Hello again. I've decided that I would post Chapter 3 so here it is. I want to thank Magic Basher54986 and Lauren Chamberlain for their incredible reviews. I also want to thank The Dragon of Chaos for their review as well, I sense that I have someone to try to impress now.

Just a reminder, for most of next week I will be completely cut off from the internet so I will not be updating this story or responding to any reviews or private messages until next weekend. Now please enjoy Chapter 3.

Chapter 3: Friends Reunited

After how long they could not tell, Link and Midna finally broke away from each other. Both were red-eyed and smiled like that neither of them had done so in so long. The bearded Peacekeeper had waited patiently throughout the entire exchange in silence, allowing the youths to have their moment.

"Link," Midna finally said, "what are you doing here? How did you get here? Who is this person?" She looked at Callum. He was well-muscled and stood tall with confidence, traits of an experienced fighter. His eyes drew her attention, they were blue and there was something about them that was... no. She shook her head slightly, she was imagining things.

The man gave her a warm smile. "As I have told you Princess, my name is Callum. While there is something I would like to discuss with you privately, I believe that it can wait until the two of you have had some time to catch up."

Callum cast the spell that masked the two humans again before heading towards the doors. "I'm going to go for a walk," he told them. "I will see you both in a few hours."

After he left, Midna stuck her head outside and told her advisor to cancel of her remaining appointments for the cycle, using the term that was the equivalent of a day in the Light Realm. As the Twilight Realm had no day or night their sense of time was maintained by the hands of a twenty four hour clock that great pains were taken to keep accurate.

She took Link's hand and they warped together out of the room. There was something about the awkward dismantling sensation that made them both feel at ease. When they re materialized Link found himself in a luxurious room, which he assumed was Midna's bed chambers. She led him to an ornate couch on one side.

"Link, I'm so glad to see you again," Midna said as they sat down, sounding more composed after her initial reaction to the Hero's surprise visit. "I'm so sorry for destroying the Mirror, really I am." She averted her eyes, fearing to look at his face.

"Why did you do it?" Link asked. Long ago he guessed the answer to that question but he felt that he needed to hear her say it.

Midna looked down at her hands which fidgeted on her lap. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought that if I could keep our worlds apart then people like Zant could never cause anymore harm. At the time I was thinking about what was good for everyone. But I wasn't thinking of what I wanted. After I broke the Mirror, fully realizing that I would never see you again, I regretted it ever since. I haven't been able to focus and I'm afraid that I haven't been a good ruler to my people because of it."

Link put an arm around her. "Don't say that. I saw the Twili on my way here, they looked so much better than when Zant had taken over. You are a good ruler Midna, believe it."

She smiled slightly, enjoying the contact. "Thanks Link, but I know that I could do a lot better. I just missed you so much that I couldn't think of anything else."

"I missed you too," Link said, holding her closer. "These past few months haven't been well for me either. When you left I felt like I must have done something wrong, something to make you never want to see me again. For a long time I felt angry with myself and I often took it out on the other villagers. Ilia's no longer talking to me after I said some harsh things and the kids have lost almost all of their respect for me." He gave a short, dry laugh, "It's so bad that Fado's actually doing a better job at herding goats than I am."

Midna covered her mouth, her eyes glistening with guilt. "Link... I'm so sorry for putting you through that. It wasn't anything to do with you at all. I hated the thought of leaving you behind but I couldn't see another way."

Ages passed before Midna finally broke the silence that had fallen. "How did you come back Link? I thought that the Mirror of Twilight was the only connection to Hyrule."

Link pulled back is arm, feeling uneasy. "It's a really long story."

"I've got time," she smirked. He took one look at her impish grin and smiled. He had missed that grin.

And so he told her everything; Callum visiting out of the blue asking Link to join the Peacekeepers, what little he knew about the secret order, and the existence of the other Mirrors of Twilight. The whole time Midna sat wordlessly, her expression changing from guilt to confusion to surprise. When he finished Midna sighed as she took it all in.

