The door swung open, squealing on its hinges.
"And who are you?" her sharp voice demanded.
"Princess Midna," the soldier addressed her. He stood from the couch along with his comrade, and bowed his head in greeting. Across from them, Ludin sat, calmly sipping tea that smelled of lavender. "I have come bearing grave news."
The Twili planted her hands on her hips and frowned. "If it's about the 'demon' attacks, I already know." She had only just returned from the infirmary, and to find two strangers casually sitting on her couch had been quite surprising indeed.
The man grimaced, nervously shifting his weight. "It's - partly about that, yes. But the most important news is... you've been invited to attend the Hyrulian royal council meeting."
"I've -" Midna's eyes widened. She could only stare at the guard in shock, making him swallow nervously under her gaze.
Her, invited to attend the council meeting? Impossible! Yes, she would someday sit upon the Hyrulian throne if she married Eldren -
What did she mean, if?
- but still, she, an outsider, a Twili of all things, who had arrived in Hyrule for the first time not a week ago. Invited to a council meeting already!
"Are you sure?" she finally managed to say, blinking once, twice, as if to dispel the illusion before her. Surely not. Surely he was wrong, playing some kind of immature joke, or maybe just confused.
He nodded. "Prince Eldren insisted on seeing you there."
"Eldren did?" Midna cocked a brow.
"He said that if you're going to be the queen someday, you might as well start attending council meetings now..." The soldier nervously adjusted his mail shirt, even though it already hung perfectly straight.
"How interesting." A smirk crossed Midna's lips, and she turned to Salaas. "That prince is really trying too hard to win my heart."
Her bodyguard only stared at her, silent.
"Take me to this council meeting, then," Midna told the soldier, turning to face him again.
He inhaled deep through his nose, and exhaled again, as if trying to calm himself. His hands jittered with stress, and his voice shook as he strode toward the door, comrade in tow, and murmured, "Follow me please, princess."
Midna couldn't tell if he feared her, or the situation. Or both.
After sharing a concerned glance with Salaas, she turned to follow. And to her surprise - so did Ludin. He abandoned his tea and stood, tall and menacing, orange eyes emotionless as they always were. He swept silent as a phantom to his princess's side, still remaining ever soundless even when she sent him a questioning look.
The castle halls never changed, never grew any less monotonous. Silence stifled the air, broken only by footfalls on thick carpet.
Finally the two soldiers stopped before a door that looked no different from the hundreds of others. Midna groaned inwardly, wondering how in the sweet name of the Sacred Realm she'd ever manage to navigate the castle when it became hers to live in.
Jaw clenched tight, the first soldier reached a trembling hand and turned the knob.
Immediately a dozen hushed whispers leaked from the room beyond - but all of them silenced as Midna strode inside, orange dress cascading about her like a waterfall of silk. A dozen critical eyes turned to judge her and glare at her. But she ignored them. Moving with fluid, confident grace, she went to the prince's side. To his left sat Princess Zelda, and to his right, an empty chair. She took it, giving Eldren a small, weak smile. He returned it.
Cruel eyes turned; watched Salaas and Ludin enter. And harsh judgement froze into icy fear.
Midna's bodyguards came to stand, imposing, behind her, two monoliths of ethereal power, near as still as statues.
The silence stretched ever longer. It gave the princess an opportunity to investigate her surroundings. Marble walls and ceilings, of course, but unlike the other rooms, no carpet adorned the floor. It, too, was bare marble, glowing in the light of the crystal chandelier high above. The room stretched long, and the mahogany council table nearly filled the entirety of it. Chairs surrounded it, occupied by silent, staring Hylians. And a Gerudo king, of course, seated at the very head of the table, near the tall white window that stood from floor to ceiling.
Still the silence did not end. A dozen men and women, old and young, warily watched her and her bodyguards as if waiting for beasts to pounce.
Midna took a deep breath through her nose, and -
"Well? What are we waiting for? We're here to talk, aren't we? So, talk!"
Silence shattered like glass. Midna's voice echoed through the long white room, loud and powerful.
The people blinked in surprise. And still said nothing.
