The Hyrulian Valhalla Saga
By Queenie Z

The Centennial Hero's Ball, Part 2 of 2

Meanwhile, at Green's house, Brown's fashion intervention was already well underway. After gathering all of the nice clothes they could get their hands on (which involved quite a bit of borrowing from their male friends and fellow Heroes), Sky, Mini, and Green piled them up on one of the four beds in the master bedroom, sorting through each outfit and having Brown try on the ones they liked. However, after nearly an hour of rejecting various outfits for being too boring, too old-fashioned, too gaudy, or too itchy, the Heroes began to worry that they wouldn't be able to find him a good one before the day's end.

With an aggravated sigh, Green flung a velvet top hat haphazardly into the pile of rejected outfits. "Man," he said, "you'd think that out of all of these we'd find one that worked!"

"You would, wouldn't you?" Mini said in agreement. He pulled out of the main pile what appeared to be a large, frilly ruff - where in Hylia's name had that tacky thing come from? He tossed it into the other pile without a second thought.

"Come on, guys, don't be so discouraged!" said Sky in his usual chipper tone as he continued digging through the pile. "We haven't even made it through half of the clothes yet."

"Yeah, and at this rate we'll be here all day." Green then pulled out what appeared to be an antiquated gray gentleman's tunic. "…Hey, Mini, didn't you wear this to the last Hero's Ball?"

Mini glanced at the tunic - though it would have been too large for him in his current, younger form, it was most certainly his. "Oh, yeah, I did, didn't I?" he said, taking it from Green and folding it over this arm. "It's okay, though; I got an all new outfit for tomorrow."

"Me too!" said Green, flashing his predecessor a grin and a wink. "It's nothing too flashy, but the four of us look pretty sharp in it, if I do say so myself!"

Sky chuckled. "Let me guess," he said, "it's color-coordinated?"

"Why wouldn't it be? You couldn't tell us apart otherwise!" Green puffed out his chest with pride. "Besides, my Zelda thinks it's cute when we all wear our own colors."

Mini couldn't help but laugh at his successor's cheekiness. "Of course, of course. Now, Sky, on the other hand, is probably going to wear the same thing he always does," he turned to his elder with a smirk, "won't you, Sky?"

"Hey, now," said Sky, holding his hands up defensively, "Time, Light, and Wind all go in their military uniforms; why shouldn't I?"

"He's got a point," added Green. "Plus, it is the Hero's Ball - at least one of us ought to wear the green, right?"

"I suppose," Mini said, "though he could still stand to change it up every so often."

"Who said I wasn't going to change it up this time?"

The other two's eyes widened slightly at Sky in surprise. "Really?" asked Mini, "How?"

"Oh," said Sky with a slight grin of his own, "you'll see." He returned his attention to the clothing pile, blinking when a certain outfit caught his eye. Then, he dug it out of the pile, examining it for a moment before nodding in approval. "Hey, guys," he said, "how about this one?"

Green and Mini moved behind Sky and looked over his shoulders. Mini stroked his chin and hummed to himself. "Huh… not bad! What do you think, Green?"

"Yeah," said Green, "I like it… simple, modern, sleek, and classy! Now we just need to see how it looks on — "

"Will you guys hurry it up already!?" cried a muffled voice from behind the door of the adjacent bathroom, "I don't wanna be standing here in my boxers all day…!"

The three Heroes winced slightly at the sound of Brown's voice. Then, with a sheepish smile, Sky looked at each of his successors.

"Let's help him get this on before he freezes," he said with a small laugh.

"Good idea," said Green, who collected the rest of their chosen ensemble and headed over to the bathroom with Sky and Mini.

Finally, the day of the ball had arrived, and mere hours remained before it was due to begin. Though formal occasions were not their strongest suit, the Heroes were still eager to meet and celebrate with their beloved princesses - but not before making sure they looked their absolute best! That was why Time had agreed to allow the others to congregate at his house so they could all help each other prepare for the big evening; however, for now, only Time, Twilight, Light, Wind, Duo, and Engie were there. After assisting each other with putting on their more complex attire and their respective accessories and awards, they began making their final touches as they waited for the others to arrive.

With a frown, Twilight pulled on his dress shoes, then straightened himself. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his dark green tailcoat and white dress pants. "Damn coat," he grumbled, "I'm always having to straighten it out like this…"

Time sighed, forming an amused half-smile as he approached his student. His outfit - a navy blue dress uniform with gold trimming and a matching epaulette attached to the right shoulder - was typical formal wear for a knight captain of his era. He also sported a crimson sash, which hung over his left shoulder and tied at the hip, as well as a pair of fashionable white gloves. "Oh, quit complaining," he said, reaching over to tighten the bright silk ascot around Twilight's neck, "at the very least, you look great."

