Disclaimer: Midna and The Legend of Zelda are the intellectual property of Nintendo.

Entwilightened

Chapter 3

His heart jackhammered against his chest and he struggled to control the rising fear in his gut. What would he say? What could he say? What if they got a good look at her? He glanced down quickly, tugged her hood higher and shifted his grip.

The doors slid open and he clenched his mouth shut and took a deep breath through his nose. He heard footsteps against the cheap carpet in the elevator lobby, when suddenly a male figure was silhouetted in the elevator doorway. He strode halfway into the car before he froze, his head cocked quizzically in Alec's direction, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Kid…what in the world is that?" said the stranger.

Alec's mouth opened and whatever words he had stuck in his throat. "Ah…eh…"

The stranger's head turned and he regarded Alec with both eyes, and leaned forward. Alec knew he had to say something.

"It…it's a friend of mine. She's hurt. Bad. I'm taking her to the doctor," he stammered. As he said this, Alec saw the stranger's eyes widen in surprise, and then alarm.

"Oh sh…how can I help?" The stranger stood up straighter, ready for whatever came next.

Alec's mind fizzled and sparked under stress, and managed to join two wires long enough to create a sentence. "Um. Here, take her legs, I'll get her torso." Alec shifted as the stranger made use of the limited room in the elevator car, and hefted Midna's legs.

While the two were adjusting positions, the elevator doors had closed, and it had resumed its descent to the ground floor. The two stood in awkward silence as the unspoken questions filled the air. Finally, the stranger could help himself no longer.

"I've got to ask, bro. What's wrong with her?" Absurdly, Alec noticed the other man's accent as being from the east coast. Of all the things to take notice of…

"Uh. She's all cut up. Was bleeding really bad when I found her," Alec said.

"No kidding? How in the…how did that happen?"

"I can say with complete honesty that I haven't the faintest clue," Alec said bitterly. "Nothing sharp around, no signs of an accident. Craziest thing, y'know?" He said, looking at the stranger helplessly.

The elevator doors opened into the apartment lobby, and the two of them exited the car and began half-walking, half-jogging to the exits.

"Damn, kid. That's rough," the other man said. He gave Alec a sidelong glance. "You're gonna freeze out there, dressed like that."

"What?" Alec looked down and realized he was still wearing nothing but jeans and a t-shirt. "Oh, hell. I'm gonna get soaked."

"I guess that was the least of your worries, yeah?"

The two reached the exit and pushed open the door. Alec winced as he met the wall of wind and water but kept up the pace.

"My car's just over here!" He shouted, gently steering the other man.

They reached the car quickly, a battered looking red Saturn with most of the paint on the hood scraped off to reveal the rusted metal beneath. The bumpers had seen better days, and the lights were barely hanging onto the car, but the windows and interior were clean. Alec did what he could.

"Here, you take her for a second! I gotta unlock it!" Alec shouted over the gale, shifting Midna entirely to the stranger and fumbling his keys from his pocket. He unlocked the car, opened the door and motioned to the stranger to lay down Midna on the backseat. Alec ran around to the other side to guide the limp princess into the car.

Once she was secured, he shut the door, and the other man made to the do the same before stopping halfway. He frowned quizzically and asked, "Hey, what's this green stuff on her foot?"

"What?" Alec ran over, to take a look. Her left foot was just peeking out from the bottom of the coat, and was covered in water, tinged silvery-green. The green color was getting stronger, as more blood dripped from her reopened cuts. "Oh hell. I've got to go now."

Alec shut the rear door of the car, ripped open the driver-side door of the car and jumped in. He was just about to shut it when the stranger shouted. "Hey kid! What's your name?"

"Alec! And thanks for your help!"

"No problem! Name's Roger by the way! Good luck!"

Alec slammed the car door, started the car, yanked it into reverse and tore out of the parking lot as fast as conditions and physical laws allowed. He cursed the rain for forcing him to slow down, and thanked it for reducing traffic. The last thing he needed right now was a traffic jam. With that in mind, he stuck to back roads as he wound his way to the doctor's office. As the car raced down the roads of the city, so did his mind down the streets of his fear.

What if Doc refuses to help her? Does the Hippocratic Oath apply to nonhumans? What if Doc can't do anything? Or worse, and here his stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch, what if she doesn't make it there?

Alec's mind continued to race. Having exhausted all the "what-if", it moved onto the "why". Why is she here? Why is she all cut up? When does this happen in relation to the game?

His thoughts continued spinning in a circle for some time until finally he silenced them with some effort. One final wonder that snuck through was I wonder what she's like in person?

He shook his head and chuckled at himself. There were more important things to worry about right now. He risked a glance at the unconscious, otherworldly passenger in his backseat and pursed his lips. A trickle of blood was slowly oozing its way down her foot to join the small but growing puddle on the seat cushion.

As he turned back to the road, he thought That's gonna be hell to get out of the upholstery.

Roger stood in the parking lot after Alec had driven off, sheltered from the worst of the elements by a convenient SUV, deep in thought.

