Author's Notes: Well, I'm back from my trip! It was fun, but it's nice to be home, typing away on my keyboard. Family will be coming in a few days, so I'll lose computer time on July 2. However, I'll be free until then… And even then, I'll try and type up chapters while they're sleeping. In this chapter, Vei will be telling his story. I'll be putting them in flashback form (italics) because it's more interesting for me to write like that, but he's just telling the story regularly. Understood?

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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"Now we go in content

To liberty, and not to banishment."

~William Shakespeare

Chapter 3: Bye-bye Sister

It was nearly time to leave for Celestria and Midna had not finished packing yet. She knew she wasn't taking much since the journey would not allow for that much luggage. However, she wasn't sure exactly what she should bring. Finishing with the essentials such as an extra cloak and food had been simple, but now Midna was hesitating over a few things.

The first of these was the Twi Blade. It lay quietly in its sheath; the only movements from it were the flickering blue Twilight designs. Midna wasn't sure whether or not she would need the blade. Assassins might attack, meaning that it should be brought. However, the Celestrian Twili might feel threatened by this intruder coming into their realm with a sword by her side. It might prompt them into violence.

There was the other problem that Griff had warned her not to use the blade. She had followed his advice and had not used the blade since the battle with Galathron. However, she had touched up on her sword skills with Link to teach her and she had often removed the blade to marvel at its beauty. Staring at it now, Midna couldn't take it anymore.

"I'll keep it hidden," she muttered to herself. With care, Midna slid the sheath into her pack after one last glance at the obsidian blade that lay within.

If she was taking the Twi Blade, she may as well take along Devincha's amulet as well. Midna withdrew the black star-like amulet from the drawer. Some light from the brazier in her room struck the purple gem, illuminating two swirling shapes that seemed to exist within the stone.

Midna hadn't seen this before and she leaned closer to the gemstone. However, the shapes disappeared before she could get a good look at them. Midna cast the strange occurrence from her mind. It had been a trick of the light, nothing more. At least she hoped it had been. There were already too many things for her to worry about and she definitely did not need another.

As she placed the amulet along with the Twi Blade, a thought struck her. Without someone who had the blood of the Celestrian royal family, the amulet was useless. She had been able to use it with Griff because he was blood-bound to Galathron. However, now she was without any member of the Celestrian blood. Maybe seeking the princess had other benefits, other than helping Celestria. A smile briefly touched her face.

The smile was shattered by pounding on her door. "Midna! Hurry up!" Link called through the thick wood.

An impatient voice behind Link added in, "We have to go!" That was Veiviser.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Midna quickly pulled the straps of her pack tight. She hoisted the pack up on her shoulder and hurried to the door. Opening it, she saw an excited-looking Veiviser and a grinning Link.

Veiviser had cleaned himself up rather nicely. There were no more burrs stuck to his clothing and he had washed away all the grime last night. He had even agreed to changing cloaks as his had been tattered. Link was also looking better, as if the sickness had never struck him. Midna knew it was only time before he looked a lot worse.

"You sure took your time getting ready, Midna." Veiviser said. The Twili boy had lost more and more of his respectful attitude as time wore on. A part of Midna appreciated his readiness to act as if she was just another Twili; another part of her was rather angry at his rude behavior.

"We'll see how fast you can get ready when I'm done with you." Midna snarled at him, causing the boy to rush ahead to the stables.

"That was rude of you." Link noted as the two began walking after Veiviser. "But I can't really blame you for it." He added with a wry smile.

The two reached the stables. Three Twilight Messengers were waiting outside for them. Their markings were green unlike the other Messengers Link had seen who had had red markings. They were also a lot friendlier than the enemies who had attacked him and Midna.

Veiviser was currently rubbing the head of one of the Messengers. The Messenger didn't look too happy to be leaving already. It had only been yesterday that the duo had arrived. While the Messenger had been given a warm place to sleep, he wasn't eager to be setting out already. Veiviser mumbled something to the Messenger, causing the Messenger to grunt. The boy laughed before raising his head.

"Eclipse doesn't want to leave yet." The Messenger nodded his head in agreement. "But that's too bad." Eclipse growled at Vei, unhappy to be teased like this.

"Are you sure you don't want to ride a different Messenger and give Eclipse time to rest?" Midna asked as she approached.

"I can't ride another Messenger. Eclipse and I are best friends." Veiviser smiled fondly at Eclipse. "Anyway, he wants to find Princess Kamaria as much as I do." The Messenger seemed to brighten considerably at the princess' name, letting out a bark of approval.

