When Midna had issued her challenge, she had not been thinking of the Happy Mask Salesman, but his sudden outburst inflamed her. _I can do whatever I wish_, she seethed. _Don't think for a moment that you know what's best for me, merchant._ It was a fight to restrain herself, but some of the rage worked its way onto her face. Her heart was pumping, but as she listened to the fairy speak, she found it waylaid in the doldrums of confusion. Conquer? Crippled light spirits at Ganondorf's behest? Midna almost laughed to hear Ciela say them. She had never done any such things; she had never ventured beyond the Twilight Realm in her life, and neither had any of the other Twili. Such blatant lies placed this fairy-woman firmly on the side of Zelda, though Midna had to give her credit: she certainly had an active imagination. It astonished her at all that Ciela had such detailed information on aspects of the Twilight Realm, though it and the world of light had not converged in millennial. The bit about the Fused Shadows stirred a memory in her. While not enough to tell Midna what exactly they were or what they did, it did suffice to inform her that they were lost. Only one Fused Shadow existed in the Twilight Realm, and it was stashed away deep in a vault beneath King Mizorant's palace. Midna crossed her arms as Link took his turn. Her face had lost all of its friendliness and cheer, and in fact sported a look more like scorn. She permitted him to reach the end of his tirade, then broke out into a speech that was more shouting than talking. "Save us all? How? You've never saved the Twilight Realm. Since the beginning of our recorded history, we have been left to deal with our own problems. We have no golden goddesses, no triforce, no hero eternally reborn. I am the first Midna and the last Midna. Our people is a forsaken one! We survived on our own! You speak of puzzles, magics, defense, revenge, music, life! We have then all not because we are 'chosen by the gods', we have them because we worked hard for them! As for the demon king you say cannot be defeated..." She whirled, her cloak and half-dress billowing in a sudden wind. She raised a hand above her head, and in a shower of black particles a long, lethal-looking spear appeared in throwing position. It pointed directly at Ganondorf's chest; clearly their allegiance was undergoing some stress. Midna's teeth were bared in a smile that almost looked insane as she cried, "Watch me!" Something big and black fell from the sky, but before anyone could tell what it was, it collided with the ground and released a shockwave that bowled everyone over. Midna, suffused by adrenaline, was among the first to right herself, and she found herself staring at a gargantuan eye. It was emerald-green, enclosed in a spherical red body draped with yellow tentacles. Its body was spattered with cuts and burn marks. As she stood transfixed with wonderment, the creature shrieked. A dark shape, merely a toy compared to the huge beast, leaped from the top of it and landed by Midna's side. Zant, masked and bearing his scimitars, attempted a rushed bow. "Mistress!" he cried. "While I am indeed a powerful force to witness, I encountered some trouble with the monster Arrghus! I brought it here so that we could kill it with our combined power!" By this time, Midna was sufficiently recovered to slap his mask, causing him to tumble comically. _"You moron!"_ She shrieked in the tongue of the Twili. _"I was having a defining moment! Once I rip this thing apart, you and I will have words! Repeatedly and painfully! Understand?"_ The spear levitated back into her grasp, but as Midna armed herself, Arrghus did also. A cloud of smaller, bloodshot eyes, suspended in the air by bubbles, materialized around it, protecting the central eye. Midna threw her spear, but it struck a bubble and lodged there, halfway in. She ground her teeth, and the spear exploded, sending the little eye reeling. _"This is going to be annoying."_

Ganondorf gasped more out of insulted irritation as the Twilight Princess summoned her weapon and aimed it at him. He was about to retort when the sky itself seemed to open up and dump its worst upon them. The woman was furious when she had recovered and yelled at a man in a strange mask in some foreign tongue. Now he stood, brushing dust and gravel from his cloak and armor. He watched the two bicker for a moment before turning their attention to the beast that had fallen from the sky. He had no room for fear anymore because, in his chest, a deep amused laugh was pushing it's way out. *** Happy nearly passed out when the creature fell from the sky, causing the ground beneath them to shake. He refused to let that happen, though. He couldn't stand so he slid backwards in a panicked scoot to the nearest wall. He pressed himself against it, trying to find some kind of refuge. He was frightened. He was worried. He was *insulted.* He had only been trying to help and Midna tossed him aside. Were those her true colors? The blackness of cruelty, redness of rage and deep purple of arrogance. He saw them clearly now. She had no intentions of saving Hyrule or any of it's people. In reality, she was no better than the Evil King himself. Thinking of the dark man made Happy direct his attention to him. Even he seemed unnerved by the sudden appearance of the beast. He was trembling and his face was distorted. Then the sound hit the salesman. Ganondorf wasn't scared. He was *laughing.* Why was he laughing? Perhaps he'd defeated monsters worse than this in his time? He certainly carried himself as though he'd slain countless enemies and legendary creatures. "Midna. You cannot win the heart of the people with the games you are playing. Threatening to murder people in the streets?" He shook his head in fake concern. "That will get you nowhere. And bringing more of a threat to city? Well, strike two, my dear. This land doesn't need your kind." He turned his back on the ensuing fight with a smirk. He signaled to the caped boy that had been cowering behind him. The boy's eyes shut and reopened a sickeningly sinister green. With a quick twirl, the boy vanished and reappeared behind Zelda. He wrapped his strengthened arms around her and the two of them vanished. The Evil King had once again kidnapped the Princess of Hyrule. With that thought in mind, The salesman's vision failed him, quickly followed by unconsciousness.

