We reappeared in the Mirror Chamber, the stars winking peacefully at us in the sky. Wasting no time, we hurried up the steps, and situated ourselves in front of the mirror. I looked at Link, gripping his hand more firmly. I had to admit I was scared of returning to my world... Scared of what would happen there once we went back.

"Ready?" I asked him.

He nodded. At his command, the Mirror's rays shone more brightly and we dissolved into nothingness again, leaving the Light and returning to the Twilight.

Again, I got the swooping sensation in my stomach as I drifted through blank space. Finally, we appeared in the cave that belonged to the blacksmith. Link looked around in interest. "Where are we?" He asked.

"In a blacksmith's cave, he's the reason I was able to return to the Light," Briefly, I explained my endeavours to him. However, there was a nagging feeling inside me; where was the blacksmith? I looked around; the cave wasn't big enough to hide a man of his size. I began to feel worried, had something happened to him? Sensing something was wrong; Link directed my face towards his.

"What's troubling you?" he asked softly, "It makes me feel upset to see you unhappy..."

I looked around again, the nagging feeling getting stronger each time. "The blacksmith... I'm worried something happened to him," I replied.

He frowned. He unsheathed his sword and examined it in interest, for it had begun to glow again from the light of the Sols. Seeing the confused look on my face, he said, "I got the Master Sword back after I had placed it back in the Sacred Grove not too long ago. I felt... well exposed without it. I'll return it eventually, for it's not mine of course,"

He then pulled me forwards, off the pedestal of the Mirror of Light. "Maybe we'll find out what happened to him once we get back down... Lead the way," he said.

Making haste, I pulled him alongside me, as we made our way down the mountains, silent the entire way. My mind was still preoccupied, puzzling over where the blacksmith could have possibly gone. We walked, making steady progress, both of us silent the entire way. Worry was eating me up on the inside. What would I find once I got back to the town surrounding the castle? How was my kingdom holding up with Holimath as its ruler?

Finally, the castle loomed into sight, and we walked faster. I suddenly stopped Link, and turned to him. He was confused as he looked at me, studying my face. I looked down, holding one of his hands in my own. I brushed my face against his hands, and said, "Link, you have no idea how much this means to me... Not only did you save my world once, but you're back to save it from peril again..." I looked up into his eyes, "if... if we don't survive through this, I want you to know, that I love you, I always have," I could not envision a life without him anymore.

He kissed me softly, and then looked into my eyes, "for what it's worth, I do too, more than anything else... nothing will happen... I will make sure of it... I won't let anything happen to you, not again," He whispered.

I threw my arms around him; I was terrified of the outcome, terrified of what might be lying in wait for us. Grabbing his hand, I broke into a brisk walk. I could not rid myself of these fears within me, I continued to worry and fret the entire way, until we came to the town before the castle. I gasped as I laid my eyes upon it, for it was a miserable sight.

Many Twili were lying on the streets, some were dead, and each of their bodies bore evidence of torture and starvation. Many were begging for food or money on the streets to passers-by, and others were walking in tightly formed groups, all looking behind their backs in fear. I soon realized why. Following their gazes, I saw the monstrous forms of Shadow beasts roaming freely on the streets. Many of my people lay dead at their feet. Homes looked broken into, as doors hung off their hinges, and windows were smashed. Tears stung my eyes. How could this have happened, all in a few days? A scream suddenly disrupted my thoughts. Looking around, I found the source. "No!" I cried. A Shadow beast was running towards a woman and her child, and she was backed against the wall, as she tried to protect her child from the sure harm that was about to come to the child and herself. I felt Link break his grip from me, as he charged forward, his sword raised. My heart pounded with fear, as I prayed for his safety. He reached the beast and slashed at it with ferocity; I could see the look of contempt on his face as he attacked. The giant monster roared its displeasure, and soon its fellows had joined it, all ganging up on Link. I covered my face with my hands, quivering with fright. I heard the battle cries of Link, and the roars of the Shadow beasts, each getting louder and more frequent.

Suddenly, I heard the swish of a blade, and the sound of it being driven into flesh. I peeked through my fingers, and I saw Link driving the blade deeper into the last one, as they collapsed onto the ground. They burst into pixels, and a portal soon opened above. Still shaking uncontrollably, I removed my hands from my face, and I watched as Link replaced his sword back into its carrier, and approached the woman and her child, both looking at Link in a mixture of fear and admiration.