"Very well." Midna still wasn't sure it was wise to take a Messenger that had been overridden the day before, but she kept the thought to herself. She couldn't imagine riding any other Messenger but her own as well, so she understood.

"Hello Sleipnir." Midna ran a hand through the Messenger's mane, prompting a low rumbling to come from deep within the Messenger's throat.

Sleipnir had been Midna's mount for a long time. During Zant's invasion, the Messenger had hidden out in the forest. He had tried to search for Midna while avoiding Zant, but had been unable to find his rider. Because of this, Sleipnir had gained a rather protective side and he always felt better when Midna was near him.

Link stood, watching Midna and Veiviser greet their respective Messengers. The remaining one would be his. Link cast a doubtful eye over the beast. He had never ridden a Twilight Messenger nor had he ever wanted to. Epona had been his sole mount. Until now. He desperately hoped that the Messenger wouldn't throw him off.

Midna paused in greeting Sleipnir to look over at Link. She gestured towards the remaining Messenger. "Link, I'd like you to meet Macha. She's a good girl." Seeing the doubt in his eyes, she added, "It's not too different from riding a horse. You should do fine."

Seeing as Midna had confidence in him, Link smiled. "Alright." Link approached Macha, a hand stretched out in front of him

"Hello Macha." Macha leaned closer to his hand. The fact that a mask hid her eyes caused some discomfort to Link. With Epona, he could always see the horse's emotions so plainly in her warm, brown eyes. However, with Macha, it was different. It was impossible to read the creature though Link supposed he could learn. Midna and Veiviser seemed to have no problems with reading the body language of the creatures.

Macha brushed against Link's hand. Despite the fact that he was not a Twili, she could sense an underlying courage and strength. She was curious as to what another creature, one coming from the Light Realm, would be like. Macha decided that if this boy was really as brave as she thought he was then they would get along quite nicely.

Link, after noting that the Messenger made no attempts to rip his arm out of its socket, was starting to relax. Yes, Macha was a Twilight Messenger, but she was nothing like the Messengers Zant had created. In fact, she wasn't related at all since she had never been an innocent Twili molded into a different form. And by the way her feet shifted on the ground in anticipation for the journey, Link could see that she was eager for adventure.

"I think we'll have a good time together." Link murmured to Macha. The Messenger nodded her head eagerly.

Midna was smiling at Link. It looked like she had made a good choice in choosing Macha as Link's Messenger. A frown split her face as she realized that the two would have to part soon. A Messenger often bonded with the rider and vice versa, a bond that held the two tightly together. It would be a shame to see Macha become disheartened from his departure. And it wasn't just Macha that would be upset…

"Let's go, let's go!" Veiviser shouted. He was seated on top of Eclipse already who seemed to be just as excited to get going. "We don't have all day."

Midna nodded her head, glad to have someone distract her from thoughts of the future. "Come on, Sleipnir." With a practiced ease, the princess mounted the Messenger. Link followed suit, finding that he could mount the Messenger just as easily as he could mount a horse.

Veiviser nudged Eclipse's side, muttering, "Off to Lunaris!"

Immediately Eclipse took off at a breakneck speed. He loped with long strides, occasionally bounding to create more speed. Sleipnir followed after Eclipse, letting the other Messenger lead as he knew where to go. Midna and Veiviser both clung easily to their Messengers.

Link, on the other hand, nearly fell off at the sudden jolt. The only thing that held him steady was his quick impulse to grab at Macha's mane. His legs nearly left the Messenger's side, but he thankfully managed to grip them just in the nick of time. He was unaccustomed to such a sudden start. Usually it would take a while for Epona to speed up to top speed, but these Messengers seemed to start fast right away.

After he had gotten himself under control, Link realized that it was actually quite fun. The wind whipped at his face. His hair was being blown back and his cap nearly fell off quite a number of times. He ended up removing the cap during the journey and stashing it in a pack. The three Messengers ran quickly as they cleared out of the Castle and crossed the field separating the Castle from the forest.

The tall grass, shady in color, rippled softly as they passed. Patches of it were flattened where the Messengers' had squashed the grass down. They soon entered the forest. At first, they were able to maintain a fast speed as the trees were sparsely spaced and the undergrowth only reached up to a little below the knees. They continued like this for quite a while before they were forced to slow.

