Aimee felt herself regaining her senses. Her first thought was to plot out her whereabouts. Exactly where was she? A continuous rocking motion quickly answered her question. She could tell by the rocking…she was on a ship. She queasily held a hand to her stomach, trying to keep the vague seasickness down. She was locked in a small room, which was probably used to store weapons. She was surrounded by cannonballs, swords, and daggers. Attentively, she reached for a piece of fabric in the corner. She unfolded it, and with a gasp let it fall to the ground. It was a pirate flag…the skull and crossbones did not lie. She tried to think, closing her eyes and prodding her chin with a finger.

She must have been taken by a group of pirates, in running for a ransom, most likely. Surely, her father must be on her trail by now. Her eyes surveyed the room again, before she found a dagger unsheathed. There was sunlight edging its way under a crack in the door, so it must have been at least a day since she was taken. Not worried in the least, she pried the dagger into the lock and began to pick it. It was a slow, tedious process, but it eventually weakened the lock enough to open it. Aimee did not, however, burst out immediately. She peeked out, carefully spying on her captors.

There was not much to see; most of the action seemed to be going on below deck. Surely there were more perpetrators than this. She spotted two women on deck, but she could not get a good look at them from her distance. These women were the only ones she saw, so Aimee pushed the door open and charged for the railing of the ship. If she could get over the side, she might have a slim chance of escaping. It was a dangerous action, but one she had to take. Before she even got to the edge, a barrel collided with her legs, making her fall to the deck with a thud. "Ow!" she squealed, scrambling to get up.

"Alright you…" Aimee looked up into the face of an angry woman. She had grabbed the princess's hair and was yanking her to her feet. "No trying to escape. You unlocked the door, so you must be smart. That doesn't mean you can just up and run. You belong to us now." She pushed Aimee back onto her butt. "The name's Sakriss. Remember it, if you value your life."

"My name…is Tetra." The voice came from behind her. Aimee noticed an immediate change in Sakriss as she stepped forward and stood at attention; the one who had just spoken revealed herself to Aimee. "You must be Aimee. I do declare, you look an awful lot like your mother…"

"How do you know that?" she asked, before halting at the glare she was given. Aimee had been trained in negotiations before, so she cleared her throat and stood up. Straightening herself as best as she could, she tried to swallow her tears. "My father will pay you anything you desire, whether it be gold, rich fabrics, whatever you like."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Tetra chuckled evilly. "Your father will pay us with something much more valuable. I want the ring…he's not going to steal that from me again…" Shaking her head, she began to circle Aimee, a thoughtful look on her face. "I like this dress…it will fetch a fair price on the market…take it off. You're now part of the crew on the Black Raven."

"I'm?...You mean, I'm a pirate?" Aimee stuttered, unable to think.

Tetra gave her a second look, and raised an eyebrow. "We prefer to think of it as…taking what's not ours and not giving back…investing of a sort."

Aimee's face spread into a secret smile. "Okay…I mean, wait! Please don't make me serve on your motley pirate crew! Anything but that!"

"No more sniveling! Accept your station in life…go to the crew's bunk and change into some new clothes. After that, report back up here and you'll be taught your first lesson about pirating…how to mop."

Aimee didn't argue. She finally found the bunks below, and changed her clothing. Most of the spare clothes were not her style. She wasn't pleased with the dingy selection, but eventually she spotted a pair she liked. She felt as if she had suddenly transported into a dream world. Instead of her normal dressy pants, she wore a cut-off skirt, and a white blouse (with a few stains). Before she went to above deck, her fingers roved to the ring hanging about her neck. She silently slipped it under her collar; she didn't want anyone to even have a slim chance of taking it. She had no shoes, so she went barefoot. It actually felt good. She climbed back up to the deck and was roughly handed a pail of soapy water and a mop. For the remainder of the day, she kept as much distance as possible between herself and Sakriss, who was always close enough to guard the hostage. Aimee's tender hands were soon blistered and bleeding, for she was not used to the friction of wooden handle.

She decided to take a rest, figuring to herself that she had earned a moment's repose. She sighed softly, wincing as she flexed and relaxed her hands one at a time. It was hard work, but she felt a strange new sense of accomplishment. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes briefly, but the rocking of the ship gently lulled her to sleep.

She was suddenly startled awake by a sharp pain in the side, and she rolled over just in time to dodge a second kick. Her eyes aflame with anger, she rocketed to her feet. "How dare you kick me!" she exclaimed in fury, and then stopped short. She had expected it to be Sakriss, but this girl was young, probably around Aimee's age. "Who are you to wake me up so rudely?"

