Hi all! Glad as always to hear that you liked it! And that I've actually managed to make you like Fi, Birdie, I feel like that's a double achievement that I've managed that for anyone who didn't before, and am keeping it consistent! Also, that phrase you used about her 'not knowing how to categorise her trauma' is just perfect and I'm definitely going to use it the next time I try to explain what's going on here to someone. =D It's really hard to explain in short sentences what's up with Fi when all the usual words are way too... comprehensibly emotive.

Chapter 39: A Knight's Duty

Link had made it back from the market just in time to retrieve his chainmail from the armoury at the back of the training hall and bolt to his room before the Academy bell rang the hour again, sending students spilling out into the halls as they moved between classes, or headed outside for flight practice or weapons training. By the time he'd finished donning his armour and settling all his gear onto belt and baldric, the hubbub outside had largely quietened. There were only a few stragglers left as he hurried down the gentle spiral of the main stairs and along the hall to the counter set into the wall between it and the kitchens. Through the wide, arched opening, he could see Instructor Owlan over by the ovens, talking to Henya as she pushed an enormous tray of unbaked bread into one.

"...would have been nothing but dust and rock, if it existed at all. I never actually expected to learn that anyone had successfully passed through the clouds, though."

Link looked over the handful of packages still lying on the counter and smiled briefly in gratitude as he recognised his own name on one in Henya's familiar hand. He picked it up and tucked it under his arm, quietly retreating and missing most of the head cook's response. Headmaster Gaepora and Knight Commander Eagus had been as good as their word in seeing him supplied, and though Link wasn't even sure how much they knew, everyone from Henya to Parrow had been helping without question.

As he slipped out of the back door and back into the landing area and recovery pens, he could see Parrow pacing up and down, connecting his attitude to the little twinge of concern? radiating from his loftwing. Link frowned: the afternoon duty was usually Orielle's, and he'd have expected them to have handed over hours ago.

"Parrow?" he asked, coming up behind him. "What's wrong?"

Parrow jumped, turning to face him. "Ah, Link. Hah… you really want to hear about my troubles as well?" He sighed, turning to look out to sky. "This morning, my little sister went out for a quick flight, but she hasn't come home yet. She said she wanted to see how the funfair was getting on – you heard about that, right?"

Link nodded: he had, although it was the last thing on his mind right now. A carefully-drawn advertisement had been nailed up in the Skyloft market for weeks, telling everyone that Dodoh's Cloud Circus would be taking up permanent residence on one of the little rocky islands out to the southwest. Link had fond memories of the circus: they usually travelled around the islands, staying in any one place for no more than a month at a time, living mostly hand to mouth on their audience's crystals and gratitude. They had to have been doing well if the airmaster thought they could afford to settle down.

"She shouldn't have been more than four or five hours," Parrow continued worriedly, "even if she got distracted. It's not like her to be this late. And everything that's been happening… I'm worried sick thinking about it." He cast a glance over his shoulder, at the pen where Zelda's loftwing still huddled forlornly. "I'd go looking for her myself, but I can't leave that poor girl alone that long. And what if one of you students came in with another injured bird?"

"Have you told the Knight Commander?" Link asked.

"I'm starting to think about about it," Parrow replied uncertainly. "I don't know that I'd be this worried if it wasn't for… well, everything." A sweeping gesture that took in both Link and Zelda's loftwing said it all. "But now…"

"I think you should tell him, Parrow. And…" Link took a slightly deeper breath, his own concern preventing him from staying silent despite the urgency of his mission. "I need to fly southwest anyway. I'll keep an eye out for her, okay?"

"Would you do that? That's so kind of you… thank you, Link!"

Though he could feel the weight of another responsibility settling across his shoulders, Link made himself smile. "It's all right. You tell the Knight Commander and get a proper search party formed. I'll grab one of the upperclassmen from manoeuvres so there's someone else to carry a message if I find her."

Parrow nodded, hope and gratitude in his eyes. "That's probably sensible, you're right." He seemed more confident for Link having set out a clear plan of action. "You've got a good head on your shoulders these days. Clear skies and the goddess' blessings – I'm counting on you!"

