The Necklace for the Scourge of the Seas
Tetra stood in the cold dead night on Outset Island. Quite some time had passed since even being near the island. But a very special exception compelled her to come back. Tetra swayed with the ship as it rocked back and forth. The sounds of waves crashing against the boat had been her lullaby for as long as she could remember. But tonight she was the only person who couldn't sleep. Tetra slipped her petite aged hand underneath the scarlet scarf around her neck and rubbed her fingers over the smooth stones beneath it. They were square jewels of violet and crimson mixed with dark yellow skulls, all strung together with a wide gold chain. Link had made it just for her. Tetra had treasure boxes full of replicas her crew had crafted, just to please their captain. But the one she wore now was the only one that would ever have any worth. It may have been years ago, but to Tetra it was only yesterday that she was sitting with Link when he presented it to her.
"Here ya go!" Tetra looked down at the dazzling jewelry Link held in his hand. She was sure that it dazzled just as brightly in the moonlight as it did in the sun now.
"It's nice."Tetra replies as Link chuckled and paced behind the girl to knot it around her tanned neck.
"It's to commemorate the uncovering of New Hyrule. And its founder, Tetra, scourge of the seas!" She loved it when Link said her name, well she loved it when anyone called her Tetra now.
Tetra gave her usual mischievous wink and placed her palms on her hips. "Hay! You found this place too. I know I'm pretty great, but you deserve some credit. Sorry I didn't get you anything. You should have told me you were planning on doing this!"
"It's 'kay. I'd probably just end up breaking it at some point."
"Well anyway, thanks. This is actually really beautiful." Link gave Tetra a wide smile, but began wringing his wrists. "But not as… beautiful as you." Tetra gave him a shortened laugh and embraced Link in a tight hug. Link placed a light flutter of a kiss atop Tetra's shoulder. She hugged her hero even tighter.
With a rough tug, the gold chain gave in and landed in her hand. It was the first time she had taken it off in years. She held the glistening jewels in a clenched fist and continued to stare blankly at the hill on Outset Island, where the broken bridge still clung to its side.
Link was there. On the top of that hill. Underneath the deep, dark soil. Tetra and her gang of pirates were the only ones who knew. The crew had lost their swabbie, but the captain had lost much more. She had lost her best friend. Her husband. Her baby's father. The love of her life. Her hero. Tetra had lost her everything.
Tetra dragged three chests up to the side of her ship. Each opened chest revealed shining treasures any person would kill for; stunning pearls and priceless dishes, mystic jades and royal crowns, ancient coins and regal rings. One box exclusively held all her violet and crimson jeweled necklaces she had ever been given; her pirate necklaces. Nearly everything in the trunks of valuables were obtained from adventures Link had been on. No matter how much she prayed for another adventure, the adventure always found Link first. No matter what ever happened though he always asked for Tetra to join him.
"Come on!" Link gestured with a wide wave of his hand. Tetra ran smiling to her husband. She took his rough and callused hands in hers and gave him a sympathetic look. "I can't."
"Of course you can! We need to go explore this place some more. We should go to the volcano! It'll be…hot." Link wiggled his eyebrows, squeezing Tetra's hands tighter. Tetra returned his cheeky attitude with an enthusiastic kiss. They both stood in delight as they ran fingers through hair and grazed the others body.
"Alright then lets go!"
"I told you I can't go, Link. This town has been growing a lot lately and I think that I need to stay here to look after it." Link replied with an obnoxious loud groan. "But you can still go."
"What? No. I could never leave without you."
"I demand that you go."
"You can't demand that I do anything." Tetra raised her yellow eyebrows at Link and smirked.
"Who are you to order the Queen around?"
"Well if you're the queen, then that makes me the King right? So…the king orders you to go exploring!"
"Oh Link. Link, Link, Link…" Tetra shook her head and tsked. "Haven't you learned yet that the women are in charge? The queen rules over her kingdom and the king… well the king stands there and looks sexy." She gestured up and down towards Link. Link fakely gasped giving her a less than fooling look of disbelief. "Is that all I am to you? I'm so hurt. Boohoo!"
They shared laughter and another excited embrace before Tetra spoke again. "I want you to go exploring. You know I'd love to go with you but these people need me. Goddess knows my crew won't be any help." Link gave her a disappointed face.
