#soty7

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of the Yiga | Chapter 7

It was very late when Aryll finally made it to her bed, knowing all too well that she would need to get up for school in just a couple of hours. To her relief, sleep came easily, taking over the moment her head hit the soft pillow, and she didn’t stir until she felt the bright sun streaming across her face. She squinted and groaned, turning her back to the sun before her eyes landed on her alarm clock. The time read 8:36. 

She jumped up and stumbled out of bed, falling onto the floor before bounding back to her feet in a panic. She had already missed her first period of the day and was well into her second. She cursed her alarm clock for not waking her as it should have. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from a pile on the floor of her room as she sprinted out the door and practically lept down the entire flight of stairs. She bounced against the wall, pushing herself around the corner in a frenzy to search for her sneakers when a strange scent caught her attention. Something was burning.

“Why is the house burning down now?” she shouted as she slid into the kitchen. She stared at her brother as he blew desperately at a pan on the stove that had ignited.

“What are you doing, idiot?” Aryll shouted at him. She grabbed the pan and threw it immediately into the sink, dousing the flames with water.

“Why is it on fire?” Link shouted at her. “What did I do?”

Aryll turned and sneered at him. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Making pancakes,” Link said sheepishly.

Aryll blinked at him. “How the fuck do you burn down the kitchen making pancakes?”

“I don’t know!”

Aryll shook her head and sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair quickly before pulling it into a ponytail. “Drive me,” she said simply. “I’m late.”

Link turned back to the stove. A few pancakes he cooked earlier came out halfway decent and were waiting on a plate. “Yeah, I shut off your alarm,” he said. He took the plate and offered the pancakes to her.

Aryll moved her gaze between her brother and his poor attempt at making breakfast. Her brows knit together. “Why?”

“Because we’re playing hooky,” he said. He pushed the plate at her. “Look. It has peanut butter and bananas.”

“You’re real proud of yourself right now,” Aryll said with a grin.

“Yeah, a little bit.”

She took the plate with a shrug and sat at the table. “Well, it looks edible. The house is still standing. You only ruined one pan. I guess you did alright.”

Link sat across from her with his own plate and shrugged. He poked a fork into a pancake and noticed then that the inside was not as cooked as it should be.

He frowned. “What the fuck are pancakes, anyway?” he muttered. “Devil’s food.”

Aryll grinned. “You didn’t let it cook all the way through.”

Link flipped the pancake over to reveal a slightly burned side and his frown deepened.

“The heat was too high,” Aryll said simply.

“Well, don’t you know everything,” Link said.

“It’s like, cooking one-oh-one,” she said. “You love food. How are you not a better cook?”

Link shrugged. “I do the eating, not the cooking.”

Aryll snorted. “I’m still not sure how I survived childhood with two of the most incompetent men in the world.”

“There were a lot of peanut butter and banana sandwiches,” Link said.

“And pizza.”

“You’re alive, aren’t you?”

“For now,” Aryll said. “But I might die of a heart attack at twenty.”

“I only have to keep you alive until you’re eighteen. After that, you’re on your own.”

“What ever will I do?” Aryll said dryly. “I’ll have no one around to tell me to eat my veggies.” She smirked at her brother.

“Wow,” Link muttered. “We really did do a shit job. I don’t think you’ve had a vegetable in your entire life.”

Aryll laughed. “Not true,” she said. “Pizza sauce has tomatoes.”

Link chewed thoughtfully. “Oh, yeah.” He shrugged. “Guess that means we can have pizza for dinner tonight. Get your daily dose of tomatoes.”

Aryll grinned. “Just what every teen needs.”

“So, what are we doing today?”

“I dunno,” Aryll said with a shrug. “You’re the irresponsible adult that let me skip school. What’s your plan?”

“I only got as far as pancakes,” Link said. “You pick next.”

“Let’s go to the ranch,” she said cheerfully. “I want to ride.”

