Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Please don’t go!” Aryll cried as she clung to her big brother’s arm, trying to pull him away from the little red boat packed with supplies.

“You’ve barely been home! Why do you have to leave again?!”

Link sighed. He didn’t try to walk towards the boat for now but didn’t let Aryll pull him away either.

“Aryll, I have to check that island for monsters. It’s too close to Windfall and if those rumors are true the chance of a monster attack is big. I need to make sure everyone is safe.”

Aryll pouted. She understood that it was Link’s job as the hero to hunt and kill monsters but he rarely stayed home for more than a month! It’s only been two weeks this time!

“At least stay another day? Pleeaasee.” She asked.

Link smiled sadly as he shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Aryll. But this is important.”

“But what about me and Grandma?” Aryll asked with the saddest face she could muster.

“We’ll have to wait forever for you to be back!”

“I’ll be gone for a month tops. Though I expect to be back earlier.” Link ruffled his little sister’s hair.

Aryll sniffled, tears escaping her eyes.

“But what if you get hurt and don’t come back? How will we know?” She couldn’t help but hug her big brother, holding him tightly.

Link hugged back, trying to hold back his own tears. He didn’t want to leave but monsters didn’t wait for you to have some free time to deal with them.

“We’ll send each other letters, ok? I’ll make sure to check the post box whenever I have a chance and I’ll write back to you. Then you’ll know that I’m ok. But I really need to go now.”

He tried to break the hug but Aryll refused to let go. She started crying louder. It broke Link’s heart.

“I’m sorry, Aryll. A month at most. I promise. But I need you to be strong for grandma, ok?” He felt his own tears trying to escape but he blinked them away. He had to be strong too. Both for grandma and Aryll.

Aryll managed to stop crying though her breath still hitched.

“One month! Not any longer!” She demanded. Link nodded.

“Only one month.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Aryll spent every day at the little lookout tower, waiting for her brother to return. Grandma told her to be patient. It had barely been a week. But Aryll wanted Link to come home now!

She had already sent tons of letters. She told him of the events that happened on their little island, though there wasn’t much to talk about. She always made sure to add a drawing as well.

The first letter she received from Link was positive. He had made it to windfall without issue and was immediately overwhelmed by letters. He complimented her improving art skills, said he was going to stay on Windfall for the night, and explained that he’d leave in the morning to look for the monsters. He wouldn’t be near a post box for a bit but encouraged her to keep sending letters so he had something to look forward to. Aryll smiled from ear to ear when she read the letter out loud to her grandma. And grandma seemed a bit more relaxed after hearing from her grandson.

As days went by Aryll kept writing letters and looking out to sea in the hopes of seeing that little red boat. Just as Link had said it was a bit before he sent another letter. When it arrived Aryll ran into the little house waving the piece of paper excitedly. Grandma told her to calm down with a chuckle as Aryll eagerly opened Link’s letter.

In it Link explained how he was surprised to see even more letters this time. It made him happy. He Said he had indeed found a group of monsters and had taken them out. Only it seemed to be an organized group so he was going to follow the trail to hopefully get to the source and take it out.

He said that it was a struggle to win. One monster was unusually tough. It even had black blood! How strange. But he had only gotten minor injuries and he was fine. He still expected to be home before the end of the month. He also promised that he’d be careful. Although he was not traveling with them, he had contact with Tetra’s crew via the pirate’s charm. So If he did need help (Which he assured wouldn’t be needed) They’d be there.

It was a bit more worrying to hear of unusual monsters in the great sea but Aryll trusted Link completely. If he said he’d be fine then he’ll be fine. Grandma didn’t seem so sure but Aryll’s optimism made her confident in Link’s abilities once more.

Aryll wrote more letters as more days passed. It took longer this time but Finally Link sent another letter back.

He apologized for the wait. He took down another monster group, this one tougher than the last one, and had gotten hurt. He immediately wrote that it wasn’t that bad but he needed a bit of rest. He’d taken a potion to make sure he healed well (though grandma suspected that the injuries were a lot worse than Link described them) And would travel again tomorrow. He said there seemed to be only one more group of monsters connected to the ones he’d taken down. And they happened to be based on the way to Outset. So he could make his way home while dealing with the threat at the same time. He was sure it’d be one more week at most and then he’d be home.

