I do not own The Legend of Zelda or its characters.

Second Time's the Charm

Part 1: Old Hero's Gift

A minuscule diamond glided across the sandy platform, every so slowly coming closer to the phosphorescent mirror. The sun shown through the precious stone, causing it to blind those who looked directly into it. At only the last moment, when the diamond was inches away from the mirror, did I realize that it wasn't a diamond at all, but a tear.

The moment the tear came in contact with the Mirror of Twilight, the glass began to crack. I looked over to my right and as I knew she would be, there she was, standing on the enchanted platform teetering on the edges of our two realms, Light and Dark. Just like the realms, we knew we couldn't be together. Just like the realms, we knew that neither one of us could live without the other.

She looked into my eyes, and I looked back. In that instant we knew everything that could possibly be expressed through our words and actions. We knew that we both loved each other. I watched as her body began to fade away into the void. She closed her eyes and pointed her head down as if saying to me, "I wish there was another way." I did too.

I called out her name and she looked up at me. She was half gone now; particles of her stomach were flying back into her realm. I tried to tell her, I had to; it would burn within me my entire life if I didn't, but my mouth wasn't moving. I tried to run after her, to grab her arm so that I would go with her, but I couldn't move. She looked at me disappointed, it was the most painful thing I had experienced, for the first time since I had saved her life on the night Zant hurt her I had disappointed her.

Then she was gone. The portal closed behind her and the mirror shattered behind me. Then finally, I found my voice.

"I love you."

I opened my eyes. I was drenched in sweat. I wasn't sure if that was because of the dream or if it was the hot summer night air. I raised my arm to wipe my forehead and sat up to look out the window. The moon was high in the night sky; I probably hadn't been sleeping for more than three hours. I sighed and lay back down on my sweat-covered pillow.

I had to go back to sleep, but I didn't close my eyes in fear of having that dream again. I had been having the same dream, no…I could call it a nightmare, every since the day I lost Midna.

I sighed again.

Midna. Why didn't I run after you when I had the chance? Why didn't I tell you how I felt? We could have had so much more time if I had told you before our battle with Ganondorf. I was a fool. A fool of a hero. Hmph, what kind of hero defeats the beast of a kingdom and comes home without his princess?

A tear threatened to flow out of my eye. I choked it back. I had to keep a little bit of dignity.

I laughed out loud, into my dark empty house.

Dignity…what dignity did I have left? I hadn't been seen out of my house for days. Colin, Talo, and the others hadn't come by in ages, most likely thinking that their idol had lost his luster, even Ilia stopped her attempts at luring me outside and knocking down my door.

I blinked, fighting the urge to fall back to sleep. The tear was let loose and trickled down the side of my face. I didn't wipe it away, it didn't matter.

A sound pierced through the darkness outside my window. It wasn't harsh, actually it was rather soft and comforting. It sounded familiar. I tried to listen closer and realized it was an animal call. It was a wolf howl.

I bolted upright on my bed and looked out my window. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but I knew something was out there. I had learned the wolf language when I spent my own time as a wolf and I knew that howl was a call, to me. I sat in my bed waiting for something to happen. After a few minutes of nothing I caught a glance of a streak of orange light prancing across the fields in the village. I recognized that orange coloring; it was something I hadn't seen for months. I continued to watch, wondering if it was going to stop anywhere so I could go and see it. At last I saw it again, much closer this time, heading for the spring.

I jumped out of bed and hastily headed for the door. I skipped the entire ladder in my rush and hit the ground with a bit of impact. I pulled the door wide open and didn't even close it behind me before jumping the front ladder too. I ran past the sleeping Epona and continued dashing across the short distance between the spring and my house. The gate came into view and I saw it was open. Skidding to a stop in front of the passageway I looked in to the quaint area within.

There, staring back at me with its dark eyes was the orange wolf, waiting patiently for my arrival. I took tentative steps toward it, not wanting to get too close if it decided to attack like it always did. However, this time it should have had no reason to do such a thing because I had already learned all the secret techniques of the previous hero. I stopped about ten feet from the glowing animal and waiting for it to make the next move.

To my relief it did not leap at me in our previous encounters, but to my surprise the spring began to glow with glorious light. I had to shut my eyes to keep from being blinded. I had not doubt that the light was from the God who lived within the spring, but why was it deciding to use its power now?