The black tree-trunks had gotten close together and the undergrowth was higher now. However, they kept up a steady rate, only a bit slower than their previous one. Link couldn't help but marvel at the skill with which the Messengers ran through the forest. They would slip between trees, bound to avoid particularly nasty patches of undergrowth, and communicate with each other to let the others know where they were.

Hours passed before the trio finally came to a halt in a clearing. The Messengers were tired out though it was nothing a good night's sleep wouldn't repair. Link was tired as well. He hadn't realized that riding the Messenger the entire day would be so exhausting. Even after he had gotten used to holding on, it had proved to drain a lot more energy than expected. And of course, the disease wasn't helping. Veiviser hadn't wanted to stop, but even he realized that everyone needed a rest, himself included.

"I'll build up a fire. You two get some food out." Midna instructed. "Sleipnir, can you get me some branches before you lay down?"

Sleipnir did as Midna bade and there was soon a cheerful fire going. Link and Veiviser had pulled some dried meat out from their packs and were now impaling the chunks with sticks. This made for three lovely kebabs, which they all began to roast.

The Messengers could easily hunt for themselves and they did just that. Together, the three clambered up separate trees and waited. Eventually a Kangaroc flew by and Eclipse lunged at the flying beast. The Kangaroc screeched and wheeled around to avoid getting hit. This proved to be a mistake as it only brought the Kangaroc to its doom at the hands of Macha. Sleipnir easily finished the beast off once it fell to the ground. The three Messengers surrounded their prey and began stripping the meat off the bones.

Link watched them for a while before turning to Midna and Veiviser, "I never knew Messengers could be so intelligent."

"They are remarkable when you get to know them." Midna said with a soft sigh. "A shame that Zant had to transform our people into them."

Veiviser had been half-dozing while waiting for his meat to roast to perfection, but at the mention of Zant's name, he woke up. "Zant! I've heard of him. Can you tell me the whole story? We only get rumors over in Celestria and I've always wondered what happened." Veiviser looked eagerly between the two.

"First you've got to tell us your story. We want to know what happened with your princess and why she needs to be found." Midna said firmly.

Link nodded in agreement, adding, "The more we know, the better we can understand what our mission entitles."

Veiviser sighed, his ears falling a bit. He didn't like thinking about the day their princess left. "Alright, but after you have to give me your story. Promise?"

"Promise," the two chorused.

"Well then…" Veiviser began the tale of why Princess Kamaria had fled the kingdom of Celestria.

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A Twili boy with messy, orange hair and huge ears hid behind the door separating the throne room from the rest of the palace. Technically, he wasn't supposed to be there. This was a secret ritual and the King would certainly have killed Vei if he had found out. Or at least thrown him in the dungeon to rot for eternity, which didn't sound any better than death. But what did Vei know? Maybe a dungeon escape would be a fun venture. Not that it mattered since Veiviser had no plans to be caught in the first place.

He had come, careless of the danger, because the Princess was here. They had been playing in the gardens together when a servant had come to fetch Kamaria. He had told her that it was urgent business, involving her brother and a guard. The name had meant nothing to Vei, so he had naturally forgotten it. However, it had certainly meant something to the Princess as she had quickly left without a good-bye.

This had struck Veiviser as odd behavior for his playmate. She always made sure to say good-bye to him. And she never looked as alarmed as she did at that moment. Concern had radiated from him, so he had followed after her.

Now Veiviser was looking upon a darkened throne room. The only light came from a few candles situated around the corners of the room. A throne made of dark stone was at the end of a maroon carpet. There was a table to the side of the throne. An ornate knife was placed on the table along with a bowl and bandages.

Sitting on the throne was the current ruler of Celestria, King Galathron. His father had died only a week ago, but Galathron had already adjusted to his position as king. He wore a golden crown and black armor with red lines running through it. There was a blood red cloak thrown over his shoulders, pinned by a broach of the Celestrian insignia. He was currently glaring at a smaller figure in front of him.

To Vei's shock, the slender figure was Kamaria. Her red hair came down to her shoulders in waves. It was slightly matted from where Vei had shoved her into the ground. Red eyes glared in defiance at Galathron. She was wearing the dark leather trousers and the black tunic that she had been wearing when playing outside with him. A belt made of obsidian and dotted with amethysts shined in the dark. She hadn't had time to wash up; her alabaster skin and clothing were both smeared with dirt.

She was standing in front of another boy. The boy's eyes were on the ground and his shoulders trembled slightly as if he was on the verge of tears. He was older than her. Veiviser had never seen the mysterious Twili before.

