OH MY GOD WHAT?! MINIJEN FINALLY UPDATES NOT ONLY ONE OF HER STORIES, BUT THIS ONE OUT OF ALL OF THEM!? HUH?! Yeah, I must be freaking insane, but I figured it was finally time. I know its been more than a year since I last updated this story, but I have been thinking about it a lot and this chapter was a long time coming. It was originally supposed to be longer, but I... I just couldn't. So yeah, sorry about everything, mostly the delay, but I finally managed to get something put together, so I hope you enjoy it! Let's get started!

Chapter 5: Family Reunion

"I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me-they and the love and loyalty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could."
-Tris, Allegiant

"Grandma!" Aryll called to her grandmother as she stepped back into the house, unable to conceal the wide grin on her face. The girl had told her older brother to wait outside so that they could surprise her with the revelation that Link was still alive and that he had returned after such a long absence. And so the hero had readily agreed to the quick plan that they had devised all without exchanging more than a few words, more than eager to see his loving grandmother and reconnect with both her and Aryll at long last.

"What is it, Aryll, dear?" Grandma asked with a curious frown, still sitting in her chair facing away from the door, so she was unable to see Link standing just outside of it. "Who is at the door?"

The girl bit her lip excitedly as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, barely able to contain her joy, though she managed to nonetheless. "Close your eyes," she said cheerfully, her lack of context confusing her grandmother.

"Why?" the elderly woman asked, craning her neck slightly to look towards the door, but Aryll made sure to block her view of the hero.

"It's a surprise!" the girl chimed brightly. "Now please, Grandma, close your eyes. You'll see what it is in a second, I promise."

"Well…" Grandma said after a moment of pondering. "If you say so, dear…" She finally complied with her granddaughter's request, shutting her eyes and waiting expectantly for whatever surprise she had in store.

As soon as Grandma had closed her eyes, Aryll was quick to silently motion to Link to come in to the house, allowing him to see the humble, yet cozy dwelling his family now resided in, one that reminded him of their old home on Outset quite a bit. The hero smiled softly upon seeing his grandmother, who looked nearly the same as he remembered her, save for the pair of spectacles perched on her nose due to her failing eyesight. Without needing any further prompting from Aryll, Link went over to her quietly, kneeling down in front of her chair as he hoped that she would accept his return just as openly as his sister had.

"Ok, Grandma," the girl said, standing beside her brother as they exchanged a brief smile. "Open them."

The elderly woman did so, only to open her eyes wide as she let out a shocked gasp at the sight of who was before her. Upon seeing their grandmother freeze up in complete awe, both Link and Aryll grew suddenly concerned that perhaps this surprise was too much for her old heart to bear, but soon enough she finally moved, removing her glasses as to make sure that her eyes weren't deceiving her. But sure enough, when she placed them back over her eyes, she found that her grandson was still standing before her, somehow alive and somehow older than the young boy she had last seen him as. What both her and her granddaughter had been hopelessly dreaming of and pining over for the past several years had returned to them as if he was a gift from the goddesses themselves. It was almost too good to be true.

"L-Link?" Grandma asked in a trembling voice, unable to take her eyes off of him as she took in how much he had grown. "Can it really be…?"

Aryll nodded vigorously beside the hero, a large, happy grin still claiming her face while Link simply smiled warmly and took his grandmother's wrinkled hands to reassure her. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Grandma?" he asked with a hint of levity in his tone, though there was also slight nervousness in it as well.

The elderly woman stared at him for another long moment, her expression unreadable and almost pained, until at long last, a wide smile crossed her face as she slowly rose up from her chair, relying on her grandson for support in helping her up. As he was still kneeling before her, Grandma embraced Link tightly, motioning for Aryll to join in the loving hug, which she gladly did. And as the little family, once broken but finally reunited again, embraced warmly, the elderly woman whispered a blissful message to her grandson, one that reminded him that he was finally where he belonged: "Welcome home, Link… Welcome home…"

"So you were stuck in that Ocean King place for four years?" Aryll asked Link with wide eyes of curiosity as the hero continued to explain where he had been the past several years, giving them all of the details about the World of the Ocean King and introducing them to Ciela, whose sweet personality instantly charmed both women.

