Hylia Academy Chapter Nine

Instructions

"This place is so amazing." Zelda said, staring up at the sky from her back. The warm sun felt incredible after her dip in the pool at the base of the waterfall, drying her and her clothes remarkably quickly. "I know right," Link agreed from beside her. He lifted himself onto one elbow, damp blonde hair falling over his face. Sidon and Yona talked in the grassy clearing below them, near the edge of the pool; Link and Zelda had climbed several feet up the waterfall to a grassy ledge to give the two some space. "We should name it." Link said. Zelda frowned and turned to face him. "Name it?" She asked. Link nodded. "Yeah, I always name the spots I find, it makes them more personal." He said. "Okay, so what are we naming this one?" Zelda asked. Link grinned. "You tell me." "You want me to name it?" She asked. Link nodded. "Yeah, something tells me you'll be good at it." Zelda pulled herself to a sitting position, staring out at the forest beyond them. "Ok, how do I name somewhere then?" She asked. Link gestured to the clearing around them. "Well to start, how does this place make you feel?" He asked. She cocked her head, listening to the breeze whispering through the trees and the birds calling in the distance. "Alive," She said, "Free, like it's our special place that we've found, away from the worries and drama and stresses of the world. A sanctuary almost." Link smiled again. "That's exactly how I would describe it." He said. "So it makes us feel alive, free, and untethered. No one else knows it even exists, hold that feeling." Zelda complied, closing her eyes and keeping the peace of the clearing in her mind. "What name best describes it?" Link asked quietly, his voice mimicking the stillness of the clearing. Zelda was quiet, and Link grinned. He knew how the wild affected him, how it made him come alive. The feeling of the sun warming his bare back after the plunge in the pool, the cool grass cushioning the earth beneath his hands, all of it coming together to unburden and uplift him. But seeing it in Zelda was amazing. The way her eyes brightened and her posture grew less bowed, the crisp red of her cheeks as the sun fought to warm her from her swim, paired with the gentle breeze blowing her long blonde tresses across her face and back. Even the quiet peace she wore on her face now as she listened to the clearing, it was wonderous to see the change in another person. "Havenvale." Zelda said quietly, and Link grinned. "Havenvale," He repeated, "I like it. Very poetic." Zelda smiled and brushed strands of hair out of her face. "You know, whenever I thought about Hylia Academy, I never dreamed it would be like this," She said, "I always pictured classrooms and homework and..." She paused and then laughed, "I don't know, school stuff. I never dreamed I would be somewhere like this." "Yeah," Link agreed, folding his hands behind his head as he laid onto the grass, "It definitley beats sitting in a classroom." "Hey," Zelda said, propping herself up on one elbow. Her curtain of blonde hair fell over her face, and she grinned at him, "Wonder what's at the top of the waterfall?" She asked daringly. Link looked up at her, and a slow grin spread across his face. "Race you." She said, then scrambled up and bolted towards the rock face. "Hey!" Link jumped to his feet and chased after her. Their bare feet padded against the thick grass as they ran laughing to the smooth rock. Without a second thought Zelda hoiseted herself up, Link a couple seconds behind her. The rock was warm from the sun, and smoothed by years of water rushing over it. Various ledges and esarcpments jutted from the face, granting easy acess to the top. "Aren't you suposed to be a wildman?" Zelda chidded as she looked down at Link. He grinned up at her and stuck out his tounge. Zelda smirked, then hurled a handful of grass into his face. Link coughed and sputtered as the taste of weeds filled his mouth. Zelda laughed, then rushed up to the next ledge. Link spit out the blades and grinned. It was so on. "What are they doing?" Yona asked as Link and Zelda scaled the rock face. Sidon tore his gaze from the pretty zora and chuckled. "I'm not surprised," He said, "Link's always doing something like that." "Really?" Yona asked. Sidon nodded. "Yeah, back home he would disapear for hours, only to come back sporting a new bruise or broken bone. Zelda didn't strike me as that type though." "Me neither. But don't you feel more alive, being out here?" Yona said. Sidon grinned, he DID feel more alive, but he wasn't sure it was because of the clearing. "Yeah, I guess I do." He said. "I win." Zelda said triumphantly, hands on her hips as Link hoisted himself over the final wall. "You had a headstart." He said. "I basically won." Zelda laughed.