"Better to flee than to die."

~Spanish Proverb~

Ancient Roots

Chapter 12: Escape

I jolt back into consciousness with a gasp and my eyes instantly find Link's face above me. He seems worried and, at first, I'm not sure why, but then I realise that he's supporting me in his lap and I can only assume that I fell and he caught me. The images of Fi, Ghirahim and the first Bearer still plague my mind's eye, a storm of emotions and questions ripping through me as I piece it all together. Link continues to hold me close as my breathing quickens, hoping that he knows how grateful I am for his support because I'm too paralysed to verbally thank him.

"You've been out a few hours," he says quietly, as if to help bring me around. But my eyes are on Fi, who floats above the water nearby.

"I think I'm starting to understand," I murmur to her. "Why didn't you tell me that you lived during the Great War?"

"Discussions relating to my previous life were irrelevant, thus there was no need to make you aware of it," she says simply. "I have those memories in my database; however, they are irrelevant to the current mission objective."

I swallow thickly as Link helps me sit upright, "So, you knew Ghirahim?" She nods and I glance back at Link before asking, "And you… loved the first Bearer?"

"Those details are irrelevant to the current—"

"Please Fi," I plead. "I just want to understand it all."

She pauses before responding, "In a previous life, I did love him, yet that has no bearing on the Spirited One nor your current objective, Dominae. As the sun will rise in thirty four minutes and most monsters in the temple will be asleep, I hypothesise that this is the optimum time to attempt an escape from the Earth Temple."

Although I want to press her on her life before she became the spirit of the Goddess Sword, I know that this is far from the time to ask. I sigh and dismiss her before turning back to Link, who seems to be fighting an internal battle. But when I remember his previous hesitance about returning to Skyloft, I realise why he's so nervous.

"You still aren't sure about coming home, are you?" He goes to protest, though he quickly thinks better of it and remains quiet, rubbing some feeling into his face as I take a seat next to him. "I mean, we won't be able to stay there for long, but we certainly can't stay here."

"I want to go back," he murmurs. "Of course, I want to. But if I go back there, then I'm bringing the danger with me and… the longer I stay there, the more I won't want to come back here." He sighs as he pushes himself onto his feet and offers his hand to help me up too. "We have to go back, Zelda, and I'm happy about that. I just need to make my peace with the risks in my own time."

The thing is, I completely understand his worries. There are so many risks with going back to Skyloft, but we don't have a choice either. He wants to protect us and the islanders, but he also needs to protect himself in order to do that. It's hard when you've been a protective person all your life and suddenly it's all brought into question and you have no choice but to go against everything you are.

"Come on," I say after a moment. "Let's go and wake the others up."

He nods, glad for the distraction, and heads over to Pipit whilst I kneel down and gently shake Karane's shoulder. She grumbles as she wakes up, then frowns, "How long was I asleep?"

"Most of the night," I reply. "We should've swapped shifts, but Link took watch as we all slept." I hear her mutter something about the irony of that as she rubs the sleep out of her eyes.

"How long have we got?"

I shuffle aside so the four of us can sit together before telling them, "Fi says we have about half an hour until sunrise, so we can get everything ready and head out soon."

Apprehension fills the spring like a thick fog as much as we try to ignore it. As Link's weapon was taken away from him, he busies himself by filling our canteens with water as the rest of us check over our equipment. There's not much for us to do, but we're so nervous about the escape attempt and all the risks involved that we'd rather stall a little before diving back into the depths of the Earth Temple.

And yet, reality sneaks up on us far too quickly and soon enough, we're standing in front of the entrance to the Earth Spring with Karane at the front, then Pipit, then Link, then me. None of us say a word as Karane raises her hand to the door and it disappears at her touch, revealing swelteringly hot temple before us. She takes a deep breath before stepping out, then the others slowly follow.

There's so many things that could go wrong, especially since we won't have the element of surprise on our side, but we have little choice in the matter and we've left at the best possible time. Glancing up to the ceiling, I send a quick prayer to the Goddess before following the others.

Without hesitation, we move onward and straight into danger.

Our footfalls create soft echoes that dance between the cavernous walls as the doorway reappears behind us; there's no going back now. I shudder despite the heat and tighten my grip on the Goddess Sword and my harp. As we cautiously walk down the large ramp leading back down to where I was found, the lack of monsters and intervention from the Demon Lord is already starting to worry me a little.

