A/N: Happy New Years Eve, everyone!
We finally throw our third and final POV onto the page: Midna. The moment I started writing her snarky character voice, I fell in love.
Shoutout to the Midlink Discord! The hype you show for this story is unreal and I'm really feeling the love :D
The Light Invasion
PART I - DESERT THE ARMY
Link of Ordon: Is your duty to your kingdom, or the parasite in your shadow?
Chapter 5 - Mr Important Hero
Link scampered down the road, across the bridge, and up the hill like a child called in for pudding. There were no more shadowbeasts. No more threats to the little family he had left. Pergie wouldn't have to fear every sound her boys made. Colin wouldn't have to quietly sob in his mother's arms. Ilia no longer had monsters in her basement or in the open. She was safe. Everyone was safe.
If Link dared to be so lucky, he might finally be rid of the insufferable imp on his back too. Once he got his human form back, he'd be harder to control. No more unquestioned orders. No more one-sided snarks. No more kicks to the ribs. She'd learn the meaning of the word 'no'.
He splashed into the chilly waters, tail wagging and tongue flapping. That feeble orb swirled before him, but soon it would be a dazzling spirit again, and it would divulge Link's destiny. Right? Right.
"Aww, but it was so nice here in the twilight," Midna whined. "What's so great about a world of light, anyway?" Midna spun the stalk of the light-filled orb in hand and tossed it. The bulb sailed into the upper shelf of the spring with a ringing plop. Blinding gold spread, rippling and lapping at Link's ankles.
Midna twisted off his back and hovered in her shadow form as the golden light swallowed her figure. "See you later." In the blinding white, there was only her cackle.
When the light faded, gone was the orange hue, the rolling black clouds, and the muted tones. Moonlight shimmered against a pastel blue reflection of pine fronds. It was a calm reprieve from all that had ailed Link since the sun refused to rise. Even his beastly form and singing wounds didn't ail him. In fact, it was as if he was being remade, but that sensation was in the background. He existed only to observe the golden orb rising from the waterfall shelf.
Swirling beams shifted and shaped into the grand and radiant goat that had come to his aid. When Ordona spoke, soft and gentle bleats backdropped their echoing tone. "I am Ordona, one of the spirits of light who dwell in Hyrule. By order of the goddesses, I protect these farmlands."
Their presence exuded the light that was long missed, as if Link was being held by the sun. This warmth was the complete antithesis of those shadowbeasts, foreign soldiers, and the imp in his shadow.
"Oh, brave youth. In the land covered in twilight, where people roam as spirits, you were transformed into a blue-eyed beast. That was a sign. It was a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you, and that they are awakening."
Slowly, Link's form phased into something familiar, something tangible, and draped by new weights and fabrics. Ordona nodded his way. "Look at your awakened form."
He ran his palm along the leather braces, cream sleeves, leather straps across is chest, and green tunic. Green tunic! Silver chainmail glistened from under the short sleeves and the hem split up to his hips. Link twisted his torso and legs to see the beige britches tucked into aged, leather boots, and a soft tip grazed the wooden shield on his back. He followed the triangle of fabric from the shield, past the cold steel hilt, and it widened into a triangular hat. It couldn't mean… Could it?
"The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods. His power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you." Link stepped closer to the spirit, lulled in by the promise of something grand. A hope for Hyrule. An escape from his misery. A change for the better.
"Your name is Link. You are the hero chosen by the gods."
Ever since Link was old enough to understand the stories his mother read, he had hoped that Farore would one day bless him with a heroic quest of his own. What young boy didn't dream of it? Link had almost grown out of that fantasy when plague ravaged his village, and then it returned with full force. A quest was the only way he could leave Ordon without hinting at how much it bored him. Not one of Link's loved ones would doubt how he felt about them. He would just be whisked away by destiny. Can't fault him for that.
And now that it was here, and it was real, purpose swelled inside. Leaving Ordon was now an act of love. An act of selflessness for all of Hyrule. After all, only he could restore whatever ailed the land.
"Brave Link, a dark power we once guarded has corrupted my brethren. By the will of their false master, they have abandoned this world for another. That is why our only light is the moon and stars, sustained by my power.
"This world weeps beneath a mantle of darkness, while the other lies under our stolen light. If you would seek these lost spirits, then proceed to the ancient desert stronghold. There, you will pass through a portal between dimensions to a realm unlike any in Hyrule, where Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru await your rescue."
