Wow! My schoolwork really took a lot out of me. However, I have not given up on the story. So, enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 12: Comfort and Confrontation

"Link… Link please open up." Darian was standing outside of Link's door the morning after his argument with Midna. He could not understand why she was being this stubborn. He knew as much as the others that she loved the Hero deeply, and this love most likely stemmed from their previous adventure. From what Darian heard, when Midna shattered the Mirror of Twilight, Link was left heartbroken, and he surmised the Twilight Princess felt the same way. Things finally seemed to look up for the pair when they were safely back in the Light Realm, away from Zant and his forces. So why did Midna want to split up from Link so badly once the war was over, assuming they survived? It didn't make any sense for the young Night Guardian.

He grew alarmed when Link did not respond, and grew wary when he did not even hear a noise coming out of his room. "Link, answer me. I'll break down the door if you keep quiet." When only silence responded, Darian decided enough was enough. He opened the door to the Hero's room, and was surprised that no one was there. The room was deserted and clean, as if no one had slept there the previous nights. He took a closer look and found a note on the bed. Fearing the worst, the Guardian took the letter and opened it.

Dear family,

I have come to realize that no matter what I do, it never seems to be enough. Not for the people of Hyrule, nor for the Goddesses. I thought I got my life together when I found all of you and felt as if I were finally home. How wrong I was indeed. I would never truly be home, and I know now that nobody would like for me to be in their lives. So I have decided to say goodbye in this letter, and to offer you all my thanks for what you all have done for me. Drimani, although I have known you the least, you are an amazing general and a good friend. I am glad to have met you, as you made me think from different perspectives and helped me plan on how to train appropriately. Zelda, thank you for being the sister I never had. Without your wisdom and guidance, I would not have made it this far. I know you shall make a fine queen, leading your people to prosperity and protecting them from danger. Darian… Darian shed a single tear while he read this part. Darian, thank you for being my best friend. You always had a great sense of humor, and know just the things to say to help me. You also helped me in my time of need with the Fused Shadow. I can never thank you enough. Please, protect Zelda and everyone else. They all need you. Midna… Thank you… For helping me learn the true meaning of love. You were always there for me, from the very beginning, whether it was breaking my shackles in the dungeons of the castle or helping me fight Ganondorf and Zant. I love you with all my heart Midna, and I am truly sorry you do not feel the same way. I should have not been so selfish and let you go when you wanted me to, but I could not have. I cared too much for you. Even now, I know that I could never stop loving you even if I tried. I'm sorry… That I must go… May the Goddesses be with you all in your fight with Caedin. Farewell.

Love,

Link, Hero of Light and Twilight, Brother and Friend

Darian read over the letter once more, with a trembling hand, realizing Link must have left the castle when nobody was looking. His mind going into overdrive, he contacted Zelda. "Zelda! Come here, quickly!" Not a minute later, the Light Princess ran into the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked, but stopped when she noticed Darian's grim expression.

"Link's gone… He left us this note," he responded slowly, passing the note to Zelda. She read it once and burst into tears.

"Wha-? He can't be gone! He just can't! Not when we need him! How did this happen?" she demanded.

"He heard the fight between Midna and I and must have fled the castle when no one was looking." he answered dully.

"What are we waiting for then? We must find him right now and make him realize what he is saying is really hurting us! And that we need him for the fight!"

"Zel, he could be anywhere at this point! We don't know where he went, or how far he's gone. Plus… I don't think Midna really cares." Darian added darkly.

"We could contact him using the Triforce and determine his location from that. We must try!" Zelda cried.

"I can attempt to do this, but I can't guarantee anything…" Darian's Triforce lit up as he concentrated to find Link. "Link… Where are you? Answer me." He got no response however, which did not surprise him. "Zelda I can't reach him. Maybe you could try?"

"Hmm." she thought. Her Triforce started glowing as she too searched for Link. "Link… My brother… Please come back home. Or at least let me find you." Like in Darian's case, she got no answer. A moment later, however, both of their Triforces glowed brighter as Link showed them his location wordlessly.

"The Bridge of Eldin…" Zelda whispered. She whipped around in horror, noticing Darian was frozen in fear. "Oh no. Darian go find him. NOW! Before he does something rash!"

"Quick Zelda! Get on my back! We'll find him together!" Darian responded.

"No! You must be quick! Go! I'll follow you on a horse!"

"But-!"

"Darian the more time we lose here, the more likely it is that we could lose Link!" Darian had nothing else to counter with.