Midna resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What a bunch of idiots, gaping in fear just because of a few Twili...
"Your majesty." One of the men, old and fat and bald, stood from his chair. He very nearly slammed his hands down on the wooden table, and shot an icy glare in Midna's direction. She met it with fiery eyes narrowed. "With all due respect - I don't feel it's right to allow a... a Twili in this room," and she could tell he had barely managed to avoid saying the word "monster".
Eldren's eyes blazed. He might have opened his mouth, just a little, as if prepared to protest.
The old man continued before he could. "We all know they practice dangerous magic. And for hundreds upon hundreds of years, they lived in the Twilight Realm. A realm of shadows, and evil, and dark magic. How do we know they're even trustworthy? They shouldn't be here!" His voice rose with every word, until he was almost shouting in anger.
"Galin," King Ganondorf began.
But the exasperated man would not stop. "They are beasts, not even worthy to be considered remotely human! The Goddesses banished them into the Twilight Realm for a reason!"
"And who returned us to this realm of light?"
The voice, while quiet, rang strong and icy and terrible. A chill settled over the room, and Midna glanced curiously over her shoulder to see who had spoken -
- and her gaze met Ludin's deep, eerie orange one.
He only stared at her, eyes devoid of pupil or sclera, and the tiniest smile might have flitted like a shadow across pale blue lips.
Midna couldn't help shuddering.
When no one gathered the courage to speak, Ludin continued. "The Golden Goddesses did. They recognized that we are not to blame for the sins of our ancestors. They knew that we had become a peaceful, gentle people in the realm of eternal dusk. And they knew that we were finally worthy to return to Hyrule."
"But - but," Galin spluttered, face flaming in rage. "How do we know that's true? The Twili could be lying!"
Ludin's expression never changed as he addressed the infuriated man. He only stood, stone-faced, eyes piercing. "How could it be anything but true? The only link between light and twilight was destroyed by one of our very own queens, two hundred years ago. There is no other way to connect the two worlds. Save for the power of the Goddesses themselves of course. And more than that - we were only allowed to return to Hyrule fifty years ago. Although it was before my time, there are plenty of people who remember the event very vividly... both Twili and Hyrulian. Some of the latter witnessed it, after all, and can testify to it. Excuse me, sir. I thought you knew. I apologize for making such an assumption."
His words held only congeniality, but Midna considered herself a master of sarcasm - and there was plenty of it, hidden behind Ludin's tone. She resisted a smirk.
"If you are quite finished with this matter," the king growled, standing from his seat and leveling an impatient glare at Galin. The large man gulped, bright red face paling immediately, and he sank into his chair once more. "We have more important things to discuss. The demons raiding Hyrule are a serious matter."
Murmurs of unease swept the council room. King Ganondorf held up a silencing hand, and the people obeyed instantly. "Where do you think they have come from?"
Galin's eyes widened in anger, and he pointed a finger across the table, mouth dropping open in preparation to speak -
"Other than the Twili, Galin," Ganondorf grunted in annoyance.
Midna fought a grin as the man's mouth snapped shut just as abruptly as it had opened.
A woman's timid hand lifted, and she cleared her throat. "Your majesty... the demons have been described with yellow eyes and strange black markings. Usually, this is a sign of... of necromancy."
Gasps rippled through the council, and people turned with wide eyes to utter urgent whispers amongst each other. Ganondorf's eyes shot wide open. His hands clenched into tense fists - then he loosened them again, and his expression returned to normal.
Midna furrowed her brow in confusion. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Eldren sitting there, lips grim, jaw clenched. Though Zelda's face remained still as a doll's, her eyes roiled, a turbulent storm. Midna cast a quick glance over her shoulder, and saw equal confusion in the eyes of her bodyguards. Salaas's eyes, mostly - Ludin remained expressionless as he usually did. That tiny smile he'd offered her earlier had been the only emotion she'd ever seen on his cold face.
Twili did not deal in the magic of raising dead. Their ancestors had dabbled in necromancy, but ever since her people had started trying to repent of their fathers' sins, dark magic had been outlawed, and soon utterly forgotten. She knew nothing of it.
