A/N: This chapter was revised as of 12/11/2019 - Polished, minor errors and typos fixed.
When Heroes Fall
By: Selphie Kinneas 175
Chapter 18: Distant Wheels
.:.
"Now, I do not mean to be a pest, but perhaps we should go over the plan once more?" Shad, ever the voice of reason, said as he was the first to take a seat at that familiar table at the bar.
Everyone had only just arrived, entering through a lesser-known side alley of Castle Town to avoid the queen and princess being noticed. Telma sent away her disgruntled patrons, ecstatic that her friends were together at her bar once again to discuss strategy. Even though the situation that called everyone together in the first place was far from a pleasant one, she adored these people, and was happy for an excuse to have them back.
"Whatever the plan is, honey," Telma gave Shad a sassy look with her hands on her hips, "You take a minute for your little girl, you hear me? Auru loves her to pieces, but she's been worried sick over her papa."
Shad's cheeks flushed, "Ah, y-yes," he pushed his glasses up the brim of his nose with a nervous chuckle, "Her mother would scold me something fierce if I didn't."
"As she should," Telma muttered with a cocked eyebrow.
Zelda cleared her throat, "As we discussed..." she took a seat beside the scholar as everyone cut the chatter and listened, "Ashei and Colin remain in Kakariko to ensure the others' safety there. Emeline anticipates that Viscen will bring Link to the town square, likely for a hearing of his supposed crimes. We will wait just on the outskirts of the square for Link's arrival, whether that arrival is through us or through the king depends upon how things transpire in the dungeon."
"I know a spot we can hide," Rusl added, standing tall beside the queen, arms folded across his broad chest, "I will make sure you and the princess are safe."
"Ren and I go in and get Link," Midna said, a hand on her hip, refusing to take a seat as she was eager to go now, "I'll break him out and get him back. And if Viscen shows up like Emeline says," she shrugged, "I wouldn't stop him if he accidentally tripped and fell on, say... a random twili spike or something. It would be one less problem for us."
"You cannot kill him," Zelda said sternly, staring directly into Midna's eyes, "The people will see him as a martyr, and us as murderers of the king. The people must be swayed first. The king must be exposed for his evil ways. Then, and only then, can any action take place."
Midna rolled her eyes, but she knew she spoke the truth, "Fine, I won't immediately kill him with my bare hands."
"I will see what he plans," Emeline spoke softly from the corner, her back to the group and her eyes shut tight, "I will know his next move before he makes it. No threat will go unseen. We will be prepared."
Ren huffed from his position beside the door, "Can we go now? I think we all know what's gonna happen."
"I'm with the kid," Midna chimed.
"Well," Shad interjected, a finger pointed in the air, "Should I truly do nothing but wait to ensure a safe escape? Perhaps I could... be of more use?"
"A safe escape is of the utmost importance, Shad," Zelda said firmly, melting into a reassuring smile as she added, "I do not know what outcome this confrontation will have. We must be able to get away safely should anything go awry. It is no small task."
The scholar's shoulders visibly slumped, but he painted on a smile just the same, "Ah, yes, well... Perhaps Aveil can help me pass the time until I am needed."
"Father will go to him soon," Emeline's voice cut through the momentary silence, "There is no more time for dawdling."
Midna turned to Ren, "Show me the way."
Ren nodded with enthusiasm, and they did not wait for the approval of their friends. They flew through the door and trusted in their comrades to be where they needed to be when they should need them.
Ren grabbed Midna's wrist and wove through the streets of Castle Town like a bandit. He had the route to the dungeon memorized by now, and they did not stop to care about the few townsfolk that noticed Midna's otherworldly appearance with stares and whispers.
"I found my way here following a group of guards the first time," Ren awkwardly filled in the silence, "Though, now I kind of wonder if even that was planned."
"What do you mean?" Midna asked.
"The king knew someone would come for my dad and, basically," he sighed and gave a shrug, "he made it easy to get into the dungeon. It was a trap all along."
Midna laughed, "How stupid."
Ren looked hurt.
"Not you," she corrected, initially feeling bad but then her expression shifted, "Well, actually, yeah you. You were stupid. That was stupid."
Ren furrowed his brow, "Are you always this mean? Or..."
"When it's warranted."
Even if he'd had a response, she didn't allow him the time to utter one.
Ren snuck them down an alley just before the downward path beneath the castle to ensure that no one was watching them. He looked both ways, and Midna looked even harder. They had a moment where they were in the clear, and they took it with haste.
It was a slope down to the door to the dungeon on the side of the castle. When Ren came here previously, only one guard had stood watch, and Ren had had the utmost ease in crawling past him. He knew, with sad reluctance, that it hadn't been his skill in sneaking, but a deliberate ignorance to his presence. Now, however, four guards stood bravely before the iron door.
Midna noticed them from her perch behind a nearby planter. Her eyes narrowed, and without a word to Ren, she was off.
"Hey!" he whispered, his hand reaching after her, but she was already gone.
She tiptoed down, moving from cover to cover, until she was in close proximity. Ren watched anxiously, breath trapped in his throat. She moved silently until she was crouched down low behind them. With a snap of her fingers, red electricity formed in the palm of her hand. She merely glanced, and the tiniest bolt struck both of the guards' backsides. Flames sparked, and both men screamed and ran away holding their rear ends.
