Favorable side

by Gladys Garcia

  unforgiving blaze, and Zelda refused to rest until they were all safe and free.

  What the queen hadn't noticed as she had been caught up in helping her citizens escape was the hero himself, who had been standing in the shadows nearby, hidden out

  of view thanks to Verona's magic as she watched with him. Link glared fiercely at Zelda as he watched her lead the people out of the town, noticing the thin blue aura that

  seemed to circle all of them, but not thinking too much on it at the moment. After all, this fire had been his creation, and he had started it with every intention of hurting

  the very people who had hurt him, and yet the queen was opposing him even still by trying to undo his work by rescuing the worthless lot. Flames curled around his fists

  in his fury, and as Zelda passed through the gates with the group she was saving, Link took an agitated step forward, ready to stop their escape attempt in its tracks.

  However, a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him before he could.

  "Patience, Link," Verona said cautiously, the flames causing her yellow-red eye to glow brightly. "I know you must find this aggravating, but we need to give her a false

  sense of security. As far as she knows, you have nothing to do with this and she needs to continue to think that until after we capture her."

  "But why?" Link asked with disdain, crossing his arms bitterly.

  "Because," the Queen of Shadows snapped, her expression turning into a brief glare of annoyance with his constant questioning. "That's why. Now, come. There's still

  much that needs to be done."

  The hero pouted in frustration, hating how mysterious Verona often was. "I'm tired of you never explaining anything," he said stoutly.

  "And I'm tired of you always complaining," the Queen of Shadows said rather crossly, letting out a huffy sigh as she glanced towards the gates that Zelda had emerged

  out of, knowing that she would return soon. "But fine. I just so happen to know of something that will make Zelda's little rescue mission even more interesting. For now,

  just do this for me, alright Link? Stay out of sight until the proper time. I promise you that it won't be much longer. Just listen to me and I can assure you that you will

  reap the rewards you seek."

  Link continued to glare harshly at her, not entirely buying her appeal this time. "I thought you said we'd be equals in this," he said, knowing that he should be calling the

  shots just as much as Verona was.

  "And we are," the Queen of Shadows said calmly. "Look around you, Link! You did this, not me. You're the one who is striking fear into the hearts of all these pathetic

  fools! You are the one in charge of your own revenge! Without you, this beautiful rain of fire and destruction would be but a mere dream, but you made it come true for

  both of us! Your flames will purify Hyrule and bring forth a better era. You just have to have the patience to wait for it."

  The hero let out a frustrated sigh at this yet he complied nonetheless, even if he knew Verona was only saying what he wanted to hear. After all, as long as this assault

  ended with Zelda's capture, nothing else mattered to him. "Ok," he said with a cold shrug. "I guess I'll just go off and… make more fire, or whatever."

  The Queen of Shadows could clearly hear the boredom in his tone, but she wasn't really concerned as she simply smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Link," she said as she began

  to disappear into the shadows once more to make off for a different part of town alone. "Everything will come together just as we talked about. Just wait and see…"

  "Sure…" the hero said sarcastically, leaning against a wall that wasn't on fire as Verona disappeared. "I'll just stay here and keep doing what everybody tells me to do, just

  like I've always done…"

  Link let out a small scoff after he said this, wishing that Verona wasn't as convincing and patronizing as she was. Even despite the help she had given him, she still had a

  controlling side to her, and it was one that the hero certainly didn't want to give into. Link liked to think that he had something of an independent nature, but did he really?

  After all, it seemed as though he had been pushed around all his life: by Ilia, by Midna, by Zelda, and now by even Verona. The hero longed to at last be in control of his

  own life and fate, to be able to choose his own path and decide his own way. And yet, even if he did break free from all the chains that others held him down by, he

  wouldn't even know where to start in claiming his own freedom and carving his own destiny.

  Link's musings were abruptly cut off however the moment he heard a vaguely familiar shout rising over the din of the fire and the other cries of the townspeople. His eyes

  widened at the sound of it, especially when he realized that it was coming from above him. And, when he glanced up into the smoky skies above, there she was, the last

  person he ever wanted to see in this great inferno of death and destruction.

  However, Midna wasn't able to see Link as he stood several feet below her thanks to the thick cover of smoke blocking her view in nearly every direction, stinging her

  eyes and straining her throat. The Twilight Princess let out a rough cough as she tried her best to avoid breathing in the polluted air, even though it was basically impossible

  since it was everywhere. Unlike Zelda, Midna couldn't freeze time, so she was completely subjected to the toxic elements of the fire and she knew she wouldn't be able to

  survive them forever, especially not in her tiny impish body. But all the same, she was determined to find the hero no matter what it took. She couldn't even face the

  horrid possibility that his battered body was lying somewhere in a pile of rubble, his life snuffed out as he burnt to nothing more than ash and bone. The Twilight Princess

  nearly choked on a sob upon merely thinking about something so dark and so instead she called out his name even more desperately than she had before.

