Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Warriors made a point of not letting himself regret anything. Regret didn’t help matters, he reasoned; he made decisions, then lived with the consequences, and that was that. 

Guilt, on the other hand, he was very familiar with.

The old drawing, tucked into the very back of his notebook, felt heavy as lead in his bag. 

He’d nearly forgotten about it. Nearly forgotten that he carried something precious with him, the memory of some one precious. If it hadn’t been for an argument with Legend - in which Legend had awkwardly brought up a “complicated” old relationship of his - Warriors may not have remembered the drawing until the next time he rifled through his notebook looking for something.

Perhaps that guilt was what kept his thoughts circling around the idea of relationships, and what eventually drove him to seek out his sharp-tempered brother.

“Hey, Legend,” Warriors greeted him.

Legend looked up from what he was doing. “Hey, Wars. What’s up?”

“Well,” Warriors began, “it’s been a while, and there was something you mentioned to me the last time we had a more serious talk -”

“Oh, fuck,” Legend groaned in realization.

“- and I thought I’d revisit it,” Warriors continued, ignoring the interruption and sitting down beside him.

Legend sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Fine. Sure. Might as well. Fuck.”

There was a beat of awkward silence.

“... So who’s dropping trauma first?” Legend asked dryly. 

Warriors chuckled, though there wasn’t much humor in the sound. “Why don’t we do it in small bits, so it’s… reciprocity?”

“Alright, fine, sure,” Legend sighed.

“I can start,” Warriors offered, because this conversation had been his idea in the first place. 

Legend waved a hand at him. “Go for it.”

Warriors didn’t like to feel regret. A conversation with his brother wasn’t about to break that streak. “... I may have said this before, but I loved someone, once.”

“Yeah, I remember that.”

It had been in the middle of another argument, if Warriors remembered correctly. “And I, ah… knew that someone before the war started.”

Legend was good at puzzles, at making full pictures from pieces of information. His eyes widened as he connected the dots: a previous love, the war, Cia. “... Ah.”

“Yeah,” Warriors sighed. “As you can imagine, there are… Not too many are spared in war.”

Legend made a soft sound of agreement. He hadn’t seen war the way Warriors had, and they both knew it, but he had heard enough of Warriors’ stories that he could probably make some guesses. “Fuck, that sucks.”

Another beat of silence. 

Legend sighed. “Okay, so… I mentioned it was complicated. My - my whole - it was, it was complicated. Um… so we’re not going to start there, we’ve got to actually take a step back for a second.”

“Right,” Warriors said, trying to sound encouraging. This couldn’t be any easier for Legend than it was for him.

“Adventure number three,” Legend said, and a chill went down Warriors’ spine.

Legend’s third adventure. The one he barely talked about, the one where people had died and Legend claimed it was his fault. That was where they were beginning the story of Legend’s relationship?

Legend took a deep breath. “So I was - I was on a boat, we don’t need to - the boat capsized, whatever. Washed up on an island called Koholint. And, uh… you know, it was an island paradise, the place was… it was great. It was really, really good.”

Warriors had never heard his brother sound so soft, so gentle with such an obvious pain.

“And…” Legend paused, then sighed. “... Have you ever heard of the Windfish?”

He’d heard the name, once or twice, but he said quietly “Tell me anyway.”

“Big, very powerful, very magical creature,” Legend told him. He was fiddling with his bracelets, no longer looking Warriors in the eye. “And I was told I needed to wake it up. So I did. … Did you know that the Windfish can pull other people into its dreams?”

“... Oh,” Warriors said softly.

“And when it woke up…” Legend spread his hands with a bitter twist to his lips. “No more dream.”

Warriors could hardly even imagine that. If he was picking up on this correctly… an entire island, gone, just like that?

“... So there you go,” Legend sighed, letting his hands drop. “That was adventure number three.”

Warriors took another moment to just… process what he had been told, then quietly asked “Does that mean it’s my turn?”

“If we’re going back and forth, then yeah,” Legend said, some of his typical snark making a reappearance.

Warriors took a deep breath, then reached for his bag. “I haven’t shown this to anyone, but… I used to do a lot of necessary drawing for battlefield terrain, structures, monsters, faces of enemies…”

“Goddesses, that’s so like you,” Legend groaned. “Necessary drawing, that’s -”

“Yes,” Warriors said, smiling a little despite himself. He pulled out his notebook and just… held it for a moment. “However, in this one instance, I do have one in my possession that wasn’t a tactically necessary drawing. I drew her.”

He opened the notebook at the very back, and carefully handed Legend the drawing he’d been carrying with him for five years.

Legend took it with the same amount of care. “She’s pretty.”

