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.

16. Chapter 16

Midna woke up to the sight of the sun coming in through the porthole, painting her cabin in golds and yellows.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she felt her head protest against the movement, sending sharp tendrils of pain running along her temples. She ignored it. As the memories of what had happened the night before began to return, bringing the memory of how she had been too weak to even go outside and do what she had done for years, it was all too clear to her that she would not give in to something as simple as pain again, not as long as she was still able to stand up. No, from now on, she would do her best to be the leader the people around her deserved, the one they acted like they could see in her when they almost instinctively fell quiet each time she said something during the meetings with the council. They deserved that much.

It felt like everyone in the base had come to welcome them home. Looking out over the crowd, Midna knew that it could barely have been more than perhaps fifteen people, but as Jaggle hurried past her, handing two sacks off the side of the ship, making sure that Hanch was ready to catch them before he let them fall, it had the same effect on her that seeing a thousand people staring up at her would most likely have had.

But, as she glanced out over the crowd, trying to find something to anchor her to the present, keeping her from simply turning around and hurrying back into her cabin where she could once more hide from the world, Zelda almost seemed to glow, a ray of sunshine among the greys of the mountain. Smiling up at her, waving wildly the moment she realised that Midna had seen her, there was not many traces left of the time she had spent crying in her room. The only thing Midna could see from the distance that would speak to the fact that she had not merely made it all up was the fact that Ilia was standing next to her, an arm around Zelda's shoulders as she smiled up at them.

It should not have helped as much as it did. Midna knew that. After all, it was hardly the first time Ilia had come to congratulate them for having survived another mission, even if it was a rare occurrence, and the fact that Zelda was there as well was nothing if not normal by now. Truly, if Midna had had any thoughts left, she should have worried over the fact that, with Zelda there, they were one step closer to repeating the weeks of not talking to each other. She should have seen that when she looked out at the crowd, but she did not.

Instead, she looked down and saw Zelda smiling so brightly that it seemed she should have been able to rival the sun, and despite herself, Midna found that it was easy to leave the thoughts and fears about what the maid had said behind her to instead return the smile as she climbed down the rope ladder, hurrying through the crowd to get to where Zelda and Ilia were standing. For once, it felt like a blessing rather than an annoyance that people paid attention to her, careful to step out of her way before she would even have had to ask them to do so.

She was not sure what she had planned to do when she reached them, but before Midna got the chance to stop and let the awkwardness overcome her, Zelda had already closed the last bit of distance between them, throwing her arms around her and pulling her into an embrace. It had to be some kind of chemical reaction in her brain, a slight malfunction, her mind's way of trying to seek comfort and a distraction from what had happened, but for some reason, Midna did not count the seconds until the duration of the hug would have been long enough for it to not be impolite, long enough for Zelda to not look up at her with tears in her eyes as she let go. In fact, as Zelda's hair fell in front of her face and adrenaline flowed through her, the act of spinning Zelda around once, Midna using her height to her advantage, felt as natural as breathing. She placed Zelda back onto the ground, a little laugh tearing its way out of her mouth, making it feel almost like she had been meant to do this from the very beginning. Then Midna realised what she had just done.

Hoping that her reaching up to pretend to shove a few stray strand of hairs back in place behind her ears would be enough to conceal the fact that her cheeks were tinged red with embarrassment over her lack of control, Midna cleared her throat and averted her gaze, looking down at the ground rather than up at Zelda. Next to her, she could hear Ilia let out something that sounded too much like a muffled sigh for her to want to think about it, and so, she tried to focus on anything but that. In that moment, even having to try to picture the consequences of what the maid had said felt simpler to her than trying to figure out what was happening inside of her.

Thankfully, she only had to wait for a few minutes before Zelda provided her with a welcome distraction from her thoughts.

Stepping forwards, a little jerky motion running through her arm, almost like she had been about to reach out towards Midna, only to stop herself at the last moment, Zelda mirrored her motion of trying to make sure her hair did not look like the mess it had become when Midna had spun her around, before finally saying something. "So," she said, swaying back and forth slightly, the way she let the word trail off giving away the fact that she was making up what she wanted to say as she went along, "how… how did it go? Was there a battle?"

