The night continued to hang above them through the following day, following along with them like a shadow no matter how many times Midna tried to send it away. The only comfort she had was the fact that it at least did not seem like anyone had noticed anything, even if the glance Cremia sent the area between her and Zelda as she ran up next to Midna, tapping her shoulder, would indicate otherwise. But she did not comment on it, and even if Midna was not sure how much of that was due to the fact that she did not exactly send her a look that would have invited for her to say anything about it, not with how the sleepless night had formed shadows under her eyes, she was still grateful for that little display of kindness.
"Yes?" Midna tried her best to not sound annoyed. She should not have been, really, when all was said and done, the fact that Cremia had come to talk with her meant that she would be provided with a distraction from all the feelings that had not disappeared during the few hours of restless sleep Midna had at last been able to find, but it did not feel like her voice was aware of that, refusing to cooperate.
It was not lost on Cremia either, not as she took a step backwards, clearly wondering for a moment if what she had come to talk with her about would not be able to wait for a better moment. In the end, however, the answer was quite clearly a no, as Cremia took a deep breath and looked back up at her. "I was just wondering, well, that is to say, my sister was wondering…" she let the sentence trail off.
Before Midna would have had the chance to say anything she would without a doubt have come to regret moments later, Zelda was there, interrupting the conversation as she stepped between them, her smile already making the air feel warmer as she looked at Cremia. "Speaking of Romani, if she doing better now?"
The sigh of relief that Cremia let out was not exactly discreet, and although Midna knew that she had no right to feel hurt by the fact that she had no idea what they were talking about, nor how Cremia clearly only felt safe enough to tell Zelda the reason for why she was there, it did not keep her stomach from aching as she saw how quickly Cremia was able to open up to Zelda.
"Actually, that was what I had hoped to talk with you about." casting a quick glance in Midna's direction, Cremia soon turned back to Zelda, "she woke me up with another nightmare just this morning. I think—I think that she might still not have fully understood that we are safe here. She keeps on talking about how she has to find her bow and arrows to be sure that she will be able to defend everyone when they come back for us."
"Oh, is there anything you think I will be able to do to help her?" and that was seemingly all it had required for Zelda to resume her usual habit of assuming that she would be able to make everyone's problems disappear simply by being there for them.
However, unlike what Midna had thought would happen, unlike how she had assumed that Cremia would be more than happy to accept Zelda's offer for help, she shook her head, instead turning to face Midna. "No, but it is very kind of you to offer. The few times I was able to get Romani to talk to me for more than a couple of seconds, she seemed to want to talk to Midna. She said something about how she was able to shoot them."
Although Midna knew that she was the person they were talking about, it did not keep it all from feeling almost unreal, like they had to have mistaken her for someone else. After all, no matter what the alternatives were, Midna could not imagine that she would ever be the best option as to who to send to talk with a little child about how she did not have to be scared, no matter who they might otherwise have gone to. Even if Zelda had not been standing right there, volunteering to do the exact thing Cremia had just asked of Midna, she would still have advised Cremia, anyone, really, not to pick her.
But as she opened her mouth, Midna found that the words that came out were almost the exact opposite of what she had wanted to say. "Uh, are you sure you think that is a good idea?"
It had been meant as a way for Cremia to easily change her mind, a way for her to say that, no she really had not meant it after all, without her having to worry about upsetting Midna. But somehow, Cremia must have missed all of that, for she simply nodded, not at all looking like she was realising just how big the mistake she was about to make really was. "Yes! She has talked about you a lot and now, she wants to thank you for saving us. Really," Cremia let out a laugh, "when I returned after having gone to visit you in the infirmary, and she found out where I had been, she was so angry that I had not told her about how I was going to visit you. She kept talking about how she had wanted to say thankyou as well."
Midna had nothing to say to that. If Romani wanted to continue to put her onto a pedestal, then she could not see what she could do to stop her, other than continuing to tell both Zelda, Cremia, and now also Romani that there was no need for them to do it.
"Uh, all right." shooting a glance at Zelda, hoping that she would understand the plea for her to help, to save Midna from having to go with Cremia right then, Midna took a small, apprehensive step towards Cremia. "When do you want me to talk with her?"
She had hoped to gain a few days to try to mentally prepare herself for having to think of a way to assure Romani that she was safe while knowing all too well that that was a promise she would never be able to make.
That hope died as Cremia lit up into a smile, already taking her hand as she answered. "Right now would be best. She has had problems sleeping ever since we first arrived, so I am sure that the less time she would have to wait, the better." the pure, unmasked fear and horror at the prospect of having to go see her now, without even a moment to try to prepare herself, must have been visible on Midna's face, for Cremia blushed, pausing to add. "Or, well, if it would be better for you that way, I am sure that she would be fine with waiting for a few more days."
Midna was saved from having to admit that she really did not want to talk with Romani, that she was not prepared to have to help them, by Link running into the hangar.
However, the relief was short-lived, for the moment Midna saw how he was struggling to catch his breath, having clearly sprinted to make it from the watchtower back into the hangar as quickly as it had been possible for him, panic evident in his eyes, she knew that something had happened, that something was wrong in a way that they could not hope to fix.
Moments later, Zelda and Cremia noticed the same, both of them turning around to look at him as well.
"Link?" Zelda said. As she took a step forwards, it could not have been more apparent that the only thing that kept her from running over to Link, from rushing forwards to be able to listen to what had happened, what the reason for why he was sprinting like the entirety of the king's army was chasing him, was the fact that Midna did not move, Zelda instead moving to stand next to her, clutching her hand as Link ran over to them.
"Midna…" his breath came out in uneven, quick intervals as Link placed his hands on his knees, "fire… in the horizon."
She knew what had happened. Before Midna had even opened her mouth, she knew what the answer to her question would be, but she still could not keep herself from continuing, the little chance that she might be wrong making hope flare up in her chest.
It was brutally killed only moments later, when Link regained his breath, stumbling over to her and grabbing her arm to keep himself from collapsing as he continued. "Kakariko Village—it is burning, I could see the flames from behind the mountain."
