The amber waves of long grass were mesmerizing and accommodating, when I stopped short and allowed myself to fall back within them. I landed softly onto the foliage and stared at the perfect afternoon sky. It was a beautiful day, where the twilight was its most effective. The ethereal light shined like a prism. It was the time of the Twilight Solstice, so the star shower would be starting soon. I loved watching the star shower from the open fields, especially now that a certain someone was here with me. A moment later, a handsome face peered overhead. He was smiling. He was wearing traditional Twili garb like all the men of my country. His dark blonde hair sheened in the sun. His blue eyes appeared ever bluer with the twilight in them. His countenance was that of a king. My king. The rightful king of the Twili. He was where he belonged. He was where he should have always been. Afterwards, he sat down next to me in the grass and stroked my red hair.
"Why did you run off?"
His tone was kind. I stared up at the sky while I contemplated.
"The world is so peaceful. I couldn't help myself. I wanted to take it all with me."
He then ran his other hand over my belly. He became protective.
"You know that isn't wise. You could have been reckless and had an accident."
I grinned.
"But I didn't."
He shook his head.
"That isn't the point."
I giggled and stared into his eyes.
"You worry too much," I whispered.
He gave me a knowing look.
"And you don't worry enough. What if something happened to the baby?"
I then ran my hand over his.
"I would never hurt our child," I promised. "He is going to be the king someday."
Now he grinned.
"You're quite certain the baby is going to be a boy. Why is that?"
I looked up at the sky again.
"It's a feeling I have. Only a mother can truly know such things."
He raised a brow and chuckled.
"Fair enough, but I don't think that is how that works."
I smiled at him and reached up and caressed his cheek. I let one of my fingers linger on his skin.
"I want you to know that my happiest days are with you," I whispered. "My happiest moments are with you."
He stared at me seriously just then.
"I feel the same exact way," he whispered back. "Thank you for allowing me into your world. Thank you for allowing me to love you the way I always knew I could."
I sat up at his words and felt a stirring in my soul. It wasn't simply my baby kicking. This was deeper. This was about our future.
"I always knew you would come back to me. I always had a feeling that the end wasn't really the end."
He took my hand and kissed the back of it.
"I've missed you dearly. I waited so long to find you, but I would do it all again if it meant us being together like this. It was worth every sacrifice."
Those were the words that struck me the most. Those were the words that gave me solace and turned days like today into perfect days. I leaned in closer to fill in the inches between us.
"It was, wasn't it?"
He nodded and half closed his eyes.
"Yes."
I then kissed the father of my baby. I kissed my hero and king. I kissed… Link.
~SSS~
I dreamed that dream many nights for many years. Now, in front of me was the elusive phantom that haunted my dreams, Link. I could not believe he was here. I could not believe he was tangible. I could not believe I could feel him close to me this way. It had been so long. My memories seemed so far away, but now they were storming back to the fore. However, after what was just disclosed, I could see some of the happiness wane from his features. His features… my goddess he was handsome. The years had been good to him. He transformed into the man I always knew he could be. Even with everything revealed, I took a step forward towards him.
"I can't believe it's really you," I whispered anyway.
However, I wasn't met with much of a response, just disbelief. I couldn't say I blamed him, but that did not negate what I felt for him. What I still feel for him. I wish I could take all these people away so I could have a moment alone with him. So I could properly explain to him what was going on. I felt what he was seeing was not the full picture. Not the true picture. This wasn't some scandal that couldn't be explained. There was a perfectly reasonable explanation for my actions. But I did not want to explain them here. I didn't want to do this out in the open. However, the look in Link's eyes could not be denied. He looked betrayed. He looked disappointed. I wanted to take that away. I wanted to explain myself, but it seemed the dialogue was going to be dictated in one direction. He uttered the first thing that was on his mind. That was natural to him.
The hero looked from me to the dragon prince.
"How do you two know each other?"
~SSS~
Link
When I stepped back and understood what was unfolding in front of me -what was truly unfolding- I was dumbstruck. How was this possible? How could this even be happening right now? Midna knew Elbourne? This could not be true. It just could not. Access to this world was cut off. Unless... unless that was all a lie. It had to have been a lie. The evidence was right in front of me. There was a greater deception going on here. Why was their relationship kept secret, and for how long? What was the true nature of it? I was not trying to, but I felt a sudden surge of contempt and jealousy. It seemed completely out of place considering who I had here with me, but it was undeniably there. Midna could not have known Elbourne in secret all these years. She could not have known him in the worst way possible. She just could not. At least... at least, that was what I was trying to reassure myself. However, given the circumstances, my futile hopes seemed futile at best. This was worse than anything I could have ever imagined. It was so unexpected. It was the nightmare scenario. I wasn't a fool. I knew what was going on. I knew what Elbourne meant. Elbourne was Elbourne. His reputation didn't accrue for a casual acquaintance with a woman. Women didn't just associate with the dragon prince. He had an infamous reputation for a reason. It looked like that reputation stretched into the boundaries of the Twilight Realm.
I tried not to appear shocked, but it couldn't be helped. I had questions. Many questions. And I wanted some answers. First, how in the hell did Elbourne have access to the Twilight Realm without the mirror? If such a gateway existed, where was it? Why was it kept a secret from the world at large? Why didn't Midna inform me about such a portal? That seemed to be the strangest caveat above all. Why was I shut out? This was me. Me of all people. I traveled with her. I tended to her when her life force was low. I carried her on my back when she was dying. So, why was I left in the dark? Why was I the last to know of this? Better yet, why didn't she come to me? Did I mean nothing to her? Was our adventure merely an after thought given what I thought we meant to each other? Why was this only known to the Roostians? Why would the twilight queen risk such a huge political fallout by hiding the existence of such a gateway? This made no sense.
I looked between the twilight queen and Elbourne with open frustration. I started with the first thing that came to my mind.
"How do you two know each other?"
Elbourne didn't offer much of a concession. His facial expression became more arrogant when he looked past me to Midna once more. Even so, he offered a trite explanation.
"A few years ago I received an invitation to meet the illustrious twilight queen. We met, a friendship ensued, and afterwards an alliance was formed between Dragon Roost and the Twili, that's all."
That sounded conventional enough, though I knew that wasn't the case. I narrowed my eyes.
"You're lying." I tried hard to control my temper. "You know damn well that isn't all that has taken place here!"
Midna winced slightly at my tone. She was probably surprised with how upset I appeared.
"Link..."
However, Elbourne didn't seem to care.
"Whether you believe me or not makes very little difference to me. Think what you wish. It doesn't negate the truth."
Midna then took a step forward and clasped her hands together. It was apparent she wanted to circumvent this somehow, but in a more diplomatic way.
"Link it is as he says," she confirmed. "The relationship I maintained with the dragon prince was to help stimulate alliances between the world of light and twilight. It was merely a political maneuver."
Midna sounded convincing as most public figures would in a situation like this. However, I knew she wasn't telling the complete truth. I could tell from the way she kept glancing past me to look at Elbourne to formulate her cues. She was hiding the details because she knew the details were sordid. I cut my gaze from the twilight queen and said nothing for a moment. It was then Zelda spoke up from the rear of the hall. The Hylian monarch seemed to have her own misgivings about what was going on here.
"Then you won't have an issue explaining some of the details to me then, will you?" Zelda inquired. "I apologize if I am speaking out of turn my lady, but that answer you gave does not sit well with me. If what you are saying is true, then why was this alliance kept secret?"
