-Impa-

Impa had been on a mission to find a place for Zelda to hide. Her initial thought was a hut in the middle of nowhere, or to camp out in the woods with a few helpers; however, after what she had just witnessed in the teens, she was developing another plot.

It would require utmost secrecy and speed but could ensure victory over Prince Kyou.

With that in mind, Impa entered the village and investigated who owned the slaves. Her search led her to the mayor's house. By Impa's standards, he was very poor, barely living above the household standards of a common man in a lesser city. Farmers and plantation owners had separate standards than nobles. Standards most nobles think are beneath them, making this place invisible to their eyes.

Perfect.

"Welcome, Minister Impa," The man bowed low. His wife and sons and daughters did the same. They stumbled over themselves nervously, but Impa just smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Mayor."

"May I ask what someone of such importance is doing in my humble home?"

"My mission is not for you to know," She gazed around the building. She nodded to herself and returned her attention to him. "I was passing through, but I have come across something interesting and wished to talk with you about it."

"With pleasure! Ask, and your humble servant shall answer." The man ushered the children away.

"It is about the slave I encountered on my way here. She said her name was Midna."

"Yes, she is a slave in my household."

"Tell me about her. She has piqued my interest."

The man hesitated, "Are you sure this is the purpose of your visit? A slave?"

"I understand it may seem inconsequential to you. You manage a plantation, and I help oversee the country and have the heir's ear. What can one slave be compared to all that? Know that with what my position entails, I am not required to explain. Tell me about her. Did you buy her on the slave market?"

In the meantime the man's wife busied herself preparing tea and shuffling through pantries for something appropriate. The tea was nothing compared to what Impa was used to, but she took it graciously, and the buttered bread was presumably a special treat they ate only on rare occasions.

The man gulped and collected his thoughts. Impa allowed it while she sipped the drink.

In these times there were two forms of slavery. The first was welcoming into your home a person who could not live on their own, such as an immigrant, orphan, elder, or debtor; and in return for taking care of all of their needs indefinitely, they would serve the family. The second form of slavery was through kidnapping and selling on the market. The former was meant as social welfare. The latter was a crime punished with death.

Regrettably, it was difficult to distinguish between the two. Criminals would frequently be sold as slaves, people taken as pillage by armies when a city is taken, and with it considered a crime to not pay your taxes the combination of being a debtor and criminal was a further grey line. This problem was further compounded by corruption in the government and a lack of laws protecting slaves.

"I have two slaves: Link and Midna. I did not buy them but accepted them into my home. Link was brought here as a babe by a soldier from the army, and Midna's mother, Sei, died with a debt passed on to the girl. I welcomed both of them into my home. I have raised them well and planned to allow Midna to marry one of my sons."

Impa raised an eyebrow. For this slave to be given the chance to marry outside of her status, she would indeed have been well-loved by the community.

"I am happy on her behalf," Impa said neutrally. "I saw her fighting with a young man. Did you train her to wield a sword?"

"No," He smiled nervously. "That was all Link's doing. He has it in his head that he is the son of a great general and so will be one himself one day. He has grown spirited because of it. With the two of them raised together as siblings, well, it is understandable for that spirit to rub off on her. I-If you desire it, I can have her stop!"

"No need. It was just a passing curiosity. What I think more important is the identity of her parents. You said her mother is 'Sei'? What of the father?"

"Well, the father was a passing merchant and gave Midna, by adoption, to Sei here as he said the birth mother had passed. Sei lived here all of her life. As well as her mother before her and her mother's mother before her." He told her the names of the family tree, but none of the names ringed a bell. They were ordinary people.

Impa considered the information. It fit comfortably into her plan, as there seemed to be no loose ends to worry about. She smiled, "In that case, Mayor. I would like to satisfy her debt on for you, and employ her into the palace."

The man's eyes widened until Impa was afraid for a moment his eyes would fall out of their sockets. The wife dropped the pot she was holding. Impa also heard gasps from outside the door from whatever children were listening in.

Impa could understand their shock. Only the wealthy could afford formal education. Among the educated, only the smartest could hope to pass the test necessary to be employed into the palace's service as an official. Impa heard only one passed out of every thousand to undertake the test even among the wealthy who could afford the education.

