The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Pkmnacezelda

~~

He kept trying, but he couldn't get much rest. He often dozed off, but not for much time.

Thoughs filled his head as he tried to drift off into a peaceful sleep. He hadn't had so much trouble sleeping since... since his parents died. Only this time, things weren't as bad as back then.

The only things that kept him awake were Kukiel's dissapearance and his conversation with Pipit about Zelda.

He had already decided what he wanted to do: search for Kukiel. About his conversation with his friend... he didn't know what he was feeling anymore.

Of course, Zelda was his friend. His best friend since he could remember. Sure, he already noticed that his only focus was to find her, and Pipit could clearly see his determination. Maybe THAT was the reason he had asked him to think about it, because no one would risk their life to try and save someone below the cloud barrier. It had never happened, until now. Everyone believed that a person that fell and crossed the cloud barrier was dead.

He shakes his head and looks at the side, where the Goddess Sword sat in its scabbard and sitting against the table. His wooden shield was useless now, and had scratches all over it. He mentally noted that he had to go to the bazaar to buy a new one.

He sighs and closes his eyes, trying not to think about anything else. But his mind wouldn't let him. He gets up and looks outside. He didn't see time pass by. It was almost nighttime, and dinner was going to be prepared and served soon.

He sighs and puts on his travel pants, that had already been fixed, his chainmail, which had some misplaced chains, and his green tunic (with no traces of blood whatsoever), with all the belts and everything else.

He steps outside, exiting the academy on the second floor. He sighs, relieved that he hadn't crossed paths with the instructors. They would surely scold him for getting up and walk around with freshly stitched wounds.

But he didn't care. He had a goal to accomplish. He goes up the stairs and finds himself going into the Chamber of the Sword.

He takes the stone tablet he had received at Skyview Spring and pushes it into the gap on the stone. The red jewel at the center shines and he sighs, satisfied. The rift to Eldin was open.

Fi exits the handle and Link looks at her, wondering why she hadn't done that before to remind him of the stone tablet and his quest. "Master, I have confirmed the location of a second opening in the cloud barrier. It is located in the skies to the northeast. This opening will allow you to access a new area on the surface. I suggest you fly there as soon as you have healed and completed necessary preparations."

Link nods and watches as Fi enters the handle of his sword.

He turns around and walks out of the chamber. After crossing the stone archway to head to the academy, he crosses paths with Kukiel's mom.

"You haven't seen my Kukiel, have you?" She looks at him with worried eyes.

"No... But I already heard what happened, and I'm willing to help in any way I can." He smiles at the distressed woman.

"Oh, thank you! The Knight Academy should be proud to have a student like you."

Link blushes and scratches his neck nervously. "Do you have any leads?" He clears his throat as he waits for an answer.

"Well... I've asked everyone I could for help, and a few people said she's been spotted with some unknown person with a scary face. Someone else even said they thought they'd seen her carried off by a monster." The woman's face starts to grow pale.

Link puts a hand to her shoulder. "Don't worry. The knights would've noticed. Besides, she probably would've called for help. I'm sure that she's fine and unharmed."

The woman sighs. "You're right... But please, find her!"

Link nods with a big smile plastered on his young features, and walks down the wooden stairs. Before opening the door to the academy, he hears a voice calling out for him. He turns around and sees Instructor Horwell running toward him with a bit of an angry expression on his face.

"Link! What in the goddess's name are you doing out of bed?! You should be resting!" Link looks at his instructor with fear. The man was hardly mad for these type of things. Moreover, he hadn't seen him THIS angry in his life.

"Sorry... I just needed to get up and stretch my muscles a bit."

"Well, that is understandable, but you must be careful." Link sighs.

"I know... it's just..."

"Zelda? You are really worried about her, I know. But as heartwarming as that is, you have to be aware of your limits and take care of your body and your health. After all, if you are in no conditions to fight, you cannot help. You understand, don't you?"

"Yes, I do." Link scratches his neck.

