The Hyrulian Valhalla Saga: Side Stories
By Queenie Z

The Last To Forgive

The Heroes' afterlife was supposed to be a place of happiness; a place of eternal peace and frivolity for the line of boys and men who had sacrificed and suffered so much in life. The dead, however, tend to carry with them the burdens and regrets of their lives, and Hyrule's chosen ones were no exception. They all carried a memory, an experience, a feeling that never quite stopped eating into their hearts, even after their deaths. The difference, however, was that now they had a family with whom they could share their hurts - and that was a lesson Light learned not long after his arrival.

Whenever a new Hero arrived in their realm, friends and family who had passed before them would cross over from their own afterlife to reunite with him. It was always a wonderful occasion, full of laughter and joyful tears, and for many of them it was even a chance to meet the family they had never met or lost at an early age. Light, too, had the opportunity to once again be embraced in the loving arms of his mother, his father, and his uncle, and he was overjoyed to see the friends he had made as a knight of Hyrule. He had been so happy to reunite with everyone - which was why the other Heroes were worried when he disappeared the day more of his old friends were to visit.

Everyone was in a bit of a panic, searching here and there and everywhere for their new brother. He wasn't in his dwelling, nor was he anywhere around town. After an hour of searching, the Links decided to split up and continue the search from there - after all, they didn't want to make Light's friends any more worried than they already were.

Time furrowed his brow and looked at the ground as he and Mini made their way to the cafe. They weren't sure they were going to find their friend there - Light was never much of a coffee person - but at this point, they were getting desperate. "I don't get it," he said. "None of us have ever just gotten up and left without telling anyone. Have they?"

Mini shook his head. "No, you're right. Even when it was just Sky and me, we'd at least let each other know where we were." He scratched his head just under the brim of his hat. "What a pain - when we find him, I'm giving him a piece of my mind!"

When they got to the entrance of the cafe, Mini opened the door and the two Heroes peered inside. As they thought - it didn't seem like Light was there. Time, however, called out his name just to be sure.

"Light?"

Suddenly, they heard a loud thunk. Startled, they turned their heads to the table where it came from - the small flower vase on top of it had tipped over, and the tablecloth had shifted slightly. After glancing curiously at each other, they both walked over to the table, and Mini took the opportunity to bend over and check underneath the tablecloth. What he found there was Light, rubbing his head on the spot where it had hit the underside of the table. When he met eyes with his predecessor, Light grimaced and tried to pull the cloth back down, but Time reached over and yanked it away before he could.

"Light," spat Time, "what are you doing?"

"We've been looking for you for an hour!" Mini grabbed the newer Link's arm and pulled him out of his hiding space. "You made everybody worried sick, you jerk!"

Light yanked his arm away and glared at the two. "You guys need to leave," he said. "I'm fine."

"If you were fine, you wouldn't be hiding under a table and making us look for you!" said Mini. "Honestly, what's the matter with you! Your friends are here to see you!"

"And that's exactly why you need to leave!"

The two looked at each other, utterly confused by Light's uncharacteristic unfriendliness. Then, Time frowned at his successor and knelt down to his level.

"Light," he asked, worried, "this is Marin and Tarin we're talking about. These are all your friends from Koholint; the ones you said you missed the most! You should be out there reuniting with them - they came all this way just to see you!"

Light stayed silent for a long time, his scowl never leaving his face. Then, all of the sudden, tears began to leak out of the corners of his eyes.

"Do you really think," he said quietly, "that I have any right to show my face to them? After what I did to them?"

"Light..."

He gritted his teeth and buried his head into his knees. "That island was a dream! Everyone in it - they only existed because of the Wind Fish, and I was the one who ended it all!" He choked on a sob. "I'm the one... I'm the one who destroyed Koholint...!"

"Don't say that!" said Time worriedly, "You only did what you had to do to get back home. You wanted to go back to Hyrule so you could keep protecting it, right? You just - "

"Not at the expense of anyone else!" Light lifted his head, revealing the guilt he carried that no one else could even begin to imagine. "All my life, I wondered what kind of hero would destroy a whole world just to protect his own? Not a single day went by when I didn't think about Marin - about Tarin - about everyone..." He shut his eyes and sniffled. "...and some days, I wished that I had disappeared along with them."

"That's enough, Light!"

Light yelped as he felt Mini's small yet powerful hand strike his face. Once he gained his bearing, he stared wide-eyed at his predecessor, who glared back with all of the ferocity and authority expected of the second Legendary Hero despite his childlike stature.

"Do you realize just how stupid you sound!" He curled his hands into fists. "Think of everything you did for Hyrule! If you hadn't woken the Wind Fish, you wouldn't have done any of it - you wouldn't have joined the knights, you wouldn't have been there to guard the Triforce, and you wouldn't have saved countless lives because of it!"

Light lifted a hand to his cheek where Mini had slapped him. "But..."

"And besides," he continued, "if any of them held what you did against you, do you think they'd be here to see you right now?" He clenched his eyes shut, trying to contain his own tears. "The only person left who hasn't forgiven you is yourself! Don't you get it, Light! Everyone from that island is here because you loved them, and they love you! Why can't you just accept that and be happy here?"

With a sharp inhale, Light tried to stifle the flood of emotions that surged through him. Yet the sobs still came - he keeled over, his tears dripping on the floor and his cries filling the empty cafe. He only went silent when he felt Time's arms around him.

"You did the right thing," said the elder Hero softly. "We all know that. They know that. Now it's time for youto learn that."

With shaky arms, Light sat up again and tightly embraced Time, sniffling into his shoulder. "Will they... will they really forgive me, Time?"

"It's just like Mini said; they already have."

Light stayed silent for a few more moments, then smiled. "...I should go see them," he muttered. "Marin's - she's going to be angry if I keep her waiting...!"

And for the first time in years - for the first time since that fateful shipwreck - the Hero of Hyrule and Koholint could finally forgive himself.