“She was beautiful,” Warriors agreed softly. He gestured to the drawing. “I couldn’t bring myself to… I would never get rid of it. Despite what happened, I don’t want to let myself forget.”

“Yeah,” Legend said quietly, in the tone of someone who understood.

“It wouldn’t be right,” Warriors added anyway. He wasn’t quite sure who he was trying to convince: himself, Legend, or a memory.

Legend wordlessly handed the drawing back, then let out a shaky breath. “... Her name was Marin.” His voice broke, just slightly, as he added “And goddesses, you should have heard her sing. She - she taught me the song to wake up the Windfish.”

“Oh,” Warriors breathed.

“And I still play it sometimes,” Legend told him, though Warriors wasn’t sure Legend was talking to him anymore. Ringed fingers tapped a rhythm on Legend’s knees - a fingering pattern for one of his instruments. “I can almost hear her singing it with me.”

The silence stretched as Legend retreated back into memories. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and full of emotion. “She always had a hibiscus flower in her hair. And I haven’t talked about her to anybody.”

“Neither have I,” Warriors admitted quietly.

“... She was never real, Wars,” Legend whispered, his voice breaking.

“She was real to you.”

“Yeah,” Legend said. Warriors saw him blinking away tears. “Yeah, she fucking was.”

“That’s what matters, isn’t it?” Warriors asked gently.

Legend shrugged one shoulder, wiping at his eyes. “I don’t know, I just - I just thought for once, I was getting a break, and something good could happen in my fucked-up life. And then that just… got pulled away too.”

“... Her name was Aria,” Warriors said softly, tapping the drawing lightly, right below the label of her name. Somehow, saying the name out loud for the first time in years felt easier than responding to how vulnerable Legend was being. “I know you can read, but… Do you want to know how she died?”

“If you want to tell me.”

Warriors took a moment to collect his thoughts, took a deep breath, and said “It was the very first battle. I was pulled away to the front lines immediately. I was gone for a week, fighting, and when I got back to the town… I found out that she was one of the first to die. And by the time I got back, she was already buried.”

“... Shit, Wars,” Legend said softly.

“I don’t remember the last thing I said to her,” Warriors admitted, running a finger along the edge of the paper. “I was too focused on training, and… meaningless things.”

“Things that probably kept you alive,” Legend pointed out. “And I know that probably doesn’t help.”

Warriors shook his head, idly tapping the paper again. “... So I keep the drawing around. I’ve forgotten a lot of people, a lot of soldiers over the years, but I… That’s someone I’m definitely not going to forget.”

“I… can’t really draw,” Legend said with a sound that might have been a laugh, if it wasn’t so pained. “There was someone on the island who liked to take pictographs, but…” He made little jazz hands. “Dream.”

“Legend.” An idea was starting to come together in Warriors’ head. “Do you remember what she looked like?”

There was a long moment of silence. “... Mostly? I think?”

“If you wanted, I could try,” Warriors offered gently.

Legend let out a shaky breath. “Okay.”

Warriors let the moment stretch, just slightly, then said “I do have one more thing I want to tell you that might lighten the mood. The first time we met, I was - It was the first time we were allowed in town. And I was being mobbed by a group of girls, and I was backed up to the edge of the stall - my back hit the stall, and I turn around, and the first thing she says to me is ‘are you gonna buy something, or stand around looking pretty? Because you’re blocking my customers.’”

Legend burst out laughing, as Warriors had hoped he would, and after a moment, Warriors joined in. The memory of Aria standing there, eyebrow raised, hands on her hips as she sassed him, still hurt a little, but… not as much. Not when it was being shared.

“And then every time we went back into town,” he continued, “I would stop by. She would - She loved my jokes, of course.”

Legend snorted. “Because your jokes are so good.”

“They were wonderful,” Warriors agreed with a grin and another little laugh.

“Yeah, I believe you,” Legend said with as deadpan a look as he could manage. “This is my believing you face.”

Warriors chuckled, because he knew full well how Legend felt about his jokes - and how Aria had felt about them. “Eventually, she - she said I was cute.”

“Oh, she did!” Legend’s expression immediately shifted to one of a person who had just received blackmail material. 

“In that, like, slightly condescending way that’s vaguely amused,” Warriors clarified.

“Uh-huh,” Legend agreed, but then he slowly lost the mirth, and Warriors remembered this supposed to be an exchange. “Marin was the one who found me on the beach.”

Warriors blinked. “Oh, wow.”

Legend nodded. He was focused on his bracelets again. “Yeah. Brought me back to the village, made sure I was doing okay, you know.”

“... Thanks for telling me, Legend.”

“Thanks for telling me,” Legend replied, glancing back up at him. 

