I exhaled slowly and began my story. "Where I come from… I don't live in a country across the sea from Hyrule." I mentally braced myself for their reactions. "I'm from another world entirely, called Earth. For me, it's January 15, in the year 2013, a little less than 250 years after the Revolutionary War in America. Stories are told not with books and spoken words, but through moving pictures called 'movies'. Some stories are told through movies that can be interacted with, like toys or plays, and those are called 'video games'. The Hero of Time's legend was told through one of these video games. That's how I know Epona's song, because I remember it from playing that legend..." A beat passed before I added, slightly guiltily, "a lot."
Rusl calmly shook his head. "Don't lie to us, son. After all we've done for you, you owe us that much."
I could feel my fists clenching. "I'm not lying, Rusl. I'm sure Ordona can help if you still don't believe me."
Rusl shook his head once more and rubbed the back of his neck. "I just have one question: How did you get here if you are from another world?"
Ah, the million dollar question. I debated whether to come clean and tell them about the Golden Goddesses or just make something up about airplanes and parachutes. Eh, if I explained parachutes, they'd be wondering where mine is. There was no way they would welcome me with open arms if I said the Golden Goddesses sent me; they'd tie me to a stake and burn me alive!
Then again, if I didn't tell the truth, I'd probably be thrown out and left to survive on my own, with no weapons, no supplies, and no direction. I mentally shrugged.
When the going gets tough…
I took in a deep breath and showed Bo and Rusl the Triforce branded into my right hand. "The Golden Goddesses came to me three days ago, on Saturday night, and asked me to come to Hyrule. They transported me just outside Faron Woods, where you found me."
They looked much calmer than I thought they would be. Mayor Bo merely held his chin, Rusl fiddled with his mustache, even Ilia was soothingly stroking Epona's mane. I knew I was in for it as I looked at each of them in turn and could feel my palms getting clammy. Before I could dart inside the house and lock the door, Bo spoke up.
"Why did you not tell us sooner, in private?"
I sighed and ran my hand over my hair. "What could I have said? 'Oh, hey, I'm totally new here, just thought I'd stop in, by the way, your deities said I should get some milk, eggs, and goat cheese'? I didn't see that going very well."
Rusl chuckled and patted my shoulder. "Perhaps not, if that is how you would have explained things, but you forget," he gestured in the general direction of Ordona's spring, "we have a guardian spirit with a direct link to the Golden Goddesses."
I stared up at him and answered, "Where I come from, proclaiming you were sent by gods tends to get you locked up in a crazy house."
"Did you expect us to form an angry mob and chase you out for 'heresy'?"
"Yes."
Rusl frowned and squeezed my shoulder. "That's a bit of an unfair judgment on us, isn't it?"
I pouted and looked away. "A little…"
I felt another hand on my shoulder and looked up to find Mayor Bo smiling at me, a patriarchal curve of his lips. "I understand your hesitance, lad, but surely we appear to be friendlier than that."
I blushed and nodded my head. It made sense, once I thought about it, that they would still accept me even after the divine revelation. Link's Triforce was no secret in the game, so why would they freak out with me? I chuckled at my foolishness and stood up, comfortable that I was off the hook.
"You shouldn't have lied to us, however," Mayor Bo said.
Or not.
He glanced knowingly at Rusl, who winked back, and they both grabbed me by the shoulders and hoisted me through the village gates. I made no protest, since I knew they could fold me in half if they wanted to. They carried me passively through the town and up the hill to Ordon Ranch, where the stench of manure and goat grew near unbearable.
In retrospect, I definitely should not have worn my nice new gauntlets and clothes on that particular day.
Despite the fitful sleep, Midna felt much more energized than before. She lifted herself higher into the air and surveyed the landscape. She was still in awe at the beauty of Hyrule, from the tall copper-tinged mountain to the west, to the blistering white at the north, and even the sage green to the south. Hyrule was rich with beauty and mystery, and Midna realized that it was all ripe for her to explore to her heart's content.
With the realization that Hyrule was vast came the colder notion that finding the other Fused Shadow pieces would be that much harder. Even with Orochi's suggestion of finding someone to help her, it could take weeks to find the other fragments. With a sigh, Midna spun around to look at Hyrule Castle, and then got an idea.
