Twilight Aftermath [1]

Summary: After the defeat of Ganondorf, Link is tasked with returning Midna to her realm

If only he actually wanted to succeed...

-x-X-x-

Link of Ordon sprinted with every ounce of strength that he contained towards a frighteningly still and crumpled form at the crest of the nearby hill. Despite the fact that he was the Triforce of Courage holder, he was currently in a barely controlled state of panic because it appeared that his companion, his friend, his Midna, had sacrificed her very life for him, and if she was dead... then Justice was nothing but a pretty word found in dusty old books...

Just a little less than an hour earlier, Midna de Twili, Princess of the Twilight Realm, launched herself into an epic magical showdown with Ganandorf himself, after somehow managing to teleport both Princess Zelda and himself to the relative safety of Hyrule field. During the battle that followed, she'd used every scrap of her magical strength to fight off Ganondorf's inconceivably powerful spirit animal form. She'd put her life on the line for them all, and without her sacrifice... they'd all be dead.

Saying that Midna had saved them all wasn't an exaggeration in the least, but rather a certainty. In the close confines of the Castle's throne room, Link would never have been able to dodge all of the arcane power that Ganondorf had been throwing around. No... Link's life had been saved by his dearest friend, and now all he could do was hope that she was alive. He held onto that hope despite the fact that he'd seen Ganondorf drop Midna's limp body onto Hyrule field with his very own eyes. He held tightly to that hope as if it were a shield he'd raised between himself and an incoming blow. Then he saw it happen, and his running speed nearly doubled...

Even as Link ran up the hill at a completely reckless sprint, he watched the Hyrulean light spirits congregate around the spot where Midna's body had fallen. The brilliant white light-show that the spirits were creating was causing a violent churning to grow within Link's chest, the end result being that he was simultaneously both elated and absolutely terrified.

Finally, while heaving for breath, with a beaten and bloodied body, Link crested the top of the hill and staggered into a slower jog. He was being rewarded for his efforts with the sight of a dark cloaked figure rising slowly from the grass. Midna... for this could only be his Midna... was alive!...

Link's feet ground to a halt in front of the woman, at which point, he was forced to brace his hands on his knees. A profoundly strong cocktail of relief and elation was threatening to steal the strength from his legs and drop him on his ass. Several quiet moments passed as Link gawked at Midna and she stared right back at him.

"What's wrong Hero? Am I so beautiful that you have no words left, Link?"

Despite being nearly overcome with emotion as well as the gravity of their current situation, Midna's question still managed to halt Link right in his tracks. Midna... the cheeky little Imp, hadn't asked him to say more than half a dozen words in the entire time that he'd known her. She'd talked endlessly to fill whatever silences they'd encountered, and she'd never really needed his input in anything. Not only was that the case, but she knew that! Midna knew that she was a one-woman show, and hadn't let him take part in any of her constant nattering!

In the end, Link just assumed that Midna was currently being a smartass and wasn't really looking for him to answer her. That was actually convenient for him, because at the moment he felt just a little bit overwhelmed, and he didn't even know how to react.

On the one hand, Link was so relieved that his friend was okay that he wanted nothing more than to hug her. On the other hand, he couldn't… Midna was... Gods... Midna really was... truly and unbelievably beautiful... in an exotic and ethereal kind of way. Still... It was hard to reconcile this tall, slim, lush and leonine woman, with the one and a half foot tall, almost completely androgynous imp, that had ridden on his back these past few months. With that thought in mind, Link just couldn't help himself. He suddenly decided that yes, he would answer Midna's question. It was time...

"You've guessed correctly, Midna. Your beauty really did render me completely speechless." It was Link's turn to smile mischievously this time, as Midna's face rapidly adopted a look of abject shock, and she blushed a vibrant dusky red similar to a sunset. This kind of intense reaction was one of the more entertaining reasons why Link kept his words to a premium. He'd always been of the opinion that words should be saved until they'd have the most effect. This had been amazingly effective, thus it was satisfying in the extreme.

"You're being far too bold Hero," Princess Zelda suddenly announced, as she glided majestically through the grass and stood beside the Twili woman. "Midna here is, as you can clearly see, the Twilight Princess... It appears that you've embarrassed her."

Link didn't think that Midna was even capable of true embarrassment, but he silently acquiesced to his monarch by performing a very polished courtly bow. While he did try his very best to keep any form of sarcasm out of his obeisance, in the end he wasn't quite sure that he'd succeeded. At the very least, Midna was well aware of his true feelings, and he could see that knowledge reflected in her grin.

At some point during their travels, keeping secrets from Midna had become nearly impossible. In fact, by the time the two of them were leaving Death Mountain and the Gorons, she'd already figured out how to read almost all of his facial expressions. Her ability had only improved since then, which meant that by this point he was officially an open book.

As could be expected from someone raised in an unsophisticated little village, Link wasn't quite able to prevent his emotions from appearing on his face. That was a very real problem too because he was, in fact, extremely frustrated that Princess Zelda was scolding him like a clumsy stable hand, especially during this particular moment in time...

