Chapter 7 (Age 14)

"Move your feet!"

Master Kos was getting frustrated. Link's wooden blade clashed against Pipit's for the hundredth time. The two boys showed so much promise, but neither could get out of their own heads.

Link had a natural talent, but he focused too hard on restraining himself. He would be perfect if he ever needed to be put into a true combat situation. He threw himself into every situation with too much energy and momentum. If Pipit were hurt, it wouldn't be the first time Link had injured a student. He tried to restrain himself, but that wasn't what he needed. He didn't need restraint, but discipline. He had to be able to recognize when to strike, where, and when to defend. Link was an offensive fighter through and through, one day, Kos was sure Link's skill would match even Eagus'. Master Kos watched Link step expertly, as if he'd been born fighting and he'd learned to walk with a sword in hand.

But Pipit was the exact opposite. He wasn't aggressive enough, but he was determined and skilled. He knew when and where to strike, but just as importantly, how to block and parry. His defense was excellent. Master Kos almost hated pairing the two up for a fight because he knew how long they lasted against the other. Link would tire, or Pipit would be defeated by a flurry of incessant attacks. But rarely did they lose their swords, a class rule that the fight needed to end for safety.

Eagus had begun to shadow Master Kos. Though Eagus was on patrols in the Sky constantly, he found himself most at home in the training room, and that's where he and his sister spent most of their time when they were on Skyloft. Though he had many opinions, he never voiced them unless Kos asked, not wanting to usurp the power from the swords master.

The two student swordsmen watched on as Link and Pipit sparred. They'd sectioned off the room after some time so the others could also use the space and get their training in. Karane sparred with Cawlin on the other side of the room. Kos flicked his attention toward them. Karane was a good fighter, but she was exactly where she was meant to be at her age. She wasn't advanced, nor was she behind. The only problem with that was that the rest of her class was behind her. Groose, Cawlin, Stritch, and Fledge all were sub-par fighters. Except for Fledge, who often yielded his fights, they were all talk but never had the experience to back it up. Groose was too focused on impressing those watching him, while Cawlin and Stritch could barely hold a sword without bumbling around. It left Karane without a suitable partner to practice with. If he pulled someone from the other class, where Pipit was, they'd be too advanced. But if he took the new students who'd just joined, she'd be far too superior.

Kos looked beyond the fighters and saw Zelda hovering in the doorway. It was often that she'd stop by. He could see just from her demeanor that this wasn't her kind of life. She'd carry books and notepads inside at times to watch and work at the same time. But even if he didn't like her being in the room as a spectator, she was the new Headmaster's daughter. What would he say?

Kos had liked the old Headmaster, but his declining health left a majority of the workload on Gaepora. It wasn't a shock when he'd been chosen to succeed his predecessor. He only hoped that Gaepora listened to his advice more closely than the past Headmasters had. Patrols needed to be changed. It wouldn't be long until the Leviathan migration and several other events that required careful planning. Routes needed to be altered. He needed to be heard.

That was something Kos was good at.

"Your footwork, Pipit! You aren't moving fast enough! Link! You're not fighting for your life, so there's no need to act like it! Pipit is your friend; try not to kill him." He turned his attention to the other group. "Karane! Bend your knees! That's no fighting posture! And Cawlin! Put that sword up! You're not here to cower in fear!"

Eagus chuckled, but Kos gave him a sour look.

He turned back to his students. "Do you consider yourselves to be future Knights of Skyloft? I don't see anyone worthy of the title here. You're never going to become Knights if you can't get the basics! It's fundamentals, class. You have to know the building blocks before you can actually build anything. It's about practice! And with that, class is dismissed. Put the weapons away and come back here tomorrow remembering that you are only in your first few years of combat training and you do not know everything, so do not pretend to!"

Link patted Pipit on the shoulder, a job well done. Both fought well, and they knew it.

