Chapter 2
Tragic Flaws
The worst birthday ever: to have one's fortune decided by a scapegrace with the most dubious of dispositions. Link's tired eyes followed the demon as he peered thoughtfully at his own feet by the fireside.
The untamed woods had been a challenge. The Skyview Temple, in all of its incongruity, had been frightening. The discovery of a demon lord who had assigned himself the role of stripping him of every ounce of dignity that he had was quite a shock. Amid the chaos, Link had completely forgotten a significant milestone in his life - his twenty-first birthday. Sorrow and regret crept in; he may never have the chance to be pounded on the back and congratulated by Pipit for the ability to legally partake of a stiff drink, or to happily gamble away every one of his hard-earned rupees if he so chose.
Images and memories of his best friends flowed as he stared at the granite ceiling. How right they had been five days ago.
Link's patience was wearing thin. He longed to know where he was, how long he was going to be held here, if he was going to make it out alive, and most importantly, where Zelda was, who she was with, and if she was all right.
There was something wrong about this place that Link couldn't seem to pinpoint. Apart from the penetrating cold, the air and the light - the very essence of this place - sent a shiver up his spine.
The heavy sound of his own breathing had been replaced by an almost unnoticeable hum - dissonance and disharmony; a constant, never ending pother of commotion. A disturbance of some sort. Link couldn't tell where the racket was coming from. It rang in his ears with the quiet subtlety of a distraught whisper. He was sure that his imagination couldn't be responsible.
Questioning it, he promised himself that he would get out of this accursed mess…
His captor paced the floor by the fireplace. Link squeezed his hands shut, trying to ignore the sting in his face.
This man was bloodthirsty; literally and figuratively.
"Today is a special day for you, sky child," Ghirahim said, his voice sleek. "In fact, you could call it a day of reckoning." He held his arms behind his back and took a step, much like Instructor Owlan would in preparation to reprove him. At least when dealing with a dissatisfied instructor, Link could rest in the fact that he wouldn't be beaten or murdered during the conversation.
"Have I mentioned to you my undying love for the theatrical arts?" Ghirahim asked with a cheerful ring. Link studied the demon as if he was a remlit about to pounce. "It never ceases to amaze me how an imitation of life can so precisely and accurately depict life's truths with such undeniable exactness. Have you noticed this? Or are you as uncultured and ignorant as I am led to believe? I'm afraid that after probing your mind, I might have overlooked a few minor details." Invoking his right to remain silent, Link chose to say nothing.
"Come now, sky child, I know you have more worldly smarts in that head of yours than you're leading on. Let's not forget, after all..." He crouched down. "I've already seen inside of you. I know just about everything there is to know about you."
...What?
"Today is special not because you are twenty-one insignificant years old, nor is it due to the meager privileges that you now have in your diminutive home world. No, today is singular and exceptional because of the decision that is about to come before you." The demon grinned widely. "You don't believe me, do you?" Link's eyes narrowed. He shook his head. "Well, it will make your repudiations all the more satisfying. You will eventually come to know just how wrong you are about your ideologies, hero. And when you do, you are in for a shock so rude that you just might want to turn your back on everything that you hold dear. Even if it doesn't happen today." Ghirahim gave a lazy sigh. "Of course, that's under the premise that you actually leave here alive."
"But you said..." Link began. The dryness in his throat sent him into a fit of painful coughs. He took a shaky breath and forced his words out. "…That I'm alive because I have something that you want."
Ghirahim nodded. "Yes, but, my keeping you alive because I desire something from you is entirely separate from whether or not you will leave here on your feet. Your own decisions are what will decide whether fortune smiles down on you, or if you will be fated to die. Keep that in mind, sky child."
"Why do you call me a child?" Link asked.
"Anyone who has lived less than a millennium is a child to me," Ghirahim stated, a proud surety dressing his every word.
"And is this how you treat children?" Link asked.
"Only a recalcitrant child who possesses something I am keen on; and I am highly efficacious at achieving my desired result."
"And what is this…thing that you want…?" Link asked as he fidgeted. He looked away, considering the possibility that he may never see Zelda again. Perhaps he would never fulfill the duties that the Goddess had assigned him.
