Link sighed, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and kicking more than a few wayward stones as he wandered aimlessly through Faron Woods. His boots scuffed the dirt path as he walked, his pace slow and disjointed, his eyes vacant and dull. Occasionally, the moblins would give him trouble as he passed, breaking up the monotony of his rather lifeless amble, but they would quickly realize he didn't want to fight and return to their luxurious undergarments instead.

She used me.

He blinked away the tears in his eyes, spying a log and plopping down onto it unceremoniously. Feeling the last dribbles of energy drain from his body, he dropped his head and gazed at his feet, elbows on his knees and chin in his hands. He swallowed hard, shaking his head slowly as desolate sapphires peered endlessly at the grass below.

She used me.

A soft chime filled the air, echoing in the empty silence, and Link vaguely registered it to be a sign of danger. However, he couldn't find it in himself to react, so he simply kept staring at the ground while his brain continued to wash away into nothingness.

"My, my, Skychild. You look positively forlorn. Tell me, what on the Surface is creating such a crestfallen countenance?"

Link shook his head slowly, raising his eyes to meet those of Demon Lord Ghirahim, his supposed nemesis. Although, he couldn't really be sure of anything. Not anymore. Not after everything had changed in a matter of minutes.

"Sorry, what?" he mumbled, his own words muted to his ears.

Ghirahim rolled his eyes, fists planted firmly on his hips. "Why the long face, boy?"

Link gave a slight nod, understanding that question much more than he had the first. "It's nothing. Nothing at all."

Ghirahim frowned, reaching out and taking Link's chin in a single, fluid movement that sent a distinct chill up the young man's spine. Then he began to examine him, dark eyes wandering over the hero's face shamelessly as he took in every feature, glaring hard.

"You are lying to me, Skychild." Ghirahim pulled the chin up, turning Link's head one way and then the next. "Something is troubling you. You did not respond when my tintinnabulation sounded through the woods, and you are sitting here like a dead-eyed china doll with not a single ounce of passion in your eyes. What happened?"

Link creased his brow, blinking slowly. "Sorry, again, what?"

Ghirahim tossed his eyes in a circle once more, releasing the hero's face and sitting down beside him. "After you escaped my clutches in the Fire Sanctuary, I thought your heart would be filled with rainbows. But you sit here with frowns all around as if you've failed your mission."

Link scowled, looking away to glare at another part of the ground he found far more interesting. "Oh, I passed alright."

Ghirahim easily caught the vexed tone in his voice, and he cocked his head to the side, shifting towards him. "I sense dissatisfaction."

Link jerked away from him, the demon's presence finally mounting enough disturbance to make him physically react. "What do you even want? You hate me. You said you were gonna deafen me with my own screams and have a hatred that would burn for eons or whatever. If you're here to fight, then let's fight and get it over with."

Ghirahim knit his brows, a soft chime emanating from the place he once occupied. Diamonds showed down around the seat on the opposite side of the log, and Link jumped back with a startled grunt, glaring once the smoke had cleared.

"I understand you in more ways than you think, boy, and you are ebbing away at my patience." Ghirahim's eyes were hard and determined but lacked their usual malice. "Your very aura evinces your disappointment with something that has recently transpired in your life." Link attempted to move away, but Ghirahim seized his face in an unyielding grasp and forced eye contact. "I am not human, Link. I have lived longer than you can fathom, and I have seen many struggles in my lifetime. I know for certain if you would share your frustrations with me, I could be of some assistance."

Link didn't say anything for a few moments, but then his mouth started to form words. "I… Well, I finally got back to Zelda… and… she just…"

Ghirahim lowered his hands to his lap and watched the hero in silence, patiently awaiting further explanation.

"She used me. I… I went through everything for her, and she just… she wasn't even her, she was Hylia, and Hylia just used her body because she knew I would do anything for her, and I… I did. I did, and then she…" Link's voice trailed, debating whether or not to disclose this to his enemy, debating whether or not to utter another word. "She froze herself in a giant crystal, and she didn't even do a good job of explaining what was… what is happening to me. It was just all so… confusing. I had to bow to her… she's my friend, why did I have to do that?"

Ghirahim remained silent through the rather messy onslaught of words and feelings, both hands clasped together atop his thighs. He nodded a few times as he thought over the words, and Link watched his face for any sign that he was about to reveal some nugget of wisdom that would make everything exponentially better. Then Ghirahim smiled. It was a cruel, cold, wicked smile that slowly evolved into a chuckle, which then melted away into hysterical laughter.

"I…" He chortled, getting to his feet and planting a finger between the eyes of the young hero. "I can't believe you just fell for that! I honestly did not believe you could be so stupid. So foolhardy! Just from what you've told me, there is only one place that she could be, and since you've opened the gate, she is mine to take!"

Link's heart froze in his chest, eyes wide with horror, and he mentally kicked himself for believing the lies. Honestly, why would Ghirahim want to talk about his feelings? Why would Ghirahim want to be any help at all?

Link drew his sword and lunged at the demon, his signature battle cry pushing past his lips and echoing through the clearing. Ghirahim jumped back and threw his hand forward, grabbing the other's wrist and twisting the entire limb backwards to keep the blade restrained.

"You can't have her!" Link swung his leg up and whipped it against Ghirahim's side, using the momentary distraction to toss his sword to his free hand. He swung again, ever-thankful for his ambidextrous hands.

Ghirahim only laughed, taking a hold of that arm as well and sending the boy toppling to the ground with one, hard twist. "Can't I?"

Link hit the ground and rolled, catching himself and immediately reclaiming his blade. "You can't. Not while I'm still alive." He rose to his feet, grunting softly at the pain and readying his stance for another bout.

"Exactly."

Link stopped, raising his eyebrows at his captor. "For the third time, what?"

"You still fight for her, Link." Ghirahim relaxed his shoulders and folded his arms over his chest, assuming a more non-threatening stance. "You will always fight for her, not because it is your destiny, but because you love her, and you are far too weak to say no. Even after everything she's put you through, you still attack me—me, the practically omnipotent demon lord who has reigned over the Surface for millennia—without hesitation. It is something I will forever admire and despise about you humans." He paused, contemplating their situation for a moment more before finally suggesting a solution. "I shall give you three days to complete the tasks set before you, but if you are not done in that time period, I will claim her as my own, and there will be no second chance."

Link stared for a moment, jaw slack and eyes wide. He shook his head, scrambling to gather his thoughts. "Wait, wait, wait. What should I do about Zelda?"

"That's up to you, Link. Either you seize your life as your own and say no, or…" Ghirahim turned slightly, inquiring the sky with a look in his eyes the hero was unable to place. "You become that person's slave—sometimes literally, and sometimes of your own negligence—and for the rest of your life, you struggle and fight and connive to be the perfect ally, only to be thrown away like trash at the end of every single day, left wondering why you don't just leave; why you can't seem to walk on your own anymore."

Link blinked, slowly stepping toward the monarch with a hesitant sympathy in his eyes. He got no closer than three feet away before Ghirahim suddenly turned to him, a wild grin on his face.

"Three days, Skychild, and then we shall finish this once and for all." Ghirahim threw his hand skyward with his typical, theatric flair, and in a shroud of reds, golds, and grays, he was gone.

Link stood in the stillness alone and stared relentlessly at the place where the demon once stood, thinking about the words that had passed between them. He pondered his role and the choice he was faced with. He considered the possible outcomes, where his path would lead him, and what he might find waiting at the end of each twisting, turning trail.

His eyes hardened, determination surging through the blue where doubt once pooled.

Three days, Ghirahim. You better be ready.