Favorable side

by Gladys Garcia

quarters of the engaged, future prince of the Twilight Realm.

  Entering the palace was nearly effortless thanks to her concealing magic, and she glided through the dark, lofty halls silently, making sure to stay out of sight of nearly

  every guard she passed. Whenever she found that she could not simply slip by one, she would take careful measures to knock them out from afar, slowly inching her way

  up towards one of the higher levels of the palace. Adrenaline fueled her the closer she got to her love's quarters, her hope rising with each step she took. She was going

  to make it to him; she was going to liberate him, to ask him to run away with her. He would accept and together, they would flee from the Palace of Twilight and go to

  parts unknown, free to spend the rest of their lives together where no one would ever try to part them.

  She was only a floor away from him, ready to ascend the stairs that she knew led to his room. She had negated the invisibility spell quite a while ago, knowing that she

  needed him to see her as she entered into his room. However, before she could begin the final climb, she was finally caught by the very last person she wanted to see.

  "Hey!" a voice shouted from behind her. Verona's eyes widened in fear as she spun around to see Midna herself, glaring viciously at the intruder before her. "Who are you

  and what do you think you're doing!?"

  Though Verona knew that Midna couldn't see her face thanks to her cloak, she scowled back just as fiercely, her hatred and jealousy for her cousin burning as hot as ever.

  Right before her was the very person who had stolen her love away from her, who was betrothed to her Dehäan. Both her fury and her magic swirled within her, mixing

  together until they boiled forth to the surface. With an enraged shout, Verona held her hands out towards the new Twilight Princess, allowing two heavy bursts of dark

  magic to spiral forth from them. Midna let out a surprised shout as she narrowly dodged one of them, though the other one struck her in her shoulder roughly, knocking

  her to the ground. Dark violet flames surrounded Verona's clenched fists as she stood ready to attack Midna once more as she began to rise from the ground, knowing

  that if she managed to take the Twilight Princess down, then at least she wouldn't be able to marry Dehäan.

  "Guards!" Midna shouted as she remained on the ground, nursing her injured shoulder as she scowled up at her assailant. "Guards, help! There's an intruder in the palace!"

  Verona's eyes widened when she heard the rushing sounds of the guards' footsteps, knowing that even though she now wielded dark magic, she still wasn't skilled enough

  to take on so many at once. She knew she had to hurry to Dehäan before she was caught and apprehended, otherwise, she would certainly never see him, or anything

  else again.

  "They're heading for Dehäan's room!" Verona heard Midna shout to the guards as she began to hurry up the stairs, running as fast as her legs would take her. "Stop

  them!"

  Verona felt her heart pounding in her chest when she finally saw Dehäan's door come into view, but before she could even reach it, she was suddenly pulled to the ground

  roughly by the back of her cloak. She let out a choked gasp as she fell backwards, narrowly avoiding hitting her head on the stone floor as her cloak was torn from her,

  accidently revealing her identity. All of the guards gasped in shock to see the young Twili noblewoman who had attacked their princess, but Midna was the only one who

  was not at all taken by surprise as she joined the crowd of guards surrounding her, glaring down at her cousin on the floor.

  "Verona…" Midna hissed, the scorn in her voice clear. "What in the Twilight are you doing?"

  "Taking back what's mine!" Verona shouted angrily as she threw her hand out, sending a heavy wave of darkness spiraling out towards them all, knocking most of them

  to the ground. The Twilight Princess instantly recognized it as forbidden dark magic as she tried to recover from it, but it was too late. Verona was already making her way

  to Dehäan's room, casting a barrier of shadows between herself and the guards so that they would not interfere as she entered in.

  However, the last thing Verona expected to find was the room to be empty of the one she had come for. Her breathing quickened in suspense as she looked all over for

  Dehäan, desperate to find him and escape from the palace as quickly as possible. She knew she was panicking by now and that it would do her now good, but she

  couldn't help it; she couldn't let this entire intrusion be for nothing.

  She was just about to call out for him when she was startled by a touch to her shoulder from behind. "Verona," Dehäan said, both his voice and his expression calm as

  Verona spun around to face him.

  "Dehäan…" Verona sighed, a joyous smile gracing her lips as she began to rush forward to embrace him. She hadn't really spoken to him since Midna had one the claim to

  the throne, as they were no longer permitted to see each other since his betrothal. And even so, Verona had been busy all those months, cultivating her magical skills so

  that she could make this very strike.

  Before Verona could even reach Dehäan however, he held out a hand to stop her in her tracks. She gave him a look of confusion as he frowned at her, an unreadable

  emotion showing in his yellow and orange eyes.

  "Verona…" he began, shaking his head slightly. "Why… why are you doing this? Why have you come here wielding… wielding dark magic of all things?"

  "Because of you, my love," Verona said, smiling hopefully at him as she pined for him to let her get closer. "I came to free you from your betrothal. Come with me,

  Dehäan. We can be together forever."

