The demon had been right. My husband was dead- or barely alive when I found him next to the anvil. His body was growing cold and the blood dark when I pulled his head into my lap. Aden did not last much longer than that, opening his eyes only once to smile at me before dying.

I cried, great hollow gusts of breaths escaping my mouth as I clutched the head of the father of my children closer to me. Part of me did not want it to be true; I wanted him to suddenly call out that I was suffocating him, for me to let him go. But he didn't, and so the tears continued to stream down my face as it felt like my chest was about to break from the crying and heartache. I don't remember crying so hard ever, not even during the deaths of my parents, Ullia, or Hamond.

The sun was bright and it burned into my back, warming my hair and somehow giving the corpse lukewarm skin. Why couldn't it rain, like in every sad novel I've read? Those were my thoughts as I held my husband even closer. I stayed like that for half an hour, until the town guards came running with Aden's mother and my children.

They took care of the body, having to only pull me gently away. Why couldn't I fight them? I wanted to hold him a little while longer. Harn clung to his grandmother's skirts as he stared at me, his young mind not understanding what was happening.

"Where are they taking Daddy?"

The demon forces were growing, slowly slaughtering small villages and humans. Many came to the temple, praying to Hylia, hoping that their goddess would come and save them from their terror. I was often busy as the head priestess, and many times tested in my faith as wave upon wave of survivors of destroyed villages took safety within the walls of the city. I saw so much pain, and yet I was able to hear Hylia whispering her instructions to me.

I pulled the cloak away from my face, standing in front of the giant oak door that led up to the man Hylia wanted. Only he would do, and so I motioned for the guards to unlock the door.

"Are you quite sure, High Priestess?" The captain of the guard looked uncertain, "Even if he was framed…"

My eyes flashed to him, "Hylia wants him. Who are you to deny your Goddess? Open the door." My voice was hard, and the reflections of my priestess robe's jewelry bounced with the torchlight. There was no way they were going to deny me, not with how desperate the humans were becoming.

As he moved to unlock the gate, I smiled. Now to just convince the man within the tower. As the door creaked open and I swiftly ascended the stairs, I heard the clinking of chains. The air in the tower was stale and stunk of an unwashed body, the smell growing as I reached the source. A mop of blonde hair lifted, startling blue eyes glaring at me before widening.

"Link." I smiled, hair flowing behind me as I walked closer to him, "Link the Hero."

"Have they finally decided to get rid of me?" Link's voice was harsh, a rasp due to lack of water. "Why else would the High Priestess of Hylia come to me?"

I shook my head, still smiling. I had to be gentle with him, "No, Link." Turning to the guard, I asked, "Would you mind getting him some water, and release him of those chains?"
The hero's eyes narrowed, "What do you want with me?"

I held my hands out, "Haven't you heard? The lord who framed you was killed by the Demon King Demise. Why don't you come out into the light of day?" Resting a hand over my heart, I felt the corners of my eyes crinkle, "Link. We need you. The Demon King's army is growing stronger, and the people need a Hero."

Link shifted in his chains, looking down, "It was the people who said they had no need for a powerful hero. Now that it's convenient, you want me to fight? What's more, my sword is broken. I can't even run anymore."

Ah, and now came the authority of being Hylia's messenger, "Link. The one who asks for your help is not the people, but the Goddess Hylia." Out of the folds of my cloak I brought forth a sword, "I have refashioned your sword myself, Hero. Your crimes are wiped away." I lifted an eyebrow, "Anything else to add, captain?"

The guard saluted, "Ah, yes m'am! Your premonition of danger was correct. We all realize that now. On behalf of the people, I am sincerely sorry for these past four years!"

"That's a good man," I smiled, turning back to Link. "Now, what say you, Hero?"

Finally, a smile appeared on the face of the young man, "And here I thought that I would be able to sleep in peace."

I laughed, the sound resounding through the tower, "Not yet, young man. Not until the Demon King has tasted the might of the humans."

