They ran, Zelda moving alongside her, but even though she was clearly sprinting as quickly as she could, Midna was still faster. In a matter of seconds, they reached the handrail, Midna not slowing down. They would not make it if she did not approach the jump sprinting. She could feel how Zelda held onto her hand so tightly that it felt like it should have been enough to stop the blood from flowing into her fingers as Midna leapt over the side of the ship.
The air caught her, and for a single, horrible second, they were both hanging in the air with nothing under them other than several hundred metres of air and a meeting with the solid ground. And then Midna hit the deck, the wooden planks beneath her sending a sharp pain up through her leg, the feeling of something moving inside her ankle telling her that her entire body was protesting against the rough landing. But they had made it. Despite everything else, they had made it, Midna barely able to keep both of them upright as Zelda stumbled forwards.
For a second, no one said anything, the soldiers around them simply looking at them almost like they could not make themselves believe that they had not only been stupid enough to willingly leave the relative safety of their ship, but also been able to not fall to the ground. However, as much as it felt like the moment lasted forever, giving them time to take in the fact that, now that their weight was no longer able to pull down Epona, they might just have bought Ilia enough time to escape, their arrival at the airship perhaps giving her the distraction she would need, Midna's heart only got the chance to beat once, the sound feeling louder than even the sounds of the cannons being fired, before they all leapt into action at once.
Feeling how Zelda froze next to her, Midna reacted instinctively, drawing her gun and stepping in front of her. It was meaningless, Midna did not need anyone to tell her that, she did not need anyone to look at her and tell her that she would not stand a chance, a single person with a gun she had never used except for when there really was no other way out against an entire ship of soldiers who, if nothing else, had the weapons that would be necessary to win a war, the weapons that had allowed them to enter the Palace of Twilight all those years ago, leaving only a handful of survivors behind. She would be lucky to get more than a few seconds more, Midna knew that. But even the cold feeling of being absolutely certain that she was going to die was still not enough to erase the fact that right then, as she stepped in front of Zelda, Midna could not have been more certain that she was finally doing what was right.
But her new discovery of something akin to courage did not change the fact that the soldiers all had their guns turned towards her, looking like they were only waiting for an order, a single word being all that kept them from opening fire immediately.
Midna's hand shook as she tried to determine who would be the closest thing to a leader, who she should aim at if she wanted to buy a few extra seconds for Zelda. It was useless, of course it was. Nothing she could do now would be enough to negate the fact that they were two people, only one of them wielding a weapon, against the crowd in front of them. She was not certain exactly how many people were waiting for nothing more than the order to attack, her mind spinning, everything in her creaming at her not to drop her gun, to maintain control over her shaking hands, but she could see that it had to be at least forty people. Forty soldiers, at least forty muskets, possibly even more hidden somewhere in the ship, the ship itself being nothing more than another weapon, even more deadly than anything she could see up there.
She wanted to close her eyes. The only thing that would be worse than dying would be knowing exactly when it would happen, but she could not do it, not when she had to be able to answer the fire, to at least try to shoot the best of them, hoping that it would be enough for Zelda.
That was when she saw it. Just as Midna had determined the man closest to her to be the best of them, judging from the way he looked completely at peace, not even a single trace of worry to be found in his eyes, he looked over at her. But where she should have found either the empty look of someone waiting for orders in his eyes, that or simply anger, he looked at her for the longest time, before giving her a little nod, the smile that tucked at his lips almost looking like it was meant to be friendly. And then he turned his musket away from her, instead aiming at the soldier next to him. The next second, it became more than just that, no longer a matter of a single soldier turning against those at his side.
As Midna looked, more and more of the soldiers followed his lead, turning their weapons towards those around them. At first, it did not appear that they noticed anything, but then, slowly at first, but then all at once, almost like they were waking up to realise what was going on, the sound of alarmed yells echoed around her, the soldiers suddenly not so sure about what to do.
Midna did not lower her gun, but still, she could feel how their doubt spread to herself as well, as she tried to figure out who on the ship was still aiming at her and which of the soldiers were among those who, for some reason, seemed to have decided that they would rather aim ait their fellow guards.
