Chapter Text
There is no defined time nor place this tale can be associated with, for it is set across ages and univerces, however, all of the stories that will be presented to you share some connections with each other that allow us to, at least, build a bridge between them.
At the beginning of time, there was nothing. Only specks and pieces of light magic, wandering aimlessly in the dark void that was their home.
Then, something was formed.
Three elegant, divine figures came to existence from the light and decided to use both their powers, as well what remained of what had created them, to make a real, living world in the place of silent nothingness. Each one bestowed a different gift upon it, to make it balanced .
Vast and diversified lands from the first. Law and order from the second. And all the things and creatures alive to follow the said order from the third.
Thus became the world, the kingdom of Hyrule, and the three that had created it, its Golden Goddesses.
With the last of their powers, the goddesses decided to create one more, another one of their kind to watch after the newly established land and its people, and named her Hylia.
Before they ascended to heavens, they entrusted Hylia with a sacred relict: three golden triangles made out of, and containing each of the goddesses’ essence, representing their own, individual aspects: courage, wisdom and power. This they had called the Triforce.
The goddesses ordered Hylia to protect the artefact, for it is a source of great power that keeps Hyrule in balance, but can bring disaster upon it if used with wicked intentions. Hylia swore to guard it from whatever dark force would desire to claim it and take control over her home.
Not long did she have to wait for it to happen.
A great evil that wanted to destroy what the goddesses had created soon emerged. Hylia promptly realised that she could not defend her purpose by herself, for the enemy was too strong for her to face alone.
From the dwellers of her country, she personally chose one, who then became the Hero.
She had gifted him with one of the pieces of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, and together, they defeated the threat they were faced with.
After that, whenever Hyrule should be in need of a hero, his spirit will be reincarnated to save it from whatever evil dares to endanger it.
This story follows paths of numerous heroes that put their lives at stake to protect not only Hylure, but whatever place that is in need of their courage, scattered across time and the universe.
***
“Twi! Put away that book and come help me! You can read them later.” a feminine voice could be heard in one of the classrooms of Kakariko kindergarten. On the opposite side of the room, a group of kids, no more than five years old each, was gathered sitting on the floor and listening to a young man with dirty blonde hair. He wore a fluffy, furry hoodie and was holding a large fairy tale book with both of his hands.
“Eeeeeh?! But I wanna hear about the heroooes!” cried out one of the kids, a boy with unevenly cut dark hair, “How am I supposed to be a hero if I don’t know what they’re like?”
“Yeah, Ella. You could’ve told me you needed help before I started reading.” added the man. He closed his book, but used his finger as a bookmark so that he could easily come back to the page he was on after their little conversation was over. “I promised it to them, you know?”
“It’s unimportant what you promised, you can come back to it later. I need help right now!”
“No, you don’t. You can easily manage on your own. Besides, isn’t it your duty this week? It’s not really fair that last time, I had to do it all by myself and now you demand help.” he said, crossing his arms. She was perfectly capable of doing anything that was to do around the children. The job she was assigned with wasn’t even particularly hard, nor did it require any kind of physical strength. Folding sheets and clothes, despite being tedious and boring, was certainly not unfeasible by only one person.
“Listen, I have to leave early today but I cannot until I’ve finished it, so just please respect that other people have a social life and come help me with it, will you?” The girl was vastly irritated by this point. A piece of fabric was clenched in her fist, and if that was supposed to be what she was to be folding, she’d just given herself even more work.
“Now that’s straight up rude!”
“Ok, you’re leaving me no choice then,” she started calmly, “If you won’t help me right now, I’m gonna tell the headteacher that it was you who ate that cake from the office the other day.”
“But it was you!”
“Can you prove it though?”
The room fell silent for a couple of seconds. Twilight was seriously considering what he ought to do. The girl before him seemed determined, and the hooded boy knew that if he didn’t give in now, there was no way this was going to stop at something so trivial as a cake. He couldn’t think of anything else she could threaten him with, but she must have something in mind. He just knew it.
After around half a minute, the silence was broken off by a sigh.
“Ok, fine! I’ll help!” Twilight rose from his chair, leaving the book he’d been holding to rest on it. He looked apologetically at the disappointed children that then started to yelp sadly.
