Chapter 11 (Age 16)

Link lounged in the hallway with his hands in his pockets. Pipit ran his hands through his hair several times, fixing it again and again with anxious jitters. The two boys couldn't have outwardly acted more different, but inside, both felt the same.

There was no use, Link thought to himself, no use giving a relationship a go with Zelda. He couldn't risk their friendship. She was his best friend, and if he lost her… he'd never pick himself up again.

He'd come to the shocking realization months ago. While he'd known that he and Zelda were more than friends, he never really figured out what it was. Then, when he'd been bedridden with his broken ribs, he'd realized that Zelda was the best part of his day. It wasn't Pipit or Fledge. Not Karane. They were his friends and he loved seeing them, but there was one person he loved more.

Then, Link had to confess this realization to Pipit and Fledge. He needed to tell someone to get everything off his chest. He told him everything, from their secret kiss, to the little moments that made him smile. Neither of them were surprised in the slightest. But what had surprised them was when he'd admitted that Zelda wasn't the only one he liked.

And it came as only a slight shock when Pipit admitted that he too was harboring secret feelings… for Karane. Pipit was facing the exact same dilemma as he was. He didn't want to tell Karane how he felt for fear of losing her. But then again, he also liked someone else.

Together, they considered their revelations about their best female friends to be too late, and figured that it was time to move on.

Somehow, that conversation turned into the situation that Link and Pipit found themselves in.

"Stop pacing," Link finally said when Pipit's jitters became too much to bear.

"I can't!" Pipit exclaimed a little too loudly. He let out a deep breath of air. "Goddess, I am so nervous."

"Same," Link agreed.

But that answer didn't suit Pipit. "You're nervous? You look like you're just waiting for the door to the Sparring Hall to open!"

Link chuckled. "Keep it up, Pip. She's going to think you just killed someone."

"That doesn't help."

"I didn't say it would."

Finally, the door opened and a young girl stepped out. She had chestnut brown hair that fell in waves down just past her neck, though she kept one piece of hair longer in the back, one that Link had never seen out of a braid. She wore a teal headband that kept the more unruly waves from her face, though her bangs were still in her eyes. Soft green eyes peered up at Link, and a small, kind, nervous smile appeared on her lips.

She looked like she was dressed far better than he was. Her ankle-length ivory colored dress was nearly the same color of her skin, but the dress was almost entirely covered by a second one. It was a teal that matched her headband with designs sewn into it that was meant to match with a similar colored under-dress.

All Link knew about Skyloft girl fashion was what Zelda wore, and to him, this looked similar to something she'd wear, if not the exact dress.

"Robyn," Link greeted with an easy smile. "You look great."

She returned his smile. "Thank you, Link. You do, too."

"You don't have to be polite for me," he said, gesturing to his simple clothes. He didn't have anything fancy enough to impress a girl, but thankfully, he knew Robyn wouldn't mind.

"I want to."

Link glanced at Pipit as Robyn moved to stand beside them. But Pipit's eyes weren't on Robyn, but the other girl who was exiting the room.

Wearing a simple green and orange polka dotted dress, and a white kerchief over her blonde hair, Peatrice stepped out, brushing herself off nervously.

"Hi," she said softly, though her voice had a naturally loud quality to it.

Pipit stepped forward and gave Peatrice a slight bow before realizing what he'd done. He turned towards the quiet snickering, and Link quickly composed himself.

Pipit turned back to Peatrice. "I-I- sorry. That was… you know, I just haven't eaten yet."

Link turned to Robyn to see a hidden smile still on her face, equally amused. He patted Pipit on his back. "We'll see you at the Bazaar in an hour. Try not to embarrass yourself more."

Pipit glared at the loud comment made by his friend before Link headed out with Robyn, leaving Pipit with his other crush, Peatrice.

Robyn spun around, giving Peatrice a winning smile before trying to match Link's long strides with her much shorter ones. When they were a decent distance away, Link slowed down.

"Sorry, I wanted to get away from him. He's a mess."

"Is it mean of me to feel a bit sorry for him. Peatrice doesn't look it, but she can be a handful. I keep telling her that she needs to calm down a bit. I know she really likes him but she might not show it the right way."

Link laughed, thinking again of Pipit's face. "He'll manage. He's been looking forward to… and dreading today. I thought he was going to die outside your room."

"That's terrible," Robyn said with a small giggle. "Poor thing. She'll eat him alive."

"Now that's terrible," Link admitted.

Robyn shrugged. "Peatrice and I have a unique friendship. She and I are very honest with each other. Almost painfully so. But it's worked for the past ten years, so it doesn't seem to need to change."

