Chapter Text
Link closed his eyes contentedly as fingers gently massaged his scalp, a hum of pleasure rumbling in his chest. The fingers paused in their movement for a moment before resuming as a soft chuckle came from their owner.
“Oh you like that do you, my little light dweller?” A lilting voice responded amusedly.
“I like any time that I am near you, my Queen of Twilight,” Link hummed back as his lips quirked up a bit into the beginnings of a smile.
“Oh hush you,” Midna shot back immediately, pinching his ear sharply in retaliation. Link’s eyes snapped open and his head shot up from he was laying on Midna’s lap. “Ow! What was that for?” Link exclaimed as his ears flicked downward, face melting into a pout.
Midna rolled her eyes, “You know very well that I am not Queen yet dear, and saying so prematurely is only going to cause the both of us headaches, especially if the elders were to hear of it before the official coronation ceremony.” Link huffed and laid back down on his stomach, grumbling as he pressed his face into the mattress of the bed they were resting on.
The two were in Midna’s chambers and had been curled up by each other as they prepared to sleep. Link lifted his head up once again to rest it on his arm so he could gaze up at Midna, who was taking off her headdress to begin combing through her hair. Though the Twilight Realm had no sun of its own like the Realm of Light did, the light emanating from the many candles throughout the chamber provided enough illumination to see. Link watched fondly as the gentle light cast a glow over Midna, lighting up her copper hair and giving it the appearance of a moving flame as she repeatedly moved her comb through the strands.
Though he missed the people of Ordon, with every new day he spent by Midna's side Link was more and more grateful to Zelda for seeing easily what he and Midna had not.
Link was exhausted. He was exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to find Midna and leave this place, but unfortunately it wasn’t finished yet.
Ganon staggered about in the barren field, somehow remaining upright despite the Master Sword that was lodged in his abdomen, until finally he stilled. An awful choking sound came from him as his eyes turned white and Link tensed, throwing his left arm out to the side in front of Zelda, ready to fight once more if Ganon took another step towards them. Breathing heavily, he continued to stare until he jumped as he felt a soft touch on his outstretched arm. Link turned his head to see Zelda, her dark hair drifting slightly in the breeze as she also stared at Ganon’s still form.
“I think he’s dead…” she whispered, voice wavering slightly, whether in fear or exhaustion Link did not know. He didn’t blame her, he was terrified. Link tried to compose himself and gestured with his hand for Zelda to stay. Slowly he began to approach Ganon, who was still being held up by some unseen force.
Link continued until he was close enough to reach the handle of the Master Sword, and gingerly wrapped his left hand around it. He paused before pulling it out, looking up into Ganon’s face, searching for any signs of life and finding none. Link took a measured breath and swiftly pulled the sword from the Demon King’s gut, quickly crossing back to his place in front of Zelda with the sword held aloft towards its previous resting place.
Ganondorf’s body collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been severed and the two other wielders of the Triforce froze in terror at the sudden movement.
They waited.
Neither breath nor movement came from the crumpled body.
They waited…until slowly the tension bled out of their bodies. The fight was finally over. The Dark Lord Ganondorf was dead and they had won.
Before they could relax completely however, a bright light began to grow from up on the hill. Link turned to locate the source only to gasp lightly as he saw all four Light Spirits, uncorrupted, gathered around a small figure at the top of the hill. Their lights continued to grow and grow until Link had to force himself to close his eyes in order to protect them. Squeezing them shut, his thoughts raced as he remembered the last time the little imp had been exposed to that much light. Link’s heart pounded as his mind brought up images of how pale Midna became, how still and quiet she was. Of how helpless he had felt at the time, unable to do more than carry her limp form on his back as he raced to Princess Zelda for help.
A part of Link whispered that the Light Spirits would never intentionally harm Midna, but the larger, more desperate part of him needed to see for himself. He ran up the hill, uncaring of how the light felt like it was burning holes into his head and of how his tired feet ached with every step.
When he finally crested the top of the hill, chest heaving, the light had faded and Link began to panic when he could not see the little imp. Instead in her place, a figure shrouded in a cloak covered in geometric patterns slowly began to rise to its feet from where they were previously crouching. The figure was tall, certainly taller than Link, and their back was facing towards him with the hood of the cloak pulled over their head so he could not see their face. Link stopped advancing a few feet away from the figure, hesitant to get any closer without knowing who this strange new person was.
After rising to their full height, the figure finally began to turn around revealing a beautiful woman and Link let out a small gasp as his eyes widened. The woman had pale blue-grey skin with inklike markings swirling across her body. Her long fiery hair drifted slightly in the breeze, moving in motion with her long skirt and cloak. The woman's molten red eyes gazed at him with familiarity and Link couldn’t help but stare into them, knowing his own gaze burned with an unasked question filled with hope.
The woman laughed softly, “What? Say something!”
At the familiar musical tone Link's heart soared. Midna’s head turned slightly on its side as her lips lifted up into a light smirk, “Am I so beautiful that you’ve no words left?”
Link grinned and took a step forward. Then another. And another. He kept going until he had closed the distance between him and Midna and was standing right in front of her. He tilted his head to look up at her and opened his mouth, but nothing came out and frustration flared in him. Even after all they had done together he still didn’t have the courage to speak the words he wanted to say to her. Midna seemed to sense this and her gaze softened as she watched him struggle.
She rolled her eyes and sighed, “Oh, come here wolf boy,” and she reached out to wrap her arms around Link to pull him close. Link froze when he felt the intensity of the hug, Midna’s actions appearing more telling than her words, but quickly relaxed and reached up to wrap his arms around her to return it with equal force.
Two beings from two different worlds, holding each other as though they were all the other had.
~*~
The two princesses and the hero eventually made their way back to the Gerudo Desert and the Mirror Chamber located at the top of the Arbiter’s Grounds. The three gathered together on the raised platform that held the Mirror of Twilight and Link watched as glowing stairs appeared when Midna neared the portal opening. Before climbing them she turned around and addressed Zelda and Link saying, “Thank you…”.
