The last thing I remembered was seeing the king accept his fate, to rest for all of eternity in his watery tomb.
And then Darkness.
I thought that maybe this is what death felt like, cold and empty, perhaps our gods had forsaken us as relics from a now forgotten era. Perhaps this was my punishment for ending that evil man's life. Slowly, However, I noticed the familiar wetness of the Great Sea surrounding me, and with it I hear urgent voices ringing from above.
"HOY! Gonzo I think I found them, they appear to be breathing," said a familiar rough voice. Zuko.
This seemed to send everyone into a frenzy of yelling joyous and worried remarks.
"Senza, get the ropes, hurry!" Gonzo's panicked voice screamed.
I slowly began to open my eyes to see the silhouette of the pirate ship painted against the harsh sunlight. I then noticed Tetra floating beside me as she began to stir. She was dressed in her pirate attire as if our trip to Hyrule had been nothing but a dream.
As the ropes began to descend I could see her slowly open her eyes, shocked to find the familiar sight of her crew.
"Link, why does heaven look like my ship?" Tetra said sleepily as she grabbed the rope.
"Not sure. Maybe we survived." I retorted.
"Hopefully not, because then we have to explain why we were missing and showed up in the middle of the ocean." She said sarcastically.
"Let's just tell them that we were kidnapped by birds." I said not sure how to answer.
"What?" She said with an incredibly confused look on her face as she grabbed the edge of the ship to be pulled aboard.
"MISS TETRA!" Shouted Gonzo the moment Tetra landed on deck. He was acting as if he were in the presence of a goddess.
While most of the pirates were swooning over having their fearless leader return I crawled on board only to be immediately trampled to the ground by a familiar face.
"Hoy, big brother." Aryll said, her smile glowing. Since I had last stood close to her on Outset Island several months ago Aryll had grown several inches and appeared to be wearing a new dress.
"Aryll, I missed you so much," I spoke as I embraced my sister, "wait, why aren't you home with Grandma?"
"Well after the Forsaken Fortress went up in flames with you and miss Tetra missing, all the pirates wanted to do was search for her. Also, you see a lot more gulls from the crow's nest than you can on Outset." she added sheepishly
As much as I wanted to be mad at Aryll for not returning home where it was safe, she had recently been held in a jail cell for several months so perhaps a little adventure wouldn't hurt. Besides, had I returned home to safety after Aryll had been rescued?
"I'm just glad you're safe. Where'd you get the dress?" I asked
"Oh, Mr. Senza gave me one of miss Tetra's old dresses." she said happily
I glanced over at Tetra who had been watching our conversation as she gave the order, "Gonzo, set course for Outset Island we have two guests whose family would like to see them returned."
"What's next miss Tetra? What treasure should we search for." Niko asked enthusiastically.
This made Tetra ponder, "I… well I'm not entirely sure yet." she stated with a clearly troubled look on her face.
I was going to ask Tetra what was bothering her but I decided against it with everyone surrounding us. Finally Mako asked a question that I wasn't ready to answer.
"So why were you two out in the middle of the ocean with no boat or anything nearby?" he asked expectantly.
"Uh… birds." I said not sure if they would understand the full story.
"Actually, it all began when I went to help Link back at the Forsaken Fortress. He was confronting the leader of all the monsters, Ganondorf…" Tetra began. She told the story of how we were rescued, she was secretly a princess, how I restored the Master Sword, all the way up until the death of Ganondorf and the destruction of Hyrule.
"You mean the ancient kingdom from legend lies beneath the sea?" Mako asked.
"You're a princess?" Niko exclaimed as he bowed at her feet.
"Stop that," she said knocking him on the head, "There hasn't been a royal family for hundreds of years. So how did you guys come to find us just as we hit the surface?"
"Gonzo said he had a vision of a woman with fiery hair telling him to sail to these exact coordinates." Zuko spoke as Gonzo eyed him from the wheel, "He was so desperate that he didn't even question the vision's validity."
"It must have been Din. It seems the gods really were looking out for us." I said.
"It seems so." Tetra said wistfully looking skyward..
Several hours later, the sun had already set and all the crew members plus Aryll went below deck to rest, with the exception of Zuko who never sleeps for some reason. This left Tetra and I alone on the deck.
Rather than talking we both sat in thought after our long adventure. For what felt like hours, my eyes never left the sea. I could see islands, some I had been to, some I hadn't but I remembered how free it felt. I couldn't help but think that a part of me belonged out there adventuring. The more I thought about sailing, the more wrong it felt to return home.
I finally looked at Tetra, she seemed lost in thought looking at the deck, likely remembering all the times she had had aboard this ship. She looked very mystical with the moonlight reflecting off her hair and her melancholy expression. I could almost imagine her as a princess.