As my mind continues to race, I suddenly notice the deep scorch marks in the ground where Karane and Pipit fought whatever monster Ghirahim sent after them and I pray that nothing like that comes our way. Once we reach the bottom of the incline, my eyes immediately find the familiar set of chains on the ground and my ankle suddenly itches. The others follow my line of sight and do their best to ignore it, though Link glances back and offers me a tiny empathetic smile.

We follow the stairway down to a set of thick, red doors which reminds me of the ones at the temple entrance, although I'd be naïve to think that they're the same ones. Whatever's on the other side of the door—be it an army of monsters, the Demon Lord or worse—we won't go down without a fight. We're going to escape and we're all going to get out of here. We throw ourselves against the heavy doors until they groan open and we slip through, determined to fight whatever's on the other side.

Except there's nothing there.

Karane and Pipit seem to recognise this place, but Link and I are left in the dark as we step out onto the tiled platform surrounded by lava. Since the lava's closer than ever to us, I recoil at the sudden rise in temperatures here. Off to the left is a grand staircase and straight ahead is the tunnel we were planning to go through. I'm surprised that we've already reached it since it leads straight out of the temple, but something feels off.

"Am I the only one who feels like this is easier than we'd thought it was going to be?" Pipit murmurs as he scans the vicinity. I swallow thickly and adjust my grasp on the Goddess Sword. No one replies but we all agree.

Then someone else replies, "Oh, I can assure you, sky child, that I have no intention of letting you escape so easily."

I bite back a cry as we spin around to find Ghirahim standing atop a dragon head statue above the doors we just came through. The four of us, immediate on edge for what's to come, drop into battle stances which only makes the Demon Lord chuckle. My heart starts beating quicker and my chest constricts. Keep breathing—in and out—you'll get out of this… just keep breathing—in and out…

Our adversary turns his attention to Link and grins, "So, who do I have the honour of speaking to this time? The foolhardy knight of the Goddess or his pitiful descendant?" When Link doesn't respond, I grit my teeth and take a decisive step forward.

Remembering what Fi had once said to Ghirahim, I tell him, "You'll never win, Ghirahim. You'll never destroy him or this land you despise so much!"

My words have the right reaction because anger flares in his expression for the briefest of moments before he composes himself and sneers, "I suppose even the privacy of the past isn't sacred in the eyes of Her Grace, is it?"

"You're just angry because I've learnt the truth about you."

He scoffs but ignores the remark, "What you all fail to understand is that I preside over this land you call the Surface; it doesn't belong to you. You believe that because the wretched Goddess allowed you to come here means that you can claim this land for yourselves and ignore who was here already."

"You don't deserve your self-proclaimed title!" Pipit shouts back, boldly stepping forward. "Why do you think that you have the right to do what you want to this world?"

"Because all those who have attempted to wrench control away from me have been swiftly subjugated," he responds, as if the answer were obvious. "Just as you will be soon enough."

Before any of us can speak, Ghirahim flicks his wrist and something crashes down behind us. We flinch at the sound and spin around to find part of the ceiling caving in, dust and debris flying everywhere and some of it landing in the lava—we jump away to dodge it as it spews onto the platform we stand on. As the dust begins to clear, we quickly spot that the left path down the stairs has been completely blocked off.

There's still one way out—through that tunnel—but I'm certain that's where he wants us to go.

Then again, do we have a choice?

"We aren't like you; we don't want to claim this world for ourselves," Link insists once we all recover. "We didn't come here out of choice, but because we were sent to stop those like you from bringing about the destruction of the land, and we won't stop until we've made things right!"

The Demon Lord groans, "Have you finished your little speech, or do I need to hear more of your drivel?"

"No, I'm just trying to see what will push you to act on your threats." He steps forwards and holds his arms out at his sides. "When will you stop waging a war of words and actually stop me from trying to escape; I'm unarmed and here for the taking, after all."

My eyes widen, "Link, no—"

But I didn't need to worry. He steels himself as the Demon Lord, unable to pass up such an opportunity, darts forwards like a bird would for its prey. As he does, a burst of light radiates out from Link, brighter and larger than what he created when Impa attacked us, and Ghirahim is swept up into it. The pale man is thrown back into the doors we came through and hits it so hard that he's stunned for a moment.

Karane blinks, shocked, "How did you—?"

"We need to go," is all Link says in response, turning his sights to the only way out. He stumbles a little but catches himself before the others notice. I frown at him, but he ignores it—now's not the time.

