"Child, tell me," said the goat spirit. It tilted its head and asked, "Why do you feel such anger?"
My shoulders sagged in irritation. "Out of all the questions you could ask, you go with why I'm so angry? I'm not even that angry, I'm just frustrated because this makes no fucking sense to me!"
"Your dishonesty shows clearly. Why be so frustrated at the chance to experience an adventure? Is this not what you wanted?"
I groaned. "Don't get all philosophical on me! My dad does that enough as it is."
"Yet you continue to ignore his wisdom."
"Wisdom? No, wisdom is suggesting that an ugly duckling is actually a swan. My dad just rambles on about ethics and politics and won't shut up!"
Ordona raised one claw at me and waved it. "You must learn to reign in your temper. You cannot save this world if you cannot save yourself."
As I was about to retort, I realized it had a point. What good could I be if I was running on fumes the whole time? Was this all that was in store for me later on? To argue and fight with people and deities who just want to live?
"Return to the village and rest, child."
With a tired sigh, I nodded and turned to the now-unlocked gate, thanks to Rusl standing just outside the threshold. He smiled and gestured for me to follow him back to the village.
On the way, he handed me a clean tunic. As I slipped it on, I blanched at the wool texture and inwardly sighed at the inevitable itchiness that would plague me later on.
"We have a nearby storehouse you could sleep in, if you'd like." I turned to look at Rusl to let him know he had my attention. He sounded like he was not in favor of the idea, but he kept going. "It has plenty of space, three floors, and even a fireplace for cold nights."
I grunted and scratched at my side. "It sounds like it wasn't always a storehouse if it has a fireplace and three floors."
Rusl sighed. "I would prefer for you to stay with me and my family," he continued, avoiding my statement outright, "but it is your choice."
"I'd like to stay in the storehouse, if that's all right."
He frowned but nodded as we reached the next area. I saw the village gate, and right next to it was Link's house! Or rather, what should have been Link's house. It looked like no one had been near it in ages with the ladder tucked far to the side.
"I spoke with Ordona this morning, just before you woke up. I have been tasked to teach you the ways of the sword, if you are still willing to learn." I nodded, and he returned the nod. "Once you have your sleeping area and items settled down, meet me out here."
I nodded and moved the ladder to better access the entrance to the storehouse. I felt coldness in my stomach as I climbed up and stepped past the threshold. The coldness stretched from inside to every inch of my skin as I took in the interior of the building. It was dark and very dusty inside, and I could just barely make out the shelves and crates.
"This is going to be a wonderful stay," I muttered as I moved into the shadows.
Midna's jaw hung open as she processed the information. This was surely just a test to see if she was willing to handle delicate situations with impossible goals. Yes, that was most certainly what they had in mind.
"We request that you depart for Hyrule within the hour," Queen Yoake said, her voice bringing Midna away from her musings.
Midna blinked and replied, "You seriously expect me to go to the Light Realm, speak to a couple of royal stiffs, and get our most powerful magical artifact, in one piece? I'd be ashes before I took the seventh step!"
"Calm yourself, Princess," her father commanded. The chamber rumbled with every word as he spoke. "This is a delicate task and as such it requires a delicate touch. You cannot be disrespectful or it could mean disaster for our world and theirs."
Midna stood up. "But why do I have to get the Fused Shadow anyway? We've been living just fine without them for several thousand years."
At this, the King was silent. He glanced over to Queen Yoake, who shared the look of concern and apprehension. An exasperated sigh passed from King Naito, followed quickly by his raised arm and pointed finger. "You have your task, Midna. See to its completion."
The stern shake of her mother's head silenced any further argument from Midna, and so she bowed her head, turned on her heel, and walked as calmly as possible out of the throne room. She headed straight for her best friend's quarters, though technically Burak was her handmaiden. Midna entered and spotted Burak sitting on the windowsill with her knees to her chest. Without turning her head, Burak said, "Hello, Midna."
Midna leaned against the wall. "How did you know it was me? Do I smell that bad? Eee hee hee!"
"Ever since you fell in that mudhole, yes." As Burak moved off the windowsill, Midna huffed and crossed her arms, cheeks flushed and eyes rolling.
"Slip one time into a pile of manure and they'll never let you live it down," Midna muttered as she pushed away from the wall and hugged Burak. "I have good news, Bur: I've been announced as the next in line for the throne." Burak's embrace tightened as she congratulated Midna. After several moments of almost no air, Midna finally pushed away and drew in a deep breath. Once she recovered, she added, "I've been tasked with going to the Light Realm for… diplomatic reasons."
