Every little part of her ached when she woke up again, the pain almost making her wish that she could close her eyes and return to the wonderful state of pure nothingness again. She could not afford to do that. It was clear to her, but it did not keep Midna from allowing herself to wish that it might have been different, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before she had to come to terms with the fact that she would now have to open them and see how the world had ended. Would she wake up to find herself in a dungeon, left with nothing but the message that the rebellion had failed, that the Resistance had not been able to achieve their goals, having instead plunged them into a state of chaos and getting people killed in an attempt at rebelling that would turn out to have been for nothing at all? The soft mattress below her would say otherwise, but she could not allow for herself to grow complacent. There could be plenty of reasons for why the crown prince—king, he would be king now, if that was what had happened—would want to keep her alive rather than granting her a quick, painless death. But, as much as she would have liked to, Midna was not able to deny that her heartrate did not speed up a little as she pictured the world she could live in now if they had won, if they had not moved into the depths of that ship, killing Zelda's father, for nothing at all.

Zelda.

In the end, that was the reason Midna finally opened her eyes again. She was not able to just lie there, pretending to be unconscious before she would know what had happened to Zelda. As the memories of what had happened the last time she had been with her came back to her, one thing was certain: Midna had to find her, she had to make sure that nothing would happen to her, neither because her brother had won and wanted to show her that she had picked the wrong side to help, or because the rebels who had boarded the ship had been unable to realise the truth behind the connection between her tears and the dead man on the floor. And since she could not do that while lying here, she had to open her eyes. So that was what Midna did.

The first thing she saw was that she was not back in the dungeon. She had already known that, but that was not enough to diminish the sheer awe that filled her as she looked at the room she was in, the way the ceiling rose up, high above her, making it look almost like she could easily have fit Epona in there without having to let the air out of the balloon first.

An infirmary. Midna knew that she was right as she turned her head to the right, looking at the rows and rows of beds around her. Some of them looked like they had been there for a long time, but still, Midna felt her stomach turn as she realised that most of them had clearly been brought in to support all those who had been wounded, little mattresses taking up most of the space on the floor, shoved between the beds to ensure that they would be able to fit in everyone.

"Midna?" the voice came from her left, sounding like the person had not been able to sleep for days, broken and tired. "Are you all right?"

She knew that it could not be Zelda. It did not sound like Zelda, Midna knew that she would not have asked that way, knew that if she had woken up to find Zelda sitting next to her, she would have known, that nothing would have been able to keep her from at least attempting to reach out towards her, asking her if she was all right, or as all right as it was possible to be after having shot your father. Even as her mind fought to push back the horrible, amazing thought, Midna knew that she would not find Zelda sitting next to her.

Maybe she was able to hide the fact that she had really hoped to find someone else sitting there from Link. Midna was not sure; the look on his face could have meant anything as he looked down at her, both a sign that he knew exactly who she had wanted to see, known that, as glad as she was to see that he was really alive, that he was still with her, in that moment, her thoughts were far away, and relief that she was not dead. But no matter what the answer to the question would be, fact was, that Link was there, sitting next to the bed, looking down at her, concern present in every single line on his face as he tilted his head to the side.

Realising that he had just asked her a question, that she had not answered him yet, Midna tried her best to clear her throat. However, even as she coughed, she could not ignore the dry feeling present towards the back of her throat as she forced the words to come despite the pain. "I—Zelda, is she all right?"

A tiny laugh escaped Link, the sound of it making Midna instinctively know that, no matter what, at least Zelda had survived. He would not have laughed, not even this little, tired laugh, if he would bring her bad news, she had to trust that.

"I should have known that you would ask about her." Link paused, glancing down at her, and for a moment, Midna could not escape the feeling of every last emotion being present on her face, right there for anyone to read and interpret, or at least that was how it felt as Link looked at her. "But, yes, she is all right. Shaken, in shock, and currently unconscious, but she is alive and unharmed—something I am sure you will be able to claim at least a little of the credit for."

"Why?"

"You passed out moments after she had been taking by a branch of the Resistance." when Midna sent him a confused look, Link shook his head at her. "You know, the person they have regarded as the very symbol for everything they are fighting for passing out, hitting the floor right next to them, was the best distraction you could have given us, the best thing you could have done for Zelda. I am not sure what would have happened, had you not passed out right then—I hope that Zelda would have been all right despite it—but I cannot deny that you were the reason that Raven and Ashei were able to reach you in time to prevent the situation from reaching a point where we would have lost control of it."

"Ashei… Raven?" the last thing she could remember was the cold feeling of knowing that she had abandoned them, that she had looked back into the tower and known that for Byrne to have been able to follow them in there, it meant that he had been able to make it past the point where Raven had forced her to continue, remaining behind to try to defend the staircase that led to Zelda's room. It was not until that moment that Midna realised how she had known in her heart while looking back over at Byrne, yelling at Zelda to jump, that they were dead. But now, she was not so certain anymore. "They—they are alive?"

