I would like to start off by giving a huge thank you to The Band Geek Alchemist, who gave me my first review. Much appreciated! And also thank you to those more quiet types who have put Skybound on their story alerts. I promise that you won't regret it! So, here's the first true chapter of the story. Except for some added dialogue and new story elements, I do not own Skyward Sword, the game on which this novelization is based. Now, enjoy, and be sure to leave a review with all of your civil thoughts and constructive criticism! Oh, and the chapter title is a reference to one of my (other) favorite game series. Can you tell me which one?

Link was running. He did not know where or why, only that he could. And that was enough for him.

The vast green field on which he sprinted had no end. There was no boundary to stop him; nor was there the finality of an edge-of-the-world to loom before him. The field was like an earthen sky: limitless. He had never experienced anything like it.

Panting from his wild, joyful run, Link finally slowed to a stop. He flopped down onto the grass, inhaling the scent of the fresh blades as he closed his blue-grey eyes. This world must be perfect, he thought. It was vast, free, unhindered…

Infinite…

Silent…

Empty…

… Lonely.

The blades of grass disappeared from between Link's fingers as the world shifted. He now felt as if he was standing upright, though he could feel no earth beneath his feet. As he opened his eyes, Link discovered why. His body was suspended in nothingness.

The shock of absolute darkness buffeted his sight. Blinking hard, Link shifted his gaze back and forth, straining to perceive the smallest trace of a form, or a tiny hint of movement. But he saw nothing in the opaque, pressing blackness.

Then, the darkness roared.

Link stumbled backwards, gasping sharply, as the black mass before him finally revealed itself to be a towering behemoth. Its shape was concealed in the thick shadows, but if Link leaned almost completely backwards, he could discern the rows and rows of silver, unnaturally gleaming teeth that lined the creature's roaring maw. Link knew that he should run, that he should flee before the behemoth lowered its head. But something held him still. Was it shock? Fear?

Probably stupidity, Link concluded grimly.

Just then, a bright purple light erupted above the creature's head. Link raised a hand to shield his eyes from its intensity, but the light had already subsided to a pulsating, yet still strong, glow. A voice, female and melodic, came from within the brilliance.

"Rise, Link." It spoke clearly above the now-muted rumbling of the creature.

"The time has come for you to awaken. You are fated to have a hand in a great destiny, and it will soon find you…"

Link slowly lowered his hand from above his eyes, tilting his head with confusion. This voice was not human. It resembled it, but something was very off. It was too measured, too succinct, and too… detached. Also, how did this being know his name? And what did it say about destiny finding him? Link opened his mouth in a question, but no words came.

"It is time for you to awaken," the unnatural voice repeated, before pausing.

"… Link…"

Link jumped violently as the behemoth's roar blasted his ears, snuffing out the purple light. It roared again, even louder than before, and Link pressed his hands against his sensitive, pointed ears, trying to block out the painful sound. It came again. But this time, another noise was laid underneath, faint at first, but gradually clearer. Link cautiously lowered his hands from his ears, puzzled. He knew this sound, but… how? Yet as he listened to the increasingly loud shriek, he knew that there was nothing else that it could be.

Link turned around, finding himself barely an inch away from the broad beak and indignant eyes of a Loftwing.

Link cried out as his back made contact with the hard bedroom floor.

Link blinked his eyes open, wincing in the early afternoon sun. His window must have been left open. Still sprawled out on the floor, Link's eyes traveled around his small dormitory, taking in the familiar surroundings.

There's my closet, he mused sleepily, stifling a yawn. And there's my bookshelf, and my desk, and… Ah. There's the seven-foot tall blue bird that is glaring at me through the window. That explains things.

Link gave the blue Loftwing bird his very best upside-down smile.

"Good morning, Aria." He said cheerfully.

The Loftwing shrieked irritably, then made a loud spitting sound. Link felt something flimsy whack against his head. With a disgusted screech, Aria's head quickly disappeared from the window, which shut with a deafening, "THUD!"

"I love you too, Aria." Link chuckled as he got to his feet, picking up the piece of paper that the Loftwing had spat onto his head. It was sheet music, covered in scribbles and doodles. A note had been written on the back in handwriting that was as familiar to Link as his own:

Hey, sleepyhead. I know how much you like to sleep in, so I'm guessing this letter will be your alarm clock this morning. Did I guess right?

Rise and shine, Link! Today's the Wing Ceremony! You promised to meet me before it starts, remember?

