Link returned to Skyloft as the sun was setting, casting a peaceful orange glow over the village. Link's heart, however, was anything but peaceful. He felt more tortured and internally at war with himself than he ever had. Did he make the right decision in letting Zelda go? Where was she now? Would Ghirahim be able to find her? These questions and more tormented his mind ruthlessly. Link met with Gaepora and the Professors once more, and they quickly noticed a change in him. He stood against the wall, as distanced from them as he could, arms crossed and face downcast.

He spoke in quick, often one-word responses in a quiet yet defensive tone. They almost couldn't recognize who they were speaking to. He told them that Zelda was safe and now accompanied by a capable protector. Apart from this, he offered little information. Gaepora, most of all, was deeply relieved to hear that Zelda had been seen alive and well. All three men, however, were growing more concerned by the minute that everything was taking a mental toll on Link. They recommended he spend a full day on Skyloft and dedicate it to resting. He agreed to part of that plan.

When Eagus arrived at the sparring hall early the next morning, Link was already at the door waiting.

"You are perhaps the most dedicated student I've ever had," Eagus said with a chuckle.

"I want to learn to grapple," Link stated bluntly.

"You are also perhaps the first student to ask about that." Eagus paused and gave Link a curious look. "Say, young man. Why are you suddenly so interested in all of this? I never imagined you as a fighter."

Link swallowed dryly, knowing he was barred from talking to anyone about what was really happening.

"I just am," he said quietly. "And neither did I..." he thought to himself.

"Well, let's get to work then," Eagus replied with a smile.

Being unhindered by any injury, Link could keep up with Eagus quite well this time. The two worked on hand-to-hand combat, grappling, and wrestling for most of the morning. At one point, Eagus commented on how strong Link had become, and he found himself nearly being bested by the young lad. Eagus eventually grew tired. Before Eagus could return to his other duties, Link asked if he had anything to use for target practice.

"Target practice?" Eagus repeated, rather surprised. "I don't normally teach archery here. But yeah, I have something that might work."

He rolled out a circular piece of tree trunk and set it up on a stand for Link, who used it to improve his skills with the slingshot gifted to him by the Kikwis. As he held it in his hand, he couldn't help but to think of Bucha and Machi. Bucha's deep, booming voice and Machi's innocent, childlike demeanor resounded in his mind. He would be lying if he said he didn't long to see them again, as well as Cobal the Mogma, whose bravery and optimism had greatly inspired him. A small yet sad smile crossed his lips as he thought of Cobal's toothy grin and witty character. He was abruptly jolted from his train of thought by the entrance door clicking to a close.

"Hey, Link..." Fledge began, somewhat sheepishly, "I see you've come back again."

Link nodded. He thought about tucking the slingshot away quietly, yet Fledge noticed it before he could.

"Whoa, what is that?" he asked, his eyes growing wide.

"Just a slingshot," Link replied, trying to downplay it to get off the subject.

"Where'd you get it?" Fledge inquired.

Link froze. He would not lie to his friend, but he could not tell him the truth. The internal conflict was taxing. If Link was being honest, there was a part of him that wanted someone else to know what he was doing. Shouldering the journey alone was becoming quite, well... lonesome. As Fledge looked on expectantly, Link devised a way to both deflect the question and inexplicitly share some of his experience.

"Hey," He began, raising a brow, almost mischievously, "want to try it out?"

"Oh! Really? I mean... can I?"

Link showed him the basics and let Fledge practice with it. To no surprise, Fledge struggled and was very clunky with it, unable to launch a stone far enough to even hit the target. Link intervened, instructing him to straighten up his back and to keep his shoulders square, demonstrating an ideal posture for him.

"Most importantly, keep your eyes on the target," Link concluded.

Fledge tried a few more times before finally hitting the trunk with surprising accuracy. One would think he had just found a thousand rupees by the way he jumped a squealed with excitement. Link smiled and offered his friend a congratulatory high five, though deep down he still felt overwhelming numbness, teetering on the border of grief. Link took back the slingshot and got in his own practice, though his was much more complex. He tried shooting from various angles, even shooting out of a few barrel rolls. Fledge watched, his eyes wide and mouth agape at some of the things Link was able to do. After a while, Fledge interrupted him.

"I've been working on doing pushups the way you showed me," he said, shyly. "Would you care to see?"

