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.

10. Chapter 10

Zelda did not wake up until the candles had all but disappeared, completely devoured by the fire.

Sitting around the long table where they had pushed the individual tables together seemingly out of some kind of shared conviction that that would be enough to shield them from the wrath of the king when he found them, Midna might have missed the exact moment where Zelda began to stir, had it not been for how she was sitting right next to her. But as it was, Midna was not entirely sure whether she was the first one to notice, or if the honour of that title belonged to Uli who had been about to assess the condition of Zelda's ankle, when Zelda reached up to rub the heels of her hands against her eyes.

"Midna?" Zelda turned to look at her, and although she was awake, the slightly clouded look in her eyes was enough for Midna to know that, while she might technically look at her it, did not necessarily mean that she truly saw her. "What is going on?"

In hushed whispers, trying her best not to upset the children who seemed to have flocked to Uli, having apparently decided that with how she was trying to help Zelda, she would also help them, Midna explained what had happened. Maybe it was just yet another reminder of how this, the fact that the entire mountain might come crashing down above them if Ganondorf decided not to bother confirming that they really were there and instead send his fleet to take care of the situation, was the scariest thing Zelda had ever been forced to experience, but as Midna reached the end of recounting how she had passed out, Zelda seemed more awake, more alert than ever before.

Reaching out to clasp Midna's hand, Zelda leant in, an intensity burning in her eyes. "Is there anything I can do to help right now?"

"Yes, there is." Uli looked up from where she was trying to reapply the bandages around her ankle. "You can try to sit still. It is not that easy for me to make sure that that this will stay in place when you are moving around." as Zelda glanced down at her, a look of surprise spreading across her face, Midna could tell the exact moment when Uli decided that Zelda simply did not know better from how she shook her head, her smile becoming a bit less strained and tired as she continued. "Midna said you injured your ankle, and from the look of it, I would say that she was right." she must have noticed the way Zelda's eyes widened in response to that, for, patting her knee, Uli's voice changed, become more like the tone she used when consoling Colin. "But don't worry; it looks like it was just sprained. Try not to move around on it too much and it will be fine within a couple of weeks."

Although Zelda nodded and mumbled a quick thankyou, when she spoke, it was Midna she was looking at. "I remember you carrying me back to the base." both her voice and face were blank, not revealing any emotions. "Is that true or was my mind just imagining things?"

"Well, I wouldn't quite say that I carried you, but, yes, I did help you get back to the base." already sensing how Zelda was about to prepare yet another speech to thank her for it, to try to convince her that she was a better, more selfless person than she really was, Midna hurried to interrupt her attempt at responding. "You know, it was not like I could just leave you there, not when I knew that the soldiers would be sure to find you sooner or later. Leaving the princess to die in the forest right next to your secret hideout is not exactly the best idea when you are trying not to get killed by the king, so yeah, what can I say?" the chuckle she forced out sounded fake, too shrill and high. "I made sure you came back with me, even though it felt like I was about to collapse multiple times. You are welcome, by the way."

If she had hoped that it would finally be what made Zelda stop insisting on viewing her as some kind of hero, Midna would have been disappointed, for Zelda simply brushed her hair out of her face with a laugh. "Well, in that case, I am glad that I mattered enough for you to bother to make sure that I made it back with you." before Midna got the chance to think of anything to say, Zelda had turned her attention back towards Uli, sending her a smile so blinding that Midna was sure it was some kind of secret she had been taught by her tutors, a way for her to use her beauty to distract her opponents from the discussion between them. "Is there anything I can help you with, Uli?"

Sending a brief glance towards the corner of the room where it seemed that Talo, Malo and Beth had abandoned worrying about whether or not they should die to instead play what looked like it was some kind of game, before looking back down at where Colin was sitting on the floor right next to her, looking like he was so distraught, the look in his eyes being distant and his breath uneven, that he might as well not have heard anything of what they were saying, Uli nodded. "If you could try to help Colin… well feel even a little bit better really, then I would be grateful."

"Of course!" somehow, Zelda was able to make it sound like she was even looking forward to it, having already jumped off of her chair, Midna barely being able to react in time, reaching out to catch her just as her left leg buckled beneath her, making Zelda fall over towards her. "Sorry," Zelda laughed, already moving to stand up again and brushing off Uli's worries about the ankle perhaps calling for her to sit still for a bit longer, "I should have been more careful."

Midna watched as Zelda continued over to crouch down next to Colin on the floor, halfway prepared to see her have to give up the moment it would become clear to her that she would not be able to succeed in making Colin calm down after he had just seen them close the gate and hurry into the dining hall to pretend that there might still be hope left even if the king found them. But, and as much as Midna tried to, she was not able to dismiss it as being another sign of her education and the tutors at the castle rather than the result of Zelda herself, it only took Zelda a few minutes to make Colin look up at her, somehow even managing to bring a smile to his face.

"How is she doing that?" Midna asked, leaning over towards Uli to make sure that Zelda would not hear the hushed question.

But it would appear that Uli had found herself asking the very same thing, for she simply shrugged. "I don't know, but as long as it is enough to make my son stop worrying about what is going to happen and tell me about how he does not want for us all to die, I don't really care."

However, as Midna saw how Zelda was able to make Colin join her as she walked over to sit down next to Talo, Malo, and Beth, the two of them soon participating in the game, she could not deny the fact that she wanted to know her secret. After all, despite how many years they had known each other, nothing she had ever tried to make Colin calm down when he was scared had ever seemed to have worked even half as well as what it was that Zelda had told him. Still, as much as she wanted answers, the question was only able to hold her attention for so long, and as the minutes turned to hours, and the hours became days, Midna found her brain struggling to think of anything other than whether or not the next moment would be her last.