Kakariko. It almost felt like she was not able to hear it, feeling like she should have misheard Link. After all, Kakariko—the tiny village they had purposefully avoided making a target for one of their missions based on the fact that it could not have been clearer that the people there had not built the same kind of giant houses they had found in other villages—what was there within such a small village that would have earned it the fate of being destroyed to a point where it would even be removed from the maps? Midna would not dare to claim that she knew much about the village or the people living there, but the idea that they might actually have done something to anger Ganondorf enough for him to order the total destruction of yet another village, it did not feel right. But then again, Midna only had to look at Cremia to know that, sometimes, little was all it would take for Ganondorf to make such a decision.
"We have to go now. They—if we hurry, we might be able to arrive before the rest of the king's ships will have landed to catch the survivors. We have to help." it was not until she saw how they all looked at her, surprise apparent on Zelda's face, Cremia looking uneasy, while Link looked like he had only waited for her to say exactly that, that Midna realised that she had been the one to talk. It felt like it should have been Zelda, after all, she had always been the one to talk about how they had an obligation towards the rest of the world, that they had been given the burden of having to free the world, and yet, here they were, Zelda, Link, and Cremia all looking at her, two of them seeming like they were only a few seconds away from asking her if she was trying to make some cruel joke.
Then Link nodded, finally bringing an end to the silence. "That was exactly what I was thinking. Come, we have to hurry. Cremia, Zelda, will you make sure to tell everyone where we have gone?" as Link sent a longing glance in the direction of the corridors, it could not have been more obvious exactly whom he was referring to.
She was about to throw up. That was the only thing Midna could think of that would be enough to explain the aching feeling in her chest and stomach. Granted, more than anything she wanted to be able to have the time to run to Ilia, to tell her that she was sorry, but given how Link had already halfway gone over to the ship, clearly expecting for Zelda and Cremia to understand that he was not merely asking something of them, he was begging them to do it, she would not be given that luxury. Everything was happening all at once, leaving her with not even a single second to think things through. Or, at least that was the case until Zelda made the entire world stop.
"I will come with you."
Everyone froze, Midna staring at Zelda, mentally begging her to change her mind, although she knew that it would never happen, not with how she had quite clearly already prepared herself to argue for being brought along.
As Link let go of the rope ladder, landing on the ground with a thud, it was clear that Zelda would need every argument she could think of if she wanted to change the fact that he was already looking at her with a frown.
"No," Link said, "never. You are staying here. If we brought you along, if anything happened, the fact that we would be caught with you is only going to make everything worse for us."
"But—"
"No, you can't come with us." there was an edge of something in Link's voice that Midna had never heard before, something that sounded almost like an even more stubborn version of the young boy who had refused to leave her behind for all those years. "Midna and I are going, and I am never going to worsen our odds just to bring you along."
"Link." Midna was moving, walking over to place a hand on his arm, almost without thinking about it. "Let her come along. I promise you that I will make sure that none of us will get caught."
For a moment, Link simply stared at her, the two of them fighting the silent battle, waiting to see who would be the first to give in and agree with the other. That person ended up being Link. Of course he was. It had been that way for as long as she could remember, and as Link nodded towards Zelda, Midna tried to focus on that fact to distract herself from the feeling of having just made a mistake she would never get the chance to make right.
"All right." the look Link sent Zelda could not have made it any clearer what he thought of the plan, but at least he did not say it, merely shrugging. "Come along if you want to, but be quick." with that, he climbed up onto the ladder, moving with such speed that Midna did not have to ask to know that it was his way to take his frustration out on something.
"Well?" Midna sent Zelda a questioning glance. "Do you want to come?"
If there had been any logical thoughts in Zelda's mind, she would have said no, admitted that she had made a mistake, and apologised for wasting time. But given that this was Zelda, of course that was not what happened.
"As ready as I will ever be."
Midna did not know what to say to that. Was there any way to tell someone that they would come to regret that in a moment? If there was, Midna did not know how, and so, she simply settled on trying to help Zelda get up on deck. They did not have the luxury of wasting another second.
They could see the fire in the distance from the moment they left the base, the mountain becoming a little dot beneath them as they reached an altitude where Midna realised how what she had at first assumed to be dark clouds was really the smoke that the fire that had consumed the little village that had otherwise enjoyed the protection of being located right next to the Eldin Mountains sent up into the air.
During the first few hours of the journey, Zelda had seemingly decided to take it upon herself to try to make sure that they would not lose courage, but as the flames grew larger, the air around them reflecting the same warmth, she fell silent as well.
From her spot behind the rudder, Midna could see how her shoulders gradually rose and rose, nearly touching her ears. The moment she saw how Zelda gripped onto the handrail, her shoulders shaking so much that Midna knew that she was crying even if she could not see her face, she knew that she had to do something. Thankfully, Link was there for her the second after she had gestured towards him, accepting the task of making sure they would stay on course without a word, freeing Midna from having to do the same.
Zelda did not react as she walked over to stand next to her, instead keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the sight beneath them. Midna was not sure if it meant that there was something wrong with her that she right in that moment was more preoccupied with trying to figure out what she could do to help Zelda than with paying attention to their surroundings. The sight that would meet her if she looked over the side of the ship should have been more important, the way the fire had spread to envelop the trees around the village, only stopped by the cold weather, the way she was slowly able to spot the remains of the destroyed village in the distance, the burnt houses and fields that met them as they made their way over to the village, Link making sure to keep them so far away from the flames that they did not have to fear the flames licking across the underside of the ship. But when Midna looked over at Zelda, it felt almost like she was the only person she could see, the only thing that mattered as Midna reached out to place a hand on her shoulder.
The reaction was instant, Zelda jerking, her eyes wide and scared for a second, before she recognised her, and even then, her breath continued to be far quicker than what it should have been. "Midna…" Zelda shook her head, her gaze almost seeming like it was drawn to the destruction under them, "I had no idea… I knew that you told me that I was being naïve, but this—goddesses, I had never even imagined, I had never thought that it could be this bad." almost like her knees gave up, no longer able to support her, Zelda fell into Midna's embrace, crying into her shoulder.
For once, Midna let her do just that. It did not matter that she had known exactly what they would find when they would arrive from the moment Link had first mentioned the village with that kind of panic in his voice, Zelda had not known. Midna could only imagine what she would have thought, what it would have felt like, to think that they would set out to save the residents of a village that was under attack, only to be forced to come to the realisation that, sometimes, all they could do was to make sure that the few who had been lucky enough to not have been in the village during the attack would not be captured by the king as well. It was a cruel sense of comfort, the fact that, no matter what happened, no matter how much Midna would have wished for the ability to be able to know in advance, to be able to arrive before the king's soldiers, all she could do was to try to save the few who had survived. Telling Zelda that she had been naïve to think that it could have ended any differently would not make the situation better, Midna knew that, so she simply held Zelda, allowing her to cry into her shirt, as Link searched for a place to land the ship where they would be safe from the fires.
