Chapter 11: Of Meetings and Partings
"Aha!" Tetra declared triumphantly, throwing her cards down on the table in victory. "I win again!"
"You have to be cheating," Linebeck accused her. It was fair enough. She'd won every single game so far, and they had been playing since lunch. That must have been at least an hour or two ago by Kid's estimate.
"Nope. I'm just playing the game," Tetra claimed, adopting her signature wink. "Unlike this one." She nudged Kid in the side harder than necessary.
"Hey! I am playing," he protested.
"You're not trying," Tetra pointed out with a smirk.
Kid shrugged. "I don't have to try. You'll beat me either way." It was true. Tetra was exceptionally good at reading people and since his face was naturally expressive it didn't exactly take a genius to figure out if he had a good hand or not. Sometimes he wished Tetra and the pirates played card games that required less manipulation, like Go Fish. No one could cheat at Go Fish. Well … unless they lied and hid cards like usual so maybe playing Go Fish with pirates wouldn't be a good thing after all.
"Play seriously for a round and we'll see," Linebeck invited him, swiping all the cards off of the table and into the deck of cards in his hands.
"Oi! I'm the dealer," Tetra objected as Linebeck began to shuffle the deck.
"Not anymore. I have a feeling you're cheating, Missy," Linebeck said.
"Where's your proof?" Tetra challenged.
Without looking up from his shuffling, Linebeck asked, "What do you think, treasure dog? She cheating?"
"Probably," Kid answered, scooting farther away from Tetra so she couldn't take a swipe at him.
"Jerk," Tetra spat.
"There's your proof," Linebeck declared. "You wouldn't be so defensive if you were innocent."
"Yeah right," Tetra huffed.
Finished with his shuffling, Linebeck dealt the cards. Kid barely had time to glance at his hand before they were interrupted.
"Tetra, shouldn't you be captaining?" Link asked as he entered the room, his tone teasing.
"Shouldn't you be swabbieing?" Tetra countered cheekily, her eyes fixated on the cards in her hand.
"I am. I was sent down here to tell you that we're here," Link announced.
Just like that all of Kid's anxiousness returned. What if they were wrong? What if Medli wasn't at Dragon Roost? What if Ghirahim really was causing trouble and they'd just been oblivious to it? If the island was in distress, surely Valoo would have been bellowing it to the heavens. He didn't hear anything but that didn't necessarily mean anything either…
"You coming or what?" Tetra asked impatiently, snapping him out of his reverie. Kid nodded mutely, setting the cards back on the table.
"Are you coming too, Linebeck?" he asked, noticing that the sea captain hadn't moved.
"Nah," Linebeck said, waving his hand dismissively. "I don't have any business on Dragon Roost. Just get done quickly. Let's not make my ship wait too long, huh?"
"Right," Kid replied before following Tetra and Link out of the room.
"Hey, Link. If you're coming onto the island with us you'll need a cover story," Tetra piped up as they ascended the stairs.
"Already have one," Link replied without sparing a glance behind him.
"Name?" Tetra quizzed.
"Fado."
"Relations?"
"Kid's cousin."
"Island of origin?"
"Outset."
"Wrong," Tetra declared.
Link stopped and turned around. "I wasn't aware that there was a wrong answer."
"Well, there is," Tetra informed him.
"And why can't I be from Outset?" Link wondered.
"No, no." Tetra shook her head. "The problem isn't that you can't be from Outset, it's the fact that you can't possibly be from anywhere else."
Link thought about this for a few seconds before giving up. "…I still fail to see the issue. If it's as obvious that I'm from Outset as you say, then wouldn't saying I'm from Outset make my story more convincing?"
"No, because you can't be from Outset," Tetra insisted.
Link opened his mouth to protest but Kid cut him off, suddenly understanding Tetra's concern. "Your clothes. They're the same as mine and mine are customary on Outset which means yours are too. Everyone on the Great Sea knows that."
"Okay, but why's that bad?"
"Because the island's full of postmen who have been to Outset and a few of them are regulars. If we bump into them, they'll know that you don't live on Outset and then we'd need to figure out a different way to explain your clothes," Kid explained. "And… I'm not so sure there is one…"
"So change your clothes, and you can come with us. Don't change, and you stay on the ship," Tetra summed up.
"I don't really have anything normal to change into…" Link trailed off uncertainly.
"Just take off your tunic, chainmail, and hat and keep the rest on. It'll look normal enough, and then if someone asks you can say you're from Windfall," Kid suggested.
"That's … actually a really good idea," Link admitted, seeming vexed that he hadn't thought of it earlier. "I'll meet you guys in a few minutes."
"Don't take too long!" Tetra called after Link as he hurried down the steps they'd just climbed. "I want to get in and out as fast as possible!"
The two of them continued to the upper deck to await Link's arrival. It didn't take long and before Kid knew it he was standing on the shores of Dragon Roost Island. The last time he'd been here it was to retrieve Medli for their expedition. Now he just hoped that the Rito girl was here, safe.
"Is this a bomb or a flower?" Link asked, pointing to the bomb flower plant he was standing in front of.
"It's a bomb flower," Kid said.
Link quirked an eyebrow at him. "That doesn't answer my question."
Tetra marched up to the bomb flower and plucked it from the ground, instantly setting the fuse alight and smirking at Link as he jumped back in surprise. She weighed it in her hand for a few seconds before hurling the bomb away from their little group and into the shallow pool of water nearby. The bomb burst as it hit the water, kicking up a small geyser that sent water droplets raining down on them.
Three seconds later the explosive fruit grew back, and Tetra gestured to it like a magician would after pulling off a particularly baffling illusion.
"I wouldn't hit it, kick it, or step on it if you don't want to get a limb blown off," Tetra advised Link as she strolled past him. "Come on. We're wasting time."
"Why though?" Link asked Kid as he started to follow Tetra. Kid shrugged in answer. He didn't know and he'd never really questioned it, though, now that he thought about it, he probably should have.
"I am more concerned about the dragon than the explosive vegetation," Princess Zelda spoke up as they began their trek up the side of the mountain, Tetra in the lead.
"Why?" Link wondered.
"It is a dragon," Zelda stated.
"Yeah, I noticed. And those are palm trees, and those are bombs that are also plants," Link said, pointing at each object in turn and thus causing the princess to send an icy glare his way.
"Dragons aren't normal," Princess Zelda reminded him.
"Neither are bomb plants," Link pointed out.
"Flowers," Kid corrected his counterpart under his breath.
"They tend to be predatory," Zelda continued as if neither of them had said anything.
"If the dragon was dangerous do you really think anyone would be living here?" Tetra glowered.
"Valoo's a sky spirit that protects the Rito," Kid supplied upon seeing the discontented expression on Zelda's face. "He's not dangerous at all. Well … unless you pull on his tail. Or threaten the Rito, then he can be pretty dangerous."
Their little group lapsed into silence then, and it wasn't long before they came to the recently repaired bridge. It'd taken the Rito quite a while to fix it. Then again, Kid supposed they hadn't been in a big hurry to repair it anyway, seeing as Rito can fly and those who can't have their grappling hooks to bear them across the gap.
"Death Mountain," Link declared.
"Huh?" Kid wondered, glancing over his shoulder at his counterpart.
Link pointed to the steep mountain on their left. "It reminds me of Death Mountain. The shape, at least." Now that Link mentioned it, Kid could see the resemblance. Just a little bit.
"It is a volcano," Kid added, "so you might be right." They lost sight of it as they entered a small cave.
"Interesting…" Zelda mused. "Do Gorons live here too?"
