Blessed

Chapter Ten: Memoir

A/N: I meant to update Friday, but I couldn't resist. You're gonna love/hate this chapter. Be a good audience and you may still get that Friday update...;)

The rest of the day passed with Ghirahim abandoning the book on an end table, tending to Link as the boy struggled through his sickness, and the next was spent with them curled up on the bed side-by-side, flipping through the pages of the book, which was written in neat, easy-to-read handwriting. Link made Ghirahim read it aloud, partly because he was still recovering and didn't want to focus too hard on anything and partly because the demon had to touch up on his Hylian.

Link remembered most of it, telling Ghirahim what he had been up to whenever Zelda's point of view trailed in a different direction, accounting for his absence by mentioning merely who he was with and what location he was in.

"I remember this mission," Link whispered, cutting off what Ghirahim was reading. He sat up all the way and reread the page. "I went too far ahead, and I ran into you. It was our first actual one-on-one encounter. I let down my guard, and you..." He paused. "I don't know. You disarmed me, but I can't remember what happened after that."

Ghirahim read the details on the rest of the mission and shut his eyes, setting the book on his lap and fiddling with his fingers. "I do, but it's not pretty."

"What happened?"

The demon lord looked away briefly, but didn't resist when Link cupped his face in both hands, turning his head to meet his gaze. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Ghirahim sighed. "I stabbed you right here, twice - " He tapped Link's right forearm. " - and pinned you to the wall. I think you thought I was going to kill you, and at first I was, but then I thought of how great of an asset to our forces you would be, and how my former lord would be so pleased if I were to capture the Hero...and instead I decided to carve those letters into your back."

Link nodded slowly. "Right...and then you left, and I went back to the base and gave the Triforce of Courage to the blonde girl...Agitha. That was her name, right?"

"Yes, Agitha."

"Master," Fate announced. "I recall that Agitha became your dearest friend after my Creator's demise. In fact, I believe she was your only friend at this point. I never encountered another."

"That's silly, Fate," Link replied. "You were my friend, too."

The sword spirit grew silent, saying nothing in reply.

"Anyway, Ghirahim...what did the carving do?"

Ghirahim was surprised that Link seemed strangely undaunted at the fact that he had been tortured with little mercy, but he answered anyway. "It made me your master, in simple terms. More specifically, it forced you to obey any command I issued without question - or, at least, it was supposed to, but I could never get you to tell me who had the Triforce of Courage, no matter how hard I tried. It also forced you to feel any sort of pain I felt, except around five to eight times stronger."

Fate cut in. "The statistics I received upon my first contact with Master Link compared to the injuries that you had received after I was born, Creator, stated that your injuries impacted him with a proportion of 1 to 9.7. After your death, he received frequent echoes that were nearly as bad as what he experienced while you were dying."

"That...doesn't sound right," Ghirahim murmured. "All connections are cut off if the creator of the blood bond dies, and it isn't supposed to be that strong."

"I suppose it's different if the two happen to fall in love."

Fate grew silent, and Link inserted nothing else, although he had tensed up sometime while she was speaking. Ghirahim confirmed his suspicion of why when he lightly pressed his palm to Link's back and the blonde relaxed.