TWILIGHT PRINCESS EXCERPT
(Excerpt from Chapter 3: Shadowed Faces, chronicling Link's first meeting with Princess Zelda, with companion Midna.)
When at last Link and his little companion reached the other side of the treacherous catwalks, her tiny black hand pointed to the open window sill of a nearby tower. Link grunted his way up the craggy rock-faced structure. His footing faltered on the jagged pieces a few times, forcing him to quickly readjust the pressure he applied to each of his paws. Walking on all fours was still strange enough to him, but now he had to learn to climb with them as well. Which was surprisingly not all that difficult. It was almost instinct, as if he had been this way for years.
At last, he climbed over the sill and leapt into the circling stairwell below. He ascended the steps cautiously, only the light from the cracked window guiding him. However, it surprised him how well he could see in the dark spots.
A gigantic doorway loomed at the top of the stairs. Upon the closed threshold lay a wooden plank, and before he could act, his partner had already lifted a finger and broken the bark to mere splinters with her strange magic. She only cornered him with that sneering grin then looked away, expectant. Ruffling his fur a bit, hoping to agitate her, he waddled forward and pushed past the giant doors.
The room beyond was rather large, bed and small table holding a wasted meal at one corner and a burning fireplace in the other. Two large, identical windows had been carved into the far wall. Rain poured beyond their ornately shaped grilles, and before their cage-like appearance there stood an empty chair. Though its red cushion looked quite welcome and comfortable, the dark form before the windows stood unwavering. Its straight figure undoubtedly named it human of sorts, however, a hooded mantle sheltered its identity; a splatter of white-gold embroidery decorated the shoulders and back.
Sniffing a taste of wickedness about this room, Link growled at the figure, unbeknownst to his partner's amusement at his actions. At the sound of her echoing giggle, the hooded figure turned swiftly about to look upon them. Link could barely see a nose and mouth. Darkness splayed across its eyes. Yet with a small gasp from under a violet scarf, Link identified its gender as female. At this, he perked up, his snarling visage erased. Captivated, he moved forward to try to gain a better look, as his companion rolled her eyes with a mischievous grin.
"…Midna?" the feminine voice spoke from beyond the veil. Her voice was as pure as the hymns Link had heard as an infant. Realizing that the voice spoke to the one he carried, he looked back at her and set the name to her likeness. Midna…. Yes, the name seemed to fit.
"You remembered my name?" laughed Midna. She bowed her head, casting her eye in an ominous shadow. "What an honor for me."
The figure shifted. Link looked back to her, and even though he still could not distinguish them from beyond her shadowed face … he felt her eyes staring into his. "So, this is the one for whom you were searching," she said aloud.
Midna pawed at her lips. "Not exactly what I had in mind … but I guess he'll do."
It was in that moment that silence overtook them. The figure crouched before Link, and he followed her face, trying to blink back the darkness from her features.
Suddenly, her fair voice broke the quiet. "You were imprisoned?" Link looked to his hand--paw--to acknowledge the chain to which she referred. "I am sorry," she said after a long moment of contemplation.
Link's partner shattered the solemn calm about them. "Poor thing," her cynical voice echoed. "He has no idea where this is, or what's happened. So, don't you think you should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much." She lowered her head, her eye glowing within the darkness. A sparkle from her red and yellow socket prickled the air. "Twilight Princess." The title rang with Midna's crude giggle.
The figure slouched then, as if remembering why everything had been shrouded by darkness within the swiftest moment. Link heard her sigh, and she lifted her head to him again. Her voice had broken free of its soft notes and lowered to an octave commanding authority. "Listen carefully."
She took a breath, gathering her memories. "This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule."
The castle … this castle… realized Link. This must be Hyrule Castle.
"But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight. It has been turned into a world of shadows ... ruled by creatures who shun the light."
