Author's Notes: I've decided that I'll be working on this fanfic solely. No other distractions, at least on the writing side of things unless I have a good idea for a one-shot. I'm hoping to finish this story by the summer, but because I have no idea of how many chapters there will be, I can't say if that goal is reachable. This story will be longer than the first. That is something I know for sure. Before I start this chapter, I'd like to give a big thank-you to my reviewers! Since no one guessed at the meaning, Viduata Solis means something along the lines of 'sun deprived' in Latin.

Disclaimer: I don't own Link or anything else from the games. Nintendo has the honor to own it. I also don't own the quote. However, I own Celestria as well as my OCs…

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"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."

~Ayn Rand

Chapter 2: A Stubborn Mule

Midna looked at the messenger carefully. He was ragged with brambles stuck on his cloak. There were bags under his eyes, indicating that he hadn't slept for a while. He had obviously come in a rush and Midna felt pity for whatever creature he had ridden upon. The messenger's distressed expression was the only thing that kept her from answering his request immediately.

Finally the messenger spoke rather nervously, "So? Will you aid us, Princess?"

"Is there no body in your land that can find your missing princess?" Midna asked. She couldn't just right-out refuse the request just because she would rather help Link. That didn't sit well with diplomacy.

"The guards are either dead or scattered. I'm not actually even part of the Royal Family's command." The messenger sounded embarrassed to be admitting this and he glanced down at his feet. "I just happen to be a concerned citizen who managed to creep in and take some armor. The fact that I could take it with no attempts to stop me proves how lost our kingdom is. The people who remain have tried searching for the princess, but she is proving difficult to find."

"Your own princess would desert her people?" Midna asked in surprise, watching the boy carefully. Now that she looked carefully at him, he didn't look like the average messenger. For one, he was too young. It was hard to notice at first because he was so tall, but a carefully examination of his face and his body structure revealed that he was just a scrawny beanstalk. His hair was too untamed to be part of a guard that no doubt had to have their hair trimmed. In fact, she had never seen anyone especially in the Celestrian order that had mop-like hair like his. Despite the hardness in his bright yellow eyes, there was a naivety in them. His ears were larger than they should've been on his head. He obviously hadn't grown into them yet.

"Well…" The boy paused, reaching up to scratch his hair only to find the metal of his helmet in its place. As if remembering his role as a distinguished messenger, he let his hand drop to his side. "She left because she didn't like Galathron." Midna could tell the boy wasn't being completely honest, but she didn't bug him about it.

"Galathron is dead. Why can't she return and bring order back to Celestria?" Midna asked, crossing her arms. What type of princess would abandon her own people? It disgusted Midna though a part of her believed that there was some reason she hadn't returned.

"I don't know why she hasn't come back!" The boy shouted. His more stoic messenger role seemed to have been dropped. Tears glistened in his eyes and he shook his head, causing his orange hair to fall in front of his eyes. This time his voice was quiet as he muttered, "I don't know…"

An awkward silence descended upon the room. Midna could see the despair in the boy. He was obviously very passionate about Celestria and perhaps the princess? Could he have known her before she left? Midna could not recall ever knowing that Galathron had a little sister. She had always believed him to be a single child, but it seemed as if that was not true. Even if Midna wanted to help the boy, she could not leave Link in his sickness for another land. Screw diplomacy, Link was more important to her at the moment.

"I'll go and help."

Midna and the boy looked over in surprise at the bed. Link had pushed himself up on his elbows. There was a mix of pain and determination in his eyes. A smile had found its way on to Link's face. Midna wasn't sure how long he had been awake, but it appeared he had been conscious long enough to get what was going on.

"Oh how wonderful! A light dweller will help us!" The boy looked incredibly fascinated by Link and by the fact that the Hylian was offering help. He obviously held none of the prejudice against light dwellers that was so common among the Celestrians. Or maybe he did, but had put it aside on the offer of help.

Midna was not so quick to respond, but when she did, it was negative. "Link, you can't travel anywhere in your condition! You need to rest." She pushed on his chest gently, trying to get him to lie back down. Link fought back against her.

"So you will not help?" The boy's large, point ears had fallen downwards. "Then I should be on my way." The boy turned away and began walking towards the door.

"No, wait." Link called after the boy. The boy turned with a solemn look on his face. "How old are you?"

The boy thought about it for a while as if he was wondering whether to try and lie or not. Finally he spoke truthfully, "I'm 12, but I'm big for my age."

"And you made the journey all the way here? By yourself?" There was a note of admiration in Link's voice. While he had never gone to Celestria, Midna had shown him maps. It wasn't an easy journey. It also happened to be a rather long journey.

"Yep." The boy nodded proudly. His face fell. "Maybe I should've just stayed home and tried locating the princess by myself."

"I'll help." Link replied. He couldn't stand the thought of the boy returning to a kingdom with no ruler. It wasn't the right thing to do to allow such a thing. "Can you give me a moment with Midna?" The boy nodded, a look of astonishment and hope spreading across his features.