“And you know, without a doubt, this stays just between us,” Warriors assured him.

Legend nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, no fucking shit.”

Warriors laughed a little at that. Neither of them would be eager to talk about any of this with the others, but it was still worth clarifying.

The conversation drifted on from there, moving to lighter topics, but a small part of Warriors’ focus stayed on the drawing.

There hadn’t been room for sentimentality in the war. No space for remembrance or for displays of emotion. But here, with his brothers… maybe here, there could be.

Chapter Text

Wind tried not to make an issue of the fact that he could see ghosts.

It wasn’t like he was ashamed of his ability or anything, but people tended to get upset for one reason or another when they realized a ghost was following them around, and ghosts could get… clingy when they realized someone could hear them. So Wind just kept the information to himself, and tried not to react when one of his brothers’ ghosts did something weird or got too close to him.

Most of the others had a ghost. Most of them had more than one, even, but there were a few who hovered more closely than the others.

Wild had an old ghost following him, a tall, broad-shouldered knight with serious eyes who looked a lot like a grown-up Wild. He was a little too faded to be entirely in one piece, and Wind never heard him speak. He guarded Wild anyway.

Legend had a knight, too. He flickered, sometimes, and it almost looked like the way he’d died was changing, but the others always helped stabilize him. He stayed by Legend’s side at night, running a hand through Legend’s hair with a bittersweet expression on his face.

Sky had a big bird. It had taken Wind a few weeks to stop flinching every time she showed up, but he managed it, eventually. It helped that she was a ghost and couldn’t touch anyone, and it really helped that sometimes she was a lady instead. She wore the same stupid hat and tunic that most of the Chain had worn, and she was hardly ever out of sight of Sky, bird or not.

And Warriors had a lady with a broom.

She was a little bit different, in that she helped the others, too. There were bad ghosts just like there were good ones, and the lady with the broom proved that she could handle the bad ones that followed Wind’s brothers with no problems. It was sort of scary, honestly.

And then she started hanging around Wind more.

It had started after an argument he’d had with Warriors - he’d been angry, he’d said some things he didn’t mean, and they hadn’t spoken for a few days. She had followed him a lot more, then, almost splitting time between Wind and Warriors. Like she was keeping an eye on him while Warriors wasn’t there to do it.

She’d kept it up, though, even after Wind and Warriors had made up and started spending time together again.

They were training together when Wind couldn’t take it anymore.

Warriors was showing him a new staff technique, walking him through it as calmly and carefully as ever, and the ghost lady was following along with her broom. Wind kept catching a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, and eventually, he paused in what he was doing.

“... So Warriors,” he started carefully, “remember when we had that conversation, you, me, and Hyrule?”

Warriors paused, giving him a curious look. “We’ve had a lot of conversations, you’ll have to be more specific.”

Wind tried very hard to keep his gaze on Warriors and not the broom lady, who was now doing casual spins of her broom like it was a staff. “Do you remember the ghost thing?”

“Yes?”

“... How do I say this?” Wind muttered, frowning to himself. This was hard, there was a reason he didn’t like talking to people about their ghosts . After a moment of thought, he decided to just… say it. “Warriors, there is a lady following you around, and she has a broom, and I’m scared of her.”

Warriors blinked. “... What?”

“I don’t know how to word this better, like she - she likes to beat up the other ghosts, she’s following you around and now she’s following me around, I don’t know who she is,” Wind explained quickly.

Warriors looked… frozen, almost. “... Okay, do you - Me. Me?”  

“You, yeah,” Wind confirmed.

The lady with the broom had paused in her own training and was drifting closer, staring at the two of them. Wind did his best not to look at her.

“Okay,” Warriors said, “so the way - the way ghosts work is it has to be someone who was near you when they died, right?”

Wind made a considering noise. “Sometimes. I’m not fully sure.”

Warriors took a breath and let it out slowly. “Is there any pattern as to… who it tends to be? There’s… Are there others?”

“I mean,” Wind hummed, “from the ghosts I’ve actually, like… seen on my journeys, typically it’s someone they care about they stick with, or someone they don’t like, and they’re trying to torment them. I don’t think she’s doing that, but… I don’t know.”

“... Okay,” Warriors said very softly. He was staring off into space, like he was looking at something painful that Wind couldn’t see. “Wind?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind giving me a physical description, please?”

Wind took a breath. Okay. He could do this. “She has, like, kind of red hair? And she’s got this, like - I don’t know what it’s called, but kind of like a handkerchief?” He gestured to try and get across the image of the kerchief on the woman’s head. “Kind of blue eyes. This ringing any bells?”

Warriors was silent. Just staring off into the distance, at whatever memory he had of this lady.

