The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Queen

One More Chance

Zant was having a good day, all things considered. He'd made some new friends and convinced some people who believed him to be the enemy that he was in fact not. He'd learned a few valuable lessons and gotten to meet some extraordinary people. He'd gotten to share the coming of the shadow eclipse with the most beautiful Hylian he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. He'd even gotten to beat some con man senseless. It was, as one might say, a great day. But that is the curse of knowing what the future holds. Zant knew exactly what he was going to have to do to make sure days would continue to be good. He knew the price, dreaded it with every passing minute. He was going to pay it all the same. He owed it to Hyrule to do this. To be the hero of his own tale. His little misadventure. He'd overcome all the trials with a little help, but this last one he'd have to face alone. In the end, he'd always be alone.

Last time he'd walked down this hallway, it had been as an unjust king of twilight. It had been on a mission of conquest. A defiance of the Goddesses in the name of his new, albeit false, god.

The scene was set just as he'd been told it would. The lighting a murky blue, drifting down from the skylights like angels of the sea. A shaky line of vibrant glowing red blood led him to his doom like a snake of death. The dead bodies of fallen soldiers were just another piece of the furniture to him. The walls of the hallway that he passed through was the only thing that made him pause. In his visions the walls were always spread apart to where you'd have to shout to hear the person on the other side. But here, they seemed so close he feared he would suffocate. This wasn't where the visions started, he came to realize. They started at the end of the hall. In the throne room. The dastardly evil throne room. Zant had a thing about throne rooms. A fear, some might call it. He didn't have any good memories in throne rooms, so tried to avoid them when possible. This week he'd had worse luck with them than usual (partially because of his flair for dramatics). Careful to avoid getting blood on his feet, he entered the room.

Magic bounced around the throne room in a spectacular light show. Like a battle between two powerful lightning bolts, each trying to outshine the other. The blaze was enough to steal the sight of a normal person if they stared too long. But Zant was not normal anymore. He could see just fine.

Midna, a courageous expression on her face, was casting magic with the skill of a demon (which is to say perfectly and with great talent). She was tiring though. It was obvious from the purple tint to her skin from where she'd been burned and the worn look in her eyes. The great Red Owl, a mixture of both evil power and corrupted wisdom, was shooting spheres of light. It did not appear tired. In fact, it looked animated, it was enjoying this chance to test its new powers. To flap its wings and learn to fly.

Zant took a few steps forward. No one noticed him. There was a giant flame in front of the throne he'd once wished he'd be the one to occupy. A sacrificial fire, required in many ancient rituals. The flame seemed to call out to him, asking him to come closer, to give in, to end it all. He ignored it and took a few more steps forward.

Link was on the ground in front of the flame, weaker than weakness itself. He was dying, for a number of reasons. At this point, he probably would have welcomed death, embraced it as a friend. But the Goddesses still had plans for him. Courage wouldn't let him die. Zant stared at Link with intense curiosity. He'd seen this moment many times before, but it still amazed him. The triforce symbol appeared on Link's severed left arm, just above the bleeding end. Zant heard Link mumble weakly, "No... I need to save her." His Goddess was listening and granted his wish. Link was transformed into a beautiful wolf with a thick coat of silver and blue intelligent eyes that stared into your soul. The wolf that was Link stood weakly, shaking violently. He whined in pain as his left leg and paw regenerated.

It was fascinating to Zant that the Goddesses had just brought Link back from the dead, yet to save everyone Zant would have to willingly accept a fate worse than death. Maybe it was penance for all the horrible things he'd done. Maybe it was because his ancestors were the interlopers. Whatever the case, he was being abandoned by the Goddesses once again.