Chapter Twelve: Quelling the Storm

We arrived at the Arbiter's Grounds late in the afternoon and the troops immediately started spreading out, surrounding the compound, and chasing out the few bokoblins that they found. Zant and Zelda immediately went to work spreading out the troops into patrols and report centers. We knew Ganondorf and his troops were out here, we just weren't sure where exactly yet.

Once the troops had their orders, Link and I joined Zelda and Zant in the command tent.

"Midna do you know exactly where she's at?" Zelda asked quietly, lest she be overheard by an overly curious patrolman.

"Deep inside Arbiter's Grounds," I answered listening carefully to the instructions the voices fed me. "Deeper than Link and I went the first time."

Link nodded grimly, his full memory of Arbiter's Grounds running through his head. "How did we not notice the first time?"

"It's not like we had a particularly strong sense of the supernatural," I replied. "We were so focused on getting to the Mirror of Twilight I guess it just never occurred to us that it went deeper than that."

"Din may have been dormant at the time as well," Zelda answered. "She only resurrects and empowers Ganondorf, but if he were alive at the time and doing her biding, then she wouldn't need to be active necessarily. The two of you should be able to find her fairly easily this time around, since she recently brought Ganondorf back."

Zant waved his hands cutting off the conversation. "Wait! What are you guys talking about?"

"Link and I have that task to complete," I explained.

"We should probably get going," Link said, glaring a bit at Zant.

Zelda nodded. "Very well then. May the blessing of Farore and Nayru carry you."

Link bowed his head slightly. "Thank you."

Zant looked at me uncertainly. "Uh, good luck, I guess?"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, just don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." Link and I turned and started to walk out of the tent.

"I've never done anything stupid!" he protested.

We both paused and looked over our shoulders at him doubtfully.

"Just go!" he pouted.

With that we headed out of the tent and started the long trek to the heart of Arbiter's Grounds—the prison itself.


The walk over to the entrance of the grounds was a bit awkward to say the least. With each step I felt like we were approaching some kind of cataclysm, yet all we could manage to do was walk side by side like always, not saying a word. What if this was our last chance to say anything? What if it was my last shot to apologize and explain?

As I mulled this over, Link apparently had similar thoughts and beat me to the punch.

"Why'd you bring back Zant?" he asked quietly as we walked ever closer to the final showdown with… with whatever awaited us in the secret chamber hidden by the massive prison.

I swallowed hard. Any other time and I could have brushed off the question and avoided the subject, but something—an instinct, I suppose—told me that what I knew now would not be what existed after we confronted what awaited us.

Even my pride wasn't worth a lost chance and a life of regret.

I owed him a few answers, and this one seemed fairly basic compared to everything else we had faced and gone through so far.

We stopped in front of the entrance and I let out a small sight, partially in preparation and partially in recognition. We were on the cusp.

"Link I'm not that much older than you. Not in terms of normal time," I said at last. Link stopped examining the door and looked at me, showing I had his attention.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked sincerely.

"I never had the chance for what one would consider a normal childhood. I think that's part of why Zelda and I get along as well as we do. Despite our disagreements, we both know what the other went through better than anyone else possibly could."

"I'm glad you two are such good friends, otherwise I'd have twice as many problems," Link remarked sarcastically.

"That ancestor of yours has had a really bad effect on your attitude," I snapped back irritably. "Do you want me to answer your stupid question or not?"

He smiled good-naturedly and held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, continue."

Rolling my eyes I continues, "Those kids in Ordon are luckier than they know." Link looked forlornly towards his aforementioned hometown.

"Yes, they've been blessed in many regards," Link mumbled in agreement. "More so than I."

"Your blessing brought us together, so don't knock it too much," I warned, placing a hand on his shoulder and smirking.

He returned the look with a grin of his own and nodded. "Yeah."

I let my hand fall from his shoulder as I picked the story back up. "They have no idea how valuable being a child is. I never had the chance, and being raised like that gave me—."

"Your stubbornness? Your pride? The fact that you're obviously a bit spoiled?" Link filled in with a smirk.

"Hey, I changed! I admitted—several times now I think—I was wrong for some of how I treated you way back when but—."

"But you haven't changed all that much," he answered again cheekily.

I opened my mouth to protest this, but paused when I realized he had hit the nail on the head.

Why had I brought Zant back? Greed. I grew up as a greedy and selfish child, and I never had a chance to properly change that part of myself through adolescence. Same thing went for my so-called pride. That had been the undoing of my good standings with Zelda.

I was too afraid to confess to letting the Triforce fall back into Ganondorf's grubby hands, so I attacked Link without explaining why I had to. Although she found out on her own later…

"Yeah," I mumbled, looking dejectedly at the ground.

"What?" Link asked confused.

"I was greedy Link," I explained. "That's why I brought Zant back. I thought I could have it all."

"What does bringing him back give you?" he demanded. Then his eyes widened in horror. "Wait! Was he the fiancé you were talking about?"

"My what?" I yelped in surprise.

"Remember, when you took the Triforce away; when you were breaking the bond?"

I thought back to that time; it had all been a bit of a blur, and I repressed all thought of it afterwards. Then I remembered:

I have a whole other life in the Twilight Realm, stupid dog. I have a fiancé who I am to marry, so that I may become the full-fledged queen of my realm, I had boasted.

"Oh no, no," I quickly repealed. "No that was just a lie! I had to break the bond."

"Why did you have to remove my Triforce?" he asked curiously. "Why did you have to break that bond?"

"It was killing you," I replied easily, looking him in the eye. "I had to remove it. I was afraid to admit to being the one who not only gave Ganondorf the Triforce, but also gave him a way to kill you from a distance."

"He was torturing you though?" Link asked uncertainly.

I nodded. "Of course, but if I would have waited, then you would have figured everything out and come for me…" I trailed off, thinking of the moment of Link's realization. You're not Midna.

"But that could have been days or weeks even," Link protested, inadvertently trying to defend me and blame himself.

"But it was only a matter of time; you found me very shortly after you recognized the imposter," I answered. "He tricked me and I fell for it. That's my fault, not yours, Link."

He didn't look totally convinced, but it seemed he would rather not argue the point.

"But really," I said, giving a small smile, "Zant? He cursed me, usurped my throne, and tried to kill me on multiple occasions."

Link blinked once before nodding, "That's true I just thought maybe… well I couldn't figure out why you would if not because you loved him on some level."

