A/N: Since I'm doing the gratitude crystals sidequests, I made a little change here. Those that you normally get from cleaning up Pipit's house, Knuckles gets from the hand in the toilet, which means when the time comes to help Cawlin out, there's only one way it can go - and I have plans for that, of course.
Also, Groose's appearance is going to be just slightly different. It worked better this way, and I didn't feel like rewriting it a fourth time.
As I left through the now cleared main entrance of the Temple of Time, I saw the familiar face of Gorko the Goron hurrying along. It looked like he'd only just got here and had missed all the action – which was probably just as well, because otherwise he'd have heard my Hero remark, and who was I to take away all his fun of discovering Skyloft?
"Oh, hey Gorko," I said as we met. "Told you I'd find another way in, didn't I? I'd have told you, but once I found myself on this side of all that rubble, I thought it was the least I could do to clear it out the way for you."
Gorko managed to look increasingly more astonished as I talked, and finally managed, "That great crash? That was you?"
"Yeah, I mighta got a bit carried away," I admitted. "But it's clear now. I've had a quick look about, but I need to be somewhere else – so you go ahead and look about Gorko. Least I can do for you, eh?"
"I wish I had more time to do so! As it is, I must be back at the Sealed Grounds soon, so I'm going to be very busy!"
Oh, joy. Good old Gorko the Goron would use my time in the sky to conveniently be where I was going to be. So I decided to check something.
"Gorko, while I think of it," I said, as if it was only just occurring to me. "You haven't met another guy wearing a tunic and such like me have you? A human I mean. Blonde hair, a bit scatterbrained at times, goes by the name of Link."
"You know Link?" Gorko exclaimed. "He's a fine archaeologist too you know – but he never speaks of you! His intuition is what always sends me to the places I go, and there's always something to see when he does!"
Yeah – me.
"Next time you see him, will you tell him from me that the crystals gave me a headache? He'll know what I mean," I told Gorko. "As it is – you know how it is. I gotta get going."
Gorko didn't waste any time heading further in to see what he could learn. It hadn't been the most productive conversation, but it had explained why he always turned up wherever I was.
"One of these days Link, you and I are going to have words about this," I muttered, though I didn't really have any expectation to hear back from him. Since he didn't appear to be around in person after looking around, I made use of Gorko's distraction to use the bird statue right inside the walls and headed back up to the sky. Any last annoyance I had after Ghirahim's appearance faded the moment I got back on my Loftwing.
Alright, so I love to fly. Stop calling me out on it. You'd have loved it too if you'd been able to experience it like I did.
When I finally did return to Skyloft it was definitely getting late, and since I'd been busy for some time now, the first thing I did was go and take a rest in my room – it was still my room, even though I'd actually graduated from the Knight Academy. I could have slept just about anywhere – that's a knack of mine – but since I had the room...
I did make a side-trip though. On the way, I heard some odd sounds coming from, of all places, the toilet. Which had a hand sticking up out of it. I didn't want to think about why there was a hand sticking out of it, or who was on the other end of that hand, but I gathered by asking the hand that there was a woman down there – or at least the voice sounded female – and she wanted paper. Which I went and got for her, getting me five gratitude crystals, and a powerful urge to go and wash.
Incidentally, that urge also led to me finding out that Gaepora sings in the bathtub. Off-key, and clearly audible several doors down. Since no one was going to get any sleep with that going on, I decided to also go pay a visit on Batreaux, who rewarded my diligence with the crystals with a larger wallet, one that could store up to a whole thousand rupees (which I'd need given how many of them I found...).
When it finally got late enough that Gaepora's singing was over with I actually at last managed to get some probably long overdue rest. And a lot of sand out of my clothes.
During the morning I found Fledge in the Academy, making use of the peace while Groose was busy being distracted by something, and Cawlin and Stritch were elsewhere. This being Fledge, I wasn't surprised that he didn't go looking to find out what, he wouldn't have wanted to change the peace he got. He did confide that he was also trying to train, but he was also getting out of breath a lot.
"Why not go down to the bazaar then?" I suggested. "There's potions there, I'm sure they'll have something to help you, and while the trio aren't bothering you, what better time?"
"But I..." Fledge started then hesitated. "You really think I should?"
"Of course. Just imagine what they'll think when they realize you've put this time to good use, and they find out they can't bully you any more." It was probably the best encouragement I could give him.
I even left him some of my own rupees to make sure he had some, which he protested he couldn't take until I pointed out that I frequently had more than I could make use of, and if they did him more good than me, he was welcome to them. It's always hard to get Fledge to accept a gift like that, but once you get the hang of wording things right, it gets a bit easier.
I did, however, have to agree to go with him to the Bazaar to get it. I suppose I can't really blame him for that, he was after all terrified people would laugh if they knew he tired out quickly. I imagine the only reason he confided in me was because I'd defended him before.
While we were there I paid a visit to the various stalls myself, noticing that when I stopped by the Item Check, Peatrice was definitely looking more lively. Actually I think she thought I was interested in her given that I stopped by even when I didn't need to. It might explain something that happened much, much later on, anyway. While I was there I retrieved the other shield, on the basis that I didn't know what was going to happen next, and it might be more useful.
Besides restocking on bombs and getting a new bomb bag (I discovered while I was there that Dark had nicked mine again before we'd parted ways) there wasn't actually anything new here yet. I'd check in with Gondo later, since he'd left a sign up saying he was away from his counter.