The ashes where whirled up into the air as the ship came to rest in a little spot just outside the village, a hill serving to separate them from the worst of the fires.
As Link jumped back down onto the deck, having already halfway made his way over to the rope ladder before he turned around to look back at Midna, Midna grabbed Zelda's hand, making sure that she could hear her as she spoke. "You don't have to come along if you don't want to. You can stay here on the ship. This—you don't have to watch if you don't want to."
But Zelda shook her head, somehow seeming even more horrified that Midna would even make the suggestion than she had been at the sight of the destruction around them. "No. I have to know."
Midna could not exactly argue with that, so although her conscience screamed at her, yelling at her to tell Zelda to stay, to spare her from having to continue, she stayed silent as they all left the ship, slowly walking over to the village. Still, their silence was not only a matter of how they could not know whether the residents would attack them, thinking that they were somehow connected to the king's soldiers, but also the fact that it did not take more than a few moments of them being distracted, before the fire might have been able to surround them, making any escape impossible, not just for the residents of Kakariko, but for the three of them as well.
However, the fact that they had to be so intimately aware of their surroundings came with a cost as well, and no matter how much Midna tried to refrain from breathing through her nose, she was not able to ignore the sickeningly sweet smell of something burning in the village. But she tried her best not to think about it, hoping that it might simply be a few cuccos who had not been lucky enough to escape in time. Allowing herself to think about what it might have meant otherwise would surely have made her unable to continue.
As Link began to try to whisper to the breeze that they were not there to harm anyone, that they had arrived to try to save the few people who might have been able to escape the fire, not able to yell as loudly as they wanted to when they did not have any way of knowing when the rest of the soldiers would arrive, Midna began to look for any signs of where the residents might have gone, the broken twigs and footprints that might indicate that they had not come there for nothing. Of course, it was a likely option, the idea that they might be the only ones still alive in the area, but Midna pushed it away from her. They had to at least believe that they had a chance. If not, then they would never be able to convince anyone to reveal their location.
That was when she caught a glimpse of someone. There, to her right, just behind a couple of trees, Midna knew that she had seen the flash of fabric trailing after someone sprinting from the cover provided by a tree to the next one. Making sure that she did not make a sound, that she did not make it obvious to the person that they had been spotted, Midna gestured towards Link, barely nodding towards the forest. He understood the message immediately. It was in moments like these that Midna found herself so incredibly thankful for how a single glance was sometimes all it would take for him to be able to know exactly what she thought. It was annoying, frustrating even, when it would be the thing that kept her from being able to lie to him, but now, as Link slowly made his way towards the trees, walking a few steps in front of Midna and Zelda, she could not have been more grateful.
"Hello?" Link whispered, taking slow, precise steps, careful to avoid the debris of the destroyed village, the pieces of roofs and the wood that lay on the ground. "We are here to help. I promise you that you have nothing to fear. We just want to make sure that you will not be captured by the king—that is all. If you come with us, then we promise that we will do our best to ensure that you will never be harmed again."
Just as Midna was about to tell him that it was not working, that no one was naïve enough to believe them after having had to watch their village be destroyed, a girl stepped out from behind the tree, and the words disappeared in Midna's throat.
She was even younger than Romani, completely covered in ask, leaving only a few stripes on her cheeks free, making sure that they knew how she had been crying over the destruction of everything she had ever known. She could barely be older than what Midna had been when she had been left behind, and yet, rather than hiding, she left the relative safety of the tree to instead take a short, tentative step towards them.
"Who are you?" she asked, and although she was trying to seem old, to seem strong, taking a deep breath to seem bigger, Midna could hear how her voice shook.
"We are here to help." this time, it was Zelda who tried, moving over to stand next to Link. "We saw the flames from beyond the mountains, and now we are here to see if there is anyone still alive. We want to make sure that you will not all be brought back to Hyrule Castle; we want to make sure that you are safe."
But it was not enough, the girl still glared at Zelda, everything about the way she held herself, the way she clenched her fists, telling them not to come any closer. However, the next moment, her gaze landed on Midna, and everything changed. The girl's eyes grew wide, an almost disbelieving look on her face making her suddenly seem like the little child she was as she forgot everything about how she had tried to make herself look bigger.
"I see." she nodded, having already halfway turned around. "Wait, I have to find the others."
Without another word, not waiting for even a second to give them the chance to ask a question, she had turned around and sprinted back into the forest. She was gone so quickly that even if Midna had not instinctively known that she would come back, that she would only make everything worse if she were to try to follow her after she had so clearly shown that she did not want them to, she would still have doubted that she would have been able to keep up with her for more than a couple of metres.
So they stayed, suddenly aware of just what had happened.
"Do you think…?" Link looked over at Midna, sending a short nod in the direction of Zelda, his hesitance to finish the sentence making it obvious what he wanted to ask.
"That she knows that I am the queen's daughter?" despite the gravity of the situation—or maybe it was exactly the reason for it—Midna could not help but smile as Link sent her a shocked look. "Relax, I have already told her about it."
Zelda looked back and forth between them. "Told me about what?"
"Link thinks that the reason why the girl suddenly changed her mind when she saw me might be because she was able to recognise me, and, as much as I hate to admit it, I can't see any other explanation for why she was prepared to find the other survivors so suddenly."
The silence fell over them, and for once, Midna was not in a hurry to try to make anyone say something. Was there even anything they could have said if they had wanted to? What did you say when you were standing in the smoking ruins of a village with two of the people who meant the most to you, waiting and hoping that you would have enough time to wait for a girl you had never met before to find the other survivors, convince them to come back to the base with the ship that was all that was left of the Twilight Realm, and then make it back to the ship, all needing to happen before the fire would have got the chance to surround them and without the king's soldiers being able to see them? The answer was that there was nothing to say, and so, they all continued to look directly ahead, all of them united in the unspoken wish that the girl would be back soon.
