There was only one bed in the guest room of Snowpeak Ruins, and Link had been more than willing to take a blanket to the floor and leave the mattress to Midna. Instead, she had, somewhat awkwardly, taken his hand into hers. They had shared the bed that night, and for two nights after. It was not hard to occupy time during the day. They shared meals with the yetis, and had talked between visits to the kitchen. Link did not have much material; he had nothing to recount before Zant's invasion other than the days of herding goats and learning the ways of the sword, but Midna sat beside him and nodded to everything he said, her eyes never fully leaving him. She in turn had described her upbringing in the Palace of the Twilight, and how if any good had come from the invasion, it was the flicker of freedom in her life. She had bemoaned the constant lessons and being holed up in the palace rooms, unable to go out to where the other Twili children gathered. She never brought up Zant, and he respected her boundaries enough to not press the issue.

They had fallen asleep the third night as well, although Link noticed a slight change in her demeanor. Her face was a little more guarded, and her eyes were clouded. He did not want to disturb the atmosphere, so he had let her lay down with him.

She was not with him the next morning. He had woken up alone in bed.

It was at that time that he was struck by a panic he had not known before or since. He had rushed first to the yetis, who themselves did not know why or how their guest had left. He had frantically torn the Shard of Twilight from his pocket, realizing a second too late that he could not teleport on his own. He had thrown his last thank-you to his hosts, ran outside, and gone for the first sled he could find.

The platform had taken him down the mountain, and he had ran to Fyer's cannon, shoving the rupees into the man's hand to send him to the Gerudo desert. It was not that the heat and the rough terrain were unbearable; they were simply not on his mind. He ran and ran, crossing the last stretch of desert, bounding up the stairs of the Arbiter's Grounds, rushing from vacant room after vacant room, until he finally got to the chamber he was looking for.

He had expected to see Midna standing beside the Mirror of Twilight. But he had not counted on seeing Zelda standing beside the Twili princess. He abruptly slowed down as the two monarchs looked at him, the regret apparent in their eyes. He did not so much walk as stumble towards them. He did not need a mirror to know that his skin was pale and his eyes were hallowed.

It was a long time before anyone dared to break the silence. Finally, it was Midna who stood a little straighter and let her mouth open.

"Well...I guess this is farewell, huh?" She shrugged weakly. "Light and shadow can't mix, as well all know."

Zelda did not want to look LInk in the eye, knowing that his question would be there, the only kind there could be.

Did you plan this? Were both of you planning on keeping this from me?

"But..." Midna hesitated. "Never forget there's another world bound to this one."

Zelda shook her head. Forgetting would be impossible. "Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. I know now the reason the goddesses left the Mirror of Twilight in this world. They left it because it was their design that we would meet." She nodded to emphasize her next words. "Yes...That is what I believe."

Midna chuckled. "Zelda...Your words are kind, and your heart is true." She turned to look at Link, her brow furrowed a little. "If all in Hyrule are like you...Then maybe you'll do alright."

"Thank...you." Zelda did not know what else to say.

Midna finally worked up the nerve to look at Link. The young man was paralyzed, unable to speak even though every fiber of his body demanded that he do so. "Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again." She closed her eyes, and Link's vision zeroed in on the tear forming in her left.

Things suddenly became clear to Link. There was no other way for Midna. She had stayed with him for three days. If she had stayed a fourth, she might have never left. The Twili would have been without their monarch. But surely...surely there was another way. What if he...

Midna opened her eyes. She could see the wheels start to turn in Link's head. She was sorely tempted to share the proposal. She ached for it. But it was not her place to say such a thing. Link had an entire life outside of her. He had a home, a village, friends, and an adopted family. She would take all of that from him if she took him from this world.

Link finally began to take his steps, but it was too late. The Mirror of Twilight had already projected the portal. Midna brushed away her tear, but it did not fall. It drifted through the midair, edging closer to the Mirror.

"Link...I...see you later..."

Midna stepped closer to the portal, and Link could only watch as her body was taken through it. Not a second later, the Mirror shattered. But not into four pieces like the last time, no. There were not even shards left.

Zelda and Link stood together for a time. But Link was alone.

"No!"


"Wake up! Wake up!"

Link grumbled and stirred, remembering too late that he had finally moved down from Midna's hiding place to the bar's main room when everyone had settled down enough to allow him to sit against the wall. He must have drifted off, for he was yanked from darkness to the sight of Rusl kneeling in front of him with a harsh glare in his eyes.

"Wake up! We must leave! There are people in need outside!"

Geez...I don't know what's wrong with me. It was harder than I thought to figure out which direction I wanted the story to go, along with everything else going on. I am so sorry for the delay. It's been a while since the last update, so I'm releasing two chapters back to back.