"No," Kid replied, his voice echoing a little in the closed space.
"Oh goddesses! Did the Gorons evolve into Rito?!" Link exclaimed, horrified.
"Now that has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Tetra proclaimed, throwing a glare over her shoulder at Link.
"Yeah," Kid agreed with none of the hostility his friend used. "The Rito evolved from Zora."
"You're kidding me right?" Link asked, gesticulating furiously at the ocean before them in disbelief as they emerged from the cave. "There's no way that's possible."
"And why not?" Tetra demanded. "What holds your rock people turning into bird people theory together?"
"Nothing aside from the fact that they live on the same mountain," Link admitted, "but that's more than you can say. Why would fish people change if the world's flooding? That puts them at a disadvantage."
"Does it? Zora can only survive in freshwater," Tetra countered.
"That is not true," Princess Zelda interjected. "Zora can exist in either freshwater or saltwater. It makes no difference."
"Then why would they change at all?" Tetra inquired, her face scrunching up in thought.
"That's what I want to know," Link said.
"I think it's because the Gods didn't want the remains of Hyrule to be discovered so they made them evolve into Rito," Kid piped up, recalling what the King of Hyrule had told him once when he'd asked. To think that the Gods had gone to such great lengths to ensure the kingdom would never be discovered, it was unnerving to say the least. At first, entering the sunken kingdom had given him a sense of foreboding, like he was defying the Gods by being there. Only later did he realize that wasn't the case.
"Why go to such lengths to keep it hidden?" Princess Zelda inquired, evidently unnerved by the thought as well.
Kid shrugged along with Tetra, but he knew the answer. Their ancestors, the ones that had climbed the mountains in order to build a new kingdom, knew of Hyrule. If the goddesses made it so easy for them to return, to see that not all of it was lost for good, many would seek to resurrect it, as Ganondorf had. Of course, they may not have wanted to do so right away, as Ganon was still a problem, but as soon as they knew he was gone, they would have jumped at the chance. And if they would have jumped at the chance then that would mean they hadn't fortified a solid way of life above the waves. If that had been so, they surely wouldn't have lasted long. It was better that they'd forgotten the kingdom, Kid decided. Living in the past didn't help anyone move forward.
They reached the end of the wooden boardwalk and entered the aerie. It was just as busy as it always was, Rito flitting about here and there, some walking briskly, eyes affixed firmly to clipboards, while others opted to fly to higher levels, in too much of a rush to use their legs.
"Is it okay to be in here?" Link whispered as he observed the controlled chaos from the doorway.
"It's fine," Tetra assured him, her tone no louder or softer than normal.
"As long as we don't get in the way," Kid added absentmindedly, his eyes searching for someone familiar. He didn't know many of the Rito personally.
"Well, thanks for the crappy help," Tetra huffed, as a Rito she'd attempted to get information out of barely glanced at her before moving on.
"Tetra, don't bother people," Kid said.
"How am I supposed to gather any information if I don't?" she shot back.
"Be more polite, first of all," Link advised her.
"Oh shut it. Like you know anything." Tetra rolled her eyes.
"Let's try to look for Quill," Kid suggested. The postman had helped him on numerous occasions before so now shouldn't be any different.
"He's probably already out delivering letters," Tetra said as Kid began to lead the way up the spiral ramp set into the wall.
"There are more Rito here than normal. Either they're just getting in or they're just going out," he remarked.
Nothing more was said as they ascended the spiral ramp to the upper floor of the aerie. Just as he'd suspected, Rito were gathered around the mail center counter, stowing letters in their delivery bags. Kid didn't see Quill among them, so he led the group outside where the takeoff platforms were.
A quick scan of the area informed Kid that the postman he was trying to catch was just about to leave.
"Quill!" Kid called, breaking into a run to reach the Rito before he took to the sky. If his cry hadn't alerted the postman, his hurried footsteps certainly did. Quill straightened and turned around, his red-eyed gaze landing on Kid almost instantly.
"Ah, Link. Hello," Quill greeted him. "How are you?"
"Hi. I'm good," Kid replied. "Sorry to bother you like this, but I need to talk to you."
"In that case let's converse elsewhere, shall we? We're in everyone's way like this," Quill reminded him, nodding to the postmen that were streaming out of the mail center, impatiently waiting their turn to use the runway they were on.
"Oh, right," Kid agreed, following Quill closer to the side of the mountain where Tetra, Link, and the princess were waiting.
"Friends of yours?" Quill wondered upon noticing the others.
"Yes. This is Zelda, Fado, and uh… you remember Tetra," Kid introduced, pointing to each one in turn.
"Of course I do. Not many can forget meeting Miss Fearsome Pirate," Quill quipped.
Link coughed and turned away, poorly masking his amusement.
"Shut up or I'll kill you!" Tetra screamed at Link, trying to shove him off balance but failing.
"Anyway…" Kid interjected, attracting Quill's red-eyed gaze once again. "I was wondering if you've seen anything weird around the Great Sea lately."
"I'm afraid you'll have to specify," the postman returned.
Kid bit his lip, pondering how to do just that. Thankfully, Tetra had finished trying to berate Link for laughing at her and was willing to participate in the conversation. "Weird like monsters popping up where they don't belong. Strange occurrences like…" she paused, taking a moment to think, "freak storms? Unusual creatures causing trouble? That kind of thing."
After taking a moment or two to think, Quill said, "Nothing like that has come to my attention."
"What good are you?" Tetra muttered and Kid elbowed her in warning, earning him an elbow in his own side.
"Alright. How about Medli?" Kid asked, reclaiming the postman's attention.
"What about her?"
"Is she here?" Kid held his breath, heart thudding hard in his chest in anticipation of Quill's response. 'Say yes. Say…'
"Yes," Quill answered. "I believe she's with Lord Valoo at the moment."
"Could you get her for us, please?" Kid requested. "We need to speak with her."
"Of course. Where should I tell her to meet you?" Quill inquired.
"Uh … tell her to come to where she normally practices," Kid said. It was close enough and private.
Quill bid them farewell, and they were soon left alone, or as alone as they could be given where they were, but the other Rito didn't pay them any mind, so it was just as well.
Kid led them the edge of the boardwalk and pulled out his grappling hook.
"Do either of you know how to use a grappling hook?" Kid inquired, turning to Link and Zelda.
When they both shook their heads Kid set to teaching them, first how to coil the grappling hook, then how to hold it, how to spin it, how to throw it, and so on. After a few minutes of explaining he had each of them practice.
"This is taking forever," Tetra complained from where she was leaning against the side of the mountain, utterly bored and eternally impatient.
"Demonstrate for them then," Kid invited her, taking the coiled grappling hook from Zelda and holding it out for the pirate captain to take.
"Gladly," Tetra said, snatching the grappling hook out of his hand and purposely spinning it in a wide arc so he was forced to move or get hit. Adjusting her hold on it, Tetra twirled it in her hand a little while longer before aiming at the grappling hook post secured to the mountainside and letting it fly. The clawed hook wrapped around the post, and with a small hop Tetra was airborne, swinging over the gap. She landed safely on the other side and effortlessly dislodged the grappling hook. After coiling it, she threw it back over, and Kid reached out to catch it, narrowly missing having the hot metal of the hook graze his cheek.
"I can do that," Link proclaimed with certainty.
Kid smiled and handed the grappling hook off to Link. "Go for it."
