Kakariko Village was safe from Twilight. The children should have been safe, and yet the monsters that roamed outside the bounds of Twilight had other plans. The terrifying and vicious King Bulblin charged through the village; the innocent and vulnerable children his target once again. Link should have been there. He should have shielded them from further harm. But by the time Link reached the village, little Colin had already been captured. Nevertheless, Link would face King Bulblin, rescue Colin, and do whatever it took to not lose any of the children ever again.
“Link. Is everyone okay? …good.”
Limp in Link’s arms, Colin looks to his friends and smiles to see they are safe and sound. Just as Link worried for the children, Colin worried for his friends. At last, Colin found his courage, and maybe not today but another day he could be a hero just like the one person he aspires to be.
The relationship between Link and Colin in Twilight Princess is akin to brothers. Link is the big brother that can do anything even before he was the Hero of Twilight, and Colin was the little kid, always teased by the other children in his village. From farming goats to wielding swords, it was no wonder he could easily inspire the younger generation, but on top of his abilities, Link is kind and caring and everything a big brother should be. It was this bond that inspired artist Narci to capture the emotional bond between the two.
Narci chose to draw Link and Colin hugging after what we can assume to be the King Bulblin attack. Colin’s skin is marked with scrapes and bruises and Link clutches him close, tears falling from his eyes. The cutscenes in Twilight Princess don’t show how Link reacted upon freeing Colin — only what happens once they both return to Kakariko Village. Even though Link saved Colin, the fear and other emotions would undoubtedly still be strong. Link could have lost him, and carried the guilt of what could have been. It was courage that drove Link forward and kept him strong, but even the strongest need a moment of relief and show just how scared they were.
Link and Colin’s embrace consumes all the attention in Narci’s piece. There is no background nor does there need to be. The drawing cuts off after Link’s arms, restricting the piece to show only what is in Link’s embrace. The arms direct the eyes to follow around, past Colin and up to Link’s tears, and then back down to the arms that hold Colin close. Whether intentional or not, Narci has created a circle of vulnerability and emotion that brings tears to many.
Narci’s piece is simple, but that’s all it needs to be. Their piece was made to bring attention to a relationship in Twilight Princess that not enough people talk about: how Colin saw Link as his older brother, and that Link’s actions inspired the young boy to brave and, one day, maybe grow up to be just like him.
“I think I finally understand. What my dad meant when he told me I needed to be stronger, like you, Link… He wasn’t talking about strength, like lifting stuff. He was talking about being brave…”