We nod and let Pipit go ahead of us as he's the only one who's gone through this tunnel before. The Demon Lord recovers just as we enter the tunnel and the cries of Bokoblins echo around the chamber we just left, though it's not like we can stop. Since I'm at the back of the group, I can feel the presence of monsters growing behind us and feel their tiny eyes on my back.

Just keep breathing—in and out…

I trip and stumble, although I manage to prevent myself from falling completely. Link looks back to make sure I'm alright but I quickly urge him onward. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel now—literally, figuratively—so we can't stop now. White-hot adrenaline courses through me and propels me onward.

I break free of the tunnel and gasp at the sunlight invading my vision. However, I have little time to adapt before Bokoblins are charging us and, as my vision quickly adjusts, I realise that we're surrounded, though at least we're near the front of the temple so we can potentially find our way to safety. It should be an easy fight to win since there's four of us, but who knows how many monsters Ghirahim will throw at us before we start to tire?

A screech from behind me makes me duck instinctively and I spin around to find a brand new creature before me with green skin and a heavily armoured arm. I also spot a spiked ball attached to its tail and pray that I never come into contact with it. I cry, "Fi!"

"Target locked: Lizalfos," Fi immediately responds. "This unmistakable monster is equipped with an arm guard made of hard iron. Great physical prowess makes it difficult to predict its movements. You will need to anticipate the direction of its arm guard to successfully land an attack on the exposed angle."

The creature is far more intimidating than Bokoblins, and with so many other monsters around I know I'll need to defeat it quickly. I throw myself at it and clash against its arm guard. Staggering backwards, I bring up my harp up to parry its counter attack and take my chance to lunge forward, managing to slide the Goddess Sword through its temporarily exposed chest. I wince as its blood sprays over my dress yet have no time to dawdle as I rejoin the others and we stand back to back, surrounded by monsters.

"How long will you continue to resist before you realise that your actions are futile?" Ghirahim's oh so familiar voice calls out to us. We can't see him, but it feels like his fingers are digging into my shoulders as he speaks. I close my eyes for a moment and force myself to calm down. We're so close to escape; we're so close to home.

"We'll continue to resist until we've protected this land from you and your Master," I counter hotly. "We will never stop!"

"How foolish," he declares. "Very well… continue to be meddlesome in my plans, but know that you shall feel my wrath!"

More monsters appear.

Goddess… how can we beat them all?

Without warning, a protective purple ring of light pulsates around us, pushing any monsters away from us and successfully prevents them from trying to attack us. "Dominae," Fi calls out to us. "I am able to transport you to the Sky Realm from this location. Please take out your Sailcloths and prepare yourself for a sudden gust of wind."

We do so without word, our hearts pounding as one as we shakily bring out our Sailcloths. I cast my gaze over to Link and offer him the most reassuring smile I can despite the situation, knowing that, after the black tornado, he isn't going to enjoy any part of what's to come. But there's nothing we can do—just one more push.

"Together," I mouth to him. He says nothing, but I can see all the emotions in his eyes. He looks way, closes his eyes and prepares for what's to come.

Wind erupts at our feet and the monsters cry out from its intensity. My dress whips at my legs and I tense my body, gripping the Sailcloth tightly as I hold it above my head. Fi's power suddenly plucks us high into the air, clouds of ash and dust flying past us as we climb higher into the sky. As Eldin grows smaller by the second, and with it our danger, laughter bubbles up in me and I can barely hold it down.

We did it.

We're free.

We're free!

As we soar high above the cloud barrier, the four of us quickly whistle for our Loftwings. The familiar breeze of the Sky Realm brings tears to my eyes as Destiny catches me and I land on her back harshly. She chirps happily at my presence and I lean down to hug her neck, overjoyed to be back with her again.

"I missed you too…"

Sitting upright, I take her reins and make sure that the others are alright. Karane and Pipit seem serene as they digest the fact that we've escaped Eldin, smiling with me as we see how joyous Crimson is to have her rider back again. Link seems happy too, even if the journey back up to the sky has thrown him off a little. I watch him but he doesn't look my way. Despite my happiness at our return to the sky, Ghirahim's words echo at the back of my mind.

"Too many people have died because of storms in that perch of yours, haven't they?"

