CHAPTER 43: HER SACRIFICE
After assisting Midna down from the wreckage, Link took a turn about the room to collect his scattered weapons. More out of habit than necessity did he shoulder his bow. Midna still favored her side where the marks of the Dark Beast had bloodied her white and black skin, but she ignored the now mildly stinging pain as she rose to glide toward Princess Zelda.
Zelda, a princess frozen in twilight, a suffocated candle. The princess had lived without soul for some time now, forced to exist upon the brink. She sat as an empty vessel, and as Midna looked upon her, a thousand thoughts ran the course of her mind and
tangled into one emotion. Respect. Adoration. Gratitude. These were but a few of those strands that came together to form something beyond words. Midna's lips sank into a single, unreadable line, and when she turned to find Link approaching the throne, she tossed a glance behind him.
The Dark Beast. The wretched king that had used everyone as his toys, mere puppets to his fancy. The line of her mouth twisted into a small frown. It was the fault of this dead king that Zant had come to power, that her people had fallen into suffering … that Link had faced death's door countless times.
As she looked at the beast something in her screamed. She thought it just a pessimistic twinge when the feeling entered her that Ganondorf had truly not been slain. To think this way was ridiculous. She could see clearly that the beast no longer drew breath. Perhaps it was simply a victor's shock in finally reaching a goal that had for so long seemed so distant … so unattainable.
She looked to Link for comfort and when their eyes met all her unrest was smothered. This boy. No, this man … this Hero. They had known each other for so short a time, and yet … Midna felt as though a lifetime had passed, for she felt so complete with him at her side that she could not remember her life before his strong sapphire eyes.
Link took his place at Midna's side and turned his gaze downward. At the base of the throne stairs laid the beast now abolished from Hyrule's long nightmare. The Hero stood in silence, taking in the sound of the rain. At the dawn of this night the rain had brought death from thundering skies, but now … it was a cleansing shower to wipe away the trails of blood that echoed within these halls. But, Link thought, no amount of rain could possibly purge his memory of the needless bloodshed he had witnessed. The crimson tides that had been spilled during the course of his journey could have dyed even the pure blue of Lake Hylia a permanent shade of death.
A sudden light drew his attention to Midna. Her body gleamed like the moon awash with starlight. Dancing particles swirled about her as she hovered there. She stretched out her arms, eyes wide as she looked over herself. Surprise and amazement filled her and for an instant, her eye closed. It was the strangest feeling, as if suddenly all color had consumed the dark of night, filling every corner with light and emotion and a whirl of life. The feeling took her breath away as the warmth that had once sustained her bled from every pore until only the cool mist of shadow remained within her. She watched as the particles of light one by one
soared into Zelda. Their flight left Midna somewhat hollow inside, but yet … never had she felt more complete.
Princess Zelda's natural glow returned to her fair skin, and Link's eyes followed the trail of light as it passed from one princess to the next. When his eyes fell on the Hyrulean princess he could not bring himself to look away. At last he would look upon her living body with his natural eyes and at long last would his princess see the true man behind the wolf.
When her eyes opened, Link's breath caught. Her gaze remained downcast as the essence of her life was restored. Her lips parted in a soft breath, but she lingered in silence for a long time.
Midna blinked, wondering what thought or feeling it was that passed through those youthful, wise eyes. She thought perhaps Zelda could feel some residual energy of the twilight of her soul just as Midna had felt the lingering presence of Zelda's light. The imp tried to ask it of her, tried to ensure that the princess was indeed whole again, tried to explain … tried to thank her.
"Princess? I … I…." Her tongue became water as the right words slipped away.
Princess Zelda slowly shifted her body, settling back into the feel of it, righting her posture. "Say nothing, Midna." Her voice was as soft and kind as silk. She looked into the imp's eyes with deepest empathy then turned her gaze inward. "Your heart and mine were as one, however briefly…." She touched her silk covered fingers to her breast, remembering the emotions she had felt when living inside the small, cursed imp. "Such suffering you have endured…."
