Hello. You know the one thing that bothers me is that I write English in the UK style (using 's' instead of 'z') but this site uses the US style. I feel obligated to spend 30 minutes rereading uploaded chapters and changing the spelling some words to keep the system happy. I wouldn't mind this but I do have other things to do in the day.

Anyway, let's move on with the story.

Chapter 11: Rest and Recovery

The return to Skyloft was depressing and reporting the team's failure to Callum was even more so. After they recounted the events that had occurred in the forest their senior clasped his hands together in front of his face, elbows on the wooden desk, deep in thought. Silence dragged on. Was Callum angry, disappointed? Link did not know, and he dreaded the response he, Midna and Groose would receive.

"So the Demon's Flames have the Forest Medallion," Callum sighed after what seemed an eternity. "Now they only need three more to resurrect Demise."

"I'm sorry Callum," Link said, head hung low. "I should have gone after them straight away. It's my fault."

His superior shook his head. "No, you made the right call Link. We lost the medallion but you saved lives out there. That fire would have wiped out the Kokiri and could have even spread as far as the Ordon Province. Not only that, the three of you went up against Ghirahim himself and all came back alive. That is more than any other team has been capable of. Yes you failed your mission, but you did more than I could have ever asked of you."

His words gave Link some comfort but the Hero still felt terrible. "What can you tell me about your battle with Ghirahim?" Callum inquired. "I want to know every detail."

Link frowned a bit, trying to recall as much as he could about the encounter. "I can tell you this; he's strong and incredibly fast. Not only that, his skin is like some kind of armor. Not even the Master Sword could leave a mark on him."

"And yet he retreated when he took the medallion rather than try to kill you," Callum pointed out.

"I think he knew that there was the chance I could beat him, and he wasn't happy about it. Even though I couldn't cut Ghirahim, I was able to hurt him. I think he had some kind of weak point hidden beneath his clothes though I couldn't see anything like blood that proved it. He didn't even act like he had been wounded after I hit him."

"How do you know you were hurting him then?" Midna asked suspiciously.

Link shifted uncomfortably before answering. "Fi told me. She was able to 'read' Ghirahim and told me what was happening. It's a good thing too. I would have thought that he was unstoppable otherwise." He looked away, not wanting to meet the glare she was likely giving him.

Callum leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "If that's true then perhaps Ghirahim is not as unbeatable as I had earlier believed. Still, based on your description I doubt any one man, even on Skyloft, could hope to defeat him. A weakness doesn't matter if an enemy knows how to defend it. Out of everyone I know, I believe that Link has the best chance against Ghirahim on his own."

The bearded Peacekeeper saw the Hero's still dejected expression. "Our enemy requires three more medallions," he said. "That means that we still have three more chances to stop them. Already we are close to uncovering the location of the next medallion so go, have your wounds checked over and rest." Weakly the team nodded and turned to leave the office, except Link though who lingered, still disappointed.

"Link," the Hero looked up at Callum, "You did well out there. I'm proud of you." Link gave a small smile before following Midna and Groose. He could not explain it but there was something about Callum's opinion that made all the difference to him.

The first thing Link did was visit the Peacekeeper doctor. In spite of Rovair's insistence, Link waited until both Midna and Groose had their wounds treated first. When it was his turn the Hero endured the agony of having his shoulder cleaned and stitched shut. With the wound sealed, Rovair smeared a sticky ointment over it to speed up the recovery process then dressed the shoulder with a fresh bandage. Throughout the treatment the Labrynnan prince asked Link endless questions regarding his recent adventure, to which he answered as best as he could through gritted teeth.

Upon leaving the clinic, Link discovered that Midna had not waited for him outside. He reasoned that she probably retired to their apartment to rest. It was only natural as they all went through a lot that day. Even though Midna had her own house she never used it, preferring to spend every spare moment with Link. The sun was setting beyond the horizon as Link walked. Along the way he dropped off his damaged shield at the scrap shop for repairs. When he arrived home he found Midna sitting on the couch, her arms and legs wrapped in bandages. She did not respond as he walked in, only staring forward indifferently.

Link removed his scabbard and approached her. "Hey," he said, "how are you feeling?"

"Couldn't be better," she answered flatly, still not looking at him.

Link sensed that something was off. "Is everything okay?" He sat down next to her and put his good arm around her.

"Everything's fine," she replied. There was something about the stiffness of her tone that told Link that the truth was far from it.

"Come on Midna, I can tell something's bothering you."

She finally turned her head to him with a glare. "Did you come up with that one yourself or did your friend Fi tell you?"

Link was taken aback by her question. "What does Fi have to do with this?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask her?" she snapped.

Link took a second to join the dots with Midna's recent behavior. "Midna, do you have a problem with Fi?" he asked gently.

Midna snorted. "Of course not, why would I? After all, she's absolutely perfect! How could I possibly have a problem with her?"

