#they belong to ghirahim now

[yandereunsolved]

✧ ☾ Yandere Ghirahim ☾ ✧

"Oh, look at my small, dear sky child just waking up from their fitful slumber."

"What the—mhm... hmm... hmpf...!"

"You must be so confused. I understand entirely. I am the Demon Lord who presides over this land you look down upon, this world you call the surface. You may call me Ghirahim, or Lord Ghirahim. In truth, I very much prefer to be indulged with any sweet pet name you choose for me. But I'm not fussy."

"Wha— hmm... mhm... hmpf... mhm... mhpf... hmph!!!"

"Hush now, while I recall the story of how our destiny's were intertwined by the red string of fate. Long ago, my master spoke of you. He told me that you would be my only weakness. He shared your visage with me in a vision of the future. He promised you to me. That news just filled my heart with rainbows!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Help someone, anyone! Mhm... hmpf... hmm... mhmpf...!"

"My love, as arousing as your screams of desperation may be, I have to tell you that no one is saving you. You belong to me now, my sweet summer skychild. As long as you behave, you shall be treated with the finest jewels and linens, and please help me in service to my master Demise. However, if you go against my master's wishes with our eternal union, I will have to punish you most deliciously."

[perpetual-fandom-brainrot]

And Then There Were... Three? (1) (Skyward Sword)

My masterlist SUMMARY This story is inspired by a short, incomplete Ghirahim x reader series by katetheworm titled "Forgotten." (this story is not explicitly nor exclusively a Ghirahim x reader) Everyone knows the story of how the war between light and darkness began, with the battle of two beings. One being, a powerful demon, was after a grand power left behind by the three original gods. The other being was the goddess who still resided over the Earth. She was protecting the power and people her predecessors had departed from. In the end, the goddess successfully sealed the demon away, but the war lead to the creation of two spirits. One for the light, and one for the dark. Each spirit was given their own vessel, their own name, their own master. But what if there was more to the story? What if the vessels couldn't contain all of that energy?

This is the story of you, the third spirit.

----------------------------------------------------------

The sun shone brightly on the territory of Faron, an area one might find spacious upon their first few visits. You, however, knew them well enough to find them quite restricting. No other beings such as yourself inhabited the area; only Bokoblins, birds, and Kikwi. At first, when you were new, you'd found the Bokoblins and Kikwi fascinating to observe, but the fascination wore off quickly. The Bokoblins were too simplistic to learn, so they only ever chased Kikwi, ate food, and slept. You'd tried approaching them several times, but no matter how slow or hidden you were they always screamed and fled.

The Kikwi were much more tolerant of you since the Bokoblins wouldn't come near you, but you'd quickly discovered that you couldn't understand them. You could identify them, the objects and food they'd interact with, but their language escaped your grasp. You felt as though it shouldn't. Something in you burned with familiarity hearing their speech patterns, and yet nothing in you could recall it. For awhile you'd tried to figure it out, but spending more time around them trying sent you into further frustration. You eventually distanced from the Kikwi too, only occasionally observing them from where they would not see you. Around that time was when you first began scouring the rest of the region. When you found the temple and the pillar.

The pillar, a small piece of stone that sat in the middle of a spiral the land created, was overlooked by a grand building you identified as a temple. You couldn't identify anything else about it. The pillar was even more of a mystery. Something drew you to it, like a calling that came from inside of yourself, at the same time a force just as strong told you to go hide in the temple. No, not to go hide in the temple - that you belonged in it. You decided to trust the latter feeling.

When you'd first arrived at the temple, the door had a seal on it. You could sense the magic coming off of it. It was familiar, in a way, yet when you rested your hand on it, it would not open for you. You would have to find some other way into the temple.

It took some time to come to the conclusion of floating over the roof. The journey between the pillar and the forest required you to, and you had noticed a gap in the roof you could slip through, and through it you went- only to freeze in your tracks once inside. Another being was here. Only this time, you recognized it- her. This was a human, a Hylian, created by the same being who created you, the goddess Hylia. This human in particular was a Sheikah, a guardian of Hylia. Having an instinctual understanding of this woman and her purpose, you knelt before her, having no doubt she noticed you.

A sound of surprise caused you to look up. Had you done something wrong?

"Oh my," the Sheikah woman said, "this will certainly change things for the unexpected." The language she spoke was that of the Kikwi, you now recognized it as Hylian. Though, as much as you tried, you could not form the sounds for yourself. The woman seemed to sense this. "Do not worry, you are not in any danger here. You do not need to speak." You nodded. When she didn't continue talking, you began taking in the inside of the temple.

The hall was immense, and featured a staircase leading opposite from the Sheikah woman. Following it led you to the rest of the hall, which was big, but not much was in it. Six pillars stood in two even, symmetrical rows, supporting the building's grand size from the inside out. The wall had a gap leading to another area, but you instead turned your attention to a bird-shaped statue sitting near it.

The statue was plain as ever, but something in you recognized a dormant energy within it. You wondered what it could do when activated, even touching it to see if you had any effect. It was no surprise when you didn't.

Looking back at where you had come in from, a large sun ray streamed in from the gap in the roof you'd used to enter. You could even see the shadow of a tree poking through. When you followed the ray of light with your eyes, you noticed it directly landed on the Sheikah woman.

"You do not belong to the sword, do you?" Her inquiry gently echoed across the temple's stone. You directed your gaze to her and shook your head. "I figured not." Once again, she did not continue to speak. You had so many questions you wished for the ability to form, yet at the same time you were uncertain if you had any desire to speak to this woman. She was the first being you'd ever been able to understand. It partially scared you despite the safety you felt around her. "Hmm, I can sense pulls from both ends of fate attached to you. Perhaps you will become more important than you are meant to be. You're in the process of awakening, that must mean they will arrive soon."

You didn't understand exactly what she meant by that, but her words stirred a sensation in you that felt more intense than anything you had ever felt before. A whirlwind you couldn't fully interpret but knew you weren't ready to face was set off, sending you into a state of disorientation and fear. You fled the temple that day and had not returned since, choosing to rekindle your attempts at spending time with the Kikwi now that you remembered Hylian.

[crazylittlejester]

DAILY BRAINROT

Apologies for the lack of punctuality. I was whisked away because I "need to get out of the apartment more" and it snowballed.

Anyway, I have decided that I would like a musical reproduction of Skyward Sword. The NPCs would be the perfect background dancers, and Skyloft would be a wonderful setting for it. Fi and Ghirahim could have a duet showcasing their rivalry as swords belonging to opposing sides. I want to see ballet dance numbers and pretty ribbons and over the top set designs.

Also, Wind would totally have a fear of scurvy. Maybe it's an irrational fear or not, I don't care. I like the idea either way. Especially since I heard a story about a person who got it in college... it haunts me. Every time I eat citrus I think about it and I bet Wind would feel the same way.

HOLY SHIT?? YOU’RE A GENIUS. MY GOD I NEED THAT NOW. BALLET DANCE NUMBERS??? FUCKIN 13/10 DUDE IM OBSESSED

oh for sure, i so agree. I kinda like the idea of his fear being more on the side of irrational, like, it’s something he’s worried about that’s genuinely unlikely to happen to him BECAUSE of the fact that he’s already taking such extreme precautions, but he’s worried about it anyway. like statistically it’s more likely to happen to him because of the pirate life and therefore it makes sense it’s something he’d be worried about, but he goes to such extreme lengths to prevent it from happening that his fear of scurvy has become almost irrational because at this point he’s more likely to get frostbite on the beach

[ghirahimbo]

mayhaps this is a silly question. i'm writing a fic very loosely inspired by blind, but now. at a surface (ha) level, there's no correlation, but i'd feel remiss to not credit you, so... if i ever finish writing it and/or publishing it, would you want me to use the 'inspired by' feature on ao3? (for context, it's set entirely in lorule, but features ghirahim and the sacred flames. as i was rereading blind, but now the other day, i realised i had subconsciously taken inspiration from it, and so here i am. asking.)

Not a silly question! I'm fine either way 😊 Honestly though, I can't remember whether I had the idea with the sacred flames first, or maybe UnspeakableHorror in Ascent, or maybe somebody I've forgotten because it's been so long 😅 I definitely don't see the idea as belonging to me, but if you felt like it was inspired by BBN then feel free to use that feature!

[shackleau]

Chosen

When Chosen was younger, he fell out of Skyloft and to the surface, only to be found by the Demon, Ghirahim, who all but took him under his wing. As it turns out, demons are notoriously bad at being injured and knowing when to stop, so Chosen takes it upon himself to become the medic of the demon army.

Furthermore, Demise’s magic has been slowly growing over time. It wasn’t this bad the last time he saw it…

Now he’s thrown into a group of heroes, who apparently have attempted to stab each other multiple times? Maybe a healer is just what they need…

(Character belongs to Lee - no attached link (lmao))

[sadnessisavegetable]

Bioluminescence

This is tentatively an attempt to write from the point of view of one of my ocs, William, who is the oldest of the triplets I slapped onto Ghirahim and Zant. William is the one who closely resembles Zant out of his siblings, though William, Aaron, and Ezekiel all have Ghirahim's dark eyes and sword demon traits that are hard to track down until they literally aren't aging a day past their prime. Yes, I am cringe, but I am free.

The death of my Dad was hard to quantify.

We all knew we would outlive him and our sister Via. That was a given for years. But Dad and Via looked like me and my two brothers. So it was hard to watch them slip away all the same.

Mom said they weren't built to last like we were.

I think Mom was mainly doing their best not to cry. Mom doesn't like crying...they say it makes their cheeks rust.

Of course, it doesn't...not if they kept their false skin on.

As for the rest of us...well. My brothers processed things differently.

Aaron was indifferent.

Ezekiel would snap at us out of nowhere.

And my sisters didn't want to intrude in preparations, they didn't belong to my dad.

Via was dead already, Amaya was trying to keep Mom together, and Zoe had to keep Ezekiel under control.

Which left me to do the preparations for Dad's funeral.

I had to quietly grieve and handle everything.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Dad was old and ailing for a very, very long time. He was 113 years old, and his body was frail and old. Not to mention how he was immunocompromised.

Dad was bed-bound for a long time, routinely being helped out of bed to avoid bedsores, and allow him to sit in his library downstairs or in the upstairs common area between all of the bedrooms, giving him a chance to socialize from his armchair.

That wasn't even mentioning how he would sundown on a regular basis, not really recognizing me or my siblings at all, and only vaguely recognizing Mom.

Mom didn't age, after all.

It made it easier for Dad to want to listen to Mom without a fuss. Mom often made busy work for Dad to wear him out by then.

So when he got sick again, we weren't surprised that Dad would rather sleep the days away and be consoled by Mom. Mom always knew what to do.

Dad slipped away from us for the last time at the stroke of midnight, the start of the New Year.

Mom didn't cry at all...just numbly went downstairs, leaving Dad in their shared bed, and slept in the armchair in the library. I suppose Mom had done all their crying in the weeks before.

In the morning, I took care of removing Dad from the sheets, walking his body respectfully through the house for the last time and down into cold storage until we were ready for the send-off. It felt odd, putting him down there until we were ready.

But we lived far away from any city that had a mortician. We would need to send for someone from Cassiton, the big central city.

So I didn't bother. I knew that we would cremate him, that was a given. He'd wanted that. And some part of me figured that I could do that with my siblings and Mom respectfully.

But when I found myself alone to do it, I wasn't too surprised either.

I took care of Dad's body for the last time before I placed him in his chosen shell for the afterlife, an odd ceramic bottle with glowing teal marks on it, and silently placed it on the mantle without a fuss or saying anything to anyone.

I needed a drink and to lay down for a good cry without anyone hearing me.

I went down to the beach with a bottle of the atrocious nightshade wine concoction Dad had made, smiling slightly at how it still glowed through the dark glass of the bottle. Of course, I brought some of my preferred drink with me, but...a send-off with the nightshade atrocity felt...right.

Memorial candles could be lit beside his portrait later...for now, I will focus on the bioluminescence of the algae, the wine, and the runes he gave me.

