A/N: So it seems from most of the reviews I did alright with Chapter 10. Glad to hear it. Anyways, here is one of my personal favorite chapters when I wrote it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Chapter 11: Sacrifice

Link awoke in a bed that wasn't his own. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't let him. His back was sore and he still felt tired, remembering his fight with Ganondorf.

"I won," he thought, "But at what price?"

He remembered everything vividly, but he didn't want to really think about it. Forcing his body upright, he looked to take in his surroundings.

He was in some sort of sick ward or something. The walls were a dark blue color and had a single window along the side of the west wall. Propped up against his bed were the Master Sword in pristine shape and the Hylian Shield, battered and bruised. Link looked harder at the Master Sword. It was glowing with an ethereal light. Quizzically he looked out the window, and was stunned as he did. He was back in the twilight realm, for some reason.

"Why was I sent here?" he thought.

Taking off his gloves, he looked at his hands in desperation. He found that the hand that used to bear the Triforce of Courage was now bare, and had nothing on it except a black outline of the triforce. On his other hand, the mark of time remained. With a great sigh, he laid back down in his bed.

"When I got sent back here, I must have been picked up and put here by the King," he said aloud. Still too tired to think about everything that happened to him in the past few days, Link went back to sleep.

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Zelda's return to Hyrule was a glorious one. The Princess was hailed as a great hero. People paraded in the streets, shouting her name in glory as the new hero.

She hated that.

She knew that it was a joint effort, that is was Hyrule's many nations coming together to fight a common enemy. She also had hidden knowledge from the goddesses that Link had overcome some great evil and effectively stopped the shadow army.

"And here I am, taking the credit," she thought. Back inside her throne room, she signaled for the guard captain to come over.

"Tomorrow, I wish to give a speech to the people of Hyrule," she said, "I want people to know who really to thank."

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The Twili King walked along the hallways of his great ancestors, pictures hung in their honor. He would always stop at the one of his mother, admiring the simple beauty the artist portrayed her in. However, whenever he compared her face to the faces of the other Kings and Queens of the ages, he sensed something was amiss. He could never place his hand on it, until now.

"What good is a ruler with no one to share happiness with?"

He looked at himself as an example, yet to have taken a queen. He would someday, but he had to go through this crisis first. But his mother however… she had no King. In fact, she and the twili refused to acknowledge the rein of the scumbag who was King with Midna for all of three years. The picture frame that was across the room from Midna was blank, and would remain blank forever.

As he approached the sick bay area, he courteously questioned the guard stationed near that place.

"Is one of them awake?"

"Yes your majesty," he said with a bow, "You'll be quite pleased to know your brother is awake and seems like he will pull through."

"Excellent. I wish to see him."

"Of course."

The guard opened the door, holding it open for the King. As he entered, he saw Link peaceably in sleep, being tended to his soreness by the King's personal attendant. It was the least he could do. Past Link's bed, was Erandur, sitting upright looking through the window, gazing into the twilight.

"What seems to be on your mind Erandur?" he questioned, looking into the twilight with him.

"It's just… I was contacted by mother right before the battle."

"What?" The King exclaimed, "How is that possible?"

"I said the same thing too. Of course, she replied with one of her normal little coy responses."

"Well then it must have been her."

Erandur laughed. "I know what you mean." He paused, his face serious. "But what she said about Link…" he said, pointing to the sleeping warrior so there was no confusion about which one he was talking about

"What did she say to you?"

He looked into his brother's eyes, concern on his face. "I think I understand why she contacted me. I think she left this world, regretting something, and she stayed until she could leave with no regrets." He looked at Link, suggesting what he thought the regret was.

"You think… it was him?"

"I don't just think it… I know it."

The King looked concerned. He knew his mother was never truly happy, and he also believed that this warrior who had saved them was also the one who saved the twili one hundred years ago. It was blind faith, something he had been born with. His brother never shared that trait with him, so if he was saying it, it must be true. The King and Erandur proceed to talk about the battle with the shadow creatures and how that went. Finally after an hour or so, the King and Erandur decided to get some rest. The King left the sick bay and headed for his personal chambers, all the while thinking of what Erandur had told him.

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Dawn broke over Hyrule, the sun's rays greeting all those willing to get up to see it rise. The people in Castle town were excited. Rarely had the Princess made public appearances just to deliver a speech. Everyone expected it to be about the recent turn of events, hoping to learn a little more information about what happened.

Zelda looked up at the sun. It was now noon; the crowd was anxiously awaiting her to come out. She felt slightly nervous about the speech. Maybe even more so then the fight for Hyrule. With a deep breath she opened the big wooden doors in front of her and greeted the crowd gathered in Hyrule Castle town Central Square. As soon as they saw her, she could hear the chants of approval and the jovial cheers. She felt slightly embarrassed. "I guess this what Link felt," she thought, still worried about the hero even though she secretly knew he was OK.

