That Time When They Were Five

Link was five years old, and he loved looking at the sky. He loved watching the fluffy clouds roll by and naming the shapes they made. He loved watching colors of the sunset and matching them with the colors of the flags that hung throughout the village. He loved the storms, the stars, and the brave knights who circled the island he called home. His father was one of those knights.

Every morning, his father would put on a blue tunic and a white mask with a red Loftwing on it. He would ruffle Link's hair, kiss his mother goodbye, then walk out the door for his daily patrols. Link would wait until he was at the bottom of the hill before sneaking out of the bedroom window to follow him. He'd hide behind bushes and benches, watching his father say good morning to merchants heading to the bazaar. When his father got to the large wooden platform at the end of the plaza, he would start running. Link would start running too.

It didn't matter how many times he saw it, Link was always a little frightened when his father leapt over the edge. He would hold his breath until he heard the high-pitched whistle that summoned his father's grey Loftwing. The Loftwing would come out of nowhere to save his father and they'd both sail into the clouds. Link would race around the Light Tower and wave frantically at them. His father would look surprised to see him and wave back, then Link would laugh because he knew he'd gotten him again.

"In two years, you'll get your own Loftwing," his mother told him one morning as she put him in the bath. "What color do you want?"

"A g-grey one like dad's," Link said quickly. He loved the grey Loftwing almost as much as he loved his father. His mother's loft wing was green and it was always nice to Link, but the grey Loftwing was a knight's Loftwing. It was brave, and strong, and it always picked Link up by the back of his shirt and lifted him to places he couldn't climb yet.

"Wh-why do I have to t-take a bath n-now?" he asked as his mother scrubbed his hair. Usually he took baths at the end of the day after he'd played outside by the back of the house. It was barely after breakfast, and Link hadn't even been outside yet, so it wasn't like he was dirty. He scrunched up his face as his mother poured water over his head.

"Because we're going to The Academy to look around," she explained. "You keep saying you want to be a knight- "

"I do!"

"Well, then, we'd better make sure you have a spot," she explained. "There are a lot of children your age, Link. The Headmaster told us your class could be quite large. Maybe you'll make some friends while we're there."

Link nodded, wiping water off his face. He didn't have many friends. After he watched his dad take off, he would play outside behind his house while his mother mended clothes for people in the village. He always went with her when she dropped things off, so he'd met a few other children that way, but he had trouble remembering names and he was a little shy.

There was a boy a year older than him who lived down the hill, but he always played with the brother and sister that lived across the bridge. There was another boy who lived a few houses away from Link, but he was just as shy as Link was, so that didn't work out. A girl with reddish hair lived at the back of the village in the green house, but she played with the girl who lived in the house right under the bazaar. Link had seen a pair of boys one day in the plaza, but when he had asked to play, the big one made fun of his stutter. He left after that and didn't try to make friends with anyone again.

His father took a break from patrols a little bit later, and they walked the long path from their house up to The Academy. Link was dressed in an itchy blue tunic that matched his father's, and his mother had made him brush his hair, but he didn't mind too much; he was too excited to mind. He'd never been inside The Knight Academy before and was anxious to look around.

The students all seemed very big to Link, some of them wore chainmail and tunics just like his dad's. Some of them even had swords on their backs. His dad had a sword, and Link had held it a few times, but he'd never swung it. His dad let him swing the wooden ones around, though. Most of the students were in the cafeteria when they arrived. Link only peeked in, not wanting to bother anyone. A few people waved at his father and mother, but he didn't know who they were.

The Headmaster was upstairs waiting for them. Link knew his name was Gaepora, and he was the one who decided who would be allowed into The Academy and began training for knighthood. Link hung behind his father a bit, fiddling with a blue necklace his mother had made him. When he found pretty rocks around the village, she saved them for him and said one day they'd make them into a necklace or earring's like his dad's. He watched his father shake hands with the headmaster; both of them were smiling.

"It's good to see you Orel, Larke. It's been far too long," the headmaster was saying. "I don't think I've spoken with either of you since the Wing Ceremony last year."

"No, we've been busy, and I'm sure you have as well," his father replied.

"Yes, we keep busy, that is certain. We've had good number of students these past years, which has kept us all on our toes," the headmaster said thoughtfully. He was very tall with great, bushy eyebrows and looked like the owl in the storybook Link's mother read to him. Link wondered if that meant he was wise, though he thought the Headmaster looked a little scary. He took hold of his father's hand.