[thegeminisage]

okay, i had to leave farosh and grab my lightroot before she could light up again, but i also got to hit a yiga camp. now i need to figure out how to find kohga OR start looking for those signs. i think the gerudo highlands is both with one stone

got the sign in the highlands! there was actually only one. got four more near hyrule ridge and one in the desert and i think that's it?!

oh no jk two in the desert. rip

bars on the yiga clan hideout from this side (side where kohga fell in botw)...BOOOOO let me INNNNN

cackling. went up to the front door in my yiga threads and this npc thinks im one of them

ok, THIS is what i thought i was doing earlier when i found all those frogs

i wonder what happens if i take off my mask...?

saving first lol

damn i get my ass beat is what lol. it wasnt a hard fight but three guys at once plus all these sages makes for a hectic time

omg theres like stores in here!! lol including a banana store

i like the music as well

all these guys trying to sell me vehicles...whats up with THAT lol

omg the lightning helm!!! "our" sacred treasure THAT BELONGS TO THE GERUDO YOU JERKS...yet another lore breaking moment.........

earthwake technique!!!! yeahhh this is what i got spoiled for. im gonna keep fighting until i get it >:(

i got it that quickly?! but i can keep going for the helm i think...

"if youre this talented you might be a match for link" LMAOOO

oh i see. apparently this thunder helm is a yiga COPY. whatever nintendo

that's that i guess! really didn't take long...i'm gonna hit this chasm and grab a lightroot, then warp back to the tower and take the other chasm to get closer to gerudo town so i can go get kohga

oh damn landed right on top of one

ohhh i can see several more way in the distance...FAR too tempting and also they're in the wrong direction, i gotta book it right now lol before i can look around anymore

ok, down the new chasm, already see a lightroot in the correct direction. i'm coming for his ass

i forgot what it was like when the depths was truly dark. i see lightroots in every direction bc ive never been anywhere close to here. crazy.

man i seriously need to trade in some poes. i've got over 900

MINER'S MASK!!!! cool..............

at least you can use mineru to walk over gloom. i'd be bummed if she wasn't good for SOMETHING

oh hey i can go over 999 poes! what a relief...

oh theres the man himself!!!!

GOOD LORD WHAT IS HE RIDING NOW..........it flies AND has wheels. i want one

god this fucking music fucking slaps

i wish i hadnt killed those yiga earlier...i really want to steal one of their planes now lol. i dont wanna build something myself...

i built a rocket platform, but it's kinda one use only :/

A FUCKING CANNON?? LMAOOO

oh my god i'm eating shit!!!

i'm actually having more fun using the spring in this area to fly up, shoot him in slowmo, and then kick his ass lol

incredible. got him again. this is so fun

oh, this about a weapon again...they're usuaing crystalized charges to replenish something for ganondorf...i bet it's the secret stone

this is the most fun i've ever had in my entire life. i love this dude

it's wild though. same fight, different music, it might feel less fun? score has such an impact...

alright, NEXT UP...the mine under zora's domain. happily i can simply fast travel to this one

SCREEEEAM the super bright headlights are SO good. every time. like those douchebags in the pickups irl

LOLLLLLL I STOLE HIS RIDE!!!!!!

back down he goes. i kinda wish i had done these earlier and spaced them out more...he's a fucking blast. i didn't know there were multiple fights! i figured there was just one rematch and i'd wanna do it near the end/when i got to the gerudo region, lol

oh wow. they found the demon king himself...a bit sinister actually

HEBRA??? oh no.......

oh no wait!!! it's just under rito village, i got that already. whew

a weapon to the demon king...REBORN?? GHIRAHIM??????

i know it's not ghirahim. let a girl dream

omg he's being kinda serious rn...girl...

A MECH????????????

bro. i could be doing a mech fight rn. im not gonna bc i dont like riding the mech but i COULD BE.

WHAT THE FUCJ KIND OF LASERBEAMS ARE THOSE LOL

he put up a shield. guess i have to summon mineru to knock him into the electrified fence...tho i wonder what would happen if you had got this far and didn't have her?!

GOT HIS ASS!

oh man i miss these fights already. soooo fucking good and fun

k......kohga rocket???

OMFG LMAOOOOO I LOVE THIS

TEAM ROCKET IS LITERALLY BLASTING OFF AGAIN,. INCREDIBLE 10/10

ok truly. stellar work. he went down a hole last time and up a hole this time. sorry for saying hole like that

(for some reason i had to break here. apparently there is now a 4096 character limit on text blocks???)

ugh sexy i got so many crystalized charges for doing this...i have GOT to upgrade my battery

nice, i FINALLY started on my second battery meter

swinging by lookout landing to talk to the poe statue but i'm NOT talking to purah. i'm not ready for all that yet

ok. now im gonna see if i can grab a few more hudson signs before bed, so tomorrow i can get right to it...

frankly, i'm not fucking around. i'd love to explore the desert properly someday but for now i'm just gonna fly there with the bike

both desert signs done! man, i didn't even hit the nearby cave but i got shit to do. one more thing before i leave the desert, though...i wanted to see the corner of the world <3 where the great fairy used to be lol

great skeleton CAVE? what happened to the skeleton???

oh. there it is. wtf is it doing in here...

all one big room...i can even see the frog from here

apparently there's a korok seed INSIDE this cave?????? that is NOT how that's supposed to work lol

and finally, off to hyrule ridge.......

not a tower or anything really close to this area...i'll start at lindor's brow and do the best i can

first one: mt rhoam!! easy to get to from the tower. i'll glide for the next and then maybe bust out the bike

this second one i was most worried abt because its near ACTUAL hyrule ridge which contains Hands. but irony of ironies when i got close i'd already done it early on and never marked it!! two left...

god it feels sacrilegious not to stop for some of these seeds lol. DIRECT PATH ONLY.........

lol i'm down by tamio river directly under washa's bluff and. the framerate of this river rn. rip

like everything is fine. it's JUST the river

omg omg omg okay LAST ONE.......

it's by a shrine. should i get that one first?? no, i waited too long.....

HE'S ALL OUT OF SIGNS.........................

aww i got some fabric. but more importantly he finally gets to go home...shrine, and then i'm warping to tarrey town to say hi, and THEN going to bed lol

omg its a trick shrine lol. wet thorns

i can't find addison :( he's not where hduson is...don't tell me he's not actually here?!

ok, i googled it, and apparently no matter what he just hangs out at stables?! dude, you should get to go home!!!! i'm gonna go to a stable to find him...dueling peaks stable, of course

lol on googling this btw. i got a theory on reddit that says he's hudson's illegitimate child (head shape, hero worship). hilarious but also sad

aw. wait. wait...

he's standing in the same sign holding pose!! maybe they didn't have time to animate another one lol. or no he definitely stands normally sometimes. they did it for the bit

he's supporting the stable trotters and he doesn't need my help to do it 🥺 im happy for him but he deserves to go home!!!!!!!!

"why are you bothering me"?! AFTER ALL THE GOOD TIMES WE SHARED.....this is so hilariously unsatisfying. this game and completionist quests. i bet the reward for korok seeds is poop just like last time

ok. good grief. im going to BED!!!

tomorrow, the END......................

[slowpoke123321]

The Gerudo King's Bride

(^This is a visual of what Yuga's dress looks like in this chapter btw)

Chapter 2: Introduction

Wolves' howls could be heard outside of the old castle. The moonlit sky shining into the windows and onto an unconscious Yuga, who laid on a ancient red couch. He was no longer in that room with the large man he had accidentally summoned. This should've been a relief for him, but when he woke, it was quite the opposite. He sat up and looked around the dark and dusty room. He could see a bed with carpet sat under it and on the floor. He could also see a wooden vanity against one of the stone walls.

He rubbed the back of his head wearily and mumbled to himself, "Where am I? What..." Yuga's breath caught in his throat as he remembered the events of what happened. He quickly hopped up from the couch and tried to rush to the door. But he stopped in front of the vanity. He stared at himself in amazement. He no longer wore his purple dress from before, but now wore a elegant, dark red dress that spilt at the bottom and showed off the front of his legs. A gorgeous, gold necklace laid on her neck with gold earrings that were shaped like rain drops hung from his pointed ears. A beautiful gold headband with a ruby teardrop jewel in the middle sat gracefully on his soft orange curls. Platform boots with the same deep red color and golden heals were fitting comfortably on his feet. The front of the dress dipped down in a v-shape with two strings of gold keeping is up loosely. His ears burned in embarrassment from how much of his bare chest showed. The sleeves of the dress didn't cover his shoulders and only started near the breast level. And those were loose and wavy too.

But as she was admiring himself in the mirror, he noticed a shimmer on his left hand. He rose an eyebrow before raising his hand closer to his face. His jaw dropped when he saw such a divine gold ring decorated with ruby gems wrapped around his ring finger on his left hand.

He stumbled back from shock. He couldn't believe it. Here he was, in an ancient castle, dressed in clothes that looked like they belonged to a royal. And all this happened after...The painter's body jolted awake from the dazed trance as he realized he forgot all about the man he summoned. By accident of course. How embarrassing it was for him to do such a reckless thing! How absolutely atrocious! Yuga shook his head and then rubbed his temples wearily. With a deep sigh, she walked to the door of the old bedroom to leave the room. He opened the wooden door with a loud creak and stepped cautiously out of the room.

As he walked down the huge and empty hallways, he could see old portraits that were torn hanging on the walls. Claw marks were clear on the pictures, each picture of the same man with aged, dark brown skin and flowing red hair like a flame. A shiver ran down Yuga's back the more he stared at them. He walked further down the hallway. Then, he walked past a very human looking pendulum clock and a human looking candelabra. She tried to just shrug them off and continue walking until she heard the candelabra speak.

"Hello, Madame." Spoke the candelabra with a smirk and a bow, it's flames flickering light onto her face.

Yuga gasped and staggered back from the two human looking objects. The pendulum clock spoke up, elbowing the candelabra in the side,

"Excuse my ignorant friend. Do not be frighten by us, we mean no harm to you."

Yuga covered her mouth and stuttered, "W-What...W-Who are y-you?!"

The candelabra shoved the pendulum clock out of the way and smiled widely at Yuga. It then spoke, "I am Ghirahim!" The pendulum clock then coughed obnoxiously. Ghirahim rolled his eyes and gestured towards the clock. "And this is Vaati," he said with a bored tone.

Vaati bowed and spoke, "We are the servants of this castle. We serve our master, Ganondorf. Who is your, uh....husband."

Then, before Yuga could even bare a response, there was a loud roar from the end of the hallway. The pigish man, apparently known as Ganon was approaching the three quickly. Yuga's eyes widened and his heart raced from such a sight.

Ghirahim chuckled nervously before speaking, "Greetings, master! Vaati and I w-were just introducing ourselves to y-your lovely bride! We-"

"SILENCE," yelled the large man.

Ghirahim and Vaati immediately bowed to him and kept their gazes to the floor. Ganon turned to Yuga and spoke in a rough voice, "My dear wife, let me show you to your room."

He turned and grabbed Ghirahim by the handle. Ganondorf walked in front of Yuga and down a hallway leading to Yuga's new bedroom. Yuga followed behind with her head low, small tears falling from her eyes. Ganon looked over his shoulder to him and her tears, feeling a tinge of guilt.

Ghirahim coughed and whispered to Ganondorf, "Say something to her."

"Huh? Oh." Ganon turned his back to her and spoke hesitantly, "I...hope you like it here." Ghirahim gestured for him to say more, so he continued, "The castle is your home now so you can go anywhere you like, except in the west wing."

Yuga lifted his head up and spoke, curious of the wing he wasn't allowed in, "What's in the west wing?"

Ganondorf quickly turned to her and spoke in a brash tone again, "It's forbidden!"

*******

They arrived at Yuga's new bedroom. Ganondorf opened the door for her and let her walk in. Once Yuga was in her room, Ganon spoke, "Now, if you need anything, my servants will attend you."

Ghirahim whispered in his ear again, "Dinner. Invite her to dinner."

