A small moan left Link's mouth as he shifted in his sleep. His eyelids fluttered a bit as he was gradually stirred from unconsciousness. Everything felt… comfortable and soft in stark contrast to what previous conditions he'd awoken to. He snuggled deeper into the warmth of the blankets, not wanting to rise. This felt too good…
Wait, blankets?
Slowly his eyes opened and he was greeted with the sight of… a wall. He blinked, feeling groggy and disoriented. Where was he exactly?
"Link?" A voice caught his attention.
He looked over to see Karane sitting nearby with a concerned look on her face, though it flashed to relief.
"You're awake," she said. He made himself sit up with some effort, taking notice of how his stomach and throat felt like they had turned inside out. He gave a weak groan that turned to a cough.
"Wh-where…" he tried to say, but his voice choked off. Karane nevertheless understood what he'd meant, "We're at the Lumpy Pumpkin now. Umm… Eldin dropped us off here."
Now that he took a glance around the room, he realized she was right. It was one of the vacant upstairs rooms in the Lumpy Pumpkin – bed, table, drawer – nothing really of interest. Sunlight streamed in through the lone window, giving away the time of day. He swallowed, trying to force down the dryness in his throat but not having much luck. The events prior to his awakening were somewhat of a jumble but they gradually fell into their rightful spots in his memory. Yet he found that the more he recalled, the more he'd like to forget.
He dropped his head into his hands. That didn't really happen, did it? It had to have been… a nightmare. Yes, a nightmare. That would explain everything from the three days of imprisonment to…
"Hey," he felt a hand on his shoulder as he looked to see Karane giving him a sympathetic expression, although the sadness in her eyes told him she was thinking the same thing. "It's alright now."
No, it wasn't. How could it be alright after all that had happened? Maybe if he'd just been stronger or tried harder, then he might have gotten them all out alive. But no, he didn't and now he'd lost one of his closest friends besides Zelda… not only that but he'd been forced to kill Pipit himself. How on earth could he ever forget that?
He let out a heavy breath. Nothing could be done about it now, he supposed, so there was no point in dwelling on it.
The empty feeling in the pit of his stomach was becoming too much for him to ignore as the room spun and he felt like he was on the verge of blacking out. At that moment, the door to the room opened and Kina chose to walk in, carrying a tray of…
Food.
Link's mind temporarily went blank as the pain in his stomach increased threefold. The full force of his hunger hit him right there. He hadn't been fed at all
during his three days in captivity. That and combined with the copious amounts of blood he had lost along with running around thinking he was getting closer to escape made him really wonder how the hell he was still alive.
"Oh good, he's up," Kina said with relief as she set the tray in front of him and needless to say, manners were not of the utmost priority. The pumpkin soup, fresh bread, and deku-fruit juice disappeared at such an alarming rate down the hero's throat that Kina and Karane exchanged a concerned glance.
Part of it was the worry that it might come back up just as fast. A familiar ringing sounded out and moments later, Fi materialized from the hilt of the Master Sword that lay at the foot of the bed.
"Master... I understand your current condition requires immediate sustenance but I'm afraid that if you ingest that fast, you will only succeed in making yourself sick."
Link downed the remainder of the deku-fruit juice, feeling stronger already, although what she said was true and his stomach was beginning to cramp. He ignored it and looked at her.
"I'm fine." He found it easier to speak now, though his voice was still a little hoarse.
Kina took the tray as she threw a kind and sympathetic smile over her shoulder before leaving the three alone, the door shutting with a click behind her. A semi-awkward silence fell over the room.
Link took the time to notice that someone had redressed him; he was in a simple shirt and pants now. He was guessing that his other clothes had probably been pretty… unwearable. He looked back at Karane and Fi, voicing a question nagging at his mind.
"What happened exactly?" It was aimed more at Fi. He still didn't how she had managed to do that –being able to find Eldin and rescuing them at the last possible second. Fi opened her mouth and began to explain. She didn't find the dragon; the dragon had found her by a lucky stroke and some very unlucky bokoblins pawning through Link's items. She'd quickly briefed Eldin in, retrieved Link's stuff and then rescued him and Karane at the most critical moment.
Link had to commend her for her resourcefulness sometimes. If it weren't for her, then he probably would still be down there… enduring who knows what. He shuddered, and then remembered something.
