Post T.A.A.H

Mini was a lot like Link.

Granted, thanks to some serious reworking of time and space, the two were no longer one and the same. Mini was developing new interests and hobbies that would sometimes clash with those of his older brother. Link was relieved about that, and would always smile when Mini taught him something new for a change, or had to explain something to the older Hylian that he did not understand. Mini simply liked being referred to as Mini. Being thought of as Mini, even wanted to go so far as to change his name to Mini. It was painfully obvious by now. The two heroes were two separate entities and individuals.

Yet, they did still share a lot of the same qualities. Both would go crazy for any fruit currently in season and would undoubtedly know everything about said piece of food, both had a good grasp on a variety of weapons making them near perfect Jacks of all trades, and both were incredibly sweet, though somewhat mischievous, in their daily lives. Even when they were not trying to instill the fact that they were somehow related, the similarities were dazzling at worst and incredibly obvious at best.

So it made sense that Mini would cause Siegfried to think about things just as much as Link did. Think about broad subjects he would never have breached the surface of had the two Hylian's never entered his life. Though, the things Mini made him ponder over were much different than the questions Link caused his brain to construct.

One of the thoughts that Mini frequently gave him was what would happen if a young Link were to meet a young Siegfried? Would Young Siegfried fall in love with Mini? Would Mini save the little Schtauffen from all his childhood demons as Link had done for Siegfried? It honestly would not surprise him. Even as a child he had been something of a troubled youth. He thought too much, that was the problem, and he never understood what it was he thought about. Never emotionally anyway. Would Mini have been able to help that younger version of himself?

It was something to think about when Mini set a familiar set of deep blue eyes on his.

Post T.A.A.H

Link had been nervous about meeting Siegfried's mother for the first time. Truth be told, he had no idea she was even still alive.

It had taken a couple of months for the two warriors to feel comfortable enough with each other to speak about their personal lives. Link had spoken of his odd little family first, telling Siegfried the tale of the Great Deku Tree, the Gorons, the Zoras, and the Kokiri forest with as much detail as he could handle. Siegfried talked about his own family in turn. He spent a great deal of time talking about his father, but was most soft spoken and cheerful when he mentioned his mother. The tone he used had always been nostalgic, leading Link to believe that she, like her husband, had died.

Far from it. She was still living in Germany, unaware of what had happened to her son since he went missing so many years ago. Siegfried had kept subtle tabs on her throughout all his travels. She was doing well financially and had been able to keep her home despite the knight's initial worries that someone would eventually threaten to take it from her. She had also decided not to isolate herself from society, much to Siegfried's relief. She kept a close circle of friends and had her brothers and their families visit her on occasion. She was a strong woman who had been doing very well for herself.

Now that Siegfried was an official Smasher, and had the opportunity to travel to and from worlds without problems, he wanted to see her. He had finally freed himself of the hounding guilt of his past, and redeemed his soul enough that he could look her straight in the eyes. Now that he had fulfilled the promise he made to himself so long ago, he wanted to see his mother with his head held high. And he wanted Link to go with him. Not as a friend, but as his boyfriend.

Link did not, could not, refuse. However, he was very, very nervous about the meeting. He had no idea what Margaret would think of him. Would she find him to be some strange little urchin with weird ears? Would she frown upon the fact that he had no family name and was an unwedded bachelor looking after a child? Hell, even if she liked him initially, what would she think when Siegfried introduced him as his lover? A part of him was so terrified by what would occur, that he nearly told Siegfried to take someone else with him. In the end, he simply gathered up all of his courage and traveled back to the world he had not stepped foot in for years.

The knight worried that he would have to explain who he was when he and his mother met again. He had changed quite a bit since she last saw him. He cut his hair, grew a little taller, and now had a very noticeable scar over a good portion of his face. His mother might not have recognized him, and he was afraid she might think he meant her ill will if he came on too strongly. Those concerns were all for nothing.

When they arrived at Siegfried's childhood home, Margaret had tearfully greeted them within mere seconds of noticing their presence. She knew who Siegfried was, even though it had been years since she had last seen her child. Her heart knew who she had brought into the world. He still had her eyes, her hair color, and her determined sense of self when coming face to face with difficult situations. Yes, she knew her own son when she saw him, and she was ecstatic to finally have him home in her arms.

She had also been very accepting of Link. Siegfried had introduced him as his savior turned lover who would eventually become something with a more permanent title. It was embarrassing and Link sincerely wanted to throttle the knight for being so blunt. Margaret had not minded. She had taken the boys hands in hers and thanked him, truly thanked him, for helping return her son to the man he was always meant to be. She said she was proud to have such a wonderful new addition to her family, and proceeded to coo and coddle over her new son.

That had been the highlight of the day. Everything was quick to go downhill from there.

Siegfried's aunt and uncle, along with their son, Siegfried's cousin Kale, had come down for an unexpected visit. They had been doing so periodically since Frederick's death, and that day had just been another small surprise.

Over a very awkward dinner Link quickly learned that the uncle was abusive, the aunt was ignorant, the cousin was loud and obnoxious, and they were all severely homophobic. Link had been picked on and questioned quite a bit, despite Siegfried and Margaret's attempt to make them stop. At one point he had even been asked to strip down in order to see if he was really a female dressing up in boy's clothes. Apparently that was incredibly frowned upon by the three of them, whereas asking a guest to disrobe himself in order to be humiliated was perfectly acceptable.

By the end of the visit both surviving Schtauffen's were constantly apologizing to their Hylian guest. They were also threatening to castrate the two males who had made him feel uncomfortable. Though, it wasn't as if Siegfried hadn't come dangerously close to doing so when Kale asked Link to take his clothes off.

Still, despite all the abuse he had taken during it, it was the best trip Link had been on in years. He gladly told Siegfried he would not mind visiting again.

Fang: This will be one interesting family reunion.

Mistress: You'd know all about those, wouldn't you Fang?

Fang: No comment.

Mistress: Please read and review.