Due to a comment I got with the last chapter, I feel it necessary to say. This story will contain a variety of pairings and yes, some of those pairings will be male/male. There will also be male/female and possibly some hints of female/female. I listed some of the pairings there will be in chapter one.

Disclaimer: The characters and lands in this story belong to Nintendo, not to me.

TWILIGHT MESSENGER

CHAPTER TWO – The World of Light.

XXXX

The blinding light surrounded me, filling my vision and hurting my eyes so much that I had to close them, but even then I could see it. It roared over my skin, tingling unpleasantly over my Twili markings, and the rushing of winds filled my ears as I spiralled through the void between the world of Twilight and the world of Light.

It did not stop suddenly, but rather gradually, and I was laid to rest upon what I assumed to be solid ground, though there was something dry and crackling beneath me. The glaring light left my eyes, and the roaring winds were replaced by a gentle rustling sound, and also a sound of faint music. I wondered if my transition had made me delirious that I would hear that, but, I supposed, stranger things had happened in the Twilight, and I had no knowledge of what to expect.

I eased myself up softly and opened my eyes. I shut them again soon after. That blinding light I had been in was like the brilliance of a Sol against my face, and it hurt my eyes to look at and stung at my skin where my Twilight heritage showed, and this light was truly nothing to it. However, the pure shock of seeing a light that was not strained and did not come from a Sol astounded me, and I had not the time to take in my surroundings.

I opened my eyes again slowly, embarrassed to find them watering, though there was no one around to see them. I dried them quickly on my sleeves and looked around from where I was seated.

A forest. I was in a forest. Well, that was sensible, I supposed; after all, I had been in a forest when I warped into the Light world, hadn't I? However, this forest made that forest look insubstantial – as if it were a dream. The light was flirted through the foliage of the trees, but was still stronger than the light in the Twilight realm on a clear day. The trees were equally defined, with greens and greys and browns and yellows and all kinds of colours that were all but non-existent in the Twilight. No rouge flickers of Twilight passed through here, though in rays of light small motes danced and twirled and winked out of existence again. The ground was hard and solid, and scattered with leaves, which I knew I was sitting on.

I scrambled up, dusting myself down, and I realised that I had been sitting beside a stone much like the howling stone I had warped from, though this one had no Sheikah Eye upon it. It was a triangle which was split into a further three triangles – my breath caught in my throat. The Triforce. A symbol of the Triforce, left here to allow the moss and lichens to grow over it. I could hardly believe my eyes – any symbol of the Triforce in the Twilight was treated with reverence and respect. Why would the light world's be any different?

As I crouched over it, something fell from my wrappings. I gave a start, looking for the lyre which was lying on the ground where I had left it. Midna would kill me if I did not take care of it, and I would despise myself. Not only was it my only link home, it was my people's treasure – or one of them. I had the Eye of Truth within me as it was, but I had heard of an actual glass they had made for the Hylians to use also. There was also a medallion of some sort, as well as boots that allowed a person to fly and one or two other things, but these were all fantasy, I believed. They were from tales of the Hero of Time, passed down by the Sheikah.

I lifted up the lyre, noticing with surprise that it no longer glowed with a strong and powerful light. It seemed almost… dull, now. I smiled slightly. My link back to the Twilight. I snapped my fingers and it was gone, ready to be pulled back when I had use of it.

I turned back to the stone with the Triforce on it, and froze.

Before it was a bizarre creature, dressed in what looked like the leaves of trees and strips of bark. Its back was turned to me, so I could not see its face, but I could see it carrying, in one hand, a lantern, and it also had a pipe or something like that tucked under one stick thin arm. I guessed it would be roughly my waist height if I came closer to it, and I could hear its heavy, yet high-pitched breathing. It was clearly examining something.

Was what all of the denizens of the Light world looked like? No, it couldn't be. The Hero with my lady Midna had looked nothing like this. But what was it? I had heard no tale of it, and it looked nothing like a Human, or a Hylian or a Zora or a Goron. I approached, my footsteps silent even over the dry leaves.