  "Link!" Midna shouted as loudly as her hoarse voice could. "Link! Where are you?! If you can hear me, send me a sign! Anything!"

  Contrary to what the Twilight Princess knew, the hero could hear her but he had no intentions of tipping her off to his presence as his breathing picked up in sudden

  nervousness and fear. The moment he had accidently burnt Midna flashed through his mind vividly, as did all of the many awful emotions that had coursed through him in

  the immediate aftermath of doing so. Link didn't even notice as a burst of wind began to circle around him in response to his fear; instead, all he could think about was

  how he had hurt the one person he still cared about deeply, the one person he refused to hurt ever again.

  "Link, come on!" the Twilight Princess called again after a brief coughing fit. "I'm here to help you! Just answer me already, you stubborn little wolf!"

  Link shook his head as he continued to stare up at Midna, his silver eyes wide and any words he might have said in response caught in his throat. He was certainly grateful

  for the fact that Verona had left, lest she try to attack the Twilight Princess herself, something that the hero wouldn't stand for regardless of their alliance. But even so,

  Link couldn't really bear the thought of facing Midna again after everything that had happened, even if she did want to help him. A rift had certainly been torn in their once

  tight bond, and it was a rift that he wasn't sure could be repaired by anything, especially not now.

  "Link!" Midna nearly screamed at the top of her lungs as she stopped in midair, desperate to find so much as a single sign of him anywhere in this blaze. However, she

  soon got even more than that as a cloud of smoke unexpectedly cleared below her, allowing her to feel a sudden burst of cold air coming from that direction. The Twilight

  Princess was quick to glance down towards the wind, only to freeze up entirely upon seeing him. Link did the same as his and Midna's gazes
locked, and for what seemed

  like ages, all they could do was stare at each other, both of them breathless and thoughtless for entirely different reasons.

  The Twilight Princess was the first to break out of her shock however as she burst into a huge grin, overjoyed to see that the hero was alive and apparently unharmed,

  even if she still didn't know what had happened to him these past several days they had been apart. "Link!" Midna exclaimed joyously, immediately gliding towards him

  without a second thought. However, when Link saw her rush towards him, he quickly shook his head speechlessly once more, not sharing her apparent delight. In fact, he

  was feeling the exact opposite as all of his dread and guilt returned, and before the Twilight Princess could even get close to him, he was quick to turn and run off in the

  other direction, praying and hoping that she wouldn't catch him. After all, she would certainly have too many questions for him that he just wasn't ready to answer yet.

  Midna frowned in confusion and stopped as soon as she arrived back to her usual floating level upon seeing Link flee from her. Of course, she had an idea why he was

  doing so as she brushed her fingertips lightly upon the arm he had unintentionally burnt, the same one that Zelda had healed, but she knew he still couldn't feel remorseful

  about that. Could he?

  "Hey!" the Twilight Princess shouted out after him with concern, already following him as quickly as could while still trying to avoid the flames. "Link, it's me! Quit running

  from me and just talk to me already!"

  "I can't…" Link whispered to himself as he continued to run, closing his eyes tightly as he refused to glance back towards her out of shame. Even if he was in control of his

  powers now, that didn't mean that all the mistakes he had made with them in the past had been magically washed away, especially not when he had burned Midna,

  something he would most likely never forgive himself for.

  Midna let out a sigh of frustration as she continued to peruse him, refusing to let up this time until she finally caught him. Unfortunately for her, he had always been rather

  quick on his feet, and unlike her, he was somehow not hindered by the smoke and fire all around. "Goddesses, Link!" she shouted in sheer aggravation. "You're acting like

  a coward! I was never mad at you for what you did! In fact, consider it completely forgotten! Now, if you just stop running from me, things can go back to the way they

  used to be between us! I promise."

  Link finally came to an abrupt stop upon hearing this as the two of them were in an abandoned, relatively fire-free alley. Likewise, the Twilight Princess halted herself a few

  feet away from him, watching with anticipation as he remained standing still, his back turned to her for what seemed like ages. Neither of them noticed the ice swirling

  around his feet, completely unaffected by the heat of the fire. Though Midna wanted to get even closer to him, she restrained herself, knowing that there was a chance

  that his powers could still be as unpredictable as before.

  Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, the hero spun around to face her, but after that he froze up yet again. The Twilight Princess's heart nearly broke upon seeing

  his distraught, guilty expression, tears welling up in his silver eyes as he opened his mouth to say something, though no words came out. "Link…?" Midna whispered softly,

  her rarely tender tone melting his heart.

  "I'm sorry," was what Link wanted to say to Midna more than anything else. In his heart, he wanted nothing more than for their close friendship to resume, to put the

  accident that had scarred them both in the past, forgotten forever. He wanted her to be at his side once more, to talk to her and laugh with her. He wanted to tell her

  openly and honestly just how important she was to him, how important she had always been to him. He wanted to thank her for staying by his side when no one else

  would, for being endlessly loyal and supportive in one of the darkest times of his life. But he couldn't. For some reason, he wouldn't allow himself to tell her any of what he

  really wanted to say.

