Veil of Twilight

Chapter XVI
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Zelda tried to hold back a whimper, her back pressed against the cold stone wall, her face barely peering around the corner. She was lost within the twists and turns of the castle, the iron bars of each cell indicating she was in a prison block of some sort. Dank, cold water dripped from the ceiling, echoing in the puddles on the ground.

She watched her pursuer intently, praying to the Goddesses that she wouldn’t be found. It had been following her relentlessly since her last encounter with the mysterious voice. She could not seem to escape it, no matter how hard she ran, or how well she hid.

She couldn’t quite be sure what it was, for it did well to keep itself concealed in the shadows, but whatever it was, it was massive. She could make out the shape of the creature, some feral beast, hunched on all fours, grunting with noxious breath. She couldn’t imagine what might happen if it found her.

The creature continued sniffing around as she peered around the corner. She felt a touch at her wrist before she realized it. When she did, it was already too late: the hand clasped around her and pulled her toward the assailant’s body, the other hand stifling her cry.

“Quiet,” a voice accompanied the hands, hushed and urgent. Zelda struggled against the strong arms that held her, unable to see who it was. The assailant shook her in frustration.

“Quit!” the voice hissed. It silenced shortly afterward, their attention turned elsewhere. A grunt issued from around the corner, followed by the loud steps of the creature.

“This way,” the voice said, pulling her before she could disagree. They hurried down the corridor, turning this way and that. Zelda could hear the beast following behind them, but wouldn’t dare look back to see how close it was.

“In here,” the voice hissed, taking her for a sharp turn and practically throwing her in an adjacent cell. She lost her balance and fell to the ground, looking back at the silhouette of her capturer with disdain, examining the figure of the person as he stood at the bars like a prisoner, his head peered through the cell.

“Don’t get up,” she heard him say. It was a man, she could tell by the voice. She opened her mouth to object before she heard the familiar noises of the monster. She clapped her hand over her mouth, remaining motionless on the shadowy ground as the creature approached the cell. It stopped just before the bars of the cell. She could see it’s eyes now, yellow, dull yet burning. It seemed to stare directly at the man, as if waiting for him to confess her. Perhaps he would, she thought. Finally, though, he spoke.

“I don’t have what you’re looking for,” he said. “I want no part in your affairs. Let me rot in peace.”

The creature remained there, continuing to eye him, as though it might crush into the cell at any moment and devour him. After a few moments more, though, it tore it’s gaze away, continuing slowly down the corridor away from the cell. The man at the cell door turned his head to watch it go, waiting for what seemed like forever before finally acknowledging the princess.

“You can move now,” he said. Zelda stumbled up immediately, absolutely brimming with contrasting emotions. She was still terrified; just because the beast was gone did not necessarily make this stranger any safer. Still, she had countless inquiries for him to answer.

“What was that thing?” she decided to ask first. The questions kept flowing, though, not waiting for replies. “Who are you? What do you think you’re doing grabbing me back there? Do you know who I am? Where are we? Wh-”

“Why don’t you try one at a time, Princess Zelda?” the voice said with a hint of derisive laughter. He crossed the room, remaining in the shadow of a corner. Zelda shielded her eyes for a moment as light erupted from his direction.

“Alright,” she said, still squinting. It was a lamp, she saw as her eyes slowly adjusted. It’s flame burned brightly in their grim surroundings. “First, how do you know my name?”

“Well,” the character laughed, surprisingly pleasantly. “It’s not hard to tell that you’re the princess. And unless I’ve missed something since my last time in Hyrule, all the princesses are ‘Zelda’s.”

“Fair enough,” she conceded, looking the man up and down with her newly adjusted eyes. He was… not what she had expected. She had been preparing herself for some monstrosity hidden in the shadows, considering her surroundings, and what had happened so far. But the man was no kind of monster. In all reality, he quite handsome. Young, about her age, dressed in a simple black ensemble. His skin was darker than hers, she noticed, and his wild hair was a vibrant red. Her mind turned to the Gerudo Clan. She had read of them, but had never met one. She had read that they had long since abandoned Hyrule. But if there was a Gerudo here with her now, then she couldn’t be in Hyrule…

“Where am I?” she asked, her voice full of worry. The man’s reply did not console her.

“Hyrule Castle,” he started. “Not as you know it, though. This is Hyrule Castle an age ago, in a different time, with a different king.”

“What do you mean?” Zelda didn’t know what the Gerudo man was insinuating, but she didn’t care for it.

“It’s difficult to explain,” he said. “I suppose it doesn’t matter much. Rest assured, you are not in a good place.”

“How do you know all of this?” Zelda asked. “Who are you?”

“I’m nobody important,” he said casually, waving it off. He tried to continue before Zelda caught him.

“Hey, just because you saved me doesn’t mean I’m immediately going to trust you. I have no idea who you are. I demand your name.”

