Chapter Five: Missing
The dream started in a dark wood, with bright bark and lively leaves swaying just slightly in the breeze. It didn't look to be that unpleasant a place, but there was some stillness here, some darkness that made Link's scalp prickle as he watched the scene unfolding before him. He took a few steps forward, looking through the undergrowth and wondering where he was. He'd never seen so many trees before, and none so large as this. They were slightly twisted in shape and seemed wild, nothing like the plants of the Skyloft. The grass too was a darker shade of green than he had ever seen.
A hush seemed to fall suddenly, and then the earth quaked violently. The ground split between his feet, opening a giant scar into the ground and revealing the world beneath, dark and full of malice. Link felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched, and suddenly a great shape loomed out of the hole, reaching towards the sky and opening its terrifying mouth. Link could only stare at the colossal creature and as it stepped out of the hole in the ground.
It rose towering over the trees with a deep guttural roar, shaking the earth and air along with it. Its mouth was a livid red and filled with at least three rows of razor sharp teeth. Even when its mouth closed the first row of bottom teeth rose well beyond its lips. It had no eyes and was covered in slick black scales, with huge white toes. Dark smoke rolled off the creature in waves, and Link felt dread looking at the creature. He knew he was dreaming, but this felt real.
It shook its great head, black fire seeming to rise from its back. It let out a few roars, as if trying to shake a thought from its head. Then it raised its head straight up and let out a roar that rent the heavens, full of a challenge against the gods themselves. It shook the ground and blasted Link with the sound, and then it went dark.
Link found this terrifying. It wasn't the safe dark of his home or the Skyloft, it was the pure darkness of the unknown. He heard the creature moving in front of him and waited, holding his breath in terror. He didn't want for it to find him or see him. But he knew too, that darkness was its domain. It was going to see him.
A bright green light seemed to surround him for a moment, teleporting him elsewhere. He opened his eyes and looked around. It still seemed black, but it wasn't darkness. It was just empty. He could see his own hands beside his body as he waited. He suddenly got the feeling of being watched again, like something was going on. That same presence from his dream before was here, but there was another too, one that he feared. He looked around, trying to catch his bearings.
The huge creature from before appeared before him, roaring and towering above him. He felt dread running through him again and gasped as he looked up, trying to figure out what was going on. What was he supposed to do? But before he could bolt away, a bright light came from above.
He shielded his eyes as a bright purple light came from above, the same from the dream before. He looked up as much as he could, but he could only vaguely make out the shape of a female body above him. The creature let out soft roars, moving its head back and forth as if it too was dazed by the bright light. And the metallic voice came from above, softly and assuredly.
"Rise Link..." the voice said. "The time has come for you to awaken...You are fated to have a hand in a great destiny and it will soon find you...The time has come for you to awaken...Link..."
The evil creature though seemed to awaken from its own daze, and before Link could really wonder what the voice meant, it roared again and the light faded. Link flinched and took a step back from the sudden lack of light, and another roar announced that the creature was furious. He looked up, but within the creature's roar came the cry of a Loftwing. He looked over his shoulder, trying to figure out what was going on.
The creature's roar faded and he turned around, finding himself face to face with Peleca. She opened her beak and gave another cry.
Link fell out of bed in surprise into the floor, getting woken up rather rudely. He hit his head again, but it only smarted a little. He was glad he hadn't done too much damage to his head yesterday. He looked around first, noticing that there was silence. It was his room. He wasn't alone in some darkness. He was safe and it was the same surroundings that he had known for years. And yet the dream still haunted him. He shook his head to relieve himself of the dream and felt annoyed.
He looked up and found that Balaen must have left already, because it was Peleca who was looking at him from above. The purple Loftwing watched him a moment to be sure he was awake, and then spat a letter at him. With her task complete, she pulled her head out of the window, which closed it with a bang, and then took off. A few purple feathers floated down to the ground as Link grumbled a little and grabbed the letter.