Midna then turned to look at Link, “Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror’s around, we could meet again…”. Link began to feel uneasy when he saw her look at him with a sorrow filled gaze, her eyes closing as a single glowing tear ran down her cheek. With a wave of her hand, the tear rose off of her face and into the air.
“I-”, Midna’s voice cut off abruptly, “See you later…” she finished.
Taking her time, she stopped to look first at her dear childhood friend, the one other person she knew that shared her struggles as the future monarchs of their respective realms. And then the boy she had unexpectedly grown so close with through their shared hardships in order to retake their respective homes. Midna’s gaze lingered on Link a little longer as she contemplated how she had grown to… to love him. Perhaps if she didn’t have to do this they could have been more, but she would never know. Midna then pushed her hand forward and Link and Zelda watched and followed the movement of the tear as it drifted through the air and towards the Mirror.
As soon as the tear made contact, cracks spiderwebbed all throughout the surface of the Mirror of Twilight. Fear filled the hearts of the two Hylians as they saw the cracks, and both turned when they heard rapid footsteps to see Midna running up the glowing stairs to pause at the top on the portal platform. She glanced over her shoulder one last time and made eye contact with Link.
When Midna looked at him, Link’s heart dropped as the realization of what she was about to do came to him. He shook his head desperately, silently begging her not to leave him behind like this. She just smiled sadly and turned to face the portal once more, and Link watched in horror as her graceful form began to dissolve into particles of silvery light. Something so unlike the shadow cubes he had grown so used to associating with her, it felt wrong.
He felt a touch on his shoulder and turned to look at Zelda with a questioning gaze as she came up beside him. Her hand was holding onto him with the grip of someone who was desperate not to lose something they cherished. His confusion grew when she lifted the sheath of the Master Sword off his back and over his head and brought it to hold against her chest. Zelda finally looked at Link directly, her grey eyes swimming with tears.
“Link,” she choked out, “You have to go.”
He shook his head once again, feeling as if his heart and his soul were being torn in two directions at once. Zelda’s gaze hardened with resolve and she shoved him hard in the chest towards the stairs, Link stumbling back a couple steps at her strength.
“If you don’t go now, you will never see her again. If I know my friend at all, she may think she is doing what is best for our two peoples, but I know she will regret this decision in time. And if I know you at all, no matter how recently we met, you will regret not joining her. I-I have seen how you two look at each other,” Zelda said with a sad smile.
A cracking sound came from the Mirror behind them and Zelda pushed him again, this time forcing him to climb a couple steps. By now Midna’s form had completely dissolved into light and the last of it could be seen disappearing into the portal. The two Hylian’s knew that if any decision was to be made, it would be now or never.
“Hyrule has been restored to its former state and a Hero is not needed in times of peace. I will personally deliver a message to your family, but Link you must go NOW.” Zelda shouted the last word with so much urgency it finally spurred Link into action. He quickly, but gently, grabbed her hand and brought it up to press a soft kiss to her knuckles. A final show of respect between a knight and his liege. And to his friend.
Link smiled gently at Zelda, before bowing low and running up the rest of the stairs and leaping through the portal after Midna, his form dissolving into particles of golden light before flowing into the opening.
The part of her that was the Princess of Hyrule stood and watched its Hero disappear, hearing the Mirror behind her shatter into thousands of shards and watched the portal in front of her close as its light faded before disappearing completely.
But the part of her that was just Zelda, a girl who had barely crossed into adulthood, dropped to her knees and clutched the Master Sword in her arms before breaking out into wet, gasping, sobs as she mourned two of her closest friends.
~*~
On a lonely hill in the fields of the Twilight realm, just outside the reach of the main city, a portal appeared and silvery light began to emerge. The particles drifted out and began to come together until it became a bright mass that formed a person. Midna felt herself become whole once more and opened her eyes to look out over her kingdom, the Palace of Twilight in the distance. She let out a shuddering breath at the realization and the finality of what she had done. Midna’s eyes began to prick with tears as she thought about the people she had left behind.
“This is for the best, it wouldn’t have worked out between us, right?” She paced back and forth, speaking aloud as she tried to justify her reasoning. “We’re just too… too different,” Midna sobbed as she spoke those last words, because saying them out loud made it real. She dragged her hands down her face and furiously tried wiping at her tears, but they just kept flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks.
As Midna stood there in silence, so many thoughts still racing through her head, something felt…off. She pulled her hands away from her eyes and looked up to see something coming through the portal. Particles of golden light had begun to drift out and started to collide together to form another person. Midna’s heart raced at what the sight meant.
Someone had jumped through the portal after her. Someone had jumped after her and she couldn’t tell whether she was terrified or elated at the thought.
The figure became whole, but Midna could not tell who it was before a blur of movement came towards her and tackled her. Their two bodies rolled a bit before coming to a stop with the other person on top of Midna, their hands placed on either side of her head as she lay on the ground and looked up at them. She had hit the ground yes, but her dazed state wasn’t a result of the force, but of who she saw. Sandy blond hair blew free from where it was usually restrained by a long green cap, presumably lost in the scuffle. Cobalt blue eyes gazed down at her with fury and tears shining in them and Midna watched as Link’s lips curled into an animalistic snarl and slightly elongated canines flashed as she realized that he had been talking while she was distracted.
“-can’t believe that after all we have been through together you thought you could just leave without so much as a goodbye! You do not get to just leave me behind like that, Midna please, I-I can’t be left behind again.” Link’s voice broke on the last sentence, tears now flowing freely down his face.
Midna stared in shock. This was the first time she had ever heard him speak before. He had a pleasant voice, soft and deep with a soothing rumble. She reached up to rest her hands on either side of his face, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears. Midna opened her mouth to speak, “I-” she stopped abruptly when she looked behind them and saw the portal disappear. Forever.
