This chapter definitely wasn't as lengthy as I thought it'd be. But that's okay! ^^

-Gwen

Weeks passed with no avail in finding the Sand of hours or any way to get onto the Forsaken Fortress. Summer seemed warmer than usual this year and Link felt that it would soon drive him insane if he didn't find some way to cool off.

They'd sailed to an isle made completely of ice where Link and Tetra would lay face down and converse while trying to cool off. It was amazing how that island didn't melt in the heat. So far there was no activity and the world seemed peaceful and quiet.

-*-

"Why are you so complicated?!"

Link dodged as Tetra threw a glass vase at him, nearly hitting him in the head with it. Before she could tear him apart any further he dashed out of the cabin and ran to the top decks. Life had become a bit more interesting recently. With Tetra being more snappy than usual and everything being so eerily peaceful he wasn't quite sure what to think.

"And just a month ago you two were all kissy kissy all over each other." Komali forced back a laugh while the rest of the crew were already snickering amongst themselves.

"It's not that we aren't now. She's just being impossible." He whispered, hoping she didn't hear it. She'd been sleeping a bit more lately and he figured it was just the heat getting on her nerves. It was cooler below deck where it was dark and the sun wasn't beating on her too much. Even Link, working above opted to do his chores without a shirt on.

"Girls are always impossible. Take Medli for instance. She's been sitting on the crows nest all day in this blistering heat."

"Why?"

"She's praying." The Rito replied, glancing up.

"I see. Maybe if she prays for Tetra this bout with whatever will end. I'm scared she'll kill me in my sleep at this rate."

"Now that's scary. I'm sure she'll be fine eventually." Komali came over and patted Link on the back but it didn't seem to calm the nervous wreck that was the hero of wind.

Before the two could even speak again they heard the door that led to the cabins below creak open. Tetra, looking more chipper than earlier had her hair up neatly and was wearing her usual 'it's too hot' clothes. A tank top that showed her belly button and some white and purple knee length shorts. She was also barefoot which was strange for her. She usually sported some sort of sandals on her little feet. Her vest was off and she immediately strolled over to Link who paled a bit.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, hugging him and kissing his neck before looking right up at him. A small smile graced her pretty face and she twirled a finger through his bushy, blond hair.

"I forgive you…" Link smiled as though their little fight had been nothing more than an itty bitty spat. It was the complete opposite. It had been quite a war and half the ship heard it.

"Could you help me clean up the glass in our cabin?" She asked, pressing her face to his chest, "I'm so tired."

"Okay." He carefully put an arm around her shoulder and led her back down the steps. Half the crew watched in awe. They thought she'd be fuming when she came up but she was opposite!

The couple got to the cabin and swept up the glass with Tetra saying 'watch your step' over and over again. It seemed clear to Link that she was being a bit over protective - especially towards him and he was wearing boots.

"You're barefoot." Link finally pointed out.

"So?"

"You should be more careful." Bad choice.

Tetra's face twisted up in anger, "Don't tell me what to do!" She barked, stepping back and immediately cutting her foot on a small shard of glass. She fell onto her bottom and cried out, holding it and gasping when she saw it bleeding.

"Ack! Don't move!" Link fell to his knees on the floor and carefully tried to pull the glass from her bleeding foot. She began to sob uncontrollably making it hard for him to make out anything she was saying.

After stopping the bleeding he found a rag and pressed it to her foot.

"Shh, it's going to be okay."

"No it's not! It hurts and I feel awful!"

"What else feels-" The words were barely out of his mouth when she threw up all over his pants, making it known that she'd probably been nauseous. He wasn't sure when that started and she hadn't told him earlier.

"I'm sorry." Tetra stopped sobbing and put her hands over her face, shaking her head in dismay, "I'm so sorry."

"Shh, stay still. I'll be right back." Link walked away and discarded his now tainted pants and changed into something different. He made his way back over to her and finished cleaning up the mess she'd made. After all of that was done she fell into his arms and cried her eyes out. By then she was pale and shivery and he wasn't sure how to help her other than to get her into bed and let her rest. He lifted her off the floor and carried her to bed, moving the covers back and setting a pillow at the foot of the bed so she could keep her injured foot propped up. After covering her up and helping her calm down he made his way back up to the top deck to find a bucket.

Just in case.

-*-

"Ugh…" Medli hissed as she looked over the horizon. It had been the worst week ever for her. She'd kept to herself mostly and was trying to focus on what seemed to be a frustrating vision she'd gotten three times already. Making out the warbled images and the funny sounds was what made it even more challenging to gather.

"You okay?" A little man behind her asked.

"Yes, fine." She replied. It was also impossible to find any alone time and she considered flying off for a bit to think a while. But then she'd have to focus even more on what was ahead of her. It was so much easier to sit still and breathe rather than flying and trying to pray at the same time.

