The sun shone bright, smiling down upon the world, all warmth and quiet and peace.

And it was early. Sweet glorious Farore, it was early.

But Midna tried not to care. She had specifically woken up earlier than Salaas and Ludin so that she could escape that pathetic prison called a castle. Whoever had come up with such a pompous name for naught more than a marble dungeon?

No, she couldn't stay there for a moment longer. She needed freedom; needed to feel the wind in her hair and see colorful fields stretching endless before her. And the only person whose laugh was freedom itself - Link. Of course Link. A part of her felt pathetic for wanting so desperately to spend so much time with him when she hadn't even known him for a week yet, but the other part of her just didn't care.

So she stood, waiting, ever waiting, and an eternity passed as she only stared out at the vast meadows before her.

Finally - the rhythmic beat of horses' hooves on dirt. Heart hammering far more than it should have, Midna whirled to face the source of the noise, lips curving into a smile.

"Finally! Took you long enough," Midna huffed as two riders rounded the corner of a building and came into view. She directed her gaze to Link, sitting astride his powerful mare, and pretended Laik didn't exist.

Link stared at her in surprise, and pulled Epona to a stop. "Midna? What are you doing here, of all places?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Laik grinned, and nudged Snow forward. The placid mare plodded toward the Twili, giving a quiet nicker of greeting. "I knew you'd come to your senses! You were waiting here for me, weren't you? I hope I didn't make you wait too long."

"Hi, Snow," Midna cooed, completely ignoring her rider, and patted her nose. Then she brushed past the horse, and came to stand in front of Link. "Things got a little... stuffy, you could say, back at the -"

Castle.

Well, crap. Midna bit her lip. Link wasn't aware of her status as a princess, and she was in no hurry to enlighten him. What if he knew? He'd start to look at her differently, no doubt. Wouldn't talk to her the same. Wouldn't let her ride free through the fields alongside him.

She needed that freedom; lived it, breathed it. And so -

"...inn," she lied. "The inn I'm staying at. I came here with a friend, and she's being completely insufferable. I figured I'd wake up early and escape before she could catch me and lecture me." She rolled her eyes.

Link offered her a faint smile, and reached to pat Epona's neck as she shifted her weight beneath him. "Here to ride Snow again, then?"

"Hey!" Laik protested. "I'm right here. Ask my permission before you steal my horse!"

Both Link and Midna ignored him. "If you don't mind," the Twili woman responded with a wide grin. "I figure you could let your useless brother watch over the stall." She jerked a thumb in the brown-haired Hylian's direction.

"Useless?" It seemed as though Laik was about to deny that statement, but his brother interrupted him.

"That isn't too bad of an idea. He always leaves me alone to tend the stall while he runs off to do Goddesses-know-what, so why not pay him back?"

"What?" Laik spluttered. "You're both being ridiculous!"

Finally, for the first time that morning, Link acknowledged his brother. "You should probably get to the stall. We don't want to keep any customers waiting."

"You can't make me get off my horse!"

"You know how you're always saying you'd do anything for a pretty woman?" Link told the other man with both brows slightly raised.

Laik heaved a deep sigh, and his shoulders drooped. "Yeah...?" Clearly he knew where this was going.

Link motioned to Snow. "Then why not let Midna ride her?"

"Sure, yeah. Yeah," Laik grunted, climbing off his mare's saddle with his nose slightly wrinkled in annoyance. "Not like I care anyway." And without another word, he shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking away.

"Laik!"

"What?" He glanced over his shoulder.

Link smiled. "I'll know if you aren't tending the stall."

"Yeah right... Just enjoy yourself." Laik shook his head and once again started walking, muttering to himself as he went, "Since when did he become a ladies' man?"

Midna grinned and didn't hesitate to swing up into Snow's saddle. The small horse turned an eye to look at her, and Midna stroked her fingers through her mane. "Sorry for coming out to meet you so often. It's just - I've never quite met someone like you."

"What does that mean?" Link blinked at her in confusion.

Midna smiled. "You're just so free-spirited; you seem like the type of person that wouldn't let anything faze him."

"I'll take that as a compliment." His smile flowed easy, like the breeze itself, and she couldn't help loving it.

