Chapter 4 : All Fall Down

"What are you waiting for, Link?" Zelda exclaimed, prodding him onto the wooden platform. "Didn't you hear Sparrot? The fate of the entire world may rest in our hands!"

Link turned to face her and shook his right hand in front of her in a stop gesture, using his left to point up at the empty sky. Zelda crossed her arms. "You can't sense your bird? Are you still that tired, Link?" She reached out in her mind to Cerulean and sensed him nearby. Even if Firestar was a little farther off, Zelda was sure she'd be there in no time once Link called her.

Link nodded, then shook his head.

So your bird just disappeared into thin air, and it's not just you being tired because it isn't noon yet? Uh huh. Sure. Zelda gave him a sweet smile. "Let me help you with that," she said, and pushed him off the platform.

Link whistled as he fell, and Zelda jumped into the sky as well, whistling for her Loftwing. Cerulean soared around in a lazy spiral and swooped down to catch her. As she clutched her bird's soft mane, she looked around for Firestar. The bird was still nowhere in sight. She heard Link's scream. Zelda urged Cerulean into a dive and the bird managed to catch Link as he fell.

Cerulean let out an ear-piercing screech as Link hit his back and banked hard to his left, trying to regain his balance. Link held on tightly to Zelda as the bird shakily flew them back up to the platform.

Zelda could sense as Cerulean's wings turned wrong and the Loftwing crashed into the ground.

Zelda jumped off her injured bird and went to check his wing. "Oh, I'm sorry!" The wing was sprained, but not broken. Cerulean turned his great beak to give her an apologetic look.

"No, it's not your fault," she soothed. "You were great." She embraced his neck. Looking back at Link, she winced. "Sorry. Now this is going to take even longer." Zelda saw Orielle approaching, her expression concerned. "Look, I'm going to ask Orielle if she can help Cerulean. You just-go find your bird." Link nodded and walked in the direction of the Academy.

Link looked up as he approached the University. Groose was leaning against the door. "Hey, Useless," he said. "How's your practice for the Wing Ceremony going?" Narrowing his yellow eyes, he gave Link a wide grin. "Great how everyone's too busy preparing for the ceremony to come around over here, eh?"

Link scowled at him and gestured away from the door.

"Oh, you want me to move? Well, why don't you make me, Scrawny?" Groose said. "Maybe then you can go beg the Headmaster to find your bird for you." He pantomimed wiping his eyes with his hands, his mouth becoming an exaggerated frown. "Oh, please, Mr. Goofy Creepy-Eyed Headmaster, help me find my bird for me! I've got to win the Wing Ceremony even if my flying is garbage!"

Link glared at the bulkier elf, clenching his fist. Then he turned around and moved to leave.

"Hey, don't you walk away from me," Groose said, his voice dark. "You want to know where your bird is?"

Link stopped, and slowly turned around.

Groose inclined his head toward the waterfall. "Why don't you go ask the keese and the chuchus in the cave under the falls? Bet they'd know something about it."

Link clenched his fist, but came to a decision. He walked towards the sword-training wing of the school. If he was going to get through the cave, he'd need a sword.

"Hope you have a slimetastic time!" Groose called out.

Link checked that his sword was still secured in it's scabbard as he used one hand to hold onto Firestar's mane, relieved he had gotten his bird back at last. Of course, Groose hadn't mentioned that his bird hadn't actually been in the cave, but in an outcropping on the other side of it that someone like Pipit or Karane could have found for him in about fifteen minutes. At least the two grueling hours in the cave had eventually ended in success. As the Crimson touched down near Zelda and Cerulean, Link jumped off her back. After tilting her head at the other bird, Firestar nuzzled the beak of vivid blue Loftwing. The bird was on his feet again, and Link could see his Wing had improved. Whatever Orielle had given him had worked amazingly well.

"Link! Oh, good, you've found her. Where was she?"

Link pointed towards the cave near the waterfall. Then he took a stick and sketched a face.

"Oh! All that was because of Groose?" she scowled, looking toward the school. "I am going to have a long talk with that miscreant." But her expression changed to concern. "I don't want you to miss this. Sorry I was in such a hurry earlier. I already talked to Father about all this, and he says he'll explain it all after the Ceremony. You just go on and win that race. Then we can go save the world. Somehow."