"Are you alright?" I heard him ask her. She nodded her eyes still wide with fear. The child was crying into her dress. Link crouched down, until his face was level with the child's. He looked at Link, tears still falling down his small face. He clutched at his mother's dress, and hid himself behind her.

"Those mean monsters won't hurt you anymore," he said gently. Digging in his pocket, he extracted a piece of bread and handed it to the child. The child looked up at his mother, and then slowly took the bread from Link. Link stood up, and left, both staring after him. My heart swelled with love for the scene that I had just witnessed. He was compassionate, and he knew how to deal with children and offer them comfort... He had all the makings of a fine man... One who would be a great and noble ruler... I blushed at this last thought. I didn't know where it had come from, but I did not disagree with it in the slightest. I watched him make his way over to me, his face serious. I was at a loss for words. He grabbed my hand, and he made his own way towards the castle now.

The further we walked, the more destruction met our eyes, each sight worse than the last. Holimath, how could he do this? I promised myself revenge, he would not get away with this! Link looked around; he was silent as he observed the poverty and death all around him.

"We won't let this happen any longer," he told me, "I'll do everything in my power to stop this."

I glanced at him, at a loss for words. My heart pounded feverishly. I loved him for how sincere he was... how he would do anything for people who were not even of his own race... for me.

We continued on, and soon, we were at the foot of the castle's grounds. We looked at each other. Fear pulsated through me again. "Link, please, be careful..." I pleaded, "Please, I just can't lose you."

He kissed my forehead, "things will be okay," he promised me. I hugged him tightly, refusing to loosen my grip. "I would rather die than let something befall you again, Midna," at this, he kissed me fiercely, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

After a while, I broke away. I put a finger to my lips, as we made our way to the portal that would teleport us up to the castle floating aimlessly in the sky. We approached it, and were both simultaneously warped to the castle above us. As our feet touched the ground again, I looked around wildly. There was not a guard in sight; this worried me a bit. We broke into a run, never letting go of the other's hand, as we made our way towards the castle. The humungous black birds glanced at us, and took flight, as they began to circle us. Link skidded to a halt, and tried to extract his sword. I pulled him onward, "forget about them, and let's go!" I cried, ducking from the claws of them. Holimath had reinstated the curtain of darkness. Link hastily slashed through it, and it parted, permitting us entry. We jumped to the other side, and continued to run, finally stopping at the door. The familiar symbols engraved themselves on the door and it opened for us. We ran inside, finally safe from the birds. We could still hear them outside. I lead him to the throne room. We did not encounter a single guard on our way there. This plagued my thoughts, and caused me unbearable anxiety. Surely we must have met a guard by now? Link must have read my mind, for he asked, "Where are all the guards?"

I shook my head. I could not answer him. Slowly, the little squares that served as elevators in the castle brought us towards the throne room. As we jumped off, I stopped again. Now that we were so close, I was beginning to have second thoughts. What was I thinking, bringing Link here, where there was a good chance he would die?

"Midna?" He asked. He made his way towards me. I bit my lip. "Midna, what's wrong?" He asked. He wove his arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"Link... I can't do this! I can't let him kill you!" I cried. Tears were beginning to fall out of my eyes, and I did not stop them. Just the thought of losing him forever made me feel as if life were not worth living any longer. "If you die... I don't know what I would do to myself!"

"I promise you, nothing will happen to me, I have a commitment to you, and I refuse to break it," he responded softly. He stroked my face as I looked up into his eyes. He seemed so calm, as if positive nothing would happen... I smiled, and he kissed me passionately. I could not help but to feel reassured as we intertwined our figures for a few passing moments. I still could not shake off my worry, for we were so close to our final destination. We pulled apart, then offered me his hand, "nothing will happen, I promise." He said softly.

I placed my hand in his, and we made our way forwards. My heart was pounding the entire way; I was terrified; how could I know what the future held for me? As we entered the Throne Room, Link had his sword raised. He let go of my hand, and raised his shield, waiting for the assault. I looked around, however, and saw there was no Holimath sitting smugly on the throne... The silence pressed upon my ears... It was deafening...

