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I wasn't like he meant not to tell anyone about Ghirahim.
It kind of... never came up?
One minute he was fighting the literal incarnation of everything evil, the next his bloodline and spirit were getting cursed for eternity or whatever, and then he was stuck with the sword as a way of saying "hey, congratulations! You defeated the powerful enemy and now you get the thing he almost killed you with! Cool, right? Fine print: it's alive and wants you dead too. No returns, nonrefundable."
There was never a good time to bring it up, no "hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" with all the celebrating Zelda's return and planning to move to the surface. He would have said something earlier, but he certainly wasn't going to tell her after she had basically had her soul ripped apart by the sword he was now carrying, she wouldn't... be understanding... and there was a lot going on then, it wasn't the right time! No one really questioned him anyway, they must have thought the thing wrapped in his sailcloth was his bug net (which had been broken by Demise when he tried to use it instead of the Master Sword, he was still mad about that) or another sword. Either way, they didn't question him or it. He had left the spirit on the surface anyway, not trusting enough to let him on Skyloft yet.
Which meant he still hadn't found the right time to tell anyone. Despite the shrinking lack of trust between Link and Ghirahim, he did know the demon was very capable of "accidentally" hurting anyone or anything that annoyed him, and he did want Ghirahim to be there when he finally had the "hey I saved our second worst enemy" conversation. He didn't need them thinking he was any more traumatized from his quest.
All they had to do was learn to work with one another. Link may have technically been the sword's master, but he wasn't Demise, he wasn't going to control Ghirahim and force him into impossible tasks. Link knew ordering Ghirahim into submission wasn't going to help either of them, and, if anything, would make their relationship worse. So, he volunteered for "solo" missions to clear areas of the surface from monsters, learned how to co-exist (and, ahem, more) with a demon, and avoided his problems.
Perfect solution.
At least, it was.
He thought he was alone in Faron, the only one crossing the bridge back into the woods after clearing the Ancient Cistern of leftover monsters as he had been doing the past few days. Ghirahim had retreated to the sword in order to avoid running into the water dragon, whom he refused to apologize to even if it would make their work a little easier.
"Look," Link started to say, "you don't have to actually mean it or anything, but if we didn't have to do the whole 'I've been banished from this land never to return' thing every time there's something wrong on the other side of the waterfall, that would be great."
The sword chimed in response.
"Okay, yeah, I know—but I'm not doing it on purpose! Whatever, just don't—"
Link stopped abruptly when he saw movement ahead. Shit. He could make out Groose's red hair and Zelda's dress against the background of trees, and he panicked. They were getting closer, but hadn't noticed him yet, there was still time to hide—
"Link!" Zelda called out to him, waving from the edge of the bridge. Luckily, the pair were distracted for long enough for him to do something.
So he did the first thing he could think of.
He threw the sword into the lake.
Nothing's wrong, act casual, don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious, his mind helpfully provided as his friends got closer. Zelda ran up to him and greeted him with a hug, so he was pretty sure they hadn't seen the sword. Good.
"We needed to stop by the temple, and thought we'd head over and see how you're doing! You're not the only knight Skyloft has to offer, you know." Zelda grinned, reaching for the training sword on her hip. It had taken a lot of convincing, but Zelda had been able to continue her training at the academy despite her new role as goddess incarnate. Link laughed nervously.
"Yeah, well, I'm all done... there, so I was heading back, uh, up. To Skyloft. Yeah."
"Oh, great! We're looking for a statue as well, and no one knows the surface better than you."
She turned to walk away, completely oblivious to Link's nervous fidgeting, but Groose stopped her, glancing over the edge of the bridge.
"Hey, guys, don't look now, but there may be some trouble. See that dark shape in the water? Doesn't it look like—"
"Oh, it's a type of fish! Dangerous fish, exploding fish, scary, dangerous, exploding fish, yeah, so we should go! Now!" Link quickly jumped in front of Groose and Zelda, blocking their view of what Groose was pointing to.
"I ran into them all the time on my quest, they've got, uh, a very large range, and are angered easily! If we alert it, it might take the bridge down with it! So don't look at it, let's go, there's a statue straight that way, right?"
"Oh, I guess, but if it's that dangerous are you sure we should be—"
Zelda started to say as Link guided them off the bridge, pushing them along almost frantically.
