Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own any aspect of Skyward Sword or anything in the Legend of Zelda franchise.
Cold rain pounded against her window as she stared out of it, occasionally flinching from the boom of thunder, or flash of lightning. Storms were rare here, extremely rare. This was only the second one her father had ever seen in his life. And he was nearing fifty.
Thunder boomed, sending waves of deep noise straight into her pointed ears. She screamed and jumped onto her bed, hiding herself underneath the protection of the quilt her mother had given her when she just a baby. It was all she had left of her. The only memory she really had was this quilt. There were the poorly drawn pictures her father had made, but she knew that wasn't what she would ever look like. Her father talked about her often. How she looked just like her mother. How she had her eyes, her hair, the same exact smile. It made her want to meet her mother more and more. Yet she knew she'd never be able to.
She couldn't tell whether or not it was the fact that she was under the covers and it was quiet, or if the rain was stopping. She could hardly hear anything now. Maybe it had stopped. She hoped it had. She just wanted the terrifying thing to be over with.
She removed the quilt from her head and wrapped it around her like a cloak. It made her feel safe, even though she knew that it could never defend her against anything.
She walked over to the window, gazing out of it and looking at the city below her. There wasn't much to look at, however. The city was just a piece of floating rock. There were only about fifty people on it, probably less. She could see the Bazaar and a tree from her window. The tree was her favorite. It was the biggest one that they had on the floating rock- Skyloft, was its name- and she often spent her days sitting underneath it, joking with her older friend, Karane, about the strangest things.
Yet, there was a boy out there, sitting underneath the tree, as the rain still poured on from above.
His soaking wet hair hung over his face, and it looked like the color clay. She wondered what it would look like if it were dry, not dripping with the rain. He wore a simple white shirt, but that was now practically see-through and stuck to his upper torso. Brown pants, the same color as his hair, were on his legs. It was a simplistic outfit, really. Most of the boys around her age wore something kind of similar, just with a bit more… individuality. She couldn't see his face, but she didn't recognize what she could see of him. She knew most of the kids that lived in Skyloft, but that didn't necessarily mean all of them. She knew of a girl, about her age, that lived with her father at the Lumpy Pumpkin in another part of the sky. She wanted to meet her some day. Maybe she would.
Suddenly, lightning flashed, and the girl hopped back away from her window in fear. She wanted to know what the boy was doing. Was he as scared as she was?
Cautiously, she peered her head out the window. The boy's head was turned away from here, darting spastically from side to side in a state of panic. He looked worse than she did. But why wouldn't he go inside?
The girl was surprised when the boy's head whipped around and he looked straight at her. It wasn't the fact that he saw her that surprised her. It was his eyes.
They were a crystalline ocean blue, almost the exact color that hers were. Nearly everyone on the island had brownish-black yes, with only a few exceptions, herself included. There was Groose; he was an abnormality all by himself, with his crimson hair and gargantuan size. But Groose's eyes were yellow, almost the color of dead grass, not blue. Not the color of her eyes. Not the color of the boys'. It was certainly a different sight to see, having never seen anything similar, except when looking into a mirror.
She shivered to herself, backing away from the window and sitting on the edge of her bed, thinking about what she could do. Maybe she could help the boy out? It seemed like the best option. But going out in the rain… that didn't seem like an option she could bring herself to do. But maybe…
She suddenly shot up out of her bed and flung her door open, sprinting over to her Father's room and tapping the door lightly.
"Daddy, daddy! There's a boy outside!" she exclaimed, her high pitched voice edged with concern. She could hear fast footsteps, and the large, white doors that lead into her father's study opened.
Her father was certainly an interesting man. Even at his somewhat young age, he was nearly bald, and whatever hair he had was all gray. His eyebrows and hair were connected, arching in a semi-circle to form things that looked like horns. He had a tiny, triangular goatee on his chin, and a rectangular mustache resting above his lips. He was a rather large man as well, towering over his small daughter. It made sense for that to be true, but he even towered over the other teachers at the Academy where they lived.
"What do you mean, Zelda? Storms are dangerous here, and everyone knows to be inside during this time. Any responsible person would keep their kid inside." he said, half talking to Zelda, and the other half was wondering himself if this was actually true.