Link was in a rage, not only had he just seen this woman reveal her true colors, her friend had brought forth a monster and in the chaos the princess had vanished. He got up slowly, the force having thrown him up onto a roof top, he drew the Master Sword as rush forward giving a whistle. Epona rushed towards him, he jumped onto her back riding towards the monstrous eye. He did not issue a battle cry, he did not say a word, he simple rode forward his eyes locked onto the beast as his mind prioritized things. First he would deal with this, then Lady Midna and cohort. After that he would have to pursue the captured Princess. His work was cut out for him for certain. As the Hero rode toward this monster he just smiled, he already knew how to beat it, it was as good as dead. Dark Link appeared in front of Midna, his hands folded in a chastising manner. "You seemed so promising, I mean, I know you have a thing for that little Hero whose about to up stage you, but you did seem like decent person. Pity for you sister, I hate decent people. I'll start with you seeing as you threatened my Master then we can kill the boy, I'll save the little Hero for later, I'll need something to entertain me." He grinned, his teeth like razors, Link the picture of honor and innocence this fiend was more inclined to murder and deprivation. He drew forth a sword, it dripped black magic as if the very blade could poison your soul. "You know what's great about your kind Midna? You walk in the light and the shadow. So really this weapon and the master sword could kill you, perhaps your distant kin to me? I am nothing but shadow... You kind irks me, your like poor copies each of you born with a little more light, no doubt the goddesses doing, still perhaps when I'm done serving my master I'll go conquer your world. Turn you back into creatures of the dark." With that a shield appeared on Dark Links arm, a red symbol of Ganondorf appearing on it. "Now hurry up and die, your a waste of talents." With that he lunged forward unleashing a flurry of strikes.

Navi observed the reactions her accusations brought forth on Midna's face. She saw amusement there and something else, something harder to name, then Navi found the word, disbelief. Midna did not accept Navi's claims. She had not denied them but rather did not hear truth in them. Was it possible that the Twili had edited the events from their history? They were from what Navi knew a proud people but surely that would not stretch to falsifying their mistakes. Before Navi could say anything else Link stood up to speak. He described his own power and the potential danger Midna's was playing upon the Country. Navi knew this as another tactical error in a debate but these thoughts fled her mind as she heard his voice resound around the square. She could hear _his_ voice in the speech that Link gave. Along with a thousand others but Navi heard his loudest and it brought a smile to her normally serious face. It was Midna's response that surprised Navi, up until this point Midna's had been nothing but professional. Now she let the debate grow personal and while her argument held merit any onlooker would think that she wished to abolish the Cycle of the Hero out of spite. Because her world never had the protection of the Goddesses she wished to strip it from this land as well. Navi was prepared to raise her own counter argument when the sky above seemed to shatter. An enormous mass crashed into the Town Square shattering paving stones and sending almost everyone to their knees. Navi was one of the few to keep her footing. The beast in front of them seemed to have been brought on by Midna's associate, perhaps as some sort of demonstration of her power. It was clearly ill timed. Navi knew the beast even if she had never seen one. It was an Arrghus, they preferred damp environments such as swamps. Their skin was harder than rock. The only way to kill it was a blow to the eye. Knowing this the Arrghus protected its eye with a swarm of smaller Arrgi. They would have to be dispatched first. Navi gave a respectful bow to Princess Zelda. "Apologies my Lady, I must assist in the battle. I trust you can handle yourself." With that said the fairy wings, delicate as wet paper yet surprisingly durable peeled themselves off Navi's back and carried her into the air. It was not often she flew in human form. When she'd first learned how to change forms flying like this had been a thrill, feeling the wind rush through her hair the novelty had worn off several hundred years ago. Now she only used her full sized wings in combat situations. She flew several meters above the beast her skin shining more than ever. It felt freeing to be in the air again, as if the winds were turning away the dark magic that had made her sick. Navi needed to fight. Fairy magic by nature was not violent but everything must take on roles not suited to them. Fairy magic was also among the most ancient and primal of the powers that exist. A great part of that magic was contained in the most ancient of sorcery, the power of music. Hovering over the creature Navi opened her mouth and began to sing. She was not aware of anything that happened on the ground, she did not see the Princess vanish nor Link and Dark Link armed themselves for battle. All that existed was the music. The song she sung was breath taking and heart breaking. It was in no language anyone present would understand and yet it spoke of loss and sorrow, pain and suffering, separation from those you love. As she sung time stood still and all even the hardest hearted present were captivated by the song. Even the beast paused. It's protective Arrgi drifting away from it as the music ensnared them. The song was over too quickly but it had done its job. The beast was vulnerable. Everyone present would shake the power of the notes from them in a matter of seconds but with any luck the beast being devoid of any sort of real intelligence would not become away for several minutes. If someone present acted fast Arrghus could be dealt with swiftly. "Link!" She yelled being unsure exactly where he was. "This is an Arrghus. I've gotten rid of the spheres that shield the main body, you can attack the eye."

