Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, ideas, places or plots, etc. All Legend of Zelda characters belong to Nintendo. The only things I own are my incarnations of the characters and the assembly/creation of the plot. Thank you and enjoy the story.

The Legend of Zelda: The Eye of The Storm

by: Aegis Runestone
email: aegisrunestone@comcast.net

Prologue: The Legend and The Princess

There is a well-known legend in Hyrule that occured over hundreds of years ago. A dark man named Majora, wearing a wicked mask attacked the land of Hyrule for no real purpose except to cause pain and suffering. He was a dark shaman who performed horrible rituals on his victims. The King rallied his armies to attack the menace, but it was to no avail.

But then a warrior wielding the blade of evil's bane stepped forward and slew Majora. He had travelled through time to save Hyrule and it's people, and because of it, became known as the "Hero of Time." After Majora's destruction, the Hero vanished into his own time.

Time passed. Hyrule grew and prospered. And many forgot the horrors of Majora, but never would they forget the legend. All seemed peaceful, but unbeknownist to the people, a new legend would soon be written. In fact, there was a prophecy spoken of by the Sages, but the people were so joyous that they did not listen. This is the story of the fullfilment of that prophecy...

§

It started a long time ago. Not too long ago, in fact it started four and half years ago when the Princess disappeared. She had just vanished one day. No one could find her anywhere at all. Some say that she was taken by monsters. Others blamed the King. Whatever the reason, she was gone.

The King was devastated. He had lost his wife just a few years prior and now his kingdom's survival was threatened with the disappearance of his only heir to the throne. The winds blew, the seas rushed against the sides of Hyrule and the small islands surrounding it, and the kingdom seemed doomed.

Even worse, a new terror emerged from the Great Sea. A gang of mischievous pirates set their sails to these islands. They terrorized the villages, burned them and took any valuables and possessions. It was miracle the fact that no one had been killed or captured by the malicious thieves, they seemed only interested in the money.

In response, the King set up tighter defenses against these criminals. Word had spread on the wings of the breeze, rumors that the pirates were planning an attack on Hyrule, even an attack against the Royal Family itself. The King scoffed at this, alleging that these new defenses would protect anything, including the sacred Ocarina of Time from any evil hands.

Unfortunately, it was not the pirates the King should have kept his eye on...

------

Chapter 1: Islander

"'Hoy Miss Tetra! Time to get up!"

Tetra jumped, she shook her head vigorously like she just had awakened from a painful trance. The sun was already halfway in the sky, Tetra could tell because she could see the beams of light coming down into the cabin of her ship from the door opposite her cabin. She rubbed her eyes and cursed herself for sleeping in.

"Finally!" A voice in front of her said, Tetra looked up, Gonzo was staring at her. Gonzo was a tall man, at least to Tetra. He had a thick build, wearing a dirty-green shirt with sleeves that had jagged ends. His nose was slightly red and he had black hair. Most of which you couldn't see, considering he wore a purple scarf around the top of his head. He also had crimson sash around his waist and he wore white pants. He wore thick black boots, neither of which were very shiny. He was a pushy person, always looking out for Tetra, although she really did not need it.

"Finally!" He repeated, "I thought you had gone to sleep fer good! Is there something bothering you, Miss?" Instead of being friendly, though, Tetra scowled at him.

"Hmmm...." She said, a bit sharply, her shining blue eyes glaring at him, "Yeah, there is something bothering me. And it's standing in my cabin doorway." she added rather nastily. She was not in a good mood. Gonzo hung his head in shame, standing there in the wooden doorway of the cabin.

"I'm... sorry, Miss Tetra." He replied, almost whimpering, which was strange, considering Tetra was only twelve years old and Gonzo was a fully-grown man, "I just worried about ye."

Tetra sighed, "Oh very well, I'll be up on deck in a few minutes. But you better be up there before me, Gonzo!" He turned to leave, but Tetra stopped him, "Hold it! Get everyone on deck and get ready for a short briefing. I've been doing some thinking. Don't ask now!" Tetra added, seeing Gonzo about to open his mouth, "Get up there!"

"Aye-aye, Miss!" Gonzo saluted her and dashed up the stairs like a frightened rabbit.

Tetra sighed again, perhaps she was being a little harsh on him. Then again, he was told never to wake her up, unless she asked ahead of time. Well... she thought, you did sleep in, so it is your fault. Tetra got out of her bed, her feet touched the wood floor, which was cool. She smiled contently, that's what she liked about wood floors, they did not become cold like those stupid marble and stone floors, which were always freezing.

Tetra pushed herself out of bed and changed into her usual outfit, a light pink sleeveless shirt and a blue vest. Like Gonzo, she wore a red sash across her waist. She also wore white pants that went just a bit above her ankles and brown sandals. Her favorite part though was the red neckerchief she always tied around her neck. It was always so comfortable around her neck. Buckling a small curved sword to her sword, Tetra set about fixing her hair.

Although Tetra was not a very vain girl, she made sure she still looked good. She always rolled her golden blond hair up in a curl. Her skin, like the rest of the pirates was very tan. Like everyone else in the world, she had long pointed ears, most humans did yet no one knew their origin. Even for a twelve year old, she was quite attractive and that's the effect she wanted.

Ah, looking good as usual, She thought as she winked at herself in the mirror. Tetra grinned and then turned to proceed out of her cabin and out the door onto the main deck of her ship. As she opened the door and stepped on the wood deck, which was warmer then the floor inside, the young pirate leader was pleased to see all of her lackeys there, all waiting for her. Gonzo, Senza, Nudge, Mako, Zuko and even Niko were all there, looking a bit puzzled and somewhat anxious.

"Oh, good." She said, smiling, "Despite the rude awakening I got this morning, I'm pleased to see you're all on your toes." She sized them all up, and then she took stock of the ship, gazing around carefully. The large pirate flag was in place, and the sails were all rolled up so the ship would not drift while Tetra was holding the meeting.

"Uh... Miss Tetra?" Gonzo put his hand up and pointed to the sky, "It's uh... the afternoon." He corrected her with a slightly anxious look on his face.

Tetra blinked and looked up, "Whatever... you know what I mean, Gonzo." She replied indifferently, Gonzo nodded. Nudge, another one of the large pirates approached her. He had a large chin and long black hair, he wore a light blue shirt and an orange scarf around his head in similar fashion to Gonzo, he also had a large build and usually tended to guarding Tetra's cabin while she was out.

"Miss Tetra... what is it you've called us here for?" Nudge asked her. Tetra smiled and began to pace in front of them.

"Gentlemen," She said, they all swallowed at once, Tetra almost never called them that unless it was important, "I've been thinking it's time to pull a raid on the mainland. Specifically, on the Royal family." The pirates' eyes all widened, they had never done a raid on Hyrule before, let alone an attack on Hyrule Castle. "As you all know, " She continued, as did so, she began to pace back and forth on the deck in front of them, occasionally glancing at the anxious group of men, "In a few days, the King of Hyrule is holding his annual Swordsman Tournament." Pirates remained silent, as Tetra glanced on occasion, she examined each pirate, quickly to make sure that he was paying full attention to her. Gonzo stood in the middle of the group, Nudge to his left, to Gonzo's right was Senza, a rather masculine-looking pirate with a thick black beard. Tetra favored him more than others considering he usually did not ask questions and he was usually very relaxed and friendly.

Tetra turned her head and continued her plan, "We have been going to this tournament for quite some time and I've been taking notes." She grinned and added, "The King is quite clever and at the same time, very stupid." She glanced at them and her eyes found Zuko, the first of the smaller pirates. Zuko wore a red cap on his head and blue horizontally-striped shirt. He wore dark-green pants and black boots like the rest of them. He had large brown side-burns. Zuko, Tetra was pleased to notice, was paying attention. "You all know about the arena and how its rules are set up, but do you know what's behind the Arena?" She asked them.

They were all silent for a moment, none of them knew, except Mako, of course. He was the smartest of the pirates save Tetra. Described by his peers as a "bookworm", Mako always carried around a large book and a head full of knowledge. He wore a pair of cracked glasses, which made him look smart. He also wore a red hood and had dark pants. Mako stepped forward to present his knowledge.

"The Temple of Time is behind the Arena, Miss Tetra." Mako replied. To this Tetra smiled, Mako was one of the other pirates that she appreciated more than the others. To her, he was one of the more useful of the bungling sailors. Sadly, he was not, in any way strong.

"Exactly, Mako." Tetra replied, she had stopped pacing and was facing them in full, "You see, the Arena can only be accessed when a tournament is being held, whenever a tournament is not being held, the Arena and anything that requires its path is off-limits to the public. That includes the Temple."

"So we're going to raid the Temple of Time, Miss Tetra?" Zuko asked with a scratchy voice, "Just what are we going there for?" Tetra grinned at him, her blue eyes glinting a mischievous glow. She advanced forward towards them, still grinning.

"For the Ocarina of Time, of course." She answered, a wave of awe passed over the Pirates. The Ocarina of Time was the Royal Family's most prized possession, according to legend, it was the key to the legendary Golden Power known as the Triforce. Anyone who touched the Triforce could have their fondest wish granted, "It's going be a tough raid, so I don't want any fooling around, you got that?" Tetra said sternly, "I don't want to screw this mission up, it's very important."

"Well then, Miss!" Gonzo said excitedly, he approached her with a drawn sword, smiling, "I'll be your swordsman." Gonzo was waiting for an approval from the young pirate leader, but Tetra just stared at him for a few moments, making him feel very uncomfortable. Suddenly, Tetra snatched the sword from his hands, she giggled slightly.

"Sorry, Gonzo, you can't be it." She replied, "I need someone else," she added, but suddenly, all the other pirates jumped forward, including Niko, the swabbie, to be the swordsman in the tournament, however, Tetra did not agree with any of them.

"No!" Tetra yelled at all of them, "None of you can be the swordsman! It's too obvious!" all the pirates hung their heads shamefully, "Look, we're going to need someone, a swordsman, obviously to get us into that Arena. It can't be any of you because you'll be recognized by the way you fight!" she added, dropping the sword she took from Gonzo on the ground next to her.

"But I'm good fighter!" Gonzo pouted.

Tetra smiled at him, "I know that, Gonzo, however I'm going to need you for the raid." Gonzo's face lit up.

"You're going to need me, Miss Tetra?" He asked hopefully. Tetra nodded at him, "Alright! But, who's going to be the Swordsman then?"

Tetra crossed over to the door of the cabin and wiped her hand across the handle, "Good question, Gonzo." She looked up at them and began to advance slowly towards them, letting her body swing as she walked, she began to grin, "We'll need someone who's easy to control... a sap." She stopped in front of them and raised her head. She put two fingers over her chin and grinned, her eyes never moving from the stunned pirates.

"Someone who we could easily... manipulate."

§

It was noon at Outset Island. The Sun was up high in the clear skies. The island was a couple of isles with two large hills, each, flat and angled at the tops. The two islands were connected by both a bridge at the bottom and a rope bridge connecting the two tops of the hills. On the eastern island, there was a path which winded around the hill to the top, where, if one was careful enough, could walk across the rope-bridge to the other hill. On the western hill, there was a large forest, which most of the Islanders, except maybe Old man Orca, kept their distance from the ominous woods. There were a few houses on Outset, more on the west isle than on the eastern one, they were very quaint, small homes, but the islanders did not think much of it.

Outset was different from the mainland, the people were kinder, always smiled and were generally peaceful. The atmosphere was so claim and tranquil that no one feared to sleep under the stars at night.

One of the houses, a fairly large one as compared to the other homes, faced east with its left side looking out to the Great Sea. The house was built on a slanted hillside that rose above sea level and over the beach. Thick wooden poles held up the balcony on the sea-facing side of the house and supported the home's weight.

The door to the house opened and out jumped a seven-year old girl with blond hair, rolled into two very short pigtails on each side of her head. She wore a light blue gown with a painted yellow and pink flower on the lower left side of her gown. In her hand, she carried a red and gold telescope that looked clean and well-kept. Behind her was an old, cheerful-looking lady. Her white hair was pulled into a ball and tied around by a ribbon. She was wearing a dark-purple robe.

"'Hoy big brother!" The girl cried out, despite her loud voice, seagulls gathered around her, picking aimlessly at the floor near her feet. She paid them no mind. The girl turned to the old lady, "Don't worry, Grandma. I'll find him."

