NH3: Next chapter. Thank god for summer.

RANDOM DISCLAIMER: I do not own winter, Nickelback, or Italy.

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Chapter 2: Dagger Cliffs

Tetra sighed, leaning against the railing at the bow. Two days had passed and that glorious feeling of sailing into the horizon had simply…disappeared. It may have been in part that she could no longer see the horizon though.

The day before, they crept into an odd fog that didn't clear up over night. From the ship's deck, they sailed blindly. However, the fog was clearer from the crow's nest, and so they didn't have to turn away. They were following the wind; they couldn't really turn away, but this fog would have needed careful planning anyway. And all pirates knew that planning meant delays, which no pirate liked. Tetra was no exception.

She turned away from the railing, no longer wishing to stare upon such a bland view. Walking forward, she looked up at the crow's nest. She saw the familiar green hat waving gently in the wind and smiled. Link had the best eyes out of any of her pirates—and possibly anyone she ever met. She was glad to have him on board for this.

Tetra climbed down the ladder to the lower part of the ship's deck and looked around. The lack of action left everyone with mostly chores, and so the ship was surprisingly cleaner then usual.

Of course, not everything was clean, but it was cleaner. Tetra secretly wished Niko would dump his garbage pile overboard, but he protested, saying it was for a collection. She had let him, mainly because she didn't want to know much more. Now there was a garbage pile against the wall, near the ship's edge. Tetra would eventually do it herself, but that would be when the stench became unbearable!

At least everyone else is a lot cleaner then that swabbie, she thought to herself as she walked forward. The deck was surprisingly empty.

Everyone but Link must be below deck… Tetra thought as she opened the doors leading below. But not two steps in, she knew something was wrong. It was much too quiet. Tetra slowly crept downstairs, through the lit halls. Of course, no one was in her room as she passed, but that just made her even more wary.

The silence pressed down all around her as she went farther below deck. Not a sound. She looked in the last room, and finally got to panic internally.

Everyone's gone! She thought as she rushed back upstairs and outside. The fog seemed to be closing in as she looked up.

"Link!" She yelled, but no reaction ensued. His hat only fluttered in the breeze.

"Damn…" she muttered as she quickly began to scale the ladder. Below her, the ship seemed to disappear into the fog, and Tetra could only shiver as she approached the top.

She climbed over the edge and stood up behind Link.

"Link!" She scolded, before gripping her head, covering her ears as a screech of terror pierced the very air, straight into her lungs as she gasped.

Redead! She desperately thought as it turned towards her, all of Link's clothes melting away from it.

"No!" Tetra croaked as it fixated its eyes on her. She froze up, darkness flooding her very soul, her very being, as the arms reached forward.

And in that instant, it had her, and she let out a terrified scream, unable to battle such an awful enemy…

And then she woke, crying out in fear. She kicked her feet, pressing her back against her headboard and kicking the covers away. She breathed heavily, beads of sweat creeping down her skin as she shivered and held her legs close to her chest.

Tetra took a few minutes to compose herself, slowly banishing her fear as the need continued to rise. She could never afford a weak moment outside her room, so she found it a relatively good place to regain her attitude. But she still felt weak, scared, and useless…

Just like a princess… she realized, before banging her head against the headboard. She wouldn't let herself think of that. She was Tetra! Not Zelda! Tetra! And with that thought, she stormed out of her room, feeling mostly better. She climbed the stairs out onto the deck outside.

The fog in reality wasn't as foreboding as the one of her dreams. And unlike her dreams, a few of her pirates were on the deck, as real as they could be. But they weren't what scared her most. Looking up to the crow's nest, she vaguely remembered how Link was the Redead before catching herself.

No! The Redead was only disguised as Link! She forced herself to think, taking a deep breath to let it sink in. But could she take a minute to see if he was still Link…?

No! I have things to do. It was just a dream, and nothing like it will ever happen again… She thought angrily as she climbed a ladder and walked toward the wheel upon the stern. Gonzo was steering, but all he did was hold the wheel steady. He had nothing more to do.

"Gonzo," she said, and he stiffened, probably a little surprised as well as respectful.

"Miss Tetra!" He responded.

"So, day three of our foggy trek, I see. How are our supplies holding up?" She continued.

"Fine, miss," Gonzo responded, relaxing a little. "Everybody's food is being rationed, like you said, and we're preserving water as much as we can allow."

"Good," she said, looking up towards the crow's nest. "Is he keeping us in the right direction?"

"Of course he is. I even checked my own compass to be sure…" Gonzo responded. He seemed a little proud of Link, even. Tetra sighed and looked out ahead of the ship.

"It feels like we are drifting almost. The wind blows, but we move unevenly…" She said, keeping a stone-cold face on. Gonzo didn't respond, and Tetra walked off, climbing back down the ladder. She felt a little better after Gonzo had talked about Link. But she still felt somewhat obliged to see him, and before she knew it, she was climbing the ladder to the crow's nest.

Looking down, she shivered. The fog engulfed the ship below like in her dream. But the pirates moving around and talking comforted her a little, and with determination, she pulled herself into the crow's nest.