"I'll show you, daddy. Come on!" she said, wrapping her tiny hand around her fathers wrist as she pulled him towards her room. She ran over to her window in excitement, pointing at the tree where the boy was still sitting. "Look!"
Her father lowered himself and looked out the circular window. Indeed, there was a boy, about the same age as his daughter. He couldn't fathom why he would be out there, all alone. Where were his parents? Actually, why was he out there in the first place? The entire situation was a puzzling one. Even more puzzling was the fact that the boy was unrecognizable. He knew everyone in the entirety of Skyloft, even the people who lived on the outskirts and little sections of land. Not once had he ever seen this peculiar boy.
Zelda turned to face her father, staring up at him with large, aegean eyes. "Can I go and fetch him? I don't want him to be scared, daddy." she wondered, tilting her head to the side in a state of curiosity.
Her father opened his mouth to speak, taking a sharp intake of breath before stopping quickly. He knew it would be better for him to go and do what she was asking, but for some reason, he felt the urge to trust Zelda and let her do this rather than himself. He closed his gaping mouth, placing a large, calloused hand on his daughters shoulders, and crouching down even more so he was the same height as her.
"Yes, Zelda. Be extraordinarily careful, I don't want you to get hurt. I'll be right at the front door, just yell if you need me." he said, smiling as her face lit up in a toothy smile that occupied her entire face. She threw her feeble arms around her father's neck.
"Thank you!" she squealed, quickly taking off out of the room, quilt still wrapped around her like a cloak. Her father chuckled to himself, slowly standing up and walking to the door. He turned around as he grabbed the framing, looking out the window one last time before closing the door. He heard the front ones slam quickly, and realized Zelda was already searching for the boy. He hurried a bit, going down the large, curved staircase to the main floor, and over to the large doors that led outside. He opened them quickly, covering his head as he walked over the the front gate that was open enough for a small girl to get through. He flinched as lightning flashed behind him. He still wasn't used to this experience. He didn't think anyone was.
Zelda raced down the dirt path she had gone down thousands of times before. It wasn't really that long of a ways away, but she didn't want to be in the rain for that much longer. She thought it would help her conquer the small fear she had. It didn't.
The rain was extremely weird. It just kept falling, like little tiny leaves pelting at her body. Sure, it didn't seem to hurt that much for the first few times, but the longer it went on, the more tediously annoying it became. And the fact that she was a soaking mess added to the annoyance of it.
She slowed herself down as she neared the tree, coming to a stop right behind the stairs that led up to the Bazaar. Sure enough, the boy was still sitting there, head looking down at his lap. There wasn't a dry spot on him; he was completely soaked from head to toe. She didn't understand how he could be standing this, sitting openly in the rain for however long he had been.
Zelda took a step forwards, and stepped on a branch. The noise startled the boy; his head whipping up in surprise at the noise's location. They both stared at each other, nearly copying the others apprehension.
"Who...who are you? I know everyone in Skyloft, but I've never seen you before." Zelda questioned, taking a few small steps over towards the boy, reaching her hand out to help him up off the ground. He shook his head, looking down at his knees as he scooted backwards away from her, once for every step she took towards him. She drew her hand back, surprised at the boys' sudden shyness and fear of trusting her. She made friends easily; no one had really ever been scared of her before. It was something she wasn't used to. And she hated it.
Her nostrils flared, fists clenching up into balls and knuckles turning as white as the clouds when rain wasn't present. "Why won't you trust me? I just want to help you!" she exclaimed, stomping her foot on the ground and sending drops of muddy water all over herself and the boy. She gasped, looking at the little brown stains that dotted her quilt. It stained the little pink dress that she was wearing, and the stark-white pants. It got in her bright yellow hair, as well. She looked over at the boy, afraid that maybe he had something priceless like she did, possibly ruined his already filthy clothes. And she instead found him smiling to himself, his blue eyes dancing with amusement.
"Stop it!" she yelled, stomping her foot yet again, only this time softer so she wouldn't spray any more water. The boy did as she said, eyes wide as he stared up at her face. Nervousness now filled them, and his face was contorted in a flinch. He knew he had done something wrong. It was written all over his raindrop-stained face.