Grandma smiled, "Why don't you try your lookout tower, Aryll? Your brother goes there often to sleep." Aryll giggled at this. "Be sure to have your brother come to the house as soon as you find him." She nodded in response.

"He's so lazy." She said, still giggling. She then ran off towards the lookout tower, almost bouncing as she ran. Aryll put the Telescope to her eye, she looked up to the lookout tower, no one seemed to be there. Despite this, she still ran over, someone sleeping there could very well be hidden by the guardrails of the tower.

The lookout tower, which Aryll and the rest of her family referred to as 'Aryll's lookout' since it was her favorite place to go, was situated next to a long dock which connected to Outset's east isle. Aryll climbed the ladder on the dock up to the top of the tower. She looked in and smiled.

"Big brother!"

There he lay, fast asleep. His face lay flat on the floor, his eyelids completely shut. He looked to be about twelve years of age. He wore a blue shirt that had a white design of a lobster sewn into both the back and the front of the shirt. He had thick yellow hair, which, while was clean, was not combed properly and was shaped a bunch of stretched cotton balls.

His name was Link, Link Kishoke. He had heard Aryll calling for him, but it took him a couple of seconds to open his eyes.He pushed himself up a bit with his hands. Link's emerald green eyes moved to the ladder of the watch tower. No one was there. Without giving it another thought, Link got up, stretched and yawned. He was very tired.

"There you are!" He turned around, standing behind him was his cute little sister, Aryll. She was beaming at him. "I've been looking for you all morning. You sure do know how to hide, huh?" Aryll was almost bouncing as she beamed at him.

Normally, Link would have smiled back at her, but he was just too tired. He had this dazed look which was somewhat humorous in appearance and any bystander watching this would be snickering.

"You're still half asleep, aren't you, brother?" Aryll giggled.

"Mm... asleep?" Link muttered, still looking quite dazed, "No, no, Aryll, I'm wide awake." Contrary to his word, Link began to doze off, his head nodding downwards.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Aryll exclaimed loudly, pulling Link out of his trance, but not quite enough to wake him up completely.

"Mm... forgot what?" Link asked, rubbing his eye.

"It's you birthday, Link!" Aryll exclaimed happily, Link's eyes popped open in surprise. He was awake now, "And... it's your twelfth birthday, isn't it?" she grinned at him, but he still seemed to be lost in dream land; the words hadn't fazed him at all.

"Twelfth birthday?" He repeated slowly, in a trance-like voice.

Aryll giggled, "Yes! Isn't that the special birthday?"

"Special birthday..!" He repeated the words slowly and then suddenly it dawned on him, his eyes popping open. It was his twelfth birthday, a very important year for a boy living on Outset Island. It was the year that a boy was finally recognized as a man, "Is Grandma looking for me?" he asked her worriedly.

Aryll nodded, "Yep. She's been looking for you all morning." she smiled innocently and added, "You'd better go see her."

Link nodded and said good-bye to his sister and climbed down the ladder, Aryll waved at him as he went down. Great! He thought, The day I sleep in is the one I don't want to miss! Link ran across the fields and across the water bridge to the other isle. He could not believe that this day had come already. If he had known, he would have gotten up a little bit earlier that day.

Link walked up the wooden ramp to the door of his house. He, Aryll and Grandma all lived in this house. On the bottom floor, there was the kitchen where Grandma fixed Aryll and Link dinner. In the corner, there were two beds. One for Grandma and a bunk-bed for Aryll and Link. Aryll got to sleep on the top. The second floor, the smaller one was really the ceiling of the first floor, one just had to climb a ladder to reach the top.

Link opened the door and entered. Inside, Grandma was waiting on the second floor for him. She noticed him enter the house. "There you are, Link! Come on up, dear." She called to him.

Link walked over to the ladder and climbed up to the second floor. As he walked over to Grandma, he noticed that she had her arms outstretched, holding a pair of green clothes. He looked at them disappointedly, he had been expecting them, but he did not really want them, he would have rather gotten a sword or something that would, at least in his opinion, made him seem more like a man now.

"Here you are. I made them this morning for you." Grandma said, handing him the clothes, "What's with the long face?Today is a day to celebrate." Link let out a discouraged sigh, and took the clothes rather depressingly, "Now, Link. You must realize that this is part of the tradition. You are just about the same age as the Hero of legends, so it would be appropriate if were to wear this green tunic, which is very similar to the one he wore. It's part of the tradition. These clothes mark your coming of age, Link."

"But Grandma," Link complained, "These clothes... They look too hot to wear in this weather." He added, noting the green clothes in his hand. Grandma just smiled at him.

"Oh, just wear them." She said kindly, yet with force, "You only have to wear them for a day, after that you won't have to ever touch them again. Is that fine? Come on, Link, put them on. I want to see how you look in them.", she added excitedly.

"Yes, Grandma." Link said, he went down the ladder to the lower floor to change. After a few minutes, he came back up the ladder. While Link thought the clothes were sweltering hot, he did not realize that he looked very good in these clothes. He was wearing a green tunic which also had a green long-sleeved shirt underneath the tunic. He wore a brown leather belt which had a yellow spiral-shaped buckle around his waist. He wore long white pants on his legs and little brown shoes on his feet. Covering his cotton-like yellow hair, or at least, most of it, was a green cone-shaped hood.

"Awww!" Grandma exclaimed, "Why look at you, Link. You are almost the striking appearance of the Hero himself. Those clothes fit so well." Her smile was broad and pleasant, "I'm sure you'll get used to them, when a cold day comes, you'll be glad you have them."

Link nodded, he waited for a moment because he was expecting Grandma to say more, but she did not. Link breathed in, he had something else to talk to her about. "Grandma?" He asked. Grandma looked at him, "It is my birthday... my twelfth birthday and I remember talking to you about that a few months ago."

Grandma's smile faded. She was afraid he would ask that, she had hoped this day would not come. A few months back, Grandma had a talk with Link. She remembered that he wanted to leave Outset and go to Hyrule, the mainland, on his own. He wanted to go to the swordsman tournament and had been working hard all year. She had told him that he could not do so because he was too young at the time. She had promised him that she would let him go on his twelfth birthday, when he came of age.

"I see..." She lowered her head, Link was biting his lip, "I was hoping you'd forgotten about that.", she looked up at him,

"My boy, Aryll and I still need you, but... I did promise you."

"Grandma..." Link said, "Don't be sad, I'm not going to leave you and Aryll for long. I will come back!" He added, noticing her saddened face, "It's just that... this has been my dream and I want to fulfill it."

Grandma nodded, she went to the wall. There, she had hung a wreath around a shield. It looked old and rusty, but it had shape of a bird and of the Triforce imprinted on the shield. Underneath the shield were two wooden swords crossed diagonally. Grandma looked at the shield with a sight longing for a few moments. Then, she walked over and took it off the wall. She turned to Link. Link looked at her and then the shield. He looked back at her and saw a smile on her face.

"If you are really going to go, Link." She said, tears beginning to crawl down her cheeks, "Then take this shield with you. I have a feeling that you will need it." Link looked at her for a moment, tears were also forming in his eyes. After a moment he took the shield and put it on his right-arm(since he was left-handed).

"Grandma," He said, "I won't forget you, or Aryll."

"I know that, Link." She smiled, "I know that."

§

About a half an hour later, everyone on Outset Island had gathered together to wish Link good-bye and luck. Some were even there to give him gifts. There was Orca, the only person left on Outset who was a master at fighting. Orca was fairly old and frail looking, but Link had trained many times with Orca before and he knew better then to think that this old man was defenseless. He was practically the most dangerous thing on the Island. Next to him was his brother Sturgeon.Sturgeon was Orca's opposite, he read a lot of books and his head was almost as large as his body. Both had long white beards and carried sticks. Sturgeon carried a walking stick, and Orca carried a spear. It was nice to see those two standing next to each other calmly, considering how often they argued with each other.

Aryll was standing in crowd, she was looking a bit sad. Link knew that Aryll loved him more than any other person on the island. She thought Link was the best brother she could have ever had. He also knew that she wanted to go with him, but Link knew it was too dangerous for her to go. It would be better if she stayed behind.

Some of the townspeople had prepared a blue wooden boat to Link which he would use to travel to the mainland.Everyone knew Link was going to the mainland for only one reason: to participate in the Annual Swordsman Tournament at the arena near Hyrule Castle. Link, after hearing about the tournament the previous year, increased his sword training with Orca by tenfold. He also increased his studies with Sturgeon, hoping that knowledge would bring him a shaper wit.

Orca put his spear down and approached Link, in his arms, he held a wrapped bundle of dusty-looking cloth. Link knew what was in it and he became excited. "Link," Orca said with a scratchy, yet honor-filled voice, "It's time to give you this. You are twelve years old now. Just about the same age as the Hero. I believe you are ready to own this."

Orca stretched out his arms and handed Link the bundle of cloth, Link took the bundle, with failing attempts to suppress his excitement. He unwrapped the bundle and his predictions were confirmed. Link found himself holding a small sword, the one he had practiced with for so long in his hands. To him, the sword was about the length of a short sword, its brown, leather scabbard looked in fairly good condition, considering how many times Link had used it.

He beamed, "Thank you, Orca. It's really great.", he added, suddenly remembering to bow to his master. Link strapped the sword to his back, he placed his shield in front of the sword, as he adjusted the hilt to make sure he could reach it with his left hand, Orca spoke again.

"It's the sword you have you been using all this time." He explained, "I decided that it would best to give you that one since you're so used to it." Link smile at him, finally getting the sword adjusted properly, "Remember," Orca added warningly, "never use that sword for anything dishonest or cruel. The sword is a weapon of righteousness, never use it for wicked deeds."

"I will not disappoint you, Orca." Link said, bowing, "I'm going to come back a champion."

Sturgeon shook his head, "A tournament." he muttered sadly, "What about your studies? You were doing so well, Link! I thought you were going to become a scholar or something like that because of your progress, but now..."

"Let him be." Orca said, "He is a man now and he can choose his own path. Besides," he added snorting, "I have not found any use for the mind in all my years."

Sturgeon glared at Orca, "That's because you spend your life slamming your fists into a wall! What kind of life is that?Rubbish!" It looked as though a fight was going to break out between the two, but Link jumped in almost immediately.

"Hey! Stop it!" Link shouted, putting himself between the two, "Can't you guys not fight for a single day? Its not like it's a bad thing to be genius or powerful." Link turned to Sturgeon, "As for the studies, I started making so much progress because I heard about the tournament. If I'm going to Hyrule, I've got to know a few things and I might remember something useful while I'm fighting." Orca and Sturgeon looked at each other, they had not thought about it that way before.

Suddenly, Grandma came running down from the house, "Wait! Link!", the people moved for her so she could get to him.She was carrying two glass bottles with her, each tightly closed with a cork in each. She looked tired, but she was smiling, "Take these, Link." She said, handing him the bottles, "One is filled with fresh water and the other is filled with two helpings of my soup. I'd thought to give you them since you might get hungry on the sea." Link put them in his pouch and he smiled at her.

"Thanks, Grandma." Suddenly, the wind picked up and began blowing north, Link turned to all of them and waved, "It looks like it's time for me to go, everyone.", he said, trying to hide the tears on his cheeks, "I promise to come back." Everyone waved at him as Link got into the boat. He began to tie up a white sail to the mast when Aryll ran over to him.

"Wait! Big brother!" She cried, she stopped in front of him as Link turned his head to look at her, "I-I... " she stammered for a moment, "I want to give you this." She handed him her red and gold telescope. Link looked up at her in surprise.

"Aryll..." He said, and he laughed softly, "I can't take this. It's your-"

"It's my favorite treasure.", she finished for him, "Since it's your birthday, I want you to have it. Just because you're my special brother." She beamed at him, "Aren't you lucky?" she giggled.

Link looked at her, "Aryll...", he said softly, "I'll... I'll take good care of it. I promise I won't break it." Aryll nodded and Link continued, "You're the big kid in the family now. And while I'm gone I want you to take of Grandma, okay?", Aryll nodded again, "Good."

Aryll moved over to Link and hugged him, "I'll miss you, big brother.", she said, "I'm not gonna cry though..." Link smiled at her.

