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“You know what I miss?” Mila says, staring down at the watery gruel that makes up their breakfast. At least, Aryll thinks it’s breakfast. She has no idea what time it is anymore. The sky around the Forsaken Fortress is always dark. She lost track only a few days after she was brought here.
“What?” she asks, poking at her own portion with little enthusiasm. There’s no point in refusing to eat. She tried that, and so had Mila. It won’t get them anything else, and Aryll can practically hear Grandma scold her for wasting food.
“Beef slices,” Mila says. “With steamed rice. I know it’s simple—”
Maggie scoffs, and Aryll can’t help but agree. Beef is pretty hard to come by, and somehow she doesn’t think Mila is talking about the tough, chewy wild rice Grandma only got when the weather that year had been right.
“—but sometimes Daddy and I would make it ourselves,” Mila continues, ignoring Maggie entirely. They both came from Windfall Island and have been here for longer than Aryll herself, but that doesn’t mean they like each other. Aryll’s getting tired of listening to their arguments. She hopes this won’t lead to another one.
“That sounds nice,” she tells Mila, raising a spoonful of gruel to her mouth. The thought of better food does nothing to improve the taste.
Mila pushes her own portion around without eating. She’s stopped asking for something else, but she still refuses their meals more often than not. Her fancy dress is starting to fall a little loose.
“I know Daddy will send people for me, of course,” she resumes, “… but I miss him.”
She trails off and in the silence that follows, Aryll curls in on herself. At least someone will come for Mila, even if they haven’t shown up yet. Link and Grandma are stuck on Outset Island all the way on the other side of the ocean. She glances up and meets Maggie’s eyes, seeing her own doubts reflected: who will come for them?
“Oysters,” says Maggie abruptly. She pushes away her bowl — mostly empty already. Mila makes a doubtful noise and Maggie’s shoulders tighten.
“We can’t all have beef every meal,” she snaps. Mila looks down, and that seems to be enough for Maggie. “Me and Papa used to pick them when the tide went out. No one wanted them anyway, so we always got a lot.”
Sometimes, when the weather was really bad and no ships had come in or gone out in a while, that’s what Grandma would make. Aryll would rather go hungry.
“Walking on the beach can be very nice,” says Mila, an obvious peace offering. Maggie’s eyes narrow, but she nods.
“Cooking together’s fun too.”
They stare at each other awkwardly before Maggie turns back to her food. Mila nods at Aryll.
“How about you?”
Aryll hesitates. There are so many things she misses! Grandma’s baked chicken and the fried shrimp she only makes if Aryll promises to stay far away from the stove, or the pork they sometimes buy from Rose. But right now, there’s one thing she misses more than anything.
“My Grandma was gonna make this soup, for my brother’s birthday,” she says. “I don’t really know what’s in it, but it’s his favorite.”
They never got to have that soup; the giant bird took her first. Link and Grandma must be worried sick.
To her horror, Aryll feels tears welling up. She buries her face in her arms. “I miss them. I wanna go home.”
Maggie shuffles closer and awkwardly pats her on the shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” Mila says, her voice sounding a little thick as well. “Daddy will come for us, I promise.”
The pirates dropped Maggie and Mila off at Windfall Island two days ago, and left again with Aryll and most of Mila’s dad’s money. Since then, they’ve only passed a few small islands and rocky outcroppings, the only sign of solid land in the endless sea.
Aryll likes the sea, really she does! She loves swimming in the warm waters of Outset Island, and climbing to the top of the lookout to study the ships sailing by. She and Link used to make a game out of it, guessing what cargo those ships were carrying. Sometimes they would dock at Outset Island and she and Link would run over to see if they were right.
Now she’s the cargo. Will they really take her home? Grandma doesn’t have money like Mila’s dad does. What if they just never go back to Outset Island? What if they get tired of her and drop her on one of those rocks in the middle of the sea?
She shivers, the sea breeze up here on the deck suddenly cold and nothing at all like the warm winds she’s used to. The pirate girl had been so mean… But Link had trusted her, hadn’t he? The giant bird had tried to take the pirate girl as well. Maybe that’s why she wanted to help them.
The girl isn’t here anymore either. Aryll only briefly saw her before she went back to help Link. They all saw the bird die, so that means Link must have beaten it, right? But he never came back after that, and neither did the pirate girl, and then the tower was on fire and they had to leave.