Midna should have answered. It was the right thing to do, to look back up at Zelda and try her best to return the gesture, to show Zelda that she was just as willing to try her best to put all the awkwardness behind them, an attempt to atone for how she had just made it all become weird between them. She was able to tell herself that, to recognise the fact that she should have told her everything that had happened—or at least the parts that did not include the maid and everything she had told her, the little emblem on her dress, and the fact that she and the other servants had made sure to keep open the escape route for them—to make sure that Zelda would not get the opportunity to question whether or not Midna was even trying to keep her part of the promise. But each time she tried to open her mouth, all that came out was a few stuttered words, Midna finding it impossible to continue.

In the end, she was not the one to provide them with an excuse to pretend that everything was the way it was supposed to be between them. No, that honour belonged to Link as he came running over to them, carrying a sack of flour in his arms.

"Midna," he called out, pausing for a moment to pull Ilia in for a hug and a kiss before looking back over at her, "I was supposed to tell you that Jaggle would like it if you could come back over to help us put away the food." a little laugh. "Well, actually, that was not really what he told me, but I think he meant for me to not hear that part, so I am repeating what he would have said if you had been there."

Midna could see how he looked over towards Zelda, his eyes growing wider as he seemed to realise the connection between how they were both blushing, Midna having taken a step away from both Zelda and Ilia, placing as much distance between them as possible.

"Uh," Link said, reaching up to rub the back of his head while glancing towards Ilia, clearly trying to get the answer from her rather than Midna, "I didn't interrupt something, did I? Because if I did, I am sure that Jaggle would be able to understand if he had to wait a few minutes more before you would be able to come over to help him. I mean, just look at me." an awkward grin, and Link had lifted up the bag of flour, holding it above his head. "Surely, the fact that I am willing to help with something just a few hours after having barely made it back to the ship in time should count for something, so it will probably be enough to make him agree to let it wait for a bit."

Midna did not get the chance to respond before Ilia, drawing her brows together, had shot a look at both her and Link, the expression on her face making sure that they knew exactly what she would say before she had as much as opened her mouth. "Wait," Ilia said, her tone of voice instantly making Link's smile falter to instead be replaced by a sheepish look as he too realised what he had just said, "what do you mean that you barely made it back in time? I thought I had asked you not to take a risk that was too great for you."

They heard Link try to think of something that would be able to convince her that that had not been the case, but from the way Ilia shook her head at him when she moved over to help him lift up the sack of flour, walking in front of him to open up the doors, Midna knew that she would most likely be the next to receive the honour of listening to Ilia's speech about how she did not want for them to expose themselves to unnecessary risks. It should not have been funny, and part of Midna supposed that the tiny smile that found its way onto her face might also have been a way for her to keep the thoughts about what she had seen on the mission away for a moment rather than a sign that she found Ilia's worry amusing.

However, as she turned back around, having almost managed to forget about Zelda, only to see her standing right there, her hands folded in front of her as she sent her an unsure smile, the grin was wiped off her face in seconds, her stomach instead falling through the air as she realised that she was not prepared to have to face the horror of trying to figure out what to say. It was difficult enough to try to make her way through a conversation with Link and Ilia where the knowledge that, despite everything, they had apparently decided to regard her as a friend and were as such much more inclined to excuse any mistakes she might make when compared to anyone else was able to comfort her, but with Zelda, it felt like she was always saying the wrong thing. If it was not her overreacting and taking her anger out on someone who had just tried to console her, then it was Midna being unable to figure out what had happened for Zelda to be lying in her room, crying into her quilts, only able to state that, had Ilia been here, she was sure she would have been able to figure it out.

"It sounds like she is quite worried about the two of you." Zelda cast a glance at her, almost like she was trying to gauge whether it had been the right thing to say. Although Midna was sure that her face reflected the same kind of sinking feeling that threatened to overtake her completely, there must have been some kind of flicker in her eyes that told Zelda to continue, for that was what she did, her voice becoming a bit stronger as she added. "Now, I would not try to repeat what she said, but… for what it is worth, I too would like if I would never have to come here to hear that you had been captured."

The realisation that Zelda's smile had the same effect on her as when she had first found the pantry in the house felt like hitting the deck of a ship without having bothered to properly tighten the straps of the harness, knocking all the air out of her lungs.

How did she do it? How was Zelda capable of getting such a reaction to something as simple as a smile? Midna was not sure, but had it not been for how she fought to keep her promise to Zelda about how they would make a fresh start, she would surely have assumed that it was some kind of secret ability she had been taught by her tutors back at Hyrule Castle. After all, it would make sense for a princess to be able to instantly disarm anyone without ever having to move. For someone to be able to bring another person almost to the brink of being willing to ignore how little sense any of what they had said made, only wishing to be able to stay close to them no matter the cost—it had to be a treasured ability for a king who had first seized power by trying to convince people that a lie was the truth.

