Chapter Text
“So, Warriors,” Wind began. “You and Aria.”
Warriors nodded, taking a breath to steady himself. It had only been a few days since Wind’s revelation, and he was still getting used to the idea of Aria being nearby. “Yes.”
“I assume you actually want to talk to her without me having to just sit there the entire time,” Wind continued.
“I -” Warriors blinked in surprise. Was that possible? “I, ah - What do you mean?”
“I think there could be a way.”
“A way,” Warriors echoed slowly, just… staring at him.
“So you know the -” Wind rummaged in his pocket and pulled out his pirate charm, holding it up triumphantly. “You know this? This pirate charm?”
Warriors nodded. It was a useful communication tool when paired with Wild’s slate.
“Ghosts can talk through it,” Wind explained, and that would have been very nice to know before now. “Now I’m not trying to get your hopes up too high, because I’ve never really tried it with anyone else, but I’ve had ghosts talk to me through it when they’re not around me. And I think it could work for you and her.”
“Oh, goddesses, Wind,” Wars breathed, taking the offered charm like it was made of glass, the full weight of that idea hitting him square in the chest. “Are you sure?”
“We can give it a try,” Wind said with a smile. “This can be the scientific method of testing!”
“It - alright,” Warriors said, too focused on the task at hand to wonder who had taught Wind about the scientific method.
Wind pointed off into the trees. “I’m gonna go over here.”
“Thank you,” Warriors told him, cupping the charm carefully in his hands and holding it close to his chest.
Wind nodded to him. “Good luck.” And then he hurried off, hopefully out of earshot.
“I’ll need it,” Warriors replied, mostly to himself. He just… stared at the charm in his hand for a moment, then leaned his hand against a tree, trying to work up the nerve to say something. When that didn’t work, he started to pace.
And, apparently, Aria found her courage before he did.
“Hello?”
The word was soft, hesitant, and in such an achingly familiar voice that Warriors felt like he’d been punched in the gut.
“... Hi,” he said quietly, feeling almost breathless.
“It works, that’s good,” Aria said - Aria said - with a tiny little laugh.
Warriors let out a breath. He had spent so long thinking about everything he would want to tell her, everything he never got to say, but now that he could talk to her again… he couldn’t find any of the words.
“Hi, Link,” she said, soft and warm.
“Hi,” he replied again, and he could hear his voice starting to shake a little. “Goddesses, I don’t know what to say.”
Aria let out another small laugh. “... It’s a good group you have.”
Warriors laughed, too. “They’re not too bad. Could’ve had worse.”
“I know.”
Warriors cleared his throat and cautiously asked “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” she told him warmly, and it didn’t sound like a lie.
“That’s good.” Goddesses, he wished he could see her. This much was amazing, this was a miracle, but… he wanted to see her. After a moment, he sighed. “This is going to be such a stupid question. How have you… been?”
“I’ve been just fine,” Aria replied gently. “Not really much to complain about.”
Warriors nodded to himself, his grip tightening just slightly on the charm. “I know you said it through Wind, but… why are you here?”
“... You think I’d leave you alone?” He could almost imagine the way she’d cup his face in her hands. “You think I’d leave you to deal with all of this on your own?”
“You could have moved on,” he pointed out. She didn’t have to be stuck following him this long, he just - he didn’t understand why.
“My business here isn’t finished,” Aria said gently.
“It could have been.”
“It isn’t.” She was quiet for a moment, then added “It probably won’t be for a while, and that’s okay. I’m happy right where I am.”
Warriors shook his head. “I still can’t believe it. I can’t wrap my head around… any of it.”
“That’s okay, too.”
“You deserved rest,” Warriors insisted, the edges of the pirate charm pressing into his palm hard enough to sting. He quickly loosened his grip - the last thing he wanted to do was break it.
“I’ll get it,” she assured him, in the tone of someone who was absolutely sure. “I’ll get it when I’ve done what I need to do.”
Warriors took a deep breath. “I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I’ll be alright.”
“I know. And I’ll be right here until you are.”
He could almost feel her running a hand through his hair, and had to fight the urge to lean into a touch that wasn’t there. “There’s no convincing you otherwise, is there?”
