Link
As a kid I've been able to sleep through anything. Storms, shouting, you name it... last night I didn't sleep. No surprises there.
How I was expected to remain calm! How!?
After everything that's happened within the last few hours alone, not to mention what's on the horizon, I was feeling... I don't know... apprehensive? Well, to put it lightly.
There's a clock on the wall of my room, it read: 5:27.
Sitting up in my bed, I looked out my window. The sun wasn't visible just yet, but dawn was fast approaching. The edge of the sky was turning a lighter shade of blue. That was enough for me.
I swept the covers off me and swung my legs over the edge of my bed. I quickly pulled off my pyjamas and put on a light blue long sleeved t-shirt and a black pair of trousers, I then put on a red wrap and a pair of boots of the same colour. I then went over to my desk.
The Goddess Sword lay on top, sleeping in its sheath which was taken from the training hall shortly after the events of last night. It was very decorative, I must say. I thought about taking it with me on my errands but in the end I decided against it. It would be safe here; she will be safe here... I hope.
I took several large sheets of parchment from my desk, a quill, some colouring charcoal, and a bottle black ink. Taking my equipment, I made my way out of the academy, careful not to wake any of the instructors or other students.
Outside the academy, I started to trudge my way to the Statue of the Goddess. Walking through the courtyard brought back memories of when Zelda asked me out just a few hours ago. If only she didn't do that, she wouldn't be... well... lost.
But then, she said she had something to say, didn't she? What was she going to say before it happened?
Maybe I'll find out if I see her, when I see her. I'm going to find her. I've set my mind and heart on it, so I will not stop until I know she's safe.
Shaking off these thoughts, I stepped inside the Statue of the Goddess. I found it in the exact state I left it last night. No point in stalling, I took the stationary I brought and set it on the floor by the altar where the emerald tablet was placed. I picked up one of the pieces of parchment and carefully put it over the tablet; I then folded the parchment over the edge of the tablet. Making sure that the parchment was perfectly creased, I picked up one of the pieces of coloured charcoal, the green one seemed appropriate. I then began to colour in, copying the markings that were on the tablet, I noticed them last night, and it was obvious just what exactly it was. It was a map.
the process took several hours and sometimes when filling in the gaps the parchment would slip away or it would tear the fabric but after filling in all the spaces, I removed the piece of parchment and carefully put it on the floor, I then readied my quill and ink and started to trace the lines that had formed on it. with a surprisingly steady hand I copied the pathways, the small pictures that I assumed were trees, the wavy lines that I understood was water and after I finished I took the precaution of making a second map of the same area in case something happened to the first. Having finished I put the cork back on the bottle of ink, picked up my set of maps and stood back up. But then I heard voices
"Goddess above, Headmaster."
"You weren't lying then"
"Your faith in me is comforting, Owlan"
"Forgive me Headmaster, but you were speaking of a legend of which has little to no credibility"
There was a pause
"It's true, I too speculated that the legend was untrue, but for us, it has been proved to be the truth"
"All we have is an entrance into the statue of the Goddess; we don't have any proof that a young man will protect the world from the apocalypse"
There was another pause
"Just come look inside"
The sound of the instructor's footsteps became louder, until there shadows could be seen in the entrance. Since when has it been so bright outside?
The three figures approached so I made my way in front of the pedestal.
All three of them stood, practically in shock, except for the Headmaster, he probably already knew I was here. The two instructors, however, were far from calm. It took great persuasion from the Headmaster to convince them to hold the questions until they've heard the events of last night.
But before that
"Link, what were you doing here?"
At the question I showed the headmaster my new map. The map of the surface.
"Ha, ingenious. A splendid idea." he turned to his colleagues
"Gentlemen, your assumptions are correct. In the legend, the Goddess speaks of a youth who will be guided by her hand alone to carry the burdens of the sky and see that it is safeguarded against evil. Instructor Horwell, Instructor Owlan. This is the Hero Chosen by the Goddess."
Both Instructors turned to me, disbelief sketched on to their faces. I could feel their gazes each studying me, as if truly noticing me for the first time. I hoped I looked formidable.
There was a deep silence. Horwell was the first to speak up.
"Can it be true? Is Link the one to be chosen?"
"It can and it is, during the hours after my daughter's disappearance, Link received a vision telling him of his destiny, when he awoke, a spirit came to him and led him to this secret place without any prior knowledge of its existence."