The seconds passed, long and tense, Midna aware of the fact that even the slightest movement right now could mean the end for everyone. It would not take more than a single bullet or the illusion of one having been fired for the fragile peace that came to rest over them to disappear in an instant, everyone answering the attack without knowing who had been the one to fire their gun, who had been the one to be hit by the bullet. But at least it might be able to provide them with enough time to figure out a way to get Zelda away, a way for Midna to possible create a way to safety for them. She doubted that it would be possible, especially as a panicked yell brought an end to the silence around them, one of the soldiers who were still aiming at her asking for orders, but still. The fact that some of them were bound to hit one another, some of the soldiers having seemingly decided that those among them who had turned against the rest of the army would take priority over the two princesses who had just jumped onto the ship, might be able to save them, or at least that was what Midna tried to convince herself might be the case as she stood there, her finger moving closer and closer to the trigger. Really, she should just pull it and get it over with, prepare herself for the force that would try to knock the gun out of her hand and push Zelda to the ground, but in that moment, just as she had breathed out, preparing herself, she felt Zelda move behind her, reaching out to place her hand on top of hers, bringing the gun down.
"Wait, Midna, let me try to talk with them."
Zelda was an optimist to the end. Midna knew that. But even then, she could not see how Zelda could possibly have looked at the situation in front of them and reached the conclusion that it would be possible for them to do anything, that her stepping forwards to talk would ever be able to change the fact that they were going to die. But still, it was all they could do, so, after forcing herself to swallow her doubts, Midna lowered the gun, remaining where she was, standing right in front of Zelda.
She could have spared herself that, however, for Zelda did not waste any time, simply stepping to the side to get around her before she turned towards the soldiers in front of them.
"Stop!" even over the sound of distant fighting her voice still rang out, able to drown out the noise. "Think about what you are doing. Is this really what you want—to die up here at the hands of those you share the most with?" as she spoke, Midna could see how Zelda began to stand up a bit straighter, evidently able to believe that what she was doing might work, as she pushed her shoulders back a little, lifting her chin. "If you pull the triggers, all that will happen is that we will all die, killing each other. It will be exactly what Ganondorf wants. Do you think he cares about any of you, do you think that he will be grateful for the fact that you were willing to sacrifice your lives? Because let me assure you that he will not mourn any of you. No, if you want to change the world, if you want to be the heroes you were promised you would become when you first picked up a weapon, you would fight for those who need you the most. You would fight for the helpless and the poor, rather than a king who has proven times and times again that he does not care about anyone but himself!"
They were going to die, Midna was sure about that. She could see how Zelda's words were only going to upset the soldiers, making them even more determined to be the ones that would finally get to kill them. But even though she knew that she should have stopped Zelda before she got the chance to insult the king, right then, she was almost able to accept the fact that she was going to die for her mistake.
And then, one of the soldiers near her lowered her gun. It was not much, but as she moved her finger from the trigger, Midna saw how her reaction spread through the crowd, the soldiers aiming their guns towards the ground for a moment before finally putting them away entirely.
They stood like that for a moment, Midna trying her best not to give in to the temptation of hoping that this might mean that there was hope left for them still. No matter what, they were still standing on the deck of the king's battleship, surrounded by an unknown amount of people who wanted to kill them as well as an unknown amount of people who were willing to do their best to save them. And, while the hostile soldiers would not be able to shoot them without them having time to react now, the same was also the case for those who might have tried to help. Really, the situation was not that different from what it had been before.
Or, at least it was, until the woman who had been the first to let go of her weapon stepped forwards. Midna reacted without thinking, taking a step to the side to stand between her and Zelda, knowing that she had made a mistake the next moment. But, to her surprise, rather than trying to attack her, the woman simply stopped for a moment, shooting her an uncertain look.
"Midna." Zelda moved closer towards her, whispering to her, although, considering the otherwise almost total silence, it did not seem like it would be able to achieve much. "It is all right. They are with us."
It sounded like an awfully confident promise for someone who was standing behind her, unarmed and unable to do anything to defend herself, to make, but, to Midna's surprise, as the woman heard Zelda speak, she curtseyed at her.
"Your Royal Highness." the woman looked at her almost like she could not believe that she was really standing there after all. "I—forgive me. I thought that—I don't know what I thought, but no matter what, I was wrong. We all were." around her, the sound of murmurs agreeing with her on that rose up from the crowd, the rest of the soldiers followed her lead, slowly moving closer towards her, almost like they wanted to prove the woman right by showing that they would now follow her.
"Uh…" it could not be more obvious that Zelda did not know how to react, but, at last, she continued, which, all things considered, was almost more than what Midna had dared to hope for, "on behalf of the kingdom and everyone in it, I thank you for your loyalty and courage. Truly, once this is over, you will have saved us all. Now, if one of you would please tell me where to find my father, I would be even more grateful."
The soldier moved, shifting her weight from side to side. It could not have been more obvious how she was still torn between wanting to stay true to the oath she had taken to protect the kingdom and her king and now the fact that the princess of Hyrule was standing in front of her, asking her to tell her about her father's whereabouts, with someone standing right beside her who did not look like she simply wanted to speak with him.