"Brother, stop this insanity right now!" Kamaria shouted at her elder brother.

Galathron regarded her with cold eyes before stating, "It's not insanity. It's simply a blood bonding ceremony that you dare to interrupt." His voice was sharp.

"You can't blood bound people! It's evil." A snarl rose from her voice. He only laughed.

"Oh really… Dear sister… Blood bonding has always been a part of our world. You cannot deny it. It is an act of loyalty and fealty to one's lord, not an evil ceremony." Galathron waved his hand dismissively at her, expecting the princess to just leave.

Kamaria pointed at the boy's crestfallen face. He had still not said anything, just continued staring at the ground. "Not when the guard doesn't wish to be blood bound. Do not do this!"

"You defend this meager boy… His uncle has given him to me. I do what I wish with the boy."

"You're making a big mistake."

Galathron paused. "…Have you perhaps fallen for this boy?" The smirk on his face was large.

"What?! No! I just don't want his life to be wasted on something he doesn't want."

Vei had quietly sighed in relief when she denied his claim. To his knowledge, Kamaria had never spoken with this mysterious boy.

"Sure, sure… That's the only reason." Laughter came from the prince. Veiviser felt anger surge through him and he felt like punching the king's mocking face.

"Stop it! No blood bonding! Now stop it or else!" A dark orb formed in her hands.

This only seemed to widen Galathron's smirk. "You really want to fight? Ha, what a joke." The magic left her hands quickly and barreled into the king's chest. He slammed into the back of the throne, his head jerking back momentarily. Vei silently cheered for his friend.

"You call yourself a king. What type of king are you if you blood bond those who do not want it?"Another shot of magic left her hands and hit the king.

"You dare fight me! Your own brother." The smirk was replaced by a frown. He didn't like this defiance, this rebel act of hers.

"You will not blood bound this boy. If you do, it'll be the last thing you do." Mocking laughter left Galathron's throat.

Galathron stood up from his throne, once again waving his hand at her. "I don't think I'll listen to you."

His back turned to her. Veiviser ducked further away, afraid that the king's eyes would spot him. Kamaria's eyes narrowed.

"Fine… You leave me no choice. Sorry, brother." A large blast of magic shot out of her hands and hit his turned back. Galathron fell to the ground. From where Veiviser was, he could see anger forming on the king's face. Kamaria murmured, "I'm sorry… I didn't want to kill you."

"You kill me?!" He laughed at the very idea before his voice took on a cold quality. "Not likely."

Veiviser wanted to scream out to his friend to warn her, but he was paralyzed in fear. The murderous expression on Galathron's face had turned away from Vei's direction and towards Kamaria. Magic surrounded the princess, burning her skin. Vei let out a barely audible croak. He couldn't stand this.

Screams echoed in the throne room. It hurt Vei's ears and he hugged his arms around himself in useless comforting. No, no, no, Kamaria couldn't die. She was his best friend, but here she was getting killed by Galathron. And Vei couldn't do a thing about it. His magic was poor and he had only started learning how to use a weapon. The worst part was that even if he had had his trusty club with him, he couldn't have done anything because he was frozen in place

Galathron lowered his head. The magic lessened, dropping Kamaria down to her knees. The princess' body was shaking, but no tears left her eyes. Veiviser watched in awe as she lifted her head to Galathron.

The king spoke, "I cannot kill you, sister dear… However, you are banished forevermore from here. Now run while you can. Run far, far away." He swept his arm for emphasis.

She was panting hard and Vei felt a grip on his stomach. She wouldn't do this, would she? She couldn't follow Galathron's orders. No, she would stay right here because it was the right thing to do.

"You cannot banish me…" A confused expression entered Galathron's face while a hopeful one spread over Veiviser's face. "I choose not to be part of this kingdom. I will live without anyone ruling over me and you will never boss me around again. I will never come back here again. Good-bye brother. I hope you burn." She snarled at the king before running out the large doors.

"Bye-bye sister dear." Galathron murmured softly.

Veiviser stared in shock at the place where Kamaria had stood. She was going away? Forever? Forever was a difficult concept for the young Twili to grasp, but he understood that he would never see the princess again. Tears entered his eyes and ran down his cheeks, leaving trails of cleanness on his dirt-marred face.

Veiviser turned around to run out the palace to follow his friend, but a hand seized his collar before he could run.

