Waterfall Cave and Ceremonial Wins...With a Touch of Tragedy and the Beginning of Destiny
The cave was dark and dank, a strong smell of mildew in the air. There was also an air of menace in the cave, as if something dark had taken root there, and was slowly awakening, something that Link didn't think was too surprising. The cave had been off limits for as long as he could remember, and he suspected that there had to be some reason for that. Taking slow stepped into the darkness, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the very dim light that barely helped him see. Once he had a general idea of what the cave looked like, he slowly made his way forward, holding the sword in his hand, just ready to strike out at anything that came near.
Coming to the first turn, he slowly took it, hearing a screeching sound. Pausing in his movements, he looked around, seeing several pairs of yellow eyes on the ceiling. Squinting his eyes, he studied what appeared to be a creature with large wings. He couldn't quite tell what color they were, but had the feeling that they were some kind of dark color for how well they blended into the ceiling. Link recognized them from a picture that Zelda had once showed him, one that had been full on monsters that the Goddess was said to have fought again. It had been one of the smaller monsters, not quite one that seemed all that important. The book had called it a 'keese'.
Link took a step forward, watching as they unfurled and began to fly at him. Readying his sword, he slashed at the keese – a total of four – killing them all. They, for some odd reason, seemed to degenerate rather quickly, leaving behind nothing to show that they'd actually been there to begin with. Going forward, he came to a small drop off, which he jumped off of, coming onto a larger chamber. He noticed that, to his right, it was no longer showing a rock wall. Instead, a fence stood, blocking people off from falling into the chasm that Link could just see. A large hole in the farther wall – on the other side of the chasm – could be seen, water flowing in a constant stream behind it. Link not only could tell that it was the waterfall next to the cave opening, but that it was also what was allowing any light into the cave.
As he continued forward, watching where he stepped and keeping an eye on the ceiling in case there were anymore keese, something else came up. A small, greenish blue blob appeared on the ground. It quickly formed a mouth, and also had yellow eyes. A chuchu, if Link was thinking correctly as to what it was called. If Link remembered correctly, Luv – the potions maker – had mentioned them before, saying that they'd once been used to make medicine from the jelly like body. It was a practice that was rarely done anymore, since it hadn't been all that effective. Or, rather, as Luv had actually said, people didn't have the right ability to make it in a way that would actually benefit them, as none of them actually managed to distillate them properly to rid of any imperfections.
When Link noticed that it was coming, he got a bad feeling, which proved to be the correct answer as his leg got caught.
“Ow,” he said, feeling teeth sink into his boot and skin. He shook the creature off, slashing at it with his sword. Like the keese, it's remains disappeared quickly, though it did so in a way that reminded Link of a soap bubble popping. Leaning down, he checked out where it had bitten. It hadn't actually caused a wound. His leather boots had protected him pretty well. In fact, Link had the feeling that all he had to worry about from that encounter was a bruise, and he'd only need a little bit of time before that would go away. As he was about to continue on, he noticed something: the fence stopped before it met the wall, clearly broken from what he could see.
As he stepped closer, he saw that, much to his surprise, the chasm he had thought was there was nothing more than the continued path he would be walking down if he continued walking where he was already. In fact, if he used this break in the fence, he's be making his journey smaller, which was something he liked the idea of.
There was also the matter of the fact that there was a ledge there, just a foot lower from where he stood. He took it, realizing that, just a pit below and protruding from another wall, was another ledge, one that held a small chest and two heart shaped red flowers Link knew to be called Viscus flowers. He smiled at seeing them. They were a rather common medicinal flower that he was used to seeing around the area, having two purposes. The first was that they could, in their natural form, be peeled back to yield a red gel that was used as an disinfectant for wounds, as well as a way to stop bleeding, and quicken the healing process of a wound. The second use for them was boiling the petals of the flowers in a mixture that would dissolve them, which could then be drunk to replace blood, stop fever, and help the body heal itself from the inside, depending on what else was added to it.
He jumped down to the ledge, positioned himself, and then ran towards the next ledge, jumping and landing on easily. Plucking the flowers, he put them into his waist cloth, just in case he had need for them at some point. It was always a good idea to have some on handy for anything. Plus, he could sell the petals to Luv so that she could make some of her potions.
He then turned to the chest, walking towards it and opened it, wondering who had put it there and what they had hidden inside. The cave seemed to be a rather...interesting hiding place, after all, and he really couldn't see anyone he knew using it. Particularly in this life time, what with the fact that the entrance had been blocked until he destroyed it. Inside, he found a rather pleasant surprise, for there were several rupees. There was also a note, which, after he read, allowed him to know who it was that had hidden the rupees. He was, however, surprised when he came to the line that mentioned that whoever found the chest could just take the rupees with them, as he couldn't imagine why someone would say that. Of course, with the fact that this person was dead, Link realized that it did make sense. After all, it wasn't like the person would be using them.
Knowing now that they were free for him to take, though he still didn't feel comfortable doing so, he looked through the rupees. There were quite a few of them, five red, three green, and fifteen blue. Placing them all into his pouch, he stood back up, looking around. He wasn't sure if he could make the next ledge from where he was at the moment, but see that that drop down wasn't too bad, he knew that he could chance it.
Continuing onward and defeating a few more keese – some which left behind a claw that he picked up – as well as another chuchu, which left a blob of it's jelly-like body that he also picked up, he saw some vines crawling up the wall. Curious as to where they led to, he climbed them, finding another small chest, as well as some jars. Opening the chest, he found another note, which seemed to have been written by the same person, and also said that whoever found the chest could have what was inside, as well as some more rupees, this time heralding two red and three green. Adding those ones to his money pouch, he continued onward, defeating two more chuchus and another keese, which yielded a few more claws and jelly blobs.
Continuing down the path, he came to a wall that he had to run up in order to reach the top, pulling himself up. Dusting himself off, he could see the exit between to rocks protruding from the ground. Walking forward, he noticed a little ledge off to the side, which held several plants. Going closer to it to see if, perhaps, there were more Viscus flowers or some other medicinal plant, he attracted the attention of several keese, which he killed. Jumping up to it, he saw that there was crawlspace in it, which, when he crouched down, he discovered, as strange as it was, that there was a red rupee in it. Crawling forward, he grabbed it, shrugging as he added it to his pouch, which jangled from the added rupee.
Finally, he left the cave, seeing the sweet sky once more. A look around yielded two more Viscus flowers, as well as – strangely enough – a prayer bird statue. Ignoring those things, he looked around, seeing a small grassy path leading downwards and off around a bend. He walked towards it, only to be stopped when he heard Zelda call out his name.
He looked over, seeing her fly over to him. She hopped off of her Loftwing once she was on solid ground, walking towards him.
“Hey, Link, I was hoping I'd find you here,” she said. “I heard you'd gone searching for your bird around the waterfall, so I thought I'd fly around and help you look.”
“Did you find anything?” Link asked. She shook her head.
“How's your search going? Any sign of Crimson?” she asked him.
“No, but I know he's somewhere around here,” Link said. “Before I entered the cave, I felt him, just for a second before something blocked the connection again.”
“Do you know what blocked the connection to begin with?” Zelda asked.
“I have an idea,” he said, looking at the opening to the cave again. “When I first entered in there, I sense...I sensed an aura of menace, a strong one. It's probably what's blocking me from feeling Crimson, because I don't think there's anything else strong enough to do it.”
“That doesn't sound good,” Zelda said. Suddenly, Zelda turned, listening hard for something. She looked downward, at the cloud barrier underneath them. Watching her, she seemed lost in thought, until she suddenly said, “Who... Who's that? Who's calling for me?”
“I didn't hear anyone say your name, Zelda,” Link said, watching her concerned. She turned towards him.
“Oh,” she said, shaking her head a bit. “Sorry, Link. I got distracted for a moment. Let's go!”
“If you're sure,” Link said, turning after she nodded. Together they made their way down the path. The first thing Link saw was a takeoff bridge. Then, as he finished turning the corner, he finally found his Loftwing. A dismayed look crossed his face as he realized what those brutes did to him. Zelda, who'd come up behind him, let out a little started cry.
“Look!” she said. “There he is! What did they do?” The last bit was whispered, disgust clear at Groose and his friends, for there, in front of them, was a blocked small cave with Crimson behind the barrier. Four boards had been used to keep him there, tied with rope to the wall. Crimson was squawking and flapping his wings, clearly hysterical as being trapped.