She glanced over a bit to see Linbeck's ship following close behind theirs. He'd been following for a while and occasionally would stop and collect supplies or take another route to do whatever Linebeck does. She sighed a bit and sat down, clasping her hands together in silence before another voice came and ruined her concentration.

"Medli."

She looked up to see Komali standing over her, sending a worried glance in her direction. He'd not seen her very much recently and looked a bit sad for that reason.

"Oh, it's you. I'm sorry I was so close to snapping again."

"It's fine. Is something the matter?"

"Ah. I suppose you could say it is. It's a vision."

Komali sat down next to her and stay quiet as though he were waiting for her to continue telling the story.

"I have a feeling it's about the Forsaken Fortress."

He nodded.

"And I have another feeling that there is no sand of hours."

His eyes widened abruptly, "What?! Is it a myth?"

"No, it exists. It's beyond our reach, however." She frowned deeply and the images of Link and Tetra danced around in her mind. She pictured them happy again, not stressing over the unknown. Though lately she knew Tetra had not been well and the last thing on their minds was the Forsaken Fortress.

"Is it gone or just complicated to reach?"

"When is anything ever easy to get to?" Medli replied with a question. She debated on going down to discuss this with Link but he really didn't need anything else on his plate at the moment.

"I guess not."

"Maybe it's not really a threat. It seems serious but I don't think it's possible that it's as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be. My visions show that something else may endanger Link and Tetra."

"What else could possibly endanger them?"

"Many things could; but it's very unclear."

Komali stood up and looked over the side where Link was picking up a bucket and carrying it to the cabin. After looking for a moment he glanced back to see Medli praying again. He glided down and ran elsewhere to check out some other events. He wanted to investigate everything he could so he could at least be somewhat useful on the ship.

-*-

Late that night Link was still catering to Tetra. She'd began to run a fever and was curled up in a ball crying. She was out of sorts and Link wasn't sure what to do for her but hope she'd be okay. Her face was pale and her cheeks tinted red from crying so much and her hair was messy. She kept apologizing for snapping and getting sick.

"I'll be better in the morning." She said shakily, clammy hands holding onto Link's.

"Even if your not you'll get better eventually. I'll believe that though. Does anything hurt?" He asked, frowning deeply.

"My stomach." She whispered, eyes tightening as she winced.

"It could be something you ate."

She was about to reply when she jumped out of bed and limped out the door and to the edge of the ship where she proceeded to gag. Link soon followed, holding her hair back for her as she leaned over the side.

"I want off!" She sobbed, "It's making me ill." Her body tensed in his arms as she gagged again. He'd never seen her throw up like this before, it had been once earlier but now she was repeatedly getting sick. After she emptied the contents of her stomach she collapsed, nearly sliding from Link's grasp. He caught her better under the arms and sunk to his knees to cradle her. It was completely silent on deck, everyone was resting for the night and he figured the cool breeze outside would help her feel better.

She coughed and her teeth chattered as she gripped his pants leg. She continued to tense in his arms and sobbed until no more tears would come. Link rocked her back and forth, hands rubbing her arms gently.

"It's going to be okay." He consoled, "I promise."

"Mmm…not when it feels like my intestines are tying themselves in knots." That sounded more like her, she must have been feeling a bit better.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Nausea's gone…I just feel achy all over…hold me?"

Link smiled at her and held her closer to himself before carrying her to their cabin. He stroked her hair as she fell asleep next to him. Finally. Laying there beside her and keeping an eye on her helped him to stray his thoughts for a while. He closed his eyes and began to doze until something woke him from his brief slumber.

The sound of the gossip stone. Tetra's was laying on a little table next to their bed, glowing in it's strange brightness that it put off when someone was trying to contact them.

He picked it up and walked quietly out of the room - careful not to wake Tetra. After getting to the top deck he replied slowly and unsurely.

"Who is this?"

"You dropped this." The voice said, "It looks like it's working to my advantage. Now I can warn you of all the doom and gloom that's going to befall you and your precious loved ones."

Link recognized the voice. His eyes widened at the memory, the horror of it all.

"Don't worry," The sinister tone began, "dying slowly isn't as bad as it seems."

"Who are you?" Link asked, voice booming with anger.

There was no answer. The light from the gossip stone faded and Link groaned. Now he had even more things to worry about! The enemy still had his gossip stone and there was no way to get it back.

"He can see my every move…" Link muttered to himself. He stood at the edge and lifted into the air, ready to throw into the dark depths. But he reconsidered this action. He pulled it back and looked right at it. There was no way of knowing what this being planned to do to him and his family. Link clutched it in his hands. All he knew to do was explore, find the sand of hours and protect Tetra. He stood at the edge longer and groaned, frustrated. He felt like there was no way out of this and on top of that he had to take care of his wife and make sure she got well again. Her illness puzzled him beyond words. He glanced back at the door leading to their cabin and wondered if he should go back to bed. Then he changed his mind. He had too much to think about it and it would surly deter his sleep.

He walked back to the door and peeked inside. Sure enough Tetra was curled up in bed sleeping. He only hoped she'd stay that way the whole night. She needed her rest.