"How much did you see?" It was Galathron's voice and it scared Veiviser. The king had always been a scary figure to the boy and now wasn't any different than usual.

Veiviser expected himself to crumble apart, but he didn't. As he was swiveled around by Galathron, Veiviser felt some of the rage bellow up from the depths of his mind. It was all Galathron's fault that Kamaria was gone! Galathron was to blame for the fact that he would never again wrestle with the girl, never again laugh with her.

"How could you?!" Vei screamed at the king's face. Hysteria had overtaken the sobbing boy. His body shook hard and tears were spilling out faster than ever before. Spittle flew from his mouth. "How could you banish your own sister?!"

Galathron didn't reply to Veiviser. He looked the trembling boy over once before stating in an indifferent voice, "You're Kamaria's friend, aren't you? The one she always hangs out with outside when she should be in here learning proper etiquette. I don't see why she would be friends with a scrawny brat like you. Then again, she was always the odd one."

"She's a better person than you could ever be."

"Oh really?" The king smirked at Veiviser. "Well, how about I show you a little something? Then you'll see how good a person I am. Maybe you'll want to do it later when you're a bit older."

Veiviser shook his head fiercely. "All I want to do is run after Kamaria. I don't want to watch anything that has to do with you."

"Well, that's too bad."

Galathron threw the struggling boy into the wall across the throne room. Veiviser hit it with a resounding thump and sunk down to the floor. His body shook badly and he could see something, a bone, sticking out of his arm. Blood trickled down his arm, causing sobs to escape Vei's throat. The boy brought his arm close to him. This wasn't supposed to happen. Why did this happen?

Galathron approached Veiviser, causing the boy to shrink into the wall. "You're going to watch this and maybe it'll teach you some discipline. And when you're old enough, you're going to go through the ceremony just like that brat over there." Galathron pointed back at the boy Kamaria had been defending. The boy had not moved an inch and now Vei could see that there was magical chains around his ankles.

Everything was wrong. Kamaria was gone to who-knows-where. This innocent boy was going to be blood bound to the king against his will. And Veiviser was being forced to watch a gruesome ceremony no child should ever have to watch. How did things go wrong?

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Veiviser paused in his story. He didn't want to continue anymore. It was all too painful, too hard to bear. This was the stuff that haunted his nightmares and it just kept on getting worse. The memories of that day had brought a grim expression to the boy, an expression that Midna couldn't equate with the excitable lad she had started the journey with.

"There isn't much else to say." Veiviser muttered. "After that, I was forced to watch the blood bonding ceremony." The boy shivered. "And then I ran outside and began to search for Kamaria. I never went back to the palace…"

Midna and Link had both bowed their hands in silence. Neither of them could grasp the full terror of the blood bonding ceremony, but they could understand losing someone close. It seemed as if everywhere Galathron went he caused misfortune, even in his own palace.

"We'll help you find your princess, Vei." Midna finally said. Now that she had heard the tale of why the princess was not there, she could sympathize. She was more determined than ever to find this elusive princess.

"We won't give up until we find her." Link added with a nod.

Veiviser gave the two of them a grim grin. He had searched for weeks to find Kamaria, even months. Never had he managed to see one hair of the princess. Perhaps the two of them could find her. Midna could use magic Vei could never use and Link was the legendary hero. Yes, if anyone could find Kamaria, Vei figured that the two of them could.

"Alright." Vei nodded his head. A smile spread across his face. "I believe we can."

"I just have one question… Do you know why Princess Kamaria hasn't returned yet?" Midna asked, posing the question as gently as she could. "Certainly with Galathron out of the way, she would be able to return to the throne."

Vei shook his head sadly. "No… She swore she would never return." A sorrowful silence fell over the trio.

Link broke it, "Well, maybe she hasn't heard the news yet. And if has, then maybe she just needs some persuasion. Now let's get to sleep, so we can travel in the morning…" Link paused, glancing up at the unchanging sky. "Uh…" Despite having been here for quite a while, the time in the Twilight Realm would always confuse Link.

"So we can travel sooner, rather than waste time sitting around and end up waking up later." Midna said. They agreed and stretched out to sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day of journeying.

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A/N: I liked this chapter or at least the flashback. Does anyone recognize some of the dialogue from the flashback? It's been a long time, but it's one of the scenes from the prologue. Next chapter you can expect more travel and a continuation of Vei's story. Please drop a review and I'll hand you your very own Twilight Messenger!

Twilight Phantom Dragon