Surely Zelda would know! With an enthusiastic giggle, Midna darted toward the shining palace, watching the surrounding hills and rock formations roll beneath her. She inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh, crisp air of Hyrule. It tasted differently from her native Twilight Realm; she was used to warm, dry but comfortable tastes of oxygen, as though she were by a campfire. Here, the air was cooler and filled with a slight dampness that felt wonderful against her skin.
Yes, she decided, I'll ask Zelda if she knows where the other Fused Shadows are, then I'll destroy Zant and take back my realm! As she swept over the valley to the castle, she failed to notice the shift between the morning and evening twilight. All was cast into an eerie reddish-gold glow, and the wind had stopped. Once Midna realized she no longer felt the sun's harsh tingling on her skin, she shifted out of her shadow self and was relieved that she was not in any pain. Unfortunately, the fatigue setting in from the levitation spell reminded her of her goal.
The imp landed gracefully on the same balcony she first met the Queen of Hyrule, but she felt a sense of dread at the silence in the room. The baby, Jun if she recalled, was not making a sound in her crib, and when Midna peered inside, she found it empty.
Why am I spooked by her not being here? Zelda probably took her out to lunch or to a picnic or something. Nodding her head at her own logic, Midna walked through the room, ignoring the drone in her brain that screamed at the indignity of being shorter than the full-body mirror on what she presumed to be Zelda's vanity. She poked her head out of the open doorway, only to find the hallways empty of guards or patrols.
The foreboding sensation ripe in her stomach, Midna listened carefully to the empty silence that surrounded her. Once she focused, she faintly heard sounds of struggle, coming from down the left passageway. Her eyes widened as she recalled the last time she heard such noises, and promptly ran in the opposite direction. The Twilian's stubby feet carried her through the nearest doorway and into an open-ceiling corridor, where she heard the sounds of battle more clearly.
"Hold them off!" cried a strong female voice, one that Midna recognized as that of Zelda. The imp leapt onto the railing and witnessed a dozen armored Light Dwellers, most likely the guards of Hyrule Castle, in the castle courtyard struggling against nearly three dozen Shadow Beasts, all of whom brought shivers to Midna's skin. Her eyes widened as she pieced together the information she was seeing.
Oh no…
"Return to your throne, My Queen!" cried one decorated soldier, with the same strange tongue as the three travelers Midna frightened away the previous night.
Zelda shook her head fiercely and fired a golden arrow from the gilded bow she held in her white gloves. "I must find Jun and Daphnes!"
Midna's hands trembled at the revelation that neither she nor Zelda knew Jun's whereabouts. The soldier interrupted her thoughts as he replied, "Daphnes has your daughter safe in the emergency chamber behind the throne room, now go to them!"
With a clenched jaw, the Queen nodded and fired a triple arrow at the Shadow Beast about to strike the soldier. "Thank you, Mutoh." She spun on her heel and darted into the castle, while Mutoh and his men continued to fend off the invaders.
Midna briefly considered helping them, but she held back due to a combination of her fear of the Shadow Beasts, her apathy toward Light Dwellers, and her need to consult Queen Zelda. She lifted herself into the air and soared across the top of the castle to an enormous entranceway, most likely leading to the throne room. As she rested on one of the parapets adjoining the castle spires, Midna caught sight of Zelda running up the outdoor staircase.
How did she get there so fast? Midna thought with a raised brow. She spied on Zelda's state of attire; her dress was torn at the hem, her gloves were smudged with dirt and grime, and her bow was nowhere to be seen, replaced with an elegant sword of unfamiliar design. Eighteen guards, all in various states of injury and shock, followed the Queen. One of the heavier soldiers tripped over his spear and twisted onto his back, causing him to look up and spot Midna. He stood, raised his spear, and hurled with all his might. The weapon barely made it halfway to her before it fell out of the sky like a dead leaf.
