She was gone.
Zelda, his best friend, had been swept away by the storm, dragged down to an unfamiliar land that no Skyloftian had ever set foot on before. Link had hoped that it was just another nightmare, that Zelda’s Loftwing would soon wake him up with a note urging him to hurry and get to class. But this time, he awoke alone, greeted only by the silence of his dark room. For once, his nightmare — the worst one he could possibly imagine — was all too real.
But Link refused to believe that Zelda was truly gone. In his hands, he had held the sailcloth his dear friend had made for him. Just by looking at it, he could hear her playful giggle and see her sweet smile. He clutched it tightly, treasuring the soft, beautifully embroidered fabric that Zelda had spent hours crafting by hand. She was not lost forever. Whatever it took, Link was going to bring her back home.
Artist La-Sera brings to life this beloved version of Link. Skyward Sword is not everyone’s cup of tea but the hero inside is one of personality that is not always seen in Zelda series. Skyward Sword‘s version of Link is a little awkward at times and as lazy as the previous (future?) incarnations of the hero tend to be, but he is also full of kindness and emotion that we don’t often get to see from Link. La-Sera captures that raw emotion with a simple ¾ portrait of Link clutching the sailcloth that Zelda made for the winner of the Wing Ceremony (although, let’s be honest, Zelda definitely made it with Link in mind).
The color of this art piece stands out to me. Skyward Sword had a washed-out watercolor palette, but La-Sera has brightened said colors to match her own style. The palette reflects a happy, uplifting mood despite the sadness radiating off the subject. It’s almost as if the colors are reflecting Link’s hope and refusal to believe the worst. Despite losing his best friend and constantly being out of reach from saving her over and over again, Link continues to have hope to become a true hero who will never give up. To quote Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments, “Heroes aren’t always the ones who win…They’re the ones who lose, sometimes. But they keep fighting, they keep coming back. That’s what makes them heroes.” Until Zelda is by his side again, Link will keep fighting. As I interpret it, that is the hope weaved into the colors.
A particular part of this piece to note is La-Sera’s decision to accessorize Link with red earrings. Link adorns blue earrings at the beginning of the game and doesn’t start wearing red ones, known as the Fireshield Earrings, until he completes Din’s Silent Realm Trial. By this point, Link has run into Zelda multiple times and knows that they each have their own destiny to follow. The Silent Realms thatLink must now face are no easy task and perhaps more nightmare-inducing than Demise and the Imprisoned. The Sailcloth is still in Link’s possession and is one of the only physical items that Link carries with him that reminds him of Zelda. While he also carries the Goddess’s Harp, it has stronger connotations with the goddess. Even if Zelda and the goddess are one the same, the Sailcloth is associated with Zelda of Skyloft, before the storm hit.
There are two different versions of the piece. The one seen at the very top has a simple, dark background with spots of faint light. This background allows all the focus to be on Link. The alternate background is one of the skies. Clouds can be seen in the distance with birds and leaves flying all around. One could be seen as the night while the other captures the day. Either way, both versions reflect the essence of the hero found within Skyward Sword. A hero who never gave up and paved way for Hyrule to always have a way to fight the darkness.