"Alive, yes. Raven did get shot in the shoulder, but it did not keep him from seizing control over one of the ships. I am not sure how he did it, but, somehow he was able to get to where we were hiding, offering us a chance to fight in the battle."

"Us?" but already as she asked, Midna knew exactly what the word meant.

It would appear that Link knew as well, for he smiled down at her. "Yes, Midna. Us. Did you think that there was a single person back at the base who would have been able to remain where we were, hiding, when we received the message that there were rumours about how you had been caught and was held in the castle? Because I can assure you that everyone, even Colin, was ready to leave as quickly as possible. I am sure that Uli would also have gone with us, had it not been for Ilia reminding her that someone would have to stay to make sure that the children would be all right, and that no one wanted her to put herself in danger when she would not be able to defend herself properly, the baby and all that."

"You came all the way over here? Why?"

"Because you were here." Link said it like it should have been obvious, and maybe it would have been exactly that had Midna just been able to open her eyes without feeling like the room was threatening to tilt her back into unconsciousness, but right then, it felt anything but given that they would have wanted to come directly to where the fights were worst, all because there was a chance that Midna and Zelda would need help. "How would we have been able to stay there when we knew that you might be in need of our help?"

"But how?"

"As I said, we received the news that something was happening at the castle, that there was a chance of it leading to an all-out rebellion. Shad and Renado—I don't know how, but somehow they were able to get the message that we were plenty of people in the base who would want to fight through to someone who then came to pick up us. And, well, after that, I am sure you are able to guess what happened, that we were then flown to Castle Town, Raven coming to help us get up into the air to let us fight where we were the most useful."

Midna nodded. It was important; she knew that she should have been unable to think about anything other than the fact that, somehow, miraculously, Link was sitting here next to her. But no matter how many times she tried to force herself not to think about anything but that fact, Zelda continued to return to her thoughts.

She must not have been able to hide it, for Link moved, leaning closer towards her as he shifted to sit on the edge of the chair. "You want to see her, don't you?"

"Yes. Can I…?"

"Not right now." Link brushed his thump across her knuckles. "She is all right, but she is still sleeping. Ashei had to step in, convincing someone that the best thing for her would be to be able to stay in her room until she was able to express a wish to leave herself, and, with how she has only woken up a couple of times to drink and eat what little Ashei was able to convince her to, I doubt she will leave the tower just yet."

"How long…" Midna coughed once, then twice, trying her best to force the words to come out of her mouth as more than just a murmur, "how long have I been here?"

"Not for very long. A couple of days, or at least that is what I think. Truth to be told, with the chaos that ensured moments after the rumour that the king had died left the ship, reaching the masses and soldiers, everyone trying to find out if it was true or not, where they were standing now, I don't think I was able to stay truly present, so it might have been a bit longer than just a few days, but not that much longer. Someone would have told me if that had been the case."

"Hmm." Midna leant back, finally giving up on trying to maintain the illusion of being in control, instead giving in to the temptation of the pillow under her head. It was thin, the fabric feeling like it should have been washed a long time ago, but right then, it felt more wonderful than any other thing she could ever have imagined, allowing her to just relax, to simply be for a moment. Later, she would have to convince someone to let her see Zelda, beg anyone she would have to talk to to be able to be granted such a privilege to allow her to once more visit her tower, but for now, she doubted that she would have been able to do as much as standing up, instantly bringing an end to any plans of jumping out of the bed, sprinting out of the infirmary to make her way back to the tower on her own that would otherwise have taken up her thoughts. Instead, she held onto Link's hand, at once unable to imagine what would happen if he left, leaving her all alone in there. "Link? I will be able to visit her, won't I? Later, I will be allowed to see her. Right?"

He was almost able to hide the fact that he hesitated before smiling down at her. "Yes," Link promised, "later. Of course you will."

It was not the promise she had wanted, but it was all she could have asked for right then. So, unable to fight against the pull of it anymore, Midna let go of him and fell asleep once more.

When Midna woke up again, she felt marginally better than before. The change was not much, but it was enough for her to finally be aware of her surroundings, noticing how the infirmary was not nearly as quiet as it had been before now that everyone were trying to enter, looking for their loved ones. More than once, Midna saw someone hold up a photograph, pleading with a nurse who looked ready to fall asleep where she stood to please tell her that her wife was in there. Some of them broke down, while others were lead over towards one of the beds, crying from relief. Midna tried not to think about it, not when she was left to herself, unable to leave her bed and go find Zelda. It was not for a lack of trying, though, but the only time Midna had been able to make it more than a few metres away from her bed without feeling like her legs would give up on her, there had been a nurse at her side within a minute, reaching out to stop her. Midna had wanted to continue, but the sight of the embroidered symbol, the way the nurse did not have to hide the fact that she had tried her best to help them anymore, kept her from being able to refuse her help, unable to do anything other than letting her lead her back over to her bed, mumbling a quiet thankyou to her.

