The small child clung to his mother's skirt as they walked. He didn't know where they were going, but his mother was smiling, so it must be a good thing. Finally, they reached a small area near the plaza next to a big tree. Two people stood there, as if waiting for them. A small girl about the boy's age, and a large, portly man.
"Hello!" Called the man. The little boy listened as his mother repeated the greeting. She walked up to the man and the girl, the boy at her tail.
The man and the boy's mother has a small conversation that the child couldn't understand. He was too young to understand. But then, his mother spoke to him with her I'm-speaking-to-a-baby voice.
"Link." She said softly to him. "I want you to meet someone." The young boy's grip tightened onto her skirt. The little girl walked bravely up to him, not hesitating a moment. The boy shrank back, and pressed himself into his mother's skirt again. "Link, this is Zelda. Can you say hi to Zelda?" His mother said. Link didn't answer.
"Hi!" Said the little girl to him.
"Link, say hi to Zelda." His mother said again. Link looked down.
"Hi." He said halfheartedly. Zelda giggled.
"You two go on and play with each other." Said Link's mother. "We'll be watching." Link watched as his mother walked over to a bench with Zelda's father. He turned back to the young girl, who smiled at him.
"My daddy taught me how to greet people!" She said. "Do you want me to show you?" Link didn't answer. Zelda held out her hand. She took Link's hand, and placed it in hers. "Now you shake it." She told Link. Link started to shake her hand from left to right. Zelda laughed. "No, that's not how you do it! You shake it like this." Zelda moved her hand up and down, carrying Link's hand with it. She let go of his hand, and Link just let it drop.
Zelda was trying to think of a way to get the young boy to talk to her. Then she got an idea. She lightly tapped Link's shoulder. "Tag," She said, then ran away.
"Hey!" Said Link, running after her. Zelda slowed down to encourage Link, and then ran away again just as Link would have been able to touch her. Suddenly, Zelda noticed that Link wasn't chasing her anymore. She turned to find that Link has tripped on his own feet and fell, scraping his knee. his knee started to bleed. Zelda ran over.
"You OK Link?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Said Link.
He helped himself up. "Tag" said Link, tapping Zelda on the shoulder, and running away.
"Hey!" Called Zelda, running after him.
Link's mother and Zelda's father were stunned. Usually, a kid Link's age would cry and run for his mother, but Link? He didn't shed a tear, and he kept playing! Something strange was going on.
He stood there, tears falling down his cheek. He stared at the coffin before him. His mother's spirit has left the world, and has joined his father. His loving mother was unable to stand against the illness. She had left him. Her only son. And now he was alone. All alone.
Zelda and her father stared at him, watching as the poor boy walked away sorrowfully, his head bent. It has been about a year since the boy and Zelda had met, playing a game of tag. Link was such a happy boy then. It was almost impossible to imagine him in the state he was in now, yet here he was. Zelda kept close to her father.
Link slept under a tree that night, not feeling like going back to his bed without his mother. When he woke up, he found a little box by his side. He opened it, and found a small breakfast meal inside. He saved it for later. He wasn't hungry right now.
Zelda watched the poor boy as he examined the small box that she placed there. She had felt his pain before, when her mother had passed away from the same illness. But never before had she been an orphan. She slowly walked away.
Link and Zelda sat, side by side, their legs dangling over the edge of the island, Zelda's head rested on Link's shoulder. The twelve year olds watched as giant birds glided to and fro around the great sky.
"I can't wait to ride on one of those." Link said to Zelda. Zelda laughed, then sighed.
"I can't wait either." She said. "Just promise me that you will ride right next to me when we do." Link smiled at her.
"I promise."
A small crowd had gathered around the plaza. They all waited for something. The people who has come of age ran to the clearing that the crowd had left for them. They included Groose, Pipit, Karane, Fledge, Cawlin, Strich, Link, and Zelda. All about age fourteen. They all watched the sky, waiting, waiting.
The first one came. A dark purple loftwing. It landed, and approached Groose. Groose walked up to it. The giant bird nudged him. This was going to be his own loftwing from now on. Groose was given instructions on how to mount it, then how to take off. While he was being given these instructions, another loftwing flew down. This one was a beautiful purple. It approached Zelda.
She was given the same instructions that were given to Groose. Groose and Zelda took off with their loftwings, hovered above the crowd, then touched back down. Zelda landed next to Link, and dismounted. She hugged her new loftwing, and stroked it's silky feathers. Link placed a gentle hand on Zelda's shoulder. Just then, he heard a loud squawk. He looked up. Most people gasped. Several of them pointed at the sky. A crimson loftwing. One so rare that everyone was sure that it had vanished from the line. It circled overhead once, then touched down. Right in front of Link.
Link just stood and stared, his mouth slightly open. The loftwing looked at Link in the eye. Link hesitantly placed his hand on the bird's beak. He placed his other hand on the great bird's forehead. The loftwing nudged Link slightly. Link didn't wait for any instructions. He hopped on, and took off, riding like the wind.
"YAHOO!" Link let out. He didn't care if everyone was watching him. He felt free. He could travel to different smaller islands. He could explore and discover new things, not like he was going to be able to anyway. (hehe. WRONG)
Link touched back down next to Zelda. Zelda stared at him. Groose glared at him. Fledge stared at him. Karane, Pipit, Cawlin and Strich stared at him. The entire crowd stared at him. None of these people have seen a crimson loftwing before.
Link looked at Zelda. "I promised you that I would ride with you once we got our loftwings. Will you fly with me?" He asked, holding his hand out to her. Zelda didn't take it.
"You know, Link?" Zelda asked with her voice raised to be heard over the wind rushing in their ears.
"Yeah, Zelda?" Asked Link.
"I've been meaning to tell you something for quite a while now." Zelda looked a little upset when she said it. Link looked at her nervously from his crimson loftwing, which he got about three years ago. Link remembered how Zelda was so jealous of him. She wouldn't talk to him for two weeks. But now she's happy with the loftwing she was currently riding. a light purple one.
"There was this voice that I keep hearing, telling me I have to-" she was interrupted by a loud thunder crash and a flash of light. An enormous black tornado stood in front of them, sucking them in.
Suddenly, Zelda was pulled off her loftwing, who flew away in fright. "LINK!" Screamed Zelda as was being sucked beneath the clouds. With the tornado.
"ZELDA!" Link screamed, diving after her on his loftwing. He slammed into the tornado, but it didn't suck him in like it did to Zelda. Instead, it hit him on the head so hard, that he blacked out.
Geapora saw the crimson loftwing. He found Link lying on it's back, unconscious. But where was Zelda? The loftwing landed. Geapora took Link, and placed him in his bed. Oh, where was Zelda? Where was Zelda?