Chapter Two
Note: Don't fall asleep with headphones connected to your laptop if you're a restless sleeper. Your laptop is very likely to have an intimate meeting with the floor, and take your notes with it. . . All of my book notes are on Scrivener, so even though it's backed up elsewhere, I still can't work on it at the library, but I can write Violet! So, here's Chapter Two!
Fasalina's not mine! She's (can you guess?) Kurotorasempai's. Well, actually, I have just been informed she's from another anime, Gun x Sword. Okay then. She appeared in the RP and wouldn't go away. Since I make no claim to know jack about the show, let's just say she's a character inspired by that Fasalina and go with it, kay? Kuro-chan has fanart of her on her dA account.
All around him, there was nothing.
He was floating in an endless void of silence, alone.
Was he dead?
He hoped he was.
Sheik crouched in the rafters of the medical ward of Hyrule Castle, unseen. After his fight with Green, he'd been unequivocally banished from their shared room. He didn't like it, but Sheik could understand Green's anger. He knew he probably vdeserved it. No matter what Vio had asked of him, he should have told someone, found some way. . .
What he didn't understand, however, was Green's insistence that he not be permitted near Vio's crystal. Did Green think that he would sneak Vio back to the Dark World, back to his tormentor? Did Green really think him capable of doing such a thing?
That hurt.
Down below, Red sat at Vio's bedside, his head nodding forward sleepily. At least one of the other three Links had been with Vio since he returned, talking to him, pleading with him to wake up, or just sitting there, silent, as Red was doing now. His eyes were bloodshot; he'd only stopped crying about ten minutes before.
He still hadn't noticed Sheik. None of them had, and he'd been there all day. Vio would have, though. Vio had always seen what the other three missed. Sheik stared down into Vio's closed eyes, partially obscured by the hard, smooth surface of the crystal. He imagined them opening and finding him in seconds, demanding to know what the hell he was doing in the rafters, again.
Blue eyes rolled, peering up at his hiding place in the shadow of the windowsill. "No, Sheik. I am a knight, not a spy, and it's going to stay that way. Now get down before Green thinks you're trying to spy on him in the bath again!"
"Who says I'm not?~"
Sheik's heart ached, remembering a time shortly before Vio's disappearance. Many such conversations had been precipitated by Sheik hiding himself in a place the others failed to notice, where Vio's sharp, dry stare always managed to locate him. Perhaps it had something to do with his time living amongst the shadows during the war, but Vio was as observant and wily as any Sheikah, and always had been. Sheik often thought that leaving Vio in a knight's position was a waste of his talents. He'd told Vio as much, several times, but Vio wouldn't hear of leaving his post beside the others.
Sighing, Sheik dropped silently to the floor, rustling the curtain to alert Red to his presence before pulling it back. The poor half-asleep Hero stared uncomprehendingly at Sheik, then dropped his gaze back to the crystal. Sheik padded over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Red, you look exhausted. Why don't you go to sleep? I'll take it from here."
Red rubbed his eyes and shook his head. ". . . Green doesn't want you alone with him."
Ouch.
"Red, I swear he's safe with me. You know he's my friend too," Sheik murmured, keeping his voice low.
Red thought this over for a long moment, then reached up to wrap his arms around Sheik's shoulders. "I know. And I know that if he could say so, Vio'd be fine with it too." A yawn stretched his jaw wide and Red released Sheik, standing. "I'm going to bed. Zelda should be by to check on him before Green comes to take the next shift."
"Thank you, Red," Sheik said with a sad smile. He closed the curtain again, and dropped heavily into the chair Red had vacated, fixing his eyes on Vio. The crystal remained as cold and still as it had seemed from above, Vio trapped unmoving in its center. He didn't stir, his chest barely rising with each breath. The crystal nourished and healed him, breathed for him, and kept him alive. It did not conceal his painful, wasted appearance.
"It's been too long already, Vio. Won't you wake up?" Sheik murmured, resting his chin on his clasped hands. "I miss you. We all do. Please, please wake up soon."
There was no response, but really, he hadn't been expecting one. "Oh, Vio. . ."
Not for the first time, Sheik felt glad for the cowl that caught his tears.
The children were safe? Check.
Vio gone? Check.