"Zelda! Silence!" her father yelled, slowly running over to the two young children. He ran fast enough so she wouldn't say anything she'd regret, but slow enough so he wouldn't trip on the slick ground. He quickly got to the spot where they were. "You said you were here to help the boy, not yell at him." Zelda nodded, a solemn look painted on her fair face. He then looked down at the soaked boy, glancing at his excessively small stature. You could see the bones sticking out of his arms, how hollow and empty his face looked. Zelda wouldn't be able to notice this; she was merely a child. But nonetheless, the boy was severely malnourished. It was something he hadn't really ever seen in this town before.
Yet, oddly enough, the skeletal boy shot up onto his feet the second that he looked back to Zelda. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see the boys own, wide and staring intently at him. It wasn't a look of fear or shock, but rather one of respect and past knowledge. It bothered him that he couldn't quite place why this boy would understand who he was.
He knelt down to be the same height as the boy, similar to what he did with Zelda mere minutes ago. The boy stared at him with intensity, eyes never wavering or blinking. It was strange, to say the least. All of Zelda's friends smiled, or didn't dare to look him in the eyes for more than three seconds at a time. Instead, he stared as if it were a staring contest that his life depended. This boy was breaking all of the normal situations that he was used to.
"What is your name, young one?" Gaepora asked, reaching a hand out to rest on the boy's shoulder. He flinched, pressing his back against the tree, and closed his eyes. His shoulders rose upwards, sitting as close to his face as possible. It was like he was expecting something bad to happen. The mystery surrounding this boy grew and grew with each passing minute.
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," Gaepora stated, pulling his arms up towards his face, almost like he was showing innocence. "I'm just going to need you to trust me."
The boy then opened his eyes and looked at Gaepora 's hands, blinking a couple of times out of confusion. He then looked at Gaepora , his look of seriousness replaced by fear and innocence. It was obviously something to do with him trying to reach out to him in an act of comfort. But the boy closed his eyes again and took in a breath, then nodded his head. Gaepora smiled, motioning for the boy to follow him.
"Come on, you two. Let's go back to the Academy." he said, turning around and walking back. Zelda scurried over to his side and wrapped her tiny hands in his large ones. He stretched his ears slightly, hearing the boy's light footsteps behind him.
In the time in which he had encountered the boy, he hadn't even noticed that the rain had stopped.
Gaepora smiled to himself, squeezing his daughter hand lightly. The group of three walked over to the Academy, walking slower than they had before. Since the rain was gone, there was no need to fear anything.
When they arrived, they walked up to Gaeporas' office. The boy left a trail of dirty water and mud behind him. It was like he was leaving a path for him to follow when he was going to leave. As if Gaepora was going to let him leave without figuring out where he was going to stay, or who his parents were. The chances of that were slim to none.
Gaepora reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a rusty metal key. He slipped it through the lock and unlocked the door to his office. He turned around, looking down at the small boy. He held both of his hands behind his back, and his head was pointed down to look down at his feet. His hair was still dripping, forming a small puddle on the ground in front of him.
Gaepora released Zelda's hand and patted her on the back, somewhat "pushing" her into his office. "Go on, it'll be okay." he said, smiling at the small boy. He raised his head up, his blue eyes peering into Gaepora's brown ones. He gave a small smile, and started shuffling fowards into his office. Gaepora watched, and when the boy was in the office, he shut his door with a light click.
Zelda rushed over behind his desk, launching her tiny self up onto the large chair that sat behind his wooden desk. She looked down at it, then back at the boys hair. They were an extraordinarily similar color. She knew of another boy, Keet, who had hair of a similar color. But he was much taller, and older, than she was. He was enrolling into the Knight Academy the following year, according to her father.
The boy, however, looked completely afraid of the room in which he was in. He stood cowering in the corner closest to the door, almost eager to escape the room as quickly as he could. Gaepora walked over to another chair, seated next to a large bookshelf on the western wall of the room, opposite of the boy. He sat himself down, relaxing in the chair, even though it was hard and wooden. He looked over at Zelda, who sat with her legs crossed, and quilt draped over her lap. He then turned to the boy, whose head was yet again pointed at the ground.