He stood, rubbing his head, and knowing that he guessed it was time he'd get up anyway. It was already around mid morning if he was thinking correctly, and he didn't have time to be slacking off. Today was the day of the Wing Ceremony after all. He supposed that Balaen had recovered and was no longer worried for his health. He wasn't hanging outside his window and watching him. He took that as a good sign and turned his attention to the letter.
It was addressed to him but only by name, but he recognized the beautiful and flowing font that Zelda loved to use so much. Peleca also confirmed that the letter was from Zelda. Glad to forget the strange dreams and warnings he pushed them from his mind to address the letter. He opened it and pulled out the letter, which was a thin parchment that was covered in the same tidy and pretty scrawl. It read like this:
Hey sleepyhead. I know how much you like to sleep in, so I'm guessing this letter will be your alarm clock this morning. Did I guess right?
Rise and shine, Link! Today's the Wing Ceremony! You promised to meet me before it starts, remember? You'd better not keep me waiting.
- Zelda
He tilted his head a moment and gave a small crooked smile, knowing that though some might have read the letter as rude, it was written teasingly and playfully. Zelda was just that kind of person. She was kind and had a personality that was all her own. They were best friends like they had been for years. He couldn't imagine a day without her. With a smile he put the letter back in the envelope and put it on his bed side table.
This done he pulled on his boots and smoothed out his hair, deciding that he didn't really need to change. He didn't really have that much clothes, not many people did. Many clothes was a luxury of the rich, and he was just a student of the Academy. He turned instead and quickly exited the room, closing the door behind him and rushing down the hall and noticed that Fledge trying to pick up some barrels near the door. Link felt a smile and some amusement as he watched. Fledge was way too small to pick something like this up, but he was trying. Link ran up to him.
"Do you need some help?" Link asked.
Fledge turned around and smiled at him, giving him his usual and somewhat bashful look. Link just gave him a bright smile. Flege's smile soon disappeared though and he seemed worried. Link knew why though. Timid though he usually could seem he was a good friend.
"Is it okay for you to be up?" he asked. "You did hit your head in a flying accident yesterday."
"I'm fine," Link replied with a smile. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt anymore. Besides Balaen is off somewhere so I'm sure he agrees."
At the mention of the bird Fledge's face fell drastically. He seemed very upset and he looked anywhere but right at Link. Link's smile dripped away from his face as he watched him. Now it was Link's turn to be concerned. Why would he look like that? What was he not telling him? He watched him a moment, trying to read him.
"Fledge?" Link asked. "What's wrong." Fledge jumped as if he had been slapped.
"N-Nothing," Fledge cried in a voice that was far too high. "It's nothing. I'm just...tired..."
Link knew that Fledge was lying there was no way that he could be telling the truth. He knew Fledge far too well to think he was just tired as he said he was. He however decided to let it be. It didn't seem like he was going to tell him what was going on, and Link didn't like to make him overly worried. He'd rather pretend everything really was alright then make Fledge say something that he didn't want to. He smiled again.
"Really?" he asked, playing along. "Maybe you're the one who shouldn't be walking around." Fledge smiled at the joke, seeming to return to normal with a relieved look in his eyes. As long as Link didn't suspect or bring it up he wouldn't worry about it.
"Today's the big Wing Ceremony, right?" Fledge asked. "I wanted to fly too, but I...I didn't make the cut, so I'm stuck back here at the Academy. Plus, I've got to move these barrels over to the kitchen. I was hopping to at least be able to cheer you on, Link, but...I guess that's just the way it goes. Go out there and wow them buddy!"
A look of horror almost seemed to pass over Fledge's face when those words left his mouth, and his eyes fell to the floor again. Now Link really was concerned. What was going on? He just decided it would be better to pretend he hadn't seen though. He managed a smile and nodded.
"Of course," he said. "You can count on me to do that. But first..."
