Asuriel woke from a troubled sleep to find that she could not see anything. After panicking for a moment, she remembered her surroundings and discovered that Ghirahim had simply drawn the curtains of the canopy, blocking all light. Speaking of the demon, if Asuriel stilled enough, she could hear his soft breathing a few feet from where she lay. As silently as she could, she moved towards the edge of the bed and slipped through the heavy curtains. It was still in the dead of night; there was no sign of the sun nor light of dawn visible through the window. The stars twinkled brilliantly and Asuriel admired how well should could see them. However, she did not get up to look at stars.
Creeping over to the desk, she began her search for Ghirahim's notebook. This may not have seemed like the best idea, but she was curious about the offensive spells it contained and she doubted she would have another opportunity to read over them before he hid the book. Impa had always told her it was wrong to take something that wasn't hers, but she had no intention of taking it, in fact she doubted she could leave the room without help.
After a few minutes of searching, Asuriel discovered that it was not on the desk, so she proceeded to look elsewhere. As she glanced across the room, a ray of moonlight illuminated the cover of what she sought from where it lay on the crimson chaise. She was almost too happy when she moved across the room to it. Giving one more furtive glance towards the bed, she sat down and opened the journal.
Immediately, she felt a shock of pain shoot through her arm, causing her to drop the book. The surprising part was that it didn't come from the journal or as an automatic result of her touching it. Asuriel's heart pounded as she looked around for the demon. It must have been him, she remembered he did something similar when she tried to heal Link in the Earth Temple.
But, wasn't he just asleep?
Apparently not because a few seconds later, she felt and pair of hands ghost over her shoulders and then disappear. She jumped and the sensation, but was even more unnerved when it went away without a trace.
This was another of his cruel games, wasn't it?
Well, she was not playing it this time. If she just laid back down and went to sleep, he should leave her alone.
Unfortunately for Asuriel, she had no choice whether she wanted to play or not. After all, sneaking around a someone else's room in the middle of the night is the perfect invitation to be messed with.
The girl whipped around as she heard a snap of fingers behind her. Nothing. She still looked in the direction of the noise when heard her name whispered in her ear. Spinning around, she again saw not a trace of the demon lord. Goosebumps formed along her arms as she frantically looked around her, but did not see anything that would indicate the presence of another.
Carefully, she took a few more steps towards the bed before she was caught. Arms snaked around her frame and held her in an iron grip. Asuriel screamed in shock, but she could not get away. Behind her, Ghirahim snickered and waited for the girl to calm down before speaking.
"Sneaking around, I see?"
His tone was rather playful, giving her hope that he wasn't angry with her.
"Don't you know that it is rude to read someone else's journal without their permission."
His voice had become slightly more serious, however Asuriel could tell he was more aggravated than angry, but his grip on her begun to tighten.
"I know, and I sincerely apologize. I had no intention of upsetting you."
Ghirahim huffed in annoyance, but relaxed his hold on the girl. In the silence that followed, Asuriel collected her thoughts and was about to ask if they she go back to sleep when a sudden tremor caused the room to shake. Pulling the girl against himself with one arm, the demon crossed the room to the window to see what was causing the ground to shake. His look of confusion melted into a grin as he noticed that the disturbance was coming from the direction of the Sealed Temple. So, the seal was finally weakening?
With a wave of his free hand, the curtain of the canopy was parted and he picked up Asuriel and placed her on the bed where he had previously been laying.
He left with the words, "I will be back shortly," and replaced the curtain, casting a spell to keep Asuriel from leaving the bed so she wouldn't find anything else like his journal to investigate. He teleported to the edge of the Sealed Grounds and watched as the imprisoned rose to meet the hero, who looked like he was half asleep still. That wouldn't last long. There was not much of a chance that the monster would be able to make it to the Temple, but it was a good sign that Demise was close to being revived.