There was a brief silence that hushed over the room. Midna, Elbourne, and Xavier had to know that question was coming. A treaty between two of the most powerful nations in the world and it was kept secret from Hyrule? It was preposterous to think Zelda would not question the validity of that. Seeing the kerfuffle he created for himself, Elbourne went back and stood next to Zelda. He didn't say anything immediately, but I saw what he was attempting to do. He wanted to shine more light on this situation, but he preferred to do so in private.
"Do you mind if I have a word with you alone?" he asked her.
However, I wasn't going to stand here and let him manipulate the situation.
"Whatever you need to say you can say it here," I interjected.
Elbourne cut his eyes to me and Zelda too looked my way. Her expression was more stoic, but I could only imagine what was going through her head right now.
"This doesn't concern you," the dragon prince growled. "Mind your own goddamn business!"
Zelda hesitated when she stared at me, but she conferred more to my thinking.
"As tempting as that sounds, Elbourne you aren't in a position to be making such demands. The hero is right. Whatever you need to say to me you can say to me right here. It seems there was enough secrecy procured."
Elbourne narrowed his eyes at me slightly before fixing his facial expression. He couldn't hide behind his title now.
"If that is what you wish, fine," he stared directly at me. "There is more to it than the simple explanation I gave. The truth of the matter is, it isn't just politics. Midna and I are carrying on a rather personal relationship as well."
The twilight queen stared at him shocked. She obviously had other ideas on what to say. She wasn't expecting him to take the conversation in this direction. A tense silence followed. One where I couldn't help but feel my frustration grow. Why didn't they just admit it was a sexual relationship and be done with it? Why were they stringing this along? I for one wasn't going to let up until they did. I wanted everything out in the open. I wanted to know where everyone stood on everything. I was holding out hope to be wrong, but I knew I wasn't. I knew what the truth was. I just wanted to hear them say it. More accurately, I wanted to hear Midna say it.
I turned my attention to the twilight monarch.
"What kind of personal relationship?"
Midna stared me in the eyes and said nothing. There was another silence that engulfed the room. At this point, when my gaze met everyone's faces, even Zelda was giving me the obvious eye.
"Link... please..."
I remained stubborn.
"I want to know," I replied anyway, then turned my attention back to the dragon prince. "What kind of personal relationship?"
Elbourne merely raised a brow.
"What kind do you think? You know what I'm known for. It's not Twili science farm boy. You've passed puberty. You know what men and women do when they're old enough to be attracted to each other."
My eyes widened, not in reprisal, but at his taunts. I glanced back at Midna, who avoided looking at me now and stared at the ground. Nothing more needed to be said. That was all the answer I needed.
I took a step towards her.
"Is this true?" I demanded anyway.
The twilight monarch was hesitant to reply. However, she saw I was serious and I wasn't going to let up. Instead of prolonging what was inevitable, she finally spoke up. She finally corroborated what was untenable.
"Yes Link," she admitted quietly, "yes it's true."
At the confirmation, I looked away and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I caught Zelda staring at me. She had mostly been quiet about all this, but I saw the look she was trying to conceal. Her expression was stoic, but her eyes held the pain. She looked disappointed and I couldn't blame her. I hadn't even considered how my behavior was making her feel. What seemed like a swift moment in time ago, I made all these promises to her. I told her I was willing to prove my loyalty to her and I was acting like this. It was not my intention to hurt Zelda, but this information caught me completely off guard. I should have displayed more self-control with my feelings, but this was divulged to me so abruptly. I had no time to confer with my actions. Even so, that didn't negate how Zelda was seeing this. That didn't negate how this was possibly making her feel. To make matters worse, I sensed what Elbourne was doing. I knew what he was trying to capitalize on here. Just now, he moved closer to Zelda when he saw how uncomfortable she was with my behavior. He lowered his voice and stared at her down cast eyes. He even reached for her hand.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
Zelda nodded, but obviously didn't want to speak on her feelings here. She replied with what was expected of her.
"I'm fine."
Elbourne decided not to let up on the instigation and emboldened his needling. He came a little closer to her ear.
"That was a touching scene a moment ago when they hugged, wasn't it? It was almost like they were all alone in their own world."
The dragon prince was audible enough for everyone to hear. Zelda then cut her gaze to him. She stared at him for a moment. Her expression said it all, but she parleyed with her pride.
"Will you stop it," she quietly chastised him.
"What did I do?" he asked innocently.
"Besides the apparent, you're attempting to be facetious. You know perfectly well what you are doing. Now isn't the time for this."
I was glad to hear Zelda correct him. Elbourne was seriously beginning to annoy me, as I knew he would. This was what he wanted. This was how he intended to try to drive a wedged between us. He wanted to cast doubt. However, I wasn't helping my case by giving him fodder. Another silence came over everyone. It only made the tension worse. As it prolonged, Midna took a step forward. She spoke up, but it only stemmed to make things worse.
"I know this will sound untoward, but these kinds of negotiations are sometimes necessary for peace. It can't be helped that sometimes these things take a salacious turn."
However, Zelda in turn raised a brow. I knew a rebuttal was coming. She, probably like me, couldn't believe Midna just uttered that aloud.
"Carrying on a secret sexual relationship with a powerful kingdom without letting that knowledge be made known to Hyrule is necessary?" she inquired with a hint of cynicism. "Are you serious? Do you understand the political ramifications that have just been found out here? Do you not know that both you and his majesty King Xavier have usurped your authority regarding the passage to the world of light by allowing this to happen?"
I was taken aback. I wasn't expecting Zelda to be so poignant so quickly, but her point was valid. This was not a one dimensional situation the way Elbourne and Midna were trying to make it seem. Two of the most powerful kingdoms in existence allied in secret without Hyrule's knowledge. Whether the negotiation was nefarious or not was not the issue. The issue was that it was done without Zelda being in the know. It did make one wonder what was really the intention of the Roostians and the Twili with that being the case. However, as expected, Midna, as well as King Xavier, didn't take too kindly to Zelda's presumptions.
"My lady... that seems a bit harsh for what is only a leisurely liaison," the king stated.
Zelda scoffed.
"A leisurely liaison? Don't be preposterous sire. You know that isn't the matter at all."
The twilight queen set to defend her honor.
"I don't like what you're implying, but like any monarch I have to do what's best for my people. The alliance is best for my people."
Zelda was not going to let that slide.
"And when exactly were you going to inform me of this?" she demanded, with a little less reverence. "I thought as fellow emissaries, Hyrule would mean something to your negotiation process."
Midna raised a brow.
"Not everything needs to be Hyrule's business. I'm sure as a queen you can understand that."
Zelda stared at her surprised, then cut her gaze to King Xavier.
"It seems there needs to be a correction of an understanding here. I don't know what his majesty promised you or told you, but everything is Hyrule's business. Dragon Roost wouldn't exist without Hyrule's grace."
Everyone stared at Zelda stunned after that, even Elbourne. However, the queen of light stood her ground. I imagine she had to learn to be a sophisticated legislator early on to deal with geopolitical situations such as these. The dragon prince then went to intercede.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now, let's not be hasty my love."
Zelda ignored him.
"Stop being foolish Elbourne. You and your father know it to be true."
Midna looked at Zelda indignantly.
"How dare you? How dare you storm into my realm and make such grievances against me and my people? So now you're saying I have to have your permission to garner an ally in the world of light? Don't make me laugh. The Twilight Realm is its own kingdom and does not need the permission of light dwellers in order to sustain itself!"
This was devolving fast. However, Zelda didn't back down from that statement.
