Archive of Our Own

Hey brother,
There's an endless road to re-discover
Hey sister,
Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker

/\ - /\ - /\

Most of the time, Wind didn’t mind that he could see ghosts. Sure, some of the ghosts were kind of scary, but he was a hero! He’d seen way scarier things in some of the dungeons he’d been through!

Instead, he kind of liked getting to see ghosts. He could talk to them, and help them in little ways, find out how to help them rest easy. And they would smile and thank him, like he was their hero, too, not just of the living.

But this time, Wind thought from his perch in the branches of a tree, he wished he couldn’t see. Because there was a little girl with a pale blue dress sitting next to Wild, but Wild couldn’t see her, and if the fact that they had the same color hair was anything to go by… it wasn’t fair Wind got to see when Wild could not.

It wasn’t fair.

Wind kicked the tree.

He regretted it instantly, because he overbalanced and toppled backwards towards the ground. He tore through sticks and leaves as he fell plummeting towards the ground, arms flailing. Suddenly, the rushing green stopped. Wind would have been grateful, if it wasn’t for the fact that his stomach had collided with a large bough, driving the air out of his lungs with a whoosh.

 It wasn’t the first time he’d had the wind knocked out of him, though, so his arms and legs moved on instinct. His arms and legs wrapped around the branch as hard as he could, clinging fiercely, waiting for a tell-tale creak.

Nothing. The branch was stable.

Wind let out a grin at his expertise as the adrenaline began to drain—all that time practicing in Tetra’s rigging had paid off!

Eight heads snapped towards the noise (nine if you count the small, blonde, ghostly one), and Time was already on his feet, Twilight and Warriors only a half-beat behind.

“Everything all right, sailor?” The leader called, forehead creasing in concern.

Wind managed to swing and wriggle himself back into a seated position, and he grinned, lifting a hand in a wave. “I’m fine, no worries!”

Time’s brow smoothed, and a faint smile crossed his face, and he slowly lowered himself back down by the fire. “Good.” The smile quirked into the wry grin that usually meant trouble of some sort. “Though, sailor… Just a bit of advice: try not to kick the tree, next time. You’ll be less likely to fall out of it, then.”

Wind laughed sheepishly and hunched his shoulders, feeling the tips of his ears beginning to burn.  For a guy with one eye, he sure sees everything, doesn’t he?

The others laughed and grinned as they turned back to what they were doing, but not the little girl. She was still watching curiously, as Wind had already been in the tree when she skipped into camp.

Wind’s guilt concept (Wild should be the one not him why) struggled mightily against the manners his Grandma taught him, and as was usually the case, Grandma won out. Slowly and hesitantly, as if shackles of iron clung to his wrists, Wind lifted his hand in a wave.

Her eyes widened in shock, and then a smile beamed across her face. It was a super-bright smile, like the sun shining off the tops of the waves, and she waved furiously back, bouncing on the tips of her toes.

It made the guilt a little easier to bear, to see her so excited and happy, so Wind’s own smile grew in return.

Now, though, since Wind had let her know he could see her, it’d be really mean to ignore her. She’d probably end up really sad. He could see the downcast expression in his head, just like Aryll’s when she was sad.

So, despite the pain and guilt twisting in his heart, Wind clenched his fists resolutely. He’d talk to her the first chance he’d get!

/\ - /\ - /\

 Fate seemed to be on his side, for when they cast lots that night, Wind drew second. This was perfect, as everyone would be pretty settled into sleep and less likely to wake up and see their sailor talking with the air.

Wind was distracted all evening, gaze following the little girl constantly. She danced about the clearing cheerfully, poking her nose curiously into corners all the while humming that one song Time and Twilight played for Epona.

She wasn’t very tall, only coming up to about Wind’s shoulder, though he was pretty sure she was older than Aryll. It was a little hard to tell. She had golden hair cut at her shoulders, and straight-cut bangs fell across her forehead, kept flat by a black ribbon. She wore a pale blue dress and sensible shoes, which tapped soundlessly against the ground as she danced happily around the campsite.

She seemed really nice, it was a shame it was their first time in Wild’s Hyrule, or else he’d have met her before. Wind had figured out pretty quickly that while all of the heroes had spirits and ghosts that watched over them, those ghosts were bound to their own times and lands. Still, whenever the group landed in one of their home kingdoms, the ghosts would come and find them right away. It was like there was string unerringly drawing their spirits back to that which they watched over.