2x post

None of Ganondorf's actions reached Midna, for she was on the attack. Gathering her magics, she created a nebulous cloud of twilight particles around her, which then began to crystallize into little shards that rocketed toward Arrghus at high speed. Most hit the guardian bubbles at bad angles and dissolved, but several managed to pierce the watery membranes and strike down the bloodshot eyes within. When three were destroyed, Midna paused to watch the remain dozen or so shift slightly, so as to keep the monster's core eye covered. Interesting. The braid beneath her chin glowed brightly before springing out into the shape of a hand. Concentrating carefully, Midna leveraged her trichomancy to form the hair into a huge mitt that swiped away six Arri at once, though she was forced to reign in the hand shortly after. Nearby, Zant took advantage of the moment by releasing a hail of hot-pink projectiles that spattered against the beast's main body. To their annoyance, the bubbles merely zipped back into place after a few moments. In those few seconds, both missed Vaati's sudden and insidious maneuver. Midna prepared to unleash her trichomancy a second time, but was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of the hero's demonic doppelganger before her. An eerily calm look settled across her features as he spoke, his words scabbing and scraping and altogether odious. She did not yet fear the monster. As he wasted time trying to provoke her into acting first, she built up a small orb of teal twilight magic behind her hand, keeping it hidden from sight. When he stopped to summon his shield, Midna shouted out a short phrase in her native tongue. When Dark Link uttered his one-liner and charged forward, the Twilight Princess was ready. She hopped back from the dancing blade and threw overhand the twilight ball, which burst on the ground beneath Link's feet. While she didn't expect that the ensuing blast would have much of an effect on him given its size, she knew it would buy her enough time to escape. There was no time to be dealing with the small fry when the big fish was just outside her grasp. As such, when she floated backward, her body dissolved into particles, and through them barreled forth the masked form of Zant. Zant released a contemptuous laugh and engaged the foe. While Dark Link's slashes were powerful and deadly-quick, they contained little consciousness, and so Zant held one of his scimitars back-handed to guard against them while he aimed an overhead cut at Dark Link's head. He knew that the demon's longsword would be capable of thrusting, which was a capability his own scimitars didn't really share, and one that he -with no shield for defense- would be vulnerable to as well. He suspected his longer blades and ranged attacks would be able to keep his foe from getting close enough. As these thoughts rushed through his head, they were accompanied by a sort of chaos—before long, he would not be lucid enough to fight coherently, so he had better use his wits while he could. Midna, meanwhile, had teleported onto a nearby roof. Now she was at eye-level, so to speak, with Arrghus. The sound of music, however, made her pause. The fairy's song burrowed into her heart, and she collapsed into a sitting position, entranced. Each note held within it a hint of hurt, a tone of sadness, and above all the pang of loneliness. It was all Midna could do to keep herself from shedding a tear. Everything else in the plaza, except for the wild duel between Dark Link and Zant, had also stopped. Then it was over. Midna breathed in slowly, her eyes shut. She had not lost sight of her goal, but her anger was gone. She was aware of the fairy calling for Link, but paid it no mind. At this moment, she was the hero. She summoned a new weapon. It was like the spear, but larger, and with three tips rather than one. For a moment she hefted the trident, making sure her throw would connect with the dazed monster, and then she heaved it with all her might. Despite that, the spear was slow-moving, and there was a small chance that a skilled individual could obstruct its flight.

