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The world around him shifted and pulled at its edges, giving way to nothing. He stood on solid ground. It could have been the palace of Twilight, except the sun was shining overhead. Its light bathed everything in an ethereal glow, the world blurring into white in the distance. Link thought he was alone until he saw a figure walking towards him. He squinted, trying to figure out who it was.
When he caught the light of her red hair, he couldn't breathe.
A loose robe draped over her body, billowing behind her as she walked towards him. She stopped a short distance away. She was as agonizingly beautiful as he remembered, her head tilted down to meet his gaze. “Midna?” he choked out, wondering if this was a cruel vision. It wouldn't be the first time he'd imagined her presence. She slowly smiled, her gaze heavy.
“Hello, Link.”
There was that deep, sultry tone he remembered. It was so different from her chirping as an imp. He would have taken either voice, he has loved both. “What are you… what are you doing here?” His voice quivered, tears springing to his eyes. He wasn't even sure where here was. But Midna seemed unafraid and he trusted her implicitly. He just wanted to know what she was doing.
“I promised I would see you later,” she laughed with that same impish grin he cherished so much. His face twisted at the sound. It wasn't fair for her to appear now. Not when she was too late.
His hands grasped at his loose, brown trousers. Link had to find a way to ground himself. Midna's presence had always been destabilizing. “You shouldn't be here,” he told her, staring at the gray stone under his feet. “I'm getting married tomorrow.”
“She's a nice girl,” Midna whispered, “Do you love her?”
“Excuse me?” Link hissed, “Ilia's my best friend. Of course I love her.” Midna rolled her eyes. He tried to ignore the pang in his heart. Link steeled his resolve and made himself gaze upon her. Every inch of her body was exactly how he remembered. It was like nothing had changed between them, except the world had kept turning under their feet.
“You know what I mean, Link,” Midna sighed. She had no right to ask that of him. She was the one who had left. Even if he had come to understand her decision, even see why it was necessary, it didn't change she was the one who had separated them. He was only trying to move on.
He felt a snarl rising up and forced it down. Link hadn't transformed into a wolf in years, but it always lingered at the edges of his consciousness. It was another reminder of Midna he couldn't get rid of. “I'm just trying my best,” he admitted, “I don't know what to do without you.”
“You live in your Light Realm,” Midna sounded sad, “You enjoy your sun and you find yourself again.”
“You were my sun.”
Midna stopped at that, her mouth dropping open just barely. Link briefly wondered what it would be like to kiss her. So much longing and pent up feelings were clamoring for release now that she was here. He stood still and didn't make a move. “Link…” Midna gasped. Her eyes were shining with hurt. Good. She could feel an inkling of the pain she'd left him with for years.
“I've missed you,” he told her, words verging on a sob, “I needed you. No one else understands what it was like on our journey.”
“You never needed me,” Midna shook her head, “You're stronger than that.”
Link's shoulders fell. He grit his teeth, willing her to understand. He'd never gotten to tell her before, she needed to hear it now. “I wanted you,” he explained, “And now I don't even know if this is real.”
Midna's eyes softened. She looked like she was about to pull him close, but he stepped back.
“Is this a dream?”
Midna moved closer to him. He studied those red and orange eyes, comparing them to the ones that haunted his waking hours. “Does it matter?”
“I'm getting married tomorrow,” Link laughed. This was unfair. Maybe it all was just a desperate hallucination. His mind had conjured the one woman he wished would be waiting for him at the altar. When Midna cupped his cheek with one hand, he didn't protest. He leaned his head to the side and closed his eyes.
“Then it sounds like we have tonight.” Midna's voice curled into his ears, soft as shadows. He left out a shaky breath. Her lips pressed against his own, slowly at first. It was a tender kiss, the kind Link had dreamed about as a boy.
Link was a man now. He grabbed Midna's robe and pulled, deepening the kiss. He poured his years of yearning into the action. He’d spent so long staring up at dusk and pretending she was by his side. He didn't know how much time he had. Her arms wrapped around his neck and tears slipped down his face. His hands found his way into everything, her hair, her hips. He had to map out her body in what little time they had left.
He pulled away to breath, leaving Midna standing there. She still looked regal, even in her somewhat more disheveled state. “Never leave me again.”
They both knew it was a promise she couldn't keep. She might not even be there. Midna just opened her arms, eyes shining with tears of her own. “I love you, Link.”
He would cling to those words. Link knew he would hear them ringing for years after this. “I love you too,” he choked out. He'd wanted to tell her for so long. She reached for him again to pull him into another kiss. He let her, not knowing when or if she would be in front of him again.
Part of him knew this was likely just a dream, only a horrible and beautiful dream.
He never wanted to wake up.