In the end, they survived. Although it did not feel much like surviving when Rusl declared that they had to risk the soldiers simply waiting for them when they had all been forced to gather around the flickering flame of the last candle, as she followed along behind Rusl and the rest of the volunteers, holding up the candle to let it provide as much light as it possibly could, they had survived somehow.

Midna's stomach rumbled as Rusl reached out to open up the hatch towards the bottom of the gate, the tiny opening to the outside world providing them with a bit of natural light. The worst part of it was that, despite her stomach insisting that she might somehow be able to use the few centimetres of space between the gate and the floor to force her way out of the base, going to find something to eat, she knew that it was still as far from certain whether or not they could even open up the gates as it could be. For now, the question of whether they would be left to a slow death, having to watch as their supplies dwindled day by day, or if they might just be able to open the gate again, would be entirely up to the amount of coal currently lying at the bottom of the crate in the corner of the room, and although Midna's brain, heavily aided by how her stomach was screaming for her to prove that they would be able to head out to find more food, was trying its best to make up alternate escape routes—if she learnt how to climb up vertical walls, if she was able to squeeze through the tiny holes in the side of the mountain, she could utilise the air ducts, make her way out through them—she knew that she was just as anxious as everyone else when Rusl moved over to the crate, holding the candle up above his head as he peeked into it.

"I think we might have enough."

The collective sigh of relief that, for some of them, was followed by tears had to be the best sound in the world, good enough to not only make Midna tolerate how Zelda threw her arms around her neck, bringing her into a surprisingly strong hug for someone her size who also had a sprained ankle to watch out for, but to also make her hug her back. For once, the fact that, if the soldiers had found them, Midna was sure that Zelda would have been just fine, that the only danger she had ever had to endure along with them was that of the gate not opening again, did not matter.

As Rusl stood there, the flames casting shadows across his face as he shot them a victorious grin, he almost seemed like the hero of old and the gods of the world on the other side of their reality that the governess had often liked to tell the story about, and yet, he was still able to exceed even that as he lifted up the candle, letting the light from the flame and the light from behind frame him. "Who will help me hold this," he waved the candle, the flame making the shadows on the walls dance, "while I take the coal to the engine room?"

Around her, Midna could see how he would not struggle to find a volunteer, people offering to go along with him seemingly for no other reason but to witness the moment the ancient machinery would spring to life, soon finding the strength to lift up the gate and once more hold it above them all. But for once, she was not exactly in a hurry to go with them, instead remaining where she was as the sound of several pieces of metal that might easily be several decades older than her all moving at once made the room echo with applause and laughs as it was finally clear that not only would they not be trapped inside the base, they would be able to feel the sun again, for, with the strength and technology of the destroyed military of the Twilight Realm, not even the tonnes of stone, wood, and metal that made up the gate was able to remain where it was.

However, the relief was short-lived as the sight of the rays of the sun hitting the hull of her ship forced Midna to admit that, though she might have made the right choice at the time, just because they had had enough coal to lift the gates, it would not necessarily mean that they had enough to let her ship take to the skies again.

Link must have realised the same, for as Midna gently unwrapped herself from Zelda's embrace, it only took a few seconds before he was at her side, worry apparent in his eyes.

"The ship," he whispered, "will it be able to…?"

He let the sentence trail off, and Midna could easily see why. Saying that there was a risk that it might not be the case, acknowledging it, felt almost like it would make it real, so she made sure to shake her head, not even entertaining the idea. "No. The Shadow is stubborn. I am sure that she will be able to stay in the air for at least another couple of days with the coal that is already in there." but Midna could hear how her voice did not at all sound as confident as she would have liked to pretend she was as she let Zelda drag her towards where the rest of the residents were heading towards the corridor leading to the engine room to congratulate Rusl.

Still, the issue of whether they would be able to leave the base to take back more coal would have to wait for later, or at least that was what Midna had every intention of letting it do until the moment where she could see Link's question reflected in Rusl's eyes as he turned around to look up at her, not uttering a word that would risk making the room descend into panic again.

Despite how Midna did her very best to not look like she doubted herself as she nodded, pouring as much confidence as she could find into the gesture, she could already feel how her ship was going to remain stuck forever if she had overestimated the amount of coal that was still left on it.

"I could come with you, you know. I might not be able to move as quickly as the rest of you, but if nothing else, having me with you would make for a good diversion."

From where she was standing on the deck of the ship, trying to make sure that everything was ready to minimise the amount of time they would spend in the air, trying her best not to waste coal, Midna could still see the stubborn expression on Zelda's face even with how she was standing on the ground, shouting the words up at her. She had halfway hoped that Zelda would have forgot about her attempts at making them bring her along after she had denied the possibility of that ever happening the moment she had first stepped out of the meeting room to inform her of the decision they had reached to only bring the best along for their next mission, but with how Zelda did not exactly sound like she would stop arguing anytime soon, Midna supposed she had been a bit too optimistic back then. But then again, when had Zelda ever shown any signs of being able to stop, especially when seeing the chance of being able to pretend to be a rebel?

All things considered, Midna knew that the amused tone to her words was not just something she was imagining as she leant over the handrail, hoping that the distance would be enough to hide a smile that she could not keep bottled up any longer. "Aren't you supposed to be careful with your foot?"