I let out a sad sigh and leaned against the dense boy. "I brought him back because I love someone, but not him."

"Who did you—?" he started to ask.

"You," I answered quickly. "I did it to get back to you Link."

He looked at me in genuine shock. "You would risk everything that we worked for… you would bring back your arch nemesis just so that…?"

"Yes," I replied solemnly as Link placed an uncertain hand on my shoulder, holding me closer. "I could make the decision to choose my realm and my people over a friend—even a best friend, but I could not make the decision between the man I love and my people. I couldn't consider it at the time, so I ran away."

"Midna," Link whispered, face unreadable.

"To choose between all of that responsibility, all the obligations and sacrifices that come with ruling a kingdom over my best friend and my first love," I murmured. "I'm so sorry Link, I couldn't even consider that." I paused and turned my face towards him. "I was too afraid I would choose wrong, only to find out I did in the end."

Standing there, outside of the entrance of Arbiter's Grounds, feeling somewhere deep inside ourselves the final battle rumbling up through the ancient ruins, Link closed the distance between us and kissed me like he never had before. It was a slow and sweet kiss that would have lasted so much longer if not for knowing we had a duty to fulfill.

I had to ask one more question though. There could be no doubts this time.

"Link, what are you going to do after this is over?" I whispered against his lips.

He stood perfectly still in the gentle breeze, his hair whipping about in the classic look of a pure hero. He whispered back, "I don't know. Maybe I won't survive. I honestly don't know."

I nodded gently and turned away from him and back to the Arbiter's Grounds entrance.

This place… it had to end here, didn't it? After all that we've been through, all the things we witnessed, and everything we did, it came back to this place. Every time I had a nightmare, it was this place. Every time I thought about returning to the Light Realm, it was this place. Every time I thought about my regrets, it was this place that came first to mind.

"Knowing everything that you do now—?" I started to ask. No, it wasn't what he knew; it was what he remembered. "Remembering everything that you do now, are you really up to risking your life for Hyrule again?"

He countered my question with another, "Is that really what you want to ask me?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely surprised.

"I just thought the more appropriate question would be, 'Do you trust me enough to go into battle with me?'" He turned to face me and I saw the question was sincere, not bitter. Then I understood, of course, he would risk his life for Hyrule, any day; it wasn't ever a question in his mind.

Maybe he realized, more acutely than even I, that this could be the last time we have a chance to speak, and with no one around to interrupt why not? It felt like the goddesses were giving us one last little blessing. A short but vital amount of time where, for just a moment, we could speak honestly and work out every wrong. We could honestly reconcile with one another, once and for all.

"Do you trust me?" I didn't bother adding it, but he knew the full question: After all I've done do you still trust me?

He looked away from me, up to the twinkling, twilight-painted sky of the Gerudo Desert. Silently he pondered the question, although I couldn't help but wonder if he had already answered it for himself a long time ago.

Finally, he said, "Absolutely."

"Really?" He turned his face from the fading light of the sky to face me.

"Yeah." He gave a small smile before explaining. "We both did some things wrong, and we were both weak when we needed to be strong. But I think, in the end, we pulled each other through, and did what we thought was best for the other, as selfish as it may have seemed at the time."

"Link…"

For what felt like the first time, Link smiled a great, genuine smile, everything out in the open now, and said, "I guess, any way you look at it, we were meant to be together in the end."

I felt my heart skip a beat and a blush creep up my neck, as all I could do was stare dumbfounded as he reached out his hand towards me. After a moment I gripped it uncertainly, and he pulled me into a massive bear hug. Hesitantly I wrapped my arms around him, and then with more vigor, I hugged him back. For a moment everything was perfect. Everything made sense and I realized that I had my best friend back and…

I wasn't going to leave him for a long time.

The eternally moment-ruining pest called voices in my head decided enough was enough though.

Time run short, Din must be quelled.

I regrettably pulled away from Link, resting my hands on his chest. "Let's go do what we do best, Wolf Boy."

"As you wish," he replied with a slight smirk.

We started to enter the dungeon as the sun sank below the horizon, but not before we heard an unearthly chorus of screeches sound in the distance.


Arbiter's Grounds held a certain kind of haunting beauty. Maybe it had to do with the fact that light and shadow collided here and imprisoned both realms' worst criminals, or maybe it just had to do with the depth of the massive prison.

Link and I walked for quite a time—thankful that the place had remained fairly clear of any overly time consuming monsters—before we finally found the door the goddesses had directed me to earlier.

Link gave the door a puzzled look, and I didn't really blame him. The door looked, for all sakes and purposes, like a normal door. It wasn't overly threatening and didn't have any long poems of forewarning etched into it.

The only clue as to what it contained came from the fact that we were several stories below the earth, as told by the damp, musty atmosphere. For a moment I considered just how deep we must be to feel the presence of water in the underground cavern, but then the walls started to feel suffocating and I quickly dismissed the thought.

Link placed a hand on the door, feeling its smooth, eroded surface. "There's definitely a bad feeling coming from within this room," he muttered.

"Foreboding," I agreed. Slowly Link pushed the door open and took a cautious step inside the chamber. I followed closely behind, keeping my eyes and ears sharp for any flash of movement or brush of noise.

I learned a long time ago that seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

The door suddenly slammed shut behind us, causing me to jump and Link to automatically reach for his sword. We took a few more cautious steps inside, our footsteps echoing in the cavernous space.

Cavernous space?

"This place is huge," I whispered, listening to the echo of my voice.

Link nodded in assent, peering even harder into the darkness.

Suddenly a blue glow appeared to my right just as a green glow appeared to Link's left. We both automatically jumped back, hearts pounding.

"Fear not, young ones," a voice whispered clearly yet softly. "We've come to try once more."

Another voice, very similar to the first with only a slight enough difference, continued, "We must try once more to help her regain her senses."

"My hero," the first voice whispered. The two glowing lights started to shift and form into humanoid shapes. "I would rather you not come to blows with my sister."

"Holy Din," I whispered.

Link seemed to be hypnotized by the green-tinged woman. "No, Farore," he whispered in reverence.

The second voice replied, "Yes, that is my sister Farore before you, Hero. She is your true mother, just as I am Zelda's."

"You must be Nayru," he said, turning his attention to the blue-dressed woman.

"That is correct hero." It almost sounded as if she could be smiling at him, but her face, as well as her sister's, was a mask of grim determination.

The two women walked forward fearlessly, a holy radiance lighting the path before them, and we followed obediently. I couldn't help but wonder though: if they could come here why didn't they just kill her themselves?