"Pardon me for asking again, but what is your name, child?" he questioned once more, hoping to get an answer this time, rather than a flinch and fear. The boy shook his head, closing his blue eyes in sadness. Gaepora sighed, placed his right hand on his knee and his left on his chin, and scratched his goatee. "Could you possibly write it for me?"
The boys head shot up like a Loftwing, the sacred animals the goddess bestowed to each of them when she felt they were worthy. Each citizen typically got them at the age of seven, but he had heard of few cases of children who had received them at younger ages. They were very rare; the last one had happened over thirty years ago, and they had only received it when they were six-and-a-half. A child would usually receive a dream from the goddess herself, and the following day, they would receive a Loftwing. The whole process was life-changing for each child. Zelda was counting down the days, months, and years until she would finally receive one.
But the boy nodded his head, and he tilted it to the side in curiosity. Gaepora rose from his seat, strutting over to his desk and grabbing a small section of scroll, as well as a quill. He dipped it in ink for the boy and handed it to him. The boy nodded respectfully when he handed it to him, and sat on the ground, legs crossed like Zelda. The quill sat shakily in his left hand, gripped by his long, nimble, fingers.
The boy set the quill on the stone ground, and held up the scroll. On it, in minuscule handwriting, read Link.
Gaepora smiled again, walking over the boy, Link, and picking up the scroll and paper. "Link. That's an interesting name, might I say. Don't you agree, Zelda?" he observed, turning to face his daughter, who was staring out the large window behind her. At the sound of her name, she whipped around, her short, blond hair twirling behind her.
Her face morphed into one of confusion, and something that looked like disgust. "Link? Is that a type of bird, daddy? Didn't you say most everyone was named-?"
"It isn't, Zelda, but neither is yours." he said sharply, not wanting to imply anything to the young boy. He got the sense that Link already felt like an outsider in this situation, and he didn't want Zelda to accidently suggest it any more. However, when he glanced at Link out of the corner of his eye, he saw him simply smiling at what Zelda had said.
Zelda gave a small humph, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking out her bottom lip in a pout. It was a legitimate question to ask; quite possibly everyone in Skyloft had a name based off of a bird on the Surface. Even her father, whose name was so obscure and out-of-the-ordinary, had a name based on a bird who was quite possibly just a myth. Yet again, she shared something with this boy; a name unlike anyone else's in Skyloft.
She managed to get over her short burst of frustration towards her father. She uncrossed her legs and shifted her position so she was leaning over the desk, staring right at Link with intense curiosity. "How old are you, Link?" she asked, twirling a small strand of hair in between her fingers. He looked over at her and held up four fingers, accompanied by a small grin. Her face immediately lit up in a smile, and she turned to face her father, eyes shining bright with joy.
"Daddy, we're the same age!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down in her seat. She knew one other person that was the same age as her. That was Groose, and although he was very nice to her, he often made fun of Karane, and her other friend Pipit. And the friends he hung out with- she didn't even know their names, now that she thought about it- teased all the other kids as well. She didn't want to be friends with a person like that. And along came Link, this boy who was the same age, and already seemed to have a lot in common with her. It was like they were destined to be friends with each other.
Her father let out a deep, throaty laugh, surprised at his daughter's sudden change in emotion. "I noticed, dear." he said, his chest moving up and down from his laughter. "Maybe you two can get to know each other?"
At this, Link's eyes immediately widened. He shook his head furiously, and began pointing back at the desk, right where the quill and scroll sat. Gaepora got up, rushing over to the two items and handing them to the young boy. He scribbled things quickly, yet somehow making the entire process look delicate and intricate. Gaepora realized with a drop in his stomach that this boy was much too used to writing for a child this age. He thought it was weird that his name was so precise, at first, but he figured it was like that because everyone only practiced their names at his age. It was like that because…
Oh, Hylia help him.
Link set the quill on the ground again and handed the scroll to Gaepora, who read it over as quickly as he could. He suddenly understood the severity of the situation he was involved in, all because this boy was sitting outside in the rain. He let the scroll wind itself back into its neat spiral before setting it down on the chair where he was sitting. This wasn't necessary, really. Zelda couldn't read that well, only simple words or phrases. She couldn't write anything besides her name, and Gaepora's, as well. And yet, here was this boy, the same age as his daughter, writing as if he had been at the Academy for his entire life.