Both of them turned their horses around, and began to walk them at an easy pace, unhurried and calm. "To be honest - you seem so familiar. I thought that from the first moment I saw you, but I'm sure I've never met you before."

He nodded, thoughtfully, and fidgeted absently with Epona's reins. "Same. But I've never seen a Twili before in my entire life, not until I met you. Both my brother and I read about them, and heard about them, and we were always curious about them. Everyone else feared them, but we just wanted to meet one and see what they were like." He chuckled to himself, eyes still downcast, staring unseeing at his mare's white mane. "Our mother was angry at us for it. She always told us Twili were dangerous and terrible people, but we wouldn't listen to her. And you just proved her wrong." Finally his eyes lifted to meet hers. She smiled at him in reply.

"Good." She nodded her head once. "Hyrulians are much too afraid of the Twili. Somehow, they need to see that not all of us are bad. Even though our ancestors were terrible, that doesn't mean we are. People can change."

"I know." Link sighed and gazed off into the distance, breeze toying with his hair, plucking at it with gentle, teasing fingers. Midna watched him, unconscious of the tiny smile hinting at the edges of her lips.

"So -" She broke the silence - "What else do you do for fun? Besides tending the stall and riding horses all day."

Link turned to her again and grinned, eyes bright. "The Week of Faron is pretty busy. I'm glad it's almost over - it takes up so much of my time. Because of it, I'm getting a little rusty in my swordplay."

"Swordplay?" She blinked at him in surprise.

"Yeah." His smile turned fond, and distant. She could see him losing himself in memories. "My father used to be a soldier, but he decided he preferred peace, so he settled down with my mother. He still practices his swordplay every now and then, and he taught it to both me and my brother."

Midna grinned. "Sounds exciting. I've always wanted to learn how to wield a sword myself, but my family wanted me to focus on magic."

Link met her eyes, his own blue ones curious. "You've mentioned magic before. That's... amazing. I've never seen real magic. Only the fake kind, where someone pretends to pull a rupee out of your ear. What's it like?"

"It's -" Midna hesitated, staring down at Snow's mane and clutching the reins just a little tighter. "I could show you sometime, I guess."

"Really?" He stared at her, eyes wide and excited, and she couldn't help laughing at the sight of it.

"Of course! Just, not right now, I'm afraid it might scare the horses. Kargaroks are accustomed to our magic, but I'm not so sure about horses. They seem much... jumpier." She gave a light shrug.

He sighed. "They are, sometimes. Especially Snow, since she's so peaceful, she's more easily scared." His head turned, facing the north, studying the far mountains and the gnarled oak forest at their feet. "We could go there," and he pointed to the edge of the forest.

Midna eyed the dark forest, trees knit close together, and found it beautiful, though eerie. She cocked a brow at the man beside her. "You're just trying to lure me in there so you can kidnap me," she teased.

"Curses," Link sighed without missing a beat. "I thought you'd never figure it out."

Midna laughed joyously, and he laughed too. Perhaps she might have been suspicious of anyone else who wanted to lure her, alone, into a dark forest - but this was Link. And she trusted him, though she couldn't explain why. She couldn't even fathom it herself.

"Who knows?" The Twili woman smirked, mischievous and mirthful. "I might just turn the tables and kidnap you instead."

Link heaved a resigned sigh, and his shoulders slumped. "I don't see how I could prevent that."

"You couldn't, that's the point."

He shook his head, smiling. "I'll just have to escape before you can catch me." And then, without warning - "Hyah!" and suddenly Epona was galloping across the fields, churning earth beneath her sharp hooves, legs only a blur. Midna laughed, loud, without a care in the world, and kicked Snow's sides. The white mare didn't need any more urging than that - she surged into a desperate gallop, mane fluttering, tail flapping in the whistling wind.

Nothing else mattered in that moment, only the wind, and the sky, and the endless green before them. She could hear her own laugh in the air, and his too, and for a fleeting moment wished she never had to return to Castle Hyrule.

But returning was inevitable. She could see the scene play out in her mind, of her returning to the white marble prison, and the prince she was fated to marry.

And the thought of it ripped her laughter away, sagged her shoulders beneath a terrible weight. Suddenly the bitter wind stung her eyes and her skin instead of flowing smooth around her like silk. Her head dropped, teeth gritted against the wind, eyes narrowed, and she tried to chase the thoughts away. Why ruin a joyous moment with such thoughts?

