Aryll woke up early that morning for no particular reason. She was awake now, and there was no chance of going back to sleep. Grandma was still softly snoring, so as Aryll inched slowly out of bed, she tried to remain as silent as possible, wincing as her feet met the cold floor. Quickly she snatched a white bowl off the table beside the fire. Grandma had left the soup boiling in the pot all night, it seemed, and Aryll was grateful for it. She scooped a generous helping of it into her bowl, shoved her feet in her sandals, and hurried out the door.
It was only barely past dawn. Outset Island still slept, clouds of mist, untouched by the sun, settled over the village. A shiver went through Aryll, and she briefly considered going back inside, rejecting the idea promptly. Stepping as quietly as possible, Aryll followed the path down, over the bridge and up the mountain.
When she reached the top of the path, Aryll surveyed the narrow bridge. Surprisingly, it hadn't broken when the monstrous bird snatched her so long ago. Sitting on the edge of the cliff to the right of the bridge, she looked out over the island and the sea, then into her steaming bowl of soup.
Link loved Grandma's soup. She was going to help Grandma make it on his birthday, the day he first wore that stuffy green hero's uniform. How funny it was that day would make him a real hero, one who came for his kidnapped sister, and, according to Tetra and the other pirates, helped countless other people on the way. Once he had saved her and taken care of "some other business," as Tetra had put it, Link came back to Outset again, if only briefly. The pirates had told Aryll about what Tetra and Link were doing, that they were searching for somewhere, somewhere new. Aryll had watched him leave.
Sipping thoughtfully on the hot soup, Aryll looked out across the ocean once more. Something caught her eye, far off in the distance but steadily coming closer. She set her soup down. It couldn't be Link, could it? Breathlessly, Aryll stood up, knocking her soup over, sending steamy liquid over the edge of the cliff.
She took off running down the mountain, slipping on a patch of dew-slicked grass. "Big Brother," she gasped, lurching toward the observation deck. Aryll all but flew up the ladder, swinging over the top onto the deck with her heart pounding. She peered over the railing hungrily, gaze raking over the blue waves until she saw the red speck, much larger now. Aryll broke out into a grin. "Hoooooy!" she hollered, cupping her hands around her mouth. Leaving her shoes by the support beam, Aryll climbed up onto the railing and jumped.
The fall to the ocean was exhilarating. The wind whipped and swirled around her, tearing the breath from Aryll's lungs. The chill of the morning seemed to intensify for a moment before she struck the water feet first. A blue plume exploded out above her. She caught a glimpse of Link's lion boat for a split second. Then icy ocean water enveloped her.
She broke the surface with ease and saw Link coming up to her. He smiled to see her, and pulled her willingly into her boat, sopping wet. Link beamed at her dripping form. He had obviously missed her. Aryll tried to think of how long he'd been gone, but decided it didn't matter. However long he was gone, it would never matter. She could wait forever for him to come back. Link was her big brother.
She giggled, throwing her arms around his shoulders. "Big Brother," she whispered, biting back delighted tears. "I'm so glad you're home. I'm so glad you're home."
