A/N: Hello! Well after a year, I'm finally uploading my first story!

First off, this story is a novelization of Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. It is not at all a copy-and-paste walkthrough type story; there will be many notable differences. It is written based off of the game, manga, my own ideas, and various inspirations (such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Treasure Planet). I figured that since there are like... none of these, I would write one! And if you couldn't guess, this contains spoilers for Phantom Hourglass, as well as Wind Waker... Maybe even one or two for Spirit Tracks later on, too.

Let me start by explaining that the first few chapters take place before the opening scene of the game. I wanted to give a look into a bit of their daily pirating life and give Tetra a bit of screen time and action before she goes off and gets captured for a majority of the story.

I also want to thank DragonEye0905 and Eureka93 for being my beta fish for this first chapter, as well as for providing some much needed motivation. And thanks to Selphie Kinneas 175 for doing some post chapter proofreading for me.

So without further ado... Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda.

Phantom Hourglass

By: 7he Goddess Din

Chapter 1: The Port

"I want you to live for the future," King Daphnes Nohansen said. They were at the bottom of the Great Sea on the ancient castle of Hyrule, the ocean water pouring in down around them. The kingdom had been sealed away in a protective barrier under the depths of the seas ages ago, fated to never meet the light of the sun again and to fade away from all memory. Inside that barrier they now stood. However, due to a wish granted by the sacred power of the goddesses, that wall was crumbling and the kingdom would soon be swallowed by ocean.

Off to the side of where they stood, water glistened off of the legendary blade, the Master Sword, that remained plunged deep into the forehead of the now stone figure of the once powerful man, Ganondorf. The man who was the cause of so much darkness, destruction, and the annihilation of blessed kingdom of the gods.

Link and Princess Zelda stood there, looking up at the remorseful King of Hyrule. He was tall and large, adorned in red, regal robes, yet his eyes shone with regret. "There may be nothing left for you... But despite that, you must look forward and walk a path of hope, trusting that it will sustain you when darkness comes. Farewell... This is the only world that your ancestors were able to leave you. Please... forgive us."

The elegant princess, only of about age thirteen as was the young hero, dropped her head in thought. The wind billowed gently around them, rustling through her elaborate dress and whipping around her golden hair. The young girl starred down at the hard stone of Hyrule Castle's rooftop, before perking up. "W-wait!" she said hopefully, her dark blue eyes shining. "You could... you could come with us! Yes, of course. We have a ship! ...We can find it. We will find it. The land that will be the next Hyrule!"

But the king's face remained emotionless, his eyes gleaming with a saddening goodbye. The young girl's hope fell as she continued, nearly inaudibly, "So..."

The King of Hyrule then smiled; a genuine and kind smile given at the thoughtfulness and care shown by the young girl. "Ah, but child..." he started, longingly. "That land will not be Hyrule. It will be your land!"

That's when the water from above caved in, crashing down into the once sealed ancient kingdom below, and forever hiding it from the surface above.

The hammock Link lied on gently swayed back and forth with the rhythmic patter of the ship as he awoke from his dream-infested sleep. Through the darkness he was able to make out the shapes of other men snoring heavily in their respective bunks and hammocks. He tried to close his eyes again, but instead he found himself simply staring at the opposite wall of the crew's quarters.

His dream troubled him for reason's he couldn't quite figure out in his dazed mind. He had come to accept what had happened that day; the last time he had ever seen the King of Hyrule. He had come to accept a lot of things. But this dream had been so vivid that the memory felt just as fresh as the first time.

Link slowly dropped his feet to the cold wooden floor before pulling on some brown, leather boots and slipping into a billowy cotton shirt. He stood, quietly making his way across the room, trying to avoid stumbling from the rocking of the ship and his own drowsiness. He climbed the stairs leading to the upper deck. When he opened the door, the cold night air immediately pierced his skin but he paid no attention to it as he stepped towards the edge of the ship, leaning against the railing. Down thirty feet below, the dark water churned, the mild gale disrupting its calm. The bright half-moon reflected on the glossy black surface of the sea, illuminating the night.