"I can't believe there is more than one Mirror," she said. "And I also can't believe there has been a group of people running around my kingdom for goddesses know how long interfering with our politics." She was quite annoyed by this piece of news.

"Me neither," Link said. "These people seem to know everything and are all over the place. The fact that they were watching us the whole time before is what gets me the most."

Their conversation was interrupted when there was a knock at the door. When Midna gave her permission to enter Callum entered the room. He smiled at the Hero and the princess who became so much livelier in such a short time.

"Hello there. Looks like you two are enjoying yourselves," he commented. He then turned to Link. "I suppose you've been telling the princess all you know about the Peacekeepers haven't you?" The shame and embarrassment on the boy's face was all the answer he needed.

"Don't worry," Callum chuckled, "I was planning on telling Midna myself but you seem to have saved me the trouble." He pulled up a chair and sat down. "However for future reference I have to ask you not to ever reveal any information regarding the Order. As you know, we need to remain top secret." Link nodded to show that he understood.

"Right," Callum said, "it's time to talk about why we are all here. Midna, Link may have told you this but I'm going to say this anyway. The Peacekeepers are a group that seeks to keep the world, or worlds I should say, in balance."

Midna gave him a hard look. "Yes I know. And you also have spies looking over the shoulders of every king and queen there is. How many of your people do you have keeping tabs on me? Don't think that Link hasn't told me about the invitation that I 'sent' you or the treaty that's not due to be renewed for another five months."

The Peacekeeper gave her an apologetic smile. "All necessary evils I assure you. I cannot reveal the identities of the agents under your service though I will tell you that your adviser Eddard knows nothing of us, his loyalty belongs to you alone."

"Good to know," she said sarcastically. There was the Midna sassiness that Link had grown to love.

Callum ignored her tone. "We are always looking for those with exceptional skills and the makings of heroes to recruit as agents. We like to have the best people who will always put others before themselves.

"When Ganondorf and Zant took over the Twilight Realm and attacked Hyrule, we prepared to take care of them ourselves. But then we noticed that the Twilight covering the Faron Province disappeared suddenly and we learnt that you two were responsible. We were impressed by you so we decided to sit back and watch how far you could go; ready to step in if you failed."

"That was very nice of you," Link scowled.

"I have a question," Midna said. Callum fixed his gaze on her. "If you had men watching over the palace, where were they when Zant attacked?"

The Peacekeeper's mouth twisted before he answered. "It shames me to say it, but the invasion caught us off guard as well. Our spies were all transformed into Shadow Beasts just as everyone else was. It all happened so quickly none of them had time to send out a distress signal. We didn't notice what was going on until we discovered that this place had gone dark and by then the palace had already fallen and you were seeking help from Link and Princess Zelda." The Twilight Princess said nothing and held the man with a firm glare.

"Moving on," Callum continued, "I came to Link yesterday asking him to join us. He initially refused but he then agreed to reconsider if I reunited the two of you."

Midna's expression softened. "Well... thank you. It means a lot to me that you did that. I suppose you did a good thing for both of us."

Callum nodded but then his face turned serious. "There is more to the story however. We do not want Link solely for his skills. In fact they have most likely deteriorated significantly as he has been neglecting his training since you returned to your people." Midna's head snapped to face Link, who had taken a keen interest in his feet, his face burning bright red.

"Oh, so he didn't tell you that?" Callum inquired, not at all surprised. "It has been so long since he last picked up a blade that we are worried if he is even still capable of using one. But there is a reason why we want Link now; we need him. We have a problem that only the legendary Hero of the Goddesses is able to fix."

"What kind of problem?" Link asked, not liking the tone in the man's voice.

Callum looked Link right in the eye. "A big one. It would be no exaggeration to say that we are faced with the end of the world. Both worlds."

"I suppose I should start from the beginning," Callum said. "Though we are very picky about whom we recruit and special care is taken in the upbringing of those born into the Order, there is occasionally a bad apple in the orchard. This one particular apple is named Brandon and he has gone as bad as one can possibly get.