A shiver slithers down my spine at the memories and I try my best to focus on the world around me to ground myself. Streaks of pink adorn the clouds as the sun stretches over the horizon, illuminating the skies and the large island ahead of us that we've been trying so hard to get back to. The sight of Skyloft brings more tears to my eyes and I swallow thickly.

We're home…

Even though we won't be able to stay for long, the thought of coming home with the proof that Link's alive makes my heart soar; the islanders will be so happy to see him. Father will probably be worried sick since we didn't come back last night, so I'll have to see him as soon as possible. Thankfully, my dress isn't stained with blood anymore so at least he won't have to know about that.

As the sun continues to rise, we soar over the island we call home and land in the plaza. None of the islanders will be up yet so we can take this opportunity to truly enjoy being back by taking the longer road back to the Academy without being hounded by people. I hop off Destiny and let her pine for some attention, grinning as I scratch her neck and hold her close.

I jump at the sound of a thud behind me and turn to find that Crimson's knocked her rider to the ground and squawks at him angrily. Link finally allows himself to laugh as he strokes her beak and murmurs something that I can't hear, though his voice calms the Loftwing and my heart squeezes at their reunion. Once Crimson finally lets him stand and dust himself off, we release our Loftwings back to the skies and breathe a sigh of relief.

"We did it," says Pipit, still in disbelief. "We really did it."

I hum, "We should get back and let my father know. I don't think we'll have much time to ourselves once the islanders find out." The others nod and we quickly fall into step with one another, a momentary calm befalling us as we head up the dusty pathway that leads to the Knight Academy.

"What did you down there was amazing, Link," Karane remarks from beside me, leaning around to catch his gaze. The fact she's standing as far away from Pipit as possible hasn't gone unnoticed, but I ignore it for now. "How did manage to create those lights like that?"

He rubs the back of his neck nervously, "Impa tried to teach me some defensive spells before she betrayed us, but I didn't have much time to learn. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it."

"For someone who slept through most of his education, I can't believe you got to learn magic," Pipit utters under his breath, to which Link gives him a playful shove and we all laugh lightly. I can't help but feel a weight's been lifted from my shoulders. We're certainly not out of danger yet, and I'm sure we won't be for a while yet, but being back in Skyloft is already doing wonders for our spirits.

That's when Pipit stops without warning. We turn back to him just as a breeze sweeps through the island and rustles the leaves from the nearby tree—the leaves are lighter on the edges and are a clear sign of a season change.

"I can't believe it's autumn already," he remarks, holding up one of the leaves to us. Karane shrugs.

"Well, the Wing Ceremony is always at the end of summer; it's like a farewell to the season."

We take everything in for a moment before continuing on. Even though it's only been a few days since the Wing Ceremony, so much has happened that it feels like months have passed. As we wander up to the Academy and push open the metal gates (which groan with movement), my throat constricts a little as I ponder how far we've come in such a short period of time.

"Welcome home," I whisper to Link as I take the lead. I hear him take a deep breath as I make my way to the main doors, twist the handle and step inside. The warmth of inside the Academy embraces us, the fire already crackling inside the kitchen as Henya prepares breakfast. She's already bustling about but we don't poke our heads in—not until we've spoken to my father.

Karane, who enters last, quietly closes the doors behind her so we don't wake anyone and we walk down the hallway as one. The dust and earth that cling to our shoes quickly disperses onto the floor, leaving a trail of dirt behind us as we wander past each dorm. My heart swells with emotion as we head up to my father's office. I knock twice and open the door when I hear his wonderful voice, barely keeping it together when I see him at his desk.

The candles burn low as if he's been here all night and, from the exhaustion on his face, I can safely assume that he has been. His eyes widen and he immediately rises from his chair when he sees me, "My dear…"

"I'm sorry we didn't come back last night," I apologise. "We—"

But he's not listening. Crossing the short distance between us, my father bundles me up into a tight embrace and smoothes my hair back. I hug him back just as fiercely, letting any tears fall as I enjoy being back with him again. Once we pull apart, Father cups my cheek with a watery smile.

"You have nothing to apologise for, my dear," he tells me. "You're home and safe; that's enough for me."

"Not quite," I reply, to which he looks at me quizzically. As much as he doesn't want me to, I step away from him, glad when Pipit understands my meaning and follows suit to reveal Karane and, more importantly, Link behind him. Father stares at him for what feels like an eternity, and then man in question shrinks back from his gaze.

"I'm sorry for worrying everyone," he says in a meek tone.