"Don't be foolish Twili," Farore snapped irritably. "We could not kill our own, unlike your people. This was the reason for the Hero's birth and he shall gladly complete this task."

I looked over at Link uncertainly. Not uncertainty over his ability, but rather uncertainty concerning whose side he would take: the goddess's or mine? He appeared to not even have heard the exchange; he simply stared as if intoxicated by the goddesses' very presence.

Nayru came to a halt and Farore's attention turned back to the task at hand. "Sister, be kind, the last thing we need now is clouded and uncertain judgment," Nayru chastised.

I decided I rather liked Nayru's calm and certain words. Actually, the wise words reminded me a bit of Zelda. Although Farore only reminded me of that obnoxious past Link.

"The son of time is not to be scorned in my presence," Farore warned.

"Sister, your forgiveness would truly be divine at this point," Nayru countered.

Farore made no comment, instead focusing on a light that had appeared ahead. Link stiffened, recognizing what it was before me.

A small child, a little girl in a black dress with brilliant gold eyes, fiery orange hair, and dark skin, sat on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chin.

At first the child didn't seem to notice us, then slowly, she looked up and towards Nayru.

"Sister, this is your last chance," the wise goddess pleaded. "Give up this madness and return home with us." Although filled with emotion, I could sense an underlying warning underneath, "Or else…"

The girl merely sat on the floor and looked disinterestedly at Farore, whose eyes narrowed in response. "She speaks truly. It's not too late to come home and put all of this silliness behind us."

Silliness? She calls all of what's happened over so many generations mere silliness?

Farore spun to face me and vehemently yelled, "I will not take such talk from a Banished One!"

Nayru turned to calm Farore down and said, "Now is not the time, Sister!"

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but then noticed Link, forgotten during the outburst. He had a vacant look in his eyes as he stared at the young girl, who slowly stood up and brushed off her dress.

Link mouthed a few words and took an uncertain step towards her. The girl smiled happily, offering her hand.

Farore and Nayru were still arguing as Link took several more steps forward, and then time felt slow, as if we were running in a dream.

I can remember in perfect clarity three things happening simultaneously: the chamber suddenly flooding with an eerie and unnatural light that resembled fire; Nayru and Farore vanishing without a trace; and Din, the little girl, suddenly launching herself at Link's throat.

"Link!" I screamed, rushing forward. Time seemed to come to a complete halt as I watched realization slowly dawn in Link's eyes.

There wasn't even time to close my eyes as Link jerked to the side and Din tore into his shoulder, blood spurting high into the air and raining back down on them. Link screamed out in pain and instinctively brought down the hilt of the Master Sword on the little girl's head.

Screaming in pain the child dropped off of Link's shoulder, and he quickly stumbled backwards away from her.

"Oh holy goddesses," he breathed, panting. I helped him to his feet again as we watched the creature writhe in pain.

His shoulder didn't just drip blood; it created a stream of it racing down his arm into a quickly forming puddle at his feet. I tore off a length of cloth from my long skirt and tied it around his shoulder, trying to staunch the bleeding.

"This is bad," I muttered worriedly. Din had torn into his sword arm.

"She really isn't human," he whispered distractedly. "How do we kill her?"

"No time to think, she's getting back up," I warned. Half way across the chamber Din stood on shaky legs and started visibly trembling.

An unholy scream echoed from the little girl's mouth and her body twisted to unnatural proportions.

"What's she doing?" Link asked, adjusting his grip on the Master Sword.

"Transforming," I answered without a doubt. Sure enough Din left her little girl appearance behind and shifted into an all-too familiar image.

"Ganondorf?" Link asked uncertainly.

"No, just a trick of hers," I answered grimly. Din summoned a sword from thin air that looked strikingly like Ganondorf's though and charged across the room.

"Move!" Link commanded, shoving me out of the way. I stumbled back and regained my footing quick enough to witness their swords clash.

Sparks flew as the holy blade met the evil steel. The odd fire-like light in the chamber flickered and shifted as Link and Din danced around the chamber, clashing again and again.

Din's tongue flicked out, snake-like, and she grinned with pure malice. In Ganondorf's voice she mocked, "Ah Hero of Twilight at last we meet." She swung the sword down in a powerful, unstoppable attack, forcing Link to roll out from under it.

The illusionary Ganondorf cackled in maniac delight. "Or are you the Hero of Time? The Wind Waker? Perhaps you're the Oracle of Seasons or Ages? Maybe you even have a little of the Fierce Deity in you!" With this exclamation she charged forward once more and swung her sword in a powerful arc, knocking Link off balance.

Link stumbled back trying to regain his balance, but it was no good. Din rammed into him and knocked him sprawling on the ground.

"Whoever you are, you're weak!" she spat distastefully. "You shame your ancestors!"

She was going to kill him. Her sword rose high above her head she prepared to drive the cold steel through his skull. "Farewell, Hero. May your next of kin last longer!"

I quickly snapped out of the stupor I had been in and simultaneously broke Link into twilight particles as I conjured and launched a magical attack at the insane goddess.

The magic had no greater effect than drawing her attention towards me, but luckily the transportation spell worked and Link appeared next to me, looking dazed and breathing heavily.

Din cackled again. "You brought a friend!" she exclaimed gleefully. "Oh goody."

She suddenly threw the sword at us and we instinctively dodge, giving her the chance to transform again. She was back in her little girl form, looking absolutely unharmed. The sword she had thrown vanished with a hiss, and she started to conjure a magical attack of her own.

"Who wants to die first?" she asked, a demonic tone to her girlish voice. The bolt of black energy raced towards Link, who prepared to reflect it, but then at the last moment, the attack diverted to me.

I barely managed to move enough to avoid a direct hit, but the magic had burned through my dress and scorched my stomach. I winced in pain and stumbled back.

"Midna?" Link called worriedly.

"I'm fine," I answered. "Just a glancing blow."

Din laughed in pure joy. Then she summoned dozens of similar magic spheres and rapidly began launching them towards us. The bolts ricocheted off the walls, only stopping after they came in contact with skin or an opposing blast of magic.

Link danced about the floor, moving towards Din who stood in the center laughing insanely, as I conjured counter blasts.

Just as Link prepared to swing his sword in a horizontal arc, Din's attention snapped to him and she released a close range blast of magic that sent him flying backwards. I changed him back into particles once more to stop his seemingly inevitable crash back to earth.

