Chapter 13: Take It and Run

Tetra brushed off her vest, and spoke. "So, Gonzo, Nudge, and I went to the Temple. And you, ya little master swordsman ya," she said, ruffling Link's hair. "You had distracted the guards so much better than I hoped. That Whirling Blade Technique and using your shield to bash Rajin's head in was very clever of you." She grinned at him and Link felt his face grow warmer.

"Err.. thanks," he muttered shyly. "I tried my best."

"We noticed, mate!" Senza said proudly as if Link were his son. "You're really tough for a such a little guy. I knew when I saw ya that you there was something to you."

"Is that why you tried to stand up for me earlier?" Link asked, looking at Senza. The pirate nodded and gently clapped Link on his right shoulder. "So... what happened after the guards were distracted?"

Tetra was still leaning on Link's left shoulder. "Well, Gonzo, Nudge, and I swapped into clothes with face masks so we couldn't be recognized. I told them the rest of the plan; unfortunately, only I could slip into the ventilation duct and believe me it was tight in there," she said, sticking out her tongue in disgust. "I thought I was going to die in there."

The islander looked at her with a worried look on his face. "Did... did you make it in okay?" Tetra grinned at him again, and Link kept getting the feeling that she knew something about him that he had been keeping quiet—or had been.

"I managed fine," she responded. "About mid-way through, the duct expanded, giving me more breathing air. Though I had barely moved a few more feet when I got a message from Senza."

"Huh? A message?" Link asked. "How?"

Still smiling, Tetra pulling out what seemed to Link as an rough, green, crystal-like stone tied around with some thin ropes, making it into a necklace. "This," Tetra said to him. "This is a special stone I've had with me all my life. It came with a small, shard-like mirror that's the same color of the stone. They're both magical objects," she explained. "And they are connected. The boys can contact me through the mirror to this stone. They'll be able to see me through the mirror, but I'll only hear their voice."

"Wow!" Link's eyes went wide as he stared at the magic stone. "I've never seen or heard of anything like that. Where did you get it?"

"Like I said, kid," Tetra responded, tucking the necklace back into her vest. "I don't remember; it's been with me for all my life. I'm surprised I figured out how to work it and the mirror. Anyway!" she said loudly. "Senza sent me a message that you were fighting Ganondorf. I started to panic and so I moved as quickly as I could. I didn't know you'd last so long against him, kid; I thought you were going to be beaten any moment."

"Wouldn't have the guards still been distracted, though?" Link asked.

"Well yeah, for about a minute," Tetra explained. "And then they would return to their posts. The only reason they moved from them is because they've never seen a twelve-year old take out someone in a sword fight." Smirking and stroking Link's shoulder again (which made him twitch a little), Tetra continued. "So, I moved quickly and managed to drop down into the Temple without being noticed."

Thus, Tetra continued her tale.

-S-

She dropped out of the duct and landed softly on the ground. Good, they didn't notice me. There were only two guards, buckled with short swords, carrying spears, and wearing full chain mail armor. However, they looked like they have never seen battle before and, at least to Tetra, looked quite nervous about guarding such a precious artifact.

The Temple of Time was made of beautiful white marble on the sides of the walls with tall columns pressing out through the room from the entrance to the Door of Time. In the center of the whole Temple was a pedestal with the Ocarina of Time. It was bright blue in color and carried the symbol of the Triforce on the back.

The emergency door was on the west side of the Temple and Tetra was on the east side. Therefore, she sneaked over quietly and remained in the shadows—avoiding the light coming from the windows above on the walls—and then walked over to a tapestry next to the emergency door. Reaching underneath, she pulled a chain that opened the door.

Suddenly, before the guards could react (for they heard the door open), Gonzo and Nudge ran in and threw their the sleep bombs at the guards. It happened so fast that Tetra had to cover her nose as she dashed up and grabbed the Ocarina. The guards fell to the stony ground (missing the comfy rug in the middle to their misfortune), perfectly asleep. Immediately, Tetra and her two companions ran outside the door—which closed right behind them (it was magically enchanted to detect when people would leave the temple through that door and then would close automatically for safety reasons).