"I'll take care of it! You two go on ahead, yeah, I know how to deal with them! It's probably the last one anyway, it'll be safe here soon!"
Zelda and Groose glanced at each other.
"If you say so... see you back home, I guess."
The three waved goodbye, and Link waited until they were out of sight to finally let out the breath he had been holding in. This was not ideal. Ghirahim was now at the bottom of the lake and his friends thought there were scary exploding fish in its waters (well, yes, there were, but they weren't as much of a threat as Link had made it out to be). Sighing in slight frustration, Link made his way to the water's edge.
Ghirahim will not be happy about this, he thought as he reached into his pouch for the water dragon's scale. He didn't feel like soaking himself today, and preferred her magic that kept the water off him and helped him hold his breath for longer. Funny, he thought it was in this pouch...
After a minute or so of searching, the thought dawned on him that he must have dropped it in the cistern. Well, fuck. Not a good day today. Stripping out of his tunic and chain mail, Link piled anything he didn't want to get wet on the shore and braced himself to dive into the lake. The water wasn't as warm as it had been months ago, and the coldness came as a shock to him. Of course, it was deeper than he thought, and the sword turned out to be so much heavier underwater, a real pain to drag to the surface.
"It's—cough—safe to come out now, Ghirahim."
The chime and pattern of diamonds in the air alerted Link to the fact that Ghirahim had appeared in his most human-like form, and he looked up to see a very displeased demon lord.
"Care to explain what that was about?"
"No, not really," Link mumbled, rising from the sand. "I didn't want them to... I wasn't ready to tell them, okay?"
Ghirahim was quiet for a while. Link used the opportunity to start gathering his stuff, shivering in the wind.
"Mind telling me why you're soaked? Don't you have magic against that?" The demon whispered from next to his ear, his apparent annoyance not as great as it seemed as he wrapped his arms around Link's bare shoulders.
"I lost the dragon scale."
"You lost the—where?"
"Ancient Cistern."
"You know, Link, you've been testing my patience all day. I am not very pleased with you right now." Ghirahim started, gearing up for another one of his "I'll make you pay" monologues. The ones that, lately, hadn't been ending in them fighting, so much as, well, uh...
"We have to go back." Link demanded weakly, knowing that wouldn't happen.
"Hmm, you're sure? You seem... weakened. You surely can't fight when you're this tired." Link tried to hold his ground, but they both knew Ghirahim was going to get his way.
"It's important."
"Your health is important."
The demon's hands had drifted down.
"And why waste this. . . opportunity?" Ghirahim's touch disappeared, and then he was standing in front of Link. "You're already halfway there."
Knowing he had lost the battle, Link didn't protest when Ghirahim leaned in close and whispered,
"Let's get you out of the cold... and those wet clothes."
"It's stuck."
"It's stuck."
"Mmhmm."
The two were facing off at the entrance to Eldin. Link was ready to leave Ghirahim and his sword and go back to the sky for the remainder of the rapidly darkening night, but he couldn't get the damn thing off his back.
"You realize that, if this were a fight, you would be dead."
"Yeah, that's not really helping, Ghirahim!"
Link shouted, struggling to pull the sword from its sheath.
"Just break it!"
"Do you know how expensive this was? Also, I can't ask for a new one, the dimensions of this one were so specific because someone had to be fancy and not fit into a standard sheath!"
"It's a demon sword, not one of your Hylian toothpicks, there are no others like it, you should be honored to wield it!"
Link gave up his struggling and groaned in frustration.
"Goddess, what did Demise do? I certainly didn't see him struggling with this... behemoth!"
"Since you failed to notice, skychild, he used me."
The argument stopped right there. They mostly avoided the subject of Ghirahim's treatment at the hands of Demise, for this reason. Avoiding eye contact, Link finally broke the silence.
"I'm sorry."
"You should be."
Returning to the task at hand, Link silently started to tug the sword out.
"Here, take the whole thing off, we'll deal with it later." Ghirahim reached for Link to help him with the straps, but Link shied away.
"No, no, I've got it."
He didn't.
"It's—"
"STUCK, I can see, let me cut it off so we can go on about our night!" Ghirahim snapped, already materializing his sword.
"No! I can fix it, don't make it worse, I just need..."
Link trailed off, looking back towards the statue.
