FINAL ending part 1

A young girl leaned over the edge of the castle wall, holding onto the flagpole as she stretched her body far over the stones. The flag turned in the wind and whipped overhead, displaying Hyrule's banner as the wind pulled the golden fabric taut. It was a combination of Skyloft's tradition emblem, and the holy Triforce that Link and Zelda had rediscovered. The triangles sat slightly above, and between the wings, and seemed to complete the symbol. Marin smiled at it, then looked down the castle wall, and waved to the guards below. She recognized Uncle Pipit, in his distinct yellow tunic and dashes of matching armor. Then she looked past him, and farther to the wide, empty Hyrule Field. She sighed and leaned against the flagpole. Empty fields. Sure, there were some people riding horses beyond the houses, but she wasn't looking for them.

"Marin!" A knight shouted from behind her. The girl jumped down back onto the solid roof, and put her hands behind her back innocently.

"Hi Groose." She said. The knight crossed his bulky arms and shook his head.

"Please tell me you weren't just leaning over the edge of the castle?" He asked. Marin smiled.

"Okay- I wasn't!" She agreed. Groose smirked, and Marin tensed nervously.

"Oh, okay…" He suddenly bolted forward and caught her under his arm. Marin had been expecting that, but she could never outrun him. She screamed wildly when he started tickling her, begging him to stop. "Well you keep misbehaving!" He told her, laughing as well.

"Wll- mmphh!" Marin shouted, pounding on Groose's back. The large knight set her down finally, and Marin staggered back, huffing and pulling at her wild yellow hair. "I said, is Papa back yet?" Groose smiled knowingly, and shook his head.

"Sorry sweetie. Maybe tomorrow." Marin chewed on her lip and looked back at the fields. The sun was starting to set, which meant the castle gates would close soon. Marin started to follow Groose towards the stairs, then pulled her hand away from his and raced back to the wall.

"Can I stay out a little longer?" She pleaded. Groose sighed, and adjusted the squares of silver armor on his shoulders.

"Well…" He looked up, then past her and smiled. "Actually, no! I don't think so!" He pointed, and Marin gasped and turned around. Just before she could lean precariously over the edge, Groose picked her up and let her sit on his broad shoulders. Though the extra two and a half feet height gain didn't matter since they were already on the highest point in the plains, she still loved it when Groose picked her up. Especially when he lifter her up on one hand! Her Papa was strong too, but he didn't like to toss her into the air as high as Groose did.

Marin followed Groose's arm to a distant figure coming towards the castle from the volcanic mountain side. On clear days, they could see the burning peaks from the castle, but Marin was fixed on the horse and rider steadily approaching. She gasped, then started squirming, and tugged Groose's hair to get his attention.

"Let's go meet him, can we?" She begged. Groose let out a strangled grunt and grabbed her hands.

"Marin. What have I told you?" He demanded. Marin groaned and ignored him.

"Groose! Let's go, please-"

"What have I told you?" He repeated firmly. Marin sighed.

"…Don't pull the pompadour."

"Good girl! And sure! Hold on tight- but not to the hair- or the beard!" he added, while stroking the thick red facial hair that Marin had also often tugged as a child. She grabbed the flared collar of his tunic instead, and Groose held firmly onto her small feet and raced down the stairs and through the castle. Marin squealed in delight as he ran faster and faster, and laughed when he almost knocked over the cook's dinner carts. He got outside, panting, and slowed to a jog.

"Faster!" Marin demanded, kicking him like a horse. Groose gave into her playful demands, and jumped like a rearing steed, causing her to scramble for a hold on him, then sprinted down the dirt road making horse noises. Pipit watched them go with a smile, making a mental note to keep the gates open a little longer for them, and turned his gaze to a young boy playing with a sword in the dirt.

Groose went straight to the newly renovated stables; a wide enclosure that held almost twenty tamed horses, attached to a large barn that held individual stalls. He whistled, and a stocky black horse peeled away from the herd and pranced over. Groose rubbed its white face and offered it a carrot from his pocket. As the horse chewed contently, Groose led it out of the gate by its mane, and quickly mounted its wide back. When they had started taming horses for the knights, Groose was difficult to accommodate since most horses disliked his weight. They had to find one of the largest horses in the whole herd who could handle carrying the heavy knight. But now that he had one, he was one of the best riders in the whole castle town.