Meanwhile, Asuriel lay in confusion as she wondered what was going on. In her entire life, she had never felt the ground shake like that. She concluded that it must have been something to do with Demise since Ghirahim looked so happy. Nevertheless, it did not help her understand what was going on, so she surrendered to sleep and hoped that an explanation would be provided.
With one last swing, Link embedded the Sealing Spike in the Imprisoned's head and returned him to his prison below the ground. It had been excellent entertainment for the demon lord. He enjoyed seeing Link getting stepped on by his Master, even if it wasn't as glorious as what would happen once he was resurrected. With a snap of his fingers, Ghirahim was back in his room. He found Asuriel sleeping peacefully and decided that she had recovered enough to go back to the rest of the humans. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he had kept her so long. Of course, she was a good source of entertainment, but he was an incredibly busy person, and he didn't need extra distractions, especially human ones.
Returning the girl would be relatively simple. He didn't want to give her back directly since that would be incredibly boring and too obvious that he had helped. The girl would not want that twig to know that she had stayed with him, so he would drop her off somewhere in the woods and allow her to make her way back.
Do you think he was doing that to be nice? To be kind?! If you said 'yes', you are sadly mistaken.
He would use Asuriel's 'secret' for his own purposes. When he inevitably encountered that goddess serving dog or even the hero, he could offhandedly mention how he had let the girl stay with him. That would sow seeds of distrust among Hylia's servants. Why, they might even turn on each other and start blaming each other, because it was obviously out of Asuriel's control. Impa would blame Link and the boy would be upset that Asuriel didn't tell him. The thought of that made Ghirahim positively giggly.
His footsteps were completely silent as he drew back the curtain of the bed. Asuriel lay exactly where he had set her. A smile subconsciously made its way to his lips as he inspected her sleeping form. Her head was in better condition and her ankle, although still broken, was set properly. When she awoke, she would have enough energy to at least reduce the swelling and conceal the break, leaving her with a slight limp. It would be a lot less noticeable than doing nothing and he got the feeling that Asuriel would not want to appear hurt. She didn't like to be kept in one place, so she had to look as well off as possible. Plus, it would help her conceal her previous whereabouts, only strengthening his plan to divide them.
Gently, Ghirahim picked up the girl along with one of the soft blankets and teleported to the Faron Woods. There was a place that he noticed would make a wonderful spot to conceal her. It was only accessible by a small hole in the ground next to a tree in a separate part of the forest. A person would have to be intentionally going to that specific place to notice it (it's the place where Link found Oolo). The area itself was rather small, almost like a miniature courtyard. Laying Asuriel down so she was partially resting against the tree, he adjusted the blanket and made one last check to ensure that she couldn't be seen from the ground before he returned to his room.
He would have rather kept the blanket, but it would be positively uncivil for a host to dump their guest in the woods in the middle of the night without some sort of cover.
Now that he was back in his room, the demon decided to continue reading since it was almost morning and he wouldn't be able to get any quality beauty sleep with only a few hours left. Frankly, he hated having to learn about the things Hylia made, but he wanted to be of assistance to Demise in any way possible. Especially when it came to those pesky worms that called themselves dragons.
Then, he stumbled across a page that actually interested him. The passage was vague, but that only added to his intrigue.
It was about a creature that the goddess had created for one of her servants. That servant had prayed to her for many days at both springs for a daughter, and Hylia had answered. She used some sort of magic, sacred water, and a lily. That water from the springs was transformed over many years to create a being that looked identical to a human, but was actually very different.
After a thousand years, the bud finally opened and there appeared a creature in the form of a human, yet very distinguished from them. It had a pure spirit and an immortal body, gifted with powerful magic to serve it's creator. The servant of the goddess sensed these things and the creature was called Lothsiriel.
What a strange way to be created. But, if what the text said was true, that creature was still alive somewhere.
Asuriel woke to the familiar sound of birds chirping.
Wait, birds?
She opened her eyes and looked around. Somehow, she was back in the Faron Woods, laying in her favorite napping spot. Had she dreamed the entire encounter with the demon?