"I know you won't.", He released her and put the telescope in his pouch. Link finished tying up the sail and looked at Aryll and then to everyone else, "I'm off!", He said cheerfully, still trying to suppress his tears, "Wish me luck!"

The wind picked up and the sail pushed the boat out into the sea. With his hand on the rudder, Link waved to his friends on Outset. He could see Grandma in the distance and he waved high to her. He looked at Aryll and he could clearly see that she was crying.

Chapter 2: Dangers of the Sea

"Hey, Miss Tetra! Where are we going again?"

Tetra turned to Zuko, who was in the crow's nest on top of the ship's mast. He's supposed to be keeping watch. Tetra thought rather annoyed. "How many times do I have to tell you? We're going to Windfall to find a swordsman."

Zuko nodded, "Oh okay, Miss Tetra. Methinks I forget, yarr." he added, chuckling. He scratched his sideburns and took up watch over the seas with his telescope again. Tetra wondered how he could have forgotten when she told him five minutes ago. The pirates were all to their duties. Mako was scanning the seas on the lower deck. Senza was watching the ropes to the sails and the front of the boat, he wiped a sweaty hand on his purple shirt. Nudge was assisting Senza, Gonzo was steering the ship and Niko was in the basement tending to the laundry. Tetra kept her eye on about everything else and made sure that the pirates were doing their duties and not goofing off.

The wind was quite strong that day. A good breeze always pleased Tetra. This one was especially comfortable because it did not have the tendency to sneak down your shirt and freeze your skin, but instead, whipped past and left you cool despite the Sun's continuing heat waves from above. The sea itself seemed rather relaxed, the boat still creaked as it floated upon the waves and rocked back and forth, but it was no need for any worry.

"I hope we can find a swordsman." Gonzo mused out loud in order to catch Tetra's attention, "Though I always thought Windfall was more peaceful than that." he added as he turned the helm a bit, his purple headscarf tie flapping in the wind. Tetra's blue eyes wondered over to him.

"It is." She answered sharply, making Gonzo jump, "These swordsmen always go to Windfall as a place to pick up supplies and brag to each other about their skills until the registration opens."

"But, didn't it already open, Miss?" Gonzo asked.

"Yes, but I'm sure there will be latecomers." She replied, a smile growing quickly on her face, "And one of those late boys will be our late boy." Her smile turned into a grin and Gonzo swallowed.

Whenever Tetra started talking about controlling someone or manipulating someone, she always used 'we', 'our' or 'us'. In reality she was talking about herself, no one on the ship could manipulate like she could. What guy could resist a quick wink or cute smile from Tetra? It seemed to Gonzo that no man that he ever met was able to say 'no' to Tetra. She even kept him and the other pirates under her whim with similar tactics.

While it sounded a bit disturbing, there were times when the pirates always tried to increase their favor with Tetra. After all, there were some times when she was the only girl they came in contact with for days, maybe even weeks. Tetra knew this very well and knew the pirates would never get too desperate, so she used this 'starvation' to control them. If that didn't work, she would resort to demoting them and getting angry at them. And there were times when, the pirates agreed, that they deserved it.

However, Tetra was unaware that the pirates listened to her and obeyed her, primarily because her plans and ideas had always worked and not only gained a fair amount of wealth for the pirates, but also had kept them from getting captured. There were certain rules that she placed on the pirates that they just didn't agree with, but they knew it was probably for a good reason.

On the horizon, the pirates could see the dark shape of Windfall Island in the distance. It was a few miles east from the mainland and was one of the smaller islands. However, Windfall was popular place for sailors and travelers because of its clean inns and generous hospitality. Even Tetra, the leader of the Terror of the Seas would find a welcome there, even if it was not a warm one.

"'Hoy Miss!" Zuko called out, sounding a bit alarmed, but before he could finish, Tetra cut him off.

"Yes, I know Windfall's ahead of us." Tetra said, with an annoyed voice, "Now keep your eyes open for any Royal Family of Hyrule military ships or dangers lurking in the sea."

But Zuko was not alarmed about Windfall, "That's not what I'm talking about, Miss Tetra, look to the northeast! There be a whirlpool ahead of us." Tetra made a sigh of annoyance and pulled out her own telescope. She pointed it and looked out to the northeast. Sure enough, there was a whirlpool.

But this did not alarm Tetra, for it was a fairly small whirlpool, "I see it!" She called back, squelching her annoyance, "But it isn't anything to worry about, Zuko. I'm sure Gonzo can easily avoid that." she added throwing a wink at Gonzo, "I've seen bigger ones, anyone who gets trapped in that must have serious problems."

She put her telescope away and stretched. The nagging feeling overcame her that she had just jinxed someone by saying that, but Tetra pushed the feeling aside. Ha! She thought, I don't believe in that stuff! People only screw up because they make a wrong choice, not because I said so.

But Zuko was still uneasy about the whirlpool, "But,what if it gets bigger, Miss Tetra?", Tetra was about to yell at him, but she breathed in and exhaled, calming herself slightly, she turned and looked at him and smiled, her blue eyes shining, "I mean," he continued, "It could get large enough to engulf the ship. I've heard about those, nasty little things... Perhaps we should turn around?" Tetra waited patiently until Zuko was finished and then breathed in.

"Zuko..." She said seductively, "Don't worry about it, if it does get bigger, we'll have plenty of time to turn and avoid it." Zuko looked down at her and looked as if he was about protest again, but Tetra winked at him and smiled, "It's nothing to worry about, just keep watch for any enemy ships, mmkay?" She let herself bounce a bit, she knew she had won when she saw Zuko's face flush red. He did not say anything else and returned his duties.

The pirates continued their journey to Windfall, its shape was beginning to become more definite and clear as they got closer. Tetra began to wonder if it would be a good time to call a meeting to introduce the rest of the plan when Senza walked over to her and poked her on the shoulder.

Tetra did not respond immediately, she was still musing, but Senza waited patiently for a few moments. Normally, he would have waited longer, but something about the sea was bothering him and he tapped her on the shoulder again. Tetra turned to him, not angry, but surprised: Senza was looking tense and worried, something that did not happen very often with Senza. Because of this, Tetra, herself was becoming a bit anxious.

"What-what's wrong, Senza?" She said, trying to sound commanding, but a note of slight uneasiness managed to escape her lips, "You look like you are about to have a panic attack."

Senza nodded, "I know it is kinda outta our way, but, erm-", he scratched his head and looked nervously out to the sea, "Someone's caught in that whirlpool!" he finally blurted out, unable to control himself. He pointed to the whirlpool that Zuko had mentioned earlier.

Tetra looked out in that direction, she could see a small ship,but she couldn't make out anymore. "Help!" She heard someone calling from the whirlpool, "help!" A sudden lurch in her stomach told her that she needed to help, but she could not do so. It would waste too much time and they needed to get to Windfall while the wind was still strong.

"There's nothing we can do." Tetra said slowly, making Senza's jaw drop, "I don't like it, but we must get to Windfall soon, we don't have much time left." Senza looked as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out. They had somehow gotten stuck in his throat.

Although Tetra had said it like she had made up her mind, in reality, she wanted to take back her words. Guilt stung her senses, it seemed cruel to leave someone helpless in the whirlpool and yet Tetra kept trying to convince herself that whoever it was would be able to get out of it. But she knew it was a lie.

"'Hoy, Miss!" Zuko shouted, "the whirlpool's gotten bigger! Look at them waves, mateys! That poor kid in there is goin' need some help, he is!" he added rather anxiously, looking through his telescope.

The word struck a nerve in Tetra, she spun around and called out to Zuko, "Did you say that was a kid!?" Zuko looked down at her and nodded. The lump in her stomach grew. She turned back around in a blur and pulled out her telescope to see for herself.

A small blue boat was trapped in the whirlpool. Zuko was right, the whirlpool had increased in size and the waters were rushing faster around it. It almost seemed as if its increase in strength was for its small victim. As she zoomed in on the boat, she saw a boy in green clothing, struggling to hold his small boat together. The scene touched a nerve in Tetra and she had the urge to do something that she would never have done normally.

"Miss Tetra?", Gonzo called out to her from the helm, "Do you want me to go around?" He asked, keeping his hand on the helm. Tetra removed the telescope from her eye and looked down, then she turned to look at Gonzo.

"No!" She shouted calmly at him, "I want you to move as close as possible to the whirlpool and circle it!"

"But... Miss...!" Gonzo protested.

Tetra glared at him, she did not have time for this, "Just do it." She said venomously, "And make sure you don't go in it."

"Aye-aye!" He replied, looking rather shaken, turning the helm swiftly to move the ship closer to the whirlpool. Tetra turned to Senza and Nudge, who were trying to avoid her gaze.

"Senza, Nudge! Get some rope and a hook together and get out the crane!" Senza and Nudge obeyed her silently, they opened up some doors on the deck and brought a large brown wood crane, which they normally used to dig up treasure out of the sea. Senza and Nudge attached a hook to the rope and reeled in it. "Bring it over to the edge and extend it a bit upwards." They did as they were told. It was strange for them to be saving someone, but as soon as they got closer they saw why.

Everyone could see the boy clearly now. His face was filled with fear and he was franticly trying to keep his boat stable. The boy looked to be about Tetra's age and the pirates figured, while Tetra might not stick out her nose for an adult, she might try to save someone who was closer to her in age. They knew this because Tetra told them about a similar experience she had when she much younger. The pirates figured that she may just be trying to make up for that mistake.

"Extend the crane over the whirlpool," Tetra commanded, "lower it so he can reach the hook." As soon as that was done, Tetra motioned to Gonzo, "Move a bit closer, Gonzo!", Gonzo turned the ship closer to the whirlpool and began to circle it. The waves lashed out dangerously at
the hull, as if the waters were trying to grip it and pull down into the watery depths.

Tetra cupped her hands and yelled out to the boy, "Hey, kid!" He did not seem to notice, so she tried again, "Hey, kid!!" She yelled a bit louder. This time he noticed and began franticly waving at them while trying to maintain the boat. His worst fears started to become a reality as a loud snap sounded. The mast for his boat snapped away in the wind and slammed into the pirate ship's hull. The boy's face became panic-stricken, his ship was now at the mercy of the spiraling whirlpool.

Tetra began to get worried, one of two things could happen if the boy got pulled into the center; he could be dragged down to the bottom and drown to death, or the force of the center would shoot him out and either slam him into the pirate ship's hull or send him out to sea. Either way, he would die.

Tetra called out to him again, "Grab the hook!" the boy looked at her, a bit shocked and hesitant, but a fierce wave shook his boat and changed his mind for him. She turned to Senza and Nudge, "Extend it more!" they did so and it soon was within the boy's grasp, at least, it was in his grasp once he swung around to the pirate ship's side.

His boat came around towards the pirate ship, everyone was tense and unmoving. Some asked silent prayers to the goddesses. The boy amazingly managed to keep his vessel from overturning, despite the violent waves rushing against him and drenching him in water. He stood up, getting ready to grab the hook as he came around.

The hook swung in the wind, the boy reached out as far as he could, but the hook seemed to taunt him as it swung away from his hands. With one quick movement, his hands reached out and grabbed the hook, smiles passed on all the pirates' faces, but it was to be short-lived.

Hearts all fell as the boy's hands slipped off the hook and he fell back into his boat. He was getting close to the center and as far as Tetra could tell, he had one last chance before the boat shattered, it looked extremely battered and too worn to last much longer.

Tetra called to extend the crane a little more, the rope was beginning to strain. He's going to make it, she thought anxiously, trying to comfort herself, He's not going to die. The wind slashed into everyone's face, forcing them to squint. Howling, the winds flew with powerful force, threatening to topple the small boat over, while the violent waters toyed with the idea of snapping the boat in half.

Tetra grinded her teeth as she watched. She felt so helpless and she wanted the boy to make it safely. She had almost died herself to a whirlpool when she was younger, she was lucky that some fishermen had been passing by and managed to pick her up before she was swallowed by the waves.

The boy came around again and the tension mounted. Hearts were beating loud and at incredible rates as everyone watched. The waves were even more violent this time around, almost as if the sea were trying to murder him, as if the boy had done something to offend the waters and he did not deserve to live.

However, the boy struggled with the seas and surprisingly, maintained an excellent balance on the boat. The hook came up and this time he jumped, as if he knew the boat wouldn't make it. His hands grasped the hook and the pirates held the smiles until they were sure.

