Tale of a Moon Monger

Chapter 1

A peaceful silence hushed over the Twilight Kingdom. There was a pleasant grimness that extended far into the little forgotten empire nestled in the Shadow Realm, a grimness that the people there grew to love and accept as their own. The people themselves enjoyed a rare and wistful peace, peace that no other race ever enjoyed in their entire lifetime. This small settlement of shadow people soon became a grand secret kingdom in its time while enjoying the luxuries of advanced magic and technology, which ironically was more advanced than any other race. Strangely they developed these things not out of necessity, but out of luxury and interest in the magic's and secrets of their world. Unlike in the other realms, subtle beauties and simple luxuries were lauded as treasures of wonder to the Twili. The Twili had no troubles and wanted for nothing in life; they simply enjoyed being.

Of coarse peace was not always part of daily life, their past was riddled with darkness and horrific mistakes. These mistakes were not the Twili's to make, but they inherited the blame from their fathers and mothers. Their ancestors had gambled and wanted for unspeakable power that only the masses of greedy and misguided longed for. The folly of the dark interloper doomed them to walk among the shadows for an eternity, never to join the 'free' races in the golden land. An eternity of time passed after that. The interlopers had no real way to know how long they were waiting, for day and night had no meaning in this place. The sun and moon were absent from their eyes, and time became invisible to their senses.

Eventually time passed as did the generations of these people. Little by little the public would forget why they had come in the first place. It seemed to be of little consequence how they came to live in the twilight realm as they were already there and they had no reason to long for more. Curiosity was not something the commoners felt for their origins, only the here and now was important. It seemed the only ones who knew the history were those in the royal court, and it was simply because they were required to study it. However, in addition to the royal court there was one other who was curious, perhaps too curious for his own good.

The King of Twilight had unexpectedly summoned his two trusted subordinates to a private meeting in his throne room one day. One was called Zant, a young male twili. Zant was very serious and by the book, yet immensely dedicated to his work. He was chosen to be one of the king's advisors due to his knowledge of twili history and magic, and was an accomplished magic user due to his dedication and ethic. He was against spontaneity of all sorts and abhorred humor when it came to royal duties. This was more of vulnerability than a strength; pushing his buttons was incredibly easy, no matter how straight faced he attempted to be. Regardless of his sour attitude, he was incredibly polite and refined. He had a genuine way of talking, and never spoke ill of anyone. The public appreciated Zant, and always would relay their serious problems to him.

The kings other advisor was a young female twili named Midna. Midna was almost a polar opposite to the dire and serious Zant. Midna was like the commoners; she enjoyed life and wasn't about to let royal duties get in the way. Midna was chosen out of recommendation from the people. She was well liked by the simple citizens of the realm, and had a fantastic intuition and love for the normal folk and they're history. She was insistent and forthcoming and the king enjoyed her company. She offered a second opinion to Zants logical approaches, often poking fun at how straight laced he was. The two would often engage in inane arguments resulting in Midna's superiority, stemming from her ability to turn logical debates in on themselves.

"Midna…Zant…" the pale faced king called "I'm glad you both could come."
The king adjusted himself in his seat, slowly groaning until he became more comfortable. Zant waited unblinkingly while he did this, while Midna glanced over at him. She smiled a bit to herself. Zant did this all the time, waiting patiently without even blinking. Perhaps it was to show off his dedication, but most of the time the king didn't even notice.

"What did you need my lord? You sounded urgent in your notice…" Zant asked. Usually these meetings were of little consequence, usually pertaining to reorganizing some scrolls or making the gardener do his job. But something about the cryptic note they received seemed rather off and uncommonly urgent. The king sighed a bit, not answering Zant's question.

"My lord…" Midna asked, "Is there something we can do for you?"

"Yes….yes." The old king muttered after a prolonged silence, raising his tired eyes at the two of them. "I've been alerted to some troubling news. I'm not sure how to…go about this situation because it's never happened in all my years of ruling."

The King stood after that, finding more strength from his worry. He paced around silently, trying to word out his dilemma. Zant and Midna exchanged some nervous glances at that point.
"Sire, I'm sure it's nothing me and Zant here can't handle. Go ahead and tell us." Midna said in a motherly tone. The king nodded and turned towards them, his long dark robes flowing as he did.

