Hello everyone, EquinoxWolf is back and with another wonderful story to share with you all. I would first like to give special thanks to this title's original author, Magic Basher54986, who has given me the great honor of completing their work with my own ideas. For those of you who remember the original, the first four chapters have been remodified but still follow the same themes as before. I hope you all enjoy reading Forever Together as much as I have enjoyed writing this.
WARNING: If you haven't finished the game before, this chapter has spoilers. If you have no qualms with this then continue by all means. If you don't want to have the game ruined for you then I suggest closing your browser, purchasing the game if you haven't, and playing the ever loving crap out of it until you're done. Alternatively, go on YouTube and watch walkthrough videos.
The following a non-profit fan fiction story. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the property of Nintendo and its respected partners. Please support the official release.
True love can withstand any obstacle without falter
Chapter 1: A Twist and a Break
"Well... I guess this is farewell, huh?" Midna said, a touch of sadness in her voice. The sun bore down onto her orange hair in a way that it shone like fire, a brilliant contrast to her dark, open cloak and black and pale-grey skin. "Light and shadow can't mix, as well all know. But... Never forget that there's another world bound to this one."
"Light and shadow are two sides of the same coin..." replied one of her companions wisely, a fair-skinned young woman in a purple and white gown fit for a princess. "One cannot exist without the other. I know now the reason the goddesses left the Mirror of Twilight in this world... They left it because it was their design that we should meet. Yes... That is what I believe."
Midna looked at the human princess with a small smile on her lips. "Zelda... Your words are kind, and your heart is true. If all in Hyrule are like you... Then maybe you'll do alright."
She turned away and walked a few steps towards the edge of the stone platform they stood on, along with the ancient magical artifact, the Mirror of Twilight. A staircase made of pure light manifested before her feet, ascending towards a gaping portal cut right into a towering slab of obsidian. Once Midna stepped through the portal, she would return to the Twilight Realm, an antithesis of this world of light. She was loathe to leave, having made many wonderful memories during her time in Hyrule, but as princess of her people, the twili, Midna had a responsibility to return to her own kingdom.
The Twilight Princess turned around to face the third person in the dusty chamber. He was a young man garbed in a green tunic with a matching hat, armed with a sword and shield strapped to his back. Link, the Hero Chosen by the Gods, was shorter than Midna, the top of his head only just reaching her chin. She smiled at the fact as she had spent the past year cursed in the form of a waist-high imp. Now with her true form restored, she towered over the swordsman she had grown to care about so deeply.
"Thank you," Midna said to him. Her words failed to express the true extent of her appreciation for saving both her and her people from a terrible fate. "Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again." The statement made her throat tighten. During their time together, Link had become her closest, dearest friend, and yet she was about to do something that would ensure that she could never see him again. The thought of it tore her apart.
Midna closed her eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Link, I..." she started, but her voice failed her. With a wave of her hand, the tear floated away through the air, en route to the ancient mirror that bridged the gap between worlds.
She sighed in resignation. "See you later." The teardrop collided with the shining glass, which fractured upon contact as was the power of the true ruler of twilight.
"Midna, no!" she heard Link cry desperately. A hand gripped her arm firmly and jerked her forward so suddenly that Midna opened her eyes in surprise. Unbalanced, she crashed into the green warrior and they both fell heavily to the sandy floor.
Midna quickly raised her head up and looked to the shattering Mirror of Twilight, shock nearly overwhelming her. "Link? What did you do?" she whispered. The glass exploded with its enchantment destroyed, leaving nothing but a frame as empty as her. The black portal faded out of existence and reduced the stone slab to a plain chunk of rock.
She looked down at Link, his eyes wide with guilt and horror. "Midna... I'm sorry... I just didn't... I..." His mouth flapped open and closed like a gaping fish. Midna too was at a loss to say. She felt Zelda's hand come to rest on her shoulder.
The other princess sighed. "Now I fear we may have a war on our hands."
Midna finally stood up from where she and Link laid. She took one long look at the mirror frame then turned to face Zelda. "No, I don't think there will be a war," she said evenly.