He pulled Marin off his shoulders and set her in front of him, between his arms as he reached for more of the tangled black mane. Groose clicked his tongue, and gently kicked the animal's sides while steering it towards the fields. When they passed the last house, Groose made another encouraging sound, and his horse began to run. Marin kept her balance easily. She had learned how to ride a horse around the same time as Uncle Groose had, and she had been more comfortable with it. But Groose eventually related it to riding a Loftwing, and soon had tamed a horse of his own.

The wind rushed in their ears, and the powerful hooves dug into the soft soil and grass as the horse raced. They had not been tame for long, and still grew very excited when they were out in the fields and permitted to run. They felt it as the horse's muscles beat wildly as it gained speed. The ground was uneven at bits, and they bounced painfully when the horse did not slow. Groose held fast to the horse's mane and gripped it tightly with his legs in order to keep his balance. Not many things upset Marin's father, but he became something fierce when his daughter was hurt.

Marin blinked rapidly through the wind, trying to locate the figure again. It was harder now that they were on level ground, and she could only see tall waving grass and the misty mountains.

"Do you see him?" She asked, raising her voice above the wind. Groose shrugged.

"He'll find us." He assured her. Marin nodded, smiling. He always did.

And then Groose's horse started running more to the left, and even faster. Groose and Marin smiled at each other knowingly, and let the horse guide them. A few moments later, they ran up a hill and saw another horse and rider close by. The rider lifted an arm and waved. Groose waved back, but quickly returned his hand to the horse's mane for balance. The horses raced to meet each other, then skidded to a fierce halt, breathing and snorting heavily. Marin wriggled away from Groose's arms and held out her hands.

"Papa!" She cried. Link reached out far, and Marin jumped from Groose's horse and into her father's lap.

"Oh!" Link grunted, as she stomped on his stomach. "I've missed you, Marin." He said, hugging her tight. Marin wrapped her arms around his neck, successfully choking him. She felt that he was wearing his chain mail through his tunic, and she pressed her cheek against his chest, feeling the individual rings press against her face and the deep, echoing heartbeat under her ear. Link allowed her to do so for another moment, and thankfully she pulled away before he suffocated. He was smiling when she could see his face again. His cheeks were dirty with ashen streaks, and his clothes were scorched in places, but he didn't wince or warn her of an injury, so she hugged him again without restraint.

"I missed you too, Papa!" Then she took a deep breath and wasted no time in filling him on what he had missed while he'd been away. "Uncle Groose and Pipit took me out riding every day and I went swimming in the lake with Lady Faron too and then I beat Mavis in sword fighting and-"

"Be nice to Mavis, he's still little." Link added, setting her in front of him and urging his mare into a slow walk back towards the castle.

"I am, I am I promise, but he fell when I dodged and he scraped his knee, so it wasn't really my fault, but I got Instructor Owlan to put a bandage on it!" She happily told him. Link nodded proudly.

"Good. I'm glad you're practicing your moving, and I'm happy you took care of Mavis." He praised. Marin was a natural at sword fighting, but she tended to glue her feet to the ground- a bad habit Link was having a hard time breaking. Marin nodded, proud of herself, and Link looked across at Groose. "I'm glad Pipit and Karane are letting him be more adventurous." Groose nodded.

"Yeah. Can't blame them though. After what happened." Groose added solemnly. Marin felt her father's arm tighten around her.

"Zelda and I have been lucky." Link said. Groose nodded, eyes closed in thought. They suddenly opened though, and he was smiling.

"So, how'd your trip go? Are those rock-people and moles getting along yet?" He asked. Link rolled his eyes at Groose's descriptions, but eventually nodded.