"Technically, it was five," the hero corrected her. "It only felt like four because I spent a whole year trapped in stone thanks to Bellum."

"How dare that horrible monster hold you captive for so long," Grandma said with a bitter frown, her tone defensive and protective of her newly found grandson. "He sounds almost as bad as that awful Ganondorf man that was responsible for Aryll's capture years ago."

The girl crossed her arms and glared in agreement, a sentiment that Link shared as he set his gaze in a serious scowl down at the table the three of them were eating lunch at in the living room. "Honestly, if I had to pick, I'd say Ganondorf was much worse than Bellum," he said, remembering well the brutal battle he had fought against the king of thieves when he was just a boy. "I barely made it out of that fight alive. If I had to do it again, even now… I don't think I would be able to…"

"Well, it's a good thing you won't ever have to," Aryll said with relief, trying to brighten the mood a bit. "Though I really think you could take him again if you really had to, big brother! I mean, you're older, taller, and stronger now. No one would stand a chance against you!"

"It's true, my dear," Grandma said with a pleased smile. "You've grown to be quite handsome these past few years. It's such a shame we had to miss out on it…"

"Yeah…" Link said a bit bashfully, taking their fawning over him with humbleness. "Again, I'm sorry I was gone for so long. If I could have found a way back sooner, then believe me, I would have taken it. I missed you both so much."

"And we missed you too, dear," Grandma said sweetly, her kindness still radiating in her every word as it always did.

"That's why this is so incredible," Aryll said with a bright smile. "I mean, all these years, all of us thought you were dead and gone forever, but here you are! It's like a dream come true! Everyone will be so excited to find out you're back! I wonder what Miss Tetra will say when she-"

"Aryll…" the hero said a bit warningly, stopping the girl in her tracks. Both women looked at him in confusion, not knowing that the topic of the pirate captain and her reception of his return was still a sore subject. He had not bothered to mention it, mostly because he had no idea how to address it. After all, even his own family, who certainly must have been just as hurt by his supposed death as she had been, had accepted him back with open arms. So why hadn't she?

"What?" Aryll asked, raising an eyebrow at her brother.

"Let's just say I already saw Tetra and leave it at that, ok?" Link asked a bit impatiently, not wanting to say much more on the matter, but of course, his excitable little sister still persisted.

"You saw her?" the girl asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Oh, tell me everything! Was she happy to see you? What did she say? Did you two kiss?"

"W-what?!" the hero exclaimed, caught completely off guard by this question as he felt his cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. Both Grandma and Aryll laughed in amusement at his reaction, knowing that the fact that he was so flustered said enough.

"Oh come on, Link," Aryll said, rolling her eyes teasingly. "I know you've had a crush on Miss Tetra ever since you were my age. There's no use trying to hide it! And besides, there's nothing wrong with that. You two would make a cute couple."

"I think you're a bit too young to know what makes a 'cute couple', Aryll," Link said defensively, trying to get his sister off his case, even though it never worked out for him, even when they were both younger.

"No, I'm not!" the girl protested firmly. "In case you didn't know, I'm thirteen now, big brother! I might as well be an adult by now! Right, Grandma?"

"Well, I don't know about that much, sweetie…" Grandma said with a chuckle at her grandchildren's humorous argument. "But you do act very responsible and mature for your age."

"See?" Aryll said, giving Link a triumphant grin. "I told you. I'm just as much of a grown-up as you are, Link. In fact, I've even caught the eye of a few boys here on Windfall myself."

"Well, if any of those boys try to bother you, let me know," the hero said, half joking this time as he was devoted to protecting his baby sister in any way possible. "I'll make them regret ever looking your way."

"Big brother, don't!" the girl said with serious appalment. "That's so embarrassing! I don't need you to protect me all the time! I've managed fine for these past five years without you and I can manage without you now!"

