~ENJOY!~
"He's my brother."
Such a simple, simple statement. But what an incredible meaning. The hero's sister. He was sitting with the legendary hero's sister. This could mean so much to his reputation. He could finally live up to the greatness that his father expected of him. The thought made him tremble.
"Ah ... so you are her. It is a pleasure to meet you. What did you say your name was?"
"Aryll." Aryll. A fitting name. There was a musical quality about it, and her voice made it come alive.
"Why don't you tell me a little about yourself Aryll? You must've come a long way just to find your brother."
A nod. Oh, boy. Not this again. Another change of tactics.
"You must be curious about me. My name's Komali. I'm son of the Chieftain of the Rito tribe here on Dragon Roost Island. Link and I are ... uh ... friends. We met and he is doing a little bit of a favour for me right now. Your brother has gone on quite an adventure at the moment, and won't be back anytime soon."
" ... oh ..." Komali wasn't sure why, but the disappointment on the girl's face almost killed him. Why did it affect him so much? He didn't do anything deliberately to hurt her.
Komali stood up and walked around the bed to where Aryll was sitting. He held out his hand to her.
"In the meantime, why don't I show you around the island?" What had possessed him to say that? He hadn't been out of his room in days, and this young girl had driven him to change with just a single look. What was even stranger was he didn't regret asking her. The thought of talking with her more propelled him. It must just be because of his potential reputation. That had to be it.
She stared hard at his hand for a long moment, before setting hers delicately in his. He was responsible for her now, and for the first time in his life, Komali was overjoyed at the idea of responsibility.
They made their way down the corridor leading to the lobby, hand-in-hand, and emerged into the bustling room. Aryll's hand closed tighter on his and she gravitated closer to him. Wide eyes portrayed her curiosity; Komali liked this quality about her.
He was so occupied at examining his new companion that he didn't recognize the eyes that fell on him. The whole island hushed and stopped; the prince had finally emerged from his chambers.
Gradually everyone resumed their business, and as the two children passed the other Rito, they were greeted and occasionally bowed to. The attention didn't bother Komali, he was used to the customs and activity of the island. Aryll on the other hand, seemed completely out of her element.
Her eyes darted to the mail carriers who rushed past. They widened at the height of the ceiling. She jumped at a Rito who bumped her as he made his rounds. She shrunk at the guards who stood on each side of the Chieftain's doorway. Everything was brand new to her, and Komali loved it.
To take her mind off it all, Komali introduced Aryll to the mail-sorting area, where the most popular activity was to beat the clock when sorting. She was a natural. Her smile made him smile, and they both were beaming by the time they had seen the entire building.
