In a time long ago, there was a hero, destined to save the world of light from all that threatened it. His fate was to meet Princess Zelda, save her from the evil Ganondorf, and then live out the rest of his days by her side. Both of them reincarnated repeatedly to rule and save Hyrule, respectively.
When my own kingdom, which had been banished from Hyrule, came to danger, I found myself searching for the Princess and the Hero. I found the Princess first, for I knew she would be in the castle. When I asked her where the hero was, she replied that he had not appeared yet, for Hyrule was not in danger. I began searching the land tirelessly for any boy or man that could be courageous enough to help me. As it turns out, he was neither.
His mind and heart were that of a man, though he was the same age as me: the awkward age between being a teenager and an adult.
When I found him, he was a farmer in a small village. I thought I had found the wrong person until the village was attacked. His friends were kidnapped, and he immediately tried to follow, certainly knowing the danger. However, the enemy had put a curse on Hyrule, putting it in a state much like my own kingdom, which has nasty effects depending on the person. Many people became ghosts. Zelda remained the same. And the hero turned into a wolf.
I led Link through many paths. At first, I did it for my own gain, but soon, without meaning to, the Hero taught me loyalty and friendship.
Our journey was long, and we often only had each other for company. When we entered villages, I hid in Link's shadow, but he always took time to smile in my direction if no one was looking.
His voice was gentle, but when he fought monsters, that seemed to go away, replaced by grim determination. I often found myself awed by his grace and power.
To my great humility, I must say that I fell in love.
I realized this very near the end of our journey. It was just as Link was entering his final battle against Ganondorf. Once he was wounded, I knew I had to sacrifice myself. After I thought I had died, though, I woke up on a hill, surrounded by the light spirits. They had also restored my true form, which had been taken from me by Zant.
Link had wordless joy written on my face when I returned, and for a moment I allowed myself to hope. I soon lost what little light had entered my heart, though, when I saw Zelda stand near Link. Their destinies only served to keep them together. I didn't belong in his life.
With a heavy heart, I said my goodbyes. Soon after that, I had destroyed the one bridge between our worlds, never to see Link again.
Or so I thought.
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Two years after I broke the mirror, a somewhat familiar face appeared in my Kingdom. She introduced herself as Zelda, and she certainly looked the part, though her hair was a different color.
"I'm a different reincarnation from the one that you know," She explained gently, "I've come here to ask a favor of you."
At my positive response, Zelda continued.
"In my timeline, we have split Ganondorf's soul into four pieces, and we want each to be in a separate dimension. The Link from this world seems to trust you greatly; could you keep this safe?" She holds up a chest made of stone. It looks as if it could hold a ceremonial dagger, though I know it holds a much greater evil.
"I can do this for you, old friend."
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Only six months after that experience, the sorceress Cia entered my realm in search of Ganon's soul. When I refused to tell its whereabouts, she cursed me with her magic. I soon found myself back in imp form.
Little did I know, her magic also made my heart grow cold.
When a girl with blue hair entered my domain chasing a blue butterfly, I became instantly irritated. The only way that the girl managed to calm me was by stating why she was here.
I agreed to help her, but I did so for selfish reasons: I wanted to be the one to kill Cia.
-------------/Intermission/----------------
Present Time
Long story short, Cia got away. With heavy hearts, Lana and I turn away from the scene. After a brief agreement, Lana teleports me to the place that she will meet up with her friends.
Lana quickly explains that we are still waiting for another group, but she introduces me to a woman called Impa. I recognize Zelda. Darunia introduces himself.
We talk a bit longer before the final group appears. A metallic-looking woman enters and introduces herself as Fi.
"Where's Link?" Impa asks her. Darunia and I react simultaneously. Link?!?!?!
"Master is already fighting the forces coming our way. I estimate there are nearly a thousand."
Zelda lowers her head, no doubt sensing the enemies.
"All right." Zelda says. "Gather your troops. They're coming to us."
