A/N: I was hoping to get done with this chapter today. I've been working hard at it since this story is almost done. There will be two maybe three, if I do an epilogue to it, left. Originally the next chapter wasn't part of my plan but I like the suspense it adds to the story, but I won't say anymore since I want it to be a surprise. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, and thank you for being so kind to me everyone, I really appreciate it. Enjoy this chapter!


Broken

Link

Link watched as the psycho king, it felt so good not to have to think of him as master, spoke with the High Priestess. He knew Ghirahim often spoke privately with her just as he did. He didn't like watching them together like that for a reason he couldn't quite pinpoint. It wasn't exactly jealousy, but it was close. He normally confided in the Priestess because he had no one else, and though he wouldn't exactly consider her a friend he didn't really have anyone else either.

The expecting demon's breath caught in his throat when Ghirahim produced his blade and held it to the Priestess' throat. Link moved to interfere before the situation could get out of hand, but as he drew closer he noticed the pair were still talking, and though the sword was still there the King was holding steady. The psycho's hesitance caused Link to hesitate as well, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. In a heartbeat he regretted that decision as the sword was pulled back and stabbed forward faster than a lightning strike.

The red and black demon's heart stopped for several seconds before he realized something was off. Stepping to the left slightly cleared his line of sight, and it was only then that his heart started, as well as his confusion. Ghirahim had missed?!

It was unfathomable to Link as to how that could be possible considering Ghirahim's skill with a sword. Now instead of being lodged in the throat of the Priestess, the demon King's sword tip was buried into the young tree behind the Priestess. The King had missed her neck by perhaps a hair's breadth on her left side. The air seemed to still in the seconds following the near fatality.

Finally the King broke the tension with a very ominous threat. "I spared your life only for the sake of the people within my Kingdom, I know well how much they revere you. However, should you ever speak to me in such a manner again I will show you no mercy and my wrath shall know no bounds."

As the last syllable faded so too did the demon who spoke those words. The Priestess continued to stare at the spot he'd been for several more seconds, she hadn't so much as flinched during the attack. For a full minute she was as still as a statue, but then all at once she blinked her eyes, stood up, smoothed her robes, and strode away purposely holding Link's gaze as she did.

Shaking his head to break the spell of her gaze Link expanded his great wings and took to the skies, he had an appointment to keep with the castle doctor to monitor the pregnancy. A growl escaped his fanged mouth as he thought of the demon child growing inside him. He'd been a virtual prisoner here for years now, but it wasn't any easier to think about. All of Ghirahim's promises would amount to keese shit when it came down to it. The lunatic would never set him free, not when he could make the boy do anything he wanted without question.

As he landed near the medical wing of the castle Link wondered how many more times would he be forced to go through with this? How many demon spawn would he be forced to bear before Ghirahim was happy? A horrific thought occurred to him then; if neither of them could die unless killed and they never aged he could potentially be forced to continually bear children for the cucco King. His only salvation would be if someone came along that could destroy him. Maybe he could try searching for someone of such power then beg them to put him out of his misery. He may have been forced to defend Ghirahim, but as far as he knew there wasn't a rule that said he had to save himself.

His examination was nearly over when a young servant boy came running up to where Link lay on the table while the doctor inspected his ever growing stomach. "My Lord, the King has requested your presence in his chambers at your earliest convenience. May I take a message back to him, advising when you shall be there?"

Link stared at the young demon for a moment, slightly stunned by the youth's actions. None of the demons, even the youngest and lowest ranking, had ever treated him with any form of respect. He had a suspicion that Ghirahim had put the boy up to such a spectacle, the demon always went over the top. Nevertheless it likely meant the whitehaired demon had an answer to their contract.

Looking toward the doctor with the question in his eyes Link waited for his response. "You may go ahead and leave, there doesn't seem to be any disturbing changes. Just take it easy so you don't stress the babe, and come see me next week like usual."

