Courage is the Gift I Offer

Chapter Thirteen: Twilia

I wake up on soft ground. The normal black sky hovers above me. I gently blow a falling particle away. Those things bug me so much. Midna used to laugh at my discomfort as they landed on my fur...

Wait. I'm not in wolf form.

I have a quick moment of panic before I realize why. I'm part Twilian. My wolf form is controlled by thought only. I knew that already, right?

Whoa. Saria never told me I would have momentary amnesia. That'a quite the thing to leave out.

Wait. Maybe she warned me, but I can't remember it.

Deciding that I should stop arguing with my already confused mind, I start to get up. I stop when I realize my Twilian mark is glowing brighter than ever before. It's as bright as Midna's are, maybe even more.

At least I can remember facts like brightness. It's a start.

When I get to my feet, I look around. The ground is slightly scorched from my arrival. For once, I'm glad the Twilight Realm has no grass or plants.

I realize I'm on the same hill that Midna and I appeared on during our first visit. The Twilians have no memory of my first visit, as they were under Zant's control. I'm sure that, by now, they have regained their speech abilities.

There I go again with my sarcasm. I hate myself when I'm confused. I make no sense.

....and neither did that statement.....great.

Ignoring myself once again, I start walking down the hill. A Twilian guard comes into view. As soon as he sees me, he charges, spear raised.

"No Hyrulians are allowed!" He yells. I try to yell 'no, wait!', but it seems I have not yet regained MY speech abilities. Oh, the irony.

I clumsily step to the side to avoid his charge. As he turns to face me, I do the same, although much, much worse. I probably look drunk, honestly. I somehow manage to wrestle the spear from the guard's hands and throw it far away.

Another guard comes from no where and knocks me out.

As I'm falling under, my sarcasm returns. 'Some hero you are, Link.'

And then the sky falls.

........................................................................

"Please don't hurt him." Are the first words I hear. I keep absolutely still and wait for all of my senses to return.

"Give me a reason not to." Someone else says. "His kind killed your brother!"

I can vaguely tell that this comes from a middle-aged man. I can feel a weight on my chest, as if someone is sprawled over it.

"A Hyrulian killed my brother." The female voice comes from directly above me, and I can only assume the woman is the one sprawled over me. "That was only one man. One corrupt man. Link is the one that defeated that man!" She exclaims. I feel like I should know the voice, but the combination of my momentary amnesia and my unconsciousness seem to block out all else. "Besides," she continues. "He's one of us now."

"He may bear our marks, but he has a long way to go to be one of us." The man replies.

"Let him have a chance!" The woman begs. The owner of the voice is suddenly clear to me. I can barely stop myself from jumping for joy.

~Midna!~ I exclaim.

*Link!* she replies with less surprise. *You are awake!*

~Yeah. What's going on?~ I ask.

*My...the king is trying to kill you. I'm currently the only thing stopping him. Don't make any sudden moves. Act like you only just woke up.*

~I'm not a very good actor.~ I reply teasingly.

*Humor me.* She replies with her usual sass.

I groan, my hand moving to my head. As soon as my eyes open, the middle-aged man throws Midna aside and pulls me to my feet. I blink quickly to completely wake myself up. When I reach for my sword, the man laughs.

"His reflexes are slow. He does not even realize I took his sword from him." He sets me down and turns his back to me, as if I am not a threat. I find myself growling, exactly like my wolf form. He turns around, eyebrow raised. "What are you trying to do, pup?"

~Midna, your people are based on strength, not courage, correct?~

*Yes, but Link, don't do anything you will regret.* she replies carefully, looking me in the eyes. I give her the cocky grin that I know she loves before changing into a wolf.

This time, my wolf form is different. I can tell without even looking at myself. The ground is farther away than it usually is. I'd say my wolf form grew by a third. I was already a large wolf but this is ridiculous.

The king gasps when he sees me.

"You....are the mysterious savior?" He asks in awe. I cock my head in confusion. He immediately explains. "Nearly a year and a half ago, our kingdom was taken over by Zant. He killed many, including my son. Midna, our princess, disappeared." He glances over at her. Her lips form a tight line. "We all then became mindless beings, existing only to do Zant's will. One day, a wolf appeared with an imp on his back. The two of them saved us by restoring our light. None of us had the energy left for even a thank you. The two of them were never seen again. Yet, you look like the wolf."

I bark and look at Midna.

~You haven't told anyone what happened when you disappeared?~ I ask incredulously. She shakes her head.

The king is looking between us. Rage suddenly fills his face.

"Midna, you are a Princess! You cannot bond with..."

"Don't even finish that sentence." She says, standing straight. "You don't rule my life!"

I suddenly get a sinking feeling.

I turn back into a human. "Sir, if you don't mind, I would like to prove myself before you decide to yell at Midna. I'm sure neither of us currently appreciate your anger. I come from a world where kindness is greatly appreciated." I say all of this with a straight face. Midna gives her signature giggle, but hides it behind her hand.

The king's face clears, and he nods. "Yes. I can do that. Follow me, and we shall dine together."

I grab Midna's hand as he turns away. She smiles at me, and, unable to contain herself, gives me a kiss.

"How could you stand being parted for a year, only to have me come back with amnesia?" She asks, leaning into my embrace. "I felt as if I died the first day I was here, and have felt hollow every day since." She sighs. "I'm sorry I..."

"Hey it's fine." I say, putting my hand on her hair gently. "That's in the past." I look over her shoulder to see her father looming in the doorway, watching. "You know your father is there, right?" I ask nervously.

*I'm trying to make you look good.* she replies between our minds. I sigh.

"We need to go. Come on, I'm starving." I say, grabbing her hand and leading her as we follow her father.

"You are always hungry." She replies, but she is smiling, too.

"I wouldn't say 'always'." I reply, just for the sake of conversation. "I prefer the term 'hungry like the wolf'. I can imagine that as a ballad, actually."

She giggles again. And d@mn, do I love that giggle. I actually believe that I would do anything just to hear her laugh more often.

Midna and I talk with our minds the whole way down as we follow her father to our future.