Missing Her

Link wasn't sure why he was helping Groose. Packing a bag for him, grabbing stuff from his room so he would have worldly possessions on the ground below? When Groose hadn't even asked him to? Just because the guy had been helpful one time didn't mean he was suddenly a good person.

But maybe finding out Zelda had been locked away for so long had made Link's heart hurt. He had certainly cried for hours upon getting back to Skyloft. He hadn't told Zelda's dad what had happened to her.

"She told me to find the Triforce," he told him. That was most all he said. Zelda had the right to tell her father what she had gone through, in her own words, from her own mouth. Link didn't want to take that from her. "She told me to find the Triforce. And that she's going to be on the surface for... a while."

Gaepora had thanked Link for the information, and for making sure Zelda was okay.

Link had held back a laugh. Not his usual laugh; a cold, angry laugh. She was not okay. *Nothing* about this was okay. Zelda was locked away, gone. Trapped in a weird, gelatinous, amber crystal.

He hadn't even told her how he felt about her. Why hadn't he told her? What was wrong with him? If he could go back (and goddess, he wished he could), he would have told her as soon as he had known. Years and years ago. Now he may not have the chance.

He thought about two weeks ago. He thought about the wing ceremony, how the light had shined on her face atop the goddess statue.

Two weeks ago... she had woken him up early, and she had caught him when he fell, and she had defended him against the bullies. She always did. They had always been there for each other. He wished he had told her he loved her. He wished he had told her how beautiful she was, how brave and smart and kind. He wished he had been brave enough to kiss her the way he wanted to.

They were so happy. Two weeks ago, they were just kids. They would never be those kids again.

He took a deep breath and walked down the stairs, making his way from Gaepora's study to Groose's dorm room. He stopped in front of Zelda's, then took a deep breath and walked past. He couldn't do it. He couldn't go in right now, couldn't face the memories. He knew if he went in, he wouldn't be able to leave to do the rest of what he needed to do today.

Everywhere he turned in Skyloft, Link was reminded of Zelda. The bazaar they had bought candy at as children. The pumpkin garden they had played in, then been chased away from. The trees they had rolled into to get extra money for new toys and games.

He was reminded of more recent times, too. All the flights they had gone on together. The nights he had snuck into her room and they had stayed up all night, willing to sacrifice sleep to talk and hang out, though Link tended to always fall asleep at some point or another anyway. The days they had spent racing each other to the Lumpy Pumpkin and back, the picnics they had had atop the school, the swims they had gone for by the waterfall.

Link was painfully reminded of how small Skyloft was every time he turned a corner and was faced with another memory. Beautiful, beautiful memories that he wished he could live in, wished he could go back to.

But he couldn't. And it wouldn't do to dwell on them, not when he had work to do.

He pushed open Groose's door. The oaf hadn't locked it.

'Probably too dumb to think anyone would dare enter his room,' Link thought with a chuckle. He mentally chastised himself. He could almost hear Zelda say he wasn't being very nice, but he knew she wouldn't really say that. She didn't like Groose any more than he did.

He wondered how she would feel, knowing Groose had changed. Seemingly changed. It had only been a day since this change happened. There was plenty of time for a relapse into jerkiness.