The entire conversation came to a grinding halt at these words. Aryll immediately regretted saying them the moment she saw the sudden hurt in Link's expression, knowing that she had gone too far. Grandma frowned and shook her head disapprovingly at the girl, who should have known better than to say something so callous so soon after the hero's return. And yet as these words sunk in, Link couldn't help but feel that in a way, they were somehow right. His family had made do just fine without his presence for the past five years, and not just them, but Tetra, and even the Great Sea as a whole. They had all moved on without him, the very hero who had saved them all before, as if he had never been there in the first place. It was humbling to say the least, for if he had not been needed these past five years, who was to say that he was wanted or needed now that he had come back?

"Oh… Link…" Aryll began softly, her tone remorseful and guilty. "I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean-"

"It's fine," the hero said succinctly, averting her gaze as he spoke with the slightest hint of bitterness in his tone. "I know what you meant. So… I guess it's my fault that I was gone for all these years too then, isn't it?"

"Link, you know that's not true," Grandma said with both firmness and reassurance. "From the way you said it, it sounded like there wasn't anything you could have done to get home on your own. You're not to blame for what happened to you at all."

"It doesn't matter," Link said with a sigh as he shook his head morosely. "I was still gone. I still missed out on so much."

"But… you're here now," the girl said, trying to make up for her past tactfulness. "You don't have to miss out on anything else."

The hero finally smiled a bit, knowing that this much was true. Even though he had been absent for the past five years, he could still make up for it by being there for his family now, at long last being able to deliver on the promise that they would never be separated like that again. It was a reassuring thought, one that Link clung onto and allowed to fill up the empty space that his longing for Tetra had created.

However, before the hero could even give an affirmation to this, the peace of the moment was suddenly shattered by the sound of shouting coming from the town outside. Link, Aryll, and Grandma were all caught off guard by it, but the hero was the first to rise up from his seat at the table to go see what the ruckus was all about. The girl was quick to tag along behind him as the elderly woman remained at the table, but frowned as she looked towards the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the source of the noise.

Since the house had a good view of Windfall's marketplace, Link and Aryll were able to see what was causing an uproar there even before stepping outside. A horde of about ten or so moblins were assaulting the townsfolk, chasing them around and crashing through many of the market's stalls and businesses. Both shoppers and marchants were scattering to flee from them, most of them shouting in either fear or anger at the creatures, though few were attempting to fight back against the monsters, who were armed with clubs and crude blades.

Without any further provocation after seeing this, the hero was quick to grab his sword and shield that he had left lying near the door and begin to head out to take care of the situation, before his sister quickly grabbed his arm. "Link, wait!" Aryll cried worriedly. "Please, let me come with you!"

"Are you crazy? It's way too dangerous out there for you," Link said firmly, refusing to let his little sister be put in harm's way after how he had nearly lost her when they were both much younger. "Stay here and take care of Grandma. I'll be back soon; I promise."

Without another word, the hero dashed out of the house, leaving the girl standing behind in the doorframe. For a moment, she watched him with a frown as he headed off into the marketplace, engaging in battle with one of the attacking moblins almost immediately. Though Aryll knew well that Link was a capable fighter, she still couldn't help but worry about him. After all, she had thought that her beloved older brother had been lost for years now, and to finally have him back was nothing short of a miracle. The last thing she wanted was to somehow lose him again so soon. And so, without explaining anything to her confused grandmother, the girl hurriedly gathered the first aid kit they kept on hand and followed after her brother, ready to help him out if he needed it.

Even though he hadn't really been in an actual fight like this in quite a while, Link was still just as skilled with a blade as ever as he opposed the moblin horde fearlessly. He had torn down quite a few of these annoying creatures during his first journey upon the Great Sea as a boy, and now that he was older they seemed like even less of a threat, despite how aggressive they were being. But even so, the hero made quick work of most of them, taking care of the ones that were besieging the market stalls first to prevent them from doing any further damage. Using quick swings and deft thrusts, Link took out the monsters out in quick succession, offing most of them before they could even have time to see him coming. The adrenaline of battle was thrilling as always, yet at the same time it proved to be distracting, as the hero found himself so caught up within a skirmish with one of the moblins that he failed to see one of the last ones standing skulk behind him. He only caught onto their presence upon recoiling at the sharp pain that suddenly burst upon his shoulder from the stab the creature had landed upon it. Link wasted no time in retaliating by spinning around and swiftly putting an end to the moblin's life by cleanly slitting its throat before doing the same to the last one left in front of him.