"People of Hyrule," she began her voice slightly docile at first, "The threat is over. Hyrule is now safe." Cheers greeted her words.

"But it was at the cost of many lives. We all lost something precious in this struggle. A family member, a close friend," she paused.

"A hero."

Silence greeted her now. She wished for the cheers again.

"But we also gained something from the past few days. Yes, it has only been three days, although to some, including me, it felt like an eternity." She started to smile, her confidence growing. "We gained unity among all of Hyrule. We all rallied together to fight for the greater good, and put aside any petty differences. Whether it was race, religion, or even financial differences, we all fought as one!"

The crowd was getting exuberant now. More chanting of "Princess!" or "Long live Zelda!" came from the crowd. She silenced them with a wave of her hand.

"This feat is something that moves Hyrule in the right direction. If we can strip these differences when we are challenged to unite, then it should be easy for us to come together when we are at peace. This is the next step for Hyrule to move forward, and we must not be afraid to take it. So grieve, for we may have lost a hero… but we now know that we don't need a hero to survive. With the person next to you, we can withstand any evil against us. With unity… we can overcame anything!"

The crowd exploded into cheers as Zelda walked back through the doors she entered. She breathed easy again. It was always hard to address people when everyone was watching what you did. Every move you made, every breath you took. But she was tough, and she knew that she needed to make things right. She needed to tell Hyrule that it wasn't her they needed to thank. It was everyone around them. She looked up to the sky, blue and bright. "Link," she silently thought, "thank you… and I hope that I see the day of your return."

The sun set on Hyrule that day, with more bright beauty then ever before. The orange glow of the setting sun made everyone looked in awe with its splendid beauty. Hyrule was finally safe from harm for now… with or without Link.

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Link could feel a cold damp cloth of some kind on his forehead as he woke again. This time he was not alone. As he opened his eyes, he saw the King of Twilight sitting by his bedside.

"Ah, good. You're finally awake. We were starting to get a little worried when you didn't wake up for twenty four hours."

Link groggily sat up, moaning as he could feel the soreness turn to stiffness. "Was I really out for that long?" he asked.

"Yes, you were. We knew you would be tired, but we didn't know you were THAT tired," he chuckled.

"Well fighting Ganondorf really takes a lot out of you, you know?"

The King laughed. "I suppose it does." Suddenly Link saw the King's face turn serious. "Link," he started, "I'm very grateful for what you did. Judging from what I've seen in your mind, I can tell that I and Erandur would have surely died. You did a great service for Hyrule and the Twilight."

Link would have turned red if the cold cloth was not on him. He knew the King spoke the truth, but it was still hard to ignore such praise. "So you can still read people's minds?" he questioned.

"It's going away, slowly but surely. As it should be."

The King remembered Link's thoughts as he read them while the hero dreamed. He saw the fight versus Ganondorf, and was astounded by the youth's courage. He could feel his pain as he was cut in the leg.

But that was nothing compared to the pain Link felt as the King read the memories he had of Midna. "My mother," he thought, "he truly loved her."

He saw the plane of endless white, his mother addressing Link, the sad and pious encounter. The pains of these thoughts were so great that it had a side effect on Link, he started to get feverish.

"I hope the cloth helps for my foolish curiosity," he thought. The King, upon reflecting upon these memories, could not help but feel a little sorry for the hero. He also remembered how Erandur told him of all the humans' selflessness in the battle, and how they sacrificed everything to protect others.

The King saw Link as the embodiment of that selflessness. "Selflessness," the King thought. His eyes suddenly went wide. "It should be repaid… but… can I?"

"Excuse me," said the King, breaking the silence that occurred as he got caught up in his thoughts, "But if you're well enough Link, I would like to show you something."

"Of course," said Link as he got up, muscles aching. "How is Erandur by the way?"

"He will be fine. He was wounded in the battle, but he will make it. Oh, and Link… you might want to take your equipment with you."

Link looked puzzled, but he obeyed and donned the Master Sword and Hylian shield again.

The King and Link went out of the sick bay, and the King led him through the passage way to his private chambers. When they got there and opened the doors, Link looked around in awe. The place was cozy and majestic. Fine silk cloths and banners were all around the room, and even the bed looked as if it was made out of the same material. The King then went over to a small nightstand and pulled something out of the drawer. Link couldn't tell exactly what it was; he didn't have a great view of it. The King didn't leave him much time to ponder it though.

After the King got what he wanted, he beckoned Link to follow him again. As they went against the wall, he pulled a candle protruding outwards from his right, and revealed a hidden passageway.

"It's supposed to be for emergencies, but I think that I will forgo that use this time."

