Here is the continuing chapter! I would like to thank you all for taking your time to read this, really, and please enjoy!
Wind rippled through his hair as he spiralled down towards the clouds. His heart raced, so much that he thought it may even leave his chest cavity.
Link placed his fingers into his mouth, whistling for his Loftwing to collect him.
A few moments passed and there was still no sign of his bird, causing his heart to speed even faster.
Where is that damned thing? He shrieked inside his head.
He whistled again just for it to echo from the cliff edge.
Link closed his eyes, readying himself for the nothingness that was soon to follow. What was even beneath these clouds? His death?
A large and terrified cry escaped his mouth, he clenched his eyes shut trying to block out the fear.
All at once the wind was knocked from his lungs as he collided with something, his eyes bugging too far from his head. Link's eyes opened for just long enough to see what had caused this. His Loftwing.
He embraced the bird tightly, cowering for his life, a scared laugh forcing from his chest. Link struggled to breathe, a shrill cough plucked from his mouth, his skin turning blue.
The sudden upward motion of the bird brought him back to reality, his finger nails gripping tightly at the Loftwings skin.
The Loftwing let out a small caw before speeding up.
As they reached the surface of Skyloft he could just make out Zelda leaning over the edge, shouting his name. She stopped abruptly when she saw his Loftwing fly over her head.
She looked worried.
He didn't have enough courage to remove his hands from the bird's feathers. He had missed the rest of the lesson; he had missed the test flight.
Once the Loftwing landed on flat land Link rolled off and onto the floor. He crawled onto his hands and knees and began to retch violently, his body shuddering from the sensation. Tears threatened to appear again but he managed to hold most of them back.
He finally stopped retching and rolled onto his back, chest moving out of pace, eyesight a blur. Sweat beaded on his skin, falling in currents.
As he laid there he heard the Loftwing walk closer towards him.
Link opened his eyes when a cold shadow covered him. The bird stood over his weak body, a confused stare evident on its features.
"W-Where... was you...?" he gasped.
The bird cawed loudly, unfortunately Link couldn't understand.
"Link! Link!" he could hear her voice approaching from the distance.
He sighed. What a state he was in.
She arrived not long after, tears circling her eyes.
"Oh, are you okay?" She knelt beside him, moving his hair away from his sweaty skin.
"I-I'm fine!" he smiled slightly, not wanting to worry her anymore.
However, he failed to assure her as he leant to the side and began to gag again.
Zelda patted softly on his back, trying her best to comfort him.
After he had regained himself he sat upwards with the aid of Zelda, his face looked confused.
"What did I miss in lesson?" he coughed.
"We went for the test flight and were taught the basics." She muttered.
"...I see."
A small smile rose on his lips.
She hit him softly on the arm,
"Don't laugh! I was really worried, you know?" she began to cry, her hands covered her face.
His face softened as he placed an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug.
"Don't cry for me." He frowned.
"This isn't like me, you're usually the one crying." She giggled through her tears.
He raised a brow, "What-?"
"Cry baby!" she laughed, tugging on his cheeks.
He turned red.
It was true, he wasn't one for pain. Especially blood, he hated that more than anything!
"Shall we go back to the academy?" he pulled her up from the ground.
"Sure, I think my dad wants to speak with you." She wiped her eyes.
He nodded, following her back.
III
Gaepora wasn't really a scary man. Maybe Link felt this way because he had known him since he was just a small infant.
As he entered the headmaster's room a slight feeling of dread filled inside his stomach. Zelda squeezed his shoulder slightly before going out of the room, her own way of telling him not to fear.
The door closed quietly behind her and Link made sure to focus his attention on Gaepora.
The large man motioned for Link to sit in the spare chair opposing him.
"Don't worry, you aren't in much trouble."
Much trouble?
"What's wrong?" Link asked voice not shaky.
"We need to get you signed up for extra classes-"
"What? Why?" Link stammered before he could stop
"You missed a whole day's worth of lessons, including the test flight! And from what I've heard you had a rather lucky escape today."
"But my Loftwing-"
"You need to improve your skills with the bird, you are not to fly until you achieve that, understand!" Gaepora said sternly.
It wasn't a question, it was an order.
"Yes." Link lowered his head before leaving the room.
His hands balled into fists, he had never been so... angry!
