Hello everybody, it's me again. You know, this week was actually difficult for me because I couldn't wait to update. I was planning to hold out for a few more days but I just can't stand it anymore. In the past week I can't believe how many hits my first chapter received and I want to shout out a big thank you to everyone who has followed me, favourited me and reviewed.
SilverRobin asked in his/her review whether Nintendo should publish a sequel to Twilight Princess in book form and whether I agree. I thought it was nice of SilverRobin to ask but I am unable to reply personally because it was a guest review. Could you please sign in to the website when you review because I would love to be able to discuss things with you.
To answer the question; I don't think Nintendo should because I would wager they would spend a lot of the time keeping Link and Midna separated and sad which to be honest, I hate because it depresses me. Since Nintendo has no plans to do such a thing [not even in a game, jerks :( ] I believe it would be better for them to leave the responsibility to us fans. This gives us a greater amount of freedom to unleash our imaginations, which is what fan fiction is about, and choose what we want to happen. If anyone from the company is reading this, I love Nintendo and the Legend of Zelda series.
Anyway, I've waffled on long enough so let's move on to Chapter 2...
Chapter 2: Return to the Twilight
Link's head was spinning when he woke up. His vision was out of focus but he could tell that was not in his house anymore. After a few moments his was able to make out his surroundings. He was lying in an unfamiliar room, not decorated by anything other than the bed he had been sleeping on and a small square table in the middle of the room.
He rubbed his temples, trying to recall what had happened. He remembered coming home in Ordon after work and he was visited by a man named... Callum. What had he said? He wanted Link to join... the Peacekeepers and... and... Midna. He said he would take him to see Midna. Link bolted out of bed, eager to find out where he was and where that bastard who knocked him out was hiding.
There was a closed door on the far side of the room. Before Link could take a step towards it there was a knock coming from behind it. The door swung open without waiting for a response and Callum entered the room.
"Good morning," he said cheerfully. "Sleep well I presume?"
"Sleep?" Link said tersely. "You knocked me out cold! Where the hell are we anyway?"
Callum gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. You have to understand that I did it for security reasons. We are in Skyloft, the Peacekeepers' headquarters. Since you haven't agreed to join us yet it is best if you don't know where exactly we are or how to get here. Anyway take a seat as we still have much to discuss."
"I already know a fair bit about you people," Link said as they sat down at the table. "What's so wrong about me knowing how to get back home?"
Callum stroked his beard as he answered. "Well you see if you knew the location of our home base and you do refuse our offer, you could very well tell people about us which could damage our operations and risk the lives of hundreds of our agents working undercover. If you can't lead anyone here, you have no proof so even if you do talk about us no one would believe you."
"I guess you have a point there," Link admitted. "So what's the deal with all this secrecy?'
"Very good question," Callum replied. "As I've already told you, the Peacekeepers specialize in intelligence. Gathering accurate and useful intelligence is a little difficult when the enemy knows you're there watching so it's best if we work incognito. This involves inserting spies among the enemy, planting agents close to heads of government, blending in with the common people and the like. We prefer to have eyes and ears everywhere."
"It sounds like that gives you guys a lot of power," Link commented. "Having insiders next to world leaders, I bet that allows you to have some influence."
Callum made a gesture that said 'you caught us'. "That is true and sometimes we do exploit that opportunity. But I assure you that we do have a strict code of ethics and we make it a rule never to have one of our own actually in charge of a country. If we started ruling nations then that would make us no better than the people we try to stop; tyrants and megalomaniacs et cetera."
Link sat back in his chair and folded his arms. "Look, this is interesting and all but I'd like to know how we're going to get into the Twilight Realm. If you people are as smart and all-knowing as you make out then you know that Midna destroyed the Mirror which is the only way there."
The Peacekeeper chuckled. "You think so do you?" Link did not understand. The man stood up and walked towards the door. He opened it and said something to someone outside. A moment later an older man entered the room. Link took one look at the guy and nearly fell back on his chair. Only one thought remained in his brain.
"You're... you're a Twili!" he stammered. It was true, the man had the same black and teal-grey skin patterns, cyan tattoos and yellowed eyes that were characteristic of the race of shadow magicians. His face was wrinkled and his hair was wispy and grey with age.
"Well that's a first," the old Twili laughed. "Usually when new recruits see me they're all 'Aaargh! What is that thing?!' Truth be told, I'm actually half-Twili from my mother's side."
"Link, this is Jarret," Callum introduced the Twili hybrid. "Jarret's been with us since the day he was born and he is one of our best agents."