Once Fledge had gone back to his room to hide the potions he bought, and probably go ahead and start training again while he was there, I paid a visit on Beedle's... that place. I'm not doing this again, alright? It's an airship and it's a shop, and I'm not tangling my tongue just trying to say it the way he wanted people to say it.
He had an extra pouch to add to the one I already had, at double the price of the last one too. I'd have made mention of it if I wasn't practically independently wealthy just from Heroing alone. He also had another partly filled heart container, added to the rest. And somehow, I still had more rupees than I knew what to do with.
I could have stuck around in Skyloft for a while, but after spending the night and doing a few of the various heroic side-quests Link leaves around for us to do, I thought that maybe I should at least go have a look at the Sealed Grounds and see why Impa had told me to go visit her probably-future self.
Except, on the way down, something caught my attention. Or rather, someone. Groose, practically screaming as he fell beside me with a look of terror on his face. Without a damn parachute, the idiot.
"Knuckles!" he yelled over the sound of rushing air. "Do something!"
"I wouldn't have to if you hadn't decided to follow me!" I retorted. Groose didn't answer, probably being more concerned with the ground below. Fortunately for him, this wasn't the first time I'd ended up in free fall, and I knew how to manage without the parachute Zelda had given me. I managed to pull up just far enough to reach him and hand over the folded, fluttering cloth.
"Don't lose it – I want it back!"
"What about you?"
"Never mind me, watch yourself you damn fool!"
That got his attention. I fell back on my usual means of flight – well, gliding, close enough – to slow myself down, keeping a close eye on Groose. If he didn't manage to sort himself out in time, I was going to have to help him, and I wouldn't have long to do it.
He did however manage to get the parachute open and land safely, if roughly, tumbling and ending up colliding with a rock, only just in time to see me glide safely down to the ground and retrieve the parachute.
"You blundering idiot, what the hell did you think you were doing following me?!" I burst out.
"What else was I supposed to do with you zipping in and out all the time ever since Zelda disappeared!" Groose retorted in kind. He almost got up another sentence, but the heavy footsteps of Gorko, wandering past while lost in a map, distracted him. "What... what is that thing?"
"Him? Oh, that's Gorko. He's a Goron."
Groose stared after Gorko, then since I'd stopped berating him – for the moment, anyway – and his head had cleared, he started looking around.
"What is all this.. everything... it's so... so... wild! What... just what is this place?"
"Faron Woods, or a part of it. I think this part is called the Sealed Grounds. Next question?"
I think my calm manner surprised him more than anything else, so I continued, "Look, you knew I wasn't from Skyloft. This is nothing compared to some of the places I've been Groose. It's just a surprise because like everyone else in Skyloft, you thought the sky was all there was. There aren't many people down here, so everything is wild and natural. It's not so bad once you get used to it.
Groose just stared at me in shock.
"Look, if you're going to be down here, you might as well just trust me and stick with me, whether you like me or not. I've been here before, and you haven't. We'll see about getting you back to the sky later, I've got errands to run down here first."
"Errands? You mean you're going to see Zelda, don't you?" he demanded.
"I only wish. Zelda and I are... part of something bigger. Why do you think that Link dragged me over here? We were separated, she's... somewhere... I'm hoping to find out exactly where from someone I'm going to see here, and I've got things that need to be done, not just for her, but for the world. Above and below the clouds," I added.
"But Zelda-"
"She's OK. Or at least she was last time I looked. It's kind of complicated Groose, and making sure she's safe is something I've been doing this whole time. I know finding out what's down here and everything is a shock to you, but I need to be moving, and until you can handle yourself down here, you need someone to guide you. So come on, I'll try to answer your questions on the way."
"On the way where?"
"There's a ruined temple here where an old woman named Impa is waiting for me. I need to tell her about something that happened over in the Lanayru Desert, which if my suspicions are correct, she already knows and just needs me to say 'it happened just yesterday', and she'll tell me what to do next. I hope."
"You hope?" Groose asked, aghast. "You don't know?"
"It happens to me a lot," I shrugged. "Comes with being a Hero. And believe me, I didn't get much choice in that either. Blame Link for that. You'll recognise him, he looks like me, just human. He's probably around here someplace."
"What have I got myself into?" he muttered to himself. "Listen, Knuckles. Just where is this temple place you're on about?"
"Give me a moment, I've got a map of the place here. I'll show you the route we'll take."
I probably should have been paying attention to the sudden change in his voice, but with everything going on, and his suddenly dropping in... so I showed him the map, pointed out the places.
"Right. Well, thanks for this Knuckles. I'll go see this old woman you mentioned, she'll tell me what has to be done to find Zelda and-"
"Hold up there big guy," I interrupted. "First of all, you don't know what you need to tell her. Second, you don't have what Zelda gave me last time I saw her. No I'm not telling you what it is, I don't trust you not to try to get it off me." Groose gave me a guilty look. "Thirdly, you noticed this place is wild? There's monster activity here, and I noticed you didn't bother with a sword." He looked even more guilty. "Finally, I'm still stronger than you are, and if you decide to make a fool of yourself, I can still backhand you again. I know a place that's almost as good as the steps on my island."
"Alright, don't beat me over the head with it, Knuckle-head! I get the idea! But if you've done anything with Zelda-" he stopped, largely because I raised a fist.
Most people will know I object to being called to Knuckle-head, or don't usually let it pass easily. I let Groose get away with it because I had just bullied him into doing things my way, and he needed something to feel better about. Don't try it yourself.