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[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction

Updates? It’s a surprise

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter twenty one:

    Okay, I'm back with the next chapter- oh dear... it seems I've time traveled months into the future. Well anyways, the chapter isn't as long as I would like, but it has been sitting here gathering dust, so I finally edited what I had because you deserve at least as much as I have written.

    They stopped walking when they had entered the gorge again. From her position behind the hero, Asuriel noticed the stiffness of his posture.

"Link, is everything alright? You seem upset."

"It's fine, Asuriel. Just, be careful about what you tell him."

"What do you mean? Do you know him? Is he dangerous?"

    Link paused for a moment, weighing his words carefully.

"Not to you."

"Not to me? What does that mean?"

"The mission that I'm on... it's incredibly important and it should not be shared with everyone."

"Is he a danger to your mission?"

"Yes- I mean no. Kind of?"

    Link paused, trying to determine what to do. If he wished, he could tell Asuriel exactly who Ghirahim was, making her too afraid to go near him. He could promise to protect her and care for her, but that would make her sacrifice pointless. He couldn't bring himself to do that.

"Listen, it's not really my place to tell you. I could say a lot of things about Ghirahim, but I think you should get to know more about him on your own."

"But you said-"

"Forget what I said, we have work to do anyway."

    Link began to walk off towards the edge of the gorge as Asuriel stood motionless, watching him. For Hylia's chosen hero, he seemed to be a little short on temper. Maybe she was just asking too many questions.

    Meanwhile, Link was trying desperately not to look back. He knew he had to be harsher with Asuriel to ensure that there would not be a repeat, but he wasn't sure how long he could be rude. Just the look in here eyes when he cut her off was almost enough to break his resolve. How was he supposed to travel all around the surface with her? He had to pull himself together before he did something stupid.

    Drawing his sword, Link stabbed the timeshift stone on the mine-cart he had guided to the gorge. Immediately, he was surrounded by lush grass and vibrant flowers. He heard the girl let out a noise of surprise as the change occurred.

"What just happened?"

    Link's attention was drawn away from answering her when he caught sight of the dragon. Even though he appeared to be sick, the Lanayru commanded an ere of majesty that could not be suppressed by anything that might ail him.

    Unlike when she first met Faron, Asuriel felt a flutter of unease in her stomach. She had been familiar with a dragon, so why did she feel so much more afraid now? She took a few steps to the side, hiding behind Link's taller frame, not daring to peer out from behind him just yet. As they stopped in front of Lanayru, he coughed a few times before addressing them.

"Oh, hello... I haven't had a visitor like you here in... quite a while. You're a human, aren't you? You must have some reason for coming this far. What is it?"

    There was a feeble edge to his voice, but even so, it was obvious just how powerful it could be. Link provided an abbreviated version of his purpose.

"I see. So you're Link from the sky..."

    He was interrupted by a brief coughing fit.

"That's not much of a name, is it? How about I add a model number to your name like my friends have got? Maybe LD-Link-16? I can tell you don't like the sound of that. That's a shame... oh, who's this?"

    Asuriel had chanced a peek around LD-Link-16 and had been noticed. Immediately, she scooted behind him again.

"Don't be shy now, I promise I won't try to rename you."

    There was a moment of silence before the girl stepped into view. She wanted to keep her head down to avoid eye contact, but Faron had taught her better than that.

"My name is Asuriel."

"That is a beautiful name, but what a curious choice for a human child..."

"Yes, it would certainly be a curious choice. However, I was created by Her Grace Hylia, and there is no name for what I am."

"Intriguing, but I do not recall any creation of the goddess by the name of Asuriel."

"There is a possibility that you may know me by the name I was given before I was fully made."

    The dragon paused for a moment, trying to recall information far into the past.

"Could it be? Lothsiriel?"

"Yes."

"Well... just look at you! The last time I saw you, you were nothing but a small lily bud. You've grown so much, how old are you now?"

"I turned eighteen not long ago."

"My goodness, you've turned out to be quite the young lady. I don't suppose you know who your soulmate is? It was an interesting detail for Hylia to create, but it must be rather exciting."

"No, not yet. How did you know?"

"A few of Hylia's closest subjects know about you. We were all very excited to meet you."

    After a few minutes of them discussing Asuriel's upbringing and Faron's scrupulous attention to teaching everyone she met proper manners, Link interrupted to remind them of the issue at hand. Lanayru explained about the Fruit of Life, but, before Link left, requested that the hero leave Asuriel behind with him.

"It'll make your journey quicker and easier, even though I'm sure this young lady would never be a burden to you."

    Link agreed, partially to avoid an argument and loss of more time. Meanwhile, Asuriel decided to work on the process of creating Tadtones that Faron had taught her. She didn't know why the dragon was so set on her learning the skill, but she happily practiced it because it gave her an excuse to sing.

    She started with the base of a faire light, then added more complicated spells until grew into a large, swirling orb of light that burst into five separate Tadtones. Directing them to float before her, she focused on each one in turn and taught one note to each. The Tadtones repeated their notes in a tangled cacophony until Asuriel showed them how to sing them in turn. As the melody became clear, they flew around in delight, causing the song to echo throughout the gorge.

"I remember when Faron showed me her first group of Tadtones," commented Lanayru, "she taught them the Ballad of the Goddess and they sang for Hylia."

"Would you like to help me. It's a lot of work to teach them alone."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to sing much until Link comes back with that fruit. However, you seem to be doing a spectacular job on your own. What are you teaching them?"

"It's a song created for Link's sword spirit, Fi. Impa taught it to me a while ago."

"Would you mind singing it for me?"

"Of course not, I would be honored."

    Asuriel wasn't used to singing for those she didn't know well, but she felt more at ease after interacting with Lanayru. Even after the song finished, she sung others things for him until Link returned with the fruit. Needless to say, the dragon felt much better after eating it.

"I owe you a big thank-you, so allow me to preform a moving rendition of my part of the Song of a Hero. I should warn you. I've got a mean set of pipes and I know how to use them! This'll clean out your ears, boy, so brace yourself."

    Lanayru's part was indeed very moving, even the surrounding robots stopped their work to listen. Link began walking back to the bird statue, but before Asuriel followed, she turned back around and spoke.

"Farewell, Lanayru. I should hope that I will be able to visit you again."

"As do I. Goodbye, Asuriel"

    And so they set of the for the Eldin Province and the third part to the Song for a Hero. Everything was going well until they began their descent. The very air around the volcano seemed to quake as the mountain of fire erupted, sending Asuriel and Link flying out of control. As they fell, Link tried desperately to grab Asuriel's hand and reopen his sailcloth to break the fall, but she was out of his reach. Finally, he hit the ground, and everything went black.

    When the hero woke up, he was without weapons, without equipment, and trapped in a bokoblin hut. There were bars blocking the entrance and a guard was set outside, but something else didn't feel right. Where was Asuriel?

    Link panicked. They had fallen at the same time and in the same direction. The bokoblins that captured him must have not seen her, or just left her. He had to make sure that she was okay, but he wasn't feeling too good himself. He had a splitting headache and he was rather beat up, even for falling that distance. And, without Fi's guidance, he wasn't sure if he could make it out.

    Asuriel cracked her eyes open and looked around her. She was in a hut of sorts, laid across a makeshift bed. The inside of the structure looked like a sphere and there was an opening at the opposite end of it. Carefully, she sat up and set her feet on the ground. She had barely been conscious enough to create a shield before she hit the ground, so she didn't sustain much, if any, injury. Her thoughts went immediately to Link. She had tried to locate him, but the smoke-filled air, bright lava, and speed of the fall had converged into a whirling haze and prevented her from helping him.

    Upon exiting the hut, Asuriel found that she was in a camp that was located inside what appeared to be a cave. Occupying a few of the huts, crouched by small fires, and walking around were many of the creature Faron referred to as 'Bokoblins'. Two or three of them looked up at her, but made no move towards their weapons.

    At the far end of the room, she noticed an opening that led outside. She walked towards it, but was stopped by one the bokoblins. It stood in front of her, blocking her path, and began to move towards her while slowly waving its sword to encourage her to move. When she was a sufficient distance from the exit, the bokoblin relented and returned to one of the fires. Asuriel stood where she was, considering what she should do. In the corner of her eye, Asuriel noticed two of them exiting and wondered where they were going. It was clear that the bokoblins were keeping her there for some reason or another, making her wonder if she really wanted to stick around to find out what.

    The need for rest nagged at the edge of her mind. She had gone from the Faron Woods to the Lanayru region to the Eldin Province in one day, and she was becoming tired from the traveling. Asuriel didn't necessarily trust the bokoblins, but they had had an opportunity to hurt her before; maybe she should get some rest while she could. But, she couldn't just abandon Link, he might not have been as fortunate. Her current duty, after all, was to aid him, not take a nap when he was in danger.

    Her mind being made up, she made her way to the wall and slowly began to inch towards the exit. It wasn't until she was a few feet away that she was spotted. The screech of one of the bokoblins alerted the others in the cave, who rose from their various places and began to run towards her. Asuriel hesitated for a moment, wondering whether it would be better to wait and try again later; but, she might not get such a good opportunity if she let them catch her now. Without wasting another moment, she turned and bolted through the short passage.

    The first thing Asuriel noticed upon exiting the cave was how ominous the Eldin Province looked. The sky was a deep red, clouded with ash and soot. Fire spewed from the mouth of the volcano and glowing embers floated through the air. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to enjoy the scenery before having to move on. From that point, there were a few paths that carved their way through the streams of lava and large outcroppings of rock. Asuriel scanned her surroundings as she ran, searching for any sign of Link. Slowly, the cries of the bokoblins began to fade into the distance and Asuriel slowed to a walk. She had seen no hint of Link, but she wasn't about to give up. He was still somewhere in the province, she just had to keep looking.

    Asuriel's feet began to hurt as she continued walking. The uneven surface of the volcano didn't help as she followed a path up it to gain a better vantage point. Even though she hadn't gone far up it, the smoke was slightly but noticeably thicker. She spotted a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to face it. Nothing was there, but Asuriel could have sworn she saw a shadow beside her move. For the second time that day, she turned and ran blindly as she kept looking back. All of a sudden, her next step was met with nothing but air. Asuriel whipped her head back to see she was hurtling over the edge of a chasm the ended in a river of lava.

    She vainly flailed her arms and screamed, but her fall was cut short as something caught her around her waist. For a moment, all she could hear was her trembling breath before a voice spoke from behind her.

"I'm not sure about you, but this is not what I was envisioning for our second meeting."

    Less than a heartbeat went by before Asuriel recognized the voice. It was as if she knew it well, even though she had only heard it once.

"I also had something different in mind, but I am glad that you rescued me from falling."

"Well, I couldn't let a helpless maiden fall to her doom. What sort of gentleman would I be?"

    Truthfully, he could and did let a helpless maiden fall to her doom, which she so annoying avoided multiple times, but that information wasn't relevant at the moment.

"Although, I do think that you would like to not hang over lava."

    Ghirahim pulled Asuriel back onto solid ground, making sure she gained her footing before letting her go.

"Thank you, Ghirahim. What may I do to repay for you saving my life?"

"Restitution is not wholly necessary, however if you insist, I would have your company tonight."

"If that is what you wish."

"It is. But, I am tiring from the sight of this bland and blistering landscape. Perhaps we could go somewhere a bit nicer?"

"My company is yours for the night, and you may bring it wherever you wish."

"That is a tempting offer... but I believe my first idea will do. It is not far from here."

    Extending his hand to her, Ghirahim led Asuriel up the winding path to the heart of Eldin.

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction 

Updates? It’s a surprise

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter twenty:

Word count: 6362

Keep reading

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction 

Updates? It’s a surprise

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter twenty:

Word count: 6362

    So, some of you might have noticed that it has been a few weeks since the last update. I have been dealing with a lot of writer's block, and afterwards I was saving up what I was writing for a special occasion. Specifically today, June 16th. Why, you may ask. Because it's my birthday! And what better way to celebrate than by uploading the longest chapter I have yet written? I thought it was a good idea. Anyway, you probably want to read what happens next, so prepare yourselves, I had a lot planned for this chapter. I would really appreciate reading what you think of this since so much changes.

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   The moment the battle began, Asuriel could sense the mounting tension between the two. It was as if this fight was about more than the location of the Gate of Time. Similar to Link's first fight with the demon lord, Ghirahim approached him with his arm outstretched, however this time there were daggers floating beside him.

    Aiming for the demon's right side, Link made a quick strike against him. The sword was caught and for a moment, Link struggled to pry it away from Ghirahim. His second attempt was more calculated, but it was again blocked. This time, the demon lord did not easily give up the sword and snapped his fingers, causing the whirring daggers to shoot towards Link and effectively forcing the boy to release to sword to dodge them.

    Although the situation was different, Link's ability to adapt aided him to avoid injury. Even as Ghirahim prepared to launch the sword at Link, the hero anticipated the direction and dodged it.

    It was obvious to Asuriel that Link had grown since the beginning of his adventure. When she met him, he was shy, naive, and unsure of himself. He had needed her help to get to his first temple, and she had continued to aid him the entire time. In fact, he probably would have perished if she had not intervened at his first encounter with Ghirahim.

    Link must have grown a lot in the Eldin Region. Asuriel had traveled with Impa most of the way. Once they were reunited, she had again taken the lead, but the hero still had to navigate his way through much of the area, as well as fight the Scaldera without help. He continued his journey through the Lanayru desert without help, and Asuriel could only imagine what kind of monster he had battled deep in the old mines.

    In one, smooth motion, Link knocked aside the floating daggers and managed to land a blow. The demon lord appeared to be uninjured, yet he continued by summoning four daggers instead of two.

    In contrast to Link, Asuriel's first encounters with Ghirahim had been... interesting to say the least. Their first three interactions almost ended with the death of a friend, and waking up in a camp of undead Bokoblins wasn't exactly much better. But, something had changed significantly in the demon's behavior towards her. At the Gate of Time, he had threatened her, but not long after, he took it upon himself to see that she recovered from her injuries in the Ancient Cistern. Then, there was the incident on the Sandship.

    The fight was becoming more serious. Ghirahim now wielded two swords as he approached Link with long, confident strides.

   On her birthday, Link has brought Asuriel to Skyloft for the first time. He introduced her to a few of the denizens and gave her a tour of the island. Ghirahim's gift, although smaller, was more meaningful. He had compiled the spells that she had learned into a journal, much like his own. He also gave her an earring as a reminder of the first time they really enjoyed each other's company. They had almost kissed that day.

    Link was not fairing as well now that the demon fought against him with swords. The chilling sound of steel against steel rang through the room as Link struck against his opponent with all his might, yet to no avail.

    The night of her birthday, Asuriel had walked to the Spring and found Ghirahim there. Was it really chance that brought both of them to the same place? But, he had demanded that she leave everything behind and allow him to resurrect Demise, something she could never do. When she fled the spring, she ran into Link. He comforted her, he told her that everything would be alright. She could hear his voice clearly in her head.

"We'll get out of this mess, together."

    Together.

    Ghirahim made a quick slash across Link's left shoulder, causing him to stumble back.

    Link didn't ask her to leave everything behind.

    Another hit to the Hero's side had him clutching the wound with his free hand, partially bent over.

    Link didn't attack or hurt her friends.

    The hero dodged the next swing, but the sudden motion threw him off balance.

    Link didn't just care for her, he loved her.

    The demon lord raised his sword to finally cut down the hero when an invisible force slammed into him, causing him to stumble. That one moment of hesitation was enough time for Link to raise his sword and slash it across Ghirahim's eye, knocking him back a few steps as one of his sword flew out of his hand. The demon covered his eye with his hand and Asuriel could feel his anger permeating through the room.

"... Enough of this foolishness... I am Ghirahim. Demon Lord! I doesn't matter how powerful your sword is... you are still nothing... Not just a human... A human child! And yet you prevail! You filthy Scamp! You have awakened a wrath that will burn for eons! I swear to you, whatever it takes, I will drag you into an eternity of torment!"

    His demeanor changed almost immediately back to his flamboyant expression.

"And you, girl, I have given you every opportunity to willingly come to me in peace. I will grant you no such luxury the next time we meet."

    The demon lord departed in his usual manner, leaving Link and Asuriel alone in the Fire Sanctuary.

"Link, are you alright? Those wounds look like they hurt, let me take care of them."

    Now that the magical barriers were gone, the girl rushed to Link and moved to place a hand on his side to heal the cut when he caught her hand. Carefully holding her hand in his, he guided it to cup his cheek.

"I think I'll be okay for a little while longer."

    He moved forward just enough so that their noses brushed against each other. Asuriel began to speak before Link cut her off.

"Are you sure, you might-"

"Hey."

    He did his best to give her a pleading look.

"Please?"

    In return, Asuriel sighed dramatically before softly whispering, "Alright."

    The hero closed the distanced between them and Asuriel met his advances by reciprocating the kiss. She could feel his strong arms pull her closer to him, and there was no where else in the world that she would rather be at.

    Fi was mentally shaking her head as they walked into the chamber that housed Din's Flame. Link had handed Asuriel's glove back to her and they were holding hands as they continued into the next room. The sword spirit hoped that he would see how much of a distraction he had allowed Asuriel to become. It was not Asuriel's fault that she liked Link, but Fi simply could not understand how she felt. The girl had been granted the capacity to love, a luxury not often bestowed to the servants of gods.

    When they exited the sanctuary, it was late in the afternoon. Both Asuriel and Link agreed that they should return to Skyloft since the volcano was a very uncomfortable place to sleep and there was no reason to stay. To celebrate the final upgrade of the Master Sword, Link flew Asuriel to the Lumpy Pumpkin where they enjoyed a bowl of warm soup. Later, when it grew dark, the hero brought her to the top of the waterfall, where they laid down next to each other and looked up at the stars. Asuriel could feel herself drifting to sleep as Link put an arm around her and was also soon asleep. But, although he rested deeply, his dreams were troubled.

   He was standing back in the Skyview Spring, facing the door. A bright light shone behind him, and when he turned around, he saw Zelda. She had her back to him and was looking down into the water in front of the seal.

"Link... Do you know what will happen if you do not let Asuriel go?"

"Let her go? I don't understand."

"I will tell you about her, and how Hylia chose her soulmate. When Hylia looked at a person, she was able to see farther than their appearance. She could learn things about their character; she could understand what that person was like. In choosing a partner for Asuriel, Hylia searched many souls until she found some that would suit Asuriel. There were two spirits, very different, yet both were good matches."

    Even as Link walked up beside Zelda and peered over to see her face, she kept her eyes trained on the still water of the spring.

"In the end, Hylia left the final decision up to her."

    Zelda was silent for a moment, as if trying to find the right words to say to her friend.

"Link... Asuriel's spirit chose Ghirahim. I don't understand how the threads of fate that connect the three of you could have been so easily tangled by circumstance, but it is imperative that things are set straight. That choice is a part of Asuriel, it became core piece of her being. Forsaking it would have disastrous consequences."

    Link felt a tear slip down his cheek and fall into the spring, creating a ripple in the otherwise still water.

"Do you know what you have to do, Link?"

    Asuriel woke before Link, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. The early morning light reflecting on the snow-white clouds tinted them with vibrant shades of pink and orange. Shifting slightly, Asuriel turned to lay against Link and rested one hand of his chest. She very much enjoyed mornings, and she was glad to spend one in peace with the person that she loved.

    The only thing that she missed was the sound of birds sweetly singing in the branches of the trees, but Link's steady, rhythmic breathing brought her the same comfort. Behind her, the flowing of the waterfall could be heard as the water cascaded from the small pool above to the lake below.

    Asuriel's attention was brought back to Link when suddenly jerked and woke up.

"Is everything alright, Link?"

"Um, yeah. There's just something I have to talk to you about."

"What's the matter?"

    They both sat up and Link rose, helping Asuriel up afterwards.

"I can't tell you here. Can we go to the Faron Woods?"

"Sure. Are you... okay? You look a pale, are you unwell?"

"No, can we just go, and then I promise I'll tell you."

"Very well."

    Link flew faster than his usual leisurely pace, clearly wanting to get to the woods as soon as possible. They landed on the viewing platform in the middle of the woods.

"What's going on, Link. Whatever it is, I'm sure we can get through it, together."

"That's just the thing, we can't."

"What do you mean? Of course we can."

"No, this was a mistake. We shouldn't be together."

"I don't understand. Why are you saying this now?"

"I didn't realize it before. Your soulmate is Ghirahim. Not matter how much we want to be together, no matter how much I love you, it's not meant to be. When you were created, your spirit chose Ghirahim. It's only because of these circumstances that you like me."

"But-"

"No, Asuriel. I'm sorry, but there is no alternative!"

    Link didn't mean to shout at her, but the words slipped out before he could stop them. The corners of the girl's eyes pricked with tears as she stepped back, going down a few stairs.

"Well, I guess I should, um... I should go."

    Her voice faltered at the last syllable as she turned and ran into the Deep Woods. Her legs carried her to the Skyview Spring where she collapsed on her knees in front of the seal, sobbing uncontrollably. The tears she shed blended with the waters of the spring as the morning slowly faded into afternoon, followed by evening, then nightfall. How could she have been so foolish to believe that she could ignore her fate. She had tried to take a different path, but that only ended in misery. An overwhelming feeling of loneliness swept over her. Link no longer could keep her company and she hadn't any idea where Ghirahim was. He was probably angry, and he should be; Asuriel realized that she had been absolutely terrible to him. He gave her beautiful presents, he provided her with meals, and he went out of his way to entertain her. Had she thanked him, even once? Asuriel was ashamed of the answer.

    If only there was some way to rewind and meet the demon lord again.

    Eventually, Asuriel got to her feet, knowing that she could not stay at the spring and cry forever. After all , she wasn't completely alone. She determined to travel to the Halls of Faron and stay with the dragon until she could figure out what to do about Ghirahim. Maybe there was a chance she could fix this; she could at least try.

    As usual, Faron's subjects welcomed Asuriel warmly and some came up to speak with her as she made her way to see the dragon. The parella were overjoyed to hear that she might be staying for an extended period of time and were already preparing her room by the time she reached her destination.

"Greetings, Asuriel. What brings you to my halls this night?"

"I... need your help. I'm afraid that I have made a grave mistake and I seek guidance, and a place to stay if you will have me."

