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"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

~H.P. Lovecraft~

Ancient Roots

A Skyward Sword FanFiction

Chapter 3: Discovery

"Zelda..." s soft voice calls out to me. "It's time to get up." I turn over in my sleep, desperate to stay in the clutches of sleep so I can continue on with the dreamless sleep that I have not had in such a long time. Why can I never sleep like this? I think to myself as I face the wall. It's not like nothing is going on to cause my sleep to be restless... My shoulder is nudged a few times, and I groan with tiredness, my fatigue from the stress of the Wing Ceremony finally catching up on me; something that I do not want.

Knowing that I don't want to get up, I mutter back, "What time is it?"

I soon recognise the voice as Karane's, and I remember that she normally helps me get up so I can brag to Link about how easily I can get up compared to him. But we both suffer with nightmares, especially recently. "About half-past eleven," she replies with a sigh. "You are following into his footsteps." I can imagine her shaking their head at that, though this barely functions before I realise something.

Something is going on, and I can't let the sun go down again like it had yesterday; a day that will forever live with me. My eyes fly open at the sound of the time and my realisation, finding that Karane incredibly close to my face. I let out a gasp as I tumble out of the way of her, only to end up colliding harshly with the wooden screen behind me, causing Karane to smile a little at my sleeping antics that are usually associated with Link. "Ow..."

"The Headmaster told me to wake you. Apparently your going on a search for the love of your life," Despite sleep still trying to take me, I still blush at her words, only to remember that they do not know what has happened to him. She pauses for a while, unsure of what else to say until she finally decides to ask, "Where is he, actually? The Headmaster wouldn't tell me, but he looked terrible when I spoke to him..." she shakes her head, brushing off the thought when she notices the sword beside my bed. "And you've got some cool gear for it too. Did he make this for you?"

I slowly sit myself up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "No, I got them after I woke up last night." Her smirk disappears, remembering what occurred – no doubtfully the news spreading across the town like wildfire. "And I am looking for him, but I'm going to have to do a lot to get to him first." I look down at the clothes I am wearing, realising that I went to bed in those clothes that I got hours ago and in those new shoes of mine.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she exclaims. "You know where he is?" I shrug and get to my feet, gripping the table when I wobble slightly. I reach down to grab the sheath of the Goddess Sword that rests against the side of my bed, slinging it around my waist and snatching my bag from off of my writing desk. "Then let me come with you! I want to help you out. He's my friend too, you know!"

I shake my head and sling my bag over my shoulder, emptying the random sheets of revision for school and placing them on the desk before reaching out for the door handle. "No. It's going to be dangerous." I push open my door and head out into the corridor, sheets of light from the stain-glass windows pouring onto the floors beautifully. She follows me down the corridor, clearly not wanting to give up on her quest to get information out of me. I almost skip down the stairs and down onto the first floor, decided mentally to order some food from Henya just in case I don't come home tonight or something happens which keeps me from returning.

"How can flying be dangerous?" I shoot her a look, walking into the busy Kitchen. "Okay, so there can be windstorms but they're rare!"

Pushing the thoughts of the tornado as far away from my current thoughts, I shuffle past Fledge to ask Henya, the Academy's cook and caretaker, for some bottles of Pumpkin Soup and any other bits of food that she has to offer. She quickly assures me that they'll be ready in ten minutes and I leave once thanking her, thinking about other things to prepare for. "Yes, Karane, but that storm wasn't normal. It was created, I think, so Link is in trouble if that's right."

She continues to follow me back to my room, which irritates me a lot; why can't she just give it up already? I'm not going to tell her much more. She waits outside of my room where I pick up three Empty Bottles that I've saved up for a while before continuing with an awkward question. "Where on the Surface are you going, Zelda? You are over exaggerating this."

I rush down the corridor, ready to go out of the double doors that Fi lead me out of a while back, stopping when she asks that question – causing Karane to skid into a stop and rejoin me in surprise. "Karane, I am going to the Surface. This is what I was born to do, and I can't let anybody else get hurt on my watch. I already have one person gone, and I can't let that happen to anyone else."

I briskly start walking again, leaving a wide eyed Karane alone in the corridor as I think about heading over to the Bazaar to look for any potions that I may want. I have to be prepared for absolutely anything. The Surface doesn't bring happy thoughts to me any longer; only horrible memories of yesterday. No more people can be lost now, no more people can get hurt or die.

