AN: Hello again readers! Thank you for those of you who have been following this story thus far. It means a lot even if there are only two or three of you that read. Aha ^^; I appreciate your comments and hope I can continue to keep your interest ^^; I've never really written a big story like this. Anyways, in this chapter, the queen's advisor makes another appearance, and a secret is brought out into the light. How will this affect the course of Link and Darc's adventure? As always, read and review, love, Oniyuri

It was a small wonder, Darc reflected, that they had even made it this far. They had come halfway across Hyrule from Narice in a matter of days. Even with Chain's help, it was only a matter of time before it came to this.

It all started on the bridge of Eldin; "That's a long way down," Link had declared. Darc had chuckled at his light's childish naivety, but just then, an arrow had whizzed by his ear. About twenty of the robed assassins that first assaulted them in Narice drew in from either side of the Bridge of Eldin, backed up by an impressive flock of Kargarocs. Amazingly, Chain took down most of the monsters with his crossbow, and Darc took down one of the assassins. Yet, unfortunately, the attack was too much for them. They were taken prisoner and put in a caravan; it had been a rather unpleasant trip for Darc, as they had a very bright lantern shining right next to him the whole journey. It had weakened him considerably; somehow, they knew that the only weakness a shadow really possessed, other than the person they had been copied from, was light. Chain judged that they had been taken further west, in the direction of Castle Town, but it wasn't clear exactly how far along they had come. It was unclear what they had done with their horses. So here they were, in a dungeon in who-knows-where, put there by who-knows-who, for who-knows-what reason. Lovely.

Darc shuffled his shackled feet, feeling strangely at ease within the dark stone walls of the cell in comparison to having a bright light shined on him as he had earlier. Chain sat moping by the iron bars, and Link was fast asleep, drained. He had taken quite the blow to the head during the fight and still wasn't quite recovered.

Darc sat next to Link, brushing a few straw-colored strands of hair out of his face. He'd always thought Link was at his most adorable, and vulnerable, when he was asleep.

"You've had dealings with the shadows in the past, haven't you, Chain."

Chain looked over at the dark teen. "What gives you that idea?"

"It's faint, but you have an scent about you; well not a scent per se, but an aura, a kind of...essence that is left by those touched by shadow." Darc didn't look up from Link, pulling the boy's head into his lap. "As I am of that world, I can sense it on you. Are you a shadow magician?"

The man laughed. "Me, a magician? That'd be something."

"Then what, Chain? You can't deny it."

Chain glared at the teen for a moment, and reached into his shirt. He removed a leather cord from his neck, a small cotton pouch hung on it. He tossed it at Darc.

As soon as the pouch touched his fingertips he could tell he was holding something powerful. He reached inside, and pulled out a intricately detailed, diamond-shaped fragment of some black substance, lined with red. He gasped, examining it carefully.

"This is..." he trailed off, searching for the word to describe it. "It's not shadow magic, exactly. It's something else. It's...dark, to be sure..."

"Twili magic, I believe. Or some variation of it."

Darc held it up, examining it further. "Twili?" he repeated, not knowing what that meant. "What does it do?" he asked.

"It's just a curse. The curse had been put on me, and after I removed it, it embodied into that fragment. Kept it as a souvenir. Maybe that's what you're detecting. Put that thing away, will you? I can't risk touching it."

Darc obliged, handing the pouch back to Chain. "Why?"

"Because if I was hexed again, I don't have a way to take the spell off anymore," he grumbled. He put the cord around his neck, tucking he pouch out of sight.

"What is a Twili?"

"People from the Twilight Realm. It's a world that's...different then this one. They have no real sun. The world is in eternal twilight."

"Sounds nice," Darc thought aloud, wondering what it would be like to live in a sunless world. "You ever been there?"
"I have. I'd give an arm and a leg to get back," Chain sighed wistfully. Darc raised a brow.

"Why? A creature of the light surely wouldn't like such a place."

" That's my business," Chain replied, suddenly not as talkative. He looked back out the iron bars, watching the hall outside.

Darc glanced back at Link's slumbering face in his lap. He smiled a little. He would protect him from whatever threat threatened them now. It was a waiting game; they had been jailed without explanation, but Darc felt that their antagonist was about to reveal himself.

A loud boom was heard. Link woke with a start. Darc and Chain looked out the metal bars that caged them, and they saw Hylian soldiers filing into the stone hall.

A commanding voice was heard. "Don't let any of them escape!"

