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."