Midna's lip quivered. Every cruel thing that had happened to her came rushing back in that single moment, but she refused to loose her tears. This princess had seen the deepest, darkest corners of her. In the past had Zelda sympathized for her, she would have matched such kindness with a snide retort. But now, near the end of Hyrule's twilight, Midna could only bow her eyes in deepest humility. Finally, at the end of the terrors, could Midna accept what had happened to her. Her curse and her banishment had been most agonizing, but she had learned more as Link's companion than her father had ever managed. The thought of him, the thought of that wise, kind king trying his best to maintain a kingdom and a mischievous, unruly daughter…. To think that
Link, hero of Hyrule, had been able to teach her more in his selfless adolescence than a king…. Link was a hero with the heart of a king. The thought of his greatness made her feel unworthy of every luxury she had ever been afforded.
In Midna's silence Zelda had turned her attention to Link, whose stare had remained transfixed in the princess's renewed majesty. She rose from her throne and seemed about to say something to the Hero when a sudden flash and crackle of fire made each of them jump. At first they thought it the lightning on the wind, but the yellow flicker behind them alerted them to danger. Zelda--facing the throne room--was the first to see the rising tide of yellow flame bursting forth from the corpse of the Dark Beast.
When Link and Midna turned to the scene, the embers of shadow boiled the body of the beast into yellow ash that splintered off like a thousand needles into the room. Everywhere the darts landed flame followed, until the entire room had been consumed in its dull grace. The surrounding fire did not breathe heat; instead, it brought a different presence, a kind of smoky weight that pressed against their chests and choked their souls.
Instinctively, Midna closed the distance from Link's side as a new body began to rise from the flames and ash of the deceased beast. Eyes of evil gold turned up to glare upon the three bodies at the throne, and in seeing the body of Ganondorf rising once more--made entirely of yellow and black fire--she realized why she had felt so hesitant of his death.
A guttural laugh bellowed forth from every corner of the fire as Midna remembered the words of Zant. "Foolish Twilight Princess…. The curse was placed on you … by the magic of my god!"
Had they truly slain the king of evil would not the curse on her have been broken? Or was it still foolish of her to think that such a powerful curse could be dispelled by the death of its caster? Perhaps she truly was destined to remain this way forever.
Link tossed a hand out behind him to act as Zelda's shield. He took a few steps back, at a loss how to kill a foe he had already defeated in two bouts already. Or had those defeats even been victories at all? Perhaps they had just been the precursor to this king's true power.
Link had no plan, no method of attack. How was he expected to conquer such an enemy? How had the armies of old been able to subdue such a creature?
Midna, too, was uncertain of their chances. Staring into the burning eyes of Zant's god, she found no answer in how to defeat him. Perhaps her magic was an ancient art, a petty tool in the eyes of this man, but it--and the strength she had found in being Link's companion--was all she had. For so long she had watched over him, watched as he stepped in to protect the innocent, the weak, the injured. Link had faltered at times during their journey, that was true, but he had always fought past his doubts to be reborn with new courage.
It was that same courage that Midna breathed in when she spoke. "Link, you've given everything to protect the people of this realm … and of a realm of shadows…." She did not look at her companion as she spoke, but she could feel his gaze turn to her,
feel the tension in his very bones. "You've fought and bled…." Midna could not find the words she truly wished to say. There was so much to say, but all she could muster was, "Now, I return the favor for the light."
If there was one way she could expunge her past sins it was this.
Link stood frozen with shock at her words that by the time he realized her true intent, the Fused Shadows already circled her frame. Though the world continued to spin on, it felt to Link as though he moved slower than was possible. His words caught in
his throat, the fright of what he knew she intended strangling his ability to say anything. Sounds burst from him, breaths catching in his mouth, gasps that struggled to put syllables into words. With a hand he reached for her, trying against time to touch her, to stop her, but suddenly a sick feeling stirred behind his navel. With a paralyzing jolt of cold energy he stopped entirely and his lungs collapsed as he stared wide-eyed at Midna.
Quicker than a flash of lightning his body rained upward as bits of shadow. For only an instant as his body dispersed could he still see what lie beneath in the throne room. In that moment--one forever frozen into his soul--he saw Midna, looking up … smiling. The most genuine smile covered her lips as she watched him depart, and just before the Fused Shadows closed in around her tiny frame and before his window into the world below had closed, he heard her whisper one final time….
"See you later."
