Author's Note:
Dadadadaaaaa! And thus, the story begins. (sorry for that monstronity of an intro)
Why couldn't he see?
Link blinked again, just to make sure he really had his eyes open. Had he gone blind?
RRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR
The boy stumbled back from the terrible screech and looked up to see what looked like hell incarnate. The beast stood taller than any building he had ever seen, at least ten times the size of even the Statue of The Goddess. It's glimmering, jagged scales lined it's body like some twisted, demonic version of onyx black chainmail, and it's head... He saw nothing but row upon row of shining, bone-white, sharp teeth, a gaping maw wide enough to swallow Skyloft whole. It's eyeless head turned down as if to look at him, then latched its tooth-full abyss open and let out another blast of the jarring scream.
He could only stare in horror as the beast lowered its entirety earth-level, and its teeth became even ground with him. It charged forward to swallow him whole.
Without warning, bright, blinding light shot through the black above him, scattering the darkness and stopping the behemoth in its tracks. The blistering light; hot, white, and scorching like the afternoon sun, burned through even his eyelids. Link shielded his face.
Rise, Link... said the strange voice. The time has come for you to awaken...
Link shook his head, still unable to force his eyes open.
You are fated to have a hand in a great destiny, and it will soon find you...
Great destiny? He thought, lowering his arms and opening his eyes just a crack. The boy made out a blurred silhouette of what looked like a person hovering far above the head of the beast. The strange, lavender light forced his eyes shut again.
"Who are you?" Link called out, stumbling forward.
The time has come for you to awaken...
Link... the voice, strange and almost melodic, had became little more than a murmur.
"Wait!" Link cried, taking another step forward. The light too, had begun to fade, and he opened his eyes. "Who are-"
Two, large, golden eyes the size of his fist blinked at him, nose to nose.
BWWAACK
"Waah!" Link felt himself drop and land flat onto his back with a harsh thud, taking something large and soft with him. A dull throb in the back of his head reminded him of the concussions he sustained the other day. He looked up through his fallen covers to see those same golden orbs that had woken him and one behemoth of an orange beak poking through his window cill. The loftwing screeched once more, spat something light and hard at Link's head, and left with an unceremonious turn of its blue, feathered head.
Yurell...of course, he concluded. Zelda's snob of a bird...
The boy blinked the gum from his eyes, and after lying on the floor, staring unresponsively at the ceiling for about ten minutes, slowly forced his aching body into a sitting position.
Sweet Hylia, what godless hour of day was this?
His eyes caught the corner of Zelda's pink delivery on the ground. Link grabbed the envelope, got to his feet, and stumbled up to the window in a sleep-drunken haze.
One look at the gorgeous sunrise outside and the teenager let out a long groan.
"Oh my goddess..." he muttered, appalled. "It's like five-o-clock in the morning..."
Link rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly. Back to bed...yeesh.
He yawned again, threw the pile of covers back onto his mattress, and collapsed into the embracing warmth and softness. The springs squeaked and whined underneath as the mattress bounced up and down from his weight. Up top, Link fumbled with the envelope's seal half-heartedly until it tore and he freed the letter. Enough sunlight filtered into his bedroom so he could make out the familiar scrawl. It read:
Dear Sleepyhead,
I hope you remembered to keep your promise. Don't keep me waiting.
Your beloved friend,
Zelda
Uh oh...
Link gave the letter a wary, knowing glance, having remembered yesterday's...occurrences.
She planned to use his word against him then... and corner him. Then kill him. Definitely kill him.
Link's gaze fell back out the window. The sun had just peered its brilliant head above the clouds, splashing the Great Cloud Barrier with stunning oranges and pinks. The heavens looked like a golden city above the clouds. As much as he hated the mornings, he could appreciate the live masterpiece in standing front of him. Imagine flying out there at this hour...
Wait...hadn't Zelda told him to meet at seven? He still had another whole hour at least!
The boy let out a soft moan and thought, Phase one: deprive prey of much needed sleep. Phase two: murder him in cold blood.