"Damn it Midna!" He bolted off of the couch and stared down at her. The force behind his voice startled her. "This has to stop. If things between us are going to work you can't keep hiding how you feel from me anymore. I know the past few weeks have been hard for you and I have tried to be there for you as best as I can but this is getting ridiculous. If something's upsetting you need to start talking to me about it. I can't help you if you keep me in the dark like this."

Midna stood up to meet him at eye level, using her height to her advantage. "Fine, do you really want to know what's 'upsetting me' right now? Ever since you first met that stupid spirit, she and you have been acting like the best of friends. What's worse is that when she tells you what to do, you listen to her without even thinking twice!"

Link realized what the problem was right there. "You're jealous of her." His tone was not unkind nor did it bear any accusation.

Midna turned away. 'I feel like she helps you more than I do, and you prefer her over me. How did I help back in the forest? I couldn't have found the medallion that easily and I sure as hell couldn't have worked out how to beat that Ghirahim creep. And now that you can use magic, you don't even need me like you used to anymore, so where does that leave me? I just feel so useless." A single tear rolled down her visible cheek. Link threw his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Midna, I'm so sorry that I made you feel that way," he said as he rubbed her back soothingly. "But believe me, you are not useless. Yes, Fi gives me good advice, but she will never replace you. Just because I listen to someone else it doesn't mean I don't respect your opinion. I love you Midna. You are my invaluable, irreplaceable partner. And no one can ever get in the way of that."

It warmed her heart to hear him say that, yet, "I still feel pretty worthless though," she sniffled into his shoulder.

"There's something that you give me every day that Fi doesn't; the moral support that gets me through the horrors I have to face. It's true that I don't need help to warp or carry around my weapons or any of that other stuff, but that was the most you could really do back when you were an imp. Now that you're back to your true self, you're stronger than you used to be. You're not a sidekick anymore, now you're someone who I know will always have my back in a fight. You're not useless Midna. You don't realize that I need you now more than ever."

That did it. Midna could not hold back anymore and bawled out all her pent up emotion like a torrent. Link said nothing as his shoulder became soaked and let her cry, stroking her and whispering comforting words into her ear. Minutes flew by before she finally settled down. Midna lifted up her head to face him with puffy eyes.

"Better?" he asked.

She gave him a small smile. "Better." He kissed her long and tenderly.

"Link," she said when they broke for air. "Thanks. I'm sorry for making you worry about me. I know now that I shouldn't keep things to myself anymore. I'll try to be better from now on."

He grinned at her. "It's okay. Just remember that you can talk to me about anything. That's what I'm here for."

Midna twitched her intertwined fingers behind his back nervously. "Well... there's one other thing that's been on my mind for a while. I didn't want to bother you with it up until now but..." she trailed off.

"It's that whole thing about leaving home right?" She nodded sadly.

"I just feel bad for hurting my people like that. I mean what kind of leader pretends to jump out of a window because they wanted a different life? It wasn't fair on them and it certainly wasn't fair on my adviser. Poor Eddard, I can't imagine what I put him through."

She paused for a moment. "You know I want nothing more to be here with you but I wish things could have gone differently. Why couldn't I have just told my people that I wanted to give up my throne then run away with you? I wouldn't have had to deceive them like that that way."

Link sighed. "I don't have an answer to that. I wish I did. But what's done is done and we can't change that now."

"I know," she said quietly. "I think talking to that doctor earlier helped me a bit. It's nice to know that there's someone else I can relate with about this. It makes me feel a little less ashamed of myself."

He gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "I'm glad to hear that."

Maintaining their embrace, the two of them laid back down on the couch. Careful to keep her weight away from his injured shoulder, Midna relaxed against Link's warm chest. She listened to his steady heartbeat and his slow breathing as he proceeded to play with a lock of her silky hair. They stayed there for hours simply enjoying the other's presence and sharing the moment together.

As instructed by Rovair, Link later went to soak in the bath to clean the cut on his shoulder. Midna, having already washed before him, picked through her half of the wardrobe for something to wear. That night they would go out for a romantic dinner together after resolving their earlier dispute. She was searching for something dressy to wear that would also cover up her bandages.

She settled with a relatively casual long-sleeved gown she had brought over from the Twilight Realm. The Twilight Princess could have hardly pulled off a fake suicide if she had packed her belongings as though she was going on vacation. Therefore agents stationed at the palace stole her personal effects after her bedchambers had been cleared out and gave them to Midna later during her Peacekeeper training.

As she slipped into the dress she noticed Link's sword lighting up from where it lay on the bed. From its shining gemstone, the spirit of the Master Sword manifested before the Twili. Fi regarded her with an implacable expression.

"Fi..." Midna started though she had no idea what to say.

"Midna," the spirit spoke in a tone that seemed somehow remorseful, "I wish to apologize if I made you feel threatened in any way. It was not my intention to undermine your relationship with Master Link."

Midna was surprised by this development. She had not thought that perhaps Fi had overheard her argument with Link. Midna now felt deeply ashamed for it.

