AN: Hello readers! Thank you for the positive feedback on my first story! I went back and did some editing to include some important details and specific descriptions and etcetera.
I love feedback! Whether it is positive or negative. It helps me know what you readers enjoy. I try to be my best (Dollhouse, anyone?).
Anyway, here's chapter two.
Enjoy!
The first week at Sky has really worn me out. I am exhausted. I can barely think straight. I work my butt off from sun up to sun down. Literally.
There are the morning drills where we take laps around the island, do a warm-up workout before doing the actual workout, then a cool-down workout, then stretching. And to top it all off, after that we begin our academic day which for the most part includes more working out and combative classes. Needless to say, I am going to be very well toned by the end of this month.
Not that I wasn't in shape before, I had a thin frame with hardly any fat on me, but now I am gaining muscles left and right. Some of my clothes don't fit me the way they used to—too tight in the calves and bicep areas. Thankfully, my new friend is going to take me shopping for clothes.
"You ready to go?" I hear a voice on the other side of my door. Karane is great, but she can be a bit overbearing at times. Luckily, overbearing is what I need right now.
"One second!" I turn to grab my sweatshirt and pull it on, zipping it up. Grab my shoes then run out the door. I was wearing the only pair of jeans that still fit me; they have a massive hole cut into the right knee and didn't do anything to block the cold air blowing straight in our direction once we left the building. I pull the hood of my sweatshirt up over my head and fold my arms in close. It is cold in the mornings here on Skyloft. Luckily where we were going isn't too far. We walk quickly on the path leading to the central Bazaar and duck inside immediately.
I remove my hood and look around. There are multiple shops and kiosks around the tent. Karane leads me directly to the one with 'the cutest clothes'. Personally, I go for function, but she insists. I appease her by trying on shirt after shirt and multiple jeans. I find some clothes that fit me and pay the cashier. As I turned to Karane to leave, I see him walk by. Link. I stop mid-step. Karane looks confused until she sees the source of my strange acting.
"Ah," was all she said. Link never turned our direction, but continued onward to the potions shop. "He must have just returned from recruiting."
"He does the recruiting for the school?" I ask casually.
"Yeah, didn't he visit you?"
"No," I shake my head. "Well, I guess technically he visited my house, but I wasn't there when he did. He talked to my dad, though."
"Yeah, he's too nice, and too nice looking, for his own good. It's gotten him in trouble in the past."
"Yeah? Any terrifying women?"
"Naturally. One chick who lives here on the island—Peatrice—used to be shy, then Link came along and was nice to her, and you can probably guess from there."
"Stalker?"
"Oh, yeah," she laughs. I laugh, too, as we walk out of the shop and into the crowd of people running errands. We find a coffee shop and order warm drinks for the cold walk back. As I sip my raspberry latte, someone almost runs into me and I spill it all over my sweatshirt. I look down and try to wipe it off when the culprit grabs my shoulders and forces me to look up. Link stands before me looking guilty.
"Zelda! Oh my gosh," he says, mortified, "I'm so sorry! Let me get some paper towels."
"No, it's fine, Link," I say, throwing the cup away into the nearest garbage can. "Is there a restroom nearby?"
"Yeah, just over there by the café."
"Perfect," I say and turn the direction he had pointed out. "Karane, you can head back if you like," I call back to her. "This might take a bit!"
"Good thing we just bought you some new clothes!" She responds. "I'll see you back at the academy!" She turns to exit the building. I make it to the bathroom and take off my sweatshirt, rinsing it in the sink and soaking up the majority of it with paper towels, then with the t-shirt after pulling out a new shirt and sweatshirt combo I had just purchased, I cut the tags off and change. I then put my wet clothes into an empty bag to wash later. Turning to the mirror, I fix a stray strand of hair and leave the bathroom. As I head for the exit, a hand grabs my arm and pulls me back.
"You good?" I hear Link ask. He waited for me? I smile and turn to him.
"Yeah, no worries. Those clothes were old anyways. I rinsed them down pretty well, and if I make it back in time they might not stain."
