I want to thank everyone again for supporting this story. This book had been a whirlwind of emotions, and I cannot promise it will not be the same for the next. I have yet to start writing Book 3, but I already got the outline planned out. You can subscribe to me to get a notification once the next book is out. I'll be seeing you guys! I still have a lot of mysteries in this story to shed light on. Don't forget to read my notes at the end for some explanations about this chapter.
For a better reading experience, I would recommend listening to 'Hopes and Dreams "Orchestrated"' by Rush Garcia. That is how I wrote this chapter (or the second half of the original chapter). You can loop it if you're not a fast reader like me.
Saying that Link is nervous is an understatement.
It has not completely sunk in his mind that he has met and spoke with the mortal form of the Goddess Hylia nor confessed that he is not one of her beloved heroes. He might not have expressed his shock well as most people would, but it does not mean it is not there. Being requested for a private conversation a few hours later did not do his nerves any favor. It is a good thing that Twilight's awakening kept his mind off his first encounter with the first-ever Zelda when it did. Otherwise, he will be a sitting duck with severe anxiety for who-knows-how-long.
Link kept a careful eye trained on Sun's back as they navigated through the hallways of Knight Academy. When Sky told him where they at now, he expected it to be more…well, knightly. Not that he has a proper comparison either. The military camps in his Hyrule were reduced to nothing but rubbles and a blank in the real Link's memory. The Knight Academy looks more like a fancy inn, complete with facilities and accommodations to provide the clients' needs and satisfaction. Despite that, it is homely like Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, with fewer books and step-on-it-and-you-die hazards that victimized him more than he could count.
He quietly watched as Sun smiled and nodded at everyone they come across – one of which is a Hylian with hair the same shade as the Gerudo. The man sized him up and down for the first seconds before Sun smacked him lightly on the arm and introduced him as one of the heroes traveling with Sky and a friend. Groose, his name, flushed in embarrassment before apologizing to him. Link simply waved it off out of goodwill, and they continued their march.
The moment they stepped foot outside the Knight Academy, the first thing that Link felt was awe. Sky's home is nowhere near what he imagined it would look like from the Chosen Hero's stories. It looked more like a town than a city, with modest buildings and houses sprawled across the lush greenery covering the entire floating island. The designs were not that different from his era – simple, yet they hold a greater meaning. Night has almost descended upon them, painting the vast sky in various shades of blue, purple, and orange. Fluffy white clouds hung below and around them while stars dotted above like sprinkled powdered diamond. A gentle breeze swept through the streets, blowing past most of the lanterns and candles that were already lit for the night.
It reminded him of Hateno – without the floating in the sky business - and that made his heart ached. For a moment, he was standing on the hill behind his house, looking at the village spread below him as a young girl a few years younger than him laughed and danced beneath an audience of stars and the Children of the Forest only he can see.
"Big Brother!"
Link blinked, and suddenly, he was back on Skyloft. The memory faded as fast as it nudged in his mind that it made him feel dizzy. His hand grabbed the nearby railing, and he forced himself to stay on his feet and focus back on Sky's Zelda. Sun has stopped walking and swiveled around to gaze at him with a knowing look that made him feel uncomfortable. He swallowed the bitter taste of regret and sorrow on his tongue and ignored the nonexistent fragrance of wildflowers lingering in the wind from the memory as he straightened for any semblance of self-control.
"Where…where are we going, Your Grace?"
"No need to be so formal, Link." Sun responded graciously as if she knew that there are things he would rather not speak about anytime soon and respected that. "You can speak to me comfortably."
"Right…" Link shifted on his feet. "So…."
"Before anything else," There was a spark of amusement in Sun's eyes as she pointed behind him. "You have a stalker."
"Huh?"
Link blinked at Sun when he felt a warm breath blew the fringes at the right side of his face. Something smooth and cold pressed against his cheek, and he immediately tensed. His eyes slowly flickered to whatever or whoever was standing behind him and saw yellow. When he finally angled his head to get a proper look, he met large golden eyes surrounded by blue and purple. He stumbled back with a cry, and his 'stalker' or whatever that Sun called it squawked in surprise. Link backed up against the railing as a big red bird flapped its wings, sending brief gusts of powerful wind, and pawed its talons against the cobblestones. He swore he heard Sky's Zelda laughing amidst the racket.
