A/N: I think it's about time to get started with the actual plot. These first few are the chapters you should read and decide, 'do I really want to read a whole story from this author?' Hopefully, the answer will be yes. Enjoy!

§ Chapter 1: Kakariko §

Link landed his crimson loftwing near his home in Kakariko and began unloading the remainder of the supplies he had brought for his afternoon excursion. Just when he had nearly made it inside his home he was stopped by Zelda, much to his annoyance. That's not to say he didn't like her around, he was just tired. It was getting into the later evening, and he had been flying all day. Contrary to the belief of some, this can actually be exhausting. Sure, napping on the back of a bird isn't too bad, but it shouldn't be too hard to understand that even if it wasn't an ebony terror like the one that had started his adventure a short time ago, flying against a tornado was not easy.

It was through these thoughts that her voice pierced, "Hello, Link. How was your day off?"

At least she wasn't asking a favor or anything. "It was really nice and relaxing. At least until the twister," he replied, hoping to satisfy her curiosity and end the conversation quickly.

"That's good. Yeah, those cyclones can be pretty exciting. You definitely deserved a break. Anyway, I'm glad I found you here. I was wondering if you could do something for me," she said, ruining both his relief and hope from just before.

Link was typically fairly quiet, choosing to allow his actions to speak for him; however, Zelda could usually coax him to use his vocal chords. She wasn't especially convincing, he was just comfortable around her and knew that she preferred it when he spoke. That said, he was still drowsy and in want of sleep, so he responded, "unless it's an emergency, I'd really appreciate it if it could wait until morning. I'm actually very tired."

Understanding his position, she nodded, "I'll let you get to bed then. Goodnight, Link!"

"Night, Zelda," he said, and promptly walked into his house, still carrying the last of the supplies from earlier.

And with that the conversation was over, and he was finally able to get his much needed sleep.

Link was awoken by his bird, as per usual. As he began to get ready for the day ahead, he tried to remember what he was supposed to do today. He knew there was something, but-

"Link! Are you ready to help search the caves?" Oh right.

He turned to the mayor of Kakariko and nodded. When the Statue of the Goddess fell to the earth, many decisions had to be made about what to do next. As the people of Skyloft had always been followers of the Hylia and she had decided to stay on the surface, it only made sense that they would come with her. In addition to this, Hylia had only placed them in the sky to keep them safe from the danger that had been conquered through the falling of her statue, so there was no longer reason for them to be so elevated. Lastly and weightily, the leader of Skyloft, Gaepora, just happened to be the father of Hylia's mortal form, so it made sense that he would push for the group to follow. Given that they were no longer to live in the heavens, they needed to figure out what to do, what to call themselves, and where to live.

The first two questions were easily answered. They would do pretty much what they did before. Grow food, make items, trade at markets, and build back up their small civilization. They elected to call themselves Hylians after the Goddess they served.

The last question took a little work. Due to his adventures, Link clearly was the most experienced with the surface, so they left that up to his discretion. He was looking to settle in Faron, because it generally seemed to be the most hospitable environment. Soon, however, he changed his mind. The entirety of Faron was liable at any moment to be flooded as the dragon of the same name saw fit. Once he realized this, he immediately moved on to his alternatives. That left Lanayru and Eldin. Lanayru couldn't support a population. It was a desert. It simply wouldn't work. Eldin, despite its harsh conditions, seemed quite promising. The land, although difficult to work with, was not totally barren like Lanayru. Its dragon also seemed less subject to destructive whims than the forest province's did. Also, some of the caves offered a refuge in case of an eruption (though the right caves would have to be very carefully selected) or even in case of an attack. Which brought Link to the current situation. In order to make use of the caves, the town had asked Link to assist in scouting them thoroughly (not that he hadn't already).

Link fairly lazily led the party through the caves that would be safe to turn into parts of their new town and steered them away from those caves which connected to the volcanoes magma chamber and would fill up during an eruption. The band, much to his annoyance, started at every little Keese, and they nearly bailed at the sight of a Bokoblin. As typical, Link disposed of them without a second thought or a moment's hesitation. The ease at which he vanquished his opponents gave his little group a bit of confidence, and they seemed to be a lot less anxious by the end of the voyage. Even so, he was glad to not be responsible for them any longer.

"How was the trip?" Zelda asked the returning troop.

Gaepora spoke up, "It was quite helpful. I'm quite certain now that Link made an excellent decision in picking this area for our new village. We'll probably begin utilizing the caves as early as next week."

"That's great," Zelda replied, noting Links facial expression during the exchange. "Link, why don't you come with me? We haven't talked very much recently. You've been so busy!"

Always glad to postpone his responsibilities when he could afford it, Link acquiesced to her request.

When they were sufficiently far away as to feel some privacy, Zelda inquired, "So what were you scowling about while my father was talking?"

Link smirked and answered, "So you were looking at me during that, huh?" He paused to let her blush a bit but continued before she could start a defense, "The entire group was cowardly. They were afraid of Keese. Keese! We had those in Skyloft! And he seemed a little surprised to say that I was right. Why wouldn't I have been right?"

Zelda looked at him with a mix of consolation and reprimanding and said, "They weren't exactly our top knights or anything. They were volunteers because all our knights are needed to help build the houses and marketplace. And as to my father being surprised, it only makes sense. No matter how trustworthy the source, it's difficult to believe that the foot of a volcano could be a better choice than a fertile forest for settling. You can't really blame him for that one.

Link sighed, "I guess, but it still was annoying."

"And for the record, I just glanced over. I wasn't fixated on you or anything like that," Zelda said, choosing to retaliate to his previous comment at the risk of bringing up the topic. Fortunately for her, he let it go.

"I just wish I didn't have to spend my day doing something that felt so useless and unproductive," Link stated.

"Well, I might have something for you that's more important and worth doing," Zelda segued.

Link just sent a tired and questioning glance at her to signal that she should continue.

"Groose hasn't come back from the Sealed Grounds yet. He was supposed to be gone only for one night, and it's been three. I was wondering if you could go check on him," Zelda fielded the task, gauging his reaction.

He slumped his shoulders and gave another sigh. More things to do. Just what he wanted.

"Tomorrow. He can take care of himself, and I'm too tired of people right now to make the effort."

"Alright, but you have to go before noon," she instructed, "You can't sleep 'till dinner time."

He thought about the usefulness of arguing her statements, but ended up just accepting the rule and heading to bed. It wasn't very late, but like he said, he was tired of people. Looking ahead, he was potentially going to have to deal with Groose for a long time tomorrow. He would need the sleep.

A/N: If you notice any typos, I'd appreciate if you'd point them out. Not only would you be doing something to help me out with the story, but you'd also have something easy to review about. You wouldn't have to take the time to leave a thought out comment or even to type a good/bad job. You'd just have to copy and paste the offending text. But also, it'd be great if you left a thought out comment or typed a good/bad job. I hope you enjoyed it!