Possible TW: Acts of bullying, and toxic friendship
Chapter 32: Path of Atonement II
The brightness of the light died down, allowing Groose to regain his vision. Lana & Cia each stood on the side with neutral expressions. The scene ahead showed the Dining Hall at the Knight Academy. Many people were sitting at the tables eating their food. Despite the high numbers, Groose found his young self sitting alone on the table near the back. He looked like he was waiting for someone.
"This is only several days since your arrival," Lana stated.
"The day you met...him," Cia put the emphasis when she said 'him.'
Hearing what the blue-haired woman said. Groose realizes what this day is.
This point was marked over a week after his parents left him at Skyloft. From that point, Zelda had taken that time to help him settle down. He recalled how much he enjoyed being in her company. No matter what he did, she didn't get mad at him, nor did she not expect to ask him for anything back. It was such a weird change of pace from his life with his parents. And he liked it, and never wanted to lose it.
Over a week, Young Groose decided that Zelda was his friend. He enjoyed having her around. Zelda was the one student she would talk to. Everyone else seemed to avoid him, but he had Zelda as a friend, so it didn't matter.
He was wondering what was taking her. Zelda had yet to arrive. Young Groose had been waiting for her even after he had eaten his lunch. After another half hour of waiting, Groose left the hall. He knew where Zelda's room was at the academy, so he decided to see what was up. So far, he had not seen her once today. Zelda not showing up to lunch was the final straw that worried him. Was she sick? Did something happen?
Groose arrived at her door, knocking on it. Zelda opened it. Perfectly safe and unharmed. "Hey, Groose. What's up?"
"It's lunch hour. You didn't show up." Young Groose told her.
"Wait, really?" Zelda quickly glanced at her where her clock would be in her room. "You're right! I am SO sorry, Groose." She sounded genuinely apologetic. "I was busy with things and must've lost track of time."
"Busy with what?"
Right at that moment, the sounds of footsteps echoed behind Zelda. The door opened wider, revealing another occupant in the room. This boy appeared to be the same age, with sandy blonde hair and those big, shining sapphire blue eyes.
"Who is he?"
"This is Groose. The new kid." With a happy smile, Zelda then said. "Groose, this is my best friend, Link."
Hearing the word, best friend, made Young Groose feel a little…hurt.
"I would've introduced to you both earlier, but right around when you arrived, Link was struck with Loftpox," Zelda explained to him.
"I had to be stuck in my room for a week. It was so BORING," Link emphasized, which made Zelda giggle.
"Link tends to be a bit of a drama king sometimes," Zelda mentioned.
"I can already tell," Groose muttered.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Groose," Link stuck out his hand to offer a handshake, not noticing the annoyed tone in Groose's voice. Groose did not budge. The pair stood awkwardly quiet for several moments before Zelda intervened.
"Groose is a little...shy, Link."
"You don't have to be shy. I won't bite," Link gave a friendly smile. Young Groose maintained an unreadable expression.
"I still am sorry for missing you at lunch, Groose. I'll make it up to you," Zelda promised. "Maybe all of us could eat together. They're plenty of friends I want you to meet."
"Yeah, maybe," Young Groose muttered, crossing his arms. "I…I have to go."
Young Groose dashes away quickly. In his mind, many thoughts swirl within. Many of whom contain anger & jealousy. All of which aimed towards Link. Young Groose was so engrossed in his feelings that he had shoved into several other students. One in particular was pushed so hard that they were knocked onto the ground. That individual student was a younger Fledge. Not once did Young Groose look back and apologize to his peers. Few of them seem to scramble away fearfully.
"And on that day, the seeds had been planted," Lana said.
"You were so upset that you weren't considered Zelda's best friend," Cia clarified. "Given that she was practically the first person to ever show you kindness, I wouldn't blame you for feeling that way. Nonetheless, the seeds that were planted were your jealousy of Link."
"That's what you both think it is? Jealousy?" Groose scoffed at the mere idea.
"What do you think it was, then?" Lana inquired.
"Link was keeping her away from me," Groose stated plainly.
"And what makes you believe that?"
"Cause Zelda is always hanging around with him. And when I want to hang around her, Zelda always says she has already made plans with Link!"
"And how many times did you ask to hang out throughout the year that Zelda considered you a friend?" Cia questioned.
Groose didn't immediately answer. He lowered his head like he was too afraid to answer.
"Well?" Cia pressed on.
"Three or five times…" Groose answered meekly
"Throughout that whole year?" The teen nodded meekly.