Link was, point of fact, the Hero...

It had taken Link a very long time to have the self-confidence to say such an embarrassing thing, even in his own mind, but it was true nonetheless. Link had bled and sweat on every terrain known to man, as well as several that were lost from the histories. He'd destroyed monsters out of nightmares in locations both deeper underground and higher in the sky than most men could even imagine, and he'd continued fighting long after his beliefs were put to the torch, his innocence was lost, and his soul was tarnished beyond recognition. He'd done it all without a word of reward or any real expectations. Nevertheless, he didn't appreciate being dressed down like a recalcitrant child mere moments after finally saving the kingdom.

With all that in mind, Link bowed at the princess a second time, took three deferential steps backwards, and then turned away without a word. He began walking across the field and away from the two monarchs, aiming to either find his horse or at the very least some horse-weed. He'd used up the last of the extremely useful plant earlier, in order to get both himself and the Princess through Ganondorf's mounted henchmen. Now he needed to call his horse yet again, so that he could get the Princesses to safety. He was already well-aware that it wouldn't be him who would get to ride upon Epona's back for the rest of the afternoon.

Midna's eyes unconsciously drifted towards Link's back as he quietly stalked away to find his horse... It wasn't as if she was mesmerized by the boy's good looks or anything, (although he was extremely pleasing to the eyes) but rather it was force of long habit that had her eyes tracking his movements. Midna had been watching over Link for a little over five months now, as they faced every variety of danger imaginable. She just wasn't used to... disregarding Link's presence like Princess Zelda appeared oh so capable of doing. Speaking of which…

Slowly, Midna turned to look at the Hyrulian Princess, and then struggled to adopt a very diplomatic tone of voice. "Was that really... necessary, Princess?"

Princess Zelda's face took on a bewildered look as she turned back from watching Link in the distance. "Pardon?"

The light sided Princess was so caught off guard by Midna's question that she was dipping her head to one side in confusion. Midna couldn't help but feel it was surreal to see such a mundane expression on such a regal and beautiful face. In return, Midna made her features gentle as she prepared to explain a great and inalienable truth… "Zelda... Princess... That man in the distance didn't just save one kingdom. He didn't even just save one world. A few moments ago, that man over there saved two entire worlds and every single living creature residing within them... He did not deserve the arbitrary rebuke that he just received from his Monarch. Your warning was unnecessary anyways. I was only blushing because Link won a victory over me of a more personal nature."

In the wake of Midna's words, Princess Zelda was shocked into a contemplative stillness. Over the course of about fifteen seconds, her face reflected several different emotions before finally settling on intense shame and self-reflection. "You're right and I'm deeply ashamed by my lack of gratitude. I will apologize to the Hero whenever an opportunity arises." For several seconds the Princess appeared to be struggling within herself, but then her face became determined and she squared up with Midna again. "What was this personal victory if you don't mind me asking?"

Midna smiled as she once again gazed off in the distance. She almost didn't reply because the information really was of a personal nature. In the end however, Midna decided to share because it was an opportunity to change the way this Princess viewed her Hero. Even as the plan formed in her mind, Midna saw that she was running out of time. Link had already located some of the thistle-like flower that he uses to summon his remarkable horse. It wouldn't be long now before he'd be riding back up the hill to rejoin them.

Very abruptly, Midna turned back towards Zelda and drew in a very deep breath. "I have been at Link of Ordon's side during every moment of every day for the last five months. We have travelled together, eaten together, fought, bled, sweat and even slept side by side. I have ridden on his back when he is in wolf form, and I have been as close as a second skin in shadow form the rest of the time. I have watched him struggle and I've seen him near death more frequently than a man has any right to survive. I have seen his bravery and I have witnessed his indomitable will. I have been present for his every action all day, every day, for months now, and in all that time, I have never, not once, ever, let him get a word in edgewise. Link... just now... reminded me that he is not in fact a mute, and I have been an extremely... chatty travelling companion..."

During the next few moments, Midna watched as what might be a grin tried to appear on Zelda's face. In the end the woman strangled it down, but it had been there and Midna had seen it. It had been in her eyes.

The clip clopping and stamping noises of a spirited horse could be heard from a distance away, letting the two Princesses know that the man in question was returning to their side. They turned and saw the green garbed teen canter over the hill and then dismount his horse with nary a sound. Link retrieved two water skins out of the saddle and handed them to the two Princesses, before he found some bandages and began wrapping up his many new cuts and lacerations. One does not fight Ganandorf to the death, without becoming quite the bloodied up mess in the process. For several minutes, both Zelda and Midna just drank the provided water, while watching Link perform first aid on himself.

"Hero... We must begin traveling to the desert, where we will return Princess Midna to her realm. She'll be sorely missed by now, and her Kingdom will be in a panic." Zelda watched the boy while she spoke, as if she thought he was going to run away.