"You know very well this secret treaty, or whatever you want to call it, is going against everything we worked for. Such activities have to be assumed that you have negative intentions for my kingdom your majesty. You may think it isn't necessary to let me know such matters exist, but your very actions prevailed the thought that twilight and light negotiations had to be done delicately. Why else did you destroy the mirror seven years ago?"
Midna's amber eyes widened and she didn't answer Zelda's question. The tension in the room was more than palpable at this point. I looked over at Zelda, surprised at how relentless she was being with her inquiries. For two people who hadn't seen each other in seven years, this was not the way their first meeting should have gone. It seemed all the unspoken misgivings embroiled between both kingdoms were conjuring at once. I knew I was taking a gamble with what I was going to do next. However, I couldn't allow these talks to continue this way. I was going to have to mediate Zelda's approach. This was not effective.
Please don't take this the wrong way Zelda.
I stepped towards the light queen.
"Your majesty, do you think it's wise to begin such a discussion now? We haven't even told the twilight queen why we're really here."
After my inquiry, Zelda stared at me for a long moment. I expected that.
"Excuse me?"
I pursed my lips together, understanding why her tone was so curt.
"It is my humble opinion that these proceedings should be presided differently," I suggested anyway.
Zelda narrowed her eyes slightly.
"I'm very well aware why you're taking the stance you're taking Master Link. However, wasn't it you who inquired of this matter in the first place? Why are you suddenly ready to renege?"
She had me there. I just stared into her eyes. I could see it. I could feel it now. I knew she was angry with me.
Come on Zelda.
"Yes it's true I asked about this first, but the manner with which you're going about the questioning is counterproductive in my opinion. It's doing more hindrance than good."
Elbourne then interceded again.
"How dare you speak to a Queen of Hyrule this way! You have no power here, you are merely a peasant! Why should she listen to you?"
I shifted my gaze to him.
"I know her majesty in ways you will never know her," I said boldly. "The way we communicate is none of your business, your highness."
Zelda didn't take too kindly to my saying that. However, she may have assumed I was trying to put our relationship on display. But I would never dishonor her like that. I would never make a spectacle of her. Even so, her tone dictated something else.
"Explain what you mean Master Link," she demanded.
I paused for a moment, and wanted so badly to dispel her doubts.
"My lady... I only meant that you allow me to offer my advice to you freely," I corrected. "That's all."
Zelda stared at me again. I sensed her frustration mounting with me.
"Then as someone who freely gives advice, you will understand when I need to reject it. In this case, you happen to be wrong. If I find out something that is related to kingdom affairs, then yes I will speak on them. It is not my concern whether a person feels comfortable with it or not. I must think of Hyrule."
My reasoning was ostensibly shot down by Zelda, but I noticed right away Midna was appreciative of my coming to her defense. She even seemed emboldened by it.
"And I must think of the Twilight Realm. Master Link is right in that you have been counterproductive with your discourse. I will not be forced by anyone, not even you, your majesty, to not do what is in the best interests of my people. Never has my throne been approached with such disrespect."
Zelda cut her eyes to me and looked like she was ready to kill me because of what my actions caused. She then shifted her attention back to Midna.
"And never has Hyrule been treated as such an after thought, my lady. You can try to turn this into a one sided issue, but the fact remains that you, his highness, and his majesty acted in secret. I have no idea how long you and Dragon Roost have been conspiring against my kingdom, but I promise you it will not be forgiven if my people suffer for it."
Midna stared at her in total disbelief. As did I. As did everyone to be quite honest. There was another onset of silence that was short lived. The twilight queen soon spoke up.
"Nothing I have done or will do has been mandated to destroy the relations my realm has worked so hard to maintain with Hyrule. How can you think so little of me?"
Zelda didn't answer right away.
"I don't think little of you my lady, but I have to assume you think very little of my kingdom. Why else would you keep me in the dark? Why did I have to find out about this meeting in this way?"
This conversation was becoming circular, with thoughts and phrases repeating itself. With the way things were going now, this situation was going to implode. We needed a mediator. My attempt to do so was not effective. I didn't get a proper foothold of the situation based on how this conversation was progressing. However, with everyone getting so upset so quickly, now even King Xavier felt the need to step in and make a defense for himself.
"Your majesty, it was never my intent on keeping you in the dark," he explained to Zelda. "I was just looking out for the vested interests of my people. The Twilight Realm has organic technologies that we could only dream of in the world of light. I was trying to make a concession for the benefit of both our kingdoms."
Zelda stared at him with open distrust.
"I find that highly unlikely Xavier. You did this with the hopes of me never finding out. So, my assumption has to be as follows: your intent was to siphon such technologies for yourself for the sole benefit of yourself. And that's only to say if I believe what you're telling me is true. You could be telling me a falsehood to curtail your true intentions, your majesty."
The Roostian king was starting to get more visibly upset.
"Now see here-"
"No you see here," Zelda interrupted. "I'm choosing for now to put this matter to the side because a more imminent threat is here upon us. There are dangerous issues at the present. However, make no mistake, there will be a reckoning Xavier if you tried to deceive me with what you just told me. You cannot and will not hold secret meetings, make backhanded promises, then expect me to brush your treacherous actions aside. It shows a gross disrespect for my throne and for the legacy of my father and forefathers." She then turned her attention back to Midna. "Besides this surprising set of events I stumbled upon, I have more unfortunate news for you my lady. A monster of unknown power has just been unleashed and has made his way into your realm. Where he is now, I have no idea, but we have come to warn you for I fear he may try an attempt at your life."
Midna stared at me dumbstruck just then.
"What? How is that even possible?"
The story was long and complicated, and we didn't have time for it now. I decided to interject here.
"It has been made known that there was a second Mirror of Twilight that was reassembled. Encased in this mirror was an ancient evil. That evil is now free and unfortunately he has made his way into your realm. His name is Ghirahim."
Xavier's eyes widened suddenly at my utterance and he took a step back at the name.
"Ghirahim..." he whispered more to himself than anyone present. "Dear goddesses."
Midna narrowed her eyes and directed her next words poignantly at Zelda.
"I see, it looks like it's more trouble you light dwellers are bringing to my kingdom. This is unbelievable. Why in the world would you assemble this second mirror if you knew something so heinous was upon it?"
Zelda's mouth then went agape.
"Are you serious?" she demanded. "The only reason I even did this endeavor was so that the hero could be reunited with you again! I had no idea there were two mirrors! I had no idea there was an ancient demon attached to it! However, it would have been becoming of you, if you had made known the fact that there were illegally established portals linking your realm to mine after you destroyed the mirror! So before you start with your accusations, make sure you can account for your own!"
Midna stared at me stunned.
"How dare you?" she seethed. "Once again you are mistaken. I too had no idea there were two mirrors. I also wasn't the one who established portals to your world. That was my father based off a treaty he made years ago. For a person who doesn't appreciate accusations, you sure have no problem divvying them out!"
It was then Elbourne stepped forward.
"Look, all of this back and forth is getting us nowhere. The fact of the matter is her majesty Queen Zelda is right. We acted in secret and we were caught." He then directed his attention to his father. "I told you this was not a good idea sire."
Xavier's eyes widened at his son's words. He seemed very angry all of a sudden. I could tell from the king's disposition he was about to unload on Elbourne.
"You!" he growled abruptly. "This is all happening because of you!"
Elbourne then looked at his father taken aback.
"What?"
Xavier's countenance shifted immediately.
"Why in the world did you come here with her majesty Queen Zelda? Why would you think this was a viable decision?"