The guard quickly moved; the key turning in the locks of Link's shackles. "Your clothes are downstairs, and the priestess will take you from there."

Rubbing the sores from his wrists, Link looked at me as I began to walk away, "Why me?" He followed down the stairs, legs shaking from lack of use.

My feet were quiet against the stone, "Why not?" Opening the door, I motioned for Link to step ahead of me. "What do you think makes you so special from the average soldier?" It was important that he understood, he had to figure it out himself without someone just telling him.

Link was silent, walking into the room I pointed out and grabbing his clothing. I left him alone to get dressed, waiting outside of the door.

I breathed slowly, fingers absentmindedly tracing the embroidery of the dress. Hopefully everything would be in time, and I wouldn't have to see that demon lord again.
Of course, true to the demon's word, he had visited again. In the night he stole into the house, watching me in my sleep. I would have never known if I had not woken from a nightmare and into another one.

Leaning my head back, I remembered the scene.

The Demon Lord Ghirahim smiled at my panic as I scooted back, trying to get away from him. "Why, you've awoken from your slumber, sleeping beauty." He settled on the bed, leaning over me as I tried to reach for the dagger under my pillow. I froze as his hand cupped my cheek, eyes flashing to look at him.

Swallowing past the fear in my mind, I asked him, "What do you want with me?" I had a clue, but I was hoping to distract him long enough to get away.

"I would have thought it was rather obvious. I even said so before." He pressed closer, crawling in between my legs, "I want you."

I blamed how young I was, but my cheeks involuntarily flamed up, "Don't come any closer, demon." The dagger was in my hand, tip pressing against Ghirahim's throat. "I'm not about to let you come in here and rape me, just because you want me."

"Now who said anything about rape, my dear?" Ghirahim chuckled, seemingly unconcerned of the dagger pressing into the flesh of his throat. "I fully plan on seducing you, you know." He tilted his head, regarding me with a smile, "Like I thought, you really do look arousing with a blush on your cheeks. Makes me wonder what kind of sounds you would make..?" The thought caused his already dark eyes to deepen, licking his lips as he leaned forward.

I jabbed the dagger forward, Ghirahim flinching backwards, "Stay. Back." My mouth was in a firm line and I glared at him. "And get out of here before I gut you."

The demon was still for a moment, contemplating me before he fell back onto his elbows,"Well, now I'm even more interested. What a bark, you have there, Kallen." His eyelids lowered, looking at me in a sultry manner, "Aren't you even a tiny bit curious?"

I stood, getting as far away from him as possible, "Not at all. I'm not some virgin, demon." I narrowed my eyes, "And sex with someone I don't love is not sex at all."

"As blunt as ever." Ghirahim shook his head, standing. "Weren't you the one who let herself be sold away for a place to stay? I doubt you felt love for your husband, you didn't know any better." He stalked over to me, cornering me yet again even as I tried to escape.

"Who are you judge what love is, demon!" I practically spat in his face, "Like you would know what love is!" The words stung, that he didn't believe I loved my husband.

"If you had loved him, I would not have been able to get this close to you," Ghirahim was right, while I wasn't paying attention he had glued himself to me, grabbing my thigh through the nightgown and trying to hoist it onto his hip. "You would immediately have screamed for the old woman next door, or just scream. But you haven't done that." His smile was as feral as it was sweet, "So you must be interested, at least on an instinctual level. So why deny it?"

Scowling, I allowed myself to meet his eyes, "Who says I won't yell? Perhaps I'm just confident that I can take you on?"

I yelped with the movement of the demon's hips, but he cut me off before I could say anything about it. "You and that itty bitty dagger?" His lips ghosted over my jaw line, licking the skin of the corner before biting it softly, "It would be shameful if the sword of Demise was bested by only that." He chuckled, sending goosebumps down my spine.

"Get away! And how dare you try to-" My protest was drowned when I felt his lips push themselves against my own, quickly smothering any thoughts as the pale demon pulled me close. Despite myself, I was surprised by how warm he was, and I froze as I felt my face heat up again. Damn him! My hands beat against his shoulders, trying to get away even as I was pulled farther into the kiss. Why was I so weak?