Fledge gave Link a perplexed look as he just smiled and walked over to the second barrel. Link picked it up and hoisted it over his head. It was heavy, and he had no idea what was inside it but it was a little hard to carry. But with as heavy as this thing was it would soon wear out his stamina if he tried to carry it right to the old lady in the kitchen. But he could manage if he was careful.
"Aww, thanks," Fledge said, a little surprised. "I didn't think you had time to help me out. But is it okay for you to be carrying this?"
"It's no problem," Link said with a smile. "Besides you don't have to worry over me so much."
"Really?" he asked, then he smiled. "Thanks! Ok so... I need you to carry one of these barrels to the old lady who works in the kitchen. But we'll get into huge trouble if either one of these barrels break."
"I've got it," Link laughed. "Don't worry."
With that, Link turned and began trudging towards the kitchen. It wasn't far away, but it was taxing on his strength. He set his face into a determined expression and took it one step at a time. He managed to make it to the kitchen door and carefully swung inside so he wouldn't drop his cargo. By this time the barrel was beginning to grow heavier and heavier, but he continued to trudge onwards.
He got most of the way through the dining area before he was forced to put the barrel down and take a short rest. He breathed heavily for a while, trying to calm his searing lungs. Whatever was inside these barrels was enough to feed the entire Academy. He supposed that was the general idea but he didn't know why they were that heavy.
Link picked the barrel back up again soon and trudge he way over to the kitchen. He soon came to a small set of wide and low stairs, but he still took it carefully. He didn't want to drop his barrel now that he'd almost gotten it where it needed to go. He soon found himself at the top and made his way over to the short old lady who was busy cooking already. She was thought of as mean or rude by many people, but Link knew she was just getting on in years and had too many pranks pulled on her. Her name was Henya, and he was one of the few he knew this. He walked over to her and set the barrel down, gaining her attention. She turned to him.
"What's all this?" she demanded. "I thought I told Fledge to carry that! Bah, it's probably for the best...that skinny boy would probably have gotten flattened." Then she smiled and gave him a sweeter tone that she usually used. "Say...don't you have some important ceremony today? Hmph! Well, thanks for the help."
Link just smiled and nodded as he turned and hurried back to Fledge. Link was one of the few young men in the Knight Academy that treated Henya nicely or with respect, and she had always been soft on him (at least by her standards) after his parents had died. She always gave him extra desert or meals, and he just smiled and helped her when she asked. He liked helping people after all.
Soon he crossed the threshold to the dinning room and hurried over to Fledge, who was busy trying to pick up the other barrel again. Link just paused by his side and gave him a smile. Fledge quickly stopped what he was doing and turned to Link, also giving him a smile.
"Thanks," he said. "That was a huge help, Link! I know it's not much, but here's half of the pay the old lady offered to me to do that." He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a red rupee. Link just laughed.
"No I don't want your money," he said. "You know I don't take money."
"Y-yeah but," Fledge said. "I owe you big time..." His face again fell, and Link again paused. But Fledge wiped the look away and held up the rupee again, meeting Link's eyes. "Besides, you never know when you'll need rupees. Best to be prepared. Take it Link, I won't let you say no."
Link watched Fledge a moment, but he seemed oddly determined. Link had never really seen him look at him like that before, so he knew he was serious. Still, a red rupee was worth twenty rupees, and he wasn't sure he wanted that much money. But seeing he wasn't going to be able to convince him otherwise he sighed and accepted it, slipping it into his wallet. Fledge's face instantly lit up.
"I have to hang back and watch the Academy today," Fledge said. "Good luck with the Ceremony Link!"
Fledge seemed to grow nervous again, but Link decided by now that he wasn't going to tell him what was going on. He just sighed and nodded, then turned and hurried out the door of the Academy before he could voice any more concerns. Outside he shut the door and let out yet another sigh. Today seemed to be going oddly. First he kept having dreams of some great destiny, but he didn't have a clue what that could mean. Now Fledge was acting strangely and saying that he owed him. He felt like something was going on, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out what.
