Chapter 8: Search & Rescue
The pirate ship, perhaps the most well-known of those that inhabited the Great Sea, was in a state of disarray, which was to be expected when there were only three viable crew members and an unsung hero to keep the large ship functioning. Just because they managed to get the vessel moving didn't mean that the crew could relax. If the Great Sea were a normal ocean, the main causes for concern would be a possible shark attack or inclement weather. Since it was not, and never had been, an average sea, those that chose to brave its rolling fields of endless blue were not only susceptible to spontaneous storms, but they also risked being ambushed by sea monsters, misguided by cyclones, and even struck by cannon fire from hostile ships operated, it is rumored, by evil entities.
At the moment, everything was quiet, or as quiet as it could get on a pirate ship, but the relative peacefulness was most likely attributed to the fact that four of the crew members were not present. While the others may have been stressed due to their current situation, Kid was just happy to be back in a world he knew. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed its small population, briny sea, and familiar faces. That wasn't to say that he wasn't concerned for his sister or friends whose whereabouts were still unknown, but he was content, for the moment, to be absorbed in the task he'd been given with the natural sounds of the sea to invigorate him.
While they'd been absent, the ship hadn't been in use and, as a result, the pirates had rigged the sail in a more appropriate manner warranted for an extended duration of time at port which meant that all of the running rigging had been dismantled. Now that they were sailing, it was anything but convenient since furling and unfurling the sail would require at least two individuals to climb the thick netting to either side of the ship and either tie or untie countless ropes. Because of this unnecessary hassle, Tetra had assigned him and Niko to the task of adjusting the rigging so it worked like it normally did when they were at sea.
So, while Tetra steered the ship clear of any obstacles or over large swells, not that there were many in this part of the ocean, and Zuko gazed out to sea with a purpose up in the crow's nest, Kid, with some minimal help from his fellow swabbie, was securing lines and loosening others in order to achieve the system of pulleys that the muscle of the ship normally operated.
"You do know what you're doing, right?" Niko asked as Kid finished tying the final knot.
"Let's find out," Kid invited, motioning for Niko to start climbing down. After reaching the deck, they both took hold of the main sheet and pulled, intending to raise the sail. They barely managed to raise it a fraction of an inch before the knots Kid had worked so diligently to tie unraveled and the two of them found themselves falling back hard onto the wooden deck.
"I guess this is why we're swabbies, eh?" Niko grinned, nudging him with an elbow.
"That took an hour," Kid breathed in disbelief, viewing the mess of ropes and lines dejectedly from his seat on the ground. He couldn't help but feel disappointed in his failed handy work. After sailing around the sea on his own, he'd been proud to say that he'd taught himself how to operate a sailboat. Apparently, his self-teaching skills only went so far.
"You guys better get that set up!" Tetra called over to them bossily from her spot at the helm, "If the wind gets any stronger we'll need to adjust the sail."
"Or I could adjust the wind," Kid suggested, as he picked himself up from the floor.
"That's not going to work every time," Tetra objected, "Get up there and try it again. It can't be that hard if you use the right knots."
"I don't know the right knots," Kid admitted as he began to climb the rigging once again with Niko close behind.
"Just put something together!" Tetra ordered, "Whatever you set up only has to work until the others are able to function properly and correct it."
At this point, Kid didn't know how well he could make a temporary sheet that functioned as it was supposed to. However, he was determined to try. After all, there was still a lot that had to be done. Their missing companions had to be tracked down first, and then there was the search for Medli, Makar, and Aryll whose exact locations were still an enigma. Not to mention that Ghirahim was here somewhere and needed to be dealt with before he had a chance to destroy anything, if he hadn't already done so. From what Kid had seen so far, everything was normal. It wouldn't stay that way as long as the demon lord lived.
Unfortunately, nothing could be done until the ship's sail was in order, so Kid spent the next half hour attempting to learn from his past mistakes with only his memory and Niko's input to aid him.
"Think it'll work this time?" Niko wondered as he climbed down to the deck.
"I have no idea," Kid replied inching down after Niko was out of the way. He wanted it to work, but that didn't necessarily mean that it would.
Stepping over the railing in order to reach the deck, Kid was startled when something tapped against his foot. Looking down, he determined the culprit to be an irregularly shaped glass bottle.
He'd never expected to find one. After the middle-aged man that was, for some inexplicable reason, obsessed with fairies, known as Tingle, presented him with what he'd so very originally dubbed the "Tingle Bottle," Kid had instantly tried it out to see if he really could send a message to someone, be it a fairy or some other celestial being. He'd never received a reply and after so long he'd stopped expecting one. Now here was a Tingle Bottle teetering on the edge of the railing just waiting for him to accept it.
Careful to not jar the green-tinted bottle, lest he disturb its precarious balancing act and send it tumbling into the ocean below, Kid knelt down and grabbed the object by its neck. Hopping off of the railing and onto the deck where there was less of a chance of him falling overboard, Kid uncorked the bottle eagerly.
"What's that?" Niko wondered, abandoning his position below the sail and wandering over to get a glimpse at Kid's recent discovery.
"It's a Tingle Bottle. There's a message inside it," Kid informed Niko, inverting the bottle and holding out his free hand to catch the rolled up parchment that fell out.
"Who's it from?" Niko came closer, moving so he would be effectively blocking Tetra's view from what they were doing. If she caught them slacking off, especially now, they were in for it.
Kid shrugged as he unrolled the scroll and swept his eyes over the writing. It took another few seconds for him to recognize the letters. He couldn't read it, and yet it conveyed much more to him than any words, written or otherwise, ever could. Sprinting across the deck and up the steps to the helm, Kid managed to startle the resilient pirate girl when he held up the paper suddenly just inches from her face.
"Hey! No distracting the driver!" Tetra yelled, batting away the piece of paper in a huff. "You're supposed to be fixing the-"
"I know, but look," Kid interrupted her, unable to suppress his excitement. Begrudgingly, the pirate captain snatched the paper out of his hand, keeping a hand on the wheel, and skimmed it.
"I can't read this," Tetra stated, annoyed. Kid waited for her to realize what he had. It only took a moment. Her head snapped up so fast that he briefly contemplated if she'd hurt herself. "Where did you get this?" Kid held up the Tingle Bottle as an explanation.
"What is that?" Tetra wondered, puzzled as she examined the object.
"Something that Tingle crafted himself," Kid supplied.
"Well, I could have guessed that." Tetra rolled her eyes. "I meant, what's it do?"
"It's supposed to send messages to people or something, but the one he gave me never worked," Kid explained.
"So if you can only get these things," Tetra poked the bottle in disgust, "from Tingle then whoever sent this, had to have met him. Where's Tingle normally? On his island?"
"He should be," Kid verified.
"Alright then, I guess we're going to Tingle Island," Tetra sighed, handing him their priceless clue and placing both hands on the wheel.
"Which one of them do you think it is?" Kid asked her.
"If we're lucky, they'll both be there," Tetra said, scanning the horizon in order to discern their location so she could plan out a route to Tingle Island. If memory served, Kid didn't think it was far.
"What's going on?" Niko wanted to know.
"We think we know where at least one of our counterparts are," Kid answered, "so we're going to Tingle Island."
"We're not dropping anchor unless we're positive one of them is there," Tetra corrected him, "I don't like that island."
"Not liking the people that inhabit the island is different from not liking the island itself," Kid pointed out.
"I know," Tetra replied, "In this case, I don't like either one."
"I feel sorry for whoever's there," Niko commented which urged them to all nod in mutual agreement.
If one were to remain on a single island for their entire life, they'd most likely never hear of Tingle. However, every seafarer, pirate, fisherman, or treasure-hunter, at one point, learned of the fairy-obsessed man. Almost everyone had a different story to tell about the guy, and none of them were good. Tingle himself, didn't seem to acknowledge his lack of popularity, which, in turn, made him less popular. Despite the fact that Tingle had deciphered Triforce charts for him, Kid didn't like the man more than anyone else. Of course, if it wasn't for Tingle, Kid would never have been able to obtain all the pieces of the Triforce of Courage. This fact would cause him to feel indebted to the guy if it wasn't for the small detail that each chart cost over three hundred rupees to have deciphered. It was, in a word, criminal.
"Don't you two have something you're supposed to be doing?" Tetra wondered nonchalantly as the two of them lingered at the helm. Kid recognized the hint, as did Niko, and the two of them were abruptly animated, running back to the middle of the deck to pick up where they'd left off on their work so as not to be subject to Tetra's wrath.