That right there's a situation you don't run into every day. That Alec kid's got it rough. Roger shook his head. Hope his friend makes it. Weird looking girl though…barefoot, one foot grey the other black…her face looked a little strange too, now that I think about it. Wish I'd gotten a better look

He frowned as he pondered further. Why was she all wrapped up like that, anyway? Maybe he was trying to use it to bind her wounds, or preserve her modesty or something, he thought, finding reasons. Yeah... Somewhat satisfied, he began walking back toward the apartment complex. Suddenly, his mind threw up a counterargument. If my friend was all cut up all of a sudden and I had no idea why, I wouldn't waste time covering her up. Something ain't right here.

As he made his way to the elevator doors, his gaze settled on a small silvery-green stain on the ground. He furrowed his eyebrows and bent down for a closer look.

"It's the same color as that green stuff on the girl's foot…" he muttered to himself.

He looked up, eyes traveling in a straight line from the green splotch on the floor to the elevator. Just as he suspected, there were evenly spaced droplets of the stuff on the ground forming a trail from the elevator to the doorway. He stood up, seemed to think for a moment then nodded to himself.

"It could work."

He crossed to the elevators, and entered when one responded to the call. He contemplated the control panel for a moment before pressing the buttons for the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors. He was going to find out where Alec and his friend had come from and satisfy his curiosity.

Alec blinked the water dripping from his hair out of his eyes and jammed his foot on the brake. He quickly remembered his delicate cargo in the back seat and eased off. The car fishtailed slightly and he pulled into the parking lot at a speed his former driving instructor had once cautioned him was "much too fast!" He pulled into a space at one side of the lot, and hopped out of the car. The rain slapped at him again, but he was ready for it this time.

Doctor Kiowa's office was a small suite tucked into the far end of a crowded shopping center. Alec had always heard that the hole-in-the-wall places offered the best service, and Alec had discovered that this held true, even for the medical professions. He held no illusions, and knew the Doc was probably the exception rather than the norm, but appreciated it all the same. Her smaller clientele and office gave visits to the doctor a homier, more personal feel. This was an important selling point when you had to explain to your doctor what your friend was doing with a broken leg still attached to a snowboard and you didn't want to worry about feeling self-conscious.

Alec carefully opened the car door to the back seat and kneeled down to take Midna into his arms. He gathered her up, booted the car door shut, and began jogging across the parking lot to the doctor's office.

Standing against the door, holding it open was Doctor Kiowa, calmly filing her nails, seemingly oblivious, or perhaps immune to, the weather. She glanced up at him and quirked an eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing. As Alec drew near, without changing her expression or looking away, the doctor stiffly swept her arm toward the doorway in a mockery of servility, beckoning Alec inside. He smirked. Same old Doc.

As Alec crossed the threshold, the doctor's face faded into an impassive mask and she walked briskly ahead of him. "We'll take your friend to room four. Come on."

Alec followed without a word and waited. He knew from experience how this process went. He tried to simultaneously not slip on the puddles of water he was making, and keep the water out of his eyes without the use of his hands.

"What happened and when?"

"I don't know exactly, about twenty minutes ago. Thirty tops."

"You described the patient as "all cut up" and with "a nasty looking head wound". What were the cuts like? Straight like with a knife, or ragged like with teeth or something organic?"

"They seemed ragged to me. Teeth? You think so?"

"Can't rule it out. How about the head wound, anything characteristic?"

"Uh, I don't really know. What should I have been looking for?"

"Did you feel any kind of swelling, like a goose-egg?"

"Hm. I dunno. I don't think so."

"We'll figure it out in a moment then. Here, set her down on the table," she said. They had reached the examination room, and the doctor had quietly closed the door behind them. Alec noted that she already had all her tools set out and prepared. She knew him much too well. While the doctor was turned away, apparently examining and selecting her tools, she asked "Why is your friend in a trench coat?"

"What?"

"I mean, why did you put them in a trench coat?"

Alec frowned. "What makes you think I put a trench coat on her?"

Doctor Kiowa sighed. "Alec, you told me you saw the wounds directly. She obviously wasn't conscious during. Somebody dressed her in a trench coat, and I doubt she was in any position to do so herself." The doctor turned around, and pierced Alec with her gaze, her face stony. "What am I getting myself into here?"

Alec bit his lip. He knew this was a hurdle he was going to have to leap, but he didn't relish it in the least. The Doctor had a way of making you feel guilty without saying a thing. Wordlessly, Alec walked over the figure on the table and drew her hood back. He heard a sharp intake of breath from the Doctor's direction—not a gasp, not quite—and ignored it, moving to unbelt the trench coat. He threw the coat open stood back, and looked up at the Doctor. She didn't even glance at him. She was standing stock-still, staring at her patient, lips pursed slightly, eyebrows the tiniest bit furrowed. Without warning, her head snapped up and she stared straight at Alec. He flinched.

"Alec—"she barked, before seeing his reaction. She softened her expression some and took a deep breath. "What in the world have you gotten yourself into this time?" she sighed.

"And here I was, hoping you'd just think it was makeup or something…" Alec responded weakly.