Well...like it or not, that dumb bird had already woken him up, and with barely an hour and a half's worth more sleep left, he decided against drifting back off into dreamland.
Speaking of which...
What the hell was that? Some cock about "his destiny" or something... These dreams just got weirder and weirder... The clarity of them made him...uneasy. No one should remember dreams like this, or see everything so clearly, or get this weird sense of...heh, hell should he know. Truth?
Either the Goddess had made him into some sort of prophet, or his head had a major screw loose. Definately the latter, but either way he -
OH SHIT.
Wing Ceremony. Today. Fuck.
Zelda had gotten him up at the crack of dawn to practice! Sweet Hylia, have mercy... Okay, keep it together...don't freak out.
You've got this...
(shit)
You've never had to practice a day in your life.
(shit)
Who cares if you're going to kill yourself out there with a busted skull?
(Sweet Hylia, kill me)
Six whole hours to practice and breakfast. Avoid Groose, make up with Zelda, win race, kick ass. Simple, right?
Yep, he was screwed.
Link stuffed one of his nicest shirts under his large red, ornate wrap and stepped out the door. He hadn't bothered with his hair, so it stood up in wild tufts, and because of certain, subconscious issues and a stuffy bird he had dark bags under his eyes.
Yep. Not a good day.
He trudged down the hall, thinking he might as well eat breakfast before his untimely death at Zelda's hands, when he ran into Fledge.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Link! I-"
Link rubbed his head and mumbled, "Naw itsfine...myfault...wasn'tlookingwereIwasgoing."
The awkward, tall, pudgy boy with a long face and limp, brown tufts of hair gave Link a timid, hesitant smile.
"You're up rather early, Link!" said Fledge brightly.
Link looked up, still a bit blear-eyed and narrowed his eyes. He would hear that all freaking morning, he KNEW it. He could hear it now: Aren't you up early; Well look who's up; Someone call the knights, Link's out of bed!
Fledge glanced down at the floor and then back to him with a slightly more confident smile.
"Well, Good morning! Today's the big Wing Ceremony, right?"
Thanks for the reminder.
Fledge rambled on, "I wanted to fly too, but I..." he looked at the floor, ashamed. "I didn't make the cut, so I'm stuck here at the academy." The tall adolescent turned and gestured to the large barrels behind him. "Plus, I have to move these barrels over to the kitchen. I was hoping to at least be able to cheer you on, Link, but..." he sighed. "I guess that's the way it goes. Go out there and wow them, buddy!"
Link gave him a half-hearted grin and began to go into the kitchen, but just before he walked inside he noticed that Fledge was having a bit more trouble with the barrels than he'd let on. For a while Link watched to see if the boy could lift them, but after a good, solid, five minutes Link went back.
"Hey, you need any help with that?"
Fledge turned around to see Link's kind, honest face and stared back down at the floorboards. "I'm not like you Link," he said. "I fail at everything I try. That's why I'm stuck here while..." Fledge's face flushed and the poor guy stopped himself from saying what Link guessed to be along the lines of, "While you guys go out there and become knights." The boy cleared his throat and added, "I guess it's not all bad. At least I'm getting paid!" He smiled and then as if just realizing what Link had offered said, "Aww, thanks. I didn't think you had time to help me out, Link, what with you all in a hurry just now."
Link smiled and hoisted the barrel up. Geez! No wonder Fledge couldn't lift this thing...
"No problem," Link huffed.
"Oh really? Great! Ok," he said, getting excited. "I need you to carry one of these barrels to the old lady who works in the kitchen. Be careful not to drop it though, we'll get into huuuuge trouble if any of these barrels break...
"Got...it."
He could very well drop this thing. After much inward cursing, a stubbed toe, and nearly dropping it about five times, Link made into the kitchen and up the little stairwell on the far side. The blissful, mouth-watering aroma of sweet pumpkin soup, buttery biscuits, poignant cinnamon spice, and enticing aroma of maple syrup wafted up his nose and rattled his empty stomach. Fighting through busy chefs and cooks on top of his growling innards, he finally saw a familiar, honk-like beak of a nose and two, dark, beady eyes.