Gathering up the line, Kid and Niko pulled hard only for nothing to happen.
"At least it held this time," Niko observed, peering up at the mast decorated with the mess of ropes and lines they'd created.
"But why doesn't it work?" Kid pondered, his eyes finding the hodgepodge of ropes above and surveying them for a possible explanation. After climbing back up to the lower part of the sail using the rigging, he still couldn't discover the faulty line, but his stubborn determination wouldn't let him throw in the towel.
So absorbed in his task as he was, Kid didn't realize how much time had passed until the light he'd been working so diligently by all afternoon began to fade into a warm shade of gold and mauve, dying the water below a rich peach color.
Taking a quick survey of the area, he found that he could distinguish their destination, a tall, black silhouette in the distance. Having been quite close to the tower before, Kid knew that carved into its vertical mass were monsters and fairies alike, topped off by a carving of Tingle's head. The latter was more apparent as they drew closer, and the mini cyclones that dutifully surrounded the small isle became visible hazards.
Immediately, Kid's eyes went to the sunset-dyed water below as he recalled his past visits to the odd island. Visits, he was sure to note, that had been made alone in a red sailboat. Of course, it was arguable as to if he'd truly been alone or not since his boat had, at the time, possessed the capability of speech. Nevertheless, Kid distinctly remembered how, much to his chagrin, Gyorgs had targeted him every time he approached Tingle Island. From what he could see, there weren't any purple fins slicing though the water, and he hoped it stayed that way. Not that he couldn't take care of it on his own, in fact it was normally his job on Tetra's ship since he could ready and fire long range weapons faster than her crew, but stopping at the island was going to be tricky enough without being preyed on due to their situation with the sail.
"Oi, swabbie!" Niko called up to Kid from his position on the deck, "Tie off that last line right there, and let's see if it works!" Kid turned his attention to his shipmate and provided a nod as proof of his comprehension. After he found the indicated line, Kid tied it off as instructed by Niko, and then carefully climbed down. For what must have been the fifth time since they'd started this project, both of them grabbed the line and pulled. To their astonishment, it worked. Another strong heave and the sail was completely furled.
"Great, you got it." Tetra said, her tone unimpressed, "Now put it down so we can get to the island." Kid and Niko hurried over to the line that they fashioned to unfurl the sail and tugged. They were instantly met with resistance and naturally pulled harder. Their efforts were in vain, for the line was immovable.
"Uh oh," Niko uttered as he gave one last experimental tug.
"Don't tell me it's stuck," Tetra sighed in irritation as she descended the steps and made her way across the deck.
"It's not working," Kid informed her as she pushed him out of the way and tried it herself. When that failed, she stepped back to assess the furled sail, and Kid and Niko did likewise. Many of the lines were tangled, so Kid deduced that it must be the cause. However, when he proposed the explanation, Tetra shook her head in disagreement. She pointed out the way the ropes were tied together and how it was locking the line that was supposed to release the sail. Regardless of which diagnosis was correct, it would take quite a while to fix.
"Zuko, do you see any extra people on the island?" Tetra yelled up to the pirate in the crow's nest.
"Hard to tell this far away," Zuko replied, "I can't make out much more than silhouettes on the tower."
"So what are we going to do?" Kid wondered, breaking the silence that had claimed the air.
"We?" Tetra gave a small laugh and turned to him. All faux humor wiped off her face in an instant. "This is all on you."
He opened his mouth but no words came. What was he supposed to do? Protest? Retort? Apologize? None of those options seemed appropriate for the situation.
When he didn't say anything and no effort was made by Niko to defend him, Tetra continued, placing a hand on her hip in her usual haughty manner, "You know what that means, don't you?"
"Uh…double duty?" Kid guessed.
"No!" Tetra exclaimed as if the very idea was bred of pure idiocy, "It means you're going to use your boat to go scope out that island yourself!"
Kid paled. "I'd rather be sentenced to double duty."
"Well, that's just too bad," Tetra replied, without a hint of sympathy in her voice as she crossed her arms over her chest. "That's the punishment I'm giving you, and I'm not willing to reconsider it, so get your boat from the cargo hold and go."
Personally, Kid didn't think he deserved a reprimanding of any kind since it was Tetra that had assigned him to a task he didn't actually know how to complete successfully. The past few hours had been filled with agonizing trial and error that produced little reward. However, he knew Tetra well enough by now that arguing with her wasn't going to do anything but get him more undeserved punishments, so he complied and headed below decks to the cargo hold.
Niko followed him, nervously at first, but then more confidently when Tetra didn't say anything against his actions.
"I'd almost forgotten how scary she can be," Niko remarked once they were both safely within the hull of the ship and walking to the cargo hold where Tetra couldn't hear them.
"She's not scary, Niko," Kid disagreed, "She's just…" He trailed off, realizing he couldn't describe her in a single word. She was demanding, strict, short-tempered, impulsive, fiery, and defiant, but beneath it all she was nice and caring too. To sum it up, she was Tetra, and Kid would bet every material thing he owned that there wasn't another person out there like her.
"She's definitely unfair though," Niko pointed out, descending the steps behind him, "You can't argue with me on that one. I mean, you were just following her orders."
"Yeah, but if I told her that she'd probably strand me on that island," Kid said, as they strolled through the mess hall.
"Good point." Niko fell quiet for a few seconds before speaking up again, keeping his voice lowered as if he was afraid someone would hear, "Know what we should do? We should prank her."
Kid stopped walking and turned to his fellow swabbie, raising an eyebrow in question, "Since when are you trying to find ways to die? And why include me in them?"
"No, no. Listen, I have a vision," Niko responded, completely serious as he spanned his hand out in front of him to paint a mirage of his plan in the air.
Kid laughed and began walking again, shaking his head. Niko was crazy sometimes with his ideas. The last time he'd agreed to do a prank with him, Gonzo threw them both overboard which wouldn't have been too bad if they hadn't been in the middle of a thunderstorm. They were both lucky that they didn't get sick from the incident, and it was after that he decided to stop being Niko's partner in crime. After all, they were already the bottom rung on the pirate ladder, why push what little luck they had and end up broken on the floor?
As Niko rattled off his vision for what he swore was the best prank in the world behind him, Kid opened the cargo hold and descended the ramp that led inside. Finding his boat wasn't difficult, even in the dark. Its bright red hue hadn't faded anymore since the king of Hyrule's spirit deserted it.
"Hey, Niko, I'm having a vision too," Kid called over his shoulder to the pirate that was lingering at the entrance.
"Really? I mean, I know. I can be very inspiring. So, what is it?" Niko wondered.
"I see you lifting the other end of this and helping me carry it above deck," Kid informed him.
"Aww, boo! Lame," Niko pouted as he came into the cargo hold and grabbed the rear of the boat, "Don't make me ashamed to have you as my underling."
"I'll make it up to you somehow, I'm sure," Kid said with a smile as they lifted the boat off the ground and began to ascend the ramp. He was taking most of the weight, but Niko wasn't complaining either. He might not have been one of the strongest pirates, but swinging from rope-to-rope was an adequate way to build up some muscle, even if the act was considered nothing but a childish game in the eyes of other crew members.
His hold on the worn wood of the boat was firm, but even with the power bracelets a break or two was necessary before they managed to emerge into the waning daylight.
"Are we just dropping this over the side?" Niko wondered as they neared the portside railing.
"Pretty much. Unless you want to go through all the work of finding ropes and then tying them to the boat so we can lower it into the water," Kid replied. Personally, he'd had enough of ropes today.
"Dropping it into the water it is!" Niko proclaimed enthusiastically, apparently sharing the same enmity towards ropes. Unsteadily, the two of them lifted the boat over the side of the pirate ship and released it. A large slap sounded as the small vessel struck the waves and rocked wildly from the force of the impact. Niko found the ladder and held it as steady as possible while Kid climbed down. By the time he had reached the sailboat, it had settled on the water, gently swaying in the waves which had adapted an orange-gold hue since the last time he'd checked.
Kid lifted a latch in the floor and pulled open what he defined as his cargo hold. There used to be many items nestled inside, but ever since his adventures with the King of Red Lions ceased, he didn't have much use for it. Only the sail and his bait bag remained. The rest was empty space occupied only by dust and air, much like the spirit that had once inhabited the well-sculpted boat.
