Disclaimed.

…

Chapter One: In Which Things Go Horribly, Horribly Wrong

*~Day Zero~*

*~Link~*

I yawn, stretching and straightening my gauntlets as I turn to grin at Colin, sitting in the wagon beside me. "Looking forward to seeing Luda?" I tease.

"Looking forward to seeing Ashei?" he teases back. "And I know Beth can't wait to see her prince."

"I heard that!"

We both chuckle at that. A week or so ago, Ashei sent me a letter informing me that the Group and Ralis were meeting up in Kakariko, for old time's sake. Renado had suggested it, as the one year anniversary of my defeating Ganondorf.

To be honest, I'm pretty sick of people celebrating that. Congratulations, you killed a man! But they don't mean any harm. I'll tolerate it, at least a little longer. Besides, I *did* save the kingdom.

Did all the heroes have to put up with this?

"Ah, Hyrule calling Link?" I glance up, meeting Ilia's amused eyes.

"Sorry, I was just… thinking." I lean forward, patting Epona's neck. "Race you there?"

Ilia cracks the reins without another word, sending the wagon rattling off down the path. I laugh, sending Epona galloping after.

…

"Hey," Ashei says lightly, settling down beside me. "Having a good time?"

I shrug. "It's nice being able to talk to everyone again. I've missed you guys. Life's not the same without the occasional castle to storm."

She laughs. "Hard to believe it's already been a year, yeah?"

"It is a strange thought," Shad interjects, sitting beside Ashei. "A year ago today Hyrule was at war."

I nod. "And now it's not." I shoot them a sheepish look. "Would it be strange to say I miss it?"

Shad shrugs. "Well, from what I've read, the hero's spirit has a tendency to be… volatile once its host has completed his quest. One would think it never expected you to survive, old boy."

"Hero's spirit?" Ashei echoes. "What do you mean?"

I wave a hand airily. "It's just what… makes a hero a hero, I guess you could say. The last known person to carry it was the Hero of Time, then it was dormant for a few centuries, and then things started to go wrong again and it came to me. Not important." I frown thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll travel for a while. I mean, I have my whole life ahead of me. May as well learn what I can from it."

"An excellent decision," Shad says. "You will let me know if you find anything, won't you?"

"Yeah, if I get the chance." I lean forward. "The view from up here is incredible, isn't it?" We're settled on the Kakariko watchtower, waiting for Telma to call us down for food. As a professional, she's handling the catering.

Shad glances out. "Ah, yes, I suppose. We're very… high up, though."

Ashei grins. "You're scared of heights?"

"I am no such thing!"

I laugh, leaning forward. If I shift my balance at all, I'll probably fall. The thought sends a shock through me, and I lean back a little. Contrary to what everyone thinks, courage and recklessness aren't the same thing.

At least, not always.

"Link, Shad, Ashei!" Ilia calls. "Telma said to tell you to come down!"

Shad and Ashei begin making their way down the tower. I follow them down to the second platform, then jump from there.

What? I said courage and recklessness aren't always the same thing.

Ilia screams. So does Shad. Ashei just rolls her eyes. I whoop, landing easily and rolling back to my feet. "Last one back to the Inn is a Stallord skull!"

The other three yell complaints after me as I sprint through the door and skid to a halt beside Telma. "Hey."

"Did you jump off the watchtower again?" Renado asks.

"Is that what the screaming was about?" Auru asks. "Oh, good. We were worried."

"You jumped off the-" Rusl shakes his head. "I swear you give me more grey hairs than all the kids combined. Why would you even do that?"

I shrug. "Faster than the ladder. Besides, I've jumped from higher places than that."

"Like what?" Shad asks, walking in with Ashei and Ilia.

"Well, let's see… Fighting that dragon in the City in the Sky, Stallord in the Arbiter's Grounds, various other enemies that liked knocking me off cliffs…" I grin. "Adventures are very lofty things."

Telma laughs. "You know, it's funny. You're perhaps half my age, but I'd bet everything I own that you've already seen more of the world than I ever will."