Lana let out a hum. "Why so low on the numbers? From how you made it sound, I thought you asked her at least a dozen. Yet you say it was five at most."
"I didn't exactly have full confidence. Zelda was always one to ask me. Yet when I asked, she was already occupied with Link."
"That sounds like it was mere bad luck," Cia proclaimed.
"That doesn't prove anything!"
"Prove that Link wasn't deliberately keeping Zelda from hanging with you. From what we saw, he did not have any ill intent."
"You only saw that one scene."
"You're right. Let's see more."
With a clap from Lana, more scenes played out before the trio. In these memories, Zelda suggested the idea of Groose spending time with Link or her other friends. All of which resulted in the same answer that he wasn't interested in doing so. There were even interactions when Link had attempted to hang out or make small talk with Groose before the latter scared him away. Link even offered to hang out with Groose in a handful of these memories, only to be rejected again.
Groose's amber eyes widened in complete bafflement. He hardly recalled any of these interactions. At least, not in this fashion. All he could remember was blocking out what Link was saying, and Groose would turn him away. With a high volume on a few occasions to get the point across.
Cia was intrigued by this development. "Seems to me that Link never had any ill intent for you. From what we can see, he was interested in getting to know you. He wanted to establish a friendship or be a friendly acquaintance. Unfortunately for Link…" With a wave of her scepter, Cia showed scenes of Link & Zelda hanging out in various activities, including eating, dancing, swimming, and flying on their Loftwings together. All of which the younger version of Groose watched not too far fuming. "...You never gave him a chance because you were too wrapped up in your jealousy. Link gave you many opportunities, but you chose to reject them."
Groose didn't say anything back. He couldn't feel the will to defend himself. Lana continued on.
"Over time, you lashed out at your peers, Link most of all. Eventually, it came to a point where Zelda had tried to talk to you about your behavior several times."
The scene changed again.
Young Groose had been relaxing on the highest hill on Skyloft. Back against the grass, hands on his head, leg resting over his other knee. He was at the pinnacle of relaxation. That is until the Indigo Loftwing that he knew to be Tetra caught his view, watching it land. Hopping on its back is Zelda.
"There you are!" Zelda exclaimed, sounding a bit annoyed.
"Hey, Zel. What's Up?" Young Groose sat up with a friendly grin.
"I need to talk to you about something."
"About what?" Young Groose looked confused.
Zeda crosses her arms. "Pipit & Fledge told you about your little 'prank' on Link yesterday."
"Okay, so?"
"You pushed him into the lake!"
"What's so bad about that? You and your other friends always do it to each other all the time."
"Only when we're swimming in the hot weather. Link had no intention of swimming, and it was chilly yesterday. He could've gotten sick!"
"Link didn't look bothered. I think he actually giggled."
"It still wasn't nice!" Zelda exclaimed back.
Groose lifted his hands up defensively. "Calm down. I like that you care, but you sometimes worry too much. We're just two boys having fun. Why are you so worked up?"
Zelda let out a soft breath. She fiddled her hands together. "I'm just…worried. I keep hearing how you act around the students at the academy. Everyone is saying I should stop being friends with you."
"Oh, they're only exaggerating. Are you going to listen to them over a friend?" Zelda didn't say anything back. Her gaze lowered away from Young Groose. He let out a tired breath. "Alright…If it helps, I won't do that again."
"Do you promise?" Zelda looked him in the eyes.
"I do."
Zelda was content with that answer. She walked back to Tetra. "Groose…You can't go on acting like that. Whether you want it or not, you're gonna hurt somebody."
Young Groose let out an annoyed growl as Zelda climbed onto Tetra, and they both flew away. He then laid back on the ground, appearing no different than earlier.
"That was the first of many warnings Zelda has given you," Lana addressed Groose.
"All of which you ignored," Cia said firmly.
"Overtime..." Lana showed many scenes of Groose committing minor acts of aggression, most of which to Link, followed by Zelda scolding him. "Your microaggressions became more noticeable. Zelda tried to tell you to stop, but you always brushed her off. Though you may not have known it, you believe her passive nature would allow her to excuse your behavior. Because you thought no matter what, Zelda would still be your friend."
"And then one fateful day…it all crumbled down," Cia said with farce somberness.
"Yeah. Because of…Link." Groose did not speak in his typical confident-filled tone. Instead, it came out as shaky.
"Are you certain?" Cia questioned.