Ganondorf sighed heavily before speaking in a very commanding tone, the opposite of politely inviting, "You will join me for dinner." He quickly added on, "That's not a request!" Before slamming the door shut behind him, leaving Yuga in her room alone.

Yuga gasped and rushed back to the door. He brushed against it sadly. She felt so terrified. So helpless. It was awful. He ran over to the bed and threw himself on it. She sobbed alone in her room on the gloomy night. To call it a room felt wrong. It was more of a cell. Or a cage.

[deiliamedlini]

Okay okay, chaos prompts, here it comes:

Skyward Sword Impa encountering Terrako.

You can art or write or whatever 😜

Alrighty! I love SS Impa she's my fav design so THANK YOU for giving me an excuse to google her for inspo lol!

Can also read on Ao3 for ease!

Impa pulled Zelda behind her, protecting the Goddess reborn with her life...

...from this... egg creature.

It looked like it should belong with the other ancient robots in Lanayru Province, those who had rusted into decay years ago. But it was here... without a timeshift stone in sight... beeping at them.

Impa grabbed one of the Sheikah balls from her pocket, one that would explode on contact with anything, what she used to break the Gate of Time so Ghirahim nor Link could follow where she had fled to with Zelda in tow. 

Zelda grabbed Impa's arm now. "No! Don't hurt it! We don't even know what it is! What if it's carrying a message from Link? From my father? From your people?" 

Bwoooooop! 

Impa flinched at the sound and shoved Zelda behind her. "Fine, but you stay back. Let's see what this egg thing is."

The little creature used its robot arms to walk up to her, apart rising from it's head as it squealed in excitement once again. 

Excitement was hardly what Impa felt. 

"I'm not putting this weapon away, you hear me?" she said, addressing the creature. "I will not hesitate to die in defense of my Goddess." 

A trill that sounded almost sad beeped out, and Zelda pouted. "Poor thing! You're scaring it!" 

"Good. It should be scared." 

Alarm noises. Good. 

"Why are you here, creature?"  Impa asked, kneeling down in front of the egg. 

A compartment opened, and a rectangular slate appeared. The egg outstretched it to Impa, and she took it quickly, feeling Zelda's looming presence over her shoulder. 

A screen blinked to life, startling Zelda and Impa. 

A pretty blonde woman was on the screen, blue traveling clothes and a strange accent on her tongue, but the words were familiar enough. 

"Hello. My name is Princess Zelda. If you're watching this, then I have succeeded in sending Terrako, this Guardian, back in time to protect another with my Hylia's Blood in need. Assuming you can hear me, he's found you. If for whatever reason you--" the blond, Princess Zelda turned around on the screen after a crash resounded. "Impa! Keep them under control, please! I'm filming!" 

"Sorry Princess!" a nasally voice replied, and Impa turned to Zelda before looking back at the screen. A tall white haired woman ran by, yelling "Purah, get out of here!" 

"I would never have such long hair for combat..." Impa grumbled at the screen. 

"Good thing that's not you and just someone with your name!" Zelda gested before the Princess appeared back on the screen. 

"Forgive me, we're chaotic here at the moment. We've just defeated the Calamity and figured that sending Terrako to aid you was an appropriate use of his time travelling abilities using Gates of Time." 

"The Gate!" Zelda gasped excitedly.

"Terrako is adept at combat, and has proven a loyal companion. I hope that if you are in need, you will find his assistance invaluable. And thank you for all you're doing to protect Hyrule." 

"Hyrule?" Zelda asked, and Impa shrugged before the screen shut off. 

"So," Impa grumbled, looking at the robot... at Terrako. "You're here to guard Hylia?" 

Terrako beeped excitedly. 

"Hrmm. Your services are appreciated, but we must move fast. You would better serve Link, the best friend of Zelda. He needs all the help he can get, trudging through the mess we leave in our wake. Find him. That is how you will save Zelda." 

An affirmative beep. Ready to go. Terrako turned and little legs carried him away. 

Impa turned to Zelda. "I don't trust it." 

Zelda balked. "And you just sent it to accompany Link?" 

"He can handle it. Besides, he's had you by his side all these years. He could use a companion." 

[triforce-of-mischief]

looking for the zelda song that's stuck in your head but you forgot the name of: easy, just remember what location/character/moment it belongs to and search "ghirahim theme" or whatever

looking for the splatoon song that's stuck in your head but you forgot the name of: pain and suffering, if you dont remember the difference between "sea me now" and "calamari inkantation" and "shark bytes" and a million other fish-pun-filled titles then youre toast squiddo

[alphagirl404]

An Impulse Decision: Chapter 27

AO3

Fanfiction.net

Happy Valentines Day! Here’s some Heartbreak!

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

Bonus: Lovely Fanart of Fledge in a Skyknight Uniform 

****

Chapter 27: Shattered Innocence

Another quiet grunt came out of Fledge as Karane further treated the cuts resting on Fledge's face. Gorko had been kind enough to help out by sharing some herbs he found in his travels. The group was currently at the base away from Eldin Volcano. Right at the spot where the group of Knight Students arrived when they first landed in this region only around a week prior. It was hard to believe that a short amount of time had passed what with everything they'd been through.

Once they made the grim discovery of the shattered Loftwing Statue and found others that were also destroyed, the group opted to get Fledge far away from the volcano, especially the Fire Sanctuary. After making sure they were safe, Pipit offered to search around to see if there were any remaining Loftwing Statues. The Mogmas volunteered as well, some going with Pipit, while the rest went off on their own. Fi herself even went off to search the area.

Link kept his eyes on his remaining friends, more so on Fledge, as he treated the wound on his arm Ghirahim inflected with his dagger. Something he insisted that he did himself. Any attempt Karane tried Link rejected, believing that Fledge was a bigger priority. Not once did Link take his eyes off of his friend. The younger teen remained quiet as Karane treated him, staring blankly into space with a unreadable expression. Seeing someone as kind as Fledge all battered, bruised, and...maimed...It left Link with many unpleasant feelings in him. Half of it was directed toward Ghirahim. The other half was directed more… internally.

"Drink this," Karane handed the bottle of Red Potion to Fledge. "It'll prevent infection. And hopefully, it'll keep your internal injuries stable until we…get back to Skyloft…We should try to conserve our potions so save some for Link."

"I don't need it-"

"Yes you do," Karane cut off, giving Link a stern look.

Fledge drank a bit out of the bottle, making sure to leave enough for Link. Karane gave the bottle to Link. He took the bottle and barely took a small sip from the bottle.

"Drink all of it," Karane gently, but firmly commanded. Link hesitated to do so.

"Please Link…" Fledge's pleading eyes were enough for The Hero to drink from the bottle. It was the most emotion showed in the boy's eyes since leaving the Fire Sanctuary.

"Since now that's handled, I have something I think belongs to you, Fledge." Gorko opened out his pack. Pulling out was the orange hat that went with Fledge's Knight uniform, along with the sword and his pouch. "I found these right outside the Fire Sanctuary entrance. Right where you were...taken. Figure you may want them back."

The Goron placed the items back in Fledge's hands. One by one Fledge each of them back onto him.

"Thank you…" Fledge said in a monotoned voice.

Gorko nervously rubs his head. "Look…I'm sorry I wasn't able to get that guy off of you. Maybe If I had gone with you instead of sitting on my butt I could've helped-"

"It's not your fault. There wasn't anything you could've done..." Fledge assured the Goron.

Link's head turns away from Fledge when he says those words. The Goron was not at fault for what happened to Fledge, but Link sure as hell got an idea whose fault it was, other than Ghirahim's.

Footsteps caught the group's attention. An uneasy Pipit approached them at the same time Ledd & Cobol dug up.

"Well?" Karane spoke up.

"They're all destroyed," Pipit stated grimly.

"You're serious?"

" 'Fraid he is." Ledd confirmed. "All the statues on our end are nothing but rubble."

"Every single one of 'em!" Cobal added.

That same moment, Silva, Bronzi, Plats, and Guld all dug from below as well.

"Tell me you guys had better luck," Karane said to them.

"Then I'm afraid we got bad news. The statues we found are all destroyed as well," Silva confirmed.

Fi flew right back to everyone. She appeared disappointed which did not settle everyone's nerves.

"My search for any remaining Loftwing Statues had failed. All statues in the Eldin region have been destroyed by Ghirahim's magic."

Pipit let out a frustrated growl. "That psychopath really wanted to get the last laugh..."

"So…We're stuck here then?" Fledge uttered.

"Not necessarily, Master Fledge," Fi said to him. "While all the statues in Eldin are destroyed, I can still sense that the ones in Faron Woods, and Lanayru Desert remain intact. The only way we can access them is that we make our way over to one of those regions by foot. I suggest we go to Faron since it is the closest region to here. Although, the travel from here to there may take at most several days."

"Then we should get going now."

Link moved to his feet. He only got a couple of steps until someone blocked his way. Much to his surprise, it was Fi of all people that stopped him.

"Master…It would not be wise for you to travel given your current physical and especially mental state. I highly recommend that you and your friends spend the remainder of this day resting."

Gorko stepped forward. "I'm going to have to agree with your…friend here, bud. I can get one look to see that you and Fledge went through a lot."

"I can see it as well," Ledd stated in agreement. "I don't know what went on in there, but judging by what Silva & Plats told me, and how orange boy looks, I can only guess it wasn't anything pretty. Maybe you should call it a day, pal."

"But we need to get Fledge back to Skyloft! Fi, you said that Fledge could have a concussion, broken ribs, bruised lungs, and maybe more injuries! We need to get him treated!" Link insisted.

"The red potions should keep Fledge's internal injuries stable. We have more than enough for a few days. We just need to be extra careful," Karane shared.

"And I don't think any of us are in a good state to travel through uncharted territory right now," Pipit turns in Link's direction. "The last thing we need is to make things worse. I think it would be better to spend the rest of the night regaining our strength. Get our heads cleared."

Link spent several seconds thinking it over. His upper arm still feels sore from the dagger, his body feels sore from running around, fighting, and whatnot, and the mental strain going on within him. Not to mention his friends did not seem to fare any better. Especially Fledge. Maybe a night of recharge is what they need right now.

"Alright. We'll call it a night…" Link declared.

"That is most splendid to hear. As thanks for helping many of us here, we'll allow you to stay with us for the night!" Guld proclaims.

"You have a place?" Pipit inquired.

"Yep! We set up a little colony at the base of the mountain. Away from the lava and whatnot," Silva explained.

"We also have some food if you need it. And get this? Those hot springs I mentioned? There's a whole bunch of them near there! Perfect to relieve the stress off you guys!" Ledd shared eagerly. "But if you want something cooler, there is also a small normal lake nearby as well."

"And to make it better, there are no monsters anywhere near it, so it should be safe for you," Guld added as well. "We are all happy to welcome you all as our guests! Your Goron friend can come if he wants."

"That mighty kind of you guys!" Gorko exclaimed happily, turning to Link. "I think you and your pals should take their offer, bud."

The green-clad hero glances at his tired friends which cemented his decision. Turning his head back to the direction of the Mogma's direction, all he said was "Lead the way."

****

Down at the base of Eldin Volcano was where the rocky terrain that makes up the region blends in with the grassy woodlands of the area outside. There lies a clearing on hillside terrain. A fairly large lake resided at the bottom of the hill. Not too far away lay a cave. The area around the clearing appears to be secluded.

The group consisting of the four Knight Students and Goron arrived at this location. Behind them, Eldin Volcano towered above. From this point, the volcano appears to be smaller than what the group had grown accustomed to. They were quite a distance away from the mountain. Something was preferable at the moment.

The small group of Mogma's accompany the humans dug from below.

"Well, here we are!" Ledd announced.

"Welcome to our humble abode!" Silva added. "What do you think?"

"Looks like a nice secluded place," Karane turns to Link. "You think so, Link?"

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, it does," Link responded, keeping his head in the line of direction where Fledge is. Throughout the whole time since leaving the mountain, the younger teen had remained quiet. Hardly once did he even look at Link throughout their walk.