The girl had jet black hair, and very light blue eyes. Everything on her face displayed a sense of hatred. She had a short cut shirt on, and a pair of shorts. A small matching pair of boots completed the outfit. She glared at Aimee with a tiny, impertinent frown, her eyes reflecting the fiery glare that the princess shot her. "You lazy, pitiful excuse for a worker!" she shouted, stretching to her tiptoes to make herself taller than Aimee. "Falling asleep on the job! Dog!" she yelled, kicking over the bucket of soapy water. "Go get some more water and finish! The whole ship is coated in filth!" (This was untrue, for Aimee had scrubbed off the mud on over half the ship)

Aimee was shoved back as the empty bucket was thrust into her hands. "Hey!" she replied in frustration. "Why did you have to kick that bucket over? I could have still used that water!"

The girl put on a sickly sweet smile. "So you have to go get more, of course. Now finish the job…" She turned around and began to walk away.

"Hey!" Aimee walked up to her. She was not going to be bullied like this. "You want the rest of it finished?" She picked up the bucket and shoved it with all her strength into the girl's arms, knocking her back onto the deck in shock. "Finish it yourself!"

The girl picked herself up immediately, and with a remarkably fast movement, slapped Aimee across the cheek. "Don't you ever hit me! Slave!"

Aimee held a hand to her cheek to ease the stinging sensation. "I'd rather die than be your slave, and I didn't hit you!"

The girl looked as if she was ready to jump on Aimee, suddenly a voice rang out. "Cut it out." It was a deep voice, one that was slightly familiar…A boy stepped out from the front of the ship, putting himself in the middle of the two feuding forces. "Both of you." He turned to glance at Aimee. "You…come with me."

Aimee nodded, and followed him, tossing the rival girl the rag she had been using to clean specific stubborn spots. "Hey…" The moment they were out of sight, she looked at him closer. "Don't I know you?"

The boy didn't answer, but motioned for her to follow him towards the front of the ship. "Here…come with me…on the Bowsprit…" Aimee was unsure of this, but she instinctively trusted him, so she obeyed. She felt her muscles tense as his hands grabbed her waist. "I'm going to help you…you'll be fine…walk forward." Aimee nodded, and slowly inched forward, clinging tighter and tighter to the railings every minute. Finally, she got to the point where there was nothing left to hold on to. "Don't worry…I've got you." His voice gave her a new confidence.

Aimee took a deep breath to gather her resolve and continued to move forward, holding her hands out for balance. "Are we there yet?" She asked; her eyes squeezed shut for fear of looking down.

"Yes." She felt more secure as the boy's grip tightened on her waist. "Yes, we're here…open your eyes."

Aimee did; she gasped in exhilaration. The sea was moving beneath her, and she was unable to see anything but the openness of the ocean. She threw her head back, enjoying the wind blowing through her clothing and throwing her hair behind her. All fear disappeared, and the only thing she felt was the pounding of her heart. For the first time in her life, she thought she felt what the seagulls must experience, soaring freely on the breeze. She felt the boy's hands close around her own, and he leaned in towards her ear.

"Told you I'd make you fly…"

"Wait!" Aimee whirled to stare straight into the boy's eyes. "I know you…A…Achon?" she asked, holding a hand up to look over his features. "What happened to your hair? It looks like a mop!" she chuckled. "Oh, Achon! What on earth are you doing here! I'm so glad to see you!" She shook her childhood friend's hand and hugged him hard. "You really did…you did make me fly."

"Of course I did. I promised, didn't I?" He smiled a little. He certainly looked a bit different. His hair had grown much longer, ending up a little past his shoulders. It had become even darker that it was when she last saw him, and he seemed pleased with it. He had a tattoo on his sleeveless arm that resembled a skull, and both of his ears were pierced with studs, the left one twice.

"Yes…" Aimee let her hand gracefully fall down his cheek, and stared at his face. "Your eyes…they've changed."

"What do you mean?" Achon asked.

"They're…different. You're older, so they look…deeper. Deeper and…lonely."

Achon turned away from her. "You should get back to your room. You'll be bunking with Sakriss."

"But, Achon!" Aimee extended an arm as he began to walk away. "Achon, what are you doing here?"

"Trying to make her proud." Achon quietly responded, remaining where he was with a serious look before smiling a little. "Goodnight, Aimee."

"Goodnight…oh, and Achon?" The boy turned for a moment, looking back to see what she wanted. "I like your tattoo."

…..

Meanwhile, on the merchant ship, Liam found himself exploring everything possible. There were so many rooms, and so much to see. The gentle creaking of the ship appealed to his wounded senses, and he wandered aimlessly from one room to the next as it soothed him. He visited the kitchen, and dipped his hand into a barrel, taking out an apple and noisily crunching the first bite. He let the apple roll from one shoulder to another and began to perform various tricks, pretending to impress Lorelei.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?"

