Chapter Three: Darkness Rising
"Now what?" Zelda asked, slumping a little lower in her chair. I closed my eyes for a moment, sudden grief for my lost realm coming over me. One would think that I would be used to losing my home by now, but it was no use. I just couldn't get the feeling of homesickness to vanish. I finally looked up again when I heard Link speak.
"Well we don't know that anything is wrong yet," he spoke softly, considering the situation a bit more logically than probably either Zelda or I was at the moment. He didn't have a kingdom at risk of being lost for the second time within a year.
"You think nothing is wrong?" Zelda spoke softly, "Link, Ganondorf is alive again and in this world. You and I both know better than to believe that he is here with good intentions – honestly did you see the way he was attacking Midna or did you have your eyes closed?" Zelda's voice grew louder as she spoke, close to yelling at Link towards the end.
Not one to back down, Link spoke up with an even louder tone than Zelda managed, "My eyes closed? How dare you accuse me of sitting back and not doing anything? If you had been there by yourself when Midna came through then he would've killed you both!" His voice broke on the last few words and he slumped back into his seat, exhausted from his small outburst. He didn't want to fight with Zelda, but he was really stressed out at the moment.
Tired of having my name tossed around without a say I spoke up finally, "Link, Zelda's right." He sat up straight and stared me down at this. I felt a little lost as I stared into his wild blue eyes, but before I could lose myself too much I shook my head once, clearing it, and held up my hand.
"I don't mean to say you didn't help, however I think that Ganon was just being smart. He saw he was out numbered and backed down so that he could – most likely – gather strength," I explained. I thought briefly of what Ganondorf had wanted from me – the Triforce of Power. He wouldn't rest until he got it back that was for sure, but he was no fool. He couldn't have removed the Triforce from my hand with Link swinging a sword at him. He was powerful, but not that much so.
I could see Link considering this and as he watched my face I noticed how his own features softened and he relaxed once again.
"So," Zelda spoke up again, looking between Link and me a few times. "We're just going to… wait?"
"Well," Link paused pondering his next words then, nodding once to himself, said, "I could go look around, maybe go back to the desert." For some reason my heart jumped into my throat when he said this. The idea of him out in the middle of the Gerudo Desert by himself when we had no idea where Ganon was or what he was up to put me on edge.
Zelda smiled, "It would be most helpful if you did, Hero. I will have provisions prepared and your horse washed and readied. How long do you need before setting out?" I felt my mouth fall open a little as she said this. Surely she wasn't going to send the only Hero we had out alone?
"I think I need to stop by Ordon before I do anything, I have a bad feeling about this and I don't…." He seemed unable to finish, perhaps not being able to find the right words, but he didn't have to say anything for me to understand. He had left unexpectedly once before and many times he came close to death on that adventure. He didn't want to risk his neck knowing something wasn't all nice and wrapped up back at his smelly farmhouse.
I growled to myself – at least I had thought it was to myself.
"What's wrong Midna?" Link asked, concern in his deep blue eyes.
"Nothing!" I snapped back at him.
He looked a little hurt, but I ignored him and turned back to Zelda, "I need to talk to you privately." She looked at me and nodded once before glancing at Link.
He stood up and walked straight to the door, not once looking back. He opened the door slowly and for a moment I thought he was going to turn and say something. Then he shrugged his shoulders and stepped outside, closing the door behind him.
As soon as the door closed I turned to Zelda and glared at her.
"What is it, Midna?" Zelda asked with a sigh. I briefly thought of the short time she had taken bunk in my head. After she had saved me by transmuting her soul into my own being I had been able to hear the echo of her opinion on all of my private thoughts. Some of those opinions I wished, even now, she had kept to herself.
"Zelda," I spoke softly, not even bothering to hide the fear in my voice for she would already know what I was feeling – she had learned much while taking refuge in my mind, honestly she knew me better than I knew myself at times. At times it was annoying, then at others such as this it saved me time on explanations. "I don't want to see Link going out there by himself. Any information he gathers will be of no use to us if he doesn't make it back alive to tell us." I looked my Light counter part straight in the eye.
Zelda sighed, "I thought that might be it. You could go with him, I suppose, but there might be some things on his mind that he needs to think through on his own." She looked back at me, trying desperately to convey this message. "Midna, you've both been through a lot, let Link have his day at Ordon then speak with him of this when he returns."
