I apologize in advance if you guys don't like flashbacks, but it was the only way I could write this chapter.

Hope you all enjoy it nonetheless!

Chapter 4: Darian's Tale

Link and Darian reached the east entrance of Castle Town within an hour. As was discussed, Darian landed and Link handed him his traveling cloak. Once it was securely fastened, they strode into Castle Town. Ignoring all the strange looks the passerby gave him, Darian took in his surroundings, and enjoyed all of the various shops, homes, and everything else the town had to offer. He was so caught up in the moment that he nearly bumped into Link, who had been stopped by castle guards. A large wooden door stood beyond the guards, and Hyrule Castle, still in a state of disarray, behind it. I wonder what could have happened to the castle, he wondered. Remodeling, perhaps? Or was there a battle of epic proportions going on? It's like a huge rock came crashing out of the sky and just leveled it! He shifted his attention to Link, who was trying to reason with the guards.

"I request an audience with Princess Zelda. This is urgent," Link was saying.

The guard he was speaking to scoffed at him. "And what could YOU want with the Princess that it can't wait? It is past sundown after all. Whatever business you and your… friend have with her (Darian scowled), I'm sure it can wait until the morning."

"Come on! This is really important!" Link pleaded.

"No more of this kid. Go home," the guard was adamant. Link was about to launch into a profanity tirade when Darian tapped him on the shoulder.

"Link it can wait until morning," he said gently. "I'm sure Zant will not attack again for some time. Plus, I am feeling tired. Perhaps we would discuss things better when we are wide awake?"

Link considered Darian's advice, and decided to hold off from cursing the guard… For now, anyways. "Okay, I guess we can wait." He turned back to the guard. "Can you tell the Princess the Hero of Light and Twilight is here and seeks an audience with her in the morning?"

The guard looked taken aback for an instant before responding. "The… The Hero? My apologies! I did not realize you were him! I shall inform her immediately. What hour should we expect you?"

Darian spoke up. "Any hour that suits the Princess will also suit us, thank you." With a small bow of respect, he and Link proceeded back to Castle Town.

"Link, I have not been here before, but this place is amazing! I never realized it could be so crowded, even during the night hours! I have only heard stories…" Darian trailed off as Link led him through an alley to Telma's Bar. "Where are we headed to, anyways?"

"We are headed to Telma's Bar. She has rooms upstairs, and I was always able to crash here." Link answered as they reached the door. "I'm sure she will not mind having a friend here." Darian smiled.

Telma was busy cleaning the bar area when the door opened. She started as two people walked into the bar. She relaxed as she recognized the young man in the green tunic. "Link, honey," she greeted with her usual warm smile and hug. "What brings you here?"

"I am here because I wanted to see Zelda, but some guards gave us trouble. So I was wondering if…"

"If you can spend the night here? Of course hun!" She looked at Darian, and his eyes took her by surprise. "Link, who is your friend?" She asked.

"The name is Darian," he said, offering a hand. She shook it and looked at Link quizzically.

"I met him on the way here. He helped me fight back a few monsters," Link explained. "More than just a few monsters," Darian murmured. Both were relieved when Telma smiled.

"Well Darian, any friend of Link's is a friend of mine. It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Telma."

Darian visibly relaxed. "The pleasure's all mine Telma," he said with a smile.

"Well I shall prepare two rooms for you both, feel free to stay as long as you like!"

"Thank you, much appreciated," Link answered. Once they were led into their rooms and bade each other goodnight, Link became lost in his thoughts once again. So in the course of one day, I fought monsters, ran into Zant, and met someone from the Night Realm. I never knew there was even such a Realm! This just keeps getting more and more strange by the minute… At least Darian is on our side and possesses a Triforce piece. What did he call it? The Triforce of Mediation? Yes, that was it. But where is the Triforce of Power? His thoughts shifted to Midna again. Midna… I hope she is safe. I can't take it if she is hurt again. No. No more dark thoughts. She will be safe. I will find her soon, and we shall conquer this new threat. Together. With Zelda and Darian. With that, he fell asleep.

