Tribulations of Twilight
Chapter 3
Link sat down on the bizarre field of blue-green grass. It was nothing but fields as far as he could see, except a black-castle shape in the distance, but it looked far. He spotted a few ridges along the field, and some trees with the same blue-green leaves as the grass. And the sky was the most serene thing he had ever seen.
It was amber, with yellow and orange tints thrown into it. One or two black clouds floated above, but the edges of the clouds faded with the sky. Link was captivated, and he could have stared for hours, if he didn't suddenly have an urge to run as fast as he could toward the Castle. And so, following the urge, he did.
The feeling of happiness flooded him. His instincts told him that once he reached the Castle, he would be immensely happy. Trusting his ever-so-sharp senses, he continued to run, until he tripped on something and fell face-first into the ground.
Spitting out some debris, he sat up, and scratched his head in embarrassment. He hoped no one had saw that. Thankfully, after looking around, no one did. He sighed in relief, he didn't feel like being laughed at.
He heard footsteps, and his left hand flew to his shoulder, only to grasp...
Nothing.
Nothing was there, and somehow, Link felt a twinge of panic as he slowly turned around. He saw about five men dressed in rags, but something was... Off, about them. They had white and black skin, Amber and red eyes, and one of them had green eyes. Their hair was also different shades of red. This disgruntled Link, but somewhere in his head, he heard, 'So I really am back!'
'…Back to where, exactly?' He thought. His train of thought was interrupted when the supposed leader of them spoke up, "Alright, now, this is how things are going to work out. Give us your money, and maybe we won't slit your throat!" He smiled darkly, his yellow teeth showing.
Link felt overly confused. He couldn't understand them, and yet, he knew that they meant harm. How was he going to fair in... wherever he is, without knowing the common language? Then, Link felt a painful ringing in his ears, as a headache began to form. He grunted, then got down on one knee. Grabbing and shaking his head, he slammed his eyes shut from the pain. Then, all at once, it stopped. Opening his eyes, he stood up slowly, till one of them said, "Enough of the funny games! One last chance, give us your money and you won't die!"
Link was amazed that he could understand them now, but he stood still, non-moving, waiting for one of them to make the first move. The leader scoffed, then nodded toward a lackey of his. "With Gusto." The lackey replied, before unsheathing a dagger that looked fairly new, and walked to Link.
The man pointed the dagger at Link when he was in front of him. Link, though having no combat experience (To his knowledge), grabbed the lackey's wrist, twisting it.
SNAP!
The sound of his wrist breaking filled the air. Before the dagger could hit the ground, Link grabbed it, and swung vertically, slicing the man from his stomach to his chest. It wouldn't be a fatal wound, but the man wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.
After the man fell, Link charged, holding the dagger. He approached another lackey, and slammed the blunt side of the dagger to his throat, before leaping over him, and slamming his foot into a lackey's head. The two fell to the ground simultaneously. One gasping for breath, one unconscious. Link got up, and looked at the remaining two. His eyes were filled with cold fury. The Leader looked surprised and scared, while the other one looked like he was going to have a heart attack from fear.
Link walked closer, never moving his gaze from the two. Then, he ran toward them. The Leader pulled out a bastard sword from the scabbard at his waist, and held it in a defensive position, while the second pulled out a club.
Link approached them, and as the Leader sliced, and at that instant, something tugged in his head, and he went along with it. He rolled around the Leader, and performed a Back Slice, making the Leader stumble. While the Leader was stunned, Link threw the Dagger at the final Lackey, as the hilt smashed into his head, before he toppled over, groaning in pain.
Link turned to face the Leader, who finally regained his composure, and turned around. He snarled, "You little..."
The Leader charged at Link, holding his blade firm, but clumsily. Link found an opening, and took it. As the Leader approached, Link, knowing he had a white gauntlet strapped to his left arm, raised it, and as the Leader's blade met it, Link shoved the gauntlet into the sword, giving a more of a Gauntlet Attack than a Shield Attack, but it still worked effectively. The Leader's sword flew from his hand, as Link punched the Leader in the throat with his right hand, and as the Leader hunched over, putting his hands to his throat, Link's left hand made contact with the Leader's solar plexus, causing him to fall over from the severe pain. Link left the pitiful man groaning and gasping for air, as he continued his journey.