Wind propped his chin in his hands. Wild had told them all about what happened in his Hyrule a long time ago; after all, the scars were kind of hard to miss. Wind had felt a bit of a kinship with the scarred older hero—after all, they had both left Hyrule alone, in a way. Wild to ravages of time, and Wind to the destruction of the deep.

And now, if Wind’s guess was correct, and he was pretty sure he was, they had even more in common.

He glanced over miserably at the ghost, who was crouched down in front of the fire and poking curiously at the lizard Wild had laid out to brew.

She was so awfully young—a second guess began to stir in his mind, and he really didn’t like this thought.

Blue fabric flopped onto Wind’s head, immediately draping him in darkness. Wind flailed. “Hey!”

“Hey, yourself.” Warriors said casually, as if he hadn’t just attacked somebody with his scarf.

Still… it was nice and soft and warm. Wind finally managed to get his face free, but left the rest draped around his head and shoulders. He was a pirate, after all. Warriors should know better than to be so careless with his belongings. The end of the scarf was his, now.

Warriors coughed into a hand, hiding a laugh, but then he leaned forward and nudged Wind’s side with his elbow. “You doing all right? You seem distracted.”

Warmth filled Wind’s belly, like the feel of eating Grandma’s soup with Aryll cuddled up next to him, chattering about her day. Or like Gonzo and Niko and the other pirates cheering him on after he found some really cool treasure, or when Linebeck let him steer his ship. It was a little like the warm feeling he got when Tetra smiled and winked at him, but that feeling was also different, cause it tended to make his heart jump for some weird reason that he hadn’t figured out yet.

So Wind grinned back and jabbed his own elbow into Warriors’ side in return. “Yeah, I’m fine! Just hungry.”

“That makes two of us,” Wars grinned. “Hey, cook! Stop messing around with the creepy-crawlies and make something for us starving soldiers over here!”

Wild’s head popped up from shuffling through the insides of his bag, a smirk on his face. “Y’know, you’re always free to make something for yourself. Pick up the slack!”

“No, he’s not.” Time shot back, expression as grim as if he were staring death itself in the face. “I’d like to sleep tonight.”

The entire camp burst into laughter at the grand mixture of insult and amusement on the Captain’s face, and Wind patted himself on the back between giggles. He’d dodged suspicions like the master sneak he was… and now all that was left was tonight.

/\ - /\ - /\

Wind was gently shaken out of his dream by Four’s hand on his shoulder. The sailor sat up, yawning and stretching his arms, blinking away the memory of his dream—of a red boat and an endless green horizon ahead—because he had more important things to focus on.

He made himself comfortable on a rock near the fire, and set about checking his arrow supply, trying to pass the time until he was certain the coast was clear.

After about fifteen minutes, Wind paused, ears straining. Four’s breathing had dropped off to the easy rhythm of deep sleep, and no one else had stirred since he’d taken up watch.

Perfect.

“Hey, there. Do you wanna talk?” He asked, looking over at the little girl. She was sitting a few feet away from Wild’s head, batting playfully at the strands of grass. At Wind’s voice, however, she looked up, and a bright smile crossed her face. Immediately the girl jumped up and skipped over, excitement leaking from every inch of her body.

“Hello!” she chirped. “It’s nice to meet you! Thanks for being friends with my big brother.”

Wind felt the grin of his face widen and soften. This was easier than he thought it might be—the girl really reminded him of his own little sister. “ ‘Course! Your brother is super fun to be friends with.” He stuck his hand out politely. “My name’s Link—“ the girl giggled, and Wind grinned and rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, I know. But everyone here calls me Wind.” He jabbed his thumb at his chest. “I’m a pirate!”

“Oooh,” the girl said, very impressed. She reached out and gripped Wind’s hand in return as best she could. Wind had shaken hands with plenty of ghosts before, but he didn’t think he’d ever get used to the sensation. Too cool and too smooth to the touch, faint and not-quite-there, sort of like a bubble; as if Wind put just a bit too much pressure his hand would slip right through hers.

“Nice to meet you, Wind!” she said, voice high and sweet and giggly, “My name is Aryll!”