"Where is Eldin now?" he asked, remembering his mission. He still needed the song part and he really did not want to make another journey back down to the volcano for obvious reasons.
"If I'm correct, he should still be around. He informed me that he would wait until you had recovered enough to learn the song."
Link sighed in relief at that. At least it was one less thing to worry about.
He cast a glance at Karane who appeared to be far away with a distant look in her eye.
"Karane, are you alright…?" he tentatively asked. She blinked and shook her head a few times as if coming out of a daze.
"Huh? Oh... yeah, just…" she said, voice dull with detachment. Link knew what she was thinking about. "I should be asking you that."
"I'll be fine," he replied, then lowered his gaze, staring at his hands. "I'm really sorry about… about Pipit."
Pipit was one of his closest friends next to Zelda, he was like an older brother almost. An image of him with the Master Sword stuck in his chest flashed through Link's mind and he cringed inwardly, painfully reminded of how he'd been forced to kill him. A wave of nausea came over him and he had to fight his hardest to hold down the food he'd just been given.
"You had no choice, there was nothing that could be done," Karane said, shaking her head slightly. "Link, are you sure you're really okay?"
Link nodded and moved to push himself off the bed, but a hand stopped him. Karane pushed him gently back down, shaking her head, "No, after all you've been through, you need the rest. Don't worry about the dragon, he won't be going anywhere."
Link looked up at her, frowning slightly, "What about Skyloft?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm going to make a visit there right now," she said, standing up and heading to the door. She threw a glance over her shoulder and pointed at him, "Stay in bed, okay?" With that, she disappeared out the door and Link was left alone. Well, not exactly alone since Fi was still floating by
him.
"I think it would be wise and you would benefit from doing as she says," Fi informed him. He sighed and reluctantly lay back down. She was right. After that whole ordeal, it was probably best that he should just get all the rest he could…
…
One last cry escaped his throat before he slumped forward, the chains releasing their grip on his wrists. He fell face-first to the floor, breathing heavily as his vision faded in and out. He had no strength to move. The pain was unbearable as his entire backside felt like it was on fire. Warmth was dripping down his back and he assumed that it looked like a bloody, torn mess. He clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the sounds of agony trying to push past his lips. His eyelids were slowly drooping and he welcomed the oncoming wave of darkness, wanting to escape the treatment he was receiving.
"Now now, we can't have you pass out too early now, can we?"
Link groaned as he felt his arms raised above his head and he was forced to sit on his knees. Two chains clamped around his wrists once more and locked him in that position. He brought his gaze up to glower at the demon lord standing in front of him, a contemptuous grin on the face of his enemy.
"That must be very uncomfortable for you…"
Link snarled in response, provoking a jeering laugh from Ghirahim.
"Temper temper… and I was just going to ask if you wanted me to heal you." He chuckled, then knelt down before Link, whip still in hand. "So, sky child,
do you want me to heal you or shall we continue regardless?"
"I'm not going to beg you," Link spat back at him, trying to ignore the searing pain overloading his senses.
Ghirahim then grabbed the boy by his chin and got very close to his face, looking him dead in the eye.
"Oh, are you sure? Well, have it your way then."
He then released him and stepped back, "I suppose we can continue this either way though…"
He raised the whip again and Link shut his eyes, bracing himself for what was sure to come…
"Stop!" Link jerked upwards, then immediately cringed at the searing pain the action brought. "Oww…" he moaned and clutched at his back. Why on earth did it still hurt…?
Gritting his teeth, he panted, body drenched in a cold sweat. Slowly the pain ebbed and the scars throbbing ceased after a short while. Had he woken anyone up? All was silent so that would be a resounding 'no.' He sat there, unmoving before slowly falling back to the bed and covering his face with his hands. It was nighttime judging by the dark sky visible through the window and the faint sound of Karane's snoring next door. He let out a sigh.
Great, so he was already having nightmares about the whole thing? Disturbingly vivid nightmares, too. How fun.
Well, there was no way he was getting back to sleep now unless he wanted to face repeated visions of taking beatings from his own whip again.
His heart was still pounding and everything felt claustrophobic in the room he was currently occupying. He'd been inside all day, he needed some air.
