Link was walking down the hall when he spotted Kukiel walking with her father, skipping ahead to examine a hatch on the floor.
"Papa, what's that?" She asked. Her father stomped his foot on the door.
"Why that's the cellar."
"Uncle Batty would like it down there! It's all dark and creepy!" Her father laughed unevenly, and waved a hello to Link as they passed. Link walked by the cellar quickly. Creepy was the exact right word. For some reason, he felt sick to his stomach every time passed the cellar.
Link turned the hall, but was barricaded by a large dresser. Groose was heaving it through a doorway that seemed much too small, but Peatrice was watching and he had to make it work.
"Groose, have you seen Zelda?" Link asked, circling the furniture to find his friend's face. Groose sighed, and wiped his arm past his face, which was a red as his hair with strain. He shook his head.
"Sorry buddy. Is she missing again?" Link shrugged, and greeted Peatrice with a hesitant nod, before making his way downstairs. Link noticed that they weren't sharing a room yet. In fact, Pipit and Karane occupied neighboring rooms too. Link realized that he and Zelda were the only married couple their age.
They were young. Just old enough to be called adults, though the Instructors and older knights still looked down on them as children sometimes.
Link almost crashed into Kina, who was balancing a half dozen bowls of soup and bread on her arms and head.
"Oh! Sorry, Link!" She apologized, swaying her arms to regain balance and not spill any food. Link frowned at the tower of white ceramic cups and bowls.
"Is this all for breakfast?" He asked. She nodded, and almost lost the tray on her head.
"The dining hall is getting fuller each day." He asked her also if she had seen Zelda, but the girl shook her head, spilling soup onto the floor.
Link sighed in defeat and continued down the hall. He peeked into the kitchen where Pumm was stirring a wide cauldron full of food, but no Zelda. He walked outside, and past all the garden patches, and saw Pipit in the distance, trying to win over a pair of horses. He didn't seem to be doing too well today, and sat heavily in the grass, throwing pumpkin pieces their way. The horses swished their tails curiously, but didn't move.
The horses had become increasingly more curious about the castle, and its growing number of inhabitants. Pipit was the first one to go outside and try to tame them. He learned to be patient, and he learned that they loved pumpkin chunks. A combination of both made him quite friendly with them. Most days at least.
Link scanned the field, but only saw Kina walking over to Pipit with more pumpkin bites for the horses. No Zelda.
Just as he started to get nervous, he turned around and looked up at the castle. And there she was, leaning over the edge of the rooftop, her chin in her hands as she stared out dreamily across the field. Her hair was loose, and the wind was sucking it past her face, and around her arms. Link couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked. It was like she was floating underwater, the way her hair was billowing out around her like that. Zelda leaned away from the edge, pulling her wild hair behind her ears again. She seemed to notice he was there, and redirected her stare to him. She smiled and waved, and he returned the small gesture.
Zelda had been deep in thought. So far gone, that she would have referred to herself as Hylia if asked. It was true the Goddesses had renounced her title, but Zelda could not forget who she was. Who she had been for such a long time. And at that moment, when Link was looking up at her like a mortal should have been, she felt it more than ever.
She looked away from him, grounding herself. She did not want to think such conceited thoughts.
…It was his cloak. That made all the difference. She wanted to be both Hylia, for her First Hero, and Zelda, for Link.
She noticed he was trying to get her attention again. He put his hand up flat, telling her to wait, then rushed back inside to meet her upstairs.
Zelda put her back against the wall, and let her hair blow out behind her. She closed her eyes, and imagined herself weightless.
It was another blind game. He told her to close her eyes, and walked her through the castle, down to their room. Zelda knew where they were going even with her eyes closed, but that never helped guess the surprise.
"Okay…" Link whispered into her ear. "Open."
Zelda did, and once again, he had done something magnificent. It was his standard. He, and everything he did, was nothing less than amazing.