She had been silent for too long. Midna could see that from the way Zelda tilted her head, worry creeping into the smile. And so, coughing once to buy herself a few extra seconds, she forced herself to move, breaking the spell. "I should probably go now," she said, making a gesture towards the ship behind her, "Jaggle must be waiting for me, and, trust me, you do not want to let him wait for too long."

Midna had almost turned around, feeling nearly relieved even as she was facing the task of having to move several heavy sacks to the larder, when Zelda reached out, reaching for her wrist.

"Wait!" Zelda's voice was higher than it had been before, but there had been no need for her to even say anything as Midna had frozen the moment she had touched her, allowing for Zelda to continue. "Wait, I actually wanted to talk with you for a moment."

"Not right now. I have to help Jaggle." it was a weak excuse, Midna knew that, and with how Zelda looked at her, there was no doubt about the fact that she knew as well.

But Zelda still tried. "Well, we could talk about it afterwards, could we not? Or, how about this—I help you put away the food so that we can be finished with it even quicker, and then we can talk for a moment. There—a lot has happened since you left, and I have to ask you about something."

Her stomach had disappeared. It was the only thing that could explain what was happening, the sense of dread that filled her as Midna looked down at Zelda and saw how the look in her eyes gave her a good idea about just what Zelda had heard while she had been gone. The logical thing to do would have been to agree with her, to promise that they would talk about it later. That way, she would not only have got a chance to figure out how she could convince Zelda that it was all lies or that whoever had told her the story had exaggerated it wildly, she would also receive help with transporting the food to the larder. But she simply could not face the prospect of having to figure out just what she would do, not right now at least. Maybe once she had been able to sleep for an entire night, when she had got the chance to figure out what to think about the maid, the symbol, and the claim that they were not alone after all. But not right now.

Pulling her hand away from Zelda and trying to tell herself that she could not feel how her heart broke as Zelda tried to hide the fact that she was close to tears, Midna shook her head and mumbled her answer to the request. "No." it would have been easier to end the conversation there, to tell herself that she did not have to care about what Zelda thought of the fact that she did not want to discuss her past right then, but for some reason, Midna heard herself continue rather than stop, the words spilling from her lips almost like she had no control over them. "I am sorry, but I am just really tired right now; I have to get some rest. But tomorrow, then we can talk about it."

The sight of Zelda's face brightening, the smile returning along with the light in her eyes, was almost enough to make Midna ignore the feeling of having just made a mistake she would not be able to handle the consequences of.

"All right," Zelda said, "tomorrow them."

And just like that, Midna knew that she would not be able to escape the fact that she might just have promised Zelda that she would tell her the truth in less than twenty-four hours.

By the time she was finally able to return to her cabin, it felt almost like the universe was counting down to the moment along with her, her heartbeat telling her how time continued to pass even though she would have preferred for it to stop, to give her an unlimited amount of time to figure out what she would have to tell Zelda. But, of course, Midna did not hold that kind of power. She was not even able to keep her eyes open, and after what felt like only a few seconds, the darkness closed in around her, allowing her to enter a restless sleep.

For the first couple of seconds after waking up, Midna did not know where she was. As she looked around in her cabin, she knew that it was the exact same room she had lived in for years, the same table, the same chairs, and yet, it felt like everything in the room was too clean, too spotless for someone like her to be living there, the wood shining and the little layer of dirt she had meant to remove form the floor for ages being gone.

And then the second realisation hit her, the fact that for all of this to have happened, it meant that someone had been in there, deciding that they would try their best to ensure that she would wake up to find everything cleaned. Midna already had a good idea of just who that person was, but as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, finding back to the place where she had kicked off her boots the night before, she did not let herself believe it, not fully at least. It would hurt too much to think that it was really the case, only to find out that she had been too quick to try to pat herself on the back for guessing correctly, to have to face the fact that the name that kept repeating in her mind had been nothing but the result of wishful thinking. And yet, as Midna pushed open the door, she could not deny the fact that she was so sure of the identity of the person responsible for the fact that she could touch the door handle without her hand becoming covered in a fine layer of dust that she could not imagine any other possibility than that of that being true.

