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It was Hallow's Eve on the floating island of Skyloft. A special event lasting only one day where the students of the Knight academy were allowed to come into class wearing costumes. All the students were gathered like a rubble, in the class with their instructor Owlan standing at the helm of the room. The class wasn't due for several more minutes, most of the students had took it upon themselves to talk with their peers.
Zelda, a beautiful blonde-haired girl, sat at the front of the class wearing a long plum-dyed dress with off-the-shoulder draped sleeves. She had placed her matching hat on the side of her wooden desk so to not obstruct her classmates view of the chalkboard. The whole ensemble had taken a couple of weeks to prepare by hand. She had been planning the project since she first saw the flyer in the corridor, and had even helped make her companion's outfit as well.
Link had taken the seat beside his partner wearing a makeshift pirate costume he had asked Zelda to help make. He had given little instruction and told her about it last minute, several days ago in fact, showing her an illustration in a children's book. He wore a crumpled white shirt paired with striped tight fitting trousers and his signature brown boots. He had even tied a bandana in his dirty blonde hair and strapped his training sword to his hip.
The instructor tapped on the chalkboard thrice and cleared his throat, almost immediately the students dispersed and took their seats. Half of the faces in the crowd looked bored out of their minds, including Groose and his gang of cronies sitting in the back row. The redhead wore a half-suit of armour, but it was clear just by looking at it, it wasn't a handmade costume. His cronies were dressed to match with Cawlin dressed as a palace jester and Strich, a kitchen hand.
"Good morning students," Owlan said with a warm and welcoming tone, "Today is Hallow's Eve, a celebration of the end of summer." The classroom groaned in response, the end of summer meant more homework for the students. Their instructor laughed, he too had felt the same way back in his youth, "Now, now class. I have something exciting for you all to do today. An expedition of sorts," he said with a smile. Owlan moved behind his rickety desk and pick up half a dozen scrolls and placed them on the desk, each carefully rolled and wrapped with twine. "Please get into pairs, it is essential for this task," he added quickly.
Without hesitation Groose launched himself towards the front of the classroom, in a bid to be partnered with Zelda, but fell at the last second face planting the cold wooden floor. The blonde-haired girl whipped her head around at the noise, noticing the redhead on the floor. She winced and reached to grab her companion's hand. Link felt his cheeks flush red, once again she had chosen him over everyone else. Zelda got up from her seat and walked over to the instructor's desk with her companion in tow, picking up her witches hat as she went.
Link picked up one of the scrolls while his partner placed her hat back on top of her head. Her blonde hair was tied back in a loose bun with her bangs braided, framing her pale cheeks. The pair shuffled to one side of the classroom enabling their peers to come and collect theirs. Groose had eventually got back to his feet, after refusing the help of his cronies, he certainly didn't want to injure his wounded pride any further. He shuffled to the front of the class and reluctantly picked up his own scroll.
Once all the student had each gathered their own scroll for their team, Owlan clapped his hands and the class fell silent once more, "Now you have your scrolls, I ask you now to disperse in your pairs and read this scroll," he said with a smirk. "What you hold in your hands is a riddle you must decipher. The winning pair will bag themselves a wonderful surprise." He winked, not wishing to share too many details with his students, "But there are a few rules you will need to abide by, before you disappear," he raised his voice an octave noticing a couple of students had begun tiptoeing out of the room. They immediately stopped in their tracks and turned around.
"Wonderful," Owlan continued, clapping his hands once more, "And under no circumstances may you seek advice from anyone who is not in your pair. And yes, I have eyes and ears everywhere. Secondly, the deadline for this is midnight tonight and finally you must obtain something that is detailed in the riddle and bring it to the Goddess statue at the north most point of Skyloft." He smiled at his students, the rules were clear enough, he thought, "Any questions?" he asked the class, throwing his hands up. The crowd of students shook their heads in unison. "Good. You may begin, good luck to you all."