He pretty much threw the barrel at Mrs. Tolsen and bent over his knees, panting. She pursed her thin lips.
"What's this?" she snapped, narrowing her eyes. "I thought I told Fledge to carry that!" She snorted. "Bah, it's probably for the best...that skinny boy would have probably gotten flattened."
Chuckling to herself she then eyed Link's formal attire and...smiled. "Say," she noted, "Don't you have some important ceremony or some such today?"
"Yes ma'am," he said, still a bit stunned at the easy-going smile on her face.
She narrowed her eyes and frowned, seeming to guess at what the student was thinking. "Hmph!" She folded her arms and bit out, "Well, thanks for the help. Now...off with yah! Go on, out of my kitchen!"
Link put up his arms defensively and once at a safe distance, raced back out and into the hall where he met back up with Fledge.
"Thanks, that was a huge help, Link!"
Link sighed and gave his peer a warm smile. "It was nothing, Fledge."
LIES said his aching back and throbbing toe.
Fledge reached into his pocket an offered Link a-
"Holy shit, Fledge! Is that a whole red rupee?" exclaimed the light-haired boy in awe.
The taller boy shifted and blushed again, then said, "I know it's not much, but it's half the pay the old lady offered me to do that."
Not much? Thought Link. Hell, maybe he should get on Mrs. Tolsen's good side if she paid THIS generously.
He handed Link the rupee and stuffed his hands into his pockets nervously. "Well...I have to hang back and watch the academy today... Good luck with the ceremony, Link!"
With twenty rupees Link purchased everything the kitchen had to offer this hour. This early, no one but Karane, Pipit and -
Oh.
That pretty, red-haired senior he had seen earlier sat with another shorter, dark-haired student. Most likely a scholar, judging by the girl's sporting blue uniform. They happened to kiss as he walked by. Link sighed. So much for that...she was already going out with someone. Ah well...
Link finished his breakfast a bit more soberly than he had intended. Once finished he dumped the tray, went to the bathroom, and stepped outside the entrance. The sun had risen quite a bit higher. He might want to hurry up before-
"Hey Link, up here!"
The young student looked up to see Professor Hornwell's thin, lithe form on top the flat roof of the academy.
"Good morning to you, Link!" He called down. "Today's finally the day of the long-awaited Wing Ceremony! Are you feeling ready?"
Link frowned. Of course. Always the sarcasm, always followed by the reminder.
"Oh, I just remembered! There's something I'd like to ask you about!"
"Yes sir?" Link called back.
Professor Hornwell smirked to himself and shook his head. "Oh, but it's a little silly to carry on a conversation from this distance! Why don't you come join me up here?"
Link gave him a thumbs up and looked to see a few boxes piled up near the roof. He could climb those instead of going all the way around...
Professor Hornwell, a particularly young and daring professor with a sharp wit and an equally sharp tongue when need be, only smiled with raised eyebrows as the student leapt up the boxes with the ease of a spry remlit.
Once Link made it over the edge, the professor offered an appreciative nod.
"So," said Professor Hornwell with a dubious smile, "What are you up to? Trying to get in some last-minute bird-riding practice in this morning, Link?"
He smiled. "Yes sir. I'm surprised you remember my name."
Professor Hornwell chuckled. "Well, I do try to remember you kids from the pre-class meetings. Of course, you live here in the academy, so I see you a bit more than the other freshman."
Link nodded and turned to leave when the professor said, "No need to rush, Link! The ceremony's not for another two hours, at least."
Link shook his head. "I have to meet up with someone, sir."
The professor raised his eyebrows. "Oh? You have someone to meet?" His dark, warm eyes brightened with understanding. "Ah, Zelda's waiting for you isn't she?" He beamed. "Perfect timing, then! You see, Zelda's father- headmaster Gaepora - has a pet named Mia, and, well... she's scampered off again."
The professor sighed and looked up to the highest point on the upper platforms. There rested Mia, Zelda's sweet, albeit troublesome pet.
