"Little Miss Tetra"
A scream pierced the ocean air, scattering the seagulls resting on the rails of the busy pirate ship and causing the men on deck to exchange knowing smiles.
"OW! You're pulling too hard!" a little girl screeched, reaching up to pry her mother's fingers from her long blonde hair.
"If you let me brush it more often, it wouldn't hurt so much," her mother chastised with little sympathy as she swatted away her daughter's hands and yanked the brush through a particularly tough tangle.
"Nah uh!" the little girl disagreed, squirming in the woman's lap. "It always hurts even if you brush it two days in a row. It's 'cause it's so long." She took a recently brushed and tangle-free section of her hair in her hands, frowning at the length of it. "It wouldn't hurt if it was short like yours."
"Tetra, you don't want short hair. You can't do anything with it," her mother returned, forcing the brush through another knot and causing her daughter to wince. "Besides, mine's boring brown and yours is pretty gold, like the sun. I like it long."
"I don't." Tetra pouted, dropping her hair and folding her arms moodily across her chest. Another yank from the brush caused her to cry out and attempt to escape her torturer once more.
Her mother grabbed her back, resituating Tetra on her lap. "Wait, I'm almost done. Just a few more seconds."
"It hurts," Tetra whined, unshed tears burning her eyes.
"I know." Her mother took up humming a tune she often used to lull the little girl to sleep. It relaxed her just enough for the pirate captain to finish combing through the rats nest that was her daughter's hair, and then style it with the usual side ponytail while letting the rest hang free down the little girl's back.
As soon as she was given the go ahead, Tetra ran. She raced upstairs and out on deck, the sun winking into her eyes in greeting. She squinted back.
"Does your hair feel better?" Gonzo, the sailing master, asked her as she approached the helm where he was steering the ship. He was her favorite of the bigger pirates.
Tetra shook her head vehemently as she climbed the steps to where Gonzo was. "No. Mommy pulled too hard."
"Again?" He sighed as if he couldn't believe it.
"Aye," Tetra said, stepping up and wriggling in between Gonzo and the wheel.
"Seems like the Cap'n doesn't know her own strength, yeah?"
She tilted her head back so she could see him. "Yeah. I think she thinks she's fighting a monster when she does my hair."
"She is!" Mako called as Gonzo chuckled.
"Is not!" Tetra shouted back to the bespectacled boy. He was her least favorite of all the kids on the ship. He always thought he knew everything.
"Is too! Your hair's always wild until she brushes it."
She stuck her tongue out at him, and he returned the gesture.
The door leading below decks banged open and out stepped Tetra's mother—or Captain Bree as she was better known amongst her crew. She had her authoritative captain face on which meant she had orders to give. Not wanting to miss it, the captain's daughter slipped away from the helm and ran to her mother's side. She was barely given a second glance as the pirate captain began barking orders at her crew, but that was alright. Tetra didn't expect any attention. Not from her mother, that is.
"Irving, Dillon, get the sails ready for port!" the captain bellowed at the two riggers for their ship. The two men saluted, but Tetra mimicked her mother's words, volume, and tone, as best a six-year-old girl could, anyway, before hurrying after her mother.
"Nudge, be ready with the anchor," Captain Bree ordered, strolling across the deck with long strides Tetra had trouble keeping pace with.
"Aye, Cap'n." Despite his words, Nudge hesitated to do as he was told, leaving an opening for the captain's daughter to echo her mother like he knew she so often liked to do.
She did so without fail, pointing at the man so he'd have no doubt she was addressing him. "Be ready with the anchor, Nudge."
He smiled, "Aye, Little Miss."
Tetra beamed, relishing in the title her mother's crew had given her. Little Miss.
She half skipped, half ran to catch up to her mother, shadowing her around the deck and repeating the captain's orders like a parrot. When her mother finally ran out of orders to give, Tetra took it upon herself to give her own.
"Mako, Niko, swab the deck!" she commanded, fists planted firmly on her hips to create maximum intimidation. "Senza, get me a snack. Marlin-"
"Come 'ere you little troublemaker." Her mother laughed, sweeping Tetra off her feet and into her arms.
"Mom!" Tetra protested, her intimidating façade falling into an annoyed expression.
"Let the boys do their work. They have their orders already, and besides, I'm the captain."
"I know, but I was practicing."
Captain Bree touched her forehead to her upset daughter's. "And you did wonderful."
Tetra brightened a bit, peering curiously into the pirate captain's jade green eyes. "Really?"
"Yes," her mother said, setting Tetra back on her feet. "So wonderful that you don't need to practice anymore. Why don't you go up to the crow's nest and feed some seagulls until we dock?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out some red bait, letting it fall into Tetra's eagerly cupped hands.
"Be careful climbing!" Bree called after her daughter as the little girl darted for the ladder.
"I will!" Tetra yelled back, transferring all of the pellets to her left hand so she had her right hand free. In her mind, it was silly for her mom to worry at all. Ladders were easy to climb compared to rigging, and she knew how to climb rigging courtesy of Niko's cousin, Dillon, teaching her shortly after she'd begun to walk.
When Tetra reached the top, she found herself in the crow's nest. It was one of her favorite places on the ship because it was always breezy and cool. Plus, she could see everything up here so long as she had a little boost. And she always had a boost.
"'Hoy there, Little Miss," Zale greeted her, lowering his telescope. "What brings you up here?"
"I'm gonna feed the seagulls," Tetra informed the ship's lookout. He wasn't quite a man yet, but not a kid either. At least, that's what her mother said about Zale.
"Watch they don't peck ya," the pirate warned her. "They're hungry little buggers."
