CHAPTER 3: SHADOWED FACES
The glowing darkness bolted into his eyes painfully. He was not used to such a splattered spectrum of light, semi-shadowed and quite luminous in its brighter areas. Yet perhaps his focus hazed due to the hand gripping his neck. He gasped for air and struggled as the long sticky fingers throttled him unknowingly during its inspection. The face, or at least what Link thought resembled the face, came closer to his as if to peer into his eyes, yet there were none that mirrored Link's reflection. Its hair was made of long black tentacles that hung down from the back of its crest-like head.
Link raised a hand to the beast's fingers, attempting to pry the coils from his neck, and as he did so, his hand began to burn with new life as it had done so just days ago. A piercing light shone from it for a fraction of an instant, and the dark hand released him, the creature's waddling scamper carrying it away in an eyeblink.
Link fell hard to the ground, yet relieved that the monster had freed him. He choked in new air, and with it, his life restored. He looked around, noticing similarities of this woodland to that of Faron. It looked so much like Ordon's forested neighbor, only a new haze threading its life. He then realized ... he was in Faron. But this darkness…. Why-- how-- What is this?
He pushed himself up to search for the source of the spell over Faron, but a thunderous pain seared his hind legs, an agony that spread like fire in a thicket up his spine to span out to the rest of his nerves. Link caught himself, lying there unable to move from the festering pain. He felt his heart throb in a rhythmic beating as the mark on his hand simultaneously pulsated and burned, both of which deepened his anguish. His breath caught in grunts as tears glued his eyes shut and his brows furrowed. His chest pounded and the feeling pushed a deep, painful sigh from his taught lips. He faltered, his hands barely holding him up. The pain filtered from the nerves in his appendages to his very bones. A crackling within forced another stream of pained grunts from him, as he felt his legs breaking under an invisible pressure. His muscles involuntarily jerked this way and that trying to find some comfort. It was as if a boulder had suddenly landed on him, slowly rolling over him, reshaping his body in a grotesque fashion.
The throbbing continued and intensified as his jaw bones stretched and cracked. Unable to acknowledge what was happening and unable to bear the suffering any longer, he cried out in a raucous shriek and fell into stillness.
The symbol upon his hand faded … as if it had never marked him.
Out of sight and high upon a rocky ledge, a small imp looked on as the creature that had first yanked Link into the shadows dragged him away….
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When Link awoke, a blurred grayness fogged his eyes. He blinked away the grogginess pulsing through his head and searched about to discover that ominous grey walls and a barred entrance encased him. Frightened and uncertain what had happened, he moved to search for a way out.
And then he felt it. A staggering jolt of pain bit at his wrist. Looking to see what bound him, he found a bolted chain slithering from the floor to a shackle around his left wrist … an inhuman wrist. Shocked, he looked over his hands and body and saw his body transformed. Water had pooled near the birth of the chain, and, tentatively, he looked into its mirror.
A strange and hideous beast stared back at Link.
Long fangs and a bright coat of silver, black, and white stunned him. His blue eyes remained, but they had grown more intense and savage. His nose had been molded into a long snout, with strange markings adorning his forehead. Unsure and completely terrified, Link confirmed he had been reformed into a beastly wolf. He tried to call out, but all that met his fuzzy, pointed ears was a bark which echoed off the dank walls.
At first, Link cowered, fearful of what other sorcery would befall him next. He was in a strange new existence, everything familiar erased save for the blue earrings that still adorned his ears … the only trace that proved his former identity.
He could feel the new power behind his piercing blue eyes, the intensity in which they could now view his surroundings. He still felt the burning edge that had plagued his bones upon his initial transformation. The simmer would not leave him; it was a constant itch he could not banish.
When he heard the whimper of his lupine form, he snapped together and--taking it within his sharp teeth--wrestled with the chain confining him in this dungeon. He had to escape from this strange new reality.
He heard something then--an strange hum--and looked into a corner of the cell. An odd, short figure approached him, feet hovering above the floor. Its head was large and embellished with an eccentric headpiece and long pointy ears jutting out from its face. Long yellow and orange hair dripped from the back of the helm, tied together near the end with a strange grey pin. One large yellow and red eye narrowed as it looked at him; its other eye lay hidden underneath the headdress. Suddenly, the single eye popped wide and a smile stretched across its face, a jagged fang poking out of its mouth in greeting.
The small body, splotched with white and black skin and decorated with glowing green markings, suddenly came to life and hopped over Link to stand on his opposite side. "I found you!" it said in a strange, cracking voice.
Its tone sounded feminine and heavily accented, but Link understood. He growled at it.
"Oh, aren't you scary," it sneered. Crossing its arms, it continued, "Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and glaring at me?" Link continued and backed away as far as he could. "Well, that's too bad. I was planning on helping you … if you were nice, that is."