Far away from the fighting in the Square, Guards clad in thin silk and gold stood against a stone wall staring and sneering at the prisoners in the cells. Their long, pointed noses making their smug faces seem sinister as they grinned. It was time. "So, have you lot of worthless vagrants learned your lesson?" One of the guards said, brushing her red hair over her shoulder. Her white uniform stood out amongst the other guards' purple ones. A feeble voice piped up on the far end of the chamber. "I'm no vagrant. I'm a nobleman!" "Not as long as I hold the keys, old man." She twirled a ring of rusty keys on one finger, placing her other hand on her hip. "Silence him." "Yes Ma'am!" Two guards nearest to the old man's cell bowed in unison. She threw the ring to them and they quickly opened the cell and dragged the man out by his wrists. They took him around a corner. He could no longer be seen, but his screams and the cracking of whips told the whole story. "Anyone else care to challenge my authority?" She smirked. "No? Alright. Now listen. The Lord Ganondorf is out at the moment which means *I'm* in charge. In other words, what I say goes. No ifs ands or buts." Someone coughed. She ignored it. "My first executive order is to cut your food portions in half. It saves money. This law goes in affect with your morning meal." She turned to leave, but stopped. She continued talking without turning to face the prisoners. "And thank your pal, the nobleman, for today's meal cut. There will be *no* evening meal served today." Suddenly, there was a loud *whooshing* sound. The head guard whirled around in time to catch the appearance of young man draped in purple and a struggling woman. She fell to the ground out of shock when she recognized the woman as none other than the Princess Zelda of Hyrule. He practically threw the princess into the old man's empty cell and slammed it shut. His hand hovered over the lock and the black tendrils of dark magic emanated from his palm and finger tips, placing the toughest of locking spells on the door. He let his hand fall to his side and stared absently into the cell for a moment before completely collapsing on the floor. The head guard had gotten to her feet by now and was beginning to reclaim her courage. "You two!" She shouted at two of the other guards. "Pick him up and escort him to one of the guest rooms. He's most likely one of Our Lord's outside men. But, in the event that he is not, I want four soldiers to stand guard at his door. Two inside and two outside. Not just any soldiers either. The highest ranking you can find." The two guards just stared, dumbfounded, at their leader as if her head had just fallen off. "GO! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" The guards jumped back into reality and moved quickly to follow her orders. *** Ganondorf grinned evilly to himself as the carriage rolled smoothly along the road. He felt his magic return to him and he knew that Vaati had done his job. There was no doubt the boy would take on some damage from the possession, but Ganondorf had deemed it for a worthy cause. The princess was his. Now he just needed to lure the Hero in. He already knew just what to do. He'd been planning this for *ages.*

Link heard the song as Epona carried him towards the eye, Ciela called out to him, he simply looked to her and nodded as Epona raced forward, somehow Midna had beaten him here. Link's rage boiled over and as propelled himself off his's horse back he buried his sword in the top of the letting it drag done ripping it apart completely. He jumped away as the best started to burn away, he turned and looked at Midna. "In the name of Hyrule... No in the name of peace. You will help me find Princess Zelda or you fall alongside the tyrant who has taken her." He spoke softly, the rage had left him now he only spoke the truth of his goal as his eyes burned into Midna, staring her down. Dark Link was a blast, he had little sense of self preservation and it showed, bashing with the shield swinging the blade of Shadows wildly. "Your not bad, but you've got a problem... I don't feel pain or get tired. Your weapon is not of the Light so really this fight is going to go on until I kill you." He sighed as if the fight had begun to bore him. "Tell me something, are all the people of Twilight this moody or is just the princess?" He shoved Zant away taking a few steps back circling him. His style changed all of sudden as he spoke, as if he had simply been toying with you before. "I almost envy you, I mean you get to feel the power of light and darkness, but that isn't as nice as just being light or dark is it? Your always struggling with your choices?" He grinned, his sword dragging the dirt, his shield the only thing between him and Zant.

Saria did not enjoy leaving the central part of the forest. She enjoyed the solitude of the Lost Woods well enough but beyond that was Faron Woods where the humans roamed. It was not that Saria had anything particular against the mortals but they had the effect of rubbing her the wrong way. Stating the obvious, asking the wrong questions, there kind had just never felt particularly sensible to Saria. There were of course exceptions here and there but for the most part they were to slow for her. Leaving the Lost Woods felt like Saria was losing a layer of protection. These Woods kept the Kokiri safe from the prying eyes of the world. She was not stepping out of that safety. Faron's Spring was much closer to the border of the woods than Saria was comfortable with. She could of course leave the forest but that would strip away her immortality, she would age over the course of sixty or seventy years and die. Even returning the forest would not restore it. There had been an time many centuries past were the Great Deku Tree extending the Forests protection to encompass a place called Lon Lon Ranch so the Kokiri could celebrate Ganon's demise with the rest of Hyrule, that kind of event however was a once in a lifetime event even for someone like her. She approached the water’s edge. She placed her bare feet in the water. Just to the edge. She was a guest here; it would not do to treat it as if the spring were her property. "I call on the Light Spirit Faron for that guidance and Wisdom he may offer. On behalf of the Great Deku Tree, Lord of the Forest I call upon your divine council." Saria waited for several seconds. She considered momentarily that Faron was ignoring her, which given the gravity of her request was rather rude. This thought however was pushed from her mind as the water surrounding her feet began to glow with a divine light. The light started on the edge of the Spring and swirled inwards as it did it grew brighter till Saria had to shield her eyes or risk blindness, no one, not even an immortal was meant to see the divine in its pure form. When the light dimmed Saria removed her hand and looked at the being that rose over her. It was an ape, but that description hardly did justice to the divine being she was seeing here. She could think of no better word to describe him however and decided that Faron's name held its own description well enough. He was clearly the embodiment of life just as must as the Deku Tree was Lord of it. "I hear the summons of the Forest Children, what would they ask?" Faron's voice was deep and commanding and Saria almost shrank from it. She collected herself and spoke. "Divine being of the waters, The Hero of the Goddesses has awakened once more yet his task is more perilless than he realizes, something is coming of which he has no knowledge, something that may change the course of his destiny and that of Hyrule." Saria drew in a slow breath trying not to let the spirit know that she was nervous. "There is indeed an event of great magnitude upon Hyrule at this time but it should have no bearing on the Hero's Quest." Right as the spirit said this, the ground below their feet began to shake violently, the water beneath them churned and the sky shook with thunder, flashes of green ripping across the sky one by one. Saria wasn't sure why but the flashing brought to mind the face of the fairy that had guided her before Laila. The ground stopped moving rather quickly. "All of Hyrule must have felt Earth move?" she said looking for confirmation from the Light Spirit. When Saria looked at him she gasped in surprise. Faron had become transparent as if his hold on this reality was slipping. "Not merely this world Forest child, it was felt across every world. My power wanes, I will not be able to aid you again. The Deku Tree is silenced, something has obstructed the Alignment. Tell the Hero the walls will fall. Everything will be over run, gather the lost power of Hylia and restore the blade. When all hope seems lost The Wood Between the World will aid you." As he spoke Faron's voice grew gradually farther away as his body too faded from the spring. The golden light died leaving Saria standing in the forest wondering how she could possibly to as the Light Spirit asked.