Oh.

Huh.

“Nice to meet you,” Wind replied, still somewhat bewildered. “Y’know, I have a little sister named Aryll.”

“That’s funny,” Aryll tipped her head to one side and smiled cheekily. “I have a big brother named Link!”

The two children stared at each other for a long moment.

“Life is weird.” Wind finally said.

Aryll nodded fiercely. “Yup!”

They locked gazes for three seconds more, before they both burst into giggles. Wind had to slap his hands over his mouth, but Aryll kept going on, bending over and pressing her arms against her stomach gleefully. Perks of being a ghost, Wind guessed.

Finally, their laughter died down, and Arylll took a seat on a rock next to Wind’s, wrapping her hands around her ankles and rocking back and forth restlessly.

“So…” Wind said, slowly and hesitantly. “You’re Wild’s little sister?”

“Uh-huh!” Aryll beamed over at the sleeping form of her brother. “He’s seven years older than me, and he’s the best big brother ever.” Her gaze snapped back to Wind, her eyes widening with excitement and awe. “And you—you’re a Hero of Courage, just like big brother! I know cause with big brother gone, I’ve been looking after Zelda for him,” She puffed her chest out proudly. “I’ve sung her lullabies and make sure doesn’t lose things and that she’s always smiling. And,” her smile slides into a sheepish expression, and she tugged on a strand of her hair. “It lets me read big brother’s letters over her shoulder. I know that isn’t really polite, but it’s not like I’ll tell anyone!”

“Eh,” Wind said, crossing his arm and screwing up his face thoughtfully. “I think it’s fine! I mean, he’d totally be writing letters to you if, well…” His confident tone petered off slowly into something soft and sad.

“…If he could see me.” Aryll finished, looking down at her feet, her voice a tiny thing. “If he remembered. If… if I was still alive.”

“…Yeah.”

They were silent for a second. Wind gulped, gathering up the nerve to ask the question that had been banging in the back of his head for hours.

“Did… did the Calamity…” He gulped hard again, forcing the words out. “Did it kill you?”

Aryll blinked, and Wind set his teeth, tensing his shoulders against the painful truth that was sure to smack him in the face.

Instead, Aryll scoffed, sticking her nose up in the air. “As if!” She huffed. “Like I’d like something dumb as the Calamity kill me. That’d just make big brother blame himself—he’s stupid like that sometimes, especially when it’s not his fault. So I obviously couldn’t let it kill me!”

“Wait, really?” Wind somehow managed to slump with relief and spring up with excitement at the same time, eyes wide. “Then… how… I mean, you look awful young—“

“Oh, I’m really way older than this!” She jumped up on the rock, propping her fists proudly on her hips. “I got to be super super old before I died!”

“You don’t look super super old,” Wind pointed out, folding his arms skeptically.

Aryll wrinkled her forehead and nose, thinking hard. “It’s a little confusing to ‘splain, and I don’t remember most of it.” She admits.

Wind tipped his head to one side thoughtfully. “Well, start at the beginning! That’s the best way to start a story.”

“Oh, okay.” She sat back down again, kicking her legs idly as she thought. “Um, so when the Calamity came, I looked just like this, okay? And… and it was really scary, but I was little so I managed to hide so the Guardians wouldn’t see me. Then I ran into the woods and made my way to Hateno! It was really hard, but this nice wolf looked after me and kept me safe!”

Wind’s eyes widened, and his head tipped to one side curiously. “Like Wolfie?”

“Sorta!” Aryll giggled. “But it think it was a spirit wolf, and Wolfie’s just, well… not a spirit wolf.” She giggled again, like there was a joke there Wind didn’t get. “I thiiiiiink…” She looked both ways quickly, as if looking for eavesdroppers, though that wasn’t really much of a concern considering that she was, well… a ghost. She scooted forward, anyway, and whispered around her hand into Wind’s ear. “Mama used to tell me an’ big brother stories about how our great-great-super-great-something-grandpa from way, way, way back, like before the first calamity back, was a hero who could turn into a wolf! So I like to think he was looking after me.”

Wind’s eyes went even wider, and his mouth dropped open. “Really? No way! That’s so cool!”