His counterpart was quick to grasp the concept, and Kid found it hard to believe that he'd never done it before. Link threw the grappling hook and it wrapped itself securely around the post. Not to be shown up by Tetra, Link leaped off the platform and let the rope carry him across, disembarking on the other side much like Tetra had. It took him a couple tries to get the grappling hook to release the post but he eventually got it and tossed it over.
Kid grabbed the grappling hook out of the air and offered it to the princess, whose silence spoke volumes.
"Don't worry, princess!" Link called from the other side. "If you fall I'll catch you!"
"Don't joke about that," Zelda ordered him, unsmiling as she accepted the tool from Kid.
"About what? You falling or me catching you?"
"Both." Princess Zelda twirled the grappling hook, missing twice before getting it to wind around the post. On the other side Link and Tetra stepped back from the edge to give her room to land. She did so without a hitch and soon the grappling hook was back in Kid's hands.
He spun the grappling hook with practiced ease, locked his sights on the post and let it loose. No sooner than was the tool secured, Kid jumped, wincing at the soreness in his left shoulder as he soared over the gap. It seemed that his arm wasn't completely recovered from being infected just yet. Why he expected it to be, Kid had no idea.
Once he'd successfully joined his companions on the other side, they climbed a little higher.
"This is a beautiful view," Princess Zelda commented once they'd reached the top, though she dare not approach the very edge like the rest of them. Kid had to agree with her. The afternoon sun glittered on the ocean, giving the waves a silver tint. Rito could be see flying away from the island, on a mission to deliver mail to its rightful destination.
"Why is Medli with Valoo?" Link wondered.
"She's Valoo's attendant," Kid supplied.
"I thought she was a sage," Zelda cut in.
"She is," Kid replied, "but she also tends to the dragon."
"Isn't she sort of young for that?" Link wondered.
"Link, I don't know how to make you understand this but here, on the Great Sea, no one's too young for anything," Tetra declared with venom in her tone.
"That's not true," Kid refuted. "Medli has to be Valoo's attendant because…" her teacher died. He couldn't say that even though it was true. Because that was Tetra's point, wasn't it? No one was too young for anything because bad things happened all the time. Misfortune was everywhere. Children were forced into adult positions. They were forced to grow up before they were ready. It had happened to him and Tetra. Medli too. And loads of others.
"Never mind," Kid muttered, dropping his gaze to the dusty ground and silently urging Medli to hurry. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to wait long. Just as the soreness was abating from his shoulder, the Rito girl glided down to meet them, wobbling a bit as she landed.
"H-hi everyone," Medli stammered, dipping low in a bow and perking right up again. She looked to Link and the princess, tilting her head to the side slightly. "What are you doing here?" She gasped and pink tinged her cheeks as she came to the realization that what had come out of her mouth hadn't exactly been polite. "Not that I'm not happy to see you!" Medli hastily amended. "It's just that I thought … um…"
"It's okay," Link assured her with a smile. "We're here because we uh … lost."
Kid hurried to fill Medli in on the situation, more comfortable with explaining Ghirahim in his sister's absence.
"Oh that's terrible!" Medli cried once he was finished. "I'm so sorry you were trapped there. If I'd known I would have tried to get back to you."
"It's fine. We're here now," Kid said.
"What we need to know is how you got here," Tetra spoke up.
"Right. Well … Makar, Aryll, and I were in the library talking and waiting for you guys to come back. I don't know quite how long it was but these weird portals opened up behind us and pulled us in. Then I woke up here. Well, not here exactly. I mean, on the beach of Dragon Roost, and I just assumed everyone else was taken home too. I'm sorry," Medli apologized again.
Kid ignored her apology. "Those portals were only meant for you and Makar but Aryll was taken too. Is she here?"
"I'm afraid not," Medli replied. "But I'm sure she's with Makar. She has to be." Kid chose to believe that was true.
"Next stop. Forest Haven. Got it." Tetra noted.
"Is there anything else you can think of that may help us find Ghirahim?" Princess Zelda inquired.
"Not really," Medli admitted. "I-"
"MEDLI!" A shout drew their attention to the sky, and when the Rito landed Kid could see that it was none other than the Rito Prince.
"Prince Koma-"
"Here," Komali said, practically shoving an object into her hands.
She fumbled with it for a second before getting a firm grip on it and then holding it up for inspection. She gasped in surprise. Kid was surprised too. Golden feathers were hard to find just lying around.
"I fought off a Kargaroc to get that for you!" Komali declared proudly, puffing out his chest, his feathers slightly ruffled.
"You what?!" Medli exclaimed, obviously more concerned about Komali's well-being than a feather.
"Okay, that's not exactly true," the Rito boy admitted, his proud stance deflating. "I just snuck up behind it and plucked out one of its tail feathers." Medli looked horrified but Komali didn't seem to notice. "Long story short, it was not happy. It chased me around the island too many times to count before I finally managed to lose it." Kid sincerely doubted that. You couldn't lose a Kargaroc. They wouldn't stop chasing their enemy until either it or they perished. He should know. He lost one too many seagulls to them.
"That's incredibly dangerous!" Medli cried.
"It was incredibly awesome!" Komali countered ecstatically. "And you like it, don't you?"
Medli glanced down at the golden feather clutched in her pale hand. A small smile touched her lips and then it was gone.
"That doesn't matter!" she insisted. "You can't just do stuff like that, it's dangerous!"
"But Link does stuff like that all the time," Komali protested. It was then that he acknowledged Kid's presence.
"Oh, by the way I have something for you too," Prince Komali said, quickly sifting through the delivery bag at his hip and producing a letter which he handed to Kid. "You're really hard to track down, you know that?"
"Yeah, sorry," Kid apologized as he accepted the letter, glancing at it just long enough to recognize the neat, if slightly shaky handwriting. A bleating sound met his ears, and he tensed along with everyone else who recognized it.
"That's my cue," Komali announced, running for the edge, hopping onto the railing and jumping off only to come back into view a few seconds later with brown and white wings replacing his arms.
Another bleat drew Kid's attention to the Kargaroc rounding the corner. It screeched as it caught sight of the feather in Medli's hand and dove towards her. Silently cursing himself for not whipping out his bow and arrows in the first place, Kid hastily tried to open his pouch.
Fwwp! Something shot past his ear, and Kid jerked his head up just in time to see the monster bird disintegrate into a cloud of smoke. Looking over his shoulder, Kid saw Link with his bow, still in position from when he'd released the arrow.
"There's another!" Tetra announced, leaning over the wooden railing and pointing. They all hurried over to see a low flying Kargaroc chasing Prince Komali. The young Rito Prince had a lead but the gap between the two was swiftly closing. He tried to shake it off his tail by climbing higher but it stuck with him, determined to see its enemy fall.
Link released another arrow, and Medli watched fearfully from the slits her fingers provided in front of her eyes. The Kargaroc didn't disappear, so Link readied another arrow and fired. This time the projectile pierced the monster bird's head and in an instant it was nothing more than a puff of smoke that the wind carried away.
Kid let out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding along with Medli. He scanned the area for anymore threats but found none.
"Eh … sorry about him," Medli spoke up, tucking the golden feather behind her ear. "I better go. It was nice seeing you. I'll send word to you if I find out anything about that demon." With a subtle twitch of her shoulders, Medli's arms transformed into white feathered wings, and she took to the sky, flying after the reckless prince.
"Well, that was more entertainment than I hoped to get out of this trip," Tetra proclaimed, stretching her arms above her head.
"Are those Kargaroks normal?" Link wondered as he stowed his weapons away.
"Yes," Kid responded.
"What was the significance of the feather?" Princess Zelda queried.
"Golden feathers," Tetra scoffed. "Rito girls love them for some reason."
