And the Clouds Parted

by FlowerOwl

To Midna, the world is a set of dichotomies, divided into the Twilight Realm, a world relegated to the shadows and history, and Hyrule, a world where the sun is reflected by the glint of weaponry. The world is divided into twos, but as the princess of Hyrule enters into her life, bringing the harsh sun along, the lines between them begin to blur.

9. Chapter 9

It should have been simple for Midna to enjoy the peace that Zelda's reluctant promise to leave her alone had created. After all, despite how she had not truly expected for her to keep her promise, it seemed that Midna was finally able to make her way around the base without seeing Zelda every time she turned around the corner, the princess always looking like she was only a few seconds away from running over to her to once again attempt to convince her that, really, they were almost rebels already with how they attacked the ships that flew through Hyrule. By all means, it should have been easy for her to go back to her usual habits and find joy in the fact that Zelda was not constantly trying to talk with her.

But for some reason, it was not at all that simple. Although Midna tried her best not to let it affect her, it only took a few days before the unnatural silence was beginning to become deafening, the consequences of not wanting to talk with Link, Ilia, and Rusl if that would require for her to pretend that their ideas about what they should do to survive were not childish at best and a sign of them not really understanding the situation at worst, catching up with her. Despite what she had tried to tell herself after first returning to her cabin, there were only so many hours she was able to hide inside her room, trying to scrawl down her ideas about what they could do to get through the winter, only to find that the piece of paper remained stubbornly blank in front of her, before she began to send wistful glances out of the porthole.

Still, talking to her friends was definitely not an option, Midna knew that much. She had been right, so if they wanted to bridge the gap she could feel growing between them, they would have to come to her, not the other way around. Midna might not have been above walking into the forest to look for any tiny animal they could eat—rats, mice, it did not matter, as long as it was edible—but she still had enough pride left not to go over to them, not to make it sound like she was trying to apologise for wanting to do everything within her power to keep them alive.

That left her with only one option. So, as much as she hated it, it only took Midna a few days before she gave in and set out to find Zelda.

At least she did not have to spend much time looking for her, not with how Zelda seemed to have found her favourite spot within the base in the little nook towards the front of the hangar, sitting just below the gun slit in the wall while she balanced a stack of papers on top of a plank, scribbling something onto them, the sound of the tip of the fountain pen being dragged across the rough surface making the silence feel a little less intense as Midna approached her.

With how Midna had halfway expected for Zelda to ignore her presence, to continue looking down at what she was working on, the fact that she had only barely made it over to her before Zelda looked up, a tiny smile already appearing as she pushed everything aside, placing the plank, the paper, and the pen next to her on the ground before seemingly remembering her promise, the look in her eyes becoming unsure, only served to make her continue even as part of her was screaming for her to simply turn around and claim that it was nothing , just her having failed to notice her in time, to spare herself the embarrassment.

But she had made it this far, so Midna kicked her pride away to instead sit down next to Zelda on the floor. "Hi," she mumbled, though the word ended up sounding more like a croak. Clearing her throat, Midna tried again, "uh, I was just wondering what you were doing."

"Nothing, I was just trying to write a bit in my diary. Or, well," Zelda motioned towards the loose pieces of paper, "really, I suppose you would not quite be able to call that a diary—not that I don't appreciate Ilia letting me take some of the paper, because I really do, but it's just…"

"It is not the same?" Midna finished the sentence for her.

There was a split second where Midna could see the surprise on Zelda's face, the way her eyes widened in response to how she had not snapped at her, and although she knew that she had been in the right back then, it sent a little pang of guilt through her, Midna only barely managing to bite back something she already knew would have sounded too much like an apology. She was not here to make some princess feel good about herself. Surely, Zelda had grown up spending every day surrounded by people who were willing to praise her every move. Being reminded that she was not most perfect person in the world for a bit would not harm her. Besides, Midna was not here to make her like her; she could not have cared less about what the princess thought of her. All that mattered was that she had no one else to talk to, and that Zelda, despite her many faults, at least seemed to be determined to seize every opportunity to talk with her as soon as it presented itself to her.

Zelda's expression softened as she let her hand run over the page, the usual smile returning once more. "No," she said, pulling one leg up to rest her chin against it, "it isn't. But then again, nothing here really is. I can't remember the last time I did not have every single day planned out for me right from the moment I woke up to the moment I would return to my chambers in the evening. It is… a bit strange, really. I mean, I will never complain about not feeling like everyone is trying their best to keep me where they want me to be, but without it… it feels a bit empty." as Zelda looked up at her, Midna could almost see how she was trying her best to choose her next words to ensure that she would not accidentally end up insulting her as she continued. "What do you do here all day? I mean, I know that you go out to take supplies from ships, but other than that, what do you do with your time?" a wry smile made her eyes look like they were shining. "After all, I doubt you have to attend meetings about what you would theoretically do if you had to handle a rebellion."