Aria chuckled. “Not a chance, pretty boy.”
Warriors laughed at the nickname, leaning back against a tree. “Goddesses. It’s equally jarring hearing that again, and not out of Legend’s mouth. I’m sure you bore witness to that first experience.”
“Oh, I did!” Aria said with a laugh. “It was very amusin’.”
They fell into silence for a moment, just… processing that they could talk again.
“... How are you?” Aria asked softly.
“Hah.” Warriors ran his thumb along the edge of the pirate charm. “You know my instinct is ‘I’ll be alright,’ though I doubt that’s what you’re asking for.” He thought for a moment, trying to process what he was feeling and how much to say, then decided to just be honest. “I’m freaking out a bit. Just a little bit.”
“Only a little? That’s a first,” Aria teased gently.
Warriors let out a small bark of laughter. “Yeah. I’m sure you also bore witness to me shouting Legend’s name halfway across the clearing. That wasn’t the most becoming of me.”
“I heard a bit,” Aria admitted. “I stayed to talk to Wind for a little bit, so.”
Warriors nodded. He’d worried about Wind after that argument, despite how angry and hurt he’d been, so to hear that Aria had been there the whole time, keeping an eye on him… “Thanks for looking out for him.”
“Of course.” She said it like she was surprised he’d even mentioned it. “He’s your little brother.”
“So little, compared to the war,” Warriors sighed. “It’s… jarring. I haven’t really had the chance to talk about it.” He paused as a sudden thought struck him. “Did… did he see you during the war?”
Aria hummed thoughtfully. “You know, I’ve been tryin’ to think about it. He might have.”
“... Oh.”
“I don’t know, I was a little busy,” she said with a little chuckle.
Warriors had been trying not to think too hard about what Aria had been doing during the war. He didn’t want to imagine what might have been happening to her, to all the other ghosts that had probably been there.
Goddesses, he wished he could touch her.
“I can’t imagine it was easy,” he murmured.
“There isn’t anywhere else I would have wanted to be,” Aria said simply.
Warriors shook his head. “That’s what - why? The entire war?”
There was a moment of quiet, presumably while she collected her thoughts, and then she replied “I had a job to do, just like you did.”
Warriors sighed. He hated the thought of Aria being forced to stay near him out of obligation, but… “It gave you purpose?”
“In a sense. I mean -” She chuckled softly. “I’m a ghost. This is somethin’ I started in life, and… that ain’t quite over yet.”
And there wasn’t really much Warriors could say to that.
They were quiet for a while, processing that and all the rest of it. Warriors took another moment to be grateful he was getting this chance at all.
“... I know you never really got the chance to see me wear these, but…” He gestured to the earrings he was wearing. The ones she had given him. He hadn’t worn them for years, deeming them too sentimental - they could get lost on a battlefield, or used against him by traitors, or taken as a sign of weakness. But now? He felt like he was finally brave enough to start wearing them again.
He could imagine her running a finger over them, the way she had the first time he’d ever worn them. “They suit you.”
Warriors smiled almost despite himself. “You’d know. Thank you, they’re beautiful.”
“Of course.”
Warriors held the pirate charm a little tighter and voiced the thought he’d been having since the conversation began. “... I never thought I’d hear your voice again.”
“... I never thought you would either,” she admitted quietly.
“Must have been hard,” Warriors replied at the same volume.
“I’ve managed.”
Warriors let out a breath. “We both have, haven’t we?”
Aria was quiet for a moment. Then, in the most uncertain tone he’d heard from her yet, said “Link… I - I don’t know how much we’re gonna actually be able to talk to each other like this, so I should probably say some things now, while I have the opportunity?”
“Alright,” Warriors said quietly. He wasn’t certain he wanted to hear whatever she was about to say, but if she needed to say it, he would listen.
“I love you,” she began carefully, “and I know you love me. But… I don’t want you to get stuck in the past with me, okay?”
“I... I know that I’ll have to let you go,” Warriors said with a slightly shaky sigh. “... It’s what you deserve. To be able to move on.”
He could almost picture her shaking her head. “I’m dead, Link. You’re not. I want you to be able to move on, and go live for both of us.”