No, there was one of his blankets, and her ankle was still wrapped tightly in neat white bandages. For some reason, he had seen fit to drop her off in the forest, which was quite fortunate for her. If she healed herself, Impa may accept the answer that she was only detoured to get away from the bokoblins and merely twisted her ankle. Focusing on her foot, she began to fuse the bones back together. She was very fortunate that Ghirahim knew the structure of human bones in order to set it correctly, a fact that slightly unnerved her.
Within a few minutes, the injury was mostly healed and Asuriel focused on her head before she was satisfied. But what to do with the blanket. She couldn't just leave it somewhere. Maybe if she sneaked around the Sealed Temple, she could smuggle it into her room. It was worth a shot.
Jumping down from her resting place, Asuriel began to make her way through the forest. The walk was mostly uneventful until a bokoblin spotted her and charged. Asuriel was about to run when the creature stopped and sniffed the air, gave Asuriel a strange look and inched closer. The girl didn't dare move, she didn't know why it stopped; she didn't want to discover what would upset it again.
The bokoblin sniffed again and continued its passive behavior, even seeming to cower slightly. What in Hylia's name? Once it was less than a yard away, it stopped, sniffed one last time, and walked away. Shaking off the strange incident, Asuriel continued through the forest. As quietly as possible, she approached the back of the temple and made her way to the wall that composed part of her room and began to climb to the roof. There was a small trapdoor in the ceiling of her room, so she easily slipped in unnoticed. Once there, she folded the blanket and laid it in a drawer before changing out of the nightgown and exiting again through the trapdoor. If she randomly strolled out of her bedroom after being missing, it would raise suspicion.
The moment she stepped through the door to the temple, Impa looked up and burst into tears. The girl ran to her and embraced her.
"Child, when Link returned and told me what happened, I- I thought that we had lost you."
"Don't worry, I'm here now. Where is Link?"
"Just outside, talking with one of his friends."
"Who?"
"Another human boy, his name is Groose. The poor lad needed some cheering up."
At that moment, Link came through the doors of the temple. When he saw Asuriel, he ran to and threw his arms around her in an embrace.
"Asuriel, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you!"
"Link, there is no need to worry, I'm safe."
"But, the bokoblins took you, how did you escape?"
The girl paused. She had never really lied before, but she couldn't tell them the truth, or at least not the whole truth.
"I'm not sure. It was very dark and damp. I remember waking up in their camp and wandering around. I must have found a way out."
"I'm just glad that you are alive. I thought those monsters would kill you!"
A moment of silence passed before Link spoke again.
"I tried talking to Groose, but he won't listen to me. I don't know how to get him to cheer up, the only thing that ever did was seeing me loosing at something or being around Zelda."
"I will speak to him. Meanwhile, you must go to the Lanayru province like we discussed. I would like to have a few words with Asuriel before you leave."
Link nodded and exited the temple, leaving Impa alone with Asuriel.
"There are many things that you should know concerning the events last night, but now is not the time to tell them. You must accompany Link to his next destination."
"I must confess, I didn't think that you would suggest that."
"I believe that it is dangerous for you to go, but you have no choice. Remember that Her Grace ordered you to help Link. If it were up to me, you would remain in the safety of the temple, but Hylia has spoken, I only hope she has not sentenced you to your death by putting you under the hero's care. It is time for you to leave. But, make sure he brings you back for your birthday in a few days.
Impa smiled weakly.
"You've grown into such a fine young lady. Farewell, Lothsiriel."
"Farewell, Impa. Fear not, I'll be back."
With a final embrace, Asuriel joined Link at the front of the Temple by a bird statue.
"Link, before we go, do you mind if I talk to your friend? From what you said, he sounded distraught."
"If you want to try. I guess?"
"Thank you, I won't be more than a few minutes."
Asuriel took a deep breath and prepared to meet his new person. After all, he would be the third human that she would see. This boy looked much different than Link, and even Ghirahim. His hair was quite shocking and his clothing was extremely vibrant. It could have matched more, but it wasn't that terrible. He didn't appear to notice her, so she moved slowly and was careful to not startle him. When she was just a few feet away, she called his name.