Nodding Lin stood, ready to teleport himself when the young demon spoke up again. "Please My Lord, let me accompany you. The King bid me return with your answer and I don't wish to disobey him."

Link didn't think Ghirahim would even notice the boy hadn't comeback, but placed a hand on the boy's shoulder anyway and took them both just outside the King's chambers. The instant they formed in front of the large ornate door the boy knocked and then took to a knee to show his reverence, Link remained standing.

When the door was opened Link was pleased to see the look of annoyance twist Ghirahim's painted face; he'd always been required to bow before and it was quite amusing knowing that the King couldn't force it upon him without breaking his word. True they hadn't officially signed the binding contract yet, but he knew Ghirahim would still be trying to prove his word.

As Link suspected Ghirahim barely glanced at the servant boy before sending him off and beckoning the black and red demon inside. Almost the instant he stepped inside the young demon took note of the large parchment covering nearly a quarter of the table with a sleek white and cream feather quill lying next to it. There was no ink, but the gleaming sharp tip of the feathered pen explained without words what liquid would be used in the signing.

"By that look on your face I'd say you've already figured out exactly what is needed to make this document official. It is rather typical and macabre I agree, but then again no one would ever say contracts are known for being spontaneous or imaginative. Back to the issue at hand though, I have determined that there is a chance your terms are doable. However, there is a chance you could perish in the attempt instead of being freed. I have made the necessary amends in the contact should such an event occur, but I thought I should tell you in case you decided to back out. Is this satisfactory to you?"

"Yes," Link's response to the King was both curt and lacking any emotion.

"Very well," Ghirahim replied while ignoring his servant's stoic manner. "Though I would request two changes if you are agreeable. The first would be a set time limit on how long it would be before I could at the very least accidently brush against you. I believe it will become quite tedious and annoying to be so mindful of each inch of space between us, and of course there would be no way for me to ask ahead of time seeing as such incidents are accidental. I believie a month would be sufficiently long enough time in that case. My second request is a termination clause should we both ever agree the contract is no longer needed."

Link thought carefully about both request, and though they weren't exactly unreasonable he wasn't completely comfortable with them. He decided his best interest would be to make a counter offer. "I wouldn't consider anything less than a year, and only on accidental brushing, nothing more. But I will agree to a termination clause if we're both agreeable to it."

"You drive a hard bargain Skychild, but I believe I can live with your terms. Shall we make the necessary correction and begin our journey towards a new understanding of one another?"

Link only nodded as Ghirahim directed his magic at the contract to reword it to meet their new terms. Once they'd both read it over and agreed they took turns picking up the quill and signing the document. Luckily the quill's magic allowed it to take the user's blood but left no visible wound.

"You know we're quite fortunate these quills are still around," Ghirahim began idly as he twisted the feathered writing utensil around in his fingers. "Back during one of the demon wars these pens were used on prisoners of war to draw out confessions. They'd be cursed to continually keep writing until they either gave the information their interrogator wanted or all their blood was drained from their body. A gruesome fate really, watching your own life force flow out of you and onto a piece of parchment and knowing you couldn't stop. It was often made all the worse since the questioners would cut large sections of their skin away for them to use as paper."

Link felt sick at such thoughts, but didn't get more time to reflect on them before the King of demons was speaking again. "But enough of this grisly depressing conversation. I have a request of you, one that I hope you will agree to as a way of celebrating our newly formed relationship." Link scowled at the word relationship, he didn't want to think of Ghirahim in those terms.

Unsurprisingly the whitehaired demon took no notice of the discomfort of his servant. "I would very much like to take you on an outing of sorts tomorrow. The two of us spending the day together, and becoming better acquainted. I could show you some of the best places our realm has to offer. Would you be agreeable to such a day? You could of course leave at any time if you would begin to feel uncomfortable."

