Tetra looked at the green-garbed boy at the helm with a bemused grin. This was a good day to be sailing on the open seas, and Link was celebrating it by singing a rather tuneless and spasmodic ditty about his "Lady the Great Sea".
Eventually, she got tired of it and approached the little hero.
"Apparently, singing capabilities are NOT required for a hero."
Link stopped singing and attempted a scowl at the pirate captain, but failed. This was just too good a day to be angry about anything. He shook his head and went to the starboard side of the ship.
The quests he had been on against Ganondorf and Bellum had been long since completed, and Link was looking forward to a quiet rest and doing what he loved best: sailing. Of course, his ship had long since been lost to the sea, and he had to ride the pirate's huge rig for the time being.
Suddenly he spotted movement. Looking into the water, he saw a fish swimming about madly. Recognizing it, he shuffled in his pocket and threw out some bait. The manfish gobbled it up, the rose out of the water.
"'Hoy, Small fry! So, you wanna map?"
"That WOULD be nice." Tetra, who had suddenly appeared next to Link, replied. The hero was startled slightly, and then opened up his sea chart. He had to use a fishing rod to get it to where the manfish could reach it, but when he brought it up, another part of his sea chart was filled.
The manfish smiled and chuckled. "So tell me, fries, have you seen that other big ship? There's another buncha pirates hanging round here this island. You could probably take 'em, though. Well, see ya!" And the manfish vanished into the waves.
"Other pirates?" Tetra said scornfully. "Groan. What a waste. Well, we should give 'em something to think about when we see 'em, huh, Link?"
Link wasn't listening. He was staring at the spot the fish had marked out. Then he snapped his fingers in realisation.
"This is the place where one of my charts says there's a treasure! I gotta go get my maps!" And he down towards the door that led below deck.
"Charts...Waitwaitwait!" Tetra barged in front of him before he reached the door. "I'll get them, kiddo! You just stay put here and uh...keep an eye out for those pirates!"
"Tetra..."
"I'm captain 'round here, an' I say you STAY!" Tetra dove below deck before Link could get another word in. He stood there bewildered for a moment before turning to the helmsman.
"What's with Tetra? Why can't I go below deck?"
The Helmsman shrugged. Blinky, the lookout, piped up.
"She just doesn't want ya to see the s- OW!" He was interrupted by a sharp thump from the Helmsman. That was the end of the conversation.
Link paced the deck, puzzled, when the door opened and a bunch of blue papers waddled out.
Tetra's voice came from behind the charts. "Thank you SO much for collecting all these and marking the ones we've found already...My arms are breaking!" She deposited the charts with a plop onto the deck. "So which one is it"
It didn't take long to find the chart Link was talking about, and the ship was very meticulously navigated towards the spot marked on the map.
"Starboard a bit more, forward...wee bit more...starboard...PORT! PORT! There we go, forward...There!" The ship ground to a halt and Link lowered the crane into the sea.
"Maybe it's a silver rupee, or even a gold rupee!" Blinky chattered excitedly.
"Don't get yer hopes up." The helmsman spoke out. "Remember when we got a chest and it turned out to be some sailor's laundry?"
"Yes..." Tetra chuckled. "I think that was when Niko decided he was gonna get his fair share of what we got from the sea."
Niko growled loudly as the pirates laughed at the memory. Just then the crane pulled up a sea chest and placed it with a thump on the deck. It was a black chest with Hyrule markings on it, and it was exceptionally big.
Link opened it and was delightfully surprised. It wasn't laundry or silver rupees, but it was a cache of purple rupees. He handed them out to the gleeful pirates.
"Heehee, wow!"
"This is swell!"
"We can get some real grog when we next land at port!"
"SHIP AHOY!" Blinky suddenly yelled out from the crow's nest. The pirates turned and saw a large red ship on the horizon.
"Must be those blinkin' pirates...get the cannons ready!"
Just then the red ship began firing at the pirate's ship with large black cannonballs. None of them hit.
"Must be amateurs...Forget the cannons! Let's board 'em! Link, Drive us towards that ship!"
Link smiled and pulled out his silver conductor's baton. The Wind Waker. He had held onto it ever since his first adventure, and had been using it to move the ship around with all speed.
