A/N: Heyloo! This is the sequel to my other fic, On a Wing and a Prayer (which takes place pre-game), however, this can be read as a stand alone. Obviously, you'd have more context if you read the other fic first, but it's up to you! I will be sure to describe any characters points or situations that happened in the last fic within these chapters. All you need to know is that Link and Zelda ended up in a secret relationship before the events of the game, and Skyloft/The Sky is much bigger than in the game. That, and anything else, will be understood in this fic without reading On a Wing and a Prayer! For any returning people, hi! I missed you! This fic most likely won't jump through the years like Wing&Prayer did, so the format is a bit more linear.

This prologue is the only part of this fic that uses a game event as a whole chapter. Events have been altered to fit in better with my previous fic and gives some context to new readers. So don't think that I'm going to rehash the whole game in here.

This is rated T for mild violence. This is a Zelink fic with a pre-established relationship, so if you're not one for fluff, you're in the wrong place. If you love fluff like I do, WELCOME ABOARD!

Prologue:

Link opened the doors to the Sealed Temple just in time to see a bright light emanating from the room Zelda had sealed herself in. It engulfed the room, blinding Link, the elderly Impa, and Groose.

Groose had been the last person he'd ever expected on the Surface. Despite years of tormenting and bullying Link, Groose had followed Link through the clouds in an attempt to save his unrequited love: Zelda. Link never thought that Groose could have… or would have... saved his life on multiple occasions, and for that, he was eternally grateful.

Link stumbled past Impa and Groose, making his way toward the bright light until he was standing in the doorway, staring at the amber crystal that cocooned Zelda inside where she slept. A tangle of vines held it upright, and he could see the silhouette of her once more.

He waited both patiently and impatiently for the pulsing light to stabilize. His whole journey had led to this moment. To Zelda. He took a deep breath. What would he say?

It had taken her being wrenched away from him to say the words he'd known for some time, even though he'd only said them to himself. He loved her, and he'd been willing to do anything to get her back.

The amber crystal shattered, and Zelda floated out of it harmlessly. She shimmered with an aura fit only for the incarnation of the Goddess herself. And when her feet hit the ground and her eyes looked up, they softened at the face staring back at her.

There had been a time that Link could hide a good portion of his emotions from his face. When his mother had died, he'd turned inward, not talking for years. But it had been Zelda who'd coaxed him back into the real world and away from his dark solitude. It had been Zelda who'd befriended him when no one else would. Zelda who'd stuck by him while helping him navigate the most stressful years of his life. Once she started making him smile, he'd had a hard time stopping. When he looked at her, his expression always betrayed his adoration for her, be it as a friend, or as someone more. And that's how he looked at her now.

She'd taken the stairs slowly, getting her bearings after countless years sacrificing herself and her freedom for the sake of all who lived on the Surface and in the Sky. But once she'd hit the bottom step, her legs gave out and her eyes rolled back. Link shot forward and caught her before she could fall. He lowered her to the ground, his heart hammering as he securely kept his arms around her.

"Good morning… Link…" she'd whispered against him.

Link choked on a half-sob, half laugh. To hear her voice again. Goddess, to hear her breathe again. He couldn't move his arms as he buried his head in her hair. She stirred, and he pulled back, letting her blink several times without his face right in front of her.

But her eyes landed on his again and she smiled, reaching out to lightly touch his cheek. Link held her hand there and turned his head ever so slightly to press a quick, relieved kiss to the palm of her hand.

"Hey," he'd whispered to her, fighting his watery eyes.

He thought he could breathe while on the Surface, but until he'd held her in his arms again, he realized that he hadn't taken a full breath of air the whole time she'd been gone. Relief swallowed him.

"You did it?" she asked, still bleary.

Link brushed some of her hair that had come loose from her decorative regalia out of her face. "I'm offended that you would doubt me," he joked, slipping easily into their normal bantering conversations.

But Zelda was too weak to joke. "No, I never did." She looked around again, finally taking in her location as her mind started to un-fog. "My father?"

"Safe on Skyloft."

"Impa?"

Link bit his lip and shook his head. "I don't know. But there's a woman who's been helping us. She might know."

"Us?"

"Groose and I," he laughed.

No matter how weak she'd been, that managed to get a vivid reaction from her as she balked. "Groose? The same Groose from Skyloft who bullied everyone?"

