A/N: Although I've played some of Skyward Sword, I'm nowhere near beating it. When I do, I will probably update this fic and make improvements. I just had to get it out of my head before it ate my brain... Please, if you have any constructive criticism or suggestions, I'd love to hear it! Also, if you do read this, thanks for reading. 3
Lucid Dreaming
When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.
-Leonardo da Vinci*
"Why do you ride that horse everywhere?"
The child's innocent eyes are very blue.
"When I'm on her back, I'm closer to the sky." You answer the young villager instantaneously, but unintentionally. He stares at you, confused, and you are sure your returning gaze is equally puzzled. You pulled that answer from the air—in fact, now that you are contemplating it, it seems completely silly.
You ride Epona because it is practical; to walk would be out of the question. Your journey winds for a long, long way, and you need to travel swiftly-there is too much to accomplish and not enough time.
But your thoughts expand, spread like wings (Loftwing—another thought diving into your mind from nowhere), and you know it is not completely for the necessity of getting from place to place. Epona is your friend, and riding is one of your passions. (Because you feel like you're flying if she gallops fast enough)
You can't think of Hyrule without remembering the wind playfully tousling your hair, the sunlight caressing your face with a warm hand, and the birds always above, there to chase or race.
The birds are what you dream of, not horses.
In the clouds of your dream world, there are crimson feathers warm underneath you, not palomino fur. Wingbeats echo your heart, not hoofbeats. You soar smoothly, not gallop swiftly. Wings carry you where hooves do now. A great bird's screech once answered your whistle, not a horse's whinny.
Did it?
You can't remember.
Epona is your friend, but she cannot fly.
When you wake from your dreams of flight, and you think about (remember?) falling to Hyrule. Waking is like that: a safe landing, but a disappointing one.
For what can compare to the sky?
Galloping on Epona's back certainly cannot, but you must settle for something. You settle for what feel like remembrances, some days. Races with knights, leisurely flights with a girl who smiled and gave you a sailcloth-a princess?-who was/is she?
When you wake, you miss the dreams in which your life seemed only as long as a crimson bird's wingspan, but a wingspan was all you needed.
The villager coughs.
You are brought back to earth like an islander reluctantly going to mainland.
"Well, uh... goodbye, Link of Hyrule"
Sky child Your mind replaces her last words. You nod and whistle for Epona, and you wish for blue under wings instead of green under hooves.
Even as you gallop away, your heart follows your eyes skyward.
fin
*The true source of this quote is disputed; it is usually attributed to da Vinci, but some speculation exists.