Link made a few key movements and the wind changed, charging the ship towards the red pirates. They probably realized they were being charged, and tried to row away, but they were easily overtaken. Link and the others boarded the ship.
It was a small, pathetic ship with few experienced fighters and a lot of drunken idiots. Capturing it was unbelievably easy. The captain had spent less than 2 rounds with Link before he was forced to surrender.
The pirates promptly looted the ship, taking the weapons and what treasures the amateurs had managed to collect. Link grabbed a beautiful butterfly necklace for himself, and Tetra grabbed a few spare swords.
They left the ship, hollowed out and with a rudder stuck until the reached the nearest port, and began counting their booty.
"Woohoo! Two finds in one day! Link was right, this is a good day!"
"Hear Hear!" Link smiled as the pirates raised a toast. Then he saw the island and suggested they dock there for the night. The offer was accepted happily.
-
"WHEN TROUBLE SWINGS YOUR WAY, THEY SAY
TO LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
BUT HE WHO HESITATES IS LOST
SO I'LL JUST DIVE IN DEEP!
I'LL PAY THE PIPER FOR THE TUNE
AND IF I'M LED ASTRAY,
THEN WITH A HELPING HAND OR TWO,
A WILL THERE IS A WAY!"
The song and dance around the fire the pirates had lit was a merry affair. Full of drinks, skilley and joy, the pirates all joined in to the song. Link and Tetra laughed alongside them until Niko showed up and whispered into Tetra's ear.
"It's ready? Great! C'mon Link." She tugged Link's shoulder away from the fire. "We got somethin' to show ya!" Link had to let himself be dragged by the pirate captain towards the shore.
A Surprise met his eyes. It was a small, red boat, an almost perfect replica of the King of Red Lions. It was clearly built for one passenger, and had a sail ready.
"Just for you, kiddo."
Link was flabbergasted. She did this for him? He gave a dopey smile and looked at Tetra. She smiled back.
"You can use the cyclones to go wherever ya want, right? So why don't ya head to your family for a bit, say hello, and come back here, you can do it whenever you want - URK!"
Link, overcome with gratitude, had promptly given Tetra a rather crushing hug.
"A Thank you would've been good...you don't need ta hug...oooof..." Tetra stammered just before Link let go and bounded towards his new boat. Tetra caught his breath and smiled. He hadn't changed a bit - still as eager and enthusiastic as ever. She stepped back and shook her head as Link summoned a cyclone to take him to his home island.
-
Link timidly knocked on his home's door. It was still evening, and he didn't want to wake anyone.
He didn't. The door opened onto the smiling face of an old woman.
"Oh...LINK!" She hugged her grandson with as much force as her old body could manage before Link had a chance to say hello. The air was almost driven out of his lungs when she let go and looked at Link.
"My word, you've grown so! Did my soup do that for you? Or are you eating all that stuff the pirates have been serving? Just look at you! Did you come by for more soup? I'll make some, come in, come in!"
Link chuckled as he re-entered his old home. Same old Grandma.
Aryll was overjoyed at seeing Big Brother again after so long and practically leaped on him.
"How ya been? What's new? Have you been sailing alot? Didja miss me? Huh? Issat why you're back?" Link chuckled and dusted himself off before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the necklace he had gotten from the day's spoils.
Aryll was even more overjoyed, if that was even possible. "Oh Big Brother, It's beautiful! Thankyouthankyou!"
Link smiled, and took a bottle that grandma had filled with her special soup. He chuckled, and then gave her the purple rupee that he had also gotten.
"Hmhmhm. Always thinking about your old grandma. Did you get this from a sunken ship?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Did you sink the ship?"
"Wha-no, of course not!"
Grandma smiled. 'I know, you wouldn't dream of it. Still, I worry about you sometimes. You're never around."
"I can return as soon as I can again..."
"Thank you so much, Link. It's appreciated. Now drink up. My little pirate hero grandson needs nourishment."
-
Another cyclone returned Link to the island that morning. He was perched right beside the pirate's ship. Tetra leaned over the railing and winked at him.
"Ya took yer time. C'mon aboard Link, a Pirate's Life waits for nobody, not even a hero!"
Link chuckled, and he sailed away with the pirates towards another day.