"Impa." Zelda moved forward, and before Midna had time to stop her, to try to pull her back to safety, she had crossed what little distance there was still left between the soldiers and themselves. Placing her hand on top of the soldiers'—Impa—she was almost able to hide the way she glanced towards those of the soldiers who moved to grab their muskets once more, almost, but not quite, able to hide the way she froze for a second before continuing, keeping her voice calm, almost like she was trying to force them to lower their weapons again by simply not recognising the fact that they had even touched them in the first place. "I know that you believe that you are doing what is right by protecting the king. But you are not. None of you are, not when the king is a tyrant." not even the indignant shout that came from the back of the crowd was enough to stop Zelda.
Really, with how Zelda had still been able to remain somewhat calm while being pushed into a wall, Midna had her doubts about whether there was even a thing in the world that would make her completely shut off the way she sometimes did.
It certainly did not seem to be the case, not with how Zelda calmly continued, not even giving the shout and the insult that was hurled her way the next moment the honour of acknowledging it. "Look around you. Is this the work of a king who is true to the task of being a servant for the people? No," Zelda answered her own question, "it is not. I realise that it must seem like a daunting, almost impossible task to deny everything you have ever known—trust me, I know what it feels like—but if you don't do it now, if you don't tell us where my father is, we might never get this chance again. So, Impa, I will ask you once more. Where is my father?"
The answer came immediately, closely followed by Impa pointing towards the door that seemed to lead into the same place where Midna's cabin would have been located. "He is below deck, in his room. It should be easy enough for you to find him—he ordered all of us to remain close to the deck, ready to defend the ship with our lives."
"And my brother?"
"The crown prince left the castle as soon as the fights began, taken onto another ship. I believe that he left the capital a long time ago, but I am not sure exactly where he went. Please accept my apologies, princess."
"It is not your fault." but even as she said it, Zelda had already turned towards Midna, sending her a look that could only mean one thing. In that moment, they were both thinking the same thing, that, even if they were able to find Ganondorf, it would not change much if Zant was able to escape justice, leaving the capital to try to form a bigger army around him, coming back once he had been able to realise that he would now have the advantage of being able to plan ahead.
However, as tempting as it was to just give up, Midna could not allow them to do that now. Not when she could look around her and see how Epona had become a little dot far away, Ilia having made it over the town walls, meaning that, although the ship was coming dangerously close to the ground, at least she would not find herself in the middle of the worst battles. She could not give up when victory was so close that she might have been able to touch it if she just reached out for it. No, as Midna answered Zelda's questioning glance with a decisive nod, she knew exactly what she would have to do.
"All right." trying her best to make it sound like she knew what they were supposed to do, like she was capable of making plans, Midna stepped forwards as well, moving towards the middle of the crowd. The fact that she had just made it laughably easy for them to surround her was present in her mind, the thought almost screaming at her to move away again, but she forced herself to remain still. "I suppose that some of you are here with the Resistance, correct?"
At first, it did not appear that anyone wanted to reveal themselves in front of those who had, until just a minute before, been their enemies, but, at last, a handful of the soldiers nodded back at her.
Forcing herself not to let out a sigh of relief, not to show just how much she had hoped for that to be the case, Midna continued. "Good. Since you are with the Resistance, I assume that you must have heard about me, just as I assume that you know who I am and what I am here to do. No, I am not looking for any of you to tell me it," Midna hurried to add, seeing as one of the women to her right opened her mouth, almost like she wanted to make sure that she knew who she was as well, "all I am saying is that we, Zelda and I, might be able to achieve the goal we have all been fighting for for so long. All I ask of you is that you try your best to buy us more time. I am sure that we will not be left alone for forever, and I know that the moment he figures out what has happened, Ganondorf will try his best to get a message out, an order for another airship to try to take back control of this ship. I need you to keep that from happening, I need you to make it so that Zelda and I will be able to reach the king and do what we will have to without having to worry about anyone from Ganondorf's inner circle reaching us. Will you do that for us, for the kingdoms, both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm?"
The sound of all of the soldiers in front of her agreeing to do just that was deafening, nothing but the fact that she knew that it would not exactly help her case, the pirate and long-lost princess having to cover her ears as she spoke with people, keeping her from trying her best to block out the sound. Midna could not have been more thankful when Zelda grabbed her hand, the two of them moving through the crowd that parted in front of them, allowing them to reach the door and push it open.