===============
Link's arm was still outstretched when he rematerialized. His breath caught in his chest when he no longer saw Midna beyond his fingers. His lips closed tightly around the words he had wanted to speak. He cast his glance about wildly in search of Midna even though he knew he would not find her shadow in any corner of the land around him.
He found only Princess Zelda alongside him, passing her gaze about in the same confusion.
Eldin field, Link realized. Southeast of Hyrule Castle Town.
He stepped up to her as his eyes turned, squinting at the dawning horizon. In another hour or so, a new day would be born. The rain had stopped, but many of the clouds remained, threatening to conjure storm and thunder anew.
But the clouds brought forth a different storm.
Like a million drumming needles, black raindrops pounded the earth and brought forth thousands of bodies. Most of them were soldiers--some in mid-swing against now invisible foes--and others were cowering citizens who had either elected to stay behind or been too frightened to flee. Every one of them wore a countenance of bewilderment. Murmurs and screams passed throughout the large group, each questioning the other for information in what had happened.
None had answer, and Link realized in that moment, looking across all the startled faces as each in turn found the distant towers of Hyrule Castle, that Midna had not only exiled Zelda and him from the threat of Ganondorf … she had summoned up so much power that she had excised every last man, woman, and child from the castle grounds and town. She had cast them away in the hopes of saving them.
She had pushed Link away … because she cared.
Link turned to Zelda and the princess looked from the multitudes to him. Quiet understanding also lit her eyes, and just as she was stretching out a hand to console his loss, a crackle thundered through the sky, resonating from the direction of the castle.
Every eye looked to the castle in the silent moment that followed and watched in horror as splinters of lightning burst forth from the center of the castle. In one instant the castle stood strong against the sky. In the next the sparks flew out from the throne room to crash into the towers and battlements, breaking stones free from every wall. As sections of the castle crumbled into nothing, the throne room suddenly exploded. A great flurry of stone and dust scattered into the sky. The miniature shockwave that reached them in the moments that followed was not strong enough to send them to their backs, but the sight itself--a hurricane of smoke concealing whatever might remain of the castle--was everything to paralyze even the toughest soldiers. Every limb of every man and woman grew numb at the sight, and those that had had swords raised in previous defenses could barely grip their hilts any longer. Most could not close their eyes at the sight, others still blinked repeatedly as if trying to wipe away the
impossibility.
Thunderstruck, Link peeled his eyes from the castle to Zelda once more. Her jaw hung agape in disbelief. She clutched her chest,
perhaps trying to feel for her own heartbeat. It was like some cruel nightmare. Surely she was dreaming and when the sun rose upon the eastern horizon, so would she.
But no matter how much Link wished this to be some elaborate dream world, some horrible mirage, he knew that this was their reality, and his only thought as he looked back to the ruined castle was of Midna.
Many would have died in such an explosion. Her courageous sacrifice had saved thousands from needless, brutal deaths. Not long ago she would have gladly let the people of the light realm die in the hopes that she would survive to the coming dawn. Now, however, she had willingly, knowingly, given up her life for every one of them.
Could she have survived such a blast? Link kept thinking that some miracle was sure to transpire, that Midna would come flying
over the northern hilltops to reclaim her place at his side. But through the long silence that followed the destruction of the castle, no soul emerged from the clouds of black smoke. He did not know how long it was that he had stood there, staring at those hilltops, awaiting the return of Midna before Zelda laid a hand on his arm.
Her touch broke through the poison of his denial, and then came the guilt that strangled him. He looked down to his hand, and hand that had tried in vain to grab Midna, fingers that had long ago coiled around Midna's with a promise.
"Wherever it is you go…" he had said.
Now … she was in the one place to where he could not follow. To even try would be to disgrace her last action.
That was when Link heard it. Gasps turning to yelps. Murmurs becoming urgent whispers, demanding answers. Link raised his gaze once more to the field. As the whispers grew louder more heads turned toward the hilltops upon which Link had silently begged to see companion appear. With the crowd closing in more tightly, however, Link could barely see whatever it was that had drawn their attention. In the distance he spotted a bloodied Rusl, and even the blacksmith stood pointing toward the hills.
Link's breath caught, the brightest hope spreading like fire through his veins, rekindling his ability to move. With careful steps at
first, he made his way through the crowd. His longing to see Midna alive and well accelerated his footfalls until he was nearly stumbling along, jostling and pushing his way past the swarm of confused soldiers and citizens.