"The one and only," Link said, grinning. Goddess, her voice, her hand, her hair. She was here.

"Help me up?" she asked. She felt his arms around her, pulling her to her feet. Link felt her slip her hand into his with a smile. "I'm still feeling a little dizzy. It's safer for me this way," she jested, leaning into him as they walked back to Granny and Groose.

Zelda smiled at Groose when he turned to see her approach, and to their surprise, he began to bawl. Despite their attempts to hold it back, they both began to laugh, and all was right in the world again.

But that joy had been ripped away violently, and as quickly as it came.

A burning orange light crashed into the ground, the impact sending a harsh current through Link's body and sending both Link and Zelda flying off to the sides. Link couldn't move, but he heard Ghirahim speak, threatening Zelda with every word. But the blood was rushing through Link's brain, his ears ringing. Most of the words were lost to him, but their intent was never muted.

He struggled to feel his feet, let alone move them, and Ghirahim tauntingly let Zelda's limp body float just off the ground while he watched Link flounder.

When Link finally managed to get to his knees, he felt everything inside him burn, but not from the jolt this time. Ghirahim lifted Zelda's body over his shoulder. She slumped forward. And if not for Ghirahim's threat to drain Zelda's life force, she could have easily been mistaken as dead.

Link tried to push himself off his knees, but he groaned in pain and held his side, trying to fight through it. His legs still wouldn't work.

"...Link…" Zelda whimpered. Her voice wasn't afraid. It was empty.

And it was enough for Link to find some strength within himself that he didn't remember possessing. With a cry of effort mixed with rage, he pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his sword and shield in a single motion, his stance daring Ghirahim to try to fight him now.

Link went to take a step, but with a laugh from the demon, Ghirahim and Zelda vanished, appearing in front of the Gate of Time a moment later.

Hurrying toward them, Link cried out as his body screamed in protest, sending him to his knees again. Groose stood protectively in front of Granny and the Gate, the last line of defense, but it was no use when they were both cast aside.

When Ghirahim disappeared, it was as if all the pain in Link's body vanished with him, caused by the magic of the demon himself rather than an actual injury.

Without hesitation, Link had followed them into the past.

Ghirahim had reached the bottom of a long, unyielding spiral cliffside in an instant, thanks to his magic. Link stared down into the Sealed Grounds, watching Ghirahim raise Zelda into the air, floating limp and nearly lifeless, though he could still see her fight to live, writhing in pain.

And despite Ghirahim's every effort to slow him down, hordes of monsters wouldn't stop him. There was nothing that could stop him. No barrier, no spirit, no shield or sword.

"You're far too quick, boy," Ghirahim had hissed when Link had reached the bottom, past hordes of monsters. Raising them all into the air, Ghirahim transformed into a true demon, like onyx stone come to life with the singular drive to kill.

Floating as he was, a single misstep against the demonic blade would send both him and Zelda to their doom. He could feel the demon's arm strike down against him, hard and sharp as a blade's edge. But Link drove him back off the floating platforms, and the demon sword laughed, having wasted all the time he needed.

Though still limp, Zelda screamed as a dark beast clawed its way from the ground… terror, pain… he'd never forget those sounds.

The demon sword had been a test of Link's skill, and he was grateful for his years of training at the Knight Academy. Only long afterwards did he realize that his two instructors, Master Kos and Master Eagus, would be incredibly proud to see his display.

When the demon sword fell, the Imprisoned transformed into the purest embodiment of evil, Demise. The evil god of legend rose from the ground and smiled as he felt more and more of Zelda's life force get sucked into him. Link could only feel his own panicked screams mingling with Zelda's as she fought to keep hold of her life force, while the embodiment of evil attempted to drain it into nothing. Her voice tore through the air, louder even than the great roar of the creature. She was high in the sky, writhing, fighting... and losing.

Link could do nothing but watch. His chest rumbled with a violent cry, but he could only hear Zelda. When everything turned purple around him, he was sure that he'd died and been cast out of the Sacred Realm, because there was no life worth living without Zelda in it. And if she was gone…

But Evil continued to take form: the shape of a man, the skin of a demon, a fiery blaze of hair, the voice of a monster, and a soul of pure evil. He looked up at Zelda and regarded her. "Intriguing," he'd rumbled. His voice was so low it seemed to shake the ground. "The Goddess lowered herself to a mortal existence to keep me imprisoned, but this pathetic bag of flesh pales in comparison to the magnificence of her previous form."