The palace's servants were the sons and daughters of noble houses. The cooks were handpicked from around the world. The royal harem was the daughters of the greatest houses of Qin or was the most beautiful and erotic of the nation gathered together by the harem. The guards were all elite veterans with years of war experience and prestigious service to the nation, or as said were the sons of noble houses.

Midna was the slave daughter of a nobody who couldn't handle her debt. Midna didn't hold a candle to the lowest of the Palace's workers, not in this world.

"Mi-Midna?! Our Midna?" The man managed to force out. "Working in the royal palace?! Are you sure?"

"I am. Do you doubt the credibility of my words?"

"No-no, of course not! But-"

"Then let the matter be settled as truth. I wish to take Midna to Kanyou in service to the heir apparent."

The man accepted. Impa did not have the rupee on her but sealed a scroll with her official ring for him to be paid in full. The talk had barely lasted a few minutes, and she had not journeyed far from where she had met the slaves, so her horse-drawn carriage bought her just enough time to finish the conversation before the two slaves entered the house. Midna looked aggravated with Link. They bickered their way in. Impa could recognize how they were like siblings.

The mayor jumped up as the teens entered, and rushed to them, "Midna! Come, sit!"

"But my chores-"

"Never mind them! Minister Impa wants to talk to you!"

Midna gasped, "You're a Minister?!"

"Well, nice to meet you," Link stepped forward. "The answer is: yes. I'm ready to leave this place when you are. I have nothing to pack!"

Impa wasn't sure what he was going on about, but she didn't get the chance to answer. The mayor shoved Link out the door. Link resisted, but his protest fell on deaf ears. More literally when the door shut in his face.

The mayor ushered Midna to the table and after having her sit, then started to explain. He was rolling all over himself trying to explain it right, and the slave girl was rendered speechless by what she managed to piece together. However, she took it well.

"So, Link and I would work at the palace?"

"Not Link, you," Impa clarified.

"Would I be freed or stay a slave?"

Impa wasn't sure how to answer that. It could decide the fate of Qin, and so Impa did not want to allow even the slightest chance for the girl to refuse. As such Impa did not want to say she was free at all, but rather would be taken care of.

Zelda would not want it to be done that way.

Impa sighed. She put down the teacup, "What is entailed is incredibly important, and is equally dangerous. As such I will allow you the respect of choosing. As of this moment you are free by my authority. Any argument with that?" It was technically Impa's choice now that she had bought Midna, but she wanted the girl's input. Midna lost her breath a moment. "Now if you accept, you will accept the work as a free woman. If you refuse, you will refuse as a free woman, and there will be only minor repercussions."

"M-minor what?"

"Punishment. Or namely, a verdict."

Midna gulped, "And what would that be?"

Impa looked her dead in the eye. She enunciated every word with a tap of her finger. "That you never. Ever. Enter politics. If you do, then let's say: No one will find your body."

The mayor looked between them worriedly as the tone shifted. Despite the threat of death, Midna smiled, "Then I have nothing to fear. If I don't accept then it is because I want to stay out of politics, to begin with."

The heavy threat evaporated. Impa smiled as if she hadn't just threatened the girl, "It is good that we understand each other."

"Are you sure you don't want Link? I mean, he is impolite and brash and he may not look it, but he is strong and dependable. You would have more use from him. I'm just me."

"And that is exactly why this offer extends to you. The task can only be done by you. This doesn't include him," Midna looked down at her hands as Impa spoke. "If you are having second thoughts-"

"No. No need," Midna looked back up and met Impa's gaze. "I accept."

Impa held the girl's gaze to ascertain her seriousness. She nodded, rose, and patted herself off, "Well, Midna. You better say your goodbyes. I see no reason to tarry any longer."

"We are leaving right now?"

"Yes. I will wait, but don't take too long."

-Midna-

Midna rose, hugged her former masters, and rushed out the door. The master's children were openly weeping from what little they managed to hear, and while she gave a moment to them, her real attention was on Link. He wasn't there. She hurried to their shared hut.

