...and glided on through the clouds. Link leaned forward, bracing in the saddle as Shade began to climb up towards the island Zelda had pointed to. Even with the battle hanging on all three of them, the wind was refreshing. And the novelty of the view beneath them, Hyrule just sprawling in all its splendor, left Link feeling awed. Even the Great Deku Tree in all its massive glory was dwarfed from this angle.
When Shade landed, Link lingered on the Loftwing's back for a moment, still gazing across Hyrule. You could see everything from here. Even Eveningale, wrapped in its forest glade, was visible. Not easily, but Link knew that clearing even from miles in the air. After staring at the spot long enough, he swore he could make out the Academy.
This was what he was fighting for. The kingdom of Hyrule, in all its splendor and vastness. From across the horizon, Link could see the Dark Portal at the now conquered Fort Lanayru. The stone felt darker now, with a sort of magic pulsing from it, fighting to escape.
"Link."
He came to from his daydream, spying Zelda near the center of the island. She tilted her head. "You ok?"
Gesturing his hand out beside them, Link let out a sigh. "Just-- The view."
"It sure is something," Zelda replied as she gazed out across the sky for a moment. She returned her gaze in front of her, collecting her hands has magic began to form in the space between them. Link swung out of the saddle, landing on the soft grass with a thud that didn't seem to sound.
The magic in Zelda's palms seemed to suck the air in. Not like a vaccuum exactly, but like the world was parting where Zelda held her hands and something was slipping out from the other side. In exchange for bringing something from there though, it brought in the sound and the warmth from the world to its reality.
Then, with a flash of light, a bow replaced the gap in the worlds. It glimmered like a star, resplendent and pure. As this world eddied at its sides though, that glow dimmed. Zelda's expression twisted as she texted the drawstring. Link took a pace closer. "What's wrong?"
Zelda lifted her shoulders. "Nothing. I suppose...I dunno. This is the Bow of Light. It's to me as the Master Sword has been to you. But--" She stopped, shaking her head. "It's nothing." Weakly, she offered a smile, trying to let her cheerful tone leak back in.
Walking over to the princess, Link took Zelda's hands. "No one can smile like that all the time."
"I get to go on adventures with you and Endeavor and everyone else," Zelda answered. "Why shouldn't I smile? This is a first for my incarnations, I believe."
Link tightened his grip around Zelda's hands. "Zelda, I-- I let a darkness in my heart when I was in the Lost Woods. I let this whole thing chew at me, make me question what we're doing and whether it was worth it. Nazirah...Her death I put on my own hands."
Bowing her head, Zelda pressed her hands lightly on Link's. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry we don't ask you enough about the tolls of being the Hero. You've taken on so much."
Shaking his head, Link said, "Zelda, when I saw you, my heart was light." Zelda's eyes widened, her face turning red. "You make people happy, you reminded me why I'm doing this. That doesn't make the burden easier, but if I have to fight this evil for people to be able to smile like you do, then I will. But that doesn't mean, princess, that you need to always be smiling so others will. You're allow to feel worry too."
Again, the princess tightened her grip on Link's hands. She laughed, a sort of weak giggle. "You're very sweet." Zelda paused for a moment, weighing her next words. "I smile-- no. I smile because I want people to believe I have faith in myself. That you and I will conquer this evil. If they see me smiling, then maybe they'll believe I believe we will defeat this."
"Do you not believe we can beat him?" Link asked.
"I do. Or, my own faith does. My mind is-- I mean, think about it!" Zelda exclaimed. "We're a couple of teenagers. You were, pardon me, a nobody when I met you. And I'm a princess. The doting darling princess of a war hero king. When have I ever been able to do anything but be a damsel? Too few times have I helped. I feel like a magical time bomb, going off only in the final confrontation. What good am I? A weak princess like me."
Zelda was shaking a little now. Link could feel her arms trembling and her breath tighten. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but he didn't know the words. She went on, "Why would anyone believe in me? I'm supposed to be a queen, but what have I even done to help in this war? I think they expect me to marry you and let the Hero lead the nation for me."
"You fought in this war though," Link replied, nervously.
"But compared to you, is anyone going to care? For all they'll know, I'll have been in the final battle, but before then? Will they turn a blind eye since those were your achievements? Will the stories of me years from now say I was trapped or-- Goddesses, I can't even summon the Bow of Light completely. What use am I?" Zelda pulled her hands free and cupped them around her face.
Link paused, letting Zelda cry. Sometimes people just need to cry, because feeling sad makes you feel better. Link wrapped his arms around her still, holding her close. After a few minutes, when his tunic was starting to feel wet in a particular spot, he said, "Zelda, the Master Sword isn't even at its full power. If I can't raise that blade at its full strength, why should you feel like you need to summon the Bow of Light at its? I don't think we're ready for that yet. We're both still growing into these roles, right? Why do you need your Bow to be at its full power?"