My resolve set in place of preparation and departure, it isn't long before I step into the very crazy Bazaar from the entrance by the steps leading up to the Statue of the Goddess; the place that has literally changed my life. The bright lights flash wildly in my eyes, my shoes clicking softly against the brightly-coloured stone floor as I move over to the Potion Stall; manned by Luv and her husband, Bertie. "Hello, my sweet! Would you like some potions?" She calls enthusiastically, noticing me walking over to her. The calls from the other stalls want me to draw over to them, but I should stay concentrated on what I am actually here for; potions. "Hey, you seem to have changed your look. Have they changed the Ceremonial Garb again?"

I shake my head, a sad smile creasing my face when I remember the wisps of light consuming my form so elegantly; and impossibly. I snap myself out of my thoughts when Luv looks concerned for me, quickly replying with: "No, I made it a while back and thought that I should try it out." When I recall what I am actually here for, I let out a small gasp of realisation. "Oh, and I would like two Heart Potions please."

"It's beautiful, Zelda," she comments, then doing the same as me with a chuckle. "Oh, and coming right up!" I hand her two of the three bottles and she fills them right to the brim with the crimson potion, a Heart Potion; something that I feel will certainly help me. "May I ask why ask for such strong Potions? They would ask me out if somebody was hurt." A flicker of recognition shines in her eyes. "Oh, I am sorry! I completely forgot about what happened. Are you all right?"

I smile. "I'm fine, thank-you, Luv. I appreciate your concern, but I'm just having them around just in case," she grins back, but I can easily tell that it's been forced, and hands me the bottles. I squeeze them tightly, not happy one bit that I have kind of had to lie to her. I look back up at Luv, noticing her forced expression has gone. "I promise that I am fine, Luv."

She sighs deeply before finally giving in to my fake words. "All right... but you better take care, honey. Don't push yourself too—"

"Zelda!" I whirl around, thankfully not losing my balance as I do so, only to discover Groose barreling towards me. I gasp in surprise, almost letting the two bottles of Heart Potions slip out of my hands. Thankfully, Luv takes the bottles before I can do just that – right in time as the crimson haired boy crashes into me. I grip the table with my life so I don't fall over. I groan quietly, trying to make sure that he doesn't hear me underneath him, but I can just about hear Luv giggling when she hears it.

"I-I'm fine, Groose," I stutter. "Thank-you for your concern." I attempt to pry him away, however he keeps his arms tightly around me. Why is he always like this? I have someone to find! "Um, Groose, I kind of would like to breathe soon..."

That sends him flying off of me. I exhale deeply, laughing on the inside at his strange behaviour. "I'm sorry, Zelda!" he apologises quickly. "I just heard about the Tornado from the Headmaster but they wouldn't let me see you and I got so worried and scared and—" He hugs me again, crushing my vital organs as he does so, though he finally slows down on his final note of, "I'm just so happy that you're okay!"

"I'm sorry that you were worried, Groose," I say nervously, and cautiously as he's unpredictable when he gets emotional around me, as weird as that may sound. "But I need to kind of go and look for Link. I don't want to waste any more time when I could be searching for him." When he finally pulls away, I stupidly forget about how much Groose has a hate for the missing boy.

A smug grin crosses over his expression as he crosses his arms in his usual manner. "Oh yeah, I getcha. You need to go and find the kid that can't even stay on his bird." There's a long moment of silence as I process his words, which soon boils into pure anger. How dare he say that to me! He was the one who lost the Wing Ceremony, not Link!

I snatch the bottles back from Luv and quickly thank her before literally dragging Groose out of the Bazaar. He is about to get it from me, which is the usual, really. As soon as I bring him out into the open air again, I glare at him in hot fury. "How dare you say that about Link!" I yell, my face and finger right in his face as I let all of my emotions out against him. "You don't even know what he went through to help me!" The memories flood back to me, and my anger almost wavers too much.

He grins over how annoyed I am with him, his "feelings" for me taking over until he snaps himself out the stupid obsession over me and rolls his eyes just to try and anger me even more. "What would he do? Probably freaked out like the wimp that he is!" he pauses, moving closer to me until I rip myself away. "It is just fate's way of showing that I'm the one for you, and he's just not able to make the cut."

