The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Novelization

Midna gently set Link upon the ground, and her strange, flowing mass of orange hair settled back into its familiar shape. Regaining his senses, Link stood and turned toward his impish companion. The deep black tones of her skin faded as her usual complexion returned. Creatures who shun the light, he thought, recalling Princess Zelda’s words. Could Midna exist only in shadow? “Good to be home,” she said with a mocking wink. Link ignored her and took in his surroundings, his eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light. The Faron Woods beneath the Twilight’s influence were strangely unsettling – familiar, yet undeniably wrong. The air felt stale, and an ever-present sense of danger hung over the forest. Midna dropped onto Link’s back, the sword and shield forming in her hands. “So these are the weapons you use in your world?” She studied the weapons thoughtfully, turning them over as if trying to understand how they worked. Link briefly wondered what weapons were common in the Twilight. Without warning, Midna began swinging the blade wildly, forcing him to duck beneath its razor-sharp edge. “Do you really think this thing can slay the creatures of Twilight?” she asked. Surely a sword can’t do worse than my teeth, Link mused. The weapons vanished again, and Midna crossed her arms. “Well, I won’t be using these things, but I’ll hang onto them for you. I need your help collecting a few things. I can’t explain everything right now. It’ll be easy.” At Link’s skeptical look, Midna leaned closer. “Trust me.” Link started to reply but stopped as the voice of a Light Spirit reached him. Unlike Ordona, its melody was slow and mournful. Crushed beneath the Twilight’s oppression, it could only call out faintly for help. Gloam Midna sprawled comfortably across Link’s back, idly studying her fingernails. “Do you hear that? That’s the lamentation of this region’s Light Spirit. We better get going. I’m not taking the blame if you fail.” Use me, take no responsibility…and you expect me to trust you? Link shot Midna a quick glance before heading toward the Light Spirit’s voice. He would confront her once he was human again. For now, saving the Light Spirit came first. Link didn’t get far before another energy field sprang up around him. A portal opened overhead, releasing three Shadow Beasts. They dropped to the ground and began circling him as he growled. Midna adjusted her headpiece with an irritated huff. “These guys again? Well, I’m sure you can handle this on your own. Bye!” She retreated to the edge of the arena and phased through the energy barrier. Link barked furiously, but the Shadow Beasts were already descending upon him. He lunged at the nearest one, sinking his claws into its arm. The creature lurched back and flung him aside, sending him crashing through the shrubbery and into a tree. Even as the air was forced from his lungs, he rolled back to his feet and ignored the pain. One of the Shadow Beasts charged, but Link sprang onto its chest before it could strike. His claws tore through it in a frenzy. The creature shrieked before collapsing into a crumpled heap, its body dissolving into a cloud of dark particles. With little time to think, Link dodged another swipe of talons from one of the remaining Shadow Beasts and kicked its legs out from under it. He pounced instinctively, ripping a gaping hole in its neck. The creature thrashed as blood filled its throat before finally falling still. While Link was distracted, the final Shadow Beast released an ear-piercing shriek. Agonizing pain exploded through his head, and his body locked in place. Grimacing, he tried to turn toward the creature, but he could not move. The Shadow Beast rushed in for the kill, and Link shut his eyes, bracing for death. Five seconds passed. Then ten. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes again. The Shadow Beast hung suspended in midair before him, thrashing and roaring like a trapped animal. Midna approached the creature from behind, her arm extended. She slowly clenched her hand into a fist, and sickening cracks split the air as the creature’s bones snapped. Midna tossed the mangled corpse aside and glowered at Link as the paralysis from the shriek began to fade. “You’re lucky I was here,” Midna muttered. “I’m beginning to think you can’t do anything on your own.” The condescension in her voice stung, but Link refused to let them sway him. What troubled him most was her brutality. She had maimed the Shadow Beast without the slightest hesitation. Why was she so callous? Link sniffed the air, caught the scent of the nearby Light Spirit, and moved toward it. When he reached Faron Spring, he found what remained of it. Unlike Ordona, its essence was little more than a faint cluster of fading energy drifting weakly above the spring. Having seen Ordona in all its splendor, it was sobering to witness a Light Spirit so diminished. Even one of the most powerful beings in Hyrule could be brought low by the King of Shadows. “O brave