"What is it that you take me for, sky child?" Ghirahim asked. "An impulsive, dissolute fool with no self-control? Someone who can be bought off by a fleeting, pleasure-filled moment?" He looked Link straight in the eye. "If that was all I wanted, I would've had it by now, and you wouldn't be here to insult me." His hand came forward to take hold of the human's neck. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no." Link held his breath. "The gift that you will bestow upon me goes far beyond what can be offered by your physical body. What you will provide me with will seal the fate of this realm, as well as your own."
"What is this realm?" Link asked.
Ghirahim just smiled. "Soon, sky child, soon," he soothed. "But first…" He leaned over and took Link's wrists. "I think it's time for you to get up."
In one quick movement, Ghirahim tore Link's hands from their restraints. Bits of metal clinked against the stone floor.
As Link cried out in pain, the demon laughed. He swung the human to his feet, holding his arms above his head. Dizzy and fatigued, Link's knees gave out.
Ghirahim laughed harder. "Do I make you weak in the knees, hero?" He brought their faces together. With their noses nearly touching, Link stared with disdain.
"Should I have let you crash to the floor, allowing every bone in your fragile body to break?"
With sudden fierceness, Link pulled away.
The demon lurched forward. "My, my. Such impudence. Shameful. I suppose expecting you to stand still while I speak to you is merely a pipe dream. Very well, then." With a powerful push, Ghirahim drove Link back, shoving him against the wall.
"You're as light as a feather, sky child, don't you eat?" Ghirahim asked with a snicker, staring down. Link's five-foot-nine stature was quite modest next to a demon who was over six-and-a-half feet tall. He felt like he was standing at the foot of a mountain. "Oh, that's right. You've been wandering the woods aimlessly for days, on a wild good chase."
Link swallowed. Pipit had spoken those words just days earlier.
"So, tell me, sky child, how much have you come to loathe the one who sent you into the wilderness to die?" The demon waved an arm. "To slowly succumb to the bite of starvation? Assuming, of course, that your own body wouldn't have first destroyed itself from the inside out with that fever."
"I could never hate her," Link said, chilled.
"Are you really so gullible, sky child? So ingenuous? So downright naïve as to believe everything said by that little witch of yours? Look at you. You've been reduced to a sickly, pitiable wretch."
"My witch?" Link asked.
"Yes, sky child. The one sent by the Goddess to 'aid' you. The one who is much, much more than what she seems…"
Link's eyes broadened. "Fi? She's not a witch…"
"That's simply what they've led you to believe, my hero. I, for one, know better."
Link shook his head. "I don't believe you."
"Of course you don't. I wouldn't expect you to. As I already asked, what do you take me for?"
"I take you for a lot," Link said, trying to suppress his shakiness. "You're a..." He took a moment to think. What was the right word? "A...charlatan." He looked at the floor.
Before he knew it a hand slapped him across the face.
"Don't speak to me like that," Ghirahim said flatly. "You may be a foreigner here, but your disrespect toward those in authority will not be tolerated." With a gaping mouth, Link just stood there for several seconds, blushing. The gleam in the demon's eye made him feel even colder.
"If y-you're..." Link said quietly, "not what I think you are, then what was it that I woke up to earlier? It didn't make any sense how-"
"You almost found yourself in a sticky situation for seemingly no reason?" Ghirahim interrupted. Still hurting, Link looked away. "Truthfully, I would've loved to see your little struggle come to a head so to speak, but alas, you are stubborn, boy." Link looked around uneasily, regretting that he'd brought it up. "But, that would've simply been icing on my cake." He lowered his head with a lustful look. "Because that certainly wasn't my main goal."
"Then what was…?" Link asked, trying not to sound as perturbed as he felt.
"Must I really tell you everything? I am fairly convinced that if you were to think a little bit -" he said, touching the side of Link's head, "- you would figure it out." Seeing nothing but a confused face before him, the demon crossed his arms. "Or maybe not. Blimey, sky child, are you truly so dense? The Goddess's chosen hero can't possibly be this daft." Link shrugged. "You have the relevant knowledge, child. Twelfth-grade mythology. That's all I'm telling you." Looking up at him, Link felt rather nescient. "Have you ever heard the phrase, 'Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them'?" Link nodded. "Well, you, child, are none of the above." Rubbing his red face, Link gave a shallow sigh.
