Chapter 2
It was around midnight. The waves were gently petting the sand over and over again, making the already tiny rocks even smaller. The moon shone brilliantly in the dark sky. It was like a blanket of darkness and silence was put over the island with only the moon to light the way. It was this time when Link smoothly stepped through the sand with the air of a princely warrior (and rightfully so) and approached a patiently waiting Medli. "You called?" he asked, coming up beside her. Medli looked up at Link and couldn't help but inwardly grin at his handsome figure, enhanced by the moon's shower of light. Tetra was so lucky. "I did," she responded. He sat down next to her. "Normally," he noted, "You don't get other people to do things for you. So why have Makar come get me?" "Well," Medli began, "it's about time we had 'the talk'." "What do you mean by that?" Link was confused. Medli lowered her eyes. "Every time I try to bring it up, you push me away," she said. "But this time, we're alone, and there's nothing to bother me or you." Link's eyes widened a bit. Remembering all the past times she tried to strike up conversation with him, it always had that one subject in it. "Alright, what is it?" he asked, wanting to seem as clueless and innocent as possible. Medli said, "Do you, ah, have your eye on any girl in particular?" It had sounded so much better in her head than saying it out loud. Link replied carefully, "If you mean you, I hate to say it but I just think of you as a really good friend. However, you are the most beautiful Rito I've ever laid eyes upon," he teased. "Thanks." Medli laughed in an attempt to mask her embarrassment, but the blush coming up on her face probably gave it away. "No, that's not what I meant at all (haha). I mean have you met anyone else you're interested in? We've been a lot of places." "Well…" Link trailed off, gazing at the sand. "C'mon," Medli urged him. "I won't tell anyone." She was almost sure she knew what the response would be, if there was any.
Link sighed. "I don't know if you can keep a secret," he jested. At Medli's angle, his ocean blue eyes perfectly reflected the shining moon. "Umm…" he hesitated. Medli simply waited for him to collect himself. "Well, she's kinda pretty…" he began. The poor Rito couldn't stand the tension. "Obviously," she stated, "if you like her, she has to be. What else?" Link seemed to be struggling to find the right words to say, but he didn't seem afraid. Finally, he confessed. "She may be a bit rough, but she has all the best intentions. No matter what kinds of outrageous things she does, I can't help but agree with her plans or look at them optimistically. I've seen her with different eyes, if you will, and in both views she's strong yet elegant. I've found myself staring at her without even noticing I was in the first place. The way she locks gazes with me is kind of unnerving, though," he added. "But, if anyone were to really bore their eyes into my soul, she's one of the only people I'd trust," he finished. Medli heard exactly what she wanted to hear and was trying really hard not to freak out on the spot. "Let's say," she tried to contain herself, "that this girl felt the same way. Say she's crazy for you. What would you do?" Link looked at her. "I never really thought about it that way," he admitted, "it was always me wanting her." Medli couldn't help but grin. "I think I can help you win her over," she said in an absentminded tone. "Really?" Link sounded unsure. "Yup," she responded. "Being female myself, I know all the crazy twists and turns we take when falling head-over-heels for a guy. That means I can use those zigzags to make her fall right into a trap," she explained, "and then into your arms." Link had a strange look on his face. "I don't kno-" "Trust me!" Medli pleaded. "I'll do everything I can to make sure it works." Then, she smiled deviously. "I need to know who to trap first," she commented. Link sighed. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" "Swear by the goddesses," she promised. He leaned over and whispered in her ear…
By dawn, the whole crew, save Link and Tetra, knew about the plan and swore to keep it secret unless threatened with violence from their captain. Sometimes, limits had to be set. Medli had gotten the blacksmith hard at work after easily detecting and digging up lots of raw ore. After the talk with Link, she went to go check on progress. He said he expected the project to be done by the afternoon and to wait until then. Tetra had no problem with staying, so she sent Gonzo the okay. Medli was in high spirits. Things were going exactly as planned. Except for the fact that she was exhausted from staying up all night. As soon as her job was complete, she took refuge in one of the fairly comfy hammocks within the ship.
By the time the sun had risen above the ocean, Tetra woke up and stretched. What a good night's sleep. She got up and stepped through the sand, opening up the curtains to be almost blinded with sunshine. She winced but quickly adjusted to the gleaming rays she knew so well and took a deep breath, catching the smell of the salty ocean. This was home, this was life. She wouldn't want to be anything more than a pirate.