Lana, Impa, and Zelda rush off to gather their troops while Darunia, Fi and I stand around awkwardly without anything to do. Finally, Darunia speaks.
"So, do you two know Link as well?"
"I knew one of the first reincarnations of Master. He killed the evil Demise, and I had to be sealed away for the sake of the future." Fi states.
"Wait, are you the Master Sword?" I ask incredulously.
"She might be an earlier form of it." Darunia replies.
"Well, I'm afraid that I'm not a reoccurring character, and neither is my race, as far as I can gather." I state. "I knew the Hero of Twilight. The Link back then saved lives on both light and dark. I was his guide back then."
"I see." Darunia remarks. "When I knew Link, I had little influence. I only gave him a sacred stone. The Link back then was the Hero of Time. He began as a young boy no older than ten, but the spirits took him at the Temple of Time and saved him from Ganon's wrath by preserving him in time. When he awoke, he found himself in a body much bigger and stronger than the one previous. He grew probably ten years. Now he had the ability to save Hyrule, and it really needed saving. The Zelda back then became Sheik, too."
"All right, you three." Zelda says, approaching. "I want you on the front lines, searching for Link. I know you know what he looks like. If he's wounded, bring him to base with me. If he refuses, bring him anyway."
"Your Highness." Darunia bows.
Zelda smiles at him before turning and leaving.
"My data shows that we would find Master faster if we split up." Fi states stoically.
The three of us wordlessly take different paths, ready to fight hordes of monsters. I'm left to wonder how a sword can fight on her own.
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Nearly an hour passes with no word that Link has been found. The initial swarm was about 1,000 enemies, but then Cia realized that we had gained allies. As more enemies poured in, we advanced steadily forward. Now I am unsure if I have passed Link, or if he is still far ahead of me.
A messenger runs up, breathless. "Lady Midna, we are about to lose the Central Keep. Princess Zelda requests your help."
"I'll go." I tell him before conjuring a wolf and riding fast towards the keep. Wolves are my favorite animal ever since....well, you know.
When I reach the keep, I see a lone group of five soldiers entirely surrounded by moblins. I immediately begin attacking the mindless horde. Soon enough, I can see another person making their way through as well. I can't quite see who, but they are powerful. Soon, the keep is retaken. As the soldiers get rid of what little monsters are left, I turn to see who came to help.
Green prevails in his outfit, though I do see a new dash of blue. As he turns and sees me, no recognition flashes in his bright blue eyes, and I am reminded that this is not my Link.
Nevertheless, I float over and put my small hands to his face. He doesn't react, but his eyes spell his confusion.
"Link?" I ask, wondering if my voice will break the veil between our worlds.
"Who are you?" A small voice asks. I look and see a blue fairy fly out of Link's pocket.
"My name is Midna." I say, dropping my hands. He doesn't know who I am.
"Do you know Link?" The fairy asks.
"I...." My voice trails off. How do I answer a question like that? "I'm supposed to take you to Zelda." I finally say. Link nods his understanding. I look between him and the fairy in confusion. Is he shy or something? She seems to say everything for him. "Are you wounded?" I ask. He shakes his head. "Good."
I start to fly towards the exit, but Link doesn't follow.
"Well, are you coming?" I ask him. He smiles and shakes his head. "Cheeky little brat, aren't you." I remark. He frowns at me, almost like a pout. I sigh and float back to him. While he is confused, I teleport us back to Zelda.
"Here he is, Princess." I giggle. Link seems dazed from becoming shadow particles. "He says he isn't hurt, but you never know."
"Thank you, Midna." Zelda says as Link finally recovers. She looks him in the eye. "Tell the truth. Are you hurt?"
Link looks away.
"Great." Zelda remarks, as Fi flies in.
"I sense a 100% chance that Master is wounded. The most likely place is his shoulder."
I immediately walk over to him and use my small hands to pat his shoulder down. He winces as I touch his left shoulder.
"That's his sword arm." Zelda remarks. She seems worried, and I would be too. He's Hyrule's best fighter, and to not have him in this battle would be a shame.