"Be safe Zel. Let's get the Hero back." With that, Darian flew out the window towards the Eldin Province, while Zelda ran to the courtyard to grab her horse. She burst out of the castle with no escorts, speeding to find Link.

Darian was a ways ahead of Zelda (flying really did have its upsides), when he spotted a lone figure on the bridge. Recognizing the green tunic, the Guardian flew in and landed on the bridge roughly ten meters away and approached him slowly.

"Link…" Darian stopped and waited for a response. Getting no such luxury, he edged closer to the Hero. "Link talk to me. Please. How am I supposed to help you when you don't tell me anything…?"

Said Hero turned and faced him slowly. "You would not understand. All I did was for naught."

"That's not true at all."

"Really now?" Link laughed bitterly. "If it's not true, then why do I feel that it is? Why does the precious Twilight Princess want to get away from me so badly? It must have been something I have done, otherwise she would not feel this way. She's broken my heart once already, but I would have thought she changed once we rescued her. Turns out I was wrong. On so many levels."

"Link you're wrong. I can see it in her eyes. She loves you deeply. She really does."

"She's got a funny way of showing it."

"Don't ask me to figure out how a girl's mind works, my friend. I am not the right person to tell you. Maybe Zelda could?" Darian asked, trying to cheer Link up. Said Hero smiled slightly, causing Darian to relax.

"Maybe." He became serious again. "I don't understand her Dari. I really don't. Why would she do something like this…?"

"You have to ask her that yourself. She never properly explained it to me either. If she tells anyone, she would tell you."

"Right, that's why she came to you first," Link spat.

"Hey, I never asked for her to come to me for advice, especially with this kind of thing. Honestly I thought she would keep it to herself. Anyway…" Darian paused for a moment. "That doesn't even matter. I'm pretty sure she hates me now because I called her an idiot for not listening."

"Hmpf. I bet you're the one that influenced her to decide to part ways."

"On the contrary Link. I told her to take you with her back to the Twilight and make you king if she was going to uphold her duties to her people. This way she gets the people and she gets you. I mean, that's what Zelda and I were planning to do."

"But what will become of the Night Realm? Ionin is-"

"Gone, I know." Darian finished. "But remember that Drimani is also my younger brother. He can lead the Night Realm to the age of peace and prosperity, just like I envisioned for the Light and Twilight Realms, if we do manage to take down Caedin."

"That makes sense except there is one problem…" Link trailed off.

"And that is…?"

"Midna doesn't want me to return with her."

"If she doesn't then she is an idiot for not realizing that is the best thing for both of you."

"Tell that to her," Link responded darkly.

"Link I already tried… I think you must."

"No way! Not unless she apologizes to me for not coming to me and consulting me about the matter first!"

"You both are impossible!" Darian said exasperatedly. "Stubborn to no end!" Link's face was impassive at first, however he eventually chuckled.

"You know us well, I see."

"You got that right." Darian answered. "We should get back. Zelda may want a word with you. She was extremely upset for the stunt you just pulled. She may have thought you were going to do something stupid…"

"Like jump the Bridge of Eldin? I was never going to." Link assured. "I was just taking time to think. This place is quiet and serene, and allows me to focus on my thoughts." Darian visibly relaxed.

"What were you going to do after this if we hadn't come for you?"

"I would have gone exploring someplace where no one had ever dared to travel. Maybe in lands outside of Hyrule." Link answered while getting to his feet. Darian did the same.

"I see. Well personally I'm glad we found you then. You may not realize it, but our destiny depends on what we do."

"Yes, although I don't like it." Darian chuckled at the statement.

"Neither do I, much. But what can we do?"

"You can start by surrendering to me." Darian whipped around to look past Link, realizing the voice was not his. There, at the end of the Bridge, stood a figure wearing all too familiar robes and helmet.

"Well hello Zant." Darian said coldly. "I would have thought you were trapped in the Twilight Realm, or were plotting for an invasion. So you being here and alone rather surprises me."

"Well well, this is certainly an unexpected surprise," Zant sneered. "I was hopeful to catch the Hero by himself, and yet you interfered."

"That's what I do best! Interfering with others' business. That has always been my job back in the Night Realm as a diplomat, and here I help others. What can I say?" Darian taunted. Link noticed something was off.

"Wait a moment. How were you planning to catch me ALONE?" he said quietly, glaring at Zant.

"Wouldn't you like to know Hero?" he responded. Darian too was starting to become suspicious.

"Now that I think about it, Link has a point. How were you able to notice that he was alone?"