Midna laughed.
Ren watched them run off in shock. He approached the twilight queen after they were long gone.
"Something your dad and I learned early on: Hylian soldiers are scaredy cats," Midna said with a smirk.
Ren chuckled nervously, "Um... How did you do that?"
"You've never heard of the ancient twili magic?" Midna asked.
Ren shook his head in confusion.
"Tch," Midna scoffed, "Figures. Well, it's powerful. It does cool stuff. It's all mine."
Midna saw that light go off in the boy's head, and she quickly shut it down.
"That doesn't mean we go lighting everyone's butts on fire. Geez, kid, I can't tell if you're more like your mom or your dad."
"Neither?" Ren offered, "I'm my own person."
"Hm," Midna huffed with a hand on her hip, "So you are."
"And why, uh..."
"Light their butts on fire?" Midna finished with a giggle, "Because it's funny."
Ren stifled the smirk, "They're innocent though, just soldiers trying to do their jobs."
"Ugh," Midna moaned, "Quit being such a stiff and get over it. They're fine. Hylian soldiers are worthless anyway."
Ren gave her a look, and Midna reciprocated. She wanted nothing more than to hate this boy. She longed, deep down, to despise him. But no matter how hard she tried she simply couldn't. He was the product of suffering, a physical representation of her mistakes. If she hadn't left all those years ago things would have been so different; she figured this boy would likely not even exist, she thought with a guilty frown. She looked at him and saw her hero, and it was a one-way ticket to her heart. He'd right away found her soft spot, as much as she tried to shield it.
"Can we go then?" Ren asked.
"After you."
Ren took a step forward before stopping again.
"Wait, so," he turned back to her with a furrowed brow, "Were you my dad's... companion?"
Midna smirked, "Sure, or was he mine?"
At that, Ren looked doubly confused.
Midna hit him in the shoulder with a laugh, "Yes, kid, I was. Do they tell grand stories of the hero's companion?"
"No, actually, not at all," he answered seriously, "I only heard you mentioned the one time."
"Oh," Midna folded her arms over her chest, "Well, I guess that's fine, with, ya know, most people not even knowing my world exists and all."
"Why is that?"
Midna gave a wave of her hand and began walking forward again, "All stories for another time, little wolf. Let's g-"
"What the heck does that mean?" Ren interjected.
Midna huffed, "Your dad's big wolf, you're little wolf, got it?"
"Uh, no?"
"You will. Let's go."
Though he wanted to protest, Midna grabbed him firmly and dragged him inside. The halls of the dungeon were empty and cold. There were almost no torches for light, making it difficult for them to see. Luckily, Ren remembered the way, and he led them there quickly and quietly.
Their footsteps went unheard, the only sign of their presence being the little puffs that escaped their lips. Water dripped into the puddles at their feet, rats scurried past, and altogether the ball of uneasiness in Midna's stomach was growing heavier and heavier.
"Here," Ren at last came to a halt.
Here. Midna stared. Her eyes did not blink and she was positive her heart stopped. She approached the bars and simply stood... staring.
There he was. There was her hero. A sight she never thought she would see again in her lifetime was right before her. Tears welled up in her eyes and she battled every instinct that told her to turn and run away. She didn't want any part of this. For Din's sake... she wanted no part of this! She slammed her eyes shut and just breathed. The air was thick and muggy, a scent of blood so familiar to her it almost made her sick. She wanted to keep her eyes closed, but she couldn't. She had not the strength to fight herself.
Again, she stared. Her hero was a slumped form of pain and unconsciousness. She was sick of this. The fifteen-year-long break was nothing. She hated seeing him like this. Her stomach twisted and her throat seized and her lungs cried out to please remember to breathe. Her hands trembled as they grasped the iron bars before her and she openly wept. She did not care that Ren stood worriedly behind her. She did not care that some stupid king was coming soon. She did not care about a light world or a twilight world or what was right or wrong. Nayru, she just did not care anymore.
She collapsed to her knees, just as her hero was reduced to his. She couldn't even see his handsome face, his head lulled and matted hair concealing him. There was so much blood. For goddesses' sake, why was there always so much blood? Why was this the life he was burdened with? Why was she doomed just the same, for caring for him so...
Fifteen years had passed. A lifetime, more like. She'd learned to live without him, to fill that hole in her heart with whatever temporary person or thing she could. It was never quite a perfect fit, much like trying to fill a circle with a square, but she'd learned to cope. Her life went on and the days changed her, but at her core she remained the same. The void left by her hero was one she never could have filled, but she'd resigned to the fact that she would harbor it the rest of her life. But now, he was here. What was she to do? Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected this.
"Midna, I-" Ren tried, but Midna's actions cut him off.
She picked herself up, composed herself, and brought up her hands. She soaked up the tears, she calmed her heart, she evened her breathing. She stared at her hero, and she knew she had to be strong. Between her hands she formed a spark of magic. She shot it at the door that kept her from him, and the lock clanked loudly to the floor.
Ren beamed behind her, but she paid him no mind. She ran inside and up to Link. She reached shaky hands towards him, but she was afraid to touch him. Touching him would make it real, and she wasn't ready for that. He looked like a doll left on a shelf for centuries, as if but grazing its porcelain skin would crumble it to dust entirely. The more she looked at him, mangled, hanging from chains, anger grew red-hot inside of her. She clenched her teeth and tried to sway her ire.