Link looked around, almost an instinctive reaction whenever he brought up her name. "Zelda and I aren't quite that honest. If something's going to hurt her feelings, I'm not going to tell her unless it's important. I mean… that makes me sound terrible, but one time, I accidently tripped her and she fell into the water but she thought she tripped on a rock. I never told her. Maybe I should. You're making me feel like a bad friend," he said with a smile. There was no malice in his tone, just humor. He was thankful that Robyn recognized it.

"I was actually rather surprised that you came out with me today. I had thought that you and Zelda were… I mean…. I see you two together more often than not."

"She's my best friend," he said quickly, an automatic response. He remained true to his ways and didn't bother to tell Robyn the whole truth, not when it would hurt her.

"Well, Peatrice is mine. When she told me that Pipit had asked her out, I was so happy for her. But then she asked me and Pipit asked you… it was all very unexpected. I'll admit though, I like this. I like talking to you. I always have."

Link hummed in agreement. "You're one of the few."

Robyn was almost a year younger than he was, like Zelda and Fledge, but she shared many of the same basic classes that they'd been in. A full year meant very little in the Academy except that they started new classes, like sparring, at different times. The only other large milestone that was different was graduation. Zelda, Fledge, and Robyn would be graduating together. Link, unfortunately, was in the same graduating class as Groose, Cawlin, and Stritch. And graduating first would be Pipit and Karane.

"That's not true," Robyn chastised. "Plenty of people like you. You just let so few in. I'm honored, in fact, that you were willing to talk to me. I know you were… much more quiet in the past."

Link shrugged. "I've been making an effort. It's much easier with people I see everyday, like classmates, than with the others in town or jerks like Groose."

"I've seen what he does to you. Don't let him."

"He doesn't bother me much except when he's with Zelda. He likes her, and she hates him, so there's usually an extremely uncomfortable conversation that you don't want to get in the middle of."

"She sounds really special to you," Robyn noted, a soft look on her face as she watched him.

"She is. She's my best friend." There it was again. That phrase.

Robyn reached out and took Link's hand in her own. "I just want you to know that if you don't want to be here, I won't hold that against you ever."

But that struck Link. He'd agreed to come on this date with her, and she'd agreed as well. Was she the one getting cold feet? Because he was here, and he was having a good time, despite himself.

"No, I'm good. Are you?"

"I am."

Link rubbed the back of his neck. "I like you, Robyn. That's why I'm here. It's not just convenient for Pip. I'd have said no if I didn't want to come." And it was the truth.

As much as he was realizing that he liked Zelda, he hadn't been expecting to like someone else at the same time. It made him feel that much worse about everything, and more confident that Zelda was nothing more to him than his best friend. Because what other reason would there be for his sudden feelings for Robyn?

She'd always been a friend. Not a good friend, not someone he'd gone out of his way to spend the day with, but someone who's conversations made him smile and who he enjoyed chatting with during class. And she was pretty. As much as he wished it weren't a factor in his agreeing to this date, he had to admit it to himself.

Link's response got a bright smile from her. "I'm glad, Link. I like you, too. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've liked you for some time, but I wasn't sure how you'd feel. I'm not like Peatrice. I'm not usually the outspoken one, but I say what's on my mind when I need to."

They stopped at a bench on the side of a path that had a good view of the Sky and the main square of town. They were slightly angled towards each other, Robyn sitting on her foot so she could turn even more towards him.

Link studied her and reached out and grabbed her braid, letting it fall through his fingers. "You never told me what this was. Do you just like it, or does it mean something?"

But Robyn was frozen, her face reddening at Link's contact. He noticed and blushed. If it had been Zelda, it wouldn't have made her blink. This isn't Zelda.

"Sorry," he said quickly, realizing his mistake.

Robyn shook her head. "No, no it's okay." She let her hand trace the same path Link's had. "Um. My mother does this as well, as did my grandmother. It originated with her. She cut all but a strand of her hair when my grandfather died, and my mother followed suit to honor him. I do it… I don't know if it's to honor him, but I do it as a respect. I respect the commitment my family made to each other, and I honor that."

"That's really nice, actually. I… don't have family traditions, or things like that. I think it's pretty cool that you do that for them."

Robyn hesitated. "Did you ever… before… did you and your mother have any traditions?"

Link smiled, but it was fake, a mask. "I'm sorry, I'd rather not talk about her."

"Oh Goddess, I'm so sorry. I just was curious, I didn't think!" Robyn's hands flew to her face in terror.

But Link grabbed her arm reassuringly. "No, don't worry. I don't even talk to Zelda about her. It's just a thing. It's like my own tradition." He smiled at that thought. His tradition was avoiding his past. Avoid Loftwings. Avoid talking about his mother. Avoid thinking about before.

