Favorable side

by Gladys Garcia

  swim and her thoughts collapse into each other as she felt the very last inklings of her magic drain away from her just as she reached the stump. As cold as she already

  was, Midna hardly even felt the icy caress of the snow as she gently landed against the former tree, her eyes weakly fluttering shut as a small, sad sigh escaped her. In all

  her life, she could have never imagined that her life would end like this: freezing to death in the middle of a land that wasn't even her own, stuck in the form of a weak,

  worthless little imp, bereft of even a single soul to stand by her in her final moments. She would have liked to say that she could die without regrets, but in actuality, she

  had more regrets than she could really count. She regretted her weaknesses, her inability to even so much as help either Hyrule or the Twilight Realm, despite her best

  efforts. She regretted that she had left Zelda, who had done so much to save her life in the past, in the hands of her treacherous bloodthirsty cousin, most likely to her

  impassible detriment. And most of all, she regretted that she couldn't save Link, the one person in the world she was absolutely sure she trusted and cared for most, from

  an unimaginably brutal fate that he had chosen all his own.

  But regardless of her many regrets, Midna knew the truth; it was all too little, too late.

  Consciousness was beginning to ebb away from her and she could feel it. She had been on the cusp of death before and she yet unlike the first time, there was no biting,

  hot, constant agony. Instead, there was only a dull, fading ache, one that was really only in her soul. Even if her tired mind was capable of getting her frozen body to

  move, she wouldn't have bothered to pick herself up off the ground. She would die with no fanfare, with no one to send her off or wish her final wishes of comfort and

  peace, yet it hardly mattered. After all, did anything really matter at all in the last few, fleeting moments of one's life?

  Soon enough, she allowed her thoughts to drift away, an almost comfortable sensation akin to drowsiness falling upon her. The idea of dying because but a dim cloud in

  the back of her mind as she instead merely listened to the whistling of the winter winds, imaging the pristine snowflakes dancing amidst their graceful thrall. And yet,

  despite the tranquility surrounding her and her own distance and exhaustion, her ears soon began to pick up on another sound, subtle at first, though it grew in both

  volume and proximity. The firmly packed layer of snow on the ground began to crunch in a slow, yet steady beat, one that seemed to be approaching her. The Twilight

  Princess breathed a quiet sigh, not even caring who could possibly be heading her way now. After all, the only thing they'd find was a frozen, dead imp, lying alone in the

  snow.

  The footsteps soon stopped, most likely right in front of her, but Midna refused to so much as open her eyes, even despite her budding curiosity. It was only as a set of

  warm, gentle fingertips skimmed her cheek that the Twilight Princess finally caved and slowly cracked an eye open.

  The world was still blurry through her fading vision, but what Midna could make out was the vague cloaked figure standing over her, a hand emerging from their robe as it

  continued to trace her jawline gingerly. The stranger's face was obscured by a heavy hood, revealing only the lower half of a womanly, relatively dark-skinned face and a

  set of perused ruby lips.

  "W-who…" Midna attempted to ask, her voice coming out as a barely audible croak.

  "Oh good," the robed figure said in a deep, yet very pleasant feminine voice. "You're still alive."

  Midna couldn't help but frown in confusion at this statement, especially as she picked up on the hint of sarcasm in the woman's tone. She attempted to speak up again,

  though this time, she could only manage a soft groan, one that did not go unnoticed by the mysterious woman.

  "Be at ease, Twilight Princess," she said with both authority and a hint of hidden sympathy. "I mean you no harm. Remain still and I shall aid you the best I can. Healing is

  really more of my sister's element, but I'll do the best I can to provide you with some much-needed warmth at the very least."

  The bewildered Twili imp had no time to respond as the woman took both of her hands and clasped them between hers, a gentle crimson glow enveloping them. All at

  once, it seemed as though the lingering cold numbness that had settled upon Midna had faded, warming her as though she was lying in the warmth of the bright summer

  sun. Her senses and cognizance were quick to return to her, even though her magic was still completely drained. The Twilight Princess gasped sharply as sensation

  returned to her limbs, and though she couldn't float, she was quick to pull herself up into a sitting position against the tree stump, not wanting to push herself too hard

  after being so close to death.

  "W-what did you…?" Midna began to ask, her voice still a bit hoarse as she glanced upon at the woman in awe. "You know what? Never mind. I think the better questions

  would be, who are you and how in the world do you know me?"

  The woman smiled, though it was more of a smirk as she backed up to give the Twili imp a bit more personal space. "All will be revealed in due time, Twilight Princess. For

  now-"

  "No."

  "No?" the woman frowned, seemingly taken aback by Midna's abrupt refusal.

  "Listen, lady, I don't know who you are or what you think is going on, but I'm not in the mood for any stupid games," Midna began crossly. "I've been wandering this

  goddess-forsaken kingdom for weeks now, with no way of stopping my insane cousin from destroying it or my own realm! My former partner has pretty much sold

  himself over to her, and he refuses to listen to reason, even though I told him he's going to die! The only one who could have helped me in all of this is probably dead by

  now, or worse! And to top it all off, I nearly froze to death, all because I'm too small and powerless to put a stop to any of it! So, as you can probably imagine, I'm not

  about to put up with anymore nonsense! You may have healed me or whatever, but that doesn't change things. I want answers and I want answers now. So you're going

  to tell me who you are and what you want, or else!"