To keep his mind from dwelling on the past, he reached inside and chose the light pink satchel with its forlorn pig face punctuated in purple. Opening the bag, Kid peered inside, curious. Crumbs of all purpose bait dotted the bottom of the first pouch he inspected, but they were so miniscule he doubted that a fishman, or even a rat, would accept them. The other pouches held similar sights, remnants of what was once stored there. Then he came to one of the final compartments and discovered a Hyoi Pear.
When he gently removed it from the bag, he expected it to be rotting and soft in his hand. However, the petrified, ghostly face of hollowed out ovals was sharp, not drooping. The fruit was, by some miracle or magic, fresh. Its golden, brown-speckled skin was smooth and firm, pulled taut over the curves and imperfections of the pear's pale flesh.
Could the fruit really be preserved after a year? In fact, where did the strange pears originate from? Beedle sold them, but he never offered much information about how he acquired his products. Maybe it didn't matter for some items, but for an item that could control seagulls, its origins seemed important. Not that anyone could make an army of seagulls or anything with the pears, or could they?
Kid shook his head to discard the weird notion, and was about to replace the fruit in the bag when an idea froze him mid-way. Why go all the way to Tingle Island, and possibly become engaged in a much undesired conversation with Tingle, if neither one of their companions were there? Sweeping his eyes over the sky, Kid identified a few seagulls flying lazily around the ship. Perfect.
Feeling inane for balancing a silently screaming pear on his head, Kid remained completely still, willing a seagull to come to him despite knowing it wouldn't make his plan work any faster. After a few more seconds of hoping no one leaned over the side of the pirate ship to ask him why he hadn't left yet, a seagull cried from behind him and honed in on the fruit atop his head. Swooping in, the gull took the Hyoi Pear from his head in a single snap of its beak, and Kid's eyes slid shut.
'Food, food, food, food,' drawled the seagull's mind. Not accustomed to the glaringly simple thought processes of a seagull, it took copious amounts of Kid's will to ignore the words being shoved into his head and overpower the bird to the point where he could manipulate its 'd only done such a thing a few times before but seagulls, being fairly vacuous creatures, were easy to control.
Directing the gull's actions with simple commands from his mind to it's, Kid, from behind his closed eye-lids, could view the world from the bird's point of view which showed him a plethora of bright colors, some of which he couldn't rightly name. Once the seagull arrived at the island, Kid's attention, and therefore the seagull's, was drawn to the very top of Tingle Tower where Tingle's equally strange brothers were repairing what posed as the nose on the enlarged carving of Tingle's face.
Circling around the tower, the gull let out a screeching cry, frustrated at the lack of more food. The seagull's hunger reminded him of his own, and he had to force himself to concentrate. After all, he could always get food later.
Ignoring the seagull's ravenous thoughts to the best of his ability, Kid surveyed the grassy area surrounding the carved structure for any signs of Link or the princess. Sure enough, he discovered his very distraught counterpart at the base of the tower, incidentally facing in the opposite direction, so he couldn't have seen Tetra's ship in the distance. Satisfied with this newfound information, Kid opened his eyes, breaking his connection with the seagull.
Replacing the bait bag where he'd found it, Kid grabbed the sail. A minute later he had it raised and was moving through the water towards the island at a steady pace. He could have gone faster if he bothered to change the wind, but it was a fair one and those were scarce. It would be a sin to bend the breath of the goddesses to his will when it was already being cooperative.
Habit caused him to watch the waves for predators. They were due to approach anytime. 'Three. Two. One,' Kid counted down in his head, looking to either side of him for a tell-tale fin protruding from the water. Nothing was there.
As he drew closer and closer to the island, his eyes were practically glued to the tangerine-colored water for any sign of the monster sharks that he'd grown to expect hunting him ever since he first neared this isle with its queer inhabitants. So intent was his mission to discern this familiar enemy, that he almost steered his boat straight into a mini cyclone.
Noticing his folly at the last possible second, Kid grasped the tiller in his right hand and jerked it roughly to the left, just barely managing to avoid getting caught. Releasing a breath of relief as he watched the whirlwind skate across the surface of the water, Kid focused his attention ahead, resigning to the fact that his aggressive welcoming party was, for once, not coming.
A couple minutes later, Kid was pulling up alongside the island and lowering the sail, trying to be as quiet as possible. His secretiveness may have been unneeded with all the hammering and occasional yelling going on up above as the men attempted to repair the tower that served as their home. However, if there was anything he'd learned about his counterpart, it was that he possessed exceptional hearing. Everything one thought he couldn't hear, he most certainly could, which was why if Kid managed to surprise him, it'd be just as much of a surprise to him.
Clambering out of the boat, he pulled it up to shore just enough to ensure it wouldn't be swept away by the current for the brief time he was away. Treading carefully and paying extra attention to where he was stepping, Kid slowly inched toward the tower, conscious of the fact that Link was on the other side.
Silently, Kid stole around the large, carved column and was pressured by a force he couldn't explain. Maybe Niko's questionable leadership was already rubbing off on him or maybe his lost mischievousness was finding its way back to the light. Whatever it was, it told him to do this. It told them it was good idea, and he believed it which was all the reassurance he needed in order to follow through with his plan.
Kid slinked out from behind the protection of the meticulously crafted wood with all the stealth of a cat. With bated breath he reached out with his dominant hand to touch Link's shoulder, and that was where his plan spiraled out of control. Before he had a chance to utter a sound, Link grabbed his outstretched arm and flipped him over. His breath momentarily abandoned him, scared off by the jarring impact he'd made with the ground.
"K-Kid?!" Link exclaimed, seeming to recognize him for the first time, "Wha-what the heck are you doing? Where did you even come from?"
Kid gingerly raised himself into a sitting position, rolling his left shoulder in an attempt to work out the reinstated ache within it. "Was that really necessary?" he wondered.
"I didn't know it was you!" Link pointed out. "Why in the name of Din would you sneak up on me anyway?"
Kid shrugged in response upon realizing that he didn't even know why he'd done it. Maybe it was the fact that Link, who was normally guarded, had been so exposed and he sought to take advantage of it as a joke. Why he thought Link would see it as such after the fact, he didn't know. Perhaps it was because Kid was technically there to rescue his counterpart from the atrocity known as Tingle Island so any mischief he instigated upon fetching him was therefore willing to be overlooked. In theory anyway.
"So what's your story?" Midna inquired, materializing in the form of a wispy shadow, there but not completely.
Kid blinked, puzzled. "Huh?"
"C'mon, Link didn't hit you that hard, did he?" Midna giggled, her shadowy silhouette failing to hide her wide grin. "What've you been up to since we were all teleported here by that song?"
"We were looking for you guys," Kid replied, getting to his feet so he didn't have to tilt his head so far to look up at them. His arm was already hurting, he didn't need his neck cramping up too.
"We?" Link repeated.
"Tetra and I," Kid supplied.
"Tetra's here too? Is she the one that made you sneak up on me?" Link guessed.
"Heh. No, that was all me," Kid admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
"Ooh, so you have more of a mischievous side than I thought," Midna remarked, tapping her chin in a contemplative fashion. Not knowing how to respond, he chose to say nothing.
"Wait a minute. You were in my shadow." Link turned to Midna, accusation in his eyes, "You saw him and didn't warn me!"
"You knew he was there," Midna reminded him.
"No, I knew someone was there. I didn't know it was him," Link corrected her.
"What does it matter?" Midna wanted to know.
"It matters because I wouldn't have flipped him!" Link exclaimed.
Before Midna could retaliate, Kid interjected, "Hey, it's fine. I kinda deserved it anyway."
"Hmm…maybe you don't have this whole being mischievous thing down." Midna frowned, studying him.
"Anyway, how did you find us?" Link changed the subject before Midna could offer Kid any questionable advice.
"I got the Tingle Bottle you sent," Kid informed him.
"What? No way. That thing worked?!" Link's eyes widened in astonishment.
To answer, Kid removed the object from his pocket and held it out for Link to take. Without need of urging, his counterpart accepted the bottle and uncorked it, allowing the message inside to slip out into his awaiting hand.
"This is it," Link breathed, incredulous.
"I didn't understand what you wrote, but I figured that you'd probably met Tingle judging by the bottle," Kid explained, positioning himself next to Link so he could view the note as well.
"It says, 'help me' which was originally meant as a joke but after a few hours it ended up being true," Link informed him as he rolled up the paper and tucked it back into the bottle which he then handed back to Kid.
"Good thing I'm here then." Kid grinned. "I have a boat."
"I thought Tetra was the one with the boat," Link replied.