She found Zelda sitting on the deck of the ship, swinging her legs over the side of the handrail. Even though Midna could see that she was holding onto the wood beneath her, it did not keep the sight from making her heart skip a beat, the irrational fear that she might fall to the ground several metres below if she was not careful making her move forwards slowly, trying her best to ensure that she would not unwarily be the reason that Zelda might jerk with surprise and fall from the ship.

"Hi." Midna made sure that her voice was soft as she went over to stand next to Zelda, leaning in over the handrail. "I was looking for you."

At first, Zelda did not react, and Midna was about to repeat herself when she finally looked over at her, a hint of a smile tucking at the corners of her lips. "Well…" Zelda smiled, "you have found me."

"Yeah, I have."

They remained like that for a few seconds. Midna knew that she had meant to ask Zelda about something, but as she followed Zelda's line of sight, taking in the sight of the hangar in front of them, she found that she could not bring herself to remember it, not when it was so pleasant to stay like this for just a little more, just a few more seconds.

But, of course, the moment came to an end just as she had managed to convince herself that she was really awake.

Turning around, swinging her legs back over the handrail, Zelda pushed herself off the wooden plank so that she was standing on the deck again. By all means, Midna should have been relieved to see that Zelda had taken a few steps back, no longer sitting with her legs dangling over a nasty fall, but for some reason, she found herself aching to return to the moment that had just passed. Still, she forced herself to focus, tried to make sure that she was able to listen and understand as Zelda cocked her head, evidently trying to search for words.

"Midna," she said at last, and as much as Zelda might have tried to hide it, she was not able to keep the fact that she was wringing her hands from Midna, "Ilia, she told me a bit about you when you were gone." she must have been able to interpret the way Midna instantly froze, her mind racing with thoughts about just what she might have heard, for Zelda brought up her hands in a placating gesture, hurrying to add. "Uh, well, I asked her about you. In fact, I think you might even be able to claim that I was begging her to tell me the answers to my question, so just—if she told me something that you did not want for me to hear, it was my fault."

With a sigh, Midna knew that she would not be able to continue to pretend that she was angry, not when Zelda's breath was becoming quicker and more uneven as the seconds passed between them. "No," she said, "it is fine. If Ilia told you, then it is all right. But why do you tell me about it?"

"I have a couple of questions."

The way dread pooled in the pit of her stomach was enough for Midna to know what those questions would most likely entail. Even without looking at Zelda and attempting to interpret the twinkle in her eyes, she knew that it would be more than just a few questions about why she lived here, why she had not yet tried to move away from the base if they always struggled to make it through the winter. But she made sure to put on the mask of not caring and nodded towards Zelda. "All right. Ask, and I will answer those I have an answer to."

Despite her admittedly weak attempt at assuring her that it was fine, that she would not overreact again, it was apparent that Zelda hesitated, how she decided to begin with the easiest questions. Leaning in a little bit, bringing the two of them closer together, she sent Midna a nervous smile as she began. "You and Ilia seem like you are quite good friends."

"We are." there was no need for Midna to lie, not when it was this kind of questions. If only they would remain as harmless, then perhaps everything would be fine. "I don't know exactly how it began, but, by now, I cannot imagine what my life would have been like if I had not got to know her. And Link, of course."

Zelda sent her a grin. "She said something that sounded a lot like that as well. Or, well—" there was an almost mischievous twinkle in her eyes as Zelda continued, "she might have used a lot of 'he is amazing''s and 'I love him, even if he sometimes acts like he is not aware of the risks associated with these missions''s while telling me about Link than what I think you would have used."

At that, Midna snickered. "I would say that that is most likely correct. Link might be dreamy, but it is not enough to make me ignore the fact that I have had to save his lives more times than I can count."

In the silence that followed, Midna knew that she had made a poor choice when deciding what to say. The way Zelda averted her gaze, the laugh dying on her lips was enough to tell her that.

"Actually, that was what I was wanting to talk with you about." when Zelda looked back up at her, Midna could not find even the faintest trace of the laughter that had just been between them, Zelda seeming more serious than what Midna could recall having ever seen her be before. "Ilia—after I had asked her about how you met a few times too many and she gave up on trying to convince me that you had just so happened to find her when she had been out in the forest to see if any animals had been caught in one of Rusl's traps and offered to bring her to the base, well, she told me the truth, or at least what she perceived to be the truth." Midna already knew what Zelda would say, closing her eyes as Zelda added. "But... I wanted to ask you about it to make sure that it was really what happened. I know you would hate it if I thought that you had done something heroic if that was not actually the case." the unsure smile was so strong that Midna could almost hear it in her voice as Zelda cleared her throat. "Is it true? Did you and Link save everyone from Ordon Village?"