Link and Zelda ran forward, and Link looked at the ropes. They were tied tightly, and he found himself unable to undo them. He stood back, thinking for a moment before he remembered the sword on his back. Pulling it out of the sheath, he lined his strike up, slicing through two of the three ropes holding one of the boards up with little trouble. Another slice, and it let go completely. He repeated the action with the second rope on one side, then slashed at the two on the other side, finally freeing his Loftwing.
Crimson stepped out of the small cave that had been his prison, looking around with his sharp golden eyes. Shaking his body and letting out screeching cries, he reveled in his freedom, finally folding his wings back to his body, stopping his cries, and leaning down towards Link, who brought up a hand to pet him.
“There, there,” he said. “You're all right now.”
Crimson bucked his head against Links hand, clearly enjoying being back with his friend. Link petted him a few more times and them let his hand fall down, watching as Crimson took off, eager to feel the wind beneath his wings. Link and Zelda laughed a bit, Link running to the takeoff bridge, his eyes on his Loftwing.
“We should hurry, Link,” Zelda said. He turned to her, a huge smile on his face now that Crimson was safe. “Now that Crimson is free, you should fly to the ceremony. He went to nod to her, only to see her face turn a bit melancholy.
“What's wrong?” he asked her.
“I...I have to ask you something,” she said. “I...I heard this voice a few moments ago. Did you hear it, too?”
“No,” he said. She frowned.
“You know, it's been happening a lot, lately,” she said. “It's the strangest feeling... Almost like someone is calling out to me.”
“That doesn't sound good,” Link said.
“I know,” she said, looking down at the cloud barrier. He followed her gaze, wondering what he she was going to say.
“Have...have you ever wondered what's beneath the clouds?” she asked.
“Sometimes, a little,” he answered.
“You know, some say that it's an empty, barren place, or even that there's nothing at all down below, but I just have this feeling that they're wrong,” Zelda continued.
“Some of Father's old texts talk about a place called the surface,” she said. “The tales describe a whole world under there, far more vast than Skyloft! The thing is, no one's ever been down there to see it, and our Loftwings won't fly through the cloud barrier. But... I can't help imagining the wild things that might be waiting below. Someday, I want to see for myself.”
“You know, your kind of wrong,” Link said quietly. She turned towards him. “People have been down there, at one point. Remember the legend that your father told us, years ago. The one on how people came to be here on Skyloft?”
“Yeah,” Zelda said slowly.
“Well, in the legend, it's clear that we were a part of the surface at one point,” Link said, turning towards her. “So, people have been down there. The problem is, they're our ancestors, which is why no one realizes it.”
“But what do you think is down there?” Zelda asked.
“I don't know,” he said. “What I do know is this: if you do go down there, I'm going with you.”
Zelda finally smiled. “Thanks,” she said. They stood there for a few moments, before Zelda finally shook her head clear.
“Oh, sorry, Link,” she said. “We don't have time to talk! Let's get going. Look, Crimson's waiting for you. This time, you don't have to worry about falling. He'll catch you for sure.”
He gave a definite nod to her, and jumped calling for Crimson as he did so. As Zelda had said, Crimson had indeed caught him. After flying around for a bit, to let Crimson be free for a bit longer, Zelda finally said something.
“I think we should head back,” she said.
“Yeah,” Link said. They turned towards Skyloft, flying over. Link directed Crimson to hover just above the plaza and jumped down, Zelda following suit. She turned towards him, a huge smile on her face.
“Your Loftwing really is amazing,” she said. “Especially considering everything the poor guy has been through this morning.”
“Yeah,” Link said.
“Well, I'm going to fly out and tell father what happened, so he doesn't worry,” she said.
“Okay,” Link said. “I'm going to go return the sword to Knight Commander Eagus.”
“Well, see you during the ceremony,” Zelda said, hurrying away. Link watched her go. Then turned, immediately seeing Groose walking towards him, a disgruntled look on his face that he quickly wipe clear once Link saw him.
“Well, well, if it isn't Link!” he boomed. “Word around the plaza is you found that dumb bird of yours.”
Link could hear the fact that Groose did not like this fact in his voice.
“Yeah, I did,” Link said. He wanted to mention something about how it was no thanks to Groose that he even had to search, but knew that it wouldn't do any good.
“Well, that's just great,” Groose said, his voice false. He continued talking, mention that he was all stiff now because his practice warm-up he and the other two had done turned out to be for nothing. Link wondered how harming Crimson could be considered a warm-up. Link had to listen as Groose complained about the fact that the race was delayed for him, calling it special treatment. Link didn't bother pointing out that not only would they had done it for anyone, but a lost Loftwing was a bit deal, one that was taken seriously.
After all, if Groose wanted to pretend that they hadn't done a whole mention of safety values and what would happen if a Loftwing couldn't be found by it's partner to blame Link, he wasn't going to stop him. It not only wouldn't do any good, put it just showed how pathetic Groose was being.
Finally, Groose hit the part that seemed to have him mad the most.
“You're almost a man, and yet you can't seem to go anywhere without Zelda,” he said. “I bet you can't even decide what to have for lunch on your own, huh? And don't think we haven't noticed the smug looks...”
Link tuned him out once more and he began his normal vein about how much he disliked Link's friendship with Zelda. Instead of listening to Groose, Link turned to Stritch and Cawlin, who began to talk.
“Groose has been going on forever about how he's gonna be the one to be with Zelda,” Cawlin complained to Stritch. “He's really got his pompadour in a ruffle about her!”
Stritch laughed. Meanwhile, Groose continued to talk, turning his back on Link as he began to fantasize, out loud, about who Zelda was thinking when she was making the sailcloth that she was using as a shawl, and then how the race and finishing ceremony was going to go. Link felt some disgust at how he was talking about Zelda, and was about to say something when Zelda came back, coming to stand a few feet away Link as she heard what Groose was saying. Disgust at the idea that she would want him to be the one to finish the ceremony, she shook with anger.
When Stritch and Cawlin saw her, their eyes widened.
“Groose!” Stritch called. “Psst, Groose! Behind you! Right behind you!”
“WHAT?!” Groose yelled at them. “Can't you two see I'm in the middle of --”
He noticed that they were looking behind him, and he turned, surprise on his face when he realized who was standing behind him.
“GAH!” Groose yelled.
“Care to explain just what you meant by 'our special moment alone'?” she asked, hands on her hips and anger in her face.
Link looked to Groose, enjoying himself as Groose tried to dig himself out of the hole he'd forced himself into. Groose finally lied, saying that he was just telling Link that he was glad Link had for his bird, and that he was looking forward to a fair race. He then, in his arrogant manner, told Zelda to look for him during the race, and how he'd be pulling off all the dangerous moves before walking away. Cawlin and Stritch begged Groose to wait up before going after him.
Zelda turned to Link.
“Did you hear that guy?” she said. “A fair race? Yeah, the chances of that happening are just about less thank zero.”
It was clear that she believed, with Groose in it, a fair race wouldn't be happening.
“Either way, don't let those fools get you down, Link!” she added. “Just get out there and fly the best you can!”
“I'm not all that worried,” Link said.
“I know you've got these guys beat, and deep down I think you do too,” she continued, not listening. Link was a bit amused, since realizing that she was the nervous one.
“Yeah,” he said.
“That's the spirit, Link,” she said. “Trust me – you can' win this.”
“I know,” he said.
Suddenly, there was a bell ring.
“The Wing Ceremony will now begin!” Instructor Horwell, who had snuck by them before they realized it. “Participating students, please assemble!”
“Looks like it's race time. Good luck, Link!” Zelda said.
“Thanks,” Link said, only to remember that he still had the sword. “Oh, no. I told Knight Commander Eagus that I would return this sword beforehand.”
“I'll do it for you,” Zelda said. “You just go out there and make sure you win.”
“No, I'll just hold onto it,” he said. “It wouldn't be very responsible of me after promising that I wouldn't abuse his trust in letting me use it.”
“Okay, then,” she said. “If he asks about it, I'll let him know why you haven't returned it yet.”
“Thank you,” Link told her.
He moved to where the other participants were at, and the ceremony began, with three Loftwings flying through the sky, trailing red, blue, and green smoke behind them. Instruments sounded out a glorious tune as the riders with the smoke continued to fly around, going over the contestants.