At that, Link stopped glaring at it and perked up. Strange and ominous though this creature appeared, he did not care. He needed help, for he could not comprehend anything that had taken place since being stolen into the darkness over Faron Woods. Maybe it could prove to be useful.
"Ah, that's better," it said, still smiling slyly. "You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you? Oh, but wait," it added, patting his chin, "you aren't a human anymore. You're a beast!"
Link barked and snapped at her tiny hand, but she only leapt back, laughing a girlish, childlike chuckle. "There, there," she cooed mockingly. "You be a good boy and calm down. No need to bite." Then she brought her hands before her. Concentrating, she conjured a glowing black and red ball of energy. With a flick of her wrists, the ball dispersed in a pop of crimson light, and the chain that held Link in place snapped from the shackle. This caught Link off guard, and he looked in bewilderment to his freed hand--or rather, paw.
During that time Link had not realized her approach. "You look kind of surprised!" the little creature said, dipping her head before him with an arrogant smile before leaping away again, hovering back toward the bars. "So, I bet you're wondering … Where exactly are we?" Bubbles of dark and green and orange surrounded her body, and in a balletic twirl she propelled herself directly through the beams. She looked at him from beyond, "I'll make you a deal. If you can get over here, maybe I'll tell you!"
Her laughter reverberated as she sneered.
Link still could not discern what this creature was or if he should trust it, but without any knowledge of where he was or how he had gotten there, his only option was to hope it could and would truthfully help him. It knew he had once been human, so he assumed it had seen him before his dark transformation, which meant it knew from whence he had come. Link hoped with all hope it could take him back there again.
He spurred into action, shuffling this way and that, but despite his best efforts, he could not find any route to the other side. Movement in this form aggravated him. His limbs were alien to him and the body did not seem to work correctly. It would take getting used to … though, he hoped his time as a wolf would expire before he became comfortable. As he fumbled about, he stumbled into a pile of crates and hay. Involuntarily, he barked in his frustration … but his anger soon turned to curiosity. There was something odd in how the crates sat. He examined the area closer and tossed the crates out of the way. Behind their bundle he found a spot where the previous captive of the cell must have dug his way out. Taking advantage of this, Link slouched and struggled through the manmade indention.
Once on the opposite side, he heard pleased laughter as he shook his coat free of dirt. Next, he felt the creature land upon his backside, straddling him like a horse, and he circled around trying to toss her off.
"I guess you're not completely stupid after all!" she congratulated. This remark made Link cease in his movements, growling. "Listen," she calmed in a crude voice, "I like you, so I think I'll get you out of here." Link was relieved to hear her offer support, but grimaced immediately as she then grabbed his ear. "But in exchange for my help, you have to do exactly as I say!" she added in a menacing yet playful octave.
Link shook himself free of her fingers, grunting. Reluctantly, he barked in agreement.
"Good! Then let's get moving!"
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The reality of the situation was still sinking in, as Link and his new companion moved beyond the dungeon and discovered a way into the sewers. He could not understand how or why his body had been changed into a wolf or why he and his friends had even been attacked in the first place. His thoughts lingered on Ilia and Colin as his paws led him through the underground network. Where were they? Why were they taken? Were they all right?
Link trudged on absentmindedly as his mind frothed in confusion. He leapt down into the ankle-deep waters of the sewer paths, but immediately backed into the furthest wall … away from all the glowing green lights. Their appearance perplexed him; he had never seen anything like it. He looked at the light nearest him, trying to understand. The urge to approach and touch the light twisted along his lupine nerves and became the desire to sniff and bark at the hanging bubble of light. He resisted the urge, though, frightened at the strange new instincts.
Would he ever become human once more? And if he did ... would he still be keen on these wolfish characteristics?
"Oh, well, this is interesting, eh?" the tiny creature upon him blurted, knowing full well that Link was at this moment even more confused and bothered by the state of things. "Don't resist what your new body would have you do. Take a whiff why don't you!" she spat.
A growl inclined her to shrink back into her seat. Link watched the hovering light until he was convinced it would not surprise him with any sudden movements. Adhering to his companion's advice, he lifted his snout to the blinding specks. As soon as he did so, catching the faint scent of a human, he could see the outline of what appeared to be a Hylian soldier. Shocked at what he could see--and that he could detect the scent of a human--in his four-legged form, Link almost snapped backward, yet his curiosity won him out. Quietly, he looked over the knight, and in that moment, Link again was surprised … to hear the man mumbling. "I can't run any … farther. I'll be safe here…. Yes, I'll be safe…. I think."
