Chapter Seven
Zelda held her breath, clutching onto Levias's shell as he rushed through the air. If it wasn't for the literal sky whale flying through the air and rushing past floating islands, she would have assumed that he made up all of the things that he had told her.
As it was, she wasn't sure that he quite believed her story, but was willing to transport her to a place called Skyloft where she could, hopefully, find some help.
It was all still hard to believe. Hyrule didn't exist, everyone lived in the sky, Link was a Hero who traveled to the Surface, helping make the Master Sword with the help of dragons…every word that Levias told her seemed more far fetched than the one before it.
But then she thought of her own story. How she had a prophecy in the form of a dream, training as a Sheikah to help Link awaken the Sages, the Triforce splitting to seek out three hosts, Link's own time traveling adventures. None of that was normal either.
Still, as they flew away from the giant cloud dome that Levias lived in, Zelda couldn't help but try to figure out exactly what had happened.
Link had defeated Ganon and she and the Sages had sealed him away. Almost immediately, they had fallen into that lake and then she ended up here. There was no record of any of the things that Levias had told her in her history, but Levias also said there was no record of Hyrule in his history.
Was it possible that they had traveled to another world, another dimension? Or even another time, so far apart that any mention of one another was lost to legends, myths, or maybe not even that much? Possibly, in the worst case scenario, could Ganondorf have made some sort of wish on the Triforce without her knowing? Could he be behind all of this?
It was terrifying to say the least.
But she didn't have time to be scared. Link had been nearby when they fell into the water. Logically, that meant he had to be somewhere close by. As long as he hadn't appeared in the clouds and then fallen to his death to the Surface, which she could only pray didn't happen, then her first priority had to be finding him. Once she did that, maybe they could use the Ocarina of Time to get back home.
Zelda sighed to herself, lost in her thoughts. Beneath her, Levias hummed to a song she didn't recognize, his deep timbre vibrating through his body and relaxing her a little.
Flying like this was distracting enough for her at least. The islands were fascinating to watch go by and the clouds looked like a form of sea. Levias dove and flew without a care in the world, knowing exactly what to do and where to go. Dodging around the floating earth wasn't something he even had to think about.
Up ahead, Zelda could see the biggest chunk of land yet. It looked like multiple islands attached by wooden bridges, fanciful buildings perched on top and tiny dots hovering in the air around it. It only took a moment for her eyes to see the wings attached to those dots. Birds, there must've been dozens of birds surrounding the island!
Beyond it, three tall pillars of light shot into the sky. One green, one red, and one yellow.
Zelda smiled at the sight. Even if she was unhappy at how she got here, she couldn't deny the beauty of the sky village.
"A few more moments my dear." Levias spoke up, "The Knights of Skyloft have already seen us. We'll be there shortly."
Looking back to the island, Zelda could see at least half a dozen of the birds were flying towards them. As they got closer, she noticed that the birds were giant, bigger than a horse, and each had people on the back of them.
"Are you sure they will be able to help?" she asked nervously.
"Certainly more than I can." Levias assured her, "Her Grace left me with plenty of knowledge and messages regarding things that may happen, but this is not a situation she ever planned for. I fear that I will be useless when it comes to returning you to your home. The Headmaster of the Knight Academy may be a different story. Or even the Old Lady of the Sealed Grounds. Say that I sent you and no door will be closed to you by the Hylians."
"Who is 'Her Grace'?" Zelda asked curiously.
"That is a very complicated answer and I'm afraid that I'm not the one to reveal it, especially if my hunch about you is right." Levias answered cryptically, "Suffice it to say, she is worshiped by the Hylians and only wants the survival of her people. If someone says that they are sworn to serve Her Grace, then you can trust them."
"Oath Magic?" Zelda guessed, filing the rest of his statement away for further thought. She'd already learned that Levias wouldn't share any information he didn't want to. Pestering him about it wouldn't reveal any further answers.
"Precisely." he hummed, pleased, "Anyone who defies the Oath to Her Grace or tries to pretend to be her servant will be met with dire consequences indeed. It is not an oath that someone makes lightly."
"I know very few people willing to make such an oath at all, even to the three goddesses." She said gravely, "Her Grace must be great indeed."