"Need what, may I ask?"
No response. Ghirahim huffed impatiently as Link fought with himself. Finally,
"I need some tools. In my room. On Skyloft."
The pair let that sink in. If Link was taking the sword to Skyloft, that meant Ghirahim would have to go with him.
"Well, what are we waiting for? If you won't let me cut it off you, we have no other option I can see. Let's go."
Ghirahim disappeared into the sword. After a few moments, Link pulled out his sailcloth, wondering just how screwed he was.
*
Skyloft was quiet at night. Peaceful. The keese and remlits were easily avoidable, and the sky was always clear. Sure, sometimes the rain and passing clouds on the surface were nice, but Link hadn't spent a whole night there. He didn't feel safe yet. So, all nights, be it twelve hours of sleep or three, were spent in his bed at the academy. Rarely did he run into people this late, so he thought he would be safe whispering to the sword stuck on his back.
"I still don't know how this works, if you can see or sense things, but it's pretty up here at night. Better during the day, really, night time is for sleeping. Everything's less bright than the surface, but in a good way! I guess I'm biased, and you're probably too, being the lord over the surface and all."
Link was surprised when the sword chimed softly in response.
"Uh, yeah, here's the academy, it's usually quiet at night... sometimes you can hear the ghost in the bathroom, I've never been able to tell what it's saying... my room's down here, I kind of share with Fledge, there's a flimsy divider between our 'rooms'. He stays up pretty late usually, but he should be asleep by now, I don't think we'll need to worry about him... Are you hungry? Do you even need to eat? The kitchen's right there, I could get us something—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the tall, dark figure of Ghirahim's true form appeared beside him.
"Link, I know, you want to share your home with me, and frankly, I'm honored, but weren't you the one who didn't want to get caught? Don't you think you should be a little quieter? There will be other times, I'm sure."
Link stopped right in front of his door, unlocking it.
"Yeah, I guess, I mean—"
"Hey, Link, what are you doing up this late?"
Link's reaction screamed NOTHING'S WRONG with as little suspicion as possible. Okay, maybe he overreacted. Slamming the door open and shoving Ghirahim inside, Link turned to see who was coming out of the dark.
"Pipit! Hey, uh, I'm just getting back from the surface, I got caught up... fighting... stuff... yeah. I just got back."
Luckily, Pipit seemed to believe him.
"Oh, wow! You were out late. But, uh, who were you talking to now? Better not be a girl," Pipit laughed, "you know the dorms are separated! You're a real knight now, can't have all us knights lookin' bad!"
Link froze in the door. "No, that's, I don't even... like... girls, uh, I—I like girls! But, not, not right now! No, I talk... in my sleep. I'm sleep walking. I won't remember this in the morning. Goodnight!"
Slamming the door closed behind him, Link held his breath as he heard Pipit's footsteps pass.
"THAT was close," Link gasped, finally letting out his breath, "let's never do it again, yes?"
Link quietly asked the dark room, but Ghirahim wasn't paying attention to him. Rather, he had picked up one of the carvings Link had left unfinished on his desk.
"I didn't know you were creative."
"Oh, yeah, I used to do it all the time. I don't really have free time anymore, so... it got pushed aside. I'm a little rusty."
Ghirahim studied the work in progress, glancing at the other, finished products occasionally. As he watched, Link quietly walked to his cabinet, trying to find something in the dark. Eventually giving up, Link had the brilliant idea of slipping the whole sword belt over his head and leaving it like that until the morning, which meant he was going to have to come to terms with some things.
One, he really didn't need to bring Ghirahim to Skyloft in the first place.
Two, he actually really liked having Ghirahim here, and showing him around, even if it was for a short walk from the platform to the academy.
And, three, he didn't want him to leave. Now that he was here Link felt no need to banish him back to the surface for the night, so he stayed quiet and continued undressing.
It wasn't long before Link was closing the wardrobe, and quietly walking over to the demon, who was still captivated by the knick-knacks on his desk.
"Everyday you amaze me more and more, skychild. You really are a perfect choice for the goddess's chosen hero. Someone who could make something like this, using a weapon..." he whispered, looking up at Link for the first time since he had come into the room. "So. My sword. Fix it yet?"
Link shook his head. "It'll have to wait until tomorrow. I, ah, obviously got it off, and thought... I'm really tired, can we go to bed?"