Link's yell came in a thundering bark, but there was no response. The soldier merely sat with his back to the wall, shaking in the unnerving silence. Only the sound of the grimy water could be heard as it raced by. With a questioning expression, Link looked to the black imp upon him. She had no trouble reading his wolfish face. "That is a soldier's spirit. Maybe it's someone from the other world?" Her little giggle provoked a narrowed eye of suppressed frustration from Link, knowing that she was keeping things from him perhaps for her mere entertainment of watching him trying to understand and failing miserably.
He did not appreciate her humor.
"Shall we move on then?" She grinned and prodded him. Tossing her finger from his back with a shake of his beautiful coat, he leapt once more into the shallow, septic waters.
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After nearly an hour spent traversing through the murky water of the castle sewer, the couple came to a large, cylindrical room with ascending stone stairs which were carved out from the curved wall. The stairwell seemed to stretch up to the heavens, yet it was visibly broken in many places. "Well, you'll have to climb it, now won't you, beastie? Get on with it!" his partner commanded.
Growling, Link pulled himself in the direction of the first step. Under his weight, eight steps collapsed in sequence and exploded in a whirl of dust at the bottom of the pit.
"Oh! Do I have to do everything?" the imp yelped. With a flick of her hands, and a quick jolting nod of her head, the pair dissipated and then reappeared higher up the stones. Eyes wide in puzzlement, Link looked over the edge of the stones, which owned only traces of a railing. Below were many spirals of the stairs. He looked to the imp, and her twisted grin greeted him. "I'm sure you can handle the rest, then?" she pointed with an exaggerated wave of her arm. He looked ahead to see that only a few meters of stairs remained. Obviously, she had used the same trick as she had before when moving unhindered through the solid metal bars of his cage. She had teleported them somehow.
After an angry bark, Link moved on and into the chamber ahead.
Above him towered a hollowed cavern-like room. It seemed oddly large to only hold the existence of a few windows and a door, a door which had apparently been blown open from a massive gust of wind that rapped against the walls outside. Link stepped cautiously around the crumbling stones to reach the exit, and once outside he caught sight of a gloomy sky, hazed in a never-ending grey cloud. All around him towers shot upward and catwalks connected every piece of stone together in a web. It was as if a city itself, built of ancient stone in a time long gone by, and he had to crane his neck just to see the highest peak of the grand structure that rose before him. Ripped flags and banners both red and blue swayed forlornly, and etched into the pediment on one of the tower's archways high above appeared the symbol that had plagued Link's hand since birth. Shock absorbed him, but he did not let the imp notice.
"Ah, finally outside. Oh, and just look at the sky! Isn't the black cloud of twilight looking beautiful today?" she asked. "Know where you are yet?" Link looked at her blankly. "Oh well. Look, there's someone I want to introduce you to, so I'll need you to go to that tower," she pointed.
Link followed her finger and memorized the location, for the rooftops of this massive place seemed a maze to his eyes. With that, the imp fell quiet, and Link started off across the windblown catwalks of what appeared to be ... a massive castle.
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When at last Link and his little companion reached the other side of the treacherous catwalks, her tiny black hand pointed to the open window sill of a nearby tower. Link grunted his way up the craggy rock-faced structure. His footing faltered on the jagged pieces a few times, forcing him to quickly readjust the pressure he applied to each of his paws. Walking on all fours was still strange enough to him, but now he had to learn to climb with them as well. Which was surprisingly not all that difficult. It was almost instinct, as if he had been this way for years.
At last, he climbed over the sill and leapt into the circling stairwell below. He ascended the steps cautiously, only the light from the cracked window guiding him. However, it surprised him how well he could see in the dark spots.
A gigantic doorway loomed at the top of the stairs. Upon the closed threshold lay a wooden plank, and before he could act, his partner had already lifted a finger and broken the bark to mere splinters with her strange magic. She only cornered him with that sneering grin then looked away, expectant. Ruffling his fur a bit, hoping to agitate her, he waddled forward and pushed past the giant doors.
The room beyond was rather large, bed and small table holding a wasted meal at one corner and a burning fireplace in the other. Two large, identical windows had been carved into the far wall. Rain poured beyond their ornately shaped grilles, and before their cage-like appearance there stood an empty chair. Though its red cushion looked quite welcome and comfortable, the dark form before the windows stood unwavering. Its straight figure undoubtedly named it human of sorts, however, a hooded mantle sheltered its identity; a splatter of white-gold embroidery decorated the shoulders and back.
Sniffing a taste of wickedness about this room, Link growled at the figure, unbeknownst to his partner's amusement at his actions. At the sound of her echoing giggle, the hooded figure turned swiftly about to look upon them. Link could barely see a nose and mouth. Darkness splayed across its eyes. Yet with a small gasp from under a violet scarf, Link identified its gender as female. At this, he perked up, his snarling visage erased. Captivated, he moved forward to try to gain a better look, as his companion rolled her eyes with a mischievous grin.