When he at last reached the head of the assembly, he stopped and squinted up at the dark figure that stood in the distance. At first he thought it a prank of the smoke that fluttered behind the figure, but then he realized the awful truth.
Whatever hope had been restored within Link was swiftly brushed aside like a blow to the face. What he had mistaken for smoke took its true shape as a tattered black cape, flapping in the remaining gusts of the night.
There sat the sinister Ganondorf astride a mount as black as his heart.
His horse neighed and reared onto its hind legs as the grinning king held up a triumphant hand. But it was not just any gesture, Link realized. His fist held an object, a trophy … in the shape of a Fused Shadow. Not just any piece, however. This particular section was the very piece that Midna had used as her headdress; it had been like her single article of clothing, and Link had never seen her without it.
It was the single piece of evidence that proved what Link had wished to deny.
"Do you think mere trinkets will slay me?" the evil one screamed in amused disgust.
Link's heart leapt into his throat and he could not swallow its pain. Memories of his partner flooded into his brain. Her callous laugh when they first met, her hand dragging him from the water of Lake Hylia, her confession before their trek into the desert, her encouragement when he had faltered, her giggle at his clumsiness…. He remembered her pain when the truth of her identity had come to light. He remembered the way she felt when he held her in his arms after the breaking of the barrier.
He remembered her last, kind smile as he was pulled away from her.
All those memories crashed into dust when Ganondorf's fist tightened around the Fused Shadow. It crumbled under his power
and its shards and ashes collapsed into a pile on the grass beneath him.
A rage that Link had never felt and did not understand fumed in his blood. He grabbed for the Master Sword in the same instant the evil one waved the blade of the sages above his head, his pride pulling his lips into a crooked smile. In Ganondorf's mind he had already won, but Link would prove him wrong. He would wipe his smirk away in a river of blood. He would split his skull. He would drive his sword through his heart. He would gut him like the pig he was.
Ganondorf charged ahead, trampling the remains of Midna. Lust empowered Ganondorf and he was soon joined by ghostlike riders that galloped in formation at his sides. They were mere phantoms conjured by his power, but already they served their purpose, for the Hylian knights behind Link were screaming and begging for orders, pleading for someone to tell them how to
survive. Link could hear the general barking commands behind him, but none of that mattered to him in that moment. Their voices were like irksome bees, and Link's sole interest were the eyes of Ganondorf … those cold, yellow eyes that sought to undo every soul he had saved along his journey. Malevolent eyes that clawed at Link's heart.
Link held the Master Sword so tightly that it was as if its hilt has fused into him, become an extension of his arm. Every thread
of his being wanted this. Every thought screamed for the death--the execution--of this tyrant … this murderer.
A delicate hand touched his hand then, jolting him free from his tangled emotions so suddenly that he stumbled before looking to his side and finding the glow of Princess Zelda there.
He was no cruel executioner. Even in the face of his overwhelming grief and rage, he could not forget who and what he was. He was the Hero for whom Midna had laid down her life. He was the man that Midna had come to respect and care for with every strand of her soul. To act in anger, to kill in a hasty fury, would only serve to dishonor her memory further.
Zelda felt Link's hand slacken its grip slightly and she nodded, understanding how difficult it was to let go of his burning rage.
This did not, however, stop the charging Ganondorf and his minions. Link looked to Zelda for guidance, and as the soldiers formed into hasty ranks behind them … Zelda bowed her head.
And prayed.
"Spirits of the light … wielders of the great power that shines far and wide upon the lands of our world…"
Link looked back to Ganondorf. The king was closing fast. Link's heart drummed. He could see the red eyes of the king's steed now.
"In my hour of need, grant me the light to banish evil!"
Zelda's voice boomed with an unnatural echo, like the words of a goddess stretching into every valley and to the top of every
peak.
Just as Ganondorf would have trampled them, Link felt his veins explode in warmth and heard something like the deafening hum of crystal carried by the flash of a blinding, golden light.
