A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome to "Wherever You Go." I'm aware that the Skyward Sword fandom is pretty much dead... the game came out 4 and half years ago and I'm pretty sure that the last ss zelink story was published in like 2013 or something.

But I really like the pairing, and I've been replaying SS, which has inspired me to write this. Despite the terms & conditions I just agreed to here on FFN, I am not an aspiring writer, nor I am not here to become an author. This is just serving as a creative outlet for me (personal goal for myself).

That being said, if you are into SS or zelink and you do decide to read this, that's awesome! Thanks. I am working on following through with projects I start (another personal goal for myself), so I am expecting to add more chapters to this and eventually finish it.

Anyways, thanks for reading! If you do choose to follow up with this story, I promise the A/Ns will not be as long in every chapter. Enjoy!

This is stupid, Link thought to himself as he tightened the laces on his boots.

It's not like I wanted any recognition from this. He tugged the leather fingerless gloves over his hands.

All I wanted was to save Zelda. He adjusted the dark green cap that sat on the back of his head.

Link sighed, taking a moment to prepare himself for the embarrassment he was about to endure. When he was ready, he turned the knob on his bedroom door and walked outside into the empty halls of the Knight Academy.

Link was not fond of being the center of attention. The thought of having everyone's eyes glued on him for an entire hour made him uncomfortable. But Headmaster Gaepora insisted, upon Link and Zelda's arrival, that an official ceremony be held to commemorate their both their victories as well as the fulfillment of the ancient legend foretold so many years ago.

Link wasn't really in the mood for celebrating. After all he had been through, he wanted nothing more than to just sleep and recover from his journey. And if he wasn't allowed to sleep, then he wanted to spend all his time with Zelda. After being separated from her for so long, Link was anxious to rekindle his friendship with the Goddess reborn.

The Goddess reborn.

Link's heart did a little somersault in his chest. He walked through the large double doors at the entrance of the Academy and proceeded towards the plaza at the southern end of the island. As he walked away from the school down the white marble steps, Link tried not to think about how Zelda was the reincarnation of the legendary goddess, Hylia. Link did not want to imagine a scenario in which he could no longer be friends with Zelda because she was some holy being, who surely did not need to be spending sacred time with someone like him. What if we can never go back to the way we were? Link thought worriedly.

Truthfully, the young hero had not interacted with his friend much since Demise's defeat. There had been too much commotion - the citizens of Skyloft bombarding him with questions about the missing Statue of the Goddess, his fellow classmates trying to fly their Loftwings down to the Surface after leaning that it was possible to do so, and Gaepora organizing this ridiculous ceremony.

Thinking of all this only heightened Link's anxiety as he strolled past the Bazaar, and the windmill that was still facing the Light Tower. Link had really meant to talk to Zelda sooner than this. He was just too overwhelmed with everything that happened since their return to the Sky. After one too many near-death-experiences, Link realized that he needed to be honest with his best friend about his long-standing feelings for her.

He only hoped he hadn't missed his chance.

The sun was setting behind the large island in the sky that Link had called home for his whole life. A pinkish glow highlighted the clouds as he made his way through the fairly large crowd that had gathered in the town plaza. Link was sure that every single citizen of Skyloft had shown up for this ceremony. Even people from other areas of the Sky - including Kina and her father from the Lumpy Pumpkin, as well as the man who ran Fun Fun Island - managed to make it to Skyloft for the ceremony.

"Link, over here, my boy!" boomed the voice of Headmaster Gaepora from across the crowd. He was standing at the base of the Light Tower, clad in his usual robes. Standing next to him was Zelda. Her long blonde hair was down, and she was wearing the white dress Link had always seen her in whenever he ran into her on the Surface. Zelda turned to face him as he walked towards her.

"Hi, Link!" she said, smiling up at him. Gaepora looked between the two young adults.

"The ceremony will begin in a few minutes. Zelda, you will need to meet me over there by the platform. Link, you will be standing off towards our left." With that, he quickly walked away from them, towards Instructors Owlen and Horwell, who were standing by the platform.

Zelda turned to face Link. "You look really handsome," she said sweetly.

