It had been fourteen years since Lorule's Triforce was restored, fourteen years since Link had seen Ravio. He had long since accepted that being reunited was never going to happen, but that didn't stop him from thinking about Ravio.
He wondered what Ravio looked like now that he was twenty-six. Link, himself, had grown ten inches, lost his baby fat and gained muscle, and red hairs grew on his face. Given that they were counterparts, he imagined that Ravio had changed in the same ways that he had—albeit with purple facial hair, if he kept it—but he still found it interesting to think about. He also wondered what Ravio had gotten into in Lorule; if he continued being a merchant, or if he went down a path similar to the one Link had. Link had been Knighted, joined and rose in the ranks of the army, married Queen Zelda, and became the father to the new Prince of Hyrule, Ravio.
Most of all, Link wondered if his old friend ever thought about him.
"Don't be so silly, of course he still thinks about you!" Zelda would say whenever Link brought it up.
Link wished he was as certain as she was. Surely it would be easy for Ravio to get so caught up in restoring his country that Link could slip right out of his mind. It would even be a lie for Link to say that there weren't a few days he went without thinking of Ravio over the last 5000-something days, especially in the more recent ones. Being a consort and a father was time-consuming.
"At least you think about me every day, don't you, little guy?" Link said, running a loving hand through his two-year-old son's strawberry blond locks.
"I see Papa every day!" Ravio said.
There was a knock at the door of Ravio's bedroom. Link huffed. Couldn't he have some alone time with his son?
"Come in!" Link said anyways.
The door opened, revealing a guard. He stepped into the room and bowed. "Your Majesty..."
"The formalities aren't needed," Link said for what felt like the thousandth time. Being called such titles still made him feel strange. "Call me Link."
"Link..." the guard said, sounding rather uncomfortable with it. "Your presence is requested by a visitor."
"A visitor?" Link said. He got to his feet, picking up Ravio. "I didn't have any meetings scheduled today. Isn't Zelda having one right now?"
"Yes, the Queen is currently having a meeting, but the guest who requested to see you is not here for a formal meeting, Your Ma—" the guard stopped himself. He cleared his throat. "Link, if you would follow me..."
Link followed the guard through the castle, feeling relieved that he wasn't headed to a formal meeting. He wasn't comfortable going to them yet without Zelda by his side. The fact that the guard was letting him take Ravio along said that it wasn't going to be formal at all, making Link feel even better. It was probably going to be one of his friends, he thought. Gulley or Irene, most likely. They both had a knack for showing up unannounced.
"Papa, let me walk!"
Ravio's call brought Link out of his thoughts. Link obliged, putting Ravio down. Ravio wrapped his chubby fingers around Links, and they continued their way through the castle. They finally came to a stop outside of the living room. The guard held the door open, allowing Link and Ravio inside before gently closing the door behind them.
Link's eyes were immediately drawn to someone wearing purple, crouched down on the floor, back towards him. The purple-haired man looked over his shoulder. His green eyes met Link's blue ones. Link felt like he was going to pass out.
"Happy to see me again, buddy?" Ravio asked, his voice much deeper than it had once been.
He laughed as he stood up and walked towards Link. Link could only stare at him in shock. Despite how correct Link's guesses were as to what the grown-up Ravio would be like, he still couldn't believe it. It was like the Ravio in his mind had never truly aged, staying the same twelve-year-old, but there the twenty-six-year-old Ravio was in the flesh.
"Am I so handsome that you have no words left?" Ravio said with a cheesy grin.
Link breathlessly laughed, and practically threw himself at Ravio, hugging him tightly. "How did you get here?!" Link asked, words muffled by Ravio's scarf.
"I found a fissure deep in Skull Woods, and I had enough magic power saved up from over the years to get us through it," he answered.
'Us'? Who was 'us'? Did Hilda come, too? And if there was another fissure connecting their worlds, did that mean that something bad was about to happen again? Link decided to ignore these thoughts for now. Ravio was back, and that was all that mattered then. He sighed happily.
"I never thought I'd see you again," Link said. "I've missed you so much, Ravio!"
"But I been right here, Papa!" Link's son said.
"'Papa'?" Ravio pulled out of Link's hug and looked down. He let out a laugh. "You have a son!"
Link quickly bent down and picked him up. "Ravio, meet Ravio!"
The older Ravio put a hand over his heart. "You-you really named him after me?"
"Of course I did!" Link said.
"I'm honored! It would have been super awkward if I named my son after you and you didn't name yours after me." He looked behind him. "Come here!"
Link drew his eyebrows together, and leaned over. Behind Ravio was a little boy that would have been completely identical to Link's son if it weren't for his dark indigo hair and green eyes. After the boy had slowly walked forward, Ravio picked him up.
"Sorry, Link's a bit shy at first," Ravio said. "His name's a perfect fit, isn't it?"
"How old is he?" Link asked, smiling widely.
"Just turned two on July 13th. What about your boy?"
Link laughed. "Just turned two on July 13th!"
"Should've guessed that," Ravio said through his laughter. "Oh, let me guess, you married Zelda?"
Link nodded, and Ravio held his hand up for a high five. Link happily gave him one. "And I guess you married Hilda, then, Ravio?"
"That would be Ravio, King Consort of Lorule to you!" he said over-dramatically. He looked at his son with a smile. "Isn't that right, Prince Link?" The toddler buried his face in his father's neck.
"I'm surprised that you were capable of fathering a child with the ability to be quiet," Link said.
Ravio nearly snorted. "Trust me, he never shuts up at home. Ever. He's only acting like this because he's never met you. I think the trip through the fissure still has him a bit out of his element, too."
"Are you not a little bit worried about the fissure?" Link asked with a frown. "Last time, they started appearing because of Yuga forcing our worlds together... Do you think that he could be...?"
Ravio shrugged. "I guess we'll have to wait and see if anything comes of it. For now, we should just be thankful that we're getting to see each other again. We shouldn't be worrying about it when we have so much to catch up on!"
Link nodded in agreement, but the worrier in him couldn't let him completely relax. "It should still be cause for concern, though..."
"Pfft! The only one who should be concerned is Yuga if he comes back." Ravio grinned. "If he lost last time to one little boy, imagine how quick he'd lose to two grown men!"