"I can imagine," his father agreed. "You have some strong knights coming up, though. That Eagus is quite the swordsman."

"Yes, he is," the headmaster said with a deep laugh. "He won't graduate for another three years, but I'm putting the idea in his head now that he should come back to be Knight Commander when Rusta retires. But enough about that, we can get into details later. I don't think I've seen your boy since he was just a toddler…"

"I don't think so either," Link's father said, shunting him forward. "This is our Link."

Link swallowed, watching the Headmaster kneel down to talk to him. His father wrapped an arm around Link's shoulders and patted him on the chest. Link reached a shaky hand forward.

"It's good to meet you, Link" the headmaster nodded, shaking Link's hand. "That's a good, strong name. Do you want to be a knight someday?"

Link just nodded, trying to push his voice forward. He had trouble with this sometimes; the words just didn't come like he wanted them too. It worried his mother a lot. Right now, it looked like it was worrying her, so Link took a big breath and summoned all his courage. "Y-yes, Sir," he replied quietly.

"Well, why don't you have a look around while I talk to your parents?" the headmaster offered, gesturing to a large room behind where his mother was standing. "This is the classroom, and there are plenty of books for you to look at in there. Just make yourself at home and we'll come to get you in a bit."

Link nodded, lingering at the doorway while his parents went with Gaepora the Headmaster into the room next door. He could hear them laughing, and laughter usually meant good things, so he went into the classroom to look around.

There were lots of books on the shelves, but there were very few with pictures in them, so he ended up putting most of them back after flipping through the pages. His mother had been teaching him to read, but these were all words he'd never seen or too big for him to sound out. Some of them were written in strange letters Link didn't recognize. They must be very important. He decided not to touch them anymore.

There was a board at the front of the room and chalk on a little ledge, so Link walked up front and started drawing. He liked to draw, and he started drawing the cloud barrier that was under their island all along the bottom of the board. Then, he drew a pair of Loftwings flying above it. He'd just gotten halfway through the second bird when someone gasped behind him.

"You're not supposed to draw on the board," someone said quietly.

Link whirled around, cheeks hot, and saw a girl with sun-colored hair staring back at him. She was wearing a pink tunic and her eyes were narrowed suspiciously at Link. "Only the Instructors are supposed to use the board," she told him.

Link dropped the chalk, dusting his hands off on his pants and looking around for an eraser. The girl walked closer to him, her jaw set at a funny angle. She opened her mouth to say something more, then paused when she saw what he had drawn. Her eyes widened a little.

"That's… that's really good," she said, a little surprised. "Did you draw that?"

Link looked around, he was the only one in the classroom so obviously he drew it, but he wasn't going to tell her that. She continued to stare at him, looking confused by his silence. "Did you draw it or not?"

Link nodded.

The girl smiled then and walked closer to him. "It's really good! I like the clouds. I think we should leave it up. My dad always tells me not to write on the board, but I don't draw anything like that," she said, pouting a little. "Do you draw a lot?"

Link nodded again, which seemed to irritate the girl for some reason. She made a noise and crossed her arms. "Can't you talk?"

"I… c-can," he said in a small voice.

"Why are you so quiet?" she asked, sounding frustrated.

Link pouted and fidgeted with the bottom of his shirt, "Wh-why are y-you so l-loud?"

She gasped and scrunched up her face, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm not loud. You just aren't talking," she said angrily. Link stepped back, he thought she sounded rather bossy.

The girl folded her arms and glared at him for a minute before relaxing her face. "Henya says I talk too much, but I just have a lot to say! Is that why you don't talk? Don't you have anything to say?"

Link shrugged, scuffing his shoes on the floor. He kind of wished the girl would leave him alone.

"Are you here because your parents are here?" she asked, watching him nod. "Do you want to be a knight?" Link nodded again. "Well, knights have to talk, so you're gonna have to get over that. I could help you."

Link looked up at her. Her hair was in two braids on the sides of her head, some little pieces were hanging in front of her ears the same way everyone's did. She was smiling at him now even though her arms were still crossed. He swallowed. "Wh-why would you h-help m-me?"

"Why not?" she asked with a shrug. "You look nice. You can draw really well, and I like your blue shirt."

Link tugged at it, smiling a little. "Th-thanks."

She walked forward and held out her hand proudly. "My name is Zelda."

Link held his out, bracing himself when she took it and gave it a rather hard shake. "I'm Link."