As he stared across an ocean not so different than the one he had grown up watching, a sudden realization hit him: Four years ago today marked the end of his year-long adventure… and of Hyrule. Whenever the day came, he wasn't sure whether he should celebrate the anniversary of his victory with the crew or mourn his losses alone in the galley. Usually, though, he found himself walking aimlessly around with a vacant expression, acting as if none of it had ever happened. He found that, even now, he wasn't sure what to make of what had occurred.

Link stayed there until the first hints of dawn began to lighten the distant sky.

"Hey," a female voice said. He turned to see a strong, lean girl his age walking casually towards him. She had a deep tan, wild ocean blue eyes, and long, sandy blonde hair that flowed down around her shoulders, dancing in the wind. She leaned against the railing next to him, their shoulders touching, her warmth seeping into him. "Sleep well?"

He shrugged his response. "You know what today is."

"…Yeah."

They stood there a little longer in the silence, her wind-blown hair tickling his skin.

"So where are we sailing to next?"

Tetra hesitated, staring out at the open seas as the faintest glows of the sunrise began to peek out on the horizon, showering the ocean in an array of glittering gold. Gyorgs began jumping out of the water below them, circling around the drifting ship. "Honestly, I don't know. I feel like we've searched everywhere for a suitable island for New Hyrule, but there just isn't any big enough."

"So we have no destination, then?" Link stated.

She shook her head. "No."

For the past few years, the crew had been sailing in search of a place to build New Hyrule. Because of who King Daphnes Nohansen was to Link and Tetra, they both felt they owed it to him and the memory of his kingdom to find somewhere to rebuild it.

Tetra continued. "But who knows. It's a big world. We'll find something eventually." There was doubt in her voice, and Link sensed she said it trying to reassure herself. He knew how important this mission was to her, because though Tetra had only known him for a short time, the old king was like a father to her as well as the keeper of her past. "Let's just keep sailing east."

Link sighed. "Four years, and we've found nothing… I don't want to give up on this, but what if there isn't such a place that we're looking for?"

"We've only covered about half of the world," she tried. "There has to be something on the other side."

"Tetra, maybe we should try doing something else," he started. She gave him an aghast look and he quickly continued. "I'm not saying we shouldn't keep looking. But your crew is exhausted of doing this. We've been at it for years with no success. Maybe we should take a break to rejuvenate them and let them feel some success again."

Though Tetra didn't want anything to detract her from this quest, she knew he was right. She had seen the neglected faces of her men as they would rise in the morning, working and sweating all day with the sun beating down on their backs only to see nothing come of their efforts. She had memorized their worn expressions as they would sluggishly descend the stairs back to their bunks during the nights thick with an air of weariness. She had watched as they found only tiny islands dot the seas instead of the grand land of prosperity that they had at a time dreamed of gazing upon, and as the adventurous light that used to shine in their eyes slowly went dull.

She stood there quietly, pondering on what he suggested. "You're right. I think we could all use a short adventure… In fact, I might have one."

She turned away, a new resolve sparking in her eyes.

"Link," the enthusiastic voice of Niko called to him. The pirate was a scrawny kid, just a little older than Link, but a few inches shorter. His ratty, dirty blonde hair tucked underneath his blue bandanna. He wore his striped shirt and green pants. A cutlass hung from his belt fastened with a skull clasp. His eyes gleamed with its usual mischievous light. He smiled, showing off his crooked teeth. "Hey, Link. I wrote a story. You wanna hear it?"

Link sat against the side of the boat, his head in his knees as he tried to stay awake, the morning sun already beating down upon them as clouds drifted past. He blinked tiredly. "Not really," he mumbled.

"Aw, c'mon," Niko said. He sat down next to Link anyway with some pictures in his hands. Over the years, Link had grown closer to Niko. The two had become good friends, despite Niko's annoying tendency to mess around as opposed to Link's calmer, more serious demeanor.

Niko cleared his throat before starting, showing different pictures as he went. "Our story begins not long ago... There once was a young girl, savvy to the seas and head of a band of pirates. Her name was Tetra. She was pretty, brash, and brave. Tetra and her handsome pirates set out to explore the vast and unfamiliar seas. One day on a stop at an island, Tetra met a young boy dressed in green. After a series of strange events, the two began traveling together. They found old ruins, and light enveloped Tetra. At once, she_"

"Hey!" Tetra shouted down at the two from the quarterdeck, and Link's head snapped up. He hadn't even realized he had dozed off. "What are you doing Niko? You're supposed to be mopping the deck."