Ahead in the whirlpool, the small blue boat hit a rough wave, immediately shattering the boat in half. The back half came flying into the hull of the pirate ship and the front spun around on the current and was pulled under the waves, just like Tetra had predicted. A tense moment passed as Nudge and Senza, feeling the pull on the crane, began reeling it in.

Tetra called out to Gonzo to move away from the whirlpool and soon it was silent except for the calm breeze, the twisting sound of the crane being reeled in and the sputtering and coughing of someone who was dripping wet. After all her worries, it was music to Tetra's ears to hear the signs of life.

Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing at once, they came onto the main deck to watch as the crane pulled a boy, dripping in the strangest clothing they had ever seen. He was wearing a green tunic and white pants and a cone-shaped green hood. He was still coughing and sputtering after the ordeal. The pirates all examined him strangely as they had never seen anything like him before. Nudge and Senza reeled the crane in a bit more, placing the boy above the deck. Tetra smiled at him.

"'Hoy there, kid." She said, "Are you okay?"

He did not respond, he just held onto the crane, shivering heavily and staring at Tetra, his green eyes began to give out, and then shutting abruptly. He suddenly lost his grip on the crane and fell to the floor completely unconscious.

Tetra gasped, she looked around franticly at her pirates, "Gonzo!"

Gonzo leapt up and rushed to her, "Get back to the helm and turn us toward to Windfall. Senza, Nudge, put the crane back and dry this boy off and get him into my bed."

"Eh?", Nudge said, a bit surprised, "Your bed, Miss Tetra? Ahem! But, I thought no one was allowed in your cabin." Tetra's eyes twitched dangerously. She was getting fairly annoyed.

"Just do it!" She yelled at them, making them jump, "Or this kid'll catch a nasty cold. Now, get to it before I decide to force you to."

Senza and Nudge saluted her shakily and took the boy inside the cabin.

She waited for a moment, trying to get the boy out of her mind. As the leader of the pirates she had to keep focus on the task at hand, she had to make sure that they made it to Windfall.

"Miss Tetra?"

Tetra turned around. Gonzo was looking at her with a concerned expression on his face, "Is there something wrong?" He asked, even though Tetra knew he was just asking to initiate conversation, he could tell that she was worried about the boy.

"Oh... I'm just worried about the time we lost." She lied unconvincingly. But Gonzo did not reply immediately. Tetra stared out to the seas, trying to distract herself. She searched the seas for something pleasant, something that would make her forget what just happened.

But her thoughts kept wondering back to the boy. After all, she had been saved in the nick of time, what if they had failed to do so with the boy? Tetra remembered the look on his face; weak, helpless and deathly white. She had hesitated, all for time, for the plan. An innocent life was hanging by a thread and it was all for that stupid Ocarina. Her hesitation may have ended that boy's life, his short life.

With the immense pain of guilt upon her spirit, Tetra was considering throwing herself upon the outstretched claws of the waters when Gonzo suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

"That kid must be pretty strong. He looked like sharkbait to me, but the way he handled that boat was pretty impressive." Although he spoke as if he were musing to himself, Tetra knew Gonzo was trying to cheer her up, "I'm not sure I could've handled the boat like that." Tetra saw him grin out of the corner of her eyes, "I'll bet he'll be alright."

She said nothing for awhile. She was processing Gonzo's words. He was right, the kid was strong, he could have easily survived such a catastrophe. But his deathly white face and those dim green eyes kept coming back into Tetra's mind. It was the image of a dying person. She fought with herself over and over again until she finally spoke.

"If he dies... I'm responsible." She said, speaking her mind.

Gonzo paused, looking off to the sky, "I wouldn't know about that, Miss Tetra." He said consolingly, "When a good pirate finds a piece of Fool's gold. He doesn't go and throw it away in the Sea. He learns from it, learns the difference between it an' the real thing, and he never regrets it." He smiled.

Tetra smiled, that's Gonzo, alright. She thought to herself, tough-talking, sounding and even looking, yet he's a softy at heart. She sighed, "We won't know until he is revived and that could take days."

"There's a doctor in Windfall." Gonzo replied, "I heard rumors that his potions are excellent for reviving the injured or the weak..."

"I know..." Tetra murmured, "It'll take up our time, though." She felt a pang, there you go again, caring about the time! It's not like the boy's life is actually important, is it!? She thought angrily to herself.

"Maybe Mako has got something for the poor kid?" He said, "It wouldn't hurt to check."He added, shrugging. Tetra looked at him, looked at the waters, she felt a bit better now, her spirit's weight seemed lighter and the concept of killing herself in the Sea seemed strange, almost ridiculous. She looked over at the door to the cabin, pausing and then finally moving towards it.

She went inside, there she saw Nudge and Senza surrounding the boy, Mako had entered without Tetra's permission, but at this point, the tough pirate capitan could care less. She walked over to the left side the bed and looked at the boy. His hood had been removed and placed on the bedstead, his limp body and face seemed almost devoid of life and his skin was clammy and cool.

Even Niko was there, his beaver-like face was covered in concern and excitement at the same time. Obviously, Niko had never seen such an occurrence as the whirlpool, nor had he ever seen anyone pull off an escape from such a natural disaster. She turned to Mako.

"How is he?" Tetra asked after a moment. Mako looked up at her, his face grim, she feared the worst. Mako, had clearly given the boy a full examination as she could see that the pirates had placed his belongs on Tetra's desk next to the bed. hanging on the the bedstead, Tetra could see the boy's pointed green hat.

"He's not cold, Miss Tetra." Mako said, Tetra made a sigh of relief, but Mako continued with some bad news, "but he's extremely weak. If we don't get him some 'vittes soon, he might not make it."

Tetra sat down on a stool next to the bed, she looked at the boy and she saw herself and she was overwhelmed, he could not die. If he did, Tetra could not forgive herself. Frustration overcame her as she watched the boy and she hoped they were getting closer to Windfall.

§

Link was swimming. It was a vast sea, nothing for miles and miles around and he was in the middle of it. Link thought it was day, there were blue skies, but for some odd reason, there was no sun. The water felt warm and Link did not get tired. He did not know why or where he was swimming, but he knew he just had to get somewhere. Suddenly he stopped, he heard a familiar voice.

"Big brother!" He turned around and around, and then he saw it. In the middle of the sea, there was a small piece of land. There he saw his sister, Aryll, who was beaming at him, "Come on, big brother!" She said, giggling and waving at him. His heart gave a bound.

Link laughed and swam towards Aryll at full-strength. He had to get to her. That was all he knew. He already missed her so much. Closer and closer he got to the land. As he swam, Aryll kept cheering him on. She was bouncing like her usual self. Link pushed harder and he finally reached the land.

He stretched out his arm, and his hand touched the grass, but as soon as he did, he knew something had gone wrong.

Immediately, the water and the skies went dark. A large wave came up under him and swept him away from land, he immediately tried to swim back, but wave after wave of water kept coming and pushing him down. Water flushed into his lungs, he found it difficult to breathe.

Suddenly, Link felt himself flung back towards Aryll, his hand touched the soft grass again and he sighed in relief. He was going to pull himself up onto the land, when suddenly, the tide increased and pulled him back into the waves.

Aryll seemed not to notice this, she kept calling after him and smiling and giggling. She kept cheering him on towards home as if it was something he could accomplish Suddenly, Link began to spin, he was trapped in a whirlpool like before, he could not get out, no matter how hard he tried and he was washed under the waves.

He opened his eyes, he was under water. The water was still pushing down on him, so he could not get back up. Then, he saw something in the distance. Someone with golden hair. At first, he thought it was Aryll, but a closer examination proved him wrong. It was a girl he had never met before.

He could see her shining blue eyes, her golden hair was curled upwards into a spiral on top of her hair. Her skin was well-tanned and she wore a cute red scarf around her neck. She was really cute and curiosity rose up in Link, he began to swim towards her. For some strange reason, she was laughing.

She winked at him, and then she began to change, large sideburns began to grow on her face, her eyes shrunk, her skin became darker. She began to become clouded so Link could not make out the features and as she changed, her laugh transformed and suddenly Link realized that he was not looking at a girl anymore.

It was a man. A dark, wicked looking man, whose laughter sent strong shivers through Link's spine. Fear gripped his body and Link franticly tried to swim up, but the water kept pushing him down. The laughter, the water, the man, his eyes were glowing wickedly. The man reached out malevolently with thick brutal-looking hands, attempting to grab Link. He opened his mouth to scream but water rushed in and the most foul taste entered in his mouth as everything went dark, the laughter still echoing in his pointed ears.

Chapter 3: Not Quite Man Enough

Link sat up abruptly and coughed violently. Red smoke ejected out of his mouth, dissipating into the air. He grasped his throat and breathed, the horrible taste still lingered in his mouth. Despite this, he was relieved to find that he was not drowning, in fact, he was in a soft bed with white sheets and a blanket. The dream faded away like rushing water and Link began to wonder where he was.

"Well, well..." A breath that smelled like something foul wafted into Link's nose, "It looks like my concoction worked fairly well." the voice sounded like it was trying to suppress some urge of excitement.

Although Link's eyes were already opened, they had just started taking in his surroundings, so blurry at first, that he could not make anything out except large blob-like shapes of mixed colors. Then his sight started becoming more clear as a short time passed. Link jumped at what he saw, in front of him was a thin, pale old man with a point chin and nose. He was staring directly into Link's eyes and had an unsettling corpse-like visage.

"Ah! Look!" The old man said with a raspy high voice, "He is already awake." he moved his head back(for which, Link was extremely grateful), allowing Link some room to breathe. The old man put the bottle, which was half-filled with some red liquid that Link had obviously been fed, down on the nightstand next to the bed, "I will leave the rest in case he needs it again."

Now Link had a better view of the room. The floor, walls and ceiling were made of brown wood panels set tightly together. There were three wooden supports across the ceiling, dangling from the middle one were drawn green curtains, which would allow the person in the room to have some privacy as they slept. On the far end of the room, he could see a dresser with a mirror and many drawers and not to mention many other strange objects that he could not make out. Link jumped again as he saw two large, dangerous-looking sailors on either side of the old man. One had a thick black beard and wore a purple shirt, while the other wore a dirty-green shirt and an orange scarf tied around the top of his head.

"Very good," a young female voice came Link's left side, he looked over and saw a girl sitting in a chair. She had golden hair and blue eyes, her hair was tied up in a curl over her head, "Senza and Nudge will show you out, make sure you don't tell anyone about us." She had not noticed him yet and she put her hand to adjust the red scarf that was tied around her neck. Link noticed that she had a tanned complexion.

The two large men made to grab the old man by the arms, he looked at them frightfully, "W-wait!" he called, looking a bit tense, "I... I am to be paid for my services, I hope?" he swallowed, his hands out in an almost begging gesture.

The girl was about to say something, but she stopped and caught Link's eye. A mischievous grin slowly spread over her face, "Of course you will." The two large men blinked and looked at her strangely, the girl stretched, her grin never faltering, "Senza, Nudge, take the man and make sure to..." She winked at them as she said it, "pay him well."

The two large sailors grinned as if they understood her and they lead the old man out of the bedroom through a doorway with a curtain hung on it. Beyond, Link could see there was another room on the outside that had a door at the end, across from the bed. The two men opened the door and guided the old man out. As soon as he was out, they closed the door behind them.

Although he had been awoken abruptly, during the conversation, Link was feeling very weak and he did not take most of what had been going on around him. His head was swerving and he was not exactly sure what was going on.

"Hey there." He heard a voice beside him, Link looked to his left, the girl had not left, she was no longer stretching, but eying Link with interest. As he turned, she smiled at him and he suddenly realized that the girl was pretty cute. Link's face suddenly felt very warm.

"Hey," She repeated, "You okay there, kid?" she asked him, he nodded, "You took quite a beating in the waters there." She winked, "you must be pretty tough to live through all that, eh matey?" His face felt warmer.

"Eh? Waters?" He said blankly, "What waters?" he scratched his head.

"I guess you don't remember." She said to him, "You were in a whirlpooland we pulled you out.", she shrugged, "I'm sorry to say that your entire boat was destroyed, you've been out cold for hours, kid."

A sudden wave of fear and realization overcame Link as he remembered the whirlpool, he slapped his hand on his head, "My boat! Oh no...Orca's going to kill me." He moaned, there was nothing he could do though. Link heard the girl giggle.

