Second Hand of the Chosen Hero

Chapter Two

It was a wondrous sight, the race. Perhaps it was more the atmosphere than the race itself, as by the time it started, many of the townspeople had gathered to watch and cheer on the members. But Tya found herself legitimately interested in what they were doing and the skill required to do it. Groose may have been insecure in his victory, but even he and his lackeys were fantastic in flight, and it was admirable. Even with her introversion, she couldn't help but feel an innate joy over the cheering and enthusiastic aura of the gathering.

It only heightened as Link claimed the prize, and this was, in part, due to Zelda's excitement.

She'd come to her after the pair had finally located Link's bird, the beautiful crimson Loftwing that he flew with such expertise. She'd been so thrilled to show off her outfit, and she looked amazing in it, Tya would give her that. She'd done a beautiful job on both the dress and the sailcloth she'd made, and she always knew exactly how to accessorize her outfits. She looked stunning, as she always did, and she clung to Tya with anticipation as she rooted for Link's surprisingly hard-earned win. Truly, she couldn't even understand why Groose had been so adamant about removing Link from the race when he was almost on par with him to begin with.

It was clear enough that his crew had more focus on sabotage than on winning, and that was likely his downfall more than anything else. Had he truly tried, Tya would bet that it would have been a real test of skill rather than Link having to fight through the obstacles of the air, obstacles of the race, and that which Groose, Cawlin, and Stritch were throwing at him.

All he served to do in the end was showcase the winner's real talent, and when Link landed, Zelda almost rushed him with full intentions of tackling him into a joyous hug. But she had to maintain her serenity, and thus calmed herself to play her part as accurately as she could manage, which moved them on to the second portion of the ceremony.

There had been the briefest pause in Zelda's step. Tya had caught it, yes, but only when she was thinking back to it, did it occur to her that her behavior was odd.

She'd seen Zelda pause, and a troubled look overcome her expression only to be dismissed a moment later. It had came and gone so quickly that Tya didn't think much of it, but now, standing at the edge of the nearest air dock, she wondered if she'd been wrong to assume otherwise.

It was getting dark out. The sun was setting, casting a faint glow of orange and pink on the clouds beneath and into the distant blue Tya was staring into. They'd planned to go to dinner after the ceremony. It wasn't stated initially that it would be in celebration of Link's victory, but Tya knew that Zel's faith in him left it implied that that would be the reason. So she was left to wait, because Zelda had wanted a quick flight with the winner, and while she'd suggested Tya come along, she... had shallow reasons for not attending.

She was wearing a dress. And unlike Zelda, she hadn't thought to wear shorts beneath it. Not to mention her hair always looked a mess after a flight, and she hadn't thought to bring something to tie it back with either.

And now she couldn't help but feel terribly guilty over rejecting the offer made to her.

Zelda was always so caught up in talking to people that it never came as a surprise when she accidentally made herself late with it. But the difference in that to this situation was a simple one. She'd never force her Loftwing to fly in the night, near blind and terrified of it. It was against the regulations of the town anyway, to do so without proper qualifications, but Zelda had more sense than to fly at night and Tya assumed Link did as well.

She'd lost sight of the birds some time ago. The blue and red specks soaring in the distance had faded out into the sky and she just figured they'd managed to either head off far enough she couldn't see or take a lap around the central islands that made up Skyloft's whole. The silence left in the aftermath of the ceremony was one she reveled in for nearly an hour until it began to thicken with a sense of dread and anxiety she couldn't figure out.

She was prone to worry, but there was also always something in the air when you knew something bad happened. She couldn't decipher whether or not it was unfounded, but the piercing sickness in her gut said that it most definitely wasn't...

She should have gone with. Then she wouldn't have to be so worried over this.

They were likely just distracted, or perhaps they'd landed somewhere else. Perhaps they'd forgotten about her and had gone off without her. That stung, but she could take it.

It was likely an overreaction, was the main point of her thoughts, even the more painful end of them. She didn't enjoy the notion that she had been left behind, but she appreciated it more than the darker possibilities. She'd been pacing, trying to decide whether or not she should go home to avoid looking more like a fool, when she was eased just a bit by the flash of red feathers on the horizon.

Her chest swelled with hope that chased off her anxieties of abandonment. But that hope was prey to a larger fear that consumed it a moment after, as she realized it was just red feathers.

Where were the blue?

Her fingers tapped nervously against her stomach. Her hand had set there like that would somehow quell the churning worry, but it did nothing, and now apprehension was leaving her too restless to even care. Again, she felt like she was going to vomit, and this time she highly doubted she'd be lucky enough to have words fall out than bile.

She swallowed it both literally and metaphorically as Link's bird neared. It didn't slow- it seemed jarred, and she partly worried that it was going to full out crash. At first, she couldn't see Link, and when she finally did, she couldn't say she was all that comforted given the fact that the passenger was apparently unconscious. Tya hadn't even registered herself reacting to the bird's unruliness at first. Not until the pressure of wind hit her and she realized she'd leapt over the edge. Hastily, she whistled for her own, and was, in an instant, swept up in a flash of dull orange.

He was a dumb creature, Corrdrin was. An endearingly golden-retriever-esque one, but in that moment, he felt his writer's emotion, and he understood his intentions with ease that left him soaring out to meet the crimson Loftwing. He circled at first, then at her command swept low beneath the other so she could take hold of the harness that crossed the panicked Loftwing's chest. It was an all around terrible idea, working so close to the massive talons on the bird, but it was well trained enough that it didn't lash out even in it's distress. She held on both to her own and to his to guide them back to the cliff's edge. Corrdrin landed and Tya hurried off it as the crimson Loftwing skidded to a stop just feet in front of them.

Link was a mess, scraped and dirty, and he was unconscious which was absolutely no help to her in that moment. She brushed some of his hair aside only to get a better look at a cut that crossed his cheek, then pressed her hands to his chest. Upon feeling the rise and fall that confirmed his breathing, she whipped around without thought to hoist herself back onto Corrdrin and run him to take flight off the edge.

In the air, her hair whipping at her face, she realized she had no idea where they'd been or where she was going right now. No idea where to look, and minimal light to do so. She could feel the muscles of the beast beneath her tensing at her demand to continue, even despite the fact that they'd be flying blind soon enough.

She was running herself on fear.

She needed to think this through. If Link's bird aimed to land, perhaps the same could be said for Zelda's. Perhaps they got separated. What she could do, was take a lap around Skyloft and look for any sign of the blue loftwing anywhere. That wouldn't take too long, that was a start, and she needed to get back to Link. She hadn't even taken the moment to look over his loftwing to see if he was injured too, but the pang of guilt over that would have to be ignored.

She focused, circling back to fly close to the mass, trying to find any sign of a crash landing at all.

The only thing she managed to return with was an overwhelming sense of terror.