As much as I want to fume, tears threaten to fall as I retort, "No, he didn't! He saved my life and put his in danger to save me!" He stops dead in his grins and stupid smiles, beginning to realise what happened. "And I would have been the one in that Tornado if he didn't put me on his Loftwing! The Tornado was created, Groose, created! He was meant to be taken away from me! And if you actually cared, you would realise that I am barely hanging onto the hope that he's alive right now!"

I storm off, cold tears falling down my cheeks as I leave him to whatever other business he actually had there other than mocking Link and angering me. I carry on back towards the Knight Academy, stuffing the Heart Potions into my bag and furiously wiping the tears away. I head into the Academy on the second floor, barging past my own friends as I grab the Pumpkin Soup in my third bottle and some dried food that she prepared for me.

Many ask about my well being and offer condolences that I wish that I wouldn't have to take. I end up running out of the Knight Academy, the place that is a mere burden to my life after trying to hide me from my mother's death and the loss of the person that I care about the most, going on and on until I breathlessly end up at the wooden diving platform in the Plaza – the place I was rooting for Link on in the Wing Ceremony yesterday.

You can't lose it now, Zelda, I whisper mentally. He's waiting for you. Standing at the edge, I check to see who is around. I see Orielle and Parrow, close brother and sister, walking past the Bazaar happily along with the few mothers of the island going to do the washing at the riverbank. It isn't too bad, I conclude, so I quietly call out. "Fi... am I ready? Will I need anything more?" She appears in her orb of light, reverting back to her more human form in a flash of light.

"Mistress Zelda, as you can see, the Column of Light is visible from here where you shall begin your journey." I look over at the tall pillar appearing from the cloud barrier, the rumbling from hours ago being the cause of it. She pauses for a moment. "Answering your question, you have enough Potions and food to last at least twenty six hours on the Surface if you need to. Ninety-five percent of your weapons are at maximum capacity, yet I recommend purchasing a shield," she snaps her head up at something behind me. "Which may occur now, according to my calculations."

I turn, emotions almost toppling over the edge when I expect to see Groose, only to find Karane racing towards me; a Wooden Shield and Practice Sword strapped to her back over her pale green Knight Uniform. "Please Zelda!" she begs, grabbing my hands when she skids into a stop only centimetres away from my face. "Please let me come with you! I have Potions, I have food, I have the lot!"

I sigh. What happened if you were too injured to carry on? One side of my offers. You wouldn't have anybody to heal you or go on to find Link in your stead. There's a pause. But the Surface is a barren place! Another side objects. You must be fine! I shake the thoughts away, deciding on one thing fully. "You're going to come with me no matter what I say, aren't you?"

She hesitates, laughing nervously, "Yeah, pretty much."

I smile at her grin for the first time in a while, after everything that has occurred here so briskly, remembering skills and what use it could be to me. After much thought, I finally conclude, "Fine, you can come along. But we honestly have no time to spare," she gets all giddy at my decision, hugging me tightly as we turn back towards the diving platform and point towards the green Column of Light; Link's favourite colour. Stop it! "See? We're going down there, all right?"

She nods excitedly and she finally lets go of me. My thoughts begin to consume me again, and a fear of flying again settles over me. Oh would you grow a backbone?! You need to save somebody and you're acting like a wimp! One half of me screams, sounding a little like Groose. Yes, but that said person is missing from the last time that we went flying together!

I finally build up the courage to leap off the edge first, Karane jumping off quickly after without much of a care. The air brushes past me wildly as I whistle for my Loftwing in a panic, and Karane calls for her dull-green Loftwing, Lily. The Loftwing was named after her mother, who passed away from old age a while back. How many years ago, however, I'm not sure any more.

I small harshly into Destiny, almost getting a face full of purple feathers. I take a deep breath as I rise into a sitting position, guiding my Loftwing nervously towards the Column of Light. I'm so worried that my hands are shaking. Karane, on the other hand, begins getting excited again by answering her won questions. "What's it going to be like, Zelda? It's going to be so big! I wonder what's going to be down there? There's going to be so much! Can you wait? 'Cause I certainly can't!"