Shakily, he turned back towards his daughter again. "Zelda, I need you to go back to your room for a little bit, okay? I need to talk to Link about something." he began, slowly walking over to his daughter. "I'll come see you in just a minute, okay?"
Zelda gaped at him, confused at why her father suddenly wanted to speak with Link. She nodded, slowly getting out of the chair, and walking over to the door, her quilt clutched in her hand. "Just a minute, right daddy?" she confirmed, drawing her hands up towards her face. Her father nodded, gently waving his hand to send her to her room. She stood on her tiptoes to reach the doorknob and twisted it, pushing the door that probably weighed more than her open extraordinarily slow, and then closed it at the same speed.
Gaepora waited until he heard Zelda's door open as well. He turned to Link, who now had tears welling in his large, blue eyes. "You are certainly an enigma, young one." he murmured.
Link simply mouthed back, "I know."
Zelda hadn't actually gone into her own room, contrary to what her father believed. Having an older girl as a practically a roommate- one next door, to be in fact- certainly had its benefits. Orielle, the girl who Zelda practically stayed with most of the time, had been surprised to see Zelda enter her room. She usually knocked first, or even passed through the small space in between the wooden paneling separating their rooms. She had just been laying on her bed, the plush bird her brother had given her as a present for getting into the Academy pressed against her chest. She was staring at the ceiling, losing herself in her own thoughts until the ravaging storm had finally passed. She was only there still because she really didn't feel like getting up anytime soon. But at the sound of the young girl entering her room she sat up, tossing the plush animal to the side. The little girl looked afraid of something. She knew it wasn't the storm, she had heard that she left outside to go get something, possibly someone. She had only managed to escape her thoughts to hear 'Can I go get...' before becoming lost in them once more.
"Zelda? What's the matter, girlie?" she asked, using her thin arms to push herself off the bed. Her brown pigtailish-braids bounced up and down as she hopped off of it. She walked over to Zelda, crouching down to her height, similar to what Gaepora would always do.
Zelda looked into Orielle's deep-brown eyes, watching them fill with curiosity at the child's fear, and possible sadness. "There's a boy in daddy's office." she muttered, turning away and looking at Orielle's bed. Her eyes drifted and saw the plush toy Orielle had just minutes ago. She wrapped the quilt around her entire body as she walked over to where the toy sat and picked it up, and then went to go and sit on the bed. "He made me leave to talk to daddy."
Orielle was immediately sparked by this statement. Zelda knew of all the boys who resided at the Academy; her saying 'a boy' in her father's office meant that she didn't actually know who it was. "Was it anyone that lived here, Zelda? Or did they live in another part of Skyloft?" she asked, turning to face the young girl. Zelda shook her head, squeezing the small toy against her chest. It was an odd situation, to say the least. Zelda was always extremely talkative. It took a lot of persuasion in order to get her to be quiet every once in a while.
"His name is Link. I have not seen him here, Ori. Do you know who he is?" she asked her, her head darting up to look at Orielle again. Orielle smiled at the small girls nickname for her. But, on the other hand, she didn't recognize the name from anywhere.
She rose up and sat down on the bed, right next to Zelda. She wrapped her arm around Zelda's thin shoulders, pulling her closer into somewhat of a side-hug. "I don't know that name, girlie. What's he look like? Is he a cutie?" she laughed, pinching the small girls cheek playfully. Zelda giggled, curling up into a small ball like she always did when she laughed.
"I dunno, Ori. He didn't look up that much. He didn't talk that much, too. He wrote own a lot of stuff." she giggled, tapping her fingers on the empty bed-space next to her. Her fingers moved like she was playing some sort of surface instrument from before, something that Orielle had learned in her classes. She couldn't recall what the name of it was. Something that started with an H, possibly? She would have to ask Professor Owlan la-
Wait, wait, wait.
The boy had written everything he wanted so speak, possibly? He must have been somewhere around middle-age, possibly. Possibly older. The Primary children could only write their name, maybe a few simple words. This began to make less-and-less sense in her head, and all the ideas she had were beginning to unravel.