Burak paused and her brow curled upward in sadness. "You're… leaving?" She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked down at Midna's eyes. Midna was the princess but Burak was still taller than her by a head.
"Just for a little while. I'm sorry I have to cancel our game; I don't know exactly how long this will take."
Burak nodded and pulled her stone broach out of her hair, causing the fiery locks to drape serenely over her neck. She pressed the item into Midna's hand and smiled.
Midna shook her head and offered the trinket back to Burak. "I can't take this, you've had it for years."
"It is my choice to give it to you. I wish you all the luck in the Twilight." At this, Midna wrapped her arms around Burak and squeezed with all the love and friendship she could give.
There came a knock at the door and the room's occupants turned to see two royal guards just outside the entrance. The guard closest to the princess dipped his head and said, "My Lady Midna, we have been sent to escort you to the portal. If you would come with us, please."
She turned to Burak, who looked sympathetic and gently squeezed her hand. "Go on," said Burak, "Have a safe journey."
Midna gave her friend one more heartfelt embrace and kissed her cheek goodbye. "Give Armo my best." On her way out, she pulled two thick locks of hair from beneath her hood, tied them together with the broach, and let the braid hang loosely in front of her sternum.
The Twilight Realm shone with a hazy golden glow as Midna and her guardians traversed through the central district just outside the palace. The market vendors were busy with the hustle and bustle of commerce, but the citizens who noticed Midna immediately bowed at the waist and spoke praises of her beauty and kindness. She appreciated their thoughtfulness and bowed her head in thanks as she neared the plateau on which the portal resided. By royal decree, the portal was strictly sealed off from all Twili who did not have the express permission of both the King and Queen of Twilight.
Midna stepped onto the glowing symbols and turned to face the palace, the home she knew all her life. It was tall and powerful, fitting for the rulers of the Twilight, and Midna had many fond memories of getting lost in its many corridors and hallways. She glimpsed an orb of red light near the far side of the palace, where a viewing platform allowed them to see the majesty of the Twilight Realm. With a shrug, she paid it no more thought as the symbols beneath her hummed with magic.
The teleportation started at her feet, breaking painlessly into Twilit particles. She took a deep breath as her body disintegrated and flew through the portal, stretching her consciousness to its limit. Within moments, her body pieced itself back together and Midna was whole again. She took in a deep breath, noting the difference in air. It was much drier against her skin than in the Twilight Realm, but it had a certain freshness to it.
Midna raised her hand to block the strong light in her face and found that the runes emblazoned on her forearms were glowing more brilliantly than before. Once her eyes finally became accustomed to the light, she glanced around at her location.
Glowing like a beacon before her was The Mirror of Twilight. It was quite beautiful, inlaid with ancient Twili scripture, but the great black monolith on which the mirror shined reminded Midna of its true purpose.
The light from the sky burned Midna's skin even with the protection of her bloodline. Her eyes stung, both from the light and the swirling sands around her. She carefully moved down the stairs made of light and upon touching the solid stone floor, she realized the floor was blazing hot! With an indignant yelp, she leapt to the nearby shade and sighed in relief as her feet cooled off.
The sand was itchy between her toes and the sweltering heat suffocated her. After a few moments, she stood and trotted away from the chamber, already regretting her lack of preparation as this strange orange place was very unforgiving on her bare feet. If only there were shade nearby, but the closest thing to shade were tiny shrubs that could not possibly help Midna.
Deciding not to bother with walking, Midna took to the skies. She let the wind billow her robe and enjoyed the refreshing rush of air on her skin. She twirled this way and that with a giggle, her eyes taking in this strange new world. The landmass below her was sandy and rocky with little personality, but across the way was a castle far bigger than even the Palace of Twilight! Surrounding the castle was a town, most likely its center of commerce and trade, and beyond that were endless green fields in every direction.
"Everything's so green," she whispered. She admired the view for another few moments and then focused on the castle. It had to be the castle of the Royal Family of Hyrule, and so Midna flew across the chasm that separated the desert from the green fields of Hyrule and dove into an open window. She was not concerned about being spotted since all anyone would see was a shadow on the wall. If she was careful—and she was!—no one would be any wiser.
She just had to find the King and Queen of Hyrule and ask very nicely for an ancient evil artifact. That should be simple, right?
"How can a storehouse have so much dust?" I coughed out, already wheezing from stepping on the rug just inside the entrance. It was so dark inside I almost didn't notice the ladder just to the right. Before I took another step, I decided to go 21st century on the house and activated the flashlight on my phone. The light shined out and illuminated the ladder and the alcove above it. I climbed up and found the alcove had a very old bed complete with bedding and pillow.