  Dehäan's frown deepened as he let out a long sigh, holding onto Verona's arms gently. "Verona…. My darling…" he said, pity and remorse mixing in his tone. "You know the

  penalty for practicing this kind of magic… It's the very same magic that our ancestors were banished here in the first place for… I… I'm not worth you losing your life

  over…"

  "No, Dehäan," Verona said, knowing that he was worth anything to her. "You don't understand. With my magic, we can leave this place. We can go to a far off corner of

  the Twilight Realm, away from all of this, from all of the responsibilities and expectations. Run away with me, Dehäan. We can finally be together, like we were always

  meant to be!"

  Dehäan simply stared at Verona for a long moment, seeming to ponder her offer before he shook his head once more, glancing away from her. "Verona…" he said, his

  tone soft and sorrowful. "You know I can't do that. It's my duty to our realm to marry Midna for the sake of our people. You and I both know that."

  "No!" Verona exclaimed, suddenly desperate as she took a step closer to him. "Dehäan, that is not your duty! You should be free to be with whoever you want! Can you

  honestly stand there and tell me that Midna, of all people, is the one you want?"

  "It's not that simple, Verona," Dehäan said, trying to make this as painless as possible for her. "What I want, what we want… None of that matters. I have to worry about

  what's best for the Twilight Realm that we both love so much…"

  "But I love you more than the Twilight Realm!" she exclaimed, her voice rising as tears welled up in her eyes. "More than anything! Dehäan, you are my world, my

  everything! I would give up the world, everything I own, everything I am, all for you! Please… I need you, Dehäan… more than life itself…"

  "Verona…" Dehäan said, his voice but a pained whisper as he forced himself to avert her tearful gaze. "You know we cannot be together… regardless of how either of us

  feel. I am to be wed in a few months. Please, just leave, Verona. While you still can. Forget about me and move on with your life. Find happiness somewhere else…"
<
br />   "I'll never know happiness without you!" Verona nearly shouted, hysterical by this point as she gripped his arms tighter. "Please, Dehäan! I… I can't bear to live without

  you! I love you! I-"

  She was suddenly cut off by the horde of guards bursting into the room, all of them quickly surrounding her. Verona tried to push them back with her magic, but it was

  weakened thanks to her emotional state and they quickly apprehended her, two guards holding onto her tightly as one of them bashed the dull end of their spear into her

  back so that she collapsed to her knees. She let out a tearful cry of pain as she looked up to Dehäan, who stood frozen in shock as he watched the entire scene.

  "Dehäan…" Verona sobbed weakly, looking up at him with pleading eyes. It didn't matter to her now whether or not she was going to live or die. All that mattered was

  that she still had the one thing she cherished so much: his love. "Please…"

  "My prince," one of the guards interrupted before Dehäan could even say a word. "What would you have us do with this traitor? Princess Midna told us to leave her

  punishment up to you."

  The room was silent for a long time, the only sound that could be heard being Verona's steady weeping as her and Dehäan's eyes met. They both knew that there was no

  way the Twili people would let anyone who practiced dark magic go free, especially after they tried to attack the Twilight Princess herself. Honestly though, Verona didn't

  care what happened to her; after all, dying would certainly be better than living with the knowledge that her beloved was bound to another instead.

  After what seemed like ages of stated silence, Dehäan finally turned away from Verona completely, his shoulders sinking as he held his hand up. "I pass my judgement," he

  said, his tone formal and cold as he handed down whatever penalty his former love would face for what she had done. "I condemn this woman to…"

  Verona held her breath as she waited for the word 'death', but another word came out of Dehäan's mouth instead. "Exile," he said firmly. "To the farthest edge of the

  Twilight Realm."

  Upon hearing this, Verona was no longer able to remain silent as she shattered completely, her entire world crumbling around her all at once. "Dehäan!" she nearly

  screamed as she let forth a ragged sob. Already the guards were starting to drag her away roughly, but she struggled against their hold, her heart breaking as she looked

  back to her love. "Dehäan, please, no! You can't do this to me! I… I love you!"

  Dehäan simply clenched his fists at his sides, still not turning to look back at Verona as she was crudely escorted out of the room. "Verona…" he whispered brokenly,

  though she didn't hear him nor did she see the steady tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry…"

  Verona had been roughly deposited at an abandoned tower countless miles away from the Palace of Twilight, located in a sector of the Twilight Realm that she was

  completely unfamiliar with. Even if she did know how to get back, the guards had made it quite clear to her that returning from exile was punishable by death. Not that it

  really mattered to her anyway; death would be a welcome escape from the unbelievable pain she was feeling now.

  It still seemed so surreal to her that she could scarcely believe it. Dehäan had banished her; the very man that she had risked everything for and loved so much had

  simply sent her away, never to see her again. Every time Verona merely thought of what had happened, she felt as though her heart was collapsing more and more, and

  soon there would be nothing left.

  To make matters even worse, a crowd had gathered outside of the Palace of Twilight as she was being dragged out of it, still crying out for Dehäan to deliver her from the

  punishment he himself had cast upon her. Word had spread quickly about what had happened, and in no time at all, nearly every Twili had shunned her, jeering her and

  accusing her of using forbidden magic, endangering all of their lives. The entire experience was beyond humiliating; it was mortifying. She had once had a good reputation,

  a place in the Twili court and a name that was well respected by her fellow people. But all of that had been destroyed so easily in one night as her own countrymen cast

  her out, banishing her from their presence and condemning her in every way imaginable.