"As you command your highness," Link immediately responded. "I would ask however that you remain here for just a while longer before we begin travelling. I have one more task to complete before we leave Hyrule field, and I think it's best done alone."

"What, may I ask, could be so important that you would leave two Princesses here alone in this open and undefended place?" Zelda's tone was laced with both frustration and impatience and demanded a thorough response.

While Link was indeed deferential to Hyrule's Princess, he didn't see the need to fawn over her every sulky whim. For that reason, he didn't cower at the Princess's frustrated tone, nor did he look away from her when he finally answered her question. "Pardon me Princess. Before I leave this field, I must first completely destroy and dispose of Ganondorf's body, and I must reclaim the Master Sword. I'll not risk the chance that a man as cruelly powerful as he may come back to life somehow, nor that the sword of evil's bane will fall into the wrong hands."

Link's tone softened somewhat as he looked towards Midna. "You've both seen far too much butchery already. I would spare you the sight of what I'm about to do..." With that said, Link very abruptly, and for all appearances painfully, transformed into an absolutely enormous wolf, and within seconds, he was just a speck loping off into the distance...

Midna really was becoming angry this time. In fact, she was about to suggest that she take the Hero back to her world, where he might actually be shown some appreciation! Then she turned back towards the Hylian Princess and was immediately halted in her tracks. Princess Zelda's face was such a study of self-loathing that it hurt her just to look at it. In the end, Midna was far more curious than she was angry, and she stepped closer to her light sided doppelgänger. "Princess… If you'll pardon me for asking… What exactly is the source of your very out of character and yet obvious short temper with the Hero?"

Zelda started as if slapped in response to Midna's softly worded question. Then she looked down at her feet as if she were a little girl receiving a scolding. Finally, her eyes returned to Midna's but she was chewing on her lip like she was suffering a stomachache. It was obvious that she was deeply troubled by her own actions. "I... I am… jealous. I'm resentful of him, of you, of the fact that you two were able to act… I have been useless this entire time. I surrendered my Kingdom to Zant, became naught but a prisoner in my own castle, and then finally, I was possessed and used against you during the final battle. I… fulfilled my obligations in the end, but only after making every mistake imaginable."

"You were possessed only because you gave up your spiritual powers to save my life," Midna responded immediately. "It was a brave and selfless act, and I will never forget it."

"It was the least I could do while I sat around like a damsel," Zelda retorted immediately. You were traveling the world and accomplishing great deeds of bravery, and I…"

"Enough Princess!" Midna put a hand on Zelda's shoulder, pulling her close so that they locked eyes. "When I first saw the Hero, I'd never seen a more wretched sight in all my life… He was nothing but a badly beaten and bloodied dog, left to die in the castle dungeons. He had no clue what he was dealing with or doing. He's come a long way since then, but he's also made every conceivable mistake along the way. Without my constant presence and nagging he'd never have dragged himself out of those dungeons. What I mean to say is… Neither you nor the Hero became perfect, just because you suddenly had those pretty little triangles on your hands. You're both mortal and vulnerable to failure, just like the rest of us. Personally, I don't know what you could've done differently during the last five months, but even if there was something that you missed… mistakes are completely unavoidable. The strong can only make use of those lessons as they can."

"The Hero was in that bad a condition?" If anything Zelda looked even worse off from having heard Midna's tale. She bit her lip and her knuckles were white as she looked back at her Twili companion. "I... I didn't even notice. I didn't even look… I didn't believe that Link was the Hero… I'd already lost all hope and didn't see the significance of some random beast that you were parading around."

Midna was beginning to see that Zelda was determined to wallow in self-pity… She could see that any attempt to rationalize with the woman right now would only make the situation worse. With that understanding, Midna stepped away from the Hylian Princess and took a seat on the grass. It would be a looong wait for Link to finish his rather gruesome task…

Link loped back towards the Princesses as quickly as his canine form could carry him. Despite his arguments to the contrary, in the end, Zelda had been right. He'd left them in an open field that had been completely infested with Bokoblins until just an hour earlier, and he'd hated every damned second that he was away. He comforted himself with the fact that both of the princesses could unleash magical powers far surpassing his meager understanding, but still…

Having a lupine form was dead useful. Four legs could move significantly faster than two but what Link appreciated most about it right now was that his advanced senses could always detect Midna's scent on the wind. At this point, her vaguely jasmine like scent was as familiar to him as his own soap, and as he loped towards her, he almost laughed at how comforting he found it. Midna was… well she was a pain in the rear. She was loud and abrasive and rude and dismissive and… She'd saved his life far more often than he could count. She'd offered him redemption, and in the end she'd given him far more than she'd received in return... Midna was, despite herself, his closest friend in the entire world, and when she left to return to her kingdom, Link was going to miss her terribly…

Cresting the rise, Link caught sight of the two powerful and dignified women sitting together in the grass like country bumpkins, and he almost smiled. He also decided to transform well away from the two of them, because it hurts like Hell every single time he does it, and he didn't feel like ruining the mood. Every time Link transforms, he can feel all of the muscles, bones and organs in his body, shift and pop within a river of molten fire. Long story short, it's never pleasant in the least. Link didn't feel like voicing his discomfort for the ladies to hear, so at a hundred feet away he transformed and growl/groaned as quietly as possible back into his human form.

