The Hyrulian Valhalla Saga: Side Stories
By Queenie Z
Fruits of Heroism
Two hundred years is far too long a time for any man to bear such pain and regret as the Hero of Time had. Such regrets had kept him bound to his world after his death, and such regrets had stripped him of his true form, leaving him a rotten husk of his former self. For ages he had wandered the space between life and death this way, until the day he could fulfill his last earthly duty and lead the next Chosen One down the path of heroism. After that, he thought, he could finally find true peace.
Even paradise, however, couldn't erase his scars completely.
Bloodstained stills of a life filled with anguish and heartache continued to flash through his mind. He remembered the brittle grey bark of the dead Great Deku tree. He remembered the sting of a dodongo's flame. He remembered the dying words of a brave castle guard, the laughing face of Ganondorf, the sight of a Hyrule that hadn't been his. He remembered searching for his precious friend and finding a world plagued by the shadow of doom instead. He remembered the sound of swords and shields clanging, a pulse of agony in his right eye, a promise left to his young sons that was left unfulfilled. He remembered it all, every trauma and every moment of darkness in his life —
— and then, he woke up.
He found himself gasping for air with his hand pressed tightly against his eye. After regaining his bearings, he looked around the dark room in his post-mortem abode - had he really fallen asleep on the couch again? He sighed deeply, but was soon startled again by a voice from the kitchen.
"Time?" Sky poked his head through the kitchen's entryway. "Is everything all right?"
Time took a moment to ensure that his heart didn't jump out of his chest before answering. "I'm - I'm fine. How come you're still here, Sky?"
The elder Hero laughed nervously and approached him, crouching beside the couch. "Well, I've just been a little worried about you, that's all. When you dozed off, I figured I'd stick around a little longer and make sure you were okay." He frowned. "…And I guess it's a good thing I did. You're sweating bullets."
Time touched his forehead - just as he said, it was slick with sweat. Realizing that he couldn't simply dismiss the situation, he lowered his gaze to his lap.
"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" asked Sky.
"I had thought that we wouldn't get nightmares in heaven."
"That's not the case, unfortunately." He sat beside his successor on the couch, drawing up one knee and resting his arm on it. "Nightmares are caused by the baggage we bring from when we were alive; they won't go away until we let that baggage go."
Looking to the ceiling, Time responded quietly. "Our baggage, huh? Heh… I guess I brought a lot of it, then."
"We all did, Time. It's part of being the Hero."
"Then," he said with a pained edge to his voice, "why don't the Goddesses just… just take it away from us? If they want us to be happy here, why do they let us keep feeling this way…?"
Sky turned in his seat, took the younger Link in his arms, and pulled him close. Time let out a small, surprised noise at the sudden contact, which made Sky smile before he spoke again.
"Because getting rid of those feelings is something only you can do," he said warmly. "You've spent far too long dwelling on the horrors you've seen, on all the things you regret. Now's your chance to leave all that behind and enjoy the good that came out your suffering. Now you can finally reap the fruits of being the Hero."
At that, Time held his breath for a moment - then released it, relaxing into the first Hero's embrace. He had forgotten what it was like to be held like this; to be comforted by someone who cared. Maybe, he thought, just maybe, with friends like these, with family like these, he could learn to enjoy the reward he had been so graciously given by the gods: an eternity of happiness.
He shut his eyes and smiled. "Mmm. …I can try."
Sky laughed a little. "I have no doubt you can do it," he said. "You do have all the time in the world, after all."
Time joined in his laughter. "Good point!"
"Now," said Sky, "try to get some rest. Some real rest." He laid a cheek on Time's head. "You deserve it."
"I thought we didn't actually need sleep here…"
"Not physically," he answered, "but never underestimate what a good night's rest can do for the soul."
Sinking into Sky's chest, Time nodded sleepily. "Of course you would say something like that, Sky…"
And for once in his long, painful existence, the Hero of Time dreamt pure and peaceful dreams.