"Look! Do you see her? The headmaster is so busy working with Zelda preparing for the Wing Ceremony..." He shifted in embarrassment. "I thought that maybe I should feed her, but the ceremony is about to start, and I just put on a fresh set of clothes and, well, you see..." He looked up at Link with the biggest damn puppy eyes the boy had ever seen. "Will you please help me go out and retrieve Mia?"
Link's eyes darted to the lightening sky, then back to the professor. After a moment he thought, I've still got time...
"...Sure. I'm on it, sir!"
"Fantastic, so you'll do it? I know you're in a hurry so I really appreciate your taking the time to help!"
Link grinned and shook his head. This professor would be a blast.
"Yah, sure thing. I'll be right back, sir."
Questioning his sanity, Link jumped up, grabbed the ledge and shimmied over the the next platform. Once there he climbed to the top using some really itchy, prickly vines. He almost fell off due to a certain spider crawling down his shirt, nearly giving him a heart attack, and almost throwing him off balance. He hefted himself over the edge and fell over, panting. He really hated spiders. He really, really hated spiders.
That little critter had left him with this unnerving feeling of a billion insects crawling up and down his body. Note to self: no more favors.
Getting to his feet, Link spotted Mia on top of yet another flat. The little fluffball had curled up into a tiny little ball, fast asleep with her ears slightly askew. Aww...
Link then spotted a box, pushed it over to the wall so he could climb up to get the Remlit. Finally he made it. Picking up the critter with a plaintive mew that reminded Link a bit of himself when he was woken up in the middle of nap time. He let out a small chuckle and jumped off, all the way back down to the first level roof. Professor Owlan seemed impressed with this stunt.
"Nice work! You've brought her back safe and sound!" He gave Link an appreciative smile. "Sorry for troubling you with this. I know you're busy, Link!" He looked down at the cute, albeit unhappy little furball below. "I suppose I should feed Mia now..." He picked up the little remlit and said, "I'd appreciate it if you told the Headmaster we found his pet. He should be up in The Grove. I believe Zelda is up there with him, so you should hurry along."
Link nodded and waved goodbye.
"Thanks again, Link!" called the professor behind him.
He came, panting, sweaty, and about ready to keel, but he made it.
The sun still hovered just above the clouds, its orange, pale light, filtering through the sky. Link marveled the beauty of morning in the back of his mind, but cast the thought aside, having more important things to worry about. The Grove, as people had come to call it, sat on the farthest northern segment of the main island. Ancient columns, worn to a withered, yellowish white, stood like fern-covered sentinels around the center. Pear trees grew and wound around the walls, offering shade and peace during the more blistering afternoons, and their thick, wiry roots made excellent places to sit. A large, marble circle rested in the middle of it all, and high above, arms spread in a warm embrace, her distant, motherly face smiling down, stood the proud and loving goddess. Her wings stretched out in the sky behind her, each feather as long as a man was tall.
Link started as a soft, strange sound drifted to his ears. There, in the center before the goddess, Zelda struck a most peculiar, but beautiful looking instrument. The object looked a bit like the side of a misshapen picture frame, or a very strange variation of an arch. Strings ran up and down between the golden frames like glistening spiderwebs, and Zelda's agile fingers glided across each line with unfaltering confidence and grace. Its sweet, gentle sound cooed like a lullaby, and with each dancing strike, Link felt something warm and pleasant rise in his heart. It sounded...like home.
After a few moments of blissful melody Zelda began to sing in an ancient, foreign tongue.
en daʃeʋu nobe̞ ʃo̞ndʊ
tʏe ʃʊtʊ keuænu sale̞
en daʃeʋu nobe̞ dʊʃʊ
tʏe ʃʊtʊ nobe̞ dezu dotʃe̞
As the last note of Zelda's voice died, Link felt something tug in his chest, something warm and alive. Zelda never looked so...stunning. Baker-Miller pink suited her well, and her ceremonial dress slid over her lithe form like silk. Her hair shone brighter in the sunlight than the gold of her instrument... Out of nowhere he wanted to take her hand and-
NO.
...
NO.
He...she...friends. Just friends (If even that at this point).