“You STUPID WOLF. Do you have any idea what you just did?!” Midna shoved both hands into Link’s chest and he reared back off of her to rest on his knees, looking shocked and offended at the shove. “You won’t be able to go home again, do you understand that?! You’ve doomed yourself to live the rest of your days in the very realm you just fought so hard to get rid of in Hyrule!” Midna scrambled to her knees to shake Link by the shoulders as she shouted.
Link looked back at her sadly and gently grabbed her hands in both of his, gripping them firmly, not enough to hurt, but just enough to ground her as he tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. “I’m here with you, how could I have possibly doomed myself?”
Midna gaped at him, because his confusion seemed genuine. “You are so infuriatingly naive,” and with that she surged forward to kiss him. She felt Link stiffen and started to pull away to apologize when she felt him press back and return the kiss. Their lips moved together gently, but firmly, both acting on feelings they’ve been harboring for a long time. Eventually they pulled back from each other, lips flushed and slightly swollen from the pressure. Midna huffed a laugh and closed her eyes as she leaned forward to press her forehead to Link’s.
“Thank you…” Midna began.
“For what?” Link questioned as he leaned into her touch.
“For coming after me,” she finished.
Link just shook his head and the two knelt there and rested against each other, finally given a moment to rest.
Link sighed as he brought himself out of his reverie. “I still don’t understand why there needs to be a whole ceremony just to make it okay to call you Queen. You’ve already been doing the job for a year already, and I’ve been doing a great job of supporting you during that year if I do say so myself.”
Midna rolled her eyes. “It is considered to be in poor taste, dear. A monarch calling themselves by a title they have not yet been officially granted would be a sign of arrogance and is believed to bring misfortune upon their future ruling.”
Link rolled over onto his back to gaze up at her as she finished working the brush through her hair. She turned slightly to peer down at him, raising one delicate eyebrow. “Was there something you needed?” She asked.
Link shook his head with a grin, teeth flashing, “Just admiring the view.” Midna pushed his face away.
“You sap.” She sounded annoyed, but Link could see a faint purple blush rising in her cheeks. She turned her head away to cough into her fist in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Midna turned back towards him.
“Now,” she cleared her throat, “If we are to have any energy for tomorrow’s events then we need to get some rest.” Link sighed and dragged a hand down his face, already filled with dread at the thought of tomorrow.
“Do we really need to be present for everything?” Link whined.
“Yes, we do,” Midna waved her hand and the candles in the chamber blew out in unison, leaving only the pale light from the Sols from within the palace to leak faintly under the doorway. “Because if you have any desire for my people to respect you, and more importantly remain by my side, then yes we will need to be present for each ceremony in order to appoint me as Queen and grant you the title of Prince Consort.”
“Fiiiine,” Link breathed out. He sat up and pulled his hair free from where it had been tied back. During the year and a half he had spent in the Twilight realm it had grown several inches, enough so that he would sometimes braid it back, or Midna would, before bed. Without Link saying anything, Midna shifted towards him and gently pulled his hair back to comb through it, like how she had just done with her own. He closed his eyes once more and began to subconsciously hum a tune as she worked, the notes moving up and down before holding and lengthening.
“That’s Epona’s song is it not?” Midna asked quietly.
“Hmm?” Link questioned.
“That song you were humming, it was what you used to call Epona.”
Link frowned in thought. “Oh, I guess it is. I hadn’t even realized. I…I miss her. I miss all of them.”
Midna stopped brushing. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Link whipped his head around to look at her.
“For what?” He asked, completely genuine.
Mines threw her hands up in the air. “That you’re stuck here forever now, in a place even the Goddess gave up on, that’s what!” She got up and started pacing around the room angrily.
“For being the reason that you’ll never see your family or friends again, for forcing you to make that choice, for-”
“Midna!” Link got up and grabbed her hands and pulled them to his chest. “Breathe with me darlin’,” he took a deep breath in and then let it out slowly, before repeating. Midna followed his lead and breathed with him, continuing the cycle until she couldn’t feel her heartbeat pounding in her head anymore. Link looked up at her, blue eyes shining eerily despite the darkness of the room. Ever since he’d come to the Twilight Realm his eyes had held an unnatural glow, something that Midna attributed to his nature as a Divine Beast.
“Are you with me?” Link began. Midna nodded and Link returned it with a nod of his own. “Good. Now, I want you to listen to me carefully. Do I regret not giving my family a proper face to face goodbye? Yes. But do I regret jumping after you? Absolutely not. Nothing and no one forced me to go through that portal. Granted, Zelda gave me a few good shoves, BUT she didn’t force me to feel anything that I didn’t know for a fact was already there. I followed you because I wanted to stay by your side even if it meant you didn’t feel the same as I did.”
“You’re a fool.”
“If being a fool means being in love then so be it, I will gladly play the part.”
Midna could only stare at Link in shock. How was anyone possibly supposed to respond to that? His clear blue eyes stared straight through her, piercing her heart and soul, and Midna found that no matter how hard she tried she could not look away. The sensation reminded her of when she had first found him in that cell underneath Hyrule castle. The dark of the dungeon had done nothing to quell the underlying power and light held behind those eyes, penetrating through the shadows despite the way the rest of his canine form had blended into them.
A blend of light and shadow. A being that walked between two worlds, never quite belonging to one. That was the moment Midna knew they would be irrevocably connected. A banished princess of twilight and an unwilling hero of light dancing around each other until something gave.
“Do you believe me?” Link questioned. Midna nodded. How could she not? When she looked at the man who gave up everything he had previously known to pursue her, how could she not find anything but pure and utter devotion?
“Good. Now, I don’t know about you but I believe someone is to be crowned a Queen tomorrow and will need her beauty rest.” Link gave her a quick boop on the nose, a playful grin on his face as he released her hands and ran away to the safety of their bed before Midna could retaliate.
