Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! A couple of you have been wondering if this will be MidLink or Zelink. Well...you'll see. ;)

This is meant to be a novelization of the events of TP. There will be times where I follow the dialogue almost word-for-word, but most of the time I will write my own script. Also, this story is told as if Midna herself is telling it, and therefore she sometimes sees things differently than we, as Link, do.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. If I did, well, I'd be rich. :P
The Legend of Midna: THE Twilight Princess is rated "T" for violence and Midna's naughty language use.

Taming the Beast

The once proud Hyrule Castle was cloaked in a veil of darkness, shadow creatures patrolling at every corner. The castle itself was as barren as a desert, which the only living creatures being monster birds and overgrown rats scurrying around the molding tile floor. Who would have guessed just days ago this castle was the symbol of life and luxury, filled with elaborate paintings and too-expensive furniture imported from who-knows-where? This place was a hell-hole, a mere shell of its former glory.

Midna loved it.

Who needed all of that shiny stuff anyways? Perpetual twilight was so much prettier. Here she could exist in peace without having to worry about that blasted sunlight. The silence that filled the land was more than welcome. Humans were too noisy for her tastes. They were always complaining about some trivial nonsense and quite frankly all of their blubbering was enough to make Midna's ears bleed. If the situation back home in Twilight wasn't so dire, she'd consider making a vacation home here. A shame she'd have to return the Light to this world in order to save her own. A real pity.

Since she'd already been here once before, Midna navigated through the maze-like corridors with relative ease, thanks to her spectacular photographic memory and her ability to phase through walls. Where did they put the blasted canine anyways? Some sort of dog house? Eh, it would suit him. Maybe they even left little Hero Boy a nice bone to nibble on when he got hungry.

Midna snorted. The mere thought of a human transforming into a beastie was highly entertaining. She wondered how his poor, entitled light-dwelling self would dare cope with being something so vulgar.

When the evil ones have had their feast,
Look to the light for the blue-eyed beast.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Midna was working on it, thank you very much. The devilishly good-looking imp sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. That was probably her ancestors reminding her that despite the fact the Hero of Twilight was a freakin' light dweller of all things, he did have the makings of a true hero and was probably at least a little bit different than the other selfish and self-righteous humans. There had to be something redeemable about him if he was chosen by fate…right? Right?

At least, Midna sure hoped so.

A clack and clang echoed throughout the stony halls, indicating that the one Midna was searching for may be nearby. The Twili ducked into a small cubby, breathing deeply in and out as she focused on the sound of tinny metal with her magical abilities. Sure enough, it was faint, but after a particularly loud CLINK , Midna was able to pick up on the sound of a low whine.

Ah-hah. There you are. She phased through the adjacent wall—ain't nobody got the time to go around and use the hallways properly—and popped out right in front of Hero Boy's cell. Ah. Perfect. Midna gave herself a pat on the shoulder—she really was fantastic. A real shame she actually had to rely on some doggie for her to accomplish her goal. Curse whoever created the damn prophecy in the first place. The wolf-beast was chained to some sort of small pole in the middle of the dank cell, desperately trying to pull himself free using his own brute strength. After that didn't work, he clamped his massive jaws down on the chain, pulling and tugging in every which way as he tried to bite himself free.

So far, Hero Boy seemed far too preoccupied with his own predicament to notice Midna's presence. The Twili Princess frowned, a bit disappointed. Sure, she knew humans were dumber than a bag of rocks, but he was supposed to be the hero, right? His instincts should be sharper than that. Then again, widdle Hero Boy was trapped in a wolf's body and likely didn't know a damn thing about being a beast. She gave another deep sigh. Oh well. Looks like she'd have to assist him. She couldn't leave him pathetically gnawing at a chain. At this rate, he'd break his fangs, not the metal. Now how should she get his attention? He really was quite rude, ignoring her like that. Didn't the humans know manners? Didn't they know how to properly treat a lady? There was a clunk as the chain lazily hit the floor. Aw, poor baby. Looked like his pwecious teethies were beginning to hurt. The whole thing was just so amusing that Midna couldn't help but giggle aloud.

"I found you!"

Now that got his attention. Toothache aside, the wolf's massive head snapped up as he scanned the area—rather alertly, Midna was happy to report—searching frantically for the sound. Midna cackled again, materializing right in front of an unsuspecting wolf. His big blue eyes widened in surprise and he was physically taken aback from the shock of encountering her marvelous presence in such a place.

Well, that's what she'd like to think, but he was probably just surprised to see a tiny blue imp-looking thing right in front of his nose. Midna cursed internally. She knew what he was thinking. He was thinking the exact same thing everyone who saw Midna in this wretched form was thinking. She was puny, pitiful, and strange.

