Asuriel struggled to take even breaths. How was this possible? Hylia had chosen her soulmate, how could he be an agent for Demise? And, she wasn't allowed to ask for help, the first person to see her mark and to know who it represented would be her soulmate. She could only imagine trying to tell the demon lord something like that. Sure, he had toyed with her before, but he would probably react very differently knowing that they were soulmates. What if he decided that he didn't want anything to do with her? Something told her that he didn't like to be tied down too much.

No matter how she handled the circumstances, things were bound to get complicated. Firstly, everyone had expected her to be soulmates with Link. They would be disappointed enough to discover that was not true, but then they would hear that she was bound to the infamous demon lord. She would have to be careful letting people know, to make sure they understood. But, what if she didn't get to announce it herself. When she told Ghirahim, it would give him a way to separate herself from Link and Impa. If he decided to take the liberty of announcing their relationship, Asuriel would have no power to stop him. The whole thing was a mess.

Still, Hylia would not have made that decision if they were not perfect for each other. And Asuriel was Ghirahim's ideal match, as he was hers. There were just some... complications that had to be worked through. Being on different sides in a war between two powerful, immortal entities couldn't be all that bad. Plus, if they were soulmates, the demon lord had to catch feeling for her eventually, right?

Perhaps he already had.

Ghirahim impatiently paced around his large bedroom. He was still quite offended that Asuriel had not informed him of her birthday. Still, he had managed to present her with two meaningful gifts which were, in his opinion, far superior that the other things she received. He had spend a great deal of time writing all those spells out in that journal, and the crystal earring was very tricky to make. It matched his own, and he was hoping to convince Asuriel to wear it, at least for him to see.

Trying to rest was no use and his large room suddenly felt oddly stuffy. Maybe he should take a walk around the woods...

Asuriel exited her room through the trapdoor in her ceiling. Despite how tired she felt, she could not manage to fall asleep. Fresh air was usually a great remedy to sleepless nights; a long walk would help her. She wove in and out of trees, idly strolling until she found herself standing in front of the Skyview Temple. Something compelled her to go inside and wander through the structure until she made it to the spring. The water was cool against her skin as she stepped into it. Standing in the moonlight, she held the earring gifted to her by Ghirahim in her open palm, wondering how she would play the hand fate dealt to her.

The demon lord walked through the woods, undecided on a destination. Walking long distances was not something he usually did, teleporting was much easier and more fashionable. That particular night, he felt strangely drawn to the Skyview Spring, so he began to move in that direction. He navigated the temple and paused for a moment in the final, circular room. This is where he first spoke to Asuriel, and where she stopped him from killing Skychild. It had caused him much trouble and frustration, yet he found that he was not angry with her.

The golden door that had before prevented him from reaching the spirit maiden allowed him to pass. Curious about the cause of his allowance into the spring, he continued. When he walked out into the open, he was surprised to see Asuriel standing in the water of the spring behind the statue of the goddess. The moonlight glinted off of her hair as the ends floated around her in the water. She was wearing the nightgown he had gifted her, which was now partially soaked in the water of the spring. She seemed not to notice his presence until he moved to stand behind her.

"Enjoying a walk in the moonlight?"

She spun around to look at him, immediately recognizing his voice. Her confusion at his sudden appearance turned to panic as she remembered that she had left her gloves in her room. Her only hope was to cover the back of her hand with her other palm and act as normal as possible.

"I couldn't sleep. I didn't expect to meet anyone out here at this time."

"Neither did I. The Surface is a dangerous place at night, I'm astonished that your guard dog allowed you to walk alone."

Worry flashed in Asuriel's eyes.

"She didn't, I sneaked out."

"Really? I never took you to be a troublemaker. Don't you worry that you'll be killed, coming out here on your own?"

"I grew up here, these woods are the safest place for me to be. But, you have not said why you are out so late."

"I am the Demon Lord that presides over these lands, I may walk as I please through my domain."

The girl shifted her weight uncomfortably. He seemed to be in a chatty mood, which meant that she might have to keep up her act for a while. Not to mention how unpredictable he could be; she silently prayed to Hylia that he would decide not to terrorize her tonight.

"You seem irritated."

"Oh, do I? I'm just restless after the long day I have had."

The demon moved a little closer to her.

"Is there anything you would like to tell me?"

"N-no."

At his next step, which was slightly larger, she tucked her hand behind her back, realizing her blunder too late. Immediately, the demon's attention was drawn to it and Asuriel began backing up quickly to keep her distance.

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing!"

He caught her wrist in his grasp and pulled it up in between them. His expression changed from a shocked to thoughtful expression before changing to a smirk.

"What do we have here?"

"I..."

"So, the goddess really doesn't care about you. She allows you to be caught, hurt, and tormented again and again without as much as a second thought about your feelings. Then, she makes you the soulmate to a demon. Do you have any idea how much trouble this will cause for you?"

"No, I wasn't sure what would happen."

"Well, let's consider a mercy to you in the long run."

"What do you mean?"

"When I revive my master, he will destroy that puny goddess and her pesky hero. You would have been among those who would die first, but because we are soulmates, you will be spared. I can't promise that you'll have very much, if any, freedom, but you will be safe. And, you'll have me."

"So you're suggesting I simply surrender and live under the reign of Demise?"

"What other choice do you have? Unless you think you would be more comfortable in a dungeon somewhere."

"So what do you want me to do? Leave everything I know behind and join you? Wait safely in your castle until Demise destroys everything I once cared about?"

"I may be a demon, but I'm no monster. I would at least give you tonight to write a farewell letter."

"This is absurd! I can't just switch sides like that."

"Why not?"

"There has to be a way that I can stay with the Her Grace. There just has to be a way..."

Ghirahim laughed coldly and grasped her chin, turning her face up towards his.

"What were you expecting from this? A clean bonding? No strings attached? Listen, Asuriel, we were created by beings who are at war with each other. One of us has to change, and I will never leave Demise's service. There is no choice here."

"What are you talking about?!"

"It would be beneficial to us both if we left for my castle, right now. I won't have to make Impa give you up and you don't have to worry about disappointing your friends."

"No, I can't just leave like that!"

He drew their faces closer so they were mere inches apart.

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you,"

There was a moment of silence before Asuriel created a shield, causing Ghirahim to stumble backwards. She began running through the temple towards the Sealed Grounds. As the conversation began to sink in, hot tears started to collect in her eyes and spill down her cheeks. She was completely blinded by the tears when she ran into someone.

"Asuriel?"

"Link? What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep. Goddess, what's wrong?!"

The girl couldn't answer, but she lifted her hand up to show Link the mark.

"So, you're soulmates with him?"

"Link, I'm s-sorry."

A few sobs escaped her chest as her fingers clenched around the diamond earring that was still in her left hand.

"Hey, hey, it's alright."

"No, it's not! I have t-to leave EVERYTHING behind!"

"No, you won't have to, I promise. Listen, Zelda was the one who created the bond. There has to be some way for her to undo it."

"Really?"

He took her right hand in his and clasped it in both his own.

"We'll get out of this mess, together."

Without a second thought, Link leaned down and kissed the girl.

The crimson earring made a quiet thud as it fell from Asuriel's hand and hit the ground.

This chapter was SO difficult to write. I probably wrote it about six times trying to decide what I wanted to have happen. I almost chose to go down a fluffy path, but why would I do that? It's high time there was some drama. Because this one is shorter, I may try to post tomorrow, but I can't promise there will be another chapter until next week. Until next time.