"I'm sure you're both familiar with our leading sorcerer, Majora?" He asked. Zant nodded, while Midna let loose a somewhat disgusted look off to the side.

"Yes…I have spoken with him a few times. He's rather difficult to talk to, but he is a genius." Zant explained, trying to hide his admiration.

"How cute, Zant's in love." Midna muttered loudly while crossed her arms "He's not only difficult to speak with, but he's also a leering pretentious egotist…he talks as if he invented air." The king laughed at her explanation, but quickly resumed his worried look after a few chuckles.

"Recently, his apprentice turned up dead." He said with precision and volume, seemingly to scare them into listening. It echoed through the hall, while Midna quirked an eyebrow. Had she heard that right? Twili die when they get old, not all of the sudden. Death was not something these people were accustomed to.

'Majora would give no explanation for it, he only reported 'these things happen I suppose'." The king explained grimly. Midna looked rather peeved by that statement, letting out a sigh of disgust.

"Oh, he WOULD say that…" she snorted.

"Midna!" Zant hissed in a loud whisper. "Mind your manners!" With that the two started babbling incoherently in argument. Stress between the two was suddenly heightened, most likely due to the situation. The king paced some more, waiting for them to quiet down and straighten up. Usually he would let things like this go, but his patience grew extremely thin now.

"I hate to entertain a thought like this, but I think it might be murder we are dealing with. Majora refuses to speak about it, but at the same time he doesn't seem upset by his protégé's death." The two quieted instantly. Murder had not happened since the interloper's time. It was so rare there wasn't even an official law against it. Such an act was unthinkable now.

"What would you have us do, lord?" Zant asked, hesitantly. The king looked at the two with stern eyes.

"You must speak with Majora…get the truth. I don't care how." He ordered.

Midna relaxed her arms down to her sides again. It didn't seem so simple to her. Getting any kind of normal response out of Majora was hard.

"And what if it is murder? What do we do?" She asked.

"Then we must offer punishment." He replied. Zant and Midna looked down trying to hide their grim looks. "I know that this is unusual, but we can't let murder go unaccounted for. It could cause panic and disorder."

"And if he resists?" Zant asked, looking back up. He knew the words he didn't want to hear.

"Zant, you and Midna are very skilled magic users. I'm sure you'll think of something." He said with a hint of annoyance. He was implying the use of force, something neither of them were skilled in doing. The two stared at the old king in disbelief, waiting for him to say something else. He would usually give words of encouragement, or a kind departing message. This time they received nothing but a cold stare.

"That is all." He simply said, and went to sit down again. Midna and Zant bowed and then left the chamber, exchanging looks to one another. They didn't get much farther out of the hallway when they began conversing.

"Should we both go and speak to him? I think he'd be less likely to act out with both of us there, I'm not sure on what we should do…" Zant said all in one breath, pacing back and forth feverishly. Midna glared at him.

"Absolutely not! I'm not speaking with that…thing. I'm not even going near him." She said in a demanding tone. Zant came to stop in his pacing and looked a tad bit worried that he apparently was going alone now.

"So I have to do it myself? Why can't you come with me? It would be easier to obtain the truth with two…" He pleaded. Midna sighed, losing some of the fierce look in her eyes. She looked up at Zant and shook her head.

"I don't like the way he looks at me. It's incredibly unsettling. He's always trying to get some kind of rise out of me. Besides, he likes you better…you've spoken with him for extended times before, right?"

"Well…yes. But it was less than pleasant. He started asking me odd questions. Do I love myself, what do I desire most…" He said, looking away from Midna's gaze with an uncomfortable expression transfixing his own. "When I spoke with him, he had been studying our history. In fact…he had already finished the scrolls. There's no rule for our people studying the writings, but…sometimes I feel like its better not knowing."

"I know exactly what you mean Zant." Midna said, crossing her arms. She suddenly smiled at Zant, which calmed his nerves a bit. "So! It's decided. You go by yourself and I'm going to the gardens." She walked away abruptly after that, her bare feet making soft padding sounds as she did.