"No, I should be the one to apologize," Midna shook her head. "I shouldn't have said the things I did about you. You were only doing what you were supposed to, to help Link. I was jealous of how you did it so much better than I ever could. I'm sorry for the way I treated you Fi."

The blue and purple spirit was silent for a moment then said, "My purpose has always been to aid the Hero, nothing more. The bond you share with Link is far stronger than what I have ever experienced with any of my masters. Throughout my entire existence I have watched each of them fall in love and pass from this world. I can never share that kind of connection with any one of my masters, yet I am content with my lot in what you would call life."

Midna stared at her in awe, this was the first time she had ever seen the spirit express any emotion. She had always thought that Fi had been nothing more than a robot, incapable of feeling.

"I'm sure that there must be someone special out there for you," Midna assured. She was not entirely sure if she was right but Midna hoped she could convince Fi that.

Fi turned and stared away into space. "I was not originally designed to feel emotion, but during my mission assisting the Hero of the Sky I began to simulate sentiments such as happiness, sadness and, as I waited between masters, loneliness. I do not fully understand these concepts yet, but I wish to someday."

"Maybe you could spend some time with that Scrapper guy," Midna smiled. "I can tell he likes you. Plus he's as old as you are so you don't have to worry about all that mortality stuff. No offence I mean, you look great for someone thousands of years old."

Fi returned her blank gaze to the Twili and smiled. "Perhaps. I have always experienced a certain level of fondness towards Scrapper. I may be able to learn from him."

"That's the spirit. Maybe you should go see him tonight. Link probably won't even notice you're gone if I have my way," Midna grinned impishly.

Fi said nothing but smiled. Without a word she floated towards the door and passed right through it, giving the Twilight Princess another surprise. Midna quickly looked the other way when she heard the bathroom door open.

Link came out with a towel wrapped around his waist with a clean bandage around his shoulder. "Were you talking to someone out here? I thought I heard something."

"Nope. You're just hearing things," Midna grinned, slightly confusing him.

He let the thought drop and stared at her affectionately. "You look beautiful."

"Tell me something I don't already know," she boasted playfully. "Now hurry up so we can go on our date."

Link did not have many clothes besides his Hero's clothes and the garments he wore back in Ordon so he did not have much difficulty finding something to wear. His green tunic was still battle torn and bloodstained so he had no choice but to where the latter. Midna commented about him needing to buy some new clothes at some point. Ignoring her, he offered his princess his arm and led her out to enjoy their special evening.

He sat alone in the candlelight, his head full of thoughts, most of them were less than pleasant. Callum had spent many an hour in front of his personal scrying mirror, a far larger one than the kind Peacekeepers used out on missions. Just as countless days before, he had been searching for Brandon with nothing to show for it than a blank screen. It was a pointless endeavor he knew, but it was better than dwelling on his own anxieties.

Brandon had once been Callum's friend, the first he made since joining the Order. The other man had helped him through the rough times when Callum missed his family. Brandon always lent him his ear and would say something that would reassure him. They had fought together, traveled together and joked over pints of ale together. Never had he expected that the friend who had given Callum so much support would turn against the Order they lived for, betraying the values they both kept close to their hearts.

Sooner or later he knew that the Hero of Light would meet the traitor on his mission just as he had with Ghirahim. Callum knew that if he did, then Link would likely fight and kill him if necessary. He disliked the thought but it was better than what would happen should Brandon's plans come to fruit. Even if Link stayed his hand, Brandon's death would be inevitable. He betrayed the Peacekeepers and there was nothing that could save him from the council's wrath. What Brandon sought would lead to the world's destruction and there would be no forgiving that.

His friend's fate was just one of several events Callum dreaded in the near future. Callum had kept many secrets in his life and he felt that one of his darkest would come out into the light. It would be inevitable he knew, it was only a matter of time. He should confess soon while he had the chance. Hopefully doing so would reduce the damage. Yet he was afraid, too much so to bring himself to speak. Callum felt like he was being pulled apart from two sides, the strain making him older than he was.

The Peacekeeper looked at the golden chain he held in his hand, his fingers fidgeting absently. The red stone heart that hung off the chain dangled and spun. "What do you think I should do?" he asked the piece of jewelry. It did not answer him. It never did. Sighing, Callum set the chain aside and cleared a space on his desk. He set down a report he had to finish, hoping that would take his mind off things. His stomach then growled. Callum sighed again and stood up.

"Dinner first, work second, then back to worrying," he said to himself.

The main point of this chapter was to explore the conflict between Midna and Fi, both being Link's sidekicks. I added the bit about Callum at the last minute because I realized that the chapter was extremely short. Callum is a mysterious guy who seems to be holding something back so I decided to play that up a little bit more.

I can't wait until next week because the next chapter is going to turn this story on its head. I'm going to have so much fun reading your reviews after that. :D

Until then,

EquinoxWolf