Link pulled Firestar out of her dive, reaching ahead for the Bird Statue in Grasper's claws. Cawlin's bird soared over them and Firestar had to pull left to avoid the rock he threw at them. Link urged Firestar back to her right. She turned abruptly, so quickly that she cut off Groose's bird, who had gone into a dive. The bird pulled up to avoid her, cawing angrily. Link could see Groose scowling at him as Firestar again homed in on the statuette. Link stood carefully on her back as she glided perfectly straight, and grasped the cold stone of the carving in his hand.

But Owlan's bird never liked to give up its treasures. Like so many knights before him, Link received another gift from the golden bird-an angry claw-swipe across his hand.

Zelda presented Link the Sailcloth at the top of the Statue of the Goddess.

"Do you know what happens now, Link?" she asked, moving closer to him.

Link examined her eyes closely, and shook his head.

Zelda gave him a small smile, her eyes regretful. "I'm really sorry, but it's part of the ritual. Show me you can use the Sailcloth, Link!" she pushed him off the ledge.

This time, however, he landed softly in the central circle in front of the Statue, the bird-emblazoned cloth fluttering in the wind over his head.

Zelda watched as Link jumped into the sky and whistled for his Loftwing. The crimson bird swooped under him and Link grabbed onto her feathery mane. Zelda and Cerulean came up from behind them on their left. Link turned to face her, smiling exuberantly.

"Now that you've won the Wing Ceremony, we can finally ask Father to explain those legends about the surface."

Link nodded.

"Hopefully you can avoid any more run-ins with Groose," Zelda said, a feeling of disgust settling over her. She noticed that Link's hands clenched more tightly to his bird's mane at the mention of the other student knight's name, although nothing in his face betrayed his anger.

"I know. It was horrible what he did to Firestar." She looked over at the Crimson. The bird had been through a difficult ordeal, but she seemed none the worse for wear. "And to think he could ever imagine that Father would make him a knight, with that attitude! At least you two came through it all okay, and even won the race!"

Link turned to face her and smiled.

Zelda returned the smile. Before the Wing Ceremony had started, it had been difficult for her to concentrate on anything besides Sparrot's words on the broken prophecy. Still, even he had suggested that they not try to rush themselves in finding the way to the surface. "The prophecy is over a thousand years old, and it has rotted through," he had said. "Whatever new dangers you will face on the surface, they will still be there on the morrow. Get some sleep and come back to the problem when you can better prepare yourselves for the dangers before you." I suppose he was right, Zelda thought. She had just felt such a sense of—urgency.

Link seemed like he had something on his mind. Lately, he had seemed especially attentive towards her. Zelda considered him her closest friend. But she couldn't decide if she loved him in the way that everyone assumed she did. It wasn't that there was anyone else, but rather that her feelings towards Link had never changed, as far as she could tell. Did she ever think of him the way she could tell Karane thought of Pipit? She didn't think so. Yet there was no one dearer to her than Link. If he did love her, she didn't think she had any objections towards returning his affections. A part of her felt inexplicably sad whenever she thought about it, though, and she couldn't, for the life of her, fathom why. Maybe she just needed to know how he felt? Maybe she should tell him what she was thinking, and ask him how he felt towards her?

"Link, I-" she began.

Link tilted his head, looking to be listening closely.

And then she heard it again. Your time draws nearer...the voice intoned.

Then the sky darkened suddenly and a tornado ripped her from her Loftwing. Cerulean gave a panicked squawk as Zelda was ripped from him. Zelda whistled so her Loftwing would be able to track her in the tornado. This had happened before—Skyloft had wandering whirlwinds that could knock a person off their bird if they didn't evade them fast enough. This one was much larger and stronger than the ones she had encountered before, though. She saw that Link had jumped after her. They were pulled into the eye of the storm. Link fell above her, though it hardly felt like they were falling at all. Zelda felt weightless instead. Unable to see anything outside the dark walls of the tornado, only her knowledge of the situation allowed her to know she was falling.

They both fell for what seemed like hours. Zelda tried to call out to Link, but she couldn't hear her own voice over the roar of the tornado. Link talked to her, though, through his expressions. She could tell that he thought they'd be okay. Zelda gave him a small, nervous smile. She hoped he was right.

