Veil of Twilight

Chapter XIII
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The sun set, and they slept, dozing off one by one, around a pleasant campfire they had used to cook. Ilia slept curled up in the grass, dozing sweetly. Across campfire was Vaati, leaned against a stump, Saria tangled around him in slumber. Link sat near Ilia, unable to sleep. He couldn’t get comfortable. He was used to leaning against Epona when he was sleeping outdoors like this, but the mare had refused to stray too far into the woods. Link had just let her go, certain they would find her in Ordon Village when they were finished here; it was close, and she knew her way home.

He watched the fire crackle and burn in silence, preparing his thoughts before he spoke them. He didn’t want another quarrel.

“So…” he started. Midna, sitting on his right, looked up from the fire with a start, the flames dancing in her vibrant eyes. It was so strange to see her this way. He had grown used to, even fond of his mischievous little imp of a friend. Now she was something else entirely, an absolute portrait of beauty, recognizable only through her eyes. Even her demeanor seemed a little different.

“I suppose you’re looking for an argument?” she said teasingly. Link scooted closer, encouraged even through her usual callousness.

“I’m done arguing with you,” he said. “I was hoping we could actually talk this time. We’ve come all the way here and I know nothing about you… I mean, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

Midna ran the sentence through her mind once more, not sure she had heard right. Link sounded, almost… mature. She tried for a witty retort, and found herself at a loss for words. She cursed herself for being caught so off guard, and again when he seemed to realize what she was thinking, prompting a smug grin from him.

“Oh, quit,” she said, reaching up and knocking Link’s floppy green cap off of his head. He didn’t retrieve it; he didn’t much care for it. He just stared at her, expectantly, waiting patiently for her to speak.

“Well…” she floundered. “What do you want to know?”

“Anything. Everything. Were only going to be on more adventures together. How did you change forms? What are those Fused Shadows, and why didn’t you tell me about them? What’s the Twilit World like?”

“Alright, alright,” she said, cutting him off. “One at a time. I’m sorry about the Fused Shadows, okay? It’s… it’s a long story…”

“Well,” he prodded. “We have all night. I want to know.”

Midna sighed, looking at the flames. She stared for a long time, not blinking, just watching silently. Finally, she looked at him, catching Link by surprise. Even in her old form, he couldn’t remember ever seeing her wear the expression she did now. It looked apologetic.

“I used you Link,” she said, her eyes full of both guilt and determination. “I didn’t tell you about the Fused Shadows because they’re… well, they’re deadly, to put it simply. They’re ancient artifacts, mythical in my world, and they grant the wielder unbelievable power. But they’re also known for corrupting the soul of whomever uses it, even those who would use them for good. The wielder always ends up dead and damned…”

She was met with a blank, unreadable stare. She ignored it, choosing to continue before losing her momentum. It took a lot to say it.

“When the Twilit Throne was seized by Zant, he took the Fused Shadows and hid them in the Light World so nobody could use them against him. Zelda asked me for help, to seek out the new hero, to please find a way to save our kingdoms. I found you, like she asked. Then the thought came to me… I could get you to use the Fused Shadows for me. You could defeat Zant, and then their power would consume you. Both kingdoms would be saved…”

She finished, staring back at the flames, ignoring Link’s stare. It was devoid of rage. He was too shocked to feel any anger.

“What did you expect to happen to me?” Link asked eventually, neutrally. “Or did it not matter to you?”

Midna cringed at the question, hating herself in that moment for what she was about to say.

“You would have suffered and died,” she said. “My kind holds an eternal grudge toward people in the Light World. You were completely expendable to me. Being the Light World’s Hero like you are, I almost saw a kind of poetry in it. A necessary sacrifice, so to speak…”

This is when the anger set in. Suddenly it was upon him, making the heat rise in his face and his fists shake. Still, somehow, he managed to retain a slight semblance of composure. At first, at least.

“So now what?” He hissed. “Has anything changed? Or are still waiting for the chance to sell us out? Me, Ilia, anybody else? What about the Princess? Was that a necessary sacrifice, her saving your life? She looked like she was on death’s door when she was done reviving you, and now she’s weak and trapped in Hyrule Castle! My village was almost burned to the ground, my friends were kidnapped, and Ilia doesn’t even remember who I am! What sacrifices have you made?”

He finally stopped, trying to calm himself, holding back all the other things he still wanted to shout at her. Midna’s eyes were shining with tears that she stubbornly wouldn’t let fall.