In the other room, Darian himself was thinking. So this is how the Light Realm is. It… It's beautiful here. I thought it was only in stories, but this is the real thing. I wish Ionin and Drimani could see this. With a sudden jolt, he remembered he was alone here, and prayed for his two brothers. Ionin, you have gone through so much to protect us and the kingdom. I hope you are okay. I hope you drove Zant off without getting hurt yourself. And Drimani… I hope you are somewhere safe right now. I will find you both. His thoughts shifted to Link. Link seems to be pure of heart. He is willing to do whatever it takes to protect those he loves. I can feel it. I consider him a friend, even though I only met him today. I trust him and I will need his help if we are to protect the three Realms. I hope this will all end without any major catastrophes… He too fell asleep soon after.

Zelda was in her studies the next morning when she felt her Triforce glowing. Link? Is he here? I wonder if he would come here. And why… Shrugging the thoughts out of her mind, she strolled to the window, enjoying the sunlight. Ever since the battle, things have been peaceful… Far too peaceful. Is there something out there that I should be worried about? Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a commotion outside the castle. Looking at the front gate, she noticed two people, one in a familiar green tunic, and the other in a black cloak. She could clearly hear the conversation.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU HAVEN'T TOLD HER! I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO LAST NIGHT!" Link was shouting.

"And I'm telling you there's no way a kid like you could be the Hero the Princess spoke about! Go home!" The guard yelled back.

"YOU LITTLE-!" Zelda gasped as she heard Link curse the guard out. The second figure, she noticed, was trying so hard not to laugh, but couldn't completely hold it in. She clearly heard him snigger. The guard turned to him.

"You think this is funny? I'll show you funny!" The guard brandished his spear. The figure backed away and became serious.

"We do not want any trouble; we simply came to talk to the Princess. We tried last night but you said it was too late. So we left while you said you were going to tell her of our arrival. Please, let us through." This person, Zelda noted, spoke calmly and with a hint of respect. She grew alarmed when the guard did not lower his spear and decided enough is enough.

"Guards! Lower your spears and allow the Hero and his companion in!" Link looked up and smiled.

"Thanks Princess! Where shall we meet you?" he hollered.

"I will be down at the entrance in a moment, wait there for me!" Zelda left promptly to welcome the two travelers.

Down at the doors, the guards stared at Link with wide eyes, realizing their mistake. None could offer their apologies, instead stammering incoherent phrases. Finally, one of them murmured "This way please," before opening the door, allowing Link and Darian in.

Darian took a look at the castle grounds and his suspicions the castle wasn't simply being remodeled were confirmed. Debris was still present and littered the grounds. He noticed that one wing of the castle was fully unharmed and the ground level seemed mostly intact. Everything else was obliterated. "What in Goddesses name happened here?" he asked.

"It's a long story. When we meet with Zelda, we will tell you." Link answered. A few moments later, the Princess herself appeared.

"Link, welcome back. But I thought… I thought you were on an adventure to find a way back to the Twilight! And I must say, you have developed quite a… Colorful vocabulary."

Link laughed. "Well the guard was giving us trouble! As to the adventure, it led me to you. I have been contacted by the light spirit Ordona and it told me to find the Fused Shadow we left some time ago in the Eldin fields, and bring it to you." Link responded.

"Ordona said that?" Zelda asked. When Link nodded, she continued. "Very well, hopefully there is something I can do." She looked at Darian, but did not seem at all surprised when she saw his eyes. "And who might you be?"

Darian bowed. "My name is Darian. I come from a distant land. Thank you for meeting with us."

Link spoke up. "I met him when I was picking up the Fused Shadow. We ran into… A problem..." Zelda looked questioningly at him but would not ask, thus Link lowered his voice to a whisper so only Zelda and Darian could hear. "Zant."

Zelda widened her eyes and motioned for them to follow her. Not one word was said as Link and Darian accompanied the Princess back to her study. She closed the door behind them and motioned to two chairs in front of a desk. The two men sat down while Zelda took her place behind the desk. "Elaborate."

Link launched into an explanation, of how Ordona contacted him, of his travels to Eldin fields, of the sudden attack by the monsters, Zant's return, and Darian's help. Zelda listened patiently until he finished, then looked at Darian and smiled. "I must thank you for your help. If you hadn't intervened, Zant might have been able to set his plan to motion much sooner than expected."

Darian brushed it off gently. "You don't have to thank me Princess. I will always try to protect those I care about from evil beings like Zant."

