#re. zelda ↳ visage

[timcless]

look at her

[thebleedingeffect]

Hyrules Curse, Intro I: A Soldiers Sacrifice, A Heroes Loss

[cross posted onto ao3 here if you prefer to read stuff on there]

The one thing more terrifying than the sounds of war is the silence beforehand, before the sounds of agony, blood pooling underneath the cascade of ash-stained boots, and the deafening ring of steel against flesh. The world falls to a standstill, waiting with baited breath until another scar rips into the wartorn earth and stains the puddles of disgusting muck with the color of misery and entrails. Terror weaves itself through the crowds of soldiers below, the bravery that once burned bright now only leaving desperate, bitter husks that all looked into the battlefield’s horizon. - The flames of death and Impa's capture lead the visages of Hyrule to the entrance of the Valley of Souls. Zelda glares over the horizon with the blood of her people still staining her dress and Cia's hands, as Link stays close to her side.

War is an unforgiving thing, Link knows this, he can feel it within the grime that covers him and the blood of his comrades that he has killed. But yet, a final confrontation beckons them even further within the maw of the valley.

Or: A much different re-telling of Hyrule Warriors, all of the timelines never came to their aid and Hyrule is on the brink of destruction.

The one thing more terrifying than the sounds of war is the silence beforehand, before the sounds of agony, blood pooling underneath the cascade of ash-stained boots, and the deafening ring of steel against flesh. The world falls to a standstill, waiting with baited breath until another scar rips into the wartorn earth and stains the puddles of disgusting muck with the color of misery and entrails. Terror weaves itself through the crowds of soldiers below, the bravery that once burned bright now only leaving desperate, bitter husks that all looked into the battlefield’s horizon. 

Silence reigns in the glow of dawn, and the only thing that Link could see through the ash and grim covering the earth was Zelda’s blazing fury that followed her every step. Link could feel the anger radiating from her, by her side as he was, but the tension tightening around her shoulders and her clutched palms kept him quiet. The silence fractures the slightest underneath the sound of his own breathing and Link can’t help the tight knot of unease as Zelda continued to stare forward, hardly sparing even a glance.

Link doesn’t dare to make another noise, not as he glanced at the painfully empty spot by Zelda’s opposite side.

The absence of Impa is a heavy thing and beside Zelda, Link dares to think he’ll be crushed by its deafening weight.

“You know that we cannot lose this battle.” The words are hardly a whisper, carried lightly through the suffocating, putrid air as Zelda glanced back to where Link stood. The uncontrollable urge to avoid her piercing gaze nearly overwhelms him, the desperation and fury in her eyes twisting her expression until it’s as dull as the blackened sky and as ragged as the scraps of her dress. Tattered pieces of pink fabric that once made up her brilliant dress sway in the breeze, the dull shine of the armor that now enveloped her instead catching his eyes before he forced himself to nod. 

“...You will be responsible for defending the west side of the valley, Lana will be responsible for the east. I will be at the forefront of the battle towards Cia’s fortress.” Warrior stilled, the words slowly registering until he couldn’t help but step in front of her glare towards the fortress sitting along the horizon. 

“Zelda-”

“Princess Zelda.”

“Princess- you’ll be at the very front of the battle without someone by your side, it’s- it’s suicide, Cia will be expecting you. Trying to break through the front gates isn’t going to work-”

“And what other plan has?!” Zelda’s voice erupts then, anger sparking into a blazing fury until Link takes a single step back, withholding the urge to worry at the wounds still littering his bandaged hands to instead meet her with his own glare.

“Anything else but this! This won’t be a battle, it’ll be a slaughter. Cia… She’s already recruited half of the army, and we’ll barely have anyone left if we give them more of a reason to be on her side.” Link's voice falls to a whisper, quiet enough that only she can hear the frantic urgency in his voice, the tone of desperation that works itself down into his scarred, white-knuckled grip around the master sword. 

The truth rings loudly in the darkening air between them, enough that Link takes the tense stalemate to give a brief glance towards the tents below.

The sight makes Link choke on the stubborn knot of anger building within the inside of his throat, the tattered remains of tents billowing in the dead breeze still stained with dried, old blood. Misery weaves itself through the crowds of soldiers below their feet, so much that Link forces himself to look away with a weary gaze. The flayed remains of dead soldiers and monsters alike drift on the breeze, hidden within the shadow of the mountainside, rotting alone. Link doesn’t notice the taste of rot on his tongue anymore, but the gruesome sight made him wish that he could at least remember the scent, as penance for all the blood spilt.

Blood still covered his sword, some of which used to be his own comrades, before unrest and fear swept through the ranks as fiercely as death itself. Link couldn’t find the will to blame them for becoming traitors, for coming to resent the crimson horizon that currently enveloped both him and the princess in a blood-soaked glow. Link glanced back down at the pile of corpses, their faces burning a place behind his eyes. 

The scent of rotting flesh had corrupted the ground beneath them until there was no escape from the stench. An inescapable smell that weaved up from the canyon’s ground and pervaded the skin of every soldier still alive with the scent of death.

Could Link truly blame the traitors for cursing them? The beacons of the goddesses glory that has continuously failed them at every turn? Another glance at the ever thinning group of soldiers told him, no, he truly couldn’t blame them in the slightest.

Fury pulled Zelda’s lips together, the near uncontrollable urge to collapse and scream in misery drawn painfully across every scratch and scar that littered her pale face. Link could only give an empathetic grimace, slowly lowering the master sword to his hip and absently wiping the dirt and blood onto his beyond-ruined pants. 

“Impa… She would hate this-”

“If there’s a chance she’s alive then I must take it, there’s no other choice to be entertained.” A cold determination melted onto Zelda’s shoulders, staring out onto the battlefield with an unflinching stare as Impa’s name hung in the open air. 

“Without her, we won’t win this war, with or without the master sword and Lana’s guidance.” Link couldn't say he disagreed, he might’ve been worthy of the master sword- despite how little he truly believed that fact- but Impa was the true image of a leader, of stability, of guidance that meshed beautifully by Zelda’s side. Everything that Hyrule had desperately needed was embodied in the pair.

And Impa was gone, and Link was only a weapon to be wielded after all.

“...I can’t leave here without trying, I can’t just leave her behind.” Sorrow enters Zelda’s voice then, Impa’s name brittle and cracking horrifically underneath her breath. All of the fight leaves Link then, the anger, the fear, all of it he pushes to the side despite how the fortress's shadow has begun to stretch over him. 

The image of Cia giggles playfully in his mind, a sadistic twist to the edges of her lips that he knows she looks down at them all with, atop her fortress with an excitement that he dreads. 

Part of Link wanted to fight, fight and scream to not have to meet her again, but that was an impossibility that he knew he would never be afforded. Not when Impa’s life was still in question, hidden within that damned fortress that he despised and feared in equal amounts. The fortress that has haunted his dreams for countless nights, playfully reminding him of her with every blink. 

Impa was stronger than him, more courageous, always so much more than he could’ve ever hoped to be, but more than anything else, he knew how important she was. 

Link stared at Zelda, her shoulders straining against the impossibility of their victory and the thousands of the dead already weighing her crown until she could only just bear the anguish. The agony that he knew she shared by Impa’s side, the person that Zelda and Hyrule needed.

Hyrule didn’t need him, the goddesses had simply chosen wrong, they had taken one of the countless, unremarkable soldiers that filled Hyrule and it so happened to be him.

Hyrule didn’t need a sword, it needed a leader.

Link stepped back, falling back just beyond Zelda’s sight with a final exhausted, but resolute sigh. 

“Please, just promise me one thing.” Zelda’s gaze fell back onto him, a subtle curiosity swimming in her eyes that Link was unable to meet where he stared at the growing size of the fortresses shadow. 

“If Cia appears… don’t approach her, not even if it seems like you have the chance. It’s just a lie. Do what you must, just… anything but her.” Link's words felt hollow even to his own ears, his voice listless as Zelda stood in muted worry before a grim understanding twisted her expression moments later. Tense seconds passed, each one heavier than the last until Zelda gave a single controlled exhale.

“That’s a hard promise for me to make, you know that.” 

“I know, that’s why I ask it of you.”

The strained line of Zelda’s shoulders tightened, the light of her armor catching in Link's eyes for the briefest of moments before turning back to the mountain’s edge. Link silently stands, holding the baited breath back as he fought his lungs to keep his heartbeat to an halfway acceptable tempo. The high arch of the morning’s sun framed Zelda’s head in a golden halo, the image near ethereal despite the grim and filth covering them both. Blood streaked itself through her golden hair, but she still glowed despite it. 

The sight brings a smile to Link's face, the brief distraction just enough to tear him away from the fear of the battle that awaits him. Link quietly coveted the sight, letting the image sit beautifully in his mind before Zelda looked but with a grim, but accepting expression.

“I would hate if I allowed you to be hurt when Impa wasn’t here to be by your side, she would never forgive me.” The admittance brings with it a chuckle from between Link's lips, the rare expression of mirth lifting the dread from both of their eyes as Zelda gave a chuckle of her own. 

“No, she really wouldn’t, would she?” A slight blush colored Zelda’s cheeks, her eyes distant in a way that told Link that for once- she was lost in much happier memories than the misery that awaited her in the present. 

The moment brings with it a kind of reconciliation that had been desperately absent, weeks passing without hardly meeting the other’s eye or to simply be by each other’s side. Link's smile widened the slightest amount, a touch of happiness tinging his chest before he continued. 

“If you promise to be safe, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring Impa back. I… I don’t think she’s dead, she’s there, somewhere.” If there was only one thing that Link was sure of, it was those words, a promise that drifted between them. 

Battered mountains closed in on all sides, corrupted magic practically ripping the very earth itself apart until nothing but the howling wind remained. But, Link felt the plea in his words just as much as the dried blood underneath his palms.

If Impa was going to be anywhere, it was here, and Link found that he couldn’t leave her behind. 

“...I’ll continue to lead the frontlines, we’ll slowly capture each keep until Cia has nowhere to run except for the fortress itself. But, rescuing Impa is our true mission, remember that.” Link could only nod, the familiar determination returning to Zelda’s eyes as she swept her eyes over the remaining army with a keen gaze.

“And if Cia is truly waiting for us, then we’ll answer her call.” A venomous glare, tinged with fury, stared at the fortress that had begun to be overshadowed by the morning’s light. Link made an agreeable noise, the energy for words failing him as Zelda walked past him. Zelda gave a single look back, their eyes meeting for a moment before she gave a nod of her own, starting down the mountain side with a grace that continued to stun him.

The crunch of gravel slowly dissipated, falling into muffled echoes until even the echoes fell apart to the consuming silence of the canyon below. Link sighed, a shaky thing, full of fear and unease as he turned an apprehensive gaze towards the wide valley before the fortress's shadow. 

The master sword was a heavy weight in Link's palms, but despite the fear coursing itself through his veins, the blade glowed a soft, ethereal shimmer that brought a shaky smile to his face. Distantly, he wondered if the master sword had etched itself into his palms, if every divot and crevice had been specifically crafted to wield a sword that he was not worthy of.

The glow dimmed, the shimmer softening until it died back into the blade. Link curiously watched the dying glow until his eyes drifted back onto the valley. 

Or more specifically, where Cia was waiting.

Link didn’t bother to hold back the fearful shiver, knuckles tightening over the master sword’s hilt for a moment before slowly returning it to its sheath strung across his back. Soft wind whistled in his ears, the taste of rot and magic drifting alongside it until the repulsive stench began to comb through his untamed golden locks of hair. An uncontrollable shiver worked itself through Link's body at the feeling, the quiet moment of fear being the only thing he would ever allow himself, even alone as he was. 

The wind was his only witness to his fear, such fear unfitting for a hero, a fact that he more than knew and despised himself for countless times before and did now. Link swallowed the taste of bile, of fear, of things that he didn’t want to think of or name- and turned back to begin walking down the mountain side. The fear that had consumed his expression only moments before had fallen away, instead only reflecting the face befitting of a hero.

Quiet, empty, carefully neutral in every way.

Link walked forward, leaving every scrap of fear to shuffle weakly on the absent breeze, the fear that he knew would cost him if he allowed it to consume him. 

Rot followed him instead, following his each and every step with the first echoing rings of warhorns blaring throughout the canyon’s walls. Link squeezed his eyes closed before opening to the color of crimson staining the horizon.

The battle was ready to begin.

-

Blood has long since stained Link's clothes, coating every scrap of fabric in all of the disgusting gore that painted the insides of every monster he striked down. An repulsive stench weaved its way through the countless surviving soldiers and the fallen bodies that littered the land below, a smell so potent that Link feared it seared itself into his skin. Despite this, the gleam of the master sword glowed still, the soft light dancing with every spray of blood and viscera that tarnished the brilliant white of the blade. 

Link pushed forward, not sparing a glance towards the countless bodies, allies and foe alike, that covered the valley’s ground. Magic hummed loudly in the air, the sheer malice within it making the air unbelievably heavy as Link gritted his teeth against the sensation and continued to run towards yet another keep. The roar of war echoed through the canyon’s walls, the indescribable noise of his fellow soldiers charging along beside him not enough to pull his eyes away as he plunged the master sword through a monster, and then another.

Countless monsters fell before Link's eyes, divine power sparking alive with every thrust and sweep of the master sword through the hoard of monsters that had infected the keep. Blood dripped inbetween Link's knuckles, the dark, near-black blood barely doing anything more than drying atop his already crimson-soaked gloves. The clashing of swords echoed for a deafening moment, until Link stood silent with a heaved breath as the final monster fell to his feet with a disgusting gurgle. 

Link stared down at the flinching corpse, the monster's wide eyes still painted in hatred and bloodlust even in death, and took another deep breath before stepping away. Silence hung in the air for a brief moment, before the clash of iron was replaced with the sound of cheering, the dark magic finally loosening from the keep until only the stench of death remained. Link glanced at the cheering that surrounded him, the familiar misery that had painted the faces of his fellow soldiers lightening for the briefest of moments as the sounds of war ceased.

Link took another, even deeper breath, the force of it nearly rattling the low thrum of adrenaline still burning in his chest as he looked away and ran a blood-soaked hand through his hair. Blood clumped the golden blond locks together, but Link couldn’t find the strength to care as he passed a cautious eye out from the keep’s entrance. The low sound of iron and war echoed farther from the east, but even now Link could tell that the fighting was dying down with a surprising speed. 

Unease filled Link, his mouth worrying into a deep frown as the shadow of Cia’s fortress stretched far over the valley’s ground and towered over the horizon. The vibrant purple hue of Cia’s magic infested the land, pulsing with an unnatural energy that had Link standing on edge the more that he stared.

Soldiers pushed past Link, hardly caring of his silence as they celebrated, before one of the many captains rushed to Link's side. 

“Sir! I’m pleased to tell you that every keep on the western side has been captured and all of the monsters we’ve been able to encounter have been slain. Should we go ahead and help our fellow men in the east?” Link glanced at the field of soldiers, unmarred and injured alike, cheering amongst the sea of bodies and blood. The cheering only grew louder, the east joining with their own shouts as Link dragged his gaze upwards towards the crimson horizon.

“...No, I don’t believe that will be necessary, captain, it seems like it has already been dealt with. Take a good portion of the men and head towards the northern front with Princess Zelda, if she asks- tell her I gave the order.” The captain gave a curt nod, hardly voicing an agreeable noise before turning back to the army of soldiers with a sharp tone. The orders quickly became a distant mummer as Link took another step out of the keep, quiet and uneased. 

Confusion burned brighter with every blink, the master sword falling to his side as he gave a long stare to the land around him, completely devoid of any enemy. Link breathed in the sudden peace, empty of the sound of swords clashing or the growls of monsters littering the air.

It was quiet.

Complete and utter quiet.

Link pushed down the disbelief that felt more overwhelming than any surge of adrenaline, the feeling threading ever closer to becoming uneased. Cheering seemed to echo through the canyon, the sound reverberating off the crumbling spires of rock as he forced himself to take a steadying breath. 

 Link's face hardened, the quiet doubt from moments before disappearing underneath the blank expression as he began to run towards the east. A crescendo of cheering rushed to meet him, the sound reaching a fevered pitch with every hurried step until he was weaving inbetween the mass of soldiers with a speed that burned at his heels. 

Blue hair flashed at the very corner of his eyes, not bothering to hold back the sigh of relief at the sight as he slowed to Lana’s side with concern lighting again at the tight expression drawn across her face. Blue magic glowed softly, the flesh underneath her palms stitching itself back together where an injured soldier laid gasping against the bloodied dirt. Tense moments passed, until Lana leaned back with a relieved, but exhausted grin.

“There you go! That should be enough for now, rest easy, you’ll be taken care of more thoroughly once the battle is over.” The soldier gave an appreciative grunt, barely moving before another two soldiers came into view and helped drag the man away on stumbling legs. Silence reigned in the sudden absence, the unease beginning to tighten once again around Link as he gave a wordless stare to Lana. 

“...I know, something isn’t right, I know- this was hardly a battle. Cia wouldn’t go down without a proper fight.” Lana shot up, stumbling for a brief moment before Link steadied her with a gentle hand. Lana smiled, the warmth melting away the worried expression before she centered herself with a deep sigh and met Link's eyes. 

“This can’t be it, nothing about this is right- I, I just can’t believe it. First she kidnaps Impa, drags us into countless and pointless battles- all the way up to here and there’s… barely anything, hardly even a fight!” The worry bled back into Lana’s expression, her already bloody lip split open again underneath her teeth biting anxiously away at her skin.

“Cia… maybe, she’s done fighting?” The worry paused in Lana’s eyes, looking sharply back to Link from where her gaze had drifted in thought. 

“Has she stopped?” A blinding hope took its place within her eyes, an expression that Link couldn't stomach as he avoided her gaze. Lana stepped away, instead looking around the sudden peace with a dawning, scared hope that Link could only squirm uncomfortably from before her gaze snapped back. 

“I have to go, there has to be a reason behind all of this. I need to go, do something about Cia- stop all of this-” The words stumbled from Lana’s mouth, each one more hurried than the last as she began to run towards the mass of soldiers, sparing only a wide wave back before disappearing. 

Link could only stand silently, the sick taste of unease weighing increasingly heavier in his chest until he stumbled back, sparing another glance towards the fortress that seemed to tower even higher in the sky now. Hesitantly, Link sheathed the master sword, glancing at the fortress with another untrusting glare before following after Lana. Soldiers stumbled past either side of Link, their stares burning along his skin with either curiosity or bitterness that he could only stare forward. If he dared to look into any of their eyes he feared he would crack, so he stared forward until the blinding glow of Zelda’s figure split the army apart effortlessly. 