“Sorry guys, I’ll read to you later. This hero has to fight one fierce monster.” he pointed discreetly with his thumb in the general direction of Ella and the pile of sheets she was finally starting to fold.
“I heard that! ”
“Oh, and who said I was talking about you?” he smirked lightly, “There is also this huge and terrifying heap of monster fabric that you seem to not be able to defeat by yourself. I’m rescuing you, since that’s what the heroes do. You should be grateful.”
A small choir of high-pitched laughter resonated in the room. That meant at least a partial victory for Twilight. If he couldn’t claim it all, he had to at least assure his opponent that the ending blow was on his side.
“Ugh, just come here already!”
***
The rest of the afternoon had gone smoothly. Ella, as previously announced, had left the kindergarten right after her (or rather their ) job was finished and Twilight was left alone with the children. He had also finally fulfilled his promise of reading the book about the Heroes of Courage to them. The little ones seemed to particularly enjoy the one that had told about the hero possessing the ability to turn himself into a wolf. Well, someone had decided that it was a little bit far-fetched to be able to shape shift and transfer to the other realm thanks to this very ability, but they liked the story nonetheless. Something about werewolves being cooler than vampires. Twilight couldn’t argue with that.
As the sun started to slowly disappear from the sky, so did the children from the kindergarten. One by one, parents had been coming to pick up their kids, and the pupils said their goodbyes with a promise to see each other the next day.
Until only one remained.
A girl with long, braided hair of a color of rust, dressed up in a white dress patterned so that it looked like it had been stained with ink in various places. Her name was Mina and she’d never been one of the kids whose parents had to stay at work until the kindergarten was practically closed. They’d always pick her up on time.
That was what had Twilight worried.
“Her parents were supposed to be here an hour ago.” he said quietly to the headteacher, who had appeared in the classroom around the time the first kid had left for their home, and remained there until now. “They should’ve told us they’re going to be late. Mina also seems confused about it.” he peeked at the girl who was building little constructions from wooden bricks in the corner at the opposite side of the room.
“They are not picking up their phones. I had already called them three times, no response.” said the headteacher. She was staring at a little device in her hand after another failed attempt to contact the people in question.
“So what do we do? It’s going to get dark soon, and we can’t stay with her overnight.” Twilight said, concern in his voice, “Maybe I can walk her home? There’s a chance that something has happened and there’s someone waiting there. At least neighbours might know something.”
“No. If anything, I’m going to be the one to take her home. You should head back as well. You’re already staying overtime.”
“Why? You’re in the same situation, if not worse. Your family is waiting for you at home. I live alone and have nothing better to do anyway. Might as well go for a walk.” he shrugged, “Besides, from what I know, Mina and I live in the same direction so I’m gonna be passing by there whether I want to or not.”
“It’s not that, it’s just-”
“It’s because I’m a guy, isn’t it?” Twilight said calmly,It almost sounded as though it was rehearsed beforehand. Well, it actually had been. He’d met with similar situations numerous times in his life. People, especially mothers and old ladies, just assumed that because of his gender, he can’t be trusted with children. They’d say that it was weird for a guy, especially as young as himself, to prefer taking care of kids to, for example, playing video games or hanging out with friends and girls his age. They would give him suspicious looks, which he had been previously taking a little bit too much to himself, but learnt to ignore overtime.
He’s always liked children, and it seemed as if he was born to be an older brother despite not having any siblings of his own. In his home village there were not many kids his age, only one girl. The others were at least ten years younger. He used to be asked to look after them almost everyday, but he would never complain, in fact, he was happy. He could teach them a lot of things, play games he wasn’t able to in his childhood because of lack of playmates, tell them stories and feel their admiring looks on him when he did things like aiming perfectly with a slingshot or swinging a wooden sword.
There was a protective instinct inside him. His heart would melt at the sound of their laughter, and break when they were crying. It was only natural to him; he loved children and the children loved him. People not realising that there’s nothing wrong with it made Twilight very apprehensive.
“You’re only an intern, Twilight.” the woman answered after a few seconds. She didn’t want to admit it, but that might’ve been one of her reasons. Not like she didn’t trust him, no. She’s left him alone with the whole class many times before; after all, she knew that he was a good and trustworthy person. It was rather about what the parents or onlookers that didn’t know him would think. Public opinion was important, after all. “I can’t make you do things that are not a part of your usual routine. You’ve already helped enough.”