"I'll walk you back," he says and falls into step next to me. I try to ignore the feeling I suddenly got in my stomach.
Once we get outside I wish that I still had my latte. Biting cold surrounds us and whips my long hair all over the place. I really should start pulling it back more often than I do. I push it back out of my face, shivering. Link is standing right next to me, shielding the majority of the wind. Luckily, it's a short walk back to the academy. We walk close together, arms brushing a bit, and hurry back to get out of the cold.
"What are they going to do about the morning laps around the island if it stays this cold?" I ask through chattering teeth.
"We'll probably just have to suck it up. Until the snow sets in, we're outside unless the wind chill is too low."
"Comforting," I mumble. He chuckled.
"Indeed." We make our way to the door and he opens it for me. Rushing into the warmth of the hallways, I bolt inside with Link close behind me. He shuts the door with a resounding thud and we both stand there for a bit letting our limbs thaw. I rub my hands together, then along the sides of my arms. It is tricky to do with bags in my hands. I see him doing the same out of the corner of my eye. I smile and head for the kitchen to get some warm cocoa from the coffee table. He follows me.
"Are you sure you want to stand that close to me with a piping hot beverage?"
"Hey! I feel really bad about that." He scratches behind his head. I finish my cocoa and stir it to perfection.
"Link, honestly, it's fine," I take a sip of my cocoa. "Stop worrying about it. Is that why you walked me back? To appease your guilt?"
"That, and to ask you something," he continues to scratch behind his head. I look up at him.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I was wondering if you wanted to join an after school program. It's like 'Tactical Magic 101' but for the more gifted students. We practice more intense spells and uses of magic. I also lead that group. Normally, it's not open to first years, but I'll see if I can pull a few strings." He's rambling. It's cute. I reach out and squeeze his arm.
"I would love to. When is the next meeting?"
"Tomorrow at eight, actually" he says, dropping his arm and looking at me. "And trust me. I'm much more easy-going there than I am when teaching a class."
"I would hope so," I admit. He is a tough teacher and expects a lot out of us. He works us to the bone. It's probably the hardest class I have. Maybe I tried harder than I normally would in that one, I don't know.
Maybe I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of him. Maybe.
"Believe it or not, it's true. So, are you coming?" He looked at me expectantly. Big puppy dog eyes and all. I roll my eyes and sigh.
"This better be good, Link."
"It will be," he simply says, smiling.
I turn to leave with my cocoa and head up to my room to deposit my newly purchased clothes and take a nap.
"Faster, Harkinian! Faster!"
I grunt as I add more force behind the sprint. There is no physical way I could possibly go faster, but by the goddesses, I manage it. Barely. I past the finish line with a couple seconds left to spare.
"Well done, Harkinian." I feel a hand slam into my shoulder that makes me cough and fall to the ground. Sometimes, I think he forgets how strong he is. Then again, he is a Goron.
"Sorry," Professor Gorko said. "Sometimes I forget it takes you hylians longer to recuperate than my fellow Goron brothers."
"Fine—It's fine." I breathe, holding up a hand.
"Professor Gorko," I heard someone call from behind me. "Are you wearing out all of our fine students?"
"Not trying to, Professor Owlan," he said sheepishly. The other professor laughed.
"Sorry, Miss Harkinian, I know you're just chomping at the bit to return to sprints, but I have been sent to summon you to the Headmaster's office."
"What did I do now?" I ask sarcastically.
"Nothing of consequence, I'm certain," he responded. He was probably my favorite professor here. "Come," he places a hand on my upper back and steers me away.
"Not in trouble already, are we?" I hear someone call out when we enter the housing hall. It was the guy with the pompadour. Great.
"Of course I am. Why else would I be going to the Headmaster's office?"
"It could have something to do with the fact that our young Miss Harkinian has a visitor here, Mister Groose," the professor responds. "But I don't see how that is any of your business." Owlan is seriously cool. I smile. I see a glare forming on his face.
"Go back to your studies, Mister Groose," he says calmly. Groose is cornered, and he knows it. He sends one more glare my direction and stomps off to class.
