Author's Notes: Unfortunately I haven't felt up to writing this fanfic for a while now. However, I realized sometime last week that I would feel horrible if I never finished the story and I was feeling dangerously close to going down that path. I would've started this chapter earlier if it hadn't been for an English paper. Now that it's done and over with, I've decided to force myself to sit down and write this chapter… Please forgive me for my neglect of this story and please enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Link or anything else from the games. Nintendo has the honor to own it. I also don't own the quote. However, I own Celestria as well as my OCs.
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"Necessity is the mother of 'taking chances'."
-- Mark Twain
Chapter 19: This Wasn't Supposed to Happen
It was finally over. The glow from Midna's sword diminished, filling its user with a feeling of pure exhaustion. For a few moments, she lingered, staring at the burn mark that had been Sangra.
"That was…" Kamaria's voice cut into Midna's thoughts. She turned to look at the fallen princess.
"Can you get up?" Midna asked, cutting off anything Kamaria had to say on the event.
Kamaria shifted uncomfortably. "No." She admitted.
"Well then, I'll get the – "
"Kamy!" As if payback for cutting off Kamaria, Midna was cut off by Veiviser bursting through the doors. The boy ran to Kamaria's side and dropped down to stare at her injured leg. "You're hurt!"
"Hello to you too, Vei." Midna rolled her eyes. She sheathed her blade as Lita charged into the room.
"Aysel! Aysel! Are you okay?" Her blonde hair bounced up and down as she came to a stop before Kamaria.
"Lita, darling, my real name is Kamaria." Veiviser's ears dropped slightly when Kamaria chose to address Lita first. "And it's not that bad." As she said this, her purple eyes turned to Veiviser. He grinned at her.
"It's bloody! We're going to get you help… Well, once the healer's done with Arion. He's a bit more injured than you are."
Lita interrupted. "Can I still call you sister even if you aren't Aysel?"
"Of course. You're still my little sister." Kamaria promised, giving the girl a small hug.
Midna looked away a jealous Veiviser (he received a hug after Lita, after which his expression turned dreamy) towards the entrance of the throne room. She smiled upon seeing Link, being helped along by a grinning Vaschel.
As Midna walked towards, Vaschel nodded his head in greeting. "So what happened to the wicked witch that Vei was talking about?" His gray eyes searched the room, pausing momentarily at the scorched ground, before looking imploringly at Midna.
"She's gone." Midna glanced at the burn mark. Vaschel nodded his head in understanding.
"How are you?" Link asked, looking fervently at Midna for any sign of injury.
"A lot better than you." Midna noted as she looked at his haggard face. He smiled grimly.
"I've been wors – Okay, so I haven't been worse…" He smiled sheepishly at her.
"We'll take you back to the Light Realm right now." Midna murmured, doing her best to keep her sadness from showing on her face. "Bring him over here, Vaschel."
Vaschel brought Link closer to Kamaria before helping the boy sit down. The young queen ended her conversation to look at the Hylian sadly.
"How are we going to help him?" She murmured in thought.
"With this." Midna walked over, the amulet Griff had given her in one hand. "It's an easy ceremony that will let him return home. I'm going to need your help."
Kamaria nodded. "I'm sorry for being… difficult back in Honap. I…"
"Save it." Midna shook her head. "You can talk about it after Link's back in the Light Realm."
"Right. What do we do?"
"Here, wear it around your neck." Kamaria took the amulet and did as Midna told her to. Then Midna sat down next to Kamaria and took the girl's hands in her own. Cold flooded them, chilling both their bodies down to an icy temperature. "Repeat these words with me…" Midna took a few seconds to recall the words Griff had told her before she repeated them once aloud.
Then the two took up the mantra together, "Azalen, Traque, Galef, Twilides."
A red glow surrounded the star-shaped pendant. Midna had no time to wonder why the glow wasn't blue like last time when the light overwhelmed everyone in the room, causing them to shut their eyes. Minutes passed.
"Finally! I can once again walk among the living." Laughter echoed through the throne room.