"No it's okay, I'll stay with you."
"Link, I'm giving you permission to go without me. You're the only person I know who will be just fine without me for a few days… now as your queen, I order you to go on an adventure to the volcano. Just bring me somethin' back, kay?" Tetra winked playfully at Link
"I love you." Link placed light kisses on Tetra's cheek, her neck, and finally a light flutter of a kiss on her shoulder.
"I love you too."
Link raced to his saddled horse and rode away. As was her practice every time she watched Link leave, Tetra whispered. "Please come home, my hero."
One by one Tetra tossed the treasure for the sea to claim. Some floated far away until she could no longer see their glint in the moonlight, while others bobbed until they sunk into the depths of the water. She chucked them all aggressively into the water, swinging her arm as fast as it would allow, until only one was left. She clung onto the necklace Link had given her, as if lives depended on it.
Tetra's knees crashed to the floorboards and her head slammed into her hands as she shed the most bitter of tears. She slid down to press her body against the hard floor. Tetra thought that she would do absolutely anything to have Link. She felt as though she was nothing without him. For what was a princess without her hero?
"Zelda's gone!" Even with age wounding his movements, Gonzo was rushing up and down the ship, waking every living soul near him. His wrinkled face was full of desperation and worry.
"Whazzuut? Gonzo, shut the hell up! The sun isn't even up!" Gonzo shook Senza with all his might, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. "No! This is so bad. We're supposed to be watching the queen and she's gone. ZELDA! IS! GONE!"
A child's wailing could be heard from the captain's room. "That's just great, you woke the darn baby up!" Senza hissed as he gave him a tiny shove, but Gonzo still managed to trip and topple to the floor. He sat with his knees against his chest and his face in his large palms. He cried softly to himself, thinking of the trouble he would be in when he found the captain. Mako hobbled over, with a cane in one hand and a bright red book in the other, to the whimpering man. He gently patted the larger man's shoulder.
His breath shuddered when he spoke, "There, there, Gonzo. She'll be back. Zelda must be at our swabbie's grave." Realization sparked in Gonzo's eyes. He yelled back to his crewmate as he ran out room and down the ladder of the massive ship. "Thanks! You're a life-saver!"
Senza strode up deck with a young, blonde haired girl snuggled to his chest. The girl's lip quivered as she lay and sniveled in the man's arms. Senza shouted at Gonzo's back, "Hurry, while yur' at it! The baby wants her mama!"
Gonzo's joints creaked and moaned as his aging body carried him as fast as they would allow. The few villagers out and farming stared at the odd man until he was gone. The pirate reached the top of the hill with the shattered bridge, gasping for air. He shuffled to the mound of grey soil that was Link's grave. Tetra was not there. But what was there had him shaking his head with tears in his beady eyes. A deep scarlet scarf waved in the breeze. It lay positioned in the tree, rips and tears along every side and angle. Gonzo took it and kept it pressed against his face. He stared at the grave. It seemed to have changed too.
Link's sword stabbed the earth where the mound stopped. Tetra had returned the sword to its home. It stood dull colored against the grey sky. Fastened at the hilt of the short sword was a necklace with jewels of violet and crimson; Tetra's pirate necklace. It jingled, with short clanks and clinks against the metal sword.
"Why? Why, Queen Zelda?" Gonzo whispered into the air. Only the seagulls could hear him.
Tetra was with Link. The princess had found her hero.
Author's Note: I love me a good tragedy. Give me a paring and I'll make it tragic. It's just that things like this bring out raw emotions; they're very strong. This is several years after the events of Phantom Hourglass. Some of the crew have sadly deceased while others, like Gonzo, Senza, and Mako are very old.
Well anyway I tried to explain here why there are so many awesome treasures just lying around in Spirit Tracks. And this is the result. I feel really bad for the baby but I felt like I had to put some sort of desendent there because the next game after Phantom Hourglass is Spirit Tracks and they're only a hundred years apart so yeah and it doesnt necessarily have a name, but if i could have actually named I would have named her Zelda, just to confuse people. "Hay, where's Zelda?" "I'm right here" "No, not you, Zelda, big Zelda.".."Just who exactly are you calling big!" BAM! And a smack to the head would be for whoever said that.