Almost as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. Zelda felt as if the wind was pushing her upwards, and then it ceased abruptly, and she was sitting in a grassy clearing with Link. The sky was filled with dark clouds. To her left there stood three figures. She realized with a sudden start that the one in the center was the figure Link had drawn, the one Sparrot had said they would have to fight. Zelda started to back away from them, but stopped when she backed up against a tree. The red and blue figures began advancing on her with swords.

The caped figure grinned, making his large canines visible. "Well, it seems I was luckier than I imagined I could be. Two for the price of one!" He walked over to them and snatched the sheathed sword from Link's back. He pulled away laughing as Link grabbed for it.

"Oh, no," he said, dancing backwards. "You won't be keeping this." The red and blue figures to either side of him moved forward and pointed their swords at Link, who reluctantly backed away from the caped figure.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Zelda asked.

The figure made Link's sword disappear in a flash of diamonds. "My apologies. Where are my manners?" He gave them a mock bow. "I am the demon who presides over this land you call the surface. My name is Ghirahim. I would much prefer you call me by my title, Lord Ghirahim, but I see no reason to be fussy over that."

Link was giving him a fierce scowl, but Ghirahim ignored him. Instead, his gaze fixed on Zelda. "As for what I want, I should think that would be obvious, Your Grace." His eyes narrowed and he gave her an angry scowl.

"Why do you call me that?" Zelda asked. "My name is Zelda, and I don't have any titles." Ghirahim's eyes widened in surprise at her words. Zelda continued, trying to look more angry than afraid. "And no, I have no idea what it is you want."

"Your name—is not Hylia?" Ghirahim said.

"No. That's the name of the Goddess! How could I possibly be her?"

"How strange," Ghirahim said, his expression changing to one of concern. "The spell could not have been mistaken. But you speak the truth."

Zelda wasn't sure what Ghirahim was talking about, but it was clear to her that his spell must be in error. Maybe Sparrot had been wrong—maybe she could convince him not to fight them. "Please. This must be some sort of mistake. Link and I, we live in the sky. We've never even seen your surface until today. Please, Lord Ghirahim, could you send us home? You would have my word that we would never trouble you again."

Ghirahim's eyes widened. "That would be—I think that would be very acceptable." He smiled, his expression eager. He looked towards Link. "And you, you would agree to abide by her word as well?"

Link looked to Zelda, his expression uncertain. She thought she knew why he was worried. She walked over to him. "Link, we can't know what your dream meant. But maybe we can make our own destiny." Zelda had always been good at resolving conflicts. Whenever the other students got into fights, or even the teachers had disagreements, Zelda had always worked to resolve them. If there was any way she could resolve this one, she would.

His expression became firmer. Link nodded resolutely.

"Will he also speak your promise to me?" Ghirahim asked.

"My friend Link has made a Vow of Silence, so he never speaks, but he has agreed as well,"

Ghirahim's expression clouded. "Hmmm...you speak truthfully, but—I only wish I could be sure of his intent."

"He has agreed to abide by my pledge," Zelda said. She had noticed Ghirahim's unusual certainty in the truth of her words. Whatever the reason for it, she was glad for it, since it seemed to be working in her favor.

"I will settle for your word, then," Ghirahim said. "I will need to prepare the spell to return you, however." He turned to the demon who stood on his right. "Ferrik, please bring our guests something to eat while I make the preparations."

The red demon nodded and walked off. Ghirahim looked between both of them. All of the energy seemed to drain from his expression. He looked tired. "You have my sincerest apologies for my earlier behavior, Your Gr—Zelda. I am afraid this endless day has made me quite agitated."

"No apology is necessary. It was a simple misunderstanding, that's all."

Ghirahim gave a weak chuckle. "Hardly simple." He looked between both of them, and this time his gaze lingered on Link. "My apologies to you as well. Especially since you weren't at all what I was expecting either." Link's sword reappeared in the demon lord's hands. He took it out of the sheath and examined it.

"This—is just an ordinary sword. A bit dull, even." He turned it slowly, his eyes examining all sides of the blade.

"It's only the practice sword our instructor Eagus loans out," Zelda explained.

Ghirahim placed it back in its sheath and held it out to Link. "Here. Have it back."

Link took it, his eyes cautious, and fastened it back onto his shoulder strap. Ghirahim lidded his eyes and moved closer to Link. Link stepped back, wary, and Ghirahim stopped.

"Ah, sorry. You—have an interesting scent, is all." he said. He blinked a few times. "But I am getting distracted." He made a small sound of distress and sank to a sitting position on the ground. The demon lord covered his face with his hands. "Apologies. I—may need to rest a moment before I return you to the sky."

"My lord," the blue demon spoke, surprising Zelda with his mild tone. "Perhaps the other sorcerers can perform this spell for you?"

"No," Ghirahim said. "Unfortunately, I am the only one with this particular ability."

Ghirahim shook his head, trying to clear it. He looked back over towards the Sky Hero, the one Zelda had called Link. He had not lied about the interesting scent, but that hadn't been the whole reason he had felt drawn to the Sky Hero. The scent is how the sword I am bonded to has marked him so I can sense that he is an enemy of the demons. But then why do I find him so attractive? Maybe the sword is taking the term bloodlust too seriously? Still, he knew that wasn't it, because the Shard of Truth told him everything about himself. Therefore, something important about the answer involved the elf, not Ghirahim. I don't understand how that that could be, though. The Sky Hero had dark blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Those eyes watched Ghirahim with a wary intelligence. His ears were less angular than Ghirahim's, but still came to a point at the tips. He wore a simple sky blue earring in one. His clothing was a mix of assorted colors—green, white, and a mix of red and blues. I need to stop admiring him, though. I think he's a bit afraid of me, and I need to send him back, anyway. And hope I never see him again.

He gave Link a small smile and turned to Orynx. "I can manage this—don't worry." He rose and dusted himself off. He gestured to the table and chairs next to his tent. "Please, have a seat." Zelda settled into one of the chairs and Link sat beside her. She was speaking quietly to him, which seemed to cheer him somewhat. They both seem so—innocent. Ghirahim hadn't expected that from Hylia, or the Sky Hero. While all the prophecy books Ghirahim owned had been stolen from the surface dwellers, the histories he owned belonged to the demons—and they told the story of Hylia's battle with the demons from the perspective of those who had lost.

Hylia had been a feared warrior—in her wake, armies had crumbled and soldiers fled. And those who had surrendered—well, in the end they had faced no better fate than the ones who had still been willing to oppose her. It was not for nothing his people called her Hylia the Ruthless. But this Zelda—she had nothing of that in her. Nothing of that at all.

Ferrik returned with the food, and Ghirahim prepared the spell as the two sky people ate. He had finished preparing the small bonfire that was necessary to add an element of rising to the spell, when he heard a noise in the forest around the clearing. Drawing his sword, he looked toward the noise.

"What was that?" Zelda asked.

"Quiet please—it could be dangerous," Ghirahim answered.

Several blurs emerged from the trees. The demon lord scowled and slashed the nearest one, who fell to the ground. Sheikahs. Hadn't he shown them why they should fear him today? He certainly hadn't showed them any more mercy than they showed him. How did they keep coming back?

"Orynx! Ferrik! Keep them away from our guests!" he yelled. The Sheikah boy in front of him jumped back to his feet and gave him a cocky smile.

"Well, if it isn't Lord Demonspawn," he said, slashing at Ghirahim with his sword. Ghirahim easily blocked the blow and knocked the sword from the boy's hands. The boy then lunged at the demon lord with a dagger. Teleporting behind him, Ghirahim readied his blade to run the now confused Sheikah through. And froze when he saw the look of horror on Link and Zelda's faces. The boy, seeing their expressions as well, turned and stabbed Ghirahim in the chest. The demon lord staggered, driving his sword into the ground to break his fall. The boy smirked and kicked him hard in the stomach. Ghirahim tried to rise to grab his sword, but the pain drove him back down. He let out a brief, agonized cry. Looking up, he saw the boy had pulled the thin black sword from the dirt, and was preparing to drive it into him.

The Sheikah boy drove the sword down with a triumphant yell. Ghirahim's hand shot up and grabbed the blade, yanking it to the side and ripping it from the Sheikah boy's hand. The Sheikah gaped in surprise as he turned the blade around and stabbed the boy in the heart. He wrenched the blade sideways out of the body so that the Sheikah fell to his side rather than on top of him.

Looking up into the sky, he saw the clouds he had placed there by magic fading away into mist. At least I'll get to see the sun one last time before I die. A shadow abruptly loomed over him, and he noticed Orynx standing nearby. The world faded to darkness.