He ran in the distance of the castle, as it slowly was beginning to enlarge itself. It looked more like a Palace than a Castle now that Link could get a better look at it. He stopped in his tracks to regain his breath, while he looked onward. His head began to hurt, as slowly, old memories that Link didn't even know of pieced together, and words formed in his head that meant nothing to him, and at the same thing, everything.
'Midna will be there.'
'...Who is that, again? I feel like I should know her, but...'
Link let out a frustrated sigh. He looked down, as he rested his hands on his knees, and he caught sight of a strange symbol on his left hand...
It had three triangles on it, with two on the bottom, and one on top of the other two, and the bottom right triangle stood out more than the other two, because it glowed a little more brightly than the rest of the symbol. Suddenly, memories flashed through his mind. He held his head in pain, as memories pieced themselves together.
'This is called the Triforce... And I'm the bearer... of the Triforce of Courage... This relic gives me a heightened prowess of magical possession than most can ever hold. Even an Arch Mage wouldn't have as much power as the power stowed in this relic.'
Happy that he had regained full control of his Triforce, he recalled on how to use it. He was puzzled by the man with hazel-green eyes in his memories, and the fact that he was in the bottom of some kind of ravine, but he didn't bother with it.
He called upon the power of the Triforce, and slowly, he began to levitate. He let out a burst of energy from the Triforce radiate from him, as a faint golden aura surrounded him, as he slowly flew to the Palace.
He was traveling at a great speed, and he rather enjoyed feeling the wind rush through his air as he defied gravity. He felt weightless, as he flew. He twirled in the air, re grasping the feeling of flying, even though it wasn't a long time since he had used it, but his amnesiac mind made him feel as if this was his first time in about ten years.
He slowly came to the Palace, and found it surrounded by a moat, with four bridges at the Cardinal Directions, that led to gates in the large wall surrounding the city. Link called off the power from the Triforce, as the gold aura left Link, and he dropped to the ground with a rough landing.
"Well, I'd say I should have remembered it would do that, but that would be ironic." Link grumbled, as he stood up. He looked around, before he decided that he needed to get inside that Palace if he wanted any answers. He ran toward the Southern Gate, since that was the nearest to him. As he was walking along the bridge, he came upon two guards guarding a gate.
Link approached them, and held up his hand as a sign of a greeting, but once the guards got a good look at him, they immediately attacked. Link, getting caught off guard, was knocked unconscious as one of the guards slammed their spear on his head.
XXXXXXX
Link woke, in a white room, with a man in a black suit and a clipboard above him. He had silver hair, and red eyes, as he wrote things down. "Where... am I?" He asked.
The man merely glanced at Link, before returning to the clipboard. "The infirmary. The guard hit you with his spear pretty hard, and you were rendered unconscious. They brought you to me, and you'll be fine."
He was cut off when a woman with a black dress, with a symbol on the right arm of it, flaming red hair, crimson eyes, and a scowl on her face entered the room. Link lept out of bed, his gazing never leaving the woman. She was triggering something, and Link almost knew what.
When the woman saw him, She squeaked with surprise, and her hands flew to her mouth, as her amber and red eyes widened in surprise. Link stopped a few feet away from her, in a trance.
No words were spoken, as the doctor stared at them intriguinly. He walked closer, as he turned back to his clipboard and wrote down a few things, before leaving the room.
The woman continued to stare, while Link stared back. She then removed her hands from her mouth, and spoke quietly, "How did you... why are you..." When Link felt a tear run down his cheek, as he quickly embraced her. The woman let out a yelp of surprise, when Link awkwardly let go of her, before scratching his head and saying, "...Sorry, I don't know what came over me."
Link looked at her funnily, before asking, "I know this sounds bad, but uh... Who are you?"
The woman looked at him shocked, and hurt was written all over her face, "You... forgot who I am...?" She murmured.
Link looked at her blankly, before through the window, the man from Link's memories opened it, as he rolled in. His hazel green eyes were fixed on Link, while the Woman said, "There's more of you!"
Link looked at the man with the same blank glare, as he slowly stood up. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I came because of Mr. Forgetful over there, Princess Midna."
Link's head snapped back to Midna. 'Midna... Midna... Midna... Why does that ring a bell? A painful one, too...'
The man walked over to Link, and reached into his pocket. Midna looked at him questiongly, as suddenly, he pulled out a piece of the Mirror Shard, and placed it in Link's hands. She gasped, 'Why does he possess that?'
