A/N: I'm crossing my fingers you'll forgive me that this Halloween-themed piece is a few days belated. The idea only came to me the day of, and it took a bit to flesh out the dialogue and Niko's storytelling. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you all had a very happy Halloween.

.: The Tale of the Silent Princess :.

The sun was slowly setting over the Great Sea, the great expanse of deepening blue that lay before the large pirate ship. It was a long way to the next island, and not a ship had yet crossed the route of the pirates. Said pirates were now busily scattered on deck, with their captain Tetra overseeing the goings-on.

"Starboard!" the young, blond girl called to her helmsman Gonzo and tried to peer through the thick fog with narrowed eyes. "We're changing tacks for a spell."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" He turned the wheel, and the ship swerved to the right.

Soft steps approached...

The boy with the golden blond hair tip-toed carefully up to his best friend from behind. He was about to let lose a frightening shriek...

"And what's this supposed to be, Link?" Tetra whispered, annoyed. He groaned and let his arms drop.

"Why are you such a spoilsport?"

She turned to him and put her arms on her hips. "I just don't believe in Halloween! And your pathetic attempts to scare me don't help to change my mind! Nothing and nobody scares Captain Tetra!"

Link glanced at Gonzo who nodded in confirmation and locked the ship's wheel to join them. "But we'll just see about that when we hear a story from Niko tonight!" The pirate gave a loud, bell-ringing laugh and patted his counterpart on the shoulder.

Tetra scoffed. "Belay with your scuttlebutt..."

"Oh man—Niko is the first one to scare someone with one of his yarns!"

Link laughed silently into his sleeve. Earlier, Niko had assured him that the story, which was supposedly based on a true incident, would definitely scare Tetra.

Just before midnight, everyone gathered down in the ship's galley. Tetra had reluctantly agreed to sit down with them, her excuses of taking the first vigil shift deep-sixed by all crew members. Link blew out the flame of the last hanging lantern and sat down on the floor between Tetra and Niko.

Niko, the little pirate with the too-big front teeth cleared his throat. "Well, some of you may know that this story based on true events..."

Tetra snorted and suppressed a giggle.

Niko's throat cleared again before he continued. "This tale is set in a small kingdom on the other side of the world many, many years ago. A king by the name of Nohanso ruled there. His wife had long ago died giving birth to their only daughter Tera. Tera was a bright, young woman and the most beautiful in the whole kingdom! They say her long, blond hair was the very stuff gold is made from, and her bright eyes, in which suitors quickly lost themselves, were bluer than the Great Sea that stretched from the kingdom to the horizon."

"Almost like you, Captain!" added Gonzo, turning to Tetra.

"Don't spout nonsense, Gonzo!"

The tall, broad man fell silent, and Niko went on talking in a low, hushed voice. "Tera liked to sing all her life and from morning to night sat on the window of her room and brought the birds and their songs there with her voice. But not only the birds listened to her singing. Viggo the palace gardener, whose face and throat were scarred something terrible by an accident in his youth, was simply delighted with her melodies! Soon he was coming to the tree by the window every day out of sight and listening to the princess sing!

"One fine day, Tera was walking through the gardens to pick flowers for her mirrored dresser, and Viggo was waiting for her. He stepped from behind a hedge and began telling her how much he loved her singing. Filled with panic at the sight of a frighteningly disfigured stranger, the princess ran through the castle gate and into the adjacent forest. Injured by what he thought was the princess's reaction to his words, he followed her. Years of yard work allowed the gardener to swiftly overtake the maiden. Raising her fair hands above her fair head, she tried to protect herself from him.

'I don't want to hurt you!' Viggo repeated over and over again, but Tera crawled away only to fall into a hollow hidden by the gnarled brush. She must have hit her head on a stone on her way down. Dark red blood trickled out from Tera's mouth pressed into the ground, destined never to open again and let loose its beautiful melodies of the past... "

"Oh goddesses!" Zuko interjected, nails nibbled down to the nubbins.

"Hah, that's not scary at all..." added Tetra, tucking in her hands at her sides.

"I'll get to the best bit... Well... Viggo looked fearfully around for anyone who might have witnessed the fateful accident. No one would believe that a palace gardener, who came out of the forest alone with the dead princess in his arms, hadn't killed her! He picked her up and carried her to the sea... But it would be such a terrible shame that her voice would be forever lost! As if possessed, he pulled out his hedge trimmers and cut out her vocal cords. With one last jerk, he threw her into the sea."

Link stole a glance at Tetra, whose hands had since wrapped protectively around her throat...

"And since then, the princess's spirit has been flying over the Great Sea. She cannot find peace and only walks here on earth to steal the voice of any young girl equal to her in beauty and song! When she's looking to prey on a ship again, all you can hear is a soft moaning before it gives way to a piercing..."

"EEEEEEYYYAHHH!" Link shrieked. Tetra jumped up, screamed in shock, and thew her arms over her head in panic.

The whole crew roared with laughter.

"See?! We did manage to scare you! Now that's a happy Halloween!" Link laughed, gripping his boots with glee and not at all minding the daggers shooting from Tetra's slitted eyes.

"And you managed to earn yourself scrubbing the deck for a month!"

A/N: As always, reviews are appreciated and replied to. Or, if you'd prefer to comment more privately, feel free to shoot me a PM. Cheers, + KVP