Chapter 10 (Age 16)

During the Risen Sun, Skyloft was unnaturally hot.

It was the season that most of the citizens of Skyloft looked most forward to, while the others dreaded it and hid indoors most of the time. It had to do with Skyloft's position in the Sky, something that happened every year, but the length of the season changed annually. Last year, Risen Sun only lasted a few days, but a few years ago, it had lasted nearly two months.

If the day was hot enough, the instructors at the Academy would sometimes cancel class.

That's how half of Skyloft ended up crowding Link and Zelda's favorite spot by the water, desperate to cool off.

On days when this happened, many of the adults would cede the water to the students who were so desperate to get out of the stifling building that they were usually confined to during the heatwave.

Several of the girls from the Academy claimed most of the water's edge, laying around while letting the water lap around their legs, or submerging themselves completely.

Zelda was among those who were throwing each other into the water. She and Karane were diving under to soak their hair every time it dried even slightly in the heat.

Beside Karane stood a tall redhead, an older Knight on the verge of graduating, named Saffron. Saffron was the one to watch in this year's class, and she'd already been told her assignment next year: she'd patrol the Sky to make sure no citizens fell over the edge or didn't call their bird after jumping. It was considered grunt work to many, the task of a Knight who only did 'okay' in their years. But Karane knew that Saffron had requested the position. Her history was similar to Link's.

Saffron's brother had been patrolling the Sky when he'd just fallen without reason. There were no Knights around, and he'd nearly reached the cloudline when a knight finally appeared, her Loftwing's talon digging into him in the process. It had injured him so severely that he couldn't safely fly as a Knight, so his position became one of patrolling Skyloft.

Karane had been working to befriend Saffron in the hopes that she might talk to Link, to offer him a way to channel his fear into something productive. Saffron was going to make sure that no one ever felt alone in the Sky. Link could do that, too.

Zelda was beside a pretty classmate, Robyn. She didn't strike Zelda as someone destined for Knighthood. She was delicate and sweet and lacked that tougher outer shell that most of the Knights had. But she was kind, one of the genuinely kindest people Zelda had ever met. When others gossiped, she would chastise them, when someone needed notes, she was quick to slide over her notebook. And she was friends with Link.

Link and Robyn sat near each other in a few classes. She wasn't someone they hung out with outside of class, but she was someone that Link was comfortable having full-blown conversations with. It was shocking to Zelda, to say the least, when she'd first noticed it.

It didn't bother her, of course. Zelda was beyond excited for him to be making new friends, even if it meant he'd have to spend less time with her, Pipit, Karane, and Fledge. Though Zelda figured that if she or Karane could befriend her, perhaps they wouldn't have to divide their time with Link.

Then again, Robyn's best friend was Peatrice, and Zelda wasn't the biggest fan of hers. It was unfair, but Zelda was against the poor girl simply out of loyalty to Karane.

Pipit had developed a bit of a crush on Peatrice that turned quickly into a one-sided romance. And Karane hated it. For the same reason Zelda wasn't a fan of Robyn, of course. They didn't want to have to split time between friends.

"Oh, look," another student, Wynda said, drawing everyone's attention. She hasn't meant to, only meaning for her friend to look. She didn't particularly care who was looking or listening though. "I love Risen Sun."

Zelda watched as some of the older classmates, Hawke, Glen, and Pidge, walked by, laughing at some joke between them. And even she had to admit that, despite the obvious red in her cheeks, she didn't hate that everyone ended up in their swim clothes. Inside the Academy, she constantly felt her father's looming gaze that prevented her from being a normal teenage girl, but he gratefully stayed indoors to allow the students some freedom. It was a relief to be allowed to look at someone for more than three seconds without worrying that her father might catch her staring.

But she found it a bit odd when she saw more people following them outside, some of the younger classmates… like Link and Pipit. Groose, Cawlin, Stritch, and about four others all headed to the far side of Skyloft, toward the floating waterfall.

Link caught Zelda's eye and she beckoned him over. He hurried over and bent down, ignoring the giggles from some of the girls off to his side.

"What's going on?" Zelda asked, keeping her eyes locked directly on his.

Link lowered his voice, as if the older classmates could hear him. "Honestly, I think they're testing us. They just told us that if any of us plans to be a Knight to follow."

"Why aren't any of the girls there then?"

Link shrugged. "If you tell anyone, just make sure to give me a head start so they don't know I'm the one who ratted on the plan. But honestly…" he looked around at all the girls who were staring at him before standing. "You're all probably having more fun than we will."

