The Hyrulian Valhalla Saga
By Queenie Z

Oh To Be Forever Young

"So what's everyone favorite childhood memory, huh?"

The others all looked at Brown, who had offered up the question seemingly out of nowhere.

"Huh?" asked the Hero who had restored the Spirit Tracks (the others called him "Engie" - he was an engineer, after all), "Where'd that come from all of the sudden?"

Brown shrugged. "I just thought, since we're spending eternity together and all, that we should get to know each other more. Besides, I'm curious."

Twilight stretched his arms. "Sure, sounds like fun. How about you start, then, Brown, and we'll make our way around?"

"Right." The newest Hero crossed his legs and looked up. "I'd probably have to say that mine would be exploring Hyrule for the first time. I lived in an orphanage, but I'd always wanted to be an explorer, so I snuck out and kind of started living off of the land." He smiled. "It was really exciting until Ganon's monsters got in the way."

Time frowned. "Ganon's kind of a killjoy like that."

"I'll say."

Light raised his hand. "Is it my turn? …I remember when my uncle first took me to Kakariko Village. I thought it was the neatest place ever, and I spent all day chasing cuccos around and trying to climb the bird statue in the center of town." He scratched his head bashfully. "Actually… I think I've always been a bit mean to those cuccos."

One of the Heroes of the Four Sword spoke up - the blue one, who had a bit of a temper problem. "Cuccos are nasty! They peck you and they smell! They probably deserved it."

"They only pecked you because you started kicking them, Blue!" cried the red one.

"They still deserved it!"

It was the Hero of Time's turn now, so he shut his eyes and smiled. "Making wooden masks with Saria in the forest," he said. "She always made the best masks. …I think my favorite out of the ones I made was the one of Mido. I made it ugly on purpose."

The Hero of Holodrum and Labrynna, known as "Duo" for his impressive feat of saving two lands at the same time, chuckled bashfully. "W-Wow, I never knew you guys could be so, uh, vindictive…!"

"Hey, the cuccos probably didn't deserve it," said Time, ignoring Blue's utterance of "Yes they did," "but Mido definitely did. I guess everything was fine in the end, though, since he was pretty sorry when I came back to the woods."

Duo sighed a little, then began his story. "There was this baker near the castle whose cat I pulled out of a well," he said, "and from then on he'd give me free food whenever I stopped by. He was really nice, and he made my favorite rolls ever."

Sky couldn't help but grin at that story. "A lifetime of free rolls, huh? …I think I would have preferred that to gratitude crystals."

Red raised his hand excitedly. "Ooh! Ooh! It's our turn, right?" He turned to the green Link of the quartet. "Green, tell them about when we and Princess Zelda — "

"No, Red!" cried Green, waving his hands in front of them, "I told you not to talk about that!"

The Hero who had forged the sword used by those four - he had been dubbed "Mini", much to his dismay - smirked devilishly. "Heheh, what about you and Princess Zelda, huh? Huh?"

"It's - it's nothing, I swear! I — "

The rest of the Heroes looked at him expectantly, a few of them snickering despite themselves. At this, the violet Link, who usually kept to himself, rolled his eyes and spilled the story.

"We got play married when we were five," he said matter-of-factly.

"Dammit, Vio!"

Brown did his very best not to burst into laughter. "That's - that's actually pretty cute…!"

The Hero of Winds finally stopped chuckling long enough to tell his story. "My dad was a boat maker, and when I was really little, he took me sailing around Outset. So after he died, when I started sailing again, I'd think of him sometimes."

Twilight looked at the younger Hero fondly. "Really? That's how I feel about fishing, I guess. My father taught me how to fish, although I just barely remember it."

"We need to go out on the lake sometime, then!" beamed Wind. "Time can come too!"

"I'd like that."

Mini cleared his throat. "Guys! You skipped over me!"

"Oh," said Twilight, rubbing his head, "Sorry, Mini."

He continued. "Well, I know a lot of awful things happened that day, but before Vaati showed up, I think the Picori Festival was the most fun I ever had. …I kept the shield Zelda gave me for a long time."

Green and Blue glared at their predecessor, the hypocrisy of that sentimental lug making fun of their own fond memories of Zelda not lost on them.

Now it was Engie's turn. "Driving a train for the first time!" His eyes lit up, as they always did when he talked about his beloved trains. "Alfonzo let me steer it all the way to Whittleton! He had his hand on the brake, though, in case I messed up."

Wind's eyes widened. "Hold on, how old were you when this happened?"

"I was seven. Why?"

"They let you drive a train when you were seven!?"

"Just because you're scared of trains doesn't mean they're not safe, Wind!"

"I was there when they started using them! They go way too fast, and — "

Sky walked behind the two arguing younglings and put a hand on each of their heads, silencing them. "You two need to settle down, all right?" He looked at the others. "…Anyway, I'm gonna have to say my favorite memory is meeting my loftwing and flying around for the first time. I guess I worried everyone when I just took off, but - I couldn't help it. We just had this connection, and I just knew he wanted me to ride him."

Light sighed in envy. "I kind of wish we had those loftwings of yours," he said. "I mean, I've flown with a bird before, but from what I've heard, it's just not the same."

"I guess after everybody moved back to the surface," said Sky, "they just… didn't need them anymore. I wonder what happened to the loftwings after that?"

Twilight coughed a little. He had an inkling of an idea, but he thought it might be better not to say anything at all.

Brown looked around. "Right, that's everybody. …Man, this is kind of making me all nostalgic." He laid down on the ground. "I wish we could go back to like it was when we were kids. I mean, I don't regret being a Hero - and I don't think you guys do, either - but it'd be fun, you know?"

The others nodded, sighed, and made small affirmative noises. Then, the Hero of Time lifted his head. "Who says we can't?" He looked out to the horizon. "We all know this place was made for us as place we could rest peacefully in. Now that we're all here, where we don't have to worry about anyone suffering anymore… we can do whatever we want, even act like kids again." He laughed a little. "And we'll just explain that to the next Hero when he gets here, so he won't be too freaked out."

The others seemed to like this idea, nodding in agreement. Then, with the excitement of a small child, Red stood.

"If we're gonna act like kids again," he said, "then I say we start with tag!" He bopped Blue on the head gently. "And Blue's it! Everyone, run…!"

"What!?" Blue looked around in surprise as all the other Links stood up and fled, laughing all the way. "You little — how come I have to be it, huh!?"