But she couldn't help it. Couldn't help realizing that, yes, someday she would marry Prince Eldren. And someday she would no longer flee to the fields to meet Link, and to gallop beside him. Someday that prison would become her home, her home -

"Midna?"

She hadn't even realized Snow had slowed to a leisurely trot, and Link had pulled Epona beside her. He noticed the way the Twili stared down with eyes dull, hands clutched round the reins into fists so tight that her blue skin turned white at the knuckles.

She flicked her gaze up to meet his, and tried to smile. "Sorry, got distracted."

"Is that really all?" His lips pursed, just a little, in worry, and she hated the sight of it.

A smirk curved her lips upward. "I can't believe you fell for it," she laughed, and only laughed harder when he blinked at her in utter confusion. The slightest tug of the reins urged Snow to walk right up beside the other mare, and Midna peered up at the Hylian, grinning widely.

"What -" he began, but could speak no further. Midna grasped Epona's reins and pulled them away from his unsuspecting grip.

"There, I caught you," she giggled.

He only stared, bewildered.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say before I drag you off and force you to ride a Kargarok?"

He blinked. "Um... Not really," he finally managed to say, nervously running a hand through his windblown hair. "I would tell you to return Snow to her rightful owner, but she seems to like you more."

Midna laughed, a hearty laugh, and returned Epona's reins to her rider. "You should just let me keep her."

Link smiled. "Laik would be furious."

"Who cares?" She shrugged. "He's a pain, anyway."

"He is," Link agreed with a frown, shifting his weight in the saddle in an attempt to find a more comfortable position. "But we used to be close. We did everything together. I'm not quite sure why he just decided to stop caring one day."

Midna searched his face, smile vanishing. "I'm sorry."

He gave a sheepish grin, and ran a hand through his hair again. "No, I'm sorry. That was a bit off-topic. I was just worrying about him, I guess."

"He's your older brother, isn't he?" When he nodded, she huffed and continued, "He should act like it. Take more responsibility. In fact, he's probably not even watching your stall right now."

"Probably not." Link chuckled. For a moment he looked to the south, the direction of Castle Town, and his eyes grew distant. Then he sighed and turned to the woman beside him again. "Anyway - anything you want to do in particular? This is your first time coming to Hyrule, isn't it?"

She only nodded in response.

"We could go back, and look around a bit. There's plenty to see."

She shook her head, smiling. "I like the idea of going to the forest. It looks like a quiet place. And to be honest, I need quiet right now. I'm sick of bustling crowds."

"I'm glad you say that, because, I am too," he admitted, fidgeting mindlessly with Epona's reins. The large mare danced excitedly on her hooves, anxious to finish the race to the forest. For a moment it appeared as if she and Snow exchanged a glance, both of them challenging the other. Link grinned and patted his horse's neck. "All right, we'll get going again." He cast a quick glance in Midna's direction. "Ready?"

"You don't even need to ask." She tightly clutched Snow's reins, and smirked. "I'll win, by the way."

"You're hilarious."

"And you're cocky." She lifted a brow at him, and he returned the expression. "I'll knock you off your high horse. Quite literally."

"If you can even catch up to me first." And he kicked Epona's sides. She burst into a gallop once more, whinnying in joy. Snow surged after her, tossing her head, and once again Midna forgot everything - forgot her status as princess, forgot her destiny to marry a prince and mend the rift between her people and the Hyrulians.

Link could do that to her, could make her forget, could make her stop worrying. And though she hadn't known him that long, she found herself wishing that she could stay out here in these fields forever, getting to know him better, every little thing about him, and she could tell him all about herself, and they could share memories and laughter...

What ridiculous thoughts.

Snow flew free beneath her, and the forest loomed ever closer. Of course Link beat her there, though Midna was close behind when he passed the border of trees and their shadows swallowed him whole. Immediately she pulled Snow to a stop. The mare obeyed, tossing her head and neighing, hooves skidding on the forest floor and sending fallen leaves flying.

"We're here." Link slid easily off Epona's saddle and landed, light as a cat, boots crunching dry leaves.