He backed away and could hear everyone jump on Zelda for information as he headed back to the group, slipping next to Pipit with ease.

"Did you tell Zelda and Karane?"

Link scoffed. "And everyone else, apparently."

"Seen Fledge anywhere?"

Shaking his head, Link looked around, but was distracted by some of the older students suddenly jumping off the side of Skyloft, rising up moments later on the backs of their Loftwings. Two of them flew up to the top of the waterfall and hopped off the Loftwings.

Hawke stood at the edge, kneeling down and yelling so everyone could hear him. "Alright, so you think you're ready to be Knights? Do you think you have what it takes? I see a bunch of boys, not Knights. I wouldn't want to put my life in your hands. Prove me wrong!"

The other one, Pidge, was doing something behind him, something that required him to bend out of sight.

Groose took a few steps and leaned in to Link. "You might as well quit now. You still look like a punching bag."

Link's eyes flickered to Pipit, who gave him a cautionary head shake.

Crossing his arms, Link shook his head, determined to ignore the annoyance and try to focus on whatever Hawke was saying. But it was no use.

"Hey!" Groose said, elbowing Link so hard that Link nearly stumbled into the water.

Biting his lip, Link leaned in towards Groose. "You know Zelda is behind us watching every stupid move you make."

That had Groose turn wildly to see if it was true, if she really was watching. And he couldn't help but make a delighted noise when he saw her eyes boring into his, though not for the reasons he imagined.

"You know that one day we're getting married," Groose said proudly. "I don't care what you think you two have, she doesn't know how special I think she is yet. And when she figures out that I'm ten times the man you are, she'll leave you in a heartbeat."

Link couldn't help the small smirk that appeared on his face. Goddess, Groose was delusional. "So, you consider me your competition? Is that what you're telling me?"

"No! There's no competition when it comes to me."

"Okay," Link said, snorting.

"Hey!" Hawke called. Link and Groose turned their attention toward him, but Hawke was glaring at them. "Fine, you two can be the first challengers."

"The first what?" Link whispered to Pipit. He'd missed everything thanks to Groose.

Pipit rolled his eyes. "You have to climb that rope to get to where they are."

"That's all?"

Pipit nodded his head into the water. "There's the rope."

There were two ropes soaking through every fiber as it lay in the water. Hawke was letting it soak up before he pulled the rest towards him so he could tie it on something on the floating island.

"Move over, Birdless-Wonder," Groose said, shoving Link aside with a hard shove.

Link could feel it happen before he felt the water swallow him. He stayed under a moment just to control his temper before surfacing, swimming over to the ropes. Groose was already reaching for one, which was just close enough that he could reach it from the safety of land. But the rope was slippery and he slid down so that the lower half of his body was already in the water. Link reached his own rope just as Groose slid down further.

Taking it in his soaked hand, Link struggled to get a grip, but he didn't even need to.

There was a loud plop, and Groose was in the water.

Despite himself, Link chuckled, and no sooner did he that Groose let out an annoyed growl and grabbed Link by the shirt and pushed him under the water, holding him there with his other hand on the rope.

Link struggled for a moment before calming himself down and easily sliding down further, slipping out of the shirt and out of Groose's grip. He popped up with a cocky grin on his face a moment later and grabbed back onto his rope.

Groose roared and hastily tried to scoot up the rope, just as quick to slide back down.

Link whipped the hair from his eyes before trying again, sliding again before wrapping the rope around his hand to pull himself skyward.

Groose balked and grabbed onto Link's rope, shaking it violently. Link lost his grip and felt himself fall, no amount of grip on the rope able to help on the water-logged surface.

With a hard thud, Link landed on Groose, who immediately threw him off and back into the water. Link grasped at his still sore side and let Groose get a head start so the boy's hands wouldn't be nearly as free to harass him.

Groose had seen how Link maneuvered his way up the rope and emulated it, though he went much slower. When Link figured Groose was high enough, he grabbed his rope again and began to climb with a determined speed.

Balking, Groose scowled as Link passed him and began to gather momentum, swinging his rope until he could reach Links. Groose held tight, and grabbed Link's again, hoping to pull the same maneuver twice.

But Link was ready and used the opportunity to grab Groose's own rope. He swung his body over and switched ropes, knowing that Groose wouldn't mess with his own.

Unable to climb without the necessary slack, Link stared down at Groose, grinning. He knew what was about to happen, and he wanted to watch.