"She's the one with the pirate ship. I still have the boat that I used on my first adventure." Kid swiveled around on his heel and motioned for his friends to follow.
"So why did you come here with your boat if Tetra has a bigger ship?" Link wondered as he trailed a few steps behind.
"Well, there's an issue with the sail. It's not working the way it should," Kid answered, nudging his sail boat into the water and climbing aboard.
"What's wrong with it?" Link pressed which encouraged Kid to relay the entire tale, so, as he prepared his own boat for departure, he summarized the list of the pirates' activities while their captain had been absent. This explanation led Kid into detailing his own experience with waking up on Tetra's ship and being locked in the treasury. By the time he was done, the sail was up and waiting for the wind to invigorate it.
"You can get in now," Kid said, waving his counterpart, who had been lingering by the shore attentively listening to his riveting tale, closer to the boat.
"Are you sure we're both going to fit?" Link wondered, stepping closer but still hesitating to climb aboard.
"Yeah, just pick a spot and sit down," Kid responded, his hand on the tiller waiting for Link to get in before he readjusted the boat's position. He watched his counterpart step into the boat uncertainly and sit down as soon as possible when the small watercraft rocked as a result. Midna claimed a seat atop the boat's crafted head, directly between the curved yellow horns.
"Is this the talking boat?" Midna queried as Kid moved the craft so the wind caught the sail and pushed them forward.
"It was…" Kid trailed off, unwilling to expound on the sensitive topic. It was unclear if Midna understood this or not, for her attention was diverted to the stationary vessel in the distance, but he couldn't tell whether this sudden change of objects of interest was intentional on her part or not.
"Hmm…that's a really big ship," Midna commented as she scrutinized it as best as she could from this distance.
"It's not as big as some," Kid stated truthfully.
"Are those things going to be a problem if we run into one?" Link wondered, anxiously eyeing the cyclones steadily growing bigger as they glided through the water.
"We won't run into one. I know how to steer," Kid replied, a little insulted. Did his counterpart really think that he didn't know what he was doing? Granted, he hadn't been doing it for long, and he'd had the wise advice of an ancient king to direct him before, but he'd bought and raised the sail himself, steering clear of danger when possible and fighting it head on when it hadn't been.
"I think you just damaged his pride with that question, Link," Midna observed.
"Sorry. I'm just paranoid. I haven't had the best luck today," Link confided with a sigh.
"I get it," Kid assured him, "You were just unlucky enough to meet the weirdest people first. Believe me, they're not all like Tingle and his brothers."
"It wasn't just them," Link objected, "It was that fishman and those strange little monsters with the pitchforks."
"Uh, I think it's your turn to explain what you've gone through since you got here," Kid announced. Link agreed and launched into his tale of misfortune as Kid's eyes and reflexes paid attention to the ocean laid out before him while his ears listened with rapt attention to the story he was being told. Kid struggled to maintain a sympathetic expression as his friend detailed his misadventures, but it was difficult to refrain from cracking a smile or two. He assured Link that the fishman would not transform into a lethal sea creature as a result of his feeding it in excessive quantities and that the Miniblins were quite normal to encounter at Star Island. The storm that was rumored to have damaged Tingle Tower, however, was another matter.
It was true that the Great Sea was a hot spot for storms of unmatchable scale and ferocity but the worst of them had been unleashed by Cyclos, when he was still bitter over his shrine being smashed by a falling rock. Kid supposed the wind God's good mood wouldn't ensure fair winds forever since his specialty was storms and they were just as important as a cooperative breeze on the ocean. Maybe Tingle and his brothers did something especially bad to tick him off? It wouldn't be the first time, after all.
"Well, it's about time for me to disappear back into the shadows," Midna proclaimed as they neared the pirate ship.
"Huh? Why?" Kid asked, puzzled.
"For one, Twili don't even exist in your universe. For another, light-dwellers generally don't take too kindly to beings of shadow. I'm better off out of sight, but don't worry. I'll be watching. See ya later!" Midna hopped off of the crafted dragon head and melted into Link's shadow, apparently not willing to discuss it any further. Kid wished she wouldn't hide from everyone else. How was anyone supposed to learn to accept her if she never gave them the chance?
Choosing to say nothing for the time being, he let go off the tiller and moved toward the sail so he could lower it.
"Should I move?" Link wondered as Kid slipped by him with a bit of difficulty to reach the sail.
"Nah. You're fine where you are. Just watch your head in case this swings," Kid replied, his eyes on his work. The sail was down and stowed away in its rightful place in a matter of seconds, allowing the sailboat to coast to a gentle stop beside the immobile pirate ship.
They turned their eyes on the wooden vessel towering above them. From this angle, it was impossible to see much more than the railing. Glancing at Link, he noticed the small spark of fascination, or was that envy, in his sharp blue eyes. It sent Kid a small sense of pride, although he didn't understand why. It wasn't like he owned the ship. Tetra did. Speaking of Tetra, where was she? Maybe none of the pirates noticed them pulling up alongside the ship. Surely Zuko would have noticed. Details, especially mobile ones, rarely slipped past that man's notice.
Gathering up a full supply of air in his lungs, Kid opened his mouth to alert the pirates of their presence, but there turned out to be no need. Suddenly leaning nonchalantly over the rail was Tetra, a smug expression adorning her face.
"So, trying to be discreet, are we?" Tetra said conversationally.
"What? No. Why would you think that?" Kid asked.
"Just because Zuko didn't see your boat until the last second and you didn't make any effort to let us know you were back," Tetra explained as she peered down at them.
"I was about to yell for you," Kid informed her, "You didn't give me enough time."
Tetra dismissed his excuse with a single shake of her head and turned her attention to Link. "So how are you liking the Great Sea so far? Is it everything you imagined?"
"Not really, no. It's a lot more…" Link paused for a second, delving for a word that didn't sound derogatory, "unique than I expected."
"Gee, tell me how you really feel," Tetra scoffed.
"Are you going to help us up?" Kid interjected before Link and Tetra's conversation found a way to somehow escalate into a shouting match.
"Look, we were busy trying to fix what you messed up the entire time you were gone, so you two are just gonna have to wait down there until Niko finds some ropes," Tetra declared as if the entire circumstance was solely his fault.
"Can't you at least give us the ladder so we can climb up?" Kid requested, feeling it was a reasonable enough entreaty.
"Sure, if you want to leave your precious boat there," Tetra answered.
"Never mind," Kid hastily replied, "I can wait."
He knew exactly how Tetra felt about the boat. It wasn't that she held any contempt towards the king of Hyrule, but the presence of the object his spirit had once inhabited disconcerted her even if she wasn't willing to admit it. No matter what proposition she made, Kid adamantly refused to get rid of the boat. It was a tangible memory of the King of Red Lions, unlike all of the insubstantial ones floating around his head, and he'd be consumed with guilt if he just left it somewhere. He'd left behind too many people and sacrificed too much during his adventures. The least she could do was let him keep the sailboat.
Before Tetra could respond, her attention was diverted to someone behind her and she disappeared from view, shooing away said person by the sounds of it.
"Is this going to be a case of 'my ship, my rules' with her?" Link questioned him, lowering his voice just in case Tetra's attention suddenly turned back to them. Kid solemnly nodded the affirmative. Tetra's pirate captain side was one that had never been fully revealed to his counterpart before so Kid was curious, if a bit apprehensive, to see how Link would handle it.
Reappearing with ropes in hand, Tetra made no comment as she secured one to the rail and let the other end of it fall. Kid leaned forward to catch it before it struck the water. Working with wet rope was ten times worse than working with dry.
Link caught the second rope she threw over the side and held onto it while Kid attached the first to the front of the boat. Once the ropes were properly fastened to the boat, Tetra presented them with the ladder. After affixing it to the railing, she informed them that they could pull the boat up once they were on deck and left to attend to other matters. She hadn't said anything, but Kid assumed that he'd be taking his boat back to the cargo hold as well.
He started up the ladder, adjusting to the unstableness of it immediately. Compared to climbing up ropes, in which one had to rely solely on their upper body strength, this was a breeze. Upon reaching the top, Kid hurdled the railing and then leaned over the side to wait for his counterpart.
Stifling a laugh, Kid called down to Link, "Have you ever climbed a rope before?"
"No," came the honest reply. And it was honest. His struggles with getting up two rungs was evidence enough of the nature of his response. "How did you do it so easily?"
"Experience?" Kid suggested.