Rolling her eyes at the soldier's incompetence, but wary of further discovery and attacks, Midna shifted into her shadow form and climbed further up the castle wall, using bursts of levitation to aid in the ascent. Before long, she reached a small opening and clambered inside. The imp found herself in a large antechamber, far bigger than the Twilight Palace's throne room. The angle from which Midna saw was not the greatest, but she could see the grand pillars that lined the inside walls of the throne room, along with the enormous statue in the center of the room, though she only viewed that from behind.
Behind the statue, Midna spotted three figures huddled together in the darkness. One was Queen Zelda, another was her child, and the third was a new face to Midna. He seemed strong and courageous, with sandy blond hair matted beneath a crown of gold and emeralds. He wore robes of royal greens and blacks, but his face was stern and serious, lined with a majestic grey-yellow beard and mustache.
"Zelda, you must think rationally!" he said, his voice deep but somehow soothing despite his tone.
Zelda shook her head and pressed Jun against the man's waist. "You know I am the most skilled sorceress this side of Snowhead, Daphnes. I have to fight."
The child held fast to her mother's skirts, and Midna could understand from the tremble in her voice alone what she was saying: "Momma, don'd go…"
The spying imp blinked at the child and the fact that she understood her tongue perfectly even with the speech impediment, but this was not the time to wander in theories.
The Queen knelt beside her daughter and kissed her forehead. "Be strong, my child. Your father will keep you safe." With those final words and a loving kiss to Daphnes, Zelda turned and ran back to the throne, her sword raised to kill.
"Momma! MOMMA!" Jun's cries grew faint as her father carried her away from the chamber and into a secret passageway, out of sight. Midna's heart went to the child, remembering the pain of what happened to her own mother.
A swirling wall of black dust swept into the throne room, despite its smoky texture, the cloud flowed into the room with the viscosity of a cloud of oil, and the force of a roaring river. The guards closest to the entrance were blinded by the cloud, before it encircled them and they were quite literally torn limb from limb. The guards that weren't shredded were hit by the cloud with the force of a cannon, sent hurtling into the nearest wall with strength enough to shatter the stone and concrete into pieces. Soon, the horrified soldiers began swinging their weapons wildly, fighting enemies that were not truly there. Many killed each other before the unseen enemies grew unamused and simply ended them as well. Midna watched from above as the guards were easily slaughtered. She wanted to run, to hide away from the nightmares she could not escape from, but something inside compelled her to stay.
As the smoke cleared, two uniquely shaped Shadow Beasts, both wearing decorative silver masks with the emblem of Zant's family emblazoned on the front, shuffled somewhat elegantly yet still brutishly into the large hallway, followed closely by the usurper himself. He swept arrogantly past the corpses of fallen Hylians, even stepping on one survivor and snapping his spine. He paused for a moment, staring at the man who groaned in pain, before he huffed arrogantly and stomped on the man's neck, violently snapping it as well. The usurper stopped just before the small staircase that lead from the entrance to the throne and gestured grandly to his precious minions.
"It is time for you to choose," spoke Zant, his voice amplified through dark magic. "Surrender or die." Queen Zelda, for her part, was motionless save for the narrowing of her eyes. The grip on her sword tightened as she stood firm. Zant chuckled at her and snapped his hidden fingers.
Two Shadow Beasts shambled up from the entranceway, carrying both Daphnes and Jun in their hideous black claws, much to Midna and Zelda's surprise. "Oh yes, a question for all the land and people of Hyrule…" whispered Zant as the two Light Dwellers were dumped unceremoniously before him. As if seized by an unseen force, Daphnes and Jun were lifted off the ground and found their necks clutched painfully in Zant's icy hands. Even the full-grown man was hanging helplessly above the ground, the toes of his boots barely scraping the floor.
"Life?" Zant tightened his grip on Daphnes' throat, earning him a pitiful croak of pain. "Or death?!"
Queen Zelda's hands were now shaking, for before her were the two most important people in her life, hanging by the throat in the clutches of a mysterious invader. Several thousand choices ran through her mind, but only one guaranteed the highest chance of both her husband and her daughter's survival.
"Don't!" choked out the King of Hyrule, his eyes begging and pleading both his wife to stand strong, and for his attacker to spare not him, but his child.
