Hey, again! It's me, SamSal. New chapter… and I just updated the summary. It kind of failed before, but hopefully this will be more attention grabbing.
Disclaimer: Believe me, if I owned Legend of Zelda, it would've been more like a movie than a video-game. WAAAY too many cut-scenes, and every time he lost a heart, whoever was the 'fairy' of the game would totally freak out. Hahaha… ha… Yeah. Need more proof that I don't, under any circumstances, own this amazing series?
XXX
Link snuck into the pirate ship in the cover of night, taking care not to slip on the wet floor. The rain seemed to have made everything slick, after all…
He heard a small noise and was suddenly up against the wall. Peering cautiously around the corner, he spared a glance at the open deck of the ship.
'Stop trying to be a ninja. You're sneaking onto a pirate ship, and if they think you're a pirate, you'll be burned at the stake.'
The young hero muttered something inaudible and stopped sidling the wall. "But I wanted to jump down from the Crow's Nest…"
'Right. Well, as much as I would've loved cleaning up your remains, I think it'd be best if you didn't try jumping from anything that high up.'
"If I rolled out of the way, I would've been fine…" Link grumbled, pouting as he crossed his arms.
'What, exactly, is your definition of fine?' 'Navi' asked, and the hero could just see the eyeroll attached to this.
"…Still breathing? Still capable of moving and/or reproducing sometime in the future?"
It was quiet for a moment.
'…You're, like, eleven. Where did you even learn…?' the guide asked with disgust, and Link snickered at the pseudo-fairy.
"You, my guide, are squeamish? That's just…" the hero couldn't finish his sentence due to the loud laughter constricting his breathing. "That's just weird, man." He wiped a tear from his eye, then leaned against the wall.
'Oh, shut it. Just… go downstairs now, kid. You remember the password, right?'
Link noticed the sudden topic-change, but decided to let it go. "Yeah, yeah. 'Crow's Nest'."
The hero walked over to the door, looking cautiously into the door-hole—and finding to his dismay that he could see nothing—when suddenly a voice spoke up.
"What's the password?" Niko asked with a huff, and Link sighed.
"Crow's nest," the hero said—hating that he had to speak in the first place, but optimistic since the pirate wouldn't know it was him, since he'd never spoken before then—but for some reason… the door didn't open.
"That's not it. What's the password?" Niko asked angrily, and Link looked to the sky for assistance.
'Beats me… I was pretty sure you said it correctly…'
"Crow's nest," Link repeated, but the door stayed closed.
"I'll ask you one last time, punk. What's the password? And this time, say it right, or else you're not getting in here."
The Outsetter gulped, cleared his throat, and spoke up.
"Crow's Nest?" he squeaked, somehow managing to capitalize 'Nest', and the door burst open.
"It's about time, kid," Niko said, his eyes half lidded with a supercilious look on his face. It was because of this that he didn't exactly know who he was addressing for a moment or two.
"Oh! Link! My old swabbie… Link!" the young pirate said, half to himself. "So… you're alive?"
The hero thought that this was a ridiculous question, but nodded anyways.
"All the other pirates said that you got done in by that bird-monster in the Forsaken Fortress, so I thought…" Niko gulped, looking at anything but Link's face, "Nevermind what I thought! You're alive!"
The pirate smiled widely for a second, then snapped his fingers as if he'd just had a brilliant idea.
"Oh! I get it now! You came back because you missed me so much!"
'No,' the hero wanted to say, 'I came back to steal the treasure that you guys had just gotten… I couldn't care less about your awkward emotional attachment to me' but he couldn't bring himself to be that cruel.
"I had no idea you wanted to be my swabbie so badly!" Niko said before Link could say anything in protest. "I see, I see…" the pirate continued, though it was clear that he really didn't see.
"Well, after you left, I went back to being the bottom rung on the ladder…"
Link mentally groaned, having a sudden feeling that he was going to have to listen to the pirate's sob story for the next five minutes.
"Which is why I'm stuck here while everyone else is in town having fun and eating and stuff… But… I guess being so worshiped by my swabbie ought to cheer me up! All right! Why don't we set you to your next test, huh? This one is harder than the last! Good luck! You'll need it, swabbie."
And with that, Niko jumped onto a button on the other side of the platform.
"As you can see, there are lanterns hanging up across the room. Well, what you have to do is jump from lantern to lantern. Kind of like your last test, eh, swabbie? Heh. But this time, there aren't any platforms for you to rest on. You gotta use them like vines!"
Somehow, though he didn't touch any of the ropes, Niko ended up on the far side of the room.
"And this time, there's a gate. So don't try to pull any funny business about getting there in the nick of time and expecting me to let your pitiful time slide."
