Chapter 5 – Midna

Link seemed less distant since the talk he had with Rusl. A few weeks had passed since then, and Link had shown signs of returning to his old self. Neither he nor Rusl had heard from Auru yet about the Twilight Mirror, but they weren't giving up hope on his reply.

Link spent more time at the ranch, doing extra work for the time that he had missed being away in Hyrule. When he wasn't at the ranch, he was spending time with Ilia and the kids, which really brought his spirits up. He'd teach the kids some of the moves he had learned on his journey, which excited Colin the most. Link would laugh when Malo and Colin got into mock duels with each other and their wooden swords (Colin won most of the time).

He'd also go on walks around the forest with Ilia, catching up on lost time with her. Ilia felt bad that she had forgotten Link and that she couldn't have been more of a help to him during his quest, but she was glad that he didn't hold any grudges against her. She knew Link was hiding something from her, though, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Whenever she asked, he'd dodge the question. She figured he didn't want to talk about it, so she would let it be.

That day, after returning from a walk with Ilia, the mayor stepped out of the house as his daughter walked in. Bo walked over to Link, smiling and putting a hand on his shoulder. The hour of twilight was upon them, and the two looked at the setting sun through the trees.

"You two have grown up so much over the years," commented the mayor. Link nodded in agreement. "You're both adults now."

"Things are definitely different now than they were when we were kids," agreed Link.

"I don't think you should keep her waiting," exclaimed Bo. Link looked up at the mayor, confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Mayor Bo looked down at him, smiling.

"Marriage, my boy," answered Bo. Link suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He felt some of the color leave his skin. "What's the matter, Link?"

"I'm…not ready to get married yet," stated Link. He didn't want to tell the mayor he no longer loved his daughter.

"Nonsense, Link!" laughed the mayor. "You two have been spending so much time together, and you're comfortable in each other's presence. There's obvious chemistry between you two. You two are definitely ready." Link wasn't feeling too well. He glanced around to try and find a good excuse to leave. Luckily for him, he saw Rusl walking down the path towards his house. He looked up at the mayor.

"Could you excuse me, Mayor?" asked Link. "I need to take care of something." Before the mayor had a chance to answer, Link walked off towards Rusl. He called out to his friend, who stopped and smiled at him. As Link walked down towards the small bridge, his vision began to get blurry and he felt dizzy all of a sudden. He couldn't walk straight, and the color was leaving his skin. Link could hear Rusl calling his name out, but his voice seemed to be fading away along with his vision. The next thing he saw was darkness as he collapsed, losing consciousness. Rusl quickly ran to Link and caught him before he fell onto the ground. He knelt down and held Link in his arms, shaking him slightly.

"Link! Link, wake up!" shouted Rusl, in a bit of a panic. Bo had quickly made his way over to the scene, others soon following. Bo knelt down next to the two and checked Link's vitals.

"He's running a fever," announced Bo. "Take him inside my house; we can tend to him there." Rusl nodded and scooped Link into his arms, standing up.

Link opened his eyes and slowly stood up, looking around. He found himself in the area in front of the Palace of Twilight. He was no longer in his Ordon clothes, but his familiar Hero garb that he wore during his journey. After he was done inspecting himself and his surroundings, he saw a familiar face walking towards him.

"Midna," breathed Link. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"I've been able to watch you during the hour of twilight in your world," explained Midna. "Ever since I returned to my home, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, Link." Link slowly walked up to her and placed a hand on her face. His eyes widened when his hand went right through her. "You are physically not here. You passed out in your world, which was my doing."

"Why, Midna?" asked Link, frowning. "Why did you break the Twilight Mirror?" Midna frowned.

"I didn't want history to repeat itself in Hyrule," answered Midna. "It pained me to leave you behind, but it was for your safety and that of Hyrule. You went through so much pain and suffering because of me, and for that, I apologize."

"Midna, when I traveled with you," began Link, "I was happy. I wasn't alone. Ever since you left, I've been thinking non-stop about you, too. I…I love you." Midna's frown deepened.

"I love you, too, Link, but…" confessed Midna. "We can't be together. We come from completely different worlds that have no way of connecting with each other anymore." Link's heart sank. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I don't want to hold you back. Please, don't continue to suffer because of me. I want you to live your life and be happy, even if you're not with me."

"You…you can't be serious," said Link, trying to remain calm. "There's no way back to the Twilight Realm!?" Midna shook her head, which made Link feel worse. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He was too upset to speak.

"I'm sorry, Link," apologized Midna, fighting back tears of her own. "I must leave you now." She slowly backed away from him. Link's eyes widened slightly as he saw her leave. He started to run towards her, but ropes of light wrapped around his body, pulling him away from her towards the light. He struggled against his bindings, trying to free himself. He pulled his left arm free and reached out to her, tears pouring down his cheeks like waterfalls.

"Midna, wait! Midna!" cried out Link. She closed her eyes and turned around, running back into the palace, leaving a trail of tears behind her. "Midna! MIDNA!!!"