The Hyrulian Valhalla Saga: Side Stories
By Queenie Z

No Promise Left Unfulfilled

Wind sighed, covering his eyes with his forearm as he laid lazily at the end of the pier facing the vast blue oceans of the world beyond. As much as he'd wanted to relax under the sun's rays and forget about the unpleasantness of that morning, they were just too damn bright. Eventually, he grumbled something under his breath and sat up, kicking his small feet across the water's surface and lowering his head with a frown.

"Guess I shouldn't have let things go like that, huh?" he mused to himself. "I'm such an idiot sometimes."

A familiar pair of laughing voices caught Wind's attention, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Time animatedly telling some kind of story to Sky as they walked along the shoreline, fishing poles in hand. The two were carrying on like they were having a great time - a great time which Wind didn't feel the need to spoil with his own rotten mood. He turned back to the water, pretending he hadn't heard them.

"Hey, Time," said Sky's voice, just barely audible over the sound of the waves, "isn't that Wind over there?"

"You're right," replied Time before he began jogging over towards the pier. "Hey, Wind! Sky and I were just about to do some fishing over here, want to - "

The smaller Hero turned once more, a little flustered that he'd been noticed after all. His forlorn expression made Time freeze in his tracks.

"...Wind?" He approached his successor with a worried look, Sky following suit. "What's wrong?"

Sky hunched over, sharing Time's concern. "Did something happen?"

Casting glances at his two elders, Wind sighed. He knew by now that his fellow Heroes weren't the kind to take no for an answer over things like this. "...Yeah, sort of. Me and Sis kinda got into it a little."

"You mean, you had a fight." Time sat down at Wind's left, laying his fishing rod down behind him. "Was it really bad enough to put you in such a bad mood?"

The younger Link hung his head again. "Yeah... but, really, it was my fault. I said I'd spend the day with her and Grandma. Mom and Dad were gonna be there too." He rubbed his hand through his bangs and gripped his hair in frustration. "But I forgot and showed up really late. She was so mad at me. I don't blame her for getting angry, but..."

Sky tilted his head. "But...?"

"...She said that I'd always done this," Wind said weakly, "that I'd always made her wait for me, ever since we were young." He drew his knees up with a bitter smile. "And, well... she's right."

"Wind," said Time, "if you're talking about when you went to look for New Hyrule, you know that's - "

With a slight glare, Wind turned to his elder. "I was gone for six years, Time," he said. "She spent six years waiting for me to come back, and all I did was send her letters with vague promises about coming home soon! By the time I got back, she was as old as I was when I left!" He clenched his eyes shut. "She was so angry... What kind of person does that to his baby sister? And his grandmother, too!?"

Sky placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Wind, don't," he said in a calming voice. "She forgave you for that a long time ago."

"That doesn't mean what I did was right."

"But you did it for the right reasons." The eldest Hero smiled. "You remember what you said when you first stepped foot on the new continent, don't you?"

"'Sis is going to love this'," quoted Time. He snickered a little. "Remember that?"

Wind's eyes widened slightly. "How did you - "

"We were watching you, of course!" Time ruffled his successor's hair, causing him to wince.

"Oh," he muttered, "r-right, of course you were..."

"Wasn't your whole journey about your family in the first place?" continued Sky, "About finding a better place for them - a prosperous land where Aryll could grow up safe and happy?"

The younger Link paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"And in the end, you found that land," Time said, lowering his hand. "You came back for her, and you took her there, just like you said you would. You fulfilled every last one of your promises - and that's what makes you such a good big brother."

Smiling sheepishly, Wind rubbed the spot where Time had his hand. "...Yeah," he said, "I guess... I didn't always do everything right, but when you put it that way, I did the best I could, didn't I?"

Sky nodded. "And Aryll knows that. She's a good kid; she'll definitely apologize for saying those things to you." He nudged the smaller Hero a little. "Just as long as you apologize for being a scatter-brain, too."

Wind laughed. "Don't worry, I was going to anyway." He stood, stretched his arms, then ran off back towards the shore.

"Whoa, where are you hurrying off to?" asked Time.

"To get some hibiscus flowers," Wind called back, "they're her favorite! Thanks, you guys!" And with that, he scurried off.

Chuckling to himself, Sky sat down, allowing his bare feet to enter the water. "He really is sweet," he said, adjusting the lure on his fishing hook a bit.

"They both are," added Time, who checked his own line before casting it into the sea. "I'm a little jealous - I always wanted a sibling I could argue with, haha."

"Well, you argue plenty with Twilight," Sky said with a teasing shrug, "that ought to make up for it, right?"

Time scoffed, shoved Sky playfully, then returned his attention to his line.