"Ooh! You aren't named after a bird," she grinned. "It seems like everyone is named after a bird except me. My dad just saw my name in a book and picked it out."

"Oh," Link said. He'd never given his name much thought beyond spelling it.

"Do you want a cookie?" she asked. Link nodded, a little excited now. "Henya always has cookies. She only lets the students have them on holidays, but she always has them. Come on, I can get you one."

Link followed, though he didn't really have much of a choice because she took his hand and dragged him down the stairs. A few students gave them curious looks when they passed, some of them laughed a little. Link felt embarrassed, but Zelda walked right by them and into dining area like she owned the place.

"Hey, Little Zelda!" a large knight with funny shaped beard shouted at her when she passed. Zelda smiled and continued walking, dragging Link behind her. They walked behind the stove and she began looking inside cupboards and drawers, making frustrated noises as she did. She stood on her tiptoes to try and see on top of the counter, but she wasn't quite tall enough. Link wasn't either, so he couldn't help much, but if they worked together …

"H-here," he said, kneeling down onto the floor. Zelda looked a little confused at first, but caught on quickly and stepped up onto his knee. Link held onto her feet to balance her. She was heavier than he expected, and he strained a little bit, flinching when her shoes dug into his thigh.

"I don't see them up here," she muttered. "But she always has them, we just have to find out where-"

"What are you doing?" someone snapped.

Link yelped and tried to run away, which just ended up knocking both of them over. He landed uncomfortably on his shoulder while she landed right on her backside. Link knew his face was bright red and he hid behind his hands. The woman standing over him was much older than his mother with hair that looked like wings on the side of her head. She had her arms crossed and her mouth was a flat line as she looked down at them.

"Zelda," she scolded, reaching down to help the girl up. "How many times have I told you to not sneak around in the kitchen?"

"We just wanted a snack," Zelda replied, dusting herself off. She took Link by the shoulder and pulled him up, keeping her arm hooked through his when he stood. "This is Link. He's going to be a knight someday."

The woman looked over him a little scornfully. "Not if he steals food, he won't," she said. Link just stared at the floor.

"We aren't stealing," Zelda said, putting her hands on her hips. "I live here; it's not stealing if I live here."

The woman glared at them for a moment, then smiled a little and sighed while reaching up into one of the high cupboards. Zelda grinned widely and squeezed Link's arm while he stared at the jar of cookies she held out to them.

"I suppose that's true," the woman mused. "And I suppose a couple of cookies won't hurt. The both of you look too skinny, and if you're going to be a Knight, you're going to need to put on some weight," the woman said. Link took two cookies from the jar like Zelda had, but then the woman handed him a third. She gave him a little wink before turning her mouth back into a frown.

"You need to eat them in here. If the students on janitorial duties have to sweep up crumbs I'll hear about it for days," she said more to Zelda than Link.

"Thanks, Henya," Zelda said brightly, motioning for Link to follow her. They sat down at a table in the very back of the cafeteria, Link across from Zelda. He just stared at his cookies while she dove right into hers.

"Y-you l-live here?" he asked, a little awed.

"Mm-hmm," she confirmed through a mouthful of cookie. "My father is the Headmaster." Zelda sounded very proud of this. It made Link feel a little nervous for some reason.

"My parents are t-talking to him right n-now."

"They're sure taking a long time. Usually he only talks to people for a little bit. Maybe they know each other," she said thoughtfully.

By the time Link started to eat his second cookie, Zelda had already finished both of hers. She started looking around the room as though she was bored. Link didn't see how she could ever be bored when she lived at The Knight Academy. He looked at the third cookie the old woman had given him, then broke it in half and gave part of it to Zelda. She looked very surprised, then gave him a big smile.

"Thank you, Link!" she gushed. Link just nodded. He wondered if she ever had anyone to play with.

A taller man with brown hair sat down next to her then, and Zelda slid over a little on her seat to give him room. He was wearing a red scarf around his neck, and he folded his arms on the table while looking at Zelda with an amused expression.

"What are you doing, Little Zelda?"

"Eating cookies," she said.

"I can see that," the man laughed softly.

"This is my friend, Link," Zelda said, gesturing to Link across the table.

The man looked him over, smiling a little. "How are you, Link?"

Link swallowed his cookie and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "I-I'm fine."

"I'm Horwell," he said, offering his hand. Link shook it a little awkwardly. He sure was shaking hands a lot today. "How is your dad doing?" Horwell asked.