"…Midna?" the feminine voice spoke from beyond the veil. Her voice was as pure as the hymns Link had heard as an infant. Realizing that the voice spoke to the one he carried, he looked back at her and set the name to her likeness. Midna…. Yes, the name seemed to fit.
"You remembered my name?" laughed Midna. She bowed her head, casting her eye in an ominous shadow. "What an honor for me."
The figure shifted. Link looked back to her, and even though he still could not distinguish them from beyond her shadowed face … he felt her eyes staring into his. "So, this is the one for whom you were searching," she said aloud.
Midna pawed at her lips. "Not exactly what I had in mind … but I guess he'll do."
It was in that moment that silence overtook them. The figure crouched before Link, and he followed her face, trying to blink back the darkness from her features.
Suddenly, her fair voice broke the quiet. "You were imprisoned?" Link looked to his hand--paw--to acknowledge the chain to which she referred. "I am sorry," she said after a long moment of contemplation.
Link's partner shattered the solemn calm about them. "Poor thing," her cynical voice echoed. "He has no idea where this is, or what's happened. So, don't you think you should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much." She lowered her head, her eye glowing within the darkness. A sparkle from her red and yellow socket prickled the air. "Twilight Princess." The title rang with Midna's crude giggle.
The figure slouched then, as if remembering why everything had been shrouded by darkness within the swiftest moment. Link heard her sigh, and she lifted her head to him again. Her voice had broken free of its soft notes and lowered to an octave commanding authority. "Listen carefully."
She took a breath, gathering her memories. "This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule."
The castle … this castle… realized Link. This must be Hyrule Castle.
"But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight. It has been turned into a world of shadows ... ruled by creatures who shun the light."
She then recollected the events that had led up to the fall of the kingdom, how one dark day the king of the twilight had laid siege to the castle of Hyrule. "Out of a cloud of smoke, the monsters came at the army with brutal force. The proud knights of Hyrule were no match for their wickedness. It was in that moment, when the army was all but defeated, that the ruler of the twilight--with two shadow guards--came before the princess of the kingdom. He left her with a painful decision: Surrender or die. Faced with this decision, the princess did the only thing she could….
"She laid down her sword to him….
"Twilight began to cover Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits. Yet within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms. All the people know now is fear. Fear of a nameless evil…."
Throughout her dreary reminiscence, she had once again turned to the window and had stolen away into quietness. She shook free of her thoughts and again looked to Link. Without fear and in resolute pride, she declared, "The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remain its princess." The sides of her mantle parted to reveal beautifully patterned white gloves the length of her arms, and she lifted her hands to toss back the shadows from her face. She shook her head free of the static that still ate at the gorgeous blond locks accenting her brunette head. A sparkling golden crown beset with sapphires rested at her hairline and crimson ribbons dangled from her silver earrings. Link stared up at her beauty in complete awe, so much so that Midna nearly tumbled off and had to snatch a tuft of fur to remain aloft.
The woman's cheeks seemed to glow in contrast to the surrounding darkness, and her blue eyes gazed down into his. "I am Zelda."
Midna tilted her head. "You don't have to look so sad," she said in a tone unusual to her. Yet, to amend her gentleness, she added, hands behind her head, "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"
"Midna, this is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?" the princess asked.
Midna popped up from Link and hovered with her back to them in a moment of thoughtfulness, yet it was clear that no answer from her would be straightforward.
Zelda patiently waited.
"Why indeed?" she giggled. "You tell me."
Zelda shifted, accepting her cryptic reply. "Time has grown short," she said to Link. "The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here. Quickly." With that, the princess turned back to the windows and stared blankly into the twilight beyond and the bobbing orbs of green light traveling the streets of the town below.
"I pray that you succeed … where I failed," came her final whisper.
Link could see in the reflection of the window how the light in her eyes dimmed, the sparkles within them a mirror to what had become of her citizens ... because of her.
Link raised a hand to the beast's fingers, attempting to pry the coils from his neck, and as he did so, his hand began to burn with new life as it had done so just days ago. A piercing light shone from it for a fraction of an instant, and the dark hand released him, the creature's waddling scamper carrying it away in an eyeblink.
Link fell hard to the ground, yet relieved that the monster had freed him. He choked in new air, and with it, his life restored. He looked around, noticing similarities of this woodland to that of Faron. It looked so much like Ordon's forested neighbor, only a new haze threading its life. He then realized ... he was in Faron. But this darkness…. Why-- how-- What is this?