Pipit felt a surge of jealousy. He knew Link was gifted in this area, and he had the drive and determination to make him a fantastic knight, but Pipit wanted to be better than Link. He should be better than Link. He'd been doing this longer, he was older, there was no reason that he shouldn't be able to take Link down quickly. And it bothered Pipit, though he wished it didn't.

As for Link, nothing bothered him. He was exactly where he wanted to be. If he could have stayed in Master Kos' class all day, he'd have been elated. He was extra excited when it was a day that Eagus visited.

Link still trained with Eagus, but it wasn't nearly as often as Link would have liked. He wished Eagus wasn't assigned to the outer Sky, but to a more local post. But truly, Link would never actually wish that on Eagus. The outer Sky was an honor. It was something Link should hope to one day be assigned. But, of course, that would require flying, and that's not something Link ever planned on doing.

"You all did great," Zelda said, hustling over to Link, Pipit, and Karane. Fledge was beside her, but the three fighters were out of breath and unable to respond.

"Link?" Eagus said, running to catch up quickly with the group.

Link stopped and turned, waiting for Eagus to speak, but it was clear that he was waiting for the others to step outside. When they finally did, Eagus' face turned serious.

"Listen, Link, you have a real talent. I'd hate to see you waste it. You're all going to be getting Loftwing riding lessons soon, and I really think you should try it. I know, before you tell me about your mom... I know… but this is a chance to be great. You can redeem her memory by becoming someone that Skyloft needs. Explore the outer Sky with me. Get on a Loftwing."

There was a hard silence between them for a long moment before Link finally cleared his throat and gestured to the door. "I have to go to my next class."

Eagus was one of the people Link had been speaking with regularly, so he and Master Kos weren't surprised to hear him strike up a conversation with them. There were a few others who were still amazed to hear the "silent child" speak. And Eagus watched Link slowly return to back into that boy as he walked out the door and away from the Loftwing conversation once again.

"He's in for it," Eagus said, turning to Master Kos with a disappointed, yet wry grin.

Link jogged up beside his friends as they headed outside and towards the main square of Skyloft for their next lesson. It had been deemed "a surprise," but it wasn't hard to guess that it would have to do with Loftwings. They never went out of the Academy for a lesson. It was karmic punishment, Link realized, for not answering Eagus.

And sure enough, there was Instructor Owlan standing beside one of the massive birds. It was a greyish color and looked almost bored, as if it had done this lesson a thousand times and was now sick of appearing before a large crowd.

Owlan cleared his throat as the first and second years gathered around.

"Settle down, everyone. Now, as you are all aware, Loftwings are our main form of transportation across the sky. Though there are some less reliable methods, such as our dear Beedle's floating shop, this is the only true way to traverse the Sky. Second years, you're about to begin an incredible friendship and bond with a Loftwing. It will choose you, and you, in turn, will also choose your Loftwing. You are a mutual pair. Remember that. You are not keeping a pet; this is no Remlit.

"First years, you are about to learn the basic knowledge and understandings that you will need to move forward in the future. You will begin with the theory of flying this year, and you will learn all you can by watching and experiencing at a safe and supervised location. Second years, you will finally learn to fly solo before your test at the end of the year that will allow you the freedom to ride your Loftwing at will."

Link was listening, but that was a mere courtesy to Owlan. There was no way he was getting on one of those things. But he could see Zelda in front of him grab on to Karane in excitement, bouncing, even. It made him smile, despite himself. He'd always liked seeing Zelda happy, but he had the feeling that something was different about him. Pipit didn't smile whenever Zelda did, and neither did Fledge. And if they did, it was because she'd been talking to them, not because they thought she had a contagious sort of happiness.

Link felt Pipit elbow him, and he looked up. "What?"

"You should try just sitting on it, or something. I want to be the best Knight, but it means I have to beat you at everything."

Link scoffed. "Try beating me in a fight first."

"Cocky. You're still a year behind me. I go easy on you."

With a smirk, Link just nodded his head.

The two looked up and tried to listen to where Owlan was in his explanation.