"You look like you're pretty at home here." I eventually said.
"Not as at home as you look out there." she thoughtfully noted.
"What's wrong?" I asked curiously.
"I'm not really sure what to do with this whole 'pirate' thing any more." she said without really looking up.
This came as a shock to me, "You've been a pirate your whole life, what could be wrong with it?"
"Pirates cheat, steal, and do horrible things to other people. If I am Hyrule's legacy I'm not sure that legacy is such a good thing anymore." She stated.
"You helped save my sister and stop Ganondorf that doesn't seem so bad." I reminded her.
"But are those acts supposed to negate all the bad things pirates do." Tetra pointed out.
She had me there. I silently thought this over as the sun slowly rose breaking the night. The salty breeze of the morning ocean reminded me of the times I had had on Outset, before this crazy adventure had started: watching the gulls with Aryll, sword lessons with Orca, Grandma's cooking, falling asleep underneath the stars. Tetra had never had that.
"You have a good family Link, a good home, cherish it." She said as if reading my mind. "My mom died when I was seven and was raised by my crew, I suppose I was never meant for a simple family life."
"What if you were something else, more than just a pirate. Think about it." I suggested.
Tetra just stared at me, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know what. Before she could answer a loud voice started screaming as if it were an alarm of some kind.
"LAND HO!" Zuko shouted, "We have arrived at Outset Island."
Sure enough over the horizon, painted against the morning sun was the pair of Islets I called home.
It was just a couple of minutes before everyone aboard the ship was on deck. The crew's eyes became glued to Outset, it seemed it had been a while since they been on land especially under friendly circumstances. I could have sworn I could see a couple of tears coming from Aryll's eyes upon seeing her beloved lookout once more.
A few minutes later we hit shore. As soon as the ship stopped moving I didn't even wait for the gang plank, I just jumped into the water, swam onto the beach and ran for my grandma's house.
I nearly made grandma have a heart attack as I burst into her house unannounced. Instead of lecturing me about my manners all grandma did was look at my joyous expression before tears started to well in her eyes as she ran out the door.
The moment Aryll saw grandma she couldn't help but to cry tears of joy, knowing she was home at last. Upon seeing my family all together again I realized just how much I had missed my home. As I embraced my sister and grandma, I noticed all the pirates watching happily all except Tetra and Senza who had stayed to watch the ship.
Slowly, the islanders came out of their homes to see the return of Aryll and the pirates. All day we told stories of our adventures: Aryll's rescue, my discovery of Hyrule, our fight with Ganondorf. The more I spoke the more mystified the islander's expressions became.
"You saved the pirate lady from a giant puppet?" Zill asked with snot dripping from his nose.
"I guess I did." I hadn't really thought of it that way.
"You are the coolest Link." Joel said with stars in his eyes.
This went on for hours before I managed to sneak out to Aryll's lookout while Gonzo was telling the islanders about the time he supposedly wrestled a Big Octo with his bare hands.
As I sat and watched the sea through my telescope, the realization that my journey was over finally hit me. No more sleepless nights spent fighting monsters, no more worrying over my sister's safety, no more hidden treasures, and no more sailing away with pirates. I was so lost in thought that I barely even noticed the creaking of the wood ladder as someone climbed it.
"Glad to see that you got some use out of it." Aryll said, noticing her telescope in my hands.
"What sailor doesn't have a telescope." I spoke remembering the day she gave it to me and how she had said she would want it back at the end of the day. Looking it over one more time, I handed her the telescope.
"Thanks." The girl said, admiring the painted seagulls as if they were long-lost friends.
As I continued to look out at sea Aryll said something that surprised me.
"You're leaving again, aren't you?" My sister said sadly.
"What?" I asked confused.
"I see the way you look at that ocean." She said knowingly. "You miss it, the sailing, the adventure."
"Well that part of my life is over." I said firmly. "I am needed here on Outset."
"But I heard the stories. How you and miss Tetra worked together, all the things you did. You belong out there." She urged.
"What about taking care of you and grandma?" I argued hoping to be convinced.
"I'm a big girl now. I can handle myself." Aryll said with conviction. "Besides grandma noticed it before I did."
I stared at her, dumbfounded. I couldn't believe that I was actually considering leaving my home and more importantly my family.
After a moment of silence I spoke, "Well I guess I need to go say my good-byes. This is my last day on Outset." I was finally realizing how liberating those words felt to say.
As I turned to leave the watchtower, my sister stopped me. "Wait, take this." She said, holding the telescope. "Use it to remember me by."
"You just got it back." I noted.