Desert ruins, sacred spirits, and alternate dimensions. By the will of the gods, Link would get to see so much beyond the haze of the trees. What more could he explore if he was so lucky? Grand castles? Floating cities? Shimmering lakes? After so much time locked behind tree-bark bars, everything had exploded into an ocean of possibility.
The spirit burst into a rain of sparkles. "Good luck, young hero." They settled into the spring and dissolved.
Just as Link spun on his heel to fulfil his years-long dream of leaving, his shadow swung to his front and Midna rose. There was a mischievous mirth in her eyes; she had witnessed his head in the canopy. "Well, well. You're the chosen hero and all that, huh? So that's why you turned into a beast."
He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I guess so." Didn't come across as casual as he wanted.
"I'll admit, the childish sparkle in your eyes surprised me. I thought you'd rather wander as a spirit like the rest of them, totally unaware of what was happening for all eternity, but I suppose it's nice to feel oh-so-special." Link turned away with a scowl. Midna laughed. She always laughed, and each was more grating than the last. "So, what do you want to do, Mr Important Hero?"
"It's Link, actually." Midna blinked at him. What could be so confusing about a name? "Link," he repeated. "You don't know what to call me, so I'm helping you out. Liiiink." He stretched his name out. No doubt she got the point, but he wasn't gonna pass up the chance to be the condescending one for a change.
Midna crossed her arms with a scoff. "Alright, Liiiink." He had walked into that one. "What do you want to do? Do you want to head to that portal?" She was leaning towards him with that fanged smirk. The one that always preluded an unrefusable ultimatum.
With a sigh, Link nodded. Midna leaned back and clapped her hands. "Well, isn't that convenient! I was about to head there myself."
"Then go." He trudged past her towards the gate, but she flew in his way.
"Hey, look. You want to bring back the day, right?" Link deepened his frown and nodded curtly. "Do you even know anything about that other world the glow-goat mentioned?"
Ordona had said very little. Link was about to gallop away with 'desert ruins' and 'portal between dimensions' as his only lead. Perhaps Midna was right to judge him for being so hasty.
Her smug grin returned. "That's what I thought. Lucky for you, I happen to be from that dimension. Considering how you've been sheltering here all your life, you'd be an idiot to go without a guide." Urgh. He'd rather take anyone but her. "If not, I'm sure you'll find yourself a friendly shadowbeast, or maybe their leader will lend a hand. Wouldn't that be nice of him?"
"Okay okay!" Link threw his hands in the air. "As long as you don't kick me in the ribs again."
Midna stretched her arms as she yawned. "Human ribs aren't as kickable, anyway." She smirked at his scowl. "So, it's settled then?" For now. "Good luck, Mr Important Hero!" With a final cackle, she twisted into his shadow.
A shiver spread from his soles to the roots of his hair. No matter where he was or what he was doing, she was going to be there. In the shadows as he slept, bathed, pissed, and a dozen more things any decent person would give him space for. Knowing her, she'd tease him for the most minute things, too. Good-bye, privacy. You will be sorely missed.
Link needed to think of a way to rid himself of Midna before she drove him insane, but for now he needed to visit his family. After all they had suffered in the past day or so, knowing that a hero had been chosen to protect them could lend a much-needed strand of hope, and him some much-needed closure.
Wolfie was going the wrong way.
Midna had silently permitted him to go to his dingy treehouse to collect whatever he needed for the long journey ahead, but the idiot walked past it and towards the archway that led to his stupid village of stupid townies. He must fit right in.
Before he passed even a toe beyond the arch, Midna sprung from his shadow, hands on her hips. "What are you doing?" she hushed with a snarl. "The desert is the other way. Haven't you ever looked at a map of your own country before?"
He glowered. "Yes. Several, actually."
What a liar. "Then why do you have the direction of a leaf in a storm?"
"It points to my family, mistress." His sneer sullied her title, and then he had the audacity to walk through her! No matter what form she was forced to take in this wretched realm, it was downright insensitive to treat her like a ghost, but they didn't have time for that lecture.
She floated after him. "Hey! I've seen other drafts. You've already had your little farewells. They all think you left already."
Link didn't answer, but his pace brisked as if he expected to outrun his own shadow. Midna needed to halt him long enough to make him listen to reason. Hmm. One of those chunks of wood by the log could do. She pointed at one a few metres ahead, snaring it in her orange lightning, and swished it across. Link tripped and landed flat against the yellowing grass. With a smirk, Midna floated to his front as he climbed to his knees. The wood twirled with her finger. "Back home, that defiance would've cost you a curcum in your suite." He furrowed his brow. Midna sighed. "A day locked in your room, light-dweller."