"... though the most common color is a dark grey. We believe this is because…"

Link glanced to his other side where Fledge was.

Fledge looked back at him with a hesitant smile. "I won't try to get you to fly if you don't try to make me."

With a nod, Link chuckled softly. "I like that deal."

But Link's attention was quickly diverted to a blob of pink and yellow appearing in front of him so fast that he barely had time to process that it was Zelda.

"Are you going to talk this whole time? I never thought I'd wish for the days when you were quiet." She wasn't serious, but she also wasn't afraid to call him out. She wanted to do this one day, to lecture, and he thought that she was getting in some good practice now.

In recent months, Link had found that his level of confidence in himself had gone up. Perhaps it was all the fights he was winning in class, or even his save with the Loftwing last year. Normally, he'd duck his head and quiet down, letting Zelda win easily, but today he was feeling different about everything.

"You know, Princess, you're doing a lot more talking just by yelling at me."

Zelda made a face. "What did you just call me? 'Princess?' Is that even a word?"

"It is," he said, defending himself quickly, though realization dawned on him that he'd never heard that word before in his life. What did it even mean? What was… princess?

Zelda scowled. "Use it in a sentence."

"I just did," he countered.

"Link, Zelda, am I boring you?" Owlan said drably. He was used to the unruly chatter of other students, but those two were the last on his list to make a ruckus during his lesson.

Zelda spun around quickly. "No, Instructor."

"Good," he said, eyeing Link with a cautionary look, "As I was saying, you can see that there are several large spaces between the feathers here where…"

"Hey, Stritch, weird that the boy with no tongue is talking to everyone, huh?"

Link rolled his eyes at the sound of Groose's voice. He was thankful that Zelda had returned her attention wholey on the lecture, or she surely would have gotten involved.

"Yeah, Boss. Didn't think he could talk to anyone other than his girlfriend."

Groose didn't like that and turned to Stritch with a finger raised in warning. "Hey, she is not his girlfriend. But I did expect her to be a little smarter than being friends with such a loser, especially when old Groose is right here."

"Yuk yuk," Cawlin chuckled. "Yeah! She should have chosen you over that loser."

This time, Groose spun on him. "She hasn't chosen anybody!"

With a long sigh, Owlan stopped his lecture again. "Groose, Cawlin, Stritch, please quiet yourselves."

Fledge leaned closer to Link. "Don't even listen to them. You know they're just bullies. They're going to talk about all of us."

Link gritted his teeth, looking away from Groose with great effort. "For years I haven't said anything. I've been listening and ignoring people for too long. It's time I start responding."

Fledge grabbed Link's arm, stopping him from moving. "Don't. Not here. Beat him in the Sparring Hall. Don't fight him."

Link scoffed. "Then he better not say another word about me or you guys."

"It seems that the lecture portion of today's lesson is boring for most of you, though I'd have thought a Loftwing would have piqued your interest," Owlan said, this time glaring at Fledge. "Only one of you has ever ridden a Loftwing solo, and even then, he didn't have the necessary training to truly control the bird." Link felt himself redden as all eyes turned to him. His escapade almost a year ago was well-known. Owlan continued, "Flying is not as simple as it looks. Next year, you will begin your assisted flying lessons, but this year, you must learn the theory behind them. There are rules: if you fly together on one bird or with many, if you fly higher or closer to the clouds, the side you pass rocks on, how to maneuver around others. These are the things we will be learning before you attain your own Loftwings, but especially before we allow you to ride alone on one. So please, try to listen to the lecture or you'll never find yourself on one."

"Fine by me," Link muttered to no one in particular.

But it was that comment that pushed Owlan over the edge.

"Link. Come up to the front."

Link's eyes widened and he could hear Groose snickering at him. His stomach turned, but he forced his feet to move. With all eyes on him, he had to at least pretend that this wasn't a nightmare he'd had before.

Link stood as far from the Loftwing as the space allowed.