"Dear child, of course you may stay. Tell me what has you so worried."

"Well," Asuriel removed her glove and held up her hand for the dragon to see, "you might want to sit down for this one."

    When Asuriel finished telling Faron everything that had happened between her, Link, and Ghirahim, the dragon assured her that she would not be forsaken for her mark or her actions.

"It may have come as a shock to me considering all I heard about you and Link, but I do not think any less of you. And you know that Link did the right thing, even if it caused much grief for both of you. Considering these circumstances, I do not know if you will be able to find love in your heart for Ghirahim."

"What?"

"However, that doesn't mean that we can't fix that. The two of you met under vastly different circumstances than was anticipated by Hylia. As much as dislike that demon, I know that forsaking your bond with him will eventually end in your destruction, due to the nature of the bond. I am willing to help you two, but only because I care about you."

"Then what can be done?"

"In order to help restore your bond, I will temporarily erase your memories of the past events since Hylia descended from the sky. I will not remove them, but I will conceal them deep within your mind until you are ready to remember them. This will allow you to meet Ghirahim again and establish the relationship you were supposed to."

"Are you sure I will be able to remember everything when you decide I'm ready?"

"Yes, you have nothing to fear."

"Then I agree to this. I trust you, Faron, and I thank you for your aid."

"I can't believe I'm going to help you get together with that obnoxious demon, but I will not go against the will of Hylia. Are you ready to get started?"

"Yes, I believe I am."

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    It had been three days since Asuriel began her stay with Faron. She helped the dragon much like how she used to work with Impa. The girl stayed in her usual room close to the southern entrance, waking just before dawn to begin her day of work. In the mornings, Asuriel would train in the art of magic with Faron. Together, they worked in strengthening her shield and quickening her reflexes. In the afternoon, the girl would help with smaller tasks such as gathering some of the native flora for food or even collecting plants from the forest for food or medicine.

    However, that day Asuriel had a different job. Due to the increasing numbers of monsters that had been mysteriously gathering in the forest, Faron concluded that it would be best to flood the woods to get rid of the infestation. It was Asuriel's job to warn the kikwi's and see them safely into the Great Tree with provisions for a few days before the flood that would occur that afternoon.

    She was very glad to spend time with her childhood friends, Oolo, Loopsa, Machi, Erla. It had been a while since she had an actual conversation with them, and it brought her peace to see them again.

"So, do you have any idea who it is?" Oolo, gestured to the black diamond pattern on the back of Asuriel's hand.

"No, unfortunately not. Faron says that I knew him, but something happened and she had to erase that part of my memory."

"Whoa, it must have been pretty terrible. But don't worry, I'm sure that you'll find him again."

"Indeed."

    She set down the basket of berries she had been carrying up the tree.

"This should be the last of the food. If you find there is a shortage, I will be able to go and enough to last you through this flood."

    The girl and the kikwi looked out on the woods.

"Remember when we used to play her when we were younger, Oolo?"

"How could I forget?"

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

"Found you!"

    A five year old Asuriel smiled brightly and pointed at the baby kikwi that was disguised as a blade of grass. Looking around at the exclamation, she got up and waddled over to Asuriel.

"Kwee, you found me again. You are good at this game."

"Thank you, Oolo. If you count to thirty, I'll go hide now."

    With that, she scampered off to find a place to hide, tripping a little over the long skirt of her dress as she went. Going from the entrance of the woods by the temple to the patch of grass in front of the Viewing Platform was not a short run for a child, but Asuriel managed to make it there just as the kikwi got to thirty. The girl just made it onto one of the lower platforms on the great tree before Oolo came into the clearing.

    Asuriel laid flat on her stomach and watched over the edge as the kikwi poked around the forest floor for signs of her playmate. Of course, she found none. The young girl giggled quietly to herself at her success as Oolo left to look in another part of the forest. Asuriel waited a few minutes, but with nothing to do, she quickly became bored and got up to follow the kikwi. When she turned around, she discovered that she was not alone. Behind her, arms crossed and eyes stern, Impa towered above her.

"There you are. It's time for your lessons today, she should have been back at the temple by now."

"I'm sorry, Impa. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

    The Sheika's expression softened and she knelt down to the girl's level.

"Are you ready to go now?"

"Okay."

    Impa straightened and took Asuriel's hand in her own.

"Impa... next time, could you play hide and seek with us?"

"Of course, Asuriel."

    The five-year-old smiled up at her and walked with her back to the temple after explaining to Oolo that she was late for her lessons. When Asuriel's younger guardian pushed open the doors to the temple, she was greeted by the smiling face of her mentor and teacher.

"Good afternoon, Lothsiriel. Did you have fun playing with Oolo?"

"Yes, I did. I won four games of hide and seek!"

    The girl held up four fingers to emphasize her number of wins.

"Tomorrow, Oolo is going to ask Machi to play, and Impa already agreed."

    The old woman laughed softly.

"Oh, did she? Well, she'll have a hard enough time finding you."

"Indeed. I'll leave her to you now."

    The younger Impa left, and Asuriel walked over to stand next to her older counterpart.

"Today, I am going to teach you a new bit of magic. Remember how we have been working on faire lights. Now that you have managed to keep your lit for extended periods of time, we will work on moving them around."

    Impa created a light and Asuriel followed suite. Asuriel's appeared silver while Impa's shone a bright blue.

"Now focus on your light and imagine that it is in your hands. Very gently, push it."

    Asuriel closed her eyes to concentrate and imagined her light in her hands. The image was shaky, but she could just make it. If only she could envision pushing it. Using mental commands to create magical outcomes was difficult, and before she could gather her thoughts into a coherent idea, her light dimmed and faded away.

"Don't worry, little one. This is a hard thing to learn. Try again."

    Asuriel worked on moving her faire lights or the next hour. Progress seemed to come slowly, but she was still developing skills at an incredible rate. When Impa returned with some wild berries for Asuriel, the young girl proudly showed off her new skill.

    After they had eaten, Impa led Asuriel to her room and let her change before tucking her into bed.

"Impa, can you tell me a story about the chosen hero of Hylia?"

"Of course, Lothsiriel.

    This is but one of the legends of which the people speak...

    Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace.

    But one day, a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself. With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom. But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand...

 ...a young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light.

    This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. The boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend... But then, a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom. The great evil that all thought had been forever sealed away by the hero once again crept forth from the depths of the earth, eager to resume its dark designs.

    The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them... But the hero did not appear. Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods. In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate.

    What became of that kingdom? None remain who know.

    The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind's breath. On a certain island, it became customary to garb boys in green when they came of age. Clothed in the green of fields, they aspired to find heroic blades and cast down evil. The elders wished only for the youths to know courage like the hero of legend."

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    Asuriel returned to Faron at noon to finish preparations for their stay in the Great Tree. The halls would be sealed off so they would not flood and the parella would not have to worry about things drifting into their homes, but the dragon did not want to leave the woods unsupervised in the more dangerous conditions. She and Asuriel would be staying high in the Great Tree until the woods were cleansed and everyone could return to their usual places. All the girl had to do was collect a few small items from her room that she would need before they continued. When she returned, Faron flew both of them to their places in the tree and proceeded to cause water to flow freely from the base of the tree, rapidly submerging the woods.

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"A report, Master. An unusual phenomenon is taking place in the Faron woods, making impossible to directly descend into them at the moment."

    Link landed in the Seal Grounds and sighed with frustration as he felt the familiar shaking of the ground as the Imprisoned again began to break free. If he had a rupee for every time it inconveniently interrupted his mission, he would have three rupees. The past three days had been hard enough for him as it was. Watching Asuriel run into the woods as he had to stand and watch nearly broke him. Even though Zelda assured him he did the right thing, he wished they could have parted in a better manner. The pumpkin soup for Levias took a long time to prepare due to the large amount that was needed, but the information about the Song of the Hero was well worth it.

    But, visiting Faron would have to wait until he could seal away the Imprisoned again. When the beast reared its head again, Link was ready to take it down! And, smash its toes. Groose even came up with quite a fitting name for it: Big Ugly.

    The Groosenator turned out to be useful for both launching bombs at the Imprisoned and catapulting Link into the Faron woods. He landed with a loud splash in the water.

    Wait, water?

    Since when were the woods flooded. Link swam towards the Great Tree and decided to see if he could find out what happened. As he drew closer, he could faintly hear the sound of someone singing. Not just anyone, but Asuriel. Her voice carried through the hollows of the Great Tree, clearer than the crystal water that covered the expanse of the forest.

    After speaking with the Kikwi Elder, Link swam to the base of the tree and followed the passages up until he came into a large room at its heart. The water there was deep, but a walkway ran through it, connecting two exits to the outside. In the very middle stood Asuriel. She was clothed in a long, blue gossamer dress. Her hair was braided around her head like a crown and held in place by a gold hairpin with a singular sapphire encrusted in it, bearing the symbol of the triforce of courage. Most importantly, she no longer wore the single white glove. As he approached, she stopped singing and looking over at him curiously. Before he could advance any further, there was a large splash as Faron leapt over the walkway and then emerged from the water again.

"Who dares to dip even a toe in my waters without my leave? Oh, I remember you. You're the young human who helped me recover from my injuries some time ago. Ah... Link, was it? Let's have a look at you... Yes, you seen a good deal stronger than the last time we met. And look at the sword. It's clear you have the spirit of the hero of the goddess. Let me guess... You swam all the way up here to try to get me to teach you the part of the Song of the Hero that the goddess entrusted to me? That's all well and good, but I can't go around giving away something that precious to every hero who flounder into my waters. No, I think that a final test is in order to ensure that you are in fact the one meant to hear this melody of mine."

    Asuriel had completed so much work, and nothing needed to be done. Faron would have to create a task since there was no other way that she could possibly tell if he was the hero. The glowing triforce on the back of his hand could be a tattoo for all she knew. But first, more monologuing.

"This may be news to you, but some very irksome monsters have been overrunning my woods of late. Well, I decided that I had enough! The easiest way to deal with the awful things was to flood the whole woods. As it happens, almost every inch of greenery in the area is submerged. So it's here, in this flooded land, that I will test you. If you're up to completing the task I ask of you, I see no reason why I shouldn't reward you with the melody you seek."

    The dragon nodded to Asuriel, who began to form a sparkling sphere of light that Faron sent up through the tree and split into eighteen parts, scattering them around the flooded woods. Link ran outside to the the arts fall lightly into the water around the tree.

"As you just saw, I have split the melody you seek among my many Tadtones and I have hidden them around the forest. If you haven't already guessed, Link, here's your task: take this score and collect all my little musical friends out there. You can use that score to figure out how many Tadtones are in each group. Find them, collect them, and bring them back to me. If you can do that, well, then I'll just have to see you as someone worthy of learning the Song of the Hero."

    Link glanced back at Asuriel for a moment before beginning his search. It had only been three days since they last saw each other, yet she was so composed. The sight of her had almost made him cry, yet she was unfazed. It was as if she had forgotten everything that happened between them.

"Who was that, Faron?"

"That young boy is Link, you knew him before."

"Really? He probably thinks I don't care about him now. Could you explain why I don't remember him, Faron?"

"Of course, Lothsiriel. I'll introduce you when he returns."

"Thank you."

"In the meantime, I would like you to continue practicing your singing."

    It was late in the evening when Link returned with all the Tadtones. He was soaked to the bone and had a nasty bruise on his forehead. Faron sang the melody as she promised and offered the boy a place to stay in the tree to rest before he left for the Lanayru Desert.

"Excuse me, Faron?"

"What is it, Link?"

"Why is Asuriel so... calm? Last time I saw her, she ran away crying."

"I know. She came to my halls in search of council and we agreed that she would stay with me for a time. However, in order to help restore her bond with Ghirahim, I needed to temporarily erase all of her memories pertaining to both you and him."

"So she doesn't recognize me at all?"

"No. I will restore those memories when she is able to handle them, but not now. And especially not when she will be in Lanayru."

"What do you mean? Why are you sending her there?"

"Because that's where you will be. Asuriel told me that, at the Gate of Time, Hylia ordered her to stay with you and help you. She cannot do that by remaining with me here in the forest."

"I remember that, but will she be alright?"

"She will be fine, but there is something that you need to be mindful of. You must ensure that there is not a repeat of what happened last time. You cannot let Asuriel fall for you a second time. Try to create opportunities for them to meet and see each other. I am aware that neither of us like him in the slightest, but we both care for Asuriel. The best way we can take care of her is by allowing this to happen."

"I understand..."

"Link, I know this will be difficult for you, but I trust that you will continue to do the right thing."

    The hero remained in the Great Tree for two more days before announcing that he would be leaving. When he went to go tell Asuriel, he found her easily. She was sitting on the edge of one of the platforms, letting her legs dangle over the edge while humming an ancient tune. A couple of Faron's Tadtones were floating around her, happily bobbing and spinning to the melody in each of their turns. He came up behind her and coughed quietly to alert her of his presence.

"I will be leaving for Lanayru in an hour."

"Alright, where should I meet you to leave?"

"By the bird statue."

"Very well, then."

    The girl rose and turned to leave.

"Asuriel... what were you doing?"

"Oh," she turned back around and motioned to the Tadtones that were following her, "I am teaching this group of Tadtones a new song. Why?"

"I was just curious. I'll see you in a hour."

    With that, Link turned and walked back into the tree. He did not see the girl until he came out to where the bird statue was and found her waiting for him. She had changed into a shin length, dark blue dress that matched her hairpin, completed with a dark brown braided belt. His eyes flickered down to her ungloved hand before looking away. Every time her saw that mark on her hand, he felt like he was being stabbed. But, he knew what he was doing was for the best.

    When they landed in the Lanayru Harbor, Link led Asuriel to the cave system where she and Ghirahim had first played their light games. After a few minutes of speaking to a Goron and looking around, he blew up a section of rock that was blocking the passage and proceeded through there. The skirt of Asuriel's dress blew to the side as they stepped into the open expanse of the Lanayru Gorge. The girl sat in the shade of a tall pile of rocks as Link searched the area for a key to a locked door that lay to their right.

    He was about to tell Asuriel to follow him as he opened the door, but then he remembered what Faron had said about allowing for opportunities, so he asked her to wait there until he returned. He only hoped that the demon would be able to hold back his 'burning wrath' long enough to understand what had happened.

    Asuriel sat with her back to the rocks as she watched the afternoon sun inch across the sky. She was thinking about using a little energy to create some Tadtones of her own when something caught her eye. A glimmer of red shone at the entrance to the caves. Asuriel got up and took a few steps towards it, but the light appeared to be no closer than before. She again moved forward, and this time, she could see the light move back. Suddenly, it disappeared, then reappeared further in the cave. Asuriel followed it until she was in a secluded section and the crimson light did not make a reappearance. There was a chiming sound that came from behind the girl that was quickly followed by a voice.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"Hello?"

    Asuriel turned around to find a very strange person leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"Can I help you?"

"Funny that you ask me that now."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

    The figure seemed stunned, caught between an expression of complete bewilderment and an attempt to make a response. He laughed coldly and stood up straight.

"Come now, you can stop playing with me. Don't you remember what I told you?"

"I'm afraid that I don't. Actually, I can't recall anything that happened for the past few weeks. Faron told me that she had to erase part of my memory, did I know you before?"

    If Ghirahim was at all confused, he hid it well.

"Since you don't remember me, allow my to introduce myself. I am Lord Ghirahim."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Ghirahim. Would it bother you if I introduced myself even if you already know my name?"

"Not at all."

"Well then, Lord Ghirahim, I am Asuriel."

"I am glad to make your acquaintance, Lady Asuriel"

    Bowing a gesturing dramatically, he kissed her hand and smiled up at her before straightening.

"There is no need to call me 'lady'. Asuriel will do just fine."

"Then I insist that you call me Ghirahim."

"Fair enough."

"So, Ghirahim, what brings you to Lanayru?"

"Important business. And, may I ask what beautiful maiden, such as yourself, is doing here all alone?"

"I did not come here alone, my companion is simply exploring another section of the desert."

"Really, and what is his purpose in coming here?"

"Well, he's-"

    She was cut off by the sound of Link calling her name.

"Asuriel!"

"Here, Link!"

    The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the cave for a moment until the young hero came into view.

"Greetings, Link."

    Ghirahim smiled placidly as Link stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of them. The demon lord did not waste time in making moves. Somewhere in their conversation, Asuriel and Ghirahim had drawn closer together and were holding hands, which surprised them both as well as Link.

"Ghirahim."

    Link acknowledged his presence, but it was all he could do to not grab Asuriel by the arm and drag her back to Skyloft.

"If you're ready, Asuriel, we will be continuing on, now."

"Of course, Link. Ghirahim, it was fun meeting you for a second time. I hope I'll be able to see you again soon."

"Of course, Asuriel."

    Link took her free hand and began pulling her towards the exit. As Asuriel looked back at Ghirahim one last time, he blew a kiss towards her, which she pretended to catch and smiled as she held to her chest.

    When she wasn't looking, Link turned his head and scowled and the demon lord, who smirked at him in return and playfully waved his hand in goodbye.

This was going to be fun.

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction

Updates Weekly (surprisingly)

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter nineteen:

Word count: 4542

    Link panted as he made his way back to the bird statue in front of the Ancient Cistern. Scrapper was close behind him, grumbling about how slow master short-pants was. For not having an actual mouth, that annoying piece of ancient machinery could sure talk a lot.

    The thought of seeing Asuriel and catching a break from Scrapper's nagging motivated the exhausted hero the rest of the way to the statue. Fate had apparently decided that Faron's trivial, time-consuming tasks, were not enough to delay him, for on the second day, hordes of monsters suddenly flooded the woods. Of course, he had to help, but it had taken hours to dispel the danger and he was forced to spend another night away from the girl.

    His loftwing flew with greater speed than usual towards Skyloft, sensing its rider's restlessness. When Link was over the Knight Academy, he leapt off and walked as fast as he could manage to his room, asking Scrapper to stay outside. However, when he opened the door to his room, he found that it was empty.

    Not only that, but Link noticed the change in his bedding. He did not recognize it from anywhere, but the events of the past few days were enough to tip him off. He frantically searched the room for the crimson blanket they had found the last stay. By the time he located it, the room looked as if it had been ransacked, but Link didn't care. Comparing the material of the blankets, he found them to be the same. He knew it!

    Adrenaline overpowered his exhaustion as Link bolted out of the academy. He had to make sure that Asuriel wasn't on Skyloft before he jumped to too many conclusions. After all, Ghirahim had never taken Asuriel far from Link, there was a good chance she was still around somewhere, but probably imprisoned. The most obvious place to look was the cave by the waterfall. He ran into it without a thought to what may be there, shouting Asuriel's name in hopes that she could hear him. That only attracted the attention of the monsters living in the cave, but the hero was not deterred by them and quickly emptied the cave of them.

    The next hour was spend running around Skyloft, asking people if they had seen her. After talking to many people, Strich revealed that he had intended to meet her in a pumpkin patch, but was somehow caught in the wrath of a terrifying demon. As soon as Link heard the word 'demon', he was on his way to the meeting place.

    The hero plowed through the patch like a bull in a china shop, smashing every pumpkin, yet couldn't find Asuriel anywhere.

"Master, I highly recommend that you take a moment to calm your mind. Your search may be easier if you were less panicked."

    Of course, Fi was right. Even though it pained Link, he stopped and waited until he had calmed down. He had searched almost everywhere on Skyloft, but there was one person who might be able to help.

    Link made his way down to Batreaux's house, hoping that the demon would have some knowledge of Asuriel's whereabouts. Upon walking in, he was shocked to see the winged demon in conversation with her!

"Asuriel!"

    Link immediately ran up to her and embraced her. She was safe.

"Good morning, Link. How was the Surface? Do you have the water basin?"

    Asuriel did not get a reply to her questions.

"Thank the goddess you were here the whole time. When I couldn't find you after checking the room, I thought you had been captured again."

"Oh..."

"Well," cut in Batreaux, "it seems that you two have some things to discuss. You might want to get going before Kukiel comes over or you won't be leaving until after lunch."

    Link nodded and led the girl back to the plaza, not letting go of her even once. The fly back to the Eldin Province was silent as they both thought about that morning. While Link reviewed the fact that he had again failed to keep Ghirahim away from Asuriel, she thought back to her conversation with Batreaux.

"Thank you for stopping by to visit me again."

"Of course, I enjoy visiting."

"However, I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be wanting to ask a question. Is something on your mind."

"Well, yes, in fact. It concerns... another demon and I was wondering if you could help."

Batreaux's usual polite smile vanished into a grim frown.

"I see. I'll tell you what I can, but not all demon's are the same, and I'm about the farthest thing from a proper example of one."

"Thank you."

    Asuriel began to explain her interactions with Ghirahim since she met him, only leaving out the part that they were soulmates. She hadn't told anyone before that they had kissed, and she felt some pressure leave her chest at finally saying it out loud.

"Do you have any idea what is going on, Batreaux?"

"Yes... I do, but I can't think of a reason why this is happening. For other demons, it might be normal, but not for Ghirahim."

"What is he doing?"

"All the signs point to it, the blankets, food, and attention... Asuriel, Ghirahim is trying to court you."

"Asuriel."

    The girl looked over to see that Link was watching her.

"I'm sorry for leaving you on Skyloft without any protection."

"Don't worry about it. I am not hurt and we are returning to the Eldin Province. Do not concern yourself with this matter anymore."

    Link nodded as they reached the red beacon in the sky and Scrapper raced down to the ground in a vain attempt to impress Fi. After arguing with Link for a few minutes, they began the hike up to the volcano summit. Link ran ahead to begin clearing the way as Asuriel waited behind with Scrapper. The robot had suggested that since he didn't think her capable of being any use to Link, and that she would only distract the hero from protecting him.

    Still, Asuriel had to jog just to keep up with Scrapper, to the robot's annoyance. He complained that she was still moving too slowly, especially while climbing up the steep, sand covered slopes. Link was just barely in sight, providing Asuriel with a little comfort as Scrapper continued to criticize her. The trip was going smoothly for the most part, except when the robot made a rather rude remark about the difference of colors in her eyes. Out of no where, a black dagger with a red gem set in the hilt hurled towards him and lodged itself in the side of his head. This caused Scrapper to yell up to Link about how incompetent he was as the girl removed the dagger and set it in her pocket. Sooner or later, she would see its owner and have a chance to return it.