"You certainly have my gratitude, nonetheless. Now tell me Darian. Where are you from, and how did you get here?"

At this, Darian stiffened. "Well I…" He looked at Link, who gave him a reassuring smile. He turned his gaze back to Zelda, who was smiling kindly. "Well it started like this."

The castle was quiet, maybe too much so. More guards have been posted at the entrances ever since the assassination happened three weeks ago. Inside the castle, the servants were all in their rooms, retiring for the day. In the council chambers stood three men. Ionin, 27, looked tired. Ever since his coronation, he has had to deal with daily meetings and speeches to the people. It was a wonder he had not collapsed yet, but such is the life of a new king. His brothers Darian and Drimani, 23 and 18, respectively, tried to help him as much as possible. Even with their efforts, Ionin's exhaustion started to become known around the palace.

Darian had become his personal diplomat and emissary, traveling to towns outside the jurisdiction, offering trade routes and alliances. Drimani was managing the armies and became the commander. Although he was young, he was a brilliant strategist, and thus no one questioned him. Both were Ionin's private advisors and bodyguards, protecting him from any trouble that should come his way. They were discussing the next action involving a certain province that was a long ways away. The council members had long since taken their leave, and the three men were only now finalizing the plan.

"So this is how it will work. Darian, you will go to the Vorek Province and give them our terms, as usual. Drimani, you and ten of your best men will accompany him. It is a long journey, and I fear for him as someone could easily ambush him," Ionin was saying.

"Oh calm down brother," Darian laughed. "I'm sure nothing will happen to me. I'm strong enough to handle almost anything!" He alone had inherited their father's wings, and he alone shared their father's emerald and their mother's midnight blue irises. Ionin had their mother's eyes while Drimani had their father's.

He grew serious when Ionin scowled. "Don't worry Ionin, everything will be just fine. You worry too much."

Ionin looked down and his voice was sad. "I just do not want to lose you and Drimani the way we lost our parents…" Darian and Drimani hugged him.

Drimani spoke up. "Don't worry. We'll be just fine. It'll go smoothly and we shall return before you know it!"

Ionin smiled. "Very well then. Go get some sleep, both of you. You have a long road ahead tomorrow."

"Goodnight Ionin," Darian and Drimani chorused.

"Goodn-" BOOM! The castle rumbled slightly from the force of an unseen explosion. Ionin became tense, as did his two brothers. "What was that?" he asked. He rushed to the window and looked down in horror.

Beasts were roaming the streets, attacking anyone who happened to be out of their houses. The guards, Ionin noted, had all disappeared or fallen. At the castle entrance, a lone figure was firing spell after spell at the protective enchantments. Although the defenses were high, one could tell it would eventually break. Cracks were already appearing on the barrier. Ionin turned back to his brothers and regained his composure.

"You two must leave, and quickly," he said calmly. Both Darian and Drimani immediately protested.

"There's no way we're leaving you alone with that sorcerer! You must be out of your mind to think we would actually do that!" Darian exclaimed, readying his Darkwhip and Obsidian Shield.

"I agree with Darian! You're not facing this alone!" Drimani said defiantly, unsheathing his Darkblade.

As more rumbles shook the castle, Ionin's mind was set. He was going to get his two brothers out, whether they liked it or not. But should he perform this particular spell? He had only begun to practice; there was no way he could know where they would end up. A resounding crash brought him to his senses. Murmuring an incantation unknown to either Darian or Drimani, Ionin suddenly thrust his hands into the air.

A white portal formed roughly fifteen feet from where he stood. Pleased with his work, he turned to the other two. "Quickly, get in! There is no time!" After more protests, he reassured them. "I promise I will join you, but I must keep the portal open while you head through! Go! GO!"

Drimani ran towards the portal. Just before going through, he turned around. "Ionin… Thank you. Please, be safe, and keep your promise." Without another word, he ran through the portal and disappeared, just as the sorcerer broke down the door, launching spells at the remaining brothers.

"Shilios Ornem!" A blue barrier erupted from Darian's shield that protected himself and his brother. Ionin was launching spells of his own, hoping to catch the sorcerer. But it was no use. Soon Ionin grew tired and another spell from the sorcerer shattered Darian's barrier.