"I never would have guessed. Thanks for pointing that out."

Link stared at her, both brows raised, and she only grinned cheekily at him. Shaking his head, he turned away from her, and busied himself tying the horses' reins to a low-hanging and sturdy-looking tree branch. "Anyway," he said as he worked, fingers flying fast with years of practice behind them. He finished almost before she had time to blink. "About this magic of yours. I'm really curious."

"Of course you are." Midna smiled and turned around, heading deeper into the forest, and over her shoulder, motioned for Link to follow her. He did, and she spoke as they walked - "We can create light, and warmth. Apparently this was useful for our ancestors, as the Twilight was quite dark and cold."

"You've never been to the Twilight, I'm guessing."

Midna sighed. "How could I? It was fifty years ago that the Goddesses finally allowed us to return to the world of light. I was only born twenty years ago. And nobody can visit it - apparently the Goddesses opened a temporary portal and allowed for the Twili to enter Hyrule, but after that? They closed the portal, and it can't ever be opened again. But my grandfather remembers the Twilight." At the thought of him, a wistful smile fell across her lips. "He tells me about it - about how beautiful it was, in such a strange and unique way. He describes floating islands, eternally pink skies, and shifting black clouds that told the time depending on their position and shape. He also told me that there were odd little black squares constantly floating up into the sky, coming from nowhere and going nowhere. They just sort of... existed, and nobody really knew their purpose. And if you tried to touch one they'd just go through your hand."

Link listened, enraptured with her description, eyes wide and curious. "It sounds..." He paused, trying to find the right word, and Midna laughed quietly when he couldn't seem to. "Fascinating," he finally managed.

"I know. I'd love to see it someday, but - but I don't think I ever will." Her smile vanished, and she lowered her eyes as she walked, leaves crackling and twigs snapping beneath bare feet. "Grandfather says that a lot of the Twili were excited to live in the realm of light, but he says some of them were actually enraged by the idea of it, and refused to leave their homes. Or some of them were just indifferent about it and decided to stay back because they didn't care."

"They're missing out." Link smiled. "Hyrule can be a wonderful place, when it wants to be anyway."

"What does that mean?" She cast him a glance over her shoulder, and nearly tripped over a protruding root in the process. Immediately she righted herself before she could fall flat on her face, and rolled her eyes at the young Hylian man behind her when he chuckled.

"Anyway," he continued once he stopped grinning at her, "I don't know if you've heard about the Gerudo attacks."

"I have, actually." Midna kept her gaze forward this time. She pressed her lips together in thought, staring blankly into the darkness of the trees before her.

"Yeah, just that. Ever since the king took up the throne and allowed them to come into Hyrule, the Gerudo have been raiding farms and villages. Supposedly they're peaceful thieves, because they only take what they need and don't kill anyone. But whether they mean to or not, they're destroying lives anyway, because they're taking everyone's food and their livelihoods." He grimaced, and stared at his leather riding boots as he walked. "Of course, this all started happening twenty years ago, before I was born, so I don't really remember it any other way. But I've heard things were much better before the the king came along."

"Why doesn't he kick them out, if they're causing so much trouble?"

"To kick them out means war. They're already denizens of Hyrule now. They'd rebel."

She had known the answer before the question even left her lips, so Midna didn't know why she'd asked it anyway. With a sigh, she lowered her head and kicked at a stick in her path. "Let's - let's talk about something less grim. Brighten the mood a bit." She whirled to face him, hair flying about her face and fluttering to rest around her shoulders once more. With a grin, she clasped her hands together over her chest, intertwining her fingers - then she pulled her hands apart again, slow and steady, and a ball of beautiful blue light appeared between her palms. "Literally."

Link stared in awe, mouth agape, and she couldn't help giggling at the sight. Holding out her hand to him, the light resting within her palm, she nodded her head once. "Take it."

"Wh-what? I can?" he spluttered, amazed, unable to tear his eyes away from the glowing orb.

Midna shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. I know Twili can accept light from others, but I don't know about Hylians. I've never tried it. So we'll find out."

He finally looked up to meet her eyes, frowning. "Obviously I can't. I don't have an ounce of magic, Midna, I'm not a Twili."