"Momma…" begged Jun. "I'm scared…"
During all this, Midna was barely maintaining control over her own emotions. Half of her wanted to run the second she recognized Zant's sigil, but the other half demanded she stay and try to rescue the two Light Dwellers. Instead of pursuing either option, she could only watch in terror and anger at how Zant would so easily use a child as leverage.
The Twilight Princess spared a glance to Zelda, only to be met with the sight of her sword falling from her hand and clanging loudly to the floor.
"Just let them live," whispered Zelda.
The room was deathly silent for several moments before Zant chuckled once again.
"Very wise of you, Your Highness," he released Jun but she remained helpless in the air. Zant traced his fingers across Daphnes' jawline and stared at Zelda with the empty eyes of his helmet. "Now, let this be an example for you!"
In a sudden burst of motion, Zant twisted the King's neck until his body jerked and twitched, then fell still. The crack echoed more loudly than Jun's wailing and Zelda's scream of agony. Daphnes collapsed lamely onto the floor, his head rotated at a sickening angle.
Jun struggled for freedom but she was instead pulled to Zant's now open hands. She cried out, her tears running down her cheeks and Zant's fingers, begging for salvation. Just as the usurper began to twist her head, a shrill voice echoed around the chamber.
"A child, Zant? I would have thought you above such petty maneuvers, were it not for the stains in your bedsheets! Eee Hee Hee!" With that, she quickly warped herself out to the farthest point her magic could allow. She felt the itchiness in her lungs and muscles from her magical spendings, but she knew she would survive. She only hoped Zelda was as fortunate, she still needed to tell Midna where the Fused Shadows were.
The fallen princess scolded herself harshly as she pondered her actions. Way to ruin a perfectly good advantage, she mused. Not to mention, it most likely made Zelda's situation even worse, if that was possible. The imp pinched her brow to stave off a headache, questioning why she spoke up. Was it to save the child? Midna knew that was the case, but decided to deny it anyway rather than admit that she tried to save a Light Dweller.
This world can burn for all I care, I just want my world back.
Once she felt reasonably secure, the imp checked her surroundings. She was hidden beneath a canopy of tall trees, only unlike the trees in the Twilight Realm, the leaves were bright green rather than charcoal grey, and the bark was deep brown instead of midnight black.
"Orochi, aren't these the forests to the south?" Midna mentally asked. "I was aiming my magic to the east, to the large mountain."
"Patience, little one. Patience."
Midna was well shielded from the sun, but one glimmer broke through the barrier of greenery and landed on the back of her right hand. Already she could feel her skin burning and she swiftly withdrew her hand to nurse the wound. It was triangular, like an arrow, with the tip pointed the same direction as her fingers.
The Twilian growled to herself and said, "I'll never be able to find those damned Fused Shadows, not with the sun waiting to kill me at every step!" A thought occurred to Midna; when she visited Hyrule Castle this time, the sun was nothing to her, and the environment echoed her native Twilight Realm.
No doubt a spell Zant used to protect himself. Midna held her chin and pondered her options; she could try to find the Fused Shadows and risk burning in the sun, or wait for Zant's influence to spread until she was safely protected within the artificial Twilight. A cruel smirk spread over her lips. Everything comes to she who waits… and it would be so ironic that his own magic allowed me to survive and acquire the means to destroy him.
"Stupid goat, hold still!" cried a masculine voice from behind the wall of trees Midna was sheltered within. She would not have given the voice any thought save for the fact that she understood it. Every Light Dweller she heard speaking, excluding Zelda and Jun for whatever reason, spoke in bizarre tongue that she could not interpret, yet here was another who spoke clearly.
Her curiosity piqued, the imp shifted into shadow form, having recovered enough strength to do so, and walked silently along the forest floor towards a clearing. She hid behind a tree and peeked out, beholding a wide expanse of farmland, about half the size of the lake Midna saw earlier, its only human occupant a young man chasing after a strange creature. It was shorter and stockier than uma, had blue fur, and two horns that curved over its head and met in a circle. The creature bleated and groaned as it escaped the Light Dweller chasing them.