“... Okay.”
“And I should mention.” Aria hesitated, then said quietly “If that involves findin’ somebody else who makes you happy… that’s okay. You don’t need my permission for that, but you have it. Alright?”
Warriors closed his eyes, and managed in a choked whisper “I don’t want to think about that right now.”
“Okay,” Aria agreed, her voice gentle. “I’m not sayin’ you have to go out and find somebody, but if it ever happens… I don’t want you to feel guilty, or like you’re not allowed to do that.”
He took a deep breath. “... Alright. I can agree to keep living.”
“Good.” Her tone was warm.
“But I do want you to know that you deserve to be remembered.” Warriors would remember her, of course, but such an incredible woman deserved so much more than that. “Whether you think so or not, you’re important.”
Aria laughed. “I know, I know. I know there are people who will remember me. The people who matter won’t forget.”
Warriors wished he could look her in the eyes. “I want to commit to you, here and now, I will make sure you are remembered.”
“Link,” she sighed.
“It’s important to me,” he told her softly. “You’re important to me. And the world deserves to know it.”
Aria chuckled quietly. “You’re very sweet.”
“I do try. This is from the heart.”
“I know.”
“You’ve seen me through war,” he reminded her. “I can endure a lot. I can adapt, have you heard my catchphrase?”
That got a laugh out of her, and Warriors considered that a win.
After a moment, he added “I know it technically is part of your assigned job to worry about me, but you don’t have to worry too much more about me.”
“Well,” Aria said with another small laugh, “I’m worried a little less now that there are physical people to help take care of you. That’s one thing I can’t do.”
“They’re something,” Warriors hummed.
They fell into another silence. It was so hard to figure out what to say, with so much lost time. Maybe he should tell her that he would make her proud, become someone worthy of following the way she had been. He had to find the right words, though -
Aria beat him to it. “... I’m proud of you, Link. You know that, right?”
“You read my fucking mind,” Warriors said incredulously. “How dare you? I was thinking up this entire speech in my head about making you proud!”
She giggled, and said “You don’t have to make me proud, I already am.”
Warriors sighed. “This is gonna - ‘I’m gonna make a legacy that’ll make you proud.’ Goddesses, how dare you?”
They laughed together for a moment, and this, goddesses, this was what he’d missed for so long.
“I love you,” he told her, still grinning.
“I love you too,” she replied warmly.
The only thing that could make this better would be seeing her. “Thank you. For saying you’re proud of me.”
“You have done some incredible things,” she pointed out gently. “You saved the entire country, and you act like that’s not impressive!”
“Listen, listen -” Warriors sighed. “It was part of my job! I was doing what was required of me.”
“That don’t matter!” Aria protested. “You still did it.”
“... What other option was there?”
“There were plenty,” she pointed out quietly. “And you know there were people who took those other options.”
The scar on Warriors’ back prickled.
“But I know you’d never.”
“I would never,” Warriors echoed softly. “... I still can’t believe you saw everything.”
Aria sighed. “Maybe not everythin’ everythin’, I couldn’t be right next to you the entire time. But I did my best.”
“Okay, I know absolutely nothing about how ghosts work,” Warriors reminded her, and smiled a bit at her snort of laughter. He might not be able to do much, but at least he could make her laugh. “Do you have friends?”
“Well, sort of,” Aria said thoughtfully. “Your brothers have some ghosts, too.”
Warriors blinked. He hadn’t thought of that. “Oh, goddesses, that must be interesting.”
“Some of them aren’t so kind,” she said delicately, “but there are a couple that I get on with, more or less. And they help me keep the rowdier ones in check.”
There was another quiet pause. This was something Warriors had missed, too - the ability to just sit in silence with her, despite everything he probably still needed to say.
Once again, Aria found her words before he did. “... I missed bein’ able to talk to you.”
“As have I,” Warriors agreed softly. “And now I can’t think of a single thing. I’m not sure how much you fully have known or seen, so I’m not sure what you would be curious about, if you were.”
Aria hummed thoughtfully. “Not really. There’s… I know there’s a lot you’re probably worried about. You don’t need to be. It’s okay.”