Midna uncovered her eyes, staring in shock at the ghost they had brought back. It wasn't Devincha with her yellow eyes and blue glow. He was much more terrifying than Devincha. His body was covered in simple black armor, no ornamentations whatsoever present. He had short red hair that was similar to Kamaria's hair. A red glow surrounded his floating body, ghostly tail several feet off the floor.
"You're…" Midna's mind spun as she tried to recall a portrait of this figure from her history lessons.
"Gavin." Kamaria finished before whispering to Midna, "Did you really want to summon him? You do know he has a deep hatred towards light dwellers?"
"This must've been what Devincha meant." Midna murmured, thinking of her ancestor's warning not to use the amulet. But this had been a desperate circumstance! She glanced over at Link. Time was running low even now as they inspected Gavin.
All this time, Gavin had slowly been inspecting them with his carnelian eyes. Finally those eyes settled on Link and a sneer covered his face. "What is that light dweller doing here? Assuming we're still in the Twilight Realm?"
Midna stood up and matched Gavin's glare. "We're trying to send him back to his own realm. Why don't you help us out?"
Gavin looked over in mild disinterest. "Now, now, why would I do that? He's not going to leave here… alive, at least."
"You're going to have to go through me if you want him dead." Midna snarled.
The ghost laughed. "Oh yes, because a descendent of Devincha's is a huge threat to one such as me?"
"Gavin, please help us." Kamaria broke in.
Rather than the condescending tone he had adopted with Midna, Gavin spoke eagerly to Kamaria, "Ah, finally I get to meet one of my descendents." The ghost floated closer, eyes taking in the girl's condition. "I see you've just gone through a battle."
"Yes." Kamaria nodded. "Midna saved me from being killed by an assassin. Don't you think that she deserves a favor after her noble actions?"
Gavin laughed. "And why would she want to use that favor to help a mere light dweller?" His eyes flashed dangerously as he looked at Link. "They're wicked creatures that need to be exterminated. Once we lived in their land as powerful sorcerers. If we could go back to the Light Realm, we could show them our superiority. We could put them in their place."
Midna glared at Gavin. "Your ideas got you in trouble before. If you won't help us, we'll just…" She trailed off, glancing at Link. Without the power of the amulet, there was no way to help him return.
Seeing her indecision, Gavin sneered, "I see you were expecting Devincha to come and help you out. What you didn't know is that this amulet holds two spirits."
"We know now." Midna muttered. "How'd they ever manage to squeeze your big head in?"
"You don't want to insult me." He hissed.
"Or what?" Midna knew that she was pushing it. Challenging a ghost was not a smart move, but it was the only way to go since Kamaria's attempt at negotiating had failed. "We'll fight. You and me. If I win, you take Link back to the Light Realm without bringing harm."
"And if I win? There is nothing you have that I want."
Midna sighed. "Come on, there must be something you want."
"A new body." Seeing her mild confusion, he elaborated. "My current form is temporary. If I win, I want to choose someone from this room to use as my new body."
"I will not bet the lives of my friends unless they allow it."
Gavin's eyes skimmed over the watching Twili, eyes marking each feature. Finally he turned back to Midna and pointed a finger at Veiviser. "If I win, I will take his body."
"Vei?" Midna glanced over at him in surprise. "Why would you want him?"
"Hey! Are you saying my body wouldn't make a good host body? Because I'll have you know that I am a great person to possess."
"Vei, I don't think it's a compliment to be chosen." Kamaria murmured softly to the boy, placing a hand on his arm to calm him.
"He is young, but it means he'll last longer." Gavin smiled. "The younger one is, the easier it will be to teach his body the proper magic. What do you say? Will you accept the deal?"
"I'll do it. For Link." Veiviser's voice was shaking, displaying the fear that was coursing through him. However, he managed to smile and joke. "Just don't lose, Middy. I don't really want a ghost to take my body."
Ignoring Veiviser's last comment, Midna nodded at Gavin. "Fine. I accept the deal."
"Without the Fused Shadows, you stand no chance against my power." Gavin waved his arm through the air, creating a domed barrier to serve as a battlefield. Everyone else was pushed out of it, condemned to watching from the outside.