Twilight grimaced a little as he allowed Time to adjust the ascot. "Thanks," he muttered, "but I'd be just as well off without the stupid coat."

"Relax, Twilight, you can take it off if it starts bothering you." After patting down the ascot, Time reached over to a nearby end table and grabbed his hairbrush. "Now sit down and let me at least try to brush out that wild hair of yours."

The younger Link shot him an incredulous look. "I ain't five years old, Time. I can brush it myself."

"Really?" laughed Time, "You could have fooled me!" He led Twilight to the nearest chair, sat him down in it, then moved to brush his thick, matted bangs. "Now hold still; this won't take long."

Twilight looked away, embarrassed by his elder's annoyingly parental attention. "Seriously, Time, you're my ancestor, not my father."

Light snickered at the scene from nearby. "Humor him, Twilight," he said, "you know Time gets a kick out of babying you."

Time turned to his other successor, his expression quickly souring. "I'm not babying him, Light."

"Sure you're not," said Light as he took a small, dark blue mantle and draped it across his shoulders, fastening it with a large gold pin emblazoned with the crest of the second order of Hyrulian knights. His dress uniform was also typical of his era; a grayish-blue, long-sleeved doublet with white trimming and matching pants. Once he finished properly fastening the mantle, he returned his attention to Time. "You know, Time, even after all these centuries I still can't get over how gaudy your uniform looks compared to mine."

Time continued his work brushing Twilight's hair and shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe it'd look less 'gaudy' if I'd lived in the Dark Ages like you did."

"Hey!" Light pointed at him, offended. "Maybe my Hyrule wasn't as prosperous as yours, but we were trying to restore the Knights to their former glory! You should appreciate that, Time!"

"It's okay, Light, I'm sure he does," said Duo with a small, nervous laugh. He reached into the pocket of his thick, ivory ambassador's coat - which was now tear-free thanks to Twilight - and pulled out a small cloth. "Besides, I think both of your uniforms look great." He then took off the small glasses he had been wearing and began to clean its lenses.

Wind, who had been fiddling with his guardsman's hat nearby, turned his attention to Duo. His uniform, which was loosely based on the proud green he'd worn in his youth, was striking, and the older form he'd taken filled it out beautifully. "Speaking of looking great," he said, "have I ever told you how handsome those glasses of yours make you look, Duo?"

Duo looked up, surprised at the sudden compliment. "…Really? You think so?"

"Yeah, you really do!" added Engie, who, like Wind and all of the others, had taken on the form he had as a young man. As a result, he looked quite dashing in the navy blue trench coat and red hat that marked him as a senior royal engineer. "It makes you look mature and intelligent - er, not that you're not already intelligent."

With a slight blush, Duo smiled warmly and put his glasses back on - indeed, they gave him an air of maturity not present in his usual form, though he still looked just as gentle and pleasant as ever. "Thank you! I don't really need them anymore, but I always thought they looked nice, too." He put his cleaning cloth back in his pocket. "But you both have always looked great in your uniforms - Light and Time, too. And that tailcoat you're wearing, Twilight - I, for one, think it suits you just fine."

A couple of snickers and snorts emerged from the others, and it took Duo a moment to notice his accidental pun. He grinned sheepishly and scratched his cheek.

"Th-That wasn't intentional," he muttered, "I promise…"

Just then, a knock at the door caught their attention. Then, Time broke into a bright smile.

"That's probably the others." He gave Twilight's sideburns a few quick brushes, then went to the door and opened it. "Ah, there you are! We were wondering when you'd all get here."

Just as they'd all suspected, crowded around the front door were Sky, Mini, and all four of Green's personas, all dressed up and ready for the ball. Mini, who wore a handsome silk shirt and sleeveless green doublet with a lighter green sash tied around his waist, gave a small wave in greeting.

"Hey guys," he said, "sorry we're late!"

"It's fine, we've got plenty of time before the ball starts." Time stepped aside to let them all in. When he noticed what Mini was wearing, he nodded in approval. "Wow, Mini, did you get a new outfit this time? I'm impressed!"

Mini grinned, stepping inside and showing off his new clothes with pride. "Thanks! I was getting sick of the old one."

Green, Red, and Blue then made their way into the house. Each of them wore the same outfit - a silk vest and bowtie over a white dress shirt and dark pants - however, like their usual outfits, the vests and bowties were all coordinated to their respective colors. Eager to show off their own new garments, Red took Green and Blue by the arms and presented them to the others.

"We got all new outfits, too!" he said excitedly. "See? See?"

Twilight grinned, resting an arm on the back of his chair. "Not bad, you guys!" he said, "The bowties are a nice touch."

