Hey, hey! We're back with a super fast update! Haha, updating this fast really won't be happening too often once we get into later chapters, but I am on beginning writer's crack WAHAHA! Ahem, anyways, last chapter was a bit backstory heavy, and this one isn't as heavy, but still some details of life in Skyloft. I really think the story begins to pick up here and the next chapter, too (when I write it, hehe). Anyway, enough rambling! Let's get to the story!

"Hey, Link, pass the mashed potatoes!"

Picking up the steaming bowl gently, he passed it over to the beaming face of his sister, Aryll. Giving him a toothy grin, she got a dollop of the mush and smacked it down on her plate.

"Isn't it a bad thing to be losing teeth still at your age?" he laughed when he noticed the gaping hole in her teeth.

"I'm not that old!" she protested. "I'm only a year younger than you are!"

"I'm sixteen, Aryll! That's considered old!"

"I believe age is but a number! The maturity of the person is what proves their age!"

"Well, when you put it that way, you're more like eight years old."

"Hey! I find that offensive!"

"Oh, you kids," their grandmother chuckled. "Neither of you have grown up yet. Just like your father when he was your age."

When Link visited his house on Fridays, dinner usually went this way. They would pass each other food like civilized people, and Link would usually retort about Aryll's age. She would then snap back that she's not that much younger than Link, and their grandmother would look wistfully on and recall a memory of her younger days, as most of the adults in Skyloft tended to do. However, Link loved his grandmother, as she and Aryll were really the only family that he had. His mother and father had died in a Loftwing accident only two years after he was born. Link never really knew his parents well. The only memory he retained of them was the song his mother used to play him; a jaunty, upbeat tune that his grandmother had dubbed "Saria's Song." Sometimes, when he grew very lonely, he would whip out the ocarina his mother used and play it, just to remind him that they truly did exist.

"So Link," his grandmother said, snapping him out of his memories, "your knight's qualification test is tomorrow. How are you preparing?"

"Well, I've been getting a lot of sword practice in," he said with a smile. "I'm getting really good at vertical and horizontal slices, and my jumping skills have really improved. I've also basically mastered the spin attack."

"That's great!" his grandmother beamed. "I always knew you were excellent with a sword. Just like your father! Are you all caught up in your credits as well?"

"Yeah, I guarded some people's houses not too long ago, so I have my knight's credits all filled up. And I've been studying for my classes, so I should get those credits. My Hylian, Mathematics, and Science tests I know I'll ace, but I'm a bit worried about History."

"Oh, I know you'll pass. You always were a straight A student. Besides History."

"Too bad the written tests aren't after the physical tests!" Aryll chirped. "You could have more time to study that way!"

"Aryll, I wouldn't be studying while I was out flying my Loftwing and slicing down enemies! That'd be impossible." He closed his eyes and gave out a small laugh. "Y'know, one of the things I'm afraid of is that I'll get so excited for the physical portion of the knight's qualification test, I won't be able to focus during the written part."

"You'll do fine, I promise!" his grandmother said. "You always do. Just have faith."

The fuzzy, warm feelings resounded throughout the dining room, and dinner continued with more talk of knights, studying, and steak with mashed potatoes. When they were all done with supper, and they were washing the dishes, Link began to grow a bit nervous about the impending trials.

"Y'know, I'm going to go up to the Goddess Statue and pray a bit. For good luck next week."

His grandmother nodded. "Be careful out there. You know how the Remlits get at night. Bring your sword with you; the Keese are getting thicker lately."

Link grabbed his usual practice sword that sat by the front door and bade his sister and grandmother a farewell. He lit a lantern that sat outside their house and made his way over to the statue. He whelped in surprise as something smacked into his shoulder. With a look of horror on his face, he waved the lantern around wildly, trying to see what it was. He groaned; a Keese. His grandmother was right; they were multiplying. He unsheathed his sword and waited with bated breath for the Keese to make its move. When it approached him, he sliced it in half, its carcass falling helplessly on the ground in two. "Mess with me, Keese!" he taunted victoriously. Feeling a bit wary about the predator's appearance, he began to hasten his way over to the statue.

The trek wasn't that long, although climbing up the forbidding stairs twice in the same day was quite the workout. At least this time, there seemed to be music accompanying his journey upwards. By the time he got up to the top, he was clutching his stomach and heaving heavily. "Goddesses, I'm out of shape for being a knight in training," he moaned. Nevertheless, he picked up his lantern and walked through the stone arch that led to the plaza of the statue. He nearly dropped his lantern again when he saw it.