Zelda stood straight, a commanding aura practically bleeding beside Lana’s soothing voice, the words indescribable as Link slowly approached from where they stood before the fortresses gates. An oddly cool expression covered Zelda’s face, a pensive glare to her eyes as she sharply glanced at Link's approach before looking back to Lana.

“-This has never happened before! We can’t risk this opportunity, if we just charge forward then we might throw away the only chance we have at ending this war peacefully!”

“Peacefully?! Cia has the blood of Hyrule on her hands, thousands of my people are dead at of her command and her hoard of monsters-” 

“Yes! Yes she does, but how do we know that we might prevent a thousand more deaths by taking advantage of this opportunity and talking to her!” An anger sparked to life between the two, the once cool expression of Zelda’s face twisting into one of fury and Lana’s turning into one of desperation. Zelda reared back, face painted in disgust at Lana’s suggestion before shifting into an even colder expression. 

“Cia is not someone who cares about mercy, We’ve fought and bled the entire way here to put an end to this war! Do you really expect any sort of peace to be made with the one who’s killed so many of my people?!”

“No! But we have to try! Princess, this may be one of the only chances we get to rescue Impa without putting any further risk on her life-” Zelda snapped towards Lana, her eyes darkening even further before Link stepped inbetween them. Link felt how their gazes fell on either side of him, just barely withholding the urge to cringe back from the combined weight of their burning gazes.

“How do we trust this, Lana? Even if she does… mean well, wouldn’t she have done something by now?” Link didn’t bother to hide his distrustful glance towards the fortresses gate, the thick, intertwined bars hardly offering any peace of mind. Zelda gave an agreeable hum, her eyes still sharp as Lana began to speak. 

“I’m not sure, but the worst thing any of us could do to ruin our chances would be to just attack. We have to consider the possibility instead of just charging forward!” Lana’s voice turned into something closer to a plea, the hopeful sheen in her eyes turning watery beneath Zelda’s dark glare.

“And you consider that possibility worth enough to risk my men and Impa’s life-”

“What if only one person went?”

Link felt the words stumble out from his mouth, a familiar fear beginning to burn back to life underneath his skin as he looked away from Lana’s and Zelda’s surprised stares. Hope began to bloom back onto Lana’s face, the expression bright and near blinding while concern began to crack at Zelda’s hardened expression. Link refused to meet her eyes, biting his tongue until the taste of blood flooded his mouth to only just keep himself from buckling beneath the fear.

Link more than hated the idea, the very idea of scouring the fortress completely alone somehow more terrifying than any battle he could imagine.

But… Lana was right, what if it was one of the best opportunities they’d ever have at rescuing Impa alive? Was risking Impa’s life even further worth it? If she was still alive that was, but he refused to voice that thought.

Link had to take the chance, it was likely one of the last chances they had.

“I’ll go alone, I’ll find Impa, and I’ll bring her back, right here to the gates. If Lana is right, if anything happens… I’ll try my best to reason with Cia.” Terror filled Link, but he forced himself to give a confident smile, a smile he couldn’t feel when he was too busy making sure his hands didn’t shake. Zelda’s face twisted even tighter, the dark glare that had marred her face moments before instantly falling away to concern instead.

“That’s dangerous and you know that, both of us do. For all that we know, it could be a trap and Cia is simply biding time for us to make the first move.” Zelda stepped closer, placing a firm hand on his shoulder as her voice quietened to where only Link could hear. A sliver of worry had worked itself through her commanding stance to strain against the frown that had appeared on her face. Link forced his body still, willing himself to not shake as he met her eyes. 

“If that’s true- then it’s better for me to go alone either way. It’s this, or risk those that we have left.” Link's confident smile dropped, his gaze falling away from where Zelda’s frown had only deepened at his response. 

A tense minute passed as Link felt her gaze leave him and instead turned to glance at the army of soldiers barely able to stand despite the short battle. The cheering had fallen away and the familiar haggard expressions had once again painted themselves onto the soldiers in varying hues. Bruised and split blood littered the skin of every soldier, some barely able to do so much as breathe past the scent of bile building up in their throats at the amount of death that surrounded them.

War was drawn onto every figure, exhaustion and terror long since drawn deep into every line of their faces, the image of their misery burning a place behind her eyes as she turned to Link once more.

“...I don’t want to ask this of you.” 

“I know.” Zelda’s expression shifted into something agonized, regret pulling her eyes away from Link's for several moments before she willed herself to look back.

“...If I allow you to go alone, will you promise me that you’ll make it back?” The words were quiet, a plea uttered so softly within the mutter of Zelda’s voice that the small smile that stretched along Link's face came naturally.

Link gave a single nod before he began to pull away, the heavy weight of her hand on his shoulder falling away slowly as he turned back to Lana, still standing but quiet. A conflicted expression was drawn over her face for the briefest of moments, before it disappeared at Link's approach.

“Thank you. Try not to worry about Cia, finding Impa is the most important thing here and I don’t want to burden you with trying to reason with her all by yourself. I know- hope- that Cia has come to her senses about this war, but I won’t be able to forgive myself if she did something to Impa. Just… if something happens, please take this.” Lana shifted uncomfortably before letting out a steadying breath, her eyes gaining a determined glint as she lifted her empty palms between them. A small blue glow began to hastily form in the air before solidifying in her hands, the light flaring to life until it steadily dimmed and left only a brilliant blue crystal. 

“I’ve been working on this for a bit of time now. If anything happens, just break the crystal and it’ll give me an immediate signal to come to your side. Hopefully… it doesn’t come to that, I only ask one thing of you.” Lana stared into Link's eyes, forcing the stone into his hand and clasping his hand around it with her own.

“I want to believe that there’s hope for Cia, I know that all she’s done is unforgivable and beyond help, but- just, I know it’s selfish, but I ask that you don’t hurt her.” The quiet words muttered softly underneath Lana’s breath, her hand still tight over Link's own before she gave a final squeeze, the grip white-knuckled and bereft of nothing but a single plea. 

“Of course, I doubt it’ll be as simple as that, but I can hope.” Link swallowed past his own tongue and the bile that threatened to choke whatever words he dared to speak, willing himself to instead nod back at Lana. 

Lana smiled, a hesitant, small thing, but endlessly warm nonetheless, breathing out a single sigh before stepping back from Link's side.

“I can open the gates, just a bit of magic should work, but I’ll have to close it behind you. Just a precaution for any monsters that could slip through. Are you okay with that?” 

“...Yes, I am.” Link began to walk as he unsheathed the master sword with a graceful flourish, the blade still glowing brightly even in the crimson smog. The dull click of heels followed him as she quickly approached the iron bars of the gate, the low hum of magic sparking to life in her palms only moments later with the screech of metal. The heavy iron bars moved inch by inch, the purple magic covering them sparkling dangerously before stopping with a click. 

Link didn’t allow himself to look back as he easily slipped through the small gap, only turning to look as the crash of iron snapped back into place.

The familiar magic of Lana’s faded away, with only a sliver of her left visible through the thick, branching bars that separated them. 

“If anything happens, please- just use the crystal. Zelda and I will be waiting for you and Impa right here, so don’t worry about us.” A comforting smile stretched across Lana’s face, casted in the hues of Cia’s magic that still shimmered brightly off the gate. Link bit back the fear that threatened to squirm its way past his chest and force itself from between his teeth with a scream, instead he just smiled back. 

Link hoped that the veil of magic hid the fearful edge to his smile, distorted and fake as it was, but just hidden enough to bring Lana to ease.

Link didn’t know, didn’t allow himself to check, not when his own feet began to pull him away and the shadows that littered the fortresses walls beckoned him closer with a teasing sneer. Dirt crumbled beneath his boots, the uncomfortable, sudden silence buzzing harshly in his ears as he raced into one of the fortresses several keeps.

Link couldn’t allow himself to think.

Not with so much at stake.

-

Link's footsteps echoed through the empty keep, each one louder than the last as he hesitantly ran the slightest bit faster through the adjoining hall. Silence weighed heavily on the stale air, with only the occasional crackling of magic flickering in the air to disrupt the tense quiet. 

Link ran a nervous hand through his hair, willing himself to breathe past the thick knot of unease settling in his stomach to instead continue deeper inside the fortress. The echoes of his own footsteps were the only sound that accompanied him, nothing but the muffled thud against stone ringing louder in his ears as he passed yet another empty keep.

And another.

And another, another one.

And one more after that. 

Link slid to a stop, willing himself to breathe after he had fallen into a desperate run through the fortresses' halls that resulted in nothing but empty keeps and barred doors. Magic had hummed loudly along every door, hardly reacting with anything more than a brief flicker at Link's attempts at breaking them. Silence was all that echoed behind the barred doors, enough so that Link had found himself passing each door with an uneased glance at the magic covering them. 

Where else was there to go? Besides the top of the fortress, of course, but Link could only pull the sharp exhale back inbetween his teeth at the idea. No, no, Impa wouldn’t be there, wouldn’t she?

But where else could she be?

Anywhere but there, Link could only desperately plead to the emptiness surrounding him with nothing but a grim glare to the last keep that stood before him. Link forced out a steading breath as he walked through the large, near destroyed doors, his eyes shifting over the empty keep. The exhausted sigh did little to make him feel any better at the sight of complete nothingness, not even the growl of monsters daring to whisper in the air.

Link would almost appreciate the sound, almost.

Link walked forward, untrusting eyes drifting from where the purple haze of magic absently swirled in the air to the scarred stone floor below him. Echoes of his own footsteps followed him as his eyes fell onto the last set of iron doors, giving a half-hearted shove before he stumbled forward. A rush of stale, putrid air was the first thing that pushed past the jolt of shock, then the all-consuming darkness that hung right beyond the doorway and down, and even further down. 

Stairs followed the way down into the darkness, the outline of stone quickly giving way to the shadows that choked out any lingering light that was casted down from the doorway. Link didn’t bother to hide the wary glare directed down into the depths of the darkness that sat just beyond him, quickly straightening and stumbling back from the sight. Silence ringed heavily, but Link dared to look deeper down into the darkness with a single thought that stilled him.

Where else was there to go? If not up, then why not down?

Link couldn’t muster up the fear that he should’ve felt as he stepped forward, the first few tendrils of darkness crawling over his legs as he stared down onto the stairs below. The stale taste of the air pushed itself from inbetween Link's teeth as he walked further into the darkness, the shadows steadily wrapping around his limbs with every step. Link willed himself to not look behind at the rapidly fading light that had begun to wither away from sight, each step carrying him further and further into that endless darkness.

The crumbling stone of the stairs' walls groaned with every one of Link's steps as he continued deeper into the fortresses depths, the air progressively growing more and more foul until the scent of decay had practically weaved itself into the damp stone. Link only allowed himself to grimace once at the unbearable smell, something close to the scent of death hidden away from the light of day. 

A type of rot left to fester alone within the earth. 

Link couldn’t help the disgusted gag that threatened to distract him from his unease as he descended deeper, the stairs below his feet barely more than crumbled stone and wood that stunk with the same decay that infested the air. The soft blue glow of the crystal and the shimmer of the master sword that reflected off walls followed him as he walked, the combined glow of both bringing a slight smile to his face. Link couldn’t help but appreciate the near unnatural warmth that radiated off the crystal, especially when he began to shiver as a chill weaved itself through the tightening stairway. Dried blood flaked off his skin, falling into the impenetrable darkness only broken by the divine light that he could only cling to. 

Distant echoes of crumbling stone rumbled below him, the sound unearthly and strange as Link stumbled onto the last step, shifting a cautious glance through the darkness before continuing forward. The brilliant blue light of the crystal shone brightly, casting the withering walls and the iron door that stood above him into flickering shadows. 

Link continued forward, the screech of iron against stone ringing in the open air only moments later until he blinked at the long corridor, bathed in the same darkness. 

The heavy clunk of the door echoed off the corridors walls, but Link didn’t dare to glance back at the door closing behind him, not when he could only stare at the sight before him. The outline of iron bars dimly shimmered underneath the thick layer of grim that covered each and every surface in disgusting muck, only just illuminated by the blue glow. Link couldn’t help the thread of unease, giving each of the empty cells that surrounded either side of him a distrustful glance before falling back into the darkness that followed at his heels. The sight of unmoving shadows clung to the farthest corners of each cell, the outline of limbs only just hidden from Link's sight before fading back into darkness.

Link couldn’t work up the feeling of disgust, terror, or even anger, just the cold, bitter feeling of exhaustion as he forced himself to stare forward. Quiet footsteps ring in the deafening silence, each one barely a sound before Link stopped at yet another iron door. The screech of iron against stone echoed as he gingerly stepped forward, the same darkness welcoming him as the door closed with a final screech. The sight of burnt-out torches flicker in the corner of his eyes, only just illuminated by the dim blue glow, before crackling to life with a snap. 

Link draws the master sword close, adrenaline racing along the upbeat of his heart as torches light the following corridor, the blazing fire dwarfing the blue glow of the crystal. The sudden light only flickers at the weight of his glare, the fire filling the silence that had rung in his ears only moments before.

Link drops the glare with tired huff, slipping the crystal into one of his several pouches to instead hold the shield still strung across his back. 

The scent of all-consuming rot still hung heavily in the air, the smell of viscera and misery a near palpable thing as Link continued forward through the corridors opening. Echoes follow Link's footsteps as he lets his eyes wander across the large room, the ceiling lost to darkness even amongst the steady torch-light that encircled the space. His eyes wandered, until falling onto a lone figure, a figure that glared from the opposite side of the room.

The master sword hissed to life as Link's eyes sharpened, stepping back with bated breath as the figure approached. Link's eyes sharpened even further, a glare burning within them as torch-light flickered dangerously.

Volga.

“I didn’t expect you to come alone, but I shouldn’t be surprised that such a rash decision would come from you of all people.” An oddly contemplative sound lingered alongside the growl in Volga’s voice, a sound that only caused Link to stiffen further.

“I’m not here for you, Volga.” A huff of laughter shook Volga’s shoulders, the sound closer to a scoff before he met Link's eyes. 

“Of course you’re not, I’m more than aware of my place in your eyes.” The words were flat, near empty, but Link could only grumble in confusion and impatience as he stepped closer.

“Then why are you here?”

“...I’m here to give you a warning, and to give you what you actually came here for.” Link stumbled back in shock, his tight grip on the master sword loosening the tiniest fraction before backing up further in distrust.

“A warning? From you?” 

“Any reason I give will be lost to you, as I know that you will not believe me no matter what I say. But, I will share one thing, whether or not you choose to listen.” Volga’s gaze deepened, sharpening with an emotion that Link couldn’t place.

“Cia does not care much for the whims of others, what she wants, she gets, and if she doesn’t? She’ll simply tear apart whoever dares to get in her way. I’m sure you’ve realized that.” A knowing glance met Link's eyes, causing a shiver to run down his skin as he raised the master sword threateningly.

“...None of that matters, not when you haven’t even given a reason to why you’re here.” 

“Leave your commander behind.”

Link's eyes darkened, sharpening into a fierce glare only illuminated by the dawning glow of the master sword that sung with a hum in his ears. A sneer split the tight frown that had drawn itself across his face, the glare only deepening further as Volga stared unflinchingly at the threatening gleam. 

“Leave her behind, go back, she’s not worth what waits for you beyond this point.” Volga’s words were blunt, unforgiving in their harshness as he did little more than fall back into silence at Link's growl of frustration.

“Is that what Cia told you to say, or is that from you alone?” Volga’s eyes narrowed dangerously, the low-light of fire dancing behind his teeth flashing to life for a brief moment before he bit back the fire with an amused huff.

“Of course, only the hero would be so difficult as to- no matter. Listen to me now, if you refuse to do anything else… despite our conflicts, our differences… I can’t help but admire your tenacity up to now.”

“Every battle, every war, everything I’ve thrown your way, you’ve lived. It almost makes me happy to see that you’ve survived long enough to be here beside me.” A humorless chuckle rumbled from Volga’s chest, his eyes quietly distant in a way that had Link slowly lowering the master sword. 

“It’s only because of these things that I tell you now, give up, swallow your own pride from between your teeth and return to your princess- tell her that you failed. Whatever waits for you from here is not worth it, this is the only warning I will give you.” 

“But… I believe you’re not listening to me, even now.” Something close to a defeated sigh escaped Volga’s lips, an incomprehensible emotion filling the sound that had Link staring in confusion. 

“From here is another corridor, go to the very end and there will be a single cell, where your commander has been wasting away. Travel the same way that you came, I can promise you that no monsters will come to harm you until you return to the surface.” 

Volga strode forward, the defeated tone that had filled his expression only moments before having been wiped away as he came to Link's side.

“This conversation never happened, for all Cia knows I am waiting at her command just beyond the fortresses walls. You are looking hopelessly for your commander and she will be left to die underground, this is what Cia believes.” Link felt the master sword fall to his side, his limbs numb with muted shock as Volga brought up a hand between them. The glimmer of a key shone in Volga’s outstretched palm, unassuming and dull, but Link felt his eyes widen at the sight of it.

“...I believe we’ll meet again, and perhaps you’ll understand me then.” Slowly, Link took the key into his own palms and stared into Volga’s silent gaze, the moment heavy with an emotion that Link couldn’t place. Link could only blink as Volga began to walk into the same corridor, barely sparing another glance back before disappearing into that familiar darkness. 

Curiosity ebbed at the anger that had flared to life, slowly dying until only the dull feeling of shock remained. Link shook his head, pushing down the urge to follow and instead focused before him, quickly pushing past the lone door and ignoring the deafening screech of iron. 

Unease curled around Link's chest, the slight hum of the master sword and his own breaths his only companions against the suffocating silence. Uneven stone sat beneath his feet, the echoing thud of his own rapid footsteps following him as he hurried into the darkness. 

Link didn’t allow himself to slow, going so far as to fasten his steps as the dim glow of the torchlight surrounding him illuminated the stone smoothing slightly beneath him. The torchlight glared against the darkness as he strayed to one of the many lights, lifting a careful hand as he brought it to his side and sheathed the master sword. 

The fire’s glow danced chaotically, each crackle throwing another shadow onto the walls as he continued forward with a determined step. Link swallowed down the doubt that stubbornly sat in his chest, Volga’s words only making the feeling all the more sharper until he shook himself with a frustrated huff.

Giving up was not an option, not now, not when he was so close.

How could he ever hope to meet Zelda’s eyes again when turning back meant accepting the inevitable look of disgust and betrayal in her gaze?

No, no.

He couldn’t, he wouldn’t dare.

How could he live with himself?

The echoing of his footsteps against the crumbling stone was his only answer, the silence near suffocating until the dull shine of iron glared back in the dim firelight. Iron bars stretched side to side of either wall as Link rushed forward, just barely remembering to place down the torch down only the stone before peering into the darkness. 

