The Piercing Light

Zelda stirred, moaning quietly as she opened her eyes. Everything hurt. Like she'd been bashed by a shield a hundred times. A thousand times. She had no idea how far she'd fallen, only that the sailcloth in her hands had slowed her descent some, enough to keep her alive at least. She hadn't thought of it until Blue attempted to sweep underneath her, but was thrown aside by a swirling wind.

Blue…

She pushed herself to a seated position, scanning around to see where her Loftwing had gone. A stone wall stood in front of her, a second to her left, and Zelda wondered for a second if she'd landed on the Isle of the Goddess, but a quick look behind where she lay told her this was not the case.

The land underneath her stretched beyond the walls, beyond the trees that towered in the distance, fuller and more vibrant than any she'd ever laid eyes on, and numerous beyond counting. She couldn't have numbered them if she tried. Zelda gasped, torn between elation and terror. She knew she should be searching for Blue instead of gaping at scenery, and guessed Link was already out looking for her, having been with her when she fell, but his search would be futile. He'd never find her, no matter how far and wide he searched the skies because Zelda was no longer in the sky. She was below the clouds on land. Real land. The surface below the clouds, unseen by human eyes for over a millennia.

Or at least, Skyloftian human eyes…

"At long last, you've finally come."

Zelda turned in the direction of the voice, finding the oldest woman she'd ever seen. Her head was bowed under the weight of a pointed cloak, or maybe from the weight of the braided swirl that hung from her head, or simply from age. Zelda wasn't sure. The woman walked closer, smiling gently as she offered out her hands, and Zelda became overwhelmed by a strange sense of… familiarity.

"Come with me, child. You have questions, I offer answers."

Zelda took the old woman's hand, wincing as she got to her feet. The injuries from her fall were evident now as she moved about. The woman gave her a quick once-over. "I can heal your injuries too, minor as they are."

"Minor?" Zelda squeaked, looking down at her swollen ankle. She pressed a hand against her ribs, certain they were broken or at least bruised.

"You fell thousands of feet from the clouds, yet your legs still work. Your mind is intact. You are still breathing. I'd say your injuries are minor."

"I had a cloth," Zelda mumbled, holding up the blue sail cloth before fastening it back to her hip. "It belonged to my… dad..."

The woman glanced indifferently at the sailcloth. "Ah yes, that may have contributed, but the light that bore you to this world is the reason you are still alive."

Zelda frowned, watching the woman struggle to open the large stone doors of an ancient temple. "Who are you?" she asked as she helped push the doors open. "I didn't hear-"

"My name matters not. I am an old woman who has waited an age for your arrival, Your Grace. Let us come inside and I will explain it all."

Your Grace? Zelda wasn't sure if she had heard correctly. She fidgeted with her dress, feeling uneasy as she stepped inside. She wasn't sure where the distress inside her came from until a screech echoed through the quiet calm of the temple. A thrill terror seized her, and she whirled around and limped back offside.

"Blue!" Zelda shouted, exiting the temple and searching desperately for the source of the screaming. The old woman called after her.

"Your Grace, you musn't-"

She was cut off by another screech, and a loud rumble through the ground. Zelda ignored the woman's protests, her bond with the Loftwing too strong and deep to ignore. Behind the temple was a deep, tiered pit. Blue lay in the middle, his left wing bent oddly, screeching as he tried to clamber up onto his skinny legs. The old woman called again, but Zelda couldn't think of anything but reaching Blue and getting him to safety. She pulled the blue sailcloth off her hips and leapt into the pit below, landing in a heap next to Blue.

"I'm so sorry," she breathed, taking his beak in her hands. "I promise, I'll find a way to heal you and we can-"

Blue squawked, using his broken wing to push Zelda behind him towards the lowest tier of the pit. She struggled to her feet, hobbling awkwardly while helping Blue to his legs. He began flapping his wings desperate in an attempt to escape, all the while urging her to climb on his back.

"Blue, calm down, what-"

" Child !" The old woman cried from above. " Behind you !"

Zelda spun around towards the center of the pit just as the ground started to shake. More than shake, it seemed as though it was ripping apart! Blue hissed and lowered his head, wings raised in defense, yellow eyes fixed on a series of strange symbols burned into the ground. In the center of the circular pattern was a stone stake engraved with Hylian symbols she'd seen in her father's old texts. Zelda watched, fear twisting her stomach as tendrils of oily black smoke began to seep out of the ground.

"We have to go," Zelda said, pushing Blue towards the tiered path that led back to the temple. "We have to run. Now, Blue! Hurry, please ..."

Blue obeyed, all the while flapping his wings while Zelda hobbled alongside him. Behind them the ground shook again, the oily smoke pouring out in earnest now, swirling into the sky as the ground pulsed red in time with a burning sensation that began resonating in Zelda's palms.

A sudden instinct seized her, unfamiliar and impossible to ignore. Zelda slowed, and with a calm that felt very out of place, she brought one hand against Blue's harness and the other along his wing. Light pulsed down the length of her arms, blindingly bright and searing hot. It poured into Blue's feathers and he screamed in agony. When Zelda pulled back, he gingerly stretched his healed wing wide to the side, testing it, before squawking and flapping in triumph. She had no time to watch this for a second later another instinctual urge forced her to turn to the pulsing ground and the inky blackness rising from it.

Zelda's feet moved of their own accord, walking her towards spire until the searing pain tearing through her body forced her onto her knees. She yelped as the ligaments in her ankle snapped into place and the bones in her cracked ribs fused together, fingers digging into the soil as a wind picked up and threw her hair into chaos around her face. Energy poured out of her fingers, blazing hot as it drowned the oily smoke in a tidal wave of light.

Eventually the light faded away, leaving behind the circular pattern scorched into the earth, the stone spike buried deep within the soil, and Zelda panting and heaving beside it.

Blue tucked his beak underneath her waist and practically threw her on his back. He cooed at her before spreading his healed wings, lifting Zelda out of the pit and back to the old woman waiting by the temple. She hurried to them, pushing Zelda's bangs off her head, a frightened look on her face.

"This isn't right… that seal…" Her eyes flicked towards the pit and the spike below them. "There must be interference. This is not as the Goddess intended. She shouldn't be alone."

Blue squawked, offended at the suggestion that Zelda arrived alone, but the old woman waved him off. "We must get her inside and secure the temple. Come, quickly."