Midna stood there stunned before her brain caught up to what Link had just done. When it did she growled playfully and pounced on top of the sheets he had hidden himself under. She heard a yelp as she landed on and straddled him, pulling back the corner of a sheet to reveal Link’s sheepish face.
Midna leaned down to bring her lips next to his ear, “We’ll see how much beauty rest you will get tomorrow night, Prince Consort.” She purred, leaning back to admire his face as a deep flush spread across his cheeks and up to the elongated tips of his ears.
“I-” Link tried to say, only for Midna to silence him with a kiss.
~*~
Twitch.
Link was going to be sick. He didn’t think he had ever felt this nervous before, save for when he had first dared to call Uli and Rusl ‘Mom and Dad’. His left ear wouldn’t stop twitching, a nervous tick he had developed as a child when he didn’t have the strength for words and had always given away whether he was upset about something.
Twitch.
Link tugged at the collar of his tunic, a dark formal piece of clothing that was befitting of his future status as the right hand to the Queen.
Twitch.
His head pounded as a massive headache threatened him, triggered by the combination of the clamor of the citizens and the stress of the day.
Twitch.
There went his ear again, his earring swaying with it as it dangled, and Link reached up to hold his ear in place out of annoyance at the movement. It was just another thing that reminded him that he was out of place, he didn’t need to-
“Are you alright dear?” A soft voice whispered. Link turned to see Midna approaching him from the side, a look of concern on her face. She looked absolutely radiant, wearing a sleeveless gown made of dark fabric that sat nicely upon her figure. Her hair was curled and draped over one shoulder, each lock meticulously and strategically placed. She was absolutely gorgeous. Link dropped his hand quickly, placing it back down by his side, ashamed to have been caught.
“There’s so many people…” he whispered, voice small as he stared out among the sea of Twili that had gathered in the throne room to witness the coronation. Link was overwhelmed, his voice barely loud enough for Midna to hear, as the paralyzing fear that occurred when he was around strangers took over and he no longer had the capacity for speech.
Midna could hear his voice shaking and her concern skyrocketed. She quickly glanced around, hoping to find somewhere she could take them both to get even a modicum of privacy. They were currently standing in the central chamber, in between where the people were gathered and the steps that led up to the throne, waiting in the Coronation Circle for the Elder Council to arrive and begin the ceremony. Her eyes finally spotted one of the many secluded chambers that had been built by previous rulers, located behind the massive pillars that lined the room that were the hallways typically reserved for staff. It was a place that was originally solely meant for any Twili ruler to gather their thoughts privately, no matter where they were in the palace, but would now serve the purpose of a lover comforting their partner in their time of need. Midna gently grabbed his hands and pulled Link over to sit on the private bench in the hidden alcove.
Once they were out of sight Midna gently placed her hands on either side of Link's face and he leaned into her touch with a shaky exhale as he closed his eyes. Midna pursed her lips as she watched him. Despite all the time they had spent together, she never really was quite sure how to best help him when he got this overwhelmed. Normally they would retreat to their shared chambers to unwind, just basking in the others' presence until they both were more at ease and that seemed to do the trick.
Midna adjusted her hands to now lightly massage at Link’s temples. His face instantly crumpled at the touch, relief sweeping across his expression.
“Are words too much right now?” Midna whispered. A slow nod in response. Midna leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead.
“That's alr-”
“Pardon me Your Highness, but the Elder Council is ready for you.” A nervous looking attendant said, rushing through the message as they peeked pupilless black eyes around the corner of the alcove. The Twili was an anxious looking thing, barely larger than Midna’s imp form, with pale green hair and grey skin. They were practically shaking and Midna sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Thank you Mondi, you are dismissed.” Despite their anxious nature, Midna quite liked Mondi. They were quiet, but did their job very efficiently and as a result Midna had them appointed to her personal attendant when it came to court matters. After doing so she had received quite a bit of criticism from the Council when they found out Mondi was barely above apprenticing age, but they were quickly silenced when she reminded them that Midna herself was hardly two years Mondi’s senior. So yes, Midna enjoyed Mondi’s company, but unfortunately their timing sometimes left much to be desired.
Mondi nodded quickly, backing out of the alcove to presumably return to the council. Midna was about to continue speaking when Mondi’s head poked back in.
“So sorry Princess, but they are insist-”
“DISMISSED MONDI.”
“Right, I apologize!”
Midna sighed heavily and turned back to Link. He had a very amused look on his face as he watched the interaction, eyes lingering on where Mondi had hastily made their exit. Midna cleared her throat which brought Link’s attention back to her.
“As I was trying to say before…that’s alright, love. You don’t have to say anything or talk to anyone if you don’t want to. We can even postpone the ceremony if you need. I do not wish to make you do anything that would push you too hard.” She had barely finished speaking before Link began shaking his head firmly. He opened his eyes to look at her, determination filling them as he took a deep breath that seemed to settle him.
Link stood up and walked as if to leave the alcove before stopping. He turned and extended a hand back towards Midna in a clear sign for her to take it, his braided hair swaying slightly and earrings catching the light of the Sols as they swung. The light illuminated his figure from behind and Midna couldn’t help but stay sitting a moment longer in order to admire the view. She shook her head out of her reverie and stood up to take his hand.
“Ever the knight aren’t you, hmm?” Midna commented with a smirk. Link blushed as a sheepish look came across his face. Midna laughed. “Now then, if you are so determined to push on, shall we?” Link nodded and the two walked hand in hand back into the central chamber of the palace.
As they came into view of the Coronation Circle they could see the Elder Council, made up of the seven most notable heads of houses of the Twilight Realm, standing spaced evenly apart on the outline of the outermost ring. The Coronation Circle was really made up of three rings total, overlaying over each other slightly so that there were three distinct points where the circles stuck out and three distinct points where there was empty space. Upon seeing it closer, Link thought it looked similar to the symbol of the Triforce if it were replaced with circles instead of triangles. In each of the six outer points a member of the council stood. Which left the final member, Councilwoman Anra who was the most senior, to conduct the ceremony from the base of the steps to the throne.