"Clear skies, Parrow," Link said, turning back to the landing platform. He ran out onto it confidently, leaping from the edge, the wind rushing up past him as he gave a piercing whistle. Soaring nearby, his loftwing both heard and felt the signal, stooping into a dive, wide wings folded as he split the air like an arrowhead, rapidly closing on his human. For a moment, Link let himself feel the uncomplicated thrill of it, the red bird matching his height and his speed and easing beneath him so that they touched with barely a jar before arcing up and away, secure in their mastery of the air.

As they beat up into the sky, Link looked around, searching for the familiar uniforms and plumage of the older students. There – was that Karane? At one with his intentions, the red loftwing soared closer, navigating the complex air currents around Skyloft with the habitual ease of a lifetime. It was her, practising a series of loops and turns, and Link waved and shouted as they drew near.

"Karane!"

The tawny loftwing levelled out before swooping in to match his flight path.

"Link!" Karane's freckled face split in a broad grin. "You're not after flight tips, are you? Not after that great showing at the Wing Ceremony!"

"I need your help with something, but it's not that," Link called back. Just for a moment his pride at having won the contest flickered again, but it was almost like something that had happened in another life, overshadowed by so much else. "Listen, Orielle's late back from that island the Cloud Circus are setting up on, and Parrow's worried. I've got to head southwest anyway, so I promised Parrow I'd look for her. Will you come with me, just in case?"

"Orielle?" Karane frowned. "Yeah, this is late. That's not like her. Sure, we'll help!"

"Thanks!"

The red loftwing veered southwest, picking up the pace to a steady long-haul beat, and Karane's tawny bird matched him, keeping up easily on her slightly shorter wings.

"You know Parrow really should tell the Knight Commander, not us, right?"

"That's what I told him!"

"Good for you!" Karane grinned again. "But I can't say I mind doing manoeuvres with a real purpose!"

Link had rather hoped she wouldn't. In the early and mid afternoon, with the islands at their warmest, subsets of the senior upperclassmen were released into the skies to work on their manoeuvres, alone or in small groups. Quite a few of them struck out into the wider skies to practice, away from the crowded air of Skyloft, and a few would occasionally use the opportunity to slip off and visit other islands. The Headmaster held to the rule that now they were adults they should start taking responsibility for their own time, and if they slacked off in their training they would have only themselves to blame when they took twice as long to graduate.

They flew onwards for a short while before Karane spoke again.

"So, um…"

Link braced himself.

"Everyone's saying that the Skyloft Monster is real and a little girl has made friends with it, and you found that out?"

Link blinked, caught completely flat-footed. "Uh – yeah."

"So, what, was it some sort of prank? Or, some of the others are saying it's actually a grumpy old night-flier who wants to turn over a new leaf but doesn't dare show his face to anyone old enough to remember his crimes! It is, isn't it?"

"No… he's actually… kind of a monster. But a nice one, I think. He used to be a sky spirit, but he got… messed up? I went to check on Kukiel while I was at the market earlier, and she's okay. I've already told the Headmaster all about it so he could tell the Knight Commander. I don't really know what to do about it apart from that, but maybe I can figure out some way to help him."

Karane gaped at him.

"The Skyloft Monster… is real? A real monster?"

Link nodded. "I think he's lonely."

"You're having me on, aren't you? You're tweaking my wing. No way!"

"Really!" He was almost enjoying her reaction. "You can ask the Headmaster, or Jakamar or Wryna!"

"Well, I… well, I guess I have to now!" She seemed caught between believing his sincerity and the unexpected, almost unbelievable nature of the story.

"Just, if you meet him… be nice to him, okay?"

Karane shook her head in something between amazement and amusement. "If you say so!"

They flew on in silence for a short while, veering off to fly in twin zigzag search patterns as they passed the first couple of small, uninhabited islands, and regrouped again in the clear sky beyond them. Neither had found any sign of a stranded loftwing – or worse, a stranded flier alone – and they continued, rising and falling in altitude to make the most of the winds.

"So, Link…"

"Yeah?"