"And how would you know this?" another woman demanded, dark eyes cruel.
The timid woman lowered her eyes, and swallowed. "It isn't much of anything, I just... I read a few books about necromancy. Not -" Her eyes shot up, and widened, and she frantically shook her head. "Not to practice it, of course! These books were merely warnings, as a way to detect necromancy and avoid it. It mentioned yellow eyes and thin black markings on their faces."
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Galin hissed. "You could be the necromancer raising these demons from the dead!"
"No, no, please! I just -"
"Enough!" Ganondorf bellowed.
Immediately everyone stilled.
"I don't know who could possibly be performing such a disgusting magic and using it to destroy this beautiful kingdom. It could be any one of you. Or it could be someone entirely different, or even a group of people. Whatever it is -" His cruel, accusing golden eyes swept the room. The council cringed under his piercing gaze. "I will find them. And I will destroy them."
Midna heaved a deep sigh. "Your majesty. That's all fine and good, but until we find the person who started all of this, what are we going to do about these demons?"
"We'll find a way to kill them," was Ganondorf's simple response.
For the first time, Zelda spoke up. "And how might we do such a thing? Without a clear way to defeat the demons, we will sacrifice many lives in an attempt to discover their weakness. Our soldiers do not deserve such a fate."
"I volunteer the Gerudo!" Galin exclaimed. He stood so abruptly that his chair toppled over behind him, sending an echoing clatter through the room. "They do nothing but plunder. This is their chance to be useful for once!"
Tense silence seemed to be a theme that morning, Midna noticed. She stared at Galin with lips pressed into an irritated line. What an idiot, she thought with a tiny sigh.
King Ganondorf raised his chin, and a thick brow lifted. "I do nothing but plunder, and I'm useless. Is that what you're saying?"
Galin flushed, and then paled, and tried to sink back into his seat - but since it wasn't there, he ended up collapsing onto the ground with an awkwardly loud thud. He scrambled frantically to his feet once more. "No, no, your majesty, not at all! You are much different from your people. So much better!" He reached, fingers scrabbling, to lift up his chair once more without looking at it. "You've been nothing but a... a wonderful king, majesty. Wonderful! I'm just saying that the Gerudo - not, not you, just your people, they're a bit misguided is all."
"Sit down, Galin," the king commanded. "In your chair this time."
Midna snickered. She couldn't help it.
Galin glared daggers at her, but said nothing. He finally looked behind him to see where his chair had fallen, and lifted it up, then plopped down into it with an angry huff.
"If we might return to our original topic of discussion." Zelda sat regal as always. Midna wondered if her shoulders ever relaxed or if her back ever slouched. "How will we deal with these demons?"
"I said it before, and I'll say it again. We'll find a way." Ganondorf's tone rang icy. His eyes left no room for argument. "We won't rush into battle without a strategy. We will think of the best way to preserve our men. They will not die in vain - if at all."
"And I assume you have a strategy already in mind, father?" Zelda might have cocked a brow, just a little, or perhaps Midna only imagined it. "Does any such strategy exist - to defeat a powerful enemy whose weakness remains undetermined without shedding the innocent blood of our soldiers?"
The king ground his teeth. "Until we devise such a strategy, we will hide our people within the walls of the city." He reached with one hand to rub his forehead in distress, and slammed his other hand onto the table. "Dismissed!"
"Majesty," one of the women spoke, small and slight, "when will the council convene again?"
Ganondorf's sigh hissed impatient from between tense lips. "Tomorrow. After lunch."
A sensible time, Midna thought with a smile, as the council members stood from their chairs with grumbles of exhaustion. "After all this stress, I'm just going to take a nap," she heard Galin grunting to someone nearby him. "I think I'll post extra guards outside my chambers in case one of those Twili tries to kill me in my sleep."
Tempting, Midna thought, and almost said it aloud to him, but decided against it. She didn't want him taking her teasing too seriously.
Eldren stood from his chair beside her, and casting a glance to him, she saw the stress that dulled his eyes. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Midna." He pulled her chair out for her, and she thanked him and stood. "I just figured you'd want to be here for such an important meeting."