Where was he? I scanned the room more carefully, and I began to tense. Maybe he was somewhere else? I saw that Lin had got up from his battle stance and was looking around too. I was about tell him that we should go until an arm snaked itself around my throat and a massive hand blocked my mouth of. I tried to scream, but the hand pressed firmly against my face. However, I made a shrill noise that was close to a scream, and hearing it, Link whipped around. I felt something sharp nudge my neck. I began to breathe in short gasps, my heart crashing against my chest. I did not see who it was, until I heard the voice. I could feel his mouth on my neck, as he began to whisper in a threatening way, each word emphasized with hatred. I tried to break free, struggling in his bonds, but he held on tighter, and hissed, "Midna, I knew you would come back, I knew you were not dead, like so many of these worthless slaves thought..." I struggled harder, but he held on even firmer until it was painful.

"Let her go!" Link snarled. His eyes burned with hatred, "If you do anything to harm her, I swear you will die where you stand!" His breathing was ragged as he surveyed Holimath.

Holimath held me tighter towards him, twisting my neck painfully to look at his face, "Midna," he hissed, "You have not been loyal to me... do you know what I do with a woman who does not give her husband the highest respect?" His voice was getting angrier with each word. I tried to scream at Link to run, but all I could manage were terrified squeaks. I fought against Holimath again, trying to break free, tears sliding down my face. He held the dagger closer to my skin, until I felt it pricking my neck. I screamed again, only it was muffled by his hand.

Link ran towards him and unsheathing his sword, knocked him aside. Holimath fell to the floor, clutching the wound Link had given him. Link was looking down at him in disgust, as he held an arm in front of me protectively.

Holimath looked up, and sneered. "So this is the man to whom your heart belongs to, is it, Midna?" His face turned into a glower as he surveyed me, "I would have been a much better choice..." He glared at me, and the next words caught me by great surprise, "Midna, I loved you even when I was an unworthy peasant, please, marry me, and leave him, we'll raise beautiful children, and I shall be loyal to you!"

I shook my head fiercely, and grabbed onto Link, concealing myself from him. There was no way I was leaving Link's side again!

"Is that it then? SO BE IT! You will die a painful death the same way your friend in the cave died... You're friend did have some use to me though, for had it not been for him..." The Fused Shadows appeared suddenly, and began to revolve slowly around him. The shock hit me forcefully, as I began to shed another tear. The man who made my reuniting with Link possible... dead! And what was more, the Fused Shadows were repaired again! Holimath continued to speak, "I knew you would come back after I saw that mirror. I did not give chase, however, for I knew you would be back. But things have changed; you did not come back out of loyalty to me, but for loyalty to your people. And what is more, you brought along this filthy Light-dweller!" He glared at me, and I concealed myself more behind Link. Link assumed the protective stance again.

"You'll have to kill me if you desire her that badly, because I'm not going to give her over to you," hissed Link dangerously. My heart would not stop pounding heavily.

"I accept your challenge," Holimath looked up at me, "As for you, Midna, the moment I win you back; I will punish you most severely!" I let a whimper escape; usually I was never this pathetic! But my life was in jeopardy, and even more so was the man's who I had fallen in love with.

I clutched at his shirt, and buried my face into it, "You promised me you would not die! Don't die; I don't know what I would do without you!"

"Midna, my love, I promise you, I will never leave your side..." He replied. His eyes were still on Holimath, as if waiting for him to strike. He did not dare let his guard down.

I hiccoughed, and hugged him close. Suddenly he turned around and kissed me lovingly. When we broke apart, I was surprised to see tears on his face too, "I love you," I said, running a hand across his cheek.

He closed his eyes at my contact, savouring the moment. He then opened them, and looked into my eyes with such intensity when he replied, "I love you too,"

After another fleeting kiss, Link detached himself from me, waiting for Holimath to make his move.

Holimath had just witnessed the scene in front of him, and he was furious. He began to float a few inches off the ground, breathing heavily.