Positioned right in the middle of their room, was a wooden crib. Woven out of pliable wood, and sanded until it shone. Zelda walked forward and touched it, then brushed her fingers all the way down to its frame. It felt as smooth as it looked. And when she gave it a little push, it rocked slightly just like it should.
"I thought since I can't sew, I could make something else." He said, walking up beside her. "Do you like it?" She spun and faced him.
"I love it, Link!" And she jumped and forced him to catch her when she picked up her feet.
After seeing the new addition to their home, Zelda wanted to add a personal touch of her own. She asked Link to accompany her down to the cellar to get it. He took the lantern and walked behind her as she led the way. He pulled up the hatch, setting the lantern to the side, and lifted it up to expose a row of dark stairs.
He felt a cloud of cold, dusty air flow up from the cellar, which felt reminiscent of the many temples he'd descended into during his quest. And despite the aching desire to not go down, he picked up the lantern and moved down the stairs like he always had.
Zelda crossed the room, navigating her way around the crates and boxes of preserved foods and things that had been brought down from the surface. She found the particular crate she was looking for in the corner, though it had been covered by a heavy looking box. She bent down to push it over, then stopped when Link touched her shoulder.
"Link?" She asked. He was directly behind her, the lantern hovering over her shoulder. She took it from him when he gestured for her to do so, and he easily scooted the box aside so she could open the one she was after.
It was a roll of expensive white fabric, folded around only twice because there was so little of it.
"I've been saving this, and what better time to use it than now?" She said, lifting it up to the candlelight to see. "I want to make it into a blanket. It's the softest fabric I've ever-"
There was a harsh crashing sound, and Zelda jumped, grabbing the cloth to her chest on impulse. She turned, and saw Link sliding his hand against the wall, stumbling away from a pile of brown shards of pottery. The pieces were still shaking, and a pile of rupees was scattered along the floor, still landing perfectly standing up.
"S-sorry." He stammered. Zelda shook her head.
"It's okay. All those pots are in a weird place anyway. Hey, remember that time when we were just kids and Henya set out that row of pots and I dared you to-"
"Zelda, what is this room?" He asked. His voice was uneven, and his fear made Zelda just as uneasy. He started rubbing at his wrists, and looking around. "It feels…weird. It…it kind of-"
Link suddenly grabbed his chest with a pained hiss and dropped the lantern. The glass broke and it fell on its side, spilling the oil and lighting one of the crates on fire. Thankfully, the crate was holding pots of water, and when the ceramic heated up, it cracked and spilled the water all on its own. Most of the fire was extinguished, but Link and Zelda scrambled for more jugs of water to douse the remaining flames. By then, the room was filled with smoke, and Link wound his arm around Zelda's shoulders and led her up the stairs and into fresher air.
Groose was already in the hall, demanding if everything was all right, soon followed by Pipit and Kina. As they went downstairs to assess the damage, Link hurried away. Zelda noticed him going, and followed.
She turned the corner after him, and saw him leaning his shoulder in against the wall. He looked exhausted, slumped over like that. She touched his shoulder, and he quickly met her eyes. His bangs were thin, and sticking to his forehead and smearing into his eyes, just like the First Hero wore his.
But this Link wiped his hand past his face to clear his vision.
"I'm so sorry, Zelda." He said, his voice heavy with confusion and guilt. "I couldn't stay down there any longer." She gently touched his face with her cool hand and he sighed.
"It's okay." But why did he react that way? What was so awful about that cellar?
She gasped in realization and pulled away from him. This time, it was her face that was tight with guilt.
"Zel? What is it?"
"I'm so sorry I didn't realize it sooner." She said. "That cellar…it used to be the dungeon."
Zelda had mentioned before that the First Hero had been imprisoned, but Link had never made the connection that it had been in that same castle they were now living in. Even though it was rebuilt, many of the rooms had been constructed in their old locations, and puzzled together to make a very similar castle as the one built by the first inhabitants of the surface.
"I was hurt, more than I should have been, after the Hero died fighting for me. I felt that I'd ended his life prematurely, and I prayed and begged to the Goddesses to revive him. Never out loud, but they heard me." She lifted her eyes to meet Link's. "They heard me, and brought him back as you."