"Just take it, okay?" She shoved it into his hands, and he gasped at her sudden gesture. And then his eyes widened even further when it didn't die out, but remained glowing bright, and he gave a breathless laugh.

"That's - that's..."

"Amazing?"

"Yeah!" He grinned at the light, and didn't dare move his hands even an inch for fear it would extinguish the orb. "It's warm."

Midna nodded. "For some reason, I hear fire didn't work well in the Twilight. It was just... different, I suppose, not warm or bright enough. So my ancestors learned to use these." She motioned to the light - and as soon as she did, it flickered, and died.

The Hylian blinked in confusion, and stood speechless for a long while. Then he grimaced, and let his hands drop, disappointed, to his sides. "What did you do?"

"Um... I don't know." Midna smiled sheepishly.

"Good job."

"Thanks! I do my best."

Link heaved a deep sigh and shook his head, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

"What about this one?" Lifting her hands before her, palms facing outward, Midna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "This one is kind of taxing if I keep it up for too long," she murmured, slowly spreading her hands farther and farther apart. Then her eyes flashed open, and she brought her hands together and steepled her fingers all in one quick movement. A ripple of blue light appeared before her, and she once more outstretched her palms, turning the ripple into a solid oval shape that stretched from her head down to her toes.

"Wow. What is that?" Link asked in wonder, slowly reaching out a hand to touch it - but he hesitated, his hand hovering in the air before it. "Is it dangerous?"

"No." Midna smiled. "It's a shield. It won't hurt you when you touch it, but you can't break through it either. Well... unless I lose my energy, then it can be shattered." Already a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead, and dripped off the edge of her nose. "I haven't practiced this in a while," and her voice was strained, just a little. "I can barely even hold it, this is pathetic!"

After a short pause, Link reached toward the shield once more, and rested his palm on its surface. "It feels like glass."

Gritting her teeth, Midna shook her head to herself, and finally allowed her arms to drop to her sides, the shield fading away before her. "I couldn't hold it any longer," she muttered, mostly to herself. "Sweet Goddesses, I need to practice that more. That was awful!"

"I thought it was impressive."

Midna heaved a tired sigh, and wiped her sweaty palms on her dress. "Well, thanks. How about one more? And then that'll be the limit of my magical repertoire."

He tried to hide how excited he was by casually shifting his weight to his other foot and giving a light shrug. "Why not? Unless, of course, you're too tired. You look absolutely exhausted."

"Shut up."

He grinned.

"Anyway -" She raked her fingers through her hair, messy and windblown - "do you have anything I could use to tie my hair up?"

"I... don't think so?" Link stared at her, obviously confused. "Why?"

"Well, actually," Here Midna paused to grin sheepishly, "this next bit of magic is a bit... strange, and involves my hair. I need to tie it up in a ponytail in order to focus my magic. It's difficult to explain..."

Furrowing his brow, Link fished through his trouser pockets. Rupees clinked and papers rustled within them. Finally, he produced a thick leather cord, and shrugged as he handed it to her. "Will this do?"

"A little ugly, but yes, it'll do." She smirked at him, accepting the cord from his outstretched hand and quickly using it to tie up her hair. Then she took a single step backward, and a deep breath. "Are you ready for this?"

"Uh, I'm not quite sure -"

But before he could get any further, suddenly Midna's hair shot up into the sky, twisting around itself and forming thick fiery sinews - and then it lunged forward, as if it had a mind of its own, and suddenly a fist uncurled from within it, gigantic orange fingers dangling in the air.

Link could only stand there, neck craned to peer up at the huge hand hovering above him, mouth agape and eyes big as dinner plates. The strange hand was far larger than him, thick fingers curling and uncurling as if anxious to be used.

Silence hung in the air for a long time, and neither one of them moved - until finally Link managed to stutter, "Wh...what? What is that?"

Midna giggled, enjoying his shock. Never once did he blink, only stared up at the strange hand-hair above him, and swallowed. "It's convenient, that's what it is. It can extend longer than any normal arm." To demonstrate, she shot the hand far above, until it vanished into the canopies of the trees. Then she brought it back down, and grinned. "It's stronger than any human, too." She curled the fingers of her hand-hair around a particularly thick tree branch, and broke it in half with a resounding crack as if it were naught more than a twig.