Castle cleaned, but the floor left as bloody as Lord Ghirahim preferred to see it? Feast prepared? Check and check.
Shadow took a breath to steady himself, raising his gaze to the portrait of the King of Demons, Demise, that hung on his wall. He knelt before it, placing his hands on the floor and bowing his head. "Oh Demon King, please grant me the wisdom to please my Lord and Master, your servant, Demon Lord Ghirahim. I've come so far, I want nothing more than for my Lord to be proud of all I have done."
His prayer finished, Shadow hurried to the Entrance Hall. His servants buzzed here and there making last-minute preparations, but a snap of his fingers sent them all scrambling into place. Shadow's gaze swept over his gathered servants, and he nodded his satisfaction. His Lord and Master would arrive any moment now. Actually, he should have been there an hour ago, but he was always fashionably late, and Shadow knew it.
"Lord Shadow? When Lord Ghirahim arrives, may I give him the traditional greeting of Demons?" Ubel asked.
Shadow waved him off, having only half-heard. "Whatever. Just don't piss him off. This is too fucking important for you to screw it up!"
"Understood, sir," Ubel responded with what might have been a hint of sarcasm before returning to the line.
A snap of fingers and spattering of black diamonds had Shadow jumping ramrod straight before dropping to his knees. Behind him, his servants did the same, pressing their foreheads to the floor.
A pleased chuckle rang through the air, and an all-too familiar voice called out, "you may rise, Shadowed Sky Child."
Shadow stood, drawing himself up proudly. "Welcome, Lord Ghirahim, Lieutenant Fasalina. I hope you will find everything to your satisfaction."
"Oh, I'm sure I will," Ghirahim said. He wore the same outfit he always had, white and skin-tight, with a diamond pattern cut into it and a red gem fastened around his waist. Shadow had once heard that the outfit pleased King Demise, and that was why Ghirahim continued to wear it, even these centuries later.
Ghirahim's red cloak fluttered about his shoulders as he sauntered closer. "You had better have been a very busy boy to excuse your rudeness." He caught Shadow's chin in his hand, tilting his face upwards. He leaned in closer, his tone poisoned honey. "I do not like to be ignored, my pet."
"Yes, Master," Shadow whispered back, not daring to look away. Pleased, Ghirahim patted his cheek, then set off down the rows of servants, inspecting each one critically.
Fasalina stopped by Shadow's side, a sweet smile playing across her lips as she reached out to pet his hair. "I've missed you, Shadow," she crooned, twirling a lock between her fingers. "Things have just gotten so. . . boring since you left.~"
Shadow stilled under her touch, his heart racing. "It's. . . nice to see you too, Lieutenant," he said, trying his best to keep his voice steady. Fasalina was tall for even a Demon woman, with Hylian-like features and dragon scales decorating her visible skin. Her dark hair spilled down the back of her indecently high-slit purple and white dress, her gray eyes just as piercing as they'd been when he was a child under her supervision. He barely repressed a shiver.
Ahead, Ghirahim continued his inspection of Shadow's servants. The Hinox, for their part, remained still and silent. Their cousins were the Bokoblins who served under Ghirahim; they knew his temper, and would not cause trouble. The Hylian shadows too were passed without incident. Ghirahim let his gaze linger over one or two longer than Shadow liked, but they were not harmed, for which Shadow breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Ghirahim paused before Vaati, a smirk playing across his lips. "Well, well, if it isn't the mighty Gufuu~" he said with a smirk, hauling the small mage off his feet and holding him up by the back of his robe. Vaati choked and tugged on the fabric, glaring at him and snarling with impotent rage. His defiance only seemed to amuse the Demon Lord. "Many years ago I offered you an alliance, and you refused. And now look at you, pathetic Minish. A servant to my dog. A mere flea." He dropped Vaati carelessly, like so much discarded trash. The Minish snarled, but a hissed order from Shadow silenced him and rooted him in place.
Oh that fucking mage is going to PAY! Shadow broke his glare from Vaati just in time to see Ubel's overly-long tongue lick across Ghirahim's face. Shadow felt his heart stop, certain Ghirahim was going to lose his temper and kill them all-
-But he didn't. Instead, Ghirahim returned the lick and nodded his approval before moving down the line.
