Ghirahim blew on his fingernails, smirking as he watched Link approaching him from the other end of the hall. His new toy looked absolutely fabulous all decked out in spandex and gold, and Ghirahim inwardly wondering why humans didn't wear it more.
"Pet, there's been a slight change in plans. Dinner is postponed until further notice. We're going to meet up with Master, instead. Alright?"
Link froze and looked up at Ghirahim with his only good eye, horror outlined perfectly in every last inch of his face.
"Oh, yes, my sweet. This is what you think it is." Ghirahim grinned and licked his lips, grabbing Link by the hair and twisting hard. "And I am going to make you sit there helplessly and watch."
Link shook his head, a frail squeak rising in his throat, but Ghirahim only grinned. He savored the tormented expression on the fallen hero's face, and with a wicked laugh, he grabbed Link by the arm and snapped.
Just like that, they were in the Sealed Grounds. Everything was perfect, set and ready to go. Zelda and Impa were both in holding chambers off to the side, and diamond walls surrounded the chasm they were in. There was a dome over the top, demons lining the rim and ready for any sort of escape attempt, and the ground was shaking in anticipation.
"Look around, pet." Ghirahim leaned over and whispered into Link's ear, trying to keep himself from breaking the fragile arm in two. "This is evil overlordship done right."
Ghirahim released Link's arm and watched as the boy ran toward his little friend, desperately shouting out her name. Ghirahim glared, but he pushed aside the jealousy he felt. There would be plenty of time to tear every aspect of the Spirit Maiden out of Link's mind.
Soon I will have Link and Master all to myself. Nothing can change that now.
So, with that cheerful thought in his mind, Ghirahim ran toward the center of the pit and began his ritual.
Link gasped for air, slamming his open palm against the diamond barrier over and over. "Zelda! Zelda, can you hear me? Zelda!"
Blue eyes opened slowly, unfocused and darkened by fatigue, and Zelda looked at him with a sadness he had never seen before. "Link…?"
"Zelda, I…" Link shook his head, tears falling from his eyes as he tried to come up with the words to explain how they had gotten where they were. "I thought I could do it, but… but I failed. I failed, Zelda, I'm so sorry… I'm so, so sorry…" His fingers curled into a fist and struck the translucent wall again. "I can't do anything. I finally found you, and I can't… I can't…" Tears began to trail down his cheeks, and he was torn between shame and relief. "I don't belong to me anymore, I… I lost… I failed, I'm so sorry, Zelda…"
Zelda slid her hand over the glass, stopping when it lined up with his, and she smiled up at him. "You went through so much for me, Link." She blinked, tears brimming her eyes. "It's more than I could have asked for… thank you, Link."
"But I failed," he choked, dropping his gaze to the dirt.
Zelda shook her head, forcing a weak smile. "No, Link. You came so close… so close, and… and you know, I think we were both played. Impa and I talked and… there was no winning, Link, not even from the start. It was a losing battle."
Link shook his head, eyes widening at the parallel in Zelda and First's words to him. Why did everyone seem to think they had been doomed from the beginning. Was there no hope left in anyone anymore?
"But I—"
Blinding light filled the cylinder, and Link was thrown backward. He drew his arms up to shield his eyes, screaming when his back hit the ground. "Zelda!" He struggled to get onto his hands and knees, the pain in his ribcage telling him his collection of broken bones had just expanded. "Zelda, no!"
Link groped around blindly, trying to find the glass tube. He found glass, but it was already in pieces, the shards sticking into his hands and knees and shins as he crawled through the mess. "Zelda!" He dragged his arm over his eyes, trying to force his vision to clear. Ghirahim laughed somewhere nearby, but Link ignored him, fingers brushing against a warm hand.
"Zelda!" Link gathered the body of his best friend into his arms, burying his face in her hair and pressing her head against his chest. "Zelda, wake up… please, please wake up…"
"Ick. Never could stand the twig."
Link jumped and turned his head toward the voice, seeing the second tube had also shattered. Impa was mauled beyond recognition, Ghirahim standing over her with a bloody sword in his hand.