Zelda, a princess frozen in twilight, a suffocated candle. The princess had lived without soul for some time now, forced to exist upon the brink. She sat as an empty vessel, and as Midna looked upon her, a thousand thoughts ran the course of her mind and
tangled into one emotion. Respect. Adoration. Gratitude. These were but a few of those strands that came together to form something beyond words. Midna's lips sank into a single, unreadable line, and when she turned to find Link approaching the throne, she tossed a glance behind him.
The Dark Beast. The wretched king that had used everyone as his toys, mere puppets to his fancy. The line of her mouth twisted into a small frown. It was the fault of this dead king that Zant had come to power, that her people had fallen into suffering … that Link had faced death's door countless times.
As she looked at the beast something in her screamed. She thought it just a pessimistic twinge when the feeling entered her that Ganondorf had truly not been slain. To think this way was ridiculous. She could see clearly that the beast no longer drew breath. Perhaps it was simply a victor's shock in finally reaching a goal that had for so long seemed so distant … so unattainable.
She looked to Link for comfort and when their eyes met all her unrest was smothered. This boy. No, this man … this Hero. They had known each other for so short a time, and yet … Midna felt as though a lifetime had passed, for she felt so complete with him at her side that she could not remember her life before his strong sapphire eyes.
Link took his place at Midna's side and turned his gaze downward. At the base of the throne stairs laid the beast now abolished from Hyrule's long nightmare. The Hero stood in silence, taking in the sound of the rain. At the dawn of this night the rain had brought death from thundering skies, but now … it was a cleansing shower to wipe away the trails of blood that echoed within these halls. But, Link thought, no amount of rain could possibly purge his memory of the needless bloodshed he had witnessed. The crimson tides that had been spilled during the course of his journey could have dyed even the pure blue of Lake Hylia a permanent shade of death.
A sudden light drew his attention to Midna. Her body gleamed like the moon awash with starlight. Dancing particles swirled about her as she hovered there. She stretched out her arms, eyes wide as she looked over herself. Surprise and amazement filled her and for an instant, her eye closed. It was the strangest feeling, as if suddenly all color had consumed the dark of night, filling every corner with light and emotion and a whirl of life. The feeling took her breath away as the warmth that had once sustained her bled from every pore until only the cool mist of shadow remained within her. She watched as the particles of light one by one
soared into Zelda. Their flight left Midna somewhat hollow inside, but yet … never had she felt more complete.
Princess Zelda's natural glow returned to her fair skin, and Link's eyes followed the trail of light as it passed from one princess to the next. When his eyes fell on the Hyrulean princess he could not bring himself to look away. At last he would look upon her living body with his natural eyes and at long last would his princess see the true man behind the wolf.
When her eyes opened, Link's breath caught. Her gaze remained downcast as the essence of her life was restored. Her lips parted in a soft breath, but she lingered in silence for a long time.
Midna blinked, wondering what thought or feeling it was that passed through those youthful, wise eyes. She thought perhaps Zelda could feel some residual energy of the twilight of her soul just as Midna had felt the lingering presence of Zelda's light. The imp tried to ask it of her, tried to ensure that the princess was indeed whole again, tried to explain … tried to thank her.
"Princess? I … I…." Her tongue became water as the right words slipped away.
Princess Zelda slowly shifted her body, settling back into the feel of it, righting her posture. "Say nothing, Midna." Her voice was as soft and kind as silk. She looked into the imp's eyes with deepest empathy then turned her gaze inward. "Your heart and mine were as one, however briefly…." She touched her silk covered fingers to her breast, remembering the emotions she had felt when living inside the small, cursed imp. "Such suffering you have endured…."
Midna's lip quivered. Every cruel thing that had happened to her came rushing back in that single moment, but she refused to loose her tears. This princess had seen the deepest, darkest corners of her. In the past had Zelda sympathized for her, she would have matched such kindness with a snide retort. But now, near the end of Hyrule's twilight, Midna could only bow her eyes in deepest humility. Finally, at the end of the terrors, could Midna accept what had happened to her. Her curse and her banishment had been most agonizing, but she had learned more as Link's companion than her father had ever managed. The thought of him, the thought of that wise, kind king trying his best to maintain a kingdom and a mischievous, unruly daughter…. To think that
Link, hero of Hyrule, had been able to teach her more in his selfless adolescence than a king…. Link was a hero with the heart of a king. The thought of his greatness made her feel unworthy of every luxury she had ever been afforded.