"Yes, but Uli told me that it would only be a few weeks of me having to sit still." the way Zelda said it, she almost made it sound like she really had given the ankle a few weeks to heal rather than barely five days. "So I am sure it will be fine. Besides, I know that I will be able to do far more if you let me come with you than I can here."

"Oh, really?" Midna let her voice rise a bit, and although she tried her best to remember how she had been able to show her annoyance even without having to look at Zelda, she could hear that, rather than making it sound like she wanted for Zelda to stay quiet and stop interrupting her, it sounded more like she was seconds away from bursting out laughing as she continued. "Well, then tell me, Princess, how do you think you will be able to help us? Because, the way I see it, taking you along with us will only mean that we will have to look out for you and make sure you won't be hurt."

"I know how to shoot."

The answer reached her, full of confidence, and for a moment, Midna was glad that the distance between them might be enough to hide her surprise as she did her best not to ask just when a princess had learnt how to shoot.

But even though she had not asked, Zelda seemingly still felt the need to explain, for Midna could hear the laughter in her voice as she looked down at her. "Ashei taught me how to—just to make sure that I would be able to defend myself, should I ever find myself in a situation where she would not be able to save me."

That, Midna could understand. Although allowing the princess to know how to handle a gun was not exactly something she would have expected from Ganondorf, when Zelda put it that way, it did make an awful lot of sense.

Losing herself in her thoughts for a moment, pondering the question of whether or not the queen of the Twilight Realm had known how to do the same back when the Hyrulean forces had made their way to the castle, if it would have changed her decision to flee her country if she had been able to, at the very least, know that she would die fighting, Midna almost failed to hear the first few words of the next sentence, having to shake her head to make herself focus on what Zelda was saying again.

"And I am sure that seeing their princess would make them slow down for a moment, not necessarily much, but it might mean the difference between escaping and being captured."

She was not wrong. As much as Midna would have liked to tell her that every little part of her plan would never be able to work in the real world, she had to admit that, although naïve, it was not the worst idea she had ever heard, or at least it seemed much more realistic than the time they had thought about using wood to fuel the steam engines, somehow managing to not only underestimate the sheer amount of trees they would have to cut down, but also the difficulty of getting the logs back up to the base. But that was not exactly a difficult thing to achieve, not with how Midna still had scars in the palm of her left hand where she had burnt herself when the log had slipped away from her, rolling all the way to the foot of the mountain, making the rope they had tied around it burn red stripes into her hands, so the simple fact that it was not an even worse idea did not mean that it was good.

By all means, Midna should have been able to easily lean out over the handrail and yell that at Zelda, but even as she tried to do that, she could hear how she sounded tired more than anything else. "I think you are forgetting that it will not be a matter of escape or capture if it comes to that. We either die survive, and trust me when I tell you that no matter how good you might think you are with a gun, you do not want to be in that situation where you have to make a split-second decision to shoot someone else to save yourself. Have you even had to do that before? Did Ashei teach you how to aim at another person and pull the trigger while knowing that they will die if you did?"

The answer came a few moments late, Zelda sounding like she already knew that she would have to admit defeat as she mumbled something inaudible, only speaking a bit louder as Midna gestured towards her ear. "No, I have not. But I am sure I could do it if it was to save someone else."

"Sure." for some reason, Midna was not able to deny that idea. "So just wait here and hope that it will not come to that. Besides, we can't exactly take you with us; it would be the same as outright telling Ganondorf that we kidnapped his daughter."

She could hear Zelda scoff even from where she was standing, several metres below her. "You didn't kidnap me—I boarded your ship and made you take me back home to your base. I can have Ashei confirm that if I ever were to be found and brought home."

"And I am sure that Ganondorf is going to care about any of that when he finds you. I promise you that if he ever manages to locate this base, it will not matter to him whether or not you are here because you wanted to pretend to be some kind of hero, standing up for the downtrodden. No, the only thing that will matter to him will be whether or not he is going to claim that we are simply pirates, or if your presence here will be enough to make us known as kidnappers as well. Also," Midna frowned slightly, wondering for a moment why she had not thought to ask her before, "what did your captain say to explain to your father how you were able to disappear from right in front of her eyes?" the silence that followed her question told her everything she needed to know. "She told him that we took you, didn't she?"

"Yes." everything in Zelda's voice made it clear that she would have preferred to be able to deny it. "She most likely did. But I am sure that I kind explain it to him, I will just have to… have to…" with every word, it became increasingly clear to Midna that Zelda did not know how to finish that sentence, did not know what she would do if they were caught. Still, it did not keep her from continuing, "I will make sure that he knows who to blame. I promise."

Something that felt a little too much like guilt filled her as Midna rolled her eyes. Doing her best to ignore it—Zelda would not even have been able to see it—she shrugged. "As chivalrous as that promise is, it will not be enough to save us. Now, you have to stand aside to allow us to manoeuvre this ship through the gates."

Midna had halfway expected for Zelda to continue arguing, so seeing her bow her head, everything about her body language making certain that Midna knew how disappointed she was, should have been a relief. And Midna supposed that it was, at least partly. But as the ship rose up, the very top of the mainmast barely touching the bottom of the gate as Link gave orders, yelling at them from his spot at the rudder, while battling the wind that enveloped them the moment they left what little protection the mountain had had to offer, she could not ignore the feeling that she should have done something to get the little smile back, to be able to see it again.

And then the euphoria of once more being in the air hit her.

