Chapter Text
When it was time for the next visit, in May, he was back to being distant. It made Link angry. How could he treat a child like that, run off, then pretend he never did it when he sees said child again; twice!? He kept his anger in though. He would not be like that man, and get angry like that.
It was the same for the year after and the year after that. Until four years passed. It was April. The siblings' least favorite month. Link was sixteen, and Aryll was nine. She was adorable in Link's obviously right opinion. She copied Link in everything. She wore the female version of his clothes and kept her hair exactly like his. Right between the shoulder blades. She refused to do something to her hair unless Link was doing it too. Today they both had low ponytails with front pieces hanging out. That look has been a favorite lately.
She even took up archery. Link helped her with that. He was practically forced to learn almost every weapon, but when she expressed she was interested in archery he became her teacher. He became extremely skilled and helped her with everything related. She was getting better. She also got good at healing, one because she likes it and two because she wanted to heal her brother.
Link stopped talking to almost everybody completely. He talked to Aryll when they were alone and that was it. He knew sign language, but he also found it a bit funny when he just ignored everyone else in general. He taught Aryll sign as well so they could talk when others were around. Aryll found this hilarious, andk always ended up laughing when Link ignored someone.
Both of their favorite moments by far was when someone went up to Link, one of the few times they left the estate, tried to talk to him then figured he was deaf so he started signing. He got red in the face when Link still wasn't responding. Then Aryll came up with something she bought, proceeded to talk with Link and walk away from the guy. He was left there sputtering for almost an entire minute before walking away angry. They both still laugh when they talk about it.
All of the peace they had was broken by the front door slamming open. Like clockwork, as soon as the door slammed shut yelling started.
"And still after tears of training you still are the same weak ass bitch as before- '' that wasn't true. Link has beaten that man multiple times in the last months. "It's because of that little bastard huh!?" What? Link knew that insult wasn't directed at him, but the only other person around was Aryll. She still refused to leave after all these years. When it finally clicked that he was talking about his little sister he got pissed. He wasn't going to be angry when that man insulted or hurt him, but he dared to say anything about his little sister!?
Just as he was about to say, yell really, the first words to someone other than the girl besides him, she was grabbed, not him, her. Link saw red. First he dared to insult her now he was hurting her! They were near the backdoor when this whole thing started so that man and his sister were already out the door. He started running after them. He saw the fear in Aryll's eyes and he heard her pained whimpers. He always grabbed too tight.
They both were running. Link didn't notice until he was there, but they weren't in the backyard training area, they were in the woods. As soon as they stopped the hand still grabbing Aryll's arm slid down and the other raised up.
"No-" Link tried to reach out to stop it but he was late. The hand dropped down and landed on the little girl. She gave a yelp as she hit the floor. The other hand, letting go as she went. She started crying.
Link didn't know what came over him but he leaned down and grabbed a fallen branch. Then he launched at the man who dared lay a hand on his sister. He swung and swung, not stopping until Aryll pulled him off. When he looked down he saw the mutilated corpse or the man he once called his father.
"L- Link!" She was still sobbing. She hugged him even though he was covered in blood. He hugged back. He needed to comfort her.
"Shhhh, shhh it's alright now, he won't hurt you again," and he won't, he can't.
"Wh-what abo-out you?!" She was trying to keep her voice down, but she was practically wailing.
Oh. Oh. She was worried about him. Why? Wait. They can lock him up. He just killed the royal knight. The wielder of the master sword. They could execute him. He can't leave Aryll alone like that. She would be next. Either as a witness to this or the next wielder.
"Nothing's going to happen to me," he had to think fast. He didn't use a sword he can probably blame a… uh… a bokoblin! No, too weak. A Lizalfo! A stronger color but not one to panic. Blue. It was a surprise attack. He'll figure out the details when he cleans himself, and set everything up.
"B-but-"
"No, I'll make everything go away, you have to promise me something," in order for this to work he needs her to understand. She couldn't get any words out so she nodded.
"You never went into the woods today okay?" She nodded along crying but looking serious, "he came and told us my training was in the woods, I ran in and was with you for an hour got it?
"Y-yeah, but why?" She would do it but she was obviously confused. Link would explain, they both need to be on the same page for this to work.