Zelda's brow creased into a small frown. "But will your people not try to retrieve you? You are their rightful princess."
The twili shook her head. "I don't believe so. My head councillor, Meltoc, has been trying to get me to step down ever since I first took the throne. I'd bet that he'd just write me off as dead and put someone else in charge." Her tone was tinged with some derision.
"You seem to be taking this rather well," Zelda remarked.
"I guess now that I'm stuck here I might as well accept it. Honestly, I don't mind all that much," Midna replied with a slight grin.
Link picked himself up and looked at her with hope in his eyes. "So you'll stay?"
Midna gave him her trademark smirk, mischievous with a touch of affection. "Yes, wolf-boy. I'm not going anywhere." He beamed.
"If you have chosen to stay, Midna," Zelda spoke, drawing her attention, "then may I offer you accommodation at the castle?"
The Twilight Princess shook her head again. "No thanks, Zelda. I think I'll stick with Link for a while longer. No offence but in case you don't remember, your castle is kind of a dump at the moment." Mere hours ago, Link and Midna had fought against a powerful enemy by the name of Ganondorf to save Zelda and the kingdom of Hyrule. In the awesome battle that transpired, much of Hyrule Castle had been decimated.
An awkward smile appeared on Zelda's lips as she recalled the fact. "Of course," she said. "As there is no longer any purpose in remaining here, I suggest we make our departure. This desert heat is beginning to be a bit much for me." Grinning, Midna took both her friends' hands and the threesome disappeared in an ascending mass of black squares.
Entering Castle Town was an interesting sight for the trio. Citizens were running about and gathering in panicked hoards with the town guards struggling to maintain order. When Princess Zelda's arrival became known, the chaos reduced considerably. She instructed the townspeople to return to their homes and commanded the soldiers to escort her to what remained of her home, with the hero and his otherworldly companion following close behind. They found the castle gates smashed to pieces and the palace behind it standing with a great gaping crater in the main structure.
"Wow," Midna remarked, "this place is an even bigger mess up close."
"Yes," Zelda agreed with disdain, "and I will need to organise its reconstruction if this kingdom is to ever truly recover from Ganondorf's conquest." She turned to her two friends. "I do not expect either of you to stay and assist me. You are both free to leave if you wish."
Link bowed to the Hyrulean Princess respectively, although Midna giggled at him for it. "Thank you, Your Highness. I need to get back to Ordon now. The village's children should be returning with Rusl and they'll all be expecting me." The princess nodded approvingly and he turned then walked away.
"See you later, Zelda," Midna said as she went to follow him, not bothering with formalities much to the soldiers' confusion.
As soon as they made it out of the city, Link led his companion aside. "Midna, I am so sorry for what I did back in the Mirror Chamber. It was selfish and stupid and now you can never go home because of it. I'm such an idiot."
For a tense moment Midna said nothing and then smirked at him. "Yes Link, you are, as I've told you half a hundred times before. But you don't need to apologise."
He shook his head slowly. "It's just that... I knew once you started to break the mirror, as soon as you stepped back into your world, I was never going to see you again, and it hurt. I love you, Midna, and I didn't want to lose you, but now I feel like I don't deserve you anymore."
Link shut his eyes tight, fearful that Midna would slap him in the face or punch him or something else he thought he deserved. What surprised him beyond belief was that instead he felt her soft lips touch his. They lingered there for a blissful second before they were gone once more. Link opened his eyelids and gazed at the twili woman standing ever so close to him, giving him a warm smile.
"Link, I love you too. To be honest, I really didn't want to go back home. I wanted to stay here with you but I couldn't just ignore my responsibility to my people. I knew that I couldn't have both things and that I had to choose. I hated it because although I would have stayed, I would have felt guilty about abandoning my kingdom. But thanks to you I don't have to worry about that anymore. I have what I want now and I'm happy knowing that the choice wasn't mine to make. I don't have any regrets, so neither should you."