Link listened to her explanation with an open-mind, reminding himself of the presumably impossible things he'd encountered during his quest. The fact that Zelda herself was a reincarnation just proved that it was possible. To him, it made perfect sense that he could be the same. He accepted his destiny as the Goddess' Chosen Hero after only a short time. And his love for Zelda didn't feel like it could have been created in just one lifetime.
"Have you known all this time?" He asked. Zelda shook her head.
"I only started realizing it after we started living on the surface together. After you saved me from drowning, you said something that he had. I still wasn't sure until they told me themselves." She sighed, and touched the cloak. "This was his. The Goddesses added their emblem to show their approval, I think." She smiled crookedly. "They like you. Especially Farore." Link examined the top of his left hand, and the dimly glowing triangles. The bottom right one which represented the Goddess of Courage did seem to be a bit brighter.
"They entrusted me with the Triforce after all. I still don't know what to think of my body acting as its temple though." He moved his hand to the cloak, touching the collar. "Why don't I have any of his memories then? Only his feelings. You remember your time as Hylia." Zelda closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Only vaguely, and only after I cleansed myself in the sacred springs. Maybe you don't need them. His life was a painful one." Link nodded.
"I know that now. I felt his pain in the cellar…" His eyes shifted nervously. "How long was he trapped down there?"
"Four years." She said. Link wound his hand in the cloak tightly.
"All at once, I felt four years of his pain."
It was one of those nights where they needed to be close to each other. Link had Zelda secured firmly in his arms, and wasn't intent on going anywhere until lunchtime the next day. She hadn't been lying when she told him that she'd been waiting a thousand years to marry him. Of course, when she had been a Goddess, such a thing was impossible.
She had fallen asleep, but he wanted to stay awake for a while longer and listen to the rain on the rooftop match her soft breathing.
But Pipit had other plans. The knight banged on their door, whispering in a contrasting hushed tome, for Link to come help him with something.
Link growled, burying his head into Zelda's hair to try and drown out the sound, but Pipit was just as stubborn as Link was. Finally, Link knew he wasn't going to be able to relax until he attended to his friend. Link almost grabbed the sword on his way to the door, having thought up a creative scenario to discourage him from bothering them at such an hour ever again-
Pipit had a mess of brown and rust-red yarn in his hand, threaded needles dangling from the strings. Pipit kept looking at his hand, then to the floor, having trouble speaking while meeting Link's stare.
"Link…please."
Link's anger vanished, and he ushered Pipit into the empty kitchen while unknotting the poorly sewn scarf.
"It's…it's frustrating, you know?" Pipit finally said. "I've been trying, but things are so much harder now. But more than that, it's all the pity. There are things I don't need help with, but people offer, and then things I do need an extra arm for, but people are too nervous to ask!"
Link focused all his attention on Pipit's voice, but still managed to thread the needle and start fixing the torn edges. Pipit rubbed his face into his hand, and was silent for a long while. Link squinted his eyes to focus on the square of yarn. Once, the needle got struck halfway through, and when Link used an excess amount of force to push it through, he pricked his finger. He pulled his pointer finger away from the cloth so he wouldn't stain it with blood, and quickly wrapped his lips around the red dot on his finger. The metallic taste brought back foul memories.
Only once during his entire quest had he been injured so badly that he tasted blood. And he remembered that fight very, very well.
He had reached the end of the Fire Sanctuary, and the third and final sacred flame would be close, just beyond those doors if he was lucky. He interested the puzzle key, knowing full well just how unlucky he was. He'd already fought a pair of hands made out of lava, which was a disturbing fight since their attacks consisted of trying to grab him. Once, one had snatched him by the edge of his tunic, choking him when he tried to roll out of the way a second too late. He'd defeated them in the end, by soaking them with waterfruit to douse the liquid flames that coated their fingers and immobilize them.
