Heroes don't form overnight. A look into Link's life before Skyward Sword and the events that shaped him into a hero before his journey even began. Zelink, Pre-SS.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. If I did… xD

Foundation is rated "K+" for some mild language, romance, and action sequences.

Foundation

Wooden Blocks

Who would have thought that wooden blocks would be a perfect tool for life lessons.

Erheart could only laugh at his little son desperately attempting to build a house out of wooden blocks. The child was trying to place four blocks on top of one, which any adult would realize is impossible. His son was only four and knew little of common sense, so it was understandable he didn't know. Even so, it was amusing to watch him try the same thing over and over again. He had to give the boy points for resiliency. This time, Link wailed and angrily pounded the blocks on the ground when they fell. Clearly he failed one too many times.

"It won't stay up!" Link howled, giant blue eyes filling with tears. Link put his chubby little thumb in his mouth, sucking on it, a habit they were desperately trying to break. With a good natured laugh, Erheart walked over to his child and pulled Link's finger out of his mouth.

"Well, son," He started, sitting down next to the little boy and grabbing a couple of blocks to make a building of his own. "Everything needs a good foundation. Without a proper foundation, the building will fall."

"What's a fwoundation, Daddy?" Link asked, stubbornly sucking on his thumb again. Erheart shook his head and decided just this once he'd let the whole thing slide.

"Foundation," Erheart corrected, saying the word slowly so Link would understand. "It means the base or the starting block. Here," Erheart paused, building a little house of his home out of the blocks. Link, amazed that his father actually built a little house, clapped his hands in excitement. "Do you see the bottom two blocks?" Erheart asked his grinning toddler, who nodded enthusiastically. "For every one block, you need two underneath it to support it. Without a proper bottom the top will fall."

"I gets it!" Link cried, returning to his own blocks. Instead of trying to place three blocks instead of one, he put one on top of three. Repeating a similar process, Link created a little house. It hardly looked like a house and it was extremely lopsided but that wasn't the point. He was able to build a house because his bottom blocks supported the top. That was the lesson Erheart wanted to convey.

"I did it!" Link squealed, jumping up and down and running into his father's outstretched arms. Erheart chuckled, ruffling his son's hair and tossing him up and down. Link laughed, settling into the crook of his father's arm.

"Yes you did, child," Erheart praised, giving him a proud pat on the back. "Everything starts with a proper foundation. Never forget that…"

He may have only been four at the time, but that conversation was one Link would never forget. Two short years later, his parents went out on an expedition for Skyloft and never returned. To this day, Link remembered and relied on them through the wisdom they shared. Sure, he was a bit lonely growing up. Before he entered the Knight Academy, it was just him and the dust that covered his little house in the corner of Skyloft. He wasn't completely an orphan. Everyone on the sky island took turns looking after him. In a way, the whole sky island adopted him.

Gaepora, headmaster of the Knight Academy and the one with the most authority on the island, cared for Link the most. Ever since Link's parents left, Gaepora would bring him home at least twice a week to eat with him. Gaepora's reasoning was that it was his order that sent Link's parents away. The headmaster also liked having Link around as company for his daughter Zelda.

Link and Zelda were friends even before his parents left, but grew even closer in the years that followed. Link considered her his best friend as he was sure she felt the same. The two did practically everything together. Yeah, she could sometimes be a little motherly and overbearing, but Link was always grateful for her company. Due to his status as an orphan and his small physique, he was a natural target for bullies.

Groose was the ringleader of them all. He harbored an obvious unrequited for Zelda, which also fueled his hatred for Link. Ever since Link was small, Groose would take delight in giving Link wedgies between classes, stealing his lunch, or throwing eggs into his house. His cronies, Cawlin and Stritch, also enjoyed teasing Link mercilessly. In Link's opinion, neither Cawlin nor Stritch had any room to talk. Link was taller than Cawlin and had a bigger build than Stritch, and that was saying something on both accounts.

Okay, the physical abuse wasn't that bad. Link didn't mind cleaning up eggshells or going back to his house to get new lunch money. It was the verbal abuse. When they wanted to, the bullies became downright ruthless. They'd scream various things like how Link was an insult to humanity, so much so that his own parents left him. Everything was about how Link's parents abandoned him. Link knew his parents were loving and caring and would never leave him under their own free will. Gaepora assured him that his parents left reluctantly.

Even so, the words still hurt. Link couldn't also help but think those words held a tiny bit of truth.