Elbourne was speechless for a moment, but soon his face contorted to one of anger. I couldn't lie, I was surprised at the outburst from King Xavier as well. Considering what had just been divulged, I had a feeling Zelda, Hylia, and myself only stepped onto the outer perimeter of what was truly going on here. The apex was presumably something much greater. However, whether we wanted to be privy to it or not, everyone was about to bare witness to the unintentional inner workings and problems of the Roostians royal blood line. Problems I always assumed were there, but never had enough evidence to substantiate. The Roostians were the Roostians, and my interactions with them were sparse at best. Even so, that didn't seem to matter to the disgruntled king suddenly angered with his son. He was going to show his displeasure whether everyone was comfortable with it or not.
This is not going to end well. I just know it.
~SSS~
Elbourne
I couldn't believe this.
I simply couldn't believe this.
However, I wasn't surprised that my father was once again blaming me for something he obviously didn't know everything about. That was the gripe with us. He assumed I was the root of all his problems and blamed them on me accordingly. It was a tiresome activity, but I learned to deal with it over time. Twenty-seven years of being a disappointment made me a connoisseur. Even so, this time I wasn't going to allow him to shamelessly embarrass me in front of the woman I loved. Zelda was here and there was no way he was going to make a fool out of me. There was already a great deal of contention in this room. However, it didn't seem to matter to his majesty that he was making us an exposition. His anger with me seemed to overwhelm his senses and overtake his rational thoughts.
It was then I stepped forward.
"This isn't what this seems, father." I tried to remain calm. "You may not believe this, but us running into each other was a sheer coincidence."
The king growled at my response.
"I find that highly unlikely."
I raised a brow.
"It's unfortunate that you think such," I tried to keep my tone respectful, "but it isn't unlikely at all."
My father balled his fists at his sides.
"You conniving, underhanded..." He didn't allow himself to finish.
Everyone in the room was stunned at his outburst. I had to admit that even I didn't understand why he was so angry with me. I didn't understand what I had done that provoked him to such a state. It wasn't as though this were his or my first visit to the Twilight Realm. It shouldn't have been such a shock to his system. However admittedly, over the past few weeks I had no idea where he had taken off to. Even my mother had no idea of his whereabouts. He left no correspondence with his personal steward. No forwarding post. Nothing. Now it seemed none of that mattered. Even so, his reaction stated to me that he didn't want me in the know of his current visit to the Twilight Realm. It was obvious he planned on having a discussion with the twilight monarch in secret. That discussion no doubt already took place, but it seemed Zelda, farm boy, and I stumbled in before father could make his inevitable departure. This was where his frustration with me lied, because he assumed I followed after him for ulterior motives. He couldn't have been more wrong.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Now, now, there's no need for the name calling," I said with a hint of sarcasm. "Everyone knows how much you adore me."
He didn't find any amusement in my words.
"You think you're clever, don't you? You think everything is a joke, don't you? Well it isn't. You have no idea what you've just done! This took years of preparation Elbourne! Years! Now you may have jeopardized everything with your theatrics you sniveling bastard!"
I had no idea what he was talking about.
"What theatrics?" I demanded. "I had no idea that you were even here!"
Midna now looked at the king taken aback.
"What are you talking about? Years of preparation for what? This is the first I'm hearing of this."
There was a tense silence that suddenly engulfed the room. Everyone looked around at each other, but the primary focus was my father and me. The Roostian monarch looked like he was ready to pop a blood vessel. However, while keeping quiet he turned to the twilight queen and bowed abruptly. It seemed for him the conversation was over. This wasn't going to bode well with the others.
"I must apologize for the interruption my lady," he said, breaking the silence. "We will have to finish our discussion some other time."
Midna gave him an offhanded look, not understanding how he thought he could just leave after everything he just divulged.
"Sire, I don't think now is the time for you to depart."
It was then Zelda spoke up from behind me.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with her majesty, sire. Your departure would be premature at best. You have a great deal of explaining to do, and it seems her majesty is in need of an explanation herself. As it stands, you cannot leave."
My father looked over at the Hylian queen and was beside himself in anger. However, if he thought he was going to take his frustrations out on Zelda, he had another thing coming. He was not going to be trite with her. I decided then to intercede if necessary.
"Father-"
The king then exploded at me.
"Don't call me that Elbourne! You know I can't stand you, and you know I can't stand when you call me that! After what you pulled today, you're no longer any son of mine!"
I was too stunned to completely register what he just said to me. However, soon the words sank in. The poignancy of his utterance brought reality back to the fore. I worked hard to bury that somber, empty, dark side. But he seemed to be doing everything in his power to conjure it within me. I hated the man he thought I was, but I often acted in his expectation because that seemed to be the only way he would give me any credence. Even though I hated Xavier of Dragon Roost, I hated this man with every fiber in my being, I wanted his respect. I wanted his approval. I wanted him to see me as his son. I knew such a feeling didn't make any damn sense, but the dynamics of my family didn't make any damn sense. I tried to appear stoic, but I couldn't lie, that got under my skin. That shit cut me deep, but I forced a hollow smile.
What else could I say?
"Alright father, alright..."
~SSS~
Zelda
I watched as Elbourne stared at his father. He was just too caught off guard to say anything else in rebuttal. I couldn't lie, so was I. This was beyond anything I was imagining would happen.
I didn't realize their relationship had deteriorated this much.
It was no secret that Xavier and Elbourne of Dragon Roost had a strained relationship at best. Even when Elbourne was a child, his father chose the company of his generals over the companionship of his son. Elbourne's mother tried to compensate for his father's lack of love, but a man was always going to want the approval of his father. Elbourne did everything in his power to try and make his father proud. However, it never seemed to be enough for Xavier... ever. I didn't understand why. I couldn't grasp why he hated his son so much. It seemed so unnatural.
Needless to say, that was why Elbourne's and my relationship was so complicated. I knew how much he needed me in times like this. When we were children, I was one of the first people not to be taken in by his rumored viscious nature, even though he attempted to act on it on several different occasions on my first visit. He was intrigued by my kindness, and soon he treated me with adoration and respect. Over the years, he told me his admiration had turned into deep love for me. I tried to ignore it, but I knew it was true. Though Elbourne was a scoundrel to others at times, I understood where that animosity came from. When analyzing the dichotomy of the relationship with his father, it was easy to see why Elbourne was so intolerable. His vehement disregard for others was bred from his father's vehement disregard for him. His way of communication had been marred by the only man he ever wanted to please. I witnessed the dysfunction first hand on several occasions. I could not come to grips as to why Xavier was so incredibly displeased with his son. What could he have possibly done?
However, what was taking place here presently was a completely different level of malice. The amount of contempt Xavier was showcasing to his son was coming from a much deeper place of hatred. No one knew what was precipitating this. No one. Only Xavier. Link, Hylia, Midna, and myself were bearing witness to what looked like the final break in an already strained relationship between a father and son. The proverbial last straw as it were. The tension between Xavier and Elbourne was reverberating. It was making everyone extremely uncomfortable. Even Link, whom Elbourne had serious contentions with, was starting to feel a little sympathy towards the dragon prince. The impulse on the hero's part was so strong, that Link took a step towards the king, hoping to diffuse the situation.
"Sire, do you think it's necessary to be so cruel-" the hero tried addressing Xavier.
Elbourne then cut his eyes in Link's direction.
"I don't need your defense farm boy! Stay out of this!"
And there was that.
There was the unspoken giant lizalfos in the room.
