When Ciela had begun her tale, Midna had paid her minimal attention, using the same half-interest that she had treated her to in moments before. From the get-go, Midna could tell that something was off. Though Ciela had wreathed herself in anger, the Twilight Princess could sense something more...was it anguish? The soul-consuming sadness that far outstripped the lonely sorrow of those who lived in an eternal twilight? Despite her contempt for the fairy, Midna found herself listening. It was something that she could not help; the legends always fascinated her, even if she believed that they were nothing more than fables. And so she straightened up and listened. In her mind she named the individuals that the fairy described. The Interlopers. Yes, she knew the stories. They were an ancient tribe, one who wielded great magic. When their crimes had landed them in the Twilight Realm, they and their children burned with resentment for generations, but with each that passed the soft, mellow, lonely light worked their way into the flesh, making them the Twili. Midna had heard these legends, for her history was not altered, as Ciela said they were. However, she sought no atonement from them. Just as a child could be a stranger to her father, the Twili were not like the Interlopers. They had been changed, over hundreds and thousands of years, by that slow light. Ganondorf. No legend was complete without the demon king, and Midna was not surprised to hear him mentioned. When Ciela mentioned a 'king', her mind instantly went to her father, and she found quickly that she could not doubt him. Who, then, was this king? She thought next of the one next in line to the thrown—Zant. A day appeared in her memory, the day that Mizorant had appointed his successor. He had wanted to choose Midna, seeing more potential in her than in the wild-tempered Zant, but Midna had insisted that he defer the decision until later. The trembling of Ciela did not go unnoticed by Midna. She frowned slightly. Either the fairy was a truly exceptional liar, or she spoke a truth so wracking that it hurt her to let it out. Midna found herself further drawn in. Soon after, however, the fairy began to approach. Off-guard and indecisive, she took an instinctive step back that sealed her disadvantage. Though smaller, and more girlish, Ciela had become frightening. Faced with such fury, and without a definite plan of action, Midna could only listen. With every sentence her own tension rose. Surely Ciela was wrong, surely the twilight wasn't capable of this. Surely...her people were not capable of this?! When Ciela flung her own blood across her, Midna flinched, raising and arm and shutting her eyes. The warm, pale fluid nauseated her, but more than that, it painted her with guilt; guilt, she knew, she shouldn't be feeling. Her back hit the wall, and she had no more room to retreat. The only option left was to let the tide of fury break over her. “I...” she stammered, her tone humiliatingly squeaky. “I...hear it. The pain in your voice...real, surely real, more real than what afflicts my people. What you feel is true, yet...I know nothing. Nothing at all! The history does not match, my people are passive, totally apathetic to the world.” She was starting to babble, trying to cleanse herself of the horrific accusations, but not without good cause. “The only one spontaneous enough to do something like that is, I don't know, Zant, maybe Una, do not know. I know nothing. I did not hurt your people, but I am sorry. So sorry.” While the Twili could not shed tears, the urgency in her voice and in her eyes must surely convince Ciela that she, too, was speaking and feeling the truth.

Koume and Kotake The twins housed in the Spirit Temple located across a vast desert near Gerudo Valley. A desert that many would perish in if they did not have the item which revealed the guide, a guide who would guide them to the place, a hook-shot also being needed to continue as well. With their slave in the capital the two twins began to set traps around the temple to keep unwanted people out, the two were going to head to the capital for a bit. Each floor getting some strange puzzle which needed a certain item or button to be pressed. Some rooms were full of danger as they had Iron Knuckles, Wallmasters, Floormasters, Beamos, Red Bubble, Green Bubble and other sorts to scary those who did not wield the right skills or courage. The blade trap and flying pots were one of the favourite items of the twins, no one saw them coming until it was too late. The blade tearing the flesh of any fool not paying attention, wounding them to the point they could not continue or if they did would eventually fall to one of the other traps or monsters. Koume: "Everything is set on the 2nd and 4th floor, no one will be making it pass those floor let alone figure out how to get to the main chamber." Kotake: "The 1st and 3rd floors are done too, it was a good idea to go over the top, we don't want someone snooping about do we." Koume and Kotake chuckled for a moment before getting on there booms, the two were at the entrance of the building before taking off to the capital. The flight would take a while but they could play a game along the way. Koume thought about playing how many targets they could hit before they reach their destination. Kotake thought that was a good idea after her sister explained the idea to her. Setting them on fire or freezing them was for one point, killing them with their own element gave them two points. Points would be multiplied if they managed to get a group of targets at one time. Of course this game would clearly lead the two to fight with one another, as each would keep the scores in there own head which would lead to one another accusing each other of cheating. Of course this was going to be a surprise visit to see how he was doing. The targets could range from living things to the undead things, though the undead were rarer as many stayed in the dark places. The desert was pretty much empty and the sand storm would not help them and so they did not start this game yet. There was a living soul in this sand storm, some man on a flying carpet who sold things or so the sisters had heard. Rumors and gossip did not normally reach them, but time to time would pick things up when they traveled. Another thing they had heard was of the running man, a rumor had given them the idea he was the invincible running man, of course it was poppy cock to them.