youth… The Twilight covers this realm…like a shroud.” The spirit’s voice was weak and strained. “In the Twilight…those who live in the world of light…become spirits. It is a place where evil creatures roam.” Link thought back to the soldier spirits in the sewers beneath Hyrule Castle. Brave men had been reduced to trembling wrecks by the dark monsters. He would not let that fate claim him. “Blue-eyed beast…I need you to find my lost light. It was…stolen by the dark creatures. Gather them…into the Vessel of Light.” A small object materialized within the spirit’s fading form and drifted down into Midna’s upturned palms. It resembled a flower, its nine glass bulbs set along a curled golden stem. “In the Twilight…the dark insects that hold my Tears of Light are invisible…as normal beings are,” the Light Spirit said. “Find my light and return…the woods to normal. Good luck…” The spirit fell silent. Link drew in a steady breath and steeled himself for the task ahead. Finding the insects would be no simple task. The Faron Woods were dense and mostly uncharted. The last thing he needed was to get lost. I’ll start with the places I know. Link set off into the Faron Woods. He backtracked toward Ordon, but when he found no sign that anything was amiss, he turned around and ventured deeper into the forest. Passing through the collapsed tree tunnel into the clearing beyond, Link lowered his head and sniffed the ground. A vile scent filled his nostrils, making him cringe. It was similar to the stench of the Shadow Beasts, only stronger. The source of the stench soon revealed itself. A grotesque insect – about the size of a small Skulltula – clung to the nearby cave, its body twisted by the Twilight’s corruption. Its dark carapace gleamed like polished obsidian, etched with glowing symbols that pulsed faintly with stolen light. Jagged mandibles protruded from its head, and its bulging blue eyes glimmered eerily in the dim light. The Shadow Insect turned toward Link with a sudden twitch, its thin legs skittering against the cave wall. A faint, chittering hiss escaped its mandibles as its beetlelike wings unfurled. Link watched with disgust, the creature’s vile scent making his eyes water. For a tense moment, it stared at him with its expressionless eyes. Then it tried to flee. Link pounced, and Midna clung to his back with a startled yelp. The Shadow Insect spat a wad of dark, sticky bile, forcing Link to dive aside. While he rolled across the ground, the creature leapt into the air and tried to fly over him. Link snapped upward and caught one of its wings in his jaws. He jerked back, tearing it clean off. The Shadow Insect crashed to the ground, and Link plunged his claws into its soft underbelly, driving them deeper until the creature stopped squirming. The Shadow Insect’s corpse dissolved into dark particles, leaving behind a golden Tear of Light. Its radiant glow pushed back the surrounding shadows. Midna approached slowly, squinting as the light forced her into her shadow form. Raising the Vessel of Light, she allowed it to draw the tear inside, filling one of the nine glass bulbs with sacred light. “Okay…that’s one.” Midna’s complexion returned to normal as she glanced at Link. “Let’s keep searching.” The foul scent of another Shadow Insect made Link’s nostrils twitch. The trail led deeper into the cave. He followed it and soon found the creature hiding in the darkness. It tried to flee like the first, but Link was faster. Moments later it lay still, and Midna gathered its Tear of Light. Emerging into the old dried-up bog, Link was struck by the overpowering stench of rot. Disoriented, he shook his head and forced his senses to focus, trying to cut through the foul odour that hung over the bog. I’m never taking my human senses for granted again. At last he caught the scent of a nearby Shadow Insect and set off in its direction. He tracked it to a large stump along the bog’s eastern edge. The rest of the tree had been torn away by a windstorm and was laying in the mud nearby. Noticing a hole burrowed into the surface of the stump, Link approached carefully and peered inside. A Shadow Insect suddenly burst out and clamped its pincers around his muzzle. Link yelped and reared back, flinging the creature to the ground. The insect tried to retreat, but Link pounced on it instantly. Its body crackled with violet energy, and he recoiled as sharp, stinging pain shot through his chest. It felt like being stabbed by a dozen needles at once. The pain forced him to release the creature. It skittered away just as its electric shield sputtered out. It can’t do that for long… Link lunged again and seized the Shadow Insect in his jaws. He bit down harder until its carapace cracked beneath his teeth. The creature dissolved into dark particles, leaving behind a golden Tear of Light for Midna to collect. Wasting little time, Link moved on. His search of the bog uncovered one more Shadow Insect, bringing his total to four. With the area cleared, he ventured deeper into the woods until he reached the next cave