Despite the way the ship moved below her, the keel doing little to stabilise them, as the wind caught her hair, making it fly around her face as Midna struggled to tie it back, the relief of seeing her ship fight alongside them to not let it show how it surely had only a few hours left before the coldness of the air and icy bite of the wind would make the water that flowed through the pipes turn to ice had never felt greater. In that moment, she might almost have been able to ignore the way her stomach turned slightly at the thought of how, if they did not get enough coal, if they did not find a ship in time, if they made any mistake however tiny it might be, it would mean that they would be lucky to even make it back to the base to wait there for a slow death.

But only almost. The hours they spent in the air, using the clouds around them to provide cover, were among the tensest Midna had ever been forced to live through. Walking back and forth across the deck, she could tell that she was not the only one who felt that way, not with how Fado joined her a few moments later, the two of them walking in step. Towards the bow of the Shadow, Midna could see Jaggle sitting on the deck, resting his gun in front of him as he made sure that it was loaded, ready to be used.

In fact, the more Midna thought about it, the only one who seemed to be even somewhat calm was Rusl. Standing at the handrail, looking out at the clouds around them, he might almost have been able to fool her into thinking that he was not worrying at all, had it not been for how she could see him tapping a quick rhythm against the deck, the tip of his boot moving from side to side.

She had only just made the decision to head over to speak with him, to apologise, when the ship appeared, and everything became chaos, every one of them attacking at once without Midna having time to give the order.

For a moment, she thought it might be it, that they finally had luck on their side. Ducking under the arms of the guards the moment she landed on the deck, Midna already knew that they had chosen the right target, the sheer size of the ship and the fact that the merchants had been willing to invest in paying the king to send soldiers to protect their products letting her know that they would find more than just a few crates of apples in the storeroom.

She could not tell if the sheer energy behind their attack was the result of the desperation that had made them agree to plan another mission despite how they might have waited for everyone to have had time to heal had it not been for the fact that time was not exactly a luxury they could afford, or if it had always been present with her having failed to notice it before, but as they rushed forward, Midna could see how the guards were forced to admit that they did not stand a chance within moments. Really, when Midna jumped to the side to avoid the sharp edge of a sword as the guard to her right turned his attention towards her, it felt almost unreal, like there was no one there to stop her from running directly through the group of soldiers, soon finding herself inside the storeroom.

But the crates and shelves that seemed to cover every last centimetre of the floor, the way they had been stacked on top of each other to make room for even more food, were all real, and so was the coal Midna quickly began to throw into her sack, placing it down on the floor in front of her to have her hands free. Within moments, she could hear how Fado and Jaggle joined her, the rest of the crew staying on the deck, now turning around to defend them, keeping the guards from being able to corner them in the storeroom.

Her arms ached as she shoved one last lump of coal into the sack, but she still pulled at the strings to close it, throwing it over her shoulder and quickly fastening it to the side of her waistcoat to make sure she would not be forced to place it down, should a situation where she needed to have her hands free to defend herself arise.

As soon as she stepped onto the deck again, making her way over to where the harnesses dangled a few centimetres above the deck, Rusl giving the order for them to change formations, going from trying to keep back the guards to instead make their way through the ranks once more, Midna should have known that they would not make it. The fact that they had been able to keep the ship in the air for so long, the fact that they had found a ship in time, it was all too much. Sooner or later, the luck that felt almost unreal would slip away from her, she should have known that.

But as she made her way over to fight side by side with Rusl, bringing her gun up to strike one of the guards across the face moments before he would have been able to reach Rusl, making him fall to the deck with a little sigh, it felt almost like they would escape, like they would be able to return to the base at last.

So of course that was also the moment everything began to go wrong.

Reaching out towards the harness, Midna could hear how they gradually lost control of the situation, the task of making sure that the straps were properly tightened being too much to also fend off the guards while fiddling with leather and rope. As much as she tried to hurry, pulling at the different parts of the harness to make sure that, the moment he was given the signal, Link would be able to pull away from the ship, dragging all of them into the clouds around them and then hope that the cover they provided would be enough to shield them from how the guards would no doubt seize the chance to shoot at them, there was a limit to how quickly she could move, even with the adrenaline making her heart beat so rapidly that it felt like it should have jumped out of her chest.

Still, somehow, she was able to both hold onto the sack as she fastened it on the little hook next to her while kicking an advancing soldier who had been about to attack Fado from behind , making him collapse the moment the tip of her booth connected with the hollow of his knee.

Sending her a nod, Fado was finally able to close the last strap. Another person would be safe when they made their escape.

As much as Midna would have liked to say that she didn't hurry—she didn't, she would not accept the risk that came with not bothering to make sure that everyone had had time to put on the harness—she could feel how their chance for survival was slipping away from them with every moment they spent aboard the ship, and so, the second she had finished glancing towards each end of the handrail, counting to seven, she raised the gun towards the sky and pulled the trigger.

Midna was not sure what happened first, her hand struggling to hold onto the gun as it was thrown back towards her, or the feeling of the line above her head tightening as Link began to steer the ship in the direction away from the danger, towards their home.

That was when one of the soldiers, a man who seemed to be nearly as tall as her, sprinted towards her, lifting his sword above his head as he prepared to bring it down, her fate waiting for her in the silver glint of the blade.

It felt like the world was brought to a halt around her, all colours fading from her vision as Midna was left unable to do anything other than stare directly at the sword and the way it caught the rays of the sun, shining almost as brightly as a flame as it moved towards her. She should have been scared, frightened even, but as Midna looked up, at once able to see everything and nothing, every little movement in front of her bleeding together, the way the soldier changed his weight around to put as much force as he could muster behind the sword letting the light hit her, she felt strangely calm. The sword was about to hit her, there was nothing she could do to stop it now. Even if she had believed that bringing up the gun, letting metal collide with metal, could change anything, Midna knew that she would barely get the chance to blink again before it would all be over. There was nothing she could do to change what was about to happen, and perhaps that was why the only thought going through her mind in that moment was that at least this would be a new adventure, something she had never experienced before.