He was worried. A lot of things had happened during the war that he had never wanted her to see. Or anyone else, for that matter. A lot of things he wasn’t proud of, a lot of things he could never undo or take back.
“I’m trying not to think about it,” he admitted. “It’s not going to do any good.”
“It’s okay,” she said again, gentle but firm.
Warriors shook his head. “It isn’t. But we have to keep going anyway.”
Aria hesitated for a moment, then said quietly “None of them were directed at me, so I don’t know how much this matters, or if I can even really say this, but… all the things I’ve seen you do… I forgive you. I’m not upset, I’m not angry.”
“You don’t seem here for vengeance,” Warriors murmured. “Even if you were, I’d probably let you.”
“I know you would,” she said at the same volume. “That’s why I’m handlin’ the vengeful spirits.”
Warriors nodded, his throat tight. “I can imagine there were quite a few.”
“Yeah,” Aria agreed quietly. “But I did have help when there were… the most of them.”
Warriors frowned slightly. “Oh?”
“You didn’t think it was just the vengeful ones that attached themselves to you, did you?”
He had. He hadn’t even considered…
“I wish I could have told them what an honor it was, to fight by their side,” he said softly.
He could almost feel a hand on his shoulder, could almost imagine the way she would tilt her head at him. “They knew. That’s why they stayed. All of them are gone, now, they moved on after the war finished. But they knew.”
Warriors felt just a bit lighter, somehow, at that assurance. That the people who had given their lives following him knew how much that meant to him. “Thank you for telling me.”
“I thought you’d want to know.”
“I’ll make sure to honor them properly,” he promised her. “I’ve been learning a couple things from Twi.”
She chuckled. “I saw that.”
“I’d like to learn a bit more. Fully show my appreciation,” Warriors told her with a small smile.
“You don’t have to.”
“What if I want to, for you?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “What then?”
Aria hummed. “Well, I know there ain’t gonna be much that stops you.”
Warriors chuckled, shaking his head. “I think you deserve it. And I think that after all these years, I can afford to put on a show.”
She laughed at that. “Oh, really?”
“Mhm.”
“And what kind of show are we talkin’ about here, Link?” she asked, and he could picture the smirk and the eyebrow raise that were probably paired with the question.
“Well you’ll have to just find out,” he said with a smirk of his own.
“Should I be concerned?”
Warriors let out a considering hum. “That’s up to you.”
Aria laughed, and Warriors grinned. It felt good, being able to banter like this again, even if nothing could possibly come of it.
“It’s supposed to be in honor of you, though,” he pointed out, “so I hope it won’t be a cause of concern. I mean, you can put in requests, if you’d like.”
“Requests?” she asked with another laugh. “What sort of requests?”
“I’ll leave that up to you,” he said, a bit cheekily. “Would you like a specific offering in particular?”
Aria hummed thoughtfully. “Well… you know what I like. And the thing I’ve got in mind wouldn’t really work, given our situation.”
“I would love to hear it, just for the sake of hearing you out,” Warriors told her with a widening grin. He was pretty sure he knew exactly where her mind had gone.
“Use your imagination,” she told him.
Warriors laughed. “That’s incredibly helpful.”
“There are people around, so.”
“I could go deep in the woods,” he offered. If she was thinking what he was pretty sure she was thinking, if it would make her happy, he could make something work.
That got a considering hum, but she didn’t confirm anything.
After a long moment, Warriors told her “Thank you again. I don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to repay you for this.”
“You don’t have to,” she said gently.
He shook his head. “I want to do right by you. Whatever way that takes.”
Aria was quiet for a second or two, then replied “What I want in payment for this is for you to live a life that you’re happy with. Go find joy somewhere, okay?”
“I think I can do that,” he said softly. For her, he could do just about anything.
“Good.”
Off in the distance, from the direction of camp, there was the sound of barking, and people - Wild, Warriors was almost certain - shouting something.
He chuckled quietly. “I’m pretty sure that’s Wolfie’s signal that we’ve spent enough time off on our own.”
Aria laughed, too. “Twilight’s real sweet.”