She spent days like that, only waking up for a few hours at a time, barely able to keep track of the time. Really, the only reason she even knew that it was a matter of days passing rather than seconds between each of the times she would open her eyes, was that she would always wake up to find someone new sitting next to her. The first time, it had been Link, but both Ilia, Cremia, accompanied by Anju and Kafei, Renado, Ashei, and even Uli—her presence confirming what Midna already knew, that enough time had passed for her to arrive at the castle—followed soon after.

As grateful as Midna was each time she woke up to find another person sitting next to her, another name she would not have to worry about having to let go of if they had died, she was still barely able to remain awake for more than a few hours each time, their conversations always coming to a sudden end long before she would have liked for it to happen, as Midna found herself unable to remain awake. But no matter how many times she tried to apologise to the person having come to visit her, they all reacted the same way, smiling down at her like she was unable to understand what was going on as they assured her that everything would be all right, that she could rest now. None of them understood how she did not want to rest, that she wanted to leave the infirmary to go out and find Zelda. The closest she had been able to get to figuring out exactly how Zelda was doing was when Ashei had told her about the nightmares, how they had had to do something to keep Zelda from being able to move around in her sleep as she had thrown herself onto the floor a couple of times.

But no matter how many times Midna tried to insist that she would have to see her, the answer was always the same: that it would have to wait until she was feeling better. She wanted to argue with them, but before she was able to convince them to let her leave, Midna always found herself with no other choice than to fall asleep, the weight of her eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

The days passed by in a blur, Midna feeling just a little better each time she woke up. But still, she was not able to leave the bed, not able to head out and find Zelda. It was infuriating that even when the castle had been the scene of an all-out rebellion, she had still been able to fight her way through the hallways, reaching Zelda, but now, she was unable to do anything other than staying right where she was, lying in the bed and waiting for her body to realise that she was all right, that she was unharmed, alive, and that, really, she had no reason to feel so tired. Seeing Zelda was the only thing she was able to focus on during those days. Or, that was, it was all she was able to focus on until that suddenly was not the case anymore.

At first, Midna could not see what the difference was. She was lying in the exact same bed, staring up at the exact same spot on the ceiling as she had always done. And yet, there was something indescribable about the room, a feeling that the entire world had just shifted, changed around her. She was aware of what it must mean, whom she would find in the chair by her bedside, already before she had turned around to look over at him, but that was still not enough to keep the tears from making her eyes sting, the words becoming stuck in her throat, leaving Midna unable to do anything other than simply staring at him.

Rusl. He was there.

He looked tired, more tired than she had ever seen him, but he was there, sitting right next to her bed. He was alive.

It was not until then, until she was finally able to look up at him and know that Ashei had been right, that Midna realised how she had always regarded the idea that he might have been able to escape, that the Resistance would have helped him, as a lie, something said by one doomed person to another to give them a little bit of hope in an otherwise hopeless situation. But he was really there. After everything, after how Midna and Zelda had gone to the castle, after they had made it through the battles that had ensued after the news of her presence, of the idea of the Twilight Princess having survived, got out, he was here, alive and well.

Rusl was the first to say something. Moving closer to her, looking almost like he wanted to take her hand to assure her that he was not just a spirit, he tilted his head to the side. "Hi."

"How?" Midna whispered. It was all she could think of. More than anything, Midna wished to say anything but that, to explain to Rusl how much time they had spent back at the base, unable to do anything, suddenly being forced to realise just how much Rusl had done for them all those years, how he was the reason they had been able to do so much, that they were struggling now because he had always been the first among them to walk in front of everyone else, protecting them from harm and making sure that they would not turn around and flee. But all that made it out of her mouth was that single word.

It seemed that Rusl was able to tell how she would have said so much more if she had only been able to, for he did not look annoyed at all, instead simply looking down at her, a sparkle in his eyes. "How am I still alive, you mean?" he said, finishing the question for her. When she nodded, barely able to keep back the tears that pressed against her wish not to seem weak, not to have everything she had fought so hard to achieve disappear just because she was not able to control her emotions, Rusl took her hand. "Midna, I—I am sure that you already know this, but there are so many things I could not tell you for the longest time. So many things that I knew I should have told you, especially when I began to suspect the true reason for why you had been able to arrive to the village with Link when you did, in a ship decorated with the crest of the Twili royal family no less. But," he sent her a tiny smile, "I am sure that there is no need for me to tell you that much anymore, is there?"

"You… you are with the Resistance?" Midna spoke slowly, but by the time she reached the end of the sentence, she already knew that she had guessed correctly. It was the only explanation that would be enough to explain everything that had happened.

Rusl nodded. "I am. I became a part of the Resistance a couple of years before… before the destruction of Ordon Village."

The connection was easy to make now that Rusl had practically given her the answer, but Midna still hesitated before asking, wanting it to not be the case. "That was why the village was destroyed, was it not?"

"It was." Rusl looked away, for a moment seeming far older than he really was. "I—I know that it is my fault that the village disappeared, that so many of my neighbours died that day. But… Farore, I know that it will make me sound horrible, but, even if I got the chance to change things, to do something different, I still would not have done it. I would have been more careful, no doubt about it, but I would not have changed anything."