“But I want to do it. You won’t be making me.” he insisted.
There was sincerity in his eyes, like always. Maybe, just maybe with a little bit stronger push, the headteacher would be able to break through his defence walls and convince him, but it’s never been easy for her to ignore this look. It was so determined, kind and slightly pleading. He sort of resembled a dog asking its busy owner to play with it.
After a little while, the silence that’s been growing inside the room had been broken down by a sigh.
“Fine.” the headteacher finally said, “But should anything happen, or there’s no one at her house, call me.” Her voice was demanding and rough, words spoken with a tone that did not accept disagreement. She was looking right in his eyes, one might say that her sheer gaze was enough to pierce right through his soul and reach his family in Ordon Village, “And even if everything turns out alright, inform me immediately after she’s safe home. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand. Thank you ma’am!” with a big grin on his face, Twilight came up to Mina, who was still preoccupied with her blocks, most likely not having heard their conversation.
“Hey, Mina” he knelt next to her and spoke with his warm and playful voice, that he usually uses with the children, “You wanna go home with me?”
She turned her head to face him, looking a little bit confused.
“But my parents aren’t here yet.”
“Yeah, yeah I know but it’s getting late, isn’t it? You sure you wanna stay here alone and wait for them? We can go on an adventure together!”
“An adventure?” a hint of uncertainty turned into curiosity at the sound of the word, “With you?”
“Yeah! Just you and me. Whaddya think?”
After a moment of consideration, in which her eyes had been jumping from the little construction before her and the man next to her, she nodded happily and proceeded to quickly clean up the toys.
Not even a minute later, the girl was already up and ready to leave. They both said goodbye to the headteacher, who was about to leave just after them.
The pair was on their way for their fairytale adventure, as twilight approached the sky.
***
There was once a princess and a hero whose faith had brought together, leading them on a journey they were destined to travel. But their venture was not an easy one, and as it continued, the number of obstacles they encountered only increased.
They had crossed ways with a shadow beast, the portent of bad luck whose silky, dark fur tempted them to follow it. The legends had it that a mere touch of its shiny coat was enough to lift the curse put on the poor travelers that happened to meet with it. In reality, the beast would lure its prey with soft, encouraging sounds and pretend to be letting them slide their fingers through its delicate fur, only to lead them deep into the woods and disappear, never letting them out again. A little bit of bad luck wasn’t nearly as scary.
On the other time, minions of an evil king that had a half of the kingdom in his possession blocked their way. They were bulky and sturdy, wielding heavy weaponry pointed to the ground, with which they were destroying the way before them. There was no way of winning a fight with forces this uneven, so the travelers were forced to take a detour and find a way around these dark knights.
Their departure had been made with little to no previous preparations. The whole journey had been rather spontaneous and sort of… last - minute, if one was to describe it shortly. That did not, however, prevent the pair of companions from enjoying this sudden adventure.
Despite being a little apprehensive and awkward at the very beginning, the hero and the princess quickly developed a bond of trust between them.
Fighting monsters together, with what they thought were but a simple tree branches that later came out as an exceptional weapons, and finding their way through narrow paths covered with thick layers of unidentified kinds of plants was what brought them closer in a physical way. They often had to walk side by side, or hold hands while treading through a treacherous crossing, that could only be accessed should Farore be kind enough to grant the travelers a spark of her holy light to guide them.
But that was not what either of them had in mind. The connection, the bond that had developed between them on their journey, was the one of true friendship and companionship.
Hard and long was their adventure, yet neither of them wanted it to end.
But it eventually did.
As the sky was starting to cover itself with a black hue, a castle arose in front of them. The destination of their journey.
“We’re here, Princess.”
***
Mina lived on a zero floor of an apartment building, an old one that had probably seen better days, but was certainly not unkempt. Sure, some windows should’ve been replaced a long time ago, the intercom was from the previous generation and the walls could use some painting, but other than that, there was nothing wrong with it at first glance. The surrounding area was friendly and green, no unsettling noises could be heard around and there were no signs of it being a common meeting place for people, who are a little bit too thirsty to wait until they get to a bar before taking a drink.