He fell out of the sky next to me once again, on all fours for a moment, before dropping and rolling to the side in pain. "Arg!" The blast had scorched his tunic and heated the metal, but not enough to create a permanent burn scar.

I turned my attention back to Din as Link struggled back to his feet. Her form started to distort once more, and I quickly seized the opportunity.

"Get ready to swing, Link," I commanded quickly, transporting him directly in front of Din's shifting shape.

With a strong, "Hyaa!" and an even stronger blow he sliced through the twisted creature. It hissed in pain and vanished in a cloud of smoke. Panting from the sudden adrenaline rush, Link stumbled back a step. He laughed in relief, and I hesitantly started to smile. Was it finally over then?

Without warning the unnatural light in the room flickered and died, plunging the chamber into darkness. Link's smiling image was swallowed up by the shadows.

"Link?" I yelled, feeling my heartbeat pick up again. It wasn't over, of course not. It couldn't be that easy. For a long moment, the room was entirely silent.

Suddenly a horrible, unholy scream tore through the chamber. "Link!" I screamed, racing forward.

I looked around frantically, panic clouding my mind. "Link!" Panting, I stood still, looking for a sign of him.

The earth seemed to tilt suddenly and I felt like I was floating. An eerie, demonic laugh filled my mind.

"What do you fear, Twilight Princess?" a sadistic voice whispered in my mind.

I turned, frantically looking for the speaker. The darkness grew blurry, like I was crying, and I blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear my eyes.

When I opened my eyes I found myself in a rectangular room composed of obsidian stone, the roof so high I couldn't see it. I looked around, examining the empty space.

"What do you fear?" the ghost of an echo whispered in my ear once more, fading into nothingness.


Midna? Link thought frantically, turning about in the unexpected darkness of the vast space. Suddenly he heard a scream shatter the brief silence.

"Midna!" he exclaimed, racing towards where he had last seen her.

He ran until he reached the edge of the room. Slamming his fist on the wall in frustration, he turned around. At least he had his back against a wall.

Peering into the darkness he listened intently, hating the feeling of déjà vu.

"You may hate it," a voice whispered, trailing off.

Suddenly Link's vision grew blurry and he rubbed his eyes, trying to regain his vision and feeling his ears strain even more to make up for the missing sense.

"…But what do you fear?" the same voice asked ominously.

Suddenly Link found himself back home. He sat up and looked around confused. It was definitely his house, but what had that been—a dream?

More like a nightmare.

But if that was a nightmare then what was real? Had Midna returned or had that been a dream as well? What if it had all been a fleeting dream?

He walked uncertainly out of his house and climbed down the ladder, heading towards the village. He hated this confusion that clouded his mind. Why couldn't he remember?

A strange, flickering light emitted from the village, and Link looked up. When had night fallen?

He hurried on, palms feeling sweaty, heart pounding, the familiar feeling of adrenaline taking over his senses. He turned the corner and saw, to his utter horror, flames rapidly consuming the small homes of the villagers.

He ran to the nearest building, desperately seeking the others. Someone must have noticed and escaped the houses. He smashed the window open and crawled through, cutting his cheek on a jagged piece of glass.

His Triforce birthmark lit up and he ignored the pain, landing carefully inside the flaming building. He looked around, smashing doors open in the small house, but no one was inside. Had the villagers already escaped?

He clambered back out the window, hitting the dirt at a run. The next house turned up the same results, and he didn't have enough time to check every single building. They were burning too rapidly.

Glancing in Rusl's house he confirmed no one was left in there either, and he jogged up to the ranch. Maybe they were settling everyone in up there before the older, able-bodied villagers returned to stop the flames' quick swelling.

Again he found no one, not even a goat.

What was going on here?

There had to be someone nearby, if all of the villagers had suddenly fled an attack, then he might still be able to catch up with them.

He started running, harder than he'd ever run before, and passed quickly though the provinces. No one was around, not even a monster, and Epona didn't answer the horse call.

Link suddenly found himself at the entrance to the castle, embers floating down from the towers as they collapsed in a fiery heap.

No!

He ran into the smoldering town, looking desperately for any sign of another living being. Throwing doors open only caused a sharp pillar of flame to force its way out of the houses, and it quickly grew apparent no one was in Castle Town.

They wouldn't have gone to the castle though; it was burning just as bad if not worse. What if there was someone left in there though?

Desperation and panic clouding his judgment he burst into the throne room of Hyrule Castle, but no one was there either. The castle was far too large to search before it collapsed on top of his head. Then again, if everyone else was dead what did it matter? He wouldn't have any purpose or reason to live.

Suddenly a thought came to him: the mirror chamber.

And just as suddenly he found himself standing in the sandy room, the weather just as hot and suffocating as it had been near the burning buildings.

Link looked around the impressive, open-ceiling room for a moment before he saw it.

The mirror.


I looked around the empty room confused. Where had Din gone, and more importantly, where did Link go?

Walking back to the nearest wall of the room, I lightly placed a hand on it. The stone looked familiar.

Then it dawned on me. It was in same design as a Twili building, the same materials. I re-traced my steps back to the center of the room and felt my heartbeat pick up.

Was I in the Twilight Realm?

There were no doors in the room, no windows, and I felt the walls constrict my throat.

Calm down, calm down. Just look for the way out. There's always a way out.

Feeling stupid for not thinking of it sooner, I tried to summon my magic and teleport myself out. The magic sparked on my fingertips and faded out.

I tried again with similar results. Was the room suppressing my abilities some how?

I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed deeply. Think, think… stay calm and think…

When I opened my eyes the room had changed. On one end was a familiar door, clearly in the style of the Twili, and on the other end of the room…

The mirror.

Not shattered like it should have been, but whole and sparkling with temptation.

My only way back to the Light Realm.

But how could it be here? I destroyed it a long time ago.

I looked back at the door and noticed the runes above the frame. Alone.

Lightly I placed a hand on the door, not opening it, but merely feeling its smooth surface. What was behind it?

Your people.

I wrenched my hand away as if the door had burned me. My people?

I looked back at the mirror. The whole mirror. The gateway to another realm.

Should I shatter it again? Slowly I walked back towards the mirror.

"Midna!" I jerked to a halt, standing bewildered before the mirror. Link?

I took an uncertain step backwards. My pulse started to race and I understood.

I had to choose.

Ghostly laughter echoed in the claustrophobic room.

This was only an illusion, I reminded myself firmly. It was a test; I had to do what was right.