Suddenly reminded of that which Komali had presented to him, Kid became conscious of the letter in his hand and stared at his name, lovingly and carefully scribed in ink. Turning it over, Kid tore the simple envelope open, slipping out the folded parchment inside and hastily unfolding it.
Dear Link,
You know you worry me, right? Of course you do, you are a smart boy. I understand you're at that age where rebellion might seem fun and what not, but I beg you, please do not pursue it! If you wanted another week with your sister, all you had to do was ask. In person would have been preferred, but I would have been satisfied with a letter of notification as well. What I'm trying to say is that I haven't heard from my grandbabies in over a week now! It has me worried greatly for both your safety and hers. Write me as soon as you get this, and while you're at it, come home. We need to talk.
With Love,
Grandma
Biting his lip, Kid stared at the letter, letting it soak in and then reread it. Halfway through his second read through, Tetra interrupted him.
"Who's it from?"
"None of your business," Kid said, twisted away from her when she made a grab for it. He should have known that Tetra made everything her business. In fact, he did know, so Kid had no idea why he was caught off guard when the pirate girl whisked the letter out of his hands.
"Give it back!" he yelled, lunging for it.
Silently reading it to herself and smirking at whatever line she was on, Tetra sidestepped him. He came at her again, and she kicked out at him.
"Can't you see I'm trying to read here?" she asked as he dodged. "Rude."
"You're rude!" Kid retorted. "That's private!" Tetra said nothing and dodged his next attempt to reclaim the letter.
"Tetra. Give it back to him. Now," Link ordered, catching her arm.
"Why do you have to ruin my fun, huh?" Tetra demanded as Kid snatched the letter from her hand and folded it, tucking it back into its envelope.
"Because it's not fun for everyone," Link replied seriously, releasing her.
"Come on. Let's go get my sister," Kid said, putting the letter in his delivery bag so he wouldn't lose it, and then pulling out his grappling hook. They made their way down to the beach in silence. It was just as well. Kid was too consumed by his thoughts to pay any attention to his companions.
As soon as they had all boarded the ship, Kid changed the wind direction. It didn't give him the satisfaction that it normally did, but he didn't really care. All he cared about was getting to Forest Haven. If the goddesses smiled on him at all, his sister would be there. If not … he didn't know what he would do. He wouldn't be able to take it if he had to go home without her and explain to Grandma that he lost her. If that didn't scream irresponsible, he didn't know what did.
To distract himself from the worst case scenario, Kid helped Niko out with whatever chores he had to do, no matter what they were. Link helped them too, and every now and then he'd try to make conversation, but Kid couldn't bring himself to reciprocate it for very long.
So as the hours passed, all Kid did was work. Even when dusk fell and dinner came and went and the moon rose and the stars in the sky were unveiled, still he sought out work. There wasn't much to do at this point, either because it was already done, or because it wasn't a job he was allowed to do, but that didn't stop him from trying anyway. On a few occasions he contemplated writing a letter home like his grandmother had requested of him but every time he tried he found that he didn't have the right words. If she hadn't worried herself into the grave by now, then his not replying for another day or two wouldn't do anymore harm. Besides, he'd probably arrive home before any letter could reach her.
The night grew later and later, but Kid did not sleep even when he was invited to by Link, Linebeck, or one of the pirates. Instead he succumbed to the thoughts he'd been avoiding for hours and watched the ocean for any sign of Forest Haven.
Eventually he must have fallen asleep on deck, for someone was roughly shaking him, telling him that they had arrived, and if he wanted to get his sister he better get a move on. Blinking away his weariness, Kid sat up and rubbed his eyes.
Sure enough, Forest Haven lay before him, as silent and green as it always was. Kid scrambled to his feet and all but jumped off the ship and onto the grass waiting below, stumbling a bit upon landing. He hastily climbed up the large grassy steps and very nearly got his head trapped in the mouth of a slobbering Boko Baba.
With barely a thought as to what he was doing, Kid whipped out his sword and beheaded the plant monster. He didn't watch as its remains shriveled and died. Kid simply moved on, hacking through any other Boko Babas that lay in his path.
Before he knew it he was up to his waist in forest water. It was a hindrance to be sure, but Kid managed to make his way through the stream to shallower water that soon gave way to grassy land.
No Koroks were in sight but he hadn't expected to see any. They were naturally reserved anyway, and it was late. They were probably sleeping somewhere up in the Deku Tree's crown.
Jogging around the base of the tree, Kid tripped and fell onto his hands and knees. Sure that it had been a root or fallen branch that caused him to fall, Kid looked behind him, only to find a small leg instead.
"Aryll!" Kid exclaimed, crawling the short distance to his sister's side. Her dress was travel worn and grass stained, her golden blonde hair a tangled mess, her once immaculate pig tails coming undone, but she appeared to be okay otherwise. His fall had jarred her awake, and she stared up at him sleepily, a tiny smile touching her lips.
"Hi, Big Brother…" Then, seeming to realize what she was seeing, Aryll's eyes widened. She sat up quickly and tackled him, wrapping her arms around his neck in an embrace that forced him onto his backside. "Link!"
Kid hugged his sister back, laughing as she began to tell him anything and everything that came to her mind. First about waking up on Forest Haven, then playing with the Koroks and being told stories by the Great Deku Tree and on and on. His sister almost made him feel silly for all the worrying he'd done. Aryll had been completely fine all along. Of course, she admitted, quietly so that any sentient life in the forest couldn't hear, that there wasn't much to eat so she was quite famished. Thankfully, that could be easily fixed.
Pulling his sister to her feet, Kid led her to the front of the Great Deku Tree and stepped on the lily pad. At prompting from the sacred tree, the oversized lily pad rose to the forest deity's eye level, water droplets sliding off the smooth surface and dripping into the shallow pool below.
Kid dipped into a respectful bow, and Aryll quickly followed his example.
"Thank you for looking after my sister," he thanked the tree.
"The pleasure was mine, Hero of Winds," the Great Deku Tree insisted. "Having her around reminded me of the age when my children of the forest still resembled human children."
Choosing to ignore the comment, for he didn't have much to offer in the way of condolences, Kid said, "Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Of course, hero." He wished that almighty deities would stop referring to him as a hero. He certainly didn't feel like one.
"Um … could you send out some Koroks to scout around and see if they can find anything unusual like strange monsters?"
"Did you not vanquish the evil a while ago?" the great tree wondered.
"Yes, I did, but…" Kid bit his lip. He didn't want to panic anyone, least of all a sacred tree that was rooted to the ground for eternity. "I just … have a feeling that something might be wrong somewhere on the Great Sea, and I want to find it before it can cause any trouble."
The Deku Tree was quiet for a few moments before speaking. "I see…" Kid had a feeling that he didn't but stayed silent and patiently waited for what the forest deity would say next. "I shall send out a few of my children when I can. If they find anything suspicious I will send Makar to find you."
"Thank you." Kid bowed politely once again. "Oh, and tell Makar that I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer."
The Great Deku Tree bellowed his laughter, shaking the leaves of his canopy. "I will tell him, young hero. You should get your sister to bed. She looks quite sleepy."
He looked to his sister, only to find that the Great Deku Tree was right. Aryll was swaying where she stood, barely able to keep her eyes open. Kid took hold of his little sister's hand and the giant lily pad they were standing on descended, settling gently back into the pool of water.
He was glad. Seeing his sister so exhausted reminded him of his own fatigue, and he wasn't so sure that he could hold a coherent conversation for much longer.