Fire. Smoke. Destruction and lives that had changed in minutes. She hated having to face the memories, and yet, as Midna looked over at Zelda, she could not bring herself to tell her that she really did not want to think about it. So instead, she nodded. "Yes."

"How?"

The question was barely more than another breath. Midna could not blame Zelda for not daring to speak louder than that. Just weeks ago, Midna knew herself well enough to admit that such a question would have made her shut off completely, sneer that it did not concern her, and then twirl around to head back to her cabin where she would slam the door behind her.

But now, she could only look at Zelda and bow her head. "We did." before Zelda got the chance to ask for an explanation, Midna held up her hand. If she was interrupted, she was not sure she would be able to find the strength to continue. "I—you have to understand that Link and I had spent years together at that point, first living in the streets of Hateno and then flying through the clouds, always staying close to a cloud to make sure that we would be able to hide from the king's airships. We had seen the results of openly opposing him, and as such, we were only trying to survive. But when we spotted the column of smoke in the distance and looked at each other, we both knew that, this time, we would not arrive to find the ruins of a village where the fire had died a long time ago and where the few survivors who might have been unlucky enough to escape the initial attack would have been caught. We knew that here, we would find the corpses of those who had not made away in time, but also the panicked people who were trying to understand what happened." the laugh that made its way up her throat was completely devoid of humour, and Midna could see from the way Zelda moved, almost like she had been about to reach out for her hand, that she knew that. "To this day, I still can't tell you what made me insist that we should head over to look at what had happened. As I am sure you have realised already with how Ilia is constantly reminding him to take better care of himself, it should have been Link who would be the one to try to convince me that we should fly directly towards the destruction, but in that moment, I was the one arguing that we would have plenty of time before another ship full of soldiers would arrive to make sure that they had not allowed anyone to escape the destruction of the village. So we landed the ship just outside the forest and made our way towards the village, trying our best to assure any people who might have tried to hide from us that we were only there to help them."

"And then you found Ilia?"

"No." Midna shook her head. "We found Rusl." Zelda's eyes looked shiny, and with how Midna felt the world blur around her only a second after, she knew that she was not the only one who was close to tears. But she still forced herself not to stop. "He—I don't know why, but for some reason, we were able to convince him that we really did not want to let any harm come to them within moments. After that, he was able to find the other survivors in only a couple of minutes, running around the glade and calling the names of people we had never met before. But despite the fact that we were total strangers, the moment Link let the fact that we had a ship and that we might have found a place where we could be safe from Ganondorf slip, they were more than ready to come back with us. I know that it was only because they had lost everything and that staying there would mean being captured by the king within a couple of hours, but as we sailed home I could almost not believe that it had really happened." the urge to use her hand to mask the next words was almost more than what Midna could take, but, although she did not know from where, she was able to muster up the strength not to do it. "It felt like I had just found a new family, and although I know that it was not the case, it did not keep me from volunteering to steer the ship through the night." she fell silent, not trusting herself not to cry if she would have continued.

Thankfully, Zelda was prepared to not let the silence fill the air between them again.

With one hand on the railing and the other placed on Midna's arm, she looked almost like she was trying to understand what she had felt like as she tilted her head to the side, stuttering for a moment before she was finally able to speak clearly enough for Midna to understand her. "And… I am sorry, but I just can't help but wonder if that is the reason for why they always seemed to be ready to follow you and agree with anything you might say."

The silent question was obvious, Zelda trying her best to gauge whether she had just insulted her with the insinuation that the only reason people would listen to Midna was that they looked at her and saw the person responsible for having saved them. But despite how Midna would have loved to say that she was angry, that she was mere seconds away from telling Zelda how that was not the case and that it was an insult to assume otherwise, the only emotion that filled her at the sound of someone finally putting the obvious into words was relief. Relief that she would no longer have to pretend that the other residents of the base were able to fool her into thinking that her arguments were really good enough to have convinced them. Relief that there was finally someone there who was ready to say exactly what she thought even though she knew that Midna might very well disagree with her, get angry, tell her that she was a naïve fool.