She then recollected the events that had led up to the fall of the kingdom, how one dark day the king of the twilight had laid siege to the castle of Hyrule. "Out of a cloud of smoke, the monsters came at the army with brutal force. The proud knights of Hyrule were no match for their wickedness. It was in that moment, when the army was all but defeated, that the ruler of the twilight--with two shadow guards--came before the princess of the kingdom. He left her with a painful decision: Surrender or die. Faced with this decision, the princess did the only thing she could….
"She laid down her sword to him….
"Twilight began to cover Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits. Yet within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms. All the people know now is fear. Fear of a nameless evil…."
Throughout her dreary reminiscence, she had once again turned to the window and had stolen away into quietness. She shook free of her thoughts and again looked to Link. Without fear and in resolute pride, she declared, "The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remain its princess." The sides of her mantle parted to reveal beautifully patterned white gloves the length of her arms, and she lifted her hands to toss back the shadows from her face. She shook her head free of the static that still ate at the gorgeous blond locks accenting her brunette head. A sparkling golden crown beset with sapphires rested at her hairline and crimson ribbons dangled from her silver earrings. Link stared up at her beauty in complete awe, so much so that Midna nearly tumbled off and had to snatch a tuft of fur to remain aloft.
The woman's cheeks seemed to glow in contrast to the surrounding darkness, and her blue eyes gazed down into his. "I am Zelda."
Midna tilted her head. "You don't have to look so sad," she said in a tone unusual to her. Yet, to amend her gentleness, she added, hands behind her head, "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"
"Midna, this is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?" the princess asked.
Midna popped up from Link and hovered with her back to them in a moment of thoughtfulness, yet it was clear that no answer from her would be straightforward.
Zelda patiently waited.
"Why indeed?" she giggled. "You tell me."
Zelda shifted, accepting her cryptic reply. "Time has grown short," she said to Link. "The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here. Quickly." With that, the princess turned back to the windows and stared blankly into the twilight beyond and the bobbing orbs of green light traveling the streets of the town below.
"I pray that you succeed … where I failed," came her final whisper.
Link could see in the reflection of the window how the light in her eyes dimmed, the sparkles within them a mirror to what had become of her citizens ... because of her.
When at last Link and his little companion reached the other side of the treacherous catwalks, her tiny black hand pointed to the open window sill of a nearby tower. Link grunted his way up the craggy rock-faced structure. His footing faltered on the jagged pieces a few times, forcing him to quickly readjust the pressure he applied to each of his paws. Walking on all fours was still strange enough to him, but now he had to learn to climb with them as well. Which was surprisingly not all that difficult. It was almost instinct, as if he had been this way for years.
At last, he climbed over the sill and leapt into the circling stairwell below. He ascended the steps cautiously, only the light from the cracked window guiding him. However, it surprised him how well he could see in the dark spots.
A gigantic doorway loomed at the top of the stairs. Upon the closed threshold lay a wooden plank, and before he could act, his partner had already lifted a finger and broken the bark to mere splinters with her strange magic. She only cornered him with that sneering grin then looked away, expectant. Ruffling his fur a bit, hoping to agitate her, he waddled forward and pushed past the giant doors.
The room beyond was rather large, bed and small table holding a wasted meal at one corner and a burning fireplace in the other. Two large, identical windows had been carved into the far wall. Rain poured beyond their ornately shaped grilles, and before their cage-like appearance there stood an empty chair. Though its red cushion looked quite welcome and comfortable, the dark form before the windows stood unwavering. Its straight figure undoubtedly named it human of sorts, however, a hooded mantle sheltered its identity; a splatter of white-gold embroidery decorated the shoulders and back.
Sniffing a taste of wickedness about this room, Link growled at the figure, unbeknownst to his partner's amusement at his actions. At the sound of her echoing giggle, the hooded figure turned swiftly about to look upon them. Link could barely see a nose and mouth. Darkness splayed across its eyes. Yet with a small gasp from under a violet scarf, Link identified its gender as female. At this, he perked up, his snarling visage erased. Captivated, he moved forward to try to gain a better look, as his companion rolled her eyes with a mischievous grin.