"Okay, Mr. Experienced. Any helpful tips?" Link wanted to know.
"Dig your heels into each rung," he instructed, "that'll make it easier to keep your balance, and don't try to do it fast. That'll just make you slower."
Kid watched as Link attempted the obstacle once again, this time equipped with his advice. While his counterpart couldn't match his prowess with scaling the unstable ladder, he did manage to climb it in the span of a couple minutes which was impressive considering he'd never been presented with this particular challenge before.
"Finally!" Tetra's voice startled them both when Link finally made it over the railing and onto the deck. "You were taking forever."
"Are you forgetting that I don't climb ropes for a living?" Link quirked an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Of course not," Tetra huffed, rolling her eyes, "I just expected Kid to help you."
"I did," Kid informed her, untying one of the ropes and looping it firmly around his right hand as he turned to work on the other. "Sort of," he muttered under his breath as an afterthought.
"Whatever" Tetra then returned her attention to Link. "I wanted to talk to you about the others. I'm guessing Midna is in your shadow."
"Yeah, she's there and Fi's here too," Link confirmed, taking hold of the second rope once Kid had it untied and helping him haul the sailboat up.
"Right, well, we don't know where Zelda is and I've already tried tracking her with my Triforce piece, so I'm open to any suggestions you might have," Tetra stated, watching them work with a critical eye.
"I don't know exactly where she is," Link said, grabbing onto the boat once it was close enough and helping Kid lift it over the side before continuing, "but we can find out."
"How?" Tetra demanded.
Link put a hand on the hilt of the Master Sword sheathed on his back. "Using Fi's dowsing ability we can find her."
"She can track people?" Kid wondered. He vaguely recalled dowsing. They'd only used it once and at the time he hadn't paid much attention to it. Come to think of it, what made something dowse-able? Could they search for fairies too? Rupees even?
"Apparently she's taken note of our auras," Link replied, "so we're able to search for whoever we need to."
"Great. Why don't-" Tetra's words were cut off as the ship lurched. Kid stumbled as the floorboards suddenly became mobile. He managed to keep his footing, but just barely.
Looking up, he saw that Link was gripping the railing hard, relying on it to keep himself upright. He turned to see if Tetra had fallen or not but was met with nothing except empty air in the place she'd last been.
Before a full thought could form about what could have possibly happened to her, the pirate girl's voice rang out loud and irritated from the helm.
"Idiots! You could have warned me!" Tetra shouted up to Niko and, to a lesser extent, Zuko, who had been working on the sail. Any apologies must have been mumbled and stolen by the wind, for Kid didn't hear a single one from the pirates up above.
"How'd she get over there so fast?" Link wondered, jealousy creeping into his tone.
"She's lived on a ship her entire life. It'll take more than a little movement under her feet to slow her down," Kid pointed out.
"Oi!" she called to them, "Get over here! I'm not going to shout an entire conversation across the ship!"
Kid moved towards Tetra, but stopped when he noticed that his counterpart wasn't following.
"Is walking going to be a problem for me?" Link questioned him.
"It shouldn't be right now. The seas aren't very rough and we're moving normally," Kid replied, "Try it."
With a bit of reluctance, Link released his hold on the railing and took an experimental step forward. After this small success he took another and another until he fell into step beside Kid.
"Not bad, right?" Kid wondered.
"No," Link said thoughtfully, "It's just not completely normal. I'm not used to the floor moving while I'm moving." Kid almost laughed aloud but restrained himself. If Link thought this was movement, wait until he stepped below decks. The ship's motion was much more noticeable there. He didn't feel obligated to voice this. Link would figure it out eventually.
"Have you learned how to walk again?" Tetra mocked Link when the two of them finally joined her at the helm.
"I know how to walk," Link responded curtly.
"Right, that explains why I can do this." Tetra then promptly took one of her hands off the wheel and shoved Link back. He was immediately knocked off balance and fell onto the deck with a thump which caused Kid to involuntarily wince. Just what they needed to start off their reunion. A fight.
Link scowled at her as he picked himself up. "And what does that prove?" he challenged her.
"It proves that you don't know how to balance yourself on a moving vessel by compensating for what's not there with your own weight," Tetra proclaimed, her eyes on the ocean ahead rather than Link.
"So?"
"So, you better learn. Otherwise, you're going to be falling," Tetra shot him a knowing look, "A lot."
"And who's supposed to teach me?" Link inquired sarcastically.
"Teach yourself. You have a brain in that head of yours, don't you? Might wanna try using it before it stops working completely," Tetra countered, smirking.
"Weren't we supposed to be talking about finding Zelda?" Kid interrupted them.
"Oh, right," Tetra recalled her earlier thought. "Why don't you start dowsing for the princess? The sooner we find her, the sooner we can move on with our lives."
Tight lipped and most likely holding back a rebuttal, Link drew the Master Sword from its sheath and held it out. Kid watched the blade pulse with a faint lavender light that steadily grew stronger as Link moved it to the left. When the blade grew duller, his counterpart adjusted it until it shone the brightest, which, all things considered, wasn't very bright.
"She's that wa- huh?" Link lowered the sword when the light dimmed unexpectedly. Pointing the sword at the same spot didn't bring out the same reaction. When the sword was brought over to the left slightly, it lit up in recognition of Zelda's aura. However, the light drained out of the sword a few seconds later. Link attempted to move with it, directing the blade to where he guessed the aura had relocated to.
"So, she's moving," Tetra observed.
"Does that mean she's on an island then?" Link wondered.
"Last time I checked, islands don't move," Tetra responded with a wry smile, "Someone must have picked her up. The question is: who?"
"Hopefully not pirates," Link commented.
"You do know where you're standing right now, and with who?" Tetra checked.
"Yeah, but this is different. I know you," Link argued, "which means you won't make me walk the plank."
Tetra shot Link a withering look that he barely seemed to notice. "Seriously?"
"What'd I say?" Link wanted to know, oblivious to what had insulted her.
"Walk the plank?" Tetra rolled her eyes. "Where the heck did you hear that nonsense?"
"Uh…bedtime stories?" Link replied as if he was unsure of the answer himself.
"It'd do to keep your bedtime story presumptions about pirates to yourself," Tetra advised him. "Otherwise, I might just have to prepare a plank for you to walk."
"Noted." Link nodded in acknowledgment. "But do you think Zelda could have been picked up by a different group of pirates?"
"It's unlikely," Tetra admitted, "There aren't many pirate groups anymore. Most of them disbanded or just disappeared. Of course, there's nothing to stop more pirate groups from forming, but even if they did I don't think they'd be much of a threat to our Hylian princess."
"She could be with Beedle. Or the Salvage Corp," Kid suggested.
"What's the Salvage Corp?" Link asked, his tone hinting that he guessed it wasn't an organization anyone would be fortunate to encounter.
"They're treasure-hunters," Kid explained, "I've talked to them enough to know that they're friendly."
"The only other possibility would be a fisherman or sailor. In which case they'd probably be heading for Windfall, but since we don't know who it is, I say we should just follow them as best as we can," Tetra proposed. "Give me a general direction, Link."
"That way," Link proclaimed once he'd managed to momentarily match up the sword with the princess's aura. Tetra whipped out a compass and briefly consulted it before tossing it to Kid. Not expecting this, he nearly fumbled the catch.
"I want a westerly wind. Make it happen," Tetra ordered. He contemplated requesting a "please" but felt his earlier joke foretold what would happen to him if he chose to tease her.
Kid produced the Wind Waker from his belongings and glanced at the compass to confirm his directions. Once he was positive he knew exactly which direction was which, Kid handed the compass back to Tetra and switched the white baton to his left hand. Positioning his right hand to the beat of 3/4 time, Kid waited, discreetly circling the baton, as the wind hushed to the point where it was almost completely still. The whoosh of the ocean and cries of the gulls overhead faded into the background, and he suddenly found himself surrounded by a pregnant pause. The wind was holding its breath, expectant.
Sparks flew off the tip of the baton, punctuated by a ring of gold every now and then. Once he had grown accustomed to the rhythm, Kid began to conduct the Wind's Requiem. Up and the invisible orchestra stuck a high chord. He melted into the feel of the music, closing his eyes and relying on muscle memory to take him through the rest of the motions.
A sweep to the right and the voices of the choir deepened to a slightly lower tone without losing their volume. The final sway of the baton took the wind's music to a sweet resolution that fell somewhere between the first and second notes. No one but Kid could recognize it as an inquiry for the wind didn't use words to communicate. It exercised tone and its current one was asking him simply, "Which way?"