I only listen to her rambling on before her mixed in with the battle of my thoughts before I spin around, staring at her with a death stare upon my face. Her reaction seems to shock her a lot, as if she doesn't remember what happened last time I was out flying in the Sky Realm. "Can you stop answering your own questions?!" I snap. "Because the only thing I'm worrying about is the fact that Link could be hurt, dying, or even dead by now!"

She shuts up automatically and I turn back to the skies around me, silently regretting my outburst to her. She tries her hardest to keep calm and comfort me, but I can only stay angry at a girl like Karane for so long, you see. "Zelda... he's going to be okay. He knows that you're coming too probably so he will keep going for that, won't he?"

I curl my finger around a single feather, twirling it around in deep thought as I reply to her. "I know, I know," I say quietly, but loud enough so she can still hear what I have to say. "After all he's done for me, after all he's gone and going through right now, I can't even trust him enough in this new place." Destiny let's out a yelp when I accidentally snap the feather off of her. I stroke her side sadly, not wanting to hurt her in any way after all that she went through yesterday. "Sorry."

"It's going to be fine, Zelda. I'm sure it—there it is!" Her emotions revert from her gentle and comforting side to her incredibly excited for the second time. "Oh Goddess, Zelda, look at all of it! Doesn't it look amazing?" The feelings from her answering her own questions before soon return, and I cannot keep them quiet as much as I would like to conceal them.

I grumble without thought, "If you're going to answer your own questions again then you can shut up now." But thankfully, I let it slip out so quietly that she doesn't hear what I accidentally let out. Why am I not feeling excited about this? I ask myself inwardly. Why am I not feeling the same excitement that I felt in the late hours of night. It isn't even—funny... Well, I soon manage to convert those thoughts into how thought I would feel when I shift my gaze down to the apparently barren world below me.

"It's beautiful, Zelda."

Down beneath me is a vast expanse of greenery. Hundreds, no, thousands, of trees sway together in the calmer breeze of the Surface. I easily spot a gigantic tree in the centre, water flooding out of it; I think. I would identify more but I have suddenly realised something. "Wait, we don't have anything to steady our fall, and our Loftwings won't go down there." I call over to Karane as we circle the very fitting green Column of Light. "How are we going to get down there?"

She pulls out two pieces of white cloth in response, and I feel a little bad about snapping at her when she's helping. "When you said that you were going down onto the Surface, I thought that you—well we, would need it." She answers coolly. I guide Destiny over to Lily and reach over, memories flashing back to me of what happened last time. I snag it and slam back onto my Loftwing before I fall like Link did. No, don't think about that now. Not that you can help it.

We hover just over the top of the Column, our legs swung over the edges of our birds. A heavy weight slams onto my shoulders and stops me from doing the one thing that I need to: let go. My mind is screaming at me to let my hands release themselves from Destiny's reigns, but I honestly cannot. There isn't going to be any more planned tornadoes now that Link is gone, I don't think, so why won't I jump? I have my Sailcloth so I won't get badly hurt, yet I'm not letting go.

I can't stay here, I order myself. But a chillingly familiar voice enters my mind, and my blood freezes. "Oh, Your Grace, but he must." I shake my head violently, getting worried calls from Karane when she notices how panicked I have turned. Destiny lets out a high-pitched cry as I clench my hands around large tufts of her feathers and shout out, "No, you won't take him away from me!"

The voices continue on anyway, as if they have not heard my pleas to leave Link alone. Their voice goes from a normal volume into a whisper, as if they are right behind me. "He bears something we need. And we must obtain it..." The voice soon fades away, and I take the large risk of opening my eyes. I release Destiny's feathers, only to begin hear the voice whispering from the Surface; willing for me to jump. "Zelda...?" Karane asks. "Are you okay?"

I do not listen to her questions one bit as I squeeze my eyes shut, grabbing my Loftwing's feathers once more but even harder; scaring both Destiny and Karane. "Stay away from him!"

Without any hesitation whatsoever, I leap off of Destiny as the whispers become almost overwhelming. I force my eyelids to open when I hear the cry of freight from Karane, watching intently as the green abyss-like plains shoot towards me. Fi suddenly appears beside me. "Mistress, acquiring your Sailcloth out now will reduce bodily damage by thirty-five percent." I nod and fumble around for the white piece of cloth, shaking it out and raising it above my head. I am lifted up automatically and begin my slower descent onto the land beneath me, Fi following too.