“...Impa?” Stale air swirled in the cramped room, the putrid scent near unbearable where the disgusting smell of long-rotted bones and flesh was trapped underneath the earth. Link barely paid it any mind, not when the shadows at the farthest edge of the cell shifted underneath the fire’s glow. 

The key burned at his palms as he forced it into the cell’s lock, etches of runes interwoven into the chains briefly burning a menacing purple glint before dimming. Link ignored the shiver of disgust at the feeling of magic curling around his fingers for the briefest of moments before the deafening metallic click of the lock echoed. The clatter of chains falling onto the stone floor pierced the silence, the sound shrill in Link ears as he stared worryingly onto the unmoving shadows.

The shadows stayed still as he pushed open the rusty cell door, the screech of iron against stone painfully loud as he shuffled closer, an uncomfortable, uneased emotion filling him at the silence. Link pushed down at his nerves, forcing his hands to still as he settled onto his knees and looked closer into the unflinching darkness.

“Impa? Is… is that you-” The silence lapsed as a rush of air and cold stone slammed onto his back, the dull throb of pain lighting across his skin as the sharp edge of a blade was pushed up against his neck. The air punched itself out of his lungs as Link seized forward, the edges of his fingertips just barely wrapping around the master’s sword hilt before a bruising grip slammed him back onto the stone floor. 

A snarl echoed from above him, the adrenaline in his veins alighting even brighter at the sound as he answered with a snarl of his own and kicked at the weight pushing the blade deeper. Link felt how the body hardly flinched, the realization bringing another frustrated snarl from him as he opened his eyes with a glare. 

Dirtied white hair and red eyes filled with rage stared down at him, the expression quickly shifting into one of pure hatred as Link stilled and gasped in pain at the blade digging deeper. A thin line of red ran down the muddied blade, the fragile skin of his throat splitting around the dull edge, but he hardly cared as Impa snarled louder above him.

“I don’t have any sort of patience left for you, why are you here again sorceress?” The blade pushed itself even deeper, the once thin line of red now bubbling thick droplets of blood down his skin. Link paused in his shock, the feeling melting away to confusion as he stared, completely dumbfounded as he forced himself to still completely under Impa’s dangerous glare.

“Impa, it’s me-”

“You’re awfully uncreative, for all that you love to gloat and mock me, you’re nothing but the same tricks, played again and again.” The blade dug deeper, the dull edge pulling against his neck as he leaned back from the blade in dawning horror. 

“Zelda, Zelda sent me- she refused to leave you behind, but couldn’t come to save you herself because she couldn’t abandon the piece of Hyrule we still have left. You were captured three months ago, you’re the top commander of the Hyrulean army, the right hand to Princess Zelda herself- and she asked me to rescue you when she couldn’t.” The words were quiet, frantic even as Link breathed against the dangerous edge of the blade and stared pleadingly up at Impa’s glare. 

Crimson eyes stared down in shock, the feeling of the edge against his skin lightening the tiniest amount before the expression passed and a fierce glare replaced it. Link could barely do anything more than gasp underneath Impa’s unflinching hold, the painful grip overlapping both of his wrists and the knee digging into his stomach close to bruising.

Link would not be surprised if he was already bruised, but it wouldn’t matter much if he was dead.

“Zelda refused to give up that you were still alive somewhere, and I- I couldn’t.” Link swallowed around the vulnerable tone that had entered his voice, something close to a mix of desperation, fear, and grief as he stared up at the dawning realization in Impa’s eyes. “...I’m sorry that I took so long.”

Heavy silence pushed down on Link's chest, each second tightening the knot of dread before the blade was fully pulled away and he was hastily pulled up to meet Impa’s disbelieving eyes.

“Is- is it actually you?” Impa’s bruising grip unlatched itself from Link's wrists, an ache already beginning to pulse to life as he sat up with a smile.

“Yes, I promise you.” A surprised gasp tore itself from Impa’s lips, the sound shaky and uneven as she stared forward in shock. Quiet seconds passed, the silence more solemn as Link watched the anger drain from her limbs and the muted shuffle as she stumbled to her feet. 

Link rushed to her side, easily throwing one of her arms around him before beginning to stand. Impa stood shakily, drawing in a harsh gasp of pain as she leaned against his side.

“I can walk, just, just give me a moment.” A deep, exhausted sigh escaped Impa before her eyes flared with determination, settling onto her own feet as she stumbled and reached down for the abandoned torch. Shadows threw themselves wildly across the tight walls, the dim glow just barely illuminating the sheer amount of blood and filth that the both of them were covered in.

“...Zelda, is she okay?”

“Reckless, but okay. She’s as safe as she’s allowed herself to be.” An amused huff left Impa as Link settled by her side, beginning a slow pace back through the corridor. 

“Of course, why am I surprised? I shouldn’t be, and yet.” A displeased frown twisted her expression, her gaze dark in thought as she glanced at the flickering shadows.”She’s nearly torn herself apart over me, hasn’t she?” Link didn’t reply as Impa looked down at him, a despairing gleam to her eyes that flickered in and out of sight from the fire’s glow.

Silence fell once more before Impa forced herself to stand alone, heaving a deep breath before she stalked through the winding corridor and Link followed close behind. The crackle of fire was the only thing that accompanied them as Impa fell into a pensive silence, even still, Link kept close every time she stumbled or gasped in pain. 

Neither dared to utter a word of the countless injuries that lay hidden underneath the thick layer of grim, or of the uncontrollable shake to her limbs as a pained gasp whistled through her teeth. Link more than understood the impulse to worry at wounds alone, and how such unwanted attention would only make the feeling of weakness pervade your thoughts. 

Link kept quiet as they walked through the final corridor, the door screeching before falling silent behind them. The smell of death poisoned the air as the sound of their footsteps echoed, the twist of Impa’s frown deepening as she slowed and stared into the countless cells surrounding them. 

“The smell is worse now.” Link only allowed himself to hum in acknowledgement, the stench of rot and decay already biting at the back of his heels as he walked past her. Impa’s eyes darkened, straightening with a hiss as she gazed past the dirtied iron bars.

“Do you know who are in those cells?”

“...No.”

“Better that you don’t, traitors don’t deserve to be remembered.” 

Contempt colored Impa’s frown just as the taste of grief soured Link’s tongue, something close to a dull ache beginning to beat against his chest as he refused to look into the darkness. The dull gleam of armor shimmered just barely from the torches flow, the silverish sheen covered with a thin veil of blood just enough for an agonized expression to overwhelm him. The screech of iron against stone drowned out the feeling as Impa pulled open the final door and passed through without another word, sparing only a glance back as Link followed. 

The ascending staircase climbed into the darkness above, barely broken by the flickering glow as Link approached Impa’s side, drawing her arm around him as another pained groan escaped her. Each step echoed piercingly, the master sword a heavy weight on his back as the staircase slowly ascended around them. Link pointedly ignored the feeling of blood on his hands and the sheen of sweat rapidly appearing on Impa’s face, but she persisted forward and he didn’t dare to slow.

If anything, Impa would start dragging him along, the thought brings with it a slight smile that warms him despite the scent of rot pervading the air. 

The top of the staircase arrives both faster and slower than Link could’ve ever expected, the low screech of iron fracturing the silence as the first glimmer of light shone through the cracked door. The deafening sound echoed through the empty keep, a final squeal of iron against stone before the silence returned. Link grimaced at the heavy intake of breath by his side, the sound desperate as Impa harshly coughed and leaned away from him.

Link let her go, slowly unlatching his hand from around her as she took a stumbling step forward, and then another, before taking a shuddering breath and glancing back at Link’s worried gaze.

“I’m fine, we must continue. Where’s the princess?” The cool, calculated edge had returned to Impa’s voice, a tone that had Link straightening on instinct with an affirmative sound.

“They’re right by the fortresses gates, Zelda and Lana both should be waiting for us there-” Impa paused, her gaze flickering back to the keep’s entrance as she fell silent. Link quietened, the silence echoing with only the sound of their own voices reverberating through the countless halls and keeps before he felt it. 

Shaking.

The ground was shaking.

A threatening rumble groaned dangerously through the air, the land itself shaking more and more violently by the moment as Link rushed to Impa’s side. The floor rumbled roughly below them, the sound resembling something closer to a growl as the taste of magic filled the air and pressed onto their sides. 

Link breathed in the taste of ash, the weight of the master sword an ever burning weight on his back as adrenaline pulsed sharply with the whisper of squeals and roars filling the fortresses' halls. Echoes of monsters reverberated off the enchanted walls, the once dim, quiet wisps of magic lining the fortress thickening into a purple haze that pulsed with the approaching roar of battle. 

Link could almost taste the blood that would be quick to fill the air, hylian and monster alike, all of it mixing together until he could just barely push against the panic breathing to life. Impa stood by his side, heaving a single breath before collapsing against the ash-stained wall of the keep. Underneath the several burnt out torches that lined the wall, Link couldn’t help the worried stare at the sheer amount of wounds littering her skin and the limp she couldn’t quite hide.

Sweat mixed with the dried blood staining Impa’s temple as she gritted her teeth against the low, pained sound forcing itself inbetween her teeth. Link glanced down at one of his many pouches, just barely beginning to rustle around them before Impa spoke up. 

“Don’t bother, a potion won’t help much for this many injuries- I’ll be fine until we find Zelda, I refuse to stop until then.” Impa’s eyes burned into Link’s, a fierce determination burning within them as he hesitated before nodding, regretfully putting away the single lone potion that he had left.

“We’ll need to cut through to the closest entrance and return to our men, then we’ll regroup and begin to focus on fighting back against the hoard-” Magic crackled through the air, the sound shrill as the air seemed to still for a terrifying moment, the rush of air echoing as the earth cracked beneath them.

Link hardly thought before he harshly pulled Impa back, pushing the shield in front of the both of them as the magic splintered the stone along the crack. Purple magic began to bleed from the fractured earth, bubbling dangerously before their shocked expressions.

“She’s tearing the fortress apart, she’s destroying everything.” Impa’s voice was deceivingly even, even as the chasm began to eat away at the ground below. Link was grateful how the shield hid his face from view from her, just so she couldn’t see the dawning horror over his face.

“Cia has to be somewhere in here, but there’s no time left for that. We have to leave, now!” Impa spun, pulling Link to her side before running past the crumbling chasm, the floor beneath lurching dangerously before falling away the moment they passed. Ash weaved itself throughout the air as they sprinted through the countless halls, only pausing for Link to mercilessly cut down another monster before continuing.

Fresh blood began to spill down the master sword, the blackened gore of the monster’s guts already beginning to seep inbetween his fingers and stain the hilt. Link refused to ponder on the sensation, instead cutting down another monster that strayed too close. Impa lingered by his side, gasping in pain and clutching her side for a brief moment before continuing to run.

Link glanced anxiously at the magic that had begun to seep through the very walls of the fortress, the once ancient, chipped stone now glowing a bright, encompassing purple. Monsters began to trickle into the halls, each one daring to glance their way before being cut down as Impa placed a solid hand onto his shoulder. 

“There has to be a keep nearby, this fortress won’t survive whatever it is that Cia is planning.” Link knew what Impa had said was true as the walls began to fracture before their eyes, cracks of an otherworldly magic spilling from inbetween the decaying stone. Two sets of  hurried footsteps joined alongside the harsh echoes of monsters being dragged back to life, the sound piercing and encompassing until Link saw it.

The faintest glimmer of daylight.

Impa pulled Link behind her, falling back beside one of the crumbling walls as they watched countless monsters trudge through the keep’s exit. Their lumbering sounds echoed menacingly off the walls before disappearing into the valley below. Impa’s expression twisted further at the sight, a grim frown drawing itself tightly across her face before kneeling forward with a gasp of pain. Link kneeled beside her, his eyes frantically moving from meeting her gaze to nervously staring down the corridor that was blessedly empty.

For now, that was.

“Damn Cia, damn this war, damn my body- how can I expect to return and protect the princess when I’m this weak.” The pain had etched itself into the tense line of her shoulders, the constant agony weighing down her injured limbs until she could only growl in frustration. 

“I’ll take care of the monsters, just stay here and I’ll get you back to her. I promise.” An exhausted glare drifted onto Link, a considering gleam lingering in her gaze before she breathed an amused sigh.

“A promise? Hm, Zelda was right, you are the noble type.” Link couldn’t help the embarrassed blush at her tease, the light pink dusting his face bringing a slight chuckle to Impa as she rose with a pained smile.

“But promise or not, you’ll have to be the one who deals with that hoard. Can you handle that by yourself?” A challenging glint burned in Impa’s gaze, the smile turning into a smirk as Link nodded, the blush disappearing as his eyes sharpened. The low hum of the master sword glowed alight, the soft blue hue contrasting harshly against the blinding purple bleeding from all around them.

The air whistled as Link rushed forward, the echoing snarl of monsters reaching a deafening pitch as the master sword began to slice through flesh and bone alike, cutting a bloody path as he plunged the sword into the snarling fray of monsters. Link could almost swear that the master sword sang in his hands, humming along with the adrenaline in his veins while slashing through the gore surrounding him. Impa’s gaze was a heavy one, calculating and sharp as she watched his every move and as he thrusted the master sword into the guts of the keep’s captain.

The monster gave a disgusting gurgle, a watery hiss through its own blood and its own final groan of death before slipping back onto the blood-soaked ground. Link stumbled, just barely catching his own feet from under him before Impa’s steady presence approached from the keep’s entrance. 

“You did well, now, it’s time to go-” The crack of magic splintered in the air, the sound sharp as Link grimaced at the high-pitched whine of the keep’s walls beginning to buckle. Purple wisps of magic spilled from every crack of the walls, the air itself crying out as the howls of monsters began to fill the air once more. 

Blackened smoke swirled thickly, the mangled bodies of monsters still littered at their feet collapsing into ash and melting back into the darkening cloud. The familiar hiss of monsters began to surround them, the smoke beginning to cut off near every sliver of sunlight as they watched in horrified shock.

“Again? So soon? How- she’s never been capable of this before.” The muttered words spilled from Impa, so quiet that Link could only just barely hear from where he stood by her side. 

Link felt the brush of monsters forming by their side, and stared at Impa.

There was a promise that he was entrusted to keep, and he couldn’t live with himself if he failed.

A slight shake had begun in his hands, the panic and fear rushing up to his tightening throat and shuddering against the sharp, painful throb settling in his chest. Link spun, pushing the feeling down just enough to meet her eyes.

The faintest glimmer of sunlight still shone through the darkening cloud as Link forced the master sword and shield into Impa’s arms and ignored the stunned look that she gave.

“Take these, use every ounce of strength you have left and go to the front gate. Lana should still be waiting there, tell her that I made this decision because… Hyrule needs you, Zelda needs you.” 

Link was careful to keep his face blank as Impa’s sharp inhale echoed in the small space between them, the sound nearly drowned out by the growling of monsters swirling to life around them. The black haze thickened further, with flickering eyes full of senseless malice and bloodlust. But Link didn’t bother to spare them a glance, not as he stared unflinchingly into Impa’s stunned gaze. 

“I’ll distract them and give you just enough time to reach them, but you have to go now .” An anguished expression overtook Impa as she stepped away, her eyes darkening as she glanced at the monsters being reborn around them. 

“I will go, under one condition. I expect to see you alive after this.” 

The haze of fear lifted for the slightest of moments, enough for Link to feel a surprised laugh force itself from inbetween his teeth before he could stop it. A paralyzing moment followed the sound as he felt the order bleed and sink into his skin, tearing his eyes away from Impa’s glare pinned him.

“Survive. You’ve done it before and I must ask that you do it again by my command, I demand this from you.” Impa’s glare burned along his skin, a violent blaze of desperation and fury that made the air in his chest rattle under the intensity of her stare. 

“...I understand, commander.” 

The growling had begun to reach a deafening pitch, gnarled, twisted limbs that began to twitch with life as Impa started to walk backwards on unsteady legs. The black haze thickened as he watched her turn, the glimmer of the master sword only just shining above the darkness.

“-Wait!” Impa sharply turned, the faint edge of worry lingering in her gaze as she stared at Link who rushed to her side. 

“Please, take this, if anything happens from here- just break it and Lana will come to your aid. If I can’t be by your side, I can just hope that this will be enough.” Link’s voice fell into a whisper as he placed the blue crystal into Impa’s hand, dutifully ignoring her gaze as he ran deeper into the keep.

“Please, go, just go- I can buy you just enough time, but you have to go now .” Desperation wrapped itself around Link’s throat with the edge of fear just beginning to drag itself down the length of his back with a sharp, keen eye. Link’s hands shook as he watched Impa pause, something unreadable flashing to life within her eyes before she turned with a pained noise and ran through the keep’s doors. 

Purple wisps of magic hissed through the air as the faint glimmer of light that had managed to bleed past the wall of darkness died all at once, and he found himself surrounded by shadows. All at once, the air itself snapped underneath the pressure of the countless monsters growling to life, their deafening growls pausing as their gazes fell onto him. Link sprinted back, their enraged howls of malice following him as he retreated deeper into the fortresses’ countless halls.

The threatening growls of monsters hissed to life with every step that he took, bony limbs, disgusting viscera piecing itself back together from the fortresses floor, all of it, every single sound sunk itself into his skin. Link hurried faster, the desperation of his own footsteps burning brighter, louder even, as the deafening crash of a hoard raced at his heels. Purple wisps of magic clogged the air, the sight of the walls cracking and crumbling beneath the sheer amount of magic sending another bolt of fear through him as he raced forward. 

The sound of claws and nails tearing at the stone floor echoed sharply behind him as the vague shape of a staircase emerged from the smoke and Link threw himself over the railing with a heaved breath. The stone crumbled with every step as he raced forward, the scrap of claws ghosting the tip of his heels as the hoard followed with a furious howl. 

Link drew in a desperate breath, glancing up just in time for the faint glimmer of light to catch his eye from the sliver of a doorway that sat just before his gaze. The heavy door flew open as Link crashed into it with a pained hiss, his shoulder screaming in protest at the action before slinging the door shut with a deafening click.

The thunderous boom of several bodies crashed into the door moments later, the iron door waning painfully underneath the onslaught of monsters and their frenzied screeches. The door groaned, but stood firm, the dull echo of the monsters trapped within howling pitifully as Link took a stumbled step back. 

A sudden breeze drifted over his skin as he stilled, slowly turning and stumbling forward as he emerged onto the top of the fortress. The red expanse of the sky glared down at him, the sudden darkness lingering on its horizon plunging the knot of dread deeper into his stomach as he dragged his gaze downwards.