Every student gathered up their things and made a mad dash towards the door, with Groose and his cronies leading the rabble. Link put a hand at to his temple and shook his head, some things never change, he thought to himself as he and his companion took a slow walk out of the room via the second door.
♡ ♡ ♡
A little while later the pair had built their own fortress of solitude in the back of the library, both knowing it was the only place they wouldn't be distracted by their classmates. Zelda had brought along some homemade biscuits in a little pouch she had rested on the table whilst they poured themselves over the scroll. Link was happily munching away on the snacks, half lying on the cushions while Zelda was carefully deciphering the text.
"On Hallow's eve not one shalt beest spared, the children of lighteth might not but he'd to mine own calleth. I has't did hide something special for thee to findeth. Venture out into mine own floating island, and searcheth for the pointeth where the star doest meets the landeth. There thee shall findeth mine own secret, enshielf deep within the catacomb of mine own being, whisper doth not speaketh, and there thee shall findeth the answer thee seeketh. Returneth the prize at the island summit, before the final hour strikes the horologe. May the odds beest in thy favor, young knight," she read aloud, struggling with the wording. It was an old language she had come across before in one of her books but she wasn't completely sure where. Zelda placed her index finger to her pink lips while she pondered the text further.
Link read her like a book, not knowing how to tackle this riddle was frustrating her. Her rosy cheeks had puffed out a little while she thought with her blonde brow knitted tightly together. He threw her a concerned glance, raising an eyebrow, he could of sworn he had since steam puffing out of her ears. Suddenly his companion slammed her hands on the table and stood up in anger, knocking the pouch of the snacks onto the floor. Luckily, Link thought to himself, he was able to catch it just in time, salvaging the sweet buttery biscuits.
"I know this language, I'm sure of it," she said aloud, shaking her head, "But where is another question entirely." She continued with a sigh and slumped back onto her small pile of cushions. Zelda rested her head on the surface of the table and sighed once more. Her companion was left bewildered by the scene that had just unfolded in front of his ocean-dyed eyes. He put the pouch back to its original spot and placed a hand on his partner's shoulder and gave it a gentle rub.
Zelda slowly raised her head off of the wooden surface and gave him a flash of a smile, "I appreciate your help, but it's getting to me. It makes very little sense without a proper translation," she explained picking up the parchment once more. She glanced over the words once more, reading them in her head, "Hold on." She said suddenly, slamming the page onto the table, "I do know this. It's an old Shakespearean language, used by a famous poet I read once," she announced aloud, accidentally throwing her partners hand off her shoulder. She proceeded to read the riddle once more, this time substituting the unknown words to their native tongue;
"On Hallow's Eve not one shall be spared, the children of light must heed to my call, I have hid something special for you to find. Venture out in my floating island, and search for the point where the star meets the land. There you will find my secret, hidden deep within the catacomb of my being, whisper do not speak, and there you will find the answer you seek. Return the prize at the island summit, before the final hour strikes the clock. May the odds be in your favor, young knight," she said.
Link had sat back in his cushions, resting his fist under his chin, deep in thought. It started to make sense at least, he thought. He turned to look up at the clock hanging on the opposite wall and immediately cursed himself for looking. He tapped quickly onto the wooden table and pointed up to it.
Zelda turned her head to follow his finger and noticed the time for herself, "We better get going Link or we won't meet the deadline," she replied with a speak, hurrying herself to tidy up so they could leave in that instance.
♡ ♡ ♡
The couple made their way back through the corridors of the Knight Academy, the blonde-haired girl still with her sapphire orbs glued to the parchment. Link walked beside her, steering her out of the way of incoming traffic down the hallway, flashing his goofy awkward smile at the other academy students. His companion had successfully deciphered the riddle, hinting that the phrase 'not one shall be spared' had meant their class instructed to complete the task. It was clear the pair had to locate an item somewhere on the isle of Skyloft, something that had once belong to the Goddess Hylia herself. That was Zelda's assumption anyway. They ventured outside of the academy to continue their search for the 'point where the star meets the land,' the blonde-haired girl baffled by what it meant.