Unique as it was, I wasn't willing to risk rolling off the balcony in my sleep, so I left the bed alone. I returned to the ground floor and pulled a sleeping bag out of my satchel, settling it on a random spot in front of the fire place. Once that was done, I aimed my phone to the wall opposite the bed, finding a stack of boxes near the door. Speaking of the door, I noticed that there were two hooks set parallel to each other just above the entranceway, most likely to set up a coat of arms or a shield.
After inspecting the main floor enough, I headed for the back area. There, a ladder poked up from a hole in the floor. "Maybe that chest full of rupees is still there," I said as I climbed down. It was pitch black down in that alcove, so dark that it was easy to notice the pair of blue eyes staring right at me through the blackness. I approached the eyes and saw that they were coming closer as well.
I don't know how but I managed to avoid bumping my knee against anything on my way to the eyes, and when the eyes and I stood as close as possible, the eyes winked at me. I finally snapped out of the trance and turned on my phone, but nearly dropped it when I saw that the pair of eyes was my reflection in a mirror.
A cold shiver ran up my spine as I inspected the mirror, but there was nothing peculiar about it; a simple mirror and nothing more. I shook off the shiver and turned to investigate the rest of the cellar—basement, I watched enough horror movies to know to never call this room the cellar. Anyway, the basement was filled almost entirely to the ceiling with boxes and crates and left almost no room for anything else, except for the chest just beside the mirror.
"Ah, there you are." I knelt before the chest and tugged on the lid, but it wouldn't budge. I pulled and pulled, but the damn thing was rusted shut. I reached into the pouch Farore gave me and retrieved the knife she had included. I fiddled with the seam of the chest's lid and slowly scratched away as much rust as possible. Once I was satisfied, I put the knife away and gave the lid one final tug.
The lid flipped open with such suddenness that I fell onto my back and knocked the wind out of me. I groaned as I sat up, then leaned over to see the contents of the chest. There were a few trinkets inside, like a pair of kid-sized brown boots, a leather bandolier, a cracked ocarina, and a small lantern. Not exactly a 'duh nuh nuh NUH' moment...
I took the lantern and closed the chest, which clicked loudly as I walked away and climbed up the ladder. As I stepped onto the main floor and pocketed my phone, I heard giggling and childish whispers just outside. A hand to my forehead, I tromped over to see who my visitors were and what they wanted.
A soothing lullaby echoed down the grand halls of Hyrule Castle, sung by a serene voice only a mother could possess. The mother wore a flowing white dress topped with a violet gown, both laced with gold trimmings. Her dark brown hair flowed elegantly along her back as she cradled her three-year-old daughter to sleep for her afternoon nap.
The child yawned and snuggled deeper into her mother's bosom, the rest of the world left by the wayside. The mother pressed her lips against the soft locks of her sleepy daughter and continued the lullaby, sitting down in a small but comfortable chair as she did so.
The child gazed up with dreamy blue-green eyes at her mother and reached out to hold her chin, but stopped and whimpered as she fought sleep. But alas, the power of the lullaby was greater than the child's stubbornness. The child gave a final whine and then drifted at last into blissful slumber, accompanied by a tiny thumb stuck between her gums. Her mother laid the her into the nearby crib, still singing that heavenly tune. Pulling the linen up to cover the toddler's small form, she planted a loving kiss on her child's forehead.
The lullaby completed, the mother retreated to the balcony and carefully closed the door. Her white-gloved hands rested on the railing as she smiled at the magnificent kingdom before her.
"How sentimental," said an eerie voice somewhere behind her. She spun on her heel and locked her blue eyes with two yellow and red eyes lurking in the shadows. "You know, I haven't been this choked up since I got a hunk of moussaka caught in my throat!"
A raised brow was her only response. Midna giggled and stepped into the light, taking a small degree of satisfaction at this person's alarm. The two women stared at each other until Midna spoke again.
"You wouldn't happen to know the King and Queen of Hyrule, would you?" she asked.
After a slight pause, the mother straightened and replied, "Perhaps. What business is it of yours?"
"Oh, nothing much. A cup of tea, maybe some lunch, the Fused Shadow, nothing important."
"Why do you seek the Fused Shadows? Who are you?"
Midna giggled and performed an overdramatic curtsy. "Name's Midna, at your service." There was another long pause. "... Ahem, I told you my name, so tell me yours. Fair's fair, after all."
The mother folded her hands in front of her and answered, "I am Zelda, Queen of Hyrule."
Midna was mildly surprised that she found the queen so quickly. She figured it would have taken an hour or two to find her, but she was not complaining. Before either could make any more conversation, a bead of sweat rolled into Midna's eye. "Can we go inside? It's a little warm out here."