Link was slightly shocked at this proposal. He knew Ghirahim wanted to earn his trust, for some insane that apparently the demon was even unsure of, but Link never expected him to ask him on a date of sorts. His first impulse was to decline such an invitation, there was no telling exactly what things Ghirahim would do to him. However, if he was to go and Ghirahim acted out of line then the contract would be broken and Link would gain his freedom. Inwardly smiling at this though Link agreed to go on this outing verbally, while inwardly thinking of ways to get the King of Fools to break the oath he'd just signed himself to. Yes he would go on this outing and every other one he was invited to until he was finally free.

Link very nearly choked on his on tongue, which probably would have been preferable to spending another minute in this place. Many visions would come into anyone's mind at the mention of demon realm: brimstone and fire, horrid monsters attacking everything that moved, a cesspool of creatures willing to perform every atrocity and sin the Goddesses could think of, and so forth, but Link highly doubted anyone would have envisioned a place like this.

It was something Peatrice might have dreamt up if she were ever ambitious enough to actually do something. Ghirahim had brought him to a quaint little restaurant, as he called it, for breakfast on the first part of their day together. The only way to describe the place was that the color Pink took up residence here then became ill and vomited all over. The walls were a glaring baby pink edged out with a light, almost white pink. The glass on the windows was stained pink as was the wooden floor; hell even and the bric-a-brac that cluttered the many shelves was pink. Worse still was the music that continually played in the background while magical pink glitter fell from the ceiling only to disappear before hitting any of the other pink décor.

Link was getting a headache just looking around, made worse by the fact the color reminded him too much of that witch Zelda. Thus also reminding him she'd be visiting in a few months' time for a ball Ghirahim was holding. According to him they needed to strengthen their relationship with the humans. A festive event, such as the ball, would be a prime opportunity to do so, and make amends for the humans killed in the demon rebellion.

Link felt bad for those who'd been killed, especially the young family who'd taken his daughter in, but he knew Zelda wasn't nearly so compassionate. Those people meant nothing to her, but she would use their deaths to her advantage in negotiations with Ghirahim.

Link was pulled from his musings by two cups and two plates being put before them, Ghirahim had ordered for them both. Looking down at the plate and cup Link made to stand up, he had thus far handled the absurdity of this place, but he wasn't about to eat or drink pink food. The King's face was puzzled as he shot a querying glance up at his servant.

"I'm not sure why you'd pick a place like this, but if I stay her another minute I'm going to be sick." Link's words were said in a rushed fashion right before he teleported from the room.

It was several seconds before Ghirahim joined him outside, but the look on his face spoke plainly of his anger. "Just what do you think you're doing, embarrassing me like that when I was only trying to show you a nice time with the best breakfast in the demon realm."

Link crossed his arms, his face taking on the look of a petulant child. "Whatever possessed you to believe I'd want to go to a place such as that? The food looked like someone had already regurgitated it. If you like that kinda thing with the over the top décor fine, but I won't set foot into places like that again."

Ghirahim placed one of his hands on his hip as he scrutinized the young demon with a condescending glare. "For your information my sword, while I don't approve of the décor I do like their food. If you'd bothered to give it a try instead of acting like the child you are then you would have been in a comatose state by now from the sheer blissful intensity of the flavors within that food. Now though you've insulted the owner of that establishment, and I very much doubt they will ever allow you through their doors again."

Ghirahim's glare intensified for a moment before he flipped his hair back and sighed dramatically. "Though I suppose it cannot be helped now, and what is done is done. I shall remember in the future to forewarn you on the details of any place we're to visit. At this point I think it best if we continue on with the day I had planned. If you would allow me to take your hand I will transport us to our next destination."

Link scowled at the proffered hand, his look clearly stating he wish said hand would burst into flames and consume the offending appendage. "Why can't we just fly or walk? Those methods suit most every other living being perfectly fine."

"Well," Ghirahim drawled out with a haughty look upon his face, "the next place I intended we go is more than a day's walk away, and flying there while possible is rather difficult. There are a large number of obstacles in the way that would make landing bothersome. Not to mention it would ruin my surprise."

