From Shadow to Light

By Michael Muirhead

Chapter 25

Final Battle

Link found himself staring into the dying eyes of his opponent. With one hand, he gripped the Bulblin's sword arm as the creature held it in the air. His other hand was tightly gripped around the wooden blade that now pierced his opponent's midsection. The creature groaned and coughed as the life in it slipped away. As the creature fell away, Link held onto his sword. But like so many blades before it, the wood snapped in two, leaving Link with only a stump.

An angry roar echoed in the room as the Bulblins witnessed another one of their 'champions' fall to the ground. The sound was deafening, yet none seemed to make a move against Link. They only cursed and spat at him in their native tongue.

The crowd fell silent the next moment as King Bulblin stood up and raised a hand into the air. The giant creature then turned its attention to Link. "You fight! You live!" He then gave a wicked grin. "You fight later!"

Link only breathed heavily from his exertions. Having slain five warriors in their tournament, he could only wonder how much more he could endure. An even better question: How long would it be before the Bulblins would grow tired of these games? A part of Link feared what would happen once the Bulblins lost interest in him.

As Link felt his arms being grabbed by two warriors he offered them no resistance. They quickly led him out of the room as angry shouts permeated the crowd again. Following directly behind them were two more guards escorting an imp between them.

Once more, they were led down a maze of corridors, before reaching the jail cell. As they reached the entrance to the cell, the guards shoved Link in violently, followed by Midna. One of the guards then pulled a small sac from his belt and threw it into the cell grudgingly before slamming the door.

Midna wasted no time in recovering the sac. Like so many times before, it was their reward for surviving the battle. As she did, Link made his way to one of the walls and sat down in exhaustion.

"Stale bread and red potion again," Midna groaned, "I think the new champion should at least get a full course meal."

Link only smiled at Midna's sarcasm before rubbing to his aching shoulder. Though he had not been struck, his muscles ached from all the exertion. The combination of the battles and the conditions of the cell were taking their toll. The potions could only do so much to heal him.

As Link sat quietly, Midna came over with the bread and potion. After splitting the food and handing Link his share, she began to look over Link's cuts and bruises. Though he had done well in the last fight, Link had still been nicked a few times in the previous battles and Midna wanted to make sure that they did not get infected.

Midna scrutinized each of the cuts carefully. As far as she could tell, each cut was healing but left a small scar. Fortunately, none of the cuts seemed life threatening. A part of her thought she should feel lucky that Link held up for so long, but she knew he had his limits.

Midna felt her stomach convulse unexpectedly the next moment. The pain was so sudden and intense that most of her body seemed to lock in place. Her hand reflexively placed itself on her stomach as she found herself biting down on her lip in an effort not to scream.

Link saw this almost immediately and quickly leaned forward to assist her. However, before he could take her into his arms, Midna pulled her hand away from her belly and motioned him to stop. Link looked back at her, unsure what to do.

"I'm…I'm alright…I just…" Midna then covered her mouth and began to cough violently.

Again, Link tried to assist Midna, but as his arms reached her side, she managed to knock them away with her hand.

"No…I don't…Ah…" Another series of coughs wracked her body. She clutched her body again in pain as she tried to fight it.

Fearing the worst, Link grabbed Midna and hoisted her into his lap. Quickly, Link grabbed the potion they had received in his left hand and pulled the cork out with his teeth. After spitting the cork out of his mouth, he positioned the bottle onto Midna's lips.

At first, Midna was unaware of Link's actions. Her entire body ached and she needed to endure through it. It wasn't until she felt the bottle placed on her lips and a small amount of the vile liquid enter her mouth that she realized what Link was doing. With what little strength she had, Midna tried to push the bottle away. She couldn't be allowed to drink it. It was the medicine Link needed.

However, as Midna fought against Link, she realized that she had little strength within her. Her body was in pain, and every time she fought Link, the pain would grow worse.

Slowly, she began to succumb to Link's will and drank the medicine. As she began sipping the liquid, she took a moment to look into Link's eyes. What she saw was a combination of pain and determination. Link didn't want to force her to do anything, but no longer was he going to sit by and watch her suffer.

Realizing she had no choice in the matter, Midna slowly averted her eyes away from Link. Tears began to form as she started to swallow more of the bitter liquid. It wasn't until the last drop had been swallowed that Link pulled the bottle away.

Midna let out a cough as the bottle was pulled away. She then averted her eyes down as her face took on the appearance of a sulking child. "You shouldn't have done that."

Link said nothing as he placed the bottle down.