Maggie and Mila had tried to comfort her, but they had a hard time hiding how happy they were to be going home. They’re gone now. They promised to send her letters, though, and tucked away in her little room Aryll has the start of two letters of her own. She hasn’t written a lot yet. They’re already so much older and smarter than she is. If she tells them that she’s scared of the pirates who saved them, won’t they just laugh at her?
It’s already getting dark. Soon, she won’t even be able to see the little islands and the sea will just stretch out endlessly ahead of her. How long until they reach Outset Island? It had taken them only a few days to get to Windfall Island, but that was much much closer.
Aryll tugs at her dress in a vain attempt to keep warm. In the distance, the shape of a large bird wings towards the ship and she shivers, reminded uncomfortably of the monster that took her. She should go inside, but most of the pirates are inside. Maybe if she goes to the other side of the ship, away from the main area…?
Mind made up, she crosses the deck. The seas are calm, at least, and the ship is so big that it’s remarkably stable. But inside everything is so much darker, and for a moment Aryll regrets not joining the pirates after all. She makes her way down aided by the last rays of sunlight refracting through the prism embedded in the deck above. The silence is creepy. Only the sound of sloshing waves reaches her ears.
That and soft muttering.
Aryll freezes, certain one of the pirates will find her here and— and what? They never said she wasn’t allowed to be here. She’s doing nothing wrong, is she? If they didn’t want her to come here, they should have said so!
With an unexpected surge of courage, she shuffles towards the noise. She doesn’t have to walk for long: when she turns a corner, there’s faint light coming from below one of the doors. She can only make out a single voice. Definitely one of the pirates, but why isn’t he with the other ones?
She carefully creeps closer and listens, but she doesn’t understand what he’s saying. His voice rises and falls, then stutters to a stop entirely. Aryll frowns. Is he sniffling?
Before she can think better of it, she knocks on the door. The sound stops abruptly.
“Who’s there?” the pirate calls harshly. Too harshly — his voice breaks halfway through. Aryll thinks she recognizes his voice. He’s that one pirate, the one who’s about Link’s age. Kiko? No, wait, Niko.
“Are you alright?”
Silence follows her question, and Aryll worries her lower lip. Was that too much? She shifts her weight, debating whether to knock again, when the sound of footsteps comes from the room. Aryll steps back as Niko unlocks the door and peers out at her. His eyes are suspiciously shiny and there’s a smear of dirt half-wiped away across his nose. If Grandma were here, she’d tell him to clean himself up.
“What’s it to you?” he asks. Aryll draws herself up.
“I’m just checking, can’t I do that?”
“Well, I’m fine.” Niko turns around and walks away. He doesn’t close the door, though. That’s enough reason for Aryll to follow.
His room is much the same as the one she shared with Mila and Maggie, maybe even a little smaller. Niko lets himself drop onto the bed and turns to face the wall. Aryll steps further into the room, grimacing as Niko only curls up tighter.
“You don’t look fine.”
Niko flinches. In the flickering lamplight, the motion looks enormous.
“It’s just—” his voice trails off again and Aryll leans closer to listen.
“What did you say?”
“I wish Miss Tetra was here, okay?” he says, burying his face into the pillow. Aryll grimaces. The pirate girl hadn’t seemed very nice at all. Maybe she’s nicer if you’re friends with her?
“I miss my big brother,” she offers in return.
“Link?”
“Yeah,” Aryll says. Niko turns his head to the side, looking at her with one eye.
“He was fun. A good swabbie.”
Ah? She knew Link had traveled with the pirates for a little bit. Did he actually clean? The idea makes her giggle. Grandma would be amazed!
“It’s true!” Niko says indignantly and Aryll stops laughing, shaking her head quickly.
“No no, I believe you! It’s just, Link never cleans his room! And Grandma always got so annoyed!”
Niko sits up, pushing his chest forward. “Well, of course I had to train him up a bit! He was lucky to have someone like me around, y’know? I know all the ins and outs of this ship!”
Aryll nods along, giggling again, and finally Niko also cracks a grin.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” he says. “He’s not bad for a swabbie, and Miss Tetra is super smart! She’ll definitely make sure they’re okay!”
Aryll wishes she had such an easy time believing it, but Link defeated that bird, didn’t he? So he’s definitely learned some stuff since she last saw him!
Niko opens his mouth again, but before he can say something, his stomach rumbles loudly. He quickly shuts his mouth, looking ashamed, but now Aryll also notices how hungry she is. It’s late already and she didn’t feel like eating at all earlier.
