Hey Guys, Ship here, bringing you what I consider to be a definitive step in the WatP saga. I hope you enjoy it, I'm doing well getting out of my funk and am still on vacation so I've found myself with enough time to type up a new chapter. So here you go, I hope you enjoy it. :)

Go!

Silence lay over the Mirror Chamber, Link sitting on the steps, his sword lying across his knees and his shield slung over his back. Midna stood by the mirror, examining it for damage, murmuring under her breath as she did so. The Sages hung back, huddled together in a group, the occasional murmur could be heard as they discussed the events that had just transpired in their hallowed ground.

"What was that magic Midna?" Link spoke up, staring down at the sword in his lap, his reflection visible in the steel. He could see the grid like lines of magic that sealed the curse that lay within in him; "What kind of magic does that to a person?"

"Verum Finis, True End. That is its name." Midna spoke after a time, the usual teasing and amusement in her voice gone, replaced by melancholy, and resignation; "It is a forbidden magic spoken of only in legend. The fact that Xanza possesses it is terrifying in its own right. It is not a magic that should have ever been released."

Standing, Link slid his sword back into its sheath, the grip clicking into place before he turned to face his fiancee; "And this?" He asked, gesturing to the patterns of magic keeping him alive; "What magic are you using to keep the curse sealed?"

"Expecta Aeternam, the Eternal Wait, a magic used by Twili to halt progression. I quite literally froze time for you." MIdna answered, still not turning to face him.

"You froze time?" The hero questioned, ascending the steps as he spoke; "So, what? I cannot age?"

The Twili shook her head; "Not while the magic is in place. Had I not still been in possession of the fused shadows I would not have been able to do it."

Link reached her now, gently placing his hand on her shoulder; "Midna. Look at me."

She turned to face him, and he saw for the first time the tears streaking down her face;

"What I have done to you is unforgivable, I have prevented you from ever ageing." The Princess choked out, the true horror of her spell finally hitting her; "Until we free you from Ganondorf's curse you will never age, everything will turn to dust around you if the curse is not broken."
She couldn't look at him anymore, her head dropping until it was caught by his hand, tilting it back up so she could meet his eyes. Warm blue met crimson as her love smiled reassuringly; "Then we just have to break the curse then don't we?"

Midna choked back a sob as relief washed over her, he did not hate her, he still loved her.

Pulling his love into a hug, inside Link attempted to come to terms with the fact that should they fail to remove his curse he would either be killed or have to live eternally, watching everything he loved fall to time.

Pulling back to see the Twili looking happier than before, he gave her one more reassuring smile before turning to the still huddled Sages; "Sages, you knew of the curse, you knew of the magic, you must have an idea of Xanza's goal?"

They all turned simultaneously, floating almost nervously for a moment before one came forward, based on his symbol Link assumed it was the Sage of Fire;

"She Seeks What Any Sibling Would. To Make The Ones Who Took Her Brothers Life Share The Same Pain She Feels Every Day."

Turning to Midna, all six Sages spoke at once;

"She Seeks To Make You Suffer."

The Princess and Hero shared a look, fear evident in each others eyes at the ramifications of their words. Turning back to the sages Link spoke; "Her magic, could it break the curse placed on me?"

There was a ripple through the group at his question, then the Sage of Fire spoke again;

"In Theory The Curse Could Be Broken Using Verum Finis, However We Would Like To Offer You A Possible Alternative."

The Sages moved past the pair, surrounding the mirror and began to chant, magic woven into their language. Neither Midna nor Link understood the words, but it sounded almost like music, a constantly changing melody that took the couples minds to places that felt familiar; a lake, a mountain, a graveyard, a forest meadow, a desert, a town by a castle. The images of each flowed through their heads, flickering faster and faster until they began to feel dizzy. As the images grew faster, so did the chanting of the Sages, their voices growing louder and louder until they felt the words echoing through their very souls. Link could feel the world growing dark around him as the images grew more concrete, his consciousness fading in time with the appearance of the images. He managed one last look at one of the two most important people in his life, his last conscious thoughts of her and Zelda when everything went black…

He can see it now. The answer.

All the power the dark one sought.

He could reach out and take it.

She was waiting for him, waiting for him and the banished to return.

He could see her now. Sitting somewhere, waiting.

Her piece of the golden power, there.

He could do it, become the one to transcend time, space, light and dark.

The power many before his pitiful skirmish had sought was there.

He was closer than any of them, so close.

But he did not want it. Did not want this power.

Why? He could challenge the goddesses themselves.

Reduce landscapes on a whim. Bring back all those lost in the battle.

This was not power that should be chained to one person, to one mortal.

It was not power to be used to the will of man, to be abused.

Peace could not be commanded, but be earned.

He turned away from it, from the temptation, and looked again.

He sought a way to break the curse. To live.

To be with the ones he loved.