With something like a disgusted grunt, Demise cast Zelda from the sky. Link began to run, knowing there was absolutely no way he could make it to her in time, but knowing he had to try. Only a voice stopped him.

"Don't worry, Link! I got this!" Groose called, diving for her. And moments later, panting desperately, Groose called back, "I've got her. She's okay! She's still alive, but barely! Hurry Link!"

Able to focus his whole attention on Demise, the creature seemed almost impressed by Link's determined form. Link didn't cower. He didn't even think he knew fear in that moment. And it caused the creature to laugh, marveling at the determination of Hylia's people. When Link raised his sword, ready to fight, Demise began to laugh even harder.

Link realized just how imposing the creature was. He only came up to Demise's waist, his head smaller than the creature's hand.

"You grow more fascinating by the second, human. I never imagined I'd meet one of your kind who wished to stand against me in battle." The creature conjured a massive pillar of darkness so pure that it physically hurt Link when it brushed against him. Without a second thought, Link followed the being into another world.

He'd said it before; he'd give anything for Zelda. And this was a battle not only for the Surface, it was a battle for Zelda's soul. Link wished he could say he wasn't selfish, but he knew which he was fighting harder to save.

Much to Link's surprise, the dark portal led to an eternity of clouds, less than an inch of water beneath his feet, and light everywhere. Link knew instinctively that he was in the Goddess' realm, where she and Demise had once coexisted, the place where the dead were reunited with those they loved and lost: the Sacred Realm.

But this was a broken-off piece. And if he died here, this would be his eternity.

Demise raised his hand, casting darkness across the clouds, muddying the water. Link took a deep breath, steeling himself and his courage. He swung his sword down, ready. More ready than he could even believe.

The creature made no move to begin the battle, grinning as he watched Link assess the situation. Finally, Link moved in close and struck, staggering back. Fi had strengthened his sword so it could stand against the demon sword, but Link had underestimated just how much physical strength it would take to face this beast.

Clashing time and time again, Link managed to land a few hits on the creature. However, he'd taken several good ones himself. Each time the massive beast of a man managed to land a hit, Link was flung across the space, and left crying out in unimaginable pain. One strike of Demise's blade had lodged itself fairly deep just off to the side of Link's collarbone, a large gash bleeding and soaking the watery ground red. Another hit had broken his shield, twisting his arm in a way he was sure had broken it. The edge of the blade had brushed his arm, and more blood spilled.

He'd begun to stagger around, focusing all of his energy on attacking. He became wild and reckless, though not without caution. He fought close to the creature, knowing that it didn't have the stature to fight Link from so close. Link felt the monstrous foot send him flying backwards. Something cracked inside Link's body, and Link deliberatley smashed the bottle hanging from his belt into the ground, letting a fairy fly free, straight into him.

Though it didn't heal him entirely, he could see clearly again, and he could move without crying out in pain. They clashed again, Link evading the worst of the blows, and Demise taking Link's fury.

In Demise's own rage, he summoned a lightning storm. Link eyed the water they were standing in warily, and only barely ducked out of the way of a decapitating blow. Demise raised his sword and jerked back as it was struck with lightning, absorbing the energy of thousands of bolts. Link took a breath and watched the creature swing it in his direction.

Link rolled off to the side and raised his own sword, feeling power like never before, numbness and strength mixed together in a surge that went down his arm. His own sword was powered by Demises' weapon. Link mimicked the beast and sent the energy at the creature's shocked form, pummeling it with all of his strength until he was pushed back off into the water.

The two were back and forth in a dance of sorts. Link was heaving, barely able to breathe, and feeling his old wounds on top of the newest ones he'd sustained.

Forcing Demise back with a burst of strength, Link jumped into the air, raising his sword to the lightning strike, and landing with the sword squarely in Demise's chest before flipping backwards off the creature as it struggled to its feet, visibly dying in a beautifully horrifying display of darkness swallowing the creature whole.

"You…" Demise breathed out, "You are a paragon among your kind. You fight like… no man or demon I have ever known. Though this is not the end. My hate… never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! Those like you…" he stumbled, "Those who share the blood of the Goddess and the Spirit of the Hero… are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!"