I try my hardest not to close my eyes, yet I end up sliding them shut anyway, the spirit of the Goddess Sword suddenly appearing at my side. "F-Fi!" I cry. "How long until I hit the ground?"

She responds almost straight away with an incredibly accurate, "In around about eight point nine-three-two seconds."

"Thank you," I briskly begin counting back the seconds in my head, not even being scared enough to close my eyes again as my heart-beat picks up violently. Eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... on— I scream out when the ground slams hard into me without my expectation to, even when I was watching too. I stagger backwards, thudding against the earthy surface. Still, I do lie there for a good few minutes, feeling incredibly out of it until an excited cry rings out and I snap my eyes open, my breathing slowing down with my heart-beat.

I bolt upright and look heavenwards, finding a light green and brown-haired figure sailing happily down onto the Surface. I shake my head. "Karane..."

She hits the floor not too long after, stumbling like I had done only moments before her; but letting one hand go of her Sailcloth and falling into a crouch so she doesn't completely fall like I did. "And she sticks the landing!" She states happily, as if trying to mock me as a joke for landing right. I huff and crawl over to her, not trusting my legs to bear my weight just yet.

"You're really excited about all of this, aren't you?" I remark quietly, nervous air hanging around us.

She looks up, bewildered, apparently not sensing the air around us to be quite unnerving to me and slightly scary. "And you're not?" I shrug at her, trying to keep my cool in this area. "Zelda, we're on the Surface! The Surface! The one place that you've always wanted to go to since you were a—" she realises mid-sentence. "You're still worried about him, aren't you?"

I nod. "Yes, but... I guess we can check all of this out first," a smile tugs at the corners of my lips as I remember where I am. "I guess that I am kind of struggling to contain my excitement right now." I slowly stand, with Karane's grateful help, and twirl around casually. "This place is better than I thought it would ever be..." The world is silent, only the wind passing by, still whispering those words a little now and again.

"Mistress Zelda, we have finally arrived," I jump slightly when I find the hilt of the Goddess Sword glowing at my side, only to relax when I remember that it is only Fi. She leaps out from the Goddess Sword and floats a little over the surface of the land, emotionless as usual. "This is the fabled Surface that has long been a part of Skyloft legends and traditions, one that has had no access to those in the Sky Realm for thousands of years."

The flash of light distracts Karane, causing her to look over before sending her from standing tumbling onto the ground, "What the hell is that thing?!"

"This is Fi, the... spirit of the sword that I have," I explain. I turn back to the sword spirit, momentarily forgetting Karane to let her continue on with her explanation on where we currently are on the Surface. "Sorry, Fi. You can continue."

She nods simply, as if she doesn't really understand why I am apologising to her about Karane. "These are the Sealed Grounds, a well-known area due to the events that occurred here during the Great War of the Surface, even if it has fallen into decline after that historical event," she clarifies to us. "I detect no powerful monsters here at present. Your items are survival-focused, suitability to current location is ninety-five percent. I detect no particular danger here.

"Thank-you, Fi," I praise, trying without prevail to clear my thoughts. She merely nods and returns to the Goddess Sword in a brilliant flash of light. I turn to Karane, who is picking herself up from the ground. I help her as she does so, making my second apology today, unaware of how many more I would also have to make due to my tense body and snappiness creating a lot more tension too. "Sorry Karane," I apologise softly. "I really should have really told you earlier, shouldn't I?"

"Yeah," she murmurs, though she is smiling a little. "You should have."

I hand her a look, although it quickly fades when I remember how harsh I have acted towards her today. There's one reason why I'm here, two if you count the whole "Mission", and I shouldn't be taking out my feelings on others. "Come on, if you didn't hear what Fi said, we aren't in any danger here, so we'll be fine for now." She agrees without word, yet draws her blade and shield for quite obvious reasons.

"We still can't let our guard down," I nod and draw my own blade. Continuing on forwards, we slowly take in our surroundings. A jet black gate prevents us from descending into the giant pit beneath us, and it really is huge. Yet that seems to be a good thing because the pit spirals down into nothingness, to be honest. I mean, I can't actually see what is at the bottom because of a thick layer of mist that blankets the bottom unnervingly.