You'd better not keep me waiting.

-Zelda

Link smiled as he read the last line. If he knew his best friend at all, being late was absolutely not an option. Nobody took promises more seriously than Zelda, both when receiving them and making them herself. He had better get going.

After hastily donning some fresh, (mostly) unwrinkled clothes, Link exited his dormitory room and locked the door. As he dropped the key into his pocket, he distantly remembered that he had forgotten to comb his dark blonde hair.

Not that it will matter much, Link mused. If the Wing Ceremony is anywhere near as rough as I've heard, we'll all have some pretty interesting hairdos by the end of today.

Now that he was fully awake, all of the events that the day would hold swarmed into Link's mind, buzzing in his brain. Today was the Wing Ceremony. This was the day that would determine Link's future as a student of the Knight Academy. It would be like an exam- the most important exam he had ever taken in his life. There was no studying for it; he could only hope that he, and his Loftwing, were ready. Link had gone to bed the previous night feeling confident and ready for the challenge, but now, only hours away from the Loftwing race which he had been preparing for during his entire career as a student… Nervousness finally surfaced.

"Morning, Link! Ready for the Wing Ceremony?"

If Link had not been so accustomed to the speaker's uncanny ability to pop out of seemingly nowhere, he surely would have jumped at least ten feet in surprise. The source of the sudden outburst was Pipit, who now stood before Link, blocking his progress down the hallway. He wore the uniform of a senior student of the Knight Academy: a tunic over chainmail, long white pants stuffed into boots, thick protective gloves, a belt, and a long cap. Though every knight's uniform was essentially the same, each was made in a distinguishable color. In Pipit's case, it was goldenrod. Pipit's proud bearing and loud, assertive voice clashed oddly with his childlike freckled face.

"Hey, Pipit." Link smiled back at his friend. "Yeah, I think I'm ready. Well… ready or not, there's not much I can do to change it now, right? I mean, yes, yes, I'm prepared!" Link assured Pipit, whose cheerfulness was now giving way to noticeable concern. "Don't worry about me, I'm going to be completely fine… Really!"

Pipit had a tendency to make his expressions pretty obvious, so there was no denying that he did not seem convinced.

"Alright, Link. Alright. All I'm going to say is that everyone else is out with their Loftwings practicing their flying at the plaza, but you seem pretty… relaxed about the whole thing. Of course, you've never been one to get nervous, have you?"

Pipit grinned again and Link returned it, though he was desperately trying to hide the panic that was beginning to surge within him. Was everyone really out practicing? Should he be out there too? He had thought of this as a test that you could not study for, but perhaps he was wrong? Link almost missed the rest of what Pipit had to say.

"I have to admit, though, that Crimson Loftwing of yours is something special." The senior student continued. "I'd feel pretty confident riding him, too! My bird won the last ceremony, but even I don't think he could beat that red terror of yours… Of course, a bird's true speed in a race always comes down to the skill of the rider. Right?"

"Right." Link muttered in reply. He could not help but feel a brief moment of pride for his Loftwing: Roc. He could have no greater trust in his crimson-feathered partner, and he knew that Roc would do brilliantly today no matter what transpired.

I just hope that I won't let him down, Link thought guiltily.

"Well, as you're aware, I am something of a bird researcher around here." Pipit broke into Link's musings again. "So, you know, if you ever find yourself in need of some bird expertise, just come see me, alright? I'm always available for tutoring, and if you put your name on the waiting list I'm sure I could fit you in sometime-"

"Sure, thanks Pipit." Link gently cut him off. He really needed to hurry, and as good of a friend as Pipit was, he could talk for hours if not stopped. "I have to go meet Zelda at the Goddess Statue, so we'll talk after the Wing Ceremony, okay?"

Pipit nodded quickly in understanding. "Okay, sounds good. I see you later, then; we all know how Zelda feels about waiting, don't we? Good luck!"

Link waved goodbye to Pipit before resuming his trek down the hallway. He passed the last of the dormitories and found himself in front of the entrance to the Academy's small dining hall. He briefly popped his head inside, hoping that perhaps breakfast was still being served. No luck. He backed out of the doorway and turned around to find a light brown-haired student struggling to lift a tall barrel. It was Fledge, whose dormitory room sat right beside Link's. He was a truly nice guy and a good friend, though he tended to be a bit… weak. It sounded terrible to say, but it was true. Not necessarily in the physical sense, but personality-wise, Fledge was a complete pushover. Link hated it when people took advantage of Fledge's passivity, yet it seemed to happen all too often. Fledge himself was convinced that he was pathetic so, naturally, others believed it as well. Even now he seemed reluctant to invest his full strength in lifting the barrel, as if he were afraid that it would topple out of his hands and crush his toes. Link could not help but cringe in pity. He was sure that Zelda would understand if he was just one more minute late.