The council were all dressed in ceremonial robes stitched with swirling geometric patterns, similar to the cloak Midna had worn when she had regained her true form. As Link and Midna came into view, Councilwoman Anra raised her hands to call for silence and the room quieted. Midna pulled them to a stop just outside the circle and Link followed her lead.
“Citizens of the Twilight Realm,” Anra began with a smile. Midna was not the biggest fan of the Council, but Anra had been very close with her mother so she had grown up knowing her as ‘Auntie Anra’.
“We are gathered here today for not one, but two momentous occasions.” Anra gestured for Midna, who let go of Link’s hand with a soft smile, before walking forward to stand in the center of the Coronation Circle and facing her people.
Anra continued, “Today we gather to formally appoint Princess Midna as your new Queen. For too long has this designation been in the making, delayed by the traitor Zant when he sought to overthrow our realm and ally himself with the Dark King Ganondorf.” The names were spat out with a venomous hatred and Link could feel the room, as well as him, recoil in disgust at the reminder of their far too recent history.
“And for a time, he succeeded. Our Princess cursed and banished, our people subjugated and twisted into hideous beasts incapable of rational thought, our families broken…” Anra trailed off, leaving a moment of silence for all the people to mourn those they had lost to Zant’s machinations.
Link felt shame grow in his chest. Though he knew that anyone that had been transformed into a Twili Beast was long gone, unable to return to their true forms, he still felt guilt for all those he had killed. For those who had been too far gone to be saved by the power of the Sols. Midna had assured him there was nothing that could have been done for them, that death was the kindest thing, but it was hard for him to not feel burdened by the weight of those actions.
Link turned his attention back to Anra, realizing she had begun speaking again while he was lost in his thoughts.
“But your Princess was triumphant! In her exile to the Realm of Light she encountered the Hero prophesied to save our world, in the form of a Divine Blue Eyed Beast.” Anra then gestured to Link and he snapped to attention as he realized all eyes were on him now. He felt his cheeks heating up and knew that his face was almost certainly very red. Link’s ears flicked down in embarrassment as a shy smile crept onto his face and his shoulders came up in a futile attempt to shrink away. He brought a hand up and moved it in a small wave, not knowing how to respond to all the attention and desperately wishing it would go away. He was evidently not successful if the laughter that rippled throughout the gathered crowd was any indication.
Link hurriedly put his hand back down and his eyes found Midna, who was staring at him with such a fond look on her face that his heart ached from the sheer amount of love that drifted between them.
“Your Princess and the Divine Beast joined forces, and together they worked to vanquish Zant’s forces and with the help of the Hylian’s Princess Zelda, the three defeated Zant and the Demon King Ganondorf and were able to restore balance to the Realms of Light and Shadow!” Anra grinned widely as she threw her arms out and wild cheers exploded into the air. She allowed a moment for the people to celebrate, before bringing her hands down slowly, and the room quieted.
Anra descended down the steps, coming to a stop just behind Midna and resting her hands on Midna’s shoulders. The Councilwoman towered over the Princess, head easily visible behind Midna.
“It is thanks to them that we are here now! People of the Twilight Realm I ask you, do you accept Princess Midna as your new Queen?” Uproarious applause and cheering burst into existence, and Midna’s heart soared upon hearing it. Despite everything that had happened, despite how she had failed them in the beginning, they still chose her and trusted her to lead them.
Anra waved her hand and Mondi scuttled towards her while holding a cushion. On the cushion rested two objects, a crown and a circlet. The crown was a beautiful work of dark metal with white markings on the front and embedded with two fiery orange gemstones. The crown came up in three different spots, the metal curling and angling into itself, resembling the two points that came off of Midna’s Helmet that she wore in her imp form. As Anra lifted the crown off of the cushion, the gemstones caught the light and glinted just so and Midna was reminded of seeing the sun’s last rays peeking over the horizon as it sank when she was in Hyrule.
“With this crown and the authority bestowed upon me by the Council and our people, I name you Midna, Queen of the Twilight Realm!” Anra lowered the crown onto Midna’s head and the coolness of the metal settled into her skin and the weight of it settled on her brow. Anra settled her hands on Midna’s shoulders and Midna felt her eyes prick with tears as she heard her say, “Your mother would be so proud of the woman you’ve become.”
Anra removed her hands and began to speak again, once more addressing the whole room, “But before we begin the celebrations, there is one more thing we must do.” She lifted the circlet off of the cushion and turned to face Link.
“Though it is more of a formality than an official ceremony, we thought it appropriate to provide our Divine Beast savior with the honor of an official title alongside his Queen.” She gestured for Link who nervously started toward the inside of the circle to come to a stop beside Midna in the middle. Now that he stood in front of the councilwoman he could see the circlet more clearly along with Midna’s crown, the white markings he had spotted before feeling oddly familiar.
It was made of the same dark metal as the crown, but an opening was left in the front, forming an incomplete circle. Where the two ends didn't meet, they came to points that angled downward, resembling sharp canines and embedded on each ‘tooth’ were bright blue sapphires. Anra lowered the circlet onto his head where it then settled on his brow, his skin warming the metal and the opening resting right in the middle of his forehead.
“With this you are now officially Prince Consort of the Twilight Realm, and right hand to the Queen.” As soon as Anra’s fingers ceased contact with the crown, Link began to feel a painful burning in his skull. It started small, something he could ignore initially as he listened to Anra continue talking, but then it began to build into something unbearable. Link let go of Midna’s hands—when had he grabbed them?— and brought his own up to rub at his head, missing the concerned look that Midna shot at him. He slammed his eyes shut as the pounding in his head increased and the burning feeling turned searing. The pain seemed to double, now in two distinct spots, his head and his chest, right where his shadow crystal was resting.
Link couldn’t help from crying out and he felt hands cradle his face, cool against his burning skin, and he could hear a concerned voice speaking. Distantly he felt pain in his knees as he hit the ground hard, but he barely registered it.