Ganondorf jolted awake when the carriage driver had called for the horses to stop. He righted himself in his seat as he had slumped while sleeping. The carriage door opened and a guard dressed in white welcomed him with a deep bow and a genuine "My Lord." "What is the cause for this unexpected welcoming, Yilla?" Ganondorf signaled for her to stand straight again and she obeyed. "Your visitor is in a guest room. He arrived with Princess Zelda yesterday." Yilla clasped her hands behind her back. "Wonderful." Ganondorf grinned. "Be sure to treat him well. And keep an eye on him. I don't suspect he's a traitor, but you never know. "Yes, My Lord." She dropped into another graceful bow and rushed off. Ganondorf entered his chamber and sat in a plush red chair. He stared out the window as the last of the sun's light burned on the edge of the desert. He loved that scene. A stream of blood flowing across the sparkling sand. Suddenly, the castle shook violently. It wasn't quite enough to throw the king out of his chair, but he did have to hang on to it's arms. His gaze still lying o the horizon, he let out a fearful gasp. The red line of sunset had melted into an eerie green and flashes of lightning struck at the ground without clouds. "It's real." He almost whispered and then he was grinning again. *** Vaati lay in a plush bed surrounded by a nest of gold-embroidered blankets and sheets. The bed's frame was four-barred cage of elborate knots and twists seemingly carved out of iron. The walls were sandstone covered in rich tapestries and curtains displaying vibrant colors beyond imagination. He didn't notice any of it. What caught his attention was the way the whole room shook. A vase fell from a table and shattered. He grabbed onto the blankets and curled up inside their safety, willing the quake to end. He was scared senseless.

All the triumph in her spirit crumbled away as Midna helplessly watched the Link spring into the air and drive his blade into the top of Arrghus's eye. Her heart sank as the tissue parted like butter against the edge of the master sword, and gravity allowed Link to perfectly slice the whole lens in half. Yellow blood and other juices spattered from the gruesome, gaping wound as Arrghus collapsed with a moan. Her trident finally hit its target, but off to the side, lodging in the crimson flesh instead. Its skin darkened, losing its definition, until it was merely a shrunken black image of its former self. Midna saw the hero turn to face her, and behind him Arrghus exploded into purple smoke; it was a one-hit K.O. When compared to that, her best effort seemed lackluster and superfluous. Doubt began to creep into her mind. Could it be her destiny to be upstaged by the hero? No. That is not the future I want. I refuse. As she descended to the ground from the rooftop, she became aware of the battle between Dark Link and Zant, but before she could get involved the real hero stopped her. Upon facing him, she found his blue eyes piercing and cold, almost enough to make her wilt like a dark flower beneath their glare. She was forced to breath deeply once again to steady herself before answering the blue stare with one hued red. She found herself looking down upon him, for he was several inches shorter than her. It gave her confidence. “There are a thousand things I would rather do, but perhaps it is for the better. Though you are the chosen one and I a mere stranger, our goals are the same: the protection of Hyrule. There can be no election with only one candidate, regardless, so the Princess must be regained, even if she is my opponent. Now, if you will excuse me...” The duel had reached a fever pitch only to momentarily break. Dark Link was taunting Zant lazily, dragging his sword. Unlike the specter, Zant was indeed tired. He had expended a great deal of his energy on the Arrghus alone back in the swamp; teleporting it here had taken another chunk out him. The rest had evaporated when he had furiously attacked the one who threatened his princess. He hunched over, breathing heavily, but even there he could see two things. Firstly, Dark Link had left himself open. Secondly, Midna was approaching from behind him. Zant grinned maniacally, thinking of a devilish fate. He called out in his native language, and gathered his energies into a condensed barrier of black and red twilight magic. This he sent forward. Behind Dark Link, Midna created her own wall, one of turquoise and black that she also sent forward. The two walls approached one another quickly, too large to dodge effectively, threatening to crush Dark Link between them. Only two options awaited him: to melt away into shadows and retreat, or to remain where he was and be flattened.