Instructor Owlan, who was in charge of starting the race portion of the ceremony, began to talk.
“Your attention, please,” he began. “At last we are ready to begin the Wing Ceremony. I was beginning to worry that we'd have to proceed without Link, but luckily that is no longer a concern.”
Link blushed as the other three looked at him, Groose sneering at those words. It was kind of clear that Owlan hadn't wanted Link to miss the ceremony, a favoring deal, to be truthful.
“I'm glad you could all make it,” Owlan continued. “Before we start, I'll explain the rules for today's competition. I have attached a small statuette to this bird, who I will then release to the skies. On my signal, you will dash and dive off the ledge. Once you are in the air, mount your Loftwing. Make sure to remember to call your bird promptly one you drive off the edge.
“Whoever catches the bird and claims the statuette first will be this year's champion. Those are the rules. Simple enough, I should think.”
The four boys nodded.
“Excellent,” Owlan said. “As you well know, today's champion will graduate to the next class, bringing him one step closer to knighthood. He will also receive a gift from the young woman chosen to play the role of the goddess in this year's ritual. Today is a special day for many reasons, but it is also the twenty-fifth anniversary of our fine institution. To celebrate the occasion, today's champion shall also receive his gift high atop the Statue of the Goddess.”
There were a few excited gasps from the onlookers who were listening to Owlan speak. That was something that they hadn't known would be happening before. Usually, one received their gift in the courtyard, not atop the Statue of the Goddess. This ceremony would be very special indeed.
“I hear the young woman performing the role of the goddess this year has crafted the gift herself,” Owlan added, which wasn't really news, as everyone already knew this fact. “And, as you all well know, the role of the goddess this year will be performed by the lovely Zelda.”
Zelda giggled a bit at her introduction. Groose, now reminded of this face, stopped paying attention to Owlan, chuckling to himself as he began to once again imagine being with Zelda at the ceremony finale, only this time, he imagined being atop the Statue of the Goddess as well in his fantasy.
“Let's see your finest flying out there. Show me just how hard you've been practicing,” Owlan continued. “Also, I want to see good, clean flying. Anyone caught interfering with other riders will answer to me!”
Gaepora, who noticed Groose's lack of attention, scowled at him.
“That goes double for you, Groose!” he thundered, startling the boy. Then, the bird took off.
“All right, gentlemen, line up,” Owlan commanded. “At my command, the competition will begin!”
The four boys spread out, lining up and showing that they were ready to run.
“Go!” Owlan shouted. The four immediately ran off the takeoff bridge, calling their Loftwings to them.
Link, with an ease that belayed his natural ability, was able to get close to the yellow bird pretty quickly, reaching forward to grab the statue as he'd been told to. Groose's voice came from behind him.
“Hey!” Groose yelled, distracting him a bit. “Don't you know this is my day to get all the glory?”
Groose pushed his Loftwing to Link, purposely running into him.
Back on Skyloft, Zelda, Gaepora, and Owlan, who were watching, all narrowed their eyes.
“Did you see what Groose just tried to do?” Zelda demanded.
“Yes, we did,” Owlan said. “Do not worry, Zelda, once the race is over, Groose will lean the folly of his actions.”
“And what if he wins?” Zelda asked. “What if he gets the statue first?”
“Then the race will be done again,” Owlan said. “We will not let someone who tries to cheat and knock or harass other participants in the race be declared the winner. However, I don't think we'll have to worry. After all, I do not believe that the goddess will allow someone who cheats to win the race that is held in her honor.”
“I hope your right,” Zelda murmured, looking back at the race.
In the sky, Cawlin laughed at Link's misfortune.
“Yeah, you heard him!” Cawlin yelled, laughing still. He then held up a large egg. “Let's see how you fly with this on your face.”
He threw it towards Link, Stritch following his actions. Link just managed to get out of the way of them both while still following the yellow Loftwing. However, the eggs made it a bit harder to follow the bird, and, finally, after having avoid several of them, Link had an idea. Flying between the two, Link ducked out of the way as Stritch and Cawlin threw their eggs once again. He couldn't help the laugh that came from him when he saw his plan work, the eggs smacking and breaking on the two's face.
On the platform, Zelda looked towards Owlan.
“Will Link get into trouble for doing that?” she asked, as they all had clearly seen something being thrown by Stritch and Cawlin – who would be joining Groose in his punishment. They had also seen what Link had done on purpose.
“No,” Owlan said. “They were trying to harass Link and were the ones who threw the eggs. It is not Link's fault for getting the egg to hit their teammates face, for they shouldn't have been throwing eggs to begin with. Plus, it looked like it was done on accident as well.”
The last bit could easily be true, as it did look like an accident.
He made his way forward, ducking one more egg – that Cawlin blindly threw – which ended up hitting Groose in the back of the head. Groose, immediately distracted, fell back to yell at Cawlin, and that's when Link made his move, going back close to the yellow bird and reaching for the statue again.
“Groose, he's about to --” Stritch said, having cleared his face of the egg and seen what Link was about to do. Groose turned, his eyes widening.
“NO!!” he yelled, just as Link grabbed the statue. The Loftwing, feeling the statue leaving him, screeched out a cry, letting everyone know that it had been caught. Several knights, at Owlan's instructions, rounded around Cawlin, Groose, and Stritch, all who were fighting each other, and bringing them back to Skyloft. Owlan and Gaepora were there waiting for them.
“So, tell me, did you not hear when I said that there was to be no harassing or interfering with the other contestants?” Owlan asked them. The boys cringed, noting the serious expressions on Owlan's and Gaepora's faces. They immediately knew that they would not be enjoying what was to come.
Meanwhile, still in the sky, Link was celebrating his victory, heading to Skyloft alone, as was his right.
“Hey, Link!” Zelda shouted, her voice coming from above him. He looked up just in time to see her jump off of the takeoff bridge, and not call for Mara. Panicked, he urged Crimson faster, going under Zelda and catching her into his arms, Crimson having a bit of trouble with the extra weight at first.
“What were you thinking?” Link asked her, worried.
“Sorry,” Zelda said. “I was just so excited. Don't worry – I'm fine!” She laughed and smiled at him. “Great flying, Link! Congratulations!”
He laughed with her. “Thank you,” he said.
“Now, we'd better get on with the ceremony!” Zelda said. “To the Statue.”
Link guided Crimson to land at the top of the statue before flying off above them, Mara right behind them. Up on the statue's hands, Zelda took a few steps forward.
“Link,” she said, “hand me that Bird Statuette you grabbed in the race. I must offer it to the goddess.”
He nodding, holding it out to her, and she gently took it from him. Holding it out in front of her, she turned, and placed it in a groove just big enough for it, fixing it until it was perfect before stepping back. Then, she pulled the harp from where she had placed it on her belt, and began to pay the prayer song. Once again, Link was serenaded with the sound of Zelda playing, before she put the harp back to her belt and held out her left hand.
Remembering what was to come next, he placed his right hand in hers, and bowed down, closing his eyes just as she did.
“Great goddess,” Zelda began, “guiding light and protector of our people, grant us your blessing and mercy as I act in your stead during this ceremony. Valiant youth who grasped victory at the celebration of the bird folk... In accordance with the old ways... I now bestow the blessings of the goddess upon you.”
Zelda let go of Link's hand, reaching behind her to undo the sailcloth she was wearing around her shoulders. Folding it delicately, she handed it over to him, saying the final bit of the ceremonial speech.
“The blessing of the goddess drift down from the heavens aloft a sail, which I now pass on to you,” she finished. He brought up both of his hands to take the sailcloth, holding it above his head as he stood up.
“I thank you for this bless,” he said, bowing to her. He noticed, as he breathed, that the sailcloth smelled really nice. “It smells really nice,” he added.
“Link!” Zelda said in a mock scolding tone. “Quit goofing. This is supposed to be a sacred ritual, remember?”
“I remember,” he said.
“You know, they say that the goddess gave the Sailcloth to her chosen hero long ago,” Zelda said. “Of course, the one you're holding isn't the same one. I've been working hard to finish making this sailcloth in time to give it to today's champion.” She suddenly became a bit bashful. “I'm really glad I got to give it to you, Link. Make sure you take good care of it, okay?”
“I will,” he told her.
She smiled, giving him a soft smile.