"Well..." She said, "I wouldn't worry too much about your boat, it was split in two," Link's face lit up and fell as she said this, he stared at her unbelievingly, "So, there's not much you can do about it." She added, shrugging, "though, we got all your stuff, it's sitting here on my desk."She jerked her head towards a large desk behind her and Link could see his sword and shield and his pouch sitting on top of it among other things including bottle of red liquid the old man had given him, a quill, some pictures and some parchment.

He looked longingly at it, "Could you," He began to ask her, but he was having a hard time getting the words out, "Could you give me my pouch?" He finally said after a long pause, sounding rather feeble.

The girl made a slight giggle and turned around to grab his pouch, she handed to him. He took it so quickly that it startled her, but Link took no notice as searched through it franticly. Finally, he pulled out a small red and gold telescope that bore small drawings of seagulls on them, Link extended the telescope and examined. It looks okay, he thought, making a sigh of relief.

"You were worried about that?" She asked, her blue eyes twinkling, "You should be glad that you are alive." She added, raising a brow at him.

Link shook his head and smiled sheepishly, "No, no..." he laughed, "You don't understand." he showed her the telescope, "It's my sister's favorite toy and I promised to take care of it." Seeing her look of confusion on her face, he added, "she gave it to me for my birthday today."

The girl smirked, "I see... " She stretched out and leaned back, "So it's your birthday today, eh?" She said, "Well then," she added with a cute wink, "Happy birthday to you." Her voice was soft. Link, again, felt his face redden yet again, "Anyway," The girl said, she got off the chair and walked over to the doorway, "When you are feeling better, feel free to come out."

"Um... " Link paused, making her stop and turn to face him, How do I say this without sounding stupid? He thought, clearing his throat, "Thanks for saving me, but..." he scratched his chin, "who are you?"

The girl smiled warmly at him, "You can call me Tetra." She replied. Link smiled and nodded, she turned around after a moment and headed to the door that led outside. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back to him, "Your hat's on the bedstead and I forgot to mention, but you're in my bed."

Link blinked and suddenly jumped out of the bed and smiled, laughing nervously, Tetra gave him a puzzled look as he smoothed the bed sheets out, "Your bed?" he chuckled, scratching his head sheepishly, "sorry about that."

Tetra blinked, "Are you feeling better already?" She asked, looking suspiciously at him, "I would have thought a whirlpool like the one you were in would have knocked the wind outta a kid like you." She leaned her head to one side, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Of course!" Link said, "It's not a problem, I can handle stuff like that." He added, trying look to tough. Tetra eyed him suspiciously for a
moment and then shrugged. She turned around and strode over to the door that led outside.

Immediately, Link fell to the floor, he barely caught himself from hitting the hard wood and banging his head. He was devastated from the near-death experience he had, But why did I lie to her? Why did I do that? He thought to himself rather angrily. He struggled to pull himself onto Tetra's bed, breathing deeply. Had he tried to impress her? He wasn't sure, his weakness hindered his ability to think properly.

As Link slumped there on the edge of the bed, his eye caught the red liquid of the potion which the old man had given him. It revived him from his state of unconsciousness, despite it's horrid taste. The bottle was half empty, if he drank the rest, he would recover the rest of his strength.

I'm going to regret this... He thought as he dragged himself across the bed to the bedstead, reached out, grabbed the bottle and emptied it into his mouth. The red fluid, silky, yet very sticky went down his throat and the foul taste returned again, making cough out red smoke. Maybe it was because Link was more conscious than he was before, but the potion tasted worse than he remembered.

Nevertheless, he immediately felt his strength return to him. Pulling himself off the bed, he walked over to the bedstead and got his hood, pouch, sword and shield from it, checking each item carefully to make sure that were not damaged. Satisfied and relieved, he secured his pouch to his belt and strapped his sword to his back with his shield.

Link walked through drawn curtains, on the other side, there was a stairway right in front of the room leading downwards, the opening of the staircase faced a door across from Tetra's room. This seemed like an awfully strange house to Link, all the wood panels were making peculiar creaking noises and it felt like it was moving.

Walking around the rails of the stairway, Link thought that he must still be weak from the accident at the whirlpool, he felt very dizzy and the
whole room felt like it was bobbing up and down, slowly and steadily. Flinging himself against the wall, Link moved across the wall to keep himself balanced all the way to the door, he had to duck slightly as he passed under one of the pairs of crossed scimitars on either side of the door.

Finally reaching the door, Link grabbed the knob, wondering where in the world he could possibly be, and opened the door. The light of the afternoon shot into the room, revealing the deck of a massive ship, not a house as he had originally believed.

Fresh salty sea air blew into Link's face as he walked out onto the deck. The ship was moving across the ocean, Link could tell by the sound of rushing waves against the side of the hull. It was hard to tell what time it was since Link did not know what direction they were going, nor what time it was, he guessed it was afternoon since he left Outset around noon, though he did not know how long he had been unconscious.

On the far end of the boat, Link saw the helm of the ship, the helm was suspended on a rising with a ramp leading down to the deck that he was on. A tough-looking sailor commanded the helm and turned it with ease, he had not seen Link come out the cabin as the sailor's back was facing him. In front of Link was the mast which held the main sails of the ship and the crow's nest. A ladder up to the crow's nest was resting on the other side of the mast.

Many sailors, all somewhat ruffian-like were on the ship performing their duties, no one seemed idle. Except one person. Tetra was standing a few feet away from Link leaning on the left(Link's left) rail with her back to him. The wind blowing against her, her red neckerchief flapping in its wake.

Link had the sudden desire to approach her, it felt like an impulse, but it couldn't be. She was the closest person to him and naturally, he would go to her first. He walked towards her, but his eyes got distracted, he had see the whole ship, it was so big and Link had never seen such a massive vessel before.

Behind him was the cabin, on either side of the door were two tied wooden ladders leading up to a platform on top of the cabin. There on the platform was a strange-looking wood catapult, it was unarmed, yet pulled all the way back in a ready-to-use position.

Moving around next to the catapult was a massive man with a thick black beard. His arms, legs and body were large, not fat, but muscular. He wore a purple shirt and dusty-brown pants. He didn't notice Link at first, he seemed to be managing the catapult while getting up every once and awhile to check the seas behind the ship.

Then he turned around and saw Link, to the young islander's relief, the man had a very friendly smile, revealing kindness that any person would have not thought possible. Link could not help smiling back at him. After nodding and waving at him, the bulky sailor returned to managing the catapult.

Returning to his own task, Link continued to survey the ship. His eyes turned to the large sails and mast, he could make out a design on the largest sail, which was a hook and a sword in a faint brownish-red. Above he saw the crow's nest at the top of the mast, another sailor, who was using a brown telescope to scan the seas, most likely to keep an eye out for any islands surrounding the ship.

As Link's eyes moved to the flag on the very top of the mast, above the crow's nest, his growing excitement plummeted like solid gold in water as he beheld a black flag with a skull and crossbones. His jaw hung wide open in horror, he realized that his life was in danger. He was so stunned that his thought escaped from his mind and jumped out of his mouth loudly.

He swallowed, "Am... am I on a pirate ship?" He asked, suddenly putting his hands over his mouth. Oh crap! Me and my big mouth! He thought, looking around franticly to see if anyone noticed. His eyes stopped in front of him.

Tetra had turned around.

"Ah!" She smiled, "You finally decided to out, eh?" But the smile faded as she noticed his alarmed expression, "What's up? You like you just saw a ReDead."

With a sudden realization, Link dashed over to her and said as quietly as he could, "We gotta get out of here. Don't worry!" he added, looking around to see if the pirates had noticed, "I'll get us out somehow." He looked back at Tetra and suddenly became confused, her mouth was open with surprise.

"What?" She said sharply, trying not to laugh, "I don't need to leave, what's wrong with you?" She added, raising a brow. Link shook his head in amazement.

"But..." He stammered, pointing out to the sailors, "Those are pirates! You know... pirates!" he repeated, becoming more bewildered as Tetra laughed and shook her head.

"Yes, yes," She said with a tone of voice she would use when talking to a child, "Those are pirates." She grinned, "And I'm their leader."

Link didn't know how far his jaw dropped, but it felt like it was on the floor. This girl, who looked to be about his age was the leader of a vicious group of pirates? Impossible! Why would they even listen to a twelve-year old? But as impossible as it seemed, Link felt that she was telling the truth.

He backed away slowly, "I-I really don't have a-any money or anything, r-really!" He grinned fearfully, only realizing that more than his money was at stake here, even if he had any, "so y-you know, i-it's really not worth it to a-attack me or anything, really...!" He expected Tetra to call the pirates on him to take him away to some prison or worse.

But she did not, in fact, he was shocked to see that she was laughing, as if he had said something funny. "Wow, you are slow, aren't you?" She said rather mockingly, "But I suppose it's normal." She looked him up and down, "You think I want your money? Oh geez, that, what, one whole rupee in your pouch is going to make to make so rich." Her voice was sarcastic, cruelly sarcastic, "It's not like I have plenty of money already." Frowning, she added, "You need to think before you speak, kid."

"Uh... but..." Link opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, "I... how was I supposed to know that you didn't care!?" He blurted out suddenly because of her unfair accusations, "I thought it didn't matter to pirates how much money they got out of someone!"

She laughed and grinned at him, "Maybe to stupid pirates... but not us." She turned and looked at him sideways, "In any case, you're not in any danger here. I find it strange that you would think that we were trying to hurt you." She raised a brow, "Especially since we were the ones who saved you and nursed back to health, kid."

Oh yeah... Link thought guiltily, he slumped, "You... you could have been tricking me, like you know, healing my wounds so you could... hurt me even more." He had paused to say considering he left very guilty and Tetra was so beautiful, how could he accuse such a cute girl?

Tetra smiled, "Heh, typical." Link looked up in surprise at her, "Look, I'm smarter than that, anyone would expect pirates to do that. And besides that's also very cruel; I'm not cruel." She grinned, "I'm just interested in making a little money, not making people scream for mercy." She turned her back to the rail and leaned on it, placing her hands on her head, "Anyway, why were you even out on the Sea in the first place?" Her eyes moved to him, "It's a bit dangerous for a single boat and a sailor to wing these waters, especially for a kid."

Link frowned, he found it extremely ironic that a girl about his age was referring to him as a "kid". He was twelve, a man now! Yet she acted as if he were inexperienced or immature. He had sailed before out in the waters around Outset, but he had never tried to head to the mainland before. How was he supposed to know that there were waters that could drag him under the depths of the Great Sea?

He sighed, "I was just trying to get to the mainland. I didn't know about those dangerous waters.." He looked off to the side, a bit embarrassed.

"You mean, whirlpools?" Tetra asked.

He looked at her and twisted his face, "Yeah. I never knew that type of stuff even existed."

Tetra chuckled, "So you thought you could get to Hyrule all on your own on a little fisherman's boat." She looked at him as if he was a Jester and then laughed, "That's pretty funny." Noticing his frown, Tetra asked, "Why were you even going to the mainland?"

Link pointed to his sword on his back,a smile growing on his face, surely she would be impressed by this, "I'm going to enter in the Swordsman Tournament." He stood up straight looking rather smug and proud, "and I'm going to win."

For a moment, he thought it had worked, Tetra was staring at him with wide eyes. But then, to Link's astonishment, she broke out into laughter, "You? You're a child! Children don't enter that tournament!" She nearly fell over from laughing, some of the pirates were gathering around to see what Tetra was laughing about, "And you couldn't possibly win, no one wins the first time they enter that thing. Only veterans of that tournament could ever hope to win." She began to stop, glancing at the gathering pirates, who immediately at seeing her glance went back to work without a word.

His face feeling very hot and feeling mocked, Link gritted his teeth. Who was this girl who could talk like she was an adult and even control
these pirates, who were all men, with a single glance? She was no ordinary girl that's what he could figure, but everything else about her eluded his mind.

Tetra smiled, "Ah... you don't like that do you?" Shaking her head she continued, "Okay, maybe I was a bit harsh. You'd probably be able to enter, but you'd never win. It's a fact, no person who has ever entered for the first time won that tournament. It takes time." She looked at him, "And in any case, you just can't enter these days, you have to be sponsored."