By now, Midna had come to realise that, unlike what she had thought, the interior of the ship would consist of more than just a cabin for the captain, a storeroom, and then a number of rooms scattered along the hull, but that did not lessen the impact the almost labyrinthine interior had on her. As the door closed behind them, Midna deciding that she would simply have to trust that the soldiers and rebels would be better at defending the ship than they had been at keeping the fact that the princess of the Twilight Realm was still alive and was currently held within Hyrule Castle secret, she had to remind herself that they had entered through the door behind them, that they were not lost yet. But no matter how many times Midna swallowed, trying her best to push down the feeling of never being able to find her way back out to the deck again, the feeling of being trapped still moved towards her, making her heart speed up and her breathing become a little faster.
Zelda was the only reason she did not leave immediately. Midna was sure of that when Zelda tightened her grip around her hand, slowly leading her deeper into the ship, moving towards the end of the hallway, pausing as they reached a set of double doors.
"Midna," Zelda mumbled, her hand coming to rest on the door handle as she looked back up at her, "you don't have to come with me. I—I know that this ship is terrifying; I will not be able to ask you to come with me. So I ask you, Midna, not to think that you will have to follow me in here."
It was almost like she had been able to read her mind, making it feel Zelda had been able to look into her soul and know what she wanted the most in that moment. Midna would not have been able to say that she was not tempted by the offer, that she did not want to thank Zelda and accept her offer to continue on her own. After all, as long as she stayed in there, no one would have to know, not if Midna did not tell them, not when she already knew that Zelda would never let it leave this room if Midna did not want for it to happen.
However, as much as the option of staying out there, to not have to move deeper into the ship, moving further away from the fresh air and the place where she was able to tell what was going on around her, where she would not have to spend each second wondering if it would be her last, if it would be the moment where another airship would decide to turn their cannons against them, tempted her, Midna could not bring herself to say yes. She couldn't do it, not when she looked down at Zelda and saw how her hands shook even as she gripped onto the door handle so tightly that her knuckles became white. It would not be right to let her continue on her own, to simply give her the gun and wish her good luck, not when Midna had promised her that she would come along to be the one to pull the trigger.
Still, as Midna shook her head, she already knew that her decision had more to do with the fact that she would rather die than stay out here, unable to know whether Zelda was alive or not than with any feelings of guilt. "No. I left the base with you, so I am going in there with you as well."
Zelda tried to hide the fact that she was smiling, clearly trying her best not to let it show that she had hoped that Midna would not leave her, but she was not able to hide it even a little. "Are you sure? You know that no one would think any less of you if you did not come with me, least of all I."
"But I would. I know that I will not be able to wait for you out here, allowing my fears to bind my hands and being unable to do anything other than merely hoping for you to survive."
The lighting around them flickered, the ship tilting a little, but Midna could still see how Zelda bit her lip before continuing. "I will be all right. He is my father, after all." but she could not keep the trace of doubt out of her voice.
"I know. Which is also why I cannot let you go in there on your own. It would not be right to ask you to do this yourself." Midna tightened her grip on the gun, forcing herself not to shake as she nodded towards Zelda. "I am going with you; there is nothing that would be able to keep me from doing that."
After that, Zelda fell silent, something Midna was grateful for. As clear as it was to her that she had to come with her, she was not certain that she would have been able to deny herself the option of turning around and running away if Zelda had offered it to her once more. But now they moved forwards in silence, through the door, Midna staying behind Zelda, careful to remain close to her each time the lights flickered for a moment before coming back again. A couple of times, Midna was almost convinced that they would not come back again, leaving them in darkness, but it did not happen. However, that did nothing to calm her nerves, and the closer they got to what Midna deemed to be the middle of the ship, the clearer it became to her that, maybe, she really was not scared of the dark, nor was the thing that sent shivers down her back the thought of losing track of where Zelda was.
No, the closer they got to where the king was, the closer Midna was to bringing an end to what had been her life up until that moment. She had known about that for far longer, of course she had been aware of the fact that everything would change with the king's death, that everything would be entirely different after today, even if they were not able to also find the crown prince, right from the moment when she had first left the base with Zelda, making their way towards Clock Town with the goal of getting Zelda onto the Hyrulean throne. But planning to overthrow the king and change the kingdom, restoring the Twilight Realm, was one thing. Actually doing it was something else entirely.
The fact that they were able to move through the inside of the ship, neither finding themselves attacked by any soldier who might have harboured a stronger loyalty to their king than the ones they had encountered on the deck, nor being killed instantly by a nearby ship deciding to fire at them, did not do anything to lessen the feeling of how something was wrong. She tried not to think about it, telling herself that it was completely normal to be nervous, that she would barely have been able to consider herself human if the thought of heading towards the man she had known as the person responsible for killing everyone she had loved, accompanied by Zelda, yet another person Midna would not be able to lose, did not make her feel like she should have passed out a long time ago. But the truth was that as they reached the end of another long hallway, Zelda turning around to look at her, Midna was struggling to even hold onto the pistol, her courage threatening to fail her completely.