As they started to their trek to the pirate ship, Kid found that he could barely manage putting one foot in front of the other. How he found the energy to drag himself and his half-awake sister onboard, he didn't know. All he knew was that one minute he was on deck, and the next he and Aryll were being ushered below to the sleeping quarters by one of the pirates. He managed to stay awake just long enough to direct his sister to the bunk that was designated as his before falling into blissful sleep.
There had been none. No nightmares. No one to startle him out of the black nothing of his dreams. No blinding rays of sun to interrupt his sleep. For the first time in what felt like a long time, he was waking up of his own accord.
Kid took a second to enjoy it, embracing the familiarity of the gentle sway of the ship and the thin sheet atop him, though it was much too stuffy in the cabin for even that. Then he opened his eyes to see the gloom of the sleeping quarters, grey light dripping in from the windows on the other side of the room.
He would have thought it dawn if not for the absence of everyone else. Kid sat up, furrowing his brow at that revelation. Even his sister was gone. His heart skipped a beat. Had his retrieving her been nothing more than a dream?
He swept his eyes over the vicinity, searching for a sign of his sister. Finally he found a lone leaf resting on the bedspread beside him, and he let out a sigh in relief. Still, he'd have to get her to clean up before they reached Outset. Returning Aryll in such a state to Grandma wouldn't go over any better than returning without her.
Brushing the leaf off of the mattress, Kid slipped out of bed. After stretching the sleep out of his limbs, he proceeded to tug on his boots. He frowned. He had no recollection of ever discarding them the night before. Then again, maybe he had done so out of habit and just didn't remember. Shrugging it off, Kid let himself out of the sleeping quarters, determined to find his sister.
Having no idea where to start looking, Kid decided to check every room he came across. As he came to the middle of the short hallway, Kid poked his head into the galley. No one in sight.
Continuing down the hallway, he soon found himself in the mess hall. Up ahead he saw Linebeck heading his way.
"Morning," Kid greeted him as they drew closer.
"You mean afternoon," the sea captain corrected him. Kid paused at that.
"Did I really sleep that long?" he wondered.
"Yes, though I don't know how. That sister of yours managed to wake us all up. Aside from you, obviously," Linebeck replied, seeming sour about that fact.
"Oh … sorry about that," Kid apologized, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Do you know where I can find her?"
"Last time I saw her she was with that look-alike of yours," Linebeck said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to grab some shut eye before lunch rolls around."
"Okay, thanks!" Kid called after Linebeck's retreating back.
Strolling through the mess hall yielded no signs of his sister or Link, so he progressed upstairs and poked his head in the room that Niko had turned into an obstacle course. Sure enough Aryll was there along with Link, Zelda, and Niko.
"Go, Link, go!" Aryll cheered from the sidelines, watching Link attempt the obstacle course. Kid was relieved to see that his sister had had the sense to get cleaned up, or someone had had the sense to make her. She wore the fuchsia skull-patterned dress that the pirates have given her and her short hair was devoid of leaves and grime, hanging freely about her face.
Stepping into the room, Kid joined his sister and the princess on the sidelines. Princess Zelda glanced his way and acknowledged him with a polite inclination of her head. He returned the greeting before stepping next to his sister and beginning to cheer on Link as well. Aryll paused, startled at the sound of his voice, but she quickly resumed her shouting with renewed fervor once she realized it was him.
Link glanced back at them, nearly surrendering his grip and landing on the floor in doing so. Kid waved and his counterpart returned his greeting with a smile since his hands were preoccupied. Returning his attention to the task at hand, Link continued to leap from rope-to-rope, egged on by their shouts of encouragement. Whether it was because he was invigorated by their cheering or because he was getting better at it, Link managed to get to the last rope.
That was when ticking of a clock met Kid's ears.
"Hurry up! The gate's gonna close!" Kid warned Link who was struggling to find a secure handhold on the slick rope.
"Hurry!" Aryll echoed, bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation.
Link didn't bother answering them. All his attention was focused on what he was doing. As the silence separating each tick from the next grew shorter and shorter, Link gradually found a solid hold and lined himself up with the goal. The audible countdown increased in intensity and his counterpart took that as his cue to jump.
Just as Link's feet hit the platform, the gate clanged shut.
"Ooh…so close," Niko observed from behind the closed gate.
"What do you mean so close? I made it," Link said, defiant.
"Not in time," Niko pointed out.
"Not in…" Link trailed off, eyeing the gate that separated him from the buck-toothed pirate in disbelief.
"Don't feel bad. Only real pirates like me can do this anyway," Niko proclaimed, arms crossed and chest puffed out confidently.
"I wanna be a pirate!" Aryll exclaimed jovially from Kid's side.
Then, before he could stop her, Aryll darted over to the edge and jumped for the first rope.
She managed to grab it, and Kid let out a relieved breath. Too soon. A second later his sister hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Are you okay?" Kid and Link shouted their concern for her in unison.
"Yeah," Aryll replied, getting to her feet and brushing herself off.
"Don't do that again," Kid chided.
"Why not? I want to be a pirate and Niko said this is the only way," Aryll said, looking up at him.
"Yeah, but you didn't hit the button to raise the gate so it wouldn't have mattered if you made it or not," he pointed out. Aryll pouted.
"You already look the part with that dress," Link added as he approached her. "You don't need to beat this course. I don't think it proves anything anyway." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I don't even think Niko has beaten it." Aryll giggled.
"He hasn't," Kid spoke up, keeping his voice down as well.
"Have you?" Link asked.
"Not with slicked ropes."
"So this may be impossible, and I'm wasting my time?" Link concluded.
Kid shrugged. "We're sailing. There's time to waste."
"Oh! I have an idea," Aryll announced.
"Does it have to do with doing something else?" Link wondered, hopefully.
"No," Aryll replied. "But I know how you can beat the course."
"How?" Aryll motioned Link closer and he knelt down so she could whisper in his ear. Kid was just close enough to be able to make out what she was saying and he smiled along with Link. His sister was a genius.
"This is a pretty good idea," Kid commended, glancing over to where his sister was sitting cross-legged on the switch.
"Thank you," Aryll thanked him, head raised proudly.
He turned his attention back to the obstacle course, watching as his counterpart struggled through the obstacle course.
Suddenly his sister let out a gasp and he quickly turned around to see what was wrong.
"What is it?" he questioned her when his eyes showed him that nothing was amiss.
Aryll almost jumped up, but thought better of it and settled for fidgeting where she sat, frowning. "My telescope. I just remembered. I dropped it in the library."
"I know," Kid assured his sister. "I have it."
This time his sister did jump to her feet but she was quick to settle back down onto the switch, a glance at Link reminding her of her duty. "Can I have it back?"
Kid had been prepared for this request and was already in the process of fishing through his pouch for the telescope. Once he found it, he handed it to Aryll who proceeded to hug it close to her chest, like any other little girl would hug a doll.
After a while, the two of them rekindled their cheering from before, hoping it would help Link get to the other side. Unfortunately, he fell on the second to last rope and was forced to start over.
This happened over and over again, and for some reason, the low ranked pirate hadn't noticed Aryll sitting on the switch, granting Link all the time in the world. Just to ensure the illusion of a time limit still existed, each time Link started over, Aryll would get off of the switch and Link would reset the entire thing.
Gradually their cheers of encouragement petered out and they simply watched in varying levels of interest. Princess Zelda had given up watching altogether and had whipped out the Goddess Harp to practice. For a time, it provided Aryll with sufficient entertainment but she soon grew bored of that too.