But there are so many trees! I cry out inwardly, looking around with my mouth wide open in shock. They tower around us like giants, and in such great masses that would never be reachable back home. I would love to climb one and see exactly what we are up against— "Watch out!" I skid into a stop, watching as a giant plant emerges from a huge set of roots. It bears no eyes yet it locks onto us easily.

"Fi?! W-What is this?!"

My sword glows a lilac hue, like Destiny, and her voice rings out softly. "Target locked: Deku Baba. This violent plant is widespread in wooded areas. It will attempt to bite anything that approaches it. Though it is covered in a tough outer husk, the inside of its mouth is soft. I have confirmed the existence of two varieties, those that open their mouths vertically and those that open them horizontally."

Listening to her words completely, I slash deeply into it's mouth; squealing at the green blood splashing everywhere. I haven't had that much sword training in Skyloft, but I know the basics. And I know that even if Fi told us that this area was clear, plants with teeth is not right. The one teeny, tiny thing that I forgot, however, is the fact that because I am freaking out, I have let my guard down. "Zelda!"

The Deku Baba wraps it's green blood-drenched mouth around my waist, my sword dropping in shock. "Get off of me!" I cry out when it sinks it teeth deeper into my sides. I can feel the razor-sharp teeth slicing deeply into my skin, tearing straight through it and letting warm blood ooze out effortlessly. My vision grows spotty as I hit it's head, but that only seems to winds it up even more. There's the sound of slicing, and an inhuman screech along with the pain somehow leaving me.

"Zelda?"

I feel the teeth finally leave, although I have nothing to support my unsteady body with now. The pain soon returns when I fall and Karane catches me. She shakes the spots away and sits me down on the ground, handing a bottle of red liquid: a Heart Potion. I pull back at the sudden gesture, although I drink it all after a few moments. "G-Good thing I-I got two of these, h-huh?" I stutter out, handing the bottle back to Karane.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I hand her back the bottle, subconsciously mumbling out some kind of agreement and begin to stand, stumbling at first. "We should really be more careful. That thing in your sword was right when it said that they were violent." I roll my eyes, picking up the Goddess Sword again and checking my clothes; the ones that have been torn easily by the sudden attack.

"She's a female, I think, and her name is Fi, okay?" Karane sighs, saying nothing. "S-Sorry... again." Following the one-way road ahead of us, we fight another two Deku Babas, though defeating them with ease this time with a tiny bit more experience after the last one appeared. The bite marks quickly fade into pale lumps, thanks to the Heart Potion from Karane, yet my dress is torn all around my waist, falling over my hips in clusters of fabric now that I look at it properly compared to before.

Leaping off a small over-hang, we finally lose the dark bars around the edge of the bottomless pit and have a wide over-view of the grounds before us. "Geez, that's huge." Karane states, leaning over the edge of the wooden platform worked into the soil. It looks a little like the diving platforms back home, now that I can't stop thinking about home, but I quickly shove the thoughts away.

"You don't say..." I utter in a monotone voice, a thought at the back of my mind telling me that I should a little like Fi, pulling her away from the edge by her arm. I notice something behind us, a building, and decide that it is the place that we need to go to. "Anyway, I thought you would take a look at this building behind you."

We both turn and stand before the large structure before us. The building seems to have been here for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and literally snapped in half. A huge chunk seems to have been taken away from the structure so nature could take a bite into it like a Deku Baba. I walk up to the two large stone doors, pushing them slightly and finding them budging a little.

"Hey, Karane. Can you help me with this?" She comes up to me and placing our sides against the double doors, we shove the two doors open and almost fall inside. "Where are we?" I breathe as I regain myself and take a look around. We stand inside some sort of shrine, which isn't out-of-the-ordinary being that the Goddess once lived here and fought to protect this land. Still, three ancient pillars line each side of the temple while a small set of steps leads up to something that doesn't exist any longer.

We slowly move forwards, out blades drawn. A small alcove for plants is seated off to the left while a figure sits casually atop a larger stairway leading up to a gigantic set of stone double doors. Even Fi doesn't appear when she speaks up, not helping how on edge I feel right now. "This is the Sealed Temple, Mistress Zelda," she explains to me. "I do not detect the presence of any monsters here. It is safe here."