After getting over the initial shock, Wolf Boy's look of surprise quickly morphed into that of aggression. He bared his teeth, sporting quite a nasty glare at her. Huh. Midna was a bit impressed. So baby-faced Hero Boy could look menacing if he wanted to. It was a start. However, her ever-so-slight impression faded when he continued to growl at her. Stupid wolf. Read the opponent's aura, you fool. Can't you tell I don't mean you any harm? She reached one of her ridiculously short arms at him, pulling back abruptly as he snapped at her. Any other lesser being likely would have had their arm bit clean off, but Midna's far superior instincts alerted her to his action well before he initiated the bite.

"Oooh, aren't you scary?" Midna cooed in a mocking voice. Wolfie's eyes narrowed at that. Huh. Midna was a bit pleased. He could tell that she was teasing him, and more than that, he looked rather annoyed. Humans and their pride. Well, she supposed that was one thing that she and Wolf Boy had in common. Unfortunately, because he knew she was making fun of him, that only caused him to growl louder. Sigh. Midna was getting a bit tired of this.

"Are you sure you should be acting so naughty? I was planning on helping you…if you were nice."

Beastie continued to glare at her with narrow eyes, but this time, instead of looking angry, he actually looked like he was thinking for once. It wasn't much, but it was another baby step in the right direction. So Hero Boy had been in his fair share of scuffles after all. She could feel him probe at her senses—well, as well as a human could—before finally letting down his guard. Good. That's it. I'm not your enemy.

"Good boy. There's no need to bite!" Midna said, patting him twice on the head. The action caused the prideful human to growl at her again. It took all of her mental power to resist giggling again. Looked like Hero Boy had developed a bit of an inferiority complex regarding his beast state. She knew she should probably stop teasing him about his situation, but it was just so amusing. A human turned into a wolf! Who wouldn't find that funny?

"You humans are so entertaining," Midna gave into the urge and let out a small chortle. His blue eyes widened again. Don't think so little of me. I know all about you, Mr. Hero. "But you aren't a human anymore! You're a beast!" She reached out to pet him again, but once again he bared his sharp fangs and snapped rather irately. Yep. Definitely an inferiority complex. Poor baby. Maybe she should take him to the local Hylian shrink…if there was still one among the living!

Ah, as fun as this was, she really should stop pestering him. She couldn't have him hate her too much, because whether she liked it or not—and she really didn't like it—she did need his help. Shunning her adorable mischievous side to the back of her brain for now, she focused her magical energy into a vibrant purple and orange ball. Wolfie's growls intensified and his matted fur stood tall on his back, poised to strike. Sigh. Didn't you realize earlier that I wasn't a threat, you dipshit? Midna released her energy ball, letting it smack right into the chain that trapped him with sniper-precision accuracy. The metal shattered as if it were glass on impact, freeing the beast from his entrapment. Wolf Boy let out a yelp—oh, come on, Midna hadn't even hit him—and shook his paw, amazed by Midna's immense skill, of course. Beastie tested his left paw, shaking it and putting pressure on it, and after a few moments he seemed satisfied that he wasn't injured. With that behind him, he gave Midna a reluctant nod. Midna interpreted the gesture as a half-hearted, softly mumbled "thanks." Good. Now they could move on. Not that Midna didn't like the dingy cell—it was rather homely, actually—but they did have important matters to attend to. So Wolfie was free now. Midna glanced around the cell. Huh. Unfortunately, it looked like the Shadow Beasts weren't stupid enough to leave the key.

Of course the Shadow Beasts aren't stupid. Minister Saul would never make a mistake as trivial as that, even if he was being controlled.

She would have to manipulate the lock with her magic. Or, of course…

Midna grinned. It was time to put Hero Boy to work.

"I bet you're wondering where we are," she said in-between giggles. "Tell ya' what…if you can escape from this cage, I'll tell you!" Using her shadow magic, she phased right through the cell, her body temporarily turning into a mass of orange and black bubbles before reforming itself on the other side. The wolf's mouth dropped open a bit in shock. Clearly he hadn't witnessed a being as spectacular as she. He awkwardly limped towards the front of the cell. Observing his strange gait, Midna frowned. Was he injured? Did the Shadow Beasts hurt him or something? It would sure be a real pain if he was hurt right off the bat. Seriously. Some hero. She knew humans were obnoxiously fragile beings, but this…