The woman led the Happy Mask Salesman to a large room. It wasn't really big, just large in Gerudo standards. It had a fire pit in the center with a hole in the ceiling above it. He wondered how they kept rain out, but then figured they didn't have much to worry about in the area of precipitation in the desert. In one corner, there was a large plush cushion that would serve as his bed. There were thin silky curtains hanging around it and from the ceiling. Closer to the fire pit, but still in a corner, was a low table with cushions on the floor for sitting. There was already a pot of tea and a few cups sitting on it. A fire was burning lowly in the pit. The room had a homey feel to it. It was exotic in a few ways, but not strangely so. It was pleasant. He gave the woman a smile and pressed a red rupee into her hand. She had told him that she wouldn't charge him, but he refused to let her do that. Even though he knew the room would definitely cost something more like eighty rupees, he couldn't really afford that. So he settled with twenty. The woman smiled graciously and bowed several times. She was very kind and pleasant. He knew she'd need that money to keep her business afloat.

It was as though Navi's fury had hit a wall, she'd not expected this. The fairy girl had thought that Midna would continue to deny it in her cavalier, arrogant way. She'd not prepared for the possibility that her grief might make an impact on the Twili. It left her rage with nowhere to go except back. She had nothing to respond to, Midna was ignorant of the fairy genocide but also remorseful. Navi's rage seemed to have shattered the calm exterior that Midna presented to the world leaving the Twilight Princess vulnerable and shaky. Some part of Navi smiled saying 'Serves her right to be knocked off her high horse into harsh reality.' but another part one fueled by the wisdom of possessing the knowledge of the ages told her 'This girl is not to blame, look at her she is barely past her years of irresponsible youth. Even if the Twili altered there history this girl did not give the order and she can't be held responsible for the actions of her ancestors, the sins of the father do not lay guilt upon the son.' Navi of course knew which was the voice of reason, which of grief but it still ate at her that this woman even before knowing all the facts would dismiss Navi's accounts out of turn. Of course Midna would have had no dealings with the people of the Fairy Realm but still it was both rude and arrogant to treat Navi like some sort of servant to be dismissed without any repercussion. Navi would not let the matter drop, not entirely but she was prepared to let it rest for the moment. "Your ignorance merely confirms what I have said, your people fabricated there own history in order to alleviate there conscience." Navi turned away from the shadow woman, she clenched her hand, the one with blood flowing from the palm. There was a bright light and the skin of her pale hand stitched itself back together. It was a gift of the Fairy Realm, every fairy no matter there status had the ability to mend there own bodies. There was a limit to this and of course only the pink healing fairies could apply this power to others but this was not important to Navi, she had her own strengths. With her back to the Twilight Princess Navi decided it was time to leave. She walked towards the door reaching out for the handle, just when she was about to touch it the fairy girl stopped. She cocked her head to the side. Navi could hear muted movement behind the door. Someone was listening. Perhaps it was someone Midna expected who heard Navi's yelling threw the walls and was waiting for an appropriate time to enter but something made Navi doubt it. She glanced back at the Twilight Princess. "Were you expecting visitors?" Without waiting for a response Navi pulled the door open to reveal a man squatting by the door with a boomerang out listening at the crack. His cloths were perhaps the most outlandish she'd ever seen. Some sort of purple robe that seared her eyes and ended covering his face with what looked to be an imitation of a rabbits head also in purple. Navi vaguely remembered that color from the square where she and Link had defeated Arrghus. He was a merchant or something? Thinking he might flee after being discovered Navi snatched the boomerang out of his hand and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck of his robe, her grip unimaginable strong for her appearance. Navi turned back to look at Midna still holding the purple merchant in her grasp. "Is he a friend of yours?" she asked wanting to know if it would offend the Twilight Princess greatly if Navi were to interrogate him. If it did all the better. Her earlier rage had been shunted to the back of her mind at the promise of a distraction but just as it had been for several thousand years, it was still there looking for its next chance to explode.

Link had just saddled Epona when he noticed the crowd, most of the castle staff had arranged themselves outside looking at him. The crowd seemed in nervous and in awe at the same time as the Hero mounted his horse, Link smiled at them all as one woman walked and passed him a bag. "We took up a collection, these funds are to help you bring the Princess back safely." She said smiling up at him, she stepped back in to the crowd as Link turned Epona, he clicked his tongue and she begin to trot slowly towards town. Link leaned back and waved, he hoped that one day he could come back with Zelda and see the staff smile, he always wondered what castle feasts were like. As he rode into Castle Town kids came rushing out, petting Epona as the morning sun beamed down onto the streets. The stared and cheered for him, a few girls blew kisses but just blushed and looked at Epona. Soon a sea of people had formed, clamor was spreading across town as he made his way through. He was taking his time, Ciela had to be around. He wouldn't leave without her.