"Groose."
He turned spun around at hearing an unfamiliar voice call him. When he saw her, his eyes widened significantly.
"Are- are you an angel?"
The girl giggled.
"Not quite, but I am here to help you."
"How?"
"I sense that you are distraught, why?"
"Well, I'm the one who should have come down in the first place. I should have been rescuing Zelda. I should have been the Hero. At least, that's what I thought until I saw Link fight that huge monster, and after that old lady said he was the hero. If I'm not saving Zelda, I don't really have a purpose."
"It may be true that Link is the goddess' chosen Hero, but that does not mean you have no purpose. You are here now, you can still help Zelda, and you can still be a Hero. You cannot define what you are worth by comparing yourself to someone else, especially Link."
Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes and he sniffled loudly.
"But, it's so easy to do that. I want to help, to be a hero, to be useful like Link, but I don't know how..."
"Then let me show you how."
Asuriel extended a hand to Groose, and was slightly startled when he pulled her into an embrace.
Ghirahim drummed his fingers on the branch of the tree in which he was sitting on. He had decided to follow Link to see if he led him anywhere of importance and had happened to see that girl again. They were about to leave when she insisted on trying to comfort that imbecile with the ridiculous red pompadour. She gives a small sappy speech about not comparing oneself to others and the boy completely looses it. How pathetic. Now, not only does he have to wait around for some stupid Skychild, he has to watch as a random boy get Asuriel's undivided attention. Why didn't she give him that much attention when she was staying with him? He may be a mighty Demon Lord, but it's hard to be surrounded by screeching minions all the time. Some well deserved attention would not go unappreciated.
Anyways, it had been over an hour and she was still trying to console him. Even Skychild was getting impatient. Ah, finally, she finished. They exchanged a few words before walking to the bird statue.
"You might want to hold on for this."
Asuriel put her arms around Link as a current of wind lifted them off the ground and carried them to the sky. She stared in wonder at the hole in the cloud barrier as Link whistled for his bird. Everything there, the Temple, the forest, the lake, it had been her life. Now, she could see it all in the same moment. But, there was also beauty in change. The sky was so much different, she could see so far! The wind on her face felt incredible as it blew through her long locks, blowing them out of her face.
"Get ready, we are going to jump now."
Asuriel held on to Link as he leapt off of his Loftwing and descended to the ground. The girl had only seen part of the desert, so the sea of sand that greeted her was very shocking. When they landed, Link pulled out his sword and started searching for something. Along the way, multiple electric monsters charged at Link, who protectively stood in front of Asuriel. But, whenever they got closer to the girl, they stopped, stared, and left. This greatly puzzled both companions, but they figured it was for the best. They walked for a bit, then Link pulled out his harp, played a song, and a large flower pattern emerged from the ground.
"I'll see you in a bit, Asuriel. If you stay close to me, you'll be safe."
With that, he plunged his sword into the center and remained kneeling. Asuriel could sense that the area was surrounded with a divine aura, keeping monsters that may have attacked at bay. She was startled when Fi appeared from the Master Sword.
"Lady Asuriel, I have detected a strange aura emanating from you. I have also detected the scent of another being attached to you and your clothing. Additionally, many of the creatures have become passive, if not submissive, around you. There is a 100% chance that this is due to the fact that you carry both Demon Lord Ghirahim's aura and scent. Therefore, I must ask, do you have any knowledge of why?"
"What do you mean?!"
"It is obvious to me that you have previously spent time with him."
"So, if you know that, then what are you asking?"
"Why were you in his company?"
"He took me out of the camp of Bokoblins, gave me clothes, and took care of me for the night. Please don't tell Link, I don't want him to worry."
"The knowledge of these things will not be beneficial to nor intervene with Link's progress, therefore I see no reason to divulge this information to him."
"Thank you."