Link could have sworn that the apples of her cheeks were tinged pink, but it was probably just the color of the sky's light shining on her face. Although, he had showered and brushed his hair before putting on his freshly laundered green Knight uniform, which had not been properly cleaned for quite some time. He guessed that he probably did look better than Zelda had gotten accustomed to him looking over the past few weeks.

"Thanks," he said. Feeling his entire face go completely hot, he replied, "You look beautiful."

Zelda beamed at him, her soft pink lips parting in a smile that exposed her teeth. "Are you ready for the ceremony?"

Oh yeah, that. Link was so caught up in finally being with his best friend, safe and sound in Skyloft, that for a moment he had forgotten all about this dumb thing

"Ready as I'll ever be," he answered her, trying his best to sound like he wasn't dreading what was to come.

But Zelda could see right through him.

"I know you don't really like these kinds of things, Link," she said. "But it means a lot to Father, and I think the people of Skyloft deserve to know at least a little bit of what happened while we were gone. This ceremony will help them understand the story."

Link nodded in agreement. She was right. "Of course, Zelda. I know they do."

Zelda's face took on a more serious expression then. "Listen, Link…. I know we haven't had much time to see each other since we came back here. There's just been so much going on, and Father needs my help with so many things. But I was hoping that you and I could talk sometime…alone?"

Link's heart skipped a beat.

She doesn't mean 'alone' in that context, you idiot, he silently chastised himself.

She probably just wants to talk about moving everyone down to the Surface, since I'm the only other one who's spent an extended period of time there.

He was about to respond when he was interrupted by a loud voice echoing from the a short distance away.

"Good evening, everyone! Thank you for coming tonight," shouted Gaepora, who was now standing in front of the wooden platform at the southernmost point of the plaza.

"The ceremony is about to begin," Zelda whispered. "I need to go stand by my Father, and you need to go stand over there," she said, pointing to a spot near the sheds on the edge of the island.

"We'll talk after the ceremony, though?" she questioned, eyes anxious for an answer.

"Yes," Link promised, reaching out and giving Zelda's arm a gentle squeeze.

She smiled at him. "Thanks, sleepyhead," she said before running over to join her father.

The ceremony actually went by faster than Link thought it would. Headmaster Gaepora recounted the story of the Goddess Hylia and her Hero, the ones from ancient times. When he finally explained that Zelda was the reincarnation of Hylia, hushed gasps and urgent whispers floated through the crowd. Everyone stared at Zelda, and some people even began to look slightly fearful of the small girl.

Suddenly, Link no longer felt concern over being embarrassed. He wished that people would stare at him now. He would much rather endure the discomfort of people ogling over the Chosen Hero than stare at Zelda like she was some sort of freak. Link hadn't realized that Gaepora was going to drop this bombshell on the town so quickly after Zelda returned home.

Link watched her face closely, the realization that everyone was whispering about her dawning on her face. The girl hugged her arms close to her chest and stared down at her feet.

Finally, Gaepora reached the part in the ceremony where Link was called upon to stand next to Zelda. He silently walked across the plaza square as Zelda's father detailed Link's exemplary acts of courage. He rambled on about how Link had awoken as the Goddess' Chosen Hero and stepped up to the dangerous, difficult task of fulfilling his own destiny. Zelda's head was still down as Link reached her side. She looked heartbroken.

Link couldn't help himself. Slowly, he reached his hand out to his side to pull one of Zelda's elbows down. She looked up at him, bright blue eyes shining with unshed tears. Link gave her a small but reassuring smile, nodding his head as his fingers traveled down her arm to her hand. He laced his fingers through hers and held her hand tightly between their hips. The pair turned their heads to face the crowd once more, but out of the corner of his eye, Link saw Zelda's mouth twitch upwards in a small smile.

Gaepora continued the ceremony, calling out Groose as well as both instructors from the Knight Academy in an expression of gratitude for their assistance during the arduous journey. Both Owlen and Horwell were thanked briefly for providing useful knowledge of the ancient legends, but Groose was commended extensively for his actions on the Surface, specifically during the battle against the Imprisoned.

