Chapter XIII: Comforting a lost hero

Link ran on and on, not caring where he was going, just wanting to escape the guilt that consumed him. It's all MY FAULT screamed Link in his head. If I hadn't been so quick to leave Hyrule, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Similar thoughts ran through the hero's head as he continued to run. Blue grass blurred by him, brown mountains barely recognizable as his legs quickened pace. Suddenly he felt something grab his arm. Link turned around to see Midna's caring face look at his own. It was then that the guilt in him skyrocketed even more, encouraging his flight response. I can't face her now, not after what I've caused. He struggled to escape from Midna's grasp, but Midna kept a firm hold on him. It was then that they both disintegrated, Midna warping them somewhere.

Later, they reappeared in Midna's bedroom, where the insanity had begun. The instant she was solid, Midna locked the door with magic so that Link couldn't get out. The instant Link became solid however, he slipped out of Midna's grasp and tried to open the door, but to no avail. "It's no use trying, Link; the door's locked." Link ignored her and futilely tugged at the door in an attempt to open it. Midna sighed deeply, then swept Link off of his feet and carried him to the bed, then sat down with the hero on her lap. She then muttered an incantation and suddenly Link found that his body was frozen in place, save for his neck and his face. She then held his face securely in one hand, despite Link's attempts to turn away. She then whispered "Link, listen to me…you're blaming yourself for things that were out of your control."

However, Link was inconsolable. He broke free of Midna's spell and scrambled out of her lap to the other end of the bed, his back to her. He then cried "You're wrong; if I hadn't stepped into that portal, if I had gone straight to Zelda and informed her instead of going in myself, then this wouldn't have happened. So don't you see; IT IS my fault! Why don't you hate me for my…my…OUTRAGEOUS STUPIDITY?"

So that's what this is about…he thinks that he was a fool for coming here without thinking of the consequences. Midna crawled over to him until she was sitting right next to him. She then embraced him in her arms delicately. Link didn't even try to push her away; his fire was all burnt out. She then stroked his hair, in an effort to calm him down. "I could never hate you, no matter how many stupid decisions you made. And your decision to come here wasn't stupid at all; Zant just caught us off-guard is all." Link then turned his face to look up at her, starting to regain his faith in himself. "And think about it…" she continued. "Zant was going to conquer the twilight realm, and then he would've moved on to conquer the light realm. So all of this is Zant's fault, NOT YOURS."

Comprehension crossed the Hylian's features as he absorbed her wisdom. He then gave a low, almost inaudible chuckle. "Maybe, but now Hyrule is doomed; Zelda's army doesn't stand a chance against Ganondorf, and there's no way we can get to the Light Realm, with the mirror destroyed."

It was then that Midna smirked. "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." Link looked at her and smiled; he loved it when she smirked like that. "I thought that Hyrule might need some assistance at some point, so I started taking…precautions."

"What do you mean?" Link asked. It seemed impossible to travel between the realms, even for a sorceress as powerful as Midna.

"I could tell you, but why bore you with hours of explanation when I could just show you instead?" Midna replied coyly. She held out her hands to Link. He smiled and took them in his own. She then said softly "Close your eyes, and hold on." He then felt, but not saw, shadow and light swirling around them like a typhoon, picking them up and transporting them far away…

"Link? Link! Wake up!" Link groaned as he regained consciousness, waking up to the blinding sun. He slowly began to sit up, placing his hand over his head. He then glanced over to see Midna, hands still entwined. "Are you ready?"

Link jumped up, gave his sword a quick twirl, and sheathed it. Satisfied, Midna began to walk ahead, Link following closely behind. Before long, they reached the castle, its sinister walls repelling all but the bravest of souls. As Midna approached the door, it opened, as if waiting for her to come. The duo then walked through, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Soon after stepping in, the two duelists found themselves right in front of Ganondorf, the maniac who had orchestrated all the senseless destruction. The maniac then clapped his hands together as if the duo were a pair of performers. "Well done" he chuckled, as if he were an emperor congratulating two gladiators. "I never thought that you would beat my protégé at his own game." He then paused for a moment, and then continued "Then again, you've proven me wrong before, like when you humiliated me in combat". He shuddered, and then declared "Well how about a little rematch between the three of us? In the same game that you played when you defeated Zant?"

Midna and Link faced each other, nodded, and then turned their attention back to the Gerudo King and said "We accept; GAME ON!" An arena then rose from the floor, with a total of three stands. All three combatants stepped up and placed their decks in the appropriate zones. And with the LP counters set to 8000, the duel began.

Turn 1 Ganon: 8000 Link: 8000 Midna: 8000

"Since we're on my field today, I'll go first" declared the Gerudo King. Ganon drew his first card and chuckled. "First off, I activate the Field Magic Card, Sceau de Pouvoir – Seal of Power!" As Ganon set his card, a golden triangle appeared from the ground and expanded so that it surrounded the three duelists. "As long as this card is on the field, all of my Monsters gain an 800 Attack and Defense boost, and my field card can't be destroyed by magic, trap, or monster effects!"

"This isn't good" exclaimed Link. "With his power boost, he'll be tougher to beat; much tougher!"

Ganon continued "Next I'll summon my Goblin Attack Force in attack mode, and it gains a power boost, thanks to my seal!"

"3100 Attack Points?" Exclaimed the duo.

"Alright, I think that'll do, so I'll end my turn" concluded the Gerudo King.

Link then drew his card and declared "First off, I activate the Magic Card Fissure, which destroys your Goblin Attack Force!" Ganon growled as the earth shook, swallowing the Goblins in a crack. Link then continued "Next I'll summon Warrior Dai Grepher in Attack mode and Equip him with the Magic Card Legendary Sword, which raises his attack and Defense power by 300 points! Now Warrior, Attack his highness directly!"

As the warrior brought its sword down on Ganon, a giant brown furball appeared and took the hit. As Ganon brushed himself off, he explained "By discarding Kuriboh from my hand, my Life Points are untouched. Did you really think I'd let you touch my Life Points, Link?"

Link growled and finished "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Midna then drew her card and exclaimed "I activate the Magic Card Card Destruction! Now we must all discard our hands, and replenish with the same number of cards!" As all the duelists replenished their hands, Midna continued "Next I activate Soul Release, which allows me to remove up to 5 monsters from your graveyard, Ganon! Now let's go; I don't have all day." Ganon grunted and set his monsters aside. Midna then continued "Next I summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode and I attack you directly Ganon!"

As the mage brought down its scepter, another furball appeared to guard Ganon's Life Points. Ganon laughed and explained "Whenyou activated card Destruction, you forced me to replenish my hand, which allowed me to draw ANOTHER Kuriboh, which I discarded to protect my Life Points."

Midna growled and finished "I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ganon laughed and declared "Alright, Hero and Princess of Twilight, prepare yourselves for the most treacherous game you've ever played. Playtime's over, so I'm taking this place to the true home of Duel Monsters, THE SHADOW REALM!" Ganon activated his Triforce of Power, materializing a dark-purple fog from his palm, covering the field with its darkness.

Midna growled and yelled "WHAT IS THIS, GANON?"

Ganon laughed and said "I told you this is the Shadow Realm, a place full of dark twists and turns, like an eternal nightmare." He then grinned and yelled "ONLY THIS IS QUITE REAL!"