Link froze, confused. Thankfully, Zelda responded for him.

"Do you know his father?" she asked, sounding a little shocked.

"Everyone knows his father," the man laughed. "Orel is a Senior Rescue Knights, Zelda. You've seen him before, plenty of times."

"Which one is he?" she asked, turning back to Link.

"H-he's got a blue tunic and a grey Loftwing," Link said. "H-his mask has a red Wingcrest on it."

"He's got hair so blonde it's almost white, Zelda," Horwell added.

"Oh, he's the knight with the ear jewels!" said Zelda, pinching her own earlobes. "I didn't know he was your dad. That's why they're taking so long. I see him around all the time, why have I never seen you before?" she asked Link, sounding a little disappointed.

Link shrugged. "I l-live under the hill behind the old tree," he said. "I-I help my m-mom with the clothes."

"Huh," said Zelda, chewing the last bit of cookie. She wiped her hands and made a funny face.

"Something wrong?" the man named Horwell asked.

"I'm thirsty. Are you thirsty?" she asked Link, watching him shrug. "I don't know about you, but I've had a long day and I am ready for a drink."

This made Horwell laugh and he nodded, getting up from his seat and walking back to the kitchen. A few seconds later, he returned with glasses of juice for them both. Link said, "thank you" very quietly, and Horwell gave him a warm smile.

After they finished their juice, Zelda showed him to her room. "It's also my father's room, but this is my bed," she said, indicating the small bed in the corner. "These are all my books. OH! You should have this one," she said, handing him a white book that had drawings of knights on the cover. It was called The Knights of Skyloft.

"You should read that since you're going to be a knight," Zelda added before handing him a piece of paper and some crayons. "Can you draw another Loftwing? Like you did on the chalkboard?" she asked.

Link nodded and set the book on his lap, placing the paper on top of it and starting to draw a grey bird like his father's. Zelda didn't do any coloring. She just sat next to him and watched. He was just finishing it up when the headmaster walked in the door.

"Oh, I should have known," he said, laughing a little. "He's in here, Orel."

Link looked up and Zelda did the same. His parents walked in behind Gaepora, both looking relieved to see him. "We knew he wouldn't have gone too far," Orel said. "But still, you should have stayed in the classroom, Link."

Link swallowed. "I… I-I was-"

"I found him," Zelda interrupted, sounding a little bossy again. "He was drawing on the chalkboard and I told him that he shouldn't do that, but he drew a pretty picture of clouds and a Loftwing. I thought it was neat, so I said we should leave it up. It was really good, don't let them erase it, Daddy."

Link's father laughed a little and his mother smiled, an amused look on her face. Gaepora sighed. "This is Zelda," he informed them, gesturing to Zelda, who sat up straighter and smiled brightly.

Link's mother grinned. "It's nice to meet you, Zelda. I see you two are coloring?"

"Link is. I'm just watching. Do you see the Loftwing he's drawing? It's really good. Does he draw like that all the time?"

"He does. Link likes drawing very much," his mother said kindly before turning back to Zelda's Father and dropping her voice. "Gae, she looks just like Aya. I can't believe it."

Zelda's father nodded. Link noticed he looked rather sad. Zelda hadn't mentioned her mother and Link wondered where she was.

"What else did the two of you do?" Zelda's father asked.

"I took him to the kitchen and Henya gave us cookies," she explained. "Horwell gave us juice, then we came up here. I'm giving Link my book on the Knights of Skyloft because he's going to be a knight."

"Is that so?" said Gaepora.

"Of course, it is!" Zelda said as though this should be perfectly obvious. "You'd better let him in, Daddy," she threatened. "Everyone knows his father. He's a Senior Rescue Knight, Horwell said!"

"Oh, well… in that case," Zelda's father laughed.

"I suppose we should be going," Link's mother said, holding out her hand. "Gaepora has a lot of things to do and I'm sure Zelda does as well."

Link jumped up and rushed over to her, noticing that Zelda frowned a little when he did. He looked at the piece of paper in his hand.

"Y-you can have this," he said, handing her the Loftwing drawing.

Her eyes went wide. They were really big, Link thought. She looked very surprised that he was giving her his drawing and Link wondered again if she ever had anyone to play with.

"Really?" Zelda asked, taking the piece of paper from him.

"Yeah," he said. "I-I've got a lot of them at h-home."

