It was the day before the Wing Ceremony. Link and Zelda were sitting on the edge of a sky pier, their legs dangling off the edge. A knight had flown by, warning them not to accidently fall off the edge. It was harder to position yourself into a slow dive for your Loftwing to catch you if you fell.

It was mid-afternoon, and the shade from the nearby tree had crept across the ground as the sun rose, and it shielded their bodies perfectly. Bugs creaked and hissed in the stagnant air. Neither of them felt like moving.

"Are you worried about the ceremony?" Zelda asked, her eyes closed and face turned upwards. The leaves were dappling her face with patches of colorful grey.

"I know you are." Link responded.

"I finally finished the sailcloth." She said, stretching her arm out, and splaying her hand to display a fresh bandage on her index finger. "I was worried I wouldn't make it."

"But you're great at sewing." Link said.

"You better win the race. I don't want to give all that hard work to Groose…" There was a moment of drawn out silence, not because they were out of things to say, but because of the lethargic afternoon.

Another knight flew past them, so close that the following wind ruffled their hair. A dark feather wafted down, and Link raised his arm, but the perpetual wind carried it out of read and off the island.

"You should practice." Zelda suggested. He followed her gaze to the upper clouds, where a trio of dark-toned birds were diving around each other.

Even seeing Groose's impressive moves, Link didn't want to get up just yet. He wanted to find another excuse to stay put. Luckily, Pipit and Karane walked past them, whistling a duet together. There was an idea.

"What if I can't whistle for my Loftwing?" He finally asked. Zelda laughed, and scooted closer to him.

"Remember when you couldn't?" She asked. Link shook his head and smiled, even though he honestly could. He'd gotten her hooked. "I had to teach you." Zelda liked the story. Besides, it was also the story of how they became the best of friends. But it was also sad.

Link had always been shy. Zelda had not. She was the most beautiful girl that Link had ever seen, and she scared him more than anyone else as well.

His mother always told him not to be so shy. That Zelda was a nice girl, and probably wanted to meet Link as well. But whenever the girl passed by with her own parents, Link would shove his face into his mother's skirt and hide.

"Daddy, that boy's weird." Zelda said, and Link almost ducked under his mother's dress to conceal himself completely.

"Oho, Zelda- he's just a little shy. Let's go over and say hello." Link tried to pull his mother away, as if trying to warm her of an impending monster, but she remained put.

"Okay, son, this is your chance." She said excitedly. He shook his head, but froze when he saw her close.

Zelda was wearing a bright green dress, which had caught the young boy's eye. He was wearing a shirt of nearly the same color.

"Hello Gaepora. Hi Zelda."

"And good afternoon to you, and oh- I think I see a little boy hiding behind you. Could that be Link?" The boy shook his head. The two adults laughed, and began to talk. Link finally peeked out from behind his mother. Zelda was listening to the adults' conversation, but looked back at him the moment his eyes were exposed.

He flinched, hiding half of his face, but was able to continue staring. She moved away from her father, and Link gasped. He circled his mother, trying to keep away from Zelda, but the little girl was persistent. She finally cornered him between his mother's legs.

"Oh- Link!"

"Zelda, dear, we should get back. The Wing Ceremony will start soon." She nodded, still staring at the boy, and hurried back to her father's side. Link finally exhaled, and his mother brushed his hair back behind his ears.

"Oh, Link…how will you make friends if you don't talk to them?" Link kept his mouth shut tight. "We'd better follow them." Link dug his feet into the ground and shook his head. But his mother put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Don't you want to see your father?" His mother waited a few seconds, but when she started walking, so did Link.

The whole town was at the ceremony. The race for the statue had already concluded, the victor being a black-haired man with a dark blue Loftwing. After the ceremony upon the Goddess Statue, the Loftwings began to arrive. They waited until they saw the pair on the statue before descending above Skyloft. The preteens clustered in the courtyard, as the squawking Loftwings circled overhead.

Link finally stepped away from his mother, as a brown and silver Loftwing descended in front of the half dozen children waiting to find their new companion.

Link raced forward.

"Daddy!" The knight bent down, and scooped the child into his arms before he crashed into his legs.

"There you are! Oh, I've missed you! Want to help me start the ceremony?" Link realized that they were the center of attention, and buried his face into his father's neck. "No? Okay then. Hello everyone!" Link felt his voice boom in his throat. "You've all seen this once before. Step into the circle when you feel ready, and give a nice loud whistle! Your bird will know who you are, and you will know your bird. Give each other space and with until the other is done before you try, okay?" The boys and girls nodded, eager to get on with the ceremony.

Link's father carried him back to his mother, and his white Loftwing rose back into the air, making room for the other birds. Link's mother walked to meet them, and his father and mother exchanged a brief kiss, and Link was momentarily squished between them.