Ravio was honestly surprised by the amount of emotion present in Lady Midna's voice. So she'd never heard of the cleansing of history by her people? It made sense, this tragedy sounded quite old, and Lady Midna was definitely not old. Besides, who would want to remember how their people killed a massive amount of another people. Miss Fairy had taken the chance afterwards to insult Lady Midna. He wasn't sure if she was in the right there. Lady Midna had accepted that she was wrong, and he assumed she'd want to put her rudeness under the bridge. Miss Fairy's rudeness was understandable though, her people had a genocide committed against them and she originally denied it, and Lady Midna had attempted to dismiss her as if she were a common servant. Then there was that name again, Zant. Ravio didn't trust the guy going purely off of what he had currently learned. Suddenly though, he heard footsteps coming towards the door, and before he could react, the door was opened and his boomerang was seized. As Ravio was grasped by the scruff of his robe's neck by the young looking girl Ms. Fairy, he was astounded by her strength. He had never seen a real fairy, and her dainty figure betrayed her power. She asked if he and Lady Midna knew each other. Taking the initiative, he said "She does not, Miss Fairy. We've simply interacted at the square, once a beast was slain, I believe? This is just second hand knowledge, obviously. Provided to me by her, actually." He explained, pointing to Midna. "I needed to know if she was trustworthy, because she seemed a little... not so. I want to help Mr. Hero, and seeing if she may turn traitor seemed like a good start, especially with him out of commission." Ravio said. Under his mask he was sweating intensely, but his voice didn't waiver that much, only one voice crack every three words. That was good, right? "Sorry, but seeing what someone doesn't do in front of you, is the only way of seeing what they wouldn't want you seeing, right?"

To Midna, Navi's parting barb rang only numb. She readily grabbed the thought of moving on, and was prepared to exit the room when the fairy turned up none other than an eavesdropper. The memory of her disrobing earlier sprang to mind, and if the Twilight Princess could have blushed, she would have. As it was, she adopted an indignant air, though she remained somewhat shaky and spattered by fairy blood. She glared at the ridiculously-garbed merchant as her shadows expanded to cover more of herself. While he stammered out an explanation, she was concocting her own rebuttal. "Speaking of seeing what I would not want you seeing," she interjected, "You chose a very poor time to be peeking through keyholes. Privacy is very important, you know. To be honest, I am very insulted. Given that you had only second hand knowledge, your conviction of my unworthiness could only have stemmed from prejudice. Dark is not necessarily evil. Even if your accusations were based in reason, there are better ways to ascertain someone's trustworthiness than spying on her in her room. Let me assure you that I am on the side of the hero; if I took advantage of the disappearance of the princess, I would tarnish my own reputation beyond repair." Her expression softened as she addressed Navi. "I will see you tomorrow morning, then. I am sorry I could not do more to assuage your pain." After the fairy and the peeping rabbit were gone, she bolted the door and removed her hairband, ending the enchantment that allowed her to stay in full-bodied form. In the shadow of the bed, cast by a flickering candle near the door, she tried to sleep. Slumber, however, came fitfully. -=-=- A handful of hours later, the sun had risen, and not long after the Twilight Princess did as well. Accompanied by a Zant rather more sporadic than usual, she made her way to Castle Town' main gate, where the hero of time was waiting. When she arrived, she saw Link astride his horse Epona. "Good morning," she called. "You seem ready to get this show on the road."

The answer the rabbit man managed to stutter out sounded much more like an excuse than a reason. While Navi could understand his distrust of Midna his methods were much less honorable than she was. After Midna had rebuffed the rabbit for his rudeness she gave Navi a parting farewell which Navi decided to take. The Twilight Princess clearly needed to be alone with her thoughts right now and Navi had nothing to gain by remaining, besides Midna's parting remarks were almost friendly. As she left Navi did not loosen her hold on the rabbit's robes. Once they were outside she then let go and pushed him roughly into the outside wall of the inn. "Among my people eaves dropping is a crime punishable by execution. I do not have that authority here but do remember that if I ever catch you spying on me or my friends again I won't hesitate to drop you into the Crater of Death Mountain." There Navi left the rabbit man hopefully with enough fear struck into him that she'd never see him or his offending garments again. She still have his boomerang in her other hand, oops. She might as well give it to Link when she met up with him. The rabbit man weighed on her mind though. Did he seriously think people were that stupid, that they started to confess there innermost secrets the moment they thought they were alone. Of course not. A better way to judge someone's motives was to look at what they got out of it. Midna needed the Princess to be on her throne for her plans on the kingdom to take effect. Therefore at least till Zelda was safe Midna was trustworthy. Navi returned to her room at the Red Dragon and slept. It had been a very long day. The next morning or perhaps Navi should have called it late that night, fairies needed very little rest so Navi had only slept three or four hours. She spent the next few hours till morning concocting plans and each and every route they took seemed to lead to the same conclusion. If Link was to be successful then he must seek the advice of Oberon and Titania the Lord and Lady of the Fairy Realm. That meant that for the first time in centuries Navi was going home. She prayed it would not be the last place she saw. When the sun rose Navi returned to the Town Square if Link had to exit the castle he would pass threw here. Soon enough he came riding tall atop Epona he truly looked like the Hero of legend. It was quite a sight to be seen. People left space in front of him so that Link might move forward without interruption but on all other sides people glamoured to get a view of the Hero. Girls blew kisses at him, children waved, a couple of older women threw roses. It was best they get out of this throng before discussing any plans. Therefore Navi walked up to Link's horse, taking Epona by the reins so that while Navi led the horse out of the city Link would be free to wave at his adoring fans. When they were just about to the gate, true to her word Midna appeared giving Link an early morning greeting.