"I won't lie to you, I could get in a lot of trouble for this," and he could but he can't leave her, "if you want I'll tell the truth, but if I do serious things will happen to me, I might not be able to come back to you,"
She looked terrified at the thought of him leaving, "No! Please don't leave!" Her crying started up again.
"I won't! I won't, but in order for me not to leave we have to lie alright?" She nodded again. "Alright, so he told us he was taking me in the woods to train, and you were in the house for a while before I came in, running. We waited an hour before I went out." He explained step by step. Neither can afford to mess this up. "After I went out I came back, then we're going to the castle so I can tell them things, alright?"
"Alright" he gave her a tight hug for a second before he headed back towards the estate. Luckily no maids were there in the days their father was supposed to be there.
When they were done cleaning up, and Link got some dirt on him to make it look like he ran through the woods, he turned towards Aryll.
"If at any time you don't want to lie anymore you tell me, I'll tell the truth," he was serious, he was doing it for her and would stop doing it if she asked.
"No, we're family, we gotta stick together," he smiled at her and hugged her tightly for a minute before telling her, "when we run to the castle we gotta look scared alright?"
She nodded, so he took her hand gently and ran out of the house. He ran all the way to the castle without breaking, his sister in tow.
He realized he would have to talk but it was worth it.
He saw a guard and started yelling, "Help! Help! My father!" He stopped there and grabbed onto the guard.
"Woah, woah, what happened to your father?" The guard on the other side of the gate walked up to them.
"He- he's hurt! I- I don't know if he's okay!" He tried to sound frantic and by the looks it was working.
"Alright lead me there, explain on the way," he nodded to the guard who walked over and the split one following them and the other heading into the castle.
"He has been training me, and- and he said we were going to hunt in the woods for training, but a lifalzor came out when I was talking, it- it hit him hard, he - he told me to run. I did, but he didn't come back so- so I checked and there was so much blood!" He said that with about two breaths. He didn't know he could act. Aryll Was doing well too. He'll check later to see if her cries were real or not.
"Alright," he picked up the pace hearing that, "who is your father?"
Link hated the name. He almost hated his own because of it. He learned early on to think of the names differently but that doesn't change the fact that he hated thinking that he and his father shared the same name.
"Link Migero"
The guard almost fell when he heard that name.
"Link Migero? Like the wielder of the master sword, like, that Link Migero!?"
That man only saw his children as things to carry on his name, what better way to do that than naming one the same.
"Yes!"
The guard seemed to be on a personal mission now, since he tripled his speed. In order to keep up he picked up his sister and put her on his shoulders. His training seemed to pay off because the guard was still slow compared to Link. The guard took no offense in this since the dots connected to him, he was the next wielder.
When he got to the house he dropped his sister in the living area.
*Stay here if anyone comes point them towards the woods. Got it?* He signed. He was done talking. She gave a nod. Good it seemed she was just a good actor. With that he showed the guard where he killed his father.
"Oh my Goddess," the guy looked sick, and now that Link was in the right mind to see, he understood why. His previous thought of mutilation was an understatement. It truly looked like a monster did this. Aryll saw him do this. She saw him turn into a monster and yet still hugged him and wanted him to be with her. Link almost threw up as well, with thoughts of his doing and how his sister still worried about him
"D-" he took a gulp, "do you know sign language?"
The guy looked confused but nodded. "A little bit the guard is forced to learn, why?"
*I don't like to talk* The guy looked understanding. Good Link was forced to talk enough for an entire week. Plus he had to save words for his apology. Aryll did not need to see what he did.
"It's alright kid," he avoided looking at the corpse blocking it from Link's view as well. "Go back to your house we'll ask questions later go to your sister," Link didn't need to be told twice.
When he got back he saw about three more guards questioning his sister. She looked scared. He got in-between them and signed.
*What's the problem here* He really didn't want to take another life. He was already on the edge of a mental breakdown. The only thing keeping him going is getting away with it.
"Sorry, we just heard your father needed help?" They seemed respectful enough but they were still snotty about how they talked. Like they thought they were better and these kids were just wasting their time.
*There is another guy in the forest, our father…* he took a pause, * he didn't make it* He looked as sad as he could.
"Sorry for your loss," he didn't look sorry, but Link wasn't exactly sad about the death either. "We'll head back there and take care of it, after we're done we'll take you two down to see what happened," he seemed done with the whole situation. No one knew that they were the children of the swordmaster, it also didn't help that they both looked like their mother. Link could bet all of his rupee savings that he would come back a lot more respectful and actually sorry for the death.
