As they made their way into the dark cave, the only light was coming from the soft glow of Midna's markings, casting everything in eerie turquoise shadows. When they settled in, Link just sat on the floor, which was covered with wooden planks for some reason. Sheik perched on a root that stuck out from the rocky wall. Midna was just content to hover in the air. Sheik started in on the questions right away, not feeling a need for further pleasantries.
"So how is the Princess? Is she safe" He blurted out, being his number one concern at the moment. The look of fierce protection clear on his face, like that of a mother protecting its young.
"Of course she is. Her light still burns within because I can feel it trying to fry me from the inside. I am only able to keep it at bay by the little power that remains of my magic. But man, it sure itches." Midna scratched the skin under her helm, resulting in a speculative look from Sheik. He recognized its style now and the fact that that is where she was scratching must have something to do with the magic.
"Is that where your power comes from? It is a very interesting piece. I would say it almost seems familiar." Sheik indicated the horns of the ancient stonework helm. Midna gave him a glare of suspicion. "Is that where you hold her, within your helm? It wouldn't happen to be part of the Fused Shadow, would it?" Anger flashed across Midna's face as her eyes bore into him.
"What do you know about that? It is a relic of the past, and thought to be destroyed. How would you even know what it looked like." Midna shot at him in defense. Sheik smiled in knowing, and pointed at the helm.
"I believe that is the fourth piece of the fragmented relic. It is said to hold great power when whole. Too bad you don't have the rest of it. I'm sure it would come in handy in our little mission" Sheik said, still with the confidence of having the upper hand.
"If I did have the rest of it, I could defeat Zant easily. But no one knows where the other three pieces are. They were sent to the Light World when it was dismantled, and they have yet to be seen since." Midna's tone was becoming volatile.
"Yes, they were sent there. If I told you where that was, would you tell me more about Zant?" Sheik looked like he would have stood face to face with her, if they both were in regular form, not that he actually knew what hers even looked like. Link just sat there, watching the interrogation get heated between the two.
"I will tell you of Zant, but I already know that this is the Light World, so my guess is that you know more. What all would you like to know about Zant?" Midna looked down at him, her sheepish grin revealing that she also knew more than she was letting on. The air seemed to calm a bit as the two settled down, now becoming more curious than defensive.
"We know that only Royal Blood can use the power of the Fused Shadow. So we are guessing that you are related to Zant in some way." He turned his head slightly to the side giving her the eye, since he was unable to raise his brow.
"Well, if you haven't already guessed, Zant is my older brother." She looked at Sheik to gauge his reaction, to which the bird appeared to only blink. "He was to take the throne of our Kingdom after our father passed. He was hungry for power and could not wait and it slowly ate away at his sanity. He poisoned the King, hoping to take over sooner. Our father slowly succumbed to illness. Zant was eventually caught, but since our father didn't have the heart to kill his own son for treason, so he was exiled from the Kingdom. There is really nothing beyond our land but a vast wasteland, a void of life. Zant would have eventually died there."
"I guess that is where Zant encountered the Interloper." Midna's face looked surprised at the mention of this other being, which the other two had noted. "Did you not know of the Interloper?" Sheik questioned.
"No," Midna replied. "I had guessed that something greater than Zant had gave him these powers or that he had some how acquired them outside his means. What is this Interloper?" Midna was looking at Sheik for the answer but then Link made a slightly excited whimpering noise so she and Sheik both looked over to him. "Ah, would you like to tell us about the Interloper! There's a god boy." She patted him on the head like a good dog, to which Link actually nodded in enthusiasm.
Oh Goddesses help us, Sheik thought as he shook his head slightly and looked at the ground with a smirk.
"The Interloper is a being from another realm." Link said looking back and forth between the two, waiting for a acknowledgment. "There were actually two of them that we know of. They came to our realms to seek the powers that the Royal families once held, hoping to reunite the pieces and take them for themselves. Ganon was taken over by one, until I fought and killed him." Link beamed with pride, to which Midna repeated the good dog gesture in order to get him to continue. "We believe the Ganon one killed your Shadow Spirit and took our piece of the Triforce of Power. The other acquired it after he died and must have found your brother. We are not sure if he was just influenced by it, or whether the Interloper is actually inhabiting his body." Midna look downcast at that thought, of someone inhabiting her brother.