Link immediately turned to her, a little surprised. But Tetra was already relieved at the sight of his currently serious face, knowing that Link was still Link. Even if that look didn't suit him at all.

"I'm just checking on you," Tetra immediately said, standing next to him and looking out. The view was better here. The sea of clouds practically replaced the water, although the fog thickened ahead, out of their sight.

Link stood next to Tetra, his eyes showing wonder at the sight; despite his frequent lookout duties, he was still amazed by the sight. Tetra sighed again.

"Link…I'm beginning to get worried about this fog. It is completely unnatural. It should have cleared up by now, but it hasn't…I think it's cursed…" Tetra said.

Link proceeded to say something, but Tetra didn't hear it. The ship suddenly jerked, jumping forward as they were thrown back, luckily catching themselves before falling over the edge. Tetra looked in amazement as the sails suddenly bellowed out, fully pushed by the wind. She immediately began to yell out orders.

"Tighten the sails! Steady the ship!" She yelled down below. The fog had cleared away a little, so she could now vaguely see her pirates rushing around below. The view ahead remained hidden though, and Tetra watched as the pirates called out to each other and her orders were fulfilled.

"Land ho!" Link suddenly yelled out, and Tetra whipped her head up to see the island approaching. It looked incredibly tall, not like the Tower Of The Gods, but still tall. And they were headed right for it!

"Hard to port!" She yelled down, before whipping off her belt and wrapping it around a rope that led to the steering wheel. She jumped and fearlessly zipped down, landing with a grunt and rushing over to the wheel, pushing Gonzo aside as she continued to steer left. The pirate ran to help man the sails as Tetra fought with the wheel.

The island loomed above them through the fog. It was gonna be close.

"Raise the sails!" Tetra yelled out. They would do well to stop, maybe get some information from the island's inhabitants. She watched with quiet satisfaction as the sails went up and they narrowly missed one column of rock sticking out of the water.

The ship quickly slowed down to a cruising speed and Tetra gently steered through a few more columns of rocks, trying to peer through the fog. Unsuccessful, she looked up.

"Link, do you see anywhere to stop?" She called up. A moment passed, before Link looked down at her.

"Over there!" He yelled pointing to the left. At the same time, a brilliant light enshrouded the ship, clearing more fog around them. She held up her hand and squinted her eyes to see another silhouette of a natural column. But this one had light shining down on them from the top, and Tetra realized it was an improvised lighthouse. She began to turn towards it.

"Raise the white flag!" She called out. A pirate flag would condemn them if they kept it up. Below her, Mako rushed to the mast with the bundle. Tetra couldn't remember the last time they had used it, a fact that was clearly supported by the dust that had gathered on it.

The moment the new flag went up, the light from the lighthouse moved ahead of the ship, clearing the fog away and serving as a guide to them, turning them where necessary. Soon enough, Tetra saw several boardwalks ahead, lodged into the side of the mountainous island.

"Make ready to dock!" She called out, steering in between two boardwalks. Below her, the pirates rushed around, grabbing rope and tossing it to attach the ship to shore. Soon enough, the ship came to an almost-complete stop. Tetra let go of the steering wheel and effortlessly hopped down to the lower deck.

"Drop the anchor!" She yelled. A huge splash was heard and the ship stopped moving completely. Next to her, Link slid down the ladder and looked out over their destination.

The port was more or less just several boardwalks connected against the rocks. The main boardwalk led into a dark cave, though Tetra could see a few torches inside, increasing in height as they got smaller.

The island's settlement must be higher… Tetra thought as a couple of planks were placed over the side of the ship, forming a ramp. Tetra hopped up onto the top and turned back.

"Link! Gonzo! You're with me." She declared. No need for intimidation. Just information...

Link and Gonzo stepped forward and Tetra turned around, walking down the ramp. Behind her, she heard the creaking of the boards before landing on the stable boardwalk. They were in relatively good condition, and Tetra walked towards land, looking up at the incredible scale of this island.

"Tetra," Link whispered, causing her head to snap forward.

A small party gathered at the end of their walkway. They looked the same as them: ears pointy, size right. They were definitely Hylian in origin.

Tetra stopped before them, looking them over with a closer eye. A couple of them, both young men, wore rather elegant clothes. Their clothes were robed, colored red with yellow markings. They wore mantle-like chest pieces that stretched almost all the length down. Both were orange with yellow markings.

The rest of the group was mixed, and they stood behind these first two. A few seemed to be armed guards. Several were sailors, and the last few were curious bystanders. Tetra didn't pay much mind to them, instead focusing her gaze upon the two elegant figures. One of them opened his mouth.

"Chieftain Zano requests an audience with you," He said in a rather gruff voice. Tetra looked back at the two behind her, silently questioning their decision. They nodded.

"Alright, we'll see him. I'm Tetra. The big one is Gonzo. The guy in green is Link," She said, introducing the other two.

"Yes, Captain. This way," The other said with a noticeably lighter voice, mentioning them onto the path towards the nearby cavern. "Welcome to Dagger Cliffs."

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NH3: If any of my fans check this out, they'll more then likely notice my improved writing style. This must be the longest chapter I've ever done for a story to date! (Good!)