Author's Note: Dear GOD, I've been so busy! You'll have to forgive me. Here's Midna's POV, and don't forget to review the FF that's keeping me up at night! Also, Lilisian is a member of The Dark. =D And I'm also doing a first-person thing in here. From now on, it'll be first person, but I wanted to ease into it. So, here it is!
Midna whirled around. "Who are you?"
"My name is Jauli, or Your Highness, if you wish to flatter me. But really, does it matter?" Jauli said, grinning. "If either of you move, you both die. Guards?" She snapped twice. The door opened and three cloaked figures, two with scythes, one with a spear, appeared. "Secure them. If they move, cut their throats. Call the fortune teller in. Anyway, you two need to step into the center of the room and put your hands over that bowl," Jauli pointed to an ancient looking, red bowl. It had several cracks.
Jauli put her hand behind her and waited. A guard handed her a sheathed dagger in her hand and she unsheathed it. The sound seemed to be music to her ears. Jauli quickly poked her finger and let the drop of blood fall into the bowl. She grabbed Kulak's forefinger and poked it, too. The blood dropped into the bowl.
Midna sat on her hands. Jauli twirled her finger once and the two remaining guards lifted Midna into a standing position by her elbows. Jauli walked towards her and poked her finger, bowl in hand. The blood mixed into a dark red.
The door opened and a terrified-looking woman with a crystal ball entered with a guard behind her. Kulak's face fell as he observed her poor condition. She was thin and had been beaten. Her hands were cut and scarred, as well as one black eye and numerous bruises. She wasn't Twili-her skin was too dark- but she certainly wasn't Lilisian, either. So she was a captured Coyla citizen.
"Do it, now!" Jauli ordered.
"Show me, O Goddesses of Shadow…" The fortune teller murmured, waving her hands over and around the ball.
Jauli jumped in front of the woman and her crystal. "Blindfold them, you dummies!"
The guards closed in around Midna and Kulak. They held long lengths of black fabric. Kulak didn't struggle. Midna tried to crawl away, but a guard held her head still and tied her hands behind her back. Midna assumed they did this with Kulak, too, but she couldn't be sure.
Someone—probably Jauli—shifted closer to Midna and Kulak. Jauli started mumbling, almost chanting, words. Midna recognized the language as ancient Twili. She only understood every other word, though. "Heal…the…will…fail…now," Jauli chanted.
The fortune teller was probably the one that gasped. Midna heard a faint plop, then a shing.
"We'll be on our way. Put them under. Bring the slaves. I want to be off my midnight," Jauli snapped.
A foul smelling odor entered the room. Everyone else left, but they left Midna and Kulak. They both coughed violently for a bit of time, and then they blacked out.
*****
"How much did they inhale, damn it! Is she even breathing?!" Jauli snapped. She was yelling, but to Midna it was a harsh yet quiet whisper. Of course, Midna was still waking up.
"Ma'am, the woman isn't awake, but the man is. He's silent as the grave, though. We're about ten minutes away now."
"Midna, you stupid fool, wake up or I'll leave you to die, right here, right now," Jauli walked towards Midna. She yanked on Midna's hair, now unstyled and to her waist. Midna's eyes shot open and she moaned. The world spun at a dizzying speed.
"Get up, you two," Jauli ordered, ripping off the blindfolds. They were in a horse drawn carriage, going very, very fast. There were two chairs, one for Jauli, one for her guard. Midna and Kulak were on the floor, bouncing up and down at the slightest bump.
They did as told, seeing as Jauli was armed and dangerous with a scythe of her own. Kulak glanced at Midna nervously. His once spiky, black hair was now messy and curly to his ears.
There was a screeching noise as the carriage stopped. "Get out. We will see you later," She shot a glance at the guard.
"Where are we going, you vile criminal?" Midna hissed. She held still and kept her face straight as Jauli advanced towards her and put the curved scythe around her neck. Midna didn't move.
"Do you know how satisfying it would be to kill you? But no. I need you, don't you understand? So keep quiet or I'll let you stay with the guards. They're a little rough, you know. Maybe that wouldn't be so pleasant?" Jauli hissed. She removed the scythe. "Come on. Don't want to be left behind, do you?"