Zelda stood from her own chair, clasping her hands gently in front of her. She said nothing, only listened.
The Twili woman grimaced, and waited for the council to file slowly out of the room. "You aren't dragging me into this. Whoever apparently used necromancy to create a bunch of demons is the one dragging me into this. And I need to do something about it." Brows furrowing, she chewed her lip. "If I'm going to sit on Hyrule's throne someday -" Speaking the words aloud made her stomach drop - "then I need to care for its people. And... what if these demons decide to attack my kingdom? I'd rather find out a way to destroy them before that happens."
Eldren sighed. "If you'd like, we could further discuss this over lunch. Would you like to join us, Zelda?"
She nodded once. "Gladly." A small smile crossed her lips. "We could host it in the privacy of my chambers once again."
He gave her a smile of thanks. Hands nervously laced behind his back, smile turning just slightly shy, he said to Midna, "Actually, I woke early this morning and asked the cooks to bake you a strawberry pie. I wanted to surprise you with it at breakfast. Unfortunately breakfast was cancelled for obvious reasons..."
Midna blinked at him. "What? Strawberry pie? How'd you know it's my favorite?"
"Remember the very first time we had dinner - when we tried to hide behind facades?"
Midna grinned. "Glad that's over with."
"Me too. But, you mentioned something about having the cooks make you a strawberry pie. I figured you must have liked it."
"I can't believe you remember that. Even I don't."
He chuckled, letting his hands drop to his sides again. "I just wanted to remember what makes you happy. Hyrule doesn't need a grouchy queen on the throne."
Midna laughed at that, loud and hearty. "It's nice to know you think I'm grouchy all the time. You're just so flattering."
His ears burned red. "I didn't mean it that way." Eldren pressed his lips together and stared down at the ground, unable to decide whether he wanted to keep his hands at his sides or laced behind his back. "I was just kidding -"
"So was I!" she interrupted. "Take a joke, your highness." Still grinning, she teasingly nudged his elbow, and earned a sheepish smile from him in return.
Sitting on the throne beside him as his queen might not have been so bad after all. She was beginning to like the prince... but only in a friendly way. The thought of marrying him felt wrong. She couldn't envision it. Suddenly her smile dropped.
Wrong. It was all wrong. But why? It shouldn't have been. Eldren seemed kind, and marrying him would bring peace to both their people.
"Are you all right?"
His voice broke her from her thoughts. She turned her head to blink up at him. "Just thinking about that strawberry pie you mentioned."
Eldren grinned. "Ah. I hope you enjoy it."
She forced the corners of her lips to lift into a smile. "I'm sure I will." Her head tilted to face the Hyrulian princess. "Lunch, then?"
Zelda raised her chin, just a fraction. "I assume you remember where my chambers are?"
"Well... no." Midna grinned sheepishly. "Don't worry, Eldren can take me there."
The princess glanced to her brother. He only returned her gaze and sighed. "Of course. I'll show her the way."
"Good. Then it's settled." Inclining her head in a bow of farewell, Zelda smiled. "I will see the both of you in my chambers for lunch." And then without waiting for their responses, she only turned, and left the council room, heels clacking on the marble floor beneath her.
"Father seems much too eager to send our soldiers into danger." Eldren sipped at his raspberry tea, eyes fixed on the table and the food strewn across its surface.
Zelda might have frowned - but she kept her head held high, and met Midna's eyes. "The king has been acting rather irrational ever since our mother died," she explained. "Sometimes he still treats her death as if it happened yesterday."
"When did she die? If you don't mind my asking," Midna murmured. She bit into a delicious slice of strawberry pie and fought the urge to chew it with her mouth open, as was habitual for her.
"Two years ago." Zelda sighed quietly, and averted her gaze, eyes faraway. "We all feel her loss rather keenly, but father more than the rest of us."
Midna tried not to grimace. Sunset eyes flicked between Eldren and his sister, and she stared down at her hands lying limp in her lap. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you." The Hyrulian princess's gaze finally lifted, and met Midna's once more. "Please forgive the king for his cold demeanor. He was not always like this."
