Chapter 2
Realizing how exposed they were, the two of them headed moved their conversation inside Link's house, where they were less likely to be overheard by a passerby. Link cleared of the nearest table and pulled up a couple of chairs for them to sit.
"Anyways, I was stuck as a wolf in some sort of prison, but at that moment the only thing I cared about was getting out of that chain. I tried just about everything to break the shackle on my leg, but the thing wouldn't budge an inch. I quickly realized that I wasn't alone and I looked up from my shackles. That was the first time I ever saw her." Link continued.
Rusl leaned back with a small grin on his face. "I see now, this is about princess Zelda." Rusl said, a hint of amusement in his voice. To this Link tilted his head to side and pondered over Rusl's words for a minute.
"I'd have to say yes and no to that." Link said slowly. "This is about the princess, but Zelda has very little to do with it. You see, on the other side of the bars of the cell was an imp. She in no way friendly to me, but she got me out the cell and took me to see Zelda. Zelda briefly explained to me what had happened to Hyrule and why I had turned into a wolf. It was also then that I learned that the imp was named Midna. As we left, Midna gave me an option. I could go back to Ordon and live the rest my days as a beast, or I would do whatever she told me to do and she would help me save the children and Ilia in return. For a while, we had a pattern of of events. Return the light to a light spirit, become human, save someone that had been taken, explore a temple or dungeon and retrieve a fused shadow. That was the name of the magic items that Midna needed me to retrieve for her. As we worked together, she became less harsh. She would no longer shout at me for not getting something done fast enough, and she began to understand what I was going through. After a couple weeks, I retrieved the final fused shadow for her."
Link briefly paused, allowing Rusl to process what he had heard. "Well, that explains why the we lost contact with the rest of Hyrule. Please, go on with your story." With a slight dip of his head, Link continued.
"I knew the fused shadows were powerful, but I had no idea why Midna needed them until we were ambushed. Zant the Usurper King had been watching us from the shadows. He overpowered Lanayru with a wave of his hand, bathing the province in twilight. I was forced to go through the transformation into the sacred beast, rendering myself unconscious. When I woke up, Midna was lying on the ground, moments away from being hit by one of Zant's spells. We may not have gotten along very well, but she helped me save everyone and I wasn't about to let someone kill her. I lunged at him only to be hit right on in the head by the projectile that was intended for her. She could have ran away then. It only would have taken her a couple of seconds to warp half way across Hyrule. You can imagine my surprise when I felt her kneel beside me, trying to see if I was alright. That's what made me realize that she didn't just think of me as a means to an end, but as a friend."
Rusl sat there with a look of awe on his face as Link spoke of rushing Midna to the castle, being chosen by the master sword, the search for the mirror shards, and restoring Zelda's spirit to her body. "All my life I've heard the tales of various youths garbed in green, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see one in my lifetime." Rusl exclaimed with a look of childish joy on his face. But that excitement was soon replaced by a look of concern. "What became of Ganondorf after Zelda was freed and what happened to Midna?"
"Right as we got to Zelda, Ganondorf's essence began to reform as a massive ball of fire in the shape of his head. I was backing away in shock when I noticed Midna had summoned all of the fused shadows. I tried to stop her from fighting him alone but she had already began to warp me and Zelda out of the castle. The last thing I saw before I warped was her looking back at me with saddest of smiles on her face." Link said. He leaned his head forward and wiped away the tears that were beginning to form.
Rusl placed his hand on Links shoulder. "You don't have to keep going do this if your not ready."
"No, I can't. I can't just keep on running away from what happened. I have to let it out before it consumes me." Link said. "Zelda and I were deposited onto the field directly north of Kakariko Village. Seconds later, the top of Hyrule castle exploded. Every second felt like a lifetime as I sat there and waited for Midna to show herself. I was broken out of my stupor when Zelda grabbed my shoulder and pointed at Ganondorf's form in the distance. His dark steed rose on its hind legs and he lifted a fused shadow above his head. He easily crushed Midna's helmet, and my heart went with it. That was Ganondorf's greatest mistake. He thought that his display would make me lose the will to keep fighting, but all I felt at that moment was fear. It took him seconds to defeat Midna when she was at her strongest. What could I do against someone with that much power?' Link sighed his head resting in his hands. When he looked up, his face was covered with a small smile. 'But Midna didn't die so I could just give up. I had slain monsters that were born from our nightmares, traveled to places that few even know to exist, and I would not let one man kill more innocent people in the pursuit of power."
That turned out to be a lot more dialogue than I expected. Still, I felt that it was necessary for them to have this conversation. The next chapter will be about the final battle between Link and Ganondorf.