With that, Tetra told Nudge and Gonzo the bad news about Link fighting Ganondorf. Hurrying as fast as they could, yet as silently as they could. Tetra stopped near their hiding spot where they had hidden their middle-class outfits and saw to her surprise—and relief—that the guards were still distracted and engrossed in the fight.

"Wow! He really knows how to use that Whirling Blade alright!"

One of the guards laughed and looked at his companions. "Maybe we should take some lessons from him. That kid knows how to fight!"

"Did you see how close he was to disarming Ganondorf!? I've never seen anyone pull that off!"

"Yeah, he even used one of Ganondorf's swords against him. This boy must have gone through some intense training to fight like this. Do you think he'll win?"

During the babble, Tetra, Gonzo, and Nudge quickly changed back into the their middle-class outfits and Tetra hid the Ocarina underneath her dress. Then she heard something that alarmed her.

"Uh oh," one of the guards said grimly. "That's not good, he looks pretty bad."

-S-

"We then found out how wounded you were, and carried you out of the arena," Tetra explained. "The referee was kind enough to give us a bottle with some healing liquid in it and some money as a consolation prize for your efforts. We were pretty concerned that you would die."

"You guys were that worried about me?" Link asked. He was very surprised that they cared so much about him. He thought he was just a tool for their mission.

Gonzo smiled. "We bought a lot of healing potions along the way since the first one didn't seem to be enough. You've grown on us, kid. I think we all would have been pretty down if you died."

"Aye!" Zuko confirmed loudly. "Yer one of the best mates we've had. Yer like family to us, now."

"Thanks," Link said after a long time. Then he felt Tetra stroke his shoulder again. "Uhh... wait! Why are we out in the field and how long has it been since Ganondorf knocked me out?" he asked.

"Two days," Mako replied from Link's left. He was sitting on the ground next to Tetra. His books were pilled up beside him like a pillar. "When you stopped bleeding, we removed your Hero's Clothes and put on your normal, islander clothing—which were clean and in an acceptable state," he added pointedly.

"I... I see." Link didn't dare ask if Tetra was around when that happened. He hoped that she hadn't been. "Two days... wow... he... he really must have hurt me. I know I felt the pain," he quickly added, noticing the expressions on the pirates' faces. "But I really wanted to continue and finish the fight, but Angela, the referee wouldn't let me. Then I... I just went out."

"Well..." Tetra eyed him and then grinned. "What you did do was extremely impressive and I'm not surprised Ganon tried to kill you. He really doesn't like anyone beating him, even if he plays nice." She was about to stand when she realized something. "Oh, that's right!" she said, turning her head towards Link's. "You asked why we're in the field instead town, right?"

"Yeah," Link said.

"It's to avoid being caught," Tetra explained. "We need to vanish completely and leave no trace so that that the Royal Family would have to check everywhere for evidence. Without any evidence or a warrant, we can't be taken in for trial or be captured!" she said gleefully. "Then Ganon will never get his filthy hands on the Triforce. No one ever will for the rest of time. It's better that way."

Link saw all the pirates nod around him in agreement. Especially after fighting Ganondorf, he had to agree. That last attack was far too vicious for his supposedly kind character that even fooled Link for a long time.

The sun was still setting in the western sky and Link could feel his body aching from his wounds. "Ugh... I see. I think I ought to rest again. I'm starting to feel the pain of it... badly," he said. The pirates all stood up to give him some air and nodded to Link. Then, they started to go about the camp, probably to prepare things.

"Rest well then, kid," Tetra said, getting off his shoulder and letting the islander lay back in the sleeping bag.

Link thought about the pirates and how they cared about him—his life even. It was very comforting, and he felt like he had more friends in the world now than he could have ever possibly imagined. He was happy, happy that there were people that saw him as a person and not a tool.

As he began to doze off, Link caught sight of Tetra throwing him a wink before he fell asleep.