"And I don't plan on stopping any time soon," I tell her.

"That's good," Auru says. "It would be a shame if you decided to stop now. After all, you're the Hero of Light."

I groan. "Don't call me that. It's stupid." Not that 'hero chosen by the gods' wasn't more stupid, but still.

"Are you insulting our queen's choices?" Rusl asks.

"Yes, I think I am," I say. "No offense intended towards Zelda, of course, but it's a stupid name."

"I think it sounds rather dignified," Renado says.

"I guess it's not all that fitting for Link, then," Ilia giggles.

A ripple of amusement runs through the group. I groan. "This is my thanks for saving the kingdom? You're horrible. All of you. Even that goddesses-damned dragon wasn't this mean to me! In fact, I don't think Ganondorf was this mean to me!"

Then the door bangs open. Gor Coron sticks his head in. "I am sorry to interrupt… but we have a problem."

…

"Holy Farore."

That's all I can think to say. Death Mountain has turned as dark as it was when the twilight covered it. Fingers crossed it's not that again though; I don't exactly want to show my friends the… other me.

"Holy Farore," I repeat, glancing up at the summit. Why do I feel like this is all for me? Whoever is up there is putting on quite the show. I reach for my sword. It's not the Master Sword, but I suppose it'll do…

"Holy Farore is right," Ashei mutters. "Let's get to the bottom of this quickly, yeah?"

I nod, taking off up the mountain with Ashei, Rusl, and Auru at my heels. The Triforce of Courage flares up, as if sensing a fight. I can't help a smile at the comforting warmth of its power, even if I still haven't figured out what exactly it does…

I skid to a halt. "What in the name of Din's great flaming feet is that?!"

"Well, I can honestly say I've never heard that before…" Ashei mutters. "But I understand the sentiment."

In front of us stands… a thing. It's a giant scorpion, I think. With eyes in its claws.

I shrug. Honestly, it's not the strangest thing I've seen. "Okay, sure. This is… manageable." I reach for my bow.

Oh, wait. My bow's in Ordon. As is… most of my gear, actually. Talk about bad planning. "On second thought…"

The scorpion leaps. I dodge, dragging Rusl with me. Ashei and Auru duck the other way. "Run!" I scream, shoving Rusl ahead of me and grabbing Auru's wrist. Ashei would kill me if I tried to help her, so I just gesture wildly. Auru barely ducks before I decapitate him with my movements; I'd forgotten I was holding my sword. I mutter an apology.

"It's fine," he replies, running to the grating and beginning to climb. "Just don't do it again."

Rusl and Ashei have already reached the top; they toss the biggest rocks available down at the scorpion, sending it skittering back and buying us time. I sheathe my sword and climb as fast as I can. As Auru and I climb out of range of its stinger, the scorpion buries itself in the dirt and vanishes.

"Well," I say after a minute. "That was… interesting."

"That's one word for it," Rusl mutters. "Come on. Let's keep going."

The four of us scramble up the mountain step by step. Last time I was here, I had to fend off Gorons attempting to defend their home. This reminds me more of the first time, though; a lonely wolf with an imp on his back wandering a silent mountain looking for shadow bugs. At least I can talk this time.

The Gorons' city is unnervingly quiet, the Gorons themselves having fled down the mountain as soon as the storm became clearly magical. Not even the wind makes a sound. I try to walk silently; it feels almost sacrilegious to break the silence.

"What is going on?" Ashei murmurs. It seems she feels the same way about making noise.

"I don't know," Auru replies softly. "Stay close, all of you. And be careful." We all nod.

My instincts are going off like bells in my head, danger, danger. This is wrong. I don't like it. There's something coming, I can feel it in the air. Something old and almost-familiar. A… presence. A whisper in the air, run away. I want to obey it. But something else, something deeper, tells me I can't.

A laugh splits the air and the power of the Triforce blazes. It's glowing brightly now. I swallow, trying to bring my emotions under control.

"Well, well, well…" drawls a voice. "You've come a long way, sky child."

A jolt runs through me. "I don't know what you're talking about. We've never met."