Why did he always end up thinking about this stuff? Here he was, trying to have a nice nap in the pleasant temperature and catch up on a few z's. He always liked sleeping. In his dreams, wonderful things happened. Most of them involved happy moments with his parents. Others involved riding around on his Loftwing. Then there were the pleasant times with Zelda. In his dreams, everything was possible.

No way was Link going to let a couple of bullies interfere with his happy naptime.

Link sighed, rolling over and settling into a nice patch of grass. He was lounging in his favorite spot, a large tree near the waterfall. Link loved listening to the flow of the water. It was peaceful. Out here, the busy sounds of the town were considerably less. It was just Link and his thoughts. Realizing reluctantly that he wasn't going to get anymore shut-eye, he laid on his back and looked up. Sunlight peeped through the mess of greenery and branches. Link covered his eyes with his arm, letting the warmth of the sun fill his entire body. The temperature was beautiful. Not that it ever changed. Maybe Link would take a ride later this afternoon.

Speaking of riding, he felt something hard nudge his face. Uncovering his eyes, Link looked up to see a giant Loftwing right in front of his face. He instantly recognized the Loftwing's soft blue coloring. Looks like Zelda was wondering where he'd gone off to this time. After determining that he was awake, the blue Loftwing called loudly for her master.

"Link!"

Zelda jumped across the rocks and ran to Link's side. When she was under the tree, she placed her hands on her knees, panting. Her Loftwing nuzzled her, letting the girl lean on her for support.

"Geez. I should've known you'd be here," she said in between gasps.

"What's up?" Link asked, pulling himself into a sitting position and leaning on the tree for support. Of course, he knew why she was here, but that was a minor detail.

Zelda, having regained her breath, glared at him. "You know what's up. Someone has been skipping class for the hundredth time."

Link closed his eyes, still enjoying the soft breeze that always permeated Skyloft's atmosphere. "Ninety-nine times," he corrected, overall ignoring her harsh tone.

Zelda placed her hands indignantly on her hips. "That's still ninety-nine times too many!" She cried, exasperated with her lazy best friend. "You should be honored that father hasn't kicked you out of the academy yet."

"I've got the highest grade in the class," Link responded. "Why would he kick out his star pupil?"

"Highest grade does not translate to star pupil," Zelda said, sounding more and more tired by the minute. "Honestly, Link. It would be nice if you showed up to class more often."

"I do go to class," Link responded. "Just only when I feel like it."

"You never feel like it!" Zelda sighed, giving up. "Whatever," she waved her hand, dismissing the issue. "It doesn't matter now since today's class is over. Dad wants to talk to you."

"Is this about my attendance policy?" Link asked.

Zelda groaned. "No, though it should be. Come on, let's not keep him waiting." She held out her hand. Link grinned, took her hand and let her help pull him off the ground. Link shook out his clothes, sighing, and stretching in the sunlight.

Link needed to set the record straight on some things. To some, he seemed like a lazy, arrogant slacker. While the lazy and slacker parts weren't too far from the truth, he was hardly arrogant. He didn't think highly of himself, although Link was naturally talented at most things. His intelligence was only second to Zelda's, he was the most skilled with a sword, his physical abilities were immense, he had a strong bond with his guardian bird, and he had a strong sense of moral duty. Link didn't like going to class for several reasons. A lot of what the teachers taught was common sense, which Link didn't feel he needed. Sometimes it was too early and he needed sleep. But the biggest reason was that Groose and the other two were there. Class was never pleasant with them around.

His professors liked Link. They wished he attended class more, but they gave him high marks regardless and always praised both his abilities and his heart. It seemed like they realized Link wasn't going to class mostly due to the bullying, which they sympathized with him. Because of this, Link and his professors had a mutual understanding: Link would come to class when he wanted to.

Yeah, it wasn't ideal, but it was his life.

Zelda was catching him up on what he missed in class that day. Apparently there was a sword demonstration that focused on thrusting. Link sighed. That actually would have been a beneficial class. Although Link was talented with the blade, his thrusts were less than stellar. He wished his teachers made a schedule so he could attend these classes. Then again, they were trying to draw him into attending class every day. Oh well. Not a major loss.

"When Father's done talking to you, do you want go for a ride with me?" Zelda asked, smiling at Link.

"Sure," Link responded with a smile of his own. He loved going for rides, especially with Zelda. He wasn't a huge fan of practicing riding his bird, which everyone berated him for, but he did love casually riding his Loftwing.

