Chapter Six

Veritas et Fortitudo
"Truth and Courage"

The words of the Twilight Princess caused the Hero to abruptly start.

"Is everything alright?" Midna asked nervously, expression of concern on her Twili face. She hadn't expected him to be uneasy this early in her tale.

"Y-yeah…" Link stuttered as his gaze drifted from hers. It was the name Sheikah – hauntingly familiar to him. Link wondered just exactly how it was connected to her people.

Midna paused for a moment, reorganizing her thoughts in response to the Hero's reaction. She realized that she would have to go about this differently. "Before I tell you of the legend, I will need to know everything about your past. I understand it may be something you don't wish to talk about, but it's vital. Why did you live on the edge of your village? You were the only Ordonian with Hylian ears as well. But most importantly, who were your parents?"

The last question caused Link to visibly tense. Midna knew she had hit her mark with her words.

"My parents…" Link drifted, looking off with unfocused eyes into some nonexistent place, probably his distant past. Eventually he slowly turned to face her as he stuttered. "I-I can't…"

"Do you want to die?!" the Princess jumped from her seat and shouted, expression distraught. In reaction to her outburst, Link's face was a mixture of pain, fear, and shock. Midna's softened, looking sorrowful in response to his. She didn't mean to snap, but her emotions were in turmoil. The Princess walked to his side, sitting on the bed next to him. "I'm sorry. Its just…" she drifted, taking his hand in her own. He flinched the slightest with her actions and she met his eyes a moment later. "Please Link, I need to know. It's for your own benefit."

He slowly nodded. "I understand… Midna, I'm sorry." The Hero's gaze went from her to the floor. The Twili slowly released his hand and scooted back the slightest to give him room. She sensed Link needed some space, especially after all that had happened between them and to the Hero so far. "My past is something that I think should stay buried. It's something that would have gotten me killed in Hyrule, but now that we are no longer there… I-I'll tell you," he spoke nervously, looking back up to her. She nodded for him to explain, the Hero's gaze once more fell to the ground a moment or so later. "My parents… it was forbidden for them to be together. Midna, I'm a taboo child. My father was a Hylian, and my mother…" Link drifted, squeezing his eyes shut and not finishing the sentence, expression of pain obvious on his face. Midna reached her hand out to set it on his shoulder, but she pulled away when the Hero brought his strange and now sorrowful gaze up once more, meeting the Twili's own red irises as he spoke almost weakly. "She was one of the last Sheikah."

The Princess of Twilight inhaled sharply, bright red eyes widening in response to his frightfully truthful words. It was at that moment everything came together for Midna.

"So… it really is true," she whispered under her breath, voice close to shaking.

Link continued, his tone steady and serious now, "My parents had me late in their lives. They didn't expect a child and knew that their relationship was already risky as it was. My father was a purebred Hylian. Not just any Hylian either. He was the sole messenger between the Royal Family of Hyrule and the Hidden Village. Remember Impaz?" Link paused; Midna immediately recalled the quaint little hamlet and its sole occupant.

"She's… related to my mother, you see. My father was only a teenager when he had fallen in love with a woman of her tribe as he was delivering a message to the village. Over time he began to make more and more frequent visits to see her. The few other villagers didn't approve of this, fearing his reoccurring and unnecessary appearance would draw attention to their hideout. He wasn't able to stay there, as it was only for those few of the tribe that had protected the Royal Family long ago. So instead… they decided to elope.

"From what I understood, the two lived a mostly happy life in some far off corner of the land. Then… I was conceived. My mother became very ill during her pregnancy, and my parents had little choice but to journey to Castle Town for medical help. Even then though, she died in childbirth," he paused for a moment, letting the Princess absorb the information as he himself tried to accept it all. Speaking it aloud to another was so much more painful than simply reading the letter in his mind again and again.

"L-Link… I had no idea…" Midna said fearfully and pained. She never knew just how deep his roots went.

"After she left this world my father couldn't go back to his duty as a messenger. He'd run away without any warning. Abandoning his post, the sacred burden trusted to only one a generation in hopes of keeping a frail peace. Peace over what, I'm… not really sure to be honest, but revealing the secrets of his occupation to anyone or failing in that duty in any way… it was punishable by death. He couldn't risk endangering my life, as I would undoubtedly be killed as well once they found he had a descendent with one of their kind. So he ran once more. My father took me the furthest south he could, settling in Ordona Province."