Dark Link simply smiled, he turned and looked at Link who stood watching the two Twili trap the shadow. "I'll be watching Hero, the world is changing and next time it will be you and me." With that he sank into the shadows. He slipped out of the city and into the fields of Hyrule. Reforming on a rock he mused to himself. "Perhaps I should investigate this Hero... He is different, not like the others." He groaned, his full power had not yet returned and he had strained what he had using so much magic. He could feel pain he just knew when his magic supply was becoming drained. He decided it would be best to report to Ganondorf and tell him some of the news. This trip would take little magic as he could always return to his master. Dark Link appeared beside the throne, admiring the green glow. "It beautiful. isn't it master?" Link had slowly climbed off the building looking Ciela. "Thank you so much Ciela, you helped a lot." He gave the fairy a smile then turned to the Princess and her servant, though he seemed a bit shaky he got down onto a knee and bowed to her. "Lady Midna, I thank you, I hope you will be my valuable ally in the days to come. I hope we can settle or differences and become friends as well." He stood up slowly giving her a soft smile. "I really do mean it, that Shadow could have easily beaten me... I haven't had a good nights sleep in couples days, so thanks or stopping him." He turned say something to Ciela but he collasped, fatigue catching up with the young hero.

Ganondorf nodded half-aware of Dark Link's presence. He was still smiling. He was thinking as well. Oh, the things that could happen withing the next few days. It brought an uncanny pleasantness to the King of Thieves. Yilla cringed a little, but Ganondorf didn't see it. "Yilla, fetch my plan book, would you?" Ganondorf held a hand out for the guard to place the requested item in. She obeyed. He took it to a desk and began working with a ferocity that would scare the feeble in character. *** The Happy Mask Salesman came to, slowly raising himself into a standing position. The sight he took in next confused him. The beast was gone and Midna and the Hero were talking civilly with one another. The Evil King was gone. The princess was gone. The shadow was gone. Everything seemed peaceful. If it weren't for the fact that the stone of the Square grounds were shredded with bricks and chunks were scattered all across the space, one might believe that this meeting was one between two completely civil politicians. What was more confusing was the color of the sky. If anyone else saw it, they paid it no attention. He had no idea what the cause was, but it settled uneasily into his heart. Something was not right, but he just couldn't put a finger on it. He cautiously approached the Hero and the Twilight Princess, making as little noise as possible. He picked his way across the ruins of the street and finally came to a stop about five feet from either person. They were talking about saving Zelda. Then the Hero collapsed, presumably from exhaustion. "E-excuse me..." He started out nervously.

Ravio smiled as he looked upon the starry skies of Lorule, the sparkling lights in the distance a calming picture to him. Things were good in Lorule, much better than how it was many years ago, as he had learned in a historical text the princess has allowed him to borrow. He had an odd compulsion for history for some reason. Never the less, he continued his journey to a village presumably near where he was. He couldn't confirm this because of the darkness, but if he was reading the map right... Ravio was suddenly interrupted from his pondering by a massive tremor. The sky flashed with lightning and a grand blood orange-like color, and he was swept off his feet, quickly shifting his bag so he wouldn't crush his merchandise. As he felt himself collide with the ground, he hit something hard. He was walking on soft grass, if he remembered correctly. He decided to take a quick inventory to make sure all of his adventurer's gear was still fit to be sold. Nothing even had a scratch on it, luckily, but there were much more pressing matters at hand. Even a cursory view of where he was revealed that he wasn't in the field anymore. He seemed to be in a town plaza of some sort, but it appeared that the earthquake had done much damage on it. "Hmm?" Ravio mumbled to himself. The damage was all wrong. These were impact dents and craters. Ravio got up and dusted himself off, looking down and accidentally allowing his hood to fall onto his face. He laughed to himself as he pulled the hood off his face and turned around. There was a pretty looking foreigner lady, another merchant, and... Ravio paused. That unconscious person looked almost exactly like he did, except of the differing colors of his hair and eyes. Ravio quickly hid behind his hood, for fear of disturbing the other people there with his looks as another Hero of Hyrule. back to the hero, he was, most likely, the hero of Hyrule. Though the texts on Lorule's counterpart were sparse, an illustration had been made, and a small amount of text had been written on him. He was the one who had restored Lorule's triforce, or at least a ancestor of him. Had Hyrule recorded their side of the story? Ravio would have to look into that, but more importantly, he had to talk to this Hero. If he had given assistance to Lorule in the past, maybe Ravio could return the favor? "Miss Orange-haired lady!" Ravio said, waving to grab the attention of the group of people in the plaza. "What happened here? I mean, a fight, I know, but whom or more likely, what, were you fighting that has gotten Mr. Hero so worn out?"

