Blessed

Chapter Fifteen: Fate

A/N: I shouldn't double update...but I really, really wanted to, even though we're nearing the end... (Also why do I get the feeling Ghirahim is fond of dirty talking?)

He shakily pulled the door back open and immediately pulled Ghirahim over to him, hugging him tightly and burying his head into the demon's chest.

"Is she...?"

"Yes." He drew away, sniffling and wiping his eyes. "But she's happy now, and that's what matters." He straightened his posture and started slowly down the hallway with Ghirahim in tow, squeezing his hand like it was his life support. "We should probably take some soldiers with us just in case Ganondorf has called any monsters to the temple. We may be waltzing into an ambush."

Ghirahim lightly ran a hand through his lover's hair. "Don't stress yourself out. I'll take care of the arrangements. You should get some sleep while you can." He giggled softly. "This is your battle, after all. We can't have Ganondorf winning because you're tired."

"Are you sure?" Link asked as Ghirahim brushed his hair into place. The demon nodded and, sighing, Link agreed. They encountered Volga back at the main hallway, and they parted ways. The Hero went with the dragon, and Ghirahim returned to the throne room to encounter the younger Zelda. Her shoulders were slumped slightly, as though she carried a burden she had not yet accustomed to.

"Grandmother has told me what to do to seal the demon king," she announced, meeting Ghirahim's gaze evenly. "She says to be wary of you, but I'll try not to judge you so harshly as she did."

"I've done terrible things to your people," the demon replied. "She has full right to do so."

"Had," the princess cut in. "She passed away soon after giving me her information, but she did not do so in regret."

Ghirahim refrained from mentioning that he didn't much care whether or not she regretted her actions, and instead offered his condolences, but then insisted that she prepare an army, or at least a few hundred soldiers. She agreed, and they commanded the ranks together.

"My name is Ghirahim," he introduced himself to the guards. "I'd give you my full title to use, but I feel as though it wouldn't be appreciated. I'm sure some of you may remember me from the tales of the war last century." At this, there was mumbling, and distrust emanated from the ranks in waves.

"He fights with us," the princess declared, "and stays loyal to our newly-found Hero. We go to battle Ganondorf as soon as they are ready. Sharpen your weapons, and strengthen your shields. We shall return to war, and hopefully this will be the end of it."

In that moment, the princess carried the air of someone who had lived for a thousand years, the same air that the former Zelda had always staggered under. The same air that Link, too, seemed to carry at times.

She pulled him aside once the men wandered off, lightly resting her hand on his shoulder, and asked, "Can we trust you, Ghirahim?"

"Ask yourself if you can trust Link, and you have my answer. As long as his allegiance lies with Hyrule, so does mine. You have my word, Princess, and the only reason that's ever been broken is because your Hero was the cause."

She paused, then nodded gently. "I find comfort in knowing that he has returned to fight beside us. Thank you for making sure he did so. Grandmother worried for a long time that he would truly never come back, and that Ganondorf would seize control of Hyrule."

"Why is it all about Ganondorf?" Ghirahim inquired, politely but firmly. "Do you not get tired of your entire existence revolving around his rebirth?"

"I do," she replied, "but it's merely a part of Hyrule's history. Link, Ganondorf, and I are reborn every couple hundred years to participate in yet another brawl to sustain balance; it is simply part of the reincarnation cycle that the Goddesses put into place upon their departure. We can do nothing but defeat Ganondorf and seal him away, time and time again. It is our destiny, and it always will be."