It turned, and I saw a pale, moon like face, mouth frozen in a smile and eyes glowing red. I had not the time to see if that was a mask or not as my eyes darted to what it had clutched in its hand – black and jagged with a red stone set within it – something from the Twilight realm. It had to have been the thing I dropped.

The strange creature's breath hitched. It stared at me and I glared at it, my fingers twitching, ready to curl around the knives that I would flip out of my sleeves if it did not give me back what I had dropped.

A high pitched giggle escaped from the creature's lips, though it did not move them. It threw the stone at me, which I caught in my hand easily. I turned to go, but found there were no openings out of the forest. I frowned, but then I heard the strange creature take another deep breath. I whirled around, and it had raised the pipe to the lips of the mask, and blew through it. Leaves swirled around me and a heavy clattering sound was heard. My eyes widened and strange, puppet-like creatures that hovered over the ground began trailing towards me, their faces set in a foul, frozen grin.

The little creature gave off its high pitched giggle again, and began to dart off into the woods. An opening appeared for it as it dashed through in its odd, lurching manner.

My knives flipped out and I twirled around as one of the puppets lunged forward. The knife embedded into its back and it juddered to a halt before exploding into a pile of leaves and bark. I threw my knives at the other three and they suffered the same fate. I did not celebrate my victory; I merely grabbed my knives from the pile of forest debris and chased the little imp… thing into the forest. I could see its lantern glowing up ahead, and hear the piping of that faint music in my ears. I would have to suss out where it was and attack him that way.

I saw him perched on top of a branch, and I knew I would have to chase him up there. I held the stone firmly in my hand, not even looking at it. There would be time for that later. This thing had attacked me but… if it could open up the forest, perhaps it would allow me out of it.

More puppets jumped down. My initial reaction was to leap over and kick one directly to the head, decapitating it. I landed with ease and whirled around, whipping out my chain-whip. I lashed at the remaining ones with it, slicing one in half with the sharp end and looping it around another and bashing it off of a tree. The last one I pushed one of my knives into and out of again, leaping away before it even exploded. The strange creature had not moved, and I intended not to give it the chance to. Even if I could just talk to it and ask it to allow me out, that would be something.

The stone in my hand was getting in the way. I snapped my fingers and sent it to the same waiting place that I had sent the lyre. I would worry about that later.

I approached the strange creature. Before I could do anything, though, it whirled around and put the horn to its lips, taking a deep breath to blow it. I lashed out before it could. The puppets were too infuriating to deal with when I just wanted to talk to it. My knife caught him squarely in the chest and I ripped down and out again. It let out a pained cry, but then, as though nothing had happened, it giggled, jumped off of its perch, looked up at me and then loped through another opening in the forest.

I was dumbstruck for a moment. That was an action that could kill, and it had laughed about it. What was the meaning of this? What kind of creature was it? I would find out – I'd have to.

My only option was to follow it, and I did just that. It could open up parts of the forest, after all. Out of curiosity, I glanced back, and saw that the way I had come in had been sealed off once more. No way back – I really did have to follow this little creature, as though I was playing a game of hide and seek with it.

The orange glow of the lantern gave him away as it dashed through various tunnels in the next area, but despite its stunted and twisted form, it… well, I suppose he… ran very quickly. I lagged behind, but mainly because the puppets swooped down to attack me. They were easily dispatched, but one of them managed to rake its claws on my arm, and I found that they were indeed sharp. Hooked too. I would have to find a faerie, if those creatures lived here too, to deal with that.

I stalked along the tunnels, my chain-whip at the ready. He could hear him piping that eerie little tune on his instrument, and see the glow of his lantern. Truth be told, all this chasing annoyed me. I had thought I had had him cornered at one point, but he had vanished with his little giggle and then more puppets had attacked me. Knives were embedded in the eyes of one and the others lashed to firewood, but that had given him a good chance to flee again. I could not help but feel the little brat was toying with me, even as he was being innocent and childlike.

