After emerging from the portal, Midna immediately levitated out of the Mirror Chamber and toward the castle of Hyrule. When she donned the Fused Shadow, Midna immediately felt almost half of her magical reserves returning. She could already feel the churning of her muscles, however, and made a mental note to be careful until she had her strength back. It was well past midnight and the moon gave the land a pale blue hue, perfect for disguising Midna from pursuers and foolish wanderers. She at first wished to simply warp to the green hills, but thought better of it. Too much magical usage could alert Zant to her location, and she knew she was no match for him as she was. Levitation was a tiring spell, but it was entirely untraceable, and Midna needed every advantage she could get.
"Let me make this clear," said the diminished Twilight Princess as she glided smoothly over the great chasm separating the desert from the grass, "I don't care how old you are or how powerful you can make me; I am not going to waste my time here any more than I have to. You have a grudge against the Light Dwellers, I get it, but right now, that's not important. My realm comes first, everything else second, got it?"
"…You are Our keeper, you command Us…" The Fused Shadow whispered. The imp floated down to a gathering of stone overlooking a great expanse of water. She sat down on the edge and kicked her stubby legs absentmindedly as she regained her breath.
Levitation isn't taking up as much energy as before, thought the Twilian. She glared angrily at her glowing fists and flexed her leg muscles. Of course not, there's not nearly as much to levitate now. She tried to flex her toes but Midna looked down at her feet to discover that she no longer had toes at all, just tiny feet that looked as if she were wearing very tight shoes. Having already accepted her predicament, Midna merely sighed in frustration and a hint of sadness.
"I'm not even me anymore…" A harsh breeze rolled over the imp and she trembled in the cold. After a moment, Midna decided to go and find some shelter, and was relieved when she spotted a campfire on the northern plateau that hung over the great lake, a long stone bridge connecting that plateau to another one to the south.
Within moments, Midna was near the campsite and peered at it from behind a collection of boulders. She found three travelers, a man and two women, or at least Midna assumed they were, huddled next to a very inviting fire, with a strange animal on a spit over the flame.
The savory aroma of cooked meat caused Midna to float closer and take cover behind the group's wagon. She peeked around the corner and watched the three Light Dwellers admire a rucksack filled to the brim with what sounded like metallic objects, all clunking and clanging against each other.
A gentle snort sounded beside Midna and she then noticed the creature that was tied to the front of the wagon. It was startlingly similar to the uma, only its skin was covered in dark brown fur, and its mane was that of black hair instead of wispy smoke.
What a pretty creature, Midna mused. She softly patted the beast's fur and it gave no notion of fright or alarm. Over the years, Midna learned the proper care and treatment of uma, and thus had a sort of familiarity with animals. The Twilian bit her lip to keep from crying at the memories of Burak helping her to ride.
Thank you, Bur. Midna turned her attention away from the creature and back to the three travelers. The male was burly, with graying brown hair and equally brown eyes, and upon his chest was a navy blue vest but nothing else and wore thin tan slacks that tucked into black leather boots. The man chuckled and poured the contents of the sack out in the waiting palms of the two brown-haired women, both of whom wore faded green shirts and dark grey skirts that ran just past their knees, yet one woman had blue eyes while the other had brown eyes.
Shining gold-plated trinkets fell into the women's hands and the dirt below. Bowls, wine pitchers, water jugs, silverware, and other random items sat in the orange glow of the fire.
The blue-eyed woman giggled and held a particularly stunning necklace against her throat. "Oh thank you, Father! They are beautiful beyond the stars!" Midna's jaw hung open like a dead fish as she processed the bizarre tongue the girl spoke in.
Zelda didn't speak in that language… Midna thought.
"But of course! No jewel is beyond my beloved daughters!" The man laughed. He pulled out a dagger and when the light from the fire reflected off it, Midna spotted a trail of blood lining the blade before the man wiped it against his pant leg.
The imp's ruby eyes widened as she pieced together the implications; a bag full of expensive-looking trinkets, three travelers separated from prying eyes, blood on a dagger. It was clear that the three had pillaged some rich noble's home and probably killed the noble or some idiot who got in the way.
While Midna did feel anger at the thieves, her need for food was greater, as evidenced by the growl from her stomach. Midna rolled her eyes at the sheer poor timing; there was no wind, no storm, no other source of noise beside the crackle of the fire, which made her stomach that much more audible. The three Light Dwellers' heads snapped up in Midna's direction and the man immediately leapt to his feet, while the two women reached for daggers hidden beneath their skirts.
"Who is there?" the man bellowed, his dagger gleaming in the moon and firelight. "Show yourself!"