"Who else could've been responsible?" Groose injected, only to back down when Cia lifted his scepter, prepping to hit him again. "But I can guess you both know." Cia let out a surprised but proud grin.
"Let us show you the truth of that day."
Like before, Lana claps her hands, which changes the scene around them. Again, Groose sees his young counterpart talking to Zelda. Judging by the irate expression on both of their faces, they were in the middle of another disagreement.
"You can't go on acting like this, Groose!" Zelda scolded.
"I don't see what the issue is." Young Groose defended nonchalantly.
"You keep calling Link mean names! Stink! Dink! I hear it all!"
"So it's playful teasing. No one ever got hurt from name-calling!"
"It's not just about the teasing! You're always picking on Link!" Zelda proclaimed loudly, enough to make Groose stumble back. "You clearly have an issue with him. It's been almost a year since you met, and you have never tried to get along with him. Tell me, Groose. What's going on?"
"You want to know what's going on?" Zelda nodded back, eager to know. "Link hates me! That's why!"
Zelda was totally shocked that Groose would make a claim such as that. "Did he do something to you? Say anything at all?"
"Well…no-"
"Then why would you believe such a thing? It takes a lot for Link to hate someone. He doesn't even hate Cawlin!" Zelda then got him with an epiphany. "Was it Cawlin who told you? I told you that he's bad news!"
"No one told me anything! I came to that conclusion. And Cawlin isn't all that bad once you hang around him!" Young Groose argued back.
"What's your proof that Link hates you? I don't see it, and I've known him for as long as I can remember!"
"Maybe you don't know him as well as you do?"
"I do! You would, too, if you gave him a chance!"
Young Groose could only scoff at her. "You're one to talk about me not giving Link a chance, yet you or any of your dumb friends never gave Cawlin one!"
"Because Cawlin is a bully! Which is what you've been acting like to everyone!"
"Who told you I was?" Young Groose's face turns furious. "It was Link, wasn't it?"
"I-" Zelda didn't get the chance to finish because Young Groose had stormed away.
Young Groose marched through the entirety of the Knight Academy. Seeing the angry expression, many students quickly scrambled out of his way. Poor Zelda barely keeps up trying to call out to the redhead. Young Groose vigorously searched every room, nook & cranny for his target. Eventually, he did.
Link sat in the training yard surrounded by several other students. Link was showing off, no doubt, another one of his dumb wood carvings. This one seemed to look like a man & a woman. Link looked really proud of it. All the other kids watch in awe of his creation. They were giving him so much admiration.
The sight alone was enough to make Young Groose ball his fist and grit his teeth. What's so special about Link? Why does he get so much admiration? Was it because Link was Zelda's friend? If so, why hasn't Young Groose received all that attention? Why does Link have to rub it into everyone's faces?
Well…this ends now.
"Link!" Young Groose yelled out to the boy, catching his and the group's attention.
"Oh, hey, Groose. What's up?" Link greeted.
"Don't you 'what's up' to me! You know what's up!" Young Groose barked back.
"I don't understand…"
"Oh yes, you do! You're telling lies about me to Zelda!"
"What?! No, I'm not!" Link defended, clearly surprised by that claim.
"Don't lie!" Young Groose pointed an accusing finger towards Link. "I know you've been trying to keep her away from me!"
"I don't know who told you that, but I have not been keeping Zelda away from you."
"Then why did you tell Zelda about the so-called bullying I've been doing, huh? Or whenever I wanted to hang out with Zelda, you already made plans with her!"
"How would I know that? That's stupid talk!"
"Because I know you don't like me!"
"Leave him alone, Groose!" A male student spoke up.
"What's your problem with Link?" A female spoke in defense.
Young Groose glanced at the group of students with all eyes on him. He gave them a sneer.
"I don't get it. Why do all of these guys like you so much, Link? Why does Zelda like you? You're the laziest kid I've ever met. All you do is sleep & eat. Nothing else! And…" Young Groose yanked the wood carving from Link's hands. "Make dumb wood carvings!"
"Hey! That's mine!" Link tried to take back to sculpture. Young Groose places his hand on Link's head, preventing him from doing so.
Young Groose gave a disgusted look at the wood carving. "What is this supposed to be, anyway? You and Zelda when you're grown up?"
"I worked hard on that! Give it back!" Link yelled back.
"What? So you can brag about your friendship with Zelda even more! I'm sick of it!" Link thrashed like an angry Remlit. Young Groose had to drop the wood carving to use both hands to shove him away.
