Author's Note - Hello everyone! So here's chapter 4, although I have it labeled as chapter 3 because I included the prologue when I set the chapters. So, this chapter is all about the first day at the Knight Academy, and I guess it's not super exciting, but I promise, some exciting stuff will be happening in upcoming chapters soon!
Hope you like it!
The next day, Kahle awoke to her alarm at 7:00 sharp. She didn't have to be to class until 9:00 am, giving her enough time to ready herself and organize her school supplies. She knew no one, except a few, would be up for at least another hour.
All the books she acquired for the school year laid spread across her desk. One by one, she put them in her school bag, putting them in order from most-likely-to-be-important to why-do-we-even-need-this. Slipping out of her pajamas, Kahle fastened her royal blue tunic comfortable around her and fastened the belt to the last slot. It was then that she realized she could never pursue Knighthood after the academy, as she was too small.
She sighed, sat on her bed, and began going through the other possible career options. There was nearly always a guaranteed job somewhere in the Bazaar, whether it was an extra cook in the kitchen, or someone else to promote the simple items. Though it was a likely back-up, Kahle did not want to settle herself down for the Bazaar. Though she was very fond of the place and found it quite homely and welcoming, she felt she was more fit for something of utter extravagance. Even if it was cleaning the goddess statue at night, it would still be more glamorous than aiding the horrendous fortune teller in the Bazaar, who had a serious misfortune of telling someone their fate long after it had already happened to them.
For about 20 minutes, Kahle continued going through options in her head, before she eventually became overwhelmed with the amount of responsibility it would be, choosing a job of her own. She had a full 3 years before she had to do it for herself, and she would very much wait until then. She put her books in her bag, set her bag on her bed, and walked out into the hall.
It was still nowhere near 9:00 am yet, so Kahle just decided to head outside. She never really explored Skyloft in the early morning, usually no earlier than 10:00 am, as she had to do lots of chores when she woke at her home. When she stepped outside, a brush of crisp morning air met her. Bad weather was unusual in Skyloft, but most said when it did occur, it happened at night. No one had any solid reason for why the weather in Skyloft was so pleasant all the time, except for that the goddess made it that way. Though there were some folk who tried to persuade everyone that there was a certain evil about them, an evil that could not be seen or touched.
Absurd, that's absolutely absurd, as Idna used to always say when she heard that sort of talk. There's not a sane mind on Skyloft who would believe that rubbish. Wes would merely mumble as he puffed his pipe when Idna would ramble about such things. But Kahle wasn't exactly listening to Idna's constant ridicule of the presence of evil. She was picturing a world in her head, a perfect world. A warm place, but not just good weather. It had a feel about it that made you feel like you were truly home. This place was filled with meadows and flowers and bright colors. It had tall trees and a gorgeous waterfall. This was Kahle's idea of a true paradise.
But she would always snap back to reality when Idna would nudge her to keep along, and remind her that paradise is much too good to ask for. It was a place far too sacred for human interference.
What Kahle didn't realize was that while she was once again dreaming of her paradise, she had walked some distance away from the academy. The sun had pade a full appearance over the clouds by now, issuing the order of life to begin brewing in Skyloft. And indeed it had.
She heard the curtains of the Bazaar being rolled up, and the friendly chatter of fellow shop owners as they walked together into the grand shop. She heard splashes of the river in the distance, and the eased calls of mothers for their children to be careful near the water. There was a pleasant feel about the air, and it gave Kahle a comfortable feeling. This is home, she told herself. Paradise may be too good to be true, but this is the closest thing to it. She smiled.
Checking her watch, Kahle began heading back to the academy, as it was already 8:30. If you dazed off in Skyloft, it would seem as though a thousand lifetimes have passed in the small moment you had to yourself. She stopped back in her room to collect her book bag, and headed off to the classroom that Instructor Horwell had led her to the day before.
When she approached the classroom, she was slightly relieved to hear voices from inside. She walked in, and saw the familiar face of Instructor Owlan. He looked up from his paperwork, and gave her a small smile before returning to it. Surprisingly, Kahle was a little hurt by his lack of gesture. Of course, she remembered that she had indeed told him to do just as he did, but she figured they had a good friendship, which they could acknowledge.
Kahle took a seat in the second row in the last seat. Two boys, also in their blue tunics, sat a few seats over in the first row. They were the only others in the classroom besides Kahle and Owlan. Not long after, the other 4 boys came in, and sat in the third row, taking up all but one seat in that row. Now, Kahle observed that the only people they were now waiting on were Asha and her 2 sidekicks. It didn't seem as they were much of friends to Asha, just the only other girls that didn't absolutely disgust her.