"Alright." The boy nodded eagerly. He walked outside, spinning the small club and whistling as he went. Valtina bowed her head to Midna and began to leave. The princess signaled for her to stay, in case they needed to discuss medical issues. As soon as the door clicked shut, Midna turned to Link.

"Why do you want to help? You have a disease known as Viduata Solis, meaning if you don't get sun soon, you will die." Midna spat the words into Link's face, causing the boy to flinch. "We need to get you back to the Light Realm as soon as possible. We don't have the time to go off to Celestria and help them!"

"But you need to help him. He wouldn't have come all this way unless things were really bad over there. Midna, can't you understand that the boy risked his life on the journey just so he could plead for aid!" Link defended hotly. He had sat up now and was staring at Midna. In a softer tone, he added, "Don't you want good relations with Celestria?"

"Of course I do, but I also want you safe. How would I be able to search for a way back to the Light Realm and concentrate on finding the princess at the same time? Especially if I have to worry about you while we're Celestria. There are Twili there who hate light dwellers, Link. You'll get murdered if the Viduata Solis doesn't kill you first."

"Maybe the Celestrians know a way to get into the Light Realm. Maybe they'll help us if we help them first. And if we help, they'll see not all light dwellers are bad." Link said thoughtfully.

"But they won't give you the chance to prove yourself."

"The messenger-boy didn't hate me as soon as he saw me." Link said with a triumphal grin. "Doesn't that prove that not all the Celestrians hate light dwellers? There will surely be some who are willing to let me help them."

Midna bit her lip lightly. She didn't like it that Link was making some sense. "What about your condition? Val said that it makes your body weaker and weaker. If someone does attack, you won't be able to fight back. And what if you don't have the strength to make the journey in the first place?"

Link opened his mouth to reply, but Val stepped in between the arguing duo. "He's a strong boy, Princess. He can do it if he puts his mind to it." Midna stared at Valtina, her jaw dropping open in shock. The healer was supposed to make the patient rest, wasn't she? Not encourage him to go on adventures that would drain his energy. "Oh, Princess, I know that I'm supposed to tell him to rest, but he won't listen. So I may as well help him along." She smiled innocently.

Midna did not agree with Val's philosophy. "But what if all the exertion makes the disease work faster? I can't let him die here."

"It won't. At least there have been no signs of it in the books. He has two weeks after the first symptoms show up. The journey to Celestria lasts about a week. So you'll have a whole week to locate the princess and then you can send Link home. Link, you may get tired, but I can give you some herbs to keep your energy up." Val smiled warmly at the two.

Link smiled back at her, giving her a nod of thanks for the help. "She's right. You can't convince me not to go. I won't leave the Twilight Realm until my last day or until the princess is restored to her throne in Celestria. You're stuck with me."

"But…" Midna glanced between the two. She knew she was fighting a losing case. There was no way she could convince Link not to go. Of course, she could knock him out, search for a way to get him home, and then throw him into the portal. It was an attractive solution, but Midna discarded it rather quickly because it would leave Link very angry at her. Val, the Castle's own healer, was against Midna in this case. She was positive that Link would be fine and that they would have enough time to send Link home.

"But we won't be able to travel back here after we leave for Celestria? We'd have to send you back to the Light Realm from Celestria." Midna said weakly. It was her last chance at trying to win a losing battle.

"There aren't any documents here about getting back to the Light Realm, right?" Midna nodded unhappily. She had already searched the library after breaking the mirror and she had come up with nothing. "We're not supposed to use the amulet for whatever reason Devincha had, right?" Midna nodded again. Of course, they would use it if they could not find any other way, but the grave voice of Devincha was not one that could be forgotten. "And there's a chance that the Celestrian library will have something about portals to the Light Realm, right?" Again, Midna nodded with a glum expression on her face.

"Now, isn't all that in our best interest to go?" Link asked with a smile on his face. He knew he had won this. They would go to Celestria all together. There was nothing Midna could do to stop this from occurring.

"Fine." Midna grumbled angrily. She didn't like losing even to Link. He reached over and squeezed her hand in his own. This brought a small smile to Midna's face.

"I'll go and send the boy in here." Val waddled out of the room, a smile slipping on to her face as she pulled out of the sight of the two lovers.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way. I'm not going to die." Link had voiced Midna's concerns aloud and it struck her hard.

"You better not die." Midna said through the tears that were forming.

Quickly she blinked them away as usual. This time, one tear escaped and slid down her cheek. Link lifted his hand, brushing it away with the back of a bare hand. He had stopped wearing gauntlets when he had come here, not needing them unless he was sparring with the guards.

Their moment was interrupted by the door opening up. Link quickly let his hand drop away from Midna's face. There was a grin on the boy's face as if he expected that Link had won. However, the grin did not reach his eyes. He was still unsure of the results of the talk.

Link glanced at Midna, prompting her to say something. With a sigh, the Twilight Princess said, "We will both accompany you to Celestria and help you find your princess. On one condition." Link looked at Midna curiously. He didn't complain, just stared at her as if trying to read her mind.