"Brandon was once one of our best agents, as well as my closest friend, but somewhere down the line he strayed from the path of the Peacekeepers. He got it into his head that we should be in complete control of the world instead of merely influencing it in small ways. He believed that it was the best way to ensure peace.

"People soon stopped listening to Brandon's rambles but that did not discourage him. I caught him researching mind control and uncovered a scheme to turn the king of Holodrum into his puppet. When I confronted him he tried to convince me to help him, eventually by force. As I am still here you can guess the outcome of that particular disagreement.

"Afterwards I reported him to the Peacekeeper council. Brandon anticipated that the council was going to have him arrested so he took what he could carry and fled. He disappeared for a couple of months and the next time we found him he had become the leader of the Demon's Flames."

"Demon's Flames?" Midna asked, a little confused.

"They are a religious cult that worships a god known as Demise," Callum explained. "Demise was an evil being who ruled an army of demons thousands of years ago. He sought to possess the power of the Triforce and nearly wiped out the entire human race just to get to it. The goddess Hylia, who the Golden Goddesses entrusted with the Triforce, created Skyloft and sent the surviving humans to live there above the clouds. She then engaged in battle with Demise, which resulted in Demise being sealed underground and Hylia losing most of her divine power.

"Hylia feared that Demise would one day return so she created the Goddess Sword which would assist a chosen Hero who would be able to fight the fallen god. Hylia also gave up her immortality and took the form of a human, her spirit being passed on through her vessel's bloodline. Millennia passed until the seal holding Demise began to fade. Remnants of the demon army kidnapped the girl who at the time possessed Hylia's spirit. The Hero of the Sky, Link's earliest recorded predecessor, acquired the Goddess Sword and went to save her. To keep the story short, Demise was released from his prison and the Hero of the Sky fought him in single combat. Against all odds, he prevailed and Demise was defeated.

"The Demon's Flames believe that Demise will one day rise yet again and bring about the end of the world, leaving only those loyal to him to remain. We assume that Brandon aims to help them resurrect Demise so that he can bring about the apocalypse and build a utopia from the world's ashes."

"We never considered the Flames to be a threat before as they were small in numbers and lacked any real military power. Despite Brandon's skill there is no way that he could possibly hope to prevent the Peacekeepers from stopping him. At least that is what the situation used to be." Callum paused to take a deep breath.

"During his search for a way to bring back Demise, Brandon found an ancient tomb. Inside he discovered the sealed form of Demise's second in command, the Demon Lord Ghirahim. Brandon released Ghirahim and made a pact with him. Now with Ghirahim leading the Demon's Flames as well we have no chance of stopping them. Every agent we sent in to eliminate their leaders never comes back alive. According to our research, the only being to have ever bested the Demon Lord was the Hero of the Sky. That's why we need you Link; as his descendant you are the only person who can fight him."

Link and Midna were silent as they absorbed this information. It definitely sounded like the world was in terrible danger. "Why do you guys need me to become one of you?" Link asked. "If I'm the only one who can beat this Giri-whatshisname, then just point me in the right direction and I'll take him down."

"That would be the ideal scenario but that is no longer the case," Callum replied, brow furrowed. "Unfortunately for us, your fighting skills are rusty from months of taking it easy so you are no match for him in your current state." Link opened his mouth to argue but Callum stopped him. "Even if you were at your prime it doesn't matter. Brandon has been busy teaching his new accomplice a few new tricks, making the demon even more powerful than ever. If you are going to have any chance against Ghirahim now, you will have to join the Order and receive similar training from us."

Link threw his hands up in irritation. "Fine, sign me up then if it means so much to you."

Callum gave him a gesture to wait. "Hold your horses there, partner. It's not as simple as that."

"What are you talking about? You abduct me from my own house and bring me across dimensions to get me to agree to help you and when I finally say yes, you say it's not that easy? What's the problem?" Link asked, even more annoyed.