"Thank you, Link!" she gushed, rushing forward and hugging him tightly. Link stiffened, then put his arm around her and squeezed a little. When Zelda released him, Link felt his mom squeeze his hand gently and pull him towards the door. He waved bye to Zelda as they walked out of The Academy.

"Did you have fun playing with Zelda?" his father asked when they got outside.

Link considered this. It had been nice to have a cookies and juice, and he liked that she talked a lot. He also liked that she thought he could draw well. It had been nice of her to give him her book; he was excited to read it. Even though it hurt, it was kind of fun when she crawled on top of him to look for the cookies. He was glad when they hadn't gotten in trouble.

"I had fun," he said, deciding that he liked playing with Zelda.

"See?" said his mother cheerfully. "It's nice to make friends, Link. I bet you'll get to know a lot more kids if you go around the village during the day."

Link swallowed. "But wh-who will help with th-the clothes?"

His mother laughed a little and put her arm around his shoulders, squeezing gently. "I'm sure I will manage."

Link nodded. "Are we going h-home? It's been a long day, and… I-I'm ready for a drink," he said, making his parents laughed the same way Horwell had when Zelda said that.

Three days later, Link's mother woke him up very early. Or, at least, it felt that way to Link, who sometimes went back to sleep after watching his father leave for patrol.

"Hey, sleepyhead," she said gently. "Little Zelda is here. She wants to know if you want to come out and play?"

Link sat up, blinking a little. "Can I have breakfast first?"

"Of course you can," she said, giving him a kiss on the forehead. She stood up from his bed and let him get dressed. Zelda was sitting at his table when he came out from behind the little wall that hid their bedroom.

"You were still asleep? It's almost nine!"

Link chewed his lip. "It's early."

Zelda laughed. "I'm up earlier than this every day. My dad says he should have named me after a bird because I always get up with them."

Link's mother laughed as she handed Link a glass of pumpkin juice. "Link wants to eat before he goes out. What would you two like to eat?"

"I want pancakes," Link said.

Zelda gasped. "Oh, can we have pancakes?"

Link's mother smiled. "I can make something better than pancakes."

What's better than pancakes? Link wondered. Pancakes were his favorite thing his mother made, and he didn't know of anything that could compare to them.

That was until she set a plate of batter-dipped fried toast in front of him and another in front of Zelda. She covered the toast in syrup and sugar and it smelled fantastic. They ate quickly and quietly, Zelda's eyes were wide the whole time.

"This is better than pancakes," she said, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "Link, you're lucky if you get this all the time."

"I don't," he said, looking at his mom. "I've n-never had this b-before."

"Well, you like pancakes so much I never make it," she shrugged. "Plus, it takes a lot of ingredients, so I save it for special occasions."

"What's a s-special occasion?" Link asked.

"Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays of sorts," she explained.

"Is it your birthday, Link?" Zelda asked brightly, watching him shake his head. "Is it your birthday?" she asked his mother next, also watching her shake her head. "What's the- "

"It's the first day that you came to play with Link, Zelda," his mother told her.

Zelda smiled then, looking very pleased with herself as she continued eating. Link wasn't exactly sure why this was a special occasion, but he liked the breakfast, so any reason was a good one.

"So, what do you want to do?" Zelda asked when they finally went outside.

Link didn't know what to do exactly; he'd never played with anyone but himself before. He wasn't sure if Zelda would like to play with the wooden swords his father had made him. "Um… where d-do you like to g-go on the island?" he asked.

"Oh, that's good, I can show you all my favorite places," she said, taking his hand.

That first day, they just walked around Skyloft and she'd pointed out all the places she liked. On their second time around, Zelda asked him to tell her all his favorite spots. She liked the waterfall by the pond, the bridge between the Academy and the Isle of the Goddess, and the Light Tower by the plaza. Link also liked the waterfall, but he took her up by the broken windmill near his house, and then they sat in the plaza for a while. Link said he liked to watch the knights take off when they changed shifts.

"My father's Loftwing is brown," Zelda said one morning when they watched his father take off for patrol. "Sometimes he comes to sit by me if my father is busy."

"Grey lifts me places," Link explained, watching his father swoop in a wide arc around the edge of the island. "He-he'll help me get on top of the platform by the bazaar. And sometimes he helps me climb the broken windmill."

"You climb that windmill? That sounds dangerous… it's right on the edge," Zelda said, looking a little frightened.

Link shook his head. "I g-go to the edge all the t-time," he said. "I can sh-how you, it's fun."