Midna remembered the curious community where she'd helped him steal the first necessary items for their journey. The people there really weren't the brightest.

"At first the villagers welcomed us, glad to have a new face and a child to fill the village with young life. Ilia was born the same year he and I arrived. Her mother had died in childbirth just as mine so as we grew up together we became fairly good friends... Anyway, my father decided to take up living on the edge of the village and protecting it. He needed some way to redeem his past transgressions. He kept our history a secret for as long as he could, but soon the Ordonians figured it out. How exactly, I don't know. Not long after he gave his life protecting the village from a pack of Wolfos. Protecting me…" he drifted.

"Link, it isn't your—"

"Let me finish," he interrupted, altered eyes staring deeply into hers and anguished by his painful and hidden past. She was silent, allowing him to proceed with a small nod of her head. "I continued to live on the outskirts of the village, all by myself at the age of seven. I was shunned by most, so for ten years I was alone in a way of sorts. The people feared I would bring bad luck to them because of superstitions about dark magic or something of the like, even though my father proved to them that we were on their side. It was at the command of the Light Spirit Ordonia that they fully accept me as one of their own. Over time and as I developed skills they came to realize I was an asset: a good wrangler, seamster and the like. They treated me just the same way as before they knew my history, and possibly even better since I don't remember much from when I was that small. Nonetheless, the subject of my parents was never again spoken of.

"I only learned of all this much later from a letter my father had written and entrusted to Mayor Bo in case anything happened to him. It was given to me only a few days before Rusl confronted me about being the representative of Ordon, on my seventeenth birthday actually. At the time I was the same age as my father when he ran away with the woman he loved," Link finished, mentally drawing a parallel of sorts to his actions towards Midna at the end of their journey in Hyrule with those of his parent's lives.

"I didn't open the letter until a few months ago. I… I hesitated so long because I didn't want to face my past and feared what it would tell me…"

Midna understood in a way. The stress from his parent's letter is what triggered his illness of sorts; his own internal conflict over what he is was the onset to it all. Link took a breath and continued.

"I was cowardly, but… at the end of the letter was the reasoning behind my name. My parents chose the term 'link' because I connected two tribes… I was the link between the Hylians and Sheikah. I think they hoped that one day I could somehow mend the disagreement between the two races, letting them move on from their troubled past, whatever that may be. I never knew the full truth, and I might die before I do…" his voice faded. It was the most Link had ever said in one conversation. Just as the Princess opened her mouth to speak, the Hero spoke a final statement.

"But I do know one thing, at least, I think I do. Midna, I believe I finally understand now just who and what you are…. Your people…" he looked to her, blue eyes steeped with red as he left the sentence hanging as if awaiting conformation. His expression was pained. Not that of physical discomfort, but of emotional unease. A weakened and sorrowful smile crossed the face of the Twilight Princess and she let out a sigh.

"So you've figured it out on your own it seems," and he had, for the most part. At least about the existence of the race she mentioned and its connection to the Twili, even if he hadn't known of the legend surrounding them. "But do you know exactly why my people were banished? I've told you of their exile. I believe you can recall my tales from our journey. I'm sorry I didn't tell you all the facts then. Lanayru elaborated on the subject as well, but even he didn't speak in all honesty." She paused, letting Link ponder over just exactly where she was going. Midna still had so much to explain. The Hero didn't know even a fraction of their history and just how tightly he was intertwined with their fate. She took a deep breath before beginning, her speech becoming much more serious and formal than her usual manner, thanks to the way she had learned the legend as a child from her own parents what seemed like so very long ago. She dove into the explanation determined.

"The Sheikah tribe served the Royal Family since the beginning of time, protecting them at all costs. They were also known as the Shadow Folk, for they guarded the royals with their lives, following every move they made but staying hidden to the public eye. Their connection goes back to the origins of Hyrule itself and possibly even earlier, so they had a strong bond, but when a Great Evil arose just as it was destined, the tribe was unable to fulfill their single duty. Some time before their failure, a Hero weakened the Great Evil and with the help of a Princess bearing the crest of the Goddesses as well as the Sages of old, they sealed the darkness in another realm. This was known as the Sacred Realm, the same place Lanayru spoke of. Yet in their impatience to return the kingdom to peace, the dwellers of Light who fought the darkness had forgotten to strip this Evil of the blessing the Goddesses had so ironically bestowed upon it.

