The cool air smacked her cheeks as she opened the door.With her teliscope in hand, she set out to find her older brother."Big Brother!"She called out.She thought for a moment.Where is he?She whined to herself.Think, Aryll, think.The last place I saw him was...She gasped silently.Of course!I'm so stupid!She started jogging towards the bridge.She cupped her hands around her mouth,"Big Brother!!".She climbed up the tall ladder to the tower they'd been playing in yesterday.Just as she had suspected, lying there still fast asleep was her older brother,"Big Brother!"He stirred, moaned and stood up, stretching his arms out to his side.She walked up next to him."I knew you'd be here!"She giggled at him."Hee hee hee!This is my favorite spot to gaze out at the sea.When I play with gulls, I call it 'Aryll's lookout'."He looked bored and a bit irritated."So, do you remember what day it is today?"
"What do you mean?"He made a confused look.
"Your still half-asleep, aren't you?"She sighed and shook her head."Did you forget?"
"Forget what?"
"Big Brother!It's your birthday!"She giggled at him.He felt stupid for not knowing his own birthday.
"R-right, I knew that!Duh.I'm not stupid!"Completelly.He thought to himself.
"That's why Grandma has been waiting for you to come back to the house.She's been waiting for a while now..."
"Oh great.It's problably one of her big birthday lectures."He rolled his eyes.
"I don't know.It seemed pretty important.Well, it's a good thing I came and found you.You should problably go home and see what Grandma wants, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess."Link shrugged and headed down the ladder.People stopped him to tell him happy birthday.He opened the door to his house and called out,"Grandma!"
"I'm up here, dear!"Their Grandma called back from up in the loft.He climbed that ladder and saw her smiling at him."I've been waiting for you, Link."
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that.I kinda tired myself out last night."He made a nervous sounding laugh and scratched his head.
"Link...Try these on."She handed him some folded clothes she had in her arms."Time certainly flies...I can't believe you're already old enough to waer these clothes."
"But... don't these seem too warm for this weather, Grandma?"
"Don't look so disapointed, dear one!Just try them on.Today is a day to celebrate!Today is the day that you become the same age as the young hero in all the legends.You only have to wear them for one day, so don't look so down.Be proud, child!"
"Okay, fine."He pouted.His grandmother contenued while he dressed.
"In the olden days, this was the day boys were finally considered to be men.They were taught the ways of the sword to prepare them for battle with their enemies.But we don't live in such an age any longer...Our ways are the ways of peace.Nowadays, I supose Orca is the only one on the island who still knows anything about swordplay.Hanging the family shield on the wall as decoration is another tradition that has been carried down from those days."Link nodded as he placed the hat on his blond head."Does all this make sense to you?"
"Yes, Grandma, you've already told us all this before."
"Isn't that nice, Link?They suit you perfectlly!A perfect fit!"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Well, tonight I'm going to invite the whole town over for your birthday party, so I'd better start getting ready, shouldn't I?Your Grandma's going to make your favorite soup tonight!Mmmm!"
"Mmmm!"Lin k closed his eyes and licked his lips.He could already feel the aroma filling his nostrills.
"I just know your looking forward to it!Now, go get your sister, Aryll."Link exited the house to go back to the tower.He climbed the ladder and saw his sister playing with the seagulls.As soon as she turned around, she covered her mouth to keep from laughing."Ah!'Hoy Big Brother!Did Grandma make that outfit for you?"
"Yeah."He sighed.
"But wow...you look like you'd be way to hot in those clothes...I guess they're pretty neat, though!"She regained control."So, anyway, Link...Can you close youreyes and hold out your hand?Just for a second!I'm going to give you my most treasured belonging...but just for one day!"
"Sure, I guess."He did as she told him.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"she pulled out her telescope from behind her back and handed it to him.
"Cool, Aryll."
"So?Well?!Do you like it?I'm letting you borrow this special gift just because your my big brother!Aren't you lucky?!Hee hee hee!"
"Cool."
"Ooh, why don't you try it out?Right now!Try looking at our house from here!"