Link looked up and blinked at Tetra, "A sponsor? What's a sponsor?"

Tetra smirked, "A sponsor is either a person, a group of people or a company that is willing to finance your place in the tournament. They pay for your registration fees, shelter, food and other stuff. In any case, if you are not sponsored the people who sit at the registration desk see you as a nobody with no skills. Having a sponsor tells them that there is someone out there that recognizes your talents and fighting abilities." She explained this slowly and clearly to him like he was a child.

Link thought he understood and he was dismayed by it. Orca never mentioned anything about needing a sponsor. He was old, though and it was possible that sponsors started coming around after his attempts in the tournament. This was frustrating, Link had always wanted to enter the tournament, barely thinking about the registration.

Tetra could see his dismay, she merely shrugged however, "Too bad I guess. Most companies will not be willing to finance you unless they see your fighting abilities." Turning her head towards the helm, she continued, "And chances that would be willing to see a child fight, let alone an islander," She paused, "... are almost non-existent."

It was like there was a very large, bulky and uncomfortable stone in his stomach, Link felt like his whole world had shattered. The tournament had been everything to him! If only he could get in somehow, someway. At the same time, he was angry, he was not a child and his origin shouldn't have mattered either. He would never be able to enter with conditions like these, even if he could win. His dreams began to vanish.

Suddenly, he had an idea, "Wait a second... Couldn't you guys sponsor me?"

Tetra hid her surprise as best she could. If she wasn't so good at controlling her expressions, she might have fallen right out of the ship into the water. Link hadn't realized it, but he had figured out a part of the pirate's plan. There was a slight temptation to use him. He was young, able and almost desperate to get into the tournament. Desperate enough to do almost anything. Just like a pirate.

But Tetra dismissed the idea, she had some time left. And the disadvantages outweighed the advantages of using Link. First off, Tetra had no idea if he could really use that sword on his back, or if he would constantly injure himself. No, it's too risky. I can't take too many risks for this mission! She thought.

"Well why not? We're looking for a swordsman, aren't we, Miss?" Asked a masculine voice behind Link. It was Senza, he had been curious to what was going on and had starting paying attention to their conversation. Tetra bit her lip. She had expected that, nor did she want it. Link's jaw dropped.

"You... you..." He stammered in unbelief, and then suddenly blurting out, "I'm a swordsman!" He was smiling, "You could sponsor me!"

Tetra couldn't say that he didn't have any spirit, nor could she say that he was willing, but she didn't want to use him, it was too risky to sponsor him, they needed someone else, "We can't, kid." Senza and Link both looked dumbfounded, "Where do you live, kid?" Senza was about to protest but Tetra silenced him by putting her hand in front of him.

But Link was not about to give up, "Now, wait one second, you need a swordsman and I happen to be one!" He was confused, he did not understand how Tetra could dismiss him so easily, "And I'm not a bad one either I-"

"You're a kid!" Tetra shot at him, her eyes were suddenly blazing for a moment. Link stumbled and almost fell back. He looked at Senza for help, but the tough-looking and large pirate was clearly intimidated by this twelve-year old girl who was so much smaller than Senza. She breathed deeply, obviously trying to calm herself.

Link did not realize that Tetra was normally very calm and cool, it was not like her to get so angry. But Tetra was under a lot of stress, she had
to get that Ocarina, yet if she took him back to his home, it might take her too long to get to the island where he lived(she knew this because it was obvious that Link was an islander).

"Again, where do you live, kid?" She asked, more calmly, but with a more deadly tone of voice that made Link think twice about protesting.

"O... Outset Island." He answered slowly.

Tetra breathed again, she was trying to keep herself under control, his answer had increased her frustration. Outset was the farthest island from the mainland and it was even further from Windfall. Even worse, no city or country traded with Outset, making it impossible for this kid to get home. And yet, time was running out and they needed to get back to Windfall as soon as possible. She sighed and turned towards the pirate out on the helm.

"Gonzo!" She called out, "Head for Outset Island!" He looked as if he was about to question her, but she responded yelling, "Don't ask why! Just do it!" He complied without any further questions. She turned back to Link.

Link was dumbfounded, more than anything he wanted to enter the tournament and this girl needed a swordsman, it was a perfect match-up, yet she wasn't going to use him. He did not understand why she shunned him, he was a perfectly capable fighter and willing to prove himself, he opened his mouth to protest, but Tetra narrowed her eyes dangerously at him.

"Look, kid." She said rather nastily, "I'm not in the mood for bickering, we're taking you home. I can't leave you on Windfall and I can't leave you on the mainland. You know too much already."

"But...! But..!" Link stammered, trying to find some way to prove that she was wrong, "I'll do anything to get in and...!" She raised a hand to stop him.

"No way." Tetra responded with a tone of finality in her voice, "I'm not using you, so just forget it."

She added, making Link kick the floor angrily. He then hung his head rather disappointedly, "however," She spoke up, "I'm not done with you yet."

Link's face shot up, perhaps this is my chance to prove myself! He thought excitedly, "What is it that you want me to do?" But his hope was in vain.

Tetra grinned, "Well, that's better. At least you're listening now." She cleared her throat, "You have a telescope, right?" She asked, he nodded in response, "Alright." She said after a moment. Tetra walked pass Link over to the mast and point up the ladder "I want you to go up on the crow's nest and help Zuko keep watch."

Link's smile immediately vanished. I'm going to be a watch!? He thought, shocked, There's no way I can prove myself! He paused, "I... I'm going to be a watch?" He asked disappointedly.

"Aye,"She replied, nodding, "Speaking of which..." She turned around and looked up to the crow's nest. There, a short pirate up in the crow's nest was falling asleep over its rim. He wore a blue striped shirt and a red bandana over his head, his sideburns were so thick that Link could see them all the way from the deck, "Zuko!" Tetra yelled up at him, suddenly shaking him awake.

She turned to Link, "Zuko has a tendency to fall asleep on the job, so if he does begin to doze off, be sure to whack him with the flat-side of your sword. She smiled rather smugly, "If he complains, just tell him that I ordered you to do it, if he continues to complain, tell me and he'll regret it."

"Well... I suppose, but a watch?" Link asked, scratching his head, "I don't know about that... It doesn't seem like much. I mean-" He stopped, the look on Tetra's face was vivid.

"I told you that I'm not in the mood for this..." She was gritting her teeth, and to think that she was smiling nicely at him a few minutes ago, "You really are a child." Her words stung, "Forget about the tournament. I'm not taking you, no way, never a disrespectful brat like you!" She pointed up to the crow's nest, "Now get up there!"

Link hung his head and climbed up the ladder silently. I am such an idiot. Why did I do that? She's right, I am a child. He thought bitterly, resolving to apologize to her when they reached Outset.

"Zuko!" Tetra called to the short, yet tough-looking pirate above Link, "Remember this kid? He's going to help you keep watch while we take him home. Show him the ropes, eh?" Her voice was stiff and slightly annoyed.

Zuko saluted her, not wanting to disobey her, "Aye-aye, Miss!"

§

When Link got to the top, Zuko acknowledged him, "So, Matey, we're taking you back to yer little home, eh?" Link sort of scowled at this, he was not in a good mood, "Just be grateful that we're gonna leave it alone instead of plundering it." Link just ignored Zuko.

The wind was a bit stronger up in the crow's nest, mainly because on the deck about half the ship was obstructing the wind, not counting the fact that a sailor would walk in front of you on occasion, blocking further contact with the breeze. However, the crow's nest had an excellent view of the waters around the ship, much more so than on the deck that Link began to understand how important a watch was.

Link pulled out Aryll's telescope to scan the seas. Zuko looked a bit astonished. He had not expected Link to have such a thing. "Eh," He said, putting his hand on his chin, "you know how to use that, me bucko?" Link nodded, his face completely devoid of any happiness, "Then, I'd guess you already know how ta spot islands. But there is a much more important part to being a watch: keepin' an eye out fer ships."

"Ships?" Link asked, "We look out for ships?"

Zuko smiled, "Yeah and there are two specific ones I want ya to look fer, are ya ready?"

Link nodded, "Yes, sir."

Zuko raised a brow at Link, "'Sir'?" He chuckled, feeling very proud, "'Sir?' Yer a pretty respectful young lad, eh?" He laughed, Link only half-smiled, he knew it was a lie. He hadn't been respectful to Tetra at all, "Alright then!"

Zuko took Link to the edge of the crow's nest and began to explain, "Alright, matey. There are two ships you need to keep a look out fer." He put up a finger, "First, you'll be looking fer a ship made of wood and steel. Those are the ships of the Royal Armada. You'll know 'em when ya see 'em considering they're the finest ships in the sea." He nodded, "But you also have to watch out for their flag, which has the Royal Family crest on it. That would be the red falcon and the Triforce."

Link remembered seeing such a symbol before, he took his shield in his hands and examined the crest on the front, he looked at Zuko, "You mean, like this?" He showed the pirate the symbol, it was the same one that Zuko had described, except the falcon and the Triforce were both gold.

"Aye." Zuko grunted, "That be very close to what you have to look fer. If you see that on any of the ships out there, make sure you tell me or Miss Tetra quickly!" Link nodded in response, Zuko frowned, "But there is another ship that you need to keep out fer." He held up a second finger, "The next ship ya gotta keep yer eyes peeled for, is a black ship." His voice was low and spooky-sounding, "You go running to Miss Tetra if you see a black ship with human skulls hung around the hull, understand? Don't wait one second!"

The image horrified Link, a black ship with human skulls across it, "Wh-what type of ship is that?" He could not imagine what person would do such a thing.

Zuko shook his head, "Yer better off not knowing, Matey. Just keep a sharp lookout for it, if you miss it, it could mean our end."

Chapter 4: Captain Ghashar

The contours of Outset Island could be seen in the distance as the Sun set in the west, creating an orange-gold skyline. The pace of the pirates' ship across the water much slower than before because of the wind's strength had decreased over the past few hours. Link and Zuko were still up in the crow's nest. The pirates were doing their duties, at least that was what they were doing the last time Link saw them.

Link had gotten to know Zuko fairly well, he was once a sailor before he became a pirate. He had found the life of a sailor extremely dull and wanted something more. He liked adventure and wanted friends he could talk, laugh and have those adventures with. Gonzo and the others were a perfect bunch.

However, When he had joined the group of pirates, Tetra was not the leader, Gonzo was. He had explained to Link that Gonzo was the one who steered the ship. In any case, Zuko explained that the pirates before they met Tetra, were the idiots of the sea. They had no unity, Gonzo, despite his intelligence had lacked leadership abilities, always fought with Nudge for control over the ship. Without a good leader, the pirates couldn't take orders. Plans for plunder and riches always went wrong, ending them up in Hyrule Castle's prisons for the umpteenth time.

Then they met Tetra. A brave girl, she had stowed away on their ship one night as they left Windfall. She told them that she was an orphan, though Zuko didn't believe it, she behaved and acted too mature for her age to not have some sort of guardian or parents. But the others seemed to believe or perhaps, pitied her and they took her up as sort of an adopted child.

None of them had ever expected Tetra to become the leader. At first, she normally lounged about the ship, most of them did not want her to do any work since she was a young seven-year old girl, a pretty one, in fact. The pirates made sure she was well-fed, clothed and even educated(Mako, the pirates' resident genius taught her mathematics, strategy, writing, speaking, history and science). But Senza did not believe that. He believed that if he trained her, she would become very strong. And he did train her daily. And as he predicted, Tetra became very strong, even stronger than some of the pirates.

At age ten, Tetra had began to oversee their plans and plots to plunder. She began to point out fatal flaws and even rewrote many of the plans all together. Even though Mako had taught her strategy, he hadn't taught her much and the type of ruses and ploys she was thinking of were amazing. Tetra proved to be a military genius. She was always very good at planning ahead of time, but ultimately bad at making a stratagem in an unexpected situation.

Tetra also began to suggest that the pirates not do certain things, like kidnap or kill anyone. Her reasoning was that kidnapping for a ransom never worked, because the criminals automatically put themselves in a corner when they do. And killing just draws the attention of the authorities. When the pirates tried these things, they worked, they actually succeeded in gaining a profit from their works.