"Good to hear. Now, I will allow you to wander around a bit, but I don't want you flying off just yet, or overexerting yourself." Instructor Horwell pats Link on the shoulder.

"Oh, I wasn't planning to, believe me. Actually, I was going to ask everyone about Kukiel."

"Oh, that'd be helpful... We have been searching all over. Some of the knights patrolling at night are resting right now. They've searched all over Skyloft until sunrise, but they haven't found a clue, and now, they are exhausted."

Link sighs. He needed to find Kukiel as soon as possible, and after doing so, continue his search for Zelda.

"It's almost dinner time. You should head to the canteen and eat dinner with your friends."

Link smiles, thanking his instructor and making his way to the canteen. All of his friends were sitting down, except for Pipit. He places his sword against the wall and sits down in front of Karane, beside Fledge.

"Hey, Link. How are you holding up?"

"Well, I've been better, but I'm fine." He looks at the entrance of the canteen. Groose and his friends didn't even bother looking at them and sat down on the other table. Other students were arriving at the canteen. Orielle greets them as she sits down at Fledge's left. The only one missing was Pipit.

"Where's Pipit?" Link furrows his brow while looking at Fledge.

"Oh, maybe he's preparing for the night. He needs to patrol the academy."

"Really?" As soon as Link says that, Pipit arrives, apologizing for making everyone wait. He sits down in the empty spot at Karane's right.

"Sorry, guys. I was preparing for the night shift and I... kind of got distracted."

They accept his apology and start eating the pumpkin soup after they were all served. They eat in silence, until Link starts trying to get some information about Kukiel from his friends.

"Does anyone here know anything else about Kukiel? I crossed paths with her mother earlier and she said that she heard the townsfolk saying that Kukiel had been kidnapped by a monster or something..."

He interrupts himself when he hears Orielle grunting. "Do you really think that there are monsters abducting children?"

Link sighs. "I dunno... I don't think that's possible... But there might be a chance."

His friends look at him with surprised expressions.

"So there's a chance that she was dragged off by a monster... " Orielle chuckles. "Ok, let's not be ridiculous here. This monster business is going a bit far. But now that you mention it..."

She remains quiet for a moment.

"What?" Fledge says.

"If I recall, there's an old man who lives near. He's always ranting about hidden monsters. Here, in Skyloft. No one takes him seriously because everyone knows he's a little loony. He has to be at the Lumpy Pumpkin, as usual."

Link groans in frustration. That meant flying. And Instructor Horwell had forbidden that to him.

"What's the problem?" Pipit looks at him with a confused expression.

"Flying. That's the problem... Instructor Horwell forbidd me from flying. Y'know... with my injuries and all..."

"Oh, but he didn't forbidd you of flying with a friend on THEIR bird, did he?" Pipit chuckles.

"Well... He just said that he didn't want me flying just yet..."

Both Link and Pipit look at each other with a grin.

"Boys... whatever you're thinking right now is... probably not a good idea..." Karane warns.

"Relax, Karane! We're not doing anything reckless. Link just needs a lift to the Lumpy's. No one will know." Pipit and Karane hold gazes for some time until the young girl gives up, sighing.

"Fine... But if you're going, you better go now. Flying is forbidden at night, except for some of the knights in night patrol, and you're not one of them. By the way, your patrol starts in an hour, doesn't it?" Pipit nods. "Then hurry up. The three of us will cover for you."

Link and Pipit get up after finishing their soup in record time. They try not to go too fast so as to not raise any suspicion.

They walk at a fast pace inside the academy. Link has a hard time doing so because of his wounds, but brushes it aside, limping slightly.

Pipit calls his bird once outside, and it soon lands at their side. His Loftwing was golden brown, and Link thought for a moment that it was the same Loftwing used in the ceremony. But after some seconds, he realises that the other Loftwing had a brighter color. In fact, Pipit's Loftwing had the very same color of his master's tunic. Also, the other Loftwing was smaller than this one.

"Hey, Chase. I'm sorry for making you fly now. I know it's late, but this is an urgent matter." Chase caws softly in understanding. "Well, hop on, Link."