“You know Talon will make you shovel shit,” Link warned.

“That’s okay,” she said. “I don’t mind. Someone’s gotta do it.”

“I do it.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard,” Aryll said with a teasing grin.

Link raised a brow. “What have you heard?”

“Talon says you spend most of the time chasing the cuccos.”

“They chase me,” Link muttered.

“And why do they chase you?”

Link sighed loudly. “Because I ran them over one time!”

“I think you did it on purpose,” Aryll said.

“Did not,” he retorted childishly. He crossed his arms. “They want to kill me, and they won’t stop until they do.”

“Don’t worry,” she said with a grin. “I’ll protect you from the big, bad cuccos.” She brought her empty plate to the sink. “Who would have guessed that Hyrule’s Chosen Hero, defeater of Ganondorf, enemy number one, would be afraid of a little cucco?”

“You’ve seen a cucco, right?” Link snapped.

“You’ve seen Ganondorf, right?”

“Yeah, but,” Link started. But he had no reasonable excuse to bring to his defense, and Aryll snickered.

“Hey, so can I drive?” Aryll grabbed his keys from the counter.

Link stood and sneered at her, pulling the keys out of her hand. “Over my dead body.”

Aryll frowned. “But I have my license,” she whined.

“You crashed into a damn tree,” Link hissed.

“I wasn’t driving!” Aryll followed her brother as he made his way outside to the car. “Come on, man, don’t be like that.”

“Fine,” he said, stopping and leaning against the car. He looked up in thought. “But, remember the last time you did drive?”

“We arrived safely at our destination,” Aryll said proudly.

“You hit a curb,” Link said, crossing his arms.

“I just misjudged the turn a little bit.” She rolled her eyes.

“You fucked up the wheel.”

“It’s just a little scratch!” She sighed in frustration. “It’s not like it’s a new car or anything.”

“It’s an antique!”

“So,” Aryll started slowly. “Old is better than new?”

“You are infuriating,” Link said. “You’re never driving it again.”

“Does that mean you’re buying me a car?”

Link laughed sharply. “You’re lucky you don’t live under a bridge.”

Aryll frowned. “Dad would let me drive it. It is his car.”

“Well, it’s mine, now,” Link said. “And if I had to save you or the car, I’d pick the car.”

“Rude,” Aryll said, crossing her arms.

Link sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose before pulling open the passenger door and sliding in. He tossed the keys over his shoulder at his sister. “Please don’t kill me.”

Aryll squealed and hurried around the car. She slid in behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition.

“Seat belt,” Link warned her.

Aryll rolled her eyes and sighed, but she pulled the belt around her. “Can we put the top down?” She was pressing the button anyway, grinning up at the sky as it pulled back.

Link sighed and got out of the car, securing the top of the vehicle before getting back in. “Stop touching shit,” he muttered. “You’re gonna break it.”

Aryll pulled her sunglasses out and wiggled her eyebrows at her brother. “Stop being so lame.”

“You suck the life out of me,” he said.

Aryll revved the engine and laughed as Link scolded her.

“Stop being a child,” he hissed.

“Stop being such a Dad.”

“How have I not died of a heart attack, yet?” he muttered.

Aryll grinned and pulled out into the road. “Why are the men in our family so damn dramatic?”

“Because we had to deal with you.”

“I’m wonderful.” She swerved to avoid a chipmunk.

“You know there’s a million of those, right?” Link hissed.

“But it’s so cute!”

To his relief, his phone rang, and Revali’s name flashed on the screen as an incoming video call. “What’s up, idiot?” he said when he answered. He was clearly at some sort of party, judging by the people in the background and the loud music playing. His brows knit together. “What the fuck you doing?”

Link turned the camera to focus on Aryll as she drove. She waved excitedly and Link shouted at her. He turned the camera back to his face. “I’m probably gonna die,” he said. “If I do, please blow up the house. Tell Daruk he can have the insurance money. You get nothing.”