"That potion was meant for you! I can take care of myself!" Midna added with more venom.

Link reacted to her words by lifting Midna out of his lap and placing her gently on the floor. He then picked up both shares of the bread they had received and placed them into Midna's arms.

Midna was caught off guard again by the sudden gesture. Before she could protest, Link stood up and walked to the opposite side of the cell. Placing his right hand on the wall for support, he leaned slightly against the wall and rubbed his head. Midna then looked down at the bread that had been shoved into her arms. She knew Link didn't mean to be rough with her and was only trying to help her.

But what was she supposed to do?

Link needed that potion to survive the next fight. Now that she had drunk the potion, how would he fare in the coming battle? She wanted to scold Link over this, but something in the back of her mind told her to stay silent. It was the part of her that knew that Link was only doing what he thought was best for her.

But Link still needed the potion to survive.

Midna felt her mind spin as she contemplated what to do next. Was Link right to force the potion upon her or was she right in thinking that Link should have kept it.

X

Link stood against the wall, unable to face Midna. What he had done seemed wrong, but in his mind, it was necessary. It had not been easy for him to act on his decision, but he couldn't let Midna suffer. He had to do something fast and all he could think of at the time was to force Midna to drink the potion.

Yet as he looked back at what transpired, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He could still remember the tears that formed in Midna's eyes and could only guess that he probably scared her at the very least.

But what was he right to do what he did?
The last thing he wanted was to get into a heated debate with her. By all standards, Midna could be incredibly stubborn and determined to get her way. She had a strong spirit, but sometimes that spirit and determination got in the way of reason. The last thing Link wanted was to see was Midna sacrifice herself again. He could easily recall two events where he thought he nearly lost Midna; once when Zant had exposed her to the light spirit known as Lanayru, the other when Midna had teleported both him and Zelda to safety from Ganondorf. Link did not wish to relive the pain of seeing that again, especially since she carried his child.

But was committing such acts the right way to handle the situation?

Link found he had no answers. There were no simple answers anymore. Even if he wanted to apologize to her now, he did not have the courage to face her. What was he supposed to do? Small tears formed as he tried to find a solution.

As his mind spun uncontrollably in his head, he failed to hear the approaching footsteps from behind. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his upper leg that he realized that Midna was standing right beside him. He looked at her in surprise and saw that she was not facing him, but the wall he was leaning against. Her eyes were half open and looking toward the ground while her right hand rested on his left leg.

"I don't agree with what you did, but I know why you did it," Midna said in a flat tone.

Link raised his free hand to wipe away the tears on his face.

"I know you want to care for me, but it's my responsibility to look after you as well," Midna confessed. Her face slowly turned to face Link and look up into his eyes. "I don't want to be a burden to you anymore."

Link slowly turned and kneeled down so he could be at eye level with Midna.

"I just…I just…"

Before Midna could continue, Link took Midna into his arms and hugged her closely. He wanted to tell Midna that she wasn't a burden, but his voice was drowned out by his own tears. He had made his decision long ago and he would never back down from protecting her.

For a moment, Midna remained limp in Link's arms as he held her. Only after a few seconds had passed did she slowly raise her own arms and try to encircle Link's body. Tears formed in her eyes once again as she embraced him. Like Link, she wanted to say something, but for what seemed like the first time, she found she was unable to speak. All she could do was hold him close.

X

Midna sighed in frustration as she he sat in front of Link, holding his right hand. "Well…It was worth a shot," Midna said in defeat as she released Link's hand.

Link pulled his hand back and looked down at the symbol of the Triforce of Courage. It was sometimes hard for him to believe that his "birthmark" was actually the holy relic. And yet having it for so long he still did not know how to use it.

For Midna, it wasn't that big of a surprise. Though she had been able to siphon some of the power of the Triforce of Wisdom from Zelda at one time, she found trying to tap into Link's power was a different and far more dangerous challenge. Zelda had full control of her powers and knew how to use them. Link on the other hand had no experience in using magic. Midna feared that if she tried to use Link's power without him having the ability to control it, it could destroy her. It was a relic of light and she was a creature of shadow.

Link looked at her in concern, searching for the words to comfort her.

"Don't say anything Link. I knew there was only a slim chance, but it was a good idea," Midna replied.

Link sighed as he looked down upon the supposed "birthmark" on his hand. A part of him wished that he had asked Zelda to teach him how to use such power. But Zelda had told him that no one should know about the Triforce of Courage he possessed. He saw no reason to learn about it since he never planned to use it again after his first adventure. He could only blame his own ignorance now.