It was also no secret that King Xavier had an unwavering deep respect for the Hero of Twilight. Years ago, about five or so, I commissioned Link to act as an emissary to the King of Dragon Roost for the purpose of relieving tense communications between the two nations. He came up with some extraordinary ideas to boost infrastructure designs between Hyrule and Dragon Roost. During an event that the nobles had every year, the Aristocrat's Ball, Link laid bare his ideas and Xavier responded favorably to them. That, coupled with Link's past accomplishments as the hero, garnered an unlikely admirer for the young adventurer. Xavier goaded more on the tales and adulation of Link, than any other citizen in either Hyrule or Dragon Roost. And, it seemed to magnify over the years. Xavier's apparent fixation on the talented young hero only helped to drive the wedge further between him and his son.
Link had no idea that Xavier had become such an aficionado of him.
Even so, Xavier scoffed at his son's displaced arrogance.
"This unfortunately has nothing to do with you Hero of Twilight," Xavier said to Link in a respectful manner. "You are an honorable man, and if I needed your counsel I would have called on you." He then turned his attention back to Elbourne. "My son wishes he could be half the man you are."
Link stared at Xavier stunned. I covered my mouth to gasp. Midna too looked shocked. Elbourne just narrowed his eyes in anger. He wasn't going to let that slide.
"I am every bit the man he is! You will never take that from me."
I felt terrible for Elbourne in this moment, but I admired his tenacity. No man ever wanted to be compared to another by their father. However, it was probably something he was used to. The king shook his head, not caring one iota about his son's feelings.
"I've so prayed to Hylia for such a switch," he muttered to himself, "unfortunately, you were shackled to me."
Under her disguised scaffolding, Hylia raised her eyebrows. I looked over at the goddess just then.
If the Goddess of Hyrule finds that to be harsh, then that is harsh.
Midna decided to be quiet no longer. She was going to come to the defense of her lover.
"This is disgraceful. Your majesty, there are-"
The king was not going to hear a positive rebuttal.
"Your majesty you know him in one way and one way only. Just because a man pleasures you immensely doesn't take away the crassness of his general character. I've known my son for twenty-seven years, and he has yet to show me he's the son I want him to be."
Those words were cruel, and in my opinion, unjustified. I saw firsthand Elbourne work his soul off to please his father. Elbourne was first in his class for schooling and became a scholar. He learned strategy and was a brilliant negotiator. He was a dragon master and the best dragon rider in Hyrule. He cared about the welfare of Dragon Roost, even if it was for selfish reasons, but for the most part he worked for the people. By and large, he accomplished things that most men would dream of having a chance at. And, Xavier thought that wasn't good enough? The Roostian monarch saw a deficit where I could see none. If Xavier had issues with Elbourne's promiscuity, he need only look in the mirror for the example. I remember Elbourne before he allowed himself to be used by hundreds of women. I remember the mischievous boy who actually had a kind heart. Unfortunately, I had my part in his erosion too. I used him at times because I was aware how he felt about me. However, I knew if he could change back to the good person he once was, he would be a brilliant king one day. Even now, I could tell he was trying very hard to hold it together, but the pain of his father's words was all in his eyes. That was the one thing that betrayed Elbourne. For all of his forward charisma and charm, I was always aware of what he was truly feeling, because I could see it in his eyes. Even when he tried to mask it from other people.
I felt for him.
I really, truly felt for him.
Even so, Elbourne kept his ruse going.
"You just said ex-son…" he forced a half smile. "You just disowned me, remember?"
The Roostian king seemed more frustrated from Elbourne's utterance. He didn't bother to reply. And, before anyone could stop him, Xavier walked down the steps near the throne and headed for the main entrance. We all stared after him stunned. Where did he think he was going? He still owed everyone an explanation. This was preposterous. I wasn't just going to stand there and let him walk out.
"Sire-" I called to him.
At my voice, Xavier stopped and turned around.
"Your majesty I'm afraid there is nothing left for us to discuss. As such, I must get back to Dragon Roost. I have business to attend to."
Link then spoke up. He knew Xavier was on shaky ground.
"Your majesty, I'm afraid it would be foolish for you to leave now. Whether you like it or not, you owe the Queen of Hyrule an explanation. Furthermore, regarding your safety, we have no idea about the whereabouts of this Ghirahim creature. He could be anywhere in this realm right now. You need to stay here for your own safety."
Xavier had no interests in listening.
"I am a king. I don't have the luxury of staying gone for a long period of time from my people. Chaos could ensue."
Elbourne grunted.
"Is that why you didn't bother to tell mother or me of your whereabouts?" he asked sarcastically. "That certainly states your priorities."
Xavier cut his eyes to the dragon prince.
"Shut up! Don't you say another word to me! That ancient demon is ferocious. That ancient demon is vicious! I have no intention of staying here and letting him kill me!"
Hylia then spoke up.
"With the way you speak, you act as if you've had contact with him before," she accused. "Is that the case, sire?"
Xavier's frustration was mounting.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded, but didn't wait for an answer. "Since when did a king need to answer to a Shiekah? I will not be questioned by the likes of you or anybody!"
Midna soon followed suit.
"Your majesty you're being foolish. If this creature is as you've said, why would you take the risk? You shouldn't leave the palace until a full investigation of this menace is underway. You could die!"
Xavier cut his eyes to Midna.
"Then I will die then!" he said stubbornly. "No one is going to keep me here. No one! Now I must bid you farewell."
After contradicting his previous stance, Xavier turned and stalked out of the main hall. Link attempted several times to reason with him as he walked away, but Xavier would not listen to the hero. The door closed behind him, and silence ensued the rest of us. I couldn't make rhyme or reason with what just happened.
What was that all about? Why was there that much hatred in Xavier's eyes for Elbourne? Why?
I turned my attention to the dragon prince to check on him. Elbourne was still staring at the closed door. I could only imagine what he was thinking. His father uttered such horrible things to him. No one should have been subjected to that. I reached over to him and touched his shoulder. However, he pulled from my attempted comforts and cleared his throat. He was embarrassed. He didn't want to be coddled in front of everyone. I understood that and decided to leave him be for now. But I knew Xavier's words tore him up inside. I went to reach for his hand, but he resisted me.
"I'm fine Zelda," Elbourne avoided my eyes.
Of course he was telling a fib, but I let him be just the same. I hoped to speak with him alone in the future soon. He didn't want to appear weak. Though, I would never think of him as weak. I was certain he had things he needed to get off his chest. At some point the opportunity would present itself.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I was just concerned is all."
I took a step back, but from the corner of my eye, I noticed Midna now staring at the dragon prince and me. There was a mild shift in her manner. I glanced over at her and caught her eye. This matter was far from over. Just because Xavier was no longer here did not mean she herself was in the clear. She needed to provide an explanation herself for her own misgivings. I believe she now saw the need for that as she spoke up.
"That was... that was quite the display. Xavier's anger was visceral. He was vague, but he was probably upset because he was hoping a long standing issue was going to be resolved today."
That was interesting. I waited for her to go on, but she didn't elaborate further. I then decided to inquire of what she meant.
"What long standing issue?"
Elbourne was quiet, but I saw his eyes cut to Midna, relaying a message no words could.
My brows went up catching that.
What in the…?
I glanced back at Midna who I thought was going to answer me, but didn't. However, suddenly she looked hopeful.
"I..." she never went on.
The dragon prince then looked away again. Elbourne had communicated something just then. Link caught sight of it too, but like me he didn't say anything. It was then Elbourne finally spoke up.
"I already told you how I feel about that Midna," he said cryptically. "I won't do it."
That was a vague statement. Elbourne wouldn't do what? I looked between the two of them and stepped back. Midna raised a brow and her expression changed. She seemed indifferent at his words.
"I see," was all she said in reply. "Well, it doesn't make one bit of difference to me one way or the other. It seems that what I've wished for has finally come to me."