The howl of monsters ringed deafeningly through the valley, the familiar wisps of purple magic filling the land below as the clash of iron quickly began to accompany the horrid chorus. The sight burned itself behind Link’s eyes, the sounds of war raging even louder as a horrified stare washed over him.

Magic choked the valley, saturating the air with a visceral bloodlust that carried the vile taste of death along with it.

It wasn’t the scent of death that made the anguish twist even tighter in his chest.

It was the taste of blood in the air that nearly dragged a sob from inbetween his teeth as he snapped his gaze to the very top of the fortress. 

The air seemed to pulse, but startlingly, the ground seemed to calm as he raced up the final set of stairs and ignored the fastening beat of his own heart. Fear clogged Link’s throat, but he stubbornly swallowed past it, just enough for him to set a determined glare onto the sight before him. 

The thud of his own footsteps followed him as he gagged at the putrid scent practically saturating the air, the heavy, unearthly taste of dark magic swirling within it and curling around his limbs. The magic tightened and Link couldn’t help the nauseating taste of horror that seared itself onto his expression as he wretched his limbs from its grasp. A purple haze descended, pulsing to life with a hum that drove every single one of his nerves to the absolute edge. Link forced himself to continue forward, not trusting himself to even spare a glance behind his own back.

Link knew that the sight of the only exit being enshrouded in the very same magic that he had come to fear and hate in equal respects would shake the vestiges of courage he had left.

He walked, the dull echo of the fortress falling apart from under him melting away, along with the last few rays of light that had managed to follow him.

Decayed stone sat undisturbed by his feet, each step of his echoing louder than the last until a flicker of blinding light cut through the haze. Link carefully walked forward, the purple haze seeming to shadow his step until the flicker of light grew into a blazing fury. Dark magic swirled tightly in a never ending spiral, the vibrant hues of purple circling alongside it as well as the unreadable runes that shimmered along its edges.

Link took another step forward, just barely withholding the gasp of surprise at the first pulse of power that practically shook the air around it. Complete darkness sat in the very middle of the swirling portal, blindingly pulsing with untamed, violent magic that clashed with the very air itself as it shuddered beneath it. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? True beauty, unlike anything the goddesses would ever dare to create, unlike me, of course.” 

Fear was the first thing Link felt above all else.

The kind of fear that he felt for the first time when he went onto a battlefield, in the midst of true war. No amount of training or diligence is enough to ever prepare you for that first consuming rush of fear that runs itself through you just as cleanly as any sword. The fear that ties your feet to the earth and pushes out every thought of grander or salvation in the face of absolute carnage.

The kind of fear that you never forget and never wish to feel again once you grace the battleground for the second time, limbs and swords already seasoned with the blood of enemies and blood alike.

Link recognized that same fear as Cia’s voice emerged from the purple haze of magic, somehow darkening the air around them even further as she approached with a pleased smile.

“It’s my own creation, but I’ve taken some inspiration from a time eons before you. So long ago but I still remember it so well, just as I remembered you despite all those thousands of years that separated us.” Cia’s gaze was a heavy thing, deceivingly light but he could feel the absolute crushing weight of her focus encircling him, pinning him to the ground where he stood.

“Ah, you look even more beautiful here, somehow. I should be envious, but how could I be? Not when my dear hero is finally here to grace me with his undivided attention.” Link’s face twisted into a sneer as he stepped back from her and the ominous glow that still burned along his back, bathing the both of them in that purplish glare.

“Cia.”

“How sweet of you to remember my name.”

Link’s sneer deepened at the sadistic twitch curling at the edge of her lips, an unrepentant glee written into her expression as he forced himself to stand silently. Cia hummed, a pleased note entering her voice as purple wisps of magic swirled playfully around her fingertips and blocked out the last glint of sunlight that streamed onto them. Impossibly, the tightening space between them grew even darker, until he could only feel the unnatural, terrifying warmth of the portal stretching over his back.

His back felt painfully bare and his hands twitched around the open air, the grounding weight of his shield gone and the unyielding force that was the master sword long since vanished. It was a nauseating weightlessness that dulled the threatening sneer on his lips, the anger slipping through his fingers the longer that he stared at Cia. An intimately familiar feeling of helplessness rushed over the length of his body and told him to do the unthinkable.

To run.

Just run, however far he could.

Link swallowed down the bitter, revolting taste of his own fear that was rapidly melting away at the bare semblance of courage that he had held onto all this time. The dim, faraway feeling of a comforting light stretched over his palm, the golden light of the triforce shimmering brilliantly through the suffocating cloud of magic.

Cia’s eyes flickered down at the sight, the calculating weight of her stare dragging a hiss of anger from inbetween his teeth as he held his hand closer to his chest. Like countless times before, the golden light attempted to sooth him, but not even the fear fractured beneath its startling strength.

Link dug his nails into the fragile flesh of his arm, willing the pain to drag him back down to reality as Cia took another step forward.

“But… Despite how happy it makes me to finally have you here, all to myself as you’ve so graciously gifted me. There are other things that must be discussed, such as how you’ve made things so, so much more difficult than they ever had to be.”

”Difficult? Difficult ? You’ve killed thousands, Cia, you destroyed Hyrule-”

“All of what I’ve done could’ve been avoided if you had simply done what was expected of you. The war, all of the death, what purpose was it all for? When you’ve known this whole time how to stop everything, how to stop me.” A cruel, pitying smile drew itself across Cia’s lips, the steady gleam of the specter gleaming threateningly in her hands as the hilt was slammed into the ground with a deafening ring. 

“If I’m to blame, then so are you for never handing yourself over sooner. All of your fighting, your pitiful attempts at refusing me- none of them ever mattered! Because here you are, finally.” Cia laughed, a deceivingly innocent sound despite the cruel words pushing themselves further and further into his chest. Cia’s laughter trailed off, falling back into pleased silence as her eyes took on a depraved gleam at his horrified stare.

“I- I never wanted this! I never wanted you! I didn’t ask for a war to begin in my name! I never wanted thousands to die and for Hyrule to suffer because of me!” The anger, the desperation, Link felt all of it as he screamed out the words and ignored the terror scratching away at his chest. 

The damning weight of his words weighed crushingly onto the steadily tightening space between them, the silence painfully thick until he felt the tight grip of Cia’s hand digging into the bones of his jaw.

“But it doesn’t matter what you want, doesn’t it? Such a poor excuse of a hero, so scared, so selfish… so unbecoming of their blessing.” A sneer marred Cia’s face, her eyes far away and distant for a moment before Link wretched himself from her grasp. Lines of blood ran down his face, the blood bubbling to the surface bright red against the dirt and grime that covered his skin. 

Link stared at the blood that filled Cia’s nails, the blood that was steadily dripping onto her dark skin and pooling onto her palm as he gasped and stumbled back. A deafening silence filled the air, somehow even more terrifying than the war that raged below, but he felt the furious glare that burned along his skin. 

A sharp, blinding pain enveloped his knees, the world beneath him falling for a brief moment before his knees slammed onto the unforgiving stone. Link couldn’t hide the pained whimper as he felt his bones crack against the ground, another few droplets of blood further staining his tunic as the air punched itself from his lungs. Bright pain scratched down his face as Cia’s bruising grip once again tightened around his jaw, but now he could only shiver against the sensation of his teeth grinding together.

“Those goddesses who have damned you, have damned me, and have abandoned us both… the very same goddesses that demanded for fate to eventually bring you to me. I could even thank them!” A scorned growl fell from Cia’s lips, the once mocking display of pity having long since vanished and instead was filled with contempt.

“I won’t, I would never dare bend my knee to them, not again. But… even if you are just a shadow of a hero, you’re my hero.” Link tried desperately to pull his face away from Cia’s grasp, but her nails dug into the fresh wounds lining his face, forcing more blood to bubble around her fingertips.

“No.”

“No?”

“No. Just kill me and end this, if that’s what it’ll take for you to stop.”

Images of Cia’s specter caked in the viscera and gore of his own battered body flashed behind his eyes, the phantom sound of his bones shattering underneath her heels roaring below the rush of blood filling his ears. The taste of death had long since stained his tongue as the grip around his jaw tightened impossibly further.

Link grimaced against the feeling of Cia’s nails piercing his skin and digging deeper into his flesh, the once droplets now turned to rivulets as blood stained her palm. The steady drip of his own blood onto the stone floor below him echoed in the suffocating silence as the ache of his body fell away as he waited for death.

Link ignored the tiny, selfish part of him that was happy to die if it meant he could be free.

The war, the goddesses themselves, fate, all of the pain and suffering that surrounded him- all of it, just enough to make it all stop . 

The familiar golden light of the triforce burned brighter just at the very edge of his slitted eyes, but he didn’t bother to grace the sight as his eyes fluttered shut.

If he could ask Hylia herself for a single blessing, it would be that he would never again have to see his own reflection in the shine of Cia’s eyes.

The oppressive silence sat heavily in the air, as only the slight crackling of magic weaved itself through the thick haze that surrounded them and blocked out the world from sight. Link breathed, willing his hands to not shake as her eyes became blank, the anger that had filled them only moments before disappearing in an instant. 

“Is that why you surrendered yourself to me? You intend to make yourself a sacrifice, all for that pitiful excuse of a princess and kingdom.” Link’s eyes gained a dangerous edge as he glared into her, a familiar anger burning at the back of his throat as he snarled.

“ Yes .” 

An unidentifiable, strange emotion filled Cia’s gaze as she hummed, an eerie tune splitting the silence between them as she met his furious glare. Link couldn’t help the shiver of unease at the feeling of magic weaving itself over his limbs, the once misty, purple haze that now threatened to choke him where he kneeled on the ground. 

Power pulsed chaotically in the air, the strange glow steadily growing until it shone brightly enough to illuminate the cruel edge of her smile. A heavy click echoed off the stone floor, the heavy air moving around the sound as he drew his eyes upwards to the sight. 

Cia’s specter glinted dangerously in the air, the gleam of the purple crystal adorning it not enough to distract him from how she further, and further, rose it onto a high arc above her head.

Part of him wanted to look away.

Part of him doesn’t.

The phantom crunch of his own skull giving way underneath Cia’s hand almost drowns out the sound of the magic surrounding them reaching a fevered, desperate pitch.

He doesn’t look away.

The breath that had stilled in his chest gives way as a blast of pure dark magic rushes past his shoulder, the air itself echoing around him. Link released the fearful breath from his lungs, the harsh clack of his own teeth ringing in his ears as he swallowed down the nauseating rush of adrenaline. A sharp shudder ran itself down the length of his spine, another breath pulling itself from inbetween his teeth as the magic began to curl around him with a terrifying gentleness. 

Link harshly flinched against the sensation, the slow, creeping magic over his limbs washing over him that was only deafened by the sudden clasp of Cia’s hands on his face. The feeling of nails digging into his flesh had disappeared, but the fond look that had instead taken its place only made the heavy feeling of pure dread sink deeper into his chest. 

“Perhaps… I had spoken too harshly, I hope you can forgive me for my carelessness. Such a selfless hero you are, so noble… How could I ever kill you? My dear hero, do you really think so low of me?”

“You have slaughtered thousands-”

“But, none of them have been you .”

Any words Link had died on his tongue, the color draining from his face as Cia glanced at the wounds still littering his face with a mock, pitying hum.

“I don’t believe you understand me, none of them matter, none. What do they really matter when this is all simply at the goddesses whims? Any blood I’ve split is child’s play compared to the consequences of their actions, so yes, I don’t much care about them .”

“But you…”

Cia’s hands were tender, affectionate even, the bruising grip that had grinded his teeth together only moments ago having been traded for a loving touch. Link felt pure nausea burn at the back of his throat, the soft touch somehow even more disturbing as he saw his own blood further stain her hands. He couldn’t imagine the sight that he made as he sat at her feet.

The sight of a hero kneeling into a pool of his own blood, defenseless and beaten.

Worthless.

“Oh, how sad is it that they doomed you into trying to fix the problem that they created? Doesn’t it make you angry? Thousands of years, so many lives, and yet you’re still here!” Link’s eyes squinted in confusion, the feeling only just briefly distracting him from the pure dread and horror pooling in his stomach. Cia’s eyes became distant, pensive as a glimmer of something pained flashed and disappeared just as quickly.

“...Cia, what are you talking about-”

“A hero in every era, a hero for Hyrule, a hero for the goddess reborn, a hero against all of the odds- a hero for the world itself.”

“...But, never one for me .”

The magic behind Link’s back burned brighter, so close to blinding that the golden light of the triforce had begun to be drowned out by the purple glare. Something dangerous hissed into the open air, a growl made of malice and darkness as it retched itself from the portal and spilled onto the earth below. The howling of monsters reached a shrill cacophony, an ear-splitting sound that breached even the thickening purple haze around them. Link felt the dread dig its claws down into his back, the squeal of monsters roaring even louder above the clash of iron that echoed through the valley.

He didn’t dwell on the consequences of ripping his face from Cia’s hands, ignoring the sight of his own blood as he moved to place his legs under him-

And couldn’t move.

“I don’t believe you realize just how long I’ve waited for this exact moment, so much time, so much patience, and now it’s finally here- do you understand? You will, I’ll make you understand if that’s what it takes.”

Link willed his limbs to move, each second passing by slower than the last as the roar of battle rang in his ears and the hum of magic became piercing. Darkness enveloped the sky as Cia watched him struggle with a keen, amused smile, the expression only growing as her magic grew heavier, more solid where it had begun to properly wrap itself around his limbs.

“Cia- Cia, please, don’t hurt them- this isn’t about them, it’s me that you want, right? Just let them go, please-”

“You and I both know that I can’t do that. But, you don’t need to worry about them anymore.” The world sharply tilted, the air punching itself out of his lungs as the magic all-together tightened and dragged him across the ground. Link willed himself to fight, kicking against the rubble that littered the floor and struggling with a frustrated, pained growl against the unflinching hold that binded him. 

The warm glow of the portal flickered over his back, the feeling of dark magic licking up his sides bringing the vile taste of terror back onto his tongue as he began to shake. The distant sounds of war were drowned out by Cia’s steady approach, the loud click of heels against stone ringing in his ears as he hopelessly fought beneath her gaze.

“What are you doing- Cia, stop, please .”

Cia didn’t answer, and neither did the deafening roar of magic allow him the solace of silence as he felt how the portal finally reached out, retching him backwards with a final, merciless tug.

Darkness swirled in Link’s vision, the light dimming until all-together dying as the last glimmer of Cia’s figure disappeared from sight. A panicked gasp of breath from his own chest died as the last glimpse of the world fell away underneath the flickering abyss that awaited him and his rapid, agonized heartbeat. 

A complete darkness rushed around him, the burn of an unwelcomed sleep forcing itself behind his eyes as he felt his gaze flicker shut.

And he fell.

-

War roared in Lana’s ears, the horrid mix of gore spilling onto the ground, the sickening clash of iron against flesh, and the sounds of the dead and dying melded together into a horrific cacophony around her. The battlefield roared before her gaze, the brilliant, bright hue of her own magic razing the battered ground as another wave of monsters were crushed underneath her hand. 

Lana cursed, the sound brittle and sharp even to her own ears as the pull of magic sunk into her very core and throbbed painfully with her stuttering heartbeat. Pinpricks of agony vibrated underneath her skin as she bared her teeth against the feeling and tore through the nearest body, withholding a whimper at the sensation of bones breaking underneath her hand.

The taste of defeat had already begun to poison her tongue as true despair washed over her as she stared over the battleground. Her gaze broke away as the sheer number of monsters steadily grew, a steady wave of darkness that was quickly choking the valley. 

Perhaps, if Link and Impa were by their sides, they could survive. 

Lana looked to the fortresses gate with an undisguised plea lingering on her lips as the space beyond those iron bars stayed traitorously empty.

The goddesses had seemed to ignore her pleas.

Again.

“Princess- Princess! We must fall back, we’ll be slaughtered if we dare to stay here a moment longer!” The resounding screech of one of the captains filled the air as they emerged from the growing crowd of blood, iron, and misery, with streaks of viscera covering their armor. The clash of iron echoed as frantic eyes begged into Zelda’s own, who somehow still looked ethereal covered in the blood of her people.

“Cut a path through the south! The east and west keeps are unsalvageable, take our remaining men and move through the heart of the valley!” Gore stained the holy rapier clutched in Zelda’s white-knuckeled palms, but even now, the triforce gleamed brightly before Lana’s gaze.

The traitorish thought rushed up to her before she could stop it, the thought that she felt completely and truly alone at that moment.

The last symbol of the goddesses glowed bright in the middle of a damned battlefield and Lana could feel with an aching certainty that the goddesses had abandoned them.

“We don’t have enough men for such an aggressive frontal assault! Our only hope is to cut through the fortress itself and attempt to escape through the valley’s north entrance-”

“Cia waits for us within the fortress, not salvation! The north entrance is not an option, captain, I will lead the offense and our men-”

The earth roared beneath their feet, another tremor bringing Lana to her knees before she hastily pulled herself up and ran to Zelda’s side.

“Zelda! Let me go after Cia, I’ll make her stop all of this-”

“I’ve already listened to you once today, Lana! I don’t intend to make such a mistake again now that they’re both gone thanks to you!” Fury burned in Zelda’s voice, a pure, unflinching grief that filled the grim line of her shoulders as she glared into Lana’s eyes. Lana bit at the inside of her mouth, the taste of copper barely sullying the grief filling her chest as she felt herself crack underneath Zelda’s unrepentant glare.

“They’re still in there! I know they are! If you just let me search for them and confront Cia, I can-” Lana paused, her voice trailing off into silence as she peered past Zelda’s furious expression. The faint glimmer of blue shined through the suffocating haze, the magic within it staining the air a vibrant, menacing purple.

All except for the flicker of blue that shone like a beacon through the fortresses gates.

Lana rushed forward, crackles of her own magic following her as she ran up the fortresses steps and stared through the thickening purple haze. The faint, warm glitter of her own magic sung through the mist, a comforting brush against her very core as the gate began to burn beneath her hands and the violent glare of blue burned to life. 

Magic wrapped itself around her arms, the shrill sound of the gate roaring over the sound of death for a deafening moment as she gritted her teeth against the sound and pushed forward. The iron twisted itself from her palms as an ear-splitting screech echoed before the silence lingered, and all-together crashed forward into a mound of twisted iron and magic.

The faint blue light shined through the smoke, before rushing forward. 

Lana was ashamed of herself to admit that her gaze fell to Impa’s side first and not Impa herself. 

Impa stumbled forward, and the very next thing that Lana noticed is that she should not be able to walk, or be clutching the bloodied hilt of the master sword itself.