Link's voice seems to snap my father from his daze because he strides forwards and draws the knight into another hug. Link hesitates before returning it and I can feel some of his worries disappear, if only for these few moments. At the sound of our commotion this early in the morning, Instructor Owlan and Horwell appear from their chambers and restart the cycle of welcoming Link home anew. I hold my hands over my heart as they talk and Karane nudges me with a smile. My smile only grows at the sight before me.

We're home…

In the coming hours, the instructors check over our wounds in Instructor Owlan's chambers and we fill them and my father in on what was least concerning to know. We keep to the basics: that we were ambushed on our journey, we were separated in the process and we spent the night recuperating before escaping at sunrise. Although we didn't discuss it amongst ourselves before, none of us mention what happened to Link and me in the temple, only because I know how much worry it'll cause.

Once I've been looked over, I follow Father back into his office and take a seat on his desk as he sits down. Now that the sun shines through the propped open window, the candles have been blown out and a cool breeze flutters into the office. He watches me with a content smile and I nod to the window with a smile of my own.

"I can't believe another autumn's arrived," I muse, to which he hums. "When are you planning to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox?"

The yearly celebration of the first day of autumn always takes place at the Lumpy Pumpkin, the local tavern. The whole island comes together to sing and dance and pray to the Goddess for a good harvest and a good winter. By the time the Wing Ceremony comes and goes, Skyloft is filled with lanterns and decorations, but there aren't any so far. It's strange to see Skyloft without all the decorations made by the families.

"Tonight, actually." I blink at him, surprised. "The instructors and I decided to postpone the event after Link went missing, but tonight seems as good as any to celebrate."

My initial reaction is to object. After all, we're already anxious about drawing attention to ourselves and a mass gathering of people is the exact thing we don't want to do. But, at the same time, I can't deny the islanders or ourselves this brief moment of respite. Casting my gaze back over to him, I offer him a warm smile.

"Well, we aren't planning on leaving until tomorrow anyway, so that sounds like a wonderful idea." I pause, remembering something, then ask, "Do you still want me to participate?"

"If you're willing, my dear. I know you've been through much in these past few days."

When I chose to act as the Goddess at the Wing Ceremony's post-race ritual, my role didn't end there. It's also tradition for the one acting as the Goddess to then play a song at the Autumnal Equinox celebration to honour her, using the gift of music that the Goddess gave to us. Although I'm used to singing in front of others, I was rather nervous about this until tragedy struck.

I stand and clasp my hands together, "Of course I'm happy to, Father." He smiles.

"Wonderful. Now, I have a request of you, my dear."

I glance back at him, "Yes?"

"Go and get yourself some breakfast. You must be starving."

I laugh and bid him farewell, suddenly acutely aware of how hungry I am. I check in on the instructors and find that the others aren't there, though they direct me to the kitchen and I thank them before following after my friends. They're the only ones in there, thankfully, though Henya's strangely missing.

"She was so happy to see Link again that she needed a minute. She said you can grab whatever you want yourself," Karane explains when I ask them about the caretaker's absence. She chuckles, "I don't think I've ever seen her so emotional."

"Not unless you take more food than you're allowed," I joke, remembering the time Link tried to and was attacked with a wooden spoon. The man in question rolls his eyes as I head over to the cooking pot and ladle out some soup into a wooden bowl.

"You were upstairs for a while," he remarks, to which I nod.

"Father wants to hold the Autumnal Equinox celebration tonight now that Link's home," I explain, briefly looking back to note their reactions. Their expressions are a mix of excitement and unease. I shrug. "I'm not entirely on board with it, but the islanders need to carry on as normally as possible and we need a break, even if it's only for a few hours."

Karane hums and nods in agreement as I take a seat next to Link, "I'm here for it. I won't say we won't be nervous all night, but we need what break we can get up here before we continue on."

"I agree," adds Pipit as he rises to his feet with his bowl and cutlery. "And besides, it's not like we'll be able to say no when the islanders hear the good news." He drops his bowl off on the side table before excusing himself, leaving the three of us left. Henya slips back into the kitchen as Pipit leaves and bids me good morning as she heads over to the cooking pot. She seems to have recollected herself, and she's even smiling more now.

Karane quickly turns on Link, "You've been quiet. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he says quickly, too quickly.

I take his hand and squeeze it comfortingly, "You're nervous, aren't you?" He lowers his head. "Oh Link…"

"I'm fine," he repeats. "There's just a lot on my mind, but I think tonight is a good idea."