She pressed her head into Link's chest. Muffled by his shirt, Link heard, "Because it proves I'm strong."
"Of course you're strong!" Link shouted. "Zelda, you rode that course side saddle. I was finding it difficult to stay seated normally."
"That was nothing," Zelda answered, wiping the heel of her hand beneath her eye.
"When I met you, you were escaping the castle. You and Impa got away from Zeal because of you," Link added. "I watched the both of you zipline down to the river. That was incredible!"
Zelda smiled weakly. "Thank you."
"Of course," Link answered, squeezing Zelda into another hug. "Of course." He rocked them back and forth of a moment, before saying, "Zelda, if you're worried about the people knowing how you've helped, then maybe, maybe if we can, we should find out what's affecting them. I'm sure the princess taking the time to fix the local problems would go a long way in showing how much she's doing for them."
"Maybe," Zelda answered. "But we need to take care of the Keep right now." She pushed off on Link's chest, her hands lingering there for a moment longer. She giggled and bit her lip. "I appreciated this talk, Link."
"If you ever need to talk again," Link stated, "I'm happy to listen."
Zelda inclined her head. The difference in their heights didn't leave her face hidden entirely, but Link noted the blush. He felt his own cheeks turning a little pink. He stepped back. "But you're right. The Keep."
Pressing her lips hard together, Zelda nodded. "Um hm." She hung her bow over her shoulders. "Endeavor's been rather quiet, hasn't she?"
Link blinked, realizing that Endeavor hadn't said a word to them through Yore. The hawk still lingered nearby, but Link hadn't heard Endeavor's voice for a while. "She was pretty hurt," Link suggested. "She's probably resting." However, Link wondered if perhaps while on this island, Endeavor had chosen not to listen.
"Shade, are you ready to fly into this storm?" Zelda asked the Loftwing. She extended her hand as Shade pressed his beak forward.
"If you two are done having your moment. Don't let me break the two of you up. If you need a moment, I can leave," Shade answered, a little snidely. Link imagined that the bird would have been grinning if he could.
Gritting his teeth, Link tried to smile. "He said yes." He didn't need his ancestor trying to play matchmaker for him.
If Zelda knew Shade had said something else, she didn't press Link on it. She climbed back up into the Loftwing's saddle with Link's help. Moments later, they were back in the air, gliding towards the island Taka and Sagi had pointed them to. Before they even landed, Taka was already in the air with them.
"Ready?"
Shade hovered beside the Rito. Link asked, "Now?"
Taka shrugged. "The sooner we get into the Keep, the better."
Sagi joined them, hovering on the other side of Shade. "The storm is getting worse. That attack was unprecedented, but we don't want to risk it again. If an attack hit Skyloft--"
"We need to deal with the Keep," Taka cut in. "If you're done preparing, let's go."
"We're ready if you are," Zelda answered. Link nodded his agreement.
"Then come on," Taka said, with a new sternness in his voice, taking off to the north. Sagi followed after moments later.
Zelda glanced back at Link. "Someone's in a hurry."
"Their town is in danger," Link commented.
Shaking her head, Zelda watched the two Rito. "I don't feel like that's all of it. But not now. Let's go!"
Shade flew a feet behind Sagi and Taka so he could turn without running into either of the avians. The further they flew north, the more clouds began to gather around them. Eventually, they were just flying through gray masses. The ground below vanished. Somehow, that disturbed Link more than being able to see the surface.
Thunder clapped around them. In the distance, Link saw flashes of light and watched them fade out in rapid flickers. One bolt struck behind a ruined shape, silhouetting it among the storm heads. It was a large, ugly looking building, though years among the storms hadn't treated it well. Or perhaps that was just this particular storm. The Ritos flew on, unwavering in their course.
They passed through a cloud and entered another one. In this cloud the form Link had seen as a shadow now stood clear. This building was old, beyond old even. Perhaps it had lingered here since the beginning of time, or very near it. What had stood that test was weathered and gray. Lighter stones had been place to build the structure back up, marking jarring patterns in the stonework where old met new.
Not a moment after Link had taken in the Keep at its full, the storm broke upon them. Rain pelted against them in huge droplets, some of them freezing over in the air. The wind buffeted Shade from his course, forcing the Loftwing to circling around to fully correct his course. Taka and Sagi, smaller and less burdened, ducked through the wind with ease.
Then came the thunder strikes. They were massive spearheads, close to each other and in rapid succession. Link could guess where a few would strike because of the static in the air, but Shade was forced to pull hard stops more than once as they flew closer to the Keep. When the Loftwing did stop hard, it slammed Zelda into Link, nearly causing the young Hylian to topple from his seat. Fortunately though, they didn't fall.
Finally, they broke through the storm...