After both boys are settled on the bird's back, they start flying. There was still some sunlight. They were lucky that it was spring, which meant that days were longer. That way, they had more time. At least, they hoped that THAT was the case.

They arrive at the Lumpy Pumpkin after a ten minute flight. They land near the field, which was full of shiny and healthy pumpkins.

"Well, I'm gonna wait for you here. Just talk with the old man and get out as soon as you can. My shift starts in 45 minutes, so hurry up!"

Link nods and walks as fast as he can with his wounds toward the main door.

A warm breeze envelopes him once he closes the door. The air smelled of wood and hot pumpkin soup. It reminded him of old times, when both Zelda and him decided to have a break after classes, mostly in winter. It was great to drink some warm soup in the coldest days of the year.

He smiles while remembering fondly those times, but shakes his head soon after. They didn't have much time, and he still needed to find the old man Orielle was talking about. Luckily, he didn't spend much time looking for him. He was sitting in a round table, near the kitchen.

He walks up to him. "Good evening, sir. Do you mind if I sit here?" He asks, politely.

The man looks at him. "Well, make yourself comfortable, kid." Link sits down in the stool next to the old man. "Say, you have that gullible look that says you might take an old man's ramblings seriously. So tell me... Do you believe in the Skyloft monster?"

"Well, that's why I'm here to talk to you about. I was hoping you could give me some information. I'm not sure if I believe it completely, honestly." Link chuckles.

"Well, what a coincidence, son. Y'know, I shouldn't even call it a monster! It's a demon, I tell ya! But no one can say fer sure because no one's seen it and lived to tell the tale!" Link furrows his brow. "You wanna know how come I'm tellin' the tale if nobody who's seen it is left alive? Is that it?"

Link blinks, then sighs. "Yep. That's why I came here in the first place. But I need the whole thing in a nutshell. I'm in a hurry."

The man chuckles. "Ok, then. Well... I saw it, but I was able to escape by the seat of my pants. I was saved by my catlike reflexes, I tell ya! Any regular person wouldn't have lived long enough to scream!" Link looks at the man, trying to show that he was impatient to hear the important stuff. The man takes the hint. "Anyway, I saw the thing! There's a big tree in the cemetery. I walked by that tree in the middle of the night and... I saw it hit the gravestone nearest the tree, and the gravestone lit up!"

"You mean... the monster, right?"

The old man nods. "Ya got that right, son. It pushed the gravestone, and the door to the storage shed opened up all by itself... The monster then went into the shed and then... it closed the door behind itself, which was unexpectedly polite for a demon... It was terrifying, I tell ya! If I were you, I'd stay clear of the cemetery in the middle of the night!"

Link gets up, still remembering what the man had told him. He needed to go to the graveyard in the middle of the night, kick the gravestone near the tree, let it glow, push it and enter the storage... "Seems easy enough..." He whispers to himself. "Well, thank you. I really need to go now. I'm sorry that I bothered you, sir."

"No, boy! It was actually really entertaining. I'm grateful that you believed me, ya know?" Link smiles at the old man.

"Yeah. Well, gotta go. Thank you so much!"

Link reunites with Pipit once outside.

"Well, got the intel you needed?"

"Oh, I got it. We better head back." Link looks at the sky. It was a little darker than before.

"Oh, yeah. My patrol starts soon."

They get on Chase and take off, arriving in almost no time to Skyloft. They sigh in relief, seeing as how no one had noticed their absence. At least, for the moment.

"Well, gotta grab my sword. See you tomorrow, Link! Have a good night's rest, OK?" Pipit pats Link's shoulder and runs to the academy after sending his bird off.

Link smiles. Pipit was such a good friend... He yawns, heading back to his room. He drops his sword and shield near the bed. He takes off his tunic, chainmail and shirt, leaving them on the table at the end of the bed. He looks at the bandages hugging his lower abdomen, which had speckles of blood on them. He needed to find Kukiel so he could continue to look for Zelda. And that meant spending the night awake.

