A/N: TW: anxiety, mentions of manipulation, self-deprecating thoughts, and just general sadness.
Link's loftwing warbled sadly as it flew swiftly through the skies. As if it knew what was happening without Link telling it. And given how strong their bond was, maybe it did.
"Shhhh," Link consoled his bird, petting along its crimson feathers, trying his hardest to keep his hands and voice steady. He felt even more anxious than the time he was preparing to face the most evil being in all the realms, paranoid that someone was following him. He was just going for a flight to clear his head, at least that's what everyone would think. But that was far from the truth.
Skyloft was celebrating. Everyone was joyous at the defeat of Demise and the return of Zelda. But Link? All he felt was numb.
No one had asked him if he was alright. Checked in on him to see how he was holding up after all he'd been through, or even if he still sustained any injuries after the battle. Not even Zelda.
Zelda… Link's heart felt as if it were being stabbed every time he thought of her name. This entire journey started with her, and, as he learned later, because of her.
He hadn't had time to think about it before, as there was always a task to complete, something to find or an enemy to take down. But now that all the danger had passed, he couldn't stop thinking about what the girl had said in the Temple of Hylia.
She had used him. She had never been in any danger; she made him chase her all across the Surface to motivate him into saving the world. And though she seemed genuinely remorseful for it when she confessed, she also had seemed genuinely afraid when Ghirahim had tried to capture her, and genuinely happy to spend time with him. Who's to say she hadn't been honest with him since the moment they met? Becoming his friend just so she could mould him into the hero she needed? How was he supposed to know if any of it was real?
"I'm still your Zelda," she had said. But his Zelda was the one who lied and took advantage of his feelings to make him do what she wanted.
Not that he wouldn't have done everything he could to save the world regardless, because that's just the person that Link is. It hurt him beyond belief to know that Zelda thought he was so self-centered to only get involved when someone he personally knew and cared for was in danger. Did she really know him that little? If that was the case… that meant their friendship really was… not a friendship at all. It were lies. It was all lies.
And it was clear that at the party on Skyloft, where Zelda was all smiles and asking Link to dance like none of the horrors that had come before had even happened, that Link gave up all hope of things ever being fixable between the two of them. Zelda was never going to acknowledge what she did to him again. She was just going to go on like normal, and she'd never let him go. Not as long as he was anywhere near her.
Link hadn't been able to sleep that night. His room in the Knight Academy, his home for so many years, now felt like it belonged to someone else. Someone younger, more naive. Link felt as though he were trespassing by trying to stay there, like he was no longer welcome. No longer safe.
Though he still cared about everyone on Skyloft greatly, he knew there was no one he could turn to there about this. None of them had experienced what he had, and they certainly would never believe him about Zelda. He could just imagine it: "Hey, Master Gaepora, your daughter is actually the goddess of our people, and she has been lying to all of us for years." Yeah, that would go over well. No doubt everyone would turn against Link in a heartbeat, deeming him insane and broken from all the battles. And, granted, maybe he was. But he knew he wasn't wrong about this.
It didn't take Link long to realize that he had to leave. There was nothing left for him on Skyloft, and he didn't feel safe there anymore. He wasn't sure where he could go, where he could hide. But he knew staying where he wasn't an option.
So Link packed everything he could without making too much noise: some clothes, a blanket and pillow, some food and water, a couple of healing potions, and his woodcarving supplies. He thought about taking a sword; it was probably the smart decision given there were still monsters lurking on the Surface. But his heart protested wildly at the thought of holding a blade that wasn't Fi. So instead, he stole a large steak knife from the kitchen while he was taking the food. Surely Henia wouldn't notice if just one was missing, right? It was a crude weapon, and he'd have to get dangerously close to use it, but he planned to avoid all hostile creatures entirely if he could help it. He didn't want to fight anymore; it was no longer his job to do that.
The moment the sky was light enough for his loftwing to fly, Link set off. It didn't seem that anyone noticed his departure, which was a very good thing. Yet, it made the heaviness in the boy's heart feel all the heavier at the same time. How long would it take for someone to notice he was missing? Who would be the first to realize? Would they come looking?
Link wasn't sure. He, Zelda and Groose were the only Skyloftians to go to the Surface so far, and now that it was safer, more would likely follow in their footsteps. Or wingbeats. But would anyone bother doing it just for his sake? And if they did, would it be for him, or for the hero? He didn't know, and he didn't want to think about it.
Link's loftwing warbles again, bringing Link out of his thoughts. It was a low, mournful cry that added onto the feelings swelling up in his heart.
"I-It's okay…" He whispers to the bird, leaning forward to pet its back again. "Everything's gonna be alright." He didn't fully believe that, and his mount could surely sense it. But it also seemed to understand that the boy wasn't about to go back on his decision anytime soon.
"We'll still fly together sometimes," he promises. "Just not as often."
The loftwing didn't seem to like that, and understandably so. He'd been calling to it less often due to how much his journey required him to be on the Surface. And it wasn't as if he didn't like flying; it was one of his favorite things, like all Skyloftians. But he wasn't sure how safe it would be to do so. What if someone saw him? What if they tried to make him go back?
Link lets out a shaky breath, the cool early morning air chilling his lungs. Was he making the right decision? He didn't know. But he figured, after all he had done for others, he deserved to be a little selfish for once.
A/N: i may or may not be drawing inspiration from my own messy and devastating friendship breakup when writing LInk and Zelda's. Like many of my stories, this fic comes from a very personal place at points.