The Legend of Zelda: Light and Shadow

Chapter 16: The Monster Inside

Midna was still fuming as slammed the door to the queen's chamber, making her anger towards her quite known as much as her heated words had. The Twilight Princess was absolutely appalled at how coldly Zelda had treated Link, completely denying his honest, devoted affections for her and sending him away without so much as a single apology or second thought. The hero had done so much for the queen and her kingdom, and yet she merely cast him aside all because of their varying social statuses and little else. Midna knew that if she had been in Zelda's position, she never would have turned Link down so hastily, but would have instead accepted him with kindness and open arms, for the Twilight Princess knew that there were very few souls in the land of Hyrule as noble and worthy as his.

However, as Midna turned to head down the stairs of the tower to see where Link had run off to, she found that she didn't have to look too far. The hero was sitting against the stone wall right outside the door, his knees pulled to his chest and his face buried in them. He refused to look up even as the Twilight Princess came out of the chamber, something that worried Midna from the very start. She didn't even have to ask herself whether or not he was crying, for she already knew that he was in absolute despair due to the fact that the immediate area surrounding him was frozen over in a sheet of thick ice, a sign that his agony was deep and heavy. As Midna silently watched Link for a moment, she could hear his soft, heartbroken sobs, and her anger towards Zelda was immediately replaced with deep sympathy for him. She knew that being rejected in the way that he had must have been crushing, especially since this was the first time he had ever had such feelings for anyone. And, knowing that she could not leave the hero alone to grieve in such a devastated state, the Twilight Princess glided down to his level, gently placing her hand on his shoulder as she tried to comfort him in any way she could.

"Link?" she asked softly, her voice little more than an almost timid whisper as she shivered from the freezing aura surrounding him. "Are… are you alright?"

The hero simply shook his head despondently, not even bothering to glance up at her as he continued to pour his grief out, since he was unable to do anything else at the moment. He wasn't one to cry often, but he was unable to hold is tears of heartache in as he realized that he had just lost the only love he had ever had. Link had been so certain that Zelda had felt the same way about him; after all, she had certainly acted like she did during the time that they had spent together during their coronation, showing kindness and care towards him openly and freely. And yet, when they had kissed at the coronation, even though it had been blissful and fulfilling for him, she had ultimately been the one who had pulled back, claiming that they were taking things too fast. And perhaps they had been, but he had at least believed that she had liked him at the very least, even if she didn't love him yet. But from how she had spoken, it seemed as though she wanted nothing to do with him whatsoever, nor did she even want his aid in freeing Hyrule from the darkness that covered it now, despite the fact that he had been instrumental in doing so during the Twilight Invasion. But even so, the only thing that Link could really focus on was the crushing pain he was going through, so unlike any agony he had endured before. He had taken so many blows and had bled so much in the past, and yet physical anguish was nothing compared to what he was going through now, an immense, immeasurable kind of grief that seemed as though it would never end.

Midna took in a deep breath upon seeing that Link was unresponsive. She knew well that she wasn't the most tender or gentle person, and that her usual sarcasm and wit would do little to console the hurting hero now, but she decided to try her best anyway. "Hey," the Twilight Princess said, placing both of her hands on his shoulders as she did her best to ignore the continuing cold around him. "Come on, little wolf. It's time to get going."

Link didn't respond to her once again, and though Midna was trying her best to be patient with him, she couldn't help but let out a small sigh of aggravation as she continued to press on. "Link, get up," she said, her tone not as soft as it had been before as she took her hands off him. "We can't stay here for too long. Verona's bound to find us sooner or later."