Link climbed up the ladder to the crows nest and laid there - thinking of everything that was happening around him. The world began to go blurry and eventually sleep took him.

-*-

Tetra woke up the next morning to see the sun shining into the cabin and feeling as though it was going to blind her. She still felt sore and a bit sick but not as bad as the night before. She climbed slowly out of bed and limped on her sore foot, bandaged carefully by Link himself. She examined it briefly before grabbing her stomach in shock. It felt like a million little butterflies were fluttering around and then came nausea. She flopped back onto the bed and began to whine.

"Ugh, when will this end?" She ran her fingers through her tangled, blond hair. She couldn't help but notice how bad it felt between her fingers. Even worse was the feeling in her stomach. She wanted to curl up in a ball and just sleep for the rest of the day.

Tetra finally forced herself to get out of bed, clutching her stomach and limping towards the door. She wasn't sure where Link sneaked off to but felt too tired to really look for him either. Then she rethought her plan. She wasn't really sure how awful she looked and did not want her crew to see her looking so terrible first thing. Normally she was collected and very ready for the day earlier than this. She knew it was later by the way the sun was peeking through her window.

Turning on her good foot she limped over to her drawers where she put together an outfit for the day. Her simple pirate clothing and some pins for her bun. Sitting down she proceeded to brush the knots out of her hair and put it up in a neat fashion. Not that it really mattered - but she was always busy and it was nice to have it out of her face. After finishing that she tied a red colored belt around her waist and slipped her curved sword at her side.

"There, that should do it." She nodded in approval at her reflection.

Suddenly pain rolled through her stomach, literally sending her to her knees in surprise. She groaned and winced as her stomach irritably twisted her insides into knots. Managing to get to her feet she dashed for the bucket Link had left her the night before and gagged. Not having eaten or drank anything she wasn't surprised to see that there was nothing to empty and cried out in frustration, kicking the wooden bucket out of view.

"Pirate captains don't get sick!" She shouted to herself, "Gah! Stupid old biscuits and whatever…" she grumbled to herself and limped out the cabin door.

Her crew was in for a bad day. Especially since she was ready to bite off some heads. She made her way out into the open where she could see everyone steadily working at Link's command. He seemed very busy but that was to be expected if he was trying to get her to rest.

The sun felt warmer than ever and she wobbled a little and reached out for the crows next pole for support. One arm rested against the pole and the other her stomach. She took deep breaths and caught herself as she prepared to move towards Link who was pointing out a few things on a map.

"Aye aye." She heard one of her crew members say as he began to walk away from Link and get back to his place.

"Link…"

He looked in her direction and smiled, "Hey, you should be resting." He stated in a worried voice.

"I've rested enough." She smiled back and nodded to him cheerfully. She was trying hard to fight back the urge to cry out in frustration again. She felt like she could collapse.

"Is your foot doing better?"

"I guess so." She'd not paid too much attention to it. She'd been limping of course but her mind hadn't quite registered pain.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Is your stomach still upset?"

"No." She lied, "I think I'm ready to get back to my duties for the day." Her hand subconsciously went to the place that felt most irritated and hissed in discomfort.

"Tetra? Are you okay?"

She was about to respond when she suddenly felt like all her energy was being ripped from under her. She swayed a little, falling forward as her eyes closed.

Link caught her by the arms and pulled her up to better hold her. She was unconscious and feeling feverish again.

"Tetra?" Link looked shocked, also worried that this was more serious than she was letting on. He laid her down carefully and everyone began to gather around, muttering questions.

"What happened?" Medli's voice came, she was getting on her knees and checking for a pulse while Link was feeling Tetra's forehead for a fever.

"She came up to me and told me she wanted to get back to work and was feeling fine. Then she just collapsed."

"That's just like her." Medli replied to Link's words, pulling out a little jug of water and pouring a little on her hand to cool off her face. The fever was making her cheeks red and she looked very sick.

"Lets get her back to bed again." Link said in a worried voice. He picked her up off the ground and took her back to the cabin with Medli following.

-*-

"She's not doing well at all, Link." Medli pressed a cold, wet cloth to Tetra's forehead and gently wiped it down her crimson cheeks.

"What can we do?" He asked, the thoughts of all the events slowly slipped from his mind. He was more worried about Tetra now and wished he could just escape everything else for a while. He didn't feel like saving the world right now.

His heart was breaking over her. She was sick and there was nothing he could do but wait and hope that she would get well soon.

"There isn't a lot we can do at sea. We should probably find an island to rest on. Maybe we can get a doctor." Medli continued to work, noticing that the girl had broken out into a cold sweat, she shivered in her sleep.

"Ah…I'll be back. I'll tell Gonzo your orders."

Link nodded numbly and sat at her side. He held her clammy hand and rested his head on the makeshift bed near her arm. The last thing he wanted to do at this moment was say goodbye.

To Be Continued…