What could she do? Reveal herself and expect them to be merciful? Run away and hide, possibly starve? Attack them and force them to give her food?
A devilish grin spread across her face. It's poetic justice, that's all. They stole from someone, so I'll steal from them! Summoning her familiar magic, Midna willed herself to be darker than night, lighter than air, softer than silk…
In an instant, Midna's body and Fused Shadow faded away into shadowy smoke, the only remaining sources of color being her single visible eye and the end of her ponytail. Thankfully, this was one of the most basic spells she knew, and cost about as much energy as walking ten feet. She giggled and saw the man step back in fear. The Twilian hovered out from behind the wagon and spread her arms out in a display of intimidation.
"What the hell are you?!" cried the blue-eyed woman, her dagger trembling in her shaking hand. Midna moaned in as frightening a manner as she could manage without bursting into laughter. The two women cowered behind the man, who seemed about to flee himself.
"It is a demon!" the man screeched and dropped his dagger. "Run! It will devour our souls!" He hastily snatched up a lantern and grabbed at the brown-eyed girl's arm.
"What of the horse? And the food?"
"Leave them! They will slow the creature down!" With that, all three ran as fast as they could across the great bridge. Within minutes, they were out of sight, and Midna finally exploded into hysteric fits of laughter, her shadowy visage fading away from her lack of concentration. To an outsider, it would have appeared as though the imp materialized from the shadows.
The devious imp sighed in contentment and sat down on the other side of the spilled gold, eyeing the meat over the fire. Utilizing her magical hair, she willed her glowing ponytail into a crude hand, its every fiber glistening more brightly than the firelight. It looked as though her hair was fire frozen in time, bleeding its light out in all directions yet never passing heat. The stone hair clip Burak gave her served as a sort of wristband between the 'hand' and the 'arm' of her hair. Midna smiled at the dexterous fifth limb and used it to pluck the meat off the fire by the stick it was impaled on to inspect it. The beast was about a third the size of Midna herself, with a stubby snout, twin tusks, and uma-like hooves at the end of its legs. The Twilian had absolutely no clue what the creature was, but she knew that it smelled and looked succulently delicious.
Midna scratched at her chin and tilted her head. "Hey, Fused Shadow, do you know what this is?"
"You may simply call Us Orochi… This creature is unknown to Us… Though it resembles ancient creatures that Our Master fed upon… Boar was what they were called…"
"Boar?" Midna bit into the beast's thigh and her eyes widened. "They should call it 'Damn Tasty'!" She spent the next twenty minutes peeling the flesh off the boar and devouring it, until at last all that remained was a pile of bones and bits of meat and fat that did not appeal to Midna's tongue.
Sounding out another sigh of satisfaction, the Twilight Princess patted her belly and lay down on the soft ground. The fire was doing wonders to warm her up, but the helmet she wore was making her attempts to get comfortable difficult.
"Don't be offended but I want to sleep now and you aren't helping." She took off the helmet and sat it next to the fire, which seemed to shy away from the artifact and lean toward Midna. Already she could feel the fatigue from so much magical usage weighing down on her, which was amplified when she removed the helmet. The dirt and rocks were pressing into her skin, however, and she could not get comfortable enough to drift off to sleep.
With an irritated growl, the Twilian grabbed the rucksack that previously contained the stolen treasure and snuggled into it. Already, Midna felt her eyelids drooping, the smooth fabric of her makeshift sleeping bag embracing her nicely. A small part of her mind felt ashamed that she fit so easily into a mere carrying bag, but she knew she would be back to her normal self in no time.
…Right? Midna held herself tighter as the morbid thought entered her mind.
The morning sun shined through the window high above and hit me right in the face. I grumbled curses at it and buried my head in the blanket. Already I could feel the twinges and aches my body was going to have for the day. Hardwood floors were absolute murder on my back and that damn sunlight was so bright not even the blanket protected me.
"Zach, time to get up!" called a voice from outside.
Gods damn it, Dad, FUCK OFF! I mentally screamed, until I realized that the voice was not my dad. It was Rusl. Oh, that's so much better.
I tore the blanket off my head and stomped over to the door. Opening it slightly, I peeked through the crack and saw Rusl standing there and Uli on the ground below, a basket of fruit and bread in her arms. Beside Uli, I noticed several other villagers waiting with more fruits and bread, even a few pies.
"You rang?"
Rusl's brow furrowed and he looked at his wife in confusion, while I hid a smile behind the door. I knew they wouldn't understand some of my choice phrases but it was fun to see them try to figure them out.