When I no longer felt the increased warmth of the spring's luminosity I opened my eyes again. The wolf was no longer there and in its place was the rotting corpse of the soldier who had taught me the powerful sword techniques I has used so many times. I bowed to him in respect. He bowed back. When we both straightened up again he spoke.

"I have not had the chance to commend you for your victory." He said with the voice that had a slight haunting echo. "You have done well and have lived up to the Hero of Destiny's title."

I looked at him. He was congratulating me for something that I no longer wanted to hear about. There was only one thing I wanted to come out of his mouth now: a way for me to be reunited with the one I lost. I had my suspicions from the beginning that the one standing in front of me was something more than he was letting on, how else would he known how to fight like the past heroes of Hyrule?

"Why have you come here? Truly." I asked him.

"To tell you that you may stop hurting." The swordsman explained. "You blame yourself for not taking risks for the one you miss the most. You are in pain for losing her and not going after her when she was right in front of you."

"You have come to tell me to stop having heartache?" I asked, bewildered. My anger was rising. "Do you honestly think that just by telling me to not feel these emotions it will happen? Who do you think you are?"

He paused for a moment before questioning, "Do you know who I am?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Enlighten me."

"I am the living deity of the Hero of Time. The hero before you." I gave him a look that said, "So?" "My physical presence in this world is fading, but I still have the power to give you what you want."

My eyes widened with shock. He had a way…there was hope. My body felt numb with joy and I couldn't say anything in response.

"I was given the blessing by the gods to send you back in time, one week before your defeat of Ganon. In that time you may do whatever you wish to alter was happens between the Twilight Princess and yourself."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing; I had the opportunity I had always wanted. I would be able to see the one I love again. But a thought came to mind and I struggled to get my mouth working for the words to be vocalized.

"Would…would I have to fight Ganon again?"

The Hero of Time nodded slowly. "As well as Zant, you were in the Twilight Realm a week before you defeated Ganon." I nodded too. I had remembered but was hoping it wouldn't be that way. I grinned at the spirit.

"Can I go now?" I asked anxiously.

"If you wish to." He said.

"I do."

The Hero of Time lowered his head and I could tell he was concentrating. He approached me, outstretching his hand and placing it on my head. He told me to close my eyes and I did so.

The next thing I knew I was weightless and I felt like I was moving along a current that couldn't be controlled. I didn't open my eyes; I didn't want to do anything that could ruin this opportunity. The feeling didn't cease for a long time, but I remained patient. I knew it was alright for me to open my eyes when I no longer felt the energetic current or the weight of the Hero of Time's gauntlet on my head.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

I looked upon a place that I recognized only as the Twilight Realm. The dark, yet light sky swirled everywhere above me, the twili stood around as mindless drones with Zant's masks upon their faces, and a large downpour of dark energy covered the entrance to the castle where Zant, who I knew must now be alive again, was waiting.

Then I noticed something else, the presence of someone to my right. A small imp, with a large helmet resting upon her head was floating barely three feet from me with her back turned.

The air had disappeared from my lungs, my face was numb, my hands were shaking, and my heart felt so compressed I though I may faint. I spoke the only word I could think of and it came out more quiet than I intended it to.

"Midna…"

I saw her left ear twitch slightly, she must have heard me. She slowly turned in midair and she looked at me with her amber-colored eyes, the eyes I thought I would never see again.

"Are you alright? You're looking at me as if you haven't seen me for months." She asked curiously, sounding slightly worried. She glided a bit closer to be and I didn't know how to respond. She cocked her head a little as if examining me.

"I…I haven't." I gasped out. She grimaced in confusion.

I couldn't hold it any longer; I had to know that she was truly here in front of me, that she was real. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into my arms, embracing her like I had wanted to for so long. It was an indescribable feeling to hold her again. I felt her body tense up when I grabbed her, and slowly the muscles began to ease.

"Uh…ok." I heard her say into my tunic. I then realized how ridiculous this must look to her. To her it must've appeared that I suddenly went mad and wanted attention from my only companion. With great resentment I let her go and I was glad to see that she didn't fly away swiftly in attempt to get the furthest from me as possible.

She looked up at me, and smiled. To my surprise, and immense enjoyment, she wrapped her small arms around my neck and hugged me again. I embraced her a second time and held her as close as possible. She had initiated an act of endearment, which wasn't a common thing if I remember. I would make something happen between us this time; I would never have a chance like this again.

End of Part 1