"It's also quiet here too. Makes it easier to hear any intruders," Pipit observed the clearing. "Is it just you guys or are there more Mogmas around?"

Right at that moment, several dozen of Mogmas all dug from below. Few of which the group of humans the students somewhat recognized from their first visit to Eldin such as Kortz, Merco, Nackle, and Zanc.

"Welcome back you guys!" Merco greeted them.

"How was your latest expedition? Do you find anything good?" Zanc asks.

"Eh, just more Ore and Amber. I swear they're more common than the good stuff. But we did bring back some familiar faces!" Ledd gestured to the group of humans.

"I remember you guys! You didn't know what a Bomb Flower was," Kortz commented.

"And I gave you those Digging Mitts!" Nackle excitement quickly diminishes when further examining the humans. "But…you all don't do as well as you did last time. What happened?"

None of the knight students responded. Pipit & Karane looked at Link seeing if he would say anything. No words came out of Link's mouth. All he got was an uneasy expression when Nackle said those words. They hurt even more when he turned to Fledge, who still had that spaced-out look in his eyes.

"They um…ran into some trouble within the deeper part of the volcano," Silva spoke up upon seeing the nervous looks. "We're letting them stay with us for the night."

That answer seemed good enough for Nackle. "Fine by me! Anyone that can take down those red creeps is more than welcome here!"

Two more holes appeared right at that moment. Two Mogmas that the quartet have never seen before showed themselves. They were about the same size as the other Mogma's but seemed to be slightly slimmer. One had greenish hair styled in a ponytail. The Second Mogma had short chin-length hair that appeared to be bluish and was carrying something wrapped in cloth on their back.

"Look who finally made it back! You all sure took your time," The Green-Haired Mogma spoke with a feminine voice.

"Did everything go alright?" The Blue haired Mogma, who was also a female, said as well.

"There were some…bumps, but these folk right here helped us out," Silva directed to the quartet of Knight Students.

"Who're they?" The Green-Haired Mogma raised her brow.

"These are the humans I told you about, hun!" Ledd answered her. "This here is Link, Pipit, Karane, and Fledge. The Goron right here is Gorko. They had some trouble up in the mountain. We offered to let them crash with us for the night. That's okay with you?"

"As long as they don't cause any problems, they're more than welcome too! Any friend of my husband is a friend of mine!"

"We appreciate that, Miss…?" Pipit said to her.

"Call me Mala. Whenever Guld here isn't around I'm in charge of the colony. And if you haven't figured it out, Ledd here is also my husband."

"Everything here went well while we were gone?" Guld said to her.

"If they didn't, you wouldn't have left me in charge now would you?" Mala answered with sass.

"Ho ho ho! You do a fine job at keeping the colony afloat. I am more than happy to name you my successor should my time come!"

"Don't go quitting on us yet, old man. You still have at least another decade on you!"

"Aw shucks…" Guld bashfully responded.

Silva moved on over to the blue-haired female Mogma. The pair nuzzle their noses together with big smiles on their faces.

"You did okay down here, my gem?" Silva said to her.

"I'm doing okay, dear. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Right right, of course," Silva directed the knight students' attention. "You guys. This is my wife, Lapi."

"It's nice to meet you," Lapi greeted

"Nice to meet you as well," Karane responded politely.

"Bronzi & I got captured by those red monsters in the volcano. Would probably be still stuck there or probably took a dip in lava if it weren't these guys," Silva explained to his wife. "I of course was grateful, but Brozni here tried to swindle them, even when they were looking for their friend."

"Then your human friends have my eternal gratitude." Lapi directed her eyes to the humans. "How can I repay you for helping my husband and his brother?"

"Just letting us stay here to rest is enough, thank you," Pipit assured the Mogma.

"I'll be more than happy to help you out in whatever way I can!"

The wrapped cloth on Lapi's back started shifting on its own. The top of it unwrapped itself. A small Mogma head with hair like Silva's popped out.

"Papa?" The Tiny Mogma exclaimed cheerfully.

"Yes, Toopa. Papa's home," Lapi told the small Mogma. The mere mention of her father was enough to make the little Mogma squeal with excitement.

Silva took the Mogma into his hands, and hold them close. "That's right, Kiddo. Daddy's home. Were you good to mommy while I was away?"

"I good!"

"She was," Lapi confirmed with a smile.

"Good to hear that!" Silva turned his direction back to the quartet. "Allow me to introduce my most precious treasure. My daughter, Toopa! Toopa, these are friends of daddy."

"Hi!" Toopa waved enthusiastically to the group.

"She's adorable," Pipit complemented

"Why thank you! I'm sure she appreciates that" Lapi beamed.

"How old is she?" Karane asked.

"She just turned a year old. Her digging claws haven't grown in yet. I say she's got at least another few months before she starts digging on her own. Until then she has to stick by either me or her mom," Silva explained.

Little Toopa looks at the humans. Her eyes landed on Link, who had been quiet since leaving the mountain. The baby Mogma seemed to be interested in the boy's tunic.

"Emerald!" Toopa blurted out.

"I'm sorry?" Link stared at the baby Mogma.

"Emerald!" Toopa pointed to Link's tunic.

"Oh right! We've started teaching her different types of gems recently. I think your tunic's color reminds her of the Emerald gem," Lapi explained

"It's pretty! Like emerald!" Toopa added.

"...Thank you." Link muttered.

Toopa moves her sights to Pipit's yellow tunic. "T…Topaz?"

"Yeah, Topaz! Just like your name, kiddo," Silva told her with encouragement.

The baby glances at Karane's light green tunic. It took her a few minutes to conjure up her answer. "Jade!"

"That's a good answer!" Lapi responded.

Fledge was the final person for Toopa to look at. Minutes passed by in silence. Her face warped in confusion. It looks like she was struggling to find her answer.

"Amber…Ruby?" The baby Mogma finally answered.

"Amber ruby?" Fledge parroted in confusion.

Silva grew a grim look, moving Toopa's direction away from Fledge. "I think she's referring to the, uh…stain."

"Oh…right." Fledge knew that Silva was referring to the bloodstain on his chest caused by Ghirahim. A little child like Toopa would probably not know that.

"Goodness…" Lapi softly breathed out once she saw the bloodstain. "You don't look so well, dearie? Does it hurt?"

"It's fine now. Don't ask me how but it's healed."

"Fledge here had a rough time on the mountain. Think you can help him get cleaned up?" Silva said to his wife.

"Of course. There's a nice secluded spot at the bank of the lake nearby. I think it would be a good spot for you," Lapi mentioned.

"It's not far, is it? Do monsters hang around there?" Link questioned with urgency. Considering what happened last time, Link was not keen on the idea of Fledge breaking away from their group again.

"We haven't seen any one of those monsters around here since we settled a few weeks back," Mala insisted. "If it helps, we do routine patrols just to make sure."

"I haven't seen any of those monsters linger by the lake. And it takes about two minutes at most to walk over there so it's not even far. Your friend will be fine I promise," Lapi insisted.

"Are you okay with that, Fledge?" The orange-clad teen nodded in response to his green-clad friend. "Alright then…"

"If that settles if you would follow me, dearie…"

Link kept his eyes on Fledge as Lapi led him away. Anxiety within him rose when he could no longer see him as indicated by his ever-so-increasing heartbeat. So fast it was starting to get sore in his chest. Fi noticed Link's high anxiety

"Master, if you're concerned about Master Fledge, I can assure you that Grahime-... Ghirahim is nowhere within this region. Given the state you and your friends left him in, it is highly likely we won't be encountering him for a while. There are also no traces of monsters in the area." Fi can feel Link's Link's rapid heartbeat still go on. "...If it will help you relax, I will keep my guard up. If I sense even a small presence of Ghirahim, or any monsters, no matter where they are I will alert you immediately."

Link whispered a 'thank you' to her.

"Any places you think these guys can sleep, hun?" Ledd inquired from his wife.

"There is a cave nearby. Might not be comfy but it should be good enough. Make yourselves at home!"

****

The walk to the lake did not take very long as Lapi promised. The lake itself was big. Not as big as Lake Floria but bigger than Skyloft's Lake. Smaller odd-looking birds with flat round beaks were…floating on the surface only to fly away once the human & Mogma arrived at the banks. The funny-looking birds let out some quacking noises.

"Here we are!" Lapi announced. "What do you think, dearie?"

"It looks nice…" Fledge responded quietly.

"That I can agree with you. We call this place Cephla Lake. This lake here cemented our decision to make our colony here. With it being so close to the volcano, the water here is at the perfect temperature! See for yourself!"

Fledge crouches at the edge of the bank to stick his hand in the water. The water was not too cool but not too hot either, like the bathwater in the Knight Academy bathroom.

"The water does feel nice…"

"Exactly! A perfect place for you to clean up!" Lapi exclaimed happily.

Fledge's eyes hovered all over his upper torso "Yeah. I better get to work at that…"

"If you permit me, I can clean & patch up your tunic and some of your accessories for you."

"You can do that?"

"I've been doing this long before Silva became my husband. Treasure hunting is not a clean job for us Mogmas. You be surprised how dirty it can be. I had cleaned out my fair share of stains from whatever bags we used, blood included from mishaps. Not to mention how frequently they needed to be patched. Silva said I'm the best at it. It won't be any trouble for me."

The hat on his head, the sword on his back, and the pouch on his side was the first thing Fledge took off his head and placed on the ground. The next thing he took off were his gloves and bracers. All of which he placed near the Mogma. With all of those off, Fledge moved his hands on his tunic. Slowly, Fledge removed his scarf, then his knight tunic. Small grunts escaped from him, no doubt soreness from the pain, as he took them off. It took him several minutes before the knight tunic was fully removed. Fledge's upper torso was now bare to the world.

Including the scars inflicted by Ghirahim's torture.

While she did try to hide it, Fledge could see the shocked expression on Lapi's face. The Blue haired Mogma seemed to want to say something about it but then stopped herself. Fledge gave his scarf & tunic to the Blue Haired Mogma.

"Take care of them. Especially the scarf. It's dear to me…."

"I promise." Lapi reached into a pouch of her own, pulling a rag. "This should help you clean up. Do you need anything else from me?"

"No…Thank you."

"Alright. I'll give you some privacy, but I'll be nearby. If you need anything, don't hesitate to shout for my name."

With the tunic, scarf, and everything else in her hands, Lapi moved away from the area, leaving Fledge alone. He moved close to the bank, placing himself on both of his knees.

The sixteen-year-old dipped the rag into the water. Slowly he rubs the rag on either his chest, arms, and head. After a bit he would dip the rag back in the water, cleaning out the dirt, grime, and…blood and then resume cleaning. A process that he had repeated several times. As he rubs the rag against wherever it made contact, Fledge's eyes were glued to the lake's surface. Doing his best to avoid making any sort of eye contact with his upper body. No matter how hard he tried, he failed once he moved the rag over his face again. Enough courage was built up for him to look at his hand.

The wound caused by the knives Ghirahim used to pin him, now healed into a scar thanks to the full awakening of Din's Fury, resided on the center of his palm, and directly on the back of his hand. Fledge used his other hand to gently stroke it only to be reminded of the identical scar on that hand. All he could do was simply…stare at them. Both hands trembled as he remembered events that occurred just mere hours ago. The sharpness of the knife lodged in his hand. The feeling of the cool hard metal. The pain it caused when Ghirahim shoved the knives into both of his palms. And the feeling of being trapped and unable to free himself as Ghirahim did as he pleased with him.

Fledge caught sight of his reflection staring back at him in the water close to the bank, getting a clear view of his face. Bruises and cuts remained on his skin. And his usually combed hair was now all messy. All of those were nothing compared to the current state of the left side of his face.

Fledge's still trembling hand hovers over the pointy tip of his right ear. Instinctively he did the same to his left one to feel the tip of it. He never felt the pointy end, only the ragged edges. He remembered how slowly Ghirahim was cutting it off with his burning hot knife. His hand then moved over to the diamond scar. Ghirahim was even slower when placing this one. Fledge's throat still felt sore from the agonizing screams he let out when the searing hot knife carved into his face. Ghirahim inscribed the diamond in the manner Fledge would see others back at Skyloft do to Pumpkins during Annual Fall Festivals. The only difference was that it was an innocent fun activity. This here was plain torture.