Link was awakened from his thoughts the next moment by the sound of Bulblin warriors approaching and the heavy foot steps of King Bulblin himself. He could only watch as the cell door was opened and King Bulblin looked in, motioning for him to come forward.

"Maybe if we're lucky, you'll just have to fight them one after another until you kill them all," Midna snorted as she looked at the giant behemoth.

Link only sighed in frustration as he got off the floor to answer King Bulblin's challenge. He could only wish it was that simple.

X

As before, Link found himself being surrounded by guards while two others escorted Midna. Led by King Bulblin, they made their way through the series of caves to the large throne room where most of the Bulblin population had gathered. The gathered Bulblins began hissing and growling as soon as Link entered the room. However, despite their threats, none made an attempt to harm him.

As Link was placed into the center of the room, he took one more look at Midna before the upcoming fight. Midna remained with her captors, but her face showed she was confident Link would win. For Link, it was enough. Like the battles before, he believed he would not lose this one.

From his throne, King Bulblin stood up and raised his fist into the air. Immediately, the crowd fell silent as King Bulblin began to make a series of grunts and strange noises that only a Bulblin would understand.

Although Link did not know the exact words, he could assume that King Bulblin was issuing a challenge for one of his best warriors to step forward. However, as Link waited patiently for one of the Bulblins to come forward, none appeared.

As the crowd remained silent, King Bulblin grew increasingly restless and growled another set of phrases. Yet his calls went unanswered as the Bulblins looked toward each other.

Midna found this silently amusing. As she looked into the crowds, she could see the fear that laced their eyes. The Bulblins might be a race that liked to fight, but at the same time, they did not like to lose. Already she could see how insulted King Bulblin was when he noticed that none of his warriors were willing to fight in order to prove their strength.

Link however was a little worried about his predicament. If none challenged him, what would happen next?

As if an answer to his question, King Bulblin began to shout something to the crowd. Whatever he was saying, it seemed to bring shame to his warriors. He then turned to Link and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I fight you!"

The room erupted in a series of cheers upon the proclamation. Link could only step back in surprise as he heard the challenge. His eyes then darted to Midna to find that she shared the same surprise and concern.

Link's eyes then turned to the floor as he heard the sound of a wooden blade landing in front of him. As he looked at the wooden blade, he felt his hopes diminish. Fighting King Bulblin was no easy task. There was no way that a poorly crafted piece of wood was going to penetrate the thick hide of the monster. Even a regular sword had trouble penetrating the thick blubber.

As Link started to pick up the wooden sword, his attention was once again brought upon King Bulblin as the great beast unleashed an angry growl to the crowd. Link only remained still as he waited for events to unfold.

After making a series of growls and high pitched noises, King Bulblin then looked down at Link with an evil smile. "Weak!" he said before turning to his throne and picking up his two handed war ax in one hand and a second weapon in the other. He then turned and threw the second weapon towards Link.

Once more, Link's eyes lit up with surprise as he saw the weapon land in front of him. Slowly he reached down and grasped the familiar hilt and lifted it with ease. Although a part of him felt his eyes were somehow betraying him, he could not deny the familiar sense of power that rushed through his hand.

He had been given the Master Sword.

"I fight for role of strongest!" King Bulblin proclaimed as he raised his ax above his head.

Immediately the crowd cheered for their leader.

Link ignored the crowd as he looked upon the blade he had fought with for so long. Now that he had it back in his possession, he felt whole and confident. He would not lose to the monster before him.

With a roar of challenge, King Bulblin leapt from his throne with his ax held high. Link had little time to dodge the attack and just barely managed to escape. He felt the floor shake as the great beast crashed into the ground, sending sparks flying from his ax as it hit the floor.

As Link recovered, he took up a defensive posture to protect himself from the next attack. Though he may have had the Master Sword at his side, he had no armor or shield. He also knew that he could not take King Bulblin lightly like the other warriors he fought. His only chance was to rely on his speed to out maneuver the great giant.

Without any hesitation, King Bulblin lifted his war ax in both hands and held it in front of him as he slowly approached Link.

Link stood patiently as he waited for the monster to approach him. Taking a chance, Link darted in and brought his sword down on King Bulblin as quickly as he could. He was not surprised when the Master Sword was blocked by the two handed ax. To avoid King Bulblin's counter strike, Link quickly jumped back a few steps the next moment. As King Bulblin drew in closer a second time, Link darted in and performed the same maneuver again.