Tetra giggled and inserted herself between Zale and his little brother, Zuko. She liked Zuko much more than Mako. He was quiet and never made fun of her. But maybe that was because he was the oldest of all the kids on the ship at thirteen.
"Wanna feed them with me, Zuko?" she asked the freckled boy next to her.
"Aye," Zuko agreed in his soft voice, and Tetra smiled, giving him half of the bait she held in her hands. Together, the two of them carefully scattered the scarlet pellets around the crow's nest, welcoming a horde of squawking sea birds.
The gulls wasted no time in gobbling up the bait Tetra and Zuko had spread around the crow's nest and snatching the last of it from their upturned palms. Soon, the birds were wheeling about the mast, hungry for more that wasn't coming.
None of the pirates paid any more attention to the birds for, like them, they were hungry. Not for food, but for land. They hadn't been on land for forever by Tetra's count, and when Zuko lifted her up so she could see over the safety rail, she only grew more eager to dig her toes into the sand and run through the market and eat at the café. If she was extra good, her mother would let her get Deku Nut Cake even though it was the most expensive item on the menu.
She kept watching the island draw closer and closer until her excitement boiled over and forced her to the deck where she wove amongst the working crew, chatting with anyone that would listen about what she planned to do when they landed and evading her mother anytime she attempted to drag her away from the men.
After what felt like a century, the ship was moored at the docks of Windfall, and Tetra disembarked with her mother and half of the pirates who had been granted shore leave. Per her request, Niko, Gonzo, and Zuko were among them, though her mother ignored her request to make Mako stay on the ship on the pretense that it wasn't fair to make Mako stay when the rest of the kids got to go.
Tetra had pouted at that but didn't push, afraid her mother would take away her treat if she did. She had already threatened to do it once after Tetra had ignored her order to leave the crew to do their jobs.
Now her mother's only order was to have fun and not cause any trouble while she shopped in the market, and Tetra embraced it openly. Under Mako's Uncle Roger's eye, or more accurately, the cover of his book, Tetra played tag with the three pirate boys, hooting and hollering and laughing all the while. They made quite a ruckus, but it only blended into the natural, bustling chaos of Windfall Island.
It was a merchant isle, after all, and for that reason it was always loud. Adults were expected to barter and yell, and children were expected to scream and play. It was just how the island functioned. All the life made it impossible not to smile when one was there. At least, Tetra found herself unable to. Most of the time.
"Oi! What was that for?" she cried in dismay, glaring at the girl who had ruined the sandcastle she'd been working on with Niko.
"It wasn't pretty," the girl returned, bending to retrieve the frilly pink fan she had tried to top the peak of their castle with. Tetra knew this girl. Her name was Mila, and according to Tetra's mother, Mila "hadn't been raised right", which, in Tetra's experience, meant Mila was an expert at ruining people's days.
"Yes, it was, and now you ruined it!" Tetra yelled, jumping to her feet, her hands curling into fists.
"I didn't mean to," Mila said, shaking the sand out of her fan with little remorse.
"Well, you did so now you have to fix it," Tetra declared, crossing her arms over her chest bossily.
"No, I don't," Mila retorted, sticking her freckle-dusted nose in the air.
"Yes, you do," Tetra insisted, narrowing her eyes.
"Tetra, it was an acci-" Niko tried.
"I don't care!" Tetra shouted, stomping her foot. "I want her to fix it."
"I'm not," Mila said, turning to walk away.
Tetra grabbed her wrist before she could. "You are."
"Ow! Let go!" Mila cried, trying to twist out of her grip without success.
Tetra knew she was stronger than the average island girl, especially one that spent most of her time indoors, and used it to her advantage. She tightened her grip. "Fix it!"
"No!"
"Tetra, let her go," Niko begged, gently grabbing her arm and trying to pry her hand off of Mila. "We can just make another one."
"I want her to do it," Tetra refused, swatting Niko away and yanking the struggling Mila back, causing the little girl to fall. A second of stunned silence, and then came the wailing.
Unfortunately for Tetra, loud wailing did not blend seamlessly into the boisterousness of Windfall Island.
Roger was on top of them in an instant, book dangling from his hand. "What's going on?"
"She ruined our sandcastle!" Tetra exclaimed, expecting Roger to be aghast at the crime and take her side. Sadly, he did not.
"That's no reason to push her, Tetra," Roger berated her, kneeling down to help Mila to her feet. "Are you alright?"
"My wrist hurts," Mila whimpered. "She squeezed it really hard."
"She's faking!" Tetra objected. "I didn't squeeze it that hard."
"Tetra, apologize," Roger requested.
"But I-"
"There you are, Mila! What's going on here?" a sharp looking woman demanded, practically stomping with every step she took towards them and still somehow managing to look graceful. Maybe it was the heels, Tetra mused.
"Mother!" Mila jumped up and raced to the woman, clinging to her long pink skirt. "She hurt me!" Seeing as Tetra was the only female in the nearest vicinity aside from Mila and her mother, it didn't take more than a second for the severe-looking woman to narrow her eyes at the little pirate girl.
"She ruined our sandcastle!" Tetra returned, pointing accusingly at Mila who only hid behind her mom's voluminous skirt.
Roger opened his mouth to interject but never got the chance.
"Wait a moment, you're Bree's rat aren't you?" The woman sniffed with disdain.
Tetra crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not a rat."
"Oi, now-" Roger's tone bordered on dangerous. No longer did he regard the woman in an apologetic manner, but she hadn't seemed to care much for it before, so it hardly mattered.
"You pirates shouldn't be allowed here. This is a civil place, and we don't need you stirring up trouble," Mila's mother asserted.