The master sword does not hum and Lana doesn’t have time to address the glaring absence slowly growing at Impa’s side as Zelda rushes past her. The sob that escapes Zelda is one that breathes of misery and relief as they fall into each other’s arms, wrapping around each other with a desperate ferocity. Neither seemed to care of the amount of grim and blood that the other is covered in as they met for a consuming kiss before breaking away with a gasp.

“You’re alive! Thank the goddesses above, you’re alive . I- wait, where’s-”

“Link is still in the fortress, but there’s just enough time. We need to push back at Cia’s siege and regain our hold just far enough to rescue him-”

The rumble that fills the air feels deeper, threatening, something truly dangerous as Lana felt her gaze snap onto the darkening horizon and the fortresses shadow that stretched beyond it. The vile taste of dark magic poisoned the air, the weight of it pushing down onto her shoulders as the sheer darkness weaved and circled the peak of the skies horizon, bathing the land below in a crimson hue.

 For a paralyzing moment, she could swear that she felt Cia’s glare from the heavens above.

And then the sky erupted.

A pillar of light screeched through the valley itself, climbing further, and further, into the dull crimson of the sky above before disappearing from sight. Magic pulsed through the air, the deafening chorus of soldiers and monsters alike being bathed in that same suffocating hue that Lana recognized so well as she gazed up in horror. A moment of paralyzing silence followed the sight, before the sheer, consuming wall of darkness shot down from the skies above and seized the earth.

A violent pulse of energy tore a gasp from Lana’s lips as she spun to her side and looked to the set of horrified gazes so similar to her own. Zelda and Impa stared at the approaching wall of darkness, their faces painted in all the shades of terror and that crimson glow that bled onto the ground.

The earth seized from under them, cracking and splitting apart underneath the pillar of magic as the land was physically torn apart from under it. 

“Impa! Zelda! Gather around me!” Lana’s magic rushed to her palms without another thought, the very air itself seeming to wave and shift violently underneath the crushing wave of power rushing towards them. The barrier weaves itself from her fingers and envelops them just as the world outside goes completely, utterly dark.

Lana seizes, but she refuses to break, not here, not now. Not when the very essence of Cia’s magic instantly kills hundreds beyond a shadow of a second, not when she can feel how the land dies at Cia’s very touch.

But, Lana can feel how the terror wraps itself around her chest when she feels time itself bend to Cia’s command.

The cry that rips from her throat is drowned out by the deafening roar of time itself tearing apart at the very seams, every fragile strand caught, twisted, and torn . The tremble of the earth itself shuddered beneath her palms, her knuckles whitening as the harsh sob caught in her throat as she fell to her knees in defeat. 

Lana could only will a single thought. 

Cia, what have you done?

[motherconfessors]

Requite Bindings [1/?]

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Zelda Spellman/Lilith

Summary: "Do you even understand the magic that you played with?" Ambrose asked. "Sabrina, you've bound the first woman, the first witch to our Aunt.”

N.B.: Also posted on AO3. 

Sabrina burst into Zelda's office and placed an object onto her desk. "I found something," she said proudly, pointing towards it. "Something that's going to save us."

Zelda set her paperwork down and picked up the vellum scroll. "Found what, exactly?"

"It's a binding spell. One that can tie the coven's magic to Lilith, like we used to tie ours to the Book of the Beast. Except, it just requires a placeholder instead of everyone doing it."

"And just where did you find such a spell?"

"In the library..." Sabrina said with far too much innocence than Zelda liked.

Unimpressed, she unravelled the scroll and looked over the text, it certainly was a binding spell of some nature, there was expertise in its creation going by the sigil alone. It would be complicated to re-create, but not impossible, and ingredients weren't too challenging to find as it was a bond through blood magic.

"So?" Sabrina asked, eagerly bouncing on her feet. Zelda wound the scroll up again. Although it was undoubtedly something, there were a lot of aspects at play, and the last thing she needed was for a spell to backfire.

"Firstly, you would need Lilith to agree to this, and secondly I thought you said she couldn't help us because our source of magic is celestial––from the Dark Lord himself?"

"See, I don't think that true," Sabrina said. "Lilith was the first witch, right? What if Lucifer's magical gifts were never from him, but from Lilith, herself and she didn't realise because the Dark Lord manipulated her into thinking He gave them to her? I mean, most of the magic we see Him do is parlour tricks, right? When was the last time you actually saw Him use magic, really use it?"

Zelda smiled. "Scholars have considered that an option before, Sabrina. But do you really think Lilith wouldn't be aware of her own magic being siphoned into others?"

"It's the Dark Lord," Sabrina shrugged. "Isn't anything possible with Him. And anyway, what could it hurt to try?"

"A lot," Zelda said. "But after everything that's happening with the pagans, I feel we're running out of time to find something else." She said, handing the vellum back to Sabrina. "If Lilith agrees, then so will I. Hell, forsake us all."

Sabrina beamed at her Aunt, taking the scroll. "You won't regret this. I promise. The magic will return, and everything will be better than it was before."

Zelda wished she could believe it, but as Sabrina ran out of the room, she couldn't help but feel that it would be all for naught. It seemed too good to be true. Just when they needed it, an infernal blessing arrives at their door?

Perhaps she was looking a gifted familiar in the mouth.

As it was, when she returned to the Mortuary that night for dinner, Sabrina caught her in the hallway. "Lilith said yes," she said, her excitement bubbling from her. "She doesn't think it will work either, but I think she finds it amusing. I'm not sure, either way, I know it's going to work, and all of our problems with the pagans will be solved."

"And if it doesn't and it horribly backfires?" Zelda asked, knowing Sabrina hadn't thought that far ahead.

"It won't."

"But if it does, what will you do?"

"Reverse it. Come on Aunt Zee, we tried the moon and everything else, and at least we know what we're getting into with Lilith. She's been...actually decent as a Regent and helping me with everything. Can't you just trust me on this?"

Zelda stared at her niece's eager eyes and clenched hands, feelings the nail dig into her palms. "Fine," she said. "But if it doesn't work, you need to know how to undo it."

"Of course, don't worry. I'll get Ambrose to look it over."

"Dinner!" Hilda called from the kitchen.

Zelda gave her niece a look before they adjourned to the kitchen, both silently seeming to agree to withhold the information from everyone else until such a time as it was appropriate.

May Lilith save them all.

It was a Tuesday afternoon when Lilith agreed to attend the ritual. Zelda and Sabrina arrived early, setting up the sigil in the ground by drawing it with a birch wand, as the scroll dictated. They stood in the same section of the forest that they had tried to kill Lucifer barely a few weeks ago, pulling from the ancient power that had bled into the ground from centuries of magic.

When Lilith arrived, she presented a sapphire the size of a small fist, setting it on the stone altar and looked to them both expectantly. "This better work," she said, eyeing the red ribbon with hesitation.

Zelda agreed. Binding spells were notoriously tricky, ancient magic. Although Sabrina had proven herself competent in many ways, this was still an ancient spell that Zelda had no evidence to show that it worked––and yet if it did, all their problems could be solved.

Lilith would supply them with magic, the pagans would be banished, and the coven would flourish towards a new path of night blessed by Lilith.

(Trepidation shook her here, uncertain as to how she felt worshipping the woman, but Lilith had to be better than Lucifer. After all, who else could they worship? Asmodeus? Become pagan and lose all of their traditions? No, it was too much, Lilith was stability in these uncertain times, it had to be enough).

Zelda swallowed back the growing unease, allowing Sabrina to direct her all to where she should stand. They took their places, Lilith standing in front of her, less than an arms-length away, with Sabrina perpendicular to them both.

She looked to Lilith, feeling the cold blue eyes stare back at her in turn. A part of her wanted to ask if Lilith was sure about this––if she had any hesitations or concerns about using this bonding ritual, but she refrained from asking. The woman stood calm and present, her hands laced before her as she quirked an eyebrow, seeming to sense a question on her tongue.

Zelda looked away from the frozen visage to her niece, feeling the knot in her stomach tighten as Sabrina laid out the scroll onto the stone altar, placing paperweights down to prevent the scroll from furling back up as she lifted the dagger.

This was it, she realised. There was no going back.

In the forest by the Spellman Mortuary, Sabrina sliced the ritual knife over Lilith's hand first, and then to her Zelda's before she wound the ribbon over their hands, knotting them once, twice and then a third time before she stepped back to the Northern Axis of the sigil, holding the sapphire in her left hand.

"Are we sure this is going to work?" Zelda asked.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "Yes. Now come on, let's say the words and get this over with. I have cheerleading practice in an hour."

Lilith looked ready to strike Sabrina, but she seemed to roll back her shoulders, standing tall as she gripped Zelda's bloody palm into hers, their cuts pressing together. "I bind this witch to my magic. Hers to mine and mine to hers, so let it be."

"So let it be," they all echoed.

Zelda gave Sabrina a sharp look before squaring her shoulders. "I bind my magic to this witch. Hers to mine and mine to hers, so let it be."

"So let it be."

Sabrina reached out, taking both their shoulders as the magic began to build between them. "I bind these two together. She to her and her to she, so let it be."

"So let it be."

The magic expanded, puncturing through the air and shattering the sapphire before burning threw the ribbon. Blue dust expanded and then settled over them as the magic seemed to bleed through the shards. It was exhilarating. The magic shook through her like an electric current before it tapered off, leaving a soft hum to the nerve endings.

She looked across from her, watching as Lilith's eyes fluttered open, a similar expression ghosting her face from the warmth of power flooding their veins.

Zelda was reminded then that there was a reason that transference of power usually required sex as the kinetic binder to the spell.

It was different from how she remembered the Dark Lord's magic. His had been great and expansive as it filled her, but oily as it settled against her own magic. This seemed to bleed into her own, brightening her from within as it bound to her.

She loathed to admit it, but Lilith's magic had a nuance to it that felt right in a way the Dark Lord's never had.

She looked up at the air, watching as the trees swayed around them by a gust of wind picking up from the Spring air. It steadied her, planting her back into woods and pulling her away from the euphoric sensation.

"How do you feel?" Sabrina asked them both.

"Good," Zelda, her voice hoarse. Clearing her throat, she let go of Lilith's hand, dropping it to her side. A crackling of magic ran down her fingers before it settled as she curled her fingers into a fist, stepping away to where her coat was and pulling out a bandage to wrap her hand.

"Any different?" Sabrina prompted.

"Tired," Zelda said. "But I'm sure we'll see if it worked over the next twenty-four hours.

"Well, I suppose that's my side done with," Lilith said, stretching her wounded hand. "I'll see you later," she said. Zelda noticed the tone and pointed stare towards Sabrina as if reminding her of an appointment they might have later. Or, Zelda realised with a sinking sensation, a reminder of a bargain struck.

Before she could ask, Lilith plane-shifted in a whirlwind of flames, leaving nothing but the faint smell of ash and brimstone in her wake.

And then it was like the very same fire consumed her. Zelda felt her nerve alight, the scream pulling from her lungs as she dropped to the ground. She was burning alive, every nerve ending feeling like it was blackening.  

"Aunt Zee?" Sabrina cried out, falling beside her, just as the pain stopped. "Aunt Zee, what's wrong?"

Zelda drew in a deep breath, her fingers curling around her abdomen as she stared at the foliage on the ground, wondering if Lilith had somehow betrayed them. She could feel Sabrina's hand on her back, gentle and soothing.

"What did you do?" Sabrina hissed. Zelda flinched, looking to her niece only to realise that she wasn't staring at her, but at Lilith who had reappeared.

"Me?" Lilith asked. "This was your doing, Sabrina. I was in Hell for a second before I felt as if every inch of me was being ripped apart. Whatever this binding spell is, I want none of it. Undo it immediately."

Zelda lifted her head, watching as the woman glowered at her niece, her red lips twisted in a scowl.

Zelda pushed up to her feet, brushing off the bits of leaves and twigs that stuck to her and nodded her head. "Undo it, Sabrina."

Sabrina blinked, and Zelda felt a panic crawling up her throat as her niece looked between them, her eyes wide open with uncertainty. "I don't know how," she admitted.

"What?" Lilith hissed as she stepped closer. Zelda stepped forward, putting herself in between her niece and Lilith. "What kind of witch goes in without knowing how to unbind the very spell she’s casting?"

"You did," Zelda reminded her. “As did I. Though I'm certain that between yours and my experience, we can manage to undo a simple binding spell."

Lilith scowled, turning to look away as she gritted her jaw. Her eyes searched around them before she stalked over to where the vellum scroll was laid out and looked it over.

Zelda drew in a breath, feeling the echoes of the pain ripple over her skin as she glanced at Sabrina. "The scroll would have come with an unbinding ritual in the library. They're usually paired together."

Sabrina pressed her lips together, bouncing awkwardly on her feet. Zelda's eyes narrowed, watching as Sabrina's eyes darted away. "You didn't get this spell from the school’s library, did you?"

"Not...entirely."

Zelda swallowed. She knew it didn't come from the Spellman library, and although there was the possibility it came from another witching family, Zelda felt coldness wash down her self, "Sabrina," she asked, trying to keep her voice even. "Where did you get the scroll?"

"Hell."

Lilith's head shot up. "Certainly not from me," she said. "There's no way you even know where that library is!"

"Well, no," Sabrina muttered. "Technically I got it from...from the Dark Lord's chambers."

Zelda closed her eyes, feeling the headache pounding in her head worsening with each word Sabrina spoke. Hell, the Dark Lord? Did her niece not even think before casting such magic.

“What were you thinking?” she asked, opened her eyes.

"I––"

"It's impossible," Lilith said. "No one but Him can get into those chambers."

"Well, I did," Sabrina said.

Lilith scowled. "No, what you did was walk directly into His hand. You may think you outsmarted Him, but I assure you, He planned for you to find this and bring it back. Though what He'd want with binding me to your Aunt..." she trailed off, looking exasperated. There was odd energy about it as Lilith seemed to turn away, apparently amid an internal monologue as her eyes shot wildly around her.

If Zelda didn't know any better, she might suspect that Lilith was having a panic attack. As it was, the woman seemed to settled, drawing her head back to look up at the sky and ground herself, before she looked back at them both. "There must be a way to undo this."

"Agreed," Zelda stated. "There are half a dozen ways to undo any binding spell and a dozen more for blood pacts. We'll go through them one-by-one."

Lilith's lips pressed together, but her head inched into an agreement, turning to glower at Sabrina. "Given this is your mess, you can fetch each ingredient yourself and bring it back here. I will not have anyone else find out about this."

Zelda took a sip of whiskey, feeling the residue headache ease as the alcohol washed down her throat. When she looked up from her glass, Ambrose and Hilda were still staring at them.

"So, let me get this right," Ambrose said, "Sabrina...went to the Dark Lord where He implied that He may have misguided Lilith to where the source of our magic came from and so you went to Hell, broke into His private book collection, almost but didn't die, happened to come across a scroll for a bonding ceremony and thought you might perform it on Lilith and her High Priestess."

"Yeah, well when you say it like that it doesn't sound good,” Sabrina muttered. “It wasn’t like He told me to get the scroll.”

“No, He did everything but and you walked straight into His trap,” Lilith muttered from the other side of the lounge.

"Do you even understand the magic that you played with?" Ambrose asked. "Sabrina, you've bound the first woman, the first witch to our Aunt.” He sat back, raking a hand across his face, feeling as exacerbated as she felt.

Sabrina grimaced, "I know, but in fairness, they did agree to it."

Zelda downed her glass of whisky. Even Lilith was quiet, her eyes looking over her nails as if her cuticles were the most interesting thing in the room.

"Zelds?" Hilda inquired. "Care to elaborate here?"

"It wasn't meant to be this." She set the glass down beside the lamp before easing back in the couch as her headache began to rise again. "Lilith and I were to bind our magic so that I could act as a conduit. Clearly, it didn't work.”

"Instead neither of you can move more than fifteen feet away without either one of you becoming ill?" Hilda asked. “That is a binding spell of some sort.”

Zelda rolled her eyes.

“It’s more nuanced than that,” Lilith corrected, exasperation tugging at her words. “When either of us tries to teleport, we snap back to the other person, which as you can imagine, is a bit of a problem for what I need to do unless Sabrina wants to give up her time in Greendale?"

Zelda could feel the headache growing again. When Lilith had teleported away initially, Zelda had felt as if her whole body was tearing apart. When she'd snapped back, they'd both been hit with the rebound energy of the spell, leaving them both with a splitting headache.

It didn't help that they had both tried to teleport twice more in a stubborn attempt to break through the binding.

Fifteen feet. That was barely a room across from one another.

"What reversals have you tried?" Hilda asked.

"Everything," Zelda spat, her eyes flashing at her sister. "Believe me."

"Binding spells are not intended to be unbound," Ambrose pointed out. As Zelda’s glare moved to him, he paled and looked away, rightfully embarrassed. "Right, well, I can certainly begin on some research, but I'll need a copy of the original spell."

"It's in my room," Sabrina said.

"What are we going to do about the Academy?" Hilda asked, "Are you just going to keep her in the same room while you do your teachings?"

Zelda groaned, dreading the very idea of Lilith sitting in on her classrooms and undermining her. Or worse, the meetings with the few remaining teachers they had left of the coven.

"No, because she's returning to Hell with me," Lilith said sharply. "As I said before unless Sabrina is going to return to Hell, I need to get back to my duties. Otherwise, Caliban will usurp the throne while we're not looking and then we’ll have bigger problems than this binding spell."

"He can't do that,” Sabrina said, looking between the two of them. “I mean, we have the Regalia to search for.”

"I'm sure he'll try," Zelda scoffed, loathing to admit Lilith was right. If no one were sitting in the throne for an extended period of time, it would certainly be open to the first person that managed to sit in it.

Lilith rose to her feet and stepped before her, holding out an outstretched hand. "Shall we?"

Zelda recoiled away, glaring at her. "I have both the Academy and the Church of Night to run. We still need to find a way to fix our magic."

Lilith dropped her hand, her face twisting furiously. ”I’m trying to be nice here. I don't need you to be willing to teleport us there."

Zelda glared, "Then I'll just teleport us back."

"That's an unnecessary expenditure of your already limited magic. Take my hand."

"I can't leave the Church. If the coven falls, so will the legacy you're trying to build."

Lilith's eyes narrowed, unconvinced.

"This is your church too if you haven't forgotten. If I’m not here, you’ll lose everything in the mortal realm, and one of the last standing covens of Hell will collapse.”

Lilith's mouth pressed in a thin line before she stepped back. “Fine, we'll take turns. You can continue to run the Academy and the Church, but you'll remain in Hell for every other moment of your life until we sort this mess out."

"And lose my family?"

“The coven or your family,” Lilith said, “Or you could always let Caliban finalise his coup and have him turn the Mortal Realm into his personal playground, whichever you prefer.”