"How old was he, Zelda? Maybe the age of Rupin?" she question, the whole topic of this mysterious boy in Gaepora's office now had her full attention.
Zelda began to twirl a strand of her bright blonde hair in between her fingers. "He's four, Ori. He held up his hand to show us." she said, almost excitedly. "Now Groose isn't the only person my age!"
At this, Orielles jaw physically dropped. She didn't even realize that it did until Zelda began giving her strange looks. "A-are you sure, girlie? Do you think he held up the wrong amount or-"
At this Gaepora opened up the door, his face pale and eyes wide. "I figured you were in here, Zelda. Please go to your room." he said shakily. It was obvious that there was a secret that he had that he was just begging to tell someone.
"But daddy-"
"Now, Zelda." he ordered, his voice now unwavered and firm. He was usually happy and carefree when speaking to his daughter, especially after the death of his wife. This was something extraordinarily unusual for the Headmaster to do. This information he had now must be of grave importance in order for him to be having this sort of reaction to it. "And place your quilt over the wall when you are inside."
Zelda looked up at her father in shock, not used to the harsh tone that he was using. She shakily stood up, placing the toy where she was sitting, and snuck back into her room through the gap in between the walls. She did as her father asked, standing up on her tiptoes as she threw the quilt over the gap. He heard the bed in her room creak, and he immediately turned to face Orielle.
"I understand Zelda and you are close, Orielle. And I also understand that she had been telling you about the boy, Link, that was in my office. Am I correct in that assumption?" he asked, pacing back and forth in front of Orielle. She nodded, afraid of the consequences that she would be receiving simply because she was trying to comfort Zelda.
Gaepora turned on his heels, walking over towards the door, and he opened it. "Good. Please follow me. I need you to speak with me and the Professors."
Orielle audibly gulped, nervously walking out the door. Her fingers laced together like they always did when her nerves got the best of her. She couldn't think; the only thing filling her head were her own footsteps and breathing. She felt like she was hyperventilating, every breath was a struggle to take. Getting into this Academy took everything she had. She didn't want to be kicked out after only being here for one year.
She was surprised to find the door to the Headmasters office open. He never left it unlocked, even if he was leaving for a mere minute. Leaving it like that was certainly a different thing to see. She walked inside, seeing both Professor Owlan and Professor Horwell standing inside, examining a scroll with amazed looks on their faces.
The two could often be mistaken for the same person from behind, with their similar build, the way that their hair was styled. The only exception was their hair and eye color. Owlans' hair was shockingly white; the color of stars in a clear night sky. His eyes were a light grey, nearly the same color as his hair. His overall appearance gave him a look like he was a severe threat. But he was far from that. He taught, monotonously most of the time, and had a strange obsession with plants.
Professor Horwell, on the other hand, had hair the color of mud. Clean mud, in the most contradictory sense. His eyes were the same color, as well. He was a very childish person, often watching over the Headmasters pet, Mia, whenever he possibly could. He could get extremely serious when necessary, however. Orielle had seen that side when she and her brother attempted to fly at night. They had been suspended from flying altogether for a month, and even when they were allowed to, they were under constant watch. Needless to say, they never attempted that again.
Owlan lowered the scroll, his eyes piercing into Orielle's own. He let it coil together, grasping it tightly in his left hand, and he handed it to her. He was a man of few words; most of his lessons consisted of talks between the students and readings from their textbooks. She unrolled the scroll, examining the neat handwriting that bled into the tan parchment.
I can see by the look in your eyes that you are curious as to why I refuse to speak. Mr. Gaepora, how I wish to tell you every bit of information that I am writing on this scroll. I am restrained by my own body, unable to fathom my thoughts into worlds that I could speak. I am left simply yo give you this, a sort of understanding as to why I am the way that I am. I can't give you any more information than what I am writing here, sir. I dislike being discovered; I still hardly know or understand why I remained underneath that tree when you and your daughter appeared. But I hope you can use what I write to you, and possibly not question me further...
The scroll went on and on. Orielle could hardly write something like this now, never at the age of four. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask as many questions as she could while she was here. "Is he really-?"
"Four? Yes. I couldn't believe it myself after I read this." Gaepora answered, cutting the girl off before she could even speak more than three words. "But I have more important matters to discuss with the three of you."