"East, please," Kid answered, using a version of his inner voice that only the wind could understand as he opened his eyes. He'd learned that the wind favored politeness and often behaved better when spoken to as a person of high status. Kid clamped a hand to his head to ensure his hat wouldn't be snatched by the wind that breezed past, humming the rest of the melody as it did so. Link got this memo a little late but still managed to retain his composure, and most importantly, his own hat as the wind redirected itself.
"So it's blowing to the west now?" Link speculated.
"No, it's blowing to the east," Kid corrected him.
"But she said to go west," Link pointed out, motioning to Tetra.
"I did not. I said westerly," Tetra said, stressing the word as if it would help Link understand.
"What's the difference?" Link wondered, puzzled.
"Westerly means the wind is coming from the west and blowing to the east," Kid supplied.
"Isn't it easier to just say east then?" Link queried.
"If you're you, yes. If you're a pirate, or sailor, there's specific terminology we use. I don't expect you to understand it," Tetra sighed, turning the wheel slightly to port.
"Okay, but shouldn't you be turning the ship so-" Tetra cut Link off before he could finish.
"Shut up! I know what I'm doing. You think I don't know how to steer a ship when I've lived on one my entire life?!" Tetra exclaimed in exasperation, "Why don't you make yourself useful? Give the sword to Kid. He'll be my navigator."
"I thought I was being useful by doing just that," Link protested.
"No, you're being a nuisance," Tetra informed him, "And I know just how to fix that." The pirate girl, took a breath before yelling, "Niko! Get down here!"
Niko, who had previously been talking Zuko's ear off in the crow's nest, swiftly descended the ladder to the deck and lingered at the top step that led to the helm. His gaze settled on Tetra, but Kid noticed the furtive glances he snuck Link's way.
"This is your new swabbie," Tetra announced, nodding to Link so she didn't have to remove her hands from the wheel, "His name's Link but feel free to call him whatever you want."
"Hey!" Link's protest went ignored and Tetra continued. "Your first task is to get that boat below decks and back in the cargo hold. After that, I don't care what you do with him."
"Alright!" Niko proclaimed, his eyes lighting up in excitement. Suddenly less shy, he closed the gap between him and Link, holding out a hand for Link to take. "Hi! I'm Niko, your superior."
"Hi," Link returned the greeting cautiously, taking Niko's offered hand. Introductions over, Niko turned and hopped down to the main deck, heading for the King of Red Lions resting by the railing. Link handed over the Master Sword to Kid before reluctantly trailing behind the buck-toothed pirate.
"Was that a wise decision?" Kid questioned his best friend as he watched Link and Niko lift the boat.
"It got him to shut his mouth. That's good enough for me. Besides, Niko's as good a place as any to start introducing him to my crew. Out of them all, he's the closest to Link's age," Tetra pointed out.
"How old is Niko?" Kid inquired, feeling a bit embarrassed for not knowing. In fact, he didn't know the ages of any of the pirates except Tetra. For some reason, the topic had never come up in the time he'd been living with them.
"He's eighteen if you can believe it," Tetra replied as she carefully turned the wheel. Kid didn't believe it, and yet he accepted it as a fact since Tetra had no reason to lie about the ages of her crew. Kid knew size wasn't an accurate judgement of age, but maturity should have been. It was no wonder that he'd never guessed Niko's age correctly before since he certainly didn't act it. If he took the time to think about it, Link didn't act his age either. Sure, he had maturity on his side, but sometimes he seemed to possess a bit too much for a seventeen year old. Then again, Kid knew he didn't act his age, and Tetra certainly didn't act hers, but he supposed that was simply the fault of fate.
Kid snapped to attention when Tetra called his name and requested a report on Zelda's current location. Hoping the dowsing ability would work the same for him as it had for his counterpart, Kid moved the blade around and was relieved when it became encased in purple light and throbbed in his grip.
This system went on into the night. Tetra would adjust their position and occasionally ask for updates which he would provide. Sometimes the pirate captain would keep their course exactly the same, and other times she would align it with the direction indicated by the Master Sword.
Kid didn't have to change the wind again. He almost wished that he did, just to have something else to keep himself awake with. Other than lighting the lanterns at the ship's stern, Kid didn't get a break from his tracking duty. On one occasion, he sat down, but Tetra soon forbade him from doing so when he nearly nodded off with the sacred sword held dangerously close to his chest.
Link and Niko were nowhere to be seen, and Kid presumed that his pirate friend was challenging his counterpart with the same pirate initiation test he'd given him when he'd first boarded this ship to save his sister. If that was the case, hopefully Link could profit from it, if only it meant he'd become more experienced with moving around on a moving vessel and getting the general feel of the flexibility of ropes.
The moon was a pale, luminescent crescent among the plethora of stars scattered across the dark, nearly cloudless, sky which prompted Kid to entertain himself with naming the constellations. It was a better method of staying awake than he'd anticipated. In fact, he became so infatuated with the activity that he didn't realize he was muttering the names under his breath.
"What are you mumbling about?" Tetra snapped, transforming her fatigue into anger.
"Stars," Kid responded quietly as if speaking loudly would scare the lights away.
"Stars?" Tetra repeated as if she couldn't believe anyone could be as vacuous as he was to mumble about tiny pinpoints of light in the sky.
"Well, constellations," he amended. "Do you know them?"
"Some," Tetra confided in a clipped tone.
"Which ones?" Kid inquired, curious.
"The Hero's Belt," Tetra stated in a way that suggested she'd only answered so he would stop talking.
"Which one's that?" Kid wondered searching the sky for the constellation.
"The three stars in a line," Tetra supplied.
"I thought that was called the three-star sisters," Kid replied. Sturgeon had taught both him and his sister about the constellations on a few occasions so he knew quite a few. The Hero's Belt had never come up, especially since it seemed to pertain to the Hero of Time and Outset Island was notorious for sustaining the ancient legend.
"I've heard both, but I prefer to call it the Hero's Belt because if you look close it looks like a person holding a bow and sword," Tetra explained. Kid tilted his head to the side, squinting as he attempted to trace imaginary lines between the glowing dots in the navy blue sky. He could just vaguely discern the outline of the person but failed to see either weapon.
Before he could ask Tetra to point it out for him, she requested another update and he was obligated to provide it. Once that was done, he asked, "Where's the sword supposed to be?"
"What?"
"The sword in the constellation," Kid clarified. "Where is it?"
"Do you not understand that I'm trying to make sure we don't crash into anything? How am I supposed to do that when you're distracting me?!" Tetra exclaimed in irritation.
"I'm not trying to distract you," Kid protested, "I'm just talking."
"Do me a favor and stop," Tetra huffed.
"But if I stop then there's no way I'm going to stay awake," Kid insisted. His intentions weren't to get on Tetra's bad side, but it seemed that when the young pirate girl was tired and lacking food, like he was, she didn't have any pleasantness to spare.
"Then go below decks and tell Link to take over for you," Tetra ordered, "But you'll have to come back up here anyway because if Gyorgs decide to show up while you're sleeping, guess who I'm going to make fight them off?"
"Me?" Kid humored her.
"Exactly. Now go. Quickly," Tetra said, shooing him away with a wave.
Paying close attention to where he was placing his feet, Kid descended the steps and strolled across the deck towards the door that led to the inner workings of the ship, taking his time despite Tetra's order for him to hurry.
The two torches burned in their respective corners as he entered the ship. It didn't seem that the flames ever went out. In fact, he didn't recall a time when they weren't lit. Their luminance, however, did nothing to illuminate the stairs that plunged into almost complete blackness. With no railing to cling to for support, Kid chose to keep one hand on the right hand wall as he descended, if only for reassurance. He made it to the landing without falling on his face which he regarded as a good sign. Kid decided to check the room directly in front of him first, knowing that it was the most likely place he'd find the others.
Just as he'd thought, Niko was testing Link, and it wasn't going too well if his counterpart's recent fall was anything to go by. By the look on Link' face, Kid knew he was beyond frustrated and decided to show him how it was done.
Placing the sword on the ground, Kid aligned himself with the first rope which was still swaying wildly from Link's failed attempt to reach the next. Without waiting for it to slow in its erratic pattern, Kid took a running start and jumped, grabbing onto the swinging rope.
"Oi, swabbie! You're never gonna make it before the gate closes!" Niko shouted to him from the other side where he was viewing the proceedings.