Silence
"After Link made his way inside" he continued "He was greeted by a servant of the Goddess and made the Master of the Holy blade, The Goddess Sword." the Headmaster then revealed the Sword from behind his robe and walked towards me. "I apologize for taking this without your permission, Link. But after I saw you head to the Statue of the Goddess, I noticed that you left this behind. this sword cannot be left alone, you must keep it with you." he handed the sword back to me, all the while I felt the Instructors watching it, like it was something extra terrestrial... well, actually it is if you think about it.
I took the sword; it was still neatly placed in its sheath. I felt a warmth on my fingertips as it was passed from the Headmaster to me.
"Gentlemen" the Headmaster spoke "Link's dreams of a great destiny, the Spirit guiding him here... my daughter's disappearance. These things are not coincidence.
"Your daughter?!" interrupted Owlan. "What does your daughter's disappearance have to do with this?"
"There was a reason why you could not find her last night, Owlan!" I distinctly heard a choke in his voice; if he wasn't facing away from me I might have seen a tear in his eye. "She is no longer within our reach" he finished.
"What do you mean?" asked Horwell "you not saying that we're too late"
"No... Zelda is... Zelda has... gone to the surface"
Both instructors were at a loss for words.
"What did you say?" Instructor Owlan asked
"It seems that she too is a chosen one of the Goddess"
"How?!" asked Horwell, more out of amazement than disbelief
"I am not sure, it's possible that the tornado that took her from us could've broken the Cloud Barrier but all we can say for certain is that she is there, and learning about her role in this great destiny"
Again, there was a silence. Instructor Horwell looked with a mix of amazement and wonder while Instructor Owlan...
It was the Headmaster who broke the silence "is something the matter Owlan?"
The Instructors looked between the Headmaster and me, debating in his head whether or not to speak his mind.
"I'm sorry Headmaster" he said "but I mean no disrespect. We are currently talking about legends, myths and unproved hypotheses. There is just no clear evidence that this is a sign from the Goddess. Link could've accidentally found his way here. Zelda could just be on a small island that we've overlooked. And this could just be a misunderstanding"
I'm not one for arguing but I didn't just 'accidentally' find myself here.
The Headmaster let out a long sigh. He then turned to Instructor Horwell who seemed to take his glare as question on his opinion.
"Ah, well Instructor Owlan raises a good point, but we have all read the manuscripts that give the details of the legend, and it seems that Link being here fulfils those criteria. And... After everything that you've done for us... the least I can give you is my trust... so yes, I believe you, Headmaster"
The Headmaster seemed pleased with that answer.
He then glanced at my sword, as if remembering something about it. "Instructor Owlan?" he said "I will give you the best proof I can offer, after that; you may believe what you like. It occurs to me that your belief is very insignificant to the grand scheme of things. But never the less, here it is." he then took his eyes off the sword and looked at me "Link, will you please summon the spirit that dwells within the blade. She will be able to convince them."
Summon... the girl?
Both Horwell and Owlan seemed to forget the tension in the air and made room for interest
"She will respond to your thoughts and voice. You are the master of this blade, she will obey you."
I suppose it's worth a try, but I fear that she will only come out when she needs to, she might consider this unimportant. Although, if I'm going to get used to carrying this sword spirit with me, I might as well try it.
I don't like speaking so I'll try to think my commands.
"Fi, reveal yourself"
The hilt of the sword began to glow, and the light it produced shot into the air and danced until it revealed the girl of my dreams. Fi
Horwell fell over. Owlan nearly fell over. The Headmaster looked pleased and proud. Fi ignored all three, focused only on her master.
"Master, I am at your service" She said
"I need my two Instructors to believe that what you said last night was true and that we have their trust" I replied
"...Master, I calculate an 87% chance that the two individuals named Instructor Horwell and Instructor Owlan believe the destiny that the Goddess has planned for you. Further steps can be taken by having me explain the details more clearly, however, I calculate 43% chance that this course of action will alienate them and thus they will not trust you. Therefore I advise you to allow me to return to the blade and allow Headmaster Gaepora to answer any questions these two might have"
I then dismissed her, and she returned to the sword.
"And there you have it. This, I'm afraid, is all I can offer you as proof, Owlan." said the Headmaster
"There will be no more need of proof, Headmaster" said Instructor Owlan. He turned to face me, out of breath from the shock of seeing a spirit before his eyes. He started to walk towards me until he was right in front of me. "Link... what can we do to help?"