"You choose this man over me, and you will regret it, Twilight Princess. For once I have killed him; I will warp his wasted body to the Light Realm, where he will rot. And as for you..." A crack which sounded like a whip, and suddenly he was suspended in mid air, weirdly distorting and twitching, "YOU WILL DIE..." The Fused shadows circled him like planets revolving around the Sun, "AND SO WILL THE REST OF THOSE WHO SUPPORT YOU!" He stopped twitching, and suddenly, as if with great difficulty, slouched over in the air, his face now abnormal; his face looked as if his features were placed clumsily on, and his eyes were wide and crazy, his face was lit with an insane smile as he stared at me. "And then I will go to the world of Light, kill all your friends there, and I shall take over the realms myself! I will be a supreme being! NONE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP ME!" He cackled. The Fused Shadows stopped circling him, and they suddenly clamped on his face. He began to twitch with more frequency now, and slowly, before our eyes, sprouted many legs, all slimy and pulsating. His body erupted into flames, and slimy heart began to beat on his back. His roar shook the walls, and we were instantly transported to the front of the castle. I looked around in confusion. Was this all an illusion? Or did he actually bring us here? I had no time to ponder this, for the monster was growing in width and height. I gasped, and watched as he slammed to the floor, and roared at Link, his pincers snapping threateningly through the mask. I was about to run in after him until the ring was sealed off by ancient magic, blocking my path.

"Link!" I cried out. Please gods, help him! I prayed.

Nothing could describe how I was feeling right now, anger, fear, worry, and so many related feelings were all jumbled up inside me. Again, my heart was uncontrollable, as it continued to beat at a fast rate.

Link ran towards the monster, issuing a battle cry as he swung his sword through the air, the light of the Sols emanating from it. The monster roared in response, and using one leg, knocked him over like a doll.

"Link!" I screamed. I began to clutch at my face. Link got up though, and began again, using all of the sword techniques he knew. None seemed to be working however, and it only seemed to make the monstrous Holimath even angrier. He snapped at Link, and Link back flipped out the way. He charged again, and Holimath made a grab for him with one of his pulsating limbs. Link slashed at it, and Holimath roared in pain. The cut was glowing yellow, as the power of the Sols penetrated into the wound. He now just lost a limb. However, he roared again, more ferociously. The wound didn't even seem to be that big of a deal!

Link, however, thought that he had just found the monster's weakness, so wasting no time; he began slashing at every arm, until there was not a single one left. I was beginning to feel relieved, but it was short lived as I witnessed with horror the arms grow back like some grotesque spider.

I looked at Link and saw that he was getting very tired. However, he did not give up, as he continued to circle the monster, twirling the blade in his hand. The monster screeched, and knocked Link onto his side.

He cried out in pain as he hit the barrier. He struggled to get up for a moment, as I began to hyperventilate. No, Link, no! He managed to get up to his feet again. I yearned to reach out to him, just to comfort him. He urged himself onward, his blade dragging the dirt. The monster screamed again at him, angry that Link had no yet died. Exhausted, he got up, and defended himself again. I began to frantically look around for something to help my situation. Scanning the monster, I saw it, and remembered with a jolt that I myself had seen the heart grow out of his back!

"Link, the heart!" I yelled. He looked over at me, and I pointed frantically at the beast's heart situated at the crook of his neck.

Link, understanding me finally, tumbled beneath the many legs of the monster with surprising agility. At the other side, he quickly grabbed his Clawshot, aimed and fired. He was immediately launched on to the back of Holimath. Holimath began to screech, and throw his weight around, as he tried desperately to shake Link off. However, he did not fall off, and gripping onto the monster's back as tightly as he could with his legs, Link raised his sword, and drove it into the massive heart of Holimath. Blood splashed all over, as Holimath reared on his hind legs, screaming in agony. However, the battle was not quite over, Holimath turned around, and with his last bit of strength, grabbed Link, and threw him with all his might onto the pavement.

"No!" I screamed. Link did not make a sound as he hit the ground, and a sickening crack filled the air like a gunshot. "No!" I screamed again and again. Holimath finally was dead, as he hit the ground with a mundane finality. His body turned black, and he was suddenly gone in a cloud of black smoke.

The barrier around the field dissolved, and I scampered over to Link's side, my heart hammering in fright the entire way. As I approached him, I gasped, and started to cry again.

I could tell he was alive because of his shallow breathing, but many of his limbs lay in awkward positions, and he was covered in blood.

Running towards him, I wasted no time as I tried to staunch the flow of blood, cradling his head in my arms.

"Mid...na..." He said. His voice took a stab at my heart, for I realized how weak he sounded. He opened his eyes half way, and looked at me.

"Link, please... please don't die on me!" I cried. I could not stop the tears flowing freely; I was scared of losing him.

He tried with difficulty to reach up and stroke my face. I grabbed his hand, and brought it towards myself, never breaking my gaze from his.

"I..." he coughed, and I began to shake uncontrollably, "...love... you... Be-be safe..."

And with that, his arm fell slack, and his head bobbed weakly in my arms.