The two professors nodded simultaneously, while Orielle shifted her body weight uncomfortably onto her right foot. Gaepora began pacing back and forth in front of the bookshelf, stopping when he noticed something particular.
All of Gaepora's bookshelves were stocked full of Ancient Lore and Textbooks from the surface world. There was hardly any room for any books to be crammed into it, and any time he discovered a new book, he had to move everything in order for it to fit into the bookshelf. So, him seeing a row of books, all slanted at an odd angle, would be something that he would not see typically. He suddenly realized what had happened, and when he did, he let out a deep, throaty laugh that filled the room, breaking the silence that hung there momentarily.
"The boy stole my books. He managed to steal my books without me noticing." he chuckled, leaning against one of the bookshelves. He managed to collect himself quickly, putting on a straight face before continuing on with the intended conversation.
"As I said, this boy is merely four, the same age as my daughter. The fact that not a single one of us knows who he is, even where he came from, is unnerving. I need you two, Owlan and Horwell, to search for this boy and bring him here to me. Even ask the adults if they know anything about the child. The information he gave me in his writing was simply not enough. I need to make sure that he is safe here. As long as I am the Headmaster at this Academy, and the human over-bearer of this village, I will make sure he is safe. Do you understand?" he demanded, glaring especially at the two professors. They both nodded, even Orielle, who had been lost in her own mind for the minutes before that. The serious tone that Gaepora had taken snapped her out of her thoughts quickly.
"Good. You two are dismissed. Orielle, I need you to do one thing. Please stay behind." Gaepora ordered, flicking his hand in the direction of the door. The two professors bowed their head to the Headmaster and left quickly, shutting the door abruptly behind them.
Gaepora sighed and sat down in the chair behind his desk, his head cupped in his hands. "It's too early for this, Hylia…" he murmured, barely audible enough for Orielle to hear what he said. She had to strain her ears in order to understand what he was saying. He shook his head and looked back up at Orielle, who was now leaning against the wall next to the door.
"I know Zelda trusts in you, often more than she trusts in me." he said, folding his arms across each other on his desk. His eyes drifted to the scroll that sat at the very corner of the desk, and he yearned to pick it up and read what the boy had written for about the fifth time in that short span of time. "So I'm going to make the hopefully correct decision in having you tell her this instead of me."
Orielle turned her head to the side slightly, confused at what Gaepora was about to tell her. "Tell her what? That we need to find-?"
"No, no, no, Orielle. I don't need Zelda to find him. She needs to know why this boy wouldn't talk to her. Everyone in Skyloft is social and extroverted, and she isn't used to someone who is the exact opposite of that. I cannot put into words what is going on, at least in terms that she would understand. You, however, will be able to. I am trusting you with this information, and I need you to make sure she understands this. It is of the utmost importance."
Orielle nodded, walking over to the desk and grabbing the scroll once more. "Do you want me to read this to her or-?"
Gaepora sighed again, interrupting the girl. "She can't understand that. Even Horwell said that anyone below the Academy wouldn't be able to comprehend a majority of what he wrote. Its strategic, now that I think about. Not every can know what he wishes to tell me."
Orielle now had a look of pure confusion plastered all over her face. Gaepora was avoiding the subject of this conversation; trying to figure out what it was the she was to say to Zelda. "What do I tell her, Headmaster?"
Gaepora paused, placing a finger on his goatee, as if he was trying to think of something. He licked his lips, attempting to say the words that sat on the very tip of his tongue. Yet he found himself, just like Link, unable to.
Finally, he managed to find what to say, in the simplest of terms for his young daughter. "Tell her he's mute. He can't talk, and he'll never be able to."
Alright, then. There's that for anyone that was wondering.
As said by my ingenious name, I'm PossiblyAGinger. This is my second fanfiction, it just looks like my first because I deleted the other one. It is my first in this category, however.
After playing through Skyward Sword, this idea came to me when Link woke up to Zelda's letter. It struck something in my mind, so I wrote about it.
I posted this AN after publishing the story, and I've already gotten WAY more views than my first in the first day than I did over the course of three months. Thanks to anyone who read it!
I will try to update as much as possible. School and sports are very time consuming. Thank you for reading this!