"Holy Hylia!"
"Yes?" Sun asked sweetly, tilting her head in an innocent manner as if she was not about to roll on the ground, cackling at his expense just a few seconds ago. "You called, Link?"
Link had to bite his tongue from spewing out obscenities and remember that his present company is the incarnation of the Goddess Hylia herself. "W-What – what is that?"
Sun giggled, shifting the bundle to one arm and extended the other to the red bird. The bird has finally calmed down from its outburst seconds ago and approached the woman. It nuzzled against her hand like an overly affectionate dog. "This is a Loftwing. They're the symbol of my divine protection that I had granted upon my people. This one here," She patted the bird's beak. "Is Sky's. He is a Crimson Loftwing. The rarest among his kind."
Sky's Loftwing pried himself off from Sun's side and trotted toward Link. The scarred Hylian nearly flattened his back against the low railing as the giant bird tilted his head to study him before poking the tip of his beak against the man's chest. Link winced when the sharp point pressed against his bruised skin but did not push the Loftwing away. The red bird crooned and rubbed the side of his beak against the Hylian.
"Oh! Ummm…" Link turned to Sun for help, but the woman simply shrugged nonchalantly. Before he knew it, Sky's Loftwing has moved on to his hair and was tousling and nipping at the strands. What is with everyone wanting to mess with his hair today? "H-Hey! Stop – Hahahaha!" His complaint turned to laughter when the Loftwing began pecking at his sides – a fatal spot for tickles. "S-Stop! Oh, goddesses! Please stop- Hahahaha!"
Sun chuckled as Link tried to wriggle his way out of the Crimson Loftwing's ticklish assault. "He likes you."
"Does…Does he now?" Link panted as the bird finally ceased his attacks. He leaned his weight against the Loftwing as he ran his scarred hand against his large smooth beak. He peered at those golden eyes whose sincerity supported Sun's claim. "I…I have no words. He's beautiful."
"He is, isn't he? Every citizen of Skyloft has their own Loftwing. I, too, have my own. We are each other's half. Together, we complete each other."
"Sky is lucky to have him." Link caressed the soft red and white bristles covering the face, kneading them in small circles, and the Loftwing cooed in response to his touches. "They are blessed to have each other."
"Yes," Sun nodded with a tender smile. "And now, he has you as well."
Link eyed Sun skeptically before turning back to the Loftwing. They gazed at each other – gold and blue mixing and swirling like the first rays of sunlight streaking across the sky at the break of dawn. As if he has done it before, he leaned his head forward and made to press his forehead against the Crimson Loftwing, who mirrored the action. He closed his eyes and reveled in the oddly familiar warmth and softness beneath his fingertips.
En dashebu…nobe shundu…
A breeze passed by, and with it, a whisper of a song and a tug in his soul that he vaguely recognized. It is an ancient connection that existed for more than ten thousand years and has persevered even in his time. A bond he always has but has forgotten over time.
Tie shutwu…kewenu swa lei….
A soft sigh escaped Link's lips as he opened his eyes and reluctantly parted from the brief yet meaningful contact. Sun simply watched as the green-gold glow in his blue eyes faded and the haze cleared in his mind. Link blinked and stared at the Crimson Loftwing before patting him on the beak. The Loftwing playfully pecked at his hair, which Link half-heartedly protested against, and turned around. They watched as the Loftwing flapped his wings, squawked what it seemed to be a See you later, friend!, and took off to the skies.
"He really likes you." Sun spoke up, and it did not go unnoticed to Link that there is an underlying meaning to those words. Whatever it is, Sun seemed content with having him figure it out himself as she spun on her heels and called for him to follow. "Come. We're almost there."