Link waved nervously as Ciela came forward and took the reins, getting a whiny out of Epona. Neither him or the horse enjoyed all this attention, however like did smile when his friend arrived to help guide him out of town. He had to show courage and prove to the people hope lived. Thus he straightened his back and smiled at them waving either side, the girls blowing him kisses still caused a slight flush to appear on his cheek and him to turn away immediately. The young hero kept this up for block after block the streets filled with people, he caught a few of the rose smiling wove them into Epona's mane. He wanted to thank Ciela but now wasn't the time nor the place, as they neared the gate, lady Midna waited adorned in her robes as per usual. Link clicked his feet as Epona came to a halt beside the Princess, he smiled as he swing over and dismounted. "Good Morning Princess, will you be joining us on our trip?" He bowed gracefully, the rage and fire that had been in his eyes during battle gone, replaced with innocence and caring. No man who met this boy could truly believe he was the hero, he seemed innocent and simple, a idealist in a bad world. Yet if you look closely the fire hid just waiting for the chance to explode, like Mount Death. He could a warrior of great strength and caliber the next minute a farm boy on horse back doing jumps for his own entertainment.

Ravio was completely silent as he received his verbal punishment, waiting for the moment when they would start hurting him. Surprisingly, that moment never came, though they did rebuff his claim that what he did was necessary. Then there was the death threat that left him thoroughly shaken. Maybe definitely eavesdropping was a bad idea. As he sat in a slight shock over what had happened, he realized his boomerang was gone. He was remarkably surprised at the civility of Lady Midna outside of her conversation with Miss Fairy, and the brutal bluntness of Miss Fairy in both situations. Lady Midna was obviously trying to save face, while Miss Fairy had nothing to hide. Then there was the issue of that Zant fellow, who was quite obviously stated to be the possible starter of a genocide. Maybe he had gained a lot out of this. Ravio quickly returned to his room and, after taking inventory to make sure none of his other items were pilfered, slept. A few hours later, Ravio was awake and formulating a plan. Hmm, how could he get to Mr. Hero to give him all this valuable information? He could simply walk up to him, and just tell him. You always had to get the obvious solution out of the way first. He could also try sending a letter. No, that could get intercepted, and besides letters took time. Zant or Lady Midna could have made many attempts at his life before than. He could easily disguise himself. He was wearing robes, and no one had seen his face yet. He could sell the hero something, and slip in a note regarding Zant and Lady Midna. About thirty minutes later, Ravio was in much different clothing. His garish purple robes were now stuffed into the bottom of his bag, replaced by a simple beige pants and yellow shirt combination, with a small hat, and a slightly shoddily made Keaton mask pushed to the side of his face. He wished he could get one of better quality, but the best mask merchant in town had disappeared, so he had to settle for one of a worse quality. Due to the wardrobe change, he barely caught Mr. Hero as he left the town. Watching the group of adventurers intently, he wondered what item Mr. Hero would want. He also wondered if Mr. Hero even had enough money to make a purchase. "Ah, I'm sure it'll work out." Ravio mumbled to himself as he made his way a little closer to the gate, hoping not to be heard before he masked his voice.

Gabora Gabora was soon in the Hyrule market, though of course he had draw much attention due to his size, appearance and just plain use of "Urgghhhhhh" and other grunts and what seemed to be moans. The hammer he held did not help either, the bear in the other hand caused even more confusion, yet many were curious. A mixture of fear, curiosity, dread and somewhere in there excitement. The kids in town did not even wait to see what he did and just ran down the closest alley way to get away from the golem like nightmare. Those to busy gathered around the stalls had not taken notice of the giant and at this point they probably wouldn't as they seemed engrossed with the stalls. Gabora was pretty much surrounded from most directions except the direction in front of him. Talk was among the town, this had some of the guards attention too though would arrive in minutes to see what the situation was. Gabora: "Urghhhhhhh......." Many if not all the people around him jumped upon hearing him shout nonsense. Who knew if any soiled themselves or tinkled a little. The town was silent or as silent it could be. The sounds of deals and special could be heard faintly in the back as the giant soon took another step. His one step meant the towns people had to take four to five steps to keep up with him. They were not sure what he was doing or what he wanted, though soon the big being had seen a shop. It was the happy salesman mask shop making him walk towards it though upon getting closer noticed it was closed. The mask shop was closed and the giant did not understand it, he once more made a sound that freaked out the towns people. By this point some of the guards came to see what the beings intentions were. Guard: "Excuse me, what is your intention here?" Gabora: "Urghhhhh......." Guard: "Pardon me, I did not catch that." Gabora: "Urghhhhh......." Guard: "........." Guard 2: "........." Some whispering between the two soon started, they were not sure what to do as this creature did not speak proper words, making this situation hard to deal with. From what they gathered so far he was harmless. ----- Koume and Kotake The game soon began as both spied for targets, Koume was the first to find something and sent a stream of fire in the targets direction quickly cooking them to a charred lifeless corpse. Koume was winning and she made sure her sister knew it, though before long Kotake had found her own target yet it was not the same her sister had found. This target was a traveler though to where or where from was a mystery. She did not waste time to freeze the person in a block of ice so her sister could not steal the points away. There was very little targets out and so the hoped he had been up to no good since the last time they saw him. By this point the two had their own scores of how the game went down and so they began to argue with one another as they approached the place Ganon stayed at. Koume: "No, no the score was clearly 31/23, I was winning." Kotake: "Are you blind the score was clearly 36/26 and so that makes me the winner." The two would keep this up until they met Ganondolf or if something distracted the two of them though since they were in the air it would be highly unlikely. Catching Ganondolf in the act was the best kind of surprise for them and even for him, hopefully he had a plan that would bring the world to darkness like they always wanted it to. The sun was scorching but it was something they were used too though since they spent most of the time inside the base they were met with heat that was a little bothersome. Since they were in the capital they could not continue this game, well they could but the scoring system was all over the place at this time meaning they had to end it. The main thing that stopped them was the arguing.