Link looked at it, and suddenly, Link's eyes clenched, as he dropped to the floor, clenching his head, as all the memories flooded through his head. He felt a painful headache, as one by one, his memories returned. He thought about his life, his childhood, everything. After he regained memories of his quest, what happened afterword struck him hard.
'...Midna... broke the mirror... Why! I... didn't get to say... Zelda... Could never understand... Get... away from me! ... Need to get out of here... Epona... Desert... Need... To run... Get out of here... Bridge of Eldin... Hour of Twilight... Why does everything remind me of her? Why! Goddesses... Fated me to this... Bottom... Of Ravine... Arm broken... Zeke... Fixed my arm... Way back to Midna... She's in Danger! ...Train... For four years? Never to see anyone for that time period... Fine... Anything to save her... Shield... Gone... Accident... Zelda's Guards finding it... Seeing Zelda after four years... Shield hung in memory of me... Tell her... To keep me labled as Dead... Find way to Midna... Council with the Goddesses... Get to the Temple of Time... Strike the Pedestal... Farore! ...Golden Sword... I'm Back in the Twilight Realm! Got to find Midna... Man in white cloak...'
He looked up from his reverie of having his Memory regained, as everything came back to him. His gaze fixed forward, as Midna looked at him. Link stood up, and looked at Zeke, and finally... Midna. The one who broke the Mirror. The one who he fell in love with. The one who started it all. The one who he trained for four long years for. The one who was in danger. The Twilight Princess.
XXXXXXX
Link sat in Midna's chambers, in a chair across from her, who was also sitting in a chair. She had asked that he'd come, for a discussion on what was happening. Zeke said he had to go somewhere, and that he would meet up with Link later.
The two sat in an awkward silence. Link was still in a haze of getting his memory back, and he was thinking about a lot of things. Midna had no doubt heard him in his trance, and probably heard everything about him and the mirror.
"So, care to explain what you're doing here, instead of staring off into space, wolf boy?"
Link was fighting between telling her his personal reason, or the reason that the Goddesses told him that she was in trouble. Both were going to end up with him exposing his feelings, he just knew it. Although the latter of the two could possibly just be a calling-boy thing that Midna would accept, or she would press him on his mumblings earlier on. Which could end badly if Midna didn't love Link back.
Link decided to go with the reason the Goddesses made him come here, "I came because the Goddesses told me that the Twilight Realm was in trouble, so I had to find a way to get here."
Midna sighed. Either she was anticipating that, or she knew Link was hiding something. He wanted to damn her politic side that could easily detect lies or cover-ups.
Link decided to cover up his feelings with a more truthful approach, "The Goddesses sent me here to protect the Twili from an ancient organization by the name of the Templars. There are five in total, each with their respective element, Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Spirit. They could prove to be deadly, so we'd have to be cautios," Link spoke.
Midna sighed, rubbing her temple. "They just never give us a break, do they?"
Link chuckled, as Zeke knocked, and entered the room. He carried a green hilted sword in a golden sheath, and in the other arm, he carried the Hylian Shield. He closed the door behind him. "Sorry for intruding, but I just wanted to give Link back his weapons."
Midna sighed, before nodding. She had wanted time to catch up with Link, alone. She eyed the weapons, as Zeke handed them to Link. Link said his thanks, as Zeke nodded in response, as he stood by Link. Midna examined the weapons, and found that he was still using the Hylian Shield, but the sword was what puzzled her most. "So, what sword is that?" She inquired, "looks more intricate than the Master Sword."
Link donned the Hylian Shield on his back, before holding the sword. "This, is the Golden Sword." He announced, as he gripped the golden sheath with his right hand, the hilt with the left, and pulled.
Midna stifled a gasp at the blade's celestial beauty. It was about the same length as the Master Sword, though, instead of the blue guard and pommel, the guard was Green, as was the pommel. The hilt was black. The Shoulder of the blade was the widest part, and as it followed through the fuller, it got thinner. It was double edged, like the Master Sword. It shined a radiant gold, as if the dullest candle could get a reflection that could match the sun. Midna felt intimidated just by looking at the blade.
Link resheathed the Golden Sword into it's respectable hilt, before he strapped it to his back, along with the Hylian Shield. "Speaking of my weapons, Zeke, what happened after our confrontation with the man in the white cloak?"
Midna was confused at this, and Link noticed this, so he explained best he could. "When we entered this realm in hopes of finding you, we were met by a man wearing a White Cloak. I remember unsheathing my sword, and after that... Blank. I think he knocked me unconscious somehow, but I'm not sure, because when I woke up, I had lost my memory."