I tried to come up with an argument to fight this, but it did seem like fairly sound logic. We had been through a lot today. With my reappearance on the anniversary of the shattering of the mirror and Ganon's return, we were both under some stress. Not to mention I had my own questions to find answers to. Zelda stood and, with a bow of her head, left the room, leaving me to think in peace.
I was back in the Light Realm, a miracle in itself, was I willing to waste this miracle for the good of my people a second time?
I had left my throne when Twilight first invaded this land in order to free my home from the usurper. As the princess, some day queen, I felt compelled to do this. It was my goddess given duty. After both realms had been saved – not that I had cared what happened to the Light Realm so much as Princess Zelda was nagging in my head – I returned to the Mirror of Twilight in order to shatter it and prevent any pollution from reaching my realm ever again.
That was what I had intended at least.
I suppose the thought of finding a friend in this realm never really occurred to me. More than a friend, I found a best friend. The kind of friend who you could count on to pray for you when you're sick and the kind of friend who would always take a stand for you. I found a best friend who protected me and fought for a realm that, previous to meeting me, he didn't even know existed.
The kind of friend it was hard to keep… a purely plutonic relationship with.
As this thought passed through my mind, I stirred restlessly in my chair which had suddenly become uncomfortable. Link had changed everything. Was it possible that he had changed me as well?
Frustrated and sick of trying to sort through the jumbled mess I call my head I stood up and pushed the chair in roughly before exiting the room. In my rush to get out of the room I nearly ran headlong into the person waiting patiently for me.
"What do you think you're doing? Were you spying on me?" I demanded harshly.
The young man dressed in the blue of the Royal Hylian Army shook his head quickly and backed up a step. "I-I was told to wait for you to emerge then g-guide y-you to your chambers," he stuttered obviously frightened by my sudden emergence and outburst.
I felt bad for spooking the guy who had obviously drawn a very short straw here, but was still far too upset by my musings to attempt a cheerful act. Instead I nodded and followed him at a brisk pace through the winding corridors of Hyrule Castle. After twenty turns and 892 paces (I counted to keep myself distracted) we reached our destination. With a small bow he turned and walked in the opposite direction from where we had come.
I opened the simple red-colored wood door with elegant carvings of vines and the Triforce and walked into a rather large bedchamber. To my left as I walked in was a bed that fit the overly large proportions of the room and to my right was a massive stone hearth with a fire already burning in it. In front of the roaring fire was a square table of the same red-colored wood as the door with two simple chairs setting opposite of each other. Straight ahead of me was an open balcony with a simple brass railing. I made no sound as I ghosted over the smooth stone floor to peer over the balcony's edge.
I didn't dare to rush all the way to the edge at first but upon seeing that the railing was secure I braved another few inches out and gawked at the ground far below me. It looked like the courtyard though I had yet to be given a proper tour of the castle grounds. There was a large tree in the center of the grassy plot of land with a stone-gray bench resting on its side. To the far right – in front of the stone seating – was a large but relatively simple fountain. Flowers bloomed all around and three carefully placed hedges would block the bench from sight unless you had an eagle's eye view.
As I turned my head slowly to the left to continue my examination I was surprised to feel a warm hand on my shoulder. I spun and jumped backwards, trying to distance myself from the unexpected arrival. In my rush to get away I had jumped back too far and slipped over the railing of the balcony. I screamed as I tumbled backwards, shutting my eyes tight, but before I could fall to my death the stranger grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back to the safety of solid ground.
I prepared myself to attack, but when I opened my eyes I was met with concerned deep sky-blue eyes and all of the fight left me. I slumped against him for support, trying to catch my breath so I could yell at him. Before I could do anything though I felt his hand against my check and I looked up at him, confused.
"Link?" I asked cautiously.
He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Without opening them he released me from his grasp and took three large steps back. I felt oddly hurt as he did this, but ignored the small feeling. I crossed my arms and waited for him to open his eyes.
"Zelda told me," he started, slowly opening his eyes, "that you might want to talk to me about possibly joining me on this… man-hunt. Is that true?"
I couldn't understand the look on his face. He looked so stern, so serious and yet his beautiful blue eyes betrayed some kind of excitement. Like he was hiding some kind of hope that he didn't want to display or feel, perhaps.
"Yes," I spoke softly but with a firm conviction. "I want to travel with you to find him. This isn't just about Zelda and her kingdom; it's about mine too. I just don't happen to have a hero I can send out to do my bidding."