Owlan looked at the boy, realizing how small he still was, despite his deceptive appearance, and how he shrank back into himself, making himself even smaller. This boy, the one who had made so much progress since he'd known him, was regressing before his eyes.

Though he'd intended to be harsh and make a point about talking in class, he realized that he should be celebrating Link talking in class, if nothing else. But now, he'd brought the boy to the front. Sending him back would cause just as much, if not more, damage than making his point.

"Link," Owlan said, deciding that, as a teacher, he couldn't allow the constant talking over his lecture. "When you rode the Loftwing in the past, how did you get up? Could you demonstrate."

Link's eyes went to the ground, and his mouth stayed closed. He could hear Groose, Cawlin, and Stritch laughing. There was no way to drown them out. The only way out of this was to get it over with.

"I didn't get up on my own," he muttered, so low that Owlan struggled to hear.

"That's fine. You aren't expected to know how yet. That's what these lessons are meant to teach. You must all listen so next year, you won't be left in a panic when you try it out yourselves. Link, you may return."

Before Link could take another step and be watched the entire walk back, Owlan brought himself closer to the bird and hoisted himself onto its back with grace and fluidity that could only have been helped by his flowing robes. It was done easily, quickly, and it got the attention of the class.

"This is something you will be able to do in just a few months. And after that, you will be able to call a Loftwing from the sky. And a few more months after that, you will be eligible to have your own Loftwing. You have to start on the ground before making it into the sky."

Link's spirit had been markedly dragged down, but Owlan's words reminded him of Master Kos'. There were building blocks to everything. And he knew that to be a Knight, he would have to know how to fly, even if it was only in theory. So, crossing his arms, he shrank back and listened, ignoring any whispers that were aimed his way.

Later that day, Link could feel the brush of the wind through his hair as he laid in the grass, staring out into the clouds of the Sky. It was calming to watch them roll by. He'd gotten into the habit of trying to imagine himself soaring across the blue backdrop on the back of a Loftwing, but the thought often left him shaken. Still, he tried to picture it, hoping that one day, it would lose its power over him. But today was not that day. Today, he could still see himself falling off, plummeting towards the clouds below.

A body thumped down beside him, and he could feel the tickle of hair brush against his arm. He didn't need to look to know it was Zelda. There was just something about her… something that emanated off of her, letting him know she was there. Not literally, of course, but it often felt that way.

They were silent for a long time, not needing words to just bask in the presence of the other. It was calming, an effect that they often had on each other.

After some time, he could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't dare turn his head.

It was a mistake to ignore her.

He felt all of the air rush out of him as something hard crushed his stomach. It was impossible to ignore her now as she rested her arms on his stomach, as if she were casually lounging against a table with her head in her hands. Her elbows were digging into him, and he gasped out a deep breath.

"Zelda, get off!" he tried.

"No, not until you perk up. I don't like seeing you like this. It wasn't that bad, I swear. I'd tell you if people were talking, and then we'd go beat them up together."

It was hard for him to laugh when he was being crushed by half her weight. There was no way to take in enough air to laugh out and his voice was strained.

"Sure, Princess, go beat Groose up."

Zelda took some of her weight off of him, seeing his real struggle, but she refused to give him enough space to get away. Instead, she spread her weight out by throwing more of herself onto his chest rather than his abdomen.

He grunted as she did, but he did little more than roll his eyes. He'd gotten used to Zelda's quirks by this point, and using herself as a human paperweight was unsurprising. In fact, he felt oddly reassured that she'd go through the trouble of trying to cheer him up. Not like it was the first time he's had to deal with Groose in class. But then again, she was always there for him.

She rested her hand against her cheek, causing Link to twitch as her elbow pressed down more firmly against him. "You used that weird word again. Are you just going to call me 'Princess' from now on? What even is it? And please, don't make me look it up, because I will."

"You're giving me a bruise," he groaned, pushing her elbow.

"Whoops, sorry," she said, moving again.

