"Look around us, Link! All my life I've dreamed of seeing the surface for myself, ever since I was a child. I always want to feel the solid ground under my feet, and see the clouds above my head and watch over the Triforce. I…I think I want to live here. So…what about you? What will you do?"

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"What do you think?"

Chapter 1

Link carried a bundle of large sticks on his back and a rope around his shoulder as he climbed the Great Tree. The top of the tree was the highest point in the forest, and as such, the only place his Crimson Loftwing could hear his whistle. But Link wasn't planning on going flying today, he had something else in mind. That was what the sticks were for. As he got closer to the top, he heard a voice come from above him. "Hey there, Hero!"

Link looked up and around and saw the mossy kikwi sitting on his perch looking like he had just woken up from a nap. "Hi, Yerbal," Link said. "Still playing at being a hermit?"

"I'm not playing at anything, young man!" the old kikwi retorted. "I've been doing this for years!"

"Well if you've been up here for years," Link laughed, "maybe you can tell me an easy way to get to the very top of the tree while carrying all of this."

"You know, since the Water Dragon let all of the floodwater recede, ivy has been growing like crazy up the tree. I bet if you can find some to climb up to the top."

"Thanks, Yerbal!" Link said as he went to go find some ivy.

"If you need any hermit wisdom again, Hero, you know where to find me!" Yerbal called after him.

Link found a patch of ivy that he got a grip on and ascended the trunk of the enormous tree. He began to run into branches with lots of leaves, which meant he was close to the top. He hopped up on the branches and climbed higher and higher until his head poked out from the treetop into the sunlight. "Made it!" Link exclaimed. "Now to get to work."

He tied the rope he was carrying to one branch and let it fall down the tree to right where he started climbing so he'd have an easier time getting down. He then cleared some of the leaves out of the way and started laying the sticks down in a circular pattern, doing his best to interleave them like he was weaving a basket.

It took a while, but Link finally finished and whistled as loud as he could for his partner. In about a minute, Link glimpsed red wings through the clouds as his Loftwing approached. He landed on a branch right in front of Link and nuzzled him with his beak. "Hey, you," Link said as he patted the giant bird's head. "Look what I built for you," he motioned toward the sticks. "I made you a nest."

The Loftwing cawed and stepped off the branch and into the nest, sitting down comfortably. He then turned his head to look at Link rather quizzically. Link could tell he liked the nest but that he couldn't tell why Link had built it.

"I made a decision," Link said. "I'm going to live down here on the surface with Zelda. She wants to guard the Triforce and I want to guard her. I built this nest because I want you to live here too."

The Loftwing nuzzled Link again and then cawed out loud toward the sky. Link was very confused until he saw blue feathers descend into his view. Zelda's Loftwing flew down and landed on the treetop. Link's Loftwing hopped up and vacated the nest, letting Zelda's step inside and sit down. She stuck her beak out at Link and he gently stroked her head. "Well," Link said, "I guess we're going to have to make the nest bigger."

Zelda sat down on a stump in the deeper part of the forest and plucked the Goddess' Harp. It had been a while since she had played it, Link had gotten more practice on it than she had. Nevertheless, she plucked and strummed as she sang the Ballad of the Goddess and numerous little birds flocked around her to listen.

Zelda smiled at the sight of the little creatures gathering around and singing with her. Did they sense that she was the Goddess? It didn't matter. Even if she weren't a Goddess, she would still love all of the creatures on the surface more than she could have thought possible.

"Wow, you sound beautiful, kwee-koo," came a voice from behind her. Zelda turned around and saw a kikwi step out of the bushes.

"Thank you!" Zelda said. "Come here, little kikwi. What's your name?"

"I'm Machi, miss. I saw you when you first came to the forest and I helped Link find you."

"Then I must thank you Machi, but you must not be formal. Please call me Zelda."

"Okay, Zelda," Machi said. "I can see why Link wanted to find you. You're very beautiful. Not scary like Link."

"Thank you, Machi. You're very sweet, but Link isn't scary."

"Oh, no! Link is really nice but when I first met him, he was kind of scary. He killed all the scary red guys attacking me and that scared me."

"Oh, I'm sorry Link scared you, Machi. But now that Demise and Ghirahim are gone, there are no more monsters in the forest."

"I'm glad, kyuu. Thank you, Zelda." Machi turned and tried to hug Zelda but his armspan was so short that he hugged only her bosom.

Zelda laughed, "Oh, Machi. You may be the most adorable thing I've ever seen," she said giving him a hug back. She picked him up in her arms. "Let's go find Link!" she said.

Zelda ran through the forest with Machi in her arms, both of them calling Link's name. Machi looked up into the sky and squealed before turning and burying his head in Zelda's bosom again as well as fluffing up his grassy tail. Zelda saw a streak of red fly above, then swoop down and land right in front of her.