I stopped fighting, and he pulled away. My face dropped and I refused to face him. Why was he so fascinated with me? Was it my looks?

"Your looks are certainly what first caught my attention, but that's not the only thing I'm interested in now." Ghirahim replied. My face heated up as I realized I had spoken aloud, and not in the quiet of my mind. "How many women have you met with white hair and purple eyes, and a body like yours after having two children?"

That got me quiet. As I did not respond, he took it as a sign to continue, mouth attaching to the side of my neck. My eyes widened, quickly guessing where this was heading to and not liking it, "Fine! Fine, I believe you! But I don't want to just be some sex… partner."

"Hm, then what would you want to be?" Ghirahim's lips lingered on my neck.

I thought quickly, coming up with a solution to get rid of him, "If you can get me to fall in love with you within the next fortnight, then you can claim me as your lover."

"Seems easy enough," Ghirahim finally raised his head, a smirk on his face. "I bet it will take less than a week."

"Here's the catch." I held up my hand, "During that time period, you may not do anything more than kiss me, and only when I give my consent. You will not show up in front of my children or mother-in-law. No one can know about this."

"Fine, I'll play your game." Ghirahim's hands tightened on my thigh and back, "Just watch, you will be mine."

Something in his eyes was weird; they were far too childlike in their gleam. Perhaps he was like a child, wanting a toy? My hand snaked up, finger pulling back and flicking him square in the head. "Dream on, kid."

The door squeaked open, startling me out of my memory of the previous year. I looked to my right, smiling as Link walked out.

"So, where exactly are you taking me?" His eyes were hard and resolute, shoulders square under the weight of his sword.

Pushing myself off of the wall, I started to walk away, "I figured that you would need some time to recover. Four years in prison tend to cause skills to rust away. I hope you don't mind, but I have a room prepared for you at my own residence."

Hearing the clanking of the young man, I didn't bother to turn to see if he was following or not. "Why are you going to such lengths, High Priestess? Even if the Goddess wants me, you don't have to do that."

"Well, because I can and as a mother I don't want to see you wandering the streets. I'll also help you get back in shape." I shrugged, my feet swiftly descending the tower stairs. I held the hem of my skirt up, sure to not trip on it.

I heard the footsteps of Link stop and I paused, looking back at him for once. He stood there, a concerned look on his face, "Forgive me for asking, but how will a priestess help me with my swordsmanship?" It was almost adorable, the way he looked apologetic but arrogant. Heroes, these days.

Laughing, I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I tend to think my story is more well-known than it really is. I'm the only one left of a village of mercenaries, all of them were killed off before I was thirteen. For that reason, I'm not really a priestess but a paladin for Hylia. Everyone tends to hate the idea of a female paladin however, so I let them call me the High Priestess." I turned back around and started to descend again. "And did I not say that I fixed your sword myself? I'm a lot stronger than I look, Link."

"Yes…" Link started back down the stairs, "But surely, are your skills really that good?" He still sounded unsure, silly man.

I allowed myself to chuckle, "You'll have to be the judge of that."

I jumped at the knocking of the door, water splashing everywhere as I tried to reach for something to hold on to.

"Hey, woman, answer me!" Ghirahim was shouting through the door, "If you don't reply; I'm coming in!"

My eyes widened and my heart leapt in my throat. No way was he going to see me like I was right now! "Sorry! I had something in my eye!" Practically smacking myself from the pathetic excuse, I searched for something to cover up with. Wasn't there a dress?
Wait. What?

I pulled myself out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around me. Looking around the room, I couldn't find the gold dress from earlier. Why was I in the tub again?

"You had something in your eye? Did you hit your head or something, Fallon?" Ghirahim sounded annoyed, the pounding on the door dying down.