"Time passed and an era of peace caused the Sheikah and people of Hyrule to forget the troubles their ancestors faced, so in the process they became lax, slacking on their duty and weakening as the years progressed. Meanwhile, this Evil was in a constant struggle to escape, honing its skills and becoming stronger. Eventually it was able to break free, coming back out of the realm in which it was imprisoned to exact revenge on those that had banished it. The effort of crossing from one world to the other drained much of its power, but the Evil was still far stronger than ones that lived in a generation of purity. The Sheikah were unable to protect their masters, letting one of royal blood die at the hand of the darkness. The Evil got what it had wanted at the time: to kill a descendant of the Princess that banished it, yet that still wasn't enough to satisfy the greed it possessed.

"Instead of grieving, the guardians that had failed in their responsibility became stronger, realizing that if they didn't find another way to banish the darkness then it would come once again, doing even more damage than it had before. Using their magic, the Sheikah rent the boundaries of dimensions, creating a portal to another realm entirely. You know this world as the Twilight Realm, and the portal as the Mirror of Twilight. They sealed the darkness within. Unfortunately, after some time, the essence of Evil was reborn in the world of Light, but the efforts of the Sheikah weren't completely for naught. They had created the other realm as a prison, and it would prove to be useful later.

"A faction of the ones that served the Royal Family felt used when the portal was created. They banded together and with their magic created a dark power… You know this as the Fused Shadows. What possessed them to revolt wasn't entirely known. A legend states that the spirit of the darkness was reborn into one of the Shadow Folk, and in time infected others of the tribe, spreading its malicious aims like disease and allowing the creation of the concentrated dark magic to come into being.

"Whatever the reason, they attempted to use this sorcery to ultimately shatter the spirit of their master… the Princess of Hyrule who possessed the blessing of Wisdom from the Goddesses. They tried taking the shard of divinity from that of the Princess. With their power, the dark ones aimed to rule the hallowed place the spirit of Evil had been imprisoned in… They became known as the Interlopers for their actions, but they didn't just want dominion over the Sacred Realm. The Interlopers wished to destroy the very essence of the Triforce itself, for it would be the ultimate form of revenge... With the utter eradication of the object of immortal lore that the Goddesses left behind, the world would fall into complete chaos, just as it was before the divine beings descended to create order, leaving behind the Golden Triangles once they left this world. The Sheikah that defected would finally attain retribution for the acts that drove them to the edge of sanity.

"In the process of destroying the Triforce, the spirit of Evil that was said to reside in one of the tribe would cease to exist permanently. Either it was blinded just as the Ganondorf of our era was, or it simply didn't care what happened to its existence. All that mattered was making Hyrule and all worlds connected to it a living hell.

"A war broke out as the Interlopers tried to enter the Sacred Realm and many both innocent and not died in the process. It was a time that some believed would live on in the minds of all for eternity, but they had forgotten it involved the Sheikah: the Shadow Folk. No one would know of what had come to pass, the history and knowledge of the Sacred Realm's whereabouts fading into obscurity like shadows..." Midna stopped, taking a break from her tale as the last of her words echoed in the chamber around them. Link's unusual eyes were wide, staring at the Twili who brought her gaze to meet that of his when her voice faded. The Hero knew nothing of all this. Eventually he flopped onto his back, looking up at the ceiling from where he lay on the bed. The Twili turned to face him.

"Are you okay Link?"

"Yes… Midna, it's scary how little of the truth is really known. Thank you for sharing everything with me…" his voice drifted as he tried not to let it shake. The Princess didn't speak for a moment, letting the Hero's mind process everything she'd told him thus far.

"Actually, there's a bit more to this tale," Midna broke the silence between the two. Link glanced at her then proceeded to slowly push himself to a sitting position, facing the Twili and nodding for her to continue once he had taken a few breaths to compose himself and begin digesting the information he was given.