She huffs at his response but stands nonetheless, pointing at us both with mock seriousness, "Well, you two should get some sleep. It looks like you need it." She spins around and leaves before either of us can reply, saying goodbye to Henya on the way.

"There are our orders," Link sighs after a moment, moving to rise as well. "I suppose we'll need all the rest we can get before later."

We offer to help Henya clean up but she swiftly declines, seconding Karane's order for us to sleep. We silently fall into step with one another as we wander down the familiar hallway, slowing into a halt outside his dorm room. He hesitates in front of the door and I patiently wait for him to compose himself. I doubt he expected to be back here so soon and he needs time to wrap his head around that.

I follow him into his room and lean against the doorframe as he silently sits on his bed. His room is just how he left it—his desk is still covered in school notes and wood chippings, his bed still half made from when he hastily left to meet me that morning and his window is still propped open. So much has changed since we were both last in here.

"It's strange," he confesses, "I'm so happy to be back, but it doesn't feel the same. Does that make sense?"

"It makes complete sense," I say honestly. "Skyloft will always be our home, but we've also seen and been through so much in these past few days. It makes sense that things would feel different here."

He says nothing in response but I can feel his gratitude shining through. He takes off his boots and settles down on his bed with one arm draped over his face. From this angle, I notice one particular purpling bruise at the base of his neck that I hadn't noticed before because of the collar of his undershirt covered it; a stark reminder of what he went through.

My body acts before I can think about it. Stepping into his room, I take a seat on the edge of the bed and gingerly reach out for the bruises. He flinches away when my fingers brush over them.

"I'm sorry," I murmur, moving up to his cheek when he moves his arm away, though his eyes remain shut. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…"

"It wasn't your fault, Zelda. It wasn't anyone's fault but his."

"But you still shouldn't have gone through that," I insist.

"I shouldn't have gone through that… but it happened and I'm ready to forget it ever happened." I frown, wishing he wouldn't ignore it so easily but I have no choice but to respect his decision. As I absently stroke his hair and scan the room around me, a burst of protectiveness burns through me.

"I won't let him hurt you again, Link. I swear it." He doesn't respond. "Link?"

He's asleep.

Well, some things never change. I bite my lip to refrain from laughing as I quietly stand, though he could sleep through a storm so I don't know why I'm trying to be quiet. I cast one glance back at him before leaving him be, overwhelmed with joy to see him back home where he should be, even if it's only for a short time.

Once I step outside and the door clicks shut behind me, I climb the stairs up to my room and get ready so I can get some sleep myself. I bathe and change, comforted more than ever by the familiar feeling being in my room brings. Fatigue hits me hard as I lay down and I'm out like a light as soon as my head hits the pillow.

My sleep is thankfully deep and dreamless, and I wake up feeling much more refreshed. I untangle myself from my bedsheets and rise to my feet, my joints aching as I stretch and prop open my window, cringing at the afternoon light that pours into my room. I quickly change and equip my sword just in case, but I leave my bag and harp behind as I make my way to the door.

And straight into a familiar face.

"O-Oh," Link stammers as he promptly lowers his hand that was raised as if to knock on my door. "I didn't…"

"I didn't realise you could sense when I was awake," I tease. He rubs the back of his neck but doesn't reply. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," he's quick to reassure me. "I, uh, was going for a walk and wondered if you wanted to join me." I smile.

"I'd love to."

A tiny smile of his own creeps onto his face when he holds out the crook of his arm and I take it as we fall into step with one another, his meek request reminding me of when he asked if we could go flying together after the Wing Ceremony. Although the memories of what came after are still rather traumatic to think about, I do suddenly recall what he'd said just before the tornado hit.

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," he had said. "I'm just not sure how to say it."

The fact that he never got the chance to tell me lingers on my mind as we wander around the island, stopping every now and again to check in with the islanders who are overjoyed to see Link again. Some ask what happened, to which he explains that he doesn't remember much but he's fine now, and others are too emotional to even ask. By the time we've reached the plaza, we're already exhausted from being stopped every few paces.

Once we've taken a break at the riverside and turn off into the residential district, it's late afternoon and the sky is streaked through with orange. This part of the island is filled with most of the islanders at this hour, whether they're chatting on the bridge, cleaning their clothes just taking in the landscape like we were earlier, so we keep getting stopped again to chat with them. I smile as we make our way over to Pipit's house, the same house where Link used to live before he moved to the Academy.