Karane shook her head, looking suddenly chagrined. "It's nothing! Like Pipit says, we'll hear everything from the Headmaster, so we shouldn't bother you when you have so much to deal with!"

Link blinked, finding himself once again grateful to Pipit, far away though he was. "Thanks. I… I appreciate it." He really did. There was so much, so much he'd seen and done and still had to do, to think about. How would he ever explain it all in one go? How would he even start? How would he convince anyone to believe it all, when he had so much still to understand himself?

"Say, what do you think of him, anyway?"

"Pipit? Well… he's nice. That was really kind of him."

"He is nice, isn't he?" Karane agreed, suddenly enthusiastically voluble. "He's kind and caring! And handsome and wonderful!"

Link couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, and he suspected Karane had seen it, as she blushed crimson.

"Oh dear… I – I don't know what's come over me all of a sudden! I'm sorry for bothering you with such an awkward question…"

Her loftwing veered away gently, as if to set back out on their search pattern, and Link let them go, his smile growing fainter. So it was true Karane had eyes for Pipit, was it? If it had been just a few days earlier, he would have laughed to himself about it and probably told Zelda everything once he got back to the Academy. If it had been just a few days earlier, it probably would have been the biggest news he'd expect to hear in a week. Instead, now, it barely registered. It was still nice to see someone else happy, but other than vaguely hoping it worked out, he just couldn't muster the ability to care about her interest in her classmate in the way he once would have. There was so much more he had to focus on, and yet it felt like a distant loss, one he didn't really understand and couldn't explain.

The two loftwings zigzagged through the sky in silence after that, swooping low over each of the uninhabited islands they passed, not bothering with the scattered handful of inhabited ones since anyone landing there, however badly, would have already found help and someone to carry a message to Skyloft for them. Link wasn't really expecting to find anything as they dove low over another small island, until to his surprise a slight dull smudge resolved itself into the shape of a brown loftwing with wings outspread.

Master, I can confirm that there is an injured loftwing on the island below.

Link had already decided to dive, Fi's silent voice only confirming his choice. His loftwing gave a loud cry, summoning Karane and her bird, and stooped into the dive, picking up speed, the wind whistling through his feathers and his rider's hair. They pulled up closer to the ground, a smaller figure beside the downed bird waving a strip of bright cloth up at them, and circled once to settle to a cautious landing on what little flat space there was. Close up, Link recognised the brown bird immediately, a mostly dull colour save for the pink and green barring on the tips of her flight feathers, as well as her rider, now hurrying towards them as he vaulted off his loftwing's back.

"If it isn't Link! When I saw those red feathers, I was almost sure it was you. I'm so glad you're here!" Orielle's voice was high and rapid with relief and strain, and Link knew she had to be feeling her bird's pain. "We were flying back to Skyloft when – when my poor bird was injured!" She rubbed her eyes fiercely. "It was my own fault. This region was full of cloud a few hours ago, but she was sure she could handle it. I shouldn't have listened! Then a gust of wind caught us off-balance, and she clipped her wing, and we only just managed to make a crash landing! But now we can't get home…" Orielle sniffed, glancing to the side, where Karane's loftwing was landing in the increasingly crowded space, long legs and strong talons gripping the rounded stone of the island. "I didn't think we would be very long… I didn't even bring my medical kit. I feel so stupid…"

"It's okay, Orielle," Link said gently, touching her arm lightly as he tried to reassure her. She seemed somewhat dirtied herself, and he guessed she had to have tumbled off her bird as they crashed. Behind her, Link's and Karane's loftwings paced carefully to the downed bird's side, their reassuring coos sounding over her breathy, pained little squawks. "It's going to be okay."

"Yeah," Karane chipped in. "We'll make sure you get back safely! Everyone messes up once in a while, right?"

Privately, she and Link both knew that Orielle was very, very lucky. If they hadn't managed to crash on the island, that would have been the end of woman and bird both. If only one of them had made the landing, it might almost have been worse. Orielle had to know that as well as they did, but it was hardly what they needed her to be focusing on right now.

"I nearly fell off Skyloft that one time, remember?" Link said. "And Zelda's loftwing pulled that muscle saving me."

"Didn't Zelda push you?" Orielle asked, sniffing and wiping her eyes again.