He hoped that was his only serious fight. But as soon as he walked into the empty room, he knew otherwise. The doors shut and locked behind him, and when Link looked back, Ghirahim was standing on the far side of the room. He had his back to him, as he looked upward and examined wall paintings. As usual, he turned and addressed Link with formalities, and offered a deceiving smile. He expressed his joy that Link was still among the living, and suggested that the reason Link had not perished was because they were bound together by a thread of fate. Link drew his sword at the remark. A thread of fate symbolized eternal love in many books, and Link's brow hardened into a glare.
Ghirahim chuckled at his reaction, then tossed his hair and gestured towards the wall paintings. Link hated to learn that Ghirahim now knew of the second Gate of Time. At least he didn't seem to know where it was yet.
The Demon Lord suddenly vanished, and Link looked over his shoulder to make sure he was not planning another sneak-attack. Link found him to his left, on one knee, complaining that his efforts to find the Gate had been successful at all, all while lifting his arms dramatically. He vanished without even snapping his fingers. Link scanned the room again.
He'd encountered the Demon Lord a few times before, and Link was aware that his dramatic, yet composed demeanor was hiding away another angry fit. His suppressed rage, concealed by a fancy monologue, and the fact that he'd just blown a kiss in Link's direction made the young knight more than anxious to engage the fight and have it over with.
"The thought of never getting my hands on that darling young girl again was…well, more than I could bear…!" Ghirahim moaned, from his new perch beside the wall carvings above Link. The remark about Zelda pushed him over the edge. He brandished his sword with a fierce swipe, taunting the self-proclaimed Demon Lord.
"But then…I found this place!" He cried happily, before expelling his arms wide, tossing his cloak, and jumping to the ground. Link tried to swing his sword, but Ghirahim landed so low to the ground that Link's blade whistled over his head. The Demon Lord ducked under Link's arms and grabbed his shoulders from behind, leaning in close to Link's face. As he whispered in Link's ear, his hands dug painfully into his already tight shoulders, and Link whipped around, spinning to catch him with his sword. Only diamonds remained.
"..But before we talk any further on the subject, there's still the outstanding matter of your punishment, Lin-k." He said, while examining his glove-clad fingers. "Do you remember when I told you that the next time we met, I'd make your ears bleed from the sound of your own screams?"
The hero did remember Ghirahim's threats of torturing him so badly that he would deafen himself with the sound of his own screams. But Link wasn't about to let that happen, not when he was so close to reaching Zelda. He knew how much stronger he had become in the last few months, and he was grateful that Ghirahim had underestimated him during their first few fights so Link had the time to become a better swordsman. Still, each time they fought, Ghirahim revealed a new ability, and showed much less discretion.
But Ghirahim then suggested that they strike a deal instead. The Demon Lord would let Link live, if he only revealed the location of the second Gate of Time. Ghirahim stretched his fingers out towards him.
"I know you know, so why don't you share the fun?"
Link's response was moving himself into a fighting stance and raising his sword. How could Ghirahim even think he would betray Zelda like that? Hadn't he proven his loyalty time and time again?
Once more, Link thought. I'll let him do all the bleeding.
His arm dropped in disappointment.
"Such behavior. A mischievous boy like you needs to be dealt with firmly." Ghirahim lifted both arms as his cloak dissolved into the air, and with a blink of light, his arms were covered in a glossy black armor. It was still his skin, but Link could tell it would not break under any attack by a sword. "Lovely, aren't they?" Ghirahim breathed. "Doesn't their shape just leave you…breathless?"
Yes, Link thought. In disgust.
The Demon Lord's icy voice caused Link to shiver. Not out of fear, though. But he wanted an end to all of this talking. Instead, Ghirahim revealed that his body was riddled with a black diamond pattern, stretching from the diamond patches of revealed thigh, to his brow. He moaned loud phrases about his apparent perfection and his perfect physique, and Link doubled his grip on his sword.
This wouldn't be a normal fight. Ghirahim wasn't going to go easy. But neither was Link.