"Hey," a voice called. "Link! Up here!"
Link looked up to see the familiar face of Professor Horwell who was a tall man with slightly darker skin than was usually seen around Skyloft. He had long ears and brown eyes, but he was smiling now kindly. Link smiled back and stepped out a bit so he could see him better. Horwell was on the second story, where the higher level was that led towards the goddess statue. That's where he needed to go meet Zelda. But it was rude to ignore the professor, and he had time.
"Hello professor," Link replied.
"It's good to see you up again," Horwell replied. "I'm glad no harm came to you because of your fall. But today's finally the day of the long awaited Wing Ceremony! Are you feeling ready?"
"Never felt more ready," Link replied with a smile. Horwell laughed.
"Good good," he replied. "Oh I just remembered. There's something I'd like to ask you about. Oh but it's a little silly to carry on a conversation from this distance. Why don't you come join me up here?"
Link grinned and turned, looking towards a stack of two crates. There were two crates stacked where someone leaping could easily reach the beam above, which used to be connected but was broken many years ago in a wind storm not uncommon around Skyloft. Before Horwell could protest he leaped up the two crates and pulled himself up. Then he reached for the ledge and also pulled himself up onto that, turning to face the professor.
"Link I don't think that's safe for you to be doing now," the professor cautioned.
Link just ran forward and leaped across the small gap safely to the other side. Then he jogged over and joined the professor, still grinning at him. Horwell saw that he was safely across, and though he shook his head, he chuckled a little too.
"I see you accident yesterday hasn't affected you very much," he said. "I'm glad to see it. So what are you up to? Rushing to get some last bird riding practice, Link?"
"No I'm going to meet Zelda," Link replied.
"Oh?" he asked. "Zelda's waiting for you is she? Perfect timing then! You see, Mia's scampered off again."
"Again?" Link sighed. As Mia was aging she seemed to only be getting more adventurous.
"Yes," Horwell sighed. "I can't seem to find her anywhere. I was wondering if you'd seen her."
Link shook his head now, but as he did he looked up and saw movement on the roof of the Academy. He looked up and spotted a Remlit. Upon seeing his eyes turn Horwell also turned and spotted it, and since Horwell was constantly caring for Mia he knew her upon sight. He let out a soft laugh when he saw the creature.
"Look," he said. "On the roof. Do you see her?" He then sighed. "The headmaster is so busy working with Zelda preparing for the ceremony...I thought that maybe I should feed her, but the ceremony's about to start and I just put on a fresh set of clothes and, well...you see...Will you help me out and go retrieve Mia for me?"
Link laughed a little. Everyone knew that Horwell didn't particularly like to get dirty, and especially not when he had just changed. Besides he had to worry about the Ceremony today and he wanted to look good. Link knew him enough by now to know that while he was kind, this was a little flaw of his, while Link's was probably helping everyone who asked. Horwell smiled, making Link smile wider. Seeing someone's eyes light up like that with gratitude was the only payment he ever needed.
"I'm on it," Link replied.
"Fantastic," the professor said. "So you'll do it? I know you're in a hurry so I really appreciate your taking the time to help. You should be able to climb up somewhere over there. If you hang off the ledge there, you can climb onto the roof from the other side. Just be careful alright?"
"I will be," Link replied, turning to preform his task.
Why Mia had decided to climb up on to the roof was a mystery to Link, but he knew she was a sweet Remlit (at least during the day) so he knew he'd have to get her down. He turned and ran to the small ledge that was on the side of the building, which ran a little ways to the left. He leaped up and grabbed it, inching his way across. Link was physically fit, but hanging several feet off of the ground while trying to swing his body towards the top of a small porch like part of the building made his arms sore and burn. He made it safely across though and landed lightly on his feet.