On their walk, Zelda began telling him all the gossip that was going on in the academy. It always went in one ear and out the other, but Zelda always appreciated having someone to talk to. Although Zelda was friendly and got along with everyone, she only considered Link to be her true friend.

It was an honor that Link didn't deserve.

Zelda knocked on Headmaster Gaepora's door. "Daddy! I brought Link!" she called. Link heard the headmaster give a muffled "come in" and Link followed her inside.

"Ah, Link, it's good to see you, my boy," Gaepora walked over to Link, extending his hand. Link shook it. He did like the headmaster and was grateful to him for acting as a surrogate father all of these years. He always felt like he was a burden on Gaepora, especially with his dismal attendance habits.

"Headmaster, I— " Link opened his mouth, starting to tell him how sorry he was that he cut class today. Gaepora waved it off.

"I wanted to discuss something with you. Are you familiar with the Inter-Isle Knight Tournament?"

Link knew a little about the tournament. Their world was huge and as such, Skyloft was not the only sky island. The total number of sky islands was in the hundreds although that was a rough estimate. There were still unexplored skies. The islands made pacts with each other which promoted trade and peace. A source of pride for every sky was their knights. About every five years, a huge tournament was held in order to display each island's best. He was eleven when the last tournament was held on an island called Cleoa. Some of Skyloft's best went and fought in the tournament. Link didn't believe they won any prizes.

Wait a minute. If this is what he thought it was…

"This year, Skyloft is hosting the tournament," the headmaster continued. "I'm sure you noticed the people of this town have been buzzing with excitement. It is a pretty big deal, as I know you're aware. We want this to be the best tournament the sky islands have ever seen. Of course, that's not the only thing. Each island must select one knight to represent their people."

"Father!" Zelda cried, realizing what this meant. "You don't mean…"

"Yes, I do, my dear," Gaepora continued, glancing at his daughter and giving her a small smile. "I'd like Link to represent Skyloft in the tournament this year."

Link? As the honorary knight? Link shook his head, unable to process what he'd just heard. Headmaster Gaepora must have hit his head on something if he believed Link, infamous for cutting class, was the one to represent Skyloft. Sure, Link's abilities were honestly unparalleled, but still. Skipping class aside, Link was only a student. He wasn't a full-fledged knight. He'd be eligible for that in a few months.

Zelda was already voicing what Link was saying.

"Father! It's too dangerous! We've all heard the horror stories about knights getting their limbs chopped off. I won't allow it!" she said, wagging her finger at her father. "Besides, Link's a knight in training. A very lazy knight in training, I might add. Even so, don't you think the other islands will be offended when we select a kid as our honorary knight?"

She was a bit harsh in her words, but Zelda spoke the truth. Link agreed with her. Islands were all about their pride. The knights selected to participate in the tournament were the wisest, battle hardened, and well respected knights on the island. It was unprecedented for an island, let alone a host, to select a student.

"Oh, it will make a splash, I'm sure," Gaepora replied. "But once our guests realize just how talented young Link is, I'm sure they'll find it is an honor to fight against him."

At this rate, Link was going to end up as the honorary knight. He had to put a stop to this nonsense immediately. He couldn't represent Skyloft. He was just Link. Lazy Link the slacker, isn't that what people called him?

"I appreciate your confidence, Headmaster, but there's no way I could represent Skyloft," Link finally spoke up, staring at the ground. "I mean, I'm just a student. I'm not even a good student to begin with."

To his shock, Gaepora gave a bellowing laugh. "Not a good student? My boy, you're the best student the Knight Academy has seen in its twenty-four year history! So you cut class occasionally. I would too if I was bullied constantly by lunchmeats who thought nothing about themselves. I would be honored if you represented us as I'm sure the rest of Skyloft's citizens with a brain would be too." He gave Link a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "As for you, my dear," Gaepora continued, turning to Zelda. "You worry too much. Link will be fine. Show a little faith in the boy, won't you?"

Zelda sighed, defeated. "But Father…"

"None of that! Have faith in him!" Gaepora titled Link's chin up so Link now stared at him directly in the eyes. "And Link, have faith in yourself."

Link could only nod in agreement.

"Then it's settled!" Gaepora clapped his hands. "Link will represent Skyloft as its honorary knight. I'll make sure to have your uniform ready. Although…" he gave Link a wink. "While the tournament is going on, it would be best if you didn't skip class."

Link smiled. "I won't, sir."

It was nice to know someone believed in him.

"Well," Zelda spoke up. "At least this tournament will force Link to go to class. Honestly, I was thinking that nothing could persuade him at this point."

