Shadows of the Yiga | Chapter 12
Link was jolted awake when a pillow flew at his face. He grunted, blinked groggily, then turned his gaze to Revali, who was leaning over the back of the couch.
“Aryll says get the fuck up.”
Link’s brows furrowed in confusion. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. “What? What time is it?”
“Half past a monkey’s ass,” Revali said boisterously. From somewhere in the kitchen, Link could hear Aryll giggle.
“What’s your deal?” Revali said, checking his watch. “You going to work?”
“Huh? Work? Sure.”
“Shit, man, is this how you are every morning?”
“No,” Link grumbled. “I don’t usually get this much sleep.”
Revali frowned, but turned away from him to join Aryll in the kitchen, leaving Link to find the strength to get off the couch. His body ached from not being in his bed, but it wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to.
“I bought coffee,” Revali called over to him.
“You’re a good wife,” Link said as he finally got off the couch. He scratched at his head, his chin, then shuffled into the kitchen, snatching the cup from Revali. He watched as Aryll shoved books in her bag.
“Are you mad at me?”
Aryll looked up at her brother. She bit her lower lip. “Mad? Why would I be mad? If you want to fuck Hyrule’s queen, go for it.”
Revali spun on his heels to look at Link, his face a mixture of surprise and pride. “Dude!” He held a hand up, but Link brushed him off. “When did this happen?”
“The other night,” Aryll said. “They came falling through the door drunk and practically banged on the table.”
Link put a hand to his forehead. His head was throbbing. “Aryll -”
“Right in front of me and Mipha,” she added coolly.
Revali frowned. “Dude.”
“I didn’t know she was there,” Link hissed. He turned to Aryll. “Why was she there?”
“I invited her,” Aryll said, narrowing her gaze on her brother. She swung her bag on her shoulder and was moving toward the door.
“You’re trying to force us together.”
“Who isn’t?” Revali said. “I thought you were going to get back with her? You were all for it last night.”
Link hesitated. He looked down at his coffee, then took a long sip. “I dunno.”
“No. Uh-uh. I don’t think so. We’re not going down this road again.”
“Revali,” Link warned.
“I’m not pulling you out of that damn pit again.”
“Revali.”
“I mean, yeah, I will, but that’s emotionally exhausting. Can’t we just… skip to the part where you’re freaking happy again and not about to kill yourself?”
“Revali!”
Revali’s mouth snapped shut. He followed Link’s gaze to Aryll. She had her bag on one shoulder, standing by the door. Her face was pale as she regarded her brother, then pulled her gaze away.
“Is that why you’re here?” she muttered.
Revali hesitated. “No?”
Aryll stared down at her feet. Without another word, she pushed the door open and stumbled outside.
“Link -” Revali started, but Link was already chasing his sister out the door.
Outside, Link pulled at Aryll’s wrist, and she turned to her brother immediately sobbing against him. He wrapped his arms around her.
“It’s fine,” he said in a desperate attempt to calm her. “Aryll… I’m sorry. It’s fine. Okay?”
“It’s not fine,” she sobbed. “You can’t do that, Link!”
“I know!” He hesitated. “I promise, Ary. I won’t. Okay? It was just… It was stupid. I got drunk and it was stupid.”
Aryll, however, was unconvinced, though her crying quieted for a moment. She pushed herself away and met Link’s gaze. “How can I believe you?” she asked softly. “How can I trust you won’t?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted regretfully. “I’m sorry, Ary. What do you want me to do?”
Aryll hesitated. She pulled her gaze away. “I just… I want things to be okay.” In truth, she wanted her brother to stop drinking. She wanted him to get back with Mipha. She wanted her father back. She wanted things to be just as they were ten years ago.
“I’m trying,” Link said. “Yeah,” Aryll started. “Yeah, I know. I know it’s not easy for you. I know everything, Link. I know why you don’t sleep. I know drinking helps. I just… I wish things were different.”
“Me too.”
Aryll cleared her throat. “You should stay home today.”
“Why? So Revali can babysit me some more?”
“Yeah, maybe. And,” she shrugged, “just ‘cuz you need a day off.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
Aryll nodded. She wiped her hand across her eyes. “Yeah. As long as you’re here.”
Link pulled her into another hug. “I promise.”
“I believe you.” She pulled away and offered him a smile. “See ya.”
Link watched her leave, walking down the road until she turned the corner. Revali stepped out behind him, his face ridden with guilt.
“I’m so -”
Link stepped passed him and towards the car.
“Where are you going?”
“Getting Mipha back.”
Revali watched as Link peeled out of the driveway. “Alright, well, I’ll just, hang out here, then, I guess.”