But rather than the sharp pain and sudden silence that should have followed the frantic sound of her own heartbeat, something heavy crashed into her from the side, and the next thing Midna knew, the sounds returned, the world beginning to spin again as she fell to the side only for a the line fastened to the back of the harness to pull her across the deck, her head hitting the handrail, making her vision darken for a second as she was thrown into the air, away from both the soldier and the sword.

Trying her best to turn around, to do anything other than fumbling for something to hold onto with her hands finding nothing but air, Midna already knew what she would see as she looked back towards the ship she had just been pulled away from, but even the knowledge of what had happened was not enough to prepare her for the sight.

Rusl was lying on the floor. With how he was still wearing his harness, the line that had been supposed to save him dangling in the air next to Midna, and the way the guard who had been about to attack her was lying on the floor, struggling to move Rusl away from him as he yelled for someone to come help him, to seize the girl, it was clear to her what had happened, as much as it all felt like a scene from her nightmares.

He had sacrificed himself, used himself as an attack by throwing his entire weight at the guard, making him stumble away from her. The sword must have slipped, cutting the line rather than hitting any of them. Had she been a bit more naïve, Midna might have felt relieved, but as she saw the guards regain their sense of unity, rushing over to restrain Rusl, she already knew that it would have been better for him to have died. At least the sword would have granted him a quick and somewhat painless death, given how it was not sentient, did not care about the cause it was being used to strengthen.

It felt like she was left in the air for hours, watching as Rusl slipped away from her, but as she was pulled back over the side of the Shadow, feeling how she struggled to breathe, how the straps seemed to tighten around her chest as she dropped to the floor the moment she was back on the ship, someone coming over to her moments later, hands trying to reach for the clasps to help her escape from the harness, Midna knew that that was not so.

The person next to her reached out for the clasps again, a bit more careful this time. Midna pushed them away, letting out a scream, and for a moment, she could hear how it worked, someone mumbling next to her before calling out for someone to come help them. But Midna didn't care, not when she should jump over the edge of the ship to dive back and try to get to Rusl.

"Midna, I need you to calm down for a moment. Everything is going to be all right, just breathe." Link's face appeared in front of her, and it felt like her heart stopped the moment she looked up at him.

As he sat there, crouching down to try to take her hands, it was apparent how, although he didn't know exactly what had happened, he was aware of the fact that they would not return home with glorious news of how they had been able to steal enough coal to ensure that the Shadow would be able to fly again.

Midna didn't cry, she really didn't. The feeling of water streaming down her face was simply something she was imagining as she looked up at Link, her stomach feeling like it had been replaced with the sack next to her as she realised that she would have to tell him.

"Rusl…" she felt like she was about to choke on the word, but as Link's eyes grew wide, the look of dawning realisation on his face letting her know that he was already mentally trying to count the number of people standing around them and reaching the conclusion that they were missing one, "he… the guards—I didn't see them before it was too late, I swear, but he—"

"I know." Link's voice sounded broken as he pulled her towards him, the hug feeling like it was more meant for himself than her. "I know."

But he didn't. Midna knew that. Link might have understood the fact that Rusl would never come back again, that they had abandoned him back on the ship, but he had not heard the reason for it. She tried to open her mouth, tried making an attempt at telling him how it was because of her that Rusl had felt the need to throw himself at the attackers, using his own life as a way to buy her enough time to escape, but she could not force the words to come to her. Already, she could see how Link would react, how he would change, pulling away from her, his face only betraying him for a fraction of a second, letting her see how he too would reach at the conclusion that, had she just bothered to be a bit more aware of her surroundings, she would easily have been able to avoid the sword without Rusl having to act, before he would try to convince her that it wasn't her fault and that no one would blame her.

It was that last thought, the knowledge that, no matter how obvious it was to her that she could have prevented all of this, everyone around her would rush to her side to try to defend her, that finally convinced her to close her mouth, keeping the truth about what had happened inside. She knew that it was her fault, her mistake, that had led to Rusl being captured. Now, she would have to live with that.

Pushing Link away from her and ignoring the worry in his eyes, Midna forced herself to stand back up, letting the harness fall to the deck with a thud. "I think I will go to my cabin." her voice sounded distant, almost like it did not belong to her. "Please, just… let me rest."

As she walked across the deck, throwing her sack over towards the spot were Fado and Jaggle were trying their best to bring it to the engine room, Midna knew that they would grant her her request. There was still work to do; although it felt like the world had stopped the second she had looked back to see Rusl still aboard the ship, fact was that the steam engine did not care about their grief. It would still require a steady supply of coal to heat up the water if they wanted to remain in the air. Really, she should have stayed to help them, but as she caught a glimpse of the cut line, the empty spot on the deck where Rusl should have laid his harness, all of them making sure that the leather was still intact, Midna knew that she would not be able to stay out there for another second.

The room almost seemed like it was bathed in light as she entered, the sun peeking in through the porthole, feeling almost like it was there only to attack her eyes, making her head hurt. She took care of that, ripping the bedsheet off her bed and throwing it over the window, the metal framing around the porthole catching the fabric, blocking out the light and leaving her in darkness.