Fledge had improved on his form and stamina, yet he seemed to still need a few pointers, which Link patiently gave. They spent considerable time working on pushups, and Fledge managed to do twenty-five consecutively, much to Link's amazement. Then, Link showed Fledge how to do sit-ups. With Link holding his feet and providing encouragement, Fledge managed two before collapsing in a heap of exhaustion. They then switched and Link went until they both lost count. He had started off casually, but the harder he pushed, the more he felt himself being fueled by the anger, confusion, and hurt he had been harboring inside. It burned with every movement of his muscles, though no pain or strain of exercise could compare to the aching in his heart. He grew red in the face, and his breaths turned to forced, angered grunts. Fledge noticed, and though it worried him to see, he stayed quiet. The moon was high in the sky by the time Eagus finally kicked the boys out. Link was feeling lighter, having literally worked out some of his pent up emotions. Fledge felt tired and sore. That said, Link noticed a sense of confidence in his walk. His chin was held higher than normal, and not just because he was taller than Link, despite being younger.


Fledge had spent the last year begging his parents not to send him away to the Knight Academy. They said they wanted him to gain confidence and make friends, but he felt they were only punishing him for being a cowardly and sickly child. His father was one of the strongest men in the village. His mother was fair and wise, and his older sister had graduated from the Academy years prior at the top of her class. Fledge tended to the village sheep and was regularly spooked by them. He had no friends outside of his collection of dolls and stuffed animals, which he impressively stitched together himself. Often he enjoyed gathering herbs and wild vegetables for his mother to cook, and occasionally he enjoyed going with his father to haul firewood, though usually because it gave him the chance to wander off in search of delicious mushrooms or rare flowers. He never actually helped to carry in any of the wood. Despite his pleas, they enrolled him in the Academy, and he spent the first week locked in his room, plagued by a stomachache that appeared whenever he stepped foot out of his bed. One day, the Headmaster's daughter, Zelda, one of his classmates, knocked on his door and poked her head inside.

"Excuse me. Fledge, is it?" she asked gently.

His long limbs flailed wildly as he tried to quickly sit up on his bed.

"Y- Yes, that's me," he said, his voice cracking at every syllable.

The first thing he noticed were her lively blue eyes and her genuine smile.

"I heard you weren't feeling well again and thought maybe I could bring your homework and reading."

"That's very kind of you," he said, clearing his throat halfway through.

She set the papers and books down on his desk and returned to the doorway. She bent down, disappearing from Fledge's view for a moment, and then returned with a wooden tray.

"I hope this is appropriate, but I also made you some tea and toast," her nose wrinkled as she gave him another smile. "You know, to settle your stomach."

"That sound wonderful, actually," he said, accepting the tray.

The steam from the cup carried the scent of refreshing mint leaves. The hot liquid was bitter, yet pleasantly so, and it was finished off with hints of fresh, sweet honey. A lone slice of freshly toasted bread came with a heap of golden goat butter, lightly sprinkled with a pinch of salt. Each bite was more delightful than the last, and the piping hot tea was the perfect finisher, tickling his throat with every sip. Zelda sat at the edge of his bed, when suddenly, her big, blue eyes grew wide.

"Oh wow, what is this?" she exclaimed, reaching for one of Fledge's stuffed animals.

"Great, that's just what I didn't want her to see," he thought to himself, shrinking back. "She's going to think I'm just a big baby, like all the other kids back home." Despite this, he couldn't lie to her.

"It's just a sheep," he said quietly. "Something to remember home by."

"It's really cute!" she remarked. "Does it have a name?"

Fledge hesitated, his palms beginning to sweat. He just knew she was going to judge him.

"... Sheik."

"Aw," Zelda giggled, "Sheik-y the sheep-y."

"Hey, that's actually what I call him!" Fledge said in momentary excitement. "He was the first animal I sewed, and I was so shaky. I must have pricked myself a dozen times. So I thought, sheep... shake... Sheik." Then he shrunk back once more. "You don't... you don't think that's silly, do you?"

"Silly? Why would I?" Zelda asked. "I pricked my own finger embroidering just last night."

"I've always wanted to learn how to embroider," Fledge admitted openly.

"I would be happy to teach you sometime."

"Wow, thank you. But... Zelda..." he paused and swallowed harshly. "Do you mind not telling the other students?"

"I won't say a word," she replied, bowing her head slightly. "So, tell me more about Sheik-y here. Does he have a personality?"

"Oh yes, Sheik is brave and bold... especially when I can't be."