“Thanks for making it up here to do this with me today like you promised,” she said.
“Your welcome,” he answered. Her smiled widened. Then, she walked closer to him.
“Now, we really should finish up this ritual...” she said, standing in front of him. “You...do know what happens at the end, right?”
“Uh, sort of,” he lied, not really having a clue. As far as he knew, after receiving the gift, the ceremony was over, but since they were atop the Statue of the Goddess instead of in the courtyard, he had the feeling that something would be different about it. Zelda gave a little laugh.
“I'm glad you're so well informed on the subject,” she said, stepping really close to him and closing her eyes for a second. Link fought to keep his blush down. Then, suddenly, she turned him around.
“You have to jump off the statue!” she informed him happily. He looked down, a bit dismayed, for it was a long jump. “Look, see that big, round design below? To finish the ceremony, you need to drop down right into the center of it! Leap off the edge here, and, right before you hit the ground, use the sailcloth to slow yourself down.
“And just how brave are you? If you were really fearless, you'd wait until the last second to use your Sailcloth,” she added coyly.
“So, ready to jump?”
“Uh,” he started. She didn't wait for him to answer, pushing him off instead. As he fell through the air, he worked hard to keep himself balanced, knowing that it was the only way to keep from going to far away from the circle. He managed to keep himself fairly in the center, and, just as Zelda had challenged, waited until he was pretty close to the ground before pulling the sailcloth out, and fashioning a parachute with it.
The wind billowing to help puff out and slow him down yanked hard on his arms, though it didn't hurt for long as his feet touched the ground just moments later. He didn't slow down enough, though, and was forced to bend his knees in light of the pressure landing caused. Once he was firmly on the ground, he straightened, looking up towards Zelda. He felt a bit jealous as he saw her flying down on Mara, though it didn't last that long as she rushed toward him, a happy smile on her face.
“That was perfect!” Zelda praised, her hands coming up to just below her chin. “You're amazing, Link!”
Link smiled at her. Zelda let a small gasp escape her, a slight blush crossing her face as she looked away from Link for a moment. Link watched Zelda while Crimson came up from behind him, landing and standing there just as Mara was doing. Zelda lowered her hands, but kept them connected, trying hard not to fiddle her fingers.
“You know, Link, seeing as how you won today...” she started, her blush starting to darken as she forced the words she wanted to say from her throat, where they tried to stick. “And wit the weather being so nice... You think...maybe you'd like to...you know...go fly around the clouds...together?”
She looked up from the ground at that, having controlled her blush. The look on her face was a soft smile, hope evident as she waited for his answer.
“Of course. I'd love to,” Link said, blushing a bit himself. She smiled, clearly happy with his answer.
“Let's go, then,” she said. The two dashed to the takeoff bridge, going over and calling their Loftwings together. They set no destination to where they wanted to go, flying this way and that way, never straying far from each other. They flew for hours, the sun beginning to drift down, painting the clouds pink as it did so.
Zelda, who had let herself drift slightly behind Link, was content to watch him as he flew. He was even more handsome when he was flying, his face lit up with joy to be in the sky. She felt a blush cross her face once more as she thought that, then bit her lip. Perhaps she should...
Before she could lose her nerve, she flew a bit closer to him.
“Link? Hey, Link!” she called, gaining his attention. He turned towards her.
“What?” he asked.
“Today was amazing,” she said. “Watching you win the race and performing the ritual together... I'll always remember this. It really was wonderful.”
He smiled at her. “I agree,” he said. “It was wonderful.”
She looked away for a second, steeling her nerve.
“You know...Link...” she started. “There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about...”
However, before she could say anything else, something happened. A flash of dark light and horrible tremble rented the air, causing the two to be forced to look away. When Zelda looked back, a look of surprise crossed her face as she gasped, for in front of her, a large dust colored...something twirled in the air
“What is that?” she asked, as the Loftwings squawked uncomfortably, for they were being pulled towards it.
“I don't know,” Link called. Before any more words could be said, they ran right into the twister, the force if it trying to separate and pulled them apart.
“What's going on?” Zelda yelled, trying not to let Mara go as the sky darkened. Unfortunately, the twister seemed to attack her viciously, pulled her away. She screamed out.
“Link!”
Link, seeing her fall, directed Crimson after her, only to be thrown off of him, and away from the twister, as if something was controlling it, something that only wanted Zelda. He went flying towards Skyloft, his Loftwing going after him in order to save him, unconsciousness taking him immediately.
He was falling, air rushing past him. He couldn't tell if it was happening from behind himself, or in front of him. At least, that's the way it seemed like at the moment. A voice called out to him.
“Link...?” it said. It was female, smooth and matriculate, though lack any feeling to it. There was also something strange about it, ringing with something he didn't know. It also sounded a bit familiar as well.
After blinking a few times, his eyes focused on a bright, purplish light that appeared several feet away from him. He noticed, in the light, that there seemed to be a figure, one that had what he suspected to be it's arms spread out, making the figure look like a cross. He also noticed that one arm seemed to be purple, darker than the light behind it, while the other was a different color, blue, if he wasn't mistaken. Other than that, he couldn't see anything identifying about the figure.
“I am waiting for you,” the female voice said, and Link realized that it was coming from the figure he could see ahead. “The time has come for you to awaken. You are vital to a mission of great importance. Link...”
He just stared, having trouble comprehending the words. What was going on? The last thing he remembered was...
With a gasp as the light and figure left and Zelda appeared, he remembered what happened. Panicking a bit as he realized that he was facing downwards with Zelda in front of him, he reached for her,determined to grab her. It was for naught, as she seemed to fall even faster away from him. Then, a truly terrifying vision showed, as the monster from his earlier dream showed up, it's great mouth opening wide to swallow Zelda whole, her screams echoing in his ears.
His eyes immediately opened and he sat up, a look of fear on his face as the last images of his dream haunted him. When he realized that he was in his room, he calmed a bit, sitting up. He was surprised to see that waist cloth and shirt were missing, a white bandage wrapped around his midsection.
“Ah, you're awake,” came a voice to the side. He looked over, a gasp leaving him until he saw who it was. The headmaster stood there, near his bookshelf, and stepping forward once Link noticed him.
“When our Loftwing carried you back, you were limp and unconscious. I feared the worst,” Gaepora continued. “Fortunately, you don't appear to have any serious injuries. For that much we can be grateful.”
As Link realized that what had happened with the twister and Zelda being pulled away from him, he looked down, ashamed that he hadn't been able to help his friend. Gaepora, continued to look at him, his own face a mask of worry.
“But, Link...” Gaepora began. “Where's Zelda? She was with you, was she not? What's happened to my daughter?”
Hesitantly, Link told him what happened, how a strange cloud appeared from no where, knocking Zelda from her Loftwing and pulling her downwards. He told him how he tried to save her, but had been unable to, due to the fact that the cloud seemed to have rejected him, flinging him away. He mentioned his suspicion about the cloud not being normal, not just in color, but in actions as well.
Gaepora's face grew intense as he listened to the story. He closed his eyes and covered his face as the implications of what was being said entered his mind.
“A black tornado,” Gaepora said. “That was no ordinary storm.”
Link watched him silently as he walked towards the door, looking down.
“I have to save her,” he muttered, going to get out of bed. Gaepora turned towards him, lowering his hand as he saw Link trying to get out of bed. The twister had done a number on Link, though, for he gasped as he held his midsection, an unexpected shot of pain going through him.
“You must not push yourself. You're still recovering,” Gaepora said. “When your Loftwing brought you back, you were horribly bruised around your midsection. We put some uchikizu and bandages on it, but you'll need to wait until morning before you can actually move around a lot.”
Link frowned, but stopped trying to move. The pain began to dull once more.
“Tell me, when you saw Zelda today, did anything about her seem...off?” Gaepora asked. Link bowed his head.
“She mentioned that she thought she heard someone calling her name a few times, after we first found my Loftwing,” Link said. “She also mentioned a lot about what might be underneath the clouds. And, well, honestly, she's not the only who strange things have been happening to. I've been having dreams about someone mentioning a 'great mission' I'm to go on.”
“I see,” Gaepora said, his face troubled. “She was talking about he surface then?”
“Yes,” Link said.
“And you've been having dreams about a 'great mission'? How interesting...” Gaepora said, trailing off. Link immediately knew that he was hiding something.