Link briefly wondered why the pirate was insulting his time—he'd counted thirty extra seconds until the platforms went down last time he did this 'challenge'.
"Begin!"
The hero rolled his eyes, and reset the switch. From there, he jumped to the first rope. It was surprisingly easy, though he had a feeling that his hands would quickly get raw from the harsh rope the lantern was strung from.
'Careful, kid,' the pseudo-fairy said, and Link instantly recognized the 'be careful' tone. 'These ropes sway.'
"Please," the Outsetter whispered, "Like I don't know exactly what I'm doing."
It was then that he missed the lantern by just a smidgeon, and he dropped onto the ground, landing hard on his rear.
"…Not a word," Link said with a groan, rubbing his sore hind-quarters.
'Uh-huh…' 'Navi' mocked, 'Does 'I told you so' count as one word, or four?'
"Shhhh!" the hero hissed, looking suspiciously at Niko, who was giving him a weird look. "Do you want me to look like I'm crazy?"
'I'm wondering why this guy's opinion matters so much to you…'
"It doesn't!" the Outsetter whispered as loud as he dared, looking anywhere except for the direction of the pirate… who was standing at the edge of the platform, giving him a worried look.
"Hoy! Swabbie! You alright down there?" Niko asked, peering down at the hero, who was very, very slowly getting to his feet.
Link gave him a thumbs up before walking slowly towards the ladder.
'Wait…' 'Navi' said after a moment. 'Didn't you list 'Still able to reproduce' on your 'I'm okay' list?'
"…Shut up."
…
Three more unsuccessful tries later, Link practically crawled to the ladder.
'Are you sure you shouldn't take a break for a minute or two?' the guide asked his charge, and the hero waved the suggestion off.
"I'm good. Just tired, 's all," Link muttered, barely moving his lips as he went over to the switch yet again. "Last time I almost made it to the last rope… Just gotta be more careful, you know?"
'Wow. You, saying that you'll be more careful? I want to get this in writing!' 'Navi' said sarcastically, and Link rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, well…" the hero trailed off, getting focused again.
He jumped to the first rope, then the second, but paused as the third swung back and forth before leaping to it. Link stilled the rope, and managed to get it swinging in the right direction; even so, he almost didn't make the fourth rope. Link had a feeling that the rope burn that he got would hurt more later, but right now…
The fifth rope was difficult, especially with his hands being so raw, but he was determined not to fall. He made it, just barely, and clung to the rope for longer than he should've.
'Time's almost up, kid. You've got just one more rope to do… then you're done. Think you can do it?'
"No problem," Link said with more conviction than he'd intended.
He leapt to the sixth one, and there was a wonderful feeling of satisfaction as he jumped from that last rope to the platform.
The Outsetter strode casually into the small room, a smug smile on his face. Niko stared at him in shock for a moment, and then spoke.
"What?" the pirate practically shouted, "You've gotta be… You did it already? You're… You're incredible!"
To himself, though, Niko seemed worried. He talked in a small voice, but Link could hear him nonetheless. "This isn't good… I've never even passed this test… How could he do it so quickly? And make it look so easy? And if I give this to him, everyone will know for sure… Oh, I'll be so busted…"
The pirate coughed once, and then seemed to come to a decision. "Uh… okay! You're the best swabbie of all time! So… I guess I'll just give you the bombs! Go on! Take 'em! Just… just don't tell anyone, okay? I'm serious! Really serious! Okay? Okay?"
Niko walked out slowly, with a number of suspicious glances directed at Link. The hero, however, couldn't care less and walked over to the treasure chest. With a satisfied smile, he lifted the lid, and looked inside.
'Bombs! Yes!' the pseudo-fairy shouted excitedly, and privately, Link thought that his mentor was a little too happy about the explosives. Farore knew what this guy would do at a demolition site…
Suddenly, a new voice entered the picture.
"That's mighty courageous of you… trying to steal treasure from pirates," it said, and Link placed the speaker almost immediately.
"Tetra?" he whispered, looking around for the captain. He didn't see her, though, and pulled out the blue stone from his pocket.
"I suppose I should be shocked… but I'm more amazed that you managed to survive after being tossed out of that tower… From the look on your face, I have to guess you haven't saved your sister yet, huh?"
'Wow. That was nice of her to point out,' 'Navi' said with a huff, and Link rolled his eyes. He really wasn't sure when this had turned into a three-way conversation…
"You don't give things much thought, do you? You just rush in, never thinking how badly things could go for you. Just like now…" she said with what he perceived to be a glare, "The only reason you got what you did was because we left a simple-minded little rat like Niko behind to look after things. No one else would've parted with our treasure so easily, I assure you."