"A token of the time we spent together!"

Ghirahim's cheerful words echoed in his head loud enough to make it sound like he was there with him, causing Fledge to dart his head around to make sure the Demon Lord was nowhere to be seen. Those words haunt his head and will more than likely will for the rest of his life.

The sixteen-year-old return his gaze upon his reflection when he noticed the scar of the final wound Ghirahim implemented on him, bringing his hand over to it. The wound that was on his chest. The wound Ghirahim created by driving his sword into his chest.

The wound that killed Fledge.

Not to torture, not to knock out, nor not to incapacitate, but to kill him. This was not like Pipit's situation back on the Sandship after the battle with Tentalus. While he was on the brink of death, there was the chance to bring him back which Karane did. For that short, yet long, time however Fledge was dead to the world. He can remember the feeling of taking his last breath, and his heart stopped beating. There was no chance to bring him back. Had not been for the miracle of Din's Fury that would have been it for Fledge. Awakening the full potential of the Goddess of Power's Essence within him is the only reason he was still living. Yes, Fledge did give himself up, and he was alive now, but that didn't take away the fact of how terrifying it was to him and Link for that matter.

Link…Goddesses, Fledge can't even imagine what he went through in there. He could still hear the despairing scream Link gave out when Ghirahim stabbed him. Followed by Link holding Fledge, begging him to stay awake right before dying in his arms. The desperation in both Link's voice & face is something that will stick with Fledge forever.

Fledge darted his red eyes onto all of the scars plastered on him. Eyes went to the scars on his ever-trembling hands, to his sliced left ear, the diamond scar, and then the fatal wound on his chest. Each breath he let out increased rapidly the more his gaze lingered upon them in the reflection of himself in the water.

A frustrated yelp came out as Fledge hastily dunked the rag Lapi had lent him into the water. He used it to try to wipe off the scars on his body in a desperate attempt to get them off. To not want to be reminded of the torture. To not want to be reminded of his death. Despite his best attempts, the scars will not come off. Unlike the dirt & blood, all of the marks left are embedded into his skin. Marks that are permanently a part of him. A constant reminder of the tortuous several hours he was held as Ghirahim's prisoner.

The surface of the water let out ripples when Fledge's hand smacked it, letting out a frustrated shout when he realized that he cannot wash the scars off. An urge to throw something popped up so Fledge grabbed the nearest rock he could grasp on and threw it to almost the other side of the lake. That did not satisfy him in the slightest. Many emotions whirled in him like a vortex. A combination of anger, frustration, sadness, and…even grief. So many emotions went through him. There was only one way for him to express them.

A wail of despair broke out through his mouth. Not loud enough for Lapi, or anyone hanging around the colony to hear but it was loud enough to express the pain Fledge was going through. Fledge leaned forward hugging himself, breaking down into a combination of hyperventilating & crying. Tears pour down from his eyes like a faucet as he continues with each cry he lets out. Occasionally he would pause to suck in some air then resuming back into his crying fit. Everything that had happened throughout the past several hours had finally hit him. And it hit him hard.

Never in his entire life had he felt this powerless. Never felt so scared. The last time he came this close to this feeling was the day his mother died. Even that wasn't as close to what he was feeling right now.

Unbeknownst to Fledge, someone had been watching him.

Despite his friend's assurance, Link went over to check on Fledge. He couldn't take another minute of Fledge being out of his sight. When he arrived at a close enough distance he saw Fledge attempting to clean the scars off of him, watched him throwing a rock amazingly across the lake, to finally letting out his wail. Watching Fledge in a crying mess, looking so vulnerable...Link's heart broke at the sight.

Link wanted to run over to Fledge. To hold him. Hug him tighly. Tell him that he was going to be okay. And yet…his feet guided him in the opposite direction.

They kept on going until he was in the cave that the Mogmas had shown them. Pipit, Karane, nor Gorko were nowhere seen, leaving Link in solitude. He sluggishly removed the Master Sword & Sacred Shield off of his back, letting them drop onto the ground. Link sat right down, arms wrapped around his legs he pulled close to his chest, blank stare glued to the ground.

Guilt and shame grew inside him when his mind went back to the image of Fledge at the lake bank. Never had ever seen someone in such great despair, and this coming from someone who had seen a lot of death in his life. The wail that Fledge let out was a sound that Link would never forget.

Link could recall the look in Fledge's eyes when they all got out of the Fire Sanctuary. Normally, there was always a sense of wonder in the boy's eyes. A sense of sweetness & gentleness that always lit up. This time they were...empty, numb, and damaged. In the years Link had known him, he had never seen that type of look in Fledge's eyes even on his bad days.

Link could also not forget the anger in Fledge's eyes when he was beating down Ghirahim. Never had there ever been so much darkness in the teen. Link would have never figured that a gentle person like Fledge would be capable of that much fury. Part of him was certain that Fledge was going to kill Ghirahim, not that Link would blame him if he did. Seeing that level of rage on Fledge gave Link chills. Ghirahim had really pushed Fledge farther than anyone could have imagined.

There were no words to describe the anger Link had against the Demon Lord. How evil does one have to be to put a sweet boy such as Fledge, who never even hurt a fly, through all the torture? All of that was not the actions of a person. It was that of a monster filled with nothing but pure evil. How long did Ghirahim torture Fledge? Was it right after they left? Did it go on until Link arrived at the chamber? How much suffering did Fledge had to endure? He truly did not know nor did he think he wanted to know. There was one thing that Ghirahim said that stuck with him.

"I have to give Little Fledge credit where it's due. There's a spark of fire in his heart. I never expected that from a frail boy. And for the amount of screaming he did, your friend didn't tell me anything I wanted to know. Not one single peep no matter how much pain I inflicted on him. I for sure thought he would squeal. It would seem I may have gotten the wrong idea about him. But I'm a big enough person to admit when I'm wrong. I can see that you have his complete undying loyalty. Albeit misguided loyalty."

All that pain Fledge had went through and he didn't tell Ghirahim any information. That more than likely included the Gate of Time back at the Sealed Temple. That made sense. Why else would Ghirahim try to torture information out of him, other than the fact he was a flamboyant sadist? The words 'complete undying loyalty' repeated in his mind in the same manner Ghirahim had said it. Fledge never said anything to the Demon Lord even after going through that agony. Link wasn't sure if he should feel proud or not. Hearing that phrase brought Link back to what would've been Fledge's final words, hovering his hand over the now dried blood handprint on his cheek.

"I …I didn't want to be…responsible…for…hurting you again…you, my…my…b…brother…"

Brother…Fledge saw Link as a brother, the same way he saw Pipit. Hearing such a revelation as that was enough for the tears to stream down from Link's eyes, followed by sobs echoing off the cave walls.

He considered Fledge one of his closest friends, but the fact Fledge saw him as a brother… Goddesses, how could he fail to see it? Link had always felt protective over the boy since the day they officially became friends. Always let him sleep in his room whenever Fledge had issues sleeping in the days after his mom died, or whenever he couldn't sleep in general. Always stick to anyone who would dare bully Fledge, even taking blows from Groose if he had to. And always willing to help him. Of course, Fledge would come to see him as a brother, yet Link didn't realize that. Even when he made that promise to Fledge to never let anything happen to him…

"I may've been the one to stick the blade into him, but you lead him here. You put him in this position. All of this is your fault…"

As much as Link did not want to admit it, Ghirahim was right. Brothers are supposed to protect each other yet Link couldn't do it for Fledge. Link never should've left him alone. His instinct told him it was a bad idea and yet he ignored them. Now Fledge was paying the price for it.

Link lay on his side, curling himself up in a fetal position while his cries continued escaping from his mouth. In a way, he was mourning. Not mourning the loss of the loved one.

Link was mourning the loss of Fledge's forever shattered innocence.

"I did this to him. It's all my fault…I'm so sorry, Fledge."

Link remained where he was weeping until his eyes grew heaving. Slumber overcame him as the last of his tears trailed down.

****

A cool breeze feels upon his skin. When he opened his eyes he saw himself back in The Sky riding upon Epona. The day was beautiful, the weather perfect enough to go flying. On one end he could see Pipit & Karane flying on their respective Loftwings who wave right as they flew away. The other side was none other than Fledge who waved as well, giving his kind smile while he too flew away.

"Link? Hey, Link!"

Link turned his head back to see his best friend Zelda on her bird, Tetra. Dressed in the attire she wore for the Wing Ceremony. Her blonde hair flowed elegantly in the wind, her beautiful blue eyes shine back to him, and his favorite thing, her sweet smile that always made him feel warm inside.

"Today was amazing. Watching you win the race and performing the ritual together…I'll always remember this. It really was wonderful."

Link smiles back at her. "Thanks…I'll never forget this day too. And…you were amazing as Hylia."

A small hint of blush painted the girl's cheeks. "You know…Link…There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about…"

"About what?"

"I-I like-"

A bright flash suddenly blinded the pair. Both of their respective Loftwings started screeching hysterically. When the light died down, the sky had gotten darker. The teens were able to see a large black tornado right in front of them. The biggest they'd ever seen.

"What is that?!" Zelda yelled.

"A tornado! We gotta move!" Link responded with urgency.

They tried to move their birds away but the tornado's winds kept pulling them in.

"What's going on?!"

The winds of the tornado increased, whilst sucking down Zelda on her bird. It grew strong enough that Zelda was knocked off Tetra, falling below.

"LINK!" Zelda cried out as she plummeted down.

"ZELDA!"

Link tried to guide Epona down to Zelda but the tornado's winds knocked him off his bird, leaving him falling as well. Link searched around for his friend. The sky seemed endless as he kept on falling. Finally, he could see Zelda below him barely within an arm's reach. Terror was written on her face.

"Link, help…!" Zelda called out to him, reaching out both of her hands

Link reached out his arm. "Grab my hand!"

Alas, Zelda fell at a faster speed no matter how far Link held out his arm. She continues to fall further and further away from him. The Imprisoned showed itself, opening its massive jaw wide open right below the teen girl.

"Zelda!"

"LINK!" She cried out in fear right before the monster consumed both her and Link into darkness.

Link made a hard landing on the ground. The first thing he noticed was that he was dressed in his green tunic, armed with the Master Sword. The room was an endless black void. Eyes darted around trying to find Zelda. Nothing was seen.

Then he started hearing voices

"I thought you were looking for Zelda? Wow, you're an even lousier senior knight than I thought. I'm not surprised, given that it's your fault she's missing in the first place." Cawlin's words from Link's encounter with him in the Lumpy Pumpkin echoed.

"Looking at you, I fear the goddess is mistaken in her choice of agents. If this failure is any indication, you have no hope of defending Her Grace from those who seek to assail her." Impa's harsh words from the Earth Spring followed.

"This whole mess was your fault in the first place! If you couldn't help Zelda before, what makes you think you can help her now?" Finally came Groose's booming voice.

Link did his best to ignore those harsh words. No matter how much they cut deep they were not true at all.

"Why bother ignoring those words?" Ghirahim stood right in front of Link. "They all speak nothing but the truth."

The only response Link gave was slicing his sword through Ghirahim. However, the Demon Lord vanished in a cloud of smoke. As Link searches for him, he can hear Ghirahim's voice bounce through the air.

"I understand the truth can be a hard thing to listen to sometimes. But at some point, one must face it. Your truth, Link, is that you are no hero. I don't understand what Hylia thought when she picked you. Heroes are supposed to protect people, correct? So far you seem to fail to do so." Ghirahim's voice trailed into a deadly silence for several moments. "...How can you protect Zelda if you can't even protect your friends?"

Ghirahim's mocking tone rang off from behind Link. Turning his body, Link struck the sword into his target. Determination quickly painted horror on his face once he saw that the sword didn't strike Ghirahim.

For the blade of the Master Sword was lodged directly into Fledge's heart.