"Sure."Link pressed the small, round glass to his eyes and looked at the house where Aryll, their grandmother, and he lived.
"Hey, what's that?Lnk!Are you looking at the postbox?"He moved the telescope to the postbox."I am now."The postman started jumping up and down, his wings spread far apart.
"The postman looks kinda wierd, doesn't he?"Aryll giggled.But her laughing stopped when she shouted,"AHHH!Link!The sky!Look up in the sky!"He followed where his sister was pointing and saw a giant bird with cannon balls being flung at it from a pirate ship.He gasped as the bird looked back and was hit right in the face by one of the balls.He screeched and dropped something.Link zoomed in on what it was he had dropped and noticed it was a girl.She fell into the forest up on the mountain."Uh oh."
"Link, this is terrible!That girl fell into the forest!She needs help!"
"Aryll, stay here.I'll go save her."
"...but it's too dangorous for you to go without anything you can use to defend yourself with!"
"I'll be right back."
"Be careful!"Link slid down the ladder and ran faster than he ever has before untill he reached their nieghbor's house.Inside, Orca was standing there with his staff in one hand."Oh, what is the matter, Link?You have an urgent look about you...Has something happened?"
"This girl fell into the forest!"
"Ah.Have you come for some serious instruction in the way of the sword?"
"Yes sir."Orca gave him a sword and taught him about a few different techniqes.Afterwards, he took a sword and raced out and up the hill to where the forest was.He crossed a long rope bridge that seemed a thousand miles above the sea and entered the cave.In the distance, up in a tree, he saw the girl hanging, still unconcious.He started walking."Wow, this place is creepier than Grandma said."He walked up a fallen tree when he heard a low growl.He turned around to become face-to-face with a black goblin.He fell backwards and crawled back some.Then he sighed and jumped to his feet."Time to see what this does."He pulled his sword out and jumped at the beast just to git kicked in the chest.He fell on his back and mumbled."Okay, quit playing around."He stood up again and started throwing his sword at the beast.When it finally died, he whiped the sweat off his brow and climbed over a stump and jump to a ledge.When he was back on the ground, two smaller birds dropped two more goblins.Link pulled out his sword again."Oh, so you wanna play that way, 'eh?"He gripped the sword tighter and slashed at the beasts.When both died, he looked up at the girl.She opened her eyes and screamed.She started wiggling when the branch broke and she fell to the ground."OOOWWWWCH!!!"Link climbed up on the ledge and asked,"Are you okay?"
"Am I-"She stopped and looked at him-"Wow.What's with the get-up."
"What?'
"Well, whatever.So, where am I...?"
"Outset island."
"Oh, that's right!That giant bird came and..."
"Miss!Miss Tetra!"They both turned to see a man running up to them."Oh!Oh thank...thank goodness!You're safe!When i saw you get dropped on this sumit, i thought for sure you'd..."
"sumit?"The girl said angerlly."So that bird dropped me on the top of a mountain?Well, wasn't that nice of it!"She turned and started to sprint away when she turned back to them."Well, don't just stand there!Let's go!It's time to repay our dept to that bird in full!"
"But Miss...what about this boy?"
"Don't worry about him.Come on!"The guy looked back at Link but ran to catch up with the girl.Link shrugged.
"That was really wierd."He said as he ran out of the forest with them.Outside, he saw Aryll across the bridge.He smiled and waved to her.
"'Hoy!Big Brother!"she giggled and started across the bridge when they heard a screech.The giant bird swooped down and snatched Aryll off the bridge.
"BROTHER!!!"She screamed.
"ARYLL!!!"He pulled out his sword again and raced to the edge of the cliff.He was hoping to jump and grab the bird, but when he jumped, he found himself falling to his doom when someone grabbed his arm.It was the girl."Ughn!Stupid Kid!Get a hold of yourself!She's gone.there's nothing you can do."Link realised she was right.By now they were yards away.They only way he'd be able to reach them was if he could fly.But, of course, he couldn't."Aryll..."