“-what’s happen…something is wrong…can’t you help him?!”
Voices went in and out, his ears ringing as his brain was unable to comprehend full sentences. The pain climbed and climbed and climbed and just when he thought his head was going to explode, the pain mercifully stopped. Link kept his eyes squeezed shut, bracing in case it came back, but nothing happened. The ringing cleared and he could hear clearly again as whispers began to build up around him.
“Link, darling, can you open your eyes for me?” Midna’s soothing tone filled his mind. He hesitantly began to pry his eyes open to find Midna mere inches away, concern flitting across her expression. Her molten eyes flicked up towards his forehead for a moment before quickly returning to look into his. Midna turned to look up at Anra from where they were kneeling together—since when were they on the ground?—voice lowering into a whisper as she spoke.
“What does this mean Auntie?” She asked, voice small.
Anra knelt down with them, a contemplating expression on her face. She shooed Midna away, who scoffed indignantly at being dismissed so casually, and gripped Link’s jaw in one hand. Anra’s grip was not gentle, but it was by no means harmful, as she carefully tilted Link’s head this way and that, looking in the same spot that Link saw Midna glance at moments ago. Link’s cheeks squished together and his confusion and apprehension only grew as the Councilwoman continued her inspection. Finally she broke her silence.
“It seems…that the Goddess has chosen to mark you once again, Divine Beast. She has marked you with both the symbol of Her Chosen Hero and with the symbol of the Twilight that you liberated.” She stood up abruptly, releasing his chin, and walked forward to address the people once more. “The Goddess has marked the Sacred Wolf with the symbol of our people! The Chosen Hero that walks between has been claimed by both realms. The Prince Consort is one of us, let the celebrations begin!”
Silence followed for an awkward amount of time, enough so that Link turned to see if something was wrong, and as soon as the gathered Twili saw the mark they erupted into cheers. Music swelled and Link knelt there, eyes wide and brow furrowed, as he was helplessly lost to what had just transpired. Quite frankly, he was exhausted as well. Whatever happened had almost completely sapped his energy. He turned back to look at Midna when he heard the sharp snap! of fingers.
She was still kneeling down in front of him, but her attention was on Mondi as the attendant hurried over with an object in their tiny hands. They quickly passed it, what Link now recognized as a mirror, to Midna who held it to her chest before looking back at Link. Her eyes were wide, the gems of her crown almost perfectly matching the color and intensity held within them. If Link had any guess as to what she was feeling he would almost say she looked regretful. She spoke.
“Anra wasn’t lying when she said the Goddess marked you. You can choose whether or not to look, but I just wanted to warn you and give you the choice.”
Link tried to find his voice. “I need to see,” he rasped. Midna nodded wordlessly and turned the mirror so that the reflective side revealed his face. Link froze. Right between the two sapphires of his circlet, on the exposed skin of his forehead, sat a dark mark. It looked almost like a tattoo. To Link it resembled a shepherd's crook, only more angular. At each point of the curve it spiked off sharply in jagged edges, and right in the space left inside the curve sat a dot.
Link reached up to trace it with his fingers, the skin still sensitive slightly, but nowhere near as painful as it had been before. “This is the same spot…the same spot where Zant-”
“Where Zant forced the crystal into your skull, trapping you once more in a form you didn’t ask for,” Midna spat. Eyes shooting up to look at her, Link felt a little surprise at the amount of venom in her tone. Then he looked at her crown. The white mark on the front of it was the same as the one now permanently etched into his skin. Link reached up slowly to brush it with his fingers and Midna froze.
“We match,” he whispered. Midna’s delicate brows furrowed as she looked at him. Sometimes she couldn’t understand him, with the way he approached certain situations. Link had just relived one of the most painful experiences of his life and now here he was in front of her, eyes alight with wonder as he saw their matching marks. Midna stared.
“You sap,” she said, before lunging forward to kiss him. Link’s eyes widened in shock for a moment before relaxing as he kissed back, lips pressing gently together as they sealed the ceremony.
Apparently the celebrations around them hadn’t progressed nearly as far as Midna had originally thought, as a cheer even more explosive than before rang through the room from the people. They broke apart, seeing almost all the eyes in the room were on them, still kneeling on the floor. Link shot to his feet, cheeks flushing as he held a hand out to help Midna up. She rolled her eyes at the gesture, but took it anyway and rose to her full height. Link led them to the small steps that led up to the throne before letting go so that she could go up first.
Midna turned to look at him, quirking up a brow in question. Link just put a hand to his chest and bowed at the waist, braid falling over his shoulder. He lifted his head to look back up at her, eyes glinting mischievously. “After you, My Queen,” he said, smirking. Midna rolled her eyes once more before matching his playful tone.
“Only if you are right beside me, Prince Consort.” She said, before pausing as an idea occurred to her. She reached out and tilted his chin up with a finger and spoke again, this time lowering her voice to something more sensual. “Don’t stray too far from me…husband.” Midna retracted her hand and relished in the way Link’s face and ears turned bright red, before making her way up the steps.
Midna did not look back, but she heard the sharp intake of breath before the sound of feet scrabbling on stone came as Link came back to his senses and hurried to follow her. Midna smirked with satisfaction.
~*~
They reached the top of the steps and there sat the Twilight Throne, stone sitting starkly against the glowing turquoise marks on the wall behind it. Now that Midna was staring at it, it seemed much more intimidating than she remembered it being. She hadn’t realized she had stopped walking until she felt a hand rest on her lower back, looking to her left to see Link staring up at her with pride.
“Don’t be scared,” he said. “You’ve worked hard for this. You deserve it.” He nodded towards the throne and Midna swallowed her nervousness down as she continued forward, until she sat down. As soon as she made contact, the markings on the wall flared a bright blue before settling once again, and Midna could feel as the throne accepted her as the Twilight's new ruler. She grinned to herself before looking up at Link and coming to a realization. There was only one throne designated for the ruler of the Twilight Realm. Link saw her face and tilted his head to the side, reminding Minda of a confused puppy.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“There’s not a place for you,” Midna said. Link laughed.