Zelda watched the woman's brittle smile held over her face, blue eyes turned frigid as they glared down at her. Of all the times she wanted to hex her, never had Zelda felt such a burning urge flicker through her.  

"Fine," Zelda conceded. "But I'll need to pack first, and––“

Lilith rolled her eyes, and it was the only warning Zelda had as she was grabbed and pulled into a teleportation spell. Heat and flames burnt around them before her feet found solid ground.

She was still in a half-standing position when Lilith let go, causing her to fall back onto the marble ground rather ungracefully, her knees and hands smacking against the stone. Hissing, she glared up at Lilith, watching the ghost of a smirk turn cold as she stared down at her.

"Up you get," Lilith said, "we don't have time to dilly-dally."

Zelda pushed back up onto her feet, brushing herself off. She swallowed back the growing urge to hex the so-called Regent of Hell. "I need my clothes, my materials and at least some of my paperwork while I'm down here. You couldn't wait the few minutes it would take to collect that?”

"Yes, yes, all things happen in time," Lilith said as she walked away, over to a set of double-doors, pretending she hadn't listened.

Zelda followed, marching behind her as she walked from what seemed like a parlour room through to a bedroom. There she paused, her eyes drawing over the expansive room, before noticing Lilith open up a new doorway that seemed to lead into a walk-in closet to the size Zelda had never seen before.

There were dresses, shoes and jewellery in a range of different styles, ranging from Lilith's usual attire she was familiar with to the more elaborate styles of clothing she expected of a courtier of Hell.

Despite the expansive racks of clothes, Lilith didn't do much outside of removing her sunglasses and setting them down beside similar sets. Instead, she dropped a glamour, revealing an impressive gown that seemed more fitting for where they were.

Zelda rolled her eyes, turning on her heel to admire the clothes.

Zelda turned around and looked over to the room. Her eyes flew over the ornate, dark wood bed, and then to the original works of art on the walls before looking over to the fireplace that sat on the other side of the room. Everything was beautiful and horrifying at the same time, with exquisite detail.

"I can see why you would want to return to Hell," Zelda said as she began admiring the art in closer detail. They all appeared original works, but she was hardly an expert in the field. Still, some of them were exquisite works exploring the female form or the old stories.

"Hmm? Yes, well, I did mean what I said before. I have some business to attend to." Zelda turned around and found Lilith standing before her with a deep green gown in her hands. "Now we need to come with a story about why you're here."

"I'm Sabrina's Aunt, that be sufficient enough.”

“It won’t, and it would probably be best if you didn't mention that. Caliban would use you in an instant to make Sabrina forfeit the throne. Now, put this on."

Zelda took the gown into her hand and was pleased to find it was silk to the touch. It was a rather beautiful dress, designed without all the jewels and ornaments that Lilith wore on hers, though it was embroidered with gold thread that glimmered against the dark colour.

Despite her desire to wear it, she lifted her head, looking unimpressed. "What's wrong with my current clothes?"

"They're not suitable for a concubine," Lilith said with a smirk.

Concubine, Zelda’s brain seemed to short circuit at the word. How dare she!

"I am not your––.”

"Uh!" Lilith interrupted. “Concubines don’t speak unless directed. So, unless you have a better reason as to why you've suddenly appeared and begun shadowing my every step, you will be my concubine until such a time as this cure is broken."

Zelda felt her hands clench in the silks as she went through what other reasons she could be there to serve the Queen's Regent. Advisor seemed a possibility, but there’s no way any of them would approve that. She was the High Priestess, but that raised more questions. No, in the end, nothing came to mind that was as plausible as a concubine. "Fine, but we need some boundaries."

"Boundaries later, get dressed now."

Zelda drew her spine up and glared at the woman before she stepped behind a panelled partition and removed her clothes, changing into the gown. When she stepped out, Lilith's eyes raked over her body, seeming to look for faults before she went over to her dressing room.

Zelda turned to follow when she returned with an emerald encrusted hair comb.

“Here,” she said, stepping behind her before she drew Zelda's hair down her back, gently combing her fingers through it before winding it into a knot and placing the enchanted comb into the knot to hold it in place. The touch was soothing for the moment, and when it passed, Zelda was thankful she was irritated enough with the woman to have an impassive expression for when Lilith stepped back in front of her.

"It will do for now," Lilith said, drawing her eyes over her. Zelda didn't miss the brief smirk that ghosted her lips before she flicked her eyes back up to Zelda with an equally masked expression. "Oh! I almost forgot."

Zelda rolled her eyes, it seemed there was always going to be another thing. ”What else could I possibly require to look adequate?"

Lilith smirked and then she stepped close, so close that she could smell her perfume. Zelda went to step back but was stopped as she felt the woman's arm snake around her waist, holding her firmly in place.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Zelda asked, trying to push herself away from the woman.

"Don't worry. You'll enjoy this far more than I will."

Zelda watched as the woman's face loomed closer, her lips nearly brushing against hers. Then Lilith's face tilted and Zelda could feel had breath grazing against her jawline until––

Zelda gasped as she felt Lilith bite down on her neck. Zelda went to shove the woman off her, but the biting turned to sucking, and despite how much she wanted to be angry at the brazen attempt, Zelda felt a moan rise in her throat.

Her pushing hands began to curl into the material of Lilith's dress, holding her close. The hand around her waist slid up her back and splayed against her, holding her up.

And then it was over as fast it began. With a last lick against her pulse point, Lilith pulled away, her hand slipping away from Zelda to let the woman stumble back.

"Told you," she said with a chuckle, her thumb going to fix her lipstick.

Zelda grabbed at her throat, wiping the woman's spit and lipstick mark from her neck. She knew without turning around to the mirror that the woman had left a massive love bite, the size of which she hadn't had since her very first Lupercalia.

"Why in Satan's name would you do that?" she asked, spinning on her heel to face the woman.

"People need to know you're mine," Lilith said, reaching out to fix Zelda's make-up.

Zelda stepped back, glaring at her before she turned to the mirror and fixed it herself. Her eyes kept drawing back to the massive red mark on her neck, knowing that it was precisely what Lilith had said, a mark of ownership.

Now, more than ever, she wanted to slap the woman's face hard enough that her handprint was left across that cheek. Damn her!

Ownership? Fuck that, fuck her and fucking that fucking spell.

"Now there are some a rule to go over if we're to make this work."

Zelda withheld a growl and turned back to face Lilith, "Rules?" she said. "Aside from marking me like some bitch in heat?"

"See, that's it. Try to hold your tongue. The less you speak, the fewer people we will have discerning the holes in our story. The last thing either of us needs is to be dealing with another coup while we're trying to manage this one."

Zelda drew in a deep breath, trying to not lash out at the implication. After all, it wouldn't look good if the Regent had a handprint on her face the same shape as some newfound witch in Hell, but by Heaven, it would feel good.

"So I'll just be your silent shadow, then?"

"Silent concubine," Lilith corrected. "Don't speak unless spoken to. Behind these doors, you can rant to your heart's content if you must, but this is my domain, and there's a certain decorum we must keep. I’ve been undermined enough as it is.”

Zelda stretched her fingers at her side before adjusting the cuffs on her sleeves. "Fine, but this goes both ways, when you're in my domain, you'll be a silent observer."

"Agreeable," Lilith nodded, though her eyes narrowed as she said it. "Now, chin up, back straight."

"I know how to-"

"Uh-uh, silent concubine," Lilith warned before smirking at her. "Come now, pet. I have a court to bring in order. Oh, and do try to not to drool in amazement, it's not very becoming."

Zelda glared, clenching her jaw as she obediently followed the demoness out of the bed chambers and through the hall. Lilith led them throughs corridors and stretches of bizarre empty rooms with no rhyme or rhythm that she could see. They went up and down at least half a dozen stairs, through fifteen separate doors that only lead through more hallways (ones that looked remarkably similar to the previous one they exited from) that Zelda was near-certain they were lost.

And then Lilith pulled open a set of identical doors to the last dozen they'd gone through and suddenly they were in the throne room.

"Your Grace," a demon said, running up to Lilith and bowing low before her. "You've returned."

"Yes, I was off picking something up," she said before slowly turning to indicate the presence of Zelda. "This is my High Priestess, Minion. She'll be staying with us until such a time as I see fit and I expect the same courtesy you have for myself to extend to her."

"Of course," he said, turning to bow before Zelda. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady. Anything you require and I'll be of service."

Zelda went to respond before she saw Lilith's eyes flashing at her with a warning. Bowing her head, she smiled politely, hoping it didn't come across as strained as it felt.

"I assume there's the usual restless rabble awaiting to meet?" Lilith inquired.

"There is."

Lilith gave a short nod, smiling. "Bring them in." As Minion rushed off, Lilith turned and gave Zelda a pointed stare before ascending the steps of the balcony and taking her place on the throne, overlooking the entire chamber.

Zelda, knowing well enough what was intended of her and finding herself uncomfortable reminded of her time with Faustus, stood beside the throne, behind it with her hands clasped before her.

Lilith turned to ensure she was correctly placed but made no comment as a group of demons were lead into the room. Most of them appeared as lesser demons, but one of looked almost like a cherub with short wings and round cheeks.

"Your Grace," the demon said, giving a short bow that Zelda could only assume was a mockery of Lilith's position. When he rose, his eyes went to Zelda's and then returned to Lilith's, quietly awaiting introduction.

"Valac," Lilith greeted politely. "What tidings do you bring from the fourth circle?"

"No tidings, Your Grace, only a request."

"What is it that you're after today?"

"There are rumours, Your Grace, that the Queen has placed a hold on all deals."

"This is correct. The Queen has also requested to review each deal before collection - I'm sure I sent a messenger to all the circle to announce this, so tell me what you're really after."

"I'm to be summoned and commanded but unable to trade what is owed. Twice now, I've forgone investments that would have otherwise been invaluable."

"Oh, well, that seems your concern alone," Lilith said. "The Queen was very clear about no new souls being bargained for, but any other deals you wish to make, say a promissory note from the client, would not be unreasonable."

"A promissory note?" Valac hissed. The demons around him echoed the hissing, mimicking the anger. "What worth is a promissory note to me. I have all the treasures I could want, or do you forget Demon Monther?"

"Use your imagination," Lilith said, tilting her head with a tight smile. "If you can't make use of the situation, then you'll lose out while others are finalising their contracts. Why Beleth was only here the other day claiming a whole new collection of soul coins he'd had transferred, perhaps you should speak with the second circle to see how their managing?"

The demon looked unhappy, his face going red with anger, but the creature submitted and bowed low. "Of course, Your Grace," he said, before kicking at the lesser demons and leading them out of the chamber.

Lilith sighed, reclining in the chair as she looked over at Zelda, her eyes washed over Zelda's expression, seeming to pick up on the curiosity. "Beleth needs to be reminded of his place. When Valac goes to war against him over his deals, Beleth will likely lose half of his land and coin, leaving them both weakened."

"How long until they realise that you caused it," Zelda asked. "Afterall, Beleth is not known for his dimwittedness."

Lilith turned and eyed her, her brow raised before she nodded. "By that time, little Sabrina should have finished her second quest, and they'll be too busy arguing amongst themselves over who should rule."

The throne rooms doors opened again, and a new set of lesser demons emerged as the attendants to a mid-level demon. Zelda resigned back to stand by the throne and listened as they went through a similar procedure as with Valac. Then a next set was brought in and on and on it went. Occasionally Lilith would comment on between the guests, but more often than not she sat proudly in the throne, awaiting the next patrician.

Sometimes the demons brought news from the levels about battles raging and wars amongst different realms (it seemed unsurprising to Zelda that both the Seelie and Unseelie courts had 'borrowed' soldiers from Hell in exchange for new souls to be brought into the pits, there also seemed a curious exchange of succubi and incubi amongst the courts that Lilith was irritated by).

Othertimes the demons brought requests. There was land in barter amongst the different circles as Kings rose and fell; mid-level demons were looking to ascend to higher levels, and ruined lords came with tithes owed to the Queen utilising soul coins, which Zelda assumed could only be what it sounded like.

When a particularly overdue tithe had been paid, Lilith had Minion bring the coins to her to count after the demon left with a low bow and humbled apologies.

"Slaughter him," Lilith said while tapping through the coins, "and ensure that Ronove takes his land without fuss."

"Of course, Your Grace," Minion said with a humble bow.

The coins appeared iron in nature, imprinted with an infernal design, but as Zelda craned her head towards it, she felt the oily presence of dark magic. More so, she could swear muffled cries were coming from the coins. She drew closer and then the box was snapped shut. Lilith looked up at her with a sharp smile. "I wouldn't get closer if I were you.."

"I take it Sabrina has no idea towards Hell's currency."

"Of course not, could you imagine her trying to upheaval the very foundation of Hell? No, best we wait until she's finished 'intro to economy'."

Zelda rolled her eyes, "Sabrina will not be attending a mortal college."

"Are you certain of that?"

Zelda faltered and stepped back into her place as the doors opened again, and a new set of patricians entered. Zelda felt her feet begin to ache. How much longer would they have to listen to the demons whine––she was exhausted by it, and she wasn't the one answering them.

In truth, Lilith managed the Demon Princes efficiently, listening and picking at their words so that when they provided half-truths, she extrapolated the remaining parts that were left unsaid.

Over the different court tidings, it became apparent that her overall technique was to guide the Kings to do what she wanted by telling them no, then allow them to throw a tantrum before they ran off to disobey like teenagers, inadvertently doing the very thing she wanted them to do.

There were a few that required more delicate manipulations: gentle words and half-said implications leading them to their own conclusion, but otherwise, it was a more direct approach.

When the last prince had left, declaring war against the seventh circle kings, Lilith had waved him off and smiled with far too many teeth for Zelda's likening.

"Why would you want him to do that?" Zelda asked.

"They're equally matched, either they'll slaughter one another or one will survive with a half kingdom ripe for the taking." Lilith turned and looked at Zelda. "I have to amuse myself some way amongst all this."

"It seems that you're mostly setting war against the different circles."

"War is profitable if done correctly," Lilith said, pushing off from her throne. Zelda suspected there was deeper reasoning to it but didn't inquire any further.

Following Lilith, they exited through a hall, into a dark chamber, lit by a single, large fireplace. The room felt stuffy and overheated, but Lilith moved to sit in an armchair by the fire and ease into the leather cushions.

Zelda looked over the room. There was a single bookcase with hefty tomes the size of her head that took up the entirety of one wall. She drifted over to it to inspect when her wrist was caught in Lilith's vice-like grip.

"I wouldn't touch them if I were you. They have a habit of biting back if you don't handle them correctly." Lilith let go of her wrist and then seemed to ease back in the chair as if she was preparing to nap.

Zelda drew away from the bookcase and instead moved to sit down in the armchair across from Lilith. "Is that all for your day?"

"You think all I do is tirelessly listen to the rabble complain?" Lilith asked.

"I have no idea what you actually do. I assume there's some bureaucratic component as well."

"Yes, well, Hell does ever so love a good useless meeting. The paperwork is almost as infuriatingly overcomplicated as Baxter High's had been."

"You actually worked while you were at Baxter High?"

Lilith's eyes seemed to flash, almost as if she was considering what Zelda's head would look like on a spike. "What, you think they would have allowed me to ascend to that position if I wasn't competent? Of course, I did the paperwork, and far better than whatshisface had."

"What's next for you, then?"

"Afternoon tea," Lilith said. "And then a discussion with the council."

Afternoon tea seemed just to mean wine, cheese and grapes, which Zelda didn't mind at all. She had a goblet of wine (a decent bottle, but by no means a celebratory one) and allowed herself some of the biscuits and cheese.

The cheese had been commendable with a sharp bite, but the biscuits were stale, which was when Lilith had reminded her that the food in Hell would never be fresh. Zelda had had her share of delicacies around the world and had tried most things that wouldn't immediately poison her, so stale crackers and sharp cheese were the least of her concerns.

The meeting, however, was excessively dull. Lilith sat her on her left-hand side (as a show of honour) but made no introductions towards her, and when the Kings had prompted the comment, Lilith had stared at them as if they'd lost their head before she moved back on topic towards the circles of Hell.

It seemed to make the kings only more interested in her, and more than once she felt one was reaching out towards her when Lilith would quickly snap their attention back to her with an outrageous comment that would send the Kings in a flurry of arguments.

Having attended her fair share of faculty meetings at the Academy before Sabrina had come into her life, as well as after, she was somewhat competent at presenting a curious expression at the discussions when all she wanted to do was roll her eyes every time one of the King's spoke.

Honestly, she had thought Faustus could hold a monologue, but he had nothing against these kings.

By the end of the meeting, Zelda couldn't tell what had been discussed but gathered that nothing had come from it aside from half-written minutes being ratified.

When the Kings had left, Lilith looked rather pleased with herself, which Zelda couldn't understand. All the Kings had done was talk in circles, make strawmen arguments against one another and declare that Caliban would soon rule and at least be competent where Lilith was not (though Zelda seriously doubted this, the little she heard of Caliban, the more she thought that he would fall within a week and leave the Nine Circles crumbling in his wake).

"Please tell me that was the last of it."

"For another day, at least," Lilith said as Minion brought out new goblets and wine. Two lesser demons also stepped in and began placing food onto the table, though once they'd left, Lilith had grabbed at Zelda's wrist. "I wouldn't eat that if I were you," she warned. "But it is entirely up to you. I won't truly stop you."

Zelda looked down at the place and focused on it before the glamour shifted, and she saw what was really there. Maggots rolled over the food, and with the glamour lifted, so had the sweet smell of rotting vegetables.

"What is there to eat aside from cheese and fruits, then?"

"Honestly, nothing," Lilith said, taking a piece of fig and sticking it into her mouth. "Well, there's tea and alcohol, but I wouldn't use that to replace all of your meals."

"Tea, then," Zelda sighed, pushing away her plate.

"Minion!" Lilith summoned. Zelda closed her eyes, waiting to see if the ringing would stop in her ear. She was almost sure that the woman had done it to shock her intentionally. "Would you please make a fresh pot of tea for my priestess?"

"Of course, Your Grace," Minion said, before bowing upon his exit.

Zelda eyed his departure before turning to Lilith. "Was there any reason we couldn't have left our supposed relationship as Deity and High Priestess?"

"Yes," Lilith said, and then didn't elaborate.

Zelda felt her headache growing again. "Which is?"

Lilith popped a date into her mouth before reclining back into the dining chair and taking a slow, deliberate drink of wine as she maintained eye contact with Zelda. When at last, the goblet was placed back on the table, she looked at the witch with faux puzzlement, "what was your question again?"