The memory of how Zelda had tried to fight to make Zant let go of her, the way she had sprinted up the stairs to get to her room in time flashed before her eyes as Midna shook her head. "No. I can understand it. I feel the exact same way."

For the longest time, Rusl simply looked at her, an expressionless look in his eyes, almost like he was trying to figure out how to react, if she truly meant what she said. And then he nodded his head, the gesture slow at first, but soon becoming more energetic. "I can see that now." the chair produced a loud, scratching sound as he moved it across the floor, moving to sit closer to her, but right then, Midna almost did not notice it. The only thing that mattered was that Rusl was right there, that he was alive, currently looking down at her, hesitating for a minute before speaking. "Midna, I… although I would not say that I ever doubted you, I must admit that this…" he gestured towards the room around them, none of them having to ask to know that he referred to far more than just that, far more than just Hyrule, "I would not have expected for all of this to happen. Not yet at least."

"What do you mean by 'yet'?" Midna tried to smile, the grimace making her feel like her face was going to split in half. "Are you telling me that you were always expecting for me to try to overthrow the king, that all of those years, you knew that I was… well, who I am, and you were just waiting for me to figure it out on my own?"

She had been too harsh; Midna could see that the moment Rusl's gaze flickered.

However, before she got the chance to apologise, to try to explain to him that she had not meant to sound so cold, Rusl held up a hand to silence her. "No, you are right. I should have known that I would be able to talk with you about this. I suppose I always knew that you would be the spark to ignite everything in the end. I just had not dared to hope that you would find out about it as well." with a long sigh, Rusl moved a little on the chair. While he tried, he was not able to hide the way he squeezed his eyes shut as he placed a little bit of weight on his left ankle, trying to keep back a pained sound, but as he opened his eyes again, the only thing Midna could see reflected in them was joy. "To tell you the truth, during all the years where I was working with the Resistance, I had not dared to even imagine that I would live to see a world where I would be able to say what I wanted to and live without having to fear a king finding out about it."

"Neither did I," Midna mumbled, "I was so sure that you were dead. We all were." and just like that, from one second to the next, she felt the walls come down, the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as she was no longer able to fight to keep them back. "We—I was there at your funeral, we all cried, we were all so sure that you were really dead! How could you do that to us, why did you not at least attempt to contact us? Even if you could not afford to risk anyone finding out about how you had survived, you could at least have told Uli that you were still alive!"

"I know." there was no attempt at denying that, they both knew that as Rusl lowered his shoulder, looking away from her. "Trust me, I know that I should have told you. But—and I know that it is not an excuse—when I was finally saved, when Raven organised it so that the ship that was supposed to take me to Lurelin Village disappeared before it reached its destination, I was told that, no matter how much I wanted to contact you, the only reason I was still alive, the only reason they had been able to save so many of those who were caught by the king, was that they could pretend that they had died in a crash. I know that it is not good enough, and please believe me when I say that I have already realised that I should have done more, tried to get some kind of message through, but, right then, I was not exactly in a position to break the rules, not when I knew how much they had risked to rescue me."

He wanted for her to understand. That much was clear. And, in a way, Midna supposed that she would not be able to claim that she did not understand the thoughts that had formed the fundament for the decision not to tell them. But it did not change the fact that everything in her was at once busy grieving for the person she had said goodbye to back when they had finally had to leave the hangar, leaving the lantern behind, and also feeling like it might all be a dream, something she could lose again in a moment.

In the end, she avoided having to answer the question that had been so clear when Rusl had looked at her, instead changing the subject. "And what about Uli? I assume that you must already have gone to see her and Colin? What did they say to…" she pointed towards Rusl, "all of this?"

A strange combination of emotions flickered across Rusl's face, making him open his mouth once before closing it again. With a sound that sounded like it was located somewhere between joy and sheer apathy, he looked down at the ground. "I actually did not get much of a chance to talk with them. Not after they had got the chance to fully realise that I had lied, that I was still alive, at least. You see, Uli went into labour a couple of days ago. We have a little girl now."

"Oh."

The baby, they had had the baby. Midna was not sure why, but back at the base, even though she had known that Uli would give birth one day, it had always seemed almost unreal to think about the fact that there might one day run a child around inside the base who had never known anything other than the life that consisted of winters where everyone worried about the food supply, summers where they tried their best to plan ahead. The idea that there might come a new life into the base, it simply had not made sense to her. And in the end, it would appear that she had been correct all this time. The baby, the girl, she would not have to grow up inside the fortress. Midna might not know what their lives would look like now, but she doubted that there was any way where it would not be an improvement when compared to the years they had hid inside the mountain.

Finally, she managed to find a couple of words that seemed fitting for the occasion. "Congratulations. I am happy for you two."

"Thank you." as Rusl sent her a smile, the gesture holding a bit of sincerity now, Midna knew that, maybe, just maybe, life would be able to continue. Or at least it would for Rusl and his family. However, she did not get much of a chance to lose herself to the dark thoughts, not as Rusl pushed himself off the chair, gripping the side of her bed to remain upright, clearly doing his best not to place any weight on his injured ankle when he looked down at her. "I have heard a lot about you during these last couple of days. How you arrived here with Zelda, only to find that Byrne had told Zant about how Zelda had been the one to willingly leave the royal ship, making her way onto the Shadow specifically to escape from the castle and the fate that would have awaited her there."