Link dealt swiftly and precisely with the beast, stabbing it in the center of its eye and using his own mass to tear it open. Arrghus collapsed to the ground and wasted away till the corpse was half the size the beast had been and not remotely recognizable. Her job done Navi descended to the ground. The song she had sung was known to her people as the Lament of the Forsaken. Most commonly it was sung by those beloved of a fairy that had pasted into the next world. Navi wondered momentarily if anyone would ever sing it for her. The thought was driven out of her head as Link approached her thanking her for her part in the fight. She smiled a warm smile that very rarely appeared on her face. The compliment filled her with warmth. It had been a long time since anyone who knew who she was had cause to thank her for anything. Then again Link didn't know who she was, not really. He thought she was 'Ciela' emissary of the Great Fairy. How would he feel if he knew her real name and the crimes she'd committed. It was not long after this that Link collapsed, he had expended a great deal of energy since she'd been by his side and she was unaware of the last time he'd slept. She knelt down quickly catching him before he could hit the paving stones. Navi glanced around the square looking for some assistance. Now that the beast was gone people were returning to the square, keeping to the edges, swapping gossip about what they thought happened. Navi heard snippets, some thought that the Lady Midna had defeated the Hero and would now claim Hyrule as her own, others seemed to think that she had bested a monster he was incapable of overcoming and she thought she heard one who was under the impression that Navi herself was some sort of siren that had seduced the Hero and killed him with magic. It was a deplorable notion. With the return of the people also came the Hylean Guard, when Navi saw one of the armored men she straightened laying Link gently on the ground. "You there," she said snapping her fingers at one of the guards. "This is the Hero of Hyrule and a personal friend of the Princess." He requires medical attention and rest, have a room prepared for him at the Castle." Navi's voice was so commanding that the guard didn't think to question her but rather turned running back towards the Castle with any luck to have a place made ready for the Hero. She turned towards Midna. "Tell me Lady Midna, what kind of ruler releases a monster of this kind into a city of her people; while we're on the subject of your people could you really be so arrogant and proud as to have altered your own History to cover for your misdeeds? This land will never be yours; it belongs to the Goddesses and the Princess." A sudden terrible thought struck Navi, she hadn't seen Zelda since the attack. The fairy turned her back on the Twilight Princess and surveyed the scene, with any luck Zelda had simply taken some distance from the battle but then again Ganondorf was also gone. It couldn't be could it? Navi turned back to Midna a fire in her eyes. "Where is the Princess?"

While Midna felt only relief at Dark Link's departure, Zant laughed heartily, thrilled that he had won. Almost instantly, the new tone of normality that had been restored in the plaza in the doppelganger's wake made him reconsider. He abruptly cut off his merriment, slid his scimitars back into his sleeves, and deactivated his mask. Despite his best attempts, though, he could not keep himself from smiling happily, and the slightly-off curvature of his mouth made the expression into more of a leer. The Twilight Princess, meanwhile, was almost stunned when Link bowed to her. A moment ago they had been totally at odds, and here the hero was paying her deference. Perhaps he wasn't as much of a brat as she had thought. Given her position, the notion of denying his gallant gesture was totally unacceptable, so Midna deigned to bestow upon him a polite curtsey. “I am glad that your respect was so easily won; I can only hope your companionship to follow as swiftly.” When Link collapsed, she hastily crouched down next to him, trying to figure out what was wrong. Unfortunately, her lack of knowledge about human anatomy prevented her from conscientiously attempting any healing measure that might very well harm him. It was a mercy when Ciela attended to him instead, going so far as to begin bossing the Hylean guards around as if she were anything more than an ordinary fairy. A familiar voice stole her focus, and she turned to face the Happy Mask Salesman. The expression on his face was one of anxiety, and for the merchant's tremulousness Midna's pieces did not tremble. “What is it?” Before the affronted man could reply, someone new barged onto the scene. His first impression on Midna amounted to a jester—even with the gravity of the current situation, she had to stifle a laugh at his ridiculous, purple, rabbity garb. It stimulated her mind more than the nervous mask-maker, so she decided to give Ravio the floor instead. It was just as well, since silence didn't seem to be among his virtues. “There was a confrontation, yes. A large, very angry beast, and a shadowy demon attacked together. When my allies and I took them on, however, it did not take long to beat them. As for... 'Mr. Hero', I suspect his stamina gauge has been depleted.” Then the fairy cut in, apparently having already taken care of Link. The warmth drained from Midna's face as she heard the accusations, and she treated Ciela to a look of boredom. “Tell me, oh blessed one, do all those living in the light see facts through such a slant? I never released anything, Zant was the one foolish enough to bring it here. He'll be held responsible, trust me. As for history, I will not going to honor your untruths with acknowledgment. Your princess, by the way, has gotten herself kidnapped. It might have slipped your notice when Link discovered this occurrence several minutes ago, pressured me into joining him in a rescue mission in the near future, and received my agreement.” Her arms were crossed beneath her chest in a stance of veiled insolence.