"NO!" Link quickly pulled the sword out, throwing it onto the ground. Gently, he lowered Fledge to the ground, cradling him in his arms. "Fledge! I…I didn't-...I'm sorry!... Stay with me!"

'L-Link…" Fledge croaked as blood trailed from his mouth, placing his hand on Link's cheek. More blood pours out of his hurt-filled eyes like tears. "You…You promised me…You were my…brother…Why…Why d-didn't you…p…protect me…?"

Fledge's head limps to the side. His hand slid down, leaving the bloody handprint on Link's cheek. A small puddle of blood grew around the boy. Eyes remained open but were lifeless.

"Fledge! Fledge, wake up! Please! I'm sorry! Say something!"

Link shook his friend's body to generate a response to no avail. Link holds the boy close, burning his head into Fledge's chest. Sobs bounce through the air.

"As I said before…" Ghirahim's voice broke through. "How can you protect Zelda if you can't even protect your friends?"

Hesitantly, Link lifted his head to be greeted by another grisly sight.

Karane's body leaned against the pillar from Koloktos' chamber. A large red gash pointed across her chest. Blood had been trailing down from that, and the cut on her cheek from Scervo.

Across from her lies Pipit on his side. A puddle of water surrounded him, indicating he was submerged in water. There was blood trailing from the side of his head. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Link discovered the bloody stump where his arm should be. The blood coming out mixed into the water puddle.

In between the pair was Zelda herself, donned in her white dress, lying on her stomach. Large splotches of blood covered the white fabric. The dress was also torn, exposing parts of her body, including the blood. Everywhere to her hands, arms, legs, feet, sides, back hair, and her sweet soft face, blood was painted on there.

All three of his friend's eyes were wide open but were devoid of any life. The blood poured out from them and trail down to merge with Fledge's blood pool. Link saw his reflection on the pool's surface. Then he looked at his blood-covered trembling hands.

"You will bring death to all who follow you…" Ghirahim's voice echoed softly around Link.

"No…Guys no! NO! GET UP! PLEASE WAKE UP!" Link's heartbreaking cries for his friends rang off through the black void again and again.

"Wake up…WAKE UP!"

****

"Link, wake up!"

A gasp let out from Link's mouth as darted up. Hard breathing echoed off the walls of the cave he was back into the same rhythm of his hard pounding heart. Sweat plastered on his skin. Seconds passed when Link realized he was back in the cave. When his sights went to see Pipit & Karane, alive and well is when he was able to relax a bit.

"Take it easy," Pipit instructed smoothly

"Deep breaths. Take deep breaths," Karane coaxed gently.

It took minutes of deep breathing, along with listening to his friend's gentle encouragement for Link to finally calm himself down. Link pulled his legs close to his chest, resting his head on his knees. Silence lingered in the air between the three. Pipit & Karane waited to see if Link would say something. When it was clear that he didn't intend to do some they did.

"You okay, now?" Karane asked Link.

"I…I think so. I must've fallen asleep…It was just a nightmare."

"Didn't sound like 'just' a nightmare," Pipit added. "We were finished looking around when we noticed we haven't seen you for a bit. Gorko said he saw you walk in so we decided to check up on you. That's when we heard you screaming bloody murder. We thought you were getting attacked."

Link lifted his gaze to meet his eyes on the same level as his friends. "I was flying with Zelda as we did after the Wing Ceremony before Ghirahim's tornado knocked down. I tried to grab her when The Imprisoned showed up and it got dark. I heard voices, then I saw Ghirahim taunting me. And then…" Link paused, sucking in a breath. "I saw Zelda, you both, and Fledge…You were all dead. Your blood was on my hands. I know it was just a dream but…Hylia, it felt so real."

Fi exits out of the Master Sword, sitting on her knees to be at Link's level. "Master, it is normal for one to experience a nightmare such as that after experiencing a traumatic event. I can only speculate that…what occurred in the Fire Sanctuary Chamber may be the reason."

"That…might be," Link uttered glumly.

"Yeah…we were hoping you would talk about what went in there," Pipit mentioned.

Link looked away from his friends. "I don't want to burden you with this."

"Link, We've already told you this. You're not a burden to us. We're always happy to help you out as you do for us. You're our friend, and friends help each other," Karane said.

"Bottling up your feelings is not going to help you," Pipit insisted firmly. "Trust me…I know."

Karane gave Link a pleading look. "Please…Let us help you. Just tell us…What happened?"

Link was quiet. The last thing he wanted to do was to recall those horrible events that occurred within the chamber. All he wanted to do was forget all of it. But his friends seemed determined to hear what happened. Taking a deep breath in, he adjusted himself, crisscrossing his legs so he could properly sit.

"Ghirahim…found out about the other Gate of Time," Link revealed to the couple, both of their eyes widened in shock. "He doesn't know it's at the Sealed Temple but he knows it exists. I can guess he took Fledge to try to get him to say where it is. Fledge didn't say anything…That psycho tried to...torture it out of him but Fledge still didn't told him about it. All that pain he never gave in. Ghirahim then tried to get me to tell him. I refused and that's when he showed me what he did to Fledge. Bragged about it even. Ghirahim then gave me an ultimatum... I tell where the Gate of Time was, or let him kill Fledge."

For a few seconds Link kept his gaze on the floor. Pipit & Karane sat still waiting for him to build up the courage to give a response.

"What did you do?" Karane finally said to him.

"I-I tried to think of a way to get Fledge out of that spot. No way I was going to give him or Zelda up. That's when…" Link choked back a sob. "...That's when Fledge…gave himself up."

"What do you mean by that?" Pipit's voice quavered, not liking what Link was saying.

"...Fledge sacrificed himself so I wouldn't have to be forced to pick, and keep Zelda safe. Ghirahim… struck his sword in Fledge's chest, right in front of me. Fledge…died." Tears streamed down Link's eyes as he explained in his shaky voice.

"What…?" Pipit expressed in disbelief.

Karane could also not believe what Link had revealed. "Are you sure? Not every sword to the chest is fatal. Maybe all that blood loss only made Fledge faint-"

"I have his blood on my face!" Link hastily pointed to the bloody handprint. "I watched him take his final breath! I felt his body go limp! I couldn't hear his heartbeat! I held onto him as he DIED IN MY ARMS!" Link's blaring words boomed off the cave walls. Karane & Pipit sat still in silence as Link let out a few sobs.

"So, that comment Fledge made about taking a sword to the chest, and Ghirahim killing him was…true?" Pipit inquired.

"Master Link speaks the truth," Fi confirmed with conviction. "I…I felt Master Fledge's vitals deplete. For a short time, he was indeed dead. The only reason he is currently alive was only thanks to the full potential of Din's Fury awakening which revitalized him."

"Farore, Nayru, Din, and Hylia…" Karane covered her mouth in shock.

"Link…I-...That must've been horrible for both of you," Pipit stated in horror.

"That's not the only thing that hurts. Right before he…died, Fledge called me his brother…" More tears escaped Link's eyes. "He saw me as his brother. Never once did I ever consider that he saw me that way. Even...Ever after I made a promise to him that I would keep him safe."

"Back at the Cistern?" Karane guessed.

"It was farther than that. Much farther," Link trailed off. "It was a few weeks after his mom's funeral..."

****

10 years ago…

"Give me back my scarf!"

Six-year-old Fledge attempted to grab his scarf that was being held hostage by a seven-year-old, slightly taller Cawlin. The midnight-blue-haired boy held the scarf high enough for Fledge to barely reached.

"Why are you getting so worked up over a piece of fabric, pipsqueak?" Cawlin taunted.

"It was my mom's! She gave that to me!" Fledge pleaded as he try to grab the scarf.

"Big deal. It's only a dumb scarf. Besides…Not like she's here to take it back."

Fledge again made another attempt to reclaim his scarf. The result ended with failure when Cawlin shoved the six-year-old to the ground hard enough to land on his back. Tears were on the brink in Fledge's eyes as Cawlin stood over him with a smug expression.

"Aw, are you going to cry?" Cawlin waved the scarf tauntingly above Fledge. "Who are you going to cry to? Not your mom that's for sure. You can't tattle on me to her anymore, pipsqueak. You're a little orphan runt. That means no one can help you!"

"HEY!"

Cawlin and Fledge turned in the direction of the loud voice. Marching towards Cawlin was a seven-year-old Link.

"What do you want, twerp?" Cawlin asked with an annoyed tone.

"Give him back his scarf!" Link demanded.

"Or else what?"

Link responded by giving a hard kick to Cawlin's shin. Hard enough for Cawlin to let out a yelp, dropping the scarf so he could tend to the impacted area. Link reclaimed the blue scarf in his hand.

"Now buzz off and leave him alone!"

"...Fine."

Link watched Cawlin limp away and kept his eyes on the boy until he was out of view. With that taken care of, Link directed his attention to Fledge who was still on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Link said in a concerned tone as he offered his hand to the younger boy. Fledge nodded his head as Link helped him back up. "Here's your scarf!"

"Thank you…" Fledge took his scarf.

"Does Cawlin always do that to you?" Link questioned as Fledge put the scarf on his shoulders.

"Sometimes…When he does, usually I tell my mom, and she gets him to say sorry, and he backs off for a while. But since she's…gone, he can pick on me whenever he wants, and I have no one to help me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I'm an orphan. Orphans don't have families. They're alone."

"You're not alone! You have me! I can help you!"

"You…you would?"

"Of course, I would! You're my friend!"

Fledge stared at Link in complete bafflement. "You see me as your friend?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're nice. Fun to hang out with. And I like talking to you. So does Zelda, and Pipit. We all see you as a friend."

"You do?"

Link in agreement. "Friends look out for each other."

"So if Cawlin tries to hurt me again, you'll get him to stop?"

"I, Link, swear to protect you from Cawlin, or anyone who tries to hurt you. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. No matter what."

"Really?"

"Really, really! You won't ever have to deal with anything bad alone ever again!"

****

"…And since that day, I've always looked out for him. Over time, I started to see him as a brother. Not once did I even consider him seeing me the same way because I didn't think he did…Some brother I turned out to be, huh? Brothers are supposed to protect each other, and I couldn't even do that. How can I be the hero Zelda needs if I can't keep my friends safe?"

"You are a good hero, Link!" Pipit asserted.

"Really now?" Link responded bitterly to his honorary brother. "You almost lost your arm to a Deku Baba, nearly crushed by debris, and almost drowned!" Link moves his gaze to Karane. "You got grabbed by Moldarach and Tentalus, Koloktos almost killed you, and Scervo almost sliced your face off! And now Fledge…" Link looks away from his two friends. "...Fledge is traumatized. Ghirahim said the reason he was even in that position was because I brought him here, that it was my fault. And you know what…he was right. Fledge almost died…all of you almost died because of me."

"Link, stop! Ghirahim is wrong! Don't you dare say that!" Karane cut in strongly. "Take it from someone who speaks from experience on this topic. I know it seems easy to blame yourself. You keep thinking 'If only I could've done something differently. If only I could've stopped it somehow…' Easy to believe when you look back. But the truth is, there was nothing you could've done at that moment. What happened to me & Pipit at those points was not your fault. And what happened to Fledge was Ghirahim's doing, not yours."

"That doesn't change the fact that you all went through that because you were helping me…"

"We had plenty of chances to back out, you even gave us the okay to leave after we dealt with The Imprisoned but we didn't. You know why?" Link's eyes move back to Karane's direction "Because it was OUR choice. Mine's, Pipit's, and Fledge's. We all chose to help, and we chose to stay even knowing what we were getting into. And look, we're all still alive, aren't we? What happened before doesn't matter because what matters now is that we're still here. I'm still here, Pipit's still here, and Fledge especially is still here. Isn't that what matters now?"

Karane's words race through Link's head. There was enough clarity in them for Link to finally see the truth that he refused to see. This whole quest that he had set out on was originally meant for him to walk alone. He never asked for help out of fear of them getting hurt. Yet, his friends defy destiny to join him. To help him help Zelda. They could have backed out at any time they wanted, most definitely after seeing The Imprisoned but they chose to stay.