"I know, right?" Green turned to give Blue a smug grin. "See, Blue, I told you the bowties were a good idea."

Blue merely grumbled and yanked his arm away from Red's. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said, his older face still somehow managing to look like that of a pouty child.

With a laugh, Sky entered behind them, placing a hand on Blue's head and ruffling his hair as he passed him. "Don't be such a spoilsport, Blue! This is supposed to be a time of celebration, remember?"

With his entrance, everyone, save Mini and the Heroes of the Four Sword, turned their gaze to Sky. Though he was wearing the same outfit he always wore for the ball - a version of his knight's uniform more suited for formal occasions, which lacked chain mail and had various small embellishments embroidered into the tunic - they were surprised to see a large, flowing crimson cape attached to a set of polished golden shoulder plates. Recognizing his new accessories, Light pointed to him.

"Hey," he said, "isn't that…?"

Sky blinked, then looked down at his cape. His lips curled into a small, bittersweet smile; then, he nodded. "Yeah," he said, "I thought he'd appreciate me wearing it."

The others stayed silent for a short moment, remembering the Hero whose duty to the cycle prevented him from joining them at the ball. Then, Duo returned his attention to Sky, smiling warmly at him.

"That's really thoughtful of you, Sky," he said. "He'd be honored, I'm sure of it."

The elder Hero nodded once more, then turned back towards the door. "…But that's not what we're here to show you guys. Vio! Bring him in!"

Then, right on cue, Vio showed up, practically shoving a nervous-looking Brown through the front door. "May I present to you," he said with a wry grin, "the newest Hero of Legend!"

"V-Vio, don't — "

With one last push, Vio sent Brown stumbling into the middle of the room. Once he got his bearings straight, the others could see the outfit he had ended up in; a clean, freshly pressed black tuxedo with a white undershirt. On his hands he wore a pair of gloves similar to Time's, and tied at his neck was a dandy white cravat. His clothes were not the only things looking neat and clean, either - he had also been given a nice haircut and a clean shave, marking a drastic change from his usual appearance. At the sight of their youngest brother in formal clothes for the first time since his arrival, the other Heroes let out a stream of "oohs" and "aahs". Some even began to applaud. This caused Brown to look around in surprise before sulking in embarrassment as his cheeks turned red.

"You guys," he said, "it's not… come on, I don't look that great…"

"What are you talking about, Brown?" said Wind, approaching him and patting his shoulder affectionately. "You look terrific!"

Brown looked down at his feet. "…You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, we really mean it!" said Engie, who gave him a thumbs up and a big grin. "It's like that tux was made for you!"

The flustered Hero glanced first at Engie, then back at Wind, and finally down towards the outfit he was wearing. After a moment of contemplation, he finally cracked a small smile, taking the lapel of his tuxedo and fiddling with it.

"…You know, maybe you're right," he finally said, "I do look kinda cool in this."

"That's the spirit!" said Twilight. He stood from his seat approached Brown, prodding his other shoulder playfully. "I always knew you shared our heroic good looks under that scruffy-lookin' face of yours!"

"Scruffy-looking!?" Brown turned to Twilight, shoving a finger to his chest. "You lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere, and you're calling me scruffy-looking!?"

"You two, take it easy!" laughed Sky, who walked over and gently lowered Brown's hand. "This is going to be Brown's first Hero's Ball, remember? Let's make it so that he has a good time." He then reached into his pouch and pulled out a pictograph box. "And since it looks like everybody's ready, how about we go head and take the group pictograph?"

Brown looked down at the device in Sky's hands and blinked. "Group pictograph? …Wait, we're taking pictures?"

"Of course! We always take a group shot before the ball," explained Mini before turning to Wind. "Time for you to work your magic, Wind."

"No problem," said Wind before taking the pictograph box Sky had offered to him - having studied (for lack of a better term) under the tutelage of a master pictographer in his youth, he had been deemed the official picture-taker of the group. He grabbed an end table to use as a stand, then stood back and motioned towards Time's fireplace. "Okay, everybody, you know what to do; shortest in front and tallest in back!"

The Heroes all did as they were told, shuffling around until they had gathered into two different rows. The taller half of the group made up the back row; Sky, Time, Brown, Twilight, Duo, and Light, and they reserved a spot at the end for Wind. The other half, composing of Green and his personas, Engie, and Mini, stood in the front row. After telling a few of them to move this way and that so they could all fit in the frame, Wind gave them all the "okay" signal, then sat the pictograph box down on the end table.

"All right, guys," he said, setting the timer on the device, "smile!"

As the brotherhood of Heroes put on their most handsome smiles, Wind rushed over to join them. A few seconds later, the pictograph box flashed, immortalizing a moment of pride and celebration that could only come once in a century.