Midna made a noncommittal sound, hoping that Rusl would simply interpret it as the answer he wanted to get. What did he want from her? She could hear from the way he tried his best to make it seem like just another conversation that Rusl was hoping for her to tell him something, to open up and begin to explain about the subject he did not want to mention, and maybe it was just another effect of how she had spent the last several days lying in her bed, barely able to move, but she could not figure out what it was. Deciding that, if Rusl wanted to make her tell him something, he would have to ask her, Midna pushed all thoughts away from her, instead waiting for Rusl to continue.

Which was exactly what he did, the way his smile faltered for a moment letting her know that she had been right about how he had hoped that it would not be necessary for him to ask. But, finally, with feigned nonchalance, he spoke. "Zelda, huh? I hear that you are trying to convince the nurses to let you see her."

"Yes?" Midna hated how much it sounded like a question, her voice shaking slightly. They were moving towards dangerous territory, she could feel it, both in the way she began to close off, preparing herself for the moment where she would have to carefully hide her reaction, the way that moment might arrive the next second. "I did ask them when I could go to see, but no one was able to just give me an actual answer. They always said something about how I might be able to go see her when I was feeling better, that she was resting and was all right, completely unharmed, just very tired, but—" her voice broke, Midna forcing herself to push through it. She could not stop now, not when she was so close to finally getting answers, "I—I know that they do not have any reason to lie to me about that, but…"

"You want to see for yourself that she is really all right." Rusl finished the sentence for her. When Midna lifted an eyebrow, he chuckled faintly. "You are not the only one who had to spend days not knowing whether your loved ones were really safe after all. Do you have any idea about how many times I tried to ask the other members of the Resistance about whether or not they had received any news about my family, if they were really sure that Ganondorf had not found out about the base and sent an airship to catch them? The day Shad and Renado were able to get a message through, telling us that they had been saved by you and brought back to a base in a mountain—I know that it is horrible, that so many people died during the destruction of Kakariko Village, but I cannot claim that I was not relieved to hear that Uli and Colin were still safe. Speaking of which, I have something I need to do. Come."

"What?" the words did not make sense, not to her. Midna knew what it must mean, she was able to tell that she was not misunderstanding anything, that Rusl really was telling her exactly what she thought he was, but that did not change the fact that it felt like she had misheard him.

But, somehow, it seemed that that was not the case, as Rusl simply continued to smile at her, gesturing for her to take his hand. "You want to see Zelda, don't you?" Midna barely had time to nod, the movement small and apprehensive, before he added. "And the only thing that is keeping you from being able to do that is the fact that the nurse is here and that she does not want to let you leave until she is absolutely certain that you are all right, is that not correct as well?"

"Yes, but—"

"So is it not obvious what you will have to do?" Rusl moved, a little of the same youthfulness she had seen each time he had leapt off the side of the ship coming back to his movements. "You have to see her. I know that. To be honest, I am sure that you would be doing a lot better if you were just certain that she was really all right, and maybe the same is the case for her. Therefore, we have to figure out a way to get you to her, and, as luck would have it, I have just been able to convince the nurse who was looking after you that I would be able to convince you not to do anything stupid, making her accept that explanation without ever having to tell just what I viewed as being something that could be described with such a word."

With how many times she had tried to argue with the nurses, insisting that she was all right, Midna doubted that it was only that that had been the reason for how easy it had been for Rusl to buy her this chance, though she did not tell him that much. He had really done this, not only survived and gone to talk with her despite surely knowing that it would require a great deal of luck for her not to lash out at him—or, at least, that it would have required that much not that long ago—he was now also offering her this, helping her to defy the nurses' orders and see Zelda.

"I—" planting her hands on the mattress below her, Midna was able to sit up, forcing herself to bite back a little groan as her muscles protested against having to be used after so long. Although she doubted it, she was not able to completely dismiss the fear of Rusl changing his mind, realising that perhaps there had been a reason for why the nurses had wanted to keep her in the infirmary for a little while longer, so she did not try to speak until she was certain that she would be able to do so without showing any signs of pain, "how can I ever thank you for this?"

"You don't have to. All I ask of you is that you will at least try to understand my reasons for not being able to contact you during all that time. I am not asking for you to forgive me, but just… try to understand." the next second, Rusl looked at a point behind her, his eyes widening as he helped her stand up, halfway pushing her, halfway dragging her towards the doors leading out into the hallway. "Go!" he whispered. "The nurses are coming back soon! Go, go now!"

