Triforce of Essence | Legend of Zelda Fan Fiction

Chapter 17: Cower

“Whoa, am I interrupting something?”

Both Link and I turn our red faces towards Midna, who looks at us like we are freaks of nature. After that laughing fit, neither one of us could even stand—let alone sit upright—because our guts hurt so much. Even when we tried, the other person would laugh at the standing person’s failing attempt.

We stare at Midna a little longer, before we break out laughing again. “You guys didn’t eat any questionable mushrooms, did you?” Midna’s eyes narrow in suspicion. We try to nod, but just end up collapsing on our sides once more.

“N-no, we’re f-fine now,” Link replies, his voice breaking near the end. He clears his throat and says, “Aren’t we, Neri?”

I nod feebly, and see Link visibly attempt to not smile. Sitting up and brushing myself off, Midna comes by the fire we’ve prepared. At least we aren’t in my world, or else my parents would think I’m on drugs and deny my claims of having none.

“So,” I start when I’ve calmed down, “did you find the crystal?” She nods her masked head vigorously, and leans forward. Her arm stretches out and she opens her palm, while a small red crystal appears.

It essentially looks the same as the Earth Crystal. It’s a perfect diamond shape, about the size of her hand length and width-wise. The only difference is this one has a red tint instead of green. Encased in the red crystal is a small fire that licks at the crystal it’s concealed in. It never dies out and keeps burning bright.

“Wow! Should we do the ritual, then?” I gasp.

Midna shakes her head. “I can’t think of anything to promise you yet.”

Right—in order to claim it, you have to pledge something to Forgotten Goddess’ incarnation (aka: me).

“Let’s have supper, and I’ll think while I eat,” she suggests.

“Fair enough. We’ve only been waiting forever to have some food!” I exclaim. She rolls her red eyes and makes some of the soup appear, along with three wooden bowls and matching spoons.

Link and I both jump at it, and fight each other for it. He grabs my shoulders to pull me back, but I grab his face and push him away. I launch at the soup again, but he grabs me around the waist and I’m thrown back again. He chuckles triumphantly, but I jump onto his back and cover his eyes. Link lets out a surprised yell and tries to grab to me to throw him off his back, but eventually he loses his balance and falls forward. I land on top of him and get up, running to the soup to grab my portion.

“You’d think I’m feeding a pack of wild dogs,” Midna teases.

“Technically, you are,” I murmur.

Once Link had caught his breath, he comes for the soup. We dish out the last of it, and the empty big bowl disappears. I guess we’ll have to go hunting again. Ugh, that thought makes me shudder.

The fire has dimmed to red coals, but we take advantage of the dying heat. We perch around the embers, and our meal is eaten in silence—sort of. Our ravenous appetites get the better of us, so we basically shovel ginormous spoonfuls of the hearty meal into our mouths. I don’t care how rude I look; all manners hit the fan when you’re that hungry—and when you’re eating damn good soup. Clouds roll over us and darken the sky, and when I actually have the idea to look up, the deep gray and black swirls tell me a shower will be coming soon. The bowls disappear after being licked clean, and Midna stands up.

“Ready?” I ask.

“As I’ll ever be,” she replies unsurely. She tosses me the twilight crystal, and my hand catches the trinket. I feel my bones shift and my skin trade itself for fur, and I’m on all fours when I feel the movement stop.