The Legend of Zelda: Twisted Fates

Chapter 5: Family Reunion

"Grandma!" Aryll called to her grandmother as she stepped back into the house, unable to conceal the wide grin on her face. The girl had told her older brother to wait outside so that they could surprise her with the revelation that Link was still alive and that he had returned after such a long absence. And so the hero had readily agreed to the quick plan that they had devised all without exchanging more than a few words, more than eager to see his loving grandmother and reconnect with both her and Aryll at long last.

"What is it, Aryll, dear?" Grandma asked with a curious frown, still sitting in her chair facing away from the door, so she was unable to see Link standing just outside of it. "Who is at the door?"

The girl bit her lip excitedly as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, barely able to contain her joy, though she managed to nonetheless. "Close your eyes," she said cheerfully, her lack of context confusing her grandmother.

"Why?" the elderly woman asked, craning her neck slightly to look towards the door, but Aryll made sure to block her view of the hero.

"It's a surprise!" the girl chimed brightly. "Now please, Grandma, close your eyes. You'll see what it is in a second, I promise."

"Well..." Grandma said after a moment of pondering. "If you say so, dear..." She finally complied with her granddaughter's request, shutting her eyes and waiting expectantly for whatever surprise she had in store.

As soon as Grandma had closed her eyes, Aryll was quick to silently motion to Link to come in to the house, allowing him to see the humble, yet cozy dwelling his family now resided in, one that reminded him of their old home on Outset quite a bit. The hero smiled softly upon seeing his grandmother, who looked nearly the same as he remembered her, save for the pair of spectacles perched on her nose due to her failing eyesight. Without needing any further prompting from Aryll, Link went over to her quietly, kneeling down in front of her chair as he hoped that she would accept his return just as openly as his sister had.

"Ok, Grandma," the girl said, standing beside her brother as they exchanged a brief smile. "Open them."

The elderly woman did so, only to open her eyes wide as she let out a shocked gasp at the sight of who was before her. Upon seeing their grandmother freeze up in complete awe, both Link and Aryll grew suddenly concerned that perhaps this surprise was too much for her old heart to bear, but soon enough she finally moved, removing her glasses as to make sure that her eyes weren't deceiving her. But sure enough, when she placed them back over her eyes, she found that her grandson was still standing before her, somehow alive and somehow older than the young boy she had last seen him as. What both her and her granddaughter had been hopelessly dreaming of and pining over for the past several years had returned to them as if he was a gift from the goddesses themselves. It was almost too good to be true.

"L-Link?" Grandma asked in a trembling voice, unable to take her eyes off of him as she took in how much he had grown. "Can it really be...?"

Aryll nodded vigorously beside the hero, a large, happy grin still claiming her face while Link simply smiled warmly and took his grandmother's wrinkled hands to reassure her. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Grandma?" he asked with a hint of levity in his tone, though there was also slight nervousness in it as well.

The elderly woman stared at him for another long moment, her expression unreadable and almost pained, until at long last, a wide smile crossed her face as she slowly rose up from her chair, relying on her grandson for support in helping her up. As he was still kneeling before her, Grandma embraced Link tightly, motioning for Aryll to join in the loving hug, which she gladly did. And as the little family, once broken but finally reunited again, embraced warmly, the elderly woman whispered a blissful message to her grandson, one that reminded him that he was finally where he belonged: "Welcome home, Link... Welcome home..."