"Maybe," I whispered, before raising my voice, "Did you bring me a change of clothes?" Just what was going on? Did I dream the whole thing earlier? If I had, why did I still feel so nervous? I felt like my heart was ready to run away from the entire thing. Would I ever be able to tell Ghirahim who I was?

"Depends on if you're able to give me a good answer as to what you were up to." I could practically imagine him placing a hand on his hip, glaring at the door.

I looked down at my appearance, glad that the towel was as large as it already was and hoping that it covered enough. Reaching out to the doorknob, I opened the door and leaned on the frame of it. "If you must know, I was so tired that I fell asleep," I let out a sigh, shaking my head as I looked at him. "And my face is up here, right where it's always been."

Ghirahim chuckled, not looking up from where he had been fixated before, "Oh, but I rather enjoy this view. Had I known that you were asleep, I would have just walked in for an even better look."

"And its talk like that, that makes you oh so very unattractive and just plain creepy." I pushed off the wall, grabbing the bundle of cloth from the floor before moving to close the door. Part of me was jumpy, feeling like a cornered Remlit because of that dream. Would Ghirahim ever accept me?

Placing his foot in the door, Ghirahim looked at me, "You're lucky I'm in a good mood, otherwise I would have slapped you for that." No, he wasn't about to accept me. There was no way I could ever tell him something like that.

"Oh yeah?" My eyes narrowed, "I should have slapped you for such a perverse and disgusting comment. Now if you don't mind, I'm getting dressed." I turned back around, looking at the blouse and skirt he brought for me. Good, nothing from my previous life. Just like in the dream, I would not have been able to handle it. Probably, I would just collapse right then and there if it was, and that would have led to explaining things I didn't want to.

"Oh really? As if you would dare slap me," Ghirahim's tone was growing more and more irritated; clearly he wasn't in a good mood. My skin tingled at his anger, every hair on my body warning me that this was not a good time to argue. He was mad from getting beat up by Link, and this will only aggravate him more.

I stopped, running an aggravated hand through my hair and away from my face, "Ghirahim, I'm not dealing with this right now. Both you and I are in no shape to be talking pleasantly, so why don't you close the door so that we can both cool down."

It took only a second for him to slam me against the wall, the breath leaving my lungs as Ghirahim loomed over me. "I have a better suggestion. You stop ordering me around, and strip."

My hands automatically went to my towel, holding it close to my body as I puffed my chest out, eyes turning cold and hard. This was too far, and all I could think of was how much I wanted to punch the cold look out of his eyes. I tightened my grip on the towel, trying to push away the thought. "Get out of my face."

Eyes narrowing, Ghirahim growled out his response, "By whose order? Yours? Don't make me laugh, woman."

"You want to fight?" I lifted my chin, lowering my eyelids to look at him through my eyelashes. "Then just say so, and don't beat around the bush."

Ghirahim scoffed, smirking, "You have no weapon. And I bet that you can't let go of that towel. There's no way you could win."

I swore I saw red for a moment as my hands jerked. My lips snapped up into a similar smirk to Ghirahim's as I pushed my face close to his, "You're just afraid of losing to a woman, lover boy." I wanted him to realize that I was no pushover. I wanted him to see me as an equal, as he used to all those years ago. And I'll be damned if he dared to push me around.

"Ah, I'm afraid I disagree. After all, the last time we fought the outcome was me winning, wasn't it?" Ghirahim was growing cocky as well as mad, smile sharp and ready to bite at me.

"The last time we fought, I had just fallen over a thousand feet and survived. When was the last time you did the same and fought a demon lord?" My voice was sharp and heavy in sarcasm, body burning to just land a good hit on him. "Stop being a wuss and fight."

Eyes widening for a moment, Ghirahim took a deep breath through his nose, the sound amplified by the tile of the bathroom. "You're asking for it, sweetheart."

"You got me riled up, so it's only right you dealt with me." I felt the anger in my veins quicken, my heartbeat loud in my head. Between how I was feeling now, and the dream from earlier, I was ready to brawl, quick and dirty and be done with it. I knew that would satisfy both his hunger for violence and my temper, but only if he would swing at me. "And you didn't have any problems hitting women thousands of years ago."

