Part two of "The Fallen Shadow".
Now, for the opening credits. I'm not all goth/emo/depressing, so I'll have some humor in here. *Puts on Lady Gaga's famous "Fame" sunglasses, a red velvet cloak and some stilettos*
Lady Lish (Me, the Author!): I'll be warping Midna and Link in from their depressing states and having them do a small sneak peek at the chapter's contents, as well as the disclaimer. *Warps them into the big, white room*
Link: Midna, there you are! I've been looking for you—
Midna: Woah, dude. Save it for the chapter, please. *Mutters* Lish owns nothing, cuz Nintendo beat her to it.
Link: Chapter?
Lady Lish: *sigh* Okay, then. I'll give the sneak peek. So, Midna goes off and is about to enter the Twilight, when Link catches up with her. They soon realize that they're slightly in love with each-other. However, Midna knows that if she remains in the Light Realm—if she leaves the mirror intact—Link's other love, Ilia, and his kingdom could be crushed. She decides this too late, however, and Kakariko is under siege!
Midna&Link: Well, we'll go act it out now…*they fade off stage*
Lady Lish: Okay, now. I'll write it out for you guys! Anyway, this chapter is inspired by Evanescence's "Taking Over Me" as well. Next chapter will be more Bring Me To Life and Going Under-ish. And the LAST chapter (chapter four) will be My Last Breath and Whisper. Oh! And the other thing, that my friend Peaches732 reminded me of. I know, technically Midna can't be her un-shadow imp form in the light, because Zelda hasn't given her the "gift" yet. But, for several reasons, that rule must be changed for the sake of the fanfiction. She can be…just ignore it, please.
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The rain was cold, and without a shadow of heat to stay in, she was freezing. Hyrule Field had never been Midna's favorite place, and that night wasn't helping her impression of it. With the muddy hills that caused her to slip, the constant monsters attacking and making her loose focus on her goal, to finally the fact that Link wasn't there—it all scored a big fat zero on her "favorite Hylian places" list.
And she tried so hard not to think about Link and Ilia, because then she would fall backwards on her own accord. It caused her actual pain to think of what she was leaving behind, and she admitted to herself in one of these episodes that she missed him. Missed. Like how she missed her realm, she missed Link. She missed his laughter, his confidence and ease, and the growl that slid through his barred and gritted teeth when a threat was near.
The sorrow of missing weighed her down as Midna continued towards the wall of Twilight. It was black as pitch, with a sudden warmth about its golden marks and edges. Midna longed for the feeling of beauty and melancholy of her realm, and the buildings of modern architecture, made of black and pink carvings, with the land bridge that stretched out across the clouds, leading to the Mirror of Twilight.
Her speed increased, in fact, she didn't bother letting her feet touch the ground. Floating forward swiftly, leaving a trail of shadow particles behind her as she did. She couldn't help but wonder, with a pang of frustration, what Link and Ilia were doing. It had been a while since Midna had left the village—they had probably gotten a room. She snorted, trying to pretend that her own thoughts didn't backstab her like that.
Midna smacked into the warm wall, falling backwards. Well, that's not the smartest thing I've done…Something inside her snapped, and suddenly she was back in the Twilight realm, facing the activated Mirror of Twilight.
Flashback:
She had known that the Mirror of Twilight was not meant to be used. It was something the Goddesses had left there for an unknown reason, and probably only allowed to be used by those who wielded power. Those who were noble and had good intentions in the Light Realm.
Midna didn't feel powerful. She felt like a coward and a weakling for running from her kingdom, running from a usurper, and she certainly didn't have good intentions. She would find the Divine Beast—whatever it took—and she would use him. Use him to help her get her power back.
Now was the time, before the searches started. They would be looking for their princess—their brave, sly and sassy princess that would never allow them danger—and they would look everywhere until they found her.
End of flashback.
It seemed silly now, that she had thought the Light Dwellers wouldn't mean anything to her. That they would be pawns on her game board. Giving a backward glance, out of the corner of her eye, she slipped her hand into the warmth of darkness. She felt her body start to give way into particles, the pleasure of the native feeling of no sunlight and only perpetual twilight overwhelm her. She faded into a translucent with no mass, one who could enter that wall, Twili symbols on her skin glowing…
"Midna!"
Her body faded back into her imp body, completely real and not translucent at the sound of Link's voice. Shock jolted through her, so powerfully that she flipped backwards, straight into Link's arms.
"Thank the Goddesses that I caught up to you before you entered that thing!" He mused, wheezing.
Midna gasped, then struggled against his strong arms. He had grown strong from their journey so far, because she could not inch forward in the hold of his muscular arms. And, with him holding her, she could not use her magic. "Let go of me, idiot!"
"Not on my life or Din's. You think I'd let you leave me like that?!" Link exclaimed, clearly maddened by the very idea. He barked out a chuckle, still breathing heavily. His hair, ash blonde that usually hung in a flat shag that ran to his ears, was soaking wet from the rain, along with his green hat and tunic.
"Let go!" She shrieked, looking at the ground. If she looked into Link's eyes, it would be all over for her attempts at defiance.