"If that is what you wish to think. I saw her as great, but also complicated. Not infallible, but also more…mortal than any expected her to be."
"Hmmm." was Zelda's only response.
They flew in silence for a long moment, watching as the birds, Levias called them Loftwings, got even closer. Soon, they were above them, the people riding them jumping off and using bits of fabric to float down and land next to her. With a shock, Zelda saw that they were dressed exactly like Link, down to the pointed hat! The only difference was that these men and women were dressed in blues and yellows as opposed to the forest green her friend wore.
"Zelda?!" They burst out in shock when they saw her.
"Not quite." she grimaced. Levias had explained that there was apparently another Zelda here, native to Skyloft, that Link had been trying to save.
"What are you doing here?!" one of the women burst out, "Link said that you fell to the Surface!"
"Your father is going to be so pleased that you're safe!" another knight exclaimed.
"Please, let me explain-" Zelda tried to get a word in, but the knights were ignoring her, rushing forward to bring her into tight hugs and cheer her return. A few even called over to Levias, thanking him for her safe return.
Her heart clenched. The Zelda of this world was obviously loved by the people of Skyloft.
"We'll get you home right away." the woman in front of her said quickly, "I'll be surprised if the Headmaster ever lets you leave after this though, he's been worried sick!"
"Everyone's been out looking for you," a man next to her nodded in agreement, "Link's been searching the Surface, and we think Groose went with him, but everyone else has been going to every island we can find trying to find you."
"I'm no-"
Zelda was cut off again.
"Where have you been?!"
"What exactly happened to you?!"
"Did you really get to the Surface?"
"How did you end up with Levias?"
The questions didn't seem to end. Despite them asking her constantly, Zelda couldn't get a word in edgewise. Finally, it was Levias who came to her rescue.
"QUIET."
He didn't yell, but spoke loud enough that word reverberated through their whole bodies, shaking them slightly.
"Let her speak."
Zelda cleared her throat uncomfortably, "Thank you Levias. What I was trying to say…I'm not your Zelda. I'm not the one you know."
"What exactly do you mean?"
"We don't know exactly what happened, but I'm not from this…place." she said, choosing her words carefully. She had her own suspicions, yes, but she didn't know how the rest of them would react to those theories, "Yes, I am Zelda, but not the one you know. I showed up here. Levias rescued me and brought me here to see the Headmaster."
"You…showed up here?" one of the men asked her, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
She could only nod, "I'm just as confused as the rest of you. It happened suddenly. I was…home, and then, suddenly, I was here. We don't know exactly what happened."
The girl in front of her suddenly gasped, hands flying to her mouth and turning to her fellow knights, "Wait, what if that's what happened to Pipit?!"
Someone groaned, "We told you Karane, Pipit isn't missing! He's probably just helping his mom clean the house again."
The girl, Karane, stomped her foot and glared at the other person who had spoken up, "And I told YOU, Pipit wouldn't do that to me! We had a date set and he wouldn't ditch me just to clean up after his mom! He's gone!"
Plenty of the others rolled their eyes, but Zelda sensed a possible ally. Putting an arm around Karane's shoulders, she spoke gently, "If he really is gone, it's entirely possible that he's in my home. Maybe we switched places. That's part of what I need to talk to the Headmaster about."
Karane nodded, "Then let's get you to the Academy. Either way, the Headmaster should meet you."
Zelda smiled, ignoring the groaning from the other knights at how easily Karane was convinced.
She turned towards Levias, "Thank you for your help."
"Of course. I do hope you get home soon."
"As do I."
Nodding, she turned back to the knights, "How do we get to the Academy from here?"
"With Loftwings." Karane answered happily, pointing to where some of the other knights were already launching themselves off of Levias's back. Zelda watched with no small amount of apprehension as whistling pierced the air after they fell.
"Perhaps I should stay with Levias." Zelda said hesitantly, backing away from the edge.
Karane laughed, "It'll be fine, come on."
Without another word, Karane grabbed her hand and started running to the edge, ignoring Zelda's protests and yells.
Karane jumped off without a care, dragging Zelda behind her. Faster than she thought possible, they fell through the air, past Levias and quickly approaching the clouds below.