"Yes. I'm glad I was able to solve it without it getting violent. We decided that Mt. Eldin is too hot now for the mogmas without Eldin's help, and the gorons took it back without a fight. The mogmas are moving East. They sent a few ahead to scout, and they had good reports of silver mines, so they left right away." Link sighed, and shook his head. "It's amazing though. The gorons were literally going to starve because they didn't like the flavor of rocks where they were living. They wanted the spicy rocks from their old home, they said. And what are the mogmas going to do with silver? They have no currency of their own." Groose chuckled.

"Spicy rocks…Good thing you were there to help!" Once the conversation became dominated by dull adult topics, Marin leaned back against her father's chest and drifted off. Her head lolled against his firm shoulder, and Link kept his arms as still and secure as he could so he didn't wake her.

When they entered the small village that now sat outside of the castle, many townspeople raced to greet Link, but Groose went ahead to tell them to keep their voices down. Everyone knew Marin, and when they saw her fast asleep, they cleared out on silent feet. Link lifted his daughter into his arms and hopped deftly to the ground. He glanced at his horse; a tall, strong mare, who was weighed down by traveling gear, then back at the girl in his arms.

"Groose, could you unload Epona's gear and leave it in the stables? I'll pick it up later so don't bother bringing it to the castle." Groose crossed his arms and nodded. He adjusted Marin so her chin was on his shoulder. Link walked gently back to the castle, sending a look of gratitude back to his red-haired friend. Groose saluted him with a smile and went to work unloading his horse.

"She had an early dinner, so it's okay that she goes to bed now." Zelda said, as Link set Marin down in her bed. He'd even changed her into her nightdress and tucked her in, obviously missing such parental tasks. Then he leaned into the crib beside Marin's bed, and lifted the blankets back over a sleeping little boy with dark hair. He always kicked them off in his sleep. "Kafei missed you." Zelda quietly said, as her husband stared into the crib.

"Really?" Link asked, absentmindedly. Zelda nodded. She got up and walked over to him.

"Yes. He kept asking when you would take him back to see the lake. I would have gone, but the castle needs me here." Link nodded gratefully. He and Zelda watched over and organized the castle and its town together. And whenever Link had to leave for an extended, unknown period of time, Zelda took charge in his stead. She gave a deep sigh. "When I tried to give him a bath, he pretended he was a parella and kept splashing me." Link chuckled, remembering the first time he'd taken his son to Faron's lake. Kafie had refused to get into the water with the parella, and even started screaming when Link put him in. As soon as he heard then talk though, he started giggling and imitating them. Apparently their bubbly voiced didn't match their terrifying appearance.

"It took me ages to settle him down." Link said with a smile. "I'll give him a bath tomorrow." Link leaned in and kissed his young son's rosy cheeks, and slowly faced Zelda. "Thank you for taking care of everything while I was gone. I missed you." He craned his neck and kissed her as well. But before he pulled away, Zelda cupped his strong jaw in her hand and urged him closer.

They held it for longer than usual, having been without each other's company for weeks, and cupped her face tenderly. Link rested his head against hers, tickling her neck with his chin stubble.

Link kissed Zelda again and smoothed her hair. She sighed contently. She loved it when he stroked her hair that way…

"You know…" Link said, regaining Zelda's attention. His blue eyes were full of mischief. "I haven't had a bath in days myself." Zelda bit her lower lip until her teeth receded back into her smirking mouth.

"I see. I don't think you can get all of that dust off yourself, do you?" She asked.

Link grinned and shook his head.

Sometime later, the couple went to the dining hall, and Link briefly talked to the older knights and Instructors, retelling the results of his trip, before the couple took their dinners and dismissed themselves. They enjoyed an indoor picnic in the silence of their own room. They shared soft conversation into the late hours of the night, and until the candles were puddles of dried wax on the floor.

Link woke to the smell of Zelda's hair. When he realized what it was, he sighed and inhaled again. Even though his face was buried in her thick locks, he never felt suffocated by it. Her hair was thick, but very fine, like tendrils of sweet-smelling air.