Kulak shuddered and hurried after Midna and Jauli.
The Twilight was eerily beautiful, as always. The air was pleasant, but smelled like smoke. Midna saw why. Her castle, although not burning, was surrounded by fire. Midna knew what this was: A fire barrier. They were used when the castle was threatened. She knew that archers would be firing from the balconies.
Midna let out a wordless sound of anger and reached out to strike Jauli. She thought twice of it and drew back immediately. Jauli smiled and started to run. "I know you two can run. Hurry up, or I'll burn your body with my firewood."
They hurried after her. Suddenly, she stopped. "You two, take my hands. Now," Jauli hissed. She shut her eyes and murmured a spell.
Then they were running again. Arrows were fired at them, but they bounced off Jauli's barrier. Midna mouthed, "Hit her with your best shot when we're at our destination." She hoped he understood.
The barrier started to fade when they approached the main square, at the landing of the Twilight Mirror.
"No!" Midna screeched, observing the newly formed mirror. It barely reflected the fire surrounding the doors of the castle. It was red…the same color of the blood collected in the bowl.
Midna let go of Jauli's hand and tried to hit her with an energy blast. It shattered when it collided with Jauli's barrier.
That barrier won't last much longer… Midna thought. Jauli smiled and reached her scythe out of the barrier. She swung it at Midna, hitting Midna's left hand, leaving a smooth cut on the back of it. Midna held it to her chest, but started running towards the courtyard.
"Stop this. NOW!" Jauli screamed, releasing Kulak for a split second. She held her hand up to the sky and Midna ducked. She couldn't move now—Jauli's powerful freezing spell had hit her. Jauli rushed forward to grab Midna's shoulder and haul her along.
Soon it started to wear off. Midna could move, but only minute amounts and they were already walking up the steps, avoiding fire and arrows. Kulak opened his mouth to speak, but Jauli let go of his hand and slapped him. He gasped and kept silent.
Midna felt the Twilight sweep her away into the Light Realm.
------------------------------------First Person------------------------------------------------------
I felt the sunlight before I saw it. The sensation was unmistakable. I wasn't ashamed of myself for trying to stop this from happening—I cared enough to try, at least. The gash on my hand was just a painful reminder of stubbornness and I wouldn't forget it soon.
But I didn't have time to think. Jauli laughed and Kulak sighed. I could move now—not that I should, but I had to. I had to get away, whether Kulak was coming or not.
I opened my eyes and almost laughed at Kulak's face, a mix of uncertainty and anger. He turned—slowly, little bits at a time—and raised his hand as if to brush a strand of hair out of Jauli's eyes. Instead, he punched her clear in the face. Her barrier wavered and I warped us to the place I knew I shouldn't go to; Ordon Spring.
I caught a glimpse of Jauli's face, bleeding slightly, and smiled.
"Where is this…and what are those?" Kulak panicked, pointing to the fairies floating just above the water and the orb of light that was the freaky head-fairy.
"Ordon Spring. We don't have light or shadow spirits in the Twilight Realm, but here they have…Light Spirits. And fairies, which are those," I explained. "Follow me. I…know a place we can go."
I started walking through the small forested area that connected Ordon to the spring and Faron Woods. I was amazed at the difference of summer and fall here in Ordon. The trees were mostly evergreens, but the small amounts of deciduous trees were almost bare. The weather was colder than I would have thought—I guess the Light Realm had spoiled me, weather wise.
After what seemed like a decade, Kulak and I reached Link's tree house. I blinked back guilty tears as I climbed the ladder, hoping there weren't any spiders—I didn't care to look.
"Wait…I don't think this is a good idea, Midna," Kulak's voice edged towards panic, but his face was smooth. Just below his nose, there was a small red mark where Jauli had stricken him. He looked away, embarrassed, when I glared at him.
"I know what I'm doing. Come on up," I said, gesturing for him to come up the ladder. I knocked on the door and sucked in a breath, ready for anything. Maybe he wouldn't remember me. Maybe he wouldn't help. Maybe…
Okay, that was really, really long. I'm glad I got that outta my system, though. Thanks for reading!