“... Wars?” Wind asked hesitantly. “Are you okay?”

Warriors shook his head - not like a no, more like he was trying to clear it. 

“Wars, you’re starting to freak me out a bit.”

“Just -” Warriors cut himself off, refocusing back on Wind. “How long?”

“... I mean, a while,” Wind told him. She’d been following Wars right from the start of this adventure, after all.

Warriors took a deep breath. “And you - you said… oh, goddesses.”

“... Are you really surprised?” the broom lady asked softly, brushing an incorporeal hand over Warriors’ arm.

Okay, whoever this was, she had obviously known Warriors very well before she died. “Wars, who… who is she?”

Warriors didn’t respond for a long moment. “... Someone important to me.”

The broom lady sighed, turning her attention to Wind. “I am standin’ right here, and apparently you can see me, so I assume you can also hear me?”

“Uh…” Wind hesitated, then turned from Warriors to the ghost. “Hi. Sorry.”

“Hi,” she said softly, a disbelieving little smile growing on her face.

Warriors’ eyes widened, and he took a step back from the space where Wind was looking. 

“Don’t worry, it’s probably fine!” Wind assured him quickly. He glanced back over at the lady. “... Who are you?”

She gave him a little dip of her head. “My name’s Aria.”

“Aria?” Wind echoed.

Warriors flinched at the name, then quickly turned and started walking away.

Wind stammered in surprise for a moment. “Wars?”

Aria sighed. “Where are you goin’?”

“Why are you leaving?” Wind asked, hurrying after his brother.

Warriors didn’t stop walking. “Wind, I’m gonna need a second.”

“I don’t know what’s going on!”

Aria put a hand on Wind’s shoulder. “Just let him - let him have a moment.”

Warriors slowed down as they entered the edge of the woods, bracing a hand against the trunk of a tree and muttering to himself “Why? Why?”

“Why am I here?” Aria guessed, sounding almost amused. “You should know the answer to that one.”

Warriors didn’t respond, obviously, and it took him several long seconds before he sighed and said, very quietly, “Wind.”

“Mhm?” Wind asked, taking a cautious step closer. He was almost afraid of what Warriors was about to say.

“I think I’m going to have to admit something to you,” Warriors said softly. He was looking at the tree, not at Wind. 

“... Okay?”

Warriors took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Goddesses. Let’s… sit down for a moment.”

“You’re worrying me,” Wind told him, sitting down cross-legged. He glanced over at Aria, hoping she would have some idea of what was happening. “He’s worrying me.”

“It’s alright,” Aria said gently, drifting closer. “I know talkin’ about me’s been hard.”

Wind made a frustrated, worried little sound and gestured at Warriors to emphasize how concerning he was being.

“Just… give me one second, it’s… nothing that will hurt you,” Warriors sighed, sitting down as well. “This is entirely to do with me, and I’m sorry you’re in the middle of it.”

“It happens when you can see ghosts,” Wind said with a little shrug. 

“... I’m not sure if you knew this, but I loved someone, once,” Warriors said softly. “And she died.”

Aria rested a gentle hand on Warriors’ shoulder, her expression terribly bittersweet. 

“What you might not know - what you won’t know, because I’ve never told you -” Warriors cut himself off, then paused for a long moment. “It was my fault.”

Aria sighed, like that was exactly what she had been expecting him to say.

“... What do you mean it’s your fault?” Wind asked, brow furrowed. That didn’t sound like something Warriors would allow to happen, ever.

“It isn’t,” Aria said quietly.

“It was the first battle of the war,” Warriors explained. He wasn’t looking at Wind anymore. “And I was called to the front lines. I left town, I was gone for a week.”

Wind sat with that for a minute, just processing it. Then he looked back up at Warriors and said “She doesn’t think it’s your fault.”

Warriors sighed. “I can’t be certain of it, but there’s no other explanation. The sorceress who was leading the enemy side was obsessed with me, so it would stand to reason that she would put out a hit.”

“... So some witch gets obsessed with you and that’s your fault, apparently?” Wind asked skeptically.

Aria threw her hands up in exasperation. “Thank you!”

Warriors shook his head. “There had to have been some way I could have prepared better.”

“Warriors, what are you going to do with a witch?” Wind demanded. “That’s not your fault!”

Aria leaned over and flicked Warriors on the forehead, the way Twilight sometimes did when someone was spiraling. 

“I think she agrees with me,” Wind added.

“There was nothing you could’ve done,” Aria told Warriors, even though he couldn’t hear her.

“... That doesn’t make sense,” Warriors said softly. 

Aria snorted. “What doesn’t make sense, you not havin’ a lick of common sense? We knew about that already.”