Jarret shook his head and chuckled. "Is? I've been too old for that work for ten years. Might have been a real hotshot back then but those days are history."
Link was still trying to wrap his head around what he was seeing right in front of him. There was a Twili, a half-Twili, standing in the same room as him in the Light Realm. How old was this guy; fifty, sixty? And he was born into the Peacekeepers? What did all of this mean? It did not make any sense at all.
Jarret noticed Link's confusion and grinned. "I think we'd better explain things to the boy Callum. He looks like he's going to faint any second."
"If you say so," Callum agreed as they two men sat down in front of Link. "The first thing you need to understand Link is that the Mirror of Twilight from the Arbiter's Grounds is only one of its kind. Supposedly there are eight in total, four in each realm. Currently the Order has found and secured four of them, five if you count the one our dear Princess Midna destroyed. Not a what you would call a hefty loss though. Right now we have people trying to repair that the Mirror but it's taking time. The remaining ones are still hidden though we are working on finding them. We've almost made a breakthrough with locating the next Mirror.
"Anyway, the Order obtained its first Mirror about two hundred years ago. We immediately expanded our operations to the Twilight Realm and once we learnt the language we started recruiting Twili. Shadow magic has proved very helpful for us on numerous occasions. We make frequent trips between the worlds and we even have a base in the Twilight Realm not unlike this one. We have one of the Mirrors here on Skyloft which we'll be using to enter the Twilight Realm."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Link literally jumped out of his seat. "Let's go."
Callum smiled at his newfound enthusiasm. "Very well then, let's be off. Jarret thank you for taking the time to talk with us."
"Don't mention it. Anything for a friend. Good luck with whatever it is you two are doing."
"This place is amazing," Link said in awe as he twisted his head this way and that, trying to take in as much as he could of the Peacekeepers' base. Many different kinds of people, presumably all agents, could be seen all over. There were humans, Gorons, Zora, Twili, female Gerudo and other races that Link had never seen before. When he and Callum crossed the first bridge to the Skyloft Mirror Chamber, Link noticed through the corner of his eye that something was not quite right. He leaned over the railing and saw nothing but clouds below.
"Goddesses!" he shouted as he jumped back. "We're in the sky!"
"Well this place is named Skyloft after all," Callum responded humorously. "I don't see why you're so surprised by this since you have visited the sky before. Although, you've probably never been this high before."
"Are you telling me this place is further from the ground than the Oocca city?" Link asked, remembering the constant sense of acrophobia he felt during his visit with Midna to the floating City in the Sky. No wonder the exterior of Skyloft was so breezy.
"If we're up in the sky then what's the point of not letting people know how to find this place?" Link continued. "In case you haven't noticed, people don't usually fly around and bump in to floating islands."
"That's true," Callum mused, "But a skilled magician would be able to warp here if he or she knew where to go. Plus there is the matter of that old Sky Cannon you had repaired a few months ago."
Not able to find anything to say to that, Link let the topic go. He felt relieved when they entered the next building, no longer being able to see any sign of the seemingly endless drop beneath the island. After a few corners and hallways the two men came to a door with strange blue runes running all over it. Callum placed his palm inside a large circular outline that glowed green with a mystical quality. "Aura scan authentication. Can't get in unless you're allowed to," Callum quickly explained as the door unlocked and slid open on its own.
On the other side was a large and rather grand room. Torches burnt along the walls, light from the flames reflecting off the black polished floor. A raised pedestal occupied the center of the room holding a large, round, silvery mirror. It looked exactly like the Mirror of Twilight before it had been broken, including the intricate patterns that covered its reflective face.
"I don't believe it," Link gasped. He extended a hand to stroke the relic until the Peacekeeper grabbed his wrist.
"Careful," he warned, "just like the other Mirrors, this thing houses very dangerous magic so look but don't touch. On second thoughts don't even look at it closely."
Callum waved his hand through the air and the Mirror shone with an otherworldly light. The Mirror's engravings were projected outwards onto the opposite wall, spinning in different directions. The patterns on the wall extended backwards opening a familiar, black tunnel. Phantasmal steps manifested before the pedestal leading towards the portal.
"Are you ready?" Callum smiled at the young Hero. He received no reply though as Link had already charged headlong up the stairs. "I'll take that as a yes," Callum chuckled as he followed him.
After what felt like half a second and an eternity at the same time, Link's body reassembled itself from the small, black, magical packets it had been broken up into when he entered the portal. He took a look around. The room he had just appeared in looked similar to the one he just left only instead of torches the room was illuminated by glowing blue orbs. They were sols, the primary light sources of the Twilight Realm. Link stood on a similar looking pedestal with another Mirror resting dormant on it.
