Chapter 3

Link leaned against the building looking out at the practice yard, waiting for Grandfather. Grandfather thought it would be quicker if he didn't go inside. Link knew he was right, everywhere he went the people of Skyloft wanted to know who he was and really he wanted to get back to his own time. He looked down at his boots, noticing a scuff on a toe, and crouched down to try and clean it up.

"Hey Link," a girl's voice asked, getting Link to look up, still crouched. A red headed girl in a light green squire's uniform stood beside him with a hand on the door handle as she was pulled the door open. "Have you seen Pipit this morning?"

Link rose to his feet, assuming she was mistaking him for Grandfather, and said, "He left the cafeteria a bit before I did."

"Okay, thanks," the girl said with a sigh. She took a step in, keeping an eye on him, and stopped. "Why aren't you in your new tunic?"

Link opened his mouth to give her an answer only to cut himself off as Grandfather stepped in front of her.

"Oh, hi Karane," Grandfather said, stepping around her. He turned to Link, holding tight to a sword in a sheaf, and said, "Come on, let's go."

The girl now known as Karane stared at the two, still holding the door opened. Link gave her a smile, waving at her before hurrying after Grandfather. Once beside him, Link threw his thumb over his shoulder and said, "She thinks she's lost it."

"So will all of Skyloft, thinking they're seeing double," Grandfather pointed out. "Let's just get you a shield and get back to the surface, here."

Link took the sword the teen handed him as they walked up the steps to go back to the main building of the academy, only to realize he had no way of attaching it to his obi. "You wouldn't happen to have an old baldric strap, would you?"

"Uh, yeah," Grandfather said, looking around the grounds outside the academy's main building. "There's one still attached to my old practice sword in my wardrobe. My room's the last door on the right, next to the stairs. I'll catch up with you once I find Horwell."

Link gave Grandfather a nod before veering away to the door to the main building. He pulled open the door and walked in only to quickly sidestep out of the way of a shorter teen.

"Hey!" the teen exclaimed, eyeing Link. He looked like he was about to make a remark when he instead looked Link over. "Why aren't you wearing your new tunic?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just needed a few things," Link threw off, stepping around the teen to avoid any more questions. He felt the teen's eyes follow him as he walked along the curved hall. He quickly laid eyes on the last door before the curved stairwell, wondering what drunk decided the architecture for this building since everything seemed to have a curve, and pushed the door open. He stepped in and closed the door behind himself, leaning against the door as he gave a small prayer that he wouldn't run into any more people while on Skyloft. He looked up and took in the room, the left of the room being a normal bed and desk. He sat the sword on Grandfather's bed so he could have his hands free. The right of the room caught his attention to a work table that had a roughly carved bird and a block of wood just becoming something. He stepped over to the work table and picked up the rough bird, remembering a red one that was in his parent's living room still. He carefully sat the bird down and looked to the bookshelf to see the red bird he had remembered sitting next to a remlit.

"I'd forgotten he used to carve," Link mumbled to himself. He reached up and took the cat-like sky creature only to remember when he had last seen it. A pang of sadness struck Link, remembering the day more than ten years ago. It was stupid but he had been mad and wanted to hurt Grandfather the same way he felt he had been hurt. He had taken the cat from the mantle where it had sat with other carvings and had thrown it into the burn pile, letting it be destroyed before smugly admitting to what he had done. How Grandfather had forgiven him afterwards, Link was unsure. He sat the remlit back on the shelf, wishing there was some way he could prevent the cat from being destroyed by his younger self.

Quickly an idea formed in Link's mind. He turned to the writing desk and took a piece of paper and a pencil. He did his best to sketch down the plant Rupin had shown him for making a fireproof lacquer, drawing a more detailed image of the leaf to hope Grandfather would find the right plant. He hoped his Skyloft script was legible as he hurriedly wrote instructions for Grandfather to follow, hoping to save the poor little cat. For fear Grandfather wouldn't read it if he signed his name on the paper, Link ended the letter and put the pencil back on the table. He took the paper and put it under the remlit, hoping Grandfather would see it and use it.

Getting back on track, Link turned to the wardrobe and pulled it open. Two pennants caught his eyes first, tacked to the back wall of the wardrobe. Looking inside he found two bird plushies, a pile of books, sandals, a pair of boots, a pouch, and the wooden practice sword. He carefully pulled the sword out of the back corner of the wardrobe, smiling at the old baldric attacked. He untied the leather straps holding onto the wooden sword, tossing the empty belt over his shoulder so he could put the practice sword back.

Link closed the doors of the wardrobe and turned around. He took the baldric off his shoulder and started strapping in the sheath of the borrowed sword. The door opened behind him, startling him into taking hold of the sword by the sheath and turned around only to take in Grandfather walking in with a basic wooden shield in his hands.

"This is all he could spare," Grandfather offered, shutting the door behind himself. "You're not ready yet?"

Link turned back to the bed to secure the second tie saying, "I got caught in the hall. Everyone wants to know why I'm not in squire green."

"This is the color the senior class got this year," Grandfather defended.

Link buckled the strap together and slung it over his shoulder so that the handle peaked over his left shoulder as he mumbled, "Wonder what they'd think if I had come in knight's blue." He took the shield from Grandfather and swung it behind him, quickly attaching it to the extra strap on the baldric. "Okay, let's go skydiving," Link said, looking at Grandfather as he stood ready.