"Indeed I will be," responded the Twilight Princess, her eyes fixed upon Link. For the moment, he seemed all gallantry and charm, but she guessed that the fervor he had displayed during the battle had merely died down, and not burned out; it was waiting for its chance to flare up again, burning through that glowing exterior. For the first time it struck Midna that she was, for all intents and purposes, going on an adventure to save the princess. She barely managed to keep herself from laughing out loud. Perhaps the goddesses or destiny or whoever made fate out of coincidences had heard her when she said that she wanted to be a hero, not long ago. Zant's eyes were narrowed at the fairy and the hero, but they -hidden beneath his mask as all his features were- were inscrutable. Though he was fairly certain his brief bout of unconsciousness last night had originated from unfamiliarity with alcohol, he couldn't help but be paranoid about those around him. He had sensed a change in Midna, however slight, and he was very keen to find out if she was still on his side. He slid a scimitar from his sleeve as the hero clopped past on his horse, and used a few of his tassels to absently polish the blade before returning it to his place. Energy filled him; though he didn't at all agree with the goal of this quest, he was more than ready to bash some heads. The group was now only a few steps from Castle Town's gate. Midna stared sedately at Hyrule field, which stretched before them like a miniature sea of grass, blowing and glinting in the breeze. "Shall we?"

((I've been out of it for a few days, so, if I miss something important in this post, please, please please inform me. I will fix it immediately.)) Ganondorf Ganondorf paced the length of his room over and over again, waiting for Yilla and Vaati to return with news. He wanted to know what the princess felt so pressed to discuss with the Hero's shadow. Was she going to try to convince him to let her go? Would she try to get him to turn on his sworn master? So many things could go wrong. The beautiful blonde was powerful and persuasive. Vaati Vaati loitered in the corner, a spell cloaking him in complete invisibility. A block on his magic made even sensing his magical presence at an absolute minimum. One would need to be a top-notch mage to pick him out. He kept a trained, glowing eye on the two opposite forces. The embodiment of darkness heeding to the request of that of light. Something unusual and likely not good for either side. The Happy Mask Salesman The Happy Mask Salesman awoke to a gentle light spilling into the room, red with the early morning. The sun was not yet harsh, but he knew it would not be long before it was fully above the horizon, burning everything in its wake. He sat up, rubbing his eyes with his fists. For once, he was not smiling, though the wrinkles in the corners of his mouth made it look like he could be. He gave the room a quick scan before forcing himself to stand. He quickly dressed himself to leave and slung his pack over his shoulder before quietly exiting the little inn. He stopped in the road, staring at the castle that was easily two hours of walking in distance. It loomed over the entire city, casting an eerie shadow on the small, sandstone buildings behind it. The light of the rising sun making it look as though it were painted with fresh blood. A shudder ran down the salesman's spine. He wasn't particularly fond of the idea breaking in and confronting the King of Evil. It was scarier than breaking into the Hylian castle. He knew that, despite the fact that every Gerudo guard was female, they packed more of a punch than any Hylian guard on any given day. They trained vigorously and their leaders were cruel. There was little chance of survival if he was caught. Especially considering his being male. He began walking, his hand in his bag. His fingers brushed the mask he'd brought specifically for this journey. A small spark of magic entered through their tips and trailed right through his system to his heart. The plan was flawless. Once he put the mask on, not even the Gerudo with all their training could stop him. He would free Zelda. He would bring Ganondorf down. He would get back at the two Twili. He would prove that Hyrule didn't need a hero clad in green. That purple as just as good. That even a simple salesman was just as imperative to the world's balance as a knight, a princess or even a king. It would work. It would happen. And then people would notice him. People would thank him. They would honor him. He'd be in every history book. He would be the center of legends for generations to come. And no one could stop him.

Link gave the princess a smile as stepped out the gate looking Ciela. "Thanks for the help back there... Crowds scare me, never seen so many people before." He said quietly, looking a little embarrassed. Turning to the group as a whole he clears his throat then speaks. "I think we should head into the forest first, I get this feeling... Almost like I need to go there, some who I need is there." He sounded like man trying to remember his family, still the seemed to blow from that direction and somehow it made him feel at rest. It carried a hopefully feeling with it, almost magical yet if he listened closely heard song he knew yet never had he heard it played. He closed his eyes and hummed it climbing onto Epona's back, he offered a hand to Ciela. "Would you like to ride with me?" He went back to humming a song that Ciela knew as Saria's song. His eyes rest on the forest, the horse even seemed driven to go there no matter what.

