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The Wing Ceremony is in an hour, and Link still hasn’t woken up.
Zelda doesn’t really know why she expected otherwise– Link rarely wakes up on time, no matter how important something is, and, despite this being something that could decide his future, he wouldn’t likely break that habit.
It falls to her again to wake him, then.
Switch to Link's pov and wake up (page two)
Send Lilac with a letter (page three)
Well, as nice as it is to imagine how he would feel if she threw a bucket of water on him, it’s not very practical. She doesn’t know where a bucket is.
She had prepared a letter in advance for him, because she was smart enough to know when she was fighting a losing battle; honestly, she would have been more surprised if he woke up then if he hadn’t.
Lilac flies away with little more than an indignant ruffle of feathers at being used as a mail carrier again, and she starts plucking at the harp again. A few minutes later, Link walks into the courtyard, rubbing his eyes, his hair still mussed up.
She prods him into conversation, and after a back-handed compliment to her outfit (as if he can judge, still in his pajamas as he is), her father joins them.
It’s almost infuriating how neither of them take this seriously– Link hadn’t done well enough to be guaranteed to advance to the next class like she had, and her father is just dismissing her concerns! So what if he and Crimson ‘share a special connection’? That won’t mean much if he just steers him into the rocks because he didn’t practice!
Oh, she can’t take this anymore. He’s going to practice, even if she and Lilac have to make him.
It serves him right, she thinks as she starts pulling him to the nearest diving platform. If he had listened to her and studied, they wouldn’t even have to worry about this!
He can’t sense Crimson? Slacker’s excuse, if she’s ever heard one.
“You’re trying to weasel out of having to practice! Nice try, but you’re not fooling me.”
With that, she pushes him off the platform. The little scream of surprise he lets out before whistling is enough to make her father’s disapproving look worth it.
…
…Shouldn’t his bird be there by now?
Crimson doesn’t usually take this long to come, does he?
Link’s whistle echoes through the air again.
Maybe he’s just tired this morning?
She dives off the platform, and before she’s even done whistling, Lilac is there, swooping up underneath her, already angling down towards Link.
Her heart beats loud in her chest as Lilac’s talons close around him, and with a strained cry, he pulls them back up to the island.
All three of them are gasping for breath when he lands (crashes, more like), and she scrambles off of Lilac’s back (he’s hurt, the muscles in his wings overextended) to check Link over.
Shake him down for answers (page seven)
Ask if he's alright (page eight)
He’s wheezing, staring up at the sky with an expression of terror. It… probably wouldn’t be a good idea to do that.
“Are you alright?” She asks, looking over her shoulder as she rubs Lilac’s neck soothingly.
“No.” He says, wheezing, scanning the skies with fear in his eyes. “He didn’t– he didn’t answer–”
“It’s very unusual for a bird to ignore a call.” Her father says. “You still can’t sense him?”
He shakes his head, rising unsteadily to his feet.
“This is quite a problem, especially considering the Wing Ceremony is about to start…”
She looks up at him. “Link, when you said you couldn’t sense your loftwing, well… I should have believed you. I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t know–!” He protests.
She turns back to Lilac. “You’d better go on ahead and see if you can find where he’s gone. I need to tend to Lilac, so I’ll catch up with you later.”
He nods reluctantly, just as the bell begins to toll.
“Link!” She yells, and he turns, watching as they swoop to land outside the cave entrance. “How’s your search going?”
He shakes his head, and she sighs. “Well, there's a place up ahead that Groose and his gang are always hanging around. Maybe we'll find something there.”
“If you think so.” He says, tense with nervous energy.
A whisper floats on the wind, carrying her name, and she turns, looking out into the sky. “Who’s… who’s calling for me?”
The voice whispers again, and Link gives her an odd look.
“Ah, sorry!” She turns to Link and gives him a sheepish smile. “Just got a bit distracted.”
He gives her a worried look, but doesn’t press, starting down the path– and then breaking into a sprint when a loftwing’s distressed cry echoes through the air.