Zelda eyed her for another moment and then nodded. "Please keep your voice down, Jun only just fell asleep." Midna nodded in return and followed Zelda inside. She leaned down and gently placed a kiss on Jun's cheek, then silently stepped out of the room with Midna close behind. Outside the room was an older woman with white hair and red eyes, dressed as a servant but standing tall as a warrior. "Impa, please watch over Jun in my absence."
"Of course, my queen." Impa glared at Midna but did not acknowledge her, and Midna was thankful for that. The less she interacted with these light dwellers, the better. It was a short walk from the nursery to Zelda's own room but at least the carpet was doing wonders for Midna's feet.
Zelda held the door open for Midna, who then noticed her host staring at the glowing symbol on her thigh. Midna shifted on her heels and tilted her head. "See something you like?" she asked, sauntering into the room.
Zelda shook her head as she closed the door behind her. "Forgive me," she said. "I was lost in thought. You sought me out, and I wish to know why."
Midna plopped down in the nearby chair, her dark clothes and pale skin contrasting with the lush red and gold of the seat. "Like I said, I need the Fused Shadow for… certain reasons, shall we say?"
"It was kept hidden for a reason," Zelda said, crossing her arms. "You understand that I need more than humorous words, yes?"
"Look, I don't know why they sent me." Midna rested her hands behind her head and propped her feet up on the desk. "I don't have any plans for world domination if that's what you're worried about. I just want to get the Fused Shadow so I can go back home."
Zelda took in a deep, deep breath and released it through the nose. She stared at Midna for several lasting moments, long enough for Midna to squirm in her chair. What was Zelda going to do? What was Midna going to do? If Zelda refused, Midna would have to find the Fused Shadow herself or go home empty-handed. This was all she had to do and then she would be crowned Queen of Twilight. She was more than capable of some diplomacy, right?
Midna removed her feet from the desk and sat up straight. "Queen Zelda," she said with a bow of her head, "I'm a stranger in a strange land. The Fused Shadow was hidden away for a reason, yes, but I've never been here before and I don't intend to stay. I can handle the Fused Shadow like no other in this realm, it'll be safe with me."
Zelda raised a brow but stayed silent. She maintained eye contact as she paced back and forth, and it was all Midna could do not to vanish under her gaze.
At long last, Zelda smiled and said, "I have been ungracious as a hostess. You say you have never been to Hyrule, so I would be remiss not to share some of my culture with you."
Midna winced. "Not to be rude but I'm not exactly here for you or your culture."
"If you want the Fused Shadow, you'll indulge me the courtesy of entertaining you."
"..." Midna rose from her seat and gestured out the door. "After you."
"Halt, who goes there?" I asked in a bored tone. Three sets of eyes shot up and stared at me, and if they weren't children, I would have felt intimidated. I recognized the kid who tried to shoot down that hawkling as Talo, and the other two as Beth and Malo.
"Ugh, kids," I muttered as I climbed down the ladder and stood straight with arms crossed. It wasn't that I didn't like kids, but they had a tendency to make noise, smell, induce headaches, smell, do stupid things, smell. "So what can I do for you squirts today?"
Beth and Talo both fumed but Malo chuckled. "We wanted to see the new guy in town."
I slowly walked up to them. Talo and Beth retreated behind Malo. I stared for a good long while and finally went, "Boo!" Beth yelped and cowered behind the boys, who only jumped. "Now that we've been properly introduced, you can run along and play or something." I turned to go back into the storehouse but stopped and pointed at Talo. "And you, stop throwing rocks at hawk nests."
"But it's fun!"
I shrugged and said, "Fine, I'm sure the parent hawk would absolutely love to have fun with you." There was soft laughter somewhere behind me, and when I turned, I saw yet another child hiding near the base of the storehouse. Blond hair, meek demeanor, it could only be Colin. I raised my hands. "Dear lord, a highwayman!" Colin smiled and waved, which caught me by surprise. "Kid, I'm right here, you don't have to wave at me."
"He's not waving at you," said a familiar voice. I turned and found Rusl standing there with his sheathed sword strung across his shoulders with his arms looped over it. He nodded once to the kids and smiled up at me. "I see you've become acquainted with the children. Malo, Talo, Beth, your parents are waiting." The aforementioned kids took one last glance at me and trudged out of sight through the village gate.
I noticed that Colin stayed behind and when I looked at him, he blushed and ran to his dad's side. Rusl laid a calm hand on Colin's shoulder and said, "I hope you don't mind my son staying to watch a warrior in training."
"Not at all." I gestured to the practice dummy. "After you."