“It’s not like that anymore. You’re my friend…”

Something about her voice, hitching and quivering with the promise of tears, calmed him. More than that, it made him feel terrible, lowly, regardless of what she had just told him.

“And I have made sacrifices. You can’t even begin to understand. I’ve lost everything…” She turned to look at him, and he could see she was finally crying, leaving two streaks across her face. As she spoke, her language became increasingly choked and frantic.

“The King and Queen. They were my parents, Link. And he killed them. Zant killed so many people. Everyone I held dear. He took away my body, and turned me into a monster, and cast me out of my own kingdom. He’s sitting on my parents’ throne, and using my people to fight his war. I’ve lost everything. Don’t talk to me about sacrifice!”

She was weeping freely now, silently, her body rocking with quiet, shuddering sobs and sniffles. It was surreal. He had hardly ever seen her upset; they had fought, really fought, only once. He had never seen her cry.

He crept closer, closing the distance between them, so that he was by her side. She did nothing, only cried some more. Link sneaked an arm around her shoulder, squeezing slowly and pulling her into an embrace. To his surprise, she didn’t pull away, or cry out, or hit him, but returned his hug with one of her own, leaning into him. He quickly felt her tears soaking the green tunic, but the sobbing noises stopped. Just more tears, and the occasional hiccup.

They sat that way for a long time. The stars moved in the sky. Link stared at the fire, watching it die, taking everything in. After a while, Midna spoke, her voice slightly muffled in his shirt, the vibrations of it tickling slightly, making him smile despite himself.

“I’m sorry…” she said. Her voice sounded tired. “About everything…”

“It’s alright,” Link replied. “I’m sorry, too.”

His reply was a loud, drawn out yawn. Then more words, sounding on the verge of sleep.

“It’s alright…” she said back to him.

She didn’t say anything else after that. He waited patiently, in case anything more was to be said. But there was nothing. After a while, he felt her breathing even out, and she leaned upon him more, signaling that she was asleep.

The fire died, and soon after, Link fell asleep, too.

…

They stayed another day before leaving, resting and recuperating. Then it was time to continue. Vaati gave Link one last bit of advice before they parted ways.

“If you mean to finish your quest, and save Hyrule,” he said. “You’ll find the means in the Haunted Wastelands. Midna knows the details. It’s far west from here. Good luck, Hero.”

The travel was steady, Epona waiting there for them as they reached the end of the woods. A long ride brought Hyrule Castle Town into view, the spires and towers of the castle still engulfed in the golden black twilight.

It was dark when they actually reached the gates. There were guards at the entrance, grilling them before they were allowed access. The streets were mostly barren, Link and Ilia’s footsteps echoing on the cobblestone as they approached the bar.

Telma’s was locked when they reached it. A knock at the door prompted a faint shuffling inside, before a peephole in the door slid open, a pair of familiar eyes scrutinizing them momentarily before slamming closed again. Then they heard bolts clank, and the door swung open, Telma standing at the door.

“Hurry up, you two,” she urged. “We’re right in the middle of the meeting.” She pulled them in, quickly locking the door behind them.

“Come with me,” she said after a long, relieving sigh, heading toward a door at the back wall of the bar. “We’re all in the back. Forgive my callousness back there; the Royal Guard is patrolling constantly now, and any suspicious activity is to be immediately investigated.”

“What kind of suspicious activities are going on here?” Ilia asked. She received no answer. They reached the door, and Telma shooed them inside, closing it behind them. There was a table in the center of a dimly lit room, maps and esoteric writings cluttering its surface. The group around the table all looked up as they heard the door close. All was silent for a moment.

“Everybody,” Telma broke the silence, motioning to the two youths before her, “this is Ilia and Link, the two you’ve been hearing about.” Telma stepped away from them and began around the table. She first motioned to an older man in yellow garb.

“This is Auru,” Telma said. The man smiled and nodded.

“This is Ashei,” Telma said, introducing a pretty girl, a little older than Link or Ilia, adorned with heavy swordplay gauntlets and blue, braided hair. She smiled politely. Next to her was a handsome young man, about her age, with glasses that he periodically pushed up his nose, as if they were too big for him.

“This is Shad,” Telma introduced him. The young man muttered something disinterestedly, his nose in an enormous book decorated in a language that Link couldn’t decipher.

“And our last member, I believe you’ve met.” She motioned to the last person at the table, who was smiling at Link expectantly.