"Well… yeah. But that's sort of the point. Everyone does something stupid sometimes."

The day was seared into his mind. Zelda had thought he was being lazy, when in truth he could barely feel his bird at all. He'd nearly died when she'd given him a playful shove to get him to 'stop messing around', and though he could faintly, dimly, feel his bird's desperate desire to come to him, he'd realised the frustration meant he literally couldn't. For a few seconds, he'd genuinely thought he was about to die, to fall forever through the clouds and into the terror that lurked below, a bar to even his own bird's brave heart.

"My cousin broke her leg jumping off her bird in a stupid place," Karane volunteered. "See, it happens to everyone. You're both going to be okay, and that's what's important. We just have to get you home."

Orielle nodded shakily, seeming to pull herself together a little more. "You- you're right. I know you two aren't trained to airlift, but… If I just had my medical kit, we could at least island-hop home. Or…"

Link looked at Karane, who shook her head subtly.

"How about Karane flies home and fetches some full Knights?" he offered instead, Karane's tiny nod proving he'd read her intentions correctly. "They can bring your medical kit and an airlift team. There are probably already some out looking for you by now; we're just the ones who took off first, since I was going this way already."

"Ohhh…" Orielle clenched her fists, looking down. "I…"

"It's what you'd tell a patient!" Karane pointed out.

"Well, I suppose I would…" Another couple of tears escaped down Orielle's face. "You're right, of course. I – I know. We have to think of my bird's health before anything else." She turned back to the downed loftwing, who seemed at least a little calmer, if not really in any less pain, the other two settled on either side of her, careful not to touch. "We'll be home soon, dear friend. We'll be- be all right. They'll bring help."

Her loftwing squawked weakly, and Link read a pained gratitude in it.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" he asked quietly, obligations tearing him in two directions at once. Orielle looked back at him, and perhaps she could see it in his eyes.

"No, it's fine. We won't move at all… it won't make it any quicker. You must have come out here looking for Zelda, mustn't you? Her poor bird… don't make her wait any longer on my account. We've still got each other, don't we, girl?"

Despite her evident pain, the brown loftwing cooed in muted reassurance.

"There, you see? You keep looking for Zelda. We'll be fine here until Karane can bring my medical kit."

Link nodded, inwardly relieved and almost ashamed of it.

"I'll fly straight to Skyloft," Karane promised. "No sidetracks, no clouds, and no sprinting. We'll be back with help before you know it!"

"Thank you both… thank you so much!" Orielle caught Link in a quick, strong hug, though he could feel her trembling slightly through the brief contact before she released him and did the same to Karane. "Thank you…"

"It's a Knight's duty," Karane said confidently. "That's what Pipit would say, and he's always right about that sort of thing. We'd better get going – the sooner we start, the sooner we can bring help."

Orielle nodded, clasping her hands tightly. "Fair winds, both of you."

Given the circumstances, it seemed almost heartless to return the standard wish. Link and Karane shared another moment of hesitation before Link managed to say "Clear skies, Orielle."

Their birds took off from the island almost together, circling at differing heights to avoid any chance of crashing into one another. As Link leapt, feeling the familiar sure certainty of his loftwing diving beneath him to catch him, Karane fell almost beside him. Though Link had been first to dive, her loftwing was the first to arrive, and as he landed almost lightly on the red-feathered back of his own bird and they pulled up, she was already flying back to the northeast with the strong, determined beat of a bird on a mission. She looked back once to wave, and Link waved back before veering around the island and once again heading southwest. There was no knowing how little precious time he had left to lose.

It's late but it's here – I finished the last bit today! After sealing away some vampires.

Thank you all as always for your reviews!

Patch Notes
- Groose's near-murderous sabotage moved to slightly less immediately expellable point in the timeline.
- Fellow student given more utility and agency; increased awareness of plot.
- Orielle's loftwing's injury more clearly actual problem rather than inconvenience in returning to Skyloft.
- Important quest overridingly important; other young Knights-to-be now assist with other matters.
- Single mad millionaire clown replaced with functional travelling circus capable of setting up entire island's worth of funfair.