Navi Navi smiled a little as Link thanked her for taking the reins and leading him out of the city. She'd become accustomed to spending time as Link's companion once more and every now and again she forgot that he was not her Link and the two men indeed had many differences. Navi was not altogether comfortable with Midna accompanying them on this journey. She was powerful, she was rash, and she was arrogant and those three things never mixed into something good. But the fairy supposed such a wild card was best kept close where it could be watched. If Midna was not with them Nayru knows were she might end up and what she might start doing. Navi's blood (or at least the white iridescent liquid Hyruleans would have called blood) froze in her veins when she heard mention of returning to the forest. Of course in the scope of there quest it made sense, the Great Deku Tree always had some helpful insights and if any man wanted to contact the Great Fairy the forest was now the only place to do it. Navi was not in the wider loop of the fairy world but she knew they'd cut themselves off from the human world, fairy fountains dry, the fair folk themselves gone, the Great Fairies none responsive to prayer. All evidence suggested that they had withdrawn deep within the Fairy Realm but of course that invite home did not extend to Navi or any of the renegade fairies. Still Navi herself could not return to the forest, at one time she had called it home but now? Navi could still hear the voice of the Great Deku Tree rumbling in her ears. Thine crime has cost everything Navi, go from this place, the forest no longer welcomes thee. GO! For I vow to thee that if thou wouldst ever set foot on Farore's domain again the very earth shall swallow you up in vengeance. It had not been so much the threat that scared Navi as the sound of the Deku Trees voice. He had always been a great and benevolent protector of all the world's creatures, never had she heard him raise his voice except in that one moment of pure anger. It had been as though her own father had thrown her from his house, as if her family had deserted her, Navi had cried that night for all she had lost and even more so for all she had cost others. Perhaps the presence of the hero would protect her. Either way it did not matter, Link would go to the forest one way or another, with Navi or without her. If he was to have any hope of navigating it's depths he needed her, she couldn't let him end up like her hero had. So Navi numb to sensation allowed herself to be helped onto the back of Epona's saddle. Her fairy form was far more efficient means of travel but if this truly was it for her then she wanted to enjoy it. To smell the air and feel the wind in her face one last time. As they rode Link began to hum the ancient Song of the Forest, in Navi's time Saria the Forest Sage had claimed it as her own melody but it was much older than that. The melody when sung through the right receptacle forged a bond between the heart of the forest and the one singing. Navi began to sing the song alone with Link and as her voice gave shade to each note, it brought forth images of lush forests and relaxing waters, of the dew on the grass and the smell of bark on the trees, of Life in it's purest form. Navi sung those notes until Epona arrived at the entrance to the Lost Woods that protected the Kikiri Forests. --- Zelda Zelda listened with interest to Shadow Link speak. He claimed to be the Hero's shadow which as far as the legends were aware he was, though the next thing he said was most intriguing. He told her while the Hero was reincarnated over and over again in different forms there had only ever been a single Shadow Link. Did this mean that he existed throughout space and time. But they said he was only ever active at the same time as the Hero, so perhaps some sort of hibernation period was enacted upon him whenever the Hero was not there for him to challenge? If that was true however then why attempt to kill him? It seemed to Zelda that Link and Shadow Link existed as two sides of the same coin the shadow could not exist without the caster, so why would he try to destroy the thing that brought him into being in the first place. Zelda was so engrossed in inventing theories on Shadow Link that she almost missed his next question. She considered whether to answer or not, one one hand she could deny she knew what he was talking about but then again why bother Ganondorf was aware that the holders of the Triforce of Wisdom possessed the ability to communicate with the other two thirds of the golden power and it wasn't like there was anything he could do to stop her from doing it. Then an idea hit her. "I will make you a deal, let us turn this into a game, a question for a question. You can ask me anything and as long as it does not compromise my people or my land I will endeavor to answer honestly, if it does then I will inform you thus and you are free to choose a new question. The same applies to you. As for you first question, I've been able to use the Triforce as a means of communication nearly my whole life, but without someone holding the Triforce of Courage it was more or less useless. It can't exactly be used as a means of eavesdropping and I don't believe your master and I have ever had anything worth discussing." Zelda was quite for a moment thinking about exactly what she wanted to know about the Shadow. She decided on the thing that she most questioned about his existence. "You claim to be unlike the Hero only one in number. If this is true then the Hero's Shadow mentioned in all the legends is you. This makes you as old as the Cycle of the Goddesses itself and yet there is no mention of you appearing at a time when the Hero did not. So you must have to coexist with him correct, if there is not Hero, there in no Shadow. Why then do you try to destroy him if he is the very thing that allows you to exist in this realm?"

Blindly trusting a 'feeling' of anyone, even a hero, did not sit well with Midna, but she simply nodded. Rather than ride her own horse or accompany someone else on theirs, she briefly turned her back to the others and removed the enchanted hair clasp that allowed her to maintain full-bodied form in the World of Light. Her image shimmered before losing all depth and color, and Midna vanished into the shadow cast on the ground by Epona. Zant followed her lead, snapping a gem from the front of his hauberk, and he too melted into shadow. Midna squirmed slightly as her companion joined her; sharing a shadow was considered rather an intimate affair among her people, just as sharing a horse might be for Hylians, since the two were positioned so closely. The trip went quietly. Grass whistled in the wind, hooves clopped upon the earth, and the strange song hummed intermittently by both Link and Ciela broke what was otherwise a silence. Midna partly wished that she hadn't slept so much, so that she might nap to help pass the time. Then again, falling asleep with her decidedly quirky retainer practically shoved against her wasn't ideal. Long after the Twilight Princess had grown very bored, the party arrived at the edge of the Lost Woods. The trees stretched upward like a woody cliff face, and the path between the trees seemed every bit as eerie as a shadowy cave.