Link looked back to Niko, and from the indignant look on the pirates face, he assumed that the buck-toothed pirate could hear what Tetra was saying. The hero gave Niko a sympathetic smile before looking back to the stone.
"And just how do you intend to use those bombs, anyway? Don't tell me you're going after Jabun's treasure, too…"
'As a matter of fact,' the pseudo-fairy said, 'We are. You have a problem with that?'
"Who said that?" Tetra asked suddenly, and Link gave the stone a wide-eyed stare.
'Oh, Farore's Courage…' 'Navi' said, and the hero could hear the shock in his guide's voice.
"Link?" the pirate-captain asked, distinctly suspicious. "Was that you, just now?"
'Um… yes,' the wannabe-fairy said very quickly.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Tetra said indifferently, and both Link and his guide breathed a sigh of relief. "Anyways, like I was saying. Right now, Jabun is hiding in a cave at the back of the island you were born on. But, unfortunately, the entrance is blocked by a giant stone doorway. You can't get in without breaking down the door. We're going to relax in town and eat our fill of whatever this town has to offer, but we'll be leaving for Outset first thing in the morning."
The hero gave nothing in particular a disbelieving smile.
"If you manage to find Jabun tonight, then I guess you win."
Link was about to express his thanks to her, but she started to talk very quickly again. "But if you take too long, we'll come sailing right by you tomorrow morning! And believe me, you didn't get all of our bombs. You'd better be quick, kid!"
And just like that, her voice was gone.
'Well. Wasn't that nice of her,' 'Navi' said with what Link guessed to be an eye-roll. 'Allowing us to go after a treasure that we were going to get, anyways. So charitable…'
"Knock it off, will you?" the hero hissed, quickly running out of the exit—ignoring Niko's pathetic good-bye wave—and back into the 'challenge' room.
Stumbling up the latter, he managed to slide out of the doorway.
'Don't give me that. You're just sore because she didn't see you in person.'
Link glared at nothing in particular. "Well, you're just acting all over-bearing 'cause you want me to focus, focus, focus on hero stuff, and you don't want me to actually date a girl!"
'One, you're both, like, eleven. Two, she's a manipulating pirate. What about her personality did you not get?'
"Didn't you hear what she said back at the Bomb Shop? She wanted to get the treasure so that Outset wouldn't be destroyed! Sounds to me like she genuinely cares for more than just treasure!" Link whispered angrily to his guide.
'Was this before or after she raided the Bomb Shop and tied up its owner?'
The young hero was quiet for a moment. Then, he looked to the roof of the small room. "She didn't do all of that. That was her crew, and you know it."
'Right. So, in your version of this story, she must've just stood by for all of it, then. That makes it so much better! Face it, Link,' the pseudo-fairy said in a low voice, 'Even if she's not a bully who picks on the weak, she's no better than those that stand around, watching as the bad guys take over.'
"J-Just stop, okay? You don't know her!" The Outsetter looked closer to tears, and his guide's tone was a lot gentler when he spoke up again.
'…Do you?'
"…Well, either way," Link said glumly, trying not to draw attention to the fact that he'd just dodged answering that, "Thanks to her, I can finally get what I came for, and get that last pearl. You should be happy for me!"
'Yeah, well,' 'Navi' said, hesitantly accepting the subject change, 'I just don't want you turning into one of those people who start doing heroic things just to impress a girl. People who do that are fake and false and… and are a disgrace to real heroes. Helping others should be about protecting the people of the world, not for show.'
"Yes, mother," Link huffed, and suddenly grinned to himself when he saw Tetra's room…
…Unguarded.
'No! Nonononononono! N-O! What part about what I'm saying do you not understand, kid?' the pseudo-fairy was saying very quickly, but Link ignored him and cautiously entered the captain's cabin.
"I'm just exploring, 's all…" the young hero said with a strange smile, already inside and examining the walls of the room.
'Dude. Come on. You're, like, eleven. This is wrong on so many levels! You're sneaking into a girl your age's room!'
"Yes, yes I am," Link said with a satisfied smile. "Oooh, what's this?" he asked suddenly, examining the picture hanging beside her bed.
"Is that…?"
'Um…'
"That's the Hero of Time!" Link exclaimed, jumping onto the bed in excitement. "Wow! I didn't know that she liked the old stories… she didn't really seem the type!"
'Kid, I really think you should get out of there, now…'
The hero picked up on the sudden anxiousness in his guide's voice. "Why? What's the matter?"
'It just doesn't really seem right,' 'Navi' said with noticeable apprehension. Link tilted his head to the side.