Even though his shoulder was pounding with warm pain, Link paused a moment before checking it over to see that the moblins' dead bodies all simultaneously disappeared in puffs of dark smoke, something that caught the hero's attention. When he defeated such creatures in the past, they would vanish in the same manner, and in his curiosity as to why, Link had once asked the King of Red Lions about it. The wise boat explained that the monsters throughout the Great Sea disappeared in such a manner because they had been deployed by Ganondorf, and so when they were defeated, they returned to him so that they could be brought back to life through his magic and sent out once more. Consequently, once the king of thieves was finally defeated, the monsters he had created also disappeared from all corners of the sea. And so, seeing both any monsters in the first place, as well as seeing that they vanished in such a familiar way, perplexed the hero. What if the appearance of these creatures had not been random? What if someone was behind them, leading them just as Ganondorf had? Of course, it couldn't be the king of thieves, for his body rested in a stone prison at the bottom of the sea, sealed away by the Master Sword for all time. But if he was not in charge of them, then who else could be?

"Link!" Aryll called out worriedly, rushing out from her nearby hiding spot, carrying the first aid kit in tow as she ran towards him. "Are you ok?!"

"Aryll!" Link exclaimed in frustration, knowing that his younger sister had never been good at listening to him. "I thought I told you to stay in the house!"

"And leave you to get hurt like that? I don't think so!" the girl retorted, motioning to the hero's right shoulder. He finally glanced towards it to see that a large, yet rather shallow cut had been town across it by the moblins from earlier, far from a fatal wound, but still a hindrance nonetheless. "Now, come on," Aryll said insistently, grabbing onto Link's arm and pulling him to the nearby steps leading to the café so they could sit down. "Let me patch that up."

"When did you learn how to treat wounds?" the hero asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I've learned a lot of things these past few years since you've been gone," the girl explained with subtle pride in her tone as she began to clean the blood from her brother's injured shoulder. "Cooking, nursing, sewing… I even picked up some fishing skills from some of the fishermen who hang out around the docks."

"Wow," Link said, genuinely impressed. "Sounds like you've really grown up, Aryll."

"Yeah…" Aryll said with a hint of an embarrassed blush. "I guess so… But so have you, big brother! I mean, I always used to look up to you before, but you've gotten so tall that now I really have to!"

At this, the two siblings shared a warm, amused laugh as the girl started to wrap some bandages around the hero's shoulder. "You know, this feels just like old times…" Aryll said with a blissful sigh. "Back when we were kids…"

"You still are a kid, Aryll," Link said a bit teasingly. "You're only thirteen, right?"

"Yeah," the girl said with a joking pout. "But I'm gonna turn fourteen in a few months! And just because you're seventeen doesn't make you an adult either, big brother!"

"Maybe it doesn't," the hero said with a sly grin. "But it still makes me older than you, little sis."

Aryll's grin faded into a false frown as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh yeah?" she asked challengingly as she finished tending to his shoulder. "Well, let's see what my big, grown-up adult brother does without his silly hat!" Without any warning, the girl plucked the hero's cap from his head, holding up in the air as she began to run through town with it in triumph over how she had caught her brother off guard.

"Hey!" Link exclaimed, rising from the steps as he began to chase after her, unable to keep himself from laughing at her antics. "Aryll! Give it back!"

"Gotta catch me first, big brother!" the girl chuckled as she glanced back to him with a wide grin. However, what she didn't see as she continued to run towards the harbor was the hero wordlessly nodding to his fairy companion, who giggled mischievously as she flew on ahead. As Aryll continued on her way, her long sundress flowing out behind her all the while, she was suddenly startled by the bright yellow light that suddenly appeared right before her eyes. The girl let out a surprised yelp upon seeing Ciela flittering right before her, stopping in her tracks so she wouldn't collide with the fairy. She had no time to react otherwise as her brother finally caught her from behind, trapping her in a tight, yet familial embrace as he reclaimed his hat.

