The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 1: Beckoning Dreams

Link couldn't really argue with that, and so he simply joined in her playful laughter as the two of them stood up and went to truly experience the fresh morning outside of the temple walls. The two friends had been living on the surface together for the past three weeks, ever since the hero defeated Demise, the demon king who had tormented the surface and all of its inhabitants in an age long past. With the surface now a peaceful, largely safe place, Link and Zelda had both decided that they wanted to dwell within this strange, unknown new world and watch over the golden relic, the Triforce, rather than return to their native home up in Skyloft. Of course, they had returned to sky to visit several times since then as it was a relatively quick trip and they still had friends and family up there. But for the most part, the two of them had stayed on the surface, exploring it together during the day and sleeping within the safe confines of the Sealed Temple at night. They didn't intend for the temple to be their permanent residence, but for the first few months, it would work. Occasionally, they would receive Skyloftian guests, such as their friend, Groose or Zelda's father, Headmaster Gaepora, but most of the time they were on the own, the only two humans living on the surface as far as they had seen. They both enjoyed it immensely though. The surface offered them a new kind of freedom that the sky hadn't; they could go anywhere they wanted to without restrictions and they were the first people within recent history to explore the unconquered frontier. Everyday was a new and exciting adventure, and what made it better was that the two friends, who had both been through so much to reunite with one another, were spending them all in each other's company, laughing and sharing good times together just as they used to when they were both children.

Before either of them, or pretty much anyone on Skyloft for that matter, could remember, Link and Zelda had always been the best of friends. They had grown up together, and they knew more about each other than perhaps anyone else. Even before the surface incident, many people believed there to be something more than just a simple friendship between the two, though if anyone were to ask either of them, they'd both stubbornly deny it. But neither of them could deny that they cared deeply about the other. They were both known to have a fault of worrying too much for each other sometimes, and they both hated seeing the other hurt or upset. They had always been inseparable, and they especially were now that they had everyday to be together.

Link and Zelda stepped out of the ancient temple and into the front courtyard, where the towering Statue of the Goddess rose high above the Sealed Grounds. Originally, the statue had been a part of Skyloft until its recent descent to the surface, along with the ancient golden power of the gods, the Triforce. Since it was Hylia's charge to protect the sacred triangles from falling into the hands of those who would abuse its awesome might and since Zelda was the goddess' reincarnation, she and Link had taken it upon themselves to watch over it as they dwelled on the surface. So far, nothing had tried to steal the Triforce away from its high perch above the statue's hands, but they could never be too careful. Even though Demise and his cronies, including the treacherous demon lord, Ghirahim, were gone from the surface thanks to the hero, Zelda knew that there could still be greedy souls lurking throughout the land, seeking to take the power of the gods and use it for their own selfish whims. And so, as an extra precaution, she had placed a seal upon the Triforce shortly after they moved to the surface, making it so that only her or Link could have access to it if they ever needed it.

And so, as was their routine every morning, the two of them called their respective Loftwings down from the sky to give them a lift up to the top of the statue. The two guardian birds flew down together through the opening in the cloud barrier over the forest and landed before their riders within the open courtyard. Because Loftwings were not accustomed to the thicker air of the surface, they generally did not tend to come through the recently-opened cloud barrier unless they were called. But even so, every morning, Link and Zelda's Loftwings loyally came down without fail, so they could deliver their riders to the Triforce's elevated resting spot so they could check the integrity of its seal. After the two of them safely landed atop the perch, Zelda closed her eyes and concentrated, using her powers to sense how strong the seal was, as she made sure to do every day.