Curiously, his eyes weren't on his mistress, but rather the block of wood. By now, he had seen weirder magic. Why did that have him so transfixed? "I will generously allow you time to grab a few things for the journey ahead, if you need it."
He lowered his head and tilted forward. The ghost of a bow. "Uh, I think my friend Ilia still has my horse," he said, suddenly so timid. "And she's been making me something useful. May I see her?"
His attitude was much better now. "I'll allow it." Midna crossed her arms and the wood thumped into the grass. He flinched. "But don't keep a lady waiting." Link opened his mouth for a second. Midna readied her sharp retorts, but he clamped it shut and nodded. "Good." Humility was a good look for a servant. She sank into his shadow.
Link shifted his path away from the house of the whiny brat and his sappy parent, instead trudging towards the upstream bridge. As he crossed it, he cast a forlorn look at the barrels bobbing in the lagoon. Urgh. They were just barrels! If that was enough to make him mope, then he was too spineless for all this hero nonsense. Alas, Midna was stuck with him.
When he reached the house where that bug had hid, he rapped on the door. A primitive door. Made of wood and opened manually. The knob twisted with caution, but as soon as a green eye peaked at Link, the peasant threw the door wide (undisturbed by the squeaky hinges) and threw her arms around Midna's servant with a joyous laugh. If this girl lived somewhere like Castle Town with more company to choose from, maybe she wouldn't find Link as someone worth getting excited over.
"You're back! You're back!" Yeah, caught that the first time, Ali… Ini… She has a cowlick of hair at her neck… Cowlick it is!
After a five second hug that was five seconds too long, Cowlick finally took notice of Link's dorky garb. "Where'd you get that tunic? You look like-"
"The Hero of Time?" She smiled and nodded as if he didn't rudely cut her off. Link scratched his scruff. "It's a long story."
The girl stepped aside and beckoned him in. "I'll put on the kettle." No! Link better decline. Midna had ordered him not to delay.
After a second of hesitation —a second in which he very deliberately glanced at his shadow— Link stepped inside. Bloody insurgent! They didn't have time for this! Mr Important Hero clearly had duties more urgent than teatime with some nobody farm girl. Not like Midna could pop out and turn him away, either. Cowlick's screams were pitchy enough to rouse the whole village.
Although, Midna didn't specify that she didn't want to be seen by other light-dwellers. Link might've taken her silence as permission. Better add that to the long list of things to lecture him about later. Wait. If he didn't know that Midna was secreting herself in his shadow, then what if he told Cowlick about her? Yeah, maybe Midna should've made that clear, but in her defence, she didn't think it was relevant! Wolfie was supposed to grab his stuff and leave. Gods, if Midna had her physical form, she'd be grinding her teeth.
"Sorry about the mess," the girl said. Most of the furniture had been pushed back, but the fallen picture frames were still cracked on the floor, and she had the idiocy to walk around barefoot. "The things that happened in the six hours you were gone."
"Six?" Wolfie righted a chair by the dining table and sank into it. Discontent with the wooden underside, Midna slipped under the table. Better a view of Link's legs than Cowlick's grubby ankles.
Cowlick hummed as her teacups chinked into saucers. "Suppose you can't time-keep by candle while on the move."
"Well, ever since the dusk showed up, I sort of turned into a w-" Midna bucked the chair with her magic. "A wimp!" he said quickly. Midna stifled a snicker as she trailed up the stairs, settling on a view between two balusters.
"You? A wimp?" the girl asked. She tipped the teapot, and gold steaming water trickled into one cup after another. "You're more fight than freeze, Mister. Even that tunic proves it."
Wolfie accepted his miniature water bowl. "Can't exactly fight the sky."
Cowlick quirked a brow. "Did you try?" He choked on his tea. "C'mon. You know you would."
Those were some heaping gulps Link was taking. So large that he must have run out of tea three gulps ago. This girl was growing on Midna like a fungus. At last, he lowered his cup and stared into it. "Um, we got attacked just before it happened."
Cowlick paused mid-sip. When she set her cup into the saucer, it jittered a little. "By the monsters?"
Midna should've stayed under that chair. If he said even one thing about the Twili or his wolf form, she couldn't buck him from here.
"It's… I can't really go into it," he said. The girl's hand flew to her mouth. "Everyone's okay!" Link assured. "They escaped. I, uh, got roped into something else. At the end of it, I got this get-up." He tugged at his tunic sleeve.
Cowlick traced the rim of her cup. "Epona came back without you." Epona? That had to be the horse, right?
"I'm sorry. That must've been a shock."