“Oh that’s fine! I can just stand.”
Midna shook her head, steepling her fingers as she pondered. “That would be exhausting to do all day, during meetings and court.” Link tilted his head again in thought, before snapping his fingers as he had an idea. Midna watched as he reached for the shadow crystal hanging around his neck, and triggered the transformation into his wolf form. His form dissolved into familiar cubes of shadow, but something about this transformation seemed…different. Typically the cubes would condense down and Link would take his canine form. But this time they seemed to grow.
A hush fell over the whole room and Midna’s eyes widened when Link finally began to reform. Appearance wise, he looked the same. Same mix of black and grey fur, with white markings and patches on his head and chest. Same blue piercings that followed him from his Hylian form, even the chain and manacle were still around his left foreleg. They really needed to get rid of that, Midna thought to herself. The only difference was his wolf form was now easily around three times the size as it had been previous. Where before he would have only been up to Midna’s waist in her true form, he now towered over her, cobalt blue eyes the size of her fist blinking down at her. At the shoulders Link was easily seven feet tall, and he clearly noticed the difference because he let out a confused boof before turning in circles to inspect himself.
Midna then realized how quiet the room had become as everyone stared at Link once more. She could see Anra hurrying towards and up the steps, before stopping just in front of Link to look up at him. Link took a step back from her, not wanting to be subject to another inspection, even though his new size would make that almost impossible.
“Now this…this is a form befitting the Divine Beast,” Anra said reverently. “It seems the Goddess had bigger plans than just marking you, Little Wolf.”
Midna was beginning to get irritated. Anra didn’t show any signs of moving, so she marched towards her and, not so gently, pushed her away.
“Alright Auntie, thank you for the insight, but can we please move this along?” Midna pleaded, indicating with her eyes towards all the gaping and whispering Twili. Anra squinted her eyes as she looked at Midna before they widened in understanding.
“Oh of course!” She turned towards the Council and people once more, “On with the celebration!” Anra announced, and that did the trick as the music picked up once more and the room filled with chatter, attention successfully diverted. Midna mouthed a ‘thank you’ towards Anra, who just winked at her before turning away.
Midna returned her attention to Link who, still in wolf form, was now trying to press himself against the ground to be as low as he could. He saw Midna look at him and let out a small whine of sadness. Midna huffed a gentle laugh and sat back down on the throne before patting her lap. Link saw the gesture and inched forward on his paws until he could place his massive head as gently as he could in her lap. Midna could barely see over his large ears, but she reached up to scratch behind them, smiling as a rumble of pleasure reached her ears.
“I hope you know you will not be sleeping in the bed like this. There would be far too much shedding to be comfortable.” Link let out a mournful sound as he realized the same thing, head coming up to look at her in indignation as his ears pinned back. Midna laughed before placing a kiss on his nose and Link melted once more, returning to lay in her lap.
“Ah ah ah, dog boy, you’re going to have to get off. We need to do greetings.” Link huffed before backing off and readjusting himself to lay next to the throne, lounging in a relaxed position that reminded Midna of the cats she had seen in Hyrule. Midna dusted herself off and sat up straight, plastering on a well practiced smile as the noble families came up to greet and congratulate them. Midna lost herself in the mindless chatter, time crawling agonizingly slow as each family head bowed to her with a ‘My Queen’ and then to Link with a whispered ‘Divine Beast’.
Link got more and more tired with each interaction, accidentally startling a family when he yawned, and his eyes had just closed when he felt a light touch on his front paws. He opened his eyes and tilted his head down to see a small Twili child looking up at him in awe in her large yellow eyes. The girl’s parents were engrossed in a conversation with Midna so they took no notice of when their daughter had wandered from their side. Link exhaled through his nose lightly and the force of the air blew the little girl's white hair back and she giggled. He brought his head down until he was just above eye level with her and stuck his tongue out slightly to lick at her face. The little girl giggled once more and wiped at her face before reaching out to pat his nose.
“Nice puppy,” she said. Link’s heart melted. She couldn’t have been more than three years old.
Eventually her parents noticed and quickly came to grab her, apologizing profusely for ‘disturbing’ him and Link snorted. Midna waved her hand dismissively and the parents returned to the party, the little girl turning back to look at Link and waved.
“Bye bye puppy!” she said with a gap toothed smile. Link shook his head and let out another boof sound and the girl beamed as she walked away. Midna’s heart squeezed as she watched the interaction.
Link turned to look at her as she cleared her throat and drummed the fingers of one hand nervously on the arm of the throne, while the other rested underneath her chin.
“Link…I know we never talked about it, but would you ever-” she was cut off by shouting. Link’s head snapped forward and his ears swiveled in order to locate the sound. The shouting grew, not out of celebration, but out of fear when screams began to join the mix. Midna scanned the room and saw a void growing right in the heart of the gathered Twili. The people cried out and and clambered over each other to back away from the spot, not wanting to come into contact with whatever was happening.
Midna stood up and started forward, feeling Link’s presence close behind as he stood close by her. She could sense magic coming from the…portal? The portal grew and grew until it seemed to stop, a floating void of swirling shadow mixing with purple energy. When it did not appear to get any larger the people quieted and hushed murmurs flitted about, but were silenced entirely when a figure stepped through.
As soon as the figure appeared Link growled so loud and suddenly that Midna felt it resonate through her entire body. She knew Link’s anger was a force to be reckoned with normally, but she had no idea what to expect if he had to fight in this new enlarged form. Midna looked at Link and saw his lips peeled back in a fearsome snarl, exposing large pointed teeth, and his ears pinned back in a sign of warning. The fur along his back bristled and stood up in an instinctive response to appear larger.