Maybe she had heard them, had been able to feel how none of them knew what to do. At least that was what it felt like, though Midna knew that it was really just a sign that the survivors had only been saved by pure luck, that they had not been far away from the village when it had been destroyed. The little girl returned moments later, only this time, she was not alone anymore. Two men followed right behind her, both of them sending them wary glances as they stepped out, leaving the protection of the forest behind. The fact that they both let their gazes pass over Link and Zelda, one of the two pausing for a moment, before they both ended up staring at Midna with wide eyes, only made her even more certain that she had been right when she had assumed that the little girl had somehow been able to recognise her even though it should not have been possible.
Still, as one of the men walked forward, stepping in front of the girl, positioning himself so that, if they wanted to get to her, they would have had to go through him—her father, Midna guessed, judging from the way he made sure that they could not see her—it began to seem more and more likely that that was really the case, despite the fact that even trying to think about it made her stomach turn, telling her that she might have been a bit too quick to think that it had been a good idea to eat breakfast that day.
In the end, despite the way the taller of the men had clearly stepped up to offer the two others a chance to escape, should anything end up going wrong, he was not the first of them to speak. Rather, that honour would have to go to the man who had otherwise stayed in the background, clutching something close to his chest.
Pushing his glasses back in place, the little pieces of glass seeming like they would not exactly be able to help him with how they were covered in ash, he stepped to the side, looking directly over at Midna as he spoke. "You—you are here to help us?"
"Yes." Midna was not certain what Link and Zelda would have said. Most likely, they would have been better at putting their intentions into words that might be able to convince these three that they had to go, but right then, as she noticed at how none of them had stopped staring at her, she did not have to look at Zelda and Link to know that they were all thinking the same thing. She might have the best chances of convincing them, especially if they truly had recognised her. "We are here to help. Just a few hundred metres in that direction," she gestured behind her, "we have a ship waiting for us to return. We can bring you back home to our base. It is safe, or, well, it is as safe as any place can be right now, but it is surely better than simply waiting here, sitting around and letting the guards capture you when they arrive." with the way the tall man moved in front of the girl, Midna knew that she had made the right decision to mention that detail. It was amazing, really, how quick people could be to agree with her if she reminded them of the fact that they were not only making decisions for themselves. But, as she looked over towards the second man and saw the way he was still pressing something against his chest, clutching it so tightly that his knuckles turned white, Midna could not help the feeling of there being something she had not realised yet, another reason for why they exchanged a few, quick glances, before the tall man turned towards her.
"And you promise us that you will be able to bring all of us back with you?" he asked, continuing immediately the moment Midna nodded. "Would you also be able to bring back a book?"
"A book?" Midna echoed. "Why? I mean, yes, it would not be any problem for us to bring a book along as well, but why?" already, she was trying to figure out if she had heard anything about a library in Kakariko. With the way the man had said the word, it seemed unlikely to think that he was referring to some book of fairy tales, that it was just something he wanted to bring along just to have it, but no matter how much she tried to search through her mind, she could not recall having ever heard about there having been a library in Kakariko Village. That was also, arguably, what made the most sense. Libraries—with all the books, buildings, and means of protecting the precious contents, there were a rare sight even in the larger towns. Otherwise, Midna would not have dared to make the abandoned base their hideout. It simply would not have been safe enough if anyone could have got a book about the history of the Twili royal family.
But even though she had been about to conclude that she must have heard wrong, that he must have said something else, the man nodded. "Yes, a book. Shad, would you mind showing them?"
The man, Shad, froze, and Midna could understand why. Now, they all knew his name, while they had no idea about exactly who the people who had just stepped into the ruins of their home, claiming that they wanted to help them, were. Of course, if she was right, they did indeed now her, or at least they knew about who her mother had been, but that did not change the fact that, along with the name, the man had just handed them the advantage of being able to tell other people the identity of one of the survivors of Kakariko.
The moment only lasted for a fraction of a second, then Shad seemingly managed to ignore the fact that he had just lost all hopes of being able to flee without them being able to figure out who he was, for he took a few short steps forwards, clearly wanting to remain where he had been as he unfolded his arms and showed them what the reason for how he had been unwilling to move had been.
It was a book. It was almost disappointing to see that that was all there had been to it, for although Midna did not have to ask to know that, no matter what it might be, the content of the book was important to these three, it was still just a book, hardly a weapon they would be able to use to more efficiently fight back against the king.
With how she doubted she would have been able to hide her disappointment, Midna was relieved when Zelda spoke up, saving her from having to think of something to say.
"Oh, a book." the remark was so incredibly mundane, stating what all six of them already knew, and yet, Midna found that it was relieving to hear another person say what they were all thinking, assuring her that she was not imagining things, that they really had just asked if they would be able to bring the book back to the base, acting almost like they would have refused the offer to help them if the answer had been no. "May I ask…" Zelda paused, clearly trying to figure out how to phrase her question in a way that would not be taken as an insult, "may I ask what it is about?"
Clearly, it had been the wrong thing to ask. Midna could tell that much simply by seeing how the three people in front of them all closed off, the father pushing his daughter a bit more behind him, Shad instantly crossing his arms in front of the book again. And yet, maybe Zelda had actually been wiser than Midna could ever hope to be, for, even though she had just thought that they had wasted their only chance of convincing these people to let them help them, as they exchanged a quick series of glances, she could not deny the fact that there might still be a possibility of it ending with all six of them being aboard the Shadow when they would have to flee from the flames.
"Go on, Shad," the father whispered, almost like he had been able to listen to her thoughts, "show them. I trust them completely." while his words might have been meant for all of them, the way he did not take his gaze off Midna made sure to tell them exactly why he made that decision.
Finally, Shad let out a sigh, sounding like he mostly just wanted to tell the man that he did not agree with him. "Fine. Just... if anything goes wrong, know that I blame you." and with those words, he showed them the book again, holding it out in front of him with an air to him that instantly guaranteed that, if there had been any doubt left for any of them about the importance of the book, it would have disappeared in an instant. "This book is the reason for the destruction of this village."
She heard the words. Midna understood the meaning of each and every one of them, was able to decode them separately, but as she tried to understand the extent of what Shad was saying, it was almost like there was something there that simply refused to cooperate.
It did not make any sense. As Midna looked around her, saw the ash and the burnt beams that had once supported the roof of the house next to her, it did not seem possible that it could all be blamed on the book, no matter how valuable it might seem to Shad.
