Chapter Text
Being as old as he is, Croo hasn’t bothered to see anything past the opening act of the Wing Ceremony in years, his grandson, Hauk, is the only reason why he even bothers to go. His grandson in his flashy blue uniform wasn’t in the middle of the opening act this year, but rather on the right, which disappointed him because he remembers Hauk bringing up the desire for that middle role again. He supposes it’s fair though, as his grandson had the middle row last year. If he remembers correctly, the students who were participating in the Wing Ceremony were Groose, Cawlin, Stritch, and Link. A strange bundle of students that didn’t sit right in his stomach. He had seen Groose’s gang push Link around, but he never interfered since Zelda was quite the powerful young lady, and Groose’s massive crush on her probably didn’t support his cause either.
When his grandson came back with haunted eyes and a tear-stained face, worry immediately flooded him as he cupped his grandson’s face, “Zelda’s gone dad, she fell beneath the barrier. I’ve never lost anyone like that before, I take the day shifts, this isn’t supposed to happen.” Croo himself was a knight, back in his younger days, and knows that trauma, especially with such an important figure. He sat his grandson down handed him a cup of hot tea and told him to take the day off, but he refused, waking up at the crack of dawn to start patrol, not missing the five-minute gap between ship rotations- where most people fall off the island.
Since Zelda’s disappearance and Link’s prolonged days of absence, Croo has seen how much the skies have changed, with three colors breaking through the cloud barrier and fading far into the sky. He almost wants to go out and touch the colors, see how far up they go, but he doesn’t think his body can handle it anymore. A fourth light has emerged from the old lighthouse, something he never thought he would see. He remembers that he and Gondo’s grandfather used to speak about it, make jokes about the surface, and more importantly, talk about the island itself. Both Gondo’s grandfather and he had agreed that the surface was real, that the island had been raised by the Goddess Hylia, and the surface below was peaceful. That a new life was guaranteed for them. But of course, that was all considered a fool’s tale now, so there was no one to tell it to. No one believed in the story, so there was really no point in sharing it. Croo never bothered to interact with any of the children when they were growing up, instead, choosing to remain in the cafe, sipping his drink and waiting for the Bazaar to close with his friend, Dovos. Dovos is a young man, in his early forties, who never bothered becoming a knight, and never bothered to finish school, but is an eager man to listen to his old tales It makes him forget about his old age and remember the good old days when he’d flirt with his wife and tell her stories of his heroic saves. He was too late to grab her hand.
So, on the days he walks back home from the cafe, he pauses to see the knights soaring above him, he knows Link won the Wing Ceremony, now a newly knighted knight of Skyloft, and if he’s right, one of the youngest. Being sixteen, it’s easy to be held behind until the next Wing Ceremony for knighthood, Hauk was held back twice until he beat Kyte. He remembers when his grandson ran back home to show him his new uniform, he wonders if Link even had that opportunity before looking for Zelda. The other thing that’s been nagging him in the back of his head, are the injuries that Link had been walking around with. Link, while injury-prone, is not a careless person, he doesn’t go around getting injured for the laughs about it, he never pushes himself too far, in fact, the boy just naturally is clumsy. Whenever he sees Link out of the academy, he’s napping by the rivers, sometimes dangerously close where his feet nearly touch the edge of the waterfall and the dangerous current. He knows better than to wake him, as Link has a habit of startling awake and tipping to one side as if rolling out of a bed.
Maybe that’s why seeing him so exhausted sends him warning signs all over his body, maybe that’s why he pulls him aside one day when Link asks him about stamina potions again, how much he can take at once, “Stop by and chat with me once in a while, you hear? I may be old, but I'm not boring.” He pats Link’s chest twice and doesn’t answer the question. Just what is this kid doing?
It’s even more surprising when Fledge comes up to him and fiddles with his fingers, hesitantly stammering out, “Mr. Croo, can I ask you a question?” Croo’s more than surprised at the request, Fledge is a nervous boy and doesn’t like asking questions, yet to his surprise, the boy has also built up some muscle and seems more confident.
“What is it?” He asks, taking another sip of his drink.
“Link… he said that Zelda is safe and he still won’t rest, I haven’t seen him since last month and I’m getting really worried… but has he been seeming more positive lately?” Croo thinks back to the last time he saw Link, it was in passing, the boy running off the docks and jumping into the sky on is way to the Bazaar, but he thinks that yes, the boy did have a smile on his face rather than the determined look, so he nods. Fledge gulps, “You’ve worked with the rescue knights after failure to save another knight… you mentioned in a guest talk once that some knights feel so much guilt that they’ll…”
“Jump?” Croo finishes, “Yes, do you think Link’s happiness is a sign of guilt over not being able to bring her back?” Fledge nods.