-S-

It was nighttime when Link woke up. He rubbed his eyes gently and looked up at the stars. It made him recall the times he and Aryll would go as far as possible up the west island's mountainside back at Outset. They would use Aryll's telescope to try and see if they could get a better view. On some of those nights, Link remembered he would take out his own ocarina and start playing it.

I can almost remember how the notes went, he thought. Suddenly, he realized that there was a real song being played on an ocarina; not just his memories. He sat up and listened. It was a beautiful song, and he wondered who was playing. Standing up, Link listened for where the song was coming from. Then he figured it out; the song was coming from the campfire. For a moment, he couldn't see anything but the flames, but it didn't take long before he could see clearly.

There at the campfire, he saw Tetra playing the Ocarina of Time. There was something strange, as if the instrument and the player knew each other, at least, that's what Link thought from the way Tetra played it. When Link himself had played his ocarina he believed that each one, when played by its owner, had a specific tone that no other person could make when playing it. Huh? But I thought Tetra stole that ocarina...?

Link's curiosity took his mind from reality and there was only him, the campfire and Tetra playing the Ocarina of Time. A surge of feeling entered his heart and he suddenly wanted to be close to her and listen to that song she was playing. Without thinking, he paced over to the fire, entranced and attracted to the site. He took a seat next to Tetra on the log. The pirate captainess didn't seem to notice him at all, too immersed in her world of song.

Suddenly aware of what he was doing, Link glanced around and realized that truly, he and Tetra were alone. The other pirates seemed to have vanished themselves, despite a couple tents that had been set up. He began to feel a little nervous sitting next to Tetra, but at the same time he didn't want to leave. The song was so beautiful, and he wondered where the she had learned to play.

Then his mouth suddenly opened without his permission. "Tetra, where did you learn to play that?" he asked while looking at her. Suddenly Tetra stopped rather abruptly, nearly jumped in her seat, and almost lost her grip on the Ocarina of Time. Link wondered, Did I startle her? That would be a first.

"Wh-what? Hey! Aren't you supposed to be resting, kid?" Tetra asked, rather defensively.

"I'm sorry," Link apologized. "I mean... I was, but I woke up."

"Oh, I see. Let me guess," she responded. "The song attracted you over here, huh?" She chuckled, and seemed to let herself relax. "Either that," she said, her voice starting to become suggestive. "Or you thought seeing me play an instrument was pretty sexy." Tetra allowed herself to laugh menacingly.

"Gah! What!?" Link could not help it; he was certain that his face was completely bright red at the moment. He batted his cheeks with his hands quickly. "What... what do you mean by that?" he asked slowly.

"Oh, come on!" Tetra whacked his back, which stung a lot (he had forgotten about the injuries). "Do you think I'm that dense, Link?" she asked hypothetically while rolling her eyes. "I've known it for awhile now." She smirked smugly and looked at him, making direct eye-contact. "I know you have a crush on me."

Tetra hit the nail on the head, and Link couldn't believe that she had just said that. "H-how long have you kn-known?" he stammered, rubbing his back tenderly.

"Since you first looked at me," she said. "Well, no," Tetra corrected herself (which relaxed Link a little). "Since we landed at Windfall. That morning I got the idea that you liked me." She stretched out her arms a little. "You never figured it out, eh? Why do you think I played all those pranks on you?" she added with a very mischievous grin that was all too familiar to Link.

"What? Wait... you mean..." Link's jaw dropped, and he felt rather insulted. "You were playing with my heart the whole time!? Just because I have a crush on you!?" He stood up angrily, only to hurt his back more. Slumping back onto the log, he glared at her.

"Whoa..." Tetra chuckled softly. "I didn't expect you to explode. And I see you're still injured," she added, poking him in the ribs again. Link winced, and growled at Tetra angrily. "My, my. Have I unleashed a terrible beast?" She twirled the Ocarina of Time in her hands and then began to play another song, but abruptly stopped after the first note. "Kid, did you ever think that maybe... well... that I might have a crush on you?" Then, she started to play a rather pleasant song.