It had calmed Twilight down, seeing that she isn’t being brought up in a bad environment. He hadn’t let it show, but he had been worrying the whole way here that, perhaps, her family had some kind of trouble. And while a good living spot does not mean that everything inside it is fine, it can definitely ease one’s mind to at least think so, and that was something Twilight needed at the moment.
He knelt down to be at the eye-level with Mina, “Do you know if anyone is home right now?”
She shook her head.
“Well, let’s find out then.” They came to the door, Twilight knocked and his previous nervousness returned in a flash, though he tried to ignore it as hard as he could. The lights seemed to be off, but that didn’t mean no one was inside, he hoped.
What answered him was deaf silence.
He knocked again, and again when he was given the same response. Each knock growing in volume and length, to the point where Twilight did not know if the beating sound had been caused by his fist hitting the door, or his heart pounding heavily from rising stress and apprehension.
There was no way nobody would be home now, that was impossible! It was already dark and starting to get cold! These people had always been quick to pick their daughter up from the kindergarten, and there have never been any problems with them. Why weren’t they home? Why had nobody informed the headteacher? Why was there not a single sign of life from them?
The clear sky that had been his mind started to cloud with dark thoughts and scenarios of what might have happened to Mina’s parents.
An accident, an assault, a sudden seizure of some unknown illness.
He saw death in front of his eyes, a young couple abandoning their little daughter, their only child. She would never see them again and probably forget their faces by the time she’s grown up. Her whole life, her entire world falling down and shattering into tiny pieces impossible to collect and put back together again.
She was just an innocent child, she didn’t deserve a life like that.
Suddenly, a light pull on his shirt brought him back to reality.
He then realized that he had been hitting the door that entire time. He pulled his hand back from the door, placed it into the pocket of his hoodie and looked at the ground, trying to hide not only the embarrassment clearly on his face, but also traces of close panic that may have snuck out of his head and into his eyes.
“Are you ok?” a concerned voice of a little girl spoke to him.
“Oh, sure, of course. It’s just…” he was trying to come up with something, anything to reassure her, or maybe himself, when he was interrupted by a loud yell coming from above.
“ HEY!” a middle aged man looked out of his window on the second floor. “Stop with this rumbling already! Some people have had a hard day and want to rest in peace in the evening!”
The sudden voice startled him. He cringed, and then looked up in search of the source of it. It took him a second to locate the annoyed man, “I’m so sorry, sir. That will not happen again.” he could feel a strong grip of two tiny hands on the back of his hoodie. Seems that he wasn’t the only one scared, as Mina had hidden herself behind him at the sound of the furious yelling.
“It had better be, because if I hear you hit this door again, I’m calling the police!”
“Yes, of course, I understand. I apologize for disturbing you.” his hand was stroking the little girl’s head calmingly as he was saying that.
Without an answer other than a growl, the window on the second floor was about to close, but was then interrupted by an unwelcome sound. The knocking bastard had spoken again.
“Oh, excuse me, sir! Can I ask you a quick question before I leave please? It’s very important.”
“What the hell do you want from me?!” the man’s irritation was growing with every second. All he wanted was to lay down on his bed, eat some of his comfort food he has been stocking behind his cabinet and watch a documentary about meerkats. And he wanted to do that in peace and quiet. What did that kid want from him and why couldn’t he ask someone else?
“Do you happen to know the family that leaves here? Their daughter hadn’t been picked up from kindergarten today and neither of her parents have answered our calls.” We are afraid something might have happened to them was what Twilight wanted to add next but didn’t, due to Mina being there with him and hearing everything. He did not want to scare her more than she already was.
“Huh? Oh, these people.” the man seemed not know what Twilight has been referring to at first, but then he remembered after a moment, “Not sure. They don’t go outside often from what I know, but I work from dawn to dusk; they might leave when I’m gone.” he shrugged. “But if I do see them, It’s only the guy. I actually haven’t seen the woman in a few months.
“Oh, but today I saw the guy rushing through his front door like he had burned his ass! I don’t know where he was heading but he was in a hurry, dragging some big bag along. Is that all?” the tone of his voice was calmer, but still irritated and tired.
“Yes, thank you so much. I won’t bother you again.”
At these words, the window closed, as if fire was chasing after it. It was certain that this man would not give Twilight any more information.