"What the fuck was that?" Shadow hissed at Ubel, furious.
Ubel blinked back, unperturbed. "The traditional greeting of Demons. You said it would be permitted," he replied. Shadow fumed, but Fasalina glanced back at him, and he smoothed his expression, hurrying to catch up.
Ghirahim stood at the end of the line, arms crossed and scowling. His gaze swept over the servants again, as though he were looking for someone in particular whose absence irked him. Huffing, he took note of the decorations around the room, loudly declaring them 'tacky.'
"Show me the rest," Ghirahim commanded, tone sharp. Whatever goodwill Shadow had earned through the behavior of his servants, it appeared, had already evaporated.
"Yes, Lord Ghirahim," Shadow responded. "As you may have noticed outside, the town is already twice as large as it was two years ago. The fields have been expanded, and by using the more efficient techniques from your domain-"
Ghirahim held up his hand, his nose upturned. "I saw," he answered flatly. "Show me the castle, Shadowed Sky Child. I want to see everything and everyone within it."
Gulping uneasily, Shadow obeyed. He took Ghirahim first to the empty throne room, now filled with white diamonds and soft shades of lavender. They inspected the medical wards, which had one occupied bed: a whining Hinox child who'd fallen ill, and whose mother had brought him to see Ubel. Shadow feared for a moment that Ghirahim would strike the crying youth, but Ubel hurried past and rushed to quiet him. Ghirahim said nothing, and after a quick scan swept back out of the room. He prowled the stacks of the library, insisting upon walking down each and every row in silence.
From there, they made their way to Shadow's chambers. The blood had been cleaned and the shadow-chains removed, leaving not a trace that two of them had ever occupied the space. Ghirahim looked in the bathroom and flung open the doors of the closet, which contained only fine black tunics. He pronounced it a crime that Shadow's tastes had never improved, and his face took on a sour expression. He stalked to the window, looking out over the grounds below. Shadow glanced towards Fasalina for a hint as to what he was doing wrong and how to fix it, but she only smiled and draped herself across his shoulders, her sharp red-painted nails drawing little circles across his chest.
In fact, Ghirahim seemed to only grow more and more displeased as they walked through the remaining halls and past the busy kitchens, to the door that lead to the dungeons. Ghirahim navigated the turns without issue, becoming visibly more irate until they reached the cell where Sheik had hung.
There, Ghirahim whirled on Shadow without warning, lifting him several inches off the floor and slamming him into the wall. "Where is he?!" Ghirahim snarled, his face twisted into an expression of rage.
"W-Who, my Lord?" Shadow stammered, grasping Ghirahim's arm. He didn't dare struggle.
Ghirahim struck him and threw him to the filthy floor, keeping him pinned there with a boot to his back. "I don't like liars, Shadowed Sky Child. Where is the Sky Child?! Where is the Hero of Hyrule you were keeping!?"
Fuck!
"I- I don't know what you're talking about, Master Ghirahim," Shadow whimpered, though he knew he was caught. Ghirahim grabbed Shadow's hair without lifting his foot, jerking Shadow's head back at a painful angle.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out when you bragged about it to the entire Dark World? Are you really that stupid? Did you think you could get away with keeping my revenge from me?!" Ghirahim's voice rose in pitch, pulling harder and harder until Shadow cried out.
"I'm sorry, Master! He- He's gone! I was ashamed to tell you!" Shadow shouted, pleading for mercy he knew would not come.
"Disappointment," Ghirahim growled, releasing Shadow's hair and letting his head fall. He snapped his fingers and they reappeared in Shadow's throne room. Ghirahim's boot connected with Shadow's side again, causing him to curl up and whimper. Scowling, he spoke, his voice filled with icy fury. "You have betrayed me, Shadowed Sky Child. You are a traitor to your Master, and you know what happens to traitors, don't you?"
Disgusted, Ghirahim stalked to the throne and threw himself on it, arms crossed like a petulant child. "Fasalina, take care of him. Fifty lashes, no fewer."
Fasalina giggled in delight, springing into a bow. "Yes, Master Ghirahim." She turned to Shadow, kneeling by his side to pet his hair. "Oh little Shadow, we're going to play a game. You miss playing games with me, don't you?~ Ah, but your pretty tunic will get dirty! We can't have that! Take it off, little Shadow, and we'll play."
