Skyloft, the floating island in The Sky is one of the most picturesque and charming locations in Skyward Sword. It is home to the descendants of the Goddess Hylia and filled with an abundance of treasures and mysteries to be discovered. During the day, the streets are lined with contented citizens, but come nightfall the island is teeming with monsters as a result of a deadly curse.
The Knight Academy, Skyloft’s only boarding school, is dedicated to the training of all future Skyloft Knights and these graduates play a critical role in maintaining safety on the island. Nothing can compare to the embarrassment one feels after accidentally falling off the edge and getting an earful from a rescue officer!
The Knight Academy is home to our two heroes, Link and Zelda, as well as a cast of gregarious characters. Pipit, the Academy’s only alumnus and resident bird expert is slightly older than Link and far less proficient in sword fighting. He is often intimidated by Link’s top student status and compensates by doing anything he can to preserve his tough guy image. Nevertheless, Pipit serves as Link’s brotherly figure and even assists him in his quest to find the Crimson Loftwing by cornering Fledge outside the Sparring Hall and forcing him to disclose the location of Link’s precious companion. Despite his insecurities, Pipit remains a loyal friend.
Pipit comes from humble origins and as a result is eager to prove himself. He was raised by a single mother and is the only student at the Knight Academy who lives off-campus. As the most impoverished student at the Academy, Pipit has to take an after-school job patrolling Skyloft at night in order to fund his tuition. He is a self-declared Loftwing expert with some mad flying skills and is a previous Wing Ceremony winner, his only claim to fame. Players who pay careful attention to the students’ color coordinated uniforms will notice they designate rank. As we can see from his yellow tunic, Pipit is a member of the senior class from the previous year.
Pipit’s financial problems do not end at school. He spends a great deal of time keeping tabs on his mother, Mallara, who is his greatest source of stress. Unbeknownst to Pipit, Link is recruited by Mallara to perform the laborious task of cleaning her entire house in exchange for a handful of rupees. Mallara seems to have a phobia of manual labor as the house is utterly filthy, every inch caked in a thick layer of dust. Since Pipit is the only one supporting his mother financially, Link becomes complicit in Mallara’s deceitful behavior, which isn’t very ethical (but hey, those Adventure Pouch upgrades ain’t free). Pipit and his mother are not very well off, so it seems rather insensitive for her to be throwing her son’s hard-earned rupees down the drain.
Sometimes life has a funny way of rewarding us for the hardships we endure. Pipit’s greatest secret is his enormous crush on the spunky red-haired Karane, who miraculously harbors similar feelings of affection for him. Although somewhat opinionated, Karane is a kind soul and admires Pipit for his courage and unwavering determination. At the same time, Karane also happens to catch the eye of the awkward and pudgy Cawlin, right-hand lackey to Groose.
Sadly, poor Cawlin’s heart is destined to be horribly shattered after his love confession to Karane ends in disaster. Pipit rushes in at the eleventh hour to declare his love for Karane, which blindsides Cawlin and presents Karane with the opportunity to turn him down in favor of Pipit. The whole thing plays out like a scene straight out of an overly dramatic rom-com as Cawlin runs out of the room crying hysterically, leaving the happy couple alone at last.
I believe it is possible to have sympathy for both sides involved (Cawlin’s story only gets weirder from here and in an alternate timeline involves a floating hand and a haunted lavatory) but nevertheless, I whole heartedly support Pipit and Karane’s relationship because I honestly feel like they are perfect for each other. Karane even offers to visit Pipit’s mother, a subject which he avoids at all costs. I think Karane is good for Pipit in that she is able to provide support but also push him to confront the things he would prefer to avoid. Looking back, I fondly remember Karane and Pipit as one of the greatest couples in Zelda history. Their story reminds me that life doesn’t feel so bad once we find that one person to believe in us and remind us that we are not alone.