Unlike his sister, Kid was perfectly content to sit around doing nothing. Aryll, however, thought otherwise.
"Hey, Big Brother."
"Yeah?" he wondered, his gaze drifting over to where Aryll was still devoted to sitting on the switch.
"Do my hair for me." At his hesitation she added, "Please?"
"Can't you do it?" Kid replied, reluctant to have the rare peace broken by busying himself, especially when it was unnecessary. Aryll knew how to style her own hair. Why she didn't do it earlier, he had no idea.
"Why? You're not doing anything," Aryll pointed out.
"Neither are you," Kid said, not unkindly.
"I am too. I'm helping Link." She gestured to where she was sitting as if the position rendered her incapable of doing anything else. "Besides, I always get it uneven."
"Aryll, if you would like I could do your hair for you," Princess Zelda spoke up, setting her lyre aside.
"No, thank you," Aryll politely declined, unbeknownst to how thoroughly she'd just stunned her brother.
"A-Aryll, you do know that she's a princess, right?" Kid checked.
"Yes," Aryll replied, focusing her gaze on him once again.
"And that you're never going to get an offer like that again?" The princess wasn't staying around for long, and Aryll would be with them for even less time, as they were on their way to Outset Island, right now. Sure, Tetra was technically a princess but there was no way she'd ever volunteer to style Aryll's hair.
He saw the flicker of indecision in his sister's eyes. Then it was gone, and she nodded once.
"Why?" Kid asked, perplexed.
"Why what?" Aryll wanted to know.
"Why do you want me to do it?"
"Because you do it best," Aryll declared as if it were obvious.
"I'm pretty sure Zelda can do it better," he muttered as he moved towards his sister, accepting the fuchsia hair ties that she offered to him.
He took a seat on the floor behind her and set to work, pulling her golden blonde hair back into two neat pig tails. It would have been easier with a comb, but he knew that Aryll wouldn't go retrieve hers from the sleeping quarters where her things were stored, and Kid himself didn't feel like making the trip.
Once he declared that he was finished, Aryll instantly shook her head, loosening his work.
"What'd you do that for?" Kid demanded, mildly annoyed.
"You tied them too tight," Aryll announced.
"But you said I did it the best which is why you wanted me to do it," Kid recalled, puzzled.
"You do," was his sister's response.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
It seemed that even Aryll didn't know, for she just shrugged.
"Yes! Did you see that?!" Link called over to them. Kid looked to where Link was standing victoriously on the other side of the room.
"Sure," Kid called back, holding back a laugh.
"Yay! You did it!" Aryll exclaimed, jumping up from her spot on the switch and clapping her hands.
"I didn't see it," Princess Zelda claimed. "Do it again!"
"No!" Link shouted back.
"Oi! Wait a minute! You haven't been on that switch the whole time have you?" Niko asked Aryll.
Aryll slowly edged off of the switch. "No…?"
"Nice try, new swabbie, but you have to do it again," Niko declared, addressing Link.
"Are you kidding me? I just made it over here twice now," Link protested.
"You were late the first time, and you cheated just now so it doesn't count," Niko said. "Try it again, and this time take Aryll with you, that way you can't cheat anymore."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Link wondered.
Niko shrugged. "Carry her on your back."
"Aryll, say you're bored," Link ordered, jumping down and starting for the ladder.
"Why?"
"Because then we can find something else to do," Link answered.
"But I like this idea. It sounds fun!" Aryll replied, smiling.
"If you want a piggy back ride, then I can easily arrange that on the ground," Link informed her as he scaled the ladder.
Aryll thought about it for a few seconds, rocking back and forth on her heels. Finally, she shook her head. "Nah, the ropes would be more fun."
"Of course they would…" Link sighed quietly.
"I blame you, by the way," Link declared good-naturedly as he strolled past the princess.
"Me? Whatever for?" Zelda inquired.
"For having to redo this," Link clarified.
"It's not my fault you decided to cheat," the princess pointed out.
"It was your comment that made Niko look over here and see Aryll on the switch."
"Right, because he wouldn't have ever looked over here otherwise," Princess Zelda nodded sagely, picking up her harp once again.
Link paused to remove his sword and shield from his back. It was then that Kid noticed he lacked his own weapons. He must have left them in the sleeping quarters.
"Watch my stuff for me, will you?" Link requested as he laid down his shield and the Master Sword next to Kid.
"Sure," he agreed, making a mental note to retrieve his own sword and shield later. He probably wouldn't need them, but it didn't hurt to be safe.
"Alright, Aryll, hop on, and hold on tight, but don't choke me," Link instructed, bending down so Aryll could easily climb on.
"You're taking your telescope too?" Link asked, eyeing the painted spyglass as Aryll approached.
"Yup!" Aryll chirped, hopping onto his back.
"Maybe you should leave it with your brother." Link suggested as he straightened. "I don't want you to drop it."
Aryll contemplated it for a few moments before reluctantly handing it off to Kid.
"Ready?" Link checked, glancing back at Aryll.
"Go!" Aryll cheered. After pressing the button, Link complied, and Kid soon found himself watching attentively, interested to see if his counterpart really could complete such a feat.
To no one's surprise, Link didn't get to the other side on the first try. He didn't get it on the second either. Or the third. But that didn't discourage him. Even though he'd complained about having to do the obstacle course again, this time with an additional challenge, Link didn't seem to mind it all that much. Kid thought that was more attributed to his sister than anything else. She was especially good at keeping moral up.
The call meant to round everyone up for lunch startled them all. In fact, it startled Link so much that he surrendered his grip on the rope. This wasn't a great loss, however, since the timer had already been ticking and the gate shut a few seconds later.
"Aww, we almost had it. Can't we try one more time?" Aryll requested as Link lowered her to the floor.
"You can try again later after lunch," Niko piped up.
As Aryll and Link made their way towards the ladder, Kid started for the button that would raise the gate.
"Wait, Kid! Don't press that button!" Link called over to him.
He was about to ask why but one look at Niko rendered the inquiry unnecessary. Kid laughed and stepped away from the switch.
"Oi oi! What are you doing? Let me out!" Niko shouted from behind the barred door.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Niko," Link apologized, feigning sincerity. "I didn't make it in time. I guess I'll just have to try again after lunch. "
"S-swabbie?" Niko tried.
"Sorry, Niko! I'm too hungry to let you out." It was sort of true. He was famished due to involuntarily skipping breakfast.
Link collected his things, plainly ignoring Niko's entreaties to be released from his self-made prison, and the rest of them made their merry way to the mess hall. Even the princess was amused.
Fortunately, or unfortunately if you happened to be Niko, no one seemed to mind the buck-toothed pirate's absence. Either that, or they simply didn't notice. Kid wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter. Meals on the pirate ship were often rowdy and this one was no exception.
Princess Zelda and Link were obviously uncomfortable with the boisterous atmosphere, which Kid found silly knowing how Hyrule Castle Town was. Of course, he supposed it was a bit different dining with rowdy people versus pushing past them in the street. Linebeck, surprisingly, didn't seem to mind all that much, though he did opt to sit closer to the "quiet corner" of the table, as the pirates had dubbed it on account of the lack of yelling and talking going on.
Not that there wasn't talking. Aryll pretty much spoke for all of them, and Kid had to constantly remind her to finish chewing before opening her mouth to speak. Not that any of the pirates really cared about table manners, but if his sister made it a habit his grandmother would surely notice, and then he'd be the one to blame for it.
Eventually someone did notice Niko's absence and suddenly the "quiet corner" wasn't so quiet anymore as most of its members participated in recounting exactly where the lowly pirate was, struggling to contain their laughter as they did so.