She remained there, standing in the middle of the room for what felt like hours. Only vaguely aware of the passage of time with the reminder the sound of her heartbeat gave her, Midna supposed that might also have been the case, but she simply could not bring herself to care. What was time? What had it ever done for her other than giving her the chance to believe that she might finally have found someone she could care about, someone who would not leave her, only to rip the m away from her again?

In that moment, Midna truly could not find the answer to the question. All she knew was that this was the last time she would make the mistake.

The room shook around her, almost making her fall over. As Midna reached out to use the edge of the desk to keep herself standing, she already knew that it was Link who had been giving the task of navigating around the mountain, guiding the ship through the gate and into the hangar, even though the sound of wood and stone brushing over each other and the way the ship hit the ground with a bit more force than what it should have was nothing like the way he was usually able to land the ship so that the change from flying through the air to the lack of movement was barely noticeable.

Running her hands through her hair, Midna forced herself to breathe even as her lungs burnt like she was surrounded by water rather than air. This was it. She might have been able to hide inside her cabin for the hours it had taken to return to the base, but she could not stay in there for the rest of her life. She owed it to Uli and Colin to at least tell them what had happened.

The moment she stepped outside onto the deck, Midna could feel how the rest of the crew turned towards her, the question they all seemed to ask themselves present in the way they looked towards her almost like they were considering reaching out to keep her from walking over to where the rope ladder had already been lowered to the ground. But no one moved , no one said anything, not even Link, so Midna swung her legs over the side of the ship, the stony surface below feeling like it was flying up to greet her rather than it being a matter of her climbing down towards it.

It was not until she was standing on the ground, trying to blink away the tears as she looked at the crowd that had gathered in front of her, searching for Uli and Colin among the residents, that Midna was able to recognise the faces of those she had come to regard as her family over the years again. She didn't dare to think about what she looked like, but with how the expressions of those in front of her seemed to change the moment they spotted her, the applause dying within moments as glee turned to worry, she would not have needed a mirror to know that she must have looked horrible. But no matter how many times she tried to ignore the tears, tried to stop her vision from becoming blurry, she could not see Uli and Colin anywhere.

Instead, her gaze landed on Zelda, the princess pushing her way towards the front of the crowd.

"Midna?" Zelda stopped in front of her, her eyes flickering from her eyes to her shaking hands and back again. "Has something happened?"

She must have interpreted Midna's silence as a sign that she had been wounded, for Zelda rushed forwards, letting out a cry that sounded not unlike a gasp as she placed her hand on her cheek, slinging an arm around her waist, clearly thinking that she would have to guide her to the infirmary. Keeping her voice soft, using the exact same tone of voice Midna would have used to calm a deer, keeping it in place long enough for her to move closer, Zelda began to walk back through the crowd, pulling Midna along with her.

And she let her. Although she should have stayed, Midna let Zelda guide her past the faces of the people who all turned around to stare at her, their expressions blurring together until Midna would not have been able to tell exactly who they were even if she had had the strength to look up. It felt almost like she was not moving at all, but with how Zelda had not lifted her from the ground and how the sound of her feet against the floor appeared much too loud in the otherwise silent hangar, Midna knew that it was not the case.

Through it all, Zelda kept whispering to her. "It will be fine, we just have to get you to the infirmary, then I am sure that Uli will be able to make it all right again."

The mention of Uli's name felt like a knife had been plunged into her stomach, someone twisting the handle as they continued into the corridor, the door she knew would lead into the infirmary at once seeming like at was kilometres away and right in front of them as the last bit of strength left her, Midna letting her weight shift over to rest on the shoulder Zelda was offering with a little smile.

"Yes, it will be all right," Zelda repeated, almost like she was talking to herself rather than Midna, "do you see the doors over there? We just have to make it over to them."

"I—I am not injured."

The words brought Zelda to a halt, the lack of someone pulling her forwards making Midna stop as well. As she looked down at Zelda, Midna could almost see how she tried to determine whether she was telling her the truth or if she was perhaps too upset to be trusted.

"Midna—"

"No." she shook her head. She had no right to let Zelda attempt to comfort her, not after everything that had happened. "Really. I am not injured, not at all. Rusl, he—there was a guard coming, I wasn't able to move in time, and he… he."

She had not expected for Zelda to understand, but she must have, for the next moment, Midna felt Zelda's arms around her.

"Shh." her hand drawing small circles between her shoulder blades, Zelda held her close. "I promise you that we will find a way to save him."

"How?" her voice sounded broken, tired. "How can you even think that we stand a chance? He was taken. If he is lucky, he is already dead, and if not, he is sure to be soon. The moment they take him to Ganondorf, it will all be over for him."

"I know," Zelda whispered, but although she claimed to understand, Midna knew that it was not the case, the next words coming out of her mouth only serving to confirm that suspicion, "but we will do something. We have to. I am sure that Ashei will do everything in her power to save him. I know she will."

And maybe that was what pushed her too far, the softness with which Zelda approached her, the way she refused to acknowledge the fact that Midna had left one of her own to die, still clinging onto the childish naïveté. It was as if a switch had been flipped inside her mind, the anger flowing through her veins like steam through pipes and before Midna had the chance to realise what she was doing, she found herself looking back up at Zelda, anger clouding the world around her, leaving only the fact that Zelda was able to not only look at her but even try to claim that she was not to blame for her to understand.

"Midna, what are you—"

Zelda didn't get to finish the sentence, for the next moment, Midna had let out a growl, the sound she produced sounding more like a wounded animal than a person, and twirled around. The look of fear that flashed across Zelda's face should have made her stop, but in that moment, Midna doubted that there was anything in the world that would have been able to keep her back as she grabbed Zelda's wrists, putting every last bit of pain into stepping forward, the movement sending Zelda stumbling backwards, Midna's grip being all that kept her from falling. It was the confines of the narrow corridor that brought them to a halt, Midna stepping up so that even as Zelda was pushed against the wall, she could barely have been more than a few centimetres away from her.