Groose had felt unsettled the more this scene played up. This scene was familiar to him. WAY too familiar for his own liking. He turned his head away, not wanting to see more. He had no choice when Cia grabbed his face, turning his gaze back to the scene.
"Do not look away. Watch…" Cia strictly commanded in a tone that made Groose feel chills.
"For the sake of your future, you must see this," Lana insisted with direness.
With no choice, Groose resumed watching the scene.
"Let me make one thing clear to you, Link!" Young Groose balled both of his fists, glaring down at Link. "Zelda is my friend! And you won't take her from me!" Young Groose finished that with a hard stomp of his foot. Sounds of wood cracking caught his ears when his foot landed on the group. Young Groose saw the other students gasp in shock. Link, on the other hand, was utterly horrified. All eyes pointed to where Young Groose stomped his foot.
Around the area of impact was Link's wooden sculpture, which was now broken into many pieces. The only parts that remained intact were the heads of the man & woman. Link crawled over, collecting the wooden sculptures heads into his shaky hands. Tears were barely cracking through his sapphire blue eyes. Young Groose did not know what to say. Stomping on Link's work was not his intention, but he stayed quiet.
"That wasn't me & Zelda." Link said in between sobs. "It was…It was supposed to be my parents."
Young Groose unclenched his hands, uncertainly lifting them. His amber eyes glued onto Link, watching the boy attempt to speak in between his cries.
"My mom & dad were Skyknights. Skytails…killed them. Five years ago today is when it happened." Some of the students let out small gasps. "I made that to help remember them. They were great Skyknights."
On an impulse without much thought, Young Groose then said. "Well, if they were great Skynights, they wouldn't be dead…"
Link glanced at the redhead, hurt by what he said. Other students were appalled by those words, muttering to themselves.
"Did he just…"
"He did."
"You- You don't mean that?" Link said in his shaky voice.
Young Groose remained silent. He did not know why he said those words out loud or if he meant to. But…seeing Link crying gave him a sense of accomplishment. For once, Young Groose was the aggressor. Not someone who can effortlessly push him around like his parents did. Maybe he can show it to everyone once and for all. And if Young Groose kept pushing Link, everyone would see how pathetic this kid was and that he was more worthy of recognition.
"If your parents were that great, they wouldn't have gotten themselves killed by those stupid Skytails. Great Skyknights don't get themselves killed. Dead Skyknights are bad Skyknights. And given how you are, Link, they were probably the worst Skyknights."
Young Groose glanced down at Link, giving him a smug smirk, ignoring the other students. Current Groose, on the other hand, didn't miss them. He saw how they all had terrified or downright revolted expressions.
"Something about the scene gives me deja vu," Cia sang in a farce woe voice.
"I see it, sister," Lana agreed somberly. "It looks similar to what your parents did to you, Groose. Except, you're in their role this time as the harsh abuser, not the sympathetic victim."
Hearing that made Groose's chest sting. He tried not to show it, but he somehow got the feeling that the sisters knew.
Link remained on his knees. Tears continued to pour out of his eyes. Young Groose remained standing over him with that signature smug smirk. In a flash, Young Groose was standing triumphantly to be knocked down. Link had tackled him down, slamming his hands down dozens of times.
"Take that back! TAKE THAT BACK!" He yelled at Young Groose repeatedly as he continued to hit him.
At the speed at which Link was hitting him, Young Groose could not simply push him off. On instinct, he swung his hand toward Link's face. Whatever he did, it managed to knock Link off of him. Young Groose slowly sat right up. He noticed wetness on his hand. A small red dot coated his knuckles. Sounds of groaning caught his ears. He could see Link clenching his nose with both of his hands.
"Link!"
A blur of blonde quickly rushed to the boy's side. She gently coaxed Link to move his hands. Blood trailed down Link's nose as he quietly sobbed. Zelda gasps at the sight of Link's injured nose. "We better get to my dad."
Zelda started to help guide Link away. Young Groose called out to her, but Zelda didn't respond. So he walks up and gently grasps her arm. Zelda yanked it out, slapping his hand hard. The girl gave him a stern glare.
"Don't touch me!"
"Zel, I…"
"I saw everything. And what you said. How…How could you?" Betrayed squeaked out of Zelda's voice. "Everyone was right about you…"
"C'mon Zel," Young Groose stepped forward to move closer. Zelda responded by stepping back to Link.
"No. We're done."
"W-What do you mean done?"