Most of the soldiers ran past the cell, but one stopped. "Hey, Lord Vaati! There are prisoners in here!"

Chain, Link, and Darc all had rushed to see the commotion, grasping the iron bars. The soldier was joined by a tall, imposing man robed in purple. "That there are," the man gasped in surprise. He raised his hand. "Back away," he warned, and the three jumped back from the bars. He swiped his arm down like it was a sword, and the bars fell apart, cleanly sliced across the middle. They clattered noisily to the ground.

"I am Vaati Alta," the man introduced himself, bowing slightly. "I work for the queen. A recent incident led us to this base. Unfortunately, it appears that their leader is not here, the soldiers are rounding up his lackeys here," Vaati said, looking about. A couple of Hylian soldiers had handcuffed one of the assassins from the bridge. "What do you know about the Zephyr?"

Chain eyed the regal man with interest. "The Zephyr?"

"The Order of the Zephyr," Vaati repeated. "They have only been active recently, but we suspect they have been underground for many years now. We know very little about the leader other than he is powerful and very dangerous. I have been assigned by the queen to put an end to their mischief. We tailed one of their followers here, though it appears to only be a minor base."

Chain held out his hand. "It is a great relief to hear that. They have been after me for a week or two now. Thank you for saving us."

Vaati shook Chain's hand delicately. "My pleasure. What are your names, might I ask?" Vaati inquired, looking at the two boys. Link answered him.

"I'm Link," he said. "This is my friend Darc. And this here is Chain. We were looking for these, uh, Zephyr people, and I guess they found us first," he said sheepishly.

Vaati smiled warmly. "Well, its a good thing I found you three then. Chain, is it?" Vaati said, looking at the man. "Well, perhaps you can help me find out what the Zephyr is after. Might I ask you to come back to Hyrule Castle with me?"

Chain eyed him carefully. "I would be happy to, but under one condition. The queen doesn't find out about it," he said, holding up his index finger. "Incognito, if you will."

Vaati crossed his arms. "Hide something from the queen? Do you have something against her, sir?"

"It goes back to my youth. Surely you must understand," Chain said. The lord nodded. "It shall be as you wish. Queen Zelda will not know of your visit."

Darc pulled on Chain's sleeve. "You know the queen?"

"That's my business."

They followed Vaati and the soldiers out of the base, discovering that they were not very far from Castle Town at all. A soldier walked over to them holding two sets of reins.

"We found these horses in the base," he informed Vaati.

"Asa," Link chirped, going over to claim his horse. Chain's horse was accompanying it; their mounts reclaimed, Chain, Link and Darc joined Vaati's procession of soldiers that was heading back towards Castle Town.

\ It was dusk as they approached the city's gates. The whole city was surrounded by a huge wall, an iron gate at the entrance. Link thought that the Bridge of Eldin was big, but this was ridiculous!

It was agreed that Vaati would send someone for them from the castle the next morning; he had insisted that they spend the night in the castle, but they politely refused. They didn't let it on, but they felt if the Zephyr had infiltrated the castle before, odds were good it wasn't safe for them there.

Although the sun had set on Castle Town, the city was still vibrant with life. As they traversed through the marketplace, exotic smells and sights filled their senses; many different types of people walked the streets, Hylian or otherwise, all sharing the same city. Link had never seen anything like it. They stopped at a small inn near the city wall that was equipped with a stable; luckily, most of their supplies and money had been left in their saddlebags. The Zephyr wasn't very thorough, it appeared.

They continued on foot; the city was huge and labyrinthine, but Chain seemed to navigate it without much trouble.

"Where are we headed, Chain?" Darc inquired.

"To see some friends of mine. They meet at a bar deep in the city," he answered him. "I check in with them every time I'm in town. To keep informed."

"Oh...alright," the shadow said skeptically. They turned down an alley, into a darker, less populated part of Castle Town. Chain ran straight into a young woman as they turned the corner. Her blonde hair was pulled into two high pigtails, a parasol held in her white-gloved hands. The woman let out a girlish squeak as she ran into Chain. She seemed confused at first, but her blue eyes lit up as she saw Chain.

"A-Agitha," the man said, filled with surprise. Link and Darc exchanged confused glances, looking at the young lady. She looked to be around twenty-five years old; she may have been a year or two older, even, but she possessed a youthful charm that made it hard to tell. Link blushed; she was exceedingly pretty.

"Liiink!" the lady squealed, embracing Chain. "It has been such an awfully awful long time since I've seen you!"