    Finally, they reached the giant frog statue and Scrapper dropped the basin on it, effectively dousing the amphibian with water and extinguishing the flames. The robot then left again for the sky while Link and Asuriel descended the steps down into the Fire Sanctuary. When they entered, they found that the area was just as hot as the summit and that there was more lava.

    Link discovered that he was able to knock down pods hanging from odd plants to cause water to make a floating surface on the lava. The discovery became a great convenience as they used the tactic to get through a large portion of the sanctuary. Some relief was found from the scalding temperatures when the sanctuary opened up to reveal outdoor extensions. There, Asuriel managed to convince Link to rest for a bit, and it provided a decent place to spend the night.

    After a peaceful rest, the journey through the sanctuary went smoother. Even though many of the portions of it were dangerous, Link never left Asuriel alone. At least, not until he had to burrow underground. He told her that if she saw anything suspicious, yell for him to come back. It would at least notify Link if there was trouble.

    One particular time, Link was working on solving a puzzle when the strange metal contraptions that flanked the entrance trapped him inside. Ahead, he could hear what sounded like a giant insect crawling around. He didn't have room to use his sword, so the new mogma gloves would have to do. He was about to begin hunting the creature down when above him Asuriel shout his name.

"Link!"

"Asuriel!"

    The hero turned around as fast as he could and bolted forward, forgetting about the interlocking iron spikes that blocked his way and ramming into them.

"Asuriel!"

    He called out again, banging his fists against the block in a vain attempt to break through. Nothing worked. There was only one solution: he would have to kill whatever was in the tunnel with him, and he would have to do it quickly.

    Meanwhile, Asuriel panicked as she again her the metallic chime of diamonds as Ghirahim teleported. It was that sound that had alerted her to his presence. She spun around to face the direction of the noise, only to see nothing but empty air. She heard a quiet chuckle behind her, but again she saw nothing. This was the exact same thing that he had done when she had stayed with him in the hidden castle in Faron. Well, she was not about to let him have the satisfaction of  frightening her.

    Crossing her arms, she stopped paying attention to the disembodied laughs and chimes. Until her grabbed her shoulders... and then she screamed.

    Ghirahim laughed as he teleported away before Asuriel could see him. True, he didn't intend to make an appearance to her until later, but he needed a break from his work and couldn't resist teasing her just a little. He had been extremely busy between looking for clues leading to the whereabouts of the second Gate of Time and making sure Asuriel was well cared for. As much as he needed to focus on the revival of his master, he just couldn't bear to leave his girl with that reckless Skychild. But, they would meet up soon enough.

     Link resurfaced to find Asuriel backed into a corner, frantically looking around for an unseen assailant. Immediately, he rushed to her side.

"Asuriel, is everything alright?"

"I think so. I'm not hurt at all."

    The hero breathed a sigh of relief. Not that she was safe, but that she was still there. Now, more than every, he feared that the demon would snatch her away when he wasn't looking. Even before then, they had been separated many times, it made Link uneasy to leave her by herself for a few minutes.

    After a while, they emerged outside onto a balcony with stair leading down off to the side. Once completely down the stairs, they saw three tall statues at the mouth of a river of lava. At the sounding of a bokoblin horn, Link instructed Asuriel to duck behind the railing of the stairs until he had dealt with the creatures. Archers pelted him with arrows, yet he easily dodged them and returned fire, aiming perfectly each time. He was getting good at being a hero.

    When he had taken care of the fourth archer, he called for Asuriel to come over to him so that they could cross the stream of lava together. What Link had failed to notice was the Cursed Spume that was lurking in the corner of the lava pool. Asuriel heard the creature and turned to face it just in time for a shower of dark energy hit her in the chest.

    She stumbled back and collapsed to the ground, barely conscious. Link was at her side in an instant, panicking as Asuriel's body twitched and shuddered uncontrollably.

"Fi, what should I do?!"

    The blue sword spirit gracefully appeared in front of Link and floated above the girl, looking down at her with a neutral expression.

"I am afraid that there is nothing that you can do, Master Link. But, do not fear for her safety. It is likely that Asuriel is experiencing more severe side effects than you had because she is a creation of the goddess, however she will not retain any permanent harm."

    Link paused a moment.

"So, is she in danger?"

"No, just in pain. I believe the feeling is akin to your skin coming into direct contact with lava."

    Link inwardly cursed himself.

"I should have been more careful! If I had only taken a second to look around, she wouldn't be hurting like this."

    Fi chose to return to the sword instead of reply, confirming Link's feelings of guilt. Just moments before, he had been patting himself on the back for being vigilant and taking care of her. Now, he felt completely humbled.

    A dark aura seemed to surrounded the girl for a few minutes before thinning and disappearing entirely. She didn't open her eyes, but Link got the impression that she was sleeping instead of in immense pain. Being as careful as possible, her picked her up and continued on through the sanctuary, hoping to find a cooler place to let her recover.

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    Fire. It felt like she was on fire. As if the lava that flowed among the rocks was coursing through her veins, flooding every inch of her body with its maddening burning. Her consciousness hung on by a thread, yet the curse that hit her forbade her to slip into the peace of sleep. Link's voice sounded very far away as she lost control of her movements, barely aware of the jerking motions caused by the curse. Within a few minutes, the fire slowly seeped from her body, leaving her limp as she finally slipped into soothing state of rest.

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         The young hero breathed a sigh of relief when he emerged from the underground tunnel. He was drenched in sweat and covered in dirt, two things that most certainly did not mix well together. Regrettably, he had had to leave Asuriel by herself as he traveled underground to unclog a stream of lava, but when he returned, nothing appeared to have disturbed her. She was still fast asleep, leaving Link to wonder when she would wake up.

    In his mind, he thanked the goddess for creating the girl to be so light, otherwise carrying her through the sanctuary would be a lot more difficult and taxing.

    Now that the lava was flowing smoothly, he could float farther down to the next part of the temple. Resting Asuriel on a few of the steps, Link drew his bow and shot down the two Cursed Spumes that waited in the lava for an unsuspecting victim. Hopping onto the makeshift lava raft, the boy scanned the sky to estimate the time before the sun set. From the look of it, night was not far.

    The next section of the sanctuary revealed a cross section of exploring possibilities. To the left was a giant door with a massive key hole. To the right, a walkway leading to two drop-offs over lava. At set of stairs going down, closing followed by another rising back up, lay in front of him. A stone tablet stood in front of the left path, reading, "The bridge of decision... Choose the path you believe in... Move forward bravely."

    He was definitely going to wait for Asuriel to wake up before "making his decision", whatever that meant. But, that would most likely mean waiting until dawn, due to the fact that there were iron bars across the door in front of him.

    Selecting a section of the wall to the right of the massive doors, he did his best to set Asuriel in a comfortable position. He would have brought blankets from skyloft to at least provide a softer surface upon which to lay, but being so close to the lava, they would quickly overheat.

    Link reached into his adventure pouch and pulled out a bottle of pumpkin soup he had been saving. Due the the heat of the volcano, it was very warm, but he almost wished that it was cold just to have a slight difference in temperature. Although he was famished, Link left some of the food for Asuriel when she woke up. The girl would undoubtedly be hungry once awake.

    After finishing eating, Link lay down next to Asuriel, providing a little support to her as she  leaned against the wall. As he drifted off to sleep, he could just feel her head come to rest on his shoulder. If the fate of the world didn't rest on them getting to Din's Flame, it would have been romantic.

    Ghirahim scowled as he came back to check on his girl to see her and that brat asleep next to each other. Although he still had some important thinking to do about the second Gate of Time, the demon approached them and crouched down in front of Asuriel.

    He could not find the words to describe the frustration he had experienced when he decided to check up on them before, only to see Skychild carrying his soulmate around while she lay unconscious in his arms. The next time her spoke to that boy, they would have a small chat about what it meant to keep someone safe.

    For now, he would simply make sure that Asuriel wasn't hurt. Her pulse was normal and her breathing was at an average rate for sleep. There was no physical evidence of injury, causing Ghirahim to wonder what exactly happened. His thoughts about confronting Skychild trailed off as he found himself staring at her peaceful face. That same smile that graced her features as she slept in Skyloft rested gently on her lips again.

    Before leaving, the demon set a kiss against the girl's forehead and brushed a few pieces of her out of her face. Most likely, they would be seeing each other again very soon.

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

    Link stretched and cracked his back as the sun peaked out from the horizon. He was very stiff from sleeping against the hard stone, but the motion helped a little. Beside him, Asuriel was also waking up and stretching. After a yawn, she turned to ask him a question.

"What happened?"

"Well, I didn't see the spume that was in the lava, so you got hit by its attack. You seemed to be okay after a few minutes, so I carried you as I continued through the sanctuary. It got dark, so I decided to stop for that day, and now it is time to begin again."

"I'm sorry for being a burden to you, Link. I didn't mean to walk right into that creature's attack."

"It's not your fault, Asuriel, I should have seen it. Either way, you are okay now."

"Yes, now let's get going, we should be able to reach the flame today."

    Link showed Asuriel the riddle on the stone and they eventually reached the decision that he would jump to the left. Taking a deep breath, Link leapt off the ledge and plummeted towards the lava. Fortunately, it appeared that they chose wisely, for a magical barrier appeared and caused Link to slide into the statue he had jumped in front of. Asuriel breathed a sigh of relief as he remained safe and waited, as they had agreed she would, by the loftwing statue.

    No more than thirty minutes had gone by before Link appeared at the door that had previously been barred. He triumphantly held up the strangely shaped key and ran over to Asuriel.

"I got it! Now, we can finally finish this and get out of here."

"Yes, it is quite hot. Is your arm alright? It's bleeding!"

"Yeah, there were just some lizalfos back there, but I took care of them."

"At least let me heal this for you before we move on."

    Asuriel gently took Link's arm in her hands and healed the scrapes and burns left by the monsters.

"There, does that feel better."

"Yes, thank you. Now, let's go."

    With a little maneuvering, the key slid into the lock and the giant doors swung open with a creak. As their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw before them a figure in a red cape with his back towards them.

    It had been a few days since Asuriel had last seen Ghirahim, although he had been watching her for a rather large portion of the time. The girl felt slightly anxious at the anticipation of what the Demon Lord may do, considering he acted unpredictably without reason or provocative.

    After a moment, Ghirahim turned towards them with a mischievous smile.

"...Oh hello there, Link. I see you're still among the living. Fancy meeting you here."

    One thing that had always confused Asuriel was that, when the demon was speaking to Link, he often ignored her. It was quite puzzling for her, yet he continued to do it, even when he had very much reason to be angry with both of them.

"We seem to bump into each other time and time again. Oh, it's no coincidence though, is it? You and I, we're bound by a thread of fate."

    As he said that, he blew a kiss in Asuriel's direction. So he wasn't completely ignoring her after all. Flicking his hair out of his face, Ghirahim continued, spreading out his arms in a dramatic flourish as the paintings high up on the walls were suddenly illuminated.

"Look at these old drawings!"

    Link and Asuriel shared concerned glances as they collectively wondered what this would lead to.

"Until I found these, I was... upset about that little stunt the goddess' guard dog pulled at the Gate of Time. What was that twigs' name again? Impa? Well, never mind that, because these drawing suggest the existence of a second Gate of Time. This news has just filled my heart with rainbows!"

    Asuriel wasn't sure if she should be absolutely terrified deeply concerned.

"I've been a busy boy, searching here and there and everywhere for another Gate of Time."

    In a flash of diamonds, the demon disappeared, but quickly reappeared to the left, dramatically lowering his hands and shaking his head.

"And yet, I couldn't even find a single clue. Since I know I can be honest with you, I'll admit I got a little sulky. It was frowns all around."

    He vanished again, materializing on the ledge in between the two paintings, theatrically moving his arms and partially turning to the side.

"The thought of never getting my hands on that darling young girl again was.. well, more than I could bear. But then..."

    Both Asuriel and Link stared in shock as he leapt off the ledge and landed on the ground rolling behind them. The girl tensed as she felt his arms wrap around her.

"Then I found this place! And the prospect of a second Gate of Time has made me positively giggly!"

    Before Link could react, he had teleported to the other side of the room, with Asuriel.

"That girl... your adorable friend... She will be instrumental in bringing about the revival of my master. And though I feared she was now quite beyond my reach, I despair no longer!"

    He paused, as if expecting to get a response out of Link.

"Of course, that put aside, I still have some... things I would like to discuss with you. You see, when Asuriel here showed you her mark that one night, I thought for sure that you would put an end to your frivolous fantasy about being with her. Of course, I once again underestimated your stubbornness to accept reality. Do you really think that your goddess will take lightly to your dissatisfaction with this arrangement?"

    He raised his voice at the end of the sentence as his grip tightened, and the air seemed to quiver with his unspoken rage.

"And, since we all are in on this little predicament of yours, Asuriel, there's really no reason for this!"

    With one fluid motion, Ghirahim snatched the glove off of her hand and cast it aside, revealing the black lines that danced across the back of her hand. He seemed to regain his composure after seeing the mark, for he once again changed the topic. His hold on Asuriel shifted as he held her against himself with one arm, leaving his left hand free.

"But before we talk any further on that subject, there's still the outstanding matter of your punishment, Link. Do you remember when I told you that the next time we met, I would make your ears bleed from the sound of your own screams? Well, I've been thinking, perhaps corporal punishment is a touch harsh. I might be willing to forgive and forget if you'll strike a deal."

    He turned towards Link and extended his hand, as if knowledge was a tangible thing that could be handed from one person to another.

"...All I ask is that you tell me where I can find the other Gate of Time. That's not too much to ask, is it? Oh, and don't you play coy with me. I know that you you, so why not let me in on the fun?"

    Link glared at Ghirahim and raised his sword, getting into a fighting stance. The demon frowned and pushed Asuriel behind him.

"Such behavior. A mischievous boy like you needs to be dealt with firmly. I must warn you, I won't go easy on you this time."

    Raising his arms, Ghirahim stared at them with admiration. With a snap, the gloves disappeared.

"Lovely, aren't they? You'll find the supple skin of my arms tougher than any armor. Doesn't their shape just leave you... breathless?

Behold!

Such beauty!

Such a pure form!

Such an exquisite physique!

Such stunning features!

Yes, I've pretty much got it all. Though there is one teensy tiny thing I lack... Namely, mercy. Come to me, Link. You and I are bound by that thread of fate. Destined to fight. And, as much as I'm sure you enjoyed the girl's interference in your previous battles, I will not allow her to interrupt us this time."

    Snapping his fingers, a barrier of diamond appeared around Asuriel, confining her to a space small enough to barely be able to lie down in.

"So come close, Link! Meet me in battle, and the thread of fate that binds us will be soaked crimson with your blood!"

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

    So, um, yeah it's been a while. The last update was April 30th, so it's been almost a month. Basically, I had a ton of school to do, and afterwards I felt incredibly burnt out to the point where I didn't even try to write anything for two weeks. That wasn't fun, but by then I had gotten out of the habit of writing enough to publish each week, so I had to get back into doing that. Then writer's block hit and I was uninspired again. These past two days, I FINALLY got my act together and wrote a sizable chapter. And that's what happened. Usually, I would have split this chapter into two or three parts, but I decided that you all deserved a longer chapter because I made you wait almost a month.

    If you haven't already, please consider going through the review questions I compiled about the story so far, I would really appreciate it.

Review Questions

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate Review Questions

This is exactly what the title says. I thought it would be fun to ask my audience eleven questions about different parts of the story. Please comment your answers or type them up and send them to me in a question or private message.

Or, here is a link to the Chapter Archive if you are interested in reading it.

1.First of all, how easy is the story to read based on grammar and vocabulary?

2. Do the occurrences in the plot make sense? Is it too predictable or spontaneous?

3. Please name one occurrence in the book where you did not expect what was going to happen. 4. Are there any points in the book so far that you do not understand or were not resolved?

5. Would you agree that Asuriel's character changed from a Mary Sue to a more normal person as the story progressed?

6. Do you think that Ghirahim has had a bad influence on Asuriel? If yes, then how so? 7.  Through the course of the story, has Asuriel's character stayed consistent even as it developed? 8. If it was up to Asuriel, do you think she would choose Link or Ghirahim?

9. What has been your favorite moment in the story?

10. If you were in Asuriel's position, what would you have done differently?

11. One more question, just for fun... From writing style, author's notes, or wild guesses, how much do you think Asuriel and I are alike? Thank you for your time and input!

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction

Updates Weekly

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter eighteen:

Word count: 5542

    Asuriel woke as the light of dawn shone through the glittering water of the small spring. The unusual sight stood out like a rose among thorns, distinct from the land around it. Already, she could feel the heat from the sun combined with the warmth emanating from the volcano at her back. Even though it was not as stifling as the atmosphere inside the volcano summit, it still made the water look very enticing. Stretching, Asuriel ignored the stiffness in her bones created by sleeping against hard rock and moved next to the spring.

    She dipped her hand into the crystal waters and found it pleasantly cool. The girl glanced over at Link, who still lay asleep against the wall. She would have to wake him so they could continue, even though she would rather stay out of the extreme heat. Asuriel scooted to where Link lay and pulled an empty bottle out of her adventure pouch. After collecting a bit of the cool water, she replaced the bottle where it belonged and moved to wake Link. A little bit of water would be refreshing while exploring a burning volcano, hopefully it would stay cool.

    Nudging the sleeping hero, she gently woke him up.

"Good morning, Link. Are you ready to keep going?"

    The boy huffed and rolled over, mumbling something about sleeping five more minutes. Asuriel lightly shook him and called his name. The only response was a semi-coherent grunt, so she shook his shoulders a little harder.

"Link!"

    The girl rose and grabbed his hand, attempting to pull him up into a sitting position. Link easily swatted her away and continued his effort to sleep. Next, Asuriel tried dragging him by his foot, but she was forced to retreat when Link kicked his foot free. Obviously, Link did not intend to get up whilst he could lay comfortably against a warm wall. Thinking of a way to counteract that, Asuriel walked back to the spring and scooped up some of the cool water in her cupped hands. Quickly returning to Link's side before she lost too much water, she separated her hands, causing the water to splash across his face.

    He immediately shot into a sitting position, spluttering and wiping his face.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!"

    Link rose to his feet and stretched before offering his hand to Asuriel. With a smile, she placed her hand in his and they entered back into the Volcano Summit. A short path led them up a small slope and through a dark tunnel. At the other side an interesting sight met them. In front of them under an archway, a wall of flames blocked passage. To the right was a statue of a frog mounted on the wall and to the left was a goron. A tablet beside the stairs before the frog read:

Quench my thirst to clear your path.

    Asuriel climbed the few steps and inspected the statue, repeating parts of the writing to herself.

"Quench my thirst, quench my thirst, quench my thirst..."

    She looked up and accidentally bumped into the tongue of the statue.

"What an odd position in which to put a frog... wait."

    Turning back to Link, she called him up to her.

"Link, look in your pouch, there should be a bottle of water."

    Slightly confused, the boy reached into the pack and removed his previously empty bottle.

"How did you know that there would be water in this? I thought it was empty."

"When I woke up, I filled it with some water from the spring so you could have something to drink, but I suppose that we will be using it for a different purpose."

"Thank you, that was really nice."

    Asuriel took the bottle from Link and turned away so he couldn't see the blush that had spread across her face. She uncorked the container and tipped it slightly to let a few drips of water fall onto the tongue of the frog. She did so in the hopes that there might be some left for Link, but it appeared that the statue would accept no less than the entire content of the bottle to be satisfied. Reluctantly, Asuriel tipped the bottle, allowing the remainder of the water to flow out.

    The eyes of the statue turned from red to blue, and it let out a strange sound as the mouth closed and the flames blocking the pathway were extinguished. The goron eagerly ran through with a happy exclamation and Link and Asuriel followed him. They were met with another of the odd frogs, but they had no more water and so they were forced to return to the spring. Thankfully the walk was not long and they returned shortly. However, as Asuriel approached to pour the water again, she realized that the stairs were broken off from the statue.

"Link, I am not able to reach it. Can you try?"

"I don't think that I will be able to either. But, I do have a idea if you are willing to try."

    Link stood before the frog and instructed the girl to stand in front of himself with her back to him. Carefully, he lifted her and placed her on his shoulder. That part was done very easily because Asuriel, as stated before, weighed about as much as a flower. While she emptied the bottle into the frog's mouth, she hoped that Link would think her face was red due to the extreme temperature and not because of that fact that she was seated on his shoulder.

    Again, the fire dissipated and they were allowed to pass through. They came out outside onto some sort of balcony with stairs leading down to what looked like a palace. They subconsciously held hands as they moved towards it, gazing in awe at the giant frog statue that rested above the archway, which was blocked by fire.

"Um, Link... I don't think that the bottle will hold enough water this time."

"Yeah, we're going to need a much bigger container."

    There was a pause.

"I know where we can get one! When Faron was healing, she rested in a basin of sacred water. She has immediate use for it, I am sure that she would not mind us borrowing it."

"Great idea, all we have to do is find a way to transport it."

"I can't wait to see Faron again, I wasn't able to say goodbye."

"Oh, actually..."

"What is it?"

"I think it would be better if you didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Won't Faron be curious about your mark?"

"Oh, that is right. You are correct when you suggest that it would be unwise for me to go, but I cannot stay here by myself. Could you take me to Skyloft?"

"I think that's a great idea, come on!"

    The two were lifted into the sky and flew to the far side of the floating island by the entrance to the waterfall.

"Promise me that you will be back soon, Link."

"I don't know if I will, Faron usually has me do something crazy before she helps me with anything. I could be gone for a couple hours or a few days. If I am gone for longer, you can sleep in my room. Feel free to make use of the washroom if you want to."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be back."

    Link leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Asuriel's lips.

"Take care of yourself for me."

    With that, Link dove off the platform and flew down towards the surface. Sighing to herself, the girl crossed over the large stones that led to the main land and made her way to the academy. Link's room looked exactly like how they had left it, which was incredibly messy. After all, they had left in great haste for the Eldin Province, and the room looked like it had been ransacked when they gather the materials that they needed. Asuriel decided that she might as well do something useful, so she started cleaning.