Liam jumped about a foot into the air and whirled around to spot the blonde man staring at him as he quietly chewed his own morsels. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to spy on people?"

The man raised an eyebrow comically. "Nice comeback…" He chewed another bite slowly, and swallowed. "Besides, I'm not spying. I just happened to be down here, and you did, too."

"Shouldn't someone be at the helm?" Liam asked, taking another bite of the apple.

"That's the beauty of my ship. She's a special one. She can hold her place constantly without someone steering her. You just lock the wheel in place."

Liam pondered this for a moment. "Hey, what kind of a name is Sarina, anyway? I mean, for your boat?"

The man sighed softly, and took a swig of his drink, which smelled strong, but not of alcohol. "It's a special name to me, kid."

"Can I ask you another question?" Liam licked his lips and crunched another bite of the red shiny apple.

"Shoot." The mysterious man seemed to be far-away, but he was still listening, or so it seemed anyway. He took a deep breath, and leaned back, closing his eyes.

"You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"So?" he asked, ignoring the fact that this was not a question.

"I don't know, it's just weird calling you 'Mr. Shadow' all the time." Liam shrugged and took another bite of the apple. "What kind of name is 'Mr. Shadow' anyway?"

He chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow as he took a bite of his own food. "My name's Armoni."

"Armoni, huh?" Liam looked towards the ceiling and closed his eyes. "Armoni…yeah, I guess that sounds like you."

"So, Liam…tell me about your father."

"How come you always want to know about my father? I don't know, it just seems weird. Are you worried that you'll be caught? I guess you would want to know everything you can about him, are you really a murderer? I've always heard that, but I don't believe that about you."

"Oh you don't, do you?" Armoni finished his food and placed the dishes in the tub of soapy water nearby. "I guess that's good, because I'm not a murderer. I've never killed anyone in my life." Then he grew silent and reflective again. "There's only one person's death I've ever felt responsible for…I'll never get over that. I didn't kill her, but I just wasn't able to save her."

"Yeah, that's what I thought…were you framed?" Liam asked, finishing up his apple.

"You don't even know what that means…" Armoni teased, raising his eyebrow playfully.

"Yeah I do! It means you were…you made it…it looked like you did the bad thing." He flushed a pink tint. "I couldn't think of how to put it, okay?"

"Yeah…sure, kid." Armoni got a far-away look in his eyes as he usually did. "I like to know about things up at the castle."

"He's good, I guess. My dad, that is. He's busy lately. He's always busy. He was going to build a ship for me, but I guess I can't get it now, at least not until I get home…to tell the truth, I miss Lorelei the most at home…besides my parents."

"Lorelei?"

"Yeah. She's my girlfriend. I couldn't take her with me…"

"Oh, I see…" Armoni smiled, and leaned back against the boards that made up the ship.

"What kind of wood is this?" Liam asked, tapping his knuckles against it to test the sound.

"This happens to be pine." Armoni had closed his eyes, and lowered his head so it looked like he was sleeping.

"Pine? That's usually really expensive. But it's a good wood…I think I'll go up to top deck…" Liam mumbled.

"You're going to miss her, you know."

"What do you mean?" Liam asked, halting halfway up the stair, one foot still in the air.

"If you become what you say you want to become, a seafaring man. You're going to miss her."

"How did you…know?" Liam stepped back down into the galley, his mouth agape.

"Your body language. It's easy to read. I could teach you…"

"You can?" Liam grew excited.

"Sure. Not right now, though. I need my daily catnaps."

Liam's face fell, and he heaved a long sigh. "Oh, alright…guess I'll see you later, then…" he mumbled, climbing the stairs with heavy thuds.

Armoni's eyes searched the galley for a moment, ensuring that the boy was gone. "If only he knew…but he'll never know. No one will." With that, he drifted off into a long-buried memory. He let himself remember…

"Please don't leave…" She tousled a lock of his blonde hair, pleadingly staring at him with watery eyes. "Not now…it's almost time."

"I have to. You know that. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I want…I want the best for him. We can only have that if I do this…"

Tears began to stream down her face as she threw herself upon him, hugging him as if she couldn't let go. "I…fear you will never return."

"Of course I will." He lifted her chin with a finger, and kissed her softly, wiping away her tears carefully.

"How can you be sure?" she asked, gripping his hands securely in her own. Her dark orbs threatened to release a new torrent of tears, but held on.

"True love," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "According to top researchers, it will always…" he looked into her eyes, "…always prevail."

"If you must go…promise me you'll return." She gripped his face with her hands and stared fervently into his eyes. "Promise me..."

"I promise." He hugged her close to him, feeling the warmth of her body against his for a moment. "Good-bye!" He shouted as he boarded the gangplank, a sack of clothes and food hanging from his back. The merchants waved to their loved ones, only able to pray they would see them again soon.