With Zelda's help, I get his tunic off, and then his chain mail. When his shoulder is finally bare, I see that the would has gone far into the muscle. It seems clean though, and we caught it soon enough that it isn't infected.
"You idiot." I mutter. After a quick conference with Zelda, I turn back to him. "I'm going to use my magic. This is going to hurt. A lot." I take a deep breath and form a ball of dark energy. after it charges for a bit, I let it spread over my hands like a pair of gloves.
Link's eyes find mine, and I stare at him a moment longer before placing a hand on his shoulder.
His head throws backwards in a soundless scream. I fight back tears as my fingers probe far into the wound, stitching the muscle back together.
It starts raining, sorrow washing over the ground below.
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"We fought back the enemy, but just barely." Impa reports. Seven of us sit around an improvised table. All of us are grim. Link sits, staring mutely at the table. I can tell his wound still hurts.
"At least we still have our hero." Zelda says, standing. "Thanks to Midna, he will be able to wield a sword in just a few days. Until then, I suggest we have our men patrol the area looking for high concentrations of the enemy. We need to be ready if they attack again."
"I can speak to the captains." Impa says. "Besides, they need to know who is in charge. We've gained a few generals." She says, looking towards Darunia, Fi, and me.
"That's a good plan." Lana says. "Even I'm not sure what Cia is planning."
"What does she want, exactly?" Darunia asks.
Lana wordlessly looks at Link.
"But there's no way that she could have seen Link before she attacked Hyrule." I say, confused.
"Cia and I could watch all of the happenings in this world, as well as others. We saw Link in all of his reincarnations throughout time." She turns to me. "We also saw Midna, Darunia, and Fi."
Link looks up for the first time. Proxi, his fairy, appears again.
"You are all from Link's past lives?" She asks in Link's stead.
"Yes." I answer.
Link gets up silently and leaves the room.
Lana looks at me. "Perhaps you should go find him."
"Me?" I ask. "Why not Zelda? Or you? He knows you."
"And he knows you." Zelda says. "His memories just haven't come back yet. Mine did when I became Sheik. Help him remember his past lives."
When no one argues Zelda's claim, I get up and follow Link.
He is sitting in a grassy field outside of our base when I find him. He doesn't look up when I approach.
"Does your wound hurt?" I ask, to break the silence. He shakes his head.
After the last battle, Zelda had told me that he was mute, and it makes it easier on him if you ask yes and no questions.
"They're worried, you know." I say as I sit a comfortable distance from him. He continues staring off into the distance. I sneak a glance at him and see his hair blowing in the gentle wind. It looks a lot fluffier that what I'm used to.
"It's okay if you don't remember your past." I say, not quite sure where I'm going with this. "They're almost like different people anyway. Different lives. You don't have to be them. You can live your own life, make your own history."
The more words I say, the heavier my heart gets.
"You don't need to be burdened by what lives they have saved, and which ones they haven't." My eyes suddenly find the ground below me very interesting. "You don't need to..." A sob exits my mouth, unwillingly. I hear him shift in the grass, undoubtedly in my direction. "....You're an idiot....." I sob.
Warm hands envelop my tiny body. Part of me wants to shove him away. He's not my Link; he isn't my Wolfie. But I betray myself, burrowing further into his warmth. I have missed him for so long.
"Wolf boy." I sob. Something in his demeanor changes, and he hugs me closer. I hear him take a shaky breath in, then he says,
"Midna."
My eyes widen, and I look at him. He seems shocked that he said something too, but then he laughs and says something that is music to my ears.
"You're an imp again."
I cry harder, and my little fists pound against his chest. "Don't scare me like that again."
"I won't." He replies. We both cry for a while. He takes another deep breath and says, "At least we got to see each other again."
I take a deep, shuddering breath. Get ahold of yourself, Midna.
In order to gain some pride back, I wrap both arms around his neck and grab the scarf. Then I quickly fly away with the blue material in my hand. Link laughs as I wrap myself in it, covering everything up to my nose.
"I like your scarf."