"Nothing to forgive!" With a faint smile the Twili dismissively waved her hand. "If anything, Galin was the unbearable one. Do you know how difficult it was for me not to punch him so hard that he'd forget his own awful name?"
Eldren hid his smirk behind his cup of tea. "I wouldn't be opposed to that."
"Now, now," Zelda chided, giving the other princess and her brother a stern look, stormy eyes narrowed. "Galin may be closed-minded, but violence would only prove that his suspicion of Twili is correct. We wouldn't want that, now would we? Especially if you are meant to sit on this kingdom's throne one day, Midna."
Biting at her lip, the Twili lowered her gaze and sighed through her nose. "I know, I know. You're right. That's the whole reason I'm here - in the hopes that somehow your people will accept mine someday."
"You are already well on the path to achieving your goal." Zelda set her tea on its plate with a quiet clink. "My brother and I do not fear you. Quite the opposite, in fact."
Eldren's ears might have flushed, but maybe Midna only imagined it. She quickly averted her eyes from him, staring down at her bare feet poking from beneath her dress, and nervously chewed her lip.
Please don't tell me he actually likes me already?
Her heart dropped like a stone into her stomach.
No, impossible. Not already, he couldn't - especially not with her sharp tongue and personality. Wasn't she unbearable? How could he like her, of all things?
But if he did -
How would he feel if he knew she only thought of him as a friend?
That shouldn't matter to him, she tried to convince herself. After all, theirs was only to be a political marriage.
But she had more important things to think about, she chided herself. The demons invading Hyrule, for example.
Was Zelda saying something?
"...but I do not think she could be a necromancer. She is much too kind-hearted, and cares for the well-being of this kingdom. What motive would she have in raising an army of the dead?"
"I know," Eldren agreed, and Midna tried to pretend she had been listening all along. "I never thought it was her, even when she said she'd been reading books about necromancy. She likes to learn, especially when it comes to protecting others. It's extremely likely that she only read the books thinking that it would help her someday in the future."
Zelda nodded once. "It may all be a facade. Perhaps she does wish for the destruction of this kingdom. But I find that highly unlikely."
"So -" Midna set down her plate of food and brushed a few bread crumbs off her dress that she hadn't even noticed until now - "what should we do? Try to figure out who this necromancer is, or focus our efforts on finding the demons' weakness?"
The Hyrulian princess pressed her lips into a thin line. "I do not know. I feel it might be beneficial for us to... to..."
Slate-blue eyes flicked to the side, swirling with dark clouds, and Midna cocked a brow. She and the prince exchanged a confused glance - though she hadn't known the other princess for too long, it seemed strange of her to trail off in such a manner. "...Yes?" Eldren urged.
"To study necromancy," Zelda blurted, hands curling tight in her lap.
What?
Tense silence suffocated the room. Midna swallowed. Eldren gaped.
No sound tore away the stifling shroud of stillness. There was only quiet, and the disbelieving eyes of the prince and the Twili princess.
"Zelda, what -" Eldren began, but could speak no further.
"I have not lost my mind," Zelda promised, proudly lifting her head, thunder roaring in her determined eyes. "But if we know nothing of this magic, then we know nothing of the enemy's weakness. Perhaps - perhaps if we study necromancy, we may discover a way to defeat them. We will not use the dark magic. Even if our lives depend on it. But we will use its weaknesses to our advantage, and through our study of it, we might even uncover the mysterious necromancer."
"But -"
Whatever Eldren had been about to say, Midna interrupted him. "You know, Zelda, I hate to say it, but it makes sense. You have to know your enemy to conquer them. We can't exactly run in to fight them swinging blind. We need some kind of knowledge to come up against them with..."
Eldren's golden eyes blazed as he flicked them between the two princesses. "Are you both mad?!"
Midna's lip curled in disgust. "I know, Eldren, I agree, the thought of delving into necromancy - even just reading about it and nothing more - is terrible, but... it might be necessary."
"I - I can't..." His eyes dropped. "This is ridiculous."