Because of her talents, the pirates began to wonder if she could lead them. They tested her by having her lead one of their plans to plunder from a certain village. She did and she lead extremely well, it was almost like she was a natural leader. The pirates did not immediately give her control over them, instead, they let her step up slowly and within a few months and at age ten, they began to call her “captain” even though they still most commonly called her “Miss Tetra”.

Zuko was just about to tell Link about her adventures onward with the pirates, but they were interrupted by what, Link thought at first, seemed to be a beaver in pirate clothing. But he was too bare for a beaver and he lacked the tail, but his face could sure pass in a heartbeat for a beaver's.

“Ahoy, mateys!” He had said rather excitedly with an unfitting low voice. He pointed at Link, “Is he our new swabbie, matey?” he asked with a grin on his face.

Link shook his head and blinked, looking at Zuko with a confused face, “Who is this? And what's a 'swabbie'?”

Zuko snorted, “That's Niko, our swabbie.” He chuckled, turning to Niko and trying to look down at him, which proved difficult because Niko was just as short as Zuko, “No, he's not the new swabbie.” The tough pirate answered sternly, “He's the kid we saved, remember?”

“Oh yeah!” Niko said, “Well it's obvious, ain't it? She'll promote him to something higher than a swabbie for really holding the mast down in that whirlpool, yar.” Although he seemed to be proclaiming this with indifference, there was a slight tone of disappointment in his voice.

Zuko rolled his eyes, “No, he's not. We're taking him back to his home. It's obvious that you don't pay attention, matey.” He said with a slight sting in his voice, “All you really wanted or was hoping for was to get yer hands off of them dirty clothes! That's all!” He folded his arms, “In any case, don't you have some washin' ta do?”

Niko frowned, “I just wanted to see him and talk to him, Zuko. You don't hafta get so angry at me.” He smiled at Link, “So matey... ya want to come down below deck for a little game?”

Zuko scowled at him, “He's up here keeping watch with me, Miss Tetra said so. and in fact,” He advanced on Niko, “I'm sure Miss Tetra wouldn't be too happy if she found out you weren't doing yer duties, Niko.” He grinned, “And she ain't in a very good mood right now.”

Niko swallowed, “T-tell Miss Tetra?” He smiled nervously and began to back away, “Heh, n-now that ya-a mention it, matey, I-I do have s-some washin'-in' ta do. Well I'll b-be seeing you guys later, just don't t-tell Miss Tetra...” And with that he rushed down the ladder with the speed of a scared beaver.

Link turned to Zuko, “What's a 'swabbie'?” he repeated.

Zuko grinned, “Lowest rung of the ladder. He does all the dirty work, washin', cleanin', making sure the barrels don't tip over in the lower deck. It's a boring and shameful job.” He shrugged, “But Niko ain't the brightest star in the sky, he deserves it.” He half-smiled, “Just be glad ya ain't the swabbie.”

Link nodded and went back to scanning the seas, he had asked Zuko to continue the story about their adventures but the pirate had decided to stop talking in case Tetra was around. He told Link that she wouldn't mind normally about them talking, but since she was in bad mood, he didn't want to risk getting on her bad side. Which, when he talked about it, sounded like something that Link didn't want to see either.

§

That was two hours ago. Now the sun was setting and Link was getting depressed again. Just looking at the shadow of Outset made him sick. It was not like he hated his home, it was just the idea of coming back to tell them that he had not participated at all. In fact, all he had done was sail around, nearly die and get saved by a group of pirates. What will Grandma, Orca and the others think? He thought shamefully.

His hopes of Tetra reconsidering him as her swordsman for the tournament had died away like a fire under a waterfall. The tournament remained a dream to Link, an unattainable dream in the furthest reaches of his mind. Perhaps the wind would die down and the ship would stop completely, but that was only a worthless hope.

He was so depressed that Link did not notice that the pirates were leaving their posts and gathering around at the cabin. Tetra was gathering them for some sort of meeting to save time since the ship was so slow and almost at near stopping speed. All of them had gathered, except one.

“Zuko!” Tetra called from the deck up the crow's nest. Link looked up tiredly and then did a double-take. Just as she had said, Zuko was asleep, his hands over the rim of the crow's nest. Link was sure that Tetra could see the dozing pirate, but he was going to do as she told him to do: wake Zuko up.

He walked over and tapped Zuko on the shoulder, no response. He tired whispering in the pirate's ear, no response. He tried poking him in the arm, did he move? No, no, he's still asleep. Link sighed, a bit frustrated, he kicked Zuko in the leg. The snoring continued and he began to hate that sound.

“Zuko!!” Tetra called again, her voice getting aggravated. Link twisted his face in thought. Suddenly, he remembered what Tetra had told him to do, he didn't like it though. Taking out the sword Orca had given him, Link readied and slammed it across Zuko's back with as much force as he could.

Zuko jumped awake and let out a yelp. He turned to Link, his eyes blazing, “What the heck did ya do that for ya scurvy brat!?” The short pirate was vivid, his face blood red and exploding.

“Tetra told me to do it.” Link said, trying not to stutter or back away, “You're not supposed to fall asleep on duty and besides-” but Zuko cut him off, still yelling and jumping up and down furiously.

“You don't tell me what ta do, boy!!” He bellowed so loudly that Link couldn't help, but stumble backwards.

“ZUKO!!” Screamed a very angry and familiar voice below them.

Zuko stopped, his red face emptying its color supply. He looked at Link and swallowed, they went over to the ladder and looked down onto the deck. There she was with her piercing blue eyes, staring up at Zuko with the utmost displeasure. Link thought that she looked even angrier than when she had yelled at him.

“Knock it off!” She growled, “I told you not to sleep on duty over a hundred times!” She turned from him, “Secondly, don't yell at him because he obeyed my orders!” Zuko swallowed and looked guiltily at Link, “At least he was doing his job...” She added with a sting in her voice.

“Er... sorry...” He said to him, “It... it just really hurt, that's all, matey. I-I didn't mean to yell at ya.” He grinned weakly, “S-still shipmates?” He extended his hand to Link, who took it smiling.

“Sure.” He said forgivingly. It didn't matter to him, he felt better now that Tetra had at least noticed him. They turned back to Tetra and Zuko swallowed again.

“I'm sorry, Miss... I... uh...”

Tetra sighed and rolled her eyes, “Zuko,” she said with a scolding voice, “I really don't want to hear it, just get down here. I'm calling a meeting.”She explained, “And next time,” she added with authority, narrowing her eyes, “don't fall asleep on duty!”

Zuko saluted her, “Aye-aye, Miss!” And with that he grabbed the ladder and began to climb down it. When he reached the bottom, he passed Tetra, avoiding her gaze over to the other pirates who were looking a bit shaken by Tetra's recent temper. Link wondered why she was waiting. She looked over to the pirates and motioned them inside the cabin. After they had gone in, she faced Link.

He felt a jerk in his stomach, surely, he hadn't done anything wrong. To his relief though, Link could see that she was smiling at him, “Good job... I have to say that was quite impressive. Zuko literally sleeps like a rock and it takes a lot of force to wake him up.” She nodded, “But don't think-”

Link held up his hands, “I know, I know. You won't take me as your swordsman.” He sighed disappointingly, “I only wish...” he added musingly. Tetra shrugged and turned around, suddenly he realized something and called out to her, “Tetra!” She turned back to him, “I... uh...” He felt his face go red, she looked so pretty with the Sunset's orange glow around her, “I... I'm sorry for being... a pain earlier today...”

Tetra smiled at him, “That's alright. I'm just a bit... stressed recently.” She winked at him, “You're a good kid, a bit slow, but still a good kid.” Link felt himself go completely red. He shuffled his feet embarrassedly and shrugged, “Now, just because I'm being nice, don't neglect your duties. You are still a watch. I hope Zuko told what to look for.” He nodded, “Good. Remember, it's getting late, if you see anything suspicious, come down and get me immediately. Don't worry,” she added noticing his expression, “If it isn't something threatening, we won't punish you. Understand?”

Link nodded, “I do...”

“Good.” Tetra said. Satisfied, she turned and walked to the cabin door, opened it and walked inside closing the door behind him. She said that she had been calling a meeting and Link was curious as to what it could be. Probably nothing really important. He thought.

§

Inside the cabin, the pirates were chatting about the recent events. They were seated in a circle, going small pirate then large one(since there was an even number of short and large pirates). Gonzo sat nearest to the doorway, next to him was Zuko, next to him was Senza. Mako, who was studying his book sat adjacent to Senza, opposite of Gonzo. Nudge, brushing his hair and clearing his throat sat next to Mako. And finally, Niko, the swabbie sat inbetween Gonzo and Nudge.

“Just what happened out there? Why were you and Miss Tetra yellin' so much?” Senza asked Zuko. They were all rather curious.

Zuko, who had been looking guiltily at his boots, finally said after a bit, “Well I was yelling because the kid had woken me up.” Some of the pirates laughed, “Yeah, I know. I wasn't suppos'd be sleeping on duty. So Miss Tetra told the kid to wake me if I did..” He shook his head, “I got pretty angry at 'em and she blew her stack.” Some of the pirates continued to snicker, “Hey! There was a reason I got angry, alright?”

Senza yawned, “'Tis a shame Miss Tetra won't use 'em. I'll bet he is a lot stronger than he looks.” Some of the other pirates gave him a strange glance, “What? Oh come on, mateys. Don't tell me you don't think that he's actually strong! You saw how he survived that whirlpool!”

Gonzo snorted, “Luck, Senza.” he smiled, rubbing his nose and adjusting his red bandanna, “The kid is just lucky. He looks too much like shark bait to actually be strong, at least to me.” He added, shaking his head.

Zuko shrugged, “Not strong?” He snorted, “That kid's tough, you didn't feel it when he slammed me in the back with the flat side of his sword there, matey.” Zuko rubbed his back, “It still stings.” He added with a growl.

Gonzo tried to look skeptical, but in the back of his mind he felt that Zuko was right. The other pirates could feel it too. Zuko was not strongest of them, but he could take blows that others would never be able to stand. If something only stung Zuko, it would devastate the others.

Nudge from the other side cleared his throat, like Senza and Gonzo, he was a large and strong pirate. Tetra tended to have him guard her cabin or perhaps assist on deck. He had tendency to clear his throat before he spoke, his voice was very flamboyant “Well, I haven't really met the lad,” He admitted, even though he had assisted in saving Link's life, “But he can't possibly be more annoying than Niko!” The other pirates grinned, they could agree with that. Niko, of course did not appreciate the comment.

“I'd be a better pirate than him!” He said scornfully. The pirates just rolled their eyes. All of them shared the opinion that anyone could be a better pirate than Niko. Especially since all Niko did was clean the ship and their clothes, he had never really assisted in any of the raids, usually, because he would bungle the whole plan up in a tight knot. And Miss Tetra was always very unhappy about it.

“I still think he's a wimp.” Gonzo grunted, not sounding convinced, “I mean, he's so scrawny and well, Miss Tetra was right in taking him back.” He smiled, it was like him to be the most supportive of Tetra's orders, “It's a pain, but he'll just get in the way while we're there.”

“I think,” Mako said, startling the others. He looked up from his book and adjusted his glasses, “that we can't be sure how strong or useful that boy could be until we make a proper analysis.” He smiled at them, the other pirates grinned but they did not laugh. Sure, Mako sounded really strange in the midst of these hard-talking and tough pirates, but Mako's “proper analysis's” came in handy on their trips. He was the genius on the ship, next to Tetra.

“I think,” said a voice from behind the circle, “that you boys tend to talk too much.” They turned and looked towards the cabin doorway. There with a grin on her face and her arms folded, Tetra leaned against the door, watching the pirates' conversation, they had no idea how long she had been there. She walked into the circle and took her regular position in the middle.

“He's not a bad kid,” she spoke as if she had been part of the conversation since the beginning, “But I have to say that he's given me quite a headache.” She smirked and some of the pirates grinned, Niko had a smug look on his face, “Though, it's not a migraine, like some specific pirates, whose name I shall not mention have given me in the past.” All eyes moved to Niko and the smug look on his face melted away.

Gonzo shook his head, “So... what took you so long, Miss? Did the kid cause some more trouble?”

Tetra turned to Gonzo, “No. I was just making sure that he wouldn't start wandering around the ship. He's being very obedient now.” She added with a mischievous smile. Some of the pirates swallowed, had she disciplined the kid? They didn't want to think about it.