He did not have to say that twice. Although her legs still felt like they had forgot how to move, each step threatening to send her falling to the ground, Midna left the infirmary in a couple of long steps, soon sprinting through the hallways, trying her best to picture where in the castle she would be, using every little thing she had learnt about how to navigate through a building without being able to catch a glimpse of the world outside from the years she had spent in the base. But, as excited as the thought of finally being able to see Zelda made her, the more Midna saw of the castle—the torn carpets, the places where small holes and red blotches told her exactly what had happened before Midna even got the chance to look towards the people who were crowding around it, some of them crying while others just looked on, an empty look in their eyes—the more she knew that she was not the only one who had found herself within centimetres of death. Only, there were people who had not been saved, times where Zelda had not been able to take their gun from them and pushing them backwards in one, smooth motion, turning the weapon against her father.

However, although Midna tried her best to convince herself that she was just imagining things, it did not take long before she was forced to admit that some of the people walking around the castle, a few of them still in their uniforms, but most of them looking like they had lived in the town for their entire lives, having simply gone to the castle to see what had happened, looked almost familiar, without her being able to recall where she might have seen them before.

It took a moment before she realised why, but when Midna had first spotted the little emblem, the piece of fabric hanging around a young woman's neck, the woman instantly curtseying as she noticed Midna looking at her, it felt almost like she was unable to take a single step without noticing the little emblems, all the shadows, around her.

Any other day, Midna might have had it in her to feel thankful, to try to see if there was anyone there who knew what had happened to the maid from Hateno Village, but already by the time she had tried to walk over to a woman holding a little child, both of them wearing the emblem, only to find herself unable to say anything, Midna had to admit that she could not do it. She was not a ruler. Maybe she was a princess, but she had not been raised as one. Really, the closer she got to the tower, the more familiar her surroundings became, the more it took for Midna to keep herself from sprinting, attempting to escape from it all.

Turning around a corner, Midna reached a part of the castle that was significantly quieter than the rest, almost empty. That was, Midna thought that it was close to being empty, but as she began to move forwards, already seeing the hallway where Raven had yelled at her to continue without him and Ashei, two women she had not even noticed stepped out from the shadows, pointing the tip of their spears at her, the sheer shock of finding herself face to face with a threat of violence again, making Midna take an involuntary step back.

"The princess—I just want to see the princess." it sounded too much like an excuse, the exact thing someone who did not have any right to ask that much of them would say.

Midna really was sure that they would ask her to leave, that she would not be able to continue, but then one of the soldiers dropped her spear, the weapon clattering against the floor as she sank down into a deep curtsey, the other following right behind her.

"Forgive us, we did not recognise you at first," the woman on the right said, lifting her head up a little, still not rising, "of course you can see the princess. In fact, she has specifically asked us to make sure that the moment the nurses would allow you to leave, we would ask you if you wanted to see her and accompany you to her. Here." finally, she stood back up again, making Midna feel a little less awkward, though that relief soon disappeared as she took her hand, the other guard following suit, the two of them walking along with her, making it clear that they were prepared to protect her as they moved into the tower.

As much as Midna wanted to tell them that she was perfectly capable of walking up the staircase on her own, she remained quiet. It was not worth risking her chances of finally being able to see Zelda just to escape from a few seconds of embarrassment, not when all it would take for the guards to find out about the fact that she really had not actually been given permission by the nurses to leave the infirmary would be for the two stop helping her, stop almost lifting her up the stairs, and instead see how she would have struggled on her own.

It did not keep her from having to fight to hide her relief as they left her the moment they reached the door at the end of the stairs. Getting to see Zelda was wonderful enough as it was, but it would have been a lie if she had tried to claim that she would not prefer for them to be left alone, for everything she wanted to—had to—tell her to remain between them.

She pushed open the door and stepped into the room.

Just as she had been promised, Midna was not able to spot any signs of Zelda having been injured, at least not any injuries she would be able to spot just by looking at her. She should have trusted them, she should have trusted Link when he had first told her, believing Raven and Ashei when they had assured her that they had been able to explain to the rebels who had shown up that Zelda had really been the one to do what they had dreamt about doing for so many years, but it was not until she found herself in the same room as Zelda again that Midna was truly able to breathe freely without the fear sitting as a weight on top of her chest.

Zelda was lying in her bed. Someone must have changed the bedsheet, for although most of the castle still showed signs of the battle that had spread to cover most of the structure itself as well as the surrounding area, the battles that Raven was still receiving messages about from all corners of the kingdoms, Midna could not see a single trace of how they had ripped the bedsheet apart to make the rope as she looked around the room. Granted, she was not able to look all that closely, not with how her gaze seemed to be pulled back towards Zelda.

As she lay there in her bed, she looked so much smaller than how Midna remembered her, looking more like the princess her family had insisted that she was rather than the queen she had proved herself to be.

And then Zelda moved, turning her head to the side to look directly at Midna. With a little smile that did not do much to hide the fact that she looked exhausted, almost like she had not been able to sleep for several years, Zelda looked over at her, a little chuckle leaving her as she spoke. "Hi. I see that you were finally allowed to leave the infirmary. What did it take for you to convince the nurses that you would be able to not pass out in the corridor?"

"A friend who was able to make it seem like he was someone you could trust to keep me from seeing you." Midna tried to laugh but as she moved through the room, caught between the wish to sprint over to Zelda, to crouch down next to her, move her hair out of her face, to make sure that she was all right, that she was not simply imagining things, seeing what she wanted to see, and the fact that, if all of this was really nothing but a fantasy, Midna did not want for it to end.

Zelda's smile grew a bit wider, a bit more sincere. "Ah. Of course, I should have known better than to think that you would ever be able to obey such a thing as orders from the people who are without a doubt those who are most fit to tell you when you are able to leave your bed."

There was so little distance between them, between Midna and the moment when she would have to find out if this was real, and yet, she found the strength to smile down at her. "You are not angry about that, are you?"

"I haven't decided yet. But since you are here right now and technically have not yet reached a point where the nurses would have allowed you to leave you bed, maybe it would be best if I just shared mine with you." already before she had finished the sentence, Zelda had pushed herself to the side, the invitation being obvious from the way she left one half of her bed empty for Midna, pushing a few of the blankets aside.

She wanted to thank her for the offer. Midna really did want to do exactly that, to just let go of everything and let herself sit down, letting Zelda throw the blanket that looked like it would be as soft as a cloud over her. But, each time she thought that she had found the courage to do exactly that, to just give in to the feeling that drew her forwards, the memory of how she had struggled the last time she had been in a similar location came back, screaming loudly and unyieldingly.

"Zelda, I—"

The reaction was obvious even as Zelda tried to hide it. Or maybe it was just a matter of Midna having come to know exactly what it meant as Zelda's face become more calm, looking more and more like she was preparing herself to speak to a crowd, every little line and wrinkle there had been around her eyes, her mouth, and between her eyes becoming smother as she shook her head. "Just… forget it; I was just… forget it." Zelda did not look at her as she spoke. Instead she kept glancing towards the window, a tiny smile breaking the façade a little.

This. This was where Zelda had tried to hold onto her, saying the words in a rush of fear and adrenaline, Midna finding herself in a situation where she knew that it would not be right, that she could not ask that much of any of them, to actually begin to imagine what could be if they just survived. But that had been back then, back when Ganondorf had still been alive. Now, while Midna was not nearly naïve enough to think that the battles would end soon, that killing the king would be enough to completely bring an end to the systems that had formed over the years, governing how things were between the kingdoms, things were different. She had time. She had peace.

So even as her heart beat so hard in her chest that Midna was sure that Zelda was able to hear it, she still felt how a smile formed on her face. "No, I am sorry, I was just thinking about something else. If the offer still stands, then I would like to say yes."

Zelda almost looked like she would be able to compete with the sun as she smiled up at her. "The offer will always stand. At least for you."

The bed was large, so wide that they would easily have been able to both lie there comfortably and still have at least ten centimetres between them. But despite that, already a moment after Midna had lowered herself down to lie next to Zelda, she found that they were lying so close to each other that she doubted she would be able to leave the bed anytime soon. But then again, there was no reason for her to want to do that, not as Zelda moved towards her, placing her head in the little dip between Midna's shoulder and the space beneath her collarbone, craning her neck to look up at her.

She was all right. Midna had to convince herself that she really was all right, that this was not just a stolen moment that would come to an end within mere minutes. But even as she tried to focus on nothing but the sparkle in Zelda's eyes, Midna was not able to make the memories disappear. And if she, with all the years of pushing things away, forcing the unpleasant memories to leave her, denying them their rightful spot in her mind, was not able to succeed, Midna knew that Zelda would have no way of being able to not continue to picture those last few minutes they had spent aboard the king's battleship.

Already, she could feel how the seconds passed, her heartbeat marking another one of their limited moments together, bringing it all to an end much quicker than it felt like it was right of the universe to do.

"Zelda…" Midna whispered her name, at once afraid that even the slightest sound would make everything fall apart, that she would disturb the fragile peace that had come to rest, not only in Castle Town, but in their minds as well, "are you…" she could not ask her if she was all right, not after she had just shot her own father, but even as Midna tried to find something else to say, the truth was that there was no good way to ask her question, leaving her with no option but to continue, "do you think that you will be all right?"

The seconds passed, Zelda remaining silent. Midna should have expected for her not to want to talk about it, not so soon after it had happened.

However, just as Midna was about to make another attempt at forcing herself to think about something else, Zelda moved a little, breathing in deeply. "It… it was the right thing to do. I only did what was right."

It was clear that she was not trying to convince Midna. This, the way Zelda blinked a little faster, unable to meet her gaze, it was all signs that Zelda was not trying to persuade Midna not to think less of her. No, she was trying to convince herself that she had done what was right, that she had been in a position where she had had to choose between her heart and the man who, despite everything he might have done, was still her father, and made the correct decision.

She had no way of knowing what it felt like, so, as Midna continued, she already knew that no attempts at keeping her voice soft would ever make things all right. But she had to try, and so, that was what she did. "Maybe. But that does not mean that it can't still hurt."

"Hmm…" Zelda fell silent for a moment, but then the words also seemed to come from somewhere deep down, pushing through, making her unable to stop herself from continuing, "did you know that they found Zant yesterday?"

"No, I didn't. Last thing I heard, they were trying to search for him close to the border to Holodrum."

"Yes, that was also what the guards told me the last time I was able to convince them to tell me what was going on. But apparently he had thought that he would be able to turn around, going against the orders of the soldiers who had dragged him onto the ship when the battles began, all because he wanted to be able to finish what our father had started, taking back the kingdom."

"And how do you feel about that? That he was caught, I mean?" Midna pulled Zelda a little closer to her, each movement slower than the last one. The worst thing she could possible do now was to push Zelda, bringing the moment to an early end. Of course, it would happen sooner or later, but for now, she would enjoy the seconds they had together.

Rather than shoving her away, however, telling her that the last thing she needed now was for someone who did not understand to try to overstep her boundaries, Zelda was quick to bury face in Midna's hair, her next words being slightly muffled. "I… I suppose that I should feel relieved. After all, Zant would be the biggest threat to the peace we might be able to create once all of this is over. But…"

"You are sad because he is your brother, and no matter what, you grew up with him?"

"Yes." Zelda paused for a moment, whispering the words to herself, almost like she wanted to taste them. "Yes, I suppose it is something like that."

The silence lowered itself onto them, but for once, it was not unpleasant. Midna doubted it would ever have been able to be as she lay there knowing that both she and Zelda were all right, that nothing bad could happen now, not as Zelda threw her arm over her, shifting to lie a bit closer to her face, looking up at her.

"Do you believe in it?" Zelda's eyes were wide, looking directly into her soul.

"Believe in what?"

"That we might be able to create peace? That this—all the people who have died during these days and years, all the lives that were destroyed for this victory—that it has truly changed everything?"

Midna did not answer immediately. Truth to be told, she was not sure what her answer to the question would have been the first moment after Zelda fell silent. It was such an alluring idea, to think that their lives would mean something, that they would be known as more than just the princesses who became the spark that ignited what was beginning to look almost like a war if the small snippets of conversations Midna had been able to overhear were true. But was it something that Midna could believe in, was it something she could think of as she looked at Zelda and assure her that she was still able to hope for it to become true? She was not that sure about that.

And then, just as she was about to try to avoid having to say anything, already knowing that a vague answer would be the exact same as a no, Midna met Zelda's gaze, and in that moment, she knew exactly what her answer would be. She was someone. There was no need to wait to see if she would become the very last member of the Twili royal family or if she would become the Twilight Princess; she was already someone.

So as Midna reached out, taking Zelda's hands, bringing it up to rest between them, she knew what she wanted to say. "I don't know yet. But I hope that we will be able to do it. I want to create peace, and I want to do it with you."

It looked almost like Zelda was going to cry as she nodded back at her, giving her hand a little squeeze. "So do I."

After that, neither of them said anything, Midna for once completely content to just lie there, taking in the fact that she could hear Zelda breathe, could feel her heart rate resonate in her chest. Each little movement, all the times Zelda turned to the side a bit to look at her, almost opening her mouth as if she wanted to speak, but closing it again before she got the chance to do so, Midna could hear how the bedsheets rustled around them, trying to adapt to the way Zelda continued to move, little, rapid movements. It seemed almost like Zelda was afraid that she might not be able to move again if she stopped. If Midna had been able to say something to ease that fear, to look at Zelda and promise her that she would never let that happen, she would have done it in a heartbeat, but she already knew that this was not something she could help with.

At last, Zelda found rest, pushing herself up a bit, planting her hands against the mattress, allowing her to look down at Midna as she turned around.

"Enjoying being able to feel taller than me for once?" Midna commented, but there was none of the usual teasing tone to the quip, not as Midna looked into Zelda's eyes.

"Midna, I…" Zelda breathed out, in. And then, seemingly deciding to just leap from safety and into the air, she hurried to add, "may I kiss you?"

It had been more than just a combination of fear and adrenaline after all. The realisation felt almost muffled by the much louder sense of relief, that now she would not have to figure out how to handle the fact that she knew how everything had changed that night back in Clock Town. Really, there was only one answer Midna could ever have said in response to that question, only one thing appearing in her mind as she lay there, looking up at Zelda.

"I was about to ask you about the same thing."

The sound of Zelda laughing almost made the shadow of everything that had happened over the last weeks lift from the room, making the sun shine just a little bit brighter, casting a gentle glow at Zelda, bathing Midna in her shadow as she leant down to finally press a kiss against her lips.

She wanted to cling to that moment. As everything else disappeared around her, leaving only the fact that she was here, kissing Zelda, that she was not dreaming, behind, Midna knew that she wanted to remember every little part of this moment for the rest of her life no matter how much time that might end up becoming. The way Zelda's hair fell into her face, Zelda breaking away to laugh, showing the stray locks of hair behind her shoulders before returning to the kiss, the way the bed beneath her almost seemed to envelop them as Zelda reached out to bring both of them closer to one another, the few millimetres of air that had been between them suddenly feeling like a distance that was far too wide. She wanted to remember it all, wanted to be able to recall every last part of it when it would all be over again.