"However, I warn you that Ghirahim will use you withholding information to his advantage. He would not hesitate to tell Link or Impa, it may be wise for them to hear it from you."
"Thank you for your advise, I will consider it."
Had Fi really been able to tell, even from the Master Sword?
"Fi..."
"What is it, Lady Asuriel?"
"Is the scent... strong?"
"I calculate that there is less than a 23% of any of your human or Sheika acquaintances noticing. However, other species with keener senses such as Kikwis, dragons, bokoblins, and sword spirits can easily pick up the odor. I highly advise against visiting Faron until it has worn off."
"Will he be able to tell?"
"If you are referring to Ghirahim, then yes. He may not know yet because, based on your explanation, because he would not be able to distinguish how you smelled from the rest of his living space. If you met him in your current state, it would be very obvious to him. I calculate a high probability that it would have an effect on his actions towards you. This also affects his hordes as they will not attack you if you carry his scent."
"But they don't think that I am Ghirahim, do they?"
"No. If you recall, bokoblins used to be very hostile towards you, but now any monster that gets close enough to you will retreat. There is a high probability that they believe that you belong to Ghirahim and, based on his behaviors, the creatures are careful not to damage or even touch any of his possessions."
Asuriel blushed as she considered the monsters thinking of her as Ghirahim's possession and decided to end the conversation before something more embarrassing was said. It wasn't long before Link finished his trial and removed his sword from the ground.
"I hope you weren't bored, Asuriel."
"No, I can't say that I was."
"Well, if you are ready, we will continue to the next place."
After walking for some time, the reached and sand water fall. As usual, Asuriel held on tightly to Link, but the movement caused by the Hookshots was so sudden, she lost her grip and tumbled into the cascade of sand.
"Asuriel!"
Link immediately leapt after her and barely managed to pull them both to safety before the were swallowed by the sand. The girl coughed, spitting up sand as Link looked down with a worried expression.
"Can you try again? I may be able to spare an arm to hold onto you."
Shakily, she nodded her head and they tried again. This time, Link put one arm around Asuriel while he used one Clawshot. Then, she would switch arms when it came time for him to use his other Clawshot. The process took time and they were both tired by the end of it.
"Link, it might be better if you left me here for a while. I will only slow you down, and you can come get me when you get to a bird statue."
"I don't want to leave you alone, especially after last time."
"It's okay, I won't be alone. There is a goron right over there."
"Still, I don't know."
"I'll be fine."
Link sighed.
"I wish you at least had a weapon. Are you sure about this."
"Positive."
Before either of them had time to think, Asuriel stood up on the tips of her toes and gave Link a small kiss on his cheek. Immediately, his face turned a bright red and he froze for a few seconds before stuttering something and quickly disappearing through a heavy metal door.
Asuriel sighed and sat down on a wooden stool. She would probably have to stay there for hours before Link found a place to bring her to. But, she was used to having to entertain herself. Summoning a faire light, she used her magic to toss it across the cavern towards the opposite wall. When it bounced off, it split into two balls of light and they flew back to Asuriel. She used her magic to thrown both against the wall before they touched the wall behind her. This time, four balls returned. It was a game she used to play to practice handling a lot of objects at once. The game helped sharpen concentration and it taught her a lot about counting the exponents of two.
Soon, the room was filled with glowing faire lights. The downside of playing was that it quickly got out of control. The lights were bouncing against many parts of the cavern and flying in all different directions. Then, she saw something different; a flash of red among the golden and silvery light. A crimson ball of light came hurtling towards Asuriel and she barely had time to push it away before it hit the wall behind her. Within a minute, crimson light was shining throughout the room, yet somehow not completely mixing with the original light. Soon more colors were added as she saw a streams of black, yellow, and white enter the mix.
By this time, the goron had run out of the cave from fear of being hit by flying, glowing balls of energy.
Asuriel began to notice that some of the lights would suddenly change directions and fly towards her. She also saw that the lights had stopped bouncing off the opposite wall. Experimentally, she threw some towards it. They were deflected. She tried it again. This time, they were sent flying back at her as if someone else had pushed them back.