“Me, Pipit, and Karane were talking about it last night, we joined him for night patrol and we started chatting about him, we’re worried. He’s been more reckless, I mean, last month, he barely opened his sailcloth in time to catch himself.” Croo frowns and shakes his head.
“I’m…” He pauses, “I’m not sure.”
“What?”
“Link’s incredibly injury-prone, I haven’t interacted with him enough to know… but the next time you see him, try and talk to him. See if you can figure out what’s going on.” He hopes the advice is enough as Fledge leaves. Dovos looks over at him and shakes his head. He has a worried expression on his face and sighs.
“I don’t even remember the last time I saw the kid laugh.” Croo doesn’t think he knows either.
–
When Sparrot breaks his magic ball or whatever it’s called, the man is practically inconsolable, he understands why though. It belonged to Gondo’s grandfather, so his heart feels like it’s shattered just like the ball, fixable, but never perfect. Sparrot refuses to through it away, staring down at the crack with shaking hands. He keeps muttering about how his eyes, still sunny enough to see, can see Link finding something for him. That Jakamar had gotten something from the surface. He hears Dovos laugh the statement off, along with everyone else sending pitying looks, he can’t see Gondo’s face, but he figures it’s like his own. One of curiosity and pride, the surface is real. He knows it is. That robot that follows Gondo around everywhere is proof of it, even if it can be super annoying. It makes Gondo happy, so it’s all that matters to Croo.
Link returns into the Bazaar and Sparrot begins to blubber out his pleas for help. Link turns his head to the side and accepts the quest, the robot calls out to him to say that ‘he’s only doing it for Fi’, and Link just laughs and waves him off, it’s the most beautiful sound he’s heard all month. He can’t help but let out a cheer with Dovos because they’ve finally heard Link laugh, but something about that also swirls in his gut as he thinks about his conversation with Fledge. He clinks his glass against Dovos’ and tries to push it to the back of his mind. But he can’t.
Hauk has noticed his change in mood, that he just goes silent when he returns home, “What’s wrong, dad?”
“Just worried son, don’t worry about my problems.” Hauk eyes his father and shakes his head, sitting down with him.
“That’s not it, this is about Link, isn’t it?” Croo chuckles softly.
“I’ve taught you well, haven’t I? How did you know?”
“Your attitude only got like this after Link left the island.” Hauk pauses to take a bite out of a stamina fruit before his night shift, “You’re worried about him.” Croo sighs and shakes his head back.
“Remember when I told you about guilt, that everyone is going to fail at their job, especially as a knight?” Hauk nods his head, “I want you to focus on Link, he’s been… reckless to say the least. Fledge mentioned that he seemed incredibly happy despite the unfortunate circ*mstances he’s facing, in my eyes, it sounds like mania.”
“You think that he’s going to…” Hauk can’t finish his words and he hears his grandson inhale deeply, “I- Link’s almost seventeen, he’s too young to be thinking about that. I’ll keep an eye out for him, sharp as a loftwing, promise.” Croo gives his grandson a gentle smile and puts his hand on top of his grandson’s.
“That’s all I can ask for.” Hauk remains silent for a long moment, he’s staring down at the table and bites his lip, a nervous tick his grandson has when he’s too nervous to ask a question. He doesn’t press and waits for him to swallow then opens his mouth, closes it, then opens it again, and speaks quietly.
“Just… when you see him again, maybe you can talk to him? I know you’re retired, but you’ve helped so many knights deal with their guilt after their first loss, you helped me with mine when it came down to Zelda. Link’s probably dealing with so much guilt, he just won the ceremony, he just reached knighthood and it was all stripped from him from a force he couldn’t fight, please, just let him know it’s not his fault.” Hauk stands up and readjusts his belt, “I’ll be home near midnight, I have an early morning tomorrow.” He swallows the rest of the stamina fruit and snags a potion off the counter, all Croo can think about is Link asking him about the amount that’s safe.
“Hauk, remember that you should only take two of those, okay?” Hauk turns around to face him with a confused look but gives his dad a smile, gentle and understanding. It’s clear that the message has been received, please don’t be reckless and please be safe with your life.
“I will dad, I’ll be back soon. Get some sleep.” The door is silently closed behind him and he sits at his dining room table alone. He looks at an old painting of him and his wife, their skins made from pumpkin and their hair drawn with dirt, his favorite detail his the red on his wife’s dress from red berries, then he looks up at the ceiling where he imagines the sky to be. Croo isn’t the most religious, he doesn’t pray to Hylia, but to his wife, because even in death, she is always there for him.
“Carrie, please watch over Hauk on his patrol tonight, please give him your strength, a strength I cannot provide him.” He stands with a groan, his age making every step feel like a mile, and gets into his bed, “Please watch over my grandson.”