Zelda and Fledge talked for the rest of the afternoon until she "ordered" him to get some rest. The following day, Fledge woke up feeling a great deal better. Now that it was the weekend, Fledge vowed to work hard to catch up on all of his missed work and reading. While Skyloft lacked full pastures, it did have some nice, open spaces that drew the slender boy's interest, reminding him of his home. He went to one in the late morning and started his reading. All was well at first. The wind was pleasant, the grass was soft, and the sun was comforting and warm. Most of all, he was almost alone, at least for a while. Some distance away, there was an older boy in a tree. He, too, was reading a book and eating an apple while casually lounging on a large branch, using the tree's trunk as a pillow. Fledge did not think the boy had seen him, having never looked up from his reading.

Eventually, Fledge took notice of a group of older students wandering into the field. He tried to pay them no mind at first, yet he soon caught the feeling that they were approaching him. He looked up and observed a tall, muscular boy with equally tall, red hair and the most confident stride Fledge had ever seen. Another tall, thinner boy followed him with flat, blonde hair, and a very short boy with a quirky voice. He wasn't certain, but Fledge thought he heard that their names were Groose, Stritch, and Cawlin.

"What do we have here, boys?" Groose asked. "A freshie being responsible on the weekend instead of goofing off with the other dweebs?"

"No Groose, I think this is the one who had a tummy ache and missed class all week," Cawlin snorted.

"Aww, wittle baby doesn't have mommy here to rub his tummy and make it all better?" Groose mocked.

All three boys roared with laughter. Fledge's mouth dried up, and he felt he might begin to panic under the weight of their teasing. He happened to catch a glance of the boy in the tree who, likewise, had caught a glance of him and his plight. He was still lounging casually, however, his attention was now fixed on the situation brewing across the field. Fledge tried to give him a look as if to plea for help.

"These first-year books were so easy, I didn't even have to read them," Stritch said, boastfully.

"What'cha reading anyway?" Groose asked, putting his hands on his hips and leaning forward.

"Ummm... I... ummm..." Fledge fumbled, words failing him.

"What's wrong?" Cawlin scoffed. "Remlit got your tongue?"

"No..." Fledge pouted.

"Well, if you can't tell us, we'll just take a look ourselves," Groose said.

With that, he reached out and ripped the book from Fledge's hands. Fledge rose to his feet but immediately hunched back, unsure of how to ask for his book back. As the antagonists went on about the book, he looked back over at the tree. To his surprise, the boy had vanished. This made Fledge feel all the more scared and alone. He wished he had Sheik with him, or perhaps even Zelda. She didn't seem to be the type who would allow this treatment to continue. The older boys began tossing the book around, at which point Fledge helplessly chased after it, going back and forth between them.

"Please... please... you're going to spoil it," he uttered.

"Oh, like this?" Groose asked before tearing a page from it.

"Eeaack! Please don't!" Fledge shrieked.

The group of bullies nearly choked with laughter as they continued to toss the book, ripping more pages with each catch. Then, a sudden, overwhelming gust of wind swept the book away. It landed in the grass and was picked up by the boy from the tree. He shot a fierce glance at Groose and his minions. Without taking his eyes away from the offenders, he stepped up to Fledge and placed the book in his hands.

"Leave. Now." He said quietly.

Fledge did not hesitate. Book in-hand, he took off running until he reached the Academy, and then he barricaded himself in his room. For the whole day, he wondered who that boy was and if anything had happened to him after he intervened. What he remembered most was the look in his eye. He could see that he had been truly angered on Fledge's behalf, and yet he maintained such calmness and composure, it was truly amazing. Fledge vowed that someday he would work up the nerve to thank the boy, and to ask him how he had been so brave against such ruthless bullies, two of whom he was smaller than.

"If I could be even half as brave as him..." Fledge thought to himself.

Some time later, when Fledge finally left his room, he was surprised to find the torn pages had been returned and set outside his door. Every last one. He felt a knot form in his throat at the sight of them, being deeply moved by this act of compassion. He slowly crept down the hall, looking to see if he could find the boy. Surprisingly, he discovered that his room was right beside his own. He mentally kicked himself. Had he not stayed pent up in his room all week, perhaps he could have known that sooner.

The boy's door was cracked open. Fumbling with the ends of his shirt, Fledge peered in, being careful to remain inconspicuous. To his surprise, he saw Zelda sitting on the bed, her back turned to Fledge. She was putting a wetted cloth to the boy's brow, which Fledge could see was stained with blood. The opposite eye also had a nasty, dark circle underneath it, and his clothes were awfully tattered. Fledge's heart sank upon seeing this. A gasp escaped from him, and before he could retreat, the older boy's intense, green eyes looked up to meet his. Fledge held his breath, certain the older boy was going to say something, perhaps to call him out for his cowardice and blame him for his current condition. To his surprise, however, the boy said nothing and returned his gaze downward.