"I know that it seems unlikely, that you must think that we are lying right now or at least not understanding what has happened," the man said, putting Midna's exact thoughts into words, "but it is true."
Once again, Zelda was the one to save them from completely ruining all chances of these people accepting their offer to help them, bringing an end to the silence before Midna was able to say anything.
Frowning slightly, Zelda gestured towards the book. "I am sorry, but I just… I don't understand. Why would the k—Ganondorf, why would he want to destroy and entire village all for one book? I have read about Kakariko, there has never once been any trouble out here. Burning down everything—it simply does not seem rational, and you are saying that he did it all to ensure the destruction of that one book?"
"I do." the man sent them a tiny smile, though it was clear that he would have cried had it not been for how his daughter peeked out from behind him, looking over at them, a look in her eyes that Midna did not know what to think of, almost a combination of fear and worship. "Though I suppose that he did not only do it for the book as he must also have wanted to ensure that the people who had made it would die before they would have got the chance to use any of the information in the book to harm him."
"What do you mean?" Link asked, but already before they received an answer, Midna knew what it would be, her stomach already making sure that she would not end up throwing up by beginning to ache immediately.
Sending a long glance towards Shad, the two of them clearly reaching a silent agreement, the man threw his hands out to the side, encompassing all three of them. "We, and by that I man Shad and I," he blinked at Shad, "and before Shad tells you, my name is Renado and this is my daughter, Luda—we were working on a map of the castle, have been working on it for years, actually."
She had thought that she had been prepared to hear it. Midna had truly believed that she was ready to stand there and listen to someone so calmly state that they had been working to try to gather information about the king, that they had been trying to figure out a way to make sense of the castle, the fortress that had, if the rumours Midna had heard about it had been true, been built specifically to have such a confusing interior, full of dead ends and corridors that felt like they could continue on for forever, that any attackers would get lost in there and starve long before they would have been able to reach the king, but as she looked over at Renado and Shad and saw how they were completely serious, she knew that that had not been the case.
"A map?" Zelda's voice was shrill. "You made a map of the castle, have I understood correctly? Because if that is the case, then—"
"Yes, to both of your questions." Shad sent her a tiny hint of a smile. "We have made a map of the castle, and yes, Ganondorf did indeed order the entire village to be destroyed, all to make sure that we would never be able to use the information it would have given us for anything. That, and then to make sure that we would never be able to make another copy, due to the fact that we were clearly meant to perish in the fire."
"But… why?"
If Midna had wanted to know exactly how insane the idea of trying to map out Hyrule Castle was, she only had to look over at Zelda. After the months she had spent in her company, Midna had come to expect that if anyone would ever have been even a little bit impressed with the way they had gone directly against the king, tried to figure out how the castle had been built, it would have been Zelda. So the fact that she was looking over at them, pure concern and disbelief in her eyes, was yet another sign of just how much danger they had put themselves in from the moment they had made the decision to actually make the idea become reality.
"Because someone had to." Shad looked at them, a strange look in his eyes that made a shiver run down Midna's back. It felt almost like he was trying to gauge how much he could tell them, what he could say before he would bring himself into a situation he would not be able to escape again. Moments later, she learnt that she had been right about that, as Shad and Renado exchanged a glance, the latter seemingly agreeing to let him continue, for Shad turned back towards them, took a deep breath, and added. "We knew that we would have to use our resources to help those who share the same goal as us."
Midna had wanted to wait, giving Zelda the chance to ask the question, knowing that she would without a doubt be better at making it sound less accusatory, but she simply could not keep the words inside of her as it felt like they were bubbling up from her stomach, reaching her mouth to be let out in what was not quite a laugh and not quite a yell as she cocked her head. "Which is?"
"To kill the king."
The world should have gone silent. It should have stopped moving, giving them the time they so desperately needed in that moment to try to understand what had happened, or at least that was how Midna felt. But it did not. The birds continued to fly across the sky above, she could hear the how the fire continued to roam through the forest around them, could still detect the smell of what price the entire village had had to pay for the crime of having simply been unfortunate to live close to these people.
Shad must have taken their silence as a sign that they would need more information, for, without any of them having prompted him to do so, he continued, the words coming quickly and clearly, making sure that any doubt they might have had about whether or not he understood what he had just said would be dispelled. "We are not the only ones wishing to do that, but I think that we are the only ones who have tried to systematise the pieces of information we have been able to get from within the castle. That is why this book is so important; it might very well be the only map we will ever be able to create."
"Stop." her mind was spinning, desperately trying to keep up with what was happening around her, the madness that had just become her world, but Midna still did not miss what he had just said. "What do you mean that you are not the only ones?"
All hopes of Shad finally realising exactly how dangerous the fire he was playing with, the fire that had consumed the village around them, was were killed the moment he simply looked over at her, his expression revealing how he almost could not believe that she even had to ask, clearly showing that he thought that this was something he could tell strangers about. "Exactly that. We have established contact to other groups of rebels both within and outside the castle." he must have noticed the disbelieving looks such an idea was met by, for his voice rose a bit when he continued. "Ganondorf is a tyrant, there is no point of anyone trying to argue that he is not, when everyone can see that he is. Is it really that difficult to believe that there might be people out there who are willing to risk their lives to try to stop him?"
No, it wasn't. It was not only a matter of how the maid had helped her, making sure that she would be able to get the food she needed, clearly not wasting any time on thinking about the danger she was accepting by helping her, what might happen to her if anyone found out about how the thief had been able to gather the food and medicine, and the little emblem she had worn. Even as Midna tried to recall what life had been like before she had been forced to come face to face with the fact that she held that kind of power, she could not help but remember how quick Rusl had been to declare that he would be more than willing to die if it might be able to help them. And he had ended up doing just that, giving his own life to save her. But unlike Rusl, these people, Shad and Renado, their work to try to overthrow the king had ended up killing everyone in the village except for them. As much as Midna tried to remind herself that she should not place the responsibility for what had happened on them, not when Ganondorf had been the person to give the order, she could not help but look around her and wonder if the people who had not been as lucky as Renado, Shad, and Luda had agreed to accept the risk that living so close to them had been. If she could have asked them, would they have been prepared to die for this? Midna did not know the answer to that question, but she only had to think about what she would have thought to know that she doubted it would be the case.