Sun guided him past a flight of wooden stairs leading to what seemed to be a combination of a plaza and a shrine on a separate floating island. Carved marble walls covered in moss and vines enclosed the place at all four sides; the height is considerably low enough that Link deduced it would take him less than five seconds to scale and jump to the other side. Four pillars surrounded the circular portion of the bricked path that leads to a pair of Loftwing statues guarding the base of the stairs toward the island's center. On it, a raised platform was built, painted with golden symbols that Link is unfamiliar with.
Just across them, the biggest Goddess Statue that Link had ever seen overlooked the entirety of Skyloft. It is humongous that not even the one in his era's Temple of Time or Forgotten Temple could compare. He has to strain his head up just to see the top of the statue where the moon loomed behind it like a halo and bathed it in an ethereal glow fitting for the image of the White Goddess. If he was not familiar with the divine light that showered the Goddess Statues in his era every time he conversed with the Goddess, he would have mistaken it for the same.
"This is the Isle of the Goddess." Sun said as they climbed the platform at the base of the statue. "This is the place where Link's – no, Sky's destiny as my chosen hero began, and the place where I wish to speak with you in peace."
Link suddenly felt small under the watch of the enormous Goddess Statue, despite the actual deity being just a few feet in front of him. The feeling of wonder from before dispersing from his chest like dying fireworks at the end of a festival in Kakariko Village. "Is it…" He pursed his dry lips. "You said it is about what we talked about this afternoon?"
"It is."
"Do you…do you believe me?" Link nearly winced at how hopeful he sounded. "Or…?"
Sun tilted her head. "Is there a reason for you to lie?"
"No…" Link murmured as he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "It's just…I tried telling Hyrule, but…."
"He didn't believe you."
"No…no, he didn't." Link sighed, rubbing his hands on his face. "I…I honestly expected him not to. Or even the others. It was stupid of me to wish he would." He confessed. "You…Hylia sent me to them in the pretense that I'm one of them. A hero. Even if I'm not one."
"Link…."
"I don't have a past. The memories I have, the memories I kept getting before my journey were the real Link's, not mine. I already got the most important ones and have not received any since I fulfilled my purpose, and yet…" Link stared at his marred palms as if they have the answers to the world. "I started getting them again since I joined the others. Memories that are unrelated to the real Link's journey as your hero. Trivial memories that I shouldn't feel anything about, yet…."
"You remembered something earlier."
Link's gaze snapped to Sun. "How…how did you know?"
"I just do." There was something mysterious with the way Sun smiled at him. "Link, have you perhaps thought that there might be more to these memories than you think? Perhaps, they're coming back to you for a reason?"
"They're not mine –"
"My point still stands."
"I…" Link shook his head. "I don't know. Honestly, I don't know what to believe anymore. Not Hylia's plan for me or Hyrule. Certainly not if I am my own person at all."
"How about the Hero of Twilight?"
"What?"
"Do you believe in him?"
"That's…" Link's lips pressed into a thin line before he nodded firmly. "Yes. Yes, I do."
"How about the Hero of Hyrule? You two have become quite close."
"No, we're not close. I wouldn't even call us friends yet. We just met almost two weeks ago."
"How about your Zelda?" Sun queried. "Do you believe in her?"
"I do, but –"
"The people in your era? The ones who fought with you? Do you believe in them?"
"That's…I – why are you -"
"Courage…" Sun intoned quietly, almost solemnly. "Need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten."
Whatever Link was about to say died on the tip of his tongue as Sun recited the words that Zelda told him during his fight against Dark Beast Ganon. His eyes met Sun's royal blue eyes as the woman strode toward him.
"Courage is not attributed to heroics alone, Link. Courage to believe is still courage, and you," Sun poked a finger lightly on his chest where his heart is. "Believe. You believe in people that you hold close to your heart, in people you highly regard, and in people you see a potential within. You are courageous in ways more than one, Link."
Link averted his eyes. His shoulders sagged in exhaustion and relenting defeat. "I'm nothing compared to your heroes. They're the real deal. I'm…I'm inferior, a fake."