"You know," I remark as we go. "I remembered earlier that you never got the chance to say what you wanted to after the Wing Ceremony." He quickly glances away and fakes taking in his surroundings. He hums absently as we reach Pipit's house and he swiftly knocks at the door. There's a clattering of plates inside and a flurry of voices. I nudge him lightly, "You could always tell me now, if you like?"

Yet he's saved by the door because it opens before he can answer and he looks visibly relieved by it. Mallara, Pipit's mother, opens the door and peers out with a bright smile and blue-green eyes that sparkle with joy. The ringlets in hair are half done, most likely in preparation for the Autumn Equinox tonight, and she seems rather flustered as she dusts herself off. Behind her, I can hear Pipit and Karane chatting inside.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You caught me at the wrong—" Her eyes widen as she finally realises who's at the door and her mouth drops open. Expecting the hugs that are coming in Link's future, I step away from his side with a smile. "Pipit told me the news, but I…"

She doesn't even bother to finish. Darting forward, Mallara steps forward and bundles Link up into a suffocating hug, desperately trying to not let her emotions get the better of her as she processes the fact that the person, who's almost like a second son to her, has returned safely. Spending most of this afternoon watching people react to Link's return is a clear reminder of how much he's loved by everyone on the island (apart from Groose and his gang, I suppose).

Pipit soon appears in the doorway and leans against the door frame with crossed arms and a broad smile, then Karane appears at the commotion moments later. The five of us chat before Mallara needs to go back to getting ready for the celebration and we decide to take a walk around the island, enjoying how beautiful Skyloft looks in early autumn.

Karane and I walk in step with one another a few paces behind the others, though she keeps glancing over at Pipit with a pained expression. "Did something happen down in Eldin?" I quietly ask her. She's silent for the longest time and I do my best to remain patient as she silently figures out how she wants to word this.

"He…" Her eyes linger on Pipit as she hesitates, then, "He told me that he loves me, and I… I told him that I felt the same." But there's a lack of joy in her voice for someone who finally got to tell her crush how she felt and knows that he feels the same way.

I frown, "What happened?"

"I was angry at upset at the situation we'd found ourselves in and he decided to tell me how he felt whilst we were trapped in the temple," she huffs as she plays with her pigtails. "I shouldn't have been so harsh, but it was too much to handle all at once."

"Have you spoke to him since?"

She shrugs, "Yes, but not about that."

"You need to talk to him," I tell her firmly, then relent, "But… I get why you were frustrated. I would've been the same if I had been in your shoes." Karane grins at me.

"At least, in the end, I told him how I feel," she teases, nodding to Link ahead of us.

I playfully turn my nose up at her, "Shut up."

She laughs and we let the conversation go, catching up with the others as we slowly make our way back to the Academy. We do our best to chat about anything other than what the Goddess may have in store for us in the Lanayru region. After everything that we've been through today, it's nice to feel as if things have gone back to normal for these few hours, considering where we woke up this morning.

This morning… I muse as we pass the quiet Bazaar. Only this morning did we wake up in the den of our enemies with only a slim chance of escape, and look where we are now—home and at least somewhat safe. A part of me is bugged by how easy it felt for us to escape. I'm not complaining—far from that—but Ghirahim could have easily stopped us straight away or defended against Link's attacks or even sent Impa after us.

It's almost like he wanted us to escape, but why?

Does it even matter? I suppose the answer is yes because it means the Demon Lord has something planned and he needs us to continue on as if everything were fine. But then again, we're all here and we're safe for the moment, so we can think about the future when it arrives. What matters now is that we escaped, and for that I couldn't be happier.

I look over at Link as we walk and he catches my eye. Either he can assume what I'm thinking about or he was thinking similarly to me because he passes me a knowing smile before jumping back into the conversation with the others. A swarm of butterflies appear in my gut as I continue to watch him, unable to ignore Karane's comments from earlier as I remember all the times I've never told him how much I care about him.

I'd promised myself to take the plunge if Link won the Wing Ceremony, but my courage failed me at the last moment and I never said anything. Then, after he was swept up by the tornado, I thought that I'd never have the chance to ever tell him. But now, after finding him in Faron and bringing him back from Eldin alive and well, I realise that I really do have that chance after all.

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. I'm just not sure how to say it."

There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about too, Link, I think to myself as the evening wears on. I just need to figure out how to say it.