"Don't." her voice shook, and she struggled to make her mouth obey her, but at last, Midna was able to force out the words. "Don't you dare say that. Rusl is dead, do you hear me! I saw it myself; he was taken by Hyrulean guards, he is going to be taken to your father, and yet you dare to tell me that you trust the captain of the very same military to stop this, to stop what is going to happen." she could see how Zelda tried to say something, tried to move away, but it all felt too distant for her to be able to understand, Midna instead focusing on the sound of her blood rushing in her ears. "He is dead, all because of me. He is dead!"

"Who is dead?"

The voice cut right through her anger, Midna finally realising what had just happened.

Stepping backwards to let go of Zelda, she tried to meet her gaze, tried to do anything to let her know that she was sorry, but Zelda looked down at the ground instead. Midna could not say that she blamed her for that, not even as the hollow feeling inside her grew, the world around her becoming colder as she felt her arms fall back down to hang by her side, useless and heavy.

Then, turning around, Midna could have sworn that she felt her heart break apart.

Uli was standing right there, looking first at Zelda, then at Midna, and then finally back at Zelda, the crease between her eyebrows becoming a little deeper every time as she repeated the question. "What happened here? Who is dead?"

"I—" Midna tried to form the word, but found that she couldn't, and although she knew that she had no right to hope for help from her, she still caught herself glancing towards Zelda, mentally begging her to finish the sentence for her. But of course, Zelda kept on staring at the ground directly in front of her feet.

"I am going to ask you one last time," Uli said, using the same tone of voice Midna had only ever heard her use back when she had caught Talo stealing a loaf of bread from the larder, "what happened here?"

Midna had never been as grateful for Link turning around the corner as she was in that moment, the green colour of his waistcoat and the way he seemed to instantly realise what had happened as he cast a glance at how Midna and Zelda were standing, Midna feeling how her shoulders were surely at the level of her ears, Zelda still standing right in front of the wall, telling her that she was saved. As selfish as it was of her to let Link do it, she could not find the strength to explain to Uli what had happened ,why she had found Midna with her face centimetres away from Zelda's, and so, she remained silent.

"Uli." moving through the corridor, running to bridge the last few metres between them, Link soon reached out to place a hand on Uli's arm, the contact making her turn away from Midna and Zelda. "Will you come with me for a moment? There is… there is something you need to know about."

"What is it?" Uli asked, taking a step backwards.

But Midna could see from the way she was fighting to keep back a sob that she had realised the connection between Midna's anger, how she had yelled at Zelda, and now Link looking at her with eyes that were shiny with tears. Without another word, she went with him, leaving Midna and Zelda alone in the corridor.

The silence between them felt almost like she would have been able to touch it if she had reached out, seeping into her lungs, feeling almost like it was trying to suffocate her despite her attempts at telling herself that she was only imagining things. Even then, it did not make the sensation disappear. Midna did not have to wonder why. After all, after everything that had happened, first letting Rusl be captured and now this, both lashing out at Zelda and leaving Link with the task of informing Uli about her husband's fate, if there really were any goddesses looking after the world and trying to make sure that everyone got what they deserved, Midna was sure that they would have one look at her before deciding that it was what she had earned.

In front of her, Midna could see how the colour slowly returned to Zelda's face, the princess looking a little less shaken as the seconds passed between them, reaching up to try to brush her hair out of her face where it had landed as Midna had shoved her up against the wall, her mouth forming silent words as she glanced over at Midna, only meeting her gaze for a moment before looking back down at the floor, the way her chest moved rapidly betraying her, revealing her emotions.

She fled. Knowing that she should have stayed and at least tried to apologise, Midna spun around and sprinted back to the Shadow. She was almost completely sure that someone would be bound to try to stop her, to drag her back to bring her face to face with the reality she herself had created, and she was not quite sure whether the fact that she was able to run inside her cabin, locking the door behind her, without meeting anyone was a blessing or a curse. As she collapsed, barely making it to her bed, she was too exhausted to think about it.

It did not take long before the darkness around her seemed to grow, finally bringing her sleep and a sense of peace that she did not deserve.

It was a nightmare. Midna knew that from the moment she opened her eyes to find herself face to face with her mother. And yet, it did not keep it all from feeling so real that she had no doubts that she would have been able to reach out towards her mother, like she was been able to ask her what had gone through her mind in her last moments. But no matter how many times Midna tried to open her mouth, she found that she could not produce a single sound, instead reduced to watching as her mother's face twisted, the serene expression that would not have been out of place for someone posing for a painting becoming a mask of rage, her eyes seeming to glow with the same kind of destructive warmth as a fire that was out of control.

"Hello, Midna," her mother said, and although Midna had known that it would happen, she still found herself wincing at the sound of her voice, everything about it feeling like it had been devised specifically to clash with the fire in her eyes, for as she spoke, Midna's mother sounded like she was made from ice, "I hope you are proud of what you have done. Truly, seeing you destroy everything around you, I can't help but wonder if I did the right thing back then. You would have made an awful leader."

Midna knew from experience that trying to over her ears would not help, not with this kind of nightmare. If she had only found herself lost in a maze with the light blinding her, she would at least have been able to follow along, to obey the rules her subconsciousness had created for her, but with this, with how she was aware of the fact that her mother was dead, had been dead for years, and that she was really lying in her bed, and yet could not make herself escape from having to listen to her mother, could not wake up, there was no escape, nothing she could cling to.