"All due respect, Ma'am, but we have just as much a right as anyone else to be here," Roger said.
"I beg to differ. All you pirates are the same. You go around pillaging and killing all day. That hardly qualifies you as having a right to be here."
"We don't do that stuff!" Tetra assured her. "Mommy says we only take from people that deserve it."
Mila's mother scoffed. "Disgusting. It'd be best for everyone if the lot of you just up and died." She grabbed her daughter's hand. "Come, Mila. We don't associate with filth like them."
"Yes, mother," Mila agreed before the two of them turned on their heels and stalked away towards the heart of town.
"Jerks," Mako observed as they watched the mother and daughter retreat.
"Morons," Niko added.
"Idiots!" Tetra tagged on, delighted that they were saying naughty words.
"Lowlifes," Zuko muttered.
"Language, all of you," Roger commented, though his tone suggested that he agreed with all of their deductions. As if to dissuade them from this fact, the man turned to Tetra. "You shouldn't have provoked her like that."
"She pro…pra…" Tetra frowned, her brain working furiously to get her tongue around the word. Finally, she thought she had it and ended with, "…poked me!"
"Provoked," Mako corrected.
"Shut up, Mako!" Tetra snapped before turning back to Roger. "She ruined-"
"I know," Roger assured her, "but there were other ways of dealing with it then hurting her."
"I didn't mean to," Tetra insisted. And it was true. She had only meant to make Mila stay. "You won't tell my mom, will you?"
Roger's expression grew uncertain, and Tetra took that as her cue to beg. "Please, don't tell her! I'll be good. I'll go say sorry to Mila. I'll-"
"What about me?" Mako piped up. "You just told me to shut up."
"Sorry!" Tetra exclaimed.
"Tetra, I think it's best to stay away from Mila," Roger interjected. "Besides, even if you did apologize to her, I'd still have to-"
"No!" Tetra stomped her foot in the sand and narrowed her eyes at the man before her. If he wasn't going to listen, she'd make him. "Do not tell her. That's an order."
"Tetra!" the sharp voice of her mother startled all five of them, and they jumped to find the captain not ten feet away. Captain Bree was not pleased, and Tetra wasn't the only one that flinched as she approached. "What have we talked about?"
"Lots of things." Judging by the way her mother's frown only deepened, it wasn't the answer she'd been looking for. But it was true! They did talk about a lot. How was Tetra supposed to know what conversation in particular she was referring to?
"Don't be smart with me," Bree scolded. "I told you to behave and here you are ordering around my crew and hurting other children." At Tetra's astonished look, her mother said, "I ran into Mila and her mother on the way over here."
"It wasn't my fault!" Tetra protested.
"I don't care whose fault it was. You be the bigger person and end it. We've talked about this." And so they had, but Tetra didn't think her mother understood how difficult it was to be the bigger person when you were so small.
"Come on." Captain Bree grabbed her daughter's hand and began to march towards the center of the bustling island. "We're going to the café and shipping out straight after."
The pirates fell into step behind their captain, and the six of them made their way to the Café Bar. Tetra was pretty sure she'd blown her treat, and she was right. She did not get Deku Nut Cake that night.
As the entire crew began the trek back to the ship, Pano, Gonzo's younger brother by a year, caught onto Tetra's sour mood and offered her a piggy back ride. The lack of cake in her belly was quickly forgotten as she hopped on the large man's back, laughing as he ran ahead of everyone else to deliver her to the ship first.
Soon enough, the little pirate girl found herself helping lower the sails with Niko under the careful instruction of Irving while Dillion stood below, ready to catch either of them, should they fall. He always worried that they would, but if there was one thing she and Niko were good at, it was climbing ropes.
In fact, Dillion had set up a training grounds of sorts for them below decks so they could practice climbing and swinging. Niko was far better at it than her, but she wasn't too far behind him in terms of expertise.
After the sails were ready and filled with wind, the two of them were ushered away while the adults worked around the ship to keep it running well. According to the captain, they would sail throughout the night to reach a rumored treasure. Being pirates, they often found a plethora of jewels and objects that looked to be hundreds of years old. The relics sold for quite a bit, and as far as Tetra knew, that was how they made money. She didn't care so much for that as for the discovery. It was always fun to find something new, and she was hoping to stay up all night.
Alas, her mother wouldn't let her.
"What story do you want to hear tonight?" Bree asked her daughter, closing the bedroom door behind her so as to keep the rowdiness of her crew out of the cabin.
"The Hero of Time!" Tetra cried, dramatically striking a pose with one fist planted firmly on her hip and her other raised in the air, pointing an invisible sword skyward.
Her mother smiled at her daughter's antics. "The Hero of Time it is." She picked the book up off the desk. At this point, Bree had learned to keep the book on hand as her daughter requested it every night without fail.
Tetra eagerly dropped to her knees, causing the bed beneath her to bounce. She scooched back, making room for her mother to sit on the mattress with her. The young girl didn't like going to bed by any stretch of the imagination, but she did love the attention. Here, in the room Tetra shared with her only parent, Bree wasn't a captain. She was just a mother.
Once her daughter was snuggled close to her side, Bree opened the book and began. She hardly needed it, seeing as Tetra had the story memorized by now, as did she. Still, the pictures were something to look at and it helped Tetra, or at least, Bree hoped it helped Tetra, with her letters.
They had just finished the story, and Bree was in the middle of humming the special lullaby she sang to her daughter every night when the door burst open. Tetra shot up, half awake, and Bree threw a glare at the man that had entered.
"Marlin, what's the meaning of this?" Captain Bree demanded.
"Apologies, Captain, but it's urgent. We've got trouble," Marlin reported.