"And I don't get to know what happened to my best friend?" Link sighed. She bowed her head. "Suppose that's between you and the gods, huh?"
This conversation was a complete waste of time. Midna needed to find some way to set a fire under her servant's ass, possibly with actual fire? No. That would chase them out without Link getting that oh-so-valuable item he teased.
Valuable item. That's it!
On the kitchen bench behind and to the right of the farm girl was that stupid smiley pumpkin rind and a tacky necklace. Bingo. Must mean something to her if it was in easy sights.
Midna zipped through the shadows until she rested in the underside of a cupboard. The hollow, horseshoe-shaped pendant was made of carved wood with a sparsely beaded, red chord. Link was still engrossed in the bottom of his cup, and Cowlick's back faced the counter. Midna reached out of her shadow and caught the pendant in her levitation. Then she emerged in her full shadow form, dove to the floorboards, and slowly rose from the back of the farm girl's chair.
"So how are you gonna balance some big and mysterious quest with your military enlistment?" Cowlick asked.
Link's gaze trailed up to the girl's eyes… "I hadn't thought of-" …and locked onto Midna. She smirked as she pointed a finger at each tip of the pendant. The wood creaked as her magic began to pry it apart like a wishbone.
"What are you looking at?" Cowlick asked incredulously. When Link didn't answer, Midna dropped into the chair's shadow just as the girl whipped around.
Link coughed awkwardly. "I'm gonna have to go. Destiny calls."
"Will you be taking Epona?"
"Yeah," he said. "Where is she, by the way?"
"After the sky returned to normal —well, the new normal— she took off towards your home. Didn't you see her?" Silence followed. Link must be shaking his head. "Oh. Must have missed her. She could be looking for you in Faron." More silence. "Oh, don't look so glum. I have something to help."
The shadow shifted as the farm girl pushed back her chair. She shuffled to the bench and paused. "Huh. Could've sworn I left it here," she muttered.
The necklace? When the girl turned back around, Midna summoned the trinket onto the floor. Cowlick's bare toes lightly kicked it. "Oh!" She snatched it up. As she circled to Link's side of the table, Midna zipped to the shadow of the coat rack against the wall. Her view was partially obscured by the prongs, but it was enough to see the farm girl take Link's open palm and lay the trinket in it. "I meant to have it ready the day you left for the delivery." Was this chosen hero a postman or something? Didn't look it. "When those soldiers took you away, I was kicking myself for not finishing it."
Link lifted the cord, letting the pendant slowly spin. The pole obscured his face, but there was a sense of awe in his silence. Rendered speechless by a chunk of wood, huh? This kid wasn't worldly enough to be a postman.
His next action was even more confusing. He leaned forward and put the pendant's bend in his mouth! Sure, just try eating the gift like some newborn baby, why don't you? A melody whistled through the pendant. It was quite nice, save for the fact that it made Midna feel like a complete idiot for not realising that it was an instrument.
A laugh bubbled from Link. He lunged from his chair to embrace his friend. "Epona will love it." And Midna would love to leave. Was another threat to a valuable in order?
Cowlick parted from him. "Before you go, you're gonna visit everyone, right?" No, he was not. Whatever face Link made, Cowlick pouted. "Oh, don't you dare leave without saying goodbye!" She seized Link's wrist and dragged him through her front door. Midna barely zipped into his shadow before it slammed shut.
Halfway to the bridge spanning the stream, Cowlick took a deep breath. The kind of breath one took before screaming something like a madwoman. Link clasped a hand over her mouth. "Look, I'd love to say goodbye again," he said, "but the longer I stay, the longer it'll take to bring back daylight." Good boy.
With a sigh, Cowlick gently removed his hand. "Yeah. You're right."
"But before I go, I wanna know something," he said. Cowlick spun around, hands clasped behind her back attentively. "With me and the men gone, how long will the food storages last?"
Cowlick muttered under her breath as she put her fingers up and down like a child how learning to count for the first time. "About three months, give or take." Which was precisely why they needed to stop wasting time!
Link placed his hands on her shoulders. "Then that's how long I have."
"Alright," Cowlick mourned. "I'll see you in three months."
"See you."
Their shadows merged into an embrace. A brief one, and Midna almost felt sorry for the mushy friends when they parted. Without another word, Link jogged down the hill. Midna almost hissed at him for it, as the noise would surely alert someone, but his footfall was as quiet as the Mariana Valley. Impressively so. Not a bad trait for her world's chosen saviour.