"Link," Sun placed a gentle hand on his scarred cheek, urging him to look back to her. "What was broken can be mended. What was fragmented can be brought back together. Wounds heal, and scars fade. The Hero's Spirit may have an unbreakable will, but it is not an all-powerful soul. It is originally a spirit of a mortal. It can be broken, torn, and ripped to shreds, but it can never be destroyed. It can lose sight of itself, but it will find its way back no matter what. It is its courage that sets it apart from others and what makes it everlasting. Such courage can bring even the mightiest and proudest gods to their knees."
"Why…Why are you telling me this?"
"Why, indeed." Though she made it sound like a question, the way her eyes bore through him told him she already knew the answer to his question. "I wonder why."
Sun stepped back to let him process her words and held the bundle she was carrying in two hands. She spun to face the towering statue of her divine form, closed her eyes, and began to hum. The melody rippled and resounded across the entire island as words began to spill from her lips.
"Netu…Ne nataresobe…"
Link perked up at the impromptu singing session. Sun remained standing with her back to him as she sang. He could only listen, completely entranced with her voice and at the strange familiarity of the lyrics. He knows that he had never heard the song before, but for some reason, his soul does.
"Husobirutshe…Husobirude…Husobirutshe…"
Sun lowered the bundle and began unwrapping the blue cloth with delicate fingers. The fabric fell to the ground as Link caught a glimpse of a familiar purple sword hilt with crisscrossing lines of green. She raised the sheathed Master Sword to the heavens as if offering it to deities beyond even to her.
"Atotshe de sobe sa…."
Her song ended into an echo that the wind swooped in to carry, and she spun around to face him. Link's breath hitched as she presented him the sword that he wished never to see again. The golden designs on the scabbard of the Master Sword glinted underneath the moonlight as the divine sword itself lay harmless on the palms of its creator. He remembered Sky telling them that Sun asked for the Master Sword earlier without mentioning her reason. Now, perhaps, in this place and in this time, Sun's intentions will be finally revealed.
"Will you kneel for a moment, Link?"
It was a request, not a demand. He has a choice whether to listen to it or not. He could say 'no' if he wanted to, and Sun would not get furious at him. The others will have no right to judge him once they heard about it. His eyes remained glued to the sheathed Master Sword, to the frigid spirit that dwelled within it, and to the phantom pain that still lingered and burned when it scorched his hands. His heartbeat picked up just at the sight of it, and he dug his nails against his palms. There is a coppery taste in his mouth – did he bite his tongue? – and he only realized he stepped back when he saw Sun's expression shifted to worry.
"Do not be afraid, Link." Sun reassured him. Her voice was gentle and kind, like a mother to her scared child. "She will not hurt you."
Link shook his head frantically. No no no! That is a LIE! He wrapped his arms around his trembling form. He tried to tell himself to calm down - that he should not lose it in front of Sun. Because if he does, the others will fret and pity him. He does not want to open a rift between Sky and Sun's relationship, nor does he want to see Twilight, his mentor, worrying about him on day one. He desperately struggled to assure himself that Sun is a few feet away from him, that the Master Sword is still far away to burn him, but it is getting hard to breathe, and his sight is getting cloudy…
"…Link."
Link's head snapped to Sun. The mortal form of the Goddess Hylia has moved forward – one hand pressed against his cheek while her other arm wrapped around the Master Sword. His body screamed to push her away, to run and never look back, but Sun's soothing voice kept him grounded on where he is standing.
"Ease the discord in your heart. You are safe. You are in good hands."
Link's breath stuttered in his chest as his eyes drifted to the Master Sword. Too close. "I-I…."
"She will not hurt you." Sun stated firmly, drawing his attention back to her almost instantly. "Trust me. Will you do that for me? Will you hand me your trust, at least for now?"
"I'm…" Link swallowed the lump that is choking his voice inside his throat. "I…I don't…I don't know…."
"That's not a 'no'." Sun smiled, and a familiar warmth filled and fluttered in Link's chest. "I'm happy with it."
Sun withdrew her hand and retreated, giving him more space to breathe and compose himself. She stood there with the Master Sword, and it took Link a moment to realize she is waiting – waiting to see if he would run away, waiting for his answer to her request, and most of all, waiting patiently if he would be willing to impart a bit more of his trust to her. She is waiting and will wait for him. No matter how long it will take, no matter which era he will go, she will keep waiting for him.