When Link was a man once again and his weapons, tools and clothing resettled around his body from Gods only know where, he looked up at the Princesses. They were both standing again and staring at him… Damn... He must not have been as quiet as he'd hoped, and they'd heard him groaning. Link decided to just ignore his embarrassment as he walked towards the continuously staring women.

"Hurts like the blazes every single time he transforms," Midna whispered to the Hylian Princess. "Don't know what kind of upbringing causes such a taciturn man, but the silly boy sees vocalizing even intense pain as a sign of weakness."

"My father once said that Ordenfolk make excellent soldiers," Zelda offered quietly. "They're tough, disciplined and durable. They also offer respect through silence. They only speak unprompted around people of the same or lower social status than themselves. If the Hero is as quiet as you're describing, he must have been extremely poor or perhaps even an orphan. Did you explain to him that you're a Princess at some point?"

Midna looked at her feet and shuffled a bit before responding. "No… but I might as well have. I laid down the law when we first met, because I needed the Hero to cooperate with me. By the time we left the castle dungeons, I'd verbally and physically abused him into obedience. I'd also given him harsh ultimatums, about how saving his friends would be impossible without my aid… Within just a few days of leaving the castle, I realized that neither the abuse nor the manipulations had ever been necessary. Link would've helped me of his own free will, because he's both literally and figuratively a hero. By then however, it was too late, and he was respectfully, quietly… distant."

Midna sighed as she continued watching the distant man march quickly in their direction. "I've missed out on a great deal because of my own cowardice and cruelty. I'd have liked to get to know more about our hero, but he almost never speaks a word without it being dragged out of him."

As if to prove Midna's point, when Link arrived at the two Princesses' side just half a minute later, he tapped the Master Sword sheathed on his back, and then nodded the completion of his task.

"You are aware that you look like a slaughterhouse right now aren't you?" Midna softened her question with a small grin as she gestured at his clothing.

Link was in fact, quite aware that he was covered in a mixture of both his and Ganondorf's blood, but there was very little he could do about it. Rendering the massive Gerudu tribesmen down to tiny little pieces had been a very bloody business. He'd need a river or something to get himself clean, and right now they were in the middle of a vast, grassy plain. After considering several different replies, Link just nodded his understanding, while shrugging in a defeated fashion.

"Are you ready to leave now Hero?" Zelda appeared to be trying very hard to control her tone, but she was coming across as both cool and disinterested as a result.

Nodding a second time, Link handed the stirrups of Epona to Midna. Next he stepped closer to the red haired steed, where he whispered into its ear for several moments.

Midna assumed that Link was giving his horse several very detailed instructions that it would somehow, defying all common sense, follow to the letter. She wanted to know what the Hero had in mind. She also knew that if she wanted answers, she'd have to be very direct. "Link… Will you please tell us what you have in mind?"

Link's attention immediately swiveled away from his horse, so that he could stare at Midna with a look of abject shock upon his face. This was both the first time that Midna had ever requested his input in anything, and the first time that she'd ever used the word please within his presence… Midna's behavior was so out of the ordinary that Link scanned their surroundings, looking for some kind of magical manipulation or mind control…

He didn't find anything... They were the only people within several Kilometers in any direction.

Belatedly, Link turned back towards the elaborately dressed, extremely long orange haired, Twili woman. Then it took him a few seconds longer to actually remember what she'd asked of him in order to form a reply. "Yes, of course... My plan is to have your highnesses ride upon my horse, while I transform back into my wolf form and lead from the front. Epona, my horse, already knows to follow my lead, so you ladies may relax together as we move. If we're not going to go back to Castle Town for the night, then I think we should aim to make camp near the bridge over Lake Hylia. It's one of the more defensible locations on the way to our next destination. Tomorrow, we'll descend to the Lake and make contact with the Zora people. With their assistance, your highnesses will be both safe and comfortable while I locate the cave system into the desert. I'm aware that the access way to the desert was blocked off hundreds of years ago, but I have many, many bombs. I'd never dream of using a cannon as transportation for the Princesses of two Kingdoms."

When Midna looked like she might complain, Link raised his hand to stop her. "Midna… be reasonable. You're a beautiful maiden now, not a shadow imp. I can no longer carry you around like a cloak and expect you to remain undamaged."

At first Midna just scoffed, but then she giggled and blushed that sunset red again. "My, my... You are a gallant one now aren't you?"

Link didn't know quite how to respond to that, so he didn't. He just turned towards Princess Zelda to see if she had any objections.

