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Endgame	By : RyuaAlba Category: Zelda > General Views: 26666 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda, or any of the characters or regions or names associated with it. I make no money from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Author's Note: I am blown away by how much feedback this story is getting. Thank you especially to Maddi, who left me what may be the biggest review I have ever reci
Warping was harder without the wolf around.
She'd been the one supplying the energy for the transfer, of course, and actually making the jump, but she hadn't realized that Link had actually been doing so much navigating. Getting into the castle tower had been one thing, she could form up right outside the wall and warp in. When the time came to leave, though, she realized she didn't have a focus on where to go. She'd gotten out of the tower fine, warping back to her start point, but then couldn't see clearly enough where to go next.
For the last hour, she'd been warping from where she was to as far as she could clearly see, skipping out of Castletown, across the surrounding fields and croplands a few dozen meters at a time. It was an exhausting way to travel, but better than trying to run on useless, undersized legs. With relief, she made her last warp into the shadow of the canyon cutting into the rock walls surrounding the Hylian Fields.
Midna breathed a deep, ragged sigh, grinning in triumph. She held up the trinket she'd taken, admiring the intricate lines of the gold filigree, the unearthly glow of the central topaz, throbbing with the strength of the magic running through it. She clutched it to her chest, leaning back against the stone wall behind her, laughing. Finally, after all this time, all this searching, her people's lives were free.
Or would be, as soon as she made the choice about how to handle it. With the binding broken, she'd have her full powers as well as body back, meaning she could warp properly between realms as well as move around physically. The farther she was from Ganondorf when she broke the enchantment, however, the less clearly he'd sense it, which was why she'd taken it and run in the first place.
That in itself had been a hard choice. Hearing Zelda's clever, wickedly phrased, cruelly twisting speech had given her the focus she needed to literally pull herself together. That very night, she'd warped her way into the one tower she hadn't managed to flatten while brawling with Ganondorf. She'd intended to kill him, him and Zelda both; but somewhat to her surprise, the princess wasn't in the state rooms, although her scent was fresh on the air.
Ganondorf was slumbering alone in the massive bed, barely visible by the light of the embers glowing in the fireplace. Midna searched the room for something either sharp or heavy enough to use… while she'd love him to suffer, she didn't have any illusions about her relative strength compared to his at the moment, and a quick death would have to suffice. She'd just laid a hand on the knife resting on the platter among scraps of meat when she felt the hint of Twilight magic in the room. A few moments of searching revealed the hidden crown she'd last seen woven into his mane, positively crawling with the most potent knot of Twilight magic she'd ever felt.
She knew immediately what she held, the echo of her people's souls crying out silently under her fingertips for release. The temptation to try and kill him first was immense, but she rather doubted her ability to succeed, let alone escape afterwards. No… with her peoples' fate in her hand, the much better option was to escape, to come at him another way.
And so she'd ran, and was now debating on whether she was far enough away to break his enchantment and regain her powers, so she could escape into Twilight tonight, or whether it was worth it to continue running now, hide in the day, and leave Hyrule altogether before releasing her people and announcing her presence. There was a town ahead, small, but she might be able to find a steed.
Much to her disappointment, the livestock was pitiful. A few braces of chickens, housecats, a handful of goats, recently kidded and swollen with milk, meaning they wouldn't be willing or able to move quickly. There were a bare handful of cart horses and mules, most too old to travel at more than a walk. The only one young enough to be worth taking was lying on the floor of her stall, a mare recovering from some illness or injury, and too weak to stand, let alone gallop at the speed Midna needed.
The sky was already beginning to lighten to the east, and Midna growled. She was running out of time, the gamble on finding a steed had wasted precious minutes of darkness. Deciding that having her full abilities and form back would be a better bet than hiding and hoping she wasn't found before next nightfall, Midna leapt her way up to the top of the canyon, out of view of the small town below. Taking a deep breath, she reached deep into the jewel, grasping onto the threads of the magic bound within it.
.
Miles away, Ganondorf awoke with a start.
.
There was an incredible amount of energy bound up in the pendant, but it gave easier than Ganondorf probably expected it would have. Midna was aided by being kin to those bound in the spell, and she could work through it almost as if it were her own. Unweaving it took a matter of moments, wrenching the last of his magic free only a few seconds more. For just a breath, nothing happened as the topaz crazed with minute, glistening lines.