Afterwards, she not so subtly looked over at Link. I raised a brow. I think then it was quite obvious what she was talking about. Marriage. Love. Or, something to that nature. Link looked surprised and uncharacteristically blushed. How quaint. I couldn't believe it. At least he was being true to who he was. He didn't need to hide behind any variances anymore. At least he was putting himself out there. However, before he could say anything, something strange happened. A bright light shined brilliantly within the room. It went to and fro and everywhere. Everyone was surprised, looking around to see where it came from. But, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. I made eye contact with Hylia just then, thinking she may have had something to do with the phenomenon. However, she shook her head, signifying she had nothing to do with the occurrence. What was going on?
Finally, I looked back over at the twilight monarch and that was when I noticed... it.
It was subtle.
It wasn't noticeable right away.
But, I saw it.
My eyes widened ever so slightly.
Where in the world did she get that? That doesn't look like anything native to this realm.
The it I saw, was a locket Midna was wearing that rested at the center of her large, protruding cleavage. The piece of jewelry wouldn't have been so strange if the locket's emblem weren't of a man readying to kill a woman with a spear. Such oddities weren't privy to the cote of arms of the Twili. So, why in the world was the Twili queen wearing such an amulet? It was so... grotesque.
I looked around, wondering if the others noticed the necklace too. However, their expressions didn't give evidence of such. Even so, the strange locket suddenly glowed a soft, subtle dark purple. I shifted my gaze to Midna's face and noticed a minor change in her eyes. They were still amber. They were still beautiful. But, they were also fixed. Almost opaque. What in the world just happened? Midna then squeezed her eyes shut and took in a deep breath. After opening them to refocus, she gazed back at Link. That was significant. I wonder beyond all his fixation if the hero caught that too? Perhaps not. It was quite possible that Link's perceptive reasoning was momentarily skewed due to his personal feelings. Her change may have skipped his notice.
I still had to know for sure.
I can't be the only one who saw that. I just can't.
~SSS~
Link
I couldn't lie, I was still dealing with my feelings of denial. I knew the truth was out in the open, but I wasn't ready to accept it yet. I wasn't ready to accept Midna sleeping with my nemesis. This wasn't what I wanted when I anticipated seeing the twilight queen again. It should have been a precious moment between us. Not a side show. Not an after thought. We hadn't seen each other in seven years. I knew there was more we wanted to say to each other. I knew there was more that hadn't been spoken. Unfortunately, the conversation had been overtaken by politics and gossip. I would get my moment. I just needed to be patient. In the mean time, there were more important issues at hand: Ghirahim, and now, the elusive Roostian king. Xavier walking out the way he did left more questions than anything, especially regarding Ghirahim. Did he know the creature? How was he able to express his fear so absolutely? He only made the situation more convoluted. Even so, I took a step forward towards his son. I gave the dragon prince a brief once over. I sensed he wasn't going to divulge what Midna meant or what his glance conveyed. However, I didn't need to be a genius to decipher it either. In any such case, I wasn't going to address it right away.
"Are you alright?" I asked him anyway.
Elbourne shifted his eyes to me.
"I'm not a child farm boy, I'm fine."
I raised a brow and thought to concede, but decided to go further.
"Listen, I understand that you don't want to discuss this, but he said some pretty harsh things to you."
Elbourne didn't flinch.
"Which I'm used to," he then added, "he was just getting warmed up. The real show would have been if he kept going."
He didn't want to discuss it. Fair enough. I then turned my attention to Zelda, who was looking beyond me at Midna. The Hylian monarch had a peculiar expression on her face. I questioned her on it.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
Zelda didn't exactly answer.
"I... I really don't know," she said honestly.
It was then I gave my undivided attention back to the twilight queen. I immediately understood Zelda's perplexity. Something was off. Midna had the strangest look in her eyes. Now, for whatever reason, she was staring intently at Elbourne. What was this all about? I was getting tired of these masked glances. I wanted to know what the hell was going on between the two of them. It was already known what their relationship was. Why hide it now?
"Midna what are you doing?" I demanded all of a sudden. "Why are you staring at the dragon prince like that?"
At hearing that, Elbourne rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Idiot," he muttered to himself, "are you still on that?"
I was going to respond to him, but then Midna preempted my rebuttal. The twilight queen came down her steps and walked right over to me. This was unexpected, and I swear she never looked more beautiful than when she stared into my face. Her eyes looked haunting. Her countenance was subdued now, almost ethereal. She gave me a long once over, and suddenly came close and wrapped her arms around my neck like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. I looked at her stunned at her bold maneuvers, but I didn't stop her. I didn't want to stop her honestly. However, I was perplexed. This was not her a moment ago. She seemed completely different. She finally spoke up again.
"Was I staring?" she whispered with a slight overture. "I didn't mean to. I just... I just couldn't help myself is all."
She wasn't making anything anymore clearer.
"What are you talking about? I just asked you about-"
She put her finger to my lips.
"Shhhhh... let's not worry about that right now," she interrupted in a whisper. "I never got to tell you how happy I was to see you."
I was taken aback. This was strange. Very, very strange. What was going on? I even went to take her arms from around my neck, when suddenly her grip tightened and she closed in on me. There was no space left between us.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
My eyes searched her face.
"You aren't yourself. You're acting strange. If you think this little ploy is going to deter me from knowing what's truly going on here you've got-"
However, before I could finish, she impulsively reached up and pressed her mouth against mine. She kissed me deeply on the lips. My eyes widened at her impulse, and I tried to pull away, but she was determined and held me tightly at the back of my neck. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth to kiss me harder.
"Mmmmm," she moaned softly.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Zelda stare at us shocked. Elbourne just scoffed and smirked. I even heard him mutter, "unbelievable." For whatever reason, I froze. I didn't pull away again, when I knew I should have. Instead, I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to see Zelda's disappointment. I wouldn't have to see her shock in my betrayal. I had to admit, Midna's lips were like fire. She was intoxicating. I knew it would be something like this if I ever kissed her. Admittedly, I started giving into my latent desire, and... slowly kissed her back. I tried not to make it obvious. I knew it was wrong, but Midna was so beautiful, and I hadn't seen her in so long, and she constantly tugged at my heart strings. She haunted my thoughts. She haunted my dreams. This didn't mean I didn't love Zelda. I did love her... I really did. I just needed to get this pent up desire for this woman out of my system. This was the perfect storm of trouble for me because I knew when the time called for it, Elbourne was going to instigate this situation further. Even now, he looked over at Zelda and raised a brow.
"So... you two are in love, huh?" he inquired sarcastically.
The Hylian queen looked to the ground and said nothing. I didn't have to imagine what she was thinking. It was apparent. Then finally, as if on cue, Midna pulled back from the kiss and caressed my face gently. She had no qualms about her behavior. She was acting like we were the only two people in the room.
"I've missed you so much Link," she whispered.
I stared into her eyes, not knowing what to say. On the one hand, I wanted to hear those words from her more than anything in the world. On the other, I knew something was amiss with her actions. She wasn't acting like her true self. Even still, I didn't step back and stop this the way I should have... I let this linger.
"Midna... I..."
I didn't know what to say.
The twilight queen stared into my eyes.
"I'm so glad you came back to me," she went on. "Now we can be together. Haven't you wanted that?"
My eyes widened slightly.
"Midna... I-" I started.
Suddenly, a loud groan interrupted us from the back of the hall.
"This is ridiculous," the voice said. It was Hylia. "Good hero are you an idiot? Can't you see that the twilight monarch is not herself?"