"Still, I'm sorry."

Link stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on. Maybe we can spot Pip and Peatrice."

Robyn took his hand but didn't let go, instead pulling herself closer to him. Link tried to control his sweaty palms, but he knew that there would be no mastering that skill.

"Is that them?" Robyn asked, peering across the river.

"Are they going to the cemetery?" Link asked with a laugh.

"They can't be."

"No," Robyn said, watching them for a little while longer. "They're just stopping under the arch."

But that wasn't all they did.

Robyn grabbed Link's arm in absolute shock when she saw Pipit kiss Peatrice. Link, in turn, thought he might have died in surprise. After the incessant complaining about his nerves, Link couldn't believe that Pipit had actually done it. And he hadn't even been talking to Peatrice for that long. But he'd gone for it.

Link found himself laughing as he turned away, mostly surprised laughter, but also fairly impressed.

"We have to go," Robyn insisted, leading Link away.

Brushing his hair from his face, Link tried to wipe his smirk off his face. "Um… the Bazaar then?"

"Yes, I suppose they'll meet us there when they're… not quite as occupied."

Link snorted before remembering that Robyn's hand was still in his. He tried to keep his cool, but he was more nervous than he cared to admit. Apparently more nervous that Pipit, even.

They headed into the Bazaar and looked at several of the stalls, joking and laughing together until Pipit and Peatrice finally joined them.

They went to Piper's restaurant and sat down.

"So," Link said with a mocking grin. "You two having fun?"

Pipit eyed Link suspiciously. "Why?"

"What, I can't ask?"

"Are you?" Pipit countered.

Link leaned back and smirked. "We're having a blast."

"You're being weird."

Robyn giggled and elbowed Link in the side, a very subtle sign for him to let up.

Link cleared his throat and nodded. He looked over at Peatrice. She was sitting almost sideways, staring longingly at Pipit. He did a poor job of appearing aloof.

"You know what?" Robyn said, standing up. "I think I forgot my rupees in my room. You two should eat. We'll see you later."

"Wha-" Link started before being pulled to his feet and out the door.

When they were out of earshot, Robyn stopped and pulled Link off to the side of the Bazaar. "They didn't want us there."

Link nodded. "I figured that was what this was about."

"It's crazy that they were both so nervous that they needed us… but it's a good thing they did. I… I liked coming out with you today, Link."

He grinned like a schoolboy, starting blindly into the main square. "You're okay."

He turned to see Robyn giving him a bemused expression.

"It's a joke," he said quickly. Zelda would have gotten that. It made him nervous that Robyn didn't catch his sarcasm. What else might he say accidently? "I had fun."

Robyn moved so quickly that Link found himself off guard. She was on her toes, and her lips were pressed against his. He made a shocked sound before grabbing her waist, almost ready to pull her off. But as his brain caught up to what was happening, the tension in his arms released and he pulled her closer.

She moved her head away for a breath. "I'm sorry. Peatrice must have inspired me."

"Don't be," he said, feeling the heat in his cheeks as he pushed his hair back from his face. "I was just caught off guard."

This time, he leaned back down to kiss her again, and neither felt nearly as shy as they thought they might. Link could feel his racing heart echoing through his ears, but that was the only sense of the outside world that he had. He didn't know how long they'd been together, or how many times, if any, they'd broken apart to breathe. But when he finally pulled away, lips swollen and head spinning, he realized that they'd moved up against the wall of the Bazaar.

Robyn giggled as she took a step away, needing air. "And people say you're shy."

Link snorted, feeling his entire face turn red in an instant. "Goddess… I think maybe we should head back."

Robyn held back another laugh and nodded. "I think you're blushing."

Link shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Let's go."

Jogging to catch up to him, Robyn slid her hand into Link's. "I think it's cute."

They walked back to Robyn's room at the Academy. Before unlocking her door, Robyn spun around and kissed Link again. "I had fun and if you did too… I wouldn't mind doing this again."

"Y-yeah. I'd like that."

"Great," she said before biting her lip and giving him a nervous wave. She slid into her room and he could hear the lock click behind her.

Link let out a long sigh and ran his hands over his eyes a few times. Goddess, what a day.

He headed back down the stairs to his room and flung open the door, but Pipit hadn't come back yet. He peered through the crack to see if Fledge was in his room, but he wasn't. Instead, he took a few steadying breaths and went back up the stairs, knocking quickly on Zelda's door.

It took her longer than usual to answer, so he knocked again. "Zelda, you there? It's Link."

He could hear her footsteps stop just in front of the door for a solid few seconds before she unlocked it and pulled it open. She was standing behind it, and Link waltzed in and threw himself down on her bed.