"You said it yourself, every sailor needs a telescope." Aryll beamed a radiant smile.
o.O.o
After having watched Link reunite with his friends and family from the deck of my ship, I decided perhaps my room could provide more comfort than shore ever could. As I was lying on my bed, something caught my eye. An old photograph of a young woman, my mother. I sat and stared at the photo drifting through memories.
Seven years ago, my mother thought about retiring from the life of a pirate so she could spend time raising me right. She had always tried to do right by me, well as right as a single mother who was also trying to lead a fearless band of pirates could. Unfortunately mother often fell short on the parenting. For one thing, she never told me who my father was, some days I questioned if she even knew. My mother also had the horrible habit of taking me along for her raids.
One night after what can be assumed to be one-to-many heists gone wrong, my mother told me we were headed ashore ending our lives as pirates. However about a day before we would have reached our destination, we were attacked by a competing group of pirates. Before we could escape, they executed my mother, dashing my hopes of ever having a normal family life.
Suddenly, a knock at the door brought me back to the present. Senza stood in the doorway concerned.
"Your mother was a fine pirate and an even finer friend." He said following my gaze to the photograph.
"What do you need Senza." I asked annoyed.
"Um... miss, I was just thinking only one of us needs to stay on the ship at a time to watch over things." He spoke softly.
"You can go if you want."
"Actually I was talking about you." The older pirate mused. "I know how much you enjoy spending time Link and-"
"Not now Senza, I am trying to figure some things out." I barked.
"Well miss I don't think you'll find any answers in here." Senza retorted.
I just stared at him. Upon realizing I would not have any alone time aboard my own ship, I got up to observe the locals.
Once on shore I was taken aback by how lively the islanders were. I watched as pigs roamed free, Aryll fed the gulls, and the young boys Joel and Zill role played as adventurer and monster though who played which I couldn't be sure. The entire atmosphere seemed so foreign. Strolling along the island I could hear many different conversations.
I could easily imagine a younger Link growing up in a place like this. I could imagine him as a child climbing to the mountain's peak just to sit there for years staring thoughtfully at all the surrounding islands, wondering what treasure may lie there. I could imagine him sneaking into the forest at night hoping to catch a glimpse of the fabled Great Fairy. All the while returning home to find a family worth fighting for.
A thought suddenly hit me in the chest. Perhaps my mother would have brought me to an island similar to this, with wondrous views and where monsters only existed in your head. Would this have been my life if she had raised me on shore away from all acts of piracy? Something else, Link had said, more than just a pirate.
As I pondered I felt as though I needed to get where I could see it all so I headed to the peak. Arriving at the summit I sat on the ledge and watched as the islanders went about their day. Some acted with haste hoping to make use of the time they had while others seemed to move through syrup, going at a leisurely pace taking in each moment.
"It's quite nice isn't it, the view." I could hear Link say as he saw me.
"It's peaceful, nothing like my ship." I noted watching the islanders intently.
"I don't know, I certainly have more fun aboard your ship." He glanced over at the wooden vessel. "Except for when you decide to catapult me into a wall." He added with a twinkle in his eye.
All I could do was chuckle. "We thought you would just sail through the window. If we were lucky you would find a catapult and launch yourself back to the ship once you were done.."
"Are you kidding me, climbing to the top of an active volcano and staring down a dragon was less scary than riding in a catapult there is no way I would have climbed into another one." Link said with a massive smile on his face.
"Valoo hardly counts as scary. He wouldn't hurt a fly, unless maybe it were an evil fly. What else did you do on your journey?" I asked trying to keep a straight face. "Talk to trees."
"Yeah, they were very insightful." Link jokingly yelled with conviction.
We could take it no more. We burst into a laughing fit. Once calming down we just sat there on the side of the cliff, just enjoying the moment. This was the kind of life I wanted for myself, fun, with good people by my side. I doubted I would get much of that searching for treasure as a pirate. After thinking it over I looked up at Link.
"I think I'm going to sail out to find a nice island, maybe settle down and live there." I told him.
He just stared back at me as though I was speaking another language. "What about your crew? What about what you told the king with finding a new land?"
"I don't know. It's just that with you staying here, the fact that I'm supposed to be this princess, I am not quite sure of anything anymore. All I know is that I want out." I replied honestly.
Link silently thought through what I had said before saying something that surprised me. "What if I didn't stay here?"
I gave him a puzzled look. He merely stared at the sea.
Continuing he said, "Maybe there is a way you could fulfill your promise to the king, settle down somewhere, and do right by your royal bloodline."
"What do you mean?"
He finally looked at me. His sea-green eyes filled with a thirst for adventure. What he said next gave me the way out I had been looking for. With one sentence he gave me more hope than I had felt in ages. "Come sail away with me."