"Moving on," Ghirahim said. "How does it feel to harbor so many secrets from the people who you are closest to?"
"What secrets?" Link asked. "Why would you care if I have secrets?"
Ghirahim held a composed hand up. "Once again, I have my reasons. Has the fact that I know more about you than you know about yourself slipped from your ninnyhammer brain?"
Link stood silently.
"Guilt," Ghirahim said.
"What?" Link asked.
"Guilt, sky child. Guilt."
"What about it?"
"It's your vice," Ghirahim said with a swagger. "If there is one single thing that I am able to gather from the jumbled mess of thoughts that is your mind, I can say for certain that guilt is your biggest fundamental flaw. Your foible. Your inner-beast. Your weakness. Your deepest shortcoming." Link gaped for a moment. "Regret and shame are runners up, but those are caused by the ever-present battle with your conscience.
"Did you know that your own sacred texts describe guilt as immoral conduct? Disgraceful, depraved, corrupt, sinful?" The demon grinned widely. "Well, of course you do. The scriptures make these claims for good reason. Look how low your guilt has managed to drag you down this day."
You're really one to talk about disgraceful, immoral conduct, Link thought.
"It brings you down, hero," Ghirahim said loudly, his words bouncing off the walls. "It makes you weak. Saps your strength. Leeches you for all you've got as you carry the burden on your shoulders. It increases exponentially, as well. The more you've got, the heavier and more unbearable it becomes." Link pressed his back to the wall. "Do you know why you're here today, sky child? Because every tragic hero has a tragic flaw! And yours has rendered you a pitiful weakling! A trumpery. A waste. A useless bit of flotsam!"
"I'd say this conversation is useless..." Link muttered. Ghirahim grabbed his shoulders and forced him to the wall again.
"Shut up and listen," Ghirahim demanded. Link huffed, trying to catch his breath. "I'm speaking the truth now. Your little witch had no shortage of words in her verbose speech regarding your mission when you stood in the Goddess Statue not six days ago. But there was something that she conveniently omitted from her sanctified little pep talk." Link's eyes, tewed by stress watched the demon carefully. "Now it's your turn to speak, sky child. What did your witch claim was the reason for the Goddess's choice in a hero? Did it have anything to do with the unparalleled strength that is the be-all-end-all which results in victory?"
"No," Link said.
"Then what was it, then?" Ghirahim tilted his head, grinning astutely.
"An unbreakable spirit," Link mumbled.
"A what?" Ghirahim teased, placing a pale hand to his ear.
"An unbreakable spirit," Link repeated.
Ghirahim smiled, his eyes sparkling. "Yes, bravo!" He gave some light applause. "Exactly. But what is wrong with this picture?" The demon was nearly twirling around with enthusiasm now. Link watched him, incredulous.
The demon dropped his hands. "Sky child, listen, and listen good." He slid up to Link once more, invading his sorely missed personal space. "Those words that your witch shared with you on behalf of your Goddess might have sounded as sweet as honey, but let me tell you something right now: you do not have what it takes to succeed at that which has been set aside for you. You will never survive the hardships that you will be forced to face by that truculent tyrant. Spirit is not enough, sky child.
"And even with the knowledge that I am graciously giving you now, you will still be too weak to man up." Ghirahim placed his hand on Link's shoulder and stared him straight in the eye. Link tensed and jumped as the demon lowered his mouth and placed it on his ear. "But I can help you leave that flaw behind," Ghirahim whispered, his fingers curling into the emerald wool of Link's tunic.
"You're...crazy," Link said. Ghirahim merely smiled at him.
"Am I, my wayworn hero?" He shook his head disapprovingly. "That's not a very venerating remark. I do believe I would've killed you a long time ago for your discourteous words had I not decided to keep you alive."
"I don't believe what you're saying about my so-called guilt complex," Link said.
"Still not understanding the truth, I see. Guilt saps your confidence, drains you of your physical strength and health, distracts you from your objectives, and weakens you overall. It's the truth, sky child. Don't deny it. You've been wrestling with debilitating remorse and regret ever since your ignorant feet touched down upon the surface for the first time, right before you stuffed that pretty white sail cloth into your bag." Ghirahim grabbed for Link's pouches.