Aryll was jumping in joy at the news that her brother was heading home. Sure, he’d gotten hurt, but he is Link! He can handle a little injury! He already said he healed himself so there was nothing to worry about. Grandma was worrying but Aryll was sure that she’d be fine the moment she saw Link set foot on the island again. Only a week away now!

Aryll rushed to the lookout. She wanted to watch the sea. Yes, Link wouldn’t come home today but he’d be home soon. And she would be there to greet him.

- - - - - - - - - -

Aryll sat on the wooden planks of the lookout while hugging her knees. It had been eight days. That’s more than a week! And Link wasn’t home yet!

She wiped away a tear. They made her vision blurry and she had to watch the sea. Grandma reassured her that the winds may not have been in Link’s favor and he’d simply be a day late. She didn’t mean the actual wind. They were never not in Link’s favor. She meant it metuh- metafur- metaphurikally- Not literally.

Aryll wanted to believe her but she could see that grandma was really worried as well. So she hid in the lookout, waiting for her brother.

She also immediately wrote more letters. She made sure she still sounded happy in them. She asked if Link had to take a detour. If something slowed him down a bit. It had happened before where Link suddenly sent a letter when he was supposed to be home already. Back then something important had happened and he had to take more time away from home. So Aryll hoped to get another letter like that to confirm that he was alright. Or better yet, instead of a letter see him arrive back home. That would be the best.

But as the sun set he still wasn’t home.

- - - - - - - - - -

“Aryll?” grandma said softly as she entered the young girl’s room.

“Aryll, you need to get up. It’s already noon.”

“I don’t wanna.” Aryll murmured. She was facing away from her grandma and refused to turn around. She’d been crying and didn’t want grandma to know.

But of course the elderly woman knew already.

“Oh, Aryll. I know you’re sad. He’ll come home eventually.” She ran a soothing hand over Aryll’s shoulder. And Aryll couldn’t help but cry.

“It’s been months! He promised that he’d be away for one month at most!” She shouted. Her voice broken with sobs.

Grandma sighed.

“I know, dearie, but-”

“He hasn’t even responded to my letters!” Aryll cried. She finally sat up, hugging her legs and sobbing uncontrollably.

Grandma hugged her. Tears started escaping her eyes too.

Aryll hiccupped.

“Are you sure he’s alright? And don’t lie to me! I’ll know!”

Grandma hugged her tighter.

“I don’t know.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Aryll ran to the shore at the sight of the ship. Though people usually feared pirates these were very welcome here.

“Tetra!” Aryll shouted. She immediately grabbed the young pirate captain in a tight hug.

Tetra made sure to look annoyed at the affectionate display but didn’t attempt to push the girl away.

“Yeah, yeah. Good to see you too, little gull. Is your brother here somewhere?”

Aryll pulled away from Tetra with a frown. Tears already started pooling in her eyes.

“N- no. I haven’t seen him in months. I thought you had contact with him.”

Tetra frowned. A hint of worry in her eyes.

“Hey, gull. I need to talk with your grandma.” She said, not caring that her tone was softer than usual as she tried to sooth the girl.

“Can you be strong while I talk to her?”

Aryll nodded, wiping away fresh tears. She took Tetra by the hand and started dragging her to her home.

- - -

Tetra had no idea where Link was. She sat in the cozy little home pinching the bridge of her nose as she explained. She was having regular contact with Link. He was happy. Only one more group of monsters and he’d see his family again.

Then, when he reached the monsters, he’d contacted her again. He said the enemies weren’t that impressive. Just some bokoblins and miniblins. The scariest thing was the wizzrobe but he could take that one out with a fire arrow. But he noted that they had a little tent set up and seemed to be hiding something in there. He promised he’d call back once he dealt with the monsters to report his findings.

He never called back.

The moment Tetra could she sailed towards the island Link had been at. His boat was still there. But there was no sign of him.

They had searched the whole island. They found the monster camp, bodies of the creatures lay there rotting in the tropical sun, but no sign of Link. There was nothing interesting in the little tent, In fact, it was completely empty.

They kept searching the island over and over again but the only trace of Link ever having been there was the little red boat waiting by the shore for its owner to return.

Tetra sighed, words heavy in her throat.

“We’re worried something bad has happened to him.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Grandma had been crying and so had Aryll. But Aryll now refused to believe her brother was gone. She’d keep writing him letters. Maybe he could read them wherever he was but couldn’t reply. That didn’t make sense but Aryll refused to think that her brother was dea- gone.

