The past is gone but
Memories are not fleeting,
Bringing warmth to heart.
A thousand years.
That is how long she must slumber, and to sleep a sad millennia, she would dream of times that seemed so long ago, but had yet to pass.
Tears streamed down her face as the soft cool wind blew against it. Groose was bullying Link again, and it was her fault. The redhead was jealous that the two of them played together all the time, and because of that, Groose often hurt Link. Even though the two boys were both eleven, Link couldn't match Groose's larger body, having gone through a growth spurt the bully was taller and stronger than Link, resulting in her friend coming away with a bruise or two on a good day.
To cool off and think, Zelda took her Loftwing and set to the skies in hopes of settling on her favorite island for a time to relax and unwind. She always felt at peace when she was alone. There were times when it seemed as if something was calling her away from Skyloft, but she knew no one lived beyond the floating islands in the sky. She drew her forearm across her face, wiping the tears from it. Leaning to the right side of her bird, she looked towards the cloud layer beneath.
"What could lie beyond that fluffy white barrier?" She frequently thought to herself. No one seemed as curious about the fabled "surface" mentioned in her father's texts as she did. She leaned further, feeling a mysterious pull downwards, almost as if she was being called below. It was hypnotizing, being mesmerized by the peculiar sensation.
Zelda's mind was elsewhere. The wind no longer whistled in her long ears and she didn't feel the breeze on her skin. She was warm and still, her eyes closed. She hummed her favorite tune, the Ballad of the Goddess. On the second to last note she sensed something, snapping her eyes open and propping herself upright on her Loftwing. She must have been flying in a daze for at least some time, as the sun was lower in the sky, partially falling past the clouds. She looked behind her towards it, admiring the way the light shone, radiating through the white and blue expanse and creating a beautiful multicolored sky.
She turned to face forward just in time to see an Octorock perched on a nearby hunk of floating rock launch a stone in her direction. Her eyes widened as it rapidly approached but immediately she came to her senses. She gripped her bird's harness, sharply pulling in the opposite direction, but it wasn't enough to steer clear of the oncoming projectile. The rock hit her Loftwing's left shoulder, causing it to let out a screech of pain and fall into a downwards spiral. Zelda gripped on for dear life as the cloud barrier rapidly drew closer. She closed her eyes.
"No! Pull up, PULL UP!" She screamed, yanking on the harness of her bird. Her blue-feathered friend let out a squawk and with great effort it pumped it's wings, lifting the two of them out of their fall and into a glide.
"Dear Hylia, please let it be near!" She prayed to the goddess for guidance. Her Loftwing could only glide for so long before it fell beneath the clouds or its wing gave out completely from the injury. With the passing of every second, fear grew within her. If she couldn't find her haven soon it would be the end of both of them.
"There!" She said with relief, gently coaxing her friend towards a small island on the edge of the cloud layer that was almost invisible from above. As they drew near she realized they were coming in too quickly, but with her Loftwing's injuries, they couldn't perform a proper landing.
She closed her eyes and braced for the crash. Zelda flew over her bird while it slid through the dirt for a few feet before coming to a stop. The young girl's body let out a grunt as it collided with the single small tree on the tiny paradise.
Zelda groaned but immediately pushed herself up, ignoring the scrapes and bruises she received from the crash and limped towards her companion who lie sprawled before her, panting and feathers ruffled from the impact.
"No, no, NO! First Link, and now I hurt you as well? Please, can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" Zelda fell to her knees crying and gently hugged the long soft neck of her friend. She didn't know how long she stayed like that before her adrenaline wore off and the pain of her injuries began to take hold. Slowly she pulled away from her bird, looking it in the eye. In its deep black pupil she could see worry.
"Are you safe? Were you able to hold on? Did I pad your landing?" She could sense her companion asking these questions. Zelda always had a very strong bond with her Loftwing, just as Link did with his. It seemed the two children were the most in tune with their companions out of all the citizens of Skyloft.
"I'm fine, see?" She said smiling but her face quickly contorted into a grimace when a stinging sensation of pain hit her. Her cheeks felt wet with tears. From the pain or her sadness, she couldn't tell.