That got his attention. The smile dropped from his lips and he pressed closer, hissing, "What did you just say?" The lights in the bathroom flickered, a droplet of water hitting tile.

Batting my instinct to flinch and cower aside, I puffed my chest up even more, meeting his squarely, "Seems like you liked to hit your old lovers a lot, apparently my dear, sweet ancestress would come home covered in bruises and scratches. And who was the one to kill her again? Whose blade was it that severed her lifeline?" He flinched, and I got in his face, growling right into his ear, "Fight me, bastard."

That was it, and Ghirahim snapped. I felt my body soar into the air, landing on the tile harshly as Ghirahim roared. I flipped my hair out of my face, feeling the sting in my knees and hands as I stood. Ghirahim approached me, growling out, "Bitch."

Yes, this was definitely what we needed. "That's really all you got? My students can throw me better!" I smiled, definitely feeling better and a lot less confused. I didn't have to think about the past or the future, I just had to think about what move the demon in front of me what going to pull. As he threw a punch, I dodged under his swing and kicked his side, hearing a solid groan from him.

Ghirahim was positively feral, his hand latching onto my hair as he threw me again. This time, there was definitely blood welling up on my knees as I skidded to a halt. "You just love to hit low, don't you?" There was a burst of pain as he kicked me hard in the stomach, causing me to gasp.

I chuckled, standing up and letting the towel fall off of my curves. There was a momentary panic when I realized I was bare, but it fled as my body screamed to punch him. "If your opponent has a weakness, use it to your advantage." I grinned at the look on his face as he took in my body, "Wouldn't you agree, Demon Lord Ghirahim?" Throwing myself at him, I pushed him to the floor. I got a good couple of punches at him, his head slamming to the side as I put my weight into it.

The pale demon threw me off, shaking his head as he stood back up. There was a smile on his face, hair disorderly and chaotic, "And here I thought this fight would be boring." He kicked at me, catching my hand as I dodged and pulling me against him. I felt his hand crudely grope me, before I felt the punch to my kidney.

I coughed, blood speckling the wall as I grasped at Ghirahim, "You motherfu-" I was cut off as I felt Ghirahim's lips trail over my neck. "Dear goddess, Ghirahim! We're in the middle of a fight!"

"If your opponent has a weakness, use it to your advantage." Ghirahim chuckled into my ear, his hand feeling me up as he held me close. "Wouldn't you agree, Lady Fallon Lumiar?" I grunted as I doubled over, his knee burying itself in my stomach.

My hands automatically grabbed onto his shoulders, pulling myself up and panting. "Oh, so just like this?" I practically glued myself to him, putting my panting to use as I breathed heavily in his ear. "Isn't this just how you want me, Ghirahim?" The effect on his body was immediate, and I smiled to myself as I felt it for myself. Perhaps I had a bit of a sadist's streak in me?

"Hylia's wings, Fallon, you tease." Ghirahim's voice was dark as he hands attached to my back, feeling the dip in my spine and adventuring lower.

"Hm?" My voice was honey and I pulled away, just to tease him with more of my skin, "Me, a tease? Whatever gave you that idea?" A wicked smile dripped onto my face, and before Ghirahim could react, I hit him squarely with my knee between the legs. He dropped immediately, groaning as he held himself. I stepped over him, ignoring the look in his eyes as he glanced up at me, before going over to the pile of clothes I had dropped earlier.

Before I even had the time to pull on the blouse, I was tackled from behind. My face slammed into the tile and I groaned as I felt a foot dig into my back. "And I thought that you hit low before." Ghirahim's voice was a hiss. I saw stars whirl as my head was slammed by his foot, leaving me dazed as I lay on the floor. I felt the roots of my hair scream as my head was peeled off the cold tile, my throat making a whining sound as Ghirahim did so. "To think you were this pathetically weak, though."

