It's late in the evening, when the majority of people in the castle have headed to their quarters, eager to rest their sleepy heads for the night. The shuffling of heavy footsteps across long hallways slows to a comfortable halt, and doors are heard closing with a soft creak.

Of course, Green is already in his room, having changed into his favorite pajamas and resting on his bed, thinking about his plans for tomorrow before turning in for the night - or at least, he would be turning in soon, had this been a normal day. But he'd received a surprise at dinner that evening as Vio approached him, pulling him aside for a moment.

"Can I ask you something before we sit down?" Vio had asked, a small frown on his face.

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"Would it be okay if I came by your room later and talked with you about something that's been bothering me? I'd feel safest talking with you about it."

Green nodded. "Sure! Come by whenever you feel ready," he said before offering a playful smile, "but if the siren song of a warm, peaceful sleep overpowers me before you visit, I can't help you."

Vio gave him a gentle smile in return. "I appreciate it. Thank you, Green."

"Yeah, yeah, come on! We need to eat! The food's going to get cold!"

So Green lies there, trying to keep his eyes open. There's a knock at the door before he's able to drift off to sleep, though when he goes to answer it, he lets out a long yawn. He knows who it is, so as he opens the door, he wastes no time greeting them.

"Hey, Vio. Come on in."

"You're sure it's fine?" Vio asks, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't wake you?"

"Nope! Get in here, will you?" Green steps aside, putting a gentle hand on Vio's shoulder as he enters the room. They both sit on the edge of the bed, and Vio lets out a tired sigh.

"Uh oh. That doesn't sound good," Green teases with an elbow nudge, but then frowns when he sees that Vio isn't humored by it. "Is something wrong?"

"I would be lying if I said no," Vio says as he rubs his arm.

"What's on your mind?" Green asks cautiously, not wanting to push Vio too quickly.

"It's just," Vio begins, but then sighs again. His gaze is fixed on his lap.

"It's okay. It's just me," Green whispers, trying to see the look on his face to no avail.

"I know. It's just awkward."

"How so?" Green's voice remains quiet. He puts his open hand on Vio's lap, and Vio takes it after a moment of contemplation.

"Well, it's a silly issue, and it really shouldn't be bothering me."

"It's not silly if it's bothering you," Green rubs Vio's hand with his thumb. "You can tell me."

"Thank you," Vio answers, and then he takes a deep breath and decides it's better to get it out sooner than later. He speaks in a hushed, mellow tone. "Do you think I'm a bad person?"

Green blinks. "What?"

"Do you think I'm a bad person?"

"No, no, no, I heard you the first time," Green replies, shaking his head and waving a hand. "What brought this on?"

Vio rubs the top of his own leg slowly, looking to the side as he talks.

"Like I said, it's silly. Yet I still have a nagging feeling. It's really bad when I'm waiting to fall asleep. It creeps into my mind and gets worse the more I ponder it."

Green's eyebrows furrow, his voice soft but firm. "Is there something you did or said that makes you feel this way?"

Vio nods, looking back down to his lap. "It's silly."

"It's not silly. Not to me," Green rubs Vio's back slowly. "What is it?"

Vio breathes in and out slowly, taking time to gather his thoughts. "You remember Death Mountain, don't you?"

Green's eyes widen for a moment. "Vio… That's not…"

"Exactly. I told you it was silly."

"No, I think I get what you're about to say. And I don't think you're a bad person for that."

"Are you sure you're thinking of the right thing?"

Green stares at him. "What do you mean?"

"Are you about to say that I was never really a traitor, so there's no way I'm a bad person?"

"I-"

"Because that's not what's bothering me. What's bothering me is how-" Vio's voice becomes shaky, and he speaks faster, "how easily I went through with my plan. How much bloodshed I ignored for the sake of seeming dedicated to their cause. How quickly I moved to kill Shadow, and how I finally did it without any mercy in my heart. And yet I knew the whole time. I knew he was hurting. I knew I was the only real companion he'd ever had in his life. And now, after the fact, I sit here and I wonder… Could I have done something different? Something better?"

Green doesn't say a word. He watches as Vio fumbles with his hands, mouth quivering before he speaks again.

"Because when I thought about it later, I remembered he was the same as us. He was just a kid. But he had no one. We had each other. He had no one. I can't help but think he envied us, and that's why he separated us at the waterfall. He wanted what we had. I let him think he finally had it when I pretended to join his side. And then I tore it from him; I tore him and his heart to shreds. I know he was evil. I know it was for the greater good. But could it have been any other way?"