At precisely 8:59, Owlan stood up to write his name on the board and begin class. Just before he spoke the first word, the three remaining girls came rushing in.
"Oh goodness, Instructor. I'm so sorry we're late, someone was in the bathroom all morning." Asha said, with her attempted innocent tone. Owlan merely rolled his eyes.
"And I do suppose all three of you were in need of the bathroom at the exact time that it was occupied all morning?" he said with a sarcastic tone, and pointed to the tables. Asha looked surprised at his attitude, and proceeded to the row Kahle was in. She sat one seat away from Kahle, and her minions sat beside her on the other side. Kahle let out a silent laugh when Owlan addressed Asha. The girl looked over as she sat down and shot Kahle a scowl.
"Now that everyone is here, we will begin our first lesson together. Now, as I have written on the chalkboard, my name is Instructor Owlan, and I will be teaching you the basics of Knighthood in Skyloft for your beginner year here at the academy. There are lots of methods you will learn, so it is crucial to keep up with your notes and study habits." he began pacing around the room, making sure all the students were listening. No one was a real trouble, until one hand shot up in the air.
"Um, instructor, I have a question."
He let out an audible sigh before answering. "Yes, Asha. What is your question?"
"Are you gonna teach us about, like, the history of Skyloft?" she said with her usual annoying high-pitched tone. Kahle perked up at this question, as she was eager to know if Owlan had in fact lied to her when he told her all he knew.
"No, that is saved for your third year, as the headmaster knows much more than I do." he said casually, shifting his eyes towards Kahle and revealing a small smile. Kahle sighed to herself. He really had told her the truth about all he knew. She didn't know why she doubted him, but a part of her just wondered...
Asha shifted in her seat uncomfortably, as if she didn't want the conversation to end there. Owlan began walking back to the front of the classroom. "Today will mostly be consisted of going over guidelines and my expectations of you all this year. This is the base year for your Knight academy career, and the skills you learn in this class, much more than any other year, will benefit you, even if you don't go into Knighthood."
The majority of the class that day, as Owlan had said, dealt with the guidelines of what they would be learning. He explained to them how they would have 4 hours of class from 9-1 in the morning, and then they would have the rest of the afternoon off, with the exception of pre-scheduled flying lessons to learn how to better control their loftwing. They would be learning different techniques about regular flying and how to teach their loftwings to perform certain tricks in the air. They wouldn't get to the more advanced techniques until their expert year at the academy.
The explanation of all the guidelines and rules took up about half of the class, as there were so many to go over. With the remaining time, Owlan began explaining the different breeds of loftwings.
"As you know, loftwings are unique to the person they protect. There are multiple colors of loftwings, the most common being purple, green, and orange. And I'm guessing most, if not all of you in here have one a loftwing that is one of those colors." he explained. Nearly everyone in the room nodded their head in agreement.
"Now, there are some rarities among the color of loftwings. I have seen several blue ones flying around, and I do believe the headmaster's daughter has the company of a blue loftwing. Those are less common than the primal colors, but not as unique as the colors yellow and crimson red." when Owlan said this, Kahle became very red in the face. Luckily, everyone was interested in what the instructor was teaching rather than her implied embarrassment.
One of the boys in the back raised his hand. "How many of those are there? I ain't never seen one." he said, looking very confused.
"As of now, I have only seen one of each. The crimson red one is still not full grown, so I suspect the owner should not be much older than 10 or 11 years. The yellow one is full grown, meaning the owner is an adult or could be someone in the academy or nearing the age to come to the academy. I, myself, do not know the owner of either." he explained.
What not many people, even her own family, did not know about Kahle, was that she was the one with the yellow loftwing. Octavian was a bird that many people admired when he flew overhead, but when Kahle would ride him, she would go far off into the sky so she would not be bothered with questions about how she obtained such a rare loftwing. To avoid being seen, she often flew to an isolated island on the edges of the massive storm cloud in the northwestern quadrant of the sky. It was a very tiny island, having only grass on the surface. Most people avoided it due to it's location next to the storm cloud.
Octavian was a truly majestic bird. Kahle made an instant connection with him when she was young. Most children take at least a year for their loftwing to be completely comfortable with them. Idna took a bragging right among the town when Kahle came home that day and told her about her loftwing and how she rode it. Most of the mothers in Skyloft were indeed jealous, but Kahle did not like that Idna took Kahle's very own accomplishment as her own. She had never even bothered to ask what color it was or what Kahle had named it.