I lifted the hair away from my eye and focused quickly. Different things suddenly opened up to me. Glittering trails were on the forests. Shining lights danced and whirled off walls that had not been there before. Forest spirits? We saw a few in the Twilight – or at least I did. It didn't matter. I turned my gaze to the entrances to check that it was not merely an illusion that had sealed them off. I was most disappointed to find out that it had not been. I really did have to play with the little… kid, so I kept my focus up and inched my way into his clearing. I saw him sitting on another outcrop, playing his little pipes.

Only he was completely different. Yes, he was dressed in the leaves and strips of bark and other forest debris, and he did carry his lantern and pipe, but his face was no longer that weird mask. No, it was the round and plump face of a young boy, and yellow hair spilled out of his hat. He sat straight, not hunched over like I had previously seen him, and he swung perfectly human legs back and forth from where he sat.

The Eye of Truth. I saw what he truly was.

Those little trails of light I had seen about the forest congregated near his pipe, and I wondered if I should attempt to play along with whatever it was that he was piping. I snapped my fingers to summon the lyre to me, and his eyes opened and he looked at me, his breath catching. I saw his eyes fall on the lyre though, and he watched me strangely. I held the instrument in my arms, and when I did, he raised his pipe back to his lips.

He took me through his song three notes at a time. I stumbled a little at first as I sought out the same sounds on my lyre, but I soon found that the tune was rather repetitive, though heartening and oddly comforting to hear. We played together haltingly for some time, before he jumped up suddenly, grinning at me.

"Hello, Twilight Messenger."

That caught me completely off guard, though to my credit, I showed very little of it – no more than a widening of my eyes. He giggled, that same weird high-pitched giggle that had taunted me all through the forest. I simply looked at him. He bowed to me.

"My name is Fado." He said. "Not the silly man who owns the ranch. No, I'm the guardian of this forest, placed here by lady Saria." He tilted his head. "How did you get out of the Twilight? And how did you see through my disguise?"

Saria. The name rung a bell in my memory, sending odd shocks and shivers through my body. Saria. Sage of the Forest. Guardian of the Forest Temple, where childhood fears and terrors lurked. Saria, best friend of the Hero of Time.

I shook my head to dislodge the unease I felt. I snapped my fingers, sending the lyre away once more. His – Fado's – breath took in at that, and I spoke. "The lyre. The lyre took me here." That was all I would say to him about that, no matter how he pressured me. "And-"

"The Eye of Truth." He said, pointing at my chest. "You're a Sheikah!

"Not-"

"You'll be wanting to go to the house of the dead!" He said, nodding. "I'll send you there!" He raised his pipes to his lips. My eyes widened, and I shook my head, stepping forward. He blew on his pipes firmly and strongly, and I felt a sudden, familiar rushing sound, though it was not light that surrounded me this time. Leaves rustled all around me and began to whirl, all but encasing me in their dry, rustling embrace.

I felt like I was being pulled away, but even as I did, I heard his voice. "Thanks for playing! That was fun! Say hello to Lady Impa for me!"

Blackness.

It was some time later that I stirred. The room I was in was dimly lit, and for that I was thankful. There was an odd smell of incense though which I found odd. The Twili only ever used Incense on special occasions – it was rare to come by, after all. Who burnt it here?

I sat up, slowly, and took in my surroundings. I was in a long room with several beds lining the walls. A few cupboards and tables were piled haphazardly at one end, as though for storage but had been forgotten. A doorway lead downstairs, where I could hear murmured voices talking. Where was I? The house of the dead?

I must admit that I never expected to smell cooking meat along with incense in that house.

There was a small exclaimation, and I turned around to see two people looking at me from the other end of the room. One was a dark skinned human, a girl who had just reached womanhood, and the other a tall, lithe Zora. My eyes widened. I had never seen either before – unless Fado had counted, but something told me that he was far from Human – and I could not help but stare. Both were beautiful, but in their own ways. The Human girl was softly curved and sweet-looking, whilst the Zora male was long limbed and very striking. Where the girl's hair fell around her face, he had a fin on his head that curled upwards, almost like a crown.