Without thinking, swear words fell out of my mouth. The words were foreign and familiar however, and immediately I realized my mistake of letting my mouth run. Did I really just curse him out in ancient Hylian? Ghirahim's shock was palpable, and while he was frozen I decided to act. I flipped onto my back, arms grabbing onto the hand and foot that held me and throwing him off. As he thudded against the ground, I rolled back on top of him, fists swinging at anything I could. His hand pulled at my hair, but I ignored the feeling of my hair being torn out as I pinned his arms down.

"I'm weak?" I looked him in the eyes, meeting the fire in them as I struggled to keep his hands down. "Yes, I'm weak. I'm human, I'm mortal. I break easily and my feelings are even more fragile than that. If a weakling like me is able to make you angry, though, what does that make you? I just want to know one thing: Will you ever love me, despite my ancestress?" The corners of my mouth dropped, and I began to wonder where these words were coming from. "I hate being compared above all else, Ghirahim. If you don't learn to even like me, and only me, then there will be nothing between us. Can you do that?"

Ghirahim gritted his teeth, hands yanking themselves free. He sat up, all traces of him physically inclined to fight gone, "Hate to disappoint, babe, but no. You're just another conquest." I sat there, dazed, as Ghirahim ran a hand through his hair. "You're starting to get on my last nerves. To be honest, the only reason I hadn't killed you the minute we first met was because of your body. I was only vaguely nice in order to get you into my bed." The demon smiled sweetly at me, the white lips seemingly unaffected by the blow he had dealt me.

What a blow it had been. It was if he had punched my kidney again, except worse. Flinging myself off of him, I reached blindly for the clothes. "Get out." I didn't want to see him. I didn't want him to see the water gathering under my eyes. Angrily wiping at the tears, I yanked on the blouse and skirt. I turned back to him, face furious, "I told you to get out!"

Ghirahim stood, face amused at my hurt, "Last I checked, this was my castle." Oh, how I wanted to smack him even harder. "And you promised to keep me occupied."

My chest welled with my breath as I stared at him, "You arrogant son of a bitch. What makes you think I'll even touch you, except to slap you into hell?" There goes any of my dreams of him liking me again, as well as me telling him a thing.

"Because I said so, and if you don't want to end up in a very dark place, I suggest you do so." His chin lifted up as Ghirahim met my stare. "It shouldn't bother you, as you clearly have feelings for me."

My eyes narrowed under the feeling of my heart shriveling. "Well you can go fuck yourself. What woman in her right mind would do so, after what you just told me? Goddess help me, I want to strangle you so hard it hurts. To think, I even gave you a chance after that talk of slaves."

"What makes you think I'm giving you a choice? You've gotten yourself into this situation." Ghirahim's smile was hard.

That made me pause, Ghirahim taking the advantage to step towards me. Quickly I raised my voice, "I may have gotten myself into this, but that sure as hell doesn't mean I'm about to service a man who doesn't love me." I clucked my tongue, working hard to hide the pain I was feeling. "Now I see what a fool I was. After all, no demon could ever truly love a woman."

"And why do you keep poking at that?" Ghirahim growled, hands dangerously close to my neck.

I shouted back at him, dodging the choking hands as I limped towards the door, "Like I'll ever tell you!" Pulling my sword and adventure packs up, off the ground I gestured rudely towards the demon. "I'm going to go find someone worthy of my love. Hell, I'll start a family too! Might as well try again, now that you'll finally leave me alone. So wonderful to know that I meant so much to you!" I was halfway down the hall before I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"So you'll go back to your ex-fiancé?" Ghirahim sounded shocked, the confidence in his voice lost. "What makes you think I'll let you?"

Pulling away from his hand, I instinctively hobbled down the stairs. Good thing I remembered the layout of the castle from so long ago. "Because you would only hold back someone you loved!"

"Stop, Fallon!" Ghirahim sounded hurried as he descended the stairs behind me. "Will you listen to me, Fallon? I may have to explain something."

