Destined to Fight (GhiraLink)

Lips Sealed

"Why do you wanna call it Hyrule?" came Groose's voice. "It sounds kinda weird."

"Hylia once ruled over this land," Zelda answered. "The religious people would like it because of the 'hy' part, and for those that aren't necessarily religious...I wouldn't think it's a bad name."

"True. But not everyone's gonna like the idea of a government, Zelda. We never really had one in Skyloft. Hell, not everyone even calls it Skyloft."

He wasn't wrong; there were people, especially those that never went to the Knight Academy, that called it things like City in the Sky and the Isle of the Goddess. The Academy had invented Skyloft to save the guard's breath.

In a way, though, the Academy was the government. Most followed the rules there, even if they had never went themselves. It was the closest thing to a government, and usually the ones who paid the Academy no mind went by similar rules anyway. The small population was what kept the entire island from becoming barbaric over time.

"I want us to settle on the Surface. At some point, a government's gonna have to come into play," Zelda said. "And we can't just call it the Surface forever."

Groose was silent for a while. Then he stood up. "Well, we have to deal with all of this first."

Zelda watched him, seeming slightly taken aback by his actions. Then she said, "Right," and stood up herself. "Let's get going."

Quietly, Link slipped away back to Ghirahim, glancing back several times to make sure Zelda nor Groose saw him. As a result, he nearly ran headfirst into Ghirahim's chest. When he looked up, the demon was grinning.

"Oh, you're terrible," Ghirahim said as he crossed his arms. "Eavesdropping isn't very nice."

"You're not any better," Link retorted quickly. This earned him a loud laugh from Ghirahim.

Eventually, he calmed down, though his grin did not vanish. Link guessed that he felt triumphant, having caught Link doing something wrong.

"Hey, we're leaving!" came Groose's booming voice. Link turned his head to see them opening the door and walking out into the sunlit world. The two lingered there until Link jogged to catch up with them, Ghirahim close behind.

The days were becoming cooler, but it wasn't until Link stepped out of the Sealed Temple that morning that he noticed it. Soon it would be cuddling season. Around them, red, yellow, and orange leaves had appeared on the trees that they walked past. The Goddess Statue was behind them, smiling as she cast a shadow over the two.

"By the way, don't you think you should check on the sword?" Ghirahim said as they walked. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Immediately, Link's mood was crushed as he was reminded that Ghirahim's days were numbered. What was the point in even checking anymore except to remind themselves that there was nothing more they could do? Nonetheless, he stopped and reached over his head, grabbed the sword with both hands, and pulled it out of its sheathe. When he moved it into view, he winced and had to stop himself from tearing up.

The rust was horrible--even if they had found a way to get rid of it, there were still large spots where the blade had been eaten away. It wouldn't last much longer.

Neither would Ghirahim.

"Right," Ghirahim said, his voice barely audible. Perhaps he'd forgotten too--until then. Now he didn't even bother to recover his calm and sometimes intimidating demeanor; maybe he felt that there was no point anymore.

"I'm sorry," Link mumbled, unable to look at him.

"You did everything you could. Let's...let's just get going."