As if on cue, Link felt the blood that trickled down his chest, freshly opened, despite the fairy. Demise began to laugh maniacally, echoing into the air even after his physical form disintegrated into nothing but smoke. Link knew to raise his sword, the darkness swallowed into the sword's light. The light of the Master Sword.

As Demise faded away, so too did the Sacred Realm, and Link was left at the center of the spiraled Sacred Grounds. There was no sign of Groose and Zelda, and- despite his injuries- Link ran back to the temple as fast as he possibly could. He was dizzy, dripping with blood, and physically exhausted. He thought his heart might give out from the amount of effort he'd put into fighting Demise, and the sprint hadn't helped any.

Bursting through the doors, Link looked around frantically. Impa smiled kindly at him and motioned with her head. Link spun, expecting to see the worst. But Zelda was there, standing, alive. Groose backed up to give them space.

Zelda's eyes raked over every injury Link had sustained. There was no doubt that he'd nearly died there. The deep wound at his collar looked like his arm had been just short of cleaved off. The patches of blood on his arms, the scrapes on his neck… there was so much visible evidence of a fight well-fought.

Zelda took a step toward him, tears welling in her eyes. He could see her conflicting emotions. Horror at the revelation that he could have been gone forever, and relief. It was over. Finally over.

She freely let the tears fall down her face and Link took a step closer to her, normally quick to pull her into his arms. But he hesitated. This was the Goddess, too. Getting his blood on her felt metaphorical for something, some sort of horrible transgression against the Goddess Hylia. But Zelda looked up and saw his hesitation, reading it perfectly. And she stepped into his arms, heedless of how he looked, and unhearing of Groose's joking comments in the background.

Link's arms clung to her tightly, despite how they shook from the effort. He felt Zelda's hand on the back of his neck, gingerly pulling him down to her. He hesitated. "I'm all bloody."

"You're alive," she breathed, feeling his resistance give way as he thought the same words about her.

His lips met hers in a soft kiss. His hands went to the sides of her neck, letting his fingers splay out and feel her warm, living skin beneath him. Though the kiss began to get more desperate, deeper, and filled with months of things they had to say, Link winced, grabbing his side and shook his head. "Sorry."

Zelda ran a hand through his hair and smiled, humor glinting in her eyes. "You should be."

Link jerked forward, feeling the familiar feeling that was Fi emerging from his sword. Fi's attention was on Zelda.

"Hylia, Your Grade… or perhaps you prefer 'Zelda.' It pleases me to know you are safe. Master…" Fi said, floating beyond the Gate, silently prodding him to follow. She stopped in front of the pedestal. "Master Link, you have successfully protected the Goddess and defeated Demise, fulfilling your role as the Hero of Legend. My purpose is complete, and I therefore ask that you dissolve our arrangement as master and servant. Drive the sword into the pedestal before you, and I will return to the sword to enter a sleep without end."

Link looked at her as if this thought had never occurred to him. Fi almost appeared to smile. "Bring the Goddess' mission to an end. It is time to conclude our necessary companionship." She dove into the sword again, and Link scoffed. She'd done so much, and this was her goodbye?

He felt eyes on him and saw Zelda watching. She bowed her head, a final thank you to her servant from so long ago. Link prepared himself to feel a loss he'd never imagined. Spinning the sword into his hand so it faced down, he plunged it into the pedestal, on his knees with his hands on the hilt. A light burst up and faded just as quickly, locking the sword in place.

He could hear the ghost of a whisper in his ear. "Link, my purpose was to obey the command of the goddess and lead you, the chosen hero, on your quest. When I first awoke, I perceived this as merely serving my function as servant to Her Grace. However, I have information corresponding with our journey together, and it is the most precious data I have on record.

"I do not have the capability to understand the human spirit, but as I prepare to sleep within the Master Sword forever, I experience a feeling I am unable to identify. I lack sufficient data to be sure of my conclusion, but I believe it correlates with what your people call happiness.

"My consciousness is fading, even as we speak. I have heard these words many times on our journey, and now, I wish to say them once for myself. Thank you, Master Link. May we meet again in another life."

A/N: Okay, that's the only game-content chapter, I swear! I've never been so stressed out naming a fic or coming up with that little thumbnail picture as I was with this one, so they may change! I'll give a warning here and in the summary if it changes. But anyway, I usually post weekly or every other week, depending on how my schedule is going, which is slightly busy right now, so that week/biweekly posting sounds pretty good to me.