Bree was up and moving towards the door before Tetra could process it. Once, she did, however, she was up too.
"Mom, what-"
Her mother turned on her heel at the door. When she spoke, her voice was gentle, yet stern. "Get back in bed."
When Tetra didn't move, Bree ran a hand through her daughter's blonde waves. "I'll sing to you when I get back, alright?"
With that, the captain and her first mate left the room, leaving a brooding Tetra alone. Never had her time with her mother been interrupted. It was their special time and the crew knew not to mess with it. At least, they had. Now, Tetra wasn't so sure.
She almost ran after her mom before deciding against it. She'd already gotten in trouble earlier and didn't want to be yelled at or punished again. Her mind made up, Tetra returned to the bed and plopped down on the edge of it to wait. After a while, she got bored of swinging her feet off the edge, so she picked up the storybook her mother had read to her earlier, flipping through the rough, inked pages.
Not for the first time, she wondered where the legendary hero had gone. Mako said he probably died while Zuko said he might have gotten scared and ran away. Tetra didn't believe either of them were right. The Hero was too heroic to die, and he was too brave to run away. That meant something else had to have happened to him. Except, Tetra didn't know what that something else could possibly be.
A violent lurch of the ship suddenly sent Tetra and the book sprawling to the cabin floor. It seemed that this was a night of firsts, for never had Tetra felt the vessel she called home rock as violently as it had just now.
Scared despite herself, Tetra scrambled to her feet and reached out for the bedpost to steady herself. "Mom?" her voice was but a whisper. Silly as it was, she was hesitant to speak louder.
Another unexpected lurch caused her to hug the bedpost tight and squeeze her eyes shut. Brave. Like a true pirate. Like the legendary hero. She opened her eyes at the sound of glass breaking.
A framed picture had fallen off her mother's desk and shattered. The globe was teetering at the edge, ready to fall.
"Tetra."
Her head snapped to the doorway at the sound of her mom's voice. "Mommy!" She released the bedpost, preparing to run to her mother but there was no need. Her mother had closed the distance between the two of them in just a few strides. "What's happening? Why's the ship shaking?"
Bree didn't seem to hear any of her daughter's questions. She was too busy tugging a necklace over her head and fastening it around Tetra's neck. The chain was far too long for her, the golden pendant heavy as it thumped against her stomach.
Tetra took the triangular thing in her hands, curious. It seemed to be broken, for the bottom was jagged where a piece was missing.
"Tetra, you must listen to me," Bree started, her tone urgent.
She didn't understand what was going on. "Mom-"
"Listen." Her mother's eyes bored into her daughter's, and Tetra stared back, waiting expectantly. She recognized her mom's no-nonsense face. And yet she'd never heard her so serious before. No, not serious. It was something else. When Bree placed her mildly trembling hand over Tetra's little ones that still clung to the pendant, the small pirate girl understood what it was. Desperation. "You must guard this with your life. Do you promise me?"
Confusion muddling her head and apprehension gnawing at her belly, Tetra nodded.
"Say it. I need to hear you promise. This is serious. You can't let anyone else get a hold of this."
"I promise," Tetra breathed.
Her mother pecked a kiss on her forehead before standing. "Good girl."
"What's going-" This time, a jolt interrupted her inquiry and caused a curse to slip past Bree's lips, surprising Tetra. Her mom was always careful to not curse around her. Always.
This time, her utterance came out a whimper. "Mom?"
"It's alright, Tetra," Bree assured her, grabbing something out of her top dresser drawer before slamming the drawer closed. "Come here."
She was quick to obey, scurrying to her mother's side and slipping her hand into Bree's free one.
They hurried out of the cabin, the door slamming shut behind them and making Tetra flinch.
"Dillon, leave Niko with me and get up on deck. Tell Zuko and Mako to get down to the treasury," Bree ordered the passing rigger. He hesitated just a second before releasing his hold on his cousin and obeying his captain.
"Tetra, Niko, we're going to play a game," Bree informed the two children.
"It's bedtime," Tetra protested weakly.
"Any other night, yes it would be, but tonight we're going to play a game," Bree told her. "You two know where the treasury is, right?"
The two of them nodded in confirmation.
"Niko, here's the key." Bree handed a golden key to the ten-year-old boy who accepted it uncertainly.
"I want you two to-" The sound of muffled yells and the clanging of steel on wood interrupted them. Both Tetra and Niko moved closer to Captain Bree, staring fearfully at the door leading to the outer deck.
"Go to the treasury," Bree said, drawing their attention back to her. "Mako and Zuko will meet you. All of you must stay there and be as quiet as you can. Don't make a sound. Someone will come to fetch you when it's over. Okay? All you have to do is hide and stay quiet. Do that, and you'll win the game. Simple, right?"
Neither Tetra nor Niko answered her. Sure, it was simple, but it was no game. Tetra already felt herself shaking, and her mother must have felt it too for she pulled them both into a bone-crushing hug.
She released them all too soon. "Go! Protect each other."
Tetra didn't want to obey. She wouldn't. And yet, she had to because Niko had already taken her hand and was pulling her away, down one flight of steps, around a corner and down another flight of steps before they emerged into a larger room and, on unsteady legs, ran to where they knew the treasury to be in the middle of the floor. It was impossible to get into without the key. But they had the key.
It took them a few tries to get the hatch open on account of their frazzled nerves and sudden jolts that coursed through the ship, but they eventually got it and found themselves staring down into darkness.
Niko tightened his grip on her hand before releasing it. "Y-you go first."
"I don't want to. I want to go back to Mom."
"But…she told us to go here."