Blue followed after the woman, Zelda weak and shivering against his back. Inside the woman closed the heavy doors then pressed her ancient hands against them. Bluish-gold light bled from her fingertips, etching a strange design — a golden eye with a single tear — into the stone. The old woman sighed heavily when she was done, thought she seemed slightly more energized.

"Do you have questions now, child?" She asked in a slightly amused tone.

"Several," Zelda admitted in a cracked voice, climbing gingerly off Blue's back.

The woman nodded. "Good, and you shall have answers before this thing is done. But first, some food for both of us. You are human now after all, and humans eat."

It had been wise for the old woman to serve dinner and let Zelda eat a bit before beginning the story. Had she confessed everything before they ate, Zelda wouldn't have been able to swallow a thing. Even now as she stared at her half-empty bowl, the idea of food made her stomach twist.

"I don't… mean to be rude," Zelda started, measuring each word as she set her bowl down. "But this is ridiculous. It's madness."

The old woman chuckled. "I can understand how it sounds. You have lived on a floating island in the sky, sheltered from the world below, with giant birds as your personal guardians. Surely what I have told you is the most fantastical thing you've ever heard!"

"You are telling me that the… fairy tales I heard a child are true. That the legends about a great war, and Hylia, and -"

"Is it so hard to believe?" the old woman asked. "Look around you at the weathered stone, the moss growing on the walls. Look at the trees and their ancient branches. Think back to those books you refer to, the weathered pages and frail covers. Didn't you think they came from somewhere?"

"I knew they came from somewhere," Zelda agreed. "I always — always — believed the surface to be real, even before my father showed me the sword and told me -"

"Yes, you mentioned you'd heard the prophecy from your father. But what he told you was incomplete. Your prophecy has lost most of its words as the ages have passed, but that does not matter now. What matters now is that you are here, Your Grace. You have landed and -"

"My name is Zelda," Zelda interjected. "You've been calling me Your Grace and… who do you think I am?"

" 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," the old woman recited, eyes closed in concentration. "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 united with the spirit maiden, shall bring forth the piercing light that resurrects the land."

The old woman stared at Zelda then, ancient eyes peering into her soul. "Who do I think you are? You are the Spirit Maiden, one whose body and blood is sacred. You are the light that pierces this land. You, my child, are Hylia manifest, the goddess incarnate."

Zelda shook her head, the sick feeling in her stomach rising again. "That's… that's not possible. I'm human for one, and-"

"You certainly are no stranger to magic, living on a floating island with other humans, some who can make potions or craft thread that, when woven correctly, will slow the descent of a full grown man. Even with these abilities, tell me, Zelda, do you think a human could have done what you did earlier?"

Zelda furrowed her brows and looked down at her hands. "What did I do, exactly?"

"You survived a fall that has killed others, even some who carried a sailcloth like yours. You healed yourself and your companion," she said, gesturing to the bird at her side. "If this weren't enough, did you feel what happened when you touched the earth? The glimpse of the power you hold?"

Zelda inhaled, ready to argue again, but the words caught in her throat. She remembered all too well what happened in the pit, her skin still felt hot from it, like she'd spent too many hours in the sun by the lake.

At the thought of the lake, Zelda thought of home. Of the floating island the old woman kept mentioning. She thought of her bed, books, and blankets, her friends and her father. She thought of Link, of how worried he must be, and how much she wished he were with her now.

"I'm just a girl. I'm just a girl from an island," she insisted, pressing her hand against her chest as though this would slow her racing heart. "I am not Hylia. I don't even know if I believe in Hylia."

The old woman chuckled. "I suspect you have come to rely more on yourself than the goddess."

"I haven't only relied on myself, I relied on everyone. We all did," Zelda said, gesturing skyward. "It's as you said: questionable amounts of food, little space to live, but not only that, the constant danger were in: falling off the island or off our birds, the storms, if there is an illness or another disaster we have no… The Goddess abandoned us. She abandoned us on that... rock and-"

"She did what she had to do to save you," The Old Woman said. "She did not take her actions lightly. There was no other choice."

"There's always a choice."

The old woman nodded at Zelda, the corners of her mouth turned slightly upward. "I suppose you are right. Tell me, what would you choose to do now that you know there is more beyond the island you call home?"

Zelda considered this, turning her eyes skyward towards home. "I've dreamed about this place since I was a child, and now I'm here… but I don't want to explore it alone. I want my best friend to see this land with me, my father to see it… Perhaps everyone. Think of what we could build here. The space we'd have, the safety, the-"

"Ah, you mentioned safety. What do you plan to do about what lies inside that pit?"

"The… what is…" Zelda stammered, dread sinking into her stomach again. A series of images flashed through her head: The pit, as it was now, and as it had been, solid earth supporting a towering goddess statue. Then she saw a monster, black and covered in scales, thousands of razor sharp teeth screaming at the sky. Next was a man, russet skinned with flaming red hair, broader and taller than any man she'd ever seen. He was on his knees, enraged and snarling. Zelda stood in front of him, light and blood on her skin. She raised one hand forward, eyes burning, drowning the raging man in sunlight...

She snapped back to reality, panting and trembling, pulse thundering in her ears. The Old Woman was watching her, expression solemn. She folded her wrinkled hands and gazed steadily at Zelda. "Tell me again the prophecy your father told you."

"When… When the light of the goddess's sword shines bright, the great apocalypse will wake from its long slumber," Zelda wavered. She swallowed heavily and looked at the old woman, the fear in her heart reflected dimly in the woman's eyes.

"What is in that pit?"

"Your prophecy tells you. When the sword glows, that abomination will rise. Though I suspect your arrival to this world has triggered the awakening of both forces."

"Both?"

"The abomination inside that pit and the servant who dwells within the sword. It will be her task, now, to find the goddess' hero and bring him below the clouds."

For some reason Zelda pictured Link, panting and covered in blood. He held the sacred blade in one hand and a shield in the other. Before him was the monster, terrible and towering over him, then the man, still giant in comparison. He's so small, Zelda thought. He's so small and he never keeps his shield up.

She shook her head, panic seizing her heart. "No, he can't. He… I need to go," she mumbled while scrambling to her feet. "I need to warn him. To warn all of them about-"

"You were so eager to bring him down a moment ago," the old woman reminded Zelda. "What has changed your mind, child?"

"It's dangerous!" Zelda cried. "That… thing is dangerous! If he comes down, if he fights… he could be hurt. Or if this thing is as bad as you say it is, he could be… killed."