For most of Hyrule, nothing noticeable happened at all. Perhaps a slight shift of the light, if one was really looking for it. Every Twilit being in the remains of Hyrule castle went immediately still, then disappeared into a warp of their own, leaving the tower and grounds empty.
Midna cried out with delight as her whole being shifted, expanding from the tightly bound form and restricted magics to her rightful shape. She had a form again, a body to feel the night air caress across her skin, breeze rustle through her hair. Shadows cloaked her, a shifting robe of illusion she drew and formed about herself.
Her people surrounded her, shadows in the darkness, questioning what had happened, too cautious and suspicious after long imprisonment to believe it was true. She reassured them, laughing with delight, although her joy was soured by how few of her people were here with her. So many had been lost… killed in battle or sacrificed to magic, faded into darkness and lost to themselves.
There would be a reckoning The Hylian rulers had centuries worth of exile and torment to atone for. Simply because their so-called goddesses had decreed certain types of magic anathema, her ancestors had been banished, locked in the Twilight Realm. It was a cruel mockery of Hyrule and the rest of the lands in the light world, harsh to survive in. The Twilit had adapted, shifting to suit their new environment even as they twisted it to serve them. They now bore as little resemblance to their Hylian cousins as the Gorons did… and they had grown strong in adversity.
Zant had managed to blanket all of Hyrule in Twilight, a considerable achievement, and one that had shook its people to their core. However, he'd never had managed it without Ganondorf's power… and there had been substantially more of them at that time. There were dozens of shadowy forms with her on the mesa top, where there should be hundreds. She'd been forced to help Link kill many of them herself, while they were twisted, held captive by Ganondorf's powers.
He would pay for that.
But in order to do that, they needed help. Hyrule was rebuilding, shifting uneasily under a new government. The Princess Zelda was well on her way to stabilizing that… although Midna wondered at the circumstances. Ganondorf had been their enemy before… but the girl was supposed to be gifted with wisdom. It was not impossible she'd seen fit to ally with a powerful force. Link had followed her orders, after all. And after Ganondorf's terrible demonic form ripped her to bare shreds of shadow, it was understandable that the Princess had decided Ganondorf was stronger.
Ah, but what of Link? That boy was brave, loyal, and foolish. And he had not looked pleased at Zelda's speech. Perhaps he wasn't willingly involved in this… unnatural union, perhaps he could be brought back under her influence. She held some small affection for him, he'd been a good servant and a fearless, capable warrior. If he willingly joined her, she'd take him back… she smiled at his imagined reaction to her new form and abilities. Yes, speaking to Link would have to be one of her goals.
She might even let him talk her into sparing the Princess. Zelda had healed her cursed body, after all, and her charisma and wisdom would be assets if she could be brought properly to heel. If Link thought he could teach her proper obedience, maybe she would let the two Hylians live under her command.
There would be no such bargaining for Ganondorf. He had orchestrated this plot, dethroned and humiliated her, been responsible for the slaughter of most of her people. He would suffer, and he would die. She would make sure of it, this time; that hole in his chest was just begging to be enlarged.
But in order to take Hyrule, she'd need more strength. She and her people were powerful mages, wielding magic that was unlike anything the Hylian spellcasters could use. However, she would need more than that. She needed soldiers who could march in daylight, who could hold the ground they captured. And for that she needed allies, more than a single wolf could do.
Hyrule had long been a blessed nation, literally watched over by Goddesses of Light and their underlings. Some things were universal, including greed. There would be neighboring countries dissatisfied with Hyrule's long prosperity, eager to take advantage of their weakness in recovery. All Midna had to do was find one she could manipulate into acting how and when she wanted them to.
"Tonight, my brothers and sisters, we rest in our beautiful Twilight, free at last." Midna called out. Her voice was low and rich, but contained unnatural tones that made the animals in the town below stir restlessly. "And tomorrow, we begin preparations for war."
They cheered, a disquieting sound to any who lived in the light world, a grating, off-key susurrus. A raven quorked in protest and took off, heading instinctually for the sunlight that was now moving from the clouds down Death Mountain and into the canyon below. It reached the light and settled into a glide, the warmth of the sun easing away the shivers caused by the cries of the Twilit. The raven glanced down, but the mesa was empty as the sunlight pooled over the rock, banishing all remnants of night.
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Endgame