"What a crazy day," he muttered, relieved that he had someone to talk to.

Zelda cleared her throat and slowly closed the door. In fact, there was a slowness to all of her movements. "It went well?"

"Better than that. Well, first, we saw Pipit and Peatrice kiss near the cemetery. It was such a weird thing to see. Who makes out with someone near the cemetery?" he added with a laugh.

He couldn't hear her mumbled response over his giddy laughter, but he tried to make out the words he heard. "Yeah, it is bizarre. But I really didn't think I'd have fun with Robyn for a whole day. You know, I've only ever really talked to her in class, but she was great."

Zelda shuffled a paper on her desk before leaning lightly against the edge.

That's when Link finally looked over at her and sat up with concern. "Zelda? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Zelda took a breath and her hand went to her eye. It was dry now, but she could feel the swelling was still present, and she had to imagine they were still red. She grabbed the blank papers off her desk.

"I'm just really overwhelmed. I didn't realize this paper was due and I'm just stressed. I hate to do this to you but… could you tell me another time. I have to get this done."

Link stood up and crossed the room, pulling her into his arms. After a moment, he could feel her shake. "Hey, don't cry again. You can have my essay, if that helps. I can write another. I'm not swamped."

She pulled herself from his arms and shook her head. "No, I got myself into this. I'll… write something. But thank you. Really."

"Yeah," he said, still looking at her with concern. "Just knock at any time if you want it. I don't care if I hand something in late either, so really, anytime."

Zelda laughed, but it was short, a burst from her lips rather than humor. "You're the best, Link. But I'll be fine. Just… I'm sorry… if you don't mind…?"

"Right, yeah. Don't forget to get some sleep, too," he said with another quick glance at her. But he closed the door and she listened for the sound of the stairs.

When Zelda finally heard them, she ran for her door and bolted it shut, resting her head on the wood as she felt another sob escape her throat as she slid to the floor and buried her head in her hands.

She felt someone's hand on her arm and her head jerked up in surprise and gasped, only to find Karane had snuck between the partitions.

"You okay?"

Zelda tried to speak, but nothing more than a pained squeak came out. Karane moved beside her and wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "It's not your paper, is it?"

With a cough, Zelda shook her head and tried to swallow back a strangled sound. "I'm so stupid."

"What happened?"

Wiping her nose with her sleeve, Zelda covered her mouth to stop her cries. "I saw him. And Robyn. Outside the Bazaar."

Karane squeezed Zelda. "I don't understand, but you don't have to explain. Just try to breathe."

"I'm so stupid," Zelda whispered, another sob escaping. "I didn't realize… and now he's…"

"Stop," Karane said with a quick shake. "He's not worth crying over. And he's the stupid one."

Zelda couldn't help the laugh that burst from her. "You don't even know what happened."

"I don't need to know. But do you know what I do know?"

Snorting, Zelda shrugged. "I don't know. What do you know?"

Karane made a face at Zelda's mocking. "I know one of the Knights patrolling tonight. And I know she'll let us sneak a ride."

"Is it Saffron?"

Karane's smug face spoke volumes and she pulled Zelda to her feet. "Come on. Maybe we can get Corbett to give you a ride. He'll break the rules, especially if it's for you."

Zelda wiped her eyes and brushed her hair back. "Yeah. Let's go."

A/N: I feel like I should duck for cover or something after Link enjoying a date with someone who isn't Zelda. Fun fact: I really struggled not to use the word "date." And I totally did NOT model Robyn after a Story of Seasons character... pfshhh not me. I really wanted to focus on Pipit and Peatrice here, but I could only think of them as 'that awkward couple in a tv comedy'! I couldn't take anything they did seriously, so I had to keep deleting scenes they were in hahaha! I'm so here for teenage angst though! I already have half the next chapter done, so that'll be up this week unless I have a total writer's block!

Reviews: Clemage: Now it's REALLY poor Zelda hahah! Draegor: I hope this quenches some of your drama thirst hahaha! Ellenar: Thanks for popping over! The red scarf is 100% a manga reference! I WISH there was more for the SS manga than just the little Historia section. Cosmo14: First off, thanks for the belated birthday wish! I like Zelda and Karane as those friends that can have 6 conversations going at once and be completely on track with what the other is saying! Link's definitely transforming. Still a little way to go, but getting there. And yeah, I had probably too much fun with Groose and Link climbing! I couldn't think of ANY birds except Robyn and Pidge/pigeon so thank goodness for Google hahaha! We MIGHT get some of Zelda's perspective in the next chapter again, which honestly I'm just more familiar writing anyway. Those SS keys used to give my hand cramps. Loftwings will start to feature more now that they're older, so that will definitely be coming up soon!