"Let's just say that I was here the whole time!" Zant laughed at the shocked expressions on the Hero's and Guardian's faces. Darian turned to Link and started communicating through the Triforce.

"How is this possible? We didn't let him through the portal!"

"I don't know," Link answered. "But if he can freely move back and forth, he could be analyzing Drimani's battle strategies and plan a counter for them."

"I haven't even thought of that! In that case we need to double our defenses when we get back and alert Drimani of this issue immediately."

"That won't be too much of a problem hopefully. Still, one issue remains. How did he know exactly where I was going?"

"I agree, something bigger is happening here…" After hearing Darian's answer, Link turned back to Zant.

"I will ask you again. How did you know where to find me?" Zant shrugged.

"Simple. I followed you here." Darian frowned.

"Yes but how did you know Link was going to exit the castle alone?"

"Let's just say that I waited for the right time to catch one of you alone. I knew I would have to be patient, but soon I was going to be rewarded. And I was right!" Link and Darian looked at each other in horror. He's been here the entire time!

"Son of a -!" Darian started before Link cut him off.

"Curse you Zant. For every soldier you may have hurt, I will repay it in double the amount of cuts on your body!" he growled, unsheathing the Master Sword. Zant simply stood and cackled.

"Be careful Hero. I said I offered you a chance to surrender and come quietly. Don't make me destroy you."

"If you actually think we would surrender to you, you are gravely mistaken." Darian said dangerously, while pulling out his whip and shield.

"I've learned many more skills since we last fought Zant. I won't be easy to take down." Link added.

"Good! Then you both will die, bravely, here and now! And then no one shall oppose my Master in his ultimate quest!" he responded before launching a series of spells at the two friends.

Darian raised his shield and called upon the Triforce's power. "Shilien Ordem!" A dark blue barrier erupted in front of the two Heroes, absorbing the spells Zant had launched at them, leaving them untouched. Zant growled in frustration.

"Hmpf. It seems you have gotten more powerful indeed," he hissed.

"I simply don't have time for this nonsense," Darian answered. "I would love to play with you, but we have more important business to attend to."

"Don't you dare mock me!" Zant screeched. "You will pay for those words!" With that, he ran at them and started launching more powerful spells, only to be blocked by Darian's barrier without effort. Said Guardian turned to Link.

"I think we should start going on the offensive for a bit. Try to get behind him."

"Will do. Oh boy, Zant won't know what hit him!" Link smirked. "Put up the barrier again, I have a plan."

By then, Zant had reached the middle of the Bridge and stopped attacking them with magic. "Well what are you waiting for? Attack me!"

"Now why would we do that?" Link taunted. "Weren't you supposed to kill us? We haven't even broken a sweat!"

That did the trick. Zant roared with fury and launched a frenzy of bolts, once again blocked by Darian's barrier. When it dissipated, however, only Darian stood behind it. He was too late to react as the Hero of Light and Twilight shouted a spell.

"Boleda Maro!" The bolt of fire nailed Zant directly in the back, sending him straight at Darian who launched his whip, shouting "Domeno Aren!" The Darkwhip glowed dark blue with magic as it smacked Zant hard and sent him flying off the edge of the bridge. As he disappeared into the chasm, Darian walked slowly towards Link.

"That was a nice move my friend. Zant didn't know what hit him until it was too late."

"Hold on. I don't think we're finished just yet." Link answered, pulling on the Fused Shadow. He was right as Zant floated so he was level with them.

"I must admit you both became much more powerful than I had expected. But no more! Feel my Master's power!" Without warning, he launched large black bolts of magic. Darian barely had time to erect his barrier before the spells collided. Although the barrier was doing its job protecting them, Link noticed Darian was starting to become fatigued.

"Link, I can't defend these attacks forever. It seems that these spells are extremely powerful, coming from Darkness itself."

"I can sense that." Link answered. Indeed, he felt evil, cold energy radiating from the black spells. "Then we should start dodging and launching our own counterattacks." Without another word, Darian let the barrier shatter and took flight while Link took out his bow and began firing arrows. He quickly realized Zant was moving far too quickly for many of his arrows to make contact, and any that did reach him were deflected by a dark aura encasing his body. Darian was having similar trouble as his whip would do nothing more than send Zant flying backwards from the impact. Meanwhile they had to keep on their toes and dodge Zant's bolts of Dark magic.

"Darian! At this rate we'll never be able to properly attack him!" Link called through the Triforce.

"So what do you propose we do? All we are doing is forcing him backwards and farther away from us!"