She kissed him once more, this time longer, deeper. Link felt a heavy weight being lifted from his heart and replaced by light joy. When they parted, he reached into his pocket for a horseshoe-shaped whistle and blew a short tune with it. The sound of hooves echoed as Link's faithful chestnut mare, Epona, came cantering towards the two lovers. The horse slowed to a halt before them and flicked her shaggy, white mane with a whinny.
"Hey there, girl," Link said to the mare affectionately, patting her nose. "Ready to finally head home?" Epona tossed her head as if to say yes.
Midna giggled. "She's a smart horse," she commented as Link climbed up onto the saddle.
"That she is," he agreed. He offered Midna his hand and helped her up behind him. Midna coiled her arms around the swordsman's waist and held him tight.
"Link, let's go home," she said. He smiled and turned Epona south for Ordon.
The journey only took a few hours, which was not all that long considering Epona's above-average speed. Soon the vastness of Hyrule Field came to an end as the tree line of Faron Woods came into view. Seeing the forest made Link's heart lift even higher as it always felt like home to him.
"We're just about there, Midna," he said over his shoulder.
The princess lifted her head from his back and smiled. "I hope I don't cause any problems with your village."
Link laughed. "Are you kidding? I'm sure they'll love you, just like I do."
She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. "If you say so. Maybe I can get some different clothes there. I don't think royal attire is going to work very well in a farming village."
"I'm sure Uli will be able to find something for you to wear. Probably should get you some shoes while we're at it. You never know what you might step in." Link grimaced at the thought. Midna didn't need him to elaborate.
After another half hour riding through the trees and passing over the Bridge of Ordona, Link's house came within sight, a quaint structure built atop a rocky ridge with a ladder hanging from the front door to the ground. As soon as they made the last ten meters, several children jumped out into view.
"Link! You're back!" The hero grinned broadly as the four youngsters ran up to hug him all at once.
"That I am," he chuckled. Link freed himself from the children and gestured to his companion. "Colin, Talo, Malo, Beth, meet Midna." The twili waved shyly from behind him. The youths greeted Midna more eagerly that she had been expecting.
"Hey, Epona," said another voice. Link twisted around to find a blonde-haired girl about his age stroking the horse's neck. "Did you miss me?" she asked the animal.
"Hi, Ilia," Link greeted, grinning.
Ilia looked back and smiled. "Oh hey, Link. Welcome back." She returned her attention back to Epona, as though the mare's master hadn't spoken at all. Midna smirked at Link, who shrugged awkwardly.
"Ilia, this is Midna. She's going to be moving into Ordon." The girl spun around to face them properly and shook the twili's hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Midna. Link, Epona looks like she's had a long journey so I'm going to take her to the spring and give her a bath."
A smirk broke on the swordsman's face. "So now you telling me that you're stealing my horse?" he chuckled. "That's fine, Ilia. I'll see you later." He then walked towards the village with Midna in tow.
"I almost forgot how beautiful the place is," Link admitted when they emerged from the woods, taking in the sights and sounds that soothed the homesickness he bore. Houses dotted the clearing, some of which were built out of hollowed tree trunks. A small stream cut through the middle of the village and flowed into a small lake, sunlight glistening off the tiny waves.
Link made a right turn and started for the house that belonged to Rusl, the hero's mentor in swordplay as well as the closest person Link had to a father. He knocked on the door and was answered by the aging swordsman and his wife, Uli.
"Link! Welcome back!" Rusl exclaimed, placing a hand firmly on the boy's shoulder. Uli stepped forward and pulled Link into a motherly embrace. Both she and her husband took notice of Midna and looked to her with interest.
"Rusl, Uli, this is Midna. She's going to be staying here in Ordon with me."
Uli titled her head in curiosity then smiled warmly. "Welcome to Ordon, Midna. Any friend of Link's is a friend of ours." She invited the young couple inside and closed the door behind them. The small house was exactly as Link remember it always had, save for the cot against the wall where Uli's newborn child slept peacefully. After introducing Link to his adoptive sister, Trish, Uli turned her attention to Midna.
"So tell me Midna, how long to you plan to stay?"
"As long as she wants," Link replied, pulling the twili in close and causing her to blush.
"Wrong, Link," Midna said. "As long as you're here."