But there was no trace of him. In fact, monster populations started to increase. They were unusually tough too according to Tetra. They bled black just like Link had described in one of his letters. Those weird things had forced even Tetra and her crew to retreat on more than one occasion. Thankfully they hadn’t caused any havoc on the inhabited islands yet. But they were getting closer.

Aryll forced herself to believe that Link was fine. But the other people on outset weren’t that convinced. There was hushed discussion of having a funeral for him. Grandma still didn’t want that. She didn’t want to give up hope even though she barely had any. It was more for Aryll than for her.

But the red boat that Tetra and the crew had brought back to outset was covered in flowers every day. Kind people who wanted to honor the lost boy but had given up hope of ever seeing him again. Aryll never placed a flower. He wasn’t gone. He couldn’t be gone. Even if everything told her that he was never coming back home.

So she wiped away the tears that never left her nowadays and wrote on the paper again.

A story of how everyone was doing, a wish for him to come home, and a drawing. She put the letter in an envelope with Link’s name on it and put it in the post box. She waited by that box until Quill came to pick up and deliver letters.

Quill smiled sadly at her as he noticed the letter she had written for Link.

“I’ll do my best to make sure he gets this letter.” He promised. But Aryll knew he was just trying to comfort her.

This suspicion was only confirmed when he left to talk to Tetra. Aryll eavesdropped even though she knew it was rude. Turns out the letters she writes to Link get stolen every time without fail. No one knows by who. Quill asked Tetra to keep an eye out for the thief. And, though Tetra likes to do her own thing and not do what others told her to, this was something she agreed to do.

Aryll returned to her lookout. So even the letters she writes never make it anywhere.

She just wants her big brother home.

- - - - - - - - - -

Aryll didn’t want today to end. Not because it was a fun day but because tomorrow would be a terrible one.

They were going to have a funeral for Link tomorrow. Without a body, of course. For all they knew he lay on the bottom of the great sea.

No, it was a funeral to remember him and say their goodbyes. Even Aryll didn’t believe he’d come home.

But she still sent a letter even if they kept getting stolen. She explained to him that he was presumed dead and that they were going to say their goodbyes. She said she really missed him but understood that he couldn’t come home anymore. She didn’t care that her tears had fallen on the paper. Link wouldn’t actually get to see it anyways.

She sat on the lookout, watching people arrive. Link knew a lot of people and they were all gathering to pay their respects.

Aryll was happy so many people cared but many wanted to give her words of comfort and she just wanted to be left alone. So when yet another group of people had given their condolences to the girl she politely excused herself.

The lookout didn’t give her enough privacy anymore so she decided to head to the top of outset. She’d been scared of the bridge leading to the forest for a while but she’d traveled over it so many times since she got kidnapped that she had slowly become less afraid of the path to the forest.

She wiped her eyes as she reached the end of the bridge. Birds sung in the trees as she approached. Just the sounds of nature and not the sad smiles and condolences of the people bellow. That’s what she needed right now. So when she heard people talk within the forest she frowned.

Who was up here anyways? And why were they talking so frantically? She couldn’t understand a word of what they were saying.

But when she heard rapid footsteps heading her way she started to wonder if these really were people visiting for the funeral and not bad people hiding out in the forest. And she was standing here all alone in their path.

She should move but fear kept her in place. The memory of the giant bird taking her filling her head. Was she going to get kidnapped again? Only this time with no brother to save her?

Run. She should run back to grandma where she was safe. Tetra is on the island. She’ll deal with whatever bad guys are here. She just needs to get her feet moving and run.

But no matter how much she wanted to her legs refused to budge. And the footsteps got closer and closer and CLOSER…

And then they stopped. And Aryll could only look at the person in front of her.

Blond hair, blue lobster tunic, tears in his eyes.

“Aryll?” He asked softly. Aryll stared for a moment more before a flood of tears escaped her eyes and she cried louder than she had cried in all these months. She rushed to his side, her brother’s side, and hugged him tightly.

She wanted to tell him he was a stupid meanie for disappearing. For not responding to her letters or Tetra’s calls. He was stupid for not keeping his promise. But she was crying so much not a word could escape.

And Link hugged her back just as tightly. His shoulders shook and Aryll could hear him cry beside her ear.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Link said through broken sobs. Aryll didn’t care that he was sorry.

All she cared about was that he was home.