"Are you ready?" Zelda whispered to her.
Midna's mind said no, but in her heart, she knew that she would not be able to turn around now. Not now when she was so close to her goal, not now when she had made Zelda leave Epona with her, taking her directly to the danger. So, putting on an expression she hoped might be mistaken for bravery, Midna nodded. "I am."
Zelda opened the door. It swung open, having not even been locked
The first thing Midna noticed as she stepped into the room was how empty it was. Of course, she was aware of the fact that, if it had really been meant to be the last place for the king to go in case of an attack, it would not be as ornately decorated as Hyrule Castle, but that did not change the fact that the room looked eerily bare, almost like someone had ripped out what little furniture that should have been in there—a bed, a chair, anything at all—to instead replace the space they had filled before with pure nothingness.
But, in the absence of furniture, it almost looked like Ganondorf was taking up even more space, making it so that, while Midna was able to tell herself that she was taller than him, that he had not suddenly grown in the days that had passed since she had last seen him, she had to fight the urge to crane her neck to look up at him as she moved into the room with Zelda. It was not real, he was the same as he had always been, they all were. The only thing that was different now was the fact that Midna was not a little child anymore, too scared to leave her ship. She had come to the castle with a mission, and now, she would make sure that she would finish it.
The air around her seemed to grow thicker as Ganondorf turned around, looking completely unsurprised, regarding them with a look of boredom in his eyes. Then he spoke. "I see that you have managed to find me."
Even now, even after she had been able to look up at him and know that he was lying, there was still something in Midna that wanted to believe in the almost fatherly way he moved towards them, acting like he wanted to make sure that Zelda was all right after everything that had happened, after he had left her in the tower during the attack, only stopped by the way Zelda drew back immediately, moving to stand a little closer to Midna.
"We are here to bring an end to everything." Zelda's hands brushed against Midna's. "We—the soldiers, they have all agreed to help us. It is over; there is nothing you can do to stop what must happen now."
Ganondorf smiled at them, able to hide his emotions so well that Midna truly was not able to know if he did not care or if he was only pretending. "I knew that they would turn on me the moment you told them to do so. They are weak—they will always be weak. And those who are weak have a habit of looking towards the weak people around them, wanting to follow them so that they will not constantly be confronted with the fact that they could have achieved so much more if they would just do what their mind told them to. People so rarely want to admit that they want to hold the power for themselves, so they make themselves weak, lying about how they do not want to rule after all."
Midna had heard enough. She should perhaps have stayed quiet, giving Zelda the chance to finally confront her father, but listening to this, standing here and hearing how Ganondorf told Zelda that she was weak, that she was somehow less for not being willing to sacrifice everyone and everything for power, she knew that she could not stay quiet for any longer. The hand that clutched the pistol shook slightly as she pushed her shoulders back. "She isn't weak. I have seen first-hand how much she can do, how she was able to stay calm when surrounded by people who were seconds away from killing us, being the only one who was unarmed, how she was ready to sacrifice herself for those around her." looking over at Zelda, Midna hesitated for a moment, though she already knew what she would have to say next. "She—she is no doubt the reason that I was even able to realise that I had to do more than just fight for my own survival. She was the reason I even began to think about the fact that I might be able to overthrow you simply by being who I am. So if you want to try to claim that she is weak, you will also have to try to fight for the opinion that all of that, the situation we are in now, is not something that affects you deeply."
Her body knew what was going to happen before her mind did, her stomach beginning to ache the moment Ganondorf looked back and forth between them, a wide smile growing as he seemed to reach a conclusion he found satisfying.
"You know what, I think that you might be correct." he spoke slowly, too controlled, the sound of his voice making Midna instinctively move closer towards Zelda, wanting to stay near her, knowing that, should the worst thing happen, she would at least have spent her last moments in her presence. "That was the mistake I made—I thought that the daughter who returned home to me was the same as the daughter I saw leave me—a weak girl who was unable to even grasp the way the world around her worked, instead preferring to live in her own world where power was given away to those who were kind rather than those who fought to obtain and keep it. But I can see that that was not right. Somehow, and I don't know how you did it, the daughter who came back to me was more pirate than princess."
"She will be a better ruler than you could ever hope to become!" Midna spat out the words, hoping that, although it was a childish insult, unable to really hurt, the fact that she had not gone quiet, the fact that she still spoke, did not remain quiet, might be enough to not allow him to turn his attention towards Zelda, instead finding himself too preoccupied with trying to figure out her next move.