Tetra shook her head, frowning at down at the blackness at her feet. "I don't care. This isn't a game."
"Oi!" the shout made them both scream and whirl around to find Zuko and Mako thundering down the steps. "What are you two doing standing around talking? Get down there!"
"It's too dark," Niko whimpered.
"It's nothing compared to what's outside," Mako countered.
"What's outside?" Tetra demanded.
"Never mind," Zuko said softly, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around to face the hole in the floor once more. "Climb down. Niko will be right behind you."
"No, I-"
"The Captain said to get our butts down there so that's what we're doing. All of us," Mako declared, glaring pointedly at Niko.
"Shh, you're all being too loud," Zuko hissed. Thuds and shouts from up above seemed to scare the elder boys which only served to scare the youngest children and push the four of them into the blackness below.
"Don't close it," Niko begged as Mako went to shut the hatch.
"It's not hiding if we don't," Mako retorted, reaching up to grab the trapdoor.
"You can hold my hand," Tetra offered, holding out her hand to Niko. She was scared too, though not of the dark.
"That's a good idea!" Zuko exclaimed quietly as Niko took her hand in his. "Then we won't bump into each other." Zuko grabbed Tetra's other hand just as Mako closed the door above them and pitched them into complete blackness.
Niko made a sound of fright, and Zuko shushed him while Tetra squeezed his hand tighter and tried to think only of the Hero of Time. Brave. Courageous. Be just like him. It helped calm her racing heart just a little bit, and she was going to share the trick with Niko, but before she could get more than a word out, she was hushed by Zuko and Mako.
Her eyes had adjusted a bit by then to be able to see both elder boys had daggers hanging from their belts. That gave her an idea. Of course, neither boy was very willing to listen.
"Zu-"
"Shh."
"I-"
"Shh!"
"Lis-"
"SHH!"
"We should-"
"Be quiet!" Zuko whispered fiercely while Mako exclaimed in a voice that wasn't exactly quiet, "Shut up, Tetra!"
"But I have an idea!" she whispered back urgently.
"No, thanks," Mako said. "We have our orders. There's no room for ideas."
"But-!"
"It's a raid," Zuko uttered suddenly.
Tetra's eyes widened. "We're being raided? By who? Other pirates?"
"I don't know," Zuko returned, his voice barely audible. He was an expert at quiet so it was hardly fair that he expected them to be experts at it too.
Niko whimpered. "Are we going to die?"
"We will if you all keep running your mouths," Mako snapped.
"We'll be fine," Zuko reassured them, though Tetra caught the tremor in his voice.
"What about Mom and everyone else?" Tetra whispered fiercely. "Shouldn't we help them?"
"They're adults," Mako huffed. "They'll be fine. We'd only get in the way if we went out there."
"But-"
"You and Niko aren't even armed," Mako hissed back.
"You and Zuko are!" Tetra retorted, her voice rising in decibel with her frustration. How could Mako and Zuko cower in the dark when they had weapons? If she had one, she would definitely be fighting with everyone else. This ship was their home. They had to defend it.
"That-" Mako's rebuttal was cut short by the sound of stomping feet on wood above.
All of them stilled, their eyes becoming glued to the trapdoor above their heads, pointed ears twitching with every creak of the floor.
"Spread out boys, they gotta be here somewhere." A gruff voice ordered. The thundering of feet followed, and Tetra shrunk back as much as she could, squeezing Niko's hand in her right and Zuko's in her left. Multiple grown men looking for something had infiltrated their home. But what could be so important? Treasure? Sure, they had some of that but nothing really valuable. All of that stuff had been sold already.
"Did you lock the door?" Zuko whispered, his eyes on Mako as the footsteps receded somewhat and the sounds of furniture being knocked over met their ears.
"I thought you did!" Mako hissed back.
"I don't have the key." Zuko looked to her and Niko.
"Niko has it," Tetra informed him as quietly as she could.
Gently, Zuko released his hold on her and Mako and pried the key from Niko's trembling hand. Then, with a gesture for them to remain silent, Zuko slowly crept to the trapdoor.
He was the quietest of them all, even quieter than a mouse, so it made sense he would be the one to do it. Once at the foot of the ladder, he slowed, taking more care with where he placed his feet.
Almost all noise from above had ceased, but that didn't mean anything.
Zuko started up the ladder, first one rung, then the next, and the next, and- CREAK.
All of them froze, fear stealing their breath away. Their pointed ears were perked, listening for the intruders' alerted shouts. But there were none. Stomping feet was the only sound and after a while even that stopped.
Sharing uncertain glances with the rest of them, Zuko pressed his lips into a thin line before turning back to the ladder and beginning to ascend once again. This time he moved extra slowly, like a ship on a windless day, testing the waters before he committed to any one action. A cautious hand here, a timid foot there, it was a painstaking process, and Tetra couldn't help but fidget anxiously in place. She wouldn't have the patience to do such a thing.
Zuko's patience, however, was paying off. He was almost within reach of the trapdoor. Just a few more rungs and he would be there. Tetra silently cheered him on in her head. Go Zuko. Go Zuko. You're doing great! Go-
Light suddenly shone down on Zuko, bathing him in a warm glow. For a moment, Tetra didn't understand what that meant.
Then, an unknown male voice spoke, and she understood all too well. "Well, what do we have here?"
A hand appeared, making a swipe for Zuko, but the boy was too quick, letting go of the ladder and dropping back to the ground.
"Oh, don't be difficult now."
"Oi! Whatcha find, Ortun?" an unfamiliar deep voice asked.
"A boy. What do you reckon we do with him?" The first voice returned.
Footsteps as the second man came closer, presumably to peer down into the treasury at a stunned Zuko.