He grinned wolfishly at me, "Well I'm kind of a hero for both of you."
I snorted, "Yeah, right, like I would trust my kingdom to some mangy flea bag again? You must know me better than that by now!" He rolled his eyes, but chuckled a bit.
"Well aside from that, I just came up to tell you that I'm leaving now – back to Ordon. Once I get back we'll stock up and head out." He paused and thought of something that I knew would've come up sooner or later. "Wait can't you warp?" He asked with a confused look on his face. Probably thinking about munching on sand.
I laughed once but the laughter sounded dead even to me. "No," I shook my head sadly. "It would seem that I retain any powers of my own but when I shattered the mirror I, in effect, sealed the warp spots for good. They weren't my doing, you understand. If they still worked do you honestly think I would've rode with you on that horrid beast you call a horse?" I saw his head drop and ears droop when I said this. I shouldn't have insulted his horse I suppose.
"Er, not that you don't have a nice, uhm, horse," I granted, though it sounded more like a question. He looked up at me from under his bangs and I saw his mouth twist up into a smirk. I rolled my eyes and pushed him. I was just trying to get him out the door, but not expecting my sudden 'attack' he yelped and grabbed me for support. Seeing as I was much lighter than him and not nearly as strong he should've known that was a bad idea.
We both tumbled down and hit the stone floor with a thump.
"Oww…." He groaned trying to roll to the side, but not having much luck seeing as I was pinning him down. I lifted my head from his chest and shook it once in an attempt to see straight once more.
Suddenly the door flew open and Princess (I suppose queen now, I'd have to ask later) Zelda stepped into the room. How the woman managed perfect timing with a situation like this I will never know. She looked around the room, then down at the floor when Link moaned and I saw the tips of her ears go red. I let my head fall back onto his chest. This was just what I didn't need. Right on cue Zelda started up.
"Oh, I'm so sorry I should've knocked," she started babbling and I swear I never would've believed her capable of being flustered, but in this moment of time I could tell she had absolutely no idea what to do.
"Please, Zelda," I said trying to stand or at least get off of Link. "Do you really think so little of my morals?" This only caused her to blush and stammer more. I finally managed to stand up and lean against the wall for support. Link was still on the ground writhing in pain and moaning. I took my eyes of his prone form and looked up at Zelda.
"I can explain," I defended when I saw her tilt her head to the side in confusion. "He snuck into my room without knocking or anything so I was trying to get him out and – " I gestured vaguely with my hands. The room was silent for maybe thirty seconds before Zelda spoke again.
"So," she said slowly, trying to clarify, "you knocked the Hero of Light unconscious?"
I gaped at her and stuttered incoherently for a moment before I finally forced some understandable language through my lips, "No! He is not unconscious, just…." I trailed off and looked at him again. "Link?" I asked cautiously. No response. Curses!
Zelda looked back up at me waiting for a better excuse. "Well, Farore!" I exclaimed. "At least I didn't hit him upside the head with a Deku Stick!" More silenced followed this comment. Truth be told, it was getting a bit awkward what with the Hero of Light laying unconscious on the floor between two highly esteemed royals.
"Why don't I just call a guard and tell him to throw Link in his room?" Zelda asked after another minute. I nodded in agreement. She poked her head out of the doorway and motioned to someone. Moments later a rather large looking royal guard entered the room, walked over to Link and picked him up like a sack of potatoes. Zelda and I walked out my door to watch from a distance as the guard lumbered off to Link's room. Surprisingly his room was right next to mine, just several yards down. We watched as the guard opened the door and quite literally chucked Link into his room. I winced when I heard a loud whack and then a groan come from the room Link had just been thrown in.
I felt bad; the poor guy was probably going to have one bad headache when he finally woke up. Zelda turned around slowly to face me again. We both shrugged at the same time and said a quick good night before she took off down the hall and I went back into my room.
To say that my first day back in the Light Realm had been confusing was to say the least. With a groan of frustration I realized I didn't even have a change of clothes. After debating a few minutes I decided it would be best if I just sucked it up and slept in the clothes I had; my luck someone else would burst into my room without warning and I didn't want to be underdressed for the occasion. With luck maybe everyone in the castle had already heard that I knocked people unconscious and raped them when they walked into my room. That was the best do-not-disturb sign I ever had in my entire life.
