The Legend of Zelda: The Missing Link

Chapter 8: Reconciliation

"I brought princess, great Ganondorf."

"Excellent." The Gerudo king smiled. "You've done well, King Bulblin. Now, I want you to find the Twilight Princess. She's here, in the light world; I can feel her presence. I want her here as soon as possible."

"Yes, great Ganondorf." King Bulblin grunted, picking up his shields and shuffling out the door.

Zelda ducked down underneath the windowsill so that Ganondorf could not see her as he turned around. "Midna is here, in the light world?" She whispered. So somebody had restored the Mirror of Twilight--whether that was Midna, Ganondorf, or somebody else entirely, Zelda did not know.

But that didn't matter right now. What mattered is that Zelda finds Midna and Tristam--who was missing from her pocket entirely when she awoke in her cell, along with all of her items and sword. She managed to pick the lock on the door to her cell and slip out unnoticed, and the spiral staircase leading down the from the cell brought her out to the fields outside of the castle.

Zelda hurried through the castle courtyard, crouching under windows as she went to minimize her chances of being spotted. She wouldn't have much of a problem escaping, as she knew the layout of the castle grounds by heart, but getting out wasn't her biggest priority--it was finding Tristam, then escaping and finding Midna. But where to start looking?

She turned a corner, keeping up her quick pace, but to her surprise, a Lizalfos waited before her, swinging its axe-tail idly. She tried to dart back around the corner, but she was too late. The Lizalfos had already noticed her, and it quickly rushed after her, bringing up its curved sword. Zelda darted to the side as the Lizalfos brought the sword down. She sucked in a breath as the Lizalfos growled, and using its hesitation, the queen took off, running in no particular direction. As she sprinted through the castle grounds, she could hear arrows whizzing through the air, and she prayed to the goddesses that she would not get hit by one before she could find a hiding spot.

Though it seemed her silent prayers went unanswered, as she felt a sharp arrow head pierce her left shoulder. She gasped as she fell to the ground, feeling only numbness at first, but after a few seconds pain started to shoot down her arm and across her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes, but Zelda knew that she could not rest yet. She had to escape. She had to nurse her wounds and properly equip herself before she could come back and find Tristam, and possibly Midna.

Before she could push herself to her feet, raindrops started to fall from the grey, heavy clouds. Zelda sighed at her luck, and stood up, wincing at the pain in her shoulder.

Holding her arm protectively, Zelda pushed onwards through the field, until the front gate of the castle grounds was in sight. She could almost cry in happiness, but she wasn't safe yet. She wouldn't be safe until she was far away from here.

~~~

Zelda quickly turned the coner and rushed down the stairs to Telma's bar, wiping the blood off her hands onto her skirt. Her dress was so tattered and stained that there was no point in trying to salvage it. She came up to the doorway, but just as she was about to grab the doorknob, she saw something move in the shadows out of the corner of her eye.

She stopped. It felt as though there was something watching her from the darkness, something lurking beneath the sun's reach. She hesitated, and then slowly turned her head.

A tall, dark figure emerged from the shadows before her, seeming to materilaze from the darkness itself, with flowing black robes, long orange hair, and piercing red eyes.

"Midna?!" Zelda exclaimed.

"Zelda. Long time, no see." The Twilight Princess smiled. "How have you been?" Her voice was echoing and enchanting, and every word she spoke seemed to ring in the air.

"Midna..." Zelda was in shock from seeing the princess of twilight standing here before her, when just a few weeks ago, she was certain that the two would never meet again.

But she could not deny the tall figure before her, towering at over six feet.

"I know, you're surprised to see me here. I didn't think that I would ever return to the light world, either. But alas, here we both are. I'm sure you've seen the monsters returning." A look of worry crossed Midna's face, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, I have. Ganondorf has taken Link, and the castle as well. I fear that he is close to usurping all of Hyrule as well. Midna, we cannot let this happen again. It is my responsibility to keep Hyrule safe and I cannot let my people down again."

Midna studied the queen closely, noticing a fear in Zelda's bright blue eyes deeper than she had ever seen. It was a fear that only a ruler could have, a fear for every single person in their land of rule. Midna knew this fear all too well.