Green sees Vio put his head in his hands, and he hears his breathing become irregular.

"What if I had offered him genuine kindness? Could I have convinced him to come with us? Should I have convinced him to come with us? He said I was the evil one to have done those things to him, and I'm starting to wonder if he's right. And I can't forget how I just let him murder entire villages and destroy entire forests. Why did I let him do that? Why didn't I stop at least that much? Is the blood on his hands or mine? What should I have done? What should I have done?" He ends his question with a sob that grows into a soft weeping.

Green listens and waits for the sobs to soften.

"Have you noticed?" Vio finally lifts his head from his hands, still looking straight ahead, his face wet with tears. "Have you noticed how everyone is calling us heroes? They love us. We're their brave, noble saviors who did no wrong. We did it all for the greater good! Who cares if we had to kill a kid and shatter his trust to do so?" He chuckles at the irony before sniffling.

"Vio…"

Vio looks right at Green, a defeated scowl on his face. His voice becomes louder as he fights back the sniffling.

"Did he really kill off entire families? Or are there relatives of those I let him kill in the adoring crowds, cheering me on without knowing? What would they do if they found out I was complicit in the slaughter of their loved ones? Would they still try to give me gifts? Would they still call me a hero? Or would they shout at me? Demand I answer for what I did? Beat me? Drag me to the gallows? Would that be enough atonement for what I did? I can never give back the lives that were lost. Would my own life be enough? Because if it would be, then perhaps-"

"No!" Green shouts, grabbing Vio's hands and looking into his eyes. He sees a maelstrom of emotions, none of them good. "That's going too far."

"But I'm sure that's what they'd want. That's what Shadow would want, too. It's only fair, isn't it? I hurt Shadow, and I let him kill innocent people. Why should I be allowed to live on and be praised as a hero? I'd rather they call me a monster; I'd rather they hate me, despise me. I'd rather they come collect the debt I owe them. I'm starting to wish they would. And can I tell you something else?"

Vio frees his hands from Green's grip and holds one of his cheeks, looking at him tenderly.

"Catching myself thinking like that? It's really starting to scare me."

The only way Green can describe Vio's smile is broken. It makes his heart ache, seeing the helplessness in Vio's face. Green tries to take it all in, processing what he's heard and seen, but it's so much - so he does what he feels is right at the moment. He pulls his teammate into a hug - and they sit there for a minute or two. Green hears Vio's small gasp, then feels his arms wrap around him slowly. Eventually his breathing evens out, and they enjoy the peace and warmth.

As Green pulls back, he sees Vio look away again. He wipes the streaks left by the tears from earlier with his fingers and notices a momentary smile on Vio's face.

"Do you want to hear my advice, or do you want to go rest?"

Vio sighs, though it's much weaker this time.

"I value your opinion more than anything. You know that."

"If you're sure," Green starts, and then he leans his head on Vio's shoulder as he talks. "I think if you're worried about being a bad person, your only option for atoning is not to do… that."

Vio nods. "What do you think I could do?"

"Well, when you feel you've done bad, you can try doing only good from this point forward, yeah?"

"But doing good won't bring back those who died or undo what I did to Shadow."

"Maybe not. But you could help those who are still here."

Vio sits up a bit straighter. Green feels a wave of relief.

"For example, you could try convincing Zelda to allocate resources to restore the villages we lost. You could provide manual help - and we could all join in! As for Shadow…" Green gulps, laughing a bit, "that situation has more nuance to it. But if he ever comes back somehow, we'll all figure stuff out together. And, Vio… You are not a bad person. You proved it to me just now. You hate that you lied to Shadow. You hate that you broke his heart. You hate that you didn't stop him from doing cruel things. And you did all of this out of a place of love, for us. For Zelda. For Hyrule. Sometimes there isn't a perfect solution. But you did all of that because you wanted to prevent even more senseless killing and heartbreak from happening. Right?"

"Right," Vio answers quietly.

"So I know why you feel guilty. I understand where you're coming from. But I think it was the best you could have done in the circumstances you were in. You're a kid, too. We shouldn't have had to make such hard choices, but I appreciate you so much for what you did. You really helped us."

Vio looks at Green again. He starts to play with Green's messy hair.

"You helped me, too. Thank you."

"Of course."

"... Would it be fine to stay here with you? Just for tonight. It makes me feel safer."

"Sure."

The two of them fall asleep close together, the comfort and warmth warding all bad thoughts away for the few moments they remained awake.