I plopped down on the soft surface of the bed and quickly drifted into a dark sleep.
The next morning I woke up to a bright light and immediately thought something was wrong. In a panic, I jumped up and looked around at my surroundings frantically. This wasn't my room – I looked outside – this isn't my realm! I took a deep breath as the events from yesterday raced back into my mind, filling in the blanks.
Ganondorf.
More importantly… Link.
The next round of memories gave me the strange urge to laugh and cringe at the same time. The Hero of Light lying on the floor – I think he was twitching a little.
I shook my head to dispel the thoughts and stretched my stiff back. Glancing around I suddenly felt another jolt of homesickness. I felt like I should be doing something, but I didn't know what to do here in the Light Realm. Obviously I couldn't go about my regular ruling duties because that was Zelda's job here. With no other motivation I decided to go search for some more clothes, the ones I was currently wearing were beginning to stink almost as much as a reekfish.
I stepped out into the hall and came to my next problem. Which way did I go? I looked left, right, then straight ahead. I couldn't seem to remember which way I came from last night when I had followed that one kid out of the meeting room. Looking left again I recalled Link being thrown into the room just down from mine and decided to start there. Maybe he would know how to get out of here.
I stopped in front of his door and knocked on the solid wood lightly. I waited a few moments, but no answer. "Link?" I called softly, knocking again. I tilted my head to the side, confused. Where could he be? For that matter where was everyone? I hadn't seen a soul since I woke up this morning. Granted that wasn't too long ago but it still had me worried.
"Oh, Midna?" A voice called from behind me. I spun around and saw Zelda approaching me. I immediately let out a sigh of relief, if Zelda was here then at least that meant the castle wasn't under attack.
"You don't sit on your throne much do you?" I asked a bit harshly. I hadn't seen her suffering on a giant chair listening to problems yet, what kind of ruler was she?
"Most everyone's still asleep right now actually. I just saw Link off, so I figured I should probably come check on you too," she replied, ignoring the tone of my last question.
"Sleeping? Why?" I asked truly perplexed. It was so bright when I woke up this morning; surely it had to be past the waking time here?
"Actually the day just broke, I assume because you're so used to the Twilight Realm the small amount of light caught you off guard," she speculated. Weird, I thought, but possible.
"Wait!" I exclaimed thinking back to what she had said earlier. "Did you say you just saw Link off? As in he's gone?" I questioned her, my voice close to panic. Her eyes widened a little at my sudden out burst, but she put a reassuring hand on my shoulder nonetheless.
"He'll be back by nightfall I believe," she said in a reassuring tone. I nodded sadly. He would be back soon enough I knew that. No reason to get all worked up. Of course why wait for him when I could easily catch up to him and join him? So tempting, but so wrong.
"Say, Zelda," I said in the most innocent voice I could manage. "How do I get out of this great castle of yours, I want to get some fresh air before the light gets too intense." I smiled sweetly at her. She frowned back at me, but with a gesture she led me to the main room of the castle and pointed out the exit. I thanked her and walked as calmly as possible towards the door and out into the brisk morning air. I felt a strange excitement stir in me upon feeling the Light Realm's air on my exposed skin. I could tell that the Light Realm would soon be experiencing cold weather, but right now it was only cool and damp out.
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Zelda wasn't still watching me before I tried to move into the nearest shadow. A thrill went through me as I easily slipped into the castle shadow. I looked at a shadow down the path, outside of the main gates of the castle, in Castle Town. I reached fearlessly for the shadow and found myself in the new shadow with ease and more importantly speed.
I laughed once in pleasure and startled a near by guard who had been dozing. I fell silent and began slipping from shadow to shadow, racing towards Ordon faster than any lousy horse could hope to go. I had to squeeze into some pretty tight shadows in Hyrule Fields but even then I flew with a speed some people could only dream of.
I caught up to Link somewhere in Faron and rode his shadow the rest of the way. The joy I found by lounging in his shadow was inconceivable even to me. Maybe it was just nostalgia. Maybe it was because I was riding with my best friend once again. I didn't know and I didn't care enough to ponder it, I simply accepted it. When his horse clomped over the long, rickety bridge I really started to reminisce.
Right there, that was the exact spot he had first passed through a Twilight curtain and I first laid eyes on him. There, to my left was the spring where Ordona, the goat-like Light Spirit, thanked Link and told him he was stuck as a beast until he saved the other Light Spirits, and even then there was no guarantee. Ah and then came the Ordon Village itself. The place where I had him collect his first sword and shield.
