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  And then, before either of them knew what was really happening, their lips touched. Their kiss began slowly, gently and light, but it gradually deepened as they easily

  embraced. Zelda pressed her hands against Link's strong, lean chest as he wrapped his arms around her slender, curvy waist. Even though they had never kissed before, it

  was as though they somehow already had each other memorized. Both of their minds were completely empty as they remained in this position for quite some time, their

  hearts entwining together without them really noticing it.

  However, it was only as their lips finally started to part that the ramifications of what had just occurred suddenly hit the queen in full force. Somehow, every time she was

  with the hero, she seemed to forget that she was the monarch of an entire country, but now she remembered, especially as the two of them stayed mere inches apart

  from one another. Time seemed to still as Zelda's heart and mind went to war, her mind reminding her that her duty was to her people above all else and her heart

  wanting to peruse all of the new emotions she was feeling towards Link. But in the end, she knew that no matter how she felt about him, their respective positions would

  not change. She was still the queen and he was still only a peasant, as much as she wished it was not so. If he was royalty just as she was, this would be so much easier,

  but she knew that he was not, and the last thing Zelda wanted to do was force Link into a life that he had never really known or been a part of. Suddenly, she regretted

  ever asking him to stay at the castle with her, for she knew that he would not do well there; he was a free spirit, a warrior, an adventurer. The only things that he would

  find in the castle walls would be restriction and regulation, the very same thing things that she had always known, but managed to tolerate. But even more than that was

  the matter of the future. Even if she was certain of her newfound feelings for him, then there would be the issue of class standing in between them. It would be so

  incredibly difficult for them to be together because of her position as a ruler, and the high expectations that were placed upon both her and any potential suitor she might

  have. She knew that if he felt the same way about her, then it would most likely pain him as much as it would her to see her end up with another man simply because of

  social status. And the last thing that Zelda wanted to do to Link, after everything he had done for her, was hurt him in such a way. Which was why, as the hero attempted

  to draw her back into another kiss, the queen slowly placed her fingers gently upon his lips, pushing them away from her as she avoided his confused, suddenly distraught

  gaze.

  "I…I am sorry…" she whispered, her voice quivering on the verge of tears of grief as she broke their embrace. "I… I have made a mistake… Forgive me…"

  Link frowned at her as she backed away from him, her light blue eyes seeming to sparkle with oncoming tears. "Zelda?" he asked worriedly, wondering if he had done

  something wrong.

  The queen said nothing more as she turned her back to him and hurried back into the ball room, leaving the hero standing alone and dejected upon the balcony. All he

  could do was stare despondently in the direction she had headed, too upset and confused to chase after her. Things had been going so well between them earlier; what

  had gone wrong so suddenly? At the moment, Link didn't really know how to feel; he had thought that Zelda truly did like him, but if she had, then why did she run away

  like that? He felt as though he had finally gotten somewhere with her, that they had finally gotten to the point that he wanted to be at, but now he wasn't so sure. Perhaps

  Midna had been wrong after all; perhaps the Queen of Hyrule really did have no time or care to spare on a poor commoner like him.

  As this thought struck the hero, he let out a small sigh of grief and hung his head, wishing that their circumstance were so much different. He wished that he was born of

  royalty like she was, and at the same time, he wished that she was born of peasantry as he was. But in the end, no amount of wishing could change what truly was. They

  could not be together, and as he stood alone in the freezing air falling snow, the darkness of the night covering him more than the glowing light from inside, he had never

  felt colder.

  However, what Link didn't see was the dark presence looming in the shadows quite close to him, watching with anticipation as the hero mourned the queen's apparent

  rejection of him. And it was with wicked satisfaction that this presence already began to plan how to use those feelings against them both, waiting for the perfect moment

  to finally strike.

  Midna stood well-concealed within the shadows, making sure to keep a careful eye upon the entire party from her hiding spot as she remained cautiously unseen. She

  knew that if Verona intended on attacking Hyrule any time soon, now would be a perfect opportunity. After all, both the queen and the hero were clearly distracted, and

  there was a great deal of important people gathered together for the coronation. The possibility of such an attack was quite high, but fortunately, the Twilight Princess was

  keeping up a dutiful watch for anything suspicious, even if no one else was.

  However, her concentration was suddenly penetrated upon seeing Zelda enter back into ball room from the balcony that her and Link had been alone on, though she

  returned alone, much to Midna's confusion. A few minutes passed and the hero also stepped back into the room, but he did not go back up towards the throne to join the

  queen, even though she had invited him to earlier. The Twilight Princess could tell that her former companion was sulking as he slowly headed in the opposite direction,

  towards the back end of the chamber instead, almost as if he looked like he intended on leaving the party. Curiosity and worry overwhelming her, Midna sunk deeper into

  the shadows so that she would not have to pass through the thick crowd as she moved undetected towards the hero, joining with his shadow and coming out of it after

  making sure no one was watching.