Everyone in the class were discussing the color of their loftwings. Most of the boys had green, two had orange, and the three other girls all had purple. Then, Asha raised her hand.
"What color is your loftwing, instructor?" it was the first normal question she asked, and it was even at an appropriate time!
Owlan leaned back against his desk, and Asha sighed in admiration. What's the matter with her? Kahle thought. Luckily, Owlan didn't notice her sigh and answered her question.
"I've actually got a blue one myself. His name is Nostalgia." he said with pride. One of the boys in the back snorted.
"Nostalgia? That name's kinda girly for a guy loftwing, dontcha think?" he said, sounding harsh, but not meaning any offense.
Owlan simply smiled. "It's got a significant meaning behind it." of course, with Owlan's mention of something remotely personal to him, Asha perked up in her chair.
"Oh? What kind of significant meaning? Was it the name of your mother? Grandmother?" she blurted.
Owlan shook his head. "No, but I don't want to go into the explanation of choosing that name now." he said meekly. Asha sort of scowled, eagerly wishing to know more about him.
Kahle didn't even scoff at Asha's remark, she was too busy wondering about what Owlan had said about significant meaning. Being raised by Idna, she had a strong trait of knowing lots of words that normal teenagers wouldn't know the meaning of. And the word nostalgia was not used in everyday life in Skyloft. But Kahle knew the meaning, and she was very curious about the reason behind his choice.
Nostalgia meant a strong sense of happiness directed toward a time of joy in the past. Why would Owlan want to remember the past? Maybe he just had some happy memories as a child, that was the viable reason, but for some reason she still wondered...
At about 12:30, Owlan began wrapping up the class. "Now, you only have class on weekdays. Saturday and Sunday you have off, though it wouldn't be so bad to spend your time studying or practicing out on your loftwing. Make sure you keep up with the work you will have here, and you will stay on top of things. That's all I have for you today." He went and sat at his desk. While the rest of the class began talking, Kahle went up to Owlan.
"Uh, instructor? Could I ask you a question?" she said. He smiled.
"Of course, Kahle. What can I do for you?" he responded.
"It's actually about my loftwing. He's been acting-" before she could finish her sentence, Asha came up and bumped her out of the way.
"I have a question instructor." she said obnoxiously, clearing trying to remove Owlan's attention from Kahle.
His smile faded into a slight frown. "Asha, can't you see I'm speaking with another student?" he pointed to Kahle. "Your question will have to wait just a second." he stood up and moved to Kahle.
Asha sighed. "But you wouldn't want to pick favorites, now would you instructor?"
At this remark, Owlan stopped. He looked back at Asha, who was smirking deviously. She knew that he was slightly interested in Kahle. He didn't know how she knew, but she knew. Owlan quickly debated in his head what to do. If I deny Kahle, I would not be a very good instructor, but if I denied Asha, she could tell someone about what she suspects, he thought. He had given no hints, not even subtle ones, that he liked Kahle, which made it even more curious about how Asha knew.
He looked at Kahle, who was staring at him with her eyes wide in anticipation. "Kahle, I'm sorry, but Asha clearly won't give this up. I'll be with you right after her."
She sighed and looked down. "That's okay, just take your time."
It nearly broke his heart when he had to walk away from her to the sassy blonde girl who just couldn't do without his attention. "Asha, what is your question? And try to make it quick, I want to get back to Kahle before the class ends."
She shook her head. "Kind of pathetic, don't you think?"
Owlan glared at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She laughed mockingly. "Yes you do, don't pretend you don't." she smirked again, and glanced towards Kahle, who was sitting back in her desk. He didn't look at her, but kept his gaze sternly on Asha.
"Please, before I don't answer it at all, what is your question?"
"It's actually about professions after the academy. Is it possible to just fly around the sky on your loftwing and get paid?" she asked giddily, clearly showing that she asked it just to get his attention away from Kahle.
Owlan sighed and quickly looked at Kahle. She was writing something down in her notebook. She looked quite innocent, really. He couldn't help but notice how feeble she seemed, as if she could be broken at any minute, but any strength of force. He almost pitied her, but he realized it wasn't pity, it was something much stronger that he felt. For now, he returned to Asha and attempted to answer her question.
After he had explained his answer to Asha as best he could and as quick as he could, he began to walk over to Kahle, but Asha stopped him with another question.
"Asha, I told you that I would appoint to Kahle next, as she did ask me first." he pointed out. Though she retained her devious smile.
"Why are you favoring her over me? Might I take this deal to the headmaster?" she said.
