"Midna...?" I look up at the smile that looks so familiar; impish, yet kind. She says nothing, only turns around and walks up the platform in front of the Mirror of Twilight and stands still. "Midna no...!" I begin as she sheds a tear and pushes it toward the mirror, turns around, and walks into the portal into the twilight realm. "NO!" I scream, viciously fighting the mysterious invisible bonds against my body. "NO MIDNA PLEASE, PLEASE NO!!!"
I awake with a start and look around for Midna and the mirror shards, but all I find is the roof of my bedroom. Another dream? I have been having those dreams for weeks now, and the same thing happens every time; Midna shatters the Mirror and disappears into the Twilight realm, leaving me screaming in heart-broken pain after her. I sigh and look out the window. I need to forget the whole incident and move on with my life, it happened three years ago, after all. It is still several hours before dawn, and I get the feeling I won't be going back to sleep anytime soon. I sigh and get up. during the years after Midna left, I had been taking odd swordsman jobs across Hyrule. At the moment I was in the final stages of becoming a castle guard. Lila was still my best friend, I went to her for everything, but she wasn't the same as Midna. I stretch and glance over at the worn leather pack on the floor under the window. I haven't opened that bag in three years to the day, but I decide it's time. I get up and walk across the wooden floor to the lamp on my bookcase, my bare feet making a click-cli-click sound. I fill the lantern with the last of the oil and make a mental note to get some today. Lighting the lantern, I walk to the bag and kneel down next to it. In the yellow glow of the lamplight the bag looks years older than it really is. I undo the metal buttons with a snap and reach in to get the large glass bottle. The contents glistens and shifts with my movement. The shards of the Mirror of Twilight were beautiful; they had an opacity that seemed to change color with every movement. I sigh, remembering Midna and all we had been through together. Sometimes, I swear I can still hear her in the short fleeting moments of twilight, but it is most likely my imagination. I open the bottle and pick up one of the shards, flipping it around my battle-worn fingers. I bring the shard up to my lips and let the cold seep into my skin as I stare absently at the wall, thinking. I go on like this several minutes before I decide to get up and do something productive. My knees crack as I rise and get dressed in my Ordon clothes. The green tunic I wore for so long is folded carefully in a chest in the basement along with the Hyrule shield and Master Sword; it's too painful for me to look at them now, but perhaps I will wear them again sometime, in another life. I slide down the ladders of my house like I used to, the wood burns my hands as I go down, but I pay no mind to that. The air outside is fresh and smells of pine wood, the first calls of birds announce the rising sun barley visible over the Faron woods. I saddle Epona and take the iron sword the castle guards gave me in my hand. I run my finger over the blade to check for bluntness, and then begin the 30 mile trek to the Hyrule castle for the last part of solider initiation.