"That's the point! He is fighting us with his ranged attacks just as we are!"

"Looks like I'm going to have to bring out the daggers again. Luckily he doesn't know about that style." Darian then hooked the whip back on his belt.

"So you finally see the true extent of my powers!" Zant jeered. He was shocked when Darian flew straight at him, brandishing his duel daggers.

"We already have. So we're adjusting to it," Darian responded, slicing Zant across his left arm. With a grunt of pain, Zant teleported and appeared behind Link. Fortunately, the Hero's Triforce reacted and he managed to dodge the spells Zant threw at him before Darian caught up to him and engaged him in close combat again. This time, Zant was ready and brought out his twin scimitars. The two were locked in a ferocious battle, both dodging and blocking the other's strikes.

Link, not wanting to be left out of the action, decided to use the power of his Triforce and Fused Shadow. With a leap off the Bridge of Eldin, Link flew to where his friend and foe were engaged in battle and managed to catch Zant off guard again. With a swipe of the Sacred Blade, he left another cut on Zant's back. He warped again and looked at the two of them in distaste.

"Well Link! Nice of you to join me! I was beginning to worry!" Darian joked.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world my friend!" Link responded with a laugh. Neither of them saw the bolt of black magic heading straight for them until it was too late. Link shut his eyes and braced himself for impact.

It didn't come. Instead, he heard a yell and the rush of wind.

Darian had thrown himself in front of the Hero and took the attack head on. The force of the curse threw him down and he landed on the bridge with a crash. Link was forced not to look down at his friend as Zant launched more bolts of magic. Link began to warp left and right, attempting to dodge the spells, and did not notice Zant warping directly behind him. Link barely raised his shield before a spell collided with it, sending him flying backwards. Regaining his balance, he noticed Zant had warped behind him again. Before another bolt could be launched, a golden barrier separated the two combatants. Looking down, Link was astonished at what he saw.

Darian was back on his feet. His Triforce hand had a golden aura around it and his emerald iris was now also gold. His long black hair had gold streaks and his once black wings were streaked with white and glowing. Zant looked at him in horror and Link knew exactly why. Darian had inexplicably gotten more powerful. Link could feel the warm energy radiating from his friend, a warning to all foes.

"You will not attack my friends. Especially from behind. That is dishonorable and irks me to no end." he said dangerously. Zant responded by throwing bolts of black magic at the Guardian, who promptly manipulated the golden barrier to absorb the attacks.

"How can you block my attacks so easily!" Zant screeched.

"Simple! You are not powerful enough to take me on." Darian responded calmly, his Triforce glowing silver.

Link felt a rush of energy as a voice called to him in a gentle but powerful feminine voice. "My child, do not be afraid to use the ultimate power of the Triforce of Courage. You were given its power for good reason. You are pure of heart, and full of courage. Use its power…"

"Who are you?" Link asked.

"You shall know in due time Hero. Now! Team up with the Guardian and rid the world of this menace!"

Link let the power of the Triforce of Courage flow through him and all of his injuries and fatigue immediately disappeared. His Master Sword began to glow an ethereal white and his Triforce, like Darian's, was glowing silver. His eyes were glowing gold and his tunic also changed from its regular green hue to a royal gold. He found that flying did not consume any energy and realized the Goddess Farore herself just spoke to him and lent him her true power. Darian nodded an affirmative.

"Alright my friend. It seems that Farore and Mudora lent us their power. Let's use it and save the Realms from Zant and Caedin!" Darian called through the Triforce before taking flight again and rushing at Zant with newfound speed. Zant barely had time to register what was going on before Darian slashed a deep cut into his right arm.

"You fools! You cannot defeat me! I have the power of my Master!" the usurper king yelled before his body was surrounded by a dark aura. His previous injuries were healed completely in the next few seconds, much to the Heroes' chagrin.

"Well this is getting rather annoying," Link muttered. He readied the Master Sword and rushed at Zant, who brought up his blades in defense. Sparks flew as the blades collided. This time, Link gained the upper hand as he forced Zant downward toward the bridge. Darian simply watched as the two combatants crashed into the bridge and created a cloud of dust. When it settled, he noted that Zant was clearly on the defensive with Link attacking with quick and controlled strikes. Before long, the usurper had several cuts on his body. Before Link could completely finish him, Zant had warped again, although this time he fell to his knees and looked exhausted.

"Well Zant. Think you had enough?" Darian asked.

Zant growled in frustration. This was not supposed to be happening. These two kids have awakened the true power of their Triforces! "I will not stop until I have utterly crushed you!" He yelled.