"I don't need the Fused Shadows to take you down." Midna drew the Twi Blade from its sheath. The markings flickered reassuringly.
"Ah, the sword of the Twilight rulers… I've always wondered whether it was real or just a rumor."
"Well, you're about to learn just how real it is." Midna channeled some magic into the Twi Blade, causing the teal markings to glow brightly. She wasn't sure how fighting a spirit would work, but reinforcing the Twi Blade with magic would make it a more effective weapon against the spirit. At least that's what she was hoping.
"Then I'll face you with my own blade." Gavin's hand glowed, an obsidian scimitar appearing in his hand. Crimson markings decorated the blade, but other than that, it was just as simple as his armor.
He lowered himself to the floor, so his ghostly tail was only a few inches off the ground. Then he charged. As their swords clashed, the sound of metal clanging against metal echoed through the throne room. They stayed in the hold for a few minutes before tearing away from one another.
The two swiped and stabbed at one another. Their moves were executed at a lightning speed and internally Midna thanked Link that he had given her lessons on how to use a sword properly. She didn't really want to think about what would've happened if she hadn't taken the time to learn how to use the Twi Blade.
Meanwhile, the onlookers watched the fast-paced battle. Veiviser was nervously chewing on his fingernails, his yellow eyes trying to track every move. Except for the swords hitting one another, it was silent and it was driving him crazy.
"Doesn't anyone else wish that we could put the battle in slow motion, so we could see all the moves?" Veiviser babbled, more to calm his nerves than to really strike up a conversation. "Then again, maybe that would be bad. It would be scary to see them make their moves slowly, giving us time to wonder whether one of them is going to hit. I mean it could make some people really nervous and…"
"Vei, can you do us a favor?" Vaschel piped up from where he had reclined against the wall to watch the battle.
"Sure." Veiviser's ears perked up.
Morgana picked up from where Vaschel had left off, "Can you shut up?"
This silenced the boy, causing his ears to droop. He redirected his attention towards the battle. Before he could return his hand to his mouth, Kamaria reached over and grabbed his hand. They smiled at one another before going back to watching the battle.
Neither of them had drawn blood yet. However, it was clear that the battle from before as well as this one were taking its toll on Midna. Her movements were steadily getting slower, barely getting there to block Gavin's moves. Gavin, on the other hand, was not at all tired.
"Is the little princess getting tired?" Gavin taunted, a smirk twisting on to his face. "You can always surrender and I'll let you walk."
"Not going to happen." Midna replied, barely catching Gavin's scimitar before it could hit her.
"Well, this has been an interesting learning experience, but I think it's time I finish this battle."
Gavin moved quickly, scimitar slashing through the air. Midna knew she wouldn't be able to move her own sword to block the scimitar, so she quickly threw up a magical shield. The scimitar hit the shield, sinking a few millimeters into the solidified magic. For a few moments, Midna panicked, thinking that the scimitar would just slice through her magic and go straight through her flesh. However, the shield held steady.
Gavin smiled. "So you're not out of tricks? Fortunately I've got plenty up my sleeve." He spun away, pulling his scimitar away. Then he launched himself over Midna's head and brought the flat of his scimitar down on her back. While it didn't draw blood, the blow knocked Midna down to her knees and nearly sent the Twi Blade out from her hand.
Before Gavin could bring the scimitar down on her exposed back, Midna did the one thing she had left to do; she rolled to the side. On its way down, the scimitar nicked her arm and then proceeded to get stuck in the ground. Seeing her chance, Midna rose up and slashed the Twi Blade towards Gavin's neck.
"I don't think so." Gavin reacted inhumanely fast (well, he was a spirit), quickly sending a magical wave coursing through the air. It knocked Midna back several feet and gave Gavin enough time to free his sword from the ground.
Midna raised a hand to touch the blood dripping from her arm. It was a minor wound, but it stung. Tightening her jaw, Midna's gaze raised to stare at Gavin. He wasn't injured; he wasn't even tired! There was no way she could keep up unless…
Griff had once told her that the Twi Blade contained an ancient power. He had warned her that the magic could be a bad influence, but now wasn't the time to worry about the consequences. It could be the only way to win, meaning it was possibly the only way to return Link back to the Light Realm to cure the Viduata Solis.