No… no, please… please, stop…
Ghirahim whirled around suddenly, smiling like a giddy schoolboy and speaking just as excitedly. "Master! Look at my new pet!"
Link slowly turned his upper body, expecting to see a demon somewhat similar to Ghirahim in appearance, but taller and stronger. Hopefully less flamboyant and erratic and sadistic, but he wasn't holding his breath.
What he saw instead was a tall, muscular, solid black, scaly, flame-headed, red-eyed giant of a monster staring at him with a sort of authority Link had never seen before in his entire life.
Link held Zelda a little tighter, his heart screeching to a standstill.
"What do you want that thing for?" Demise's voice echoed like thunder, his tone simultaneously earth-shattering and disinterested.
"Oh, Master!" Ghirahim got to his knees beside Link and wrapped both arms around him in a tight hug. "He's just so adorable and fun! This is the little runt the goddess intended to make into her hero. Ridiculous, I know, but still so cute!"
Demise let out a dry laugh and shook his head. "Whatever you want, Ghirahim."
Ghirahim's lips parted in a wild, twisted grin. He jumped to his feet and pulled Link with him, forcing him to drop Zelda's body.
"Z-Zelda!"
"Master, hold him for just a moment, would you?"
Demise didn't seem overly interested in what Ghirahim was doing, but Link still felt two enormous hands envelop his waist and hold him still. Link shook his head, eyes pleading, watching helplessly as Ghirahim lifted Zelda's body from the ground.
"M-Master…" Link whimpered, trying to step forward and feeling Demise's hold tighten. "Master, please… please, no… don't do this…"
Ghirahim looked at him, blinking innocently as he pulled his sword-wielding hand back. Link shook his head faster, harder, panic turning his throat to stone.
"Master." He squeaked out the word, tears streaming openly down his cheeks. "Please."
Zelda's head went flying into the wall, caving like a rotten pumpkin while her body remained in Ghirahim's hands.
"Master!"
Link struggled madly, kicking, and twisting, and screaming, and biting, and thrashing as Zelda's body was torn apart and dismembered right in front of him.
"Master, stop!" He threw his leg over Demise's hand and tried to crawl out of the hold. "Master, please! Please!"
Her limbs, her flesh, her organs, her bones—they were all scattered across the dirt, blood spurting from the tears and holes, and Demise did a wonderful job of restraining the screaming hero. He switched Link from one hand to the other as though he were a child letting a salamander slither over his hands.
Then there was silence. It was over, and the hands left Link's body, dropping him to the ground in a sobbing mess.
"Wh-why?" Link pulled himself to his knees and stared up at Ghirahim, barely able to make out the demon's face through the veil of tears. "Wh-why did you do that?"
Ghirahim grabbed his throat and jerked him from the ground. "Because you were in love with her, and I am your only concern now. I never want you to think about her again, do you understand me?"
Link bit his lip, tears spilling from his eyes as he choked out the only answer he could give. "Yes, Master."
"Good." Ghirahim then looked to Demise, eyes shining hopefully. "Master, would you allow him to have dinner with us?"
Demise looked at him for a moment and then shrugged. "You can do whatever you want with him."
Link looked down, shaking his head weakly. "I'm not… not very hungry, M-Master…" By which he meant he felt like he was going to throw up. "Please… please don't make me eat…"
Ghirahim's expression softened slightly, and he tilted his head to the side, thinking about it for a moment before nodding. "If you really aren't feeling well, I suppose you can retire early tonight. Tomorrow morning, you and I will have that talk I told you about."
Link nodded wearily, eyes still red and burning, and slumped forward into Ghirahim's arms. "Yes, Master."
Ghirahim laughed softly, almost kindly, and stroked the hero's damp cheeks. "Hush, my sweet. You'll be alright."
Link shuddered and closed his eyes. "Yes, Master. I…" He swallowed hard and shook again, saline dripping from his chin. "Yes, Master."
That was all he had. That one response to keep him safe, to make sure he saw the dawn of a new day, to make sure there wouldn't be some unspeakable torment waiting for him when he opened his eyes. That was all he had, and it killed him, but what else could he do? What else could he say?
He wasn't his own anymore.
Yes, Master.