She was filled with an instantaneous dread, desperate to get back home and stop Link from finding that sword, from ever setting foot in that chamber. Two days ago she'd been dying to tell him, now when thought of it she would die to keep this whole world secret if it meant keeping Link safe. "I have to go. I have to stop him."

"Zelda, leave now and all is lost," the old woman said firmly. "I understand your fear, but you must listen to me. I beg you."

The old woman gestured and Zelda sank to the floor. Blue placed his head on her lap to soothe her, but there was also the feeling that he was holding her there, imploring her to stay as the old woman was. The woman nodded and resumed speaking, her voice solemn now and expression almost stern.

"At this moment, it is not essential you accept who you are. What you must accept, however, is you are tied to this fate. It is as inescapable as the sunrise or sunset, and it has come for you whether you were ready or not," she said. "If you fail in your task, this world will meet its end. Goddess Hylia did what she could, and when she was injured beyond healing she shed her immortality to be reborn among her people, to reborn alongside her hero, both of them choosing this path as the only way to defeat the shadow that ravages this land."

The old woman took Zelda's hands, squeezing them with surprising strength. "That chance she took was you, you and the one who will take up her sword. Together, the two of you must put an end to this thing. Each of you has a role to play, and you must begin your part."

"I'm not Hylia," Zelda protested quietly. "I'm not a goddess, or a warrior. I'm just a girl. I can't… what happened down there, I can't do that again. I don't even know how I did it earlier and -"

"That was but a taste of the power that lives inside you, child. You will unlock more of it as you go." The woman gave her hands another squeeze, eyes soft as they looked into Zelda's. "I will concede to your earlier statement. There are choices before you: you can return home and wait out the apocalypse and hope, perhaps, that the old ones will intercede on your behalf.

Zelda stayed quiet, heart still pounding, already knowing what the old woman would say next.

"Or you can accept your role in this story and move forward. As I said, it is not essential that you accept your identity at this point. I suspect visits to the springs will awaken your memories, just being in this temple seems to have started the process." The woman gestured to the light filtering in through the cracks in the ceiling. "But you must accept your fate, Zelda, if you wish to save your friends, your family… your people."

Zelda let out a shuddering sigh, tears rolling down her cheeks as the old woman released her hands. She he tucked a finger under Zelda's chin, lifting her eyes to meet her gaze, a soft smile on her face.

"So, tell me, Zelda… what will you choose?"

Faron Woods was what the old woman called this area. Woods, a large and thick collection of trees. A place of beauty. Zelda recalled the definition from one of her texts.

Whoever wrote the text hadn't been mistaken. Faron really was beautiful. It felt as though a fog had been over her eyes, blinding her to the true colors of the world. Varying shades of green and yellow, reddish brown hues in the bark of trees, different shades of orange or blue. The vast amount of plant life made her think of Owlan, how he would love it here, and when she thought of Owlan, she inadvertently thought of Link, how big his eyes would be over the size of these trees. The trees in Skyloft were miniature in comparison to some she passed; Link would have struggled to get up into their branches. The path to the temple was difficult. Steep hills, climbing vines, wide chasms between she had to jump across. The running and strength training Eagus made them do as part of training was finally paying off. Zelda found herself wishing she'd taken it a bit more seriously, not just for the physical prowess her journey required but for her own protection.

As beautiful as this land looked there were dangers as well. What she thought was a bush ended up being a type of Octorock that popped out of the ground to spit a ball of dirt at her when she passed. Another time she'd passed a vine only to have it sprout out of the ground into an egg-shaped plant with snaggled jaws that snapped at her when she got too close. It wasn't just the plants that posed a threat, there were creatures here too. Some were skittish, like the small black and white beings with tiny beaks and shrub like growths on their backs, but others were menacing, like the bulbous nosed monsters that carried blades and bows. One of the forest creatures, a kikwi he'd called himself, had begged her not to go forward, but when he laid down to bask in the sun, she vaulted herself off his belly over the roots of a large tree to press forward.

On the other side were more demons who looked up at the rustling she'd made upon landing, then went back to patrols while she hid behind a large tree, too afraid to face them head on. Seeing their swords and bows made Zelda think of Link and the sacred sword under the statue. The old woman had given her the basics of her task before she'd set off, but said very little about this hero who was supposed to follow her.

"Time is short, there are unexpected forces in motion. I suspect the goddess' chosen one will arrive shortly, but you must go now," she said urgently. "His journey is separate from yours, Zelda. You must focus on your task and heed the sanctity of this ritual. Bathe in the sacred springs, keep yourself pure. Do not allow any desire to sway you. You understand what is at stake. Travel quickly; that harp you carry is more than just an instrument. It is a sacred relic, given to your people by the goddess herself. Try playing it and see what happens."

With that, the old woman ushered her off into the forest. Zelda plucked the strings of the harp as as she walked, though the only magic was a sudden familiarity with notes she'd never played before. The songs were soothing, but did nothing to distract her from thinking of Link and the destiny awaiting him, and if it was him for which destiny awaited.

The idea was the epitome of romantic cliches: Link, her best friend since childhood, bound to her by destiny, becoming in name the hero she always knew he was. The idea made her giddy, but that joy was marred with anxiety. For in accepting this role, Link was accepting danger, and would face threats he hadn't trained for. The Knights of Skyloft were knights in name, but Zelda didn't think any of them had ever faced anything worse than an Octorock.

She vaguely wondered what would happen if Link wasn't the chosen one. What if it was someone like Heron, or Pipit, or goddess forbid Groose, who came to her aid? What would Link do then? She knew him well enough to know he wouldn't sit idly by while someone else searched for her, but she wasn't sure how involved he would be, or if he'd simply move on with his life, thinking he'd gone forever.

Tears had come to her eyes then but she swallowed them back, silencing her self-pity when she reached the entrance to the temple. Several monsters noticed her approaching and began screaming, blowing horns while racing to catch her. Zelda bolted inside and shut the doors, pressing her hands against the cold stone and thinking Goddess save me, if I could only seal these shut ...

A second later her palms began to warm and light bled from her fingertips, leaching into the stone and coloring it gold. The air in the temple seemed to suck in around her, then there was a bright flash and a click. Zelda pulled back, examining her burning hands, wondering if she was gaining some control over this supposed power inside her.

It didn't matter, she was inside now and there was nothing left to do but explore, which she ended up doing little of thanks to the presence of more plant-like monsters and enormous spiders that lurked off of antechambers. One had spit a web at her when she raced past and all she could think was Link is going to hate this.

