A Hero's Choice : A Skyward Sword Fanfic

Lesson 8: Sky Break

It was almost offensive how perfect the day was.

The clouds swirled in a dance that made you feel a rush of adrenaline, as the time to show off your moves with Sava in the ballroom of the sky was fast approaching. The marriage of perfect, cottony clouds was accompanied by a temperate breeze swooping over Skyloft.

The scene of the skies around you were oddly rejuvenating, even with your lack of sleep. 

The reason for your sleepless night could be chalked up to a certain knight's face clouding your mind every time you felt your eyelids droop. Pain streaked across his expression, forcing you to startle yourself back awake. Link may not know what was said, but your reaction the night prior was enough to confirm any conspiracy theories he may have created about what occurred behind Gaepora's doors.

Link has his own future to focus on, and so do I. Whether that future involves one another, well, that is not up to me.

As you watched the clouds continue to revolve in a splendid waltz, you felt an elbow jab your side.

"Oh boy, now is not the time to have your head in the clouds." Karane's panicked tone prodded a sense of dread in the pit of your stomach.

"I take it you haven't seen Link?"

Oh, I've seen him. Every second of every hour in my thoughts. You bit your tongue, stifling back the intrusive thought that wanted to escape. "No, why?"

"He's wearing a knight's uniform."

Before she could add anything else, a ruckus of applause gathered around you. You turned to see Zelda walking past everyone, Link's hand secure within her own as he trailed behind.

She wore a white ceremonial gown, its white bell sleeves tangled with the ends of her lustrous blonde hair as it cascaded behind her. You could hear Karane bitterly murmuring beside you. "Well, doesn't she look like a goddess?"

You opened your mouth, only to clamp it shut. If only you knew.

As they strolled past, Link's eyes fell on you once again. You had to escape the concern present in his sweeping gaze. You looked down at your feet.

Please don't look at me like that.

The clouds that had put on an encore presentation now hung stagnant; their heavy hoarding masses felt crushing, as did the bodies of the other students loitering around you. 

Oxygen felt sparse, and your knees began to shake. Were you having a panic attack?

You forced yourself to focus on taking deep inhalations of breath as Zelda and Link stood before everyone. Gaepora then joined them front and center, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Has Link already been knighted?" It was obvious to you that Karane was merely speaking aloud without wanting a response. Her voice was not the only one audible among the student body, as whispers and pointing let you know everyone was equally confused.

You finally found the courage to glance at Link in his knight tunic. The tunic you wanted to wear. And now, as he stood before you, showing it off, the small carton of hope you still had stored within you had officially been punctured. The sight of him had caused it to leak, dripping slowly away.

And somehow that wasn't even the worst part.

No, the worst part was that he looked ridiculously hot in it.

He had shed his ill-fitting Skyloftian clothes for the tailored knight's tunic. His shoulders hung broadly beneath the weight of layered chainmail, and his waist was whittled and defined with a simple brown leather belt.