11 - Name

It was a late and cloudy morning on the floating island of Skyloft. The skies were dyed a cold prussian, with a chilly air whistling through the village. The townsfolk had retired from their usual daily duties, with the majority of them seeking refuge in their own warm homes. Over at the Knight Academy, two students were less than bothered about the weather and were more focused on their task at hand.

Zelda waltzed through the corridor, closely followed by her companion, Link. She was dancing about the place, humming to herself. The silent hero watched her, a smile on his lips, nothing filled him with more joy than seeing her happy.

"Do you think we will be able to find the book?" she turned around to ask her partner, her arms interlocked behind her back. Link nodded, he didn't see why they wouldn't be able to find what they were looking for, "Guess it's a good job we decided to go to the library after all." She said with a sigh, noticing the dark skies brewing outside the window.

The pair took a step closer to the glass to admire the view. Even on the rare occasions when the weather was gloomy, the island of Skyloft was still beautiful. Grey clouds had begun to scatter the prussian sky, ready to disperse at any moment. The couple smiled at one another, they had made a good decision to come to the academy library today.

Zelda pushed herself off the window frame, ushering her companion to follow. Link took hold of her hand, causing her to turn back to him, her cheeks dyed pink. The couple walked a little further down the corridor until they reached the large wooden door leading the library. The silent hero took it upon himself to take a step ahead of his companion, and open the door for her. The blonde-haired girl gave him a quick bow with her hair out of respect. A silent thank you between them both.

Inside the library, sat behind a varnish-oak desk, was a woman in her mid-thirties sipping quietly on a hot beverage and flipping through a tome. She looked up from her page to see the pair walk into her domain. Zelda noticed her gaze and walked up to the counter to greet her.

"Good morning," she said politely, recognising the librarian as her classmate Pipit's mother.

"Good morning," the librarian replied with a smile, "Can I help you with something?" she asked, closing her book as Link joined his companion's side.

The young blonde shook her head, "I think we're fine, thank you."

"Be sure to let me know if there is anything," she replied, returning her head back to her book. Zelda nodded, taking hold of her companion's hand and leading him towards the fiction section.

The couple looked around at the bookshelves, in the hope they would find what they were after. They searched for an hour, briefly glancing over each spine but had no luck. The blonde-haired girl stood with her hands on her hips, a confused look plastered across her face. She was sure the book was here. It had to be. Link reappeared from behind one of the bookshelves holding a children's fiction book in his hand. He held it up for his partner to take a look.

"What do you have there, Link?" she asked him, curious to know what he found. Her companion handed her the book illustrated with a beautiful watercolor painting of a duckling on the front, "Oh. The ugly duckling," she said softly, running her fingers across the cover. While it was a book she had heard when he was younger, it wasn't the book she was after. She shook her head and handed the book back to him, "It's not this one, but thank you." Her companion nodded and returned the book back to its shelf.

Zelda skimmed her finger across the shelf beside her, taking a look at each spine. She felt Link return to her and turned back to him, "I remember a little more about the book," she said quietly, not wanting to annoy the librarian. The silent hero folded his arms across his chest and nodded slowly, wanting to hear what she had to say.

She noticed a group of plush bean bag chairs sitting upon the mat that decorated the floor and gestured for the pair of them to sit. Link agreed following her over to the seats. Zelda slumped back, ungracefully, into the bean bag, letting out a giggle as she stumbled. Her companion copied her action, repeating her mistake, wincing from the shock.

"I remember a little more about the illustrations I saw inside the book," she begun, interlocking her fingers in her lap, "Something to do with a fish, or something similar. It was definitely a book that had a lot of water." She continued, racking her mind for something that would help. Her companion nodded, understanding the details she was retelling. He raised his index finger up, indicating he needed a minute, she nodded watching him dash off to another bookshelf a short distance away.

Zelda continued to sit on her bean bag and look around at the bookshelves sitting beside her. She gazed up at one shelf, with a particular book catching her sapphire-dyed eyes. She stood up, taking a step closer to the shelf. A small book had been placed as the pride of the shelf, something the library did weekly showcasing their personal recommendations or new books that had come in. The edges were worn in places, with the cover illustration a little scuffed. The book had all the signs of a well-loved children's novel that had been cherished by all those who had read it.

The blonde-haired student took the book in her pale hands, turning it over a few times. She glanced at the blurb on the back, decorated as a scroll and edges in seashells. Could this be it, Zelda thought to herself, turning the book back to the cover. It certainly featured the sea with a half-woman, half-fish illustrated on the front. She kept the book in her arms and returned to her bean bag just in time for Link to reappear, carrying a small stack of books in his arms. He took his seat beside her, excited to show his companion the novels he had found.