Link noticed Zelda's gaze had trained on him: cool, dispassionate, and so not Zelda. Fantastic. She still hated him.
"Um...you look great!" Link offered. Zelda said nothing.
Well, it was worth a shot.
Link stifled another yawn and smiled. "I remembered, see? Right here," he said, "On time."
Zelda frowned. "I had to remind you."
Link balked and cleared his throat. "Yes, but I still remembered what I'd actually promised, right? All you said in the letter was "I hope you remembered" not "here's what you should've remembered"."
Zelda rolled her eyes. "Yah, well, it's not like I expected anything more from you."
Ouch.
"Hey...I-"
"Forget it."
Link's jaw dropped. Uh! She just - but - uh!
"Zelda, come on. I... I'm sorry about yesterday. I don't know what came over me..."
"Me neither." she said icily.
Link growled and shouted, "For crying out loud, Zelda. What do you want from me?"
"I want you to stop acting like a douche-bag, for one!"
Link grit his teeth. "Now, now Zelda," he sneered, "We're on holy ground. You might want to refrain from such nasty language."
She looked ready to hit him, but at this point Link was on the same boat.
"You are such a child!"
"And what about you? I was perfectly happy about five minutes ago, before you opened your trap!"
Zelda made a frustrated sound and Link let out an unintentional snort.
"What!?" she screeched.
Link's lower lip trembled. "Nothing...it's just that you sound like a cute little remlit when you make that noise."
Zelda pursed her lips and after a few long moments, whacked him on the back of the head.
"That's for calling me a bitch," she said.
Link gave her a cautious grin. "Fair enough. What do you get for calling me an asshole and a douche-bag?"
She narrowed her eyes and whacked him again. "That."
Link rubbed the back of his sore head. "I think this is a bit one-sided..." he looked down with a mischievous gleam in his eyes that Zelda recognized well.
"No, don't - LINK!" The boy caught her just before she slipped away, swept her clean off her feet, and tossed the girl over his shoulder like a sack of meat. "Put me down! Link!"
He laughed for what felt like the first time in forever. Zelda struggled lose from his grip and landed on all fours with quite the sour expression on her face. "You jerk!" she shouted, getting to her feet and brushing herself off. "You know how long it took me to make this dress?"
"Long enough, I imagine," he said.
"Har de har har."
Link grinned and after a good long struggle, Zelda caved in.
"Hey, she can smile!"
Aforementioned smile vanished, but the amused twinkle in her ice-blue eyes remained. "No thanks to you," said Zelda, giving her friend a good shove.
"Oh, I'm feeling the love, here." Link chuckled and his eyes caught the strange instrument lying on the tile a couple feet away. She must've set it down before he'd picked her up. "Hey Zelda, what's that?"
"What?" she asked, then following his gaze, brightened. "Oh, that's a harp. You know, they say the Goddess used it to grant wishes to her children. Neat huh? Of course...that's just a replica."
He smiled. "It sure is pretty for just a replica, especially when you play it."
Zelda narrowed her eyes and elbowed him lightly. "Sap."
"The very best."
Zelda muttered, "Or worst..." she paused. "Do you really like my dress?"
Link blinked, then a small smile made its way to his face. "Er...yah, it looks really pretty on you."
Zelda smiled to herself and brushed back a strand of hair. "Hey...do you think maybe-"
"Well aren't you two out here early!"
The teenagers turned around in surprise as the large, beefy Headmaster Gaepora lumbered into The Grove. "Hoohoo! Doth mine eyes deceive me? Is that Link?" The towering, ancient man put one large, plate-sized hand on his head in amazement. "By the Seven Heavens above! What is this rare wonder?" He gave another hearty chuckle and added, "My, My Link, It's so very encouraging to see you up this early, given your capacity for sleep! No doubt today's Wing Ceremony had you too excited to close your eyes for once, I bet!" He let out a couple hearty guffaws at that.
Link grumbled under his breath and Zelda smirked. "Don't get too riled up, father. I sent my bird after him this morning."
He laughed. "Well then! Link, if you win today's ceremonial race, you'll get to participate in the post-race ritual with Zelda, so give it your best out there!"