Link spluttered, and tried to say something, but couldn't.

Midna reached up to untie the leather cord, and the hand dissolved, hair falling to surround her face once more, as normal as if nothing had ever happened to it. "That one is the easiest for me to do, because I've practiced it the most. It used to sap a lot of my energy, but I'm used to it now. Still, I couldn't keep it up for probably more than ten or twenty minutes."

"That... That was amazing," Link finally managed to say.

"Isn't it?"

"Imagine how much easier my chores would be if I had hair like that! I could... sit and read a book, or something, while my hair fed the cows and horses for me!"

Midna threw back her head and laughed, loud. "Sweet Farore, what a mental image that is!"

Link grinned, and toyed absently with an earring, shifting from foot to foot. "I never knew Twili had such, uh, interesting magic."

"Not all Twili have that last power," Midna said after she'd finally regained control of her amused cackling. "Just my mother and I. I haven't met anyone else who can do that."

"That's..." He shook his head, eyes still wide. "I don't even know, it's just... I kind of feel like I'm having a really strange dream."

"Maybe you are." Midna smirked.

"I... can't really disagree." Link chuckled, still nervously shifting his weight. "And I don't have anything half that interesting to show you..."

"Maybe you could teach me all about swordplay one day." Midna grinned, and tried in vain to brush her fingers through her tangled hair.

"Sure, if you want me to." He blinked at her, as if still disbelieving what he had just seen, and sighed to himself. "Maybe tomorrow? Because, I really should get back to Castle Town and see where Laik ran off to..."

Midna rolled her eyes. "Of course. Anyway, tomorrow, then?"

He nodded. "Tomorrow. Same place we met today."

She smirked, holding out a hand for him to shake. He stared at it for a moment, and then accepted it, once again meeting her eyes as a smile played at the corners of his mouth. "It's a promise," she said, and his faint smile split into a wide grin.

Salaas. Anyone but Salaas. Even Ludin, but not Salaas.

Crimson eyes peered round a corner for naught more than a second before retreating. Nobody strode down the corridor in front of her; it remained entirely empty. And Midna was grateful for that. After running away from the castle yesterday and that morning, she couldn't bear the thought of what would happen if she ran into Salaas.

Heart hammering, drawing in a shaky breath, she curled her hands into fists, clutching at the fabric of her dress - and she set off down the hall.

She neared the corner, when, suddenly, someone rounded it before she did and crashed right into her.

Midna yelped, rather ungracefully, and stumbled backward, tripping over the hem of her dress. A strong arm reached out to catch her, and a familiar voice stumbled over an apology.

Thankfully, the voice and the arm did not belong to Salaas, but -

"Eldren!" the Twili gasped, immediately righting herself, and she smoothed out a few wrinkles in her clothes. He apologized again, and she waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing to worry about. I was just... avoiding Salaas." A sheepish smile crossed her lips. "Don't tell him."

Eldren tried to smile in return, but it trembled, and then fell. Midna narrowed her eyes, studying his face, the confusion in his eyes, the clench of his jaw. "Are you all right?" she finally asked.

"Yes. I'm fine, I just... Father..." He stared down at his feet, and pressed his lips into a thin line.

"What about him?" Midna asked, concerned, remembering that the king was ill, and maybe - just maybe -

"He's fine. I mean, I think, I - I, nobody knows what's happened to him. He was acting so strange..." Midna noticed his hands trembling, and he laced his fingers behind his back, no doubt to disguise the fact. "I'm sorry."

"Really - it's okay." Curiosity bubbled up within her, threatened to overwhelm her, and she cast a glance around the hall to make sure no one was coming. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"I..." He trailed off, and clenched his jaw even tighter. "My father would like to meet you."

"What?" Midna blinked at him in surprise, and cocked a brow. "He feels well enough to?"

"I don't know," the prince groaned, turning around as if ready to pace the corridor - but then he turned back to face her, and furrowed his brow.

"Eldren. What happened?"

"He..." Eldren shook his head as if to clear it, and took a moment to gather his thoughts. "When I left so abruptly yesterday, it was because my father was... I don't really know, actually, he was gasping for breath and staring, unseeing, at the ceiling. His eyes were so glassy I could hardly even see his pupils..." Once more he trailed off, staring down at the ground, unable to meet Midna's eyes. "Then he just, stopped. Stopped moving, stopped breathing, stopped... stopped everything. We thought he was dead. I mean, my sister and I, we were there, and we couldn't... couldn't do anything..."