The girl approached me. "You're awake!" She exclaimed, a smile on her lips. I thought that to be an obvious statement. She bowed to me, smiling. "I am Luda, daughter of the Shaman of this town. We've been watching over you since Prince Ralis found you." She gestured to the Zora, bowing her head at him. He seemed a little embarrassed by her bows, as though he did not expect them of her. He nodded his head to me, however.

"I found you passed out in the Graveyard." He said, softly. "I was worried about you, and so I took you to Renado. He is the Shaman here." His eyes lingered on me, and I could hear his unspoken question. I had no intention of telling him that the odd markings he must have seen were as much a part of me as his fins were of him, though, and so I simply nodded my head to him.

"Thank you. I… can't quite remember how I got there." Graveyard? It made sense. It was a house of the dead, after all. Something itched at the back of my mind, but I didn't listen to it. "And… thank you both for caring for me."

"Not at all." Luda said quickly, bowing again to me. "It's what we do. I helped nurse Ralis back to health when he was ill here too." She straightened up and gave a sly look to Ralis. "Along with some other people, though." I saw the Prince's lips thinning slightly there, and assumed it was part of a joke that I was and did not wish to be a privy to. I had to get to the Princess Zelda. It seemed the most sensible thing for me to do.

"I'll just run down and tell my father that you're awake." She said, nodding her head again. She gestured to the Zora, Ralis, to follow her, and he did, though spared me a lingering gaze that I returned levelly. The Zora appeared to be rather inquisitive, from this first impression.

I sighed and sat up. So. Some odd, child-like creature had decided that since I had Sheikah blood, he would send me off to a Graveyard, calling it the house of the dead. That horrible little probing feeling at the back of my head started up again, but I shook it off. It was nothing but irritating to my task.

I would have to seek out the Princess Zelda that Midna spoke of. It would make the most sense, as Midna had seemed to trust her, and I assumed that she would know, if anyone, just where exactly the Fused Shadow was.

Princess Zelda. I put a hand to my head. I had a vague recollection… a woman within me… using my body as a hiding place…

I shook my head and snapped my fingers, looking at the black stone that I had dropped in the woods. It was sharp and black, with a red stone at the top of it. It looked vaguely Twili, but there were waves coming off of it that I did not like at all. I almost dropped it when the wrongness settled in me. Zant's magic. What had I been doing with something of Zant's? My hand clenched around it, tightening so I could break it. It should have been destroyed long ago, along with him.

"Wait!"

I looked around, but then reached into my cowl and extracted a small gem from around my neck. A gossip stone, though a small one – a variation of some of the old ones that were dotted about the Twilight. I had not expected it to work over here. It glittered on my palm, and a small image began to grow from it, flickering constantly. It was the image of my Queen.

"My lady?" Shock was nothing to worry about anymore. My Queen had contacted me, and I had to know what she had to say to me.

"Don't destroy that stone, Daishan." Midna said, her voice, much like the image of her, flickering in and out of my senses. I had my questions about why I shouldn't, but I kept them to myself. "It… remnant of Zant's magic. But you'll need it on your quest. I slipped… for y…" The flickering had got worse. I strained my ears to hear. "… Link. He nee… wolf…" The image faded out, as did my Lady's voice. I cursed, willing the stone to find her again, but nothing happened.

Voices rose and footsteps began to ascend the stairs. I quickly looped the stone back around my neck, under my cowl, and snapped my fingers to hide the other stone which contained Zant's magic.

The girl, Luda, had returned, and a man had followed her up. He was obviously her father, though his hooked nose did not fit on her face, and skin was somewhat darker than hers. There was something almost… familiar about him, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what. No matter. He was clearly the Shaman, and I would have to offer thanks for his hospitality, and also ask if he knew where I could find this 'Link'. Midna seemed to think he was more important than Zelda at the moment, so I would concentrate upon finding him.

As Twilight Messenger, it was the only sensible thing to do.

Thank you to all my reviewers; you make the whole thing worthwhile. I don't know how long this fic will be, but I know vaguely where it is going.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Nintendo, not to me.

CHAPTER THREE – The Great Fields of Hyrule.

