Three years ago, as Link plummeted from the heavens, he summoned Crimson, his loyal steed, avoiding certain death.
Now, clad in a green tunic and chain mail, he trained relentlessly. His sword and shield—gifts from Ganfar—clashed against the air, reclaiming his future.
He couldn't discard his grandfather's gift from their days of respect. Under the towering Goddess statue, her face worn smooth by time, Link practiced his swordsmanship. The setting sun cast long shadows, turning the training ground into a tapestry of light and dark, where every clang of steel echoed with ancient power.
The clang of steel was interrupted by approaching footsteps. Link turned, sword ready, to find Zelda at the edge of the training ground. Her eyes widened in recognition and surprise.
Zelda's footsteps whispered across the stone like scattered prayers, each step drawing her closer to Link. Her dress - Skypiean white edged in Shandorian purple - rustled against her legs like two worlds brushing against each other. When Link's gaze found hers, years of shared memories rippled through the air between them, as tangible as the ancient dust motes dancing in the temple light.
Joy at seeing her old friend warred with the stern warnings of Wyper echoing in her mind. 'You're a traitor,' but the words died on her lips as she saw the same conflict mirrored in Link's eyes. Instead, she managed a whisper, 'Link... is it really you?'
"Zelda's fingers traced the worn carvings on her bow - the same patterns she and Link had practiced drawing together as children. When she spoke his name, it carried the weight of all their shared seasons: 'Link...' Her step forward scattered dust from the temple floor, ancient motes swirling between them like lost time given form. His face had changed, angles hardened by years apart, but his eyes still held that same unwavering light. 'I thought...' She touched the friendship bracelet still tied around her wrist, its threads faded but unbroken.
Link and Zelda climbed the steps of the Goddess statue to a quiet platform, a sanctuary from the world below. The air was heavy with unspoken emotions and shared memories.
Zelda's voice trembled. "Link, do you remember the promise we made?" she asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She sat on the edge of the platform, her feet dangling, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
"Of course, I'll never forget that!" Link replied, a warm smile playing on his lips as he joined her. The memory of their first meeting, a turbulent yet transformative moment, lingered in the air.
"I have something for you," she whispered. Zelda's voice quivered with anticipation as she reached into her bag and pulled out an elaborate sailcloth adorned with the Triforce and a loftwing motif. The fabric gleamed in the sunlight, casting a shimmering glow across the platform, "So that you can always fall in style when you catch me."
Zelda's laugh scattered on the wind as she leaped from the statue. Link's pulse quickened with each heartbeat of freefall before the sailcloth caught the updraft, its embroidered patterns throwing shadow-wings across the clouds below. Together they danced with the sky, their shared joy lighter than air.
They landed in a tangle of limbs and laughter; the sailcloth settling around them like fallen leaves. Link's breath caught as Zelda braced herself against his chest, her hair brushing his cheek. The fading sunlight caught in her eyes, and his hand rose of its own accord to brush a windswept strand from her face. 'Zelda...' he whispered, but the rest of his words scattered like clouds.
A cloud shadow swept across the temple courtyard, turning warm stone cold beneath their feet. The sky knights emerged from this darkness like carrion birds, their jeers echoing off ancient walls that had witnessed centuries of such conflicts. Above them, the statue's face caught the last rays of sun, her expression shifting from benevolence to judgment as shadows lengthened across her features. "What's the matter, freak? Lost your mommy and daddy?" the leader jeered, his laughter echoing through the training ground, harsh and unrelenting.
"Even God has rejected him," a minion remarked, his voice dripping with malice and envy. "And yet he keeps trying," another chimed in, her words laced with bitterness. He imagined Groose's laughter joining the mockery, his words dripping with both jest and envy.
Link's shoulders coiled for combat before he caught the tremor in his attackers' sneers. His stance softened. 'I won't fight you,' he said, letting his sword tip dip toward the ground. 'But I won't let you hurt anyone.' The lead bully's fist unclenched, then tightened again.