"It seems like I've got it all…but there is one teensy weensy thing I lack." He leaned forward, swiping his tongue over a cynical grin as he chuckled. "Namely, mercy. Come to me, Link. You and I are bound by a thread of fate, destined to fight. So, come close, Link. And that thread of fate that binds us will be soaked crimson with your blood."
And thus they fought, for the second time.
Link found it very similar to their fight in Skyview Temple, but whenever his sword hit Ghirahim's arms, the blade bounced back and vibrated painfully in Link's grip. Ghirahim summoned only two sparking diamonds, but they acted as both his defense, and offense. He dodged them as they were launched forward, but even if they didn't make contact, the air felt like it had been turned into a razor. But the Goddesses hadn't put him through dozens of trials for nothing. He hacked away at the diamonds individually, and when Ghirahim created a circle of diamonds, Link didn't hesitate to dispatch them with a spin attack.
Ghirahim was just playing with him, and Link had enough of it. He cut down the rest of the diamonds, and swung his sword at the Demon Lord. Ghirahim jumped backwards and licked his lips.
"You've gotten better, little skyboy." He snapped, and not one, but two swords manifested into his awaiting hands. "So let's give you a challenge."
He hated that Ghirahim never attacked on his own. He waited every time for Link to make the first move. But Link was good at reading his targets, and Ghirahim was almost purposely leaving his swords in positions that were easy to maneuver around. He landed three rounds of strikes before Ghirahim finally revealed his feint.
He lifted one blade overhead, and the other vertically. Link instantly ran forward with a horizontal swing to his exposed side. But Ghirahim laughed, and Link's sword bounced off of Ghirahim's rapier unexpectedly, and the knight gasped. Ghirahim lunged forward, and thrust his opposite blade into the center of Link's chest. It pierced through his chain mail, and exited between his shoulder blades.
Link gave a short moan before lurching forward. He fell into Ghirahim's awaiting arms, and was cradled against his cold chest. Link struggled for a moment, but with each short movement sent a wave of pain through his body.
"Shh, now…shh…" Ghirahim whispered, while brushing back Link's hair, holding him still. "I didn't hit any vital organs, you know? I even had the courtesy to avoid your spine. But if I moved my blade even half a centimeter to the left…" As he spoke, Ghirahim twisted the blade's handle, and Link clamped his jaw down in pain. He felt Ghirahim's lips brush his ear. "Then you would die." Ghirahim stepped back, and his blade vanished into a ray of diamonds. With nothing to support himself, Link collapsed onto the floor of the Fire Sanctuary. "Splat! See, you would fall over and die, just like that! But even though you've been so rude to me, I'm taking the higher rode and allowing you to bleed out all on your own."
Link coughed, and felt saliva dot the inside of his lips. But…why did it taste like metal?
Link tried to push himself up, and he coughed again when he was on his hands and knees. Red smears coated the ground where his face had been. He touched his lips, and saw his fingers coated in dark red blood.
He covered the hole in his chest with his hand, and felt rivers of blood pool around his fingers anyways. He moved his hand away from the growing pool of blood on the floor. There was so much…he couldn't even stand it hurt so much. Then his fingers brushed by a crack in the floor, and between the tiles was a cluster of heart flowers. The Goddesses must have placed them there. Glowing vividly, begging to been seen and used.
While Ghirahim was still occupied with his rant, Link grabbed the stems and plucked the flowers, roots and all.
"I think a silent death suits you better than screaming." Ghirahim continued. "After all, you haven't said a word to me all this time we've been seeing each other."
Link flew through the air, and sliced his sword from the back of the Demon Lord's shoulder to his opposite hip. He stumbled forward with a startled grunt, then spun around and faced him angrily.
Link still had one arm around his torso, but the bleeding had stopped. He lifted his blade defiantly, as Ghirahim swayed on his feet, trying to regain his composure through the pain.
"Surprise attacks aren't fun, are they?" Link muttered, spitting out a wad of diluted blood. Ghirahim grabbed his head.