The music actually began to calm his nerves as he started blushing again. "Well... I... actually... yeah, I did consider that. I thought..." Link felt extremely awkward now. Here, Tetra was playing this nice little song. She was a pretty, attractive young girl, playful, fun, and unpredictable. "I thought you were flirting with me."

Tetra stopped playing and licked her lips. "Oh? Really...?" she said, raising one of her eyebrows. "How interesting," she said before returning to her song. Link wanted to get angry, wanted to get back at her, but the song was so soothing.

Link decided to be direct, no more beating around the bush. "Well?" he finally said. "Are you going to tell me if you were or not?"

Tetra stopping playing the Ocarina for a second. "No," she said sweetly, and then she started playing again.

This time, though, the song wasn't enough keep back Link's anger. He grabbed his hair and pulled it, not enough to pull it out, but enough to feel pain in his head. Letting go, Link glared at Tetra again and wanted to get vengeance on her. He had only a simple crush on her, and she had the gall to play around with his heartstrings without being serious about it.

Suddenly, she stopped, "Oh, that's right. You asked me a question earlier, hmm?" Tetra didn't wait for a response, it was like she could sense Link's boiling anger. "I'm not sure exactly," she sighed, and then leaned back to look up at the stars. "I think I learned how to play an ocarina when I was a child. Much younger. Funny," she added. "I always used to play it at night."

"What?" Link suddenly forgot how angry he was and became very curious. "... I... I used to do that with my sister all the time, too." The atmosphere for Link wasn't very awkward anymore. Now, he wanted to listen to Tetra some more.

He waited silently for her to speak. "I guess it always comforted me at night—when I was afraid of my dreams. My nightmares." Tetra's eyes shifted towards Link nervously, as if she had said something that she shouldn't have in front of her. "Why did you ask?"

Link shifted his feet on the ground and then looked back at her. "Well... I've always believed that the owner of an ocarina would have a specific tone when playing his or her ocarina. Whenever someone else tried to play it though, they wouldn't be able to..." he fumbled with the words in his mouth. He expected Tetra to say "spit it out" like she had at Windfall, but she didn't. It looked like she was really interested in what he had to say.

Finally, he finished his sentence. "They wouldn't be able to make that same tone. It would sound different. It's like the ocarina and the owner of it are connected somehow. In a way that can't be broken," he added. "And well... you stole that Ocarina, right? But... to me it seems like you have that connection with the Ocarina of Time when you play it."

Tetra remained silent for awhile, making Link wonder what she was thinking. Finally, she sat up straight and looked Link in the eye. She looked very serious. No more mischief, no more teasing, she looked serious. Now, Link was starting to get the feeling, that this type of look was one of the reasons Tetra was the captain, not any of the others. Despite this feeling of intimidation, Link kept his back straight and looked back at her.

Finally, she shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said, looking away. A half-smile appeared on her face. "Perhaps that's true. Perhaps I was an owner of this Ocarina once. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I'm trying to get it away from Ganon." she looked back at Link and grinned. "It's not his."

Link almost grinned back. He felt like moving closer to her; in his mind, he wanted to ask her if he could hold the Ocarina of Time, but somewhere inside, he just wanted to get closer to her. He was about to shift closer to her on the log when a loud voice cried out towards the camp (immediately Tetra put the Ocarina of Time underneath her vest).

"'hoy there!" It was Gonzo, followed by Senza and Niko. Tetra stood up and placed her foot on a nearby stump. The pirates stopped and a look of fear crossed their faces. Especially Niko, he almost turned around to run when Tetra spoke clearly, yet not loudly.

"What did I tell you, boys, about announcing to the camp? Hmm?" Tetra folded her arms and huffed. "You're not supposed to yell! I don't want our position to be given away. Remember... the sentence for stealing the Ocarina of Time is death!" All the pirates swallowed loudly.

Link's jaw dropped. Death? I didn't know about this! Oh, man... I hope we don't get caught! He became so nervous that he thought that he might not be able to get to sleep tonight, at all.