"You used a… cannon… to travel over the mountains to the desert?" Zelda's face contained so much incredulity it was verging on straight forward disbelief.

Link just nodded seriously without any explanation whatsoever. He'd done a great many things far more dangerous than just that, so he failed to understand Zelda's puzzled expression.

"Our hero has done a mountain of things far more dangerous and stupid than that," Midna announced cheerfully. "Come! Sit with me on Link's most excellent horse, and I'll tell you stories of his more asinine exploits."

Link gave Midna his trademark look of long suffering, but once again he didn't comment.

Over the next few minutes, Midna and Zelda mounted on Epona's back and Link transformed into his wolf form again. Growling in pain seemed far more dignified than moaning in it after all…

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The day was a long one and it was exhausting for everyone involved. When all was said and done, the trek across Hyrule Field and the plains surrounding Castle town took around four and a half hours, which was over an hour and a half longer than it would normally take for a caravan to move that distance…

It couldn't be helped really... Link ended up having to make several side jaunts in order to make their travels as safe as possible...

Driven by both his need to protect the princesses and personal preference, Link ended up tracking down and destroying several small bands of disorganized and panicking Bokoblins as they moved. Ganandorf must have been magically controlling the beasts somehow... That much was becoming increasingly obvious because now that they were free, they were indulging in a free for all of infighting and inter-clan warfare. For the most part, the chaos made the beasts easy pickings, but it also made them extremely unpredictable.

As the sun began to set beyond the horizon, Link, Midna and Zelda finally arrived at their destination, a wide swath of ancient ruins sitting right next to a sheer cliff face. The cliff view was obscured by nightfall at the moment, but during the day it was a pretty picturesque view of Lake Hylia...

No stranger to making camp, Link promptly transformed back into his human form and made himself busy. After obliterating a small copse of trees with his massive ball and chain weapon, Link collected all of the scattered wood with his Gale Boomerang, and then set the rather impressive pile of kindling on fire with some help from his lantern. When he turned around to the newly dismounted Princesses, it was to a smirking Midna, and a completely gobsmacked Zelda.

"H.. How do you, wha… where do you carry all of those weapons and tools?" The Princess looked like she desperately wanted to walk a circle around Link's body to figure him out, but was just barely controlling herself.

"Yes. Please answer the question, Link." Midna's wide grin at Zelda's expense was clearly grating on the woman and it was entertaining her to no end. She padded gracefully over to the campfire and took a relieved seat on the same log as Link. "You see Link, it's your turn now. I've been explaining things to the Princess all afternoon and my throat hurts. Help me out now, won't you?"

Link thought he might understand how Midna felt, because the amount of speaking that was being demanded of him today was over five hundred times the norm. He found it interesting that Midna was prompting him to speak so often all of the sudden, and he wondered what exactly had changed to make her behave this way. Putting that thought aside, Link looked over at Zelda, who was staring at him from another log across the fire. He wasn't quite sure where to begin such an unusual and esoteric explanation, so in the end he decided to start at the beginning. "I... have a wolf transformation," he declared, at great length.

At this great revelation, Princess Zelda looked at Link as if he was the village idiot. "Yes, yes we know that, but…"

Link raised his hand in a stopping motion to halt the Princess's interruption. He knew that he was pushing his luck with his country's monarch, but seriously… just shut up. Link ended up giving the Princess a look that seemed to convey the words "do you want an explanation or not?"

Zelda briefly looked frustrated by the young man's impropriety, but then she sighed and nodded her head. "My apologies… Do continue."

After several more seconds spent just staring back at Zelda, Link suddenly gestured at the weapons and clothing that he currently had on his body. "When I transform into my wolf form, the very obviously magical thing that happens to me is that I become a wolf. The less noticeable but equally magical thing that happens is that my clothing, tools and weaponry, disappear seemingly into thin air. They're still in my possession, but they're gone. At first, I never gave this phenomenon a second thought. It was convenient, yes, but a wide variety of weird and magical events were happening to me all at once, and I didn't have the time to spare it a thought. Then, slowly, as I traveled the world, I became extremely well equipped to the point that I had a problem. My entire body was bristling with very useful and pointy things, but I was over-encumbered to the point of being nearly immobile.

Off to the side, Midna started giggling. She could vividly recall watching Link huff and puff, carrying around belts and harnesses of bottles and tools, until you couldn't even see his clothing anymore. He'd looked like a travelling salesman of some kind, like the nearly mythical Beedle.

Link wasn't surprised at all that Midna was laughing. She'd only ever been wildly entertained by his struggles and mishaps. When the orange haired girl finally stopped giggling, Link gave the woman a fond and indulgent smile, before continuing his explanation. "Eventually, I found myself wondering about the magic behind my transformation, and how I might use it to travel easier. I attempted to recreate that magical phenomenon under my own power, by focusing on taking my items within myself."