Gaepora continued to laugh, writing down the arrangements. "Good. Now, be gone, both of you, as I have work to do. I expect to see you both following your lessons tomorrow."

"Yes sir," Link and Zelda replied in unison, giving a small bow in respect and walking out the door. They headed out of the Academy and towards their favorite platform.

The platform they used when they went riding together was always the same. It was the one next to the Goddess Statue. Link didn't know much about the Goddess Hylia herself, just that she created and protected Skyloft. Zelda was much more knowledgeable on that subject. Link couldn't help this place would become very important for them in the future. He knew Zelda shared the same sentiment.

"I can't believe Father!" Zelda cried exasperatedly. She had been babbling about how crazy this situation was since they left Headmaster Gaepora's room. "It's so dangerous," she continued in a softer voice.

"Hey Zel," Link spoke up. Usually when she went into one of her rants Link just shut up and let her get it all out. This time he spoke up. Zelda seemed really worried about him. Link smiled, as it was a habit of hers. "I'm going to be fine. When was the last time I lost in a sword duel?"

Zelda frowned. "You're undefeated in fencing. That's different. We use wooden swords. Besides, that's not the point, Link! You're going up against real knights with more talent! They won't hold back just because you're a kid!"

"Oh, so the professors are going easy on me because I'm a kid," Link retorted, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at her.

"That's not what I meant!" Zelda threw her arms up and began pacing. "Honestly, you're both such men. Danger is nothing to either of you."

"Zelda," Link spoke seriously, taking hold of her arm with a rather tight grip. "Look at me."

Lips trembling, Zelda met his gaze. Link could see the worry flowing within her. It was both touching and adorable. Link smiled despite himself. Her hair was long and golden, radiating in the sunlight. Then of course there were her bright big eyes that were always filled with the purest of intentions. Zelda truly was beautiful.

Not that he'd ever tell her that. She'd probably slap him.

"That's better," he said with a smile. "I'll be fine, Zel. So stop worrying, okay?"

"You know I always worry," she mumbled softly.

"I know. It's endearing." Link ruffled her hair. Zelda cried out, fixing her hair and glowering at him. Link laughed. She was trying to look intimidating, but really the look she gave him was a glorified pout. It was adorable.

Still laughing, Link ran to the edge of the platform and promptly jumped off, whistling for his Loftwing.

Immediately his Crimson Loftwing glided gracefully underneath him, providing a soft landing to his fall. Link smiled, stroking his bird's feathers fondly and urging him upwards. He heard Zelda whistle for her own bird in pursuit. She was going to make him sorry for teasing her so he wanted to get a good head start.

"We should be quick bud," Link told his Loftwing. The bird crowed in agreement.

Link's Loftwing was a rarity of birds. Before his bird came to him, the breed was long thought to be extinct. He was fast, handsome, and stronger than any other breed of Loftwing. Link was grateful that his Crimson Loftwing came to him.

Naming him was a difficult situation. Link was very young when his bird came to him and completely unimaginative with names. He was originally going to call him "Crimson" but that was a little too unoriginal. Then he was going to go with "Red" but that sounded even lamer. Zelda knew what she was doing. She named her bird "Medina" which was unique, sounded cute, and related to the bird. Zelda offered to name his bird for him, but Link knew it was a job he had to do himself. After much thought, he decided on the name "Cerise." Cerise was a fancier term than crimson and it fit. When little Link told the bird his name, Cerise seemed rather pleased.

"Get back here, Link!" Zelda cried, with Medina crowing in agreement. Cerise also seemed to fear Medina which was rather amusing. Medina and Cerise had a similar relationship to that of their riders. Medina often cleaned Cerise's feathers, pecking at him when he was out too late and shunning him when he didn't pay attention to her.

"Come and catch me!" Link called, leading Cerise into a steady climb and laughing all the way. Cerise was the fastest Loftwing on all of Skyloft. There was no way he could be caught if he used 100% of his speed. Truthfully, Link was going to let Zelda catch up to him. However, he wasn't going to make it easy.

With a devilish grin, Link brought Cerise in a nosedive, plummeting at top speeds to the bottom of the sky right above the cloud barrier. When Cerise was gliding, Link leaned to the side and ran his fingers along the soft texture of the clouds. Zelda always wondered what was beneath the clouds. Link was curious, although right now he was happy to be where he was, especially with Zelda by his side.

It was times like this, riding with Zelda, where he felt most at peace. All of his troubles seemed like nothing. He felt loved. He felt happy. He didn't feel alone.