“Rusl?!”

“Long time, no see, Link,” Rusl laughed, making his way around the table. He disregarded his adopted son’s outreaching hand, opting instead to embrace him in a warm hug. “You’re looking more and more a grown man each time I see you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m part of the Resistance,” he said, as if it were obvious. “I came to retrieve the children, and decided to lend a hand while I was here. It’s time I started doing my share; much as I hear you’ve been.”

He let go of Link and turned to Ilia. Link felt a sudden jolt of unease; Ilia still had no memories. She wouldn’t remember Rusl at all. Apparently, however, he had already been briefed on this.

“And you must be Ilia?” he said, outstretching his hand formally. She took it, smiling and nodding.

“I’m Rusl,” he continued. “I heard what you did for that Zora boy. He’s making a wonderful recovery because of you. He and the children were actually moved here by Renado, so that we could all be together. He’s upstairs, if you’d like to see him.”

Ilia opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. She just smiled, nodding again, her eyes shining with tears of joy. She had been so dedicated to seeing Ralis live; the news must have been wonderful to hear.

Satisfied, Rusl turned back to Link, speaking loud enough to garner the attention of the others in the room.

“So,” he started. “This is the Resistance. I’m sorry we don’t have more to start you with, but to be honest, we’ve all but exhausted our leads. Telma says you’re quite the adventurer nowadays. What is your next move?”

They all stared expectantly, waiting for his advice.

“Well,” he started hesitantly, nervous with all the eyes on him. “I do know where to start, actually. I’ll need a guide…”

…

The interior was just as grim and distasteful, she soon found. From the ceiling hung stalactites, as if it were some cave, rather than a castle. Her footsteps echoed, and the sound was wearing on her mind, after so long.

Or was it that long? She couldn’t be sure. Time was strange in this castle. She had felt hours pass; dozens of them. It could very well have been several days. Yet, she had been walking the entire time. Roaming, exploring as much of the titanic labyrinth as possible.

And yet she felt no signs of fatigue. There was no hunger, no need to use the bathroom; she wasn’t even tired. This, too, weighed on her mind, and she wondered what in the name of the Goddesses could have happened when Zant had put his repulsing mouth to hers.

There was the most obvious theory, one she was trying with all of her will to ignore. She was dead. She had felt that lessening, that tiring as Zant had kissed her. It was her very life being sucked out of her, she thought. Now she was dead, and from the looks of it, she was banished to the Dark Realm, or the underworld or hell, or whatever they called it.

Whatever the name, she had surrendered her throne to Zant, compromised her trusting people, and now the Goddesses saw fit for her to be eternally damned. She couldn’t say that she disagreed with Their decree.

But mostly she was just scared. The more rational part of her knew that she wasn’t dead. This was something else entirely; hopefully it wasn’t worse.

“My princess…”

Zelda almost screamed, the voice echoing all around her, strong and sinister. It sounded again.

“Zelda, my dear,” It said. “You’ve been wandering long enough, I think. Come to the top of the castle, my princess. I won’t have you running around the halls of my manor unchecked.”

“Who are you?!” She cried out. The voice replied, but not with an answer.

“If you do not come to me, I will find you.”

Zelda said nothing. She resumed walking, at an unabashedly quicker pace this time. She heard the voice once more, in her head and all around her. It laughed.

“So, you choose to be hunted, then… Very well, princess. Be warned; I will not be merciful when I find you…”

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It's been far too long since I've updated. I've been absolutely swamped lately. I'm on spring break now, though, and will have time to catch up on this fic, as well as another Resident Evil one I've recently started(shameless plug; sorry).

As far as the chapter goes, lots of plot/character stuff, though not much in the way of action or explicit material. I guarantee both in the next chapter, though, as well as a big plot twist/point/thing, so keep reading; it'll be good, I think.

Thank you to all who left reviews since the last update. It's always encouraging. Also, as long as thanks are being issued, I saw on my profile that Clearer in Time, the counterpart to this fic, has accumulated 10,000 views, which I've always noted on this website as something of a landmark. thank you so much to everybody who's taken the time to at least try to read anything i've posted. When I started doing this about a year ago, I couldn't imagine this much of a positive response. You guys are the best : )

I've already started writing the next chapter, so it should be up soon(for real this time). In the meantime, let me know what you think. I'm taking a lot of creative liberties with the original plot, and will do so much more before it's over, so feedback would be appreciated. Until next time, read, rate, review, and enjoy.