Of course someone had. Who else could create lights in those colors and send them hurdling around a room while making sure they were individually distinguishable?
It seemed that a one person game had just become a bit more competitive. With a bit of effort, Asuriel shoved as many of the balls of light as she could towards the other wall. Of course, none of them touched it, but were shot back at her. This time, she combined multiple lights to make them stronger and threw the large ball. When it got close to the wall, it was shattered as the pieces scattered to the side.
Several long chains of colorful light were shot towards Asuriel's wall, but she deflected those perfectly. She continued to create larger balls of energy to throw, bounce small lights against walls so they would split near the opposite one, and even managed to turn all of the lights over at once, yet only one shard of light got within an inch of the wall.
Among the constant pushing of lights, they began to gather into the center of the cavern into one large ball. Asuriel pushed against it with her power and felt another force pushing it back toward her. The ball floated and slowly moved back and forth between the proximities of both walls as both parties strove to push it to their competition's wall. Asuriel had it almost up against the opposite wall when it as suddenly hit with such a great magical force that it caused her to fall over. She just barely managed to push back the mass of light as it shattered from her deflection.
The girl got to her feet, confused. The lights were slowly and idly floating around the cavern. Had something happened? Looking back at the wall she was defending, Asuriel saw one, small gleam of crimson light embedded in it. She walked over two it, pulled it out, and held it in her hand. It was very beautiful, the color was vibrant and it looked almost as if it had a small diamond inside of it.
Asuriel looked up and turned around when she felt a hand lightly brush against her shoulder. Before her, Ghirahim smirked down at her, delighted in his victory. The girl couldn't help but smile slightly at how pleased he looked. Without saying a word she held out the fragment of light to him and made it hover above her palm. Ghirahim took it in his hand, looked at it for a moment, then snapped his fingers, causing it to disappear.
Asuriel gazed at the red light until the demon sent it away, then looked back towards his face. His eyes glittered, but not with the usual mischief that inhabited them. Asuriel felt herself falling into some sort of dream state as she only focused on the demon in front of her. A gently, invisible touch pulled her towards him and guided her feet to step closer. Slowly, Ghirahim circled one of his arms around her back while he cupped her cheek with the other. Both were barely conceiving what was happening as they remained under some kind of trance.
The girl reached up one hand and brushed some of the demon lord's hair away from his face, giving her a better view of his other eye as it shone under its white veil. She moved closer to him, standing on the tips of her toes and placing her hands on his chest before sliding them up to loosely grasp his shoulders. In turn, he leaned down, causing their noses to brush against each other and they felt the other's breath on their faces. Asuriel watched through half-lidded eyes as he did so, keeping eye contact while a single thought played in her head. He looks so... beautiful.
The sound of loud footsteps immediately snapped both of them out of their trance. Ghirahim blinked and found himself standing just inches from Asuriel, his arm around her and her face held in his ungloved hand. In a moment, he overcame the shock and vanished in a flurry of diamonds. The girl was also coming out of shock, stumbling backwards as a deep blush spread across her face. What in Hylia's name just happened?
The next moment, Link came through the heavy door on the other side of the room, completely oblivious to what just happened.
"Hey Asuriel, sorry it took so long for me to come to get you."
She looked away quickly, trying to calm down so her face would return to its usual color
"It's alright, Link. I suppose we will be returning to the sky and dropping down to another location?"
"Yes, but I was wondering-"
"Excellent, I'll wait for you outside."
She sprinted out of the room and into the bright light of the desert. Taking deep breaths, she waited for Link to follow before continuing on to the statue.
"Are you okay, you seem a bit off?"
"I'm doing just fine, Link. I guess I lost track of time and was a bit disoriented when you returned."
"If you say so. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, I think I am."
"Well then, hold on."
With a strong gust of wind, the two were lifted into the air, only to drop back down to the surface as they landed on the deck of an old, weathered ship.