"Midna…" Link shook his head, sighing. He twisted her around and used one hand to hold up her chin, forcing him to look into his eyes—his wide, pleading eyes blue eyes. "Listen to me. When you left, I walked around the village in circles. It about drove everybody crazy, and I was trying to figure out what was bugging me. I realized how much I missed you, and how if I didn't hurry my butt up, you'd be out of my reach."
"Like you really missed me. The crazy, annoying little imp that bosses you around all day," Midna muttered, closing her eyes to avoid his glare. A lump rose in her thought and the hot tears stabbed at her eyelids, threatening to overflow.
"That's what I thought," Link rolled his eyes. "But that's not true. I didn't even realize how much I enjoy your company."
"Not as much as I enjoy your's." Her words were her sign of defeat.
"That's probably not possibly, actually."
"You enjoy Ilia's much more than mine. I had good intentions, trying to leave you behind." Her eyes blinked open and the tears flowed out with such sudden violence that Midna gurgled back a sob. "I didn't want to force you to help me because I didn't—and still don't—think that you felt anywhere close to the way I feel!"
"First off, I don't enjoy Ilia's company more, Midna. And, well, you should know that I feel the same way. Now it's my turn to call you the idiot," He mocked her voice when he stumbled over the last words.
"How am I expected to know that you feel that way about me when you're leaving me right after you've found Ilia again?!" Midna's eyes tugged themselves to look at his. And he saw it there—the pain, the anguish, the rejection in her eyes—and gasped.
"How. Can. I. Convince. You?" He growled through barred teeth, eyes blazing blue embers.
Another sob escaped her lips and her eyes closed, hands balling into fists at the emotions that swirled around her body. She didn't want to say what to say what her body was trying to say, so she locked her jaw.
"Midna," Link whispered. She felt him let go of her arm and fit his hand to her cheek.
And then, he did something Midna never dreamed that he would do. Link kissed her, with no warning signs. One second she was about to say something, and the next, Link's lips were on her's.
She didn't jerk her body away or even flinch. It felt so…natural. Expected. Like breathing or smiling at someone's kindness or laughing at a joke. It didn't even cross her mind that she was a Twili Imp and he was the chosen Hero of Hyrule—and that a huge wall of black Twilight was inches from them.
When he finally broke the kiss, Midna sighed. "You're convinced?" He guessed, looking slightly amused at her shocked expression.
"As if that's not perfectly obvious," She breathed.
"Great. Let's get back to Kakariko, and I'll introduce you to Ilia and Renado and the kids. I told them all about you, they've been dying for me to get you back here…" He stopped, laughing at her expression once more. "Yes, I told them about you. Did you think that I wouldn't tell them why I was wearing a pacing line into the village?"
"Do they know…"
"That you're the Princess of Twilight? Yes, I told them everything—nobody told me that I couldn't, and they've been through enough to deserve to know what's happening. Telma is still there, and she just about shoved me out the gate to run after you. She was worried that I wouldn't get to you in time!" Link was already walking, and Midna was in his arms. He leaned over her, shielding her from the rain.
She gulped. "Not something I would have liked you to do…but I can't undo what you've done." Midna faced the path, knowing very well that they probably wouldn't react to her very well.
At the second, she knew what she would do. Just a piece of insight, of what she'd do as soon as possible. She would shatter the mirror, to keep him from a fate that would rip him apart. Every single one of these monsters that were in these field, lurking, trying to kill him, was her fault. And she would fix that. If she could, that was. She didn't know if her soul would live through that.
/
"Link, stop!" Midna hissed, leaping from his arms. Her lip curled up, showing her teeth, as she hit the ground. Her hair slid into an orange hand, long and beast looking. It shot back, holding Link in place. "Link, something is really wrong about this place. I smell smoke, and not the stuff Rendado's fireplace will give off. I mean…fire arrow smoke. She scanned the high rocks, seeing nothing but darkness from the fog and rain.
"It does smell smoky," Link muttered, eyes going wide with fear. "We've got to hurry! They could be in danger!"
Midna let her hold on him slip willingly, already flying forward through the gates.
The first thing she saw when she entered the village a few paces ahead of Link was the spring. There was something wrong about the spring, and she wasn't referring to the flame that licked the rocks or even the blue sparks when lightning struck. It was the shade of the water…the mahogany that swirled in it, deepening it and giving out a metallic smell. Blood. And it was human blood, it was that of a Twili. Beasts? Shadow Beasts.
Link didn't notice as he advanced, sword and shield drawn. Several Moblins advanced on him, and he did not seem to be deterred. Instead, he ran right past them. Midna blinked. That's one way to handle things…But, without another second, she followed suit and darted after him, through the smoky haze.
There was fire; that much was obvious. Someone had set the village buildings in flame, knowing that their old sandalwood paneling wouldn't hold up for very long. The only building that was safe was the house made of tough stone—the one shaped like a large egg, Renado's house.