"Eventually those still loyal to the Royal Family got the upper hand in the battle. The Sheikah that revolted were chased across Hyrule. They failed in their efforts to ascend to the Sacred Realm, caught and overthrown by those they defected from. It was because the dark ones weren't able to fight back; their magic from the Fused Shadows had been drained by their efforts in the war. It would take time for the dark sorcery to regain its power, and that was something the Interlopers didn't have. Nothing as horrid as that conflict had come to pass in all the history of Hyrule. It came to be known as the Interloper War, the knowledge of the strife only known to a few. The bloodshed was just as terrible as the legendary war at the beginning of time itself.

"Realizing if nothing was done at this moment when the Interlopers were weak, the destruction of what the Goddesses tried so hard to create would be inevitable. The divine beings themselves decided to interfere instead of simply watching from above. For the first time since the formation of the world, they contacted their creations directly. It was then the Light Spirits intervened at the will of the Goddesses, breaking apart the now weakened magic that the Interlopers had mastered.

"In a last ditch effort, the rebels somehow managed to cling on to one shard of this sorcery, the helm I wore on our journey. The Light Spirits spread the others across Hyrule, and with the help of their power, the loyal Sheikah and the Princess of a new generation who possessed the blessing of the Goddesses once again; they sealed the Interlopers in the Twilight Realm for good.

"The wisest and most loyal of the Sheikah that still served Hyrule's Royal Family stayed behind to guard the gateway to the other world. They cast out all connections to their dark magic and instead embraced the souls of the Sages from long ago whose duty was to watch over the passage to the Sacred Realm from ages past. Since the way to the divine realm was lost in the war, they instead took up the duty of watching over that of the portal to the world of Twilight. Fearing that another rebellion may come, the remaining Shadow Folk secluded themselves from the Royal Family in a far off corner of Hyrule, but still held onto a fragile connection to those they had served for millennia. Yet over time they slowly began to die out, slipping into the shadows until only a few remained. The spirit of the Princess possessing Wisdom of the Goddesses understood that it was what they wanted, and let them do so willingly. The soul of whom I speak is known as Zelda."

Link looked up to Midna at the name of the Hylian Princess he had saved. The Twilight ruler continued.

"This all took place in a long era where a Hero failed to appear. Some believe his spirit had been born into or trapped in another world, just as the spirit of Evil was ages before, a few even say he abandoned his people for his own benefit."

She stopped once more, letting Link grasp everything she had told him so far. It was his soul too that had played a part in all this. Well, that wasn't entirely true. His soul didn't do anything to help or hinder the events that came to pass. She hoped the Hero didn't blame himself for anything.

"Nonetheless, even though the Sheikah themselves had mostly become nonexistent, relics of their past still remain in the world of Light. These artifacts bear the crest of the Sheikah eye.

"You've seen this symbol many times: Zelda's cloak, the Wooden Statue, Howling Stones… the Fused Shadows, and my throne just to name a few. The tear was only added after the banishment to show that the remaining loyal ones regretted the actions of the few dissenters. That's why it isn't present on my ancestor's dark magic. It came from an era when they freshly defected. I'd come to this realization as well as what happened to the few still loyal Shadow Folk from my time in the world of Light. Previous generations that resided in the Twilight Realm didn't know that their relatives resented the actions of those who betrayed them, as the Interlopers had no way of finding out what came to pass in Hyrule after their expulsion.

"For a time the Interlopers tried to fight their way back to the world of Light, one king, an ancestor of mine, even attempted to strengthen the piece Fused Shadow he held and force the Mirror open from our realm. He did this out of greed and a lust for revenge, but failed. He became mad from his efforts and died from the powers that corrupted him. Of course, over time the inhabitants of my realm became peaceful, forgetting most of their troubled history. This legend that tells of our origins has only been passed along my Royal Family line." Midna didn't have much left to explain, but she still took a moment to organize her remaining thoughts. Link sat by her side in tense silence. She didn't meet his eyes, focusing on the clenched hands in her lap.

"The Twilight Realm is the antithesis of Hyrule, a fitting place for the Interlopers. The appearance of the Sheikah that betrayed their masters changed form, becoming shadows of what they once were… In time they became the Twili as a reflection of the world they resided in. The transformation to our current shape took a few generations; only minor changes happened in my ancestor's lives, the children different from their parents… but there were some who underwent it at a more rapid pace, their bodies fighting themselves, the change becoming a progressively quick illness of sorts. Many of them that struggled through that…" she drifted, eyes squeezing shut and expression becoming one of pain. Midna didn't need to say it for Link to understand. They were unable to adapt and had died in the process. She took a deep breath before speaking once more.