She breathed deep, focusing on not letting her emotions control her. She forced her courage out of hiding. She reached out and tucked Link's hair back, and she saw his face.
She froze. She stared. He was pale as a ghost, eyes sunken, no sign of life. The image of her hero she'd kept in her head all these years never lost its clarity, but it did not match that of the figure before her now. She saw no rise and fall in his bloody chest, no puffs of white from his chapped lips. He looked as if he'd been ignored for days. Dark, dried blood froze mid-drip from his mouth and from his nose. He had no color. She felt no presence.
She was staring at a corpse.
She placed a trembling hand to his bare chest, minding the wounds that plagued him. She closed her eyes and held her breath. She pressed harder, searching, searching... She began to panic. She pressed harder.
She felt... nothing.
No air filled his lungs. No strong pulse resonated in his chest. No heartbeat so stubborn it refused to quit even when everything told it it should have. That steady drumming she'd listened to for so long, the thumping that had comforted her when all was lost. He had never given up, never been pushed to this. She'd watched him endure every torture imaginable, and even more so otherwise. Still, his heartbeat always persevered. His will so indomitable always ensured he would wake up from even the most fatal rest.
Her hero was not one that quit. That king pushed him to this.
Anger took her by force. Pure fury wrapped its fiery clutches around her and all she saw was red.
She retracted her hand in a flash and jumped to her feet. Her fists clenched so hard at her sides that she dug holes into the palms of her hands. Her chest inflated rapidly, and she could feel herself losing control.
Everything was upside down, her world was inside out. She'd spent so long accustoming herself to life as the queen, being selfless in all endeavors, the first of those being abandoning her hero. She thought she would never see him again. Only after what felt like a lifetime in itself of adjusting, a boy from the forest told her she could again see her hero. What trickery on her heart. What foul play the goddesses deem fair that she should agree to see the one man she'd longed for, only to find him an ice-cold shell. Only a body to remind her that she'd failed. She was too late. Whether her tardiness was by one day or one hour, it did not matter. She presumed her tardiness was by fifteen years.
She wanted to scream. By the gods she wanted to scream. How dare this world work so unfairly. How dare the goddesses play their games of torment. She had never felt anger like this before, she didn't know what to do with it all. She felt like she could explode.
Ren stared in disbelief, and he made just a peep, "Midna, what-"
But it was enough to push her over the edge she barely clung to. Midna thrust her hands to her head and dug pinholes into her scalp. She felt her power running thick through her veins, ignited by pure rage. With an ear-piercing scream her arms flew out at her sides and electricity spewed in all directions from her body. Ren shielded his eyes and ducked to the floor. Red bolts sparked off of the walls and the ceiling. The room lit up like a lightning strike. A single bolt jolted her hero, and he inhaled the sharpest breath he'd ever taken.
Midna turned to him with a gasp. Without thinking, she crumbled to the floor beside him.
He breathed hard, but it wasn't enough to convince her addled brain. She pressed her palm to his chest, and there it was. Thump, thump, thump. The electricity she uncontrollably sent out had jump-started his heart. He must have only just slipped away right before they'd arrived. She wasn't too late.
"You're okay! You're okay... You're okay... You're okay..."
She cradled his face in her hands. She stared at him. He stared at her, heaving laboriously. She was wide-eyed and so overwhelmed. He was half-lidded and not really there.
Midna collected herself and whispered, "Okay, okay, okay, Midna, get yourself together. Goddess-damn you're a mess."
She formed another bolt of magic between her hands and shot it at Link's chains. Having not the strength to hold himself up, he fell face down to the floor. Midna knelt down and helped him to sit up.
She flung off his handcuffs and discarded them angrily. She looked at him with a smirk. It seemed somehow both like yesterday and eons ago that she was rescuing him from a similar fate, trapped behind bars as a wolf.
"Isn't this familiar? Breaking you out of prison."
But he made no response – he was too out of it.
She tried to help him up, but she wasn't sure she could consider him conscious. He was too far gone and was entirely deadweight - she was not strong enough to lift him on her own. Ren tried to take the opposite side, but Link would collapse back to the floor every time. No one had expected him to be this bad. It was a lost cause. They would either have to get the help of someone stronger like Rusl, or the king would get to them first. Then, a voice cut through the darkness.
"My, my, what an interesting power you possess."
Midna scowled, stepping in front of her hero and scrutinizing the man approaching them in royal attire, "You must be the loser king everyone's told me about."
Viscen frowned, "Now, that is no way to introduce yourself," he bowed, "I am King Viscen, ruler of Hyrule, heir to the throne of Labrynna. How pleasant it is to meet y-"
Midna held out her hand, "I've got fancy titles, too, but I see no reason to recite them. Wish I could also say it was a pleasure, but it wasn't. If you don't mind, we've got somewhere to be."
Viscen grinned, "Oh, right you are! The hero does, in fact, have somewhere to be. How kind of you to get him prepared for me."
Midna emphasized her protective stance, glancing over her shoulder at her hero if only to reassure herself he hadn't slipped through her fingers again.
"He was dead, you know that, right? How stupid can you be? I know you need him alive."
Viscen didn't let the spark of shock show on his face, "Dead, you say? Then, how is it he draws breath now?"