"…Well, if you say so…"
The young hero gave a long-suffering sigh at Tetra's room before exiting and going back upstairs.
…
The rain was stinging on his raw hands, but he didn't mind so much. The bomb-bag was lighter than he thought it'd be, but it was still rather heavy and made his belt droop at the weight of it. Link immediately decided that he wouldn't be able to carry too many more items, for fear of not being able to move fast enough while holding all of them.
His guide seemed to pick up on this.
'You should really see if a fairy can help you with that,' 'Navi' suggested, but Link just looked at him—or where he thought that his guide would be if he were there with him—in wonder.
"You mean there are fairies still around? That's so cool!"
'Well… they are immortal,' his guide said with a noncommittal tone. 'But I don't really know where they'd be. In my time as… um, the Hero of Time's… secondary… guide, they were mainly on mountaintops. And since they weren't really fond of relocating much, I think you'll be able to find almost all of them on the islands. There might be one or two underwater, though…'
"Hm," was all the young hero said, though it was easy to tell that he was excited.
Though Link was reminded—one again—of his guide's seemingly endless knowledge of this world, he didn't ask why his guide knew how so many things worked, and he certainly didn't ever ask why 'Navi' had to give him a fake name, or why he decided to mentor him in the first name, or always tripped over Makar's name…
'Ahem,' the pseudo-fairy cleared his throat. 'I believe it's time to get you to your ship, ya pirate wannabe.'
"Yeah, yeah," Link grumbled, slipping and sliding across the deck until he came across a way out. He launched himself into the ocean with an ungraceful SPLASH! and fleetingly wondered why his bombs hadn't gone off at the impact of the water.
But he wasn't ever one to argue with luck, so he shrugged and struggled against the unusually strong current to get to his boat.
000
The Hero of Time wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and smiled in relief that he'd actually managed to protect the kid from the kid's own carelessness. He had no real idea how he'd managed to do it, but his arms had stretched out towards the screen, and nothing… had happened…
Zelda suddenly poofed into the room, and Link looked to her in surprise. She was holding out a steaming bowl of soup, and the hero felt his stomach roar its approval.
"So, everything going okay?" the princess asked with a smirk, and Link leaned backwards, putting his arms behind his head in his best display of arrogance.
"Yup," Link said, grinning, "The kid just got some bombs. Now he'll be able to get the last pearl. I think it's Nayru's…"
The hero gave a noncommittal shrug, and claimed the bowl that was being held out to him. "Thanks," he mumbled, breathing in the steam.
"I feel…" Zelda said cautiously, "I feel some magic here. Did anything… unusual happen?"
Link opened one eye that he hadn't been aware of closing. "Do you mean aside from protecting the kid from a random explosion that would've gone off, had I not intervened?"
The princess's face suddenly went pale. "You did what?"
The Hero of Time studied her for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "Um… is that a bad thing?"
"No, no, of course not," she backpedaled, "It's just… I didn't think that you could…"
She got up to leave, but he grabbed her by the arm.
"Explain," he said gruffly, staring her in the eyes. "I need to know what's going on."
Zelda looked anywhere but his face, and let out a sigh. "I don't really know, myself. I've only heard of one guide that's ever been able to maintain a physical presence from a distance, but even then she was visible. Her name was Midna, and she wasn't even from this timeline…"
The princess trailed off, and Link stiffened at her mention of the split timeline.
"It wasn't my fault," the hero said quietly.
"I never said that it was," Zelda snapped, finally looking back at him. "I just… I don't know how you did this. But I will definitely ask the Council tonight."
It was quiet a moment.
"…You speak with the Council of the Realm of Heroes often?" the Hero of Time asked, his voice carefully neutral.
"Not as often as you're implying, no," the princess said, irritatedly.
"I wasn't implying a specific amount…" He blinked at her. "Wait. Did you just read my mind?"
Zelda rolled her eyes. "You know I can't help it sometimes."
"Yeah, but…" he whined, taking a bite of soup. "It's still a little bit…" Link trailed off, not sure how to word it delicately.
"'An invasion of personal space'?" she suggested, much to his chagrin.
"You did it again."
She was quiet for a moment, and then laughed.
"That was actually a guess, so I'm officially super-smart and a mind-reader!" And Link decided that he didn't much like her tone of voice. It was too… playful? No, not playful, he thought, just… suggestive.
"For the last time, I do not sound suggestive!"
"…Stop doing that, Zelda," the hero said with a laugh. "It's seriously weirding me out."
She chuckled with him, and then gave him a quick hug before she got up to go again. "Quiet, you. You should be eating, or maybe paying attention to what your kid's doing."