Link asked, not waiting for an answer to get under the covers. He expected Ghirahim to follow, but the demon stood there, gaze drifting to the wardrobe the sword was now housed in.
"I'll see you in the morning, I guess." He shrugged, and was about to fade away, but Link's pleading voice stopped him.
"Wait! You don't want to—I mean, you don't have to, you know, stay in the sword, unless that's how you sleep! I'm saying, you know, my bed's big enough for the two of us, it's got to be more comfortable than that dusty old cabinet. Oh, should I have not put the sword in there? I'm sorry, I don't really understand—"
Link was surprised when he felt weight next to him on the bed.
"No, it's fine. Move over a little."
Heeding Ghirahim's order, Link shuffled up against the wall to let him onto the bed. It was, admittedly, a little tighter than he had expected, and the only way they would really be comfortable would be to—
Ghirahim solved that problem for him. His metal arms wrapped around Link's middle, pulling him close enough to press their chests together. Kind of. The gem between them, glowing a soft red, kept them apart enough so that Ghirahim could raise a hand to Link's face and look into his dazed eyes.
"The carvings really are nice."
"Do you want me to make you one? Or use you to make one?" Link giggled, losing the battle to sleep more than he cared to admit.
"Hmm. Only if you want."
Pressing a kiss to Link's forehead, Ghirahim turned around so his gem was now facing away from Link. Not even thinking about it, Link cuddled closer to the sword spirit in front of him, content in the coolness of Ghirahim's metal on his skin.
The sunlight filtered in through Link's window as usual, but for once he was awake to see it. Though he would have loved to stay in the comfort of his bed, he was awakened much too soon by incessant badgering from Ghirahim to fix last night's problem. If this was how every morning with him was going to be, maybe he needed to rethink their relationship.
Anyway, he was awake before dawn, and actually got to see the sunrise that morning, which would have been interesting if he hadn't been pressed to fix the problem with the sword. Ghirahim, of course, had been no help, but it didn't matter anymore, he was pretty sure he had solved the issue and it wouldn't be happening again.
That shouldn't have made him disappointed.
Sighing in resignation, Link raised from his chair and turned to the sword spirit, who was clearly bored and probably five minutes away from causing problems. If they were going to make this "master/sword" thing work, Link was going to need to stop being such a coward and break the news to his friends.
"So," He started, avoiding eye contact when Ghirahim turned to look at him, "it's, uh. It's fixed. But that's not all. I need to—we need to talk."
Ghirahim didn't say anything, only stared at Link, emotionless. Taking in a deep breath, Link continued
"I don't... I like having you here. At night. Not in a control kind of way! I trust you!" He amended, worried Ghirahim would take that the wrong way. "I guess I mean... I like being with you? And since the surface isn't really livable yet, that would mean staying here. Is that... are you comfortable with that? I understand if you don't want to, really, I—"
"Link. That would be great." Ghirahim stood up from his place on the bed, grasping Link's hands. He had barely noticed he was getting more flustered and anxious, but as soon as Ghirahim reassured him he remembered to breathe. "I would be happy to share the night with you as well, but," he paused raising a hand to Link's flushed cheek, "You're the one who didn't want me here. You're going to have to tell them. I'm not going to hide myself away because you're afraid of your little friends' feelings. Why should you cower at the thought of not being accepted? You're happy, aren't you?"
"I care about them because they're my friends, Ghirahim, you did hurt them, it's not like they're scared for no reason. I'll tell them eventually, really, I need to find the right time. I don't want to have to choose between them and you, because, if it comes down to it, I won't get a choice. Zelda is Hylia reborn, if she still sees you as a threat, it'll be out of my power. I'm sorry."
Their voices were raising slightly, not fighting, but arguing as they always did. It was a very real possibility Zelda wouldn't listen to him, and that would ruin everything he had worked for. She'd never trust him again, and Ghirahim would be gone for good this time... he couldn't let it happen, why couldn't his sword be patient and trust him back? They still had time, the move to the surface wasn't happening for another few months at least. Instead of press farther, Link ducked away from Ghirahim's glare and picked up the sword.
"If we leave now, we may be lucky enough to get out without anyone seeing us. I'll talk to Zelda, okay? Just not today."