"I would hope that he wasn't just corrupted, that he was so evil. But that would then mean my brother is dead and this other being has taken over." The other two looked at her apologetically. They had all lost someone close to them for the sake of these Interlopers. Impa and Saria, although not dead, were now gone to them, having ascended to be Sages, protecting the Sacred Realm. "So this being is also looking for the Fused Shadow," She tapped her finger to her chin while thinking a little deeper into it. "And I am guessing that you two have some more valuable information about it. Perhaps know where the pieces are?" She arched her only visible eyebrow, "That would be the logical conclusion to your line of questioning, would it not." Her gaze settling on the weaker of the two, her mischievous grin revealing the lone fang.
"Well, yes," Link said as he swallowed the lump that was suddenly sitting in his throat. Midna's threatening looks were sometimes playful, but he had also seen what she was capable of. "We believe they are sealed away in our Temples that the Light Spirits put them. But Zant power has infected them, and since he captured the Light from the Spirits, the seals have been broken. We have already found one piece which was located in the Forest Temple." Midna's expression raised in surprise at this, a happier smile appearing on her face. It could have been described as over joyed, had he not known better. Link went to get it to show it to her, but unsure of where his equipment was hiding in his wolf form. "It seems I can't access it right now. I may need to be in my Hylian form to retrieve it." His face looked a little scared at the ensuing wrath he was about to receive.
"That is okay. I believe you." was Midna's more controlled reaction, to which Link visibly relaxed. "You will just have to take it out when you are in the Light World again, then carry it through the barrier. "As for Zant, I guess that is why he showed up one day with these new-found powers. There wasn't anything I could do. He shrouded our world in darkness, and with the help of these Shadow Creatures he brought with him, he took over the throne. He exiled me, since he thought this was only fair. Although, instead of sending me out of the Kingdom, he opened a portal to this world, maybe hoping I wouldn't survive the Light. He was right, and the Light did burn. I was forced to lurk in the shadows during the day, only moving around at night. After some time, he came here with his minions, spreading his shadow further."
"I had made contact with your princess shortly after I arrived. Actually, it was her who had contacted me. She had sensed my presence around her castle. When I was found, she was not afraid. She seemed to know things, perhaps her power of Wisdom? I told her of how I got here, so when Zant had arrived, she was not surprised. Although she was still hurt to have to give in, she knew his power and did what was best for her people. We would find a way to take back both our Realms."
The three talked late into the night, discussing the details of what happened and what they knew. Eventually, it felt late and the two Heroes needed their rest.
In the morning, they departed the cave which was only a short distance from the Gorge. When they reached it, there was no bridge. Not that this little hindrance really stopped Sheik or Midna for that matter, but Link couldn't get across. Midna offered to carry him and was about to grab him in her fist, but he backed away with a fierce glare. "I would like to be able to get across on my own. You two always seem to have it easy, when I have to do all the fighting and puzzle work." He said as they approached the spot were the bridge use to be. It didn't seem like it had fallen, more like it had been zapped. The edges seemed to have that particle-like effect, making him think it was magic that had done it. Just then, the familiar fence showed up, indicating another fight for a portal.
As the Shadow creatures descended upon them, Midna suddenly floated away. Just before she disappeared she turned back to Link. "You want to do it on your own, eh? Let's see what you can do." He could hear her snicker event though she wasn't visible anymore. Link was okay with that. He could now take out the last two at once since he knew how to use his tail for the Spin Attack! He took on the three Shadow Creatures easily, Sheik even flying around as a distraction. With only the two left, he spun around, and surely enough they both fell at the same time. The portal changed color and it was all over, piece of cake. Link smiled sheepishly as Midna reappeared. "Nice work boy," Midna mocked him. "Well at least we have another portal, and now I know what happened to the bridge. We can put it back so you can walk across, on your own four legs." Snicker snicker.
"But we don't even know where it is," Link whined. "And even if we find it, how are we suppose to put it back, huh?" Midna looked at him astounded at how Link could act so childish sometimes, throwing a little tantrum. She looked over at Sheik wondering how he could put up with this, to which the bird only shrugged.