    She had no idea how Link organized his belongings, but from the looks of it, he didn't at all. The items in his cabinet were put in random places and stacked precariously atop each other. Some things on his desk were blanketed with a thick layer of dust, which made her sneeze. Needless to say, Asuriel had her work cut out for her.

    The first order of business was to remove everything from the cabinet and dust it thoroughly. Then, the items would be put back in a much nicer way that would make them more convenient to access. Next came the desk, then the bed. By the time Asuriel finished cleaning the room to perfection, night had already fallen. She was tired, hungry, and covered in dust, but she ultimately decided to take a nice relaxing bath.

    As quiet as a mouse, she entered the washroom and locked the door behind her. After getting undressed, she tentatively dipped a toe in the water. It was pleasantly warm, so she happily climbed in. It felt off for her to bath in such a confined space. She was used to large pools, sometimes miniature waterfalls, and even the Skyview Spring. Still, she was able to relax and wash away the layers of filth that she had gathered both from the volcano and cleaning. Closing her eyes, Asuriel felt a temporary relief from all the stress of getting her mark, avoiding Impa, and exploring the volcano.

    After an hour, she exited the bath and wrapped herself in her towel. She was about to change back into her clothes when she noticed that they had seemingly disappeared. Confused, she combed the room in hopes that she carelessly replaced them, but there was no sign of the garments. Sighing in defeat, Asuriel decided that she would have to find something to wear in Link's room. There was an old academy outfit, even though it was too big for her, it was better than nothing.

    Asuriel poked her head through the door, checking to make sure no one was in the hall before dashing to Link's room. Although she had a towel, she didn't favor meeting up with anyone with so little and unmodest covering. Entering the room, she lit the small lamp that hung on the wall beside the door to give the room a little more light. She would have gone over to the cabinet and taken some of the clothing from the bottoms drawers, but a glimpse of white on the bed caught her attention. Laid out on the bed was an elegant, lace nightgown. A small, white underdress accompanied the lace gown that would reach down to Asuriel's ankles. She was so surprised, she almost dropped her towel.

    The nightgown was beautiful and would most likely fit her perfectly. However, there was no use denying where it came from. Ghirahim had paid a visit and apparently decided to bestow a new nightgown upon Asuriel. She was quite puzzled by his interest in giving her things, especially after the last few nights. The best thing she could presently do was put on the garment. If she didn't, it would be as if she rejected the gift, which might arouse the demon's temper. So, with very little hesitation, she quickly put on the nightgown and put her wet hair back in a braid.

    Somehow, the clothing Ghirahim gave Asuriel fit her better than the things that she herself had made by hand to perfectly fit her. Admittedly, the underdress was more form-fitting than her typical outfit; it created a more defined outline of her figure. The material itself was also very fine and incredibly soft.

    Asuriel's stomach growled embarrassingly loud, reminding her that she had neglected to eat all day. Still, it would be severely impolite to intrude upon anyone's rest to get a meal, so she would simply have to wait until morning. She walked over to the lamp and put it out, so that only the outlines of the things in the room were visible. Not wanted to disturb the covers too much, the girl rested atop the blankets and effortless drifted into a peaceful sleep.

    When Asuriel woke up, she immediately felt the urge to stay in bed all day. Had it not been for the fact that she explicitly remembered sleeping on top of the rather rough covers of a bed with an old, dense mattress. However, she found herself waking up under soft, smooth sheets on a mattress as light as air, accompanied with delicate, feathery pillows. These things were easily identifiable, for she had only felt them the time she had stayed with Ghirahim. Asuriel might have been appreciative of a new nightgown, but replacing the entire bed set and mattress was causing her suspicion to rise dramatically.

    She could only guess at the demon's intentions for providing her with these simple luxuries, most likely something self-serving. And yet, a part of Asuriel wanted to believe that there was some good in him, but that concept was trite and often untrue.

    To add to her confusion, there was a rather gourmet breakfast set out on the newly-cleaned desk. Sleepily, Asuriel sat up and stretched before getting out of bed. The food smelled too good to investigate and looked too delicious to not eat.

    After a wonderful breakfast, Asuriel decided to take a walk around Skyloft. She was an adult now, after all, so she was capable of taking care of herself and making her own decisions. Before she went out, she had to change out of the nightgown. Thankfully, her clothes had been returned, and all the soot and dirt collected from the volcano had been removed. The morning air was cool and crisp, and a walk to the plaza proved to be very refreshing. While she was looking around, she spotted the little girl she had seen before, Kukiel. The young child must have recognized Asuriel as well, for she ran towards her as soon as she saw her.

"You're the pretty lady that was with Link! I'm so happy you came back!"

"It's good to see you as well, Kukiel. I'm very happy to visit Skyloft again."

"Mommy says that she will catch butterflies with me later, but I want to do it now."

    That gave Asuriel an idea.

"Kukiel, watch this."

    Using a little bit of magic, she created butterflies that were made of woven strands of light. The little girl screamed with delight and jumped around, trying to catch one in her palm. Asuriel directed on of them to land on the tip of Kukiel's nose, causing the child to become still and smile broadly at the butterfly. Asuriel caused another of them to land on her finger. Kukiel followed her example and soon the butterfly flitted from her nose to her finger.

"I'm going to show mommy what I caught! Bye pretty lady!"

    Kukiel skipped away to find her mother and Asuriel smiled as she continued her walk. Next, she decided to visit the bazaar. Stepping into the structure, she could not help but feel slightly overwhelmed. Without Link, Asuriel found herself surrounded by strange people in a place that was unfamiliar to her. She had no guide to show her around and introduce her to new people, this would truly be a test of her social ability.

    Unfortunately, Asuriel found that some of the salespersons were a little overzealous, eagerly calling out for her attention. Apparently, seeing a new face was a rarity, so those who sold goods, even ones who were generally calm, bored, or reserved, became overtly extraverted and pompous. The unfamiliar setting combined with the noise of venders shouting for her attention and the prospect of meeting many new people at once proved to be too much for Asuriel. She reacted on instinct and quickly exited the bazaar, desperate to get away from the unwanted attention.

    As she emerged from the bazaar in a rush, she ran into an individual who had been observing a Skyloft Mantis that was perched on a blade of grass. Thankfully for that particular individual, Asuriel's force came mainly from acceleration and not mass, so she only caused him to stumble. The girl on the other hand practically bounced off of the him and landed on her back. At this point, she was quite embarrassed about her flight from the bazaar and then running into a stranger. The person stood before her and offered his hand to help her up, which she accepted.

"I am sorry for bumping into you, I should have been observing more of my surroundings, especially while running."

"No worries, I was only watching this mantis. Would you like to see?"

"Yes, that would be nice."

    Asuriel crouched down beside the boy and watched as the bug began moving towards a tree.

"I've never seen an insect like this one before, are there many here?"

    The boy chuckled.

"I guess you you're not from Skyloft, then. These are really common here."

"You are correct when you say that I am not from Skyloft, and I will only be here a short while longer before I must leave."

"It's a shame that you can't stay for longer..."

"Indeed."

"I'm Strich, by the way."

"My name is Asuriel. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, same here."

    Asuriel turned to get her first good look at him. He had bright blonde hair, almost like Zelda. He was very tall and looked like he had originally been at a normal hight but was elongated. He was looking away and rubbing the back of his neck with one hand while a faint tint of pink dusted his cheeks.

"Anyway, it's almost time for my breakfast. I'll see you around."

    He departed in an awkward, hurried fashion, leaving Asuriel to wonder if she had somehow offended him. She might have been oblivious to the signs of nervous fidgeting and faint blushes, but a certain white-haired spectator was not. The thought of yet another skychild taking an interest in his soulmate was quite disagreeable, but nothing to get worried over. Ghirahim was far superior to all of them, and Asuriel would still belong to him when the day of his master's resurrection came.

    If he was being honest with himself, it would have been that way no matter who her soulmate was. Hylia had just played into his hand when she created the girl, otherwise he would have asked his master for her as a trophy. It seemed that Asuriel's fate was in everyones' hands but her own, and now even the goddess could not claim ownership of her. Although it sounded cruel, it was not a loss for the girl. She was in the best care imaginable, her soulmate was the right hand of Demise, and their victory was imminent.

    Ah, but if the demon lord basked too much in his future glory, he would end up neglecting the present, and Asuriel. He had been working to accustom her subconscious to his presence. Even if she couldn't see him, he had made himself abundantly known, and part of her knew that he was always watching, even if she never acknowledged it. The moment she fully pushed him away and attempted to separate herself from him, she would feel crushing loneliness. He was already teaching her to anticipate his watchful eye and rely on him, for Asuriel had left herself very vulnerable at that particular point.

    It was actually quite unfortunate for the young hero. Whenever she was with him, something bad happened. She was captured, hurt, and ultimately, rescued by Ghirahim. During her stay at Skyloft, Link had practically abandoned her on the island with only a place to stay. No time for anticipated time for return, no means to get food, no proper care for her like she deserved. Ghirahim could offer much more.

    Asuriel spent the rest of the morning exploring Skyloft on her own, or so it appeared, until she decided to return to Link's room. She had no idea what she would do for food, but Strich had mentioned that he was eating breakfast at the Knight Academy. Perhaps they would have lunch there too, and Asuriel might be able to do a bit of work in exchange for something to eat. The smell of food in the building was alluring, but Asuriel decided to make sure she looked presentable before asking for food. When she entered the room, she saw that a lunch had already been set on the desk.

    The food was much too nice to be made in large amounts for students of an academy, so Asuriel concluded that it must have been from Ghirahim. Besides, she was pretty sure only of person would be in possession of glass plates inlayed with golden diamond designs. However, it was not the plates that interested her, but the food that was on them. They were all things that she had eaten in the Faron woods. Assortments of berries, nuts, and herbs were carefully arranged, and o her surprise, she was not even wary of eating the food.

    After finishing off what turned out a to be a delicious meal, Asuriel walked over to the graveyard to pay a visit to Batreaux. The winged demon was happy to have a visitor and eagerly invited Asuriel into his home.

"How have you been, Batreaux?"

"Very well. Kukiel comes to see me often, and she is such a sweet guest to have."

"Yes, I saw her earlier today, she really loves butterflies."

"Yes, sometimes she brings them down to show me. It seems as if everything is at peace with her."

    Asuriel remained there for a time, making idle conversation with the demon until he remarked that the sky was darkening was night fell and that she should try to avoid being outside at night. The air was much crisper as the girl made her way back to the Academy. She had lost track of time, and not even her stomach had reminded her of how late the day had gotten. As she anticipated, her dinner was waiting for her on the writing desk. Having nothing else to do after eating, Asuriel decided to change into the white nightgown and go to bed.

    Although she rarely had issues with sleeping, she felt rather restless. In fact, as her mind processed the events of the day, she felt less and less able to fall asleep. Fresh air was usually a great remedy to sleepless nights; a long walk would help her.

    Under the cover of darkness, Asuriel made her way to the waterfall cave. The chuchus and keese that resided in the cave did not disturb her, although she still did her best to distance herself from them. Upon reaching a more open space in the cave, she sat down on a raised portion of rock. Shallow pools of water were scattered around and some stalagmites lay in groups, rising past her height. The atmosphere was still and quiet, encouraging a contemplative demeanor. A frown settled across the girl's face as she began considering how she was going to work everything out. Her attention was drawn back to the present when a floating orb of crimson light appeared hovering in front of her. She stared at it for a moment before it dropped to the ground and bounced back up, now as two balls of light.

    Tentatively, she used a little magic to push them to the wall opposite of her. They did not reach it, but were instead pushed back a little more forcefully towards Asuriel. She rose and stood with a wall to her back and sent the two lights in different directions, one bouncing off of the ceiling, the other off of the stalagmite. Another push sent them against the opposite wall.

    The game quickly picked up speed, and soon silver and golden orbs were being launched around the room in clusters. The lights multiplied, creating more chaos and the girl struggled to repel them. Sometimes, she would focus on condensing them and throwing them in groups to make them more powerful, yet the clusters were always scattered before reaching the other side. Asuriel was caught off guard when the lights suddenly stopped moving. Glancing behind her to make sure she hadn't lost, she could find no reason for the game to end. A little disappointed, she turned and made her faire light vanish, ready to go back to the Knight Academy. A gentle pull on her nightgown made her stop and turn around. A few of the crimson lights were circling her and starting to nudge her towards the other side of the cave.

    Confused, Asuriel began to move in that direction as more of the glowing orbs congregated around her and urged her to move faster. The other exit from the cave was now visible, and Asuriel soon came running out into the night air. However, she was unable to see far and the lights appeared to have no intention of slowing down, causing the girl to be knocked over the edge of the island.

    She was falling freely, yet she did not scream. Asuriel watched captivated as as stream of crimson light cascaded from the mouth of the cave and flowed down around her. The lights then converged underneath her and she felt herself cease falling as she found herself laying on top of a glowing, crimson loftwing. Turning over so that she was on her knees, Asuriel examined the loftwing. It looked exactly like a live one, but every fiber of its being was pulsing with energy.

    Asuriel gasped and held on tightly to the bird when it dove, then spiraled up in the tight barrel roll. It preform all kinds of complicated maneuvers as it gracefully flew through the night. She let out a small cry of alarm when the loftwing somehow scooted out from underneath her and did a loop-de-loop around her before catching her again. The sensation of being thrown into the air before being caught was very unnerving the first few times, yet Asuriel soon found herself enjoying it. She laughed with delight whenever the loftwing moved away from her and let her free fall for a moment before catching her again.

    Finally, the loftwing made its way back to an island, but not to the main one of Skyloft. It was in a secluded part of the sky, consisting of a tree and a small pool of crystal water. Gently, the bird landed and Asuriel got off, struggling a little to walk straight after flying in such a dizzying way. She sat down on the ground with the loftwing beside her, wondering what was going to happen next.

    A sudden bright streak of light across the sky caught her eye. Then another. Above her, hundreds of shooting balls of light whizzed through the sky. It was a meteor shower. Asuriel sat enthralled as she watched the rare occurrence in the sky. It felt like hours before the steady stream of meteors began to die down. Asuriel was fast asleep before the sky became completely dark again.

    Ghirahim gracefully leapt out of the tree in which he was perched. Although natural events like meteor showers tend to become old news after hundreds of years, he was obliged to watch it with Asuriel. He dismissed the glowing loftwing, which scattered in a cloud of crimson diamonds, and picked up the sleeping girl. Teleporting to Link's room, he lay her down in the bed, making sure that she was laying comfortably.

    That day had been rather successful in his opinion. Asuriel had accepted everything he gave her without suspicion. He was especially proud of himself for providing her with food that was familiar to her for lunch. Even though he had merely taken a bit of food from the store that Impa kept, it was a brilliant idea. After lunch, he made sure to create a few minor problems for the hero in order to delay him a little longer. By the time he summoned Asuriel's dinner, she was already returning to the academy.

    It was a fortunate coincidence that she did not go to sleep, but instead wandered out to the cave. The demon lord was growing fond of that light game, even if he did have to cut it short to make time for flying and the meteor shower. The sound of the girl's laughter as she flew gave him a joyful feeling very much like how he felt when he heard his enemies scream for mercy.

    And now, she slept so peacefully, as if she hadn't a care in the world. Taking her right hand, Ghirahim traced the diamond mark on her delicate skin. It wouldn't be much longer until she completely accepted him. Preparing to leave, something on the table caught Ghirahim's eye. A letter tied with a blue ribbon rested on the desk. It had Asuriel's name on it.

    Of course, Ghirahim had to read it. Being her soulmate, any business someone had with her, they had with him. And what a surprise it was. It was written by the boy from earlier that morning. It was obviously some sort of love-at-first-sight nonsense. The most amusing part was his request for her to meet him in the pumpkin patch on the far end of Skyloft at midnight. Asuriel, of course, would not be going. However, a very entertaining idea came into the demon's head about how to get the boy to leave her alone. If he really felt like there was some sort of connection, Ghirahim would have to watch his sad attempts to woo her all day.

    There were only two hours until the meeting, and the demon decided that it would be an excellent idea to give the foolish boy a good scare. To pass the time, he looked through all of Link's possessions, schemed, and watched Asuriel sleep. She had such an adorable smile.

    Ghirahim looked up when he heard the creaking of a door down the hall. The boy was beginning to make his way to the pumpkin patch thirty minuted before the appointed time. Ghirahim teleported out of the room and followed him until they reached the destination. Then, the skychild set candles on top of every pumpkin and lit them. Ghirahim had a very good sense of what could be romantic, and THIS was not it. The boy passed the rest of the time with his back against the tree, waiting for the girl's appearance. That was the demon lord's cue.

    First, he caused one candle in the middle to go out. The boy, who could not stand the setting not being perfect, begrudgingly moved from his place and re-lit it. Before he could return, Ghirahim made all of the candles suddenly extinguish. Next, a mysterious, thick fog began to gather on the ground. Naturally, the boy became alarmed, but the fog was now covering the pumpkins, creating a massive tripping hazard. The demon caused a vine from a nearby plant to grow around Strich's ankle just before he heard a noise behind him, startled, the boy backed up and spun around, only to trip due to the vine and fall into the fog. Now that his view was obscured, Ghirahim teleported close to him and caused an eerie light to emanate from the perimeter of the patch. When the boy finally scrambled to his feet, he found himself standing a few feet from a tall, dark figure. No light shone directly on Ghirahim, but came from behind him, illuminated the outline of his figure. In his hand was his trusted demon blade, the crimson jewel in its hilt glowing a little on its own.

    The look of intense fear of the boy's face was very gratifying. In a moment, the demon caused the fog to quickly shoot up around him as he teleported, making it look like his had vanished in the fog. Strich, who was terrified and bewildered, stared at the place that the demon had stood before he felt cool metal being pressed against his neck. Ghirahim leaned down and whispered very quietly but dramatically into his ear.

"Never speak to that girl again."

    He quickly delivered a shallow cut with his sword before teleporting away a small distance to watch the boy scream and run away as fast as he could, tripping over pumpkins and his own feet. The cut was nothing serious, just a little reminder to heed the warning.

    Satisfied that there would be no more trouble from the skychild, Ghirahim returned to Link's room to find Asuriel still asleep where he had left her. Even though he hated to have to end his time on Skyloft with her, Ghirahim had very important business to attend to. Placing a gently kiss against her forehead, he disappeared in a flurry of diamonds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, you might be wondering where I was last week, or you might have not noticed. I mainly write during the weekends, and because I have been very busy, I had almost no time to write. I worked the entire week and I have had events and other things going on. To make up for it, I wrote an extra long chapter today. Also, I was thinking about asking my friend to draw a scene from this chapter. Do you think there is one that would look really cool?

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction

Updates Weekly

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter seventeen:

Word count: 2067

   The first rays of dawn streaked through the dark sky as the demon lord stood alone in the Faron woods. With a flick of his wrist, the diamond earring that lay in the tall grass was lifted from among the flora into his hand. A portion of his face was obscured by a curtain of hair, making his expression indistinguishable. He couldn't say that he was disconcerted by the girl's reaction, he had expected as much from her. However, he had not foreseen the hero's untimely appearance, nor the boy's notion that a soulmate bond could be undone.

    As much as he tried to ignore the sting to his pride, Asuriel's choice of Link over himself struck him deeper than he would have liked to admit. To say that he was furious with her was an understatement. Such direct and disrespectful disobedience would be dealt with firmly. Allowing the girl to get away with a stunt like that would give her a false idea that he didn't care about her disregard to his wishes. If Asuriel wanted to run away and act like a child, he would treat her as such, but a gentle reprimand and light scolding would remedy that. Regardless, it was undeniable now that they were soulmates, and Ghirahim resolved to take his new role very seriously.

    Meanwhile, Asuriel and Link were preparing to set out for the Eldin Region. Impa would be curious do discover whether they were soulmates and they decided that it was for the best if she didn't know anything about the bond with the demon lord. Hopefully, they could finish purifying the blade, open the Gate of Time, and speak with Zelda before Impa found out the truth. Worrying her wouldn't do anything for them.

    Asuriel finished changing and exited her room through the trapdoor. She decided to wear more adventure-friendly attire that consisted of a long tunic, pants, and a belt. Her hair was pulled back into a lace braid ponytail and secured with a green ribbon that matched her right eye. When she arrived at the Bird Statue behind the Sealed Temple, Link was already waiting for her.

"Do you really think this is for the best, Link?"

"Yes, we don't want to worry Impa any more than we have to."

"Did you leave the note telling her where we are going?"

"It's all taken care of. We should get going before the sun rises any more."

    Minutes later, they were on their way towards Skyloft to pick up some final resources.

"When we get to the Bazaar, I'm going to get my shield repaired and upgraded. I also want to buy more arrows before we go to the volcano."

    By the time the pair landed in the plaza, the sky had already begun to lighten with the light pinks and oranges that signaled the coming of dawn. The shops in the bazaar would open in the next ten minutes, making their trip short. At a glance, the hero could tell that his companion was exhausted from the previous day and long night, so he took her to his room in the Knight Academy to rest.

"Link, I'll be fine. I do not wish to delay your expedition."

"Don't worry about it. The shield is badly damaged and will take a while to repair. Just rest for now."

"But-"

"Shh. I'll be back in a little bit."

    Link left to buy supplies as Asuriel laid down on top of the covers and tried to get some rest. The fabric that made up the blanket was sturdy, but not very soft. It contrasted strongly with the quality of blankets that had covered Ghirahim's bed. She thought back to the soft, white blanket that was carefully tucked into one of her drawers and the events that led her to obtain it.

    Perhaps... living with the demon lord couldn't be all that bad. The other time he had taken care of her, even if she did wake up in the middle of the woods.

     No, Asuriel had agreed to speak to Hylia because she cared about Link. However, she couldn't help but feel guilty. For one, the choice of the person she ended up with really wasn't hers to make. Asuriel trusted Hylia, so shouldn't she should respect the goddess' choice? Still, she felt a strong connection to Link, and she could at least recognize that she cared about him. But, by staying with Link, wasn't she being a bad soulmate to Ghirahim? Despite everything he did, the demon lord deserved better.

    Asuriel continued to ponder what she should do until she felt herself drift into a dreamless sleep.

    She woke up to an afternoon sun beaming through the small window of the room. Link was curled up of the rug in the middle of the floor, sound asleep. His sword and shield lay propped up against a wooden chair and an array of materials such as potions and a fresh quiver of arrows were set beside them.

