Chapter Eleven
We soar up through the air, everything blurred, distorted and orange. Very orange. I find myself screaming. Then there's a ringing sound and we're spit out of the column of light, sent tumbling to the ground. We all scream louder. I brace myself for the impact on the ground that will kill me for sure...
...But instead I hit the back of a ginormous yellow bird. No, not just a bird, a Loftwing. Definitely not expected, but welcomed non-the-less. I look around me. Navi flutters nearby, and Link and Sheik are on Loftwings too. Sheik has a blue one, and Link's riding a crimson colored one, just like his Loftwing in Skyward Sword. They're all frazzled and gaping at something in the distance. I turn and my jaw drops too. A huge island floats in midair directly in front of us. Skyloft. The actual Skyloft. I can't believe it.
The birds fly us over to it and land. We all hop off, marveling at the city before us. Although it's obviously ancient and has long been abandoned it's still the same Skyloft that I have memorized from Skyward Sword. We stand in the plaza right next to the Light Tower. I can see the residential quarters and the Bazaar from here, as well as the Knight Academy in the distance. Water still flows from the waterfall and Loftwings, though none have riders, fly above us. It's amazing, but sad at the same time. In the game, music plays as you walk around, and you can easily find residents. Now it's quiet and I'm positive we're the only people here.
"Is this..." Link starts.
"Skyloft?" I finish for him. "Yep. This is where the Triforce and the Master Sword were hidden by Hylia and where the first Link grew up. Then when he defeated Demise he and Zelda and the rest of the residents of Skyloft made permanent residence on the ground and founded Hyrule."
"It's incredible," Sheik says walking over to the Light Tower and gazing up. "This city must be thousands of years old. I can't believe it's in such good shape. You'd think it'd be falling apart."
"I guess the goddesses have been taking care of it," Link goes over and stands by Sheik. "If this place is a temple than it should be sturdy enough to not kill us the minute we touch it. The monsters will take care of that later."
A temple. Uh oh. Out of all the Skyward Sword dungeons Sky Keep was by far the most confusing. All that rearranging rooms made me beyond frustrated. I'd really rather not have to go through that temple all over again. But, then again, at the end of the game the Statue of the Goddess and Sky Keep fell to the ground and fit back into the Sealed Grounds, killing the Imprisoned. I look over to where the statue would be, and it's not there. Just as I thought. Is Skyloft itself the dungeon?
The answer comes soon when a burst of green light explodes in front of us. We all jump and turn around. A woman, very similar to Nayru but this time dressed in green, stands before us. Farore, the goddess of courage. Link and Sheik bow to her, and I follow.
"Welcome heroes." She says. "This is the home of your ancestors, the Triforce, and the sword you now hold Link." She turns to me. "And to answer your question, no, Skyloft is not the dungeon. At least, not the Skyloft we stand in." Wait she can read minds?
"Does that mean that we're going to go back in time to when this place was inhabited?" Sheik interrupts. Under her gaze he suddenly realizes that he never put his scarf back on. He reaches for it but Farore's voice stops him.
"Do not bother, Sheikah. I have already seen you. There is no need to cover the handsome face of a future king." Sheik looks down at his boots.
"We're going to go back in time and I'm going to meet another me?" Link looks a little panicked at the thought.
Farore smiles. "Do not fret Hero, you will not need to time travel."
Navi flutters over. "Then what other Skyloft is there?"
The goddess looks at me again. "I believe Nicole knows." Me? "I will give you a hint," Farore stage whispers. "It is not in this realm."
It isn't? I think for a second.
Wait...
Oh no...
"Nicky are you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Link says.
"Not quite but pretty darn close," I whisper. I look back to Farore. "Please please please tell me I'm wrong."
She gives me a sympathetic smile. Dang it, I am right. "That depends child, what do think I meant?"
"The Silent Realm?"
She nods. Oh no.
"The Silent Realm?" Link asks. "What's that?"
"A very scary place where I got you killed a few times," I answer. He looks a little startled, so I add, "But it was only your spirit, so you didn't technically die, you just got beaten by a Guardian with a big club." That didn't make it sound any better. "But I got better each time!"
"I don't like the sound of this place," Navi says.
"Yes, child, you are right." Farore says. "You must go through the Silent Realm. Skyloft is the dungeon you all fear, but not in this realm. In the Silent Realm, this city is different. Guardians and Watchers inhabit it, and they also guard the next Sacred Weapon."
"What are Guardians and Watchers?" Navi asks nervously.
"I am sure Nicole would be happy to explain the functions of the Silent Realm and its inhabitants." Actually I'd rather not, thank you very much.
"Just a quick question your goddessness," Sheik holds up his hand. "How many more Sacred Weapons does Link need?"
The goddess turns to Link. "How many have you collected?"
"Five." Link answers. "The bow and arrows, a Clawshot, a bomb bag, the Beetle, and the Hylian Shield."
"You have collected all the minor Sacred Weapons. Now you must collect the three Sacred Weapons that were left by three chosen heroes."
"Links who came before me?"
"Yes."
"One more question," I say nervously. "None of this sounds like it would happen in the game. And that's because it doesn't, does it?"
Farore hesitates. "It is complicated to explain what happened when you entered this world. You rewrote Link's destiny, his quests and the outcome. Yes, none of this will appear in your game. But right now, this is the only way Link will be able to defeat Ganondorf. Even my sisters and I cannot change things back to the way they were supposed to be. These Sacred Weapons were not intended for Link to find. He now needs to do things involving the past that before would not have been necessary. You have changed everything."
But is that good or bad?
"I will leave you now to explore Skyloft, experience what your ancestors called home, and where your legacy began, Link. You may also study what terrain you will up against when you enter the Silent Realm. When you are ready, thrust your sword into the Trial Gate." She waves her hand and a big, glowing blue flower-like mark appears on the ground. "You will all be taken there. You will need your courage to survive, for you will not be sent in spirit, but as a whole. If you die there, you are lost to this realm as well. Take care, and good luck!" With that she disappears in a shower of green sparks.