"Good-bye love! Good luck!" She waved a handkerchief in the air to bid him a safe trip, and they both turned their backs so the other couldn't see their tears.

What a long time ago…why did it always seem like yesterday? Maybe because he relived it every night in his dreams. "I'm sorry…" he whispered chokingly. "I'm sorry." Armoni leaned over and drifted into a deep sleep.

"Sir?" A timid voice entered Link's chambers, and the speaker crept inside.

"Yes?" Link's voice was irritated; he turned violently to find who had disturbed his thoughts. "Oh…hello Saria."

"Hello, Link." Following behind her was Malon, who looked equally hesitant.

"Is there something I can do for you?" he asked, already familiar with the rocking of the ship.

"Well, I just wanted to give you the message from the queen. She wishes you luck…the best of it. She'll hold the fort while you rescue the children."

"Yes, well. Tell her she has nothing to worry about. I'll be back in no time…" Saria nodded at his reply, and took her leave. Malon, however, remained.

"Sir. I request permission to accompany you aboard your ship. Saria and I, we both want to go with you."

Link made a quick count in his head. "That's Kinru, Dondollo, Saria, Rashia, myself, and you…six. Quite a lot for this ship. Tell me, why do you want to go?"

Malon had decided long ago to keep this a secret. She had no intentions of telling Link why, but something in his eyes had changed her mind. The sorrow and regret shown in those azure orbs seemed to drown him, and so she decided to tell him. "I want to keep Armoni safe."

"Armoni?" Link repeated. The name sounded familiar somehow…

"Yes, that black market dealer…you see, I found out his ship is gone…now I know he would never hurt anyone, especially not Aimee….but I'm coming just in case. And you cannot stop me!" she burst out, firmly holding her hands at her side.

Link peered closer at her. "You…like him, don't you?"

"No I do not like him!" she yelled, crossing her arms. "Not in that way…my heart will always be with Sheik…" she whispered, bowing her head. "But he's not as bad as he seems…please, Link, I must come."

Reluctantly, Link agreed. There was really no trouble bringing another crew member aboard, especially a cook as good as Malon. Saria couldn't make a meal for squat, and Rashia had never cooked in her life.

"Link…I have a question to ask…" Saria entered the doorway, a small smile on her face. "We were just having a conversation…above, and we were remembering our parents. Now I've heard you talk about your mother, right? I recall her quite well. But I've never heard you talk about your father…"

"That's because I don't remember him." Link firmly stated, crushing a piece of paper in one hand. "Now if you please, just set a course for North. That's the way to go. I need to plan ahead, so if you don't mind…"

Saria took the hint and pulled Malon after her, trying to relax the best she could. "I'm sorry, Link. Let's go, Malon."

Link was left alone in his quarters, lost in thought about many troubling matters, most of them from deep within his past. The memories of his mother's death had been sifted to the surface, and were causing him daily pain. Leaning back in his chair and placing his head between his two hands, he thought back even further, to one of the first memories he held dear.

"Stop splashing me, Link! My goodness, you're going to soak the entire bathroom!" His mother gently rubbed his cheeks. "You're such a mischievous little boy." She lifted a bucket of water and poured it over his head.

"Ma!" Seven year old Link protested, pushing against her arm with his strength. "I don't need your help!"

"You know as well as I do that this is part of your punishment. Next time you go to the mud patch with Sheik, don't bathe in the mud and I won't have to scrub it off you."

Link began to argue again, but clapped his mouth shut. His mind had settled on a different matter, one much more important. "Mom?" he asked softly. "Guess what…"

"What?" She was shocked at Link's sudden change in attitude. "I can't guess."

"Sheik's dad is taking him fishing tomorrow…"

"Oh, is he? Well, let's hope they get a big catch!" She emptied another bucket over Link's head.

"Mom?" Link's voice was much smaller, as if he were a younger child.

"What?" She mumbled as she scrubbed his arm.

"Where's MY dad?"

She dropped his arm and let it fall limply into the tub. Her eyes gained a sad quality, but she struggled to mask it. "He's…he's…not here. Out on business. He might come back tomorrow…"

"Really? Tomorrow?" Link's face lit up. "Do you really think so, Mom?"

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we." Link's mother continued to bathe him, scrubbing his face with soap. "Now stop squirming. And close your eyes. You need to stay at least half-way clean when you play."

Link shook his head and took a deep, relaxing breath. He could catch up with his past later; now he had to find Aimee and Liam. Both were missing, Lorelei had no idea where Liam had gone, but she knew that Aimee had been drug off by two people. Link was filled with guilt and horror. What if something happened? Who took them? And most of all, would they catch up in time to save them?