“Is there...something important about...these facts? Are they connected?” Link asked him, after noticing that Gaepora didn't seem inclined to say anything – in fact, he didn't seem to be away of that Link was there. When Link asked his questions, Gaepora shook his head.
“I'm sorry,” he said, putting his hand on Link's shoulder. “I was lost in thought there for a moment. It's all very strange, but I doubt there's much of a connection between these things. I'm concerned for Zelda, but so long as she's with her Loftwing, I'm sure she'll be fine. Either way, daybreak has yet to arrive. It would be very difficult to spot one girl and her bird in the dark of the night. It would also be very dangerous.”
Link nodded, seeing the truth in his words, but still concerned and wanting to do something. The fact that the Headmaster was also hiding something didn't go unnoticed by him, either, and he wondered what it was that was being hidden. Gaepora headed to the door once again, turning as he neared it.
“Rest now, Link. Zelda's going to be fine. She's out there alive. I know it,” Gaepora said. The small tremble in his voice showed that he was desperate to believe his words, but still afraid that they weren't true. He then left the room. Link sat on his bed, looking down at the floor, still feeling like failure for not managing to save Zelda when he thought he heard something strange. Looking towards the door, he focused his eyes and ears on it, surprised when he heard a voice. He immediately recognized it as being the one in his dreams. Slowly standing up, he watched the door. It didn't open, but he heard the voice again, a bit more distant, but still there.
Curiosity over took him, and he went to move for the door, but paused, realizing that not only was going unarmed not the smartest idea, but that he couldn't go out dressed as he was. Looking around his room – no longer caring about his bruised – he was surprised to see that the practice sword he'd borrowed was there, standing next to his bed in it's sheath. He would have thought that the knight commander would have gotten it, but them realized that they were probably more concerned with making sure he was alright to worry about it.
The undershirt, shirt, waist cloth and belt he'd worn was over the back of the chair at his desk, his money pouch and the Viscus flowers he'd gotten earlier on his desk. After putting his top garments back on, he paused, trying to think of why he would need his money pouch or the flowers for, then figured that, at least with the pouch, he'd have a place to put some things if he found anything. He couldn't really think of a reason why he would need the flowers, though. Skyloft was usually just as peaceful at night as it was in the day. He was only planning on bringing the sword with him for just in case scenario.
Putting it on so that the pommel rested over his right shoulder – his preferred sword arm – he made his way out of the room. He looked around the hallway carefully, freezing slightly when he saw a mysterious figure on the stairs. She was strange, but he immediately knew that this was the figure from the dream he'd had when he before he woke up and discovered that Zelda was gone. As he had suspected, she was the color of purple and blue – at least, the cape like sleeves covering her arms were. Her head, from what he could see, was the same blue as her one sleeve, while her legs were a dark color, looking almost black.
She stood several stairs up, moving when he went to walk towards her. Eyes furrowing, her hurried over to her. She moved quickly, arms spreading outwards as she did so, little twinkling lights left in her wake. He ran up the stairs, keeping an eye on her. Once he hit the second floor, he slowed down a bit, determined not to bring any attention to himself for roaming around at night.
He followed the figure – the female he mentally corrected himself – to the door. Frowning for he knew that it would be locked – the doors into the Academy usually were at night – his looked changed from a frown to shock as the female went through the door. He walked to them, looking at where she'd gone through them, and them reaching for the handle, unable to force himself not to at least try and follow.
He was slightly surprised when the handle turned to no problem, the door opening to the outside. Closing it shut quietly behind him as to not disturb anyone, he turned towards the figure, who was standing on the overpass that connected the second floor of the academy to the stairs leading up to the Statue of the Goddess courtyard. He followed her as she turned and headed up those stairs. He frowned, wondering what she wanted in the courtyard, only to end up surprised when she veered off to the side, going downwards. He noticed, as she moved, that there were bars over the entrance.
Looking over the side she'd just down on, he saw that there was a ledge and path that could be walked along, thought it wouldn't be extremely easy, for the walkway was extremely uneven. Jumping down, he continued following the female as she moved ahead. However, as he rounded a bed, he saw something in the walkway. Recognizing it as Mia, he walked towards it, expecting to be able to just go on his way. However, it seemed that wasn't to be, for the minute Mia heard him, she turned towards him.
Dismay crossed his face as he noticed that her normally cute face had changed, and her calm deposition was replaced by a creature that hissed when it saw him. When he saw the creature jump at him, he moved out of the way, pulling out his sword and slashing at it. It took two slashed before it coward away, and he went to continue walking, only to see a chest down on the ledge that split of from the one he was on.
Going down it, a chuchu appeared, leaving behind a jelly blob when he defeated it, which he picked up, and went to the chest, opening it to discover a red rupee and two blue rupees in it, with a note in it as well. A look at the note showed that it had been written by the same person who had written those that he found in the waterfall cave. Putting the rupees into his money bag, he ran back up to the ledge where he'd wacked Mia, then paused when noticed that there was no way for him to continue. Frowning, he studied the rock in front of him, noticing that there was a small jut from it. Getting and idea, he ran to it, finding that the just was just big enough for him to hold onto with his hands. Making his way over, he felt his armed burn for holding him up just so, so that he didn't slip and hurt himself irrevocably.
Finally making it to the next ledge, he let himself down with glee, the female – which had been waiting for him – moving once again. Taking a small break, he went to follow, hand immediately pulling his sword out as he saw something fluttering nearby. Slashing at he keese, he picked up the claw it left behind, then ran up the steep incline the female had gone up. Reaching the top, he had to defeat another chuchu and keese. However. The keese managed to get a hit in, on his left hand, with it's claw. After destroying it, he looked at the cut, which was bleeding quite a bit. It looked as though the keese had managed to hit it pretty well. Clenching and then spreading his hand, he frowned as a shot of pain went through it. While it wouldn't keep him from using it, it would pain him a bit for a while.
Letting his hand fall since he couldn't quite do anything about it yet, he looked in the direction the girl had gone. He saw a rock, one that required him to climb a bit to it. Frowning, he took a breath and ran to the first one, having to catch himself on the edge with his hands, for it was small than it had looked. Frowning at the pain in his hand, he pulled himself up, quickly running up the wall to the next level, where he took a small break before running up to catch the next ledge. Once he was on his feet, he immediately unsheathed his sword to deal with the chuchu that was there. As he saw that the chuchu left someone, he let a small smile come to his face when he saw that there was a Viscus flower on this ledge.
Bending down to grab the flower, he peeled back the large petals, exposing the core, which was a circle of smaller petals around a bulbous sack that, when he opened, yielded the gel he needed. He pulled two of the large petals, placing them into his lap before he carefully made a small puncture in the membrane of the sack. Not worrying too much about clearing the wound of his blood, since he didn't quite have the tools to do so, he spread some of the gel onto it with one finger, feeling it tingle as it began to disinfect it. Taking one of the large leaves he'd pulled off, he stuck it onto the area, feeling it immediately seal against his skin He then used the other petal to seal the membrane of the sack, which was slightly smaller now. Then, he placed the flower into his waist cloth, finding no sense in letting it go to waste, before standing back up.
Turning to where the ledge led, he saw something a bit more daunting: a vine covered cliff at the end, one that was more than a few feet away. Going to the edge, he looked down, seeing that there would be nothing underneath him should he fail to grab onto it. Swallowing, he back up, just enough to get enough distance so that he could climb up, he ran towards it, knowing that he had to make sure he got a good enough grip.
The wall was harsh and unforgiving as he hit it, jolting his senses. Still he had enough sense to grab and tangle his armed into the greenery, not letting go even after the harsh hit. Letting out a breath, he slowly untangled his arm, climbing up to the top. Once he got to the top, he looked around, expecting to see an enemy that would need to be slayed. Instead, he received a surprised as he noticed that they were in the courtyard, behind the statute – or nearly. He watched as his guide drifted off to the left, following as she made a full circle to the front of the goddess statue. He finally caught up to her, but ended up surprised again when she moved, this time to the statue. Once again, she went through something, this time the stone. Confused, he kept watched the spot where she'd gone.
To his surprise, the Loftwing symbol on the stone glowed a bright light blue for a second, only to have it, and the stone, fade away, leaving a wide opening in it's place. After looking at it for a while, he ran into it. It was long hallway at first, dark as well. However, there was light ahead pretty soon, so he hurried to it, then paused and gaped.