He looked at the spot from where the grumpy man had been yelling at him for a few more seconds, then turned to Mina, still hiding behind him, and knelt beside her.
“Do you know where your dad might’ve gone today?” He asked softly, not lifting his hand off her head.
She shook her head.
“Ok, is some member of your family living nearby then, maybe? Like grandparents or aunts and uncles?”
The motion repeated.
Now, that was starting to look really bad.
The streetlights were already lit, the temperature diminishing and there was no sign of Mina’s parents returning whatsoever. He should call the headteacher and inform her about it, that’s what he’d promised after all.
So why was he so reluctant?
He must do something, he can't stay here with her the entire night, waiting for these irresponsible people to appear. The headteacher would probably offer to take the girl in and take care of her, but she leaves at the opposite side of the city and, as far as Twilight knows, doesn’t have a car.
That means having to backtrack and adding even more distance to traverse for this scared and confused kid. She was already at the edge of crying and even if he’d distract her while walking, it’d still give her time to think. And children have a tendency to overthink.
But what if…
“That’s fine.” he said after a moment of silence, trying his best not to show the negative emotions and thoughts piling up inside him, “Can you wait here just a minute? I’ll be right there, just have to make a quick call.”
Another nod was given.
He then nodded back and went only about three metres ahead, reached for his cell phone and dialed the number of the headteacher. When she picked up, he explained the whole situation to her.
The only thing Mina could make out was the last part of their conversation.
“Do you trust me?”
…
“Then please let me do this! It will be the best for all of us. I assure you nothing bad will happen.”
…
“We don’t have much of a choice here. It’s already late and we can’t have her wander around the police stations now. Please.”
…
“Thank you! I’ll do the best I can! See you in the morning then.”
With that, the call ended and Twilight returned to Mina with a big smile on his face.
“So, princess, it turns out that the hero will have to take you to another castle.” he took her hand, “ Do you wanna go to my place? It’s not far.”
She gasped suddenly, all the fear and worry from just a minute before disappearing from her face in an instant, and being replaced by sheer excitement, “To your home?” her voice pitched really high up, her smile almost reaching from one ear to another, before it stopped abruptly. The concern has returned after the realisation hit her, “But does it mean that I’m not going home? What will mom and dad say when they found out?”
“It’s going to be a-ok, I promise. I’ll talk to your parents when they return, don’t worry.” he gave her an encouraging pat on the back “Unless you wanna stay here, where bad monsters and ghosts roam around?”
She immediately shook her head and squeezed her hand tighter around Twilight’s. He felt a little bad for scaring her, but it was all for the greater good. He had to convince her somehow, otherwise he’d be stuck here with her for much longer.
“But if you’re going to be my knight, you have to do everything I say, no exceptions!” Mina stated when they started walking, allowing no arguments. Twilight chuckled lightly at that.
“Of course, whatever you want,” he bowed his head slightly, “Let me escort you then, my lady.”
***
Twilight’s apartment really hadn’t been far; it had only taken them seven or eight minutes to get there. Or it would have , if it hadn’t been for frequent requests to stop and look at a pretty display in one of the shops they had been passing by, pick up a flower or groan in disappointment because the ice cream place had already closed up. He had promised after all, hadn’t he?
After a trip that took three times longer than it should have, they had arrived at a small building with an outdoor staircase. It could fit six rooms inside its grey plastered walls, and so it did, giving out the vibe of an old, two-storey warehouse turned into a living facility.
They made their way to the first floor. Twilight put the key in the lock and turned it twice, a nice clicking sound resonating in the silent night air. He placed his hand on the handle, but paused before pushing it and opening the door. He inhaled sharply and looked at her, his gaze more serious than she had ever seen.
“Ok, I need you to listen to me now.” his eyes were locked firmly on her, demanding her undivided attention, “I’ve been keeping this a secret, but I guess there’s no hiding it anymore.”
She didn't dare take her amber orbs off him, focusing on what he was telling her. Feelings of both excitement and curiosity with a hint of fear, building up in her tiny chest. She wanted to squeak or ask questions, but remained silent,not even the faintest yelp escaping her throat.
“There… There is actually someone in there. I’m not living alone.”
Her eyes widened but she still didn’t make any sound, waiting for what her protector was going to say next.