Zelda's smirk disappeared and in it's place a look of worry that Link had actually begun to miss took it's place. "Father, about that..." she said, biting her lip before blurting out, "I don't know if he can do it!" Link winced and watched the girl wring her hands in frustration. "I mean, Link hasn't been practicing much at all for the ceremony!" She directed a very shrewd gaze at him. "And even when he IS flying, he's just lazily gliding around. Probably daydreaming! I don't know what he's thinking... He's going to have to be in perfect control of his bird to win today!"
Zelda let out a long huff, leaving Link to wonder how long she'd kept this to herself.
Her father smiled appeasingly and raised his arms. "Now, now, no need to worry yourself, Zelda. Though...you may have a point. Today's Wing Ceremony tests the skill of the rider as well as the bond with their bird. Victory will not come easily." The headmaster gave almost an exact copy of the shrewd look he'd received from Zelda earlier. "And, as you pointed out, I haven't seen him practicing as hard as some of the other students."
Link shrunk a little and rubbed the back of his head. He knew what the headmaster expected of him...and that he was a fair man who honored hard work. Thanks Zelda, for putting him on the spot...
"But you've known him since you were very little. You should know better than to fret about him!"
Yah, what he said, Link thought.
"Link and his bird share a very special connection. I've never seen anything quite like it." The headmaster cast his large, wise eyes skyward, where Zelda's loftwing flew alone overhead. Link frowned. ...Where was Scarlet?
"As you know," the headmaster continued, "Each of us in Skyloft is but one half of a pair. We are only made whole by our loftwings, the guardian birds that the goddess bestows upon each of us as a symbol of her divine protection. When we are young, every one of us meets our loftwing in this very place, sheltered in the protection of Her Grace's statue." He chuckled and his eyes became very distant, as if reliving a distant past in those dark, ancient eyes. "It's quite a big moment, as I'm sure you recall. Ahh, but that first moment between Link and his loftwing was extraordinary." He nodded. "The bird that came to him was a Crimson Loftwing. It was a breed so rare that we were sure for some time that it had vanished from the line. Yes, and the boy and his bird seemed to share a profound connection from the moment they met."
Link felt his face flush and he looked away. The headmaster was more in love with the connection between he and his bird than the bond itself, really.
"Do you recall when Link and that loftwing of his first met? What a sight!" He laughed. "The little boy just hopped up on that bird and gracefully flew away, without even a moment of instruction! Truly, they were meant for each other." He gave his daughter a knowing wink. "...And judging by how jealous you were that day, I'd say the friendship he shared with his bird didn't go unnoticed by you, my dear!
Zelda pursed her lips and grinned. Link on the other hand, was focused on that certain "connection". Where the hell was his bird? He couldn't sense her at all...
"Ah, but who can blame you? I'm sure you weren't the only one envious of the powerful bond shared by Link and his bird. Anyone who is a part of something special is bound to catch some nasty looks sooner or later, hoohoo!"
Zelda narrowed her eyes at her father and let out a sharp tisk. "Father, this contest is nothing to laugh at! This ceremony is part of the final test for those training to become knights of Skyloft! If Link doesn't fly fast enough in the race..." Zelda bit her lip and looked down. "What if Link messes up his big chance..." She turned away and whispered, "What if... if he's not allowed to become a knight?"
"Woah, Woah! Calm down, my dear. It'll be fine." The headmaster chuckled and added mostly to himself, "Honestly, it's like you become a completely different person when you worry about Link..."
Zelda turned and with narrowed, steely eyes, pinpointed Link. "Hey! Listen up, Link. You'd better fly your heart out today! At the very least, you need to squeeze in a little practice time before the race!" With that she marched over and snagged him by the sleeve. "Come on," she commanded, "You'll thank me later."
When they came to the platform Zelda cast the sky a worried glance. "All right," she said. "Here we are. Try and practice seriously for once, ok?"
"Zelda..." Link intoned, staring at the drop off and pushing back. He seriously couldn't sense Scarlet ANYWHERE. "Zelda wait, I can't sense my bird!"