The strange but friendly folks who lived here were called family by Link. He never knew his parents from what I gather, so the entire village just sort of adopted him. The kids worshiped him and the adults loved him. Had fate stayed its course Link would've likely taken over as head of the village, probably married that Ilia girl, and had a nice family. He probably would've herded many more goats.
The lone Hylian was not destined to such an easy life though. A blessing from the goddesses and a raid on his paradise flung him off the easy course he had been sailing and into rough waters not many dared tread.
I felt sorry for him, of course, but the whole worlds-colliding bit had its effect on my life as well. I was dethroned and transformed, just like Link. I guess it really was a blessing to find him, the sacred blue-eyed beast. Without him I would still be Zant's fugitive if not worse.
I was jarred from my thoughts as Link suddenly jumped off the horse and walked towards the village. I vaguely noticed that his horse started to walk in the opposite direction, but my attention was more front words looking for signs of life in the sleepy little village. The village reminded me of a group of dogs. One dog started barking and pretty soon they all were even though some couldn't figure out why everyone else was barking.
"Link!" The voice of a child sounded throughout the village and all was silent a moment before….
"Link! Link!"
"Where have you been?"
"You left again!"
"Why didn't you say good-bye?"
All of the shouting was starting to make my head hurt, Link waved his hands frantically trying to calm everyone down. So it was all I could do to keep from bursting into laughter when Link went down after being tackled by the village children – though I'm pretty sure some adults helped. I left Link to drown in the small sea of bodies and jumped shadows when I noticed one person sneaking away from the group.
We weren't completely away from the noise before I realized whose shadow I had just taken room in. I glanced at the face of Ilia, the farm girl and very likely Link's girlfriend, and immediately had a bad feeling. I considered changing shadows again, but curiosity got the best of me so I waited to see where she would go. Unsurprisingly, she went to the Ordon Spring where Epona was standing waiting for her or Link to come and fetch her.
I heard her make a small tsk-ing sound and she began speaking softly to the horse, "He's always riding you too hard. He must've left before dawn to get here from the desert. I'll bet he barely gave you a breather between going up there and coming back. He's always pushing himself and you too hard." This confused me a little. She was talking to his horse but she was talking about him.
She continued, "I wish he would just stay home long enough for me to get just three words out. Three's all I need. Sometimes I wish you would just do me a favor and stop listening to him for just a moment or two." She sighed and continued to pet the horse gently. This only served to confused me further. Link had been here for an entire year after I had left, right? Well take away a few days to travel but other than that…
Both Ilia and I turned when we heard another person approaching, their boots crunching in the sand.
"Link," she breathed with a smile, echoing my own thoughts.
"Hey Ilia," he greeted her before turning to pet his mount. There was a long moment of silence but I could tell it wasn't awkward with Ilia like it sometimes was when we were together. This made me a little more uncomfortable than I already was. Link turned to Ilia and when their eyes met I could literally feel the intensity in the gaze. It was suffocating.
"Uh, Link," Ilia said quietly, blushing a little. "You've been away so much since we were kidnapped" – I saw Link wince at the memory, but she continued on ignoring him – "and I just wanted to know why." She looked back at Link and waited for an answer. He shifted his weight and looked down at his boots.
"Ilia," he whispered. "I think I need to tell you something before I leave again." She looked confused at first, then a little hurt, then curious. She nodded, signaling for him to continue.
He took a deep breath before starting again, "Ilia when you guys were kidnapped, you missed a lot of what happened… what I did to get you guys back safe and sound. I don't mean simply the killing I had to do or the traveling. Some things happened that you wouldn't ever believe." The girl nodded once, slowly.
"Like what?" She asked after a moment of silence. Link seemed a little surprised she would ask, but I knew he would tell her.
"Long story really short, there was this stuff called Twilight – and I don't mean the kind you see when the sun sets. This Twilight was – is – magical. Most people who walk into this kind of Twilight become spirits. I was different." He glanced at her to see how she was reacting. I could tell she was really trying to understand and accept this. My heart went out to her. She wanted to understand him so badly, but she was struggling with it.
"So that's why you knew where to find the younger kids, and why you showed up after the monsters disappeared?" She asked. I was surprised she caught on and made the leap with so little information. Link shared in my surprise.