"I'm back," Link whispered to himself. He heard an echoing chime as Callum materialized behind him.
"I forgot how much I hate warping," Callum muttered. "Never get used to that tingling or the feeling of being sucked down a giant drain."
Link grinned at the older man's discomfort. Warping had once been a daily activity for him when he was with Midna so he was used to it. And now he was finally in the same world as her again. He grinned wider; the Twilight Princess was just a stone's throw away now.
"Alright," Callum said after a moment, "let's make ourselves presentable and be on our way." He stood in front of Link and spoke in the same tone as he did whenever else he did something unpleasant to the Hero. "Shadow Cloak."
A peculiar buzzing sensation washed over Link's body. He looked down at his hands and saw them turn into a mottle of grey and black. Link looked at his bare arm and studied the glowing tattoos that now marked him. He glanced at Callum in surprise to see the man's appearance shimmer and change as well. Instead of a human, the Peacekeeper now looked exactly like a Twili.
"What just happened?" Link asked, baffled by the new color of his skin. Even his work clothes had been dyed black with a few minor alterations made to them.
"Don't worry, it's only an illusion. Humans are not a common sight in the Twilight Realm so we need to blend in. While we're here I suggest you leave all the talking to me since Hylian isn't part of standard Twili education. Don't even say a word until I tell you to.
"We're going to warp directly to the royal palace." Callum groaned in distaste. 'At least we're not flying there. If there is any mode of transportation I hate worse than warping it's riding on a kargarok. Those things are unpleasant to sit on or listen to and I'll be damned if I have to travel with two of them."
Link gazed in longing at the obsidian structure before him. It was a dark yet tranquil scene with the black towers against the cloudy golden sky of eternal twilight. This place reminded Link a bit of the terrifying moments where he fled, sol in hand, from the creeping, unbeatable stone hands that Zant created. Apart from that unsavory memory, the Palace of Twilight was the one place where things wanted to kill him that he actually dreamed of coming back to.
Twili moved this way and that in great numbers, none of which paid the two imposters any mind. It seemed that the Twilight Realm had recovered a great deal since the true ruler of the Twili returned to the throne. Link and Callum walked towards the main entrance to the palace where they were blocked by two armed guards who looked at them suspiciously.
"Halt," one said in a language Link could not decipher. "What business do you have here?"
Callum must have understood since he did not bat an eyelid as he reached into his coat and pulled out a piece of paper. "Hello good sir," he greeted in perfect Twilian. "My friend and I have a very important appointment with Her Majesty. I think you'll find this letter has everything in order."
The guard snatched the document from Callum's hand and examined it. He mumbled fragments of the message as he read. Finally he returned his gaze to the Peacekeeper. "Kohwanah Province, eh? That's quite a long way away. Got the royal seal and all so I guess you can go through. Go to the foyer and take the first elevator, goes straight to the throne room. " The guard handed back the letter and he and his partner stepped out of the way to allow the visitors to pass.
When Link was sure they were out of earshot he leaned towards Callum "What was that about?" he whispered.
Callum raised an eyebrow at his companion. "I thought I told you not to talk. I just showed them a letter that said that the princess has invited us to re-establish a peace treaty with one of the clans in the far north. It was the seal of the royal family that sold it of course. The document was a forgery by the way."
Link stared in absolute shock. "You forged Midna's seal?" he exclaimed a little too loudly. He cupped his hand over his mouth but thankfully no one was around to hear, or understand him for that matter. Forging the seal of the royal family in Hyrule was considered an act of treason, punishable by death or exile. It would not be unusual for the same to be true in the Twilight Realm either.
"Oh don't be like that," Callum smirked as the blue rectangular outline of the elevator lifted them up into the air. "The Peacekeepers have a perfect replica of everybody's seal. You never know when you need to pretend to represent the mayor of Termina."
The elevator stopped before a set of stairs leading to the large double doors of the throne room. Link's stomach felt like a hornets' nest as he realized he was less than fifty meters away from his long lost friend. What would he say? How would she react? Would she be glad to see him or will she be angry with him? After all she intentionally broke the Mirror of Twilight to keep the worlds separated. Link was starting to worry about whether this was a good idea at all. He jumped a little when Callum placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I know you're nervous but try to stay calm. Remember we are in disguise and I don't want to make a scene. So when you see Midna do not react until we are alone with her. Do you understand?"
Link nodded, his throat feeling too tight to speak. "Okay," Callum said, "let's go then."