    As Asuriel sat up, the crimson blanket that had been covering her fell away. She stretched her arms, reasoning that Link had covered her with a spare blanket when he returned to the room. Glancing over at his sleeping form, she decided against waking him yet; he should be allowed time to rest, and he would be working harder than she would once they reached Eldin.

    The girl turned her attention back to the blanket. It felt much softer than the ones covering the bed, it was a wonder that Link only used it as a spare. There appeared to be a small pattern embroidered around the edges in black thread, naturally Asuriel inspected them closer. Once she did, she felt her heart drop into her stomach. Small configurations of black diamonds lined the blanket. Immediately, she called to Link so that he would wake up.

    It had to be a coincidence that he had a blanket with elegant diamond embroidery in two of Ghirahim's favorite colors. Who was she kidding, of course the demon lord had something to do with this.

"Link!"

    The boy woke with a start and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"What is it, I was trying to nap."

"Look at this."

    He picked up on her anxious tone and hurried to her side.

"What's wrong?"

    Asuriel showed the cloth to Link, who instinctively retrieved his sword and glanced around the room as if he expected Ghirahim to materialize out of thin air like he usually did.

"How did he even get to Skyloft? I had no idea he was able to get up here."

    Link seemed quite concerned with the new discovery.

"It's a good thing we got up anyway, we can't waste any more time, especially now that we know that Skyloft isn't as safe as we thought."

    In less than ten minutes, they were flying towards the beacon that marked the Eldin Province. A thoughtful silence had fallen between them, both wondering what the demon's intentions were.

    Meanwhile, Ghirahim stood in front of the rubble that once was a Gate of Time. He was looking for any information he could get concerning the gate, and so far he had been bitterly disappointed. His mood became slightly better when he thought back to what had happened that morning. Naturally, after the whole 'incident' in the woods, he wanted to make sure that Link was at least taking care of his soulmate. Yes, he was initially very frustrated with Asuriel to say the least, but he found that he could not stay mad at her for long. He had teleported up to the floating island and followed the little hero around for at least one incredibly boring hour before concluding that he and the girl had separated for the day.

    It didn't take long to find what he was looking for and reassure himself that she was mostly fine. Aside from looking like she had been crying being chilled to the touch, she was in decent shape. However, if Link was going to invite guests, especially a demon's soulmate, to stay in his room, he should at least provide them with a decent blanket. The sorry excuse for a comforter that currently lay across the bed was much to rough and would rub dreadfully against the girl's skin, no wonder she didn't bother laying underneath the covers.

    He had no choice but to provide better covering, so he summoned one of his own blankets. It was made of the same delicate material as his bed sheets, although it was slightly thicker and warmer. As much as Asuriel wanted to live in her little fantasy world where she and that brat could be soulmates, she was due for a reminder that it was not her reality.

    The crimson blanket suited his taste better than the white one he had given her before. It was subtle enough to not scream "A flamboyant, fabulous, fashionable Demon Lord owns this blanket", but still it would show anyone who knew him that it belonged to him. It was perfect to remind her that he had dropped by for a visit.

    The blanket fulfilled its purpose, for both Asuriel and Link were slightly disturbed by what had happened. Even after they landed, the distant silence continued. The only conversation that occurred during the search for the final entrance to the Silent Realm was a mutual agreement that they should stay together and not separate unless it was unavoidable. Asuriel determined to remain beside Link as he completed the trial, and Fi agreed to keep her company so she wouldn't have any unexpected company.

    The sword spirit floated stoically as she watched her master with what appeared to be a curious gaze. Asuriel, not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to speak privately with another of Hylia's creation, attempted to start up a conversation.

"Fi, what is it like to be in your sword all the time?"

"There is a 95% chance that you would not understand if I were to explain it to you."

"Oh. Well... um, can you see when you are in the sword."

"Yes, I am aware of what is going on."

"Do you enjoy watching Link fight? He is pretty good at it."

"Master Link has certainly grown in his ability to fight, however I have seen more practiced swordsmanship."

"Can you tell how experienced someone is when they wield your blade?"

"Yes, there are many subtle and significant differences. For example, from the experience I had when Ghirahim took my sword from Master Link, it was obvious to me the the Demon Lord was well practiced with swordplay and had a substantial prowess of skill, agility, and physical strength."

    Fi seemed to lose interest in the conversation as she turned back to face Link. The rest of the time was passed in silence as he completed the trial. After Link rose and sheathed the sword, into which Fi had gone, he gave Asuriel a half smile and handed her an oddly shaped red earring.

"These will protect us from extreme heat. We will probably be going somewhere that is very hot."

"Thank you."

"We should try to get to the next temple and find a place to sleep before it gets too dark."

    They set out again, walking higher and higher towards the top of the volcano. Eventually, they reached a room with walls made out of molten rock. Each of their earring gave off a bright flash, most likely indicating that they were protecting them from extreme heat. Beyond a small slope in that room was another, larger extension of the cave. The walls appeared to be glowing and Asuriel felt suffocated by the heat, even with the special jewelry.

    After looking around the volcano summit for a few minutes, they discovered a large pool of lava with two, circular surfaces floating on top. Flanking these stepping stones were two giant, frog-like creatures. While Asuriel passed over the lava first, Link distracted the monsters long enough for her to reach the other side. The hero easily crossed over afterwards, leading the girl through a passage to the outside of the volcano.

    A light breeze stirred and Asuriel took a deep breath as she felt the cooler air blow across her face. It was much nicer outside the volcano, and they both agreed that they could spend the night beside the miniature spring that was there. Each of them chose a part of the wall to lean against and quickly fell asleep.

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[thelegendoftelezia]

ask game for fanfic writers

do you know how you want the story to end when you start, or are you just stumbling through the figurative wilderness hoping to find a road?

talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

on a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy incorporating romance into the average story?

what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

have you ever made a playlist about something you were writing as an elaborate means to procrastinate when you could have been actually writing and if yes drop a link, son

do you have any kind of consistent writing schedule or just hoping for the best?

tell us about the plot of the first fanfic you ever wrote

what’s your relationship with constructive criticism and feedback like? do you seek it out? how well do you take it?

in an ideal world where you’re already super successful and published, would you want to see a tv or movie adaptation of your work? why or why not?

at what point in the process do you come up with titles, and how easy or hard is that for you?

what’s something neat you’ve learned while doing research for something you were writing? also, how much do you worry about doing research in general?

do you ever have trouble focusing on writing? how do you get around that? 

talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

what’s your worst writing habit? 

where do you share your writing?

where is your favorite place to write?

what is your favorite line you’ve ever written?

what is your most and least favorite part of writing?

what are some books or authors that influenced your style the most?

what is your favorite trope to write?

pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about.

describe your writing process from scratch to finish.

how do you deal with writers block?

on average, how much writing do you get done in a day?

what’s your revision or rewriting process like?

do you like to write one-shots or series, and why?

do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished? 28. And who do you share them with?

handwritten notes or typed notes?

give us a spoiler for one of your stories.

most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.

tell us about one of your characters who’s an absolute joy to write

do characters influence your writing style?

do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

how do you name characters and places?

tell us about a character who’s very different than you who you love a whole lot

do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.

when creating characters, what comes first: appearance, backstory, motivation, personality, something else?

how many stories do you work on at one time?

are you an avid reader?

best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

what is the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

describe the aesthetic of a story in 5 words.

how did writing change you?

any writing advice you want to share?

name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

what time are you the most productive when it comes to writing?

what story are you most proud of?

do you reread your own stories?

do you want to be published some day?

do you plan or do you write whatever comes to your mind?

share the synopsis of a story you work on that you haven’t published yet

how many unfinished ideas/stories are you working on at the same time?

when writing, do you have an outline? and do you stick to it?

what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

what is the last thing that a fic made you google when you were reading it?

what is the last thing that a fic made you google when you were writing it?

where is the most dangerous place that you’ve read fic?

where is the most dangerous place that you’ve written fic?

what was the first commercial property (book/movie/tv show/etc) that you realized was actually professional fanfiction?

what’s the weirdest reason you’ve ever shipped something?

what’s the best insult you’ve read in a fic?

what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve read? 

what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve written? 

when have you felt the most confident in your writing? 

when have you felt the least confident?

how long will you spend on a story or scene before you give up?

how do you write emotional scenes? do you ever feel what the characters feel?

are you very critical of your own writing? how much do you find yourself editing (either during the writing or after the fact)?

how do you balance writing and life? do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of writing you have to do?

what do you do if a scene gets too serious?

how do you visualize scenes? do you see it like a movie in your head, or do the words just flow?

are you a planner, pantser, or planster?

do you know how your story ends before you start writing?

what is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain? 

how do you write kissing scenes?

how do you choose where to end a chapter?

are you an over-writer, under-writer, or just-right-er?

do you try to put themes, motifs, messages, morals, etc in your writing? if so, how do you go about it?

if you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of writing advice specific to you, what would it be?

“proper” punctuation or all lowercase?

less is more or more is more?

said: overused or underused?

what would be on a moodboard for your current wip(s)?

which season best matches the mood of your wip(s)?

does your writing style change depending on the genre you write?

if you could have another author write your wip for you (bc we all dream of this occasionally), who would it be?

sarcastic narrators: entertaining or overdone?

do you notice your own voice in your writing style?

how has your writing style changed over the years?

first, second, or third person?

do you hear other people’s writing styles when they talk?

do you prefer dialogue or description?

do you describe a character’s appearance all right away or in pieces?

romantic/social sideplots: interesting or irritating?

abstract or detailed romance scenes?

what don’t you like about your writing style?

was being a writer a dream of yours when you were little? or did it spring up when your older? or is it just a hobby? 

open question to the writer.

a compiled list of asks for me to reference. they are not my own. just some of my favorite questions i’ve picked out from a couple different lists. feel free to reblog and use too!!

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction

Updates weekly

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

New fan art

Chapter sixteen:

Word count: 1651

    Asuriel struggled to take even breaths. How was this possible? Hylia had chosen her soulmate, how could he be an agent for Demise? And, she wasn't allowed to ask for help, the first person to see her mark and to know who it represented would be her soulmate. She could only imagine trying to tell the demon lord something like that. Sure, he had toyed with her before, but he would probably react very differently knowing that they were soulmates. What if he decided that he didn't want anything to do with her? Something told her that he didn't like to be tied down too much.

    No matter how she handled the circumstances, things were bound to get complicated. Firstly, everyone had expected her to be soulmates with Link. They would be disappointed enough to discover that was not true, but then they would hear that she was bound to the infamous demon lord. She would have to be careful letting people know, to make sure they understood. But, what if she didn't get to announce it herself. When she told Ghirahim, it would give him a way to separate herself from Link and Impa. If he decided to take the liberty of announcing their relationship, Asuriel would have no power to stop him. The whole thing was a mess.

    Still, Hylia would not have made that decision if they were not perfect for each other. And Asuriel was Ghirahim's ideal match, as he was hers. There were just some... complications that had to be worked through. Being on different sides in a war between two powerful, immortal entities couldn't be all that bad. Plus, if they were soulmates, the demon lord had to catch feeling for her eventually, right?

    Perhaps he already had.

    Ghirahim impatiently paced around his large bedroom. He was still quite offended that Asuriel had not informed him of her birthday. Still, he had managed to present her with two meaningful gifts which were, in his opinion, far superior that the other things she received. He had spend a great deal of time writing all those spells out in that journal, and the crystal earring was very tricky to make. It matched his own, and he was hoping to convince Asuriel to wear it, at least for him to see.

    Trying to rest was no use and his large room suddenly felt oddly stuffy. Maybe he should take a walk around the woods...

    Asuriel exited her room through the trapdoor in her ceiling. Despite how tired she felt, she could not manage to fall asleep. Fresh air was usually a great remedy to sleepless nights; a long walk would help her. She wove in and out of trees, idly strolling until she found herself standing in front of the Skyview Temple. Something compelled her to go inside and wander through the structure until she made it to the spring. The water was cool against her skin as she stepped into it. Standing in the moonlight, she held the earring gifted to her by Ghirahim in her open palm, wondering how she would play the hand fate dealt to her.

    The demon lord walked through the woods, undecided on a destination. Walking long distances was not something he usually did, teleporting was much easier and more fashionable. That particular night, he felt strangely drawn to the Skyview Spring, so he began to move in that direction. He navigated the temple and paused for a moment in the final, circular room. This is where he first spoke to Asuriel, and where she stopped him from killing Skychild. It had caused him much trouble and frustration, yet he found that he was not angry with her.

    The golden door that had before prevented him from reaching the spirit maiden allowed him to pass. Curious about the cause of his allowance into the spring, he continued. When he walked out into the open, he was surprised to see Asuriel standing in the water of the spring behind the statue of the goddess. The moonlight glinted off of her hair as the ends floated around her in the water. She was wearing the nightgown he had gifted her, which was now partially soaked in the water of the spring. She seemed not to notice his presence until he moved to stand behind her.

"Enjoying a walk in the moonlight?"

    She spun around to look at him, immediately recognizing his voice. Her confusion at his sudden appearance turned to panic as she remembered that she had left her gloves in her room. Her only hope was to cover the back of her hand with her other palm and act as normal as possible.

"I couldn't sleep. I didn't expect to meet anyone out here at this time."

"Neither did I. The Surface is a dangerous place at night, I'm astonished that your guard dog allowed you to walk alone."

    Worry flashed in Asuriel's eyes.

"She didn't, I sneaked out."

"Really? I never took you to be a troublemaker. Don't you worry that you'll be killed, coming out here on your own?"

"I grew up here, these woods are the safest place for me to be. But, you have not said why you are out so late."

"I am the Demon Lord that presides over these lands, I may walk as I please through my domain."

    The girl shifted her weight uncomfortably. He seemed to be in a chatty mood, which meant that she might have to keep up her act for a while. Not to mention how unpredictable he could be; she silently prayed to Hylia that he would decide not to terrorize her tonight.

"You seem irritated."

"Oh, do I? I'm just restless after the long day I have had."

    The demon moved a little closer to her.

"Is there anything you would like to tell me?"

"N-no."

    At his next step, which was slightly larger, she tucked her hand behind her back, realizing her blunder too late. Immediately, the demon's attention was drawn to it and Asuriel began backing up quickly to keep her distance.

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing!"

    He caught her wrist in his grasp and pulled it up in between them. His expression changed from a shocked to thoughtful expression before changing to a smirk.

"What do we have here?"

"I..."

"So, the goddess really doesn't care about you. She allows you to be caught, hurt, and tormented again and again without as much as a second thought about your feelings. Then, she makes you the soulmate to a demon. Do you have any idea how much trouble this will cause for you?"

"No, I wasn't sure what would happen."

"Well, let's consider a mercy to you in the long run."

"What do you mean?"

"When I revive my master, he will destroy that puny goddess and her pesky hero. You would have been among those who would die first, but because we are soulmates, you will be spared. I can't promise that you'll have very much, if any, freedom, but you will be safe. And, you'll have me."

"So you're suggesting I simply surrender and live under the reign of Demise?"

"What other choice do you have? Unless you think you would be more comfortable in a dungeon somewhere."

"So what do you want me to do? Leave everything I know behind and join you? Wait safely in your castle until Demise destroys everything I once cared about?"

"I may be a demon, but I'm no monster. I would at least give you tonight to write a farewell letter."

"This is absurd! I can't just switch sides like that."

"Why not?"

"There has to be a way that I can stay with the Her Grace. There just has to be a way..."

    Ghirahim laughed coldly and grasped her chin, turning her face up towards his.

"What were you expecting from this? A clean bonding? No strings attached? Listen, Asuriel, we were created by beings who are at war with each other. One of us has to change, and I will never leave Demise's service. There is no choice here."

"What are you talking about?!"

"It would be beneficial to us both if we left for my castle, right now. I won't have to make Impa give you up and you don't have to worry about disappointing your friends."

"No, I can't just leave like that!"

    He drew their faces closer so they were mere inches apart.

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you,"

    There was a moment of silence before Asuriel created a shield, causing Ghirahim to stumble backwards. She began running through the temple towards the Sealed Grounds. As the conversation began to sink in, hot tears started to collect in her eyes and spill down her cheeks. She was completely blinded by the tears when she ran into someone.

"Asuriel?"

"Link? What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep. Goddess, what's wrong?!"

    The girl couldn't answer, but she lifted her hand up to show Link the mark.

"So, you're soulmates with him?"

"Link, I'm s-sorry."

    A few sobs escaped her chest as her fingers clenched around the diamond earring that was still in her left hand.

"Hey, hey, it's alright."

"No, it's not! I have t-to leave EVERYTHING behind!"

"No, you won't have to, I promise. Listen, Zelda was the one who created the bond. There has to be some way for her to undo it."

"Really?"

    He took her right hand in his and clasped it in both his own.

"We'll get out of this mess, together."

    Without a second thought, Link leaned down and kissed the girl.

    The crimson earring made a quiet thud as it fell from Asuriel's hand and hit the ground.

< Previous Chapter | Next Chapter >

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This chapter was SO difficult to write. I probably wrote it about six times trying to decide what I wanted to have happen. I almost chose to go down a fluffy path, but why would I do that? It's high time there was some drama. Because this one is shorter, I may try to post tomorrow, but I can't promise there will be another chapter until next week. Until next time.

[thelegendoftelezia]

If you guys remember, I had asked a friend of mine to draw a chibi Asuriel. Well, she mentioned that she was practicing drawing by sketching pictures from cutscenes, so I convinced her to add Asuriel into one of them. I really love how it turned out, especially the dress design. Please comment what you think and if it is easier to imagine Asuriel now that we have a more accurate picture (also my friend really wants some feedback from unbiased sources). Then, in exchange for some chocolate-chip cookies, she designed Asuriel’s soulmate mark. There is also a colored version if anyone wants me to post that as well to determine which one looks better. Thank you for your time and feedback. If anyone would like to see a particular scene from the story, I would be happy to ask her, and possibly bake more cookies to help with persuasion. Bye!

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction 

Updates weekly

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter fifteen:

Word count: 4194

    Hello, my lovely readers! I wanted to say something before the chapters begins. Fifteen is my favorite number, and this happens to be chapter fifteen. Do you know what that means?

    It's someone's birthday! If you guessed that it is mine, you would be most unfortunately mistaken. It's Asuriel's birthday. That's right, I wrote a long chapter so I could fit in her birthday!

    For those who have been paying attention, which I dearly hope is everyone, Asuriel's birthday is very important. Seriously, the entire book is named after the significance of that day. That's when she gets 'The Mark of a Soulmate'.

When I reveal her soulmate, tell me if it was who you expected.

    So, are you totally hyped to read this now? Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Contrary to what Asuriel expected, the Demon Lord was very gentle, suppressing his naturally domineering behavior. She expected to be repulsed by his actions, but she was not. Everything about it should have been wrong, but it felt so right; like she was supposed to be there with him, like she was meant to receive this attention from him. It felt too soon when he pulled back. He licked his lips, a mischievous expression playing about his face.

    The realization of what she had dawned on Asuriel. He had initiated the kiss, but she had reciprocated it. He knew it too, there was no other obvious reason for him to look so smug. There was no enchantment, no trick of the mind, yet she had returned his gesture, which was impressive because she didn't know what a kiss actually was. Plucking up her courage, she made eye contact with him and spoke.

"Why do I feel so drawn to you?"

"Because, you and I are bound by a thread of fate."

"How is this possible?"

"Maybe that's a question you should be asking yourself."

    They both paused.

"I can tell that you are confused, Asuriel. I have questions as well, which will hopefully be answered when I catch that pesky goddess."

    He stood up and pulled her into a sitting position.

"You should rest for now, but I expect an answer later."

    The next moment, she was alone. There was no use trying to door, it was clearly locked from the outside, an unfortunate property shared by almost every door she encountered. Sighing, she walked around to the head of the bed and layer down on top of the covers. She could at least get some sleep in the meantime. With the sound of the waves against the boat accompanied by the gentle rocking of the ship, Asuriel soon fell fast asleep.

    She awoke a few hours later to find that the covers had been drawn over her. Through the portholes, she could see that night had fallen. A quick glance over the room revealed that some food had been left on the desk, but everything else remained unchanged. Rising from the bed, Asuriel walked to the desk and had barely sat down when the whole ship was shaken, as if something enormous had rammed into it. The doors to the room burst open, revealing Link.

"Asuriel come on, we have to get out of here!"

    The ship shook again, sending both of them toppling to the floor. Scrambling to his feet, Link grabbed the girl's hand, pulled her upright, and began to make his way to the top of the ship. As they ran, thick, slimy tentacles broke through the walls of the ship, barring their path. Link unsheathed his blade and sent a beam of sacred light to severe them, then pulled Asuriel past the horrid sight to higher places.

    Together, they ducked and dodged stray barrels and splintering wood. The water in the ship was rising at a rapid rate and would soon fill the entire ship. Finally, they burst through the last set of doors to find a storm raging on an ocean of turbulent water. They reached the center of the split deck when long tentacles began to break through the floor. One shot through the wood and wound around Link. Immediately, Asuriel thrust her hand forwards, sending forth a beam a sacred light. The tentacle recoiled and released the boy, who was back on his feet in a instant.

"I didn't know you could do that."

"I didn't either, nothing like this has ever happened before."

    They were interrupted as more emerged from underneath the deck. Link pushed Asuriel behind himself and got into a defensive stance, shooting beam after beam of light, but there were more than ever.

"I can't keep holding them back, there are too many!"

"Then let me help you. I've been just about useless to you, let me fight with you."

    Be paused for a moment before nodding. Standing back to back, they prepared to battle the sea monster. They were constantly on the move to avoid being snatched up by the tentacles. All of a sudden, the tentacles receded, causing Asuriel and Link to give each other worried looks. A rush of water announced the presence of the Tentalus. It's eye glowed a vibrant red-orange as it reared its head. Link held onto her and leapt to the side, causing them to roll across the deck together as the monster's arms swept inches over their heads. In a single movement, Link had drawn his bow and loosed an arrow, hitting his mark and deterring the Tentalus enough for it to dive beneath the surface of the water again.

   The process repeated itself, except that Asuriel was learning how to better aim and control her attacks of sacred light. After Link shot the creature in the eye again, it roared loudly. In a fit of rage, it struck the deck, damaging it enough so that large chunks began to fall away into the turbulent water. In the jarring movement, a box fell from a higher position of the deck, allowing both Asuriel and Link to reach the top portion of the deck.