Zelda closed her eyes, trying to remember why she shouldn't strike Lilith. Number one being that Lilith could snap her neck before she had time to do it. If she was honest with herself, a part of her believed that it was still worth an attempt.

Her eyes flew open as Minion set down a pot of tea, cup and saucer before her from a silver tray before then placing down a sugar bowl and receptacle of milk. "Thank you," she said.

Minion bowed before taking the silver tray back to wherever it had come from.

As he left, Lilith shot her a look. "What did we discuss?"

Zelda poured the tea, and place two cubes of sugar in it because, at this stage, she deserved something in her belly,“ and gave a look of innocence to the Regent.

"Something about concubines being an absurd role to play?"

Lilith placed a grape in her mouth before flicking her eyes away, apparently contemplating her desire to snap Zelda's neck, going by the tension in her jaw.

"If you can't hold your tongue, I will hold it myself," Lilith said when she looked back at her. There was a playful look about her, but Zelda could see the threat in the way her hand clutched at the fork a little too tightly.

"It was merely a sign of social propriety. I hardly think Hell is going to fall around us."

"Do you want to find out what happens if it does?"

Zelda brought the cup of tea to her mouth and just met the woman's stare with her own. If Lilith wanted to play at threats, she wasn't afraid to bite back. Neither of them knew how deep this bond ran, and she knew enough about bindings to go wrong that the death of one of them could mean the end of them both.

Zelda drank her tea with some enjoyment and was pleased when Lilith announced it was time for them to retire for the evening.

Heading back seemed a much shorter route, however, and with the passing of only a couple of doors, she found herself in Lilith's bed-chamber, the door closing behind them.

Relief at being out of room eased her shoulders and Zelda moved to remove the hair comb and then her dress, leaving herself in just the camisole she wore underneath.

Lilith, however, had moved to sit by the fire and was glowering low in her seat towards the flames.

As Zelda went to return the dress into the walk-in closet (that was massive) she realised far too late that she'd exceed the fifteen feet and found herself stumbling backwards as if her whole body had been elastic and just snapped back.

She looked back at Lilith and then, muttering to herself, draped the gown over the panelled partition.

"Is that how you hang your clothes?" Lilith asked, looking away from the fire. "I would expect that from a child."

"Well unless you're going to stand up and move closer, I can't put the dress away."

Lilith stared at her before muttering under her breath and pushing up from the chair.

Taking the dress, Zelda walked into the wardrobe and placed it carefully onto the hanger, knowing that Lilith would critique any wrong move, before putting it where she assumed it was meant to go.

Lilith huffed behind her and reached up to take the dress and moved it into an entirely different, but similar section. Zelda watched her before rolling her eyes. There was nothing visible about the distinct separation and knowing Lilith enough over the last day, she was half sure the woman did it to annoy her.

"Now that's done, can we sleep?"

"And just where do you think that you will be sleeping?" Lilith asked as she began spacing her clothes out like she was some Hell forsaken retail assistant trying to look busy. "Because I take the bed.”

“You can’t be serious. Where do you expect me to sleep?"

Lilith shrugged, smiling over her shoulder. "By the fire?" she suggested.

"Like a servant? Are we not meant to be playing some role of Concubine serving the Regent?"

"I thought you wanted just to play the High Priestess, Zelda. Have you changed your mind?" Lilith turned to face her then, and Zelda knew she was stepping into dangerous waters. "Or would you like to play a different sort of game?"

Zelda froze, uncertain if she should step towards the woman, or as far away as possible. She knew Lilith was intentionally looking seductive for some reason. It could be just to get sex, which if Zelda was honest, wasn't something she was entirely against, though Lilith certainly didn’t deserve it after her attitude today.

However, it was just as likely that Lilith was scheming to humiliate her in some way, and Zelda was not interested in becoming some literal toy. She had some dignity.

Standing tall, Zelda schooled her expression and glared at acting Queen of Hell. "If someone's likely to come waltzing in your bedroom, we should at least be masquerading as having some type of close relationship."

Lilith stepped forward to her then, her smirk widening as she lifted a hand to play with the length of hair that draped over Zelda's shoulder. "And what type of close relationship were you hoping to masquerade as?"

Zelda snatched at the woman's wrist and stared at her until she let go of the copper curl. "Let me make this very clear. I have the coven worship you because it serves my role and because they need some type of stability after everything that happened with the Dark Lord. That does not mean I have to like you, especially after the trickery you enacted against Sabrina for the last nine months."

"And here I thought we were becoming friends," Lilith said dryly, pulling her wrist out of Zelda's grip and stepping back. "Fine, get into bed, I'll join you soon."

Zelda observed the woman, not dignifying her with a response before she turned away and headed out of the wardrobe. She didn't climb into bed straight away, instead, standing at the doorway until Lilith had emerged in an emerald dressing gown, her hair pulled over to one shoulder.

Then, they walked over to either side of the bed and stared at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move as if they were in some kind of witch's duel.

Finally, Zelda gave in because the entire situation was absurd and she was exhausted and starving and had a million things to do at the Academy tomorrow.

Pulling the cover and sheets back, she climbed into the bed and watched as Lilith did the same. The witch then exhaled and all light but from the fireplace was extinguished, leaving the room in a dull orange glow.

"We'll head to the Mortuary first so that I can change, and then to the Academy."

"As you wish," Lilith hummed beside her.

"And you'll do as you promised? Not a word."

"I'll be on my very best behaviour."

It would have to do, Zelda thought to herself as she stared up at the canopy of the bed. She could see images of on old fable carved intricately in the would, looking almost alive as the firelight danced across it.

The bed was large enough that they could probably fit two people between them, and yet Zelda felt as if she could feel the woman's body almost grazing against hers. She closed her eyes and tried not to notice the small movements beside her as Lilith turned to her side.

And then, slowly, she felt herself sinking into sleep.

[ladyspellwood]

@pumpkin-soul I hope I did your mirror prompt justice I enjoyed writing it.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

The clock on the wall rang in the witching hour as Zelda finished preparing for bed. Donning her black satin robe, she saw Hilda climbing into bed with a book. Reading sounded like a nice relaxing activity after another trying day of dealing with Sabrina’s newest plot to get the entire family excommunicated. She could use some comforting words from the Dark Lord. She turned down the covers and settled in grabbing the Satanic Bible off her bed stand, the well-worn leather was a comfort in her hands. She opened it to the black ribbon that marked her place and began reading. But Sabrina’s unraveling scheme inadvertently re-entered her mind, how on earth was she going to protect the family name from utter ruin this time?

A squeak from Hilda’s side of the room interrupted her spiraling thoughts. As she glanced over there was Hilda practically squirming in her bed, one of her cheesy mortal romance novels in hand. Zelda didn’t even attempt to conceal her eye roll. On any other occasion she would not have hesitated to chide her sister for her foolishness, but tonight she frankly didn’t have the energy. Instead she turned away and she resettled herself against the pillows and attempted to focus on the scripture in front of her. Before she could even finish the first line something flashed in the corner of her eye drawing her attention.

She was sure she had seen something but looking around the room nothing appeared to be amiss. Lightly shaking her head, she refocused herself and attempted to ward off her paranoia. She brought her book closer to her and re-adjusted the duvet, but there it was again, a flash of emerald, she was sure of it. As she looked around again, she decided it must have come from by her dresser. She glanced over at Hilda who appeared to be completely tuned out from anything other than the no doubt painfully predictable relationship unfolding in her book.

Subtly adjusting herself once more, she angled her book so that she could better observe the corner of the room, she resumed the pretense of reading. Not even attempting to comprehend the verses in front of her, instead patiently waiting for another recurrence. This time out of the corner of her eye she made out a face in the mirror. Forcing herself not to look directly at it, but still attempting to get a better look under the guise of turning a page she saw that their unwelcome intruder was no other than Sabrina’s insufferable homeroom teacher, Mary Wardwell.

As Wardwell’s face disappeared once more Zelda dropped her book in her lap. A glance at her sister assured her that Hilda was still engrossed in her novel and was naïve to the fact that they were being spied on. She quickly glanced at Hilda’s floor length mirror on the other side of the room and mentally made a note to check it and all the other mirrors in the house for scrying spells in the morning when Wardwell would be at school.

From what Zelda could tell Wardwell had not noticed that she had been seen. Zelda sat in bed tapping her thigh thoughtfully, Wardwell had been in the house a few nights ago, unsupervised thanks to Ambrose’s reckless astral projection. That was most likely when she had put the spell on their mirrors.

The fact that Mary Wardwell was a witch came as a bit of a surprise, but then Zelda recalled seeing her wrapped up in that tight vinyl coat that night, and she had certainly looked like a creature of darkness. Perhaps it wasn’t too far of a stretch. She blinked away the naughtier thoughts that had entered her mind that night. Now was not the time, she needed to remember that Wardwell was an intruder in her home, and she was spying on the Spellman’s, but why? There was no readily apparent reason in Zelda’s mind so she decided to ignore the issue for now and call it a night, she would investigate it further in the morning when everyone was out of the house.

Zelda sat at the head of the Spellman breakfast table as usual, but she had hidden herself away behind her newspaper. She was trying to be patient, Satan she was trying. Sabrina was off to school with Harvey, even Ambrose had beaten Hilda out of the kitchen. As the sound of Hilda moving about the kitchen continued, Zelda flipped down a corner of the paper in time to watch her put some dried herbs into jars only to take them back out again and put them into pots. She rolled her eyes and righted the paper, trying once more to read a column about Chinese nukes. The same one she had been rereading for the better part of an hour, comprehending none of the Mandarin. Her mind always turned back to Wardwell. Despite her attempts to focus, her mind continued to prove traitorous, conjuring up the image of the teacher walking down the staircase with such a confident stride, bright, supple red lips, and that dark mane of hair. Zelda’s eyes fluttered shut. It was a crime really that Zelda had forced her out but the surprise of finding Wardwell in her home combined with the teacher looking like that, Zelda had barely been able to think. Zelda coughed to cover up a sigh that would have been too telling of where her train of thought had gone and snapped herself out of her reverie.

Sweet Satan what was taking Hilda so long? At last she heard the telltale clink of Hilda’s keys, Hilda offered a hurried goodbye as she rushed out the door with the urgency Zelda had wanted from her twenty minutes ago. At the click of the latch Zelda refolded the paper and got up. She called Vinegar Tom to her side and began some tracer spells, going through every room to find what other mirrors were being used by prying eyes, and to check for any other malfeasance Wardwell might have committed while unsupervised.

They finished the ground floor and found nothing amiss, next was upstairs and the bedrooms. She decided to save her and Hilda’s for last, Sabrina’s mirror had been corrupted but everything else seemed to be in order. She decided against erasing the spell, she didn’t want Wardwell to know she was onto her just yet. Vinegar Tom loyally followed her through the rest of the house, all the other rooms were untouched, including Ambrose’s bedroom which threw a wrench into her theory that Wardwell was watching all of the bedrooms.

Finally, she entered her and Hilda’s room and confirmed the spell on her own mirror, but curiously Hilda’s was clean. Zelda leaned against her bed and lit a cigarette, why in hell would Wardwell go through the trouble of only putting scrying spells on her and Sabrina’s mirrors, but no one else’s?

Her mirror did not offer a view of the entire room only her side of it. She could have run out of time after Zelda had arrived home, but Wardwell had looked like she was on her way out. Zelda stared at Vinegar Tom in silent contemplation, but out of the corner of her eye she once again saw Mary Wardwell appear in her mirror. This time Zelda made eye contact and arched an eyebrow. Mary at least had the decency to look sheepish.

“Care to explain why you are spying on my family? I just searched the house and found your little scrying spell on Sabrina’s mirror.”

“I was tasked with protecting her, I need to be able to watch out for her.”

“Oh, you think we Spellman witches are not protecting our own flesh and blood? That you, an outsider could do a better job?” Zelda snapped.

“That was not meant to be an insult, that is the very last thing that I want to do to you.”

What in Satan’s name was that supposed to mean? Zelda shook her head visibly annoyed, “Well Sabrina is at school right now, as you know, so care to explain why you are in my mirror now?” Wardwell was quiet “No one else’s mirror has been touched but mine and Sabrina’s, if you have been sent to watch over Sabrina, as you say, why bother with my mirror? Why do you need access into my room?” The teacher was looking around her office trying to avoid the fiery gaze of the redhead in the mirror. Zelda was growing impatient “Mary!”

Those piercing blue eyes snapped back to her, then Mary sighed, “Because I like you. A lot.”

Mary looked down at her hands, clearly nervous though it didn’t look like she was embarrassed by her admission of having feelings. Zelda on the other hand was shocked and was doing a very poor job of concealing it. Wardwell continued, “You are one of the most gorgeous witches I have ever met; I’m enthralled by you.”

Zelda had no idea how to respond, she rubbed her fingers together and began pacing in front of the mirror. She looked down at Vinegar Tom who was staring at her with his big droopy eyes.

What was she going to say to Mary? Certainly, the witch was easy on the eyes, and she practically radiated power which was incredibly seductive but at the moment her attraction was at odds with her confusion about Mary Wardwell meddling with her home and her family… but still… she looked up to respond, but the mirror only reflected her visage, Mary was gone.

-

The rest of the day slipped by without incident and Zelda retired early. Hilda had called saying she was picking up a night shift, she said someone had called in sick but based on the excitement in her voice she was doing it for some more time with the mortal who owned the shop. For now, Zelda was going to ignore it, that was a headache for another day.

She quietly turned the lock on her bedroom door and walked into her closet. She smiled to herself as she pulled out some of her less worn night things. She passed a hand along the midnight blue lace, relishing the feel of it. She got dressed and put her robe on before she unmade the bed as she normally would and climbed in.

Now she’d wait, she picked up her book to read in the interim. It didn’t take long. There was a slight adjustment to the room and without looking she knew she was no longer alone. Without lifting her gaze from her scriptures, she let her robe slide off her left shoulder. Pausing only a moment before she theatrically turned the page and let the robe slide off her other shoulder.

Stretching her neck, she sighed and sank back into the pillows. There was movement in her mirror, but she still didn’t look over. Instead she leaned forward and set the book down in her lap and slid the robe off entirely.

From her vantage point in the mirror, Lilith was very much enjoying the view. She had been surprised when she found that her scrying spells had not been wiped clean, but she was even more surprised seeing the beautiful Zelda putting on a show, just for her. The exposed lace straps of Zelda’s night gown were in stark contrast to her creamy skin. The garment itself was one of the most delicate looking things Lilith had ever seen or maybe it was just that Zelda was the one wearing it.

The silk on it was as dark as the lace, and it had the illusion of water as it pooled and stretched around Zelda’s curves. It flowed in a truly spellbinding manor, and Lilith leaned closer to her looking glass. Not wanting to miss a single detail. Zelda continued the façade of reading, but she began playing with the lace along the dress’s neckline, inching it lower and lower, before frustratingly letting it spring back into place.

Lilith made a small squeak of protest that she quickly tried to cover up but seeing the slightest of smirks touch the corner of Zelda’s lips she knew she had been heard. Mercifully, Zelda put the book down and gracefully stepped down from the bed, her garter and thigh highs were still on and Lilith found that the nightdress was much shorter than she had thought, much to her delight.

Zelda tauntingly placed a shapely leg up on the bed and began undoing the garter clasps. As each one sprung free she leaned forward and gave Lilith a very generous view of her cleavage. She provocatively rolled the nylons down her leg, Lilith eyes followed her every movement, totally mesmerized. Zelda’s pale flesh glowed in the lamplight. She tossed her thick red curls over her shoulder when she switched her legs, starting the whole process again. Lilith could have continued to watch her for the rest of time.

With both of her legs free she hiked up the hem of the night gown to undo the garter belt. The little minx wore panties that perfectly matched the midnight dress. Her slow ministrations were driving Lilith mad and she desperately wanted to tear the garment off and ravish the creature wearing it.

Zelda carelessly tossed aside the undone garter belt and got back into bed. From Lilith’s perspective, she did so in a more coy and sinful way than she had thought physically possible. Zelda reached for her cigarette holder and one of her long cigarettes, tossing her autumn curls back as she lit it. Her ruby lips took a long drag on the cigarette before arching up and blowing a white plume of smoke into the air, watching it dissipate.

At long last, she made eye contact with Mary, who was looking very much hot and bothered. Her normally striking blue eyes were almost black with lust. Zelda merely smiled and demurely winked at her before leaning over and turning off the light. The last thing Lilith saw was the hot burning ember of Zelda’s cigarette.

[oracleether]

Guessing time for BotW plot stuff, maybe?

I thought that maybe BotW would be a few centuries after Skyward Sword, clearly it is or still has to be. But now I’m thinking that it’s maybe somewhere in the timeline of the Child Era that branches from Ocarina of Time, breaking off into Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. The reason I say this is that we’re shown the Sages, or people/beings from games past that are familiar to us and also to Link in that there are people from tribes that can become these sages. However, maybe Nintendo is now going so far as to add the Earth and Wind sages (like the ones that appeared in WW) to the original Seven Sages like they wanted to do in the Ocarina of Time days, but had to settle with leaving them for a later day and game (i.e. Wind Waker). We’re also having a repeat with the Goddess Hylia, with Zelda, because she’s shown to transition from the normal village girl clothes (the blue tunic) to her white goddess dress, gold bangles and just her overall resembling Hylia’s visage. Zelda is also shown to be purifying herself in what appears to be a temple spring, like the other Zelda was. In Skyward when she was on her journey on the surface to re-awaken as Hylia. Something clearly goes wrong during the journey by comparison, seeing as Zelda’s dress is splattered in mud and she’s lamenting about her failure and crying in Link’s arms, who is looking like he’s been in a fight and wounded to a degree. BotW is going to be a roller coaster.

[trendingnewsb]

5 Sucky Things That Suck On Purpose

This may come as a surprise, but I like it when things don’t suck. In fact, I would say that I devote 80 percent of my efforts toward avoiding suckage. Sadly, though, I can’t control the actions of others, and I won’t ever be able to until The Device is perfected. But until then, some people make shitty things, and the rest of us have to deal with it. And while we can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that everyone makes mistakes as we eat a pizza which inexplicably arrived topped with double olives and pineapple, there’s no solace in the knowledge that some people do shitty things entirely on purpose. On that note, here are five terrible things which people made fully knowing that they’d be terrible.

5

The Google Glass Battery

If you were sober or literate in 2013 and 2014, you may have had to endure the deluge of tech profiles and extremely not-boring thinkpieces on Google Glass. If you could not in fact read or legally drive in 2013 and 2014, Google Glass was basically Google’s answer to the question “What’s a super expensive piece of shit I can intrusively wear on my face which will obscure my vision and make anyone around me fearful that I’m videotaping them like some kind of creeper?” You know, a question that we’ve all asked.

