The Hyrulian Valhalla Saga
By Queenie Z

You're Going To Give Grandpa A Heart Attack!

The first few weeks after Time's arrival in the afterlife were tumultuous, to say the least. It wasn't that he didn't like being there - on the contrary, it was a more than welcome change of scenery after some two-hundred years of existing as a lonely phantom. He was ecstatic to finally see his friends again, to meet his family for the first time, and to live out the rest of eternity in peace. No, he wasn't upset over his new life in the least.

He was just worried about his successor. Extremely worried. So worried, in fact, that he would spend countless hours huddled over his lens into the world of the living - a series of magical books that could show the Heroes anything in Hyrule they wanted to see - watching the boy's every move as he made the last leg of his journey. Sometimes he'd find himself so high-strung that he'd even try to calm himself with a bottle of Chateau Romani - or two - or three - and it was at this point that his own predecessor, Sky, decided to step in.

Sky freely entered the new Hero's home - no one ever needed to lock their doors here, after all - and looked around. He peered into the kitchen and smiled sadly when he saw Time, flushed from drink and half laying on the table, muttering to himself as he intently watched whatever was going on in the book.

"Goddesses dammit all," said the inebriated Hero of Time, "you use the Mortal Draw when you're behind them!" He hiccupped. "Did you not listen to a single thing I taught you!?"

Sky approached him and reached over, shutting the book and earning a glare from Time.

"Sky!" he whined, "What the hell was that for!?"

The elder Hero replied with a sigh, removing the book and the empty bottles of Chateau Romani from the table. "You're going to worry yourself sick," he said gently. "Do you really want to spend your time here being miserable?"

"But... but..." Time gritted his teeth, tears beading at the corners of his eyes. "...But he's my student! He's my grandson!"

"Distant grandson."

"Still! I just..." he sniffled and buried his face in his arms. "...I don't want him to get killed. H-He's only sixteen! He doesn't deserve to - "

Sky placed his hands on Time's shoulders and began to rub them. "There, there. Don't think about that, Time. He'll be fine, I promise."

Time lifted his head. "B-But... but what if he isn't prepared enough?"

"He will be."

"What if he breaks his ankle or something?"

"He won't."

"What if he drinks the wrong kind of chu jelly and dies!?"

"He won't, Time. He won't." He grinned sheepishly. "You can't keep thinking about 'what if' this and 'what if' that. You'll go nuts. Now, I want you to take a deep breath and hold it."

Time did as he was told - he inhaled sharply and held it. After a short moment, Sky spoke again.

"Now let it out."

But instead of exhaling, Time simply began to shake, his tears finally beginning to overflow.

"...Time?"

He let out a loud, drunken wail and spun around, clinging to Sky's clothes and sobbing incoherently into his chest. Surprised at the usually proud and composed Hero of Time's sudden explosion of emotion, Sky wrapped his arms around him and patted his head.

"...Or you could do that," he said. "Crying helps, too."

"Waaaaaaah! My protegeeeeeee...!"