Eventually she reached large golden door, the lock giving way at her touch, but she stopped short when the cries of several monsters behind her erupted behind her. Zelda panicked as they rushed towards the thin stone pathway that connected the last antechamber to the doors where she stood, but the walkway suddenly gave way with a thundering crash, spilling the monsters into the chasm below with a series of squalling cries. She didn't linger after that, afraid the creatures on the other side would find a way to get to her. Zelda pushed through the golden doors and raced through the next antechamber into the hallway beyond it. Then she stopped short, gasping amazed at the scenery that greeted her.

A stone pathway led to a pool of clear water, fed by waterfalls surrounding the circular arena. Stone pillars with mounted bird decorations lined the walkway, and at the end was a stone altar with a statue of Hylia sitting atop it, a pale violet wingcrest hovering in the center. Sunlight bathed the water and gave it an almost celestial glow. The sight took Zelda's breath away; it was the most beautiful place she'd ever seen.

How do I pray? She asked herself after hopping across the broken pathway to stand before the altar. She remembered doing it as a child, kneeling beside her bed with her hands folded close to her chest, head bowed against her knuckles. Though when she tired this, it didn't feel right. It felt forced, just as it always had.

Zelda sighed and stared at the statue in front of her. She threw her feet over the side of the pathway and sank into the water, the white silk dress clinging to her legs as she approached the altar. Out of curiosity, she pressed her hand against the Wingcrest, surprised by the warmth of the relic she'd been seeing on statues and sailcloths since she was a child.

A flash of light burst from her palm and Zelda gasped, eyes filling with light, blinding out the scenery around her in exchange for a different view. She was back at the pit, the ground raw and broken, the sealing spike in the center still freshly forged and glowing...

She stared into the pit, breathing slowly, waiting for the spike to shatter and be thrown skyward as the monster it sealed emerged from the darkness to ravage the land once more. She waited, and waited, but nothing changed. The spike held, the darkness stayed locked away. Weak as she was, it appeared her sealing powers were holding. For now.

The sky above was quiet as the barrier settled in, thick stratus clouds casting shadows over the earth. Little sunlight would leak through but it was better that way. Her people were rising above, perhaps they had already reached the peak of ascension. There they would be safe from the horrors below, from the demons she knew still roamed the land, from the abomination that threatened to destroy them all. They didn't have much, but they had enough to survive, and they were resilient. That was one of the many things she loved about them, their tenacity and will to overcome. It made her decision to leave the precious relic among them easier, even if it was hidden. So long as they heeded her request to live on and bear descendants, her relics would be safe until the hero's spirit walked the land once more.

A woman came to stand beside her, blonde hair shaved close to her head save for a single, thick strand that hung from to her hip. She was speckled with blood, dark bruises forming on her bare shoulders, blue light still glowing in her palms. "Are you sure you can trust them?" she asked, turning her eyes to the clouds above. "They were so easily corrupted, so quick to believe the Demon King's lies and allow him to gain the strength he did."

"They are also the ones who brought the Hero into this world," she reminded her companion, the words trembling as they left her lips. "If they can beget someone so incorruptible and courageous, yes, I trust them."

Pain seized her, unfamiliar and startling. She pressed a hand against her abdomen, noting the dampness of her silk dress and the blood staining her palm when she pulled back. "I'm not long for this world."

"Don't say that. You need to rest."

"Rest will not save me now," she countered, wiping her face, smearing tears, sweat, and blood across her cheek. She looked down at the woman's side, noting the green hilt of the sword in her hands. Sadness sank into her heart, the grief more painful than the wound in her side. "His spirit has left this plane but tell me his body is at rest, that it is clean and waiting to rejoin the earth."

The woman nodded, pursing her lips as she passed her the bloodstained sword. Her dress was sullied already, so she used it to wipe the blade clean before holding it up, examining the blue stone mounted in the center of the hilt.

"Fi?"

A flash of blue light brought forth a young girl, barely out of her teenage years. Her short sky-blue hair blended in with the tone of her skin, violet and blue caped wings fluttering from both shoulders. The blue stone of the sword was mounted on her chest, an oversized broach to complement the short dress she wore. Save for the melodic chirp that accompanied her appearance, the girl was silent as she moved, floating quietly beside her, a blank slate waiting to be filled.

"You summoned me, Your Grace?"

"I need you to take note. Your slumber will last more than an age, so heed my words carefully." As she spoke, she swayed on the spot, a different sort of darkness coming over her eyes. The blonde woman swept in with her strong arms, pulling her back to the light and back to her feet.

"Hylia, I'm begging you to rest," she implored. "Your wounds are not beyond healing-"

"They are."

"They cannot be," the woman insisted, voice wavering, red eyes sparkling with tears. "You are a Goddess , you are-"

"I am weak is what I am. The Demon King knows it. He knew it when our battle began and he will know it when he wakes again," she said sadly. "I would be no match for him were he to wake now. The power to truly destroy him, I could not touch it, and out of a selfish fear, I kept my hero from it, to both our perils."

The woman at her side sobbed once before wiping a cool hand over her forehead. "Hylia, you can't die. You can't. We are bound to serve you, what will become of us?"

"You will serve me, as you have done for eons. But in order to serve me, you must trust me. Do you trust me, Impa?"

"With my life."

"Good, then take note… for your service is essential to the plans I am making."

Link's hands shook, a shield in his left and the blade in his right, the shining metal marred with blood. Again. He'd lost track of how many times he'd dirtied it now. His trousers and tunic were stained red from repeated attempts to wipe it clean. He refused to use the sailcloth to wipe it off even though it would have been more logical. It was sacred, Zelda's scent still lingered in the fibers, he would not dirty it with the blood of… whatever it was he'd been fighting.

"Fi?" Link murmured, startling when the flash of blue light erupted from the blade. He didn't think he'd ever get used to it. At least when he called for her he knew it was coming. The times she appeared at random were jarring still to him.

"You called for me, Master?"

"Um… what did you call these things again?"

"This was a Green Bokoblin. They enjoy dark places, such as caves, and their sunlight-deficient lifestyle has turned their skin a stomach-turning shade of green. Your success rate with this enemy is currently at 27%-"

"Okay, yeah, thank you," Link said, annoyed she kept reminding him how he was failing. Not failing perhaps, but struggling. This was nothing like any of his sparring sessions and he found himself cursing Eagus for how ill prepared he was. Though it wasn't necessarily Eagus' fault. No one could have seen this coming.

"They, like other Bokoblins, have a fascination with festive undergarments," Fi went on.

"I'm sorry?"