A mysterious figure was standing in front of it, with a gaping hole glaring out of the statue.

Night was falling, and a gorgeous sunset was fading into the horizon of the puffy clouds. This free-floating waterfall really was the best place in all of Skyloft to park an airship, as it was just high enough to stay out of view of the idiots below, and it also came with the best view of the land. Nearby, her motley crew had begun a raucous game of Monster.

"Ya got any Moblins?" Senza said with a smirk.

"Nope. Go fighting." Mako grinned, adjusting his spectacles.

"Drat," Senza muttered, picking up a card from the pile. "Ah, ha! A Stalfos! Just what I needed!" He put down a pair of cards next to him.

"Darn it!" Nudge spat. "I needed that! Fine, do you have any Dodongos?"

"Go fighting," Mako grinned again.

"Agh!"

Tetra rolled her eyes at her crew's growing stupidity. They were on a mission, and her crew thought they would spend their time playing children's card games. They could be doing so much more important things right now. Did they not realize the upmost importance of what they were doing? Perhaps with these items they collected, they could finally stop… him. Tetra clenched her fist at the thought of him. That conniving, evil, foul excuse for a Gerudo. Why, when she got back to Hyrule, she would show him what's what. Make her go into hiding for five years, the nerve.

"Miss Tetra!" Gonzo called from behind his card pile. "Are you going soon? I'll be happy to accompany you! I feel like it'd be best if a big strong man protected you."

"I don't need your help, Gonzo, and if I did need protection, I'd bring along Nudge, not you. Besides, the villagers here are wusses. Skyloft has always harbored the weakest people."

"But I hear there are Keese here!" Gonzo said with a shudder.

Tetra whipped around to give him a stern glare. "After all we've been through for these past years, you're frightened of some measly Keese?" She put her hands on her hips and stared him down.

"I-I don't like Keese," Gonzo muttered. "Give me the willies. With their large, swoopy wings and those gnarly fangs, and ughhh, I just can't stand them."

"More reason for you not to be my bodyguard," Tetra sneered with a roll of her eyes. She squinted her eyes and looked out on the endless sea of clouds. The sunset had nearly vanished. It was time to get going. She removed the red, silk scarf she wore around her neck and tightened it around her mouth. She turned back to her crew. "I'm leaving now," she said. "Nobody leaves the ship, got that?"

"But, Tetra!" Senza exclaimed. "With the cover of nightfall, we can go pilfering around! I hear Skyloft has a great pumpkin harvest here!"

"What, you're not too preoccupied with your game?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been losing all game!" Nudge spat. "I could go for some plundering." The rest of the pirates murmured their agreement.

Tetra groaned loudly and placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh, fine! Just don't cause any trouble or kill anybody! Don't want any more dead souls on my shoulders. And you all better be back by the time I return to my ship, or else I will leave you, you got that?"

"Yes, Miss Tetra!" the crew said in unison. Tetra let out a huff. She did not trust these men at all, but what could she do? As long as they didn't burn down any houses like last time.

"Ten minutes, fifteen tops!" she called. With a small sigh, she picked up the harp that was sitting beside her feet. She climbed down the side of the ship and took out her hookshot. She aimed at a tree located on the ground underneath the waterfall and pulled the trigger. The hookshot sent her shooting down to the ground in a blink of an eye, and she sort of hopped along the ground to regain her balance. Smoothing out her vest and making sure that her harp was still intact, she set off for the gigantic statue in the distance.

Stealthily, she sneaked around the sides of a few buildings and used her hookshot to pass over to some nearby trees. The lights in the houses were starting to go out, and moonlight was quickly becoming her only light. She smirked. Perfect conditions. Tiptoeing over to the island where the statue laid, she surveyed her possible options on how to get over to the statue itself. A long, winding staircase that would be out in the open and would take a rather lengthy amount of time and effort to walk up. Or, perhaps, a tall tree next to the stone pillars that surrounded the statue with a branch outstretched that seemed to beckon her arrival. Well, a pretty obvious decision, she thought. She didn't even need to possess the Triforce of Wisdom to tell which the better option was. Unleashing her hookshot, she latched onto the unsuspecting tree and rocketed up towards the sky. With a light thud, she landed gracefully on the top of the island. With a quick glance around to make sure the coast was clear, she entered the plaza in front of the statue.