The crowd gave off a cheer when they saw Link's attacks had failed. What they did not know was that Link had planned this. If he was going to beat the giant beast, he needed to know King Bulblin's own reflexes. As far as he could tell, King Bulblin was still as nimble as he used to be during their last encounter.

Twirling his sword in his hand, Link waited for King Bulblin to approach. The lumbering giant did not hesitate as it made its way forward. His red eyes remained fixed on Link as a toothy grin decorated his face. It was only when King Bulblin was within a few feet that Link made his first move.

Using the same technique he had done in his last encounter with the giant, Link jumped to his right and rolled on the ground so that he was behind the beast. He then jumped up, bringing the Master Sword along the creatures back. As he turned to look at the damage, he saw a white cut on King Bulblin's side. However the large amount of fat had protected King Bulblin from receiving anything that might hamper him. No blood was drawn and the monsters only shrugged it off.

However, this did not dishearten Link. He knew he would have to make several more attacks before he could penetrate King Bulblin's natural defense. The creature was incredibly strong and had survived many ordeals that would normally kill another man or Bulblin.

With a roar of anger, King Bulblin began his assault again. This time however, he did not rely on charging blindly forward. Instead he approached cautiously, swinging the great ax at Link. Link only responded by using a combination of ducking and quick retreats. It was only on rare occasions that Link was able to slip back into King Bulblin's defenses. Like before, he was only able to make a quick cut before having to jump away.

Though his attacks did minor damage at best, Link knew that attacking head on was reckless. Without a shield or armor, he felt he could not afford to get hit even once. Such strikes would severely hamper him or leave him crippled. If he slowly wore down the monster, he could win the battle.

Yet as Link prepared himself for another series of attacks, he heard a high pitched cry coming from the audience. Quickly he looked to his right and saw Midna doubling over. The two guards looked at her in confusion as she grasped at her stomach in pain. For a moment, Link remained petrified as he watched Midna fall to her knees.

For a brief moment, Midna was blinded by the painful throbbing she felt. She could only clutch her stomach and cough violently. As the pain subsided into something she could handle, she peered up and looked toward Link. However her heart dropped as she saw what was about to happen. "LINK! LOOK OUT!"

Link quickly realized he had dropped his guard and quickly turned back to his opponent. To his surprise, King Bulblin was almost on top of him. The great beast had the ax ready to perform a horizontal strike. Link could only brace himself as he felt a metal surface slam into his left side.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to go blank as Link felt his body flying through the air. It was only the pain of slamming into the ground that awoke him the next moment. As he got to his hands and knees, he began coughing. A part of him felt lucky that King Bulblin had hit him with the flat part of the ax instead of the blade. Still, he felt like the wind had been knocked out of him and his body ached incredibly.

Despite wanting to lie on the ground to recover, Link pushed himself to get up. As he stood up, he could see the giant slowly advancing toward him with his ax held high. Realizing he had little time, Link quickly rolled off to one side as the ax came down, leaving another imprint in the ground.

As King Bulblin pried his ax free from the floor, Link began to regain his breath. His eyes then turned to Midna and saw that she was still in great pain. Somehow, he had to get to her and do something. His eyes then shifted to his opponent who now approached him. King Bulblin was now the one thing that stood between him and Midna. He had to act fast if he was going to help her.

Letting instinct take over the voice of reason, Link charged forward, unleashing a series of vicious strikes. King Bulblin managed to block the majority of them and only one or two managed to graze his body. The maneuver was reckless, but performing quick strikes and attempting to wear down the beast would take to much time. He had to reach Midna and somehow help her.

Before Link could get another series of strikes in, King Bulblin reacted by pushing forward with the handle of his ax. Although Link tried to push back with the Master Sword, he was over come by the monster's strength and fell backwards onto his back.

As Link sat up, he took a moment to look toward Midna to find her condition had not improved. Instead, she now was on her hands and knees and appeared to be coughing, or worse.

Was she dying?

The thought sent a wave of fear over his entire body. He had to get to her, but he first had to overcome the thing between them. As he got to his feet, he focused his senses on King Bulblin and launched another series of vicious strikes.

The Master Sword rang against the great ax handle several times as King Bulblin was put on the defensive. With each swing, Link let out a cry of rage as he tried to overcome the monster's defenses. However, what attacks that did make contact with the ogre's hide did little to slow the great beast.

Before Link could retaliate with another set of quick strikes, King Bulblin pushed Link back with his ax, sending Link tumbling to the floor again. Link's body ached as he lay on the floor. Though his spirit was willing, his body was near its limit. He had little strength left in him.

