Author's Notes: Well, basketball is winding to a close and I've got a weeklong break ahead of me. That means that along with this update, you should get another update sometime in the next week! So enjoy this chapter and the knowledge that you won't have to wait long for the cliffhanger to be resolved!

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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"Do you not know that there comes a midnight hour when everyone has to throw off his mask?"
-- Soren Kierkegaard

Chapter 17: Discarding the Masks

This was it. The final obstacle before they confronted the queen, two large doors flanked with two guards holding spears. Both guards bore the Celestrian crest and both watched Midna and Veiviser warily.

"You are not allowed here." One of the guards spoke, his voice booming in the entry room. "Leave now." The threat hung silently in the air.

Midna scowled at him. "We need to speak to Queen Kamaria. Let us pass." Or you'll end up with a large bruise when you awaken. She wanted to say it, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

"We can't do that." The guard refuted. He raised his spear up and brandished the tip towards the duo. "We've been given orders to keep you out if you returned." Seeing as they hadn't been gouged yet, it was clear that the guards didn't really want to hurt them.

Midna narrowed her eyes at them, but was interrupted by Veiviser hollering, "For Kamy!" He lunged forward, club appearing in hand, and banged it over the surprised guard's head. The spear fell first and then the guard's body crumbled after it.

"Vei… What did we say about me doing all the business while you stand off to the side, doing nothing?" Midna muttered, shaking her head. All hopes of negotiating with the remaining guard were dashed. Oh well, she had to admit that Veiviser's method worked rather nicely.

The remaining guard banged the butt of his spear against the floor and opened his mouth to bellow a warning. However, a bolt of magic from Midna knocked him out for the count before he could do any damage.

Veiviser sported a large grin as Midna approached him and the double doors. "Well, didn't that work out nicely?"

"It worked." Midna nodded her head in agreement. "But next time, do what you're told."

"Even if what I'm told is wrong?" Veiviser asked with a tilt of his head.

"If I say it, then it's right." Midna countered. "If we do end up having to fight Kamaria, you have to listen to me. There could be someone working behind the scenes and we don't need you hurt because of some misplaced sense of heroism."

Veiviser scowled. "I don't have a misplaced sense of heroism."

Midna rolled her eyes. "Just follow my orders." She didn't wait for his reply as she placed a hand on the throne room doors and forced her magic into it.

They slid open easily, revealing the long chamber that was the throne room. At the end, Kamaria sat on the throne in the same set of black robes lined with crimson that she had greeted her adoptive family with.

"I thought I told you not to let any…" Kamaria's voice faded away as she noted how she was talking to. Instantly her purple eyes narrowed. "What are you two doing back here? I banished you."

"Hello to you too." Midna replied mockingly.

"We're here to figure out why you banished us." Veiviser piped in. His hand tightened on his club. "I know you, Kamy, and I know you would never consider banishing your friend. So why'd you do it?"

"Because I don't need you traitors around my castle." Kamaria motioned her hand towards the door. "If you leave now, you can keep your lives, but you'll have to do it quickly. I'm expecting a guest later on."

She was curious about who this guest of Kamaria's was, but it wasn't her top priority. "This is Vei's home. He's got a right to live here. And you're not allowed to banish people without reason."

"I'm the queen. I can do whatever I want." Kamaria retorted.

"I liked you better as a princess. You weren't rotten back then." Veiviser spat. "You were sweet and nice to your friends and people you didn't know. Now you're just a..." He paused, searching for a word.

"Brat? Demon? Bitch?" Midna offered.

Veiviser nodded his head, shoulders trembling from the effort it had taken him to insult his best friend. He didn't like this at all and the fear that he might have to fight her dawned on him.

Kamaria's face contorted into one of fury as she stood up. "You have a death sentence, don't you?" Her purple eyes glowed brightly as she called up magic.

"Brace yourself, Vei." Midna warned quickly before throwing up a magical shield. There was a brief moment when Kamaria's body seemed to shimmer, but Midna didn't have time to think about it as the bolts of magic flew towards them. They hit the shield and bounced off, crashing into the walls.

A frown split Veiviser's face as he crept closer to Midna. "I don't know if I can fight her." He whispered, fear apparent in his voice.

Midna sighed. "We have to…" Seeing Veiviser's anxious face, she added, "We're not going to kill her."

Veiviser nodded his head though he was still trying to come up with ways to disable her with the least amount of pain conducted to either party.

Bolts of magical energy had continued to hit and weaken Midna's shield, but they had been unable to pierce the barrier. Finally the bolts stopped and Midna nearly dropped her shield. However, she decided to keep it up in case this was just part of Kamaria's scheme to lure them into a state of complacency.

No bolts came, but Kamaria's hands seemed to be making strange gestures in the air. Midna didn't recognize them from any spells she knew, but she knew enough to know that whatever it was dangerous. And likely forbidden, at least in Midna's kingdom. But how did Kamaria know it? She was about Veiviser's age, so she couldn't have learned it from her magical tutors before being exiled. As for learning it in Honap, well that was just too unlikely.