"E-Enough of this foolishness…I am Ghirahim, Demon Lord." He let out an enraged growl and stabbed his hand in Link's direction. "It shouldn't matter how powerful your sword is. You are still just nothing. Not just a human…a human child! And yet you prevail!" He let out a groan and tried to reach around to touch the wound on his back. Link prayed that he'd done enough damage to have put an end to the fight. He couldn't go for much longer. "You filthy scamp!" He yelled, after viewing the black blood on his hand. "You have awakened a wrath that will burn for eons. I swear to you, whatever it takes, I will drag you into an eternity of torment!" Link waited until Ghirahim had drawn a circle with his sword and vanished before sighing in relief.
He retrieved Din's sacred flame, which transformed the Skyward Sword in the Master Sword, its true form, and gained the ability to activate the Gate of Time and finally reunite with Zelda.
"How can she still want me when I can't even give her a proper hug?" Pipit whispered. Link paused from his work, and stopped sucking on his bleeding finger. "I can't even use a sword anymore. I can't…"
"When you love someone, that doesn't matter." Link said simply. He started sewing again, and cut off the end of an extra thread with his teeth. "And I'll teach you how to use a sword with your left hand."
He stayed there all night, instead of by Zelda's side, until the Unity Scarf was sewn. It was shorter than Link would have liked, but he thought he'd done a pretty good job for the small amount of yarn he'd been given to work with.
Pipit took it, smiling gratefully.
"Thanks Link. You sure know when to pull through. Hey, is it long enough?"
"As long as it can fit around both of your necks, then yes." Pipit tested it, then beamed. Link smiled also. "She'll love it."
Link crawled back into bed with Zelda, and waited until his body was warm again to move closer to her. She didn't need to be getting chills from him.
And then, much too quickly, she was tickling her ear to wake him up.
"It's almost noon, sleepyhead." She was humming. Link cracked his eyes open, caught a glimpse of the sun, then rolled over with a groan. "Jeez, you're still so lazy, Link!"
He just smiled and hid his face away.
"Hey, can you get me some pumpkin soup?" She asked. That woke him up. She watched him run out the door with a smile.
When he came back, he saw Zelda sitting beside the window, looking outside anxiously.
"Look." Zelda said, returning her worried stare out the window. Link looked over her shoulder, and saw Karane out in the field, storming away. Pipit raced after her a moment later, and grabbed her hand. She twisted out of his grip and started yelling at him, while making wild gestures towards the pumpkin patch, and then the horses that were running away from the loud sounds of argument. Pipit scratched under his cap, and waved his hand in a circle. Karane stomped, then brought her hands to her face like she was about to cry.
Then, Pipit gave a great groan, and pulled the red and brown unity scarf out from underneath his tunic. He practically threw it at her, while loudly declaring his love and simultaneous infuriation. Karane examined it in disbelief, then started to cry. Pipit leaned close to her face, putting his hand on his hip. Then he saw her nodding, and he threw the girl over his shoulder and pranced in a victory circle until she kicked him face and caused them to slip and fall into the grass, vanishing from view.
"I can't tell if that went well or not." Link admitted. Zelda wiped her mouth after taking a long sip of soup, and laughed.
"You boys can never tell. But I think it went well. It'll just get better for them now." She suddenly burped and grabbed her mouth, eyes wide. Link took the bottle away when she thrust it towards him so she could get it as far away from herself as possible.
"Are…what's wrong?" He asked gently. In response, she suddenly heaved and vomited on the floor. Link jumped up and caught her long hair before it could fall forward into the mess.
After that, Zelda no longer liked pumpkin soup.
Karane and Pipit held their Unity Ceremony on the surface. Karane had seen the massive waterfalls of Lake Floria, and desperately wanted that place to be her backdrop. It would require a long walk from the castle, along with armed escorts to clear the path, but it wasn't impossible.
Link led the happy procession, while Knight Commander Eagus took up the flank. The ignorant bokoblins were not deterred by their large numbers, and still tried to attack the group of people. Very few of them got close enough to be killed with a knight's sword though. Zelda was following on the high path with her bow, and her light arrows moved just as quickly as their name implied.