Not to break his heart, Zelda happily looked through the books with him so his hard work did not go to waste. He handed the first book, a scratchy illustration of a whale sat on the front cover. She took it from him and flipped through a couple of the pages before shaking her blonde hair and giving it back. Link frowned, offering her another book. Once again she accepted it kindly and flicked through a few of the pages but shook her head once more before returning it back to him. He produced another, a watercolor painting of a sea horse decorated the cover.

"Oh, Link, this one isn't a fiction book." She said, realising the book he had given her was about the wildlife under the sea. She let out a soft giggle but was quickly shushed by the librarian in the distance. Zelda placed a pale hand to her lips and mouthed oops to her companion. She handed the wildlife book back to him. Link felt his cheek flush pink with embarrassment, how did he overlook that? He replaced the book with a fiction one this time, featuring an orange clown-fish and a blue surgeonfish on the front.

"This one look interesting," Zelda replied, turning the book over to read the blurb before flipping through a couple of the pages, heavily illustrated by, what she believed, was the story. It was prominently a picture book aimed at smaller children, "But the target audience should be older. This is for small children," she said handing the book back to him. The couple sat comfortably in their bean bags going through the rest of the fiction books the silent hero had gathered. But none of them had been the one Zelda was looking for. That book still remained close by her side, almost like a trump card.

Link was down to his last novel, with a stack of discarded books to his left side that he would have to return once they were finished. He was not looking forward to that particular task. The last book was decorated more plainly than the other novels showcased before it. It was one of the older books with a worn leather cover with gold script carved into the fabric. Zelda took the novel in her hands and was surprised to see the title that was written on the cover.

"You found it," she spoke softly, almost finding it difficult to believe that there had been two copies of her favourite book hiding in the library, "Thank you, Link." She said, smiling at him and the book in turn. But inside she felt a little guilty, she too had found the book she remembered from her childhood.

Zelda looked down towards the floor, her pale hands clutching onto the hem of her cerise dress, "Link, I must confess something." She spoke, barely audible to anyone except her companion. The silent hero edged closer to hear her better, tilting his head to one side, confused with what she was about to inform him. He watched as she produced a copy of the same book, but with an illustrated cover. She placed both books side by side.

"I also found the book," Zelda continued to explain, her hands smoothing over the leather-bound copy, "Truth be told. I thought only one copy existed in the academy," she whispered, not wanting to be scolded again, "But this one," she said holding up the copy she had located, "Was the one I remember as a child." The blonde-haired student opened the book revealing the beautiful watercolor illustrations inside the book that featured very little text on each page and instead was dominated by the pictures.

"My mother used to read this to me when I was younger," Zelda explained, running her fingertips against the image of the half-woman half-fish character, "I enjoyed the story, despite the sad ending it has. I always hoped that the water creature truly existed." She said pointing at the main character, she believed to be called Ariel. Link gestured towards the book, he had not heard the story himself.

"Have you not heard the little mermaid before?" his companion asked. The silent hero shook his head, his cheeks dyed a deeper shade of pink from embarrassment. He had not lived a normal childhood. He never knew his parents and never had the opportunity to hear a bedtime story.

"Would you like me to read it to you?" Zelda asked politely, not wanting to offend him, but desperately wanted to share her favourite childhood novel with her partner. Link nodded, I'd like that, he thought to himself. His companion smiled back at him, "I'll just go check out the two copies whilst you put away the others. Something tells me the librarian wouldn't appreciate us reading this book aloud," she replied with a sigh, tucking both the novels under her arm before getting to her boots. Link followed her lead, gathering up the discarded book pile to return to the bookshelves whilst Zelda headed over to the front desk.

"Hello again," she said politely to the librarian, who smiled back.

"Just these two?" the older woman asked, putting down her cup of black coffee and standing up on her feet. Zelda nodded, "Very well, allow me to stamp them for you," the librarian replied, picking up her small stamp. She dabbed it into an ink pad before stamping a slip of paper on the inside cover of the books and pushing them back towards their new owner. "All finished for you. I hope you enjoy them." She smiled once more before returning to her seat. The blonde-haired student bowed her head in respect, thanking the librarian before making her way towards the door.

Zelda had only been waiting a few minutes when Link rejoined her side. He held out his arm and allowed his companion to interlock her arm in his. The couple set off back to his bedchambers.

♡

Link sat upright on his bed, his back rested against his wooden headboard with his companion tucked up in his arms. The pair of them had a steaming mug of cocoa, provided to them by the academy kitchen staff - a perfect treat on a cold and rainy autumn evening, particularly with a good book to read. This moment couldn't have been spoiled by anything. The ambiance of the rain tapping lightly on his bedroom window, the warmth of their bodies close together and Zelda softly reading her favourite childhood novel for her partner to enjoy. This moment was truly perfect.