As Midna looked over at Zelda, it felt almost like it was a completely different person she had first told all of that, for she could not see any of those things in Zelda now.

No, when she looked at her, the fire that burnt in Zelda's eyes was a sign that—unlike Midna—she would not try her best to push away any proof of there being people out there in the world who looked to her to find hope, would not willingly leave people behind even when she knew that they prayed to the goddesses to ask them to return their princess to them. It was pure idealism, and maybe it was just a sign that Midna was ready for spring to arrive, for it to finally bring warmth back to the base and the hope that they might make it through another year, but she could almost not understand why it had annoyed her so much at first. After all, was idealism not the reason the maid had been willing to risk her own life to help them? Midna thought so. One thing was certain, her willingness to help and risk everything for her sake had nothing to do with Midna's personality. So the sacrifice had to have been due to the fact that Midna could become more than just herself.

The weight of knowing that she would have to let down everyone, that it was only a matter of time before they would realise that their supposed hero was just as egoistical as the king, felt almost unbearable, so Midna was grateful for the escape Zelda's question had mercifully provided her with.

Shaking her shoulders a little, trying to pretend that she had not already thought about that a hundred times, Midna laughed. "Maybe. But I wish that they would not do it."

"Why not? You are a hero, and people usually want to follow the people they deem heroic."

"Maybe. But I am not a hero—no really." Midna tried her best to communicate to Zelda that she had to let her finish, and maybe it worked, for Zelda closed her mouth again. "I know that it might sound like that to you, but back then, the only reason I even offered them the chance to join me and Link was that I could not imagine having to live in this base with only one other person. Trust me, as lively as it might seem now, when there are only two persons in here, it feels like a spirit could be waiting around every other corner. So I saved the residents of Ordon Village, not for their sake, but because I did not want to be alone. That is it. I am not a hero."

But Zelda simply shook her head, stubbornly refusing to admit the truth. "Maybe you don't think you are a hero, but it does not change the fact that the choice you made back then was certainly heroic."

And maybe it was the fact that Zelda had reached out to take both her hands, giving them a little squeeze as she looked at her with a smile that was so bright it felt like it should be able to rival the sun, but Midna found that she did not have the strength to argue with her. So instead she shrugged and tried to change the subject. "If you want to think so, I suppose I might not be able to stop you. But, Zelda, now that you have asked me these questions, would it be all right if I asked you one of my own?"

"Of course." but even as Zelda nodded, it was obvious that she did not really mean it, both with the way her shoulders rose and how her grip around Midna's hands became tighter. "You can ask me anything you want."

She knew that she should have told her that she could see how that was not the case, but as Midna stood there, listening to Zelda finally agreeing to let her ask the question that had been in the back of her mind for those last few days, she found that she was not a good enough person to ask something harmless, trying to fool Zelda into thinking that she had always just meant to ask her about what her favourite food other than fruitcake was.

Swallowing her guilt, Midna tried her best to convince herself that she was just doing the exact same thing that Zelda had done to her moments before, but even that was not enough to completely remove the ugly feeling of guilt as she leant in towards her, trying her best to show compassion and empathy rather than annoyance as she asked. "Zelda, may I ask about… well, what about what was the reason for how I found you crying in your room last week?"

Zelda was silent for the longest time, but the moment Midna had come to terms with the fact that she had overstepped her boundaries and as such did not deserve to receive an answer to her questions, she sent her a tense smile. "I suppose I owe you that much, don't I?"

Midna remained silent. It would not have felt right to nod, to say that, yes, she did indeed think that she deserved an explanation, not even if it felt like every last corner of her mind had become empty, allowing her to focus on nothing but what Zelda would do next.

As it turned out, that thing was to sigh. With a sigh that continued on for so long that Midna was about to ask her if she was all right, Zelda let go of her hands.

Having not anticipated for that to happen, Midna could do nothing but try to ignore the feeling of having made a mistake as her hands swung back to rest at her sides. It did not matter. She had asked for an explanation, and now that there might finally be a bit of hope that she might get it, she was in no position to feel sorry for herself, to miss the feeling of someone standing close to her, the way Zelda almost made it seem like she was able to look at all the horrors around them and yet be able to keep the hope alive without also turning away from the world, unable to both face the truth and not make herself cold.