He ran and jumped across to the next one, carefully eying the next part. This was probably by far the hardest, and he wished suddenly that he had gloves on. The vines growing on the side of the building were probably going to hurt his hands, but he had promised to get Mia. He steeled himself and then leaped up, latching onto the vines with his hands. They cut into his hands a bit, though not badly, and he winced a little. But they were firm handholds and footholds so he pulled himself up quickly and then onto the roof above.
He ran across the roof, spotting a heavy crate. He didn't know what was inside it, or why it was up here. Surely there had to be a better place to store something. But he wasn't complaining. Mia was up on the highest part of the roof, and he couldn't jump that high. He pushed hard against it, forcing it inch by inch against the wall. Whatever was inside it was heavy, and he found himself panting a little from the exertion. But he soon had it situated and climbed up it.
Now he was high enough to reach the roof above, and with a leap his hands found the lip of it. He hauled himself over it and spotted Mia, curled up in a ball on the roof. He approached her to grab her but paused, noticing she was acting oddly.
She was mewling softly and watching the sky from underneath her tail. He watched her a moment and wondered at it. He'd never seen her act like that. It was really out of character for her. He walked over to her, kneeling and looking down at her. First Fledge was acting weird and now Mia? He wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Mia?" he called quietly.
The Remlit recognized his voice and leaped up into his arms. He was surprised but caught her. She curled up in a ball in his arms, and he looked at her again. She couldn't talk, but he knew that animals were often more perceptive of things than people were. Balaen had often sensed things that he hadn't been able to. He turned though to return to Professor Horwell and hopped down off of the higher roof to the one below with little difficulty.
He carried her with him and jogged underneath the bell that sat on top of the roof of the Academy. He leaped down to the path below and returned to Horwell who was just in front of that. Horwell turned with a smile, but also noticed how oddly Mia was acting and soon began to frown. She was curled up tightly against Link's chest and still staring at the sky, letting out soft whimper like noises.
"Odd," he said. "Why is she acting this way?"
"I don't know," Link replied. "She was like this when I got up there."
"Well," Horwell sighed. "You brought her back safe and sound. Sorry for troubling you with this, Link. I suppose I should feed her now...Please tell the headmaster we found his pet. He should be up at the statue of the goddess. I believe Zelda is there with him, so you should hurry along."
"See you later professor," Link replied with a wave as he turned to follow the path.
He was now on the upper half level of Skyloft, so he had a straight shot towards the statue. He turned and followed the familiar path towards the goddess statue. On his way though he saw a familiar face working on the gate. Apparently it was broken or something. The man had black hair that was rather large in front and he also had a mustache and brown eyes. He paused in his work to turn to Link. His name was Jakamar.
"Mornin' Link," he said in a friendly manner. "How's life? Are you goin' to be ok to fly today? I heard you got injured yesterday."
"I'm fine," Link replied. "What are you doing now Jakamar? Did the gate break again?"
It was locked tightly behind him, and so Link knew he couldn't get to the statue if he had decided to take the other route to the statue to meet Zelda. Still, it was unusual to see it closed. Jakamar looked behind him at the gate and smiled.
"What am I doin'?" he asked. "Just fixin' this gate here. It's been squeaky lately and we can't have that on the day of the Ceremony!"
Link laughed. He thought it might be something like this. Jakamar was sort of a handyman around Skyloft, and he liked to keep things running smoothly. Even a squeak was something that he had to get fixed, especially when the day was a special day. Only one of the people in his year would get the chance to become a Knight. The others would return to normal lives. Those that didn't become Upperclassmen would have to return to their normal lives, and that wasn't something Link had given much thought too. What if he failed? He preferred to think that he wouldn't fail.
"Hey," Jakamar said, seeming to think of something. "You haven't already forgotten to send your prayers to the goddess this morning, have you? The bird statues were set up around town for that purpose, remember?"
"I remember," Link replied with a smile. "Yeah I think I'll send her a prayer."