He pushed himself up to search for the source of the spell over Faron, but a thunderous pain seared his hind legs, an agony that spread like fire in a thicket up his spine to span out to the rest of his nerves. Link caught himself, lying there unable to move from the festering pain. He felt his heart throb in a rhythmic beating as the mark on his hand simultaneously pulsated and burned, both of which deepened his anguish. His breath caught in grunts as tears glued his eyes shut and his brows furrowed. His chest pounded and the feeling pushed a deep, painful sigh from his taught lips. He faltered, his hands barely holding him up. The pain filtered from the nerves in his appendages to his very bones. A crackling within forced another stream of pained grunts from him, as he felt his legs breaking under an invisible pressure. His muscles involuntarily jerked this way and that trying to find some comfort. It was as if a boulder had suddenly landed on him, slowly rolling over him, reshaping his body in a grotesque fashion.
The throbbing continued and intensified as his jaw bones stretched and cracked. Unable to acknowledge what was happening and unable to bear the suffering any longer, he cried out in a raucous shriek and fell into stillness.
The symbol upon his hand faded … as if it had never marked him.
Out of sight and high upon a rocky ledge, a small imp looked on as the creature that had first yanked Link into the shadows dragged him away….
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When Link awoke, a blurred grayness fogged his eyes. He blinked away the grogginess pulsing through his head and searched about to discover that ominous grey walls and a barred entrance encased him. Frightened and uncertain what had happened, he moved to search for a way out.
And then he felt it. A staggering jolt of pain bit at his wrist. Looking to see what bound him, he found a bolted chain slithering from the floor to a shackle around his left wrist … an inhuman wrist. Shocked, he looked over his hands and body and saw his body transformed. Water had pooled near the birth of the chain, and, tentatively, he looked into its mirror.
A strange and hideous beast stared back at Link.
Long fangs and a bright coat of silver, black, and white stunned him. His blue eyes remained, but they had grown more intense and savage. His nose had been molded into a long snout, with strange markings adorning his forehead. Unsure and completely terrified, Link confirmed he had been reformed into a beastly wolf. He tried to call out, but all that met his fuzzy, pointed ears was a bark which echoed off the dank walls.
At first, Link cowered, fearful of what other sorcery would befall him next. He was in a strange new existence, everything familiar erased save for the blue earrings that still adorned his ears … the only trace that proved his former identity.
He could feel the new power behind his piercing blue eyes, the intensity in which they could now view his surroundings. He still felt the burning edge that had plagued his bones upon his initial transformation. The simmer would not leave him; it was a constant itch he could not banish.
When he heard the whimper of his lupine form, he snapped together and--taking it within his sharp teeth--wrestled with the chain confining him in this dungeon. He had to escape from this strange new reality.
He heard something then--an strange hum--and looked into a corner of the cell. An odd, short figure approached him, feet hovering above the floor. Its head was large and embellished with an eccentric headpiece and long pointy ears jutting out from its face. Long yellow and orange hair dripped from the back of the helm, tied together near the end with a strange grey pin. One large yellow and red eye narrowed as it looked at him; its other eye lay hidden underneath the headdress. Suddenly, the single eye popped wide and a smile stretched across its face, a jagged fang poking out of its mouth in greeting.
The small body, splotched with white and black skin and decorated with glowing green markings, suddenly came to life and hopped over Link to stand on his opposite side. "I found you!" it said in a strange, cracking voice.
Its tone sounded feminine and heavily accented, but Link understood. He growled at it.
"Oh, aren't you scary," it sneered. Crossing its arms, it continued, "Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and glaring at me?" Link continued and backed away as far as he could. "Well, that's too bad. I was planning on helping you … if you were nice, that is."
At that, Link stopped glaring at it and perked up. Strange and ominous though this creature appeared, he did not care. He needed help, for he could not comprehend anything that had taken place since being stolen into the darkness over Faron Woods. Maybe it could prove to be useful.
"Ah, that's better," it said, still smiling slyly. "You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you? Oh, but wait," it added, patting his chin, "you aren't a human anymore. You're a beast!"
Link barked and snapped at her tiny hand, but she only leapt back, laughing a girlish, childlike chuckle. "There, there," she cooed mockingly. "You be a good boy and calm down. No need to bite." Then she brought her hands before her. Concentrating, she conjured a glowing black and red ball of energy. With a flick of her wrists, the ball dispersed in a pop of crimson light, and the chain that held Link in place snapped from the shackle. This caught Link off guard, and he looked in bewilderment to his freed hand--or rather, paw.
During that time Link had not realized her approach. "You look kind of surprised!" the little creature said, dipping her head before him with an arrogant smile before leaping away again, hovering back toward the bars. "So, I bet you're wondering … Where exactly are we?" Bubbles of dark and green and orange surrounded her body, and in a balletic twirl she propelled herself directly through the beams. She looked at him from beyond, "I'll make you a deal. If you can get over here, maybe I'll tell you!"