As we near the end of the small Temple, however, the figure speaks up. "Ah, travellers descended from the skies above this land, I welcome you to the land you call the Surface." They call out to us. I tense as we climb the steps to discover an elderly woman sitting before us. Her slender form is hunched over slightly, maybe due to the large red cloak that she wears; one towering above her. Her hair wraps around her head and down to a little off the ground. She wears a large blue necklace and a beautiful bracelet on her right wrist. "Tell me, what are your names?"

I step forward, kneeling before the much older woman, being polite enough to go down onto her level as she may not be strong enough to actually rise to greet us in her full stature. "My name is Zelda," I gesture to Karane. "And my friend here is Karane."

"What wonderful names you bear," she remarks with a smile. I blush slightly as she continues, looking down at the blade resting against my hip. "So, have you learnt to gain control over the power within that particular blade?" I nod simply, not fully understanding what she means. "Good. The Skyward Strike is now yours to command, and it is proof that you are meant to carry that sword; the very sword that will hopefully aid the celestial balance of the Surface once again."

"What's your name?" Karane wonders from behind without warning, cutting my from asking any questions. "Have you been here all this time?"

The older woman grasps my hands softly, taking my eyes away from the Goddess Sword as she speaks directly to me, as if Karane isn't really there. Well, it is the Mission that I was chosen to go on, not Karane's as much, but she still deserves to be spoken to. "You may call me Impaz. I am the priestess of this Temple, and yes, I have been here ever since the Goddess aided the scales of the Great War so I could fulfill my purpose of being your guide."

"I am sorry that you have had such an uneventful life," I whisper, tightening my grip on her hand slightly.

She chuckles lightly, eyes gleaming with a mysterious hue. "Ah, I have had an interesting life, I assure you. I may tell you of it once your destiny is complete," she pauses and looks upwards to the broken roof of the shrine. "And I have had the honour of staying here in the Sealed Temple, a place that the Goddess built herself an eternity ago, therefore the shelter over my head is a blessing. Your arrivals, like my role, were predestined many years ago."

I open my mouth for her to explain more of this, and how our destinies have been so carefully intertwined, as well as why all of this has occurred in the first place. However, Karane steps forwards before this can happen, focusing on one thing at a time. "Um... we're looking for somebody who may be here. Do you know where he might be?"

"The one bearing the Hero's Spirit?" My companion gives me a confused look, but I smile and nod at Impaz, actually understanding what she means. "Yes, he arrived here yesterday afternoon in a shower of light. Yes... the gears of fate have begun to turn." She pauses for a long time, a frown upon her features. "Yet things are not as it should be. The manner that the boy reached this place was not how it was supposed to be."

I gulp, remembering the myths about the Black Tornadoes. "The Tornado... it was created, wasn't it?"

"Yes, evil is working in the shadow to gain the upper hand, and I was barely able to stop them before a twist of fate ensued," she hands me a sympathetic look. "I am sorry to tell you this, but for now you must work on pressing forwards, and you shall meet him when destiny decides that the time is right. When there is a meeting, Zelda, a parting is sure to follow. When that time may be is up to destiny. For now, he has set out through Faron Woods, and you should follow. Take this map, as it shall guide you where I cannot."

She focuses deeply, causing an incredibly old map to appear in front of her through some form of magic; covered in a mass of the greenery of trees and the white of pathways and structures. I release her hands and take the map, studying it carefully. "Thank-you, Impaz. I appreciate your sympathy and wisdom to guide us." I turn and begin to move back down the steps when she calls out to me.

"Zelda," I turn slowly, suddenly intrigued for why she has halted be again. "Do you have the Harp given to you from your Father?"

I stare at her, about to ask how she knows that I had it, and also how she knew that Father was the one who gave it to me when she has been down here for many years and generations. My hands drop in deep thought, remembering as the gold twinkled in the setting sun as it descended into the cloud barrier. "I-It dropped to the cloud barrier," I say quietly, overcome by memories. "I cannot recover it again..."

"I had assumed so," Impaz replies, and I twist back around when I pick up something glittering in the corner of my eye. In her hands is the Harp, undamaged by the attack. "It had fallen with the boy, surviving the fall with him." She shakes her head lightly. "He insisted that he kept it with him, but I knew that your presence was about to follow his own." She smiles broadly as I take the instrument back into my possession. She leans in close before I can move away, whispering, "This instrument is very special, Zelda. Do not allow it to fall into the wrong hands."