"The Bokoblins that have plagued this land since ancient times are fond of colorful and festive undergarments," Fi explained. "When they are less hostile, trades can be made."

Link blinked at the blank face of his guide, the spirit of the sword sworn to assist him on this journey. She was so indifferent it was almost comical, like one of the books he read for class had come to life to spout information at him. The information was useful, but Link wasn't entirely sure how the underwear fetishes of bokoblins would help him find Zelda. He vaguely wondered if Hylia had a sense of humor that she had tried to pass on through Fi.

When he thought of the goddess, Link recalled the new titles he'd been given. Squire had been one since he'd won the Wing Ceremony and would now begin his senior year at the Knight Academy. Before he'd left that morning, his mentor Sir Albertos stopped him, congratulating him briefly before apologizing about Zelda.

"Link, I know how much she meant to you," he'd said, voice low and solemn. "I can't imagine… and so soon after losing Orel and Larke. If you need anything, I'm glad to-"

"Zelda's not dead," he'd blurted out despite Gaepora's request he keep everything quiet. Gaepora had worried that knowledge of the surface would send the village into a frenzy of confusion. Link respected this, but he wasn't going to let people go around thinking Zelda was dead when he knew differently.

Heron and Eagus had played it off like nothing, though they'd both looked disturbed by the sacred sword Link now carried, and solemn when they spoke of the prophecy. Perhaps they were unnerved by the word "apocalypse." It made Link uneasy and he tried not to think of it for it was such a broad term. Aside from the incident he'd come across when he first landed, the inky black smoke pouring from a spike in the center of a pit, there was nothing to about this land that suggested an apocalypse was imminent.

It was beautiful and peaceful for the most part, and save the presence of tiny chirping birds, it had been silent and lonely at first. Which was why, even though she was cold and indifferent, called him Master and had been the one to declare him The Goddess' Chosen Hero, Link was grateful for Fi.

Chosen Hero. The last label made his stomach feel queasy, as did the sword in his hands at times. Chosen by the goddess, tasked to vanquish the apocalypse from the land. It was not yet clear what this entailed and neither Fi, Gaepora, nor the old woman Link met at the temple when he first arrived bothered to explain it. The woman had been mysterious and aloof, but Link clung to her every word once she mentioned she'd seen Zelda just before he got there.

"Your concern for the spirit maiden is understandable, but you must focus on moving forward. That girl has her own purpose to serve as do you."

The woman then told him that Zelda had gone into the woods alone, bidding Link to chase after her to fulfil his destiny and to aid in fulfilling hers. Link had taken a few moments to fill in the map he'd been given by Fi when they first arrived, but quickly headed off with the old woman's blessing.

"Know that the questions you have now will be answered in time, Link" she assured him before he departed. "For now, go bravely."

On his way through the woods, Link'd run across a few creatures who were friendly instead of monstrous. Several of them had seen Zelda, and their elder had pointed Link in the direction of where she'd gone and given him a slingshot after he helped locate a some smaller members of his tribe. At first Link had rolled his eyes, thinking it was a child's weapon, but it had proven to be useful once he'd gotten seeds from a few plants he'd found. He'd even been able to use it to sneak up on a few monsters and to get into what Fi called the Skyview Temple.

It was then things had become a bit more intense. The temple was full of trick doors that required him to search for keys or solve puzzles in order to press on. If this wasn't enough, the chambers and hallways were filled with all sorts of strange beasts. Plants that jumped out and snapped at his legs, gigantic spiders that made his stomach churn when they shot webs at him, and more bokoblins. Despite all this, in the quiet moments when he wandered through the building, Link found himself thinking only of Zelda, wishing she were beside him and they were discovering all this together.

It hit him then, how much he missed her already. The sound of her voice, the feel of her beside him, her hand entwined with his… Guilt gnawed at his stomach. He thought of all the times he could have told her how he felt: in the classroom the night before the ceremony, the morning of the ceremony, after he'd won on the statue… so many missed opportunities and now he was here, without her.

This was the thought that kept him my going despite the challenges he faced. He wanted to find her, safe and whole, and repeat the words he'd said so carelessly last summer for real this time. It became his mantra, the single thought he came back to each time he wiped the blade against his trousers and moved deeper into the temple, continually using Fi to dowse for Zelda's location. He finally reached a set of golden doors after crossing a deep chasm on nothing but a thin rope. After finding the strange key that would unlock them Link hesitated, suddenly nervous despite his eagerness to find her.

"Fi, the last time I dowsed, Zelda was in this direction," he said, hands shaky against the key in its lock. "Is she still here?"

"Yes, Master. I sense Zelda passed through this area recently, and her aura still resonates on the other side of this door."

Link nodded, elation and anxiety racing through him as he pushed the key inside the lock and turned it. The metallic doors shuddered apart and Link used all his strength to push them open, stepping into a dimly lit antechamber similar to the one he'd just passed through. Link started to run across the room to a second set of doors, but stopped short when he was blinded by a bright flash of light. When it faded, an impish man in a patterned red cape stood before him, a long black rapier in one hand.

Link tensed, heart pounding so loud it almost echoed in the silence that pressed in around him. Against his back the sacred sword began to warm just as the man moved to swing his blade at the golden door. He paused mid strike, side-eying Link over his shoulder.

"Ah, look who it is…" he sneeredmused, releasing the rapier. Instead of clattering to the floor like Link expected, the sword disintegrated into a thousand black shards and vanished into thin air. The man turned to face him, a curious smile on his face.

Link used the term "man" loosely, not entirely sure the being before him was human. Pallid skin and chin-length ivory hair that obscured part of his face, black eyes with dark purple circles underneath. Not the type of circles that came from sleepless nights, they looked painted on, decorative almost. The man's white clothing only contributed to his ghostly appearance, skin tight with diamond cutouts on the chest and lefts, long white gloves covering his arms. The only color on him was the red cape around his shoulders and a gold belt with a red diamond shaped clasp. It reminded Link vaguely of the broach Fi wore to keep her cape closed.

When he thought of Fi, Link heard her voice, just a whisper in his ear, emanating from the hilt of the sword. Be on your guard, Master. I have no confirmed information about this man.

The man chuckled at Link, an intrigued look on his face. "I truly thought that tornado I stirred up would have tossed and torn you apart, yet here you are… not in pieces," he noted casually. "Not that your life or death has any consequence, of course, it's just the girl that matters now, and I can sense her here, just beyond this door…"

Link's heart began to race, though not from the excitement of Zelda being so close. It was a fretful pattern that sent shivers down his spine; a fear for Zelda and what this creature could want with her.