The statue of Hylia loomed above them all, her stone face casting half-shadows that turned sneers into grimaces of uncertainty. Link's sword remained lowered, reflecting fragments of sky - the same sky they all shared, whether they admitted it or not. The bullies shifted like leaves in changing winds, their weapons held more like shields than threats.
The leader's fist slammed into Link's face like a thunderclap, sending a searing wave of white-hot pain shooting through his skull, and blinding him for a moment. His vision blurred as he staggered, his knees buckling beneath him.
Copper flooded Link's mouth as he staggered. His knees buckled beneath their laughter, each jeer striking like a physical blow. But even as blood dripped from his chin, Link planted his feet wider. His fists rose, steady now, white-knuckled mirrors of his unbroken will.
"He doesn't even know we're going to wipe out those Shandorians in one fell swoop!" The boys continued to jeer.
"He can't even defend himself, let alone the Upper Yard!" the gang laughed.
An angry, feminine voice sliced through the tension like a knife. "What in the realms are you all playing at?" Zelda's tone was furious. Stomping her way forward, Zelda drew her bow, her fingers steady as she stood in defense of her friend.
As Zelda's intervention caused the bullies to retreat, their mockery echoed off the uncaring glare of the Goddess statue. "Still need a woman to save you, coward!" one man's taunt lingered in the air as they hurried away, leaving behind a tense silence.
The bullies quickly scattered, their mocking laughter fading into the distance as they retreated from Zelda's steely gaze. Link's astonishment lingered as he realized Zelda still had her bow trained on him.
As Zelda's bow remained pointed at him, Link felt a pang of hurt, quickly replaced by understanding. He saw the conflict in her eyes, the trembling of her fingers on the bowstring. Slowly, he raised his hands. 'I know you're torn, Zelda,' he said softly. 'But I'm still me. I'm still fighting for what's right, even if it looks different now.' His words, filled with empathy and resolve, seemed to reach her, and the bow lowered slightly.
Zelda's eyes met Link's, and the warmth he remembered frosted over. Her fingers traced the bowstring's curve, then clenched around it. Once, those hands had reached for his in friendship. Now they hovered near her quiver.
"How can you just stand there?" she whispered, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. Each word felt like glass in her throat. "Where is the knight I once knew? The one who would fight against injustice?"
Link's passive stance before her was a betrayal of everything she thought she knew. Her chest tightened, a physical ache spreading through her as disappointment and doubt warred within. The pedestal she had placed him on crumbled, leaving her adrift in a sea of uncertainty.
Still, she yearned for this to be another trial. When the chaos subsided, she hoped her honorable friend would remain, that warm, resolute gleam reignited in his eyes.
"I have seen your bruises...yet you have not fought back. What is your purpose here?" she demanded. The events challenged everything she thought she knew about him.
Still recovering from his injuries, Link met her gaze unflinchingly. "I want to protect the innocent, to warn the Shandorians of the danger. But alone, I can't defeat Eneru. We need to stand together, like we always have. They were following orders to survive. What about you? Are you here for my bounty or as my friend?" His voice rang with honesty and wariness.
Link's identity blurred in Zelda's eyes. Was he still her dearest friend, or had duty turned him into an adversary she could no longer recognize or trust?
Zelda's jaw hardened, her fingers trembling on the bowstring. The vows they had once etched as eternal now seemed suspended over a chasm of uncertainty. Could their partnership withstand the coming storm, or would it become another casualty of the looming bloodshed?
"I know you have doubts," Link said gently, his tone imploring. "But please, Zelda, if you ever trusted in our friendship, trust in it now."
His words pierced her doubts, awakening memories of their unshakable bond. With dawning certainty, Zelda knew in her heart this was still the loyal friend who had stood by her side time and again.
Nodding, she rejoined Link with renewed conviction. Side by side, together they would warn the Shandorians of the coming storm.
Link smiled in gratitude, his eyes reflecting a determined resolve. "Together, we'll face whatever comes our way," he vowed, reaching out to clasp Zelda's hand. The bond of their friendship felt unbreakable.