Tetra decided to go for a little walk. The sand was a nice, cool temperature since the sun hadn't been out for very long yet. She played through it with her toes, feeling its rough surface and gentle flow. The sand was a lot like water. She was accustomed to both. As she ambled along, she heard a banging noise that increased as she kept going. Finally, she stopped in front of a tent that was closed. She could see a yellow glow and the shadow of a figure within. She didn't know how to aware him that she was coming in and she was the captain of a crew of pirates, so she just let herself in. What she found shocked her: long poles of metal, along with a large, thin block of iron. She edged a little closer to see the very busy blacksmith make the mold of a lock. What in the great seas was this? He seemed way too focused to disturb, so she awkwardly left the way she came. And found herself face-to-face with Gonzo.
He was in shock. "M-miss Tetra?" he jumped. She was a bit startled but she easily kept herself calm. "Yes, Gonzo?" He sighed. "Uh, just startled me a bit is all." She noticed that a little bead of sweat had formed on his forehead. "You sure?" she asked quizzically. Gonzo seemed to relax a little. "Of course, Miss," he replied cheerfully. She looked back to the tent. "What in the great seas is going on in there? And how did they find metal? I can't see a speck of ore anywhere." Gonzo shrugged and said quickly, "I dunno." She easily suspected something was up and narrowed her eyes at him. "What's this got to do with you?" she pressed. "Nothing!" Gonzo exclaimed. "I'm not troubling myself with these little folk? Goddesses know what that guy is doing in there!" Tetra sighed. It didn't seem like him to be interested in anything other than keeping the crew in ship-shape, and he certainly wasn't the type to play with molten metal. "Alright," she gave in. "Make sure we have all the things we need before we set off. And don't forget to mark this place on the map." "Aye-aye, Cap'n!" Gonzo saluted and went off in the direction of the ship. He couldn't believe how lucky he was that Tetra hadn't further questioned him.
Link had fallen asleep on the deck. When he woke up, he found himself face-first on the wooden floor. He groaned and pushed himself up. Looking about, he registered that it was now daytime, and the crew would be setting sail soon. He remembered the conversation he'd had with Medli that night and felt a little light-headed. He decided to go have a look around the village before they left and see some fresh sights. He bounded down the deck and jumped to the shore. The village was straight ahead. Maybe he should go for a nice walk around the village. He nodded to himself, thinking that was the best idea, and set off. He passed by Gonzo, who gave him a nod. Gonzo barely hid the sly grin that was creeping up on his face.
Link was in awe at all the gigantic yet sturdy tents scattered about the island. They looked like they could be blown over easily, but they obviously weren't as they would have to deal with repair a lot. He wondered if the Anouki would make good architects for building houses and the like in New Hyrule. He grinned at the thought of having a gigantic castle built out of blue cloth and branches.
Tetra happened to be walking in the exact direction as Link. When she saw him gazing at the tents, she stopped. It was just the two of them; no one else seemed to be around. She didn't feel so great about the situation, but there wasn't really anywhere to hide. She bit her lip. Link still hadn't seen her. Maybe she could get away—nope, his eyes were now on her. Her heart started racing. Link said, "Oh, hey, Tetra. What's going on?" She couldn't form words on her mouth. Just concentrate on his eyes. That's it. She took a breath. "Nothing much," she responded, "just walking around the village." The way she talked so blandly made her want to smack herself in the face, but that would make her look even more stupid. Link smiled. "Same here. You think these guys would make good architects?" Tetra's head was spinning, but she was able to answer, "Probably. I dunno." Link eyed her with concern. "Are you all right?" he inquired. "You look a little… pale." Tetra responded, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine! I just… forgot about something I left on the ship. Sorry; gotta go." She tried really hard not to run away, so it turned into a fast walk. Link just stared after her. What in the great seas was that? It was his first chance to talk to her alone, without anything endangering them or without any straggling crew members. He hit himself in the face. Medli didn't say anything to her, did she?
Great minds think alike, for as Tetra was far enough away, she did the very same thing. "Idiot!" she fumed to herself. "You can't do anything right with that idiot around! Makes me sick. But…" she recalled gazing into his ocean blue eyes and smiled. Then she caught herself and shook her head. "See? This is exactly what I'm talking about." Once again, she put herself through the lecture of being captain: keep a level head, treat all your crew members equally, and, most importantly… Well, she knew.