"No!" Link protested, panic-stricken as he saw Zelda's beautiful white sailcloth taken from him. He grabbed for it, but Ghirahim held it out of his reach. Link's heart dropped.
"The spirit maiden's essence is all over this," Ghirahim said lasciviously, smelling the fabric. "Delicious."
"It's all I have," Link said, trying not to sound desperate. In truth, he was a little bit.
Ghirahim gave him an unsympathetic glance. "You'll get it back. Eventually." He balled the cloth in his hands. Link watched helplessly.
"You chose the wrong girl," Ghirahim touted with a grin.
"I what?" Link asked, wringing his hands. Part of him felt like crying.
"Oh, you know what I'm talking about. It's one of your infamous 'issues', is it not? Apparently you've had it on your mind the entire time you've been traipsing around the woods, looking for the girl who you should have picked."
Link shook his head. "What does this have to do with anything…?" he mumbled.
"I'm merely pointing out one of your mistakes," Ghirahim stated. "You should feel guilty. If you had chosen her instead of the other little vamp, this entire situation would have turned out quite differently. Maybe she wouldn't be in trouble right now."
Link's jaw dropped in amazement. "How could you possibly know that?"
"It would be fair to say that I am graced with clairvoyance," Ghirahim stated. "Extrasensory perception. Power to perceive things beyond your range of sense."
"That doesn't mean you know what would have happened," Link replied.
"Don't attempt to assume what powers I have or do not have, because you will fail miserably. I am the only one with true understanding, here."
Tension hung in the frigid air.
"I also know something about your girlfriend that might interest you." The demon stroked his chin. Link ears perked up. "Like I already told you, sky child, she's a vamp. A beguiling temptress. A sinister, alluring femme fatale who has led you in the wrong direction."
Link stared at him as he spoke, his blue eyes wide open. "But-"
"And you know this," Ghirahim claimed, cutting Link's thought short. "Yet another topic that has been wearing on you.
"But she-"
"Later," Ghirahim said, giving Link a look so stern and final that he shut his mouth.
"It's not only your guilt, hero," Ghirahim said, earning another dejected sigh from his listener. "It's your overconfidence." Link's gaze wandered up from the floor; his expression softened. "You were warned by everyone that you spoke to before leaving about the dangers of overconfidence, were you not? Yet, here you are! How predictable."
"How can a person be overrun by guilt and overconfidence?" Link asked.
"Oh, it's quite simple, really," the demon said, "and you are a perfect example of it. Guilt saps confidence. Ergo, your subconscious overcompensates, resulting in overconfidence. And there you have it. Doesn't it feel good to own up to your flaws?"
Link didn't know what else to do but stare.
Ghirahim placed his hands on the wall around Link's head.
"Oh, how wrongfully the Goddess chose. How shortsighted she was as she formed you in your mother's womb." A chuckle rumbled in his throat. "You, a worthless nobody, a deserted orphan whom no one had even the slightest bit of pity for. Who no one would ever, ever loved enough to adopt."
Link felt a stab of anger and shame. His head drooped.
"A valueless goat-herder. A despised human being with an intolerable stutter who failed repeatedly to find his place. So he 'did the right thing', becoming a knight with his only known friend - besides little miss spirit maiden of course." Link looked at his feet. "You lied to your girlfriend when she asked you why you made the choice to pursue knighthood. It wasn't because of a deep-seated desire to protect those in need. You were simply a coward looking for a way to be something."
Link felt his face beginning to burn again.
"A delusional nyctophobic until the age of eleven. A selfish failure of a friend who misplaced his passions onto another - more attractive - woman. A supposed man of honor who yearned for revenge against the spirit maiden, dreaming of making her pay." Ghirahim leaned further down, talking into Link's ear. "A hero full of regret for not listening to his guide's advice; for failing to heed the concerns of his friends; for feeling utterly unworthy of the title of 'the Goddess's chosen one'; for committing transgressions against his friends in recent days; for failing to live up to the title of knight, over, and over, and over again; for living a potentially harmonious life in a hideous, scratching, bitterly unpleasant nonchord tone…"
Link eyes started to water.
"A man unwilling to admit that his love for his best mate has gone beyond that of friendship, and has turned into a 'love that dare not speak its name'."