  "Or else what?" the woman asked knowingly, a ghost of a grin gracing her lips.

  "O-or… or else…" the Twili imp scowled, knowing that there really wasn't much she could do, especially as the rather tall woman towered over her.

  "You don't really have anything in mind, do you?"

  Midna scoffed at this, growing ever frustrated with this woman's condescending attitude. "So what if I don't? You still owe me answers anyway! You don't just randomly

  come up to a practically frozen imp and revive them thinking that you won't have to explain yourself afterward! So spill it, whoever you are!"

  The woman was quiet for a moment, apparently pondering over this before she looked away from the Twili imp. "I suppose you do have a point…" she agreed amicably.

  "After all, unlike my sisters, I've never been one for stalling theatrics. Well then, if you truly wish to know who I am, then you shall…"

  The Twilight Princess couldn't deny that she was a bit surprised at how the woman seemed to be complying, though she still kept a close eye on her as she backed up a

  bit further. Midna finally managed to pick herself up off the ground and into a low hover as she watched the woman in apt confusion and curiosity, completely bewildered

  as to who this odd stranger could be. However, one layer of mystery was pulled back as the woman held her arms out wide, a radiant scarlet glow surrounding her and

  temporarily blinding the Twili imp. When her vision cleared a moment later, her jaw instantly dropped at how drastically different the woman looked without her heavy

  cloak.

  Sh
e was by far the most stunningly beautiful woman Midna had ever seen, and that was saying something considering the immaculate loveliness of her own true form.

  Her skin was richly tanned and her fiery red hair was tied into a high, long ponytail that swept down her back. The now-missing cloak had hidden away a shapely, slender,

  tall figure, clad in a crimson, sleeveless, form-fitting dress that sprawled down to her feet. Her exotic outfit was accented with shimmering golden jewelry: a necklace,

  earrings, and bracelets, all fitting the same elegant theme as ribbons made of actual flames danced around her form, casting a gentle glow all the while. She seemed to

  not even care about the wintry weather as she gave the imp before her a coy grin, her sharp, impossibly beautiful features and her deep ruby eyes giving her even more

  of an air of alluring mystery than before.

  The woman raised a knowing eyebrow as she turned her vermillion gaze on the Twilight Princess, who couldn't possibly keep herself from staring in light of this reveal.

  "Speechless, I see," she noted with a hint of a laugh in her voice. "As you should be. It's rare that a mortal shows the proper respect in the presence of a goddess."

  Words finally found Midna after hearing this, her mind racing as she kept her gaze locked on the woman. "G-goddess…" she repeated breathlessly, scarcely able to

  comprehend the possibility.

  "Of course," the woman said, as though her divinity was obvious. "I know you people don't necessarily worship us any longer, but you at the very least still know of us,

  don't you?"

  Midna sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes widening even more as a new realization struck her. The bold design on the banner hanging from the woman's golden belt was

  unmistakable, as it was one of the last few sacred Hylian symbols that the Twili recognized. And yet, it couldn't possibly be true, could it? "I-I… You…" The Twilight Princess

  knew she was lamely stammering, but she couldn't help it. This sudden turn of events had left her in complete awe, to the point that she was starting to doubt whether or

  not she was indeed alive or had died and ascended to the golden realm after all. "You're…"

  "Din," the woman finished with a broad smirk. "The goddess of power."

  Midna floated back the slightest bit, feeling quite inadequate in the presence of one of the very creators of the world in her small and scrappy impish form. "I… I can't

  believe it," she muttered, shaking her head incredulously. "You're… here? For real?"

  "Absolutely," Din nodded. "I understand that it can be hard to believe, but here I am, in the flesh. Well… not exactly. This mortal masquerade is far from the radiance of my

  true form, but as I really am, I am far too glorious for your kind to comprehend. And far be it from me to traumatize you even more after the ordeals you have gone

  through."

  The Twilight Princess shook her head once more, trying her hardest to make sense of the unfolding, unbelievable situation. "Why?" she asked, the initial shock shifting into

  puzzlement.

  "Why not?" the goddess of power asked with a knowing grin.

  "No," Midna clarified, finally gathering her wits about her to speak coherently. "What are you doing here of all places? And what could you possibly want with me?"

  "I figured you would have several questions about an abrupt meeting such as this," Din said, holding her hands behind her back. "And while I could bore you with all of the

  details, what with the lengthy history of wars and thieves and fate, I think it would be much simpler if I just cut to the chase. You wish to liberate both Hyrule and the

  Twilight Realm, correct?"

  "I—Well, of course, I do," Midna said, unable to hide her confusion. "No offense, but I thought you of all people would have already knew that."

  "I did," Din admitted, her tone as calm as ever. "I just wanted to hear it from you firsthand."

  The Twilight Princess couldn't hold back a small impatient scoff at this, momentarily forgetting that she was speaking to one of the esteemed goddesses face-to-face.

  "You sure do like to play mind games, don't you?"

  "I can't deny I do find a certain level of amusement out of a rise out of you mortals," Din laughed teasingly. "You're all just so easy. But, believe it or not, there is a

  method to my madness."

  The end.