The Hero of Time glanced to the screen, and his eyes widened. "Oh, Farore… you can't be serious…" he mumbled, and Zelda laughed harder.
"I think he is."
"But…"
"I'll let you work this out, hon," the princess said with a wink, before vanishing through the wall.
Link forced himself to calmly eat his soup, all the while wondering what could have possibly given the Hero of Winds the 'great idea' to use the blanket as a cape and use the Wind Waker as some kind of weird musical device.
000
'What are you doing?' his guide asked, laughing loudly at the boy, who suddenly felt a bit awkward.
"Um… Directing a symphony of the winds?" Link suggested lamely, trying to ignore the irritated groan from the other side of the conversation.
"Did you say something, boy?" the King of Red Lions asked, turning his neck around to face the boy. "It's hard to hear with all this thunder out…"
Link shook his head, trying to convince the boat that, in fact, he was not just talking to a magical guide who seemed to be speaking from inside of his head.
'Oy, vei…' 'Navi' said with a chuckle. 'Maybe you should use that blanket like it's supposed to be used, and go to sleep or something. Farore knows you need it if you're tired enough to do… that…'
The young hero crossed his arms indignantly. "No," he whispered, "I'm not tired… and I really, really should get the last pearl before even considering sleep."
His guide didn't seem to have anything to say to that, so Link continued.
"Besides, I need to keep vigilant over the seas… those sharks are coming up faster and faster, and something tells me that I'll have to jump over them every two or three minutes, anyways."
'And there's also the small fact that last time you tried to sleep on the boat, your pride was mortally wounded.'
The Outsetter looked a bit confused, so the pseudo-fairy gave a long-suffering sigh and elaborated.
'You don't remember waking up to a nose full of saltwater? Or did you just block it out?'
"…Shush," Link said, crossing his arms, and leaning back in the boat. Really, it was hard to sleep with the rain pelting him, anyways.
…
Despite what Link originally thought, the seas were surprisingly tame for the remainder of the trip. Granted, there were a few predators around islands, but the open seas were rather calm. Still, the hero was vigilant and refused to leave himself vulnerable. He of all people knew how heavy of a sleeper he was…
They arrived at Outset several hours later, and the hero yawned, stretched, and blinked in surprise when the King of Red Lions docked at the port instead of continuing to the other side of the island.
"Have you noticed, Link? Morning has not broken since we arrived at Great-fish Isle—the land that was so ravaged by monsters. It is as if time itself is frozen… Perhaps this is the curse that Valoo spoke of?"
Link fought back the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, he'd noticed. Why the boat was choosing now of all times, when he could be getting the pearl, to tell him this, he hadn't a clue.
"Whatever the reason, if this night does not end, then we need not worry about the pirates overtaking us. In fact, it might not be a bad idea for you to visit your hometown and family again after such a long time away. We can speak with Jabun after you do."
The young Outsetter blinked at the boat for a moment. Could he really just postpone his mission like that…?
'Do it,' 'Navi' ordered. 'You'll probably end up regretting it if you don't. Besides… your grandma probably misses you.'
Well, Link decided, he couldn't argue with that logic. And if his grandma was anything like she had always been, she'd probably worried herself sick.
The hero recoiled at the thought, and found himself sprinting towards his home.
He rushed though the front door and searched frantically for his caretaker, only to find her asleep by the fire. Link breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to her, but she sounded… strange.
The old woman appeared to be calling for both Aryll and Link, and the word 'safe' came out over and over again. The young hero looked at her with more worry than he ever recalled feeling for his grandma.
"I'm right here…" he said, gently taking her hand. "I'm home again, grandma…"
She didn't even flinch.
XXX
DUN-DUN-DUN-DUNNNNN…
Hah. No, I kid, I kid. But if you really look at certain things, the plot will become way obvious. And before you ask questions about Tetra hearing Ocarina of Time Link… re-read the passage with Zelda and OoT Link again, and remind yourself not to spoil any of the story for those of you who haven't played this amazing game yet.
As always, Reviews are WAY appreciated. (And since I said, "Hey, if you Read and Review, Link won't get hurt this chapter" and only one person reviewed… well, he got a minor rope-burn in this, and as far as I'm concerned, is steadily developing a cold from staying out in the hurricane weather for so long. So… um, yeah. Read and Review, or I'll upload various one-shots of Link managing to hurt himself in new and inventive ways!
(Reader: Not much of a threat, since she does this way too much, anyways…)
Quiet, you!
EDIT: Hey! Guys! I have a beta-reader now! Her name is Lady Fai, and she will be proofreading my chapters. As you can see, less errors already! Give her a hand, folks, and check out her profile!