Aghast, Link shoved the demon away. "Now I know you're a liar."
Ghirahim reached forward and grabbed the top of Link's tunic. "Why so offended, sky child? Such a red face you have." He dragged a fingertip down the human's cheek. Furious, Link pulled back and swung at the demon's head, sending him reeling to the side. With annoyance in his eyes, Ghirahim snatched him up.
"Fine, sky child," the demon growled. "It's obvious that prostrate on the floor is the only position you're worthy of." Like flinging a doll, he tossed Link into the air. With arms flailing, Link crashed to the floor, landing on his side and rolling. A malicious giggle filled his ears as he squeezed his eyes shut, groaning and aching.
His face pressed against the cold stone. It almost felt nice. He laid there for a moment, bewildered and shocked.
After his vision faded in and out, he saw a doorway. Focusing, he noticed that it appeared to lead to a corridor. His mind instantly went to work. He could run away.
But what's beyond these walls...
Battling his indecision, he turned his head to study the room's perimeter. He could still hear the demon laughing.
Something by the hearth in the corner of the room caught his eye. It was shining, aglow from the orange light in the fireplace. It leaned against the wall, tall and proud.
The Goddess Sword…
Shifting his gaze from the weapon to the demon, Link grinded his teeth. Ignoring the pain that racked his body, he rolled forward and sprang to his feet. In an instant the hilt of the sword was in his hands.
Link jumped back, sidestepping to the door and eyeing his enemy. Ghirahim just watched.
Link kept the demon on point with the blade as he shuffled. Ghirahim looked at him, derisive. With a twisting, scornful grin, he shrugged in the young man's direction.
Giving the demon one last glance, Link bolted out the door with the speed of one escaping the grip of death.
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here…" Link heard in his head.
Gasping, he flew down the hall, not knowing where he was going. He sheathed the Goddess Sword. His frightened eyes shot from the floor, to the walls, to the roof as he ran through the stony darkness. His footsteps echoed down a windowless hallway. Surprised shouts fell behind him as he sprinted.
"Fi!" Link called over his shoulder, checking to see if he was being pursued.
"Yes, Master," Fi answered with her usual, musical tone.
"Where am I?" Link called desperately. "What is this place? Fi, help me out here!"
"My knowledge within this location is limited, Master. This is due to my unfamiliarity with this realm."
"This realm? What does this realm mean!" Link asked, panting.
"The demon realm, Master," Fi said. Link almost tripped over his feet.
"What?" he cried, approaching a staircase. "How did I get here? Who is Ghirahim? And how do I get outta here?"
"My analysis indicates that you are close to hyperventilating, Master. The danger associated with this state is exacerbated by your fever and overall exhaustion."
"What do you want me to do!" Link asked, his voice raspy and shaky. "I can't rest!"
"My analyses to determine whether you can successfully escape this realm on your own are inconclusive, Master," Fi indicated. Link looked ahead in horror.
"What are you saying? I need someone's help to get back to the forest?"
"There is a ninety-five percent chance that you do, Master." Link scoffed, dashing down the first steps of a long, twisting staircase.
"Are you implying I should've stayed with him?" he asked.
"I am unable to confirm the answer at this time, Master."
Link rolled his eyes. But his racing thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sight of two rather large creatures - bokoblins. He skidded to a stop, immediately freeing his weapon with a metallic ring.
Link couldn't believe what he was seeing. These bokoblins were nothing like their forest-dwelling cousins. They were tall and muscular. They were huge.
Looking them over with flaring eyes, Link saw that the creatures wore no armor. He tried to formulate a plan.
Link quickly found two warped daggers flying by his face. As the beasts dashed for him with startling agility, he swung his sword, slicing them both across their thick necks. With low, ragged cries they grabbed for their bloody wounds.
As their feet faltered, Link leaped past them, nearly stumbling down the stairs. Holding his arms out to regain his balance, he landed unevenly, narrowly missing the balustrade along the wall. Coiling up, he forward-rolled over his shoulder, clutching his sword's hilt. He jumped to his feet. Staring straight ahead he set off at a run.
With his heart practically beating out of his chest, he rounded the final bend. He approached a doorway. Unsure, he slowed.
His eyes grew at the sight in front of him.