Ghirahim made no sign of recognition, and Link was worried he was going to have to order him into leaving then. Finally, with no small amount of venom in his voice, he dissolved into the sword saying,
"The goddess was foolish to bring pathetic humans into the arguments of gods and demons."
Yes, she was, Link thought angrily, but I'm still stuck with you. He was turning to get the sword when he heard a knock at his door.
"Link? Are you awake yet?"
Not waiting for an answer, the door swung open, and his best friend stepped inside.
"I found out some great news, I've been reading about what the surface used to be like all night!"
Link jumped back to his desk, hastily trying to hide the sword. Zelda's over enthusiasm and lack of value for personal space were going to cause problems for her one day.
"Oh, yeah? What's, what's up?" He asked, trying to look as innocent as possible. He was very grateful for the book Zelda was holding, keeping her attention away from him.
"Look, you know how we're worried about where to settle? This map is old, and it didn't match any of your current ones, so I assumed it was destroyed or improperly marked, but look there! The region in the middle, it's not a continuation of the other three, it's a separate region itself!"
Link stepped forward to get a better look. He had assumed what lay beyond the mountains that bordered each region was more of the same, but what Zelda was pointing to was labelled differently.
"I couldn't translate it for the longest time, the map's not in Hylian, but I think it says 'Hyrule'! The spelling is a little weird, but if it is what I think it is, this is were the ancient Hylians must have settled! Other texts describe Hyrule as a field, which Skyloft rises from, leaving from the southwest corner," she pointed to a small area marked off on the map, "but the main settlement was farther north! If we could find this, this must be the best place! There would already be foundations for buildings, though they'd be in ruins like the temple, but we could make it work!"
She smiled brightly, thrusting the book into his hands. Not really paying attention to it, he nodded along to her theories, preoccupied by the poorly hidden secret on his desk. Zelda took the book back from him and shyly asked,
"I was thinking, maybe we could go today? I know you had other plans, but this could change everything!"
Link felt stuck. He wasn't sure how to get around this without angering either Zelda or Ghirahim, and neither situation was ideal. Yet, instead of waiting for an answer, Zelda noticed something behind him and exclaimed, "You got a new sword! It looks a little... dark for a training sword."
Link froze. "It just hasn't... been painted yet, uh, back to the thing on the surface, you know," he stumbled, grabbing Zelda's hand and pulling her towards the door. "You know, I think I'd feel a lot better of I could check it out myself? Like I did with the surface? I don't want you to get hurt!"
Zelda pulled her arm away from his hold. "Link, you know I'm almost knight too. Everything you went through on the surface I was three steps ahead of you, without a sword, might I add."
"Yes, but you had Impa—"
"And now I'd have you! It's not like I'm being hunted by a demon anymore, is it?"
Link shook his head nervously. Don't look back at it, don't think about it, it doesn't exist right now. "I'd feel a lot better if I could prepare for this. Can you give me a day? Brand new abandoned ruins aren't the same as the ones I've been fighting through for the past week, I'll need some potions...?"
Zelda stared intensely at him for a few seconds. He was afraid she wouldn't believe him and he'd have another argument on his hands, but finally she shrugged and replied, "Fine. I could check some other sources to see where the best place to land is." She started walking away from his room, but turned back to shout, "Don't you leave without me!"
Link shook his head. Once he was sure she was gone, he turned back to the other problem at hand, wondering how this mess started.
It had been a few months. (And yes, he still hadn't told anyone.)
Hyrule, as Zelda continued to call it, was in better shape than they thought, and after many trips juggling between Zelda or Ghirahim, it was livable. Link and Zelda were the first to volunteer to make the move, along with a few of the other younger knights that were ready to move out of the academy into their own homes. The housing situation worked very well in Link's favor, and because of it he still managed to avoid the demon/sword/enemies-to-friends conversation (among other things).
It seemed like everything was finally going his way.
Once again, so he thought.
The summer nights on the surface were mostly clear, and without anyone stopping them (as they were the adults in charge now), Link and Zelda found it much easier to climb the roof of her cottage and talk. It was something they had loved to do at the academy, but after getting caught a few times they had dropped the habit.
They sat together in a peaceful silence after catching up, watching the few clouds pass by the moon and stars. If Link closed his eyes, it was almost like they were back on the academy rooftop, whispering to each other about their future. He would never have imagined they'd end up here.