Throwing the covers off and pushing himself off the bed, he started towards the door, only to stop himself as a sudden thought crossed his mind. He then turned back around and headed towards the bed, stopping and kneeling down to pawn around his adventure pouch. He sifted through the items until he got what he was looking for, pulling out the shiny gold Goddess Lyre before standing to leave again.
Link silently crept downstairs to the empty main area of the pub. He cast a glance up at the ceiling (sans chandelier that had previously hung there) before opening and closing the front door, slipping out quietly. The night air was cool and refreshing on his skin, he made his way over to the diving platform on the little island, not intending to jump off though. Instead, he stared into the sky at the floating landmass that was Skyloft. Link vaguely wondered why
Eldin hadn't just brought them to Skyloft in the first place but then realized that the dragon probably wanted to be kept a secret as much as possible. After all, they were only supposed to be legends. At least, that was his reasoning.
Karane had said sometime earlier that the people had eradicated all of the remaining monsters and were recovering, but that didn't stop him from being concerned. Something felt… ominous about it. He couldn't place it, but somehow found himself wondering how long it would remain safe…
"Awfully late for a midnight stroll, especially when one such as yourself should be resting," a voice scolded good-naturedly.
Link nearly jumped out of his skin and turned around, relieved to find it was only Eldin floating leisurely behind him. How the dragon had slipped his notice, he didn't exactly know… especially in an area such as this. Hiding a beast that big seemed impossible.
"Couldn't sleep," Link answered, shrugging.
"Ah, I see. That is understandable considering someone of your predicament…" Eldin floated over so that he was now hovering in front of the island,
"Chosen Hero, I believe I have some apologizing to do."
Link was genuinely confused, "For what?" The dragon had rescued them, so what reason could he possibly have for apologizing?
Eldin sighed and folded his arms in front of him, his dark red kimono swishing a bit in the wind. "I'm afraid the volcanic eruption was caused by an explosion of my powers… It was beyond my control and you were the one to get caught up in it."
Link's eyes widened slightly, the dragon's words sinking in. So… the whole thing… was caused by… Eldin?
"I am truly sorry. It appears that my minor mistake caused some very major events to take place," the dragon continued to apologize.
Link didn't know what to think, whether he should be angry or not. Well, he was angry, but it wasn't necessarily directed at Eldin. The dragon had saved them all at the last moment. He couldn't find it in himself to be mad at him.
"Why didn't you do anything sooner?" Link asked with mild irritation, scowling slightly. "You didn't happen to notice the abundance of bokoblins on your territory?" How could that go unnoticed?
"I was preoccupied with trying to get my powers under control..." Eldin shook his head slightly "I don't expect you to forgive me anytime soon but the least I can do is offer my condolences."
Link shook his head, though he still felt bitter inside, "No, it's alright. The situation was out of your control, it wasn't your fault."
The dragon-god seemed to slightly smile.
"I am glad that the Hero chosen by the Goddess has such a noble heart. You've come a long way, young one. Judging by the mark on your hand and harp you carry, you seek the song part entrusted to me by the Goddess." He gestured to Link's hand, where the three triangles were beginning to glow, "I will sing it to you… I just hope no one is awoken because of me," the dragon chuckled.
Link listened closely as Eldin sung his part of the song. The notes echoed around and faded into the darkness of the sky. Link closed his eyes and began to memorize the melody, letting it engrave in his mind for later use. He opened them when everything went silent. Eldin gave a nod after he was done with the song.
"Well, I believe I shall return to my land now and rid myself of the remainder of those pesky bokoblins. Goodbye Hero, and I bid you well on the rest of your journey," he said. Link nodded back.
With that, Eldin flew off towards the red beam of light. Link watched until he disappeared beneath the cloud barrier, still clutching the harp to himself. He plucked a few strings absentmindedly, turning to peer into the distance at the yellow column of light shooting up from the clouds. There was only one more song piece to go… Only one until he had all of the clues to obtain the Triforce and destroy the demon king. And then he would finally be reunited with Zelda.
…
The damage was bad. Really bad. They'd managed to put out the fires and get rid of the remainder of the bokoblins, but it was a bittersweet victory. Practically every structure needed repair and a good number of the knights were lost. Skyloft had been completely ravaged.