"You are right," Midna admitted, and although she wanted to be annoyed that Zelda was sitting here, acting like they were friends, trying her best to make it seem like her life back in the castle had been some kind of trial for her, she could not really make her voice sound as cold as she would have liked for it to be, "we don't. Here, I just have to sit at meetings and pretend that I am not extremely aware of how it is all not a farce, given how all I have to do is to voice my opinion and then everyone will end up agreeing with me no matter how dumb my suggestion is or what they were trying to argue for moments before."

"Oh," Zelda raised her brows, "why is that? Don't get me wrong, I am sure that you are great at arguing, but having everyone agree with you, that really is quite the feat. Can you tell me your secret?"

Sending her a quick look, Midna was surprised to find that she had to clench her fists and remind herself that, despite how good Zelda might be at pretending to fit in, no matter how much she might miss her friends, her real friends, she would rather be alone than to have to tell Zelda the reason. Shaking her head so quickly that Midna could feel how the metal beads in her hair came close to flying up to hit her face, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, making sure that Zelda could not miss the signs of how she had just crossed the line. "No, that is no concern of yours."

"I am sorry." as she said it, it sounded like Zelda might actually mean it, that she might truly be sorry, rather than merely being sad that she had just let the opportunity to once again rub in the fact that she had grown up surrounded by servants, living within Hyrule Castle with her entire family alive around her, making sure that she had always been able to know that, if nothing else, she had love and support no matter what. "I didn't meant to—"

"It is fine," Midna said with a sigh. She really was desperate to find someone to talk to, but then again, she knew that already so what was a little bit more desperation when compared with that? She was not sure she knew the answer to that, nor did she want to, but no matter what, fact was that she continued, "it is just… it is a long story, and…" looking over at Zelda, Midna could not make herself tell her that she simply did not want to share it with her, so at the last minute, she managed to change the explanation, "and I don't want to have to relive it again."

She had expected for Zelda to say something, possibly for her to tell her something banal about her own life out of some misguided attempt at trying to make it seem like they were anything like one another, but for some reason, Zelda stayed quiet.

It was not until the silence between them had grown until it almost felt like it was deafening that Midna found herself beginning to miss the clumsy attempts at relating to her. As much as she did not like it when Zelda tried to compare their experiences, at least it had given them something to talk about, and as the silence continued, making it feel like the seconds slowed down with the express purpose of letting Midna note how her heartrate was beginning to speed up a little as she tried to find something to say to free them from the horrible sound of silence, only interrupted by the distant sound of the children running around in the other end of the hangar, she found herself almost missing it. But with how Zelda kept her gaze fixed on her sleeve, fiddling with the spot where a bullet had come close enough to the sleeve to leave a little mark on the fabric, it was clear that the task of finding something to say had landed in front of Midna.

And that, she did.

"You know, you asked about what we do all day earlier." already the second after the words had made their way out of her mouth, she regretted them, but by then, Midna knew that she could not stop, not yet. And as much as the way that Zelda's face lit up, the woman sitting up a bit straighter, the top of her head still barely reaching the level of Midna's eyes, should have served to annoy her, making her do everything to stop herself from continuing, it was not enough to let her come to her senses and realise that she was about to make a major mistake. No, rather than falling silent, Midna found herself continuing, her tone of voice changing as she made it through the sentence until it sounded almost friendly. "And, well, although it has been some time since the last time we have done it, a few years ago, we usually spent most of our days in the forest outside this fortress." giving a toss of the head, Midna gestured towards the open gates where the crowns of the trees made the world outside seem like a painting of greens and whites. "If you know where to look for it, there are a lot of different plants out there that can sometimes be the difference between lasting the winter and… not being able to make it. And animals, of course—that as well."

Zelda tilted her head. "But then why aren't we out there right now? If we need the plants, then… why not go out there?"

"Because your father does not exactly allow for people to take what they want from the forest even though it does not belong to him." Midna shrugged. "And with how we are not exactly interested in him finding out about us being here, the risk of being seen by the soldiers patrolling the area makes it so that we have to be careful when going out there."

"But you said that you used to spend almost every day out there."

If nothing else, Midna supposed she should be impressed that Zelda had not begun to apologise for her father again. As long as she stayed quiet about it, it was almost possible for her to pretend that she really was not the daughter of her enemy, allowing for Midna to at least try to push down the anger in her voice as she nodded at her. "That is true. However, an important part of that sentence is the fact that we used to spend almost every day out there." sighing, she leant back against the wall, trying her best to ignore how the wind having found its way in through the gun slit sent a shiver down her back. "But it seems that the king has grown more and more paranoid that someone would try to go into the forest to look for a way to secure their survival, because, lately, the patrols have changed. It is no longer a matter of a few soldiers walking around, making so much noise that you can tell they are about to come your way hours before they have even made that decision themselves. Now, they actually seem to be somewhat aware of their surroundings."

As Midna tried her best to hide the way she was not completely able to mask her worry, Zelda simply looked straight ahead, her face not revealing a single clue about what she was thinking.