"Yes," he said speaking a little bit more clearly. "Those monsters were really there and when they vanished – well that was me."
"But you said that everyone turned into spirits?" Ilia asked her face clouding over with confusion again. "Plus no one mentioned seeing you kill these monsters. They just vanished."
"I also said that I was different," Link went back to whispering. "Ilia when I entered the Twilight I was changed like everyone else, but unlike everyone else I became… I… I turned into a… a… beast." I could see him biting into his bottom lip and looking at his boots again. Ilia was perfectly still.
"A beast?" She finally found her voice several minutes later. "So you walked around as… an animal… and you fought these monsters, but no one could see you in the Twilight?" Link let out a breath he had been holding.
"Yes, a wolf actually," he smiled at her. "I know it's impossible to believe, but that is what happened. That's how I saved you and everyone else."
She thought about this for a while longer before she looked up at him and smiled. "That's pretty cool, can I see that or do you have to be in the Twilight?" I knew the answer to that – it was in my pocket. I had kept the embodiment of the evil curse Zant put on Link after I had returned to the Twilight Realm. To be honest I never went anywhere without it. Link could transform still but he didn't know that.
I wasn't going to give it to him just so he could show that girl. Not to mention the fact that I would compromise my hiding spot. Just let him disappoint her maybe she'd let him leave sooner.
Yet… This girl was so kind to Link. She was his best friend at the very least. They were much better friends than he and I ever would be, and for some reason that really tore at me. I couldn't understand it or accept it. Even though I felt such a strange distaste for the girl, not quite hatred but still a loathing, I couldn't help but think of how happy it would make Link to show her. If Link had taught me anything he taught me to never let a chance to help someone pass you by.
I couldn't comprehend the emotions that now felt like an onslaught. Joy for helping Link. Anger at the girl for stealing the one secret I shared with Link when they surely shared thousands of their own secrets. Then this last one that confused me the most: a protective feeling mixed with desire. Desire for what I couldn't tell though. Was my desire to be with Link or simply a desire to talk with him as freely as he talked with this girl?
Anger won out, but not anger at the girl. I was angry with myself for not being able to understand my own emotions.
I switched to Link's shadow but made sure he could feel it. He did and when he looked down at me I waved to him just enough for him to see without spooking Ilia. He quickly excused himself from Ilia telling her that she might be able to see him as a beast yet.
I jumped out of his shadow once we were out of sight. His whole face was a bright red and when he opened his mouth to question me I waved my hand to cut him off. I held up the stone and touched it to his forehead. I saw the surprised looked on his face right before he transformed, then he looked up at me with a questioning gaze.
I shrugged, "If you want, I'll come translate. With what you've already said I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to explain me." He looked down at his paws before nodding to me. With that we walked back to the Ordon Spring.
Taking a deep breath I stepped around the corner and walked slowly towards Ilia. She didn't hear me until my feet met the edge of the water. The girl spun around quickly and upon seeing me let out a gasp and jumped back. Then she just stood there. Staring at me like I was a ghost or something. She didn't look very graceful with her mouth hanging open like that, so to save her any further embarrassment I spoke first.
"Hi," I said, my voice bleak.
"Uh, h-hey there," she stuttered back. At least she stopped gaping at me like a fish out of water.
"I'm just here to translate for Link, or explain rather," I told her, pronouncing each word slowly like she might run away screaming if I moved or talked too fast.
I saw her eyes go wide when I mentioned Link's name. "W-where is he?" She demanded, obviously trying to protect her friend even though she was still dazed from seeing me. I guess I couldn't blame her. If I had never seen a Light dweller until one randomly walked up to me in my throne room, I'd be confused too.
Link walked in at this moment – he must've been hiding around the corner to see how I was received. Come to think of it I never really did get a proper introduction with this girl. Not that it matter really. I was more than likely never going to see the farm girl again after this.
Link walked around me, his tail brushing my exposed leg for a brief moment, before trotting over to Ilia. He sat down several feet away from her and looked up expectantly. Ilia just stood there staring back. Thinking about it, I don't think she's moved a muscle since I walked in other than to talk to me a little bit.
"That's Link, in case you didn't catch that," I said with the most sarcastic tone I could manage. I watched her face as this information slowly sunk in. Her eyes lit up and I heard her gasp, then she dropped to her knees and hugged Link tightly around the neck. I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth as I watched her rub her filthy face against his nice coat.