Link watched as the first boy stepped up and whistled. It became silent, then a loud cry as a brown Loftwing landed heavily in front of them. The boy and bird looked at each other for a few minutes, experimentally touched each other, before the boy finally clambered onto its back. It spread its blue-tinted wings, and leapt into the air.

Link's eyes followed him until he was a speck. He felt the sky calling to him, but he couldn't call back yet. It was too far away.

"I want to fly." He said. His father lifted him onto his shoulders, whistling a familiar tune. From his perch, he could see Zelda. She always seemed to notice when he was looking at her, because she met his eyes instantly. Then she hesitantly raised her hand and waved.

"Well, let me hear that whistle you've been working on." His father asked, pausing from his whistle tune. Link pursed his lips and tried, but the sound was sharp and weak, nothing like his father's.

"Soon, Link." His father laughed. "Soon."

After the ceremony, his father and mother went on a fly together around the island. Link followed the rest of the children his age up to the small field near one of the windmills. Well…Pipit, a boy who was a few years older than him, took his hand and forced him to come play. But after a few games of tag, Link forgot to be shy.

As he was running, he had taken the lead, and it seemed that everyone was chasing him. His stole a glance upwards, remembering his parents, but instead, saw a large figure obscuring the sun. He slowed his run, as the other children noticed as well.

"Whoa, is that a Loftwing?" Pipit exclaimed. It was, but in a color that no one had ever seen before. Bright, bright red. Brighter than sunset red.

He suddenly felt very sad. He desperately wanted to fly. He felt like Skyloft was so small. He'd been everywhere, except the cave behind the waterfall of course, but that was off-limits. The sky was huge, and there was so much to see. But that bird especially made him sad. Why? It was beautiful and free, but sad…

Groose suddenly barreled into him, and Link tripped and rolled forward, so far that he felt his arm slide off the edge of the island. He scrambled back onto his feet, and even though he was away from the edge, he felt himself wobbling. He stumbled again, and closed his eyes, but a firm hand clapped around his. He found his footing again, and hurried forward into the sturdy body that had helped him. Into Zelda's body.

He gasped and froze.

But she pulled away, though she kept one hand firmly around his wrist, and stormed over to Groose. Link was reluctantly dragged in tow. She whipped out her other hand and pointed it at his face.

"You could have pushed him off of the edge, you know!" The red-head leaned away, but his eyes were huge and not at all focused on what she was saying.

She let Link's hand go, and left the game.

"Wait!" Link managed, and found his footing on his wobbly legs enough to catch up with her. "I…Sorry I…" Oh no. He was losing his voice again. So he remembered something his mother told him he could always say. "I'm Link."

She stared for a few moments, as did all the other kids, until Pipit started up a new game of Loftwing race. Then she blinked and smiled.

"I'm Zelda." She said back.

"I know." Link said. "I-I mean…my Mom knows your Dad and…" She laughed.

"You're funny. And I like you." He smiled.

The thundercloud in the east moved closer that year. It usually remained stationary, but the tornadoes sometimes swept the storm closer to the island.

One day, all of the adults were busy building things, and Link and the others watched anxiously. After a while, the commotion became commonplace and the children went back to playing. But that evening, without any warning, the storm hit.

…Zelda's mother left first, and Link remembered Zelda fighting back tears as she watched her go. Link's father had already gone, with giving his son the chance to wish him good luck. Not long after, Link's mother left as well.

None of them returned, and Link forgot how to speak.

Zelda was patient with him. They had known each other long enough now. Link wanted to reassure her too- she had lost her mother too, but he couldn't find the words. He knew what he wanted to convey, and Zelda always told him that she understood, but Link thought she was lying to make him feel better.

Years passed, and Link gradually began to talk. Little by little, to no one but Zelda at first, but then Gaepora, and Pipit and Instructor Owlan. But never Groose; even as they grew up, Link felt nervous around the redhead.

Then the day came when it was time for their own Wing Ceremony. The one where they would meet their Goddess-gifted companion, their Loftwing.

Zelda slammed her fist on Link's door at the school, and he rolled out of beg wearily. He hadn't slept very well that night, in anticipation of the event, and consequently slept in. Zelda had noticed his absence and went back for him. She mocked him messy appearance, tried to smooth his hair, then led him down the hall. Everyone else had already gone- the building was silent, but Zelda had patiently waited for him like she had all her life.

She whistled all the way down the stairs. Link was silent.

There was no ordered way of bird selection. Dozens of Loftwings circled above, and a child would step forward in front of the Goddess statue and whistle. Usually, a Loftwing instantly broke from the flock, and dove right to the one who had called them. Some Loftwings wouldn't let their child ride them at first, while others would insist on it. It was all based on their personality.