Maybe that was why something felt like it broke apart when Zelda spoke, her voice having become thin and scared, almost like she was not aware of how she could escape all consequences by siding with Jaggle and those who wanted to send her back and simply flee the area to instead return home to a luxurious life in the capital. Midna could honestly not tell if that was the reason, but it felt like it could be, like it might be able to explain why she felt the instant need to make that little drop of fear disappear when Zelda turned to look at her.

"We are going to starve, aren't we? That story you told me about there being plenty of food… it was just something you said to keep me from worrying too much, was it not?"

The logical thing to do would be to deny everything, to tell her that she must have misunderstood and that Midna would never lie to anyone within the base, not even to spare their feelings. But, as much as she knew that it would be the best choice not to let the princess see a sign of weakness, she could not make herself deny the claim, instead bowing her head in a gesture that felt a bit too much like surrendering. "Yes. Not right now, but… unless we suddenly find more food, someone leaves, or we suddenly become extremely lucky and every last morsel will be able to make it through the winter without rotting, we are not going to be able to make it last."

To her credit, Midna had to say that, despite what she had expected, Zelda took the news remarkably well. There were no tears, no moment where she could see Zelda reach the conclusion that she did not want to be there anymore now that she was no longer able to pretend that being right would protect them from everything, no denial. Instead, Zelda simply nodded to herself, looking almost eerily calm as she pushed herself to her feet. As she turned around to look back down at her, Midna could almost see why Zelda might have liked to pretend that she had gone to become a part of the rebellion, for in that moment, she might almost have been tricked into believing that Rusl could have been right when he had tried to claim that people would be willing to go against Ganondorf if only Zelda told them to.

With the same kind of determination shining in her eyes that Midna had first seen back when Zelda had put herself in between her guards and anyone she perceived to be a threat, she gestured for Midna to take her hand. "Well, then what are we waiting for. Let's go!"

Just like that, the illusion fell apart, and although Midna did take her hand, letting Zelda pull her up from her spot on the floor, the reminder that, despite how she had just been able to trick herself into thinking that perhaps Zelda had woken up, she had not given up her ideas about how the world around her functioned just yet hit her with the same force the wind would bring when they would fly through the clouds. However, even as she knew that she would not like the answer, Midna could not keep herself from asking the question that was waiting at the tip of her tongue. "What do you mean? Where do you want us to go?"

"Outside, of course!" Zelda shot her a look, clearly showing her how it should have been obvious, which, although for entirely different reasons than what Zelda might think, Midna supposed it was. "You said it yourself, there is food to be found outside, so let's go out and get it!" without waiting for a response, she began to head over towards the open gates, dragging Midna along behind her.

She was not scared. Midna refused to think of herself as not daring to follow along, not when Zelda was walking briskly in front of her, but the thought of going out there and risking being seen still made dread pool in the pit of her stomach as she tried to argue, to make her see reason. "Wait, Zelda, we can't just go out there! There are patrols; we are going to be seen! Besides, it is not like there is just some banquet lined up for us the moment we let the trees block our view of the sky—finding food requires time, patience, and skill."

"Then it is a good thing that you are here," Zelda replied, "you can show me where to find the plants. My tutors have thought me a bit about recognising the different herbs, so as long as we stay together, we should be able to, at the very least, avoid anything that might be poisonous."

The question of when and why exactly Ganondorf had felt the need to make certain that his daughter was able to recognise plants was enough to silence Midna for a moment, allowing Zelda to make it all the way over to the gate without her being able to object to the horrible idea.

But, at last, as they reached the spot where the solid stone walls gave way for where the indent in the floor showed exactly where the gates would hit when closed, the wind seizing its chance to hit them without having things such as walls and stone to block it and sending chills down Midna's back, Zelda finally began to slow down, sending her a hesitant look before gazing out towards the forest below them.

"Look," she said, and finally, it appeared that she might be at least a little aware of just how bad her idea really was, "I am not going to force you to go with me. I know I cannot do that and even if I thought that you would listen to an order, I would not give it. However, I will ask you to come with me. If anything happens, I would feel much safer knowing that you are there with me."

Considering the fact that Midna could already tell her that, should it come to that, she would be willing to leave Zelda behind in a heartbeat if it would give her even the slightest chance of being able to escape the soldiers, the request for her to come along as some kind of living shield that would not hesitate before placing itself directly in front of the danger should by all means have earned nothing but a derisive laugh. But, for some reason as she looked first at Zelda and then towards the forest that rested at the foot of the mountain, Midna could not make herself tell her that she would have to go alone if she wanted to leave the mountain.

With a loud sigh, making sure that Zelda knew just how much she resented her for making her do this, Midna gave in. "I can see that I am not going to make you see reason, so I suppose I don't have a choice if I don't want for you to give away the location of our base."

"You will come with me?"