She recognized the red feathers instantly. "You're Link's Loftwing!" she exclaimed. "Machi, don't be afraid. This bird is Link's friend. He won't hurt you." Machi slowly turned around and looked at the Crimson Loftwing, who looked right back at Machi with his beady eyes and made a chirp of salutation that startled Machi to go back to hiding in Zelda's arms. She laughed.

The Loftwing turned, knelt down, and nodded his head toward his back while looking at Zelda. "You want me to ride you?" The bird kept motioning toward his back. "Okay, she said." She gently climbed up on the red bird's back, still clutching Machi in her arms. "Okay, Machi," she said. "We're going to go flying now!"

"Kyuu?" Before Machi knew it, the Loftwing was running down a trail as fast as it could. Finally wings spread and he took to the air with Zelda and Machi on his back. "KYYYYYUUUU!" Link's Loftwing soared high above the treetops and headed toward the great tree.

Zelda squinted in the sunlight and saw somebody waving to her from the top of the tree. "Is that Link?" As the bird got closer, Zelda saw that it was indeed Link. She waved back to him. As the reached the top of the tree, Zelda saw her Loftwing perched right next to Link, and she saw the nest. Link's Loftwing landed and Link shifted over to where he had perched and took Zelda's hand to help her down. "Zelda," he said, "what are you doing up here? And with Machi, no less."

"I could ask you the same question, Mister!" she replied. "Isn't that my Loftwing? In a nest?

"I wanted this to be a surprise," Link said, "but I guess the Loftwings had other plans." Zelda looked at him quizzically. "I built this nest for my Loftwing so he could live nearby but today I found out that he had chosen a mate."

"A mate?" Zelda gasped. "You mean..."

"Yes, Zelda. Just look at them." She turned her head to see Link's Loftwing nuzzling hers. Her heart just about melted. "Just think. We'll be able to raise little Loftwing chicks here on the surface. One day, when they get old enough, they'll fly up to Skyloft and see where their parents were born."

Machi inched his way out onto the branch that Zelda stood on. "Well," he said, "your birds may be scary but they seem nice, kyuu. But now I feel like getting down. How do I do that, kyuu?"

"I think the Loftwings can afford to give us one more ride today," Link said.

Once everybody was safely back on the ground, the Loftwings flew back up to their nest. The two humans and the kikwi waved goodbye to their feathered friends. "So you two are living down here now?" Machi asked.

"Yes, Machi," Zelda said. "We're staying in the temple so we can guard the Triforce."

"You should come visit us sometime," Link said, "and bring your friends too."

"Okay, I think the elder would like that, kyuu. Zelda? Can I have another hug, kyuu?"

"Of course you can, Machi." She knelt down and lifted Machi in her arms as he tried to hug her but again only got her bosom.

Machi then walked up to Link and said, "Your mate has a beautiful voice." Both Link and Zelda blushed.

"Well, you see..." Link stuttered, "she's not really..."

"Oh, I'd better go or the elder will get worried!" Machi said. "Bye, kyuu!" Then he disappeared into the bushes.

"What was..?" Link began. Zelda wrapped her arms around his.

"Come on, Link. Let's go home. I'm a little tired."

Home. That's what Zelda called it. Link wasn't sure what to make of it. The whole time he had been searching for her on the surface, he'd been fighting for his life. Now to suddenly call this hostile place home felt wrong to him. But then, it wasn't hostile anymore. The kikwis could walk around freely without fear of running into Bokoblins and Zelda was safe. He stopped walking and put his hands on Zelda's shoulders. "Link?" she said. "What's wrong?"

"I had been searching for you for a long time," Link said. "I didn't know when I'd find you again, or if I would find you again."

"Yes?"

"But now that I have, I don't ever want to lose you again."

"Link, you won't lose me. Not again. Remember what I said in Hylia's past? No matter what happens, I'm still your Zelda," she threw her arms around Link's neck, "and I always will be." She paused, "But I feel terrible. I used you as part of this grand prophecy. I didn't want to but it happened."

"Zelda," Link said. "Even if I wasn't your chosen hero, I would have descended to and scoured the surface a hundred times over if it meant finding you. Besides, if I wasn't your chosen hero, who would you rather have? Groose?" That made her laugh. "Come on, it's getting late. Do you still have the harp?" Zelda nodded. "I'll play you a lullaby to help you sleep tonight," Link said.

"I'd like that," she said before taking his arm in hers again. As they walked back toward the temple, Link realized that he had chosen a new home. She was the Goddess Hylia and he was her chosen hero, but they were both more than that. She was Zelda and he was Link, two wayward youths embarking on a new adventure together. No matter what happened, Link knew that home would always be wherever she was, and he would always be there to protect his Zelda.