Midna glared at him for the briefest moment. She knew he wanted her to divulge about her powers, but she would take no part in his games.
She pretended it was never even mentioned, "The only place he's going is with us. So move aside, or else."
Viscen feigned concern, "Oh... What might you do? You wouldn't... harm your king, would you?"
"Thing is, you're not my king."
"Ah, perhaps you are right," Viscen clasped his hands behind his back, "It does appear that you are not of our world. How interesting. I wonder then, by what means you arrived here?"
"None of your business, Viscen! Now let us go!" Ren stepped forward to which Midna smirked.
Viscen smirked as well, though his was mischievously sinister, "Ah, dear boy... You have so much potential, if only you kept the company of those who see that."
Ren furrowed his brow, and Midna saw the faintest hint of thought cross his mind, and her heart skipped a beat.
She wouldn't allow a second of silence for the thought to manifest.
"We're leaving, Your Majesty, so step aside."
Viscen raised a hand and snapped loudly. At once, a group of soldiers were at his side.
"Threatening your king is never wise. Now, if you don't mind, I will be taking the hero."
"As if," Midna spat, "You filthy, disgusting, little-"
Ren cut her off, "Go ahead, Your Majesty."
Midna shot him a look, but Ren gave her one back. The plan. The others were stationed to help.
She read his eyes and with a heavy sigh and even heavier reluctance, she stepped aside. The soldiers scooped up the hero none-too-gently. He was still unmoving, a guard on either side assuming all of his weight. He couldn't even hold his head up, let alone stand on his own. His feet dragged behind him as the guards took him off, the only thing telling them he was alive were the rattling breaths in his chest.
Viscen smiled, "How kind of you to be cooperative," he bowed, "I do imagine you will be coming to the show?"
Midna scowled at him, but could form no words save for obscenities that she kept herself from spewing.
Ren spoke when she could not, "Yes... Your Majesty."
"Good!" the king exclaimed, and with one lasting look at Ren he whispered, "Think about what I said, won't you, boy?"
The king sneered and Ren narrowed his eyes at him. Neither said a word, but Viscen saw he'd sent distant wheels turning, and that was all he wanted. He turned for the exit and he was off.
Midna gazed down at Ren, and the faintest spark of worry flitted like an uncomfortable butterfly in her stomach. She saw him thinking on it, but, truthfully, she didn't care right now. She cared about her hero.
Once the king was out of earshot, Midna turned to Ren with a look of fury, "What the hell?"
Ren shook his head, visibly removing the prior thoughts, "Emeline will have seen that. They'll be ready. I know it."
"You better be right, kid, or I swear, no stupid golden goddess or great deities from whatever dumb legacy will be able to stop me from killing that pathetic king if he lays a finger on him."
Ren looked serious, "I know Emeline saw it. Trust me."
Midna huffed, "Fine. We still need to follow them. There's no way I'm letting him out of my sight."
Ren nodded, and they did just that. They tiptoed silently behind the royal troops, and they realized they were heading to the center of town, just as the princess had foretold.
From an alley just out of sight, Zelda and Emeline waited with Rusl nearby should they need protection.
"They are coming," Emeline whispered, her eyes shut tight as she sat cross-legged on the cobblestones.
Zelda watched patiently, peering through the foliage of the planter she sat upon. Rusl stood beside her, weapons stowed so as to not appear out of place, but he was tall and ready should anything go awry.
The queen felt fear unlike she had ever felt before. This would be the ultimate test – would her people believe her, or had they been poisoned for too long by their malicious king? She knew, if she stood up against him and failed to persuade her people, they would be doomed. Herself, her daughter, her hero and all their friends and companions. If she spoke against him and the people still sided with their king, there would be no remedy. There would be no fixing it; she would have failed and all would be lost. She also worried about her friends' high emotions. Midna, Ren, at times even Rusl, could easily get swept up in the fear for their hero's life, and could act in ways irreversible. One lost temper could change the course of whatever may take place.
Despite all the uncertainty, she knew she had to do this, there was no other way. She prayed to the divine goddess Nayru that she would walk with her today, that she would give her the wisdom to speak the right words. She prayed to Farore to lend her the courage to stand, and she prayed to Din for the power to command her people.
She closed her eyes and recited all the pleas she could, begging for the deities' favor. When she opened her eyes, she saw who they were waiting for.
Viscen ascended the steps to the dais, his loud voice reverberating down every street, "Gather 'round, beautiful people of Hyrule!"
And they did. The people hustled from their homes, their shopping carts, and dropped whatever it was they were doing to stand before their king.
"I have something special for you today!" he boomed, a hand extended to his guards behind him.
The two carrying the hero at last stepped up, and Viscen turned to the crowd with a grin.
"The trial for the murderer of the queen and princess!"
Applause roared. The cheers were deafening. The hero looked so lifeless – it hurt Zelda's heart.
"He is alive," Emeline whispered, to which her mother gave her a sad smile.
For far longer than the standard ego would allow, Viscen simply stood and reveled in the applause. He raised his hands higher, and his people cheered louder.
"What's he going to do?" Rusl asked.
Emeline's eyes were tight, "Everyone is feeling so strongly... It is becoming difficult to see..."
Zelda held her daughter's hand, "It's alright."