Three days had passed since Link had returned to the sky and he felt considerably much more rested and recovered. He spoke to Gaepora briefly about his mission before deciding it was time to set out again. He'd already lost so much time and the quicker he got the last song part, the better. Fi insisted that he stay a little longer to recuperate, but he really just wanted to get this over with. Something just felt… off about the whole thing. He was on edge, and not only because of the reoccurring nightmares he had been having as of late…
It seemed odd that Ghirahim would let him go just like that. The demon lord knew where Skyloft was and it made Link paranoid knowing he could pop in for a visit at any given moment. Why not just attack him in his sleep? Slit his throat? Recapture him?
The young hero bit his lip, knowing the demon lord was capable of any one of those. He'd been extra on guard the past few days. Once or twice, he'd sworn he saw something out of the ordinary, barely noticeable but just noticeable enough – yet nothing had happened. No ambush. Nothing.
That was why he felt he had to leave as soon as he could. Of course he had to move on with his mission, but he also felt that he had to get away from Skyloft. The place was supposed to be a safe retreat after grueling adventures on the Surface, though it was just making him anxious now.
Redressed, reequipped, and ready to go, he made his way over to the diving platform on the island where the Goddess Statue rested. As he was about to take a running start, he heard someone calling his name and paused.
"Link!" He turned to see Karane running towards him. She skidded to a stop right in front of him.
"Karane…?" he said in slight confusion.
"Wait…" she huffed, panting and leaning on her knees, "wait, I want to go with you."
Link looked at her in surprise, blinking. He immediately thought no, she couldn't come with him, and shook his head, "You have to stay here."
Karane straightened up and sighed, "Look, Link, I know about your mission, how you and Zelda are part of some great destiny, and I want to help in any way that I can." She rested a hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to do this alone, you know."
If Link thought about, she could actually be a lot of help. He considered it, but then froze as a thought came to him. What if he ran into Ghirahim again? If he did, then she was dead for sure. He couldn't handle losing another friend. He shook his head once again and declined her proposal, much to her dismay.
"I'm sorry, but I do need to do this by myself," he gave her a small, forced smile. "Don't worry though, I'll be fine, I don't plan on staying down there for over a day. I don't even plan on being gone for more than a few hours."
Karane still gave him a concerned and skeptical look, which told him that he would need to do more convincing.
"Besides, Skyloft needs all the help it can get," he added, gesturing to the town where reconstruction had already begun to take place. She opened her mouth to protest but Link cut her off, "I'll be okay, just trust me."
Karane scowled slightly, not saying anything for a few moments as if contemplating it, then finally sighed and nodded.
"Alright," she said, "but come back, okay?"
Link faintly rolled his eyes and gave her a salute as he turned and jumped off the platform. He whistled after a few seconds of falling into the sky and a mass of scarlet feathers caught him. The Loftwing cawed happily and Link couldn't help but smile a little. He patted his bird's feathers before gripping the reins tightly and soared towards the yellow light that led to Lanayru. He reached the opening in the cloud barrier in less than five minutes.
'Just go down, find the dragon, get the song part, and come back to Skyloft,' he told himself. Simple, it wouldn't take that long.
He bit his lip. That wasn't what was worrying him though. He said the exact same thing before going to Eldin and look what happened then… Now he was immensely paranoid.
Link sighed. Okay, he was just being ridiculous. For one, there were no volcanoes in Lanayru to knock him off course or anything like that. For two, what reason would Ghirahim even have for being in Lanayru anyways? For three, all he had to do was be extra care–
"Master," a voice said, cutting off his thoughts, "You seem troubled."
Link allowed the slightest edge of sarcasm to slip into his voice, "What would make you say that?"
"Because we've just passed the entrance to Lanayru and are heading into open sky."
He blinked, realizing Fi was right, "Oh…" he mumbled, circling around a stray floating piece of rock and back towards the light, "sorry."
He peered down into what he could see of the province, but hesitated. Why? He didn't know. His mind went to the sword on his back and a thought came to him. He narrowed his eyes. If Ghirahim was lurking somewhere down there because the demon really did not have anything better to do, then so be it. He'd be ready.
Fi piped up again, "Master Link, we do not have to–" but Link had already jumped off of his bird and into the sky.