Later, as everyone cleared out of the mess hall, Tetra pulled Kid aside. Aryll faltered, wishing to hang around but Tetra was quick to shoo her away. Reluctantly his sister complied and the mess hall became completely empty aside from the two of them. and she reluctantly complied. The mess hall was now empty aside from the two of them, and Kid steeled himself. Surely his best friend was going to give him a scolding about sleeping in, though if she didn't want him to do so, she could've woken him up. She'd done it plenty of times before.
"I need you to change the wind direction," she informed him. Immediately he relaxed. "At this rate it'll take days to reach Outset." Kid knew that this was the equivalent to an apology in Tetra's mind so he accepted it with a nod and a smile.
As he exited the mess hall with Tetra, Aryll darted out of her hiding place behind the wide doorway, surprising them, though Kid felt he should have expected it. She was his sister, after all. "Get us home fast, Big Brother!" she encouraged him as she fell into step beside him. "I wanna show Link and the princess everything!"
"No one's showing anyone anything. We don't have time for that," Tetra declared. "We're just dropping you off."
"What?" Aryll came to a halt, the smile on her face disappearing. She looked up at Kid, the hurt expression dominating her face silently begging him to tell her that she'd misheard.
"She's right," he said, inwardly cringing at the crestfallen look on his little sister's face. "We don't have time."
"But…" Aryll's face scrunched up and for a second he thought she was going to cry. Instead she screamed, "You can't!"
"We can and we are," Tetra called over her shoulder. She'd never stopped walking in the first place. "It's not my problem if you don't like it. C'mon, Kid."
Tetra disappeared up the stairs, but when Kid made to follow her, Aryll blocked his path.
"No," Aryll declared stubbornly.
He sighed. "Aryll-"
"No! You can't leave me again!" she cried.
"It's not like I want to…" he began.
"Then don't," she stated as if it really was that simple.
"I don't have a choice," Kid insisted, moving to step past her. Aryll moved with him, refusing to let him go.
"Everyone has a choice," Aryll asserted, crossing her arms over her chest confidently as if she'd believe she'd just won the argument.
"That's not true," Kid refuted. "Here. Look." He produced the letter Komali had given him from his delivery bag and offered it to his sister. She regarded it with skepticism before cautiously taking it into her hands.
He watched as Aryll's vibrant green eyes darted back and forth, absorbing the words on the parchment in her hands. Once she was finished she sucked in a breath and proclaimed, "This doesn't mean anything." She raised her head to look him in the eye. "It just says you're in trouble so stay in trouble and don't go home."
"You know it doesn't work that way."
"So? Make it work that way," Aryll ordered.
"I can't. You have to go home."
"But that isn't fair!"
"Life isn't fair," he countered.
Aryll gasped as if she'd been slapped. "That's what grown-ups say!" she cried in despair.
"I am a grown-up," he argued.
"No, you're not!"
"I'm older than you so you have to do what I say."
"Nah uh," Aryll disagreed, shaking her head vehemently. "The pirates are older than Tetra, and they do what she says, so you should be doing what I say!"
"No. They only do what she says because she's captain which gives her authority over them," Kid corrected her. "You're my little sister. You don't have any jurisdiction over me."
"So you can boss me around just because you're my big brother?" Aryll demanded, disbelieving. "That's stupid!"
"Stupid or not, that's how it works," he informed her.
"But why?!"
"I've been around longer so I know more than you do," Kid reasoned. "You're too young to understand how dangerous all of this is."
"Too young?!" Aryll balked. "I am not! I'm nine and that's nearly ten which is practically eleven, and eleven's really close to twelve and twelve is almost thirteen which is how old you were when you left home, so why can't I stay with you?!"
Kid shook his head at his sister's attempt at rationality. She was nowhere close to ten years old, much less thirteen. In fact, she'd turned nine just a few weeks ago which was the original reason for her visit. A birthday treat. Nothing more.
"Aryll, you haven't even reached double digits yet," Kid reminded his sister.
"So what? That doesn't mean I'm stupid! I'm not going to go jumping in front of monsters. I'll do whatever you say, just please let me stay!" Aryll begged.
"No. You can't promise to not go jumping into danger because you never know when it's going to pop up. Besides, you can't even defend yourself."
"Then teach me." Kid searched his sister's emerald orbs for any sign of a joke and only found stubborn determination.
"I-I can't. It's not that simple. You can't just … just pick up a sword and expect to fight off any monster that comes your way," he argued, struggling to maintain his composure.
"You did," Aryll shot back hotly. She was right. His thirteenth birthday was the first time he ever used a sword seriously. Orca wouldn't let him practice with the sword in the dojo until he was twelve, on account of his grandmother's objections, and even then he wasn't taught all that much. Experience had been his mentor, but experience was a cruel teacher. He'd nearly died at its hand multiple times. Kid knew that Aryll wouldn't survive such lessons. There was no way she could when he was the chosen hero, and he'd barely emerged from them alive.
At a loss for how to explain this to his sister in a way that she would understand, Kid settled for stating the truth as simply as possible. "That's different."
"No, it's not," Aryll argued, holding her ground, green eyes glistening with unshed tears and unwavering determination. "It's completely the same, and you can't tell me what to do, and you can't take me home if I don't wanna go!"
Kid sighed, exasperated now. "Just drop it, Aryll. You're going home, and you're not changing my mind no matter what you say." He pushed past her and made for the stairs.
"You'll die," Aryll whimpered, her voice so soft he barely caught it. Kid froze, his foot glued to the first step. His gaze fell on his little sister.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice no louder than a whisper. Surely his sister was just trying to scare him. She didn't get premonitions. Did she?
Aryll sniffed. "You keep saying how dangerous it is for me to stay, but that means it's dangerous for you too, so you can get hurt or worse, and then you won't come back, and … and then I'll be all alone!"
Kid opened his mouth to reply but snapped it shut again almost immediately. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He'd never really thought about dying before, even when he'd stared it in the face because the goddesses had chosen him. They couldn't let him die … could they?
He abandoned the stairs and made his way back to his sister, attempting to wrap her in an embrace to get her to stop crying. He couldn't stand to see her upset. He was fine with being miserable if only she was happy.
To his shock, Aryll moved away from him, shaking her head and struggling to form words. "Y-you always leave me behind."
"I'm sorry," he breathed, pleading with her now, wishing she'd stop crying and just smile like she always did.
"If you were sorry you'd stop doing it!" Aryll cried, wiping away her tears irritably only to have them be replaced with new ones.
"If you were really listening to me then you'd understand why I can't!" Kid shouted back, his patience expended.
"You can, you just don't want to!" Aryll claimed.
"You don't know anything!"
"Neither do you, you just act like you do! If I can't stay then you come home with me."
"I can't!"
"You can!" Aryll insisted. "You shouldn't have to do something you hate, so don't. Just stop and come home, and everything can go back to the way it was before you turned thirteen."
"No, it can't! It never can!" Kid yelled, angry tears pricking his eyes now. It was ridiculous, really. Ever since he was little he had always fantasized about the many adventures he would have traveling the ocean when he was older. He'd been excited at the prospect of being away from his home, about fighting monsters like the legendary hero and finding treasure, but now that he was doing it, he wanted nothing more to go back to the monotony of island life. Unfortunately, with things being as they were, that was impossible. It was as much of a fantasy as adventures used to be for him when he was younger.
"Why?!" Aryll demanded. "Why can't it?"