In Midna's silence Zelda had turned her attention to Link, whose stare had remained transfixed in the princess's renewed majesty. She rose from her throne and seemed about to say something to the Hero when a sudden flash and crackle of fire made each of them jump. At first they thought it the lightning on the wind, but the yellow flicker behind them alerted them to danger. Zelda--facing the throne room--was the first to see the rising tide of yellow flame bursting forth from the corpse of the Dark Beast.
When Link and Midna turned to the scene, the embers of shadow boiled the body of the beast into yellow ash that splintered off like a thousand needles into the room. Everywhere the darts landed flame followed, until the entire room had been consumed in its dull grace. The surrounding fire did not breathe heat; instead, it brought a different presence, a kind of smoky weight that pressed against their chests and choked their souls.
Instinctively, Midna closed the distance from Link's side as a new body began to rise from the flames and ash of the deceased beast. Eyes of evil gold turned up to glare upon the three bodies at the throne, and in seeing the body of Ganondorf rising once more--made entirely of yellow and black fire--she realized why she had felt so hesitant of his death.
A guttural laugh bellowed forth from every corner of the fire as Midna remembered the words of Zant. "Foolish Twilight Princess…. The curse was placed on you … by the magic of my god!"
Had they truly slain the king of evil would not the curse on her have been broken? Or was it still foolish of her to think that such a powerful curse could be dispelled by the death of its caster? Perhaps she truly was destined to remain this way forever.
Link tossed a hand out behind him to act as Zelda's shield. He took a few steps back, at a loss how to kill a foe he had already defeated in two bouts already. Or had those defeats even been victories at all? Perhaps they had just been the precursor to this king's true power.
Link had no plan, no method of attack. How was he expected to conquer such an enemy? How had the armies of old been able to subdue such a creature?
Midna, too, was uncertain of their chances. Staring into the burning eyes of Zant's god, she found no answer in how to defeat him. Perhaps her magic was an ancient art, a petty tool in the eyes of this man, but it--and the strength she had found in being Link's companion--was all she had. For so long she had watched over him, watched as he stepped in to protect the innocent, the weak, the injured. Link had faltered at times during their journey, that was true, but he had always fought past his doubts to be reborn with new courage.
It was that same courage that Midna breathed in when she spoke. "Link, you've given everything to protect the people of this realm … and of a realm of shadows…." She did not look at her companion as she spoke, but she could feel his gaze turn to her,
feel the tension in his very bones. "You've fought and bled…." Midna could not find the words she truly wished to say. There was so much to say, but all she could muster was, "Now, I return the favor for the light."
If there was one way she could expunge her past sins it was this.
Link stood frozen with shock at her words that by the time he realized her true intent, the Fused Shadows already circled her frame. Though the world continued to spin on, it felt to Link as though he moved slower than was possible. His words caught in
his throat, the fright of what he knew she intended strangling his ability to say anything. Sounds burst from him, breaths catching in his mouth, gasps that struggled to put syllables into words. With a hand he reached for her, trying against time to touch her, to stop her, but suddenly a sick feeling stirred behind his navel. With a paralyzing jolt of cold energy he stopped entirely and his lungs collapsed as he stared wide-eyed at Midna.
Quicker than a flash of lightning his body rained upward as bits of shadow. For only an instant as his body dispersed could he still see what lie beneath in the throne room. In that moment--one forever frozen into his soul--he saw Midna, looking up … smiling. The most genuine smile covered her lips as she watched him depart, and just before the Fused Shadows closed in around her tiny frame and before his window into the world below had closed, he heard her whisper one final time….
"See you later."
===============
Link's arm was still outstretched when he rematerialized. His breath caught in his chest when he no longer saw Midna beyond his fingers. His lips closed tightly around the words he had wanted to speak. He cast his glance about wildly in search of Midna even though he knew he would not find her shadow in any corner of the land around him.
He found only Princess Zelda alongside him, passing her gaze about in the same confusion.
Eldin field, Link realized. Southeast of Hyrule Castle Town.
He stepped up to her as his eyes turned, squinting at the dawning horizon. In another hour or so, a new day would be born. The rain had stopped, but many of the clouds remained, threatening to conjure storm and thunder anew.
But the clouds brought forth a different storm.