Zelda assessed her surroundings. It was her favorite island in the sky, almost invisible from above because of its close proximity to the cloud layer, which often blew drifts over the island, causing a thick mist to settle like a blanket, keeping the location a secret from most everyone else. It served as her hideout. The only one she shared its location with was Link.
"Link, I'm so sorry that you are hurt because of me," she said to no on in particular. She stood up, dragging herself back towards the small tree and ripping off a corner of her torn and dirty pink dress to dip in the little indent in the ground filled with water from the condensation of the clouds. She returned to her companion's side and squeezed the cloth over the blood soaking through the sky-blue feathers. Her bird's panting had stopped and its breathing evened out. She stroked its head, looking it in the eye.
"I'm fine. Tend to your own wounds. Please," she heard its thoughts. Zelda nodded, looking to where her friend had slid across the ground. Grass was pulled up and flowers crushed. She leaned over and planted a single gentle kiss on her Loftwing's forehead before standing and forcing herself to walk back over to the small pool next to the tree. She leaned against the it, facing the pond and scowling as the rough bark pressed against her back, bruised from the collision with the island's native vegetation. Dipping the cloth in the water once more, she squeezed it over her own scraped and bloody legs. Once the wounds were clear of debris and blood she looked to the sky. Not much was visible because of the surrounding clouds forming a foggy haze over the island, but she could still tell it was rapidly getting darker. She looked back to her Loftwing. It had fallen asleep.
"I'm glad you're getting rest," she said quietly and turned her head in the general direction of Skyloft. "You will need it if we hope to return home soon."
Zelda shivered. Her bird was used to the cold wet weather, as their species slept outside, even during the strongest of storms. The girl's small body lacked insulation to keep warm in the mist that came during nightfall and she was too weak to crawl to her friend's side and bury herself in the warm fluffy feathers.
"It's just one night, Zel," she told herself. "I can make it. I'm big now. I've gone off on my own adventures before." And it was true. She often caused a ruckus back on Skyloft when she would disappear for the day, but she would always return before the sun was more than halfway swallowed by the clouds. "They must be worried…" she drifted, pulling her knees to her chest and hugging them close to retain warmth.
Everything was her fault. Link being hurt, her Loftwing crashing, and the people back in Skyloft probably panic-stricken over her sudden disappearance so late in the day. Zelda buried her face in her legs.
"Hylia, I wish I could be as strong as you," the girl mumbled. "You sent us to the sky and stayed behind to fight in our place."
Suddenly she lifted her head. Zelda thought she had heard something with her elongated ears. She shook the thought away. "It's nothing. I don't need to be afraid. It's just me and my Loftwing. Nothing will come for the two of us… Right?"
"….da…" She heard it again, this time clearer. Something about it was familiar. She strained her ears.
"…elda…Zelda!"
"Link? LINK!" She shouted, sitting up straighter. By the increasing volume of his voice she could tell he was getting closer. "Down here!" She called to guide him towards her through the cloud barrier. It had reached the time of day where it was dangerous to ride a Loftwing, for the lack of light made it hard to see where one was going. On top of that, Link was trying to maneuver through the clouds and onto the island.
Zelda's Lofwing awoke from the shouting. It dragged itself to a standing position, its left wing hanging limply at its side. The great bird let out a squawk, calling to the other of its kind in the sky above them.
"Zelda?! You're here! Thank Hylia!" Link said from somewhere above her.
"Yes! I'm right below you! Be careful landing!" She cupped her hands around her mouth. Moments later the strong beating of wings buffeted the clouds, causing them to separate, making for a longer range of visibility. The Crimson Loftwing slowly hovered down onto the island, the strong wind from its wings blowing Zelda's hair as she still sat against the tree. Her Loftwing dragged itself to her side to make room on the tiny island for the new arrivals.
Once Link had performed a successful landing he immediately hopped off his companion and rushed to her. She looked up at him. He was panting, his throat dry with shouting, as he plopped down next to Zelda on the damp ground, his Loftwing walking behind him and rubbing up against its injured friend.
"Everyone is in an uproar looking for you. I-I left not long after I heard you had gone missing. I figured you would be here." He had a black eye and bloody lip, as well as a large scrape down his right calf. Gifts from Groose, no doubt. "Are you OK?" He said, looking over her wounds, which she had mostly hidden from him by still hugging her legs to her chest. The diming light was on her side as well, making it difficult for Link to see her injuries.