At the tail end of his words, Link held out a hand, and seemingly out of nowhere, a bottle full of cooking seasonings suddenly appeared... "Through trial and error, I eventually figured this out. It's a tough bit of mental imagery and focus, but it's also worth every hour that I lost while learning it. With this skill figured out, my life became quite a bit simpler. I can take items and weapons and store them in some very magical "other place" that may or may not be within my body. Don't ask me how it truly works, because I have no idea."

For quite a while, Zelda just sat on her log and stared at the Hero. She couldn't help herself. The boy/man sitting in front of her clearly had the makings of a grand sorcerer. The mental imagery and focus that he was describing was the hallmark of almost all silent spellcasting, and he'd simply "figured it out" in his spare time, while adventuring…

At least partially to escape the Princess's continual scrutiny, Link retrieved two cuckoos from his storage dimension. Earlier in the day, he'd very bravely killed the birds from a very great distance, and had stowed them away both for easy preservation and to hide the evidence. Now, as Zelda's eyes continued to burn into him like a Beamos's laser, he plucked their feathers and prepared them for dinner.

Princess Zelda was completely enthralled, but her interest didn't do much to dull the fact that she was also extremely annoyed. The fact of the matter was that she'd studied for years to use magic of that caliber, and this boy just says "I figured it out," as if it was nothing… Nevertheless, Zelda was hooked and wanted to study this newfound magical ability in great detail. When next she spoke, her words were both far too sudden and far too loud for anyone's comfort. "What kind of objects do you have stored in this "other place" of yours?"

Looking up from the terrifying birds that he was gutting, Link shrugged his shoulders expansively. "A great many things Princess…"

As Midna giggled again, Zelda clenched her teeth. "Can you… expand upon that please?"

Link gave the princess yet another silent stare for several moments before he finally responded. "I can... but it would take a while..."

"I insist," Zelda persisted, in a cool and slightly annoyed tone of voice.

Midna was highly amused at this point, and there was just no way to hide it. She slid to the ground to lean her back against the log, smiled up at the rising moon and listened to the two Hylians butt heads. It was an extremely cathartic moment for her, but she wasn't a hundred percent certain why…

While taking in a very deep breath, Link prayed to the Goddesses for patience regarding strong willed Princesses. "Hookay… Well... Bear with me, for this'll be a mouthful… At the moment, I have the following objects contained within what I've started calling my storage dimension. I have a very large and magical ball and chain weapon, three bomb bags containing about a hundred bombs each, twelve bomblings, five underwater bombs, four glass bottles, two claw shot grappling hooks, a magical staff called a dominion rod, a fishing rod, the gale boomerang, the hero's bow, the Hawkeye sniper's mask, a pair of iron weighted boots, a lantern, an overlarge barrel of lantern oil, a slingshot, a magical spinning top device, a wooden sword, the Ordon sword, a wooden shield, the Ordon shield, several pairs of underwear, my Ordon clothes, a red tunic, a set of Zora armor, a set of magical armor, six quivers with about fifty arrows each, a large bag of feed for Epona, Five lengths of rope, a compass, several dungeon maps, an ancient sky book, several other magic books I haven't had the time to read yet, a small hammer, a small saw, a shovel, a crowbar, an adjustable wrench, a bug net, a horsehair toothbrush, a shaving kit, pots, pans, cutlery, two mugs, cooking seasonings, two barrels of water, several water skins, two blankets, some waterproof tent material, two tent poles, four tent stakes, hundreds of golden necklaces, silver necklaces, diamond necklaces, ruby earrings, diamond earrings, golden bracelets and silver bracelets, about a thousand bokoblin horns, Lizalfos tails and claws, about a thousand Kees wings, dried medicinal herbs, Eldin ore, evil crystals, goddess plumes, golden skulls, demon fossils, ornamental stalfos skulls, star fragments, dragon scales, Goron amber and mystic jade, an alchemy stone, about a hundred carved statues of imp Midna with various cute but disapproving looks upon her face, and five large wallets containing at least a thousand times more rupees than a mere ranch hand or woodsmen could ever conceivably need."

By the time Link was done listing it all, Zelda almost regretted asking the question in the first place. The Hero was… carrying the weight of the Hyrule treasury within his body, and he didn't even feel it…

"Did I hear you call yourself a mere ranch hand just now Link?" Midna was the one who looked annoyed now. "Surely you're joking?"

In response to his friend's surprisingly passionate support, Link found himself smiling. Nevertheless, he still ended up shrugging his shoulders apathetically. A second later, when Midna started looking truly angry at him, Link acted quickly to get ahead of her inevitable temper tantrum. "Easy there my lady. I'm not belittling my worth. I know I was invaluable during the war. I'm only pointing out something that you yourself explained to me in great detail. There have been a number of Heroes so far in recorded history. They all have one thing in common after their respective battle is won..."

In the quiet that followed Link's leading words, Midna's face adopted a pained expression. Link was making use of information that she'd fed him early on, when she was trying to verbally abuse him into obedience…

"They all disappear from history immediately after the battle ends," Zelda supplied, in a very quiet voice.