Zelda was the first of them to regain the ability to speak. With a shaking voice that told them exactly what she thought about everything that had happened as a consequence of their attempts at creating a map of the castle, she looked over at Shad. "Rebels? I am not sure that I understand. Did you say that you have people within the castle?"
Shad nodded. "Yes. We have people in most of the larger cities, but for the last couple of years, our primary focus has been trying to make sure that they would reach positions of power. We thought that it would be the best way to ensure that we might one day be able to overthrow the king."
Years. It had been happening for years. All those winters Midna had spent within the mountain, hoping that they would have enough food to make it through the months, they had been out there, trying to gather up enough knowledge and resources to finally be able to move against the king.
"But in the castle as well?"
Shooting Zelda a glance, Midna tried to communicate to her that they were beginning to enter dangerous territory, Zelda being seconds away from making it obvious that Renado, Shad, and Luda had not been imagining things when they had let their gaze rest on her for a few moments too long for it to feel natural.
She must have got the message, for she stood back, moving her hair back behind her shoulders, the action giving her a few moments to cover her face and try to collect herself again.
Thankfully, it did not seem that Shad had noticed anything, instead nodding at her. "Yes, especially the castle. I mean, it is the good place to have our people in, somewhere close to the king. Still, we had to ensure that everyone would have a way of entering the castle and make their way around there when the day for that would come, so we have been trying to assemble a map for a few years now. And here it is, the thing that might bring the king into a position where he will have no way to go other than down."
"And now the village is gone." Link's comment was barely audible, the way he looked at the destroyed village around them making it clear that he had not meant for them to hear it.
But Renado had. That much was obvious from the way he frowned, his eyes becoming shiny. "It is. I won't try to claim that it is not our fault, because it is. We tried to construct the map and, somehow, Ganondorf must have learnt about the existence of such a project and decided that he had to make sure that it would all disappear to ensure that we would never be able to act upon it. But," he looked over at Midna, "I would not have changed anything even if I got the chance."
There was a murmur of general agreement coming from Shad, but in that moment, it seemed almost banal when compared to how Zelda was looking over at them, a strange gleam in her eyes. Already, Midna knew whom she would agree with if she were to ask Zelda about her opinion. She had to move before she would get the chance to do the same.
"You might believe that," Midna said, making sure that her voice did not leave any doubts about what her own thoughts about it were, "but if you want to come back with us to the base, you will have to understand that our priority is survival. We will not offer you a way to continue your work on the map, you will not be able to resume communication with other rebels, nor will you be given a way to try to avenge this village. The only reason we have been able to stay alive for all these years is that we are careful and try our best to make sure that Ganondorf will not know about our existence. If you want to join us, you will have to accept that."
As the seconds passed, Midna was almost certain that they would tell her that if those were her demands, then they would prefer to stay out here and die with their doomed project, but, at last, Renado looked away from her. It could not have been more apparent whom he was thinking of as he spoke, not with how he was looking down at his daughter. "If those are your demands—"
"They are."
"—then we will agree to do our best to follow your rules."
"No." she knew that she was being unjust, she knew that she should have stopped and try to pretend to be understanding, try to have a bit of sympathy and consider the fact that they were standing in the ruins of their home as a reason for why he might not have simply accepted her demands, but Midna continued nonetheless. "If you want to come back with us, you have to promise that you will not do anything that might endanger us. You will have to understand that we are only safe until the moment when the king learns of our existence, so I would never allow you to continue with your plans of overthrowing the king. Now, do you accept those terms?"
Shad began to move, bringing the book even closer to his chest, clearly willing to do anything to protect it, but before he got the chance to say anything, to tell her that he would not give up his dream, Renado had moved, effectively keeping him from saying anything. With a long look in Midna's direction, he nodded. "We accept your demands."
The air felt thick around her as Midna nodded, trying her best not to think about how Zelda was looking at her, sympathy and disappointment burning into her skin. "Good. In that case, we need to go now. Once the soldiers get here, we would not want to still be down here."
No one said anything as she turned around and began to lead them back to the ship. She was not sure what to think of that.
The sun had already set when they returned.
Maybe Midna should have seen it as a sign, a way for her to know that now, it was simply a matter of convincing someone else to make sure that Renado, Shad, and Luda would feel welcome and then disappear. If she had been smart, that was what she would have done. But Midna was not smart, and so, even though she noted the way that Zelda was looking over at her, she did not stop to think about it before it was already too late, Zelda having cornered her on the deck of the Shadow.
"I just wanted to talk with you," Zelda said, everything about her body language, the way she held her hands up in front of her, already assuming a defensive position, only serving to confirm Midna's theories about exactly what she had wanted to talk with her about.
Still, if Zelda wanted to pretend that there was even the tiniest chance she would ever get Midna to agree with her and give her foolish plan a chance, she could humour her for a little. "All right." Midna leant back against the handrail, not able to deny the fact that it was great to see Zelda finally look a bit shaken. Barely able to keep back a little laugh, Midna gestured towards Zelda who had yet to begin speaking again. "Go on. I thought you wanted to discuss something with me. I am listening, but I am not hearing anything."
"Oh, right." Zelda blushed, but it did not seem like Midna's fun at her expense had been enough to make her lose track of her thoughts, as she was able to regain her composure in a matter of only a couple of seconds. "Look, Midna, this might be our best chance of overthrowing the king."
"Absolutely not."
"But why not?" Zelda continued. "I know that you say that it would only lead to our deaths, but now, we have evidence that there are others out there, other people who are willing to fight. I know that if we only told them about you, they would rise with us and stand against him."
"And then they would die. It would not matter whether we would be ten people or ten thousand; Ganondorf has the better army, the better equipment, and the best tactics. If we really convinced other people to join such a hopeless cause, it would only mean that we would be responsible for even more deaths, and although you might be prepared to bring that offer, I would never allow anyone to die for a cause I had convinced them to participate in."
"Midna." Zelda took a step forward, moving closer to her, almost like the lack of distance between them would make her arguments any better. "They are already here. We would not have to convince anyone. You heard what Shad and Renado said—there are plenty of rebels all over the country, there are people within the castle. They are right here, and I am sure that if you only told them about who you are, they would be ready to tell the other rebels about it. It could be the thing that would finally unite everyone."
"And Renado and Shad managed to be so obvious about what they were doing that the king noticed and burnt down the entire village, so, forgive me, but I am not exactly in a hurry to place the fate of everyone within this base in their hands when they could not even keep their own village safe."