Fledge was thrown from his remembering by the sound of a loud, blood-curdling scream. It sounded like that of a child. Link immediately darted off in its direction. Fledge, however, froze up.

"Fledge, come on," Link beckoned assertively.

The boy remained still, paralyzed by fear and growing paler by the second. Another frantic scream rang out, louder than the first.

"Fledge, now!"

The boy finally moved, jogging behind Link as he sprinted toward the source of the scream. They came upon a group of Remlits, which were normally kind, affectionate creatures and often kept as village pets. On this night, however, the Remlits hissed and snarled, their fur standing up on their backs in a show of intimidation. Their eyes were red like blood. They surrounded a young child by the name of Kukiel, who was covering her head and shaking terribly. It reminded Link of how he first encountered Machi in Faron Woods.

"Somebody, help!" the little girl cried.

Link drew his sword but stopped several feet away from Kukiel and the Remlits.

"Master, I am detecting the presence of malice in these creatures," Fi said from within the sword, so only Link could hear her.

"Malice? On Skyloft?" Link questioned.

Fledge had not been able to hear Fi, so from his perspective, Link was talking to thin air.

"What? Who are you talking to?" he asked.

Link ignored the question.

"Fledge, I'm going to draw their attention. You go get Kukiel."

"WHAT! I- I don't know if I can-"

"Yes, you can!" Link shouted back.

Fledge watched in awe as Link raised his sword to the sky. To his disbelief, the sword lit up, like a blue flame consuming a dry leaf. It shone brilliantly in the night's darkness, casting a blue-green glow over Link, Fledge, and all that surrounded them.

"How are you doing that?" Fledge asked, receiving no response.

Aiming his sword at the Remlits, Link charged forward. Sensing the sacred energy of the skyward strike, the creatures drew back and away from Kukiel. Turning their attention to Link, they hissed even more fiercely, swiping their claws at him. Fledge, in a never-before-seen display of bravery, ran over to Kukiel and knelt beside her, taking her in his arms to shield and comfort her. They watched as Link drove the Remlits back further and further.

"Fi, will a skyward strike hurt the Remlits?" Link asked.

"I am unable to determine this, Master."

Link felt his pulse beating hard and fast as he thought through what to do. He knew the power from the blade would dispel the malice, yet he did not want to hurt the innocent creatures, one of which belonged to Gaepora. However, seeing no other option, Link flung his blade, sending the light barreling toward the Remlits. He held his breath in anticipation, praying for the Remlits to be spared. The light passed through the Remlits and carried with it several large, dark clouds of malice, which quickly vanished into the air. Though startled and confused, the furry creatures appeared unhurt. They mewed and sniffed one another curiously. One even gave a big, squealing yawn and a lengthy stretch as if to ready itself for a nap. Link released his breath with a loud sigh before returning to Fledge and Kukiel, who was very young and very small.

"Are you hurt?" he asked softly, kneeling down to her level.

She shook her head, wiping away a tear. Her lower lip was still quivering.

"What happened?" Fledge asked, still trying to absorb all that had just occurred.

Kukiel sniffled. "I snuck out after bedtime to give the Remlits some treats, but they tried to bite and scratch me. They've never done that before." She whimpered. "And their eyes looked so... so... evil."

"They seem to have calmed down for now," Fledge observed. "Link, you know what came over them, don't you?" His tone sounded quite serious.

Though Link didn't say a word, Fledge could see in his eyes that he did. Trusting Link, he chose not to press further. They returned Kukiel to her home. She kept an arm wrapped around Link's leg as they went, hiding behind him any time she felt spooked. To Fledge's surprise, Link refused to explain what had happened to Kukiel's mother. He confirmed that she had been ambushed by the Remlits, but left out all the other details, including how he rescued her. The two boys walked in silence back to the Knight Academy. Fledge fought back a strong urge to press Link for information. Whatever it was, it was obviously weighing heavily on Link's conscience. Upon returning to the Knight Academy, Link went alone to tell Gaepora what had happened. Afterwards, he withdrew to his own room. On the way there, however, he thought he heard the sound of Groose's bedroom door clicking shut. He felt it was suspicious, but was too exhausted and overwhelmed to investigate further. He resolved to set out early in the morning. Malice had somehow found its way onto Skyloft, which made Link all the more anxious to find Zelda and get to the bottom of everything.