The Happy Mask Salesman opened his mouth to speak, but, before he could even get a sound out, someone else's voice cut in. The new voice distracted Midna and left him ignored once again. He was growing tired of being ignored. A flare of anger rose in his chest and he wanted to shout again, but he smothered the thought and listened to Midna's reply. Her answer, however, poured more gasoline on the fire. She was twisting the story. Honestly, he wasn't too surprised. After the show she'd put on earlier, he should have expected her to cover it up to save her own hide. Sure, the man she'd confronted and threatened to kill was evil. The very medium through which evil, death and destruction entered Hylia's otherwise peaceful world. But did that really warrant murder? He shook his head to clear it and shot the Princess a slightly irritated look. "Nevermind. You've got it all figured out. What do *I* know? After all, I *am* only a mask maker." He turned around with a flourish, knowing that she probably hadn't heard him and hoping that the quick movement would catch her attention just long enough to know she'd hurt him, and walked away. He slung his pack over one shoulder and proceeded to walk hunch-backed back to his shop. Alone. Ignored. Bitter.

Ravio got closer to the odd group of people as Link was carried away. As soon as Midna finished explaining why the plaza had been so torn to hell, another person, a fairy by the looks of it confronted her about a member of the royal family. Midna further explained the situation, a blessing to him disguised as a way to disrepute an opponent. Well, possible opponent anyways, just stepping in from Lorule he had no idea as to the relationships of the Hyrulian populace, especially because these people had never shown up in his texts or paintings. Ravio's thought process was interrupted, as it was very often recently, by the other merchant huffily storming off after he had his thunder stolen by Ravio. Possibly though, by his choice words, something else was going on. The phrase "What do I know" suggested a differing ideology or possible someone misconstruing facts. Was she... lying to him? Everyone had seemed mad at her, but no one was filled with enough rage, or maybe foolishness to attack her. He decided to step carefully. If the monster here was big enough to do all that damage, and she had taken it down, albeit with help, that made her powerful. Possibly a magic user, seeing as her dress seemed to lack pockets, and she certainly wasn't wearing a sheath. "Hm." Ravio said, as he viewed the bitter mask merchant stomp back to his home, or possibly shop. Both, if he had taken a page out of Ravio's book. "He seems happy." Ravio said with a small grin, turning back to the fairy, lady, and grinning man trio. "Why was he so pumped up, if I may ask?" he asked, not directing the question to anyone particular in the group. If he wanted to understand what had gone one here before he had fell through Lorule's cracks, he had to get more than one side of the story.

Ganondorf sat back with a distressed look on his face. He'd been at it for hours now. Planning. The hardest part of being a king was planning. There was a pile of crumpled papers next to him on the floor. Balls of useless ideas carelessly chucked off the side of the desk while a new stream of ideas was written on a clean sheet of paper. For all the time he'd spent on this, he'd come to no substantial idea and now he was drawing a complete black. It angered him and he picked the book up and threw it across the room with a roar. It bounced off the floor and smacked into an ancient-looking candelabra, causing the spindly piece of furniture to collapse and throw candles all over the other side of the room. This angered him further and he walked to the fallen, bent candelabra and *kicked* it. It clattered against the wall and bent even more, shards of broken decorative glass sprinkling the floor and his boot. "I'll never get anywhere with this!" He kicked the candelabra again, the bent portion cracking. "Unbelievable." He kicked it again and it broke. He walked away, deciding he'd done a sufficient amount of damage to the faultless furniture. "Yilla, order the maids in." "Yes, My Lord." The guard's voice echoed from down the hall. It was followed by the pattering of feet urgently running. Within minutes, three young Gerudo women entered his chambers and helped him get ready for bed. When they left, he laid down, head swimming with a mixture of irritation and anticipation. Things were about to get very interesting.

A sudden motion at the edge of Midna's vision caught her eye, and she looked to see the Happy Mask Salesman going away. She couldn't see his face, but there was something in his manner that belied a great deal of unhappiness. For a few seconds Midna was at a loss, but then she remembered that he had been trying to speak to her. Perhaps he had gotten upset that she wasn't talking to him and stormed off. She frowned at his receding back. Even with a princess like her, one couldn't expect to be able to have her attention whenever they wanted. The sooner the salesman learned that, the better. “Who, Zant?” She answered Ravio. “He's...unique. That reminds me: we must depart.” She went over to stand by Zant, her distaste written all over her face. “Once Link recovers,” she called to Ciela, “You can contact me at the Magtail Fort.” With that, she melted away into dark particles that shot upward bit by bit. Zant soon followed her, though not without reluctance at the idea of facing Midna's retribution for his actions. Why couldn't she understand? The two re-materialized just outside the inn. The first thing Midna did was punch her colleague in the shoulder. He squeaked and recoiled, full of conflicting emotions whose end result was inaction. Wordlessly, Midna stalked into the inn, and Zant meekly followed, quite aware that the punch wasn't the extent of his punishment. His orange eyes smoldered with suppressed anger, and the lids twitched often.