“You can imagine my surprise when I heard a somewhat familiar accent,” Warriors told her with a smile. He’d always loved her accent, and that didn’t change when it came from someone else.
“Mine gets worse when I spend too much time around him,” she admitted.
“Really?”
“Mhm.”
Warriors wondered if that happened when he spent a lot of time around Twilight. He might have to test that.
“Don’t tell him I said this,” he told her conspiratorially, “but there’s a reason I’m a bit more at ease around him, and it’s not just the way he is.”
“Aww,” Aria cooed, “that’s so sweet.”
“I figured you deserved to know.” It was her accent, after all. After a moment, he asked quietly “You’re sure there’s nothing else I can do for you?”
“Well…” She hesitated for a moment. “I know how you feel about… my death. So I don’t - I don’t want you to feel obligated. And I know you will. But next time we’re home… Again, you don’t have to, but if you’re comfortable with it… I would appreciate it if we could check in on my parents.”
Oh. Warriors hadn’t even considered - He’d avoided her parents since her death, and if she’d been following him, all this time… had she even seen them since she died?
“Of course,” he murmured, because it might hurt to face them after failing their daughter, but this was for Aria. This was something he could do for her. “We can do that.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Of course,” he said again. “We’ll be doing it together, after all.”
She was quiet for a moment, then asked “Is there anythin’ you want to know from me? You said you don’t know an awful lot about how ghosts work.”
“Is that something that’s allowed to be shared?” he asked.
“I don’t see why not. I mean -” She chuckled. “All I know is my experience bein’ one, so I may not know the answer, but I’ll try.”
Warriors nodded. “Okay. There’s… a lot where I just don’t know what to ask.”
“That’s fair.”
“I don’t want to invade the others’ private matters by asking about their ghosts,” he pointed out. “It doesn’t feel quite right. You know me, I’ll take my time and get back to you with a list.”
She laughed quietly. “Sounds about right.”
A few more shouts drifted their way from the campsite.
Warriors sighed. “... I should probably be getting back to Wind.”
“Okay,” Aria said softly. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Warriors said, then rubbed a hand over his face. “Oh, I’ll never get used to that. Goddesses.”
“Well, as long as we’ve got the opportunity to talk, I’m not gonna stop saying it,” she told him gently.
He smiled. “Neither will I. Maybe I’ll write it with a stick on the ground when you’re not looking.”
She laughed at him again. “One of the ones your brothers keep puttin’ in your bedroll?”
That started a laugh out of Warriors in turn. “Ha! You’ve seen that?”
“Of course I have,” she chuckled.
“I have a collection,” Warriors sighed. “The amount of different species of tree they manage to find is baffling. At least they’re creative about it.”
“I wouldn’t expect anythin’ less from them, honestly.”
“Sticks?” Warriors asked with a wrinkled nose. Then, as he thought for a moment, the levity started to drain away. “... I do have one question. As far as you know, are there any of the others who can see you? Or converse with you, by happenstance?”
“I don’t think so,” Aria told him.
He nodded thoughtfully. “Alright. … Have you seen Mask lately?”
“Mask or Time?” she asked, and he could almost see the mischievous little slant to her smile.
Warriors glanced back toward the others and hummed in agreement. “Isn’t that interesting? One of these days, I would love to have a conversation about that. Goddess knows it’s not an easy conversation to have, and not one I can really have with any of the others, other than those directly involved. Do you mind if… I ask your opinion every once in a while?”
“Not at all,” Aria said softly.
“You sure do know how to tell it to me straight,” he said with a smile and an ache in his heart.
From the direction of camp, there was another round of shouting and barking.
“Okay, Twi, fine! I’m going!” Warriors called with a roll of his eyes, though he hesitated a moment longer, turning back to the spot he’d been mentally placing Aria. “... Goodbye for now, I suppose.”
“Bye, Link,” she whispered, her voice so fond and sad that he nearly gave up on the idea of going back to the others at all. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” he whispered back, like he always had and always would. Then, before he could talk himself out of it, he turned and walked back to camp to return Wind’s pirate charm.
They would talk again soon, he’d make sure of it. The very least he could do for Aria was make sure her voice was heard.