Blessed

Chapter Sixteen: Swords

A/N: I hope you brought tissues.

Early the next morning, Ghirahim woke Link up and told Zelda to round up the soldiers, then returned to their quarters and made sure the Hero was actually conscious.

"Come on, Link. You can sleep in tomorrow, I promise."

"Will we have a tomorrow?"

The taller male paused, then pounced on Link. "Don't be ridiculous," he hissed, moving so their faces were inches apart, although there was a furious determination in his eyes. "Of course we will."

Link blinked blearily, seeming groggy even while he spoke. "But last time - "

"Last time doesn't matter, because last time isn't today. I'm not going to die, and neither are you. Din knows I have a heck of a lot to live for. This time...I wouldn't dream of letting it go."

A tear welled in Link's eye, but he quickly wiped it away and pressed a gentle kiss to Ghirahim's lips. "Okay. Let's get ready, then."

They both got off of the bed, and after a moment of silence, Link asked quietly, "Would you have done the same thing?"

The demon turned from where he had been testing the edges of his new blades. "Done what?"

"Would you have...k-killed yourself? Or was I overreacting?" The blonde turned away, but it was easy enough to spot his tears.

"Oh, easily. If I lost you...I'd go immediately. You weren't overreacting. I don't think I would ever last that long without you." Ghirahim put away the swords, walked over, and tilted Link's chin up, cupping his face in his hands. "I'm proud of you, for lasting longer than I ever could."

They shared another tender kiss, and then Ghirahim gestured to a green uniform sitting on a small table near the door. "The princess insisted you wear that. It's one of those symbolism things for Hyrule. On the bright side, it seems comfortable, and she's not making you wear the scarf this time."

Link's sigh was heavy, but he put it on anyway, pulling his sword belt with Fate and her scabbard up over his shoulder, along with an extra belt with pouches for bottles and small items. He left the hat off.

They were heading down the hall when the Hero stopped at a mirror and let out a sigh. When Ghirahim questioned him for this, he explained, "It's been a hundred years, and I still don't think I can do this."

"I have analyzed the Hyrulean army," Fate announced. "Our forces are very, very strong, Master. With Princess Zelda leading the army, it is unlikely we will make any tactical mistakes. Volga, the dragon knight, will be a very powerful asset to our forces. And with the two of you as our primary commanders, and the front line, our chances of losing are extremely low."

"Thank you, Fate," Ghirahim replied as they continued walking. Link seemed lost in thought, and he wrapped his fingers around his lover's tightly, nuzzling into his left shoulder.

~*~

When they arrived by the temple, when the sun was nearing the top of its ascent, Zelda drew something from a concealed pocket and gazed at it for a moment before throwing it as far as she could, halfway across the battlefield.

The necklace shattered when it hit the ground, and a shadow fell over the sky. Clouds of darkness bubbled from where the piece of jewelry had fallen, glowing purple on occasion, until a tall, broad man with long red hair stood in its place, bearing two enormous swords that were separate in design.

Link recognized him instantly as Ganondorf - the commander of the opposing army in times previous and king of the Gerudo. He looked around for a moment, then started to chuckle. His chuckle turned into a full laugh.