She nodded weakly. Zelda saw the tension in him dissolve.
"I'm sorry Link," she said, meeting his eyes. Her gaze drifted to his wounds. He hadn't even had time to properly dress them before setting out from Skyloft to search for her. "You're hurt because of me."
For the briefest moment his face held worry. Then he did the last thing she expected of him: he laughed.
"Haha! It's fine, and not your fault. Groose is just toughening me up, that's all. If I hope to be a Knight of Skyloft someday, I have to be strong."
She looked at him astonished. How was he able to be this upbeat after his injuries? Though his happiness was contagious. She smiled.
"You're only going to be a Knight of Skyloft if you get your head out of the clouds and stop daydreaming, sleepyhead," she replied. He laughed, embarrassed. Link turned towards the two birds, his Crimson Loftwing gently nuzzling the left wing of Zelda's bird.
"Your bird…" he drifted. Zelda followed his gaze, a frown crossing her face.
"It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention. She trusts me to watch her back, and I failed her." The girl propped her chin on her knees. Now that Link was here and the birds stood close, there was a warmth around her she wasn't aware of before.
"Zelda, you can't blame yourself for everything. We're here for you," he looked up and met the eyes of his own winged companion, then turned to face her again. "We're stronger when we are together anyways, right?"
"…Yeah," she said after a short time, smiling. "Thank you, Link," she met his eyes, and then turned to the dark sky where somewhere in the distance their friends and family awaited their return. "I just hope they aren't too mad at us when we get back."
"Mad? If anything they should be proud."
"What do you mean?" She looked at him, confused.
"I'm already flying at night! I just might be able to graduate from the Knight Academy early!"
Zelda laughed. "Well, if you want to graduate early, that means more flight practice, so you better not be sleeping in anymore once we get back to Skyloft."
"I can take us right now! I'll prove that I'm a good flyer and bring you back to Skyloft, right away! My Loftwing can carry the two of us," He jumped up, pointing in the general direction of their home.
"Link, stop it. You know it's dangerous to fly at night, and I can't leave my friend," she turned to the two Loftwings, who by now had settled down, leaning up next to each other, the feathers of Zelda's stroking her side in tune with the bird's even breathing.
"Right," the energetic boy said, walking around Zelda to stand next to his Loftwing. He stroked its side, and then sat on the ground next to her, his back leaning against his bird. He brought his gaze to hers, his eyes glowing in the darkness. "It's late. If we want to get back early, we should probably get some rest." By now the stars were bright above them, piercing the mist surrounding the island. The moon was a mere sliver in the night.
She smiled, scooting closer to him in the dim light and burying herself in her companion's feathers. "I'll wake you in the morning, sleepyhead." She said quietly, but the boy was already dreaming.
Zelda was now filled with a warm glow from the ones dear to her who were surrounding the girl and sharing their heat. She didn't know how long it lasted before exhaustion consumed her, but for a time the warmth filled her heart, and made the pain and tension of her stressful adventure melt away as her consciousness drifted into the night.
The orange crystal shattered, the light that filtered through the hole in the ceiling of the aged temple refracted from the shards that seemed to hover for eternity. Eventually her feet gently came to rest on the aged stone beneath her.
"Link…" she said as gravity began to take hold of her divine being in a mortal body. Her eyes started to focus on her dear friend, clad in green, for whom she had put through so much. "I…" she barely managed to form the single word before her body, weak from ages of rest, crumpled. The stone closed in quickly on her vision but before she hit the ground, a soft embrace enveloped her.
Warmth.
She took a deep breath and looked up. Their eyes met.
"I'm sorry. So, so sorry," she said, trying to hold back the tears. A sad smile crossed his face, fatigue present in him and a small cut across his cheek. He pulled her closer.
"Zelda, this isn't your fault, it's just another adventure," he whispered into her elongated ear. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she returned the embrace.
"Good morning, sleepyhead. Thank you for waking me."
For some reason I had a lot more trouble writing this one than I had expected. I knew exactly how I wanted it to be like, but I had a lot of difficulty typing it out, and the end result isn't what I wanted when I started. That's not to say the story changed, I just couldn't seem to convey it in the way I wanted to.
I still hope you enjoyed, and please leave your thoughts!