His voice had gradually gain volume as he spoke, but Wind realized only when Legend let out a groan. WInd froze as he and Aryll stared wide-eyed at the veteran. Legend was nosy—if he wokeup and suspected something he wouldn’t let it go, not until he’d figured out—

Legend let out another groan and rolled over, breaths going back to a natural rhythm.  

Wind’s and Aryll’s shoulders slumped, sighs of relief echoing in unison.

After a couple more seconds, just to be safe, Wind carefully dropped his voice and leaned towards her, doing his own whispering. “My grandma had a shield on the wall of our house. She says it’s an heirloom of our family and that an ancestor of ours who was a hero wielded it.” His chest puffed up. “I used it too, for a while!”

Aryll’s eyes rounded in awe, very impressed.

“But what did you do after the Calamity?”

Aryll leaned back on her rock and shrugged, kicking her legs harder. “I dunno. Lots of stuff! I was on my own for a long while, jus’ me and the wolf. Gramps… Gramps wasn’t around anymore—” And Wind was pretty sure he knew what that meant but he for sure as seas wasn’t going to press, “And Link was sleeping, and I was gonna have a big sister… but she was dead, too.”

Her shoulders drooped for a second, so Wind reached out and gently bumped his fist against her arm. She perked right up, like a plant that’s been given water, and with a fierce shake of her head, the smile was back on her face. “I could take care of myself just fine though, especially with my Wolfie’s help! Big brother had taught me lots about what sort of stuff to do in the wild. After a bit, though, I went to Hateno, and Purah told me Link wasn’t dead, just sleeping.

“So, I decided I should go out and do stuff instead of just moping around. Stuff to help Hyrule, an’ big brother when he woke up! Like I taught a funny poet guy our family song so Link would have somethin’ familiar, and I helped start up the stables again! After a while I met a really nice guy and got married and had kids!” She held her head high, proud and happy, but just as quickly as it had come it left, and her shoulders drooped.

“And one time—way before I got married—I climbed up the Great Plateau and found where big brother was sleeping. But the door was closed, so I couldn’t see him, so I went back down to wait. And I waited, and waited, and I got super old, and I kept on waiting. But… but Link wouldn’t wake up.”

She stared into the flickering dance of the fire, twisting her fingers together, and Wind thought that for a moment, she somehow looked both very old and very young.

“And then I died. And he was still sleeping. And part of me wanted to wait for him, but the rest of me wanted to watch over my family. And I couldn’t decide and couldn’t and couldn’t until,” she yanked her arms, her entwined fingers tearing apart suddenly and violently, and Wind jumped, “I didn’t need to decide anymore. So the old me, the bit that remembers the growing up parts best, she watches over our family. She does come and visit, though. And I visit my family, too, but I spend most of my time watching over big brother!”

She looked over at Wild’s bedroll—the cook lay sprawled half in and half out of his blanket, hair already a mess and snoring. He was having a good night tonight, free from dreams or nightmares, and Aryll smiled at that.

“I still waited for a long time—like twenty years or something, it’s kind of hard to keep track. But then big brother woke up, and he saved Hyrule and he was smiling again, like he used to when I was little! So that was nice.” The ghost attempted to dig her mostly-incorporeal toes into the ground, and did not succeed.

“But… but he didn’t remember me. And I guess…” Her shoulders hunched close to her ears and her restless legs finally grew still. “…I guess that’s for the best. Cause he can’t get me back. He can’t even speak to me. So, if he remembered I was there, he’d just feel extra lonely. So. I’m okay with that. I’ll just keep him company as best I can! I can wait. And I’d better wait for a super, super, super long time!” She glared over at Wild’s bedroll.

Wild slept on, oblivious.

Wind was frowning, too, arms crossed as he stared at Aryll. “That sounds really lonely.”

Aryll shrugged, wrinkling her nose. Wind knew that look. That was what his Aryll looked like when she was trying not to cry. Wind didn’t like that. “I’m okay. I get to be a part of all his adventures! And I can talk to other ghosts and koroks and stuff so it’s not like I’m all by myself—”

Nope, Wind definitely didn’t like that. So he lunged forward and gave the ghost his very best hug.

Aryll was stunned still for a long second, before she burst into a sob and wrapped her cold, ethereal arms around the sailor and cried. She cried for a good long while, and Wind patted her back and hummed, blinking back a few of his own tears.