Her laughter reverberated as she sneered.
Link still could not discern what this creature was or if he should trust it, but without any knowledge of where he was or how he had gotten there, his only option was to hope it could and would truthfully help him. It knew he had once been human, so he assumed it had seen him before his dark transformation, which meant it knew from whence he had come. Link hoped with all hope it could take him back there again.
He spurred into action, shuffling this way and that, but despite his best efforts, he could not find any route to the other side. Movement in this form aggravated him. His limbs were alien to him and the body did not seem to work correctly. It would take getting used to … though, he hoped his time as a wolf would expire before he became comfortable. As he fumbled about, he stumbled into a pile of crates and hay. Involuntarily, he barked in his frustration … but his anger soon turned to curiosity. There was something odd in how the crates sat. He examined the area closer and tossed the crates out of the way. Behind their bundle he found a spot where the previous captive of the cell must have dug his way out. Taking advantage of this, Link slouched and struggled through the manmade indention.
Once on the opposite side, he heard pleased laughter as he shook his coat free of dirt. Next, he felt the creature land upon his backside, straddling him like a horse, and he circled around trying to toss her off.
"I guess you're not completely stupid after all!" she congratulated. This remark made Link cease in his movements, growling. "Listen," she calmed in a crude voice, "I like you, so I think I'll get you out of here." Link was relieved to hear her offer support, but grimaced immediately as she then grabbed his ear. "But in exchange for my help, you have to do exactly as I say!" she added in a menacing yet playful octave.
Link shook himself free of her fingers, grunting. Reluctantly, he barked in agreement.
"Good! Then let's get moving!"
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The reality of the situation was still sinking in, as Link and his new companion moved beyond the dungeon and discovered a way into the sewers. He could not understand how or why his body had been changed into a wolf or why he and his friends had even been attacked in the first place. His thoughts lingered on Ilia and Colin as his paws led him through the underground network. Where were they? Why were they taken? Were they all right?
Link trudged on absentmindedly as his mind frothed in confusion. He leapt down into the ankle-deep waters of the sewer paths, but immediately backed into the furthest wall … away from all the glowing green lights. Their appearance perplexed him; he had never seen anything like it. He looked at the light nearest him, trying to understand. The urge to approach and touch the light twisted along his lupine nerves and became the desire to sniff and bark at the hanging bubble of light. He resisted the urge, though, frightened at the strange new instincts.
Would he ever become human once more? And if he did ... would he still be keen on these wolfish characteristics?
"Oh, well, this is interesting, eh?" the tiny creature upon him blurted, knowing full well that Link was at this moment even more confused and bothered by the state of things. "Don't resist what your new body would have you do. Take a whiff why don't you!" she spat.
A growl inclined her to shrink back into her seat. Link watched the hovering light until he was convinced it would not surprise him with any sudden movements. Adhering to his companion's advice, he lifted his snout to the blinding specks. As soon as he did so, catching the faint scent of a human, he could see the outline of what appeared to be a Hylian soldier. Shocked at what he could see--and that he could detect the scent of a human--in his four-legged form, Link almost snapped backward, yet his curiosity won him out. Quietly, he looked over the knight, and in that moment, Link again was surprised … to hear the man mumbling. "I can't run any … farther. I'll be safe here…. Yes, I'll be safe…. I think."
Link's yell came in a thundering bark, but there was no response. The soldier merely sat with his back to the wall, shaking in the unnerving silence. Only the sound of the grimy water could be heard as it raced by. With a questioning expression, Link looked to the black imp upon him. She had no trouble reading his wolfish face. "That is a soldier's spirit. Maybe it's someone from the other world?" Her little giggle provoked a narrowed eye of suppressed frustration from Link, knowing that she was keeping things from him perhaps for her mere entertainment of watching him trying to understand and failing miserably.
He did not appreciate her humor.
"Shall we move on then?" She grinned and prodded him. Tossing her finger from his back with a shake of his beautiful coat, he leapt once more into the shallow, septic waters.
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After nearly an hour spent traversing through the murky water of the castle sewer, the couple came to a large, cylindrical room with ascending stone stairs which were carved out from the curved wall. The stairwell seemed to stretch up to the heavens, yet it was visibly broken in many places. "Well, you'll have to climb it, now won't you, beastie? Get on with it!" his partner commanded.
Growling, Link pulled himself in the direction of the first step. Under his weight, eight steps collapsed in sequence and exploded in a whirl of dust at the bottom of the pit.