    This time, the monster lowered its head slightly, creating a likeness of Medusa as whatever took the appearance of its hair moved towards them. Link sliced as many of them as he could manage, but they were great in number and soon overpowered him, leaving a large bite mark on his forearm.

    Asuriel knew she could not defeat all of them, so she created a barrier around herself and the hero. Repulsed by the light of the shield, the eel-like creatures retreated. Meanwhile, Link had regained his footing and loosed a final arrow, sending the Tentalus reeling in agony until it turned black and exploded in a puff of purple smoke.

    Asuriel and Link embraced, relieved that the danger had finally passed. The skies cleared and the emblem the represented wisdom glowed golden as a pedestal rose from it. Once Link charged the symbol of the triforce with a Skyward Strike, the flame of  Nayru spewed from it. The fire engulfed Fi, and she shot far into the sky before returning and launching the fire at the goddess sword. The blade was sheathed and Link turned to Asuriel.

"After that adventure, I'm sure you would like to return to the Faron Woods for a short time."

"Yes, indeed."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    At Asuriel's return, the entire forest was in an uproar. It was no secret to the inhabitants of the realm of Faron that the girl's eighteenth birthday was coming up. Even the birds chirped with excitement and flew about, heralding the arrival of Lothsiriel. When the two entered the Sealed Temple, they were greeted by Impa and Groose, who were both eager to hear of the adventures.

    Naturally, Asuriel left out her interaction with the Demon Lord.

"Well, Asuriel, there are only two days until you turn eighteen. We should continue with our preparations, there is much to do."

    Asuriel spent a great deal that day with the Kikwis in the forest, gathering berried and nuts as they told her of all the planned festivities.

"After the ceremony at the Skyview Spring, Faron is hosting a great feast in her halls! Kwee, can you imagine? Guests of a dragon!"

         The days of preparation passed quickly, and soon the first rays of the day of her birthday shone through the trees. Asuriel opened her eyes and stretched her arms. Her day would undoubtedly be busy, but enjoyable nonetheless. Upon leaving her room, she was greeted by Impa. The girl was led to a carefully made meal, where they ate and reminisced the past years. They had just finished eating when Link walked in and Impa rose from the table.

"My child, I believe that the Hero has a surprise for you."

"Good morning, Link."

"Good morning, Asuriel."

    The boy awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he continued.

"Because it is your birthday, I thought that I could get you something. I know that you seemed interested in the things from Skyloft, but instead of bringing you something to look at, I thought you might want to visit there."

    Asuriel gasped and turned to Impa.

"Can I go?"

"Yes, child. Be back in time for the ceremony."

    Nodding, the girl followed Link outside where they were lifted into the sky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Asuriel brushed her fingers over the Loftwing's crimson feathers in admiration as they flew to Skyloft.

"So, Asuriel, I though we could start at the knight academy. You can meet some of my classmates and Zelda's father."

"I would love that, thank you, Link!"

    When they were close enough, Link and Asuriel leapt from the bird and landed softly with the help of the Sailcloth. The girl stared wide-eyed at the Knight Academy. The inside was more decorated than any structure she had encountered. Link pointed out various rooms as they passed until they met someone in the hall.

"Fledge! Over here."

    A rather small and nervous-looking boy trotted over to them.

"Fledge, I would like you to meet Asuriel. Asuriel, this is Fledge."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fledge."

"Likewise."

    He sounded very nervous, yet his shy smile was genuine. Link realized that he may have been slightly off put because her eyes were different colors, so he quickly explained.

"Her eyes are different colors, but it is both natural and rare. Fi said it was called Heterochromia."

    He nodded.

"They are very pretty."

"Thank you, yours eyes are pretty as well."

    This made him blush a little and he excused himself, still a little flustered.

"We might find the Headmaster in his office."

    When they reached the top of the stairs, they were met by Horwell on his way to feed Mia breakfast.

"Why hello, Link- who's this? I dare say we haven't met yet."

"This is Asuriel. Asuriel, this is Instructor Horwell."

"Pleased to meet you, Instructor Horwell."

"The same to you. It is a joy to see youths with such good manners- oh, could it be? Do you per chance have Heterochromia?"

"Why, yes. If you mean that my eyes are different colors."

"I hope you don't mind that I stare. I have read about this but I have never seen it with my own eyes."

"Of course, I don't mind."

    Asuriel brushed a few strands of hair out of her face as Horwell's gaze shifted between the emerald green of her right eye and the deep amber of her left.

"Fascinating...

    We'll, I'll let you go now. Thank you, Asuriel. I hope you enjoy your visit to our academy."

"Farewell."

    Horwell continued down the stairs as Link and Asuriel entered the Headmaster' office.

"Link, my boy! How can I help you? Oh who's your friend here?"

"This is Asuriel. This is Headmaster Gaepora."

"It is a pleasure to meet one of Link's friends, but I can't say that I have seen you around Skyloft."

"I'm from the Surface."

    The Headmaster's jaw practically dropped to the floor.

"The Surface?!"

"Yes. I was created by Her Grace Hylia."

"My Zelda... created you."

    Pride filled his face as he marveled that his daughter, even though in her previous form, had the power to create a living being.

"Link wanted me to see his home, so we are here visiting."

"In that case, welcome to Skyloft. Link knows the skies better than anyone, there is no better person to show you around. If you ever need anything, come and ask me."

"Thank you for your generosity."

    A few minutes later, Link and Asuriel exited the academy where they ran into Pipit.

"Good day, Link!"

"Hello, Pipit. There is someone I want you to meet. This is Asuriel. Asuriel, this is Pipit."

"A pleasure it is to make your acquaintance, Asuriel. I trust that you have everything you need?"

"Indeed I do. Thank you fo being so hospitable."

"That's the Pipit way!"

    With a nod, he began his patrol again and Link led the girl to the edge of the island.

"There is something I want to show you, but it's a little hard to get to."

    They jumped off of the platform and Link to her over to a small section of grass outside the high walls of the goddess statue. Asuriel paused when she heard a small noise from a patch of grass. A tiny creature stood up and stretched, meowing and making its way to her. Experimentally, Asuriel reached out and brushed its fur with her hand, rubbing in between its ears. The creature purred and Asuriel giggled at the odd noise. Both sat down as Link explained.

"These are Remlits. Very cute and harmless at daytime, but temperamental at night."

    Just then, a chorus of meows erupted from the flower beds and tall grass patches as an innumerable number of remlits approached to Asuriel. The curled up against her, some resting peacefully and some trying to get her attention to be petted. Link was also swarmed by the cute creatures; it was clear he was a regular visitor. Soon, Asuriel found herself laying down, surrounded by remlits. The gentle vibrations of their purring against her chest relaxed her and she hummed a small melody that harmonized with the gentle sound.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you for taking me to see the remlits, they are so cute!"

"Yeah, I like visiting them. We are almost at the Lumpy Pumpkin."

"Thank you for taking me to lunch."

"Of course! If you think the soup was good when I brought it to the Surface, you should try it when it's freshly made."

    They landed and entered the pumpkin shaped building. The inside was warm and inviting. A few people sat around tables, chatting idly and laughing together. Link led Asuriel to a counter where a man with a big, bushy mustache walked over and addressed them.

"What can I get for you two today?"

"Two pumpkin soups please."

"Coming right up. An if I may ask, who is this lovely lady."

"This is Asuriel."

"Oh, yes, I remember you mentioned her when you were last here a few days ago. A voice like bird, you said. Well, how about this, if you and Asuriel preform a little song for us on stage, your soup is on the house."

"Asuriel, are you comfortable singing in front of other people."

    She laughed lightly.

"Link, I've sung in front of dragons, don't worry about me."

"Well, to the stage you go then."

    The two walked to the stage and Link took out his harp. The people quieted and respectfully turned their attention to them.

"How about the Ballad of the Goddess?"

"Okay, I can play that."

    With a light strum, the song began. The moment Asuriel began to sing, the whole building was filled with heavenly music. A few people closed their eyes, letting the sounds wash over them. Even Link was still surprised, for he had forgotten just how lovely her voice was. At the end of the song, everybody clapped as they exited the stage. Pumm was wiping his eyes as he handed them their soup.

"That was just beautiful. Maybe you could come and sing again sometime."

"Of course, I would love to."

    Asuriel and Link sat at an empty table, enjoying their soup.

"This is delicious, Link! Thank you."

"Anytime. I wanted to do something special for you."

"I really appreciate everything. Everyone I have met has been so polite and friendly."

    When they finished, they thanked Pumm and flew back to the main island. They were on their way to the bazaar when a little girl ran up.

"Link! Hi Link!"

"Kukiel, hi. How are you?"

"Good. I saw you earlier with that pretty girl. Who is she?"

"This is Asuriel."

    Asuriel smiled and crouched down.

"Hello, Kukiel. How old are you?"

"I am four."

    She stated it proudly, confidently holding up five fingers for Asuriel to see.

"I like your eyes, both of them are very pretty."

"Thank you."

"Can I take you to see Uncle Bats? I think he would like you."

"Sure, where is he?"

"Follow me!"

    With that, the little girl ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Asuriel smiled at Link before she followed, and the Hero joined them as well.

    The way to 'Uncle Bats' house was very interesting, but Asuriel loved exploring and hidden passages. Kukiel stood in front of a worn door, hopping up and down in anticipation. When Asuriel reached her, the young girl pushed through and embraced a tall figure inside. He greeted her and, when he heard he had other company, invited Asuriel. Link, who already was acquainted with Batreaux, called Kukiel.

"I need your advise for something, do you think you could help?"

"Yeah!"

    She eagerly scampered out of the hut, leaving Asuriel and 'Uncle Bats' alone.

"Hello, I am Batreaux. You must be Asuriel, Kukiel was very excited for me to meet you."

"Yes, she is such a cute little thing."

"Yes. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

"The surface."

"I thought as much. Many strange things happen there."

"Indeed."

"Forgive me for being so blunt, but do you know any demons?"

"How did you know?"

"Oh, just the aura. It's quite strong you know."

"Is it really that noticeable."

"Only to those who can sense it. I am also a demon, so I can tell with ease that you have met Ghirahim. I'm sure he's told you that he is a Demon Lord. Naturally, he finds it in his fancy to visit me occasionally, although he dislikes me. He thinks I am too kind, but he still asks small tasks, trivial things for which he has no time."

"I hope he is polite to you."

"Well, as you probably know, he has his own way of sounding polite, but he all so delights in a good insult. When you first came in, I was worried that Kukiel had somehow found him, for I felt his aura by the door. Now I know that it was only you carrying it. Still, it is quite strong. I could have sworn that he kissed you, but I have never known him to get that attached to anyone."

    Asuriel had to hide the blush that was threatening to overcome her face. Perhaps she could change the subject.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Asuriel bid Batreaux farewell and went back up to the main part of Skyloft. There she found Link, his hands behind his back.

"Here, I have something I wanted to give you."

    The Hero held out his hands, revealing a small wood carving of a Loftwing.

"It's beautiful, Link."

"Thank you. Happy birthday. For the last part of your tour, allow me to take you to meet someone in the bazaar."

"Okay, lead the way."

    They strode through the open room until the stood in front of a very small man with big, round eyes. When he saw them, he called out.

"Gaze into my eyes... stare deeply into my eyes... these eyes see many things. Oh yes, these lovely, round eyes can even see... into the future! Allow me to tell your future, girl!"

    Smiling, Link pushed her towards the fortune teller.

"Let me see... yes, you have powerful friends, or powerful enemies. You are caught in a web of many threads, yet are only bound by one. Knowledge is found in truth, but your peace is found through acceptance. Yet my eyes grow tired. Come back another day and ask no more of me now."

    Asuriel shot Link a questioning look as they walked away.

"What? He always has something interesting to say."

    The girl laughed. "Yes, those were quite the riddles, weren't they?"

"Now that the time has come, are you ready to go back?"

"Yes, but more excitement is expected for tonight."

    Together, they flew back down to the Surface. Asuriel was called inside the temple to prepare for the ceremony. Impa gave her a special dress, made of layers of white silk. The pieces of the skirt resembled the petals of a white lily, and those kinds of flowers adorned her hair as they were woven into intricate braids.

"You have grown up to be such a fine, young lady. The goddess could not have given me a better child. It is time to go to the spring. Do you have the gloves Faron gave you?"

"Yes."

"I will take them until you put them on."

    The entire community of the Faron region was at the spring. Asuriel stood with Impa in the water before the statue of the goddess. During the ceremony, Impa slope of Asuriel's duty to the goddess and to her soulmate. Finally, when all the speaking was done, Impa produced the gloves. Asuriel offered her hands and Impa gently put them on the girl's hands.

"May the blessing of the goddess be with you and your soulmate to the ends of the ages."

    Asuriel's right hand was suddenly surrounded by golden light, which grew brighter until, with a flash, it was gone. Even without looking, she knew it. She had her mark. It would remain on her hand forever, as a reminder to her of her loyalty to her creator and her match. A cheer went up throughout the assembled congregation and, with newfound joy, they made their way to the Halls of Faron.

    Asuriel sat beside the great dragon as they feasted together. The room was merry and even Link seemed more social than usual. The kikwis and some of the members of Faron's court presented her with small gifts, with she thanked them for. Even Groose presented her with a small music box he designed since he discovered his talent in engineering. The sun had long set, and yet the festivities continued. Link took out his harp and played a song while kikwis and humans alike danced. Fi joined in, leaping lightly around the room as the melody grew and expanded.

    Finally, when all the people where tired and worn out, the final farewells were said and all returned to their homes. When Asuriel and Impa entered the Sealed Temple, Impa insisted that Asuriel retire. After all, she would only be allowed to remove her gloves in private.

    The girl shut the door to her room and collapsed on the bed. She felt exhausted by her effort of the past few days. She had never seen so many people gathered together and she was ready to rest. However, among the small trinkets and items given to her, an unknown box stood out from the rest. Standing up, she walked over to her dresser where it sat. It was a medium sized black box tied with a crimson ribbon. Curiously, she untied it and removed the lid.

    Inside the box was a journal. The cover was a rich, emerald green with metallic golden designs of leaves and vines inlaid on it. Inside, a few pages were filled with neat, elegant writing. It was detailing the spells that she had learned and how to preform them. The handwriting caught her attention the most. Where had she seen such a style before?

    At the bottom of the box was an even smaller box, an exact replica of the first, save the size. Upon opening it, the contents nearly caused Asuriel to drop it and scream. Inside the small box was a single, crimson, diamond earring. She recognized it immediately, for it shone with the same brilliance as a faire light. This crystal had been made from the light that day in the caves in Lanayru when a certain person had beat her at her own game, managing to land a single shard of light in the wall. Besides for the color, it matched something else very distinctive, giving away the giver immediately.

    The present was from Ghirahim.

    Still, there was nothing wrong with it, no enchantment that she could sense. Now that she thought about it, the journal made sense. He had a great understanding of magic and could discover how she conducted spells as well as gage her power range. The journal was for recording spells, and the latest added was the one she had used to fight the Tentalus. It sat alone in the offensive spell section.

    The gift as aide, there was one more important thing. Taking a deep breath Asuriel sat down and fingered the edge of the glove. She had waited eighteen years for this moment, to know who she was supposed to be with. Who she was meant to get attention from. But, what if it all went wrong? What if there was no mark, or if it wasn't clear. What if Hylia was mistaken in her choice of a match for Asuriel?

    No, that was absurd, Hylia would never be mistaken. She counted to three under her breath and removed the glove.

~

~

~

~

~

~

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~

~

~

~

An intricate design of diamonds was outlined on the back of her hand.

The sign was clear.

Ghirahim was her soulmate.

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[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction 

Updates weekly

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter fourteen:

Word count: 1973

    Asuriel and Link stepped out onto the deck of the Sandship in search of a way to utilize the new bow. While they searched, Link informed the girl about Groose's journey to the Surface, the second Gate of Time, and the Imprisoned. He also revealed to her the purpose of him seeking the three flames.

"We need to look for something that resembles a target. For every piece of my equipment, there has been a different kind of trigger. They usually stand out."

    They walked around the deck for a few minutes before Asuriel pointed at part of the mast.

"What about that, it looks a bit like a target."

   Link nodded and drew the string of his bow taught as he nocked an arrow. A sharp twang followed by a quiet whoosh was heard when it was released. The sharp tip sunk into the trigger, which was abruptly covered as a golden mechanism spun around it, raising a Timeshift Stone at the top of the mast. Link again aimed the bow skyward and let fly an arrow; it seemed to sink into the stone as its power spread over the entire ship.

    Asuriel jumped in surprise, for she had never seen anything like it.

"What just happened?"

"That stone, when activated, has the power to turn back time. This is what the ship use to look like."

    Link stopped when he looked up and noticed that there were bokoblins all along the tops of the masts.

"Asuriel, I'm going to have a look around, but I think you should wait inside. There are a lot of Bokoblins on the deck, and, even though monsters don't seem interested in attacking you, I don't want to risk anything,"

"I understand, Link. In the meantime, I will look around on the inside to see if anything has changed."

    Asuriel walked through the colorful double doors, just as one of the bokoblins used its sword to activate turning mechanism that closed a screen around the Timeshift Stone and caused metal bars to fall down in front of the doors through which Asuriel just past.

    Both her and Link ran to their side of the bars.

"Asuriel, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little surprised."

    The hero glanced back at the masts.

"Maybe I can reverse this if I can get up there. It's worth a shot."

"Okay, just be careful, that would be a very high fall."

    Link smiled and held up his sailcloth.

"Don't worry about me. Please be careful, I don't want to lose you again."

"Okay."

    With that, they went their separate ways. Asuriel descended the stairs to the lower levels of the ship. She followed the blue-violet painted floor boards to another intricately colored door. She had decided to retrace the path she and Link took to see what the changes to the ship were. Going through the door, she turned and shut it. Her entire body froze as she heard a screech followed by the buzzing of electricity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Link shot another target and held on to a metal handle as he the ancient machinery brought him to a higher part of the mast. Bokoblins armed with swords and bows waited for him to attack. Of course, he was more than ready to fight them. He expertly dodged their swings and easily knocked them off the narrow beam. He had become a much better fighter during his journey. Just a few more levels before he and Asuriel would be reunited.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Asuriel was being led by two bokoblin guards down the passages in the direction of the holding cell. One walked in front, leading the way, while the other followed behind her, ensuring that she kept up the pace. These bokoblins seemed much more coordinated than the ones she encountered before. Their skin was still the same odd red color, but their clothing was of much better quality. Their goggles reflected the light generated by their weapons as they led Asuriel into the cell. Once they entered, electricity coursed in between the door posts, almost like bars. A few robots were also being held there, and they shrank away from the bokoblins as the three of them entered. Surprisingly, the guards did not leave after leading Asuriel to a corner. Instead, they stood in front of her, separating her from the robots.

    It was a much different experience than the other time she had been caught. Thinking over the information that she had learned about the bokoblin's relationship with their master, it did not surprise her. The monsters that patrolled the Faron Woods and the Eldin Region were not allowed, or simply afraid, to touch anything that 'belonged' to Ghirahim. But, according to the Pirate Captain, the creatures aboard the ship were supposed to return anything that was Ghirahim's back to him. He probably trusted this type of bokoblin more since they seemed advanced and organized, unlike the others. Even though he may expect that she would come to no harm under the surveillance of the bokoblins, they made sure that none of the other prisoners got near her.

    She was alerted to another presence when the robot that shared a cell with her began zooming around the confines of the enclosure, repeating an alarm in a comically monotone cries.

"Demon! Demon!"

    And indeed, the Demon Lord himself walked around the corner, led by another of the guards. The bokoblins standing in front of Asuriel bowed lowly, and, at his signal, exited the cell. The panicked robots were also removed and soon the room was empty, save the demon and the girl.

"Well, I must say, you have a talent for getting yourself into trouble. It's a good thing I came along when I did."

    Asuriel tentatively drew near to the bars of the cell.

"Can you help me get out of here?"

    Ghirahim smirked and leaned against the adjacent wall.

"No."

"But you said-"

"Why would I move you when I have you exactly where I want you? I'm glad that I was able to organize the other prisoners to be moved, it gives you more space."

"What?"

    He flashed her a surprised expression, which quickly turned into a cruel smile.

"Oh, you though I was going to let you out. I'm afraid I can't do that. But, if you would like a different room that would be harder for Skychild to find, I would be more than happy to move you."

    He snapped his fingers and appeared on her side of the bars.

"Wait!"

"What, don't you want a nicer room?"

"Yes, but-"

"Well, that settles it."

    Taking her arm, he snapped his fingers and teleported them into a different room. It looked much more comfortable than the cell, for it appeared to be the Captain's Chambers. There was a large bed against the back wall, a small writing desk, a few portholes, and a private ventilation system with air vents so there weren't any noisy fans. A single set of heavy doors, larger than the others on the ship, sat across from the bed. But most shockingly, in the middle of the room was the Flame of Nayru.

    Unlike a regular fire, it did not emit warmth, but coolness. Neither did it spread to the rest of the ship like an actual fire would. Asuriel approached it with awe.

"I suppose that is what Skychild is looking for. Quite insignificant if you ask me."

"Well, he does need the flame to purify his sword to make it powerful enough to-"

    Asuriel stopped talking abruptly; she should not have said that. Already, the demon was focused on her, seeming to realize that she knew a little more than he might have thought. Straightening, he took a few steps towards her as she backed away.

"What were you about to say?"

"Nothing important."

    Her answer sounded too hurried as she moved away from him. He couldn't know about the other Gate of Time, it would jeopardize Link's mission as well as the fate of everyone on the Surface and in the sky.

"If it is not important, then why don't you tell me?"

    Asuriel was backed up against the bed and could not move further. Ghirahim leaned down closer to her, making her lean backwards over the bed.

"Because I... can't?"

"Can't?"

    Asuriel lost her balance and ended up laying on her back on the bed with her legs dangling over the edge. Ghirahim hovered over her, placing a hand down on either side of her head. Both of them froze as the power of the Timeshift Stone receded from the room. Everything was still in very good condition, if only a little faded. The demon looked up in the direction of the stone before turning back to the girl and persisting with his question.

"You can't tell me?"