"Yes, we plucked her Majesty from her perch high in the clouds and now she's ours," the man said with a satisfied grin, then he shook his head and turned back to Link with another sinister laugh. "Oh, but listen to me, I'm being positively uncivil. Allow me to introduce myself." He stood taller then, sweeping his cloak behind him with a dramatic flourish.

"I am the Demon Lord who presides over this land you look down upon, this world you call the surface… that is the word you sky dwellers use, isn't it?"

Link didn't respond, and the man tossed his hair off his black eye with a flourish. "You may call me Ghirahim. Though, in truth, I very much prefer to be indulged with my full title: Lord Ghirahim. But I'm not fussy."

Demon Lord. Link turned the title over in his head, mouthing it to himself. He may not care much for titles but this man seemed to relish his. Link drew the sword from his back, hand trembling as he did. Is this what he was meant to fight?

Ghirahim scoffed and tilted his head. "Did you really just draw your sword? Foolish boy. It is not you I am concerned about, but since you are here, would you be willing to hear my frustrations? You were so kind to the forest creatures earlier, I should expect the same level of empathy, shouldn't I? You don't want me to think you rude, now."

Link kept silent, standing at the ready, muscles coiled for battle. The man began to circle him, monologuing about how Zelda should have fallen into his hands already as Link mirrored his movements.

"She was nearly ours when that loathsome servant of the goddess snatched her away. Do you have any idea how that made me feel inside?" Ghirahim asked, hands trembling at his sides, voice growing louder and louder. "Furious! Outraged! Sick with anger!"

A metallic snap echoed around the chamber and the man vanished. Link pedaled backward, whipping his head side to side to see where he could have gone, sword hand shaking so hard he worried he might drop his weapon. Ghirahim's voice echoed around him, as though he was everywhere and nowhere all at once.

"This turn of events has left me with a strong appetite for bloodshed, one you seem to share judging by the amount of blood you have on that sword of yours..."

A pair of strong hands seized him by the forearms, Ghirahim's voice now close to his cheek. "Still...it hardly seems fair, being of my position, to take all of my anger out on you. Which is why I promise up front not to murder you," he cooed, trailing a finger along Link's jaw. "No... I'll just beat you within an inch of your life!"

Ghirahim laughed and a ribbon of forked red flicked out of his mouth, a sour stench wafting over Link's face. Link cried out, and wrenched himself away, shield and blade raised defensively. Ghirahim just laughed, amused by Link's revulsion, and shed his cloak, the red fabric vanishing in a thousand flashes of gold and black. He started to stroll towards Link, right hand glowing red and a malicious look in his eyes.

He had no weapon, no shield, and part of Link that wanted this fight to end as quickly as it started. He waited, tensed still, for Ghirahim to get into striking range. The Demon Lord took the final step, and Link shifted forward, bringing the blade down hard and striking Ghirahim across the chest before he leapt lithely away from Link's next swing. Ghirahim narrowed his eyes and stalked forward, seizing the blade in his glowing hand while Link fought to wrench it free. He shoved his weight forward, thinking the blade would slice Ghirahim's hand enough to make him relent, but he laughed and wrenched his wrist sideways, snatching the sword out right out of Link's grasp and catching it one-handedly.

"Well now, this is quite the blade you have," he chuckled as he examined the sword. Link continued to circle with him, trying desperately to think of how he could get his sword back. Maybe he should rush him, tackle him like he'd done to Pipit or Eagus when they were sparring. He could bash him with his shield and steal it-

Ghirahim lunged forward swung the Goddess Sword hard, slicing Link from shoulders to chest, tearing through his tunic and scraping the chain mail underneath. Link went sprawling onto his back, the air forced from his lungs, shoulders and chest stinging from the bite of his own blade. He clambered quickly to his feet, watching in disgust as Ghirahim dragged his tongue across the sword before throwing it in Link's direction.

"If you telegraph your intentions everytime, you'll never land a blow. Free advice from me to you," Ghirahim said as Link scrambled to pick up his weapon. "Now come on, Hero , show me what the goddess sees in you."

He came at Link again, hand extended, taunting Link as he skidded away. He swore under his breath, cursing himself and wondering if his father, uncle, or anyone on the island would make a better hero. When Ghirahim vanished and reappeared next to him, Link feinted right. Ghirahim mirrored him, then Link quickly dove left, slicing across his belly, sending gold sparks flying when the sacred blade made contact with his armor.

They continued to circle, Fi whispering words of encouragement now. My analysis confirms that Ghirahim's fingers always point upward when he holds your sword, Master. The probability of escaping his grip by swinging your sword upward is approximately 100%.

Link obeyed her words, slicing upward when the man came too close then coming in with a jab, or a slice, or a backswing across his belly. Eventually Ghirahim fell back, an eager, malicious look on his face.

"Enjoyable as this is, playtime is over now," he smirked, licking his lips and conjuring the black rapier back from wherever it had vanished. Link reluctantly agreed, his energy and patience were wearing thin.

He dove forward, expecting to lock blades with him, but Ghirahim seized him by the shirt collar and threw Link ten feet across the room. When he got to his feet, he watched Ghirahim draw his hand over the blade, noting how it sliced through his pale skin. Link realized he'd never once sparred with a sharpened edge. All the sparring swords were dulled, the Goddess Sword was the first real blade he'd held since his father died.

Master, keep your shield up , Fi said after Ghirahim rushed him and sliced across forearm. The words were familiar; he'd heard them his entire life, from his father, from Eagus, from Pipit… even from Zelda. The image of her waiting for him on the other side of the door popped into his head. Link mustered all his courage and rolled his shoulders, shield at the ready and blade firm in his hands. Whatever this monster's plans for Zelda were, Link would stop him. He'd die before he'd let him get his hands on her.

Link thrust his shield forward, blocking the next attack and setting Ghirahim off balance. Then he lost control, hacking and swinging the blade haphazardly with everything he had, setting the room alight with golden sparks that flew off Ghirahim's armor. The Demon Lord leapt back to recover, then snapped his fingers and shot a series of projectiles across the room. Link dodged them and rushed in, but Ghirahim vanished on the spot only to appear directly behind him. Link narrowly missed being skewered, rolling out of reach during the moment Ghirahim took to pander to himself. He did that often. Flourishing his movements more than necessary, lingering when he could have struck. Link seized these opportunities to strike whenever he could.