"Eh, he's too old to turn around," the second voice declared. "Just kill 'im like the rest."
Like the rest? Her mother and the rest of the crew couldn't be dead. Could they? A small whimper escaped without her consent.
"Are there more of ye down there?" the second voice wondered. Zuko simply backed away from the light in answer.
"Heh." The man laughed. A hard, mean laugh that caused Tetra to shiver. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Uh, Tao, the lady in town didn't say anything about killing kids…" The first man, Ortun spoke up.
"I'll do it if you're too squeamish." The sound of someone stumbling back met Tetra's ears. "Problem is you see their little faces and think they can't do no harm. If they're here, you bet your beard they've been raised to do wrong. If we let them free, they'll only come back to haunt us later."
A well-built man with stubble on his face thudded down into the treasury, then, forgoing the ladder. He lifted an eyepatch off his right eye and put his hands on his hips. "Four, eh?"
"Leave us alone," Mako said, drawing his dagger. It shook in his hand.
"No can do, laddie. You're a danger to society waving that thing around."
"You're a danger trying to kill us!" Tetra retorted, narrowing her eyes at the cruel man that talked of hurting them.
"Aw, you're just a wee lass, ain't ye?" the man crooned, taking a step closer and causing the children to take a step back. "Maybe I'll let ye off right if you stay nice and quiet and come with us when we're done with these boys, aye?"
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Tetra said, unable to keep her voice from wavering. Living with her mom and the crew had taught her that her stubbornness was little match against the will of adults. She could kick and cry and scream but in the end she was no match for them.
"I'll give ye some time to think it over." So saying, the man lunged forward, grabbing Zuko and whipping out a cutlass.
"Zuko!" Tetra screamed with Mako. Niko couldn't take it anymore and dissolved into loud sobs.
Mako's hands were still shaking, and the man was preparing to cut her favorite brother's throat. It wasn't a hard decision. Actually, it wasn't a decision at all. She simply moved, shooting past Mako, plucking the dagger easily from his trembling grip, and rushing for the man trying to hurt Zuko.
Tetra screamed a battle cry as she plunged the dagger into the man's side. He howled, dropping the cutlass and releasing Zuko, his hands zipping to the dagger poking out of his ribs. "Ye little brat! Ye better believe ye're dyin' now!"
A little gasp of surprise escaped her at that. Not at his words but at what she'd done. She saw the damage, but couldn't believe it was her doing. It's not like she'd never stabbed anything before. Occasionally, when her mother was not around, Irving would have her practice on bags of flour, telling her that if any stranger tried to hurt her, and she had access to a weapon, that's how she could defend herself. Slide it in with force and run. But no one had warned her that the knife felt different sliding into a living, breathing body.
Thankfully, Zuko didn't give her any more time to mull it over.
"Come on!" He took her by the arm and pulled her towards the ladder, calling over his shoulder to Mako and Niko to hurry up." Both obliged, Mako dragging a crying Niko behind him.
Zuko drew his dagger before starting up the ladder. Tetra was right behind him, followed by Niko and Mako. The man Tetra had wounded was shouting and swearing like a true sailor, but it seemed that his injury was stopping him from pursuing them for the time being. That didn't seem to matter, though, for even immobile he was able to cause them trouble.
"Boys, don't let the rats escape!" Tao bellowed. "Kill 'em all. Even the girl!"
Ortun, the man that had expressed hesitancy earlier, was waiting along with two other men, if not happy, all too willing to oblige with Tao's orders now that the kids had proven they were dangerous.
A few warning swipes of Zuko's dagger gave the four children enough space to climb out of the treasury but was useful for little else. All the men were equipped with far larger, sturdier blades, and such a tiny weapon couldn't deter them for more than a few heartbeats.
"Run! Split up!" Zuko shouted, ducking one of the men's blades and running towards the dining hall. Without waiting to see what Niko and Mako would do, Tetra stumbled around two of the men and bolted for the stairs, her only thought to find her mother. She'd help them. She'd drive the awful men away and make them wish they never set foot on their ship. Most importantly, with her mother Tetra would be safe.
She took the steps two at a time, stretching her legs to their limit, her breaths coming in pants. Courage, she thought. Have courage. Just like the Hero of Time.
This internal pep talk spurred her on despite all her near falls and trips as she scrambled up the steps that never seemed to end. Why did they have so many steps?
Her heart was thudding in her chest, shaking her entire body and thumping in her ears. Or maybe it was pounding feet and shouts and the rocking ship. To her, they were all one in the same, a blur of movement and sound. Of confusion. Of terror so raw and intense it burned like bile in her throat.
But suddenly none of that mattered. Suddenly, breezy ocean air was whacking her face as she burst outside, gasping, eyes searching for safety.
Except, she couldn't find it. Every which way she turned was madness. Men matching blades and battle cries and keening sounds like wounded animals. Only there were no animals on the ship. Just a bunch of immobile forms scattered around the deck like bait for seagulls.
Tetra had no choice but to push through the fray, ducking and weaving and stumbling until she had recovered enough breath to shout for her mother.
She received no answer.
A tightness gripped her chest, and she put her hand to it, her fingers fumbling over the pendant her mother had given her and holding on for dear life.
The clang of metal nearby alerted her to a fight that had strayed too close, and she hastily scurried away, coming to cower by the portside railing.
She drew in a deep breath, ocean eyes streaming over the chaos on deck. "Mom!" She was loud. She knew she was. She was the loudest kid on the ship. In fact, she was the loudest person on the ship. If she couldn't scream loud enough, no one could. Courage.
Courage.