"He..." the princess stammered, "He wants to humiliate the hero. He will not kill him, but he wants to make him suffer. His anger is so strong..."
Zelda turned back to the display as Viscen at last quieted the crowd and spoke again.
"My people..." the king began somberly, "I have grieved these past moons, for my beautiful wife and daughter were taken from me..."
The crowd cooed with various mutterings of 'aw,' 'how unfortunate,' and 'our poor king.'
"Your royal family has suffered at the hands of this man!" he pointed, "What shall the punishment be for such a wicked crime?"
The people shouted for him to be hanged, for him to die by whatever means necessary. The king already knew his rebuttal.
"I do believe a swift death would be far too kind for an act such as regicide, don't you?"
"Yes!"
"You're absolutely right!"
"Yes!"
"What would you do to the man that murdered your queen and princess?" Viscen instigated, and suddenly from somewhere in the crowd, a citizen threw a tomato at Link's slumped form and it splattered across his chest.
Viscen grinned and mumbled just under his breath, "Yes..."
The crowd was silent in awe for a moment. From an unknown alley Midna tried to bound up to her hero but Ren held her back. From the opposite side, Emeline flinched.
Another citizen grabbed a fruit and did the same. And another. And another. Viscen, while amused, wanted to make it better. He approached the hero and lifted his face only to see that he was still teetering on unconsciousness.
He slapped him hard, "Wake up, little hero."
He did not budge.
Viscen frowned. He planted a firm punch into the hero's gut. Link recoiled, droplets of blood spurting from his mouth as he coughed. Viscen harshly grabbed him by the jaw and forced him to look up at him. Weary eyes at last met the king's, and Viscen smiled.
"I want you to remember this."
The king stepped aside and his people resumed. Link did nothing but hang by the soldiers' arms weakly, taking the abuse in silence.
Midna could barely contain herself, and it was only with Ren's reminder that any action would only doom them all further that she held herself back.
The crowd's laughter grew louder with each hit, and Zelda had to look away.
Emeline held her head, nails digging into her scalp.
"Are you okay?" Rusl asked, kneeling down to her.
She began shaking her head violently, and her hands moved to her eyes.
"It's too bright... It's too bright..." she chanted.
Zelda placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "What is it, Eme-"
The princess scooted away, "Get away! Please... The people's hatred is so bright... Your fear... Midna's rage... Link's heartache... I can't take it! There's too much... It's too bright! It's blinding!"
She clawed at her eyes and Rusl did his best to hold her wrists back to keep her from hurting herself. Zelda, however, found in that the courage she needed.
Zelda stepped out of her place of hiding. She walked through the crowd and stood on a planter tall enough to be seen by all.
"Stop this at once!" her voice commanded.
All went silent. Everyone turned to her. Viscen's eyes narrowed before growing wide with fear.
"Your king has deceived you!"
The people stared in wonderment and disbelief. Whispers of 'is that the queen?' and 'I thought she died' flitted throughout the crowd.
Zelda stared daggers over the sea of people at her husband. It took him a moment to find words.
"What a sick game to play on your king!" he feigned with a hand to his heart, "You all know I still grieve for my queen! What a cruel trick to disguise yourself! Imposter!"
"Imposter!" the people screamed.
"Imposter!"
"Imposter!"
Zelda felt the fear creeping up to throttle her.
Instead, she closed her eyes, clasped her hands before her heart and concentrated just a moment. She felt warmth ignite her spirit and the goddesses stood with her.
Then, a flash of light swept over the whole of Hyrule Castle Town. It blew out across them all like a gale across the wide open sea. It knocked everyone off their feet and all stared wide-eyed up at her. Now she had their undivided attention.
"I am Zelda. Queen of all I survey. Princess of Destiny. Descendant of the Goddess reborn. Bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. You will hear me!"
Her voice was deep and powerful. It shook the little rocks on the ground and stilled the breath of all who heard it. No one dared utter a sound. All were silent and in awe as they listened.
She held an open palm towards Link, "This is Link. Hero of Twilight. Savior of Hyrule. Bearer of the Triforce of Courage. You will respect him!" she gazed over all of her people, then she settled upon Viscen, "You will release him."
The crowd turned and stared at their king. They slowly began getting back on their feet, murmuring amongst each other.
Zelda stood tall and stared confidently out across the people. She saw townsfolk she'd known her whole life, and ones she'd never met. She saw all ages, all lifestyles, staring awestruck up at her. She saw her daughter with hands clasped before her face, Rusl standing protectively at her side. She saw Midna and Ren, each with their own brand of wonder, satisfaction, and anxiety on their otherwise angry expressions. She saw Link, reduced to the floor after the soldiers dropped him. His head was too heavy, his cheek pressed against the stones, but he faced the queen. There was nothing save for pain visible on his weary face, but she felt his thanks.
She saw her husband. Fear took form in four thick walls enclosing in on him. He knew he'd been outsmarted, cornered, revealed. He had to think fast.
"People of Hyrule," he began, his voice hitching with worry, "Our beloved queen was murdered! Do not take this imposter's word when mine has always rung true! Your king has always provided for you! Your king-"
"Your king is the one who attempted to assassinate your queen and princess!" Zelda interjected.
The crowd gasped.
"We are only alive because of the hero. He saved us after His Majesty attempted to kill us."