Link Link slowly climbed off his horse, the journey had taken a few hours but he could see the lush forest ahead, the children in his village had always played along the edge, fear to enter and never return. "Well let's see what lays just beyond this grove. Ciela stay close, I would hate to get lost in here." He joked and shot her a carefree smile as walked towards the opening of the wood. He advanced slowly, taking lefts and rights suddenly at brisk pace, a song seemed to guide him further in, he could swear knew the song his mind ached with memories as he came closer and closer to a long lost friend, one who help guide him forward. A name sang out in his head and called out a name. "Saria!" He yelled, letting it echo in to these forgotten woods. Dark Link He shrugged and looked at the princess. "Fine we can play your game." He snickered at her question then laughed loudly. "You really couldn't figure it out? Your the wise one!? I am his shadow, yet I am capable of learning things he cannot, wield magic more akin to you and Ganondorf. Yet I am locked to him, to be free he must die. Then I can be like you, to live and die never to awaken only to be locked to the will of chosen Champion of Power. Make no mistake, I do not like Ganondorf yet I am bound to serve. Yet if your little hero is killed, then I am free. Free to feel, to eat, to sleep. Thing you mortals take for granted." He smirked then looked her over. "My question, I'll ask you the same one I've asked each other Zelda I met, lets see if you know the right answer." He turned leaning staring her in the eyes. "Were you awe struck when met the little hero, bet your hoping when this is over he'll stay with you. I'm asking if you have feelings for him princess. So do you?" He smirked evilly, red eyes dully blinking as waited for the answer, he did so enjoy this.

Navi The border to the Lost Woods was a wall of dark leafed trees, the only place were the density of the branches ad trunks lessened enough to enter the forest itself was comprised of two towering oak trees that had intertwined branches forming a gateway to the world of the Kikiri, provided you could get by there defenses. Link made a joke about becoming a stalfos within the trees and if he had truly known who she was he would have understood how that comment was in particularly poor taste, as it stood Navi let it pass without saying anything merely grimacing at the idea. Without warning Link took off into the forest center. After a moment Navi realized why, the ancient melody of the forest was whispering it's melody through the trees. Link, you fool. She thought as she rushed in after him. At one time the Lost Woods had seemed to welcome Navi, when she was younger and care free. Now each tree loomed imposingly over her, it's leaves dark, whistling in the wind as if to say 'You are not welcome here, outcast of your kind.' Navi moved more quickly trying to avoid the stares of the trees as she plunged deeper into the forest following the song of the groves. Saria did not play that melody, not anymore, not since what had happened. It was Saria's ocarina that gave the song it's guiding properties, without her instrument to channel the music it was simple a wild and seductive tune meant to pull travelers off the right path for the forest to devour. Navi ran faster finally finding Link walking hurriedly through the forest with a wild look in his eyes. He was lost, they both were but luckily Navi as one of the Fair Folk had a special connection to the heart of the woods. "Link!" she yelled hoping to lift him from his spell. "She's not there, the Forest Sage never comes this close to the edge, you may think we are close to the Kikiri Village but we have barely started." She shouted her voice pleading, desperate to bring him to his senses. Navi laid a hand on his shoulder and quite suddenly the landscape morphed from that of dark trees filled with hunger to the open field just at the entrance to the forest. "You fool," she said her face creased in worry. "The song the forest sings is a guide only to the forest people, others it pulls off course intent on consuming there souls. What you did, that's the perfect way to end up like..." Navi forgotten whose company she was keeping. She'd been about to say 'like Link.' Her Link, the Hero of Time from an age lost to history. The boy who'd gone into the forest searching for his friend who had deserted him never to be seen again. Navi stopped herself short, she did not want to say that to him. She didn't want him to know who she really was. Navi calmed her voice slightly regaining her composure along with her cold gaze which until know she'd only shed when telling Midna the story of her people. "The Lost Woods are aptly named, The Great Deku Tree, Farore's champion gave the trees consciousness and a deep malicious desire to devour all those who did not originate from their lands. The trees cannot effect anything on the main path, there is a magic instilled in it by the Forest Guardian so that the few who do not belong to this place may pass threw unharmed but the trees are clever, they will do anything they can trick you into stepping off the path, into their territory. You are lucky I was here. The great entrance to my homeland is in the heart of the Forest. The trees recognize me as a being of these woods and any close to me under my protection but if you stray too far I cannot protect you. Far off the path all I can do is force the trees to jettison us from their woods. Please do not run ahead like that again. A hero is a rare thing, if you fall another might not been seen for a thousand years." said Navi looking at Link sternly as a mother would scolding a child. She was old enough to have been an old woman in Hyrulean years when Link's grandmother's grandmother's grandmother was born. The ability to reprimand those with far less experience came naturally to her. --- Zelda Zelda listened thoughtfully to what Shadow Link said and she heard everything that he did not. It had to be the Dark Swordsman to kill the hero or else he would simple fade away. After all the Hero had died hundreds of times and yet Shadow Link was still a shadow. The other thing was that Shadow Link wanted a normal life, a human life, free to chose, to love, to feel. Zelda found herself sympathetic to him. She herself while her will might not be forcefully subjugated to that of another found herself always having to put the good of the kingdom before herself. She could not simply ride to Lake Hylia to watch the sunset when she wished, without an armed guard, her half-brother and weeks of planning. It was always the worries of others that came before her own desires. The Shade's next question caught Zelda completely off guard and it was such a person question that she considered declining an answer solely on principle. The more she thought about it though the more Zelda considered that it was not a terribly complicated question. "Struck by awe at the sight of him?" she mussed "Perhaps I was, but love that I cannot say. I do not know him, he is a myth, a fairy story. The man himself I have had one conversation with and while I can tell you he is a good man, love is not something that blooms that quickly. Asking if I love the Hero in Green is no different than asking if I love the Goddess Din or the Demon Bellum. I know only what I have read. I do confess though that if we should both survive this cycle it would not surprise me if my father arranged a marriage between us. I am wise and can rule well, he is someone with great courage and valiance who the people will support. I cannot say I love him and in all likely hood I never will but it is more than likely that the next generation of Hyrulean royalty shall come from the two of us." Zelda was not entirely comfortable discussing that particular topic in depth with a soulless shadow but it wasn't like the information was harmful, it could be worked out by anyone who considered it for a moment or two. Zelda pushed into her next question without giving much thought to it. "Let us say you were to kill the Hero, take his sword and win yourself a soul. What would you do? Would you take up the hero's mantle? Find yourself a woman to settle down with? Or else would you travel the land wishing to see and feel all of it before our comparably short human lifespan gives way beneath you?" This was something that Zelda was curious of but did not think that the Shadow would have given it much thought. When you pursue a goal for that long thinking of nothing but how to achieve it what you do afterwards tends to fall by the wayside. You could wake up once your goal is complete and think 'what does my life mean now?' Surely it was the same for Shadow Link as it would be for any man?