A colossal gallery opened up before him. Five-hundred feet above was a rounded barrel vault roof, covered with intricate oil paintings. Huge dormers let in streams of marigold light. Rows of columns, topped by elaborate capitals, stretched from the floor to the ceiling.
Link suddenly felt very, very small.
Murmuring to himself in amazement, Link went to take a step. He stopped short as soon as he noticed several figures scurrying about on the opposite side of the gallery. He slid back into the stairwell.
"Fi, where's the nearest exit?" Link asked.
"The closest exit is located in the northwestern corner of the room," Fi stated.
Link set his gaze toward his way out. "How am I gonna do this?"
"You have a fifty-percent chance of reaching the exit unseen," Fi said. "The movement of the occupants in this room is random and sporadic."
"Not very good odds," Link mumbled.
"Moving from pillar to pillar will provide you with the most inconspicuous route."
"That's what I was thinking," Link said. He rubbed his clammy forehead. "I'm really not feeling well, Fi." He shut his eyes and sighed.
"You are still feverish, Master."
With a heavy breath, Link tiptoed to the nearest column, keeping his blade low. "As much as I wanna lay down and go to sleep, we have to keep moving. We certainly can't go back." Pressing his back to smooth limestone, he peeked at the activity across the room.
Figures of all sizes were moving about. They rushed around as if they had important business to attend to. Link spotted bokoblins of different hues- red, brown, blue. Each accompanied a taller, more slender figure.
"Are the tall ones demons?" Link asked, looking at all of the white hair and pale skin.
"Yes, Master. Most of them appear to have bokoblin-servants."
"Servants? How can a bokoblin serve anyone?"
"They appear to be tame," Fi said.
"This place is weird," Link said, scooting to the next pillar. He studied the bulky creatures with narrow eyes. "If they see me, they're gonna be on me as fast as those two we met in the stairwell."
"It is best not to linger," Fi advised.
"Yeah..." Link said as he hopped to the next column. "Only fifteen more to go."
With several pillars cleared, Link leaned back and breathed. "I'm so beat. And this gash on my face is throbbing." He held his cut as he walked. "I can't wait to get out of this -"
Link halted. Against the wall to his left was something that he had failed to notice - a brown-haired girl. Short and thin, she seemed young. She was staring at him with a look of horror on her face. Link took on a similar expression.
The girl pointed to him, her mouth open as if to scream. Link frantically shook his head and waved his hands. He brought a finger to his lips, beseeching with his eyes.
"Mommy! Mommy!" the girl shouted. "A stranger!"
Link felt the blood rush from his face. He looked to the crowded side of the room. Passersby began to slow and look in his direction.
Some had spotted him. He looked around at the shocked faces, feeling like a mouse in a room full of remlits.
Snarls and whimpers broke out. Link tightened his grip on the sword. He knew that sound well from his time in the woods. It was the sound of bokoblins eager to rip him to shreds. He counted the beasts, his palms starting to sweat. Forest bokoblins never were much of a threat, although some were stronger than others. But these demon realm bokoblins... They were larger and more aggressive. If they were all as quick as the two creatures he'd just taken down in the stairwell...
He had to go for it. Now.
Adrenaline-fueled, Link made a hasty run for it. As his feet pounded the floor, chaos broke out. He flinched at the eruption of shouts and growls, all aimed at him. "Oh, my goddesses," he panted, straining against the weight of the iron in his hands. He looked from one bokoblin to the next. Snapping teeth and jittery feet - they wanted him.
Then, it happened. A bokoblin broke loose from its master. The man hollered as the creature dashed through the crowd, hurtling straight for its target.
Abashed, Link ran faster, paying no heed to his discomfort.
More shouting. He felt a vibration behind him. It grew in volume and strength until Link had to turn around. A group of hulking creatures was on his tail.
Panic tried to seize him. He looked to his sword, wanting to sheathe it but needing it to be ready.
But there were so many of them and only one of him; was a single sword enough to fend them off?
He turned his attention ahead to a very welcome sight: the way out. His face lit up.
Cheering in his head, Link zipped through the open door. Stone steps descended into a dimly lit courtyard.
Under a darkening sky he ran. Trying to visualize his escape, Link saw an enclosed walkway and several trees, but most of all, huge walls surrounding the courtyard.