"I don't know what it means. I made it up. I thought it was a word, like I've heard it before but I don't know what it means, but I don't know."

"It sounds nice for a potentially made up word. Not like... hrmmm... like "Hilmfigre". That just sounds stupid. I'm going to look up 'Princess' later, see if maybe it actually is real."

He let out a deep breath. "Not right now? You're killing me."

She scoffed. "You're being a wimp, Link. I'm not crushing you."

He laughed, finally feeling the memories of class fade away. "You know, you're not keeping me down either, right? I could push you off, but I'm being nice, unlike some people."

Zelda made a noise of dismissal and took it as a challenge. She moved to pin his shoulders down with as much force as she could.

He groaned again, but it was laced with a laugh. "Okay, fine!"

Using his newly developed strength, he was able to lift his shoulder under her weight and it gave him enough leeway to move his hand. He wrapped it around her and used the momentum to spin them so Zelda was against the grass, and he was hovering over her. Her look of surprise had him laughing hard. She truly had thought she was keeping him down.

But as she joined in his laughter, he could suddenly imagine himself leaning down and kissing her again. It wasn't the first time he'd pictured it. Usually, it was when she was as close as she is now and he could see himself just moving forward by an inch. He wanted to.

This is your best friend, he thought to himself. Stop thinking about her any other way. The kiss was practice so she could feel better in the play. It didn't mean anything, so get it out of your head!

Which is why he rolled himself off to the side and sat up.

She turned to him with a judgmental look. Her hair was sticking out, and Link was almost sure he could see a leaf stuck in it. Zelda narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "You have an unfair advantage, you know."

He watched her stand, brushing herself off. "You had your chance to join up with us. It's not my fault you have no muscle on you."

"Unlike you, who is so unfairly..." she trailed off, looking him over once before making a wild, almost confused gesture with her hands. "Well, I might reconsider joining the Knights after that sad demonstration of mine," she joked.

Link stood, pulling down his bunched up tunic, and followed behind her as they headed up the Academy steps.

"Don't worry, I'd still want you in my corner in a fight. You're scary when you want to be."

She turned and grinned broadly at him, like it was the best compliment anyone could have given her. "Thank you! I try."

"Zelda," Link called before she reached the door. She turned expectantly, though he hesitated before speaking. "Thank you."

Her mouth twitched up in a small smile that lit up her eyes before heading through the door.

Goddess, he thought as she walked out of his sight, She really is going to kill me.

A/N: You might think that being home all the time would give you some writing inspiration, but I hit such a writers block with this one! I didn't even think I was going to be able to get it to my usual word count! I did, but I was really lacking content for a few days. I might be able to do a double post next week because I almost finished the next chapter and it's a little different anyway, so we'll see if I can finish it.

Reviews: PennyForYourThoughts024: Thank you very much! RandomFF. netUser: Haha that's good to hear! Sometimes I'm the only one who thinks I'm funny, so it's great to know I'm not alone with my own writing! GreenEggandHam: Thank you and thank you for reading! Queen Emily the Diligent: I love it. That's actually a really cute story! I was a nervous wreck (and have no idea how I managed years of theater), so I was really thankful I never had to kiss some stranger on stage hahaha! Green Swordsman: Link is like a little turtle who just needs a carrot in front of him to come out of his shell! I think that's what turtles eat. I've never had one. Maybe a bad analogy then? Hahaha! But thank you! Draegor: Hahaha you're setting a high bar *sweats profusely*! But thank you! That was one thing I really hoped worked in this chapter, so I'm glad to hear it did. Cosmo14: Thank you! I can safely say that both the visions and her waking him up will happen in upcoming chapters. I think that's iconic Zelda. But yeah, I liked the idea that his are more outwardly obvious because the fic mostly follows him instead of Zelda, but also because he's the more shy one, so it was a nice contrast to the outgoing one being the more obvious. I fall into that "absent parent" trap really easily, so I actually did have a note about Gaepora having something to say at some point, though it might not happen the way you'd expect!