"Really?" comes the reply. "Ah, of course. It was lifetimes ago. This incarnation has no memories of the previous ones." A sigh. "I should have thought of that."

I draw my sword. "Who are you?!" Adrenaline screams through me. My hands are shaking.

The figure steps forward, bowing gracefully. He's pale, dressed in diamond patterned clothes. His white hair falls over one dark eye rimmed with purple. "Of course, where are my manners. I am Ghirahim, Demon Lord. I'm sure you don't remember, but you defeated my master the last time he rose. I am here to prevent a… similar outcome."

"You worked for Ganondorf?"

Ghirahim rolls his eyes. "As dense as ever." He vanishes, reappearing behind me with his hands on my shoulders. "Of course not. Now, be a good boy and drop your sword."

I swing at him in response. He teleports again. "Come now, sky child. If you keep fighting, it won't end well."

I raise my sword, keeping it between the two of us. "I fought the Evil King. You don't scare me." It's not a lie. I'm not scared, just… wary. I wish fleetingly for the Master Sword and Midna's advice; with those I wouldn't be even slightly worried.

"I was talking about your friends," Ghirahim hums, brushing back his hair. "You don't want them getting caught in the crossfire, do you?" He raises a hand.

"Link!"

"Colin!" I spin around. Bulblins have congregated during our distraction, each holding a captive. Talo, Malo, Colin, Beth, Ralis, Shad… Ilia… "Let them go!"

Each monster holds a dagger to its captive's throat. Ghirahim chuckles. "I'll ask once more, sky child. Drop. Your. Sword."

"How do I know you won't just kill them anyway?"

Ghirahim outright giggles this time. "Don't be stupid. You don't know. I could snap my fingers and have their heads off in a second if I so chose. Of course, if you surrender I may decide to kill them anyway. However, I may let them go. I'd say it's about fifty-fifty at the moment. But if you keep fighting, I will definitely kill them. You may defeat me, but your friends will all be dead. So what's it to be? Survive at the cost of their lives, or give them a chance?"

I can't help but hesitate. "Well…"

The others yell in refusal. "Link, no!"

"It's not worth it!"

"We'll be fine!"

I ignore them, meeting the demon's gaze. "Swear it," I demand quietly. "Swear that if I surrender, you will allow them to leave unharmed."

Ghirahim considers this. "Hm… It seems reasonable enough. And I always liked the sky child. So… why not? You have a deal."

I nod, slowly allowing my sword to clatter to the ground. Ghirahim laughs delightedly, kicking the blade away. I twitch in an attempt to stop myself from throttling him. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he asks.

…If I'm being honest, I am, in a way. Having lives on the line is a much greater thrill then jumping from the watchtower or other things I can do in peacetime; I know I'll survive. The rush isn't as powerful. But now, knowing I could easily die… I'm enjoying it far more than I should and I know it, but the hero's spirit has always been set to self-destruct. It's part of the deal. Courage, strength, and reckless pursuit of excitement.

"Don't be stupid. Also, if you're going to kill me, would you hurry up? I have ancestors I'm just dying to meet." Despite the situation, there's a general groan from everyone intelligent enough to understand the comment. "Come on, that was funny."

"That was awful," Ghirahim corrects. "I should kill you for that alone."

All levity aside, I'm shaking. Maybe I've only just realised that oh Goddesses, he is actually going to kill me. "What are you going to do, exactly? …If you don't mind me asking."

"Are you frightened?" the demon asks. "Well, it's a little trick I picked up off a false Demon King a while ago. Mall… Mallory, maybe? Malady? Mal-something. In any case, I had to… deal with him. My master doesn't like people attempting to steal his title. But before I did, I learned a trick he used to defeat his enemies. My master specifically told me to destroy the hero before he came back this time, so…" He shrugs. "No more hero's spirit, no more heroes. It's simple enough."

Apparently that's enough talk for him; he flicks his fingers at me and I'm frozen. I can't move an inch, no matter how much I struggle. "Come now, sky child," he chides. "If you hadn't been so rude to me, all this would be unnecessary. It's your own fault."