I started to summon up the magic to destroy the mirror all over again, but hesitated. Why did it matter what I did here? It wouldn't affect anything in the real world, right? And the sooner I made my decision the sooner I could take the next step in escaping this horrid place.

I raised my hand, resolved to smash the mirror again, but suddenly I saw Link's smiling face reflected in it.

I dropped to my knees, trembling.

Oh goddesses.

My head fell into my hands and my breath came out in quick bursts. I had to calm down.

It was only right to shatter the mirror and go to my people. They needed me; they needed their leader.

But…

The mirror stood, proud and strong, reminding me of myself, except for the face I wasn't acting very strong at the moment. What does he mean to me? What is he?

He's my wolf, the savior of my realm, my traveling companion and my best friend. He—.

I…

I squeezed my eyes shut. Don't make me choose, I begged silently.

The mirror's imposing presence couldn't be shut out from my mind, and I slowly lifted my head from my hands.

Why was I crying?

I looked to the mirror with conviction, tears streaming down my face, and suddenly knew why.

He was everything to me. Worth enough to surrender my position as the Twilight Princess. I could overcome the grief of losing my people eventually.

But I would never stop missing him.

I stood up and took a shaky step towards the mirror.

"Link…"

I stumbled a few more steps. Don't turn around. Don't doubt yourself or hesitate again.

"I…"

Reaching out I brushed the smooth surface of the mirror with my fingertips.

"…Love you!" I shouted with conviction

I ran through the portal the mirror had created, hearing it shatter as it deposited me on the other side.

The ground rushed towards me and I landed ungracefully on the familiar stone of the Arbiter's Ground mirror chamber. I looked around and noticed Link standing a few feet away, aghast.

"Midna?"

"Link I love you and I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I had the chance the first time!" I shouted, panting and still a bit dizzy from the teleport.

He rushed over to me and kneeled next to me, holding me tightly. "I thought it was all a dream," he murmured.

"It is," I answered grimly. "We're in some kind of illusion. Din was trying to turn us against ourselves!"

Link quickly stood up, pulling me along with him. "Does that mean you—?"

He was cut off by familiar ghostly, demonic laughter. How precious. The Hero and Princess reunited. Play time's over.

The world started to fade to black and I felt Link hold me tighter.

"I'm not losing you again," he whispered fiercely.

My vision blacked out and I felt a rush of air around me. I opened my eyes and quickly had to shut them again to adjust to the pitch-blackness around me. With relief I registered that Link still had a firm grip on me.

"Are we back in Din's chamber?" he whispered uncertainly.

I looked around as best as I could, but it was hard to tell. "I think so." We shifted into a standing position and looked around the eerily silent room.

Suddenly demonic red eyes glowed in the darkness. "Link!" I exclaimed.

He turned in time to see the red eyes and move out of the way. "What is it?" he asked frantically.

"Some kind of animal," I answered. It had been fast. Couple that with the already difficult to see in environment and it was hard to tell, but it moved like an animal.

"Midna, change me!" Link demanded. He tossed down the Master Sword and I transformed him into the sacred Blue-Eyed Beast. A deep, slowly building growl shook his frame.

A challenge.

The same creature came darting out of the darkness once more, but wasn't expecting Link's senses to give it away quite so soon.

He turned and snapped at the quick creature and had it in his jaws. He bit down, hard, and started to crush it. The strange fire-like light returned and I could make out the creature in his mouth: a fox with a jagged wound across its ribs.

So he had hit her earlier—she played that trick to give herself time to recover.

The fox vanished from Link's mouth and he looked around, confused.

A moment later the fox dropped out of thin air a short distance away and started to change yet again, this time enlarging her current form and twisting the features until it became a nearly unrecognizable disgrace of its former shape.

A demonic howl sounded from its mouth as the boar-fox hybrid charged towards Link. He dashed to the side, turned and launched himself at the mutant, grabbing onto its neck.

I summoned a blast of magic and hurled it at the creature's eye. It squealed in pain and started bucking, crashing into the wall of the rounded chamber. Link hung on easily though, tearing chunks of flesh off the thing.

Suddenly it ran into the wall at a bad angle and tore its wound open, blood gushing in buckets from the oversized hybrid.

This time it screamed in fury, vanishing once more.

Link jogged over to me, the tear in his shoulder re-opened. I summoned the Master Sword and Link Transformed back into Hylian form.

"Changing shape is really rough on wounds," he said, dismissing my concerned look. "The bandage should hold up for now—it was to."

Suddenly, in the center of the room, appeared a once-beautiful woman with one gold eye, fiery red hair, and dark, scarred skin—a long sword in her left hand.

"Din," Link spat, staring her down.

The too-familiar demonic laugh echoed through the cavern, sounding even more surreal coming from her lips. "Come, Hero, allow me to show you who first taught sword play."

"Link," I warned. He didn't take her eyes off his opponent, but I knew he was listening. "Be careful, something's not right. She's facing you too directly."

He nodded in affirmation and muttered, "Do it now."

I quickly teleported him in front of Din who, though surely surprised, rose her sword to deflect the blow as if she had been waiting for it all along.

The sword fight from earlier had resumed, this time with Din in her true form.

Their blades clashed and she, even sustaining so many injuries, easily shoved Link off balance.

She charged him and he managed to right himself and prepare for the blow—but suddenly she dropped to the ground and slid, feet first, at him. She swung up just as her feet made contact with Link's knees. He screamed in pain and fell over, hitting the ground for only a moment before scrambling back to his feet.

He stood grimacing in pain, clutching his side. Blood quickly seeped through his tunic and Din turned, stood up, and prepared to finish him off.

Not again.

I quickly teleported Link back to me where he collapsed, knowing he only had a moment to give in to the pain.

Din turned and looked towards us almost disinterestedly. "My ruthless, reckless, traitorous child," she purred at me.

I merely stood my ground, highly conscious of Link trembling at my feet, struggling to stand.

"Look at that determination, that stubbornness, that pride!" she exclaimed, walking ever closer. "You're so like me child; it's no wonder they chose you to rule over them. A spitting image of her mother."

"You are not my mother," I replied vehemently, giving in to the taunts.

"Not directly, no," she agreed with a smirk. "But all Twili descend from Ganondorf, and he descends from me."

I felt my vision start to tunnel and I shook my head fiercely. "The Twili are descended from a banished tribe of Hylians."

"Not Hylians, Gerudo," she corrected. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

"Gerudo?" I echoed.