The boy was smiling largely. "I'll do anything." He said with a bow of his head. It was easy to see how hard it was for him to contain his excitement. Any less control on his emotions and the boy would've been bouncing from wall to wall in a hyper fit.

"We get to use the library." Midna had been unsure if they would get to use the library in the Celestrian castle. So it was best to get some insurance on that from the boy.

"That's all?" It was clear the boy had been expecting something a little tougher. Midna nodded and he smiled, "Of course."

"Then we'll go."

The cap on his excitement was blasted off. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" The boy's speech was quick as he shook first Midna and then Link's hands. "You don't know how much this means to me, or the rest of Celestria. We'll leave straight away and maybe there can be a feast to welcome you if we can pull together the staff." The boy jumped up and down in his ecstasy. How Midna had ever thought the boy was a regular, prestigious messenger escaped her mind. Surely he hadn't been that good of an actor. Then again, she had been paying little attention to him since Link had been on her mind when the messenger had first arrived.

Midna watched with some amusement before realizing that she would have to be stuck with the boy the entire week that it took to get to Celestria. That wiped the smile off her face. A bit of hyperactivity was okay, but to be surrounded by it day and night… That would surely drive anyone crazy. She glanced over at Link to see if he was having the same thoughts, but he seemed to be amused by the boy's frenzy. Either he didn't mind or he hadn't realized it yet.

"What's your name, boy?" Link finally asked, causing the messenger-boy to quit his rather ridiculous display.

"My parents named me Veiviser." The boy's nose wrinkled in disgust. "But I like Vei better." He smiled again.

"Alright, Vei… I suppose you already know Princess Midna." Veiviser nodded his head. "And I'm Link." Link held one hand for Veiviser to shake again.

"It's good to meet you, Link. And Princess Midna." Veiviser bowed his head to Midna, a smile on his face. He was in a considerably better mood since they had agreed to come with him.

"You can just call me Midna." If they were going to spend a week together, Midna wanted to drop all the honorifics. Midna always asked her subjects to call her just Midna, but there were always those who would not drop the 'Princess' or 'Your Majesty' no matter what. Hopefully the boy was not one of those.

His eyes glittered as he nodded his head. "Okay, Midna." This brought a smile to her face. Maybe the journey would not be too bad despite the boy's hyperactive moods.

"Let's get going! I'll tell you more on the way." Veiviser grinned boyishly. Despite his best efforts, the grin was interrupted by a large yawn. The boy rubbed at his eyes before quickly glancing at Midna and Link, "Come on."

As much as Midna would've loved to get going, she could see that the fatigue was wearing down Veiviser. Sternly she shook her head. "We won't be leaving today. Today you will be getting a hot meal and a good bed to rest in. Tomorrow we shall set out, but we will take breaks to rest the Twili Messengers and ourselves along the way. Understood?"

"But then it'll take forever." Veiviser whined. It seemed that now that they had agreed, he had dropped all pretense of being an older, mature messenger in favor of this more immature personality. "What if the Castle is in ruins by the time we get there?"

"It won't be. I doubt the Celestrians are in that big of a panic." Midna could not be sure about that, but she could not imagine anybody in such a panic as to wreck the Castle. "It'll only take a week, which isn't very long. You will do as I say because I am the Princess and you need the help to find your own princess." She had switched to her royal voice, a tone she hardly ever used but was useful to get what she wanted.

"Fine." The boy grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Come on, I'll show you the dining room and we can find you some food, Vei." Link said, pushing himself out of bed.

Midna watched the Hylian boy cautiously, but he showed no signs of weakness. In fact, his movements were completely normal as if he had never fainted. How long the strength would last, Midna wasn't sure of and she was afraid to find out. If Link collapsed on the journey, what would they do? It would take a lot of time to get to Lunaris, the capital of Celestria, if they stopped to rest every single time Link fell (depending on how many times he did faint). Maybe they could carry him, but Midna hated to think about causing discomfort to the Hylian.

"Midna, you coming?" Link had paused at the doorway, upon realizing that Midna was not following him.

"Yeah, yeah." Midna followed after Link, worry still plaguing her mind. It was terrible that a joyous day like this one could end with such trouble, but that was always how life was, wasn't it? A day would start completely normal, maybe even better than usual. And then wham! Something bad, a death or a fatal illness, would hit.

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A/N: Another chapter done! I don't know when my next chapter will be posted. Truthfully, I'll be going out of town and losing my Internet access from June 18 to the 28. So I'm not even going to start writing for quite a while… I'm hoping that I can get another chapter done before July sets in despite my long vacation because I have family coming in July. That'll leave me with little time to write unless I can get away from their clutches (they're not that bad). To give you all a little example of what will be going on next chapter, I'll just have to say that it'll involve the thrill of packing and the beginning of a journey as well as a story from Vei. Well, don't forget to leave a review to get your complimentary basket of chocolate and muffins.

Twilight Phantom Dragon