Link would be lying to himself that he wasn't worried at some points about his friends getting hurt. A part of Link was glad that they were willing to help. Looking back at what he went through he could've imagined how he would've dealt with all of those challenges by himself. Probably would've been more dangerous for him now that he thought about it.

There was still one thing on his mind that was bothering him.

"You…You have good points. Looks like you can still talk sense into me," Link acknowledged with dry humor. "But…What about Fledge? What do I do?"

"You need to talk to him," Karane put it simply.

"Can I? Would he even let me? I promised to keep him safe and failed. He didn't look at me throughout the walk down here. Goddesses, he probably never wants to talk to me again…I let him down, big time."

Pipit's expression grimace. What Link said was similar to what Fledge had shared with him on the day of the Wing Ceremony when Fledge confessed to Link about Groose taking his bird. Right now it was all deja vu except this time the roles were reversed with Link being the one worried about what Fledge would do. Taking a deep breath, Pipit made it his turn to speak.

"Link, let me tell you something," Pipit paused briefly to give Link the chance to put his attention on him. "The day of the ceremony, after you left to find Epona at the waterfall, Fledge was worried that you were mad at him for not telling you about Groose stealing your bird. Mad enough for you not to be his friend anymore. I and Zelda told him that you wouldn't do that but…"

****

Pipit led Fledge into the Dining Hall at the Academy. They had spoken to Zelda who went off to help Link find his Loftwing. The Dining Hall was empty, even Henya wasn't around, leaving just the two of them. Pipit guided Fledge to one of the tables.

"How're you doing, Fledge?"

"Alright…" The younger teen responded meekly.

"Try to relax. You've been through a lot this morning."

"But…What if they can't find Epona in time? What if Link has to sit out the race?"

"Link & Zelda will find Epona in time. They're a good team." Pipit affirmed. "Why not I make some tea for you? I know that usually helps calm you down."

"That would be nice…"

Pipit went into the kitchen section to brew up a kettle of tea which took several minutes to make. When it was ready he took an extra few minutes to clean up out of courtousey for Henya. The elderly woman doesn't like it when people leave a mess in her kitchen, especially around a picture that she had hung on the walls of a teen girl that Pipit had no idea who was nor why Henya had it up there. Pipit took the kettle, along with two cups for Fledge & himself to drink out of after he was sure everything was cleaned. A new sound caught his ears when Pipit returned to the Dining Hall. The sound was that of someone crying.

Specifically, Fledge crying.

The sixteen-year-old rested his head on the table, arms crossed in front of him. Soft cries came out of him. Pipit can only deduce that everything that had occurred throughout the morning was now catching up to him. Placing the kettle and cups on the table, Pipit went to his friend's side to try to comfort him.

"I screwed up...I let Link down, big time," Fledge whimpered.

"Hey... You didn't do anything wrong. It'll be alright. Everything will be fine, I'm sure!" Pipit rubs Fledge's shoulder to try to soothe him.

Fledge lifted his head, showing his tear-stricken face, taking a sniffle. "What if it doesn't? What if Link can't compete? What if he loses because of this? What if…What if he doesn't want to be my friend anymore?"

Fledge buried his head back in his arms, emitting more sniffles and soft cries as Pipit tried to soothe him.

****

"...That look on his face. I know you were understandably frustrated about your bird, but Fledge…He felt awful about the whole thing. Fledge was...terrified that you would stop being his friend. I don't think he would hold this against you. He cares for you that much, Link."

Link remained silent even after Pipit concluded sharing, rubbing his face. Now he knew that it was unfair to take out his frustration of his missing bird on Fledge, but Goddesses Link didn't mean to make Fledge fear him ending their friendship. Looking back at that moment knowing what Pipit told him made him feel even worse about how he reacted when Fledge confessed. Honestly, he did not know what to say.

And Fi sensed her Master's uncertainty.

"If I may, Master Link." All eyes turned to the Sword Spirit. "When we were in the chamber back at the Fire Sanctuary with Ghirahim, I got a reading of Master Fledge's senses. He was in great pain, yet despite all that, there was only one thing on his mind." For a brief moment, it appeared Fi struggled to…not cry before regaining her stoic expression. "...Your safety. He was more concerned with your well-being than his own. Any ill will he may have towards you I did not sense even once. Even now I do not sense it. Master Link, what you are feeling is normal especially after dealing with a traumatic experience such as that. That feeling is akin to that of Survivor's Guilt. You believe it would've been better for you to have taken Fledge's position. But do you think Master Fledge would want you to experience the pain that he had endured?"

No one utter a word to one another once Fi finished speaking.

The sound of digging caught the group's attention. Bronzi climbed from below the dirt.

"Hey um…I wanted to let you guys know that we're planning on eating dinner soon. The others said all of you, including your other friend, is more than welcome to join us." Bronzi scratches his neck nervously. "And…I also wanted to say sorry for trying to swindle you guys back in the Fire Sanctuary. And no, I'm not apologizing because Silva made me. I…I didn't realize how serious you're whole looking for your friend thing was until I saw him. I take full responsibility."

Link gave a tired, yet gentle look at the Mogma. "Don't worry about it. It's all in the past."

"Alright then…I'll leave you guys be." Bronzi was about to dig back under until he stopped himself. Something was clearly on his mind. "Your friend. He's…he's lucky to have you guys."

Bronzi dug back underground. The air around the cave was quiet only to break when Link suck in a deep breath.

"I'll…I'll go see Fledge."

"You want us to come along?" Karane offered.

Link shook his head. "I need to talk to him like you said. And it's something only I can do."

"I believe that is a wise choice, Master Link." Fi went back into the Master Sword

"Good luck, Link," Pipit said supportively.

Link stands up. Pipit & Karane keep their eyes on him as he exits the cave. The sound of Pipit's tired breath caught Karane's ears when their friend left their view.

"What's wrong?"

"I…I don't know how Fledge managed to not kill Ghirahim. Not that I encourage that, it's just…" Pipit places his fingers on his temple. "Farore, if it were me in Fledge's place, or I was Link's position and I saw what Ghirahim did to Fledge, Link, or Goddesses forbid you…I would've asphyxiated that monster, or worse..."

"Well, you know what I did to Tentalus so you can figure out what I probably would've done."

"I'm aware, don't worry." Pipit could still recall the shocking detail Link & Fledge give on how Karane brutally incapacitated Tentalus. "I think we wento easy on Ghirahim. How did Fledge have the strength to spare him after going through all that?"

"Fledge has a big heart. I guess that's why Din picked him. Having the strength to spare your enemy. I don't think I could do that."

"You think Fledge, and Link will ever be fully okay after this? I've never seen either of them this shaken up. Even when they lost their parents."

Karane holds her boyfriend close, giving a gentle kiss on his temple. "I don't know. They may not be fully the same. There is one thing I do know. Whatever happens, we'll be there for them when they need it."

"Link will always have me to count on. I made that vow since he lost his parents and I intend to keep it till I die. That also extends to Fledge. They're my brothers for life."

"And by extent, mine as well."

Pipit glances up at Karane lovingly, giving her a quick peck on her lips with a sweet smile on his face. Silently they prayed for things with Link, and Fledge to be okay.

[sinfulauthorwrites]

Kinktober 2023 Day 23: Dirty Talk, Begging, & CNC

💖 Many thanks to @flightlessangelwings for the prompt list! 💖

Ship: KiraHim

Word count: 120

Applicable Tags: Rape/Non-Con, Dom/sub, Sadism, Begging, Dirty Talk, Dom!Ghirahim, Sub!Original Character, Age Gap, Ghirahim Being A Little Shit, Master/Slave, Teasing, Undescribed Penetrative Sex, Degradation, Kirah Orgasms, Pet Names, Ghirahim Being A Little Shit, POV Third Person Omniscient

“S-stop! Please j-just stop!” Tears stream down Kirah’s face as Ghirahim violates them, his member thrusting in and out of them ruthlessly.

“I promised you I wouldn’t grant you a swift end, did I not? Now stop your sniveling, you worthless whore, and let me take what belongs to me~” Ghirahim’s sharp, black nails dig into Kirah’s hips, leaving indents and bringing blood to the surface. “You’ll find it quite useless to fight back, so I recommend you give in to the pleasure I’m providing, sky child.”

Despite the torment they’re being put through, Kirah can’t help but near their release. After an especially rough thrust, their body betrays them, clenching around the Demon Lord’s cock and milking him dry.

Liked this and want more? Check the full Kinktober fic on my AO3 here!

[silentrealmchild]

Could Demise have some sort of connection to the Zora? Or at least water or ocean gods.

This started with the question “Where the heck did the Trident of Power in Four Swords Adventures come from? Why is a desert man wielding a fisherman’s weapon and why was it in the desert?”

My answer: It belonged to Demise and someone hid it there thinking the desert would keep his incarnations away from it.

The Trident of Demise from Hyrule Warriors.

Ok, so what is Demise doing wielding a fisherman’s weapon? This requires some speculation, but I think I’ve found a few connections that might form an answer.

:readmore:

At first glance, a trident for Demise makes no sense. The lore says he “emerged from underground” and well, look at him.

His head is on fire. Not exactly compatible with water there.

But wait. Isn’t there a water species known for fire?

Yes, this screenshot is from Link’s Awakening. I couldn’t find one from the Oracles games or Link to the Past, but Zora spit fire there too.

Now look back at Demise.

Those could be fish scales along his arms.

Plus, isn’t he a shapeshifter?

That could be considered vaguely whale shaped, if you assume he shifted a tail to legs for land adaptation.

(Finding a screenshot of him was not easy.)

There’s also water underfoot in the battlefield Demise prepared.

So Demise could be aquatic in some way. If he was, it would make sense for him to wield a water weapon.

Counterpoint #1

Demise wields a sword.

Well, yeah. He does. But…

HIs sword isn’t just a sword. It’s Ghirahim. Why wouldn’t Demise make use of a servant who can go do things for him at will? He absolutely would, so he has a back up weapon for when Ghirahim is doing something else. The Trident of Demise.

Counterpoint #2

Per the lore, Demise emerged from underground.

This is the clearest contradiction and I have to venture into purely headcanon territory to fix it. My favorite fix is the oral tradition explanation. Simply put, nearly anything stated about the past in universe can be wrong, for the very simple reason that the majority of records are oral traditions. (I assume this is so because of how often previous events are said to have faded into myth and legend in the series.) Oral traditions are subject to imperfect memorization, re-interpretation, and misunderstandings. Consider how a Skyloftian, who has never seen a body of water bigger than the pond in Skyloft, would interpret the phrase “from the deep.” “Underground” could easily be a mistranslation of that or a similar phrase.

The other possible fix is that the underground referred to was an earlier seal, similar to the one Hylia created. That would mean that Demise’s connection to water is hidden even further back in prehistory and completely forgotten. I have zero evidence for this, so that’s why it’s firmly in headcanon territory.

[farons-kokiri]

Bro, I need to know, what's the rundown on your reforged au? Cause it looks super cool and I wanna know all about it

thank u for asking wehdhehd 🥹 I'm glad you think it looks cool! I'm gonna try to summarize as best as I can !

For the most part it all centers around a character I made, his name is Non. He's a Hylian blacksmith and sorcerer, or properly, was- he died. Slain by a reincarnation of Link during one of the cycles in a BotW-like version of Hyrule. Though he isn't quite a villain or evil at his core.

In his life, he was promoted to castle blacksmith for his skill in the forge, but also his ability to enchant weapons and use magic. He was tasked with repairing the Master Sword but he had a secret project he was working on at the same time. He was reforging his own divine weapon, a sword with a spirit inside, the demon great sword that once belonged to Demise. Unfortunately, the sword spirit he tore reality to obtain never woke up during his lifetime, but in time he certainly did.

As a sword spirit, Ghirahim is naturally inclined to serve the person he's loyal to annnnd since he was completely reforged at the hands of a now long-dead blacksmith, clearly this meant he had some work to do to bring his master back to life. Resurrecting a divine requires another divine essence, but for a mortal? Yeah it didn't take half a century, a tornado, several fights with a resilient teen and travelling back in time to complete the resurrection.