“He’s been waiting here alone for a long time. I can’t tell exactly how he’s going to behave or what he can do when he sees you, so be prepared for anything. Are you ready to meet him?”
She hesitated, but finally nodded. At this sign, Twilight pushed the handle down and motioned the door to open it. “Here we go.”
And then, there it was.
A huge gray silhouette dashed out of the opened door. It was in and out, just in a blink of an eye, moved with such a speed that its presence could barely be distinguished, especially when one did not know it was coming. Before he knew it, Twilight was already laying on his back, his whole body pressed tightly to the ground by the weight of the creature, his face now soaking wet.
It took Mina a few seconds to properly register what exactly has happened, but then she saw it:. Twilight was pinned to the ground by a huge, dark grey dog. The animal was wagging its tail joyfully and licking its owner clean. There was no sign of it intending to let go of him any time soon.
The canine looked quite strange, to say the least. It definitely didn’t resemble your typical lap dog, oh no.
For starters, it was big. B i g, with a capital ‘B’ . It could easily surpass Twilight in height while standing on its hind legs, and probably weighed almost as much as him. He could probably hide inside its skin and pretend to be his own pet if given the chance.
It seemed to be a mix of of a Czech Wolfdog, German Shepherd, Alaskan Malamute, and maybe some other big, long coated breeds.
Its bright blue eyes were now screaming with joy and its fur, despite looking rough, was surprisingly very soft. Even though its hue was almost entirely the same on the animal’s entire body, a few white spots, looking almost like markings, were present on its head.
After around a minute of surrendering to the ecstatic greetings of his friend, Twilight finally pushed the dog away, but didn’t stop petting it on the back.
“This is my roommate.” he said between chunks of laughter, “I brought him here soon after I moved from the country. We used to herd goats together back home, but when I left for college, he was so lonely, wouldn’t stop howling at night and refused to work with the other herders. I had to take him with me. His name is–”
“A wolfie!” Mina exclaimed, not letting Twilight finish. Her sudden expression stunned him. Little kids would often be afraid of dogs, let alone ones of this size, but Mina seemed to be astounded at his friend when she proceeded from admiring him, to petting and hugging him a second after.
“Well, he’s most definitely not a wolf but you know what? You can call him that. He kinda looks like one after all.” Twilight tried to fight his amusement by the sudden statement and scoop himself off the ground. “Ok, let’s head inside. It’s getting really chilly.”
And with that, the whole crew entered the little apartment.
The place was small, only one room with a kitchenette next to the entrance and a bathroom. It came already partly furnished when Twilight was starting to rent it, so that’s the only reason why there was an old couch and an armchair in the middle of the room, as well as a coffee table beside them. Otherwise, there probably would be nothing except the bed that was standing beside a wall and under the window, a desk and a little bookshelf on its right.
A big dog bed laid in the legs of the bed, and there were two metal bowls on the opposite side of the room. Some plushies and other toys were scattered all around the floor.
The apartment was modest but cozy. Twilight didn’t need much anyway. When he wasn’t at the campus, he would be either outside with his dog or at his part time job in the kindergarten. The time he would spend there took the minority of his day.
Twilight took his shoes off and Mina followed suit. The girl then promptly started to look around and investigate the new place. Wolfie joined her almost immediately, booping his cold nose into various places, leaving her hints in the form of wet traces that told her where to check next.
After looking at them for a moment and making sure that his home will, probably, not be turned into a total disarray if he turned around, Twilight peeked inside the refrigerator to decide what he will be making for dinner.
The relative silence, disturbed only by the clatter of small objects being displaced, lasted just for a short minute. This was the exact amount of time that took Mina to find the first item that caught her interest.
“Twiiii, who’s that?” she pointed at a framed picture hanging on the wall. It was a monochrome photograph of three young men, one slightly older than the other two; their ages might’ve varied from 18 to 25 at most. They were standing next to each other, smiling. The oldest was standing in the middle, leaning on a wooden cane. To his left stood a tall, handsome soldier with a scarf wrapped around his neck, and to his right, a short boy with a freckled face, holding a handful of playing cards in front of him. There was an old locomotive in the background.