"Exactly," Link responded, with a small and vaguely triumphant grin. I shall be in good company with all of the other woodsmen, hunters, fisherman, ranchers and farmers that briefly turned Hero in the past. I'll disappear and allow the world to forget me. On that note, Link went back to preparing dinner by skewering the frightening birds on wooden sticks and propping them up over the fire.

Over the next thirty minutes, Link, Zelda and Midna, ate their meals in silence. All three of them had a great many things to think about…

After dinner, Link walked over to the two women, and draped two heavy woolen blankets over their shoulders. Then, without a word, he pulled out his bow and stalked off into the darkness. He walked about thirty feet away from the fire, until he reached a massive ornamental stone column. It would be a perfect vantage point, both because it was tall and because it was just outside of their campfire's light pollution.

With swift, unhesitant strides, Link vaulted up some nearby rocks, and then launched himself through the air. It was a close thing, but the boy/man clearly knew his trade. He just barely managed to reach the lip of the statue, and his fingers dug in like fish hooks. From that position, Link was able to pull himself up with relative ease. As twilight deepened into true night, he took up a position to defend their camp.

"The Hero doesn't plan on sleeping?" Zelda turned away from the man's shadowy acrobatics to look at Midna for answers.

After slowly shaking her head, Midna started poking at the fire with a stick. "He… Link doesn't sleep very well anymore. He's, he's become hyper vigilant, but that's only part of the problem."

"Nightmares?" Zelda wanted to poke the fire now too, but she didn't have a stick.

"Link's experienced a great many dangerous things in the last five months," Midna began, in a very quiet voice. "In the beginning he did try to sleep at night, but it's a dangerous occupation when you're all alone on the road and surrounded by enemies. I couldn't help anywhere near as much as I wanted to. I was mostly incorporeal in my Imp form, so I was forced to deplete what magic I had every time we were attacked. I didn't have anywhere near my current power reserves meaning I became tired quickly and Link would have to intervene. The Hero was in the habit of sleeping very little, long before the nightmares began…"

"He has the veteran's shakes then, the terror flashbacks?" Zelda was speaking just as quietly as Midna had, as if she'd been infected by her mood.

"I've never seen Link tremble or have a flashback, so far," Midna replied, while shaking her head. "What he does have is nightmares. Just recently he started having them nearly every night."

"Did something traumatic happen?" Zelda was leaning within just a foot of Midna now because of all the whispering.

At first, Midna almost rudely scoffed out loud at that question. What part of the last few months hadn't been traumatizing? Then she realized that Zelda really didn't get it. She really truly just didn't know…

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Midna drew in a very deep breath as she turned towards the nearby princess. "Zelda... Link's had to become a legendarily effective warrior, and he hasn't had the benefit of either advanced training or any warning whatsoever. Every single little thing we've encountered during the last half a year has wanted to kill him, and surviving all of those near death experiences has not come cheap to his mental wellbeing. He's fought hundreds of mercenaries, armos, golems, slimes, ghinis, tektites, wizrobes, achemans, lanmolas, leevers, moldorms, Bokoblins, Moblins, lizalfos, stalfos, skultulas, wallmasters, demons, ghosts, mummies, redeads, zombies, ghouls, octorocks and dozens of other creatures that I can't even name that I've never even heard of. He's fought both Lynels and Hinox by the dozen, and I thought that those creatures were just ancient boogiemen tales designed to frighten children. He's destroyed monsters as large as your castle, in places as deep as a mountain is tall. He's seen things that he can't unsee, and he's done things that he can't undo. Then there's the physical toll he's had to pay. Link's been punched, kicked, bitten, stabbed, shot, burned, frozen, cursed, electrified, poisoned and magically tortured. There's not one non-vital bone in his body that he hasn't broken or nearly broken and we never had the time for him to convalesce the normal way. The truth of the matter is, if we hadn't made sure to keep so much of that damned red potion on hand, Link would be an inhumanly scarred and hideous creature by now. As is, he's still covered head to toe in silvery scars that almost make me nostalgic for my homeland. He looks like his skin's been decorated for my court, what with all those abstract lines and ninety degree angles.

The very idea of using a red potion made Zelda shiver in revulsion. The stuff was barely legal because it was a radically magical and unpredictable substance. While they were undeniably powerful, red potions were only as useful as the person who drinks them can force them to be. For a normal person, it's just as likely a red potion will give you an eleventh finger or scales for skin, as it is to heal your injury. It takes real force of will to make a red potion have only it's desired effect, and for most people the side effects were... undesirable. At the tail end of that thought, Zelda turned back towards Midna and leaned in close. "Is… is the Hero… mutated?"