"A prayer in time saves nine, if you know what I'm sayin'!" the man said.
Jakamar nodded but turned back to his gate and began working away at it again. Link just smiled and walked to the bird statue he had passed on his way over. It was made of gray stone and shaped like a Loftwing with a strange fin on its chest. Its eyes, tips of its wings, and tip of the fin all glowed blue, reflecting the holy power running through it. The pedestal was about as tall as Link was and had a band of blue around the top and bottom and had a bird like shape also glowing blue in the center. He looked into the bird's glowing blue eyes and paused.
He sent a short prayer to the goddess. It wasn't for help on the race or anything like that, but to understand. Things were getting really weird for Link. These dreams had been popping up here lately, and people around him were acting really strangely. He wasn't sure what to make of all of it. If the goddess watched over her people here below then he wished she would make things make sense now. What kind of destiny was he apart of, and why now? The whistling wind was the only answer, and he knew he would get no other.
He stepped away and decided to return to the task at hand. He was supposed to meet Zelda and tell Gaepora that he had found Mia. He ran up the wooden steps and through the arch. Here he paused, because he could hear a song coming towards him on the wind. He looked up, smiling as he saw a familiar form.
It was Zelda, and she was in a pink dress he'd never seen before with a cloth wrapped like a shall and tied into a knot behind her shoulders, white with a blue symbol of a Loftwing. Her long blonde hair was mostly down but in a pony tail just at the end of it, and two longer strands hung over her shoulders. Green and pink ribbon crossed over it and held it in place. Peleca was flying overhead, cirling as she listened to the music too.
The dress had white markings and blue gems, and it was short so he could see her boots. She was playing a beautiful golden instrument that he had no name for, but plucking the strings made beautiful music. Her clear voice too was singing a song. He paused at the steps that went up to the circular shape in the middle of the courtyard and he smiled brightly. Her song went like this.
Oh youth, guided by the servant of the goddess...
Unite earth and sky...
Bring light to the land...
The song didn't seem to be finished, but she paused and looked over her shoulder, noticing his presence. She turned around with a huge smile and he couldn't help but feel his heart soar as she did so. She was more beautiful than he ever remembered in that moment.
"Hey," she greeted him. "Good morning, Link! Are you feeling better after what happened yesterday? You certainly look a lot better."
"Yeah I guess I am," he replied. "My head's stopped hurting at least."
"Good," Zelda giggled. "I'm glad to see my Loftwing got you out of bed. I was pretty sure you'd sleep in and forget to meet me this morning. You did sleep most of yesterday away after all."
"Yeah Peleca got me up alright," Link laughed.
Zelda smiled and held out the instrument for him to take a closer look at. He leaned forward and to the sides a bit, smiling and taking a closer look at it while he did. It certainly was beautiful, and though he didn't have a name for it, he knew it was special.
"But look at this instrument," she said. "And look at this outfit! They're mine to use today in the Ceremony, since I'll be playing the role of the goddess."
Link paused a moment, looking up at her. He refrained from looking at the outfit anymore, feeling like it was invading her privacy. But he did think about her as a goddess for a moment. She certainly seemed like what he thought Hylia should be, kind and beautiful, but also worried for other people a lot and stubborn. Zelda was strong in her own way, and to him that's what Hylia was like. He shook the thought out of his head.
"Aren't they beautiful?" Zelda asked, not privy to his thoughts. "Especially this instrument! They tell me it's just like the one the goddess was said to have in the legends."
Again Link paused. The legends? He felt an odd foreboding fall over him suddenly. That strange voice in his dreams had talked about legends and destinies as well. And there was no denying that this creature was talking to him because it had called him by name before. He felt like he was in over his head, and Skyloft was right in the middle of it.
"It sounds gorgeous too," Zelda added. "I asked father about it and he says it's called a harp. And look at these clothes! I made this wrap myself, and we get to use it in today's Ceremony! Between the harp and the clothes I'm going to make a great goddess today."