"I know you care for Hyrule and her people," Zelda said to her brother, a faint smile on her lips. "You do understand this might be the only way to save them, don't you?"
"But..." Eldren furrowed his brows and shook his head, burying his face in his hands. "Yes. I understand. It's just... it feels so wrong."
"I know it does." Zelda took a deep breath through her nose. "And as such, we cannot allow anyone outside this room to know of our plans. They might misunderstand." Piercing eyes met Midna's, and she only gave a shrug of agreement in reply. Zelda nodded. "Good. Search anywhere you can for information pertaining to necromancy. And do not let anyone see you doing so."
Eldren finally lifted his head. He ran a hand through his short, immaculately-styled hair, mussing it terribly, though he seemed not to notice. "All right."
Midna grinned. "Exciting, isn't it?"
The prince turned his gaze to hers with narrowed eyes. "You have an interesting idea of exciting."
"Or you're just boring."
"You're probably right." His shoulders sagged. "But I'll do it - for Hyrule and her people."
"Great!" Midna lightly elbowed his side, and earned a faint smile from him in return. "I'm proud of you."
"Then we shall speak to each other when we uncover important information," Zelda said, standing from her lavish chair. "I thank you both for coming, and wish you the best of luck in your respective searches."
Eldren stood as well, squaring his shoulders in an attempt to appear more confident. The action only served to make him look stiff, and nervous. "I'll talk to both of you if I find anything."
"Same here," Midna pledged, getting to her feet and absently smoothing out a few wrinkles in her dress.
"Thank you for coming, Midna. And for caring so much about Hyrule even though you have not been here long." Zelda bowed her head, and the Twili princes returned the gesture with a forced smile.
"No problem," she managed to say. Though it was clearly a lie - truly she wished for Hyrule's best, especially if she was to become its queen someday. But the thought of demons raised from the dead made her nervous, to say the least. And promising to study necromancy didn't help matters.
"Then, I will see you both." Zelda met Eldren and Midna's eyes, and might have given a tiny smile.
"Yeah. Thanks." Unable to force any more words out of her mouth, the Twili spun on her heel, dress flying about her ankles at the sudden movement, and headed toward the door.
Salaas stood there, gaze distant and hard, hands dropped loose to his sides. Upon seeing his princess approaching, he opened the door for her.
Midna stopped beside him. She peered into the hall beyond, and saw not a soul lingering there. "Salaas," she whispered.
"Your highness?"
Cold eyes flicked to his face, but he kept his gaze steady, trained on the wall across from him. Brow cocked, Midna once again looked away and into the hall. "Did you hear anything at this meeting?" she challenged.
Salaas hesitated. His hands, lightly trembling, clasped together before him until dark blue knuckles turned white. "Nothing at all, highness."
Midna's eyes narrowed. "That's right." And she strode into the carpeted corridor of the castle without another word.
The library. What better place to begin her search for information on necromancy?
Of course, books on the subject might be difficult to find, Midna knew. It was a forbidden magic, after all. But surely in a library so grand, there had to be some kind of information pertaining to the matter. And if there was none? Then she would simply move on, and find somewhere else to search - though, where, she knew not. Not yet anyway.
Zelda had emphasized the importance of not letting anyone know of their little quest. Understandable. If the council knew, they'd undoubtedly blow the entire situation out of proportion and blame the three royals for creating a demon army. And they'd especially blame Midna. After all, not many people trusted her quite yet.
Shadows danced in the flickering light of her lantern. Bare feet, near soundless, crossed the wooden library floor and stopped before a tall oak bookshelf that looked no different from the rest.
Long beams of silver moonlight bathed the room in gentle light, the harsh flame of her lantern providing a sharp contrast to it. Her nervous hand lifted the lantern before her. One side of her face glowed blue. The other, orange.
A single long finger reached toward the shelf, trailing along the leather spines of the books.
The History of Hyrule, Volume One. Volume Two. Volume Three. The Origin of the Triforce. The Legend of the Sky. The Golden Goddesses.
