The grass was cool, tipped with morning dew as she quietly shut the door. It was unlikely she would meet anyone, due to the early hour. And even if she did, she highly doubted it would be him. The boy's dorms were downstairs.
It was silent as she walked up the wooden stairs, a rosy pink light bathing Skyloft. The residents would be awakening soon. She wanted to be out of sight by then.
She chose the least used platform. She didn't want anyone to see her. Using the ones in town would have certainly got the attention of someone. She just wanted to be alone for a day. She wouldn't miss anything at school, there were no lessons that day.
The Goddess Statue loomed over her. She had found it intimating once, but now it almost seemed comforting. Warm. Inviting.
In her hand, she held a picnic basket, filled with food and water. It was far too much for just a day out. If used sparingly, it could last her a month. And of course, there were seeds too. Gardening appealed to her. Anything to get away from her thoughts.
She paused, the platform just in front of her. It wouldn't hurt to stay a few minutes. Leaving now would certainly cause suspicion. She decided to wait until the night patrol landed. She could be mistaken for the day patrol. Of course, it had the higher risk of being seen, but she would just avoid them. She had been doing that for years, she could do it again.
"Unless they changed me." She thought a faint smile on her lips. It quickly vanished. Thinking about them led her to remember the night before. It hurt too much to sift through those memories.
She had managed to make it back to Skyloft in one piece that night. She locked herself in her dorm, clutching her pillow, tears streaming down her cheeks. Karane and Zelda were soon pounding at her door, asking what was wrong and why she left. They also said that Pipit was sitting in the plaza, refusing to talk to anyone, just staring out at the sky. Eventually, they left her and her thoughts alone.
She knew she had changed in the past few months. Her sarcastic remarks turned into playful teasing, her coldness had turned warm, and her loneliness was gone, replaced by a sense of belonging. But it didn't last. Her new self was gone, the person who she used to be back on the throne. She embraced this self with open arms. Things were easier when she was her old self. Just her and her island. Peace.
But her old self was like an old piece of clothing. Tight. Restraining. Uncomfortable.
What had she gained from leaving her island? She had shattered a boy's heart for the sake of friendship, giving up her happiness for her friend. She should have known it wouldn't last. Once Pipit told them what had happened, things would be different. No more laughter and jokes. Just awkwardness.
She did love him. Link may have been the one she met first, but Pipit was the one who really made her feel alive again. He was the one who had sewn the last stitch, the one who had mended her shattered heart. The one she loved with all her heart. The one she couldn't have.
The memories that used to be lighthearted and sweet were now full of misery and lost hope. Taunting reminders that if she hadn't sacrificed love for friendship. She could have been happy. Things would be better. But it would be Karane nursing a broken heart.
Karane had loved him much longer then she had. Shouldn't that given her all rights to be the one who kissed Pipit that night? The one that should have been the one Pipit loved? Shouldn't it be Karane who would be remembering how his lips felt on hers?
The kiss. Her first kiss. The horrible kiss. The beautiful kiss. The kiss that raised mountains, the kiss that destroyed kingdoms. The kiss that renewed her.
The kiss that broke her.
She could still remember how it felt so right. So magical. So amazing.
In that moment, a single drop of perfection fell on her.
"He said I was beautiful."
A rumbling noise brought her back to reality. Watery paths were making their way down her cheeks, kept alive by her tear filled eyes. She didn't wipe them. There wasn't anyone around.
Another rumbling noise, coming from the direction of the statue. She frowned, clutching her picnic basket. Slowly, she made her way towards it.
It didn't make a sound. But something caught her eye.
Was there a door at the bottom of the statue?
There was no mistaking it. A part of the statue had been moved, revealing a small crack, just wide enough to get her hand in.
She frowned. Holding the picnic basket in one hand, she cautiously pushed it open with one hand. With a surprising lack of force, she slipped inside the statue.
The chamber was light by four torches, surrounding a pedestal, which appears to be holding a sword, Curious, she shut the door and took a step toward it.
It was a deadly error.
A terrible scream rose up around her, filled with despair and loss. Alarmed, she fumbled for the door, but it had vanished. Pounding on the wall, she searched desperately for the crack.
Something yanked her backward, dragging her into the main chamber, Her picnic basket fell to the side as the force smashed into her with incredible strength. Then it was gone.
She fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Her relief would not last long.
At that moment, she realized she had made a horrible mistake.
A/N And that's the end. *evil grin* Cliffhanger, You'll have to wait for the sequel before you can find out what happened to poor Amber.
Now, prepare yourselves for a super long author's note.
First things first. Wanna know a secret? The intended pairing for the story was actually Link x Amber. Crazy right? But after I saw so many people rooting for Pipit, I decided to switch it. It works a lot better this way I think.
This chapter was a bit hard to write because I couldn't figure out how the door would open. It was a spur of the moment thing, so it's not like Amber could have learned a magical spell to open the door or something. So I decided on this.
Before I forget, the sequel should be coming out in a few months at maximum. I still have to figure out how I'm going to tell it, since it involves a lot of POV switching, but it should be figured out soon.
Anyway, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, but I wanted to personally thank Collen-TJ and Shadowninja101 1 for reviewing on almost every single chapter and giving me so such encouragement.
I also want to thank everyone who has stuck with my writing and this story for so long. After so many ditched writings and pauses, I finally have a finished multi chapter FanFiction. It is with great pride that I switched the story's progress to completed.
Thank you so much everyone. I hope the sequel lives up to your expectations.
-Khalida Jewel