Kid ignored him and leapt to the next rope, scarcely taking the time to gauge the distance.
"How did you do that?!" Link's tone leaked jealousy from the sidelines.
Kid didn't bother with a reply as he forced the rope to stop and slid down a little, the rough fibers scraping his bare hands. Building up momentum as quickly as he could, Kid released the rope and grasped for the next. The ship's movement swung his target farther than he'd estimated it to be so he only managed to catch it with one hand.
Instantly he began to slip. Kid sucked in a breath, bringing up his other hand in an attempt to stabilize himself. To no avail, he only slipped farther and lost his grip entirely on one of the backswings.
The distance to the ground wasn't far but it still didn't feel too good landing on his back.
"You slicked the rope?!" Kid exclaimed in bewilderment as he sat up. Niko jumped down from the other side just as the gate clanged shut.
"I wanted to make it harder," Niko informed him proudly.
"Why?" Kid wondered.
"Because you could do it in two tries, so I figured he could too, and it wouldn't be any fun then," Niko explained.
"Can I clear something up?" Link interjected. "Just because he can do something well, doesn't mean I can too."
"But I thought you guys were counterparts. That means you're technically the same person, right?" Niko asked.
"No, it's a bit more complicated than that," Link admitted.
"How complicated?" Niko ventured.
"Very," Kid answered before Link had a chance to reply and prolong the already lengthy conversation. Tetra was probably already cross with him because he was taking too long to deliver the message he'd been sent down here for.
"Tetra wants you to be the navigator," Kid announced, turning to Link.
"What?!" Niko exclaimed in disappointment, "We were just starting to have fun."
"I'm not going to agree completely with that, but isn't it kind of late by now?" Link wondered.
"Yeah, that's one of the reasons we're switching. Apparently, the more tired I get, the more distracting I become to her," Kid replied.
"Look, I'm tired and it's not just from this," Link gestured to the obstacle of ropes suspended from the ceiling. "And Tetra has to be tired by now, so why don't we just stop sailing and pick up the search in the morning?"
Kid shrugged. Personally, he wasn't opposed to the idea. In fact, he supported it. However, his support didn't mean much since he wasn't the owner of the ship and had little influence over its captain and her decisions.
"Whatever the wish of the captain is the wish of the crew," Niko said as if it was a phrase he'd grown accustomed to repeating over the years, "You just gotta roll with it. If Tetra wants to keep going, we keep going."
"I understand that when there's a full crew to take shifts, but not when there's only, what, four of us?" Link argued.
"Five," Niko corrected him, "and if you feel that strongly about it, take it up with Tetra."
"I think I will. I need to go up there anyway," Link said, turning to exit the room, and Kid moved to follow him. Niko, for lack of something better to do, or quite possibly out of sheer boredom, fell into step beside him.
The three of them emerged onto the deck and were cooled slightly by the muggy night air. It was scarcely better than the closed stuffiness of the ship's interior, but at least it was more breathable.
"What took so long?" Tetra demanded when they reached the helm.
Blatantly ignoring her question, Link declared, "I think we should stop for the night."
"That's nice," Tetra stated with indifference, "but I didn't ask for your opinion. Therefore, it won't be taken into consideration. Now start tracking. We're probably not even going in the right direction anymore."
Surprisingly obedient considering his mission was to persuade Tetra to stop, Link pulled the Master Sword from its ornate sheath and began to move it around to discern the princess's aura.
"What is he doing?" Niko leaned close to Kid and kept his voice lowered. Kid knew this low volume wouldn't keep Link from hearing and decided that responding in the same hushed fashion wasn't worth it.
"He's just tracking the princess. It's something special we can do with that sword," Kid answered.
"Is it magic?" Niko wondered.
"Something like that," Kid returned, not yet willing to share Fi's existence with Niko. He barely understood Fi as it was. Explaining the ancient sword spirit to someone else would be exceedingly difficult.
"Alright. She isn't moving anymore, so I think that whatever boat she's on has to have either stopped for the night or docked at an island," Link announced, "So could we please stop? We can start again at dawn if that's what you want, but as I see it, if they're not moving, why should we?"
"Because we can catch up to them, dummy," Tetra retorted.
"We don't even know who it is. Don't you think it's a good idea to be alert when we encounter whoever it is that has her?" Link reasoned.
Tetra, to Kid's surprise, didn't reply to this in a scream or yell of determine-bred defiance. She was calm as she said simply, "Okay. Fine, we'll stop. But we're continuing as soon as the sun starts to rise. Kid, Niko, get the sail up." Kid nodded in comprehension and Niko offered a small salute as proof of his understanding before the two of them made for opposite sides of the ship.
Most of his remaining energy had been expended while swinging from rope-to-rope, so Kid's pace wasn't as swift and lively as Niko's as he scaled the rigging. It was for this reason that raising the sail was a slow process. Nevertheless, they got it done and soon the ship was still as the waves of the ocean sloshed gently around it.
"We're going to take shifts. Since there are five of us that should be enough to make it to dawn. Each of us will take an hour," Tetra announced when the two of them climbed back down to the deck. "Niko, you're up first. Then it's Zuko; then it's me; then it's Link," Tetra clarified by pointing out the taller of the two heroes, "and then it's Kid's turn. Any questions?"
Approving of their silence, Tetra continued, "Good. If there's trouble there's no sense in the person on watch running around the entire ship to locate everyone, so pick a spot on deck to sleep."
With that, Niko broke away from the group and climbed up to the crow's nest in order to attend to his duties as first watchman while the rest of them spaced themselves out accordingly on the deck. As it was already a fairly warm night, the closeness that body heat generated was very much unwanted. It wasn't hard to distance themselves from each other. After all, there were only four of them and the deck itself was rather massive.
Kid didn't even mind that he needed to sleep on the wooden deck. He'd fallen asleep in far more uncomfortable locations. Besides, the sleep that'd been tugging insistently at his eyelids for the past hour refused to be ignored any longer. As far as he was concerned, the deck was as comfortable as any bed stuffed with downy materials could be.
Almost immediately after he'd closed his eyes, he was being shaken awake. Not roughly, but enough to be noticeable.
"C'mon, Kid. Wake up. It's your turn," Link said, keeping his voice lowered so he didn't wake the others.
Groggily, Kid sat up, blinking sleep out of his eyes. Surely it couldn't be his turn already. He'd just fallen asleep, or he thought he had. That counted too, right?
"If you're too tired I could take your shift," Link offered. "Tetra wouldn't have to know."
Kid shook his head, grateful for the offer but unwilling to take it. Even if they didn't tell her, Tetra would find a way to come across the knowledge, and then they'd both be in trouble.
"I'll wake up more in a few minutes," Kid assured his counterpart as he got to his feet and moved toward the ladder that led to the crow's nest. Scaling the ladder rung by rung, hand over hand, did nothing to disperse his weariness, and Kid began to contemplate if his earlier reassurance had really been a false hope directed to himself.
The wind was more noticeable from the crow's nest. Kid thought it a shame that it wasn't a cool wind. It was more of a heavy sigh from the goddesses, relaxed and warm, tempting him towards sleep. He resisted the urge to lean on what served as a rail in favor of staying awake and instead, stayed on his feet backed up against the column that ran through the middle and supported the black flag above with its iconic image of a white skull and cross-bones.
The hour crawled by to the point where Kid began to wonder if he'd been watching the surrounding ocean for a far longer period of time. By now he'd committed to memory the motion of the slate grey waves, the island just off the starboard bow, which he determined to be Northern Triangle Island due to its glowing red statue, and the seagulls searching in vain for an early morning meal.
When the first rays of light began to peek over the horizon and stain the surrounding sky, and in turn the water, with its luminance, Kid breathed a sigh of relief. His fatigue hadn't completely faded but light would help. It always did.
Kid abandoned his post and descended the ladder to the deck, his eyes shooting to Tetra's sleeping form as if he had the power to wake the pirate girl just by staring hard enough at her.
"Hey, Tetra. The sun's coming up," Kid said, crouching down next to his dozing friend and shaking her shoulder.
"Oh." Tetra yawned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. "Okay. Let's wake the others and get moving."
The two of them then split up to awaken everyone else, and soon each of them were at their designated posts. Zuko was on lookout as usual while Tetra navigated the ship with the help of Link. Kid and Niko, once they'd finished unfurling the sail, were given the job of waking the other four pirates. Unfortunately dawn wasn't the opportune time for pirates with hangovers to roll out of bed fully awake and alert.