Groose demanded to go first. No one objected, since it was better for personalities to be at full display when they called their birds. Everyone else backed up, giving plenty of room for the large bird to land. Groose stuck a finger in his mouth and produced a shrill whistle. A dark Loftwing dropped from the sky, landing heavily before the red-head. It had a large, curly crest that seemed to match the boy's own wild hair style. Groose exclaimed how majestic his bird was, before clumsily lifting himself onto his new companion's back. They flew off in a heavy gust of feathers and wind.

Zelda went next, determined to trump Groose. She stepped forward and smiled over her shoulder at Link, before making a sweet-sounding whistle of her own. A similar cry followed, and a piece of the sky broke itself off from the flock. A gorgeous blue Loftwing slowly descended before Zelda, flapping its white and pink wingtips until she was settled. Zelda reached out, and the bird placed its beak into her hand, testing. It was a perfect fit. Zelda stroked the bird's wings, and she gave a pleasant cry and stretched out her wings again. The crowds of adults cheered loudly when Zelda eased herself onto the bird's back. They took to the sky, joining it again.

Gaepora slapped Link on the back and he jumped.

"Ohoho! Startled you, I'm sorry!" Link shook his head, assuring Zelda's father that all was well. "Fine! Well, go on Link!" he said, giving the boy another shove. Link stumbled into the circle, and the crowds clapped enthusiastically for him. He tried to smile, but there was a lump in his throat that hurt.

He faced the Goddess Statue, sending a prayer to her for good luck, and put his fingers to his mouth to whistle.

Only quiet air escaped his lips. Link's eyes widened in horror as his fingers slid from his lips. The crowd went silent. Link tried again, and a shrill single note escape- but not a whistle. The Loftwings overhead circled, but made no dive for him.

He tried again and again, until Gaepora stepped up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"They're shy today, my boy. Come back and let us try later." Link stepped back, ashamed and confused. As Cawlin received his own bird, Link turned away from the scene.

He went to the waterfall, one of his favorite places. He shut his eyes and listened to the crashing water, and let everything else go numb. When he opened his eyes again, it was darkening outside. Link slowly made his way back to the school, and into his room. He shut the door behind himself, distancing some of the raucous laughter coming from the dining area.

"Where were you?" Zelda asked. Link jumped and faced her. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting in the dark. He looked away from her and shook his head. "I know what happened, I figured it out after you didn't join the rest of us in the sky." Link shrugged. She stood and walked up to him. Then she took his hand and led him back outside.

"Zel-" He started, but she hushed him.

"No! Come on, Link! I know you can do it- just prove it to your Loftwing." They hurried outside, Link still dragging his feet. As they starte dup the stairway to the Goddess' courtyard, Link freed himself from her grasp.

"Zelda, no!" He shouted. She faced him, hand on her hips. "I-…No one came to me." He said. Zelda shook her head.

"They will, you just have to try again." He wanted to scream at her, and everything else too. Everyone knew what had happened- it was only a matter of time before Groose found him and threw him off the island for being unworthy or some other reason based off of his failure at the Ceremony. Everyone would see him differently- even Zelda, after a while. He would be a wingless no body.

He shook his head again, wishing she would leave him alone.

"I know it's hard." She said. "I can't ever know just how hard, but it is…so…I'm asking you to try again, because I don't want you to give up, Link." Her eyes widened and Link could swear he saw tears. "Please, Link!" he stepped forward.

"Okay." He agreed. She waited at the entrance to the courtyard as he stepped forward on his own. The sun was setting, dying the sky red and orange. The clouds swelled with color, the sun below them.

He walked onto the platform and looked into the sky. Birds were no longer circling overhead, but they were occasionally flying by. Some of them without riders.

He shut his eyes, but only saw Zelda. When he opened them, she was gone, and it was just Link and the sky. He put his fingers to his lips and blew. At first there was nothing, but on his second try, a clear whistle rang out across the yard, and into the sky.

Zelda clasped her hands together and waited.

The sky remained silent and still. Link took a step back, just staring at the statue. Finally he turned away, and shrugged. Then Zelda, just as her heart was wrenching in her chest, gasped and pointed up. Link turned and a large, crimson Loftwing dove down to meet him. Link made room in a hurry, and the impressive bird landed heavily before him. He stretched out his yellow and lavender tipped wings and ruffled his feathers.

Link stare din awe, remembering a day long from his childhood when he saw the same bird. He felt the same nostalgia now, as he did then. He knew this bird somehow, as the Loftwing recognized him. Link reached out, and the bird cawed loudly, spreading his wings again. He wanted Link to fly.

Link swung himself onto the bird's back and he flew, straight up and fast. They soared into the setting clouds and dove through them wildly. Finally, Link was free.

Below, Zelda watched in joy as her friend found his wings. Zelda's father patted her shoulder, and nodded in approval.

"That boy is special. I've never seen anyone like him."

"The Goddess has plans for him." Zelda said, absentmindedly. Her father glanced at her, and Zelda smiled back up at him, not understanding what she had just said.

The Goddess had plans for him indeed.