The King of demons paused here looking at his servant with what could almost be considered a kind look. "I swear I intend no ill will and only need you to touch my hand for a moment. How else am I to earn your trust?"

Mentally swearing out the demon with every curse word he knew in every language he'd been forced to learn over the years since he'd become Ghirahim's prisoner, Link grudgingly took his hand. All the while he reminded himself to be patient, the flamboyant demon would slip up soon enough and then Link would have his freedom.

The rest of the day was spent on the bank of a lake with a waterfall cascading down into its depths. The area was almost magical in a way Link could never describe. More than once he swore he could hear the breeze whispering songs in his ears while the water kept up a pleasant bubbling harmony with the swaying grass. As much as Link hated to admit it, he loved this place.

It was a place he would have sought refuge at as a human, and he figured he still would as a demon. The hidden little glebe shrouded by trees that let sun peak through in dancing rays that shimmered off the water was special. The magic here was far more subtle than the magic the demons or Hylians performed, but also more powerful in its subtlety or so Link thought.

The pair lazed about munching on the lunch Ghirahim had summoned while taking a few dips in the surprisingly calm water or exploring a short ways into the copse surrounding them. Link found he didn't want to leave when Ghirahim said they still had one more place to visit that day. That last place proved to be a play of sorts, though Link could hardly pay it any attention, his mind still back in the grove.

Afterwards Link found his life caught up in a whirlwind of changes he'd never expected. He could hardly believe it, but Ghirahim was actually being well…nice for lack of a better word. They had several more date, usually once a week, and with each one the Demon King became more attentive to his young servant. He spoke kindly, took into account Link's likes and dislikes, often surprised him, and even would listen.

The King's changes weren't exclusive to their dates either. He now listened to Link's reports and opinions, often deferring to him. They regularly had extensive conversations that involved a wide range of topics, which were both engaging and stimulating. It was like Ghirahim had become a completely different person altogether.

At first Link was sure it was all an act, he was positive the demon's true nature would reveal itself if only he pushed hard enough. Because of this he increased his defiance and pranks on the King, even going so far as to slip a drug into Ghirahim's drink that caused him to spout off whatever he was thinking without a filter, made all that more impressive considering several of the nobles were visiting that day.

None of it worked though, and wat made it worse was Link found himself liking the new Ghirahim to some degree. Oh he still hated him for what the demon had done to him, but he did have to give him credit; Ghirahim was always straightforward with what he wanted. Unlike the last person who used him for their own gain. It was almost enough to make him consider retracting their contract.

By now Link was very far along in his second pregnancy, and according to the doctor ready to give birth any day now. It also meant he was in danger of missing the ball Ghirahim had planned, and more or less begged him to attend. Truly he didn't want to go, he'd managed to avoid Zelda in the two days since she'd been here thus far, but there would be no way to avoid her during the festivities. The biggest problem he'd have would be acting cordial to her, they hadn't parted on the best of terms the last time they'd met and Zelda had a long memory. He knew she'd be sure to take every moment to make this hell he called a life even worse, and he'd have to take it with a smile on his face or risk a war.

Link may be bitter and spiteful, but not so much so that he'd subject the citizens of either the human or demon realms to a pointless battle. He knew both sides would have more casualties then he wanted on his conscious.

Wondering if he could get Ghirahim to cut out his tongue for him, Link returned to the task at hand. The King was personally seeing to the decorations for the ball, because according to him he was the only one with any true eye for beauty and aesthetics. That left Link to plan with the head of the kitchen the menu they'd be serving.

The head of the kitchen actually had two heads, a male and a female. He/She was called Gemile Draconaye or twin dragon in the demon tongue, though they preferred GD since their name was one of those old boring names according to them. The name was quite fitting since the pair closely resembled dragons, or at least the dragons Link had always seen in the history books when he lived in the sky.

