Till the Dying Embers
The shroud of twilight, forever pervaded by ash, torn into by smoke and hungry flames. Homes rend apart, mounds of corpses, the valley brimmed with blood.
The fires at his back, licking greedily at the walls and picture frames, and at his fore a woman prostrate.
"Please," she whispered across bloody lips. "Spare her. If you have any ounce of compassion remaining, if anything left in your soul belongs to you, – anything at all – then please…kill me and leave her be."
He remained silent; but then, his voice had long since died.
So she swiveled hastily, staying kneeled.
"Midna," she tried to smile. "Midna, darling-"
A glint of tarnished steel, and she was run through, falling to the floor with her eyes frozen wide.
He looked past the body to a girl, not two years younger than he, swathed in blankets, her crimson eyes round and trembling.
His steps past her were cold, merciless, and he paid her no mind.
"Hey," she shook his shoulders. "Come on, this is no place to be snoozing."
He stirred, before attempting to blink away the bleariness in his eyes.
"Rise and shine," she quipped, giving him a wan smile.
It was uncanny how his first reaction upon seeing her after the fact would be embarrassment.
He averted his eyes – almost shyly, Midna noted with amusement – and mumbled something.
"What was that?"
He steeled himself – not literally, this time – and faced her.
"You're not even mad? I mean…you're sort of talking to the one who exterminated the majority of your people."
"Oh, it's not like I don't fully understand what a total jerk you've been for keeping this from me," she glared. "But I'm not one to talk, am I? I of all people know what's like to lose yourself and feel like you'll never come back. I've killed more than my fair share, after all."
Link fidgeted awkwardly.
"So what now?" he ventured.
"Not sure," she threw her arms up and let them fall helplessly. "I've still got to…come to terms with this. With you. One thing I am sure of, you're not getting out of this easily."
She jabbed a finger to his chest, and he blinked.
"That is to say, I'm not gonna let you. You're with me on this for the long haul, and if I have to drag you with me, I will."
Link managed a tremulous smile, one tinged with relief, before he looked around.
"Where are we?"
"We fell into this underground tunnel. Probably should've died, but seeing as we're both practically monsters, well…"
She shrugged.
He noticed the debris clogging up the only exit.
"It would seem that we're trapped," he remarked.
They looked at each other, before both nearly collapsing with hysterical laughter, clutching at each other to stay upright.
Because it was terribly funny.
Still laughing, Link easily and carelessly flung one arm at the rubble and blasted it to smithereens.
Author's Note: I'm taking this thing to places hitherto unknown! Even I'm not sure where it'll go from here, but be prepared to have your socks knocked off!