She stalked towards them. Niko instantly dropped what he was doing, jumped up, and grabbed the mop. "Aye, aye, captain!"

Link picked up Niko's pictures and flipped through them. He could easily see that the pirate was telling the story of Link's adventure those years ago. He looked at the depictions of himself in his green hero's outfit and felt a sudden wave of nostalgia. He grew out of the green tunic Grandma had made for him many years ago. But even if he hadn't, it was so beat up that it wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway.

Tetra then turned on him. "And what are you doing?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. He was accustom to her putting on her hard pirate demeanor during the day when she had to perform her role as captain, but he still had a difficult time taking "captain's orders" seriously. She rolled her eyes. "Well, there's an island on the horizon. We're going to make port there, so get ready."

"So what's on the agenda for today?" he asked, teasingly. "Murder, steal, and plunder?"

She scoffed. "Alright first of all, murder has never been part of what we do. Yes, we will be taking a few choice provisions, but I want to ask around a bit first. I've been hearing odd rumors lately. So if you wouldn't mind taking down the flag for me, that would be helpful. We don't need to scare the town before we even dock."

Link frowned and got to his feet. "Rumors about what?"

"Ships going missing," Tetra answered.

"Alright, Niko," Tetra started once they had docked. The eight pirates stood next to the hull of the grand ship. "As always, man the ship. Don't let anyone who doesn't know the password on."

They began walking down the pier towards the port's marketplace as Tetra gave out more orders. "Link and Gonzo; come with me. The rest of you; I want you to check out the shops. Search around, locate the provisions we need, as well as whatever else we might want. But don't take anything yet, unless if you can be discreet about it. I don't want to cause any unnecessary uproars until I'm ready. This is a popular sailor port, so there are quite a few here who can wield weapons."

The port's marketplace consisted of many little stalls all lined up in nice rows and a few mud-brick buildings. The place was bustling with local villagers, sailors, and merchants trading their wares and exchanging tales. The smell of freshly baked goods, ripe fruits, sweat, and the salty sea breeze filled the air. Hearty laughter and chatter echoed from all around. Men inspected the different weaponry. Women looked at many shades of fabrics and glittering jewelry. A few boys sword played in the streets, while girls sat and giggled among themselves. The pirates walked through the market, shoving people out of their way as they went. Between the wide arrays of peoples at the port though, the pirates blended in rather nicely. Senza, Nudge, Mako, and Zuko headed off some other direction as Tetra, Link, and Gonzo started walking down a different row of shops.

"Why is it that we have to steal anyway?" Link asked as Tetra began eyeing and taking note of the different foods available. "We've got plenty of money."

Tetra sighed and ran a hand down her face. "Do I have to spell it out for you every single time we dock? Because we're pirates, okay? That's what we do. Be happy we don't murder people or raid and burn down villages or take prisoners and make them walk the plank for our amusement." She stopped walking to look at a stall with a variety of blades on display. "You know, Link, I've been a pirate all my life. I'm not about to change just because you don't always like what we do. I don't see why you can't just get over it. If you want, next time you can stay on the ship and we'll bring Niko instead." Tetra began to walk away, Gonzo right behind her. He was a bald and tall, buff guy about twice her age.

Link hesitated before following them around a corner, where his long, pointed ears picked up on a different conversation, "...what I thought too. But I heard of this one explorer who went there, sneaky and quietly he did, but he found the place completely, well... forsaken." Link found the two pirates stopped next to a fish stall. A few people were gathered around listening to the story; the one who had been talking appearing to be a sailor. "It was all just a load of rubbish. The place ain't dangerous. It's all just deserted ruins."

"What are they talking about?" Link muttered to Tetra.

"My guess is the Forsaken Fortress. It has been abandoned for years now. Apparently people still assume it's dangerous. But that's not important." Before their conversation could continue, she stepped forward, leaning casually against the stall. "You hear about ships disappearing in these waters?" she asked to the small crowd, raising an eyebrow. At first it was silent, as if they were afraid of the subject.

"What causes the disappearances... It's a foul ship," a man started slowly. "Veiled in mist, it fades in and out of sight like something of another world... It is the Ghost Ship."