"Because I have to do this!" he snapped. "Because if I don't, no one else will and you're right, it's not fair. None of this is fair but guess what, Aryll? The world doesn't care about fair!"
"It's not that the world doesn't care at all, it's that you don't care enough!" Aryll accused him. "You only care about keeping me safe but you don't care how I feel at all!"
"That's not true," he protested. "I do care."
"Then why are you yelling at me?!"
"Because you're yelling at me!"
Aryll stomped her foot, impervious to the tears falling from her eyes. "I'm only yelling at you because you're trying to do the same thing that mommy and daddy did to you to me."
"Wha-"
"They died and only you remember so you're sad and you miss them a-and if you … if you…" Aryll couldn't finish her sentence, and Kid didn't want her to. He'd heard enough, and as she stumbled upstairs, he could only feel relieved. But the feeling didn't last long.
Kid drew in a shaky breath and leaned against the doorway to steady himself. Aryll was right, and he hated that she was. If he went off and died he'd only make her go through what he had when their parents had passed away. Not that she knew what he'd gone through. Aryll didn't even have any memories of their parents for goddesses sake. And why would she? She'd had the blessing of being two. He, on the other hand, had been seven.
Before he could stop them, memories of that terrible time rose to the surface and would not be suppressed. He was forced to remember, however briefly, his mother's illness. His father's attempt to seek help. The storm. The deliverance of tragic news but new hope as well. Hope that died just hours later. Rattling breaths. A feeble embrace. Silence.
The experience had torn him apart at the time. Just recalling it tore him apart now. Of course he didn't want to do such a thing to Aryll.
But he didn't want her to die either which was why he couldn't keep her by his side or go home with her. Keeping her with him meant putting her in constant peril and returning home with her to stay meant abandoning his role as hero. He couldn't do either of those things. The only option was to take Aryll home and leave. It wasn't like he didn't plan on coming back.
Kid pushed off of the wall and made for the stairs, pausing to retrieve the now crumpled letter that his sister had thrown to the floor at some point without him noticing. Tetra was right. It wasn't her problem if Aryll didn't like it. It wasn't his either. …Only it was.
Just as he reached for the door handle, the door swung open and an irritated Linebeck let himself through muttering something about this being exactly why he never wanted children. Kid immediately knew that his sister was the reason for this comment, as he could hear her crying already. He nearly let the door close, then thought better of it.
Slipping outside, Kid spared a quick glance in his sister's direction. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't surprised. Aryll, for reasons unbeknownst to Kid, had chosen to run to his counterpart. For his part, Link seemed calm despite the obvious distress of the sobbing little girl before him. Perhaps feeling his gaze, Link glanced up. It was then that Kid saw his counterpart wasn't as calm as he'd first thought. Link was thoroughly confused and judging by the pleading look he was shooting his way, he was requesting help. Kid just responded with a slight shake of his head, knowing he'd only make the situation worse were he to approach them, and gave the pair a wide berth as he sought out Tetra.
"About time," Tetra huffed as he approached her. "We need a southwesterly breeze, and while you're at it. Shut. That. Kid. Up."
"You don't think I tried?" he returned.
"How hard can it be getting one little brat to be quiet?" Tetra wondered.
"You're welcome to try," Kid invited her. He should've known it was a bad idea.
"ARYLL! SHUT UP ALREADY!" Tetra yelled across the deck. With that, all of Link's efforts to calm the little girl down were promptly shattered and any seagulls left that were brave enough to get close quickly dispersed as Aryll's wailing returned.
"Tetra! That's not helping!" Link informed her, as he turned back to Aryll and tried, once again, to placate her.
"Well, you're not doing a very good job of it either," Tetra shot back.
Trying in vain to ignore his sister's crying, Kid pulled out the Wind Waker, and conducted the Wind's Requiem. It sounded harshly in his ears and though the wind complied with his request it seemed to blow extra hard as if it was feeding off of his negative emotions.
He wasn't sure if he liked that or not. On one hand, arriving at Outset ahead of schedule meant that they'd be able to move on with their quest to defeat Ghirahim, after getting Linebeck's ship back, of course. On the other hand, it meant he had less time to spend with his sister, upset as she was. He didn't know when he'd see her again, and he'd rather not have to look at his home island longer than he had to. Or at all for that matter. It'd only taunt him and tempt him to stay, not only for his family but for himself too.
Little did Aryll know, she was right. He did hate it. He hated the constant danger. He hated fighting. It was difficult for Kid to imagine now that he'd ever longed for such things. Then again, children didn't know any better. There was no one to tell them that their wildest dreams were really nightmares.
He leaned on the railing, his head held up by his hand and stared at the overcast sky, waiting for Tetra to snap at him to get his head out of the clouds and start working. When a few minutes passed and the order never came, he stole a glance over his shoulder. Tetra was busying herself amongst her crew and didn't spare him a second glance. She must have banished Link and Aryll below decks because he didn't see, or hear, them anywhere. Part of him wanted to go find them to make things right, but another part of him told him that doing so was impossible.
In the end, he returned his attention on the ocean and tried in vain to rid himself of thoughts of his family. Sometimes he envied Tetra, having none. She never had to deal with things like this.
The frustration from earlier knotted itself in the pit of his stomach and refused to leave. Anytime he tried to divert his thoughts to other things, they'd always go right back to the argument which caused him to wish that Tetra would say something to distract him. For once, it seemed, she'd decided to give him some space. He debated whether or not to seek out his best friend in order to instigate one of their meaningless arguments. On second thought, maybe he should find Niko to joke around with, or release him presuming no one had done so already…
"Big Brother." At the sound of his little sister's timid voice he straightened and whirled around. She was no longer crying, though he could see the evidence of her tantrum plainly on her face.
"I'm sorry for what I said," Aryll apologized.
"…It's okay," Kid replied, even though it wasn't. She'd tried her hardest to make him feel guilty and a simple, 'I'm sorry' wouldn't take that guilt away. Besides that, she'd brought up the topic of their deceased parents. She knew for a fact that was a weak spot of his, and she'd hit it hard enough to hurt plenty.
It was even worse now because he'd had time to mull over the memory of it, to ask himself why the gods would do such a thing. Surely, they didn't want their chosen hero to be miserable. That was when he realized it. The goddesses didn't care how he felt, just that he did what he was destined for and anyone that stood in the way of that was a liability. If his parents had been there when his destiny called, they would have never let him pursue it. They would have tried to take his place, but they wouldn't have been victorious. They would have perished. Either way, it was because of him. His parents were dead because of who he was. His sister didn't know what it was like to grow up with parents because of him. Another thought, a much worse thought, crossed his mind, and he had to put a hand on the railing to steady himself. What if his grandmother tried to stop him from doing this? Would the Gods strike her down too?
"...and guess what else Link told me?" Aryll's bubbly tone of voice startled him out of his epiphany.
Though he only caught the tail end of what she'd been saying, Kid decided to humor her, hoping that doing so would bring him back to the here and now. "What?"
"He said that when we get home you do have some extra time so you can stay for a few hours. That's true, right?!" Aryll peered up at him hopefully.
'So that's how he got her to calm down,' Kid mused. Tetra wasn't going to like the delay, but if it made his sister happy…
"That's right," Kid agreed and was rewarded with a hug from Aryll. He hugged her back, wishing he never had to let go. There was only so much the goddesses had let him keep after all. He'd be a fool if he didn't hold onto them.
A smile tugged at his lips as he heard Link and Tetra bickering about the promise Link had made to Aryll. While Tetra won most arguments, Kid had a feeling that Link would win this one, and he couldn't say how thankful he was for that.