"S-sorry, Miss Tetra," Gonzo mumbled. Niko was cowering behind Senza in fear. This would be funny to Link if death wasn't involved with the situation. "I won't do it again," Gonzo said, scratching his head behind his purple bandanna.

"Alright, alright," Tetra said, calming down and getting off of the stump. "I'm really stressed. I'm not interested in getting caught, being executed and letting Hyrule fall into Ganon's grasp. It's a pretty heavy burden on all of us and hard to get rid of."

Then it clicked, Link realized why she had been playing—to calm her own nerves. "Um... Tetra?"

She sighed irritatedly, "Yes, Link?"

"I..." he stammered. "I didn't know that... death was the sentence for stealing it... I..."

"It's okay, kid," she said as calmly as possible. "You have the full right to be scared; we all do for Farore's sake." She took in a deep-breath and exhaled. "How are the others?" she asked. "Are they going to make it to the ship okay?"

"I think so," Senza said. "Zuko and the others are pretty good at sneaking around. I'm sure they'll be able to grab our ship by night." He, and Gonzo walked over to the fire and sat down on logs next it across from Link. Niko, on the other hand, was still cowering on the grass. Ironically, Tetra paid him no mind.

Link looked at Tetra curiously. "Wait," he said. "Didn't you say we couldn't go into Kakariko Port because we needed to... uhh..." he tried to think of the word. "Leave no traces at all?" Then he realized what a stupid question that was and before Tetra could say anything, Link waved his hand in front of him and laughed uneasily. "No. no, no, no. I get it. We can't leave without the ship. Ha ha."

Tetra sighed again, and ironically, to Link's surprise (and possibly delight), Tetra sat down on the log right next to him. He thought she was actually sitting closer to him than when they were talking before. "Well, not only that, but they're taking the ship towards Gerudo Valley, but not quite into it, and lodging the ship there." Tetra eyed Link and said, "Gerudo Valley is the home of the gerudos, obviously. It's just to the west of here. We'll be close to it, but not in it."

Link nodded his head at her. "So, the others are gone.. but there are only two tents," he said, counting the blue tents that were set up. "Do you need to set up a third?"

Tetra smiled mischievously and Link suddenly had a bad feeling inside of him. "Yes, there's a third tent. Zuko, Nudge, and Mako have it," she explained to Link. "Gonzo, and the others are staying in that tent," she said, pointing to one of them. "And you and I are staying in the other."

It was just like the hotel, except worse now because of the lack of space. Link was afraid Tetra would kill him if he accidentally rolled over on top her in his sleep. Even more so, he now knew that she knew about his crush on her, which could change things for the worst.

Gonzo and the others looked utterly shocked—even Niko had stopped cowering to gasp at Tetra. "What? I'm not going to be in a tent all alone! You boys know I hate sleeping alone at night," she added grimly. "I know you can handle yourselves and I trust Link will keep his hands to himself."

Link was certain that the heat that he was feeling was not coming from the campfire. My hands to myself? He wondered. Why did she mention that? He was beginning to feel very uncomfortable now and he needed something to change the subject. He thought and then got an idea. "Hey, umm... where are my Hero's Clothes?" he asked.

"Niko should be washing them," Tetra said, looking at Niko with one eye opened.

The beaver-faced pirate was very nervous. "Th-they should be done in th-the mornin', Miss Tetra. No problem at all." This time, he looked like a beaver that had built the shakiest dam in all the world, with a poor foundation.

However, that seemed perfectly fine to Tetra. She nodded with approval and then said, "Alright, I'd say we should retire. Link, I'll help you get your sleeping bag into the tent, kay?" Not waiting for a response, she stood up and looked at Senza and Gonzo, "Which one of you are going to keep watch tonight first?" she asked, folding her arms again.

Gonzo stood up. "I am, Miss. Senza's goin' to take the second, but who do you want for the third?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, I think we're only going to have two watches tonight," she explained with a deep sigh. "I hope you two are ready for a long night watch. Link is too injured still to do much. So, let's not put any weight on him." Nothing needed to be said about Niko. Link knew there was no possible way for him to be put on watch. "Alright?"