To say dying humbled Non is an understatement, it did lethal damage to his body, mind and soul. Now that he was alive once more, in a semi-immortal form with magic gifted to him by the old gods that could destroy Hyrule, he spent the first few years of his existence in a stormy lagoon of his own self-hatred and regret. Literally. Just floating in an ever stormy, murky lagoon created by his own emotional and magical temperament.

After some much needed, but definitely more than necessary, self reflection and introspection, he started to mull over his nigh-immortality. He had worked his whole life only to die how he lived, alone and unwanted. Non decided he wanted to try to change, to make friends, allies, and to be (somehow, in his own way) happy. He created a master forge of his own in the abandoned depth of Hyrule and began searching for entities he could... Befriend.

Along the way, he plucks a certain defeated wind god from the binds of the dark realm, the spirit of a wandering Yiga blademaster in search of her blade, an usurper Twili king tricked by Ganon and besmirched by his people, an otherworldly volatile mask spirit, and a few others ! Mainly, this is as much Non's journey to reclaim who he was as much as it is the other's.

This was much longer than I thought it would be and I even cut it down 😓 wegdhhshdd it's ok I'd be happy to answer other asks too about this since idk how much content I'll be able to create and post

EDIT:

I forgot abt this but you can see Non's death scar in this comic, it's the little triforce mark !

[ghirahimbo]

beginnings

a non-specific take on how the Link and Ghirahim master/sword AU might come about. I probably won't post this one to ao3 yet in case I decide to use it in a story someday, but I liked it enough to put it here, at least :)

--

In the Sealed Grounds where the demon hordes had trampled the earth so recently in their violent rampage, the transition to silence was complete. The whistling chirp of birds, the buzz of insects… even the wind through the trees had gone deathly still, all caught up in breathless waiting. Only the pool of inky darkness at the center of Demise's broken prison seemed to breathe, pulsing slowly in and out with uneasy life. Small though it was compared to the spiraling pit containing it, the darkness pulled at the cloud-covered twilight as if its strength alone might dim it. Consume it.

At last, the dark pool recoiled in agitation, and from its churning depths emerged a boy in a green knight’s tunic that had certainly known more pristine days. Bloodied and bruised, yet swaying triumphantly as if standing itself was a triumph, Link stumbled out of the pit’s embrace, adjusting his wet hat to fit more firmly over the mess of hair still dripping from his watery battlefield. The sky above seemed to captivate him, and he craned his head back to stare at the darkened clouds, half in wonder, half in disbelief. Then the hilt of his sword flashed, and a shimmering blue woman emerged to float in front of him.

“Master,” she said, catching his attention. “With the defeat of the demon king Demise, there is a 95% chance that your friend Zelda has already regained consciousness.” Her voice softened almost imperceptibly. “I believe I can say with 100% certainty that she would like to know you are well.”

Link stared at her for another moment, scrubbing a hand over his mouth.

“Of course,” he murmured, and for the first time, he grinned. “Let’s go.”

Strengthened by his anticipation, Link broke into a limping run, eager to put the forsaken pit behind him—but before he could take more than a few steps, a new voice froze him in his tracks.

“Wait.”

Heart sinking like a rock, Link whirled around, one hand hovering warily over the hilt of his sword as a new figure emerged from the retreating darkness. Ghirahim’s skin glimmered like polished obsidian in the fading light, smooth and unmarred except for where fiery cracks split his chest, and a glowing diamond at its center pulsed an erratic, angry red. Cradled against his shattered core was an enormous black sword, its sharp edge not even scratching the skin where it rested against Ghirahim’s hardened arms.

Milky white eyes met tired blue in a silent clash, as if neither had the strength necessary to put words to their feud. Then, without warning, Ghirahim hefted his sword, driving it point first into the softened earth and falling to one knee before it.

“Take it.”

Link blinked, and took a wary step back.

“…What?”

“Take it.” Despite his clear exhaustion, Ghirahim’s voice had that same teasing bite to it as always, coupled now with impatience as he gestured towards the sword. “You defeated my old master Demise, which means his sword is yours to claim. Take it.”

Link stared at him, dumbfounded, and a slow smile curved across Ghirahim’s thin dark lips.

“Let me put it this way,” he said pleasantly. “This sword belongs to you whether you wish it so or not, but things will go much more… smoothly… if you take it now.”

Link shook his head as if to dismiss the notion, fixing Ghirahim with a glare.

“I already have a sword,” he said coldly, starting to turn aside, but this time a light chime from Fi made him stop.

“Master Link,” she said, her cool voice strangely gentle. “I’m afraid that I was not created to remain by your side forever. The demon king’s remaining essence is now sealed within my sword, to be carefully guarded until it is eradicated. The time of our parting will be soon.” She hesitated, and added, “Very soon.”

The first drops of rain began to fall, scattered and sparse. Link stared at Fi incredulously.

“You’re not saying I should trust him,” he said, not really a question, and Fi shook her head.

“Such judgments are not mine to make. I can only report that I sense no immediate intent to do harm from Lord Ghirahim, though whether he hopes to deceive you is less clear. Any further statements would be mere conjecture on my part.”

“Would you mind conjecting then?” Link asked, pursing his lips. After a moment, Fi nodded.

“Master Link…” Her words came with slow reluctance now. “Despite the foreordination of our partnership, I was still given the privilege of choosing you as my master. If what Ghirahim says is true and his sword has passed ownership from the demon king to you, I must surmise that he was not granted that same privilege of choosing Demise.”

“If what he says is true,” Link repeated, sparing another glare for the still-kneeling demon lord. Ghirahim had so far watched their exchange in enigmatic silence, not quite smiling, though he half raised an eyebrow at Link’s scowl. The steadily increasing rain slithered unnoticed in rivulets down his face, striking against his arms with short, metallic plinks.

“I stated that I could not discern whether he hopes to deceive you in some way, and this is true. However…” She paused in consideration. “I do sense a newfound connection between you and that sword, as well as between you and Lord Ghirahim himself. My opinion is that he is telling the truth, in this regard, at least.”

Link stared at her in dismay, and Ghirahim laughed softly.

“Your robotic guide is right, I’m afraid," he murmured. "I’ll have you know that you were not my first choice either, but I think we both know better than most how little control we have over the whims of destiny. Never in this sword’s history has it passed to a human, but it appears our thread of fate has some twists that even I could not predict.”

“There is no thread—“ Link started to say hotly, but let it go with a sigh. Even he could see how pointless finishing that sentence would be. “I suppose you come with the sword, then?”

“I am the sword,” Ghirahim said, his pale eyes glittering. Link paused only a second before nodding. After bearing Fi for so long, he understood how that worked, at least.

“If…” Link took a deep breath, glancing again at Fi. “If I take you with me… what’s to stop you from trying to kill me still?”

“I am physically incapable now of even harming you,” he said, and Link’s eyebrows shot up. A possibility much easier to disprove than prove, but…

“What about Zelda?” he demanded, and Ghirahim’s grin widened.

“On your orders, I would go so far as to guard her from harm, and catch her each time she stumbles,” he said smoothly. Link’s face darkened.

“What about—“

“Master, must we really go through every order that I will or will not obey?” Ghirahim cut him off irritably. “I will obey them all, insofar as I am able. Was it not the same with…?”

He gestured vaguely towards Fi, who looked at him.

“Fi is the designation I was given,” she said, prompting a tight grin.

“Wonderful! I didn’t need or desire to know that.”

“Wait,” Link interjected, his mind spinning slightly. “...You called me master.”

“Is he this slow all the time?” Ghirahim asked Fi incredulously. “How do you put up with it?”

Link let the insult slide, still reeling as he tried to gather his thoughts. Would Ghirahim really debase himself so far just for a chance at revenge? There were other, easier ways to go about it if that was his aim, ways involving less personal humiliation. Fi thought he was telling the truth—about some things, at least—which maybe meant…

“What am I supposed to do with that sword, anyway?” Link said abruptly. “It’s too big for me to even…”

The protest died in Link’s throat as for the first time he really looked at the sword, and licked his lips. Without his noticing, the sword had shrunk in size, though it managed to appear no less menacing despite that. If Link were to hold up his Master Sword in comparison, he doubted that there would be a hair’s difference in length.

“I told you,” Ghirahim said, and Link had to fight down a shiver that he told himself was from the rain. “My sword belongs to you now, Link. Take it.”

Once more he looked at Fi, silently questioning, but if she had an opinion on the matter her blank face gave no voice to it.

“Zelda is waiting for you,” was all she said… and somehow, that was enough.

“Fine,” Link sighed reluctantly. He didn't want to find out at that moment how Ghirahim might try to force him if he refused, and Fi was right. It was time to go. “I accept your sword.”

Trudging forward, Link grabbed it by the hilt, thinking that if worse came to worst, he could still throw it off a cliff somewhere—and felt a terribly familiar warmth surge through his palms as he pulled it free, traveling up his arms to settle somewhere in his chest. A tightness fell from Ghirahim’s face that Link hadn’t noticed until that moment, and he bowed his head forward, pressing a hand delicately against his mangled chest.

“The bonding process is now complete, master,” he said, and despite the formality of his words he had a mocking twist to his lips. “Link… my master.”

Thunder boomed overhead as lightning forked viciously across the sky, the rain falling down in sheets. Link, staring at his own black sword, noticed none of it.

[legendofmarshie]

Okay. Okay. Wait. Listen. Hear me out.

Monster cultures.

To be very specific, monster FOOD.

Not food made of monsters (looking at you, monster extract), but the things different types of monsters would / could eat if they weren’t eternally stuck being Demise / Ganon’s primitive cannon fodder in his battle against the forces of light.

Just think of the POSSIBILITIES.

Almost every member of the large ‘Blin family (save perhaps the Hinoxes) is surprisingly good at grilling / frying meat to Hylian standards once they’ve been taught how. Bonus points for the meat usually being fresh because hunting is often a big part of their daily routine.

Back in ancient times, maybe Lizalfos knew how to do the insects-in-candy thing. After the Calamity, assuming they had a safe environment and access to the right materials, they’d probably figure out how to do it again. They would immediately get Link (wearing a Lizalfos mask) to try one. Link would try several. So would Zelda.

(The Yiga Clan aren’t monsters, but they belong in this post too. Besides whatever they can get from merchants, the location of their hideout gives them access to voltfruit from the desert and wildberries from the highlands. And then, of course, they’ve got mighty-banana-EVERYTHING. Plain raw bananas. Whole. Sliced. Roasted. Banana bread. Banana flour. Banana butter. Bananacue. Chips. Turon. Daiquiri. Pancakes. Pasta. I guess the moral is if you’re going to make one fruit the majority of your diet, get creative with it?)

And demons? HOO BOY. I imagine their pre-Surface War parties were WILD, so of course these rowdy rough-and-tumble beasties of magic and spite would need wild party snacks and drinks to match. Half the stuff they liked to use doesn’t even exist anymore, but anything with a punch or kick strong enough to make you want to tear your face off is in a demon’s wheelhouse. (That being said, they do enjoy heart container juice.) Outside parties, they use a lot of meat. Higher-ranking demons get first pick of everything, but they eat every possible part of the creature, including the usually-discarded guts. And blood. A lot of blood.

In his spare time (which he sadly doesn’t get much of anymore), Ghirahim has been rumoured to brew something he likes to call the Potion of Fight God(desses). Nobody knows everything that’s in it except for him, and he likes to switch up the Ingredience every now and then anyway. Let’s just say it contains things that humans and Hylians shouldn’t be ingesting on the regular. I believe if Ghirahim somehow met Astor, and didn’t immediately kill or maim him for being... well, Astor, there’s the tiniest chance he’d tell him the basic recipe (by demon standards). Then ofc Astor would snitch and go tell the Yiga Clan, who would make it without question. But, like, y’know, with an extra banana or two. Or ten. Or twenty. Cue mass hangover.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.