“Do you want to get something to eat?” she asks.
Niko nods, looking grateful. “Yeah, c’mon, we’ve got a ton of food now. Pork and veggies and fruit and everything!”
He jumps off the bed and leaves the room, gesturing for Aryll to follow. The sun has set fully and the night is cold, but Aryll feels a lot more comfortable now than she did before. They’ve just reached the middle of the deck when the door on the other side flies open and Mr. Gonzo emerges.
“Ah, there you are!” he says, smiling widely when he spots them. “I was just about to go looking for you. Come on, come on, we’ve had some good news!”
Aryll exchanges a look with Niko and they both hurry to follow him. Inside, happy laughter reaches their ears. Aryll’s heart rate picks up. Did they find Link?
In the mess hall, all the pirates are crowded around a single person. To her brief disappointment, it’s not Link, or even Miss Tetra. Instead, it’s Mr. Quill the postman.
“Mr. Quill!” she shouts, waving. He looks up and his eyes crinkle into a smile.
“Miss Aryll. I am very glad to see you safe and sound again. Your brother was very worried.”
Aryll sobers again. “Do you know—”
“—where your brother is? Indeed. In fact, as I was just telling these fine gentlemen, young Link and his pirate friend are quite fine. I saw them off myself.”
Next to her, Niko visibly slumps. Aryll lets out a long breath. They’re fine. He’s fine.
“Did you take him home?” she asks. Mr. Quill shakes his head.
“Not quite yet, young miss. It appears your brother and Miss Tetra have more challenges ahead of them. But I am confident that they’ll succeed in their endeavors.”
“Of course!” Mr. Gonzo picks in. “Just leave it to Miss Tetra, she’ll defeat that monster lickety-split!”
He grins widely, much happier than Aryll has ever seen him in these past few days. “Now, howsabout some food, huh? I’ve been braising this pork belly here all afternoon, it should be just about ready!”
Now that relief has fully set in, Aryll catches the smell in the galley and her mouth waters. Pork belly is a rare treat, mostly because it takes so long to cook. But she can just about taste the fat melting in her mouth. She eagerly joins the pirates, Niko in tow, as Mr. Gonzo juggles a large pot filled to the brim with sweet-smelling pork in one hand and a bowl full of shredded veggies in the other.
As she scoops her bowl full, she finds herself joined by Mr. Quill. The postman graciously accepts his own bowl and delves into the meat with gusto.
“We don’t get too much pork on Dragon Roost Island,” he explains when he sees her looking. “I’m luckier than most, but I’d be loath to pass up this opportunity.”
Aryll nods, though that wasn’t at all what she was concerned about. “Do you think Link will be back soon?” she asks. Mr. Quill’s face turns pensive.
“I cannot be sure. If what Prince Komali tells me is correct, he still has a long journey ahead of him. Why don’t you write him a letter? I’ll deliver it to him.”
In her room, Aryll still has her half-written letters to Maggie and Mila. She nods. She can definitely write another one.
When she and Link finally made it back to Outset Island, it felt like something should have changed. Link looks a little older now, and a little braver too. Aryll finds herself looking out towards the open seas with longing instead of fear. But everyone on the island is still exactly the same, as if they’d never been gone at all. Only Grandma still looks a little sad whenever she thinks Aryll and Link aren’t watching.
Link had come back from below the ocean with fantastic stories, about a castle hidden beneath the waves! Aryll really wishes she could have seen it. She’s been trying to tell Maggie and Mila about it, but so far they haven’t believed her. She wishes they could be here today, but Mila’s dad didn’t want to travel that far, and Maggie’s dad didn’t want her to travel at all.
Maggie had complained about it in long long letters to her, about how her dad didn’t let her see her boyfriend and how she missed him so much. Aryll always thought Moe didn’t like them very much at all, but she’d asked Miss Sue-Belle about it and Miss Sue-Belle had said that some people only showed who they truly were with the people they loved, so Maggie was probably right.
The pirates had set sail again after dropping off Link and Aryll, but they returned just a few days ago. When Aryll follows the winding path down to the beach, Zuko spots her from the crow’s nest and shouts a greeting. Aryll waves in return, skipping further along the road towards the ship.
Mr. Gonzo is down on the pier and grins widely when she walks up.
“All set for tonight?” he asks. Aryll nods.
