"The Name of a Great Land"

. . .

"So, you guys are leaving already?" Pipit asks as he watches Link and Zelda prepare their Loftwings to leave back down to the Surface.

Zelda nods her head as she grabs Link's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. "Yup, we're going back home. To our home."

"I think you guys should come down and visit sometime. It could be us, you, Karane, and Groose." Link suggests with a small smile. "It would be nice to have other people beside Zelda and me living down there."

"That sounds amazing," Karane begins with a beaming smile, "but we can't just leave Skyloft and start a new life down... there."

"Why?" Zelda asks with a frown, "That's what Link and I did. It was hard leaving Skyloft, considering it's our home, but we moved down there and it's lovely. It's so magical down there; you would love it, Karane."

"I know, Groose said so many wonderful things about it down there, but I don't know..." Karane shrugs her shoulder and sighs, "Skyloft is where all of our friends and family are. I can't imagine leaving it behind."

"We'll try to visit, how does that sound?" Pipit asks with a smile, "Karane, Groose, and I can all go down… do you guys even have a name for 'down there'?"

Zelda tilts her head to the side, her eyebrows knitting together at Pipit's sudden question. "Oh… well, we call it the Surface."

Pipit rolls his eyes and places his hands on his hips, "Oh come on, that's the name for down there? Don't you think it deserves an actual name? A name that will live on and maybe one day have a large population."

"That'd be nice." Link says with a small smile, "But for naming the Surface… I don't know. We never really thought of it, to be honest."

"But Groose is determined to name it Grooseland." Zelda says with a giggle.

"Well, that's Groose for ya'." Karane says with a laugh, "I hope you don't end up calling it that though."

"I don't think so…" Link says as he rubs the back of his neck, "I don't think the creatures on the Surface would appreciate that very much. Especially Faron…"

"That's very true… she would be quite upset if we name the Surface 'Grooseland'." Zelda says as she shrugs her shoulders, "But Link and I are definitely going to try to come up with some names. It would be really nice to give the Surface a meaningful name."

Karane runs her hand over the soft feathers of Zelda's purple Loftwing. "Well, good luck with the name! Next time you guys come up here for another visit, we'll be expecting a name!" She winks at the two of them before backing up into Pipit's arms.

Pipit grins at Link and shakes his head, "Try not to give the Surface a stupid name, okay? See you both later!"

Link rolls his eyes, but grins at his friend as he and Zelda's Loftwings take off into the sky, heading towards the bright green light that will take them right into Faron Woods.

. . .

The Loftwings carefully land gracefully onto the soft grass, bending down to allow their owners to jump off them with ease. Link and Zelda then take their supplies off their Loftwings and then they watch them once again take off in the sky, disappearing above the clouds.

Zelda spins around on her heels as she beams a wide smile at the Hero. Her eyebrow goes up as she places her hands on her hips, "So, are you ready?"

Link's eyebrows knit together in confusion as he tilts his head slightly to the side, giving her a questioning look. "For?"

"Link!" She yells as she playfully slaps his shoulder, "Are you ready to start thinking of some awesome names for this great land?" She bats her long eyelashes at him, waiting for his reply.

"Uh…" He begins as he scratches the back of his neck, "now?"

Zelda glares at him, giving him an 'are-you-serious-right-now' kind of look before nodding her head excitedly, "Yes! Now! C'mon, Link, I really want to give the Surface a proper name. It deserves a name instead of everyone just calling it the 'Surface'."

"I guess… but I've been thinking… Zel, maybe we shouldn't give it a name." Link sighs as he shrugs one shoulder. He watches her bright, cerulean color eyes widen at his comment and he quickly tries to clarify what he meant. "I mean, Zel, in all of our textbooks and studies of the Surface… we can't just change History. It was named the Surface so maybe we should just keep it that way."

Zelda folds her arms across her chest, frowning at the Hero standing in front of her. Her eyes furrow together and her lips purse together as she eyes him closely. "Link, we're not changing History. We're not changing the past. We're simply giving it a new future; a future which it deserves! Skyloft has a name, why can't the Surface have one?"

"The Surface is its name, though!" He tries to say, but he instantly grows quiet as his new girlfriend of a few months now turns her back on him. "Zelda, I'm not saying it doesn't deserve it, but all these creatures that live on the Surface knows it by that name. A name won't change anything so-"

"But it will change everything! I mean, that's like someone only calling you 'Hero'. You have a name, so, wouldn't you want people to call you by your actual name? Besides, I'll feel more, well, at home if we gave where we are living a name."

Link sighs, knowing he's trying to fight a losing battle. He wants Zelda to feel more at home as they create a new life down here and he wants her to be happy, so what other choice does he have? Besides, how bad can it be to give the Surface a real name?

He slowly places his hand on her shoulder and when she glances over her shoulder to look at him, he offers her a small smile. He nods his head, "Okay, any ideas on what to call it?"

"Oh, yay!" Zelda laughs as she wraps her arms tightly around the Hero's neck and hugs him. "So, what means you'll help me give the Surface a name?"