The crowd began to shift around and murmur to each other in the sudden shift of moods, the mere mention of the ship sending shivers down their spines. The temperature seemed to drop, the sun shining not as brightly. Tetra remained unfazed, and she jeered, "A ghost ship? Please. There are no ghost ships. I'll bet it's just a bunch of pirates up to no good."

Someone else shook their head. "I've seen a pictograph. It looks as though it came straight from the Dark World. It exists and is worse than pirates. It is the real terror of the seas. They say no one walks away from it alive."

"'Real terror of the seas'," she mocked. "If no one's walked away alive, how could you have seen a pictograph?" When he responded with a dumbfounded look, she continued, "It's just a load of rubbish. I bet they could easily be exposed as frauds."

"Believe what you will, girl. But whatever the ship may be, it is said to carry loads of treasure beneath its decks; more gold than you could possibly hope for. So many ships have tried to get their hands on that treasure, but they are never seen again. I bet that Ghost Ship has piles of treasure from all the ships it's gotten. All the ships that have foolishly gone after it."

"Really?" she replied, stroking her chin. "Well where was it last seen?"

"Somewhere farther out to the west is where ships have gone missing most frequently. It would be wise to avoid those waters. They are cursed. One would need a sea chart to navigate through there safely."

"Fascinating," she stated simply. "Well we're actually going in that direction…" Link's attention instantly snapped back to her. She had never mentioned anything about any destination. This plan of hers was entirely new. "…So where could we get such a sea chart to pass through 'safely'?"

"I don't think you can. There was a man here who sold sea charts, but a little while back, they were all stolen."

"Do you know who by?"

"I'm told they were pirates. The notorious Iron Jack Flint."

Tetra hid her face as she softly chuckled, "Oh Din, this will be too easy."

"I heard they were last seen by an island to the south," a different merchant chimed in.

"Many thanks." She turned and began walking away.

Link grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "What are you planning?" he whispered. She simply winked at him before strutting away. "Tetra," Link called to her. "I don't think we should go looking for that ship. I had to go on a ghost ship once in the Great Sea. It's not something we should go chasing after."

"You did," she said plainly. "You went on one and you survived. And you were only twelve... I think the eight of us can handle the 'oh so scary' ghost ship just fine."

"And I've heard that those waters are protected by some kind of Ocean King spirit," Gonzo added. "So it probably isn't even that dangerous."

"Exactly," Tetra concluded. "Gonzo, we're ready to take off. I got what I wanted, so tell the others to start rounding up the things we need and to get back to the ship."

"And what was it that you wanted here?" Link questioned, once Gonzo was gone.

"A destination. Something worth doing. Just like you wanted, right?"

"No, this is us just looking for more useless treasure."

"The treasure will come as a side reward. Think of what we're doing more as a public service. We'll be ridding the seas of a false terror."

"This still isn't a good idea," Link muttered.

Link and Tetra made their way around to the outskirts of the market to avoid all the traders and crowds. They were overshadowed from the burning sun by a building to their left when Tetra said, "Actually, I did see some nice swords at that one stall. I say we go back and pick up a few."

Link was about to refuse her offer, but a different voice spoke before his. "Well, well, look who strayed too far from home." The two turned to see a raggedy man with greasy, dark hair watching them from an ally. "They're sure to have something good on 'em." They heard blades being unsheathed and found two others on either side of them, each with a jagged knife. "Hand over your money kids and we won't hurt you."

Tetra rolled her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Oh look at that," the one on her left said, eyeing her knife. "That's sure to be worth a nice price." The first guy stepped out of the alley, clenching his own knife.

"If you stop now," Tetra said coolly. "Then we won't hurt you."

The first man just chuckled at her response, "Just give us your valuables, princess." Link saw anger flash dangerously behind her eyes. The moment he put down his next step, however, Tetra elbowed the one next to her hard in the gut. The man grasped at his middle in pain as she whipped out her knife and proceeded to punch him in the face with the hilt. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Link knock the third guy out from under his feet. She turned back just in time to duck underneath the first guy's knife swing. In one swift movement of her leg, she hurled him into the nearest stall. The stall owner gasped loudly in shock, his cabbages rolling away on the pavement.

The next moment, she was there, holding the man down with her knife dangerously close to his face. "Call me 'princess' one more time," she breathed threateningly at the man cowering beneath her.