Finally, with a hiccup and a final sob or two, Aryll fell quiet and slipped out of his arms. And by slipped Wind meant she slipped right through. For a second there he’d nearly forgotten she was a ghost, but that was a pretty good reminder. When she took a seat, though, it was on Wind’s rock, and settling next to him, leaning against his shoulder. If Wind closed his eyes, it was almost like he was back home on Outset, his Aryll leaning into his side. Well, if his Aryll felt like an ice cube that was sort of not there, anyway.

“Hey…” He finally said, after a good deal of thought, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Aryll swung her hell against the rock once or twice, humming that familiar song thoughtfully. “Hmm.” There was a long pause, before she suddenly jerked upright. Before Wind could ask what was wrong, the girl had hopped off the rock and turned to face him, hand clasped behind her back as she bounced eagerly on her toes.

“Actually, there is something you could do.”

“Cool! Lay it on me!” Wind clenched a fist and grinned. “I’m a Hero, after all. Helping people is what I do!”

“Right!” Aryll nodded solemnly, then took a deep breath. “…Do you care about my big brother?”

Wind wasn’t expecting that, but he paused, taking the question seriously. Then he nodded firmly. “Yeah. He’s like a---” Wind dug around frantically for the right words—he’d never had to describe it before but he thought it might—“He’s like a big brother to me.”

He felt heat rising to his cheeks at the words, but he didn’t care. It was true, and that was more important than being embarrassed.

Aryll smiled, so bright and happy it was like it chased all her lingering chill away. “So, I have a favor to ask, from a little sister to a big brother: Can you be his little brother, and do little sibling things for him. You know, the stuff I can’t anymore.”

“Maybe.” Wind said. He’d never been a proper little brother before, but he knew what sorts of things his little sister did, so he’d probably be able to figure it out. “Like, what kinda stuff you thinking?”

“Well…’ The ghost tugged on the long strand of her bangs, biting her lip. “You can sing and play with him, and catch frogs, and cook with him! And, and draw him pictures, and tell him stories and listen to his stories, and give him hugs, and braid his hair, and play pranks on him!”

Wind ran over the list once or twice in his mind, then nodded decisively. Those all sounded like things he could do. “All right, it’s a deal, Miss Aryll!” He stuck his hand out, grinning. “From a little brother to a little sister.”

Aryll’s smile shone even brighter, which Wind hadn’t thought was possible, and she shook the hand firmly. “Thank you!”

“No thanks are necessary,” Wind scoffed. “What are friends for?”

At this, Aryll lit up like the sun, and she dropped Wind’s hand to tackle him in a hug. Wind liked this hug much better, as it had a lot less crying involved, and non-crying hugs were happy hugs, and happy hugs were the best.

And so Wind and Aryll spent the rest of his watch talking about their Hyrules, and the Rito, and their favorite birds, and all sorts of different things; and Wind now very much looking forward to the next time they came to Wild’s home.

It was always fun to make friends.

But, even the endlessness of second watch eventually turns into third, and Wind shook Hyrule awake. The traveler broke into the waking world with a groan, but was on his feet in a second. He was always one of the best at waking up—probably something to do with being a wanderer who slept in caves, Wind guessed.

Hyrule slipped free of his bedroll and made his way over to the fire, but paused when he saw Wind was heading over to the opposite side of the campfire from his bedroll. “What are you doing?”

Wind grinned, raising a finger to his lips. Hyrule caught on instantly that something was up, and held his own finger to his lips, winking cheerily.

With the cooperation of the watch assured, Wind and Aryll shared grins, though the traveler couldn’t see.

This was going to be great.

/\ - /\ - /\

Wild was one of the first awake, as usual. He’d slept long enough for all of the Links, after all, not to mention that he’d been in the habit of waking up with the sun for, well, as long as he could remember.

Which worked out well, as the others insisted he was the only one who could cook. In Wild’s opinion, they were overreacting, but he didn’t mind. He liked cooking, after all.

Slowly, he hauled himself upright and stretched the kinks out of his arms, admiring the soft blue glow of the early morning sky.

He took in a deep breath and let it out, basking in the familiar smells. Exploring other Hyrules was fun, but it sure was good to be home!