  She had lost everything. Her home, her dignity, her love. They had all been stolen from here in a matter of mere minutes, all because she had tried to save it all. But in the

  end, it had all been for nothing. Dehäan had made his choice, and it had not been her. And now, she was alone, far away from any other Twili soul, far away from the

  happy life she had once known. Her joy and her hope were all but memories now, replaced with unending grief and loneliness. She was broken, ruined, cursed by fate to

  suffer this pain for the rest of her life.

  And it was as Verona realized this crushing truth that something inside of her snapped completely.

  Tears were still streaming heavily down her cheeks as she threw her head back and let out a scream of heartache and rage, a Twilit rainfall starting to pour down upon her

  heavily as she collapsed to her knees. Everything she had ever loved and cared for had been torn from her, but Verona was never one to simply take such things lying

  down. As she lowered her head, she let her scarlet bangs fall over her eye as her dark magic swirled within her in reaction to her strong emotions, a visible aura of

  darkness surrounding her.

  If she had to suffer, then she would make sure that everyone who had ever scorned her would suffer as well. Everyone who called her out, who mocked her, who accused

  her of treachery and treason. They would all pay the ultimate price. Anyone who dared to cross her would meet their end, especially her despicable cousin, who had

  bewitched her Dehäan and convinced him to banish her away. She would grow stronger, she would find more magic, she would become the greatest sorceress who had

  ever lived. And then she would return in a blaze of glory, decimating all who got in her way and conquering what was rightfully hers. She would show him her power and

  give him a chance to repent and be with her once again. And if he refused her, then he could the same fate as all the rest. Nothing mattered to her anymore but revenge,

  and once she accomplished it, then she wouldn't just stop there. She would go on, flexing her awesome might until all was under her domain. Love and happiness were

  meaningless to her now. For as she raised her head and opened her eyes, her bangs still hung down over half her face as cruel grin crossed her lips, one that told of her

  new dark designs.

  She would conquer all worlds, all people. She wouldn't stop until she made fate pay for what it had done to her.

  "I never saw Dehäan again…" Verona said morosely, her long tale coming to an end as she gazed out at the Twilight through the window longingly. "He… he was killed

  during Zant's assault on the Twilight Realm, along with countless other nobles… Even in my banishment, I had caught wind of his death. I was devastated, of course, but I

  stayed my course and continued to plan for the day of my return, when I would finally show everyone who had cast me out that they were wrong… When I finally took

  my proper place above them all… And at long last, I have…"

  Link was silent for the longest time as he took all of this in. He had listened intently to everything Verona had told him, and while he wanted to believe that she was simply

  lying to him to get him to sympathize with him, he could tell by the pain in her voice as she spoke of her lost love that it was all true. She had gone through so many

  horrible things, just as he had, and because of that, he really couldn't help but empathize with the one who he had been deceived into thinking was a villain, but was really<
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  just a heartbroken, downtrodden woman who had been driven to extremes by her pain and sorrow. If Link had believed that Zelda genuinely loved her, he didn't doubt

  that he would have gone to the same lengths Verona had in order to be with her.

  "Midna never told me about any of this before…" the hero said a bit timidly after a long period of silence once the Queen of Shadows finished.

  "Of course," Verona said with a scoff, her haughty attitude starting to return even though there was still bitterness in her tone. "She wouldn't have. After all, the whole

  affair makes her look like the backstabbing little shrew she actually is. Goddesses forbid her reputation be soiled in the eyes of 'her little wolf'."

  Link didn't respond to that sarcastic dig aimed towards Midna, considering that even though he didn't agree with her keeping her involvement in this situation hidden from

  him, he didn't really see what her fault had been in it. After all, it wasn't as though she had actively tried to steal Dehäan away from Verona. But all the same, he

  understood the Queen of Shadow's rage and sorrow about being rejected and turned away in such a way, for he had known the exact same feelings when Zelda had done

  so to him.

  "I… I'm sorry," the hero said with sincerity, his expression set in a pitied frown as he looked to the Queen of Shadows.

  Verona's eyes widened a bit upon hearing this, unsure of how to take it as she finally turned around to face him slightly. "W-what did you say?" she asked tentatively, his

  statement catching her off guard entirely.

  "I said I'm sorry," Link said, still meaning it completely. "No one deserves to have something like that happen to them, including you."

  The normally calm and cool Queen of Shadows was completely taken aback upon hearing such a sentiment, for such kindness had not been extended to her in so long.

  "No one has ever said-" she began to whisper in shock, before she quickly cut herself off, regaining her formal composure as she turned to face him fully. "It does not

  matter now," she said coldly, slowly stepping towards the hero once more. "The past is in the past. I only look to the future now. And the future I see is a glorious one; a

  future in which everyone recognizes that magic and ambition are far from evil, but are great assets instead, a future in which people like us achieve greatness rather than