Zelda still looked nervous, but followed him to the broken windmill anyway. He climbed all the way to the propellers, thinking it would be fun to show her how her you could hang off them, but when he got up there Zelda got really upset and started crying. Link came down right away.

"I-I was fine," he told her when she threw her arms around him.

"You could fall!" she sniffed.

Link shrugged. "That's wh-what the knights are for. Th-they catch y-you and- "

"But what if they didn't see you?" she mumbled into his shoulder. "You're so little. You're just as small as I am." She pushed him back then and pointed her finger right in his face. "Don't do it again, Link! I'll tell your mom; don't do it anymore."

"Okay, okay, I w-wont! I promise, Zelda," he said, and he meant it. Link had stopped climbing the windmill after that, but after a few weeks he convinced Zelda it was safe to sit on the platform and dangle her feet off the edge. They did this a lot after she came over for breakfast. She'd been frightened at first and had to hold his hand, but after a few days it didn't scare her anymore.

Zelda started coming over every day, or if she didn't come over, Link went to get her. Sometimes they'd climb trees looking for stag beetles. Zelda would let him climb on her shoulders to get to higher branches, then he would always pull her up afterward. She never went very high in the trees and often held onto his clothing as they climbed, but she was eager to do it, even if it scared her a little. They played tag or hide and seek a lot, and she taught him a game where they clapped their hands together in a pattern and she sang a funny little song. They often went to the bazaar and got soup for lunch. Everyone seemed to know Zelda, and after a while they knew Link too. After a few months of trying, they convinced the shy boy who lived around the corner from Link to play with them. His name was Fledge.

"He's going to be a knight too," Zelda told Link when they were alone one day. "His parents visited right after yours did. But he's even quieter than you are, so you'll both have to talk more."

"I talk," Link said.

"You talk more now, and your stutter is getting much better," she noted. "But you still don't talk as much as I do."

Link thought it would be impossible to talk as much as Zelda did. She never seemed to run out of questions to ask or stories to tell. He liked listening to her talk. His favorite part of the day was when they would sit on the edge of the plaza platform and watch the sun was sink into the clouds. They would talk about the knights, the academy, everything they did that day, and what it was like for them when they went home at night.

"Your mother is very nice," she said one day when the air had gotten cold. The leaves had started to change colors and many of them had fallen from the trees. They'd raked some into a pile earlier that day and jumped into them. Link was wearing his favorite green sweater and Zelda had on one of his hats. "Does she read you stories at night?"

Link nodded. "We read your book."

"Oh, do you like it? I never asked you if you liked it," she said. Link nodded, and she grinned. "I knew you would. I like that book a lot, but I always had to read it myself."

"Can you read the books your father has all by yourself?" Link asked.

"The big ones? Not all of them… some of them I can. They have a lot of words," she said.

"I can read the Knight book all by myself now," Link noted proudly.

"But… your mom still reads to you?"

Link shrugged. "Just before I go to bed. My dad reads sometimes if she's busy."

Zelda frowned. Link watched her tear up blades of grass and ball them up in her fist. "Does your dad read to you?" he asked.

Zelda shrugged. "When he has time. He's so busy with the students most days that I don't get to see him. He always tucks me in, but… he never has time to read to me, or he's too tired."

"Where… where's your mom?" Link asked. Zelda never mentioned her, and he'd wondered about her mother since they started playing.

She frowned deeper, staring at the ground with a funny look on her face. She shredded the blades of grass with her fingers. "With Hylia."

Link was suddenly very sorry he asked. Maybe he should tell her that. "I'm s-sorry."

Zelda shrugged, tossing the shredded grass away from her before looking back at him. "I… I guess I could tell you. You're my best friend, after all."

"I'm your best friend?"

"Well, yeah," Zelda said. "Aren't I your best friend?"

"You're my only friend," Link admitted.

"That's not true. Fledge likes you."

Link shrugged. "He never comes to play. Only you."

"But that's because I'm your best friend," she said as though this should be obvious.

Link considered this. It made sense, he guessed. "Okay."

Zelda smiled a little, but she was still picking at the grass. "You… you won't tell anyone if I tell you, right?"

"No."

"Promise?" she asked in a voice smaller than he was used to.

Link sat up and held out his hand, pinky extended, just like his dad did to him whenever Link asked if he'd always come home. "I promise."