Link knew that everybody would go in there, for their own safety. But what if someone didn't get out of the inn in time? If they had been scorched alive, unable to escape the heat of the flame? No hero to answer their screams? Fear caught up to him, and he banged on the locked door of Renado's house.
No answer.
Midna groaned, frustrated, and dissolved into shadow, going right through the door and hopefully materializing on the other side. He heard the door's deadbolt come up, and the door swung open. A trail of monsters ran toward him, towards the open door, and he leapt it. It slammed, locked once again.
Midna sunk to the floor with an exasperated sigh. "That was too close," She muttered. "I think I hear them down in the cellar. We've probably scared them half to death…."
Link was already kicking open the cellar door. It collapsed into a heap of wood and dust, which he lowered himself onto. Midna jumped down after him, eyes having trouble adjusting to the blackness.
After they did, she saw the children and several adults, flanked by Ilia, cowering in a group, as if that gave them a better chance of survival. They all—including Telma, who seemed a little bit too close to Renado—appeared to be unarmed.
"This is Midna. This is the girl I've been telling you guys about," Link gestured to the imp, half hidden by the shadow of the cellar. Telma nodded, seeming to approve of her.
Ilia moved from the crowd. "Link….Renado, Colin, Talo, Malo, Beth, and Telma…can you guys go into the main room?" She gestured down the hall, where the hall opened into a large, circular room that had construction holds in it.
They seemed to understand he reasoning, though Link seemed wary. Afraid, almost. For her? He knew perfectly well that Midna could ever so easily beat Ilia in a fight.
"You're…Midna, right?" She whispered, sitting down next to Midna and hugging her knees to her flat chest. "I guess he's told you, I mean, I guess you know who I am."
"Mmmm-hmm," Midna responded, pretending not to look panicky. She stretched out her arms and yawned.
"You know that I remembered some of our past together—that I loved him. And I guess that you love him too." Her voice had a ghost of sadness in it. Some sort of envy as well.
"How do you know that?!"
"It's written all over your face, and Link wore a line into the dust worrying and debating over you…" Midna's glare made Ilia stop mid-sentence, but she then sighed.
It was quiet for a few seconds, and both of them saw Beth peeking into the hall. "I can't deny that I love him, Blondie," Midna groaned slightly. "But you'd be a better choice for him. I'm a being from a different world—his enemy, if you will. I've already decided on something that will probably harm him. You, however, would never harm him."
"I see," She muttered. "But he loves you so much more, and—"
"Look out!" Midna screamed, grabbing Ilia's arm. It was to no avail, because the Moblin that had dropped out from the main house had struck her just so that she was away from Midna. She heard Ilia's gasp, and then her limp frame…the monster had a cord. A rope, which he was climbing already, carrying Ilia.
She heard a trumpet blow, the sucking of air as a Twilight Portal opened. One Portal. Two. Three. Four. Five. Something important was coming…someone important. Midna turned to the end of the hall, where the rest of the group was running towards her. She couldn't let them go out with that many monsters! They would be hurt. "Stay back!" Midna yelled, her hands flying up. A defensive, glowing black barrier formed in front of her. As long as she stayed in the area, it would hold.
Panic set in, and she floated upwards.
/
The village was a wreck. The General Store and the Inn had been consumed in the now embers, once flames, and had burned to the ground. Twilight Beasts roamed around the spring, clearly flanking something. She saw the something and shrieked in defiance, in what the Twilis would know as a Power Song. Declaring you that you were more powerful than your opponent.
Because was he was here. Zant was here, in Kakariko, and in one of the beast's mangled arms was Ilia. Pale, fragile little Ilia.
Zant's eyes zeroed in on Midna, and she growled as he approached her. She would not flee her ground, she would fight. Once he was in a hand's reach, her hands joined and readied a spell.
He was already prepared. A crushingly powerful energy blast struck her in head, and she flew backwards, into the dust. Her breath came out of her in a huff, and something else hit her. It was softer this time, inviting almost. Even the hatred and fear she felt was not enough to keep her conscious.
I know…the ending is REALLY rushed. Blah. But what did you guys think? It was a pretty long chapter, that's for one thing. But did you guys like the romance? I suck at writing romance, huh?! And did you like the ending of the chapter? Still two more chapters to go! Read, review and…oh. I wanted to ask a favor of everyone.
Look, guys. I'm a real person, not just a bunch of pixels. And I looked at my user stats, and banged my head against the wall.
You are on the favorites list of 13 members.
You are on the author alert list of 10 members.
You have submitted a total of 117 signed reviews.
Total words archived : 43,790 words.
Average number of words per story : 3,981
Total hits to Profile Page : 615
13 favorites and 10 members—well, I'm actually really flattered cuz in real life, the only people who really like me are my family. But compared to some other people (I know, I know, I'm SO stupid to compare myself!), and compared to the views and reviews my stories get…I should have more than 10 people watching my account.
My favor is that if you like this story and you review it or put me on your favorites list OR my story on your alert/favorite list…put me on your author alert list and favorites list as well, please. You don't HAVE to, it's just that it really motivates me to write more of what you guys call good writing.
Thanks, and look forward to the next chapter soon!
~Lish