"Aye-aye, miss!" Senza, Gonzo, and Niko saluted her. Satisfied, Tetra clapped her hands twice—quietly and looked to each person before looking at the sky for a second. Link knew why, there was no moon up in the sky that night, so it was going to be a fairly dark night without moonlight to protect them.

"Alright then," Tetra said, sounding almost like a mother to her children. "Time for bed, everyone. I feel wasted." Niko and Senza headed for their tent and went inside. Looking rather sober, Gonzo stayed outside next to the campfire and drew his sword. "C'mon, Link," Tetra said, startling him a little. "Let's get your sleeping bag into my tent."

While he felt extremely uncomfortable about the idea of staying in a tent with Tetra, Link had no choice but to comply. Sighing, he followed Tetra reluctantly to his sleeping bag. "Okay, I'll pick up one end and you pick up the other," she said. He did so and with some pain to his arms, he and Tetra managed to get it inside the tent. Once inside, Link fell on top of it from fatigue.

"Ow... I didn't realize... how wounded I still am," he moaned. "You wouldn't have any of those red potions left? Would you?" he asked as politely as he could. He didn't want to anger Tetra. Because Link knew how much pressure she was under. He wanted to mention how well she played the Ocarina, but he thought that if he did, it might bring up the idea of being executed for stealing it.

"Yeah, we do," Tetra said, looking at him. Link felt relieved, the look on her face was just neutral. "Unfortunately, we only have half a bottle left, and you know how bad it tastes, right?"she added with a sly smirk; it seemed forced though.

"Yeah, but I'll take it now if it'll help me," Link said. He was in a lot of pain, and felt like he couldn't move. "I feel like I'm glued to the floor." Then he wished he hadn't said that. Tetra would probably pull another prank and give him a massage (even though, he liked it in reality), and he thought that might lead to other things in such close quarters.

"Okay, but it sounds like you're going to need a back-rub," Tetra responded with exactly what he didn't want to hear, except that Tetra didn't sound very impish about it at the time. He looked over and saw her fiddling with a large pouch, reaching around and looking for something inside. "I promise not to torture you this time like I did last time, kay? I get the feeling you're going need one." Since she sounded truly concerned, he decided to give in and let her do it. "Besides, we landed your sleeping bag over mine, and unless you want to sleep that way—"

"No, it's fine!" Link cut her off. "Sure, I'll take the potion... what's left of it, that is, and a back-rub." He had to admit, he would need more strength if he were to move the sleeping bag again. Link was amazed at how much damage Ganondorf had done to him. Finally, Tetra pulled out a half-empty bottle of red liquid, and then walked over to Link. She knelt down and handed him the potion. Using all the strength he could, Link sat up, uncorked the bottle and drained the entire potion. It tasted like absolute dung to him—the worst taste of that type potion he had ever had. "Ugh. That was really nasty."

"I don't blame you," came Tetra's voice from behind him. His shirt was removed and Tetra began to give him the massage. This time, as she had promised, she didn't torture him. She did it for Link's benefit. And for that, he was extremely grateful for. After it was done, Link could already feel strength returning to his muscles. "There you go, how do you feel?" Tetra asked.

"A lot better. Thank you."

Tetra smiled kindly at him, which caused him to blush a little, but he stood up and moved his sleeping bag off Tetra's and instead sat it parallel to hers. Immediately, he slipped underneath the covers and put his head back. "Tetra?" he asked, not even looking at her.

She sighed, sounding slightly annoyed. "What is it, kid?"

"I... I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." Link felt pretty bad for yelling at her when she was under so much pressure. He was surprised that she hadn't shot back at him angrily now that he understood the situation.

Keeping his eyes away, Link heard Tetra giggle. "That's alright. I'm sorry for taunting you. I can understand why you'd have a crush on me," she said softly. "Now, can you turn yourself around towards the tent wall so I can change?"

Remembering that Tetra trusted Link to "keep his hands to himself," he said, "Sure, but I'll probably be asleep before you're done anyway. Though, one thing," he said, pausing the conversation. Link almost turned around to look at her, but then he stopped himself. "Why did you say to the other guys that you were sure that'd I'd 'keep my hands to myself?' Just out of curiosity," he added quickly.