"Joining the Peacekeepers is not a thing where you just fill out a form and you become a member. There is a catch if you choose to accept our invitation. Our organisation works outside of the world so that we can protect it. Therefore we cannot allow our agents to have connections to anyone on the outside. This means that you must say goodbye to your friends and family forever. When you become a Peacekeeper, it's for life."

For a few moments Link did not know what to think. The world clearly needed his help again and not doing anything would be disastrous, but could he really leave behind everyone he had ever cared about?

"The other villagers would probably be better off without me and I don't feel like I belong there anymore," he finally said, "but can't I continue to see Midna? You guys can easily travel to the Twilight Realm so I could visit her every now and then, can't I?"

Callum closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. This rule is not negotiable. At any rate, a human in the Twilight Realm would raise questions, and could attract unwanted attention. If you refuse us, I will have no choice but to take you back to Ordon Village and you will never be able to see Midna again."

Link felt a moment of panic. "Can't I stay here then? I could use that spell you put on us to keep my identity a secret." Midna was deeply touched by his words but Callum shook his head again.

"I'm sorry Link but that is not possible. The spell only works for a limited time. You might have noticed that your disguise has already faded while we were talking."

Link jumped to his feet, outraged by the situation the other man had put him in. "Are you serious?! Are you telling me that no matter what I decide to do I can never see Midna again?! Why did you even offer to bring me here in the first place, is this your idea of joke?! Well newsflash, it's not funny!"

Midna stood up to try to calm her friend down. Callum merely sat calmly, waiting for the Hero to settle some. "Link, I did not bring you here solely for my amusement. There is a reason why I reunited you with Midna and why I am telling her about the Peacekeepers now. There is a third option here that you are not seeing; that Midna joins the Order as well." That shut Link up immediately. Did he hear right?

"Midna has also proven to be courageous and selfless during your quest to stop Ganondorf. In addition, her magical abilities far exceed most sorcerers, including Peacekeeper agents. I figure seeing as how you two make such a perfect team you should be able to join the Order together. Of course if Midna chooses to accept, she must agree to the same terms as you have to."

A wave of joy washed over Midna and she considered the offer but something stopped her from saying yes. "But my people..." she said sadly, "I can't just leave them. I have a duty to fulfill." Callum nodded at her statement.

"Yes, that is the crux of the problem. You are the last of your family line so you have no blood heir to take your place. But there is something I wish to ask you; are you happy with the life you're living?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Midna exclaimed. "It doesn't matter how I feel about my life, I have to think about what's best for my people. That's what a good ruler does."

"Yes but you also need to think about what is best for you," Callum said softly. "Since you reclaimed your throne you have been miserable and that has seriously affected your duties as a princess. You are not doing the Twili or yourself any favors by continuing to live like this."

Callum stood up, "I will give you two some time to mull this over. I suggest you think very carefully about what is at stake here."

He turned away from the two of them and exited the bedroom. Link and Midna faced each other anxiously, both struggling with the difficult decision that they have to make.

*Gasp* Oh no, conflict. What will Link and Midna do? So what did you think about this chapter?

I have something I want to talk to you all about. I have this other LoZTP story in my head but I'm a little anxious about writing it. I call it Cursed by Shadow and the main concept involves the Twili having a closer resemblance to vampires; sucking the life out of victims to survive and turning them into Twili. My main concern is how closely the idea already resembles the Twilight Saga which I didn't like all that much. You might like it and I'll respect that but I can say with confidence that I don't.

In Cursed by Shadow I plan to make sure that everything I do has logical stability and while it contains romance there won't be any of that emotionless dependence of Bella Swan or fairytale peaceful endings. Twili in this story are still mortal and have their limits just like any other creature. I promise that there will be a violent final battle, characterizations will stay as true to the game as possible and there will be no sparkling.

What I want is for people to give me their opinions as to whether I should write the story or not. I will create a poll on my profile and if I can get a reasonable number of positive responses by the time The Peacekeepers is finished then I will go through with Cursed by Shadow. Please do NOT cast your votes through reviews or PMs as it is very inconvenient and I will not count them.

Until next time,

EquinoxWolf.