"Hey… Fledge?" Link approached his friend. "Need some help?"

Fledge, who had been crouched over the barrel, gave a slight start. Upon seeing Link, he relaxed slightly.

"Oh, Link!" Fledge exhaled in relief, yet his voice still quavered. "For a second, I thought you were Groose."

"Groose?" Link repeated, frowning. "No, I haven't even seen him this morning. Why would you think he'd be sneaking up on you, anyway? That guy isn't bothering you again, is he?"

Groose was Link's least favorite classmate at the Academy. He was one of those guys who was convinced that he was the Goddess's greatest gift to the world and was doggedly determined to persuade everyone else of that fact. Therefore, life to him was a giant competition; he absolutely had to be the best in everything he did. And if someone was a bit superior? Well, that person had better be a fast healer. Oddly enough, by some miracle of Groose-logic, people who performed a little below average seemed to set him off as well. Therefore, Fledge was one of his favorite targets, second only to Link himself.

The brief, surprised pause that Fledge had taken before answering ended abruptly.

"N-no, he hasn't been bothering me at all." Fledge stammered. Link noted that he refused to meet his eye. "You just sounded like him for a moment, that's all. I was surprised."

Link probably would have stood there indefinitely in horrified shock at being deemed similar to Groose in any way if Fledge had not hurriedly changed the topic.

"So, today's the big Wing Ceremony, right?" Fledge's usual friendly smile returned, then faltered a bit. "I wanted to fly too but I… you remember, I didn't quite make the cut."

Link did remember, unfortunately. In order to participate in the Wing Ceremony, all potential competitors had to pass a series of physical tests laid out in an obstacle course. It was more of a safety precaution than an actual exam, really. Although Link was not extraordinarily strong, his excellent climbing skills allowed him to make it through without much of a problem. Fledge was not so lucky. Though Link thought that fear had played more of a role in Fledge's failure than actual ability, his friend's absence on the list of accepted competitors proved to be easy fodder for Groose and company.

"Hey, next year isn't as far away as you think, Fledge." Link spoke as reassuringly as he could. "I'll look forward to watching you race then. Now… about that barrel…"

"Oh, this? It's for Henya." Fledge said, naming the surly old woman in charge of the Academy's cafeteria. "I have to stick around the Knight Academy today, so she put me in charge of moving some supplies over to the kitchen. She probably has something for me to do after that, too. I was hoping to at least be able to cheer you on today, Link, but… I guess that's the way it goes."

Link knew that Fledge didn't try to make him feel guilty, but he just could not stand the thought of leaving his friend struggling over a barrel while he went to the Wing Ceremony. He helped an extremely grateful Fledge bring the rest of the barrels into the kitchen, being careful not to drop them (at least in front of the cantankerous Henya). After the job was done, Fledge insisted on giving Link half of the pay he had received. Link initially refused, asserting that he was just interested in helping out his friend, but Fledge was unusually persistent. In the end, Link somewhat guiltily walked away with twenty more rupees in his pocket.

Finally, after a slow start, Link opened the ornately carved wooden doors that led out of the Knight Academy. The bright yellow sun lit the lively island of Skyloft, the City Beyond the Clouds. Winding staircases and arching bridges led to the heart of the city, and wooden platforms, jutting out of the floating island's many cliffs and ledges, were the gateways to the sky. Every so often, a figure could be seen leaping off one of those platforms to be swiftly caught by their Loftwing. The huge birds could be seen soaring over, around, and through Skyloft, their colorful feathers either clashing or complementing with the pale blue backdrop. Where Link was standing he could spot the top of the sprawling indoor Bazaar, and cascading waterfalls, enchanted since ancient times to run eternally, dropped off of smaller islands which hovered above the city. A beautiful statue of a woman with spread wings, folded hands, and a benign smile towered over the whole of Skyloft, dwarfing even the tallest buildings. That was where Zelda was.

Well, Link thought. Now that I've said good morning to about half of the Knight Academy, I think it's about time that I headed over there too-

"Hey, Link! Up here!"

Or maybe not...