He could hear the sound of moving clothing; Tetra was probably changing. Link could just imagine her keeping a sharp eye on the islander because she didn't want him peeping on her (he wouldn't have anyway). Link heard Tetra chuckle. "You don't get it? They were jealous that you get to be in my tent. So, I had to give them a reason."

"Jealous?" Link was pretty shocked. "What? They are way older than you! How could they possibly have any-"

Tetra cut him off. "They don't. It's the father 'no boy is good enough for my daughter' complex. Remember, they did raise me for the past four and a half years." She had a good point, Link had to admit. It seemed like Gonzo and the others were worried that Link might do something they wouldn't like with Tetra in the same tent.

Link knew though, that he was better than that. He was, indeed, going to keep his hands to himself. It was dishonorable and disrespectful to treat a girl or a lady in such a way—that's what Orca taught him. "I see. I understand. I promise I won't do anything to you, Tetra... by my honor as a warrior."

"Oh gosh! You don't need to make an oath over it!" Tetra laughed. Link heard her drop to the floor and slide through something, probably her sleeping bag. "Get some sleep, Link. You're going to need all the rest you can get for tomorrow." Without saying anything, Link agreed with her and fell into a deep sleep.

-S-

Tetra had been right; that next day, Link got up to find out that he was going to help carry the supplies like the tents and other things. Tetra herself lugged the large pouch on her back and stayed in the middle of the group. Gonzo was marching in front, Niko was second, Tetra was third, Link was fourth, and Senza was last. They traveled at a fast pace that Link could barely keep up with, for hours across the field until it was nightfall. There, Link wanted to know how long until they reached the shore.

"Probably another day or so," Senza said to him. "We got to keep moving every day. There's a phrase pirates and thieves like to use. 'Take it and run,'" he explained. The large, wall-like pirate was cooking some sausages over the campfire. Unfortunately for the group, they had little food, and Link was starting to miss all those delicious meals they ate at the Tavern.

Then he remembered something. "Hey, do you guys have a sauce-pan I can use?"

Senza looked at Link with a blank stare and then nodded. "Yeah, there should be one over there with Miss Tetra's pouch. Feeling bold, Link decided to go look without asking Tetra. Dangerous, but he was very hungry, and to mention invincible; for he was wearing his Hero's Clothes and was armed once again as his strength had returned to him.

As he reached the large travel-pouch, Link was about to put his hand in when he heard a voice from behind that scared him; it was Tetra. "What are you doing, kid? Hmm?" She sounded slightly annoyed. Every bit of Link's boldness was stamped out by Tetra's mere presence, despite his strength and equipment.

Feeling really guilty, Link removed his hand and turned around to face Tetra. She was silhouetted by the campfire behind her in the distance and Link swore he could see her blue eyes. "Umm... I just needed to use a sauce-pan. I have something I need to warm up and I was hungry. Can I please take a look?" he asked rather feebly with his hands behind his back.

Tetra sighed and rolled her eyes. "... Alright. Sure," she agreed with a half-smile on her face. "But next time, ask me first, kay?" There, she helped Link search for the sauce-pan and eventually they found it near the bottom of the pouch. It was a small sauce-pan with a wooden handle. Very simple, but it satisfied Link's needs.

"Thank you," he said to Tetra and then he returned to the campfire. Opening up his Adventurer's Pouch tied to his belt, Link pulled out a bottle of his Grandmother's soup. "I hope this is still good," he said to himself, not really caring that Senza was there to hear him talk to himself. Uncorking the bottle, he poured the soup carefully into the sauce-pan until the bottle was empty. Putting its cork back on, Link put the bottle back into the pouch and tied it up.

Then, he raised the sauce-pan into the fire to warm up the soup. Soon, the fresh smell of his Grandmother's soup began to extend from the fireplace to all around the camp. "Wow, that smells good, Link," Senza commented before taking a bite into one of his sausages. He chewed and then swallowing before asking, "what is it?"