Link Link nodded to Ciela. "I'm sorry... I just... My mind was... Somewhere else, I know this forest is dangerous yet it's like I knew the path in and out of it... As if I had walked it before, with a fairy just like you." He groaned put a hand to his head shaking it. "We should let Midna and Zant catch up, I promise to not run ahead..." He shrugged gently smiling at the fairy. "Still why did I say that name? I don't even know a Saria." He said calmly. "Just so we don't separated maybe you should take my hand or ride on my shoulder or something?" He asked Ciela as he looked to find Midna and Zant, hoping they had been able to keep up with them both. Dark Link He smiled at her comment's on the little green hero then burst in to laughter at the Princess's assumption. "You don't get him do you? Most Zelda's say the same thing, that they'll end up marrying him. Truth is not all do, one Link turned it down stay in Hyrule to go look for a friend, another married a young girl from his village and went back to being a farmer. Never dictate what that boy will do, he's a wild card, he will save you all but when it's done he might just turn his back on Hyrule, he's like me. He's see's the worst and best this world has to offer and often abandons it. Only Zelda I know to ever 'Love' him was the first I met, that one killed my predecessor. He and that Zelda founded what would become Hyrule." However at the question he stopped, he pondered a moment then spoke. "I plan to do many things, I want to swim in water. Explore the sacred groves and lands without them screaming in fear. I want to walk in the desert and feel the sand between my toes. Then after that I want to retire and write down all that I have seen. I want to write a history of the Hero and I, tell the world of my noble enemy and his tireless fight. How Goddess and Evil forced our hands. I want to tell them all of Link who became many, the Hero who fought not for one but two worlds. The story of Princess and her destiny bound to Hero by the hatred of long dead demon lord. I will put Ganondorf's evils past and present to paper. Then I will copy it, I will spread to everyone and then I will find a way to spread it throughout worlds. When that is done, I will rest and wait for my judgement. Whether my masters torment me eternally or the Goddesses forgive my crimes I accept my choices in life." He spoke softly, if he could cry or look sympathetic he would, he just sat there, his eyes had left her and rested on the wall. "You know... My masters gave me a free mind, to drive me to make want that freedom, I have sat and talked with nearly every Zelda I have seen captured. I feel your pain, your burden of wanting to protect people. I do not hate you, I don't even really hate the Hero but... I pretend, I must. I must say I hate him, he is to kind he could not kill a being that was being used, it was his weakness. He always had to find a perfect solution to every puzzle, I will kill him not by his weakness but my strength defeating his. I am not his friend and my goal is his destruction I will not let him think otherwise." He spoke with finality and age, a wisdom that Zelda could feel in his voice and his in true age. "I should report to Ganondorf soon, my power is nearly back."

The Lost Woods were not at all well known to either of the Twili, either in terms of navigation or lore. When the others left the horses behind, Midna and Zant took the opportunity to separate into different shadows. Zant remained with Ciela, though he found it both difficult and uncomfortable to reside in the soft shadow cast by a fairy, while the his princess tagged along with Link just in time to join his mad rush into the trees. Surprised at the hero's impetuousness, and not understanding the name he exclaimed, she was prepared to reprimand him when the faint notes reached her, too. Midna was intrigued by the ethereal tune, and decided that with her watching over him, Link could be allowed to explore a little further. Certainly the place hosted an ominous portent, but after growing up in the Twilight Realm, Midna was unafraid of the leering trees.

Before Link got far, however, Ciela appeared. Though momentarily flustered that the fairy was trying to hold her back, Midna snapped out of her enchantment almost immediately. The sudden trip back to the edge of the forest, however, was far less pleasant. Faster and more painful -particularly on the eyes- than the typical Twili sorcerer's Dark Travel, it left both Midna and Zant dazed, judging by the kooky groaning emanating from Ciela's shadow. “That's not happening again,” Zant mumbled blearily, and disengaged from Ciela's shadow. He remained in his incorporeal, dusky form, though Midna immediately put her hair clasp back on to become full-bodied once more. She walked after Link and Ciela on foot, giving the hero a distant smile when he looked back to make sure she was following, and Zant floated behind her.