"Owlan?" started the Headmaster
"The Knight of the Goddess is in our presence, and I had the audacity to doubt him and you, Headmaster. Please forgive me" he gave a short bow.
"He is right" spoke Horwell "we both doubted for a minute, but now we can focus on the matter at hand, which is what we can do to help you on your quest"
"So tell us, link, what must we do?" enquired Owlan
I thought for a second
The Headmaster started to speak "well we must consider the facts, Link is about to embark on an expedition to the surface, we can supply all the tools and equipment he need for such a tri-"
I held my hand up to silence him for a moment
"Yes Link, what is it?"
During the long hours of the night I planned all the things I wanted to happen, with the Academy's support, I think it will work. So I gave them my instructions. First of all: Secrecy; we cannot allow the general public to know of the events that occurred during last night. No doubt people would have heard, gossiped, and spread rumours about Zelda's disappearance (thank you, Pipit's mother) so I need you to tell them this. Zelda was caught in a tornado and is currently missing, which is more or less the truth, but say nothing about Fi, the Surface, the Goddess Sword, the Prophecy or mine and Zelda's Destiny. If people ask why you've sent me alone, say it's because I was with her when the Tornado hit, so I have a better chance of knowing her whereabouts. Also now that I'm a senior member of the Academy, you can say that you can trust me a bit more with this task.
Next: Equipment; Going now, despite having Fi and the Goddess Sword, I feel a bit unprepared. Is there anything I might be able to borrow so that it can help me? I've taken the first step and created a makeshift map for my travels, of course, I don't know what's waiting for me down there or what difficulties I'll face when I arrive. Food and water, potions, there must be some things that are multi-purpose, and even how I'm meant to carry it all. Well, we'll get to equipment later I expect
After that: When I'm Gone; I need to know that Skyloft will be protected after I'm gone. The tornado was meant for Zelda, but what if it comes back to the island, or something worse? assign a few more knights, don't tell them what their actual purpose is, but I need to know that Skyloft is defended or that its citizens can be evacuated if need be.
Okay?
Several hours after the meeting in the Statue and I'm back in my room. The Staff of the Academy have gone to speak to spread our story around the town. I've never felt more tired in my life, and at the same time, I feel this burning energy inside me that is constantly going and forcing me to pace around my room, looking for something to do. In the end I gave in to this unending force and started packing. The next hour was filled with me debating on which things I could bring.
Would I need my bug catching kit? Probably not.
I think I'll take my journal with me, you never know.
I currently have 25 rupees on me, through chores and other work done throughout the town, but do I even need money where I'm going?
What about my sketch book? If I see something interesting I could document it and show everyone when I come back, who knows what I'll find?
I have several empty bottle, some bigger than others, I think I'll take the biggest one. If anything is multi-purpose, it's an empty bottle.
There was a knock on my door; it then opened to reveal Fledge
"Link!" the boy looked a little worried "the Headmaster said you're heading out to look for Zelda. Is that true?"
I nodded my head
"You're really something else. I could never imagine myself doing what you're about to do. I put a lot of work into making this! You should take it with you."
He then moved his hands from behind his back to hold them out to me. I don't know how Fledge made it but what he was giving to me was leather bag with several pouches. The bag was designed to carry everything. A bag for adventures. It's a good thing I don't talk because I don't know what to say. So I just let my smile say it all.
"Link! I just know you'll find Zelda for us" yes I will. I promise Fledge, I will find her.
He left me alone with my new bag. The bag was meant to hang on your waist of a belt; no doubt I'll need one. I started to fit everything in, my journal, my sketchbook, my wallet, and the largest empty bottle I have and my maps. And there is still plenty of room left. I then left the bag on my desk so I could pick it up later. I looked at my clock, 11:03.
I'll rest, for a little while at least. I'll need it.
I had barely closed my eyes when suddenly there was another knock at my door; I looked at my clock, 11:54... Hnh.
It was the Headmaster, he came strolling in, with something in his hands, he carefully laid whatever he was holding on my desk and then looked at me. I sat up.
"There is fire in your eyes. Good, you'll need that in the days to come" I looked at him quizzically "when you're ready to leave, come see me in my office." he then left.
Once he was gone, I stood from my bed and went to see what he left me; I recognised what it was immediately. It was the Uniform of Senior Students. It was exactly the same as Pipit's; a tunic over light chainmail armour, underneath that was underclothes that were white, brown boots and gauntlets and to finish off was a floppy hat. Everything was exactly how I envisioned it, except my uniform was green.