The people whispered and talked amongst themselves.
Viscen's face began to lose all color, "Lies!" he tried, "If this is true, then where is the princess? Where is my daughter?"
Emeline had already moved to stand beside her mother before he had finished the sentence, "I am here, father. Though I am not as you left me."
Viscen was shocked, but he feigned love, "Emeline..." he reached to her, "My sweet, sweet daughter... You are alive!"
"I can see your fear, father," she spoke coldly, "I can see it smothering you. The world you've built crumbling around you. Your fear is so very, very bright."
He stared at her, jaw hung open without even realizing.
"I-I-"
"You blinded me, father," she opened her eyes and stared through him, "But I see more now than I ever did. You can hide nothing from me."
In a cornered panic, Viscen reacted with the first action that came to mind to distract everyone. He harshly grabbed Link by the cloth wound around his chest, the only tangible thing he could latch onto, and he brought him up to his face. He pulled out his dagger and held it to the hero's throat.
"You cannot turn my people against me!" the king screamed, "I will kill this pathetic welp unless you imposters leave now!"
"Father will not kill him," Emeline whispered to her mother, "He is panicking and using whatever leverage he has."
But before Zelda could open her mouth to talk her husband down, Midna bounded up the dais.
"Drop him," she demanded through gritted teeth, sparks of magic fluttering between her fingers.
Zelda sighed.
Viscen looked at Midna, and he saw an opportunity. He glanced back at his wife who knew this could give him the upper hand, and she silently begged the goddesses to calm Midna's temper and help her see reason.
The king smiled at the twilight queen, "As you wish," and he let the hero tumble to the ground, but he did not stop there. He planted a firm kick to Link's ribs. Blood painted the floor at their feet as he coughed.
Midna scowled and dashed to stand between them, extending her arms protectively, "Don't you dare touch him again!"
Viscen grabbed her by the collar and drew her face to his, "Or what?" he spat through a tight jaw, speaking only loud enough for her to hear, "What will you do now, hm? The damage has already been done. He is only a tool, and I will continue to use him until his purpose is done. Then perhaps I can come up with some splendid end for the 'Savior of Hyrule.'"
The king laughed and Midna's blood boiled. She stared into his dark brown eyes as he cackled at her hero's expense until her anger willed her movements. She grabbed the knife from Viscen's hand and she thrust it to his neck. He gasped, playing up his fear for the show. The crowd gasped just the same.
"You will not touch him again," Midna commanded, her voice low and every muscle in her body tense.
Her red eyes bore straight through his, and for quite some time she did not relent. She was so serious, so intent in conveying that seriousness to this king, that she saw nothing else around her.
"Father will have her killed," Emeline whispered again to her mother, "His intent is strong... I can see the archer's concentration from that rooftop."
Events unfolded so quickly the queen could not even twitch a finger before she saw the arrow soar, but Midna was not blind to the king's mischievous look and his glance somewhere behind her. She raised her arm and a swirling field manifested before her like a shield. It caught the arrow intended for her in its wake and turned it around. It returned to its owner like a boomerang, and the archer was shot dead.
Viscen laughed to where only Midna could hear it, but when he faced his people he wore a mask of devastation.
"Do you see? The hero uses a witch to protect him! And another innocent Hylian falls victim!"
Midna's face turned to stone.
"This sorceress uses tricks to conjure these phantoms of the queen and princess to save her hero! They are playing you all for fools!"
The crowd quickly turned against them, shouting obscenities and crude expressions. Midna was dumbstruck. She looked to her friend, and Zelda appeared so clearly disappointed.
The queen of twilight, never short on words or witty retorts, found no reply, no defense, no suitable collection of words to remedy the situation.
Emeline, instead, found courage where the queens could not.
The princess turned to her mother, "I will go to him. I will prove to the people that the hero is not a murderer. In the distraction, Rusl will grab the hero and you all will flee."
"Emeline, I will not leave my daughter with a dangerous man. I could not-" Zelda protested, but Emeline cut her off.
"He will not kill me, mother," she spoke calmly, "But he will kill you."
Zelda's face drained of its color and she swallowed hard; she didn't know if she could bring herself to be strong enough to trust in what her daughter told her.
"Trust me," Emeline said at last, "He has a use for me, he will not kill me. If you do not flee with the hero, he will have you all killed. I can see it clearer than I have yet to see anything."
Zelda breathed deep and hung her head, "If you are sure."
"I am."
The queen knelt down and kissed her daughter's forehead, "Be safe, see everything, allow the goddesses to walk with you," she closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, "I will be back to you as soon as I can."
"I know," she smiled, but she did not allow the conversation to continue. She could see as she lingered that the crowd's overwhelming feelings of disdain only grew and grew. She saw Midna's fear and her father's gleeful victory. Link's pain in bright red was becoming dimmer.
Just as the king opened his mouth to continue his monologue of lies, Emeline's angelic voice cut through all the noise.
"It is me, father," she spoke confidently, stepping down from the planter and making her way through the crowd toward the dais.
She approached Viscen and extended her hands to him. He played the part of the loving father well, the crowd all drawn in by his performance.
"My sweet, sweet daughter... Could it truly be?" he forced tears as he knelt down to her level and took her hands in his, "I never thought I would see you again."