She gripped the pendant even tighter, feeling it dig painfully into her palms, and prepared herself to scream louder than she ever had before. "MO-"
A meaty arm wrapped around her middle without warning, yanking her off her feet. "Are ya lost little lass?"
"Let me go!" she screamed, squirming in her captor's grip.
"Oi, now. The fun just started, captain's daughter," the man objected with sinister mirth, hugging her closer, harder. "That is who ya are, ain't ya?"
She squeezed her eyes shut tight. Courage. She willed it into herself. Courage just like the hero. Know nothing. Nothing but courage."
But there was a flaw in her plan. She wasn't a hero. She was just a little girl. A petrified little girl.
Tears fell from her eyes as she yelled, "MOMMY!"
Her cry served as the thunder that stilled all activity. Faces turned toward her. Familiar faces—fearful, furious faces. And among them was her mother's.
"Tetra!" The captain began to run to her daughter but was stopped immediately by the drawing of a blade. Cold metal pressed against Tetra's throat, halting her struggle for freedom.
"Not a step closer now, ya hear?" her captor instructed. "Do and I cut this pretty little head clean off."
She whimpered, and her mother swore. "Leave her be! She's done nothing!"
"Don't take this the wrong way," the man said. "I don't take pleasure in killin' little kids. But me and the rest of the boys here tonight, we need this money. And frankly, I see no wrong in making the seas a safer place."
"A safer place?" Captain Bree scoffed. "The lot of you should throw yourselves overboard to the Gyorgs if that's what you're after."
The man holding a dagger to her neck cackled like madman. His grip on Tetra tightened, causing her to gasp. "Careful now. You don't want my hand to slip."
The captain swallowed, her eyes hard and hands clenched into fists. "You want money? Go and ahead and take it. Take all of our treasure and rupees if it pleases you, but let my daughter go."
"A tempting proposal…" her captor mused. For a second, Tetra dared to hope he was considering it. But that hope shattered upon feeling the dagger dig into the fragile flesh of her neck. She choked on a sob, holding her breath as if that would keep the blade farther away. "However, if I take your offer, I won't get the money I was promised for this job. If I kill ya…I get it all."
Tetra couldn't see much through her tears, but she could see enough to deduce movement. To see something that no one else could because they were all looking at her. Not at her mother. Not at the figure behind her. They didn't hear the creak of the floor or see the glint of metal.
In that moment, Tetra forgot all about the blade threatening to spill her life force out of her body. She forgot about the wicked stranger holding her. She forgot about everything and put all she had into a single, bloodcurdling scream.
"MOMMY!"
She wasn't fast enough.
Or loud enough.
A watercolor flower blossomed from her mother's chest in the middle of her cry, brilliantly red and multi-petaled. Her mother's green eyes were wide with surprise, her mouth agape with unspoken words. And red. So much red suddenly sprayed across the deck, and then she was falling. Tetra's ears were ringing and she was falling and falling and she hit the ground but she was still falling as she stared in wide-eyed terror at the cushion of red surrounding her mother's prone form lying on the deck.
It almost looked pretty. The scarlet was bright and dark all at once, bathing the captain in an ethereal glow, like she was a goddess. A goddess of raging fire. Of crimson flowers.
But no goddess was so still.
Strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her up, forcefully pulling her head against a solid, sweaty chest, shielding her from the awful sight. But it was too late. She'd seen it, and every second of it was burned into her retinas for eternity.
For a time, everything was a warbled blur, as if she was underwater. Sound came back slowly and a foreign wail met her ears. It took a while to realize it was her own cry. It took longer to realize that she was being held by someone and even longer to realize it was someone she knew. Gonzo.
They were sitting on the floor of the captain's cabin, water streaming down their faces. Tetra didn't recall the journey here.
Through the closed door, Tetra's sharp ears picked up on the clanging of metal and cries of men as the fighting continued. However, it wasn't long before the sounds of battle ceased, and all that was left was a burn in her throat and sting in her eyes and pit in her stomach.
The door opened suddenly, and she jumped up, expecting her mother. Instead, Senza entered the room. His face was haggard and drawn, making him look much older than his twenty-three years. When his eyes caught hers, though, relief flashed across his face, and he quickly closed the distance between them. Tetra was pulled into a fierce hug she wasn't ready for but her lack of hugging back didn't seem to insult the man. He simply stroked her hair and spoke over her head. "We…we got rid of them. It's safe now."
Gonzo didn't reply and neither did she. Would anything ever be safe again? Even with the bad men gone, with the sounds of fighting absent, with Senza's strong arms around her, she didn't feel safe.
"Gonzo, you should go see Nudge out on deck. He's tending to anyone that was hurt. I'll stay here with Tetra."
She didn't hear Gonzo reply, just saw him as he walked past them. As he did, she caught site of the nasty cut on his left cheek. It wept red red red like her mom. A wilted crimson flower that had melted down the side of his face.
Her sight of it was cut off when Senza released her and closed the door. Gently, as if handling a delicate treasure, Senza took her hand and led her to the bed.
"I don't want to sleep," Tetra breathed, refusing to follow Senza's lead and sit on the bed. I want my mom.
"You don't have to, Little Miss." Senza assured her, his voice soft. It was normally soft, except when he yelled but he didn't yell a lot. It was a different kind of soft, though. One she wasn't familiar with. "I'll tell you a story."
Senza was the best of all the crew at telling stories. She loved listening to them.
But not tonight. "I don't want a story."
"Would you like to tell me a story?" Senza offered, interest stretching his features. His eyes gave him away, though. He didn't want a story either. He wants mom.
"I'm no good at telling stories," she mumbled.
