Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was morning. Bright beams of sun shone across the entire town as it began its daily ascent into the sky. Cuccos crowed to signal dawn’s arrival and, little by little, the sleepy townsfolk awakened, save for one.

He lay there, snoring on his bed, blissfully unaware of the world outside his dream chamber. It was typical of him, he always overslept, so no one paid much attention when the man did not appear in the town square for breakfast. He often slept until noon, anyway.

Noon soon came and went, and still the man was nowhere to be seen. A few of his friends laughed about it, thinking that the man was just playing hooky. One of his friends, a woman with emerald eyes, looked at the man’s house. His curtains were drawn and the house looked dark. It seemed a shame that he should miss the beauty of this summer day. She contemplated going up the hill and knocking on his door to rouse him, but one of the others caught her by the wrist.

“You’re not thinking of going and waking him, are ya?” He accused.

The woman shook her head. “N-No…”

“Good.” He tightened his bandana. “If he wants to sleep, we should let him.”

Well, there was the final word on that. Truthfully, she had just wanted to make sure the man was okay, but it seemed a great deal more important that he get the rest he deserved. He had saved the world, after all.

Link’s eyes shot open. He sat up in a panic, glancing quickly around the…wherever he was. He needed to figure exactly where this was before Ganon cou– oh. Oh yes, that’s right, he defeated Ganon. He had brought peace to the world. He sighed as he rose from his bed, slipped on his house slippers, and threw open the curtains. Evening had come to Hyrule. The sun was just barely visible over the long stretches of mountains along the horizon. Had he really slept the entire day?

He went over to his kitchenette and began making some coffee. Nightfall was closing in, and he would have to return to bed in a few hours, but he had only just woken up and deserved at least one cup. His hands worked on their own, he had done this so many times that he had the whole process ingrained in his muscle memory. Heat the water until boiling, pour it over the coffee rinds, and stir. Black for him. Add two sugars and some cream for– no. That wasn’t right. She didn’t…she wasn’t…there was no she now. That’s why he had been sleeping: to forget. In his slumber, he had forgotten, but now that he was wide awake, he remembered.

Midna. The imp who had accompanied him on his quest to rid the world of Ganon’s influence, the girl who had become one of his closest and most cherished friends, the woman with whom he had spent so much time with, had resumed her true form and remembered that she was indeed the Queen of Twilight. She had teased him briefly, before realizing that, as she put it, the two worlds could not be allowed to intersect ever again. She had destroyed the only way to contact his world in a tearful goodbye, and as she did so, his purpose, his sole meaning for existing had been shattered to pieces along with that godforsaken Mirror of Twilight.

So, there he stood, enveloped in his heartache, holding two cups of coffee in the middle of his house. He sighed again and set both down on the table. It was a lot of coffee for one man to drink in the evening, but he did so anyway, knowing how much Midna would’ve chastised him for letting it go to waste. The sun soon set, and Link noticed an unfamiliar cold set in on him. He had never been this cold, even out in Snowpeak, but then again, he had always had Midna to help keep the freezing temperatures at bay. Perhaps, now that she was finally gone and he was truly alone for the first time since they met, he would forever feel the chill in the air, even on the warmest summer days. Perhaps this was his reminder that he had realized all too late that he loved her and now, he’d never have the chance to make those feelings known.

And as he drank down the last of the beverage in Midna's cup, he asked himself silently,

What’ll I do without you?

Chapter Text

The World of Twilight had never seen such a festival.

Dancers, magicians, and musicians marched in a grand parade all for Queen Midna. Zant’s mask was placed upon a spike at the head of the parade, indicating her triumph over the usurper. Truly, the Twili were bursting at the seams with joy and happiness…save for one.

The queen herself remained in her chamber, sleeping soundly under the covers. Her servants had briefly checked on her, but it was decided that she should remain undisturbed. She had conquered not only Zant, but also Ganon, the Usurper King of the World of Light. Saving two worlds, even with the help of the Hero of Light, was a tremendous undertaking, and her subjects would surely forgive her if she were to take a well-deserved nap.

The festivities died off as time went on. The janitors went about cleaning the confetti and other dregs from the streets as everyone retired to their homes. There had been no sign of Queen Midna all day, which was more than a little disappointing to most of her people. However, they went home hopeful that she would be rested enough to attend the banquet scheduled for tomorrow. One such subject, a young man, who had only just begun serving in her castle, made his way up the stairs to her bedchamber. He was about to open her door when an older Twili man appeared next to him.

“Surely, you do not believe yourself privileged enough to enter Her Highness’s chamber unannounced?” The older man accused sternly.

“I-I was just curious if Her Highness would like something to eat!” The younger man explained.

The older man narrowed his eyes. “If she were to want anything, she would summon us! Back to the hall with you!”

The sound of shoes slapping against the stone floor reverbated through the hallway as the younger man sped back to his post. The older man, visibly disgruntled, muttered something under his breath and returned to his post outside of the queen's boudoir.

And inside the chamber, behind the plain white shroud, Midna awoke.

She didn’t remember the World of Twilight being so...dark. It was completely different to the World of Light. Day and night were no longer a part of her life in the betwixt and between. There was only tepid light which shone from high above them, a gloomy reminder that they were a forgotten race in a forgotten world where not a soul, be it light or dark, knew of their existence.

Save for him, the Hero of Light. The wolf whom she had freed from the prison, the swordsman who had saved her life, the man whom she found herself drawn to when she considered all other creatures in his world disgusting. Link’s presence in her life was like a typhoon, whisking her away to various places without staying in them long enough to really understand them. That was the one thing she learned from all their adventures: the World of Light was so vast compared to her own World of Twilight. Though she was the queen, she had not ventured much outside her castle here. Perhaps, one day, she would, and see how wide the World of Twlight really was.

Today, though, she would remain here, draped in her bedclothes. It was an unfamiliar feeling, waking up alone. She had spent so many nights in Link’s company that she had completely forgotten what loneliness felt like. It was like a cold, serated blade had pierced her heart. There was no one to talk to, so she immediately began talking to herself. Soon, she found that she had exhausted all of her dialogue. There was nothing more to talk about. It seemed that she was only a good conversationalist when Link was around.

Link. Damn, that's right. She hadn’t had the nerve to tell him how she truly felt about him, not in front of the princess and definitely not as her final goodbye. He would have made her stay, obviously. He would have found a way to keep her in the World of Light. He would have moved heaven and earth for her because she knew that he felt the same way she did.

She loved him, and when she woke up without him, she realized that eternity seemed so much longer than she had previously thought.

And as she drank in the consequence of her decision, she waited for the future to arrive, solemnly asking,

What'll I do without you?