"I will. After all, nothing I have seen you do so far has given me any reasons to believe that you would be able to both not die the moment you would encounter a wolf or let the patrols see you." she had meant it as an insult, but as Zelda simply smiled at her, Midna could tell that the comment had failed to achieve even the slightest bit of annoyance as a response.

It was great, just wonderful. Not only would she now have to leave the tiny amount of warmth they were able to trap within the base to instead head into the forest to make sure the princess would not end up alerting the Hyrulean soldiers to the fact that the few who had been able to escape Ganondorf's rule were living only a few hours beyond the border, easily within the reach of even the oldest ships from his fleet, it seemed that the princess now also thought that she liked having to show her were to place her feet as they made their way down the side of the mountain, taking her hand to make sure that she would not fall as they tried their best to traverse the difficult path that led from the entrance of the base to the foot of the mountain. Whoever had first built the base had made sure to hide the entrance, doing everything they could possibly have done to make the secret pathway that could guide them down safely as twisted as possible, Midna knew that, but having to make sure that Zelda was able to follow along brought a whole new meaning to the word 'frustrating'. But by what felt like it could very well have been described as a miracle, they somehow made it into the forest without breaking any bones in the process.

"Where should we go?" already the moment after she had asked the question, Zelda had begun to head to the left, clearly not caring all that much for the answer.

"We should head towards the place where the plants and are most likely to be as that is where the animals will be as well," Midna said with a sigh as she reached out to take her hand to guide her in the opposite direction, "that means this way. There is a lake a few kilometres this way. If we are lucky, we might be able to find some edible roots there, perhaps even a few mice. Food tends to follow the water around here."

Was it mean to make sure to emphasise the last sentence while glancing over towards Zelda to see if the idea of possibly seeing mice and knowing that they might have to eat them would be enough for the princess to turn around? Possibly, but that did not keep Midna from doing exactly that, waiting for the moment when Zelda would give up and tell her that they should probably just go back home already.

But rather than trying to hide her disgust, Zelda just nodded, making a little jump as she walked along next to her. "Sure! Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, normally it is a good idea to try to stay quiet. It tends to scare off the animals if they can hear you coming from kilometres away."

Zelda had already opened her mouth, but it seemed that she was able to somewhat restrain herself, changing her answer at the last moment to instead nod, the movement making the snow that had gathered in her hair fall to the ground.

They walked like that for what felt like hours, Midna occasionally looking at Zelda out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge when the silence would be too much for the princess. But, sending equal parts joy and disappointment through her, it seemed that Zelda had finally understood, for not only did she not try to talk to her again, Midna could see how she was attempting to imitate her way of moving, trying to avoid stepping on the freshly fallen snow. By all means, it should have impressed her, and maybe it was simply the fact that no matter what might happen around her, Midna could not forget about the fact that, despite what it might look like as she walked next to her with snow in her hair, Zelda was still a princess, but she could not keep herself from feeling a bit annoyed that Zelda had finally learnt how to stay silent.

The sight of something grey moving past the trees to her right was a welcome distraction from her thoughts.

Immediately halting, Midna brought her index finger to her lips, making sure that Zelda had understood the order before she motioned towards the wolf that seemed to search for something in the frozen ground.
"Look," she breathed, "that is why we try not to make too much noise. It will keep the wolves from attacking us."

The words had their intended effect, Zelda instantly reaching out to grab her arm, unable to hide the anxious tone to her words as she spoke. "Attack us? But you have your gun, right? You will protect us, won't you?"

The only reason Midna did not bother to turn around to once more inform her that no matter what Zelda might think, she was not some kind of guard, that she had not gone with her to keep her from dying out here, that the only reason she was currently out here, feeling like her fingers were about to turn blue, was that Zelda would inevitably have made enough noise to let the soldiers find her if she was alone, was that she already knew what her reaction to that would be, how Zelda would no doubt overreact, making a sound that would catch the wolf's attention.

Instead, she kept her gaze fixed on the wolf, watching for even the tiniest sign that it might have spotted them as she whispered to Zelda. "Everything will be fine, don't worry."

But of course now was the moment where Midna's wish of making Zelda see how the forest was not a place that would try to protect came true, for rather than calming down, Zelda only tightened her grip around her arm. "But you still have your gun; you know how to use it, don't you?"

"Of course I have my gun, but I am not going to waste ammunition on a wolf. Unlike the Hyrulean soldiers, it is not going to bother trying to attack us as long as we do not provoke it. No, these bullets are for soldiers, not wolves that are just trying to make it through the winter like the rest of us."

At least, Zelda did not try to defend herself, instead looking down at her boots. "I am sorry, I didn't meant to—"

"No, it is fine. I didn't mean for it to sound so harsh." why was she apologising? Why was she standing here acting like it was not perfectly reasonable to let some spoilt princess know that they did not waste bullets here, that killing was not something they found particularly fun? But although Midna would have loved to stay quiet and listen as Zelda would find herself struggling to find the words, she did not stop. "It is just… killing, even if you just shoot a wolf and you know that it will not suffer much, it is not pleasant." clearing her throat, Midna forced herself not to cry. "Besides, it is too heavy for us to take it back to the base, so even if I wasted a bullet, we don't have any knives, so we would have to leave it out here, which, combined with the sound of the gunshot, might be enough to catch the attention of any nearby patrols."