"How about The Legend of The Hero of Time?" Senza suggested, bending and picking up the storybook that had fallen to the floor earlier. "That's your favorite, aye? Want to read that?" He offered her the book.
She stared at it blankly for a few seconds before shaking her head. The Hero of Time could not help her now. She was not him, and he was not her. She did not have his unwavering courage, and he did not understand the storm of feelings she was experiencing now. He didn't understand her confusion or fear or sadness, so he couldn't help her with them.
Plopping herself on the floor, Tetra elected to say nothing, and Senza stopped trying to engage her. She didn't know how long they stayed like that. Forever. A second. Until finally, all too quickly, the door opened and Nudge entered this time, telling them to come to the mess hall.
Senza and Tetra followed them wordlessly, and upon arriving, found the rest of the crew gathered there. What was left of it, anyway.
They were gathered in the place where they took their meals. The place where they conducted meetings she wasn't permitted to be a part of but tried to weasel her way into anyway. The place where they planned treasure hunts and divided their spoils. Now, it was the place where they mourned.
Gonzo embraced her as soon as he saw her, and she let him, noting the bandage on his cheek. He was bawling like a baby, and his tears brought her own forward. They stayed like that for a while, holding each other and crying out their pain, but Tetra eventually decided that she had to know. She had to know who was left. And so, she began to dole out hugs to every person in the room, taking note of their grief-stricken faces. Gonzo first, though the hug she gave him was more of a parting squeeze than a proper embrace. Then she wriggled out of his grip and moved on.
She wrapped her arms around a pirate that had buried his head in his hands. Senza.
A boy wept over a telescope he held close to his chest. Tetra did her best not to disturb it as she hugged him. Zuko.
Next, she embraced a man with tears streaming down his face, a hand held to his head as if it ached. Nudge.
Then Tetra hugged a boy who was crying into the pages of a thick tome, staining the pages with his tears. Mako.
Finding a boy huddled on the floor, crying into his knees, she squeezed him tight to assure herself he was there. Niko.
When she turned to discover the next grieving crew member there was no one there, so she embraced Niko once more, crying with him for those they had lost.
Dillion who had coached her in climbing the rigging. Who had always caught her if she fell and encouraged her to try again.
Roger who had taught her to read and was always teaching her new words.
Zale who would let her peer through his telescope and point out constellations at night and funny looking clouds during the day.
Pano who would always drop whatever he was doing to give her a piggyback ride if she asked.
Irving who had shown her how to defend herself and tie all manner of knots.
Marlin who had taught her to play cards and would always play card games with her when the others were too busy for her.
Her mother who had loved her more than anything in the world. Who had hugged her close when she was scared and sang her her special song to lull her to sleep or to calm her. Who had told her bedtime stories and never complained that all Tetra ever wanted to hear about was The Hero of Time. Who would praise her when she was good. Who would punish her when she was bad. Who would take away her Deku Nut Cake.
Her mother, who was the strongest woman to ever sail the Great Sea. Her mother who was immortal.
She was gone along with the rest of them, but she couldn't be gone. She would never leave Tetra alone. She cherished her daughter too much to leave her. That's why she had to come back. She had to.
When the adults began to stir, their sobs dying down to sniffles, and began to speak about who should lead their crew in her mother's place, that's when Tetra knew. Her mother was not coming back. Ever.
The knowledge caused something to break in her. But not like the confusion and sadness had broken her heart and forced tears from her eyes. This dried her eyes. It stopped her shivering and her racing thoughts. It caused her to stand up and take a seat at the head of the long wooden table. The seat reserved for her mother. And it caused words to spill from her mouth. "I will be captain."
Stunned silence met her declaration. Then, a flurry of protests.
"You are the captain's daughter but…" Senza broke off, not quite courageous enough to say it.
Nudge was. "You're too young."
"You don't have to take the position right now," Gonzo added, still sounding a bit choked up.
"You can't boss us around," Mako muttered, his attitude lacking its usual bite. "You're six."
On the contrary, she'd had plenty of experience bossing people around. Now she could use it for real. Be captain like she always wanted. But…she'd just play at it long enough for her mom to come back. She would come back, just to stop her. Like she always did.
"I will be captain," Tetra repeated, raising her chin and sitting as straight as possible. "You will be my crew and you'll obey my every order."
"…Are you sure, Tetra?" Nudge asked.
She looked around at the six of them, taking in their hardened, tear-streaked faces that were no doubt just like her own. Everything was different now. The adults couldn't protect them from this. Her mother couldn't protect her crew from this. But maybe Tetra could.
"I'm sure."
"Alright then…you'll have to pick a first mate. Just in case-" Nudge cut himself off, but Tetra knew what he'd been about to say. Just in case she was murdered too.
The new captain hardly thought, allowing her intuition to take over. "Gonzo. You'll be my first mate."
Shock alighted on the man's face, but he quickly wiped it away along with the tears in his eyes. He nodded, determined. "Aye."
"Okay…C-Captain." Nudge nearly choked on the title but managed to get it out. "What's you first order?"
"Don't call me Captain," Tetra ordered, her voice hard.
"What should we call you?" Gonzo wondered.
Little Miss Tetra. The nickname came to mind. She was fond of it. It held so many memories. It had been with her all her life, just like her mother.
But it wouldn't make any sense to use it. Little Miss Tetra was a different girl than the one sitting at the head of the table now. Little Miss Tetra was gone. She was in the past and no longer existed. Now, all that was left was…
"Miss Tetra," she proclaimed. "Call me Miss Tetra."
The response from her crew was a chorus. A chorus she would grow used to hearing and her men used to uttering for the rest of their lives. "Aye aye, Miss Tetra."