“What doesn’t make sense?” Wind echoed, then winced. “I am getting two very different inputs here, I am so sorry if I’m frazzled.”

Warriors sighed. “You’re alright. Just… still choosing to follow me around, after all this time? Through the war?”

“Of course.” Aria’s voice was gentle, but absolutely firm.

Warriors rubbed a hand over his face. “Seeing everything that I did during the war, and still choosing to stick around this long. It doesn’t make sense.”

Aria was quiet for a long moment, obviously trying to choose her words carefully. “You didn’t have a choice.”

Warriors shook his head. “I’m - I’m sorry, Wind, that’s as much as you need to hear out of me, I’ll - I’ll just -”

“She says that you didn’t have a choice,” Wind interrupted. “And if you ask me, if she’s still following you around, then it means there’s something worth loving that’s left, so that means something. She must have loved you a lot.”

“I do,” Aria said softly, covering Warriors’ hand with hers. “Always have, and I’m always goin’ to. Doesn’t matter what you get up to.”

“She’s not going to stop loving you,” Wind told his brother.

Warriors just stared at him for a moment. Then, in a voice thick with tears, asked “What did you have to go and say that for?”

Wind shrugged. “I’m just passing on the message.”

Warriors took a deep, shaky breath, then let it out slowly. “I’m sorry, Wind, it’s a bit… it’s a bit to take in.”

“That’s usually why I don’t tell many people about their ghosts, but this one felt important,” Wind explained. 

“... I hope I haven’t been too boring to follow around,” Warriors said with half of a laugh, glancing over to the space where Wind had been looking at Aria.

“Never,” she said gently, trying to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear.

Wind shook his head. “You haven’t.”

“... Wind.” Warriors suddenly leaned over to take Wind by the shoulders. “Wind. Wind.”

“Y-yeah?” Wind asked, suddenly nervous.

“Does - The following around. Is this for… all hours of the day and night?”

Aria started to laugh.

“I - I-I don’t know? Is - is this for all hours? Like, how - I don’t -?” Wind looked pleadingly to Aria. “I don’t see you all the time.”

“No, not all the time,” Aria chuckled. 

Warriors had let go of Wind’s shoulders to bury his face in his hands. “Oh, no…”

“I mean I don’t see her all the time, if that’s any consolation,” Wind told him hesitantly.

“Well, she’s not following you.”

Wind made a considering noise. “True, but still. I’m around you a lot.” When Warriors did not move, he looked at Aria. “How often do you follow him?”

“Most of the time,” she hummed.

“Most of the time?” Wind echoed. What was that supposed to mean?

Warriors spluttered. “What?”

Aria laughed. “Please tell him that I respect his privacy. And so do the others, because I make them.”

“Um, okay.” Wind turned back to Warriors. “She says she respects your privacy, and so do the others, because she makes them. Which I think has something to do with the broom.”

“... Ah,” Warriors said weakly. “I’m sure she’s more than capable.”

“Someone has to keep the others in line,” Aria said with a very satisfied expression.

Wind raised an eyebrow and repeated the sentence for Warriors’ benefit.

Warriors laughed. “Well, I made sure to teach her a few tips and tricks before I left.”

Aria’s smile grew bittersweet again. “They did help.”

“They helped.”

“... That’s good,” Warriors said, very quietly. “Kicking ass beyond the grave, incredible. I’d expect nothing less.”

He and Aria both laughed, just a little.

After a moment of more comfortable silence, Warriors asked softly, “... Is she happy?”

“Yes,” Aria replied without hesitation.

Wind nodded. “Yeah.”

“... Oh.” It looked almost like Warriors hadn’t been expecting that answer.

Aria nudged his shoulder. “I’d be more happy if you’d be kinder to yourself.”

Wind repeated the sentiment. Playing translator was a lot of work.

Warriors smiled, just a bit. “I’m sure she would be.”

“I think we all would be,” Wind put in.

“Oh, come on,” Warriors sighed. “Wind -”

“I mean -” Wind started, then trailed off with a series of hand gestures. Warriors was a hypocrite and knew what Wind meant, anyway.

Aria fluttered her fingers to draw Wind’s attention again. “... I’m glad he’s found all of you.”

“She says she’s glad you found us,” Wind echoed for Warriors.

“... Yeah,” Warriors agreed quietly. “... I can’t count the days that I’ve missed her. Good to know she’s… been here all along.” He let out a long breath. “Well, congratulations, Wind. You know one of my biggest secrets. One of my biggest vulnerabilities, actually.”