She didn't care to act in his charade, "Father, you must tell the people the truth. The hero is not a murderer."
Viscen looked at her, then behind her at the confused people. He froze, unsure of what to say.
"He is the savior, the reason we are all here today. He-"
"He is a false idol! A man playing at god! He is a blasphemous killer!" the king shouted as he leapt back to his feet, running on sheer desperation.
"Yet, I am here, father," Emeline spoke softly.
She watched as his form took on many different colors. His green envy of the goddesses' chosen. His yellow fear in his lies being exposed to the people. His red anger at how this event may yet turn on him.
Emeline saw this rainbow of emotions, and she knew she had to teeter the ground between fact and fiction.
"The people deserve to know the truth," she raised her voice, standing beside her father and turning towards the crowd, "The hero is not to blame, nor is my father. They both live to serve Hyrule. It was all simply... a misunderstanding."
Viscen stood in shock, glancing out over his people as they murmured amongst themselves. The corner of his lips crept up and he draped his arm across his daughter's shoulders.
"That is right, my sweet Emeline," he held his other hand to his heart, "I deeply apologize to the people of Hyrule for pitting you prematurely against this man. My daughter is right... My emotions were high when I thought I lost my family... so I placed the blame where I could. Surely, you understand, having felt that condemning pain yourselves?"
He knew exactly how to play the crowd, and played they were.
They babbled soft replies in agreement and understanding, and Viscen knew he still had them.
"Still..." he went on, "This man is responsible for the death of a Hylian soldier. A wonderful man with a wife and child. And this sorceress," he turned to Midna, and her lip snarled that he would dare look at her, "This witch killed another brave soldier with devilry. I do not feel that these crimes can go unpunished."
Viscen spoke calmly, cautious to win back the populace's trust slowly, and win it back he did. The people quietly began to murmur in his favor, and that smirk crept back onto his face.
He turned for the hero, and Midna was quick to stand in his way.
"You touch him and you're dead."
Viscen turned to the crowd who gasped in shock at the twili's words, "Do you see? They kill your soldiers, they threaten your king, how should we react to such actions?"
The crowd slowly progressed from hushed mutterings to all-out chants in favor of their king. Emeline saw her mother's worry, Midna's disdain, Link's dimming resilience.
She lifted her gaze to the heavens. Storm clouds filled the air that matched those in her eyes. Rain started to trickle down and she felt it hit her face. For the first time since her mother first told her that the goddesses stood with her, she felt them. At last she lowered her gaze back to her people.
Nayru spoke through her and she didn't have to think. Thunder crashed and lightning struck just at the king's feet. He jumped back and the people screamed. Viscen latched onto his daughter for protection. In that moment of chaos, Midna attempted to grab her hero but she could not lift him. Rusl caught on to the distraction and ran through the crowd to reach them. Through the discord and cacophony of people's manifested fright, it may have been enough to distract the populace, but it was not enough to distract the king.
"Do not touch the prisoner!" Viscen shouted to be heard over the roaring storm.
Rain pelted heavily around them, and Rusl paid the king no mind as he bounded down the steps with his son in his arms.
Midna spat at him before following, "He is not yours to keep! He is mine, and we are taking him back."
And they were off. Zelda and Ren rushed to meet them, but Ren was concerned for the princess.
"We can't just leave Emeline here!" he yelled as they ran through the frantic crowd.
"She knows what she is doing," Zelda replied, hiking up her dress, "We will be back for her."
"Viscen is crazy!" Ren shouted, slowing down as he contemplated turning back for her, "We can't leave her with him! What if he-"
"She assured me he will not kill her, but he will kill us," Zelda answered urgently, "So we must go."
"But-"
"Snap out of it and hurry up!" Midna demanded back at them, keeping pace with Rusl to ensure Link's safety.
Behind them, the king was livid.
"GUARDS! Get them!"
But only half of them moved to obey his order.
"I said, get them!"
"Th-that's the queen, Your Majesty," one of them dared to object.
The king's ire turned his face beet-red. He snatched one of the soldier's weapons and held it to the one that dare defy him.
"You will listen to your king or you will die!"
The soldier gulped down the fear and did as he was told. The citizens were in a panic as lightning struck a nearby tree and set it ablaze. Everyone ran to get back to their homes, to collect their children, to get to any form of safety they could. The guards sprinted down the street the hero's company had taken, but they were too far behind - they'd lost the trail.
None of them looked back. They just kept running. They ran and pushed past people and ran some more until they reached the drawbridge where Shad awaited with the steeds fully kitted.
"Oh, my stars... Is the boy-"
"No time, Shad, we need to go now," Rusl blurted.
The scholar nodded in fluster, "Y-Yes! Yes! Let's go!"
And they did. In a flurry of kicked up dirt and grass, the horses carried them swiftly away. Rusl held Link with strong arms atop Epona. Ren and Midna mounted Mila. Shad and Zelda rode atop Ilari whom Colin had nervously offered to them, and the one borrowed steed from the castle stables the scholar had predicted they would need was left to graze, as they were now down a person.
Midna couldn't stop staring at her hero in Rusl's arms, her heart racing with so many different emotions. Ren couldn't stop glancing behind him, fearfully expecting to see a horde of angry Hylian soldiers, but he never did. There was no one behind them, but that did not slow their pace.