He'd entered a large antechamber, well lit by lights flames that burned brightly. However, what caught his attention was what was in the middle of the room. A brightly glowing, gleaming sword, embedded in a stone slab, stood in the center, seeming to call to him. Slowly walking to it, he was startled when a bright light erupted from it. He gasped as it turned into a now familiar figure – the female he'd been following. Finally, he had a chance to study her.
She had a blue face and hair, which matched the blue side of her cloak...no, her arm, with the other a dark purple. She had no hands, but wore a purple dress with two thin gold lines on it, that only went down so far before stopping. A blue gem, outline in gold rested in the center of her chest, while her dark legs were clad with a blue outlined diamond pattern. A closer look showed that there was nothing human about her face, for, other than defining hints of where her eyes, nose, and mouth were, it was all the same colored blue, looking very much like a stone carving. What was also weird was that, though there was no breeze, the sleeves of her cape fluttered as if there was.
“The one chosen by my creator,” she said to him, her voice monotonic. “I have been waiting for you. You will play a role in a great destiny.”
“What do you mean? And who are you?” Link asked.
“According to your social customs, I should provide you with my personal designation. Fi is the name I was given,” she said, answering one of his questions. “I was created for a single purpose, long before the recorded memory of your people. I must aid you in fulfilling the great destiny that is your burden to carry.”
“What...destiny?” Link muttered. She seemed to ignore him, choosing instead to turn towards the sword.
“Come, Link,” she stated. “You must take up this sword. As the one chosen by my creator, it is your destiny.”
He didn't move.
“What is it that you mean?” he asked.
“The strange dreams troubling your sleep,” she stated. My sudden appearance. Uncertainty surrounding the fate of the one you hold dear.”
“Zelda,” he breathed.
“Under the circumstances, it is only logical that you would exhibit some apprehension,” Fi continued, having not heard him. “To minimize your uncertainty, allow me to share some information. My projections indicate that this information has a high probability of altering your current emotional state.”
Link furrowed his eyes at her, wondering what she was talking about, and how she'd even be able to tell what was going on with his emotions. Then, she dropped a bombshell on him.
“The one you seek, honorable Zelda, is still alive,” Fi said. Link gasped, his reactions immediate.
“Where is she? How do you know? Can you help find her?” he shot off.
“This spirit maiden...the one you call Zelda...is another chosen one fated to be part of the same great mission,” Fi added, which let him know that there was a high chance that he'd run into her, should he take this mission.
“Therefore, should you wish to meet with your friend, I highly recommend you take up this sword before you set out to search for her,” Fi said. “Does that information invigorate you? Are you ready to accept this sword?”
He rushed forward, deciding take it. If there was a chance to find Zelda using that sword, he was going to take it.
Fi, who moved until she was hovering above the sword, murmured, “It seems that further methods of persuasion are not needed.” Then she let her voice become louder, enough for him to hear. “In the name of my creator, draw the sword and raise it skyward. He did it, grabbing the sword, and then pulling it up out of the stone, holding it up with his hand. One it was out of the stone, he let his one had leave it, raising the blade up towards the sky, where a bright light from Fi surrounded it. Strangely enough, as he held it in this motion, he felt something happening to the sword – it seemed to be building up energy.
“That is the Goddess Sword,” Fi said. “A sword that is bathed in divine light.” She went silent for a moment, watching him, then said, “Recognition complete...Master. Link...my master.”
He didn't hear her as she said that, choosing instead to study the sword as he brought it down. However, a voice came from behind him.
“Link!” the male voice said. He turned, startled, to see the Headmaster standing at the entrance, watching him and Fi with wide eyes.
“I've had my suspicions, but until now I wasn't sure,” Gaepora said. “Yet, here we are, in the Chamber of the Sword, the very place where it was foretold the youth of legend would one day appear. It is said that this pace was left to our people by the goddess herself. The very knowledge of this room's existence is a secret passed down to a select few each generation, along with a handful of words...”
Link turned towards him, looking at him.
“ 'When the light of the goddess's sword shines bright, the great apocalypse will wake from its long slumber',” Gaepora continued. Link had to admit that he really didn't like the sound of that. “ 'Do not fear, for it is then that a youth, guided by my hand, shall reveal himself in a place most sacred.' “
Gaepora stepped forward.
“Being among the family chosen to know these words and watch the sword, since learning about it, I have been keeping an eye on it, though I never really expected the words to happen in my lifetime,” Gaepora said. “Then, days ago, it started. The sword I've kept secret all these years, the one you hold right now... It began to give off a faint, otherworldly light.
“At first, I was sure I was seeing things, here alone with the sword. There was simply no other explanation I could come up with. And then, earlier this evening, when you told me about Zelda and your dreams...well, it became obvious to me that the words I have sworn to keep secret are coming true before my very eyes.
“ 'The youth will be guided by one born of the blade – one who is also youthful in likeness yet wise with knowledge immeasurable.' I suppose that will be you, young lady,” Gaepora said.
“Ah, yes, the oral tradition, one of the least reliable methods of information retention and transmission,” Fi said, ignoring Gaepora's words. “It appears that critical sections of the passage have been lost over the generations.”
Gaepora made a sound of surprise, glancing down to exchange a look with Link before looking back at Fi. She floated back down to the ground.
“ 'The youth who draws forth the guiding sword shall be known as the goddess's chosen hero, and it is he who possesses an unbreakable spirit. He shall be burdened with the task of abolishing the shadow of apocalypse from the land. Such is his destiny. With the spirit of the blade at his side, he shall soar over the clouds and plummet below... And unite with the spirit maiden, shall bring forth a piercing light that resurrects the land.'”
Link gasped, remembering what Fi had called Zelda. More than that, he thought about what Zelda had said earlier.
“Some of Father's old texts talk about a place called the surface. The old tales describe a whole world below, far more vast than Skyloft!”
That was what Zelda had said, and now Fi herself was confirming the existence that this place, called the surface, did indeed exist.
“Master,” Fi said. “You must embark on a great journey beneath the clouds to the vast realm of the surface. It is only through this journey that you can fulfill the mission set before you by my creator, the goddess. It is also the only method available for you to reunite with the spirit maiden, honorable Zelda.”
The reminder of reuniting with Zelda was making him definitely learned towards doing as Fi suggested.
“This is no easy task, Link,” Gaepora warned. “The world below is a forsaken place, and to reach it you must pierce the could barrier below. In living memory, no one has ever done this.”
“Up until now,” Link said, “or did you forget that Zelda has gone past it?”
Fi, however, after hearing Gaepora's words, stretched out her arms – for that was the only word Link could say to call them – and brought them forth. A bright light appeared between them, forming itself into becoming a tablet with a green stone on it.
“This tablet will illuminate a path through the clouds to the land below. It is called the Emerald Tablet. Take it and place it within the altar behind me,” Fi instructed. Link took the tablet, looking at it. He noticed that it's surfaced appeared weathered, making it look extremely old.
“In order to do this, you must hit the crest sitting in this room with a Skyward Strike,” Fi added. “A Skyward Strike is formed of pure energy, energy that your blade charges when you lift it skyward. One you have charge the blade, face the crest and wing your sword. That will release the energy in a Skyward Strike.”
“Okay,” Link said. He ran to the altar, lifting the sword to the sky. Once again, he felt that it was building up something – energy, from what Fi had said. Then, when he somehow felt that it was enough, he slashed the blade. A beautiful, white slash, brilliant in it's delivery, hit the Loftwing crest, which immediately turned light blue and spun around. Once it stopped, it send out light wave of energy, causing the pillar it was on to raise up. An open square was left, and, somehow, Link knew immediately what to do. Walking over to it, he place the Emerald Tablet in the lower right corner, fitting it in easily.
The gem lightened to a brilliant emerald color. Hearing something outside, her hurried past Fi and Gaepora, leaving the chamber just in time to see a bright light, light green dancing along the edges, shoot from the Statue, heading in the direction straight in front of him. He ran to the courtyard opening, coming to stand just at the top of the stairs leading downwards. The light formed an arch, going from the statue, over Skyloft, and falling until it hit the cloud barrier. He watched, interested, as a pillar of green light appeared where it hit, though he couldn't see anything else. The green light seemed to drench everything in it's color, being the only light in existence at the moment. He walked back to the chamber, amazement on his face as he went back up to the alter, where Gaepora and Fi stood.