In front of her, her mother continued. "Have you told the darling princess?" she raised an eyebrow, the grimace only making her face look even more distorted.

Unable to take it anymore, Midna brought her hands to her face, shielding her eyes, but even then, she could not ignore her mother's voice.

"No? Well, I suppose that is what we should have expected. You always were weak. Weak and self-righteous. I don't know what I ever saw in you. You were right—you are not a hero; you help no one but yourself. I am proud of what my father did."

Midna could feel how her blood became ice, and despite how a part of her was screaming for her not to do it, to remember that none of this could harm her as long as she did not allow it to, that she should wait for it all to be over, she looked up, only to find herself looking directly at Zelda.

In her dreams, she looked almost like how Midna had envisioned Nayru, based on what Ilia had told her about the goddess, her hair seeming to float around her face even with the lack of wind, her eyes shining brighter than the sun. However, as beautiful as she was, it felt more like a mask, something that was supposed to hide what was beneath, and as Zelda fixed her with an icy stare, Midna thought she could catch a glimpse of it, seeing the anger and hurt that rested just below the surface.

"Do you like what you see?" had it not been for how every word was said like it had been a sword meant to deliver a fatal blow, the way Zelda twirled around once might almost have looked childish, but as it was, Midna could not tear her gaze away from her face, only peripherally aware of how her clothes had changed, the white and lilac colour of her gown giving way for the whites and browns that seemed to be the colours usually worn by the customers of the merchants from whose ships they would grab articles of clothing. "Just remember that this," Zelda took a step forward, her eyes flashing with anger, only to jerk back the next moment, bringing her hand up to her face as an expression replaced the last one, an grimace so like the one Zelda had been unable to hide from her in the corridor that Midna felt her heart skip a beat, "is all because of you. How do you think that feels? Actually, you don't even have to answer that question, I can show you." before Midna had a chance to do anything, Zelda had stepped forward, reaching up to rest both hands on her shoulders.

And for a moment, it felt almost like she was back before everything had begun to go wrong, back when she could still feel the idolisation in Zelda's gaze each time she would look at her. It had been infuriating each time, Midna barely having been able to hide her anger at how some princess thought that it was her right to come here, sneaking onto her ship, and try to convince her that she should give up everything, the friends she had made, the relations that felt almost like a family, and the life she had been able to create for herself, to let her fulfil some childish dream of having her subjects look at her with adoration, knowing that she had freed them from a fate they might very well not even have been aware that they should not like. But now, as Zelda leant in towards her, hesitating for a moment as she tilted her head to the side, Midna knew that she would give up almost anything to have it back. After all, who was she to condemn Zelda for wanting to be adored, when she found herself unable to deny that it had not at the very least been a part of her reasons for turning the ship around to head back to Ordon to look for survivors even after she had snarled at Link that it was not their problem, that they did not have any responsibility towards anyone?

In front of her, the nightmarish version of Zelda blinked, her grip around her shoulders loosening just enough for her nails to no longer dig into the skin. "I see," she mumbled, glancing once towards where Midna could feel how her heart was about to escape from her chest, "you are about to be awakened."

"What?" the question came out as a croak, but even then, it was enough to render Midna speechless for a moment. She had never been able to speak in these dreams before. Trying her best to not lose heart, Midna cleared her throat and looked back at Zelda. "What do you mean?"

But she just sent her a subtle smile. "I think you will find out soon enough. Just make sure not to fight it. Follow along with it, and you will land on your feet. If you don't—" she shrugged, but Midna could still easily read in her eyes what she meant, "well, don't tell me that I didn't warm you."

"Wait!"

She reached out towards her, but her hands closed around nothing but air, the image of Zelda having already pushed her backwards away from her.

The air howled around her as Midna fought to remember everything she had learnt from her years of having tried to do her part of making the world better by attacking the ships that, with their loyalty towards the king of Hyrule and their eagerness to bring back stolen goods from the Twilight Realm had been complicit in securing his regime. Leaning forward, Midna tried her best to cover as much area as possible, using the loose clothing and the way she could feel the fabric fluttering around her to her advantage, but every time she thought that she might have managed to slow her fall even a little, another wind hit her, making her lose her balance again.

The air seemed to devour her scream, for as she opened her mouth, Midna found herself unable to speak, unable to do anything other than to struggle against the invisible forces that held her in place, the ropes around her growing tighter and tighter the more she struggled against them.

A sharp pain shot through her head, soon spreading to her ribs as well.

Opening her eyes, Midna found herself looking directly up into the ceiling of her cabin. As she tried to move her hand, she could feel how the bedsheets were wrapped around her, keeping her from being able to move. She must have fallen out of her bed, so trapped in the nightmare that she had made herself become stuck in the bedsheet in her fight to make herself wake up.

Twisting around to make her way out of the cocoon, Midna tried not to think about her heart, not to think about the dream or how her mother's face had changed, becoming Zelda's. It was just her conscience trying to get to her, trying its best to make her collapse completely. That, or it was the goddesses attempt at making sure that her family would end with her. With how they had always seemed to favour the kingdom of Hyrule above anything else in all the myths Midna had heard about them, it would not have surprised her if that was the case.

Clinging onto a desperate hope that her screams had only been within the dream, Midna pushed herself off the floor and threw the quilt back onto the bed. There was no use in thinking about the past. And yet, as she waited for sleep to claim her again, Midna could not quite escape the feeling of how everything was about to catch up with her.