"Our people used to live in the very desert we're now named for, but that wretched Hero of Time beheaded our race. He," she paused and glared down at Link, "banished Ganondorf to the place now known as the Twilight Realm."

"That doesn't make Ganondorf the father of our race!" I replied angrily. "They sent a tribe of Hylians there as well!"

Din laughed. "No, the tribe was Gerudo. Why else would they make the prison in the desert, leave the mirror here?" she asked.

Not waiting for an answer she continued, "Think about it. The Hylians wouldn't just put a dangerous place like this in the middle of a good peoples' land, now would they? No, they built it here so they wouldn't have to move entire villages of Gerudo as far."

She stopped a few steps from us, Link standing, but hunched over a bit still. "They put it here to mark the entire race as unwelcome criminals. And they… became you." She laughed quietly at first, steadily increasing in volume.

"Oh what a twist of fate!" she exclaimed. "My own descendent in love with the descendent of the very man who banished her people to the Dark Realm in the first place!"

Suddenly Link lurched forward and thrust his sword through Din's chest before falling over and crashing back to the ground. Din stumbled back, looking vaguely surprised.

Then she started to laugh again, and she pulled the blade from her chest.

Spinning it in an elegant arc I watched, horrified, as the blade penetrated through Link's back.

She pulled the steel out and tossed it away behind her. The sword clattered across the floor, coming to a halt after crashing into the wall on the far side of the room.

I dropped to my knees as Link's body convulsed. "Link!"

He struggled to sit up and coughed, blood splattering onto the floor. Din stood triumphantly above us, and I glared up at her.

"Midna," Link whispered, tearing my attention away.

"Don't speak; you're really hurt," I whispered back.

"No, you have to transform me. I—," he cut off, choking on his own blood for a moment. "—I need to finish this now."

I closed my eyes, looked away from him, and back up to Din.

"I don't know what comes after life, but I hope you suffer there."

I launched a bolt of magic at her, distracting her for the brief moment it took to transform Link. He put all the strength he had left into leaping at Din, who was still off balance from the magical attack.

His jaws closed around her throat and he bit down, a sickening crunch and a spray of blood his reward.

He barely managed to land on his paws before swaying and dropping to the dirty earth again.

Din stumbled backwards, a look of utter shock on her face. She placed a hand on her neck as it gushed blood, and then stared uncomprehendingly at the hot, wet smear of red on her hand. Then she looked at Link, lying on the floor, struggling to breathe.

"What do you know?" she whispered, smiling gently. "We all bleed the same after all."

With that the corrupted goddess fell to the earth without another sound.

Shaking I crawled to where Link had fallen and summoned the Master Sword back. The twilight fled him and a groan of pain escaped his lips.

"Hold on Link," I told him. "I'm going to save you."

How was I going to get him out though? Even if I could carry him it was a long walk back to the camp, and I doubted that he would be able to survive it.

A brilliant glow of white light flooded the room, chasing away the eerie semi-light that we had fought in.

We will assist you in reaching Zelda.

Thank you.

The light grew in intensity.

And I'm sorry.

The world went black.


When I awoke I found myself lying on a cot in the familiar command tent. I jolted upright and looked around. Where was Link?

Then the tent door flapped open and Zelda walked in, looking dirty and beaten up but alive. "Ah Midna, you're awake."

"Where's Link?" I demanded, jumping to my feet anxiously.

"Calm down!" she implored. "He's fine. He's resting in another tent right now."

I breathed a sigh of relief and allowed myself the comfort of sitting back down on the cot. "How long was I out?"

"Not long, Zant found you here in the tent with Link bleeding to death and he called me over," she recounted. "You mumbled something and then passed out; Link was still conscious. That was only a few hours ago."

I rubbed my temples and allowed the world a moment to settle around me. "What happened out here after we left?"

Zelda's face turned grim. "We encountered those so-called Twilians shortly after the two of you reached the entrance to the prison. They ambushed us, and I'm sad to say many lost their lives."

I bowed my head respectfully, thinking not only of the Twili's losses, but the Hylians' as well.

"It was strange though, there wasn't a trace of them until the sun had left the sky completely," Zelda commented absently. "I wish we could have found out more about them, but none were captured alive."

"They all escaped?" I asked, genuinely surprised.

"No." Zelda frowned. "They all seemingly dropped dead in the midst of the battle, which is why Zant was so near the command tent when you arrived."

"They all just dropped dead?"

"Yes, and we discovered…" Zelda trailed off, a disgusted look twisting her noble features. "One of the soldiers recognized a corpse. It turned out that the Twilians were in fact Hylians brought back from death."

I nodded grimly. "That would make sense what with their appearance and strange behavior. Death kind of screws with people's minds."

"Hey I take offense to that!" Zant exclaimed haughtily, entering the tent.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Why hello Zant."

"Don't give me your sarcasm; I saved your dog's life!" he bristled. He stomped over to me and halted in front of my cot. "Lay down."

"What the—?"

"—I need to look at your wound. Jeez, get over yourself!" he cutoff angrily. I blinked in surprise at his commanding tone, but obeyed nonetheless.

Zelda continued where she had left off—well, been interrupted. "What happened down there Midna?"

I thought back to the nightmarish battle with Din, moments of sharp clarity bursting in my mind and mingling with the hazy moments. "A long fight," I answered after a moment.

Zelda nodded in understanding as Zant finished his medical work. He stood up and stomped towards the exit, pausing as he reached out to open the tent flap.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said sharply, never turning around and quickly leaving after.

I blinked in mild surprise. Looking back at Zelda I said, "Hmm. I could practically hear his ego crack."

She looked a bit more exhausted at this, but gave a small, good-natured laugh. "Don't hassle him too much. He led the troops brilliantly, and he did save Link's life."

Link.

"I need to go see him," I requested quickly. She looked as if she were about to protest, but thought better of it.

"Very well, let me show you the way." She led me outside of the tent where Zant's irritable mood suddenly made sense.

Injured Hylians and Twili lie strewn about the grounds, with Zant and the medical teams racing frantically to mend the worst of the wounds, or at least stop the pain until the injured soldier heaved his last breath.

"They ambushed us," Zelda echoed, eyes unfocused as she walked numbly to a nearby tent. "He's in here."

With that final bit of direction she wandered off, probably to help as much as she could with the injured.

I entered the tent cautiously, not wanting to make any excess noise in case he was still resting.