He opened his eyes fully, and was pleasantly surprised to see that he was first awake. He rarely saw Zelda asleep, and she was very beautiful when she was. He propped himself up on his elbow and down looked at her face. Mouth slightly parted, eyes thick black lines of full lashes. Beautiful, and she would continue to become more so as they grew older together. He'd seen her do so for the past ten years…

Marin, like her father, was a heavy sleeper. But Kafie was not. Link heard him start to whine, and saw his blanket thrown off his small legs as soon as he realized they had been placed back there. Link got out of bed and picked Kafie up out of his crib. The boy's blue eyes widened, and he burst into a wide smile.

"Papa!" He exclaimed, reaching for him. Link held him against his chest, and hushed him with gentle pats to his back.

"Mama's still sleeping." He explained. Kafie gasped and slapped his hands over his mouth.

"Sorry…!" He whispered through his fingers. Link smiled and nodded.

"That's fine. So, how about a bath?"

"Papa, guess what I am!" Kafie splashed the water, and brought his arms back up again, all while making bubble-popping noises. Link cleared a streak of soap away from the boy's brow, before the suds could reach Kafie's eyes. Link cocked his head to the side then raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know! A kikwi?" He asked. Kafie giggled loudly.

"No!"

"Well…I'm not sure!" Link conceded.

"A parella!" Kafie shrieked happily.

"Oh!" Link gasped, pouring a cup of clean water over his head. "I see it now!"

Like Skyloft, public baths had been built inside the castle. Three in total, scattered throughout the halls as the population seemed to grow. There was a very small bath in the room adjacent to Link and Zelda's, and Link grabbed a pair of towels and went inside. The wooden bath was soon filled with warm water from a large faucet, and the small room was quickly filled with steam.

Kafie didn't like baths at first, so Link entertained him with a story from his adventures until his son was rinsed off. Kafie listened intently, wide-eyed and entranced. Link only told him stories that wouldn't frighten him, since he was only five years young, but Marin often requested retellings of more intense encounters. That morning, Link decided to tell Kafie about the kikwis in the forest. How difficult it had been to find the skittish creatures that blended so easily with the flora, and how it was thanks to his friend, Fi, that he'd been able to find them all so he could move on through the forest. Kafie had seen the kikwi that stayed with Instructor Owlan, so the story was a hit.

But every now and then, Kafie would ask about something else. Since they were sitting together in the bath, Link's many scars were exposed and glowed in the steam. Kafie touched a few of the small, white lines that marred his skin, like he always did, then fixed his dark eyes on Link's cheek and didn't hardly blink.

"What're those?" He asked, pointing up at the thick lines on the side of his face. Kafie touched the ones on his father's chest again as well. "Other Papas don't look like that." Link smiled and nodded understandingly. Marin had asked about them as soon as she had learned to speak as well.

"They're scars." Link explained. "When your Mama was missing, I went to look for her. I found her, but there was…" Link's voiced trailed off as he tried to think of how to explain. Eldin had been magicked, and he was an ally. Link did not want to speak ill of him, but how could he explain it to Kafie in a way that the young child would understand? "Before I found Mama, I met a dragon."

"A dragon?" Kafie repeated. His eyes brightened up. "Like Lana-…Lananaru!" The thunder dragon still occasionally visited the castle. He loved the humans, and they loved him back, but Kafie still had trouble pronouncing such a difficult name.

Link nodded encouragingly.

"Yes. But this dragon accidentally scratched me, and that's why I have these scars." Link said. Kafie's face clouded over, and Link began to think that he should have waited for Zelda to have explained first.

"Did he say sorry?" Kafie finally asked. Link chuckled a bit.

"Yes." Link said, deciding that if Eldin had been coherent, he would have been very sorry for his actions. Very sorry for hurting Faron as well, and very sorry that Faron had fought back so valiantly.

Zelda and Marin were awake when Link and Kafie came back to their room, smelling fresh and clean. Zelda had seated Marin in front of her on a stool, and was trying to brush the tangles out of her daughter's wild hair.

"Mum, it's fine!" Marin stammered, biting her fingernails into the stool.

"If you would only let me braid it…" Zelda muttered.

"That takes too long!" Marin snapped, wriggling away with a groan. "Papa, don't I look okay with it down?" Link couldn't help but smile.

"You both look lovely." He said, and Marin dashed off before her mother's hands could find her hair again. Zelda crossed her arms and smirked at him.