I tightened my boots. I straightened my belt. I checked my hat was straight. I pulled on my gloves. I'm almost ready
I took the Goddess Sword from my desk and strapped it to my second belt with I then proceeded to clasp around my right shoulder. I picked up the Adventure Bag and attached it to the belt around my waist.
There is one more thing...
The Sailcloth. The one Zelda presented to me during the Wing Ceremony. I carefully grabbed it from my bed. Its scent still clung firmly to it. I wanted to bring it with me, have somewhere where it will be visible but not in my way, so I tied it around my belt by my left hip.
Ok, let's go.
I opened the door to my bedroom to find, with slight surprise, all six other students practically waiting for me. Pipit, Karane, Fledge, Groose, Cawlin and Stritch, all just... there. Pipit and Fledge were whispering to each other, which they stopped as soon as I arrived. Karane was staring awkwardly at me. Groose and his 'backup' were glaring. It goes without saying that they've all heard the news.
Pipit gave me a thumbs up, which I returned with a smile. Fledge was trying to look cheerful. Karane offered a weak comforting smile, which I gave back all the same. Groose, however, thundered his way over to me, this caught me off guard, what would he have with me to be angry about? But I can see it, rage, clear as day. Is it because I was chosen to look for Zelda or maybe he still has hard feelings about the Wing Ceremony. Well, here I am, ready to take whatever Groose is about to dish out, when he just... started crying, sobbing really loudly. Goddess above, I've never seen Groose like this. He ran to his room weak and defeated. Whatever my opinion of Groose, he's just a man (boy) whose upset.
Without further delay, I left Cawlin and strich staring like idiots and ran up the stairs. Before entering the Headmaster's office I knocked. "Enter" I heard, so I turned the door knob. In the office were the Instructors, the Knight Commander and the Headmaster, all four were waiting for me. As per our discussion, the Knight Commander wouldn't know about last night or this morning, but the Headmaster should have spoken to him about calling a few knights back from active duty to watch over Skyloft.
Once I had entered the Headmaster smiled "That green uniform is what our knights will be wearing this year. To be honest, I've had my doubts about the colour. But oddly enough, seeing you wear this uniform, I can't imagine a more fitting colour for you. It's as though you were born to wear it.
Take care on your journey; we have a few more parting gift to equip yourself properly"
Horwell took a step forward "here, I've prepared several meals for you. It is already been divided and if rationed properly, there should be three days worth of food."
Great, I thought
Then it was Owlan's turn "I have taken the base contents of my Potion Making kit and turned them into a portable kit. In it I have included several recipes and ingredients to get you started in making your own medicine, should you ever need it. Some recipes include heating and boiling so I've added a tinderbox and a few fire starters"
Wow that's almost too much.
Then the Knight Commander stepped forward "I was unsure if sending you was the right choice for this rescue mission, but looking at you now, I've realised that you have personal reasons for searching for Zelda. I think your perfect for the job Link"
The Knight Commander opened a small chest that he brought with him "I have here a shield, you'll find it's a top-of-the-range, standard piece of equipment for full christened Sky Knights. This one in particular is used by the Order's Ranger Battalion. it's designed with practicality in mind, and thus the base of the Shield, it's backbone if you will, is made of Sky-Iron a dense but lightweight material that, well, you remember from the class I did on it, let's just say it won't break easily. It is then covered by a layer of bark from an Adam Tree which, as you remember, is farmed for the use of crafting all sorts of devices. This wood won't catch fire as quickly as other kinds and can stand more pressure before breaking. A fitting shield for a fitting task, would you say?"
I would say. The shield was kite shaped and about the same size as my torso. The Knight Commander passed it to me and showed me how to quickly grasp it from where it hung on the belt where my sword was.
Still these gifts were too much, not that I won't need them, but even though I have a new bag that has a bit of room left in it, I can't possibly fit a portable potion kit and three days worth of food in it. The Staff seemed to notice my problem.
"Link, we are not done yet" spoke the Headmaster. "Follow us" and he started walking. The four of them kept a brisk pace, enough that I had to jog to keep up.
When we left the office I felt a presence hit my mind, with everything that had happened I wasn't that surprised that I had forgotten about him.
"Crimson!" oh my beautiful friend; I'm sorry I forgot about you.
The doors of the Academy opened and there was my red feathered friend, except...
