You Aren't The Boss of Me

It was apparent that Aryll had ratted him out when her terrified shrieks subsided and were replaced by Uli's firm voice calling, "Link! Come up here!" Link was usually a docile and responsible child. He was used to being the oldest child and grew up with his grandma and sister, so it made him the man of the house, which only grew more apparent after he found himself having to take care of himself and his sister with no blood relatives left.

It was tough having to leave their island on such short notice and then being carted around inland from village to village. They had eventually managed to find a couple in Ordon that was willing to take them in permanently, however, their house was too small so they ended up moving into the small community in Hyrule Fields.

The move was the turning point in the relationship he had with his foster parents. Meeting Tetra had awakened a rebellious streak in him and he now found himself scorning Uli's stern, yet gentle, beckoning. He had grown rather fond of Rusl and Uli over the past few months, but he was old enough to understand that they weren't his real parents.

What right did they have to order him around? How could they possibly dictate him on watching over his sister when that was practically his job since the day she was born? With every new question, his resentment only grew. They didn't understand him or Aryll, they had no right at all.

Uli called for him again, only sounding a bit more exasperated. For some reason, it reminded him of his grandma, scolding him for chasing Aryll's seagulls down by the shore. Link subconsciously took a step towards the stairs before he realized what he was doing and stopped.

Grandma was dead. Those were stairs, not the step ladder that led to the small loft where his grandma liked to sit and knit. This wasn't Outset Island. One look out the window at the rain and he knew for sure that he was still stuck here. It never rained back home, the skies were always clear and the sand was always warm. His eyes slid hesitantly toward the back door located in the kitchen. There was a chain lock bolted high on the wall, way beyond his short reach, but it was unlocked.

Link swallowed hard and glanced indecisively between the door and stairs.

Outside was Tetra. They could play pirates. She would yell at him, but it was okay because he knew she didn't mean it. She was just pretending to be his captain. He could play that pretty ocarina for her, too, and she might sit close to him again like before. She had actually seemed like a girl for those few tranquil moments, with her eyes closed pensively and a gentle smile playing across her thin lips. He remembered that she didn't wear sticky lip gloss like Zelda did and it just seemed like such a Tetra thing to do (scorning lip gloss and chap stick) that he smiled.

Upstairs was Uli. His smile faltered as he tried to imagine the scenario awaiting him on the second floor. She would be disappointed in him for sure and would probably lecture him again on being a responsible older brother. A heavy, sinking feeling formed in his stomach and, if he was a little older, he'd probably be able to pin it on something called "guilt".

Link tried to shake the sensation off with false reassurances. He had only been joking around and Aryll knew that, right? She was just overreacting like she was usually prone to do. He nodded to himself, satisfied with his own explanation. The choice was clear to him now.

There was one last call for his name, but Link didn't hear it. By the time Uli hobbled downstairs to fetch him herself, he was already gone.