The problem was how to unlock that power. Midna had tried researching the sword, but there hadn't been any conclusive results and she had eventually dropped the research for more important matters. Now she wished that she had done a bit more digging around.
Feeling a bit foolish, Midna murmured, "Whatever power you have, I need it right now. So just help me out."
"Talking to yourself now?" Gavin smirked as he hovered towards her. "This time I promise that I won't miss." He raised the scimitar, pointing it towards her.
Midna's grip tightened around the hilt of her sword. Perhaps… With no more thought, Midna directed every last ounce of her magic into the sword. The teal markings began glowing brightly, but the glow was nothing compared to the glow coming from the onyx set in the hilt. The obscure figures that she had never looked closely at were sharpening, so that she could see that they weren't random reflections of the light. They looked like faces, horrid faces clutched in rotting hands and cruel faces with sadistic grins.
But Midna didn't have much time to mule over the importance of the figures. The ghostly blue glow was turning into a fog, twisting around Midna's hand, her arm, her entire body. Midna's heart was racing as the power flooded her veins. The pain from her wounds disappeared, replaced by the buzz of power. It felt so good and Midna wondered how she had ever gone without it. How dull life had been without the feel of this power!
"You're just full of tricks, aren't you?" Gavin's voice reminded Midna why she had pursued this power in the first place.
"This will be my grandest." Midna laughed before launching herself straight towards Gavin.
The Twi blade flew through the air, entirely enveloped in a teal glow. Gavin raised his own scimitar to block and for a few moments, the Twi Blade was pushing against it. Then it cut cleanly through the obsidian blade. Gavin only had a few seconds to stare at his broken blade before Midna stabbed the Twi Blade into Gavin's stomach.
Gavin screeched, his head tilting back from the pain. The markings on his skin changed from red to teal, as if the glow from Midna's sword had traveled through his insides and was now trying to burst through them.
"Don't you need me around?" Those were his final words before his body dissolved into nothing.
"She did not just kill him!" Veiviser stared at the battlefield as the magical barriers of the said battlefield dissolved. His mouth fluttered open before shutting and then opening again. "But how are we supposed to help Link now?" His ears lowered as he glanced over at the Hylian. He wasn't looking good. Then again, he hadn't been looking good for a while now.
"She must have a plan." Kamaria murmured. She touched the amulet that she had kept around her amulet. "We can just try the amulet again. It would work."
Veiviser brightened and waved his arms wildly over his head. "Hey Midna! Come over here, so we can help Link out!"
Midna turned around. Her eyes and every rune on her body glowed the same ghastly blue that had emanated from the Twi Blade. She strode confidently towards them, the tip of the Twi Blade pointed towards the ground.
"She doesn't look very friendly." Vaschel noted.
"Midna? Are you okay?" Veiviser asked nervously. He didn't like the inhumane glow in her eyes or the way that she made him feel like a rabbit. A small rabbit facing a very hungry wolf.
"I'm better than okay! This is the best I've ever felt." Midna's voice was magnificent, filling the space.
"Well, that's good." Veiviser grinned before adding, "Now how about stopping the creepy glowing and helping Kamy use the amulet?"
Midna sneered. "As if I would give this up." She raised her arms, holding the sword up into the air. "I need nothing more than this power." With that, she laughed loudly.
Things were far from over.
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A/N: I had three ideas for Gavin's end. The original plan was to destroy him, but when I started this chapter, I decided I would keep him around to help bring Link home. Then I finished Looking for Alaska (an excellent book by John Green that I highly recommend) and I was inspired to write some last words (if you haven't read the book, you won't get why). So he died… I'm a horrible person, killing characters just because I want to write last words.
I'm sorry for leaving you off on a cliffhanger. However, I've promised myself that I will finish this chapter soon. My goal is before my spring break ends and I'm going to work hard to reach it, but my writing has been slow lately. So we'll see… But you won't have to wait long.
Twilight Phantom Dragon