The rain had kept on for three long days since the boy and the pirates departed Outset Island for the new land, wherever that may be. One of the crew members, Mako, had suggested to keep sailing north until they were out of the boundaries of the Great Sea, however most of the crew was doubtful about leaving their homeland at all. Captain Tetra continued to remain enthusiastic over their new journey and attempted to keep her crew in better spirits, but there was still an eerie silence on the ship that could not be shaken away. Crew members would only exchange greetings and bump into each other from time to time, and there had been no late night drinking or storytelling in the main cabin since they left. Gonzo, her first mate, did his best at keeping Tetra's spirits high when she began to have doubts, but he could tell that the condition that the boy was in was troubling her greatly. Link hadn't moved from his boat, The King of Red Lions, since they departed, which was now attached to her ship by a rope and drifting alongside her own, as he had completely given up on trying to sail alongside them. Every now and again Link would come back up, but he spoke to no one, not even giving them a glance or a greeting. The crew didn't fully understand his pain, but they respected it enough to let him be, but his grieving was beginning to become unsettling, and Tetra worried for him. She hesitated to look down, wanting to give him his space, but he had his space for days and it was time she finally talked to him, or at least tried to.
Carefully, she climbed down the ladder to the King of Red Lions, and noticed that Link had shifted his position a little to give her space to sit down.
"Hey, Link."
He didn't respond to her, but she remained at his side. For a moment, she wanted to put her hand on his shoulder at let him know that her and the crew will be there for him, but she hesitated, knowing it was best to allow him to have his space.
She didn't know what to say, even if the topic was obvious. Seeing that boy so torn up by what had happened had made her unable to even bring up a conversation, because she feared it would only make the situation for him even worse.
"He meant a lot to you…didn't he?" Of course he did, Tetra hissed to herself, why did I even ask such a thing?! How he's been acting is an answer enough!
She waited again for a response and he took a deep breath, still covering his face with his knees. She started to become uncomfortable, as if her presence wasn't helping him like she had hoped, and soon began to consider getting up and going back to the ship as Link appeared to be in no place to be talking about a topic like this. But after a couple moments of silence and anticipation, his shoulders began to relax and he slowly lifted his head, still keeping it rested on his knees.
"Yes. He did." His voice was low, almost unable to be heard if Tetra wasn't listening closely.
"Sorry, that was a bit of an obvious question, wasn't it?" She chuckled nervously, attempting to lighten the mood, Link wasn't affected though. The boy shrugged and his head fell back inbetween his knees, letting out a defeated sigh that even had Tetra's suddenly aching for the boy. She remembers what it was like when she lost her mother, all that doubt and fear and responsibility when she was only a little girl. And now, such a similar scenario is playing out for Link and she can't think of any way to console him but to be there next to him, knowing he won't be alone.
"Look…I uh, wanted you to know that we're all concerned for you, Link." She tried to move closer to him, but felt hesitant to, and kept still, "What you're feeling right now is completely natural, but..."
"But, what?" She could hear him mumble.
"But you need to come back and take care of yourself, he wouldn't want this!"
"How the hell would you know?!" His head shot up, his face was a bright red and clearly still stained with tears. "You didn't know him like I did!"
Tetra was more stunned than angry, normally she'd snap back and give him what for for talking back like that, which was uncommon. However, he was upset and grieving and she needed to keep calm.
"Link, please have some sense."
"You don't understand Tetra, he saved my life! And I couldn't get the get the strength to swim down and save him. Why would he just let himself die like that without a goodbye or anything?! It makes no sense."
She noticed him tearing up, but the moment she leaned up to try and comfort him, he leaned back and shook his head.
"No, no. I don't think you can help me."
"At least let me try, Link."
"Then try bringing him back!"
At this point she was giving up and wanted to leave, she couldn't believe how he was acting, even in grief. But she had to remember that he lost someone. Someone he loved and cherished and was ripped away from him. Then she remembered, this wasn't the first time he acted out like this. She began to notice that his tone was quite similar to when Aryll got kidnapped. He was also in complete guilt and doubt and beating himself up, thinking everything was his fault.
"You know, you said something similar when Aryll was taken, and you didn't give up on her."