She turned to her companion, "Did you ever find something like that on your travels?" she asked him. He had always been quite reserved about his journey when he sought out to rescue her all those years ago. He thought about it for a moment, twisting his face up as his mind ran away with itself.
'There was the light tower,' he thought to himself. It was a situated at the south-most point of Skyloft and was a relic of old, left behind by the Goddess. Link looked around the surrounding area, trying to focus his blue orbs on his target, once it was in sight he nudged his companion gently and pointed her in the direction of the light tower. Zelda turned to follow his finger and noticed what he was trying to tell her. She nodded in reply to show she understood what he meant.
"Well then, let's make haste," she said with a grin plastered across her pale. Her companion looked at her lovingly, a bright glow warming his cheeks as he was whisked off by the arm without a care in the world, as long as he was with her.
♡ ♡ ♡
The pair of trainee knights stood at the top of the Light tower, a grand white-stone tower that guarded the isle. Zelda had placed a hand to her brow trying to following the clue from the riddle, trying ever so hard to find the 'point where the star meets the land'.
"What are we missing?" she thought aloud, pacing about the place. Link had taken it upon himself to take a risky seat on the stone structure, trying to catch his breath from the run. His companion had her blonde brows knitted tightly together with a puzzled look on her face. She had been facing out towards the clouds, beginning to watch the sun set on the horizon. The deadline was swiftly approaching. But in that moment, just as Zelda turned around to face Skyloft she noticed something in the distance.
"What is that?" she queried aloud, unable to decipher what her sapphire eyes were showing her. She took a few quick steps to the other side of the tower, startling her partner in the process. And that's when she saw it, a glint of the first star that would appear that evening. She ran to her companions side, shaking him slightly to grab his attention, "Link, I think I've figured it out!" she exclaimed audibly.
Link threw her a half dazed look, and scratched the back of his dirty-blonde hair before getting to his feet and stretching out his lethargic body. He tried to follow her gaze but drew nothing but blanks, he shrugged and shook his head. He didn't quite understand what she was telling him. Zelda sighed and pulled him gently closer and pointed to the opposite side of the floating island.
"The Isle of the Goddess," she said softly, making his hairs stand on end, "That is the point in which the first evening star meets the land. That means the catacomb of my being, is in fact, the Vault of the Goddess," there was excitement laced in her voice. But it was short lived when she realised one vital piece of information, "But no one has ever found a way into the vault." She said with a frown and began to sulk.
Link grimaced, he thought back to his rescue mission and remembered having enter a sacred chamber to retrieve the Goddess Sword, and ancient relic left behind by Hylia herself. Then it hit them, 'is that the treasure we are supposed to be looking for?' he asked himself. Not a second later he felt the prying blue eyes of his companion on him and flashed his goofy smile.
But Zelda could read him like a book, "You've been there before, haven't you?" she asked raising her blonde eyebrows up at him. Link gave her a quick nod of his head sheepishly to agree. His companion clapped her hands together with a big grin on her pink lips, "What are we waiting for? Let's go." She replied, grabbing the dirty-blonde boy by the arm and hauling him back down the tower and onto their next destination.
♡ ♡ ♡
The couple found themselves at the base of the Goddess statue. A portrait carved in pure white stone in honor of Hylia herself. Through the years that it stood the once pure chalky surface had now become littered with moss. Zelda looked up at the towering structure and let out a loud gasp, she had rarely taken the time to look at the statue from this angle.
"Where to now?" she turned to ask her companion. Link walked closer to the stone, examining the base of the statue for an indent of sorts. A small hole in the wall revealed itself to him, he removed his sword from his leather sheath and slid it inside the indent. A rumbling shook the ground they were standing on. The hero rushed to his companions side, noticing she was struggling to keep her balance. In front of them the stone door rose up into the structure, revealing an opening in the rock.
