Zelda stood in the doorway of her father's office and poked her head in. Headmaster Gaepora and the two instructors, Owlan and Horwell, halted their conversation when they noticed her.
"Link has found his Loftwing!" she announced.
"Wonderful, now we can finally begin the ceremony. Why don't you head back to the plaza where the ceremony will be held. Instructor Owlan and I will be there shortly..."
He could see Zelda hesitate for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
"...Is something troubling you, my dear?" asked Gaepora.
"I don't know if you're aware, but Groose has been giving Link a hard time for years, and it's only getting worse. I have absolute certainty that Groose was responsible for the missing Loftwing."
"Hmmm, then I'll be extra vigilant during the race."
"Thank you, father..."
Zelda was barely paying attention anymore.
"Is there something else?"
"Oh...no, it's nothing...I just have a lot on my mind, that's all," Zelda said as she forced a smile. Zelda quickly made her way out of the academy before her father could ask anymore questions.
When she returned, she saw that Groose appeared to be antagonizing Link once again, but Groose was turned away from Link and talking to himself out loud.
"Nobody is stopping me and Zelda from having our special moment alone...duh huh huh huh"
Strich and Cawlin were the first to notice Zelda's presence. They tried to get Groose's attention, and he jumped in surprise when he turned and saw Zelda.
"Care to explain what you meant by 'our special moment alone'?" Zelda demanded, she frowned and furrowing her brows. It took Groose a few seconds to regain his composure.
"Oh, ummm,I'm so glad Link found his Loftwing. I sure am looking forward to a fair race. Anyways, watch me during the race. I'll be the one pulling off all the dangerous moves."
...
When Instructor Owlan and Headmaster Gaepora arrived at the plaza, Link, Groose, Cawlin, and Strich all lined up just a few feet away from the edge of the wooden platform.
"May I have everyone's attention! We are ready to begin the Wing Ceremony! I will be attaching a bird statuette to this yellow Loftwing standing beside me. I will then release the Loftwing to the skies. Whoever can catch up to the yellow Loftwing and bring back the bird statuette is the winner of today's race. The winner will graduate to the next class, bringing him one step closer to knighthood. He will also receive a gift from the young woman chosen to play the role of the goddess in this year's ritual. She has crafted the gift herself. This young woman, as I'm sure you all know, is the lovely Zelda!"
Groose failed to stifle a giggle.
"and I want to see a fair race today. Anyone who is caught interfering with another rider will have to answer to me," finished Owlan.
"That goes double for you, Groose!" Headmaster Gaepora barked.
Instructor Owlan rolled his eyes and continued. "OK, gentlemen, get ready. At my order the race will begin…"
"Go!"
The four participants ran to the edge and jumped off. Zelda watched as Link's Loftwing faded into the distance, becoming a crimson blur. To Zelda, the seconds dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. The same thought kept repeating in her head.
If Link doesn't fly fast enough I'm going to be stuck at the top of the goddess statue with that creep, Groose!
After a few tense minutes she saw Link's Crimson Loftwing approaching Skyloft. Link held the bird statuette high above his head and waved it around victoriously. When Link came close enough, Zelda dove off the ledge to join him on his Loftwing. She felt like a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
"Excellent flying, Link! Congratulations!"
They made their way to the top of the goddess statue on the other side of Skyloft. Once on the statue, Zelda asked Link for the bird statuette and placed it in the alcove of the goddess statue. She took out the harp and played the Ballad of the Goddess. Their Loftwings circled high above them as she played. Then, taking Link's hand in hers, she recited her lines for the ritual.
"Great goddess, guiding light and protector of our people, grant us your blessing and mercy as I act in your stead during the ceremony. Valiant youth who grasped victory at the ceremony. In accordance with the old ways, I now bestow the blessing of the goddess upon you."
She untied the sailcloth from around her shoulders and handed it to Link, neatly folded. A blue Loftwing design was stitched on the front of the simple white cloth.
"The blessings of the goddess drift down from the heavens aloft a sail, which I now give to you. They say the goddess gave her chosen hero a sailcloth just like this one. I made it myself, hoping that you would be this year's winner. I worked really hard to have it finished in time. If I had to give the sail cloth to Groose, I think I'd be jumping off the statue, myself", Zelda laughed and Link smiled back. "Speaking of which, you do know what you have to do next, right."
Zelda took a step towards Link, coming close. She motioned for him to turn around and pointed to the courtyard at the foot of the goddess statue, which was directly below them.
"You have to use the sailcloth to land in the middle of that circle! Come on Link, This is your moment. Let's see how brave you really are."
Before Link had time to respond, she gave him a quick push. Link yelped. Just a few feet from the ground, he raised the sailcloth above his head and safely landed in the center of the circle. Link breathed a sigh of relief as Zelda made her way down on her Loftwing.
Zelda clapped. "That was a perfect landing, Link. You know...seeing how you won today and since the weather is so nice, do you think we could fly around the clouds together for old time's sake?"
...
With the race and ritual completed, Zelda felt herself relax. They flew around near Skyloft on their separate Loftwings. They called to each other loudly so they could hear over the wind in their ears as they reflected on the day's events. With her anxiety fading away, Zelda's thoughts focused on the voice once again. She wondered who the voice belonged to, and how did he know about her? What had he meant when he said he was waiting for her on the surface, and why her? She wanted to bring this up to Link again, hoping he'd believe her this time. If she couldn't convince her best friend, she couldn't convince anyone else.
"Hey, Link...There's something I've been meaning to talk to you abut...," Zelda began, but then she was cut off by a blinding light. A massive dark tornado had suddenly appeared before them.
The sky became unusually dark, and the Loftwings shrieked and flapped their wings violently.
"What's going on!? What is this!?" Zelda screamed, struggling to stay on her Loftwing.
Before she could steer her Loftwing away from the tornado, she felt herself being sucked off the back of her bird and into the funnel. She was falling and falling fast, and then everything went black.
