Hey guys, it's been so long since I updated this story and I'm so sorry! There's been a lot of distractions but I think I'm back on track now! I can't believe how long it took me to do this! Thank you all for being so patient with me and persistent too!

-Gwen

Tetra scrambled up the stairs not prepared to be bathed in sunlight brighter than she'd ever seen it before. Or maybe it was the same as always and her eyes were just sensitive from being below deck with Link for the past two weeks. Tetra lifted her arm to shield her eyes from the bright, blaring light making itself welcome in the cabin.

"You should be resting, what are you doing gallivanting already?" She said, climbing the last two steps and grabbing Link's left arm, his right was in a cast.

"I'm fine, I've taken time to heal and I think it's time to get back to work. Don't you?"

Tetra gaped at him just a little bit, blinking against the sunlight until she got used to it. But by then Link had already begun going around the ship and barking orders. They hadn't been on land in a few days and they were in need of supplies. Tetra sighed and shook her head with a bit of a smirk on her face; that was the Link she knew and loved. Bold, strong and just a little hard headed. But Tetra could win against that, for she was a lot more stubborn than he was. Just then a small voice pulled her out of her thoughts, calling her name.

It was Aryll. The girl had been more than quiet lately but she had a smile on her face this time around and that could only make Tetra smile in response.

"Aryll, are you alright?" She asked as she decided to put all her thoughts aside for later.

"I'm fine," Aryll replied, "I'm just so happy to see Link back to normal, it was hard seeing him cooped up and so sick like that…"

Tetra nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I am too. But, I'm still worried that he'll make a rash decision again… I feel like I have no control over what he does and that really bothers me." She crossed her arms and watched Link at work. He was talking to Komali and Medli while tying some knots. Tetra frowned a little when she noticed the serious expression on their faces. Just what was it they weren't telling her?

"Linebeck got upset about something this morning and left." Komali said as he was clanking a spoon against a glass below deck. He sounded a little uncertain of what had happened and wasn't going into a lot of detail about the situation.

"I haven't talked to him in a while…" Tetra said, exchanging a glance with Link who was staring down at a plate of biscuits in front of him. She could tell he was thinking about everything that was changing, they were officially one man down. Link couldn't do anything with a broken limb and with Tetra's condition she was out of the loop as well. They were at a loss and Tetra couldn't help but notice that helpless expression in Link's eyes. He was staring at the plate in front of him contemplating his options most likely. She crossed her arms over her stomach and leaned back in my chair, propping my feet up on the table.

"Maybe we should hold off for a while." Komali suggested. "There's no reason really to think about it right now since we're out of options until Link heals."

Tetra frowned. Why did it always fall in Link's shoulders? She tipped her chair back further, kicked the table and then let the front legs of her seat hit the floor with a thud. This made Link look up, startled by the rattling of the glass dishes and the loud noise of the wood clashing with the floor. Even Aryll seemed taken out of a daze. Medli had jolted, elbowing Komali in the ribs at the same time, all of which almost made Tetra laugh but she held a strong, serious expression.

"Quit sounding so dismal! We've overcome worse things haven't we? I've been turned to stone for crying out loud!" No one seemed surprised that Tetra had snapped, it was in her blood after all. Komali leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chest where Medli had caught him with her elbow and Link, Link seemed to be contemplating my words. He was so quiet.

"Now I say we stop worrying about what comes next and just go where the wind takes us. There's no reason to keep thinking about it this way. And in the case of Linebeck, let him do as he pleases, we don't need his help anyway." Tetra stopped and looked at Link out of the corner of her eye and he was obviously thinking about what she had just said.

"Yeah." He said finally and then he gave that confident and excited smile that Tetra had longed for. That sense of uncertainty and worry seemed to leave the room when he stood up and smacked his hand against the table to get attention.

"What is it with you two and making a ruckus?" Komali asked with an irritated sigh.

Link chuckled, "It works doesn't it?"

Three Days Later

Where the wind takes us? Aryll had always been okay with that before but for some reason she had a fire inside her that made her want to do something rash and unlike herself. Neither Link or Tetra were in any condition to do what she was about to do.

"Komali," Aryll called once she got to the crow's next where the Rito man was looking out over the seas.

"Good morning, Aryll." He said with a smile. He went back to looking over the water and then Aryll came around to rest her arms on the railing.

"I have a question."

Komali turned a little to show that she had his full attention, "Ask away."

She hesitated for a moment and tapped her fingers against the wooden surface before tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear. The wind had blown her french braid loose.

"Well, I was wondering if it is possible that letters are sent back and forth from the Forsaken Fortress and to it?"

This question seemed to take him by surprise, "Why are you asking?"

"I just want to know, it's always kind of puzzled me... the postal service intrigues me either way." She tried to hide how nervous she was as Komali began to explain how the system worked. If the address was on the envelope then that's where the letter went. But the truth was that there were no postal boxes at the Forsaken Fortress.

"That's quite a predicament." She whispered more to herself. There had to be another way of going about this.

"But it is possible if someone is there expecting the letter that the Rito in charge of it could take it to that person." Komali finished.

She smiled, that could work in her favor!

Unfortunately all her ideas were taking a few days to complete. She sent a letter to the postal service about sending someone over every few days to meet her anonymously at the Forsaken Fortress. She gave a fake name and said she'd be cloaked.

Her next step was to make a cloak. She spent two days sewing and making sure it fit and then the notice came back and she knew she was ready to depart. Aryll planned to finish her preparations the night of her departure while Link and Tetra were fast asleep.

The night of her departure she went into the room where Tetra and Link were fast asleep. The two of them were under the blankets huddled close together in each other's embrace, making it even more certain that they were deeply resting.