He chuckled then turned to his foster mother. "Uli, do you think you can lend Midna some spare clothes? I'm afraid she doesn't have much else besides the ones she's wearing now."
Uli studied their behaviour then nodded in answer to the question. "I believe I can, but you men are going to have to wait outside." She guided Link and Rusl back to the door and gently pushed them out, locking the door after them.
Out on the porch, Rusl recovered from being booted out of his own home and turned to his former pupil. "I take it there is an interesting story behind you and this girl isn't there?"
Link scratched the back of his head apprehensively. "It's kind of a long one."
"If your friend is like any other woman I know, with the exception of Ashei, then we have plenty of time out here." Rusl smirked.
Link was silent for a few moments. "Alright, but you're going to want to sit down for this and be ready to hear a lot of crazy stuff." The two lowered themselves onto the wooden porch as Link attempted to collect his thoughts.
"Were do I start?" he asked to no one in particular.
"I've heard that the beginning is usually as good a place as any," Rusl answered with amusement. Link gave him a withered look.
"Fine. It all started back when the village was attacked and the children were kidnapped. I ran after the monsters that did it and hit a wall, literally. The path was blocked by this magic barrier made of Twilight. Something from the other side pulled me through and I blacked out. When I came to, I was locked in a dungeon below Hyrule Castle, trapped in the body of a wolf." Rusl's eyes went wide at the last part yet he did not interrupt.
"That was when Midna first showed up. She helped me escape but in exchange she told me that I had to follow every word she said. Back then she wasn't as nice as she is now. Anyway, Midna led me out of the dungeon and took me to meet Princess Zelda. The princess told me that Hyrule had fallen to a madman named Zant from the Twilight Realm, another world opposite to this one, and the kingdom was blanketed in Twilight. Because of the Twilight, people were turned into spirits, monsters were free to run amok, and I was transformed into a beast. Zelda told Midna and me that we needed to restore the lost power of the light spirits to save Hyrule and that's what we did.
"When we freed Faron Woods from the Twilight the spirit, Faron, told me I needed to match the king of the shadows by collecting a dark power from the nearby temple, a piece of an artifact known as the Fused Shadows. After we did that, we travelled to Kakariko Village and found the younger kids with Renado. Midna and I then saved the spirit, Eldin, and went to the goron tribe to get another piece of the Fused Shadows. It had changed their patriarch into a monster and we had to free him to get the relic.
"This is quite the tale you're telling me," Rusl spoke up, scratching at his beard.
"I haven't told you the half of it yet," Link said, "but I swear it's all true. Now where was I? Oh yeah, after helping the gorons, Midna and I found Ilia at Castle Town with Telma and the zora prince, Ralis. Next we went to Lake Hylia and found that Zora's Domain had frozen over. We managed to get the water flowing again and then we worked to help the last spirit, Lanayru. Lanayru directed us to the last Fused Shadow, which was at the bottom of the lake. I couldn't swim that far down so we tried to find a way to get to the zora temple.
"The two of us headed back to Telma's where I learned out that Ilia had lost her memory and Ralis was sick. No one could help him in town so Telma got me take them all to Kakariko to find Renado. While we were there, Midna and I found this special armor that could help me breathe underwater, so we returned to Lake Hylia and got the Fused Shadow."
Link paused there, his face fell. "That's went things went wrong. As soon as we left the temple, we ran into Zant. He overpowered both us and Lanayru and took the Fused Shadows. Then he tried to kill Midna." He looked at his mentor with haunted eyes. "She... she was in a really bad way, Rusl. She was dying and I didn't think I could save her. Lanayru told me to go to Zelda, so I did and the princess told me where to find the Master Sword. Then Zelda sacrificed her own life to heal Midna.
"I guess it was at that point when Midna started acting more compassionately. We found the Master Sword and set out to confront Zant in the Twilight Realm. To get there we needed to locate the Mirror of Twilight, the only way in and out of that world. We didn't know where it was though so that's when we came to you and your friends for help. We explored the Arbiter's Grounds that Auru was investigating and found the mirror, but only a broken part of it.