Speaking of Zelda, he should probably let her catch up.

"Okay Cerise, we should probably slow down," he told his bird, patting his feathers. To his surprise, Cerise gave a panicked call.

"Cerise?" Link asked, looking at his bird with concern. Cerise was now flapping his feathers furiously, motioning for Link to look up.

"You're a dead man, Link!"

Link looked up, shocked to see that Zelda jumped off Medina and was now plummeting in a free-fall through the air, aimed directly towards him. Link gave a startled cry. He hated when she did that.

"Cerise!" Link called, urging his Loftwing towards Zelda's direction. Link held out his arms, ready to catch Zelda. He could see Medina nearby, ready just in case Zelda's stunt went awry. It never did, Link always caught her. She loved to jump into his arms.

Every single time she did it gave the young knight a heart attack.

Zelda landed in his arms. Link protectively pulled his arms around her, guiding Cerise into a gentle glide. Medina came down to fly beside Cerise.

"You know I hate it when you do that," Link said through grit teeth. "You always give me a heart attack."

"You deserve it," Zelda said, sticking her tongue out at him. "That's what you get for teasing me."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Link grumbled good-naturedly. He was still trying to calm his racing heart.

"You don't sound very sorry," Zelda pouted.

"I'm sorry," Link said a little more earnestly, pulling Zelda a little more closely to his chest. Zelda smiled, her arms around his neck, happily enjoying being in his arms. She closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hey," Link protested. "You're not going to go to sleep on me, are you?"

"That's your job, sleepyhead," she teased lightly, opening one eye. "I can't help it! You make a good pillow."

Link opened his mouth to complain, but decided against it. Instead, he gave a smile of his own. She could stay like that all she wanted. It was comforting to have her so close to him. No one gave him more happiness than Zelda.

If only there was a way for Link to repay Zelda for all the love she'd shown him. Albeit a bit reluctantly, Link knew it was time to be heading back to Skyloft. He urged his bird up and towards the sky island. Link re-focused his attention on Zelda, freeing his hand and gently stroking strands of her soft hair. He smiled lovingly down at her, closing his own eyes and resting his head gently on top of hers. If only moments like these could last forever.

Cerise gave another surprised cry, which brought Link out of his pleasant reverie. Cerise turned to the south, giving another warning call to Link.

The southwestern corner of the sky was now filled with what appeared to be floating sailboats. Link had never seen an actual sailboat except in book illustrations, but he did recognize them to be flying Skyboats. The people of Skyloft never used Skyboats, but that was because Skyloft was generally regarded as a smaller island. Among the Skyboats were hordes of Loftwings.

It looked like the tournament was sooner than Link originally anticipated.

"Zelda," Link nudged her gently to wake her. "Zelda," he repeated in a louder tone.

Well, well. It looks like she actually did fall asleep.

"Huh?" she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes and smiling up at Link. The smile quickly turned to a look of concern when she saw Link's mouth agape. "What's up?"

"Look over there," Link said eyes still wide and pointing in the direction of the Skyboats.

Zelda sat up, looking towards the direction Link indicated. She gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. "Look at all of them, Link!"

Link nodded. "I have a feeling life on Skyloft is going to be a bit different for a little while."

Unbeknownst to him, life on Skyloft would never be the same.

A/N

I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of Foundation. I've actually had this story planned for about two months, just now deciding to write it. I have the entire plot written out; it's just a matter of putting it into a story format. Hopefully that means quick updates! I don't anticipate this being an overly long story, but then again, this could go either way. It depends on how long the chapters are and what goes into each chapter.

If everything goes as planned, I'll be updating this and my AU work, Ascension, simultaneously. So far, so good. I updated Ascension earlier today and then this one. There will certainly be oneshots in between as well. Ascension takes a lot longer to write, but hopefully things will be pretty balanced.

I know I've seen some Pre-SS stuff, but I wanted to give my take on it. I also have a few untraditional paths I'm going to take with this story. I always thought there had to be more people than the ones on Skyloft, which is where I came up with the idea for the sky islands.

I do realize Link is rather "un-Link-like" for lack of a better term, but don't worry! He'll improve! This story is mostly to show his improvement and his development into a true hero. With Zelink, of course!

Please excuse any minor typo/grammar mistakes that I'm sure are in here. Please bring them to my attention though!

Please review! I take all reviews into account and many reviews have shaped my stories in the past. I write this for all of you, so I want to make sure you're enjoying the story and would love your input.

Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!