Link took his partner by the hand and led her into the cavern. The pair were welcomed into the Chamber of the Sword by a chilly rush of air and a silent eerie hum from the pedestal in the center of the room. The hero pleaded with his partner to stay behind him, in his own special way, and took slow steps towards the stone. It had been several years since he had land been inside this chamber. Several years had passed since he had said farewell to a faithful old friend, returning her to an eternal slumber.
He turned around to face his companion and tapped on his chest with a single fist. As the hero he planned to do this part of the challenge alone. Zelda nodded so show she understood what he was trying to say. She reluctantly let go of his hand and allowed him to continue. Link flashed her a reassuring smile before walking up to the pedestal. He paused, taking a deep breath before touching the sword. Link pulled it from the hilt. Suddenly a wave of bright white light erupted from the stone and flooded the room. He held the sword above his head proudly, they had completed the task. The hero turned back around to face his companion, sheathing the Goddess sword in his leather holster.
Zelda immediately ran to his side with a big grin plastered across her pale face, squealing in delight at him. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and embraced him with love. Nothing could spoil this moment, except without a watch or clock insight they had no idea whether or not they were going to make the deadline in time.
She pulled away from her companion with a pained look across her face, "Maybe we should make our way to the summit?" she suggested quickly, shuffling away from him. Both of them becoming flustered with their true feelings for the other, their cheeks ablaze with a soft red hue. Link gave a nod to reply and took his partners hand, his other resting on the blade he had just retrieved.
♡ ♡ ♡
Thankfully they had made it to the summit with a handful of minutes left till the deadline struck. Owlan was stood at the head of the class, his fingers interlocked behind his back. Beside him stood the headmaster of the Knight Academy, Gaepora with his bulky hands resting on his belt. The pair joined the rest of the ramble and bowed to their leader.
"Glad to see so many of you try your hand at this task Owlan has instructed you on," Gaepora's deep voice bellowed out to the crowd. He gave a hearty chuckle, "And what a beautiful array of items you have all collected." He looked at each of the students, each pair holding tightly onto a different relic or object they believe to be the sacred treasure of the Goddess Hylia.
"But of course Sir, there can only be one winning team," Owlan added and pulled out his own copy of the written riddle, "As you may had deuced the riddle was written in the ancient language of Shakespearean." There was a little chatter amongst the students, each pair trying to get a look in at their classmates items.
Gaepora and Owlan gathered up the students and instructed them to form a line to present their items. Zelda bit her pink lip nervously, wondering if Link and she had found the correct item after all. Then she felt the warmth of her partner's hand on hers. Her cheeks were set aflame. One by one the pairs were instructed to present their items; one group had shown a small golden trinket, which they explained, had been found in the light tower.
Next it was time for Groose and his cronies to step forward to present their item, a crystal ball. It was the one Sparrot from the market bazaar never let out of his sight, which could of only meant one thing, the cronies had stolen it from him. Zelda knitted her blonde eyebrows in anger, how could they have done such a thing. The headmaster, much like his daughter, had also frowned when he realised what the item was, clearly the trio of boys hadn't given a care in the world about the task and ordered them to partake in immediate detention.
Finally it was Link and Zelda's turn to have their relic examined. The hero presented the sword to the headmaster, the crystal-like blade glistened in the moonlight. Gaepora let out a throaty chuckle.
"I should have known you two would of been the successful ones," he said with a smile, "Congratulations to you both." He added with a nod. He turned around to face Owlan and said, "I believe these two bright sparks are worthy of your prize." The headmaster chuckled again turning back to wink at his own daughter. Of course she and her companion had been successful, there was little doubt in his mind. Their instructor bowed his head to Gaepora, naturally he agreed.
Link and Zelda were made champions of the class, each receiving a beautiful saddle bag each, handcrafted with leather for their loft wings. The pair thanked their instructor before disappearing into the Hallow's Eve festivities, walking hand in hand under the moonlight.
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