Karane lifted her fingers, sending out a sharp whistle that left a ringing in Zelda's ears. In moments, a large yellow Loftwing, each wing longer than Zelda herself, floated, almost relaxed, beneath them. Karane grabbed on to the feathers at the neck, bringing both of them to rest on the large bird and steering it towards Skyloft.
Zelda yelped, clinging onto Karane like her life depended on it, which, in Zelda's mind, it did.
Karane just laughed and they continued flying off, leaving Levias behind them.
Tetra woke up with a slight headache. That was honestly less than she thought she would be dealing with after the day she'd had.
Groaning, she raised herself up, noting that she was apparently passed out on a stone floor. How in the Great Sea did that happen? She distinctly remembered being nowhere near a building.
Slowly, as the aches and pains left her body, Tetra stood up and tried to find her bearings.
What she found did not make her happy in the slightest.
She was in a prison cell.
An actual, honest to Nayru, prison cell.
She was instantly furious. No one, absolutely no one, put her in a prison cell!
She didn't know how, she didn't know why, but she was here and she was going to make them pay for it.
And, as if to prove their own idiocy, whoever had done this had left her with her weapons and supplies.
The idiocy of that almost made her angrier than the gall they had to toss her in here in the first place!
Glancing around, Tetra saw that she was alone. No one else was in the dungeon. Where Link had gone, she didn't know. She'd find him after she saved herself.
Tetra scoffed, looking at the lock to the cell door. Saving herself wouldn't take any effort at all, not with security like this. She didn't even bother reaching for her lockpicks. Instead, she just grabbed her dagger and pushed it into the lock. With a firm twist, it broke, falling into pieces and the door swinging open silently. Rope would've been more secure than that waste of metal.
She made a mental note to question how she was back in her pirate outfit later, admittedly a little curious as to where her 'princess outfit' had gone after the fight with Ganondorf.
Seeing that no one was in the hallway, she made her way out, looking for any clue as to where she was and who she had to get revenge on.
She didn't have to wait long.
At the end of the hallway was a lone guard, barely older than her. He was faced away from her, which was his own fault.
In no time at all, Tetra had snuck up behind him. The resulting scuffle was barely worth the name. The guard practically dropped his spear in shock and Tetra was able to pin him to the wall, dagger at his throat. Honestly, the security here was laughable. These chumps had no clue what they were doing.
"Alright, who are you? What is this place?" she hissed threateningly, "And, more importantly, where. Is. My. Crew?"
"I-I-I don't know!" the guard cried in fear, "We only found you!"
Tetra humphed, "Found me where?"
"At the entrance! You were unconscious!" the guard cried out. Tetra could actually see a few tears slip out. Well, she thought proudly, at least I can still make a grown man cry out of fear.
"What is this place?"
"We-We're the Thieves! Of the Thieves Hideout!"
"Thieves Hideout?" She raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "And yet, you were dumb enough to try to kidnap a pirate? More importantly, the deadliest pirate on the Great Sea?"
Letting him go, she watched as he slumped to the ground, whimpering and clutching his throat.
"Pitiful. None of you have any idea what you're doing, do you? Where's your leader?"
If anything, this question made the guard cry harder. Tetra rolled her eyes, reaching forward to shake him, "Hey! I asked you a question!"
"Dead! He's dead!" the guard sobbed out.
"Hmmm…" Tetra hummed thoughtfully, "Well then, let's fix that, shall we?"
"W-W-What?"
"Until further notice, I'm your leader." Tetra decided abruptly, "Now, show me around my new Hideout. And gather all the thieves. I want a report on everything, understand? And send out scouts to look for my crew. This is to be our new base from now on."
"Y-Y-You're going to-" he stammered out in shock.
"Did I leave any room for you to question me?" she snapped, glaring at him.
He yelped, shooting upright and to attention. She smirked at the shaky salute. Training would fix that. A lot of training, but at least it was a start.
Link groaned, grabbing his stomach in a wonderful mix of pain caused by overeating and fulfillment. That soup was the best thing he'd ever had, even better than Yeto's soup. He was sure that he would never have anything else that ever tasted as good as that again.
Grandma, as she insisted that he call her, just smiled at his face.