Midna nodded, 'So he was the reason Link lost his memory.' She waited for Zeke to answer Link's question.
"Well, he wasn't just a man in a white cloak. He was Divus, the Grand Templar, and Master of the Fifth Element. The element that is the most powerful of All, Spirit."
Link's mouth hung slightly, "But how did he know we were coming?"
"I do not know the answer to that, but after you drew your sword, he was behind you in an instant, using the Spirit energies in the air, and he knocked you out cold with his hand. I drew my claymore-" Zeke pointed to his weapon of choice on his back, "and I battled him. I made him follow me, using tactics and strategy to lead him away from you. We were evenly matched, until I met my limit. Divus..." Zeke shook his head, "He kept on coming. We never actually met eachother in physical attacks. It was just an onslaught of magical abilities. I could not beat him. He was too strong. I had to use my last resort. I focuses all the power I had in my body, and centered it to my right hand. When Divus drew close, I grabbed his chest, and unleashed all of my compressed energies onto him. Normally, this would create an instant-death backlash, but I chanelled the direction of it toward Divus. I didn't wound him fatally, remarkably so, but I did some damage. He left shortly after, seeing as how he finally met his limit, and how I met mine long ago." Zeke finished.
Link and Midna sat in silence, taking in the information, until Midna spoke up, "So, after that was done with, how did Link lose the Golden Sword, and Hylian Shield?"
Zeke sighed, before answering, "He took them from Link's unconscious body. He fought me with them. And after my little skirmish with him, he teleported, leaving the weapons behind."
The three sat in silence, before Link spoke up, "Well, that's the situation as you can see. Zeke and I will leave as soon as we can to deal with the Templar-" Midna cut him off.
"What, you think you two are doing this alone, wolf boy?" Midna asked.
Link looked at her. "Well... Yes. I thought you would want to stay here and deal with the Twilight Realm. Sure, it has been four years, but you can't be done with rebuilding the realm!"
Midna rolled her eyes. "You pitiful wolf. I'm going to help you. After all, my realm is in trouble, and I will not be some damsel in distress locked in a tower by the big-bad Grand Templar, screaming for my Knight in Shining Armor. Speaking of four years, by the way, I also learned some great magics courtesy of my Arch Sorcerer." Midna spoke in extreme vanity.
Link chuckled. He had missed this. Missed the snide remarks, the quirky names, and the snide and mischevious attitude. That was what he loved about her. Though, he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't let her know, until he was sure she felt the same way.
"Oh? Are you sure you'd be able to help? As I last recall, it took a little out of you to break a metal chain..."
"Hey! I was reduced to an imp with a fraction of my power, what's your excuse for after one swing of the Ordon Sword, you lost your balance?"
"Now that's plain unfair! The only sword I have ever used was a light stick!"
Zeke sighed from their antics. Anyone who was looking for the signs knew that they loved eachother, and yet they were afraid to tell eachother. He felt like the third square wheel in the room. Leaving them to their verbal love-bites, Zeke exited the room, and to his nonexistant surprise, they hadn't noticed.
XXXXXXX
A day had passed. Link and Zeke were to attend a council meeting to decide their fates. Once they would arrive there, they would waste no time to explain their being there, and be on their way. They were also going to talk the counsellors into Midna accompanying them.
The three walked to the council chamber. Link walked beside Midna, and asked, "Anything we should know of the counsellors?"
Midna shrugged before replying, "There are fifteen councellors in all. About a third of them I am on good terms with, and they will agree with me on mostly anything, while another third are greedy old fools who want nothing but things to go their way, and the remaining third will agree on whoever has the better point."
Link sighed. "You talk about it like a daily thing."
"You have no idea, wolf boy."
Link, Midna, and Zeke approached the council doors, and opened them, revealing a large room, with a long rectangular brown table with fifteen chairs. Seven on each side, and one at the end. Midna walked and took her seat at the end, with fourteen eyes watching her and her two companions. Several murmurs arose, and one of them stood up,
"To... uh... Adress the elephant in the room, Princess Midna... Why are there two... erm... Light dwellers at your side?"
This councellor was Councellor Anxia, a timid councellor who lacked grace and presence. He would usually be too scared to speak, and when he did, he often mumbled and stumbled on his sentences. He was one of the few Midna was on good terms with. He had spiky orange hair, with red eyes. He wore the traditional black Councellor robes, with cyan runes.