He sits down on the bed, thinking of what to do to entertain himself. He looks around his room, seeing some old books on his shelfs. He gets up to see them. A few of the books were filled with dust. And he knew why. Those books were filled with memories of his childhood, when his parents still lived.

He feels his eyes starting to burn, but he doesn't let the tears fall. Remembering his parents was painful, far more painful than any wound. He looks at his desk, trying to shake away the memories. He looks at the wooden figure on it. It was Zelda's Loftwing. It wasn't finished, of course. It was just a little thing to entertain himself from time to time. He sits down, picking it up, and inspects it carefully. He takes his tools and continues carving. Maybe that'd be enough distraction.

He spends some time trying to finish his little project, but his wound starts to sting after a while of sitting down, and he decides to drop everything. He hadn't been able to do much, but at least, he hadn't been able to fall asleep either.

He lays down on his bed, whispering what the old man had told him about the graveyard to memorize it.

Soon, his eyes start dropping, but he shakes himself awake, sitting up. He sighs in frustration and opens his window. It was dark outside. He decides to go to the graveyard. Any more time trying hard not to fall asleep and he'd end up crazy.

He puts his gear on and gets out of the academy, trying to be as quiet as a mouse.

He walks carefully around the place, making his way to East Skyloft. He slashes at numerous Keese and Chuchus along the way. What had become of Skyloft in his absence? In less than 5 days, the place had turned into a field of monsters at night. He wondered if it had to do with that Ghirahim guy. Maybe the tornado had brought up countless monsters with it. The only problem they had at night before was Mia, and a Keese or two, which was a rare ocurrance. No wonder that the knights in night patrol were exhausted.

He soon finds himself in front of the graveyard. He approaches the gravestone that was near the tree and kicks it. A symbol shines upon impact, and Link chuckles. Believing in the old man's story hadn't been a waste of time, after all.

He grabs the stone and pushes it forward. He hears the wooden door opening, and he looks at the wall to his left. He enters the little space to find a wooden ladder going down.

He carefully starts descending the ladder, which was actually kind of painful. Once he steps on the wooden platform below him, he huffs, placing a hand to his hip. He stays like that for some minutes before looking around. He finds a door after walking on a long wooden plank. Before he can reach out to grab the doorknob, he hears a shriek coming from the other side, which makes him jump.

He opens the door with caution. And what he finds is... not what he expected.

There was a figure before him with big wings on its back. The patterns of the wings looked like a yellow skull with a blue background. From where he was, the creature looked hideous. He gasps and puts a hand on the handle of the Goddess Sword when the creature starts to turn around. It roars loudly at him, and he takes the sword from the scabbard. He was about to land a strike on the beast, but he stops when it starts shaking, while backing against the wall.

"Stop!" It shouts. "Please! I beg of you... don't hurt me!" Link furrows his brow. It was... scared? Actually, it didn't look like it meant harm, and its voice sounded very human indeed. "Oh, goodness, I know how bad this must look to you right now, but I assure you that I mean no harm! We were just playing the scream-as-loud-as-you-can game!"

Link cocks his head to the side and sheathes his sword. So that was why he had heard the scream.

"Isn't that a fun game...? Oh, dear... Perhaps an explanation is in order!" The creature steps closer to Link. "I'm Batreaux, and I am a monster who resides here, in this humble dwelling below Skyloft. But please, allow me to correct one popular misconception. While I'm certainly a monster, I woudn't dream of terrorizing the people of this town! You see, this adorable little girl is the only one who didn't let loose a blood-curdling scream at the sight of me!"

Link looks at Kukiel. She was sitting down against the wall, looking at them quietly.

"Since she began to visit me here, I've felt positively jubilant! You see, my heart's only wish is to become friends with the lovely people of Skyloft."

"Is that so?" Link pronounces himself, unsure if he should believe everything.

"Yes, but as you can surely imagine, it has proven quite difficult to break the ice when they are struck with paralyzing fear at the mere sight of me!"