Link walked up next to her. "Come on, we need to get going back to the ship."

She continued to glare menacingly into the frightened eyes of the pathetic man, giving no sign of having heard Link. "Tetra!" he said again. After another moment, she slammed her fist holding her knife hard against the man's face. He fell off the stall, collapsing onto the hard ground.

"What did you do that for?" Link questioned, bewildered.

"He had it coming," she muttered, sheathing her knife.

"You could have just let him go," Link said. "I really doubt he would have continued fighting."

"Isn't that convincing," she said sarcastically.

"Tetra, could you not see that he was scared? He's just a helpless man who doesn't have anything. And he was unarmed."

She scoffed. "Yeah, after I disarmed him."

"The point is," Link said. "You're becoming bossier, more violent and pirate-y every single day. I don't know what's going on with you."

She simply ignored him as she stepped through a nearby stall and into the next row. Link followed and was about to stop her, when an explosion went off and screams of "Pirates!" reached their ears.

"Ah," Tetra said, having shoved off their recent conversation from her mind and now sounding satisfied, once he had caught up to her. "Now the fun part begins." As he suspected, he saw the other pirates trying to make off with the market's goods through the cover the smoke bomb had given them. The first he saw was of Mako running down atop the stalls, grabbing bags of apples and sacks of meat as he went. Tetra took off and Link sprinted after her, dodging around the people that were beginning to panic. Others proceed to unsheathe weapons of their own, making their way towards the smoke. The two found their way back to the stall displaying different blades, and Tetra grabbed two matching, smoothly curved cutlasses. She turned and took a few loaves of bread from the opposite stall, disregarding the stall owner and shoving them into Link's arms.

"Whoa, I'm not_" He stopped when she once again ignored him and leaped through another stall. He huffed as he quickly shoved the loaves into a sack from another stall and jumped after her into the edges of the smoke. The moment he was on the other side, Tetra grabbed his arm and forcefully pulled him aside. He heard the clash of metal and spun around to see her newly acquired swords held up against another angry man's sword, frightened people running past them.

"You filthy pirates!" he bellowed at them. "You ain't stealing our goods!"

"Oh really?" she retorted. She kneed him in the stomach and swung at his legs, knocking him off of his feet. She started to turn around when something green caught her eye. She studied it for just a moment before turning to Link. "Get back to the ship. I'll meet you there."

He didn't protest, knowing she would be too stubborn about it. With the sack of bread around his shoulder, he ran down the row towards the ship. Once the marketplace was behind him, he could see that the others had made it back to the ship and were preparing to set sail. He looked back and saw that the smoke was beginning to clear up a bit. The people were still frantically trying to escape the smoke, though a few had started to calm down, realizing that the pirates were now taking their leave. Except for Tetra.

She hastily shoved a few extra collected items into a bag, knowing her crew was all waiting for her, and threw it around her shoulder. She whirled in the direction of the ship to find a sword blade pointed at her. She glanced behind her to find the guy she had just taken care of back on his feet, his blade also at the ready. She gripped her two swords, glancing between her two opponents. "For Din's sake, what is it about pirates that you people don't understand?" Tetra muttered a bit annoyed.

She swung her swords up hard, knocking their blades away from her. She charged the one that stood between her and her ship, trying to avoid killing them as much as possible as she swung the blunt side of her blade against his hip bone. He stumbled, and she grabbed him and forcefully knocked him into his comrade. She began running down the aisle back towards the ship, the two men in pursuit and shouting in defiance, having quickly recovered. She grabbed a nearby pole of a stall, using her momentum to swing herself around just in time to nail her foot into the side of one of their heads. As he collapsed, she brought the blunt side of her blade down against the other's collarbone, watching as he fell as well. "Because we are the terror of the seas."

She sheathed her two new blades as she strutted away towards her ship, staring forward with determination. "Savvy?"

A/N: For anyone who actually made it to the end: Thanks so much for reading! And don't forget to review. Please tell me your thoughts and feel free to give constructive criticism or ideas. I hope to get chapter 2 out soonish, but until then, as said in the wise words of the King of Red Lions, "Look forward and walk a path of hope, trusting that it will sustain you when darkness comes." Farewell!