  "Where do you think you're going?" she asked him a bit harshly, believing that he was backing down from interacting with the queen once more.

  "I'm leaving," Link said as he continued walking towards the ball room's exit, the slightest hint of bitterness and frustration in his tone.

  "What?" Midna asked in complete confusion. "Why? What happened with Zelda?"

  "Nothing," the hero said emptily as he was painfully reminded of how she had pulled away from him so suddenly without really explaining why. "Nothing happened."

  "That's not what it looked like," the Twilight Princess said, though there was no teasing in her tone this time. "It looked like the two of you were having the time of your

  lives together earlier! What went wrong?"

  "That's what I'm trying to figure out…" Link muttered to himself as he sighed and cast a glance over at Zelda's direction as the queen stood near her throne, staring out

  towards his direction.

  As Zelda kept her gaze on Link, even though the entire length of the ball room separated them, she felt a burst of sadness begin to eat away at her heart. A wave of

  regret washed over her as she realized that she had been far too cold with him, even though that had never been her intent. It was true that she cared for him, but she

  just didn't have the same kind of courage to pursue such feelings as he seemed to have. Her heart sank as she saw him prepare to leave the ball, and a newfound fear

  filled her as she wondered if, after how she had treated him, he planned on leaving the castle and returning home as well. A silent gasp escaped her as she thought of this,

  knowing that having to watch him leave would certainly break her heart. Even though she doubted that they could ever
be together as a couple, she still pined for his

  company above all else. She wanted to have him with her always, to simply know that he would be by her side to comfort her and support her whenever she needed him

  to. But at the same time, she knew that she was being selfish by planning on forcing him to conform to a life that wasn't his simply for her sake. It wasn't right and she

  knew that the only condition that she wanted him to stay under would be one in which they were both happy. And so, Zelda took in a deep breath as her sorrow began to

  turn into determination instead. She was going to find a way around the matter of their differing social classes. She refused to let something as petty and foolish as that

  get in their way. If both of them wanted to be together, then it would happen, one way or another.

  Filled with this newfound resolve, the queen smiled at the hero as their eyes met once more, but for what reason, Link couldn't figure out at all as he simply looked up at

  her in confusion. Her heart brimming with affection and hope, Zelda decided that she wanted to tell him of her decision immediately, so that he would have no reason to

  leave her whatsoever.

  However, it was only as the queen stepped forward to get to the hero that everything started to go wrong.

  All at once, the ground suddenly began to rumble, causing all of the patrons of the ball to stop their dancing and conversing and glance around in confusion. Zelda stopped

  in her tracks as she noticed the quaking of the earth, her breath catching in her throat as a sudden chill ran up her spine. In one sudden gust of untraceable wind, the

  chandelier and candles that filled the room with warm, glowing light were suddenly extinguished, leaving an unnatural, shadowy light in its place. Upon seeing this, Link

  instinctually gripped the hilt of the sheathed Ordon Sword as Midna placed a cautious hand upon his shoulder, both of them already anticipating the worst based on the

  sudden feeling of darkness and malevolence that had crept into the room. The stirring gale continued throughout the room as the crowds began to grow fearful and

  nervous, and immediately, all of the nearby guards lining the edges of the room rushed to stand before the queen in order to protect her from any potential harm.

  A low, quiet laugh began to fill the ball room, its smooth, feminine sound echoing clearly so that everyone could hear it, especially as it began to increase in volume with

  each passing second. As it reached its highest volume, it suddenly cut off abruptly as the large doors to the ball room swung open with a loud crash, the violent winds

  cutting off as well. Since Link was relatively close to the doors, he drew his sword and prepared to attack the intruder, but Midna, already guessing who it was, clenched

  her grip on his shoulder tightly and protectively, before pulling him back into the crowd so that they would not be seen.

  The crowds all turned towards the open doors, mummers and gasps of fear rippling through them as a long figure appeared in the doorway, their form concealed by

  shadows until they finally, slowly entered the room, taking the entire crowd by shock and surprise at her appearance.

  "Verona…" Midna growled under her breath as she sent a hidden glare to her cousin, who, just as she had been expecting, had invaded the castle at the worst possible

  time. However, as she looked upon the self-proclaimed Queen of Shadows, a burst of fear ran through her as she remembered the brutal beating she had taken from her

  but the previous day before. Anxiety clouded the normally bold Twilight Princess's thoughts as she shrunk back even further into the crowd, dragging Link along with her

  even though he didn't want to go and instead wanted to defend against this new foe, especially as she began to make her way towards Zelda. Yet all the same, he did

  remain still for a moment, as did the queen herself as they took in her imposing appearance.