When she catches up to him, he’s cutting ropes with a sword she hadn’t even noticed him carrying. Crimson nudges his head into his arms as soon the final board falls, and Link strokes the feathers along his neck, fingers shaking and whispering words she can’t quite catch.
"Is he alright?"
Lilac settles next to her, cooing softly, and she threads her fingers into soft, downy feathers. She doesn't want to imagine being separated from him like that.
"I– I think so," Link says, voice choked up.
"We need to hurry to the race," she says. She's loathe to break up the moment, but… there's only so much time that her father and Instructor Horwell will wait.
He nods, but before he can climb up, she grabs his arm.
"Did you… hear a voice a few minutes ago?" She asks awkwardly.
He shakes his head.
"It's been happening a lot lately. It's the strangest feeling... almost like someone is calling out to me." She looks away, out to the skies. "Have you ever wondered what's beneath the clouds? Some say that it's an empty, barren place, or even that there's nothing at all below, but I just have this feeling that they're wrong."
"Last time you had a feeling, we got detention for two weeks."
"Not like that!" She scolds, then continues. "Some of Father's old texts talk about a place called the surface. The old tales describe a whole world under there, far more vast than Skyloft! The thing is, no one's ever been down there to see it, and our Loft wings won't fly through the cloud barrier... but I can't help imagining the wild things that might be waiting below."
Quietly, she says, "Someday, I want to see for myself."
She shakes herself. "Sorry, Link! We should get going!"
She climbs onto Lilac's back, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees him give her a considering look.
"Ah, nevermind!" She forces a smile, climbing onto Lilac's back. Let's go!"
He sighs, and follows after her.
The race itself goes off without a hitch– although she can see Cawlin and Stritch throwing eggs at Link, and ooh, Groose is lucky she didn't get into the race, she would–
Well. She can get him later.
Her hands almost instinctively come up when she falls, even though she can already see Lilac circling underneath the island, and for a brief second she's falling weightlessly before Link catches her.
"Zelda, don't do that–!"
"To the statue!" She exclaims, pointing imperiously.
Link rolls his eyes and sighs.
She lets her eyes slip shut. "'The blessings of the goddess drift down from the heavens aloft a sail, which I now pass on to you.'"
She feels him take the sailcloth from her hands, and she opens her eyes– only to see him holding it exaggeratedly above his head. "Wha– Link! Quit goofing. This is supposed to be a sacred ritual, remember?"
He gives her a goofy smile, and she sighs. "You know, they say that the goddess gave the Sailcloth to her chosen hero long ago…"
"...Link? Hey, Link!" Zelda calls out, and he turns to look at her as Lilac glides to Crimson's side. "Today was amazing. Watching you win the race and performing the ritual together... I'll always remember this. It really was wonderful."
"I thought it was nice, too," he says, quietly enough that she almost can't hear him over the wind.
"You know... Link... There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about..." She trails off. The wind is starting to pick up, swirling around them with an unusual speed, and there's something starting to form in front of them. "What is that?"
A black tornado comes into being, and she pulls back on Lilac's necklace frantically, eyes wide. It moves, fast, pulling her from his back, and–
She blinks. The sky is cloudy, rumbling as if with storm. Wind whips her hair up into her face, out of her ties.
She falls.
She focuses, and the words become clearer; an echoing call of Zelda, come to me, Zelda, find me. The strangest thing about it– it almost sounds like her voice, but just a little bit different. Maybe if she gets closer, she can–
She’s jolted back to awareness suddenly, Link’s hand tight on her arm, and realizes that she’s standing at the edge of the cliff, nearly falling over the edge.
She quickly steps back, and Lilac gives her a nudge, silently asking if she’s alright.
“Ah, sorry!” She turns to Link and gives him a sheepish smile. “Just got a bit distracted.”
"That wasn't 'a bit distracted'– you almost fell!"
"I would've been fine– Lilac is right here, he would've caught me."
"What if he hadn't? The rescue knights don't patrol down here!"
"It's not a big deal–"
He opens his mouth, clearly wanting to say more, but a loftwing’s distressed cry echoes through the air. He lets out an angry sigh, then finally lets go of her arm and breaks into a sprint.