"Not only our appearance was altered by the Twilight Realm. Our magic was too. When Zant spoke of the old magic of our people, he meant the sorcery untainted by the Twilight that we held under the reign of the Royal Family of Hyrule. Although we served them with a pure cause, the magic itself was quite dark, coming from the Shadows of the Hylians. After all, with it and the alleged aid of the spirit of Evil born into the tribe, the Fused Shadows were created. Darkness and Light go hand in hand yet don't mix in that way, something we know all too well."

The two were silent for a moment, Midna catching her breath after talking for what seemed like forever.

"Anyway, once the Sheikah that betrayed the Royal Family of Hyrule were trapped in the Twilight Realm, the need for the Mirror wasn't necessary until the spirit of Evil was reborn as the Ganondorf of this era. I'm assuming it was after the incident of sealing him that the Sages used the great chains to bind the portal closed. In time it was buried beneath the sands of the desert, forgotten once again just as the Shadow Folk were. Eventually Ganondorf and Zant united in the Twilight Realm.

"Using the magic that Ganondorf bestowed upon Zant, the Usurper King banished me to the world of Light, the Fused Shadow that had been passed down the line of my Royal Family and was in my possession at the time indirectly aided their cause – unintentionally of course. It was drawn by the magic that inhabited the Twili that betrayed me. In turn, some of its magic ended up in the possession of Zant. Our powers intermingled. I had sensed a dark sorcery that wasn't known to my tribe. I had also felt this when Zant confronted us after obtaining the final piece of Fused Shadow and then stripping my powers from me. Even though the Usurper King stole my ancestor's magic, he couldn't wield the Fused Shadows to their full potential because he wasn't of royal blood. Just like the Mirror, the Fused Shadows only fully cooperate with the true ruler of the Twili.

"It was in time that I learned what I'd felt during our confrontations was really Ganondorf; his spirit of Evil is what I had noticed. I believe that our mixture of old and new magic in addition to Ganondorf's power is what enabled Zant to enter Hyrule. As for getting back… I'm still not sure. He could have broken the Mirror at any time. Nonetheless, what I had ended up with in our struggle wasn't enough for me to return, and I didn't know the location of the Mirror from Hyrule's side. Maybe Zant had gained more magic from our skirmish than I had originally thought. In any case, I could no longer return without his help. I decided to use that to my advantage though.

"Once in the Light realm, I immediately headed for Zelda and told her what must be done to defeat the one who had usurped me. Because of the use of the Fused Shadow in my magic struggle with Zant, I only had enough power for teleportation and relatively minor magic feats. I couldn't fight him on my own and knew my ancestor's magic wouldn't regain its full power in time to do so unless I reunited all four pieces. It was the same struggle the Interlopers that defected had. Ironic in a sense. Anyway, I told Zelda of the legend of the blue-eyed beast and set out in search for our mythical hero. Not long after, I had found you and the events we endured together came to pass. From there you know everything up until this very moment."

Midna finally finished her lengthy explanation; letting Link absorb the excessive amount of information she had presented him with. It was too much for him. The Hero felt dizzy. Whether it be from what his body was undergoing, or the history that came as a slap to his face, he didn't know. Finally, after what seemed like ages of cold, oppressive silence, Link spoke.

"If I'm part Sheikah…"

"Link, don't worry. Your ancestry is pure, being a descendant of the ones who were from Hyrule. I'm the one who is tainted. I am corrupt."

With her words the Hero held his arm before him, turning it to inspect the change it had undergone. The soft glow of the walls illuminated the Triforce and the unnatural lines along his skin that threatened to consume the ancient and divine virtue he had been blessed with.

"As am I, Midna."

The Twilight Princess reached for Link's arm, taking the hands of the Hero in hers and gently squeezing them; the red in their eyes drawn to one another as the pained gazes of the two met.

"Link… I've told you the history of the Sheikah. We must bear these sins of our past, carrying the knowledge of this to the end of time… and I've burdened you with it. Now you know the whole truth."

A/N: That was quite a bit of info. Sorry if it seems confusing as of now. It should all make sense in due time and don't worry – it will be further expanded on. Creating my own mythology for the Zelda series is proving to be quite a fun task!