"W-wait! I never agreed to that!" He called out. It was too late, Midna was gone. He sighed angrily. "Irresponsible little…."

Zant quietly made his way across the large castle and through the towers towards where Majora usually studied. He took his time, nervously mulling over the awkward meeting with the king in his head. Perhaps it was nothing big at all. Maybe the student was ill, if that was even possible. This was all most likely a misunderstanding. After all, Majora was the most respected magical mind in the entire realm. But it was incriminating that Majora himself was a tad bit eccentric and a bit of a loose cannon. He was different than the other Twili people. The twili mostly enjoyed social occasions and group settings, but Majora was anti-social. He hated group unity it seemed, but he was not against company or personal engagements. He enjoyed pushing the envelope and trying new things, something that was considered dangerous by the twili public. He even looked slightly different than most twili. He was about as tall as Zant, but was shaped differently. He had a similar shape to Midna, who had a unique look as it was. He was incredibly skinny but was toned at the same time. He wore less than most twili, wearing nothing but a lower tunic-skirt, colored in a gaudy blue, belted by a goldish yellow. He was the only one who wore colors like that. The gold was normal in twili garb, but the vibrant blue stood out entirely. Most twili's eyes were delicate, and couldn't handle colors such as those. Instead of keeping his red hair groomed like Zant or Midna, he let it grow wild with long wiry strands extending down his back. Like all twili he had a naturally pale body, with black marks covering it. His black marks ran across his body, but made a peculiar shape across his chest. The shape resembled eye-like markings almost, accentuating his tone. But above all of these things, the most undisputed quality that Majora had was his eyes. His eyes were much larger than those of a normal male twili. They were large, piercing, and colored a violent orangeish red. These eyes were eyes that leered at you in the dark, eyes that could see into your very soul.

Over the years, Majora became more reclusive, taking in less and less students. He suddenly spent his time researching the endless texts that detailed the origin of the Twili and the ones who condemned them. For some reason he could not cease his eyes from pacing word after word, absorbing every meaning and every phrase. The books and scrolls he enjoyed the most spoke of the golden land, Hyrule. This forbidden land was the land of the faithful, the land of hard workers and discipline. It was much different from his own home, where everyone was wistful, lazy, and content. The books spoke of the sun and the moon that marked the passing of each day, days he had never heard of. After a while, he became obsessed with these occurrences. He also became obsessed with the passage of time. Time had little meaning in the twilight realm, but he found the notion to be incredibly interesting. Out of gears and various devices, he had constructed a clock and taught himself how to read it. For him, a weekly cycle would encompass a mere three days by Hylian standards. He would feverishly attempt to carve pictures that depicted these things he had never seen, and in his heart he could never hope to see. Eventually his entire chamber wall was covered in these carvings, carvings that attempted to give reason to his obsession with the celestial bodies and the passage of time.

Zant finally summoned the courage and rose to his tower, a large dimly lit dome like chamber. Zant could see the lanky sorcerer off on one end of the room, working on some kind of conjuration. Majora was extremely energetic at times but when it came to his own personal work he was focused and detailed, much like how Zant was with his own work. He would wait days at a time without food or rest, just watching his work grow and change. He could sit as still and silent as a statue during these times, using his observant eyes to catch any nuance or change. Zant stepped in and noted the bizarre carvings on the wall, some hastily scribbled and others ornate and detailed. He took another step inside when Majora noticed him. He jerked his head around with a snap, his bright eyes illuminating some of the darkness.

"Why my good friend Zant!" He chirped, dropping his work and walking towards him. He had a large smile on his face but Zant did not return it, he kept his deadpan gaze set on him.

"What brings you here my boy? Come to chat? Come to learn? Come to see?" He asked, stopping with a small jerk in an uncomfortably close proximity. Zant awkwardly took a step back. Zant cleared his throat and faced the strange conjurer.

"I've come to……well…" Zant rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I've come to ask you something. I've heard a rumor that…"

"My apprentice is dead, yes. These things happen. A shame! He was a promising mind!" Majora said, still grinning. His nonchalant way of putting it was rather disturbing. Zant was perplexed as how he could openly come out and say it.

"Well…why is he dead?" Zant asked, his eyes becoming antagonized by Majora's phrasing. Something was off about this encounter, he could already tell.