"Sleeping like a baby," I murmured, quietly taking a seat beside his cot.

"No'm not," he muttered back. I smiled, partially in overwhelming relief and partially in good humor, now that I could afford it.

"You should rest—you did get stabbed you know?"

He rolled over to see me better and smirked a bit. "I know, and I heard what you said."

I looked at him confused. "Said when?"

"When Farore transported us outside," he breathed, wincing in pain. "You said 'Don't die,' so I didn't."

I gave a disbelieving laugh. "You're delusional, you need to rest."

"No, you did," he insisted, grinning weakly. He let out a slow, long sigh and winced again.

"Link are you okay?" I asked anxiously.

"Yeah I'm fine," he assured. "I just really wish Din hadn't stabbed me. It kind of hurts."

I laughed not only at the absurdity of the statement but of the entire situation. "I can't believe you killed a goddess."

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them sadly, and I saw a depth of sorrow in his eyes that I had never seen before. "I wish I hadn't."

"She was killing innocent people, bringing Ganondorf back to life and locking you in this endless, awful cycle," I explained calmly, a little concerned.

"I just feel like I killed a part of what made me me," he explained, eyes closed.

I looked down at him with something akin to pity, but more fitting for him. He had no use for pity, but perhaps it was a certain kind of sympathy. Understanding how it felt to be locked away from something so precious.

Link had killed Din, and in doing so supposedly stopped Ganondorf's reincarnation. But had he stopped his and Zelda's own as well? Something had died inside that chamber aside from Din. Something that left him feeling only a hallow victory.

Suddenly a glowing green and blue light filled the tent as Farore and Nayru arrived. I glanced down at Link anxiously. What did they want now?

"Fear not, young one," Nayru said kindly. "We come to reward, not punish."

Zelda ducked in the tent and started to ask, "What in Hyrule are you—?" but fell speechless at the sight of the goddesses in her tent.

"Oh holy Nayru," she whispered. Said goddess turned and smiled kindly at her.

"Hello my child. You've done so well; I'm so proud of you," she breathed happily. Zelda could only stare speechless for a moment before quickly stuttering a thank you.

"What are you here for?" I asked curiously.

"I am here to heal the wounded and explain a few things to my daughter here," Nayru said, gesturing towards Zelda. "And also to give my deepest thanks to the blessed Hero, for doing what we were too afraid to do."

Link, bleary-eyed up until this point, was engulfed in light and his wounds faded. He sat up and lightly touched his abdomen where the hole from the sword injury had been.

"Thank you," he said softly, bowing his head.

With that Nayru and Zelda exited the tent and brilliant flashes of light started to rain around outside.

Link and I both turned our attention to Farore who had remained silent up until this point.

At last she spoke, "I came to thank you as well—both of you."

We stared relevantly, really too flabbergasted to say anything.

"What Din said was true," she said, addressing me. "You are descended from wicked people who the Hero fought long ago." The goddess sat lightly on a chair across from Link and I, gathering her thoughts I supposed.

"I'm sorry for what my people did long ago," I said at last, swallowing back the last refuges of my pride. "I know and understand now why the Twili can never serve the full burden of their sin."

"I then too must apologize," Farore responded, surprising both Link and I. "I was wrong to so harshly judge the one who assisted the young Hero here, and I almost repeated a foul mistake."

"What do you mean?" Link asked curiously. She looked at him with all the pain in her eyes of a mother who had lied to her son.

"I treated Din unfairly and to this day I blame myself for her madness," she explained. "It's the entire reason I created you, Hero, to atone for a goddess's sins." She paused and gazed sadly at the dirt floor of the tent.

"How did you treat her unfairly, if you all created Hyrule equally?" Link wondered, not hesitating to ask his questions.

"She always thought of herself as a lesser being," Farore clarified. "She created the Gerudo to represent this feeling of hatred, and when she turned them against the Hylians I had so lovingly created…" she trailed off, lost in the memories of centuries past.

"You had no choice but to create my ancestor and battle her," Link concluded.

"Yes, Hero, that is correct," the goddess answered in assent. "In light of that history and today's bloody conclusion, I want to offer a gift to the Twili, as my atonement and in memorial of my dearest sister."

I looked at the goddess surprised. She was offering us—her most hated enemies—a gift?

"Make no mistake, Twili, I am still far from past my prejudices, but I know Nayru will reign me in properly," Farore warned. "And this is not a gift only for you, but also an option for the Hero, should he choose to take it."

"What option's that?" Link inquired curiously.

"I shall create a new mirror, nearer to your home village, and allow open passage between the two realms," Farore declared.

Link smiled gently and then collapsed back on the bed. I turned around anxiously, but Farore merely chuckled.

"He's resting. Even with Nayru's healing his body and mind are still exhausted." The goddess turned her attention to me. "I shall leave you with the spell to solidify your people."

If she left that with us then that would mean…

"Yes, Twilight Princess, your people are forgiven at long last," Farore proclaimed proudly. "You may return to the Light Realm that you still hold so dearly, even after all these centuries."

I didn't even have time to thank her as Nayru re-entered the tent with Zelda.

"Our work is done sister, and soon they will all be waking up," the blue goddess told her sister.

"What do you mean waking up?" I asked unthinkingly.

Nayru smiled kindly at me. "I had to put them under a small sleeping spell while I worked."

Of course she had. Only a privileged few could ever witness the true form of the goddesses. And I was one of them now.

"You are blessed in many ways I believe you're just now realizing," Farore quipped. She looked over at the cot where Link rested. "Take care to keep those blessings in mind."

Zelda suddenly spoke up. "What of the Triforce?"

Nayru and Farore both turned to look at her, pondering the question.

Nayru smiled kindly at her. "You shall keep yours within your bloodline, so that many wise rulers come to the throne of Hyrule."

"And the Hero shall keep his power, so that he may travel between the realms. At least until Zelda discovers the sister spell of the one the Twili used to solidify themselves," Farore answered.

"What about after that?" Zelda asked curiously.

Farore's lips twitched in a rare, but brief smile. "Only time shall tell."

With that the two goddesses vanished in a brilliant light and the groggy groans of soldiers could be heard outside of the tent.

"We should start packing up and begin the return trip home," Zelda said thoughtfully. "There's much to be done."

"I hope you won't mind too much if I have Zant help you in my stead. I need to stay with him for a while longer," I replied, gesturing towards Link.

"That will be acceptable," she answered, smiling gently. She exited the tent once more and the sounds of a large force slowly being mobilized could be heard.