Link and Groose were then asked to stand in the center of the plaza. Link reluctantly let go of Zelda's hand, walking towards his red-headed friend as Gaepora and the instructors gathered before them.

"Link and Groose," Gaepora began, as Link shot Zelda a puzzled look. She merely shrugged her shoulders, looking just as confused as Link did.

"You have both shown incredible bravery and determination in saving the people of Skyloft - and brining home my only daughter," he said with a smile.

"Link, you have done an exceptional job in carrying out the mission the Goddess planned for you so long ago. Your legacy will be one passed down through the generations. I am honored to have experienced your story in my lifetime."

The man's eyes twinkled as he looked down at Link, the expression of a proud father glowing on his face. Gaepora then turned to face Link's newfound friend.

"And Groose!" he exclaimed, as the muscular young man straightened his back, bearing a look of great determination on his face.

"You have demonstrated extraordinary leadership skills, going beyond the call of duty to aid Link in his quest. You took matters into your own hands when Zelda was in danger, volunteering to help and making yourself incredibly useful, even when it was not asked of you.

"The two of you have exhibited the qualities of true heroes," Gaepora continued.

"You have truly embodied what it means to be a Knight, and the Academy is very proud of you. It is for these reasons that myself, as well as your instructors, have come to a unanimous agreement. Tonight, Link and Groose, you will officially be made Knights of Skyloft. Consider this ceremony your official graduation from the Knight Academy. Congratulations."

The crowd erupted into applause, and Link and Groose looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions plastered across their faces. Link turned his head to Zelda, whose eyes were open wide in shock as her palms covered her mouth.

When she noticed Link staring at her, she lowered her hands and smiled. Her pretty eyes glittered in the light of the stars that had come out sometime during the lengthy ceremony. Maybe this was not as awful as Link thought it would be.

Once the applause died down, Link and Groose were presented with their own swords - a symbol of their official knighting. Gaepora then concluded the ceremony, promising Link and Groose that their Loftwings would later be given the proper equipment to fly safely at night.

Groose then embraced the kid whom he once teased for being a 'wimp' and a 'daydreamer', clapping his large hand on Link's back in congratulations. Link returned the sentiment, feeling genuinely happy that Groose was recognized for his own bravery during his quest. As they broke apart, Link and Groose turned to see Zelda running up to them, throwing her arms around them both.

"I'm so proud of both of you!" she shouted. "You deserve it. Really, you do. If it weren't for both of you, I'd probably still be asleep in that amber crystal, and who knows what would have happened to Skyloft."

"Hey, don't mention it Zelda!" Groose replied excitedly. "It was really Link here who did all the work…I just happened to show up in the right place at the right time."

Link was truly impressed with how much Groose had grown in such a short amount of time. He had really humbled himself since the day he crash landed them both in the Sealed Grounds.

"Nonsense, Groose!" Zelda protested. "You were wonderful," she said earnestly.

Link smiled in agreement, staring at Zelda affectionately. He loved how she was so kind to everyone, always making sure her friends felt special and loved. But she was never fake or insincere - she truly just had a way of seeing the best in everyone, and making sure they were aware of it. Getting a compliment from Zelda was enough to make any man feel like he was on top of the world.

Groose looked over at Link, suddenly feeling like a third wheel between his friends.

"Well, thanks, Zelda. That means a lot. Anyways, I'm gonna head off to find Cawlin and Stritch. I'm sure they've been worried sick about me. Besides, I'm sure you'd like to spend some alone time with your knight in green armor, here!" he exclaimed, slapping Link on the shoulder.

"You've definitely earned it, buddy. Take care of our girl." He winked at Zelda, then took off in a run towards the Academy.

Link was sure that his face was bright red. "Uhh…" he started. "I'm sure he didn't.. Well, you know Groose.." he stammered, suddenly unable to form a complete thought in his head. Zelda laughed at his verbal stumbling, but she was sporting quite the blush herself.

"So.. The ceremony is over now. And I think there's some time before Instructor Horwell is going to show you how to equip your Loftwing to ride safely at night," she said, not looking at Link directly. "How would you like to take a walk with me?" she asked.

Link smiled and nodded his head.

"I'd love to."