~Link~
I steel myself before hesitantly knocking on the heavy door. There's only a brief silence before the familiar voice of the headmaster invites me into his study.
The door creaks open, and when I peek in I see him facing one of the various bookshelves that line the room, his eyebrows creased together in deep thought as he mutters to himself and runs his finger over the spine of a book.
For a moment everything feels normal until he turns and sees me; his expression changes from one of thought to one of deep concern. It's a look that I'd only ever seen a few times before, and to see it now has my stomach churning with anxiety.
Approaching me, Gaepora clears his throat before asking, "Link, how have you been? What brings you to my study?"
Underneath his words I can hear the real question he's asking. Knowing I can't answer him, I simply shake my head and look down at my feet.
He nods in understanding, before muffling his disappointment and continuing, "How can I help you? I'm sure that things are….trying for you and Zelda right now. I will gladly give any knowledge I can offer to you."
"Do you know the lyrics to the song Zelda sang on the day of the Wing Ceremony?"
Gaepora seems puzzled at my question, and rubbing his chin he inquires, "You don't remember? I understand that Zelda sang the ceremonial song in the old language but surely I remember going over the lyrics in class with everyone-"
"I just need a quick refresher," I interrupt hurriedly, not wanting Gaepora to know that I hadn't been paying attention. "Please?"
"Of course, of course," the headmaster waves his hand easily, and clears his throat. "The rough translation is as so:
Oh youth,
Guided by the servant of the Goddess,
Unite earth and sky, and bring light to the land.
Oh youth,
Show the two whirling sails the way to the Light Tower
And before you a path shall open
And a heavenly song you shall hear.
Does that help?"
As the headmaster stares at me curiously, I rack my brain and try to focus. It's clear now that this prayer is a message; but what could it possibly mean?
If only Zelda was here-she was always better than me when it came to riddles and hidden messages.
Turning from the headmaster, I wave goodbye over my shoulder and wander out towards the grounds.
When the cool air hits my face, I sigh heavily and sit down on the grass, still struggling to decipher the message.
The first part of the message itself seems clear enough-my traveling back and forth and fighting back the Imprisoned is clearly to 'bring light to the land.' Unfortunately, the more I try to think about the second half of the song the more I end up confused.
I grow more and more frustrated by the time Fi materializes at my side. Impassive as ever, the spirit of the sword stares at me without saying a word. I wave a hand absentmindedly at her before muttering, "I know, I know. I have to figure out this riddle before I get moving again."
"Would you like some assistance?"
"It would be nice but I hardly think that it would help me solve this. It's a riddle, it isn't like all those trials in the temples where they were mostly straightforward. You'd think that Hylia would have left me easier clues."
As I grumble under my breath and stare out over Skyloft, Fi pauses before answering, "Master, perhaps you are overthinking the message."
"What do you mean?"
"The Goddess knew you would receive the message and have to interpret it. Surely she would have taken your mannerisms into account as well?"
Staring at Fi, I blink as I suddenly understand what's going on.
Of course.
I've been thinking about this message as if it's some grand answer to everything that's happened. I've been fighting so long that just sitting here thinking about a message has got me overly wary of what it could all mean.
Shaking my head at myself, I cast my eyes down across town until I see the two windmills. I stand, brushing grass off my clothes as I resolutely head down the hill.
I throw myself off the light tower, eyes on the light ahead of me carving a path through the clouds. As my loftwing and I follow the light, I can't help but look back at the now activated Light Tower.
My whole town, my whole life, there have always been things just waiting to be set in motion. Knowing that my favorite place to spend time with Zelda has become a beacon for some greater purpose is just more proof that our whole lives up to this point have been inconsequential to what was to come.
It's enough to make me wonder what our lives could have been like if we were any other two people in this world.
I'm not given more time to contemplate as I realize that my loftwing and I are approaching Thunderhead, the large mass of storm clouds which have always been impossible to fly through.
Before I can even consider whether or not going into the Thunderhead is a good idea, my loftwing moves swiftly through the mass of clouds, following the path of light that cuts through to the center.
I shiver as icy raindrops begin to hit my cheeks, and squinting I hold up a hand to try and block more water. The strong winds press against my loftwing, and I feel my companion push harder to weather through the Thunderhead as we continue to follow the light.
It feels as if we've been flying for an hour when I finally see an island, and when I jump off my bird I quickly pray that I won't be swept away by the strong winds before I can reach the ground.
As I enter the Isle of Songs, I feel a chill up my spine.
This place isn't like the others I've entered-it's ethereal in a way that has me on edge, the vast emptiness of the space around me foreboding.
Slowly, I walk down the corridor and out onto a suspended platform. The walls around me are ornate, and the hall is large and echoing. While I know I have never been here before, the foreboding feeling within is so familiar that I can't help but wonder if I was here in my past life.
The closer I get to the center of the hall, the more intense the feeling grows until I finally realize what it is; it's the same way I felt when in the presence of Hylia.
The aura of the Goddess is everywhere here, and as I slowly raise my sword for a Skyward Strike I prepare myself for another revelation.
For a moment the silence echoes before a light softly shines down into the chamber and a haunting melody pours into the chamber. A statue of the Goddess rises, but unlike the other ones I've seen this one appears to be singing.
As the song flows from the statue's mouth, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
It's isn't the Goddess in this melody-it's Zelda.
I can hear her, and when I listen more closely I smile for the first time in awhile.
"So let me get this straight," I ask Fi as I cut through the foliage in Faron Woods. "I have to find three flames so I can purify the Goddess Sword, and to find these flames I have to first find relics in a place called the Silent Realm?"
"Correct. These trials will allow me to grow powerful enough to truly repel evil. According to my information, these trials were also created specifically for your own spirit to grow in addition to my own power."
"My spirit, huh?"
I consider this for a second, wondering what could be waiting for me at the end of this new path when I see a clearing near some old ruins. As I draw closer to the ruins, I see a patch of dirt where a strange amount of blue butterflies appear to be gathering.
The butterflies disperse and the ground begins to glow as I approach, and when I hesitantly grab the Goddess Harp I see a faint image of a flower.
"It's time," Fi tells me, taking her place across from me. "Are you ready, Master?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," I say, resigning myself to another trial. "Let's go, Fi."