Disclaimer: I do not own anything. If you are reading this, you probably know that.
This is set before Skyward Sword. Personally, I've imagined Link to be about 11-12 years old in this fic, but I'll leave it up to you guys to decide for yourselves.
Reviews are welcome, I want to know what people think (and if anyone actually reads my stuff). Criticism is also welcomed; if I have changed characters or made any mistakes please let me know because I prefer to stay as true to the original as possible. With that out of the way, read on.
Sunlight streamed through the window as Link groggily opened his eyes. Sighing, he rolled out of bed and trudged automatically to his wardrobe to get ready. He hadn't checked the time yet, but the fact that he hadn't woken to his regular alarm, meant he had overslept.
After hurriedly pulling on his tunic, pants and boots, the young knight-in-training swept out of his dorm room, grabbing his bag as he left. A glance at the old clock in the hall told him it was half-way through the lesson of the day which was (Link groaned internally) geography of the sky.
Link was not, by any means, bad at geography: in fact he excelled in the subject as he had already explored every inch of floating rock surrounding Skyloft. The fact that he knew the content of the lesson back to front, however, only served to make the class even more tedious.
An impatient rustle at the back of his mind told him his loftwing companion was awake and he was soon hit with the subsequent pang of hunger. Not trusting his lazy bird to get breakfast until it had spent at least ten minutes preening, Link decided to head to the kitchens to satisfy his own growling stomach.
He had only met his loftwing a few years ago, yet they already had a bond that rivalled that of the elders in Skyloft. Every feeling be it sadness, curiosity or mischief was shared between them, though link had practised ignoring it in order to concentrate in knight school. The sooner he became a knight, the sooner he could spend every waking moment in the sky with his bird.
The smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the kitchen as linked walked into the warmth. He had, of course, slept through breakfast to which the cook gave him a light scolding but was presented with a leftover roll nonetheless. All the instructors in the knight academy had become familiar with the young boy's antics and were willing to make exceptions as long as it didn't happen too often.
Hoping not to disappoint Instructor Owlan any further, Link stuffed the soft bread into his mouth as he hurried to the classroom. Once he reached the doorway, he spluttered a short yet sincere apology (along with a small amount of breadcrumbs) at his teacher. The professor simply shook his head and gestured for him to take his seat.
"Out flying late last night were we?" Owlan asked. It was widely known how the boy with the crimson loftwing spent most his nights, though no knight ever saw them long enough to lodge a formal complaint. The fact was, to Link and his partner, there were simply not enough hours in the day to fully enjoy every breeze the sky had to offer.
Link blushed at Instructor Owlan's accusation, both confirming the suspicions surrounding his midnight flights and earning a snicker from Groose and his cronies. Sheepishly, Link took his seat between Fledge and Zelda to endure what was sure to be a lesson of everything he already knew about the sky.
However, there was one possibility he had never considered. It was presented quite unintentionally (through Fledge of all people) by a single, innocent query:
"Professor, what is beyond Skyloft's maps?"
"What a stupid question!" Groose declared, his outburst accompanied with a mocking laugh. "It's just endless sky, right?" Cawlin and Stritch were quick to agree with him.
"Hey! No need to be mean!" Link yelled, jumping to boy's defence. "How do you know anyway, have you checked recently?"
"Calm down boys! There is no need to fly further than we already have so I advise you drop the subject. Now, who can tell me the name of the island 1.5 miles due North-East of the tower of the goddess?"
And that was that. A single seed of curiosity firmly planted in Link's mind, to be amplified tenfold over the next few hours. What was beyond the maps? He had no doubt his equally inquisitive loftwing would want to know too.
The rest of the lesson passed uneventfully and eventually, the sound of the bell signalled the end of the students' torture. Owlan sighed in defeat and dismissed the children with a wave of his hand, letting them all but trip over themselves while leaving the academy's only classroom in blunt eagerness. Link, however, stayed behind to see if he could draw any further information about the edge of the skies from his botany-obsessed professor.
"Link, don't even bother. There is nothing out there and you shouldn't let it bother you." Instructor Owlan had not even looked up to see the unspoken question written on the young student's face.
Link sighed disappointedly, knowing the instructor was not leaving any room for discussion.
"Furthermore, we really need to address the night issue. It's not that I am concerned about your safety - no, you and your loftwing seem to be able to handle any danger just fine – but believe it or not, you do need to sleep, and I would rather you slept during the night rather than during the first half of my lesson." Link smiled guiltily and muttered another apology. As boring as the lessons were, he really did respect his teacher.
"Now go and fly around some with that red bird of yours." Owlan added more softly. "And if you really feel the need to fly until morning, for the Goddess' sake don't let Instructor Horwell catch you."
Link grinned and with no further persuading required, he thanked his instructor and sprinted out of the academy, straight towards the nearest ramp.