Zelda held hooked her pinky with his, squeezing a little. Then she sighed and looked back at the grass. "She went to be with Hylia right after I was born. No one will tell me what happened. My dad gets sad if I ask, so I don't ask anymore. I think… I think that's why he doesn't like to read to me. Everyone says I look just like her…"

Link just sat there. He didn't know what to say. His uncle had gone to be with Hylia a few years ago when there was a sickness on the island, but it had been so confusing Link never asked about it. He'd just stayed quiet and listened to people talk when they needed to. He decided it was best to do the same thing now: just stay quiet and let Zelda talk.

"Horwell… he reads to me sometimes. Henya does too if she's not busy. But they'd never read the Knight book for some reason. Maybe it's because I'm a girl."

"There are girl knights."

Zelda shrugged. "I learned to read it myself because I liked the pictures so much."

Link thought about this, thinking of how his mother always pointed out the pictures to him and how his father sometimes did different voices when he read it. He suddenly had an idea. "Do you want to eat supper at my house?" he asked, watching her smile and shake her head yes.

That night, Zelda stayed for supper and afterward, Link finally showed her his room. They always went outside right away when she came over, so he'd never shown her his room though he'd been in hers a hundred times now. She spent a lot of time looking at his drawings before they played a game Link's father had taught him where they drew a grid and tried to make a line of X's or O's.

After a while, when the stars were starting to come out, his parents came in. "It's getting dark outside," his mother said gently. Link noticed she had a funny look on her face.

"Zelda wants to read the Knight book," Link announced. His mother tipped her head curiously. Zelda looked surprised and a little embarrassed when she turned to Link. "No one ever reads it to her," he went on. "Can she stay while we read tonight?"

Link's father pressed his lips together and looked outside at the darkening sky. Link's mother laid her hand on his shoulder and he nodded. "I'll go," he said, smiling at Link and Zelda before he turned and walked out the door.

Link was confused. "Where's dad go- "

"Just… out for a bit," his mother said, her voice a little tight. "So, the Knight book?"

Both Link and Zelda nodded excitedly. Link's mother took the book and sat with her back against the pillows. Link crawled up beside her while Zelda sat by his feet.

"You can come up here, Little Zelda," she said, patting the pillows. Zelda looked a little shy, but she crawled up closer to the pillows. Link slid over so she could lay next to his mom, thinking it would be nice to let her see the pictures. His mother draped an arm around them both, letting Link hold one side of the book with Zelda in the middle. She cleared her throat and started to read.

"The Knights of Skyloft are very brave warriors. Each day, they take to the skies and patrol the clouds, keeping our island safe from Skytails and Octorocks. They also watch for storms and protect the village from keese, chuchus, and other creatures that come out at night. But it was not always this way…

"Before they were the Knights of Skyloft, they were the Knights of Hylia, and they protected everyone on The Surface. The Surface was a vast land filled with tall trees, deep rivers, mountains filled with molten rock, and seas so vast the eye cannot see across them. This world was protected by the White Goddess Hylia. Hylia was peaceful, and beautiful, and she loved her people very much.

"One day long ago, The Surface was torn apart by fire and chaos as an army of demons arose from a crack within the Earth. Ash choked the beautiful streams and fires destroyed the green forests. It broke Hylia's heart, so she descended from the heavens to seek the assistance of her people.

"'My beloved humans,' the Goddess said, 'The darkness is coming, and you are in danger. I will send you to the skies to escape this horror. You will be beyond its reach and you can live safely among the clouds.'

"'How can we live above the clouds?' the people asked. 'We are not birds. We cannot fly.'"

"'My Loftwing will guide you to the skies when the time is right,' she explained. "After that, each of my beloved humans will be blessed with a Loftwing of their own. They shall be your guardians, your divine protectors, and your dearest friends. You will not be made whole until they are by your side.'

"Then Hylia drew a sword from her back. It was aglow with holy light. 'This is a sacred blade from the Gods. Though this is a battle among Gods, only a mortal can stand wield this blade against the Demon King. My sword must be reforged and tempered by an unbreakable spirit, by the hands of the most honorable hero in the land.'

"And from the Knights, Hylia selected her hero, who knelt before her to accept both the sacred sword and a sailcloth as blessing from the Goddess. The hero broke the blade and reforged it to be used in the battles that were to come.

"When the battle came, the Goddess' people fled to the safety of the fortress and their homes. The Goddess Hylia tore the Earth asunder, and sent the cropping of land skyward. Then, she joined her Hero and all the creatures of the surface in a fierce battle against the Demon King. The Hero wounded the Demon King with the sacred sword, and the Goddess used her divine powers to drive him back into the underworld. With her goal accomplished, the Goddess Hylia ascended to the heavens to watch over her people as they made their new home in the sky.