I rested my chin on my hand and watched Link sleep.

The world finally felt nearly peaceful, but there were still matters left to settle once we returned to Hyrule Castle.

The Hylians needed to know about the Twili, the full and true story, now that we would be commuting between the realms on a more regular basis—after all who was I to deny even the lowliest peasant in my kingdom access to the light?

For now though, it was enough to simply sit here and let the world spin without me.


A couple of weeks later I sat in the same meeting room I had found myself in nearly a year ago, and ironically the mood was just as stressed.

"Are you sure everything's ready Zelda?" I asked worriedly.

"Of course," the queen of Hyrule replied promptly. "We've been discussing this practically since we returned, and the Hylians need to know where we stand with these 'odd people' who came to our rescue."

"Is this really the best way to go about it though?" I asked nervously. Normally the pessimistic one, even Zelda rolled her eyes at me.

"They're not going to kill him," she stated plainly.

"But what if—?"

"Nothing's going to happen!" Zelda exclaimed in exasperation. "You have other things to worry about," she reminded me with a slight smirk.

I blushed at this but nodded in agreement. "Fine, let's get this over with."

We stood and gracefully exited the room, heading towards another room that had been prepared for this occasion.

Link and many of the soldiers had recovered fully with only a few days rest, but there were still many losses and they had been our first priority upon returning. The strange dark-tainted creatures had not made another appearance and they were presumed extinct.

As was Ganondorf.

Zelda had told me that the only thought that haunted her still was one of the Triforce of power. The goddesses made no mention of it when they spoke with us, and no strange reports had filtered in about it turning up with some other Hylian…

Or even Twili for that matter, since knowing what we know now, it was actually more likely to show up within my people.

That aside, all was well. Link even got a reward for saving the world for the second time in his life: Zelda had knighted him a week after our return. It was almost an honorary title since he wasn't required to go through the training, but then again he would probably have more to teach than to learn.

Zelda's thoughts were much the same, but he declined taking an official position in the Hylian Army, in place of…

I felt my face heat up again, and Zelda noticed.

"So easy to predict your thoughts," she said under her breath as the guards continued to escort us down the hallway.

"Shut up," I snapped irritably.

We arrived at the door and I took a deep breath, hoping this would all go over well.

We entered the room and took our seats off to the right side of the platform, a room full of Hylian nobles already assembled, watching us with reverence. Link stood in the center of the platform, gazing out at the crowd, his Triforce glowing softly. Apparently public speaking made him nervous.

He glanced at us when we entered and made eye contact with me, which I quickly broke, looking away in embarrassment.

I had survived a curse, an usurper, near death, a battle with a goddess, but I would not survive this. Zelda sensed my nerves and giggled a bit, disguising it as a dainty cough.

On my to do list: murder the queen of Hyrule.

Later though, because now the guards started to call the room to attention.

Link stood before the crowd of Hylians and Twili ready to give the greatest speech of his life, and I could do nothing more than watch and listen.

"Greetings nobles of Hyrule," he started nervously, but with a winning smile. "I know many of you probably weren't aware of me until recently at best, but I was knighted by our gracious queen and found myself in a peculiar position."

The nobles stared at him, not giving any kind of sign—not of encouragement or disappointment. Boredom maybe at best.

"Now many of you have heard what occurred during the invasion of Twilight and you've heard of some of my feats. Now many people not only look up to me, but look to me for some measure of guidance," he continued. "It's been nerve wracking."

A few of those gathered gave small chuckles.

"Many of you, as well as many of the common people, have been wondering what to make of these Twili, since they once tried to capture our kingdom and once saved it from certain doom." He paused and looked out over the crowd, gauging their reaction. Some murmurs of dissent and some of scorn played through the group.

"I'm here today to give you an officially recognized view on the Twili, the view that Her Highness hopes all Hylians can accept in time," he announced. "I stand before you as a symbol of our relationship." He took a deep breath before continuing.

The Hylian nobles exchanged a few glances, whispering about what would come next.

"I've learned much on my journeys, as can be imagined. I learned of a destiny I could never have imagined, nor could I have fulfilled without the help of both the queen of Hyrule and the queen of the Twilight Realm. I am not only the hero of this realm, but also a hero of the Twilight Realm. Is that to say I am proclaiming my loyalty to the Twilight over Hyrule? Not at all, however," he paused, again taking a deep breath here and I knew what was coming.

The nobles figuratively leaned forward in their seats, pulled in by Link's hook now. They watched him carefully, judgmentally.

I registered, somewhere in the corner of my mind, Zelda glancing anxiously at me and muttering something about looking abnormally pale.

"I am bound to this land and it is my duty to serve Queen Zelda by birth"—relief swept through the Hylians present—"and I am now bound to the Twilight Realm as well, and it is my duty to serve Queen Midna by marriage."

I winced at the silence. It was quiet enough to hear a quill fall. The shock was positively radiating through the dead-silent room.

Then one of the Hyrulian nobles fainted. Everyone in the room jumped, even Link. There was another awkward pause as everyone gawked at the fallen nobility before Link finally snapped out of it and asked if the man was okay, causing the rest of the room to thaw.

"Wait," one noble piped up after the fainted noble was escorted out. "Where do you plan to live… and what does all of this make you?"

Link smiled divinely before answering. "My home will always be Ordon, but of course I will be taking quite a few extended vacations to visit my wife. What does this make me, you ask? Nothing more than I was born to be, my good sir. This is my destiny, which I have at last fulfilled. I will live it out and when I pass on, it will be a silent affair. Then, when the time is right, either years from now or centuries, I will be reborn and called into service once more when Hyrule needs me most. And very likely I will come in the most unexpected form, but you will know you can trust me nonetheless for you will find courage within me."

My jaw dropped open a bit at the response. Not only because he habitually didn't speak much, but because of the utter honesty and perspective of the statement.

And with those final words, Link turned, walked over, and kneeled before Zelda and myself. We rose from our seats, me on shaking legs, and placed a hand on his shoulder, beckoning him to rise. He did so, taking Zelda's hand and placing a gentlemanly kiss on it before turning to embrace me.

The crowd chattered insistently, random questions rising above the overall noise. Guards moved into a defensive formation in front of the stage.

I wrapped my arms around him and peeked at Zelda out of the corner of my eye.

"I'll clean everything up, go ahead," she whispered to me.

Needing no more invitation, I warped Link and myself home, to the Twilight Realm.