I looked over at the goddess taken aback. I wasn't doing myself any favors by getting on her bad side. She was Zelda's ancestral mother after all. I finally took Midna's arms from around me and looked at her with an objective eye. There was definitely something different about her. Her flirtatious nature was natural, true, but even this was brazen conduct for Midna. I didn't know what to say right away, because I knew I had just made a fool of myself. Midna on the other hand grew indignant.
"Who in the world are you to make such accusations?" she demanded of Hylia. "You wear the emblem of the Sheikah, but you do not conduct yourself in their honorable ways!"
Hylia narrowed her eyes at Midna and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Believe me sister, neither are you. With the way you've just conducted yourself, you should be ashamed."
Midna narrowed her eyes slightly.
"You think you have a right to speak to me this way? Who do you think you are?"
Hylia didn't appear threatened at all.
"I'm merely a servant of the goddess," she replied sarcastically, "nothing more, nothing less."
Throughout their exchange, I glanced over at Zelda. She was not happy. I saw the fire brewing behind her dark blue eyes.
This was not how all this was supposed to go, not by a claw shot.
~SSS~
Zelda
This situation was simply a mess. Decorum needed to be reestablished. I decided to help Hylia in her endeavor. I didn't know what Link was thinking, or where his mind was right now, but it was clear my first assessment was the correct one. He was allowing his better judgement to be clouded by his desire to be with the woman he loved. Instead of focusing on how and where we were going to trap Ghirahim, he was too concerned on learning about the sex lives of Elbourne and Midna. What a fool. Why in the world would that take precedence over a blood thirsty menace? To say I was disappointed was an understatement. For him to allow his good senses to be chaffed was simply intolerable. However, maybe that was just how his mind worked. I wasn't a man in love with Midna. So, maybe that was why I didn't understand why he didn't get it. Maybe he did need to hear the words uttered again and again repeatedly to release himself from his obvious denial. Whatever was the case, it plagued of stupidity and futility.
Elbourne wasn't in the clear either. I was aware that his father had just had a falling out with him, but him goading this situation with his little remarks wasn't helping. I took a step away from the dragon prince and Link, showing my solidarity with the goddess, completely aghast with their attitude and actions at the moment. Elbourne saw my gesture and attempted to come stand next to me again, but I prompted him to stop. I wasn't taking sides in this silly little skirmish. I knew what he was trying to do with probing the fact of Link kissing Midna. I wasn't blind. I saw that she kissed him, but I was also aware that Link wanted her to kiss him with the way he was kissing her back. There would be a time to deal with that nonsense later. For now, we needed to focus on finding Ghirahim. Two questions needed to be answered: why the hell was Ghirahim's essence encased in a portal leading to the Twilight Realm? And, why did Ghirahim speak of an 'appointment' in the land of twilight?
It was then I stepped forward and addressed the twilight queen.
"Your majesty I know for a fact that you aren't yourself," I accused. "Your behavior and manner of governance right now is severely compromised."
Midna didn't take too kindly to my words.
"You're mistaken."
I shook my head.
"I think not."
"I agree," Hylia chimed in. "It's clear that you aren't in your right mind."
Unsurprisingly, Link came to her defense.
"Now wait just a minute-"
Hylia held up her hand.
"Look at her! Take a good look at her!"
Link reluctantly turned towards the twilight queen and stared at her, but didn't reply.
"She isn't the same Midna, Link," I reiterated. "She's under some kind of spell, like hypnosis or something."
Link looked at me taken aback, and then turned to look at Midna once more. So much for things hardly passing his notice. I was surprised he hadn't taken note of her jewelry.
"Hypnosis?" he repeated.
Midna, of course, rebutted our statements.
"They're being fantastic Link. I am not under any spell." She then cut her gaze towards me. "Light dwellers like you enjoy making such accusations, don't you?!"
I ignored her.
"We have to get that necklace off her. That's what's causing her to act so erratic. Its emitting some caustic energy somehow."
Link then gave us an obvious stare and looked like he had the solution.
"Is that all?" He then walked back up to Midna and grabbed hold of the locket around her neck. "I can rectify this right now. It might explain why she said some of the things she did."
I rolled my eyes at his words.
That's wishful thinking Link.
I knew his intent. However, Hylia tried to hurry to stop him.
"No!" she cried out. "Don't!"
But it was too late.
When Link pulled on the chain, a sudden shock pulsar reverberated, sending him flying backwards. He landed hard against a pillar, but didn't sustain an injury. Midna, unfortunately, screamed and fell to the floor unconscious from the aftereffects. Afterwards, the palace shook slightly and abruptly became encased in a force field of red and black electrical energy. It looked like Midna's Twili powers had been released and was now acting as a barrier from the outside. I hurried to a now covered window and saw that the force hadn't just actuated upon the palace, but suddenly there were substantiated Twili hubs scattered throughout the land. The energy looked like it was covering houses of the Twili people.
"Well, that was useless," Hylia muttered of Link's actions.
I turned and looked at the goddess for an explanation. This was unlike anything I had ever seen.
"What just happened?"
Hylia stared down at the unconscious queen before she spoke.
"That locket she's wearing is known as a prodigy locket. It has the seven insidious attributes concentrated in it. It can only be found in the Demon Lord's Lair. It binds to a person's power and manipulates them to control them. In this case, Midna's Twili power acted like a fail safe device so that if anything happened to her, she would at least be able to protect her people with her powers. That damn thing is potent. Where she got it is beyond me."
I had a feeling I already knew. Even so, I stared at Hylia shocked.
"The Demon Lord's Lair?"
Hylia nodded.
"It's a dimension right next to this one."
Before she went on, I saw Link struggling to get up. That blast may have taken more out of him than I thought. At least he was stirring. I hurried past Hylia to help him. I knelt down to check on the hero.
"Are you okay?" I asked, assisting him to his feet.
Link nodded.
"I'll live," he said, then his eyes widened when he saw Midna unconscious on the floor beyond me. "Midna!" Link said in alarm.
I didn't have a chance to react, when Link unknowingly pushed past me and went to tend to her. I was a little taken aback at how rough he was, but I tried not to let it show. His vital force seemed fine. Good, at least he didn't sustain any injuries.
"Looks like he'll be okay," I muttered mordantly.
Upon arriving at her side, Link dropped down on his knees and took Midna in his arms.
"Midna!" he said, patting her cheek. "Midna!" his voice got louder when he got no response.
Before the goddess continued, Hylia came to see about me. She was studying my expression more than anything. However, I didn't let Link's reaction bother me as I knew it was primarily out of concern. Although, I was starting to think I was right in assuming he was being too presumptuous in how he felt about me before. It was clear he had some unresolved feelings for the woman he was trying to nurse. I shook my head and turned my attention back to Hylia and Elbourne. I knew what they were thinking, but I wasn't going to discuss any of it now. I was preemptive in keeping the subject focused.
"Please continue," I said to Hylia.
Hylia looked over at Link with minor disapproval herself, but she didn't say anything either. She decided to forego it for now.
"Very well. Before this land was governed by Hylians, it was under the influence of Ghirahim. Even though he hasn't had rulership on the lands below in a while. It was believed he had a keep somewhere between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm in the multiverse."
I looked at Hylia confused, never knowing such a thing existed.
"Wherever she got that locket, the person who gave it to her was a servant of Ghirahim," Hylia went on.
It was a sobering thought, and made the implications of my assumption that much more disturbing. If it was who I thought it was that gave it to her, we needed to get him back to the palace and question him immediately.
Xavier... did you do this?
I looked over at Midna's unconscious body being held by Link.