(…It's going to bruise.)
When she catches up to him, he’s cutting ropes with a sword she hadn’t even noticed him carrying. Crimson nudges his head into his arms as soon the final board falls, and Link strokes the feathers along his neck, fingers shaking and whispering words she can’t quite catch.
"Is he alright?"
Lilac settles next to her, cooing softly, and she threads her fingers into soft, downy feathers. She doesn't want to imagine being separated from him like that.
"I– I think so," Link says, voice choked up.
"We need to hurry to the race," she says. She's loathe to break up the moment, but… there's only so much time that her father and Instructor Horwell will wait.
He nods, but before he can climb up, she grabs his arm, a mirror of just a few minutes ago.
"Did you… hear a voice a few minutes ago?" She asks awkwardly.
He shakes his head.
"It's been happening a lot lately. It's the strangest feeling... almost like someone is calling out to me."
"Is that why you almost walked off the edge?"
"I don't know. That's never happened before," she shakes her head. "I don't know what it was. But… have you ever wondered what's beneath the clouds?"
"You think something is calling you down there?" His lips narrow into a frown.
"Wouldn't that be amazing, if there was? It would mean it's not empty, or barren– some of Father's text call it the surface, that it's a whole world down there! There could be all kinds of wild things down there! I want to see for myself!"
"That's a lot…" He nods resolutely. "I'll come with you."
"What?"
"If you're going to be wandering off listening to voices, then you won't be able to fight. I'll protect you."
"You can't–"
"Of course I can. You're not that much better than I am," he points to the edge. "And unlike you, I can see cliff edges."
"That was–" the bells begin to chime. "We need to go!"
"Does this have to do with you almost falling?"
She worries at her lip for a second, then lets go of his arm and shakes her head. "It's not important. The race is about to start, we need to go!"
He sighs, and as he follows after her, she can feel his worried gaze.
The race itself goes off without a hitch– although she can see Cawlin and Stritch throwing eggs at Link, and ooh, Groose is lucky she didn't get into the race, she would–
Well. She can get him later.
Her hands almost instinctively come up when she falls, even though she can already see Lilac circling underneath the island, and for a brief second she's falling weightlessly before Link catches her.
"When I said I would protect you, I didn't mean jump into my arms with no warning!" He yells over the wind.
"To the statue!" She exclaims, giggling and pointing imperiously.
"I should drop you right now," he says, matter-of-fact.
She lets her eyes slip shut. "'The blessings of the goddess drift down from the heavens aloft a sail, which I now pass on to you.'"
She feels him take the sailcloth from her hands, and she opens her eyes– only to see him holding it exaggeratedly above his head. "Wha– Link! Quit goofing. This is supposed to be a sacred ritual, remember?"
He gives her a goofy smile, and she sighs. "You know, they say that the goddess gave the Sailcloth to her chosen hero long ago."
"And I'm your chosen hero now?" He bats his eyelashes at her in a way she assumes he thinks is funny.
She smiles mischievously, and leans in, so close that even her scant extra inch of height forces her to look slightly down in order to meet his eyes. "Now, we really should finish up this ritual... You do know what happens at the end, right?"
"Uh-oh," he says warily, even as his ears turn red. It's very funny, she thinks.
She leans back, and spins him around. "You have to jump off the statue!"
"...Link? Hey, Link!" Zelda calls out, and he turns to look at her as Lilac glides to Crimson's side. "Today was amazing."
"Even the part where Crimson got kidnapped and you nearly died?"
"I didn't–" she catches sight of his grin, and cuts herself off with a groan. "You know... if you could stop acting like a clown... there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
"Something else?" He looks around. "More weird voices?"
"No! Take this seriously! I won't tell you if you…" she trails off. The wind is starting to pick up, swirling around them with an unusual speed, and there's something starting to form in front of them. "What is that?"
A black tornado comes into being, and she pulls back on Lilac's necklace frantically, eyes wide. It moves, fast, pulling her from his back, and–
"Zelda!"