"Oh! Do I have to do everything?" the imp yelped. With a flick of her hands, and a quick jolting nod of her head, the pair dissipated and then reappeared higher up the stones. Eyes wide in puzzlement, Link looked over the edge of the stones, which owned only traces of a railing. Below were many spirals of the stairs. He looked to the imp, and her twisted grin greeted him. "I'm sure you can handle the rest, then?" she pointed with an exaggerated wave of her arm. He looked ahead to see that only a few meters of stairs remained. Obviously, she had used the same trick as she had before when moving unhindered through the solid metal bars of his cage. She had teleported them somehow.
After an angry bark, Link moved on and into the chamber ahead.
Above him towered a hollowed cavern-like room. It seemed oddly large to only hold the existence of a few windows and a door, a door which had apparently been blown open from a massive gust of wind that rapped against the walls outside. Link stepped cautiously around the crumbling stones to reach the exit, and once outside he caught sight of a gloomy sky, hazed in a never-ending grey cloud. All around him towers shot upward and catwalks connected every piece of stone together in a web. It was as if a city itself, built of ancient stone in a time long gone by, and he had to crane his neck just to see the highest peak of the grand structure that rose before him. Ripped flags and banners both red and blue swayed forlornly, and etched into the pediment on one of the tower's archways high above appeared the symbol that had plagued Link's hand since birth. Shock absorbed him, but he did not let the imp notice.
"Ah, finally outside. Oh, and just look at the sky! Isn't the black cloud of twilight looking beautiful today?" she asked. "Know where you are yet?" Link looked at her blankly. "Oh well. Look, there's someone I want to introduce you to, so I'll need you to go to that tower," she pointed.
Link followed her finger and memorized the location, for the rooftops of this massive place seemed a maze to his eyes. With that, the imp fell quiet, and Link started off across the windblown catwalks of what appeared to be ... a massive castle.
===============
When at last Link and his little companion reached the other side of the treacherous catwalks, her tiny black hand pointed to the open window sill of a nearby tower. Link grunted his way up the craggy rock-faced structure. His footing faltered on the jagged pieces a few times, forcing him to quickly readjust the pressure he applied to each of his paws. Walking on all fours was still strange enough to him, but now he had to learn to climb with them as well. Which was surprisingly not all that difficult. It was almost instinct, as if he had been this way for years.
At last, he climbed over the sill and leapt into the circling stairwell below. He ascended the steps cautiously, only the light from the cracked window guiding him. However, it surprised him how well he could see in the dark spots.
A gigantic doorway loomed at the top of the stairs. Upon the closed threshold lay a wooden plank, and before he could act, his partner had already lifted a finger and broken the bark to mere splinters with her strange magic. She only cornered him with that sneering grin then looked away, expectant. Ruffling his fur a bit, hoping to agitate her, he waddled forward and pushed past the giant doors.
The room beyond was rather large, bed and small table holding a wasted meal at one corner and a burning fireplace in the other. Two large, identical windows had been carved into the far wall. Rain poured beyond their ornately shaped grilles, and before their cage-like appearance there stood an empty chair. Though its red cushion looked quite welcome and comfortable, the dark form before the windows stood unwavering. Its straight figure undoubtedly named it human of sorts, however, a hooded mantle sheltered its identity; a splatter of white-gold embroidery decorated the shoulders and back.
Sniffing a taste of wickedness about this room, Link growled at the figure, unbeknownst to his partner's amusement at his actions. At the sound of her echoing giggle, the hooded figure turned swiftly about to look upon them. Link could barely see a nose and mouth. Darkness splayed across its eyes. Yet with a small gasp from under a violet scarf, Link identified its gender as female. At this, he perked up, his snarling visage erased. Captivated, he moved forward to try to gain a better look, as his companion rolled her eyes with a mischievous grin.
"…Midna?" the feminine voice spoke from beyond the veil. Her voice was as pure as the hymns Link had heard as an infant. Realizing that the voice spoke to the one he carried, he looked back at her and set the name to her likeness. Midna…. Yes, the name seemed to fit.
"You remembered my name?" laughed Midna. She bowed her head, casting her eye in an ominous shadow. "What an honor for me."
The figure shifted. Link looked back to her, and even though he still could not distinguish them from beyond her shadowed face … he felt her eyes staring into his. "So, this is the one for whom you were searching," she said aloud.
Midna pawed at her lips. "Not exactly what I had in mind … but I guess he'll do."
It was in that moment that silence overtook them. The figure crouched before Link, and he followed her face, trying to blink back the darkness from her features.
Suddenly, her fair voice broke the quiet. "You were imprisoned?" Link looked to his hand--paw--to acknowledge the chain to which she referred. "I am sorry," she said after a long moment of contemplation.
