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Down To Skyloft

Chapter 1

"Hurry up, or we're going to be late for class!"

I heard my best friend, Karane, yell through the hole in the wall. I was almost late for class again, but I didn't need to worry.

I stepped out of my dorm room at the same time Karane did hers. Her immediate response from seeing me was, "You can even make the Academy's uniforms look good, huh Zeel?"

Oh, yeah. Zeel. She called me Zeel because when we were first starting to read, she thought 'e' was pronounced 'ee'. My name was really Zelda. At that moment as children, Zelda Harkinian had become best friends with Karane Locoer.

.

Once we got to the classroom, I heard a quiet, adorable sigh come from Karane. I immediately knew why, too.

Pipit Coleus. He was the most popular boy in the Academy. He was also closest to being a knight. This was Skyloft's beloved Knight Academy anyway. Pipit was Karane's crush ever since we were all children.

After we were seated, I looked around the room. Where's my crush then? I thought.

As if on cue, the door opened. The first thing I saw was the green uniform.

Link. Karane would always ask me why I liked him, and most of the time, I couldn't give her an explanation. Was it his long, dusty, blonde hair? Most of the boys had that, with a few exceptions. Was it because while never seeming to make a sound, he could still communicate with those closest to him? Strong and silent types weren't really over-popular in Skyloft, so maybe. Was it because I've become one of the people that are closest to him? Probably.

Link and I had gone as far back as I can remember. I still remember that night perfectly.

.

A boy, same young age as me, was staring into the night sky. His father had been called for an important mission to fight of a threat that was heading towards Skyloft. He waited there all night.

At last, the crew that was sent came back. Most of them anyway.

Link's father was not one of them.

I saw him crying as the rain kept pouring. I walked over to him and gave him my umbrella. My father, Headmaster Gaepora, told him he could live in the Knight Academy.

.

"Zelda? Stop daydreaming!"

Karane's voice brought me out of my flashback. Right in the middle of it, too.

Across the room, Pipit was talking to Groose, although I would never know why anyone would want to talk to him.

Groose was the epitome of annoying and conceited. He was always bragging about being the best student at the Academy, trying to fit in with everyone even though he only had two friends, and chasing me and asking me to go out with him. Worst of all, he was always picking on Link. He would always blame everything that's going wrong in the world on him. Moreover, he would continue to insult his intelligence, his sword skills, and his lack of talking. Groose even had a bright red pompadour and golden eyes to match.

He was obviously trying to get Link and I to spend less time together, since, along with Karane, Link was my best friend.

My father broke my chain of thought by announcing something to the class. "Good morning students. It is now time that I choose a young girl to play the part of the Goddess in this year's Wing Ceremony."

The Wing Ceremony was the one thing that could make one of the students one step closer to becoming a knight. The objective was simple: get on your Loftwing, chase after the Loftwing with a statue attached to its foot, and grab the statue.

Each year, one girl was chosen to play the role of the Goddess. Karane was last year's Goddess. Every Goddess would give a gift that she made to the person that won. Karane made a new sword hilt for her winner, who just so happened to be Pipit.

"And now, Instructor Horwell, please give me the bowl."

Instructor Horwell, one of the teachers at the Academy, gave my father a bowl with names of all the girls in the school who hadn't had a chance to act in the Goddess's stead.

"And this year's Goddess is… Oh!"

Please, oh please, don't be me!

"Zelda!"

Thanks a lot, Hylia…