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Midna found him sitting on his bed waiting for her. A candle was lit in the middle of the hut between their respective beds. Fear filled her stomach until she was nauseous. She feared how he would feel. Betrayed? Abandoned? Alone? She knew the source of his joy, and energy was not merely in his blood, but his pain. The ones who smile harder than any other smile so brightly because at one point they had cried just as hard. He normally smiled and was carefree, but his face was impossible to read. "Link-"

"I heard," He interrupted gently. "Guess this is it, huh?" He chuckled. "You have always been blessed Midna. Every guy wants you, and the girls are envious, and everyone takes care of you. I'm not surprised the Goddesses are rising you up as they are."

"It's not like that. I'm not of a blessed birth. I was born like you." Midna argued.

"No, you were born lowly, unlike me. I was dethroned from my birthright." He rose and walked up to her.

Midna sighed, but also couldn't help smiling. "You have to put in one last jab at your birth, don't you?"

Midna gasped in surprise as his arms went around her. He was by far not an affectionate person. You touched him at your peril. For him to hug her caught her completely off guard and showed how big of a moment this night was, how final. She sniffed and leaned back against him.

"And that is something you will take with you," He continued. "Take the little people with you to the palace, Midna." He abruptly ended the hug. Even this night had had its limits before it got too sappy for him.

"That wouldn't include you, would it, Mr. High-Birth?"

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'll catch up with you one of these days." He flashed her a confident smile. "It's only a matter of time."

Link forcefully spun her around and shoved her out the door, "Now get going!" He encouraged her, "Give me something to chase!"

To emphasize his message, Link shut the door behind her. He heard her outside the door, sniffling and on the verge of a panic attack, before finally resolving herself and walking away. He waited until he heard the sound of horses before opening the door and watching her leave.

She never looked back. He didn't want her to.

-A Week Later-

-Link-

Link continued with his life. A part of himself felt empty with his surrogate sister gone, but he turned that emptiness externally. If he had the energy to feel bad about himself, he had the energy to push himself harder! Besides, Midna was in a far far better place than him!

He turned everything negative into resolve, and lifted twice as much, ran twice as hard, worked the plantation and broke twice as many tools, added pigs to his animal hate list, beat his wooden sword into trees until they broke and passed out when he was done.

Then one day Link woke up to find the back of his hand was pulsing. It was as if his skin had developed a heartbeat of its own. Link rubbed his hand in an attempt to massage the muscle, but it didn't disappear. 'Weird.' Link thought.

Link opened the door and left to start his day, but stopped. The last person he expected to see was sweeping.

"Midna!" He blurted out in surprise. "What the realms are you-" He stopped. The coldness in her eyes startled him. Midna's gaze sent chills down his spine. It was half-way between a glare, a stare and a threat that if he irritated her, he was going to get it. Simply put, she wasn't in the mood.

"It didn't go well, did it?" Link whispered. "I'm sorry..."

"No, it went well," Midna said. She turned away with a cold shoulder and returned to the master's house after sweeping the porch. The door slammed in his face.

"Right." Link sighed.

He should have expected Midna wouldn't be able to handle the palace. Despite her always saying that she was happy with her life on a farm and would be content with a simple life, Link knew better. She would be content but not happy. His best friend dreamed of becoming something more than a slave as much as he did. She would have been thrilled with anything grander, anything where she could do more and accomplish something bigger than just thrashing wheat.

And now the dream was taken away.

"Oh, well. At least she tasted it, right?"

He vowed to give her space. Not that Midna made it difficult. She vacated their shed and stayed in the mayor's house. Having been freed by the minister, she no longer had a place by his side. Link felt his chest stabbed, but he shoved it away and faked a smile for her sake. She stopped working. She stopped socializing. It irritated him, but Link kept to his vow.

He had kept it up another month before he was vexed. Something was wrong.

Link sat down at a food stand for milk. He caressed his pulsing hand. He would have continued working, but his mind was clouded. Midna worried him.

Midna had not returned home the same person she was. The coldness in her eyes, her words, and her heart scared him. Her stare scared away the other guys, the children who gathered around her, it terrified the mayor, and it did everything it could to push Link away. The outgoing, loving, warm, sunny girl had returned cold and dark. Whatever she went through in the Palace had destroyed her. It was as if she was a completely different person.