They battled on, leaping away from each other then clashing in again, landing blows at random. Link's thigh was bloody, as was his sword arm. There were cuts to his chest, his shoulder, his face when a projectile swept across his cheek. Fi's voice echoed in his mind. Keep your shield up. Ghirahim rushed him, growling as he did. His blade thunked against the shield and Link seized his chance to strike. Ghirahim spun and Link mirrored him, slicing wildly again, sparks flying. Parry, thrust, parry, the blades sang when they collided, metallic clangs echoing off stone walls. Ghirahim swung through and sliced Link clean across his left side, sending him reeling backward, shouting in pain. Keep your shield up .

Link raised it but the next blow splintered the wood, then another strike shattered it into pieces. Move, move, move! Link thought, taking the blade in both hands. He pressed forward, jumping aside when the demon lord swung at him only to lunge back in. Ghirahim was panting now and Link pressed his advantage, raising the sword skyward to summon the holy light just as he'd done to seal that stone spike in the pit. He slammed the glowing blade across Ghirahim's chest, watching him backpedal, wiping blood from his mouth before standing up.

"Well…" he started, nursing his abdomen with his hand. He was shuddering and clearly weakened, yet no blood was present against his pale skin, as though his wounds instantly healed themselves.

"You put up more of a fight than I would have thought possible out of such a soft boy. But don't clap for yourself quite yet. That sword of yours is the only reason you still live."

Link took the sword in both hands to resume the fight, but Ghirahim sighed, gazing annoyed at the golden doors behind them. "I fear I spent far too long teasing and toying with you. The girl's presence has all but faded from this place, which means there's no reason to linger here."

He tossed his hair back, chuckling once in Link's direction before licking his blade clean then gesturing at Link with the tip.

"Goodbye, Sky Child. Run along and play for now," he said casually though his eyes remained dark and menacing. "Get in my way again, though, and you're dead."

He swept the black rapier in a large circle and vanished on the spot. Link collapsed, heaving and panting on the stone floor. He was just about to reach into his pack for one of Luv's potions but another flash of light lit up the atrium. From the ceiling tumbled down a shining, heart-shaped artifact. It had an almost ethereal glow. Link recalled finding one earlier in the temple and how it healed his injuries, with Fi explaining that the more he collected the stronger his body and soul would become. Link crawled forward, seizing it and hugging it to his chest, sighing in relief when the pain from the fight left his body. They didn't vanish entirely, he could still see the scratches to his skin and the blood on his clothes, but none of this mattered.

Link got to his feet, Ghirahim's words echoing in his head, making his heart pound again even though the battle had ended. " The girl's presence has all but faded from this place… "

"Zelda?" Link called as he pushed open the doors, racing down a long hall that opened up into a stone pathway with tall pillars on either side. " Zelda ! Zel-... Zelda?"

His voice faded, caught up in the gasp that left his lungs. At the end of the path was a pool of water, bathed in the afternoon sunlight. Waterfalls surrounded the edges, filling the pool with the clearest water Link had ever seen. Towards the back of the was a goddess statue on an alter, a radiant purple wingcrest at its center, just like the one he'd seen in the antechamber on Skyloft. He gaped in awe at the beauty of the place, the only sounds the steadily falling water and the quiet chirping of the small birds at his feet. There were even butterflies…

Link hopped the three pillars that led to the altar, coming to rest on a wingcrest embossed into the stone at the end of the walkway. Staring at the purple wingcrest, Link followed his instincts and raised the sacred blade to the sun above him, feeling warmth in his palm as energy poured from above, giving the metal a soft violet glow. He took aim and released the beam of energy forward, sending the wingcrest into a spin. Link sheathed the blade, watching the familiar sigil slowly come to a rest before it flashed brilliantly. A soft smile crept onto his face at the sight and for the first time since landing, Link felt at ease. Peaceful even. The sudden appearance of Fi at his side was the only thing that brought him out of the trance.

"Master, I have a message written in the language of the gods of old. Allow me to translate for you."

"Gae?"

Gaepora lifted his head from his hands, where it had been buried for the last few minutes. Hours if he was honest. Albertos was standing over him, eyes pensive and expression solemn. "May I sit?"

Gaepora nodded and gestured to the chair across from his desk, watching Albertos sit and run a hand through his greying brown hair. Gae had know Albertos since he was a child, as had most everyone. He was the oldest Knight on Skyloft at age 52, and even though he had long since retired as Captain, resuming his post as a rescue knight, the rest of the team still looked up to him. Most of the village looked up to him. There were times Gae thought Albertos would make a better leader than he ever could.

"You look like you haven't slept," Albertos commented.

Gaepora shook his head. "I haven't. I was up most of the night."

"You should try to get some."

"I will. Owlan will force a sleeping draught down my throat if anything."

Albertos nodded, pursing his lips as he considered Gaepora. "Do you care to tell me how Link acquired that sword? Did he go in there and pull it himself?"

Gaepora sighed and leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his head as he tried to think of how to explain everything he'd seen so far. "I had gone down to pray. That antechamber is the only place I feel like I can do it. Link was...he was already there, blade in hand, glowing like starlight. It looked like he'd just gotten it free. He pulled it, but he wasn't in that chamber of his own volition."

"He wasn't alone? Who let him in? Did Heron or Eagus-"

" The youth will be guided by one born of the blade-one who is also youthful in likeness yet wise with knowledge immeasurable," Gae said, quoting the prophecy he knew Albertos was familiar with. The older man frowned, looking rather disturbed as he did. "Did you forget that bit?"

"I didn't forget, I just... To be honest, I've avoided that chamber ever since I've learned of it," he admitted. "I pray to the Goddess when I feel alone and during celebrations, but I'm not sure I ever truly... believed. I have seen too much pain in my life to blindly accept a benevolent deity watching over us."

"I can empathize with that sentiment," Gae scoffed, thinking there were just as many times he'd gone to that antechamber to curse Hylia rather than pray to her.

Albertos nodded, then laughed a little. "I rather wish Ugo was here now... for Link."

"Ugo? Orel was -."

"His father and he would have put a stop to it immediately. If this prophecy is true, Link is bound to destroy... whatever is down there. He has to take on this burden, there is no other choice. Orel would have said to hell with goddesses and destiny and taken that sword from Link to go looking for Zelda himself. You know this," Albertos said with a smile. "He'd have thrown himself head first into the storm rather than let Link face it alone."