*****
Link was leaning against his car in the parking lot behind the hospital when Mipha found him. She was in the middle of her rounds when he texted her. He waited almost an hour before she had a chance to break away from her work and meet him outside, still in her scrubs. She was hesitant when he texted and at first told him to leave her alone, but he was persistent, and despite all that had transpired, Link hadn’t seemed that eager to see her in a long time, and that gave her hope.
Still, it didn’t make things any less awkward when she stood before him, meeting his gaze. Neither of them spoke for a moment. It was Mipha who finally broke the silence.
“So?” she started, her voice soft. Her heart raced in her chest. “What’s so important?”
Link frowned. “I wanted to apologize,” he started. “For everything.”
Mipha held her gaze on him, quiet for a moment. “Why now?”
“Because I almost gave up.” He broke her gaze. “I did give up. On so much. I thought… I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Mipha’s brows furrowed. “I… why? How?”
“I didn’t want to hold you back,” he explained. “After Dad died… you gave up so much for us. I didn’t want that. I wanted you to live your life. I wanted you to be happy. And I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do that for you.” He hesitated. “I couldn’t drag you down with me.”
“Link…” She sighed in exasperation. “Goddesses, you are such an idiot. You don’t have to do anything for anyone. Not anymore, and especially not me. You don’t need to sacrifice what you want so other people will be happy. You need to get out of that mindset. You’re allowed to be happy. You’re not the hero anymore!”
Link met her gaze. His brows furrowed. “You’re right. I’m not. I was nothing until I was a hero, and now that I’m not that anymore, I’m back to being nothing.”
“That's not true,” Mipha said desperately. “You can be whatever you want to be. You can do whatever you want to do. You don't have to give that up for anyone.”
“I do for Aryll,” he said. “As long as she's here, she needs me. I can't leave her alone. I'm all she has left. She needs to be here, and as long as she needs to be here, I need to be here.”
“Then let me be here, too. Don't push me away. Don't make my decisions for me.” She paused. “The world may have needed a hero, but I don't. I don't need saving.” She emphasized the last part, her teeth gritting together. She held her gaze on him another moment before continuing, her jaw relaxing. “We’ve always been in each other’s lives. There was never a moment where you weren’t in my life. And I never want to think of a life without you.” She hesitated and broke her gaze, looking at the ground.
“Can you… can you really live a life without me?”
Link didn’t say anything for a long moment. Mipha glanced back up at him, meeting his gaze.
“I don’t want to,” he finally said, his voice soft. “But -”
Mipha put her hands on his chest and pressed her lips against his, cutting him off before he could continue to argue with her. After a moment, he relaxed against her and wrapped his arms around her.
“Will you let me be here for you?” she asked softly after breaking apart slightly. “We can get through this together. You don’t have to be alone.”
“I fucked up,” he said, lowering his gaze. “How can you forgive me for that?”
Mipha hesitated. “You said it meant nothing. I believe you. I love you, Link. That has never changed, even for a moment.” She pulled his chin to her and kissed him once more.
“I’m so sorry, Mipha,” he whispered against her. “I love you.” Despite years of trying to smother his feelings for her, they fire ignited within him once more. For the first time for as long as he could remember, he felt happy. Enthralled, even. Because despite all the bullshit he put her through, she was apparently just as stubborn as he was. For some reason, she wanted to be in his life, and in that moment, he vowed never to let her go again.
She found it difficult to pull herself away from him when he seemed to need her so badly. She had briefly considered leaving work early, but thought better of it, not wanting him to feel as if he were a burden to her. After a few more moments in his arms, she worked up enough strength to pull herself away. After promising to call after her shift, she returned to work, and Link returned home.
Revali was still at the house when Link got back, and he seemed relieved to see him.
“For the love of Hylia,” he said, helping himself to a beer. “Kit would have killed me if he knew I let you out of my sight. Where the fuck did you go?”
“I told you,” Link said simply.
He raised a brow at Link. “Did she take you back?”
“For all those years in school, she’s a complete idiot.”
Revali’s shoulders relaxed and he grinned. “Son of a bitch. She is an idiot. She deserves way better than you.”
Link glanced at the fridge for a moment, then opted to drop onto the couch instead. “That’s not news to me.”
He finished his beer quickly, then tossed it before joining Link on the couch.
“Don’t you have a business to run or something?”
Revali shrugged. “It can wait until tomorrow.” He frowned. “Or are you sick of my presence?”
“A little bit,” Link said, but he shrugged. “But only a little.”
Revali smiled. “Good. It wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t hate each other a little bit.”
“Don’t worry,” Link said. “There’s plenty of hatred.”
“And I was just thinking about how far our friendship has come,” Revali said.