"Perhaps. I would certainly hope so, given how her brother would never be able to achieve anything." as Zelda let out a little gasp, the sound being so low that, had it not been for the silence around them, Midna was certain that she would have been the only one who would have been able to hear it, Ganondorf laughed. "Oh, don't look so surprised! You and I should be the two who are the most aware of how he has a habit of acting before he thinks—I mean, just look at the decision he made back at the castle, ordering the guards to imprison the princess of a neighbouring kingdom without bothering to make sure that none of them could have any connections to the rebels!" Ganondorf shook his head. "No, Zant was able to make himself cold, he could make all softness that might otherwise have influenced his decisions disappear. But he never learnt how to stay calm, how to weigh the options to reach the best decision. But you, Zelda, you might finally be able to do so."
"I—" Zelda took a deep breath and Midna could almost see how she said goodbye to her father as she lifted up her chin, her eyes shining with barely controlled grief and disappointment, "I will never be like you. Once I become queen, I will change the world, for the better this time."
But rather than reacting with anger or with another laugh, Ganondorf simply looked over at Zelda, sending her a gaze that made it seem almost like she was a complicated puzzle he had to figure out how to solve. And then, making Midna feel like it would perhaps have been better to just give up when they had first landed on the deck of the ship, Ganondorf smiled at his daughter. "I see. If that is what you really think, then it would appear that I was wrong. You are still soft. And I know just who is to blame for making you this way."
Midna should have panicked. She should have felt something, done anything other than just standing still and waiting for it all to be over. But no matter what she should have done, no matter how much she knew that she was only making things worse in the end, no matter how much she was aware of the fact that Zelda let out a little, panicked noise, sounding so close to a sob that the only thing Midna wanted to do was to reach out and assure her that everything would be all right in the end, that no matter what would happen now, she would be grateful for the fact that she was here with Zelda, she could not bring herself to move.
That was how she stood, remaining frozen in place, as Ganondorf levelled an icy glare at her. "You. I could tolerate the hushed rumours that you might be out there somewhere. It was what I could expect, given how people seem unable to let go of the past, clinging onto the 'what if''s and the 'what could have been''s. I could even tolerate the fact that you were attacking my ships, that you were so careless with how you chose to plan your attacks, almost making it so that the merchants from Labrynna did not want to fly through Hyrule anymore, creating a problem that I had to handle before it would have grown too large for me to be able to control anymore. Din, I could even tolerate the fact that you took my daughter, given the new one I got back in return. But this," he stalked closer to her, the way his eyes shone with hate almost making him seem taller, "I will not accept this. You are the reason for my daughter's childish obsession with justice and righteousness, and for that, you will pay."
She knew that he was not making an empty threat, could feel it to her very core. But despite that, despite the fact that Zelda moved closer to her, her hand brushing against her side, Midna was somehow able to put on a calm expression, simply raising an eyebrow. "In that case, I suppose you don't know your daughter very well, seeing as she was the one who was always talking about righteousness and how I had to do something. But I can see now that it is what I should have expected from you, given how you are unable to even use this great power you speak of to know what is going on right in front of you."
The silence almost seemed to echo between them for a moment, a thousand different emotions flickering across Ganondorf's face in the span of a single second. And then, his features settling into a look of almost pity, he shook his head.
"If that is what you think, then let me show you what true power looks like."
It all happened far too quickly for her to even have time to feel terrified. One moment she was standing there, looking directly up at the person who was responsible for the fact that she had had to sit down and come to terms with the fact that now that she was caught, that she had had to accept the fact that no one would come to save her, that she had to realise that now, the most important thing was not whether she was able to survive, given how she had died the moment Zant had seen through their lies, but how she had to take the secret of the location of the base with her into the grave. Seconds later, Midna heard the sound of metal being pulled through the air at a frightening pace, the world blurring together in front of her. The next thing she knew, Midna was looking directly down the barrel of a gun.
She heard Zelda scream something next to her, moving towards her. But all dreams of how Zelda might try to take her hand, all thoughts about how she should try to shield Zelda in case anything happened, soon came to an end as Zelda simply brushed against her hand, continuing the motion rather than coming back to her. Her heartrate sounded like it was trying to make sure that she would be able to die from anything other than the bullet that would come flying out of the barrel of the gun in just a moment, sending warm blood flowing through her veins, sounding like thunder in her ears as she breathed in, slowly, the time she had left flying past her at a rate that made the floor below her tilt.
A bang echoed through the room, Midna feeling herself fly backwards, closing her eyes. She did not want to see it. If this, the inside of Ganondorf's ship would be the place she would die in, she would not want to look up at the ceiling in her last moments. Instead, she tried to recall Zelda's face, trying her best to remember exactly how Zelda looked when she smiled, the gesture making the entire world look just a little bit brighter. Soon, the pain would come, overwhelming her. Midna knew that it was what would happen next. That, or she would be gripped by the darkness immediately, so it was vital for her to use those last few seconds to remind herself of what she would have said to Zelda had she only got the chance.