"It's my Grandmother's soup," Link said happily. "She gave me two bottles of it to take on the trip across the sea." He brought the sauce-pan back for a second and checked the temperature with his finger—it wasn't warm enough yet so he raised the pan again into the fire. "It's really good, and keeps well too inside bottles."

Senza chuckled. "Sounds like you have a nice family. A little sister, a nice 'ol grandma, and parents?"

Link's smiled faded. "No. My dad died trying to protect the village on Outset, and my mom died after giving birth to Aryll." He sighed, hoping that Aryll and his Grandmother were still there at Outset and safe from harm. Link missed them.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Senza said. "I bet ya can sympathize with Miss Tetra. She lost her parents at a young age, too. Though," he added quietly, his voice sounding somewhat guilty. "Not like the way yer mother died. I'm sorry to bring that up again, mate."

"That's okay," Link responded. "It's something I've had to deal with every day at Outset. Though, Ayrll is so happy all the time. She's like a bouncing bunny. Cute and lovable, too." The conversation went silent after awhile, as Link let time slip by, letting the soup cook in the fire.

Finally, Link pulled it back and checked the temperature again. This time, it was ready. He pulled out the bottle again and began to pour some of the soup back in. "Mmm..." a voice came from behind him. "That smells good, kid." It was Tetra, again. This time she sat down next to him on the log to his right. She had an empty bottle in her hands. "So, that's your grandmother's cooking? Eh?"

Link nodded at Tetra. "I know this might be selfish, but may I have a taste?" she asked politely. The islander smiled. Inside, he felt like this was a chance to show some more respect to Tetra, and hopefully get her attention.

"Sure, bring your bottle over here." To his surprise, Tetra just shifted across the log until she was right next to him—in breathing range almost. Is she playing with my crush again? He wondered. Even so, he poured a little bit of the soup into her bottle and handed it back to her. Link knew he was blushing, but this time, he didn't care. It felt good to share something he loved with Tetra. It was a feeling he couldn't describe at all, it just felt right.

Tetra put her mouth to the bottle and drank a little bit of the soup. Link would have done the same, except he was entirely interested in the pirate captainess's opinion of his Grandmother's cooking. Tetra pulled the bottle back and stared at the remaining soup. "Wow! This is really good! It feels good too, like my body is being purged out by it." Link was so happy that Tetra liked it, and by the end of the night, Link had given her one half of the soup.

That night, Tetra had never been as friendly to him as ever before. Link felt a sense of victory inside of him, as if he had won some sort of prize that he couldn't touch, but he could feel. It was a strange sensation in him that he enjoyed.

During the next day, he was still pleased as he marched behind Tetra. He felt the desire to protect her more than before. Even as he kept his eyes peeled for any attackers that might try to raid them for their stuff or Royal Family warriors trying to take back the Ocarina of Time (even if that was foolish, he still wanted to protect her).

However, the day passed by quickly and in the late afternoon, the little band of pirates and their swordsman finally saw the shore and the pirate ship waiting for them. Link had never really seen it from the outside. It was quite a beautiful vessel for something used by the most feared pirate group on the seas. The rim was gold and there was a wonderfully carved dragon-shaped head at the front of the ship.

In the distance, they saw hands waving from the the deck. Zuko, Mako, and Nudge were waiting for them all. It was a welcome sight for Link's eyes and as soon as they reached the shore and crossed up the gangplank, the young swordsman felt like he was meeting them again for a second time. It was strange, the pirate ship almost felt like home to him.

"So... I guess you're going to take me home now, right?" Link asked after they had put all their supplies and pouches away, and rolled up the gangplank before setting sail. Everyone had gathered near the helm of the ship where Gonzo was once again guiding it with the wind at their side.

Tetra sighed and shook her head. "No. We're still not done yet."

"What do we have left to do?" Link asked.

Tetra looked around at her pirates and half-smiled. "We need to return to our hideout, the Forsaken Fortress, and hide the Ocarina of Time in a way that no one will ever be able to find it again."