"Sorry," the professor said, "He has been placed in my care since, well, the incident, but that is no concern of yours. Go to the Headmaster's quarters. Someone is waiting for you there." He turns around to leave.
"Thank you, professor," I call over my shoulder. I see him wave as he continues to his study. I turn to the impressive doors leading into the headmaster's office.
"Ah, Miss Harkinian," the headmaster starts, but is interrupted by the high pitched squeal that escaped from my step-sister. She bolts straight to me and embraces me. I respond, smiling. The headmaster chuckles and returns to his work.
"Miss Harkinian, you are free to entertain your sister for the day. Don't worry about your classes. You are excelling here, anyway, so feel free to take the rest of the day off."
"Thank you, headmaster," I say as we exit his office. I shut the heavy door with a thud and turn to Ilia.
"So?" I ask, unsure of how to begin with everything that has happened here. "What do you think?"
"Amazing, Zel, this is such a cool place. I am so jealous of you. Also," she leans in to whisper, "there are some really cute guys here."
"Trust me, just get to know them and they're dull as brick."
"Really?" She sounds disappointed.
"Really. Come on, I'll give you a grand tour of the place."
I show her around, leading her outside and up the stairs to the outdoor climbing wall that wrapped around the statue of the goddess. It used to be indoors, but there was a really bad storm one year that took out a good majority of the island. This is the last building they have yet to repair. After, I lead her down to the main grounds again to see the arena and track. When we entered the gym, all sorts of different courses were happening at once. 'Self Defense', 'Tactical Magic', and 'Sword Techniques' were all going on. It is a madhouse. The gym itself is large. It has a full size running track around the rim, a few basketball and volleyball courts, an indoor bouldering wall and wooden logs hanging from the ceiling for sword and shield combo practicing.
Ilia simply gapes.
"Impressive, isn't it?" I give her a sidelong glance. She hums in agreement. I look to our left and see a group of runners headed directly for us. I take Ilia's elbow and pull her back to let them through. Getting off the track just in time, I look to see if there is anyone I know in the immediate vicinity. I spot Karane in the group of runners and wave at her. She waves back and points at Ilia, giving me a confused glance. I smile back mouthing 'later'. She gives me a thumbs-up and continues to run. Then my eyes wander to the students in the sword technique course. I find Link helping out Fledge in the back of the group and smile. Fledge is such a sweet tempered guy, and gets picked on a lot for it. But he is kind and a good friend. Link surely loves him like a younger brother. I can feel Ilia's gaze follow mine and stop when she sees them, too.
"Who is that?"
"Which one?"
"The one helping the other guy."
"Oh, his name is Link." I shrug, like it's no big deal one of my only friends here just happens to be overly attractive.
"He's cute," she whispers just loud enough for me to hear. I nod. She laughs.
"Well, I wouldn't want to come between my sister and her man, so," she drops off and I playfully punch her shoulder.
I love my step-sister. She was the younger sister I've always wanted. Sarcastic and beautiful. I smile to myself.
"Well, if you want to meet 'my man' he's leading a group tonight that studies magic more in-depth tonight at eight if you'd like to join."
"Unfortunate, I need to be getting back. Dad's expecting me for dinner and I promised I'd be here only until five."
"Well, then let's go to the Bazaar. There are some cool shops there. We can grab a coffee, too, if you like."
"Sounds good to me!" She says, as we turn to exit and head over to the Bazaar.
"Hey, Zelda."
Link makes his way over to me after the club meeting. I find a chair and change into my normal shoes. Link occupies the one that was vacant next to me.
"Hey, Link, nice techniques. I'll have to remember those one late at night to sneak through the halls." He laughs.
"Well, the way you were picking up on things tonight; it wouldn't surprise me if you master it come weekend. But I actually was wondering something."
"What is it?"
"Who was that girl you were with earlier today?"
"My step-sister. Why?"
"She seemed familiar is all. What's her name?"
"Ilia." He pauses.
"Ilia? Seriously?"
"Yeah, what's up, Link?" I ask curiously.
"She used to live in Ordon, right?"
"Yeah," I hesitate.