“Yes! Grandma’s been making soup for Link and she says she’ll give you all some too!”
Grandma started making soup two days ago, sealing off each batch securely. She’s been teaching Link how to make his own soup too, and she’s even allowed Aryll to help. Link might be better at cutting onions, but Aryll is definitely better at making sure nothing gets burned.
“Excellent, I look forward to it,” says Mr. Gonzo. “Now, where did that brother of yours run off to?”
“Grandma asked him to get herbs,” Aryll tells him, pointing towards the east side of the island. Link is nowhere in sight, of course, but even at this distance they can see two Rito circling the skies above the forest: Link’s friends Medli and Prince Komali.
“Getting him to pull his weight before he leaves, huh?” Mr. Gonzo laughs. Aryll giggles too, but the reminder makes her deflate a little. Link told her he’d be traveling with the pirates weeks ago, and she knows he’s looking forward to it, but she’s still going to miss him.
“And how about you, little miss?” Mr. Gonzo asks. “We’d be happy to have you along.”
Aryll shakes her head. She’d love to see more of the world, but now that she’s finally back home, she wants to stay here for a little while. “Maybe later,” she decides. When she’s as big as Link, she can sail out to discover new lands herself.
“If you change your mind, just send word,” Mr. Gonzo says. “Now, you wanna give me a hand? I got an excellent deal on some pears that need cutting up.”
By sunset, she’s helped cut the pears, and washed the mud-covered herbs Link brought back, and carried more bowls and plates than she ever knew existed on the island. Everyone is gathered at the pier, all to see Link off. He’ll spend one more night with them at home, and then he’ll leave on his little boat together with the pirates. Even Link himself seems a little sad about it, but Aryll is trying not to think of it tonight.
And it’s easy! Everyone’s made so much food: there’s Grandma’s soup, and the braised pork Mr. Gonzo likes making, and roasted chicken and veggies and fruits and the oysters Maggie liked, and even some of Mila’s preferred beef. It’s more food than Aryll has seen in a long long time.
Everyone wants to talk to Link tonight. She and Link have already talked a lot when they were coming back to Outset Island, so she’s happy to stand under a palm tree while he demonstrates sword moves with Mr. Orca and plays tag with Joel and Zill. Grandma is talking very seriously to Mr. Nudge, who looks a little intimidated. As Aryll watches, someone slides up next to her and tosses her an apple.
“Good turnout, looks like,” Miss Tetra says with a grin. “That’s everyone on the island, isn’t it?”
Aryll nods, folding her hands around the apple and taking a bite. Miss Tetra still scares her a little.
“That’s all fixed up too, then?” Miss Tetra continues, nodding towards the bridge that connects both parts of the island. Aryll nods again. They repaired the bridge after she’d been snatched by the giant bird. It’s much sturdier now, but she still doesn’t like crossing it. The few times she did, Link’s come along with her. Once Link is gone, she’ll have to do it alone.
Miss Tetra looks at her from the corner of her eyes. “I suppose I should say sorry, huh? If it weren’t for me— Well. Sorry.”
If the giant bird hadn’t been chasing Miss Tetra, it wouldn’t have snatched up Aryll. But if it hadn’t done that, Link never would have defeated it.
“That’s okay,” Aryll says. Finally, she risks looking up at Miss Tetra, who gives her a crooked half-smile. “It’s safe now, isn’t it?”
“Sure is! No more birds snatching anyone on our watch!”
“That’s good.” Aryll takes another bite from her apple and chews slowly. Miss Tetra looks content to stand with her on the beach, watching everyone else. Aryll swallows and looks at Link in the distance.
“Miss Tetra? You’ll look after him, won’t you?” she asks, feeling a little small. She knows Link is really strong now, and he’s always been brave, but she still worries. What if something happens and she’s not there? She can’t look after him when he’s so far away.
“Heh, of course.” Miss Tetra winks at her. “Don’t you worry about it. He’s a bit of an idiot, but he’s got guts. I’m sure he’ll do fine. You hold down the fort here, okay? We’ll be back before you know it!”
Aryll doesn’t really believe that. Link talked about finding new land beyond the Great Sea. Not just islands, but actual lands like in the stories about the old country of Hyrule. It might take months or even years before he finds anything at all.
But when he does, he’ll definitely come back to tell her all about it. And when he does, Aryll thinks, she will go there as well, to find out what’s beyond the sea she’s known all her life.