"Foolish Night-dwellers," the sorcerer sneered. "Your pitiful magic is no match for my power. Hear my name as it is the name people shall come to respect as their new ruler! Zant!" He launched another spell that hit Ionin straight in the chest. The force of the spell threw him backwards and he hit the wall, hard, falling to the ground, unmoving.

"IONIN!" Darian yelled, and ran to continue the duel with Zant. As Zant fired more spells, Darian flew and gracefully dodged them, while attacking with his whip. They fought like this for what seemed like ages until Darian finally found an opening in Zant's attack. Dodging another three bolts of magic, Darian suddenly closed in, elbowed Zant hard in the gut, and lashed out with his whip. The whip glowed dark blue and smacked Zant, sending him flying backwards into the ceiling. Darian struck again, the whip wrapping around Zant's torso, and using all of his strength, hurled him into the ground, making a nice CRUNCH.

Retracting his whip, Darian ran to where Ionin was back on his feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live. I'm much stronger than you think I am Darian," Ionin responded with a chuckle.

"YOU FOOLS!" Zant was back on his feet, but he was no longer sneering. His face was contorted with rage. "HOW DARE YOU DEFY YOUR KING! FOR THIS YOU WILL PAY!" He readied more spells.

"This guy just won't give up!" Darian exclaimed. Ionin stepped forward, his hands glowing with energy.

"Darian, leave him to me. Find Drimani, and get help. I shall join you shortly. Go! I can't hold him off for very long!"

Before Darian could respond, Zant launched a spell… Aimed directly for him. "Shilios Ornem!" he shouted desperately. The spell collided with the barrier, but to his horror, the barrier soon shattered and the spell hit him in the chest. The force of the impact threw him backwards… Directly into the portal.

The last thing he heard was Ionin's scream. "NOOOOO! DARIAN!" He knew no more.

Darian woke up feeling slightly dizzy, a bright light shining down on him. He tried to open his eyes, but immediately shut them again, blinded by the light. He opened them again five minutes later and was content when he found his eyes were adjusted to the light. "It's so strong," he thought.

He sat up and took in his surroundings. "Where am I? I don't think I'm anywhere near home anymore. Home… Ionin… Drimani… I hope you both are safe." He saw a few monsters with clubs and arrows walking somewhere, as if they had a reason. He slowly got up and followed them, hopeful to catch one of them and force some information out of it. He also fastened his traveling cloak and put his hood up, hopeful no one would recognize him.

Darian looked farther away, and saw a young man in a green tunic on a horse. His destination appeared to be an object that was on the ground some meters away. Darian saw the monsters with the bows and arrows take aim and fire at the traveler. "Oh COME ON! I HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS!" he was yelling. Pulling out a glowing sword and shield, he made short work of the brutes with the clubs before taking out his own bow and firing arrows, all finding their targets. He saw the traveler getting nicked in the shoulder by another arrow, but he continued to fight, destroying all the beasts that stood in his way.

Darian was impressed. He had never thought a lone traveler could eliminate so many enemies, in such a short time. He turned to walk back toward the object of interest, but stopped, staring at a hidden archer firing another arrow. Realizing the traveler would be hit, Darian shouted the only spell that came to him: "Shilios Ornem!" The blue barrier encased the traveler and he was relieved the arrow only glanced off his barrier. With a final arrow, the traveler dispatched the archer.

"Looking for this?" cackled a voice from his left. Darian realized the voice belonged to the sorcerer that had attacked the Night Realm. Zant. He was holding the object the man in the green tunic was looking for.

Darian inched closer, watching intently as the traveler and Zant argued. It seemed that Zant was on his way to conquer what he called the Twilight Realm. After shooting a bolt of magic at him, he turned to leave. "Now now, Hero," he was saying. "Let us not be so hasty now. We shall meet again in due time, of course, when your life will end by my hand. Now is not your time."

Realizing he was about to leave, Darian did the only thing he could do. He ran up and flicked his wrist, the whip flying towards Zant. The whip struck him across the hand, causing him to let go of the object, which he called the 'Fused Shadow'. The traveler ran and caught it in a nice dive. Zant turned to look at Darian. A moment of shock was replaced by a look of anger.