system. Suppressing a gag at the musty smell, he stepped into the darkness. Within the cave, Link’s ears caught the faint hisses of a Shadow Insect. Following the sound, he soon found it ensnared in a wall of old spiderwebs. There was no sign of the creature that had woven the trap. The insect struggled to break free, but the sticky webbing held fast. Link ended it quickly and secured its Tear of Light. Without a second thought, he moved on. If he lingered, he might become prey himself. When Link finally emerged from the cave, he drew in a deep breath of fresh air. I hate caves, he thought as he headed toward the giant oak. Nearing the ravine that surrounded the great tree, Link caught the scent of more Shadow Insects. Advancing along the boardwalk, he spotted two perched on the pillars that flanked the oak’s cavernous entrance. When they realized their danger, the Shadow Insects tried to flee again. Link was having none of it. Moving like a seasoned predator, he cut them off and finished them both in rapid succession. Midna gathered their stolen Tears of Light into the Vessel and smirked at her steed. “You’re getting better at this whole wolf thing,” she said with a soft giggle. “There are two more to go. Where to next, boy?” Link bristled at Midna’s condescending tone, but he forced his anger down. I can’t let her get to me. Focus… Two insects remained, and the forest was vast. With that in mind, he headed back into the woods to continue his search. For the next three hours, Link scoured the Faron Woods for the last two Shadow Insects, but the hunt yielded nothing. I’m running out of places to look, he thought with an exasperated sigh. By the time he returned to the clearing where Coro lived, he was nearly at his wit’s end, and Midna was losing her patience. Link glanced toward Coro’s house and cocked his head. What about there…? Until now, he had not considered searching inside buildings. A sheltered place like that would make the perfect hiding spot. The scent of human fear drifted from Coro’s shack. Spotting an open window along the wall, Link trotted over and pulled himself inside. He slipped out from behind a bookshelf and surveyed the shack’s shabby interior. Most of the furniture had been piled into the far corner, where a spirit stood trembling atop the stack. It was Coro, the lantern salesman. “What’s with these bugs?” he asked shakily. “They’re not normal, man!” Turning to the kitchen area, Link followed Coro’s gaze and heard the sound of an insect coming from within the furnace Found you… Link inched forward and looked into the furnace. The final two Shadow Insects were nestled within the shaft, safe and out of reach. How do I get them out? Link stepped back and noticed a flickering lantern sitting on the nearby countertop. Coro must have left it behind in his panic. That gave Link an idea. He snatched the lantern in his jaws and tossed it into the furnace. The wood within burst into flame, and the Shadow Insects squealed as smoke forced them from their hiding place. They skittered across the floor while Coro screamed in horror. Link crushed one beneath his full body weight, killing it instantly. The other lunged with electrified mandibles, but Link twisted aside just in time. It leapt onto the countertop, knocking dishes to the floor as it raced for the window. Before it could escape, Link caught it in his jaws and ripped it in half. The final two Tears of Light rose from the insects’ remains, and Midna gathered them. As the Vessel of Light filled with the Faron’s essence, its glow flared brightly. Link shielded his eyes while Midna’s complexion darkened once more. “Finally, we have them all,” she said with a relieved huff. “Let’s head back to the spring and get this over with.” Link watched as Coro finally worked up the nerve to climb down from his perch. The lantern salesman searched the room for the Shadow Insects, but he could not find them anywhere. Confused, he pocketed his knife and rubbed the back of his neck. “They just…died? Man, I have no idea of what’s going on around here lately,” he grumbled. “Maybe I should go visit Iza and Hena. Lay low for a little while.” Once he was sure Coro was safe, Link slipped through the window and hurried toward Faron Spring. As he ran, anticipation began to rise. He was about regain his human form, and the woods would be freed from the Twilight. When Link reached Faron Spring, Midna floated from his back and placed the Vessel of Light into the water. At once, the spring answered with a golden glow. The clouds above dispersed, and the Faron Woods were restored. Sunlight spilled across the forest once more as a gentle morning breeze stirred through the trees. The warmth of the light eased Link, and he stood quietly, bathing in its glow. Midna, again a living shadow, turned to face him. “I have to say, it was quite nice here in the Twilight,” she said. “What’s so good about a world of light?” She considered her question for a moment, then vanished into Link’s shadow as the Light Spirit rose from the spring. Like Ordona, it first appeared as an