Twilight looked up from the small refrigerator, some plastic boxes in hand, and searched the room for what the girl could’ve asked for. Almost immediately his gaze had fixed on the old picture. “Oh, them? The one in the middle is my great grandfather and the other two are his friends, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Well, I don’t know much, never met him so I couldn’t ask, but from what my great grandma has told me, they had helped him propose to her. No idea what happened with them afterwards though.” he closed the refrigerator's door and placed the boxes on the counter. He will heat up some pumpkin soup his family has sent him recently and serve it with bread.
“Why do you have it?”
“That’s a good question, actually. When I was unpacking after moving in, I just found it in one of the boxes. I’m sure I never packed it. Maybe one of the spirits from my village wanted me to have it?”
“There are spirits where you’re from?!” if Twilight had thought that Mina’s voice had already been high pitched, he most certainly had known nothing. Now he was sure that just a little bit higher and only Wolfie would be able to hear it. She ran up to him excitedly and started tugging at his shirt. “Tell me all about them! Tell me now!”
“I don’t know if they’d let me though,” he said without skipping a beat while turning on the heat on the kitchenette, “you know, they can affect what I say ‘bout them. A safety issue I s'oppose. And they don’t really want me spilling their secrets to an impatient little girl.” he smirked a little at those words, an expression reserved only to himself, since Mina couldn’t see his face at the moment. And it’s good she couldn’t, because Twilight was 100% sure she would detect his playful lies the very second she saw it.
“I don’t care, I wanna know!” she demanded, “Tell them to let you!”
“It’s not as easy as you think,” Twilight stirred the soup in the pot. “They can talk to me but I can’t talk to them. It’s probably because of superiority or something. Magical beings having a higher rank than normal humans and stuff.”
“But aren’t you a hero?” Mina asked, confused. “You’re not a normal human. That should count and you should be able to tell them to let you talk about them to me!”
Everything fell silent for just a short moment, in which an eternity’s worth of different feelings and thoughts made its way through Twilight’s body. A cozy warmth settled in his heart, as if a fluffy blanket had wrapped itself around it, because it just felt so so nice to be told those words, even if they were his own, only repeated by another person. They say that a lie repeated a thousand times eventually becomes truth.
But was it really a lie? Or was it just the pumpkin smelling of home what ignited a small, soothing flame in his stomach? It was as though he could sit by this fire and listen to the sound of cracking wood forever. Everything would be alright as long as it stayed lit.
He missed his home dearly, yes; and thinking about it and remembering his childhood would always make his heart melt, even if just a little, but what he had felt at that moment hadn’t felt exactly like that. Instead of becoming soft and squishy, it felt as though his heart was binding, compacting, like two pieces of metal that join together when heated up to an appropriate temperature.
It felt whole and right.
So was the words after all? But it was so natural to him, doing what he can to make sure that people important to him were safe and happy. He didn’t know Mina too well, but there wasn’t any reason why he shouldn’t care for her; he would do the same for every child in the same situation and for all his friends. Heck, he’d probably do it even for that selfish girl Ella who’s always so mean to him! This is just how he was.
But Mina didn’t know that. For her, it might have been like an adventure taken straight out of a fairy tale, with a beautiful princess and a brave hero to save her. Twilight didn’t have to take this role, he could’ve easily let the headteacher claim it, but he decided otherwise. And so there he was now, in his apartment, looking after a little girl that didn’t have a place to go to that night.
Well, he might’ve acted a little heroic there, come to think about it. Just a tiny bit. At least in her eyes.
With one hand on the already turned off kitchenette, and the other on the handle of the pot with pumpkin soup, Twilight smiled ever so slightly, not taking his eyes off the orange liquid. “Well… you may be right.” he turned to Mina, his expression now available to her as well. “So, where should I begin? Oh! let’s start with Ordona, the spirit who protects my village.”
***
The rest of the evening and night had been uneventful. Twilight had told Mina an untold amount of folklore tales and bedtime stories from his home, while they were feasting on probably one of the best pumpkin soups in existence and munching on bread, and short after that, they had gone to sleep. Mina took the bed and Twilight helped himself to the couch.
She hadn’t been scared one bit, feeling almost at home in this small room, in the presence of a person she trusted. It may have been hard to notice at the first glance, but she had been very mature for a five-year-old. That simultaneously put Twilight at ease and scared him. What would grow out of a girl like that? He could only speculate, but for some reason, he knew he didn’t have to worry about her.