Link shook the confusing thoughts from his mind and smiled at her again. She hadn't seemed to have noticed his lapse in interest for those few brief seconds. She just smiled back and lowered the harp again, looking him right in the eyes.
"I got you up early this morning," she said. "because I wanted you to be the first to see me like this, Link!" She grinned and turned in a circle once, holding out her arms. "So...how do I look?" Link couldn't help but smile back.
"Great," he replied. She laughed a little.
"Hah," she said. "I thought so too. But it's nice to know you agree. Thanks, Link."
"Ah there you are, Zelda," another voice said from behind Link. "Are you all prepared for today's ceremony?"
They both looked and saw Gaepora walking up to him. Link couldn't help but smile at him as he did so. He had been like a father to him after his own parents had died. He knew he could count on him for anything, as long as he had the knowledge or power. Zelda smiled too.
"Oh, hello father," she replied.
"Ah, Link, you're here too," the older man said. "Outstanding. It's encouraging to see you up so early, given your capacity for sleep. How is your injury?" Link again thought of his dream but gave a smile.
"I'm doing much better," Link replied.
"Well," Gaepora said with a wink. "If you win today's ceremonial race, you'll get to participate in the postrrace ritual with Zelda, so give it your best out there."
"Yes," Zelda said, hanging her head worriedly. Link looked at her and his smile fell, knowing what was coming next. "About that...Father I don't know if he can do it!" Link jumped and closed his eyes, cringing a little at the tone of her voice. She was about to give them an earful. "Recently Link hasn't been practicing much at all for the ceremony! Then there's his injury from yesterday." He lowered his head and looked down at the ground. "And even when he's out riding his Loftwing, he's just lazily gliding around. Probably daydreaming! I don't know what he's thinking. He has to be in perfect control of his bird to win today."
Link refrained from mentioning his odd connection to his bird. He and Balaen could sense each other's thoughts, and so there was no control needed over his bird. They simply understood what to do and what to do. He had never told anyone about it. That's why he wasn't so worried about the ceremony, he knew they could win.
Gaepora raised his hands, lowering them and raising them again in a motion meant to get Zelda's voice to fall in pitch a little. She stepped forward towards her father as well, clutching at the harp. She didn't look at Link, he followed her progress with his eyes and kept his eyes down. He knew Gaepora could eventually calm her (because her mother had been the same way). Link slowly raised his head as the man began to talk.
"No need to worry yourself, Zelda." Gaepora said. Link rubbed the back of his head, abashed. "Though you may have a point. Today's Wing Ceremony tests the skill of the rider as well as his bond to his bird. Victory will not come easily. And, as you pointed out, I haven't seen him practicing as hard as some of the other students. But you've known him since you were both very little. You should know better than to fret about him!"
Link sighed a little, because Zelda seemed to be calming a little bit. She had known him for a long time, and she knew not to worry about him. She still did a lot though, and he knew that it would be very difficult to ever get her to not to. They had become closer than ever, and so he knew that she was going to fret over him.
"You see," Gaepora continued. "Link and Balaen share a special connection. I've never seen anything quite like it." He looked up, and both the young man and young woman followed his gaze to the sky, where Peleca was still circling. "As you know, each of us in Skyloft is but one half of a pair. We are only made whole by our Loftwings, the guardian birds that the goddess bestows on each of us as a symbol f her divine protection. When we are young, each of us meets our Loftwing under the great Statue of the Goddess. It's quite a big moment, as I'm sure you recall."
But then Gaepora turned to look at Link, and it seemed that memories were shining in his eyes. Zelda soon turned to look at him too, and Link was sure he saw both happiness and pride in him in her eyes. He had been terrified to fly, yet here he was, about to take place in the Wing Ceremony! Link rubbed the back of his head and looked away, smiling a little but a bit embarrassed at the attention.