After a few seconds spent just staring at Zelda, Midna shook her head again and then blushed just a little. "I… I worried about that outcome as well, so I paid close attention. As you may recall, I was a shadow draped around his body. Link of Ordon is still a hundred percent excellent Hylian breeding stock so far as I've observed. I've seen no mutations or physical alterations whatsoever, beyond a noticeable increase in his speed and strength over time. Link's body is… gifted. He learns physical skills extraordinarily fast and often without any repetition. His body also reacts well to both magic and magical devices. As he mentioned earlier, Link's made use of several intensely magical weapons as if they were made for him. He's also gone through the mirror to my realm twice now, becoming nothing but millions of spirit particles both times, and he only suffered a minor headache the first time he went through."

As Zelda took in Midna's persistent blush, she waged a war within herself. What she wanted to ask was so wildly improper but… Finally, she caved and arched an eyebrow at the sunset colored Twili woman. "Midna… How thorough have you been in… observing… the Hero?"

For several moments, Midna couldn't quite stop a betrayed expression from growing on her face in response to Zelda's question. Following that, she just sighed in defeat, and leaned heavily back against their log. "You're wrong and yet you're right at exactly the same time Princess. No... I haven't been scrutinizing every square inch of the Hero's muscular body due to some lusty preoccupation with his more than impressive manhood."

As Zelda blushed a bright red at her words, Midna grinned her revenge and continued her explanation. "I've only been a shadow of myself the entire time that I've known Link. I was cursed into the form of an Imp, and because of that, I've barely even had a gender let alone a sex drive. I definitely haven't been lusting for the Hero. Despite all of that Zelda… you're also correct. For a little less than half a year now, my entire world has completely revolved around Link. He's become the stars in my sky, the earth under my feet. Link's been nothing less than my single ray of hope in all of this madness, and he's never, ever let me down. He never complained, he never stopped, he never quit, and he never lost hope... I've been watching over Link with a single-minded fanaticism that might've actually frightened him, if he'd ever become aware of it."

"You love him," Zelda announced, in a whisper.

Shrugging helplessly, Midna looked up at the stars. "That's actually an interesting question Princess. Can you be in love with a man if the situation is completely stripped of sexual attraction? So far, I've been safe from attraction both as an Imp and because you Hylians are oh so very different from my kind… radiantly bright… exotic. For that reason, if I am in love with Link, then it's in the most platonic and spiritual sense of the word. To answer your question… As of now, I out of control adore Link. I would squeeze him like a teddy bear all day if he'd let me, I'd spoil him rotten if at all possible, I'd keep him with me forever with no hesitation if I could… Too bad I can't… I'm already objectively aware that he's an extraordinarily attractive man… I'm all but certain if I keep Link around, I'll eventually want him in every way that a woman can…"

"You've only really looked at Link when he's a wolf, looking another direction or a long distance away, this whole afternoon," Zelda whispered, with a new understanding in her voice. "You're avoiding that physical attraction."

After giving the Hylian Princess an impressed nod of respect, Midna sighed and pulled her knees up into her chest. "In my kingdom, the ruling line all but died out a generation ago. Zant and I were among branch families, and as ironic as it is to say now, I was chosen to lead over Zant because I was far stronger magically."

"That's not a fair comparison to make Midna," Zelda immediately protested. "Zant was possessed by Ganandorf and had access to his absurd well of evil power." At this point, Zelda was giving Midna a very no nonsense look.

Nodding her head gratefully, Midna continued her explanation. "During my reign, I'll only ever be as legitimate as I am capable, strong and in control. If I want my children to have an easier, more stable reign, they must be…"

"Either extremely powerful or born of the most respected, noble and ancient bloodlines available in your homeland," Zelda continued quietly.

"Exactly Princess… exactly…" Midna sighed again, as she stared at the low lying moon silhouetting the Hero. "For the good of my world I must be resolute, but I'm already aware that I'm going to suffer for it..."

Turning her attention away from both Link and Zelda, Midna began staring at the fire instead… Finally, after several minutes where the fire was the only sound being generated, Midna whispered how she truly felt, in a choked out and miserable sounding, little voice. "Zelda… I'm going to suffer missing my Hero, my wolf, my beautiful, wonderful Link... I'm going to miss him terribly for a very, very long time, and it feels like it's already beginning..."

As the night truly settled over the land, the tears Midna had been holding back began to fall down her face like stars on her dusky skin.

At the sight of those tears, Zelda found herself deeply, profoundly ashamed of her own petty jealousies. She harshly berated herself for thinking the last five months had been nothing but a grand quest for the Hero and the woman sitting beside her. They'd suffered, and they'd struggled, and what's worse Midna's true fight was only really beginning… Zelda grabbed the hem of the Hero's blanket and wiggled over until she was flush with the Twili woman beside her. Then very slowly and maintaining eye contact the entire time, Zelda wrapped an arm behind the woman's back. "You're strong," Zelda whispered, into the woman's orange hair. "You'll survive this and be all the more beloved by your people because of it."

Slowly, over the course of about a minute, Midna de Twili, Princess of the Twilight realm curled into Zelda's shoulder like a lost and frightened little girl…