I nod hesitantly, turning back to Karane, who is slightly awe-struck by everything that she has heard. "Are you alright?" I soon ask her, the Harp tucked under my arm like it has a home there. I am extremely perplexed over how it came to be here, yet I suppose that things are never what they seem. When Impaz wishes us a safe journey, Karane and I shift towards two wooden doors off to the side. I place my fingers around the handle, sighing deeply.

Here we go...

I open the door, Karane following close behind, still too dazed to even speak, and we step outside into the world once again.Link's favourite colour continues out here as well. The bright sunlight reflects beautifully off my Harp that I keep very close to my chest, the memories of the Wing Ceremony kept close with me through this instrument. The trees tower high over us as we move forwards together, looking up at the beautiful azure blue skies looking down on us instead of around us like the usually do.

I could live here, I muse. I like Skyloft and all but this... this is so much more than what I first— I halt suddenly when I look down into the clearing before me, so shocked at what I see that my entire train of thought is stopped automatically. Karane, unaware of my sudden halting, bumps into me. "Hey, you could have warned me, Zelda. Whatcha looking at?" She looks over my shoulder, noticing what I have seen and releasing a tiny gasp. "Oh..."

I leap off the small over-hang and over to the very centre of the clearing. Large knife-like weapons are strewn all over the clearing, human blood also mixed in with the earth. The only things that worry me is the fact that there are fragments of material on the very edges of the knives and, worst of all, the sheathe of Link's sword in the midst of the action; his sword missing in action. "Fi," I murmur. "C-Can you do something to tell me what happened here?"

She appears silently and nods in agreement, bringing her arms forwards and filling the area with a soft light. "I have answers," Fi tells me moments after the light diminishes, so I permit her to continue. "As you have likely already guessed, this is the spot where the Tornado appeared in the Sky Realm. The Spirited One, the one you know as Link, descended to this spot and was discovered by creatures known as Bokoblins and Bokoblin Leaders. Would you like me to define those enemies for you?"

I nod. "Please."

"Red Bokoblin: These monsters have plagued the land since ancient times. They each play different roles, and their weaponry varies. They prefer to act in groups. None of them are intelligent by any definition of the word. Curiously, they seem to have a mysterious obsession with fashionable undergarments," she pauses to recalculate her next enemy. "Red Bokoblin Leader: As a symbol of its leadership, this creature wraps a cloth around its head. This visually communicates that it is more dominant than other Bokoblins. It can call its underlings to arms using its horn."

I gulp. Is this what Impaz was explaining to me before? "Was he... able to escape?"

"Yes, Mistress." Fi tells me, relieving my worry within me. "My calculations suggest that Link was able to escape with little wounds despite the blood over the earth due. I predict a ninety-six percent chance that it his escape was due to the priestess in the Sealed Temple, who then healed his wounds. I conjecture that he only left the Sealed Temple into Faron Woods no less than two hours ago, a few hours before you arrived on the Surface today."

"Thank-you for assuring me, Fi."

"Whenever you need my assistance, Mistress Zelda," she merely responds, returning to the Goddess Sword when there is nothing else for her to explain for me. Karane reaches out to comfort me, only to flinch back into her previous place when I leap away from her, memories suddenly flashing in my eyes. When I finally recover, I turn to her wide eyes.

I sigh. "I'm sorry, Karane, I'm just on edge. You know what he's like, he'll push himself even when he's hurt and I don't want to find him like... you know." We both decide to let the conversation drop, and we follow the pathway simultaneously towards this "Faron Woods." And, as we head into the Woods, I make one promise to that voice that helped me down here and is most likely the main reason that Link is down here too, even if it is simply a voice and cannot respond.

The game is on, whoever you are, but I assure you that you won't win.

Author's Note: Please drop a rate and a review to tell me what you thought of the chapter, as the support really helps to keep me going! So, anyway, Karane has joined forces with Zelda but how will they fare on the Surface? And who bears that voice that Zelda keeps hearing yet nobody else does? You'll just have to find out soon!

~RandomButLoved~