"I dare say you explained well enough!" I stopped though, looking him dead in the eye. "I think you've wasted enough of my time, Demon Lord Ghirahim!"

Ghirahim reached for my hands, even as I yanked them out of his grip, "You will listen to me. What I have to say is important, Fallon." I flinched away as he touched my cheek, "I was angry and my mouth ran away with it."

My eyes narrowed, "I don't believe you. I shouldn't believe you, so don't you dare give me any sort of hope." Fists clenched my skirts as I struggled to keep myself facing him. "Don't you dare, Ghirahim."

Mouth opening, Ghirahim closed it once before opening it again, "Give me another chance." His brow was furrowed and withdrawn, Ghirahim biting his lip before continuing, "Like you said, I'm a demon. It's… hard for me to love. You can't just expect me to sing a ballad of my love for you; we met barely four days ago. How you humans are able to love so quickly escapes me."

There was a moment of stunned silence as I blinked, "Ghirahim, are you apologizing?" To think that he was left me shocked. Even those thousands of years ago, it would have taken me twisting his arm for him to apologize.

Although, his facial expression made it look like I was twisting his arm. "You could take it that way." Ghirahim looked away, and I swore there was just the faintest of a pink hue in his cheeks, and it was not from running after me.

A sigh left my lips and I stepped up so our faces were level. Placing a hand on his cheek, I turned his face towards mine. His eyes landed on my smile and his face brightened somewhat. "Fine. I can't say no when you're apologizing so sincerely." I felt myself settling down, and I realized that I was asking a lot of him. Hopefully, with time, he'd come to love me again, but not right now.

Nodding, Ghirahim smiled, "I'm glad you accepted. I might've done something regrettable, otherwise." He quickly amended it when my smile turned into a frown, pulling me close to him, "You made me hurt you, how regrettable." Ghirahim wiped at the corner of my mouth, looking at the red stain on his glove closely.

"Well, I also did quite a number on you," I winced, feeling the sting of the cuts and bruises.

Ghirahim rolled his eyes, "Yes, but I'd like to think I can take three times the amount a human can and still stand. I didn't hold back either, Fallon." There was a smile on his face, and for once it wasn't mischievous or violent. It was just a good, whole-hearted smile that somehow reminded me of a little boy. "Come back to my room and I'll heal you."

A smile quirked at my lips, "Have you run out of pick up lines, Ghirahim?" Nevertheless, I walked up the staircase, not waiting for the demon lord. I heard him follow after me though, so I continued, "And, as much as I love this dress, what exactly did you do with my clothes?"

Ghirahim was already by my side when he responded, "I had one of the servants wash them. Once they're cleaned, they'll bring your clothes back." He wrapped an arm around my middle, our hips bumping together as we ascended the stairs.

Smiling at the contact, I looked at him, "Thank you, Ghirahim."

I had fully expected the demon to pounce on me as soon as the door to his room closed with a click, but all Ghirahim did was take a hold of my hand, guiding me to the bed and forcing me to sit down. He did exactly as he said he would as well, healing each of my wounds until even a scar from my childhood was gone from the knuckles of my left hand. It was weird, the way Ghirahim was so focused on my wounds that he didn't even try to look up my skirt as he healed the peeled skin over my knees. And when all of my pain was gone, he moved onto his own wounds, the bruises on his face from my fists fading away.

We sat there then, awkwardly looking at each other and then around. I looked at my lap where my fingers intertwined, my senses focusing on any movement Ghirahim made. It was hard to refrain from a snicker as I realized what it was like- the mood was like that of two pure-hearted virgins who were afraid to make the first move. Nothing was going to get done in this setting, and so I opened my mouth.

"You know, Ghirahim," My eyes lifted to his, finding them steady on me. "I haven't had a proper meal in several days. Do you have a kitchen where I could make something really quick?"

Ghirahim smiled, the awkwardness of the room subsiding as he scooted closer to me, "How quick would that be?" His hand crept over my intertwined ones, loosening my fingers and slipping his hand inside.