When Link reached the clearing of his house, he broke into a sprint, bound for the rock wall beside a serviceable ladder. He ran up the wall, boots gripping like a dream, and caught the ledge with his left hand. Once he clambered on, Midna rose. "Showing off for little old me?" she teased. He ignored her as he fiddled with the doorknob and stepped inside. "C'mon. That was a neat trick."
"I'm flattered, Mistress," he said flatly as he gathered sprawled books into his arms.
"Could be the difference between life and death, someday. Imagine getting chased to a wall and being able to gallop over it."
He shoved a book on the shelf a little too forcefully. "I'll keep that in mind when the next shadowbeast says hello."
"Oh no. It'll be useless against them." Midna leaned in with her chin on her laced fingers and a wicked grin. "I'm talking about the Hyrulean military."
He side-eyed her and snorted. Her face fell. "What?"
Link put down the books, pulled off his left bracer, and flaunted his Triforce marking. "They wouldn't even scratch me."
Midna pulled back with the roll of her eyes. "Are you saying you can take them?"
With all the books arranged on the shelf, Link wriggled an untitled leather volume off it. "Why would I need to?"
He was as senseless as a wolf. Surely those soldiers explained the reason for this war to him, even if they sugared the truth like a decadent cake. "A realm of shadows threatens us, and it is our duty to purge it with our light" or some other propaganda. Ordona's mission to Link could be summarised as "Do the exact opposite of what Hyrule's monarchy wants." How could he not see that?
Cured meats, a bread loaf, dried fruits, and twelve jars of some orange pickled vegetable crowded the dining table. When Link disappeared into his basement, Midna snapped the food into her void. She couldn't afford to have anything slow him down.
Her generous use of magic was not recognised, because when he re-entered the main room with a crusty sleeping bag under his arm, his pursed lips hid what his eyes did not: a scowl.
Midna rose higher with her hands on her hips. "Oh, excuse me, Mr Important Hero. Would you rather carry twelve jars of pickles yourself?"
"Maybe," he grumbled.
Hmph. This was new for Midna. Back home, it was a given that you carried the belongings of anyone who couldn't use a pocket void themselves. Granted, you typically asked if they needed it first, but Midna didn't have time for manners.
"Just say the word, and I'll give Wolfie a treat." To prove it, she summoned a stick of jerky and tossed it his way. After a narrowed glance between the meat and herself, he stuffed it in his pouch and went to snatch some flint from the fireplace. Gods, what did he think she was going to do? Withhold food from her servant who she needed in top shape for the journey ahead? It didn't take a genius to realise that a starving hero couldn't save the Twilight Realm.
The fortunate thing was that Midna only had to wait until Link stuffed his double-bag with his knives, spits, bedding, lantern, flint, and leather-bound book before he realised that he couldn't shoulder it with his sword and shield on his back. Then he'd have to let her carry it.
But Link didn't realise it. He simply dragged the bags to the door, opened it, and whistled through that tacky necklace. First there was nothing. Obviously. But then came a distant neigh and the beat of hooves. The frazzled horse galloped into the clearing, trotting on the spot and whinnying for her master. Link reached down the ledge. Epona –that was it, right?– pressed her muzzle into his palm and snorted wispy air.
Once the mare had calmed, Link hung the bags over his shoulder. He held it there with one hand and gripped the rungs with the other. Whatever design those bags were, it wasn't practical, but when Link undid Epona's saddle and threw the bags over her bare back, it was startling how perfect it suited her. A bag? For saddles? No such thing existed in her realm. Magic made them obsolete.
With Epona resaddled and Link upon her back, they were at last ready to leave this stupid corner of the world for somewhere grander. His lingering stare towards the village hitched Midna's hope. Was he reconsidering? Was he tempted to keep his cosy bed, warm meals, and simple life with those he held dear?
The whip of his reigns and speed of his horse banished her doubt. He cantered, cantered, cantered, and he never looked back.
A/N: I often split chapters into two parts whenever they grow too long, but this chapter is actually a bit of a Frankenstein's monster. The original drafts for chapters 4 and 5 were over 7000 words each, and those are exhausting to read out loud and edit in a single sitting, so I decided to construct this chapter by nabbing the "Link finds out he's the chosen one" scene from last chapter and "Link departs Ordon" scene from next chapter.
This also means that the original plan for Chapter 3 got stretched out into 2.5 chapters. Damn.
What do you think of Link's reaction to his destiny? What about his and Midna's clashing perspectives?
P.S. Recently read a oneshot that I thought was quite poignant about Link's emotions after the events of Twilight Princess. It's called 'Hero' by TwilightSycro. You can find it in my favourites. Definitely recommend!