The Gerudo looked at her with disdain, before finally issuing a sigh of resignation. He bowed mockingly.

“I am Ganondorf Dragmire,” he said.

…

There was a man, many, many years ago, more than an age. He was a strong, noble man of the desert, an heir to the throne of his people. He worked tirelessly to become a righteous king for his people, and dreamed of making a better life for them all.

But, somewhere, somehow on his path to the throne, darkness crept into this man’s heart. He lost sight of his duty, and his soul became tainted with greed and violence. He would go on to forsake his own people, scouring the land of Hyrule in the search for more power.

The Triforce resided then in the Sacred Realm, guarded by the royalty of Hyrule, and safe from the hands of men such as this. But when the man learned of this, he pursued it ruthlessly. Eventually, through a clever trick, this man found the Sacred Realm, and took the Triforce for himself. The relic split, for he was unworthy of such divine right, but Din’s power remained within him, and he ascended from a mere mortal into Ganon, the King of Evil. He used this newfound power to slay us and ascend the throne of Hyrule.

For seven years, he ruled Hyrule as the King of Darkness. Finally, though, the Hero of Time, thought dead by most, reappeared. He traveled back and forth through time, awakening our successors and defeating the Evil King at the cost of both their lives. To correct such a divine mistake, time was reversed completely, so that all was returned to that pivotal moment before we were slain.

We apprehended him then, bringing him to the Arbiter’s Grounds for execution.

But… something unexpected happened. The Triforce, not bound by the flow or crossing of timelines, still remained with him. He survived his execution, and turned on us once more. One of us was killed…

Finally, we managed to subdue him. In his weakened state, he was banished to the Twilight Realm, where we believed his spirit would be of no harm to anyone. This was our dire mistake…

We have seen Zant’s power, and it is Ganon’s. The Evil King, though executed, is alive in influence, perhaps even in conscious spirit. This is how Zant has committed acts so beyond his own strength. The Mirror of Twilight has been split, to prevent action against him.

This is where your quest continues, young hero. If Zant can be defeated, the power of the Evil King will be relinquished, and we may seal their collective power away forever. This is the task we bestow unto you. In this dark hour of Hyrule’s history, you must bring light back to the land…

…

Link played the Sage’s words over and over again in his mind, more troubled each time he listened. Midna, likewise, had remained quiet and solemn most of the trip, presumably occupied by her own thoughts.

They were in the Forgotten Woods. The Sages had named them as his next destination, and had then warped him back to Hyrule Castle, so he could retrieve Epona and begin his journey. The shard of the mirror rests in the Temple of Time, they had said. Link had no idea what or where that was, and could only follow their lead. His mind had been occupied with the message the entire visit to Hyrule, hardly noticing the concerned glances of Ilia and the rest of them as he had gathered supplies and left.

He wound his way through the trees, the path a little more familiar this time. Still, he used the music as a guide, following the notes of Saria’s music as they faded in the forest air. He felt a stab of despair as his mind turned to Saria. He had news to deliver to her, news he was sure she would not receive well.

Once again, Epona was wary to pass a certain point of the forest, but Link urged her on, knowing this time that there was nothing for her to fear. She obliged, hesitantly, and before long they were passing the familiar ruins of the ageless pair’s sanctuary.

…

Saria sat upon her favorite tree stump, her lips to her ocarina. Her eyes were closed as she nimbly danced her fingers over the holes on the instruments surface, her attention null, her every emotion within her playing. It was her favorite song. She remembered how Link would sit with her in the forest meadow, listening to her play as the sun moved across the sky. It had been a long time ago, but it still crossed her mind from time to time. He had been her… well, she couldn’t quite say love. She had only felt love once in her long, long life, but her old friend Link had been the first and only other to come even close.

Their fates were in different places, though. He had left the forest one day, and had never come back, taking her first ocarina with her. Vaati had told her that she had in fact seen him again, in that different time that he so often spoke of, but she would never know it. Much as the wind mage himself had met her. He told her that they had met in that very same meadow, her and Link together against him. She couldn’t remember this. But regardless, from the first moment he had appeared before her, she had known, had felt some familiarity.

Saria was startled from her thoughts by a touch from behind her. She smiled a moment later, as arms wrapped around her middle, drawing her close, lips brushing softly across the nape of her neck.

“Hello there,” she said happily, turning her head to meet her lover’s lips. She stood up, turning to face him, deepening their kiss. She still felt her heart race, after so long together, as if this was the first time their lips had touched.

“You’re friend approaches,” he said, breaking their kiss. “Should I worry about you feeling faint this time?”

To anyone else, his voice would have been as unreadable as ever. But Saria knew better. Beneath the surface of indifference was a small, uncharacteristic shadowing of irritation. Jealousy. It made her smile.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” she replied, accentuating her remark with a small peck on his cheek. “I was just caught off guard, is all.”

He smiled at her, a small, pleasant, yet unfamiliar grin. It was something he seemed to do so little.