Link was at a loss as to what to do next, so he decided to follow Tetra's footprints to the tent in front of him. He heard the squealing of cooling metal as he approached the closed curtain. Confused, he ruffled the curtain, as was the Anouki custom (like knocking at a door), and he heard a "Come in!" Link brushed the cloth aside and stepped in. "It's almost do-" as the blacksmith turned around, he stopped mid-sentence. He had also agreed to keep the secret. "Why hello there!" he greeted instead. "You're the young Link, Hero of Winds, I presume?" Link rubbed the back of his head over the title. "Oh, not exactly a 'hero', but that's what some people call me." "Pleasure to meet you!" the blacksmith exclaimed. Link replied, "Likewise. What'cha working on here?" The blacksmith was wise, and he had already thought of a lie. "It's for domesticating seagulls," he said. Beside him was what looked like a gigantic cage. He explained, "We plan to use the birds as messengers to send letters back and forth to you and your crew." Then, he turned back to his work and pulled a little key out of a tub of water. "I hate to say it," he said apologetically, "but it gets pretty hot in here when I start to weld this metal. I'd suggest stepping out. It gets pretty uncomfortable." Link got the hint. "Of course, I'll just be on my way. Again, it was nice meeting you. Good luck with those seagulls!" The Anouki smiled. "Much obliged. Have a safe voyage!" With that, Link left the tent. The wise blacksmith sighed in relief and grabbed some fire crystals that Medli had also found for him.
Speaking of Medli, the young Rito woke up at about this time. She immediately thought of her plan. Was it going smoothly? Then she remembered: Tetra had a book of some sort. No one was guarding her cabin, and no one dared to go in for fear of ultimate destruction. But Medli was a brave soul, willing to take the risk. She got out of her hammock and padded upstairs to Tetra's cabin. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she drew back the vibrant red curtains that masked the contents. She stepped in and gasped. There were all sorts of charts and whatnot scattered everywhere, on the walls, in a pile on the floor, on her desk… And sure enough, there was that little book. Medli grinned wickedly. She wasn't going to go blurt out all of Tetra's secrets to everyone, but she was still invading her privacy. She walked over and looked at the cover. It was just a plain, dull brown color. Medli opened it and caught her breath again.
Tetra was an amazing artist. On the first page was a drawing of the ancient Hero of Time, holding the Master Sword in his hand, a look of determination on his face. It didn't look life-like, more like a painting. She turned the page again. This time, she saw the golden Triforce. Well, it wasn't golden, as Tetra had only black ink to use, but one of the triangles was shaded in. Medli assumed it was the Triforce of Wisdom. Tetra was once connected to it. She turned to the next page. Now this one was life-like. It was Link. He was in his tunic with the cute little green hat, but he didn't exactly look cute. He was staring right at her, as if to say, "If I have to, then I'll fight." Medli was taken aback at how Tetra had brought out his greatest features, like the slight curve of his eyebrows and his broad shoulders. It was pretty much just a headshot, but Medli was still extremely impressed. The best part was his eyes. They were so extremely detailed that Medli wouldn't be able to tell the drawing from the real thing. Even though there was no color, she could imagine the calm sea of blue that they always held. Then, she thought of how often Tetra probably looked at the drawing. Medli couldn't help but giggle. She could imagine the captain practically drooling over his strong and handsome demeanor. But there weren't any smudges. Medli was satisfied that she found something related to Link, but she was puzzled as to why there was just a sketch of him.
Then, she heard the door open. She scrambled to get the book closed and looked about frantically. Please don't be Tetra, please don't be Tetra, please don't be Tetra! She finally came to the decision of diving underneath her bed. She could barely squeeze under, but it was dark enough to conceal her. She scooted into the far corner and curled up into a tight ball. Sure enough, the drape rustled. Medli almost let out a squeak in terror. Looking out, she saw perfectly tan feet with comfortable-looking red sandals. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to tremble.
Tetra sighed. "Ugh," she said to herself and walked towards Medli. She was on the verge of screaming in terror, but she knew the only way to survive was to keep quiet. Tetra flopped down on her bed. "Why can't I just act normal?" she asked. "Just focus on the eyes," she repeated in a sarcastic tone. "Thank Nayru I was able to get away without making things too awkward." Medli was curious. She silently prayed to the goddesses to let her hear more. The goddesses had to save her prayer for a later time. Tetra got up again and walked over to her sketchbook. She opened it, but Medli couldn't see which one, as she was stuffed under a bed. She hoped it was the third page, though. "Man, I need that thing back," the captain said, smashing Medli's hopes. She was looking at the Triforce. A couple of seconds later, a yell came from above deck. "Miss Tetra!" both girls heard Gonzo call. "We're ready to set sail! Just say the word!" Tetra walked back to the entrance of her cabin and then stopped. "Is Link on board yet?" she asked herself, then left. Once Tetra's steps were inaudible, Medli heaved a sigh of relief and wriggled out from underneath the bed. She almost ran out of the room and up the stairs. She had to see if her little tool was ready.