Like a million drumming needles, black raindrops pounded the earth and brought forth thousands of bodies. Most of them were soldiers--some in mid-swing against now invisible foes--and others were cowering citizens who had either elected to stay behind or been too frightened to flee. Every one of them wore a countenance of bewilderment. Murmurs and screams passed throughout the large group, each questioning the other for information in what had happened.
None had answer, and Link realized in that moment, looking across all the startled faces as each in turn found the distant towers of Hyrule Castle, that Midna had not only exiled Zelda and him from the threat of Ganondorf … she had summoned up so much power that she had excised every last man, woman, and child from the castle grounds and town. She had cast them away in the hopes of saving them.
She had pushed Link away … because she cared.
Link turned to Zelda and the princess looked from the multitudes to him. Quiet understanding also lit her eyes, and just as she was stretching out a hand to console his loss, a crackle thundered through the sky, resonating from the direction of the castle.
Every eye looked to the castle in the silent moment that followed and watched in horror as splinters of lightning burst forth from the center of the castle. In one instant the castle stood strong against the sky. In the next the sparks flew out from the throne room to crash into the towers and battlements, breaking stones free from every wall. As sections of the castle crumbled into nothing, the throne room suddenly exploded. A great flurry of stone and dust scattered into the sky. The miniature shockwave that reached them in the moments that followed was not strong enough to send them to their backs, but the sight itself--a hurricane of smoke concealing whatever might remain of the castle--was everything to paralyze even the toughest soldiers. Every limb of every man and woman grew numb at the sight, and those that had had swords raised in previous defenses could barely grip their hilts any longer. Most could not close their eyes at the sight, others still blinked repeatedly as if trying to wipe away the
impossibility.
Thunderstruck, Link peeled his eyes from the castle to Zelda once more. Her jaw hung agape in disbelief. She clutched her chest,
perhaps trying to feel for her own heartbeat. It was like some cruel nightmare. Surely she was dreaming and when the sun rose upon the eastern horizon, so would she.
But no matter how much Link wished this to be some elaborate dream world, some horrible mirage, he knew that this was their reality, and his only thought as he looked back to the ruined castle was of Midna.
Many would have died in such an explosion. Her courageous sacrifice had saved thousands from needless, brutal deaths. Not long ago she would have gladly let the people of the light realm die in the hopes that she would survive to the coming dawn. Now, however, she had willingly, knowingly, given up her life for every one of them.
Could she have survived such a blast? Link kept thinking that some miracle was sure to transpire, that Midna would come flying
over the northern hilltops to reclaim her place at his side. But through the long silence that followed the destruction of the castle, no soul emerged from the clouds of black smoke. He did not know how long it was that he had stood there, staring at those hilltops, awaiting the return of Midna before Zelda laid a hand on his arm.
Her touch broke through the poison of his denial, and then came the guilt that strangled him. He looked down to his hand, and hand that had tried in vain to grab Midna, fingers that had long ago coiled around Midna's with a promise.
"Wherever it is you go…" he had said.
Now … she was in the one place to where he could not follow. To even try would be to disgrace her last action.
That was when Link heard it. Gasps turning to yelps. Murmurs becoming urgent whispers, demanding answers. Link raised his gaze once more to the field. As the whispers grew louder more heads turned toward the hilltops upon which Link had silently begged to see companion appear. With the crowd closing in more tightly, however, Link could barely see whatever it was that had drawn their attention. In the distance he spotted a bloodied Rusl, and even the blacksmith stood pointing toward the hills.
Link's breath caught, the brightest hope spreading like fire through his veins, rekindling his ability to move. With careful steps at
first, he made his way through the crowd. His longing to see Midna alive and well accelerated his footfalls until he was nearly stumbling along, jostling and pushing his way past the swarm of confused soldiers and citizens.
When he at last reached the head of the assembly, he stopped and squinted up at the dark figure that stood in the distance. At first he thought it a prank of the smoke that fluttered behind the figure, but then he realized the awful truth.
Whatever hope had been restored within Link was swiftly brushed aside like a blow to the face. What he had mistaken for smoke took its true shape as a tattered black cape, flapping in the remaining gusts of the night.
There sat the sinister Ganondorf astride a mount as black as his heart.