“What about the car? Assuming its salvageable.”

“No. Daruk gets that, too.”

“The fuck is he gonna do with it? He won’t appreciate it like I do!”

“You will bring shame to it,” Link said.

“Your father did that a long ass time ago when he conceived your sorry ass.”

Aryll groaned loudly. She picked her hands off the steering wheel as if she had touched something gross, and Link scolded her once more.

“I don’t need to hear these things,” she whined.

“I can’t believe you’re letting her drive it,” he said, shaking his head. “Hey, wait. It’s a school day. The fuck are you guys doing?”

“Playing hooky,” Link said.

“You couldn’t have waited until I got home?”

“Why?” Link said. “I don’t want to hang out with you.”

Revali frowned. “Don’t you miss me?”

“Why are you calling?”

“To show you this rager you’re missing out on.”

“Revali,” Link started. “It’s almost ten in the morning.”

“I’ve been awake for two days straight!”

Link frowned.

“For real,” Revali continued. “I’ll be in town later this week. Mipha said she’d be home from her big fancy doctor school. We’re all getting together.”

“I don’t think so,” Link said.

“Dude,” Revali pushed. “Kiss and make up already.”

“Goodbye.” He ended the call, cutting Revali off.

“I’m not the only one,” Aryll sang.

“Whatever.”

“Why didn’t you tell me everyone was coming home?”

“Because no one told me.”

“We’re hanging out!”

“No, we’re not.”

Aryll frowned. “Stop being you for like, two damn seconds, alright?” Aryll sighed. “We haven’t seen them in like, forever.”

“That’s what happens,” Link muttered. He turned his gaze out the side of the car. “Get used to it. Once you hit college, you’ll never talk to you friends again.”

Aryll bit her lip. “We can just… go home…”

“No,” Link said quickly. “No, fuck that. You’re driving. You’re in charge.”

Aryll smiled. “So, you can’t stop me if I drive to the shelter and get a dog.”

“Can’t you just play with the dogs at the ranch?”

“Fine,” Aryll said. “But only because I don’t need you feeding it peanut butter and banana sandwiches for every meal.”

“You would deny it such fineries?” Link said. “That’s abuse.”

Aryll snorted. “I feel bad for your future children,” she said. “Good thing they’ll have Auntie Ary around.”

“Or,” Link started. “I’ll be the really cool, single, kid-free uncle to your future children.”

“That’s just sad and pathetic.”

“That’s kind of my jam.”

“You and Mipha are having babies.”

“Can we stop with this Mipha shit?”

“Not until you accept the fact that you’re gonna be together forever.”

Link sighed. “You’re stubborn.”

Aryll smiled. “I guess it won’t be so bad for your future children,” she said. “I mean, I think we turned out alright. And you’re like, basically the same person Dad was.”

“I don’t know how to take that,” Link said slowly. “And I think you’re playing fast and loose with the term ‘alright.’”

Aryll shrugged. “We’re alive and no one’s stripping for money.”

“Yet,” Link said. “I might start.”

Aryll frowned. “Then what am I supposed to do? There’s only room for one cliche sad stripper story.”

“Gold digger,” Link said. “I’m sure Zelda could hook you up with some rich old man.”

“Ah, yes,” Aryll said. “An excellent trope. I think that one will work out well for me.”

“Don’t forget to send me money every now and then.”

“And when my husband kicks the bucket, I’ll be living free and easy.”

“Nice.”

Aryll sighed. “I guess we are pretty fucked up.”

“I wasn’t gonna say anything.” He paused. “There’s still hope for you.”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “There is. For both of us.” She smiled as she navigated into the countryside. “Because Mipha’s coming home, and you guys are gonna get back together, and everything will be good again.”

Link frowned. “Why can’t we be good as we are?”

“Well, we can,” Aryll said. “But, good can always be better.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Link said. “I could go for better.” He meant it in more ways than one.