Zelda shifted slightly, no longer watching the sky, but the distant tree tops of Faron.
"I saw something a few days ago, in the forest," She said quietly, not looking away from the dark tree line, "something I think we need to talk about."
Link's heart froze. Two days ago. The forest. Ghirahim and I were fighting. Practicing turned wrong. But Zelda said she didn't feel well that day? Or was that the day before? He didn't respond to her, but she continued talking.
"I... I thought, in the woods, for a second, I saw a flash of diamonds. Like his. Red and gold stand out against the green of the forest. I've had similar dreams before, nightmares with the roar of the Imprisoned and his mocking laughter, but this was..." Zelda trailed off. "This was different. Real? I don't know." She didn't press further for a moment, lost in thought.
At least she doesn't know the truth, Link thought to himself, before wincing at the thought. She deserved to know, but he was too much of a coward to tell her.
"I think we should be... cautious." Zelda finished, turning to look at him. "I'm sorry for bringing this up, and I don't want to worry you, but if he's back, if Ghirahim's back—"
"No, I understand." Link whispered. Tell her now. Make it easier for everyone. She stood up to climb down from the roof. Or ruin everything. He followed. Stop lying to her. They were standing at her door now, Zelda once again staring off into the distance. She looked troubled, contemplating. She deserves better.
"Link..." Zelda up at him, her hand reaching for his but never connecting. "Just... stay safe."
You can't destroy this
"Yeah. I will."
"Please be careful..."
"Don't worry skychild, it won't hurt too much."
"That's not the problem." He sighed as he relaxed into Ghirahim's grip. Link had come back from spending several days on Skyloft (without Ghirahim) helping Zelda advocate and organize the move to the surface.
He had expected to be jumped by the sword as soon as he walked in the door, but the demon, drama queen as usual, had acted like he wasn't even waiting for him. The act didn't last very long, of course, and Link soon found himself set on a counter top as Ghirahim hungrily marked him.
"The problem is I have to meet with the others tomorrow, I can't be covered in bruises."
"Why not? Lie like you always do." The comment caught Link off guard, but he didn't have time to respond as Ghirahim sank his teeth into the knight's shoulder. He gasped, his fingers digging into snowy hair.
"Worry about it tomorrow. Tonight, you're mine."
He didn't object.
*
The floor was not comfortable, Link decided, but as they hadn't bothered to move from the kitchen there wasn't much of a choice. Tucked between Ghirahim's chest and his arms, Link gently traced soft patterns on his skin. Neither said anything, leaving Link to worry about the marks he knew Ghirahim had left.
As he felt cold hands trail down his neck to press on the bites left by the demon's fangs, Link winced. Ghirahim didn't exactly stop, but guided his hand up to tangle into Link's hair.
"You'll find a way to hide it. You always do."
He said with a sigh that hurt Link more than he thought it should have. Instead of avoiding the conversation like he always did, Link whispered.
"I'm going to tell them."
"So you've said."
"Ghirahim," he turned so he was look at him straight on, "I'm sorry. I will, I really will."
"When, Link?"
Ghirahim asked, sitting up and dislodging Link from his hold.
"You should go to bed. I don't want to deal with you when you're tired."
Standing up and leaving Link sitting there on the kitchen floor, cold and alone, Ghirahim left. Link watched as he snapped his clothes back on and disappeared around a corner. He didn't want to fight him, or Zelda, or hide anything from anyone. He had never been good at keeping secrets. As Link reached for his discarded shirt, he glanced over to the window, soft beams of moonlight escaping the curtains. Outside that window was their new life, their life after the fall of Demise. He didn't want to keep hiding in the shadows.
Two days later, Link had nervously sought out Zelda and Groose. He figured telling them first would be best, as they had actually known the sword spirit, and it was easier than having to begin to explain how his sword was sentient to any of his other friends. He tried to causally ask them if they could check something out by the forest, but he knew Zelda was suspicious. Only giving them a time and a place, and a vague idea that something was wrong, Link waited for his friends at the sealed temple, sword in hand.
Before you say anything, let me explain. And he did. He started at the very beginning, with no matter how many times he had fought Ghirahim neither had really defeated the other, how Fi told him this was only a bad idea by about 15% since he was really no different from her, how they wouldn't be living on the surface without his help. Groose looked dumbstruck, but Zelda was emotionless. She stood there, arms crossed and face blank, as Link tried to finally stop hiding.