If I could, I'd be swearing right now. Instead, I just narrow my eyes at him. He laughs. "This is so much easier than last time." Electricity crackles around his fingers. "Now… let's end this, shall we?"

He opens his hand, and the lightning flies into me. It's agony, like I'm being ripped apart from the inside out. Ghirahim's spell must have released me when the lightning struck; I curl up, a high whining keen slipping from my mouth no matter how hard I try to stop it.

The others are screaming, begging Ghirahim to stop, let me go. Silly, really. We made a deal; he's not going to back down now. That's how it works.

Something's being torn out of me, I feel it. Honestly, I expected dying to be a little less traumatic. A brief pain, dark, light, and the Goddesses smiling down. But apparently not.

The pain increases, and I shriek. I can't help it. Dammit, just… "Kill me!" I manage to force out. "Just kill me, dammit!" Tears are streaming uncontrollably down my cheeks. Make it stop, make it stop… It's too much. Nothing I've ever done has hurt as much as this.

I manage to meet Ghirahim's eyes. "End it. Please."

He nods. "As you wish." He clenches a fist.

There's one more flash of pain, then I'm gone.

…

*~Colin~*

"Kill me! Just kill me, dammit!"

Those words shatter every remaining shred of hope I have. Never in my life did I ever so much as think that Link of all people would… give in. He can't die like this, desperate and pained, begging for death, not after all he's done for Hyrule, for us.

"This is all our fault," Ilia whispers beside me. "If we weren't here…"

I can't help but agree. If we hadn't been stupid enough to get ourselves captured, then Link would have beaten this guy into the ground and returned to the village for dinner already. Instead, he's… dying. But we'd been too distracted. By the time we noticed the bulblins outside it was too late to fight them off.

I turn my attention back to the events unfolding. They're talking quietly, Link and Ghirahim, eyes fixed on each other, too quiet for us to hear. The demon nods and clenches a fist.

Link goes completely limp, a soft sigh sliding out. A faint orb of light rises from his body and orbits around the demon. Ghirahim scoops it up, bottles it, and slides it into a pocket. "There," he says calmly. "That's that done."

As he speaks, Link's body dissolves into nothingness. Ghirahim smiles. "Come now, Hylia. What are you going to do with that?"

There's no answer. He seems… sad, I think suddenly. As though he didn't want this any more than we did. "Pity, really. He was a fierce one."

Then he turns to us. He's going to go back on the deal, isn't he? He's going to kill us, and Link's sacrifice will be for nothing.

"…Well, a deal's a deal, as they say. Release them!"

The bulblins let go, shoving us away. "Go on, then. Get moving."

"You're just going to let us go?" Talo asks. He sounds as confused as I feel. Demons can't be trusted, everyone knows that…

Ghirahim shrugs. "Well, yes. Unlike some lesser demons, I am a creature of honour. The hero and I had an arrangement; he fulfilled his part, so I will fulfill mine." He waves a hand gracefully. "You'll want to leave quickly. My master won't be as understanding."

We go. What else can we do? Without Link… it's amazing how vulnerable I feel. And I still can't believe…

"He's gone," Shad murmurs dully, disbelievingly. Still just as in shock as the rest of us.

Ashei shakes her head. "He can't be. He can't be."

Auru sighs. "It seems he is, all the same."

Rusl spins suddenly, ramming his fist into the cliff face. "Dammit!" he screams.

"Rusl-"

"Dad-"

He ignores us, burying his head in his hands. "I swore that I'd protect him! He wasn't supposed to- I was supposed to prevent this!"

Auru grabs him around the shoulders. "There was nothing any of us could have done. Link knew the risks before he went up that mountain. We all did! Besides, at the moment… we have to prepare for war."

"War?" I ask quietly.

"That demon is resurrecting a demon king," Shad says quietly. "Judging from my research… he will be going after Demise himself. The Hero of Legend defeated him, a long time ago… He carried the hero's spirit, like… Link."