"Fi!" Link called, "I -"
But he was torn from his sprint and dragged to the ground. He landed with a suffocated shout.
He turned to see a red bokoblin on his back. Link's head jerked back as his hair was pulled. His sword was slipping through his fingers.
Groaning from the pain, Link grasped the hilt in both hands and thrust the blade over his head. With a shriek, the creature toppled off, clutching its blood-soaked chest.
Free at last, Link pushed himself up and dashed once more. But just as he had picked up speed he was tackled to the ground again.
A flurry of hands grabbed at him, tearing at his clothes and scrambling for his weapon. Link scratched at the ground as he was dragged and groped. He shouted as claws shredded his tunic. He hugged the Goddess Sword to his body with all of his might.
His belt was yanked from him. His bags were tossed aside like garbage. Greedy hands and murderous faces entrapped him.
A spin attack... I need to stand... he told himself before his head was knocked to the side, filling his vision with bright stars.
Within seconds his knight's cap was gone and his hair was caught up in a bokoblin's fist. Almost blinded by the agony, Link thrust his sword in front of him, stabbing an attacker in the torso. Losing steam, he swung the red blade at another. Blood spattered his face and clothes, but the creatures kept coming.
"Fi! What am I supposed to do?" Link cried before his face was smashed into the dirt. Dust and sand crept into his nose and mouth as he struggled.
"I believe you are done for, master," a familiar voice stated. Shaking under the weight of several creatures, Link looked around. "They won't stop at just your clothing and armor, you know. In fact, they won't cease until you are peeled down to the bone."
"No..." Link muttered.
"Perhaps if you ask me for help…" Ghirahim said, crossing his arms and grinning, "…then maybe, just maybe, I'll save you."
Link lay there wheezing and coughing. He squeezed his eyes shut.
"I'd make a decision quickly, hero, before you're lying there completely naked with no weapon to speak of. Good luck reclaiming your stolen blade from these savages. This is the only fun these little devils have had in a long time."
Link shook his head. The sound of metal ripping burst into his ears. His chain mail had been perforated.
"Alright! Please!" Link called out. The claws scraped his skin beneath the damaged armor.
"Please what?" Ghirahim asked.
"Please…help me," Link grumbled, his head lowering and his tongue curling in rebellion.
"I can't hear you, sky child," Ghirahim sang.
Heaving a sigh, Link loosed his tongue. "Please, help me!"
As if it had never existed, Link's armor was ripped away. Burying his head under his free hand, he lay helplessly as every last piece of leather was stripped from his arms. He stared at the ground, certain that he would soon be seeing his own blood on the ground.
Then, he felt a hand take hold of his shirt and pull him up. Breathing like a half-drowned man, he fell against the demon.
With his face on Ghirahim's chest, Link heard the soft sounds of skittering. He didn't know how the demon had done it, but he didn't care - the ravenous beasts had finally left him alone.
His cuts were stinging, his head ached, his muscles were sore, but the demon's chest was warm, and -
He opened his eyes and looked at his hand. It had a firm grasp on the red velvet hanging from Ghirahim's shoulders. He tried to step back, but the demon held him there.
Link cringed in the demon's embrace. If it was meant to mortify him, it was working.
"I could have let them finish you off like a piece of meat, sky child; to the point that they chewed your bones until they ossified at my feet. It's no less than what you deserve for running away from me." Link closed his eyes, overwhelmed by everything.
"I'm not letting you get away from me again," Ghirahim said, wrapping a thick chain around his neck.
"What -" Link called before his throat was constricted by metal.
"We've got a good deal of ground to cover before we reach our destination," Ghirahim informed him cheerfully. "And if you are going to behave like a flighty animal, then I'm going to treat you like one." He reached out and nabbed the Goddess Sword from Link's hands. Before he could fight back he was forced into a march. Coughing, he wrapped his fingers around the chain.
"If you're so powerful, why not snap your fingers and bring us there instantly?" Link asked sarcastically. He heard malicious laughter that was not Ghirahim's. He was being watched; made into a spectacle and ridiculed.
"Abject humiliation, of course," Ghirahim said with a flip of the sword. He flashed a white grin into the bloody blade.
"Hello, Fi, my darling," he cooed, giving it a kiss.