Had whoever controlled her (if there truly was a puppeteer behind all this) taught her the magic? Or was it just another question to add to the countless amount of questions that were accumulating in Midna's mind?

Kamaria's lips moved to mutter something, but Midna didn't catch it. A shadowy bolt, larger than the others and intersected with red crackles, shot out from Kamaria's hands. There was only a split second to add power to her shield before it hit. The bolt shattered the shield, sending both Midna and Veiviser flying against the wall.

She let out a groan of pain. Fortunately, it had been the magic of the shield that had caused them to blow backwards. While this left a few minor burns, it was preferable to the more dangerous energy of the bolt, most of which had been consumed by the shield.

"What? Another guest to join the party?" Kamaria was sneering at someone and Midna turned her head slightly to look over.

It was Araimak. His purple eyes looked at Midna and Veiviser, some sadness flashing in them before he turned them back to Kamaria with a hatred that astounded Midna. Did he hate her that much? What had she ever done to him?

"Get her away from the throne." He spoke calmly though his voice hinted at the anger within. "Rip her to shreds if you have to."

The command once again surprised Midna. It did more than surprise Veiviser. It caused his blood to boil over and his head to spin in confusion. A Twilight Messenger leaped out from behind Araimak and loped towards Kamaria with great speed. It lunged at her, leading to a wrestling match.

Meanwhile, Veiviser had shot up and run towards Araimak. "What are you doing?! Call it off before it kills her." He tugged at the man's arm. "She's my friend!"

"No, she's not." Araimak's eyes had narrowed into slits.

"Are you out of your mind?" Veiviser growled. "You're the enemy if you think she's against us." Midna's lips closed tightly to keep from pointing out that she was their enemy (willingly or not) at the moment.

Araimak continued, "She's not your friend. I am."

"I don't befriend those who attack my friend."

"There's something I wasn't…"

Before anything more could be exchanged, there was a yelp. The Twilight Messenger who had charged at Kamaria flew away from her, its body smashing to the ground with a terrible thud. There wasn't even a whimper as the creature just laid there, some smoke drifting from its charred flank.

"Arion!" Araimak shouted, voice breaking out of its calmness into a desperate tone. He left Veiviser's side in a flash to run towards the still body of the Messenger.

"Wait! Arion!"

Veiviser and Midna's eyes both widened before they hurried over to Araimak's side. Sure enough, there was the characteristic crack across the Twilight Messenger's mask.

"But-but-why-Arion-helping-Kamy-why…"

"Vei, shut up." Araimak muttered, his hands running lovingly against Arion's side. In a gentler voice, he soothed, "It's okay, Arion. You did your best."

Mad laughter bubbled up from Kamaria. "So you finally came back, did you? I was wondering when you would show your pretty face."

Before Araimak could answer, Midna yelled, "Okay, Araimak, you better explain what the hell is going on."

"Yeah, what Midna said." Veiviser added.

Kamaria's grin widened. "Go ahead and tell them. Just make it snappy, so we can get to business." She sat back down in her throne and leaned back.

Araimak's eyes narrowed as he stared at Kamaria before he sighed. "Showing you will be faster."

Magic enveloped Araimak's form. His form shrunk, his clothing following suit. Slowly the features became more feminine until they were that of a young girl of about 12. When the magic faded away, the figure left was not the magician they had met in the woods. Instead it was the splitting image of the girl sitting on the throne, disregarding the differences in facial expressions and garments.

"Kamy!" Veiviser's mouth flapped open in shock and while a few blubbering sounds escaped, there were no recognizable words in his babble. Tears rolled down his face.

Midna's eyes jumped between the Kamaria sitting on the throne and the one standing by Arion. "You used magic to shapeshift… But how?"

Kamaria, the one standing by Arion, replied, "It wasn't a difficult spell since all I only changed my gender and age. As you noted earlier, my other features remained unchanged."

Midna was about to question her further when Veiviser lunged forward and hugged Kamaria tightly. "It's really you, Kamy! I knew that you wouldn't betray your friends." Kamaria had stiffened slightly before returning the hug.

She patted Veiviser on the back and whispered, "It's fine, Vei… You can let go now." Veiviser let go, blushing sheepishly and staring at his feet.

"Aww, how touching." The Kamaria sitting on the throne snarled.

"So who are you?" Midna turned to look towards the Kamaria that she now knew to be a fake. "An usurper to the throne?"

All she let out was a hollow, crisp laugh before replying, "Oh please, I don't care about having a throne or being queen. I only did it to lure her out of hiding after I failed to find her at her house." She pointed at Kamaria with a slim finger.

Midna glared at the false queen, but it was Kamaria who challenged her first. "Then go ahead and show your true form, murderer."