Telma comes running out to meet us before anyone can respond. "What in Din's name happened out there? All I heard were people screaming." A quiet suspicion creeps into her gaze as she looks us over. "Where's Link?" she asks, with the tone of someone who already knows the answer. No one can meet her gaze.

Various curses and disbelieving noises fill the air. I can't blame them; I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't been there. Link is—was—always the dependable warrior. He could make it out of any fight with only scratches to show for it. And now he's just… gone. But… "We need to go," I say. All eyes turn towards me. "If that bastard Ghirahim is really resurrecting the demon king, we can't stay here. None of us can."

Auru nods. "He's right. We have to get to Castle Town and warn Queen Zelda."

We all agree, setting about our various tasks. We try to ignore the moment where time and space seem to bend and twist, pretend we aren't fully aware of what it means.

The demon king has risen.

…

*~Eighth year of Demise's reign~*

*~?~*

I'm drowning again.

They seem to like this particular torture. I've heard they even tried it on a Zora once. I would have paid to see that. But I, sadly, am not a Zora, and therefore cannot breathe underwater. So the bastard king sent his men to stick my head in a bucket for a while. What fun.

On the bright side, there's only one man here. The others, apparently, don't think watching a ten year old struggle for a few hours is amusing anymore. I have to agree; after the first week, the novelty wears off pretty damn fast.

They came after me because they think I can talk to spirits. I told them they wrong, of course. They didn't believe me, for some reason.

I have to admit, talking to the spirit of one of the old Resistance leaders didn't help my case much.

In any case, here I am, with my head in a bucket and trying to hold my breath. The glamour of a high-profile assassin. I'm going to die in a dungeon with a guard breathing down my neck. Not even a demon! Just a regular Hylian traitor. As if getting caught wasn't degrading enough.

Alright, I'm done. I'm breaking out of here if it's the last thing I do. The stone holding my chains in place has been weakened by decades of water splashing against it, and the chains aren't properly secured. With the help of a little magic, I can easily break them off.

The next time the guard lets me up for air, I'm ready. With a sharp cracking noise, one of the chains holding me in place snaps loose; in a quick gesture, I have it looped around the guard's throat and dragging him into the bucket. Let's see how he likes it! I'm not strong enough to hold him in place for long, of course, but by the time he breaks loose he's out of breath and gasping. That gives me the perfect window to punch him in the throat and take his keys.

I undo my chains and fasten them around the guard's wrists. They won't hold him long, of course, but with any luck they'll distract him long enough that he won't call for help until I'm long gone.

I slip out the door, grabbing a cloak and draping it over myself as I do. I'm probably dirty enough that it's unnecessary, even with the whole bucket thing, but better safe than sorry. I cast a basic illusion spell, too; it won't hold up to close inspection, but hopefully it'll shield me from any wandering eyes, at least until I've escaped the castle grounds.

It doesn't take long before I'm utterly lost. The dungeons are creepy, too. Full of all sorts of vengeful spirits. They won't attack me… at least, probably not… but their constant whispering is unnerving, to say the least. But I need them, if I'm going to find someone to lead me out of here.

Ah. Hello, guide.

This particular spirit is too powerful to just be one soul; three or four strong ones, or six or so more average ones. Maybe more. They're tied together by powerful magic, but they all seem to have some knowledge of the dungeon's layout. I reach out to touch their minds-

Damn, they're strong. And angry. Possession spirits, or… no, not possession, but… similar. I don't have a name for them. Tagalongs. They connect to living people and ride around in their bodies like nobles in a carriage.

One of them jerks, gives slightly in surprise. For a moment, they're still. I take advantage of that moment, forcing them down as best I can. "Show me the way out."

They're fighting it more fiercely than any other spirit I've seen. I can't bind them properly or dismiss them. At this rate I'll be trapped until the guards come looking for me. "Come on, help me out a little. Please?"

One of them whispers something to me. A request. It seems simple enough, if time consuming, but four powerful spirits might help keep the demons off my back, at least…

It's not as though I have much choice, anyway.

"I swear on the souls of my ancestors, it shall be as you say."