"The first time she put you between us, you tried to change the topic to the weather." She said. Link handed Kafie to her, and Zelda was pleasantly surprised to find that he smelled like clean-cut grass and soap. "Aww, I see you've taken a bath without me." She said, a sly look in her eyes. Link looked away, a large smile plastered on his face.

"Ah, well, we can take another one later." His eyes darted back to hers, and Zelda gave into a blush.

Her cheeks became even redder when Link went over to the drawers and took out a fresh green tunic and pants. Zelda sat down and watched as he changed into his day clothes, and Link was very aware of it. He rolled his eyes and wasted no time getting dressed.

Link spent the morning and early afternoon with Eagus, discussing the recent prepatory knight classes. The older students were ready to graduate, and the Instructors were finalizing the exam. Instead of a Wing Ceremony that resulted in one graduate per exam, they planned to hold a test that would result in as many full-fledges knights as were able. There would be a written exam, an obstacle course on horseback with the horse that the young knight-to-be had trained themselves, and a series of sparring matches to demonstrate hand-to-hand combat, and finally, the much anticipated sword fighting. It was a long test that would span a full day, but Link didn't want to omit any part of it, even though his job was to observe.

Link would watch, and write, and leave the physicals tests for Groose and Pipit- who had both been promoted to Instructors in their time on the surface. Groose showed them how to wrestle, and Pipit taught them about horses. And together, they taught the young students all sorts of sword fighting techniques. No student complained either- not around Instructor Pipit at least. Watching the one-armed Instructor out maneuver the tall and burly Instructor Groose gave every student motivation to try their best.

Link rolled up the canvas outline of the exam and returned it to Eagus, with an approving nod.

"This is very well planned…Thank you for being so helpful. Let me know if there's anything more I can do." Link said. Eagus tucked the paper into his tunic.

"Take a break, Link. You can do that! Running back and forth from the mountains solving problems that aren't even ours-"

"But they well could be if they weren't solved." Link reminded the knight commander. Eagus nodded.

"Yes, yes, and it's all settled. The exam is tomorrow, and Groose is holding a last-minute swordsmanship class by the stables, if you wanted to go by and watch. I'm fairly certain Marin is over there too, with that certain friend of hers." Link glanced back up upon the mention of Marin's 'certain friend'. "Go spend some time with your wife too!" Eagus added, with a wink. Link nodded, scratching the back of his head, and dismissed himself.

Pipit greeted him with a wave as Link left through the heavy wooden doors. Link nodded back a greeting, and crossed the bridge that stood over a manmade river. The water surrounded the castle, and was linked to the baths and wells throughout the castle and village. It had been Jakamar's and Groose's idea, so one wouldn't have to walk all the way to the forest to get water, and it even helped keep monsters away.

The villagers greeted Link as well, some with simple waves, but others ran to meet him and inquired about his trip. Link assured them that all was well, and details would be given at that evening dinner. They had recently expanded the hall to accommodate everyone for meetings, but Link knew that with the population growing, he would have to one day find a new way to spread news. He would always prefer face-to-face though.

Link crossed his arms when he finally located Marin. She was off by the horses, as always, but not alone. A young man, roughly five years older than her, was sitting on the fencing, precariously balanced on one of the posts. He had Zelda's harp, and was strumming it casually as he spoke to Marin.

The young man wore a strange, skin-tight bodysuit and dark-blue cloak. He tended to wear the hood up over his head, but whenever he was around Marin, he let his face show.

He was not a child of the castle, or Skyloft. He arrived to their home some five years ago, in very odd circumstances, and instantly taken a liking to Link's daughter. He was, as Zelda called him, the Goddess' next messenger. Link wanted to join their conversation, if only to satiate his curiosity, but Marin had told him not to smother them. He left them alone and went to check on Groose's class instead.