The wolf's ears twitched, the animal instantly turning its head to look at a spot to their left, pricking up its ears, almost like it had heard something.

Shooting a glance towards Zelda, Midna reached for her gun, already trying to decide whether she was worrying over nothing, if the wolf had perhaps only noticed the presence of a deer close to them, or if she had perhaps been a bit too quick to claim that they did not waste bullets on wolves.

"What are you doing?" she whispered to the animal as she stepped in front of Zelda, trying her best to make sure that, should the worst thing happen, she would be able to aim at the wolf within seconds without having to fear Zelda being in the way.

The words had barely left her mouth before she heard it. The familiar sound, muffled and only audible to those who knew what to listen for, of an airship cutting through the air, small enough to move forward quickly and still large enough to be able to support more than one person. In other words, it was the perfect ship for soldiers and spies to use when they wanted to sneak up to their target without them noticing before it was too late for them to do much more than to try to prepare for an attack. A single look over at Zelda, standing there with snow in her hair, an uncertain smile already tucking at the corners of her lips, and with her open hands showing how she was unarmed, coupled with the feeling of the single gun against her hip was enough for Midna to know that they did not stand a chance if they were spotted.

"Don't say anything!" she hissed the words, already moving forward towards Zelda, bringing a hand over her mouth as she threw herself to the ground, dragging Zelda down with her. Hearing how Zelda struggled to force out a sound, no doubt to ask her what she was doing, Midna tightened her grip a little more, heart beating wildly in her chest as she hoped that the soldiers aboard the ship had not been able to spot them, that the snow falling from above would provide them with enough cover to allow them to hide, to not attract any attention against the white background of the forest floor.

The seconds passed, Zelda finally relaxing, seemingly realising that Midna would not let go, and yet, Midna did not dare to move, too scared that even the slightest change would alert the soldiers above them to the fact that the princess was right there. So, forcing herself to control her breathing, trying her best to not let it speed up even as her heart begged her for more oxygen, preparing her body for a desperate escape attempt that she already knew would lead to her death, Midna counted to a hundred and then repeated the process twice before slowly, muscles still tense and ready to act at a moment's notice, letting go of Zelda.

The moment she was free to move, Zelda rolled away from her, standing up and trying to brush the snow off her clothes before glaring down at her. "What was that for?" she asked, the fire returning to her eyes as Midna slowly pushed herself up.

"Now is not the time for explanations—we have to get back to the base immediately!" when Zelda continued to look at her, darting a quick look towards her hip where right hand that was still resting on the gun, Midna made a quick decision and reached out to take her hand. "Come! Trust me, we cannot stay here any longer!" that made Zelda wake up, and as she nodded once, taking her hand, Midna could not have cared less about the reasons for it, how Zelda would surely not have trusted her that easily had it not been for her belief that she was a righteous rebel, the relief that they would not have to waste any more time drowning out everything else.

They sprinted back towards the mountain. Around her, Midna could hear how several other airships joined the first one, the noise of the steam engines filling her ears while the branches slapped her across the face as she rushed through the forest. Forcing herself not to slow down for even a moment, not to register the way her legs felt like they were burning, Midna heard how Zelda struggled to keep up, but right then, none of that mattered. As long as she did not lose her grip around Zelda's wrist, it would mean that they would survive. A few scratches and the pain that flared up, making it feel like she was burning, as a particularly heavy branch that almost seemed to appear out of nowhere hit her across the right side of her face were temporary, but the consequences of Ganondorf discovering the location of the base would mean the destruction of everything she knew, so even as her lungs began to burn and she heard Zelda gasp for breath, Midna did not allow herself to even consider slowing down.

A sharp pull, and the next moment, Midna felt Zelda's hand slipping out of her grasp, and though she knew that she should have abandoned her—she was the princess, she would be fine—Midna dug her heels into the snow, bringing herself to a sudden stop.

Already as she twirled around, she knew what had happened. Seeing Zelda there, sprawled out on the ground and looking like it took everything tough in her to keep herself from crying as she look back towards her foot only confirmed it.

"My ankle." Zelda let out a little, broken sound that became a sob halfway through. "Something happened."

It felt almost like she was not there, that she was watching someone else reach out to offer Zelda her hand, listening to someone else speak, and had it not been for the sound of her heartbeat ringing in her ears, Midna might have wanted to believe that this was not really happening. But it was, and the person clutching Zelda's hand as she tried to help her stand up again was really her, the person who shot Zelda's ankle a quick glance, seeing the awkward angle and how even the tiniest amount of pressure applied to it made Zelda wince, was really her.