Link smiles down at the blonde, her eyes sparkling as they lock with his own eyes. He cups her cheek with his left hand and nods, "Yes." He then bends down and goes to place a gentle kiss on her lips, but before he can, when their lips are inches apart, she suddenly pulls away from him, grips his wrist, and starts dragging him.

He yelps at the sudden surprise and asks as he tries to get his feet to move as fast as she is running while she still has a tight grip on his wrist, "Where are we going?"

Instead of answering the Hero's question, Zelda just simply drags him all the way until the two of them reach the entrance of the Sealed Temple. He raises an eyebrow at her, "The Sealed Temple?"

"Yeah," She simply shrugs, "I want somewhere to discuss this with you in private. I really want to think about this and come up with something good for this land. Besides, this is the Temple of Hylia, so, just maybe being in there while we brainstorm, I can feel somewhat closer to Hylia and see what she thinks we should name the Surface. I doubt it, but I guess I just feel a stronger connection when I'm here."

"Well, we'll give it a try. Now, c'mon, let's head inside." Link says with a crooked grin as the two of them enter the two double doors of the Sealed Temple.

When they walk inside the temple, Link and Zelda both head over to the large Life Tree and sit down beside it, facing one another. Link leans his back against the bark of the tree while Zelda sits in front of him, a wide smile resting on her lips as her eyes are wide with excitement.

"So, name?" Zelda asks right away, wanting to get right down to business.

"Uh…" Link quickly draws blank; what name would actually be good enough for this great land? What name is perfect for the Surface that will fit so well? He scratches his chin and stares up at the ceiling, letting several of names run through his head as his mind searches for one that seems like it belongs. "Why don't we name it after someone?"

Zelda shrugs her shoulders, giving his idea a thought. "Like who, though?"

"How about… Zelda?" He winks at her, but he only receives a playful punch to the arm. He rolls his sapphire color eyes and sighs, "Um, what about Din? Or Farore? Well, maybe Nayru?"

"Link! Even though Din, Farore, and Nayru may be the creators of our world, naming the Surface after them… though it's a nice idea, it just doesn't seem… right." Zelda sighs as she stares down at her lap.

"Okay then, and I'm assuming naming the Surface after Hylia is out too?" Link asks with a bit of hope in his eyes, but Zelda nods her head, "That's out too."

Link frowns, "But what's wrong with 'The Land of Hylia'? It fits nicely."

"I does, but that's just not the perfect name." Zelda frowns as she stares at him with hard eyes. "I want this name to be special."

"What other name –besides yours- is more special than Hylia?" He tried to keep her in a good mood as he disagrees with her by adding a cute remark, saying her name is special, but she barely notices.

"Link, I'm not saying it's not special, but I want the Surface to have a name of its own." She says with a sharp nod, "Now, what about Zora? It's a pretty name…"

"It is a nice name, but I don't see it as being the Surface's new name." Link shrugs, "What about Land of the Legend?"

The blonde huffs in frustration as she looks away from the Hero; frowning, "You're putting no effort into this." She turns to face him again with a raised eyebrow, "The Land of the Legend? That's not a proper name, Link!"

"What? I am! You're just picky." He says defensively as he now looks down at his lap, fidgeting with his thumbs.

She whips her head around to glare at him and she scowls, "I'm not being picky! I just want the perfect name. How would you like it if your parents just gave you any name without any true meaning behind it?" She takes a deep breath and sighs, "What about ocarina?"

"That's the name of an instrument." He frowns, "That wouldn't make such a good name."

"You know," She says with a huff, "I'm really starting to consider naming the Surface Grooseland." She runs her hand through her golden locks as she fixes her white Goddess dress. "What about something like Castle Town?"

Link rubs the back of his neck as he thinks the name over, but eventually, he shakes his head. "It seems nice, but we this land isn't just a town… and we don't have a castle."

"I kind of like the name Kakariko…" Zelda says with a shrug, "It's a nice name. What do you think?"

The Hero purses his lips as he thinks the name over. It seems like a good enough name, but is it the truly right one for the Surface? Is that the name he wants the textbooks to right down and for people in the future generations to call it by. He bites down on his lip and gives Zelda an unsure look.

"Maybe Ordon?" She suggests, but when Link still gives her an unsure look, she frowns, rage building up inside of her. "Link! You're supposed to be helping me here! If you don't like any names I'm suggesting, then what ideas do you have? What about SleepyHeadLand? I understand if you still want to keep the name 'Surface', but that's not a name."

"Zel, I-" He tries, but she cuts him off, "I know you've never been a total fan of 'change', but this is something that has to be changed! Can't you just do this for me?"

The Blonde Maiden sighs, trying to suggest one more name before walking away from this topic in disappointment. "What about the name… Lorule?"

Link stares at her; his blue eyes locked with her own and he can see the hope in her eyes at the name. However, he doesn't feel a connection with the name, at least, not the good kind. He knows full well if he doesn't agree with her or come up with a better name, she'll flip out on him, but he isn't going to just agree if he has a bad feeling with the name.