A sharp bark interrupted her musings. Wolf Boy was pawing the cell bars, scratching at them furiously with his claws as if that would ever do anything. After the clawing didn't seem to work, he began to bite the bars. Midna rolled her eyes. There was no doubt about it…Hero Boy wasn't exactly the thinking type. As he gnawed the bars, he naturally moved into somewhat of a standing position, using his powerful hind legs. Huh. If he could move all four of his legs that well, he couldn't be that hurt. Given the way he was on his hind legs, Midna guessed that he was only limping earlier because he wasn't used to walking on all fours. She folded her arms across her chest, watching the utterly ridiculous sight of a huge wolf on his hind legs chewing on a material he couldn't hope to break. After reality finally penetrated that thick skull of his, Beastie fell back on all fours. He studied the bars for a moment, as if now finally deciding to use his puny little brain. His blue eyes suddenly widened, this time from a sudden epiphany—and perhaps a sense of pride?—and he jumped up and down as if he was a Twili child who just found a new magic toy to play with. Using the bit of chain that still hung off of his left leg, he maneuvered his paw so the chain looped around one of the cell bars. After the chain was in place, Wolfie bit down on the chain, pulling backwards with all of his might. Huh. As foolish as it was, Midna did have to give him some credit for coming up with such a creative idea. She'd never think of that. Using the chain links as leverage, Beastie managed to use the bonds that used to tie him down to his advantage, shearing the cell bar in half. He gave a satisfied bark!, obviously pleased with his work. As ridiculous as this whole charade was, Midna was still admittedly a teensy-weensy bit impressed. After he made quick work of another cell bar, he'd created a hole big enough for him to squeeze through. Midna stared at him with a raised eyebrow as he approached her, head and tail held up high. My, someone was awful proud of himself.

"Hey, Hero Boy," she grumbled. His blue eyes narrowed at the "Hero Boy" part. "You do know that you're a wolf, right?"

He let out a low growl, not one of aggression, but of annoyance. Clearly he hadn't forgotten. Well, he may have known he was a wolf without actually knowing he was a wolf. Even if she hadn't witnessed his transformation, it was horribly obvious that he was a human trapped in a wolf's form. Everything he did reeked of humanity. The whole standing-on-his-hind-legs bit, for an example. If he wanted to act like a hero, even in this form, Midna would have to educate him on the ways of the beasts.

"See that soft spot in the corner of the cell?" Midna asked, transforming her fiery red hair into an arrow using her magic so even his dumb butt would see what she was talking about. He glanced nonchalantly in the direction she was pointing as if he would humor her for a moment. "When I used my magic to escape, I was expecting you to dig your way out like a normal beast would. I wasn't expecting you to stand on your legs and break the bars using your chain."

The wolf wandered over to the soft patch of dirt and sniffed a few times. He cocked his head thoughtfully, pawing at the dirt as if testing her theory. After realizing that her theory certainly held some merit, he began to dig, a shocked expression taking over his face as he realized just how easy it was. He gave a huff, holding his head up high and pranced back over to Midna as if his idea was infinitely better and Midna's way was too simple. Midna groaned. Were her ancestors positive this self-righteous mutt was the hero? Well…he had gotten himself out of the cell. And he wasn't cowering in the corner. That was a plus.

Maybe…just maybe…he wasn't completely useless. Maybe.

Midna sighed, giving a shrug of her shoulders. "Whatever. You did get out of the cage. A promise is a promise. Besides…"

She leapt onto his back gracefully. Despite the fact she was light as a feather, he let out a pained yelp, frantically thrashing about. His initial cry of shock quickly turned into a snarling growl fueled with vitriol. Midna could only laugh, expertly keeping her balance as he continued to buck about, trying to knock her off of his back. She had to give him credit…even though she had the distinct advantage of controlling shadow magic arts; he came close to unseating her a few times. Huh. He certainly was interesting, that much was true. Finally, having enough of his shenanigans, she pulled back on his ears, hard. The motion was enough to get Wolfie to stop dead in his tracks, letting out a low whine from the pain of having his ears tugged. Granted, she wasn't sure which was damaged more…his ears, or his ego.

"I like you," Midna whispered into his ear. She could feel his body flinch from her words, sending a satisfactory shiver down her own spine. "And since I like you, I've decided to help you. Now, in exchange for my help, you'll be my servant. And like a servant, you have to do exactly what I say."

Wolf Boy's growl grew louder. Leaning down beside his ear, she got an up-close-and-personal view of the right side of his face. She could see the fire that burned in his blue eyes. She could see the way his wolf-lips curled, indicating his pure and utter disgust. His growl sounded like the rumbling of Twilight when the islands shifted ever so slightly from time to time. Deep in those fire-burning eyes, she could see his internal conflict. Beastie wasn't stupid. He knew he was at a disadvantage in a strange body and a place he'd never seen before. At the same time, there was no way in hell he was going to be anyone's servant, let alone Midna's. The conflict between reason and pride continued to rage inside of him, his disgust of the situation evident in the sounds of his growls. Finally, his snarls subsided as he let out a deep sigh. Well well. Looks like reason triumphed after all. She half-expected his pride to win, given his earlier actions. He gave a slight nod, as if telling her he'd oblige, but only as long as he had to.

Good. Since that little situation was settled, they could get right to business.

"Let's see," Midna said, raising her head up from beside his ear and glancing around. "How do we get out of here?"

They had work to do.

So…originally this chapter was going to be double this length. But I finished this the day after I posted the last chapter and couldn't decide for the life of me what approach I wanted to take next and the next section is pretty lengthy and then this chapter would be too long, so I decided to end this chapter here.

Please leave a review! It would make my day. :)

I hope you're enjoying the story and I'll see you all in the next chapter!