As they walked downwards through the passage, Link asked him, "Does this have another entrance to it?"

"Yes, it does. The other entry way leads to the main palace grounds." He silently chuckled in his head. "If this works, you may have some more use for this passageway."

As they continued there descent, Link could see a small light. The King went forward into the light and Link followed. On the other side, Link looked in silent awe. He was in what was probably the most well kept garden he had ever seen. Beautiful foreign plants were blossoming in full bloom, as a small trickle of water could be heard.

"You know," the King said, "I used to come to this place a lot in my childhood. It was a safe haven from the harsh politics of the castle. Me and my mother would come down here, and I would always be captivated my her stories of the hero and how he saved the twilight."

"It's funny," he continued, "I never thought I would actually get to meet him."

Link opened his mouth, stunned. "So… you believe it like Erandur thought you did?"

He chuckled again. "I always was a blind believer. But I knew it as soon as I saw you. My mother had a very vivid memory of you for some reason… looking into your mind I think I know why."

Link looked down on the ground, unable to make eye contact with the King. He could only imagine what it was like to know that someone at least 30 years younger than you loved your mother.

"Can you tell me…?" Link said, struggling to get the words out, "Can you tell me how Midna was able to communicate to me, despite being… gone." He couldn't say dead, it pained him too much.

"She did the same thing with my brother. I think… I think she had a lingering regret, and she couldn't leave this world until this regret was gone."

Link nodded in agreement. It had been so with the golden wolf, and it had been so with Midna.

"What was her regret?"

"You know that as well as I do Link." He turned around and looked him in the eyes. "She loved you and she never told you. She wanted to spend and share her life with you, and she could never get it, for protection of her people. I now know why she always seemed so sad…"

The King stopped. He could see the youth weeping, tears running down his face. His blue eyes were watery, and he tried to hide it.

"Selflessness," the King thought, and from their he knew he could do what he planned.

"Link," he stated, "Do you know what this is?"

Link looked into his open palm and saw the object that he must have got from the nightstand. It was orange and black, and resembled a crystal.

"The shadow crystal."

"Correct. It embodies evil magic that was cast on you, according to my mother. It came in handy many times, allowed for you to change into a beast, if I'm not mistaken?"

Link silently nodded, tears still glowing in his eyes.

"This evil magic… is essentially the same magic that sent you through time. I can use my magic to open a portal to send you back to where you belong… back to your own time period."

Link felt a burst of emotion come his way. "You… you can send me back to Hyrule?"

The King gave a small nod. "It isn't much… but it's the least I can do for you."

Suddenly the King grasped the shadow crystal firmly in his hands, and sent a powerful ray of magic into the shadow crystal. Link watched, fascinated by the display. The King then opened up his hand and a small portal opened, slowly expanding. As link looked into it, he could see his own reflection. "It's like a mirror," he thought.

"You will know if you're back in your time period if the mark of time is gone. It was good to know you Link."

"You too," Link paused, gratitude in his eyes, "thank you."

He slowly walked towards the portal, only inches away from it now. As he touched it, the familiar fuzzy feeling engulfed him and his world went black.

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The Twili King watched as the portal closed and Link was gone, gone to where he truly belonged. He felt the effects of his actions immediately. He fell to his knees, weakness consuming him. "I wonder if this is what it feels like to die," he thought.

"So, you did it after all."

Erandur stood in the hidden passageway; His hand was over the wound in his stomach. He also felt weak and feeble as he slowly walked to where his brother was kneeling, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry… for not asking you."

"I… I would have done the same thing," Erandur said, gasping for breath.

They both were on their knees, struggling with an invisible force. Their breathing got short, and ragged. All the while, they both echoed the same thought it their heads.

"Selflessness."

The King and Erandur were back to back, breathing rather harsh and slow.

"Brother," Erandur panted, "Do you think he deserves it?"

"Yes," the King said peaceably, "Yes, he does… more than we are worth."

As they lay back to back in the peaceful garden, their bodies faded from existence, and silence echoed through the twilight palace.

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Link felt the portal close on him and he hit the ground hard. He felt his head throbbing along with his sore limbs. He could barely see where he was through his foggy vision, but as he did, he noticed something. Something just wasn't right…

He gasped.

Link quickly tore off his gloves, looking to see if it was even possible. On his one hand, the outline of the triforce remained. But on his other hand…

There was nothing. The hideous mark of time had left his body. Tears freely poured down his face, but they weren't of sadness. No, they were tears of joy.

He wept in joy because he was where he truly belonged… he wept in joy because he was in his own time period… he wept in joy over The Twili King who shared his name's sacrifice.

He wept in joy because he was still in the Twilight Realm.

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A/N: ...

What? You thought I would end it badly? Psh... shame on you!

Chapter 12 will be up tomorrow, guarenteed.