"I suppose," Zelda said. Her voice was barely audible, and yet, Midna had no problem hearing every word as Zelda looked back up, tears lining her eyes, "I just… I think that I had not truly understood just how…" she shook her head, "horrible does not even describe it. I just—I know that I should have known, that it was my duty as a princess to know what was happening to the people in my kingdom, but I had no idea about…" she gestured towards the hangar, the mountain around them, nothing and everything, "any of this."

Zelda stepped, almost falling over, Midna only reacting at the last moment, catching her and pulling her into an embrace as Zelda began to cry, sobs making her entire body shake.

She wanted to feel angry, to tell her that she had no idea about why Zelda had not been willing to believe her all the other times when Midna had tried to convince her that trying to overthrow her father would not be a just fight, that the king was willing to do anything to remain on the throne, but as she held Zelda, Midna could only stroke her hair, whispering useless words into her ear, and hope that it would be enough.

And maybe it was. For although Zelda did not quite stop crying, little by little, she stopped shaking so much that it made her voice indecipherable, instead looking up at Midna, her face red and her eyes puffy as she shook her head. "I am sorry, I know that you had told me, but I just… I couldn't—"

"Hey," Midna leant back, trying her best to make sure that she would be able to look directly at her, "I understand. You did not want to have to face it. Don't apologise for it. I would have done the exact same thing if I had been in your place."

"But you weren't. I am the second in line to the throne, and I didn't know…"

But Midna shook her head. She was not sure why she was suddenly refusing to admit that Zelda should have done more, why she had been able to blame her so easily before only to now be here, trying to convince her that that was not the case, but it seemed that it was how it was now. "That does not change the fact that you have been open about being against his rule from the very beginning. You were the one to talk about how we had to help more people—you were the one thinking about other people. No one here is blaming you for not knowing and neither am I. Besides," Midna said, hoping that she was not making a mistake as she smiled down at Zelda, "did we not promise each other that from now on, you would not have to be the princess of Hyrule?"

That finally earned her a little smile, Zelda reaching up to wipe a tear away. "I don't think that was the exact wording of the promise," she laughed, before the tears streamed down her face again, a grimace that was halfway between joy, relief, and sadness making its way onto her face, "but I would be more than grateful if we could try to do that. I—I don't want to be the princess, not if these are the actions of the king of Hyrule."

"Then you don't have to."

The way Zelda tried to smile, the laugh sounding more like a sob, but with more joy than Midna had seen from Zelda for days made it feel like time should have stopped right then to give her time to take it all in, to try to make sense of what was happening as Zelda leant closer towards her.

"Thank you," Zelda whispered, pausing with her face so close to Midna's that she could see how her eyes were the same shade as the sky once the Shadow was above the clouds, the thick sheet of white below shielding them from the king's ships, before she smiled, "truly, thank you. I cannot explain to you how much it means that you, that you—goddesses, look at me, I am crying, just because I cannot find the words to tell you how—how—"

"It is all right." Midna tried to mirror Zelda's expression, but she already knew that her own smile would only be a poor imitation of Zelda's. There was simply no way she would be able to make Zelda feel the same way she did. "If you ever think of the words you wanted to say, you can tell me then."

Zelda pulled her shoulders upwards as she smiled, but for once, it did not seem defensive, especially not as she reached out towards Midna, bringing her into an embrace.

"Thank you. I will try to do that," she whispered.

And for a moment, Midna could pretend that they could stay like that forever, hugging each other so tightly on the deck of the Shadow that she might almost have been able to forget about everything they had yet to do, how it had all been brought on by Zelda's insistence that Midna might actually be a hero and not just a person trying her best to survive. For when all was said and done, Midna knew that the day where she would find herself with no other choice than to reveal to Zelda that she did not care about anyone but herself would arrive one day. Already, she could feel the maid's message about how there were people out there, many people, who were hoping for her return, keeping their old queen and the princess who had never been in their prayers, unaware that she was already there, that she had seen their suffering and chosen to pretend not to notice, whirling through her mind. But, for now, Midna could let Zelda believe that there really was more to her than just that, even if the guilt rose as Zelda did not let go of her the moment the hug had lasted for enough time for it to not have been weird. Truth to be told, Midna was not even sure that she wanted her to let go, but it was easier not to think about it, and so, she remained still barely hugging Zelda back, as she waited for the moment when Zelda would let go of her again.

She had not lied to her, she had not tried to claim that she might one day become the hero Zelda had made her out to be, but repeating that over and over to herself did not do much to keep back the guilt, nor the sadness that followed the end of the hug.