"Before you could say toados eggs," I smiled back, hands tightening around his fingers. After his earlier apology, the thought that we could maybe get along wormed its way back into my mind. If he disappointed me again, I felt like this relationship would crumble. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to try.

Tightening his hand in response, Ghirahim lifted himself from his bed, "It's hard to argue when you say it like that." Gently, he pulled me up to my feet before tucking my hand into the crook of his arm. "This way, then."

We were quiet as Ghirahim escorted me to the kitchen, the demon paying attention to where he was going and I lost in my own thoughts. Not ten minutes ago we were at each other's throats, throwing each other across the room and threatening. Was there some sort of "gentleman" switch inside of Ghirahim I managed to flip? Maybe this was just another dream, and I would wake up to find that I did tell Ghirahim I was Kallen and we were in bed.

My heart pounded at that thought and I fought the blush that was sure to rise. I wasn't sure what to do with him on that subject quite yet. If I wasn't Fallon, if I didn't feel some sort of maidenly shyness, I would almost say yes. But, as I was just as much Fallon as I was Kallen, I wanted to stick to my principles. And that meant not sleeping with a man- no, a demon- whom you met only a couple days ago, much less the enemy.

I let loose a sigh, piquing the attention of the demon himself, "Why, whatever's the matter, Fallon dear?" His brown eyes were intense, taking in every inch of my face and I could practically see him think.

My mouth opened to give some sort of lame excuse, before I finally decided to just tell him the truth. It was better he knew now, and not if we ever got into that sort of situation. "I'm… not sure how to justify how I feel."

Ghirahim was quiet for a moment, turning a corner with me on his arm before he responded, "What do you need to justify?"

A bubble of frustration popped through our air of calm, "I serve the goddess. You serve the Demon King. What you want to happen shouldn't be happening… but I want it to." I groaned, "But at the same time I can't just… fall for you after so short a period of time." There was the blush, incinerating my face as Ghirahim stared at me. "It's just not like me."

Mouth straightening into a line, Ghirahim looked forward, thinking. Once again, he waited until after we had passed through a door to say anything, "Long ago, your ancestress had the same problem. She was normally very strict in these interactions, not wanting to stray from the path of a priestess and mother." His hand pressed against my hand pressed to his side, squeezing the fingers reassuringly. "The amount of time it took for me to get to such a point… well, it is one of the reasons I love her." He sighed, looking tired, "Loved is actually a better description. I want to get past her though; it's taken this long for me to find someone that I think can do just that."

"I see," My voice stuttered at the sudden confession. Is that how he really saw me? Goddess, what have I gotten myself into? I wasn't sure if I was flattered or not, the fact he wasn't able to get over me was, well, entirely too romantic. The fact that only with my help will he get over me, only to fall in love with me again? My head hurt thinking of the consequences, and I let out a small chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Ghirahim's tone turned hurt as he looked at me through narrow eyes.

A smile found its way to my face and I kissed him gently on the cheek, "You caught me by surprise. I didn't know you were so romantic." My body naturally leaned into him as we walked into the kitchen.

Ghirahim's body relaxed as we slowed, his arms coming to form a circle around me. "Let's just say I'm a surprising individual." His fingers tilted my chin up as he tilted his head, "All of which you will just love." His smile was a mix of suggestion and honesty, one corner just barely higher than the other, not enough to be a smirk.

I couldn't help but snort, the situation too good to pass up, "I'm afraid you're going to be the one surprised, Ghirahim." Placing another chaste kiss on his jaw, I pulled away to go further into the kitchen, "If you think you can surprise me again, dream on, kid."

Ghirahim

She pulled away, skirts swirling around her feet as she practically swayed her way into the kitchen, "If you think you can surprise me again, dream on, kid." The smile on her face was gentle though, eyelashes brushing softly against her cheeks. Almost the picture of the perfect wife.

Blinking, the words rolled around in my head. Why did her words sound so familiar?

"Dream on, kid."