"It means we are not friends anymore…"
With that, Zelda helped guide Link away. Young Groose stood still as a rock in total shock. Even when other students left the scene, glaring at him when they moved past him. Young Groose stood alone in the training yard for who knows how long. Eventually, he called into Gaepora's office. The Headmaster knew what had transpired based on Zelda and many other students who had witnessed the scene. He reprimanded the boy for his behavior and punished him with exactly one month of detention.
With that, Young Groose was escorted back to his room. He was alone with his thoughts. Hands clenched in his head, he recalled Zelda's harsh declaration of the end of her friendship with him. They repeated in his head.
Over. And Over again.
It came to a point where Young Groose screamed and threw something in frustration.
"It's his fault. It's all Link's fault! He ruined everything!" The boy told himself. "Things would've been so much better if Link was out of the picture!"
Young Groose's sobs echoed throughout the room. Current Groose did everything to maintain his composure as he watched his younger counterpart cry. Seeing that day brought more pain to him. Cia released his grip from his face. She laid her arm across his shoulders like an old friend.
"Quite interesting. You were so desperate to keep Zelda as your friend. But instead, your actions drove her to cut off her friendship with you." With a sardonic grin, Cia wickedly chuckled. "How deliciously ironic. In an attempt to keep your friend, you lost her instead."
Lana then stepped forward into Groose's view. "That day was a turning point for you. It should've been a wake-up call. You had the choice to better yourself. Such as apologizing to Link and showing Zelda how much remorse you had." Lana's purple eyes grew grim. "Sadly, you didn't. Rather than seek the path of atonement, you went on the path of…quite the opposite."
Lana laid out many scenes of Groose bullying Link over many years. Including all the name-calling, all the instances where Link fell victim to his pranks, and the very few occasions where Groose got in physical altercations with him. And Groose saw them all. Every. Single. One of them.
"Dopes like you are dragging our honored academy through the mud!" His voice echoed in his ears. It was just as harsh as when he said them to Link not too long ago.
Link was not the only one who fell victim to Groose's bullying. As Cia mentioned, Groose had also targeted Link's other friends occasionally.
With Pipit, he didn't heckle as much, but once in a while, Groose would try to get a rise out of him. He found Pipit's sense of righteousness annoying at times. He figured messing with him would be an excellent way to shut him up. Pipit taking it too seriously only made it more accessible.
There were very few occasions where Groose would bring Pipit's mother into the conversation.
"I'm just saying, if your mom gets so sad because she misses her dead husband to the point that she's too lazy to clean our house and dump her responsibilities on you, Pips, she is the worst mother out there. Frankly, she would've saved you and herself the trouble if she never had you."
That was almost the angriest Groose had ever seen Pipit. The boy probably would've punched him had Link not held him back, telling the brunette it wasn't worth it. All Groose did was give an innocent smirk, watching Link guide Pipit away. Though Groose did see Pipit subtly flip him off as he walked away silently fuming.
Then there was Karane. She was someone Groose would occasionally prank barely a handful of times. Besides, he would tease her with the nickname 'teacher's pet' due to her relationship with Owlan. Other than those, Groose barely bothered her.
There was only one major incident that he had with her.
It was two years ago when Groose was fifteen. Groose recalled being mad at Link for something. He didn't remember what for, but it was enough to make him desire revenge. With Cawlin & Strich, they devised a humiliating prank by dumping a bucket of mud all over Link in front of his class.
When the time came, Groose & his friends ditched their classes to implement their plan. Link's class had a lesson in the Sparring Hall. The sandy blonde was always the first to leave. It was the perfect plan. Groose makes a makeshift pulley system. When the target would exit, he would dump the bucket. They waited until they heard the bell ringing, marking the end of the class. Groose was itching to pull the rope. When the Sparring Hall door opened, Groose seized his moment, not even bothering to see if Link stepped out.
Groose felt his skin grow cold when he heard the sound of a girl yelping, and Cawlin & Strich flee the scene.
Standing at the door, drenched in mud, was Karane.
Groose should've fled but couldn't. He was equally frozen in shock like Karane. His heavy breathing must've snapped her out of her trace. The redhead girl turns her head to the boy with her confused eyes. Tears peeked from her eyes, and she ran off crying. Zelda stumbled out, calling out her friend's name. To add more horror to Groose, Link stood behind her.
When Zelda saw Groose, her concern was replaced with rage. Immediately, she marched up to Groose, punching him in the face. She yelled at him briefly before running off to chase after Karane. Groose turns his head to Link, still standing in the doorway, glaring at him, along with other students. Groose finally mustered up the courage to run when Eagus approached him.