Crimson's body was covered from foot to beak with what looked like leather; the Rider's Mantle was now over what appeared to be a saddle.
"What you're looking at there, Link, is Loftwing Leather armour, we'll be able to fit the rest of your equipment into the saddle." while the two instructors fitted my rations and tool kit into the various bags that the saddle contained, the Knight Commander showed me the many utilities of this new armour.
"You'll find this armour also comes from the Ranger Unit. The equipment that the Ranger Unit specializes in is more for manoeuvrability with an option for combat, therefore the equipment is light weight and not to be used like the Heavy Battle Unit uses theirs. Now let me show you all its properties."
The armour covered Crimson's chest and flanks; it also covered a portion of his legs. His neck was also mildly protected and it also covered Crimson's head, cutting off at the beak. The wings were not protected, but there were cuttings to allow him full use of them during flight. There was also a light on Crimson's forehead, I enquired to the Knight Commander about it.
"Ah yes. As you know, Loftwings don't usually fly at night, they have to be trained, and you're not ready to learn how, nor is there time to teach you, however, we do not know what dangers you'll face in the days to come, so I've given you this smaller light to be used if you have to fly at night. Now this light is not as strong as the ones used by the Star Patrol Unit, but it will no doubt be of use if there comes a time when you need to fly at night"
he then handed me a leather armour maintenance kit "keeping your Loftwing's armour in good condition is a good tip for any knight in any unit, follow it" I then took the kit, which consisted of polish, duster and some knitting equipment if there comes any tears. And added it to the saddle bags.
The weight was evenly distributed so that Crimson could fly relatively easily through the air. I let Crimson into the air to wait for my signal and walked with the Staff to the plaza, which is the closest point to the break in the cloud barrier.
As I walked with the four older men I couldn't help but notice that I'm not feeling nervous anymore... what? How can I not be nervous? Considering what I'm about to do, I should be getting scared, but I don't feel anything. In fact it's starting to scare me just how not-scared I am.
we arrived at the plaza in next to no time, there were more people than usual out and about, they couldn't have been here to see me off, how could they have known that I was leaving now, anyway, it was nice to see most of them one last time, I don't know when I'll see them again.
Pretty soon it was just me and the Headmaster, the two of us, standing near the jumping platform. This reminds me of when I first met the Headmaster, which was... over 7 years ago, when I was 9. I guess that was the point where I first started my adventure, my journey to become a knight.
I turned to Headmaster Gaepora and he looked down at me. I hoped... that he saw fire in my eyes. And for once again I attempted to use my voice
"...th..Thank you... f..For all that you've taught me"
The Headmaster embraced me, a teacher and his student. "Link... be safe out there. I'm counting on you to find Zelda!"
With one last wave to my role models and a glance to everyone else in the plaza. I dashed to the platform, jumped in the air, whistled... and took to the sky.
The flight was pleasant, the familiar sound of the wind rushing past my ears, the warmth of the sun on my skin. Does the sun shine on the surface or does the cloud barrier block its light? Well, I'll find out soon enough.
I felt the presence of Fi disturb my thoughts; she then appeared and flew next to me. Her sudden appearance frightened Crimson into, almost, flying off course.
"Master Link... Observe, there is an opening in the cloud barrier that will serve as your entrance to the Surface."
Looking down, I saw that she was right. A small hole big enough to fly through was just visible below. If you were going to fast you might miss it. That's good, I thought, that means that it's less likely to attract attention from other people.
"It is most likely that this opening will be critical in travelling from the Realm of the Sky to the Surface. Please note your current location in relation to Skyloft.
I'm about a 20-25 minute flight, south-east of Skyloft
"It appears that you will be able to reach the Surface by passing through the portal in the clouds. Master Link, prepare for decent.
She then disappeared back into the hilt and I angled Crimson in for a nose-dive. We glided closer and closer to the portal and just when we were about to pass over it, I saw it.
Green, lush, vast land. A world full of wonders, potential, and freedom. A land of such beauty and wealth that is seemed that I was intruding on this foreign land. "Oh Goddess"
I don't know what made Crimson spooked, maybe it was the habit of avoiding the cloud barrier, maybe the fear of the unknown, but he dropped me. And I Sky Dived with my arms outstretched to create as much wind resistance as I could.
I didn't scream, I didn't yell or cheer, I wasn't afraid or excited. Hell, I don't remember thinking anything at all, except...
"Zelda... you are so lucky I love you"
and there it is. Skyward Prelude is Complete.