Link refused to answer and put his head inbetween his knees, exhausted and upset.
"Sure, Daphnes might not come back…but that doesn't mean he's going to be gone and forgotten, is it?"
The boy remained silent.
"And sure, I don't know my ancestor enough as much as I wish I could have, but I highly doubt Daphnes would want to see you moping in this old boat. For a king like himself, he'd rather see you out there adventuring and exploring and living your life to the fullest, right? That's what he wanted from us, right?"
The boy was still silent, and Tetra finally relaxed herself and waited for him to respond. After a time she heard noises, possibly sobs, and she simply allowed him to cry it out until he felt like speaking again. After all, it was a difficult time.
Finally the boy stirred and looked up at her, barely lifting his head.
"Tetra can you look at me again?" He mumbled, but enough to let her hear him. She nodded, and gave Link her full attention. For a moment he lost eye contact with her, as if he was just going to curl back up and start crying again, but he composed himself.
"I know you two didn't get to really know each other b-but..." He sniffed, "When w-we were at sea, he wouldn't stop talking about you. It was actually sort of funny, I've never seen him become such a worrywart over someone other than the times I tried to swim from one island to the other." He smiled to himself, getting a sudden remembrance his old friends voice calling to him as they sailed upon the crashing waves, feeling the seawater spray on his face and the seagulls calling behind him.
But those days were no more.
"And he loved you, he really did. I-I think he would've given anything to have spent more time with you if you know, we weren't trying to seal an Evil King." He forced himself to not choke up, but seeing Tetra's eyes almost watering made it difficult. "He wanted you to be who you chose to be after everything that happened. He wanted that for both of us."
Tetra sighed, "So…you think we would've gotten along if we got to know each other?" Her voice fell silent as she looked down at Link.
He looked away and down to the floor of the boat, "He was really worried about those close to him, even though he seemed to be so serious all the time. I guess that's part of being a King." Link sighed, "But since he's gone, we'll never know. "
He looked up at her again.
"But when I see you, I know that he's not completely gone."
Tetra turned her head to the side, "What do you mean? I know we're related…but…"
Link chuckled, for the first time since they returned to the sea.
"Well, you told me before that just because he's passed doesn't mean he has to be forgotten, right?"
She nodded.
"You have his eyes, Tetra." He met her gaze for a brief moment, but broke away and looked down again, "Your eyes, these memories, this sea, and this boat are the last reminders I have of him."
His face started to become red and Tetra knew he had thought too much, as he slumped and his face fell into his knees once more, becoming tired and upset but not wanting Tetra to leave. The captain smiled, and allowed herself to relax and lean on the side of the boat, feeling a chill ride up her spine as she remembered who this boat once was.
You two must have had a lot of adventures together…like my crew and I… She couldn't bear the thought of loosing her crew, and with Link loosing his closest friend—-
"Do you think he would've liked being a pirate?"
Link suddenly made quite a perplexed face, "What?! A pirate?!" His confused turned to smiling which turned to quiet laughter that he attempted to hide, but did a terrible job at. It was the first time she had heard Link laugh in months.
"Link, what's so funny?! Spit it out, kid!"
Of course boy was merely chuckling, but enough to where she knew he got a laugh out of what she had just said. Confused, she crossed her arms and waited for him to speak.
"I-It's just, I can't imagine him in that pirate get-up at all. Or stealing, or being a 'terror of the sea', he'd look much more out of place than I ever did!" He chuckled again, "But you know, I think he grew to love the Great Sea, and I'd think he'd enjoy watching you conquering it and all that."
Tetra felt her lips crease into a smile, hoping she was making her ancestor proud at the thought of being the protector of the seas, like he was to his kingdom.
"So, will you finally come back to the ship now? Senza will take good care of your boat and Niko's been worried sick. No really, I think he got a cough!"
She put out her hand to help the boy up, "Now then, are you coming?"
Link looked down for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the lifeless face of the King of Red Lions. For a moment, he wished and hoped and prayed it would come back to life with that familiar voice he knew so well and life would be like it had always been, or how he always wanted it to be. But if those days were no more and never would be ever again, he needed to embrace the future with the pirates, and with Tetra.
So, he took her hand.