For the briefest moment, Link saw not Sun standing before him but Zelda. His era's Zelda, the fated princess who devoted almost her entire life growing up to acquire a power that did not answer her until she was in the face of Death. It was she who willingly imprisoned herself to keep Calamity Ganon from wasting away the remains of Hyrule that she remembered not and waited tirelessly for one hundred years for her beloved knight's return. She is the strong-headed princess who firmly believed that he is her Link, even though he attempted many times to tell her the truth, and the very same person who cares and loves him in a way that the hero did not have a chance to properly express before his tragic death.
"She has a smile like the sun." The Great Deku once told him on the day he pulled the unwilling Master Sword from its pedestal. "I would do much to feel its warmth upon me once again."
Link inhaled a sharp breath. He wanted that too. Deep inside, he wanted to see her again. Even if she gets mad at him for running away and only showing his face after months of hiding, even if she ignores him as a punishment, he wanted to see her again. He wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, and feel her warmth, no matter how much he despised himself for coveting things that are never meant to be given to him. Just one more. He wanted to be greedy one more time, just like how he selfishly wished for Twilight to live and stay by his side longer.
Link took in a steadying breath and slowly and carefully lowered himself before Sun. He folded his left leg beneath him and propped an arm over his bent right leg. He tipped his head down in a reverent bow and closed his eyes. He heard the rustle of fabric in front of him as Sun approached him once again and placed her right palm facing him in a prayer of blessing.
"Valiant hero, hero of Hyrule," Sun started. Her gentle voice from before now thrumming with divine authority as it pealed across the island. "You have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity. You have endured many hardships and journeyed far in your quest to protect Hyrule and have proven yourself more than worthy of my blessings."
"Whether Skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, the sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the hero. To you, I give my divine protection. To you, the Spirit of the Master Sword repledges her unflinching loyalty to her rightful master. I hope that the two of you will grow stronger together as one. May it give you the strength to drive back the abomination that threatens the land of Hyrule across time and space."
Sun grasped the hilt of the Master Sword and drew the blade. Link could see the divine light emanating from the sword behind his closed eyelids and feel its divine power vibrating in the air. His fists clenched tightly as Sun carefully brought down the sword, already bracing himself for the searing heat to burn his skin again. The blade laid on his right shoulder and then to his left, but instead of a blazing fire, he felt a familiar warmth. A melodious chime rang from deep within the Master Sword, and he felt something…or someone reached out to his soul. It was faint and distant yet there.
"In our names as Hylia - now reborn as Zelda - and Fi, the name of the spirit that dwells within the sword of my creation, reforged by the hands of my chosen hero, we declare this. This title shall be yours alone, and none, even us who stand before you, shall have the authority to renounce your right. With the three Golden Goddesses above and their creations here and below as our witnesses…to you and you only, we bestow upon this title."
Sun sheathed the Master Sword, and Link opened his eyes and let out a breath he did not know he was holding. She held out a hand, and Link shyly grasped it as he finally lifted his head to see her smiling joyously at him.
"It is an honor to finally meet you, Hero of the Wild."
As you guys noticed, I included two songs from Skyward Sword. I placed the Ballad of the Goddess in the Crimson Loftwing scene because it is meant to emphasize that a Loftwing is the symbol of Hylia's divine protection and the connection between a Loftwing and the soul of its Hylian half.
For the granting of a hero title, I used the Song of the Hero. You guys must be thinking why I didn't use the Ballad of the Goddess instead. That is because the scene is all about Link (Wild). It is not about Sun (Hylia). Sun is not the one who will be granted a hero title, but Link. I tried translating the lyrics by myself, so please kindly inform me if there are any corrections. I would appreciate it.
I also used bits of the script from Skyward Sword and the Subdued Ceremony memory from Breath of the Wild and added a spin to it because the scene is meant to be a combination of the two games. Link from the Era of the Wilds is in Skyloft, where he received a title that is only his. You could say it is a reenactment of the knighting ceremony but for a different purpose.