It had not been long since Demise's resurrection and the hero's subsequent capture. The boy had certainly not surrendered willingly and continued to cause problems for Demise and his sword. After he had disobeyed an especially important order, Demise had finally ordered that the former hero be punished.
Ghirahim had perhaps too eagerly carried out his master's wishes because when Demise had finally called for a stop, Link had been bloody and unconscious. Rather than wait for the boy to awaken and continue, Ghirahim had suggested a more solitary punishment. Instead of trying to break his body, why not his mind instead?
~..~
Link opened his eyes as awareness slowly crept back. Everything was black. He blinked a few times, checking his vision but the place he was in refused to reveal anything but pitch blackness.
Sitting up too quickly, Link grabbed his head, groaning as pain shot through his body. Memories flooded back along with the hurt causing the former hero to glare into the darkness. Ghirahim. He had to be behind this dark torture.
He leaned back against a wall and stared towards what he thought might be the ceiling. It could be worse, he thought to himself. Ghirahim could be in here with me.
~..~
Demise frowned as he watched the boy pace around his cell, measuring out the small prison. Surely he didn't think he could escape?
"Don't worry, Master."
The Demon King looked down at his sword. "I'm not worried, Ghirahim, I trust your skills. I'm simply wondering if the boy really thinks he can get himself out of this punishment."
"I assume so, but he will soon realize it's useless," Ghirahim said softly, glaring at the figure on the other side of the enchantment.
~..~
Well, the walls were unbreakable, that much was certain. Link sat against one, hands resting in his lap as he tried to ignore the pain running through each. Having memorized the small area he was trapped in during his first conscious hours, Link had decided to test the strength of his prison.
He still wasn't sure how this was supposed to be a punishment. It was actually pretty peaceful. Kind of like the Silent Realms he had explored, without the threat of Guardians ruining the peace. Maybe this could work out being a nice way to recover, he thought, wincing as his head throbbed.
~..~
"How is it going?"
Ghirahim turned and smiled at his master as the other entered the room. "Just as planned. He's already attempted to break free twice."
"Has he started talking to himself yet?"
"No, but he has only been in the cell for a day," the sword spirit replied, watching the boy as he attempted to get comfortable against one of the walls.
"How long do you think the process will take?"
"Likely no more than a few days. His hunger will greatly speed up the confusion."
~..~
Okay, Link thought, now the quiet is a little too much. When he'd awakened to his stomach growling loudly, the darkness had seemed to press in on him like a weight.
He wasn't sure how long he had slept. Without any light it was impossible to determine whether it was even night or day. He was beginning to understand how this could be a form of torture.
As his stomach growled again loudly, the boy closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.
"Maybe I can just sleep through this whole punishment."
"Master Link?"
Link's eyes shot open and he stared up at the glowing blue form of his sword. "Fi?"
~..~
When Demise next checked on his sword, he found the other watching the cell intently. Inside, Link was pacing back and forth, muttering to himself.
"I see progress has occurred."
"More than I'd hoped for at this point, Master," Ghirahim replied with a smile. "I believe the boy has begun to hallucinate."
~..~
"I still don't understand, Fi. If you've been in Demise's castle this entire time why haven't you tried to contact me before now?"
"I am not certain. There is a ninety percent chance that it was prevented by the evil auras of the creatures present. It is likely that your current situation allowed for me to more easily reach you."
"That could be." The former hero sighed. Although he was grateful for her company as well as the much missed light she extruded, he knew that she was unable to help him escape from this torture.
"Master?"
"Yeah?"
The blue spirit seemed to hesitate, something Link had never seen her do before. "I wish to apologize for my failure."
"What do you mean?"
"I was unable to prevent your capture and the loss of Zelda. I feel…regret."
Link stared up at Fi, feeling his heart clench painfully. "No, please don't, Fi. It wasn't your fault this happened. If anyone's to blame it's me. If I had only trained harder I might have had a better chance against Demise; I might have been able to save Zelda."
A single tear rolled down the boy's face as he continued slowly. "I've had a lot of time to think while I've been in here. I've gone over my entire journey multiple times and every time I've found a time where instead of goofing off I could have been practicing my sword work. I spent so much time helping people I didn't have time to save the one person I…"
"Master Link?"
"I couldn't save my Zelda," Link whispered, as tears ran freely down his cheeks.
~..~
"We're nearly there, Master."
~..~
Fi was gone. He didn't know how long ago she had disappeared. Others had come to take her place, faces he knew all too well. Impa, Groose, the kind old woman from the temple…some people he had met only once during his journey.
None of them stayed. They appeared only long enough for Link to see the accusation on their faces.
His voice had disappeared long ago, dried out with his apologies and pleas for forgiveness. The figures continued to move through his cell as he simply sat and watched. The pain he had felt when his friends had first appeared had settled into a quiet numbness.
He wasn't even sure why he was still awake. He was so tired and in his dreams he could turn back time. He could dream about better days on Skyloft…about Zelda.
His eyes slipped closed and he could hear her laughter.
~..~
The door slowly opened, letting real light into the cell for the first time in days. Ghirahim looked down at the child on the floor and smirked. "Hello again, Link."
The former hero just blinked up at him, eyes squinting against the light.
"Are you ready to rejoin the world?"
No answer.
The sword spirit bent down and pulled up on the boy's hair until their faces were level. "I believe I asked you a question, Link."
"Yes, Master," the boy finally whispered, his eyes dry and empty.