His horse neighed and reared onto its hind legs as the grinning king held up a triumphant hand. But it was not just any gesture, Link realized. His fist held an object, a trophy … in the shape of a Fused Shadow. Not just any piece, however. This particular section was the very piece that Midna had used as her headdress; it had been like her single article of clothing, and Link had never seen her without it.
It was the single piece of evidence that proved what Link had wished to deny.
"Do you think mere trinkets will slay me?" the evil one screamed in amused disgust.
Link's heart leapt into his throat and he could not swallow its pain. Memories of his partner flooded into his brain. Her callous laugh when they first met, her hand dragging him from the water of Lake Hylia, her confession before their trek into the desert, her encouragement when he had faltered, her giggle at his clumsiness…. He remembered her pain when the truth of her identity had come to light. He remembered the way she felt when he held her in his arms after the breaking of the barrier.
He remembered her last, kind smile as he was pulled away from her.
All those memories crashed into dust when Ganondorf's fist tightened around the Fused Shadow. It crumbled under his power
and its shards and ashes collapsed into a pile on the grass beneath him.
A rage that Link had never felt and did not understand fumed in his blood. He grabbed for the Master Sword in the same instant the evil one waved the blade of the sages above his head, his pride pulling his lips into a crooked smile. In Ganondorf's mind he had already won, but Link would prove him wrong. He would wipe his smirk away in a river of blood. He would split his skull. He would drive his sword through his heart. He would gut him like the pig he was.
Ganondorf charged ahead, trampling the remains of Midna. Lust empowered Ganondorf and he was soon joined by ghostlike riders that galloped in formation at his sides. They were mere phantoms conjured by his power, but already they served their purpose, for the Hylian knights behind Link were screaming and begging for orders, pleading for someone to tell them how to
survive. Link could hear the general barking commands behind him, but none of that mattered to him in that moment. Their voices were like irksome bees, and Link's sole interest were the eyes of Ganondorf … those cold, yellow eyes that sought to undo every soul he had saved along his journey. Malevolent eyes that clawed at Link's heart.
Link held the Master Sword so tightly that it was as if its hilt has fused into him, become an extension of his arm. Every thread
of his being wanted this. Every thought screamed for the death--the execution--of this tyrant … this murderer.
A delicate hand touched his hand then, jolting him free from his tangled emotions so suddenly that he stumbled before looking to his side and finding the glow of Princess Zelda there.
He was no cruel executioner. Even in the face of his overwhelming grief and rage, he could not forget who and what he was. He was the Hero for whom Midna had laid down her life. He was the man that Midna had come to respect and care for with every strand of her soul. To act in anger, to kill in a hasty fury, would only serve to dishonor her memory further.
Zelda felt Link's hand slacken its grip slightly and she nodded, understanding how difficult it was to let go of his burning rage.
This did not, however, stop the charging Ganondorf and his minions. Link looked to Zelda for guidance, and as the soldiers formed into hasty ranks behind them … Zelda bowed her head.
And prayed.
"Spirits of the light … wielders of the great power that shines far and wide upon the lands of our world…"
Link looked back to Ganondorf. The king was closing fast. Link's heart drummed. He could see the red eyes of the king's steed now.
"In my hour of need, grant me the light to banish evil!"
Zelda's voice boomed with an unnatural echo, like the words of a goddess stretching into every valley and to the top of every
peak.
Just as Ganondorf would have trampled them, Link felt his veins explode in warmth and heard something like the deafening hum of crystal carried by the flash of a blinding, golden light.
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REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
~nasanerd09 Aug 23, 2012 Oh my I felt such a connection with Link as he felt enraged at Ganondorf's murder of Midna. My sister said that I cried at that point in the game. I don't remember it, but I guess I was probably too absorbed in it to notice. I was also pretty intent on killing Ganondorf at that point because of it. Hmmm, kinda like how intent I was on giving Ghirahim a very painful death after he kidnaps Zelda at the end of Skyward Sword. I was literally screaming at the TV screen and throwing out death threats left and right. Great chapter
~inquisitiveboingz Aug 28, 2012 "There sat the sinister Ganondorf astride a mount as black as his heart." Just love that line.
~inquisitiveboingz Aug 28, 2012 "There sat the sinister Ganondorf astride a mount as black as his heart." Just love that line.