Groose hid for a while until he was found by other Skyknights a few hours later. He was promptly escorted to the Headmaster's officer. Gaepora sat firmly at his desk with a disappointed look. By his side was Instructor Owlan.
Gaepora had laid out to him how cruel the prank was. Then the Headmaster pressed on why he did it to begin with. Groose didn't even bother defending himself. Wouldn't it have changed anything if he told them that prank was meant for Link and Karane was at the wrong place at the wrong time? Would they have believed that anyway? Either way, he was going to be disciplined. In the end, Gaepora punished Groose with detention for the rest of the semester, and he is expected to personally apologize to Karane the next day. If he refused, then his knight training would be on hold.
Much to Groose's surprise, Owlan did not yell, much less speak during the meeting. All the instructor did was stare Groose down, arms crossed, glaring daggers straight at him as Gaepora spoke. Not once did Owlan break eye contact, and it freaked Groose out. When Gaepora was done, Owlan wasn't.
Once outside the Headmaster's office, Owlan gently commanded Groose to accompany him. The instructor led Groose to his classroom. There was no one else around in that section of the academy. Meaning it was only those two.
Owlan told Groose to sit at one of the student desks. From there, Groose watched the instructor's every move. The older man slowly strolled over to his desk, bracing his hands on it, back facing Groose. The room was scarily quiet. Owlan took a deep breath.
"Today is her birthday."
Owlan spoke like he was using every fiber to not lash out screaming.
"I hope that statement alone should make you comprehend effects of the actions you have committed today. Do you understand what you have done, Groose? Subjecting someone with a prank of that nature on their birthday was cruel." Groose didn't respond to that, much to Owlan's displeasure. "Have you nothing to say?"
The teen said nothing. He only wanted to get this over with. From an outside perepective it appeared that he did not care.
Owlan placed his hands behind his back, turned away from his desk, and started to pace the room. "It is written in academy policy that all staff should not show favor to certain students, even if those students are their family. I am the closest thing Karane has to family, so I, by duty, cannot show bias to students who would dare bring harm to her. Including you."
The man ceased his pacing. "But for the next few minutes, I say to hell with policy. I want to take a moment to make this clear to you. Suppose you hurt Karane in any way possible ever again. In that case, I swear to all four goddesses, I will do everything possible to ensure you NEVER become a Skyknight!"
From that day forward, Groose had never bothered Karane all that much ever again. He never told Owlan or anyone that the prank was never for her. Even if he did, it wouldn't have made a difference.
Not only that, admitting such a thing would show the people that Groose was flawed. Sure, the target of his prank was the wrong person, but other than that, everything else went perfectly. That type of genius was something people had to respect Groose for. If it came out that he got the wrong target, everyone would think he was stupid. Stupid for not making sure things would go smoothly. In Groose's eyes, keeping the true intentions hidden was his only option, even if people gave him cold glares for the next few months after Karane's birthday.
Finally, there was Fledge…
The scrawny kid was all too easy of a target for Groose to take out on. So often, Groose would tease him, knock his books off his desk 'accidentally,' throw a quick jab, and intimidate him to submission over the most minor inconvenience.
The day Fledge failed to qualify for the Wing Ceremony last month was no different. Due to being in a good mood and being able to qualify to participate, Groose wanted to rub it in his face. So when he found the boy sulking alone, he made his move.
"Sorry to hear you didn't enter the race, Fledge."
"Thanks…" The younger boy responded unsurely.
"I mean, those tests are tough. Especially on the physical side."
"Well…there is next year. I'm sure I can get better then."
Groose let out a scoff. "You really believe that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Look at yourself, Fledge! You're not exactly Skyknight material. Strich here has more muscle than you. No offense to you, Strich."
"None taken," Strich responded dejectedly.
"But I am wrong, guys?" Groose asked.
"You're as thin as a twig, Fledge. Like seriously, you can't lift a barrel for shit," Cawlin responded with a smug grin.
"You see what we're trying to say?"
"I'm afraid I don't follow…" Fledge responded.
"We're saying that…not everyone is qualified to be a Skyknight. So maybe you should stop this now before you make a fool of yourself." Groose then muttered. "Though you already do enough of that."
"You're wrong! I-I'll get better. Link told me I have a shot again next year," Fledge defended.