“If you insist, my love,” he said. With that, he disappeared in a gust of wind, traveling to the edge of the temple ruins to greet their visitors.

…

They sat in the grass, as they had last time, loosely in a circle. Epona strayed a bit away from their palaver, grazing on whatever there was to graze on. Midna had once again reverted to her human form, courtesy of Vaati’s magic. They all listened as Link recapped the events since the last visit to the forest.

“The Sages…” Vaati repeated, seemingly to himself, deep in thought. “This scenario is rapidly growing in scale…” He turned to Link. “Are you sure they said the Temple of Time?”

Link nodded. “I’m sure. Do you know what they meant? Where is it?”

“Well,” Vaati started, rising to his feet. “It’s here. The Temple of Time was the resting place of the Master Sword, and you pulled it out right over there…” He motioned toward the grove where Link had found the sword. “This place is the ruins of the temple, and the surrounding town. If the Sages wanted you to retrieve the mirror from the temple, well… I think I might know what they meant. Come with me…”

…

He felt naked without the Master Sword. He hadn’t yet had too many chances to wield it, but the powerful energy that had emanated from it had been comforting. But he had been forced to put it back in the pedestal. Vaati had assured him that he couldn’t take it with him.

Presently, he stood before a large stone door. The wall around it was crumbled, leaving only the lone doorway, sealed shut by stone and surrounded by forest. He was alone with Midna, Vaati and Saria elsewhere, preparing for what was about to happen.

“Are we going to tell them?”

Link jumped as Midna broke the silence. He felt a lump in his stomach rise as she introduced the subject.

“We have to let them know,” Midna continued. “We can’t stop Zant otherwise.”

“I know,” Link replied. “About that…”

“What…?” Midna asked, her voice hesitant. Link turned to her, forcing himself to face her as he said it.

“I think you should stay here.”

Silence for a moment. Then:

“What? Excuse me?”

“I’m going through that door, and you have to stay here in the meantime. One of us has to tell them. Besides, you and Saria are friendly, aren’t you? I’m sure she’d feel better hearing the news from you.”

“Oh, so you’re trying to dump the responsibility on me?! Is that it? I don’t think so, Link.”

“Come on, Midna. Vaati said it’s going to be dangerous. Only one of us should go. This way makes the most sense!”

“If it’s going to be so dangerous then you definitely can’t go without me! I always end up saving your ass!”

“Midna, please stay here. I’ll be fine by myself, I promise. Vaati and Saria need to know, and I’m going to be gone. I’m asking you a favor. Please?”

Midna huffed in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest and turning from him. She looked irritated, but Link was still taking it as a yes. He couldn’t think of anything to say to ease her anger, and definitely didn’t want to risk her changing her mind. He turned away from her, leaving her to herself. They stood like that in silence for what seemed like a long time, before Midna finally broke the silence again.

“You’ll hurry back…?” She asked, the both of them still turned away from each other.

Link smiled at this. She may not have been lying about not wanting to be the one to break the news to Vaati and Saria, but it seemed she was also worried about her and Link being separated. He would be lying if he said that he felt otherwise. He was well aware that Midna was usually the one to save him when things went particularly wrong.

“I don’t plan on staying any longer than necessary,” Link replied, still facing away from her.

More silence, then Link felt something around his middle. His eyes widened, as he realized what was happening. Was she actually… hugging him? Midna was hardly one for affection, from what he knew of her. An embrace was the last thing he had expected. He turned around in her grip, holding her in return. She immediately buried her face in his tunic, hiding her embarrassment.

“Don’t talk, you’ll ruin the moment,” she said, her voice muffled in his shirt. “Just be careful, okay? I won’t be around to baby-sit you this time.”

“I will, I promise,” he repeated.

They stayed there, gripping one another for a long time. The both of them flailed away from each other immediately as they felt a familiar, ominous wind gust past them. They both faced Vaati as he appeared, their arms crossed and faces neutral, as if they had been that way all along and hadn’t just shown actual friendliness towards each other for once. Vaati raised a quizzical brow over his visible eye, his gaze going from one to the other.

“Well,” he said flatly. “The door is ready when you are, hero.” With a wave of the mage’s hand, there was a echoing sound of a bolt turning, and the door behind Link and Midna slowly opened.

Even though vibrant green forest could be seen around the doorway, through the door was something very different. It was devoid of color, wavering, as if displayed on the water’s surface.

“If I’ve planned all of this right, there should be somebody there to witness your arrival. Good luck, hero. Say hello to your ancestors for me.”

Link nodded, swallowing nervously. He braced himself and stepped through the door.

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"Anon," "Embrace of Shadows," and dave," thanks for the reviews.

Lots of plot stuff in this one, I guess. Please let me know what you think. I'm going to continue to pull the story this way and that, so I'd like to know how readers are recieving it.

Next chapter soonish. Until then, enjoy the chapter.