Uli shrugged and smiled at me. "The people of Ordon Village wish to welcome you, they're very curious about you." Oh, crap, they actually want to meet me…
"I'll be out in ten minutes." I closed the door and walked over to the satchel Farore gave me. I opened it and plunged my arm inside, feeling for some familiar touch of fabric. If I absolutely had to meet those people, I'd much rather do it dressed as an Earthling. After digging around past my other supplies, I finally felt the much-missed fabric of navy-blue denim jeans. I yanked the pair out and plopped them on the makeshift bed. After another expedition into my satchel, I pulled out a simple forest green cotton t-shirt, underwear, and socks.
I quickly undressed and casually tossed the Ordonian clothes on top of a dusty box and then got dressed. I noticed the leather gauntlets that materialized on my hands when I first came to Hyrule. They were more like bracers than gauntlets, since they only covered the back of my hands and strapped around my forearms. With some effort, I slipped them on and buckled them down. I sighed in satisfaction at the comfortable feel of cotton and denim and pulled on my boots. Now that I was fully dressed, I walked out the door.
"Oh ho! There's our guest of honor!" Mayor Bo bellowed jovially. I half-smiled and waved at the small crowd. I recognized the children's parents but I never bothered to learn their names. All of them wore the same style of outfit: Thick colored skirt, white shirt, colored waistband, baggy pants, and sandals. I felt proud that I stood out amongst them, those clothes were just too old-fashioned and folksy for me.
The Mayor motioned for me to come down but I hesitated. I absolutely hated crowds and being the center of attention. The idea of me being swarmed by strangers already made my hands clammy and heartbeat quicken. I could hear them murmuring about me, whispering to each other about my clothes and the way my eyes looked. Before I could head back inside, Rusl patted my shoulder and gestured at the ladder.
Swallowing down my fear, I climbed down and the villagers immediately surrounded me. They all started asking questions about where I came from, what my homeland was like, what material my clothes were made of, etc.
My breath caught in my throat as I tried to keep calm. I felt sweat prickle at my forehead and the back of my neck, and I felt like I was being crammed into a very tight box. Thankfully, Bo came to my rescue, saying "Alright, now! Give the lad some room!" as he pulled them away from me.
"Zach, allow me to introduce Sera and Hanch, the shop owners here. Sera maintains the actual store while Hanch gets supplies." He gestured to a mullet-headed stick of a man and his bloated Jigglypuff of a wife. "Sera, Hanch, meet Zach, our guest."
What kind of name is Hanch? Sounds like part of an animal leg.
"Ohhh, you're very handsome, m'dear," said Sera. "I bet all the girls in Hyrule Market would swoon over you." Don't insult me. "Isn't he handsome, Hannie?"
The scrawny man stuttered and bumbled over his words at his wife's tone. "Wha— Oh, yes! Very handsome, yes, very handsome indeed." He shook my hand a little too hard and then backed away.
The Mayor led me over to a short man with a flattop and squinty eyes and a somewhat more normal-looking woman next to him. "Jaggle and Pergie, our primary farmer and harvester." They both smiled and I shook Jaggle's hand. He was definitely Talo and Malo's father, the resemblance was obvious. That left Hanch and Sera as Beth's parents.
Off to the side was a burly man, about my height, with short hair and a laid-back disposition. "And this here is Fado, our herdsman and rancher." I shook hands with him, noting his surprisingly strong grip. I remembered from the game that he was completely incompetent and could barely keep the goats in their stables.
Fado chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, I try. You should come up later and I can show you around." I nodded and processed the information. Fado was the local rancher, so he must have at least some talent with horses, so I decided to see later if he could help me learn to ride.
After taking the pies and baskets and storing them in the house, everyone went home to go about their business, leaving me with Rusl and Mayor Bo.
"Where's Ilia?" I asked.
Mayor Bo chuckled and wrapped a gigantic arm over my shoulders. "She's getting one of her closest friends to meet you." I raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
From just inside the village gate, I heard an animal's snort followed by a giggle. "Calm down, girl. He's just through the gate." That was Ilia's voice.
I saw her walk in, a leather rein clutched in her hand. She smiled at me and pulled the rein gently, revealing a marvelous reddish-brown mare. Her mane and tail were colored chalk white, as was the diamond spot between her honey eyes. She was a very beautiful horse and I couldn't help but gape in awe.
Ilia escorted the horse up to me and petted the white spot on her forehead. "Zach, I'd like you to meet Epona. Epona, this is Zach."
Epona bowed her head. Gently petting her snout, I smiled and nodded my head in turn.
"Pleasure's all mine." I started humming a random tune and Epona tilted her head. She seemed confused, as did Ilia and Mayor Bo. I eyed them cautiously and said, "Why are you staring at me?"
"That tune," Ilia said, while Epona snorted again. I didn't know whom to look at, so I turned to the Mayor.