Wind remembered the argument, all of the hurtful things he’d said with the express purpose of hurting Warriors, and hunched his shoulders, just a bit. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Warriors sighed. “Not precisely the way I’d…” He trailed off. They both knew what he meant. “Thank you for telling me.”

Wind nodded. “Of course.”

“And you are not obligated to play translator if you do not wish to,” Warriors added.

“Eh,” Wind said with a shrug, “it’s fine.”

“Wind.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not obligated, alright?” Warriors said again, gently.

Wind nodded. “I know.”

“Do you believe it?”

“Yeah.”

Warriors nodded to him. “Okay. I just don’t want you to get it into your head that somehow you’re a tool to be used to communicate, and that’s it. Okay? You don’t have to, it doesn’t have to be your job.”

“I know it’s not my job,” Wind said, frowning a little as he hunted for the words. “It just sometimes… brings ease, knowing I can set some spirits to rest.”

“Okay,” Warriors sighed. “As long as it’s helpful.”

“It usually is,” Wind agreed. As Warriors let out a long breath, though, he frowned. “Are you alright? How are you feeling?”

Warriors sighed again, running a hand through his hair. “Goddesses, Wind.”

“I - I know, it’s a lot,” Wind agreed. “Yeah, surprise.”

“Wind,” Aria said softly.

“Hm?” Wind glanced over at her. “Yeah?”

“I -” She hesitated for a moment. “I agree with everythin’ he just said, and I’m not gonna be houndin’ you all hours of the day to say things for me, but… Would you mind tellin’ him one thing?”

He wasn’t sure why she was asking right now, since he’d spent a while doing exactly that, but whatever. Ghosts were allowed to be a little weird. “Okay.”

“Tell him I love him.”

Wind nodded, then turned back to Warriors. “She said she loves you.”

Warriors let out a tiny, disbelieving little laugh. 

“... Wars?” Wind asked, mildly concerned.

“... I love her too,” Warriors said. His voice was shaking just the smallest bit. “With everything in me.”

Aria covered his hand with hers again. “Tell him I know.”

“She knows. And she can hear you, so,” Wind reminded him a little awkwardly.

“Oh, thanks for that reminder, Wind,” Warriors groaned, putting a hand over his face again. 

Aria laughed, and the sound was very fond.

“Just - just in case you wanted to actually say it to her instead of, you know,” Wind said with a wince. 

Warriors made an anxious, overwhelmed little sound.

“... Do you need a hug?” Wind offered weakly.

“I’m embarrassed, Wind!” Warriors groaned. “This is embarrassing.”

“Just what are you embarrassed for, pretty boy?” Aria teased.

Wind snorted.

“What??” Warriors demanded. “What are you laughing about?”

Wind had the sudden, familiar urge to be a little shit about this. “Wouldn’t you like to know, pretty boy?”

Warriors stared at him for a moment, then sighed, long and pained.

Wind tried to give Aria a fist bump, forgetting for a moment that she was a ghost and couldn’t touch him. She echoed the motion anyway, knocking their fists together as best she could.

“The audacity - You’re making an alliance?” Warriors protested.

“He’s your little brother, I think that’s fair,” Aria said with a grin.

“She thinks it’s fair,” Wind echoed brightly.

“I - of course! Of course she thinks it’s fair,” Warriors sighed while Aria chuckled. 

Wind nodded sagely. “She agrees with the little brother agenda.”

That startled a real laugh out of Warriors. “The little brother agenda! Hm.”

“That’s what you get for being old,” Wind added.

“ ”I’m - Being old! Okay,” Warriors sighed. “Alright. I’m not that old!”

“... How old are you?” Wind asked, suddenly realizing that he didn’t know. “Wait.”

Warriors gave him an offended look. “You don’t know my age? Wind!”

Aria leaned back on her hands, laughing brightly at both of them.

“Okay, no,” Warriors said, “take a guess.”

Aria leaned over to whisper in Wind’s ear. “Twenty-four.”

“Like - twenty-five?” Wind guessed.

Warriors sighed. “No. I’m twenty-four.”

“Oh, you are so old,” Wind said without missing a beat.

“That is not - mm. I’m not going to out Time, but Time’s older than I am,” Warriors huffed.

Wind blinked at him. “Okay. So we’ve narrowed it down. Got it.”

Warriors snorted, then quickly sobered as a thought occurred to him. “... Oh, goddesses. I have to tell Legend. I have to tell Legend.”

“... What are we telling Legend?” Wind asked.

“I have to tell Legend,” Warriors repeated, covering his face with his hands again. “Legend knows about her.”

“Oh!” Wind said in surprise.

“He does,” Aria agreed. “That was a difficult conversation for both of them.”

“Why would it be hard for both of them?” Wind asked, frowning.