"It will be fine; I just think you sprained it," Midna said, trying her best to keep her voice from shaking, "come, we have to continue."

Zelda did not answer, and with how she looked like the only thing she was focused on was clenching her teeth, Midna doubted she would have been able to even if she had made an attempt.

They moved forward, but it was so slow that Midna could not help but wonder if they were perhaps wasting time. As she walked there, one arm around Zelda's waist and the other on her shoulder, allowing Zelda to at once place most on her weight on Midna while gripping her arm so tightly that Midna could feel the bruises forming, the option of leaving her there, doing what she had to do to keep the base safe, seemed more tempting than her meals during the last weeks of winter. But no matter how many times Midna tried to argue for throwing Zelda to the side and sprinting away, there was a little voice in the back of her mind, a voice that sounded so much like Zelda when she tried to insist that she was a hero that Midna wanted to scream, somehow keeping her from doing exactly that every time.

Despite the fact that Midna could not recall having ever been forced to move so slowly in her life, little by little, the forest began to clear around them, the greens and whites making way for the greys and whites of the mountain that was all that stood between them and the painful death that would no doubt meet them if Ganondorf ever were to find out about the fortress.

"We are almost there," Midna whispered, "just a little more and then we will be back at the base."

With how Zelda looked like she was seconds away from passing out, her face having becoming deathly pale during the last few minutes, Midna was not sure if she had even heard her, but as she began to move forward, making sure to keep Zelda to her left to ensure that, even if she would lose her grip on her, she would not fall from the tiny path taking them up to the entrance, she did move a little. It was not much, not by any means, barely more than her attempting to drag her feet over the snow and pebbles beneath them, but it was enough to let Midna know that she was still alive.

The fight to make it up the mountain was the worst thing she had ever experienced. The moment when she could feel how the combination of her sweaty palms and the fact that her hands were becoming numb made Zelda slip out of her grip for a moment, the split second before she was able to wrap her arms around her, making sure that she did not fall, was almost able to compete with the one time she had thought she heard the line above her snap while being pulled back aboard the Shadow, and when Midna finally covered the last few metres, taking both of them into the hangar, all she could do was to crumble and fall to the floor, simply lying there next to Zelda as she tried her best to keep her lungs within her body even though it felt like they were about to escape from her as she fought to take in just a bit more air.

But they were not safe yet, so although every last part of her ached, Midna forced herself to stand back up, summoning the last bit of strength from a place she did not even know she possessed to be able to totter over to the crank. Closing her hand around the handle, it felt like it was the only thing keeping her from falling over as she looked towards the other end of the hangar, begging anyone who could hear her for there to be someone nearby.

It appeared that someone had heard her prayer, for Midna was just barely able to make out three blurry figures standing only a few metres away from the Shadow.

"Someone…" she gasped, struggling to make it through the sentence. "Go find someone… need help… closing the gates."

They left immediately, sprinting towards the corridor to Midna's left, and as she struggled to recover her balance, placing all her weight on the crank and hoping that it would not be what would break it, she could not have been more grateful for the fact that they had acted without questions.

They must have told that she had mentioned the gates, for it did not feel like much more than a second had passed before the sound of footsteps filled the hangar, the familiar shade of green telling her that the person sprinting towards her was Link.

"Midna!" she could not see his face, but the panic in his voice and the way he instantly reached out to offer her his arm to lean on made it so that she might as well have. "What has happened? Why is Zelda—"

"Not now!" Midna brushed the questions aside, nodding towards the other end of the room. "We have to close the gates!"

As her vision slowly began to clear, Midna saw how Link glanced back and forth between her, Zelda, and then finally the other crank, the worry she could feel in her stomach clearly reflected in the way he looked down at her, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her upright as he spoke. "But the amount of coal… Midna, we might not be able to open them again."

Shaking her head, Midna used the slight vision she could feel return to her to make sure she looked directly into Link's eyes. "There are airships out there. Not just the large ones, but the smaller ones as well. Link, I—the last time I saw airships like the ones out there was back in Ordon Village. We have to close the gates, then we can begin to worry about other things. Right now, we have to make sure we will even get the chance to have a later."

Link did not say anything, instead standing up so suddenly that, despite how Midna was still gripping the crank like her life depended on it, she could still feel how the task of trying to support herself was almost enough to make her fall to the floor, only able to somehow recover her balance by using her stubbornness as energy.

Even as she saw the rest of the residents coming out to join them, the hangar was silent as the grave as Link sprinted over to reach the other crank.

The screech of metal brushing against metal was at once horrifying and a relief, but as Midna felt how the mountain shook around her as the gate began to lover, she was barely able to focus on anything other than continuing to breathe, continuing to pour every last bit of strength left in her into the task of turning the crank, making sure that, centimetre by painful centimetre, the gate reached the floor, sliding into place with a thunderous crash, blocking out the sunlight and leaving them in almost total darkness, the only bit of light being what came from the corridors towards the back of the room.