"But... you say he's fine?"

"He is." Eldren gave a single slow nod, eyes faraway. "I think. After he stilled, Zelda and I just... stood there, we didn't know what to do. And after a little while, he gasped, once, and then the color returned to his eyes, and he sat up and acted like he was perfectly fine. Like he had never been ill in the first place." This time he gave into the urge to pace, and with hands still laced tight behind his back, he walked back and forth along the hall, muttering to himself.

Midna watched him with worry in her eyes, brows knit together. "Eldren, what are you doing?" But he wasn't listening. "Eldren! You said he wanted to meet me, didn't you?"

He stopped, mid-step, and his eyes shot up to meet hers, wide as if he had been snapped out of a trance. "Y-yes," and she inwardly cringed at his stutter. There was something unnerving about seeing him so flustered.

She pressed her lips together, and once again smoothed her dress. "Then, take me to him."

For a moment he only stood there, silent, eyes faraway - and then he nodded and turned away. "Follow me."

She obeyed, following him through twists and turns and up a tall, narrow winding staircase that soared past what might have been the hall that led to Zelda's chambers. Up they went, up, and further, until Midna's legs burned and she wondered how much higher a single staircase could possibly climb. Into the sky, it seemed, and then finally -

Eldren emerged ahead of her into a corridor, wider than the rest, but no less monotonous - marble walls and ceilings, carpeted floors, and dull paintings of equally dull people lining the walls. There, at the end of the hall, stood a door. Just one single door, tall and imposing, dark wood carved with a depiction of war between the Golden Goddesses and the demons.

"In here," and Eldren's voice crept to her ears, naught more than a whisper, and she nervously chewed at her lip.

The prince stepped forward, hands at his sides, back straight, head held high, and she thought he looked far more composed than he had only moments before. Reluctantly she followed him, bare feet still filthy from her trek through the forest alongside Link. That memory, though only hours ago, felt like the shadow of a dream that had faded with years.

The door loomed ever closer, until it stood directly before her like an impassable wall of darkness. She looked up at it, swallowed, and wondered why she felt so afraid of what might lie beyond that door.

Maybe the way Eldren had acted, nervous and afraid and anything but collected. Maybe the tall staircase, that seemed to lead into the sky itself. Maybe the dark door with carvings of war. Maybe the fact that she didn't even know the king's name; he was naught more than a mysterious shadow hiding in the corners of her mind, and she knew nothing about him.

Whatever it was, she had to resist the urge to reel back when Eldren curled his fingers round the handle and turned it.

And then he swung the door open.

Beyond it laid a room much more pleasant than she had expected - colorful carpets strewn across the floor; a fat canopied bed, slightly askew, in the corner; pedestals displaying all sorts of strange statuettes and trinkets scattered across the room with no particular order; pictures hanging on the walls, most of them anything but straight. To her it seemed messy in an almost endearing way, and she found herself relaxing - just a little - as she carefully followed Eldren into the room.

She hadn't noticed a chair settled in the corner nearest the door, large and blue and thick. A man stood from it to greet them, wide lips curving into a smile, and when she looked at him she realized he and Eldren were quite similar in appearance - strong chin, dark skin, golden eyes. But his hair burned red, unlike his son's.

Eldren cleared his throat, looked between Midna and his father, and tried to smile. "Father, this is Princess Midna of the Twili."

The man stepped forward, tall and powerful. He towered over Midna, even though she was quite tall herself. She looked up at him, the strong set of his jaw, his squared shoulders, back impossibly straight.

"It is good to finally meet you, Princess Midna," the man spoke, voice deep and resonating. "I am King Ganondorf."

A/N: Hehe.

Sorry if it seems my style keeps changing (does it seem that way? I'm honestly not sure). I'm trying to find my comfort zone with this story, haha... xD; I might have found it, since this chapter flowed really easily for me and I didn't struggle too much with thinking about how to write certain sentences and descriptions. Anyway, tell me what you think. As always, critique is great if you have any!

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, you guys are great!