She was careful not to sigh in relief as she went over to the corner where Link kept his blade, arrows and other important weapons, his most treasured items. It was killing her inside to even mess with them but she couldn't go on without at least something to protect herself with. Carefully she reached over and picked up Link's old sword, it wasn't anything fancy - not like the Master Sword he'd carried so long ago, but it was sharp and had killed more enemies than she could even count.

It glistened in the moonlight, making her wish she'd never picked it up, if either of them were light sleepers they would see a bit of shine glaring against the wall. Just then Tetra rolled over and draped her arm over Link's chest and yawned but made no more noise than that as she rested against the pillow.

Whew…

Aryll felt sweat roll down her temple as she quietly sheathed the blade Link had carried for almost ten years. It was so heavy to her and she could only wonder within those calloused, battle weary hands, if it felt just as heavy. She shook off the pain in her chest and reminded herself that Link wouldn't be doing any fighting with that bad arm of his, he wouldn't need that sword. She could very well fix this problem on her own. With Tetra pregnant and Link still recovering from injuries, they were in no condition to be on an adventure as dangerous as this one.

She finished consoling herself and left as quietly as she could, careful of the door that seemed to creak if it was closed fast enough. She left it a crack open and then tiptoed up the stairs to the deck where she would prepare to lower a lifeboat.

Now, this was the scary part. She wasn't exactly sure how far away Forsaken Fortress was or it was humanly possible that she'd even make it in a lifeboat. Aryll ignored those thoughts as she began to lower the lifeboat, climbing in and taking the rope so she could get herself closer and closer to the water. It was creaking, making a terrible squeaking noise as it wiggled uncertainly. Her hands were already getting tired, she wasn't used to this. She felt the boat hit the water and she let go of the rope, undoing it from the lifeboat.

Her heart began to race terribly as she grabbed the oars in her small hands and moved them, almost painfully, in the direction she needed to go. She looked at the compass she took from Link and sighed.

"North west… I'm so sorry, Big Brother."

Tetra stood at the edge of the ship with her arms crossed, watching the little boat in the distance. Her brows furrowed in frustration in sadness. She knew Aryll was gone, for how long, she couldn't be certain. She only wished she knew what Aryll was thinking.

Link stared blankly down at the corner where his sword used to be. It was gone and there was no trace of the blade or his younger sister to be found. He stood there holding his breath and clenching his fist as he agonized over it. He felt sick and angry and Tetra could be seen standing behind him, refraining from giving him comfort because she knew he was on the verge of exploding.

"What was she thinking?" He said in a stiff tone.

"I…"

A glass plate broke against the floor after Link bumped into the cabinet in their quarters. "That girl… I can't even begin to fathom…"

"Link…"

He was quiet for a long moment, using the cabinet itself for support, arm stretched out and hand firmly pressed against the drawer. He was taking deep breaths through his nose and closing his eyes tight, willing it to all be a dream or even a nightmare.

"Why didn't you stop her?"

"Because she was already a good distance at sea, I doubt she'd even hear me over the waves!"

Link continued to say nothing after that and began to pace, eyes closed and hand still shaking. He was clenching his teeth and Tetra could tell just by looking at how his jaw was set and his brows seemed to be furrowed right between his eyes.

"She had to have had a good reason…"

"If she's going after Arkayne she'll be killed, Tetra! She'll die and it'll be all my fault!"

"No it won't!"

"It will! I don't want her to die!" Link sat down harsh on the bed and slammed his good fist against the mattress. "Grandma trusted me!"

"Aryll is almost eighteen years old now! We can't hold her back from what she feels she has to do even if we want to!"

"I don't care how old she is! She'll always be my baby sister!"

Tetra stepped back and looked away for a moment having to refrain from snapping at her husband in a way that would probably make him explode. She looked at the corner and sighed softly.

"She took your hero's blade, Link… part of you is with her."

"That doesn't mean she can handle it."

Tetra shook her head slowly, "No… it doesn't. But we have to trust that she'll be alright. You can't give up on her."

"I…"

"She loves you, that is why she left. Aryll knows what she's doing."

Link glanced down at his bad arm and forced himself to look away from it, he was useless and he knew that for a fact.

"I hope so… I really hope so." He said with a shaken sigh.

"And remember… when having courage it doesn't just mean slaying monsters, it means having the strength to believe that while you recover that your family and friends will be alright. You have to believe in her, Link. She's gone through so much with us… and now it's time for her to spread her wings and fly, even if it's not the circumstance you wished to see her do so in."

Link nodded.

"We just have to believe." Tetra sat down next to him and squeezed his good hand reassuringly before leaning over to give him a soft kiss. "I love you."

Link kissed her back, "I love you more."

Two days of rowing. Aryll tied her boat at the Forsaken Fortress and looked up and around. It was so eerie and familiar to her, she knew exactly where the dungeon was and how to get there. It seemed that a lot of the fortress was rebuilt, but to the point where none of it looked steady. She climbed onto the stone built path and then walked wearily up the stairs.

A light shone on her face and she lifted her arm to shield her eyes from it. Phantoms lurked all over but none made a point to look at her or chase her down as she slowly ascended the stairway. She heard her feet clack against the ground, echoing along with the noise of metal boots and armor.

"Ahhh…" An echo of a voice came, "a visitor."

She turned but saw no one so she turned another direction until she saw a cloaked figure on the next round of stairs.

"What brings you to my… palace?" He came towards her and stopped, standing taller than even Link had. He reached down and placed a finger under her chin.

"Look at me."

She looked at him but could only see a bit of his chin and a white smile.

"My, my… what a beautiful flower."

Aryll said nothing.

"What can I do for you?"

She had to earn his trust so she gave him a devious little smirk and raised her eyes to his.

"I'm here to help you on your quest…" She said while trying to mimic his grin. "to kill Link."

To Be Continued…