Almost like they had turned on a switch, the sound of panic filled the air, Midna recognising the voice begging for his mother to come find him as Colin's but not being able to do much more than to try her best not to fall over as she let go of the crank. Around her, Midna could hear how someone, the loud voice telling her that it was most likely Rusl, tried their best to tell everyone to calm down, but it did not seem to do much as even those who had been able to remain at least somewhat calm began to join the rest in worrying about what the closed gate would mean.

For once grateful that the lack of light meant that she did at least not have to close her eyes to keep the headache forming behind her eyes from becoming worse, Midna tried her best not to let her thoughts dwell on that exact subject. Either they would have coal enough to allow the steam engine to lift up the gate again or they would be trapped inside the mountain. No amounts of worrying would change that, and if she was going to die in here, Midna refused to spend her last days fearing the end.

"Everyone!" Rusl cut through the noise, and as Midna tried to determine the direction of the sound of his voice, she heard how the rest of the base slowly began to realise that they were not going to die just yet, allowing Rusl to continue. "We need to remain calm. Now, does anyone know what happened? Who closed the gates?"

The last words were pronounced with a tone not unlike ice in temperature, but after having been outside in the winter, having at once felt like she was about to combust and like she was about to turn to ice, that was not something that scared Midna anymore, and so, reminding herself that she had only done what had been necessary, she raised her hand, the instinct reaching her brain before the fact that no one would be able to see her in the darkness did.

Glad that the lack of light was sure to hide both her mistake as well as the way the warmth in her cheeks felt like it should have been enough to burn her alive, Midna cleared her throat. "I did. I had reason to believe that Hyrulean forces would have been able to find out about this base if I did not act immediately, so I ordered Link to help me close the gates. I take the responsibility for my decision and the consequences that might arise."

In the silence that followed her statement, Midna could not tell if the fact that the footsteps coming closer to her sounded much louder than she had expected was due to her other senses trying to make up for the lack of light or if it was perhaps more closely connected to the fact that her decision might very well have signed their death warrant even if it had all been done to delay exactly that.

Despite the darkness, Midna could have sworn that she saw Rusl come to a stop in front of her, moving, almost like he wanted to reach out towards her to make sure she was all right, but stopping the motion halfway through to instead clear his throat, the sound of it feeling almost eerie in the silence. "Do you think that they might still be in the area?" Rusl's asked quietly, the question barely loud enough for Midna to be able to understand it.

Remembering the panic that even the act of closing the gates had elicited, it was not difficult for Midna to guess the reasons for that. Making sure that her own voice was barely more than a whisper, she answered. "Yes. I was only able to spot them the last moment before they would have been right above us, and although Zelda and I made our way back as quickly as we possibly could, they might very well have been able to land the airships and begin to search for signs of anyone living here. No matter what, I know that they were too purposeful for this to have been just another patrol—Ganondorf would not waste men and ships like this if that was the case."

As Rusl turned around, Midna could have sworn that she heard him mumble something to himself, but the next moment, he interrupted her thoughts, speaking loudly and quickly, his tone letting everyone know that now was not the moment to object to the plan. "Everyone, there are reasons to believe that the king might be aware of our general location." instantly, worried murmurs filled the hangar, but Rusl cut through them. "We don't know anything yet, but let us assume that the worst has happened and he has somehow received information about this base and take the proper precautions. I want everyone to go to the dining hall immediately. Take anything you think you might be able to use as a weapon, but make sure not to panic. As long as we remain calm, everything will be fine."

But no matter how good Rusl might have been at sounding like it was all some minor thing, speaking like the fifty people around him, most of whom could somewhat aim a gun at a target at best and had never even tried to touch a weapon at worst, could honestly expect to stand a chance against the soldiers if they had really found out about the base, it would never have been enough to make the growing sense of dread that grew around Midna's heart, soon infecting every last bit of her soul, disappear.

This was it. All the years they had spent working together, living together, and it would all end like this, with them being trapped inside a mountain while they waited for Ganondorf's men to find the entrance. Despite the weight of the gate, Midna was not foolish enough to think that it would be more than a minor inconvenience for a well-equipped battalion. This was really where it was going to end. Already, she could feel how her breathing grew more erratic, not sending nearly enough air into her lungs, or perhaps what she was experiencing was really just the effects of the Hyrulean forces having spotted the air ducts at the peak of the mountain and decided that there was no need to waste resources trying to force open the base when they could simply make the ones inside it do all the work for them.

She was only vaguely aware of how someone walked over to her, crouching down to sit next to where she had collapsed to the ground, trying her best to make herself find the strength to follow Rusl's instructions and head towards the dining hall to at least be able to take comfort from the fact that she would not have to die alone.