"When did you get back?" Senza asked him, still thrown off by Kid's presence even though he'd been below decks with them for what must have been ten minutes by now.
"Yesterday," Kid replied for what felt like the umpteenth time. This particular question seemed to keep resurfacing no matter how many times he answered it. But at least he knew, by now, to anticipate the follow up question which is why he had an answer prepared before the question was even posed. "And Tetra and I are fine."
"But where were you?" Mako interjected, straightening his broken glasses for all the good it did his eyesight, "We couldn't find you on Windfall."
"That's because we weren't there. We weren't even on the Great Sea," Kid confided, "It's kinda hard to explain, but we were teleported to another world-"
"Is this another one of your spiels about the ghost ship?" Gonzo interrupted, his tone suggesting that Kid should stop talking if it was.
"No, it's not," Kid insisted, restraining himself from adding that the ghost ship had been real as well. "We really did accidentally travel to another world, but we had trouble finding a way back which is why it took so long."
"You know this is far-fetched, yeah? Why should we believe you?" Gonzo challenged.
"Because I have proof," Kid said while Niko nodded energetically beside him, supporting his claim.
"Where is it?" Mako wondered, the mere thought of solid evidence piquing his interest.
"He is above decks with Tetra," Kid proclaimed, "and there's another one. We're still trying to find her though."
"He? What do mean, lad?" Senza inquired, skeptical.
"In the other world we went to, Tetra and I met our counterparts. They're basically different versions of us. My counterpart is here and we're trying to figure out where Tetra's counterpart ended up," Kid elaborated.
"So, let's suppose you're telling the truth," Gonzo began, his tone hinting that he didn't think this was the case, "You're saying that the other version of you and of Miss Tetra followed you both here? Why?"
"Well, we may have accidentally allowed an ancient demon to cross over from that world into this one," Kid admitted.
Instead of an exclamation of surprise, the pirates met his words with laughter. Kid snuck a glance at Niko who simply shrugged helplessly as if to say, 'what are you gonna do?'
"Now that is a story. Document that one will you, Niko?" Senza remarked with sarcasm drenched words.
"I think I will," Niko responded with honesty the others weren't expecting, and Kid shot him a grateful smile before turning his attention back to the snickering pirates.
"Either way, Tetra still wants you all on deck," Kid reminded them.
"Of course. We'll get there. After breakfast," Nudge declared as he crossed from the kitchen to the small table the rest of the pirates were seated at with plates of scrambled eggs. Kid eyed the food longingly, debating whether to ask for some or not.
"You two can take the rest up to everyone else," Nudge added, indicating four other plates on the counter. Four, meaning he didn't believe Kid's story any more than the rest of them. Niko grabbed two while Kid took the remaining plates, sneaking an extra fork out of the drawer as he realized he'd have to share his breakfast with Link.
The two of them made their way to the upper deck in silence, and Kid braced himself for the scolding Tetra would give them both when they returned without the others.
Thankfully, the sun was more merciful today and the air didn't hang quite as low. Niko made for the crow's nest, precariously cradling two plates on one arm while using his free hand to progress up the ladder. In a few strides, Kid was at the helm, biting his lip out of nerves when Tetra noticed him approaching alone.
"Let me guess," Tetra sighed, "they blew you off."
"Yeah. How'd you know?" Kid wondered.
Tetra smirked. "I've lived with them all my life. That's how. What did you tell them exactly?"
"They wanted to know where we've been, so I told them the truth and they didn't believe me," Kid explained, "On the bright side, Nudge made breakfast."
It was then that Tetra noticed what he was holding and whisked a plate out of one of his hands so fast that he nearly dropped the other.
"Bless the Gods. I'm starved," Tetra declared as she took a quick forkful of eggs and put it in her mouth before grabbing hold of the wheel again.
"Because they didn't believe my story, they also don't believe you're here, so we have to share," Kid proclaimed, turning to Link and holding out one of the forks to him.
"It's fine," Link said, waving off the offer, "You need it more than I do. You eat it."
"But you haven't eaten anything in a day either," Kid protested, refusing to back down no matter what excuse his counterpart presented him with. "Even if you say no, I'm still only eating half of what's on this plate."
That statement seemed to make Link's decision for him, and he accepted the proffered fork. Kid sat down next to Link and set the plate down between them so they could both reach it easily.
"Are the others going to come up here anytime soon or are they going on strike below decks because they think we're crazy?" Tetra asked, glancing over her shoulder to address Kid who was just putting food into his mouth for the first in over twenty-four hours.
He swallowed before answering, "They said they're going to come up here after breakfast." Tetra said nothing to this, so Kid supposed she was satisfied with the response. He didn't bother to check and continued to eat, making sure he didn't go over the line he and Link had instigated to separate their shares.
A few minutes later the food was gone, and the other pirates were emerging on deck, a couple of them throwing glares at the rising sun as if it was doing them some injustice by being there.
"Oi!" Tetra called, waving the rest of her crew over once she'd captured their attention. The four pirates approached their scowling captain apprehensively.
"Who's he?" Gonzo inquired, indicating Link with a jerk of his head.
"He's proof of where we've been," Tetra declared, head held high as if challenging the men before her to dismiss the notion of another world now. None of them took it, and Tetra continued, "And what about you guys? I've told you all numerous times that drinking was forbidden and what happens? I come back only to find half my crew three sheets to the wind! That's not acceptable under any circumstances. I don't care how long I was gone. No means no, understand?"
"Aye, Miss," chorused the four pirates, each wallowing in separate stages of guilt.
"Good," Tetra nodded in satisfaction. "Senza, Nudge, I want you two to set up the running rigging. Gonzo, you're on the helm. Mako, take inventory and report to me with the numbers when you're finished." She hopped off the platform that held the ship's wheel so her first mate could take her place while the rest of the pirates scurried off to their assigned posts.
"Wow," Link commented.
"If you want to keep your mouth, I suggest you shut it," Tetra glowered.
"Reminder, I'm not one of your crew," Link interjected.
"Reminder, this is my ship," Tetra countered in an over-sweet voice that quickly turned bitter. "Which means you do as I say, and right now I want Kid as navigator. Link, go grab Niko and clean up everything from breakfast."
Kid could tell his counterpart wanted to argue with her, but he steeled himself and handed over the sword without a word before leaving to retrieve Niko.
"Kid knows where we're going so adjust our course as he dictates," Tetra ordered Gonzo before running off to survey and direct the work of the other crew members.
His new task could almost be described as relaxing if Gonzo didn't have so many complaints about the way he stated his directions. He couldn't just say, slight turn to port. He had to give degrees, and goddesses above knew that Kid had no idea how to determine this. Tetra had probably switched him off with Link because she knew how particular Gonzo was about directions and Link, who'd never sailed before in his life, wouldn't have any chance of successfully communicating with the pirate. At least Kid knew better than to say right or left.
Fortunately, their path was leveling out to the point where he didn't have to scramble so often for nautical terms in order for Tetra's first mate to adjust their course.
Judging by their, more or less, straight course, Kid should have been expecting the call of "Sail ho!" from the crow's nest, but for whatever reason, he wasn't. This news animated him, and Kid soon found himself leaning over the closest railing, Master Sword firmly in his grasp, in order to catch a glimpse of the ship that was supposedly on the horizon.
Whipping out his sister's telescope and holding it up to his eye, Kid zeroed in on the sailing vessel in the distance. After some fiddling with the zoom feature, he managed to narrow his sights on the ship. Its gold and green accents were familiar, as was the simple design on the sail. His memories were slow to surface, and it seemed that the longer he stared at it, the more the memories buried themselves.
Momentarily lowering the telescope, Kid pointed the sword toward the strangely familiar ship in the distance. The reaction was far stronger than it'd ever been, the sacred sword practically writhed in his grip and nearly caused him to lose his hold on it. There was no doubt about where Zelda was now. She was on that ship. The question was, whose was it?
It definitely didn't belong to Beedle, or a simple sailor. No sailor had a ship as ostentatious as that one. Could it be a treasure-hunter then? Or another pirate group? He hadn't seen a flag that suggested the latter, but, then again, not all pirates flew them. Some pirates took pleasure in witnessing the shock and fear overtake their prey when they were boarded and robbed because they'd trusted the wrong people.
Suddenly, the answer came barreling in, screeching to a belated halt in the front of his mind.
"Oh no," Kid uttered, backing away from the rail and running off to find Tetra. Something told him getting the princess back wasn't going to be as simple as they'd hoped.