“... Oh, right,” Warriors said, rather than answering the question. “She’s been following me, of course.”

“Yep.”

“Oh, joy,” Warriors said with an awkward little laugh.

Wind turned back to Aria. “Oh, so you’ve seen everything, right?”

“Not everything,” Aria said with a smile.

“Everything??” Warriors echoed in alarm. “Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, where is this conversation going -”

“Not everything!” Wind corrected quickly. “Not everything.”

“I mean -” Warriors cut himself off, thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Tabling that thought.”

Wind frowned. “I don’t know what that - okay.”

“Don’t worry about it, Wind,” Warriors assured him, then laughed, burying his face in his hands yet again.

“I’m worrying about it now you’ve said that!” Wind protested. 

Warriors made a series of half-flustered sounds over Aria’s delighted laughter, then straightened and cleared his throat. “In any case! I, ah. Hoo.”

Wind wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll live,” Warriors sighed. 

“I’m sure you will.”

“Wind?” Aria said with a smile still on her face, still giggling a little bit. “Can you please do me another favor? Tell him that I know privacy is important to him, and I do respect it?”

Wind nodded, then turned back to his brother. “She knows privacy is important to you and she does respect it, just so you know.”

“Hah, that’s - that’s good to know,” Warriors said, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. “I wouldn’t expect otherwise.”

Aria chuckled, poking at Warriors’ face. “Then why are you so red?”

“Why are you red?” Wind echoed, and he was starting to be very sure he didn’t want to know the answer. “Her question, not mine.”

Warriors immediately flushed darker, turning to level a playful sort of glare at the space where Aria was. “You would know, wouldn’t you?”

Aria laughed brightly in return.

After a moment, though, Warriors sighed and turned back to Wind. “Wow. Thanks, Wind. I’m - I’m - I’m going to take a walk.”

“Okay,” Wind agreed, because this was a lot to process.

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment,” Warriors said, standing up. He gave Wind a little bow as he said “Thank you.”

“What? Why…?” Wind asked, bewildered.

Aria chuckled, hanging back as Warriors walked off, his hand covering his face. 

“Was he always this dramatic?” Wind asked her.

“Yeah,” Aria said in the fondest tone Wind had ever heard. Ugh.

Wind sighed. “Fantastic.”

Aria rested a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

“So, any time I have somethin’ to say at three in the mornin’, I’ll come get you,” Aria said with a teasing smile and a raised eyebrow.

“... Yeah, that checks out,” Wind sighed. He and Aria both ignored the faint shout of Legend! from the direction of camp. “At least I’d get to wake him up as well.”

“Nah, I won’t do that.” Aria hesitated for a moment, then said quietly “Thank you for bein’ there for him when I can’t.”

Wind shrugged with one shoulder. “I try. We all do.”

Aria nodded. “It has been too long since he’s had people like you in his corner. I cannot tell you how much that means to me.”

“We do our best,” Wind said, because what else was there to say, really?

Aria nodded, then turned and hurried after Warriors, who had found Legend and cornered him at the edge of camp, speaking quietly and urgently.

Goddesses, Wind really hoped neither of them decided to flirt with Wind as a go-between.

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.

Chapter Text

Aria’s purpose had been very clearly defined for the last five years. Protect Link, and do everything in her power to make him happy. Not an easy task, by any means, but a clear one.

Going through a magic portal and meeting eight other heroes, along with their ghosts, had complicated things somewhat, but Aria still knew her goal. She just had a few more people to help and protect, now. When some of the angrier ghosts got unruly, she’d help dispel them or ward them off, and when the kinder ones got spacey or confused, she’d help ground them. It was old habit at this point. After a war full of tragedies, Aria was used to ghosts of all kinds.

What she was not used to was whatever had attached itself to the Hero of the Skies.

Eight feet tall, made of fire and shadow, the thing loomed over Sky near-constantly, and it gave Aria a headache to look at it head-on for too long. It felt wrong, somehow, and rather unsettling to be close to.

Sky’s other constant companion, a knight of Skyloft named Robin, explained to her early on that it was a piece of a god. The spirit of hatred, latching onto her son like a leech, in whatever ways it could. It called itself Demise.

Naturally, Aria disagreed with its presence on principle. She drove it off whenever possible, keeping it away from Sky’s dreams, and especially keeping it away from her Link. She wanted that thing nowhere near him.

That goal was, unfortunately, a little more difficult when there were cultists who worshiped Demise trying to kill the heroes.

The ancient ritual room was pure chaos. Cultists in red robes wielded swords and crossbows and several other, nastier looking weapons, and they outnumbered the heroes ten to one. It was an awful, difficult fight, and Aria watched with her still heart in her throat as Link twisted mostly away from a crossbow bolt, leaving a thin line of blood across his cheek.