And then Link had pulled had up from the floor, bringing her into an embrace so tight that she did not have to say anything to know that he had forgiven her for everything that had passed between them before. Stroking her hair, the repetitive movement making her heart feel somewhat normal again, Link began to pull her up from the floor, not once stopping the flow of mumbled words to encourage her. "Everything is going to be all right," he whispered, and despite the logical part of her telling her that he had no way of knowing that, Midna found herself willing to believe it, to give the responsibility of making sure that everything would be all right to someone else, "just come with me, then we will go to the dining hall along with the others."

"Ilia—" Midna began, at once feeling sick at the thought of her last moments with her friend having been spent accusing her of planning to leave her.

"She is fine. She and Bo are should already be in the dining hall—I think I saw them entering the hangar from that direction just before the gate closed, and except for you and Zelda, no one else was outside the base at the time."

Zelda.

At once, Midna's brain felt like it woke up once more, the clouds disappearing from her mind to allow her to focus on nothing else but the fact that she could not remember having seen Zelda move since she had let her fall to the floor.

Link must have taken her attempt at pushing herself away from him as a sign that she was about to try to find a way to head back outside, as futile as such a thing would have been, for as Midna tried to move to the side, trying to get to where she thought Zelda should be, he quickly put an arm around her shoulders, beginning to lead her in the opposite direction, towards the dining hall.

"No, wait," Midna mumbled, shoving his arm away, hearing how her voice grew stronger as the thought of leaving Zelda behind gave her new energy, "Zelda, I think she passed out earlier; we have to find her!"

Letting go of her, Link immediately began to help her move across the floor, Midna trying her best to walk as slowly as the ever-present sense of doom allowed her to do in an attempt at not accidentally ending up kicking Zelda as she used the tip of her boots to search for her.

"Here." Link hissed the word from somewhere to her right, and she must have made more noise than she thought, for as Midna tried to make her way over to him, he reached out, fumbling for her hand for a moment before pulling her closer, guiding her towards a spot on the floor.

Zelda was indeed still lying there. Midna knew that much the moment she brushed against her shoulder and felt how the melted snow had drenched both her hair and clothes.

Trying her best not to let her mind wander to any scenarios trying to explain why Zelda felt colder than ice as she brushed against her face, Midna grabbed her by the shoulders, whispering her name as loudly as she dared while shaking her. "Zelda, we have to go to the dining room now. Come on, you know that I am not going to carry you all the way over there"

She did not receive and answer, but Midna supposed that she should have expected for that to be the case. Really, she had no right to sound as scared as she did as she turned towards Link, knowing full well that even the darkness would not be enough to hide how she was shaking, not with how close they were sitting to one another, Midna hearing how the panic made its way to her voice as she spoke. "We have to move her."

If the soldiers were to enter the base only to find their princess lying on the floor, Midna did not dare to imagine what would happen. Her title of princess would surely be enough to save Zelda, but for the rest of them, Midna tried her best not to imagine it. However, as much as she tried to keep her mind a blank page, she could not escape the sound of Zelda making her promise not to send her back to the castle, all but begging her to let her stay, the memory of how she had looked like she was about to cry when Midna finally gave in.

Luckily, Link soon pulled her back to the moment, and as horrible as the present was right then, Midna could not have been more grateful for that.

"If you grab her arms, I will take her legs."

"Sure. Just make sure that you are careful—I think she sprained her ankle while we ran back to the base."

"Which one?"

"Her left. Or, well, I think it was her left—it all happened so quickly."

Even with her muscles feeling like they had melted along with the snow while they had sprinted through the forests and with the added weight that Zelda's coat and the water it had absorbed was in that moment, the adrenaline still made it feel like she barely weighed more than one of the rabbits that Rusl had once shown her how to catch as Midna and Link began to move through the darkness, walking as slowly as they were able to with the threat of the soldiers finding the entrance every moment hanging above their heads.

It felt like the distance between the entrance and the dining hall only became longer the more they walked, but at last the light escaping through the tiny space between the closed doors was enough for Midna to be able to look down at Zelda. The relief that followed the sight of her chest moving in time with her own breathing was stronger than it had any right to be, but right then, Midna could not have cared less. All that mattered was the fact that Rusl came to open the doors a moment after she had knocked, the fear on his face disappearing the moment he saw the three of them standing outside.

"Yes, they are here," he yelled into the room, and as Midna leant to the side, she could see where Uli had sat down in a chair with Colin, clearly struggling to make him stop crying. But even then, the relief on her face as she looked over at her was almost enough to make Midna wish that she was able to just blindly believe that the adults would be able to protect her from anything the same way Colin might.

Still, as Uli came over to help carry Zelda to a vacant chair before turning to look at her ankle, Rusl closing the doors behind them, placing the solid piece of metal over the handles to provide them with the comfort of the lie that that they might be safe, Midna was almost able to imagine that nothing would happen, that they would miraculously be able to leave in the morning to find all the airships gone, the sky once more being a brilliant blue with the clouds serving as reminders that, no matter what, as long as she had her ship, she would always be able to use the freedom they represented to shield her from the world.