Groose let out a mock laugh. "You think Link cares about whether or not you become Skyknight? Come on, Fledge. He doesn't really believe in you, and you know it. Link only tells you out of pity. Everything he does for you is out of mere pity, including being your friend. Because weaklings are not fit to be knights." With a grin, he finished off his sentence. "Especially little orphaned pipsqueaks like you."
Fledge didn't have any response for that. He ran towards the direction of the Goddess Statue. Groose strolled away, his friends following close, without a care.
Just when he thought it would end there, the sisters showed him a new set of memories of his mean nature. The subjects: Cawlin & Strich.
Now, those were definitely big eye-openers for Groose. While it wasn't as common as the others, there were a high enough number of events where Groose, unknowingly at the time, mistreated his only friends. Events such as Groose convincing them to make their room smaller to make room for his barbel set.
"There won't be a lot of room for us," Strich had argued.
"You have a bunk bed anyways, so it's not like you need to sacrifice a bed!" Groose insisted.
"Yeah, but…We'll barely have a lot of room to move around or for our things," Cawlin mentioned.
"And my bug collection too!" Strich added.
"I'm sure Cawlin can put his stuff in the closet, and you still have room for your bug collection. Problem solved!" Groose declared.
"I don't want him to hide his stuff…" Strich muttered.
"I'm sure he'll do it. Right, Cawlin?" Groose gave Cawlin a look. It was intense enough to make Cawlin quickly agree, no matter his grievances.
"It's all cool, Strich. I don't have that many things anyway. I'm sure you're creepy-looking bugs would look nice in our room…"
"See, Strich. Cawlin doesn't mind one bit," Groose beamed, ignoring Strich's uncertain expression. "That's what friends do. We make sacrifices for one another. Right?"
"Yeah, definitely."
"Cause if friends aren't willing to make the necessary sacrifice for a another friend's benefit, well…I wouldn't call them a friend now, would I?"
"You're right about that."
"Great! I'm glad you understand."
That was one of the several times Groose mistreated his two friends, including borrowing items he needed and never giving them back. When they protested, Groose would use his words to make them feeling guilty for getting mad at him in the first place. The only time he would return things was when he broke them. Then, he would make it sound like it was their fault for not making it clear that he should be careful.
Another instance of this is when he needed to borrow rupees. Whether it was something he wanted for personal use or involved with pranks. In one example, he convinced Cawlin & Strich to both give him their entire week's worth of their allowance that their parents had sent him. The reason? He wanted to buy flowers, chocolate, and costly clothes. It was all part of a plan to ask Zelda to spend time with him at a festival. Only for her to reject him. He never paid them back. When Strich brought it up, Groose brought up his spiel about sacrifices. If Strich brought it up again, Groose mentioned that he's more than welcome to cut off their friendship.
Then, there were the instances where Groose involved his friend in his schemes. Most resulted in them getting caught by high officials or karma biting them in the ass. A few were threatened to make up for the trouble they caused or be permanently suspended from knight training. Many of those times before the schemes would be enacted, Strich had tried to convince Groose not to go through with them. But Groose, being so stubborn, refused to listen to him. Ultimately, Strich ends up paying the price for Groose's troubles.
Finally came the aftermath of this year's Wing Ceremony, hours before Zelda disappeared. Gaepora & Owlan had scolded Groose for ramming into Link several times and at Cawlin & Strich for throwing rotten eggs, all in an attempt for Groose to win. They were punished by being confined to the academy walls for the rest of the day.
Strich was not happy about it in the slightest.
"How are you so calm about this?!" Strich bellowed at Groose, who was lounging on his bed. The divider separating Groose's room from theirs was opened, allowing them to speak.
"What's gotten you riled up?" Groose inquired, still relaxing on his bed. "Not like the Headmaster & Owlan knew we were the ones who took Link's Loftwing. You're sounding like them right now, Strich. You're all acting like I almost committed a murder."
"Didn't you hear how upset they sounded! They sure as hell suspect us!" Strich threw his up arms in a annoyed manner, moving hands through his hair. "And if they don't find proof, Link & Zelda sure will! You know they won't let this go!"
"No one will find out, so quit your yapping!"
"I'm yapping because I don't want to get expelled over a plan that you made, which failed again, might I add."
"We haven't gotten expelled yet, and we never will. Because we never slip up."
"Yeah, well, what if we don? We cut it pretty close today." Seeing Groose relaxing in his bed made Strich let out a groan. "For Hylia's sake, could you listen to what I say for once?"
"What do you have to say?"
"One of these days, your antics will land you into a heap of trouble that you won't be able to brush off like nothing."