"Because he died. It was his time to go, so he went." Majora said in a pleasant sigh.

"No no…" Zant said, becoming impatient. "You must know how he died and the reason, I need the truth Majora." Majora chuckled, and walked back to his altar giving no answer at all. He swayed lazily from side to side as he did. "Majora! I'm speaking to you! I'm under the orders of the King of Twilight to-"

"Shhhhhhh!" Majora hushed, crouching by the altar to retrieve wine. "Zant Zant Zant…you're so young. You're far too young to be so uptight."

"I'm not uptight!" He snapped, standing tall and taking a step forward. Majora cackled a bit, pouring himself a glass.

"Its always business with you my friend. Do you honestly enjoy acting like that?"

"I can't help the way I act, I just do. I need to be upstanding and-"

"Professional and clean and blah blah blah…" Majora said, sitting on his own altar. "What's that attitude really about Zant? Explain yourself." He sipped his drink and looked quizzically towards Zant with a snarky smile. Zant scowled and gritted his teeth.

"I'm not here for mind games Majora! I just want answers." He said through his frown. His voice sounded extremely aggravated.

"And I want answers TOO!" Majora snapped, letting wine spill on the floor. "You give me what I want, and I'll tell you what you're so desperate to hear you lap dog!" Zant sighed angrily, regaining his composure. He wouldn't stoop down to this inane level.

"Why am I so serious? Because someone has to be." He explained. "We can't all be wistful and apathetic. Someone, at least ONE person has to have the answers, because when things go wrong people aren't going to go to the nice friendly one who will tell them what they want to hear, they'll go to wisest one who will tell them the truth." There was definitely a hint of bitterness in what he said. Majora cooed at this as he could detect it.

"Oooooo bitter are we? Does Zant have some unspoken feelings? Particularly against a certain Midna?" He said, egging him on.

"I hold nothing against Midna. In fact she's one of my closest friends." He said, backtracking himself a bit.

"Then tell me Zant, I know that you two are both candidates to replace that blubbering king…which one of you deserves it more?" He asked. Zant was silent for a long time. He didn't want to expose himself in front of him.

"I have worked tirelessly…" He started. "I have solved the kings problems, I have done everything asked of me…I've worked and trained without food or sleep, I know the laws and the histories by memory. I think I would make a good king."

"And I agree my friend." Majora said toasting his goblet towards Zant. He was pleased at these results and didn't bother to hide it. Zant looked away, feeling like he had been tricked. He had never said this to anyone before in order to not seem arrogant. But for some reason he felt that he could speak his mind here. Majora was able to get emotions like this out of anyone his eyes saw.

"So you're so deadpanned because you think being a leader is a serious and big deal. I suppose I understand. Midna would most likely run this old place into the ground, not like it would matter though!" He said. He snorted, taking another drink. Zant watched him, waiting for his answers now. Majora gulped down his wine, and then looked back at him. His smile disappeared suddenly.

"I know why you're here, Zant. You're trying to find out if I murdered that weak little sap." Majora's light voice suddenly became low and rumbling. Zant didn't change his face, but inside his heart started pounding. Was this a confession or was Majora playing more games?

"The king is too weak to confront me himself so he sends his lapdog. Midna didn't come with you because she's a damned cowardish whore. Are you the only one who doesn't feel endangered by being around little old radical me, Zant?"

"No. I didn't want to come either. But it has to be done…" He said, blinking at how truthful he just was. It was like he couldn't stop speaking his mind, which was something he seldom did. Majora let out a single laugh.

"That's why I like you Zant. Determined to a fault. In the face of fear and possibly death, you do what you're told like a good dog." Zant suddenly snarled, losing his temper.

"You WILL exercise proper etiquette when speaking to me! I am the Kings advisor, NOT a lap dog!" He said in a raised voice. Majora was not threatened.

"I'm not making fun of you, little Zant. I'm only trying to get you to understand something." He said.

"Understand what?!" He stepped towards Majora, who was watching his every move.

"To make you understand that you, unlike your other countrymen, want more. Just like me. We both desire bigger and better things!"

"What does this have to do with your apprentice then?!" He seethed. Majora's eyes glowed and he suddenly bellowed.