orb of golden light before its shape shifted into that of a long-tailed primate. The spirit hovered above the water, its tail trailing gently into the spring below. “I am Faron, one of the spirits charged with Hyrule. O brave youth… In the land of shadow, where light dwellers become spirits, you were transformed into a blue-eyed beast. That was a sign that the powers of the chosen one within you are awakening.” The spirit’s radiant gaze settled upon Link. “Behold your awakened form…” Link glanced down at himself, and relief flooded through him. He was human again. He drew in a deep breath, letting it escape in a long sigh as the weight of the nightmare finally lifted. As Link stood, he quickly realized he was no longer dressed in his Ordon clothes. In their place he wore a forest-green tunic over a shirt of finely woven chainmail, fixed at the waist by a brown leather belt. Cream-coloured trousers were tucked into brown leather boots, and sturdy vambraces guarded his forearms. Feeling something brush the top of his head, Link reached up and grasped a long, pointed green cap. “I…I don’t understand,” he murmured, his voice hoarse. Faron regarded him calmly. “Your garb once belonged to the ancient hero. The mark on your hand is proof that his power is yours. You, Link, are the hero chosen by the goddesses.” The spirit’s words struck Link with dizzying force. The world seemed to sway around him. At first, the revelation filled him with excitement, but that feeling quickly gave way to panic. He was no hero. His heart hammered in his ears as he closed his eyes tightly. Breathe, Link reminded himself. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then another. Gradually, the storm within him began to calm. Faron’s gaze drifted toward the surrounding woods. “Listen well. A forbidden power slumbers deep within these woods. Long ago, we Light Spirits sealed it away.” A sharp pulse of excitement shot through Link. It took him only a moment to realize the feeling was not his. It belonged to Midna. He glanced down at his shadow but said nothing. The sensation faded slowly, and he shivered. The intrusion left him deeply unsettled. “Due to its dark nature, this power must never be wielded by those who dwell in the light.” Faron looked at Link again. “But this world weeps beneath a mantle of shadows. There is no choice. You must match the power of the King of Shadows.” How can I? “To claim the forbidden power, you must journey to the Forest Temple,” Faron said. “Go now, child. May the way of the hero lead to Hyrule’s salvation.” With those final words, Faron vanished. Its form faded into the air, leaving Link alone with a whirlwind of thoughts. Before he could gather himself, Midna burst from his shadow. “Well, well,” she said with a smirk. “So…you’re the chosen hero. That explains why you turned into a wolf instead of a spirit!” Link frowned at her. “You knew about this, didn’t you?” “I had a feeling.” “Hero…” The anger drained from Link’s voice. “I’m not a hero…” Midna’s eyes narrowed. “Seriously? Quit wallowing in self-pity and listen to yourself. Are you saying you’d rather be a spirit wandering aimlessly for eternity?” Her tone was harsh, but she had a point. In a strange way, Link had been given a gift. He was the only one in the world who could stand against the Twilight. How could he turn away from his destiny while others suffered? “That’s what I thought,” Midna muttered, noticing the shift in Link’s expression. “So…are you going to the Forest Temple?” “Yes.” “Well, that’s certainly convenient. I happen to need to go there myself.” Yeah…convenient… Link thought, eyeing her suspiciously. What was she hiding? He almost asked about her plan but stopped himself. Midna had been frustratingly cryptic since the moment they met, and that clearly was not about to change. “Since you’re headed that way, I’ll tag along and offer advice,” Midna said. “Oh, and before I forget, I have these for you.” She snapped her fingers, and the Ordonian weapons appeared at Link’s feet. He knelt and gathered them. Drawing the sword, he studied the blade in silence. It felt strange to wield a weapon that was not his, but necessity left him little choice. After a moment, he returned the blade to its scabbard and slung it over his shoulder. “You definitely look more like a hero now,” Midna remarked with a patronizing wink. “Good luck, Mr. Important Hero.” With that, she slipped back into Link’s shadow. Link paused, considering where to search for the Forest Temple. The Faron Woods were enormous. It could be hidden anywhere. Then a thought surfaced. The giant oak tree. He remembered the weathered marble and the traces of ancient stonework around its base. That had to be the place. Link turned his gaze south, toward Ordon Village. It might be wise to return home before venturing deeper into the forest. Entering Deep Faron without proper supplies – particularly a lantern – would be foolish. The detour would also allow him to check on the Ordonians. He needed to know that the previous night’s events had not left lasting scars…