"Not a chance. The facial structure is all wrong, the eyes are the wrong shape, the limbs are slightly too long, and that hair color looks natural. Not to mention the green blood." The Doctor moved to Midna's side and began peeling off the makeshift bandages from the wounds. As they came away, they left ropes of tacky, partially coagulated blood. Alec screwed his eyes shut and had to look away. Fresh injuries he could handle, but partially-healed wounds nauseated him.

"Well, it seems like the bleeding has mostly stopped. Did you clean the wounds with anything?"

Eyes still closed, Alec responded, "Yeah, hydrogen peroxide."

"Well, given what you had on hand, that was probably the right thing to do. Next time though, don't use toilet paper as a bandage. It tears easily and gets caught in the wounds and can get infected. Now I'm going to have to dig it all out."

Alec paled at the mental image that brought to mind. To him, the word "dig" implied shovels. When combined with the thought of "digging out" something from a wound, it made him very uncomfortable.

As she worked, the Doctor kept up a stream of commentary and questions. "Interesting, it seems like the wounds are fairly fresh, but they're already healing some…Alec," she said, "just who is this girl?"

Alec looked up and grinned humorlessly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Kiowa sighed. "Alec, I've known you for years. You don't do drugs, you're not insane, and you don't tell stories. Try me."

Alec's vision unfocused and he stared off into the distance. "Fine, but this is going to sound nuts. Ever heard of a video game called Legend of Zelda?"

"No."

"It's a fantasy game set in a medieval-style setting. You control a hero, armed with a sword and shield and all that. In the latest game, you reluctantly team up with a little imp critter named Midna. At first she's just using you, but as the game progresses, the two of you grow on each other. At the end of the game, it's revealed that she's not an imp at all, but was just cursed. She was from another realm altogether called the…" Alec trailed off. "Ugh, this is stupid sounding. And crazy."

"I'm still listening. Keep going. I'd like to hear the crazy part."

Alec grimaced. "Okay, fine. Your partner is from the Twilight realm, apparently made up of a bunch of descendants of a people who coveted a power of the land's goddesses, and were thrown into the realm as punishment. "

"Sounds awfully cruel of the goddesses," Kiowa interjected.

"Well, no, because the Twili were trying to—I'm not going to explain the entire game's story!" Alec said, briefly forgetting his self-consciousness. He shook his head and continued, "Anyway, your partner turns out to be the Twilight realm's princess, big surprise."

"Alec…what does this have to do with the alien girl I'm bandaging up here?" Kiowa said slowly. "Oh, this head wound is nasty, you were right," she muttered.

"Well…" Alec shifted uncomfortably, "I was sitting in the living room, when I hear this sound from my bedroom. I go to look, and there are all these black squares flying around."

"Black squares," said Kiowa neutrally. Alec gulped—that tone could mean anything.

"Yeah. Right. Black squares. So anyway, all of the sudden, they all collapse into the uh, the girl here. And she's all cut up like this."

"Hmmm…"mused Kiowa, looking at the head wound from another angle. "Yep."

"What? Is there something wrong with her head?"

"No." Kiowa looked up and stared Alec straight in the eye, "That does sound crazy." Alec felt a sinking feeling in his gut. "Fortunately, I believe you. You could have made that up, sure. But I don't have any reason to doubt you. Right now, anyway." Alec relaxed. "Does she have a name?"

Alec blinked at the sudden change in subject. "Yeah. Midna."

"Midna. Like midnight. Because she's the twilight princess. Ha, I get it," the Doctor said flatly. "Okay, get out of here and get into the waiting room. I don't need you anymore," said Kiowa. She turned away from Alec and Midna and dropped the pile of bloody bandages into a trash can.

"What?" Alec bristled. "You kept me in here just because you wanted the full story?"

The Doctor looked up and glared at Alec. "Yes, because I need to know everything I can about my patient. You've got a possibly fatally-bleeding alien that I know next to nothing about. You're lucky I know you so well, and that I'm willing to stay quiet about this. Now don't test my patience anymore. Besides, you look ready to collapse," she added. Alec sagged slightly, and glared daggers at Kiowa ."Out!" She shouted, unfazed.

Alec left the room, and barely checked his desire to slam the door behind him. As he walked down the hall back toward the waiting room, Alec fumed. How dare she kick him out like that? He ought to go right back and refuse to leave until…

He never found out what he would've done next, because at that point he stumbled and nearly crashed to the ground before he caught himself on one knee. As he held himself up off the ground with his arms, he noticed they were shaking. His vision swam for a moment and he swayed. He recovered quickly, and staggered back to an upright position.

Okay, maybe I need a break after all…he thought, and shuffled into the waiting room. He collapsed into a chair and groaned as the adrenaline was filtered out of his system and the day's exhaustion caught up to him.

Oh yeah. Break time…

Notes: Two characters join Alec in their knowledge of a visitor from the Twilight. We learn a little more about Kiowa and Alec's relationship with her. He's an awfully reckless kid, isn't he?

Kiowa is a blast to write. Her dialog practically writes itself.

Chapter four is partially written. Each successive chapter just gets longer and longer, and four looks to be pretty dialog heavy.