"What about it?" Ilia fumbled with her hands while Bo stared at the ground.
"That's the same melody my mother used to calm Epona and her mother down," Ilia said. "She passed away when I was little."
I mentally winced and sighed. Jeez, does anybody have a happy background around here? How was I going to explain to them how I knew Epona's Song? I didn't even realize I was humming it! All at once, I remembered a bit from the game that could possibly help me. "I heard it on my way here; some reeds were making that sound when wind blew into them." Mayor Bo and Rusl both stared at me, suspicion evident in the way their arms were crossed.
"That plant went extinct decades ago." Rusl told me.
Well, fuck.
Mayor Bo towered over me and said, "You have some explaining to do, young man."
I sighed and nodded, sitting on the ground and leaning against the base of my temporary house. "Funny story, true story…"
The Twilian imp floated in a dark abyss, the scent of burnt flesh plaguing her nose. She looked around but could only find the burnt wastelands of her tortured home. Her feet landed ungracefully on scorched ground and she ran as fast as she could in a random direction. Within minutes, Midna found a form lying in the uma field. She approached the figure, discovering it to be a Twili's body.
Before the imp could move the body, its head snapped around to face her, revealing a scarred and pale Burak.
"Why did you not save me?" she whispered, her voice echoed and faint.
Midna already felt tears welling in her eyes. "Bur, I—"
"You were my best friend. I was yours. Why weren't you there for me?" Icy daggers sank into Midna's heart.
"I had no idea," Midna pleaded. "I came back as fast as I could…"
"You never cared about me." Burak's eyes blackened into charcoal.
Midna shook her head and held Burak's cheek. "I loved you like a sister—"
She was cut off when Burak's head rotated around, and when it came to face her, it was her mother's face. "You are a failure, Midna."
Midna could vaguely feel wetness sliding down her cheeks. "Mother…"
"Your father and I trusted you, and you failed us." Queen Yoake's orange eyes burned into Midna's mind. "You abandoned your people, your family, when you should have died with us."
"I had no choice!" Midna cried. "I had to escape so I could find a way to stop Zant and return our home to normal."
Her mother's head snapped around and changed into her father. "You are irresponsible, Midna. You know you should have stayed and fought to your dying breath."
Midna buried her face in her hands and turned away. "Father, please—"
"I have no daughter. You are dead to me." The body melted away into shadow, and Midna was left to suffer along in her torment. She wept and hugged herself, trying to keep warm from the sudden chill that ran down her spine.
"Princess," a hateful voice said. The imp's head snapped up to find Zant standing nearby, his unmasked eyes glaring into hers. "You are a disgrace to your country and your class." Midna tried to run but discovered in horror that she was unable to move. She was helpless and defenseless against Zant, who raised a black and silver dagger to her throat. "You failed, now suffer." He swept the dagger across her neck and smiled that demented smile.
The Twilian leapt up from her sleeping bag and clawed at her throat, trying to stop the flow of blood. She faintly heard screaming somewhere far off, but paid it no mind as she tried to heal her damaged neck. After several frantic seconds of pressing and squeezing, Midna looked at her hands to discover… nothing. She felt at her neck and found that it was completely untouched and clean of blood. Once her focus returned, Midna realized with a start that she was the one screaming.
Midna struggled to calm down but could not. She felt like her skin was on fire and would fade into ashes at any moment. She turned to face the morning sun and very quickly regretted it, feeling molten slag stab into her eyes. With another cry of pain, Midna hid herself inside her sleeping bag and discovered that it was soaked with her tears.
What is going on? The Twilian thought. I thought my mother… she swallowed a lump in her throat. I thought that spell protected me from the sun…
"The magics used to grant you protection have all but faded…" Orochi said. "They will return, if you succeed in returning to your true form…"
"And how do I do that?" she asked. Her breath was ragged and her voice was scratchy, no doubt from screaming so hard.
"As We have said before, We are incomplete... Our fragments lie scattered across this Light Realm…"
Midna huffed and patted at her eyes, noting how they felt much better. "How am I going to get them? I can't even get out of this sack without bursting into flame!"
"Are you familiar with the Legend of the Sacred Beast?"
"Of course I am, even the lowest peasant knows that story. When all of the Twilight Realm is invaded by evil, a Hero in the form of a Sacred Beast will come to save us, blah blah blah. What does that have to do with me?"
"You must search for this… Hero…" the Fused Shadow hissed out the last word.
Midna nodded and willed herself to become a shadow once more, then floated into the open sunlight. She felt a tingling sensation all over her body but it was much more agreeable than being burned alive. The imp donned her helmet and let out a deep breath.
"Where should I start?"