"You!" Zant spat. "I thought I dealt with you already! You should be DEAD!" At this point, he was jumping around as if someone stole his wedding ring. Darian looked at Zant with hatred in his eyes, and spoke in a low, dangerous tone.

"Obviously you were wrong, because I am still here, alive and well. I'm not so easy to get rid of! Take this!" With that he attacked Zant again, his whip connecting with his gut. Zant doubled over, and the traveler seized the opportunity to run in and strike from behind. Zant howled in pain and teleported away from Darian and his new ally. When he reappeared, he was no longer angry, but he did look at the two, calculating his next move.

"Very… Good. But you'll have to do better than that to kill me." He started launching red spells at Darian, who promptly raised his shield and shouted his most trusted spell. "Shilios Ornem!" The familiar blue barrier formed around him, Zant's spells rebounded harmlessly off. He took this opportunity to counterattack, his whip whistling in the air.

Zant was ready this time, and teleported away again, and started launching spells at the man in the green tunic, who promptly dodged the first few, and blocked the rest with his shield. Once he finished blocking, he ran at Zant, sword poised to cut into the man. Zant cackled before teleporting once again to a spot far away from the two.

"It seems that my time here is up, my friends," Zant was saying. "I may have failed to take the Fused Shadow, but make no mistake! You have merely delayed the inevitable! I will take over the Twilight Realm, just as I have taken over the Night Realm, and the Light Realm will soon follow! You cannot stop me, no matter what you try! And if you somehow manage to achieve the impossible and defeat me, my Master will not allow you to proceed any farther!" With another manic laugh, he opened a portal behind him.

"Wait!" the traveler yelled. "I'm not done with you yet! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT YOU COWARD!"

"All in due time, Hero, all in due time," Zant replied, smiling slightly, before turning around and walked toward the portal. He was getting away…

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Darian said darkly. "You shall pay for what you have done to my family! GET BACK HERE!"

Zant turned his head to look back at him. "Darian, was it? You should really listen to your older brother and know when to give up and save yourself. You too will die eventually, but like the Hero, your time has not come yet." Darian ran after him, his ally close behind, trying to prevent his escape, but to no avail. Zant disappeared through the portal, which closed before the two could follow him. At this point, anger overtook Darian.

"I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU EVEN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE!" he roared into the air before collapsing onto his knees and clenching his fists, trying to control himself. "Ionin, Drimani… I'm sorry… I couldn't catch him this time," he thought sadly. Darian noted the man in the green tunic was approaching him and decided to act civil. After all, he had helped fight Zant.

"Thanks for helping me get the Fused Shadow," the stranger said. Darian looked up and gave him a small smile.

"It was no trouble," he responded. "I noticed it was very important to you and simply wanted to help." He hesitated, and then slowly lowered his hood. He might as well trust him. "My name is Darian, by the way. I'm afraid because that creature showed up I did not have time to properly introduce myself."

"My name is Link. And don't worry, I was preoccupied myself."

As Darian finished, he looked up. Link was staring at him, realizing he was in the same situation Midna and Zelda once were. With Zant attacking his kingdom, chaos most likely prevailed. He also felt pity for the man as he did not know what had happened to his brothers. "Wow…" he said. "Darian I'm so sorry for your kingdom, and for your brothers. I'll help you find them, and we will stop Zant from carrying out his evil plans."

Darian smiled at him. "Thanks Link. I would appreciate that. Meanwhile I'll help you find the one you care about in the Twilight Realm and fight alongside you when the time comes. It's the least I could do."

"Thanks, it really means a lot to me," Link said sincerely.

Zelda pondered over everything she had just heard. Another realm? Besides Light and Twilight? I've never even HEARD of such a thing! I shall have to ask Darian for more details regarding that subject. I will also conduct some research of my own in what's left of the library for more information about his people. She stopped when her Triforce began glowing fiercely. Link's and Darian's pieces also reacted and were glowing likewise. Zelda looked at Darian's piece and gasped. No… It can't be!

"You have the Triforce of Mediation?" she squeaked. Link and Darian both stared at her, shocked that she knew exactly what it was.

"What do you know about the Triforce of Mediation?" Darian asked.

Well there you have it! Zant is up to no good again, but who is his master? And what DOES Zelda know about the Triforce of Mediation? Stay tuned for upcoming chapters! As usual, R&R!