The thoughts whirled through her mind as she moved through the air, only waiting for everything to end. Then she hit the floor, the contact with the wood beneath her sending long tendrils of pain shooting up along her spine. That was what made her realise that she was not dead, that the bullet had not hits its mark. The pain. She should not have been able to feel it, not without also noticing the agony of being shot.
Midna opened her eyes, already fearing for what she would find as she did so. Her dream pushed against the lid of the chest, begging to be let out, carrying all the horror of having the image of Zelda lying in a growing pool of blood, red staining both her face and the unwavering belief in the best in people, come true. It could not be. It simply could not happen, not now, Midna would not allow it.
She had closed her eyes so tightly, that, for the first second, the only thing she could see of the room was the way it all seemed to jump around, little, white dots telling her that she would have to be patient. Patient, how could anyone have expected for her to be patient now? How could anyone ask that much of her, to remain calm and wait, hoping that she would not look down to see her nightmares come alive? Midna knew that it was impossible.
Red. That was the first thing she was able to make out, the bright colour making the bile rise in her mouth. Zelda, she had to find Zelda. Even if she would find that the worst had really happened, she could not leave her alone, not the same way as so many of the people in the air around them and on the ground below would no doubt end their days. She deserved better than to be alone.
There. Midna could see her, sitting on the ground, kneeling over someone, her shoulders shaking.
With how her mind was still trying to take in the fact that she had not died, that she was still alive rather than lying on the ground, surrounded by red, it took her a second longer to recognise the person in the centre of the pool of blood, the source of it all.
Ganondorf.
He looked almost small as he lay there, his chest rising and sinking at uneven intervals, only the sound of ragged breathing and the way he tried to move his hand serving to make certain that there was no doubt about the fact that he was still aware of his surroundings.
"Oh, goddesses…"
It was the choked sob coming from Zelda that pulled Midna back to reality, to the fact that, despite how she had survived, the real battle might first have begun now.
She made it over to Zelda in what felt like it was as once both the tiniest fraction of a second and a moment that lasted for an eternity. Crouching down, Midna could feel how the blood began to seep into the torn part of her dress that landed on the king's chest, close to the little, dark hole that rested there, looking almost like it might have been a special kind of jewellery, had Midna not been able to realise the connection between the fact that she was no longer holding her gun, the weapon instead lying on the floor a few metres away from her, having been discarded moments after she had heard the sound of a bullet leaving its chamber, the way Ganondorf's black waistcoat was not able to hide the fact that he was bleeding, some of the red having reached his blouse, dripping onto the wooden planks beneath then, and how Zelda was sitting next to him, crying, while she pressed her hands against his chest.
It was hopeless; there was nothing they could do. Now, it was more than just the fact that he was bleeding that would bring an end to Ganondorf's life, the bullet surely left inside his body. Midna could have told her all of that and more, but she remained quiet. As Zelda continued to work, her movements becoming increasingly desperate as the blood covered her hands, soon also leaving red streaks on her cheeks as she tried to wipe the tears away, Midna knew that she was aware of how she would never be able to bring him back to life. Right now, it was a matter of waiting for the inevitable to happen.
It was easier not to look down at the dying king. As long as she did not have to look at him, Midna could somewhat make herself believe that she was sitting next to Zelda, moving to put an arm around her, trying to comfort a dying friend, rather than silently placing her hand on her shoulder. Zelda did not need to know how she could not have cared any less about him, how the fact that he was going to die soon would surely only make her life better. And nor did Midna.
So she sat there, trying to find the words to allow her to at least make an attempt at making Zelda feel better. But no matter how much she tried to search for something to say, she could not find the words. Maybe there was nothing to say. It felt like that, at least, as Ganondorf's eyes fluttered, Midna almost able to convince herself that she was imagining things, until he let out a little groan and opened his eyes to look up at them.
"Zelda…" he whispered the name.
"Yes?" the word was almost unintelligible as Zelda continued to cry. But even as she continued to clutch the front of his waistcoat with her left hand, she reached up to place her right hand on top of Midna's, keeping it there on her shoulder, even as her father tried to take her hand, lacking the strength to reach up towards his chest, ultimately making his hand fall back to the floor with a soft thud.
"I… you are going to be a perfect ruler one day."
Midna brought Zelda a little closer to herself, already prepared for the reaction that felt almost like it should have happened.