"Ahh," Gaepora said. "But that first meeting between Link and his Loftwing was extraordinary. The bird that came to him was a Crimson Loftwing, It is a breed so rare we were sure for some time that it had vanished from the line. Yes, and the boy and his bird seemed to share a profound connection from the moment they met." Link shared himself a secret smile, knowing the reason was he could sense his bird's thoughts. "Do you recall when Link and that Loftwing of his first met? What a sight! The little boy just hopped up on that bird and gracefully flew away, without even a moment of instruction! They were meant for each other!" Gaepora looked at his daughter. "And judging by how jealous you were that day, I'd say the friendship Link shared with Balaen didn't go unnoticed by you, my dear."
Link looked up at the sky again, smiling as he thought about Balaen. They'd had some rough times, but he was everything that a guardian bird was supposed to be. He never let him fall and he had probably saved his life yesterday. Link again felt humbled by his bond with Balaen. The goddess must have truly thought him special to give him such a majestic and powerful Loftwing.
The thought brought up his dream again, and he felt an odd sense of deja vu. What if the goddess really did have some great destiny in mind for him, and he was starting to get ready for something like that? He shook the thought out of his head. He couldn't concentrate on that now. He had a ceremony today. He sent his mind out, looking to contact Balaen above. But his smile fell and he looked up, concerned. Where was he? He couldn't sense him?
"Ah," Gaepora continued, neither one of them noticing Link's worry. "but who can blame you? I'm sure you weren't the only one envious of the powerful bond Link shared with his bird. Anyone who is part of something special is bound to catch some nasty looks sooner or later." He laughed then, and Zelda watched Link a moment more, before sighing and hanging her head and then turning back to her father again.
"This contest is nothing to laugh at father," she cried, making him try and calm her again with the hand motions. "This ceremony is part of the final test for those training to become Knights of Skyloft!" she hung her head. "If Link doesn't fly fast enough during the race...What if Link messes up his big chance...What if he's not allowed to become a Knight?"
Normally Link would have felt touched by her concern for him, especially now that she was worried that he might not get to have his dream realized. He had wanted to be a Knight since his parents had died, even though he had been scared of flying and scared of falling like they had. But he had kept pushing for it, and she had helped him along the way. If he failed this then he would never become a Knight, and she didn't want that. However Link was now far more preoccupied by the fact that he couldn't sense Balaen anywhere.
"Calm down, my dear." Gaepora said gently. "It will be fine. Honestly, it's almost as though you become a completely different person when you worry about Link."
Zelda hung her head, thinking a moment. But Link wasn't really paying attention. He was looking up, sending out soft calls for his bird but unable to sense him. He should have been able to sense Balaen nearby, since Loftwings followed their partners around Skyloft and circled above or below the Island while they were waiting for them to leap off and call them, but he wasn't within calling distance or close. It was unheard of! He should have been right there!
Link felt worry consume him. What had happened? Was Balaen hurt? Was he gone somewhere? Why wasn't he close? Zelda was worrying about him winning the race, but how could he even do that without his partner? The day had quickly gone from strange to bad.
"Listen Link," Zelda said as she marched over. "you'd better fly your heart out today. At the very least, you need to squeeze in a little practice time before the race!" She grabbed his arm and tugged. "Come on! You'll thank me later!"
Link gave Zelda a desperate look, that she proceeded to ignore as she dragged him to the nearest pier to the side of the Goddess Statue. Practice was the least thing he needed to worry about right now. He didn't even know where Balaen was, but Zelda would listen to no excuses and continued to drag him onward to the pier.
This was a long chapter...but I wanted to get it started. I've messed around with chapters before the story starts enough. Anyway, I put some mentions of the Stamina Gauge in the game in here, as well as changed how Mia is acting because she is sensing the danger quickly approaching. Soon enough we'll see Link on his way to the surface to figure out his destiny. This is a retelling, so everything isn't going to be the same as a play through.