As Link tried to wrap her head around their current predicament, Midna had successfully managed to remove one of Link’s gloves. “Got it!” She celebrated, tossing it to the ground.
Link looked up anxiously, she was unsure if she wanted to know what was revealed underneath. Her emotions clear in her one visible eye that looked on.
Midna examined the back of her hand for a moment… then another… then she began to turn and poke at the hand in what seemed to be annoyance. Link tried to float, just like Midna had before, to see her hand. But she could not get off the ground. So, she spoke. “So… what’s it look like?” She asked.
Midna tried to force her frown into something more positive. As she revealed the back of her hand to Link. “…Looks like I’m the hero now.” She replied. She tried to offer a smile, but it quickly disappeared as Link sunk to the ground and slumped over.
“So that means…” She mumbled. “…I’m useless.” Link sniffled, her eyes began to water as the lay there on the ground. She had been stripped of her gender, stripped of her body, stripped of her strength and height, and now, stripped of her purpose. She was left with nothing, completely trapped in body and situation foreign to her. Her spirit was crushed, grounded even further as the weight of her situation continued to sink it. Would anyone even recognize her? Did she have a home anymore? Would it be like she had never existed? She didn’t even notice Midna sitting next to her, trying to speak. It was hard to hear behind her sobbing.
But Midna persisted, and eventually picked up the former hero. She cradled her in her lap, and tried her best to calm her down. A situation she was clearly unfamiliar with, as she awkwardly adjusted Link and herself, switching between trying to hug her, pat her, or just let her lay there. She put the effort up for a bit, before final becoming annoyed enough to just cut her off with a sharp “HEY!”
Link looked up, her eyes still wet.
“This is getting ridiculous.” Midna exclaimed. “Triforce or not, you’re still the hero of Hyrule, and nothing is going to undo everything you’ve done. I got cursed, and had to deal with it, and now, we’re two for two on transformations here. But you don’t see me crying about it?” Midna scoffed. “You think it was easy to get into that prison and bust you out? Or to even get here, to Hyrule? It was a struggle, made even worse by being stuck in that awful body.” Midna exclaimed.
This only seemed to make Link feel even worse, as she teetered closer to a full breakdown. Midna sighed. “But that didn’t change the fact that I’m me. And it’s the same for you. You are the hero no matter what you look like. Whether an annoying pup, human, or an imp, you’re still you. Even if I’m Hyrule’s hero now, you’re still my Hero.” Midna stated as if fact.
Link brushed a tear from her eye, and fought back the oncoming barrage of tears. “…Midna…”
“Don’t Midna me! It’s true, and all this time spent crying is time we aren’t stopping Zant.” She reminded her.
That was true, there was still Zant to deal with. Furthermore, there were surely plenty of people across Hyrule who still needed help. Even if Link wasn’t the hero… she couldn’t just stand by and let Zant’s reign continue, or allow people to suffer still. “…You’re right.” Link nodded, attempting to offer a weak, broken smile. Her large fang appearing prominently.
Midna pressed her hands to her hips. “Of course I am! You know who you’re talking to right?” Midna pulled the Imp up back onto her feet, and reclaimed her glove. “Now, you’re far from useless. I still need you, no matter what. So stop calling yourself that, and let’s figure out or next move.”
“But… what can I do?” Link asked.
“Well for starters, you can smile a bit more!” Midna demanded, Link attempting to comply. “Then, you can train me to be better with a sword. Or just teach me how to be human. Plus, you still know the region better than me, and how to better deal with monsters and dungeons. I can’t tackle any of that without you. Not like this.” Midna explained. “So again, what should our next move be? Think of something!”
Link again nodded, she couldn’t let something like this stop her. But she couldn’t lie to herself, she still felt useless inside. It obstructed her mind from forming any sort of plan or idea. “I… can’t think of anything.” Link lamented. “What about you? You’re… the hero after all.”
Midna smiled. “So I am. Well then, I think our first course of action should be…”
Wed Feb 16 10:20:38 2022