"Are you blackmailing me?" he scowled at her. "You haven't got a clue about anything, and anything you think you know is absolutely wrong."
"Oh really?" she said, raising her eyebrows and looking at Kahle again. This time, Owlan did look at the girl sitting in her desk. He had to think of an excuse to make Asha drop his case.
"I simply want to help a student who has a real question. But you've got it in your silly little head that I'm referring to favoritism." he said sternly.
Asha's smirk faded into somewhat of an angry frown. "Well it is favoritism, isn't it? Don't deny yourself that little luxury and just admit it." she spoke.
Owlan held his ground. "It most certainly is not favoritism. Now, if you've got a serious question, ask it now, or I will walk away."
Asha, knowing she got her way, even in the most desperate way possible, retained to her somewhat false question. "What's in the cave near the waterfall? With the trees covering the entrance?"
Owlan glared. "You know what is in there. You're just wasting my time."
"It's a serious question. Please answer it. I'm curious." she said.
He glanced at the clock and noticed it was 12:58. He wouldn't have time to answer this question and help Kahle with hers. He sighed, and decided that it was no use to rush.
"That cave is infested with monsters. We do not know where they came from, or why they do not go beyond the trees into the areas of Skyloft, but they seem to stay in the cave for all hours of the day. No one has ever ventured to the other side of the cave and come out alive." he said, and just as he finished, the bell rang, signifying the end of the class.
Asha perked up at the sound of the bell. "Well, thank you for answering my questions, instructor. I'll see you tomorrow!" she skipped out of the classroom, joining her two sidekicks.
Owlan scanned the room of exiting students for Kahle, and he saw that she had just put her books away and would be the last to leave. He caught her on her way out.
"Kahle," she looked at him with a hint of hurt in her eyes, and he noticed it, "I am truly sorry for the delay. I did not know Asha would consume 30 minutes of my time."
"Oh, that's alright, instructor." she said plainly.
"If you would like, you could hang around for a bit and I could answer your question now." he suggested, secretly hoping she would say yes.
Unfortunately, her answer was not what he was hoping for. "No, I had better be going off now. I've got to head down to the Bazaar once, and I believe Idna would like me to visit her - she's my foster mother. I don't know why, but she asked me to see her after my first day."
Owlan's heart sank. "Well, I really do apologize. I was not expecting for that delay." he said, and he hoped that she knew that he meant it.
"I understand. You just prefer Asha over me so you answered her first and only." she said with a bit of a kick. Immedietly after, she shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for and rude."
Owlan didn't say anything, he simply stared at her in disbelief, not knowing what to do or say.
Kahle began walking to the door. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow instructor. Have a nice evening."
Before she left, he came to his senses, and grabbed her arm. "Kahle, I pray to the goddess that you know that's not true. She's demanding and would've complained if I hadn't attended to her first. Please tell me you understand."
Kahle breathed in deeply. "I understand, Owlan." he could tell she was still slightly hurt. "I'll see you tomorrow." she walked away when he released his arm. He watched her walk until she was out of sight, and then he nearly kicked himself.
What are you doing? She's your student. You can't be in love with her, he said to himself.
Be in love. Those words had actually crossed his mind. With her. For Hylia's sake, he had only known her for one day, how could he be in love? He was still trying to convince himself that he didn't even like her, but the progress was slow. Especially now that he was to have her right in front of him for 4 hours a day, he knew his feelings weren't going anywhere. He just had to admit it.
Maybe I don't even know what love is. After all, I've never felt anything more than mere friendship. This could be just that for all I know, he thought, but then again, he did know. This was much more than that.
Frustrated with his own self, Owlan walked over to the window. In the distance, he saw the medium-sized crimson red loftwing flying low to the ground near Skyloft. He saw a lone boy who was watching the bird and jumping up and down in excitement. The sight of this made him happy, and he realized that he would have to do something about Kahle. He would not be able to deny his feelings, but at the same time, he would not be able to reveal them to anyone.
He came up with a decision. He would not profess his feelings to anyone, and he would somehow have to convince Asha that her suspicions were not true. At the same time as doing this, he would maintain a perfectly normal teacher-student relationship with Kahle, and try his hardest to make his feelings disappear. It would not be easy, but it would have to be done.
I cannot be in love, I don't even know what love is, he thought. He told himself that over and over again until he was sure it would be the only thought in his head, until he glanced out the window once more and saw a petite girl in a blue tunic making her way to the bazaar. It was Kahle.
I am in love. Hopelessly, mind-rivetingly in love, with her.