"Ah, I get the picture. You were lucky that they were only scared and didn't decide to attack you. Our swords are really sharp, you know?"

Batreaux sighs, clasping his hands. "Oh, dear... Really?"

"Yup. Sharpened every day, yes..." Link looks at the creature carefully.

Batreaux sighs in relief. "Anyway, I assure you, nothing would fill my heart with joy more than to be friends with the fine people of this town... Oh, right... Silly me. I've gotten ahead of myself! You see, there is an old tale among my monstrous kin that goes as follows... It seems that when humans make other humans happy by helping them, the happy humans produce a substance known as a Gratitude Crystal. Those crystals are quite amazing. Their presence alone produce such gratitude that they can turn me from a monster into a human! Oh, goodness, nothing would delight me more!"

"Really? It would be my pleasure to help you, then."

Link's smile makes Batreaux even happier, and he grabs the blond boy's shoulders carefully, so that he wouldn't pierce him with his claws. "From the moment I laid my eyes on you, I could tell you had a gentle and generous heart. And I wasn't wrong. Gather those crystals, please! You can also find those wherever there are people. You didn't necessary help them yourself, but other people. And I assure you, your help won't be unrewarded."

"Oh, no need. I'm just happy that I'm able to help." Link approaches Kukiel and kneels beside her. "Well, you should go home, it's getting late. Your mom is worried sick, y'know?"

"Is she? Oh, in that case, I'm so sorry. He's not a bad man, you know? He saved me one time when I almost fell over the edge! And he lets me come here and scream as loud as I want! Can you tell my mom that I'll come back at home tomorrow morning?"

Link was certain that the woman was sleeping at the moment, but maybe he could slip a note under her door.

"I'll tell her, don't worry. But promise me that you'll go up and be there by dawn, alright?" Link ruffles Kukiel's hair after she nods.

He turns to look at Batreaux and assures him that he'd find Gratitude Crystals for him.

He exits the room, feeling exhausted from head to toe. He ascends the ladder and looks up at the night sky above him. It was still dark, meaning that he still had some hours to sleep. But a thought crosses his mind. Didn't Batreaux say that if he helps people, the people he helps produce Gratitude Crystals? He remembers helping the little kid the day of the ceremony, when he was searching for Ace. Maybe...

He returns to the plaza and walks toward the tree. And sure enough, he finds an orange glow coming from behind the tree. He picks it up.

It was beautiful. He hadn't seen anything like it before.

He stores it into his pouch. He decides to look around Skyloft and eastern Skyloft. And sure enough, he finds more. One of them was near a little pumpkin field, near the graveyard. Another was at Groose's place, after crossing the cave. Exactly where Zelda had flown to when they were searching for Ace, and another in the little space where Ace was held by wooden planks. The last one he found was in the exact same place where he had lifted the barrels to help Fledge, inside the academy.

It took him almost an hour, but at the end, he had found five of them. He'd return to Batreaux another day to hand him the crystals, though. His hip was sore, and he didn't want to push himself too much. He still needed to prepare supplies for his search in Eldin, and the most important thing: buy a new shield.

He enters his room and leaves the shield against the wall near the door. He leaves the sword below the window, and starts to undress himself. He gets inside the bed, wearing only his travel pants without the belt.

He lays down in a comfortable position, and he falls asleep in less than a minute.


Author's note:

Hello, readers!

I know it took me almost a month, but this chapter was difficult to write. It wouldn't seem like that was the case, but it really was difficult. I didn't know if including the Kukiel thing was needed, but I decided to put it in the end, because it would make sense and it's something that happened canonically in the game. I was so unsure that I asked the opinion of someone, and they said that making Link trying to help someone despite being injured was a good character development, and that would show how much of a good person Link is.

Anyways, comments, votes... I accept everything. I'm gonna revise the chapters soon to correct some grammatical errors and the like. (The first chapters look awful with those mistakes...)

Well, I hope you liked it and I'll try to bring chapter 11 as soon as I can.

Kisses and stay safe!

-Pkmnacezelda