The Shaman came closer to me, reaching out with his hand to rest one on my forehead. I flinched away from it, but that didn't stop him. It took almost all of my self-control not to lash out at him or embed a knife into his arm for touching me when I had shown my distaste for it. Midna was the only one who I felt no harm from touching me. Zant had abused that knowledge when he had been King, constantly reaching out to me in that hideous, twisted form I wore. I could have shuddered, but I was already tensed at Renado's touch. My eyes bored into him, but he did not look at mine, instead flickering his over my entire body, possibly checking for flushed skin. He took his hand away and bowed to me in apology. I sat up straighter.

"Luda, go down and help Telma bring him something to eat." The Shaman said. His daughter nodded and made her way down the stairs, leaving me alone with Renado. He turned his full attention back to me. "Your temperature has returned to normal." He said, his voice rich and heavily accented, and, much to my surprise, somewhat relieved, "When Prince Ralis found you, you were freezing. Lying in one of the crypts in the cemetery." He shook his head. "Lucky for you that it was not night. The ghosts sometimes come out then."

I tried not to smile, even though he wouldn't see it with my cowl on. Ghosts. As if they could be a match for a Twili, even if I was unconscious. They wouldn't even have seen me – Midna had explained how the ones that had helped Link had not been able to see her.

Link. Damn. I needed to get to him. The Shaman, however, seemed to still be talking, and courteousy demanded that I held my tongue until he finished. Respect of the elders. A Sheikah trait that the Twili around me had not understood.

"I found… other strange things about you." Renado continued. "You seem human, but I was reluctant to treat you, because I have not ever seen such markings on a person's body before. I merely cleaned them and changed your bandages." He bowed. I could not help the way that my very blood turned to ice. He had seen my markings. I had not wished for anyone – I had thought that only the Zora would have seen them because he would have had to have lifted me, but… Damn! Now others would know that I wasn't a true denizen of the light world. He must have seen some form of distress in my eyes because he spread his hands and said, "If you know how to deal with them, I would be more than happy to follow your instruction –"

"No." I said, quickly and firmly. "No. They are… best left alone." Had he seen them throb? Glow? "I will be all right. It is something I have had – for a long time." He did not seem very convinced, but he nodded his head anyway. Now would be time to ask for Link.

"I am sorry." I began, shaking my head. "I was meant to be looking for someone, and I really have no idea how I came to be in your Graveyard. I am meant to find someone called Link –"

"Link, honey?"

My eyes tore to the large woman standing in the doorway. I showed none of it, but I was quite frankly, shocked to see someone like her. Her skin was far lighter than Renado's, and her hair a deep red in colour. She was not gently curved like Luda was – rather, she was powerfully so, and tall, as well. Were all adult human females like this? Except… she wasn't human, was she? Her ears were long, thin and pointed, and very distinctly Hylian.

By the Fierce Deity, would I meet a Goron and Gerudo today too?

The woman came into the room, carrying with her a tray that had a rather sizable platter of meat and bread on it. My face paled when I realized that that was for me. She did not seem to notice it though, and sat the tray on the bedside and put her hands on her hips, looking down at me in a way that reminded me of a mother scolding her child. There was something rather maternal looking about her, but it was undermined by a mischevious smile that she had playing on her lips.

"What'd a young boy like you be wanting with Link, huh? You another of his fans?" She was still grinning, and her eyes kept flickering away from my face. I had the impression that the way she was leaning over me wasn't for my benefit. Renado didn't seem to find it much for his, however. "He's been swarmed by you kids. Shad even wanted to try on his tunic not too long ago. Didn't fit the kid. Probably was trying to impress Ashe. I told him it takes more than fancy clothes to charm a lady; no, it takes wit, charm, courage and a damn fine body."

"Telma –" Renado was pinching the bridge of his nose. Telma gave him a wink and straightened.

"Sorry, honey. Now, I'm Telma, the woman who just carried you up your meal. Eat it all, mind. It's just what Renado had in mind for you, along with a warm bed and a sympathetic ear. What's your mother call you when you're at home?"

The sheer vitality of the woman almost had me floored.