Link's partner shattered the solemn calm about them. "Poor thing," her cynical voice echoed. "He has no idea where this is, or what's happened. So, don't you think you should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much." She lowered her head, her eye glowing within the darkness. A sparkle from her red and yellow socket prickled the air. "Twilight Princess." The title rang with Midna's crude giggle.
The figure slouched then, as if remembering why everything had been shrouded by darkness within the swiftest moment. Link heard her sigh, and she lifted her head to him again. Her voice had broken free of its soft notes and lowered to an octave commanding authority. "Listen carefully."
She took a breath, gathering her memories. "This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule."
The castle … this castle… realized Link. This must be Hyrule Castle.
"But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight. It has been turned into a world of shadows ... ruled by creatures who shun the light."
She then recollected the events that had led up to the fall of the kingdom, how one dark day the king of the twilight had laid siege to the castle of Hyrule. "Out of a cloud of smoke, the monsters came at the army with brutal force. The proud knights of Hyrule were no match for their wickedness. It was in that moment, when the army was all but defeated, that the ruler of the twilight--with two shadow guards--came before the princess of the kingdom. He left her with a painful decision: Surrender or die. Faced with this decision, the princess did the only thing she could….
"She laid down her sword to him….
"Twilight began to cover Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits. Yet within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms. All the people know now is fear. Fear of a nameless evil…."
Throughout her dreary reminiscence, she had once again turned to the window and had stolen away into quietness. She shook free of her thoughts and again looked to Link. Without fear and in resolute pride, she declared, "The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remain its princess." The sides of her mantle parted to reveal beautifully patterned white gloves the length of her arms, and she lifted her hands to toss back the shadows from her face. She shook her head free of the static that still ate at the gorgeous blond locks accenting her brunette head. A sparkling golden crown beset with sapphires rested at her hairline and crimson ribbons dangled from her silver earrings. Link stared up at her beauty in complete awe, so much so that Midna nearly tumbled off and had to snatch a tuft of fur to remain aloft.
The woman's cheeks seemed to glow in contrast to the surrounding darkness, and her blue eyes gazed down into his. "I am Zelda."
Midna tilted her head. "You don't have to look so sad," she said in a tone unusual to her. Yet, to amend her gentleness, she added, hands behind her head, "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"
"Midna, this is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?" the princess asked.
Midna popped up from Link and hovered with her back to them in a moment of thoughtfulness, yet it was clear that no answer from her would be straightforward.
Zelda patiently waited.
"Why indeed?" she giggled. "You tell me."
Zelda shifted, accepting her cryptic reply. "Time has grown short," she said to Link. "The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here. Quickly." With that, the princess turned back to the windows and stared blankly into the twilight beyond and the bobbing orbs of green light traveling the streets of the town below.
"I pray that you succeed … where I failed," came her final whisper.
Link could see in the reflection of the window how the light in her eyes dimmed, the sparkles within them a mirror to what had become of her citizens ... because of her.
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REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
~OneKnownAsImp Aug 11, 2007 It's pretty much identical to the game, practically line for line, but I liked it in the game and I like it here. ^_^
~Mushkikizou-chan Sep 10, 2007 I really like this story, its the only novilitation I found for TP thats aqually a decent length!
~Storm-raider Sep 21, 2008 A great piece of writing!! This definitely has to be my favourite part in the game; always has had something that got to me.
~OneKnownAsImp Aug 11, 2007 Excellent chapter. You expanded upon the conversation [with Zelda] and shortened the flash back. It made things interesting. ^_^ XD
~KingdomHeartsgal Feb 11, 2008 This is very interesting, I tried to write this too but it never worked out, and now I am enjoying yours so I guess...I'll just enjoy it and read more of it and then...um, I dunno. But I like this! You're good at writing.
~The-ShadowMaster Feb 2, 2012 Very nice^^ you're making me want to play this game from the beginning again. I'm liking your interpretation of this so far, it's really cool
~Mushkikizou-chan Sep 10, 2007 I really like this story, its the only novilitation I found for TP thats aqually a decent length!
~Storm-raider Sep 21, 2008 A great piece of writing!! This definitely has to be my favourite part in the game; always has had something that got to me.
~OneKnownAsImp Aug 11, 2007 Excellent chapter. You expanded upon the conversation [with Zelda] and shortened the flash back. It made things interesting. ^_^ XD
~KingdomHeartsgal Feb 11, 2008 This is very interesting, I tried to write this too but it never worked out, and now I am enjoying yours so I guess...I'll just enjoy it and read more of it and then...um, I dunno. But I like this! You're good at writing.
~The-ShadowMaster Feb 2, 2012 Very nice^^ you're making me want to play this game from the beginning again. I'm liking your interpretation of this so far, it's really cool