The Legend of Zelda: Light and Shadow

Chapter 7: Danger on the Horizon

"Link… I… See you later…"

Those were the last words she had said to him, but even before she had, he could have never guessed that they would be.

The three of them stood before the mirror, the desert heat mild in the cool of the setting sun. He was still getting used to seeing her in her tall, true form, as opposed to the impish appearance he had traveled alongside for the past several months. When he first saw her as she truly was, she had jokingly asked if his speechlessness came from her rare beauty, and indeed it had. And yet, even despite this physical change, she was still the exact same Twili that joined him on his journey at heart, something that she had often reminded him of as she hid in his shadow while he was recovering from his injuries, staying by his side constantly, just like she always had.

"Well… I guess this is farewell, huh?" she asked as they stood on the platform, preparing to part ways, something that already filled him with dread. The two of them had scarcely spent a moment apart over the past few months, and suddenly she was leaving. He understood, of course, that she had a kingdom of her own that she needed to return to and help revive. "Light and shadow can't mix, as well all know. But… never forget that there's another world bound to this one…"

"Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin…" the princess said eloquently. "One cannot exist without the other. I know now the reason why the goddesses left the Mirror of Twilight in this world… They left it because it was their design that we should meet. Yes… That is what I believe…"

The Twilight Princess pondered this for a moment in silence, before she gave them both a warm smile. "Zelda… your words are kind, and your heart is true," she said graciously. "If all in Hyrule are like you… Then maybe you'll do alright…" And there was that impish grin that he was so used to, set upon a more lovely face now, but it was her face all the same. He couldn't help but slightly grin back, though he still said nothing to her, wishing that she could remain with him, but taking simple solace in the fact that at least she would be able to visit every now and then.

She turned to face the mirror, stepping onto the platform before it that lead back to her realm as the steps to it appeared, but not before turning to face him once more. "Thank you…" she said with the upmost sincerity and gratitude in her tone. "Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again…"

"And we will, right, Midna?" he asked, anxious and hopeful. Her small smile finally faded upon hearing this, a hesitant sigh finally escaping her. For a brief moment, her crimson and yellow eyes looked sad, as if she was grieving something, before she finally shut them. A small, sparkling tear appeared on the corner of her eye, most likely born of magic, as she hung her head, a small, bittersweet smile crossing her violet lips.

"Link…" she said with remorse as her tear began to drift away from her. She slowly lifted her hand up to press the small golden light away from her, urging it along its path even further. "I…" her voice was wavering and soft, but as the tear moved ever closer to the mirror, she finally said it, the words that would haunt him for months to come.

"See you later…"

The glistening tear finally touched the center of the mirror gently, and the moment it did, its intricately patterned surface began to split and crack. Confused, the hero and the princess both quickly turned to look at it, and it took him less than a moment to figure out what the Twilight Princess had just done.

With a shocked gasp, he turned towards her once more as she ran up the steps, normal tears streaming down her face this time. "Midna!" he called out in desperation, panic beginning to fill him. She turned to face him once more, her expression guilty and sad at first before she gave him one last gentle smile, the light of the breaking mirror enveloping her. She said nothing more as he simply stared at her numbly, wanting to say so much to her, wanting to plead with her to stay, wanting to tell her how much her friendship had meant to him, but all at once finding nothing to say at all.