It's silent for a few moments before Link tears his eyes away from hers and sighs, shaking his head slowly, "Lorule seems too… dark. The Surface should have a name that isn't so… dull?"

"Ugh! I'm going outside to explore the woods and clear my head." She suddenly grumbles as she stands up. She glares down at her Hero and gives him an annoyed, hurt look, "I just wanted to be able to have the chance to name this land that's our new home with you… I guess that's not happening, huh?"

She storms off without another word, leaving Link to sit alone in the Sealed Temple, let alone with only his thoughts. He sighs after watching her leave, but doesn't bother going after her. She needs some time alone and who knows? She may even come up with a name for the Surface on her own that fits perfectly.

Slowly, after a few minutes go by, Link stands up and starts walking outside of the temple, walking towards the large Statue of the Goddess. He walks right up to it and starts climbing up the statue; he's not even thinking where he's going, he's just letting his legs take him where they want to take him.

Eventually, he ends up on the top of the statue, standing right next to the Triforce. He sits down, letting his legs dangle off the edge as he looks out at the land of the Surface.

The Statue of the Goddess is awfully tall, allowing anyone to see almost all of the Surface. Link sits there, spotting the temple down below, the Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano, and he can slightly see the some of Lanayru. He smiles to himself as the memories of his adventures with Fi comes flashing through his mind.

The Surface does deserve a name… a name worthy enough for this great, large land that the Goddesses created. He sighs as he glances over his shoulder to take a quick look at the shining Triforce.

Though he doesn't like to brag, he is the Hero of the Surface… of the world and he owes it to the land to finish the job he started when he took the title of the Hero and give the land a true, meaningful name.

He doesn't know how long he's been up here, but it has to be a while now, considering the sky is beginning to darken.

Link clenches his jaw as he clears all the thoughts out of his mind to focus on a name for the Surface and only that. He stares hard at the different areas, thinking what would fit perfectly for them. "A name…" He mumbles, "what's a perfect name for this land? Something different… something special… something…" His eyes suddenly widen as a thought suddenly hits him, "That's it!"

"Link…?" A soft, quiet voice interrupts his thoughts.

He whips his head around to see Zelda standing there, her expression on her face instantly telling him how sorry she is for snapping before. She offers him a small smile, "Hi…"

The Hero smiles back at her before turning his head back to look over the land of the Surface, "Hey."

She frowns and slowly sits beside him. She looks at Link and then turns her head to look at the different places that she can see while on top of the statue. "It's beautiful… I love coming up here. You can see all of the Surface up here, ya' know."

Link smiles, "Yeah, you can see everywhere. All the different places." He can feel her hand slide up to lie on top of his, making him blush a little. Even though they're a couple now, he still gets shy around Zelda.

She sighs, "Link… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I just… I don't know. I just really wanted a good enough name for the Surface, but I was getting frustrated that I couldn't come up with a name that seemed to fit for it. I took it out on you and it wasn't your fault. Maybe you were right in the first place… maybe we should just leave it as the 'Surface'."

Almost immediately, the Hero turns to look at her with wide eyes. "Zel, no. You were right. We should name this place; it deserves a name, like you said! To be quite honest, I've been thinking about it for a while now since I've been up here and I think I found a good enough name."

Zelda's eyebrows go up and her eyes begin to sparkle with excitement, "Oh really? Well? What is it?"

He rubs the back of his neck and sighs, "I don't know if it works… but I kind of like the name. Something with this name draws me into it and I can't think of another name that's good enough besides this one. If you don't like this one, we'll come up with another one, together." He takes a deep breath before continuing, "Zel, I love you and I do want to name this, considering this is our new home. I want a population of people to live down here and be able to call it a true name, just like how Skyloft has a real name."

Her smile only widens at Link's words and her eyes become watery at his touching words. She wants a family with him one day and to think the Surface will have a real name makes it even better. It may not matter to some people, but to her, it really does. It's her new home now with Link and she wants a better name than the Land below Skyloft or the Surface.

Somewhere deep inside her, she can tell whatever name Link came up with, that's the name. That's the name that will be put in the textbooks and taught to the future generations. That's the name that everyone will remember, not just the Surface.

Zelda plants a soft kiss on Link's cheek and then kisses his lips before pulling back and taking his hands in hers, a soft, gentle smile on her lips, "It's perfect. Just by the look in your eyes, I can see it has to be the perfect name." She tilts her head to the side, the wind blowing her golden locks behind her.

The Hero thinks over the name in his head and smiles; the name is perfect and he already knows Zelda will agree with him. By the look in her eyes, he can tell she can somehow guess what the name will be and he can see she's already in love with it.

With another deep breath and crooked smile, Link simply says the one single word that changed the world and became the new land, which was once called the Surface:

"Hyrule."

Author's Note: Okay, maybe not my best one-shot, but yeah, here it is! This ideas has been in the back of my head for a while now and I really wanted to write it. I really hope you liked it and I don't know about the title, but either way, I hope you enjoyed this short one-shot! :)

Please comment/review and let me know what you thought of it; all opinions and thoughts are very much appreciated. Thank you!

Thanks for reading! ^_^