"We searched all over Hyrule for the missing fragments, and along the way we managed to get Ilia's memory back. When Midna and I repaired the Mirror of Twilight, she told me that she was the princess of the Twilight Realm and the true ruler instead of Zant..."
"A princess?" Rusl interrupted incredulously, glance towards the door behind him. The man shook the shock away then gestured for the hero to continue.
"Yeah, that's right. Zant obtained some great power and used it to take over the Twilight Realm and banished Midna. She started searching for the Fused Shadows to get her kingdom back and coerced me into helping her. Together, Midna and I defeated Zant, but that wasn't the end of it. We learned that Zant was working for someone far worse, a man named Ganondorf, and he was waiting for us in Hyrule Castle. The two of us then stormed the castle, fought Ganondorf and revived Princess Zelda, and now we're here."
The old swordsman reflected on the story for a few long minutes, taking it all in and trying to accept even though it sounded completely insane. "If Midna is truly a princess then why is she here with you instead of her kingdom?" he inquired.
Link cringed. He was not looking forward to this. "Well... Midna was planning to go back using the Mirror of Twilight. But she was going to destroy it so that the two worlds would stay separate, and if she did that then I would never get to see her again."
"And?" Rusl pressed when the young man trailed off.
"You're probably going to kill me for this, but... I pulled her away from the portal at the last second before the mirror broke. I didn't know what I was doing at the time. I loved her, and I just reacted to the situation."
His mentor closed his eyes and let out a disappointed sigh. "Did you ever think that she needed to return to the Twilight Realm?"
"I know, I know," Link answered, waving his hands defensively. "But it's alright. Midna told me she didn't want to go anyway. She's actually glad I stopped her."
"That I am," said the aforementioned princess. Both men snapped their heads towards her. She stood in the door frame wearing a dark red dress that reached just past her knees, sleeves ending at the elbow to display the twili markings tattooed onto her arms. She wore on her feet a pair of sandals that were a little too small for her. Her fiery hair had been released from its clasp and now hung freely down her back. Slowly, Link stood up from the ground, never once removing his gaze from her.
"Midna," he said in awe. "You look stunning." She blushed then turned to Uli.
"Thank you, Miss Uli," she said.
The older woman smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Just call me Uli, and you are most welcome."
Link could not stop staring at his love. She was the very image of beauty itself in his mind. He became lost in the view, only waking up from his daze when Midna snapped her fingers in front of his face.
"Hello? Link, are you in there?" she joked.
His eyelids fluttered as he jumped back into reality. "Huh? What?"
"I was just saying that now would be a good time to introduce Midna to the mayor," Rusl repeated himself with a hint of amusement.
"Oh right," Link blushed. "Yeah, good idea. Thanks Uli. See you later, Rusl." He took Midna's hand in his and together they headed for the mayor's house.
The married couple stared after them, smiles on both their lips. "She's a peculiar one, that girl, but sweet," Uli remarked.
"They seem to be very happy together," Rusl agreed. "I'll tell you the full story inside."
The smile faded from his wife's face as she sighed. "He's grown up so fast, dear. Looking at him now, with a woman he clearly loves so much, it makes me feel old. Goddesses, I still remember the day when we adopted him when he was a little boy. I can't believe so much time has passed since then."
"We've still got two more children," Rusl reassured. "This just shows that we need to appreciate the little time we have left with them while they're young."
"That's true," she replied. "I just hope those two don't rush into anything. I don't think I could handle being a grandmother at my age." They both laughed at the idea then retired back to their home.
And there we have it, Chapter 1. Sorry about the long explanation of the game but that was for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the story. Plus, I'm trying to keep chapters at around 4,000 words each. This is probably the one part in this story I might have been able to do without.
As with my previous story, I will publish chapters once a week. If you would like to read more then I recommend looking at my other stories, The Peacekeepers and Two Wolves. Also, if any of you are Legend of Spyro fans then look up Mistreated by htffan951, which I have acted as co-author and editor. Be warned; there are many feels to be had.
EquinoxWolf, signing out.