"Hey!" Aryll exclaimed in frustration as she struggled to get out of Link's arms. "No fair! You cheated!"

"No, I didn't," the hero said, giving a thankful grin to Ciela, who simply giggled at the two siblings and their lighthearted bond. "I just had a little help."

"Sorry, Aryll," the fairy said a bit guiltily upon seeing the girl's sour pout. "As you can tell, he's pretty attached to that hat."

"What can I say?" Link said with a casual shrug as he placed the cap back on his head. "It reminded me of home when I was gone for all these years."

"Did that red cloth tied to your belt remind you of home too?" Aryll asked with a curious frown as she pointed to the scarlet strip of fabric.

The hero frowned upon remembering the scarf still tethered to his belt, just as it always was. "Yeah…" he said with a somewhat wistful sigh. "It was Tetra's. She gave it to me right before we were separated…"

"What really happened between you two?" the girl asked, knowing there was more to it than what her brother had said earlier.

"There's really not that much to tell," Link said, glancing out towards the open seas and knowing that Tetra was sailing somewhere out upon them. "We ran into each other on Outset and she didn't really believe I had come back, so she ran away before we could even talk. That's why I was so anxious to see you and Grandma again; I thought you'd both react the same way."

"Why would we do that?" Aryll asked with a pitied frown. "Link, all me and Grandma have wanted these past five years is to see you again, and we thought we never would. When we found out you were 'dead'… it was like our whole word shattered around us… Since I was only eight, I still didn't completely understand what death meant, but I knew that we'd never see you again… It was unbearable…"

"Oh… Aryll…" the hero said with sincere grief and guilt. "I'm so sorry for putting you and Grandma through that."

"Link, it wasn't your fault," the girl said firmly. "It doesn't matter how long you were gone for. What's important is that you're here now. Maybe… maybe we can finally put all those years you were gone behind us and look forward to the future… right?"

Link nodded as he gave her a warm smile, knowing that this was all he had wanted for the past five years: for his life to go back to the way it had once been before he had ever stepped foot upon the Ghost Ship. Not that he had not enjoyed his time in the World of the Ocean King with Ciela and Linebeck, but he had always longed to be with his family, with his friends, with Tetra, once more. To finally get that chance alone had been like a dream come true, one that would hopefully never end.

This tender moment between the two sibblings was suddenly interrupted by someone calling the hero's name from nearby. Link and Aryll turned around to see Medli running towards the two of them as they stood in the greens near the harbor.

"Hello again, Link!" the Rito girl said with a cheerful smile. "Glad to see I finally caught up with you. I heard there was a little scuffle in the market earlier. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Medli," the hero assured her, making light of his injured shoulder.

"Good," Medli said, seeing that whatever wounds he might have received had been treated before turning to his younger sister. "Aryll!" she greeted the girl warmly. "It's great to see you again! Glad to have your brother back, I see?"

"Hi, Miss Medli," Aryll said politely to the older girl. "Yes, I am glad to have him back, even if he is still just as much of a pain as he used to be…" With this, she gave her brother a joking punch to his uninjured arm, one that he merely rolled his eyes at in response.

"Well, that's great," the Rito girl said with a pleased smile. "Unfortunately, as much as I hate to break up such a nice reunion, I'm afraid I still need a ride back to Dragon Roost, Link. Do you think you could take me really quick?"

"Oh, yeah," Link said, remembering the deal he had made with Medli earlier. "Sure, Medli. I'll meet you at the boat in a few minutes, ok?"

"Alright," Medli said with a nod, already starting to head to the harbor so she could prepare to leave. However, as she waved farewell to Aryll and departed, the hero couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment on his younger sister's face.

"What's wrong?" Link asked her with a frown.