The Hero of Legend, fighting back to back with him, adjusted to the movement with an ease that showed how much they had fought together these past months. “Weren’t these guys supposed to not know we were coming?”

“We were given bad information, evidently,” Link snapped back, slashing at a cultist. Aria knew that tone; this was the Captain, unbending and cold until the threat was dealt with. She had never liked hearing it. “Stay focused!”

“I am focused, pretty boy -”

Aria tuned them out with a fond roll of her eyes, refocusing on her own task.

Demise roared, the sound shaking Aria to her core. It was massive and angry and definitely starting to gain power. Aria could sense the building energy in the room, though she didn’t know where it was coming from, or what exactly it was supposed to do. She was fairly sure she didn’t want to find out.

“Get back!” she barked at it, slamming her broom into its shadowy form so hard she took a chunk out of its leg. “If you don’t sit back ‘n behave yourself, I swear to Hylia -”

The Commander, a taciturn ghost who usually stuck close to his son, slashed at Demise’s arm before it could swing at them both. Robin circled above them in the shape of a giant bird she called a loftwing, dive bombing Demise’s face and then winging away again before it could hit her.

Demise roared again, moving forward despite their efforts. It seemed entirely focused on a group of cultists clustered near the back wall.

Aria frowned as she smacked at it again. What was going on? She could hear chanting, now, quieter than the fighting around them, and the sound was making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Little by little, they were forced to give ground. And little by little, the battle around them turned against the heroes. 

“We need to change strategy,” Aria hissed to the Commander, scanning the battlefield. The Links were doing the best they could, of course, and couldn’t hear her anyway if she had suggestions for them. Alfon was near his nephew, and therefore by Aria’s Link, busy deflecting magic from them as best he could. The other ghosts were either hanging as far back as they could or not helpful in a fight. It was up to the three of them to figure something out, because Aria could make out the ritual circle etched into the floor, now. Demise could not be allowed to reach it.

Come on, Aria. You watched Link lead an army for four years. You can figure this out.

Something was building in the air around them, enough to make Aria’s form hum. It had to be the thing strengthening Demise - were they targeting him? Was the ritual supposed to make him more powerful?

She had watched Link lead for four years. In that time, she had learned quite a bit about strategy - when to retreat, when to press an advantage, where to position soldiers. But the hardest lesson she had learned was how to weigh the one against the many.

“Cover me,” she said to the Commander, who nodded. Then she took a breath, turned, and ran for the circle.

Demise screeched in fury, surging forward in an attempt to follow her or stop her, but the Commander and Robin held him back just long enough for Aria’s foot to make contact with the runes.

The magic in the room flared strongly enough that everyone present paused, just for a moment. The circle glowed beneath her, and the chanting cultists grew louder and louder, building to a fever pitch. Whatever this spell was supposed to do, Aria was now its target.

As searing light engulfed her, she had time for two thoughts: Please let this ritual be one-use only, and Link, I’m sorry.

And then there was

everything.

Aria’s eyes opened to the room, as it had been, with every single eye trained directly on her. Breath seared in her lungs, full of the smell of sweat and blood. She could hear her own heart pounding, blood flowing, organs moving, she could feel it, everything in her was moving and pulsing and alive -

She collapsed to her knees, her head swimming. It was so loud, she could barely think above the noise and the motion. Was this what being alive had always felt like? Had she forgotten so thoroughly?

“NO!” someone screamed in rage. Maybe several someones. There was fighting again, and screaming, and Aria could smell blood. She was a little too busy trying to get a handle on her body - her body - to worry about what was happening, though.

And then the world around her was quiet, even if inside of her wasn’t.

Someone knelt in front of her, and she looked up to see a familiar green tunic, and a familiar blue scarf, and familiar blue eyes brimming with tears.

“Aria?” Link whispered, disbelieving.

Aria swallowed, the feeling uncomfortable and foreign, then dragged in a breath she wasn’t used to needing. When she spoke, it was in a raspy whisper. “Hi, Link.”

Link reached out with faintly shaking hands, and a startled, vaguely desperate noise tore out of Aria’s throat when he touched her.

That seemed to do it. Link pulled her close, and fuck the feeling that her skin might be on fire at the touch, she clung to him in the way she’d been aching to do since her death. He held her just as tightly, rocking her back and forth just slightly, and she muffled another strangled keening sound in his shoulder. He was hiding tears in hers, she was almost certain.

Around them, she could hear people whispering and things moving, but she found it hard to care. Link was here. Link was holding her. In that moment, nothing else in the universe mattered.