Midna looked back at the figure. It was a man, not very tall in stature, and he was dressed in all black clothing. Clothing that looked very…familiar, Midna realized as her mouth went dry. The man was wearing some altered version of the Hero’s Tunic. As her gaze drifted up to his face her heart dropped. He had slate grey skin, choppy white hair topped with a black cap, and red eyes that blazed with anger, but he was no Twili. He looked like a shadow copy of Link. This…Shadow Link, noticed her gaze and smirked.
“Like what you see Princess?” He asked playfully and Midna recoiled in disgust. It was disconcerting to hear Link’s voice coming from someone else. Link, her Link, snarled at the copy’s words and looked ready to lunge.
Shadow Link’s eyes flicked to Link and his expression hardened, even though the smile remained, though nowhere near as playful as before. “Hello again, Wolf Boy. You didn’t think I was really dead now…did you?” Shadow Link tilted his head and pouted.
“Now now, it’s rude to ignore someone when they’re talking to you. Why don’t you come down here and we can have a civilized conversation. Man. To. Man.”
Midna hesitantly placed a hand on Link’s leg. “Link, what is he talking about? How does he know you?” Link’s only response was the flick of an ear, before bowing his head and dissolving into a cloud of shadow cubes and returning to his Hylian form. He somehow looked even angrier than when he had teeth and claws, ears pinned back as far as they could go. Shadow Link’s mouth curled into a devious grin. “Much better.”
Without breaking eye contact with the copy, Link spoke to Midna. “It…it happened when we were separated. I don’t know where I was, only that I had to fight, and I got arrogant. Overconfident. The Master Sword held such amazing power I had no fear. Then he showed up.”
Midna did not need to ask who he meant.
“He is everything negative about me. A copy of me, formed out of my hubris. And we fought, matching blow for blow until Zant showed up. Zant did something and I thought that he was dead.” Link gestured towards the copy, who wiggled his fingers in acknowledgement.
Midna’s mind was stuck on one detail however. “You were stuck, alone, with Zant?” Link winced and grimaced, but quickly tried to hide it. Midna recognized the look however.
“Link, what happened?” Her tone brokered no room for argument.
“I-I challenged him.” Midna hissed through her teeth and Link finally turned to look at her, face apologetic.
“I challenged him. I thought I could win, I thought I could end it all right there, but like I said before, I was arrogant. And that arrogance almost cost me my life. If Shade hadn’t shown up…” His voice drifted off and Midna’s heart dropped.
She had almost lost him. Link had almost died and Midna had had no idea.
“This is cute and all, but I didn’t come here to chat,” the Shadow interjected.
Link turned back to look at him and descended the steps until they were just a few feet apart. His hand itched towards the sword he carried on his back, and while it was no Master Sword, Link knew he would still fight if needed. “Why are you here?” He growled.
The Shadow cocked his head to the side, evaluating. “Oh no reason really, nothing super important. Just that while you’ve been here getting cozy with the Princess, oh great and powerful Divine Beast, I’ve had my eye on a certain someone. A little blond boy with a whole lotta spirit. Ring any bells?” He sneered.
Link felt his body turn cold with dread. Colin. Link marched up to his Shadow and jabbed a finger into its face. “Don’t you dare touch Colin.” The Shadow grinned and the two Link’s began to circle each other. Link couldn’t see it, but Midna recognized that type of smile. It was the kind that someone wore when pieces were falling into place. Of someone who was getting exactly what they wanted.
“Oh I wouldn’t dream of it!” The Shadow put a hand to his chest in mock offense. “As I said, I am just keeping an eye on him. I’m merely…the messenger. And my employer is really not known for letting things go.” He stopped circling, back now to Midna and Link’s back now against the portal. Midna began to creep forward, gathering magic in her hands to prepare to strike. Link’s eyes flicked towards her for the quickest moment to acknowledge her, but that was enough for the Shadow to take notice.
The copy glanced over his shoulder to look at her, but made no move to stop her as she continued forward, looking bored. She didn’t stop until she was close enough to strike, shadows gathered in her hands and poised to attack. While the Shadow’s attention was on Midna, Link quietly drew his sword and held it in front of him. The air grew tense, as each of the three contemplated whether or not to strike first.
The Shadow sighed disappointedly, “I didn’t want to go about it like this, but it seems you’ve left me no choice.” He drew his sword—the Master Sword, how does he have the Master Sword—and swung it at Midna. Link shot forward and past him to try and block the blow only to realize two things as time seemed to slow down. As he lunged past, the Shadow glanced down at him and grinned manically, continuing his swing to direct it towards Link who had no choice but to block it from above, leaving his torso exposed. A rookie mistake, Link thought, as a vicious kick connected with his chest. The air left him in a big whoosh and all he could think was; It was a feint, he wanted this to happen, he knew this would happen.
With the temporary paralyzation that came with a kick of that force, Link’s body could offer no resistance as he flew backwards…towards the portal. Midna roared with fury and threw a wild blast at the Shadow, who sidestepped it easily, and lunged forward to reach Link’s hand. She could see his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish as he tried to suck in any amount of air, and his eyes widened in fear as he made contact with the cold void of the portal.
Link desperately tried to reach out to Midna as well, lifting a hand weakly, before everything went quiet and he tumbled endlessly through the dark. Just as the last of his consciousness was being squeezed from him, Link distantly thought he felt a hand tightly grip his own.
~*~
The Council and the Twili people watched in shock and horror as their rulers disappeared together into the strange portal that the Shadow man had made. The dark copy of their Prince Consort stood there silently staring at the portal, before turning to face the Council. He sheathed his sword with a flourish and bowed at the waist mockingly.
“I thank you for your generous contribution, People of the Twilight Realm, but I really mustn’t keep my employer waiting.” He straightened.
“After all, I wouldn’t be all too happy either if I was predestined to die every time a new Hero decides to show up.” With those final words, the Shadow stepped backwards into the portal and it closed with barely a whisper.