Princess Midna was arguably the most beautiful woman in this world. She was tall, strong and elegant. She wore an open black hooded cloak and sarong which left much of her figure exposed seductively. Her body was pale grey with black skin covering her arms, breasts and her entire left leg. Her fiery hair shone bright in its double pigtails fused together at her chest and her yellow-and-red sunset eyes were captivating to any who looked into them.
But her beauty seemed to have faded somewhat since she returned from the Light Realm. Now any who gazed at her only saw great sadness, as though everything that made the princess happy had been taken away from her. In a way it was true.
On her throne she slumped with her head resting on her open palm, barely listening to the squabbling of the two nobles that stood before her. She thought that they were talking about some territory dispute and one of them hunting in the borders of the other. Of course, she had not been paying attention and to be honest she really did not care.
Midna decided that she finally had enough of these pompous idiots. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention," she said in a bored voice, not even caring if the statement was appropriate, "I will be sure to bring up the matter in the next council meeting. You are dismissed." The two nobles were obviously dissatisfied with the conclusion of the court session and turned grudgingly away, muttering disrespectfully as they exited the room.
Midna turned to her advisor, Eddard. "Bring in the next lot," she sighed. She would much rather be somewhere else than in this damned throne. She did not know where but anyplace was better than the bleak, over-sized chair that owned her life, preventing her from being free to be wherever or with whoever she wanted. 'No,' she thought, 'I will not think about him.' It hurt too much thinking about the Hero she had been forced to leave forever, even after he had given her back her entire life. What kind of thank you was that?
Eddard opened the wretchedly grandiose doors that stood opposite of the princess. Two men walked in. One was a middle-aged Twili with a thick, unkempt black beard. The other Twili was much younger, clean faced with snow white hair that was equally scruffy. The younger one seemed rather tense compared to his companion's relaxed posture. Something about the young one seemed familiar, he looked almost like... 'No!' Midna scolded herself mentally. 'Stop it. He's gone, gone forever.' Damn it she wished she could just end this living nightmare now. The fool just stared intensely at her with wide, blue eyes, making her even more uncomfortable.
"What is it that you want?" she asked a little too harshly. These people hardly deserved her foul mood but she did not care at the moment.
The bearded one stepped forward and bowed. Midna rolled her eyes at the gesture, she was that sick of it. "It is an honour Your Majesty. Before I continue, I humbly request that my companion and I speak to you in private. We have something to discuss with you that I'm afraid cannot be shared with anyone else."
Ordinarily Midna would refuse such a request but she wanted these people out of her sight as soon as possible so she decided to give them what they wanted. She ordered her guards to frisk the two men for weapons. There was a knife hidden on the older one, but he presented it on his own accord, while his partner had no weapons on his person. She then commanded Eddard and the guards to leave the room. Unwillingly they obeyed but there was little to worry about. The two strangers were unarmed and Princess Midna was the most powerful sorceress in the Twilight Realm. She could easily take care of herself.
When the doors slammed shut Midna spoke again. "There, we are alone. Now tell me why you are here."
The bearded one smiled politely. "Of course Your Majesty. My name is Callum and my friend here... well, I believe you have already know his name." He turned to his companion and waved his hand in the air. Both of their appearances shifted out of focus as their illusionary disguises faded out of existence. Midna gasped in shock at the figures before her.
The older man looked no more different other than his skin color changing to that of a human's but it was the other one who caught her full attention. In addition to the same skin change, the young man's hair became a dirty blonde, his hair. It was Link, dressed in a patchwork of white cloth that she had only ever seen him wear for a few brief seconds when he first entered the Twilight, before its dark energies transformed him into a beast.
How is this possible? Could it really be him? Midna spent no time pondering these questions in her head as she literally flew to the only real friend she had ever had and pulled him into a crushing embrace.
"Link," she said in Hylian, sobbing into his shoulder. Were they tears of joy, of sadness? She was not sure. "It's really you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she cried barely comprehensively.
His strong, well-built arms held her tight, his own tears dampening her cloak. He smelt of a rich forest as she always remembered he had. In the back of her mind she noticed that he had grown half a head taller since she last saw him, bringing them to equal height. Midna had never been so happy to see someone in all her life. In her dreams she wanted to hold him just like this and now she finally could.
"I missed you Midna," he whispered.
And... scene. How was that little reunion? I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this. Now I have something I need to tell you all. Next week I will be unable to submit the next chapter until the weekend due to technical reasons. I am debating on compensating for this by posting it this weekend before I get cut off. I'll see how things turn out.
Until next time. Please rate and review.
EquinoxWolf