A Hero's Choice : A Skyward Sword Fanfic

Lesson 3: Pride Takes Flight

There wasn't a need to turn around to reveal who was standing behind you.

Sava's pupils swelled, and her wings began to flutter with excitement, as they always did, when Link and his crimson Loftwing were nearby. A faint gust of wind whipped past you as Sava began to lift herself off the ground, blasting herself toward Link's Loftwing.

Both of them soaring among the dark and blustery skies in sheer delight.

"It's nice to know at least our Loftwing have remained friends."

Link's voice crept out, fragile, as if some part of him had been broken since your friendship became strained.

The energy that crackled between you both in that moment left his words scattered around the open atmosphere and caused a heavy sorrow to gnaw at your chest. You watched both of your Loftwing, carefree and jubilant, despite the miserable storm brewing around them, simply because they had one another.

But Link wasn't the only one who had pieces of him chipped away from your declining friendship.

Since you discovered how close he and Zelda had become, you felt just as broken, perhaps even more so.

But you refused to take responsibility for your collapsed friendship. In order to bloom as an elite knight, you had to accept that some weeds were to be cut away. 

And let's face it, anything that Link made you feel would only hinder you, so it was best to nip it in the bud.

You stood, your head slowly rotating over your shoulder, your torso and feet remaining straight and pointed away from him.

"Link? What in the name of the goddess are you doing here?"

"I reserve that question for you." His voice and facial expression didn't correspond. He may have spoken with a soft cadence, but it did little to mask the impending storm of emotion on his face. His thick, shapely brows arched downward, a perfect display of his disappointment. "Y/N, what are you thinking? You know that leaving Skyloft without passing the knight exam is instant suspension! How could you be so negligent?! How could you throw all your hard work away and do this?"

You knew Link's reaction was from a place of care, and that only served to solicit more aggravation on your behalf. An image of him and Zelda huddled together in the empty classroom cawed at your thoughts, as if it were a trapped Loftwing that needed to be set free. Your voice began to elevate. 

"If I'm so negligent, then why are you risking your knighthood by following me here?! How dare you lecture me when you did the same thing by following me here!"

"We are leaving. Now. Before Gaepora and Owlan get wind of this, and if you come with me, I won't utter a single word about what's happening right now. Nor the fact you've been doing it for months."

"How long have you been watching me?!"

He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly bashful. "It doesn't matter. But while we are alone, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

He placed his hands among your shoulders, and you wondered when they had gotten so big.

And why did they feel so good?

He spun you around. "But I'd like to not talk to the back of your head." 

"Y/N," he uttered your name, and it sounded just as nostalgic as the first time he ever said it. Like when you first met.

When you weren't divided by a drive to become the best.

Or a certain gorgeous blonde headmaster's daughter.