This is grave. This is very, very grave. She can tell us who gave it to her when she wakes up, but how do we take it off?
I knew Hylia had to be reading my mind, because she came up with the answer immediately to my second thought.
"We have to make contact with the Twili guardian Exerion," she revealed. "Exerion will give us information regarding the location of the Virtue Key."
I was taken aback by this new revelation and information. I had no idea the Twilight Realm had a guardian, and what was this... Virtue Key?
"Exerion?" I inquired. "The Virtue Key?"
Hylia nodded, but then elaborated.
"Right, I forgot," she said, shaking her head. "Let me tell you this quickly. The Virtue Key is the only aura that will unbind this spell. It has the seven spiritual virtues that counteract the vices Ghirahim's brooch bestowed on her. It can only be found in the Twilight Realm. So in a way, we're fortunate. The issue regarding the guardian is that no one has seen Exerion, or its brethren, in over five hundred years."
The wonders were expounding today. What a revelation.
"There's more than one guardian?"
Hylia nodded again.
"There's three in total. Exerion, Azimuth, and Radian. They were supposed to have only been legend, but I know that not to be the case."
Of course Hylia, you're the Goddess of Hyrule, you've seen everything.
"How are we supposed to find the guardians?" I redirected.
The goddess crossed her arms over her chest.
"The legend states that if you find Exerion, you'll find the other two."
There was a brief silence and I gave Hylia an obvious look.
"Do you have any ideas?"
Hylia gave me a knowing stare.
"I don't… but you do."
I looked at her puzzled, truthfully not knowing what she meant.
"I don't understand."
Hylia narrowed her red eyes and nodded.
"Yes, you do," she replied. "Didn't you go to see Eldin a little while back?"
I suddenly had an ephiphany.
"Yes," I replied breathlessly, "when we came down from Snowpeak."
Link looked over at Hylia with open curiosity just then.
"What are you getting at?"
Hylia kept her attention on me.
"Didn't Eldin tell you something that you could use for later?"
If that wasn't a hint, I didn't know what was. I continued to stare at Hylia, until finally, it hit me.
"The riddle," I said stunned.
I had almost forgotten all about it.
Link looked at Hylia taken aback as well.
"What was it?"
"Wait a minute, I have it here," I then searched my satchel and pulled out the Book of Mudora. I hurried and turned to the back page where I wrote it down. "Here it is!" I said, and then cleared my throat. "'A relative nuance is manifested by seemingly empty matters.'"
Hylia began tightening her wrappings and tying up her bandages.
"You know what to do kid. Decipher it."
I nodded wholeheartedly.
"Right!" My enthusiasm heightened.
Hylia then turned her attention to Elbourne.
"Hey blondie, why have you been so quiet?"
It was true, Elbourne hadn't said a word in a good while. He didn't seem to be in the mood for shenanigans.
"Excuse me?"
Hylia gave him an obvious stare.
"You have some explaining to do," she said matter-of-factly, side stepping the small talk. "The first being how the hell did you know we were going to be at the Arbiter's Grounds?"
Elbourne was taken aback by Hylia's blunt rhetoric. It reminded me of when she first met Link.
"A Prince of Dragon Roost-"
The goddess stopped him right then and there.
"-will answer to the Goddess of Hyrule! Don't be foolish like your father. Let's not forget who's who here."
Elbourne groaned and looked away.
"You see how silly you sound?" Hylia cracked her knuckles. "I can throw out titles too. Now start talking!"
I edged back. I hoped ancestral mother kept her alter ego intact. She had a tendency of going overboard. Elbourne appeared frustrated and looked over at Midna's unconscious body. Everyone looked at him expectantly.
Out with it Elbourne. You might as well come clean.
Elbourne took in a deep breath and suddenly cut his gaze to the goddess like a man with a resolve. He was silent for a moment before he spoke up.
"When I… when I looked up the information of the mirror, I read that the first mirror had been established in the Arbiter's Grounds," he confessed. "It was natural for me to assume that the second mirror would be assembled there as well. I knew it was the best possible destination considering I knew how eager Zelda was to get her hands on the shard at the festival. I got there and hid before following you into the crypt. However, I was locked out for a time when you got down to the bowels."
That was true. He couldn't have gotten inside at that time because the door was entombed when I was fighting Hylia.
"When the door opened," Elbourne continued, "I heard the point of the conversation pertaining to seven attributes, and then I saw you," he pointed to Hylia, "and you changed to the way you look now."
I didn't realize the door to the chasm had been shut that long.
It didn't seem that way.
Hylia narrowed her eyes at him.
"Why did you follow us here when you have access to the Twilight Realm by means of Midna?"
Elbourne hesitated, but then shifted his gaze to me.
"I wanted to know what Zelda was up to," he said honestly.
I stared at him surprised, hardly expecting that to be his answer. It wasn't something grander than that?
"Me? Why would you be worried about that?"
Elbourne just stared at me again, but soon after a strange, and almost sad, looking smile spread across his handsome face. He stared deeply into my eyes. I knew that look. I had seen that look many times before.
"It shouldn't be a surprise to you that I'm always worried about you Zelda," he confessed. "You know why, it's because I'm in love with you, it's as simple as that."
I felt numb for a second, not expecting him to be so candid so openly, but I sensed he was going to say something of this nature sooner or later. Even still, I didn't know what to say. However, it was Link's reaction that surprised me the most. It was almost as if he was transported back to reality. He nearly dropped Midna's body when he heard the dragon prince's confession. The hero had to readjust his grip and place Midna gently on the cool adamantine ground so as not to cause any injuries to her. Afterwards, he turned to face the rest of us.
"You're what?" Link demanded.
Elbourne didn't answer him. He was focused on me.
Why is he confessing this now in front of everyone? This isn't like him.
"I'm not going to lie," Elbourne went on speaking directly to me, "I get a little greedy when I get around you Zelda."
My eyes widened and I covered my mouth stunned. Link said the same exact thing to me. The same exact thing. How could something so uncanny possibly take place? I didn't know what to say. What could I say?
Hylia raised a brow and looked over at me.
"Oh boy," the goddess muttered.
I took a step back and suddenly realized I couldn't step back anymore. I had walked into a barricade. Link was right behind me now. I was speechless.
"Elbourne…"
I then turned to look at the hero, who was now staring at the dragon prince. He didn't hide his disgust.
"I knew you were going to try something like this," he said, keeping his voice low. "You were just looking for the perfect opportunity."
The dragon prince then cut his eyes to the hero.
"Don't get me started on what I really think of you and what you just did here farm boy," he replied. "I don't even know why Zelda puts up with you."
The tension in the room was rising.
"What did you say?" Link demanded.
Elbourne didn't flinch.
"You heard what I said. Take it for what you will."
I couldn't believe this was happening right now. Of all the times for these two to decide to have a skirmish it would have to be now. I made it a point to stand between the two of them so nothing would transpire. However, the tension in the room was undeniable. They were just staring at each other. The flicker of a flint would ignite the room. This wasn't just one moment. This was years of conflict and disgruntlement embroiled into each other. However, before this personal matter got out of hand any further, a loud sound suddenly alerted us outside. It was a scream. Startled, we forgot our differences immediately and ran over to the nearest window. To everyone's horror, Xavier was hacking away at some large creature that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Was Ghirahim already on the attack?
"Dear goddesses, he's already made his move."
Hylia was the first to act. She retied her arm bands and fixed her breastplate.
"Looks like the conversation is going to have to wait gentlemen," she headed for the exit. "The king of Dragon Roost ran into an unexpected visitor."
The next chapter will be up soon.