Gritting her teeth in irritation, Midna resisted the urge to heave an exasperated sigh. Any sound at all might put her jeopardy. The glowing light of her lantern was already something of a liability. She'd been searching the library for hours, and had found no information she needed. None at all. And even with all her scouring, she hadn't covered a fourth of the library yet.
A cold shadow passed her, tall and silent. Midna's eyes widened, and she spun on her heel, black nightdress whipping wildly about her legs at the abrupt movement. A trembling hand frantically lifted the lantern and shone it onto the face of the intruder -
Ludin.
She heaved a sigh of relief. Shoulders sagging, she allowed the lantern to drop to her side, and shook her head. "Did you have to do that?" she hissed as quietly as possible, momentarily forgetting the need for utter and complete silence.
Orange eyes pierced the darkness, staring deep into her own, and she tried not to shudder. The look might have been one of apology, but she couldn't tell. The only emotion she'd ever seen on Ludin's face had been that tiny hint of a smile he'd given her during the council meeting earlier that day.
"Is anything wrong?" she asked him, voice lowered to near-silence.
He only shook his head in response, and pointed down an aisle behind him. Furrowing her brow, she followed him when he turned and headed in that same direction. Had he found something? She tried not to get her hopes up too much.
Bookshelves loomed tall, oaken walls filled with immeasurable knowledge, watching the two Twili pass between them. The light of Midna's lantern cast long, unreliable shadows across the floor.
Ludin stopped before a great door, mahogany carved with depictions of battle that glowed cruel in the firelight. Lips pressed into a thin line, Midna reached forward with her free hand and rested her palm atop the golden doorknob.
Eerie silence cloaked the library. Midna's heart hammered wildly in her chest. What would she find beyond the door? Swallowing heavily, she turned the handle -
- and it would not budge.
Furrowing her brow, she tried it again and again, and gritted her teeth in annoyance when still it did not obey her command. "Locked," she hissed aloud, and turned to Ludin with an undying flame of curiosity in her eyes.
He only stared back at her.
Chewing her lip, she spun around and strode back the way she had come, not caring about her loud footfalls on the floor. Her bodyguard followed after her, silent as always.
Moonlight cascaded onto her tall form, head held high and eyes narrowed as she passed through the aisles between bookshelves.
So close. I was so close.
Irritation bubbled up within her. The temptation to throw the lantern to the ground and watch its glass shatter all over the floor threatened to overwhelm her. Lip curling, she turned to Ludin and shoved the object into his hand before she could break it. He didn't even give her a confused look.
Before the double-doors that served as an entry and exit to the library stood Salaas. His small pupils bored into hers, a question rising within them, but the princess said nothing. She only pushed open the doors, and they creaked beneath impatient palms.
"Highness?" he questioned as quietly as possible, as she stepped into the white corridor beyond with a grimace etched into her features.
Still she did not respond. Silent feet swept past the unconscious guards lying before the library. She did not even spare them a cursory glance. It had been difficult to slip sleeping potions inside their drinks, but Ludin could be quite sneaky when he wanted to. The memory made her smirk, just a little, and slightly lightened her dark mood.
The lantern's light danced behind her, casting her own shadow impossibly long before her. The castle seemed quite a different place at night, she thought as she hurried through its darkened hallways. Torches were rare, scattered few and far between along the walls, windows revealing only black night beyond. The occasional suit of armor standing guard against the wall now seemed almost living, and Midna swore she could feel eyes watching her from within their helmets. She tried not to shudder.
Finally she came to the door of her chambers. Salaas opened it for her, and she did not hesitate to enter and collapse into the nearest chair. She leaned far back into it, carelessly throwing her legs up onto the low table before her and crossing them, folding her arms across her chest. A huff of irritation sent a lock of orange hair fluttering off to the side.
"Your highness?" Salaas asked again, shutting the door once Ludin entered. The both of them only stood there, watching their princess closely.
"I was this close!" Midna growled, throwing her hands into the air. "That door is obviously important. If the library door itself wasn't locked, then they must not care if people enter it unsupervised in the dead of night."