"You're leaving already?" Aryll said, averting his gaze. "You just got back… I thought you were going to stay for a while… But… I guess you do need to find Miss Tetra again, huh?"

The hero hesitated before responding, knowing that he did want to eventually meet up with the pirate captain once more so they could have a proper reunion. And yet, as much as he wanted to see Tetra again, Link knew that he couldn't leave his family again so soon after being away from them for so long. He felt genuinely welcome and at home with his sister and grandmother, and it was a feeling of bliss that he didn't want to give up so quickly. And so, he decided to put his search for the pirate girl off for a while so that he could properly reconnect with them, knowing that he would certainly encounter Tetra again, even if it was by chance. "Not just yet…" he said, his expression breaking into a small, coy smile. "I think I am going to stay around here for a while. I just need to take Medli back to Dragon Roost Island first, and then I'll come right back. You and Grandma do have enough room for me, don't you?"

"Of course we do!" Aryll said, immediately cheering up upon hearing this. "We'll always have a place for you, big brother!"

"Great," Link said with a warm laugh. "Now, go tell Grandma where I'm going. I'll be back before sundown, I promise."

"Ok!" the girl nodded with a compliant grin, before giving her brother a brief hug. "But don't take five years this time, ok?"

"I'll try not to," the hero said jokingly as he returned her embrace. The two sibblings reluctantly parted as Aryll headed for home and Link met Medli at the docks, both of them boarding the King of Red Lions as they prepared to sail eastward towards Dragon Roost.

The Rito girl continued to cheerfully chat the hero up as they left Windfall, but all the while, Link realized that he was more content than he had been in a long time. Though his first night back in the Great Sea had been marred by his failed meeting with Tetra, reuniting with Medli, Aryll and Grandma had all turned out much better by far. They genuinely welcomed him back, making him see that he had truly been missed during his absence, something that warmed his heart. To have their love and kindness offered to him once more was rejuvenating to say the least, and it was something that he wanted to relish for all it was worth after being without the care of his own family for so long. The only thing that could make it all better would be for the pirate girl to finally come around, but the hero knew and hoped that such an opportunity would come up again soon. After all, there was certainly time to spare.

As Link pondered on all of this, he couldn't help but glance back at Windfall as the winds propelled the boat away from it steadily, the early afternoon sun glistening off the sea waters. And, as he looked towards the island, his soft smile suddenly faded upon seeing a vague shape, one that he knew was out of place, positioned atop the wall that lead into the marketplace of the city. As they got further away from it, the shape became harder and harder to make out, but from what the hero could see, it looked like a person, though they were completely concealed by shadows, even in broad daylight. Instinctually, Link balled his hands up into tense fists, one of them slowly reaching for the hilt of his sheathed sword even though he was out at sea. He briefly glanced back towards the sea to keep the course that him and Medli, who was completely unaware of the mysterious figure, were on.

However, when Link glanced back towards Windfall once more, he found that the figure, that seemed to emanate a strange, noticeable, almost familiar aura of darkness, was nowhere to be found, as though they had never been there at all. As much as the hero was glad to be home once more, he couldn't help but feel, based on both this and the reappearance of the monsters, that something strange was going on, something that would have to be faced eventually. And yet even the Hero of Winds could not see the grave danger he would soon fall into, something that the shadowy figure, still watching him from its unseen spot, was plotting and planning continually, waiting for the perfect moment to finally strike.

Ok, so not a whole lot happens, but that's ok I guess. Its something. Its too fluffy in the first place, but after all the heavy crap I've been writing lately, I needed to do something like this. Plus, Link's relationship with his family is SO CUTE! And so that's what this is about. Not much plot development, but thats what the next chapter is for, so yay! As for the next chapter, we're gonna go back and forth between Link and Tetra, and then the plot will finally commence in full force after that one. And hopefully, now that my writer's block is mostly gone, it won't take me a whole year to get it out! So yes, Twisted Fates is no longer on hiatus, so YAY! So, if you liked this (or you'd like to yell at me for taking so long, because honestly I deserve it) feel free to REVIEW! Until next time!