No one spoke when he finished talking. After the longest minute of his life, Link broke the silence.
"So, you're taking this very calmly."
"Hmm, yeah. Can I talk to you for a second?" Zelda looked between Link, Groose, and the sword Link had shoved into the ground between them. "Like, alone, alone?"
"You're not leaving me with that thing!" Groose shouted, finally breaking out of his dazed lack of understanding.
"He can't come out of the sword unless I tell him to."
"Yeah, right!"
Sighing in frustration, Link looked to Zelda for help. Still not letting on how she felt about this, she nodded her head and said, "I trust Link. But I need to talk to him."
Groose only protested a little, but didn't follow, as Zelda grabbed Link's hand and brought him into the room where the Master Sword was resting. She said nothing, only staring at the sword in front of them as Link started fidgeting nervously. Seemingly having made up her mind, she turned to her chosen hero and said, with barley restrained frustration,
"What, and I mean this with all the love a goddess could give to her chosen hero, the actual fuck is wrong with you."
Link stuttered uselessly as Zelda waited for an answer. When it was apparent he had none to give her, she took a deep breath and turned back to the sword pedestal.
"I knew something was wrong. I was also pretty sure he wasn't dead, and a little suspicious of you, to be honest. Really, I've known this for a while now." She glanced at him with a small smile. "You're not good at hiding things. I thought your new sword was way too big for you. I... I wanted you to tell me first. I waited. I thought we were past hiding things from each other." Link was surprised to find her eyes filling with tears.
"I thought... This is my fault, really."
"No, no! Zelda, why would it be—"
"I guess this is pay back." She chuckled mirthlessly. A beam of sunlight filtered in from the broken ceiling, lighting up the metal of the sword in front of them. As she reached out to run her hands along the smooth sides, she whispered, "I said I was sorry for Hylia using you. For me using you. Really, I deserve this, I just..."
"I want us to be able to trust each other again, Link." She looked back at him as the tears in her eyes spilled. "You can tell me anything, okay? I know you wouldn't hurt us."
Link wasn't sure how to respond as Zelda drew her hand back and looked up to the ceiling. He hadn't expected her to react like this, he didn't want her to hurt more than they had. They had dealt with enough pain for a lifetime. Instead of words, Link reached out to hug his best friend. As the two sank to their knees, finally letting out all the emotions they had been hiding from each other, Link pushed the memory of being here before out of his mind.
"Zelda, I didn't want to hurt you. It was never a good time. He's not dangerous, I promise. He's a harsh critic and still makes some...colorful threats, but I've seen him talk to remlits like they're babies and fall asleep on my shoulder. He's not going to hurt you, or me, or anyone we care about."
"Yeah, I know that, it's been, like, a year, if he was going to do anything we'd be dead already."
Laughing to break the tension, Link and Zelda started to support each other as they stood up to leave. They were opening the doors when Link asked, "So... you're not mad?"
"No, I'm not mad, I'm relived, actually." She turned to smile at him. "We can finally start to move on."
Playfully shoving an elbow into Link's side, Zelda added, "You can stop pretending you won't date Peatrice because you're 'still figuring yourself out', too. It was getting old." with a wink and a knowing smirk.
Guess she knows about that too. Embarrassed, Link ducked away from her as she reached out to ruffle his hair. Once they were back with the others, Groose looking very relived when Zelda nodded reassuringly, Link stepped up to the sword.
"Ghirahim, you can come out now."
"So you finally got it over with, skychild."
The demon materialized behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Though they seemed okay with it now, Link was sure there was still going to be hostility. However, Zelda only took a step forward to say, "Hurt him, and I will be the first to kill you." with a glare.
"Wouldn't dream of it, your grace."
They started at each other, Zelda glaring and Ghirahim smiling smugly, for a few more moments. Link was about to intervene when Zelda broke her stance and smiled, turning to the exit.
"Okay, that's enough for today. I still need to help Karane fix the leak in her roof."
As they all left the sealed temple, Link no longer hiding the sword, he felt a sense of relief wash over him. Now that they had no more secrets between each other, they really could, as Zelda said, start to move on.