Midna tilted her head at the young man, taking in his unusual appearance and mannerisms. He was dressed vastly differently compared to the other Light Dwellers she encountered. A green shirt that hugged his torso, brown gauntlets, and the most unusual blue legwear Midna had ever seen. She studied his body, noting his broad shoulders and slightly muscular and mildly hairy arms, yet unusually pale skin. Though not as milky white as the Twilians, he looked as if he hunkered down in a cave for the majority of the day. Her face twisted as she noticed his lack of abdominal muscles, replaced by a slight but well hidden gut. Not fat, she decided, but certainly not scrawny. He looked more like a brawler than a fencer.
His dark chocolate hair was cropped short, showing his forehead and eyebrows, which were knitted together as he brushed dirt off his pants. When Midna saw his azure eyes, she nearly jumped at the emotions that poured out of his right eye, while his left seemed dead to the world. She felt a shiver as she read the anger and unhappiness that riddled his gaze, which settled on his right hand as though it spat obscenities at him.
His jaw clenched as he stomped over to the goat, grabbed it by its horns, and began to drag it over to the nearby stables, where several other goats were waiting. Before he could take ten steps, the goat reared its head and charged, lifting the Light Dweller clean off his feet and sending him flying in the opposite direction.
Aw, poor boy! Midna giggled quietly. She heard him grumble to himself and tried so hard to keep from laughing. He could use some help… Her eyes looked up at the trees and she shook her head. Nah, but I could use some fun…
"Get back here, you walking carpet," I growled as the goat nonchalantly munched on some grass. I expected Mayor Bo and Rusl to do a lot of things, but sentencing me to work with Fado out in the ranch as a goat herder was not among them. I wanted to use Epona but I had neither the experience nor Ilia's permission, so I was stuck doing it by hand. No wonder Fado constantly lost goats, it was like trying to keep fifteen dogs in a bathtub!
Speaking of baths, I thought, I'm gonna need one after this. Fado was cheering me on at the ranch gate, his annoyingly jovial mood tampering with my sour one. With a sigh, I picked myself up and trudged over to the rancher.
"How much longer do I have to keep this up? I've been up here for almost an hour."
Fado shrugged and pointed his thumb down the hill. "Mayor Bo said you're done once the goats are in their pens, fed and cleaned, and the stables locked tightly."
I rolled my eyes. "They're goats, where could they possibly go? Whatever, at least I have just one to go." Before he could answer, I heard bleating coming from the stables. Turning, I saw every single goat running freely and grazing wherever it pleased them. I looked up at the sky and groaned. "Why do the gods hate me so?"
Fado whistled and patted my back. "Looks like you got your work cut out for ya!" he said cheerily. "I'll leave you to it, then." Without another word, he trudged down the hill and out of sight, leaving me alone with more than two dozen goats and a very foul mood.
A weary sigh escaped my throat as I dragged myself over to the nearest goat and tried to encourage it to go back to its pen. The damn thing was stubborn, not budging until I resorted to grabbing it by the horns, but that ended just as well as last time: My face down in the dirt, the goat grazing peacefully as if nothing happened.
"Tonight I dine on mutton soup…" I grumbled and picked myself up. There's got to be an easier way to do this... How did Link do it? Rode on Epona, herded the goats in, and hollered when they didn't obey. I shrugged and walked up to a goat from behind, and whooped as loud as I could. Like clockwork, the animal bolted in the exact opposite direction from me; right into the stables. The second it crossed the threshold, the goat seemed to understand where it was and trotted off into a pen. I followed and latched the pen gate closed, smiling at my triumph.
After forty-five minutes, and three stubborn gates that refused to stay closed, every single goat was locked safe and sound in his or her pens, with a bundle of hay in each, and I was out of there. I hopped the fence and marched down the hill, the annoying goat bleating fading into the background.
Once the shepherd was out of sight, Midna burst into laughter, cackling and giggling at his expense. She wiped a mirthful tear from her cheek and sighed. "I bet he'd be useful for a little while, until I can find the Sacred Beast." She shrugged and fiddled with a browning leaf. "So, Orochi, who was your first Master?"
The spirit almost seemed to hesitate before saying, "He went by no birth name. His allies and enemies both simply called him by his title; The Fierce Deity."