When Groose had grabbed Link's rope, he'd known that he'd slide down. But with Link's momentum, Groose knew that the second he let go of the other rope, the swinging force would be too much combined with the water. And all Link had to do was wait.

It didn't take long for Groose's patience to run out, and he tried to let go, though his hand slipped down and he felt himself plumet.

Taking advantage of the rope's brief freedom, Link inched his way back up and pulled himself up onto the floating island.

He could hear a few cheers from the small group below him and felt a clap on his back from Hawke.

"You're one to watch. I always thought you'd be the weird one since you never used to talk."

"Thanks?" Link said suspiciously. He wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

Link bent over, out of breath and panting from the effort and, admittedly, the pain. He hadn't realized the ropeburns on his hands from his fall, but now they were stinging, and his bruises were aching as well.

He looked over the edge and spotted Zelda among the was too far away to notice any details other than her cheering form. He also didn't fail to see Headmaster Gaepora and Master Kos watching with crossed arms. Fighting again. There goes another few weeks without the sparring hall.

But the other thing he didn't miss was that the group Zelda had been with was far smaller than it had been before. There weren't nearly as many girls around. He couldn't even spot Karane's familiar red hair.

He glanced back at Hawke and Pidge. "Am I good up here?"

Hawke nodded. "Sure, we…"

But Pidge stopped Hawke. "Hey, Groose is still trying to climb."

"I'm not dealing with him again," Link said, more amused than anything.

"No, you can go. We'll get him to leave."

Link shrugged and took a look over the edge, judging exactly where he was before taking a few steps back. No way was he waiting up here for a Loftwing ride down. Instead, he made a running jump off of the floating island, flipping himself backwards as he did, and landed in the water, sinking to the bottom.

When he surfaced, he pushed the hair from his face again and started to swim towards everyone else, feeling his heart racing. He'd never jumped from that high, and he hadn't expected the rush that came with the sensation of falling. But he knew that the water would be there to catch him, unlike the unpredictability of relying on a Loftwing. And he had to admit, he wanted to do it again.

He felt someone grab his arm and he turned to see Zelda and a few others wading out towards him.

"That was incredible!" she said, quickly pulling her hand off his arm. He looked at her reddening face and felt his own mimic hers, having forgotten that he'd ditched his shirt in the water. It wasn't as if they hadn't all swam with half the population of Skyloft in the past. But more than that, he found that he had to put a genuine effort in keeping his eyes locked on Zelda's. So he was grateful when a softer voice demanded his attention.

But when he looked, he realized that it wasn't nearly as helpful as he'd thought. It had to be from the adrenaline rush, he reasoned.

Robyn was smiling at him with a small but genuine smile that reached her eyes and made them sparkle. "She's right. That was incredible. I didn't know you could do that. I mean… I've seen you train but…" she shook her head, realizing she just needed to stop talking.

"Oh!" Zelda cried, shaking Link and pointing back to where the floating island was. "Look up."

Link followed her gaze, not seeing anything at first. But then, it was hard to miss.

Several Loftwings appeared seemingly out of nowhere and stopped just feet from the floating island. They positioned themselves perfectly to let the birds flap their wings, sending bursts of wind straight at them. Hawke and Pidge went straight over the edge, right into the water. Groose lost any semblance of a grip that he might have still had and also couldn't hang on to the rope. And another Loftwing blew the group of boys down, some landing in the water.

Zelda and Robyn were dying of laughter, while Link was looking everywhere, trying to make sense of what was happening. And it was only when he saw Saffron on the leading Loftwing that it made sense. He couldn't help but laugh along, watching Pipit scramble to stand along with everyone else.

Saffron moved her Loftwing so it perched on the floating island and she looked down triumphantly, not needing to say a word for her superior message to reach everyone. And that would be the last time that Hawke or the others tried to have a playdate with just the boys.

"Is that...?" Link asked, laughing again.

Zelda followed his gaze and joined in. "Yeah! Karane hopped on! No rules against riding with an older student!"

"Look at Pip. I think he's going to die over there."

"Why?" Zelda joked. "Can he see Karane?"

"Zelda, Link," Robyn interrupted sheepishly. "Headmaster Gaepora is trying to get your attention. I'm not sure which of you he wants."

"Me," Link groaned and headed to receive his next punishment.