"Now that's enough." Immediately, Link and Darian felt a wave of darkness roll over the Bridge. It was cold and made them feel as if they were looking into a long black tunnel that had no end. A figure had appeared behind Zant and was staring at the Heroes with red eyes and a small smile. He was slightly taller than Link was, had long white hair, and was wearing black armor.

"I should have guessed the Goddesses would awaken the power within the chosen. You caught me by surprise! If I had been a moment later, you two would have succeeded in killing my apprentice!"

"Caedin…" Link growled.

Caedin grinned. "Of course Hero. Here I am, in the flesh. Ahh how good it feels to be out of my seal."

"Where is my brother?" Darian demanded.

"Patience and I will tell you. I have noticed you conversed with the Sages. What they tell you is true. Your brother is dead and I killed him. I was forced to in order to continue with my plans. He was a thorn in my side…"

"Yeah and I hope he gave you Hell before he went down!" Darian spat.

"Such hostility!" Caedin answered, raising his hands in mock defense. "Seriously, I only wanted to have a nice chat with you both! Is that so much to ask?"

"If your plans include destroying the world then yes. It is," Link answered.

"Hmm I was hopeful I would not have to fight today, but…" He stopped as his hands were glowing black with dark energy.

"Link get ready!" Darian said. "Zant only received a fraction of Caedin's power. We can't run at him head on!"

"You can't attack me regardless," Caedin countered and launched two bolts of black magic. Both of them found their marks and sent Link and Darian flying to the other end of the bridge. Even as they looked up, he was creating a portal that led to what they could only guess was the Night Realm. "Enough. Like I said, we shall fight another time. For now, I only came to pick up my apprentice." With that he and Zant walked through the portal and disappeared.

Link was the first to recover. He stood up slowly, groaning in pain as his power receded. Within a few moments, he fell to one knee and gasped for air. That spell really took a lot out of me. Caedin is extremely powerful, no doubt. If Farore hadn't helped me, I'd be a goner. A voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Link!" He turned to see Zelda had gotten off her horse and was running as fast as she could to get to him. She stopped right in front of him and then lightly smacked him across the face.

"Ouch! Seriously Zellie, now's not a good time…" Link complained.

"Don't you 'Zellie' me! You ran off! WITHOUT FIRST TALKING TO ME!" Zelda screamed, her eyes wet with tears.

"Alright alright! I'm sorry!" Link said desperately. "I just thought you guys wouldn't…"

"Wouldn't what? Want you here?" Zelda smacked him again. "LINK! How can you say that? That hurts!"

"That's what I've been trying to say…" Darian cut in weakly. His hair was purely black again and his wings returned to their normal black hue. His right iris was back to an emerald green. He stood up slowly. "But I guess Midna really hurt him for him to say this kind of thing." He slowly limped over to where Link and Zelda were before collapsing on his knees. "Damn. Caedin really did us in with that spell…"

"That… Was Caedin?" Zelda asked with fear in her voice.

"Yes." Link answered. "And I take it you're feeling very weak right now?"

"Yes, especially since my true powers faded. Looks like yours did too."

"Yes. Although I wish that weren't true. I wouldn't feel this sluggish if I still had Farore helping me."

"Link there's only so much Farore and Mudora can do for us. For us to defeat Caedin we need Nayru and Din to help us. It's no wonder he overwhelmed us so quickly…"

"You're right… I just feel so helpless."

"Don't," Zelda comforted. "The both of you have done something I have never seen or done before. You got your Goddesses to lend you their strength. You became one with your Triforces. I could never hope to…" Darian cut her off.

"Never say you can never do this. It is possible. You just witnessed us doing so. You have to believe in yourself and place your trust in Nayru. Although I believe they will only grant us the ultimate power in extreme cases. Against Zant and Caedin for example. I doubt we need to use that much energy on regular creatures." He stood up once more and this time managed to stay up. "Alright maybe we should head back to the castle. Personally, I know I need rest. That fight took a lot out of me."

"Yeah, no kidding," Link smirked slightly.

"And don't you dare leave like that again, you hear me wolf-boy?" Zelda eyed Link beadily.

"Hey! What did I tell you? Only Midna can call me that!" Link stopped. "Midna… What am I supposed to do…?"

"We'll help you with that issue, don't worry." Darian reassured. With that, the Princess, the Hero and the Guardian began their journey back to the castle.

Thanks for all the views and a special thanks to the reviewers! As usual opinions are welcome!