The Hyrulian Valhalla Saga
By Queenie Z

Fishing Can Be A REEL Pain

Ah, fishing, a staple pastime for the Heroes. And it wasn't as if they had a lack of fish to catch in this paradise; they were everywhere, from the smallest of ponds to the great big ocean surrounding the realm. On the beach there was a long pier from which catching saltwater fish was easy, and this was exactly where Twilight and Brown had decided to spend part of their beach day.

Brown yawned and scratched his bare stomach with one hand while gripping his fishing pole in the other. "Never did have the patience for fishing," he said sleepily.

"Yeah," replied Twilight, "the waiting part can get pretty boring." He looked out to where his line met the surface of the water. "But when you get a bite, I think it's worth the effort."

"If you manage to reel it in."

"Mmm. Good point."

The newer Hero let out a small sigh and let his eyes close. Then, all of the sudden, he was nearly pulled into the water by a strong tug on his line.

"Whoa!" he cried out, quickly bracing himself and reeling in his line. "Twilight! Twilight, I think I got a big one!"

Twilight gaped at the way his friend's pole bent. It really must have been a big one! He hopped to his feet and stood behind Brown, grabbing the pole and helping him pull it in.

"Geez, Brown!" he said with gritted teeth, "What did you catch, a whale!?"

"It couldn't be a whale, genius!"

"That was a figure of speech — "

The two let out a cry as the fell over on their backs, tossing whatever they had caught onto the pier with them. When they sat up, they saw a boy with a mermaid's tail laying face down and coughing.

Brown's eyes widened as his inspected his catch. "A mermaid? Whoa, I didn't think those even existed!"

The boy lifted his head, his long bangs stuck to his face and his eyes filled with angry tears.

"Oh, nevermind," said Brown, clearly disappointed, "it's just Duo."

"You guys," Duo whined, "that really scared me! I thought I was gonna die again…!"

Twilight laughed nervously and helped Duo sit up. "Sorry! We thought you were a fish!"

The disheartened Link looked down at his mermaid suit, noticing a giant tear from where Brown's hook had caught it. "Now my suit is torn, too!"

"We'll get it fixed! Promise!"

Duo pouted pathetically. "Well, could one of you at least go get my swim trunks? I can't walk in this thing."

Brown raised an eyebrow. "You're… not wearing anything under it?"

"Of course not! It wouldn't fit if I did!"

"Here, I'll go get it," Brown said apologetically as he stood and started walking down the pier towards the shore. He paused for a moment when he thought he saw Green and his gang burying something in the sand, then shrugged and went on his way.