"Well, I actually can,"

    He moved closer to her, so she quickly followed it up.

"but I shouldn't."

"Why not? You can tell me anything, you know."

"I know, but-"

"Then tell me."

    At this point, she was completely pinned down. The demon was propping himself up on his forearms, but otherwise he was basically laying on top of her. He was so close to getting the information from her, he could tell that her resolve would break if he ever so carefully pushed her a little more.

"I-"

"It's alright, you can tell me. Trust me, you will feel much better when you do."

    When? The girl paused for a moment. She was breathing very heavily as was to distracted by Ghirahim's actions to be confused about how she even got to this point. The tips of his hair brushed over her cheek as she stared up at him.

"Asuriel."

    He spoke her name very quietly and softly, and it soothed her. He was right, she would feel better when she told him. Why hadn't she done so before, he asked nicely, didn't he?

    At that moment, the Timeshift Stone was activated again and the color returned to the room.

The stone.

Link.

What was she doing?

    Was she seriously about to tell him that there was another Gate of Time, and that it was in the Sealed Temple?

" I will not tell you."

    The demon frowned.

"You know, I was really trying to be nice, but if you're not interested, then we will do it the hard way."

    Asuriel's eyes flashed with fear. She had never been as afraid of the demon as she was now. He said he wouldn't hurt her without reason, had she just given him that?

"Maybe I should tell Link and that goddess serving dog about where you really were. I know you didn't tell them the truth. What would your old guardian say if she knew that you were in my room? Or that you allowed me to get close to you? Or that we slept in the same bed?"

   The girl was afraid. Impa would be furious if she knew any of that. Still, it was her fault that she didn't already know.

"I was going to tell them anyway. Anything that happened then would be explainable."

"Really, and what about now?"

    Asuriel panicked. If Link walked in right then, she wasn't sure if she could explain what happened. It didn't matter, he probably wouldn't listen.

"What if I told Link that you have been purposefully getting captured? What if you really let go of him in the Ancient Cistern? What if you didn't accidentally fall when he used the Hookshot, forcing you to stay behind? What if you knew that you would be separated by the bars falling across the door less than an hour ago? Could you make him understand, or would he see that all the evidence he needs to believe me is set right before his eyes? If you have so much faith that he trusts you, allow me to give you something that you can't explain away."

    Before the she could respond, Ghirahim bypassed the space left between them and kissed her.

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Just to clarify, Ghirahim is threatening to lie to Link about Asuriel.

     Also, you might have noticed that there is a link to a chapter archive. I created the archive for easier access to all chapters, and especially if there is a new reader that is interested and looking for chapter one. I hope that you find it helpful.

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate Archive

Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four - Chapter Five - Chapter Six - Chapter Seven - Chapter Eight - Chapter Nine - Chapter Ten - Chapter Eleven - Chapter Twelve - Chapter Thirteen - Chapter Fourteen - Chapter Fifteen - Chapter Sixteen - Chapter Seventeen - Chapter Eighteen - Chapter Nineteen - Chapter Twenty - Chapter Twenty-one

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction

Updates weekly

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter thirteen:

Word count: 2177

    Upon landing on the deck of the ancient ship, the first thing Asuriel noticed was that there was no bird statue. That meant that in case of emergency, there would be no swift way for them to exit the ship. Still, the girl had faith in Link that he could protect her, granted that he did not become distracted.

"So, what do we do next, hero?"

    Her tone was slightly playful and she attempted to lighten the mood and start a conversation.

"Well, the only option right now is through that door, so I guess we should start there."

"Right, that door it is, then."

    Asuriel began to walk in that direction when Link called her back to where they were standing.

"Um, I wanted to tell you..."

    He paused, seeming to try to find the right words.

"What is it, Link?"

"I'm sorry that you got captured under my watch and that I couldn't save you. You must have been terrified down there, alone, in the dark, probably wondering where I was the whole time and why I wasn't coming to help you-"

"Link."

    Asuriel quickly ran up to him and took both his hands in her own. He had maintained a stoic attitude until this point, but she could see how much the guilt of her capture weighed on him.

"Link, don't beat yourself up about it. You must have gone through a lot to look for me, and everything is alright now."

"But I-"

"Shh. Don't worry. I'm safe now with you. That's all that matters."

    She pulled Link into a tight embrace, which he happily returned. After a minute, the goddess sword started vibrating, and Fi's voice could be heard instructing them to continue to the next part of the ship.

    As they explored more of the ship, Asuriel was careful to never leave Link's sight. That was not very difficult considering that most of the time, Link was holding her hand. It was almost as if he was doing it out of instinct rather than holding it intentionally.

    Finally, they reached a bright blue chest which contained a small key. Asuriel remembered that one of the doors close to the deck had been locked, so they hurried in that direction. With a echoing click and an ominous creek, the door swung open upon its hinges and the two stepped through it. They emerged outside on a narrow plank way that overlooked the vast Sandsea. At the end of the walk way stood a figure, arms crossed and tattered clothing fluttering in a light breeze. When it sensed the presence of others, it turned around and drew its electric weapon.

    Link instinctively leapt in front of Asuriel and charged at the robotic creature who was running towards them. They clashed in the middle and a battle of speed, power, and agility ensued. The hero wielded his blade with swift, solid swings, causing the pirate captain to be pushed back. However, that did not mean that these advances were not countered. The robot made a series of jabs, which Link parried before continuing his barrage of attacks.

    This continued until Link had worked the captain to the end of the walkway. The latter appeared to lose his balance for a moment while his weapon flew from his hand to be swallowed by the sand below. Then, he steadied himself and drew his other weapon, making the other fall back to avoid being hit. Asuriel was also forced to move as a spiked gate behind her threatened to injure her if she did not go forward.

    For the next round of attacks, the captain seemed much more efficient. He had managed to made some headway against Link, and they both jumped back and forth, exchanging thrusts, swings, and parries. One time, the captain charged his weapon and managed to move swifter than Link, ramming the buzzing metal into his opponent's stomach. The boy grunted from the impact and the shock and faltered, falling momentarily to one knee before regaining his composure and fighting again. No matter how well he had played it off, it was obvious that Link had taken a hard hit because he was no longer moving as smoothly. Because of this, it was not long before the electrified metal made contact with him again, knocking into his shoulder and sending him sprawling over the ground before rising to his feet. A third blow aimed again at his stomach proved too much for him as he collapsed to the ground, pressing his palm against the singed fabric of his tunic.

    In a flash, Asuriel moved forward to stand in front Link. She had no idea what to do, but she could not let her friend die. The captain growled and swung at her head, but she ducked and, remembering how she had played that game with Ghirahim, used her magic to push the pirate closer to the edge. Everything was going well until she suddenly tripped over some uneven boards and lost her footing. The captain seized her by her neck, holding her upright and keeping its electric weapon close enough to her face so that she could feel the power radiating from it.

    The captain had stopped and was now examining her. She could see past the lenses of one of its eyes, noticing some kind of mechanism working behind it. Asuriel felt as if it was scanning her, evaluating her, maybe even trying to sum up what she may be worth. The girl knew very little of pirates, but she read that they had an affinity for golden coins and gaudy clothing.

    Slowly, but with an act of finality to it, the robot lowered its weapon for the girl's face. A raspy laugh left its hollow mouth as it spoke in a voice so low that Asuriel was sure only she could hear.

"So, you're one of his belongings?"

    The girl trembled slightly, unsure if it wanted her to stay silent or reply. At last, she answered in a small, shaky voice.

"Whose belonging?"

"You're little act can't fool me, his aura is all over you. How did you find your way out here, little one? You should be back with your master."

"Who are you talking about? What do you mean by 'my master'?"

    The captain ignored her and began thinking out loud.

"We are under orders to return any of his lost things to him."

    The robot looked her over again.

"He always did have an eye for delicate items."

    So what, was she a thing and an item now?! And who would be so entitled to refer to people as possessions and have them returned if they were lost? She had no more time to consider these things before she was pulled out of the captain's grip. Link had come to save her!

    There was a spark of anger in his eyes that she had hardly, if ever, seen. With one last blow, he drove the captain off of the walkway and into the vast sea of sand. Turning back to Asuriel, she could not identify the look he gave her. It was fierce and strong, but not angry.

"I'm not loosing you again."

    Those were the words he spoke before collapsing to the ground. Asuriel was kneeling by his side in an instant, feeling around the fabric covering his stomach. He was obviously in a lot of pain and he was most certainly in need of healing. But, the bright sun over the desert was harsh and they would only continue to be drained as long as they remained outside. With some effort, Asuriel managed to pull Link to his feet and they walked back inside with the boy leaning heavily against her.

"Link, I need to get a good look at your stomach. Could you please take off your shirt?"

    He immediately turned bright red, causing the girl to wonder if he was so easily sunburned. Tentatively, he removed the tunic along with a layer of chain mail and a thin undershirt, revealing the soft skin of his chest.

    Asuriel knew it was rude to stare, but she had never seen a boy without a shirt on, which wasn't very surprising considering she didn't grown up around any human males.

    Her gaze shifted down past his muscular abdomen to his stomach, which was already bruising. As gently as she could, she ghosted her hands over the bruises and pressed her palms against him, one on his chest, the other at his stomach, preparing to heal him. Link shuddered at her touch a wiggled a little bit, causing Asuriel to frown.

"Are my hands too cold, Link?"

"Oh, u-um, no. It's fine."

    She nodded as focused again. Link was filled with a strange, warm feeling as her power coarse through him and healed him. He could not remember being so flustered around Zelda, although she had never asked him to take his shirt off. The situation was made more embarrassing for Link because Asuriel didn't consider her actions to be anything more than medical, magical healing.

    And that's all it was, healing. The power she used was definitely the thing that was causing his heart to beat so violently against his chest. It was definitely the cause of her touch feeling almost... electric, but more pleasant than getting jabbed by a metal pole (he should know).

    Asuriel herself was also experiencing these small things. Her heart fluttered in her chest, making her question what was going on. Her face felt abnormally hot, yet for no apparent reason. Maybe Impa would know.

    "Link, before you put your shirt on, do you mind if I listen to your heartbeat? I don't know much about the effects of electricity, but I want to make sure that it didn't hurt you too much."

    He nodded dumbly and Asuriel moved to stand against him, letting the side of her head rest against his chest as she listened to his heart. One hand absentmindedly traced small patterns over his bare chest as she closed her eyes and focused.

    Good Hylia, could she get any cuter? She was completely oblivious to how forward she would look and sound if she actually knew anything about relationships between the two people.

"Your heart is beating very quickly, but there is nothing too unusual about that. You must still be a bit jittery after that fight."

    Yeah, it was definitely the fight...

    Link turned away to hide his flushed face as he put his undershirt, chain mail, and tunic back on. When he turned back around, Asuriel was holding his cap, which had slipped off when he first undressed. Reaching up, she readjusted some of his messy hair before situating it back on his head.

"There, good as new. Well, except that your tunic is rather black in some places... you can get a new one, right?"

"Of course, I can pick one up later."

    The girl flashed a small smile before turning and opening the door that led outside.

"I thought I saw a chest materialize when we were going inside. Let's see what's in it."

    Link followed her out and was surprised by a beautiful bow and a quiver of arrows. Those would definitely come in useful, not only for solving puzzles and hitting triggers, but also for defending Asuriel. Smiling to himself, Link took her hand I his and led her back into the ship.

    A pair of dark eyes followed them, focused like a hawk on their intertwined fingers. How was this even close to fair?! He, Lord Ghirahim, had saved that girl, given her food, and place to stay, allowed her to be in his presence, and she returned so little of the attention. Then, these stupid skychildren get all of her care! She comforts them, hugs them, and tends to their wounds.

    It is important to remember that such a power demon was not in need of such things to survive, but it was making him VERY disagreeable to see all of the attention he was missing out on.

    The care he received from Demise had been limited, but it was better than not having shared contact with another being for years. Maybe he could fake an injury or pretend to be mentally scarred about something. He was, after all, an excellent actor. Ah, but now was not the time to focus on such trivial things. He had places to be, and he doubted he could stand having his blood boil any more as Asuriel devoted her care to that green clad brat.

    One day, when Demise returned, she would treat no one but him with such gentleness and care. He would make sure of it.

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Alright, another chapter done. Was that a little hint of yandere at the end? It is a bit shorter this week because I have been very busy and this was all written in the past two hours. As you can see, I have a new profile picture. I convinced a friend of mine to draw a chibi Asuriel, and she delivered beautifully. Thank you all for your support and comments, they really help motivate me to write. Anyway, have a great week and I will see you all in the next update.

[thelegendoftelezia]

Profile Picture

Hello! I’m not sure if anyone has noticed yet because I just recently changed it, but I finally got an actual picture for my profile. My friend, who was the one that convinced me to write a fan-fiction, drew it because I have no artistic talent. Basically, I begged her to draw a chibi Asuriel and she did and I think it is super cute. But, I want to know what you guys think of it.

She also surprised me with a little bonus necklace that matches Ghirahim’s sash, which I am very pleased with.

She also mentioned that she might do a more realistic portrait of Asuriel, so I’m hoping to convince her to do it soon. Until next update.

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction

Updates weekly

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter twelve:

Word count: 5315

    Asuriel woke from a troubled sleep to find that she could not see anything. After panicking for a moment, she remembered her surroundings and discovered that Ghirahim had simply drawn the curtains of the canopy, blocking all light. Speaking of the demon, if Asuriel stilled enough, she could hear his soft breathing a few feet from where she lay. As silently as she could, she moved towards the edge of the bed and slipped through the heavy curtains. It was still in the dead of night; there was no sign of the sun nor light of dawn visible through the window. The stars twinkled brilliantly and Asuriel admired how well should could see them. However, she did not get up to look at stars.

    Creeping over to the desk, she began her search for Ghirahim's notebook. This may not have seemed like the best idea, but she was curious about the offensive spells it contained and she doubted she would have another opportunity to read over them before he hid the book. Impa had always told her it was wrong to take something that wasn't hers, but she had no intention of taking it, in fact she doubted she could leave the room without help.

    After a few minutes of searching, Asuriel discovered that it was not on the desk, so she proceeded to look elsewhere. As she glanced across the room, a ray of moonlight illuminated the cover of what she sought from where it lay on the crimson chaise. She was almost too happy when she moved across the room to it. Giving one more furtive glance towards the bed, she sat down and opened the journal.

    Immediately, she felt a shock of pain shoot through her arm, causing her to drop the book. The surprising part was that it didn't come from the journal or as an automatic result of her touching it. Asuriel's heart pounded as she looked around for the demon. It must have been him, she remembered he did something similar when she tried to heal Link in the Earth Temple.

    But, wasn't he just asleep?

    Apparently not because a few seconds later, she felt and pair of hands ghost over her shoulders and then disappear. She jumped and the sensation, but was even more unnerved when it went away without a trace.

    This was another of his cruel games, wasn't it?

    Well, she was not playing it this time. If she just laid back down and went to sleep, he should leave her alone.

    Unfortunately for Asuriel, she had no choice whether she wanted to play or not. After all, sneaking around a someone else's room in the middle of the night is the perfect invitation to be messed with.

    The girl whipped around as she heard a snap of fingers behind her. Nothing. She still looked in the direction of the noise when heard her name whispered in her ear. Spinning around, she again saw not a trace of the demon lord. Goosebumps formed along her arms as she frantically looked around her, but did not see anything that would indicate the presence of another.

    Carefully, she took a few more steps towards the bed before she was caught. Arms snaked around her frame and held her in an iron grip. Asuriel screamed in shock, but she could not get away. Behind her, Ghirahim snickered and waited for the girl to calm down before speaking.

"Sneaking around, I see?"

    His tone was rather playful, giving her hope that he wasn't angry with her.

"Don't you know that it is rude to read someone else's journal without their permission."

    His voice had become slightly more serious, however Asuriel could tell he was more aggravated than angry, but his grip on her begun to tighten.

"I know, and I sincerely apologize. I had no intention of upsetting you."

    Ghirahim huffed in annoyance, but relaxed his hold on the girl. In the silence that followed, Asuriel collected her thoughts and was about to ask if they she go back to sleep when a sudden tremor caused the room to shake. Pulling the girl against himself with one arm, the demon crossed the room to the window to see what was causing the ground to shake. His look of confusion melted into a grin as he noticed that the disturbance was coming from the direction of the Sealed Temple. So, the seal was finally weakening?

    With a wave of his free hand, the curtain of the canopy was parted and he picked up Asuriel and placed her on the bed where he had previously been laying.

    He left with the words, "I will be back shortly," and replaced the curtain, casting a spell to keep Asuriel from leaving the bed so she wouldn't find anything else like his journal to investigate. He teleported to the edge of the Sealed Grounds and watched as the imprisoned rose to meet the hero, who looked like he was half asleep still. That wouldn't last long. There was not much of a chance that the monster would be able to make it to the Temple, but it was a good sign that Demise was close to being revived.

    Meanwhile, Asuriel lay in confusion as she wondered what was going on. In her entire life, she had never felt the ground shake like that. She concluded that it must have been something to do with Demise since Ghirahim looked so happy. Nevertheless, it did not help her understand what was going on, so she surrendered to sleep and hoped that an explanation would be provided.

    With one last swing, Link embedded the Sealing Spike in the Imprisoned's head and returned him to his prison below the ground. It had been excellent entertainment for the demon lord. He enjoyed seeing Link getting stepped on by his Master, even if it wasn't as glorious as what would happen once he was resurrected. With a snap of his fingers, Ghirahim was back in his room. He found Asuriel sleeping peacefully and decided that she had recovered enough to go back to the rest of the humans. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he had kept her so long. Of course, she was a good source of entertainment, but he was an incredibly busy person, and he didn't need extra distractions, especially human ones.

    Returning the girl would be relatively simple. He didn't want to give her back directly since that would be incredibly boring and too obvious that he had helped. The girl would not want that twig to know that she had stayed with him, so he would drop her off somewhere in the woods and allow her to make her way back.

    Do you think he was doing that to be nice? To be kind?! If you said 'yes', you are sadly mistaken.

    He would use Asuriel's 'secret' for his own purposes. When he inevitably encountered that goddess serving dog or even the hero, he could offhandedly mention how he had let the girl stay with him. That would sow seeds of distrust among Hylia's servants. Why, they might even turn on each other and start blaming each other, because it was obviously out of Asuriel's control. Impa would blame Link and the boy would be upset that Asuriel didn't tell him. The thought of that made Ghirahim positively giggly.

    His footsteps were completely silent as he drew back the curtain of the bed. Asuriel lay exactly where he had set her. A smile subconsciously made its way to his lips as he inspected her sleeping form. Her head was in better condition and her ankle, although still broken, was set properly. When she awoke, she would have enough energy to at least reduce the swelling and conceal the break, leaving her with a slight limp. It would be a lot less noticeable than doing nothing and he got the feeling that Asuriel would not want to appear hurt. She didn't like to be kept in one place, so she had to look as well off as possible. Plus, it would help her conceal her previous whereabouts, only strengthening his plan to divide them.

    Gently, Ghirahim picked up the girl along with one of the soft blankets and teleported to the Faron Woods. There was a place that he noticed would make a wonderful spot to conceal her. It was only accessible by a small hole in the ground next to a tree in a separate part of the forest. A person would have to be intentionally going to that specific place to notice it (it's the place where Link found Oolo). The area itself was rather small, almost like a miniature courtyard. Laying Asuriel down so she was partially resting against the tree, he adjusted the blanket and made one last check to ensure that she couldn't be seen from the ground before he returned to his room.

    He would have rather kept the blanket, but it would be positively uncivil for a host to dump their guest in the woods in the middle of the night without some sort of cover.

    Now that he was back in his room, the demon decided to continue reading since it was almost morning and he wouldn't be able to get any quality beauty sleep with only a few hours left. Frankly, he hated having to learn about the things Hylia made, but he wanted to be of assistance to Demise in any way possible. Especially when it came to those pesky worms that called themselves dragons.

    Then, he stumbled across a page that actually interested him. The passage was vague, but that only added to his intrigue.

    It was about a creature that the goddess had created for one of her servants. That servant had prayed to her for many days at both springs for a daughter, and Hylia had answered. She used some sort of magic, sacred water, and a lily. That water from the springs was transformed over many years to create a being that looked identical to a human, but was actually very different.

    After a thousand years, the bud finally opened and there appeared a creature in the form of a human, yet very distinguished from them. It had a pure spirit and an immortal body, gifted with powerful magic to serve it's creator. The servant of the goddess sensed these things and the creature was called Lothsiriel.

    What a strange way to be created. But, if what the text said was true, that creature was still alive somewhere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Asuriel woke to the familiar sound of birds chirping.

Wait, birds?

    She opened her eyes and looked around. Somehow, she was back in the Faron Woods, laying in her favorite napping spot. Had she dreamed the entire encounter with the demon?

    No, there was one of his blankets, and her ankle was still wrapped tightly in neat white bandages. For some reason, he had seen fit to drop her off in the forest, which was quite fortunate for her. If she healed herself, Impa may accept the answer that she was only detoured to get away from the bokoblins and merely twisted her ankle. Focusing on her foot, she began to fuse the bones back together. She was very fortunate that Ghirahim knew the structure of human bones in order to set it correctly, a fact that slightly unnerved her.

    Within a few minutes, the injury was mostly healed and Asuriel focused on her head before she was satisfied. But what to do with the blanket. She couldn't just leave it somewhere. Maybe if she sneaked around the Sealed Temple, she could smuggle it into her room. It was worth a shot.

    Jumping down from her resting place, Asuriel began to make her way through the forest. The walk was mostly uneventful until a bokoblin spotted her and charged. Asuriel was about to run when the creature stopped and sniffed the air, gave Asuriel a strange look and inched closer. The girl didn't dare move, she didn't know why it stopped; she didn't want to discover what would upset it again.

    The bokoblin sniffed again and continued its passive behavior, even seeming to cower slightly. What in Hylia's name? Once it was less than a yard away, it stopped, sniffed one last time, and walked away. Shaking off the strange incident, Asuriel continued through the forest. As quietly as possible, she approached the back of the temple and made her way to the wall that composed part of her room and began to climb to the roof. There was a small trapdoor in the ceiling of her room, so she easily slipped in unnoticed. Once there, she folded the blanket and laid it in a drawer before changing out of the nightgown and exiting again through the trapdoor.  If she randomly strolled out of her bedroom after being missing, it would raise suspicion.