Shadow cringed from her, a pathetic, fearful whimper escaping his lips. "Yes, Lady Fasalina," he whispered. Slowly, miserably, Shadow did as she commanded. He removed his tunic, folded it, and set it aside. He knelt with his head bowed and arms at his side, clad only in his boots, tights, and hat.
Fasalina clapped her hands in glee. "What game shall we play? Oh, I know! Scream all you like, little Shadow, but don't you dare move, or you lose! " She leaned in close to him, trailing her fingers across his bare chest and lower, cupping him and squeezing none-too-gently. Shadow choked on a gasp and clenched his fists, and she laughed again. "And you know what happens when you lose, little Shadow.~ Now, I trust you haven't forgotten your position?"
"No, Lady Fasalina," he whispered. He knelt, pressed his forehead to the floor, and stretched his arms out in front of him as his servants had done when Ghirahim arrived. He only felt lucky that they hadn't been summoned to witness this.
He heard a snap of magic and the first strike cracked across his clothed behind. Fabric and skin split as though cut with blade of a newly-sharpened knife, and Shadow cried out. His body jerked and Fasalina giggled. "Don't move, don't move, I said! Those are the rules and you're going to lose!"
Her whip struck him again and again, her laughter echoing all around him. She worked her way up his back methodically, flaying every inch of visible skin until blood he shouldn't bleed coated the floor beneath him and hid the exposed bones of his ribs. Shadow screamed and attempted to curl up, but the whip struck his thighs until he again righted himself into the demanded position.
"That's enough," Ghirahim called lazily when Shadow's blood-spattered body trembled and his sobs had quieted to hitched gasps. "Salt the wounds."
Oh, Goddesses! The salt, made of a mineral found only within Ghirahim's domain, burned like hellfire on his abused flesh, and he knew it would for hours afterwards. A fresh scream escaped his lips, and Fasalina hummed in pleasure. She yanked him up by his hair, her hands snaking in front of him to grip and squeeze his crotch. "Too bad, little Shadow. You lose. No getting off for you.~ But that's all right. You still like it, don't you?" she purred, slipping her cold hand inside Shadow's tights and earning a gasp.
A smirk crossing his lips, Ghirahim snapped his fingers, vanishing from the throne to reappear on one knee beside Shadow. He cupped Shadow's face and lifted it, his tongue snaking out to lick away the salty tears and spatters of black blood. "As you have proven yourself a worthless Lord, it pleases me to know you still remember how to be a dog at my feet." Something materialized in his other hand and Shadow had just a moment to register the sight of the thick gray collar before Ghirahim snapped it in place around his neck. He whimpered as his strength and magic seeped from him, rendering him helpless.
Ghirahim stood, a leash materializing in his hand. He gave it a hard yank, sending Shadow sprawling. "Fasalina, find someone else to tend to this worthless domain. My pet and I are leaving."
"Yes, Lord Ghirahim," Fasalina responded, curtsying.
Thank you to the Chapter One reviewers:
XoXLink
DarkLinkLovesLink
Aeterni7as: Get some sleep! And enjoy Chapter Two~
SaphireWhiteWolf: Hopefully Ghirahim will live up to your expectations.~ Dun dun DUN! Oh Vio, Vio, whatever shall he doooo…
LeaStar: Glad you liked it! Now that Vio's back, there should be more of the others!
DarkVioletShadows
Viochann: Predictable is boring.~
Moon13Dreams: We are now beginning to delve into Shadow's motivations and thought processes. *cackles*
BrightGreenLights: Oh dear, I just keep making you cry don't I? Yes, the letter Majora stole was indeed the missive Ghirahim sent. Oh, Belial is going to be interesting the next few chapters. He won't be happy when he hears about what's happened. Not at all. *cackles*
TheMysticalQ: How much do they know, how much do they know?~ Wouldn't you like to know! *grins*
Italy: Poor Belial, getting so much hate.
KitKatBarStory: Investigating the psyche is my favorite part of this whole tale, and most of what keeps me writing it. I'm glad you appreciate my efforts.
Fourswordslover: Forgive who for what?