It was quite a magnificent sight to behold. From farther down below, the statue seemed merely like a speck, but up close, the statue reigned up at least fifty feet in the air. Well, the more stone, the better protection of the object inside. Noticing a circular platform in the middle of the plaza, she quickly climbed upon it and posed for her daunting task. She whipped out the harp she had been carrying and plucked the strings as warm up notes. A soft, melodic tune emanated from the instrument, and it fired up Tetra's soul. She never got tired of listening to the harp. Clearing her throat, she sang a C major scale and began to sing a song. A quiet, smooth song with powerful meaning behind it, the Ballad of the Goddess was the song that was the key to everything.

"Remember it well," her mother's voice echoed in her head. "One day, it will bring you to greatness."

And greatness it did bring. With the finishing of the song, the statue in front of her began to rumble. A huge stone barrier located at the front of the goddess began to shake violently, and it slowly rolled over to reveal a secret compartment. Tetra's eyes nearly burst with excitement. There, sitting in the middle of the chamber, basking in its entire glorious splendor was the sword of wonders.

The Master Sword.

Link started to hyperventilate. Okay, so a strange person he had never seen before was standing in front of the statue at night and they had just knocked down an enormous hole in the statue. Nothing wrong with that, right? After all, these things happened all the time! Holy Redeads, the Goddess Statue just broke! Oh, Din!

Well, all of Skyloft was going to blame him for the breakage of their national treasure anyway, so might as well stick around and see what this mysterious stranger was up to. Perhaps not his most sound logic.

The mysterious figure darted into the passageway, so Link sidled against the walls to get a closer look without making any noise. On tiptoes, he made his way over to the chamber and latched himself against the side of the statue. Praying to the goddesses that the person wasn't looking towards the entrance, Link stuck his head around the wall to peer into the room.

The mysterious figure was now standing in front of a sword of some sort. It looked rather important, as its hilt was shiny and majestic. The person – was it a girl or boy? He couldn't tell, the face was masked and the hair could go either way – outstretched their arms and grasped the handle of the sword. Taking a deep breath they pulled up on the handle and raised the sword skyward. Or at least, that's what he assumed would have happened had the sword actually been dislodged. This was apparently not according to the thief's plan, as they jumped back, startled. They looked rather taken aback at the sword's lack of cooperation. They grasped the sword again and used all their might to try to unsheathe it again, but to no avail. The person let out a frustrated moan, stepped onto the sword's stand, and began to bounce around comically trying to unsheathe it.

"Why. Won't. You. Come. Out?" they said through exasperated breaths. The reluctant sword refused to budge, and the person plopped down on the ground with a huge heave. "Crummy object," they muttered.

"Well, I guess that just makes my job a whole lot easier then," Link stated triumphantly, standing into the spotlight. The mysterious person flipped around to see Link's smug face. "That's right, try to steal our treasure under my watch, why don't cha?"

The person gasped, and with a flick of their wrist over their head as if they were twirling a lasso, they disappeared into thin air.

"H-hey!" Link stammered. "Wait a second!" That wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to have an epic showdown with this mysterious person! All that remained of them now was the wisps of green smoke, as if a green gale had come and swooped away the person. Link turned around to gaze outside, but it was too dark to see anything. It really looked like that person had vanished. He looked over at the sword still stuck in its holder. A small grin crept up on his face. Well, even if that person failed to get the sword, there was no harm in trying to unsheathe it himself.

Taking a huge breath, Link braced himself over the handle of the sword. The glare off of the sword's magnificent blade was blinding him with all of its glory. Just being near it seemed to exude a sort of glorified atmosphere. He could feel his heart pounding as if it was about to burst right out of his chest. His hands grew clammy, and a drop of sweat slowly trickled down the side of his forehead. He placed a steady hand on the hilt, grasped it tightly, and pulled it up. He couldn't believe it.

The sword unsheathed.

With a triumphant smirk plastered on his face, he raised the sword skyward and let out a mighty guffaw. "I've done it!" he bellowed. "I got the sword!"

And just like that, the moment ended. A slender arm snaked around Link's chest and put an ice cold blade up to his neck, cutting it slightly and allowing a small trickle of blood to fall down.

"If you know what's good for you," the voice hissed in his ear, "you'll leave the sword."

Whoa, snap! Cliffhanger! So, how was it? Please review and let me know! I love reviews, and I'll try to reply to them if you have any questions or anything, or if I just wanna say thanks. :3 Also, as a side note, I love the Zelda music, so I'll often be making references to the songs in my story as well. Case in point, Saria's Song and the Ballad of the Goddess. Anyway, please review!