Gaepora nodded. "Ugo was more measured, more accepting of the unacceptable. I can see what you mean." He sighed then and shook his head. "To tell you the truth, Al, I... half suspected this. I mean, I had no idea it was coming, and I had no idea Zelda would be involved, but there has always been something about Link, even before that Crimson bird took to him."

He looked to his door then, making sure it was closed completely before he went on. "Ugo used to take Zelda and Link up to the Isle of the Goddess, gave Larke and Orel some time together. It's open and the walls around it mean there's little risk of falling off the edge so they could just run wild. He came home one day in the midst of a storm looking very disturbed, holding that little boy like something was going to snatch him away. When I asked what was wrong, he said he'd taken them into the antechamber to play and Link climbed onto to the dais where the sword was and... it started glowing."

Albertos blinked and leaned in, encouraging Gae to continue. "Ugo was shaking when he told me, he was really upset by it. I asked him how much it glowed and he said enough to be noticed. When he pulled him down it stopped and never happened again when Link got close, but Ugo just couldn't shake the thought. I talked him down, told him it was a trick of the light, joked the sword could be reacting to him as much as it was Link. He calmed down eventually and we never spoke of it again, but every so often when I'd go to the chamber... I'd think about that."

"Tricks of the light aren't always tricks," Albertos noted. "You've read the old tales about… beings like fairies or light spirits latching on to those chosen by the gods. Loftwings are divine in many ways, and when that bird came for Link we all wondered. Orel even made a comment about it a few days later, said that bird acted like it had known Link for ages, that it instantly bonded with him."

"We all saw that. Who knows, perhaps all the old stories we read are true," Gae said philosophically. "If that's the case, perhaps the Goddess doesn't intend us to stay here forever."

Albertos snorted, though he was smiling a little as he did it. "If that's the case, getting everyone to leave will be a challenge, myself included. This is all I've ever known. Who knows what's down there. There could-"

A commotion in the hall cut him off, a pair of voices calling out Link ! and You're back! Gaepora leapt from his chair and raced to the office door, Albertos following behind him.

Link was in the hall, sacred blade strapped to his back, stained with dark red blood in some spots. There were tears to his new tunic, across his chest and shoulder, and a large cut across his thigh but Link he acted as though everything was normal. Pipit and Fledge had been the ones to greet him, Fledge gaping in terror as Pipit held Link by the shoulders to examine him.

"Holy shit, what the hell happened to you?" Pipit said, then when he saw Gaepora and Albertos approaching he quickly stood taller, expression stoic and somber. "Sorry, Sir. Headmaster."

Gaepora ignored him, gazing imploringly at Link. "Did you find Zelda? Where is she? I thought she'd be with you. Is she-"

"I know she's alive. I met someone who saw her and-"

"You met someone?" Albertos asked incredulously, glancing quickly at Gaepora who ignored this information. He couldn't care less about any surface dwellers, his only thought was Zelda.

"Yeah, she said Zelda is fine, and I almost caught up with her but I was... detained," he said, looking down at his clothes then. "I have to clean up, and… mend this, fix my map and-"

"You have a map?" Fledge asked, looking awed by this. "Did you draw it?"

"Most of it," Link said before waving him off. "Look, I've... I've gotta find Eagus. Do you know-"

"He's off island today getting supplies, but he'll be back tomorrow," Gaepora said. "Why do you need him?"

Link grimaced, as though he didn't want to say, then he looked at Albertos and Gae remembered that they were mentor and squire. Orel had asked Albertos long ago, right after Link was born.

"What do you need, Link?" Albertos asked. "I'll do anything I can."

Link let out a resigned and determined huff. "I need you to fight me. Er… teach me to fight. For real, without a sparring sword."

Dread crept into Gaepora's chest then, re-examining Link's bloodstained clothing, thinking perhaps he should be more concerned about these surface dwellers, especially since Zelda was down there... alone.

"Link, please tell me you saw my daughter and she's alright. That's… that's all I ask," he pleaded, sighing in dismay when Link frowned and stared at the floor. He blushed, the pattern and intensity reminding Gae suddenly of Larke, then finally spoke a second later.

"I didn't see her. I got caught up in…"

"A fight I assume."

Link nodded. "But I know she's okay, and I know roughly where she's going. I need to go to the chamber and… but before I go back, I need to learn how to fight, really fight. This wasn't sparring practice."

Link looked at Pipit, then to Albertos who nodded. Gaepora watched this exchange of stoic glances and felt helpless. He'd spent his life in academia and politics, only taking up a sword a few times as a joke when Ugo tried to teach him when they roomed together. He was not a knight, but he'd grown up around them and worked with them his whole life. Not once had any of them ever had to really fight. They were taught the basics of combat passed down through the ages, but most of their training focused on keeping the denizens of Skyloft safe from the threats they faced now: windy gusts that swept them off the island, an accidental fall, a Loftwing lost in the clouds, the Octorocks and Skytails... He couldn't remember the last time any of the Knights had gotten into a real fight. It was possible it had never happened.

"Why don't you clean yourself up, get something to eat, and meet me in the hall," Albertos said. "I will do what I can, Link. When are you going-"

"In the morning, as soon as my Loftwing will take me."

"Then we haven't much time. I'll see you in a bit."

Link nodded and watched Albertos walk away before turning towards Zelda's room. He glanced over his shoulder at Gaepora, frowning apologetically, then turned and headed inside. Gaepora peered in, watching Link drag the heavy sewing device his mother left behind over towards Zelda's desk. Pipit and Fledge looked for a moment as though they were about to follow, but Link came back to the door and shook his head before closing it. It was clear there was little more to tell, or little more he wanted to tell. The pain of being separated from Zelda seemed to distress Link as much as it did Gaepora.

I swear it, upon my wife and husband's graves, to any deity who will listen… if my daughter comes home I will doubt no longer. I will say penance and make my peace with Hylia. I will do anything you ask of me, just let that boy bring my girl home, he pleaded as he walked out the doors of the Academy and towards the blasted statue where this nightmare had begun.

The second part of my Skyward Sword series, picking up immediately after the epilogue of What We Did Before. It isn't essential to have read that story, but there will be events and characters referenced so I'd recommend it if you haven't. If there is interest, I'll do author's notes for this work just as I did for the last. So if you liked them let me know. Thank you to everyone who's been patient and following for updates, and who enjoyed the last story so much they stuck around for this one. I appreciate all the comments and I'm going to try to do better about responding, but really the best way to interact with me is on my tumblr so feel free to find me there. Thank you to everyone who followed me from the last story and I hope this one is as enjoyable!