Unfortunately, however, he was too busy staring at the sky to notice his bedroll was particularly bumpy that morning.

Rubbing the last of the sleep-sand out of his eye, he reached down and flipped open his blanket.

“YAHAHA! YOU FOUND ME!”

Wild shrieked.

Legend, who had been fast asleep nearby (emphasis on the had), also shrieked, flailing for his sword. No one else shrieked, but within seconds the camp was bristling with menacing pointy objects, very awake heroes, and twenty koroks hovering above Wild’s bedroll.

The only one not brandishing a blade was Hyrule, who was half turned away in an attempt to appear innocent and uninvolved, and Wind, who had disappeared into a tree the second he woke up.

He was there even now, perched on a high branch and giggling like mad, nudging a little ghostly girl with his elbow.

“I told you it was brilliant!” He gasped out between cackles. “Did you see his face?!”

“I can’t believe that worked!” Aryll giggled back. “I thought he’d gotten used to finding Koroks ages ago!”

“It’s one thing to not be startled by something when you’re looking for it,” Wind replied, with a wise nod and a wink, “It’s a very different thing to wake up and find twenty of that something in your bed.”

Aryll looked down at the cloud of tree spirits floating around her brother’s head, and laughed even harder. “I guess that’s true!”

She looked down at the commotion the camp had become—instead of calming down, as one might expect, the Links had instead gotten progressively louder with each passing moment.

“Thanks for helping me, Wind.” The ghost said, shyly. “It was fun! You did a great job!”

“Eh,” Wind shrugged, then flung an arm around shoulder and squeezing their heads together. “Couldn’t have done it without you! You did a great job of finding all those Koroks.”

“Perks of being a ghost, I guess!”

Wind tried not to make a face at that—emphasis on tried. Judging by the slightly sad giggle from Aryll, he hadn’t done a very good job.

It’s not like he could help it, though… it was pretty easy to forget Aryll was, well… what she was, and being reminded was sad.

“I wanted to thank you again, though,” Aryll said quietly, before Wind could respond.

Wind immediately shook his head. “I’d be a pretty lousy friend if I didn’t help!”

“Still,” Aryll’s voice was firm, and she met Wind’s curious gaze solemnly. “I’m really, really grateful. You’re a real hero.”

Wind blinked. “Well, ‘course I am!” He flapped his arms at the bickering insanity below. “We’re all heroes, here, you know!”

“Not like you, though.” Aryll tilted her head to one side. “All your friend may be heroes, and good ones too, but you’re the one that can and does listen to and help ghosts like us. It’s nice to know that we have a Hero, too.”

“O-oh.” Wind felt his ears flushing at the praise, and ducked his head, gaze fixed on his swinging feet. “I’m just glad to help.”

“I know,” Aryll replied. “That’s what Papa said makes someone a hero.”

The sat there for a moment and smiled cheerfully at each other. Sadly, their peace and quiet was broken by Wild.  

“WIND! WIND WHERE ARE YOU? I KNOW YOU’RE BEHIND THIS!”

Wind peeked past the branches down at the clearing. Wild had his arms crossed, a threatening grin on his face as he scanned the perimeter. The rest were watching with various stages of amusement, though the one that surprised Wind the most was Time quietly snickering into his fist in the background.

I’ll have to work with him on a later prank, Wind thought, rubbing his hands together in excitement. That was going to be fun.

“Hey, Wind…” Aryll said slowly as she peered down into the clearing herself.  “Y’know what another fun game I would play with big brother was?”

Wind’s head snapped around to face the girl, his mischief-senses tingling. “What’s that?”

The ghost grinned.

“Tag.”

“COME ON DOWN AND FACE ME, SAILOR!”

“That,” Wind smirked, “Sounds like a great plan.”

 With that, he jumped off the branch, dropping to the ground and landing a few feet away from where Wild stood. Everyone froze, startled, and Wind seized the opportunity. Dragging one eyelid down and pulling the corner of his mouth with his finger, he blew a truly impressive raspberry.

“Gotta catch me, first!”

And with that, he spun on his heel and bolted into the woods. Wild gave chase, yelling and screeching to put a bokoblin to shame.

And, last but not least, though only Wind could see, there followed a little blonde ghost girl, laughing all of the way.

/\ - /\ - /\