As Link got up once more, he took a moment to look towards Midna to see her condition had not changed. His eyes then focused on his nemesis. In his condition, he probably had only one more attempt to take down King Bulblin before his body gave out. Though it would probably fail, he knew he had to try.

Gripping the Master Sword tightly in two hands, Link charged forward, committing the last of his strength to the next set of strikes.

As Link charged forward in rage, the crowd fell silent and transfixed on what they saw. The sound of metal connecting against metal rang out across the cave as sword and ax collided. It was followed shortly after by another thunderous echo as the two blades made contact again. On the third hit, Link raised the Master Sword high in the air and brought it down in the middle of the handle with all his might.

The Bulblins gasped in surprise the next second as the unthinkable occurred. Before their very eyes, the handle of the two handed ax shattered between the place where King Bulblin had been holding it. As King Bulblin stepped back in surprise at his sudden loss, Link brought his blade up in an upward slice against the monster's chest.

The hall echoed as King Bulblin let out a scream of pain. Though the strike had not been life threatening, the blade had cut through King Bulblin's natural defenses, leaving a cut that ran from his right shoulder down to his lower left side. The giant warrior fell back on the floor and rolled off to one side, clutching at the wound that now bled freely.

As Link saw this, he wasted no time in throwing the Master Sword off to the side and running to Midna's aid. As he approached her, the Bulblins around her quickly stepped back in awe. A few even kneeled down before him while chanting a single word.

"Din-nay-fa,"

However, Link made no notice of this as he kneeled down and took Midna into his arms. As he held her securely, he found she was falling in and out of unconsciousness. Desperately, he called out her name, but his voice seemed to be drowned out by the chanting of the Bulblins.

"Din-nay-fa,"

As Link placed one hand to caress Midna's face, Midna's eyes half opened. "Hey…Link," Midna replied, though her voice was barely over a whisper, "I guess….you won," she struggled to say.
Link found himself torn as he looked down upon Midna. His mind raced uncontrollably as he tried to figure out something he could do to help her. Was this how it was going to end? Was Midna really going to die?

"Din-nay-fa,"

"Don't worry….about…me…I'll…" Midna's eyes fluttered as she fell into unconsciousness again.

Link shook his head in denial as he saw this. With all his might, he held Midna close to him unwilling to let go. The world around him seemed empty as he held her close to him.

"Din-nay-fa,"

The Bulblins made no move against Link as they watched the scene unfold. Their eyes only remained transfixed on Link holding Midna in his arms.

"Din-nay-fa,"

The chant continued to echo across the room.

As King Bulblin sat up after recovering from his wounds, he noticed the chant his people were making and recognized the word immediately. His eyes then focused on Link in surprise and saw something he didn't think was possible.

Despite being covered by the fabric of his ruined tunic and gauntlets, a golden triangle glowed upon Link's hand. While two of the triangles remained hollow, one showed forth releasing its golden light.

It was the Symbol of Farore.
For a brief moment, it didn't seem possible for King Bulblin to accept. Yet as he looked upon the golden light, he could not deny what he saw.

This young man was a Din-nay-fa.

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. In the next chapter, Link must confront a ghost from his past if he wants to save his future. Think carefully about this and you might know who it is. No it's not Ganondorf.

Now I must ask a favor from my readers. Currently I have the next chapter thought up and know how it I want it to progress…mostly (It has its bugs). But the problem I face is the chapter following it. I'm asking my friends for help, but they are busy, so I'm trying to find someone who can give me the flash of inspiration I need to make it progress. If I can work out this particular detail, I think the rest of the story is all downhill since I've been writing bits and pieces. Don't be too quick to jump in though. If you decide to accept this, it might ruin some surprises. But if you feel you can offer some help and can respond quickly when I contact you by E-mail, I will happily accept your help. But the only thing I can give in return is stating that _ helped me in writing the story like I did in Chapter 12. You won't need to write the chapter (leave that to me), just give me ideas.

I have to say, this was not an easy chapter either. I had to convey the stress Link and Mina were feeling as well as generate a fight scene against an ogre that wielded an ax capable of cutting a man in two. The battle part was a little tricky at first, but after watching a You-Tube video on Link fighting King Bulblin I figured it out. The scene with Link forcing Midna to drink the medicine was tougher. In the end, I came up with something that was similar to a scene in Attack on Titan (episode 2). I am hoping I kept the basic idea of what Link stands for or is seen as for you. This is why I need help.

Believe me, it's not easy to work with a silent protagonist, but I will keep him silent. When I began, he did have a voice, but it sounded like this: "Well…Excuse me princess". Very frightening.