“Alright then,” She said, pulling out a scroll from her pocket, “This meeting is called to order.” She opened the scroll and turned around to show the pirates its contents, on it, was a diagram of the Temple of Time filled with routes and paths into ventilation openings, old, forgotten windows, and other such things, some of which the pirates wouldn't understand until Tetra had explained it all. It was obvious that Tetra had been spending a long time on these plans and the diagram itself. Already, some of the pirates were getting excited.

“You know what this is, don't you?” She asked rhetorically, “I've been working on this for the past few months, taking everything from the notes I took while we watched the tournaments over the past two years.” She grinned, some of the pirates were stunned, they had thought their trips to the tournament had been times for relaxation, but the whole time, Tetra had been taking notes and planning an assault.

Pointing with her finger at various points of the map, Tetra explained, “When we get there, we avoid the guards by taking an old path that almost completely hidden by bushes and shrubs. Only the King and some of his advisers know about this path, the guards aren't informed about it because no one has used that path in over half a century. None of the people know about it. Back then, this was the main road into the Temple and there is a large door there.” He held a finger up, “However, that door is now no more than a wall.”

She eyed all them individually and then as a group, her face serious, “We'll have to split up into two groups. As you know, I've assigned Senza, Mako and Niko to stay behind at the tournament and hold our seats. So that we'll leave me, Gonzo, Nudge and Zuko. Gonzo and I are going to climb up the walls to an open window on the roof using grappling hooks while Zuko and Nudge are going to crawl through an old ventilation opening. Both ways will lead into the main room where we can surprise the guards and take the Ocarina of Time before we're noticed.”

Zuko blinked, “'Ventilation opening'? What's that?”

Tetra turned to him, “A ventilation opening is small thin passage that lets air into the Temple, if there were no openings as soon as the doors closed any person inside would suffocate to death.” Zuko swallowed, “Fortunately, Hylian architects thought of that when the built the Temple, we should be grateful for that.”

Niko raised a hand, the others glared at him and Tetra rolled her eyes, but she took his question, “Aren't the guards in the Temple of Time supposed to be the best of the Royal Family's military? I mean... won't that make it hard to knock'em out or something?” He added, trying not to sound stupid.

Zuko glared at him, “Psah! You! Why do you even care? Yer not going into the Temple, ya-” Tetra raised a hand to stop him and she turned to Niko with a smile on her face, which was strange, it was not often that Tetra smiled at Niko.

“I'm actually glad you asked that question.” She said, glancing at the other pirates, “In case anyone has forgotten or didn't pay attention to me in other meetings.” She continued to explain, moving her hands to supplement her words, “Normally, the guards are the elite of the Hyrule military, however, our King is quite prideful and foolish. During the tournament, access to the Temple is restricted and a whole score of the King's best men guard the Temple instead of the little weaklings we normally see.” She smirked, “The King's pride blinds him; he doesn't think that anyone can get through that type of defense, so he places the weakling guards that we normally see in the Temple to protect the Ocarina.”

She turned to the rest of them, “That is why,” Narrowing her blue eyes, the torch light being reflected in them, “Getting the Ocarina will be very easy.” The pirates were awed, Tetra had outdone herself this time. Some of them began to clap, but stopped because she held up a hand, “But getting into the Temple and getting the Ocarina are the only easy parts of the plan.” The pirates stopped and looked at her.

“*Ahem* What do you mean, 'the only easy parts', Miss Tetra?” Nudge asked rather jauntily, straighting his unusually long hair. The other pirates nodded in agreement, they didn't like the sound of this.

“The difficult part will be getting out and hiding the Ocarina without being noticed.” Tetra said solemnly, “And sadly, there isn't much we can do about that except rely on our luck. I've tried everything, the best we can do is sneak out of Hyrule without getting noticed. If our swordsman lost, that would be helpful; the authorities would force us out of the tournament.” She sighed, “But again, we really can only rely on our luck for this last part of the plan.” Tetra examined them all carefully, “This raid of ours, is extremely important, perhaps our most important raid of them all.”

§

Nothing important at all... Link thought as he watched the Sun set deeper behind the horizon in the west. He had become depressed again after Tetra and pirates had gone inside for the meeting. There was no one to talk to, no hope of getting to the mainland for him and nothing bothered the seas.

He had been watching carefully as Tetra had asked him to do, but it was becoming dull and more difficult to continue the watch. Every passing moment was one less moment until he had to face everyone on Outset and explain to their confused and disappointed expressions his early return. He cringed at the sight of Aryll's face, horrified and ashamed of her older brother.

Maybe he was exaggerating their reactions, maybe they would be happy to see him anyway, maybe Aryll would still smile at him. Just maybe. But at the same time, Link thought about how he had promised to return to Outset a champion with tales of the mainland which none of his friends or family had ever seen and could only imagine.

But that is only a fantasy and this is reality, Link reminded himself, Tetra is probably right, most swordsmen have been practicing for many more years than I have. He scanned the seas once more in hope of a disturbance; he found nothing. The seas were completely empty.

At least, he thought the seas were empty when he looked again. On the horizon and little to the left of the setting sun, Link could see a small black object moving across the sea. It was definitely far away, even further than Outset was from the ship was Link's guess. He blinked, it seemed like the object was getting bigger by the second. He blinked again to make sure that he was not imagining it. Sure enough, the object was getting noticeably larger.

Taking out Aryll's telescope, Link examined the object on the sea. It was a ship, what type of ship, Link could not tell, but he was certain that this vessel was advancing on the pirate ship. Pulling out the scope to zoom in on the vessel, Link took a closer look. What he saw through the telescope terrified him.

The hull was as black as a moonless night, as well as the ship's deck, mast and even the sails. The flag was coal-black with a human skull-and-crossbones in blood red. As the black ship rushed through the water, Link could see human skulls, all hung on a rope strung around the rim of the deck. This was the ship Zuko warned about and according to the way he told Link to handle this situation, this ship was worse than running into a vessel of the Royal Family's armada.

He knew what to do and immediately, Link rushed out of the crow's nest and down the ladder to the main deck with great celerity. Sprinting to the cabin door, he bashed on it with his fist. Not waiting for an answer, he opened the door franticly and shoved his head inside.

Tetra and the pirates all turned to look at him curiously, Link, not trying to catch his breath sputtered, “Black... ship...!” The pirates' faces turned into serious expressions. Zuko nodded approvingly at Link and Tetra let the bottom of her scroll go, allowing it to roll together by itself.

“Where is the ship coming from?” She asked calmly yet with full understanding, “What direction is it coming from?”

Finally catching his breath Link said, “From the west.” He looked around rather fearfully, “I cannot believe it, those skulls... I...” He would continue but Tetra held a hand up to silence him. She turned to Niko.

“Take this and put in my room, Niko.” She ordered, “And then get a dagger, we'll need all the help we can get.” No one protested. Although Niko looked a bit excited, even he could sense the severity of the situation, saluting her and taking the scroll he ran off to her. Motioning for the pirates to get up she turned to Link and said, “Show us the ship.”

Link took them outside and pointed to the west. The Black Ship had grown much bigger and none of needed a telescope to see the skulls lining the rim of the deck. At this range, Link could hear strange, inhuman sounds coming from the vessel, making his blood rate increase by tenfold.

Tetra nodded grimly, “It's Ghashar...” She stated. Link looked at her, not knowing who or what 'Ghashar' was, “Everyone!” She said commandingly, “Get your swords, daggers and grappling hooks. Gonzo! Take the helm and steer carefully around Ghashar's ship, Senza, Nudge, get the cannons ready. Zuko and Mako get to your battle positions.” She turned to Link and hesitated.

She had said that they needed as much help as possible, but now that she looked at Link, she wasn't sure. He was willing though, he wanted to help her and help the pirates, but Tetra decided against it, “I'm sorry... we can handle this.” She sounded skeptical.

“What?” Link asked, his jaw dropping, “I thought you needed as much help as possible!” He shook his head disbelievingly, “I know I don't look like it, but I can fight! Let me help you!” At first, he thought his pleading had worked.

But it didn't.

“No.” She said firmly putting her hand up, “I can't let you fight.” He was about to protest but Tetra continued, “You're not a part of my group. And Ghashar is after my group. I don't want an innocent dying on account of me.” She sighed, “Get into the crow's nest, kid and wait there.”

“But...!”

“No buts!” She spat at him, suddenly angry for a moment, “Look... if you really want to help us, go up into the crow's nest and...!” She added quickly seeing him open his mouth, “and if we get into any trouble.” She explained, moving her hands out on the word 'trouble', “Any trouble at all, and that means all seven of us, then you can come fight. Understand?”

He smiled, now he had a chance, he nodded vigorously and answered, “I understand!”

“That's 'Aye-aye, Miss Tetra!'” She corrected, putting her hands on her hips and smirking. Link blushed and saluted her in response.

“Aye-aye, Miss Tetra!”

She grinned, “That's what I like to hear: enthusiasm in the face of real danger! I have to admit, you're slow, but you have a lot of courage for a kid.” He blushed again, this time with a deeper hue. Tetra pointed up to the crow's nest and said, “Now get up there!”

He nodded and flew over to the ladder and climbed up the mast to the crow's nest. Once he was in, he ducked under enough to hide his body, keeping his face above the edge of the crow's nest in order to take in all that was happening. Looking up, he saw the Black Ship, close now, turning its side to Tetra's ship. On board, Link saw numerous creatures that he recognized the instant he saw them.

Bokoblins. They were hylian-like creatures with dark-purple skin and narrow yellow eyes. They had pointed ears and were, on average about five and a half feet tall. They had small rat-like tails and pig-like hooves. All of them were wearing vests, shirts, bandannas, earrings, swords, daggers and many other things Link could not see.

Link had fought bokoblins before, they lived in the forest on Outset Island. Not exceptionally bright, Link and his younger sister, Aryll had always been able to outsmart them. The bokoblins on Outset loved to gather together and attack the village. Usually, a group of males, led by Orca would fight them off easily.

But these bokoblins did not look so stupid. They were organized, quick and efficient as far as Link could tell from the crow's nest. The Black Ship got closer and closer to Tetra's vessel until Link could see some of the details of scars or marks on the bokoblins' faces. Below, Tetra was examining every bit of both ships, the number of enemies and even looking at the Sun, as if checking to see how much time there was.

On the Black Ship, the bokoblins began to gather at the edge of the boat, all of them were holding ropes, it looked like there would be no need for the cannons. One particularly well-dress bokoblin approached the head of the multitude. Wearing a fashionable blue captain's hat with a feather in it and a royal blue coat jacket. He grinned at Tetra rather mockingly.

“Ahoy, little cap'n!” He sneered, “Out for a cruise, little matey? Or are ya looking for a new dolly ta steal?” He laughed and his other pirates laughed with him rather loudly, Tetra didn't react, she was not amused. “After all, what else would a little wench like you be out on the lonely seas?”

Tetra raised a brow, “Captain Ghashar.” She declared, “You seem to be running into me a lot lately.” She grinned, narrowing her eyes, “So much, in fact, that one would think that you are stalking me.” Putting her arm on the rim and leaning professionally she added, “I guess you too can't resist my good looks.”

So... that's the 'Ghashar' they were talking about earilier. Link thought, he had to admit, Ghashar was quite frightening to look at and the fact he could talk impressed Link. Bokoblins on Outset never really spoke, they just growled, screeched, yelped and hissed. Continuing to watch the conversation, Link noticed some of Tetra's pirates beginning to get into their positions and drawing their own weapons and glaring threateningly at their opponents.

Ghashar was not amused by Tetra's comment, “I'm tired of you, little girl. There is no place for ye in the seas! Why should a terror like me be outdone by a filthy little runt like you!?” He said angrily, it was obvious that he was jealous over Tetra's 'prestige' as the most feared pirate of the seas, Ghashar wanted that title and yet he was just not as terrifying as a twelve-year old girl, “I'm ready for ye this time! Ye won't be able to avoid defeat, Tetra! I will win this time!”

Tetra rolled her eyes and said rather boringly, “You always say that.”

But apparently Ghashar didn't hear her, for at that very moment he yelled, “Let's go, mateys! Board the ship!” There was a loud roar of approval and acknowledgment from the crowd of bokoblins behind him and all of sudden, they all swung on their ropes onto Tetra's ship. And the battle began.