Looking again, he seeks his answer, and sees it.
"Find the temple that time forgot.

Through the forrest that light will rot.

Walk through twilight, betwixt light and dark.

Keep walking, till you find the holy mark.

In the world that was removed from the mortal mind.

There, your freedom, you shall find. "

"-edom, you shall find."

Link came to in a much more comfortable position than he was used to. Looking up from the cushion he had found himself on, he found the very concerned face of one of his loves looking down and realised the pillow he was on was her lap, smooth legs folded while her small hands ran through his hair.

"Midna." He murmured, one gloved hand reaching up to cup her face. It felt like he had not seen her in a millennia; "You look beautiful in the starlight."

She gave a laugh at that, although her eyes sparkled with unshed tears; "Don't you ever scare me like that again." She whispered, leaning down to chastely kiss him before nudging him up; "C'mon, my legs have fallen asleep."

Getting up slowly (his head was still spinning) Link found the Sages watching the pair from their perches atop the pillars.

"How long was I out?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck were there was a cramp.

"A few hours, the sun has not long set." His Fiancee answered, stepping up beside him and placing her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. He squeezed back reassuringly, letting her know he was fine.

"Did You Find The Answer You Seek, O'Hero?" One of the Sages asked, the symbol of Shadow on its robe.

"I did." The hero answered; "We need to return to Hyrule Castle. We need to enter the Twilight Realm."

Midna looked at him, confusion plain on her face; "Okay, first, why do we need to enter the Twilight Realm? Second, the mirror is right here, why do we need to return to Hyrule?"

Link reached up and tapped his head; "Whatever that song did to me Midna, it showed me a path. To a second entrance to the Twilight Realm." Ignoring her look of shock he continued;

"I don't know where it is at the moment, its like a step by step map, until we return to the castle I do not know what to do next."

Accepting it, the Twili fell silent, unsure what else needed to be said.

Facing the Sages, Link spoke; "Before we leave, is there anything else you can do to help? Anything else we should be aware of?"

The Sages all turned to each other, silent until the Sage of Shadow spoke once more;

"We Have Nothing More We Can Do. All That Can Be Done Is For Us To Guard The Mirror."

Taking that as her cue, Midna approached the mirror, pressing her fingers to her lips before resting them in the centre of the polished glass.

With a flash, the mirror turned pitch black, numerous runes becoming inscribed in the inky blackness, rotating in conjunction with each other.

Stepping back to the hero's side, Midna gestured to the new seals;

"Sealed the mirror, Xanza will be trapped in the Twilight Realm for now, she cannot leave via the mirror. If this passage you've been shown exists, then its currently the only entrance."

Link said nothing, merely nodding before turning back to the sages with an unreadable expression, reaching out for Midna's hand as he spoke;

"Thank you for showing me the path. We will stop her from anymore destruction."

With that the couple left, the Sages remaining silent as they exited the Arbiter grounds.

They walked together for about 5 minutes before Midna asked; "Okay, what was that about? There was something you couldn't say in front of the sages."

He was silent for a few moments before he answered; "I do not think this is about revenge. At least not entirely."
"What do you mean?"

Silence again, before Link reached and touched the sword strapped to his back; "Xanza had a clear advantage there, it was three against two and she just stood there while on of her own was killed by her own magic. She even enjoyed it."

"You ever think that maybe she's just insane? The woman is more unhinged than her brother was and he usurped my family in a hissy fit."

"Its not like that MIdna, she took Ganondorf's sword, which raises two questions, why did she have the sword in the first place and what is so important that she would take it instead of the swordsman's body?"

He shook his head; "There is a much larger plan in the works, Xanza's revenge on us is just the icing on the cake."

That disturbing thought in mind, he lapsed back into silence, his thoughts elsewhere due to the encounter.

Midna meanwhile was growing more concerned with his observations, and a pang of deep sorrow hit her when she realised the hardest battle might just be beginning. All she had wanted after the battle was to have some peace, she had not even been able to visit her realm since they ended Zant's iron fisted reign.

Now Xanza was threatening everything she cared about, everything that mattered in her life and it seemed the man she loved more than anyone else in the world was suffering as a result.

Taking in the red highlights in his hair, and the Twili runes etched into his skin, he had gone through so much since he had proposed to her, since they had spent that week in the village, only emerging for food, parties or to swim in the nearby lake.

The Twili was not ashamed to say she was afraid, and hoped that things would end with her lover and her best friend still with her.

So there we have it, a new mission for Link. We're getting out of the fluffy segments and into the meat of the story, the adventure and a mysterious message playing in Link's head. Who knows where it will take him. ;) I do, but thats just me.

Also, quick question, anyone got any advice for a budding author of a children's picture book? So far I'm at 6 submissions and 6 rejections.

Dunno if anyone knows an agent?

Let me know, and as always, review, the love and hate keeps my fire going and the muse runnin'.

Peace guys

Ship