"With pleasure. I was getting tired of this body anyway."

Similarly to Kamaria's magic, a glow surrounded her body. Scarlet runes flashed across the surface of the shell that had formed around her. The whole shift took only a few seconds and when it was done, a grown woman stepped out. For a few moments, Midna thought her markings were a dark red before they stopped glowing and she realized that the magic had been changing their color. Naturally they were yellow.

She had long, ruddy orange hair that fell in waves down her back. It was kept out of her face by a stone ornament. Black eyes glared from blood-red sclera. Her clothing consisted of pants and a long-sleeved shirt that were made from the skin of Kangarocs. The hilts of knives could be seen from where they were stashed in bands on her pants. She was pretty, but it was a sort of lithe predatory beauty.

"I'm Sangra and you're going to die." When she opened her mouth, they could see the sharpened canine teeth in her mouth.

Kamaria's lips pressed tightly together. "You're going to die for what you did."

Sangra laughed. "You stole the words right out of my mouth." She jumped out of the way as Kamaria sent a bolt of magic towards Sangra, effectively destroying her own throne.

Midna readied her own magic, sending a blast towards Sangra. While she was curious as to what exactly had happened with Kamaria before she joined them with Araimak, there was a battle to be fought. Pleasantries and tales could be exchanged after it was all over.

To her frustration, the magic spells she launched at Sangra were either dodged by the lithe form or shielded by her own magic. Kamaria's were likewise evaded. As for Veiviser, he couldn't creep close enough to Sangra before the sorceress jumped away.

"Why are you fighting us?" Veiviser shouted as he watched Sangra roll out of the way of a magical shot. "Kamy hasn't done anything to you!" At least he didn't think so… He supposed she could've done a lot in the years of exile, but still… She wouldn't have done anything bad, right?

Sangra laughed bitterly. "Of course no one remembers."

"Then why not enlighten us?" Veiviser answered.

Midna hissed at him, "Why don't we just take her down now and forget about talking? It doesn't matter why."

"No, no, I think a story's in order to set things right." Sangra blocked one more magical blast before walking back to the decimated throne. Her markings glowed scarlet as the pieces picked themselves up and reassembled into a throne, held together by magic. Whatever magic Sangra used, Midna was sure that it was powerful stuff. "But no fighting while the story's taking place, or I'll make sure you suffer before your death."

Kamaria glared at her before glancing at Veiviser. "She killed my father Orson! I don't want to listen to what she has to say."

"Perhaps this whole thing started for no good reason. We should hear the sides of all stories before we make our judgments." Veiviser grinned triumphantly as Midna looked at him. "Impressed by my wisdom?"

"Just surprised that you're making a diplomatic effort when she's done so much."

Veiviser shrugged. "I'm just… tired of fighting." He admitted, running a hand through his long orange hair.

Sangra snorted. "This story will change nothing though my ancestors would want you to know this. It's not revenge if the victim doesn't know what she's done."

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Ramaine was hustling through the hallways when a hand grabbed her arm. She tried to jerk away in fright, but it proved to be unnecessary when the figure holding her arm revealed herself. "It's just me, nothing to be scared of."

Ramaine's arm was released. Crossing her arms, she sniffed, "I wasn't scared. Just taken off-guard."

Morgana smiled at the younger girl. "Alright, alright." Her face became stern as she continued, "I heard crashes in the throne room. Have they come?"

Ramaine nodded, "I let them in through the gates a while ago though they wanted me to wait for a friend, which was I couldn't report until now."

"Who was this friend?"

"Some guy dressed in black. Called himself Araimak or something." Ramaine shrugged. "When I offered him directions to the throne room, he said he knew the way…"

"Strange fellow," Morgana shook her head. "Well, hopefully Midna has good judgment on whether he's trustworthy or not."

Ramaine nodded her head and the pair stood in silence for a few moments. "You should get Vaschel, so we can get Link out of the dungeon."

Morgana nodded in agreement. "Though we'll have to keep him away from the battle."

"He's not going to like that." Ramaine was smiling now, from amusement as well as admiration. "We'll have to give him updates on whether the others are okay."

"They should be fine." Morgana shrugged. "I trust that they'll be able to survive this ordeal. Now hurry along and tell Vaschel."

They parted ways; Ramaine hurrying to tell Vaschel the news of the arrival and Morgana hurrying to keep any curious guards away from the racket in the throne room.

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A/N: And that's the end of this chapter! Originally I was going to put the story in this chapter, but I grew lazy and I wanted to finish this up, so no story. Instead you get a short battle scene (the next battle scene will be much longer) and some revelations. If you guessed that Araimak was Kamaria, you earn a cookie!

Fun Fact: Araimak is an anagram of Kamaria. Don't believe me, try it out.

Sorry for the short chapter. I'm certain that the next will be much longer.

Twilight Phantom Dragon