The pair was actually quite amiable, and Link enjoyed working with them. The only problem they were having was finding foods that both humans and demons would eat. Normally it'd be easier to make an assortment of food for demons and another assortment for humans, but GD didn't know any human recipes other than recipes that involved humans as an ingredient.

Link ignored that thought while suggesting he write down a few easy recipes for the chefs, but this wouldn't work either. They'd have to get the ingredients from the human realm, and many of them they didn't recognize. Link would have gone himself except the doctor had forbidden him from travelling any farther than the palace gardens.

Rubbing his temples and somehow managing to poke himself in the eye with his long nails Link again consulted the list of choices in hopes he'd be able to find something. However, he had barely scanned the first item when he found himself suddenly very wet.

Looking down he felt a bit of shock since this wasn't how it happened last time. When the babies had been ready before he'd felt the irregular pains as they slowly became more frequent and predictable, his water had been broken by the doctor. Shocked it was several seconds before Link registered that GD was trying to get him up and to the hospital wing.

The following labor was excruciatingly long, lasting until the following day before the child was born. The little demon babe was bright orange with flaming black hair, almost Demise's colors just flipped. Ghirahim showed up about an hour after his new son was born, apologizing profusely to Link for not being there. Apparently the servants had neglected to inform him of Link's predicament.

The King said he hated to ask, but wondered if Link still felt like coming to the ball that would take place the following evening. Ghirahim swore he only need stay long enough to make an appearance and go once around the room to speak with some of the more important guests. Afterwards Link could retire for the night, and of course Ghirahim swore his sword could rest before and after the event for as long as he needed.

Link really didn't want to, but he'd already promised if it were possible for him to go he would. Deciding he'd just take a few more potions and avoid any dancing, Link promised he'd make a brief appearance. Unsurprisingly Ghirahim expounded on how elated he was, and how much their current relationship filled his heart with rainbows. Link wasn't sure about the relationship part, but he had to admit that his life had become easier since Ghirahim had changed.

The following evening found Link tentatively walking around the room. He'd already dealt with almost everyone he needed to, including Zelda. A few more to go and he'd be free to return to his chambers and pass out for the evening.

The last four he needed to speak with were all clustered around Ghirahim, talking animatedly and laughing a little too loud. When Link approached he found the reason for their behavior in Ghirahim's hands, Blood Nectar. It was a potent liquor said to have been dropped from the heavens themselves by an overtly drunken god. The flavor was said to be incomparable to any food or drink within all of the mortal realms. The rumor was that even the King of demons himself would be unable to withstand its effects. Hundreds of tales surrounded the drink of victims and their follies when under its influence. It seemed to Link a poor choice for the event since Ghirahim would likely remember none of the evening, but perhaps he was trying to impress his guests with the rare drink.

For a moment Link considered just leaving now, the men with Ghirahim wouldn't remember if he'd visited with them and he could always lie about it later. He was just about to do so when Zelda, or Queen Zelda the First of Hyrule as she now demanded to be called, caught his eye. Their earlier conversation came back to him and he growled to himself knowing she'd make sure everyone knew if he failed in any of the proprieties demanded of him at the gala event.

Sucking in a deep breath Link approached the demons only for Ghirahim to spot him and immediately do something that shocked Link. The white haired demon threw his arm around his servant's neck without a moment's hesitation while he spoke in a slurred loud manner to the other demons.

"Tish is whose I telling ya guys about, mli-mif-my servant. I'm taying you he be vone helluv a lay. Youzzzz guyzzz shood try him outz with me. Link comze with us now, but be quiet til I tell youf udderwise. I want to showzz them how good you arrrr…"

Link had no choice but to go with Ghirahim and the other demons. The contract may have been broken between them the second Ghirahim threw his arm around his servant, but Link hadn't been freed yet. Until Ghirahim freed him he had to obey, and even worse the effects of the contract wouldn't take place until Link could voice it, and that didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon.