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On the floating island of Skyloft, class was in full swing at the Knight Academy even if its students were not engaged in their studies. Owlan stood at the head of the class with an open book in his left hand and a stick of chalk in his right. Behind him was the blackboard with chicken scratch drawings of a loftwing, an oversized bird that was a knight's faithful companion. The aim of his session today was to discuss the importance of caring for one's feathery companion, a staple piece of knowledge every aspiring knight should have, but his difficulty lay within the negative engagement with the vast majority of the class. It was always the same, the young men in the classroom seemed to prefer the more physically demanding aspect of the course. Whereas the young ladies preferred the theoretical side of learning, however there were always students exempt to this rule.
Zelda, the daughter of the headmaster Gaepora, was always engaged in class regardless of the subject taught. Even in the physical tasks, she tied back her blonde tresses and dove in head first. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Her companion, Link, however was the complete opposite. He applied himself well with the physical classes, a model student as Owlan often called him, but yet in the theoretical and study hall classes, he left much to be desired and had been scowled numerous times for dozing off in class, and not just by his teachers. Zelda would often warn him about paying attention, for he had the potential to become a great knight but only if he applied himself.
Today was a perfect example of Link trying his best to prove himself to his companion. Zelda turned around to check on him, and noticed his tanned face screwed up and glued to the blackboard. She'd never seen him concentrate so hard, she feared he might pop a blood vessel if he continued. She scooted her wooden chair carefully, two inches backwards and quieter than a mouse that her teacher wouldn't notice.
"Are you okay?" Zelda asked, her tone soft and sweet like a fresh spring breeze. Her companion drew his attention away from the blackboard for a moment, relaxing his face and smiled in reply before turning his attention back to the front of the class looking frustrated.
The elven blonde glanced at her friend's table, noting the sheets of parchment in front of him, poised to make notes. His fist was tightly balled up beside the sheets but without a writing utensil in his grasp.
'I wonder if that's what's bothering him,' Zelda thought to herself, turning back to her own desk. 'He's keen to learn finally but hasn't come properly equipped.' She sighed, moving to her own pencil case she never left her academy room without and pulled out a single lilac quill. The feather was one from Zelda's own loftwing, who's recently plucked a few out herself when cleaning. Her father, Gaepora was kind enough to fashion them into quills that could be used for her classes.
Zelda turned back to her companion, holding out the single lilac quill for him. "Here Link, this should help," she said with a smile.
Link glanced to meet her sapphire gaze, the feather of the quill grazing his knuckles. He accepted his companions' offering and began scribbling notes onto the parchment from Owlan's blackboard. The frustration that plagued his tanned face melted away as his sheet filled with notes.
Zelda turned back to her own desk, full of joy that she could help her friend succeed. She too continued to copy notes from the session and raised her hand when Owlan asked questions relating to the topics he'd discussed with the class. All seemed happy in the Skyloft Knight Academy, if you ignored the scowling redhead in the back corner who didn't seem impressed by the interaction he'd witnessed between his blonde classmates. His eyes grew green with envy.
'I should be the one sitting beside Zelda, not that half-wit. He'll pay for this.'
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