Link tried not to be distracted by the fact that she was putting herself in danger. She was probably safer on the high path, actually, but he wished she would have agreed to walk in the dead center of the knights.
He used his shield to kill the orkotork in the dead center of the path, and everyone followed them onto the stone bridge overlooking Lake Floria. Link had Karane stand away from the unobstructed edges though.
"Don't want to have Pipit come diving in after you." Link told her, and smiled across the crowd at Zelda.
Their ceremony was conducted by Instructor Horwell. Gaepora was one of the few Skyloftioans who remained strictly in Skyloft. But Horwell made the readings enjoyable, since he did write poetry in his free time, and he sprinkled the formal addressing with humor.
And Pipit looked amazing. He'd been made a golden chest plate and shin guards, which greatly complimented his golden tunic. When his ceremonial armor caught the light, it sent blinding rays in all directions. A bit distracting, but Karane was looking at his face, not his armor, and that was all that mattered.
Finally, Owlan wrapped the slightly short Unity Scarf around their shoulders, and tied the knot.
"Well, since you are already quite so close to each other's' faces…" Laughs rung throughout the crowd like a wave. "You may now kiss your beloved!"
Link leaned over and kissed Zelda's cheek.
"Link?" He smiled sheepishly.
"He said we could kiss our beloved."
Their reception was held at the castle, and hundreds of torches and candles were lit to provide enough light in the large dining room and the connecting halls. Pumm and Kina made their special pumpkin wine soup, which assisted in populating the dance floor and encouraging hearty conversation. Zelda dragged Link onto the floor on her own free will, and Link soon relaxed and led her into the middle of the dance circle. Later, they were asked to perform their singing and harp duet of the Ballad of the Goddess, which once again silenced the crowd in awe. Pipit of course, followed it up with a musical piece of his own that he'd been practicing as a gift for his new wife.
"Dancing is a lot like sword fighting." Link later said, when they were forced to take a break for drinks. "Just, smooth movement." Zelda tossed back the rest of her water and took his hand.
"Let's go- I like this song!"
"Should you be moving so much?" He asked in a hushed voice. Zelda had almost forgotten! She quickly checked her stomach to see if anything had changed, but of course nothing had.
"I really should talk to someone." She said, tapping her chin. "I don't know how this works very well…But who?"
"When do you want to tell everyone?" He asked. Zelda crossed her arms around her belly protectively.
"My father should know first. Why don't we go to Skyloft tomorrow, while everyone else is sleeping off the orange rush they're getting from the soup?" Link nodded.
"Attention, attention everyone!" Pipit shouted, climbing up onto the long dining table. He reached out for Karane, and helped her up while she struggled not to trip of her heavy dress. It was quite a change from chain mail and pants. "I just want to make a few toasts. First, to my beautiful wife." His dark eyes fixed on hers. "Who took me as I am, because that's what love is." The crowd swooned, and the drunks started sobbing. "And to Link, my best man!" He found Link and Zelda at their table shared with Groose and Peatrice, and lifted his glass. "Congrats to the both of you, everyone's looking forward to having a new bundle of joy around." Karane gasped.
"Pipit, I told you not to say anything yet!" She scolded. He gasped, and scratched his forhead with the edge of his glass.
"Oops."
Those who were too intoxicated too understand began cheering, and everyone else followed along with hesitant claps until the whole castle was cheering.
Zelda shrunk back against Link, and the knight felt his ears burn hotly under all the attention.
"Well, I guess your father won't be the first to know…"
A/N~ I'm glad I went with this fluffy break of a few chapters instead of diving right into the next arc(which is lots of fighting and some angst-y stuff lol). How did you like the flashback with Ghirahim? I re watched that fight and he is FREAKY. I got a request for more Hylia, so let me know if that was what you had in mind.
As always, thanks for all the support! I can't believe I'm almost at 300 reviews! You guys rock!