Then Link started licking her face. Something snapped inside me though I wasn't sure what. I did know this: I was going to leave him like that and go back to the castle. Let's see his precious farm girl help him get back into Hyrule Castle while he was an overgrown flea-biter.
I turned around to leave, but as soon as I started walking Link jogged over to me. When he walked in front of me and sat down I was sorely tempted to kick him. Instead I just walked around him. It didn't do me much good because then he started to tug on some of the loose fabric of my clothes. This time I didn't hesitate; I spun around and slapped him.
He dropped the clothes he had been tugging on and stopped walking, though I couldn't tell if he was actually hurt or just surprised. I didn't care enough to ask. I stomped on until I was out of the line of sight of both Ilia and Link before I dived back into the shadows. I raced away from Ordon Spring as fast as I could, but I still heard a wolf's cry as it echoed through the lonely forest.
I arrived back at the castle sometime late in the afternoon, and I was quickly greeted by Zelda who then proceeded to demand to know where I had been. I waved her off and sulked back to my room. Never would I claim that Zelda wasn't wise; she figured out that I didn't want to be disturbed pretty quickly.
I drew the curtains in my bedroom to drown out some of the harsh light. Not that I wasn't used to the sun by now so much as I didn't want to be reminded that I wasn't home right now. I didn't want to think about the fact that I couldn't do anything useful here. I didn't want to think about my time here on my last visit. Certainly not that because then I would inevitably start thinking about him, and if I started thinking about him I might realize just how much he had hurt me this afternoon.
I sat down in one of the chairs near the fire and watched the flames leap about the lone burning log. It took a while – I don't know how long – but eventually I did start to think about him. I started to think how I had slapped him and backtracked through my memories as to why I did this. I had followed him to Ordon against his wishes and then I spied on him as he talked to Ilia.
He had told her too much. The idiot wolf even went so far as to tell her about his transformation. My blood boiled at the thought of him carelessly telling her about the Twilight, but more than that I was upset with the way he told her. He made the Twilight sound like a bad thing. Never mind the fact that he didn't even mention me and what I did to help rescue the brats. Not that I did much.
Still that didn't explain why I had hit him.
Maybe it was because he had every intention of showing her what he looked like. Maybe it was because he gave up his secret to her so easily. His being a wolf was the one thing that only I truly knew about. Yes, Zelda had seen him in his transformed state, but she hadn't bonded with him while he was a mangy fleabag. I did though.
When I first laid eyes on him he was a beast, but more than that he was the sacred beast from my people's legends. That was something no one in this Light Realm could understand. Everyone thought if he was a wolf he was a monster just like they think all Twili are. Not a soul (aside from Zelda perhaps) would ever learn to look past his beast form and see the man he still was inside, underneath all of the fur and fangs. Not a person alive would learn to love him, wolf or no wolf.
I did though.
I loved him while he was a wolf first then I learned to love him as a Hylian. Whenever I think of him I always think of that blue-eyed beast before I think of anything else, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Was that why I had slapped him simply because he was being a fool and walking down the path of his own destruction by telling that girl such things? Perhaps old habits simply die hard and I was just trying to advise him again. That would make sense. I grinned and nodded to myself. I even laughed out loud once because it was so silly. Getting worked up all because Link wanted to share his secret with his best friend. After all I wasn't his mother, he could do what ever he wants without my approval.
I chose to ignore the fact that the laughter hurt, and that there was a darkness rising in me. Not the kind of darkness that armies fought to protect their land, their home. It was the darkness of an ignored love and of a brewing jealousy, such dangerous things when ignorance is present.
I stood up and walked towards the door planning on finding Zelda and apologizing for my rather strange behavior earlier, but as I reached for the door handle a loud explosion shook the entire castle and I nearly lost my balance. Catching myself on the door handle I quickly flung the door open and prepared to make a dash for the main room to find out what had happened, but a servant was already outside waiting for me.
As I followed him through the twists and turns of Hyrule Castle I asked him, "What happened?"
"We're under attack," he responded briefly. I stopped cold in my tracks with my mouth opened in horror. The servant ran several more paces before realizing I had stopped. He turned around and beckoned for me, but I felt paralyzed suddenly.
Suddenly, with another ear splitting explosion, the roof caved in above where I was standing. I managed to look up in shock as the heavy stone of the roof plummeted towards me.