"I knew it. She lived there with her mom and dad, until her dad died. I knew her mom got remarried, but I had no idea it was to the Mayor of the Faron province."
"How do you know that?" I ask.
"We used to live just down the road from each other there. We were practically best friends. Plus, her mom married your dad, and I visited him to give you information on the academy."
"Really? I had no idea." Then again, she was really quiet when our parents first got married. Maybe because I was skeptical of the entire situation and didn't want mom to be replaced, making me not take an interest in her at first. I was an idiot back then. We're close now—almost like real sisters. But she never mentioned a friend, let alone Link. Suddenly I felt jealous, for some reason. Maybe it was her quiet admission to her finding him attractive earlier. Maybe more happened between them than she let on. Coming out of my reverie, I realize that Link was watching me, his gaze going from my eyes, to my nose, down to my chin and back to my hair. I blushed.
"Small world, I guess," he says, standing up and stifling a yawn. I stand as well and bend down to grab my shoes. But suddenly my head starts spinning. Next thing I know is I see the floor coming toward me at too fast of a pace than I like. I feel arms wrap around mine to support me and I reach up to clutch my hands to them. I close my eyes, but it doesn't seem to help at all.
"Zel, you okay?" I hear Link's voice full of concern in my ear. I feel butterflies, but I'm not sure if it's the close proximity or the dizziness that's got my stomach in knots. I take a deep breath.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," I say by default. I know I used a lot of magic tonight in practice, but I didn't think I used so much as to give me a Vertigo attack.
"You sure?" He doesn't sound too confident in me. Within reason, I'm trying to convince myself, here.
"Yeah," I say, drawing out the sound. "Wait," I pause, "did you just call me 'Zel'?"
"Maybe, is that okay?"
"Yeah, I like it, actually. It's one of my favorite nicknames."
"Good. Now are you sure you're okay, Zel?"
"Sure," I respond unconvincingly. He sighs, gingerly lets me go and I sway on the spot.
"No, you're definitely not okay. Let's get you to the nurse." He starts walking me to the exit, both hands on my arms, when I stop shaking my head.
"No, I know what's wrong with me. I just need a really big glass of water and sleep. It's my Vertigo acting up." The room continues to spin, confirming what I knew, with no promise of submission anytime soon. Great.
"What's that?"
"Do you want the scientific explanation, or the simplified?"
"Scientific, I guess?"
"It's a crystallization of the liquids in the inner ear that throws off your equilibrium. In other words—"
"You're really dizzy right now. Check." We just left the arena and are heading back to housing when his hands squeeze tight around my arms. I open my eyes and try to see what has Link nervous.
All I see is a red pompadour swimming in my peripherals. What is the deal with this kid?
"Link," he says almost accusatorily, "watch your step. She's mine."
What?
"I don't recall saying you could claim me," I chime in.
"Groose, just head back to your dorm before you hurt yourself," Link replies.
"No. Not this time. You don't tell me what to do, Link."
"And you don't go around saying things as ridiculous as you owning people. Last I knew, slavery was abolished, and I'm not interested in becoming someone's slave anytime soon, thank you." I say this with as much wit as I can muster with a spinning head. I put a cool hand to my forehead. "Now if you'll excuse us, Groose, Link is going to take me to the nurse. I don't feel well, or feel up for this conversation, quite frankly. Goodnight, Groose." I pull at Link to urge him forward, and he follows suit. Groose simply stands there. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was shock. Then again, for all I knew it could have been. I'll probably regret this later, but for now I just wanted to crash.
We enter and Karane spots us from the other side of the room. I couldn't see her since my vision is slowly fading into black spots, but I hear her startled voice as she makes her way toward us.
"Is she okay?" She asks Link.
"Yes," he responds, "just needs water and sleep."
They continue talking in hushed voices as I lean the majority of my weight on Link. My ears start ringing, so I can't focus on their conversation. I was literally about to pass out when he scoops me up into his arms and lays me into my bed.
I don't even remember coming in the door.
The next thing I know is I feel his hand brushing the hair away from my face, and that I couldn't hold on any longer. Everything around me goes black.