But Zelda remained still, only shaking her head, the gesture being so small that Midna was barely able to see it, only noticing that Zelda was really moving when she finally pulled her hand away from her father, the blood having already grown darker as she stood up, pulling Midna up along with her. "No. I am not. Not because of this, at least. If I become a good queen, it will be despite the fact that I killed someone to sit on the throne, not because of it."
With a horrible wet cough, Ganondorf looked almost like he wanted to roll his eyes at that. "You always were so soft and sure about what you wanted the world to look like, how you wanted to create a world where everyone would be nice to one another, a world without any pain. How do you think you are doing when it comes to that? Is—" he was interrupted by a coughing fit that lasted for such a long time that, by the time he began breathing again, Midna was halfway convinced that he would never get the chance to say another word, "is this part of your plan to build this perfect world, daughter?"
Zelda looked down at him, the tears streaming down her cheeks, making the blood become a little less red, a little less violent as it diluted it. "No," she whispered, "no, it is not. I only did this, I only did any of this," she glanced over at Midna, giving her hand a little squeeze as she did so, something that might almost have been able to be mistaken for a smile growing on her lips, "because you would never have stopped."
"You—you are right about that much." with another groan, Ganondorf tried to move, but although it was clear that he was doing everything he could to move his hand, he was not even able to reach out towards Zelda now. Still, it did not keep him from finding her gaze, sending her a tiny smile. "I would never have stopped. And neither would you. I can see that now."
They did not know for how long they sat there, only that, little by little, the sound of Ganondorf fighting to continue to breathe became little more than a whisper, disappearing completely a little while later, the space it had filled in the room instead being taken by the sound of Zelda crying to herself.
There was nothing she could possibly have said to any of that, so, rather than trying and failing, Midna sat still, simply holding Zelda as she turned towards her, letting her cry into her shoulder, the mixture of tears and bloods staining the fabric light red. Around them, she could hear the distant sound of fighting, hear loud footsteps nearing the room, but she was too tired to even imagine herself standing up, much less walking over to pick up the gun to give herself at least a tiny chance of being able to defend them should the people running towards them be loyal to the late king. It didn't matter, not right then, not as Zelda was crying and she was still struggling to make sense of the fact that she could still see, feel, exist, that she was not the one to lie on the floor in front of them.
But, of course, just because it felt like that to Midna, what had happened had not made the world stop spinning, and moments later, the sound of someone throwing the door open with so much force that it hit the wall behind it, a loud bang almost seeming like it was intended to mirror the sound of the bullet being fired accompanying it, announcing the arrival of a group of people she could not recognise. However, given how most of them had the same tiny, embroidered emblem sitting on their blouses, out where anyone could see it, as Midna had first seen on the maid, she knew that they would not try to kill them. They were not there to avenge the king.
Her heartbeat sounded impossibly loud in the silent room as they both looked over at each other, Midna seeing how the group looked first towards her, then over at the king, before finally coming to look at Zelda, the hint of realisation that she could see in their eyes sending a shiver down Midna's back. After that, everything happened so quickly that she did not even have a moment to realise what was going on until it had already happened, stealing away any chances of her being able to put herself between it.
The woman standing towards the front of the crowd, looking every bit like she was the leader, said something, the exact words escaping Midna as the sounds instead became little more than something that distracted her from the fact that they had survived, that she was still here with Zelda. That, however, changed the next moment as two of the rebels, moved forwards, towards her. It was not until they gripped Zelda, pulling her away from Midna, that she realised what was going on.
She made herself get up, ignoring the way her heart was still beating furiously in her chest, the room still bathed in a white light that refused to leave, making it difficult for her to focus. "No, stop!" she yelled, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of the crowd talking. Still, it did not keep her from continuing. "It—she was the one to do this! She saved me—she is with you!" taking a shaky step forwards, Midna could feel the room tilt around her, threatening to send her crashing to the ground. But at least it finally caught the attention of the rebels, their leader looking towards Midna, something uncertain flickering in her eyes as she reached out towards her, offering her the option of leaning against her.
And, from somewhere far away—or maybe it was just a few metres away, Midna wasn't sure anymore—she almost thought that she could hear Link's voice, hear how he tried to argue with someone, telling them to let go of the princess.
The next thing Midna knew, she gave up, the black dots growing to take up her entire field of vision. She was not sure how long it lasted for, but the next moment, her knees buckled below her and she fell. Someone yelled her name, an arm reaching out to try to catch her, but Midna did not know if it was able to succeed, nor did she care. All that mattered right then was the fact that she had to make sure that Zelda would be all right, that they would not try to blame her for anything.
The next second, even that ceased to exist, the world disappearing, leaving her to fall down, into the darkness.