Then, someone else stood up, while Anxia took his seat. "I agree with Councellor Anxia. Who are those people, Princess Midna?"
That someone would be Councellor Lienosus. A councellor who was bent on old traditions and power. He often raised cryptic points that you couldn't prove, or disprove. He was an annoying one. He had a head of short, wirey brown hair, and green eyes. He also wore the traditional black Councellor robes, designed with yellow runes.
Midna sighed, before standing up. "Councellors, I have dire news. There is an ancient organization that could be uprising once more. They are known as the Templars, and there are five of them. Though, their number may not seem like much, they have immense power that could destroy the Twilight Realm. Each of the five have their own respective element, namely, Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Spirit. These two Light Dwellers have been sent to aid us in these upcoming times. You may know this one..." Midna pointed to Link, "as Link, the Hero of Twilight!"
Gasps rose from around the table. Lienosus rose once more. "How can we be sure? They seem pretty sketchy to me, Princess! And besides, why should we listen to Light Dwellers, in their favorable glory of the Light World? We should execute them where they stand! Even if an 'ancient organization' were to rise, it would be a Twili matter! Not a Light Dweller matter!"
Councellor Ordinatur, one of those who Midna did not like, with his suck up attitude to Lienosus, his mangled mullet of black hair, with violet eyes, and black robes with purple runes, spoke up. "I agree! What's his cause to help us? And how do we even know he's here to help?"
At this, one of the more level-headed councellors, Councellor Lunaris, with his eye-length crimson hair, and his green eyes, with his black robes with azure runes, spoke. "I wouldn't be so sure, Councellor Ordinatur. Take a look at his left hand."
Link uncertainly lifted up his left hand, and through his gauntlet, his Triforce shined.
"That, my fellow Councellors, is the mark of the Goddesses. He truly has been sent here to aid us against the Templar. It seems our Goddesses have not yet forsaken us, for the mistakes our ancestors may have made. We should oblige to their help."
Lienosus rose once again, "Oblige to their help! Are you insane, Councellor Lunaris? Their Goddesses forsake us long ago, when they banished us to the Twilight Realm! We have suffered long, dealing with our ancestors' mistakes! That supposed 'Hero of Twilight' means nothing to us! We should kill him where he stands!"
At this, Midna lost her patience, and spoke. "Councellors, though he may not appear to be the Hero of Twilight, I can assure you, since I have travelled with him in the Light World for a month or two, he's quite formidable. This is the same person who fought with us against Zant, the Usurper, while all of you were transformed into Shadow Beasts, and myself an imp. And, this is the same person who fought for his world, against the Dark Lord Ganondorf, who drove Zant to controlling all of us! I propose a Equitum proelio. A Duel to prove his worth. The Hero will combat one of our top knights, and if he wins, he, along with his companion Zeke, and myself will go to defeat the Templars."
The Councellors were silent, mulling this over, while Link looked at Midna, surprised.
Anxia rose once again, and spoke. "Yes... but... Why would you go, Princess Midna...?"
To this, Zeke answered. "Because, as Councellor Lienosus previously stated, that this is a Twili matter, and who are we to deny the highest ranking official from partaking in saving the realm?" Zeke threw an innocently snide smile, strictly directed toward Lienosus and Ordinatur.
Lienosus grunted, as he folded his arms. He could think of no counter-argument, and neither could Ordinatur. Midna tossed an amused glance toward Zeke.
After the moment of silence, High Councellor Cerebrum, an aged Twili with white hair, golden eyes, black robes with white shoulder plates, and golden runes stood. "It is settled then. Link, the Hero of Twilight, shall combat General Robur to decide his worth of assisting the Twilight Realm."
XXXXXXX
Link and Midna walked to a door that lead to the Arena. They looked at eachother, and on a closer inspection, Midna saw that Link looked hardened. She hadn't noticed the scar along his face. How could she have missed that? She traced the scar with her eyes, it went from the top of his right eyebrow, extending diagnolly down his nose, as to the bottom of his left cheek. She wondered if he got that along her quest, or if it was recent. 'No, it couldn't have been from our quest, I don't remember ever seeing it...'
Shrugging the thought aside, she placed a hand on the door. "So, think you can top one of our best soldiers, wolf boy?"
Link grinned, and nodded.
XXXXXXX
A/N:Well, there's chapter three. I'll try to get chapter 4 up ASAP.