All three of the guards left. Not one stayed behind to watch the children.
"I'm sorry," he whispered it so quietly into Aryll's ear. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, and that you have to do this," he meant it too, he wanted to protect his sister, and she just had to see her brother turn into a monster, after he let her get hurt. "I'm sorry," he was about to cry.
"It's okay," she shouldn't be comforting him.
"It's not, none of this is okay and I'm sorry you have to go through this," he didn't want her to think anything of this was okay, because it wasn't. She just saw her brother murder her father, and now she had to lie to keep him out of trouble.
"Alright it's not okay," she was crying but looked serious, "but it would be so much worse if you had to go away, I- you would be killed, I know," her voice started to break. He brought them onto the ground and held her while she cried on his shoulder. "You said you weren't leaving, and I won't let you leave!" She was sobbing now, finally letting the situation set in. They would have to take this to their graves. No one could know. One thing she did know though was that she would do it all over again. She would take the blame for her brother if she had to, and she knew he would do the same. He did that for her. She was scared of what their father would do, but she knew even if her Link went mad he would never hurt her. He said it himself years ago he would rather cut off both of his hands than lay them on her.
That's how the guards found them. Sitting on the floor crying. Link was right as well. The one guy truly looked sorry for their loss now. He was a lot more respectful too.
"Come on, we'll take you down after you calm down," the first guy Link almost liked, he was nice from the start, but the fact that he only really started caring about the situation after he said a name brought him down a notch.
They sat there for a couple minutes. Link calming down Aryll. She ended up falling asleep. One guard offered to carry her but Link refused. He would carry her, and that he did. The four guards led them out of the house and through town towards the castle. He carried Aryll on his hip all the way there.
When they made it in they were led to the king. King Rhoam. They questioned Link while Aryll slept. They didn't feel the need to ask her questions since she wasn't there to see the "accident".
"I know this is a difficult time for you but I need you to tell me what happened," the king tried to sound gentle but he wasn't really a gentle man.
Link looked towards the first guard. He understood.
"Your highness," he bowed, "he isn't a talker, he uses sign language, he can but he is more comfortable not doing so. Is that alright my liege?"
"Yes, you may sign child,"
*Thank you your highness* He bowed as well as he could with a nine year old on his hip. He refuses to put her down. *As you know my father is… was the wielder of the master sword, he was training me to take on the mantle after him. As he was away most of the time he hired instructors and tested me once a month. This month he told me that we were hunting. I was signing when we were in the woods and he wasn't looking at his surroundings, just me* he paused, he had to make this emotional, *if I wasn't signing he would still be here… I'm sorry* He made his eyes water up.
"Take it easy, no one could have known this would happen, take a second then please continue," the king let Link take a break, truly believing he was distraught over the death of that man. He was also surprised how well he signed while he had a child on his hip, almost like he has been doing it for years. He has, he never put Aryll down when she couldn't walk, and still regularly carried her when she could.
*Thank you, I'm good now,* he tried to give a smile but he can't really smile at other people, he doesn't know why, *uh… he was looking at what I was signing when a monster came, it hit him really hard with a stick. He told me to run. I- I shouldn't, I could have helped! But I ran… I made it to the house and waited. After an hour I went to see what happened. I saw blood around him and went to get help. I didn't want A-R-Y-L-L alone so I took her with me last second,* They left him alone while the guards and king talked.
Everything in the story checked out. Link hit him from behind with a stick, hard. His father also never took his sword off so he had that on him as well. The only issue in the story was a monster taking down the best knight with a stick, but luck had it they believed him.
"Listen this is a hard time for all, but as you said you were being trained to take on the legacy you father left, did he tell you about the prophecy?"
Link shook his head. *He mentioned one but never told me anything about it,*
"I see, well I'll let you grieve, but for now I'll tell you this, you are a part of an important prophecy, and I expect you here tomorrow so we can talk in more detail," and with that King Rhoam left. The guards were told to escort them back to their house and bring them back tomorrow afternoon.
"Come on, I'll let you ride a horse," Link agreed. He had to wake up Aryll though, she would be mad if he didn't. She always loved riding horses.