“Master Link, it is done,” Fi said.
“I know...I saw...” Link said, unable to describe the visual he'd been privy to. He looked from the tablet to Gaepora and Fi.
“Until now, a cloud barrier created by the goddess has separated the world you know from the one below,” Fi explained. “The tablet you place in the altar has opened a small rift in the barrier. You can use it to travel through the clouds to the realm below. I have recognized you as my master, and so it is my duty to follow you wherever you may go. I reside within your sword and will accompany you in your travels. Call my name to summon me whenever you require my assistance.”
Once that was said, she jumped up, transforming into a ball of blue light, and flying to the sword, entering it quite easily. Gaepora began to walk up the steps then, and Link turned to face it.
“Link, listen a moment,” Gaepora said. “The nature of the great apocalypse mentioned in the old texts is a complete mystery to me. But whatever it turns out to be, it seems that both you and Zelda have big roles to play in the destiny of this land. Just think – if what this Fi says is true, Zelda is alive!” The sound of true joy was heard as he uttered those words. “Alive and no doubt coming to terms with whatever it is the goddess has in store for her.
“However, should you heed the call of destiny, I don't know what dangers you may have to face, Link. Especially down there... But, if you've decided to brave the unknown, please find my daughter and bring her back to me.”
“I will,” Link said.
“What we've seen here today defies explanation, but it is only the start of your journey. Please, see it through and prove the legends true.”
“I will,” Like repeated.
“You do your people proud, Link!” Gaepora exclaimed, coming and and reaching for his hand. He shook it for a moment before letting go, hearing the cries of Loftwings beginning to herald through the air. “Dawn is drawing near. It has been a long night for the both of us, hasn't it?”
“Yeah,” Link said. Gaepora looked back down at him, taking in what he was wearing.
“You have a great journey before you, Link, and those clothes...” Gaepora said. “They don't look up to the task. The uniform you were to receive for winning the race should be ready by now. A study uniform like that will prove much more suitable for a long journey. You should change into it before you go.”
“That's not all I'll need,” Link said. Gaepora thought for a moment, then nodded.
“True,” he said. “You'll need some other equipment for your journey, as well as food, should you not be able to make it back within a day. But, didn't you spend most of your money during the market run?”
“I've...acquired some more while looking around in the waterfall cave and on my way up here,” Link said, wincing as he waited for Gaepora to say something, since he was technically stealing the money. “I found a few treasure chests, and in them, there was a note saying that whoever found them could keep the contents.”
“Well, that's good, then,” Gaepora said, nodding his head. “Well, let's go get you that uniform.”
Link nodded, following him out of the chamber. He was led back to the academy, down the hall to the headmaster's office, which was a lovely room that sported walls of books and a staircase to the upper level, where Gaepora slept. Seeing a package on his desk, Gaepora handed it to him.
“I suggest that you go get dressed in it,” he said. Link nodded, heading down to his room and closing there door. There, he set the package on his bed, opening it to discover a forest green tunic, white undershirt, chainlink mail, arm guards, brown, fingerless gloves; brown belt, tan pants, a green hat, and a new pair of leather boots. There were several sets of this uniform, just in case he'd need them, though there was only one pair of boots and one belt.
Placing his money pouch, and the Viscus flower he'd used, onto his desk near the things he'd gotten at the waterfall cave, he took his clothes off, finding the end of the bandage and unwound it. His midsection wasn't looking too bad. Having been wrapped up with uchizuki had sped up the healing, so it was a yellowish color instead of the black it should be. Still, doing what he was about to do, well, he probably should wait a few days before doing so. That reminded about his hand, which, after pulling the petal from it, was mostly healed, if not in need of a dire cleaning to rid of the dried blood.
However, he ignored that fact, beginning to dress into his new uniform. And he put it on, he noticed that the fabric was made of something strong, stronger than his regular clothes. The white undershirt – long sleeved but roomy – went on first, the chain mail, the sleeves going to just an inch above the elbows while the bottom fell to just a few inches above his knees. The green tunic went on next, where it's sleeves and bottom fell to just an inch above the chain mail, showing quite well that he was wearing it. Like the white undershirt, the green tunic's fabric appeared to be extremely strong and tear resistant. Next came the trousers, followed by a pair of socks and the belt. The gloves and arm guards were put on next, the hat following them before he threw his sword back onto his back.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” he said, and the Headmaster walked into the room, coming to stand in front of the book shelf as Link pulled on his boots, standing from the bed to adjust everything. Then, he looked up at the Headmaster.
“That green uniform is what our knights will be wearing this year. To be honest, I've had my doubts about the color,” Gaepora said. “But, oddly enough, seeing you wear this uniform, I can't imagine a more fitting color for you. It's as though you were born to wear it.
“I suggest that you take care on your journey, and be sure to stop by the shops at the bazaar to equip yourself properly for the travels ahead,” Gaepora said. “I suggest you make sure to take plenty of medicine, food, and water with you. I don't know when you'll be coming back, after all, and they're might not be anything down there for you to eat.” He thought for a moment. “You might want to bring some sleeping equipment with you as well. In fact, I have a balayta hide blanket that you can take with you, should you end up not being able to get back here before night.”
“Thank you,” Link said. “I'll make sure to stop by the café to get some more food from Piper, as I still have some of my bread and pastries.”
“What will you do if Piper doesn't have any bread made, yet?” Gaepora asked.
“I'll stop by the Lumpy Pumpkin,” Link said. “I know that Pum always have some loaves of regular pumpkin bread made. It might be slightly stale pumpkin bread, but it'll be bread either way.”
Gaepora nodded his head.
“I'll have Pipit or Karane bring the blanket to you. If you need me before you leave, I'll be in my quarters, trying to see if I can glean more useful information from the ancient texts,” Gaepora said. “If you have questions, you can stop by. I might even be able to help you. You and Zelda shall be in my prayers. May the goddess watch over and guide you both.”
Link nodded, and the Headmaster left the room. Going over to his wardrobe, Link grabbed a medium sized pack, making sure that it was emply and putting the few things in it away. A small knock sounded from his door before Pipit opened it, stepping into the room.
“The Headmaster asked me to bring this to you,” Pipit said, handing Link a folded blanket.
“Thanks,” Link said, taking it from Pipit and carefully putting it into the pack. He went to his wardrobe, finding his collection of large Viscus petals – which he kept in a small, wooden box – and placed it onto his desk, planning on adding those that he'd found the previous day and earlier that morning to the collection. He also placed his small jar of Viscus gel next to it, so that he could squeeze what he had into it.
“Your going to go find Zelda, aren't you?” Pipit asked, making Link jump as he realized that he was still there.
“Yeah,” Link said as he continued his preparations. Pipit nodded.
“Make sure that you bring yourself back in one piece with her, all right?” Pipit said. Link nodded.
“Okay, then,” Pipit said, turning to walk out of the room. He paused at the door. “Before you go, I suggest you make sure to lock your door. Groose or one of his buddies might try to go through your stuff at some point, and, unfortunately, none of us can keep an eye on them at all times.”
“I will,” Link said, picking up his room key to show Pipit it. A chain was pulled through the hole at the top of it. “And I'll make sure to keep it safe with me as well.”
“All right, then. Good luck,” Pipit said, leaving.
Link spent a few moments picking the large petals from the Viscus flowers, and then squeezing the gel into the jar. He then hung the flowers up to dry out, placing the jar and wooden box into his pack. After thinking for a few moments, he thought about a few other things he was to usually bring with him if he was going to one of the farther islands, things that were usually required just in case you needed to stop for the night, since Loftwings couldn't fly at night without the headgear that the Knight's Loftwings usually had.
Since he wasn't sure that he'd be back before night, he packed his flint, along with a small spade and lighting fluid, in case he needed to make a fire for the night. After going to his food storage – where the three pastries and two slices of bread from Market Run were left – and adding those to his pack. Then, he threw it over his left shoulder, placing his money pouch around his belt, and turned to leave the room. However, he paused when he saw something else that he wanted to bring with him: the sailcloth that Zelda had made and given to him.
Looking at it, he held it up, able to smell her scent on it, before folding it up and placing it inside his tunic, next to his heart. The, he left his room, locking the door behind him so that no one could get in, and placing the key around his neck, tucking it into his tunic to hide. When he turned around, Fledge was standing there.