"LISTEN and find out!" Zant suddenly stepped back and gasped at the loud noise Majora's voice made. Majora's voice was very shrill and piercing. "Zant, like I said, you and I are alike. We both have been living in this dark dank place for too long." Majora jumped off his seat and began pacing. Zant's breath was quick now as his anger turned into fear. He wanted to leave now. He felt something stirring inside of him, something he was trying hard to repress.

"I've been studying and working since I've been born. I've discovered and invented things that no one would believe. I've discovered wonders far beyond imagination. Does anyone appreciate them? No. Not a soul besides myself. I watch the lazy fat Twili every day. They are content to do nothing special with their lives and waste away into nothing. All they desire is just rock to stand upon and twilight to gaze on. Very soon…we will turn into mere shadows and cease to think." Majora sneered at this, looking out his window. "I've grown bored, Zant. Bored and depressed at this laziness. People are wasting their time here, and they look forward to the time they waste! It's disgusting!"

"They are our people, Majora." Zant said quietly, not liking where this conversation was going.

"YOUR people Zant. I'm not one of them, I'm special. I'm what the Hylian call an artist." He said. The term 'Hylian' made Zants heart jump a bit. No one besides himself were supposed to know these words. "I find myself wanting more. I've heard and read of things that I can't even imagine in my head." He paused, looking at an ornate round carving on the wall. He stroked the stone longingly, a lust taking over his eyes.

"I so wish to see the moon…it seems so beautiful in my dreams and yet I can never truly see it." He said, a hint of sorrow stinging his voice.

"You shouldn't have read about them then." Zant said. "It's our lot in life to remain here. If you read so much you would know this." Majora chuckled through his sadness while Zant was trying to explain.

"That's not what you really think Zant. Not in your deep dark heart at least. I can see right through that disguise of yours. You feel like our people are wasting away into nothingness. Outside the barriers of this world, you KNOW there is a golden land that we are entitled to. You've heard of those three whores…they put us here, because they feared true power. True power that I have rediscovered I might add."

"Majora!" Zant snapped. "Stop this nonsense at once! I don't know where you get off accusing me of these things or speaking about your home like this…but I highly suggest you put these things out of your head!"

"Oh there that anger of yours Zant." Majora said, not falling for it. "You're only getting angry because I'm absolutely right. I can see it in your eyes. You want out as badly as I do. There are WAYS to escape this realm, I've discovered them."

"I don't want to hear about your ludicrous plans!" Zant stormed, turning to walk out.
"Wait! I didn't finish telling you about my apprentice!" Majora called. Zant stopped in his tracks, and turned around.

"I'm listening." He simply said.

"I told HIM about this too, a while back. I'm afraid that the feeling of entrapment and despair took over his body and mind. To escape, he took the only route a boy like him could take. Death." He said as if he were delivering a dramatic funeral speech. "Through that window, he leapt head first. Upon the courtyard ground his body broke, and his spirit pulled free. What a beautiful way to escape the body…his emotions were like a feast." Majora smiled then, as if he were recalling a pleasant distant memory. Zant stared at him, completely flabbergasted. Murder was one thing, but suicide? They didn't even have a word for suicide in their world.

"Go. Tell your king I'm innocent, like a good pup." He said, waving him out the door. Zant silently left, and walked down the stairs. The encounter has shaken him a bit. He wasn't even out of the tower when he sat against the wall, and buried his head in his hands. Majora had seen right through him. He was right about everything he had said. Zant was afraid on how this might affect him now that he admitted his jealousy and arrogance to himself. He remembered how he promised to suppress these feelings long ago. After all, the greater good was more important than being king. But he still desperately longed for the position, so he could build into the empire as he saw fit, and save his people from apathy. Majora was also right about Midna. Zant genuinely admired Midna, and she WAS his friend. But he could not help feeling jealousy on how much attention and love she received. The king adored her, and the people preferred her over Zant. Midna didn't even seem to notice the adoration she commanded, which made it more insulting to Zant. He sighed, and stood up. Once again he regained his composure, and left to tell the king. He would only report that Majora was innocent, and would not mention anything else about their conversation.

(stay tuned for the next chapter)