While most of us immediately dismissed Glass as being about as appealing as a herpes scab parfait, there were naturally a few fans who couldn’t wait to be the dollar store version of Geordi LaForge. But even amongst those die-hard tech fluffers, there was a clear issue: Glass had a battery that sucked like a leech in the coldest recesses of the vacuum of space.

The battery life of Google Glass clocked in at around 45 minutes, meaning that you had just enough time to stream yourself watching one episode of Young Sheldon and then crying about it afterwards before it shut off. Google tried to explain this away as an intentional design feature that was actually beneficial and not an example of a battery assembled by a one-eyed guy in an flea market who smells like cats.

According to Google, your cellphone is just a dangerous espionage device constantly listening to you from your pants pocket and maybe sending all that sweet, sweet pants gossip back to Samsung or the Kingsmen or whoever the fuck cares what you’re doing. So in an effort to heroically protect you from filthy spies, Google intentionally made a shitty battery so that the New World Order agents will only be able to watch half of your masturbation session before they’re left hanging. Suck it, dickholes! You’ll never know how this one ends!*

*Hastily, with a climactic yawp.

4

Low-Quality Viral Commercials

In 2011, the internet was blessed with one of the worst commercials for a taxidermy business that anyone had ever seen. I say this not as a connoisseur of taxidermy ads, but as a logical human being. Also, do taxidermy places really need commercials? What more needs to be said, other than “Hey! Do you like wolves, but hate the bitey, movey kinds?”

This commercial for Ojai Valley Taxidermy featured the one-two punch of Chuck Testa’s taxidermy skill and acting, and made us all fall in love with the stuffed corpse of a coyote and the overall awfulness of the entire experience. It was poorly made, clearly cheap, and its only redeeming quality was that all of the badness made it charming as hell. Chuck Testa became an internet hero. And it was all bullshit.

Testa is just one of many viral commercial stars made famous for being in videos often shared as “the worst commercial I’ve ever seen.” One commercial for a mall from 2014 featured employees singing a jingle that sounded like a cross between 3 a.m. barf-in-your-own-shoe-drunk karaoke and a cat stuck in a well. It sucked large, and people went nuts about it.

For a local business trying to drum up some attention, you have two options: Legitimately make a forgettable, boring, low-budget commercial which blandly explains whatever you’re trying to sell, or roll the dice on potentially going viral by making an abomination. Create such an abysmal crime against advertising that the sun refuses to shine when the video is playing and birds immediately stop singing and synchronize-shit on your car. Make it so bad that everyone immediately shares it with everyone they know. And then your craptastic commercial becomes an internet sensation.

They say people are ten times as likely to share a bad experience with a business than a good one. People like to complain more than they like to praise, probably because if something goes right, it fits in with your expectations and is therefore unremarkable. It’s only when things go wrong that you get worked up and make a stink over it. So when you see a commercial that damn near offends you with its utter fuckshittery, you’ll share that monstrosity with everyone. And that’s exactly what they want.

3

Web Brutalism

When I first got the internet in my house as a kid, we got a state-of-the-art, badass, lightning-fast 56k modem. I could download an MP3 in like ten minutes, and sometimes an entire dirty picture would load up before something went buggy and the poor woman was cut off at the knees. And seven out of every ten websites looked like a low-res My Little Pony pony ralphed cotton candy and Four Loko across a small-town church bulletin board.

As time passed, we all grew up and became better people with better websites. Dancing baby GIFs gave way to interstitial ads and Flash videos. Designs that looked like they were made by a guy with vinegar in his eyes working in the dark faded away, and sleek, professionally designed mega porn sites took their place. It was a great time to be alive. Or so we thought, because I guess people got sick of things that don’t look like shit and Web Brutalism was born.

If the terribly cheesy name didn’t give it away, Web Brutalism is a kind of artsy shitsy internet aesthetic. You purposefully make your website look like the south end of a northbound horse. Ugly, disorganized graphics, shockingly off-putting colors, a veritable dumpster of design techniques shat out onto a screen — if your site doesn’t look a fourth-grader’s glue and cardboard collage, you’ve failed.

A classically bad website was designed on Angelfire by your aunt who collects figurines of Jesus playing sports when she wanted to do something to commemorate her love of beat poetry. Some links were unclickable, images didn’t quite line up right, and it had charm in the same way your macaroni artwork had charm to your mom, who never told you that it looked like shit because she loved you. By the way, your macaroni art looked like shit. It’s cool, though, mine looked like the shit that shit takes after eating shit sandwiches. And somehow, someone decided a forced version of that was a good idea.

Web Brutalism seeks to make a website harder to navigate and uglier to look at than a fine, upstanding site, like the one you’re currently enjoying. Why? The answer is best summed up in this quote I heard from a guy in a bar once: “Fuckin’ because.”

2

Bioware’s Female Designs

Back in the day when I had an NES, there were basically two female characters you could name across the spectrum of video game characters: Princesses Peach and Zelda, and I don’t even think Zelda was actually in her game. But I did beat Super Mario Bros. 2, and Peach helped a brother out on that one, so yeah, you could say I’m like a video game feminist or some such. Which is why Bioware’s curious history with female characters is such a headscratcher.

Bioware makes some pretty impressive-looking games, like Mass Effect, and the character designs are amazing. There is a definite problem with some of them, though, insofar as that amazingness is in how straight up nuts-on-a-donkey ugly they are.

When Mass Effect: Andromeda was released, fans were quick to notice that the male version of the player character, Ryder, looks super badass and cool and almost exactly like the male model who lent his likeness to the game designers. The female version of Ryder looks like the model if you rolled her in a sack of sadness and didn’t let her sleep for four days while feeding her a straight diet of CHUD.

Twitter

So why, if you have the ability to render characters in a way that makes them look like not vaguely emotive ballsacks, would you make your character look like a vaguely emotive ballsack? This one requires a bit of creative tinkering in the ol’ thinky bag, but it does make sense. Female characters in gaming, as you may be aware, have a bit of a lackluster history in terms of realistic representation. After Princess Peach, the next big name in lady characters was Lara Croft, who was at first presented as polygonal boobs on blocks, and then later as well-vectored boobs on well-vectored short pants. And thus began a tradition of most video game women being little more than boobs and confusion. So maybe Bioware makes their female characters less appealing on purpose so as to not be considered sexist or douchey.

Bioware has never come out and said they’ve made purposefully ugly characters. They have acknowledged abhorrent animation issues and terrible facial expressions which they set to work on fixing, but fans were all pretty convinced that there had to be more behind the distractingly objectionable visages of the female characters. As noted gamer nerd and feminist Lisa Kerzner argues in her video, it looks an awful lot like Bioware put considerable effort into downplaying the character’s face to make her more of an ugmo hero type (but just in the face), while trying to pawn it off as a technical limitation. Despite the fact that numerous other games can feature women who don’t look like victims of barnyard mad science, including a lot of Bioware’s previous games.

Unfortunately, dealing with matters of sex, sexism, and gender in video games is like opening a bag of cat shit lined with explosive squibs right in your damn face. If you recall anything to do with Gamergate, you know this is ground no one wants to tread on, so you almost can’t blame Bioware for not saying jack shit about it, as you don’t want to feed any trolls. But at the same time, when it’s obvious that they can make a nearly identical male character, there’s clearly a reason they’re not putting that same kind of effort into their females.

1

Scam Email Grammar

Usually when I send emails, I spell the multi-syllable words incorrectly and use grammar that’s about as fucked as a friction-burnt Fleshlight. But that’s my own bugaboo to deal with, and has little-to-no bearing on the world of scam email.

The odds of you having never received a Nigerian scam email are slimmer than Slender Man’s weird dick, which I’ll tell you about sometime if you buy me a few beers. But for the sake of the kids in the audience who are reading this on the wall I inscribe all my articles on and have never received email before, a Nigerian scam email is a poorly worded piece of fuckery that shows up in your inbox claiming to be from some African prince who has millions of dollars tied up in banks overseas, and if you could just help pay some transfer fees, you can keep a buttload of it!

Typically, these emails use terrible grammar and atrocious spelling, not because the person sending you the email is a blithering idiot, but because they need you to be so gullible that you believe a Wakandan prince personally sent you a one-way ticket to being a millionaire, and he typed the message with a greasy turkey leg in his hand while riding a homemade roller coaster.

Most of us can identify a scam email right away. Another subsection of people will be suspicious but interested. And an even smaller division will write back to test the waters. The scammers want nothing to do with any of those people. They want the person who immediately responds with their bank account number in the signature line, because they only want to deal with people who may have mistaken a ham bone for Tony Danza more than once in their lives. So don’t be too proud if you recognize right away that someone sent you a weak as shit attempt at ripping you off; they just didn’t want you to waste their time.

Ian’s Twitter is awesome on purpose. Go look.

Does Troll 2 suck on purpose? Find out for yourself, and go down the rabbit hole of recommendations like Samurai Cop and more!

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5 Sucky Things That Suck On Purpose

This may come as a surprise, but I like it when things don’t suck. In fact, I would say that I devote 80 percent of my efforts toward avoiding suckage. Sadly, though, I can’t control the actions of others, and I won’t ever be able to until The Device is perfected. But until then, some people make shitty things, and the rest of us have to deal with it. And while we can comfort ourselves with the knowledge that everyone makes mistakes as we eat a pizza which inexplicably arrived topped with double olives and pineapple, there’s no solace in the knowledge that some people do shitty things entirely on purpose. On that note, here are five terrible things which people made fully knowing that they’d be terrible.

5

The Google Glass Battery

If you were sober or literate in 2013 and 2014, you may have had to endure the deluge of tech profiles and extremely not-boring thinkpieces on Google Glass. If you could not in fact read or legally drive in 2013 and 2014, Google Glass was basically Google’s answer to the question “What’s a super expensive piece of shit I can intrusively wear on my face which will obscure my vision and make anyone around me fearful that I’m videotaping them like some kind of creeper?” You know, a question that we’ve all asked.

While most of us immediately dismissed Glass as being about as appealing as a herpes scab parfait, there were naturally a few fans who couldn’t wait to be the dollar store version of Geordi LaForge. But even amongst those die-hard tech fluffers, there was a clear issue: Glass had a battery that sucked like a leech in the coldest recesses of the vacuum of space.

The battery life of Google Glass clocked in at around 45 minutes, meaning that you had just enough time to stream yourself watching one episode of Young Sheldon and then crying about it afterwards before it shut off. Google tried to explain this away as an intentional design feature that was actually beneficial and not an example of a battery assembled by a one-eyed guy in an flea market who smells like cats.

According to Google, your cellphone is just a dangerous espionage device constantly listening to you from your pants pocket and maybe sending all that sweet, sweet pants gossip back to Samsung or the Kingsmen or whoever the fuck cares what you’re doing. So in an effort to heroically protect you from filthy spies, Google intentionally made a shitty battery so that the New World Order agents will only be able to watch half of your masturbation session before they’re left hanging. Suck it, dickholes! You’ll never know how this one ends!*

*Hastily, with a climactic yawp.

4

Low-Quality Viral Commercials

In 2011, the internet was blessed with one of the worst commercials for a taxidermy business that anyone had ever seen. I say this not as a connoisseur of taxidermy ads, but as a logical human being. Also, do taxidermy places really need commercials? What more needs to be said, other than “Hey! Do you like wolves, but hate the bitey, movey kinds?”

This commercial for Ojai Valley Taxidermy featured the one-two punch of Chuck Testa’s taxidermy skill and acting, and made us all fall in love with the stuffed corpse of a coyote and the overall awfulness of the entire experience. It was poorly made, clearly cheap, and its only redeeming quality was that all of the badness made it charming as hell. Chuck Testa became an internet hero. And it was all bullshit.

Testa is just one of many viral commercial stars made famous for being in videos often shared as “the worst commercial I’ve ever seen.” One commercial for a mall from 2014 featured employees singing a jingle that sounded like a cross between 3 a.m. barf-in-your-own-shoe-drunk karaoke and a cat stuck in a well. It sucked large, and people went nuts about it.

For a local business trying to drum up some attention, you have two options: Legitimately make a forgettable, boring, low-budget commercial which blandly explains whatever you’re trying to sell, or roll the dice on potentially going viral by making an abomination. Create such an abysmal crime against advertising that the sun refuses to shine when the video is playing and birds immediately stop singing and synchronize-shit on your car. Make it so bad that everyone immediately shares it with everyone they know. And then your craptastic commercial becomes an internet sensation.

They say people are ten times as likely to share a bad experience with a business than a good one. People like to complain more than they like to praise, probably because if something goes right, it fits in with your expectations and is therefore unremarkable. It’s only when things go wrong that you get worked up and make a stink over it. So when you see a commercial that damn near offends you with its utter fuckshittery, you’ll share that monstrosity with everyone. And that’s exactly what they want.

3

Web Brutalism

When I first got the internet in my house as a kid, we got a state-of-the-art, badass, lightning-fast 56k modem. I could download an MP3 in like ten minutes, and sometimes an entire dirty picture would load up before something went buggy and the poor woman was cut off at the knees. And seven out of every ten websites looked like a low-res My Little Pony pony ralphed cotton candy and Four Loko across a small-town church bulletin board.

As time passed, we all grew up and became better people with better websites. Dancing baby GIFs gave way to interstitial ads and Flash videos. Designs that looked like they were made by a guy with vinegar in his eyes working in the dark faded away, and sleek, professionally designed mega porn sites took their place. It was a great time to be alive. Or so we thought, because I guess people got sick of things that don’t look like shit and Web Brutalism was born.

If the terribly cheesy name didn’t give it away, Web Brutalism is a kind of artsy shitsy internet aesthetic. You purposefully make your website look like the south end of a northbound horse. Ugly, disorganized graphics, shockingly off-putting colors, a veritable dumpster of design techniques shat out onto a screen — if your site doesn’t look a fourth-grader’s glue and cardboard collage, you’ve failed.

A classically bad website was designed on Angelfire by your aunt who collects figurines of Jesus playing sports when she wanted to do something to commemorate her love of beat poetry. Some links were unclickable, images didn’t quite line up right, and it had charm in the same way your macaroni artwork had charm to your mom, who never told you that it looked like shit because she loved you. By the way, your macaroni art looked like shit. It’s cool, though, mine looked like the shit that shit takes after eating shit sandwiches. And somehow, someone decided a forced version of that was a good idea.

Web Brutalism seeks to make a website harder to navigate and uglier to look at than a fine, upstanding site, like the one you’re currently enjoying. Why? The answer is best summed up in this quote I heard from a guy in a bar once: “Fuckin’ because.”

2

Bioware’s Female Designs

Back in the day when I had an NES, there were basically two female characters you could name across the spectrum of video game characters: Princesses Peach and Zelda, and I don’t even think Zelda was actually in her game. But I did beat Super Mario Bros. 2, and Peach helped a brother out on that one, so yeah, you could say I’m like a video game feminist or some such. Which is why Bioware’s curious history with female characters is such a headscratcher.

Bioware makes some pretty impressive-looking games, like Mass Effect, and the character designs are amazing. There is a definite problem with some of them, though, insofar as that amazingness is in how straight up nuts-on-a-donkey ugly they are.

When Mass Effect: Andromeda was released, fans were quick to notice that the male version of the player character, Ryder, looks super badass and cool and almost exactly like the male model who lent his likeness to the game designers. The female version of Ryder looks like the model if you rolled her in a sack of sadness and didn’t let her sleep for four days while feeding her a straight diet of CHUD.

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So why, if you have the ability to render characters in a way that makes them look like not vaguely emotive ballsacks, would you make your character look like a vaguely emotive ballsack? This one requires a bit of creative tinkering in the ol’ thinky bag, but it does make sense. Female characters in gaming, as you may be aware, have a bit of a lackluster history in terms of realistic representation. After Princess Peach, the next big name in lady characters was Lara Croft, who was at first presented as polygonal boobs on blocks, and then later as well-vectored boobs on well-vectored short pants. And thus began a tradition of most video game women being little more than boobs and confusion. So maybe Bioware makes their female characters less appealing on purpose so as to not be considered sexist or douchey.

Bioware has never come out and said they’ve made purposefully ugly characters. They have acknowledged abhorrent animation issues and terrible facial expressions which they set to work on fixing, but fans were all pretty convinced that there had to be more behind the distractingly objectionable visages of the female characters. As noted gamer nerd and feminist Lisa Kerzner argues in her video, it looks an awful lot like Bioware put considerable effort into downplaying the character’s face to make her more of an ugmo hero type (but just in the face), while trying to pawn it off as a technical limitation. Despite the fact that numerous other games can feature women who don’t look like victims of barnyard mad science, including a lot of Bioware’s previous games.

Unfortunately, dealing with matters of sex, sexism, and gender in video games is like opening a bag of cat shit lined with explosive squibs right in your damn face. If you recall anything to do with Gamergate, you know this is ground no one wants to tread on, so you almost can’t blame Bioware for not saying jack shit about it, as you don’t want to feed any trolls. But at the same time, when it’s obvious that they can make a nearly identical male character, there’s clearly a reason they’re not putting that same kind of effort into their females.

1

Scam Email Grammar

Usually when I send emails, I spell the multi-syllable words incorrectly and use grammar that’s about as fucked as a friction-burnt Fleshlight. But that’s my own bugaboo to deal with, and has little-to-no bearing on the world of scam email.

The odds of you having never received a Nigerian scam email are slimmer than Slender Man’s weird dick, which I’ll tell you about sometime if you buy me a few beers. But for the sake of the kids in the audience who are reading this on the wall I inscribe all my articles on and have never received email before, a Nigerian scam email is a poorly worded piece of fuckery that shows up in your inbox claiming to be from some African prince who has millions of dollars tied up in banks overseas, and if you could just help pay some transfer fees, you can keep a buttload of it!

Typically, these emails use terrible grammar and atrocious spelling, not because the person sending you the email is a blithering idiot, but because they need you to be so gullible that you believe a Wakandan prince personally sent you a one-way ticket to being a millionaire, and he typed the message with a greasy turkey leg in his hand while riding a homemade roller coaster.

Most of us can identify a scam email right away. Another subsection of people will be suspicious but interested. And an even smaller division will write back to test the waters. The scammers want nothing to do with any of those people. They want the person who immediately responds with their bank account number in the signature line, because they only want to deal with people who may have mistaken a ham bone for Tony Danza more than once in their lives. So don’t be too proud if you recognize right away that someone sent you a weak as shit attempt at ripping you off; they just didn’t want you to waste their time.

Ian’s Twitter is awesome on purpose. Go look.

Does Troll 2 suck on purpose? Find out for yourself, and go down the rabbit hole of recommendations like Samurai Cop and more!

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