After the sun had long since set, Link sat at one of the long classroom tables with Zelda, Fledge, Pipit, and Karane. They all had their books strewn across the table, overlapping as they skimmed the pages, jotting notes, and eating some of Henya's leftovers from earlier in the day. As much as they'd enjoyed the break that day, there was a written test tomorrow, and it had nearly slipped half the Academy's mind. Most of the students were sitting around, desperately trying to cram before morning.

Link tapped his quill incessantly against the page of his book, still feeling the rush from earlier. His hair hadn't completely dried after spending several more hours in the water, and there were still some damp spots that he would push away from his dangling head.

He looked up every so often at someone who kept moving, drawing his focus off his book. It took effort to keep his eyes on the page, but he'd found himself reading the same words over and over again.

"Hey," Zelda asked, noticing how far behind he was. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, his eyes darting up again. Then he turned to Zelda. "Yeah. I'm just tired, I think. And I don't want to take the test tomorrow."

"Did you want me to wake you? I don't want you to oversleep and miss your punishment and the quiz."

"You had to go and remind me," he scowled.

Though he wasn't banned from Master Kos' class again, Gaepora had put him on the morning shift to patrol Skyloft before classes. It was a job meant for the older students, but it was often complained about. No one was ever awake, and those who were would ask for assistance with tasks like dragging their trash to the edge. It was a short shift, a training shift, and he should have felt lucky to be given this task in advance of his years, but he knew it was no compliment.

His eyes went back to the movement before flickering away, hoping to avoid detection from Zelda's ever-alert gaze. Of course, she caught him.

"Who do you keep looking at?"

This time, the others' heads all went up, listening for his answer. But Link shook his head and returned his eyes to the book.

Zelda followed where he'd been looking. It was a table filled with students, many of whom had been at the Risen Sun event earlier. With a shake of her head, Zelda returned to her notes.

Link finally turned the page and ran a hand along his face, dragging at the skin so it contorted his expression. His gaze dropped from the ceiling and then back to the table in front of him.

Robyn was covering her mouth, trying not to giggle, but Link caught her staring at him, and he realized just how stupid he must have looked. He didn't want her to notice him… but she kept looking up, and each time, it made him glance back at her.

Link rolled his eyes and grinned at her before shaking his head. There was no way he could erase that moment. He was so used to blending in with the walls, where no one paid him a second glance. But now… someone did.

Zelda looked up again and caught his grin just as he lowered his head back to the book. She glanced over to the other table and saw Robyn with an equally lit-up expression.

She felt something gnaw at her and she bit her lip, looking once more at Link before realizing that the words she'd read no longer held meaning. Instead, the wall felt much more interesting, and staring at it was all she could do. But then, from the corner of her eye, she saw Link's head look up once again.

After a few more moments, she closed her book and began to pack her things. "I'm tired. I think I'm just going to head up. Good job with Groose today, Link. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Karane watched suspiciously but returned to her studies.

And though Link watched Zelda leave the room, his eyes ended up on someone else.

A/N: I learned a new word. After spending forever searching for "a running forward backflip" to see a video, I realized that it's called a gainer and that has WAY more search results. But I never really figured out how to use it in a sentence. Do you gainer? Do you do a gainer? But anyone who didn't know there was a word for it now knows! And anyone who does know, can you use it in a sentence for me hahah?

Also, sorry! Link can like more than one person at a time, especially when he keeps trying to convince himself that Zelda is only his friend. But if you squint you can see that this was actually a Zelink chapter, so I don't feel too bad.

Reviews: HoratiotheHorse: First off, what a good name! Second off, you have definitely spotted some SS fluff! Join us. We have cookies (and Zelink). KVeronicaP: Yeahhh ending the chapter with a bit of angst is my thing hahaha! Cosmo14: I have a little bit of the next few chapters done so I'm thinking twice a week for now might work. Not like I have anywhere else to be, unfortunately! It had to be Zelda; I WISH Link could pick locks! Then no one would reach that moment when they realize that they're near the end of a level and missed a key (I'm looking at you OOT Forest Temple!) But I'm glad you liked the title changes! While I don't like coming up with a name, I'd rather not have that wretched number issue! Draegor: After you said that, I realized that, because I write out of order, I didn't include a good explanation of their ages in a posted chapter. The age in the title is Links. Zelda and Fledge are slightly younger than Link because I figured they don't participate in the game's Wing Ceremony. Pipit and Karane are older because in-game they already have uniforms but seemed close to Link. And Link is the same age as Cawlin, Stritch, and Groose. I'll make sure I move that info into the next chapter for clarity! Thanks for pointing that out!