Returning to Kakariko felt like returning home, like at last finding an island in the vast ocean. Night fell long before their arrival, and they were spared the stares of the townsfolk. They flooded into the inn as quietly as their urgency allowed, instantly greeted by the tired faces of Ashei and Colin.
"Dad!" Colin shouted with enthusiasm, rushing to his father and staring at the form of his big brother in his arms.
Ashei saw for the first time the hero's downright miserable state, and thought the worst, muttering, "He's..."
"Fine," Midna interjected, but her chosen adjective was more so to convince herself, "He's fine. Can we skip the introductions and stories and get him upstairs to the old man?"
The others glanced uncomfortably between themselves, but Rusl agreed. He nodded and made his way upstairs past creaking floorboards and sleeping guests tucked away into the various rooms.
Midna thought she was experiencing déjà vu. She'd seen this so many times. So many times. She'd always been in his shadow, a third party, watching from the outskirts. Still it felt like a re-run, a loop or a vortex they found themselves perpetually repeating. She could not, for the life of her, bring herself to understand why this was his fate. To suffer, and suffer, and suffer again. Why? She longed to one day ask the goddesses herself, though she knew someone like her would never be granted such an audience.
Zelda and Shad remained downstairs to fill in Ashei and Colin on what took place. Ren and Midna followed at Rusl's heels in a trance. So much had happened, and it all happened so fast. Their brains were running a mile a minute, desperate to catch up, but before they could process much, they were in the room at the end of the hall.
For a long time, Midna simply stared. She paid no mind as Rusl lay her hero down and Ren took a seat at the edge of the room. She just... looked. So much precious time had been wasted in this room. Hours of praying to whatever deity she was worthy of that her hero would survive whichever ailment plagued him next. Broken, twisted, misplaced, maimed, burned... he'd endured it all. He'd survived it all.
In this room. These four walls alone had sheltered him at his weakest. This dusty old mattress had held him when he could not hold himself. This room had been a refuge, a safe place when all the world outside was dangerous. When all else fell around them, this place would always be here, standing, waiting. If time could not change it, could not wither its defenses, she figured nothing could.
Despite the usual, something was different. Everything was made up just for him. The bed was made with extra blankets to warm his frozen body. Bandages and alcohol to treat his wounds sat on a table just to the side. A bucket of water and some rags to clean him waited just beside them, along with a chair prepped for the shaman to do his work from. They had expected him to return to them in need of care. They had expected him to be in dire circumstance and had prepped accordingly. Part of Midna was mad that this was so routine that they could plan for it. The other part of her, however, was happy that they anticipated his return.
He lay there, and the murmurings between grandfather and grandson went unheard by the twilight queen. She stared at her hero, and her heart felt so many things. Part of her wanted him to just wake up, just open his eyes, so she could tell him everything she'd been thinking and feeling the past fifteen years. The other part of her wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted to tuck tail and run straight out of this accursed light world and back home, where everything was cold, lonely, but easy.
Inside her mind chanted, 'run, run, run,' but her heart commanded her, and she sat beside him. She did not notice Rusl leave to fetch Renado, and she did not notice Ren watching her stare lovingly at his father. The boy furrowed his brow, beginning to question what exactly their relationship had been. How much did he really know? How much of it was the truth?
When she looked again at her hero up close, he'd ventured back into the space of darkness he occupied so often. He was so battered, so beaten, so bruised, and she felt anger at that king. More than that, though, she felt...
She couldn't say it. As soon as the sound of that foolish word popped into her head she felt warm, and she went to grab his hand... Then her brain took over again.
"No," she whispered to herself, yanking her hand back and standing from her seat in a flash.
She stared down at him, sleeping soundly. His matted hair, the stubble on his chin, his wounds, his chest, Farore he was handsome.
"No," she demanded louder of herself, and she forced herself to turn away.
"What's wrong?" Ren asked, and the voice of the person she'd forgotten was in the room snapped her out of it.
"Nothing, I can't be in here," she said, heading for the door.
Had he the energy, maybe he would have protested, but he didn't. Ren got such a strange feeling from her, as if she had a major part to play in the reason his life was the way it was. There was some massive story he was not clued in on, and he was just beginning to realize it.
She rushed out of the door and he heard her hurried footsteps race down the stairs. Then he heard whispers from the first floor, and he heard nothing else. He looked over at his father, and he felt satisfied.
He'd done it. He'd gotten Midna. He'd saved him, gotten him home.
Now, more than anything, he just wanted to sleep. He sent a prayer to the goddesses that they would keep Emeline safe. The briefest flicker of thought reminded him of the king's strange words to him, but he was too tired to contemplate it.
His head lulled to the side, a smile on his face as he thought, at last, he'd done something right.
Hopefully, at last... his father would be proud of him.
He hoped his mother would be, too.
The smallest actions often set the biggest events into motion.
A big thank you to the following for helping me get this chapter out there!
Big Jake, Jared Thomason, Moonfairy, Jacob Peachey, Lee Glerum, Owen Reilly, Anonymouse, Ivalee, Lotus Eater, Silvia Delgado, Brandan Saldaña, Eponas, Sabine, Rob Walters, Yami No Nokutan, Mandelbrot, Jessie, Gabby-J, Claudia, Chloe Rose, Debora, SonadowKokoro100
You guys are amazing!