  And so instead, he shut her out once again.

  "No," the hero said, his tone shaky and pained, yet resolved as he responded to her last statement. "They can't be."

  And that was all he said. For before Midna could even react, Link quickly threw both of his hands up, forming a heavy wall of ice between himself and the Twilight Princess.

  Midna gasped in shock at this as she rushed towards it, still able to see the hero through the clear, cold substance as she pounded her hands against it, even though it

  wouldn't give at all. "Link!" the Twilight Princess screamed tearfully as the hero took a few panicked steps backwards, still staring at her with wide eyes for a moment

  before he finally turned and began to run away once more. "Wait! Please, stop!" Her words fell on deaf ears as Link all too soon rounded a corner and disappeared out of

  her sight and out of her reach once more. "Link…" Midna whispered in grief as she pressed her hands up against the ice, wishing that she could at long last reunite with her

  little wolf once and for all and that they would never have to part again.

  Zelda let out an exhausted sigh as she escorted a fourth group of people out of east Castle Town, knowing that she had been at this for several hours now. The only

  consolation she had was the fact that she had helped a few hundred people escape, which was certainly something to be proud of. Whenever she wasn't using her time

  abilities to usher crowds out, the queen busied herself with saving people from burning buildings and collapsed debris. Of course, Zelda knew all too well that she wasn't

  able to save everyone, something she was reminded of quite often upon seeing the charred remains of several people who had already died lying in the streets or in the

  rubble of broken buildings. But, the way she saw it, with each life she saved, she was preventing another pointless death, which was good enough for her.

  By now, both the screams of the townspeople and the flames had diminished significantly, giving the queen a sign that this horrible tragedy was almost over. And yet, in

  the minds of those who had been caught up within it, it would most likely never be over. Tears softly fell down Zelda's face as she wandered the empty square, relieved

  that the flames had died down, leaving only toxic smoke and ash in its place. The fires had raged for hours and during that prolonged amount of time, countless people

  had lost not only their homes, but their lives as well. Castle Town had once been Hyrule's glorious, prosperous capitol, and now it was nothing more than rubble and ruins.

  And all Zelda could feel in the aftermath of it all was shame. Yet again she had failed her people; there was nothing that she could have done to prevent this fire from

  starting. In fact, she had not even been there to see who had set it in the first place. She desperately hoped that Verona was the culprit, even if she knew there was a

  chance, however small, that someone else had set this blaze, as much as she didn't want to believe it.

  However, the queen suddenly stopped in her tracks when she heard a sudden inhuman screech coming from not too far away. Zelda gasped as she turned towards the

  pathway that led to the castle, only to see several shadow beasts emerge from the darkness, all of them immediately turning their ravenous gazes upon the queen. On

  instinct, Zelda pulled her bow out and held her hand over the shining string, her light magic instantly forming a perfect glowing arrow that she was quick to aim at the

  crowd of shadow beasts. And, as soon as they began to charge towards her, she let it loose in a shower of pure light, striking one of the monsters and killing it on impact.

  The queen didn't revel in this one victory however as she gathered her concentration and formed three l
ight arrows instead of just one, stringing them all together and

  aiming them with precision before letting them explode upon the shadow beasts.

  Zelda continued to send her shining projectiles flying towards the monsters, backing up ever so slightly as she did so. She was thankful that no more civilians seemed to

  be around, knowing that they would be defenseless against such creatures of darkness, unlike her, as she had a weapon specifically formed to pierce through the

  shadows. As she continued to shoot their seemingly endless number down however, Zelda couldn't help but wonder where Midna was, as well as fear for her safety.

  Perhaps she had already found Link and had taken to somewhere safer with him, but on the other hand, there was a chance that she could have gotten hurt, considering

  the fact that she had nothing to protect her from the fire like the queen did. All the same, Zelda knew that locating the Twilight Princess was at the top of her priorities as

  soon as she ousted this horde of beasts. That is, if she ever ousted them.

  Of course, the presence of these shadow beasts gave Zelda a small sense of relief as it confirmed the fact that Verona was the one behind this attack instead of Link. But

  that only made her feel somewhat better; after all, she still had no idea where or how the hero was. For all she knew, the Queen of Shadows could have had him locked

  away in a dungeon somewhere, slowly draining his spirit away from him by force until there was nothing left. Regardless of what Zelda had been forced to say to Link

  earlier, she still undoubtedly cared for him, and if anything were to happen to him, then she would certainly be heartbroken. After all, she had never met anyone quite like

  him before; the world would be at an absolute loss to lose a soul as pure and wonderful as his.

  The queen's grip on her bow tightened when she noticed that more shadow beasts were beginning to pour out of the other streets, filling into the square as they all set

  their sights on Zelda. Fortunately, she was a good, quick shot and she was able to eliminate most of them before she could get to close so long as she remained focused