When the morning came, they headed straight to the kindergarten, only grabbing some quick breakfast from a grocery store, since Twilight had to go to school immediately after. When they arrived, what they witnessed had lifted the weight of stones from Twilight’s shoulders that he didn’t even know he was holding.
By the main entrance, talking to the headteacher, a visibly tired and stressed out man was standing. His shirt has been pulled out of his trousers, one of his shoelaces laying untied on the ground, just waiting for him to make one careless step and trip. He had a two days’ stubble on his face and slightly oily hair. The bags under his eyes could be easily seen even from a few metres’ distance. He looked exhausted and freaked out- it made him seem so small in front of this middle-height woman, even though he towered over her by at least 15 centimeters.
The moment they got close enough to be able to see his face, Mina launched herself from Twilight’s hand’s light grip as if her life had depended on it, and dashed to him with full speed.
“Dad!” she screamed. The man turned to her immediately.
“Mina!” his voice sounded of relief, black coffee and a sleepless night. He lowered himself to the ground, spreading his arms wide to catch his daughter in a strong and firm embrace, “Oh, thank the goddess, you’re ok! We were so worried, me and your mom.”
The family reunion brought comfort to Twilight’s heart, but also raised more questions. Mina’s parents were, mostly, fine after all; however the case of their disappearance remained unanswered. As much as he didn’t want to interrupt, he just needed to know. He was about to step in and ask, when the subject of his curiosity stood up and spoke to him.
“So you’re the one who took care of my daughter yesterday? Ma’am has told me about you. I’m so sorry for all the trouble she must’ve caused you, and I have to thank you for what you’ve done. We’re extremely lucky to have someone like you.”
It flattered Twilight, quite a lot actually, and he could almost feel his blood pressure rising in his cheeks. Being told two such nice things in the span of less than twelve hours was something he could get used to.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now. In this moment, all he wanted was answers.
“She was no problem at all, sir, but what happened to you? Why weren’t you picking up our calls?”
The man’s brows rose higher on his forehead, his eyes widened and mouth fell slightly agape, as if he had just remembered something. The knelt to meet Mina’s eyes once again, and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
“I guess we failed to tell you fast enough.” his hands clenched on her shoulders, making her focus solely on him and his words, “You know how mom’s been behaving a little weird lately? And started looking different?” Mina nodded, “Well, that’s because something is about to change, or rather has already changed.” he paused to take a deep breath before continuing, “Your mom is having a baby. You’re a big sister now.”
Mina’s eyes widened as she was staring at her father in shock, trying to process all the information she’d been given. Because she wasn’t answering, her father decided to continue, now shifting his haze from Twilight to the headteacher and back.
“We were planning on announcing everything closer to the due date- we know she’s not the most patient of children. But it turned out that the baby is exactly like her, and decided to come way earlier than predicted. We were all surprised by it. It started yesterday afternoon and finished only an hour ago. My mother and I were both in the hospital with my wife all this time. She doesn’t have a cell phone and I forgot mine from the office in all this haste... “ he looked apologetic and tired, the adrenalin that’s been accumulating in his bloodstream for the last few hours leaving it only now, “There have been some complications, but everything is alright now. Your mom and little brother are fine and healthy, Mina.”
She blinked, “I’m a big sister…” and again, “I’m a BIG SISTER!” The enthusiasm and sheer excitement mirroring in the volume of her voice startled her father and made him twitch; but the happiness in her eyes calmed him down at once, a wide smile inviting itself on his face. “Can we go there now? I want to see him! I want to play with him already! I’m going to teach him all the games I know!”
“He and your mom will have to stay in the hospital for a while, but we can go to them now.” he patted her head and stood up, “Thank you once again for taking care of her,” he placed his hand on Twilight’s shoulder and smiled warmly. The exhaustion was still visible on his face, but didn’t seem to bother him as much anymore. “I promise it will not happen again.”
They apologised to the headteacher once more after that, and made their way to the taxi parked at the parking lot a few metres away. Before getting in the car, Mina turned to Twilight one more time.
“Bye Twi! Teach me how to be a hero next time!”
And with that, they drove away, leaving Twilight with a new promise, and a warm flame burning strongly in his heart.