"This has to be the best soup in any time frame." Ezlo mumbled happily in Fi's lap.
Fi, since she couldn't actually eat, just nodded in polite agreement.
"Thank you dears." Grandma said happily, reaching forwards to grab their empty bowls.
Link immediately stopped her, grabbing them himself, "You cooked, let me clean up, please."
"Very well dear."
Link eagerly grabbed the rest of the dirty dishes and made his way to the sink. For him, cleaning was a small price to pay for a wonderful meal.
After the three of them had agreed to work together, Fi had informed Link of the dowsing ability she had, focused on finding the Hero's aura. The other place on the island, a place called Outset, that showed the aura through her dowsing was this house on the far end of it.
They were hoping to find the Link of this time frame, although Fi stated that the chances of that happening were below 5%. Still, it was their best lead.
However, upon getting there, Link had become…adopted. Grandma had taken one look at him and immediately insisted on sitting him down and feeding him the greatest soup he'd ever had. They'd explained the situation multiple times, but that hadn't stopped the older lady from filling his soup bowl for the third time, insisting that he would need his strength if he was to bring her proper grandson back to her. And, until then, he would consider her to be his grandmother as well.
Link tried to protest, he really did. But she wouldn't take no for an answer! Then she pulled out her homemade bread rolls and his protests died in his throat.
He had a real weakness for homemade bread.
While they ate, Link, Fi, and Ezlo exchanged as much information as they could. Surprisingly, Grandma knew quite a bit about what the Link of this time had been going through, filling in many blanks that the Great Deku Tree hadn't known. Apparently this Link had visited her at every opportunity during his adventure, partially to stop her from worrying and partially for refills on the soup she apparently kept on hand.
Link couldn't blame his alternate self there. If this soup existed in his Hyrule, then he'd stop by every chance he could as well.
"Are we still alright to spend the night here before heading out tomorrow?" Ezlo asked while Link scrubbed at the bowls.
Grandma nodded, "Of course. Anything I can do to help. Besides, it's so nice to have company again. This house feels so lonely now that Aryll and Link are gone."
"We thank you for your hospitality." Fi told her, "We'll be heading out in the morning."
"Where exactly are you going dear?"
"We'll be searching for anyone else that may have fallen through to this time."
"Good luck." Grandma said. Link could've sworn her tone was just humoring the sword spirit, but her smile was very genuine when he glanced over at her. "You may try Windfall Island. Lots of travelers head there."
"We'll make sure to do that." Ezlo replied.
Link glanced up, catching sight of the setting sun through the window, "How exactly are we going to get there again?"
"Beetle gave us a ride last time."
"Beetle?"
"A tradesman," Fi answered simply, "He sails around the islands on his boat."
"Is there a faster way?" Ezlo asked Grandma.
She pondered the question for a moment before answering, "My dear grandson said his friend Tetra had the fastest ship on the Great Sea. If you can get in touch with her crew, they should be able to get you there in no time at all."
"That would be helpful." Link said, "Do you know how to get in touch with them?"
"The postman always knows dear. We can ask him tomorrow when he comes by for the mail."
"Wouldn't it take a while for him to get in touch with them?" Ezlo asked skeptically. Link had to agree. The postman in his Hyrule ran everywhere. Often the mail arrived much later than it took to travel to the place yourself.
"Of course not." Grandma smiled, not worried in the slightest, "There's nothing faster on the Great Sea than a Rito postman!"
Link shot everyone else a confused look, folding his arms and leaning against the sink before asking, "What exactly is a Rito?"
"According to the Great Deku Tree, Rito's are an avian race. Overall humanoid, but with birdlike qualities, including powerful wings that allow them to travel great distances through flight." Fi provided quickly.
He tried to picture it in his mind, but couldn't quite make it past the idea of a human sized Ooccoo. Eventually he shrugged, hoping that seeing a Rito in person would make it make sense.
"If you wish to catch the postman, you'll want to go to bed soon." Grandma put in, "Mr. Quill arrives very early for his post route."
"Sounds good to me." Ezlo said, stifling a yawn.
Link smirked, "Me too. It's been a long day."
Fi just nodded and they all moved to prepare for the night.