She frowned. "Uh huh," she said, "You're just trying to weasel out of practice. Well, you're not fooling me. Off you go!" With that she shoved him off the platform into full free fall.
"Shit! ZELDAAAAA!" For the first time in his entire life Link realized just how dangerous jumping was. He'd never had to worry about it before... As the air screamed past his ears, Link stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Nothing. He tried again. Nothing. He tried again. Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!
"SCARLET!" He screamed. The cloud barrier suddenly seemed much too close.
Wow, she'd killed him after all.
Headmaster Gaepora walked up and looked over the edge, where Link still dropped from the sky like a rock.
"Hmm..." A small look of worry began to creep into his eyes. "His bird sure is taking a long time to get here..."
Zelda froze.
Shoot! Link was telling the truth! But that didn't make any sense...
"Oh goddess! I've got him!" Zelda shouted and dove off the platform. With a long, high whistle her bird, Yurell came swift and true. Zelda spotted Link's diminishing form and pushed her bird into a full nose-dive. "Come on, come on..." It felt like a whole hour had passed when they'd finally caught up to Link. "Yurell!" Zelda screamed over the wind. The bird stuck out it's talons and snagged the falling boy before he disappeared under the clouds. Zelda hugged her birds neck in relief. "Thank the goddess..."
She gave her bird a light squeeze and directed them back up to the island. Link would probably be pissed off...
If he wasn't traumatized.
It took three whole minutes to get back on top, three minutes that cost her bird greatly. With the platform in sight Yurell gave a last, frantic flap, and crashed down in a large pile of bird and people.
Her father raced to the scene. "Are you two all right?"
Zelda nodded, breathless. A few choice words from Link told her all she needed to know. Thank goddess... She looked over to see him, blanched, out of breath, eyes bright with lingering panic, but alive. Yurell let out a pained croak and Zelda turned to face her exhausted bird.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Yurell! I didn't mean to push you so hard... You didn't sprain a wing did you?"
"Sorry...Yurell?" Link said through gasps. "I'm...the one...you almost jumped!"
Zelda pursed her lips. "This bird just saved your life, you could be a bit more grateful!"
"Grateful?" Link panted. "You've gotta...be freaking kidding me..."
Her father helped Link to his feet. "This is very strange..." The headmaster said gravely. "What could have happened to your bird, Link?" The older man looked pensive. "For a bird to ignore the call of its master...It's unheard of!"
He looked down at Link. "You still can't sense your bird nearby, eh?"
Link looked up at the sky with an almost pained expression and shook his head. "I don't know, Headmaster..."
The larger man's countenance became grim. "This is quite a problem... What with the Wing Ceremony about to start..."
"Link," Zelda said softly. He turned around. "I'm sorry I...I didn't believe you."
I could've killed him...
Her friend sighed and shook his head. "It's fine, Zelda..." He looked up and grinned at her. "Second time in two days Zelda. You sure you're not after blood?"
She rolled her eyes and focused her attention back on Yurell. "I'll get you next time, don't worry." she quipped back, checking her bird's wings for any abnormalities. Fortunately, he seemed fine, but she wanted to make sure.
"Link, go on ahead and look for your loftwing. I have to make sure Yurell's all right, but I'll catch up with you as soon as possible, ok?"
Dingaling dingaling dingaling! Dingaling dingaling dingaling!
The trio all looked up in alarm at the sound of the noon bells. The ceremony was about to start!
"My, how did it get so late?" the headmaster said. He furrowed his long, bushy eyebrows and turned to Link. "I believe professor Hornwell is presiding over the ceremony, Link. You should go and explain this situation to him...try to convince him to delay it for a while longer so you can find your bird."
Zelda snorted. "Father, you're the headmaster. If Link asks Hornwell about a delay, he'll just come straight to you!
Her father chuckled. "Ah yes...as usual you're right, my dear. Very well, I'll explain everything to him myself." He gave Link a light pat on the shoulder. "You run ahead and tell him to meet me in my quarters, all right?"
Link nodded and was off.
Author's Note:
Lemme know if I butchered it okay? :D