Groose sat on his bed, interested in what his friend said. "And what do you mean by that?"
"Just think about a few names, will you? Cassow. Emue. Lammer. They all got one thing in common, pal. Banishment! We could be next if you're not careful!"
"You're overreacting. No one is getting banished. So please, calm the hell down so I can think."
"Oh, what? Another scheme to woo Zelda that will inevitably fail." Strich exclaimed with sarcasm. That did not amuse Groose in the slightest.
"What is your issue right now? It's not like you to get all worked up." Groose stood up from his bed, making his way to Strich. From how he stood, it was as if he was squaring up to his blonde bowl-cut friend.
"My issue is that you're not concerned with the possibility that if you take things too far, you, and maybe Cawlin & I, will be kicked out of the academy, or even Skyloft, all because you're desperate to jump Zelda's bones!"
Cawlin finally chose to run in between his friends. "Okay, maybe we need to take a moment to calm down." The shorter teen lifted each of his hands in his friend's direction. "It's been a long, exhausting, and disappointing day. We should take some time to cool down our emotions before we do, or say anything we regret."
"You know Cawlin. You make a good point." Groose took a step back. "Don't you think, Strich?"
"Yeah…you're probably right." Strich breathed out defeatedly. "I…I need to step out of here for a while."
"You go do that, Strich ol' buddy."
Strich exited the room without saying another word. Groose returned to his spot on the bed, letting out a relaxing exhale.
"You think Strich will be fine?" Cawlin voiced minutes after Strich left.
"Give him a few hours, and he'll be back to his normal self," Groose said with the uttermost assurance. "He always does."
"I don't know…Strich sounded pretty serious."
"Are you doubting me, Cawlin?" Groose questioned with a low tone, looking at his friend straight into his eyes.
"N-No! Of course not!"
"That's what I thought. You and Strich are better when you're not being whiny. I wish he could return to that quiet kid we first met who was too afraid to talk to anyone but us. That Strich is more agreeable."
Seeing all that played out, Groose needed a minute to think about this.
Watching all these memories play out was admittedly hard for the current Groose. Seeing them from an outside perspective does give him a new angle to look at. The harshness of his actions towards others was not something that he had considered. But seeing the hurt expressions on the people, and especially his two friends, that he had hurt
It made him feel a new feeling. Something he was sure that he had not felt previously in his life, mainly because he could not comprehend it until now.
Embarrassment. Remorse. And Shame.
Groose was utterly speechless. For the first time, he could understand how harsh it had been to others. He had told himself it was not a big deal, but seeing how the people around him acted made him think otherwise.
"I'm sure you realize it now, but you were an asshole," Cia suddenly stated. "Not just any asshole, a, how do you mortals say? A Grade A. Asshole."
"Yeah…I guess I am," Groose breathed with defeated acceptance.
"And you gladly embrace it? From what I can see, you appear distributed when you say all those memories," Lana explained sternly, only to get no response from the teen. "You should be disturbed. Your jealousy of Link has harmed many around you. Even those you considered friends."
"Is it really that bad?" Groose questioned the blue-haired woman.
"Very. Your jealousy is a poison. If untreated, the symptoms will continue to worsen to a point where it would be too late to reverse the effects. That will happen to you if you don't change your ways."
"Can I really?"
"Yes. Because it is not too late for you. If you don't do something now, the poisin that infects you will continue to worsen."
"Which brings us to our final stop," Cia announced to him.
"And where is that?"
"Do you recall when your younger self said 'things would better for him, or should I say you, if Link was out of the picture?"
Groose suddenly got the idea that he is not going to like where this is going.
Cia lifted her scepter. The gem at the center begins to glow dimly. Gradually, the gem shines brightly to the point where Groose has to cover his eyes to not go blind. Cia stood unaffected, as did her sister. Cia said one last thing before everything turned to white.
"Where we're going...you got exactly what you wanted."
Groose in the last chapter: How bad can I possibly be?
Groose at the end of this chapter: Wow I...I need a minute to think about this.
I wanted to do my best to show while Groose did have a hard upbringing, it doesn't excuse his bullying as seen here. Groose made the choice to treat others the way his own parents treated him. I hope I didn't go overboard because while Groose was a asshole, I still wanted to give him humanity
Stay strapped in folks cause Groose here has one final stop on his path of his ever growing existential crisis:P. And where he's going? Lets sayings he going to understand the phrase 'be careful what you wish for' pretty clearly.