"That is not fair. It wasn't their fault; you can't blame them for it."
She was right. Midna knew that. Of course she could not actually blame them for the fact that she could still smell the ash and burning meat each time she breathed in through her nose, just as she could not blame the destruction of Ordon Village on anyone but the king. But admitting that right now, with how Zelda was clearly trying her best to convince her that her plan might just have become a little bit more realistic, would only serve to make Zelda even more certain about her position in regards to the question of whether to act or not.
With a shrug, Midna pretended not to care. "And the world isn't fair either, Zelda, that is just the way it is. Ganondorf has the better weapons, the loyal soldiers, and the best airships. Therefore he is the strongest, and nothing we could ever hope to do will be enough to change that."
It would have been naïve to think that something as insignificant as the reality of the situation they were in would ever have been enough to stop Zelda, but Midna still found herself surprised by the way Zelda simply smiled at it all, acting almost like Midna had just told her the funniest story.
"Yes," Zelda said, "you would have been right about how we would not have had much of a chance if Ganondorf's military really was as strong as he makes it look."
Midna frowned. "What do you mean? It is strong, I have seen it first-hand. When he orders a village gone, it is gone the next day. When he feels like someone has done a thing they should not have done, he makes sure that they will not live to make the same mistake twice. If he decides that he needs more coal for all of his airships and he sees that the Twilight Realm has plenty of coal in their mines, he simply pretends that there has been a coup d'état there, allowing him to arrive and pretend to be the hero who is there to restore order. All of that requires a strong army."
"No." Zelda shook her head. "No, it really does not. Most of what he does—I am sure that it is only a way for him to try to hide the fact that the army is stretched out so much that even the smallest attack should be enough to make it all fall over." she paused, looking over at Midna, clearly waiting for her reaction. And this time, the fact that Midna remained silent was not her way of telling Zelda that the idea was so ridiculous she was not even able to respond to it. Rather, it was simply the effect of how she was not able to both argue with her and try to make sense of what she was saying. But, no matter the reason, it was still enough to give Zelda the chance to continue, and that was exactly what she did. "Look, Midna, he may have tried to hide the truth from me, but I have sat down and thought it through; there is no way he would be able to stay in power if anyone ever were to find out about how weak Hyrule's military really is."
Finally, Midna's mind caught up with what was happening, and she levelled a glare at Zelda, trying her best to show her just how little she thought of the fantasy Zelda had constructed where they might honestly be able to do something to avenge everyone. "And how do you know this? You said it yourself, the king did not share his struggles and strategies with you, so what are you basing this conclusion on? Because if you are trying to convince me to try to argue for your dream of revealing the fact that I am alive to the world, I hope that you have a lot of evidence to support your theory."
Already from the moment Zelda hesitated, a little sigh escaping her, Midna knew what the answer would be. It was obvious after all; they had been naïve to think otherwise. Still, as much as she hated to recognise the feeling for what it was, Midna felt the disappointment of realising that Zelda really would not be able to present any strong pieces of evidence to help her. It was not a matter of her having actually wanted to reveal her existence to the world, but Midna could not deny that part of her felt almost like she owed it to the maid, to Rusl, to everyone who had died in an attempt at getting back the Twilight Realm, really. It was illogical, did not make any sense, but that was, nevertheless, the only reason Midna could find that would explain the way her heart ached as she moved to push past Zelda.
She did not get the chance to walk two steps before Zelda had grabbed her wrist. Despite her eagerness, Zelda was still not completely able to compete with Midna when it came to sheer strength, years of lifting up heavy sacks and having to steer a ship, had, along with her height alone, taken care of that, but it was still enough to make Midna stop, turning around to send her an expectant glare.
"Midna, I do actually have a reason to believe this," Zelda said, the words coming out as a jumbled mess, "I—when we first met, back on the ship, do you know where I was going, the reason why I was on that ship, I mean?"
"I am not exactly in the mood for some kind of game," Midna retorted, but as Zelda maintained eye contact, refusing to look away no matter how harsh Midna's gaze must have been, she found herself with no other choice, but to continue, letting out a demonstrative sigh as she did so, "all right, then, if you really want me to guess that badly. I suppose that you must have been there because you had to… I don't know, maybe visit some other kingdom."
Midna had meant to roll her eyes, making sure that there could not be any doubt about how little she thought about the game Zelda had made her play, but as Zelda responded, she found that she could not tear her gaze away from her.
"You are not wrong, not completely at least. I was actually sailing to Labrynna. I—my father had decided that I would marry the crown prince of the kingdom."
The words made sense, Logically, Midna could understand what Zelda was telling her, but that did not change the fact that she found herself stumbling over the words, almost like her brain refused to assign them their correct meaning.
"Marry—the prince?" she stuttered, already painfully aware of how she was not exactly doing a great job at trying to explain to Zelda how this was not their fight to fight.
"Yes, the crown prince, Ralph," Zelda repeated. It was not what Midna had meant, but if Zelda would misinterpret the reason for why such a small comment had been enough to render Midna a stuttering mess, she would not be the one to tell her the real reason, not when Zelda was not even waiting for her to say something, instead adding, "considering all of that, the fact that I was flying over there to marry the crown prince, don't you think it was a bit strange that the ship could be so poorly guarded that you were not only able to find me, but to also make it back to the deck alive?"
It was. As Midna thought about it, tried to recall exactly what had happened back then so many months ago, she could not deny that, with how much time she had spent looking for the secret door, how she had gone through the narrow corridor, entering a room with only one way out, she should have been caught.
"It is. There should have been more guards, enough to make it so that it would not have been possible for me to even get near you."
"Exactly!" Zelda's eyes sparkled as she moved closer to her, bringing her hand that was still clutching Midna's up to her chest. "There wasn't enough guards with me, despite the fact that I was travelling to a neighbouring kingdom to marry the crown prince."
"But couldn't that just have been a coincidence? Maybe Ganondorf just didn't realise that we would not be frightened by the fact that he had sent a couple of guards?" even as she said it, Midna could hear how her own doubt seeped into the words, revealing how no one, not even her, would ever believe that explanation.