Link stopped in mid-sip as the thought clicked.

A completely different person...

"Won't be going back to Kanyou for a while," A merchant said nearby. Link perked up. That was where Midna had been! "Not with the rebellion going on."

The man the merchant was talking to paled, "Rebellion? So the rumors are true? The prince?"

"Yeah. Word is the princess took the throne through witchcraft, so her younger brother is overthrowing her. It was quiet the last month, but two days ago it came to an end." The man shook his head in pity.

The other man was outraged. "Rebellious scum. How dare he overthrow the heir!"

"She's a woman. She had it coming. Can't have a woman on the throne, mark my words, her presence was an ill omen. 'Ice Witch' they called her. I don't know if that woman seized the throne by witchcraft or not, but it's just unnatural."

"But she was still the heir. Woman or not, she led. The Prince should have accepted that instead of slaughtering people."

The merchant paled. "Perhaps you're right about that. No throne is worth so many bodies."

An icy chill stroked down Link's spine. He jumped off his bench and nearly knocked them down rushing over, "How bad was it?"

"Kid... you don't want to know."

Link seized his shirt and pleaded, "Please! Midna was nearly caught in it!"

This caught the men off-guard. It was known in the humble village who Midna was, and that she had been recruited by a minister, but it was another thought for her to nearly be caught in a bloodbath.

The merchant paled at the memory. The fear in his eyes revealed the truth perhaps more than his words. "I was there handling a job and there was fire. So much fire in the capital. The army was hauling the bodies out. There were so many bodies at the gates... hundreds. The prince took the throne and killed everyone in his way. Officials, guards, servants, didn't matter."

The other man muttered, "Goddess..."

Link fell back, pale as a ghost and weak in the knees. Midna had been in that world and what was he doing? The preteen was here lounging around doing his usual thing! He should have gone with her! Or at least asked someone to write a letter.

Link returned home numb and confused. He sat in the corner of his shed and stared at the candle, distraught and burdened.

Link didn't care who ruled, whether it was this Ice Witch or her brother. He was a slave. He had no power to appoint who rules and his opinions didn't matter. What mattered was that Midna had entered that world filled with backstabbing, scheming, and death, and came out alive a broken shadow.

What could he possibly do to help? How could a young slave help when he barely could comprehend that world? The most interesting quandary of his day was what animal would try to butcher him next. What could he do to reach Midna? No answer came to mind.

Still. There was hope. Midna had come out of it alive. He would have to encourage to smile again.

These thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Link growled. He was not in the mood today!

"What?!" Link demanded. He swung the door open to find... nothing. There was no one there.

Link huffed in annoyance and about turned back around to slam the door, but a cold, clammy hand touched his foot. A chill went down his spine as his gaze fell. A ghoul laid at his feet covered in water from the rain, trailing blood down the yard. He yelled like a girl.

Link fell back and retreated backward, striking the ghoul's hand away. He looked for something, anything! His wooden practice sword was out in the yard. All he had in the shed was a bedroll, flint, and candle.

Link grasped for the flint and aimed the pointed side at the monster prepared to fight to the death if need be. He waited. He anticipated it crawling towards him. Only it didn't.

The ghoul laid sprawled out in the rain. Its golden locks caked in mud and blood.

Wait...

Link slowly crawled forward. With one hand he held up the flint, and with the other, he thrust the candle forward. His heart jumped into his throat.

"Midna?!" Why was Midna here?! Why was she bleeding?! Why was she in rich clothes? Her breath was shallow, and she shivered violently.

Link grabbed her, picked her up in his arms bridal style, and rushed into the master's house. He threw his shoulder into the door and burst in. He placed Midna on the floor mat. "Master! Its Midna! She's hurt-" He stopped. His eyes widened in shock.

Midna stood at the other end of the house. Midna was in his arms. Midna looked at him coldly. Midna clung to his shirt like a life-line.

How? What? Why? He had so many questions! Why was there a Midna in two places? Why was one clinging to him with familiarity, and the other regarded him as a stranger?! Unless...

A completely different person...

"What the realms is going on?!"

(Scribens edited 3/28/2020)