He found the sparring students around the other side of the coral. Groose was watching a teenage boy and girl circle each other in the sandy clearing, both wielding wooden practice swords. The girl lunged forward, and the boy slapped the sword away. Both were left wide open, and Groose stepped in and loudly told them so. After his explanation, they faced off again, much more focused and cautious. They didn't wildly deflect moves when the other tried to hit them, and settled for slight blocks and fades instead, as they had been taught. The boy finally got the upper hand by circling around behind the girl when she fluidly deflected a barrage of shots. Both were doing exceptionally well, thanks to Groose and Pipit's instruction. When Groose called the match off, Link stepped in and complimented them. The students straightened up and bowed, but Link never quite got used to it, and asked them to relax instead. They seemed just as grateful for the option.

"So, like what you see?" Groose asked, after dismissing his tired students. Link nodded.

"Very much. I'm excited for tomorrow."

"Me too." The two men drifted into thoughtful silence, and Link's eyes drifted back to Marina and her friend. He'd set his harp down, and the two were playfully sparring with practice swords. Well, Marin was at least. Her friend was unarmed, and was teasing her by smoothly dodging every desperate attack. He hardly even moved his feet. He could lean so far back and still hold his balance. Finally Marin just threw the sword at him, and he flipped backwards, and caught it between his toes as he balanced on one hand. He returned himself to his feet, and knelt to offer her the sword back. She took it, and lightly tapped him on the head with it. He smiled up at her, then said something that made Marin laugh.

"I told you not to worry about him." Zelda said firmly, stepping up behind him. Link sighed, but his face wasn't at all relaxed. "He's a messenger of the Goddess, loyal to Hylia. He's following after Impa. He's good." Link nodded. He could hear the sharper tone in Zelda's voice that always arose when she spoke of Impa.

"I know." He said simply.

"Then why are you staring at them like that?" She asked, her voice stern.

"I-…I hate that I'm judging him when he's done nothing wrong." Link finally admitted. "I know who he claims to be, and I've never seen any reason to doubt that. It's just, Marin's so involved, and I want her to be careful."

"Is it because of how he arrived?" She asked.

"It makes me nervous. That night was horrible, and he just showed up in the middle of all of it." He faced her. "But you're right, I know. Hylia just has very good timing for when she sends her messengers." Zelda wasn't convinced, but she nodded anyways.

"Shiek saved Marin's life. That's just his job." Link nodded. It was true that the boy had saved Marin, many years ago, but that was also Link's job. Of course, he was deeply grateful that Shiek had intervened when he did, it was just very unexpected, and Link was still trying to put the pieces together.

Maybe Link was taking on too many jobs…

The hero sighed, and lifted his face with a guilty smile.

"You're right, Zel. I worry too much." He admitted. Zelda's face softened, and she stepped closer against him.

"You worry because you love her." She smiled. "You're just an over protective father, that's all." Link scratched his head.

"I try not to be." He said, and Zelda giggled the same way she had ten years ago. That little bit never changed. Then she sighed and leaned heavily against him.

"I miss mine." She said. Link draped his arm over her, permitting Zelda to sink against him without worrying about falling over.

"I know." Link said. He was never good at consoling someone with words, so he did his best to let her know he was there for her, by physically supporting her. There was a lot of that after Gaepora had passed away. Many wordless nights spent in each other's arm as Link wiped away her silent tears and listened to her recount funny stories that Link pretended he could remember also. It was easier for the children, who had only seen their grandfather a few times. Kafie was still too young to really understand, and Marin was more concerned with her mother's distress to let herself get too sad.

His gentle touches seemed to work though, because he felt Zelda nod against his chest.

"He's so proud of you." She said. Link gently lifted her face by the chin so she was looking at him.

"Not as much as you."

They kissed and laced hand and watched their children play near the horses. And as Zelda's milky soft fingers gently traces his, his nerves about Shiek ebbed. He had taught himself time and time again to be wary of things that didn't look to belong, but he was learning that people were an exception.

A/N~ Well, sorry for the wait, but there's part 1 of the final ending! I'm shooting for…2 more, about. It will answer more about Shiek and there will be some Faron and some crying and some stabbing. And then a bit more stabbing and some kissing or something to top this bloody ice cream sundae off!

I leave for college this Sat., and I won't have access to a computer for a week, but I'll try to finish it before my school load gets too hard! Thanks!