  Even from a first glance, it was clear to see that Verona bore a striking resemblance to Midna; they both had the same pale blue skin, with a shadowy black covering

  much of their chests in the same way. They were also both quite tall, towering over most people present in the assembly, though it was clear that the Queen of Shadows

  was taller than even the Twilight Princess, most likely because she was a few years older. Her hair was a fiery shade of scarlet, flowing midway down her back, with some

  of it tied in front of her in the same fashion as Midna. Verona, on the other hand, had her orange locks hanging down in front of one of her eyes, a single white highlight

  running through it. Upon her head she wore a simple silver tiara, most likely crafted as a sign of her stolen status as the ruler of the Twilight Realm. She wore large, curved

  magenta shoulder pads, from which a long black cape hung and dragged long on the ground behind her as she walked. She wore dark blue fingerless gloves, and a flowing,

  form-fitting skirt that showed off her slender, curvaceous figure and hung down to the floor, blue Twili patterns adorning its black fabric and a banner hanging from it

  bearing an ominous, elongated crimson eye symbol. In her right hand, she bore a tall, elegant scepter composed of dark metal, with an empty glass orb at its tip. Her

  dark red lips were curved up into a calm, calculating grin as she kept her one visible red and yellow eye on the front of the room, where the queen, or rather, her throne,

  were positioned. Overall, Verona had the appearance of one who certainly looked befitting of the tittle "Queen of Shadows"; she was incredibly beautiful in an exotic way,

  and she had an air of dangerous charisma and confidence to her, her steps echoing loudly throughout the hall as she approached the throne, the crowds parting for her

  largely out of fear of the power she so clearly wielded.

  Despite the wall of guards still standing before Zelda, Verona did not stop her approach, but instead she merely lifted her hand as she headed for them, effortlessly creating

  a wall of energy and pushing them all aside roughly, as a mere simple show of her magical might. Upon seeing this, Link immediately began to push his way through the

  nervous crowds, knowing that he had to protect Zelda from this new threat above all else, even despite what had just happened between them. Midna gasped when the

  hero broke out of her grip, and she carefully began to sift her way through the throng as well, though she made sure to draw very little attention to herself, wanting to

  stop the hero from doing anything rash.

  Verona's silent grin deepened as she finally came to a stop at the bottom of the platform that the throne was one, tapping the bottom of her scepter down upon the

  ground as she gave the new queen an examining look for a moment, before finally speaking. "Well, well…" she began, her voice smooth and regal, her mysterious grin still

  apparent. "This is quite the glorious gathering you have here, your highness… Though I would expect nothing less from the great kingdom of Hyrule itself… Oft have my

  people spoken of the riches and splendor that this land has to offer, and they certainly were not wrong. It's certainly a place with much to offer indeed…" She let out a

  small laugh, the greed in it quite clear, before she continued. "Oh, but where is my mind? I am being terribly rude… Allow me to introduce myself. I am Verona, Queen of

  Shadows and Ruler of the Twilight Realm. It is an honor to finally meet you face to face, Princess-or should I say-Queen Zelda…"

  "You are not the true ruler of the Twilight Realm," Zelda protested, finally working up the nerve to speak as she forced herself to stand tall and assertive before her foe. "I

  have heard of how you stole the throne from the rightful Twilight Princess, but you shall not do the same to Hyrule!"

  Verona simply raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, her cold smile still not fading as she replied. "Oh, don't fret, your majesty," she said in a false
ly benevolent tone. "I do

  not wish to claim your kingdom… At least not by such barbaric means…"

  "Then why have you come here?" the Hylian queen asked suspiciously, not trusting the queen of shadow's supposed sincerity for a minute.

  "Well, when I heard of such an important celebration, I knew that I simply could not keep away," Verona said calmly. "After all, considering that the land of Hyrule and the

  Twilight Realm are so profoundly connected, it would be an absolute insult to both of our kingdoms if I did not make an appearance."

  "You are not welcome here," Zelda said, her tone projecting much more confidence and bravery than she was actually feeling, though she knew she had to be strong for

  her people. "Now leave, and do not return."

  The Queen of Shadows' smile finally faded into an insincere look of hurt. "Oh, your highness…" she said patronizingly. "Do not be so tactless… After all, I have simply come

  to make an alliance with you, not to attack your kingdom. Contrary to what my dear cousin Midna may have told you, I do not bear you or your kingdom any ill will. In

  fact, there need not be any sort of altercation or violence at all… You may even keep your newfound position and title… So long as you and all your citizens swear your

  allegiance to me…"

  Verona grinned darkly once more, her scarlet eye seeming to shine with greed and desire as she cast a brief glance to the Hyrulian throne behind its proper owner. Zelda

  clenched her fists tightly at her sides upon hearing this, realizing that she had been in this position before when Zant first attacked. But unlike then, Hyrule's defender was

  present, and as the queen noticed Link break out of the crowd and come to stand before them, pausing several feet behind Verona and watching her carefully in case she

  tried to attack, she felt much more safe and secure. "You lied then," she said boldly. "You do intend on conquering Hyrule."

  "You misunderstand, your excellence," the Queen of Shadows said with an incline of her head. "I do not wish to conquer your people; I wish to liberate them. I merely

  want to free them from the bondage that the light of this land has always set them under, and bondage that they never even knew they were a part of. Light has become