"Now, many years later, the Knights of Hylia are known as the Knights of Skyloft, and they live on by the grace of Hylia. The Hylians of Skyloft serve their Goddess by honoring community, bearing descendants, and giving praise to the Goddess for her continued benevolence. So long as they keep faith with the guardian Goddess, she will hear their prayers and they will live peacefully on the islands in the sky."

Link grinned. He liked the story a lot. There was so many things to think about: the demons on the surface, the bravery of the knights, the Chosen Hero with his red cape and goddess-blessed sword…

"Do you think it's true?" asked Zelda quietly. "The Surface? That there is something under the clouds?"

Link sat up a little. He'd always wondered the same thing. His mother smiled gently, stroking Zelda's sun-colored hair and leaning over to give Link a kiss the top of his head. "It's just a story," she assured them.

Zelda nodded, looking a little disappointed. She snuggled a deeper into the pillow, her head against his mother's chest. "Link's mom? Can you read it again?"

His mother smiled gently, and Link noticed her eyes were wet. She leaned down and gave Zelda a kiss on the top of her head then. "Of course, I can," she whispered. "And you can just call me Larke, Little Zelda."

Link snuggled down into the pillows, letting Zelda take hold of his fingers as his mother began reading again. It was very warm snuggled up like this. He liked it a lot. It was nice to have Zelda come play with him every day, and he liked that she had stayed tonight. He liked that Zelda wasn't scared of sky beetles and that she did fun things with him. One day, she'd taken him to the Sparring Hall and laughed as he swung a wooden sword around with Rusta the Knight Commander. Link liked that she was not afraid to go right to the edge of the platforms and watch the knights fly by. Sometimes they got yelled at to get back, but it was still fun to do.

Link snuggled a little closer and rested his head against Zelda's back. She had turned completely into his mother now and was breathing quietly. Link was glad she was his best friend. He'd probably marry her someday if she wanted. She did have very pretty hair after all. Maybe they would live at the Knight Academy…

Link's mother didn't make it all the way through the story a second time. She stopped reading halfway through and listened to the slow breathing of the two children beside her. Zelda had turned so she was snuggled into the pillow facing Link. They were holding hands and she smiled before pulling the covers over them both.

Larke ran her fingers through her dark blonde hair and looked up at the two men standing by the divider. "She can stay here tonight if you don't mind," she said quietly. "It's not like she won't be back by sunrise anyway."

Gaepora laughed. "Maybe you can get her to sleep in."

Orel chuckled a little. "I doubt it. I was coming back from night patrols the other day and she was already walking down the path from the Academy asking if Link would be up."

"They've gotten so close since August," Larke noted.

Gaepora nodded. "It's good for her. I think he tempers her a bit. The other children just rile her up and she can get so bossy."

"I don't think she bosses Link around too much," Orel laughed. "But, he's so agreeable to things I'm not sure. I'm also not sure if he tempers her, Gae. The other day they were sitting right at the edge of the platform and I know that was his idea. Corvus told me he saw them and told them to get back."

"Link is anxious to get that bird of his, isn't he?"

Orel nodded. "He's got a way with them. I swear Grey would let Link ride him if I'd allow it," he added, rolling his eyes.

Larke chewed her lip a little bit. "She was very… snuggly tonight. She's never done anything like that before, Gae. Her and Link usually just play outside together and completely ignore me, but this was the first time he'd ever brought her in here, and when we came into check on them, Link just announced that he wanted his story right then. Almost like was doing it for her. He said… well… he said no one ever reads to her."

Gaepora frowned. "I need to read to her more. I… I get so busy with the students, and she wants to read all the old fairy tales, which is fine, but they always remind me of Aya…"

Larke frowned. "I know it's painful, but you can't hide her from Zelda forever. Has she ever seen a picture?" she asked, watching as Gaepora frowned and looked at the floor. "I think I have a painting of our class around here somewhere. Would you like it?"

Gaepora pressed his lips together, looking at his daughter and her sun-colored hair. "Yes, I would like it, if you can find one."

Larke nodded, getting up from the bed. She pulled the blanket more snugly over the two children and went to dig through a box of old pictures she had saved from their days at the Academy, leaving them to dream of whatever good things the future held for them on this strange little island they called home.