“Link,” Fledge said. “That green uniform looks so...adventurous! You sure look like a knight now. The headmaster said you're heading out to look for Zelda. You're really something else. I could never imagine myself doing what you're about to do.
“I, um, I also have something for you. I put a lot of work into making this! You should take it with you.”
He then presented him with several pouches, which he could easily thread his belt through to hold them.
“I call them Adventure Pouches,” Fledge said. “You can store all kinds of useful items in them.”
“Thanks,” Links said, undoing his belt to put them on it. All together, there were four.
“I probably should warn you that they're not pick enough to fit more than one or two items in them at a time, unless the item is small. Sorry,” Fledge said.
“No, it's okay,” Link said. “I shouldn't really need a whole lot of things to begin with, so it'll be good.” He didn't bother to mention that his pack should have more than enough room to put things into, not wanting to hurt Fledge's feelings. From the way Fledge talked about it, he had been planning on giving them to him for a while.
“Anyway, I just know you'll find Zelda,” Fledge said.
“I know to,” Link said, waving bye as he headed to the doors. Exiting the academy, he saw that Instructor Owlan was standing there. When Owlan spotted him, he walked over.
“I heard the news, Link,” he said. “Zelda's fallen down through the clouds, and you're going to look for her. Is that right? The headmaster told me there's land beneath the clouds... Do you know anything about that?”
“Not much,” Link said.
“Oh, well...” Owlan said, spotting the sword sheathed to Link's back. From the look on his face, Link could tell that Owlan was another who knew what it was, his next words confirming it. “So, that's the famous sword... Ah, but it won't do you much good if you don't have a shield to protect yourself with! Here, take this with you!”
He handed Link a shield made of wood. It was circular in shape, and had what looked like a bird's footprint printed on it. The back held a large metal arch and a handle for easy holding.
“That's a wooden shield. It's not very strong and will burn in heat, but it's what I have,” Owlan said. “If it breaks, you can buy a new one at the bazaar. Though, I've heard that Gondo can upgrade it with certain items if need. Of course, you need to produce the items yourself. Gondo can also, apparently, fix the shield if it gets banged up a lot without breaking. You can also get some tate hantai mamoru from the potion shop.”
“Thanks,” Link said, putting it onto his back. He was a bit confused as why you could get something to help a shield at the potion shop, but shrugged it off, saying bye to Owlan before heading to the stairs. However, before he could go down them, Fi erupted from the sword, making him pause.
“Master,” she said. “I have an update regarding the stone tablet and the resulting column of light it created. The column of light has appeared to the south of our location. I must also caution you that descending to the surface armed only with a sword would result in a decreased probability of survival. If you have not already done so, I advise you purchase a shield and potions at the bazaar in preparation for your journey.”
She disappeared before Link could say anything, leaving him to shake his head. Obviously, unless it had to do with him calling her, she didn't quite hear everything outside of the sword, otherwise she would know that he was not only already planning on doing what she suggested, but that he already knew where the light was thanks to having watched it land last night.
Going to the left up another flight of stairs, he followed the path to a third flight of stairs, which led to just one of the three entrances to one half of the bazaar, which held everything but the food stalls. He didn't waste much time, going straight to Luv and Bertie, the proprietors of the potions shop. Luv greeted him, introducing her wares, and giving him an empty bottle for free so that he could buy one of her potion. Link was slightly impressed with her professionalism; while he knew about her, his dealings were usually with her husband Bertie, who ran the side business of buying the items for the potions, and basically the one Link usually went to to sell the dried Viscus flowers too.
He purchased a chi futatabi mitasu potion using the bottle she'd given him, as well as one jar of the maple colored tate hantai mamoru, paying her a red rupee and two blue for them. After that, he headed towards the food bazaar, which was another a few feet from the part of the bazaar he was just in, on another plateau which connected to this one by two bridges.
Once there, he saw Piper, who pretty much ran the entire food Bazaar, with the help of three other girls who weren't there at the moment.
“Hello, Piper,” he said.
“Hey, Link. What can I do for you?” Piper asked.
“Do you have any bread prepared yet?” he asked.
“You're just in luck,” Piper said. “I was unable to sleep earlier and headed started the breads earlier than I normally do. I've got omugi, karasumugi, raisu, komungi, shiro, ryokucha, and I just pulled out some tomorokoshi.”
“All right, then,” Link said. “Can I get a loaf each of raisu, ryokucha, and tomorokoshi?”
“Sure thing,” Piper said. “Do you want it sliced?”
“No, that's okay,” Link said. “But can I also have them wrapped to go.”
“Going on a trip?” Piper asked.
“You could say that,” Link said, not sure if he could tell her what was going on, or not. However, she seemed to have some idea already.
“You're going to find Zelda, aren't you?” she asked. He nodded, and she smiled.
“Well, then, shall I include some of her favorite bread as well?” she asked.
“Sure, that would be great,” he said, knowing that a part of why she was asking was because of the fact that she believed that he would be able to find Zelda quickly.
He stayed at the counter, looking over some of the other wares as he wondered what else he should bring with him.
“Here you go, dear,” Piper said, handing the breads over. “Anything else?”
“Yes,” he said, deciding. “I need five slices of the dried balaytra meat, three ringo, four milkan, and two orenji fruits; and a flask of water.”
“Coming right up,” Piper said, grabbing what he asked for, and wrapping them. Then, she grabbed one of the flasks she would let others borrow, filled it to the brim with water, and handed it, and the rest of the food, to him.
“That'll be sixty-eight rupees,” she said. Link noticed that she was charging him a bit less than he actually expected.
“Um, how much is the flask itself?” he asked as he handed over the money. Since it would be a while before he was back, and he might break it, he figured that he should inquire so that he knew what to use to pay her back.
“I included it into your price,” Piper said. “The flask is your to keep for know, unless you wish to resale it back to me.”
“Thanks,” he said, taking it from her. He walked over to one of the tables, pulled his pack from his back, and putting the food into it, placing the the heavier things on the bottom while the breads went on top. Then, after closing and replacing it onto his back, he said bye to Piper.
“Make sure you come back in one piece. I want my prime male helper in good shape when you get back,” Piper said. He smiled, knowing that her words were said because she was worried about him getting hurt, just as Pipit had said his words for the same reason.
“I'll try,” he said, then headed out, going straight for the takeoff bridge nearest to the green pillar of light. After making sure that he had everything, and securing his things down so that he would lose nothing, whether by it blowing away, or when he went to jump, or even whatever landing he would have waiting for him, he ran and jumped off the bridge, calling for Crimson, who came immediately.
Once he got onto Crimson, he flew towards the green light, as he got closer, Fi appeared.
“Master Link...Observe,” she said. “The green pillar before you is a column of light. It marks the point at which you can descend to the surface. You can confirm your current location on this map.”
Turning so that she faced the same direction that he did, she showed him an interesting looking map, which had all the islands close to Skyloft shown, with a multitude of dots that showed the rocks and floating plateaus in the air. The only thing that he considered strange was that strange cloud circle in the northwestern side of the map, which Link knew to be called the Thunderhead area, seemed to show that there was nothing in it, which he knew to be untrue.
“Please see where you are in relation to Skyloft,” Fi said. A glowing icon in the shape of a green triangular piece appeared near the green column, in about the same area that he was.
“I see it,” Link told her.
“It appears that you will be able to reach the surface by passing through the portal in the clouds at the column's base,” Fi said.
“Kind of all ready figured that,” Link told her, and she disappeared back into the sword. He aimed his Loftwing to the hold he could make out, coming close to it before jumping off. His Loftwing flew away as he fell through the hole, able to see an entirely new world, one that was all green with hims of brown and blue. As he made it through, he saw the surface for the very first time, and found himself struck by how beautiful it seemed to be, a large, flowing mass of green with hints of blue.
But it's beauty was like a double edged sword, for the fact that it was extremely foreign also struck him, and he found himself having to steel his nerves once more as he neared the ground, his hands disappearing into his tunic to grab the sailcloth. He had the feeling he was going to need it if he wanted to land properly and without injuring himself.
The last thought made him wonder just how Zelda had landed, and if she'd gotten hurt, a thought which had him gritting his teeth as he hoped that she was okay. Then, as the ground came closer, he used the cloth as a parachute once again, and landed on his feet. Then, he looked around at his strange, new surrounding.