At least Zelda did not make her feel even stupider than she already did, simply brushing the explanation aside like it did not even deserve to be mentioned. "Perhaps. I suppose I might have been able to believe that it did not mean anything, had it not been for the fact that my father had talked about my marriage for months on end. The day I left, I don't think I have ever seen him as tense as he was when he told me that I was not allowed to ruin anything. And although I suppose that the fact that I, as the princess of Hyrule, do represent him as well might be able to explain some of it, I am sure that it was not a coincidence that he had spent months trying to convince Queen Ambi that I would be the right match for her son."
"What do you mean?"
"Think, Midna. He has a giant kingdom, half of which is actually the Twilight Realm, a place where he can lie all he wants to, but there will still be people who resent him, and there is Labrynna, home of the perhaps most advanced military we know of, just south of Hyrule. It would be great for him if he would be able to ensure that he would never end up in a situation where Labrynna might get a reason to declare war on Hyrule. If he could get his daughter on the throne, he would have achieved just that." Zelda sent her a grin, but even that was not enough to really do anything to make the atmosphere any less tense between them. "So I suppose that you might earn some of the credit for how that never became reality, considering the fact that I would no doubt be in Labrynna right now, unable to do anything, had it not been for the fact that you had made it so that the ship had to turn around for supplies, giving me the chance to both reflect on what you had said and come up with a plan as for how to get the chance to see for myself if there was any truth to what you had told me about the king."
"By sneaking onto a ship of a group of people you had every reason to think were pirates." Midna could not keep a smile off her lips. "Why did you not tell me that you also had the threat of a marriage to a complete stranger to drive you to do that? I thought you were unable to comprehend the consequences of both your own and other's actions for the longest time. I was so sure that I would have to spend so much time making sure that you would not be given the chance to do anything stupid that would have given away our position."
Zelda might have shrugged, but the nonchalance of the gesture was not enough to hide the fact that she was blushing. "It would not exactly have been an altruistic reason, now would it?"
"No, it would not, but it might have made me trust you earlier."
"So that means that you trust me and my plan now?"
At that, the way Zelda was able to ask the question like it was the most natural thing in the world, Midna could not help but to laugh. "I trust you. I never mentioned your plans. Besides, if you had been in Labrynna now, you would have been able to free Hyrule and the Twilight Realm then. You would have gained a large amount of power by becoming the queen of a country with the great military power you are speaking of."
The change happened instantly, Zelda looking away, the smile dying on her lips. "But…" Zelda breathed, her voice having grown small, "if you were able to go back to change anything, you would not have made it so that I would have gone back to the ship, right? You would not have made it happen so that I would now be in Labrynna with Ralph, would you?"
No. Midna could say without even a shadow of a doubt that she would never change anything about the situation. Zelda could potentially have found another way to reach her goals, a way that might lead to something other than all of them dying for a doomed cause, but as she looked over at her, tried to imagine what her life would have been like had Zelda not staged the fight to give herself time to make her way up onto the Shadow, she knew that she would not have changed anything.
"No, I suppose I wouldn't." Midna tried to sigh, but as Zelda looked back up at her, the hope returning to her eyes, she found it impossible to even fake it. "You might have possessed more power if you were married to Ralph, but… for what it is worth, I am happy that you are here."
"It is worth a lot to me."
She had meant to say something, had meant to return to the fact that, no matter what, the discussion was pointless, they could not change the past, but as Zelda reached out, grabbing both her hands, Midna found all words disappearing from her vocabulary at once, leaving her unable to do more than to let out a sound of incoherent stuttering.
"Well," she finally managed to force out, hoping that she was simply imagining that her voice was becoming shakier with every word, "no matter what value it might hold to you, fact is that we are wasting our time by continuing to discuss this subject. We are not able to get you to Labrynna to marry the prince and gain access to the army, nor do I want for us to use you like a chess piece." Zelda had looked like she was about to say something, but at that, she fell silent again, so many emotions flickering over her face—joy, sadness, disappointment, hope—that Midna could not make sense of it all, instead choosing to push it away, focusing on what little she was still sure of as she continued. "Zelda, there is nothing I would love to do more than to believe in your dreams of a better world. Truly, if there was even the slightest chance that it would end up achieving anything other than everyone involved in the attack being killed, I would be more than ready to risk my life for it, to use what little sway the fact that I am related to my mother might hold to give us a little bit more power, but don't you see? It is hopeless."
"It really is not." almost like she wanted to prove a point to Midna about how she was able to not lose courage even when facing impossible odds, Zelda simply pulled her closer towards herself. Pausing for a moment to tuck a stray strand of hair back behind her ears, Zelda's gaze landed directly on her, making Midna feel almost like she was able to look directly into her soul. "Midna, I promise you that we will be able to change things. We just have to try. As long as we fight for something that is bigger than us, we cannot lose."
More than anything, Midna wished that she would be able to laugh at her, to make sure that there was no doubt left about exactly what she thought of the idea, but she couldn't. She could not laugh at Zelda, she could not ridicule her ideas, her ideals, and beliefs.
Instead, she shook her head, the movement being so small that she doubted anyone who had not been standing as close to her as Zelda did in that moment would even have noticed it. "Zelda, what we are talking about here—it is not just some game. If we actually set out to overthrow the king, it would mean that we cannot afford to leave him alive. Could you do that? Would you be able to kill your own father if it came to that?" Midna had hardly reached the end of the sentence before Zelda opened her mouth, having her answer ready already, but Midna simply tightened her grip on her hand a little as she continued. "No, I want you to think about it. No one here would ever blame you for admitting that you would not be able to do that, least of all me. I just have to ask you if you know what your plans would entail, if you would be ready to go through with it."
This time, Zelda waited for a few seconds before answering, but barely more than that.
The fire in her eyes burnt brighter than both the flames that had surrounded Ordon and Kakariko as Zelda leant in towards her, coming so close to Midna that she would feel the warmth radiating from her. "No. I would not be able to kill someone. That is why I will need you at my side."
She was not a weapon. She was not someone to be brought along simply to make sure that the king really would die. Midna was many things, but she was not an assassin.
However, as she looked down at Zelda and saw the determination in her eyes, those truths were not among the words that rolled off Midna's tongue. "Very well. I will do my best to try to convince the council to do as you have suggested."
As Zelda's face lit up, a smile brighter than the sun instantly greeting Midna, she could only hope that the fire would be more like the one that allowed the Shadow to fly than those that had been allowed to devour both Ordon and Kakariko.