"Luckily, I happen to know where it is. I noticed it after I wiped out the Shadow Creatures at the portal right before the Forest Temple, although at the time I didn't know what it was. But that would have to be it, since it was at another portal site. I will send you there to retrieve it-" Link was about to cut in, but she cut him off instead. "-uh, uh. I know what you're going to say, and no, you don't have to walk all the way back. You can transport back to this portal with it." She looked at the bird with a pouty look, "Ah, sorry Sheiky. You will have to stay here with me. Link, when you get to the other portal, make sure you take out the piece of the Fused Shadow. You can use it to transport yourself back here, with the bridge." Link's mouth stood agape for a moment.
"What do you mean, I can do it. Is this power part of the Fused Shadow and not your own innate powers?" Link asked.
"Yes, it is the Fused Shadow, but I do have great power which helps me to focus it. There isn't much I can do in the Light World, but in the shadow and back home, I can do way more. I will show you how to use it, then you will see just how hard it is." She gave him a condescending look, then continued with the ensuing lesson. "Good luck!" She said as she ended the lesson and instantly scattered Link's particles, a horrified look frozen on his face, sending them into the portal.
When Link arrived in North Faron, the same look still on his face even back in his Hylian form, he saw the bridge as soon as he turned around. How he had missed it, he wasn't sure. He took out the piece and looked at it, not quite sure he understood the instruction, but wasn't really able to ask any questions before being whisked away. He hesitantly placed it over his his face. The mask phased a little, going right through the collar, then stayed in place without holding it. It covered his whole neck and most of his face, leaving just one eye uncovered, which was the opposite of Midna's. So this really is the bottom piece of her helm.
He looked at the bridge and focused on it hard. It didn't seem to do anything, so he waited. Still nothing. Then he remembered to actually think of it going into the portal. To his amazement, it suddenly shook a little, dislodging itself from the ground. It slowly rose up to the portal but hovered there... waiting. He pictured the portal at the Gorge and then finally the bridge scattered and disappeared. Having nothing else to do hear, he decided he should just go back. He pictured himself rising to the portal and being taken back the Gorge. To his surprise, that is exactly where he ended up.
When Link touched down, he was back in wolf form. The mask still clung to his face, although he realized only because it was being held in place by the collar, no longer fitting in place. Midna squealed with glee as she came down and took it. He glared at her, growling in caution. "Oh relax," Midna sighed, "I know its you found, and I am grateful. I won't take it. I just wanted to see it, to try it on." She did so, placing it over her face. The edges seemed to glow as the two pieces fused together. Then the eyes shone like bright turquoise halos, until they slowly faded, revealing both of Midna's eyes, which were currently the size of saucers. Link was sure she had the biggest, most evil grin he could imagine.
"Whoa!", was all Midna could express as she reeled in its power for a moment. "It is like nothing else. No one has ever had more power than the one piece since it was dismantled ages ago. I can't imagine what having the whole thing would do." Her voice was starting to get really high and she sounded like she was going to burst, feeding off the power. To the other two's amazement, it suddenly split down the same crack it had before. She then removed the mask and gave the piece back to Link. "I will let you keep it until it is needed. You will be able to use its power, which I'm sure will come in handy in shadow and in the light." She placed it as his neck, beneath the collar. Her hand glowed and the mask phased away, although Link could still feel its presence. "I have changed it to fit your form, it is now part of you and will be solid again when you will it to." She hovered back a few feet and look blankly at the horizon. "You two continue on your journey. We will meet up again later. I need some time to figure things out." With that she faded out of view, leaving the two looking at each other with confused expressions.
"I wonder what that was about?" Said Sheik. "I guess the magic really affected her. She seemed almost drunk off of it. Perhaps she needs time to clear her head and think about what she will do with it. After all, this mask hasn't been seen for ages, and no one is quite sure what it is capable of. I just hope she can control it, lest it control her." His tone was that of concern, for he was truly sympathetic to the dilemma she must be in. "She knows she will have to eventually use it on her brother." They both gave a thought for Midna's situation and prayed the Goddesses would help them all in their time of need.
The two headed across the re-placed bridge toward the pass to Kakariko Village. Although it felt like the starting of a new day,with the dawn's twilight covering the sky, there would be no rising sun.
Please review. I would like to know whether you like it or not, or who is actually reading it?