"…Midna?" the feminine voice spoke from beyond the veil. Her voice was as pure as the hymns Link had heard as an infant. Realizing that the voice spoke to the one he carried, he looked back at her and set the name to her likeness. Midna…. Yes, the name seemed to fit.
"You remembered my name?" laughed Midna. She bowed her head, casting her eye in an ominous shadow. "What an honor for me."
The figure shifted. Link looked back to her, and even though he still could not distinguish them from beyond her shadowed face … he felt her eyes staring into his. "So, this is the one for whom you were searching," she said aloud.
Midna pawed at her lips. "Not exactly what I had in mind … but I guess he'll do."
It was in that moment that silence overtook them. The figure crouched before Link, and he followed her face, trying to blink back the darkness from her features.
Suddenly, her fair voice broke the quiet. "You were imprisoned?" Link looked to his hand--paw--to acknowledge the chain to which she referred. "I am sorry," she said after a long moment of contemplation.
Link's partner shattered the solemn calm about them. "Poor thing," her cynical voice echoed. "He has no idea where this is, or what's happened. So, don't you think you should explain to him what you've managed to do? You owe him that much." She lowered her head, her eye glowing within the darkness. A sparkle from her red and yellow socket prickled the air. "Twilight Princess." The title rang with Midna's crude giggle.
The figure slouched then, as if remembering why everything had been shrouded by darkness within the swiftest moment. Link heard her sigh, and she lifted her head to him again. Her voice had broken free of its soft notes and lowered to an octave commanding authority. "Listen carefully."
She took a breath, gathering her memories. "This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the kingdom of Hyrule."
The castle … this castle… realized Link. This must be Hyrule Castle.
"But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight. It has been turned into a world of shadows ... ruled by creatures who shun the light."
She then recollected the events that had led up to the fall of the kingdom, how one dark day the king of the twilight had laid siege to the castle of Hyrule. "Out of a cloud of smoke, the monsters came at the army with brutal force. The proud knights of Hyrule were no match for their wickedness. It was in that moment, when the army was all but defeated, that the ruler of the twilight--with two shadow guards--came before the princess of the kingdom. He left her with a painful decision: Surrender or die. Faced with this decision, the princess did the only thing she could….
"She laid down her sword to him….
"Twilight began to cover Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits. Yet within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms. All the people know now is fear. Fear of a nameless evil…."
Throughout her dreary reminiscence, she had once again turned to the window and had stolen away into quietness. She shook free of her thoughts and again looked to Link. Without fear and in resolute pride, she declared, "The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remain its princess." The sides of her mantle parted to reveal beautifully patterned white gloves the length of her arms, and she lifted her hands to toss back the shadows from her face. She shook her head free of the static that still ate at the gorgeous blond locks accenting her brunette head. A sparkling golden crown beset with sapphires rested at her hairline and crimson ribbons dangled from her silver earrings. Link stared up at her beauty in complete awe, so much so that Midna nearly tumbled off and had to snatch a tuft of fur to remain aloft.
The woman's cheeks seemed to glow in contrast to the surrounding darkness, and her blue eyes gazed down into his. "I am Zelda."
Midna tilted her head. "You don't have to look so sad," she said in a tone unusual to her. Yet, to amend her gentleness, she added, hands behind her head, "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"
"Midna, this is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?" the princess asked.
Midna popped up from Link and hovered with her back to them in a moment of thoughtfulness, yet it was clear that no answer from her would be straightforward.
Zelda patiently waited.
"Why indeed?" she giggled. "You tell me."
Zelda shifted, accepting her cryptic reply. "Time has grown short," she said to Link. "The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here. Quickly." With that, the princess turned back to the windows and stared blankly into the twilight beyond and the bobbing orbs of green light traveling the streets of the town below.
"I pray that you succeed … where I failed," came her final whisper.
Link could see in the reflection of the window how the light in her eyes dimmed, the sparkles within them a mirror to what had become of her citizens ... because of her.