There was a commotion in the halls leaving teachers and students running around from room to room. As he got closer he could hear their shouts,
"A Loftwing has escaped from the designated area!" a knight roared.
"Get it back then!" a teacher commanded.
A slight flash of realisation flashed in Link's eyes. It was his Loftwing!
He hurried outdoors scanning frantically for crimson feathers, but instead finding the empty spot where his Loftwing had once stood.
"Crap!" he hissed.
Running, he sped through the academy until he found his room.
He just wanted to relax and think things through-
CAW!
His lifted up in surprise to find his lost guest.
The Loftwing stood outside his window, head perched on the ledge.
"What are you doing here? Go back to the designated area!" he whispered loudly.
The bird tossed its head from left to right, not having any of Link's words.
Damned thing! What am I going to do? He assessed the situation carefully, the window!
Link crawled out of the window, hands shaking from all of the adrenaline.
There was only one thing to do. He had to take the bird back himself.
He clambered his way up onto the Loftwing, palms becoming clammy and damp.
He wrapped his arms around the crimson neck, fingers locked tightly in place just in case.
Okay, we can do this!
Link leant down towards the birds face and whispered,
"Go!"
There was a slight moment of hesitation before the bird actually understood.
It was all too fast for Link's liking.
The bird sprung to life, bouncing upwards, the G force pulling back his cheeks. His fingers locked on tighter as he was sure he would fall.
After a few moments of calming down Link noticed that they weren't moving. He opened an eye and discovered that they were just hovering above the academy, in clear sight of the teachers.
One of the knights looked up and all at once they were spotted.
"Hey look, up there!" he pointed in their direction.
"Is that Link?" another called.
"Yeah, it is! Hey Link, come on down here!"
What to do, what to do?
He unhinged his finger from the Loftwings neck and grabbed carefully onto the reigns.
Did these control the bird?
He pulled them left and in an instant the Loftwing was speeding in that very same direction.
"Hey wait!"
The sound of whistles erupted into Link's eardrums.
He turned slightly to see five more Loftwings advancing towards him.
That's when the real adrenaline hit. Without thinking his hands were pulling on the reigns forcing the bird to move faster and swerve between trees.
He had no idea what he was doing. His throat was dry and sore, his head began to whirl, and his whole body was shaking.
What is this? Excitement? Fear?
He didn't know, but whatever it was he hated it.
The five knights soon caught up and were circling around him.
"Link!" one of them shouted, "Just land back on ground and we can all have a chat!"
"I-I don't know what I'm doing! I can't stop-"
He pulled down on the reigns causing the Loftwing to rise higher into the sky. However the knights did just the same, not allowing him to escape.
Maybe I have to go lower? Yes!
It's almost as if the bird had read his thoughts. They proceeded downwards, getting the better of the knights.
They were going so fast that Link just couldn't comprehend. The floor was getting nearer and- so was his death.
He jumped from his Loftwing about two metres from the floor, landing awkwardly on his feet.
Link began to run, like never before towards the edge.
He could see a silhouette in the distance.
A girl?
Zelda!
The knights suddenly re-emerged behind him, a few metres behind.
Oh how he wish he could tell her all about this.
He sped up even more causing him to race ahead of the professionals. He had almost reached her when it struck him.
He couldn't stay here. He would just drag her into all of this. He didn't want that!
He bent his knees and leapt into the air before descending downwards again, falling over the edge.
His eyes met with hers before he fell, distress in her face.
"Link!"
In that same second he was falling down towards the clouds, just like before. He whistled loudly and was met instantly by the bird, catching his rigid body.
They both continued downwards into the dark.
The knights had stopped pursuing him, who would dare fly down this low beneath Skyloft?
But that wasn't the problem now, where would he go?
Oh no! What am I going to do?
Full frontal hysteria was rising from inside, he wanted to cry so badly.
III
Zelda sat there, shaken and scared.
What had just happened? Link had just jumped right over the edge.
Where was he? He should have re-surfaced by now! This wasn't funny.
"Zelda, please come back to the academy-"
"Where's Link, what's going on?" she asked quietly
"We don't know yet, he was showing signs of mental disturbance." A knight confirmed.
Mental disturbance? Link wasn't crazy, he was perfectly healthy!
"I think you're wrong-"
"Would a mentally healthy person just nose dive from the cliff edge?"
He was right!
"Okay..."
She followed them back to the centre to find that rumours were already circulating.
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