After stopping at the bazaar to pick up some supplies that Idna needed, Kahle made her way to her old house.
As she approached the house, all the memories of the years she had lived there were recalled to her. They weren't all bad memories, though some of them were. She had many memories of Idna yelling and Wes acting like she didn't exist. But she also had good memories, like when they first took her in. Her earliest memory that she could recall was when she awoke in the middle of the night due to a nightmare, and Idna came in with a cup of warm milk. She had asked Kahle what the nightmare was about and cuddled her until she fell back asleep. That was one of her favorite memories.
Her home life started to turn downhill when Kahle turned 10. That was when she became a little more independent, and Idna wasn't ready to let go. Wes had suddenly begun to not care about Kahle as much, which just frustrated Idna more. Idna had become distant and somewhat cruel, so Kahle avoided her as much as possible. She constantly made excuses that she was going to practice on her loftwing, which was exactly what she would do. But she didn't exactly practice. She flew Octavian around the sky until she came upon a small little island. This island was dangerously close to the massive storm cloud, but it was as good a place as any to get a little separation.
So Kahle made her trips to this little island more frequent. It turned into sort of a hangout for her, as she had no friends to play with. Idna never found out where she went when she left.
Even though she had only been gone from the house for 2 days, Kahle felt the need to knock. She finally felt like that wasn't her home, though she wasn't exactly sure the academy was either.
The door opened, and Idna stood there, looking her usual, yet greeted Kahle with a smile.
"Hello, dear. Come on in." she said warmly. Kahle entered the house and sat on one of the sofas. It smelled of fresh bread and pasta.
"I just stopped by to tell you how my first day went. I remembered you wanted to know about that." she replied shyly. She didn't know why she was acting different around Idna. Maybe it was because she finally got a life of her own away from her, and she didn't want to get pulled back into her old life.
Idna sat on a couch opposite of Kahle. "Yes, thank you for remembering."
So Kahle explained the day, most of the things Owlan told them about the class and the academy. Idna listened intently. She also told her about the dorms and the students.
"Have you made any new friends?" Idna said, once Kahle had finished.
Kahle exhaled deeply. "No. The only other girls in my class are snobs and I wouldn't even want to be their friends."
"What about guy friends?" Idna smirked, causing Kahle to smile. It was good to see her not so uptight.
"Well," she began, tempted to tell her about how she had gotten well off with Owlan and instructor Horwell, but stopped, fearing Idna would go into lecture about student-teacher relationships again. She kept those details to herself. "No, I haven't made any guy friends. I guess I'm still settling into life there."
Idna smiled and let a small laugh. "I'm glad you're liking it so far." she stood up and joined Kahle on the couch she was sitting on. "Know that we miss you here. It was quite the change of pace when you moved out."
Shifting awkwardly in her seat, Kahle managed a smile. "Yeah, it has been weird for me too."
Idna put her hand on top of Kahle's. "And, just so you know, Weslic and I were blessed beyond explanation when you came to us. We love you so much."
"Thanks Idna." that was all Kahle managed to say when Idna showed her more sensitive side. They sat holding hands for a while before Idna stood up.
"Well, would you like to stay for dinner?" she looked at the clock. "It's 2:30 now, but we can eat around 4, if you'd like to stay."
Kahle stood up and adjusted her belt. "No, that's okay. I'm just gonna grab something at the bazaar or go to the academy kitchen for something. Thanks anyway."
"Before you go," Idna walked over to Kahle and embraced her in a hug. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I acted the past 6 years. I wasn't a good mother. And if you feel you need distance from Wes and I, I understand. I wouldn't blame you."
Kahle looked at Idna, and could see that she truly meant her apology. "Well, we'll see where it goes from here."
Idna smiled wider than Kahle had ever seen before. "Thank you, my darling. I love you so much. Come and visit whenever you want."
Kahle said goodbye and headed for the door. Surprisingly, it was harder to leave than she would've ever thought possible. Idna had changed, and this time, it was for the better. She still didn't know if she could be able to mend the broken relationship with her foster parents, but she did know that she loved them, even if it were in the slightest form.
Making her way back to the academy, Kahle began to think about her parents. Her real parents. She had always wondered what they were like, and how different her life would've been if they had raised her. For just a moment, she felt a pang of sadness for the parents she never knew. She was they only child in Skyloft for some time who's parents died when they were young.
I know they would be proud of me, she thought. They would have loved me beyond belief. She assured herself of this.
She took a deep breath, and smiled at the thought of her parents.
Please review! Tell me what you think so far, and any predictions you have. I could very well work your opinions into the story!