"That's probably what the guards were there for -"
"So why is that door locked?" Midna continued, as if Salaas hadn't even spoken. "Because they want to hide something, that's why!"
"Who is 'they'?" Salaas asked with a grimace.
"I don't know!" The Twili princess stood and paced around her chair, stopping only occasionally to tap her foot on the ground and glare at the wall as if it was the mysterious necromancer. "You think I'd know? That's the entire reason I want to get in there, Salaas. To find out who locked the dang door in the first place, and who's trying to keep secrets!"
Her golden-eyed bodyguard clasped his hands before him and sighed. "Highness, please. You're overreacting. It might not be anything important at all. Journals of past kings and queens, perhaps, even war or tax records they don't want anyone to see."
Midna vehemently shook her head. Still she did not meet his eyes, only stared blankly at the wall for a moment, then began to pace again. "I searched that library up and down. I saw everything you just mentioned - tax records, war records, old journals. But you know what I didn't see?" Finally she stopped, and turned to look at him, eyes blazing.
Salaas paused. He pressed his lips into a thin line and allowed his shoulders to droop in exhaustion. "What?" he finally asked, voice quiet and tired.
"One single book about necromancy." Her brow cocked. "Strange that they'd be so open about their war and tax records, and heck, I even saw books about all kinds of potentially dangerous magic. But nothing about necromancy. Nothing at all."
"Still," Salaas began, but Midna interrupted him again.
"Something important has to be beyond that door!" Chewing her lip, she began pacing again, and Salaas only sighed at the sight of it. "I just know it. I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow, and ask Eldren and Zelda about it. They might know..."
"Good idea." Salaas hid a yawn behind his hand. "But for now, highness, sleep. You need it. And I do too." He mumbled the last words, and turned to walk toward the door that led into his room. "If I may go to bed now?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Midna waved a dismissive hand at him. "Not like we can do much else tonight anyway."
Her bodyguard gave a grateful nod before he shuffled sleepily to the door. He turned the knob and pushed it open.
But before he could step inside, Midna turned to him. "Salaas..."
He stopped. Heaving a heavy, tired sigh, he glanced over his shoulder at her. "Hmm?"
The Twili princess hesitated, and nervously shifted her weight onto her right foot. "...Thanks."
He stared at her for a moment, eyes blank, and then offered her a small smile. "You're welcome." Then he stepped inside his room, shutting the door behind him.
Midna only stood there for a long while, silence - and Ludin - her only company. She turned to the other Twili in the room with a frown on her lips. "Well? There's something important behind that door, isn't there? I feel so... so wary about it. Don't tell me I'm going insane for feeling like this..."
He blinked at her.
Midna narrowed her eyes at him. "Come on, speak! I know you can. You just did, in the council meeting."
Ludin lowered his chin a fraction, and though he lacked pupils and one could never quite tell where he was looking, she felt his eyes piercing into hers. She swallowed. "If you will excuse me, princess - I only speak if I deem it utterly necessary. I apologize if my silence offends you." He brushed past her, placing the lantern on the table. Once again he tucked his hands into his sleeves, where they always resided, and then headed toward the door of the room he shared with Salaas.
Midna shook her head. "It doesn't offend me. Just scares me. If you don't want to intimidate people so much, why not... say stuff more often? To be honest, you're kind of terrifying." She planted her hands on her hips and cocked a brow at him.
And he smirked in response - an expression that sent chills skittering beneath her skin like foul insects. Immediately her hands dropped to her sides again, and she resisted the urge to take a few steps away from him.
"Perhaps that is my intent." His eyes broke through the darkness like orange knives. "Good night, princess." And then without another word, he turned and swept silent into his room.
Midna gulped. Rubbing her hands on her suddenly-cold arms, she decided it was high time to sleep for the night.
A/N: Have you ever wondered what some of the more major characters in this story look like? Well, I just finished up a sketch of all of them and posted it on my Deviantart! The link to it can be found in my profile, if anyone's interested. (And since links on profiles fail lately, I have an alternate way to get there too.)
I kind of feel like I'm self-advertising, but whatever, I don't make money off this
Thanks so much for reading x3