    The moment she stepped through the door to the temple, Impa looked up and burst into tears. The girl ran to her and embraced her.

"Child, when Link returned and told me what happened, I- I thought that we had lost you."

"Don't worry, I'm here now. Where is Link?"

"Just outside, talking with one of his friends."

"Who?"

"Another human boy, his name is Groose. The poor lad needed some cheering up."

    At that moment, Link came through the doors of the temple. When he saw Asuriel, he ran to and threw his arms around her in an embrace.

"Asuriel, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you!"

"Link, there is no need to worry, I'm safe."

"But, the bokoblins took you, how did you escape?"

    The girl paused. She had never really lied before, but she couldn't tell them the truth, or at least not the whole truth.

"I'm not sure. It was very dark and damp. I remember waking up in their camp and wandering around. I must have found a way out."

"I'm just glad that you are alive. I thought those monsters would kill you!"

    A moment of silence passed before Link spoke again.

"I tried talking to Groose, but he won't listen to me. I don't know how to get him to cheer up, the only thing that ever did was seeing me loosing at something or being around Zelda."

"I will speak to him. Meanwhile, you must go to the Lanayru province like we discussed. I would like to have a few words with Asuriel before you leave."

    Link nodded and exited the temple, leaving Impa alone with Asuriel.

"There are many things that you should know concerning the events last night, but now is not the time to tell them. You must accompany Link to his next destination."

"I must confess, I didn't think that you would suggest that."

"I believe that it is dangerous for you to go, but you have no choice. Remember that Her Grace ordered you to help Link. If it were up to me, you would remain in the safety of the temple, but Hylia has spoken, I only hope she has not sentenced you to your death by putting you under the hero's care. It is time for you to leave. But, make sure he brings you back for your birthday in a few days.

    Impa smiled weakly.

"You've grown into such a fine young lady. Farewell, Lothsiriel."

"Farewell, Impa. Fear not, I'll be back."

    With a final embrace, Asuriel joined Link at the front of the Temple by a bird statue.

"Link, before we go, do you mind if I talk to your friend? From what you said, he sounded distraught."

"If you want to try. I guess?"

"Thank you, I won't be more than a few minutes."

    Asuriel took a deep breath and prepared to meet his new person. After all, he would be the third human that she would see. This boy looked much different than Link, and even Ghirahim. His hair was quite shocking and his clothing was extremely vibrant. It could have matched more, but it wasn't that terrible. He didn't appear to notice her, so she moved slowly and was careful to not startle him. When she was just a few feet away, she called his name.

"Groose."

    He turned spun around at hearing an unfamiliar voice call him. When he saw her, his eyes widened significantly.

"Are- are you an angel?"

    The girl giggled.

"Not quite, but I am here to help you."

"How?"

"I sense that you are distraught, why?"

"Well, I'm the one who should have come down in the first place. I should have been rescuing Zelda. I should have been the Hero. At least, that's what I thought until I saw Link fight that huge monster, and after that old lady said he was the hero. If I'm not saving Zelda, I don't really have a purpose."

"It may be true that Link is the goddess' chosen Hero, but that does not mean you have no purpose. You are here now, you can still help Zelda, and you can still be a Hero. You cannot define what you are worth by comparing yourself to someone else, especially Link."

    Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes and he sniffled loudly.

"But, it's so easy to do that. I want to help, to be a hero, to be useful like Link, but I don't know how..."

"Then let me show you how."

    Asuriel extended a hand to Groose, and was slightly startled when he pulled her into an embrace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Ghirahim drummed his fingers on the branch of the tree in which he was sitting on. He had decided to follow Link to see if he led him anywhere of importance and had happened to see that girl again. They were about to leave when she insisted on trying to comfort that imbecile with the ridiculous red pompadour. She gives a small sappy speech about not comparing oneself to others and the boy completely looses it. How pathetic. Now, not only does he have to wait around for some stupid Skychild, he has to watch as a random boy get Asuriel's undivided attention. Why didn't she give him that much attention when she was staying with him? He may be a mighty Demon Lord, but it's hard to be surrounded by screeching minions all the time. Some well deserved attention would not go unappreciated.

    Anyways, it had been over an hour and she was still trying to console him. Even Skychild was getting impatient. Ah, finally, she finished. They exchanged a few words before walking to the bird statue.

"You might want to hold on for this."

    Asuriel put her arms around Link as a current of wind lifted them off the ground and carried them to the sky. She stared in wonder at the hole in the cloud barrier as Link whistled for his bird. Everything there, the Temple, the forest, the lake, it had been her life. Now, she could see it all in the same moment. But, there was also beauty in change. The sky was so much different, she could see so far! The wind on her face felt incredible as it blew through her long locks, blowing them out of her face.

"Get ready, we are going to jump now."

    Asuriel held on to Link as he leapt off of his Loftwing and descended to the ground. The girl had only seen part of the desert, so the sea of sand that greeted her was very shocking. When they landed, Link pulled out his sword and started searching for something. Along the way, multiple electric monsters charged at Link, who protectively stood in front of Asuriel. But, whenever they got closer to the girl, they stopped, stared, and left. This greatly puzzled both companions, but they figured it was for the best. They walked for a bit, then Link pulled out his harp, played a song, and a large flower pattern emerged from the ground.

"I'll see you in a bit, Asuriel. If you stay close to me, you'll be safe."

    With that, he plunged his sword into the center and remained kneeling. Asuriel could sense that the area was surrounded with a divine aura, keeping monsters that may have attacked at bay. She was startled when Fi appeared from the Master Sword.

"Lady Asuriel, I have detected a strange aura emanating from you. I have also detected the scent of another being attached to you and your clothing. Additionally, many of the creatures have become passive, if not submissive, around you. There is a 100% chance that this is due to the fact that you carry both Demon Lord Ghirahim's aura and scent. Therefore, I must ask, do you have any knowledge of why?"

"What do you mean?!"

"It is obvious to me that you have previously spent time with him."

"So, if you know that, then what are you asking?"

"Why were you in his company?"

"He took me out of the camp of Bokoblins, gave me clothes, and took care of me for the night. Please don't tell Link, I don't want him to worry."

"The knowledge of these things will not be beneficial to nor intervene with Link's progress, therefore I see no reason to divulge this information to him."

"Thank you."

"However, I warn you that Ghirahim will use you withholding information to his advantage. He would not hesitate to tell Link or Impa, it may be wise for them to hear it from you."

"Thank you for your advise, I will consider it."

    Had Fi really been able to tell, even from the Master Sword?

"Fi..."

"What is it, Lady Asuriel?"

"Is the scent... strong?"

"I calculate that there is less than a 23% of any of your human or Sheika acquaintances noticing. However, other species with keener senses such as Kikwis, dragons, bokoblins, and sword spirits can easily pick up the odor. I highly advise against visiting Faron until it has worn off."

"Will he be able to tell?"

"If you are referring to Ghirahim, then yes. He may not know yet because, based on your explanation, because he would not be able to distinguish how you smelled from the rest of his living space. If you met him in your current state, it would be very obvious to him. I calculate a high probability that it would have an effect on his actions towards you. This also affects his hordes as they will not attack you if you carry his scent."

"But they don't think that I am Ghirahim, do they?"

"No. If you recall, bokoblins used to be very hostile towards you, but now any monster that gets close enough to you will retreat. There is a high probability that they believe that you belong to Ghirahim and, based on his behaviors, the creatures are careful not to damage or even touch any of his possessions."

    Asuriel blushed as she considered the monsters thinking of her as Ghirahim's possession and decided to end the conversation before something more embarrassing was said. It wasn't long before Link finished his trial and removed his sword from the ground.

"I hope you weren't bored, Asuriel."

"No, I can't say that I was."

"Well, if you are ready, we will continue to the next place."

    After walking for some time, the reached and sand water fall. As usual, Asuriel held on tightly to Link, but the movement caused by the Hookshots was so sudden, she lost her grip and tumbled into the cascade of sand.

"Asuriel!"

    Link immediately leapt after her and barely managed to pull them both to safety before the were swallowed by the sand. The girl coughed, spitting up sand as Link looked down with a worried expression.

"Can you try again? I may be able to spare an arm to hold onto you."

    Shakily, she nodded her head and they tried again. This time, Link put one arm around Asuriel while he used one Clawshot. Then, she would switch arms when it came time for him to use his other Clawshot. The process took time and they were both tired by the end of it.

"Link, it might be better if you left me here for a while. I will only slow you down, and you can come get me when you get to a bird statue."

"I don't want to leave you alone, especially after last time."

"It's okay, I won't be alone. There is a goron right over there."

"Still, I don't know."

"I'll be fine."

    Link sighed.

"I wish you at least had a weapon. Are you sure about this."

"Positive."

    Before either of them had time to think, Asuriel stood up on the tips of her toes and gave Link a small kiss on his cheek. Immediately, his face turned a bright red and he froze for a few seconds before stuttering something and quickly disappearing through a heavy metal door.

    Asuriel sighed and sat down on a wooden stool. She would probably have to stay there for hours before Link found a place to bring her to. But, she was used to having to entertain herself. Summoning a faire light, she used her magic to toss it across the cavern towards the opposite wall. When it bounced off, it split into two balls of light and they flew back to Asuriel. She used her magic to thrown both against the wall before they touched the wall behind her. This time,  four balls returned. It was a game she used to play to practice handling a lot of objects at once. The game helped sharpen concentration and it taught her a lot about counting the exponents of two.

    Soon, the room was filled with glowing faire lights. The downside of playing was that it quickly got out of control. The lights were bouncing against many parts of the cavern and flying in all different directions. Then, she saw something different; a flash of red among the golden and silvery light. A crimson ball of light came hurtling towards Asuriel and she barely had time to push it away before it hit the wall behind her. Within a minute, crimson light was shining throughout the room, yet somehow not completely mixing with the original light. Soon more  colors were added as she saw a streams of black, yellow, and white enter the mix.

    By this time, the goron had run out of the cave from fear of being hit by flying, glowing balls of energy.

    Asuriel began to notice that some of the lights would suddenly change directions and fly towards her. She also saw that the lights had stopped bouncing off the opposite wall. Experimentally, she threw some towards it. They were deflected. She tried it again. This time, they were sent flying back at her as if someone else had pushed them back.

    Of course someone had. Who else could create lights in those colors and send them hurdling around a room while making sure they were individually distinguishable?

    It seemed that a one person game had just become a bit more competitive. With a bit of effort, Asuriel shoved as many of the balls of light as she could towards the other wall. Of course, none of them touched it, but were shot back at her. This time, she combined multiple lights to make them stronger and threw the large ball. When it got close to the wall, it was shattered as the pieces scattered to the side.

    Several long chains of colorful light were shot towards Asuriel's wall, but she deflected those perfectly. She continued to create larger balls of energy to throw, bounce small lights against walls so they would split near the opposite one, and even managed to turn all of the lights over at once, yet only one shard of light got within an inch of the wall.

    Among the constant pushing of lights, they began to gather into the center of the cavern into one large ball. Asuriel pushed against it with her power and felt another force pushing it back toward her. The ball floated and slowly moved back and forth between the proximities of both walls as both parties strove to push it to their competition's wall. Asuriel had it almost up against the opposite wall when it as suddenly hit with such a great magical force that it caused her to fall over. She just barely managed to push back the mass of light as it shattered from her deflection.

    The girl got to her feet, confused. The lights were slowly and idly floating around the cavern. Had something happened? Looking back at the wall she was defending, Asuriel saw one, small gleam of crimson light embedded in it. She walked over two it, pulled it out, and held it in her hand. It was very beautiful, the color was vibrant and it looked almost as if it had a small diamond inside of it.

    Asuriel looked up and turned around when she felt a hand lightly brush against her shoulder. Before her, Ghirahim smirked down at her, delighted in his victory. The girl couldn't help but smile slightly at how pleased he looked. Without saying a word she held out the fragment of light to him and made it hover above her palm. Ghirahim took it in his hand, looked at it for a moment, then snapped his fingers, causing it to disappear.

    Asuriel gazed at the red light until the demon sent it away, then looked back towards his face. His eyes glittered, but not with the usual mischief that inhabited them. Asuriel felt herself falling into some sort of dream state as she only focused on the demon in front of her. A gently, invisible touch pulled her towards him and guided her feet to step closer. Slowly, Ghirahim circled one of his arms around her back while he cupped her cheek with the other. Both were barely conceiving what was happening as they remained under some kind of trance.

    The girl reached up one hand and brushed some of the demon lord's hair away from his face, giving her a better view of his other eye as it shone under its white veil. She moved closer to him, standing on the tips of her toes and placing her hands on his chest before sliding them up to loosely grasp his shoulders. In turn, he leaned down, causing their noses to brush against each other and they felt the other's breath on their faces. Asuriel watched through half-lidded eyes as he did so, keeping eye contact while a single thought played in her head. He looks so... beautiful.

    The sound of loud footsteps immediately snapped both of them out of their trance. Ghirahim blinked and found himself standing just inches from Asuriel, his arm around her and her face held in his ungloved hand. In a moment, he overcame the shock and vanished in a flurry of diamonds. The girl was also coming out of shock, stumbling backwards as a deep blush spread across her face. What in Hylia's name just happened?

    The next moment, Link came through the heavy door on the other side of the room, completely oblivious to what just happened.

"Hey Asuriel, sorry it took so long for me to come to get you."

    She looked away quickly, trying to calm down so her face would return to its usual color

"It's alright, Link. I suppose we will be returning to the sky and dropping down to another location?"

"Yes, but I was wondering-"

"Excellent, I'll wait for you outside."

    She sprinted out of the room and into the bright light of the desert. Taking deep breaths, she waited for Link to follow before continuing on to the statue.

"Are you okay, you seem a bit off?"

"I'm doing just fine, Link. I guess I lost track of time and was a bit disoriented when you returned."

"If you say so. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I think I am."

"Well then, hold on."

    With a strong gust of wind, the two were lifted into the air, only to drop back down to the surface as they landed on the deck of an old, weathered ship.

[thelegendoftelezia]

The Mark of a Soulmate

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword fan-fiction 

Updates weekly

Chapter Archive

Description: Asuriel has been raised on the Surface her entire life. Completely oblivious to the world above the clouds, she prepares to fulfill her duty of being an attendant to Hylia. What will happen when her world is changed forever?

Chapter eleven:

Word count: 1804

    Asuriel recognized the voice and the gloved hand. Quickly turning around in the chair, she saw Ghirahim standing directly behind her, leaning over her. Startled, she led out a small scream and placed her hands on the desk to help her stand, but found that the demon's other hand was clamped firmly on one of her shoulders, holding her down in the chair. Lazily, he drummed the fingers of his left hand against the cover of the closed book and he waited for Asuriel to do something. Meanwhile, the girl was completely frozen with fear. Not only was there a demon standing behind her, she was trapped and couldn't even see him.  

    Ghirahim sighed and leaned to one side so her could see Asuriel better.

"The least you could have done was do something more interesting than sitting in one place. I understand my presence demands respect, but you are allowed to move."

    The girl pursed her lips, considering what to do. Obviously, Ghirahim was expecting her to do something and she had an idea that he would take it upon himself to see that she did. Perhaps he could give her some information.

"Where am I?"

    Her voice quavered with the fear that she was trying to surpress.

"Demise's castle in the Faron Woods."

"How did I get here?"

"I brought you here."

"Why?"

"It was only natural, of course."

    He straightened and began pacing around the vicinity of the desk, making his usual dramatic hand gestures.

"I couldn't stand to see such a delicate thing such as yourself continue to be mistreated by that blundering band of bokoblins. But, it puzzled me to think why I would bring a human to my master's castle and treat them so lavishly as I have you. To put it bluntly, something about you intrigues me and you are not permitted to die until I figure it out."

"You but you could have thought about that in the bokoblin camp."

"How very astute of you to notice. They may be my loyal soldiers, but they are stupid and not good company when one is trying to think."

"Another thing, what do you mean by intrigues y-"

    She was silenced by a hand being pressed to her mouth.

"Shhh, that's enough for now. I came here for a reason, you know."

    In answer, the girl tilted her head to the side, since she could not speak.

"It would be positively uncivil to leave a guest without some attention, starting with that ankle. Shall we have a look?"

    Asuriel pulled back out of his reach, giving him a wary glance.

"I don't know..."

"Well then, lucky for you, I do. Now come here."

    At his first step forward, the girl ran towards the door in hopes she could open it. The demon snapped his fingers and teleported in front of her. She bumped against him as she changed directions and ran away, yet he was soon there as well.

    What fun this was for Ghirahim! One thing he knew for sure about Asuriel: she had an excellent taste in games. Unfortunately, the fun would have to come to an end. It certainly would not do for her to hurt her foot for a second time. When he teleported again, the demon swept Asuriel off her feet and carried her to the crimson chaise. She screamed and kicked her legs in vain, but it was obviously because she wasn't done playing, that or she was angry about loosing. Either way, it was quickly becoming an annoyance.

"There's no need to fuss, I know you're better than that. Now, stop this little temper tantrum so I can check your ankle."

    The demon sounded perfectly calm as he adopted a patronizing tone. This seemed to make no difference in the girl's attitude, so he adjusted his tactic.

"How about we make a bargain, you let me inspect your injuries and I in return will teach you a spell from my notebook."

    At these words, Asuriel stopped struggling and looked at Ghirahim to see if he was sincere. His next sentence confirmed it.

"Is it a deal?"

"...yes."

"Very good. When I put you down, I wanted you to sit and position yourself sideways to I can reach your foot."

    When she was released, Asuriel carefully took a seat and, once Ghirahim was also seated, turned so her foot lay in his lap. Gently, he held her ankle and unwrapped the bandages, revealing just how swollen the skin was. Even the act of him brushing his fingers against the bruises or adjusting his grip sent shocks of pain through her leg, yet she remained still. Asuriel had no desire to lessen the probability of learning a new spell.

    Wrapping her foot again hurt more than she thought. The girl wondered how she had been able to move around the room before when she was still so injured.

    After securing the bandage, Ghirahim placed Asuriel's foot on the floor and shifted his attention to her head. When he was satisfied, he snapped his fingers and the journal appeared in his hands.

"When you regain your strength, I expect you should be able to heal yourself. Meanwhile, why don't you look through the first few pages and try to find something simple that doesn't require too much energy."

    Asuriel took the book and gingerly flipped through the pages in search of spells that interested her. The beginning of the book was filled with basic things, such as simple levitation and creating illumination. It was all parlor magic used to train inexperienced people so they wouldn't hurt themselves.

    As she kept going, the level of difficulty of the spells began to rise. Finally, Ghirahim placed his hand over the right half of the book to prevent Asuriel from going further.

"That's far enough."

"But those are spells for beginners, I would like to try something more challenging."

"No, the last thing you need is to overexert yourself. Depleting your magical energy will slow down your healing process."

"But you don't care about people working too hard. The first time I saw you, you drove Link to exhaustion."

    Something about that struck a nerve and the book was promptly snatched from Asuriel's hands.

"Actually, I'm not in the mood to teach you something. It would be better for you to rest anyway."

"But-"

"Don't try my patience. I am going to lay down and read."

    He snapped his fingers and a plate of food appeared on a small table not far away.

"When you finish eating, you may join me."

    With that, he rose and strode over to his bed, reclining and summoning one of the large texts from his shelf. Asuriel didn't understand what had caused his sudden change of attitude, but she realized she was too hungry to figure it out. Through a window that was a few feet from the bed, she could see that it was already past sunset. How many hours had it been since she had eaten?

    Meanwhile, Ghirahim brooded as he skimmed the pages of his book. Something boring about the 'creations of Hylia'. Whatever. His mind was too preoccupied to pay any real attention to what he was reading. The girl was an interesting little creature, something about her captured his attention, made him want to heal her and teach her new things. The notion seemed ridiculous, yet he felt that fate had a hand in this matter. More specifically, a string of fate.

    He was careful not to disclose too much of this information to the girl. Her nature would require answers to questions Ghirahim wasn't ready to give answers to. The strings of fate were not the only things that intrigued him. Her reckless curiosity coupled with her innocence amused him, and he wondered what life looked like through her inexperienced eyes. But then, she had to go and mention that brat's name, hurling him into a foul mood for a second time that day. Not only had the hero  have the gall to not die, but he had spent the day fawning over Asuriel and messing with his observations. But, that would have to be let go. This was the perfect opportunity to interact with her and no child from the skies was going to interfere.

    Something about the situation surprised the demon lord. After their first encounter, he spas sure that the goddess' guard dog would have warned her to keep away from him and not listen to anything he said, yet she had consistently let down her guard. She should be terrified to be in his presence, so why was she so comfortable?

    Speaking of her, Asuriel finished her food, which she had been deliberately eating slowly. For whatever reason, Ghirahim was in a bad mood and would probably need some space. But, with the food gone, there was no excuse for her not to go over to him. Approaching the bed, she saw that he lay on the left side of it, allowing a generous gap to be between them. The girl paused at the side of the bed, unsure if he wanted her to sleep there. This was quickly answered when she felt herself being picked up by some sort of magic and placed on the soft sheets. Asuriel stole a glance at Ghirahim, but his attention was still on his book. Careful to disturb the bed as little as possible, she situation herself under the covers. A few feet away, she heard the all too familiar snap as Ghirahim's book appeared back in its place in the shelf. Was he going to sleep beside her? She thought he was simply waiting her her to eat and then he would leave again.

"Do you need to sleep?"

    The demon scoffed as he adjusted one of the pillows to his liking.

"Hardly. I don't need to sleep, however I find it quite refreshing to wake up from a nice rest. You, on the other hand, are bound to sleep as a way to renew yourself. You will surely need a good deal of time to rest, so I will wake you later in the morning."

    Without another word, he lay down completely, signaling that the conversation was over. It was probably the closest thing to a 'goodnight' that Asuriel was going to get, so she followed suit and tried to relax.

    What was she doing, anyway? Impa had warned her about the demon. He was dangerous. He was unpredictable. He was a weapon without mercy. Yet here she was, an attendant of the goddess Hylia, sharing a bed with a servant of Demise. Impa would have a thing or two to say about this.

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Ha! I still updated in time. But only by a few minutes. Sorry about the later update.